JULIAN AXELROD

I'm Julian. I write. I rap. I tell jokes. Follow me, and I'll follow you back. Agreed?

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Settling Up

by Julian Axelrod

Late night talk shows have always been a hot commodity. Beyond their role as network schedule space-filler, talk shows tend to be the defining work of any host’s career, not least because they have no time to do other projects during their 7+ years on the show. So it’s not surprising that any vacancy in late night usually leads to months of speculation over who will have the honor of chuckling through Jennifer Aniston’s anecdotes for the foreseeable future.

The last few years have seen huge changes in the late night landscape, with David Letterman, Jay Leno and Craig Ferguson ending their long reigns and ushering in new hosts Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon and James Corden, respectively. It’s been interesting to see how each new host has adapted to the late night format and applied their own (straight white male) sensibility. Sometimes it’s a career upgrade; for example, Late Night gave Jimmy Fallon’s career a much-needed second act. Other times it’s a lateral move; Seth Meyers’ show isn’t too different from his stint behind the Weekend Update desk, but it allows him to explore elements of his style that wouldn’t have fit on SNL. But it’s disappointing to see a comedian take over a talk show when they could be doing something that better utilizes their talents.

Trevor Noah opened his first episode as host of The Daily Show with an expression of heartfelt gratitude toward his predecessor, Jon Stewart, for taking a chance on the relatively unknown (in America) South African comedian. It was a  touching segment. But the rest of the episode suggested that this gratitude might have gone too far: Despite a new host, new correspondents, and a revamped writing staff, it felt like Noah was trying to emulate Stewart’s style and delivery. Unsurprisingly, it lacked the same satirical punch. While The Daily Show is an undeniably huge opportunity for Noah, it was dispiriting to see him hew so close to the format of his predecessor without injecting his own sensibility (emoji jokes notwithstanding).

Stephen Colbert has far more late night experience than his peers, but when he was announced as the new host of Late Show, audiences weren’t sure what to expect. After nine years of hosting The Colbert Report as right-wing pundit “Stephen Colbert,” the idea of seeing Colbert host a show as himself was simultaneously exciting and nerve-wracking. These fears were partially unfounded – Colbert has done an excellent job on Late Show, importing the Report’s political bent to the traditional late night format. But while Colbert’s new talk show is very good, it’s just that – a good talk show. The Colbert Report combined searing political satire with Colbert’s incredible skills as a performer; Late Show feels like Report with half the satire and twice the celebrity guests, a ratio that downplays the strengths of its host.

Obviously no one can blame Noah, Colbert or any other host for being drawn to the reliable format and career stability of the late night talk show. But stability doesn’t have to translate to safety.

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The jumble of plots that comprises each episode highlights another reason the prequel succeeds: The original film is a natural fit for the TV format. While shows like Arrested Development thrived on the interactions of the core cast, Wet Hot American Summer spread its stars across separate storylines. The film actually feels more like a cohesive series of sketches (which makes sense, considering co-writers David Wain and Michael Showalter’s time in legendary sketch troupe The State), which made for a smooth conversion to television.

Julian Axelrod, Wet Hot American Sequel  (via inthecomments)

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feat. axelparadigm

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I’M BACK ON TUMBLR YOU PIECES OF SHIT

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More Like Sad Men

3.2: Mar 2015, The Mad Men Issue. Shut the door and have a seat as we explore performance in Mad Men – and not just the performances from the cast. Whether they’re changing their identity, performing their gender, or pretending they’re not as messed up as their parents, everyone’s acting like something they’re not. But there’s no false advertising here – our Mad Men issue is the real deal.

Featuring content by obsessive24, adslibitum, tragicalhistoryart, mad-rock, madmenwiththingsdrawnonthem, slaughterhouse90210, Robert Glenn Smith, cchristina-hendricks, margaretolson, lsquared80, wardrobemalfunctioned, Sady Doyle, fyeahmm, and Matt Hickey

Click here to view the issue

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MAD MEN ISSUE'S UP Y'ALL CH-CH-CHECK IT OUT

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Rashida Jones and Andy Samberg asked about their ideal wedding toast.

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Singapore // 24 Jan 2015

By Finn Perez

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Captain Murphy

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Visit Original Link

St. Vincent - Bad Believer

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Airan Kang - “109 Lighting Books”

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Last night, I had a dream that a fan-made slash film of Hannibal was selected into a prestigious short film festival. I’d now like to tell you why that matters.

To start off, I would like to speak directly to those who are “a part of the conversation.” Technically, that’s everyone. You can’t not...

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Visit Original Link

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dril posted nothing but the same tweet over and over for an entire 24 hours

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a formal apology to my roommates: 

I used an entire thing of wet wipes in 20 minutes to clean our floors 

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REALLY fucking shitty of you Alyse. Like honestly???? Just cleaning the whole kitchen??? For no reason? Whatever. I’m moving out. I’m so over this.

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By Freddy-May AbiSamra Those who know me well, or at all, know I don’t take very well to watching dramas. “They’re too long!” I whine, then watch 12 hours of back-to-back The Office. But really, I usually would just rather be laughing than having serious feelings. And yet one of my favorite...

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Big Trouble in Little China (1986)