CLICK ON THE TITLE TO GO TO THE DOCUMENT RESEARCH AND WRITING PRINCIPLES About Wikipedia #1 ‘Fake Steve’ Blogger Comes Clean About Wikipedia #2 Know It All About Wikipedia #3 Seeing Corporate Fingerprints in Wikipedia Edits SCRIPTS, SCREENPLAYS, SKETCHES, and STORIES TV Scripts My Coffee With Niles A script for one of the Frasier episodes. The Seven A script of a Seinfeld episode. The gang discusses George's plan to name his child Seven because "it's Mickey Mantle's number." The Pilot script for How I Met Your Mother The popular sit-com. The Pilot episode of Scrubs Screenplays Dr. Strangelove The script for the classic satirical film. The Forty Year Old Virgin The script for the film. (in PDF Format] Airplane The script for the film. (in PDF Format] The Producers The screenplay for the Mel Brooks movie. Stories The Big Bear of Arkansas The original 'tall tale' from which much southern rural humor has evolved. Dalliance A funny short story by Patrick McManus. The Unicorn in the Garden This is one of James Thurber's most famous short stories. Also, check out this cartoon The Man of the House It compliments the story and is probably the most famous by Thurber. The Client A short story by Woody Allen. The War Prayer Written by Mark Twain in 1905, but published posthumously. (Is it a story or an essay?) Essays An Excerpt from Santaland Diaries by David Sedaris, a playwright and a regular commentator for National Public Radio. Plagiarism Aids Education Satirical piece by Art Buchwald Go Jets A satirical piece by Dave Barry Plays Laughter on the 23rd Floor A biographical play by Neil Simon ARTICLES ABOUT COMEDY, HUMOR AND SATIRE Mark Twain Three articles about Mark Twain's work, his ife, and his contribution to American Humor. MarkTwain: Past Black and White About Twain's approach to racial bigotry. The Seriously Funny Man How Twain initiated the American style of satire and humor. MarkTwain: Superstar How the work of Twain is pertinent even today. The Star, The Born Again Sinner, and The Gangster A discussion of some of the common archetypes in American humor. The Hierarchy of Humor A table listing the forms of humor from what is generally considered the lowest to the highest. Comedy & Hard Times A series of articles from the NY Times, including: TOPICAL COMEDY, By Richard Zoglin SATIRE IS WHAT PEOPLE NEED By Jeffrey P. Jones BEYOND THE PUNCHLINES By Paul Lewis HUMOR IN TIME AND PLACE By Bambi Haggins SENSIBILITY IS DESTINY By John Rash Oh What A Lovely War About war as a theme for comedy and satire. The Amos and Andy Show About the now controversial TV and radio show that aired in the 1940's and '50's. More on Comedic Archetypes A closer look at the concept of psychological archetypes as advanced by Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung. Fun with Nuns The story of how the idea for Sister Act eventually became a movie. A Fun-Loving Sponge Who Keeps Things Clean A discussion of the mystique of Sponge Bob and how it manages to send up all sorts of American quirks and conventions Hard Laughs A brief look at the career of comedy genius George Carlin. Comedy for Dummies An article about the career of comic ventriloquist Jeff Dunham. Lahr On Simon An article by John Lahr about the career of comedy writer Neil Simon. Irony Maiden: How Sarah Silverman is raping American comedy. from What’s So Funny?: Well, Maybe Nothing. About the causes of laughter (by a sociologist who discusses the social function of laughing.) The Yankee Archetype A discussion of another major archetype of American humor. INTERVIEWS AND REVIEWS Dane Cook Subtitled "A comic star who isn't all that funny" this is a review of one of his performances. It’s Good to be Mel Brooks An interview from the Jewish Standard with the "2,000-year-old" master comedian. Interview with Ben Stiller Stiller talks about the writing and making of "Tropic Thunder" Interview with Chris Rock What makes someone funny? Funny reflections: Will Ferrell talks about comedy COMICS AND HUMORISTS TALK ABOUT COMEDY How to Talk Dirty and Influence People An excerpt from Lenny Bruce's autobiography. The Science of Comedy An article by humorist Molly Ivins about comedy writing. The Ethics of Letterman’s Palin Joke A commentary on the incident in 2009 of David Letterman's remark aout Sarah Palin's daughter. Jordanians Can Take a Joke An article about the time thousands of Jordanians packed into a theater for the Amman Stand-Up Comedy Festival and cheered for comics Russell Peters, Dean Obeidallah, and Aron Kader. (Two of the shows were in Arabic.) A Guy in a Dress A discussion of the historic use of 'drag' in comedy. Seinfeld Quotes Quotes from Jerry Seinfeld's stand-up routines. The Satire Recession Subtitled "How Political Satire Got So Flabby," this article addresses the impact (or lack of it) of comedy on politics. Cavett on Comedy Two articles from Dick Cavett, a popular comedian and former talk show host (one of the more intelligent of both genres) and a writer for Johnny Carson: Almost Nothing About Tiger Woods Cavett, talks about the burden of having a famous face. A Better Sort of Insult Cavett talks about insult humor.