Alec

McNayr

Hilarious.

Unless it’s funny.

Internet funnymen Rhett & Link made this commercial for Cullman Liquidation, and I think that, even though it’s fraught with stereotypes and humor, it’s a real commercial for a real local company.

Rhett & Link created a site called I Love Local Commercials, as a platform for them to create low-budget videos for small town businesses that normally don’t consider video as a marketing device.

It’s a smart move for two guys who got some street cred from Hollywood, but famously live in North Carolina, where buying a house is cheaper.

It’s a good example of making your skills work for you no matter where you live.  That you don’t have to live in Los Angeles to make good entertainment (but it helps).

With so much comedy being broadcast around the web these days, it’s difficult to rise above the fray on concept alone.

UK’s answer to the Cup O’ Noodles, Pot Noodle has a comedy-friendly brand (hey, the feature dwarf wrestlers on their web page, after all), and they recently worked with ad house AKQA to create a little viral buzz.

They created a news report from the 80’s about a guy who develops sheep-like wool after eating enough Pot Noodle. “You are what you eat,” the guy claims. It’s funny, but certainly not funnier than anything else I’ve seen online.

The value comes from its editing — the video itself was copied onto an old VHS tape and re-imported to give it that static-y, 80’s feel. AKQA also teamed up with The Sun to run a fake news article about the video.

The video only has about 1200 views on YouTube, but is creative enough for me to take note.

I hope you don’t mind the levity (or the self-promotion) on an otherwise marketing-related site, but I wanted to share a video with you that I wrote, directed, acted in, and edited. I’m a quadruple threat!

It’s one of a series of funny videos meant to introduce a “relationship teaching series” happening at my church. Enjoy.

disHarmony.com: Three Little Words (1:32)

(Did you catch the continuity error?)

The Groundlings hosted a Q&A with Will Ferrell last night. I had third-row tickets at the WGA Theater in Beverly Hills. About 200 people in attendance (including both Will’s dad and mom: Will’s dad was in the first row… his mom the 15th).

My Groundlings improv teacher Roy Jenkins (and star of of our ABC “pilot-ish” Assemblymen’s show-within-a-show) interviewed Will. Some observations:

• Will Ferrell answered half the questions seriously and half in an endless array of improvisational tangents. 100% hilarious.
• Will is very heartfelt, and was truly engaging and unpretentious.
• He talked about how nobody believed in Anchorman, even as he was making it.
• He worked at an auction house for three months… after being cast on SNL (but before officially starting work).
• My wife says to me, upon leaving, “Can we be friends with him when we’re rich and famous?” I answered yes.
• Roy Jenkins is just as funny as Will (and perhaps quicker on his feet!), but is not as famous or rich. What gives? Life and entertainment is not fair.

I don’t know what to make of that last one, except to continue to work hard and be honest in my work as a writer, producer, and entertainer. I may never be Will Ferrell, but with enough time, I can be more Alec McNayr…

I love two things.

The Office and Kristen Wiig. She is the future of SNL.

A great video stop-action version of Nokia’s popular Snake game, only done with people. Viral gold.

PS — Check the behind the scenes vid.

Can’t help but mention this amazing video that my wife shot at a wedding we went to about a year ago. All the groom’s friends are bboys, and they performed at the reception.

The groom himself even got down — that’s him at the end… in his rented tux shoes, no less!