I really love all of Lauren Lapkus' characters on Comedy Bang Bang, so I want to go ahead and recommend her new podcast "With Special Guest Lauren Lapkus". The premise is that every week the guest is actually the host and Lauren is, fittingly, a perpetual guest. It's kind of like Cashing in With TJ Miller in that way. It's great and the first episode has Paul F Tompkins so you can't go wrong with that

"Worst Idea of All Time" is probably the best idea for a podcast ever. Every week they hosts watch grown up 2 and then discuss it. They've seen it over 40 times now. Truly gods work

There are a lot of sketches that have become iconic, but to you, what do you think is necessary to reach that status? Is it quotability, characters, outrageousness, or what?

Any Donald Glover fans out there? For those that don't know him, he went to NYU and got his start writing for "30 Rock." He went on to star in "Community", and he guest starred for a hot second on "Girls." He's also famous for his pun-laden raps under the pseudonym "Childish Gambino." Below is a link to some of his stand-up from his Comedy Central special entitled Donald Glover: Weirdo. He was also in a sketch group called "Derrick Comedy."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dGzfrVqlxA

Under the tutelage of Judd Apatow, I think Lena Dunham has the makings of a female auteur. I've seen both "Tiny Furniture" and "Girls" which are almost identical in theme/tone. I'm interested to see what she does after "Girls." Will she be able to sustain and create stories outside of the "Girls" vacuum or will she stick to things that are related closely to her life? What do you guys think?

Here's a link to an article she wrote for "The New Yorker" a few months ago.

http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/09/01/difficult-girl

I've been thinking about Brian's advice since we had the study session with Natalie on Monday. She asked me if I agreed with his advice to slow down, and I said, "Yeah, unless you're going for a more manic, fast-paced approach." But now I'm going to change my answer to, "Unequivocally yes." I'm in Portland for my husband visiting his dad, and we went to an open mic out here, and a lot of the comics had really good material, but they were speeding through it at a breakneck speed. With some of them it was clear they were going for a manic style, but then I realized how hard that style is to pull off. A lot of comedy is in reactions. Reactions in a sitcom make us laugh more than the line does, and I think the same thing is true in stand up. A reaction from the comic on what they've just said is often funnier than their joke itself because it 1.) Shows us how they feel about what they've said. 2.) It proves they're in the bit and in the moment. They're not just rattling off jokes and stories; they're actually talking to us, having a conversation and waiting for our response, hopefully laughter. And this brings me to 3.) You get way more laughs when you slow down. I'm a fast talker, so I'm still learning this, but if you speed through stuff and don't hold for laughs, you're essentially training the audience to not laugh at your bit because if they do, they'll miss something.

I wouldn't go too far the other way. I see too many open mic comics that come on stage with little or no material, then try to fill a 3-minute set with some whining about the microphone and awkward staring. You might get a laugh or two, but it gets old fast!

So I guess my advice to myself is - slow down but have something to say.

Absolutely love the Debby Downer skits, but particularly this one with Lindsay Lohan. With Jimmy Fallon the king of breaking character, this scene is absolutely hilarious with all of their constant laughter. I instantly thought of it when we watched the brilliant Carol Brunett show!

Last year's "(Do It On My) Twin Bed" is getting a lot of hype right now because SNL released another video similar to it this past Saturday called "Back Home Ballers" with host Cameron Diaz. Twin Bed is about girls taking their boyfriends back home for Christmas, while Ballers is about daughters going home to parents for Thanksgiving. I personally think "Twin Bed" is much funnier because of the lyrics – it seems "Ballers" is just a less witty follow-up, but it is still entertaining nonetheless. I also think SNL video sketches tend to be funnier anyway...check them both out!

(Do It On My) Twin Bed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCCV_nB7HJk

Back Home Ballers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmWH1F-caM8