Who: Gilbert Gottfried, interviewed by Judy Gold
What: “Gilbert Gottfried with Judy Gold”
Where: 92 Y
When: November 7, 2011
Thumbs: Up, in a way that offends someone

If someone flips by the Manhattan public access on Wednesday nights and catches The Chris Gethard Show, it’s unlikely that they’re going to say to themselves, “Ah, now here’s the future of television.” A goofy, low-budget show featuring a bunch of comedians and self-admitted weirdos taking calls from strange and sometimes hostile New York citizens doesn’t initially scream out “innovation.” However, for those that stick around, it gradually becomes clear that Chris Gethard and friends are doing something very interesting. In addition to airing in New York, the show is streamed live out on the Internet and is steadily building a devoted following of comedy nerds across the country. By combining the approach and aesthetic of a cult public access show with the streaming and interactive capabilities of a high-tech Internet property, the show has found a fascinating middle ground between the old and new. In a lengthy conversation, we talked to Gethard about the genesis of the show, his thoughts on public access and social media, and the crazy and wonderful people he shares the network with.

After his jokes about the Palin women spawned a movement to get him fired, you’d think David Letterman would have developed a teensy bit of sensitivity about sex and gender issues. Apparently not. A bit from his Tuesday night show, in which a stagehand flees the set in horrified disgust at transgender Obama appointee Amanda Simpson, has Human Rights Campaign calling Dave out and calling for an apology.

There’s a 2 year-old news clip circulating anew on the internet, thanks to The Huffington Post and FunnyorDie.com. The Funny or Die connection is especially unfortunate, given the clip’s subject matter. HuffPo Comedy’s post, entitled “News Anchor Can’t Stop Laughing While Describing A Gruesome Murder,” had little information on the clip that wasn’t included in the headline. While the clip is darkly funny, it made me want to find out the story behind it. Now, the laughing anchor responds!

An article on CBN.com that alleges, among other things, that “most of the candy sold during this season has been dedicated and prayed over by witches” has been removed by the site after becoming an object of mockery by The Huffington Post.

Proving just how low the bar is for humor in Washington, DC, Obama economic adviser and campaign flashpoint Austan Goolsbee completely outclassed the competition at the 16th Annual “DC’s Funniest Celebrity” contest last night. His routine was a total lift of Kevin Nealon’s “Mr. Subliminal” bit from Saturday Night Live.