News archive
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2008
GOODMAN WINS LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Ellen Goodman, Pulitzer Prize winning columnist from the Boston Globe, is the 2008 recipient of the Ernie Pyle Lifetime Achievement Award of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists. Read more.
THE DIGBY REPORT
Comedian Horace Digby has some great interviews with top humorists. Here are just a few:
HOW-TO BOOK FOR COLUMNISTS
Suzette Martinez Standring's new book, The Art of Column Writing, is just published. It includes "Insider Secrets from Art Buchwald, Dave Barry, Arianna Huffington, Pete Hamill, and Other Great Columnists." Read more.
WAYOUT TV
Damon Wayans is betting people will fire up their computers to watch videos about an African American leprechaun pimp, a thieving airport security guard and an adulterous Burger King. Read more.
CLEAN COMEDY
Teresa Roberts Logan imports clean headline comedy acts from around the country. Read more.
WRITERS' STRIKE LEADS TO BURST OF TV SHOWS FOR THE WEB
Striking writers have created dozens of professional-grade shows for the Web. An extended strike could bring hundreds more. Yes, hundreds. Read more.
HOW STAND-UP IN THE 1970s CHANGED AMERICA
In the rock ’n’ roll 1970s, a new breed of comic, inspired by the fearless Lenny Bruce, made telling jokes an art form. Richard Zoglin gives a backstage view of the time, when a group of brilliant comedians ruled the industry and changed it. Read more.
NEW ONLINE SHOW FOR COLUMNIST RAY HANANIA
Self-syndicated columnist Ray Hanania, who's been doing online TV interviews for about two years, is producing a new show. Read more.
COMEDY WRITERS STRIKE A NERVE
Writers from Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show” and “The Colbert Report” hosted a debate on Capitol Hill…No, really, they did.. Read more.
NOVEMBER 2007
COMEDY BY THE NUMBERS
There's a lot of books out there claiming that they contain the secret to being funny, but only the authors of Comedy by the Numbers actually know how to crack a joke. Read more.
THE ONION GOES GLOBAL
The Onion releases its second book, Our Dumb World. Read more.
COMEDY FANTASY CAMP
Would you like to spend two days as a sitcom writer?. Read more.
CLEANING UP IN COMEDY
Teresa Roberts Logan is a 'clean comedian' who hosts a monthly Clean Comedy Night. Read more.
COMPETITIVE STREAK HELPS "30 ROCK" SURVIVE
A year ago few people would have bet Tina Fey’s show, “30 Rock,” would last an entire season, let alone take the best-comedy award at the Emmys. Read more.
WILL ROGERS WINNER
Peggy Sanders , a farm-ranch wife and writer from Oral, S.D., won first place in the 2007 Will Rogers Writing Contest. Read more.
OCTOBER 2007
DAVE BARRY ON DIGBY REPORT
Dave Barry appeared on The Horace J. Digby Report to discuss humor, writing, Art Buchwald, International Talk Like a Pirate Day, Harry Potter, Peter Pan, sex change operations, Dave Barry's History of the New Millennium (So Far), why it is perfectly legal for you to mail cash directly to Dave Barry, Dave's snappy answers to listeners' questions and much much more. Listen now.
BLURBOLOGY 101
John Hershey shares how to promote your writing through shameless name dropping. Read more.
THE SECRET LIFE OF WRITERS
Ernie Witham, who teaches at the Santa Barbara Writers Conference, had his students write a column as a group. Here it is.
JOE KEENAN WINS THURBER PRIZE
Joe Keenan, the Emmy winner and former executive producer for Frasier, has won the 2007 Thurber Prize for American Humor for his novel, My Lucky Star. Read more.
NEW NATIONAL LAMPOON SPOOF
Kevin Dillon (Entourage) is starring in National Lampoon's 301: The Legend of Awesomest Maximus Wallace Leonidas, a spoof of swords and sandals movies 300, Troy, Gladiator, and Braveheart. Read more.
WEB CHANGES HOW COMEDY IS WRITTEN
The Web has changed the way comedy is written, says John O'Farrell, by empowering unknown writers to collaborate wiki-style with established names. Read more.
THE LOVE BOAT
Thirty years ago this fall, ''The Love Boat'' set sail. In this oral history, the Pacific Princess crew fondly recall their decade on a TV classic. Read more.
TINA FEY IS ON TOP
How did Tina Fey go from a recent college graduate who moved to Chicago in 1992 to do improv to the reigning queen of TV comedy? Read more.
AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2007
CAN YOU LEARN TO BE FUNNY?
Suzette Martinez Standring goes over the Barry basics. Read more.
OPEN THE BOX
Lynn Colwell's client recognized how tuned out he had been to life. Suddenly, it became clear to him that he had been keeping writing in a separate box. He began to merge it with his life. Read more.
THURBER PRIZE FINALISTS ANNOUCED
Here's a funny one: Bob Newhart, Joe Keenan and Merrill Markoe are the finalists for the annual Thurber Prize for American Humor. Read more.
WHITEHOUSE HOPEFULS TURN UP THE HUMOR
Did you hear the one about the presidential candidates trying to be funny? Read more.
NEW YORK UNDERGROUND COMEDY FESTIVAL GOES GLOBAL
The 2007 New York Underground Comedy Festival will take place September 28th through October 7th in all five New York boroughs; Australia; Ireland, South Africa, and China (at the only comedy club in the nation of 1.4 billion people). For the first time in the festival’s five-year history, the entire world will be able to watch NYUCF comedy shows via real-time updates on New Media Comedy’s Web site. Read more.
GIVING SITCOMS A FIGHTING CHANCE
For decades, multi-cam comedies have been a prime-time staple as much for their hit-making potential as for the relatively cheap production costs, but the shows, filmed before live studio audiences, have fallen out of fashion. Read more.
UNLIKELY BOOK HITS #1 ON HUMOR BESTSELLER LIST IN CANADA
How did an unknown writer and unknown publisher team up to reach #1? Quality, tenacity, and originality. The book appeals to a broad audience and has a unique, welcome approach. Read more.
WELCOME BACK, POTTER
What do you get when you cross "Welcome Back, Kotter" and "Harry Potter?". Watch the video.
JUNE/JULY 2007
MAKE 'EM LAUGH
The director of Bruce Almighty—and now its sequel, Evan Almighty—says laughter is theologically good medicine and making comedies is a high calling. Read more.
MY BOOK DEAL RUINED MY LIFE
For those who think they have a book inside them just waiting to be written—and, really, isn’t that pretty much everyone?—landing a book contract would be like winning the lottery. Dreams would come true; doors would open. Anything could happen. Read more.
LAYOFFS INSPIRE PRE-DIGITAL SATIRE
Dave Astor provides "a look back to a time when journalists allegedly used mashed potatoes, paper cups, and phonograph records in strange ways." Read more.
POLITICIANS WORK TO WIN WITH LAUGHS
Some people are naturally funny. And some politicians are a lot like people. Read more.
BOOKSELLERS TRADE PAPER FOR
FILM TO PUT AUTHOR ON TOUR
As with many bookstores, Powell's is heavily invested in author appearances to generate sales and -- even more important -- to build and maintain a community of readers. Yet many authors don't do full-fledged book tours, whether by choice or for lack of publisher support. Read more.
FROM SCHOOL HANDOUT TO CHAPTER BOOK SERIES
How a chemistry professor became a children's book author. Read more.
ER STANDS FOR ETERNITY ROOM
Jerry Zezima's column creates confusion on Martha Vinyard. Read more.
WRITER-PERFORMERS STAGE BALANCING ACTS
After more than 30 years on "Saturday Night Live" and its numerous movie spinoffs, perhaps no producer alive has more experience with comedy writer-actors than Lorne Michaels, who is working with Fey on "30 Rock." Read more.
"KNOCKED UP" DIRECTOR AND
HIS ACTRESS WIFE GET CREATIVE
Judd Apatow is the hottest comedy writer/director/producer in Hollywood, with one major movie success under his belt (“The 40-Year-Old Virgin”) and a second (“Knocked Up”) expected to hold its own against the summer sequels. His wife of 10 years, Leslie Mann, has been toying with a career as a comic actress (“Big Daddy,” “George of the Jungle,” “The 40-Year-Old Virgin”) while raising two children, 9 and 4, but her career should kick into high gear with a breakthrough role in her husband’s new film. Read more.
MAY 2007
WHAT MAKES A BEST SELLER?
“It’s an accidental profession, most of the time,” said William Strachan, editor in chief at Carroll & Graf Publishers. “If you had the key, you’d be very wealthy. Nobody has the key.” Read more.
VARIETY REPORTS "COMEDY WRITERS WANT WGA SUPPORT"
About three dozen writers on six Comedy Central skeins have asked to be repped by Writers Guild of America and are seeking a network-wide deal that would cover all future programming. Read more.
REINHARDT'S NEW BOOK INCLUDES CHAPTER ABOUT BOMBECK WORKSHOP
Susan Reinhardt, who gave a keynote address at the 2006 Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop, included a chapter about her experience in her new book, Don't Sleep With A Bubba: Unless Your Eggs Are In Wheelchairs. The Chicago Sun-Times says the book is "Like hanging out with your bluntest, most mischievous friend, the one who never fails to crack you up." Read more.
SITCOMS ARE DEAD! LONG LIVE SITCOMS!
A recent study showed that the average American television-watching household increased its comedy watching to four and a half hours a week this season, up from less than four hours in the 1993/4 television season. Read more.
MAN vs. CHILD
Intrepid science fiction author and podcaster, Tee Morris, takes on a two-year-old to teach you how to survive. The short video is a spoof of the Discovery Channel's show Man vs. Wild. Watch it.
A WINNER IN MY BOOK
Fourteen-year-old Caroline Beauregard Shinkle didn't win this year's Erma Bombeck Writing Competition but she's not letting that get her down. She's finishing a novel and a screenplay, and looking for an agent. Her essay, Last in Translation, struck a chord with me because I've spent a lot of time on Cape Cod. Read more.
THE SECRET LIFE OF MIKE MYERS
Mike Myers swears he has been keeping busy. And he understands that he has got a lot of convincing to do. Read more.
NATIONAL LAMPOON LAUNCHES ONLINE VIDEO NETWORK
The National Lampoon Video Network joins the National Lampoon Humor Network, the most-trafficked humor sites on the Internet, as key tentpoles of National Lampoon’s online and digital media strategies. Read more.
COMEDIANS GONE WISE
Slightly serious sayings from stand-up's biggest stars. Read more.
MARCH 2007
YOU TUBE CELEBRITIES
Shmuel Tennenhaus, an aspiring comedy writer who gained a modest following on YouTube for his droll question-and- answer clips and other spots featuring his grandmother "Bubby," is being wooed by the site's competitors, including Metacafe, ManiaTV and others. Read more.
FUNNIEST FAKE NEWS ONLINE IS FROM NEW JERSEY
HUMOR ME
When it comes to being funny, Conan O'Brien can't help himself. Read more.
TV WRITER ALLEN RUCKER CONFRONTS DISABILITY WITH HUMOR
Award-winning television writer Allen Rucker's book, The Best Seat in the House: How I Woke Up One Tuesday and Was Paralyzed for Life, talks about his rare condition called transverse myelitis. Rucker describes how at age 51 he became paralyzed from the waist down in the course of an hour and a half. Read more.
COMEDY WRITERS ON SERIOUS TRACK
TV scribe Joe Keenan spent most of his career writing for multi-camera half-hour comedies -- and even exec-produced one of the most critically acclaimed shows of the past decade, "Frasier." But when CBS unceremoniously dumped his followup, the under-rated "Out of Practice," Keenan knew the writing was on the wall. Read more.
COMEDY ARTS FESTIVAL NAMES STEPHEN COLBERT AS PERSON OF THE YEAR
Three-time Emmy award recipient, Stephen Tyrone Colbert, was named Person of the Year at HBO's Comedy Arts Festival held March 2nd in Aspen. Read more.
"CAVEMEN" ADS EVOLVE INTO TV PILOT
Those Geico “cavemen” shouldn’t be so upset after all – they may get their own TV series. Read more.
FEB. 2007
STORIES ABOUT ART BUCHWALD...
Buchwald Announces Own Death In First 'NYT' Online Obit Video Read the story.
Buchwald's Farewell Column, Written to Be Released at Death Read more.
Dave Barry: "I'll Miss Art Buchwald's Calls and Friendship" Read more.
Read an excerpt from Art Buchwald's book, Too Soon to Say Goodbye. Read more.
Hear Readers Digest's touching recent interview with Art Buchwald. Read more.
A Life and Death Experience With Art Buchwald Read more.
OTHER NEWS...
GET YOUR COPY OF THE ERMA DOCUMENTARY
For a $100 donation to ThinkTV, you can get a DVD of the documentary, Erma Bombeck: A Legacy of Laugher. Read more.
WHEN IT COMES TO BEING FUNNY,
CONAN O'BRIEN CAN'T HELP HIMSELF
From the moment Conan O'Brien walks onto the set of his late-night talk show, it's clear he's a geek. Read more.
ERMA WRITING CONTEST
The due date for this year's Erma Bombeck Writing Competition is February 18, 2007. Read more.
JEWISH HUMOR PUSHES LIMITS ON STEROTYPES
In the last generation, Jewish humor has become part of mainstream American comedy, achieving an acceptance that allows some of the brightest stars, from Jon Stewart to Jerry Seinfeld, to be open about their identity in their work, something Milton Berle and others of his era were less inclined to do. Read more.
YEAR OF VONNEGUT
Indianapolis has declared 2007 "The Year of Vonnegut" in honor of native son Kurt Vonnegut, whose latest book was just released. Read more.
GOOGLE OPENS DIALOGUE WITH BOOK PUBLISHERS
To anyone who thinks digital content is a threat to the book-publishing market, Google wants to tell you two things: first, you're wrong; second, its Google Book Search product is the solution, not the problem. Read more.
HUMOR ARTICLE LEADS TO
CONVICTION OF 2 IN MOROCCO
A Moroccan court convicted a magazine editor and a reporter on charges of defamation for printing heard-on-the-street jokes about religion and politics. Read more.
WILL ROGERS WRITERS' WORKSHOP
Don't miss the fun in Oklahoma City, March 15-18, 2007 at the Renaissance Convention Center. Writers from 21 states have signed up and registrations are still being accepted. Read more.
DEC. 2006/JAN. 2007
BEHIND THE SCENES AT THE CAPTION CONTEST
Seated in a small cubicle 20 floors above Times Square, a 23-year-old Harvard graduate named Zachary Kanin sifts through submissions for The New Yorker's caption contest. Read more.
INTERESTING STATS
Fifty-nine percent of customers plan to purchase a specific book when entering a bookstore, according to the Book Industry Study Group. On average, a bookstore browser spends eight seconds looking at the front cover and 15 seconds looking at the back cover of a book. Read more.
THE BEST LAID PLANS
How often do we make plans, passionately engage in them, feel fired up, then are stopped dead in our tracks by some unforeseen circumstance? Life tends to get in the way of our plans. Read more.
TIME IS RUNNING OUT FOR OKLAHOMA CITY WORKSHOP REGISTRATION
Don’t get caught up in the end-of-year rush and miss out on savings for the Will Rogers Writers’ Workshop in Oklahoma City in March 2007. The earlybird registration deadline is December 31, 2006. You’ll get a $25 discount if you register by that date, and you can apply the savings to your Christmas shopping. Read more.
FOR AUTHORS, WRITING'S JUST HALF THE JOB
It's not enough to write a great book. Authors are now expected to play an active role in book marketing and promotion. In this brave new world of always-on media, scribes are expected to either pursue or make themselves available to every potential reader. Read more.
NSNC CONFERENCE OPEN FOR REGISTRATION
The 2007 National Society of Newspaper Columnists Conference is taking registrations. Speakers include Dave Barry, Bill O'Reilly, Clarence Page and Robin Givhan. Read more.
EXCOMMUNICATED FROM TV LAND
Danny Gallagher joined an elite and special group of people in the funnyhaha universe. He lost a TV deal. Read more.
BOMBECK BIOGRAPHY NOW IN E-BOOK FORMAT;
PROCEEDS SUPPORT WRITERS' WORKSHOP
HUMOROUS ADVICE ABOUT COLLEGE
As Chef said on “South Park,” “There’s a time and a place for everything. It’s called college.” Read more.
SEDARIS THROWS A GREAT PARTY
Playwright and comedienne Amy Sedaris has written the book, I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence. In a recent interview she was asked, "What's your first hostess memory?" Her answer: "I was in seventh grade, and my mom let me invite all my friends over. I made Rock Cornish hens, wild rice and lemon tarts, served in the basement." Read more.
DAVE BARRY WRITES A CHRISTMAS STORY
The award-wining humor writer tackles the holidays in The Shepherd, the Angel and Walter,the Christmas Miracle Dog. Read an excerpt.
ACTORS, WRITERS SWITCH ROLES TO KEEP 'THE OFFICE' RUNNING
If the NBC comedy The Office the actors and writers are often the same people. Read more.
TAKING BACK CRACKED
Monty Sarhan, the corporate lawyer-turned Editor-in-Chief of the humor mag Cracked, on brilliantly written court decisions, Michael Ian Black, the over-ratedness of the Big Lebowski, and how he made The Funniest Magazine in History funny again. Read more.
NO JOKE
A reluctant comic discovers firsthand that doing stand-up is easy. For some people. Read more.
NOVEMBER 2006
WILL ROGERS CONTEST WINNERS
California freelance columnist George Waters captured the style of one of the most successful communicators of all time to become the top prize winner in the Will Rogers Writing Contest sponsored by the National Society of Newspaper Columnists. Read more.
INTERVIEWING DAVE BARRY
Virginia Armstrong shares her experience interviewing one of the greatest humor writers of all time. Read more.
MARQUETTE BANS DAVE BARRY QUOTE FROM OFFICE DOOR
"As Americans, we must always remember that we all have a common enemy, an enemy that is dangerous, powerful and relentless," the sign stated. "I refer, of course, to the federal government." Read more.
TURNING BOOK SIGNINGS INTO PROFIT CENTERS
To offset tour costs, events become more elaborate. Read more.
STRAIGHT OUTTA LYNWOOD
In an interview with Mike Durrett, "Weird Al" Yankovic discusses the comic process. Read more.
FINDING YOUR INNER COMEDIAN
Five great tips for making people laugh. Read more.
ZWEIBEL GETS THURBER HUMOR PRIZE
Author and former "Saturday Night Live" writer wins. Read more.
WHAT THEY DON'T TEACH YOU AT COMEDY SCHOOL
The toughest crowd Jerry Seinfeld ever faced taught him the true meaning of stage fright. Read more.
NBC UNVEILS BROADBAND COMEDY CHANNEL
NBC Universal has launched a new comedy broadband channel, Dotcomedy, that will host original Web shows as well as video from TV programs including "Late Show with David Letterman," "Saturday Night Live," and "Late Night with Conan O'Brien." Read more.
FROM GILLIGAN TO THE STAGE
Sherwood Schwartz -- creator of hit TV shows 'Gilligans Island' and 'The Brady Bunch' -- trades sitcoms for stage. Read more.
OCTOBER 2006
A PEEK AT THE PEAK OF THE PUBLICITY SUMMIT
Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop attendee, DC Stanfa, shares her experiences from the National Publicity Summit, where you can personally meet top journalists and producers face-to-face. Read more.
PASSION MAKES IT EASY
Lynn Colwell asks, "If your passion isn’t propelling you, what will?" Read more.
NOT ARTSY FARTSY
Can you find writing work through your state arts or humanities councils? C. Hope Clark shows how. Read more.
SOMETHING'S FUNNY ABOUT THIS ROUTINE
The one-liners flow with the java and jabs every Sunday as a regular gang of writers, musicians and stand-ups holds its weekly sit-down. Read more.
WHOSE PUNCHLINE IS IT ANYWAY?
From the historical humorists to the modern mirth-makers, comedy can turn the ordinary into the original and make the painful more palatable. Take this quiz to see if you know which wit is responsible for each quote. Read more.
THE FUNNY FACTOR
Why smart brains take humor seriously. Read more.
NAVIGATING THE QUAGMIRE OF
HUMOR & POLITICAL CORRECTNESS
Confused is how many people feel when it comes to the whole idea of political correctness and workplace humor. Read more.
SECRETS OF WRITING A KILLER JOKE
Need the nuts and bolts of how to write stand-up comedy material? Read more.
SEPTEMBER 2006
WILL ROGERS WRITING CONTEST ANNOUNCED
The National Society of Newspaper Columnists is sponsoring a Will Rogers Writing Contest, which is open to writers everywhere who are interested in the writings of Will Rogers, the philosopher-humorist whose words are still as alive as when he kept America laughing, and thinking, in the 1920s and ‘30s. Read more.
HUMOR WRITER LAUNCHES BOOK
CAMPAIGN FOR SOLDIERS
Sharie Derrickson, award-winning humor writer and author of No Bad Deed Goes Unpublished, is determined to bring laughter to U.S. Army 10th Mountain Division Soldiers serving in Afghanistan and Iraq. Read more.
BEST-SELLING AUTHORS FEATURED AT
DAYTON ’S PEN TO PAPER LITERARY SYMPOSIUM
Dan Poynter and Vickie Stringer will speak at the third annual Pen To Paper Literary Symposium on Friday, October 6 and Saturday, October 7, 2006. Read more.
ONLINE VIDEO AT THEONION.COM
Catching up with the online video craze, satirical newspaper and Web site the Onion has launched a Web video initiative.. Read more.
SECRETS TO GOAL SETTING
Prior to committing to any serious goal, we need to understand what going for it really means to us and whether we are willing to “pay the price.” Read more.
THE PERFECT PITCH
Sue Fagalde Lick shows how to make your 10-minute session with an agent or editor at a writers' workshop pay off. Read more.
HUNGRY HAMSTERS
Hungry Hamsters, a new comedy animation series, aims to take the multimedia stage by storm. Read more.
AMAZON SHORTS
A little more than a year ago, Amazon launched its "Amazon Shorts," which sells short stories for 49 cents. Kathe Gogolewski shares her experience with the program. Read more.
12 WAYS TO KEEP YOUR
NONFICTION BOOK IN THE NEWS
Sandra Beckwith shares some easy things you can do to generate continuing publicity for your book. Read more.
HOW PRINT ON DEMAND
WILL SAVE THE PUBLISHING INDUSTRY
Richard Curtis provides "another crackbrained prediction about the future of publishing." Read more.
10 TIPS I WISH SOMEONE HAD GIVEN ME
Patty Harder shares what she wishes she had known before she launched her freelance career. Read more.
AUGUST 2006
MYSPACE TARGETS COMEDY WORLD
After becoming a key tool for the discovery and promotion of music and film, MySpace is targeting the comedy world. Read more.
ERMA'S SECRETS
Sometimes, hard work is simply not enough. Read more.
2007 WILL ROGERS WRITERS' WORKSHOP
Writers can draw inspiration from an iconic figure of the past and learn ways to improve and market their work at the Will Rogers Writers’ Workshop, to be held in Oklahoma City, March 15-18, 2007. Read more.
ELISCU DEAD AT 81
Margery Eliscu, a columnist who delighted Maine newspaper readers each Sunday with her ability to find gentle humor in just about any situation, died after a long battle with cancer. Read more.
WOODY'S NOT HAPPY
For Woody Allen, making movies is therapeutic. Read more.
E-MAIL HUMOR LOST ON SOME
A study published earlier this year in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology found that the tone of an e-mail missive, whether it be straight or sarcastic, only came through accurately a little more than 50 percent of the time.
COMIC-CON 2006 A HUGE HIT
Comic-Con 2006 is over but its Web site is packed with interesting information, including an online version of Update magazine. Read more.
LAUGHING ALL THE WAY TO THE BANK
Britain's aspiring comics have a chance of adding fortune to fame at this year's Edinburgh Festival Fringe, after prize money for the world-famous comedy awards was doubled.. Read more.
ADS ON THE FRONT PAGE? BRING IT ON!
Joe Strupp writes, "Heck, why not just stick ads square on the front page, above the paper's names or tied in with a headline. You could have 'Bush (Baked Beans!) Declares Iraq War A Success' or 'Dow Jones (Pork Sausage!) Up Twenty Points.'" Read more.
JUNE 2006
IT'S NOT EASY BEING GREENY
Danny Gallagher interviewed ESPN host Mike Greenberg about his new book, Why My Wife Thinks I'm an Idiot: The Life and Times of a Sportscaster Dad. Read more.
WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF?
Lynn Colwell believes that when we are stuck in any area of our lives, whether writing-related or not, negativity envelopes us. We’re like flies in a spider web. All our kicking and screaming only serves to tighten the noose. Read more.
NICHOLAS WINS FUNNIEST MOM IN AMERICA
Rubi Nicholas has been selected as the winner of Nick at Nite's Search for the Funniest Mom in America 2. She will have the opportunity to develop her own show for the network. Read more.
CELEBRATING BELOVED BILKO
Fifty years ago, American television viewers fell in love with Sergeant Bilko, a sneaky character who cheated his fellow noncommissioned officers, roiled the brass and conned his underlings at Fort Baxter in Kansas. Read more.
BENCHLEY FINALISTS ANNOUNCED
Ten finalists for the Robert Benchley Society Award for Humor have been announced. This year’s judge is Dave Barry. Read more.
DINNER WITH THE BOMBECKS
Susan Konig writes about her experience with Erma’s family last March. Read more.
HOW TO WRITE THIS COLUMN
Darrin Crescenzi, columnist for Oregon State's Daily Barometer, gives some advice to his successor, including: "Jokes about college students living off of Top Ramen get funnier and funnier with each successive telling." Read more.
THE HUMORIST AT HOME
Humorist B. Elwin Sherman says, “Only two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity, and I’m not sure about the former.” Read more.
PROFESSOR PROVIDES HUMOR RESOURCES
Don Nilsen, Arizona State University professor and historian for the International Society for Humor Studies, has an incredible array of humor resources -- from the history of British humor to lists of satirical Web sites. Read more.
AUTHOR INVESTMENT YIELDS LARGER PAYOFF
Publishers Weekly outlines a study comparing sales of books marketed only by publishers and books with outside help. Read more.
FAKE NEWS?
A new Web site offers full page fake news stories customized for yourself or friends. Read more.
WHAT IS ONLINE MARKETING?
Richard Hoy presents a six-part series on every aspect of Internet promotion. Read more.
MAY 2006
10 years after her death, Erma's popularity is still going strong...
ERMA BOMBECK'S HUMOR STILL LOVED A DECADE AFTER HER DEATH
by Jim Hannah, Associated Press
She kept homemakers in stitches with her writing on marriage, kids, dirty dishes and how to hang the toilet paper. Ten years after Erma Bombeck's death, her humor still has an audience. Read more.
ERMA BOMBECK: FROM COPYGIRL TO SUPER HUMOR COLUMNIST
Born in Dayton in 1927, Erma Bombeck began her writing career in junior high school writing columns in "The Owl," the newspaper for Emerson Junior High. Read more.
REMEMBERING ERMA BOMBECK
by Terry Marotta
It's 10 years now that Erma's been gone. The great humor columnist whose work once appeared in some 900 newspapers died the 22nd of April, 1996, and I for one have never stopped missing her. Read more.
More articles about the 2006 writers' workshop...
MY DAVE BARRY ENCOUNTERS: I AM NOT MAKING THIS UP
by Samantha Bennett, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
There I was, in Dayton, Ohio, eating my dessert, and my eyes were glued on the space across the room where the evening's guest of honor sat. There he is, I thought. I am in the same room with Dave Barry. I was so excited I could hardly chew. Read more 
