Over the years I’ve joked about some peoples dislike of mimes and of course when you think “MIME” you automatically think of Marcel Marceau so his name got dragged into the routine from time to time.

I just found out that Marceau passed away in France.

Even though mimes are the brunt of jokes in my set, I admire the courage that Marceau had throughout his life. He was a French Jew and risked death or deportation from France during WWII. He was allowed to stay in France and worked to rescue Jewish children from the nazis during that time of insanity.

Marcel Marceau was a inspired by Chaplin and Keaton who are masters of film making and physical comedy and an inspiration to generations of comedians, actors and entertainers around the world.

While the condition and cause of his death wasn’t revealed but I think it would be all too fitting if we find out that Marcel Marceau died “quietly” in his sleep.

Share This

Movie, Joy, Life, Comedy, Laughter, Entertainment | No Comments »

I just read a story that Amanda Congdon has been let go by ABCNews. To that I say, BIG DEAL!

I hope she comes back to the Internet where she belongs.

If this proves one thing too me it is that the Internet is for the most part a level playing ground. Will she have the same size audience that she potentially had on ABC? Not right now but the other thing to consider is that all of the audience she has on the net is entirely hers, she does not have to have it filtered through all of the various channels and loops that were required to transition from the Internets biggest celebrity to another face on a network.

This is a great day for her and I am confident she will advance beyond what she could have with ABC.

To prove my point about the Internet being a level playing ground check out this story about Ashley Qualls who at 17 years of age is making millions of dollars per year through her MySpace Page and through a site she created called WhateverLife.

We’ll be watching to see where Amanda lands and where Ashley goes.

Share This

Off The Wall, Internet, TV, Technology, Podcast, Entertainment | No Comments »

There are a couple of things I love more than comedy…

1. My wife (I’m not stupid)
2. Broadcasting
3. Cooking

I am happy to discover that a couple of those things are coming together through Oprah Jr., Rachel Ray, who is putting together a contest called "So You Think You Can Cook" in an effort to discover the next great untrained culinary guru.

Don’t count yourself out before you get started, Rachel Ray was not a trained chef, she just loved cooking and it seems to have "panned" out for her okay! So give it a shot.

The contest is sponsored by WalMart.

Here is a link to the official rules for the contest "So You Think You Can Cook" on Rachel Rays official website.

On a similar yet slightly different note…

One of my favorite presenters on Food Network is Alton Brown. If you are not familiar with who he is, Alton Brown is the host of the wildly popular "Iron Chef: America" on Food Network. He’s funny, entertaining and presents cooking in a really fascinating way because he talks about the history
and science of the food.

If you are getting a few miles on you and thinking about giving up, watch this video t get some inspiration.

And don’t forget to enter the "So You Think You Can Cook" contest now…I am!

Share This

Cooking, food, TV | No Comments »

So Trina and I spent the weekend trying to undo some damage left by vandals to the home we are moving too.

We were about six and half hours into the endeavor the phone rang. On the other end was one of Trina’s cousins who asked if I would have any interest in DJing their daughters back to school dance. I don’t think the sentence got totally out of her mouth when I jumped at the chance to put the equipment away, get a shower and listen to some music. I have discovered I am not overly talented at ditch digging…OYE!

An hour and half later I was “on mic” and spinning all the hits. It was a marathon of High School Musical 2, Hannah Montana and Miley Cirus (who are magically the exact same person) with some Cheetah Girls and a couple Hillary Duff tunes mixed in just to change things up. Admittedly, I have never heard any of those “artists” before and wouldn’t mind if it was a little while before I heard them again but what I hope I never forget is the JOY these kids had and shared with us while we were there.

Over the next two hours we got to meet dozens of kids and their parents as I let individual kids sing along to their requested songs, non who all were so proud to hear how polite or kind or funny or smart their kids were. We weren’t making it up either, those kids were exceptional and I was honored to have been a part of their night.

Share This

School, Fun, Joy, Life | No Comments »

I don’t usually sign autographs at my shows. I just don’t like it. To me, it is a dead ritual that means nothing. Not because I dislike people but more because I know my own failures, shortcomings and insecurities that find me every day.

It’s been a couple years ago at a show in a BINGO HALL where a mother brought her son up to me after a show. Like always, I chit chatted with the mom and little boy who was adorable, brown hair, big round eyes, porcelain white skin…sort of like me without the mileage…His name was Benny and he was a very pleasant and smart young man who like many other young boys wanted to grow up and be a baseball player, fireman and policeman.

At the end of the conversation the mom asked me for my autograph, I explained to her that I don’t really sign autographs simply because I don’t buy into the celebrity thing for Christian entertainers. with a glance I knew this answer wouldn’t do any good, the mom looked at me like her eyes were lasers and told me that Benny had liver cancer and that one of the things he really wanted to do was meet me, get his picture taken with me and get my autograph. Funny how quickly perspective changes when you can look into the eyes of someone and know that this isn’t anything about ME but simply put it is about a mothers ability to meet the humble wishes of a child who she has a limited amount of time to enjoy.

I immediately whipped out one of my “Individually Warped” t-shirts and signed it for Benny and then we talked for another half hour before his mom prodded him away from me so that she and their friends could go get some pizza. With a forced smile and glistening eyes she told me thank you for making one of her sons dreams come true.

Since that night I’ve stopped looking at autographs the same way. Suddenly my signature is more than just words written across something to spell my name. In the same breath I still can’t explain why people treat comedians, singers, actors, pastors musicians or other performers like we’re so special. But in those few moments together, it didn’t really matter–in those few moments, telling jokes and signing a shirt made perfect sense.

Marty Daniels is a Comedian based out of Columbus, OH. He works with dozens of churches around the country every year and is currently filling his Fall/Winter schedule. You can learn more at his website at http://www.MartyDaniels.com

Share This

Christian Comedian, Family Night, Christian Comedy, Life, Comedy, Christianity, Laughter | No Comments »