Movie Spoofs ‘R Us

Always Look on the Bright Side of Life: The Life of Python

If there’s to be a series on humor, which for the last few weeks, if I’m not mistaken there has been, then it would be remiss to not mention one of the funniest comedy groups of the 20th century, Monty Python.

They were a British comedy group that created the influential Monty Python’s Flying Circus, a British television comedy sketch show that first aired on the BBC in October 1969. From there, the Python phenomenon developed into something larger in scope and impact, spawning touring stage shows, films, numerous albums, several books and a stage musical. The group’s influence on comedy has been compared to The Beatles’ influence on music.

The television series, broadcast by the BBC from 1969 to 1974, was conceived, written and performed by Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin.

Their most current hit is the play Spamalot.

And so today, without further ado, are 10 of the funniest Monty Python sketches – of course, technically, the video at the top of the page, Always Look on the Bright Side of Life, is not a sketch but instead a segment from their film, The Life of Brian, but if you promise not to tell, neither will I.

All the News that Isn’t Fit to Print

Today, for this series on humor, I present to you the news, fresh from the newspaper.

All this news is true, although it definitely is a tad strange. Judge for yourself as you read through it.

It’s all real, though quite funny.

Separated at Birth?

Ok, we continue on with the humor series, now that you know that even with April Fool’s Day over, it’s still ok to laugh.

In fact, as I pointed out in yesterday’s article, humor and laughter is such an important part of life – it will keep you healthy, happy, joyous and fulfilled, and will keep you living a Low Density Lifestyle.

So today, let’s look at various well-known people who obviously were separated at birth from their twin. My hope is that this article, written purely as a public service, will help these twins reunite.

If any of you reading this know how to facilitate these reunions, please feel free to do so.

Lady Gaga and Wilson, the face painted on the volleyball by Tom Hanks, in the film Castaway.

Lady Gaga again, this time her hair, and a croquembouche dessert.

Lindsay Lohan, and Gollum, from Lord of the Rings.

Governor Bobby Jindal of Louisiana, and Alfred E. Neuman of Mad Magazine.

Madonna, and a frog. Please note: in no way do we mean to disparage this frog, or any frog, for that matter.

Mel Gibson, and the Burger King.

Rush Limbaugh, and Balthazar, from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Please note: in no way do we mean to disparage obese demons such as Balthazar, or vampire slayers, for that matter.

Singer Bonnie Tyler, of Total Eclipse of the Heart fame, and the Bride of Chucky.

Zac Efron, and a well-groomed dog. Please note: in no way do we mean to disparage dogs that are well-groomed, or like to wear toupees, for that matter.

Ok, got it? If you see any of these twins separately, please notify the proper authorities so they can be reunited.

April Fool’s is Over: Can I Still Laugh?

Ok, so you may have figured it out. The last article, And Now For Some Serious News, was not serious at all. It was a total April Fool’s joke.

And it was also a good way to kick off the new series, on laughter and humor. Because although April Fool’s is over, it’s still ok to laugh.

In fact, if we don’t have a good sense of humor, if we can’t laugh easily, and especially laugh at ourselves, we’re in deep doo-doo.

If you want to live a Low Density Lifestyle, and feel light of body, mind and spirit, then being able to laugh easily is something that will help you get there. That’s why laughter is an essential aspect of living a Low Density Lifestyle.

It’s well known that laughter is good for the health. In one of the most famous and well-documented cases of how laughter can be healing, Norman Cousins, who went on to write about his case in his best-selling book, Anatomy of an Illness, healed from a terminal illness by watching funny movies.

The Greek philosopher Aristotle viewed laughter as “a bodily exercise precious to health.”

Studies have shown that laughter drops the blood pressure and is linked to healthy function of blood vessels. Laughter appears to cause the tissue that forms the inner lining of blood vessels, the endothelium, to dilate or expand in order to increase blood flow.

That makes sense, because when you laugh you can feel your body open up – this is the blood moving through the body and dilating blood vessels.

Other studies have shown that laughter can cause a drop in the blood’s concentration of the stress hormone cortisol. Because chronically elevated cortisol levels have been shown to weaken the immune system, this can help ward off disease.

And other experiments have indicated that laughter increases the activity of immune cells called natural killer cells in the saliva of healthy subjects.

Psychologists and mental health experts have also found that laughter and comedy can be a remedy for stress, depression, or just feeling down.

Laughter can also help with pain. As early as 1928, New York physician James J. Walsh noticed that laughter seemed to dampen pain after surgery. Since then, research has indicated that humor can have painkilling properties. One 1996 study demonstrated that patients who watched funny movies needed less of their mild painkillers after orthopedic surgery than did patients who viewed serious flicks or nothing at all.

In addition to suppressing pain, being funny and cheerful can cultivate friendships. Cheerful people have a lighthearted interaction style that facilitates bonding closely with others and builds social support.

So, over the course of this series, be prepared to laugh! (Even if the jokes aren’t that funny, laugh anyway to humor me.)

In 1 Minute or Less, the Greatest Books Ever Written

First off, a number of people have asked me about yesterday’s article and video about the new depressant medication Despondex. Is it real, they wondered? Is there really a medication that will stop people from being cheery?

Of course not (though I’m starting to wonder what’s in my water supply).

It obviously was a humor piece, something that was aimed at making you chuckle.

This entire series is on humor, after all. The first article on the benefits of humor and laughter explained the importance of it and how and why it can keep you feeling light of body, mind and spirit, and keep you in Low Density Lifestyle mode.

But as of yesterday’s article, I’m not here to tell you why humor is important for living a Low Density Lifestyle. Instead the articles are aimed at making you laugh.

So today, courtesy of the scholars at Book-a-Minute Classics, I want to give you ultra-condensed versions of classic books. These condensed versions will tell you everything you need to know about the book, and shave off all the fluffy frills.

Never again will you have to read a classic book, thanks to Book-a-Minute Classics.

So here comes 15 of your favorite stories. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey

Nurse Ratched
I destroy my patients psychologically so I can have power and control.

Randall P. McMurphy
But freedom and happiness are good things.

Nurse Ratched
Lobotomy time for you, buster.

(McMurphy DIES but inspires HOPE so OTHERS may LIVE.)
THE END

Lord of the Flies by William Golding

(Some BOYS crash on an ISLAND.)

Ralph
We need a fire.

(They make a fire. It goes out.)

Ralph
We need a fire.

(They make a fire. It goes out.)

Ralph
We need a fire.

Jack
Forget the fire. Let’s kill each other.

Other Boys
Yeah!

(They do.)
THE END

Walden by Henry David Thoreau

Henry David Thoreau
A truly rich man doesn’t have money but rather courage, truth, and an inner glory that transcends the passiveness of our physical beings. That’s why I’m going to live in the boonies.

(Two years later…)

I’m getting the heck out of here and getting my pencil-making job back. Um. But what I said still goes.
THE END

Finnegans Wake by James Joyce

James Joyce
I have created my own language to tell the cyclical history of humanity.

Reader #1
Brilliance!

Reader #2
(dies)
THE END

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

Ebenezer Scrooge
Bah, humbug. You’ll work thirty-eight hours on Christmas Day, keep the heat at five degrees, and like it.

Ghost of Jacob Marley
Ebenezer Scrooge, three ghosts of Christmas will come and tell you you’re mean.

Three Ghosts of Christmas
You’re mean.

Ebenezer Scrooge
At last, I have seen the light. Let’s dance in the streets. Have some money.
THE END

The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway

Stock Hemingway Narrating Character
It was in Europe after the war. We were depressed. We drank a lot. We were still depressed.
THE END

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

Holden Caulfield
Angst angst angst swear curse swear crazy crazy angst swear curse, society sucks, and I’m a stupid jerk.
THE END

Hamlet by William Shakespeare

Hamlet
Whine whine whine…To be or not to be…I’m dead.
THE END

The Collected Work of Edgar Allan Poe

Some Guy
Oh no. I’m buried alive!

Narrator
I died.

Raven
Nevermore.
THE END

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

Tom Joad
Our farm has been taken away. Let’s go to California.

(They do. On the way, there are calamities, and people DIE, because this is the Great Depression when times were HARD, and it was a struggle just to hold on to one’s DIGNITY.)
THE END

Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

Huckleberry Finn
(Goes rafting. Goes home.)
THE END

Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller

Willy Loman
Everytime something bad happens, I go back in time to happier occasions.

Biff Loman
I’m a bum.

Willy Loman
Here I go again.

(Willy Loman goes back in time. Then he runs out of times to go back to, so he dies.)
THE END

Metamophosis by Franz Kafka

Gregor Samsa
Holy crap, I’m a vermin thingie!

(He DIES…eventually.)
THE END

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Mr. Darcy
Nothing is good enough for me.

Ms. Elizabeth Bennet
I could never marry that proud man.

(They change their minds.)
THE END

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

(The Earth gets BLOWN UP.)

Arthur
I’m a bit upset about that.

Ford
Yes, I can understand that.

(They fly around the galaxy. They go UNDERGROUND, where they see…)

Arthur
The Earth.

Deep Thought
Forty two.
THE END

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Living Life Lightly, Living Life with Humor and Laughter

One of the best ways to feel lighter of body, mind and spirit is to infuse your life with humor and laughter.

In fact, keeping humor and laughter in your life is one of the 12 steps of living a Low Density Lifestyle, and it will bring you much happiness and joy.

There’s something special about laughter. It allows you to take yourself less seriously, and in the process causes you to lighten up.

It’s well known that laughter is good for the health. In one of the most famous and well-documented cases of how laughter can be healing, Norman Cousins, who went on to write about his case in his best-selling book, Anatomy of an Illness, healed from a terminal illness by watching funny movies.

The Greek philosopher Aristotle viewed laughter as “a bodily exercise precious to health.”

Studies have shown that laughter drops the blood pressure and is linked to healthy function of blood vessels. Laughter appears to cause the tissue that forms the inner lining of blood vessels, the endothelium, to dilate or expand in order to increase blood flow.

That makes sense, because when you laugh you can feel your body open up – this is the blood moving through the body and dilating blood vessels.

Other studies have shown that laughter can cause a drop in the blood’s concentration of the stress hormone cortisol. Because chronically elevated cortisol levels have been shown to weaken the immune system, this can help ward off disease.

And other experiments have indicated that laughter increases the activity of immune cells called natural killer cells in the saliva of healthy subjects.

Psychologists and mental health experts have also found that laughter and comedy can be a remedy for stress, depression, or just feeling down.

Laughter can also help with pain. As early as 1928, New York physician James J. Walsh noticed that laughter seemed to dampen pain after surgery. Since then, research has indicated that humor can have painkilling properties. One 1996 study demonstrated that patients who watched funny movies needed less of their mild painkillers after orthopedic surgery than did patients who viewed serious flicks or nothing at all.

In addition to suppressing pain, being funny and cheerful can cultivate friendships. Cheerful people have a lighthearted interaction style that facilitates bonding closely with others and builds social support.

And get this, single people: people with a sense of humor may get more dates. In 2006 psychologists Eric R. Bressler of Westfield State College and Sigal Balshine of McMaster University in Ontario reported that women are more likely to consider a man in a photograph a desirable relationship partner if the picture is accompanied by a funny quote attributed to the man. In fact, the women preferred the funny men despite rating them, on average, less intelligent and less trustworthy.

And other research indicates that both men and women value a “sense of humor” when choosing a partner.

According to 18th-century philosopher Immanuel Kant, laughter is one of a trio of tactics humans may use to counterbalance life’s troubles. The others are hope and sleep.

So, if you want to lighten up, if you want to live a Low Density Lifestyle, and if you want to get out of the rut of living a High Density Lifestyle, then make sure that you have laughter and humor in your life.

And so the bottom line is: don’t take yourself too seriously.

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