More Carlin ...

Man, it was a gas last night, NBC and Saturday Night Live replaying the very first show, from back in October 1975, in which the recently departed George Carlin was the programs first host.

Numerous references (nervously) made about it being "live" ... Not one, not two, but four musical features (two artists - Billy Preston and Janis Ian - with two sets each) ... A short 'Weekend Update' (and "Generalissimo Franco is still dead" hadn't hit yet) ... The Not Ready For Prime Time Players ... And, of course, the, now legendary, debut of Andy Kaufman, and the hilarious "Mighty Mouse" routine ...

I can remember, very well, those first two years of SNL ... Wherever you were, whatever you were doing on a Saturday night, you made your plans to be at, or near, a televison by 11:30PM ...

But we digress ...

Nick Zaino, otherwise known as The Optimistic Curmudgeon, has, in his last two posts, provided encores of interviews he conducted with George Carlin;

OC Archive: George Carlin 2002

George Carlin: Complete Comedian

Check'em out ... Good stuff!

Comedy Alert - The Optimistic Curmudgeon's Last Thoughts on 2007 Comedy Albums ...

"It’s difficult to make a really good comedy album, one you’ll want to listen to more than once. That’s why a lot of them get assigned to novelty hell."

Nick Zaino, over on The Optimistic Curmudgeon, is offering another look at last years' comedy albums released, following up on a column he wrote in The Boston Globe.

If you want to get away from Super Tuesdays', delegate counts or the flood of new Britney Spears news, this is a good read.

Check out "OC Review: A Few Last Thoughts on the Best Comedy Albums of 2007"

Comics Come Home Xlll Review, From The Optimistic Curmudgeon

Meet The Optimistic Curmudgeon.

The Garlic wants to hip you to The Optimistic Curmudgeon, otherwise know as Nick Zaino, freelance writer extraordinaire, and pounding the Comedy and Stand-Up Comedy beat for 'The Boston Globe" (and a person who "enjoys declarative sentences".)

And, if you are a Dennis Leary fan, you're in luck, as TOC has an extensive review of the event, which took place last week here in Boston.

Most of Leary’s ire Saturday was directed at celebrities and senators. Amy Winehouse and Larry Craig both had their images shown on two giant screens as Leary blurted his immediate thoughts, a burst of sunshine, as usual. The high/low point came when Leary showed an infamous paparazzi photo of Britney Spears getting out of her limo sans undies, with a star over the naughty bits. Leary asked the screen operators to show the picture uncensored, after which a picture of Bobby Brown came up on the screen. Just when you thought it was safe, there was the pic, uncensored, about twenty feet high. “That’s actual size, by the way,” Leary commented.

Check out Live Review: Comics Come Home XIII

And bookmark, or sign-up for, The Optimistic Curmudgeon... Nick's the real-deal and you'll find your time well-spent with his writing.