Demetri Martin

TV

TV Tonight: Sarah Silverman and Demetri Martin Are Back

When The Sarah Silverman Program and Important Things With Demetri Martin return tonight on Comedy Central, the network is packaging the two shows back to back for a hilarious Thursday night.

When The Sarah Silverman Program and Important Things With Demetri Martin return tonight on Comedy Central, the network is packaging the two shows back to back for a hilarious Thursday night. This is the third season premiere for Silverman's show and the second for Martin's, which kicks off the night at 10.

It's been more than a year since Silverman's show has been on the air, and since then it has seen both bad news (production-threatening budget cuts) and good (Silverman's Emmy nomination), but I'm happy to see the irreverent show back on the air. As for Martin, as much as I liked his foray into drama, his show's return is a welcome homecoming as well.

To watch a funny music video promo with the two comedians, just read more

Movies

Paul Rudd and Zach Galifianakis Team Up to Exercise Free Will

Christmas in January! Two of my favorite funnymen, Paul Rudd and Zach Galifianakis, have signed on for promising new comedy Will.

Christmas in January! Two of my favorite funnymen, Paul Rudd and Zach Galifianakis, have signed on for promising new comedy Will. In the movie, Rudd plays a man in a world where lives are written by scribes in heaven, and who wakes up one day to find that his scribe (played by Galifianakis) has decided to stop writing his life, thus granting him free will.

If the casting isn't enough to convince you of the movie's funny potential, you should also know that it's written by comedian Demetri Martin and being produced by Will Ferrell. By the by, I've been happy that Galifianakis has signed up for a few new dramatic roles, but even happier to see him keeping on the comedy train. And by the looks of my recent poll, you're excited about it, too.

Movies

Taking Woodstock: A Pleasant Piece of Nostalgia

Like many people who weren't even alive in 1969, I have an irresistible, faux nostalgia for movies that capture the vibe of that time.

Like many people who weren't even alive in 1969, I have an irresistible, faux nostalgia for movies that capture the vibe of that time. So while Ang Lee's Taking Woodstock abounds with '60s cliches, I couldn't help but enjoy it.

As telegraphed in the title, Taking Woodstock offers an alternate perspective on the legendary New York music festival. The story swirls around Elliot Teichberg (Demetri Martin) as he takes stock of his life, struggling to help his parents save their rundown Catskills motel while longing for the freedom he feels as a young gay man living in NYC. So he takes Woodstock out of its limbo after the event has been rejected by two other upstate towns. Though the movie is based on a true story, it's almost cartoonish at times, so hear more of what I thought.

Movies

Watch, Pass, TiVo, or Rent: Taking Woodstock

I wasn't sure what to make of the trailer for Ang Lee's Taking Woodstock; it seems like such funny material for the Academy Award-winning director of Brokeback Mountain and The Ice Storm.

I wasn't sure what to make of the trailer for Ang Lee's Taking Woodstock; it seems like such funny material for the Academy Award-winning director of Brokeback Mountain and The Ice Storm.

Then again, maybe there is more of a dramatic arc here with comedian Demetri Martin's role as a shy, closeted teen. Is it the story of his coming out, his family's role in putting on the legendary festival, or is it just an excuse to put Liev Schreiber in a dress? I'm interested in seeing if Martin can carry a heavier role like this, and sure, I wouldn't mind seeing what Emile Hirsch pulls as a crazy hippie, but I don't know if I'm rushing out to see it on opening night.

Will you be heading to the theater for this, waiting til it comes out on video, or skipping it altogether?

Poster courtesy of Focus Features

Poll

Do, Dump, or Marry? Demetri Martin

Demetri Martin is one of my favorite funny guys.

Demetri Martin is one of my favorite funny guys. His surreal sense of humor (plus his "I am one of the missing Beatles" look) is totally endearing. He's even described as a geeky dreamboat by people who keep tabs on that sort of thing. (The guy attended Yale and NYU School of Law on a full scholarship!)

Now, add actor to his list of accomplishments. He's starring in Ang Lee's film Taking Woodstock, which opens today. I can't wait to see it! But what about his other charms?

Poll

Saying "Ladies" — Yay or Nay?

I love Demetri Martin's bit about how adding the word "ladies" to the end of a sentence automatically makes you sound like a creep.

I love Demetri Martin's bit about how adding the word "ladies" to the end of a sentence automatically makes you sound like a creep. I admit, the word "ladies" often makes me cringe, though some of my guy friends seem to think it's classy. I guess it's better than referring to a group of women as "girls" or "my b*tches!" . . . but still. What say you?

Liev Schreiber

Movie Preview: Ang Lee's Taking Woodstock

You might see the word "Woodstock" and feel like we've seen enough about the famous music festival, but this trailer for Ang Lee's first English-language film since Brokeback Mountain actually looks like it might have something new to add to the story.

You might see the word "Woodstock" and feel like we've seen enough about the famous music festival, but this trailer for Ang Lee's first English-language film since Brokeback Mountain actually looks like it might have something new to add to the story. Taking Woodstock is kind of hilariously hard to figure out: In the lead role there's comedian Demetri Martin (who you may know from his TV show Important Things With Demetri Martin) — and then people like Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Emile Hirsch, Liev Schreiber, and Eugene Levy pop up throughout the trailer and it's like, whaaa?

The movie is based on a memoir about a motel owner and his parents who are instrumental in helping the hippies pull off the seminal 1969 rock concert. This description from the book makes the movie all the more fascinating: "Hounded by the guilt that he can't live up to his parents' standards and riven by his own covert homosexuality, Tiber pokes fun at what he calls the Teichberg Curse, a scourge that won't allow the family to escape financial ruin." I wonder if that stuff is explored in the movie? We'll have to wait until Aug. 14 to find out.

I'm still wrapping my head around this trailer, but I'm optimistic. To see for yourself, read more

Humor

The Results Are In: Your Pick For Funniest Male Standup Comedian of 2008

You can't resist the cute funny dudes, and I don't blame you one bit.

You can't resist the cute funny dudes, and I don't blame you one bit. The results are in for GiggleSugar's best male stand-up comedian of 2008, and the honor goes to Demetri Martin! I am also a big fan his stand-up (for proof of his funny, give this vid a watch). Thumbs up, Demetri.

Very close behind were Dane Cook and Jim Gaffigan, another one of my faves. Notable write-in candidates included Jeff Dunham and the late, great Bernie Mac. To see who else is getting some love across the Sugar network, check out the rest of our Best of 2008 coverage.


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