Tara Ariano August 4, 2015 Share August 4, 2015 The invitational round continues as a third contingent of invited comics takes to the stage to compete. Link to comment
JocelynCavanaugh August 6, 2015 Share August 6, 2015 It feels like NBC doesn't really believe in this show and they're rushing it. Too bad, because I think it's far more enjoyable than any singing or dancing or cooking competition shows. I was surprised Priya didn't get through since we met her parents. Shakir, Sheng, and Ami were my favorites. Was that a slight rape joke from Anthony near the beginning? Something about not stopping, "right ladies"? (Not pearl clutching, just a little disturbed.) Link to comment
Ohwell August 6, 2015 Share August 6, 2015 I didn't see all of the acts but I did like Sheng and Skakir. I couldn't stand that Indian woman and I was so glad she didn't make it through. I knew when she said "amalance" that she was referring to a black man, and I could tell by the look on Keenan's face that he didn't appreciate the joke. Then when she went on to say "irregardless" and "scrimp," I swear I saw his left eye twitching. I was glad he called her out on the joke because if she's going to make fun of how someone speaks based on their race or ethnicity, then she should have had the balls (or tits?) to specify that she was talking about a black man. And, of course, not all black men (or women) speak that way and Lord knows I've heard all kinds of people mispronounce those words. She also pissed me off about the Indian hair thing. Newsflash, bitch: Not all black women want store-bought Indian hair. I am quite happy with my own hair, thankyouverymuch. Ugh, she just bugged. 5 Link to comment
TrueBlue August 6, 2015 Share August 6, 2015 I couldn't stand that Indian woman and I was so glad she didn't make it through I agree. I did, however, enjoy Norm's critique of her. He basically told her she didn't belong in stand-up, then she replied that she'd work on her writing. Norm said, "No, don't work on your writing!!!". His expression there was hilarious to me. 4 Link to comment
Traveller519 August 6, 2015 Share August 6, 2015 Ooof. This was probably the weakest set of the invitationals so far for me. There were some sets that straight up belonged in the mid 90s. It pains me that so many coast through without meaningful commentary, especially when you see Norm kind of grin and bear it and tell someone that they're his "favourite type of comedian." I was disappointed the guy with the afro, and the R&B jokes didn't make it on however. I at least appreciated he wasn't doing relationship comedy or other observational dreck. Andi Smith, on her third crack at the show finally makes it out of the invitationals, doing a female take on Louis CK's family material. I liked her stuff better in 2008, but I'm glad she's stayed the course. 1 Link to comment
PhD-Purgatory15 August 6, 2015 Share August 6, 2015 (edited) Priya was disappointing, particularly because her backstory (she was one of the chosen three to get one) set it up that she was going to do ethnic/immigrant family p.o.v. humor which Sheng showed you can absolutely slay the room and the judges with. We got nothing out of her claim that she was going to poke fun at her parents who seemed like they were supposed to be the source of a lot of her material. Instead the mean spirited ethnic on ethnic act she trotted out was not funny and possibly offensive to some. My favorites of the night were Sheng, the awkward guy who joked about going to yoga, and Andi. Roseanne could be a truth teller there....FWIW, I liked Mike Siegel from Chicago in the moment too, apparently not enough to remember anything specific from his act a day later. Edited August 6, 2015 by PhD-Purgatory15 Link to comment
Primetimer August 6, 2015 Share August 6, 2015 The judges have started telling comics to quit the business. And these are the comics that get sent through to the next round! Read the story Link to comment
iMonrey August 6, 2015 Share August 6, 2015 I wasn't really impressed with anyone last week, and I wasn't really impressed with anyone this week either. So far it seems like they front-loaded the best comics into the first half of the two-hour premier. Shakir Standley was OK I guess. I laughed at the soup joke. But I predict he'll go further than he really should, like Rod Man did last year. His persona, or "character," is a lot better than his actual material. I want to like Andi Smith, but I'm going to get really bored with "my kid my kid my kid my kid" if that's all she has to offer. Here again I feel like her delivery is a lot stronger than her jokes. Nobody else made much of an impression on me and I thought Sheng Wang was kind of lame. Link to comment
Lantern7 August 6, 2015 Share August 6, 2015 There's not much of an impression made on me. Right now, "Bad Comic Eli Manning" could probably get more votes than any of the comedians showcased so far. 1 Link to comment
Ohwell August 6, 2015 Share August 6, 2015 (edited) I know some people didn't like the physical comedy guy from the first episode but, dammit, at least he tried to be funny, flapping around. Most of these people are just lame and if they performed in front of family and friends I can't imagine that any of them would find these jokes all that funny. Edited August 6, 2015 by Ohwell Link to comment
Amarsir August 6, 2015 Share August 6, 2015 I also didn't like this set as much as last week's. I thought maybe it was just my mood, but it sounds like that's not an unpopular opinion. In particular, I felt like some of the pacing was too slow. For example, Sheng Wang closed with a funny joke ("hacked by a philanthropist") but I got to the punchline a minute before he did and by the time it came around I wasn't ready to laugh anymore. (Just an example, not just him.) Maybe it's a style choice but to me it felt like less material being stretched. Was that a slight rape joke from Anthony near the beginning? Something about not stopping, "right ladies"? (Not pearl clutching, just a little disturbed.) I'm pretty sure it was an endurance joke. Link to comment
JocelynCavanaugh August 6, 2015 Share August 6, 2015 I'm pretty sure it was an endurance joke. I hope so. It could go either way, but it isn't very funny in either case. Link to comment
bilgistic August 7, 2015 Share August 7, 2015 My TiVo didn't record it. Maybe it's decided for me that I shouldn't watch it. 1 Link to comment
EverCat August 7, 2015 Share August 7, 2015 I thought Amir Gollan was the funniest comedian this week. It's not a good sign when the family/friends in the backstory promos are more amusing than the comic (example priya). 1 Link to comment
DrSpaceman August 7, 2015 Share August 7, 2015 I actually had just the opposite impression of most of the others on here. I liked a fair number of the sets tonight, except I just didn't get the appeal of Shakir. AT the end of his set I just was thinking "Did I miss something?" I didn't like the Indian woman either, but I find it a bit odd to think she SHOULD say its a black/african american man pronouncing things oddly rather than just skipping over that. Does that make it less racist, if you view it that way, to say the race of the person involved? I have heard a ton of comedians make similar jokes before and honestly don't recall if they always say the race of the person involved. Sheng was my favorite though. He joke about the credit card company I thought was the best of the night. I like Andi, but she has just been around so long and is pretty well known, she is just not the type of comedian I see as who this show should be geared towards. I know that has always been a dicey subject on this show. Many of these comedians have been on the circuit for years, its not really an "amateur" competition. However I still view it as the show trying to expose undiscovered talent or giving less well known comics a chance to shine. I just don't see her as fitting in those categories. The first guy, I don't recall his name, I didn't think was hilariously funny but I thought he had the smoothest performance and best stage presence. I didn't find the singing guy that funny at all either. It was again, I felt I must be missing something. So he can sing and the lyrics are a little bit funny and satirical. The problem was I didn't think the made up lyrics were all that funny. And its not I don't like comedians singing. I can think of a number of hilarious comedic songs I have heard from stand ups. I just think those were pretty weak. Its funny to see Norm either tell comedians they should change their jokes this way or that OR tell them they should find another line of work. Link to comment
grannygeek August 7, 2015 Share August 7, 2015 "not all black men (or women) speak that way and Lord knows I've heard all kinds of people mispronounce those words" I have heard at least as many "po' white trash", red-necky type people mispronounce these and similar words as black folks. Link to comment
backformore August 7, 2015 Share August 7, 2015 I didn't see all of the acts but I did like Sheng and Skakir. I couldn't stand that Indian woman and I was so glad she didn't make it through. I knew when she said "amalance" that she was referring to a black man, and I could tell by the look on Keenan's face that he didn't appreciate the joke. Then when she went on to say "irregardless" and "scrimp," I swear I saw his left eye twitching. I was glad he called her out on the joke because if she's going to make fun of how someone speaks based on their race or ethnicity, then she should have had the balls (or tits?) to specify that she was talking about a black man. And, of course, not all black men (or women) speak that way and Lord knows I've heard all kinds of people mispronounce those words. She also pissed me off about the Indian hair thing. Newsflash, bitch: Not all black women want store-bought Indian hair. I am quite happy with my own hair, thankyouverymuch. Ugh, she just bugged. Yeah, her act was odd because it seemed to have a racist point of view. If she had a bunch of jokes about different ethnic groups, it would have gone over better. But she pretty much started with "black guys talk like they're stupid" and ended with "black girls have fake hair". So the overall tone was one of racial superiority. I'm white and I was offended . 1 Link to comment
Ohwell August 7, 2015 Share August 7, 2015 I don't like the "quirky" female comedians like Andi and Amy(?) from last week who take pains to dress and talk quirky instead of, you know, just being funny. Give me women like Eliza Schlesinger, Kathleen Madigan, and Tammy Pescatelli who just come out and tell funny jokes. I still remember the one Eliza told about a best friend being the one who holds your hair back when you're drunk-puking in the toilet. 2 Link to comment
TaxNerd August 8, 2015 Share August 8, 2015 I like Andi, but she has just been around so long and is pretty well known, she is just not the type of comedian I see as who this show should be geared towards. I know that has always been a dicey subject on this show. Many of these comedians have been on the circuit for years, its not really an "amateur" competition. However I still view it as the show trying to expose undiscovered talent or giving less well known comics a chance to shine. I just don't see her as fitting in those categories. It seems as they have completely abandoned that comcept this season. Mike Siegel even had a joke about when he incorporated. I heard a podcast with Anthony Jesellnick ("Never Not Funny" if interested) where he discussed the show. He said Wanda Sykes produced this season and last, and that's all that is canon. They have even fully shot this season, including who wins, because they took out the America's choice element entirely. This season I have actually recognized a ton of the people, including some that have been on tv before, and I don't consider myself that close a follower of comedy. They also have abandoned the phony audition story line, and fully admitted they invited a select group of comic, which I find refreshing. Link to comment
ari333 August 15, 2015 Share August 15, 2015 Standley was so funny and he reminded me of Aziz Ansari in his delivery and his look. Priya as not funny for me and she seemed to be channeling Amy Schumer in her inflections and timing imo. Link to comment
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