"So, what's your policy on 'pussy'?"
May 28, 2015 2:38 PM   Subscribe

In their annual gathering of Emmy-contending comedy actresses, The Hollywood Reporter hosts a roundtable conversation featuring Amy Schumer ("Inside Amy Schumer"), Lena Dunham ("Girls"), Gina Rodriguez ("Jane the Virgin"), Tracee Ellis Ross ("Black-ish"), Kate McKinnon ("Saturday Night Live"), and Ellie Kemper ("Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt")
posted by The Gooch (29 comments total) 20 users marked this as a favorite
 
I'm feeling very technologically challenged right now...this is obviously a transcript of something that happened as one long complete event, and it's peppered with subclips of video and some photos, but is there no way to just click once on something somewhere and listen to or watch the whole thing?
posted by trackofalljades at 2:52 PM on May 28, 2015 [2 favorites]


INTERVIEWER Another ugly side of the business that was revealed in the Sony hack—

SCHUMER Hey, don't call Kevin Hart that.
Amy Schumer was on fire, as per usual.
posted by Atom Eyes at 2:58 PM on May 28, 2015 [18 favorites]


is there no way to just click once on something somewhere and listen to or watch the whole thing?

> Come back to THR.com on Thursday for more highlights from this year’s Comedy Actress Roundtable

It looks like their goal was to stretch it into a two day article. Maybe they'll post the second half with a link to the full interview today?
posted by bluecore at 3:02 PM on May 28, 2015


Also, if you value your sanity I urge you to avoid the comments below the article. They are, as always, a wonderful parade of stupidity.
posted by bluecore at 3:03 PM on May 28, 2015 [1 favorite]


Oh I hope so bluecore!
posted by trackofalljades at 3:04 PM on May 28, 2015


Amy, your name came up when people were talking about who should replace Jon Stewart on The Daily Show, sparking a conversation about why women are so absent from late night. Why are they?

SCHUMER Because we get our periods at night.

posted by twist my arm at 3:05 PM on May 28, 2015 [20 favorites]


Also, if you value your sanity I urge you to avoid the comments below the article. They are, as always, a wonderful parade of stupidity.


Oh my god you are not joking. What the fuck is wrong with people.

Also, does hipster now just mean people you don't like who are successful? Besides Lena Dunham the rest of their work is obviously mainstream. Great stuff but super mainstream, even Amy Schumer, who is a fucking genius.
posted by kittensofthenight at 3:40 PM on May 28, 2015


It's rich how the one dude in the comments is like "Maybe you don't like male comics because you were raised to hate men." Right, but you just don't like female comics because they aren't funny. Good logic, bro.
posted by vunder at 3:47 PM on May 28, 2015 [13 favorites]


Ah, good ol' period humor. Didn't see that one coming.
posted by ReeMonster at 3:50 PM on May 28, 2015 [1 favorite]


The full interview will be on Sundance TV on August 11.
posted by potsmokinghippieoverlord at 4:00 PM on May 28, 2015 [2 favorites]


.
posted by fairmettle at 4:05 PM on May 28, 2015 [2 favorites]


That was fantastic, great way to end the work day. I only wish there were more of it, but hopefully that's what they'll post today.
posted by numaner at 4:10 PM on May 28, 2015


In some ways how funny a female comic is happens to be pretty related to the societal view of women in the particular environment they are performing.

25 years ago Amy Shumer's comedy would've fallen flat on it's face. Because a woman was not supposed to be sexual or make sexual jokes- that would make her a "whore" and whores were disgusting- not funny. She also wasn't supposed to be much of a goofball because that was "unladylike". Meanwhile men were not as limited to the material they could use in comedy. Though Lucille Ball was a comedic genius, because of the times she was limited to the role of the little girl who needed permission from her husband to do anything and was constantly being scolded by him when she disobeyed. In reality she was a tough woman who ran her own companies, but during interviews when they would mention this she would pretend to play the weak "girl" who needed permission again by proclaiming that she sobbed whenever people got fired from her company (indeed she didn't. Very often she was the one doing the firing.)

I used to host some talent shows with comedians in them and there were a couple of talented female comedians that always got great laughs in front of a crowd. But one day there was some kind of huge latin event in the city and we knew that the audience that day would be predominantly latino. I got rid of the female comics in that show. When I was approached about my decision I just told them flat out, that latinos in general are still pretty sexist compared to the white community (I grew up in a latino family and neighborhood) and they will not only not find them funny, but may very well boo them off stage. My decision was overruled because they had done so well with our other crowds and the female comics were put on. What I said would happen is EXACTLY what happened. While the latino audience burst out laughing and cheered when the male comics came out with sexually based jokes, they hissed in disgust and booed when the females did the same exact thing. In the subconscious of the latin community's mind, girls are supposed to be quiet and ladylike and them being any other way is just unfunny. I see the laughs women are now getting that I know they definitely wouldn't have gotten years ago using the same material as progress for all women in general. There are still cultures that will boo Amy off the stage just because she's a woman, but we're closer than before.
posted by manderin at 4:19 PM on May 28, 2015 [2 favorites]


Ah, good ol' period humor. Didn't see that one coming.

Pretty sure that's "But their uteruses will fall out!" humor.
posted by straight at 4:24 PM on May 28, 2015 [3 favorites]


That really was great in a multitude of ways.
posted by kiltedtaco at 4:29 PM on May 28, 2015


I'm looking forward to the video, mostly because I want to hear what Kate McKinnon's "Amy Schumer's vagina" voice sounds like
posted by Pizzarina Sbarro at 4:29 PM on May 28, 2015 [2 favorites]


I want to hear what Kate McKinnon's "Amy Schumer's vagina" voice sounds like

Like its got crazy eyes.
posted by valkane at 4:32 PM on May 28, 2015 [4 favorites]


<colonel kurtz> The comments...the *comments*...</colonel kurtz>
posted by uosuaq at 4:53 PM on May 28, 2015


I hate to be the humorless scold here, but does it bother anyone else that Amy Schumer employs a guy who has harassed various feminist bloggers who have spoken critically about making rape jokes? I think she can be funny (scat humor isn't funny to me, but she has her moments), but the fact that a guy who has doxxed writers because they don't agree with him -- and then hides behind the freeze peach defense -- leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
posted by pxe2000 at 4:55 PM on May 28, 2015 [5 favorites]


and then hides behind the freeze peach defense

Not to distract from your point, but - clarify what this is? Google's giving me nothing.
posted by AdamCSnider at 5:02 PM on May 28, 2015 [4 favorites]


(free speech)
posted by twist my arm at 5:04 PM on May 28, 2015 [2 favorites]


In some ways how funny a female comic is happens to be pretty related to the societal view of women in the particular environment they are performing.

I was just noticing that these are all feminine women and none of them talk about LGBT issues in comedy...
posted by bile and syntax at 5:12 PM on May 28, 2015


Pizzarina Sbarro: "I'm looking forward to the video, mostly because I want to hear what Kate McKinnon's "Amy Schumer's vagina" voice sounds like"

Chuck Schumer?
posted by Sphinx at 5:46 PM on May 28, 2015 [1 favorite]


Also, if you value your sanity I urge you to avoid the comments below the article. They are, as always, a wonderful parade of stupidity.

Holy crap, you're not kidding. I just don't understand any of it. Some days I just want to quit the Internet. Or quit my gender. It's a toss-up.
posted by Thorzdad at 5:54 PM on May 28, 2015 [1 favorite]


Also, does hipster now just mean people you don't like who are successful? Besides Lena Dunham the rest of their work is obviously mainstream. Great stuff but super mainstream

I think Ellie Kemper is normcore?
posted by isthmus at 9:18 PM on May 28, 2015 [3 favorites]


25 years ago Amy Shumer's comedy would've fallen flat on it's face.

In 1990?
posted by Sangermaine at 7:41 AM on May 29, 2015 [1 favorite]


In 1990?

From a woman? Absolutely. The most popular female stand-up in 1990 was Rita Rudner, whose jokes tended to be more along the lines of how her husband didn't balk at buying her an engagement ring because he had a pierced ear, so he'd already experienced pain and bought jewelry. Other popular female comics were Paula Poundstone, Elayne Boosler, Ellen Degeneres... Joan Rivers was already pretty much an icon, Joy Behar was still on the circuit but possibly was more famous for her TV hosting work by that point, and honestly the only real comparison I can think of from the 1990 comedy world is Roseanne Barr. And she was generally thought of as trash by those who pride themselves on their impeccable taste. Looking at her material now, it's nowhere near the level of smart, snarky raunch that Schumer delivers currently, so, yes, I have no problem believing that present day Amy Schumer would never make it as a pro comic in 1990.
posted by palomar at 9:25 AM on May 29, 2015 [1 favorite]


The most popular female comedian now is who, Ellen DeGeneres? I don't know that the world of professional comedy has changed that much.
posted by The corpse in the library at 10:09 PM on May 30, 2015


Part of THR's ongoing Roundtables series.

2014: Zooey Deschanel, Emmy Rossum, Mindy Kaling, Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting, Edie Falco and Taylor Schilling. Video.

2013: Zosia Mamet, Mayim Bialik, Kristen Bell, Jessica Walter, Kaitlin Olson and Betty White. Video.

2011: Jenna Fischer, Julie Bowen's, Amy Poehler, Kaley Cuoco, Teri Hatcher and Lea Michele.

2010: Sofia Vergara, Patricia Heaton, Wanda Sykes, Jane Lynch, Courteney Cox. Article is incomplete
posted by zarq at 7:59 AM on May 31, 2015 [2 favorites]


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