comedy
Conan to Caro: “I respect you too much to have you on my show”
Conan O’Brien recently interviewed historian and writer Robert Caro. John Kelbin tells what happened in his recent piece at The New York Times. Here is a taste:
“They probably told you,” Mr. O’Brien said, “I’m a fan to a disturbing level.”
“I want to say, if I’ve ever been asked to be on your show, my publisher never told me,” Mr. Caro replied.
“I like this way better,” Mr. O’Brien said. “I respect you too much to have you on my show.”
The host then asked Mr. Caro if he agreed with Ernest Hemingway’s comment that a writer should not “exhaust the fuel tank in one writing session,” so that it’s easier to start again the next day.
“I want to say, if I’ve ever been asked to be on your show, my publisher never told me,” Mr. Caro replied.
“Yes, and you’re the first person that ever mentioned that,” Mr. Caro said, before noting that he had written his thesis at Princeton on Mr. Hemingway.
“Why am I in comedy?” Mr. O’Brien said.
Did Mr. Caro ever take breaks? Sneak away from his desk to an afternoon movie?
“See the new ‘Avengers,’” Mr. O’Brien suggested. “Ina doesn’t have to know about it.”
“Never in my entire life,” Mr. Caro replied.
Mr. O’Brien proposed coming by Mr. Caro’s office one day and taking him to a matinee.
“If I don’t answer,” Mr. Caro said, “it’s because I’m so deep in the work.”
After a Q. and A. session and another round of applause, Mr. Caro seemed pleased. “I thought these questions tonight were exceptional,” he said in a side room. “Incisive.”
Read the entire piece here.
Ron Chernow Kills It at the White House Correspondents Dinner
As many of you know, the White House Correspondents Association chose historian Ronald Chernow to be the keynote speaker at this year’s annual dinner, a responsibility that normally falls to a comedian.
Whatever you think about Chernow or his work, the celebrity historian who wrote the book that inspired the smash Broadway musical “Hamilton” was excellent.
Watch:
Who says historians can’t be funny?
I lived tweeted the talk. Here are some of my tweets:
No comedy act at the #WHCD this year. Instead we get #RonChernow, author of #Hamilton.
— John Fea (@JohnFea1) April 28, 2019
Ron Chernow on America today: “People are taking their comedians seriously and their politicians as a joke.” #WHCD
— John Fea (@JohnFea1) April 28, 2019
Ron Chernow on America today: “People are taking their comedians seriously and their politicians as a joke.” #WHCD
— John Fea (@JohnFea1) April 28, 2019
Chernow: #GeorgeWashington made one mistake–he did not put his name on @mountvernon and missed a great opportunity for branding. He would just have to settle for “father of his country.” 🙂 #WHCD #whcd2019
— John Fea (@JohnFea1) April 28, 2019
Chernow is doing a great job, but I am afraid his Philip Freneau jokes are going over the head of some of those in the audience. #whcd
— John Fea (@JohnFea1) April 28, 2019
Chernow: “Alexander Hamilton was an immigrant who arrived, thank God, before the country was full. I don’t know why they let the guy in, someone must have slipped-up at the southern border.” #WHCD #WHCD2019
— John Fea (@JohnFea1) April 28, 2019
Chernow is bringing the fire! His references to Ida Wells, Upton Sinclair, Woodward and Bernstein, etc. gets standing ovation. #WHCD #whcd2019
— John Fea (@JohnFea1) April 28, 2019
Chernow quotes #MarkTwain: “Sometimes I wonder whether the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on or by imbeciles who really mean it.” #chernow #whcd #WHCD2019
— John Fea (@JohnFea1) April 28, 2019
What if a Pastor Did a Post-Sermon Interview?
“Every NASCAR Post-Race Interview”
Saturday Night Live Tackles Blackface
Saturday Night Live Strikes Again
In case you haven’t seen it yet, here is the “Kavanaugh Hearing Cold Opening”:
Apparently Conan O’Brien Read My *Washington Post* Piece on Trump and Stormy
John Oliver on Confederate Monuments
Very, very funny.
Warning: This video includes some colorful language:
Carol Burnett Loved John Foster Dulles
Historian John Wilsey, who is writing a religious biography of Dulles, shared this video with me recently:
The Founding Fathers Visit Saturday Night Live
Video of the Day
RIP
Video of the Day
Hilarious Elizabeth Warren Sketch on Saturday Night Light
Everyone is talking about the Sean Spicer cold open and the Trump on the “People’s Court” sketch, but this was my favorite sketch from last night:
Make the Netherlands Great Again!
A Dutch comedy show has some fun with Donald Trump:
The Funeral of Chuckles the Clown
Stephen Colbert on the New Hampshire Primary
Hilarious:
Jon Stewart on History
Tips for Holiday Networking from "The Onion"
NEW YORK—Emphasizing the importance of “developing contacts and getting your name out there,” sales coordinator Keith Elliott told reporters on Tuesday that he was traveling home to Ohio for the holidays to put in some solid networking time with his family. “Christmas is a great opportunity for me to really work the room, and I’m hoping to make some big contacts, especially on my mom’s side of the family,” said Elliott, who mentioned that he would “definitely try to get in some good face time” with his dad, who works in retail. “You just never know which sibling or nephew might have an ‘in’ for you somewhere, so it’s really important to cultivate personal, win-win relationships with all of them.” Elliott added that he planned on enclosing his business card in his gift to his second cousin Steven Brolin, who reportedly “knows some of the higher-ups over at a Fortune 500 company.”
HT: Scot McKnight
Jon Stewart on the Rhode Island "Holiday Tree" Controversy OR Did Congress Ever Meet on Christmas?
!!!!
Stewart has a lot right here, but he may be in error on at least one point. David Bruce Forbes explains in a thorough post at Religion & Politics.
