the buzz log
Buzz Multiplex: Funniest Women This Summer
The reigning first lady of comedy cured the multiplex of "The Hangover" and got a box office personal best. Absence definitely made the hearts grow fonder for Sandra Bullock, who hasn't done a comedy in four years. But surely, in her absence, a barrel of funny ladies has filled the void?
Sort of, kind of, maybe. Overall, there's not a lot of starring or even secondary roles for comediennes in an otherwise powerful summer of comedy: As one young female Hollywood producer declares in a fascinating first-person article in The Wrap, "gender discrimination lives on."
Still, there are ladies out there representing (although the definition of comedienne has had to stretch a bit) and drawing buzz. Here, in a counterpart to the Funniest Men This Summer, are 10 of their better halves.
Top 10 Funnywomen This Summer Movie Season,
past 30 days based on Yahoo! searches
- Amy Adams ("Night at the Museum: The Battle of the Smithsonian, May 14" and "Julie & Julia" Aug. 7). Her turn as Amelia Earhart made her the blockbuster sequel standout, and her upcoming turn opposite Meryl Streep is prompting fans to search the Oscar nominee's past body of work (especially "Psycho Beach Party," "Enchanted," "Talladega Nights")... plus Catwoman rumors.
- Heather Graham ("The Hangover," June 5). The blonde really snagged audience attention way back with "Drugstore Cowboy" and "Boogie Nights." Her steady filmography's a mixed bag (but includes the underrated 2002 "The Guru"), but her 10 minutes of screen fame reminds fans why she's good for a laugh (and still "hot").
- Sandra Bullock ("The Proposal," June 19). The guileless innocent, Bullock manages to outsmart everyone in the room while getting the guy in the end. With cred like "Speed" and "Demolition Man," she's beyond romantic comedies (which she despises anyhow). Paired with Ryan Reynolds, Bullock shows how screwball's done with the biggest opening weekend of her career.
- Ashley Tisdale ("Aliens in the Attic," July 31) Can the drama snoot from "High School Musical" leave Disney behind? Her underaged legion of fans might just cross over to the family comedy, although Tisdale may find a comic nemesis in the redoubtable veteran Doris Roberts as the kung-fu grandmother.
- Hayden Panettierre ("I Love You, Beth Cooper," July 10). A cheerleading superhero by primetime and a movie teen-comedy star by summer, Panettierre may finally break out big-time in this buzzy comedy based on a book by "Simpsons" writer Larry Doyle (who also does the screenplay).
- Zooey Deschanel ("500 Days of Summer," July 17 limited release). The ethereal indie queen (with her share of elfin success) returns to the art circuit in an "unromantic comedy" Sundance breakout. At 29, she has snagged a Maui film festival award honoring artists "whose stunningly original and seamless performances" show "unique insight and wisdom." Expect a sleeper hit.
- Olivia Wilde ("Year One," June 19). She is Megan Fox's girl crush...need we say more? Okay, okay: She's married to Italian royalty, made Maxim's Hot 100 #1 Stunner, and inspired Fox to say "She makes me want to strangle a mountain with my bare hands." She didn't have to be too funny as Princess of Sodom to score buzz—besides, per critical feedback on "Year One," nobody else really was anyhow.
- Alexis Bledel ("Post Grad," August 21). Not so bad being typecast as the smart one. The "Gilmore Girls" alum sounds a recessionary note as a smart girl forced to move back into the family nest full of odd birds (one of them played by the inestimable Carol Burnett).
- Anna Friel ("Land of the Lost," June 5). From the late (and lamented) critical TV sleeper "Pushing Daisies" to big-budget TV remake, the English lass scored a spot in a comedic tar pit with Will Ferrell and Danny McBride (and had to do kegel exercises to keep from breaking out in laughter). Expect more from Friel, who scored the lead in "Breakfast at Tiffany's" stage musical.
- Betty White ("The Proposal," June 19). This summer brings back vets like Burnett and Roberts, but the 87-year-old actress reigns as this season's grande dame of comedy thanks to "naughty" persistence. Every epoch or so, she alternates between devious ("The Mary Tyler Moore Show") to delightful ("The Golden Girls"), and her latest escapades show she hasn't changed a bit.
Buzz Multiplex: Trains, Flights of Fancy, and Food Fights
A gripping remake, a sweet re-imagining, and a queasy look at America's food chain make for a healthy draw in the Buzz Multiplex this week...but are any an antidote to "The Hangover"? Not likely. While a Travolta-Washington pairing is impressive, the bachelor-party-gone-bad should continue to dominate the box office given the whopping Web interest. Among the premieres, here's how they stack against one another this week.
1. The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 (R). This remake of the 1974 thriller is the first job that John Travolta and Denzel Washington have done together, and that may be enough of a pull for this heavyweight match. With terrorism having a whole new meaning in present-day NYC, Time magazine's comparison of the city then and now is engrossing. Given the death of his son earlier this year, Travolta hasn't done any publicity for the film: He's pulling in more online queries than his co-star.
2. Food Inc (PG, limited release). Featuring the respective authors of "Fast Food Nation" and "The Omnivore's Dilemma," the documentary gives a close-up to America's corporate food chain. Although a limited release, the unappetizing look has been getting solid reviews (although NYT pines for more issue-thrashing) and decent Web interest among people in their 20s through 60s.
3. Imagine That (PG). A sweet enough premise: Financial exec facing downward spiral and family estrangement gets advice from daughter's imaginary friends. Sounds like something Wall Street execs could've benefited from, but the real question is: Does Eddie Murphy restore his funnyman image here? Los Angeles Times says he's the "most entertaining thing" about the comedy, but DVD Talk sees this as another sign of his "obsolescence as a big screen superstar." Ouch. Mild searches at best, mostly from the under-13 set. Looks like Murphy's destined for the DVD bin.
Letterman vs. Palin: It's On!
It all started on Monday when David Letterman told some off-color jokes about Alaskan governor Sarah Palin and her daughter. Dave made some cracks about one of the Palin girls having to fend off Eliot Spitzer and getting knocked up by Yankees star Alex Rodriguez during a recent trip to the Big Apple.
Shockingly, Gov. Palin didn't find the jokes very funny. On the governor's website, Palin and her very riled-up husband Todd fired back at the CBS comedian. She called Letterman a sexually perverted 62-year-old celebrity and chided him for making inappropriate jokes about her 14-year-old daughter, Willow.
Here's where it gets confusing. Letterman's jokes were about Palin's 18-year-old daughter Bristol. However, it was Willow who was traveling with the governor in New York. Facing the family's wrath, last night Letterman addressed the controversy and apologized. Well, kind of.
Dave said he regretted the bits about Spitzer and Rodriguez courting the younger Palin, but went on to say that he regrets thousands of jokes he's made. He said that of course he doesn't condone inappropriate behavior with underage girls. However, he did admit that he found his jab about Sarah Palin wearing outfits reminiscent of a sexually adventurous flight attendant pretty funny. In a final show of his semi-sincerity, he invited Palin on as a guest.
Want to see the "apology" for yourself? Check out the video below.
Filed under: Comedians, David Letterman, Sarah Palin
Buzz Multiplex: Funniest Men This Summer
This season looks like a generational hand-off period, with movies pairing the likes of boys-at-heart Adam Sandler and Seth Rogen, or the oddball pairing of sweetly frenzied Jack Black with sweetly deadpan Michael Cera.
But the old(er) guys still get their share of laughs and popularity. Be amused, be very very amused, with the top 10 funnymen in fairweather films out now (or out soon).
Top 10 Funnymen This Summer Movie Season,
past 30 days based on Yahoo! searches
- Sacha Baron Cohen ("Bruno," July 10). His "Borat" blast left a nation either in an uproar or in uproarious laughter. Cohen has once again set the punk'd bar high — or low — with his posterior plant on Eminem during the MTV Movie Awards. Will there be one more stunt before Bruno's big-screen debut? Keep your eyes peeled.
- Ryan Reynolds ("The Proposal," June 19). A little nepotism might come into play for Reynold's Web appeal — after all, he can call Scarlett Johansson the little missus. Onscreen, his romantic comedy unites him with the reigning first lady of the genre: Sandra Bullock. Another reason for Reynold's popularity: People, wanting to know how to get his "Blade:Trinity" abs, have been searching for "ryan reynolds workout."
- Will Ferrell ("Land of the Lost," June 5). He helped Conan O'Brien in his new time slot. He contended with Bear Grillys on "Man vs. Wild." Ferrell's one of the rare "SNL" superstars, and his remake of TV schlock into big-budget gold proves his box-office alchemy. But he should watch out for costar Danny McBride, who's gaining a following of his own.
- Adam Sandler ("Funny People," July 31). Sandler as a famous, embittered stand-up with a deadly illness? With Judd Apatow as director and Sandler's gross-out brand of humor, expect a do-or-die experience. No matter how he ages, Sandler manages to retain the male youth audience, and his costars Rogen (#9) and Jonah Hill ("Superbad") make a scarily fitting match.
- Ben Stiller ("Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian," May 22). The son of TV icons Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara, Stiller has always managed to surround himself with top-flight actors, creating modern classics like "There's Something About Mary." His writing's stronger than his acting chops, as proven in mega-hit "Tropic Thunder." Stiller's museum pieces are more feel-good family nods than knee-slappers, but he'll always be a part of comic history.
- Bradley Cooper ("The Hangover," June 5). His movie's billed as an Apatow alternative, but he's also been getting attention for being the good-looking comic cad, most notably in "The Wedding Crashers." He started off a decade ago in "Sex and the City" and has done steady work ever since, but this one may kick him into a new comedy realm.
- Eddie Murphy ("Imagine That," June 12). The third "SNL" alum on the list, Murphy's transition from "Raw" comic to family man has included fat suits, stinker movies, and Oscar-worthy musical numbers along the way. His gig as a financial exec who enters his daughter's imaginary world sounds like a sweetheart deal.
- Seth Rogen ("Funny People," July 31). Frank Capra had his Jimmy Stewart, Martin Scorcese has Robert DeNiro, and Apatow has Seth Rogen. Call the schlub a charmer, a freak, a geek, or a muse, but Rogen's run has been hot...in that awkward, stumbling, doped-up kind of way. Now as a Sandler protege, his reign over boy audiences will be complete.
- Mos Def ("Next Day Air," May 8). Okay, so Mos Def isn't really known as a funnyman (except among Dave Chappelle fans), but his all-around talent as a music artist and dramatic actor ("Cadillac Records," "The Woodsman") makes Dante Terrell Smith a contender (and an award nominee) wherever he goes.
- Michael Cera ("Year One," June 19). The yin to everyone's yang, Cera (who turns 21 on June 7) has managed to be a romantic lead (and a fertile one in "Juno"), a male-bonding partner ("SuperBad"), and a presence to look out for. He matches wits — or something — with Jack Black as they remake history.
Humor Deficit at the White House?
Add another gloomy outlook to America's short-term future: The online appetite for poking fun at President-elect Barack Obama has fallen more than 61% in the past week.
The precipitous drop follows an all-time Search high for "obama jokes" in the days immediately after the election. Given that America has seen enough negative numbers these days, do these figures portend a moody humor forecast?
Entertainment Weekly wistfully asked last week, "Is it safe to make Obama jokes yet?" The Huffington Post deconstructed comedian anxiety in its entry, "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the White House—Not." Days after, another Post writer rounded up articles that fretted over a "Crisis of Comedy" and "Where's the funny in Barack Obama?"
EW argued that the low supply of yuks isn't as much comics afraid to trample through delicate race issues, but that incoming jefe is, well, kind of a straight man. His unflappable calm and the fact that he "hasn't done anything yet" don't provide much punchline fodder.
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, a study—yes, a real academic one—counted late-night jokes on politicians and came out with these numbers: Sarah Palin (283), John McCain (245), President George W. Bush (141), while Obama punchlines were an anemic 58.
Black comedic hosts though are going where their white counterparts fear to tread in the Obama humor deficit. David Alan Grier, D.L. Hughley and Larry Wilmore have assembled task forces to probe the subject, and the Chronicle sums up some of their policy positions so far.
The groundwork being laid out now should should stymie any need for a humor bailout package. Now more than ever, during this current state of Obama exultation, America's confidence needs to be restored in its ability to laugh at its No. 1. And if not, as many point out with relief, there's always No. 2.
Filed under: Politics, Comedians, Humor, Presidents, Barack Obama
top movers
| Rank | Subject | 1-Day Move |
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| 2 | Indonesia Ferry | Breakout! |
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| 5 | American Music Awards | 1841% |
| 6 | John F. Kennedy | 1529% |
| 7 | Turkey Stuffing Recipes | 1361% |
| 8 | Liam Hemsworth | 1172% |
| 9 | Lou Dobbs | 1142% |
| 10 | Hendrick Motorsports | 888% |
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| 5 | American Music Awards | +236 | 249 |
| 6 | UFC | -36 | 239 |
| 7 | Miley Cyrus | +66 | 169 |
| 8 | Hulu | -11 | 154 |
what's the buzz?
A subject's buzz score is the percentage of Yahoo! users searching for that subject on a given day, multiplied by a constant to make the number easier to read. Weekly leaders are the subjects with the greatest average buzz score for a given week.
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