Channeling the energetic, unique voiced Bobcat Goldthwait, New York comedian Dov Davidoff presents his act to the masses in his first Comedy Central Records CD, “The Point Is…“; a collection of random ramblings ranging from Starbucks coffee sizes to the reason women get breast implants.

It’s not common for comedians to really stay on one topic for an entire act, but Davidoff is all over the map, sometimes with messy transitions between topics, but never to the point where the audience is distracted, or the act becomes any less funny. Whether its part of the act or not, Davidoff comes off as very nervous, compulsive, high strung, and almost like he’s scared of the audience at first, but as the act warms up, so does the comic, and the room into much bigger punch lines and jokes. 

Some of the material is a bit of a rehash from long standing jokes, such as dogs licking your peanut butter spread genitals, “Who’s getting hurt here?!”; Davidoff asks after explaining how the dog is eating, and you’re getting cleaned. The constant jokes about Starbucks and the non-traditional sizes of their coffee has been done many times before, in many different mediums, and those bits fall a little bit flatter than others. There’s a fair amount of topical humor as well that won’t stand up especially well after a few years, but in the here and now they’re funny.

However there is some stand out segments, such as Dov’s description of a woman who got rather large breast implants for herself, not for men to stare at her. Davidoff gives a rather insightful commentary to these revelations by the woman, pulling the audience along with him into the mind of someone who just doesn’t get it.

The final track, describing himself attempting to use a Magnum-sized condom, and the process of setting up the correct mood lighting with a shirt over a hot lamp is a strong finish to a strong debut.

The work of Judd Apatow will be celebrated when most of the world is long dead and gone. The man knows how to put good movies on the big screen whether or not he writes, directs, produces, it doesn’t seem to matter as everything his name graces turns to gold. Current darling Forgetting Sarah Marshall, written and starring long-time Apatow actor Jason Segel, ups the ante once again and further solidifies the formula for a guy’s romantic comedy, this one just so happens to be a relationship disaster of epic proportions.

Peter Bretter (Segel) is dating Sarah Marshall (Kristen Bell) a hot, blonde TV starlet starring in one of the best lampoons of CSI: Miami ever put on film. After eating a mixing bowl full of Froot Loops, Sarah breaks the bad news to a heart-broken and naked Peter, she’s leaving him and his Dracula musical. Peter begins to break down after a not so successful pep talk with his step-brother (Bill Hader), and decides to take a vacation to Hawaii and get away from it all.

Once in Hawaii Peter meets Rachel (Mila Kunis) and accidentally bumps into Sarah and new boy-toy Aldous (Russell Brand) on holiday as well. As you can guess, the next 90 minutes are filled with well timed jokes, visual cues, awkward moments, and just about everything else you’d expect from an Apatow production including the touching moments as well.

While the storyline itself isn’t anything revolutionary or new, it’s a simple break up story, but there are so many layers to each of the characters that you actually feel bad for Peter to the point where, near the film’s climax, when he has the opportunity to get Sarah back, and acts on his wishes, the entire theater erupted in displeasure. That’s the kind of involvement director’s dream of, and first-time director Nicholas Stoller and Segel’s script really bring out the audience’s emotions.

Like Knocked Up and 40 Year Old Virgin, it’s the characters that really make this film what it is, the romantic connections do nothing if you don’t care for each person involved. Yet, the film also needs to be funny, and Forgetting Sarah Marshall will have you splitting many times throughout with some very memorable gags, and some great, unexpected lines that had me rolling, even when the rest of the audience had stopped laughing long ago. Many Apatow-alumni show up including Paul Rudd, Jonah Hill, and Segel himself being a veteran of Freaks and Geeks and Undeclared.

However nearly stealing the show is 30 Rock co-star Jack McBrayer as newlywed Darald who has to please his wife and consummate the relationship. A montage near the end of the second act, with him receiving advice from rocker Aldous, is hilarious beyond all bounds, and the results we’re treated to later didn’t leave a single person not laughing hysterically.

Much has been said about the film, whether it’s the full frontal male nudity, or the fact it seems to be the perfect romantic comedy geared for guys, Forgetting Sarah Marshall is easily the best film of 2008 so far and hopefully Oscar voters are paying attention and don’t forget to nominate the little guy.

George Clooney’s follow up to the critically praised and excellently crafted Good Night, and Good Luck couldn’t be farther from the serious tone of the historical journalism piece. With Leatherheads, about the rise of professional football in the 1920’s, comes the screwball humor and good natured sports action you’ve come to expect from Disney’s yearly releases in the genre.

Clooney stars as Dodge Connelly a player for the bankruptcy bound Duluth Bulldogs, a scrappy group of players who see their dreams crashing down when the professional football league is the laughing stock of the professional sports world and college football is where all the money, endorsements, and fame originates from. This is wonderfully highlighted in the film’s opening scenes. Connelly sees an opening in recruiting college star Carter Rutherford (John Krasinski) to save his floundering team, and the league itself.

As a subplot, reporter Lexie Littleton (Renee Zellweger) is looking into claims about Carter’s war record, thinking there could be a big story and a door to the editor’s desk involved she becomes the final piece in a quasi-love triangle between Carter and Dodge and the catalyst for the film’s climax.

As a throwback to the screwball comedies of the ancient days of cinema, Leatherheads works on many levels. The outlands setups for jokes and physical payoffs are wonderfully done, always with a smirk, and always to the point where everyone is okay afterwards. After a heated punching bout between Carter and Dodge concludes, both me are sporting a few bruises and a fat lip. The final act of the film directs attention away from the love story and the football action to focus on the revelations Lexie has discovered and their ramifications on all the principle players.

The film does have some slow points as it’s about 30 minutes overweight, some serious trimming of the script could have really saved this from becoming tedious towards the end. However the mesmerizing smile of Clooney and the comedic timing of Krasinski basically playing is role of Jim on The Office on the big screen, in the 1920’s, saves the film from the bowels of mediocrity.

As an underdog sports story Leatherheads doesn’t lend much to the genre filled with better films, but as a combination of comedy, screwball and otherwise, with a dose of romance, sharp wits, and colorful, big characters, the film excels.

The film won’t top the previous works by Clooney as a director, nor an actor, but as a change of pace from his normally serious work like Michael Clayton, its good to see the fun loving, funny Clooney on the big screen catching some pigskin and getting trounced in the mud.

Tourgasm alumni Robert Kelly is a funny man with some interesting takes on everyday habits, the very funniest of which deals with tube socks and the constant need to wear them, naked, in bed. It’s these little visual flairs that add so much to Kelly’s work on his debut album, Just the Tip from Comedy Central Records.

The album is about 50 minutes of descriptions about life, the universe, and everything from Kelly whose style seems like a manic Dane Cook constantly yelling to get his point across, and all over the place as far as content goes. The central theme to the album is the fact that he loves his life, but that married life, and the things that happen in it, are just ludicrous. His humor centers mainly on the guys for a good portion of the disc, with concerns like how to take a pee with the different states of the penis and his ultimate defiance for colorful poems from his wife about sprinkling on the seat is almost worth the price of admission alone.

One of the portly Kelly’s biggest weaknesses is food, and this is where a good chuck of his humor comes from constantly lambasting himself for being overweight and 3AM freak-outs about lost cupcakes in the trash. Like other plus sized comedians, mainly Kevin James in The King of Queens, the big guys can get all the laughs when making fun of themselves.

The disc has its gross out moments, such as “Nickelodeon Award“; which almost has you cringing in disbelief that someone would actually think this stuff up as well as its sweet and sentimental ones, well as sweet as you can get in the namesake track “Just the Tip“;. Other highlights include “Dude with a Sword,”; “She Knows Nothing About my Penis,”; and my personal favorite “Restaurants.”;

Some topics don’t work as well as others including “Punching Butter“; and the tired bit on Vegas and its all-too-familiar slogan. But more often than not Kelly hits his mark, and when he doesn’t his presentation is what brings even a dead joke back to life with a little flair.

Kelly’s material is nothing dramatically new or explosive, but he does a great job of bringing it to the stage with enough style, emphasis, and oomph that you’ll be laughing along with the live studio audience. Included with the disc is a DVD featuring a documentary so for the MSRP you’re getting a great package with enough material that you’ll be coming back to for a few selected bits time and time again.

With the never-ending stream of home fix it shows the networks are slapping onto the airwaves, it’s nice to see that someone is finally taking that motif and slamming it left and right. Of course a network would not and could not air something like Hollywood Residential, because reality is their bread and butter. Instead, (and we’re probably better off) Starz is the channel lampooning home fix it shows, as Hollywood Residential goes each week into the home of a celebrity, and spruces up various rooms in their houses.

The show centers around Tony King (played hilariously by actor, and show creator, Adam Paul) who is an out of work actor that sees this fix-it show as his jumping off point to fame and stardom. Sadly for King, he couldn’t fix a one manned boxing match, let alone a house, so he is stuck trying to take every chance he can get to use his show to move up and out.

The supporting cast of characters is talented and hilarious, comprised mostly of newcomers. Lyndsey Stoddart plays Lila Mann, the co-host tasked with fixing up all the screw ups King finds himself getting into. David Ramsey is Don Merritt, the producer, who at least seems in these first episodes to be little more than straight man. Then you have the celebrities, celebrities, celebrities. In the first few episodes of the show (a new actor’s house being made over each week", you have Chris Kattan (asking if King OD’d on stupid pills at an audition he sent him to), Jamie Kennedy, Tom Arnold, and a surprisingly hilarious appearance by Paula Abdul (where she continually asks when she can have her dramatic moment of, say, throwing a coffee mug…or a potted plant).

Cheryl Hines (of Curb Your Enthusiasm fame) is the executive producer, and guest on at least one episode, of Residential, and she seems to be very hands on, and extremely capable of taking a cast of unknowns, some good A and B list (ok mostly B list) celebrities, and coming up with hilarious, loosely scripted episodes that make you glad you’re not watching another sappy hug fest, or sexual/gender identity questionable designer. This is good, clean, wholesome, American television, where the celebs are whores and jerks, and the hosts are complete idiots (albeit lovable idiots).

Before Psych returns for its second season in January on USA, the fake psychic, real detectives have to spread some holiday cheer in a very special Christmas episode focusing on the murder of a grumpy old man, but its who the suspects turn out to be that hits close to home.

Starting well enough, the Gusters invite Shawn (James Roday) and his dad (Corbin Bernsen) to dinner for the holidays, but after caroling turns up a dead body staged to look like a suicide Gus and Shawn take on the case to prove to Gus’ overbearing parents that Gus has really grown up, and that Shawn isn’t a negative influence.

Credit to the casting director of this episode for bringing in Phylicia Rashad (The Cosby Show) and Ernie Hudson (Ghostbusters) in as Gus’ parents who want to protect their soon so badly from the world that they pull Gus’ nursing home bound grandma to look over the 29 year old when they are both arrested as lead suspects in the case. This isn’t much of a spoiler as most of the episodes running time is Shawn and Gus’ attempts at clearing the elder Gusters of any wrong-doing.

In typical, albeit creatively funny, Pysch fashion the investigation takes numerous dead ends before locating the killer and ousting them in front of a large group with the customary “psychic channeling” Roday’s character is so well known for on the show.

Not to leave the holidays behind, there’s a B-storyline focusing on O’Hara (Maggie Lawson) inviting the snow globe hating Lassiter (Timothy Omundson) for dinner with her family, only to realize that the overzealous Lassie ends up being loathed. The B-story provides something for the two characters to do besides working on the case; however they are more out of the loop than usual in this episode and their story is forgettable at best.

Other than the Christmas theme to set up Shawn having dinner with the Gusters there isn’t anything special about this episode other than to let the viewer new that new episodes are coming in just a few short weeks (something everyone needs in this strike afflicted world). The story is thin (as usual) but it’s the characters that really get you involved with the show, and as the rapport between the four principles increases the comedy flows much easier and you’ll find that you are coming back week after week for more.

Dane Cook’s latest release, Rough Around the Edges: Live from Madison Square Garden, the follow up to his multi-platinum Retaliation, comes across as mixed bag of tricks that, in the end, disappoint. This isn’t to say you won’t laugh at any of the jokes on the disc, but there isn’t  that one joke, or one hook to make it an immediate celebratory album like Harmful If Swallowed and Retaliation. Where Harmful had the memorable BK Lounge and Video Horizons, and Retaliation had people defecating on outerwear, Rough‘s material never approaches that level.

Cook’s type of observational humor, akin to Denis Leary and George Carlin, is immediately accessible to just about anyone, sure the older generation may thing its vulgar and crash, but the these are the jokes of an everyman, someone you can relate to, which usually gives them a much bigger punch. Here, more often than not, you’ll have a smile on your face if not much else.

Memorable tracks include “15 Cents“; as the albums real stand out performance relating to the starving people in third world countries and the old white guys who attempt to get you to help. “Benson’s Animal Farm“; continues the tradition of early life memories and has the funniest build up and punch line, but is still predictable.

There’s complete throwaway tracks like “Copy Machine“; which makes light of how they made copies hundreds of years ago with a bunch of educated church employees. Then there’s the morbid “Regrets“; which just never approaches any level of funny.

“War Flute“; gives a memorable mental aside of a flute and drum player during war time which basically boils down to what we’re all thinking anyway. “A Condom?“; relives every guy’s greatest fear about scoring the hottest chick at the bar, only to realize you might be missing something incredibly important. The rest of the tracks hold chuckles and laughs here or there, but nothing like the tear-inducing belly laughs we’ve come to expect after many of his previous work has entered into the American lexicon.

Dane Cook has been accused of a lot of things over the years, and whether you believe it or not, he’s still an admirable, funny comedian who has the ability to make the girls swoon and the guys laugh out loud. You can’t say that about just anyone. Still, for his third outing after two platinum discs and successful movies and DVDs you would have just expected more. The good thing with comedy is you’re never down, nor out, and the world is ripe with material, let’s just hope Dane finds some of that earlier magic and treats us to it once again.

Knocked Up has been described as an ‘instant classic’ in the comedy genre and there’s little to sway me in agreeing with that assertion whole-heartedly. Writer and director Judd Apatow has crafted such a masterful mesh up of the slacker/stoner comedy and infused it with elements from romantic comedies and a big helping of heart that you really feel for the characters and you really, really want to see the movie again after the first viewing.

The film stars Seth Rogen as Ben Stone and the lovely Katherine Heigl as Alison Scott a fictional reporter at E! who gets impregnated by Stone after a one night stand. Alison confronts Ben a few months after their hook-up to reveal the news. Over the course of the film the two fight, bicker, and seemingly can’t get along, but they also fall in love, and while the Hollywood ending is usually frowned upon by this establishment, it seems justified here.

One of Apatow’s greatest abilities is to not only focus on the leads in his movies but also write, big, convincing parts for the supporting cast as well. Here we have Paul Rudd and Apatow’s wife Leslie Mann as a married couple looking for a connection. Alison uses their troubled relationship to picture how she and Ben would end up, this causes a bit of turmoil in their relationship, but by the end of the movie, even the supporting B-storyline has been wrapped up nicely.

In opposition of most comedies, the jokes aren’t front-loaded into the film, Knocked Up is consistently funny with not just belly laughs, but just the little things that make you only chuckle, but still feel as though you are watching a comedy past the one hour mark. Ben’s collection of wayward friends, Jonah Hill, Jay Baruchel, Martin Starr, and Jason Segel, provide enough scene stealing moments and ad-libbed dialog to warrant their own movie, here they’re utilized just enough to be hilarious without grating on your nerves.

Not a lot has been said about Heigl and her performance. Coming from the soapy Grey’s Anatomy hasn’t afforded her many opportunities for comedy work, but she performs admirably her, not just relying on her good looks to stream through the movie. She does a great job of personifying Alison as a twentysomething moving up the corporate ladder only to be thrown through a loop.

The real star of the show is Seth Rogen, easily the funniest supporting character in Apatow’s The 40-Year-Old Virgin, he’s elevated to leading man status her and owns the show. Why he has been passed up for so long will never be certain, but his celebrity stock certainly went up over the weekend with box office numbers and his excellent performance.

As bold as it is to say, Knocked Up could be better than The 40-Year-Old Virgin in many respects, but that’s going to rely on personal opinion more than anything else. What matters most is everything in this film is clear, concise, and clips along through its two-hour runtime providing a more than satisfying beginning, middle, and end. What recent movies can you say that about?