John Krasinski’s Tough Audition for The Office

Given the amount of social distancing that’s been going on of late, it’s no surprise to see that NBC’s The Office is enjoying yet another boom in viewership. But The Office as we know it could have looked very different, with many changes to the cast. This is especially true in the case of Jim Halpert, played by John Krasinski, who had a very interesting experience when it came time for his audition.

For starters, Krasinski was supposed to audition for the role of Dwight, but at the last minute he managed to convince the casting directors to let him read for the role of Jim. As if that wasn’t enough, Krasinski managed to get himself into some trouble while in the waiting room.

When someone in the room asked Krasinski if he was nervous, he replied: “You know, not really. You either get these things or you don’t. But what I’m really nervous about is this show. It’s just I love the British show so much and Americans have a tendency to just really screw these opportunities up. I just don’t know how I’ll live with myself if they screw this show up and ruin it for me.”

The man took a moment to consider Krasinski’s reply before saying: “My name’s Greg Daniels, I’m the executive producer.”

Krasinski got the part nonetheless, and we couldn’t imagine anyone who would have been more perfect for the role.

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The New Bill and Ted Will Have “The Spirit of The Original”

With a release date set for August of this year, Bill & Ted 3: Bill & Ted Face The Music will have “the spirit of the original movies.” This according to William Sadler, who spoke to NME about the upcoming film. Sadler played the Grim Reaper in 1991’s Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey, but is also notable for his roles in Die Hard 2 and The Shawshank Redemption.

“For years, I kept hearing from Alex and one of the co-writers, Ed Solomon. They kept telling me that [a reboot] was coming and letting me know what stage the script was at,” Sadler said. “It’s been in the pipeline since 2007 and I was really surprised that it took as long as it did for the powers that be to say ‘OK. That sounds like a good idea. Let’s make a third movie to see where these guys are.’”

When asked about playing the role of the Grim Reaper once again, Sadler added: “I don’t know if you could tell from watching Bogus Journey, but it was such a giggle to get to put on that Czechoslovakian accent and just be silly. I don’t get a chance to be genuinely silly very often, so it didn’t take any convincing to bring me back.”

With a teaser trailer expected any day now, you can bet anticipation is building for more of Bill & Ted’s adventures, and luckily we won’t have to wait long.

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What Made Sideways so Funny?

Just over 15 years after its release, Sideways remains, to this very day, one of the funniest films of the 21st century, and perhaps one of the funniest films ever made. But why is that so?

While there’s no doubt that Paul Giamatti and Thomas Haden Church’s performances as Miles and Jack, two wayward friends traveling through California wine country days before Jack’s impending wedding, were nothing short of stellar, their performance alone wasn’t enough to cement the film’s enduring legacy. Virginia Madsen and Sandra Oh’s performances were no less notable, but even then, still not enough to make the movie magic. Insert Alexander Payne, who directed the film and co-wrote the script, and a more complete picture starts to form.

Shortly before the film’s release at the end of 2004, Alexander Payne sat down with The Daily Texan to talk all things Sideways. But asked to explain why the film was so funny, why it came together so well, what template it followed, even Payne couldn’t provide an answer:

“I hope every film is in some way a departure from the previous one. I’m always thinking about film style and film craft and what would be proper elements to help convey each particular story. We really just follow our noses as to what we think would be dramatic and what we think would be funny. There’s little I can say about what we intend, or how we do it. It’s just what comes out.”

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Douglas Adams Quotes to Get You Through Your Day

If ever you’re having a tough day, you can always turn to the hilarity of Douglas Adams to brighten it up. The author of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to The Galaxy and the Dirk Gently series had something to say about almost everything, and almost always with a twist of humour.

In May 2001, Adams gave a talk at the University of California, Santa Barbara, it would be his final appearance before his death at the young age of 49. His thoughts on the mystery of life certainly come with a comedic twist, but inspire some critical though as well:

“For us, there is no longer a fundamental mystery about Life. It is all the process of extraordinary eruptions of information, and it is information which gives us this fantastically rich, complex world in which we live; but at the same time that we’ve discovered that we are destroying it at a rate that has no precedent in history, unless you go back to the point when we are hit by an asteroid!”

If you’re looking for something a little more light hearted to change your perspective, you can always turn to The Salmon of Doubt: Hitchhiking the Galaxy One Last Time:

“He was constantly reminded of how startlingly different a place the world was when viewed from a point only three feet to the left.”

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Common Classifications of Comedy

We all love a good laugh, but there’s a whole lot of science behind why we laugh that goes largely ignored. Before getting into the details of that science, however, it’s worth taking a moment to classify some types of comedy in order to help us better understand them.

Superiority. Comedy that makes fun of something or someone’s shortcomings has the effect of making us feel superior to that something or someone, which is why we find it funny.

Revelation. We live within thousands of social norms that we barely take notice of until something comes along to break those norms and reveal an often unspoken truth, often times in the form of a joke.

Observational. We go about our daily lives without noticing or thinking about many of the minor details that make up life itself. Observational comedy shines a spotlight on those details, often ridiculing them or highlighting their absurdity in the process.

Incongruous. When something unexpected occurs or is said, often suddenly and without much warning, we can’t help but laugh at the absurdity of the situation!

Imitation. They say imitation is the most sincere form of flattery, but sometimes it’s done purely for comedic effect, often with a whole lot of exaggeration thrown in for good measure. We love getting a good laugh out of watching people being reduced to mere caricatures.

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Great Laughs are Guaranteed With These Graphic Novels

Far more than just epic tales of superheroics and dramatic clashes between good and evil, graphic novels can often contain some of the funniest material ever written! Here are two great graphic novels that a guaranteed to give you some good laughs.

Deadpool Volume 1: Dead Presidents by Brian Posehn, Gerry Duggan, and Tony Moore. When the former Presidents of the United States are resurrected and given incredible powers with which to save the country, but opt instead to destroy it and start a new one, who will save the day? Who else but the Merc With a Mouth. Everyone’s favorite anti-hero does some good by doing what he does best: Killing everyone. Part of the Marvel NOW! series, the book has everything you never know you wanted, like space battles with Reagan, a homicidal JFK, and Taft riding around in a flying bathtub.

Unbelievable Gwenpool by Christopher Hastings. A bit of an oddball offering from Marvel, and one initially dismissed by fans as nothing more than a female Deadpool, but a much more interesting character when investigated a bit further. Gwenpool is actually Gwen Poole, an ordinary comic book fan who suddenly and unexpectedly find herself in the middle of the Marvel universe. Believing everything around her to be make belief, she quickly sheds any sense of conscience or consequence and decides to shoot anything in sight, only deciding to adopt the persona of a hero because she knows any extras in Marvel comics get killed off. It’s a fun and inventive series that attracts a wide range of fans, and one reading will be enough to have you hooked.

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The Habits of Hilarious People

Be they stand up comedians, comedy writers, or actors, some people just know how to be funny. We love to laugh at their jokes, and oftentimes wish we could keep an audience in stitches just like they do. Here are three habits of truly hilarious people you may want to consider adopting if you’re looking to get some laughs.

Hilarious people don’t tell jokes, they tell stories. One liners don’t always deliver, and jokes often fall flat. Truly hilarious people don’t settle for just a punchline, they tell stories that incorporate humorous elements into the narrative, enjoying the laughter throughout as opposed to saving it for the end.

Hilarious people tell stories based on their own experiences. “A guy walks into a bar” is all well and good, but hilarious hyjinx land a more powerful punch when they’re told from a personal perspective. Self deprecation is an excellent example, many a comic has earned a hearty laugh at their own expense.

Hilarious people don’t waste time with too many details. The shortest distance between two points is a straight line, and when telling a good story hilarious people don’t let themselves get distracted with detours. A funny story is one that gets straight to the point. There can certainly be laughs along the way, but the truly hilarious don’t keep you in suspense for too long.

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Tips for Writing Humor into Your Next Novel

For writers of any genre humor can be an important storytelling element. It lightens the load when the subject matter is a burden, it can be a great tool for furthering character development, and if done right, it integrates seamlessly into the storytelling.

Know your genre. Humor can be worked into just about any genre, but it takes knowledge of that genre, both of its history and how to write it, to properly integrate the humor. Clichés can be of particular use in this case, as turning them on their heads for humorous effect is sure to spark some laughter from your readers.

Surprise! Surprises are a cornerstone of comedy. What is a punchline, after all, if not a sort of surprise. Bringing that same element of surprise into your writing, even if it’s somewhat subdued to fit the overall tone, is a surefire way to work humor into any text.

Make yourself laugh. There’s no particular formula to making something funny. Comedy is subjective, after all, and not everyone will laugh at the same jokes. That said, one constant to good comedy is that it has to be sincere, and if you’ll be working any kind of joke into your text you’d be well advised to make sure you actually find it funny. Afterwards, it doesn’t hurt having other people check as well.

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Man vs. Animals: When Animals Win

Mankind may think it’s the dominant species on the planet, but oftentimes it’s not. Here are three tales of man’s lost battles with animals.

Attack of the Killer Bunny. In 1979, US President Jimmy Carter was on a canoe fishing trip when a rabbit starting approaching him with what appeared to be bad intent. President Carter had to scare the rabbit away with an oar, a seemingly harmless encounter that was nonetheless dubbed a “Killer Rabbit Attack” by the media and astoundly became one of the most memorable moments of Carter’s presidency.

Attack of the Killer Bunny Pt. 2. After successfully invading Russia, Napoleon decided to celebrate by organizing a large rabbit hunt. Hundreds of rabbits were kept caged up prior to the hunt, but when finally released they turned to and attacked the hunting party rather than running away. Napoleon and his men were forced to retreat while being relentlessly bitten.

Man vs. Emu. In 1932 Australia went to war. With the emu. 20,000 of the birds were wreaking havoc on one of Australia’s farming districts, trampling crops as they walked through fields. The government called in the army to gun down the birds with 10,000 rounds of ammunition, but when the bullets started to fly the birds broke up into small packs and managed to run away unharmed. Machine guns were later mounted to trucks in an attempt to chase down escaping emu, but after thousands of rounds of spent ammunition more than 19,000 emu remained, so the Australian government eventually gave up.

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Funny Autobiographies That Are Well Worth The Read

When looking for a good laugh often times the real world can be the perfect source. Although not every experience in one’s life is necessarily funny, there are certainly people out there who know how to put a funny spin on almost any situation. Here are three hilarious autobiographies that you certainly won’t regret reading!

Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris. Although many of David Sedaris’ works are autobiographical in nature, Me Talk Pretty One Day tells the dual tale of Sedaris’ early life and time in New York as well as his time living in Normandy with his partner Hugh despite not speaking any French. An absolutely hilarious collection of personal essays that is sure to inspire many a chuckle.

Yes Please by Amy Poehler. Actress, comedian, director, producer, and writer gets candid in this series of hilarious stories, touching on topics that range from parenthood and friendship to love and sex. Deeply personal with a charm and hilarity matched by few others, Poehler’s book is filled with practical life advice that informs as well as entertains.

Let’s Pretend This Never Happened: A Mostly True Memoir by Jenny Lawson. From her bizarre upbringing in rural Texas to her relationship with her husband Victor, Lawson tells the (mostly) true tale of her at times awkward at times life out loud funny life. Listed as one of the Top 50 Most Powerful Mom Bloggers by the Nielsen ratings, Lawson’s style remains nonetheless accessible to everyone.

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