by Ian Sorensen

Though the title to this blog entry may seem like a title to an episode of ‘The Big Bang Theory,’ it is nonetheless the best way I could come up with to express my feelings about two actors/comedians/ Saturday Night Live alumni who have had great success in the world of comedy.

Adam Sandler and Will Ferrell are the only actors I can think of that have their own genres attached to their names. What I mean is this: when Adam Sandler is in a movie that features his particular brand of humor, it is forever known as ‘an Adam Sandler movie.” The same goes for the Funny or Die co-founder Will Ferrell. “The Waterboy,” “Billy Madison,” “Happy Gilmore,” “Big Daddy,” and “Mr. Deeds” are all ‘Adam Sandler Movies.’ In the same vein, “Anchorman,” “Blades of Glory,” “Semi-Pro,” and “Talladega Nights,” are all ‘Will Ferrell Movies.’  These are the only two actors for whom this happens; no one ever calls “National Treasure” a ‘Nicolas Cage Movie’ and no one calls “Sophie’s Choice” a ‘Meryl Streep Movie.’  With these two guys being the exception, actors don’t own their movies; directors do, because directors for the most part leave their mark with the project choices they make. For instance, there’s the Christopher Nolan Movie (dark, mind-bending, suspenseful), the Woody Allen Movie (neurotic, awkwardly funny) and the Michael Bay Movie (CGI-riddled, terrible). 

Here’s the kicker: I’ve only liked Adam Sandler and Will Ferrell in the movies that weren’t Adam Sandler Movies or Will Ferrell Movies (with one exception). 

My favorite film that Adam Sandler has starred in is “Punch Drunk Love,” partially because it wasn’t an Adam Sandler Movie. It was a distinct deviation from all of the films he has done before and since (with the exception of “Spanglish”). Similarly, one of my favorite roles that Will Ferrell took was that of Harold Crick in “Stranger Than Fiction.” The other: Ron Burgundy in “Anchorman,” which remains of the funniest, most ridiculous movies ever made, and the exception I mentioned earlier.

I do concede some points: I have not seen “Semi-Pro” or “Blades of Glory,” which fellow Utility Player Judi stresses I must do. The only reason I liked “Big Daddy” was because of Jon Stewart (that one guy who hosts The Daily Show) and the only reason I liked “Billy Madison” was because of Bradley Whitford (Josh Lyman in “The West Wing”).  It occurs to me that nearly all characters Sandler and Ferrell play are loud but loveable dimwits.

And that’s okay. People find that funny. But for me, it’s like a breath of fresh air when these guys do something completely different from the norm.

And to all persons offended by this blog who consider Sandler and Ferrell to be the funniest people on the planet: when you send me your hate mail, please sign it. I want to know what name to give to the police.

This week's special guest for the podcast was the wonderful and fabulous John Ager. John Ager, who is an amazing stand up comic, has guest starred in the Comedy Cabaret a number of times. John is a long time friend of the Utility Players and so we were so excited when John agreed to be on our podcast.

We devoted the entire podcast to John, his experiences, and his comedy. John has traveled the country performing stand up and also had a long illustrious career as John Candy's personal trainer. Check out the podcast to learn how John deals with bombing, with his crazy family, and deciding what material to be in his set list.

Make sure to check out John's fantastic website and listen to some of his stand up as well. Thanks again John and hope to have you back on the show soon. JOHN'S WEBSITE

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Jessica Levity, was 2008 graduate from the University of Wisconsin - Madison, with a bachelor of arts with majors in Sociology & Philosophy and a minor in LGBT Studies. Levity completed a precursor to her eventual thesis discussing comedians and ethical responsibilites they may or may not have to their audiences. Here is a preview of the article and make sure to go to our press room

being an ethical comic, or rather, practicing comedy ethically, is not necessary, but is a choice to be made by the comedian; consciously choosing to practice ethically sound comedy is the first moral step in the process. The rest of the process in my philosophy follows from some age-old advice; it turns out that to write what you know is not merely fine aesthetic advice, but also the correct moral advice for comedians.  I call this idea the Principle of Subjectivity, which states that ethical comedy is best achieved when the comedian’s performance is constructed directly from within his/her own personal life experiences or out of his/her particular cultural identity.

Ian is currently a student at UNR and is studying journalism. In his article he talks about the similarities he finds between the fast paced environment of journalism and the unpredictableness of improv:

"Improvisation quickens the mind and the heart and prepares one for even the most surprising and jarring situations.  It makes you ready for just about anything"

Head to our Press Room to check out the full article.