Scott Aukerman talks about bringing 'Comedy Bang! Bang!' to TV

Scott Aukerman’s popular podcast, “Comedy Bang! Bang!” has turned the traditional celebrity interview on its head, with zany musical numbers and improv-style games. Aukerman, who also wrote for the cult comedy show “Mr. Show With Bob and David” and co-created the Web series “Between Two Ferns With Zach Galifianakis,” talks about the future of comedy and the TV version of “Comedy Bang! Bang!” premiering on IFC at 10 p.m. Friday.

“Comedy Bang! Bang!” is part of a new wave of podcasts-turned-TV shows, including Chris Hardwick’s “Nerdist” on BBC America and Marc Maron’s new show, inspired by his “WTF” podcast, which has been green-lit by IFC. Is this the future of comedy development?

I do think that podcasts are a great training ground for people to kind of figure out their voice. There’s no network or person saying, ‘Don’t say this, don’t do that.’ You can pretty much do them in your house ... so they’re a really great place for comedians to figure out what they want to do.

Did your podcast lose anything in the translation to a more mainstream and controlled medium? 

The cool thing about my show is that IFC is a great network for people who want artistic freedom. I’ve been able to do what I want on my show, in the same way that I do it on my podcast. They’ve been really, really supportive.  And a big part of that is because they’re all fans of the podcast. The whole reason they offered me this show is because they all love the podcast.

How did the TV show come about in the first place?

It really was the easiest TV show sale I’ve ever made. Usually I have to  go into a network and beg and plead. But they literally called me up one day and said ‘Hey, we’re thinking of making a TV show out of your podcast.’ [I said]: ‘Oh, OK.’ And that was it.  

I’d been doing a series of interstitials with the network where I interviewed people like Seth Rogen or Danny McBride in between shows for a couple minutes at a time. So they knew me as a host and someone who could have a relatively engaging conversation.  So, yeah, they just offered it to me. And we developed it.  And it’s been the best experience of my professional career.

How does the TV version of “Comedy Bang! Bang!” differ from the podcast?

The sensibility is exactly the same, which is my sensibility. The differences would be that on the podcast we get to stretch out and be a little more languid with it. The podcast lasts for an hour, an hour and 15 minutes every week. The TV show is 22 minutes and very fast-paced. Maybe the most fast-paced show on television! Fans of the podcast are gonna love it. But I really wanted to make a show that wasn’t just for fans of the podcast, that was [also for] people interested in seeing something totally bizarre and funny.

'Trapped in the Closet' will return on IFC

Remember "Trapped in the Closet"? R. Kelly's sprawling, never-ending musical narrative of sex and deceit is about to get another chapter on IFC late this year.

The "Trapped in the Closet" saga began life as a five-part song on R. Kelly's 2005 album "TP3. Reloaded." Videos were shot for the five songs and released on a special DVD along with the album. In 2007, it was expanded to 22 chapters for IFC and IFC.com, where it drew the channel's largest online audience ever.

The story, about the chain of events that take place after a one-night stand, has grown to encompass a bizarre cast of characters, including Rosie the Nosey Neighbor, Big Man and Pimp Lucius.

Those characters and more will be back for the new chapters of the tale, which, as always, is executive produced, starring, written and co-directed by R. Kelly.

In addition to "Trapped in the Closet," IFC is premiering a new comedy series starring podcasting phenomenon Marc Maron. Maron's "WTF" podcast has revived the comedian's career with his candid interviews with famous comedians, including Louis C.K. and Conan O'Brien.

The IFC series, tentatively titled "Maron," will fictionalize Maron's life in a "Curb Your Enthusiasm" kind of way. He'll play a trouble comedian whose career has been revived with a podcast called "WTF" involving comedian interviews.

Other new series include the animated comedy "Out There," about the coming-of-age adventures of boys in a small town; and "Bunk," a comedy game show in which comedians compete in "inane challenges" to win prizes.

Additionally, "Portlandia" will be back with a special episode during the summer and a third season beginning in January.

RELATED:

'Portlandia' is back, now with more 'Battlestar Galactica'

Live chat transcript with 'Portlandia's' Carrie Brownstein, Fred Armisen

R. Kelly still trapped in closet; Adam Lambert released from jail

— Patrick Kevin Day

Photo: R. Kelly. Credit: Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press.

Chat with 'Portlandia's' Carrie Brownstein, Fred Armisen Tuesday

"Portlandia" stars Carrie Brownstein and Fred Armisen will take part in a live Web chat hosted by Show Tracker on Tuesday at 10 a.m. Pacific.

Brownstein and Armisen are also the creators of the sketch comedy, which is finishing up its second season on IFC.

"Portlandia" sweetly spoofs modern hipsters and aging bohemians, centered on the inhabitants of a metropolis where "young people go to retire," everyone grows their own organic food and Kyle MacLachlan is mayor. 

Outside "Portlandia," Armisen continues as a member of the "Saturday Night Live" ensemble, and Brownstein, who was in the band Sleater-Kinney, plays in the band Wild Flag. They recently took "Portlandia" on a a six-city tour that mixed comedy and live music.

The duo will be chatting for an hour, so get all your questions about pickling, craft beers and "Battlestar Galactica" ready.

Sign up below for a reminder.

RELATED:

'Portlandia': The tour

Fred Armisen and Carrie Browstein discuss their series

'Portlandia' is back, now with more 'Battlestar Galactica'

-- Joy Press

Photo: Fred Armisen, right, and Carrie Brownstein, center, with guest star Kristen Wiig in "Portlandia." Credit: IFC

'Portlandia' is back, now with more 'Battlestar Galactica'

The Season 2 premiere of IFC's 'Portlandia' airs on Friday, but you can watch it online in its entirety today below (including a skit about "Battlestar Galactica"-obsessed fans who attempt to track down show creator Ronald D. Moore).

We'll have an interview with the show's stars, Carrie Brownstein and Fred Armisen, later this week, but here's a snippet to tide you over.

How much does the weather in Portland, Ore., affect the spirit of the city and the sort of things you explore and satire?

Carrie Brownstein: One interesting thing about the Pacific Northwest in general — it's definitely specific to Portland — is that there's a real coalescence between internal and exterior landscape. I think people's moods and creative spirit are really affected by the weather. A lot of the music that comes from the Northwest has this underlying ruggedness to it or bleakness. I don't think our show is bleak, but I do think that the weather informs the look of the show and the earnestness of the show —  because you're striving for this optimism that you have to have inside you when outside it's not sunny all the time. You have to nurture that optimism and try to override the cynicism in Portland. Plus, Fred and I just love to layer our clothing.

Fred Armisen: Which actually helps, because wardrobe and costumes can really define a character. There's more opportunity, because it's a little chillier, to have that one jacket that says more as opposed to just a T-shirt, you know, if we had to shoot, like, in Miami.

Many of your characters have a common desire to do things right, to live a good a good life, in a moral way, that often goes very wrong; they become really stressed or annoying in the process. Do you see those impulses in yourself?

Carrie: I definitely feel that I struggle with that. I want to be well-meaning; that's always my inclination. But I'm often, like our characters, flummoxed by this set of esoteric rules that it's not just enough to be good, you have to be good in a specific way. And I think sometimes that turns me into a contrarian, where I just have to do the exact opposite of what I'm supposed to do. Like, if I'm at a coffee shop and they have eight different recycling bins, I just want to put everything in the trash, 'cause I just can't stand there for 20 minutes and figure it out. I think those kind of internal battles exist all the time. And then on top of that there's the awareness of, "Is this really what is worth fighting for and thinking about?" There's that bigger picture of, "Is this actually of value or a good way of being in the world?" I think a lot of our characters grapple with that existential crisis.

Fred: And it's something that people in less fortunate countries don't even have to deal with. They're just trying to survive and eat; they have a different set of problems.

Carrie: It's mock epic.

 

'Portlandia: The Tour'

'Portlandia' puts a bird on it

— Robert Lloyd

 

Favorite TV Guest Stars of 2011

TV series have gone into overdrive with star cameos in recent years, particularly during ratings sweeps periods. Here are some of our favorite guest appearances of 2011:

Matt Dillon on "Modern Family": Bringing back classic TV actors to play parents on contemporary sitcoms has become something of an art, and "Modern Family" nailed it  when the series cast former "Cheers" star Shelley Long as DeDe, Claire's and Mitchell's mom. Even better, DeDe arrived with Matt Dillon as Claire's creepy ex-boyfriend, whose visit caused havoc during little Lily's princess-themed birthday party. He's not exactly competition for Phil, though. “The truth is, I am rich," Dillon boasts. "But not with money. I’ve got my abs, I’ve got my hair, and I’ve got a super sweet job ridin’ that limo outside.”

Steve Buscemi on "Portlandia": The sketches on IFC's cult comedy may be built around the talent and charm of its two cult stars, musician Carrie Brownstein and "SNL" star Fred Armisen, but the series quickly proved that it can throw in a low-key guest star when it cast Kyle McLachlan (who did his time as a northwestern character in "Twin Peaks") in the role of the whimsical faux-mayor of Portland. Even funnier is the use of Steve Buscemi, dropping his "Boardwalk Empire" period garb to play a regular guy who foolishly attempts to use the bathroom in the local feminist bookstore, Women & Women First. Word is that Season 2 will feature even more cameos, from the likes of Eddie Vedder, Kristen Wiig, the Smiths' Johnny Marr and several "Battlestar Galactica" cast members.

 

 

Parker Posey on "Parks and Recreation": If you've ever wondered why Parker Posey doesn't have a quirky yet sweet NBC comedy of her own, the actress' hilariously snooty appearance as Amy Poehler's best-friend-turned-archnemesis Lindsay Carlisle Shay probably soothed the pain slightly.

 

 Honorable mention: Posey gets extra points for her sharp turn on "The Good Wife" as Alan Cumming's ex, a presidential campaign worker who offers to do him a favor — in exchange for something she needs, of course.

 

Condoleeza Rice on "30 Rock": Jack Donaghy has had plenty of famous lady friends (played by Edie Falco, Isabella Rossellini, Salma Hayek, Julianne Moore), but the former secretary of state is the most unlikely. Rice was game to play silly, defending her love of "Mars Attacks!" and agreeing to help rescue Jack's wife from the clutches of Kim Jong Il.

Which brings us to honorable mention Margaret Cho, who impersonated that now-deceased North Korean dictator on that very same "30 Rock" episode.

 

Michael J. Fox on "Curb Your Enthusiasm": Larry David knows how to put a guest star to work. Past seasons have featured stars such as Ben Stiller and Jerry Seinfeld, and this season Ricky Gervais, Rosie O'Donnell, Mayor Mike Bloomberg and ballplayer Bill Buckner showed up to great effect. But Fox closed the season with a self-deprecating wink, leaving Larry convinced that the actor's shaky behavior isn't related to his Parkinson's disease — it's just rude.

 

Sarah Silverman on "Bored to Death": Silverman plays it straight as a rather unorthodox "friendship therapist" trying to help Jonathan (Jason Schwartzman) and his mentor George (Ted Danson) mend their relationship. By massaging her feet.

 

Josh Holloway on "Community": No list of clever and wacky cameos would be complete without "Community," which brings referential comedy to a new level.This fall featured an amusing appearance by Luis Guzman as a graduate of the community college returned to make a promotional video for the school, but the Season 2 finale wins the prize by bringing in Josh Holloway — a.k.a. Sawyer, lost to us since "Lost" — who swaggers in like a gunslinger in a spaghetti western. Sure, the guns are loaded with paintballs, but still, he darkens Greendale's halls with hints of a giant conspiracy all around them. “Sweetie, this thing is so much bigger than you can imagine," he mutters, before dashing out to catch a Coldplay concert.

What great guest appearances did I miss? Let me know below in the comments.

RELATED:

2011's Craziest "Real Housewives" mommy moments

2011 Best TV Meltdowns: From 'winning!' to whining

2011's Most Gruesome TV Deaths

— Joy Press

twitter/joypress

Photo: Julie Bowen, left, Shelley Long and Matt Dillon in "Modern Family." Credit: ABC.

Year in Review: Robert Lloyd's top new TV for 2011

Thirteen favorite things new to TV in 2011, in 10 entries.

"Enlightened" (HBO): Mike White and Laura Dern’s numinous, luminous comedy on the difficulties of spiritual reform.

"Portlandia" (IFC): Site-specific countercultural sketch show, from an “SNL” stalwart and an alt-rock rock star, examines the attitudes of doing right.

"New Girl" (Fox): Zooey Deschanel stays up on the tightrope her costars keep taut.

"Downton Abbey" (PBS): Julian Fellowes’ post-Edwardian upstairs-downstairs, country-house comedy-drama is a digest of British literary and TV traditions.

"Homeland" (Showtime) / "The Killing" (AMC): Hazy mysteries trap the attention of troubled, talented female investigators (Claire Danes and Mireille Enos, respectively, as good as can be but better).

"Mildred Pierce" (HBO): Todd Haynes’ languorous, detailed adaptation of the James M. Cain novel is lifelike and larger than life.

"The Hour" (BBC America) / "Page Eight" (PBS): Hugely satisfying British thrillers; the first jumps like an Aston Martin, the second purrs like a Rolls.

"Boxing Gym" (PBS): A little symphony in pugilistic percussion from Frederick Wiseman, 81.

"George Harrison: Living in the Material World" (HBO) / "Woody Allen: A Documentary" (PBS): Great big films about artists easy to take for granted.

"Wilfred" (FX): Brainy low humor with a sweet streak as awesome Jason Gann (in a dog suit) leads Elijah Wood hectically toward the light.

A low point: After 45 years, Jerry Lewis is clumsily cashiered as the public face, and telethon host, of the Muscular Dystrophy Assn.

For more, here's an essay on TV in 2011.

RELATED:

The year in television essay: Robert Lloyd

-- Robert Lloyd

Photo: Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein putting a bird on it in "Portlandia." Credit: Scott Green/IFC.

CBS' 'Clash of the Commercials' makes advertising the star

Those pesky commercials -- you know, the ear-splitting half-minute shills for soda, cellphones and sneakers that interrupt your favorite TV shows -- are actually pieces of branded content. When they're deftly done, they can rise above that, becoming full-fledged entertainment and pop-cultural touchstones.

Just ask the Old Spice guy.

Or ask Bob Horowitz, who produces TV shows about commercials. His latest effort, "Clash of the Commercials: USA vs. the World," airs Monday on CBS. The 10 p.m. show, hosted by Heidi Klum, will trot out the crème of the crop from different countries, pitting them against homegrown best such as "Messin' With Sasquatch," an ad series that repeatedly punks the mythical creature in order to sell Jack Link's Beef Jerky to prank-loving young men. (See an example below). Viewers will be able to vote on their favorite spots, and the crowd pleasing-est will be crowned winners.

At a time when so many TV viewers try to avoid commercials by watching on demand or using their DVR to skip through the paid pitches, Horowitz said they're still drawn to "irreverent, outrageous, envelope-pushing" ads.

"The good ones are like 30- or 60-second 'Saturday Night Live' vignettes," he said. "They're little skits."

Viewers also respond to the heart-tugging ads, and those will be represented on the show. (Example: "Little Darth Vader," a "Star Wars" homage for Volkswagen Passat that was one of the most memorable ads from this year's Super Bowl).

Horowitz's production company, JUMA Entertainment, also churns out the annual postgame favorite "Super Bowl's Greatest Commercials." The well-watched show has been airing on CBS for a decade. And he's at work on a project with the CLIO Awards, the Oscars of the advertising realm, that could bring decorated ads to TV as a clip special.

There are a couple of advertising-based reality shows in the works too: "Commercial Kings," coming next month on IFC, follows comedy/writer/filmmaker duo Rhett McLaughlin and Link Neal as they develop commercials for local businesses. Their intentionally goofy/cheesy/low-tech ads, now the stuff of Internet legend, have pulled in more than 80 million online views.

David Cross, Will Arnett back for second season of 'The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret'

Good news for people who like watching David Cross suffer: On Thursday, IFC green lighted a second season of "The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret," which features Cross as the writer and star Todd Margaret, a corporate nobody at the London office of a new energy drink who lies his way up the ladder into a senior sales position.(Season 1, which aired last fall on IFC, also featured Will Arnett and guest stars Janeane Garofalo, Amber Tamblyn and Russ Tamblyn.)

Along with "Portlandia," the Fred Armisen/Carrie Brownstein sketch show that IFC recently green lighted for a second season, "Todd Margaret" is helping to distinguish IFC as a destination for original comedies. “'Todd Margaret' personifies the type of offbeat comedy IFC brings to viewers,” said Debbie DeMontreux, IFC's senior vice president of original programming, in a statement. “David is one of the pioneers of alt comedy, a genre IFC is quickly becoming known for.”

Cross seems to have high hopes for the next six episodes. “Questions will be answered and secrets revealed all while the mystery heads towards a deep, shuddering, and very satisfying climax,” he promised in a statement. Which sounds funny... and slightly disturbing. Kinda like the show itself.

 --Melissa Maerz

Photo: "The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret" cast, from left, Blake Harrison, Will Arnett, David Cross and Sharon Horgan. Credit: Giles Keyte/IFC.

IFC greenlights 'Portlandia' for a second season

Good news for '90s-loving, glasses-wearing, tribal-tattooed Northwesterners: IFC has greenlighted a second season of "Portlandia," the sketch comedy series created, written by and starring Fred Armisen of "Saturday Night Live" and Carrie Brownstein, former singer-guitarist of the indie-rock band Sleater-Kinney. According to Nielsen Media, the first three episodes were viewed by a combined audience of over 1.1 million, and the network has ordered 10 new half-hour episodes to premiere in January 2012. Which means more celebrity cameos (Heather Graham, Steve Buscemi, and others showed up on the first season), more sketches celebrating slash-skewering fixed-gear-bike-riding lefties, and more jokes about uppity locavores! Colin the chicken did not die in vain!

--Melissa Maerz

Photo: Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein. Credit: Astrid Stawiarz / Getty Images.

IFC to air 'The Larry Sanders Show,' 'The Ben Stiller Show' and more

Let the off-kilter comedies live on.

IFC announced Thursday that it has picked up "The Larry Sanders Show," "The Ben Stiller Show,"  "Mr. Show with Bob and David" and "Action."

For those with a fading memory (the '90s can do that to a person), here's your chance to get reacquainted.

The shows are a welcome addition to the network's current roster of laugh-filled programming, which includes "Monty Python's Flying Circus," "Arrested Development," "Freaks and Geeks" and "Undeclared," along with new originals "Onion News Network" and "Portlandia.”

The series will alternate through a 90-minute comedy block hosted by Scott Aukerman, founder of the Comedy Death-Ray, that will air on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 10 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. ET/PT beginning Jan. 3.

The block will feature exclusive interviews with writers, creators and stars of each show, along with comedians who have been influenced by them. The debut will feature interviews with Andy Dick ("The Ben Stiller Show") and Sarah Silverman ("The Show").

"Larry Sanders" is scheduled to debut Jan. 3; "Ben Stiller" Jan. 5; "Mr. Show" Jan. 7 and "Action" in late 2011.

--Yvonne Villarreal
twitter.com/villarrealy

Photo: Ben Stiller. Credit: Getty Images

Critic's Notebook: Judd Apatow's 'Undeclared' comes to IFC

Its re-airing of the divine high-school comedy "Freaks & Geeks" having concluded, IFC will now begin airing "Freaks" producer Judd Apatow's subsequent TV project, the 2001 college-set "Undeclared." (Back-to-back episodes of its single season air Fridays at 11 p.m., with Monday-night encores at the same hour.) It is not quite the thing of wonder that was "F&G": It's more conventional, with no support for the moments of existential dread the earlier series embraced, and poignancy of any sort would wither here in an instant. But it's just as funny in its way, and shares some of "Freaks'" best features: a respect for the real -- we are firmly in the realm of (at least) the probable -- and an abiding affection for, and amusement over, layered human strangeness: Here, as before, and after, Apatow is more interested in the crazy things that people feel than in the silly things that they do. His is a sweet, not a sour temperament. He believes in love.