Latest news with #comedians
The Independent
a day ago
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Eddie Murphy says get-togethers with Martin Lawrence's family are ‘really normal' and not full of jokes
Comedians Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence have become in-laws after Murphy's son Eric married Lawrence's daughter Jasmin in May. Murphy joked that their potential grandchildren might be 'serious' rather than inheriting their comedic genes, despite public speculation. The couple opted for a quiet wedding with just the two of them, foregoing a large ceremony. Murphy and Lawrence have been friends for many years, having starred together in films like Boomerang and Life. Eric and Jasmin were introduced by Jasmin's uncle, not by their famous fathers, despite their fathers' long-standing friendship. Eddie Murphy jokes that he and Martin Lawrence will have 'serious' grandchildren
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Ryan Reynolds Zings Rob Mac at Just for Laughs Awards
An awards show for comedians always has its fair share of roast-worthy one-liners and zingers. So when Ryan Reynolds on Friday paraded onstage for the 2025 Just For Laughs awards show to honor Rob Mac with a Generation Award, the Deadpool franchise star couldn't resist a jab at his fellow Wrexham AFC owner and executive producer of Welcome to Wrexham. More from The Hollywood Reporter Former Obama Speechwriter Jon Lovett on How Trump Is Funny Like a "Clown With a Gun" Oasis Play Wembley: 5 Takeaways From Liam and Noel Gallagher's Nostalgia-Packed Return to Stage Rachel Zegler Returns to 'Evita' in London Friday After Exiting Performance Mid-Show Thursday Night 'Rob, second place to the lifetime achievement award, amazing,' Reynolds said as he began his tribute to his friend and longtime business partner after a lifetime achievement trophy had just been handed out to comedian George Wallace. 'Hollywood can be an insipid shithouse of round-the-clock shamelessness,' Reynolds said as he touted the need for rare character among creatives and execs in a business short of it. 'You have to be willing to be excited to grind and push a dream up a hill and have the wherewithal to do it on your own,' he added about those with the right stuff, before insisting Mac had all of that and more. 'Nobody does 17 seasons of a television show with the same cast and crew and also happens to be a dick,' Reynolds said of Mac's long-running star turn on It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. 'And without Rob, there would be no donkey series called Welcome to Wrexham.' When he joined Reynolds on stage, Mac recalled getting into the comedy business while inside of him was a 'terrified little boy who feels very alone.' He added to make it in Hollywood, he had to find people 'who understand me, who see me, who understand who I am.' 'I'm here because of Ryan Reynolds, who not only took my career in the stratosphere but also flew here to give this to me,' Mac added, noting Reynolds had given up precious time as an busy, A-list actor to lead the JFL tribute. Mac also gave respect to Wrexham in Wales, his wife, Kaitlin Olson, FX and a host of others. 'I don't consider myself one of you. I'm holding on. I'm watching what you do, and I'm holding on for dear life,' Mac added before he received a second standing ovation from the JFL audience. Elsewhere during the Montreal awards show hosted by Matthew Broussard, there were endless jokes and other admissions of the pain that inspired stand-up comedy material, performances and careers. Benito Skinner, known for his online persona Benny Drama and as the creator and star of the Prime Video comedy Overcompensating, recalled having started out as a social media content creator and avoiding eye contact with comics when straying into comedy clubs. 'I still avoid eye contact with comedians, and I think you should too. We are all mentally ill,' a sarcastic Skinner said as he received a breakout comedy star of the year prize from Mary Beth Barone. Skinner also thanked JFL for aupporting his career, as did Hannah Berner, winner of the rising comedy star award this year. 'I want to thank JFL for putting me on New Faces a couple years ago and giving me my confidence. JFL has been so incredible to me and to all the comics who took me under their wings,' Berner said while clutching her comedy star trophy on stage at the MTelus theater on St. Catherine's Street. For a comedy business long dominated by men, Fortune Feimster and Mae Martin felt the weight of the moment when the duo came up to receive the podcast of the year prize for their Handsome offering aimed at LGBTQ+ fans, including on behalf of co-host Tig Notaro, at the ComedyPRO conference kudos-fest. 'This means a lot to me, because I'm Canadian,' Martin said while on stage. 'For our community, representation is still very much needed and wanted, and it's cool to be talking about these different topics,' Feimster added. Also Friday, when it came time for George Wallace, star of Amazon's Clean Slate comedy and a stand-up legend, to receive a lifetime achievement award and a standing ovation in Montreal, he talked himself up with trademark charm and humor. 'That means you've been around for a while and know a few things. And I know a few things,' Wallace said after 49 years in the business and first coming to Just For Laughs to perform in the 1980s. 'I said God, let me be the greatest bullshitter in the world. And he said, well, Donald Trump beat you to that. I'm not supposed to do political stuff,' he added. Wallace also thanked his five agents, who were at his side in Montreal. 'They spent more money coming up here than they make for me,' he joked. The Just For Laughs comedy festival continues through to Sunday. 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News.com.au
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
‘Jack of all trades': Meet the Aussie duo rewiring comedy
In early 2020, appearing on the YouTube interview show Hot Ones, legendary comedian Will Ferrell mused on the future of comedy. Comedy clubs were back then and are now a shadow of their former selves and mere days ago CBS announced the cancellation of The Late Night Show with Stephen Colbert after 33 years on air, 10 of those with Colbert as host. But laughs aren't dead, they're just online now. Social media is proving the new frontier for comedians looking to cut their teeth, allowing budding comics to record sketches, develop characters and grow a platform without the aid of more traditional pathways. Half the world away from that Ferrell interview, comedy duo Swag on the Beat started life in a Melbourne supermarket after an innocent one-take video poking fun at Covid supermarket etiquette gathered almost 30,000 views. Today, the duo – made up of Jack Say, 28, and Isaac Gibbons, 29 – have amassed more than 3.3 million followers across Instagram, TikTok and Facebook. Having recently completed a live show tour around Australia, New Zealand and England, Say and Gibbons agreed with Ferrell's assessment that there was no substitute for honing a comedian's craft quite like performing in front of a crowd. However, they argued the nature of social media management meant nowadays comics needed to be a 'jack of all trades'. 'It was an amazing cutting of the teeth moment for us,' Say told NewsWire. 'We learned so much about live audiences, but it feels like now – you hear musicians talk about it as well – not only do you have to 'make the music', but you have to be the advertiser and you have to do all the social media stuff that comes along with it. 'It feels like you almost have to be a jack of all trades and to service each platform with what it requires in order to have a grip in the industry.' Continuing the aspiration of multi-platform mastery, the duo have cracked into the podcast space. It's a dangerous time to make the move. Internet commentators have complained the market is now so over-saturated that the sale of podcasting equipment ought to be restricted or banned. The boys, however, are finding the change of pace a welcome return to the ad lib comedy style of their younger years. 'Speaking for myself, I wasn't a huge podcast guy, so I guess I was always astounded by the amount of podcasts out there that have strong listenership,' Gibbons said. 'Obviously, it's a growing platform and there's people that listen to all kinds of content. And I think rather than talking other people down or focusing on how types of podcasts that don't deserve listeners, get listeners, maybe it's worth acknowledging that there's all kinds of listeners for different types of content and trying to tap into that, appreciate that everyone listens to different stuff and try to make something that can appeal to a lot of people.' Making content that is appealing to a wide spate of people is no easy task in the modern world and it's something that Say and Gibbons have made pains to improve on in recent years. 'We were talking about this earlier today actually. Something we've crystallised since the start of Swag and we're getting closer and closer to is being able to provide content that anyone can listen to,' Say said. 'If you're 15 or 75, we would like to create stuff that anyone can enjoy, anyone can palate. 'While being fresh and interesting is kind of the goal for us, we don't want to exclude any group or person or people from our stuff. 'It's that classic line from when they wrote the Mr. Bean TV show. 'If a joke couldn't be understood by people in Egypt, then it didn't get in'. He's on the extreme level where he didn't even speak, but we're sort of taking a leaf out of that book, which is: Does this allow everyone who can hear and watch our stuff the chance to enjoy it? 'There's only so much you can do as two guys, but we feel like we're getting better at dividing our time and energy up into multiple parts of the industry, which feels like an essential thing.' It's difficult to put your finger on Australian comedy in the same way you can identify dry British humour or brazen American comedies, and the nature of social media skits as an emerging form of content means prospective filmers may lack the comic role models of other mediums. However the boys cast the net wide and believe the vagueness offers an opportunity to cherry pick and aspire to the best. 'We're big fans of Chris Lilly, everything done by Chris Lilly,' Gibbons said. 'I love the character comedy and the way he can very convincingly play all different types of characters. Sacha Baron Cohen as well. 'I think the Godfather of Australian comedy, Barry Humphries, is of course iconic. Flight of the Concords is a duo who has a hilarious dynamic and incorporates music which we try to do as well.' '(American and British humour) both are incredible, but I suppose beyond personal preference of the comedy styles, as Australia does in many other ways, we sort of take little bits of longstanding cultures that we like and try and incorporate them into our own things,' Say added. 'Maybe there's a bit of that going on that is forming the Australian comedy style.' The duo has partnered with KitKat to release a line of Commuter Camouflage Hoodies and are celebrating reaching one million followers on Instagram by throwing a party at the Railway Hotel in Brunswick on Saturday, August 30, announcing a secret project they've 'been working on for months'.
CTV News
23-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CTV News
Science stories with Dan Riskin
Ottawa Watch A wild friendship caught on tape, plus some new information about what makes funny people so funny!
BBC News
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Edinburgh Fringe's funniest joke award scrapped for 2025
Edinburgh Fringe's annual funniest joke award has been scrapped for this year's comedy festival, organisers have confirmed (no joke).The award, launched in 2008 - providing many humorous headlines - is usually presented by the TV channel U&Dave [formerly Dave], which is owned by its bosses said in a statement it was on pause "as our commissioning focus evolves", so it could "reflect on how we continue to support comedy in the best way possible."It added: "While we're resting the award this year, we remain committed to championing great comedy across U&Dave and beyond, and we'll always look for ways to bring laughter to audiences in exciting ways." A witty pun about a sailing trip, listed below, was named as the funniest joke at last year's prize has been criticised in some quarters for its tendency to always favour one-liners, while others have noted its ability to shine a light on newer noted it had been "originally created to celebrate and spotlight grassroots comedy talent."The esteemed but seperate Edinburgh comedy award recognises the best performance and routine overall each the funniest joke gong has been a mainstay of the festival for the best part of two decades, apart from during the Covid-19 jokes are usually chosen by a panel of comedians and critics, then sent anonymously to 2,000 members of the public to collectively choose their is a selection of winners from recent years that you can pass off as your own in the pub later on: Mark Simmons last year: "I was going to sail around the globe in the world's smallest ship but I bottled it."Lorna Rose Treen in 2023: "I started dating a zookeeper, but it turned out he was a cheetah."Masai Graham in 2022: "I tried to steal spaghetti from the shop, but the female guard saw me and I couldn't get pasta."Olaf Falafel in 2019: "I keep randomly shouting out "Broccoli" and "Cauliflower" - I think I might have Florets."Adam Rowe in 2018: "Working at the job centre has to be a tense job - knowing that if you get fired, you still have to come in the next day."Ken Cheng in 2017: "I'm not a fan of the new pound coin, but then again, I hate all change."Masai Graham in 2016: "My dad has suggested that I register for a donor card. He's a man after my own heart."Darren Walsh in 2015: "I just deleted all the German names off my phone. It's Hans free."Tim Vine in 2014: "I've decided to sell my Hoover - well, it was just collecting dust." Following the announcement that the award was to be "rested", production company Need to Know Comedy announced that it was reviving its (Some Guy Called) Dave award, calling for festival acts to email across one-liners from their show in exchange for a potential cash Margoyles, Jenny Eclair and Bill Bailey are among the performers appearing in more than 3,000 shows at this year's Edinburgh Festival Fringe, which begins on Friday 1 August.
