The Andrew Extravaganza

The place I would kill to be from February 9th to the 13th is in Aspen, Colorado. That is the site of the 11th annual U.S. Comedy Arts Festival. I'm sure the entire festival is pretty good, but two particular films caught my attention: "The Aristocrats" and "Jesus is Magic".

From IMDB.com, "The Aristocrats" is slated for a late 2005 release, although it isn't clear what form the release will take (theaters or just DVD). If you don't know about the joke you should read my entry about it and watch the South Park clip in which Cartman tells it. For a complete list of the 100 comedians that are in the film (each telling the joke) check out the IMDB listing; it reads like a who's who list of the funniest people working today. Here are some of the big names that jumped out at me: Lewis Black, Drew Carey, George Carlin, Gilbert Gottfried, Eric Idle, Eddie Izzard, Richard Lewis, Don Rickles, Chris Rock, Jeffrey Ross, Sarah Silverman, Jon Stewart, and Steven Wright.

"Jesus is Magic", Sarah Silverman's off-Broadway show that featured her comedy and a few songs she would play on guitar and sing, has been made into a film. From some internet source (I've lost the link), "The film will be a combination of comedy concert, music videos and filmic narrative digressions." I've had trouble finding any other details on it, but the fact that it will be shown in Aspen at least means it's close to release.

Silverman has been one of my favorites since I saw her in The Larry Sanders Show, in syndication on Bravo, a couple of years ago. In my opinion she isn't getting enough exposure. She gets bit parts in movies and I catch her on TV sometimes, but five minute segments are just a tease; she shows her potential, but everything is at a rushed pace. I'm counting on Jesus is Magic to finally see Silverman perform her comedy for an extended time period.

Here are some quotes from various performances and interviews that should demonstrate her intelligent writing that usually strikes at sensitive subjects:

"The writers of Sanford and Son were so brave in bringing their program to television. I mean, working with all those black people!"

"A couple nights ago, I was licking jelly off my boyfriend's penis... and I thought, Oh, my God--I'm turning into my mother!"

"I think I was about six when I saw my father's penis. I don't think it affected me because I was so young. And so drunk."

"If you take a shower with your boyfriend, I guarantee by the time you step out of that shower, your breasts will be sparkling clean."

"I'm dating a guy right now who's half-black. And I just know we're gonna break up. Wait a minute-- look at me. I'm such a pessimist. He's half-white!"

"I don't like doctors. I've never liked doctors. This is since birth. I mean, I understand why the doctor had to spank me, but I don't know why he had to call me a whore."

"Is it molestation if the baby makes the first move?"

"I was raped by a doctor-- which is a bitter sweet experience for a Jewish girl".

"I want to get an abortion, but my boyfriend and I are having trouble conceiving."

"One time I was having sex with... let's say a boyfriend...So he dismounted, but the condom was still inside me, so he had to quickly pull it out, like a deli number. And he's No. 57-- that's like three away from slutty!"

Back in 1993, Saturday Night Live hired her as a writer, but she wrote a joke about the law that requires a woman to wait 24 hours before getting an abortion. This waiting period is supposed to enable the woman to think it over.
"Frankly, I think it's a good law," said Silverman. "The other day I wanted to go get an abortion. I really wanted an abortion, but then I thought about it and it turned out I was just thirsty."

Here is the link to the U.S. Comedy Arts Festival that I failed to include in the original entry: http://www.uscomedyartsfestival.com/

Sarah Silverman sounds like a badass. Nice site, yo. Haven't been here in a while.

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