Return of the Rebirth

Greetings,

Now, I’m not one to lie to myself…oh wait, yes I am.  It is because of this fact that my return to this comedic blog was delayed.  Who knows, if for some reason you’re reading this now and I promised you more words to read…that could be a lie.  A lot of lies.

What has happened since the previous post and this one?  Oh I don’t know, a little show called Earth and Sky.  I directed an LFC Production of Douglas Post’s expertly written play, Earth and Sky.  Check this out for more info:

http://www.speakeasymag.com/entertainment/arts/2008/may/16/earth-and-sky-brings-film-noir-stage/

No, yeah, it was a sweet show.  Continued work with Comedy for the Masses and our shows.  That happened.  The group is getting better; more responsible.  Essentially, there is just more caring going into it.  The group’s a real pleasure in my life.  Check that out.

I know anyone and everyone reading this will want to know more about the biography posted here…and it will come later.  Go see “Hancock” because it’s great.

A lotta people have not heard about the wonderful group that is “Stella.”  Michael Ian Black, Michael Showalter, and David Wain.  With their powers combined, they are Stella and they are amazing.

I truly appreciate the absurd.  I find myself searching for more ways to maybe make someone laugh, but my true aim is to make them stop and question what just happened.

Let’s chat

The Return

Greetings,

There was a momentary break.  It was filled with illness.  The people will soon get to see Chapter 4 of “A Biography” here in a matter of days.

Chapter 3

After the harrowing, near-death experiences at the zoo, I promised my toddler self that I would play it safe and get into extreme sports. Rejecting the society that had began to mold my mind and personality, I spent many hours on top of Little Tykes cars piloted by my sister. As a young lad, I found the greater exposure to the atmosphere refreshing, so much so that I discovered a fond appreciation of philosophy. During one of these childhood romps of the mind, the car on top of which I was riding fell backwards. My sister remained safe, though I was damaged forever.

A set of stitches and a few years later, I began to dive into the interests of physical activity, clearly still suffering from the after effects of the head trauma.

Skipping ahead a few years, my path brought me to little league baseball games, little league soccer games, and little league football games.  After enjoying little league hot dogs with some major league gatorade.  My career in sports would lead to no success.  Football proved not enjoyable, but then the salvation emerged like so many sea monsters from the deep.

There was also the time where I could only see in black and white, with the exception of the color green.  It was kind of like that book some of y’all may have read.  You know, the one with the giving…the giving of color…colour

another time

Chapter 2

[this story continues hours after Mike passed out while retelling the first chapter in his life]

I spent many a day in primary school, learning the colors and numbers that would plague my every waking day at a later age. I began reading at an early age and would read anything my eyes could locate. I was perplexed by the concept of black holes and space/time presented to me by a wonderful book entitled “The Berenstain Bears Discover Astro-Physics”. From there my literary curiosity spread further as I continued to expand my child’s library. I would read all sorts of novels, everything from “Goosebumps” to “A Children’s Guide to The Kennedy Conspiracy.”

I did more than read though. My fascination with worlds that were not my own was discovered unto me upon my reception of a large, gray GameBoy. No wait, my childhood begins with a tape-playing robot called 2-XL. For your enjoyment, I will tell my typist to find and include a picture. I will take this time to medicate myself with a cough syrup.

I return to elaborate more on my tale. I remember one day when I visited the local zoo, bewildered by the animals that I did not come into contact with less than a twenty minutes time span. At any given time…or any given Sunday…or any given July. Anyways, the zoo: I was young enough to play on the playground equipment and feed the animal. I had just taken a cool test in the reptile house…it measures one’s coolness in relation to Coolio.

Let’s just say where we are and go back to the car…we don’t want to be any worry. That’s true. After the zoo, I enjoyed many years of schooling.

NOTE: There are glaring omissions from this chapter of Mike’s life, including, but not limited to, violent interactions with goats in the petting zoo, an event referred to here on after as “The Ice Cream Incident”, and a variety of misdemeanors that gave him a legal record at a young age.

Chapter 1

It was the best of times and the worst of times…at the same time. Then, a mysterious rapper known to most as Ell Ell Coole Jay descendd from the skies…hard. People reeled and were taken aback by the sheer awesomeness of his glory. From his magical memory, Ell Ell brought forth the story to end all stories, mainly because it incorporates every literary world ever created being brought together and then destroyed in a swoop fouler than the most odious flower. Anyways, the story he read was heard to resemble the following:

Michael B. Reynolds II

A Biography

Dictated, but not Read

I didn’t ask for this fame. That’s no lie. My story begins on the rough streets in Columbus, Ohio. No one cares about that though, the real party that is my life has a genesis on the even rougher streets of Powell, Ohio. I spent a good deal of early recreational activity in the woods surrounding the treasure chest that was my house. I learned about metaphors and similes at an early age. My tale is a tale shorter than the line to get into EuroDisney. People have begged me for a long time to set down a few lines. As I sit now, I’m compelled to deny everyone that opportunityand shut the door on this, the beginning chapter. That being said, I will ignite my pencil and throw my life in the gutter.*

*NOTE: Mike was not sitting when this was written, as his biography, that he believes is not an autobiography because someone else is typing it, was dictated. He also did not burn his pencil. The part about throwing his life away…that’s true.

If I Could Wield A Sword

Greetings,

I totally was watching some of this television that I am not extremely fond of. But what I did manage to catch was a wonderful commercial advertising a new toy for small girls.  This device was a cash register that essentially supported the blatant gender bias that is forced into our children.  This cash register used voice recordings and the like to teach little girls how to shop.  One of the girls, giggling more than someone experiencing gas induced paranoia, readily asks a playmate if they would like to pay with cash or credit?  If I remember correctly, customer was also smiling as she held out a credit card.

I’m reminded of every time a company advertises their cleaning or laundry products, it is always the woman seen in the kitchen or at the washing machine.  Just because it has always been done this way does not mean it needs to continue.  Men are just as capable of doing laundry, I’m sure the strong majority of males in my geographic location do their own laundry, and know how to do it.  Except for those losers that that continue to go home every two weeks to have their laundry done by mother.  Point being, that some of these companies can take more chances and depict men doing these things.  While I claim to practice Feminist Criticism in cinematic writings, I do not intend these thoughts to be an argument written for that movement.  Just an observation as a male with enough mental capacity to do my own laundry.

Television is embracing stagnant nothingness and rejecting the intellect of the people, but I do not have the time to read books that are not required of me by academic forces.

Well, time to put on a blue shirt and do some laundry

The Treatise

Greetings,

What is Comedy for the Masses? Can you truly appreciate something without knowing anything about it? I have come today with the idea to inform those who care enough. By the way, I think the commercial I was watching said that like…6000 young drivers go for a drive and never return home. The easy way out of this situation is to claim that they are all involved in accidents…but what about those that run away to Canada. This has been a public service announcement from the National Football League…VOTE REPUBLICAN

But in all not seriousness, Comedy for the Masses is a Student Organization at Ohio University, and the best source of edgy Sketch and Stand-Up comedy. Yes, I used the word edgy, I feel that it’s an appropriate adjective based on our last show. Look for more video on the YouTube page. Search “Comedy for the Masses”, it works now. Go team. The Comedian of Comedy is a wonderful investment. I’m not a fan of money, but you should go spend some of yours on the DVD(s). There may be more than one, though I’m not certain.

Once upon a time, it was 1999. The group called Comedy for the Masses is created from the previous antics of a group called Four Funny Guys and Matt. CFTM was the invention of Mr. Michael Busch and a Mr. Allen Kellogg. But why should I reword things, I will take the English major approach and cite this sort of thing, “…then 4fgm kind of disbanded in 01, and i wanted to leave something behind for ou students interested in comedy; it’s hard to start from scratch and hopefully having a group already there would help people get into it,” says Mr. Busch. It was around this time that Mr. Eric Moneypenny had been around and thus, the first set of leadership this group experienced was the Busch/Moneypenny administration, as I understand it.

As I now sit where people could be looking in through my Union Street windows, I reflect that I will not attempt to explain more things that I do not know. That being said, I will fast forward from the immaculate conception of the group, to the essential State of the Union that I will now indulge my own inadequate ego and address.

The Comedy for the Masses Fall 2005 Pledge Class featured the likes of Mike Reynolds, Bryan Cain, Tim Gaydos, and Nicole Mermer. There may have been more, but what sort of environment was ready to accept us? Comedy for the Masses was competing with a group called Comedy on the Rocks, a group that would fold and disappear after that quarter. The group was headed up by the administration consisting of Liz Maguire and Chris Bauman, but Chris was also serving as the President of the Lost Flamingo Company and that left Liz to do most of the work. People you should know? Bryson Turner was finishing out his last year as a student, as was Linton Lewis and Dusty Wilson. It was a pleasure to serve as a member of the new kids and understudy behind people such as these. It was a flourishing time with these minds alongside the contributions of Eli Sairs and Eric Janeczek. If ever there was a Renaissance for CFTM, I feel as though this may have been a time underneath the Maguire/Bauman administration.

Which leads into the reign of the Reynolds/Cain administration which many who read this already know about. The 2007-2008 school year is the year of rebirth for Comedy for the Masses. The previous year saw a great deal of apathy as the group relied primarily on the writing talents of a couple individuals. The importance of writing is being stressed. My personal desire is to raise the standing of Comedy for the Masses to the glory it deserves. The people I know of through this group each have the potential to do something great, and audience members have the opportunity to be able to say that they saw So-and-So at Ohio University when they were just getting started. That is my goal for Comedy for the Masses as we forge through this academic year, the year that will see the end of the Reynolds/Cain administration. A lot will be riding on the next chapter.

I know of no better way to end this than to pose the question: Do you know the way to the Great Valley?

–Mike Reynolds

Post Show

Greetings,

After the show, I feel like it would be possible to write a few lines.  The show went very well and all participating actors are to be commended for their goodness.  There was not much of a difference from the two presentations of the same show.  The biggest difference, in my opinion was the introduction of a new skit on the second show.  I am certain we have brought in a new skit the day of the show, but this one was quite interesting.  We’re I more  unconcerned with what hte general public thought of our material, we may put it up on the YouTube account.  By the way, be sure to check it out.  We’ve fixed it up to where you can search for “Comedy for the Masses” and it will come up.  That’s the beauty of having TCOM students.

I’ve always been a fan of the coming together of a large number of people coming together from a variety of different backgrounds.  Collaboration in my mind is a big part of being sure to present a variety of different ideas and concepts in shows.  The thing about that is that if you look at our past shows, they are not wildly diverse but tend to have a running theme or two in the shows put into the shows.  This time around, it was apparent to me that “Jesus” and “rape” were the two things that occurred frequently.  I feel ashamed that I’m giving in and doing the following: I would like to remind people that CFTM in no way condones the act of rape.

Back to the point, I have always been a fan of people from various practices coming together.  People have their own interests and expertises to contribute.  My own contributions range from Charlie Chaplin films to Dinosaurs.  Go team.

The show was interesting, it would be a fun activity for me to apply various forms of criticism after the show.  I think some interesting observations could be concluded.  Perhaps if I find that I have time.  Good job to members of the group in the show.  Go team, again.  After I review the show, I’ll probably have better post-production musings.

–Mike Reynolds

Am I a Part of the Problem?

Greetings,

Amidst the frustration in living, I feel as though I may as well exercise this degree in writing creatively.  As of this moment I’m currently in my place of residency and watching a show called “Californication” or “Watch David Duchovny Have Sex” as it was labeled by a friend of mine.  The important thing is that I wonder what sort of person I have become.  I believe that this show is legitimately good, but what calls this into question is the shows that I enjoyed watching in the past.  The first thing I’ll admit is that I may have at one time watched a show called “The OC.”  When I say watched, I mean that I only was able to see the first two seasons or so, then I become too busy to watch.  But I heard the stories.

Now there are quite a few discrepancies between The OC and Californication.  Californication follows the format of a formal storyline, focusing on the life of one individual, whereas The OC functioned as a prime time soap opera, focusing on the stories of four characters.  I look back now and while I do not regret my one time enjoyment of The OC, I do acknowledge that it appeared to be pandering and marketing towards the group of people who were younger than I.  I feel the best thing to come out of it was exposure to people I regard as cool, like Adam Brody and Peter Gallagher.  While the writing may have been off, I feel that their characters were interesting enough to pique some interest in me.

I think the answer to my subject question is yes, but at the same time, if people can’t take an interest in whatever appeals to them, then what kind of world will this come to be.  Who knows.  For the record though, before people condemn me for what they may or may not have learned from this rambling, it is my firm belief that “Arrested Development” is the greatest show to have graced American television for three seasons of glory.  Blessed be those associated with this wonderful show.

On the plus side, I now get the pleasure of watching a commercial for the album entitled “Monster Ballads” and the best part is that this music can apparently kick my ass.  I totally feel people can benefit from products that can kick their ass.  But in this context, I feel like there ass kicking claim could be insinuating that it is literally painful to listen to this album.  The only good song on there is Europe’s “The Final Countdown.”

The guy for the eHarmony commercials is creepy.

–Mike Reynolds

Origins and If/Then Statements

Greetings,

If you’re reading this, you’ve probably entered the wrong URL into your browser of choice. Were I in your position, I would click my corresponding “Home” button and start my search of the internet once more.

If you feel like you’re in the desired location, then I don’t know what to tell you. This is my first collection of words with the intent of “BLOGGING” as it were. I don’t know how American society came to this point but it did.

This Blog will deal directly with Comedy for the Masses, a well-established Student Organization at Ohio University. The group is so expertly managed it’s incredible. The interesting thing about all this is that if you do not know what’s going on with this group in particular, then I, again, have nothing to really tell you. By the way, that sentence has no value. None at all. Were this a piece of academic writing, I would be penalized for it’s existence. Like society should be for it’s support and obsession with people like Britney Spears and Paris Hilton.

Interested in talking with me one on one? Then allow me to introduce a new concept, “Reynolds-Wraps.” The idea is that if you need to talk to me, you can contact me, we’ll meet somewhere in public where there are many witnesses, and we’ll rap…or wrap…either way, words will be exchanged. Or Burritos.

Chipotle is coming.

That’s all I got. Check out http://www.comedyforthemasses.net

Do it. Go team.

–Mike Reynolds