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16 Stories

August 2008
- Alanis Ex Cops to Making Mess, Inspiring Song
  
  Calgary Herald | Aug 15, 08 3:55 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Comedian Dave Coulier says he is indeed the target of Alanis Morissette's angry 1990s hit "You Oughta Know." The two had a nasty breakup at the time, but Coulier denied the rumors that he was the creator "of the mess that you made when you went away" until he spilled to the Calgary Herald. Morissette has also stayed mum. More »
  
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  pop music • break-up • comedian • song • admission • Alanis Morissette
July 2008
- Kimmel, Silverman Split Up
  
  Vanity Fair | Jul 14, 08 5:15 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - After 5 years together, Jimmy Kimmel and Sarah Silverman have broken up, reps for the newly minted ex-couple confirmed to Vanity Fair today. "Jimmy and Sarah have and will have no further comment," said a joint statement. Confessions of involvement with Matt Damon and Ben Affleck apparently didn't lead to the split of the talk-show host and actress. More »
  
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  comedy • actor • break-up • comedian • Matt Damon • Ben Affleck • Jimmy Kimmel • Sarah Silverman
- Bernie Mac's Act Too Salty for Obama
  
  Chicago Sun-Times | Jul 12, 08 4:12 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Bernie Mac landed in hot water for making off-color jokes about women while introducing Barack Obama at a Chicago fundraiser yesterday, reports the Chicago Sun-Times . His last quip—which had the word "ho's" in it—drew complaints from a heckler. When Obama came on, he chided the comedian playfully. “Bernie, you got to clean up your act. This is a family affair," the candidate said, adding, "I'm just messing with you, man.” More »
  
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  Barack Obama • comedy • fundraiser • comedian • Bernie Mac
- The Real Joke May Be on Minn. Voters
  
  Washington Post | Jul 7, 08 11:03 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Voters always say they’d rather support “real people” than “professional politicians.” But Al Franken is having trouble in Minnesota precisely because he hasn’t spent his life reading a political script, Michael Kinsley writes in the Washington Post . Instead, he told jokes for a living—jokes his opponents are now trying to transform into political gaffes, and it seems to be working. More »
  
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  Senate • Minnesota • comedian • Al Franken • gaffes • Norm Coleman
June 2008
- Murray's Divorce Settled in a Flash
  
  TMZ | Jun 26, 08 11:56 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Gossip hounds hoping for acrimonious divorce proceedings for Bill Murray aren't getting their wish, TMZ reports. The actor's divorce has already been settled, with papers signed June 13. Wife Jennifer Butler Murray, 42, gets custody of the four kids; Bill, 57, will have to pay child support. Jennifer, who also gets homes in California and South Carolina, had alleged that Murray was a sex-crazed, abusive drug addict. More »
  
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  celebrity divorces • child custody • comedian • divorce settlement • Bill Murray
- 'Genius' Carlin Broke Boundaries
  
  Associated Press | Jun 23, 08 7:51 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - George Carlin was an anti-establishment legend who constantly pushed the boundaries of free speech and comedy, writes Keith St. Clair for the AP. No doubt, his “Seven Words You Should Never Say on Television”—he was arrested for uttering them in 1972, and they eventually led to a Supreme Court ruling upholding the government's right to punish public obscenity—will be widely quoted today. "He was a genius," said the former partner of the comic, who died Sunday of heart failure. More »
  
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  US Supreme Court • comedy • arrest • comedian • George Carlin
- 70s Comic Icon George Carlin Dies
  
  Reuters | Jun 23, 08 3:59 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Provocative comedian George Carlin died yesterday of heart failure in a Santa Monica hospital at the age of 71, Reuters reports. The counterculture hero, who long battled heart and drug problems, had been admitted earlier in the day complaining of chest pains. He was known for boundary-stretching, drug-referencing routines. One of his most famous schticks on seven "dirty words" led to a First Amendment battle in the US Supreme Court. More »
  
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  television • comedy • comedian • stand up comedy • George Carlin
- Burmese Comedian Bust Not Funny: UN
  
  Associated Press | Jun 10, 08 5:00 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The UN's human rights official in Burma expressed concern over the arrest of a popular Burmese comedian who’d been helping cyclone survivors, the AP reports. The comedian, known as Zarganar, was nabbed Wednesday by authorities after traveling to the hard-hit Irrawaddy Delta to donate supplies, a relative said. He had led an aid group of 400 and had criticized the government in foreign interviews. More »
  
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  Burma • Myanmar • Cyclone Nargis • junta • comedian • United Nations Human Rights Council
May 2008
- Harvey Korman: More Than a Second Banana
  
  Washington Post | May 31, 08 1:48 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Harvey Korman was sometimes described as the “quintessential second banana,” and he did indeed make his name in supporting roles. But Korman, who died this week at 81, was a special second banana. For Mel Brooks, he became the perfect scheming underling, hilariously worming his way through movie after movie. On the Carol Burnett show, he was renowned for cracking up at others’ gags. More »
  
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  obituary • comedian • Mel Brooks • Carol Burnett
- A Comic Star is Born?
  
  Los Angeles Times | May 29, 08 9:00 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - He didn’t plan it this way, but Danny McBride will end up in three of the summer’s biggest comedies, the LA Times reports. In The Foot Fist Way , Pineapple Express , and Tropic Thunder , viewers will see McBride get beaten, shot, blown up with a grenade, and tortured—all while laughing themselves silly. Pretty good for a guy who was working the night desk at a Holiday Inn before the Foot Fist shoot. More »
  
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  comedy • comedian • Ben Stiller • Tropic Thunder • screenwriters • Pineapple Express
- Comic Great Harvey Korman Dead at 81
  
  Associated Press | May 29, 08 7:23 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Harvey Korman, who gained comic fame with his bust-a-gut sketches on the "Carol Burnett Show" in the 1960s and 70s, has died at age 81 from complications of an aneurysm, the AP reports. Korman won four Emmys for his TV work, often pairing with Burnett or Tim Conway. He had success on the big screen, too, most notably as Hedley (not Hedy!) Lamarr in Blazing Saddles . More »
  
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  obituary • comedian • Carol Burnett
- Laugh-In Creator Dick Martin Dead at 86
  
  Associated Press | May 25, 08 11:17 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The final judge has come for Dick Martin, co-founder of the groundbreaking comedy show Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In and later a prolific director, the AP reports. Martin, the wacky counterpoint to partner Dan Rowan's straight man, died last night at age 86 of respiratory problems. Laugh-In , which began in 1968, launched the careers of Goldie Hawn and Lily Tomlin and changed television comedy. More »
  
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  obituary • comedian • stand up comedy • respiratory problems
March 2008
- Robin Williams, Wife Divorcing
  
  San Francisco Chronicle | Mar 27, 08 7:19 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Funnyman Robin Williams and his wife are splitting up after 19 years of marriage, reports the San Francisco Chronicle . The divorce petition, filed by Marsha Williams in San Francisco, cited irreconcilable differences. The pair met when Marsha worked as a nanny for Williams' son from a previous marriage. She later became his personal assistant and produced hits like Mrs. Doubtfire . More »
  
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  celebrity • divorce • philanthropy • comedian
- Yankees Sign Crystal—for a Day
  
  Associated Press | Mar 11, 08 2:04 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - He’s roped cattle and counseled gangsters onscreen, and now Billy Crystal will sign a real-life pro baseball contract and suit up in Yankee pinstripes. The pint-sized comedian is celebrating his 60th birthday with a 1-day stint with his favorite team, the AP reports. He’ll wear No. 60 for Thursday’s exhibition game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. More »
  
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  MLB • New York Yankees • actor • Pittsburgh Pirates • comedian • Bronx Bombers • Billy Crystal
February 2008
- Hey, Hey, Hey! Cosby's a Rapper Now
  
  Philadelphia Inquirer | Feb 6, 08 8:46 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - Bill Cosby, long a vocal critic of urban street culture and its gangsta rap, is holding his enemies close. His next record, State of Emergency , will be nothing but hip-hop, reports the Philadelphia Inquirer . The album will address sober issues faced by America's black youth, such as teen pregnancy and drugs, but steer clear of profanity and misogyny. No word yet on a release date. More »
  
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  drugs • teen pregnancy • rap music • comedian • black culture • Bill Cosby
January 2008
- Author Sues Seinfelds Over 'Copycat' Cookbook
  
  The Smoking Gun | Jan 8, 08 1:05 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - The author who blasted Jessica Seinfeld for allegedly stealing her cookbook ideas slapped Seinfeld and her funnyman hubby with a lawsuit today, simultaneously accusing Jerry Seinfeld of defaming her character, the Smoking Gun reports. After Missy Chase Lapine accused his wife of plagiarizing her book, The Sneaky Chef, Jerry Seinfeld called her "hysterical" on David Letterman's show, comparing her to "wackos," stalkers, and assassins. More »
  
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  lawsuit • Jerry Seinfeld • comedian • plagiarism • cookbooks • Jessica Seinfeld