"Parks and Recreation" Mega Post

Guess who I met

Amy Poehler!
She was very inspirational during the UCB Q&A and meeting her made me fall in love with her even more. She looks younger in real life. She also thanked everyone that signed the petition for the UCB dvds.

---

Promo stills and other stuff

Some pictures in front of a billboard

---

Photo Dump

Some of these may have been posted in isntdaveone's post(s).

---

Aubrey Plaza on Her Sundance Superhit and Her Murderous Plans Involving Ryan Gosling

Aubrey Plaza gets a chance to evolve her deadpan persona in Safety Not Guaranteed, a sorta-sci-fi/sorta-rom-com that played at Sundance this week to a gangbusters reception. (Expect a sale soon.) When the movie begins, Plaza's not too dissimilar from her Parks and Recreation character April Ludgate: She plays an undermotivated magazine intern who's tasked with tracking down a potential crackpot (Mark Duplass) who thinks he can time-travel. But as she starts to unexpectedly fall for him, Plaza gets to add some new dramatic notes to her repertoire. Vulture sat down with her yesterday to discuss her onscreen evolution, why she wanted to throw up before the movie premiered, and why Eva Mendes had better watch out.

Safety Not Guaranteed got a huge reception at its premiere. Foot-stomping, theater-shaking applause.
Yeah, it was crazy. It was the first time I saw it, so I was in a whole other [frame of mind].

That’s the ideal way to see a movie for the first time, I would think.
Yes, except that I have massive anxiety, insecurity issues, though, so I almost cried before it started and almost left, because I was like, I just don’t think I can do this. It was a tense experience. I think in the beginning I was still super nervous and I didn’t know where it was going to go, and I was like, Ah, my big fucking face everywhere! No! It was like a nightmare, a living nightmare. But then I started getting into the story and forgetting it was me, and then I was just obsessed with the movie.

You have that anxiety when you go to a screening, but when you signed on to the role, did you have any qualms?
Oh, no. I was so excited about the script; I thought it was great. I was looking for a role that would sort of allow me to branch out of this sarcastic, deadpan zone that I’ve sort of been in, mostly because of the TV show that I’m on, which is something I really like doing, but I was hoping to have something a little deeper going on and felt like this was the perfect opportunity. I wanted to show people that I’m capable of doing more, but it’s hard because people don’t take risks a lot of times. They see you do one thing, and they just want to see it over and over again. And Collin really trusted me to kind of create that transformation. So, yeah. That was my hope.

So you never get offered bubbly blondes?
No. But soon, you know. Baby steps.

It’s like Parks and Rec took over Sundance this year. You’re here, Rashida Jones wrote a movie, Aziz Ansari performed, Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally are in Smashed ...
Yeah, I know.

Am I forgetting anybody?
House of Lies screened. Ben Schwartz is involved with that. Jean-Ralphio!

Did they take a week off of production, or is Amy Poehler there shooting an episode all by herself?
They start shooting today, actually. Amy’s there, probably with Rob [Lowe] and Adam [Scott], and then tomorrow I’m there first thing.

Is this your first Sundance?
I was here a couple years ago for Mystery Team, but I didn’t do any press or anything. I just watched my screening and that was pretty much it. So this is different.

Did you get any tips from your co-stars who have been here a whole bunch of times?
They were just like, "Always be drunk, always have a flask."

That’s implied at Sundance. You don’t need a flask, there’s so much free booze around.
I noticed that yesterday. [She sips her cup.]

As you take a drink.
You know, this is not coffee. Yeah, Sundance is not really [about everything else], it’s just about the movies. I haven’t even been thinking of anything beyond, I’m just excited to see the finished product.

On a totally different note, I’m curious how you got involved in that recent World of Warcraft commercial. Is this something that you play?
I’ve played it, yeah.

Were you ever really into it? Because there’s not a whole lot of casual play with World of Warcraft.
I was never a diehard fan, but I’m really into dragons and elves and wizards and magical, dorky hag-things. So, it was kind of right up my alley. I don’t really have a lot of time to play video games, but if I did, I would definitely play. And I have it. Yeah, that was something that kind of came out of nowhere. They approached me, and I was like, No way. And then I was like, Wait, World of Warcraft? That’s kind of awesome, I think I’m going to do that. I would never do a commercial for something that is embarrassing, and I think that people maybe have a different perspective on what is embarrassing or not. Some people think doing a Revlon hair commercial is really cool. To me, that’s embarrassing, but World of Warcraft: not embarrassing, very cool.

I was thinking that the other day at CVS, that you can see the face of almost every actress in the makeup aisle. It’s almost a rite of passage for some movie stars to do these beauty campaigns.
Yeah. I’m not going to say never say never, but I’d rather do a World of Warcraft ad than, like, a lipstick commercial. Just because. And also they told me when they approached me about it that they were going to do, like, one of the commercials and have me be a character in the game and go into the game and be like fighting elves and shit, and I thought that was really cool. So, that’s why I said yes.

And have you heard from Ryan Gosling since you told Rolling Stone that he came up to you at a Jamba Juice but you shut him down because you didn't recognize him?
I actually did hear from him one time. He invited me to a magic show through someone else, and I couldn’t go because I had to go to this charity thing for Amy, and it was like, "bros before hos," or "hos before bros," however that phrase goes. I just rhymed a lot. So, yeah. I don’t know what’s in store for me and him. I think he has a girlfriend, but maybe I’ll murder her someday and we’ll be together forever.

---

Rashida Jones Wrote a Sundance Movie, But Would She Write for Parks and Rec?

In the bittersweet Sundance comedy Celeste and Jesse Forever, Rashida Jones and Andy Samberg play two exes who try to make their post-breakup friendship work, and one could only hope it goes as swimmingly for them as it has for Jones and her real-life ex, Will McCormack. The pair wrote the movie together (McCormack also plays a supporting role) and have several other projects lined up now as a writing duo. But would Jones ever consider scripting an episode of Parks and Recreation, as her co-stars Amy Poehler and Nick Offerman have? And how have Jones and McCormack been able to manage the transition from romance to writing? Vulture sat down with them at Sundance to find out.

So let’s talk about the premiere.
Jones: It was hard-core.
McCormack: It was intense. I had a lot of feelings. It’s just been a long, long road, and our families were there, and it’s the first movie we’ve ever written. There seemed to be a lot of good energy around it, and a lot of expectations.
Jones: Yeah. I don’t like expectations.
McCormack: I don’t either!

So when there were articles that listed Celeste and Jesse as one of the most anticipated Sundance movies, that freaked you out?
Jones: Yeah! Just go see the movie! Don’t talk about it. Just do it, you know?
McCormack: It’s such a small film. We made it in the summer, on a pretty small budget — it was made in really a homemade kind of place. And suddenly people were having such big expectations and ...
Jones: Anointing it.
McCormack: And we were like, wait a minute! We made this in our backyard.
Jones: Not that you ever want to be like, “Just remember we didn’t spend a lot of money!” But, you know, you kind of want to. I think maybe because it’s me and Andy, and we’ve been in other big-budget stuff, that’s part of it, you know?

When you went to the after-party for the movie, did you actually get to enjoy yourselves? Or were you more concerned with reviews, tweets, distribution, and all that?
Jones: I gotta say, we’ve been struggling with this whole idea of "enjoyment." It seems like a really simplified term to describe how we’re feeling. We had a hard time during the screening for several reasons, but mainly just because it was huge exposure. It felt like a naked picture of you was onscreen.
McCormack: It was a whole new deal. It was just our first film. As actors, I feel a lot less pressure: If people like me, great, and if they don’t ...
Jones: “I blacked out.”
McCormack: “They didn’t use my best takes.”
Jones: “Ahh, I don’t know what they did with the story! The editing!”
McCormack: But as writers, it’s kind of on us. If they don’t like it, it’s our fault. It was totally an acid trip. It was crazy.

How long have you guys been working on this project?
Jones: We finished it in November 2008. We sold it in March [2009]. We started it in August — we wrote it fast — and we did a rewrite, and then we sent it out in March and we sold it in 36 hours. And we were like, “That’s it! We’re in, dude. We’re making our movie.” And Fox Atomic folded a month later. And then we set it up at Overture, and then they folded. And then we set it up like three, four more times over the next couple years?
McCormack: It kept falling apart.

Do you two try to persist in having that best-friendship with exes?
Jones: I’m good friends with my exes.
McCormack: I am, too.
Jones: I think there’s something you love about each other and you don’t want to not have that person in your life. But I do think there has to be a little resting period. I don’t think you can pull a Celeste and Jesse. You’ve gotta give it some time. Like, Will and I dated briefly and then we didn’t talk for a little bit, and then we were cool.

How did you guys decide you were compatible as writers?
Jones: Will’s sister Mary set us up — we’d done a movie together — and I think we connected really fast, but he was having some ex-girlfriend issues, and we were young, whatever.
McCormack: [Rolling his eyes.] I love you, Rashida.
Jones: I love you, too. But I think we knew we were gonna connect in some way that was kind of internal.

But asking someone to co-write something with you, it’s akin to asking someone on a date, or asking someone to be your roommate. It’s very fraught.
Jones: It’s worse! It’s worse.
McCormack: We could go to therapy.
Jones: Definitely we could go to therapy. We have more dynamics — we have brother-sister dynamics, we have more marriage dynamics — than anybody. It’s worse than asking for a date.
McCormack: I spend more time with you than anyone I’ve ever dated.
Jones: Me too.

Is that weird? To tell someone you’re dating, "Oh, actually, this other person in my life is extremely important."
McCormack: Um ... I had a girlfriend recently ...
Jones: Yeah. She didn’t love it. [Laughs.]
McCormack: She did not love it.
Jones: Yeah, yeah. It’s definitely difficult, but I think once people hang out with us, there’s no threat. We talk about poop. There’s no threat.
McCormack: Yeah. Are you saying I’m not a threat? [Laughs.]

Since you’re both in the movie as actors, did you think, “I want to write something that will make people perceive me a little differently”?
Jones: Yeah. For me, for sure. I tend to play the dependable, affable sidekick-girlfriend-wife, which is great, but it’s definitely not all of who I am or what I’m capable of. I definitely thank Will for this, eternally, that he gave me the opportunity to play this part that’s colorful and flawed. You know?

Formerly in romantic comedies, when the women had a flaw, it was basically that they’d fall down.
Jones: “I’m so klutzy and busy!”

And now they’re actually kind of messy. They make their own bad choices. Sometimes they drink too much. It's a lot more like life.
McCormack: I think it’s great. Bridesmaids certainly helped with that. We wrote this movie sort of as an Apatow movie, but for a girl.
Jones: Before we knew Bridesmaids was happening.
McCormack: What if Seth Rogen was named Stephanie Rogen ... what? [Laughs.]
Jones: Celeste Rogen?
McCormack: But what if those movies were female-driven movies, you know? I love Judd Apatow movies, I’m obsessed with them, but what if you did one for a girl? That’s what we kind of tried to do.

Rashida, I know some of your castmates have written Parks and Rec episodes. Is that something you might want to do?
Jones: Yeah, totally. Yes. I’m terrified, because I’m kind of in love with every character on that show, and our writers are ridic. So to assume that I could do as good of a job as them ...
McCormack: You had a movie at Sundance! You’re a huge writer now.

On that note, do your Sundance badges say "Writer" or "Actor"?
Jones: I just took a picture of my badge, which says "Actor/Writer/Producer." It was the best moment of my life. So good. So good.

---

Only Cuba Gooding Jr. Could Save Aziz Ansari’s Sundance Stand-Up Show

Imagine you're a stand-up comic. Now imagine the worst possible audience you could ever have. Now double that, and maybe you'll get an approximation of what Aziz Ansari was dealing with as the opening act for Drake at last night's private concert at Bing Bar. Ansari was there when the party started at 10 p.m., but he refused to take the stage until Drake had entered the building, which wasn't until around 12:45 a.m. (Drake explained his tardiness before playing: "I almost lost my life six times today. My flight got delayed six hours. I drove on some of the curviest roads I've ever been on in my life. I need a shot.") Ansari probably knew that the already impatient crowd was not quite in the mood for ten minutes of stand-up from that guy on Parks and Recreation, but that didn't stop him from trying to do his best. "First off," he began. "Sorry we're starting so late. You're not going to believe this, but the rapper was late. It's unbelievable. The rapper was late. I expected to find him in the green room at 11:15 eating carrots and hummus. That was not the case. He just got here. So we're starting late. But thank you all for waiting. This is going to be a fun show."

Said fun show went rapidly downhill from there. The crowd had been talking while Ansari started and never stopped, and then, as his routine progressed, they grew louder and began booing. Part of the reaction was owing to sheer anticipation for Drake, but Ansari also made the mistake of not attempting to connect with the very specific crowd by making any jokes about Sundance or movies or rap or anything that might have resonated with them; instead he began discussing how upset he was that all his friends were having babies. "People call me up. They'll say things like, 'Aziz! You're never gonna believe it! I just had a baby!' And I always have the same reaction. I'm always like, 'Hahahahaha. That sucks! I'm so sorry that happened. Were you guys not using condoms or birth control? You are taking a huge risk. Now you've got to take care of that thing forever. I'll talk to you later. I can go literally anywhere I want because I don't have a baby.'" No one seemed to be listening.

As Ansari spoke, Drake's roadies started setting up behind him. "This is actually part of my act," he said. "I actually like having two dudes setting up turntable equipment. It's a new thing I'm trying." Ansari went back to talking about kids. "Does anyone here have a kid? Clap if you have a kid." No one clapped. No one seemed to have noticed he'd asked them to clap. Then a loud screeching pop blew out of the speakers. "Oh wow," said Ansari, feedback still ringing. "This is the best venue for stand-up comedy ever. I'm so glad I'm doing this."

And yet, despite the technical snafus and audience ill will, he persisted, but it was impossible to hear him over the restless crowd. "Oh my god, so many people are talking. This is the worst," Ansari remarked, mostly to himself. "Thank god they paid me a lot of fucking money or otherwise it would be like, 'Why did I fucking come here?'"

Suddenly, an Ansari supporter jumped onstage and grabbed the mike. It was Cuba Gooding Jr. "Hey, hey, yo! Cuba Gooding!" said Cuba Gooding Jr. "Shut the fuck up! Shut the fuck up! We got Aziz here, motherfucker. He's trying to make us laugh with his cock out, motherfucker. Shut up and let him do his shit."

Ansari smiled, and replied, calmly. "I really don't care that much, Cuba Gooding Jr., but thank you very much."

Gooding: "Black people, we gotta stick together, Aziz."
Ansari: "That's right, Cuba Gooding Jr. Cedric the Entertainer will be up here making different points as well."
Gooding: "NOW the motherfucker's funny!"

And for the first time that evening, he was. "No, Cuba Gooding Jr., I am very funny," said Ansari. "But I'm not as hilarious as Boat Trip. If they were showing that, everybody would be laughing." And we all did, finally.

With that, Cuba Gooding Jr. left the stage and Ansari introduced Drake. Ansari didn't spike the mike on his way out, but he probably should have.

This post has been edited since its original publication. <---- That's not me. That was them.

---

Sundance 2012: Rashida Jones on Her Screenwriting Debut, 'Celeste and Jesse Forever' (Q&A)

The affable Parks and Recreation star is set to premiere the romantic comedy Celeste and Jesse Forever on Friday -- a film she co-wrote and stars in alongside Andy Samberg. The script, which centers on the rocky road traveled by high school sweethearts as they grow older, marks her first credit as a screenwriter. In advance of her premiere, Jones reflects on the bonuses of co-writing with an actor and her favorite Sundance moment.

The Hollywood Reporter: Congrats on your first major foray into screenwriting.

Rashida Jones: Thank you! I’m very excited.

THR: How did you come to write this script with actor Will McCormack?

Jones: We’ve known each other for a very long time; we met in the 1990s through his sister Mary McCormack, an actress I did a movie with. She set us up and we dated for two weeks. We realized we were probably better as friends. We are one of the few success stories like that.

THR: Yes, it’s good to figure these things out after two weeks instead of after two years.

Jones: Exactly! That’s what I say. So we dabbled a little bit with writing. We both lived in New York at the time; we tried to caffeinate and come up with ideas, but we never seemed to get through anything. Then we had this idea about three years ago and made a promise to each other — after years of feeling somewhat insecure about our writing capabilities, being surrounded by so many talented writers for our 20s — that we would just write until we had something and finished it. And maybe it could be good? We gave it to a bunch of our incredibly smart friends, who were much more experienced than we were, for feedback. That process really helped. And we originally sold the script to Fox Atomic in 2009. And then they promptly closed a month later, and then we sold it again to Overture and they dissolved a few months later. We were shutting down studios all over town. And then we basically tried to set it up five or six times before we made it.

THR: Sadly, those kinds of anecdotes are hardly atypical.

Jones: Yes, I wish I could say that our situation was unique, but it’s not the case anymore with independent film. But it does force you to put a magnifying glass on how you feel about the material you’ve created.

THR: What was the most difficult part of the writing process?

Jones: I would say losing perspective on what you’ve written is the toughest part. One difficult thing is that you’re looking at your script and thinking, “Well, that’s it! That’s all we can do.” And then you give it to three really smart people and they say things you never even thought about; things that were never in your spectrum of creativity. So I would say, being able to let go of things that you’ve allowed your script to hang on from the beginning, and that you thought were so essential to the plot, was tough. But a friend of mine said, which I thought was really smart, that sometimes when you get rid of something that you thought was so essential to the story, there is a residual that’s left over anyway that the audience can sense, so you have to trust that other people will know. Learning that was really cool, and really hard.

THR: Is it easier or more difficult to write with someone?

Jones: I don’t know. We did write separately sometimes, but I really loved working side by side with Will. We have our own little language. And the fact that we are both actors and could flesh out a scene by acting it out helped a lot.

THR: How much is the film autobiographical for the two of you?

Jones: It’s definitely a pastiche for both of us. We talk all the time about relationships and love and what it means and how it changes — what it means to grow up and how that affects the way you love people. We’re kind of obsessed with it! The film is for sure emblematic of a couple relationships I’ve had; some of them romantic and some of them friendships. It definitely reflects my relationship with Will and other guy friends I’ve had from the time I was 15. Definitely a mashup all around.

THR: Relationships that don’t work out offer up a lot of great material to work with as a writer, don’t they?

Jones: Definitely! There’s no better way to process pain than to write. I’ve not had that experience with acting. I mean, you can momentarily get these glimpses of real pain, but it’s nice to really, really process it and get into it and figure out why it hurts so bad; be really honest about it without having it be you talking to the person you want to talk to.

THR: How did Andy Samberg get the role of Jesse? Were you already friends from I Love You, Man?

Jones: He’s perfect in this movie! I actually met Andy a long time ago, when he was still doing stand-up in L.A. before Saturday Night Live, and we’ve been friends ever since. He’s the greatest. This is absolutely such a great part for him. The movie gives him an opportunity to do some real, honest acting. It’s the kind of thing that’s really exciting for our director Lee Krieger too; to just watch somebody elevate something you’ve written and bring it to life, making it 10 times better.

THR: How difficult was it to not obsess over the script while you’re shooting and acting? Were there a lot of moments of, “I wish I’d written this differently”?

Jones: We’ve lived with the script for such a long time, so that wasn’t too hard. But definitely before shooting I was like, “God I have so many lines! What have I done to myself?” (Laughs.) But I really wanted to give myself over to Lee and let him do his job. I think that’s the only way it could be what it needed to be. Me micromanaging from the outside isn’t going to help anybody.

THR: You were last at Sundance a year ago promoting My Idiot Brother. Do you have any special memories from festivals past?

Jones: Yes, this will be my fourth time. The first time I went for no reason other than seeing friends’ movies. Then I was a co-producer on this comedy The Ten, and then last year for Idiot Brother. And now this year, which is definitely already my most exciting time. But I remember the first year I went I met Michael Keaton and had drinks with him and his friend. He was so cool — that was a definitely highlight for me. In Hollywood, it feels like the hierarchies are all set, but Sundance is still full of surprises. Anything can happen in the snow.

---

Videos

This one is quite touching.
Q&A pt.1 pt. 2
That's some high quality shit right there.

Get More: Movie Trailers, Movies Blog

Can we get Bill Murray as the mayor now?


House of Lies web series

---

Aziz Ansari Prepping Introspective New Stand-up Tour

Whether he's performing at music festivals like Bonnaroo, joking about R. Kelly and M.I.A. in his standup or hanging out with the likes of LCD Soundsystem, Fleet Foxes and Kanye West, Aziz Ansari has spent much of his decade-long career in comedy immersed in music culture. This weekend, the Parks and Recreation star will open for Drake at a special performance sponsored by Bing at the Sundance Film Festival in Parks City, Utah. Rolling Stone recently caught up with Ansari to chat about the gig and his upcoming standup tour, which promises to be his most revealing hour of material yet.

I understand you're going to be opening for Drake at this Sundance show. Are you going to doing any Drake-centric material?
It's just like we're both on the bill. I'm not gonna, you know, do a set about making fun of "I'm on One" or something. It's just going to be my regular stuff and then he'll bring in his band and do his show.

So do you know Drake personally? Have you hung out?
Yes, I have met him a handful of times, yes. The times I've hung out with him, he seems very down-to-earth and super hard-working, and just really excited that he gets the opportunity to do the kind of job that he does. And you know, I'm kind of the same way myself. I just feel really lucky to be able to do what I for a job, and I try to work very hard and do the best I can, and I feel like he's a similar kind of guy in that regard.

What else have you been into lately as far as music goes?
Music-wise, I've been kind of lacking on listening to new stuff. I just hear occasional songs that I like. I don't ever listen to the whole album. I should. Everyone says that the M83 record is good. I've just heard that "Midnight City" song. I like that, but I haven't had a chance to listen to the whole album. There's a couple of songs from that Real Estate album that I listen to that are really good. But again, I haven't listened to the whole album. Nothing much. I've been kind of slacking.

What else have you been up to lately, besides filming Parks and Recreation?
I've written a new hour of stand-up that I'm going to tour later this year. I'm finishing up editing my stand-up special from the last tour. I've got to put that out in the next couple of months.

Are you putting that out yourself, Louis C.K.-style?
That's definitely an option. I haven't quite figured out how I'm putting it out yet, but I'm really happy with the special.

What is your new material like? Did you change your style at all?
The new tour that I'm doing this year, that hour is about how I turned 28 last year. It's just a pure result of it, in a way. A lot of people I know now are getting married, having children, and the idea that it's that point in my life, that I need to be ready to do that, is just terrifying. I couldn't imagine getting married and having a kid. It just seems like something that's still very far away, but I'm almost 30 and it seems like the most terrifying thing now.

When you're younger it doesn't seem like that big a deal, "Oh, when I get older, I'll get married and have a kid." And then when you actually get old, you kind of realize, "Wow, that's a pretty scary prospect." The idea of settling down with one person and having children . . . these are all huge, huge things, and that level of responsibility just seems so far away from me. So that's kind of what the new hour's about. I'm really proud – I think it's way different than the other stuff, but I think it's my best hour. You always hear with stand-up, whenever you hit 10 years, that's like a big marker for you, and you get a lot better when you hit like seven years, 10 years. And I hit 10 years last May, so I definitely felt like I've gotten a lot better, and I'm really excited. It's definitely a lot more introspective.

Did you make a conscious decision to get more personal and revealing?
It wasn't really that conscious of a decision. I just started writing and that was the kind of stuff that came to me, and then I just kept getting deeper and deeper into that kind of stuff and it seemed to be what interests me. That was the kind of stuff that was in my head at the time. That was what I was gravitating towards when I was writing, and then I just felt like, "Well, why don't I just make that the theme of the show?" Plus, the last two hours have been more kind of all over the place, like random stuff. And with this I thought it'd be interesting to do one where there is more of a focus, a central idea.

Are you still doing Randy stuff, or has that been totally phased out?
I did that in the first special because I was working on that when I did that movie, Funny People, so I had that little set of Randy stuff, and I thought it'd be funny to do a little mini-Randy special within the special. But in the second special, the one that I'm putting out this year, there's no Randy stuff in that. I did an update on my cousin Harris, so I thought that would be interesting. It's kind of a good progression of that stuff because in Intimate Moments, I talk about helping Harris with his college essay, and you kind of get to see what he's up to now.

Do you feel a pressure from your audience to keep up with those recurring bits?
I felt like – the thing with Harris' college essay – like that happened, for real, you have to help him with the essay. The essay he gave me and me helping him was a really funny thing, and I was like, well, I gotta put this in the act. Comedy's a weird thing, where people kind of want to hear you talk about some of the things you've talked about before. Like with Louis C.K., whenever I watch him, I want to hear stuff about his kids! It's so funny. So, you're kind of based on these different characters that people have heard you talk about. For me it'd be Harris or R. Kelly or whatever. And the trick is to kind of do it in a way that's better and feels like a progression.

Do you find yourself envying musicians who can just go out and play a song that people know, and everyone loves it? Comedians need to have that element of surprise.
Yeah, I mean, that's the thing. Whenever you finish an hour, you have to kind of throw everything away and start over. But when it's coming to you, it's really exciting, and you feel really good that you're able to write and discover new stuff. I kind of have that sweet spot where the material is very fresh for me and I'm really excited about. But once you do it for a couple of years, you're kind of ready to do new stuff anyways.

Is there anyone in comedy right now who is really inspiring for you?
I think the obvious answer is Louis C.K. He's obviously a huge inspiration for everyone. I've talked to him a bunch about the whole idea of doing these tours in these theaters, writing a new hour, putting up specials. I saw Chris Rock a few weeks ago. He was at the Comedy Cellar in New York. That's a place I go sometimes when I'm working on new material. And he was there working on new stuff, and I talked with him for a while about that kind of stuff. And he's so, so fucking good, man. He was just working out new material, and you could tell already, like, "Wow, he's already got these amazing ideas that are going to be an amazing special." And he's kind of one of the biggest guys that even got me to do stand-up. I mean his first special, when I was growing up, I knew it word for word, and I still do. So it was amazing to see him working on new material and then talking to him about comedy for a while. It was really, really cool.

Louis C.K. has really taken a lot of control over his career – he made and released that special on his own, he does pretty much everything on his FX show. Do you think you could do that down the line?
Yeah, well, I get that same thrill out of stand-up. You know, stand-up, you're completely autonomous. You get to do whatever you want and no one tells you anything. You're really your own boss, and your only boss is really the audience. And even then, that's up to you how you take their feedback. So I feel I get that autonomy with stand-up. Stand-up to me is, like, the thing that I do that's probably the most important to me. Because it's just me, and it's all from my voice. I have the most control over it and I get that same thrill that I guess Louis gets from doing his show, where it's like, "Oh this is something, this is really what I want to say about this thing." You know?

---

Peyton Manning talks Rob Lowe

Peyton Manning is not retiring, at least not any time soon.

"I never thought 'Sodapop Curtis' would announce my retirement," Manning said, laughing, referring to Lowe's character in the 1983 movie The Outsiders. "I always thought I would be the one to announce it. I'm a huge fan of the movie, but that caught me way off guard. I can't explain it. I know he (Lowe) is a friend of Jim's (Irsay), and Jim sounded surprised."

So no, Manning isn't on the cusp of retirement.

---

Other

No Parks and Rec on Febuary 9th because there will be an hour of 30 Rock - tvbythenumbers
Wings of a Dragon (with Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally) - collegehumor
Aziz Ansari returns to Charleston for a special engagement to benefit SC's Governor's School for Science and Math. More shows added. buy tickets

Source - 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 me