Fresh Question #121: And Now, The Fake News

[Nightwing]

Our top story tonight: It's not tonight, because where I am I happen to be posting this in the morning. Furthermore, it's New Fresh Question time. This Just In:

We've been chuckling to fake news report shticks for decades, from Saturday Night Live's Weekend Update to The Daily Show, and now the new "Dog Bites Man," care of Comedy Central. What I'm looking for here are favorites, least favorites, and an overall critique of what we've got going out there. So if you've followed this Comedic Fake News Report history, tell me:


Over as many years as you can remember, what was your favorite Fake News Reporting team?? Why??

Any of them, including season breakdowns of Saturday Night Live's legendary Weekend Update, are surely acceptable. So until and after you come up with your response: Goodnight, and have a pleasant tomorrow.

[Conekiller]

Weekend Update with Norm McDonald was always my favorite.

[Nin-Nin69]

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart will always be my favorite.

[Djm912]

Weekend Update with Norm McDonald was always my favorite.
Cheers to you.

Norm on Weekend Update was absolutely hilarious, IMO. I love the Daily Show and the Colbert Report, but Norm was one of a kind.

[Moto Pete]

Tough Crowd with Colin Quien

[Tapout]

Norm MacDonald gets my vote as well, with honorable mention going to Colin Quinn. I hated Colin during his time on the show, but after watching Tough Crowd for two years and realizing how brilliant he is it's like seeing and all new show when I catch the reruns.

I never did like the Daily Show and it's gotten even worse since they don't really even consider themselves fake news anymore.

[Lord Dalek]

Norm McDonnald was/is overrated rubbish. His jokes never worked and only seemed to entertain himself.

Dennis Miller and Daily Show durring the Colbert/Carrell/DeGeneris/Rocca years are the only ones I can easily recommend.

[Nin-Nin69]

Tough Crowd with Colin Quien

Tough Crowd wasn't a fake news show, but more of a debate show. And that was the best debate show I've seen.

Seeing unknown comedians paired up with people from SNL or people like Paulie Shore to talk about the events that occured during the day. At the same time you would learn just how stupid these famous comedians were politically compared to small time comedians. Yet they got a ton of big names in such a short period of time and it's always great to see George Carlin, Chris Rock, and Will Ferrell get to socialize with other comedians like Nick DiPaolo or Jim Norton.

To this day I still don't understand why the auidence of CC and the heads of CC hated this show. It delt with the same political humor on the Daily Show, but in a very real way. Something you'd hear some of your smarter friends talk about at your local coffee house on a tuesday night. Yet The Daily Show and Chappelle Show somehow already fit their spot, but Chappelle Show was later canned and now we have 4 more shows similar to the Daily Show after the death of Tough Crowd. I'd rather have this show back if we could get rid of everything else, but the Daily Show and Colbert Report.

[Jaguar]

WU with Norm or Lewis Black's Back in Black segments on The Daily Show.

[Arxane]

I used to love the Daily Show when it had Craig Kilborn as its host, and I remember cringing when I heard he would be replaced by someone called "John" Stewart. But now I find Jon far funnier than Craig - his timing and physical movements seem to blend so well into maximum comedic effect.

On the flip side of the coin, I have no idea why so many people liked Norm MacDonald's Weekend Update. I tried watching this segment several times, and every time I heard unfunny jokes and uncomfortable laughter from the audience, followed by Norm doing a shrug that said, "What, that wasn't funny? It was to me." Must've caught bland episodes or something.

[Tapout]

On the flip side of the coin, I have no idea why so many people liked Norm MacDonald's Weekend Update. I tried watching this segment several times, and every time I heard unfunny jokes and uncomfortable laughter from the audience, followed by Norm doing a shrug that said, "What, that wasn't funny? It was to me." Must've caught bland episodes or something.There's something about that honesty of being able to adknowledge when a joke bombs and not only not gloss over it like nothing happened, but call attention to it. It's another reason Tough Crowd was so great. When a comic would say something dumb, the other comics would first let the audience get out their uncomfortable laughter, then jump on them for it.

[Aquadementia]

Before my time of course, but Orson Wells and the Mercury Theater Players for the War Of The Worlds broadcast.
Best bit of fake news, in an entertainment program, ever.
You all know it's true, don't try to deny it just to get me all flamey.

And then there are two catch phrases from the early years of Weekend Update that precisely sum up the problems with television news.
"Jane, you ignorant slut" is an increasingly less exaggerated example of what debate has become.
"I'm Chevy Chase, and you're not" speaks to how personality and self importance of the people bringing you the news has overshadowed the news itself.
All this from an era where television debate was dominated by the almost stately Meet the Press and Face the Nation, Weekend Update seemed ahead of it's time.

Norm McDonnald was/is overrated rubbish. His jokes never worked and only seemed to entertain himself.

Dennis Miller and Daily Show durring the Colbert/Carrell/DeGeneris/Rocca years are the only ones I can easily recommend.I agree on all three counts.
Dennis Miller was a perfect natural for that spot.
Those years of TDS had the best cast, but I'd also include Beth Littleford and Frank DeCaro, who was getting less frequent by that time but still present. Lot's of talent those years.

The Daily show is still pretty good even if the line-up of correspondents isn't as strong.


I never did like the Daily Show and it's gotten even worse since they don't really even consider themselves fake news anymore.They're finger pointers and they know their place. It's the rest of cable news that's supposed to be dependable that's the let down.

[Tapout]

They're finger pointers and they know their place. It's the rest of cable news that's supposed to be dependable that's the let down.I can't argue with that, and actually, just take my previous statement and replace "The Daily Show" with "Jon Stewart." I very rarely saw Kilborn, so I can't comment. But most of the other people on TDS I like. Regulars like Carrell and Colbert are good, as are more infrequent correspondents like Frank DeCaro, Lewis Black, and very occasionally Dave Attell. It's just Stewart that annoys me.

[candy17]

I prefer the Daily Show and Dog Bites Man (even though when I first heard of DBM, I thought it would suck because of how nonsensical it looked in the commercials) in terms of Comedy Central fake news.

As for SNL, I like the following Weekend Updates:

-Chevy Chase

-Jane Curtin and Dan Aykroyd (Jane Curtin and Bill Murray was good, but I prefer Curtin and Aykroyd better, because of "Jane, you ignorant slut!"

-Brad Hall (only because those who remember his tenure as a Weekend Update anchor say he wasn't funny, but he did get the deadpan delivery right and some of the jokes were pretty good).

-Dennis Miller (the only WU anchor who I think was better than Chevy Chase, even if his jokes were "too smart")

-Kevin Nealon (see Brad Hall)

-Norm MacDonald (even if his first season as a WU anchor was mediocre because the 1994-1995 season of SNL [season 20] was yet another low point for the show because of Phil Hartman's departure, Janeane Garofalo speaking out against SNL's humor reportedly being misogynistic and homophobic and the writing relying more on repetition and lame gags)

[sag_2002]

I've been watching The Daily Show since the Kilborn era, and while Kilborn was cool, Stewart is really the better host.

My favorite Weekend Update is from the Dennis Miller era.

I have not seen Dog Bites Man yet. It sounds cool though.

[Lord Dalek]

-Jane Curtin and Dan Aykroyd (Jane Curtin and Bill Murray was good, but I prefer Curtin and Aykroyd better, because of "Jane, you ignorant slut!"
Which is odd since Point/Counterpoint originated in the Curtain/Murray era.

[The Landstander]

There seems to be two ways of doing "fake" news. One is with a straight-faced seriousness (Craig Kilbourne and Kevin Nealon come to my mind), where you casually make the joke without acknowledging that you're making a joke nor that it is funny. The other is the self-depricating comedian with side comments and playing with the crowd and acknowledging the stupidity of the whole act. Jon Stewart (when he's not being legitimately serious, anyway) and Norm MacDonald are my examples for the latter.

Both can work but I tend to prefer the latter, and Norm was always my favorite SNL news anchor. He could actually be better when the scripted gag didn't work on the audience.

[AnimatedSnow47]

Honestly, much of the "fake news" has become wholly unappealing lately. In fact, a recent study points to fake news causing cynicism about politics in general, which is reducing the number of voters. Not a good thing.

The Daily Show, for example, is too mean-spirited for its own good and has a painfully obvious liberal bias.

What I want, and not fake, is a daily 15-to-30 minute newscast dedicated wholly to optimistic, happy, and upbeat news. No gloom and doom allowed!!!

[Ben]

Dennis Miller and Daily Show durring the Colbert/Carrell/DeGeneris/Rocca years are the only ones I can easily recommend.

Though I am also fond of Ed Helms, and Samantha Bee has really grown on me. I think she's now my favorite correspondent on the show.

[Sr.Infierno]

http://www.canmag.com/images/frontother/anchorman/second.jpg

[Aquadementia]

No one has mentioned SCTV yet. As time goes by, the more I find I appreciate Eugene Levy's performance as a news anchor.

I can't argue with that, and actually, just take my previous statement and replace "The Daily Show" with "Jon Stewart." I very rarely saw Kilborn, so I can't comment. But most of the other people on TDS I like. Regulars like Carrell and Colbert are good, as are more infrequent correspondents like Frank DeCaro, Lewis Black, and very occasionally Dave Attell. It's just Stewart that annoys me.
It might work better for you if they didn't have the interview segment.

I know it's the part of the show I like the least, but I actually prefer the more serious guests then the celebs.

The more scripted segments are funnier.

[Silly McGooses]

Anchorman, hands down.