GEORGE CARLIN (1937-2008)

An early appearance on Hollywood Palace, 1966

We're sorry to hear that comedian George Carlin just passed away at the age of 71. "Passed away" is a euphemism Carlin wouldn't stand for; let's say he died. He worked to the very end -- coincidentally, my parents saw him perform in Las Vegas a couple weeks ago.

Like Lenny Bruce, Carlin used words that we hear all the time -- shocking to censors, perhaps, but commonplace in the real world. In his famous routine, "The Seven Words You Can Never Say on TV," he ridiculed our hypocrisy. The routine, by the way, led to a key Supreme Court ruling on obscenity, so maybe we're a little freer thanks to George. Fittingly, the following video has language suitable for mature intelligent people only. If words scare you, be warned!


Performing recently, "Religion is bullshit"

POLITICALLY INCORRIGIBLE

Chris Rock is one of the funniest men alive. He's in your face. He doesn't shy away from controversy. He's willing to be politically incorrect, but more important he's willing to be political in a good sense. In other words, he's willing to make fun of the powerful and not just the powerless. Rock gets up in the grill of conventional wisdom. Here he gives some practical advice about dealing with the police.

I hate the term "politically correct." If you ask me, "Political Correctness" is really a straw man argument. Sure, there may be some overly zealous PC types, but the real issue is that conservatives want a free pass to blurt out attitudes of race, gender, and religion, and to do so without challenge. The actual threat of progressive social change to these folks has always been minimal, but they resent losing their undisputed perch on the top of the heap, and the "freedom of expression" that went along with it. They whine that the PC types and the "liberal media" are out to get them, but really it's about the world changing. There is a new sense of decorum. Deal with it. Evolve.

Ricky Gervais is also a very funny man. As fans of the British series The Office can attest, his humor can be excruciating. He also isn't afraid of controversy. Here is a routine about Hitler interpreting Nietzsche.

CHICKS WITH SHTICKS

Funny girls in a limo, Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, and Tina Fey.

A long time ago, some idiot (probably a male comedian) said women just aren't funny. Maybe he was right back then, when female comedians like Phylis Diller and Joan Rivers still roamed the earth, trying to claw their way into the primordial boy's club. Yes, they were horrible. Diller did one joke over and over, and Rivers was about as funny as a root canal with a brutal hangover. Of course, most of the other Jurassic Borscht Belt comics weren't all that funny, either, if the truth be told. With a few shining exceptions, that shtick got old fast.

Amy Poehler, funny girl on Saturday Night Live.

Nowadays, there are plenty of hilarious women out there. And cute. Funny and cute is a deadly combination, and I'll admit a certain weakness for it. My girlfriend is funny and cute. Commanding such twin superpowers, a woman can destroy all that is wrong with the world with a fast one-two combination. It seems so, anyway. On a bad day, it's just a sucker punch to the kidneys.



Tina Fey is a riot. In my opinion, the star and creator of the NBC sitcom 30 Rock can do no wrong. She leads a cute and funny pack that includes Sarah Silverman, Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph, Amy Sedaris, Wanda Sykes, and Kristen Wiig. Who am I forgetting?

There is a good article about these new funny women in this month's Vanity Fair, and the advantage of reading it online is you don't have to hoist all those slick pages and smell the perfume ads. Then again, you might like that. You're sick. Anyway, the article is here.

There are some great interviews with hot female comics here.