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This week's episode had probably the hardest challenge we have ever set the comics. Being funny at the drop of a hat after two hours sleep, it turns out, wasn't easy. This was also our first four way head to head. Experience tells us, that people will probably be saying by now that the fix was in and somehow we engineered it so that Michele Balan would beat Joey and Bil (although a couple of weeks ago someone accused us of fixing this whole competition so that Bil Dwyer would win – so I guess that theory is out the window). We didn't fix anything. It would be illegal for us to tamper with the audience vote, even if we wanted to. You may completely agree with the theater audience's choices, but if you can't understand why the results were the way they were, here is a bit of insider, behind-the-scenes information:
For some reason it was a tough crowd in the theater that night – and the comics had to go with fairly edgy material to win them over, the funniest bits of which were very often not suitable for network television. Chris Porter had a very funny bit about menstrual blood that killed but you will probably never see outside a comedy club or a heavily stickered DVD, and Michele had some outrageous material about her vagina that didn't make it onto TV either.
Another issue regarding the stand-up sequences: Some posters have suggested that we leave the best material on the cutting room floor, others have said that the comedy isn't as funny when it's trimmed from 5 minutes to 90 seconds. The truth is that some of the performances are much funnier when cut down, other comics need more time to really get going and aren't as funny when they are cut back.
So that's all we have for you about this week's episode. Next week is the last house episode, and the final group of comics who will perform for your votes will be decided.
And that brings us to the mailbag...
Last week we said we couldn't wait to find out what you are mad about this week. It turns out most of you are still mad about the same thing you were mad about last week:
- You don't like the comics that were picked (or some of them at least)
- You don't like the format of the show.
So that's what we want to talk about this week.
"SadlyWatching...hoping" doesn't like the format. He or she writes:
Obviously the industry is saturated enough with dramatic reality shows chock full o' controversy and catfights. Why do we need yet another? Can't we just have what we want? Funny standup week after week. As for the comment by Doug & Jane stating that LCS can't be like American Idol and have the comics style their acts after more famous comics...you're right, that would be ridiculous and contrary to the point of the show, finding new talent. However, a show about stand-up comedy could emulate American Idol in the sense that the comics would be expected to improve and progress with their comedy throughout the show, viewers could vote, and the Last Comic Standing would truly be popular with the public ensuring a longer-lasting career/
Dan (not Doug ) responds:
In some ways the format is a bit weird – you start off with a performance competition format, change over to a reality house with performance format, then go back to the competition format with America voting on the winner. It may be unusual, but I think this format works (and it wasn't something we came up with, we inherited it in season 2). You might love the idea of seeing people performing stand up comedy for an hour every week, but most of America wouldn't. It would get boring. People get tired of the same old thing every week on American Idol, so they make them sing with Stevie Wonder and Barry Manilow to change things up. The comics are not 19 year old kids performing other people's material like the Idols. Most of them have been perfecting their craft for several years and they write their own material. They are not in need of an opportunity to perform in front of an audience – they do that every night, so you won't see them get better every week. Most of them will start to run out of good material that is clean enough for network TV.
You may hate the house episodes, but they are actually a good way of building an hour around comedy: You have a comedic challenge, and three stand up performances. The comics that make it through get three weeks of exposure and only burn (in most cases) one week's worth of material. It gives the audience a chance to find out more about the comics and build a rooting interest.
Before this season started, there were many discussions about the format. Doing a "real time" competition was discussed but it would have been too expensive to house the comics here in LA or fly them in every week for the competition, so I don't think the format will ever change.
OK, next posting:
"Conny in Ohio" wrote back, after I made fun of her spelling, and even seemed to be in a better mood about the show:
oh that was to cute,thank you for pointing that out to me allright for taking the time to respond I give you a compliment the heckling thing was really funny
I still gave you guys a chance and watched and I did enjoy the show,thanks for the laughs everybody just has to either keep watching and hope it be OK or just not tune in,but to me I don't see any point in continues complaining
have a nice day everyone
Dan responds:
Conny still is not a big fan of punctuation or spell check, but I'm glad she (or I guess he) liked the heckling challenge.
"Optimistic" also liked the heckling challenge:
Well, after a painful 3rd week, this week really pulled through. It was fun to watch, and what a great contest! Gabriel was hysterical with his outrageous laughing! I personally like the house part of the show, because honestly, if I wanted to watch an hour if just stand-up, I can channel surf for that.
Dan responds:
See haters? Some people like the house eps. Thanks Optimistic.
"JC" wrote:
Thanks for responding Dan and Jane. I wasn't going to watch LCS after episode 3 but couldn't help tuning into Bravo's rebroadcast of episode 4 last night. Still don't agree with the initial casting decisions (J. Chris Newberg and many others were so much more talented than some of your picks for the house), but I'm hooked and will be watching and hoping some of the funny comics return via the online voting process.
Dan responds:
Let's be clear about something. The online competition doesn't allow discarded comics to get back into the competition to be Last Comic Standing. However, the two finalists will appear in the finale episode, and if they are so much better than the comics that made it to the house I guess we will all have egg on our faces. Thanks for the somewhat friendly/supportive posting.
Of course you can't please everybody:
"doug **** off" wrote:
doug u moron, u cant take the heat and just try to be condescending to others, no wonder this show tanked
Dan (not Doug) responds:
What is it with this Doug business? And why is it that all the people who hate us also despise punctuation, grammar and spelling?
Finally, debate continues to rage over the most important issue: The pictures above of Jane and me.
"Wj mac" had this to say:
Understand the performances are edited to meet the time constraints of the show, but frankly I think your editing sucks. Oh, Jane I personally like you pic.
Jane responds:
Well I'm sorry our editing sucks but at least you think I might look good doing it. Thanks Wj mac
"GENERIC HATE NAME FOR DAN AND JANE" wrote some very well reasoned arguments about the format of the show and why we have got it all wrong (hopefully the first response covered most of the issues he – or she – raised). But the posting ended with these two notes:
Note: After reading most of the comments on this blog, I thought Terri Schiavo's brainless corpse raised from the dead and started typing. I'm amazed you two can still manage to do this with the amount of pylons you have to put up with.
Note2: You two remind me of Matt and Eleanor Friedberger from the Fiery Furnaces. Don't know why, but you do.
Dan responds:
I looked up the Fiery Furnaces on google images, and "GHNFDAJ" has a point – we do look a bit like them. If anyone else knows of any other indie rock duos we somewhat resemble, please don't hesitate to post the details, and we will send two tickets to the finale to the person that posts the best one. Tickets to the show I mean. You will still have to get yourself out here and put yourself up. We are not made of money. |
