PodCapsule: The Adam Carolla Show 12-19-12 (Chris D’Elia Live From the Hollywood Improv)

Today's episode was recorded live from the Hollywood Improv, with guest Chris D'Elia from the prime-time comedy "Whitney". I was vaguely aware of Chris D'Elia before, having seen him starring alongside Whitney Cummings on her popular NBC show.

I think he is a good, entertaining guest who can think on his feet in front of a crowd. He got in quite a few funny lines, especially when he kept giving a certain female audience member a hard time because she seemed like the "cat lady" type (this lady also claimed to love classic porn - but strangely did not know Adam's favorite porno ever: Taboo 2). The cat lady denied that she had cats, but her denial seemed a little too frantic to me; I bet her apartment has at least 4 cats in it right now. 

Bald Bryan talked about how he had gotten Chemo for his brain tumor earlier that same day. He said he felt OK, but his muscles were a little sore. I wonder how the crowd felt about that little talk being the start of a comedy show; I think some of them didn't know if Bald Bryan and the others were joking or being serious at first.

Sometimes I think about how someone who doesn't know much about the Carolla Podcast would react at a live taping with all the raunchy subjects that are joked about. I don't mean that in a disapproving way, I just mean it would be funny to watch the face of someone who gets offended easily at one of these live shows. Just in today's show, there was cancer talk to start off, talk of mixing blood and semen as a cocktail ("the suicide"), and a healthy sprinkling of racism. Let me say again, those were all hilarious to me. But I guess it takes a certain type to appreciate that humor (not saying that in a positive way).

Not only was Chris D'Elia good, but the rest of the Carolla crew was on point. I thought Alison had a nice performance; I think she is really settling in to the show. Carolla himself was hilarious with a lot of funny lines; he seemed like he might have had a little too much Mangria possibly, but hey, sometimes that's what it takes for the funny to flow. I think we all know Ace is a highly functioning alcoholic at this point, right? OK. Anyways, this is one of the best Adam Carolla 'casts that I've heard in awhile, download it if you're a fan. Link at the top. If you're not a fan, then you'll probably hate it, like the AV club does.

Youtube Flashback: Billy West on the Stern Show Vol. I

Billy West

 Before Futurama, legendary voice actor Billy West was a member of the The Howard Stern Show, providing the voices to a wide assortment of hilarious characters. One of my favorite characters that West performed on the Stern show was that of Stern writer and on-air personality Jackie "the joke man" Martling. The voice West provided was for the Jackie Puppet, which was an actual puppet that was used in the show and was supposed to represent the rude, crude, and loud side of Martling - saying things Martling himself would never say on air. If one of the Jackie Puppet's corny jokes failed to get a laugh, it would angrily demand "Laugh, Damnit, laaaaugggh!" in a wheezy yell that was a comedically exaggerated interpretation of the real Martling's voice.

The Jackie puppet

How cool would it be to have a puppet for the exclusive purpose of making fun of one of your coworkers? Of course, Martling and West have said in many interviews that it was a strange dynamic with the Jackie Puppet, as Martling would often be the one writing the vicious humor directed at himself and feeding it to West via notes in real time. 

The Jackie Puppet was hard drinking and partying, and was high all the time, which contributed to one of the best bits with Billy West as the Jackie Puppet - when the puppet got high on Jimsonweed. Enjoy.

'California's Gold' Host Huell Howser Retires

The enthusiastic and curious host of public television's long-running show "California's Gold" has retired. Huell's rather sudden exit has caught a lot of people by surprise, including me. As both an ironic and non-ironic fan of Huell Howser, I was surprised because I always thought Huell would keep mining more Cali Gold (which by the way, is also the stage name of a male escort that Huell once ordered from Craigslist) until late in his life. To say he appeared to enjoy his hosting duties would be quite an understatement. As the the LA Times article says, some in the entertainment industry have speculated that Huell is suffering from an illness, which I hope is not the case. Best wishes for good health go out to HH!

Huell has provided viewers with many entertaining moments over the years; here is what happens when Huell finds out that a dog living on an avocado farm eats avocados (also note Huell's amazement at "a bed of leaves".