The Alties!

[CarolineEAnd]

I started this in another thread, but my ego has decided it's worth it's own thread.

So, this is The Alties! The awards for excellence in Alternative Comedy. We shall vote and discuss and be merry.

The nominees are

Best Album of 2009:

The Top Part- John Mulaney
My Weakness is Strong- Patton Oswalt
God Is A 12 Year Old Boy with Aspbergers- Eugene Mirman
Freak Wharf- Paul F Tompkins
Unwanted Thoughts Syndrome- Maria Bamford
Unbalanced Load- Doug Benson
Comedy by the Numbers- Various
Soak Up The Night- Matt Braunger

Best Comedy Podcast of 2009 (General):

Never Not Funny- Jimmy Pardo/Matt Belknap
Comedy Death Ray Radio- Scott Aukerman
Comedy and Everything Else- Jimmy Dore, Stefane Zamorano, Todd Glass (sort of...I guess.....ugh)
The Sound of Young America- Jesse Thorn
WTF with Marc Maron Podcast- Marc Maron
I Love Movies- Doug Benson
Matts Radio- Matt Dwyer and Matt Braunger

Best Comedy Podcast of 2009 (Episode):
-Never Not Funny Episode 523 with guest Pat Francis: "That's on you, man"
-Comedy Death Ray Radio 17 with guests Tom Lennon, Matt Braunger, and Matt Walsh: "Live from the UCB theatre, in downtown Franklin, Mott Skokerman"
-WTF with Marc Maron Live at UCB LA 11/15/09 with guests Maria Bamford, Chris Hardwick, Eddie Pepitone, Doug Benson, and someone else I'm forgetting (sorry that other person): "I'm a bowling faggot"
-The Sound of Young America with guest Nick Kroll: "Tavis Smiley can S my D"
-I Love Movies with Doug Benson with guests Graham Elwood, Jon Hamm, and Randy and Jason Sklar "More visual jokes! More jokes the podcast listeners won't get!"

Best Web Series:
The Shaman
Back on Topps
Between Two Ferns
Wainy Days
Childrens Hospital (even though it's 2008)

Best Musical Comedians:
Dragon Boy Suede/ Howard Kremer
"Weird Al" Yankovic
R.O. Manse/ Chip Pope
Cracked Out/ Brett Gelman & Jon Daly
Garfunkel & Oats/ Riki Lindhome & Kate Micucci
Hard & Phirm/ Chris Hardwick & Mike Phirman

The "Friend of Comedy" Award (favorite non-comedian):
Jon Hamm
Aimee Mann
Jesse Thorn
Max Weinberg
Joe Escalante
Ted Leo
Olivia Munn

Catagories to Come:
Best television series
Best comedy special
Best live comedy show

Feel free to nominate more people. And discuss. And nerd out. Please.

[scamboogah]

I would nominate Matts Radio for podcast.

Also, I suggest an Irving Alt-berg award, a special award to PFT and Tom Scharpling's dissection of the Gathering of the Juggalos on Best Show, which is hereby acknowledged to be the funniest single thing ever ever ever.

[BillBrasky]

Best Album of 2009: The Top Part (Reason why explained in the other thread)

Best Comedy Podcast of 2009: This is a tough one. I like NNF, Doug Benson's I Love Movies, and Comedy Death Ray Radio pretty much equally. I guess in a push if I had to pick one, I would pick CDR Radio, if only because there's so many different types of comedy included in it (i.e. songs, skits, games, etc.)

Best podcast episode: The Little Gary episode of CDR Radio

Best web series: Children's Hospital

Best television series: I guess the AST answer would be "Parks and Recreation", but, truth be told, "Modern Family" is the show I'm enjoying the most that's on the air right now. But P&R has been great this season too.

Best comedy special: Patton Oswalt- My Weakness is Strong

Best live comedy show: CDR (I've only been to one, but we pretty much have to pick this, right?)

Some other categories you might want to include:

.Best comedy movie - The Hangover
.Favorite new comedian of 2009 - John Mulaney and/or Matt Braunger (new to me, anyway)
.Favorite late night talk show- Tonight Show With Conan O'Brien

[JayRunner]

Everyone, stop saying what things you like, it's going to hurt the other comedians and just be a popularity contest!

Although I do vote the juggalo gathering of Best Show as transcendent comedy moment of the forever.

[Having Fun!]

I have mixed feelings and various thoughts on this thread and instead of posting four times in a row I will express them randomly. Consider reading each bit in a different accent. I can do "Dirty Chicagoan", "Paul McCartney", "Polish Immigrant", and "Mentally Challenged Vampire"

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"Oh it's nothing, my girlfriend threw an Altie at my plasma TV" - Michael Scott on an AST-Approved episode of The Office called "Dinner Party"

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WHERE'S GREG PROOPS "ELSEWHERE". I WANT A RECOUNT. THE PROOPS IS IN THE PUDDING.

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As the auspicious antagonizer AST User (a Jixby Phillips/Having Fun! Character™): I think they should be called the ASTies or the Thingies. Also, I'm sure this will make people forget about the AST Poll or that 2008 Movie Poll that Matt Belknap almost killed people over because they liked Role Models more than Step Brothers.

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CDR Radio should win, but Never Not Funny fans are going to stuff the ballot box. Perhaps try putting the ballot it in a place where they can't be found often, like a good music thread. I'M JUST KIDDING, YOU GUYS DONATED TO CHARITY. YOU'RE ALL RIGHT. SERIOUSLY. Except Darr..

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Collect them all!

[BillBrasky]

I just realized "Children's Hospital" went on-line in December 2008. Oh well, I don't watch a lot of web series, I'm going to keep it as my answer anyway.

[CarolineEAnd]

I know that Wainy Days and Between Two Ferns are going to be nominees for Web Series, but I feel like I need more to compare it against (Back on Topps, maybe that thing Andy Daly is doing).

I've got an Auker-crush, so I want CDR Radio to win. I think that NNF definitely is the most well produced podcast, but I think on most levels CDR Radio is perhaps more entertaining. I'm going to have to do some heavy ruminating on this.

As far as best talk show.....is there a reason everyone hates Late Night with Jimmy Fallon? I get why people don't like Jimmy Fallon, but A.D. Miles and Morgan Murphy are SUCH amazing writers, and whenever comedians are on they often do weird, alternative-y sketches (Andy Sambergs musical number, Fred Armisen playing Blackbird, etc). I think that if Jimmy Fallon was replaced by ANYONE else, the alternative community would be in love with it. And as president of The Alties, I nominate it.

[CarolineEAnd]

Oh, and if there is some sort of DVD catagory, The State wins.

In fact, I think I'll create a catagory. Best release of cult early 90's MTV sketch comedy show? I think they could win that. I mean, if I'm the ONLY judge, they get Best Television Show Ever, but still...

Ooh, I want to have a "Best Deleted Scenes" catagory
David Wain's scene for I Love You Man ("My name-a Borat!")
Deputy Cow Benny on The State

[Itslikeimsayin]

Jason Nash's "The Shaman" should be considered for best web series.

[BillBrasky]

I agree that when Fallon has someone from SNL on, they usually do something silly and it's usually enjoyable. But his regular interviews are still painful. Either they are full of awkward silences if he doesn't connect with his guest, or Fallon reverts to "Chris Farley Show" mode if it's someone he respects comedically ("Remember this moment?" etc.) The show where he had the Monty Python members on is a case in point- Fallon was obviously very much in awe of them and couldn't believe he had them on his show, but it still didn't make it very fun to watch.

I haven't seen that many of Fallon's pre-taped pieces, but they always appear to be really long and not that funny (7th Floor West, whatever that "Real Housewives" thing is that he does). And there are way too many audience participation games and stunts. I'm not sure what style Fallon is going for with his show, but it doesn't seem very "alternative"- a lot of times it seems like a morning show to me.

[scamboogah]

I maintain that 'Head Swap' on Jimmy Fallon is funnier than anything that Conan's done in the last 3 years, as blasphemous as that sounds.

I nominate 'Catagory' for the 'Most egregious and repeated misspelling of a word that is quite integral to a thread about a phony awards show.' category.

[Umlaut]

Can there be just a generic "Funniest Moment of 2009"? This is where I would nominate Will Ferrell on Jimmy Fallon with "Let Us Play With Your Look" and, of course, PFT and Tom discussing the Gathering of The Juggalos (which wins by a landslide).

[CarolineEAnd]

I agree about Head Swap, and I think if you watch 7th Floor West or Real Housewives of Late Night you'll enjoy it. Granted, I feel about A.D. Miles the way some people feel about their religious leader, but I consider his style of comedy VERY alternative ("How do you put a rainbow in your pocket?"- Invite Them Up). Fallon has room to grow, but I feel like things like Head Swap and Let Us Play with Your Look are archetypal alternative-style comedy.

And as far as misspellings, I blame Mozilla. It's supposed to prevent me from doing that. So, if there is a Dissapoyntment by a Web Browser cateragorry, than it should be nombinanted.

[SlyBattery]

My vote for the best podcast moment (is this how this works?) was when the sklars were on CDR talking about "getting hutted."
"Eyy I love-a this a-pasta- oh wait a minute, they-a makin' an announcement...it's-a from pizza hut? Eyyy! I love a-bein' tricked!"

Of course I laugh like a hyena anytime I hear one of the sklars do their horrible italian accents.

[CarolineEAnd]

My vote for the best podcast moment (is this how this works?) was when the sklars were on CDR talking about "getting hutted."
"Eyy I love-a this a-pasta- oh wait a minute, they-a makin' an announcement...it's-a from pizza hut? Eyyy! I love a-bein' tricked!"

Of course I laugh like a hyena anytime I hear one of the sklars do their horrible italian accents.

Not exactly how it works, but fuck it, it works that way NOW! That's the joy of being in charge of a fake awards ceremony.

I totally agree, btway. The Sklars were fantastic on CDR. There have maybe been 3 CDR Radios since the inception that have NOT made me fall over laughing. It's a front runner for Best Comedy Podcast.

[scamboogah]

Best web series: Either The Maria Bamford show, or my personal favorite, The Professor Brothers.

EDIT: I forgot this was just for last year. Oh well, they're still great.

[CarolineEAnd]

EDIT: I forgot this was just for last year. Oh well, they're still great.

As president, CEO, and secretary of the Committee for Picking Stuff to Get Nominated for Fictional Awards, I'll allow it. If not only because the Jon Hamm episode of Between Two Ferns is from December of last year.

[Cupid Stunt]

Best Album of 2009: Unwanted Thoughts Syndrome- Maria Bamford

Best Comedy Podcast of 2009 (General): WTF with Marc Maron Podcast- Marc Maron

Best Comedy Podcast of 2009 (Episode): WTF with Marc Maron Live at UCB LA 11/15/09

Best Web Series: Between Two Ferns

Best television series-Curb Your Enthusiasm
Best comedy special- Dana Carvey's Squatting Monkeys or Giraldo's Midlife Vices (neither are 'alt' but who gives a shit really)
Best live comedy show- Brent Weinbach

[Phil]

I think Todd Glass's "Thin Pig" deserves to be in that Best Album list.

[John?]

Would anyone happen to have some kind of link or file of the aforementioned legendary Jugalo gathering exchange between PFT and Tom on the Best Show?

It's become as elusive to me as bigfoot or the loch ness sea monster and just as tantalizing.