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Chris Rock Still Wants To Launch Joint Comedy Tour With Dave Chappelle

Posted 1/25/12 12:14 pm EST by in comedy


Chris Rock

By Zachary Swickey

Six years later, we are still lamenting the loss of one of the funniest (and most successful) sketch shows in television history, “Chappelle’s Show.” While comedian Dave Chappelle has kept an insanely low profile – occasionally making rare surprise appearances at comedy clubs at ungodly hours like 2:40AM – he’s supposedly “still got it” and it appears Chris Rock is itchin’ to get the star back on tour.

Rumors first surfaced last October about a Rock/Chappelle joint comedy tour between the two icons, but nothing ever came of the walk … until now. Vulture caught up with Rock at the Sundance Film Festival to talk about his upcoming movie “2 Days in New York” (a sequel to the underappreciated gem “2 Days in Paris” starring Julie Delpy and Adam Goldberg), and he slyly revealed the tour still might happen.

“I’ve been talking to Chappelle a lot. Been trying to get Chappelle to go on tour,” he said. Watch the Throne even apparently provided some new inspiration: “After seeing Kanye and Jay-Z, I was like, ‘Me and Dave should do this.’” Read More...

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Aziz Ansari Shares His Hilarious Run-Ins With Kanye West

Posted 1/21/10 2:03 pm EST by in Music


Even if Aziz Ansari isn't given a late-night talk show like we think he should, he should be comfortable in the knowledge that his stand-up game remains on point. This past weekend saw the premiere of his new Comedy Central special "Intimate Moments for a Sensual Evening," and it's full of everything that makes Ansari one of the top comedic talents working right now. (His album of the same name is also available now.)

By far the highlight of the special is when he takes seven minutes to talk about his relationship with Kanye West. Ansari began as little more than an enthusiastic fan of the rapper/producer/provocateur, but they eventually spent quite a bit of time hanging out. The first time the two hung out, Ansari met West at a club where Jay-Z was also partying. "Jay-Z was drinking vodka he makes. How baller is that? Jay-Z's on the tab, and the money went back into his own pocket."

Later on in the bit, Ansari talks about visiting West at his house and finding him enjoying his own album 808s and Heartbreak. "I was like, 'Are you listening to your own album in your own house bopping your own head?' He was like, 'Yo, these beats are dope.'"

Later on that same evening, West insisted that Ansari tell some jokes in his living room. The comedian initially resisted, but West's pleading got the better of him. He found himself doing a gig for 30 people at West's house. "My favorite part was when every once in a while, somebody would be in the kitchen making a drink and they'd make a little noise, and Kanye would jump up and yell, 'Yo! Shut the f--- up! Homey's over here trying to tell some jokes!' Which is the best thing anybody has ever yelled at a comedy show."

The bit (and the whole special, really) just drives home the fact that Ansari is everything we need in a comedian: A little bit of nerdiness, a little bit of street cred and a whole lot of impeccable comic timing. We'll hold out hope for a show (or we'll just watch "Parks and Recreation"), but in the meantime, at least we can enjoy his mixtape, which is coming soon.

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The Situation Pokes Fun At Himself In 'Jersey Shore' Spoof

Posted 12/23/09 10:35 am EST by in Television


By Cara Alwill

Ever wonder what the cast of "Jersey Shore" would be like sans house music, accents and limitless confidence? Well, in this Funny or Die clip, Snooki, Pauly D and the Situation clue us in.

The skit opens with Snooki and the Situation in a hotel room, recapping their night out. Snooki recalls a "juicehead grinding up on her," which turns out to have been the Situation himself, and just as the two get up and begin fist-bumping, a siren blares and Pauly D comes flying into the room with a laptop in hand.

As the Situation begins to recite his now-famous monologue about those abs of steel, he immediately loses steam, citing he "can't bear this any longer." Snooki picks up what appears to be a script for the show, and the Situation puts on a pair of glasses. Within seconds, the threesome lose their accents and the room goes silent. Pauly D picks up an insanely bizarre twist on a British accent, convincing the Situation to stay positive and keep the momentum.

Just when it seems like there's no hope left, room service arrives and the infamous club siren blares yet again. Everyone is dancing in anticipation of their meal, and the bellhop immediately recognizes the Situation, calling him an inspiration and flashing a pasty, hairy midsection.

The Situation appears defeated. Snooki provides a pep talk and Pauly D delivers the key inspirational line to the Situation: "Every time you lift your shirt, you're lifting America's spirits." This hilarious mockery just makes the cast even more charming, and somehow, we think Pauly D might be right.

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Aziz Ansari Following Up Jay-Z Spoof With Full Mixtape

Posted 12/9/09 5:45 pm EST by in Music


If there were awards for "Comedian of the Year" (and maybe there are — we're just too lazy to look it up), it's probable that Aziz Ansari would be a finalist. With his turn as raunchy Dane Cook-esque stand-up comic Randy (or rather, "Raaaaaaaaaaaandy") in "Funny People," combined with his work on NBC sitcom "Parks and Recreation" and his upcoming Comedy Central special "Intimate Moments for a Sensual Evening," he has delivered consistently and hilariously in the past year. One of his finest moments came when he poked fun at mixtape DJs with a spoof track, where he talked over Jay-Z's "Hate." In 2010, he's going to keep his hip-hop enthusiasm going strong with a full-blown mixtape. The tape, which will drop some time in February, is a collaboration with TV on the Radio's Dave Sitek (along with DJs the Have and DJ Granwizerd) and will feature an entirely new batch of music and lyrics.

"Dave Sitek and I are working on a mixtape together," Ansari wrote on his blog. "That's all we're saying for now, but if everything we have in mind comes together, I can promise three things. 1. Y'all ain't ready. 2. Motherf---ers need to know. 3. Get yo s--t."

Ansari is a genuine fan of hip-hop Ὰ he recently got really excited about Roots drummer Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson's comment that the cast of "Parks and Recreation" were just like the Wu-Tang Clan, with Ansari serving as the ensemble's ODB. And of course Ansari is no stranger to MTV, as he was a key contributor to "Human Giant," the sketch show that ran on the network in 2007.

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Ken Ober Remembered: Colin Quinn Called Him 'Hilarious And Spontaneous'

Posted 11/17/09 10:42 am EST by in Television


Ken Ober was a unique talent. As the host of the MTV game show "Remote Control" (which ran on the network from 1987 until 1990), he was given the task of not only driving the show (reading questions, announcing prizes, keeping up the pace) but also providing laughs, pausing for skits and interacting with his wacky team of sidekicks, which included future stars Adam Sandler, Dennis Leary and Colin Quinn. The veteran stand-up comic and television producer passed away over the weekend at age 52.

Quinn weighed in on Ober's passing yesterday, but the top MTV News archivists resurrected an interview with him from 1999 (which was taped for an episode of "Uncensored" that contained a behind-the-scenes look at "Remote Control"). Ober and Quinn began on the stand-up circuit in New York in the '80s, so they were old friends who managed to elevate themselves to the strange cable creation that was "Remote Control." "We knew each other from comedy clubs," Quinn explained. "When we first started, all we cared about was what 20 comedians thought. We hoped they wouldn't see the show, because even then the 'Brady Bunch' jokes were hack. But all the comedians thought it was funny."

The former "Saturday Night Live" cast member and host of "Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn" had nothing but praise for Ober, even going so far as identifying himself as an "acolyte" of his. "Kenny was hilarious. He was just very spontaneous," Quinn said. "And he had a hard thing: Being funny and still reading all those damn questions for 45 minutes."

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Aziz Ansari Helps Jay-Z And Kanye West Stick It To Mixtape DJs

Posted 9/2/09 10:00 am EST by in Music


You know it's happened to you: You download a new Eminem freestyle or a Lil Wayne remix, but then when you click "Play" all you get is a terrible mixtape DJ shouting over the track about how dope it actually is. Comedian and actor Aziz Ansari (star of "Funny People" and TV's "Parks and Recreation") is fed up with them too, which is why he took the Jay-Z and Kanye West track "Hate" and talked all over it as a way to send-up those guys who are always shouting "Exclusive!" West liked it so much that he posted the song to his own blog.

"New Jay-Z track, y'all. I'm about to yell all over the s---," Ansari says at the beginning of the song. "Totally ruin it." As the song continues, Jigga and West's verses are kept low in the mix so that Ansari can talk about "Mad Men," how he hates doing laundry, why he doesn't like watching TV shows that aren't in HD and what's on the delicious turkey sub he has in the fridge. "This sandwich is dope! Blueprint 3! Turkey sub!" He even brings up Jay-Z's attendance at Sunday's Grizzly Bear concert in New York. "That s--- was crazy!" says Ansari.

"Hate" is produced by Kanye West and appears on The Blueprint 3. The unmolested track made its way to the Internet on Monday, and Ansari added his own spice shortly thereafter. Here's hoping for the Anzari/Kanye team-up — perhaps in a future episode of "Parks and Recreation" or on a skit on the next West record.

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Who's Funnier -- Barack Obama Or John McCain?

Posted 10/17/08 12:02 pm EST by in Barack-Obama, John-McCain


Senators Barack Obama and John McCain
In just over two weeks, one of the two men vying for our nation's highest office will be out of a job. One will get ready to move into the White House, and one will head home — or to one of his seven homes. Sure, the loser will still have a gig in the Senate, but with this year’s presidential campaign winding down, could either John McCain or Barack Obama — who hoisted verbal attacks at each other during the third and final debate Wednesday night — secure future work on the stand-up circuit? Last night, both candidates attended the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation dinner at New York's Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, where they swapped punch lines about themselves and each other.

(Watch the video after the jump!)
Read More...

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