Recommended Comedy.

I like a laugh. Probably like you, I often need one. So the following is some of the latest comedy performances/DVDs I've seen and would highly recommend you to see if you have not already. In no particular order, look out for the following:

Dave Chappelle - "For What it's Worth."

I believe that Chappelle recorded this live stand-up routine in 2004, and though it's only an hour long, it is well worth having in your collection. I have seen some of his stand-up routines from earlier in his career, and without being too presumptious, I think that this routine really showcases Chappelle at his peak. Perhaps the fact that it was recorded after the second season of "Chappelle's Show" has something to do with it. His voice itself makes just general words he says that much more amusing. Chappelle squeezes a lot of great material in here including: being held hostage on a bus by a masturbating hobo, smoking weed with Native Indians, the Kobe Bryant trial, and the difference between Elizabeth Smart's abduction and the seven-year-old black girl who chewed her way to safety and had her crackhead abductors in jail within the hour. If you rent this out or buy it and like it, you need to check out at least the second season of "Chappelle's Show." I think that currently, Chappelle is struggling with some personal issues, perhaps a restructuring of his inner circle or dealing with the demands of fame since his conversion to Islam. I hope we see a full third season of his Comedy Central show, but as long as he's working live at least, I'll be watching.

Ricky Gervais - "Politics."

Being English, it is easier for me to appreciate the stylings of "The Office" creator than most people I have spoken to who have seen him Stateside. Of course, rather than appreciate the English original "Office," Americans needed a revamped version for themselves, which after watching, I can appreicate, but it's not a shade on the original despite the performances of "40-Year-Old Virgin" Steve Carell. Gervais' original live stand-up effort "Animals" is a classic, and "Politics" is not far off the mark. Whether it's Gervais' recounting of the greatest AIDS information pamphlet ever ("Why not cum in a piece of fruit?"), or the true story about the emergency room incident involving an anus and a bottle of ketchup with complimentary condom, this is all good stuff.

George Carlin - "Complaints and Grievances."

I saw the crotchety old bastard Carlin way before I saw the more PC version, in other words, the guy he was before he woke up and got pissed off. Therefore, The only material I can appreciate is his later work. This HBO special is a fine example of Carlin at his unapolagetic best. Anyone offended by religiously offensive material might find Carlin, a staunch aethiest, a bit overbearing. However, anyone willing to swing with it will enjoy his revamping of "The Ten Commandments," and also good fun is his, "List of people who oughta be killed!"