The Michiga
'Shorties' gives an animated twist to stand-up
n Daily - Tuesday, May 4, 2004 - 11
By Doug Wenmrt
Daily Arts Writer
Time and again, Comedy Central
has come up with creative ideas for
new shows, and
that's one of the Shorties
reasons the net- Watchin'
work is so popular. Shorties
Over the years,
audiences have Wednesdays at
been treated to 10:30 p.m.
many unique con- Comedy Central
cepts - whether
it's the entertaining, foul-mouthed
"South Park" cartoons or the prank-
calls-set-to-puppets format of "Crank
Yankers." "Shorties Watchin' Short-
ies," the network's latest offering, con-
tinues this innovative trend, resulting
in another hilarious and diverting gem
from television's leader in comedy.
Following in the same vein as
"Crank Yankers," "Shorties" incorpo-
rates stand-up routines from famous
comics with animation that brings the
comics to life. Stand-up is the back-
bone of the show and is perfect fodder
for animators; the comics touch on a
wide variety of topics, like bell-bot-
toms, Evel Knievel, marathon runners,
the Last Supper and cheating on your
spouse. Bits from many different
comics are used in each episode. For
example, the premiere contained sam-
ples from Dane Cook, Denis Leary,
Jeffrey Ross and Jay Mohr - just to
name a few.
Watching these cartoons on a TV
and providing commentary, "Mystery
Science Theater 3000"-style, are two
animated babies named Nick and
Patrice, voiced by "Tough Crowd
with Colin Quinn" regulars Nick Di
Paolo and Patrice O'Neal. Nick is the
bossy, sophisticated leader while
Patrice, the funnier of the two, fills
the role of the goofy, silly sidekick.
Between some of the bits, the babies
will comment on what they have seen
and then go off on tangents about dif-
ferent topics. They touch on subjects
such as Einstein, the importance of
strip club DJs and why the Pope is a
pimp. Their elaborations provide a
smooth, entertaining transition from
one segment to the next and wrap up
each show nicely.
The animation complements the
stand-up perfectly, as the outrageous
interpretations of the routines result in
sketches that are hilarious in and of
themselves. This unique mix of cari-
catures and graffiti never get old, and
the animation allows for an over-the-
top style that is the show's signature
quality.
The only possible drawback to the
concept behind "Shorties Watchin'
Shorties" is that the well of funny
material that's easily adaptable to ani-
mation may run dry sooner rather than
later. For the time being, however, the
show's format proves it is appealing to
the eye as well as to the viewer's sense
of humor.
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