Scott Aukerman Has Learned from Kelsey Grammer’s Mistakes

IFC’s Comedy Bang! Bang! is, on some level, a talk show hosted by comedy veterans Scott Aukerman and Reggie Watts and loosely tied to Aukerman’s hit podcast of the same name. But it seems to occupy a terrifying reality that only bears a loose resemblance to our own: on any given episode, a lovable talking bird might get eviscerated, Scott might accidentally send himself to hell, or an attempt to show a movie clip might devolve into a disorienting feedback […]

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Chickens, Psychopaths, and Surfing: A Chat with Kurt Braunohler

  There’s something profoundly dystopian about Bunk, the not-exactly-game-show that’s finishing up its first season on IFC. On it, stand-up comics and sketch performers are forced into improv-based challenges that include insulting puppies or drawing new appendages to the crotch of Michelangelo’s David. And all the while, the barefoot host — played with terrifying confidence by New York-based comic Kurt Braunohler — will do things like force his intern to sift through glass shards or threaten to murder his viewers. […]

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Afternoon Bites: Contrarian Takes On “The Hunger Games,” Television Rarities, “The Secret of Evil,” And More

Would you like a contrarian take on an acclaimed dystopian novel, and the cinematic adaptation of the same? Well, with respect to The Hunger Games, Ned Vizzini has you covered. Warren Ellis on Mark Dery’s essay collection I Must Not Think Bad Thoughts, which sounds fantastic. Bill Morris on one-word book titles, at The Millions. Bryan Waterman links to some unreleased Television songs. Alison Bechdel is interviewed by June Thomas at Slate. J.P. Smith on Roberto Bolano’s The Secret of Evil. […]

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