My son has finally taken my long-standing suggestion to read The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Not surprisingly, it had him in stitches well before Arthur and Ford were ejected from the Vogon ship (if you have to ask, just go read it). I've been a Guide fan since first hearing the radio series when I was probably not much older than him and have read four of the five Douglas Adams novels (there's a sixth by Eoin Colfer that I've so far taken a pass on), heard the radio series, and watched the TV series. The movie (which was finished after Adams' untimely demise though he did do the early drafts of the script) is the only major version of the story that I haven't experienced.
I've long been a fan of the British school of humour that Adams exemplified. Monty Python's Flying Circus and it's many spin-offs, Adams, Fry & Laurie, and Blackadder all make me ROTFL (Roll on the Floor Laughing).
There's American and Canadian humour that does it, too, for sure. Air Farce and This Hour at their best do it, as do some of the better American sitcoms (Cheers, Seinfeld, Frasier, Night Court have all be favorites at various times).
SNL and SCTV in their better seasons have managed it, too, as have some of the better spinoff movies.
Simpsons is another favorite that I've come to share with my son and he, in turn, has finally got me into Matt Groening's other series, the s-f comedy Futurama (which actually ventures into Guide territory at times).
Bookwise, aside from Adams, I'm having trouble conjuring up names. Robertson Davies' Marchbanks books have managed it at times (though the humour is often a bit dated given that he wrote much of them in the fifties). There's a pair of Canadian humourist brothers whose names escape me who wrote a very funny book on how to be Canadian. Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman's Good Omens (Pratchett's generally quite funny but I haven't much of his other stuff). There's probably more, it's just not coming to me right now.
So, what make you ROTFL?
Mendalla
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Comments
gecko46
Posted on: 03/13/2012 10:22
I love Rick Mercer. Makes me laugh everytime, and I watch re-runs.
Really enjoy Big Bang Theory - the characters are wonderful.
I was, maybe still am, a fan of Stephen Leacock and his satire. Enjoy some of the Politically correct versions of Night Before Christmas and Bedtime Stories.
Ben Wicks cartoons and humour. Sherman's Lagoon comic strip always makes me laugh.
There is series of Mrs. Brown's Boys on youtube. While the language is often a little crude, some of them are outrageously funny.
Oh, and Mr. Bean was a favourite TV series.
chansen
Posted on: 03/13/2012 10:53
Bookwise, aside from Adams, I'm having trouble conjuring up names.
I'm a big Douglas Adams fan. If you like dry humour, try Donald Jack, who authored a series of books about fictional Canadian WWI pilot Bartholomew Bandy, loosely based on Billy Bishop and Billy Barker (notice the "B"s), known collectively as "The Bandy Papers".
Given that it is initisally set in WWI, it's not all comedy, but it was such a good series that I own all the books, and mostly first print runs. Not easy, considering the first was published in the 1960's.
Start with the first one, Three Cheers for Me. It's probably the second best, in my estimation. I think the best is the thid book, It's Me Again.
Mendalla
Posted on: 03/13/2012 11:24
I actually remember those from my days working as a library page and librarian, chansen. Never did try them out (was too much into various flavours of sf/f/horror then) but I do remember come across them doing shelving, shelf reading, cataloguing, etc.
Mendalla
Mendalla
Posted on: 03/13/2012 11:33
I love Rick Mercer. Makes me laugh everytime, and I watch re-runs.
Really enjoy Big Bang Theory - the characters are wonderful.
I'm finding that beyond the rant and some of the mock commercials, Rick doesn't really work for me anymore but I've been a fan of his since his 22 Minutes days.
I've watched Big Bang Theory and quite like it but, having been part of a circle of rather geeky friends in my youth, it hits a little too close to home at times or something and I'm not getting into it the way I thought I would.
Ben Wicks cartoons and humour. Sherman's Lagoon comic strip always makes me laugh.
Hmmm. Also a Wicks fan back in the day. In terms of comic strips, used to be a fan of Garfield when it was fresh (Davis' jokes got stale pretty fast though) and some of the Hart family's stuff (e.g. BC). More recently Dilbert but don't read it regularly. One of my friends swears it feels like it was based on a company he worked for.
There is series of Mrs. Brown's Boys on youtube. While the language is often a little crude, some of them are outrageously funny.
Oh, and Mr. Bean was a favourite TV series.
Will look up Mrs. Brown's Boys next time I'm on Youtube. I'm okay with Bean but the non-speaking gets to me because I love Atkinson's dry delivery on Blackadder and in his old standup routines (the Devil assigning spaces in Hell is a classic).
Mendalla
SG
Posted on: 03/13/2012 11:43
My humour is as diverse as my musical tastes. If it makes me laugh, it does.
One of the old gents in our house watched Benny Hill and so I would list Monty Python, Absolutely Fabulous... and I still laugh out loud at The Beverly Hillbillies and I Love Lucy, Comedy Inc. Mad TV.... Will and Grace...
For current stuff- Big Bang Theory, Modern Family, The Middle, Mike and Molly...
The last books to make me laugh were Fanny Flagg's "Welcome to the World, Baby Girl" and Dianne Hammond's "Going to Bend"... it has been a long time since I read to laugh...sigh
SG
Posted on: 03/13/2012 11:45
Steptoe and Son, Vicar of Dibley, Are You Being Served, Keeping up Appearances...
revjohn
Posted on: 03/13/2012 14:10
Hi Mendalla,
So, what make you ROTFL?
I remember eating lunch one afternoon a few years ago. I was watching The Colbert Report from the night before (pvr) and he was in the midst of his health segment when he produced actual add copy for a product which may result in "anal leakage."
Not that funny a side effect. I would think it would be tremendously embarrassing.
It was the fact that the add copy suggested that users may want to wear dark coloured pants that I choked on my sandwhich. Not to death obviously. There was a moment when the thought flashed through my mind "this could be serious." Most of my mind was occupied with laughing at the add copy for a weight loss product that thought dark coloured pants were the appropriate response to anal leakage.
I saved that show for a week and laughed until I cried every time I watched it. I wish that I never deleted it.
Most recently on the Colbert Report Stephen made great hay out of a letter from the Nabisco company explaining product do's and don'ts for his Wheat Thins promotion. That has gotten great mileage around the house and, as far as I can tell, is the most powerful promotion I have seen in print or visual media because I went out and bought a box of Wheat Thins just to leave lying around the house.
Ricky Gervais or Dennis O Leary as guests on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart are also side-splitting moments.
Grace and peace to you.
John
MikePaterson
Posted on: 03/13/2012 14:19
Harry Enfield usually got me giggling…
Mendalla
Posted on: 03/13/2012 15:14
My son is a fan of the popular PC game Minecraft (well, it started on PCs, they are starting to create versions for other systems now, including iPhones/Pads, Androids, and the XBox). It's an open "sandbox" game where you can pretty much build and shape the world however you like as you collect raw material for crafting various tools. They introduced non-player character "peasants" into the world as part of a recent release. When they first appeared, they were labelled "testificate" (this is how I've heard it, I have no idea how it's really spelled), which apparently means something in Swedish (the original designer and his company are based there). The other night, before I knew what a testificate was, he started talking about "testificates" and it totally cracked me up. Literally ROTFL. Admittedly, I'd had a rather bad day and badly needed the laugh, but for the life of me I can't figure out why that word cracked me up that badly.
EDIT: Which reminds me, I have actually played the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy computer game. It was an old text-based adventure game that came out in the eighties when the books were still fairly popular. You typed instructions and it came back with witty text responses. Adams himself worked on the writing so it was quite funny in places. Can't think of any other video/computer games that have struck my funny bone (at least deliberately, there are some that I laugh at because they are so stupid or silly).
Mendalla
SG
Posted on: 03/13/2012 16:26
The other night my wife was sent "damn you auto correct" stuff via email (none of which I could copy here)... we laughed so hard it hurt. I was literally crying. She needed her inhaler.
Kimmio
Posted on: 03/13/2012 19:52
Hi Mendalla,
So, what make you ROTFL?
I remember eating lunch one afternoon a few years ago. I was watching The Colbert Report from the night before (pvr) and he was in the midst of his health segment when he produced actual add copy for a product which may result in "anal leakage."
Not that funny a side effect. I would think it would be tremendously embarrassing.
It was the fact that the add copy suggested that users may want to wear dark coloured pants that I choked on my sandwhich. Not to death obviously. There was a moment when the thought flashed through my mind "this could be serious." Most of my mind was occupied with laughing at the add copy for a weight loss product that thought dark coloured pants were the appropriate response to anal leakage.
I saved that show for a week and laughed until I cried every time I watched it. I wish that I never deleted it.
Most recently on the Colbert Report Stephen made great hay out of a letter from the Nabisco company explaining product do's and don'ts for his Wheat Thins promotion. That has gotten great mileage around the house and, as far as I can tell, is the most powerful promotion I have seen in print or visual media because I went out and bought a box of Wheat Thins just to leave lying around the house.
Ricky Gervais or Dennis O Leary as guests on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart are also side-splitting moments.
Grace and peace to you.
John
Stephen Colbert makes me ROTFL too!...and Jon Stewart (his 'correspondents' are often very funny), but Colbert is funnier. He's brilliant and spontaneous. And his humour often has a 'subversive' political message in it--hence his character being a fake Republican pundit (which some don't realize is fake). He can go seemlessly from his "real self" to his character. Sometimes he has "off days". I like it when he's on the edge of laughing himself. He came to Vancouver during the Olympics, to a downtown park....it was packed.
I used to watch Letterman, but Colbert has replaced Letterman as my favourite.
Did you see the show recently when he had a male ballet dancer on as a guest, and came out on stage to dance with him in his suit jacket and leotards? It was priceless. Or when he had Jack White from the White Stripes on and they had a "who's more Catholic contest?" I almost split my gut too, I was laughing so hard...and many other moments I can't remember off hand.
Kimmio
Posted on: 03/13/2012 19:58
In WC non-celebrity terms, chansen has been up there on the rotfl charts. Sometimes, and I say that cautiously.
ninjafaery
Posted on: 03/14/2012 13:56
Just thought I'd raise the bar here. (I'm actually channelling my inner 12 year old).
This is an old chestnut and the sound is poor, but it makes me ROTFL.
Crude but effective, IMO.
The pastor in question was investigated for fraud.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Tilton
This has better technical quality, and a more polished look than the one I posted pre-edit.
gecko46
Posted on: 03/14/2012 11:44
Very funny. Maybe he should stay away from beans or other gaseous foods....
Elanorgold
Posted on: 03/14/2012 15:59
I'm seeing lots of my top funnies on here: Monty Python, Absolutely Fabulous, Saturday Night Live... Kids in the Hall...Cheers (though cheers was of cource a mix of emotional issues and humour)...Mr Bean... Three's Company...
My favorite skits include:
Python:
the Chinese Embassy, I love how Chapman says, "Cornwall" with a chinese accent.
the fish slapping dance
Bicycle repair man
the spanish Inquisition
Saturday Night Live:
Sprockets with Mike Myers as Dieter
Cajun Man
Kids in the Hall:
The Daves I Know
Break Up
I'm Crushing your Head!
the funky thrift store
Elanorgold
Posted on: 03/14/2012 15:55
Daves I Know:
chansen
Posted on: 03/14/2012 15:59
In WC non-celebrity terms, chansen has been up there on the rotfl charts. Sometimes, and I say that cautiously.
I appreciate that, Kimmio. Thanks.
Mendalla
Posted on: 03/14/2012 16:03
Daves I Know:
Since my real name is "David", I heartily endorse this song. I didn't watch Kids but this actually got some airplay as a comedy music video so I saw it on Much or some other music video source.
Mendalla
Beloved
Posted on: 03/14/2012 16:09
Old tv sit-coms . . . Cheers
Newer tv sit-coms . . . The Big Band Theory, Friends (probably considered "old" now), Reba.
Some SNL . . . but not all of it (of course Tina Fey as Sarah Palin).
For a light read, Janet Evanovich's books totally make me LOL!
Cartoon - The Born Loser
And, of course, some Wondercafe posts .
Kimmio
Posted on: 03/14/2012 19:26
Frasier re-runs!
Stand up comedy on the comedy channel (some of it is not too funny, some of it is hilarious)
Just for Laughs/ Gags
Elanorgold
Posted on: 03/14/2012 21:24
I wondered if you knew it Mendalla. : ) Yeah I saw it, and Break Up on Muchmusic too.
This one's pretty funny. How to handle Jehova's Witnisses...
Beloved
Posted on: 03/15/2012 10:25
My friend and I used to do that Richard Simmons workout daily from Monday to Friday for a few years LOL!
Elanorgold
Posted on: 03/15/2012 18:16
Mike, I got a kick out of your Manchester clip. I was into that kind of music.
trishcuit
Posted on: 03/16/2012 02:04
thanks Elanor, that was a riot!
InannaWhimsey
Posted on: 03/16/2012 03:00
note, some of these contain NSFW :3
(the last video was nominated for a 2011 Hugo award -- that's the SF & Fantasy Academy Awards, folks...proof that comedy can byass the snob nabobs that promote such nihilistic things like The Road...)
SG
Posted on: 03/16/2012 10:57
SG
Posted on: 03/16/2012 10:59
Don't use as a kid's bedtime story.
My dog was either freaked out at me laughing or Christopher Walkin's voice
InannaWhimsey
Posted on: 03/16/2012 12:37
SG,
got a piccy of your pup?
Arminius
Posted on: 03/16/2012 13:34
Thinking of the fool I am. (works when nothing else does :-)
Thinking of cosmic catch 22 jokes, like: "you can't find it if you don't look for it, but looking for it prevents you from finding it." Strangely, most other people don't find these cosmic catch 22 jokes funny, but I could roll on the floor with laughter.
SG
Posted on: 03/16/2012 14:15
http://s818.photobucket.com/albums/zz108/StephenG_bucket/
This is at Christmas, she does not really have antlers.
So, you can see her hair there is another with the "Are you having fun" look
Elanorgold
Posted on: 03/16/2012 15:36
That's cute Arminius!
Another thing I've noticed is that the more you laugh, the funnier you find things, to the point where you're laughing at just about anything. I think that's very good for us. ; ) To have a good laugh-a-thon from time to time. Hence I like films that focus on the quality of the humour, rather than trying to make a romance or a drama into a comedy.
gecko46
Posted on: 03/16/2012 16:15
The "Ginger" videos are great fun.
InannaWhimsey
Posted on: 03/16/2012 20:37
http://s818.photobucket.com/albums/zz108/StephenG_bucket/
This is at Christmas, she does not really have antlers.
So, you can see her hair there is another with the "Are you having fun" look
awwww :3 the things she puts up with for her parents/pack alpha
and what a moustache! :3
Beloved
Posted on: 03/17/2012 11:45
This is at Christmas, she does not really have antlers.
She looks as though she is feeling a little "sheepish" instead of reindeerish .
SG
Posted on: 03/19/2012 15:35
She gets such an attitude and is always so expressive. She makes me laugh!
Pilgrims Progress
Posted on: 03/20/2012 00:34
She gets such an attitude and is always so expressive.
Mmm - I wonder where she gets that from..................
trishcuit
Posted on: 03/22/2012 04:07
In WC non-celebrity terms, chansen has been up there on the rotfl charts. Sometimes, and I say that cautiously.
I appreciate that, Kimmio. Thanks.
Actually I second Kimmio. Spirtual belief differences aside Chansen you've been rather brilliant lately.
Baylacey
Posted on: 03/28/2012 13:48
One of the funniest things I have ever read is an aritcle called "My Colonscopy" by Dave Barry. While I did not roll on the floor, the tears did roll down my cheeks.
Beloved
Posted on: 03/29/2012 14:32
I don't "do" the "forwards" with emails with all the little sayings and jokes that they hold (and requests to pass on to others or something terrible will happen to you:). Most of my friends do not even send them to me anymore. My husband only sends them to me if they are really cute or funny. The following is a portion of one he received . . . above it were a lot of little cartoons about weight, life, etc. Then this shows up at the bottom of the email . . .
Six Truths in Life
1. You cannot stick your tongue out and look up at the ceiling at the same time, a physical impossibility.
2. All idiots, after reading #1 will try it.
3. And discover #1 is a lie.
4. You are smiling now because you are an idiot.
5. You soon will forward this to another idiot.
6. There is still a stupid smile on your face.
I just thought it was cute . . . of course I started at step 1 and worked my way down.
InannaWhimsey
Posted on: 03/29/2012 14:42
oh yeah, one of my favourite extended jokes was the time when Bush Jr asked Stephen Colbert to be at his roast...i don't know why he ever did that (what was he expecting?) and at one point i swear he is staring daggers at Colbert...
Here Colbert is at the top of his form
Kimmio
Posted on: 03/29/2012 23:08
I remember that Inanna. It was funny but uncomfortable to watch. I wondered too, why it was that Bush would set himself up like that, or let himself be set up like that.
chansen
Posted on: 03/29/2012 23:43
Bush didn't invite Colbert - that was the White House Correspondent's Dinner, and that was the group who made the invite.
The year after, they invited Rich Little, which is like following up a Red Bull with an Ovaltine
Mendalla
Posted on: 03/30/2012 10:23
Rich Little is still around? Didn't know that. I did like some of his routines back in the day but he's definitely not cutting (dare I say bleeding) edge like Colbert.
Mendalla
chansen
Posted on: 03/31/2012 13:31
Yep, they pulled back as far as they could, without bringing in a dead guy. Their association probably got their hands slapped by the administration. The Rich Little dinner was apparently a snoozefest.