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Viva Variety
''Viva Variety'' is an American sketch comedy series that aired on Comedy Central from April 1997 to December 1999. The series satirizes European variety shows. Overview The show stars Thomas Lennon as Meredith Laupin, Kerri Kenney as the former Mrs. (Agatha) Laupin, and Michael Ian Black as the hip character Johnny Blue Jeans. In addition to comedy sketches, the show featured musical guests and various performers, including Ben Stiller. Periodically, a troupe of women called “The Swimsuit Squad” would dance much like the “Fly Girls” on '' In Living Color''. The show's premise was derived from a sketch from '' The State'' called "The Mr. and Former Mrs. Laupin Variety Program," and the show featured several fellow members of the comedy troupe. Sketches Though Mr. Laupin, the former Mrs. Laupin, and Johnny Blue Jeans were themselves characters, the show did not use recurring characters or feature impersonations. Often, the troupe would address or involve the audienc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sketch Comedy
Sketch comedy comprises a series of short, amusing scenes or vignettes, called "sketches" or, "skits", commonly between one and ten minutes long, performed by a group of comic actors or comedians. While the form developed and became popular in music hall in Britain and vaudeville in North America, today it is used widely in variety shows, as well as in late night talk shows and even some sitcoms. While sketch comedy is now associated mostly with adult entertainment, certain children's television series such have used it, too. The sketches may be improvised live by the performers, developed through improvisation before public performance, or scripted and rehearsed in advance like a play. History Sketch comedy has its origins in music hall and vaudeville, where many brief humorous acts were strung together to form a larger programme. In the 1890s, music hall impresario Fred Karno developed a form of sketch comedy without dialogue, and in 1904 he produced a sketch called ' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Galliano
John Charles Galliano (born 28 November 1960) is a British fashion designer. He was the creative director of his eponymous label John Galliano and French fashion houses Givenchy and Dior. From 2014 to 2024, Galliano was the creative director of Paris-based fashion house Maison Margiela. Galliano has been named British Designer of the Year four times. In a 2004 poll for the BBC, he was named the fifth most influential person in British culture. Early life and education Galliano was born in Gibraltar to a Gibraltarian father of Italian descent, Juan Galliano, and a Spanish mother, Ana Guillén, and has two sisters. His father worked as a plumber. Though registered at birth as John Charles Galliano, he has given his full name in interviews as Juan Carlos Antonio Galliano-Guillén. Galliano's family moved to England when he was six, settling in Streatham and later Dulwich and Brockley, in South London. He was raised in a strict Catholic family. Galliano attended St. Anthony' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lunar New Year
Lunar New Year is the beginning of a new year based on lunar calendars or, informally, lunisolar calendars. Lunar calendar years begin with a new moon and have a fixed number of lunar months, usually twelve, in contrast to lunisolar calendar years which have a variable number of lunar months that periodically resynchronise with the solar year. The event is celebrated by numerous cultures in various ways at different dates. The determination of the first day of a new lunar year or lunisolar year varies by culture. Better-known lunar new year celebrations include that based on the (lunar) Islamic calendar which originated in the Middle East. Lunisolar new year celebrations include that of the (lunisolar) Hebrew calendar from same region; the (lunisolar) Chinese calendar and Tibetan calendar of East Asia; and the (lunisolar) Buddhist and Hindu calendars of South and Southeast Asia. In 2023, the United Nations General Assembly recognized the Spring Festival that coincides with ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chinatown
Chinatown ( zh, t=唐人街) is the catch-all name for an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, Asia, Africa, Oceania, and the Americas. The development of most Chinatowns typically resulted from human migration to an area without any or with few Chinese residents. Binondo in Manila, established in 1594, is recognized as the world's oldest Chinatown. Notable early examples outside Asia include San Francisco's Chinatown in the United States and Melbourne's Chinatown in Australia, which were founded in the early 1850s during the California and Victoria gold rushes, respectively. A more modern example, in Montville, Connecticut, was caused by the displacement of Chinese workers in New York's Manhattan Chinatown following the September 11th attacks in 2001. Definition Oxford Dictionaries defines "Chinatown" as "...a district of any non-Asian town, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Buca Di Beppo
Buca di Beppo is an American restaurant chain specializing in Italian-American cuisine, Italian-American food. Menu The food at Buca di Beppo is served family style, each item served ''à la carte'' and shared among the dining party. Some locations also have a lunch menu, featuring individual-sized portions. In an attempt to boost sales during 2005, Buca introduced a ''Buca Mia'' menu, meaning "My Cellar", with less-expensive portions for two. Decor Each room at Buca is themed. Each restaurant has a "Pope Table", a dining table with a bust of the current Pope atop a Lazy Susan. The chain is known for its vintage photographs hung closely spaced throughout the restaurant. History Phil Roberts founded Buca di Beppo in 1993 as an imitation of "red sauce joints", Italian-American family restaurants in the northeast United States. Not Italian himself, Roberts wanted his restaurant's stereotypical depiction of Italian-American culture to be "intentionally in bad taste, but good-na ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pam Dawber
Pamela Dawber (born October 18, 1951) is an American actress known for her lead television sitcom roles as Mindy McConnell on ''Mork & Mindy'' (1978–1982) and Samantha Russell on '' My Sister Sam'' (1986–1988). Early life Dawber was born in Detroit, the older of two daughters of Thelma M. (née Fisher) and Eugene E. Dawber, a commercial artist. She went to Reid Elementary School in Goodrich and attended North Farmington High School and Oakland Community College (OCC), with the intention of transferring to a four-year college. She deferred her studies at OCC to do some modeling work and eventually dropped out after deciding to go into modeling full-time. Career Dawber moved to New York City and was initially a fashion model with Wilhelmina Models before switching to acting. She appeared in several television commercials during the 1970s ( Fotomat, Noxzema, Neet, Underalls, etc.). Dawber screen-tested for the title role in '' Tabitha,'' a 1977 to 1978 situation comed ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Robin Williams
Robin McLaurin Williams (July 21, 1951August 11, 2014) was an American actor and comedian known for his improvisational skills and the wide variety of characters he created on the spur of the moment and portrayed on film, in dramas and comedies alike, Williams is regarded as one of the greatest comedians of all time. He received numerous accolades including an Academy Award, two Primetime Emmy Awards, six Golden Globe Awards, five Grammy Awards, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. Williams was awarded the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2005. Born in Chicago, Williams began performing stand-up comedy in San Francisco and Los Angeles during the mid-1970s, and released several comedy albums including ''Reality ... What a Concept'' in 1980. He rose to fame playing the alien Mork in the ABC sitcom ''Mork & Mindy'' (1978–1982). Williams received his first leading film role in ''Popeye'' (1980). Williams won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for '' Good Will Hunting'' (1997 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Corey Feldman
Corey Scott Feldman (born July 16, 1971) is an American actor and musician. As a youth, he became well known for his roles in popular 1980s films such as '' Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter'' (1984), '' Gremlins'' (1984), '' The Goonies'' (1985) and '' Stand by Me'' (1986). Feldman collaborated with Corey Haim starring in numerous films such as the comedy horror '' The Lost Boys'' (1987), the teen comedy '' License to Drive'' (1988) and the romantic comedy '' Dream a Little Dream'' (1989). They reunited for the A&E reality series '' The Two Coreys'', which ran from 2007 to 2008. Feldman experienced diminishing success in the film industry as an adult, amid well-publicized personal conflicts with Haim over Haim's substance abuse and with Michael Jackson, who had befriended him during his time as a teen celebrity. While he has been outspoken about sexual abuse in the entertainment industry, he has also faced public scrutiny over Corey's Angels and has also been accused of s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Joe Lo Truglio
Joe Lo Truglio (; born December 2, 1970) is an American actor and comedian. Best known for his role as Charles Boyle on the Fox/ NBC sitcom ''Brooklyn Nine-Nine'', he also was a cast member on the television series '' The State'' and '' Reno 911!''. His notable film roles include '' Wet Hot American Summer'', '' I Love You, Man'', '' Superbad'', '' Paul'', '' Role Models'', and '' Wanderlust''. Early life Lo Truglio was born in the Ozone Park neighborhood of Queens, New York, on December 2, 1970. He is of Italian and Irish descent. He grew up in Margate, Florida, and graduated from Coconut Creek High School. He met many of his future '' The State'' cast members at New York University, where he took part in the school's sketch comedy group. Career Lo Truglio wrote and acted in various skits for '' The State'', and animated segments for the show. After ''The State'' ended in 1995, he made a number of guest appearances throughout the late 1990s on shows such as '' Viva Variety' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
David Wain
David Benjamin Wain (born August 1, 1969) is an American comedian, writer, actor, and director. He has co-written and directed six feature films, including '' Wet Hot American Summer'' (2001), '' Role Models'' (2008), '' Wanderlust'' (2012), and '' They Came Together'' (2014). He has also served as a creator, producer, writer and director on a number of television series, including '' Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later'', '' Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp'', '' Childrens Hospital'', '' Medical Police,'' and '' Mr Throwback''. He has had small roles in most of the films and TV series he has produced or directed. Wain had a starring voice role as The Warden on the 2008–2014 Adult Swim animated series '' Superjail!'', and has provided the voices for Courtney Wheeler and Grover Fischoeder on ''Bob's Burgers'' since 2012. He began his career as a member of the sketch comedy troupe The State. The group had their own TV show on MTV from 1993 to 1995, '' The State'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ken Marino
Kenneth Joseph Marino (born December 19, 1968) is an American actor, comedian, director, and screenwriter. He was a cast member on MTV's ''The State'' and has starred in shows such as '' Party Down'', '' Marry Me'', '' Burning Love'', and ''Childrens Hospital''. He played the Lehman brothers on the Showtime series '' Black Monday''. He also stars as Victor in the cult-classic comedy film '' Wet Hot American Summer'', as well as its spin-offs. Early life Marino was born on Long Island, New York, to an Italian-American family. He attended West Islip High School in West Islip, New York. He then studied at the Lee Strasberg Institute and Tisch School of the Arts at New York University in New York City. On Marino's first day at NYU, he met David Wain and Craig Wedren and quickly befriended both of them; Marino was popular in part because he had milk crates full of bottles of alcoholic beverages (which he had stolen the previous summer at a job at a yacht club), and he carried th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Police Academy (franchise)
''Police Academy'' is a comedy film, comedy franchise of seven Movie theater, theatrical films and two Spin-off media, spin-off Television program, television shows. The 1984 film ''Police Academy (film), Police Academy'' followed the premise of a new mayor requiring the local police department to accept all recruits. The film franchise relies heavily on slapstick humor and physical comedy, as the misfit recruits attempt to prove themselves capable of being police officers, succeeding despite their eccentricities. The first four films follow Carey Mahoney (Steve Guttenberg), a repeat offender forced to join the police academy as punishment. The 1994 film ''Police Academy: Mission to Moscow, Mission to Moscow'' marked the seventh installment, with cast members George Gaynes, Michael Winslow, and David Graf appearing throughout the film series. The first film grossed $149.8 million worldwide. While the subsequent films failed to impress critics, they sustained commercial success, g ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
