It's Kind Of A Funny Fern
October 22, 2010 6:33 AM Subscribe
The blue has previously covered Zach Galifianakis' Between Two Ferns, a satirical short talk show highlighting the uncomfortable banter (and silence) that arise between interviewer and interviewee. This week while shooting an interview for the upcoming film It's Kind Of A Funny Story he was treated a bit of his own medicine.
I don't know how we was "treated a bit of his own medicine." The people he interviews in between two ferns are DEFINITELY in on the joke, and in some ways they are able to take it to new awkward heights. The Charlize Theron one is a perfect example of that.
That being said, the interviewer did a great job.
posted by Philipschall at 6:43 AM on October 22, 2010
That being said, the interviewer did a great job.
posted by Philipschall at 6:43 AM on October 22, 2010
It wasn't as tense as I was hoping.
posted by Astro Zombie at 6:50 AM on October 22, 2010
posted by Astro Zombie at 6:50 AM on October 22, 2010
Never heard of Gordon Keith, but he's good. That was funny.
posted by zardoz at 6:50 AM on October 22, 2010
posted by zardoz at 6:50 AM on October 22, 2010
Just my kind of droll! Thank you.
posted by Jody Tresidder at 6:55 AM on October 22, 2010
posted by Jody Tresidder at 6:55 AM on October 22, 2010
Zach already pretty much got it from Steve Carell and on BTF to boot. This is a great video for both people who love him and people who hate him.
posted by 2bucksplus at 6:55 AM on October 22, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by 2bucksplus at 6:55 AM on October 22, 2010 [2 favorites]
A Zach Galifianakis post on a Friday morning? Prime target for Mefi link borkage.
Video wasn't loading for me, this one did.
posted by jeremias at 6:57 AM on October 22, 2010
Video wasn't loading for me, this one did.
posted by jeremias at 6:57 AM on October 22, 2010
That was so great. Thanks for the post. Does anyone know if Zach understood what was going on, or what he thought about it afterwards?
posted by lagreen at 7:07 AM on October 22, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by lagreen at 7:07 AM on October 22, 2010 [1 favorite]
According to Keith's blog post about the interview, Zach didn't know.
posted by jeanmari at 7:12 AM on October 22, 2010
posted by jeanmari at 7:12 AM on October 22, 2010
MetaFilter: Don't forget to smell Emma.
posted by fijiwriter at 7:14 AM on October 22, 2010
posted by fijiwriter at 7:14 AM on October 22, 2010
Ditto scunning.
Cynical and guarded Zach is not as affable as dumbfounded, naive Zach.
posted by Menomena at 7:40 AM on October 22, 2010
Cynical and guarded Zach is not as affable as dumbfounded, naive Zach.
posted by Menomena at 7:40 AM on October 22, 2010
Does anyone know if Zach understood what was going on, or what he thought about it afterwards?
That's what's kinda cool about this, the first question could be interpreted as something a nervous or inexpereinced interviewer might have asked. I don't think it's until the loincloth question that Zach truly figures out the intent.
This makes sense because if you've ever been on the periphery of these press junkets you know that any sort of subtlety or irony is extremely rare. Usually, the interviewers are climbing up the ladder of the "entertainment reporting" world, this is a self-selecting group of people who are not typically original thinkers.
posted by jeremias at 7:43 AM on October 22, 2010
That's what's kinda cool about this, the first question could be interpreted as something a nervous or inexpereinced interviewer might have asked. I don't think it's until the loincloth question that Zach truly figures out the intent.
This makes sense because if you've ever been on the periphery of these press junkets you know that any sort of subtlety or irony is extremely rare. Usually, the interviewers are climbing up the ladder of the "entertainment reporting" world, this is a self-selecting group of people who are not typically original thinkers.
posted by jeremias at 7:43 AM on October 22, 2010
Just FYI: I want a blood feud between MeFi and David Sedaris because it's funny and I think MeFi would win.
posted by Dr. Zira at 8:00 AM on October 22, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by Dr. Zira at 8:00 AM on October 22, 2010 [1 favorite]
Nice.
posted by chunking express at 8:10 AM on October 22, 2010
posted by chunking express at 8:10 AM on October 22, 2010
Credit to him for (apparently, and it looks most likely) getting Mel Gibson's cameo in the Hangover sequel canceled. Even if I never watch it I'm just glad to know someone isn't going to pay him, let alone possibly help restore his career.
posted by opsin at 8:27 AM on October 22, 2010 [3 favorites]
posted by opsin at 8:27 AM on October 22, 2010 [3 favorites]
I'm a little surprised and disappointed Zach wasn't more game to play along once became obvious what was going on. His response to the David Sedaris question (which question I thought was pretty funny) seemed straight-up uncomfortable. Or am I misreading it?
I think someone like Steve Carell would have hit this out of the park.
posted by eugenen at 8:31 AM on October 22, 2010
I think someone like Steve Carell would have hit this out of the park.
posted by eugenen at 8:31 AM on October 22, 2010
just to be clear, zach gets it pretty quickly, and is playing the straight man perfectly. his "uncomfortable" reactions are the best jokes in the piece.
This guy's giving jordan morris a run for his junket money!
posted by Potomac Avenue at 8:47 AM on October 22, 2010
This guy's giving jordan morris a run for his junket money!
posted by Potomac Avenue at 8:47 AM on October 22, 2010
Thanks, Potomac. He does play the straight man well.
posted by lagreen at 9:29 AM on October 22, 2010
posted by lagreen at 9:29 AM on October 22, 2010
Amusing, but could have been better. But my god I forgot just how devastatingly horrific and funny that Charlize Theron one is.
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 9:56 AM on October 22, 2010
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 9:56 AM on October 22, 2010
The best part of the first question is that Gordon just stops talking in the middle of what sounds as if it should be a sentence that keeps going: all the other films that have been made this year, say. That's surprisingly difficult to do: if you know that the sentence is going to end, it's hard to get the intonation right to suggest that it's going to keep going.
posted by kenko at 11:37 AM on October 22, 2010
posted by kenko at 11:37 AM on October 22, 2010
just to be clear, zach gets it pretty quickly, and is playing the straight man perfectly. his "uncomfortable" reactions are the best jokes in the piece.
Yeah, I think he's pretty quick on with these types of things.
Tig Notaro interview
Some of my favorite Galifianakis moments:
Ass n' Balls show!
Zach can't figure the toilet thing out
posted by P.o.B. at 1:58 PM on October 22, 2010
Yeah, I think he's pretty quick on with these types of things.
Tig Notaro interview
Some of my favorite Galifianakis moments:
Ass n' Balls show!
Zach can't figure the toilet thing out
posted by P.o.B. at 1:58 PM on October 22, 2010
Ass n' Balls show!
Oh man. I'm not the world's biggest improv fan, but that was the most audacious "Yes, and" moments I've ever seen.
posted by mhum at 2:06 PM on October 22, 2010
Oh man. I'm not the world's biggest improv fan, but that was the most audacious "Yes, and" moments I've ever seen.
posted by mhum at 2:06 PM on October 22, 2010
I don't know. It was funny for the first few moments, then you can sort of feel Zach register, "I see what you're doing here..." and after that it's really not so amusing anymore because it's become all about some local guy trying to get his 3 minutes of funny in before he has to get out of the chair for the next 23 people to sit down in the same chair and ask banal questions about Zach's new movie for their local 3 minute ENTERTAINMENT spot which airs, nightly, just before the heartwarming "And Finally..." segment of the 6 o'clock news.
posted by chococat at 11:45 PM on October 22, 2010
posted by chococat at 11:45 PM on October 22, 2010
I watched this and thought, wow, that's so raven.
posted by TheBones at 3:45 PM on October 23, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by TheBones at 3:45 PM on October 23, 2010 [1 favorite]
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posted by delmoi at 6:42 AM on October 22, 2010