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18 Nov 2011 00:50

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Culture: BuzzFeed: Trendsetters or plain ol’ geniuses?

  • Surprisingly, this isn’t an Occupy post: Do you think Ryan Gosling was robbed of People’s “Sexiest Man Alive” title this year? Well, these protesters do, too. Our pals at BuzzFeed started a whole petition to promote Gosling to his rightful place. Today, protesters met outside of People’s NY HQ with chants, signs and masks. We are the 99%, indeed. source

01 Jan 2011 10:50

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World: VOA’s “Daily Show”-styled “Parazit” strikes chord with Iranians

  • See this clip right here? It’s from a “Daily Show”-styled program for the Iranian market called “Parazit.” The show, created by Voice of America and tough to come by unless you have an illegal satellite, nevertheless has a huge fan base – over 200,000 Facebook followers and thousands more YouTube visitors. And, considering the country, the tone of the show isn’t nearly as lighthearted as “The Daily Show.” “We have to walk a fine line,” said Saman Arbabi, one of the show’s DC-based hosts. “We come from that generation of kids who got up in Iran and protested the government. We share their politics, so we echo their voice.” But that doesn’t mean they don’t get a kick out of making fun of Ahmadinejad. “His bloopers are fantastic,” he said. The show is so popular that Iran has had to create an anti-“Parazit” show which reportedly isn’t as funny. Awesome. source

11 Oct 2010 10:27

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Culture: Banksy comes up with Simpsons couch gag, disturbs us greatly

  • Jesus Christ Banksy. Yeah, we know all this stuff in this couch gag is true about the Simpsons, but did you really have to expose Western audiences to this harsh reality? source

18 Jul 2010 20:34

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Politics: Tea Party Express leader Mark Williams validates NAACP’s concern

Williams wrote a satirical letter to Abe Lincoln about “the Colored People” that praised slavery. Now he’s officially out of the National Tea Party Federation. Idiot. source

28 May 2010 19:46

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Culture: With Gary Coleman’s death, “Avenue Q” has a big problem

  • While everything in life may be only for now, we suspect that Gary’s legacy will live on for many years to come. Gary’s memory will certainly endure in the hearts and minds of those of us who live on Avenue Q.
  • A statement from the crew of the off-Broadway performance of “Avenue Q” • Regarding the death of Gary Coleman. Here’s the problem they face. One of the main characters of the play is based on the deceased “Different Strokes” star (without Coleman’s consent), and the play goes out of its way to make fun of him. One of the songs about Coleman is called “It Sucks to Be Me.” They plan on doing a tribute tonight, but we’re guessing it’s going to be tough to reconcile Coleman’s tragic death with the satire on his life. source

16 Apr 2010 17:10

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Tech: Apple learns that blocking editorial cartoonists a dumb idea

Pulitzer winner Mark Fiore had his app rejected. Now he has a second chance. “It’s not like I had a phone number for someone at Apple. Interestingly enough, I do now.” source

08 Feb 2010 10:06

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Culture: Audi’s “Green Police”: A great joke people don’t seem to get

  • The second-best ad on last night’s Super Bowl is a huge talker – an Audi ad that takes the idea of political correctness to a stupidly high degree. Problem is, it hits a little too close to the bone for a lot of people. Why? Because it takes political correctness to a level that many people have suspected already existed for years, whether or not the “green police” really existed. Reason Magazine (who you figure would be all over this) nail the comparison: This is Mike Judge‘s vision of the future. Satire at its best makes you feel most uncomfortable. (The use of Cheap Trick in the ad is also pitch-perfect and completely non-controversial.)
 

01 Sep 2009 22:22

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Politics: Someone’s spreading vicious Glenn Beck rumors with domain names

  • Notice: This site is parody/satire. We assume Glenn Beck did not rape and murder a young girl in 1990, although we haven’t yet seen proof that he didn’t. But we think Glenn Beck definitely uses tactics like this to spread lies and information.
  • A note at the bottom of GlennBeckRapedAndMurderedAYoungGirlIn1990.com (that’s a mouthful) • A site designed to spread vicious rumors and lies about everyone’s favorite unintentional comedian. We’re not sure if we particularly like the idea of this site, but we do find it interesting as all get-out. What a bizarre freaking name for a Web site. (Update: It’s inspired by this.) We just like saying it because it’s so over-the-top. • source

07 Aug 2009 11:41

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U.S.: Detroit’s worthy of two plays spoofing its political misfortune

  • This is priceless stuff. I wasn’t really planning to do a second one but the material was there.
  • Playwright Marc Warzecha • On creating “Kwame a River 2: The Wrath of Conyers,” the sequel to his spoof of shamed former Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick. The first play was a huge hit, running for seven months when it was originally supposed to run for three. Regarding the subject matter mixed in with the downright atrocious state of the city, he says “I hope that it’s cathartic in a way, that all of us can come together for a while and just laugh at all this stuff.”  • source

26 Jun 2009 13:22

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Offbeat: The Onion tweaks Twitter’s usefulness pitch-perfectly

  • Twitter was intended to be a way for vacant, self-absorbed egotists to share their most banal and idiotic thoughts with anyone pathetic enough to read them.
  • “Twitter Creator Jack Dorsey” • In an Onion article satirizing the service, where “Dorsey” says he’s surprised anyone – especially those in Iran – managed to find Twitter useful. Yeah, we’re surprised too, which is why we use it all the time. • source