AP News, July 10th, 2007
In 2002, the then struggling Dane Cook spent his last $25,000 on his Web site http://www.DaneCook.com, the popularity of which soon fueled his meteoric rise. Since Cook braved the path to the Web for standup comedians, who's followed him?
There was once a stigma attached to having a Web site as a comedian. Standups have often felt that a following can only be respectably gained at the mike. Some of the biggest names in standup still don't have a site: Jerry Seinfeld doesn't, and those of Chris Rock and Dave Chappelle are dormant.
Yet comedians are increasingly feeling the need to have an online presence.
Lewis Black on his site http://www.LewisBlack.net says in an audio message: "Yes, it's time to get up to speed. It's time to become a part of the 21st century. I hope this Web site works for you, and if not, it will be just another of life's many, many disappointments."
Comedian Robert Smigel doesn't have a personal site, but his character Triumph the Insult Comic Dog does: http://www.TriumphTheInsultComicDog.com.
Many thought Jack Handey, famous for the "Deep Thoughts" segment on "Saturday Night Live," was a character, but Handey is a real comedian and is now a frequent contributor to The New Yorker. His site, http://www.DeepThoughtsByJackHandey.com, provides a Deep Thought of the Day, each of which can be e-mailed.
A redneck joke of the day is given by Jeff Foxworthy's large, well-produced site, http://www.JeffFoxworthy.com. Alternatively, the rudimentary destination for Louis C.K. http://www.LouisCK.com is fitting for the bluntly honest comedian of HBO's "Lucky Louie."
The site http://www.BrianRegan.com for Brian Regan, who recently had his own Comedy Central special, is frequently updated and provides a good taste of Regan's comedy to those unfamiliar with him. Andy Dick, though, might have the most content on his http://www.AndyDick.com.
One of the best comedians who blogs regularly is the squinting, stammering Gilbert Gottfried. A recent entry on http://www.GilbertGottfried.com was titled: "Kicked Out of Canada, or Won't You Let Me in Immigration Man."
Margaret Cho might blog more avidly than any other comedian. At http://www.MargaretCho.com, she chronicles her life almost daily with photos and text. Bob Saget rarely blogs, but recently posted on his site http://www.TheBobSaget.com an entry pondering what he'd do if he discovered he only had 24 hours to live.
Michael Showalter ("The State," "Stella") often blogs in doodles, though his written material is just as good. One recent entry on http://www.MichaelShowalter.net: "10 Things to Do to Impress a Lady on a Date."
Bob Odenkirk and David Cross still maintain their site http://www.BobAndDavid.com even though their HBO sketch program, "Mr. Show," was canceled in 1998.
Other young standup comedians have particularly used the Web for their comedy. Eugene Mirman (http://www.EugeneMirman.com), Zach Galifianakis (http://www.ZachGalifianakis.com) and Demetri Martin (http://www.DemetriMartin.com) all have unique sites that reflect their strange humor.
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VIDEO OF THE WEEK: Live Earth Highlights
If you missed any part of Live Earth on Saturday (and with more than 24 hours of music to see, you almost certainly did), you can watch the event's memorable performances at http://www.liveearth.msn.com. Among the highlights: Madonna singing "La Isla Bonita" with Gogol Bordello, Kanye West joining the Police for "Message in a Bottle" and the reunion of mock heavy-metal band Spinal Tap. Loading seems to be very slow, but most videos can also be found on YouTube.
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EDITOR'S NOTE _ What's your favorite Web site? E-mail AP Entertainment Writer Jake Coyle at fcoyle(at)ap.org
