"I've woken up next to a billy-goat..."
My appreciation for comediennes is about on par with my appreciation for (most) female singer/songwriters. That is to say, it's pretty non-existent. According to the s/o, women who attempt standup are typically not funny (and this is also his explanation as to why the "funny woman" will never sell as a plot gimmick relative to her male counterparts). While I'm not entirely sure that I agree with him, the fact of the matter is, funny women are often few and far between, in my opinion.With some rare exceptions (we share a soft spot for the brilliance that is Tina Fey), apparently women just don't know how to make a story funny.
Of course, humour is a subjective thing.
Enter: Chelsea Handler.
I first came across Handler a few weeks back while browsing the Comedy Network/Comedy Central website. Given her popularity I'm kind of surprised I'd never heard of her. Add to the fact that she's got the mouth of a sailor and a sense of humour to make any man proud and well, I'm surprised she stayed under my radar for as long as she has. Of course, this leads me to wonder whether funny women have to be funny on male terms to be regarded as funny at all. (Tangentially, this links to a conversation I had earlier in the week on academic voice and the need for academics, in particular female academics to "perform" their roles based on masculine identifiers, utilizing masculinist language. But that's another entry...)
It doesn't surprise me to find that I love Ms. Handler as much as I do. A perpetually single (and willingly so!), tragically flawed heroine in her own right (I love the fact that she admits her love for the bottle supersedes her desire for domesticity), she criticizes women for the seemingly stupid shit things they consider to be a "big deal" in life. She doesn't buy into the whole 2.4 children, white picket fence ideal, either (which, although most female comics don't necessarily uphold, seems to be pivotal to most women being able to appreciate comedy). In truth, I think I'm just a little bit in love.
Mind you... my appreciation might be a bit biased, especially since I really believe single people should get thrown showers because they've not decided to (or decided not to) take the plunge.
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