Samantha Bee

Today Tuesday September 4, 2012 the AWU Woman of the Day is Samantha Bee. She is a correspondent for the Daily Show and is brilliant. Why is she the WOD? Because she has more balls than most men I know and she is entertaining as hell.

Daily Show: RNC 2012 - The Road to Jeb Bush 2016 - The Republican Platform

www.thedailyshow.com

Regarding abortion, RNC attendees recognize Mitt Romney's right to choose, but not Samantha Bee's.

Phyllis Diller

Today Tuesday August 21, 2012 the AWOD is Phyllis Diller, Actress and comedian born in Lima, Ohio in 1917 and passed away yesterday 8-20-2012 at the ripe old age of 95.

I was lucky enough to have seen her perform in person when I was a kid. I am sure her act was completely inappropriate for 3 small children but I will never forget how grown up I felt for my dad taking us. I recall it was an outdoor venue, a fair of some kind perhaps. I vividly remember her wild hair, the amazingly loud muumuu she was wearing, the cigarette she was smoking through one of those extenders, the excessive amount of make-up she had on and that laugh, that distinctive infectious laugh of hers. I could not have been any more than 8 or 9 but I remember that day, I remember her, the incomparable Phyllis Diller. That is all anyone can ask for right? To have people remember you? She was memorable for so many reasons. Her son said that she died peacefully with a smile on her face. What a gift, to be at such peace in the end to know that you have lived your life well and to be happy when it is all over. I wish that for all of us.

Phyllis Diller came into the comedy business later in her life, at the age of 37. In 1955 she was working as a journalist and was a contestant on the Groucho Marx show "You bet your life", she was such a hit that she was offered a spot to do stand up comedy. She talked about being a mother, a housewife and about her fictitious husband “Fang”. She talked about things that women not dare talk about in public; she said what many women were thinking but wouldn’t dare say out loud. She was the original “Roseanne”. She was an instant hit and her long successful career was born.

“My cooking is so bad my kids thought Thanksgiving was to commemorate Pearl Harbor.” 

“We spend the first twelve months of our children's lives teaching them to walk and talk and the next twelve telling them to sit down and shut up.” 

"I still take the pill 'cause I don't want any more grandchildren." 

"The older I get, the funnier I get. Think what I'll save in not having my face lifted."
“My photographs don't do me justice - they just look like me.”

Thanks for the laughs Phyllis, R.I.P.

Here is a brief synopsis of her life, enjoy:

http://www.biography.com/people/phyllis-diller-9542308

Margaret Cho

Today Tuesday February 21, 2012 The WOD is Margaret Cho.
Margaret Cho was born Dec. 5, 1968 and raised in San Francisco.

Her grandfather was a Methodist minister who ran an orphanage in Seoul during the Korean War. Ignoring the traditions of her patriarchal culture, her mother bravely resisted an arranged marriage in Korea and married Margaret’s father who writes joke books – in Korean. “Books like 1001 Jokes for Public Speakers – real corny stuff,” Cho says. “I guess we’re in the same line of work. But we don’t understand each other that way. I don’t know why the things he says are funny and the same for him.”

What Margaret did know is that she didn’t love being a kid. Racing toward adulthood to escape bullying, she began writing jokes for stand up at 14 and professionally performing at age 16. Getting picked on, and feeling disenfranchised, is a subject that’s very near to Margaret’s heart. She has become a sort of “Patron Saint” for Outsiders, speaking for them when they are not able to speak for themselves. “Being bullied influenced my adult life because I grew up too fast. I was in such a hurry to escape that I cheated myself out of a childhood. I didn’t want to go to school any more, didn’t want to be around those people any more. I want to use what happened to me to help other kids.”

In 1994 Margaret developed an eating disorder as a response to criticism about her body. She was so obsessive in her goal to try to be what she thought others wanted, she landed in the hospital with kidney failure. Since she's become an outspoken critic of unrealistic beauty standards.

"Just read an article about myself where I described myself as 'chubby' and I think that it is a fairly unacceptable description, and I want to apologize to myself for saying it, because that is just wrong. I am not chubby – and to call myself that is to endanger the lives of millions of young girls who look to the media to define who they are, who are constantly checking themselves for fear of wrecking themselves, who are afraid to be thought of as 'chubby,' who don’t realize that they are perfect as they are, and it is irresponsible. I fear they will read this article and look at my body and be scared because it is like theirs, and they will then think of themselves as 'chubby' and learn to hate themselves more. To call me 'chubby' is to call a billion women 'chubby' who shouldn’t think of themselves as anything less than hot and sexy and curvy and built. I am not 'chubby.' I am a real live perfectly beautiful woman, and just because I may be larger than the mostly anorexic female population in Hollywood, it doesn’t make me any less desirable or gorgeous because I like food. I take it back, as I must take back all the millions of insults that I hurl at myself without knowing it. I would never, ever say any of the horrible things I say to myself about myself to anyone else, not even someone I hated, because there is no one I could possibly hate that much. We must stop fighting the war against ourselves before we can truly start to love ourselves. We are not 'chubby,' we are perfect. We are beautiful. We are so very very beautiful."

Besides being a comedian, she is a fashion designer, actress, author, and singer-songwriter. Cho is best known for her stand-up routines through, which she critiques social and political problems, especially those pertaining to race and sexuality. She has also directed and appeared in music videos and has her own clothing line. She has frequently supported LGBT rights and has won awards for her humanitarian efforts on behalf of women, Asians, and the LGBT community.

Lizz Winstead

Today Tuesday February 21, 2012 The WOD is Lizz Winstead. Born August 05, 1961 in St. Paul Minnesota Lizz Winstead is a famous political satirist.

She is the co-creator and former head writer of “The Daily Show” and is one of the founders of Air-America Radio. Her ability to educate, enlighten and at the same time entertain is a rare and impressive talent.

Lizz Winstead has emerged as a critically acclaimed political writer and producer. As a performer, Winstead brought her political wit to "The Daily Show" as a Correspondent and later to the radio waves co-hosting "Unfiltered," Air America Radio's mid morning show with citizen of the world and Hip Hop legend Chuck D, and political big brain Rachel Maddow.

Winstead has appeared numerous times on television including HBO's "Women of the Night,""The US Comedy Arts Festival" in Aspen, Comedy Central Presents, and too many basic cable stand-up shows and VH-1 "50 Greatest This" and "100 Greatest That" to mention. As well as writing and producing for air and television, Winstead performs in clubs and theaters across the country in recurring shows like "Shoot the Messenger" at Ace of Clubs. She is also busy filming episodes of her Internet series "Bad Gift Road Show" for Lifetime.

Her comedic talents have been recognized in Entertainment Weekly's 100 Most Creative People issue, and she was nominated Best Female Club Performer by The American Comedy Awards. Winstead is also featured in the film, "American Cannibal."

Recently, Lizz wrote and produced an independent pilot of her Off-Broadway hit, “Wake Up World,” a scathing satire about morning chat shows that Rachel Maddow called, “The funniest thing I have seen in years.”

Her weekly segments on “The Ed Show” on MSNBC and HLN’s “The Joy Behar Show” feature her hilarious spin on breaking news.

And now Lizz Winstead is hitting the road in support of Planned Parenthood! Lizz's "Planned Parenthood, I Am Here For You" Tour! Her unique talent to educate through humor is a breath of fresh air and in my opinion makes her worthy of her being our WOD.

Madeline Kahn

Awesome woman of the Day: Madeline Kahn

One of my all time favorite actors, and one of the funniest women who ever graced the stage was Madeline Kahn. She was stunningly gorgeous and damn funny.

No matter what she appeared in, from SNL to Sesame Street, (Google her utube clip with Grover!)she came through as someone you’d like to know, even at her most irritating in, “What’s up Doc?” There was a vulnerability and humanity in her. She had numerous nominations for Tonys, Emmys and Oscars, and Golden Globes. She won a Tony and an Emmy, and her appearance as Lily VonShtupp in Blazing Saddles was one of the 100 funniest characters ever. 

She died much too soon, as I’m sure she had many more great roles in her.

http://jwa.org/discover/infocus/comedy/kahn.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madeline_Kahn

JWA - Jewish Women in Comedy - Madeline Kahn jwa.org
A perennial scene-stealer, Madeline Kahn appeared in some of the funniest movies in Hollywood history, leaving a legacy as one of the all-time funny ladies in show business. While primarily achieving fame through her comedic work, Kahn was also an accomplished stage and television actress.

Betty White

Because yesterday was her 90th birthday, the Awesome Woman for Wednesday, January 18, 2012 is Betty White, U.S. television star, comedian, author, producer, and animal rights activist. She was born in Illinois, but she was brought up in Los Angeles (trivia fact - she went to the same high school that Angelina Jolie went to).

Her first job was working at a television station as an "assistant," but she went on to develop and produce a television series, which makes her one of the first female producers in Hollywood. http://www.biography.com/people/betty-white-9542614?page=1

She became a prolific guest star on situation comedies, talk shows, and game shows, where she met her third husband and the love of her life, Allen Ludden, in 1961, but she's probably best known for her roles on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Golden Girls (each of which is remarkable in its own right for the portrayals of women who are not dependent on men and who are supported by their networks of female friends). [Id., except for the editorial comment about the tv shows [;)]

Today, she is such a cultural icon of female badassery that the President of the United States called her on her birthday (and requested her long form birth certificate to prove her age).




Many happy returns, Ms. White.

For more information:

http://www.starpulse.com/news/index.php/2012/01/17/happy_90th_birthday_betty_white

http://www.wic.org/bio/bwhite.htm

Merrill Markoe

Merrill Markoe (1948-present) is Monday’s Awesome Woman of the Day, not only because her name is so pleasingly alliterative, but also because of her success a funny person who is also female. Which isn’t even necessary to mention, except that it *sigh* still is. (Recall, if you can bear it, that even today, people will ask--in all seriousness!--if women can be truly funny. I swear!)

Markoe is perhaps best known as the creator of the Stupid Pet Tricks and Viewer Mail segments for Late Night With David Letterman, but she also appeared on Michael Moore’s late, great TV Nation, has written several funny books (including It’s My F---ing Birthday) and occasionally does stand-up.

Here’s a link to an article in Jezebel in which Markoe discusses dogs, Late Night and being a female in comedy.

Merrill Markoe On Dave Letterman, Dick Jokes, & The Love Of A Good Dog

jezebel.com

Comedian and writer Merrill Markoe was one of the creators of the David Letterman Show. Now she writes books about talking dogs and makes funny short videos.

Lucille Ball

Born 100 years ago today, the Awesome Woman for today, Saturday, August 6, 2011, is the legendary Lucille Ball (8/6/1911 - 4/26/1989). One of the most popular and influential stars in America during her lifetime, with one of Hollywood's longest careers, Ball began acting in the 1930s, becoming both a radio actress and B-movie star in the 1940s, and then a television star during the 1950s. Lucille Ball is best remembered for her television role as Lucy Ricardo, the zany wife of Ricky Ricardo, on the “I Love Lucy Show.”

Lucille Ball Biography

www.biography.com

A brief look at the life and work of comedienne Lucille Ball, best remembered for her classic television comedy series .

Madeline Kahn

Today's AWU WOD is Madeline Kahn (1942–99), actress and singer. The bold, offbeat comedienne had dozens of different voices, all of them funny. She was born in Boston and educated at Hofstra University to teach speech therapy while she also prepared for an opera career. Her finest years came in Paper Moon (1973) with Ryan O'Neal, which was followed the next year by Mel Brooks's outrageous Blazing Saddles (1974) as Lili Von Shtupp, a cabaret singer who was obviously based on Marlene Dietrich's performance in Destry Rides Again (1939). She was so delightful in both that Madeline was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in both movies. She often appeared in 'Mel Brooks'' films. Tragically, on December 3, 1999, Madeline died of ovarian cancer in New York, a disease from which she suffered for about a year while she was a cast member of "Cosby" (1996). The accomplished stage and screen actress was just 57.

There is nothing better than laughter to get through difficult times, my dad taught me that. He exposed me to so many wonderful comedians and he was pretty funny himself, but he had a soft spot for Madeline. She was a comic genius and I never get tired of watching her! She died 6 months after my dad. I hope they are both laughing in Heaven celebrating his birthday. <3