"I'm Bryant Gumbel, Bitch!"
Somehow I don't think we'll ever hear that phrase uttered. Yet the articulate, multi-talented, Wayne Brady (who BTW, is ABSOLUTELY ADORED by white people) pulled off his own version with aplomb.
Every Chappelle fan has their own favorite sketches. Clayton Bigsby. Trading Spouses. Playa-Hata's Ball. Without question, my favorite is Training Day. From the moment we hear "Riverside, Muthafuckas!" to "I'm Wayne Brady, Bitch!", it's an unforgettable classic.
Think about it. Who else could pull that sketch off with such unforeseen impact? Eddie Murphy and Richard Pryor couldve done the street-thug parts in their respective primes, but neither ever came off as non-threataning as Wayne. Bernie Mac's a possibility, but he couldnt have performed the Dionne Warwick song right before killing the cop.
Of course, that Chappelle episode began with Dave arguing with network execs and cutting off ties with his own show. Wayne took over as replacement host, and the show didnt miss a beat. After all, Wayne Brady is funny AND likable.
Today, Dave is in hiatus, and
Chappelle's Show tragically may very well follow in the footsteps of
Frank's Place. Network Execs are scrambling to find programming that can fill the gap of this huge void. The best theyve done so far is a Latino version of the Chappelle formula, with some dollarstore Paul Rodriguez just repeating the word "Beaner" every 2 minutes. (Apparently, "Beaner" is a term used to insult Latinos.) If they were just going to do a latin ripoff of a show, why couldnt it have been
Sabado Gigante?
If the Comedy Central execs were actually familiar with the concept of comedy, they would do the obvious thing:
Give Wayne Brady his own show. After his masterpiece performance, is there a Chappelle fan in the world that wouldnt watch it? At the very least, they'd stick around a few weeks to check if Dave would make a cameo. Outside of the historic irony, they'd be giving a half-hour slot to someone who has:
- charm
- improv skills
- musical ability (song and dance)
- acting experience
- ability to do impersonations
- unparallelled comedic range
Granted, he's no Colin Quinn or Graham Norton but still . . . .
Within the last few years, the following hacks/"comedians" have been given late night talk shows:
- Jimmy Kimmel
- Adam Carolla
- Craig Ferguson
- DL Hughley
When CBS held their on-air open auditions for
Late Late Show host, Ferguson narrowly beat out Hughley and Micheal Ian Black for the position. This would be Hollywood's equivalent of narrowly beating out Marty Mornighweg and Art Shell for an NFL head coaching position.
Hughley is best known for his short lived ABC sitcom, and as one of the
Original Kings of Comedy that wasnt Bernie Mac.
OKC is a ridiculously pretentious title. Similar to calling the Backstreet Boys the
Original Godfathers of HipHop. Oh well, they call New Jersey the Garden State, so I guess I shouldnt complain.
Apparently, Black has spent the past few year's being Mel Karmazin's #1 buttboy. How else to explain this talentless perv's knack for continually popping up in failed sketch comedy shows on Comedy Central and MTV? He's also constantly seen in VH1's
I love the 70/80/90's etc, repeatedly attempting to make witty remarks. And failing miserably.
Kimmel and Carolla, or course had the Masterbatorial Cavalcade
Man Show. Outside of the obligatory TnA, highlights included Carolla urinating on someone's wallet, and Kimmel dry-humping a monkey.
Anyone else seeing a pattern here?
After catching pieces of Fox Reality's month long
Last Comic Standing decathlon, I couldnt help but noticing how talentless and UNFUNNY these people were. And that includes the show's host/pimp Jay Mohr. Isn't it ironic that many comedians are some of the most miserable and wretched people in the world:
- Bill Maher
- Richard Lewis
- Chris Rock
- David Spade
- Rosanne
- Margaret Cho
- Janeane Garafolo
I suppose I could go on, but my point's been made. TV comedy is filled with talentless hacks who pretend to be funny and entertaining. All the more reason someone positive and talented like Wayne Brady deserves his own show. Bitch.