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Showing posts with label comedy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label comedy. Show all posts

Friday, November 16, 2012

My Favorite Quotes from Seasons Without Reason


My Favorite Quotes 
from Seasons Without Reason




Photo Source: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1477510567

Please Note: 
These are in addition to the quotes found in the Table of Contents. 

Being taken out of context, these might not make as much sense. 

Each story presents a different character in a different situation with a different point-of-view, which may or may not differ from my own. 

Beach fun at Ocean City.  After seven swimmers have been attacked, the Coast Guard hooks a sizable man-eater offshore.  The crew labors feverishly; and as the sun sets, they reel in the predator.  Much to everyone’s amazement, it’s a Bengal tiger in scuba gear.  Meanwhile, astonished zoologists find a monster bull shark bound and gagged in the river at the Bronx Zoo.

“Fast Food Follies”
“For Whom the Taco Tolls” 
The Chalupas and the Gorditas rumbled to see who’d reign supreme.  

“The Mouse that Squeaked”
Markey Mouse’s madcap misadventures entertained the world for decades, so imagine Moe’s astonishment when mobsters accused him of being an informant.  Moe Cheese, the voice of the lovable cartoon character, reread the death threat a third time.  Studio security laughed.  Everyone pegged the note as a silly prank.  

“Breakfast of the Living Dead”
Zombies love bacon.  They may be brain dead.  But they’re not stupid.  

“Exercise = MC Square” 
Albert Einstein, Fitness Guru
Weight gain is a food tax, meted out by an angry IRS agent.  To split the atom and eat seconds of pudding; that’s all I ask.  

“Turning Point”
But suddenly, when all hope seemed lost, my situation worsened.  

“We Get the Point!”
I feel so close; and yet, I find myself plagued by a myriad of doubts.  Maybe mankind isn’t meant to delineate fractions with brevity and ease.

“Woo-Hoo! Happy Birthday to Me!”  
 “No more daytime talk shows for you.  They make you paranoid.”  
 I nodded.  Guess that meant no more soap operas and women’s magazines either.  

“Are Aliens from a Superior Race 
Stealing Our Laundry?”
Twenty years later, the old man died in his sleep for no apparent reason, except that he slumbered on a train track; and the midnight special took him home to glory.  Coincidence?  Or the Infinite Beyond?

“The Five Stages of Grief for Burnt Waffles”
Denial
No!  I can’t be smelling smoke.  This can’t be happening.  The toaster setting 3.5 works best.  There’s no way my waffles can be burning.  Maybe it’s just my computer.  Or the house.  I can only hope.  

“My Stolen Step-Ins”
My mind raced.  What theater?  Richland had only one.  A community theater whose production that night was “Annie”.  If I heard that song about the sun coming out, one more time I’d scream.  Unsure of how else to escape, I said yes and dashed away.  I felt his eyes picking my pockets like a Bowery Street wino on crack.  

“The Twelve-Step Program 
for People with Overdue Library Books”
3. We made a decision to turn our overdue books over to the care of the public library; as we understood them. 

“Brat-Sitter” 
“Oo!  You’re Brat-tastic!  You’re the Chuck Norris of brats.  The Shamu of troublemakers.  The Super-Dee-Duper Double-Deluxe Pack of Delinquents.  This is the worst night ever!”
The Brat stopped hacking off her hair.  “You sure do talk a lot.”

“How to Sell Lots and Lots 
of Angel Scout Cookies”
Sweat flowed freely from his blushing brow.  He was already up to his neck in the quicksand of embarrassment.  

“Origins of Golf Lingo”
Eventually the self-humiliation took its toll on Gary; and he resorted to drinking.  Not just alcohol, but also liquid laxatives.  And soon his life went down the toilet.  

“Catch 23”
With his macho pride preserved, he unclenched his fists, lowered his hands, and hobbled away.  I sighed, having feared that if I’d been forced to defend myself, I might’ve accidentally maimed him.  

“First Fight”
Barbara snickered at his [her husband’s] foiled attempt to look nonchalant.  Realizing he held his breath, she hesitated, admiring the varied hues his face changed: Atomic Tangerine.  Mango Tango.  Razzle Dazzle Rose.  At last she said, “Of course.”

“Philosophy of Chips”
The 1960s band The Ruffles achieved success singing, “I Wanna Hold Your Snacks”, “Sergeant Salsa’s Lonely Hearts Chip Dip”, and “All You Need Is Spuds”.  

“You Look Tasty!”
My farewell to the vegan diet began with one salad too many.  

“No Deposit, ...”
Isn’t the captain supposed to go down with the ship?  And here you are: The only one to survive!  

“Cannibal Conundrum”
With society allowing many former taboos, such as casino gambling and used car sales, eventually, even cannibalism will be considered socially acceptable.  The Kitchen Network will feature shows such as: “How Best to Serve Mankind” and “Cooking with Zulu”.   

“Seven Dozen and Three Years Ago”
“My soul quivers to think that what you said makes sense.”  

“Origins of Stand-Up Comedy Lingo”
So to avoid confusion, comics adopted the now accepted phrase of punch line.  And that term works great, unless you perform at weddings and bar mitzvahs where you’ll find a line of people waiting to drink punch.  In which case, drink some punch; and join the universe in sighing, “Oy vey!  What can you do?”

“A Dribble Glass Can Be a Beautiful Thing”
The Fake Arrow Through the Head would have saved General George Custer and his men.  And imagine what the old Bucket of Water Over the Door Trick might have done for the Nixon Administration.

“Art Schmart”
“Don’t be silly.”  I chuckled.  “I’m not arrogant.  Arrogance is beneath me.”  

“The Secret to Comedy”
Funny, we have long lived with laughter, cackling like loons, without understanding why.  My lab partner Doctor Conway and I will conduct a series of gradated tests to unmask the mysteries of the comical.  Not only to harness humor’s healing properties and win the Nobel Peace Prize, but more importantly, to pick up chicks. 

Dean



Hurry!  Buy yours today!  
Before my Kindle book prices go up December 1!




Friday, October 26, 2012

My Favorite Chapter from Monster Laughs

My Favorite
Chapter from Monster Laughs

Three Left Side Photos by Daniel Terry
Right Photo by Dean Burkey


To celebrate Halloween!
(Really just an excuse to promote my book Monster Laughs.)

What do you do
when your own planet
turns against you?

FILE #148:
ILLEGAL ALIENS
FROM OUTER SPACE

Worlds turn against the Mystery Hunter,
including his own!
The galaxy cries out:
“Bring me the Hunter!”

It all began with a yak. It always begins with a yak. A yak had a heart attack and fell on its back. Midsummer’s day. Monkeys everywhere chattered like crazy. Pet owners around the world reported dogs meowing and cats barking. Some reported goldfish bowls bubbling like Jacuzzis. At the North Pole, a lone scientist Nicholas C. Kringle detected intergalactic activity on his monitors. In the Outback, a tribe of aborigines whooped and hollered with greater fervor than ever before. And in Pascagoula, Mississippi, hillbillies claimed space aliens violated them, but not in a good way.

With his equipment on the fritz, Nick couldn’t signal out. The aborigines failed to communicate with anyone who could understand them. And although Jethro and Bubba swore on their Mama’s grave, no one believed those country bumpkins; the fact that Mama Rutherford still lived, only cast further doubt upon her less than sober sons’ stories.

Since Neil A took the initiative to bring me a banana cream pie on my last case, I figured I’d let him tag along. (Plus, he found me this assignment, so I felt obligated.) Why not? Who says the Hunter has to prowl alone? Okay. I did. But what did I know?

This is the city: Hamilton. The capital of Bermuda, a.k.a. The Bermuda Islands, a.k.a. The Somers Isles, a.k.a. The Birthplace of a Style of Shorts Worn by Elderly Men with Metal Detectors, a.k.a. The Home of that Troublesome Triangle. If Bermuda banned clothing, they’d be called Bare-Nuda.

What attracted space aliens to the Bermuda Triangle? I’d rather fancy the Rhode Island Rhomboid myself. Or even the Singapore Circle. And for its paranormal activity alone, the Sasquatch Square. But a triangle? Seems a little too three-sided for my taste.

Reports of orange lights and little green men abounded. Fine by me. As long as nothing’s blue. I couldn’t handle anything blue. Besides, I ate a hearty helping of golden pecan waffles with organic maple syrup. And for our upcoming break, Neil A ordered a peanut butter chocolate pie. With added slices of banana. So I’m ready to take on the world. And perhaps, something from beyond.

Having encountered space aliens before, I can spot ‘em a mile away. Sometimes light years! Glowing in the dark and shooting lasers from their eyes are pretty big clues. My gut reaction to UFO reports? They’re hoaxes. In this case, an elaborate, global-wide hoax, but still a hoax. The problem with conducting effective research into UFO activity? Most reports are completely errant. But that doesn’t preclude the few that are only mostly errant.

Generally speaking, people who claim to see UFOs are the same as you and me in every respect, except for an excessive hankering for chewing tobacco, Nascar, and banjo music. (Actually, General Lee speaking would be: “Howdy folks, I’m General Lee; but you can call me Robert E.”) Moonshine entrepreneur Skeeter J. McCracker declared, “UFOs is as real as wrestlin’!” Odder still, the folks who say flying saucers are real, claim NASA faked the moon landings. But why would NASA do such a thing? Well, of course, to sell tons of Tang!

After arriving, unpacking, and eating half a pie. (I shared.) I napped. Jet lag. Laziness. Whatever. Most UFO activity happens at night anyway, so I needed to sleep the rest of the day. Neil A and I found two hammocks on the beach and rested in the shade. Dozing off, I dreamt that Neil A chatted with a hermit crab, reassuring him that he no longer needed to live alone.

I awakened when the light of a full moon shone on me. Did someone drug my pie? I saw double! Make that triple. Quadruple even! A water spout opened a vortex in the legendary waters off the coast of Bermuda; and outpoured full moon after full moon. Which was odd. Because the calendar said tonight’s moon would be crescent.

When I nudged Neil A to awaken him, he mumbled about not having to hide behind angry claws anymore. Poor Kid must’ve dreamt the same crazy dream I dreamt. Opening his eyes, he chanted like the little girl from “The Amityville Horror”: “They’re here!”

“Relax, Kid. UFOs are hoaxes.”

“Some hoax,” replied my favorite pie-ologist.

“Yeah, someone went to a lot of trouble for this one.” A lot of trouble indeed! Somehow these full moons appeared around the world, hovering over such famous landmarks as Stonehenge, the remains of the Colosseum in Rome, Big Ben, the Taj Mahal, the Empire State Building, the Sears Tower, the St. Louis Arch, the Opera House in Sidney, the Guggenheim Museum, Spaceship Earth at EPCOT Center, Mount Everest, Mount McKinley, Mount Rushmore, Pike’s Peak, Clingman’s Dome, Devils Tower, Bok Tower, Rock City Gardens on Lookout Mountain, Florida Southern College in Lakeland, Jay and Silent Bob’s Secret Stash -- East and West, and, believe it or not, the Ripley’s Believe It Or Not Museum in St. Augustine.

One floated above the Great Pyramid of Giza. The same with pyramids in Chichen-Itza, at the Louvre in Paris, and at the Luxor Hotel in Las Vegas. One even made the Leaning Tower of Pisa stand upright!

Hold your hoaxes! An odd hunch overwhelmed me. Maybe these UFO reports contained a smidgen of validity after all. I shared that notion with my youthful sidekick, who said, “Ya’ think?” I could be wrong, but I sensed a bit of sarcasm. “Why?” he asked. “Why don’t you believe in UFOs?”

“You never hear of anyone cool encountering UFOs. It’s always a couple rubes named Jethro and Bubba. Sometimes Smitty or Cecil. Never Sigmund, Karl, or Eduardo.”

Neil A nodded and lit another of his strange cyan-smoke cigarettes.

“If you were an alien from a so-called superior race, would you want to visit the back woods of Pascagoula?”

Neil A shook his head. “We can’t pick.” He cleared his throat. “They! Can’t pick their assignments.”

“Still. They never pick anyone cool. Hey, Kid! Why are you falling away?”

“I’m not falling; you’re floating!”

Sure enough, a tractor beam from a UFO lifted me. As the hatchway closed beneath me, I said, “Welcome to Earth.” After the beam released me, I gawked at the interior of the hovering sphere, lights flickered and flashed throughout the interior. For fun, I pointed and said, “There’s a penny in the corner!” Two of the so-called intelligent beings looked! “It’s a round room.”

The butt of a ray gun knocked me out cold. Those humorless punks.

...

... And that’s just the beginning! Lots more happens! Including some cool plot twists which help make this my favorite chapter. Humor, suspense, action, adventure! The Mystery Hunter’s never been good at relating to other people, but this time, the whole world turns against him! His own world! And others. Somehow bubblegum and burritos play major roles.

... To read more of Monster Laughs, read the sample from the Kindle edition here.

... To read the rest of this chapter, buy the Kindle edition here for only ninety-nine cents! $0.99!

... If you don’t have a Kindle reader, get a Free Kindle Reading App here.

... Buy the print edition here for only $9.95, plus shipping, unless you qualify for free shipping.

... Zany, quirky, funny, fun. For teens and adults.

Blessings & Joy,

See also: 


Friday, October 5, 2012

Some of My Favorite Rodney Dangerfield Jokes

Some of My Favorite 


November 22, 1921 – October 5, 2004

As far as I know,
Rodney Dangerfield wrote all of the following jokes:

When I was born, the doctor came into the waiting room and said to my father, "I'm sorry. We did everything we could, but he pulled through."

I could tell my parents hated me. My bath toys were a toaster and radio.

My mom took me to a dog show and I won!!

Once when I was lost...I saw a policeman and asked him to help me find my parents. I said to him...Do you think we'll ever find them? He said...I don't know kid......there are so many places they can hide.

I remember the time that I was kidnapped and they sent a piece of my finger to my father. He said he wanted more proof.

What a childhood I had.  My parents sent me to a child psychiatrist.  That kid didn't help me at all.


Uploaded by  on May 4, 2007

I never got girls when I was a kid. One girl told me, `Come on over, there's nobody home.' I went over. There was nobody home.

I worked in a pet shop and people kept asking how big I'd get.

Some dog I got. We call him Egypt because in every room he leaves a pyramid. His favorite bone is in my arm. Last night he went on the paper four times - three of those times I was reading it.

When I started in show business, I played one club that was so far out, my act was reviewed in Field and Stream.

It's been a rough day. I got up this morning, put a shirt on and a button fell off. I picked up my briefcase and the handle came off. I'm afraid to go to the bathroom.

I met the surgeon general, he offered me a cigarette!

I was watching the fights; and a hockey game broke out. 

My wife and I were happy for twenty years.  Then we met.

When we got married, the first thing my wife did was put everything under both names — hers and her mother's.

I walked in on my wife and the milkman, the first thing she says is "don't tell the butcher"!

My wife made me join a bridge club. I jump off next Tuesday.

I went to see my doctor. "Doctor, every morning when I get up and I look in the mirror I feel like throwing up. What's wrong with me?" He said, "I don't know but your eyesight is perfect."

I told my doctor I wanna stop aging, he gave me a gun!

I'm getting so old my insurance company sends me 1/2 a calendar!

My uncle's dying wish was to have me sitting in his lap; he was in the electric chair.

Dean


For more about Rodney Dangerfield, visit Heaven-Bent to read my post: Remembering Rodney Dangerfield (A comedian to the end, and beyond, even his tombstone is funny.)

 
  

Friday, August 10, 2012

Some of My Favorite Steve Martin Jokes

To celebrate 
Steve Martin's birthday next Tuesday (August 14), 
here are:

Some of My Favorite
Steve Martin Jokes


“Um, I know that sounds phony, 
‘cause every entertainer in the world comes out 
no matter where they are and they always go, 
‘HEY! IT'S REALLY GREAT TO BE HERE!’ 
And it really sounds fake. 
But, believe me, I am sincere when I say, 
‘HEY! IT’S REALLY GREAT TO BE HERE!’” *

Enjoy this early performance 

Uploaded by  on Jul 29, 2011

“Well, anyway, um. Oh, this is an interesting thing. I, uh, gave my cat a bath the other day. You know I’d always heard you weren’t supposed to give cats baths, but my cat came home; and he was really dirty; and I decided to give him a bath. And it was great. If you have a cat, don’t worry about it. They love it. He sat there. He enjoyed it. Uh, it was fun for me, you know; and uh, the fur would stick to my tongue. But other than that, you know, it was, uh, great.” *

Enjoy the hilarious magical comedy of 
The Great Flydini
from The Tonight Show 
starring Johnny Carson:

Uploaded by  on Feb 6, 2011

“Okay, I don’t like to, um, gear my material to the audience but, um, I’d like to make an exception, because I was told, uh, that there is a convention of plumbers, in San Francisco, this week; and I understand about 30 of ‘em came down to the show tonight. So before I came out, I worked up a joke especially for the plumbers. And, uh, now those of you, who aren’t plumbers, probably won’t get this and won’t think it’s funny, but I think those of you who are plumbers will really enjoy this. And, uh, so if you’re not a plumber, please, just bear with me for a while. And just kind of, uh, hold off on this, but I’d really like to do this for the plumbers. So, here we go: This lawn supervisor was out on a sprinkler maintenance job; and he started working on a Findlay sprinkler head with a Langstrom seven-inch gangly wrench. Well, just then, a little apprentice leaned over and said, ‘You can’t work on a Findlay sprinkler head with a Langstrom seven-inch wrench.’ Well this infuriated the supervisor, so he went and got Volume 14 of the Kinsley manual; and he reads to him and says, ‘The Langstrom seven-inch wrench can be used with the Findlay sprocket.’ Just then, the little apprentice leaned over and said, ‘It says sprocket not socket!’” (Chuckles. Worried pause.) “Were those plumbers supposed to be here this show, or?” *


Uploaded by  on Jan 11, 2008

“Comedy is the art of making people laugh 
without making them puke.” *

“I’ve got to keep breathing. 
... It’ll be my worst business mistake if I don’t.” *

A bit risque, but funny, 
Steve shares his Five Wishes for Christmas:

Uploaded by  on Dec 16, 2007

“I handed in a script last year 
and the studio didn’t change one word. 
... The word they didn’t change was on page 87.” *

“I think I did pretty well, 
considering I started out with nothing, 
but a bunch of blank paper.” *

Enjoy this Steve Martin short film!
The hilarious Absent-Minded Waiter

Uploaded by  on May 22, 2008

“All I’ve ever wanted was an honest week’s pay 
... for an honest day’s work.” *

Other favorite Steve Martin jokes not included here are Ramblin’ Man/Theme From Ramblin’ Man, One Way to Leave Your Lover, and Googlephonics. Of course, with so many great Steve Martin jokes from which to choose, how can anyone pick everyone’s favorite? So if, for whatever reason, I didn’t include your favorite Steve Martin joke, then please let me close with this one: 



 

* Written and/or performed/spoken by Steve Martin.

For more about Steve Martin comedy, please visit previous post: My Favorite Comedians and visit Heaven-Bent on August 14 after 5 am (Eastern) for my post: Happy Birthday Steve Martin!

COMING THURSDAY August 16: My Favorite Elvis Songs



Friday, July 20, 2012

My Favorite Commercials*

My Favorite Commercials*

Apparently, I like comedy, because all these are funny. 
Such as the following two fun movie genre spoofs for Vanguard: 

Uploaded by  on Jun 24, 2011

Uploaded by  on Jun 24, 2011

Cedric the Entertainer lives up to his name: 

Published on Mar 27, 2012 by 

This one stars Anthony Perkins:

Uploaded by  on Oct 27, 2011

I'm not sure if that one's really a favorite,
but I like it, because it was such a fun spoof of Psycho.
(Apparently I like movie spoofs.)

I like this next one,
because this is the first time I saw my favorite comedian Brian Regan:


Uploaded by  on Sep 29, 2009

That wasn't a movie spoof, but I first saw it at the movies. 
For more fun with Brian Regan, check out: 

And my secret favorite commercial* ... 
Viewer Discretion Advised.


Uploaded by  on Oct 28, 2009

What a gasser!
Just be glad that wasn't aired on Smell-O-Vision!

Blessings & Joy,
Dean





* For my Favorite Favorite Commercial, see: My Favorite Commercial

Sunday, April 22, 2012

My Favorite Brian Regan Routines

Uploaded by  on Jun 24, 2007
Uploaded by  on Dec 21, 2006




Enjoy Clean, Family-Friendly Comedy at Its Best!


Blessings & Joy,

Friday, March 30, 2012

My Favorite Mitch Hedberg Routine



Uploaded by  on Feb 4, 2008

Mitch Hedberg
(February 24, 1968 – March 30, 2005)

Mitch Hedberg: “You know when you go into a restaurant on the weekends; it gets busy; so they start a waiting list; they start calling out names? They say like, “Dufrene, party of two. Table ready for  Dufrene, party of two.” And if no one answers, they’ll say the name again,  “Dufrene, party of two.” But then if no one answers, they’ll just go right on to the next name, “Bush, party of three.” Yeah, but what happened to the Dufrenes? No one seems to care! Who can eat at a time like this? People are missing! You people are selfish. The  Dufrenes are in someone’s trunk right now. With duct tape over their mouth. And they’re hungry! That’s a double whammy! We need help! “Bush, search party of three!” You can eat once you find the  Dufrenes! ”