comedy blog 385 items | updated Aug 26 2010

From the initial rumors, to the post-release parodies, the internet has been so full of iPad buzz. infoMania's own Ben Hoffman was on the scene as the new device was announced. He interviewed notable tech bloggers, and awesome breakdancers, who were waiting for any info they could on the new gadget.

Tech Report: iPad Mania

A new infoMania airs every Thursday night at 10pm on Current TV.

Imagine the look on the faces of the revelers at a 70s hip hop block party, if they knew how much money the genre they created was worth. They wouldn't believe that their culture was worth billions.

Rappers today, have lots of money. In the early days of the rap boom, hip hop stars invested in items that enhanced their image. Nice cars, expensive homes, jewelery. Now rappers are worth more, and they're portfolio is diversifying in strange directions.

E-40 owns a franchise of the Fat Burger chain. Big Boi from Outkast owns a pitbull dog breeding company. Jermaine Dupri owns a brand of vodka. 50 cent owns 10% of Glaceau, makers of Vitamin Water. Jay-Z is a co-owner of the New Jersey Nets. Nelly is part-owner of the Charlotte Bobcats.

It's common to see rappers making big investments, but I was surprised, when I read that Cash Money millionaires are investing in gas and oil.



"Baby, the Birdman" Bryan Williams is previously known for such lyrics as:

"can't pay my rent cuz all my money's spent."

Now along with his brother, they've founded an energy firm: Bronald Oil & Gas.

Rappers in new industries changes the stakes for business. You might be a successful energy executive, but if you cannot rhyme "stunna" with "summa" you will not succeed.

I'm always interested in the creation and transmission of memes.  As you can see from the comments on this post, I am one of those jerks who becomes overly obsessed and self-righteous over viral videos. Memes are powerful, because they transmit ideas, and help us waste precious time.

SuperNews! just animated a very funny piece critiquing the world that many of us live in... Memetasia.

Have you turned into a Memester?

SuperNews! is also responsible for the Twoubles with Twitter.

Last night was an all new episode of infoMania! This here is a recap.

A lady fainting on the Price is Right is just one the items in Conor Knighton's weekly roundup of the world of media. Also includes: the State of the Union, Glenn Beck, CNN's Stimulus Desk, the SAG Awards, LARPing on 'Cheaters,' 'The Bachelor,' and 'Little Miss Perfect.'



Apple unveiled its iPad tablet in San Francisco, and infoMania Tech Reporter Ben Hoffman was there. Kind of.

It's a dark world out there but not for PBS's Huell Howser, the happiest man on TV.

Rumors of a breakup dominated the tabloids and that means they're in Conor Knighton's weekly magazine roundup, 'We've Got You Covered.' Also includes Heidi Pratt, long-life secrets, John Edwards, the SAG Awards, George Lopez, Ke$ha, the world's most fashionable men, and dolls.

Sergio Cilli gives you the soundtrack for love in this week's 'White Hot Top 5.' Includes songs by: Alicia Keys, Chris Brown featuring Lil Wayne, Trey Songz, and Sade.

Denver TV station KCNC reports that neo-Nazis have adopted their very own stretch of highway. What a country!

People on soap operas need to talk to a therapist because they have serious daddy issues.

Hilarious episode ALERT. Last night's SuperNews! was great. This is a recap of the greatness.

I am a victim. I've been duped more times than anyone I know by an insidious scheme trolling the internet: The Rickroll.

The rickroll achieved widespread popularity by the fall of 2008. This internet phenomenon officially jumped the shark when Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi made a video rickrolling constituents.

In this post-rickroll era, I've been attacked more than a dozen times. The culprit, one man. A friend who'd been (involuntarily) off-the-grid. I suspect when he was reintegrated into the general population he discovered this meme, and has been duping me ever since. I've become wary of every link he sends me, but yesterday, he got me again.

My name is Josh Heller, and I was telephone rickrolld.

For an extensive study on rickrolling visit Know Your Meme.

Homies,

Tonight at 10 PM Current TV is bringing you another Comedy Block Party!

The fun starts with an all new episode of infoMania. Conor catches us up on all the big stories and things you might’ve missed. Ben attend the hush hush Apple press conference in San Francisco. Sergio counts down the best selling r &B on iTunes. infoMania looks at PBS’s Huell Howser and determine that he's the most adorable man on TV.

At 10:30, The Rotten Tomatoes Show reviews Extraordinary Measures, Legion, and Crazy Heart, with lots of funniness in between.

At 11:00, SuperNews! brings us some hotties-or-notties. They look at douche-bags, bartenders, casual encounters, and Scott Brown. All this and this surprise: Eye of the Finder.

Watch the Thursday Night Block Party, on Current TV every week at 10pm.

Happy almost Friday, these are some cool links, to help you through the end of the week.

The internet is made of cats. (via boingboing)

• - Google Earth Guys (College Humor)


• - McItaly Burger Symbolizes Everything Wrong With Italy, Burgers (The Awl)


• - iPad (Mad TV)


• - Ikea Song (Atom)


• - Worst dog devices ever (Urlesque)


• - 5 worst decisions ever made by TV executives, twice (Cracked)


• - Hitler debunks the iPad (TechCrunch)


• - Funniest Tweets from the State of the Union (Comedy.com)

This will be the fourth and final season of Ugly Betty.

It's unclear as to exactly why the show is being canceled, but I suspect financial reasons. If Ugly Betty wants to stay on the air it should take its own advice. In a March 2009 episode the fictional magazine Ugly Betty worked for asked for a government bailout!

Since that sort of bailout probably won't happen, you're going to have to deal with a canceled Betty. If you're still sad the show is over, try watching the 19+ international versions of the show.

• Yo soy Betty, la fea "I am Betty, the Ugly" (Colombia, original)


• Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin - "There's No One Like Jassi"  (India)


• Ne daj se, Nina - "Don't give up, Nina" (Serbia, Croatia)


• I Love Betty La Fea (Phillipines)


• Chou Nü Wu Di - "The Ugly Without Rival" (China)


• Cô gái xấu xí (Vietnam)

Happy Ugly Betty-ing.

Mini Daddy's El Niño Mas Bonito currently has 1,071,153 views on YouTube. In less than a week, it has joined the pantheon of viral video classics. I wanted to learn Mini Daddy's story, so I sent a series of questions to the video's producer, Erick Alejandro Bautista Reyes. He responded to me with 550 words, totalmente en Spanish. This an exclusive account of the mini reggaetonero.

He told me the heart-warming story of a nine-year-old who overcame illness, to follow his dreams. Mini Daddy was diagnosed with liver cancer as a toddler. His "baby-fat" is actually the result of post-transplant medication. Mini Daddy loves reggaeton, and one time performed with Daddy Yankee. The girls in the video are his classmates. He wants to record more songs. He hopes to one day setup a foundation for children with cancer.

Read the entire translated transcript below:

Mini Daddy is nine years old. At two, doctors detected an advanced tumor in his liver. When he turned three, doctors told his parents that the tumor was growing. It was inoperable.

On April 16th 2003, his family received a call saying that a liver was available for Mini Daddy. They did the transplant. He's been in treatment to maintain the health of his liver. The medicine they gave him makes him look plump. His diet is balanced, and it's only the treatment that has fattened him.

He goes to SET a school for the arts, in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico. He is working towards a diploma in singing, acting, and dance. Mini Daddy receives good grades and is very passionate about dancing and singing.

Mini Daddy's hero is Daddy Yankee. He likes his music, and loves reggaeton. One of Mini Daddy's dreams came true, when he met Daddy Yankee.

The first time, Yankee signed autographs. In 2009, they met at the Arena Monterrey. Mini Daddy had the opportunity to climb on stage and sing with Daddy Yankee.

I [Erick Alejandro Bautista Reyes] am Mini Daddy's friend. I'm in charge of internal production at the institute. I helped him with the El Niño Mas Bonito video because of his passion for reggaeton. I wanted to fulfill another of his dreams at a young age.

Without financial intentions, or wanting to degrade him, I put the video on youtube where it has become a hit. The video is honestly pretty low budget, because we didnt have the means to produce a video with more production value.

The girls are friends of Mini Daddy from his class. They were added to give another ingredient to the video, without the intention of denigrating the image of the girls.

Another dream Mini Daddy has is to help children who are going through the same situation that he had some years ago. To create a foundation to help children with cancer or another problem.

He is known by many people in Mexico. He has a show in Monterrey. Mini Daddy would like to record more songs. El Niño Mas Bonito was written by Los Babies Del Flow.

So Conan is officially off the air. Leno comes back to replace him in March. The whole world seems to be disappointed. Everyone except Ben Hoffman. He's pissed that you even cared.

I have to admit the only episode of Conan's Tonight Show, I watched on TV was one two weeks ago at the height of the controversy. I caught the last few minutes of Conan's finale on Hulu. Hoffman makes a good point:

"Nobody watches late night talk shows anymore. Okay some people do, but they'll be dead soon."

A recent New York Times article suggests that Conan's low ratings were easily predictable...

"not because Mr. O’Brien does not appeal to younger viewers — he clearly does, as evidenced by the large numbers he attracted for his closing shows — but because regularly assembling those young adult viewers in significant numbers in the late-night hours has become a daunting, if not impossible, task."

If young people spend their late nights in front of a television, they're more likely to be watching cable or watching DVR'd episodes of primetime shows. This demographic still watches the funniest clips, but on Hulu, after they read about them in the blogosphere.

The same blogosphere is responsible for making late night's jokes stale. Ben points out that "I heard a funnier joke on Gawker, six hours ago." The internet teases out every joke, before television can. (A few months ago Joe Wilson, mentioned a similar idea for stand-up.)

What does that mean for the future of late night network television? I dunno, but I'll probably hear about it first online.

I know you're sad that Jersey Shore is ending, but Dr Cool Sex, has a great Jersey Shore parody just for you.



I'm not so sad Jersey Shore is over, because there are so many Jersey Shore related videos online like The REAL Situation, Jersey Shore XXX, and Alyssa Milano's Makeover.

Though not technically Jersey Shore, one of my favorites is SuperNews! Douchey-Doo!: The Mystery of The VIP List.

We've previously discussed how memes can express dissent in international communities. We saw how Czech activists show their opposition to Václav Klaus by portraying him as an idiot. We've noted that Venezuelan bloggers show their Anti-Chavez sentiment with the help of the Kanye meme. We've also investigated the recent attack on Berlusconi and his subsequent attack on Facebook.

We'd been looking at global assholes through the lens of the individual, now for the first time we'll look at the asshole through the lens of the collective.

The denizens of the United Kingdom are not just knights, notable indie rock bands, and respectable businesspeople.  There is a side not shown by conventional media, a youth subculture of aggressive teenagers addicted to name-brand track pants, and trance music. The Chav.

The stereotypical chav, closely resembles the American, Guido. If a chav were to appear on the set of Jersey Shore, he would be virtually indistinguishable from the cast members. Like the Guido, the chav is an item of ridicule from outside the subculture.

Chav Wolf reflects anti-chav sentiment by employing a meme. These image macros are based on Courage Wolf. Said wolf, instructs gazers to attempt dangerous things for the sake of bad-assedness. In the case of Chav Wolf observers are advised to express themselves like ignorant chavs. The wolf is superimposed over an English flag, and wears traditional chav garb, an askew baseball cap.

As an American, how might Chav Wolf be important to you?

Now that you are aware of the chav, you can discuss the him. Say you just happened to be sitting at a bar in London, and you notice a chav outside the window. You could mention this to the respectable businessperson to your right. He'll probably laugh in agreement and then buy you a beer. Congratulations, you just saved £2.50. Knowledge is power.

GUEST BLOG!  Jason Sereno, gives his insight into the impending apocalypse. Jason is a writer and comedian based in Los Angeles. Find out more about his comedy at JasonSereno.com.

I have a handful of conservative friends. Not so many that I could be considered a sympathizer. Just a few.

Being friends with them isn't always easy, but maintaining the relationships make me feel better about myself. After all - if I can look past something as ominous as conflicting political views - I must be a truly enlightened individual, right?

So we eat lunch together. We go out for drinks. One of them gave me a handjob. It's fine.

Yesterday, while sitting with a group of the right-wingers, I hear: "It's a fact. The people of Massachusetts have spoken."

Of course that person was referring to the GOP special election win by Scott Brown, the new pickup-driving Senator and former pin-up model, who had enough decency to cover up his junk but not his tangled mess of pubic hair in an '82 edition of Cosmo:

So - right then and there - I decided to drop a bombshell on their elephant-loving asses.

"Facts are for suckers," I said. "I don't believe in them."

The group let out a boisterous laugh. The handjobber blushed. Surely she hoped it was just another one of my super-engaging conversation starters.

"What is that supposed to mean?" someone asked. "It doesn't even make sense."

"Doesn't it?" I challenged back. "You show me a fact and I'll show you someone trying to prove a point. Facts are for suckers. I believe in the truth. It's universal."

Their collective jaw dropped. The Sereno legend lives on.

And it's no joke. Facts are bullshit. They're used to motivate people and support points of view. The next time you hear someone say "in fact ...," listen to what follows. It'll no doubt be a direct attack on what you know to be true.

On Dragnet, when Joe Friday asked for "just the facts, ma'am," did he get the truth? No. He received a borderline-useless eyewitness account of what happened. The whole show was spent searching through the misleading facts that plagued his investigation.

When the FDA releases facts on cigarette smoking is it to fuel its own agenda? Yep. That agenda may be loosening the stranglehold tobacco has on the United States, but it's still an agenda. And it'd be nowhere without those eye-opening and strategically-placed facts.

... So is it a fact? Have the people of Massachusetts spoken? Depends who you ask. As for me, I'll be sipping a margarita and floating in a pool of the truth. You should join me.

There isn't a gratuitous pubic hair in sight.

---

If you think Scott Brown's pubes are out of control, check out the ones on SuperNews!

The layoff of Wall Street Journal wine columnists John Brecher and Dorothy Gaiter is resounding in the wine drinking community. Once a mainstay of traditional journalism, wine critics are being forced off the pages and on to the internets.

Professor Brett Erlich, looks at the future of wine criticism in Viral Video Film School: Drunk and Stupid.

The most notable person to talk about wine on the web Gary Vaynerchuk. There are many less notable people talking about wine online. If you want your Wine Talk, you have so many to choose from. There is Wine Talk with CaptKelp. You have Wine Talk with Michael. And who could forget Wine Talk with WineTalkProductions.

I'm probably not a wine connoisseur, because I count Banana Red amongst my favorite vinos.

Hello Monday, these are some cool links that I've noticed today.

To gear up for the Coachella hype Carles has rehashed this chart of People Who Go2 Music Festivals. (hipster runoff)

• - The Matrix Pill (College Humor)


• - Bear meets cat for animal supremacy (The Awl)


• - Conan's characters fear for their future (Comedy.com)


• - Play Keyboard Dog Off, Keyboard Cat (Joanne Casey)


• - Brain slug cupcakes (Buzzfeed)


• - January 25, 1979: first human killed by robot (Wired)


• - Jeff & Erin's EPIC wedding trailer (Urlesque)

This is a recap of last night's SuperNews! It is aptly named Monoliths, Missiles, Pubes, Oh My!

After a year in the Oval office with an attitude of hope and change, Obama says f*ck it.

Darren's dad just doesn't understand technology. The hipsters trip balls through space and time. Uncle Sam's lust for freedom is too rough for Lady Liberty. Chest hair is back and so is back hair. But neither are a match for Out of Control Pubes, a reckless, care-free clump of hair who takes life by the balls and doesn't let go. Look out for his latest TV project, "Short and Curlies", a 70s-style cop show co-starring Jeff Goldblum.

This is a recap of last night's infoMania!

One of the items in Conor Knighton's weekly roundup of the week in media. Also includes Martha Stewart doing strip aerobics, the Massachusetts election, the Golden Globes, and a new take on the Late Night Wars.

Everyone's picking a side in NBC's Leno vs. Conan war. But in this week's infoMania Editorial, Ben Hoffman takes a side that no one's on.

Professor Brett Erlich's looks into the world of wine. As the paid wine columnists for big newspapers lose their jobs, there is one job in the wine columnist business that is growing faster than ever; the unpaid wine columnists on YouTube.

In infoMania's Pageant Show Pageant we give out awards to the best of the worst from 'Little Miss Perfect' and 'Toddlers and Tiaras.'

Pranksters take on Christian TV. Pranksters win. Christian TV loses.

Octomom's new tight body made it onto the cover of 'Star,' and that means she made it into Conor Knighton's weekly magazine roundup, 'We've Got You Covered.' Also includes the Kardashians, Jen Aniston, the Massachusetts election, Amanda Bynes, Channing Tatum's penis, and Chinese food.

A Wisconsin man was cited for 'rocking out' too loud to John Denver. Here's the clip in this week's edition of 'Adorable Local News.'

Watch a new infoMania every Thursday at 10 PM on Current TV!

On Tuesday, I made a video go viral. Perhaps, my biggest accomplishment of the week. I had no part in the production of the video, only in its transmission to a wider body of viewers. This is the story of what happened...

I read blogs in Spanish, to keep up with my previous desire to be a Latin American hipster. On Monday I noticed this “Mini Daddy” video on Hazme El Chingado.

I suppose I was predisposed to love this video. Last week I produced a hilarious mashup entitled "Reggaeton for the Painfully Alone." I am also an internet aficionado, and I knew that a chubby youngster dancing around would be "oro del internet."

The video already had 21k hits, mostly from Hazme El Chingado (btw don't just say that phrase aloud, it's ÑSFW.) Nearly all the hits were from the Spanish-speaking world. Realizing this might have potential en Ingles. I blogged about it on the Current.com Blogs.

I also added it to my Tumblr. I was reblogged by Amanda Ferri, an influential blogger. I saw 60 notes on that. I also sent the link to Lindsey Weber at Urlesque.

Urlesque was the first major site to post this. They gave us credit. Then Mini Daddy made his way onto Videogum. They did not give us any cred. It’s now on Buzzfeed, The Awl, HolaMun2, Spike and the rest of the internet.

I want to give a special shout out to Richard Metzger at LA Times' Brand X, for re-attributing credit to Current.

The video had 105,539 hits this morning, and currently has 123,285 views.

That is the story of this viral video, so far.