Well, That Certainly Didn’t Take Long

Dowd, Maureen. "Well, That Certainly Didn’t Take Long." New York Times 4 February 2009, New York ed.:A31

Maureen Dowd, originally from Washington D.C., is a fairly moderate op-ed writer for the New York Times, and has been since 1983. In her time there she has made a career out of commenting on the ridiculous apsects of politics and politicians, most notably during the Lewinsky Scandal (for which she won a Pulitzer Prize) and the Iraq War. While the New York Times is more renown for its reputable reporting than its comedy, Dowd's voice of dsibelief mixed in with pop culture references makes her work funny. In this instance, she crticizes President Obama for trying to appoint Daschle and then worming his way out of it. She takes exception to the way the President thought the rules do not apply to him, making it clear she feels the Chief Executive should lead by example. She tries to persuade people to be vigilant in watching the most powerful man in the land; she wants him to be held to the high standard he campaigned on. This piece might be met with skepticism from some New York Times readers, who have been characterized by the right-wing as left-leaning. Many liberal readers will disagree with her, but they will be forced to think about the standard the president should be held to.

South Park: The Snuke

The creators of this show South Park are Matt Stone and Trey Parker. They are most well-known for this show, but they have also written and directed a couple of movies, such as Baseketball and Orgasmo. The video in this posting is an episode from the show, called The Snuke. It seems to some watchers that I have spoken to that the creators of South Park put a lot of time and thought into each episode, so that each one has a certain message for the audience, often with moral values and ideas. The main theme of this episode is intolerance of other people's cultures, although it also contains politics and (as always) bathroom humor. The episode seems to suggest how ludicrous it is to judge someone just based on their ethnic background. The audience for this show is pretty broad, although it is mainly for adolescents and young adults. Here is a link to the video.
Tu.tv. 29 Oct. 2007. Tu.TV: HISPAVITA. 8 Feb. 2009

The Soup: Justin Gaston and Miley Cyrus

On E!’s television show The Soup, host Joel McHale is far from serious when he reports the daily happenings of Hollywood. He makes fun of anyone in the pubic eye like the Bush family or Al Roker. He raises questions like, “ Octo-Mom vs. Angelina Jolie: Who's the Hotter MILF?” and covers the important stories, such as, “Victoria Beckham's Inner Gay Man Speaks Out.” In this particular clip, McHale reports that Miley Cyrus and a possible boyfriend were seen holding hands at the mall, and reminisces about the good stories he used to report, citing Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan.

Russell Peters Indian Accent

Russell Peters. !Xobile. Dir. Lawrence Jordan.  Tempe, Arizona. "Indian Accent." YouTube. 7.02.06. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vw6RgIf6epQ>

This is a clip from a full comedy routine by Russell Peters entitled !Xobile. Peters pokes fun at many different cultures and their accents but namely the Indian accent. In this clip, Peters comments that even though Indians have accents they are still aware of the way they sound. This plays into my topic of language and communication as Peters uses his personal experience of being an Indian to comment on society's perception of other languages and their accents.  Peters, in pointing out a common American habit, informs his audience that not only are Indians aware of their accent but they know that it sounds funny.  Peter's humor uses truth to show a different point of view from the Indian perspective. Instead of making fun of the accent itself, he pokes fun at those who think Indians are not aware of it. His humor is relatable not only to his often culturally diverse audience but to anyone who has ever laughed at the sound of a foreign accent. 

Cheech and Chong - Dave's not here

Cheech & Chong is a comedy duo made up of Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong and was popular during the 1970's and 1980's. This video shows one of Cheech & Chong's most famous lines "Dave's not here" from their self-titled debut album. While they were working together, they released in total eight albums of their stoner comedy skits. After their parting around 1985, they both went their separate ways with different projects. Cheech did some voice acting for Disney movies as well as acting on a few shows while Chong co-starred on the show That 70s Show as a burned-out hippie named Leo. Cheech & Chong recently went on a reunion tour called "Cheech and Chong Light Up America/Canada".

Cheech & Chong. Cheech and Chong. Pro. Lou Adler. Ode Records/ Warner Bros. Records/ Warner Music Group, 1971. "Dave." Youtube. 3.13.08. 2.5.09. .

Sarah Silverman's Low Self-Esteem Skit

Sarah Silverman Low Self-Esteem Stand Up! from Sarah Silverman

This clip is part of "Sarah Silverman: Jesus is Magic," a compilation of sketches, stand-ups, and original songs that was released in theatres November 2005. Among the topics she deals with in this movie (as well as regularly in her show and other stand-up appearances), are AIDS, sex, religion (the title comes from the opening skit), political parties, homeless people, race, sexism, and her grandmother.
In this particular clip, Sarah Silverman delivers a speech on stereotyping ethnic groups and inter-racial relationships.

"Sarah Silverman Low Self-Esteem Stand Up!", Funny or Die, accessed Feb. 05, 2009,http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/7f3bc31881/sarah-silverman-low-selfesteem-stand-up-from-standupfan-and-sarah-silverman

Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle

In this film, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, John Cho(Harold) and Kal Penn(Kumar) show their journey to the famous fast food restaurant, White Castle. This film not only shows the hilarious trip, but also, the happiness after breaking the harsh obstacles. The two stoners Harold and Kumar see a White Castle commercial on television and start the long trip to the White Castle. It is almost impossible for them to reach White Castle as if they are magnetically separated. However they go through awesome experience including nudity, drug use, and life threatening obstacles. This film allows the viewers to laugh not only because of the amusing journey they go through, but because the theme “destiny” keeps the story connected and meaningful. This film is unrated, but highly not recommended for children too young; otherwise, it is a perfect film for a laughing break for all ages.

Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle (Unrated). Dir. Danny Leiner. Perf. John Cho, Kal Penn, Neil Patrick Harris, Anthony Anderson, and Fred Willard. DVD New Line Cinema, 2004.