Five Secrets to Comedy
For every 'Seinfeld,' there are 100 like 'Emily's Reasons Why Not.' Why do most shows go so wrong, and a select few become iconic? TMZ has the secret to five great comedy TV shows, courtesy of two truly iconic funny people: 'Saturday Night Live' legend Cheri Oteri, and writer Alan Zweibel ('SNL,' 'The Garry Shandling Show,' 'Curb Your Enthusiasm').
Homer: The Committed Imbecile
When the animated series about a yellow family with funny hair premiered on FOX in 1989, no one expected it to live through the millennium. Seventeen seasons later, it's clear there's something quite genius about 'The Simpsons.'
The secret here is that the characters, although animated, are completely relatable. "It's fun to watch Homer speak directly from the empty place in his mind," Oteri says. "Everyone wants to say their stupid thoughts, but stops themselves." To Zweibel, the people of Springfield makes no apologies for the bigoted beings that they are, and because it's a cartoon, laughing at the screen doesn't seem so dirty.
Louis-Dreyfus Says There's No 'Seinfeld' Curse
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
"Seinfeld" curse? What "Seinfeld" curse?
"My short answer is I have no worries about that because I'm on a heavy dose of antibiotics right now," actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus said Wednesday.
With that, she deflected questions about the inability of former "Seinfeld" cast members to have much television success after that NBC hit ended its run. Louis-Dreyfus' own "Watching Ellie" is in the wastebasket of failed shows.
You just have to keep trying, said Louis-Dreyfus, who is portraying a divorced mom in "The New Adventures of Old Christine," which will premiere on CBS this spring.
Her goal isn't to find a different character from Elaine, just to find someone funny, the 45-year-old actress said.
"I think the difference with this character is that perhaps she's a little more grounded and perhaps she's a little bit more real in a way that Elaine wasn't," she said. "But I would say that she has a pathetic quality that is similar, frankly. So set your TiVos."
Her 8-year-old son found it a little odd to watch his mom onscreen kissing another 8-year-old boy, she said.
"He's subsequently gotten over it," she said. "He knows I love him."