10:05 PM
I've always though that Fox's one great live action comedy, ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT, is a bastion of excellent comedic writing-- truly one of the most surreal television shows on the air today (Robert Smigel's short-lived TV Funhouse and Mister Show were better, but alas, they are gone). Lately, however, I have to give them major props for casting decisions. If you aren't familiar with DAVID CROSS, he's a stand up comedian and one of the two geniuses behind MR. SHOW WITH BOB AND DAVID (the other one being Bob Odenkirk) and a major contributor to the old BEN STILLER SHOW. You've probably seen him as a minor character in a gazillion flicks, like SMALL SOLDIERS and MEN IN BLACK II. He also plays Tobias Funcke on ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT.
I saw David Cross' HBO Special on the tube a couple years back.. he did a minimalist stand up comedy thing and it kicked ass. The closer for the routine was killer... a 10 minute destruction of JAMES LIPTON, doing an impression of Lipton receiving some basic cable award (Cable Ace I think)... he got every hysterical, over the top nuance down pat. It was side-splitting stuff, and it really was the highlight of the act.
Who's James Lipton? The Big Load in charge of INSIDE THE ACTOR'S STUDIO, an incredibly boring interview show loaded with Lipton's "Summer Stock" trademark 'witticisms', torpid prose and dramatic flair. The show can be unintentionally (nay, tragically!) funny at times, like when Lipton asks a guest "what's your favorite WORD? QUICK, NOW!" When Kiefer Sutherland was on. The Kief-meister answers "Gravitas".. and he was serious. Really. That should give you an idea of the level of everyday pomposity that makes up Inside the Actor's Studio.
So I was spluttering when I saw NONE OTHER than James Lipton playing a major role in the recent episode of Arrested Development that aired tonight. As the oily Warden Gentles (who apparently nurses a grudge against the father of the Bluth family), he hits on the "Lucille" character and ends the episode with: "How can I say no to the woman who gave me Clymidia?"
A great performance from Lipton, who I ALSO have to give props to. One wonders, though, if he ever saw Cross's little HBO special. I wonder how tense it was filming this episode...
(Note Bene: to be fair to Lipton, the episode where he had on the cast of the Simpsons on as guests was inspired)
(Note Bene II: to be a perfect bastard to Lipton, check out Will Farrell's version of Lipton for SNL... it's actually better than Cross's)
I saw David Cross' HBO Special on the tube a couple years back.. he did a minimalist stand up comedy thing and it kicked ass. The closer for the routine was killer... a 10 minute destruction of JAMES LIPTON, doing an impression of Lipton receiving some basic cable award (Cable Ace I think)... he got every hysterical, over the top nuance down pat. It was side-splitting stuff, and it really was the highlight of the act.
Who's James Lipton? The Big Load in charge of INSIDE THE ACTOR'S STUDIO, an incredibly boring interview show loaded with Lipton's "Summer Stock" trademark 'witticisms', torpid prose and dramatic flair. The show can be unintentionally (nay, tragically!) funny at times, like when Lipton asks a guest "what's your favorite WORD? QUICK, NOW!" When Kiefer Sutherland was on. The Kief-meister answers "Gravitas".. and he was serious. Really. That should give you an idea of the level of everyday pomposity that makes up Inside the Actor's Studio.
So I was spluttering when I saw NONE OTHER than James Lipton playing a major role in the recent episode of Arrested Development that aired tonight. As the oily Warden Gentles (who apparently nurses a grudge against the father of the Bluth family), he hits on the "Lucille" character and ends the episode with: "How can I say no to the woman who gave me Clymidia?"
A great performance from Lipton, who I ALSO have to give props to. One wonders, though, if he ever saw Cross's little HBO special. I wonder how tense it was filming this episode...
(Note Bene: to be fair to Lipton, the episode where he had on the cast of the Simpsons on as guests was inspired)
(Note Bene II: to be a perfect bastard to Lipton, check out Will Farrell's version of Lipton for SNL... it's actually better than Cross's)
