Laugh Tracks Just Aren't Funny Anymore

You're probably asking yourself what did I do to deserve this bounty. Two posts in the same week? You're not dreaming my friend. I have lots to say but my fingers are too slow to get it all down. Also I've been sleepy and a little sick. But when you're unemployed and have vast amounts of thoughts to share (translation: have crap to complain or rant about) the fruits are plenty.

I'm not sure if you're familiar with a little show called Sports Night. A wonderful show just by itself, but is more likely know as the show of (name of person) before they did (name of more popular show). I'll give you an example: Felicity Huffman's (though I love the actress in general) annoyed me as Dana Whitaker on the show before annoying me slightly less on Desperate Housewives. I swear I like the actress and her work, but I usually see her as a domineering mess of a character who should be a lot nicer to the men in her life. (P.S. Also love her husband William H. Macy. As far as I'm concerned, whatever role he takes is made better because of him.) Peter Krause was wonderful as Casey McCall (whose supposed to be a loose version of Craig Kilborn) before doing Six Feet Under. Even in the background you had Brenda Strong and Lisa Edelstein playing reoccurring roles on this show before they became Mary Alice Young, the voice of the Desperate Housewives and Dr. Lisa Cuddy on House, respectively. Sports Night was the critical gem of Aaron Sorkin before he hit awards and ratings gold with The West Wing. Josh Charles must be mentioned as Dan Rydell. Not so much because he's hit it big, but you always remember one of your junior high school crushes. He was on the original draft of my list of five. But when he stopped appearing regularly on my TV, I had to let him go. Where am I going with this?

During its first year the show had a laugh track. Or I assume that there was. I imagine it was a studio audience because it sounded like some were laughing but not everyone got it. It's possible some gaps were filled in with canned laughter at the less obviously funny places. But by the second (and sadly last) season, they realize they needed to let the audience figure out what's funny on their own. I have to say on first viewing I was not impressed. But after Comedy Central picked up the reruns I had tapes ready to record it. You watch it again and realize so much thought has gone into each bit. This is hilarious. How did I miss that before?

I saw this happen again with Arrested Development. I remember watching the episode "Bringing Up Buster" and thinking the show was stupid. What was everyone talking about? Then a marathon on FX helped me realize how much this show rocks. I thought maybe it lost it's footing in the second season, but then I knew what was going on. There is a certain strategy involved in truly appreciating this type of show. It's funnier the second time around. Because by then you're really paying attention and aren't distracted by keeping up with that silly plot thing. It has its blatantly obvious humor and its wait, rewind that, did I he just say what I think he did? humor.

[For those of you remotely curious I recommend you rent these shows and watch my personal favorite episodes "The Cut Man Cometh" for Sports Night (Season 2) and "Pier Pressure" for Arrested Development (Season 1). Watch it all if you can but make sure you see these ones if you just don't have the time.]

Seeing a show without a laugh track is more common now given the huge popularity of shows like Sex and the City, Malcolm in the Middle, Scrubs, The Office, and Arrested Development. (Okay I put that last in there because I adore that show and I remain sad that it had a Sports Night fate. But they both will live forever in my heart and on DVD.) It got compounded by animated shows like The Simpsons, South Park, and Family Guy. I just wouldn’t make any sense for a laugh track to be in any of these shows. Now that I think about it, I find that even the dramas I love (specifically Law and Order (and it's various offspring), House, Grey's Anatomy, ect.) have great jokes and moments to laugh at. I'm perfectly comfortable laughing even though there are no sounds to prompt me.

I hadn't realized how much I had adapted to shows without laugh tracks until I finally picked up the third season of Newsradio. I would spend hours reading quotes off of imdb and chuckle to myself. I could imagine Phil Hartman, Dave Foley and Stephen Root delivering these lines. So when I finally saw the episodes again, something was wrong. It felt unfunny. It felt like forced humor. I couldn't stand it. The laugh track was really distracting. Wait, that line wasn't that funny, why is the laughter so loud? Now suddenly I notice it everywhere. I find I can't watch old episodes of Friends anymore. That really sucks for someone who owns the entire series. I'd like to think that perhaps the series is just dated and my sense of humor has grown (yeah right) and has become more sophisticated (hehehe, monkey), but the truth is I was watching an old episode of Cheers and I felt right at home.

I remember driving home one day and hearing on the radio a promo for the evening's episode of Two and a Half Men. Even for the commercials the laugh tracks would come on and I would think of how bad it was. Not to mention the joke wasn't even all that funny. Stop laughing.

This doesn't mean that shows with laugh tracks (I have to admit they are a dying breed) can't be funny. But with this rush of copycats of popular crime shows, reality TV, and prime time games shows, I doubt someone will come along and bother to waste time creating a scripted comedy when there is so much popularity to capitalize on. I get the feeling the laugh track sitcoms are going to die with Joey. And yet somehow Yes, Dear will make it to its 200th episode (cue audience laughing).

Celebrity Sightings # 2-3

I must apologize to my fan out there (no that's not a typo, you read it correctly). I could claim that I have been swamped with this crazy roller coaster we call life, but then I don't want to lie to my fan. The truth is I just plain forget. Yes, I have tons to say, but it only comes out in small bursts. That's the only way it'll be really good. For the time being I'll give you this morsel and then return to my cynical yet hilarious observations. (that also is not a typo, I wrote hilarious on purpose)

And now for the second apology in this post. If I had been keeping up I would have posted this when they happened but even the most recent ones are bit far away. But this time I get to include a visual. Neat, huh?

It was a rainy day in January. (The 28th to be specific.) I along with two companions sloshed our way into a bookstore in a horrible city that will remain nameless. We can't make it to the second story of the building because it overflows with fans who were able to leave an hour earlier. Instead we were closed off from the stage, but the voice was loud and clear. Dave Barry had a new book to hock and we were among the sheep there ready to spend three times more money on a book we might not even read, but who cares, it's signed by the author. I had a backup plan. The one I bought was meant for my dad. I personally would never spend that much on a book. Not when there's used books stores and video rental type places that specialize in books. But as a gift, no amount is too much for my daddy.

We stood and listened to him reading excerpts from his book. It was good to hear it as it's meant to be read. That way it's as funny as he meant it to be. Or something. So after the reading is over and a vast majority of everyone else got their books signed, we went upstairs. I still am not sure why, but it's nerve-racking for me to come up with something clever if I ever get the chance to talk to a famous person. I found myself practicing in my head. It's kind of like when you meet the significant other's parents or best friend for the first time. Only this is more important. They can help me launch my career in entertainment if I don't blow it. I can handle the awkward holidays for the next fifty years, but this is a story I'll tell my children.

"Mom, why does Grandma leave every time we come over to Aunt Sarah's for Christmas?"
"Not now honey, I'm telling your brother the story of how Dana Carvey did the Sting dance just for mommy."(true story)

So it finally comes to me. I had met Harry Anderson many years ago. When I say met, I mean was in an elevator with and froze when he asked me what floor I was going to. My dad was there to answer. He also didn't realize who we were just standing next to. So when I get to the front of the line, I tell him that I got to meet his TV counter-part. He said that was cool and that how Harry Anderson was such a nice guy. I told him I was too star struck to really say anything to him, and he told me that if I had said anything, he would have been a nice guy. I believe him. We took a picture together and parted ways. (The picture in question can be seen below. The faces have been digitally altered to protect the innocent, but I the giant blue font tells it all.) I doubt I made a huge impression but I'll let your know if some agency wants to sign me because they heard from Dave Barry about my rapist wit (Dumb and Dumber fans will be laughing here).

So Dave Barry is sighting # 2. Number 3 is a pushing it for an entertainment web log. He is a celebrity and has been in a few commercials. I guess you could consider the Super Bowl to be entertaining. I know it's one of the most watched events during the year and all, but I think more people focus on accidental boob sightings instead of gridiron glory.

In any case, I'm sitting on a plane with my dad in Salt Lake City about to take off for Arizona. We've just enjoyed two cold days in Denver and it was now time to enjoy the 85 degree heat that Scottsdale has to offer. I look up at the guy who I assumed was holding up takeoff because everyone else was on the damn plane already. Why are you taking your sweet ass time? I laugh with my dad because we hade been making fun of people with those ear clip phones. We said we should be walking around with a pencil behind our ears and just start talking into it. Five bucks says no one would question it in an airport. (That's what my dad and I do in airports to pass the time. We make fun of the newest technology. The last time the big thing was palm pilots so I told him I would buy him a calculator with the giant buttons and a magic marker. Before that we couldn't figure out why people stand next to the payphones while they talked on their cell phone. I just assume being next to a payphone get you better reception.)

So this guy walks in with the phone clipped on one ear and a pen in the other. It's was amusing. So I watch him put his cup of coffee (or what I assumed was coffee) into the over head compartment and was hoping that 1) he remembers to take it back out again and 2) that wasn't where I put my stuff in case it gets knocked over in the time he takes off his jacket and sits down. After a few minutes after he sits down I see he's talking to the guy in the seat behind him. Wait they didn't come together. And he's signing a card. Weird. I was just a little annoyed and not paying attention at the time because on the flight from Denver to Salt Lake City a mother asked to switch places with my Dad so she could sit with her little girl. The girl was crying, fussy, and decided to use my arm as a headrest for half of the flight. There's only so far you can inch over before you have no where else to go. She kept touching me with her feet. Yes, I sound like a child, but the mother should have kept her kid off me. That's just basic public etiquette.

I was just happy to be leaving Salt Lake City because the child population seemed to be three times the population in Denver. Well, it was Mormon country after all. Wait, Mormons. Was that Steve Young? I was sitting in 15F and he was in 16B. It was hard to tell being across the way and all but it could be. I mentioned it to my dad and he had the same thought I did: What was he doing in coach? But he got on the plane last so that was something of a perk. I had to find out.

Do I ask him or is that rude? It didn't matter because he was off the plane and had all carry ons so he bolted out. I hate living with questions, so I decided to ask the guy sitting behind him. While we were getting our luggage I asked and he said it was him. Problem solved. I did take pictures of the Grand Canyon on that flight. Now I can say and if this shot was taken 180 degrees in the other direction, you would see Steve Young. (For the sake of the dignity of this web log, I'll will not include the picture on this post.)

I idolized Steve Young when I was in the sixth grade. Now he's just the guy in those car commercials. But nonetheless, he is celebrity sighting #3. Oh, when I told my boyfriend, I asked him to guess which famous Mormon was on my flight. After guessing Brigham Young, he got it right.