Feb 26, 2008 07:41 PM
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New York, 8:48 AM
Wed Feb 10
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"I'm Fucking Seth Rogen!" It's funny! The comedy song is a response to a response to a one-shot joke on the Jimmy Kimmel Show, but that's okay because it's better than the original. Which is just one of five rules for making a parody that gets ten million views and takes you from "second place on a listicle in Wired" to "cover story titled 'Fuck Andy Samberg, Watch This' in Esquire."
1. Be first. True in gangbangs, true in parodies. If you're the first parody, no one else's joke is stinking up yours. Like Foucault said about controlling the narrative, "As the archaeology of our thought easily shows, that Craig Ferguson parody of Tom Cruise was the best."
2. Be hard and fast. Even though the Tom Cruise Constipation video came out soon after the original was leaked, it didn't break two million views because it was utter crap. Timing isn't everything.
3. Sketch not skit. Lorne Michaels used this rule on SNL. It's why his show isn't MAD TV. It's why the "Seth Rogen" song is funnier than "Matt Damon." It's why Ask A Ninja is a rehashed character that won't die, and Strong Bad from Homestar Runner is a dynasty. You can't keep doing the same gag forever.
4. One joke per sketch. But do keep it simple. Put in plenty of jokes of course, but stick to one overarching point. You'll need this for the next step.
5. Know when to stop. Everyone, everyone fails this. All Internet videos should be half the length they are. And so should most listicles.
Finally, here's the Seth Rogen video, in which actress Elizabeth Banks sings about some unpleasant steps to getting ahead in Hollywood.
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