Frasier hates big government and flightless birds.

April 20, 2010 2:21 PM

Set to launch this summer, Right Network will feature content "to entertain, engage, and enlighten Americans who are looking for content that reflects and reinforces their perspective and worldview." In an ad for the network, Kelsey Grammer lists some things that "just aren't right," including "big government," "more taxes," "trillion dollar deficits," "bureaucrats," "overspending," "bailouts for billionaires," "flightless birds," and "partisan politics," among others.

Some blogs have been reporting that the network is a joint venture with Comcast, a claim that Comcast now disputes. The confusion apparently stems from the fact that one of the network's backers, Ed Snider, is Chairman of Comcast subsidiary Comcast-Spectator.

The Right Network company overview [pdf].

Some of the shows planned to air on the network will be:
"Running," a reality show about people running for political office
"Right to Laugh," a standup comedy show featuring mostly right-wing humor
"Politics and Poker," a political discussion and celebrity poker show, hosted by Thomas F. Wilson (a.k.a. Biff from Back to the Future.)

posted by albrecht (122 comments total)

"to entertain, engage, and enlighten Americans who are looking for content that reflects and reinforces their perspective and worldview."

Do i even have to say it?
posted by Bathtub Bobsled at 2:22 PM on April 20, 2010 [15 favorites]

Can't watch the ad at work, but.... flightless birds?
posted by shakespeherian at 2:22 PM on April 20, 2010

Hopefully they can model their success after Air America.
:::crosses fingers::::
posted by Kskomsvold at 2:25 PM on April 20, 2010 [6 favorites]

it’s a great big party and we need a new place to play.

so the right's got fed up with Fox News' sullied name, so they move to the next channel to spew their idiocy?
posted by slater at 2:26 PM on April 20, 2010

flightless birds

What do republicans have against penguins?
posted by drezdn at 2:26 PM on April 20, 2010 [2 favorites]

I'm assuming he's attempting a joke. Much like this network will attempt to "entertain, engage, and enlighten."
posted by kmz at 2:26 PM on April 20, 2010

So... the "Right" network dislikes partisan politics? Fancy that.
posted by Aversion Therapy at 2:27 PM on April 20, 2010 [5 favorites]

Because the right doesn't have enough of a media presence? What.
posted by yiftach at 2:27 PM on April 20, 2010 [3 favorites]

"Right to Laugh," a standup comedy show featuring mostly right-wing humor

Does right-wing humor even exist? (Other than misspelled signs, that is.)

I think that show is going to have a lot of advertising time to fill.
posted by Benny Andajetz at 2:28 PM on April 20, 2010 [1 favorite]

so the right's got fed up with Fox News' sullied name, so they move to the next channel to spew their idiocy?

It almost worked for Xe/Blackwater.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 2:28 PM on April 20, 2010 [2 favorites]

Can't wait to watch more Right to Laugh.
posted by wcfields at 2:28 PM on April 20, 2010

What do republicans have against penguins?

They must be really feeling the heat from the excoriations provided on a regular basis by that Berkeley Breathed guy...
posted by mikelieman at 2:28 PM on April 20, 2010

I already saw this episode: "Your guilty conscience may move you to vote Democratic, but deep down you long for a cold-hearted Republican to lower taxes, brutalize criminals, and rule you like a king. That's why I did this, to save you from yourselves. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a city to run."
posted by geoff. at 2:29 PM on April 20, 2010 [13 favorites]

"They tried and failed?"

"No. They tried and died a horrible ratings death."
posted by kmz at 2:29 PM on April 20, 2010 [1 favorite]

You can all go into hysterics. Or you can sit back, relax, and watch it fail like Air America.
posted by Faze at 2:29 PM on April 20, 2010

a comedy show featuring mostly right-wing humor

so basically it's two guys kicking a minority in the ribs for thirty minutes with fart noises looping in the background
posted by Optimus Chyme at 2:29 PM on April 20, 2010 [44 favorites]

What do republicans have against penguins?

The only penguin I know is a major leftwinger.
posted by entropicamericana at 2:30 PM on April 20, 2010

The complete list of Kelsey Grammer's things that aren't right: big government, more taxes, group hugs, cats on leashes, running in place, flightless birds, grown man tickle fights, grape-flavored vodka, trillion dollar deficits, baby carrots, bureaucrats, left-handed scissors, thousand-dollar toilet seats, overspending, undercoating, bailouts for billionaires, pregnant... pauses, celebrity magicians, ShamWow!(tm), partisan politics, dogs named Steven, government programs governing other government programs, silent letters, debt, freezing government spending at the largest deficits in history, Michael Moore in Speedos, Rush Limbaugh in Speedos, anyone in Speedos.
posted by albrecht at 2:30 PM on April 20, 2010 [5 favorites]

Brilliant Satire!

Nobody would want to have their head that far in the sand... unless.... well.... ;-)
posted by MikeWarot at 2:30 PM on April 20, 2010

This will go tits up quicker than Air America.
posted by zzazazz at 2:30 PM on April 20, 2010

Is this something I would have to have a lobotomy to understand?
posted by greekphilosophy at 2:31 PM on April 20, 2010 [4 favorites]

Does right-wing humor even exist? (Other than misspelled signs, that is.)

There have been a few attempts at a conservative version of The Daily Show, but they've been funny in the way the Star Wars Kid is funny. Except they're aware that the camera is on so you can feel a little better about laughing.
posted by Doublewhiskeycokenoice at 2:31 PM on April 20, 2010

At the risk of a derail...

Is that Century Gothic Bold in the PDF? Couldn't the powers that be shell out a few extra bucks for Univers?
posted by Bathtub Bobsled at 2:32 PM on April 20, 2010

Trillion dollar deficits? Didn't you guys do that?
posted by mintcake! at 2:33 PM on April 20, 2010 [12 favorites]

The complete list of Kelsey Grammer's things that aren't right

Thanks, that makes more (less?) sense now. As it was the only joke thrown into the FPP and I can't watch the ad at work, I was severely confused.
posted by shakespeherian at 2:36 PM on April 20, 2010

BAD: "Big government," "more taxes," "trillion dollar deficits," "bureaucrats," "overspending," "bailouts for billionaires," "flightless birds," and "partisan politics"

GOOD: textured meshy t-shirts under jackets, with sneakers! Drunk driving and cocaine possession! The hit TV show "Hank"!
posted by Optimus Chyme at 2:36 PM on April 20, 2010 [1 favorite]

A RightNetwork promoter, speaking at what seemed to be a Tea Party rally, explains who RightNetwork is marketing itself towards.
posted by ericb at 2:37 PM on April 20, 2010 [1 favorite]

I'm torn -- on one hand, the number of conservative Christian stations on my cable seems to outnumber the ones I actually watch, so a non-Christian Right channel might be refreshing. On the other hand, I have no reason to watch a conservative channel regardless. If their 'right wing humor' is anything like the unamusing stand-up comic show "Wretched" and the 'family friendly' stand-up comedy show "LOL The Comedy Special" on FamilyNet, they can expect a lot of viewers looking to have their worldview validated, but it ain't going to be me. These local low-rent Christian channels make plenty of money to stay on the air, so I wouldn't expect a Right-wing channel to have much trouble raising money.
posted by AzraelBrown at 2:37 PM on April 20, 2010

Does right-wing humor even exist?

Of course it does. Assuming of course that "humor" is not the same as "funny" or "entertaining". That link also helps explain the flightless bird jibe. No left-leaning penguins here; only patriotic mallards!
posted by TedW at 2:37 PM on April 20, 2010

Kelsey Grammer lists some things that "just aren't right,"

Another thing that's just not right: Kelsey Grammer's oddly shaped head. Just not right.
posted by mudpuppie at 2:37 PM on April 20, 2010 [1 favorite]

A couple of nights ago I was wondering when this would happen. This might actually placate these insane nutjobs. I think Stewart is a masterful genius, and I think it is amazing what he does on his show. And literally amazing, not figuratively. But I think it has convinced a lot of folks to just sit back and laugh at things that should actually make you so mad you have to get up and take some action, or else you'll be so mad you clock somebody.

Figures that the "right" comedy would include some dummy talking about how black people's messages are beat-boxing/music and too long. No, jackass, you're living in the 80's. Stop watching mcdonald's commercials and thinking that black people dance and sing all day long no matter what they're doing. Oh, and they're laughing at you, not with you.
posted by cashman at 2:39 PM on April 20, 2010

FatOldWhiteTV™
posted by slater at 2:40 PM on April 20, 2010

Thanks, that makes more (less?) sense now. As it was the only joke thrown into the FPP and I can't watch the ad at work, I was severely confused.

Sorry, selective editing on my part.
posted by albrecht at 2:40 PM on April 20, 2010

It's interesting that a medium that is notorious for dumbing down it's content, that these folks need there own special kind of stupid.
posted by doctor_negative at 2:42 PM on April 20, 2010 [3 favorites]

"Right to Laugh," a standup comedy show featuring mostly right-wing humor...

Brings to mind FOX-TV's failed attempt in 2007 at a political comedy show. It was called 1/2 Hour News Hour and was intended to be 'The Daily Show for conservatives.' It lasted only 15 episodes. One of the show's 'hilarious' skits -- starring Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter.
posted by ericb at 2:44 PM on April 20, 2010 [3 favorites]

From that "Right to Laugh" teaser -- "I'm a stand-up comedian. 'What's your dental plan?' Chew on the side that doesn't hurt. That's my dental plan!" Followed by raucous laughter and clapping. But not in the "Oh, I've been there, brother!" way. More of the, "Shit yeah, and don't you go asking for my help, funny dude!"

My, yes, that's very amusing.
posted by contessa at 2:45 PM on April 20, 2010 [1 favorite]

Conservative Comedy Show: So bad it's hilarious.
posted by ericb at 2:45 PM on April 20, 2010 [1 favorite]

Can't wait to watch more Right to Laugh .

That was painful.
posted by Ratio at 2:46 PM on April 20, 2010

THANK'S FOR TUNING INTO RIGHT2LAUGH THE BEST COMEDY ON TV WE'RE GOING TO MAKE YOU LAUGH NOW PLEASE INSERT TWO PAULDOLLARS INTO YOUR PAULSCREEN TO ACESS THE SHOW

HEY DID YOU EVER NOTICE HOW MEXICANS ARE LIKE C.H.U.D.S??? HEY COME ON I'M JUST SAYING WHAT WE'RE ALL THINKING. OOPS I FARTED

PLEASE INSERT TWO MORE PAULDOLLARS TO CONTINUE
posted by Optimus Chyme at 2:46 PM on April 20, 2010 [17 favorites]

Man, those sneakers really make Kelsey look like one of the Muppets.
posted by circular at 2:47 PM on April 20, 2010

They should hire Scott Baio as their "Here's What's Happ'nin' on the Web" dude.
posted by Atom Eyes at 2:49 PM on April 20, 2010 [5 favorites]

Wait, wait, I think I get it now. This is experimental comedy, in which Republicans experiment with jokes that aren't funny.
posted by Ratio at 2:52 PM on April 20, 2010

I love how people are always like 'Man stupid liberal Hollywood who cares what some actor thinks grumble grumble Sean Penn' and then they turn around and are like MOTHERFUCKERS WE GOT FRASIER
posted by shakespeherian at 2:52 PM on April 20, 2010 [28 favorites]

I really hope the guy that did the answering machine joke was just putting on an act. As in "HA HA HA! These idiots think that black people beatbox on their answering machines. Thanks for the check, suckers!"
posted by piratebowling at 2:55 PM on April 20, 2010

This might be a good thing if they succeed and weaken Fox. At least I can hope.
posted by BrotherCaine at 2:56 PM on April 20, 2010

Man, see, the thing certain conservative media figures don't seem to get is that "The Daily Show" starts off with the premise of "what's in the news and what is funny about that." If the targets happen to be conservative much of the time, its because that's what's in the news (and because, for the last decade, doing jokes about the conservatives has been like shooting fish in a barrel - see Bill Clinton/blow jobs circa mid-90's).

If you start off writing comedy with the thought 'I want to make X political point,' well, as the Interweb says, 'yer doin' it wrong.'
posted by Joey Michaels at 2:56 PM on April 20, 2010 [13 favorites]

This might be a good thing if they succeed and weaken Fox.

Perhaps this is why FOX has been mildly anti-teabagger lately...
posted by Joey Michaels at 2:57 PM on April 20, 2010

so basically it's two guys kicking a minority in the ribs for thirty minutes with fart noises looping in the background

Who'd they get to work with Larry the Cable Guy?
posted by dirigibleman at 2:58 PM on April 20, 2010 [2 favorites]

That standup comedy bit about abortion is GOLD!
posted by longsleeves at 3:00 PM on April 20, 2010

Kelsey Grammer lists some things that "just aren't right"...

I can't wait until some of the Teabaggers learn that Grammer's new role on Broadway is playing the gay night-club owner, Georges, in a new production of La Cage Aux Folles (which opened at The Longacre Theatre this past Sunday evening).
posted by ericb at 3:01 PM on April 20, 2010 [2 favorites]

Ed Snider is such a dildo. It's between him and Brian Tierney at the Inquirer for biggest douchebag in Philadelphia. Ed brought us Sarah Palin during the election and now Right Network, Tierney brought us Rick Santorum and John Yoo as regular columnists in the Inquirer. It's a toss up but I think Tierney has a slight edge.
posted by The Straightener at 3:01 PM on April 20, 2010

Also, this quote from Václav Havel's father has been rattling around my head for a week, especially in light of the teabaggers, so I might as well repost it here:

"We reject the prophets who want to solve the Depression by a return to lower levels of culture and economy. We do not want to go backwards in civilization."
posted by piratebowling at 3:01 PM on April 20, 2010 [5 favorites]

'La Cage Aux Folles' teaser montage.
posted by ericb at 3:02 PM on April 20, 2010

A friend of mine had a small part in a Larry the Cable Guy movie. Apparently he does the Larry the Cable Guy shtick constantly, even though his wife is there and he's surrounded by other actors and he's getting makeup put on and whatever and everyone knows it's just a shtick he does but he never, ever, ever stops the fakey jokey accent or the ignorant redneck act.

More and more, whenever I see his name mentioned, I wonder if he doesn't just marvel at the stupendous hell he has wrought for himself.
posted by shakespeherian at 3:03 PM on April 20, 2010

Does right-wing humor even exist?

Seriously? Blue Collar Comedy Tour is all right-wing nonsense.

I consider Carlos Mencia to be right-wing too, since he's
1. Incredibly racist.
2. Not funny.
posted by graventy at 3:07 PM on April 20, 2010 [1 favorite]

Gah. Meant to italicize/quote the first line, there.
posted by graventy at 3:08 PM on April 20, 2010

Does right-wing humor even exist?

I thought it always consisted of things like "Black folks LOLZ!", "Aren't women stupid? LOL!", "Retarded Kids! HAHAHA!", "CHING-CHONG Heehee!" "GAYZ aren't they FUNNY?!?"

But then again, white hipsters call this edgy humor and irony, so I guess the circle is complete.
posted by yeloson at 3:08 PM on April 20, 2010 [6 favorites]

"Politics and Poker," a political discussion and celebrity poker show, hosted by Thomas F. Wilson (a.k.a. Biff from Back to the Future.)

Wow, I didn't think I could actually hate televised poker anymore than I already do. But if anybody can make playing cards on TV fun it's going to be Biff from Back to the Future.
posted by Slack-a-gogo at 3:16 PM on April 20, 2010 [1 favorite]

Finally the right gets a media outlet for their views. I can't wait for the summer premiere of ReichNetwork!
posted by kirkaracha at 3:18 PM on April 20, 2010

Does right-wing humor even exist?

Anecdotally, I think the majority of jokes that get told and re-told are right wing in their premises, and I think the material of most comedians on the standup circuit is the same. Pontificating further, I propose that this is because the material derives from common sense, and common sense is extremely right wing. People are just greedy, that's common sense; everyone's a bit racist, that's common sense; women talk a lot, that's common sense, etc.
posted by stammer at 3:30 PM on April 20, 2010

Does right-wing humor even exist?

Seriously? Blue Collar Comedy Tour is all right-wing nonsense.

I consider Carlos Mencia to be right-wing too...

Right, so again... does right-wing humor even exist?
posted by brundlefly at 3:32 PM on April 20, 2010 [5 favorites]

The complete list of Kelsey Grammer's things that aren't right

...just wouldn't be complete without breathalyzers, probation officers, and Dodge Vipers that go airborne whilst being driven under the influence.
posted by hangashore at 3:36 PM on April 20, 2010 [3 favorites]

Kelsey who? That guy was a) never funny; and b) always obnoxious while being unfunny. Does anyone give a shit about him anymore? Did anyone ever?

Must need some bucks to pay for the Oxycontin. Oh, wait, that's the other fat right wing idiot.
posted by fourcheesemac at 3:43 PM on April 20, 2010

Apparently he does the Larry the Cable Guy shtick constantly, even though his wife is there and he's surrounded by other actors and he's getting makeup put on and whatever

This is not my experience. A couple of friends worked at a local comedy club and became acquaintances of his. I stopped by their place one night after work and "Larry" (I forget his real name) was there having a beer after the show. He'd changed out of his stage get-up and was, well, just some guy. They had to tell me who he was later. Seemed like a nice enough fellow to me, though I wasn't there long and we weren't discussing politics.

Of course, this was a few years before he hit it big, maybe he's different now.
posted by BitterOldPunk at 3:45 PM on April 20, 2010

For a bit to be truly funny, the person performing it has to have deep self awareness and allow themselves to be the butt of the joke if that's where the punchline leads them. There's no way to make "GRARR libruls!" funny by itself. Other than LTCG and the you-might-be-a-redneck guy, whose schticks basically play to stereotypes and never deviate from a tried and true formula, I don't see how likely it is that any comedian with a conservative bent is going to get up on stage and be all, "Yeah, I voted for Sarah Palin...so....wtf was that all about??" and make a name for themselves. Comedians who are great are unafraid to skewer their idols and surprise their audiences. These are not qualities that one often finds in a conservative.
posted by contessa at 3:46 PM on April 20, 2010 [2 favorites]

Things that aren't right . . . that Kelsey Grammer is doing this. BOOOOO, Kelsey!

I'll enjoy the Daily Show mockeries of this, though. That was the best thing about the short lived 1/2 Hour News Hour.
posted by bearwife at 3:51 PM on April 20, 2010

And I was only kidding. This is our stalwart defender of traditional values, future Congressman Grammer.

From wikipedia:

Grammer has been married three times. . . His second marriage, to stripper Leigh-Anne Csuhany in 1992, lasted one year. Grammer says that she was abusive and that, after talk of divorce, she attempted suicide, which resulted in the miscarriage of their child. During this marriage, Grammer had a daughter out of wedlock, . . . with [a] hair and makeup stylist . . .
...
In 1998, Grammer filed a lawsuit against Internet Entertainment Group, which Grammer claimed had stolen from his home a videotape of him having sex with a woman.
...
Grammer began drinking at age nine . . . In 1988, he was sentenced to 30 days in jail for drunk driving and cocaine possession. He was again arrested for cocaine possession in August 1990 and was sentenced to three years' probation, fined $500, and given 300 hours of community service. In January 1991, he was given an additional two years' probation for violating his original probation through additional cocaine use. In September 1996, he flipped his Dodge Viper while intoxicated and subsequently checked in to the Betty Ford Center for 30 days.
...
Grammer is a member of the Republican Party and has expressed an interest in someday running for United States Congress.


Gag.
posted by fourcheesemac at 3:52 PM on April 20, 2010 [9 favorites]

I read One of the show's 'hilarious' skits -- starring Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter as starring Rush Limbaugh as Ann Coulter, and thought: this will be good. On re-read, I'm not so excited.
posted by filthy light thief at 3:52 PM on April 20, 2010

This is our stalwart defender of traditional values, future Congressman Grammer.

Sounds like he'll fit right in with the other Republicans who lead the double life of Upstanding Citizen Outraged at Government Excess and A Good Christian, To Boot, versus their true sort who get slapped on the wrist for drunk driving and cocaine possession, then goes into rehab for a short stint, and are unfaithful to a series wives.
posted by filthy light thief at 3:57 PM on April 20, 2010 [3 favorites]

I kind of welcome this in a way. Now the whole of political discussion has been reduced to two groups of tedious people arguing about TV shows.
posted by jonmc at 3:57 PM on April 20, 2010 [1 favorite]

Aging white, male media personality with a long history of health, marital and substance-abuse problems. There are already two of those on the market, that I know of*. Is there really room for Kelsey or is the market** demanding more choices?

^{*Three if you count Larry king, but I'm sure there's more.
**The market for advertising dollars, not the million-strong baboon community that watches this shit as a form of infotainment.}
posted by jsavimbi at 3:58 PM on April 20, 2010 [1 favorite]

hosted by Thomas F. Wilson (a.k.a. Biff from Back to the Future.)

Oh, why don't you make like a tree...and get out of here.
posted by jonp72 at 4:01 PM on April 20, 2010

But then again, white hipsters call this edgy humor and irony, so I guess the circle is complete.

Which group of people do these describe?
1) Predominantly white
2) Drinks shitty beer
3) Believes their culture to be inherently superior to all others
4) Terrible fashion and facial hair
posted by tylermoody at 4:07 PM on April 20, 2010 [13 favorites]

This... can't... actually be real. Right?

Wait, not Right. Amirite?
posted by andreaazure at 4:09 PM on April 20, 2010

thank you, Atom Eye, I was unaware of this Scott Baio stuff.
posted by ServSci at 4:11 PM on April 20, 2010

The only penguin I know is a major leftwinger.

I suspect that this penguin will also have a few things to say about the Right Network!
posted by JDC8 at 4:19 PM on April 20, 2010

What's wrong with baby carrots?
posted by MsVader at 4:35 PM on April 20, 2010

Can't watch the ad at work, but.... flightless birds?

And something called "volcano monitoring".
posted by DU at 4:43 PM on April 20, 2010 [1 favorite]

It's like these people read a book about how people act and now trying to mimic it.
posted by The Whelk at 4:46 PM on April 20, 2010 [2 favorites]

Ron White is (was!, he quit it) a standout on the Blue Collar Comedy tour. The "everyone is a little bit gay" routine always made the conservative audience go a bit quiet, so I salute that.

Also


I can't wait until some of the Teabaggers learn that Grammer's new role on Broadway is playing the gay night-club owner, Georges, in a new production of La Cage Aux Folles (which opened at The Longacre Theatre this past Sunday evening).

The reviews have been , oh, let's say, the opposite of good.
posted by The Whelk at 4:50 PM on April 20, 2010 [1 favorite]

Can't wait to watch more Right to Laugh.

Oh, my god.

You can all go into hysterics. Or you can sit back, relax, and watch it fail like Air America.

OR JUST LIKE FOX NEWS, AMIRIGHT!?

The fact is, right wingers like this kind of stuff, while liberals like "Objective" information. Not this will succeed, but it has more of a chance then Air America. There are a lot of cable channels out there, probably more then there are radio networks, the economics are a little different. Current TV is still around, despite not being all that popular.
posted by delmoi at 4:55 PM on April 20, 2010

Kelsey Grammer then Biff?

That's like leading with a mild left jab than hitting someone with a dryer sheet.
posted by lumpenprole at 5:09 PM on April 20, 2010 [4 favorites]

Who among us will develop the fear mongering products a la gold coins and survival seeds which will comprise 95% of the advertising on this channel? I wish I were calculating and mercenary enough to think of some.
posted by contessa at 5:09 PM on April 20, 2010 [2 favorites]

Hey, Kelsey Grammar may be a political douchebag, but I like to think I can separate the art someone creates from their personal views. I loved Frasier Crane on Cheers and on Frasier. Grammar is a good actor (well, it's a good character anyway), and if I come across an old episode, I won't turn it off because I disagree with the actor's views. Same goes for Orson Scott Card, John Voight, Dennis Miller, etc. Even Roman Polanski; he was a monster, but I'm a fan of his films.

Anyhoo, this network will be a trainwreck. Looking forward to smugly mocking the comedy shows.
posted by zardoz at 5:31 PM on April 20, 2010

Commemorative gold coins (that can be used to barter for harem wives after the rapture) depicting Barack Hussein Obama, President of Kenya and bearing the tasteful inscription: "BABY JEEBUS: GIT 'ER DUN"
posted by DU at 5:32 PM on April 20, 2010 [1 favorite]

I, for one, am looking forward to all the material that will be made funny by ridicule.
posted by 0xdeadc0de at 5:47 PM on April 20, 2010

How can this not be a joke?
posted by swift at 5:48 PM on April 20, 2010

Opus? Sparky?
No, this is the penguin to answer Grammer.
posted by Kirth Gerson at 5:58 PM on April 20, 2010

What's wrong with baby carrots?

And left-handed scissors? What the hell? Lefties are not allowed to have tools?

And Biff?! Jesus God, of all the people who ever had a part in a movie, Biff is on the short list of people I don't ever need to see again in my lifetime.
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 6:34 PM on April 20, 2010

Didn't Biff attempt to rape Michael J. Fox's mom?
posted by box at 6:58 PM on April 20, 2010 [2 favorites]

April Fool's Day is running awfully long this year.
posted by clockzero at 7:02 PM on April 20, 2010

Biff is really an inspired choice to represent¹ the many faces² of the today's conservative³.

¹ Violent, ignorant, crewcut bully
² Corrupt, dissipated, billionaire fraud
³ Angry dinosaur
posted by DU at 7:09 PM on April 20, 2010 [6 favorites]

Maybe its my media player, but at the very end of the ad, it sure sounds like he says "all that's trite with America.".
Is it just me?
posted by bricksNmortar at 7:27 PM on April 20, 2010

Grammer is a member of the Republican Party and has expressed an interest in someday running for United States Congress.

Well, he's certainly qualified!
posted by octobersurprise at 7:38 PM on April 20, 2010

Honestly, I'd love to see Grammer go head to head with Al Franken. If only to show that Franken is smarter and funnier.

And really, the best humor is non-partisan. If the GOP is tired of general humor shifting to the left, maybe they should stop acting like such buffoons.
posted by mccarty.tim at 7:42 PM on April 20, 2010

It's an SNL sketch come to life.
posted by mccarty.tim at 7:46 PM on April 20, 2010

It's an SNL sketch come to life.

No this is funny.
posted by The Whelk at 7:48 PM on April 20, 2010 [2 favorites]

Let's all agree that if a right winger brags that they now have "their own channel," we just smile and nod politely, or get upset and say that there should be a liberal channel. It's better to let this thing collapse on itself. If we fight it, it'll just make us look bad, and there will be less terrible shows to laugh at.

Media Matters and Everything Is Terrible will have a field day.
posted by mccarty.tim at 7:50 PM on April 20, 2010

ahahaha the guy who plays biff is basically the republicans' best bet because at least he's only pretending to be a mildly retarded rapist
posted by Optimus Chyme at 8:15 PM on April 20, 2010 [1 favorite]

Hey, Biff was in Freaks and Geeks, so I count this as a loss for the good guys.
posted by shakespeherian at 8:40 PM on April 20, 2010 [4 favorites]

Well, I think people want different things in their comedy. Some people like puns. Some people like to realize things that they hadn't thought of before (the all songs have the same 4 chords discussion a bit earlier, for example). Some people like abrupt references to 80's pop culture.

Most of the humor in that clip is kind of: "We're part of this big powerful group (conservatives/white people/parents). This group is awesome. This group is better than that other group (liberals/minorities/lazy teenagers)." So I look at that show and I don't think it's funny (because that's not how my sense of humor goes, so I don't really think of them as jokes)... but I think that it'll do well enough with its target audience, which is people who want to hear that message.

Remember Sarah Palin's famous VP speech? I didn't think it was funny -- I know a guy who thought it was hilarious. Saying 'community organizer' with a sneer isn't a joke. But it does say 'Look at us, we're powerful. We're better than those 'community organizers'. Any word which described President Obama could have been put in there, and the same people would have laughed, because the joke wasn't really about community organizers.

I think that's why 'conservative humor' has a very limited appeal outside its target audience. That sort of thing comes off as kind of nasty, and you'd better be really funny or insightful if you're not likable.

(This is not to say that there aren't comedians who are conservatives who are funny -- I did think Ron White was funny, but I don't remember him doing a lot of political stuff.)
posted by Comrade_robot at 8:50 PM on April 20, 2010 [3 favorites]

Most of the humor in that clip is kind of: "We're part of this big powerful group (conservatives/white people/parents). This group is awesome. This group is better than that other group (liberals/minorities/lazy teenagers)."

For humor to be truly funny, it must have at least a kernel of truth to it. I don't think Fox, their viewers, or those responsible for the 'Right Network' fully understand this, and this is why conservative humor has and will continue to fail.
posted by StrangerInAStrainedLand at 9:49 PM on April 20, 2010

What's wrong with baby carrots?

And left-handed scissors? What the hell? Lefties are not allowed to have tools?

Well, left-handed scissors certainly aren't right.
posted by Captain Cardanthian! at 9:56 PM on April 20, 2010 [1 favorite]

Can't wait to watch more Right to Laugh.

I expected the jokes to not be funny, and the show fulfilled that expectation perfectly, but I wasn't expecting one of them to make a "white people have answering machines like this..." joke. Note to aspiring comedians: if you're thinking about telling a joke that is so stale it's been parodied on every single animated TV show that has been on American television in the last 20 years, you should really just go back to your day job.
posted by cmonkey at 10:10 PM on April 20, 2010 [1 favorite]

Ed brought us Sarah Palin during the election and now Right Network, Tierney brought us Rick Santorum and John Yoo as regular columnists in the Inquirer.

Speaking of Yoo: Torture Memo Author John Yoo Gets Own Toilet Paper Brand
posted by homunculus at 10:46 PM on April 20, 2010

Based on his one or two commentaries on the Freaks and Geeks DVD's, Wilson ("Biff", "Coach Fredericks") could easily be the best thing on the whole channel. I'm really curious about his show now.
posted by wobh at 11:12 PM on April 20, 2010

Wow. That Right to Laugh trailer was painful and I didn't laugh once. I didn't even come close to breaking a smile. This coming from someone that will usually laugh at the drop of a hat. Hell, I've laughed along witht he laugh track the few times I've seen clips from Two and a Half Men just so I could relieve the tension of finding it unfunny.

For this entire clip I was desperately wanting to find an excuse to laugh, but apparently it was physically impossible.
posted by mindless progress at 11:30 PM on April 20, 2010

South Park is funny right wing comedy.
posted by seanyboy at 1:07 AM on April 21, 2010 [1 favorite]

Honestly, I'd love to see Grammer go head to head with Al Franken. If only to show that Franken is smarter and funnier.

Smarter, anyway. It's a race to the bottom to decide who between these is funnier.
posted by DU at 2:49 AM on April 21, 2010

And left-handed scissors? What the hell? Lefties are not allowed to have tools?

Well, left-handed scissors certainly aren't right

Yeah I figured that was the joke, but by extension he is saying that left-handed people aren't right and, of course, The Left isn't right-- so lets get rid of them. I get the Right Wing humor of "The Left isn't right so let's get rid of it" but putting left-handed people (and their tools) on his list seems a bit off to me. Possibly I feel this way because lefties were actually stigmatized in the past for being sinister*.

* Sinister in its original meaning
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 5:59 AM on April 21, 2010

If anyone else want to see the bit that The Whelk is talking about, here's Ron White's bit about even homophobes are a little bit gay.
posted by Xoder at 6:18 AM on April 21, 2010

Don't people usually think of South Park as libertarian? I haven't watched it, or heard much about it, for years, though, so I could definitely be wrong.

(As long as we're talking about animated shows, I'm a little surprised that right-wing types haven't tried to co-opt King of the Hill. Maybe Hank Hill is too tolerant for them.)
posted by box at 6:36 AM on April 21, 2010

I think more than anything else, South Park is contrarian, and the general political lesson espoused is 'You guys are stupid for caring.'
posted by shakespeherian at 7:12 AM on April 21, 2010 [3 favorites]

South Park is funny right wing we'll-make-fun-of-everything-and-everyone comedy.

Nothing that has kids with Big Gay Al as a good friend, but mocks the hell out of Jesus, is right wing.
posted by tzikeh at 9:24 AM on April 21, 2010

Well if you're going to define the Right Wing as being Jesus Loving, non-libertarian Racist Homophobes, then it's no wonder that the only "right wing" humour you're going to find is Unfunny Homophobic Racism.

I think that the problem here is that the stuff you laugh at can't be right wing because you laugh at it and the rest of the stuff is right wing because you hate it and it's plainly *not funny*.

As a community, we're probably the last people who'll laugh at a right leaning comedy show. Not because it isn't funny, but because we're too busy looking for reasons to be all grar.
posted by seanyboy at 9:33 AM on April 21, 2010

Not that I'm not saying the right does *appear* to be less funny than the left. I've got a crazy theory that it's all to do with fear. The right are generally more scared of change or difference, and this fear doesn't translate well to comedy. This is a pretty rocky theory though - so don't be poking it with any sticks.
posted by seanyboy at 9:40 AM on April 21, 2010

Well if you're going to define the Right Wing as being Jesus Loving, non-libertarian Racist Homophobes, then it's no wonder that the only "right wing" humour you're going to find is Unfunny Homophobic Racism.

Just want to point out that the only reason I described the humor of "Right to Laugh" as mostly right-wing is that the point of basically every joke in that preview (maybe with the exception of the health-care joke, which didn't get very many laughs) was some kind of thinly veiled Republican political talking point. Even the most rhetorically clever jokes about how Obama's presidency is an obvious mistake or how we should send "illegals" back where they came from can only be funny if you're not totally put off by the obviousness of the political agenda that they rest on. The people in that clip (I believe) weren't laughing because that guy's imitation of "every black guy's" answering machine was so spot-on; they were laughing because it played into their stereotypes of black people.

In a way, I think you're correct, though, in that we wouldn't be calling this stuff "right wing humor" if it was actually funny; we'd just call it humor. But to me, that's a feature of the cheap transparency of the jokes themselves, not our preconceptions about what right wing humor is or has to be.
posted by albrecht at 10:48 AM on April 21, 2010

Radical Islamic Web site takes on 'South Park'
posted by homunculus at 11:10 AM on April 21, 2010

Well if you're going to define the Right Wing as being Jesus Loving, non-libertarian Racist Homophobes, then it's no wonder that the only "right wing" humour you're going to find is Unfunny Homophobic Racism.

I agree. I would also agree with your statement that SouthPark is right wing, and would also add that King of the Hill is right wing, because it makes fun of the sacred cows that us lefties hold dear. Remember the SP global warming episode? Or the KOTH episode where they try to organize a concert for the environment.

I firmly believe that you can be a right winger and not be a racist or homophobe or sexist or a jerk. Hank Hill is this kind of fellow. He even voted for George Bush in 2000!
posted by bitteroldman at 12:46 PM on April 21, 2010

Not in '04, though--not after he found out about Bush's weak handshake.
posted by box at 1:58 PM on April 21, 2010

Tea Partiers Try To Explain Why They're Against Obama (video| 11:48).
posted by ericb at 2:52 PM on April 21, 2010

‘South Park’ Episode Is Altered After Muslim Group’s Warning
posted by homunculus at 8:20 AM on April 22, 2010