[MADtv] Phil LaMarr

[JavierOmar]

First it was Debra, now is ex-MadTV castmember Phil LaMarr who appears on today's new episode of Mind of Mencia as the Ghost of Johnnie Cochran in another segment of Judge Carlos.

[cartman2002]

Which original MADtv cast member is gonna show up next? Brian, David, Orlando, Artie, Mary, Nicole S.

[ef_7]

Originally Posted by cartman2002

Which original MADtv cast member is gonna show up next? Brian, David, Orlando, Artie, Mary, Nicole S.

Hmmmmmm..... Let's go with..... ARTIE!!!!

*spins giant wheel and starts clapping*

GOOD ANSWER!! YEAH!! GOOD ANSWER, GOOD ANSWER!!!

[MADfan2004]

Profile updated with new appearances, including Mind of Mencia, Transformers: Animated, the four new Futurama movies, and a new live action movie he's in called He's Such a Girl.

[cartman2002]

Is his role in the live acton film a big role or is it a small role just like every other MADtv cast member?

[MADfan2004]

Originally Posted by cartman2002

Is his role in the live acton film a big role or is it a small role just like every other MADtv cast member?

Yes.

[tarzapam]

phil was in a recent ep of curb your enthusiasm
JOY

[WillSassoFan]

Phil did also the voice of a detective in the game Condemned 2: Bloodshot for the Xbox 360 and PS3.

[tvmanismadformad]

With Futurama coming back, a website Crave Online did an interview with Phil about the show, but also mentioned MAD as well. In the interview, Phil gives his theories about why the show never really caught on. I'll post the section where it is mentioned.

Crave Online: Now that MadTV has ended, why do you think it didn’t become the everlasting thing that SNL is?

Phil LaMarr: Leadership, pure and simple. Say what you will about the leadership of SNL, they have crafted an institution as opposed to just running a show. I don't think that’s by accident.

Crave Online: Yeah, it’s been Lorne Michaels except for a few years in the early ‘80s.

Phil LaMarr: I think he caught on very early on, before anybody else was really cognizant of branding, of the potential he had. I credit him with that because it was at a time when the people coming out of where he came out of, improv/sketch comedy, nobody was looking ahead thinking like producers. The closest thing you had was the National Lampoon brand and nobody really bought into it as a brand. It was just sort of a name to put on the movie so you could tell people, “This is the same kind of raunchy comedy.” He knew he had an audience and a style of comedy that he could capitalize on and grow. The producers at MadTV either couldn’t identify what their brand could be or didn’t have the fortitude to try to create one. I think they had some enormously talented people come through there and a lot of them weren’t given a chance or a chance to do something from there.

Crave Online: Now it seems there’s no other sketch game in town.

Phil LaMarr: No, no. The internet has basically stolen the fire out of sketch comedy because if you’ve got short bursts of comedy, why bother sitting down for a half an hour in front of the TV?

Crave Online: Now you’ve got Funny or Die.

Phil LaMarr: Yeah, really. Why should I sit through 15 minutes of bad sketches to watch 15 minutes of good ones. Let me just watch the good ones.

So by the interview, Phil thinks that the lack of leadership by the producers, and the launch of sketch comedy on the internet was the reason MADtv never took off. Now as yoiu can all probably tell, I disagree whole heartedly. I've seen interviews with David Salzman, and he did seem to know the audience and their brand. Remember, they got off the MAD Magazine wagon after the 3rd season, so they did know how to create a brand. Had the show been owned by Fox, I know they could have done better because while SNL ads are ran during primetime on the network and discussed on all platforms of the owned channels, MADtv wasn't because Fox thought, it's not our show so why should be promote it, and the WB never promoted it because they thought what's the point of promoting a show that is not even going to benefit our network?

As for the internet thing, I don't believe that one because if that was the case, why is SNL still around now?

Anyway, it's a very interesting article, and I encourage you all to give it a look through.

[tvmanismadformad]

I saw Phil on Happy Endings tonight. So wierd to see him acting. I thought he didn't do anything but voiceover work.