Delightfully reeking of awkwardness
By Jon Chattman

Whether it’s the appeal of its ultra-eccentric stars or the hilarity of sketches involving such gems as hidden camera prankster Spaghett or father-obsessed singer Pierre , Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! has provided a belly of laughs on the Cartoon Network since it debuted last year. While the show continues to gain momentum, the truth is Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim have been splitting sides for years on the ‘net long before they took to the Adult Swim airwaves.

Thecheappop.com recently interviewed the wunderkinds behind “The Christmas Wish” and countless other examples of overall hilarious awkwardness, and found them super nice and, um, eccentric. Fittingly, the interview will play out the same. It will be uncomfortable for everyone involved while, at the same time, quite funny. With that in mind, for the first time ever, I will go against journalistic integrity and transcribe the interview in real time as I write this story in a wonderful and honest play-by-play style that would do Vin Scully proud if he knew who I was. Since it’s in real time, I will not rewind the tape. I’m a fast typer so I’m not worried about not capturing authentic soundbytes. If I do, however, I’ll simply paraphrase what either Tim or Eric said while keeping their statements true. We’ll start the interview as soon as I jump out of my office, and scream “Spaghett!” Done and done. Read the rest of this entry »

Shillue= Funny ha-ha
By Jon Chattman

Tom Shillue is considered one of the finest comedians in the country, and I’m not just saying that. He’s been lauded in numerous publications, and has appeared on Conan O’Brien,The Daily Show, and if it were still on the air, I’d venture to say he’d be a frequent guest on Thicke of the Night. In addition to stand-up comedy, you’ve likely seen him in a bunch of commercials from Snickers to Audi, a couple of flicks, and various web shows. He’s also a staff comic at one of our fav sites DailyComedy, and hosts a popular website: tomshillue.com.

thecheappop recently interviewed this Massachusetts funny guy, and found him, wicked funny, wicked awesome, and a wicked pisser. Read the rest of this entry »

Larry Sweeney discusses his upcoming NYSWF match against Larry Barnes and of course, mustaches.

New Line Cinema
Nothing but net at Semi-Pro press conference
By Jon Chattman

On a gloomy Tuesday afternoon, the cast and director of Semi-Pro, the new Will Ferrell comedy about the pre-NBA basketball league ABA, assembled together for a press conference in NYC to promote the film. We’ll have the full story tomorrow, but here’s a side’bert’.

During the course of the press conference, which was attended by co-stars Woody Harrelson, Andre “3000″ Benjamin, Maura Tierney, Will Arnett, and director Kent Alterman, I took to the mic and started a mustache exchange.

The question was relevant in that Arnett sports one helluva wonderful one as a foul-mouth sportscaster in it, and in the past, as we all know, Ferrell has rocked the ’stache as Ron Burgundy. The response was astounding- for me and the room of journalists anyway. Since the Semi-Pro, which opens tomorrow and is Ferrell’s second film with New Line Cinema (Elf being the other), I’ll give you the quick play-by- play. Read the rest of this entry »

A Smoove Operator
By Jon Chattman

It’s hard to upstage Larry David. The lovable curmudgeon constantly has had us laughing at each and every obnoxious, selfish and inane act he’s done for six seasons of Curb Your Enthusiasm. Having said that, J.B. Smoove managed to do just that last season as his fast-talking and quick thinking roommate Leon Black. Need proof? I double dare you not to laugh at his delivery of the words “mopey” and “dick.”

Clearly, playing the character has opened doors for the actor, writer and stand-up comedian, whose previous credits include writing for Saturday Night Live and appearing in Mr. Deeds and Everybody Hates Chris. We were ecstatic to chat with him last week, and despite what he says, we actually found him to be fairly close to his Curb character. Case in point: the Mount Vernon native’s response to learning I’m originally from nearby Yonkers, NY? “That’s a city of hills, man. Next to San Francisco, Yonkers has the most hills.. You have to go up a hill just to get into Yonkers.” Read the rest of this entry »

Colton and Aboud
A Brief Chat with 1/2 Modern Humorist and VH1 Legend Michael Colton
By Jon Chattman

Michael Colton and John Aboud can be seen regularly on VH1’s Best Week Ever and have appeared on countless I Love the… specials for the network. Aside from their appearances on Video Hits One, the Harvard duo gained fame and acclaim by co-founding the influential well-before-its-time web magazine Modern Humorist. We recently spoke with the duo - albeit Colton did all the talking (Aboud emailed us he had little to add to the discussion - probably because our line of questioning was admittedly inane) - and found them to be very funny - without really trying. You know…like we do. In any event, here’s our brief but hilarious interview with Michael Colton.

Who would you say has more chemistry on screen - you and John or Shannon Doherty and Luke Perry?
Certainly not us. Is there a word for the opposite of homoeroticism? Read the rest of this entry »

Dave Holmes is so tomorrow
By Jon Chattman

It’s hard to believe that it’s been ten years since MTV held its first “Wanna Be a VJ contest” and passed over the uber-talented Dave Holmes in favor of that obnoxious, incoherent and Annie Hall-closet-raiding Jesse Camp. Whereas Camp went the way of the buffalo almost immediately after his hiring, Holmes has had a long and fruitful career. So there.

Holmes has hosted various shows on MTV (notably TRL, 120 Minutes, and a Puckless Real World reunion show), he’s all over the radio, and has even dabbled with comedy by appearing on VH1’s Best Week Ever and Comedy Central’s Reno 911. He’s currently part of The Friday Forty, a sketh comedy show in California, but rather than spewing out more from his bio, let’s get to this interview, which in itself, is newsworthy.

Holmes is the first personality we’ve ever interviewed on Facebook. Read the rest of this entry »

Chances are you know Dan Naturman from his infamous appearance on Last Comic Standing 2, his countless stand-up appearances, or his guest breakthrough role as Danny Glover’s wife in the Lethal Weapon franchise. OK, we lied about the last one, but for years, the Stamford, CT native has made a name for himself for stand-up gigs throughout the world. (You’ve likely seen him on Letterman, Conan, or his own Comedy Central Presents special.)

We recently chatted with the delightfully self-deprecating Naturman and asked him all about his life is on the stage, and why he chose a career in comedy.
Read the rest of this entry »

What’s new with Jew: An interview with Sean Altman
By Mike Johnson

In my short time working for the pop, I have been fortunate to talk life and mustaches with several notable celebrities in the world of music and film, but nobody I’ve spoken with (including The Backstreet Boys) has had a more direct and positive impact on my life than Sean Altman. Did the Boys get more airtime through the years? Yes, but they didn’t change my life for the better as much as they pushed my friends and family to question my sexuality and quiver at my long shackled vocal prowess Sean Altman made me interested in geography. He entertained me and he made it cool to watch PBS at the same time, and he did all this by co-penning one of the most absurdly addictive tunes of all time: The theme song to Where in the World is Carmen San Diego. Read the rest of this entry »

A new film that’s um, hard, to get in to…
By Mike Johnson

The penis has many well documented enemies: cold water, Paris Hilton, dodge balls, kidney stones, moyles, Lorena Bobbit, onesie pajamas… I mean the list can go on and on. For as many rabid fans as it’s accrued through the years, any public figure who is as equally celebrated and controversial as the penis is going to have its detractors. Look at Roger Clemens for example, who himself is a huge dick with lots of fans, but who also has run into a rash (intended) of problems recently because of questions about how he can be so damn productive into his mid 40’s.

Teeth, a new flick that premiered at last year’s Sundance and is written and directed by Mitchell Lichtenstein, will justly receive oodles of acclaim for its unique story and bravery in filmmaking, but the innovation is not in the idea that teeth can play villain to a penis. When you think about it, penises have been batting teeth for centuries. This movie’s originality is in its focus on our tragic hero as he dusts himself off from a safe but sloppy dive into third, and runs through the coach’s stop sign on an ill fated journey home.

Vagina Dentata. What a wonderful phrase. Read the rest of this entry »

Jon Chattman and Mo Rocca pictured. Photo/John Miele, thecheappop.com
One Guy Named Mo
By Jon Chattman

I dabbled with ventriloquism as a kid, but learned quickly I was no match for the immortal Willie Tyler. I thought about being a baseball player, but couldn’t catch my breath walking up the smallest flights of stairs never mind the first base path. I also longed to be a great caricaturist, but couldn’t even pronounce caricaturist so I gave that up.

I wasn’t sure what I wanted to be then, and in some respects, I still don’t. That brings me to my point, and thankfully the focus of this piece. My aforementioned shortcomings are just one of the things that political satirist and author Mo Rocca and I don’t have in common. You see this quick-witted television personality always seemed to know he’d grow up to become a television star and dabble with politics since he was in the womb.

While I was bouncing between life goals and playing with my G.I. Joe’s on the stove (true story: I bent forks backwards, heated them up on the burner, and proceeded to spike the action figures with them to signify bullet holes), Rocca was memorizing the 1974 World Book cover-to-cover. “I still remember it had brown and tan on the spine. I memorized the capital of every country in the world, and I still know them. I used to memorize populations, but populations change and that information’s kind of wasted” the Bethesda, MD native told us over Starbucks lattes in an exclusive interview right before the holidays.

These days – little information is wasted on Rocca, who’s so informed on current events it seems he’s just about everywhere talking about politics and or anything really. “The Daily Show” alum reports for The Tonight Show and CBS News Sunday Morning, and can be seen on WNBC and heard on NPR. Read the rest of this entry »

Gary Chattman pictured with Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul, and Mary
The “Jewru”Speakeths
By Mike Johnson

John Basedow. Amy Winehouse. Gary Chattman. All masters of their craft and gurus in their own right, but what Basedow and Winehouse are to the worlds of fitness celebrity and coke blowing, Chattman is to the world of B’nai Mitzvot. A Jewru, if you will? Mr. Chattman’s niche is an important one. Hebrew School can be boring, uninformative, and oftentimes right in the middle of A.Y.S.O. soccer practice. Appropriately donned with the moniker “Mr.Bar Mitzvah,” Chattman uses his own experience and unique and upbeat teaching methods to impart wisdom and teach lessons not necessarily covered on Saturday morning, but vital to a full understanding of what it means to reach the Jewish Milestone. At that time in a Jew’s life when our mustaches are dirty and our bras aren’t fitting correctly (give up religion if you had to deal with both), Chattman is there every step of the way short of teaching you the electric slide and rigging Coke & Pepsi. Read the rest of this entry »