L.C.S. UPDATE: Some little insect is full of himself!
What’s going on out there?
In an email from FOS Peter Berman:
At the audition you are instructed to enter, go on stage and say your name and where you live. You are then supposed to direct you material at the “talent scouts” Alonzo (Bodden), Kathleen (Madigan), and Ant. I went in and said, “Hi, I am Peter Berman and I live in Los Angeles.” I then said to the “scouts” what I thought might be cute/funny, “”Randy, Paula, Simon…” and then Ant immediately says “Next! I have heard enough.”
I was stunned. He was serious.
I then asked if he was serious and he said yes he was. I then mumbled something to the effect of “Well, you really are playing the part.” A few moments passed and Alonzo said to Ant, “Come on, man.” They were then willing to listen to my two minutes.
I should not have even bothered as it was most definitely over at this point, but I guess the needy comedian in me took over and I tried to proceed. I did my first little joke (that always works in the clubs) and got zip. I should have stopped here, but I didn’t. I do another little bit and then finish. Kathleen says to Ant, “You look exhausted.” He replies “Well, I haven’t changed my mind.” Alonzo then says, “Thanks, Pete.” And that was that.
And this from the MySpace blog of FOS Dan Rosenberg:
I was lucky to have established myself enough to not have wait in line for 24 hours like some people did Monday at the Improv. I know a few people and I had a 12:45 audition spot. I didn’t get to go in until 2pm and I almost had the balls to complain…but when the guy sitting next to me tells me he got there at 5 o’clock YESTERDAY, how can I complain about walking right in and only having to wait an hour and fifteen minutes?
Anyway, as each comic was exiting the room, one common thing came out of their mouth…”That ANT can kiss my ass” or “F*CK ANT!” So I knew ahead of time that Ant was trying his hardest to be the Simon Cowell (or in his case Bowel) of this show. I have been doing this crap long enough to know that A) Reality shows aren’t real, and 2) They are looking for drama…and there aren’t too many queens more dramatic than “Tony” aka ANT.
I was ready…I go in, do my first joke and NOTHING! All three of them (oh, I forgot to mention, the other judges were Alonzo Bodden and Kathleen Madigan, who were also previous contestants on the show) they just stared at me like the sound was off and they had no idea what I was saying…here is the joke and the way the rest of the audition went:
DAN: My idol, Rodney Dangerfield died the day after I
finished reading his book. It made me go on a search…not a soul
search, per se, I want to Barnes and Noble to see if Carrott Top had a
book.ALONZO, KATHLEEN, ANT stare into space as if I just said something very quietly in an alien language.
DAN: Nothin? Really? You see, if I read HIS book, maybe Carrott Top would die the next day…or lose his props…still nothin?
ANT: Ok, I’ve seen enough, THANK YOU!
DAN: Great. Thanks! (Exit stage left)
We’re beginning to detect a pattern here. Hmmm… We know the producers feel like they need some tension, some conflict, etc., but this makes everybody look bad.
We’re at a loss to explain the hostility. Was not Ant one of the luckiest little insects on the face of the earth when he emerged from Season 2004 with the remnants of a career… as a standup comic… sorta. So where is all this hostility coming from? Why isn’t he one of the jolliest, back-slappingest, most benevolent member of the Family Formicidae to ever touch a microphone? (And, if memory serves us correctly, Ant said the “n-word” on network television! Or he said it just off camera and caught hell from fellow LCS inmate Corey Holcomb. And he lives to tell about it! What a difference 21 months makes! That right there makes him the luckiest comic on the planet right now. Just ask Michael Richards. You know, Kramer.)
We were skeptical of the show’s concept when we first heard about it before the launch of Season 1. Then we relented and covered Season 2 pretty comprehensively. We were appalled at the hose job they dealt Bodden on Season 3. Season 4 was reality television from Hell. We’re fearful of Season 5. Now that Ant has his antennae all twisted, we’re certain the whole season will be a hellish nightmare.
Of course, we’ll be blogging about it. Stay tuned.
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Reply to: L.C.S. UPDATE: Some little insect is full of himself!
I was one of the unfortunate comics that camped out the night before. I calculated 19 hours from the time I arrived until I got to go on stage. I got a little under 20 seconds to perform my material. I said my name and where I’m from and did my Amber Alert joke which has always worked.Nothing. Silence. I go straight into my next joke.Me: I like to go to AA meetings and introduce myself as Jose Cuervo. I’m not even Mexican I don’t know how I get away with it.Ant: I don’t know how you get away with it, either. I’ve seen enough. Next.And just like that, I was given the heave ho. Ain’t reality grand?
Not to defend Ant — or any reality show judge, for that matter — but guys, how many times do you think the judges have heard an American Idol reference since LCS debuted? And Dangerfield died in 2004!These are solid jokes that I’m sure get over in clubs, but they don’t sound like great showcase choices to me. Imagine what it must be like for those judges to sit there and listen to hour after hour of comics, most of whom are horrendous, doing Ah-nuld impressions and Anna Nicole Smith bits. If you’re expecting them to laugh or show any response, you’d better come in with something that’s verrrry original. Probably more important than how funny it is — THAT’s what makes these things so tough to prepare for as opposed to a regular audition set.
Not that I wish to defend Ant, either, I just want to point out that being a judge at a talent show of any kind is tedious and time-consuming. That said, Ant really needs to get over himself. I agree with the point about choosing material that’s showcase appropriate. As comics, we seem to forget that what goes over in front of civies doesn’t always fly in front of one of our own. I chalk it up to the fact that we’re usually a step ahead of the GP, but that advantage disappears when facing our peers. And that’s at the best of times. Facing a jury of tired, grumpy comedians is probably the least ideal situation in which to present one’s case. It’s almost like you have to have two different acts. One for regular folks and one for the gatekeepers. Problem is, we’re not used to performing for each other on a regular basis, and if we tailored our acts that way, there’s a risk that comics would be the only ones who get it, which would mean you’ve just eliminated the vast majority of your potential audience.
Good point, however, using material that is funny to other comics is a great choice for the first audition. It is the only time Ant, Alonzo and Kathleen have any decision making power at all. If you make them laugh you hopefully make it to that night’s final round. THEN you do your “A” game “industry” showcase set, and the producers make the pick as to who gets to go on to the finals. Ask Drew Carey, Bret Butler and Anthony Clark who THEY voted for in the Season 2 finals…and, ironically who got in! (Clue…ANT!) As a comic, I think their bits are pretty funny…so what if Rodney died in 2004, it’s a Carrot Top joke, isn’t it? He’s still alive…I think.
I liked the carrot top bit too.On the flip side, the panelists should be smart enough to know whether a bit would be effective against a regular crowd, even if it didn’t make them laugh.Alonzo Bodden is acceptable as a panelist because he finished in the top two, but they should have had some people with a bit more comedy cred to round it out. Franklyn Ajaye would have been a nice choice, but he’s probably a bit long in the tooth for today’s tv execs. If they needed a Simon analog, Paul Mooney could have filled that role. Or Maybe even Don Rickles. Someone who’s actually had practice at this kind of thing.
GREAT point! Having two LOSERS on the panel makes no sense. Kathleen is a great comic, but she didn’t win. Ant shouldn’t even be allowed to be called a comedian. Alonzo did win season 3 and he knows funny. They should have just had Dat Phan, Sean Kent and Tere Joyce judge.
Greg Gateley said…The whole “3 member panel in an empty room” is a seriously flawed way to evaluate standup in the first place. In my mind, there’s only one group of people who should decide the merits of a comic’s performance. The audience. Maybe have an audience of 10-15 in an intimate setting, rotating in a new crowd every hour or so. The judges can still add their feedback, but it would be difficult for them to eliminate someone who just spent 3 minutes destroying a room of 15 people simply because the comic’s style doesn’t fit their own comedic tastes. Vox populi, my friends. This format could be expanded in the later rounds as the size of the crowds increase. And for God’s sake, leave the TV viewers out of it. If you’re too lazy to get off your fat ass and come to the show, you don’t get to vote. Period. This reduces the possibilty of sympathy votes or other subjective nonesense that has nothing to do with comedy.
I actually heard from friends who auditioned this year that Ant was the “Paula” and Kathleen was the “Simon” when they were in there. Guess not everyone had the same judging experience.