comedy

Ricky Gervais Blasts Cancel Culture — Getting People Fired Is ‘Not Cool’

Comedian and former Golden Globes host Ricky Gervais is speaking out about the dangers of cancel culture once again. The often controversial comedian and creator of the U.K. version of “The Office,” is often outspoken about cancel culture’s impact on the world of comedy and constantly lambastes fellow celebrities for engaging in it. Speaking in an interview with Metro, he explained that the meaning of cancel culture is different depending on who you ask, but he personally boils the definition down to simple dollars and cents. “Everyone’s got a different definition of cancel culture,” the 59-year-old explained. “If it is choosing not to watch a comedian because you don’t like them, that’s everyone’s right. But when people are trying to get someone fired because they don’t like their opinion about something that’s nothing to do with their job, that’s what I call cancel culture and that’s not cool.” He added: “You turning off your own TV isn’t censorship. You trying to get other people to turn off their TV because you don’t like something they’re watching, that’s different.” Gervais explained that everyone has a right to essentially vote with their dollar by not supporting people who publicly hold an opinion or stance that they personally disagree with. However, he believes the danger comes when people demand everyone else to fall in line behind how they feel about someone. He went on to share a story about a negative reaction he got to a recent tweet in which he quoted Winston Churchill that he says demonstrates exactly what he’s talking about. “I did a tweet a month ago about freedom of speech, quoting Winston Churchill. Someone came back with, ‘You know he was a white supremacist?’ And I wrote back, ‘Not in that tweet he isn’t.’ It’s like if someone did something once that’s wrong, everything they did was wrong,” he said. “You are allowed to have things in common with bad people as long it’s not the bad things. I’m a vegetarian and I love dogs, like Hitler. But the only thing I have in common with Hitler are the good bits!” This is far from the first time that Gervais has commented on the proliferation of cancel culture. He previously sat down for an interview on talkRadio in the U.K. and explained that he feels his beloved sitcom “The Office” could never be made today because it wouldn’t stand up to the “new weird sort of fascism” that all content is now subjected to.

Again, Ricky nails it.  We love how he takes on the self-righteous, entitlement-minded, extreme liberals in HollyWEIRD over their brazen hypocrisy. And, to be clear..  Ricky is a self-described “snowflake” liberal himself.  We appreciate and respect his integrity.  Thanks Ricky!!      🙂

George Lopez booed off stage for repeated Trump jokes

Comic George Lopez was booed off stage at a gala for juvenile diabetes in Denver last week, over an anti-Donald Trump routine that fell flat with the crowd. We’re told the flap began when Trump backer and Liberty Media CEO Greg Maffei donated $250,000 but requested that Lopez cool it with the anti-Trump jokes at the Carousel Ball. An attendee at the event — where tables sold from $5,000 to $100,000 to benefit the Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes — commented on a YouTube video that “George was asked nicely to stop making Trump jokes by a man in the front row [Maffei] who just donated $250K.” But “George doesn’t, continues. Gets booed.” We’re told that Lopez responded to Maffei, “Thank you for changing my opinion on old white men, but it doesn’t change the way I feel about orange men.” Trying to recover and sensing the audience turn, Lopez said, “Listen, it’s about the kids . . . I apologize for bringing politics to an event. This is America — it still is. So I apologize to your white privilege.” We’re told Lopez also told a joke about Trump’s proposed border wall with Mexico, saying, “I guess you can get some Mexicans to do it cheaper and they wouldn’t crush the tunnels ­underneath.” When the audience did not respond well, he quipped, “Are you El Chapo people?” in reference to the drug kingpin who has used tunnels to evade authorities. Lopez then announced a video segment — but he did not return to the stage, and a local newscaster took over the hosting duties. TV host Chris Parente posted on Twitter, “big controversy: host of HUGE charity #CarouselBall, @georgelopez, makes political comments about Trump, drops f-bomb and is escorted out.” But a source close to the comedian insisted to Page Six that Lopez’s segment was “only supposed to be four minutes,” even though he was listed as the night’s emcee. Lenny Kravitz performed at the gala, which raised $1.65 million. Reps had no comment.

And who exactly is the real racist here?  It’s George Lopez.  Here he is, a man who has a net worth of over $35 MILLION talking about “white privilege?”  Then, of course, he had to make Mexican jokes intended as a jab at Trump, after he had already been asked to nicely avoid such topics as it wasn’t the right place/time.  And, then to make matters worse, he takes a swipe at the guy in the front row who just donated $250K to charity?!?!  Wow..  what an ass!  George is your poster child of an extreme liberal, self-righteous, out-of-touch, HollyWEIRD elitist who just doesn’t get it…even when he’s beeing booed off the stage.  Moron..

Jerry Lewis, comedy icon and philanthropist, dead at 91

Jerry Lewis, the rubber-faced, squeaky-voiced comedy legend who starred in movies and musicals and also was known for his unflagging work on behalf of the Muscular Dystrophy Association, died on Sunday, his publicist confirmed. He was 91 years old. Lewis’ publicist confirmed the news to The Associated Press. The Las Vegas Review-Journal columnist John Katsilometes first reported Lewis’ death. Lewis “passed peacefully at home this morning of natural causes at the age of 91 with his loving family by his side,” manager Mark Rozzano said. Lewis had gone through a series of health problems and scares in recent years. In June 2012 he was hospitalized for two nights in New York after collapsing with what was reported to be a low blood sugar problem. He was forced to cancel a fund-raising show in Australia due to poor health in June 2011. Lewis had been touring Australia to raise money for the country’s Muscular Dystrophy Foundation, which is separate from the American Muscular Dystrophy Association, where he served as president. He announced in 2011 he was retiring as host of the association’s Labor Day Telethon, which he began hosting in 1966. “MDA would not be the organization it is today if it were not for Jerry’s tireless efforts on behalf of ‘his kids.’ His enthusiasm for finding cures for neuromuscular disease was matched only by his unyielding commitment to see the fight through to the end. Jerry’s efforts on the annual MDA Telethon transformed the broadcast into an American tradition each Labor Day weekend for 45 years,” the organization said in a statement. “Though we will miss him beyond measure, we suspect that somewhere in heaven, he’s already urging the angels to give ‘just one dollar more for my kids.’” In recent years, Lewis also suffered from a back condition linked to a comedic pratfall from a piano, as well as heart problems. He reportedly had at least two heart attacks. The comedian who first gained fame as part of a duo with singer Dean Martin was born Joseph Levitch on March 16, 1926 in Newark, New Jersey. His parents were entertainers and young Jerry made his debut at age five on New York’s Catskill Mountains entertainment circuit. He began using the professional name Joey Lewis, but later changed it to Jerry, reportedly to avoid confusion with comedian Joe E. Lewis. In the summer of 1946, Lewis teamed up with Martin – first with a nightclub act, then radio and television appearances. Martin was the suave, debonair singer while Lewis was the zany, boyish sidekick with the huge grin and squeaky voice. They went on to make a series of movies together before the partnership ended in 1956 and both launched successful solo careers. Lewis became a major comedy star with his first solo film, 1957’s “The Delicate Delinquent,” followed by “Rock-A-Bye Baby” and “The Geisha Boy.” His later films included “The Bellboy,” “Cinderfella,” “The Nutty Professor” and “The King of Comedy.” He also appeared in stage musicals and in 1994 made his Broadway debut as the Devil in a revival of “Damn Yankees.”

And that’s just for starters..  To read the rest of this tribute to Jerry, click on the text above.  What an icon he was!  Thanks for the laughs Jerry!  R.I.P.

Don Rickles, comedy legend, dead at 90

Comedy legend and actor Don Rickles died Thursday morning of kidney failure, Fox News has confirmed. He was 90 years old. “Emmy-award winning iconic comedian Don Rickles passed away at his home Los Angeles this morning (Thursday) as a result of kidney failure,” his rep said in a statement. “Rickles would have turned 91 on May 8.” His funeral will be private. Born in New York City, Rickles served in the U.S. Navy for two years during World War II before he found fame. He got his big break when his insult comedy began getting him some attention from the “Chairman of the Board,” Frank Sinatra. He connected with Sinatra by chiding him during a show and eventually became the go-to comic of the Rat Pack stars. “Make yourself at home Frank. Hit somebody,” Rickles reportedly said during the show. His career took off when he began making appearances on the late-night shows. He was a frequent guest on “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson” and “Late Show with David Letterman.” For more than half a century, “Mr. Warmth” headlined casinos and nightclubs from Las Vegas to Atlantic City. N.J. Despite jokes that from other comics might have inspired boycotts, he was one of the most beloved people in show business, idolized by everyone from Joan Rivers and Louis CK to Chris Rock and Sarah Silverman. “I think the reason that (my act) caught on and gave me a wonderful career is that I was never mean-spirited,” he once said. “Not that you had to like it, but you had to be under a rock somewhere not to get it.” Carl Reiner would say he knew he had made it in Hollywood when Rickles made fun of him. James Caan once said that Rickles helped inspire the blustering Sonny Corleone of “The Godfather.”

And that’s just for starters.  What an incredible life!  To read the rest of this article, click on the text above.  Thanks for all the laughs, Don.  R.I.P.

Stephen Colbert Brutally Mocks Rachel Maddow’s Lengthy Trump Tax Form Tease

Stephen Colbert poked fun at MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow on Wednesday’s Late Show, following Maddow’s show on Tuesday night when she revealed two of President Donald Trump’s tax forms. “I hold in my hand something very significant,” Colbert said, dressed in Maddow’s signature blazer in front of a graphic that resembled the backdrop used on The Rachel Maddow Show. “It is a joke, a joke that we have confirmed has been heard by Donald Trump. We believe this is the first time any joke dealing with Donald Trump has been released.” Colbert rambled on, poking fun at Maddow’s nearly 20-minute-long preamble intro on Tuesday’s program before revealing the tax information, an act that made Maddow the subject of much Twitter mockery. “Why did the chicken …,” Colbert teased before adding, “but first a word on chickens” and segueing into a lengthy informational rant on the fowls and pulled out a live chicken in a necktie. “Why did the chicken cross the road?” Colbert finally continued. “OK, what are roads?” he added, launching into another series of non-sequiturs. When it finally seemed as though Colbert would deliver the punchline, he tossed to commercial. Maddow had invited investigative journalist David Cay Johnston onto her show to reveal two less-than-revelatory leaked pages from Trump’s 2005 1040 form. The Pulitzer prize-winning reporter said the information was delivered to him anonymously, and unsolicited, in the mail. Based on the documents, Trump paid $36.5 million in taxes on $153 million in income, for an effective tax rate of around 24 percent. That percentage is higher than what the average American pays each year..

No kidding!  Trump was at 24%, while Obama was aroun 18%, and crazy ol’ socialist Bernie Sanders was around 13%.  Not exactly paying YOUR fair share, huh Bernie?  The whole “revelation” by Rachel was a total flop.  Despite Hillary’s assertion that Trump may not have paid any federal income taxes, we learned in 2005 he paid around $38 MILLION dollars in federal taxes, and was in a pretty high tax bracket, and took some pretty standard, legal, deductions.  There was no there, there.  If anything, it made Trump look pretty good…which is why a few Democrat pollsters has suggested this story get dropped, and quick.  Rachel portrays herself as this super smart, elitist, who kinda makes fun of the unwashed conservatives…and in the process reveals herself to be the real fool.  Kudos to Stephen, who is an uber-liberal himself, for mocking her.  You know its bad, when a liberal eats one of their own like this..  To see the video, and read the rest of this article, click on the text above.   🙂

Terry Jones, of Monty Python fame, diagnosed with dementia

Terry Jones, one of the founding members of comedy troupe Monty Python, has been diagnosed with dementia. In a statement released by Britain’s film academy, a representative says the 74-year-old has primary progressive aphasia, which erodes the ability to use language. As a result, Jones can no longer give interviews. News of Jones’ illness came in a statement announcing he is to receive an award for outstanding contribution to film and television from the academy’s Welsh branch. In the late 1960s Jones, John Cleese, Michael Palin, Eric Idle, Terry Gilliam and the late Graham Chapman formed the surreal and anarchic Monty Python’s Flying Circus. Jones directed the Python films “Life Of Brian” and “Monty Python’s The Meaning Of Life.” With Gilliam, he co-directed “Monty Python and The Holy Grail.”

Very sad news..  If only it were “a flesh wound.”   Our prayers go out to Terry and his family.

Hillary Clinton in painfully awkward ‘Between Two Ferns’ interview — ‘I really regret doing this’

In a bid to attract young voters, Hillary Clinton this week appeared on Zach Galifianakis‘ web series “Between Two Ferns,” taking part in a painfully awkward five-minute interview that the former first lady immediately said she regretted. The Funny Or Die series – which President Obama used as a forum to push the Affordable Care Act in 2014 – clearly was uncomfortable territory for Mrs. Clinton, and she struggled to figure out how to respond to several of Mr. Galifianakis‘ off-beat questions. “As secretary [of state], how many words per minute could you type?” the host and comedic actor said. “And how does President Obama like his coffee? Like himself? Weak?” “You know, Zach, those are really, really out-of-date questions. You need to get out more,” Mrs. Clinton responded. Mr. Galifianakis also took a tongue-in-cheek shot at the fact that Mrs. Clinton is poised to become the first woman president. “What happens if you become pregnant? Are we going to be stuck with Tim Kaine for nine months?” he asked. The former secretary of state occasionally tried to give more serious answers. She said it would be “pretty special” for young girls and boys alike if she were to become the first female elected to the White House. And she also shot down suggestions that she’d flee the country if Republican Donald Trump prevails in November. “I would try to prevent him from destroying the United States,” Mrs. Clinton said. But the host was relentless in poking fun at the Democratic presidential nominee, including claiming that she’d told him off air that she intends to take all Americans’ guns away. “I really regret doing this,” Mrs. Clinton said. Mr. Galifianakis then briefly interrupted the interview to play a campaign commercial for Mr. Trump, claiming the billionaire businessman was the show’s top sponsor. He then wrapped up the exchange by telling Mrs. Clinton the two should stay in touch. “What’s the best way to reach you? Email?” he said.

I saw this video earlier today, and wow..  I didn’t know if it was real, or maybe The Onion..  You should see this Funny or Die video.  Aside from Zach’s repeated, and obnoxious, “Trump is a racist” plugs (intended to play to his liberal millennial audience), it was somewhat funny (Zach, that is.. Hillary was boring and NOT funny)…and yet somewhat awkward.  It was weird…and made me wonder what the point of it was.  If anything, it made Hillary look kinda stupid, and not very cool or hip.

Comedian Garry Shandling dead at 66

Comedian Garry Shandling, known for “It’s Garry Shandling’s Show” and “The Larry Sanders Show,” died Thursday. He was 66. Los Angeles Police officer Tony Im told the Associated Press that Shandling died Thursday in Los Angeles. Im said officers were dispatched to Shandling’s home Thursday for a reported medical emergency. Shandling was transported to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. A coroner’s official said late Thursday that Shandling’s death appears to be from natural causes and no autopsy is planned. Lt. David Smith told the Associated Press there has been no official cause of death determination yet, but medical records will be used to determine how the 66-year-old comedian died. An innovative and eccentric humorist with pillowy lips and a voice that always seemed on the verge of a whine, Shandling claimed to disdain too much logic cluttering his life. “The answer isn’t gonna be in the facts,” he told The Associated Press in 2009. “It’s gonna be in intuition. That’s how I work creatively. I’m always teaching people that the answer to that creative question is right here, in the room, between us here.” More to the point, it was dealing with the questions he confronted in himself. Born on Nov. 29, 1949 in Chicago, Shandling was raised in Tucson, Arizona. On arriving in Los Angeles as a young adult, it was a short hop from a brief stint in the advertising business to comedy writing and stand-up. Then in the 1980s, he began to experiment with TV comedy, and to toy with the sitcom form, with his first series, “It’s Garry Shandling’s Show,” a Showtime project that made no bones about its inherently artificial nature: the actors in this otherwise standard domestic comedy routinely broke the fourth wall to comment on what they were up to. Even the theme song began with the explanatory lyrics, “The theme to Garry’s show….” Then, in August 1992, Shandling created his comic masterpiece with “The Larry Sanders Show,” which starred him as an egomaniacal late-night TV host with an angst-ridden show-biz life behind the scenes. It was just three months after Carson had retired from “The Tonight Show,” where Shandling had appeared as a stand-up and occasional Carson stand-in. It seemed a wry but deeply felt homage to the King of Late Night. But it was more. “Larry Sanders” proved to be an act of courage, a brave effort led by someone portraying a character dangerously close to himself. As Larry, Garry dug deep to confront his own demons, and did it brilliantly as the series teetered between dual realities: public and private; make-believe and painfully true.

Was sad to hear about this yesterday..  Of course, most recently, Garry was the obnoxious “senator” in Iron Man2 who spars with RDJ’s “Tony Stark” character, a role he reprised in the second Captain America movie.  Thanks for the laughs, Garry.  R.I.P.