In between were 9 women. Roseanne Barr was the highest ranked female at #9, Degeneres followed at #13, and others were dispersed throughout the list (although I can't seem to find Whoopi Goldberg's name, which I would've expected to see).
I guess I shouldn't conclude that women aren't funny in general (although when I reflect on the "funny" people that I know in my personal life, the preponderance is male), but it seems pretty clear that they haven't put much of a dent into the world of stand-up comedy. Do men really make better stand-ups than women, or is it a male-dominated field because of gender inequality in the past that is only now evening itself out?
How come there's no woman out there who can make me laugh like, say, a Robin Williams can? How come no woman makes a career out of doing comedy movies like Adam Sandler (although Nia Vardalos seems to be trying this)?
On the other hand, one thing that I really like about SNL now is that it's got several really funny women (Maya Rudolph is arguably the best cast member male or female).
Well, that's it. Just thought I'd bring this to your attention.
posted
No, actually- I think women can get a lot of attention just for looking good in mainstream media, so they let their brains take a back seat. Or else they can't get attention for looking good, so they have a great sense of humor they get by on but its hampered by a complex about being less good looking than other women. Men, on the other hand, can look like anything and will still be admired for being clever, generally. That is my theory.
Posts: 377 | Registered: May 1999
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posted
That list is just SO wrong! And not just the fact that it leaves off some women who should absolutely be there -- (in no particular order) Lily Tomlin, Rita Rudner, Kathy Buckley, Gracie Allen, Pam Stone, and many more -- it leaves off many MEN who should be there. And the order is whacked.
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posted
Well, you can take issue with the list certainly. But the proportion of succesful women to men in comedy is still very much askew.
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posted
Oh, boy. Where do I begin? I think I'll start by saying that women have to be funny - it saves our sanity. As far as the list goes, there are many more men than women, I think, because stand-up has always been mostly a man's game. This is mostly, IMO, because "funny" and "attractive" are often seen as mutually exclusive in our culture. So, women are less inclined to puruse stand-up because they want to be the "pretty" one, not the "funny side-kick" type.
My own personal opinion is that Ellen DeGeneres is funnier on a bad day than Roseanne Barr is on a good day - and I like Roseanne a lot.
As someone else said, where are Lily Tomlin, Whoopi Goldberg, and Gracie Allen, not to mention Gilda Radner who was, in my opinion, brilliant. They should certainly be on a list that has Joan Rivers (44), who is not funny but just mean, and Brett Butler (87) and Paula Poundstone (88), who have their moments, but cannot touch Radner, Tomlin, and Allen.
As for the men on the list: I can live with Pryor at first place and Carlin at second place. I can also see the point of putting Lenny Bruce at third place, but I think he was probably put there more for his ability to spark controversy than his intrinsic funniness (although from tapes I've seen and heard, he was very funny). Robin Williams should be higher than 13th place - he could maybe take over Woody Allen's place at number 4. As far as I can see, people laugh at Allen, not with him. I would also place Bob Newhart higher than his 14th place on the list, somewhere in the top ten.
Bobcat Goldthwait should be, in my opinion, much higher than he is on the list (61), as should be Richard Belzer (64), Paul Rodriguez (74), and Eddie Izzard (75). I'd certainly put Goldthwait and Belzer in the top 20 and Rodriguez and Izzard very high in the 21 to 40 range.
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"I slept with a woman on the ship, and afterwards I was thinking, "Am I gaaaay? Am I straaaaight?" And then I realized: I'm just slutty. Where's my parade?" -- Margaret Cho
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posted
Standup was a man's game for so long largely because women just didn't perform in those kinds of places, not with clothes on. It wasn't until the late 80's that comedy clubs starting taking off.
[ April 29, 2004, 11:04 PM: Message edited by: Chris Bridges ]
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posted
I know Tracey Ullman is considered to be some kind of comic genius, but I've never found any of her shows funny.
But she did make the Simpsons possible, so she is a GOD to me.
Bette Midler is not technically a comedian, but on a good day (or actually when she's having a bad day) she can be funnier than most people on that list. She can also say things that would make Richard Pryor blush.
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posted
That's okay, I've never in my life laughed at Colin Quinn, but he made the list... I'm sure the fact that he has a show on Comedy Central had nothing to do with it.
[ April 29, 2004, 11:06 PM: Message edited by: Chris Bridges ]
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posted
Oops! How could I have forgotten Moms Mabley and Margaret Cho? Both funny, funny women. I remember watching Moms on the talks shows when I was a kid - loved her.
And, oh my goodness, Minnie Pearl. Minnie Pearl was great, the best of the southern comedy contingent, male or female.
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posted
Colin Quinn has his uses. He reminds me how lucky we are to have the current Weekend Update team. Tina Fey, I love you. Posts: 4116 | Registered: Apr 2002
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posted
I'll turn his show on just long enough to see who the guest comics are, but he leaves me utterly cold.
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posted
Comedy vs. strip club makes a lot of sense, but this is whack:
quote:This is mostly, IMO, because "funny" and "attractive" are often seen as mutually exclusive in our culture.
I have yet to see a personal ad (online or otherwise) that didn't list a sense of humor as a prerequisite.
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posted
I actually really like Tough Crowd. I think that Quinn can be really funny, and when he bombs I usually sympathize with him.
Posts: 3056 | Registered: Jun 2001
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Ok, a serious response: For whatever reason, men are supposed to make women laugh, in the dating game. You ask a woman what she wants in a man, and thats almost ALWAYS top 3. For men, its less of a predominant "dating" attribute.
Hence, men work harder at trying to be funny in order to be sexually attractive.
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posted
I've never seen Roseanne do standup, but her show is _the_ funniest sitcom about working class families or actually families in general, period.
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Another funny woman is none other than Patricia Routledge, who plays Hyacinth on "Keeping Up Appearances."
Another one, local to us in New England, is Cheryl Wheeler, a folk singer. She tells stories, and you wet your pants laughing. Then she starts to sing these wicked sad songs, and your eyes well up.
Nah, women are not funny at all.
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posted
We are talking funny, not necessarily obnoxious.(joke)
My husband has the dryest sense of humor going, up there with Mister Davidson. That kind of funny has a very small audience. So, someone can be intensely funny, and no one can ever know it!
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posted
But as far as stand-up comedy goes, obnoxious-funny does have a lot to do with it. One of Carlin's CDs is actually titled "Class Clown."
Posts: 3056 | Registered: Jun 2001
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Yes, you are right about stand-up comedy, I suppose. I happen to hate it. Weird, since I like things that are funny, and I love those same stand-up comics(Seinfeld, Romano, Barr, de generes) in shows or movies. Why is that?
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posted
You know what it is? Too much empathy. I get a physical reaction to the people standing up there. I feel so uncomfortable the whole time, I just can't bear it. It is me, not them, I am aware of that. I do know a lot of people who feel like I do, though.
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posted
So you require a suspension of reality in order to be in the mood for comedy? For instance, if a guy falls down a flight of stairs in real life, you wouldn't laugh at that. Me, on the other hand... assuming that the fall doesn't kill the poor guy. Death is definitely a comedy killer.
Posts: 3056 | Registered: Jun 2001
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posted
Maybe that is it, Jehovoid. I have too much trouble disconnecting from the real person standing there.
My sister in law only laughs when someone falls or something in real life. Now that is weird, I think.
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Regardless of innate comedic talent, do you think that success in the stand-up venue might have anything to do with accessible topics? Folks are bringing up Roseanne (long past) and Whoopie (flash in the pan, long ago) as examples. I'm not so sure it's a gender issue, so much as it is a material one. (keeping in mind the life-path choices accessible to youngsters) Rita still makes me bust a gut when I hear her material.
posted
I think nowadays women can talk about sex, politics, and society just as freely as men can. Maybe the only major comedic well they wouldn't be able to tap into successfully is bathroom humor.
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posted
Women can do some of the best bathroom humor around, fellas. But the thing is, you don't want to hear it. ha ha
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posted
On a side note, I was upset that they didn't include my favorite comedian... Emo Phillips. But then I figured it was because he only had 2 albums (but they were fantastic albums...)
Posts: 7085 | Registered: Apr 2001
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posted
No Emo? What a dumb list. Did that Mars and Venus book have anything to say about it? Deborah Tannen, a sociolinguist wrote about it but I can't remember what conclusions she drew. Her overall theory is that males and females are different cultures with unique roles for language.
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posted
Women can do some of the best bathroom humor around, fellas. But the thing is, you don't want to hear it. ha ha
"I didn't know if I was going to mention my period on stage, but then I figured, if Richard Pryor had a period, he would talk about it." -- Margaret Cho
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posted
Sorry, fallow. You men have your elk clubs, we women have our late-night giggle fests. Some things are just off limits.
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