Behind the Scenes — Comedy Writers

The new issue of Vanity Fair is all about comedy, with guest editor Judd Apatow presiding.  I especially enjoyed the interview with the deliriously nutty and all-around nice guy Martin Short and the conversation with comedy legends Mike Nichols and Elaine May, who still make each other laugh.  They recall their brief, brilliant career as a comedy team before both went on to direct films.  Here is her wonderful tribute to him at his American Film Institute award ceremony:

Vanity Fair also has an oral history of the cult classic television series “Freaks and Geeks.”  It was a flop at the time but many associated with it has gone on to superstardom, including James Franco, Seth Rogan, Jason Segal, Apatow, and series creator Paul Feig, who directed “Bridesmaids.”

The Splitsider website has another tribute to a failed television show created by people who went on to find success on other shows, Nell Scovell’s “Inside the Greatest Writer’s Room You Never Heard Of.”  Scovell’s first job in television was writing for a sort of pre-“Daily Show” program called “The Wilton North Report.”  It lasted just 21 episodes, but the people she worked with included Conan O’Brien and the writer of the first “Toy Story” film.  Scovell herself went on to write an episode of “The Simpsons,” created the “Sabrina, the Teenage Witch” series, and now co-produces the sci-fi hit, “Warehouse 13.”