And Here's the KickerAnd Here's the Kicker
Conversations With 21 Top Humor Writers on Their Craft
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Book, 2009
Current format, Book, 2009, 1st ed, Available .Book, 2009
Current format, Book, 2009, 1st ed, Available . Offered in 0 more formatsTwenty-one print, television, and film humor writers discuss the comedy-writing process and their industry experiences while offering advice on getting published, finding an agent, and landing a job in the business.
Sacks, currently on the editorial staff of Vanity Fair, interviews 21 top print, TV, and film humor writers as they discuss the comedy-writing process, their influences, and their experiences in the industry. Those interviewed include veterans like Buck Henry (Get Smart, The Graduate) and Dick Cavett (The Tonight Show, The Dick Cavett Show), as well as mavericks including Dan Mazer, co-writer of Borat, George Meyer (The Simpsons), and Paul Feig (Freaks and Geeks). In this male-dominated industry, a few women stand out: Merrill Markoe (Late Night with David Letterman), and Allison Silverman (Late Night with Conan O'Brien). Each interview begins with background and a b&w illustration. In between the interviews, two-page spreads offer "quick and painless," yet serious, advice for humor writers, on getting hired as a sitcom writer, getting humor published in magazines, finding a literary agent for a humor book idea, acquiring an agent for a script, and getting a job as a writer for late-night television. The book is ideal for aspiring humor writers, and will be enjoyed by anyone who likes to laugh. Annotation ©2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
"Did you hear the one about..."
Sacks, currently on the editorial staff of Vanity Fair, interviews 21 top print, TV, and film humor writers as they discuss the comedy-writing process, their influences, and their experiences in the industry. Those interviewed include veterans like Buck Henry (Get Smart, The Graduate) and Dick Cavett (The Tonight Show, The Dick Cavett Show), as well as mavericks including Dan Mazer, co-writer of Borat, George Meyer (The Simpsons), and Paul Feig (Freaks and Geeks). In this male-dominated industry, a few women stand out: Merrill Markoe (Late Night with David Letterman), and Allison Silverman (Late Night with Conan O'Brien). Each interview begins with background and a b&w illustration. In between the interviews, two-page spreads offer "quick and painless," yet serious, advice for humor writers, on getting hired as a sitcom writer, getting humor published in magazines, finding a literary agent for a humor book idea, acquiring an agent for a script, and getting a job as a writer for late-night television. The book is ideal for aspiring humor writers, and will be enjoyed by anyone who likes to laugh. Annotation ©2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
"Did you hear the one about..."
Every great joke has a punch line, and every great humor writer has an arsenal of experiences, anecdotes, and obsessions that were the inspiration for that humor. In fact, those who make a career out of entertaining strangers with words are a notoriously intelligent and quirky lot. And boy, do they have some stories.
In this entertaining and inspirational book, you'll hear from 21 top humor writers as they discuss the comedy-writing process, their influences, their likes and dislikes, and their experiences in the industry. You'll also learn some less useful but equally amusing things, such as:
- How screenwriter Buck Henry came up with the famous "plastics" line for "The Graduate."
- How many times the cops were called on co-writers Sacha Baron Cohen and Dan Mazer during the shooting of "Borat."
- What David Sedaris thinks of his critics.
- What creator Paul Feig thinks would have happened to the "Freaks and Geeks" crew if the show had had another season.
- What Jack Handey considers his favorite "Deep Thoughts."
- How Todd Hanson and the staff of The Onion managed to face the aftermath of 9/11 with the perfect dose of humor.
- How Stephen Merchant and Ricky Gervais created the original version of "The Office."
- What it's really like in the writers' room at SNL.
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- Cincinnati, Ohio : Writer's Digest Books, c2009.
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