No Homework?

Oh yeah, huh. Just the coloring book pages. And I didn't work out this week at all (besides walking and biking all over creation, er, Boulder). Okay, so here's another picture of me in the early '90s playing a clowning role. Please to enjoy...   ~Prof. Jenn

Look at that little boy in the close background! It's like, the coolest, most magical thing that has ever happened to him...

Reading Response (late) :(

So sorry this is getting posted so late- my week has literally been non-stop until this evening. When I was reading the Movement for Actors book, and the section about the Dell'Arte School, it hit me as to how much movement on the stage is really not a spur of the moment deal. There is a ton of thought and character that goes into each step and next move the character/person is going to take that you have to train your body to show that, especially when you have an audience that gains the most from seeing and hearing. I was also surprised to hear that physical theatre wasnt as high up in the list or totem pole in theatre to obtain a degree for. When reading the Smallest Mask section, i liked the quote "the clowns role is to keep the people in touch with everyday reality while fulfilling the need for a connectionto the sacred." I liked it because when i read that, it made sense to me. clowning is funny and it does mock the smallest problems they are presented with, but at the same time, people are always presented with a problem in life that they need to wrok out throuh. Clowns just do it the funny way. I also like that they said that "at the heart of clown work is the acceptance and celebration of human imperfection", that it views or limitations and the fact that we can see them as humorous. Clowns are very simple yet in a way smart characters- as they come onto the scene with no past, but they know how to grab and hold the audiences attention and keep them watching and laughing and having a good time as well. There truely is a lot that goes into being a great clown, and i'm starting to have a new found respect for it as well. :) I have heard of Chaplin and Keaton before, but i didnt know that they were considered to be commedians in their time. I knew that they were some of the bigger stars in the silent film industry as well. When they were talking about body shape on a person, i realized that it made sense- that the eyes are more drawn towards the hands or feet and that the movement is different than other people. Im interested in looking up some of their movies as well, so that i may have a better understanding of their movie careers.

Workout log over break

Over spring break, my workouts consisted of sit-ups, running, and some yoga. I did the workouts every other day. I also did little things such as parked farther away from places i went to, as well as took the stairs whenever i could.

Hey Clowns

Great work today--you guys rehearsed hard on two separate projects, and learned hat tricks to boot! For those of you who posted or printed your Clown Research Projects without a Works Cited or in-text citations, please correct this before next class or your grades will not make you happy. (in-text citations may not work on a blog post--at least have a Works Cited list). And...scene. Have a good week!   ~Prof. Jenn

Hi guys

Hi family...

I just wanted to apologize for my absence today. I know this class really counts on working as a team and I feel as if I let down my group today.

But after rehearsal ended yesterday I started to notice my right knee was swelling but I didn't pay much attention to it..I figured it was one of the usual aches and pains of rehearsal

Then I got home and my knee got worse...My husband went out to get me some epsom salt so I could soak it and all it did was get bigger.

I gave it some serious thought and I know I had to stay at home, alert my Dad to the problem and see if it got any worse...

No progression either way as of right now, but I will keep you posted.

Thank you for understanding and I will return next week.

Matt and Mallory - I will be available to rehearse during the week for our clowning unit - and even if there happens to be a serious problem with my knee we can work it into the act.

Good Night and God Bless

Christae Evanson

Clowning Paper

Professor Boughn

April 2, 2011

My earliest memories of the late great Red Skelton are of watching “The Best of Red Skelton” PBS special with my Grandma while eating grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup when I was about 8. I remember my Grandma and Mom always being such a fan of his physical comedy and family friendly humor. So I definitely decided he was the clown for me to research.

Although there is some controversy regarding his age, he was said to have been born July 18, 1913. His father, Joe who passed away before he was born was said to have been a clown with Hagenbeck & Wallace Circus. At age 10 Ed Wynn discovered him peddling newspapers outside the Pantheon Theatre in Vincennes Illinois. By the time Red was 15, he was working full time in all sorts of traveling acts such as vaudeville and showboats, including the Hagenbeck & Wallace Circus which his father had been a part of.

Around 1930 he had a vaudeville act with Edna Stillwell, who later became his wife. They ended up divorcing later. Red became very fortunate in having a successful career in both film and radio, and Broadway. In 1938, Red made his film debut in “Having a wonderful time”. Between the 1940’s-1950’s, Red had a very successful career with MGM doing nearly 30 films.

His radio show ran from 1941-1953. Aptly named, “The Red Skelton” show, Red had his own very specifically unique style of clowning. His most famous characters were “Clem Kadiddlehopper, the country bumpkin, Willy Lump Lump, a drunken sot, Cauliflower McPugg, a punch-drunk boxer, The Mean Widdle Kid, who's most famous expression, "I Dood It," became a national slogan, San Fernando Red, a likable rogue and con man, and his famous cross-eyed seagulls, Gertrude and Heathcliffe.” (Red Skelton Biography)

He married his second wife Georgia Davis in 1945. He had two children, one of which was killed by Leukemia. That tragedy taking such a toll on the family, Red divorced Georgia in 1972.

In 1951, Red had his own T.V. show, which received extremely high ratings in its first year, and only grew in popularity thereafter. His most famous character was the loveable tramp clown Freddy the Freeloader.

Red won the Emmy in 1953 for Best comedy show. His show moved from NBC to CBS and won a subsequent Emmy in 1961 for Outstanding Writing Achievement.
One of his most famous phrases was his sign off of “Good Night and God Bless”. A phrase I always loved hearing and found very comforting. Unfortunately in 1970, CBS cancelled the show due to rising production cost and because they felt the material they show cased needed to appeal to a more mature demographic. This blow deeply hurt Red and it seemed as though he never recovered from than cancellation. A very memorable moment was in 1986, when Red was presented the Governor's Award of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences at the Emmy Awards Show when he stated,” "I want to thank you for sitting down, I thought you were pulling a CBS and walking out on me" after receiving a standing ovation.

His show was reinstated in 1970, but it didn’t have the success of his former show and was cancelled a year later.

He spent some time reverting back to live performances touring all over, including Carnegie Hall. He also continued to pursue another passion of his, painting making additional income.

Red paid homage to his late son by donating money and establishing The Red Skelton Foundation in his hometown to help needy children.

One of his greatest statements found on the Funny Faces video regarding his character is this:

"I get asked all the time; where did you get the idea for Freddie the Freeloader, and who is Freddie really? Well, I guess you might say that Freddie the Freeloader is a little bit of you, and a little bit of me, a little bit of all of us, you know. He found out what love means. He knows the value of time. He knows that time is a glutton. We say we don't have time to do this or do that. There's plenty of time. The trick is to apply it. The greatest disease in the world today is procrastination. And Freddie knows about all these things. And so do you. He doesn't ask anybody to provide for him, because it would be taken away from you. He doesn't ask for equal rights if it's going to give up some of yours. And he knows one thing ... that patriotism is more powerful than guns. He ís nice to everybody because he was taught that man is made in God’s image. He’s never met God in person and the next fella just might be him. I would say that Freddie is a little bit of all of us." (Red Skelton Biography)

I love that Red’s performances and ideals appeal to both children and adults. His working has so many varying ideas and levels. He didn’t care about was politically correct or socially correct, but cared deeply about imparting his beliefs through performance.

In 1989 he was inducted into the Clown Hall of Fame.

Red died of pneumonia in his home in Rancho Mirage, California.

Works Cited

"Bibliography." OFFICIAL Red Skelton Web Site. Web. 25 Mar. 2011. .

"Red Skelton Biography - Good Night and May God Bless | Clown Ministry | History | Red Skelton." Clown Ministry. Web. 28 Mar. 2011. .

Some of my Favorite Clips:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Al2xOOTMmLo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZBTyTWOZCM

Amy Sedaris

First of all, I would like to say that this came out to 2 pages on my word processing program . . . .

Danielle Hawkins

Clown Research Project

 Amy Sedaris

The author, comedian, business-owner and baker, Amy Sedaris, is probably best known for her slew of crazy characters and antics that she has come up with over the years and is one of the few modern examples of a female physical comedian. In his book of essays Me Talk Pretty One Day, Amy’s brother, David Sedaris, describes her penchant for dressing up in strange costumes, assuming a completely different character, and pulling pranks on a routine basis, “Her fondness for transformation began at an early age . . . for Christmases and birthdays she requested wigs and makeup, hospital gowns and uniforms.” (134,135) 

It was David who encouraged Amy to go to Chicago where she joined the comedy troupe Second City. There she met Stephen Colbert and Paul Dinello, with whom she went on to create Strangers With Candy, a television show on Comedy Central starring Amy as Jerri Blank, a 46 year old drop-out/drug addict who is trying to get her life together by starting over as a high-school freshman. The show is a great example of how Amy uses costumes and physical comedy to create character. From her success on Strangers With Candy, Amy has continued to appear in film and television doing quirky skits and dressing up as strange characters.

Although an attractive woman, part of Amy’s physical comedy is dressing “down”, “I like playing ugly people that think they’re attractive,” (tv interview, George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight). In response to her father’s concern for his daughter’s appearance and weight, Amy chose to wear a fat suit to Christmas and have herself made up to look like she had been beaten in a fight for a magazine photo shoot, “When it was her turn at the styling table, Amy said ‘I want to look like someone has beaten the shit out of me”. ( David Sedaris, 140)

“I tend to live my life like a deaf person. I communicate with my actions: the way I dress, the way my home is decorated, and the gifts I give all speak for me.” (Amy Sedaris, 5) In recent years, Amy has turned her comedic gifts toward her fondness for baking, crafts and entertaining. She brings her bizarre characters and ideas to the pages of her books I Like You, and Simple Times: Crafts for Poor People in which she not-so-seriously provides 
recipes, craft-tips and advice. She is certainly not your average “Susie home-maker”. Amy frequently appears on talk shows such as the David Letterman show and Chelsea Lately, where she promotes her books by showing the host some of her recent crafts, like a lamp shade with tassels made of hair swatches or a marshmallow stuck full of sparkly toothpicks, (Wendy Williams Show).

Bibliography

Amy Sedaris: International Movie Data Base. 2011. 1 April. 2011. 

Sedaris, David. Me Talk Pretty One Day. New York, Hachette, 2000.

Sedaris, Amy. Interview. George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight. CBC. Toronto. 6

          Dec. 2010.

Sedaris, Amy. Interview. The Wendy Williams Show. BET. New York. 3 Nov. 2010

Sedaris, Amy. I Like You. New York: Hachette, 2006.

this is a link to a funny tooth fairy thing Amy did:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCUfM0Z0mxU


here's another one: