satire

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How the Onion Writes Headlines

New book Our Front Pages explores the evolution

(Newser) - The Onion's writers have a backward way of generating stories: They come up with the headlines first. The staff devotes the first two days of each week to rejecting headlines like “Quick and Painless Overthrow of Taliban Enters Eighth Year” in favor of “US Continues Quagmire-Building Effort in...

Lampoon Lampoons Twilight With Nightlight
 Lampoon Lampoons 
 Twilight With Nightlight 
THE NEXT BESTSELLER?
Nov 3, 2009 12:27 PM CST

Lampoon Lampoons Twilight With Nightlight

Edwart's no vamp, he just has nosebleeds, but don't tell Belle

(Newser) - She's a klutzy transplant to the Oregon town of Switchblade who falls for a computer geek with nosebleeds named Edwart. “Looking into his eyes I felt waves of electricity, currents of electrons charging towards me. Was this how it felt to be in love ... for robots?” Yes, it's Belle,...

Catholics Rip Larry for Whizzing on Jesus

Urine taken for 'miraculous tears' by Curb characters

(Newser) - The US Catholic League has complained about an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm that shows Larry David accidentally urinating on a painting of Jesus hanging in a bathroom. Other characters then think the painting is miraculously crying. "Was Larry David always this crude?" asked angry league president Bill Donahue....

Balloon Boy Another Blow to Trust
 Balloon Boy 
 Another Blow 
 to Trust 
OPINION
Oct 22, 2009 3:35 AM CDT

Balloon Boy Another Blow to Trust

Politicians are the ones most lost in forest of fakery

(Newser) - The Falcon Heene fiasco sums up the dilemma facing a society riddled with fake news, Photoshop fakes, and even fake Rush Limbaugh quotes, writes Daniel Henninger. "Reality TV" is the perfect metaphor for a world where you need to routinely "ask yourself whether what's in front of you...

Glenn Beck's Lawyers Fight 'Defamatory' Domain Name

Joke site says Fox host raped, murdered a girl

(Newser) - Can a domain name be defamatory? When that domain name is GlennBeckRapedandMurderedaYoungGirlin1990.com, maybe it can be, Ars Technica reports. Beck’s lawyers were on the case within 2 days. They’ve both pressured its host to give up the name of the site’s anonymous proprietor, and filed a...

For Fake Presidents, Competition Is Fierce

Race is on for top Obama impersonator

(Newser) - Think impersonating the president is a joke? For the professional actors trying to scratch their way to the top—to become First Impersonator—it's serious business, Slate reports. "I see this as a chance to grow as a dramatic actor," says one faux Obama. "Besides, it can...

Oops: Onion Dupes Bangladeshi Papers on Fake Moon Landing

(Newser) - Satire just doesn't translate well. Two Bangladeshi newspapers have apologized to readers after breathlessly reporting a US scoop: Neil Armstrong thinks the moon landing was a hoax! Problem is, the story appeared in the Onion. "We've since learned that the fun site runs false and juicy reports based on...

In the Loop Is Bloody Good Fun
 In the Loop Is Bloody Good Fun
movie review
Jul 24, 2009 11:18 AM CDT

In the Loop Is Bloody Good Fun

British political satire tells of path to war

(Newser) - In the Loop is a blistering, satirical tale of unsavory characters in the British and American governments pushing their nations to war in the Middle East.
  • “While In the Loop is a highly disciplined inquiry into a very serious subject, it is also, line by filthy line, scene by
...

Republicans Think Colbert's Serious: Study

Conservatives actually think comedian is conservative, too

(Newser) - If you’ve ever thought to yourself, “Geez, why do Republicans keep letting Stephen Colbert interview them?” some Ohio State researchers might have the answer: They don’t realize he’s making fun of them. According to a new study, conservatives “were more likely to report that Colbert...

Colbert Fights 'Gay Storm'
 Colbert Fights 'Gay Storm' 
Apr 17, 2009 11:32 AM CDT

Colbert Fights 'Gay Storm'

(Newser) - Stephen Colbert has taken up the cause against gay marriage, the Huffington Post reports. A recent web ad from the National Organization for Marriage—which apparently was serious—featured a “rainbow coalition” of actors solemnly declaring, “A storm is coming.” That, and New York's move toward legalizing...

Colbert Plans Persian Gulf Tour
 Colbert Plans Persian Gulf Tour 
Mar 19, 2009 1:25 PM CDT

Colbert Plans Persian Gulf Tour

He'll film a week of episodes on USO tour

(Newser) - Stephen Colbert is putting on a flak jacket and heading to the Persian Gulf, Variety reports. The Colbert Report will film a week of shows on a USO tour, but no one is dishing out air dates or specific locations. Says Colbert, “I can’t tell you where I’...

Comic Fritzl Play Sparks Death Threats

Director insists he's mocking media, not rape and incest

(Newser) - A comic play about accused rapist Josef Fritzl is set to open in Vienna, drawing the ire—and death threats—of Austrians who are not amused, the BBC reports. Director Hubsi Kramar stressed that the largely improvised piece, co-starring victims of abuse, is a commentary on media coverage of Fritzl’...

No Misunderestimating Ferrell as Dubya
 
 
 No Misunderestimating 
 Ferrell as Dubya 
THEATER REVIEW
Feb 6, 2009 1:05 PM CST

No Misunderestimating Ferrell as Dubya

(Newser) - It’s not quite a landslide, but critics mainly agree that Will Ferrell gets his mission accomplished in lampooning the 43rd president with his Broadway show, You’re Welcome America. A Final Night With George W. Bush. Though Saturday Night Live viewers will see the “retread” in Ferrell’s...

Obama Already Stressed Out?

Mad turns satirical eye on new president

(Newser) - Crises at home and abroad seem to be taking a toll on President Obama already—at least through the lens of Mad Magazine’s cartoonists. The current issue depicts a stressed-out president—ashtray full, antacid flowing—poring over screaming headlines and classified reports. “The only thing the artist missed,...

Judge Tosses Elton John Libel Suit

Satire emerges the winner after singer sues Guardian over spoof diary

(Newser) - Teasing Elton John doesn't breach libel laws, a British judge ruled yesterday. The notoriously testy singer sued the Guardian for publishing a satirical piece purporting to be a snippet from Elton's diary and poking fun at his lavish White Tie and Tiara Ball. Elton claimed it was defamation but the...

Satirical Paper Thrives in Tough US Market

The Onion feeds the public's need for satiric news coverage

(Newser) - As newspapers lay off workers and struggle to survive, the Onion is adding staff and circulating in new markets, the Washington Post reports. Riding the crest of America's love for Jon Stewart-style satirical news, the 20-year-old paper pays writers well and holds down a New York City office. "It's...

Why Tragik Lolcats Tug on Human Hartz

(Newser) - Lolcats are as funny as their fans believe, but it's the sadness of this kitty sub-genre that makes them special, Jay Dixit writes in Salon. On Icanhascheezburger.com, which attracts millions of hits a month, lolcats yearn and comfort each other, inspiring a teary eye in us human visitors. There...

Fox Cancels Mad TV
  Fox Cancels Mad TV 
Nov 12, 2008 5:50 PM CST

Fox Cancels Mad TV

Fox cancels comedy show after 14 years

(Newser) - Mad TV will bid adieu after 14 seasons of Saturday night sketches, the final nail in its coffin coming from a failure to boost ratings during the presidential campaign, reports Defamer. Fox's Saturday Night Live competitor, which has been on the chopping block for years, will finish up the season...

What Now, Jon?
 What Now, Jon?
Nov 8, 2008 2:35 AM CST

What Now, Jon?

Jokes about Obama may not fly with left-leaning host, audience of The Daily Show

(Newser) - Yes, satirists and late-night comics seem to have trouble finding Obama jokes, but they'll survive, writes Dan Kois in New York magazine. What worries Kois is that his beloved Daily Show may not be so fortunate. Jon Stewart and crew simply may not have it in their hearts to take...

He's Not Just Black, He's Skinny!
He's Not Just Black, He's Skinny!
OPINION
Nov 6, 2008 12:37 PM CST

He's Not Just Black, He's Skinny!

Colson Whitehead on the improbable triumph of a thin man

(Newser) - “Yesterday morning, I woke up to a new world,” writes Colson Whitehead in the New York Times. “America had elected a Skinny Black Guy president. I never thought I’d see the day.” Whitehead says the racial barrier is nothing compared to the marginalization beanpoles like...

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