On Friday, television blog WarmingGlow announced that HBO has signed on to produce a new show starring comedy folk duo Garfunkel and Oates (Kate Micucci and Riki Lindhome) of “Pregnant Women are Smug” fame, since, as Bette Midler has argued, funny women are often confined to the smaller screen.
It seems impossible not to draw comparisons between Garfunkel and Oates and HBO’s …
Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work discusses a variety of themes — ageism, sexism, comedy, New York, Hollywood, and show business — with the hilarious, spunky, and provocative comedienne as the vehicle. The filmed documentary opens with Rivers today, performing at hole in the wall in New York City and then follows a year in the life of a “semi-legend.” From her original plays to Celebrity Apprentice to Comedy Central’s Roast to stand-ups across the country, the seventy-five year old woman, Rivers, possesses energy, drive, and a genuine love for performance.
The non-linear narrative and rather recent footage from Rivers life does not offer the brute statistics on her life — we don’t learn the specifics of her childhood. Rather, the film focuses on her career: “the career,” an endless performance that Rivers is putting on for the world. Rivers always wanted to be an actress — a dream that was always slightly out of reach. In her youth, Rivers was not well-received on Broadway but recently had tried out a new play in Edinborough and London. When that play, too, received lukewarm reviews, Rivers refused to bring the play to New York. It took a lot of sweat and energy, but alas, Rivers bounces back, doesn’t focus too long on what some may consider a “failure,” and is on to the next thing.
I think that her perseverance is one of Rivers’ most salient qualities — especially in the sexist world of comedy (remember when even Christopher Hitchens was all like,”Girls aren’t funny”?). She considers …
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