"Things That Seem Normal When You Live Alone" Interview with the Writer and Director

Horse+Horse, one of the video BETA teams at UCBcomedy, has had some popularity on the web for their first video released, Things that Seem Normal When You Live Alone. The video has generated tons of positive feedback by fans relating to the perks of living solo.

I found Melinda Taub, Director and Writer of the video, on gchat today so, naturally, I requested an interview.

me: hey melinda, do you have a minute?

Melinda: sure

me: congrats on your video

Melinda: thanks! we’re pleased.

me: I wanted to do a quick interview with you about it, is that ok?

Melinda: ha, sure.

me: great so can we do it now?

Melinda: now’s good.

me: cool. So you live alone?

Melinda: I do.

me: And so this is you in the video, correct? I can only assume.

Melinda: I plead the fifth. No, some of it is me, but most of it is heightened from what I actually do. I have been known to leave chicken defrosting in a pot in the bathtub, but not with me in it.

me: Nice. Seems to be getting really good feedback on the web, I don’t think you are alone.

Melinda: Yes, some of the commenters on Jezebel are concerned I’m going to get food poisoning, I think. It’s OK, guys! I’m eccentric but sanitary.

me: I was also talking about the fans that strongly relate to farting and peeing with the door open.

Melinda: Ha, yeah. That struck a chord, I think. It’s one of the nicer things about living alone. You don’t have to spare anyone’s delicate sensibilities.

me: How long did it take you to film this?

Melinda: It took about five hours to shoot. We knocked it out on a Saturday morning/early afternoon in my apartment. Which I cleaned like a maniac, because people were coming over, and then had to re-mess for the video.

This one was the first thing I ever directed, but is was a total team effort, even more than these things usually are. Moujan [Producer], Kent [Editor], and Patrick [DP] were really the ones who made this as hilarious as it was. It was sort of ideal of how a BETA team should work: I had this idea, and everyone figured out how to shape it and fill it with funny stuff.

me: So does Laura do yoga? Or was that a pretty dangerous stunt?

Melinda: She does do yoga. No Laura’s were harmed in the making of this video.

(Creepy guy in the back is Patrick, the DP.)

Check out and subscribe to this video and other BETA teams’ videos here!

http://www.youtube.com/ucbcomedy

Watch Matt Besser in Master Class

Matt Besser has created a new UCB Series.

Learn from The MASTER.



The students of the UCB Improv Master Class must vote out one member. Part 1 in the series.



The Master Class students must adopt the names of their comedic heroes.



The Master Class students do some gibberish exercises.

Trailer Released for Matt Walsh's "High Road"

Check out the trailer for High Road -- a "totally improvised comedy...sort of" -- created and directed by Upright Citizens Brigade co-founder Matt Walsh.

The film features a bonkers cast that includes Rob Riggle, James Pumphrey, Lizzy Caplan, Abby Elliot, Joe Lo Truglio, Rich Fulcher, Horatio Sanz, Dylan O'Brien, Zach Woods, Matt Jones, Ed Helms and Kyle Gass.

The film will make its debut later this month at the Newport Beach Film Festival. Keep updated on showings through the film's website and Facebook page.

NBC Orders Presentation from Parham and St. Clair

According to Deadline, NBC has ordered a presentation of a new single-camera comedy written by and starring UCB superstars Lennon Parham and Jessica St. Clair. Check it out.

Fingers crossed this show will be part of next year's Thursday line-up!

Behind the Scenes with Bored Cops!

BORED COPS: I Spy	UCBcomedy.com
Watch more comedy videos from the twisted minds of the UCB Theatre at UCBcomedy.com

Bored Cops is a new UCB Comedy web series written by and starring UCBNY favorites Anthony King and Jim Santangeli, as exactly that: cops keeping themselves occupied during a never-ending stakeout.

"From what I understand, cops can be on stakeouts for really long stretches of time," says director Nate Smith. "Sometimes for 20-30 years. Sometimes a detective's whole career is just one stakeout, then he retires."

UCB Comedy grabbed a moment with Anthony, Jim and Nate to discuss their very funny web series.

On set with "Bored Cops"

What was the inspiration behind Bored Cops?

Jim: This idea was Anthony's. He approached me saying, "I have this idea I want to do with you. It's about two cops on a stakeout with nothing to do." I thought that was a fun, simple idea and said, "Sure, sounds fun." Then he said, "Oh my God! Really? You'll do it with me? I'm such a huge fan of yours. You are so funny and handsome AND THIN!"

Anthony: I think I can speak for Jim when I say that if we were not doing comedy, we would be cops. We know almost nothing about what it is really like to be a cop, but the things we've imagined all sound really fun. Did you know that cops get to use guns? Seems dangerous!

Nate: I'm pretty sure Jim and Anthony said to themselves, "What idea would Nate Smith be really good at directing?" And they built the series around that. They had the same thought with Craigslist Caterers.

How many episodes are planning to shoot?

Anthony: We have shot eight episodes so far. We're calling that the "first season" because for some reason things like this are grouped into "seasons." Hopefully we'll make a second season soon.

Director Nate Smith with Jim Santangeli and Anthony King

When have you been the most bored in your life?

Jim: I feel like I am never bored, but then again I think I have bad habits when I'm bored. Like eating, for example. So, I must be bored all the time. Because I eat all the time. This is honestly an innocent question that just made me feel like I need some serious therapy. I will say this, there is an episode about to come out about a birthday cake that we throw away. If I was bored, I would not throw that cake away. That cake could help me kill hours of time (or at least minutes). Thanks for depressing me.

Nate: If there [was] 100 percent more masturbation in the show, then it would feature my primary boredom-fighting technique. But this show is about Jim and Anthony's techniques. There were some cross-overs from their anti-boredom styles to my own, but that one didn't make it. Singing did. I sing a lot. That episode is to come.

I have been super-bored -- SUPER-bored -- in my life. One time I went to a funeral viewing that started at 1pm and ended at 6pm. Five hours of boredom-cake, iced with sadness-frosting. If we had an episode where the guys talk about how they'd like to make a funeral entertaining for five hours, that one would be based on my technique from that day. But this show is about Jim and Anthony's techniques.

Anthony: I believe that boredom is all around us. You just have to look for it.


If you haven't watched all four episodes of Bored Cops, check them out on UCB Comedy. Episodes are released every Thursday.