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Joke Confuses Model

GiggleSugar — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 10:05:35 -0700

Some punk ass with a mic was in the mood to ridicule (or flirt with) a model, so he pulled this chick aside and told her one of the oldest jokes in the book. She knew the joke was on her, but that's about all she knew. To be fair, she mumbled something about being a stupid model- a wise assessment, indeed! So we'll give the gal points for self-awareness.

Product of the Day: Buck, The Singing Deer Trophy

GiggleSugar — Wed, 23 May 2007 02:00:00 -0700

I've never been a fan of placing "trophies" above the mantle, but I'm a big fan of Buck. This deer was never alive in the great outdoors, but he knows how to liven things up indoors. Just throw him on a wall and he'll gladly sing songs and tell jokes. And if you don't like his selection, use the wireless microphone to tell your own bad jokes through him. His mouth and ears are designed to move along with the banter, so you'll never have to take credit for your own poor taste in music or inability to be funny. From now on, you can just pass the buck to Buck! Check him out here.

Do Tell: How Do You Respond to Sexist Jokes?

TresSugar — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 06:00:00 -0700

Over the years, I've gone from being the woman who uneasily laughs when a man tells a sexist joke to being the person who rolls her eyes and says, "You know, I don't find that funny, and it makes me pretty uncomfortable."

At the risk of being called a "humorless feminist" (I mean, if it were funny, I would laugh!), I think it's important for women to be honest if a joke makes them uneasy. It may also teach that person that you're not going to be a party to your own denigration, and the jokester may spare the next woman his "humor."

According to sociology and psychology professors at the University of Granada, sexist jokes have serious repercussions. They found that when men listened to sexist jokes, they were more likely to be tolerant when presented with cases of violence against women. It makes sense - being comfortable with putting women down could desensitize someone to more tangible forms of harm against women.

Whether these findings seem convincing or not, how do you respond to sexist jokes? Has your response evolved over the years?

Do Tell: Do You Like Practical Jokes?

DearSugar — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 11:00:00 -0700

Practical jokes can be hilarious - when you're not the butt of them, of course! But in order to pull them off well, you have to have a certain sense of mischievousness, not to mention stealth. George Clooney is known for his practical joking skills, but if you don't have what it takes to excel in that department, something that was meant to be funny could take a nasty turn for the worse. Of course they have to be taken with a grain of salt, but do tell, are you a practical jokester who believes no harm no foul, or do you think there's too much room for hurt feelings?

Source

A Joke Can Cure a Bad Mood - But Why May Surprise You

TresSugar — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 02:00:00 -0700

We all know that when we're in a bad mood, a joke can temporarily lift our spirits. But Dutch researchers set out to figure out precisely why. And although you may think, as many researchers do, that it's because positive emotions counteract negative ones - the researchers set out to prove that it's more than that.

They showed a group of men and women a series of pictures. First, they were shown negative images, and then two kinds of positive stimuli - funny and nonfunny. More people said that their moods were lifted by the funny stimuli (the jokes) than the merely positive stimuli.

The reason, according to the researchers, is in the actual cognitive work it takes for us to "get" a joke. Take this joke, for example. A terrified father calls a doctor and tells him, "Doctor, my child just swallowed a fountain pen!" When the doctor tells him he'll rush right over and asks, "What are you doing in the meantime?" The father replies: "Using a pencil."

Figuring out the punch-line is the kind of distraction that can make us feel better. "What they are suggesting is that humor," says Ed Dunkelblau, PhD, a psychologist and past president of the Association for Applied and Therapeutic Humor, "is an effective way to redirect anxiety."

So let's toast to (corny) jokes that make our brains work a little harder!

Mother-in-Law Can't Take a Joke, Sues Comedian

TresSugar — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 15:30:00 -0700

Well, a comedian who just happens to be her daughter-in-law!

It sounds like the beginning of a bad joke, but comedian Sunda Croonquist’s mother-in-law Ruth Zafrin was not kidding when she filed a lawsuit against Sunda for telling so many jokes about her. Croonquist capitalizes on their ethnic differences in her envelope-pushing jokes - she is half-black and half-Swedish, was raised Catholic, and married into a Jewish family.

A typical joke goes something like this. On a first visit to her mother-in-law Ruthie’s house, Croonquist says, "I walk in, I say, 'Thank you so much for having me here, Ruthie.' 'The pleasure’s all mine,' she replies, 'have a seat.' Then she whispers, 'Harriet, put my pocketbook away.'"

Zafrin filed the lawsuit (along with her daughter and her daughter's husband), when material on Croonquist's website made it easy for people to figure out the in-laws' identities. Croonquist is accused of "spreading false, defamatory and racist lies" in comedy club routines that have even been aired on Comedy Central. Croonquist agreed to remove any offensive comments on her website but refused to pay a settlement. (Her husband's law firm is handling her case. Awkward!)

Zafrin isn't exactly giving mother-in-laws a good name. It seems that there would've been a less alienating way of handling this, like, say, asking Croonquist to cut it out! Who do you think is in the wrong?

Book of the Day: The Friars Club Encyclopedia of Jokes

GiggleSugar — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 13:45:00 -0700

In the mood for a corny joke? An offensive joke? A thought-provoking joke? Or just a really funny joke? Well step right up to The Friars Club Encyclopedia of Jokes. (More than 2,000 of them from folks as disparate as W.C. Fields and Wanda Sykes.) When I think of The Friars Club and their celebrity roasts, I think of a red-faced Dean Martin smoking a cigarette and insulting Don Rickles with off-color humor. Turns out, the private club that's been a haven for entertainers has been around since 1904, and they've been holding their roasts since 1950.

Although you'll find old-school jokes in the encyclopedia that might make your PC meter go haywire, you'll also find such gems as the following from Mae West: "I like two kinds of men: domestic and foreign." Rrreow!

English Food is Not a Joke - Steak & Ale Pie

YumSugar — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 09:51:32 -0700

English food is not a joke because...
Any cuisine that combines meat with ale gets gold stars in my book.

That's the answer I'm giving for Sam's Fish & Quips challenge. She's asked food lovers everywhere to help her prove that English food does not have to be a joke. After reading about it, I immediately wanted to participate. I lived there for almost a year and had plenty of amazing food (I have crazy fond memories of the cheese guy in my local outdoor market), however I couldn't come up with one dish that I wanted to make. So I called in the brigades - actually I just IM'd my friend Johnny and asked what he thought I should make:

me: What is your favorite British meal - like quintessential British?

Johnny: Meat pie! Like steak and onion pie!!!
I think this is a nice idea, a nice project - British food has a huge inferiority complex for a few reasons.

me: So what should i make?

Johnny: You should try steak and ale pie if you can manage it. I think it is pretty easy really and tastesome.

me: Why'd you choose that dish?

Johnny: It is the thing I like best that is "English"
Make a nice round pie - with leaves on the top of course.

me: Of course

Hrmm... a steak and ale pie. Funny, I never actually had one of those while I was out there - but I figured it was the time to start. So I hunted down a few recipes and cobbled together a pretty decent pie. I cheated and used puff pastry, but I didn't forget the leaves on top.The end result was pretty tasty, like a stew with an added pastry crust - and it was definitely not a joke. To see what recipe I used, and to see a bunch of step by step pictures, read more

Steak & Ale Pie
Inspired by BootsnAll

Sorry for the non-accurate measurements, I eyeballed a lot of it. Also, you may want to add a few splashes of Worcestershire sauce to your marinade. I was planning on it, but didn't realize we didn't have any until it was too late.

1 1/4 pounds of steak - cut into large cubes
2 short sprigs of fresh rosemary
3 sprigs of fresh marjoram
1/3 - 1/2 pint of Newcastle (or other dark ale)
olive oil
fresh ground black pepper
flour (approx 4 tbsp)
2 carrots - chopped (Jimmy hates carrots, so I only used a few, you may want to up the carrot ante)
1 leek - chopped
1 medium sized onion - diced
1-2 cup beef broth
Puff Pastry (1 sheet) - thawed

Step One - Night Before

Put steak into medium sized bowl with lid (I actually used a tupperware dish). Add rosemary and marjoram (I ripped them with my hands) and mix with meat.
Add Newcastle, a splash (I eyeballed it) of oil, and some fresh black pepper. Mix well. Cover and marinate in fridge overnight.

Step Two - Make the Pie

Preheat oven to 375F
Strain beef from marinade (do not throw out the marinade, set it aside for now). Roll beef in flour until beef is covered. Set aside.
In a large pan, saute onion, leek and carrots in a little bit of olive oil. Cook until onions are soft. Remove from pan and set aside.
Place beef in pan and brown on all sides.
When beef is browned, put the vegetables back in, and add beer marinade, and beef stock.
Simmer on medium-low for 10 minutes.
Transfer mixture to pie pan/baking dish. Top with puff pastry and trim sides.
Pierce pastry a few times for ventilation, add decorative pastry leaves if desired (I used my kitchen shears to shape them).
Bake for 40-45 minutes.

View 16 Photos ›

Print recipe with images | without images

Morning Links - Policeman Convicted in SJP Surrogate Robbery

PopSugar — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 09:30:27 -0800

Police chief convicted in Sarah Jessica Parker's surrogate case - PopEater
Courteney Cox is going back to work on Monday - Us Weekly
Khloe and Lamar purchase a $4 million home - Celebitchy
Eddie and LeAnn sneak out for lunch - ICYDK
Katharine McPhee shares her Thanksgiving plans - Fox 411
Jennifer Lopez jokes with Ryan Seacrest about her AMA fall - Lifeline Live
Tara Reid to do Playboy - Gawker
Spencer Pratt has yet to settle a bet with some DJs - TMZ
Diddy throws himself a lavish birthday party - Wonderwall
Miley and her brother Trace are getting matching tattoos - I'm Not Obsessed
Hugh Hefner might need to find new hobbies - The Blemish

Kellan and Ashley Joke About Robert in SF, Aniston Hits the Stage in NYC, and Twilight Dominates People's Choice Noms!

Molly — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 21:04:44 -0800

Kellan Lutz and Ashley Greene popped up to San Francisco yesterday for a fan event where they joked about shaving Robert Pattinson's head and what vampires smell like. They also have reason to celebrate - the Twilight saga dominated today's People's Choice Award nominations. Plus, we have video of Jennifer Aniston at last night's 24 Hour Plays in NYC and Spencer Pratt threatening to get a vasectomy. Watch PopSugar Rush now!