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How comedians are viewed

Viewed by the mainstream media, that is.

If you live in the Tampa-St. Pete area and you’re trying to plan an evening’s television viewing, the person who edits the St. Petersburg Times TV listings described the premiere of Last Comic Standing this way:

SEASON PREMIERE, Last Comic Standing, 8 p.m., NBC: Craig Robinson is the new host of this show, which tries to pick the least unfunny comedian out of a group of stand-uppers who can’t cut it in the clubs.

We’re guessing the television editor of the St. Pete Times has a tiny penis… and she’s verrry upset about it. This accounts for the sadness and hostility.

First off, nobody but your grandfather from Yugoslavia calls us “stand-uppers.” Secondly, the comedians who populate this show, season in and season out, are, for the most part, cutting it rather well “in the clubs.” In fact, they’re in the clubs so much that they’re doing the show in hopes that they can get out of the clubs.– and into theaters, casinos, corporate, etc. (At least for a while.)

We wonder how the folks at the Kansas City Star characterized the first episode of Last Comic Standing… let’s see…

“Last Comic Standing” (7 p.m. Monday, NBC). Now here’s a show that has its priorities straight. First and foremost, it’s funny. The comedians and their so-called careers? Not so important. Hey, it’s harsh, but people don’t tune in to see a bunch of already embittered people lashing out at the judges for not seeing their special talent.

That’s from Aaron Barnhart, influential television critic (at least influential for someone who operates out of Kansas City). And it’s just plain mean and dumb. Why do normally insightful people turn into hate-filled creeps when it comes to standup comics? It’s predictable and rather embarrassing.

We’re sorry… was that crack about Barnhart mean and dumb? Why, as a matter of fact, it was. (Print it out and hang it on the wall of your miserable cubicle, Mr. Barnhart, just so you know what mean and dumb looks like. Perhaps you’ll be better able to identify it in your future writing… and, perhaps, excise it and replace it with some of the insightful writing you’re noted for.)

The good news: Many critics have gotten advance copies of the premiere episode. And many of the reviews are positively positive.

We look forward to watching tomorrow.