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Silverman right back being hilariously wrong
By Frazier Moore
Associated Press
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NEW YORK -- Sarah Silverman is answering a reporter’s question during lunch at an open-air restaurant when a car alarm goes off. She persists a few moments as the car horn throbs.

Then, in an exaggerated whisper, she pretends to shout an ultimatum at the horn: “Shut! Up!!!”

An instant later, the horn stops.

“Wowww!” giggles Silverman, pleased with her masquerade of power.

Of course, the character she plays on “The Sarah Silverman Program” would have wasted no time taking direct action. On last week’s season premiere of the Comedy Central series (airing 9:30 p.m. CDT Wednesdays), the conveniently named Sarah was rudely awakened by Sunday morning church bells. She was plenty steamed.

Still in her pajamas, she barged into the sanctuary where the service was in progress, and gave the congregation hell.

“Who are you people praying to: Jesus of Noise-rith?” she screeched.

From there, the twisted narrative somehow whisked Sarah into the arms of anti-abortion activists.

By the end of this episode — which managed to mock all sides of the abortion rights debate, but most of all, mocked Sarah — its story came full circle: When assured by an anti-abortion zealot that the bomb meant to blow up the abortion clinic had been set for the middle of the night, thus sparing any humans, Sarah fumed, “You were gonna blow up a big noisy bomb at 5:30 in the morning when you know I’m asleep?!”

Thus does the series (which Silverman co-writes and co-produces, as well as stars in) channel the same shrewd, often shocking, wrongness that fuels her standup act.

Like Standup-Sarah has always done, TV-Series-Sarah keeps the audience on edge by being cute, obnoxious and depraved.

Aimless in the town of Valley Village, she is looked after by her sister (played by Silverman’s real-life sister, Laura), her gay-couple neighbors (Brian Posehn and Steve Agee) and Laura’s dimwitted policeman beau (Jay Johnston). Rounding out the support system: Doug, a Chihuahua-pug mix played by Duck, Silverman’s real-life pooch (and, oddly, the show’s only character with a made-up name).

This week’s episode centers on Doug, whose zesty displays of personal hygiene (or is it more than that?) become a source of fascination for Sarah. She gets a little too close to the subject. Then she gets busted.

Maybe somewhere in this tale is an exploration of what is, and isn’t, a sexual offense.

“I’m not a monster!” argues Sarah when she pleads her case in court. “I’m just a curious eccentric.”

Welcome to another day in comedy for Silverman, who, on other days, has tapped how-dare-she topics like AIDS, 9/11, rape, the Holocaust, even the children of Britney Spears (whom she christened “adorable mistakes” while hosting the MTV Video Music Awards last month).

All this from someone whose worldview holds that “everything constantly moves in a circle. So when it’s good it’s good, and when it’s bad it’s about to be good. I’m an optimist that way.”

She’s also a romantic. Before she could turn off her cell phone for the interview, its twinkling sound announced a call. “Jimmeeee!” she squealed at the sight of the caller’s photo on the cell-phone screen: talk show host Jimmy Kimmel checking in from L.A., where he and Silverman, 36, have been together five years.

Dressed comfy in a sweat suit, her hair pulled back in a ponytail, she reports that, for her series’ second season, a half-dozen episodes will air this fall, another 10 next summer. She’s been plugging away at it since May.

“It’s hard!” she says with a who-knew laugh. “I had come so far in my career with doing almost no work, and now this show takes so many hours! Writers are lazy, and comics are really lazy. But I always do my homework,” she adds sweetly, “‘cause I want the teacher to like me.”

And she continues to prove she’s more than the class clown. But how much more? Maybe jokes about flatulence, minorities and God speak for themselves. But does her humor’s razor-sharpness point to something more profound? What’s the underlying message from this comic minx? What is she really up to?

“I just want to be funny, and the things that make me laugh tend to be toward the taboo side,” she explains. “I try not to imply anything deep. But if something’s inferred from it, all the better.”

Maybe it’s in the eyes (and ears) of the beholder.

“I’m not saying that my stuff is either smart OR stupid,” she says, “but a lot of dumb stuff can be seen as smart if a smart person chooses to find it thought-provoking, and glean something from it.

“There’s a guy who made Campbell’s Soup deep” — shades of Andy Warhol! — “and he didn’t do anything particularly intellectual to make that happen. It’s really for the audience to make it what they want it to be.

“I try to stay light,” she offers, smiling, “and let other people be heavy.”
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Comic Sarah Silverman begins the second season of "The Sarah Silverman Program" on Comedy Central.
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Reader comments on this story - 15 total

Note: All views and opinions expressed in reader comments are solely those of the individual submitting the comment, and not those of the Pantagraph or its staff.

matt wrote on Oct 26, 2007 5:54 PM:

" did you see the sarah episode where it was funny that her dead mother's corpse was dug up and sexually abused? where is the comedy? "

butters wrote on Oct 18, 2007 10:56 PM:

" I'm all for belief systems and the like, but when you use your belief systems to whine and spit on the good name of comedy with weak complaints of being "offended", you're crossing the line. "

To Double... wrote on Oct 17, 2007 11:41 AM:

" I think that Jew jokes are just as funny as Christian jokes. I bet Sarah would agree. "

Double wrote on Oct 16, 2007 12:00 AM:

" I kind of agree with Yup. Because Sarah Silverman is Jewish she can poke fun at Christian values. However, if someone of the Christian faith pokes fun at the Jewish faith, they would be considered a bigot. Such a double standard. "

Now This Is Funny wrote on Oct 15, 2007 11:30 PM:

" This chic is hot and funny and smart! She has her own show and how many can say that? Jimmy is one lucky guy, sigh. "

I love Sarah! wrote on Oct 15, 2007 1:01 PM:

" I love Sarah Silverman, South Park and any show that makes fun of everything "PC" that is shoved down the throat of the public. It is such a relief to laugh at the things that people get so defensive about! "

To: To Big B wrote on Oct 15, 2007 11:44 AM:

" Wow, that was good one. Did you think that one up all by yourself? "

To Big B wrote on Oct 15, 2007 9:39 AM:

" so are you one of those 40 to 50 year olds pretending to be 20 year olds that I hear about all the time on the internets? "

Big B wrote on Oct 15, 2007 8:55 AM:

" Actually,I tried to find her funny, but she just isn't. Her comedy consists of seeing how many different people she can insult. Also, I'm not old. I'm in my 20's and just find her kind of humor, pretty boring. I mean, her sleeping with god, licking a dogs rear, etc. This really isn't funny. The dog licking was really just boring. I doubt I watch her again. Also, she flopped at the MTV awards, which says a whole lot. When people attending the MTV awards do not find you funny, then that is bad. "

To yup: wrote on Oct 15, 2007 8:37 AM:

" I thought your beliefs were comedy. "

to yup wrote on Oct 15, 2007 8:31 AM:

" What a crazy statement! How can beliefs be attacked? She can't make you believe anything you don't want to believe. "

Yeah, she's wrong allright~~ wrote on Oct 15, 2007 8:06 AM:

" She's rude, crude and just disgusting. I turn the channel and definately do the same for her scuzzy boyfriend kimmel. "

Adam wrote on Oct 15, 2007 7:23 AM:

" Ah Sarah you're so dreamy! "

yup wrote on Oct 15, 2007 5:14 AM:

" Once again we Christians need to endure yet another attack on our beliefs in the name of "comedy." "

plaid braisley wrote on Oct 15, 2007 2:44 AM:

" she's the funniest woman i've ever seen on TV.she was great on the larry sanders show.just killed on the roast of pam anderson.i just hope she doesn't lose her edge trying to stay on TV. "
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