@Midnight - General Discussion

[ottoDbusdriver]

I like the My Drunk Kitchen series, but man, Hannah Hart was getting on my nerves last night. She clearly thinks she's absolutely hilarious, but oof, her jokes fell flat.

 

Harley was pretty funny as was Grace -- Paula Deen's Audible Queefs -- that had me laughing.

 

Grace Helbig was almost unrecognizable from her previous appearance -- she used to be blonde, with much shorter hair, and her face looks fatter.  I knew she was going to be on last night and at the start of the show I thought someone else had to substitute for her at the last minute.

[Kromm]

Having Funches/Glaser/Benson in the early in the week really made the following two episodes feel like let-downs.

 

"MORE FUN(CHES)" ALERT:

 

There is now an Extended Unfiltered Version of that magical 100th Episode (Funches, Glaser, Benson) available:

 

http://www.cc.com/episodes/oo03ir/-midnight-extended----midnight-s-100th-episode---uncensored-season-1-ep-01084

[formerlyfreedom]

Kromm, I adore you. And now I'm never going to make Farmer's Market with my sister and niece in the morning, am I?

[April Bloodgate]

"MORE FUN(CHES)" ALERT:

 

There is now an Extended Unfiltered Version of that magical 100th Episode (Funches, Glaser, Benson) available:

 

http://www.cc.com/episodes/oo03ir/-midnight-extended----midnight-s-100th-episode---uncensored-season-1-ep-01084

Totally worth a re-watch for the extended version. So good! Thanks, @Kromm!

[zxy556575]

I might be getting a little to the point of thinking that Chris needs to dial it down with his own zingers and let the panelists shine more. I appreciate his comments and laughter and wouldn't want him to just stand there and give points, but at times he can verge on monopolizing the give-and-take.

[Kromm]

I might be getting a little to the point of thinking that Chris needs to dial it down with his own zingers and let the panelists shine more. I appreciate his comments and laughter and wouldn't want him to just stand there and give points, but at times he can verge on monopolizing the give-and-take.

I've thought that for a long time.  Chris, for all that he hosts a million shows, doesn't seem to totally understand the function of a host--to be a facilitator. They can make quips sure (Tom Bergeron wouldn't have a career otherwise, and Johnny Carson wouldn't have had one either), but when the host is on a panel-show like this, there's a structure to when and how they should be doing so.  You kind of have to leave a space, a bubble, around the comedian to work inside of.

[LJonEarth]

I might be getting a little to the point of thinking that Chris needs to dial it down with his own zingers and let the panelists shine more. I appreciate his comments and laughter and wouldn't want him to just stand there and give points, but at times he can verge on monopolizing the give-and-take.

Yes! I think the problem is that he's too comfortable when his friends are on the show. I've noticed on his podcast that when his stand-up buddies are on, it turns into a giant riff-fest, complete with novelty songs and cat noises. He's said that this professional stuff is the only time he gets to hang out with them. To that, I say, go grab some coffee when the mics are off. The guests are there to shine.

[ABay]

So happy the show is back!

 

Doctor Whoves is disturbing. I was hoping the Doctor WHOM was real.

[TiffanyNichelle]

New episodes are back? I forgot to check.

[possibilities]

Yes, they had a new episode last night. They follow the same schedule as The Daily Show, not that that will help you track it if you aren't a TDS fan.

[zxy556575]

And Chris is a Brony!

 

Not sure if that or Goatse is more disturbing.

[Monty]

Tompkins/Rajskub/Aukerman were a fine panel. It was also a reunion of "people who appeared on Mr. Show occasionally"!

 

Incidentally, Dr. Whooves is really just a background My Little Pony character who happens to have an hourglass mark. Fans just latched onto him and gave him a nerdy name.

[possibilities]

Since returning from the 2 week break, they've stopped doing the "live challenges" haven't they? I just had a feeling there was a format change, because I can't tell like I used to when the final challenge has arrived before they eliminate someone. I used to know when it was coming, and now it's taking me by surprise when Chris announces they're ready to do an elimination.

 

I appreciated how he reacted to the Emmy nomination.

[biakbiak]

They have had live challenges on both shows this week Mondays it was vine videos and last night it was to write tindr lines of dudes with tigers.

[ABay]

Where'd everybody go?

 

I liked Phirman and his British-quality world play, especially "no fellate fees".

[Nellise]

I liked Phirman and his British-quality world play, especially "no fellate fees".

 

I was glad he was there to actually have some humor in that episode. When Chris's examples are better than most of what the panel says it's a bad show. The other 2 guys were painfully unfunny, especially the guy that got red-lighted.

 

I'm sort of sad Tom Lennon actually won, but that was a good show, everybody actually had funny lines: "OR".

[shimarella]

Plus the Kimchi Slap at the end was completely unexpected for me. 

[ABay]

Reggie was great and really should've been one of the final two.

[ABay]

That was fun, but I didn't stick around for the panelists' show. It's cable; there will be reruns.

[castersugar]

The other 2 guys were painfully unfunny, especially the guy that got red-lighted.

 

I was so looking forward to seeing Paul & Storm on the show, too. They are actually really funny guys, I just don't think that format was the best showcase for their type of humor. I've seen them in concert with Wil Wheaton, Chris Hardwick & Adam Savage, and they were all improving off each other for 30-40 minutes at the end and were really quick & funny.

[Monty]

I thought the Jonah/Emily/Kumail episode was really solid. They were all on the same wavelength and channelled that into comedy rather than just screwing around with each other.

[ABay]

Has anyone watched the extended version of last night? I think they said it was online.

[Nellise]

Last night's hashtag wars were interesting. Seemed like each one had a theme or style they were sticking with for every response that was quite different from the other two. Only problem was Sara Schaefer being a bit too literal about the categories so said a few that were technically right for the category but weren't terribly funny.

 

I like seeing Marc Maron enjoying himself.

 

Should have a bunch of good topics next week post-Comic con.

Edited July 25, 2014 by Nellise

[Nellise]

I think they took pity on Jermaine Fowler and turned off his buzzer after the first commercial. At least Jen Kirkman and Mike Lawrence are always good so it was still a fun episode.

 

The previous episode Hasan Minhaj lost me immediately since I'm a baseball fan and he confused Hank Aaron and Jackie Robinson. Please don't let Cowboy Guys become a thing.

[Holly F.]

I think they took pity on Jermaine Fowler and turned off his buzzer after the first commercial. At least Jen Kirkman and Mike Lawrence are always good so it was still a fun episode.

 

I couldn't quite get a handle of why Jermaine was bombing so hardcore. I know they have to cut stuff for time, so the few things they showed of him were the cream of his particular crop. Which, you know, wasn't very great.

That being said, the @Midnight twitter account shared a screenshot of his "Hexual Education" from hashtag wars. Eh.

[ABay]

I'm trying to remember the last panelist who was as bad as Jermaine. There was someone, maybe who wasn't a comedian?

[TiffanyNichelle]

The only time I really laughed at him was whenever he cracked himself up.

[fastiller]

The previous episode Hasan Minhaj lost me immediately since I'm a baseball fan and he confused Hank Aaron and Jackie Robinson. Please don't let Cowboy Guys become a thing.

Same.  Also. I couldn't help but think that he looked like a South Asian version of Jonathan Bauer.

[April Bloodgate]

Despite that mistake, I really liked Minhaj.

[Princess Sparkle]

I'm trying to remember the last panelist who was as bad as Jermaine. There was someone, maybe who wasn't a comedian?

 

I think he might be to a certain taste, but I can't stand when Rhys Darby is on the show - I feel like his humor just falls flat on this type of show.  I liked Jermaine better than him, but just barely.

Edited August 5, 2014 by Princess Sparkle

[ABay]

Donall? The one in the middle last night. Please don't have him on again.

[Nellise]

Given that Chris let him just walk off when he got the red light probably means he won't. Chris usually tries to call them back if they do that.

[Unusual Suspect]

There are times I'm upset when someone is in third place ... but other times I'm not.

[bilgistic]

Y'all don't like Ashy Larry??

[ABay]

I will not miss Shart Week when it's done. But aside from that and Donall, the shows have been pretty funny.

[zxy556575]

I will not miss Shart Week when it's done.

 

Probably once a year is sufficient for the potty humor. Although the viewer hashtag submissions have been pretty funny.

 

I was just thinking last night -- perhaps related to all the shit jokes -- that the show is getting super filthy. Or maybe it always has been and I never paid attention before.

[TiffanyNichelle]

I think it was the addition of Jason Biggs. He's become really gross lately.

[TresGatos]

Anyone at Comedy Central who came up with and greenlight "Shart Week" should be fired immediately. It made my heart happy that Chris Hardwick has been so snarky about it.

[Princess Sparkle]

I was so bummed that Kurt B totally tanked the final challenge on purpose, because I don't think I want to live in a world where Jason Biggs in the funniest person on the internet, even if it is only for 24 hours.

[Nellise]

I thought that was kind of awesome since it let him steal the celebration at the end. Jason got sort of shuffled to the background while Chris and Kurt celebrated the "loss".

 

I wonder how long last night's show was during taping. All 3 were over 4400 points at the end and points were jumping up by a lot between edits.

Edited August 8, 2014 by Nellise

[weightyghost]

I wonder how long last night's show was during taping. All 3 were over 4400 points at the end and points were jumping up by a lot between edits.

 

 

There is an extended version that I just watched for 28 min. It was the Jeopardy game that really pushed them up in points (each getting at least 500 for each question it seemed). 

 

I found most of the stuff last night terribly unfunny. Repeat jokes are really only funny if they were super funny the first time, or coincidentally funny the 2nd through 10th time. Weekend at Gay Bernie's and the variety of bear jokes were not. 

[bilgistic]

Doug Benson's various weed/stoner jokes are never, ever funny. I wish he'd move to Colorado to work in a weed dispensary and never show up on my screen again.

[smartyshorts]

If I never see Jermaine Fowler of Donnell Rawlings ever again, on TV or in life, that would be a-ok with me.  I will need twice the Funches to make up for the bad BAD taste they left behind. Shart week, indeed. 

[Monty]

Jordan Morris (of the Jordan Jesse Go! podcast) is a writer for @midnight. According to this post on his Tumblr, it looks like the guests get at least some of their jokes written for them.

[ottoDbusdriver]

Jordan Morris (of the Jordan Jesse Go! podcast) is a writer for @midnight. According to this post on his Tumblr, it looks like the guests get at least some of their jokes written for them.

 

Gotta say, that's a little disappointing.

 

I know you can catch the comedians looking down and reading jokes from their podium, but I figured that maybe they were given the topics ahead of taping to allow them to come up with multiple funny responses (especially during the 60 second challenges).  

 

But having writers write jokes for them nullifies the whole point of having different comedians on the show if they are just reading someone else's jokes.

 

I want to hear the different comedians' point of view with their own sense of humor on these topics.

Edited August 26, 2014 by ottoDbusdriver

[Monty]

He's gone into more detail:

 

sostark said: Hey so how does @midnight work? Do the celebrities come up with he jokes? Is the whole thing scripted? Do you give everyone suggestions for jokes? How much of the jokes are improv and how much is written by the writing staff

 

There’s a writing staff (a great one) that comes up with the games and writes copy for Chris (that he sometimes changes and improvs with on the fly).  We write a TON of sample jokes (“answers”) for each game and present them to the comedians when they arrive (2-3 hours before show time).  Usually, the comics have a ton of jokes they’ve written too.  Basically, the guests and writers work together to create the funniest comedy gumbo possible.

[Skyfall]

The TBS line wins the internet for the week!

[Princess Sparkle]

Even though it didn't get big laughs from the audience, Tuscon State Racists gave me a huge belly laugh.

I'm sure their breakup couldn't have been that acrimonious since it happened a few years ago and she has a podcast on Nerdist(unless she got it before they broke up), but the armchair psycologist in me says that Chris and Janet had a messy breakup. Some of those jokes about their relationship didn't really seem like jokes, if that makes sense - like the "how did you put up with me" "Drugs!" and "I hope this makes up for everything!". Those almost seemed like there was a little truth behind them. Just had a different vibe between the two of them than when his previous ex was on.

And I would absolutely watch a new Three's Company starring Pete Holmes and Garfunkel & Oates.

Edited August 29, 2014 by Princess Sparkle

[biakbiak]

she has a podcast on Nerdist(unless she got it before they broke up),

She started doing it after the show. From listening to nearly every Nerdist podcast I don't think the breakup was messy at all just both of them realizing they wanted different things and that she has issues with him being a workaholic who couldn't relax and put personal things above their relationship. Admittedly that is mostly from Chris's side but it has also come up a few times on Janet's podcast.

As for the difference in jokes between the two he and Andrea dated for a few months compared to seven years with Janet.

Edited August 29, 2014 by biakbiak

[Monty]

I liked how Drew Carey prefaced many of his jokes with "Uh," making it look like he was inventing everything on the fly. That's that Whose Line training coming out!