12/15/08
Text: Julia Wilson
Before our very eyes, women in comedy are transforming the landscape for performance art and, incidentally, redefining what it is that makes girls cool. In 2008, America's love affair with both Tina Fey, our recent political pundit and creator of the Emmy-sweeping 30 Rock as well as Sarah Silverman, leader in comical racial satire and poop jokes, has been borderline insane. Girls who can tell a joke are hard to find, but when one comes along who leaves us in stitches, there is all the more reason to celebrate. Here we take a moment to revere the comedic genius of a few of our lesser known but up and coming comediennes.
Mindy Kaling is best known for her work as the beloved Kelly Kapoor, The Office's ethnically proud but culturally unaware Indian American and self-proclaimed Carrie Bradshaw protégé, and she is arguably the most well-respected girl idiot on television. Kaling also writes and produces for the show (she is one of two female writers on a staff of 14), and claims that the Kelly character is “an exaggerated version of what I think the upper-level writers believe my personality is.” Kaling attributes her decision to work in comedy both to a lack of sufficient talent in other pursuits and a deep admiration for all things Dana Carvey and Saturday Night Live. After first working as a production assistant on Crossing Over with John Edward, Kaling gained popularity in 2003 for writing and performing in her own play, Matt and Ben, a two-woman stage hit about the early adventures of Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. The writing, as well as her portrayal of Affleck, impressed The Office creator Greg Daniels enough to earn her a spot as a writer and cast member on the show. You will find Kaling all over the place in 2009. Currently in the works is the screenplay for her upcoming Fox Atomic sorority comedy, loosely based on her experience at Dartmouth. Kaling also recently began an ongoing standup routine on the college circuit. Audience members at Ohio State got a dose of Kaling's spontaneity when she called fellow The Office cast member BJ Novak during a performance and they chatted about meeting underage Valentine’s Day dates on campus via speakerphone. On StrikeTV.com, where writers go to deliver their original content online, Kaling recently aired the pilot for House Poor, a show about Kaling’s fate attempting to furnish her new LA home for free using her celebrity and other clever tactics. Kaling has also been hard at work crafting her fashion blog, ThingsIBoughtThatILove.com. At this, her “place to discuss things we’ve bought that are frivolous and fun,” Kaling frequently addresses readers as ‘you guys’ and rants about important fashion-related issues, including her favorite life preserving pills and powders. She writes, “I think I read somewhere that Eva Longoria does this and I was all: ‘Um, if Eva Longoria can drink acne-fighting Koolaid, so can I.’” Expect great things to come from this adorable little lady.
A Colorado farm-raised comic, you know Kristen Schaal as Mel, the lone fan of the band on HBO's hit Flight of the Conchords. Recently, Schaal has made her presence felt outside the series contributing to The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, where she delivers pointed satire on a spectrum of women's issues, from the cougar threat to sexism in politics. “Apparently, sex is the only power we have. Oh, that and emotional intelligence, tenacity, judgment... poison,” she jabs. Schaal's first break came in 2005 when she was included in New York Magazine's “Ten Funniest New Yorkers You've Never Heard Of” for her work with the People's Improv Theatre's award-winning house team Big Black Car (look for her at P.I.T. most Wednesday nights at 8pm). Schaal's comedic style is tough to categorize, as she plays a variety of characters and has been deemed “The Kooky Monster” for her quirky personality and high-pitched voice. Schaal told an interviewer in 2007 that “No one knows who the real me is, so I can be a hundred different kinds of me.” Outside her stand up and improv acts, Schaal consulted as a writer for Season 11 of South Park and appeared briefly in AMC's Mad Men as Nanette, gossiping and receiving calls on the ad firm's switchboard. If scouring N.Y.C. comedy clubs to try and catch one of Schaal's live performances doesn't seem like a pastime you're willing to commit to, season two of Flight of the Conchords starts in January – or you can check out clips of Schaal in character on Mel's blog, which is streamed on the show's website.
Girls with jokes are popping up everywhere these days – so here's a couple more to keep an eye out for. SNL's most recent addition Casey Wilson joined the cast in February of this year but has gone mostly unrecognized, due to stand-out performances by the better known female cast members (Tina Fey, Amy Poehler and recently Kristen Wiig are largely responsible for SNL's great start this season). You might know Wilson from a popular sketch she performed with Ashton Kutcher where she played Dusty Velvet, a paralyzed stripper returning to work after a freak accident. The coming year promises big things for Wilson, as she co-wrote the screenplay for the upcoming Bride Wars, starring Anne Hathaway and Kate Hudson, and plays a minor role in Nora Ephron's Julie and Julia, set to release in Spring 2009. Also make sure to check out U.K.-born Nigerian Gina Yashere, whose dignified British accent perfectly delivers her ghetto-knocking humor. Yashere was the first British comedian to appear on HBO's Def Comedy Jam and in November she charmed a sold out New York Comedy Festival crowd opening for Katt Williams at Carnegie Hall. Yashere’s jokes are filled with too many curses to quote – but if you look for her on YouTube, you won’t be displeased.
These women are further proof that females can, in fact, compete in the world of wit and sarcasm. Perhaps now we can hope that the ailing late night TV line up might take a hint and drum up a worthy woman host in the not too distant future.
