“Jerry Seinfeld: The Comedian Award”
Kudos to HBO for eking an hourlong special out of one of those ubiquitous self-congratulatory Hollywood-style events in which celebrities talk about themselves: For “Jerry Seinfeld: The Comedian Award,” Anderson Cooper hosts an event in which Seinfeld receives an award no one’s ever heard of and which, in fact, didn’t exist until HBO realized they could, in fact, eke out an hourlong special from it.
Chris Rock, Garry Shandling and Robert Klein appear, discussing the art of standup and showing much love to Seinfeld. Having spent time with comics, I found some of the conversation intriguing, though I'm not sure how many folks with no ties to the industry will. Much of the actual comedy comes from footage from Seinfeld’s last HBO special, which people who want laughs will have already seen.
Seinfeld credits Klein with inspiring him, saying, “Robert made it OK to be smart. You see Red Skelton, you don’t think, ‘Oh, you have to be smart to be a comedian.’”
On the other hand, watching comics discussing their art form can be kind of deadly. As Klein proves, by talking about Rodney Dangerfield too much. Shandling has some funny moments, as does Rock, when he compares Shandling to Pauly Shore (Shandling’s response to Rock’s dis is almost as funny as the slag itself).
Rock explains how network executives are given free reign to emasculate a comic’s sensibility onscreen: “Cops want crime. You don’t f@#&ing eat if there’s no crime. Executives give notes – if it’s perfect, they don’t have a job.”
HBO head Chris Albrecht even beneficently - I'm pretty sure that's the word - grants himself some screen time, before Seinfeld artfully manages to make fun of “self-congratulatory b.s. events like this,” while seeming genuinely to be moved to get his little plexiglass gewgaw. Most impressive: The comics manage to get Cooper to admit that he – along with many news anchors – spend a lot of time looking at themselves appreciatively in the mirror.
- “Jerry Seinfeld: The Comedian Award:” 9 p.m. Sunday, also 2 and 11 p.m. 4/4, 1 a.m. 4/8, 9:30 a.m. and 9 p.m. 4/10, 5 p.m. 4/13, 12:30 a.m. 4/14; HBO. Other times on other HBO platforms.
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David Kronke was appointed Mayor of Television after a bloodless coup in 2000. Since then, he has improved infrastructure, championed greater educational opportunities and fought for reforms that have utterly erased corruption and incompetence from the television industry. Since Mr. Kronke has ascended to power, Television is a far better place.
IT IS A SHAME! He is shameful; we are infuriated with application of distinct criteria in the scope of the MINISTRY OF JUSTICE; e the COMMAND OF the AERONAUTICS of BRAZIL, for being two governmental Institutions that are disrespecting the Law of Amnesty Politics 10,559 of 13 of November of 2002, and inside not existing no fiscalizador agency of the administrative sphere that it can investigate such irregularities, and with this comes demonstrating to an instant obedience lack the Brazilian Laws, and pisoteando the Constitution of 1988, RELEMBRANDO a TIME MORE the MEDIOCRITY AND the AGRURAS OF the PERIOD OF the “REGIMEN OF UNHAPPYLY OCCURED EXCEPTION” IN BRAZIL. “Necessary the BRAZILIAN GOVERNMENT” to understand that AMNESTY is measured of public interest, inhaled in the necessity of the social peace. While not to occur the FULL AMNESTY, while not to mark to the pertinent NORMS it, Brazil will continue in sad trajectory of ashamed Country. The worse E who to be braking the rights of aged “the FORMER MILITARY of BRAZILIAN FORCE ÁÉREA, also is mature Governmental authorities and with little time of life. Same E knowing that 5 or 10 years will be able to live and arriving at the end of the road, still loads hatred and headquarters of revenge of old and defenseless people, the example of the Former Handles of the BAF. How weakness of espíritos of these authorities, daqui the 5 or 10 years aged the Former Authorities goes to be dust of the equal land to aged the former military of the Brazilian Air Force! E will not take no corporeal property for underneath of the soil. E later, that accounts will give to the Architect of the Universe?
Uh, good point. I think. But Jerry Seinfeld stepped down from his position as Brazilian dictator in 1998.