A new year, old habits, high hopes and low resources- what to do with your money this year?  Laugh. I know you are supposed to buy file folders. Make order. I say laugh and praise yourself.

Laugh. Laughter is the sweet energizer, the safest painkiller, the best organizer.

Praise your stick-to-it-ness- you made it to this new year; whether you are reading this on January first or July 14th-you can reckon a new year from any day.

So when you look at credit card balances that you cannot pay off this month or the next, or the next…, slap your thigh and laugh, saying, “I am royal and don’t even know it. I must be because I am living way bigger than my income. Just how royal am I?  How much would I need to make a month to pay this off as if it were just like my small phone bill? What kind of job would bring in that kind of income?”

Now you are tapping your imagination.  You are asking, “Whose life am I living?  Who am I impersonating? Could I work at a better paying job?”

You haven’t died of last year’s money mistakes. You are still here and can laugh about your messy situation. This is healthy.

If you can’t laugh about it, you might shame yourself into paralysis and freeze up. You might stop thinking creatively about how to get out of the mess you are in. If you can’t laugh, you might become secretive and hide the truth from others, and refuse to ask for help.  If you can’t laugh, you might continue in a downward spiral of more and more spending and bigger and bigger debt until you hit bankruptcy or homelessness.

If you can’t laugh at your mistakes and weak decisions, you might think that you yourself are laughable. You are not. Each of us makes a range of decisions from brilliant to “what could I have been thinking!”

Laughter does not mean debt is good.  Laughter means you are gaining some perspective on your habits. Praise means you acknowledge that you did something right to get from one day to the next, from one year to the next.

There are tons of anxiety producing, well-intentioned and smart articles about how to get your finances in order.  They are worth reading after you get a hold of yourself. You spent the money- whether it was for luxuries or necessities. You signed a credit card slip that says you agree to pay what was charged, but that legal formality was just the gateway for your head or heart to get the stuff it wanted so urgently at the time. You got it. You did it. You regret it.

Now restore yourself with laughter so you can begin with a lighter heart, more air in your lungs, and the recognition of what went wrong, what can go better. Praise your resilience and praise those who helped you get by. Catch yourself laughing when you recognize an old trap or temptation, and praise yourself as you avoid it and make a better money decision. Start again and succeed little by little, day by day.

If there is one thing that we fail to acknowledge in this country is our proud heritage. I understand the usefulness and even the advantages to having a castle at every turn, a dysfunctional Royal Family, a series of losing sports teams and a prolific ability to cast aside some of the greatest entertainers who have ever graced our screens, to the other side of the planet. Yet there is a certain breed of Englishman who entertains us each week who goes silently unnoticed. Every week in many circumstances – they make us laugh, cry, think about ourselves and even be moved when we witness their craft.

It has occurred to me that there is something gravely wrong in the things that we appreciate. Whilst I have been keen to keep abreast with the ins and outs of comedy over the last forty years in some, socially staved, hobby of mine, it has come to my notice in my findings that there are some greats in the world of showbiz who are, or have, gone right passed us without as much as a mere thank you from us, let alone a knighthood. I immediately think of Eric Sykes, who back in the late Fifties shared a cramped office somewhere in a corner of Shepherds Bush with the manic and fairly unknown, Spike Milligan. A picture forms in my head of these two young, yet to be found geniuses with sleeves rolled up, frantically scribbling away on tiny desks, banging out silly skits to make a few quid. This romantic notion has stayed with me and forever haunts me to the point that I feel these heroes will continue to die off without, what I consider, a decent enough tribute. Dare I say it, we will lose the last one of that particular partnership without so much as a touch of the Queen’s sword on his shoulders if we are not too careful.

So what is it that makes, as a country, so unreflecting to acknowledge the hard working, sweating, sore fingered writers who have given us such classic comedy over the years, yet we are quick to celebrate their accomplishments, but not the source from whence they came? We are fond of remarking on some wonderful lollipop lady who regularly saves the lives of thousands of squashed hedgehogs all over Derbyshire, or the small child who miraculously put out the blazing inferno that would have perished his school had he not been the only one to be quick thinking. These beings all show courage in the face of something along the lines of adversity but not one note of recognition twice a year goes to the last remaining few of a generation now fading away. The people who make us laugh. I apologise for not acknowledging Midge Ure for another accolade in the fight against Developing World poverty, but enough is enough. Sir Geldof only ever had one hit record…

Onward I travel and delve into the pits of comedy to find out who was really behind arching sides, chesty coughs and stamping of feet., (well, that’s what I do when I laugh,) and mark a small tribute of my own…

The situation comedy writer weaves a tangled web of laughter, tears and observation beyond our own daily troubles. We may not even like what we see, even avoid it or watch something else, but that’s the chance they take. The writer may care not to employ his mind with equal attention as the director or the producer may, for it is the job of the script writer to cast the magic and let us in to a family or a situation in which we, sometimes feel at home. We befriend their characters who we either adore or dislike. We sympathize with them, agree or disagree with them – either way, we may delight in their company, secure in the knowledge that they will, if anything, simply make us smile. I will guarantee we have all, at some point in our lives tuned in to little half and hour programme each week to be eagerly entertained by a series of fictional characters in their hilarious situations. We are keen to indulge in a dribble more of their misfortunes or their daily tasks peppered with unusual pitfalls. Yet what is the appeal of the average situation comedy? One point that seems stronger than the rest is the realisation that these programmes reflect, very deeply, our own lives.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A certain young jobbing actor came onto the scene through the stage striding school of RADA, hoping for a life treading the boards or tripping over the camera wires. Back in the heady days of the Sixties, actors found a niche on television where they could, if they managed it, kept employment by hopping in and out of one serial to another. The world of the BBC was full of serials, be them straight or funny. A multitude of ‘family’ based sit coms were taking shape, thus keeping a vast majority of general actors in food and warmth. Many stayed quite happy in the their minor roles, not wanting to go any further out into the gloom. Others struck gold in what the old darlings term as ‘big break.’ Here, we find actors who then turn into stars, and possibly find grasping the reins even more exciting than just sitting on the horse.

One of these particular up and coming actors was George Layton. Yorkshire born, he had a twinkling smile and a charming tone. With these attributes at his disposal, he quickly found himself in the first knicker wetting series full of all the best twinkling smiles on TV – ‘Doctor In The House.’ Layton fitted in well along side other TV hopefuls, Richard O’Sullivan, Barry Evans and Robin Nedwell. All enjoying good, regular comedies throughout the Seventies. It appeared that this show, however, was somewhat cursed. Two of the afore mentioned actors died under tragic circumstances whilst Mr O’Sullivan now spends his life in a retirement home. Sometimes the life of the comedy actor, is the one that contains the least amount of laughs.

Stepping away from the limelight to a point, Layton went about writing some of the scripts for the show. Daring to break the unwritten law of ‘decide which end of the camera you want son, and stick to it,’ Layton couldn’t bare to make a choice. Getting around this he started writing episodes for ’Doctor In The House’ under a different name. By this, he found yet another string to his bow, and serials quickly followed whilst acting, or in-between parts. Yet the pan stick was to call for full time commitment again. Jimmy Perry saw Layton as the Army Concert Party producer that he too, once was hence the role of ‘Bombardier ‘Solly’ Solomons in ‘It Ain’t ‘Arf Hot Mum,’ went to the perfectly experienced George.

Leaving after the second series, he had already started work on another comedy show. Throughout his career he had set up on and off writing residence in the company of fellow actor, writer and old Cambridge Footlights member, Jonathan Lynn. Following in parallels with the legendary Croft and Perry, the pair produced minor comedies, but not as exceptionally acknowledged as the Croft/Perry collaborations. Notably, it was Lynn who went on to write and direct the extraordinary ‘Clue,’ with Tim Curry and the humorous film comedy ‘Nun’s On The Run,’ with Eric Idle and Robbie Coltrane. Like his counterpart Layton, Lynn dared never to sit down and kept following his own path from one talent to another.

The Seventies was a time when once your face fitted amongst the mixed veg and the pastries in the BBC canteen, you were able to spread yourself around the writing round table. Many actors and budding script writers lent a hand, credited or otherwise, in a whole host of other shows. Perhaps it can be said that the Pythons were the biggest contenders for such scribbling antics that people followed suit. Messer’s Idle and Cleese were among the professionals already trying their hand at radio as well as TV.

In a game where everyone had once worked with everyone else, the doors were open to try a hand at a bit here and a bit there. Layton found himself brushing comical shoulders with the best writers of the time, one of which, he was growing rapidly into. His credits featured, ‘On The Buses,’ and ‘Robin’s Nest,’ naming the most memorable two. Yet his real success came with the back breaking 39 episodes of the medical comedy, ‘Don’t Wait Up.’ Enlisting film actor, Nigel Havers and veteran comedy father figure, ‘Tony Britten,’ the show as a warming relationship between father , son and viewers. Showing us a situation that could well be familiar with it’s audience, Layton touched on the highs and lows of a family thrown together and at the same time, thrown apart, trying to get back together. The two Latimer Doctors, father and son (one private, one NHS respectively) find themselves in a flat together after both getting divorced. The running theme of this wonderful series was the conflicting relationship between the two generations both practising what the other objects to. Full of pathos, emotion and traditional farcical British humour, it was an immediate hit appealing to both classes. One admiring the similarities in their fellow members, the other, poking fun at the higher classes.

Towards the end of it’s run which found both doctors finding themselves in happier relationships, Layton was already working his next project. In his usual style, he has worked on two at a time over lapping, in remarkable continuity, two completely different scripts at the same time. This time, what little he had to spare, was moved into the direction of high flying ITV sit-com, ‘Executive Stress,’ an enjoyable scenario of a successful couple finding themselves working together after years of supporting their own careers starring Penelope Keith and Geoffrey Palmer (series one) and Peter Bowles (series 2 onwards.) Keith and Bowles, already had shared great credibility from ‘To The Manor Born.’

If none of this had been enough to be credited as one of the most favoured, all round actors of both stage, film and television and one of the best known British comedy writers, then it was also not surprising that George Layton has managed to fit in theatre direction across the country onto his c.v as well as author of two well received novels of growing up in post war Northern Britain. Are their no ends to these talents?

His theatre credits have included Fagin in ’Oliver!’ at the London Palladium and Felix in ’The Odd Couple,’ at the Theatre Royal in Windsor – two characters of extreme qualities that couldn’t be any further apart in regard to acting requirements. Just these two roles themselves, can conjure up a picture of an actor who is more than capable of realising real acting identities within himself. London’s West End, has naturally not been the only boards he has treaded. Australia and New York as well, of course! Well, what did you expect? Many strings to the bow plus a non avoidance to air travel would have to be all part of the course if one wanted to follow in his shoes. For any young, enthusiastic script writer, he is not only a squint making dot in the sky, but a life that very few would consider trying to match…

So what next for the restless career of this man who is only a young and sprightly 64 this year? He has recently written another book (with the working title of ‘The Promise And Other Stories,’) and a comedy drama series for television called, ‘The Boys.’ It would seem that we are yet to still enjoy the work of George Layton – the man who can’t sit still.

Final Thought…

As all the best writers and performers are irritatingly the least smug and the most modest and George Layton is no exception. Still regarded as a nice guy, although too hard working, he sits back comfortably and is mildly contented with his work so far. It would seem all the best writers follow this rule, (sweat like a dog over the typewriter, just don’t tell everyone about it).

Recently for the BBC 1 series, ‘Comedy Connections,’ featuring ‘Don’t Wait Up,’ he beamed when he said ‘No one admires my work more than I do!’ Yes, this statement does flow with the milk of human smugness, but if anyone deserves to be, it is writers like George Layton. The people who refuse to retire. (If only Des O’ Connor would….)

The list of his achievements to date, is far too long to print here. (George Layton that is, not Des O’Connor…)

Happy Birthday Mr Layton for March the 2nd.

‘Don’t Wait Up,’ can be found on DVD from Amazon.com (series I and II) for £10.97
Also at Sendit.com for £11.98 and HMV I, II and III for £11.99 delivered.
‘Doctor In The House’ series I and II together on Amazon.com for £29.98
HMV for £16.99 (I and II)
www.georgelayton.com

©Michelle Duffy (sam1942 on dooyoo) 2007

Here, for your barfing pleasure, are the top ten worst jokes of all time about piano players. Nothing personal, you understand, since I am one. But a little comic relief laughing at ourselves is good for both our soul and our humility.

So without further ado, here are some of the all time worst piano jokes in descending order:

10. What do a vacuum cleaner and an electric piano have in common.

Answer: Both **** when you plug them in.

9. What does a piano player dream about?

Answer: Sheet music.

8. What do you get when you drop a piano down a mine shaft?

Answer: A flat minor.

7. What’s the difference between a piano accompanianist and a terrorist?

Answer: You can negotiate with a terrorist.

6. How do you make a million dollars playing the piano?
Answer: Start with two million.

5. How do you get two piano players to play in perfect unison?

Answer: Shoot one.

4. Did you hear about the piano player who played in rhythm?

Answer: Neither did I.

3. What’s the difference between a piano and an onion?

Answer: No one cries when you chop up a piano.

2. What did the piano player get on his IQ test?

Answer: Drool.

1. What’s the difference between a medium pizza and a piano player?

Answer: A pizza can feed a family of four.

Pretty bad, eh?

I agree. Now let’s all get back to our piano practicing.

PS: None of these lousy jokes are original with me — they have been around for ages in many forms.

Nowadays, there are lots of things makes us happy. As we all know that life is too short, so we must take our time to make our heart happy all day. I am the kind of a person that is easy to smile and laugh, so no problem for me… For a change, such things that makes us laugh:

Happy Family.
Earn a lot of new friends.
Done with her/his education (for a better future).
Meet a person who makes her/his laugh (a love one?).


Those are some things that make people happy and laugh. When you have those things, you are one of them (with a happy heart). I think, not all of us earn those things. Are you one of the people with a lonely heart? What do you want to do? Sometimes, I am one of them. I want to go malling or how about take time to go the beach with friends or even visit some of my friends just to share some of my problems (a little bit hard). Most of the time, surfing the net and meet new faces and have time to laugh with them. It’s not too hard to make all those things, right? Most of it, is to face all your fears and problems with a happy and great smile (is it hard to smile?). When you face all of it, time will come that all of those things, I mean your problems are done.

Let’s start the day with a smile.

I have always been a movie fanatic for as far back as I can remember and although I have enjoyed all genres, I especially gravitated to comedy movies for the most part. My father and I would sit watching comedy movies and laugh until it hurt and on Fridays in the summer, it was always a given that my parents would take my sister and I to the Drive-In Theater. (Does anyone remember them?) If it was a comedy, that was a double plus for us. So, for me to say that I love comedy movies would be a vast understatement and for me to make a Favorite Top 10 list is literally next to impossible. In fact, making a Top 20 would be hard enough as it is, but I am going to try anyway. I will cover groups of movies and some solo movies and then try to accomplish my feat for the evening. And although this will be my most difficult task to date, I will most definitely enjoy the memories that these movies provide to me and hopefully for you also.

The In-Laws with Peter Falk and Alan Arkin is so funny and enjoyable. The way that Falk’s character slowly gets Arkin’s character, Sheldon, involved with all of his CIA shenanigans is priceless. A definite must see for those who have never heard of this gem. “Serpentine Sheldon, serpentine!”

Let It Ride is one of the most unique comedies I have ever seen, in that, every character is nuts. I mean, in every comedy you have some normal people and then the funny ones. But this movie has no normal people. It takes place at the race track and everyone is a funny character. Richard Dreyfuss is great as Trotter, as he is with every character he portrays. What About Bob?, Moon Over Parador & The Goodbye Girl, to name a few, are terrific Dreyfuss movies.

Since I already mentioned it, What About Bob? is a classic with Dreyfuss and one of my favorites, Bill Murray. I love watching Murray drive Dreyfuss crazy ever so slowly during the course of the movie. ‘Baby Steps’. And when you speak of Bill Murray, you have to acknowledge Stripes, Groundhog Day, Ghostbusters, Scrooged and of course, Caddyshack. What a terrific cast Caddyshack had. It was Harold Ramis’ first attempt at directing and he did a fantastic job in making what is now a Golf Country Club classic that had so many memorable lines delivered by the irrepressible Rodney Dangerfield. The war between him and Ted Knight was hysterical. “Hey, who stepped on a duck?”

The Producers is a Mel Brooks masterpiece and a screenplay Oscar winner. Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder are so superb in those roles. The idea was to sell much more than 100% of a Broadway play to investors and make sure it is a flop by acquiring the worst script, ‘Springtime For Hitler’, the worst actors, director, music and anything else to assure a quick closing. This way they could keep the money without paying the investors back. But of course the play is a hit and there is no possible way they can pay everyone back, since they sold about 5000%. So they end up in jail and do they learn their lesson? Nope! They produce ‘Prisoners In Love’ and sell the warden 200%. While on the subject of Mel Brooks, how can I not list Young Frankenstein, High Anxiety, History Of The World Part 1 and another favorite, Blazing Saddles. The absolute Best Comedy Western of all time, period. Cleavon Little, Gene Wilder, Madeline Kahn, Harvey Korman, Mel Brooks, Slim Pickens and of course, Mongo (Alex Karas). What a blast!

The Pink Panther movies are some of the best works of the great Peter Sellers. Inspector Clouseau had to be one of the funniest bumbling fools to ever grace the silver screen. A Shot In The Dark, The Pink Panther Strikes Again and Revenge Of The Pink Panther were such great vehicles for Sellers. And on the topic of Peter Sellers, how about Being There, The Mouse That Roared and Dr. Strangelove, or: How I Stop Worrying And Love The Bomb. Peter Sellers plays 3 roles in this movie and makes them all so funny and memorable, a tribute to his comedic acting genius.

A Day At The Races with the Marx Brothers would make my Top 5 of all time no matter how long a list I had. I loved the Marx Brothers and this movie is one of my absolute favorites. They were so off the wall and this movie had so many incredible funny scenes. Then you have A Night At The Opera, Monkey Business, Duck Soup and Horse Feathers.

Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein was so great to watch as a kid. Here were the monsters of the times that used to scare us, Frankenstein, Dracula and The Wolfman, and now here they were in a comedy with one of the best Comedy Teams of all time. What a treat! That whole scene with Costello in the hotel room and Lon Chaney,Jr has already changed into the Wolfman. Lou didn’t know it and is so close to getting killed. A great comedy effect of anticipation.

Sleeper is a great Woody Allen movie. The premise was he was revived 200 years after being frozen cryogenically. The results were as funny as you would expect from an early Woody Allen movie. Let me also give tribute to Bananas, Annie Hall, What’s New Pussycat?, Play It Again Sam, Take The Money And Run and Everything You Always Wanted To Know About *** (But Were Afraid To Ask).

Monty Python And The Holy Grail is a true classic with so many funny and out of the ordinary scenes. I especially loved the scene with the sword fight at the bridge and the loser has his limbs sliced off one by one and yet keeps insisting that he is winning the battle. Even when he is just a torso on the ground he states, “So we’ll call it draw then?” Let’s also throw in Monty Python’s Life Of Brian and Monty Python’s Meaning Of Life. On the side, I must mention that if you ever have the time to see a play on Broadway, then by all means go see Spamalot. I laughed the whole entire play and you don’t even have to be a Monty Python fan to laugh your fool head off, as I did.

It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World was the first comedy movie of it’s kind. It was the first movie with an all star cast like that. Anyone who was anybody in comedy at that time wanted to be in that movie, even if it was just a small cameo appearance. If you weren’t in that movie, you weren’t on the comedy map, so to speak. One of the great comedy premises for a movie and an absolute amazing cast of actors, headed by Spencer Tracy. A must see for any generation.

The Nutty Professor and The Errand Boy are terrific comedy performances by Jerry Lewis. I know the word genius is used a lot but Mr. Lewis certainly proves that he is in those two classics. The Nutty Professor remake with Eddie Murphy was fantastic too. A virtual tour de force comedy performance by him with all of his family characters. Plus, I must mention two movies with Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis together to complete his work: The Stooge and The Caddy. “Whose you’re little whosie? Whose you’re turtle dove?”

Now I would like to write about some comedy movies of more recent times. There’s Something About Mary is hysterical with so many unique scenes that have never been done before, and in comedy that is extremely hard to do. The scene with Matt Dillon and the dog is one of my most favorite scenes of all time. I literally fell out of my chair laughing at that one. He accidentally kills the dog and tries to resuscitate him by giving him an electric jolt with the live wire from a nearby table lamp. Ben Stiller has really made a name for himself in the business, which makes sense knowing that his parents are Jerry Stiller and Ann Meara. And when talking about Ben you must mention Meet The Parents, Meet The Fockers and Night At The Museum.

Analyze That with Billy Crystal and Robert DeNiro was great and though it was a sequel to Analyze This, I loved it even more. The scene when DeNiro comes down to the Shiva with his robe open and nothing on underneath was hysterical. “Hey, who do you have to f*#k around here to get some bacon? Not you I hope.” Mr. DeNiro, as everyone knows, is a tremendous serious actor, but he delivers comedy equally as well, as he did in Midnight Run with Charles Grodin. They were supposed to make a sequel for that but never did. I wish they had. Other Billy Crystal movies I have loved are City Slickers 1 & 2, Mr. Saturday Night and When Harry Met Sally.

Liar, Liar with Jim Carrey is terrific. But of course, I love Carrey in everything. He is so animated, rubbery faced and one of my favorite comedic actors. I love the outtakes at the end of the movie also. They really show his improvisational abilities well. Then there is Bruce Almighty, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, The Mask, Dumb and Dumber, Dr. Seuss’ How The Grinch Stole Christmas and Me, Myself & Irene.

My Cousin Vinny is a well written and wonderfully acted comedy movie with Joe Pesci, Fred Gwynne and Marisa Tomei. In fact, Miss Tomei won an Oscar for her role. The chemistry between the three of them on screen was terrific, as were all of the courtroom scenes. In the words of the judge, “What’s a yute?”

Something’s Gotta Give was very funny with Jack Nicholson and Diane Keaton. What a great script. I think it should have won an Oscar for Best Screenplay. Of course, you can never go wrong with Jack in the movie. He has such a great face. Even in the horror flick, The Shining, he makes me laugh. The Witches Of Eastwick, Terms Of Endearment, As Good As It Gets, Batman and One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest and so many more are such an amazing body of work.

Stir Crazy with Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor is absolutely hysterical and their chemistry together was wonderful to watch. They did a few more movies together and they delivered some belly laughs also. Another You, Silver Streak and See No Evil, Hear No Evil.

My honorable mentions, which would definitely make it to my list if I did a Top 100, are Used Cars, Tommy Boy, Lady In Red, Airplane, Weekend At Bernies, Hooper, Smokey and The Bandit, Animal House, Home Alone 1 & 2, Evil Roy Slade, The ***** Gun Movies, Repossessed, Fire Sale, The Road Movies with Bob Hope & Bing Crosby, Carry On Teacher, Arthur, 10, Cheech & Chong’s Up In Smoke, Clifford, Meatballs, The Jerk, The Court Jester, The Inspector General, The Birdcage, Neighbors, Porky’s, My Favorite Year, Night Shift, *** Wee’s Big Adventure, Seems Like Old Times, Easy Money, Back To School, Kentucky Fried Movie, Bachelor Party, Forrest Gump, Toy Story, Chums At Oxford, Police Academy, Trading Places, 48 Hours, Cheech & Chong’s Nice Dreams, Start The Revolution Without Me, Gremlins, Lost In America, Defending Your Life, Modern Romance, The Scout, Cat Ballou, Back To The Future, Clue, Beverly Hills Cop, Weird Science, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Fletch, The Golden Child, Crocodile Dundee, Tootsie, Soapdish, A Fish Called Wanda, Good Morning Viet Nam, Coming To America, Mrs. Doubtfire, Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, Edward Scissorhands & Buck Privates.

Whew! As you can see, I pretty much named almost every darn comedy movie ever made but there are so many that I love and I could write about them for a year and not make a dent. And yet, I know that somehow I still may have forgotten some. Anyway, here it finally is:

My Favorite Top 10 Comedy Movies

1. The Producers

2. It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World

3. A Day At The Races

4. Blazing Saddles

5. Monty Python’s The Holy Grail

6. Liar, Liar

7. The Return Of The Pink Panther

8. There’s Something About Mary

9. Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein

10. The In-Laws

Here is my next 10 if I would have made the list a Top 20:

11. The Errand Boy

12. What About Bob?

13. Analyze That

14. Dr. Strangelove

15. Stir Crazy

16. The Nutty Professor (Both Versions)

17. Sleeper

18. Caddyshack

19. Let It Ride

20. My Cousin Vinny

Well, if I left off something that you would have liked to see on this list…tough. You try to narrow down your favorite genre to a Top 10 and see how far you get. This was definitely the hardest list I ever had to write and the only good thing about it is this: any other Top 10 list I ever write will seem so easy by comparison! Once again, thanks for reading from THE COMEDY TORNADO!!

As a doctor and as an ex-sufferer of an eating disorder I am always interested in any new ways to treat eating disorders.
It is a known fact that eating disorders are disorders of thinking, disorders of control, disorders of coping, disorders of identity and disorders of values and lifestyle. So from this point of view how do you think laughter would affect eating disorder sufferers mind?

Most of us have heard the famous phrase “laughter is the best healer “. And this is true. There are a lot of examples where laughter has helped people to get better and even recover from incurable diseases. One of them is the story of Cathy Goodman who was cured from ****** cancer (her story was shown on “Secret”).

I did an experiment with 6 eating disorder sufferers; I just asked them to laugh at least an hour every day. I really made sure that they did it. I personally sent them funny stories and jokes via e-mails and also made them laugh over the phone.

I also shared with them jokes relating to eating disorders. Because I think if you can laugh about something, than that something stops looking like a problem. If the problem is not a problem anymore you will let it go with ease.

My experiment lasted for two months. The result was very inspiring. All 6 people reported a significant improvement in their mental and emotional state. Three of them stated that their urge to binge and purge was much easier to control especially in the second month of laughing. And the rest of people said that they noticed significant improvement in their moods, easier to concentrate on every day task and not on food and weight, was easier to communicate with others regarding their problems and decreased anxiety and guilt level.

So, I personally think that laugh hour should be a regular practice for every eating disorder sufferer.

Other general effects of Laughter are:

Laughter stimulates the interferon level which helps the immune system to fight illness and speeds healing. Also stimulates nearly all immune processes in the body.

Laughter lowers stress hormones level that spasm blood vessels and diminish immune activity. Laughter reduces at least four of neuroendocrine hormones associated with stress response. These are epinephrine, cortisol, dopac, and growth hormone.

Laugh therapy helps with muscle relaxation. When you laugh, the muscles that are not involved in the belly laugh, relaxes. Then, after laughing those muscles involved in the laughter start to relax. So, the action takes place in two stages.

Laugh therapy and humor makes a person “forget” about pains and aches.

Laughter can provide a good heart exercise and also relaxation for the heart muscles. It also helps to keep blood pressure under control.

A good laughter provides lungs with a lot of air which resulting in a cleaning effect, similar to deep breathing.

So, my advice to all anorexics and bulimics – laugh more; find jokes and funny stories, watch comedies and talk to funny people. Who knows, you may will be surprised with how good you feel.

Learn more about eating disorders at http://www.mom-please-help.com

When it comes to improving your health and well-being, one of the best things you can do is have a good laugh! Not only does laughter help to improve the health of your body, it also brings more happiness and joy. In addition, the more you laugh with the people you love, the closer you become and the healthier your relationships will be.

More and more people today are looking for ways to cope with the stresses and strains of everyday life, to find a way to more joyful and vibrant living

Laughter can help you deal with the trials and challenges of your day. When you find a way to laugh in the midst of your problems, you automatically shift towards a more hopeful and optimistic frame of mind and this can be quite contagious.

Compassion, joy, love, and humour are the main ingredients for a healthy heart, mind and soul and the ability to truly celebrate life

So make it your goal to find something to laugh at every day, and to take yourself a little less seriously.

Laughter is All in Your Mind

Researchers have found that, when we laugh “feel good” hormones called endorphins are released in the brain. Laughter has long been considered a great medicine.

Numerous studies have shown that the act of laughing can have important healing effects – including helping to keep the heart healthy, lowering blood sugar levels, and giving the immune system a boost. So, not only does laughter make your heart feel light and happy, it actually improves your health as well!

When you ‘play the clown’ and combine that with the practice of mindfulness you can develop a conversation with the soul and connect with your own strengths, inner wisdom, joy and optimism.

This ‘Clown Focus’ raises the spirits and nourishes your body, through the practice of using your imagination, sense of humour and laughter.

Laugh When Things Are Going Wrong

It might be fairly easy to laugh and joke on your good days but what about when things aren’t going quite so smoothly?

It is important to actively develop the skill of using humour to deal with stress and apply it as a highly effective coping strategy at times when the going gets tough.

There is a real sense of exhilaration that comes from learning to use your sense of humour to pull yourself up. One way of accessing this is to get in touch with your Inner Clown

We all have an Inner Clown inside of us waiting to be discovered.

It’s a character we can play that gives us permission to be free, to rediscover our childlike spontaneity, creativity and pure delight. It invites us to reconnect to the playful child inside.

Through the years, we lose touch with the brightness of life, our inner spark and things become dark and grey. But the clown helps to rekindle that spark, to restore the color and brightness, to restore our sense of wonder and joy.

It involves stepping outside of your usual way of looking at the world, being curious and intentionally naïve, excited by everything, out to explore and stepping into a world of wonder and delight. Clown Focus Therapy is a program that enables you to get in touch with your Inner Clown in a way that is both fun and sacred, using the Language of the Soul which often uses compassionate humour and metaphor to communicate to you what you most need to know to live joyfully and in the best of health.

Laughter becomes the focus, to develop an awareness of the ‘bigger’ you which exists beyond all of your problems. From it you can draw inspiration and connection to the happiness that already exists within.

People who can tap into their sense of humour in stressful times have a much greater resilience and are more emotionally flexible in the midst of the difficulties they face. It is a great coping tool and a skill that you can easily learn to develop.

“I would never have made it if I could not have laughed. Laughing lifted me momentarily. . . out of this horrible situation” (Victor Frankl on his experiences in a Concentration camp)

Terry Anderson, held captive in Lebanon for over 6yrs, describes in his book, Den of Lions, how a sense of humour helped him and his fellow prisoners cope.

“Despite everything, it’s amazing sometimes how much laughing we do.. .. It’s just a relief to be able to laugh at something.”

Jokes can help you to take emotional control of the situation

Just imagine what a daily dose of serious attitude does to the quality of your life. It can be seriously stifling and can rob you of the many opportunities for joy that a more upbeat, positive attitude brings.

“Laughter sets the spirit free to move through even the most tragic circumstances. It helps us shake our heads clear, get our feet back under us and restore our sense of balance and purpose. Humour is integral to our peace of mind and ability to go beyond survival.” (Captain Gerald Coffee, POW in Vietnam)

Love Yourself for Who You Are

When you stop taking yourself so seriously you become free to accept yourself as you are, enabling you to release the internal struggle that is taking place inside. As a result, you will actually feel revitalized and energized. And the happier you are, the more at peace you are with yourself. This results in a continual cycle of positive feelings and outlook, since being happy leads to even more happiness.

After all, continually battling with that internal tug-of-war is physically, mentally, and emotionally draining. When you lay that battle to rest, your body and mind can rest as well.

Exercise your laughter muscles

Clown Focus Therapy shows how Humour Skills, such as Caricature, or Exaggeration With Compassion, can free you from internal struggle. You learn to step outside of your limiting roles, those ‘parts’ that you believe you should ‘play’ a certain way. Roles such as being a parent, a child, an office employee, or a significant other can often become heavy with expectation and feel suffocating. In order to find true happiness, you need to realize that you are bigger than the roles you take yourself to be. Learn to master them and the emotions they are attached to rather than allowing them to master you

It can help keep your problems in perspective

By bringing your feelings and thoughts out into the spotlight, you can effectively find ways to change your way of thinking and release internal struggle. You become more able to loosen your attachment to the negative feelings or stressful situations and become empowered with more positive choices for yourself.

Bill Cosby once said, “If you can find humour in anything, you can survive it.”

Joy Idries

I have been a fan of NBC’s popular sitcom “The Office” for quite some time. More than anything, the secret to the show’s success is its ability to develop a humorous parody of true life office situations, such as boring meetings, an irrational boss, office politics, competition, even romance. One of the areas the writers work on is humor in the work place. Two situations in particular come to mind: Michael Scott’s (the boss) inane ability to tell jokes to his staff, which nobody appreciates, and Jim Halpert’s barrage of practical jokes on his nemesis at work, Dwight Schrute (moving Dwight’s desk into the men’s room was my personal favorite).

In Scott’s case, as manager he simply wants to lighten things up in the workplace. Although he genuinely believes he is being witty, he is oblivious to the fact his delivery is not only bad, but his comments are embarrassingly crude and politically incorrect. Although he has the best intentions, his staff is simply shocked by what comes out of his mouth. In other words, instead of easing the tensions in the office, he compounds it.

In Halpert’s case, there is considerable tension between Schrute and himself, but because of Dwight’s offbeat persona, he makes an easy target for Jim who gets satisfaction watching his foil react to his pranks. This greatly relieves the stress of work, at least for Jim and Pam. However, Jim can become distraught if his practical jokes backfire.

The lesson from both scenarios is there is a fine line between adding levity to the workplace and making matters worse.

There is a trend in management today to promote humor in the workplace in the hopes it will relieve the tedium of work. Although this sounds all well and good, there are also pitfalls. First, not everyone shares the same sense of humor. What one person considers funny may be considered obnoxious or distasteful to another. Second, it is very easy to go over the line and tell a politically incorrect joke, thereby paving the way for a reprimand or, even worse, a lawsuit to be filed against the person, the company, or both.

Sarcasm is perhaps the most common form of humor found in the workplace, but this can get old quickly if done excessively and perceived in a negative context. Imitations of people can be comical, but it also reveals your true feelings about someone, plus, if your target finds out about it, you might earn their wrath or turn a friend into an enemy. To me, imitations of people in the office are the first hint that someone has their foot on a banana peel.

Practical jokes are still around, but not to the degree as exemplified in “The Office.” The biggest danger here is if the joke is manifested in front of a prospective or existing customer, thereby affecting business. Company newbies, particularly recent college graduates, beware: be wary of sophomoric hijinks in the workplace. Humor in the office is vastly different than what you experienced in college.

Is there room for humor in the workplace anymore? Yes, the prime intent is to relieve stress, engage the brain, and reinvigorate your coworkers. You should be cognizant though of the fine line between silliness and getting in the way of accomplishing productive work. Like any comedian, you should know your audience and tailor your humor accordingly. No, we no longer live in an era where crude jokes can be openly told in the workplace. We must be careful not to offend, but aside from this, there is nothing wrong with a little levity to liven things up.

And for God’s sake, don’t try some of Jim’s practical jokes at work.

In a world where stress can often have a great impact on our lives, laughing is a great way that you can not only relieve some stress but also increase your physical health. Having a deep hard laugh is one of the best ways that you can step back and take a break from the stress of your life. Fortunately, there’s a lot of comedy in the world and there are many ways that you can get a great laugh.

One thing you can do is go on line and surf the web or standup comedy. You will find many different sites that offer a variety of free comedy clips which are all hilarious. These are great for quick pick me up whether you’re just lounging around the house were having a hard time getting motivated to work.

Another thing you can do is visit your local comedy club or improv. While there are not as many comedy clubs at it as there used to be, did manage to that is that only the best comedians are getting good kids. This makes for great cheap night and being able to see one of your favorite comedian in your own town and at the same time supporting local businesses.

There are also still many big-name comedian still touring. Some of the acts he might find coming through your town or people like venture look with Jeff Dunham, old-school comics Cheech and Chong, and even big stars like Robin Williams.

If you’re more into this comedy there are plenty of websites that will satisfy your funny bone as well. Nothing dissolves a stressful situation better than old-fashioned practical joke. If getting the best of someone makes you giggle then you should certainly be a will to find some great practical jokes on the web.

Last but certainly not least, you can know is give a friend or coworker *** gifts that will make both you and them laugh hysterically. You can find many silly gifts online.

These are just some of the ways that you can light up your mood and have a good time. Laughter is contagious so is be sure to spread it with your friends and family.

Right off the bat I’m going to make this process fifty percent easier for you. Never write a Top 10 list. Make it a Top 5 because:

First, it’s hard to come up with 10 really funny things. The only reason David Letterman gets laughs all the way through is he has a band punching it up with rim shots and musical cues.

Second, audiences have really short attention spans. When I started customizing Top 10 lists for clients it was apparent from the very first one that 10 was too much of a good thing.

Third, it’s much easier!

Jeff’s golden rule for Top 5 lists is, “End on the funniest, begin with the second funniest and put the other three in the middle.”

How to write it:
1. Pick a subject (ie, Rolling Stones) and make a list of everything you can think of regarding this subject, especially nouns or phrases,. In this case, that would include song titles.

My list would include the following, plus much more. (The more the better):

Brown Sugar
Jumpin’ Jack Flash
Big Lips
Drugs
Can’t Get No Satisfaction
Rock and Rollers
Start Me Up

2. Now pick an adjective that describes your subject. The first one that comes to mind for my example of Rolling Stones is “old”.

3. Now make another list of everything that you can think of that has to do with getting old, such as:

Walker
Bran
Polygrip
Senile
Social Security
Medicare
Viagra
Geritol
Respirator
Catheter
Gas

4. Now choose one item from each group and put them together with a little exaggeration to form your idea. In this case, it will be titles for their 2008 tour. Write 15 or twenty and pick your best 5.

The Top 5 names for the Rolling Stones tour are…
5. Big Lips and Polygrip tour.
4. The Brown Sugar and Bran tour.
3. Hey, you get off my Catheter tour.
2. Jumpin’ Jack flash has gas, gas, gas tour
1. Start me up with Viagra tour.

In my corporate workshops, I teach the group how to write Top 5 Lists on subjects meaningful to them like,
“The Top 5 things you’d never hear from a customer, the government, accounting, management.”

They come up with, “Could you please keep me on hold longer? I was enjoying the Musak.” or “The budget is just a suggestion.”

The groups must write their own lists to present at the end of the session. After the laughter subsides, I point out that if they reverse the Top 5 list they’ve identified five negative things they actually do hear from their customers etc… Then we spend time developing humorous and appropriate responses for when those situations occur.

So give it a shot. Pick a subject and an adjective that describes your subject, make your lists and see what you laughs you can create.

by Jeff Justice