My Misc. TV Top Ten – October 29, 2012

Been a few weeks since I did one of these. A shocking turn of events for those of you who have seen my previous notions that I was turning toward Fox for my comedy fix. So here we go:

Current Top Ten – October 29th, 2012

1. Homeland – I worry that at some point they’re going to write themselves into a corner they can’t get out of, but for now it’s still on top.

2. Parks and Recreation – Continues to provide a masterful combination of comedy and heart.

3. Happy Endings – After only one episode this season, the HE crew debuts at #3 this week.

4. How I Met Your Mother – The elder statesman of the list drops down a spot after the weakest episode of the season (two weeks ago).

5. Last Resort – Although the ratings still leave me worried for the long-term survival of the show, creatively it’s starting to tick up.

6. The Walking Dead – Okay, so far they’ve done a pretty solid job this year. I’m starting to let my guard down.

7. New Girl – This show continues to confound me in that I honestly don’t know how memorable it is, but I am still enjoying it.

8. Suburgatory – Another later entry this season takes another spot away from the Fox comedy block.

9. The Daily Show – TDS remains relevant at least through the election.

10. The Colbert Report – Same with Colbert.

Dropped From Rankings: The Mindy Project (#5), Raising Hope (#7), Ben and Kate (#8).

Waiting To Return:

Community – October 19th will come someday:

October 29, 2012 Dan 0

The Impressionist

Warning: this is about improv.

I had an improv show on Monday with one of the teams I regularly perform with. Three people in total, and we had about ten minutes, which generally is not a lot of time (in addition, it was a competition, which meant that we had to move quickly and try to generate laughs). So we started in a pretty standard way (with a two-person scene), and I was on the side, looking for an opening to get in on the fun.

Then one of my scene partners decided to make me an “old Japanese man”, forcing me to come in and play, well, an old Japanese man. It wasn’t a surprise, really (it’s one of the things we do on this particular team a lot), but it’s one of the few accents/voices I know I can do, so it was fun to play around with.

A few scenes later, that same scene partner decided to make me President Obama. Again, I’m not particularly good at impressions, and I’ve never done an impression of the President in a show before, but I was able to glide into a passable version of his speech pattern (truthfully, I have no idea how good it was, but people were laughing at least at the level of recognition of what I was attempting, so I guess it was okay). It helped that I had just watched the debate before heading to the show, so I had just heard the President’s voice earlier that evening.

All of this is just to point out that there are some performers who are great at impressions – people who can really disappear into the voice and mannerisms of the person they’re trying to mimic. People who have worked incredibly hard at what they’re doing.

I am not one of those people.

But! It was yet another reminder of the simplicity of improv. Despite all the rules, all the technique, all the things that we learn. Committing to a fun idea will always lead to laughs.

October 26, 2012 Dan 0

The Best Medicine

I spent a few days out of town, and now have spent the last two fighting a cold, so this post will be extremely brief.

But while attempting to fend off this cold (we’re at a bit of a stalemate at the moment), I will point out that when you’re feeling ill, comedies are MUCH better to occupy yourself than dramas.

Which may be why last night’s presidential debate was a godsend.

TONIGHT: Finally, the triumphant return of Happy Endings (and another show that has managed to grow on me a bit, Don’t Trust The B—- in Apartment 23), which I wholly expect will cure my cold completely.

October 23, 2012 Dan 0