Comedy and humour Books

Book SynopsisHe is one of the best known faces in television comedy, yet the long-suffering vicar of Walmington-On-Sea is in real life a Christian of deep conviction. Perfectly cast as the eccentric vicar, constantly tetchy at the invasion of his church hall by Captain Mainwaring and the elderly platoon, he appeared in "Dad's Army" throughout its nine-year run and also in many other television and stage dramas. Still in constant demand for public appearances, Frank takes an affectionate view behind the scenes of the series and the world of show business and reveals his personal journey through faith. 2018 will be the 50th anniversary of the television series "Dad's Army", with Frank one of just two original cast members still alive.

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Book SynopsisNew York Times bestselling author, comedian, actress, and producer Phoebe Robinson is back with a new essay collection that is equal parts thoughtful, hilarious, and sharp about human connection, race, hair, travel, dating, Black excellence, and more. Written in Phoebe's unforgettable voice and with her unparalleled wit, Robinson's latest collection, laced with spot-on pop culture references, takes on a wide range of topics. From the values she learned from her parents (including, but not limited to, advice on not bringing outside germs onto your clean bed) to her and her boyfriend, lovingly known as British Baekoff, deciding to have a child-free union, to the way the Black Lives Matter movement took center stage in America, and, finally, the continual struggle to love her 4C hair, each essay is packed with humor and humanity. By turns insightful, laugh-out-loud funny, and heartfelt, Please Don't Sit On My Bed In Your Outside Clothes is not only a brilliant look at our current cultural moment, but a collection that will stay with you for years to come.

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Book SynopsisA hilarious and timely essay collection about race, gender, and pop culture from comedy superstar and 2 Dope Queens podcaster Phoebe Robinson Being a black woman in America means contending with old prejudices and fresh absurdities every day. Comedian Phoebe Robinson has experienced her fair share over the years: she's been unceremoniously relegated to the role of "the black friend," as if she is somehow the authority on all things racial; she's been questioned about her love of U2 and Billy Joel ("isn't that...white people music?"); she's been called "uppity" for having an opinion in the workplace; she's been followed around stores by security guards; and yes, people do ask her whether they can touch her hair all. the. time. Now, she's ready to take these topics to the page-and she's going to make you laugh as she's doing it. Using her trademark wit alongside pop-culture references galore, Robinson explores everything from why Lisa Bonet is "Queen. Bae. Jesus," to breaking down the terrible nature of casting calls, to giving her less-than-traditional advice to the future female president, and demanding that the NFL clean up its act, all told in the same conversational voice that launched her podcast, 2 Dope Queens, to the top spot on iTunes. As personal as it is political, You Can't Touch My Hair examines our cultural climate and skewers our biases with humor and heart, announcing Robinson as a writer on the rise.

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Book SynopsisLIMITED FIRST EDITION contains blue foil gilded page edges and a white satin ribbon marker.In the ‘70s and ‘80s Saturday Night Live, SCTV, and Monty Python ruled the television airwaves with sketch comedy. But then came the 1990s—and alongside grunge music and oversized denim, sketch comedy was turned up to 11. With the promise of low budgets, big laughs, more diverse cast members, and fresh content, an ever-expanding number of television stations each wanted their very own hit sketch show. Saturday Night Live was ‘dead’ anyway, right?We’re Not Worthy is the definitive account of ‘90s sketch comedy, the decade that forever changed what we laugh at. Author and comedian Jason Klamm goes behind the scenes of more than 50 sketch shows that ruled the ‘90s, including groundbreaking staples such as In Living Color, MTV’s The State, Mr. Show, Kids in the Hall, The Ben Stiller Show, and Mad TV, along with several swiftly canceled gigs (The Dana Carvey Show, anyone?). Each show seemed to launch at least one big name into the stratosphere: The Wayans family, Ben Stiller, Jennifer Coolidge, Amy Poehler, Chris Rock, Adam Sandler, Jim Carrey, Will Ferrell, Judd Apatow, Janeane Garofalo . . . the list goes on and on.Klamm brings readers back to the ‘90s comedy landscape like never before, through over 150 new and candid interviews with trailblazers such as Mike Myers, Bob Odenkirk, Carol Burnett, Tommy Davidson, Adam McKay, Dave Thomas, Patton Oswalt, Reno 911!’s Kerri Kenney-Silver, and a litany of additional favorites. Plus the producers, writers, directors, and other insiders that pulled it all together.Steeped with hilarious stories, on-the-set antics, and head-turning television politics, We’re Not Worthy is a revealing trip back to the decade that placed comedy on the razor's edge.Trade ReviewHoliday 2023 Gift Guide Mention: Cracked, /Film."The '90s were an exciting time for TV sketch comedy. In We’re Not Worthy, Jason Klamm does a beautiful job compiling this rich history of nonsensical fart jokes, ratty synthetic wigs, and stick-on mustaches for all the world to read." — Kerry Kenney-Silver (The State / Reno 911!)"We're Not Worthy is a real blast. Jason Klamm takes us on a wild ride through a breakthrough era. Thank goodness for all that ridiculousness!" — Kevin Allison (The State / RISK!)"An indisputably sensational decade in comedy. We're Not Worthy is a labor of love driven by an urge to demystify. Klamm misses no opportunity to point out that before they were household names, the likes of Amy Poehler, Jennifer Coolidge, and Will Ferrell toiled in the low-pay, no-glory sketch-comedy trenches. Interviews with shining stars (Carol Burnett, Mike Myers, Bob Odenkirk) as well as lesser lights and behind-the-scenesters get across how the TV-sketch-comedy sausage is made." — Shelf Awareness (starred review)Table of ContentsForeword (David Wain)Prologue1. Friday Night Frolic: The Birth of Sketch Comedy on TV92. Stupid Human Tricks: Late Night with David Letterman3. A Do-It-Yourself Movement: The Compass, The Second City, and The Committee4. Sniglets and Hedgehog Sandwiches: Not Necessarily the News5. The Show That Bumped SNL: Almost Live!6. And The Simpsons!: The Tracey Ullman Show7. Easy to Beat Up, Hard to Kill: The Kids in the Hall8. Canadian Content: Sketch Shows from the Great White North9. Poets and Geniuses: iO / ImprovOlympic10. Unskied Snow: In Living Color11. A Taste That’s Oddly Familiar: The Ben Stiller Show12. No Time to Breathe: The Weirder Side of ‘90s Sketch13. I Am a We, and There's Eleven of Us: The State14. At Its Best When You Were in Middle School: Saturday Night Live15. Gelatinous Cube Eats Village: Wayne’s World16. Cookin' with Gas: The Groundlings17. You Insist on Watching: Late Night with Conan O’Brien18. Performing for Snotty Rich Anglo Brats: House of Buggin’19. The Lighter Side: Mad TV20. Don’t Do Your Act: LA’s Alternative Comedy Scene21. Devour Cowards Every Hour: Mr. Show with Bob and David22. Too Many Nipples: The Dana Carvey Show23. When Improv Was Illegal: Theatresports and ComedySportz24. Leave Them Wanting Some: One-Offs and Pilots25. Veal Chops in Dill Sauce: The Bert Fershners26. Staging a Comeback: Viva Variety27. Not Another Pineapple: Improv Comes to TV28. Hit and Run Comedy: Upright Citizens Brigade29. …and the Rest: Every Other Sketch Show (Perhaps) of the ‘90sEpilogueAcknowledgmentsList of IntervieweesAbout the Author

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Book SynopsisThe FOX television show The Simpsons has been around for over 30 years, with more than 700 episodes. A satirical, animated comedy, The Simpsons has millions of fans around the world and its numerous characters are instantly recognizable. Two of the main characters, children Bart and Lisa, are in elementary school and their educational experience is satirized frequently, with episodes taking place at Springfield Elementary and featuring their teachers, classmates, and administration--often with biting criticism of curriculum, privatization, and standardized testing, to name a few. The Simpsons also features episodes retelling historical events, where the family experiences different countries and cultures, and participates in the political process. The Simpsons is unique in that the show itself is also a historical source, having been on the air since 1989. Issues that were current in the early 1990s at the height of popularity of The Simpsons are now considered historical, and there is room in classrooms to critically analyze the show with students about whether the show has adapted well to the 2020s, particularly with the show's use of cultural stereotypes.This edited book offers a collection of classroom-ready tools based on the Hollywood or History? strategy and designed to foster historical inquiry through the careful use of episodes or clips from The Simpsons. This book will be organized by the 10 Themes of Social Studies as outlined by the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS, 2010). Each of these 10 sections of the book feature two or three lesson plans from the massive catalog of The Simpsons. There is also an 11th section featuring two lesson plans using episodes of The Simpsons that satirize public education more broadly, which can be used by teacher candidates in methods classrooms to examine the realities of the history of public education and current issues that affect the profession.

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Book SynopsisThe FOX television show The Simpsons has been around for over 30 years, with more than 700 episodes. A satirical, animated comedy, The Simpsons has millions of fans around the world and its numerous characters are instantly recognizable. Two of the main characters, children Bart and Lisa, are in elementary school and their educational experience is satirized frequently, with episodes taking place at Springfield Elementary and featuring their teachers, classmates, and administration--often with biting criticism of curriculum, privatization, and standardized testing, to name a few. The Simpsons also features episodes retelling historical events, where the family experiences different countries and cultures, and participates in the political process. The Simpsons is unique in that the show itself is also a historical source, having been on the air since 1989. Issues that were current in the early 1990s at the height of popularity of The Simpsons are now considered historical, and there is room in classrooms to critically analyze the show with students about whether the show has adapted well to the 2020s, particularly with the show's use of cultural stereotypes.This edited book offers a collection of classroom-ready tools based on the Hollywood or History? strategy and designed to foster historical inquiry through the careful use of episodes or clips from The Simpsons. This book will be organized by the 10 Themes of Social Studies as outlined by the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS, 2010). Each of these 10 sections of the book feature two or three lesson plans from the massive catalog of The Simpsons. There is also an 11th section featuring two lesson plans using episodes of The Simpsons that satirize public education more broadly, which can be used by teacher candidates in methods classrooms to examine the realities of the history of public education and current issues that affect the profession.

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