S08.E05: Semi Final Day 2

[Guest]

Wanda Sykes and Amy Schumer mentor the comics before they perform in front of their largest audience yet.

 

[DrSpaceman]

Really like Lachland Patterson and Rod man the best tonite. It bugged me though that I have heard that same joke about video games, and I love the joke, but now I don't if its his or he stole it. ANd I don't mean the idea, I mean word for word have heard it, so I assume it was him I heard before and just didn't realize it. Still funny

Rocky Laporte is just so ......mediocre. I don't dislike him, but there is nothing special there. What scares me is he LOOKS like they typical TV dad slob they would put on TV on a bad sitcom, which is their goal it seems

DC Benny I thought talked to fast for one, part of his set I couldn't even understand what he said. Second, I just don't think his stories are that funny. The girl he was talking about I didn't think was that amusing. Mainly though, just needs to SLOW DOWN SO I CAN UNDERSTAND HIM.

Looks like we have to go to the website and vote on Nick Guerra or Alingon Mitra. I liked both of them, so will have to watch and decide.

[Ohwell]

Well the only four I was interested in got through:  Laughlin, DC Benny, Rocky, and...

 

Rod Man!  He's been my favorite all along.  There's something about his speech pattern and the way he goes off on his riffs, that reminds me of Don "DC" Curry, one of my all-time favorite comics.

 

DC Benny does need to slow down a bit.  I guess it's nerves, but somewhere in the middle it was hard to understand him,

 

I was surprised that Nikki Carr made it through, but I guess she was the best of the rest of the lot. 

 

I don't know why Zaineb made it through the first round, and her second set was even worse, but she did look much better in the skinny pants.

 

I'm rooting for Rod Man to win, but I fear the judges and/or producers won't find him "sitcomy" enough, although I think he'd do just fine.

Edited June 20, 2014 by Ohwell

[Amarsir]

Rocky Laporte is just so ......mediocre. I don't dislike him, but there is nothing special there. What scares me is he LOOKS like they typical TV dad slob they would put on TV on a bad sitcom, which is their goal it seems.

It could work against him.  He looks and sounds an awful lot like Dom Irrera.  So there's a chance producers see him and think "well nothing new there."

 

Rod Man!  He's been my favorite all along.  There's something about his speech pattern and the way he goes off on his riffs, that reminds me of Don "DC" Curry, one of my all-time favorite comics.

He is really good. Rod Man's got this persona where he's not just telling the joke, but living it.  Like a lot of non-traditional comics I worry a little that it wouldn't come off well in a 30-minute set, but that's not a problem for LCS.  

[leighdear]

I just think it's really nice to have a show that makes me laugh for an hour....No matter that some of the bits are a little lame.  No faked drama, no animosity between the participants, no drunken meltdowns, etc.

 

Some I like better than others, but overall I'm really enjoying it.

 

Looks like next week starts the competitions.  My fave bit was the Hollywood bus tour, when Ant was competing.  Absolutely hysterical....Also them doing routines in a Laundromat was pretty damn entertaining. 

[ari333]

I'm  no prude, but the mouse /tampon bit was a turnoff.

 

I thought the "Zoo" bit was hilarious. Glad he made the top 10.

 

I never thought ZayNAB was funny and the rape thing was a miss. I was with Wanda on all her points.

 

I thought the Indian guy (Mitra?) was funny in an understated way. But IIRC he didn't make the cut.

 

Some of these folks look so familiar, as in Comedy Central familiar. Did some sort of almost make it big then get in slump so they came on this show for a boost? Or maybe I'm confused.

[possibilities]

I was uncomfortable with the "kiss the producer's ass" bits. I love Wanda Sykes, but asking the contestants how they felt about the mentoring.. what are they going to do? Insult the show's producer and say her advice was a waste of time? I would rather they skip that filler and show us more of people's acts.

 

In general, I was disappointed with this week's installment. I thought it was the least funny by far, compared to all the others this season.

[Ohwell]

I thought last week's was the least funniest.  It was refreshing to laugh more this week. 

[BoogieBurns]

The only comedian whose name I remember this season is Rod Man. It could just be how easy his name is, but I think  it's because he is awesome. People will probably follow his career if he wins or loses. He makes me happy-laugh, most other comics make me sad-laugh. 

[Tara Ariano]

Here's Sean's post on the episode!

[beedub]

Overall it was an enjoyable hour, but I agree that it wasn't quite as good as previous weeks. It was surprising to hear the judges say that some of them topped themselves this week, I wasn't feeling it. I will allow that it is hard to compare your own reaction at home to that of the judges who are watching it live, because those really are two very different things. But there did seem to be a noticeable gulf between those who went through and the also-rans. Maybe it was the edit, but some of them seemed a bit weak.

 

In general, they seem to go for loud. In some cases it's merited (Rod Man is loud but engaging), in others it's just, loud. Works well in short sets, maybe even half an hour, but an hour of loud can be exhausting. I guess it might work if they were a judiciously-used character in a sitcom.

 

To be fair, Lachlan was a bit more laid back and reserved, but I didn't quite agree that the usual "men are like this/women are like that" material was made new and original by being couched in video game terms.

Edited June 20, 2014 by beedub

[Suzysite]

 

He repeats words or phrases over and over again.

Thank you. That was driving me crazy. He was fairly funny, but I wanted to tell him I GET IT, ENOUGH.

[possibilities]

I'm not a Rod Man fan, either. I agree with Wanda that he needs to tighten things up. Listening to him is like listening to a radio with a lot of static. All that extra verbiage does nothing other than annoying me and make me tired. And his material isn't even that interesting. The car pool lane stuff has been said before, and the ending was utterly predictable.

 

Amy Shumer wasn't there this time, was she (despite the episode description). I didn't just not notice her, did I?

[Monty]

I never thought ZayNAB was funny and the rape thing was a miss. I was with Wanda on all her points.

 

"I've got a fresh new take on rape."

"Well, I'm pretty sure I know where you're going to go with it, but go ahead."

"What if I was jealous because no one wanted to rape me?"

"...sigh."

[themadman]

Don't know why Rod Man was being so repetitive. I agree it was annoying. But he's done funny material without being like that, so no idea what got into him. See:

[Kromm]

Sigh.  JB Smoove.

 

"Let's Get This Party Started" and "...In The Building" in the SAME judge intro?

 

I wonder if Roseanne wanted to lecture him about that.  I hope so.

[Kromm]

I like JB Smoove on The Millers, but here he can be very loud and obnoxious. I hope he tones it down.

Also, I somehow doubt that JB is in the same room as the judges. Yes, you can see him in the corner when they do a wide-angle from behind the judges, but I don't think I have ever seen him actually interact with any of the judges. It creates an awkward situation and clumsy transitions between judge critiques and JB's comedian introductions.

Huh?  No, he's in the same place, for sure.  You can see the crowd at  the same time as him, and then the same crowd mixed with the judges.  It may not SEEM like he's there, or matters, because at least half of what he says in overdubbed though (like the tosses to the comedian profiles--which probably hadn't even been filmed when the auditions were held).  As for him talking to the judges?  I think the producers, despite having the bad judgment to hire him, realized showing him talking to the judges would just be a waste of time.  He DOES introduce them though at the beginning of each episode.  

[OnceSane]

 

I was surprised that Nikki Carr made it through, but I guess she was the best of the rest of the lot.

 

I like Nikki Carr a lot.  I hope she does well.

[Ohwell]

I liked Nikki Carr's first set, but I need to hear something more than bits about food and how much she loves it.  

[attica]

I just think it's really nice to have a show that makes me laugh for an hour

 

I agree with you, but sadly this hour didn't make me laugh once. Even if I appreciated the structure of some of the material, it all just failed to tickle me. And now I'm wondering if the stuff left unaired was even worse, or if it might have suited my sense of humor better.

[ari333]

Aww, I like JB. I wonder if he screams his words so as to try to sound EXCITED! and FUN!

 

I felt a little uncomfy watching Amy "mentor" older, seasoned comics. I did not miss her on this eppy. Wanda, of course (to me) is awesome.

[Cramps]

Wow ten finalists and only two of them are women. That's just sad.

[Kromm]

Wow ten finalists and only two of them are women. That's just sad.

With a female show producer (Wanda) and the main judge is a woman too. 

 

Also, honestly I can't get over the feeling that Aida Rodriguez and Russell's connection is a bit too hinky.  She wasn't bad, but she never made me laugh half as hard as many of the other comediennes who didn't get through.  

[Amarsir]

Some of these folks look so familiar, as in Comedy Central familiar. Did some sort of almost make it big then get in slump so they came on this show for a boost? Or maybe I'm confused.

I think the level at which Comedy Central offers you a half hour is about the level this show is looking for.  In season 1 they specifically wanted unknown comics and the prize was a Comedy Central special.  Season 2 on has been a clear step up in experience, and this year they dispensed with the open call entirely and only did invitations.  So I'd say that's more or less the kind of person they're looking for.

[Cramps]

Not just one female producer, there are actually more. Unfortunately, that and having a female judge, doesn't negate the fact that only two female comics made it to the top ten. I'm really stunned. This is 2014, it's not the 1960s when Joan Rivers and Phyllis Diller were pretty much the whole pool.

As for Aida, I thought her set in the first round was fantastic. I laughed hard. Really funny, smart, original, edgy writing, and her delivery was solid.

In the semi finals round, I thought her timing was off, which probably came from the fact that she's only been doing it six years. But she's definitely one of my favorites.

Edited June 22, 2014 by Cramps

[Traveller519]

Every damn time! Every summer Last Comic Standing airs, I get sucked in early on because of my love of stand up comedy and I'm excited for the exposure to some new comics. And more often than not I feel ridiculous for the time that I spend on it. The reality TV show nature of the show kills so much of the comedy. The need to advance contrasting styles just because, the editing that makes comedy feel so disjointed, and the real crime, the reduction of stand up to 3-5 minute sets.

 

Rod Man fits the format so well, and he obviously has enough material to pull from, but he's a poor man's Kevin Hart and I don't think I'd enjoy a full set of his.

 

I really agree it's disappointing that there are so few women moving on, and what's even more disappointing are the ones who moved on. Aida and Nikki both have tired material in my opinion. I would have taken Tracey Ashley, Dana Eagle, Chloe Hilliard, Emily Galati, Tyree Elaine, and even Zainab over either of them. Speaking of tired material, why do we have to endure more Jimmy and Rocky do the same jokes they've done for the alst 15+ years? I'd much rather have watched Dave, Mark, Nick, John or Mr. Mitra work to hone their craft. To be fair, there are already those types of people moving on in Karlous, Monroe, Lachlan, and Joe.

 

Okay, ranting over. I do like those last four I listed and hope they do well. DC is probably the odds on favorite to win. He's polished, has a style, is still somewhat fresh, and would probably be easy to build a show around with his story telling basis.

[Kromm]

I agree that Nikki's material is a bit inherently tired/cliched.  That said, I still DO think she's one of the few brilliant finalist choices because I think her delivery is REALLY good.  This is versus Aida, who as I've said elsewhere, I just don't find all that funny.

 

Joe Machi is my real hope in this mess.  I don't know how much of the "candid" footage with him is real and how much fake, because in a strange way those "real" bits are just as funny as the on-stage ones.  I honestly don't care on some level.  He's just this odd little man with great delivery and I love it.

 

Rocky is trying to be that same kind of "inherently weird but funny" human being--in his case kind of a "real life Barney Rubble"--but I don't know if it works nearly as well as it does with Joe (who's more like some kind of undefined cartoon character rather than one I can easily pin, like "faux Barney Rubble").

 

Karlous' comedy is pretty good, but I don't know if his personality is quite as brilliant.  Rod Man is kind of the exact opposite.  Brilliant personality, but I keep expecting that comedy to run out, and then he'll have to totally coast on that personality.  

 

DC Benny, Lachlan Patterson... someone has to remind me what they did in the previous rounds, because they made so little impression I barely remember them. That's a PROBLEM.  Monroe Martin is somewhat in that category too, although not quite as bad (I have a general better impression but the details are fuzzy).

 

Jimmy Schubert can just go away.  At least Rocky has a somewhat interesting character built.  Jimmy's jokes are just as old, but with an even less interesting personality.

[Cramps]

I don't know how someone could take a 45 minute set of Jimmy yelling. Nor how his voice would hold up.

[bilgistic]

Lochlan (or however his name is spelled) can eat a bag of dicks with that sexist crap he was spewing. Yes, a bag of dicks. Right back at him with sexism.

[aradia22]

I don't think Lachlan quite has enough confidence yet but I like him. His jokes are pretty good, they could just stand to be a little stronger and delivered with a bit more punch. I do think he has a bit of unconventionality and unexpectedness that works. They kind of ruined that with the short previews which gave away two of his jokes. Bad editing, guys. I'm glad he got through though. I'm not sure if he would have made it in group 1. For my taste, the first group had most of the stronger comics. 

 

Zainab Johnson. I'm not sure what was going on but I don't think she got as big of a reaction as she was expecting to and I could feel that in her stage presence. As the reaction picked up she seemed to get more into her groove but I think that she might need more work on her material. It's not super strong and it doesn't play to her strengths. She wasn't good at the imitation part of her set which is where a lot of comics shine. Oh, Tracey Ashley. In the end, I don't feel like her jokes really had punchlines. 

 

I didn't love DC Benny's set the first time but this time he got me to laugh.

 

I liked Jasper Redd's joke. I haven't heard it before and it was a smart observation.

 

I didn't think Emily Galati was any funnier this time. Kind of deadpan and not very expressive doesn't work for everyone. And her jokes were just... meh.

 

I didn't see enough of Tyree Elaine's act to know if it was that good. I don't remember her at all from the invitationals.

 

Dave Landau. I think I liked him during the invitationals but his material wasn't as good this time. That or the clip was just too short and so the set didn't really build. I know I keep saying this but unless it's awful, I wish they'd let us see the whole set and cut all the filler. At least with all the filler on the singing competitions we still get to see them sing the entire minute 30 or so of the song that they prepared.

 

Nikki Carr didn't impress me in the invitationals. She was a little better this time but still not great. She didn't really have jokes... just loudness and mugging. I did think she had two nice punchlines.

 

Dana Eagle's material continues to be unimpressive. She's not quite as bad as ukelele girl but I feel like we should be able to do better as far as female comedians go. Maybe the best ones have already made it.

 

Gerard Kelly got shortchanged. I wonder if he has a bad set.

 

Erin Jackson's one joke made me laugh. I wasn't thrilled with her in the invitationals but this time I wish we'd seen more of her set.

 

I think Alingon Mitra's delivery and pacing is great. I think his jokes are solid but not hilarious but he seems like he could be a good comedic actor.

 

Rocky LaPorte made me laugh. What can I say? It worked for me. I thought it was much better than his first set. I do think that while the zoo part worked, the latter part with the camping didn't go anywhere.

 

I think Rod Man started off strong. He has a good character. But he lost it a bit with the DUI thing which went on a bit too long without big laughs or a punchline.

 

Of this group I would have definitely kept Lachlan, DC Benny, and Rocky LaPorte and maybe kept Jasper Redd, Erin Jackson, and Aligon Mitra. So I'd probably replace Nikki and Rod Man with Jasper and Erin. 

 

We have a very weak top 10.