funnyordie

The Ghosts of SNL Presidents Past

Mike Byhoff · 03/03/10 01:44PM

The most recent Funny or Die original accomplishes something other than being funny or dying: It unites four(!) generations of legendary SNL cast members in the same room together. Quite a feat. Oh, and it's really funny.

Reading Rainbow's Disturbing Lost Episode

Anderson Evans · 02/26/10 03:37PM

Ever wonder how this PBS classic might have been improved if Levar's kids took on something more challenging than children's books about talking animals facing challenges of pre-adolescence? Well thanks to this recently discovered footage you need not wonder again.

The Ed Hardy Boys, Part 2

Michael Jordan · 02/23/10 03:52PM

Bobby Bottleservice and Peter Papparazzo are back in the hilarious second installment of everyone's favorite online mystery series. Not convinced? Does the phrase "cameos by Pauly Shore and Fred Durst" mean anything to you?

Topher Grace and Kate Bosworth Clash WIth a Director On Subtext

Mike Byhoff · 02/19/10 03:30PM

The neverending power-struggle between actors and directors dates back to ancient Rome, when Zeus killed the actor Cyclops in a traveling production of The Odyssey over improper stage blocking... or something. That struggle resonates today, as proven by this video.

Ugly Furniture: Where All That Glitters is Gauche

Frank Cozzarelli · 02/10/10 05:51PM

Sometimes all it takes to pull a room together is a teardrop filled with frog eggs, or a weird art-deco jazz guitarist figurine. In this clip, ugly furniture gets the LOL treatment.

Funny on one hand, but on the other it hits a little too close to home - maybe it's just because I'm from New Jersey, where design sensibilities go to die.

Megan Mullally Tells Us the Origins of "That's What She Said"

Mike Byhoff · 02/03/10 10:19AM

Truly a question that has plagued mankind for literally never. It's use in everyday life to get a cheap laugh had come from somewhere, though. And that somewhere was poking fun at a slutty girl at Long Beach State.

Will Ferrell's FunnyorDie takes HBO for up to $10 million

Jackson West · 06/11/08 02:40PM

Comedy-video startup FunnyorDie, a project cofounded by yuksters Will Ferrell, Adam McKay and Chris Henchy with Sequoia Capital's Mark Kvamme, has sold an equity stake to HBO of less than 10 percent. (FunnyorDie was valued at $100 million after the last round of funding; the new valuation, and HBO's exact investment, wasn't disclosed — if you know, please tell us.) In exchange, HBO also gets five hours of programming from Ferrell, McKay, Henchy and recent addition Judd Apatow.

Jimmy Kimmel on "Between Two Ferns"

ian spiegelman · 04/20/08 11:06AM

Funny or Die comedian Zach Galifianakis sits down for an interview with Jimmy Kimmel on his talk show "Between Two Ferns." In it, he suggests a hilarious gag Kimmel and his girlfriend Sarah Silverman can play at their local Long John Silver.

Hollywood talent leery of stock-option deals, but agencies enthusiastic

Jackson West · 04/16/08 07:00PM

Cash money, not equity, is what powers the entertainment industry. Especially when it comes to talent. In a possibly apocryphal but illustrative anecdote, legendary bluesman Albert King reportedly refused to leave the stage until he had cash in hand from the concert promoter, presumably because he'd been cheated out of so many deals in the past. Studio accounting has an only slightly better reputation than that of the music industry when it comes to being, ahem, creative. Hence it's no surprise that when negotiating venture funding for Funny Or Die, Will Ferrell reportedly wanted to know what his upfront payout would be, according to Sequoia Capital's Mark Kvamme in comments to the New York Times. Which is one reason why private equity efforts to fund traditional film and television production have yet to pan out. Better to get your money upfront and walk away in case the project is a disaster. So how is Valley money changing Hollywood business models?