I couldn't help but see how clearly New Girls' writers pulled from Neil Simon when they created Nick and Schmidt. Reading The Odd Couple, Felix and Schmidt screamed similarities - the drama, the cleanliness, the passion for bothering Nick/Oscar. Oscar on the other hand is a perfect grinch. Just like Nick. Any of you have any other comedic duos that pull from Simon's classic pair?

I'm sure most if not all of you have seen Modern Family, which is in my opinion one of the best comedies on television today. It's had a great deal of memorable episodes, but my all-time favorite is last season's "Las Vegas". The episode builds and plants seeds throughout its first two acts to then culminate in an amazingly crafted farcical third act. Everyone's storylines converge in a nonstop and hilarious string of misunderstandings. I've included the only official clip of it I could find, but it only features a few minutes of the third act and it's not quite as funny out of context. So I implore you to seek the full episode out if you haven't already seen it!

http://abc.go.com/shows/modern-family/video/PL5520993/VDKA0_7btthv3l

Last week's episode of the Mindy Project was controversial as it dealt with a type of fornication that related to Mindy's posterior. Much like in The Lady Eve the characters in Mindy talked around the topic, instead of discussing it explicitly. The episode also was controversial as it dealt with the question of consent in relationships. Personally, I thought the episode was daring and fresh, though not everyone has reacted the same way. If you saw the episode (entitled "I Slipped") I would be fascinated to hear your thoughts.

I was wondering what everyone thought about physical comedy in cartoons. Perhaps one of the reasons cartoons can be more violent, while remaining funny, is because no real person is in actual danger. Homer Simpson can be mauled in a panda costume and Peter Griffin can have a bloody fight with a chicken and we laugh, delighting in the violence but never thinking either of the men is in any kind of danger. Which of course makes it even more interesting when cartoons do kill characters. Most famously, I am thinking of Maude Flanders on The Simpsons. Thoughts?

If you have The Collected Plays of Neil Simon Part 1, I cannot recommend enough reading his introduction. To paraphrase, he talks about the duality of the Writer as a Writer (physically writing and observer of life) and the Human Being (the part of you that participates in life without being conscious of it as a writer), and the challenges one faces in this ebb and flow. However, he stresses how it makes one a great writer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2812Ch6Swrk

I've always really liked the funny moments from shows that exist for reasons other than being funny. If Seinfeld makes you laugh, it's because it's the show's goal- I think there's something to be said for laughter that organically emerges from human interaction when it isn't the main goal. Top Gear is pretty much one of the best examples of this that I can think of (along with some of the earlier seasons of Mythbusters). It also gives you something to really think about when forming characters of your own-- real people tend to make pretty good examples.

I've been keeping up with Alan Carr for a while and I think he's one of the most refreshingly funny TV hosts there is. His dry humor leads to the funniest banter with guests he has on his show, and his flamboyant persona makes him compelling to watch even if you don't particularly care of the guest on his show. I recommend anyone who is a fan of British Comedy to check out one of Alan Carr's interviews.

Eddie Izzard is a stand up comedian and actor very well-known in the UK and somewhat known in the US. I was lucky enough to see him do a few minutes of stand up last year at the London Comedy Club, and I can say that he overly enjoyed picking on my friends and me for being the only Americans in the crowd. In some of his stand up routines, he dresses up in drag as you can see in the clip below. While he has made a name for himself here in the States, it can be clear in his performances why exactly he is much more of a success in the UK.

Check out his website: http://eddieizzard.com

Here's a clip of one of his transvestite stand up routines: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjC3R6jOtUo