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Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis

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Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis
GenreComedy, talk show
Presented byZach Galifianakis
No. of episodes21 (including one television special) (list of episodes)
Original release
NetworkFunny or Die
ReleaseJanuary 4, 2008 –
present

Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis is an Emmy Award-winning talk show hosted by comedian Zach Galifianakis and featuring celebrity guests. Episodes last several minutes, in which the interviewer (Galifianakis) and guest trade barbs and insults. The most viewed episode of the show featured Galifianakis interviewing Justin Bieber, with over fifteen million viewers as of March 2016. In addition to the online series, an additional episode was filmed for Comedy Central as a television special.

Format

As the show's title suggests, host Zach Galifianakis conducts celebrity interviews sitting with his guests between two potted ferns.[1] The set intentionally resembles a low-budget amateur production for public-access television,[1] with on-screen graphics containing deliberate comical errors. For example, in a 2014 episode, Brad Pitt's name is spelled "Bart Pit" and his film 12 Years a Slave — the winner of the 2013 Academy Award for Best Picture — entitled "12 Years a Salve."[2]

Galifianakis maintains an awkward and often antagonistic demeanor with his guests, asking them bizarre, inappropriate or insulting questions mixed with offhand non-sequiturs. The guests' responses are sometimes partly scripted, despite pre-interviews.[3][4] Episodes often include a segment in which Galifianakis awkwardly interrupts his guests to promote a sponsor's product—examples include bananas, the video game Need for Speed: Shift, and (most frequently) Speed Stick deodorant. Several episodes also feature a button placed on a table between Galifianakis and his guest which, when pressed by Galifianakis, does various things such as play music or drop slime from the ceiling. The series' theme music is Dave Blume's arrangement of Bernard Herrmann's theme from Taxi Driver, which is on the original Taxi Driver soundtrack album but was not included in the film.

History and reception

United States President Barack Obama being interviewed by Zach Galifianakis for "Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis," in the Diplomatic Reception Room of the White House on 24 February 2014.
Barack Obama interviewed on Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis, 2014

The show originated as a short film on Scott Aukerman and B. J. Porter's Fox sketch pilot The Right Now! Show, a spin-off of their Comedy Death-Ray live show. After the network declined to pick up the show, the duo put the short up on the website Funny Or Die, where it made a successful transition to an internet series.

Discussing the show on ABC News Now, Galifianakis said, "The sycophantic way that Hollywood machine runs – it's fun to make fun of it. That's how Between Two Ferns started." Guests aren't told what will happen in advance, according to Galifianakis, "They agree to come. There is no discussion beforehand...It just happens, no real prep, no organization whatsoever." He said, "inappropriateness is really fun to me...That is kind of the take on Between Two Ferns – inappropriate humor."[5]

The Chicago Tribune described it as "surreal improv...a talk show that's more of a charming critique of the faked intimacy of celebrity interviews than a talk show."[6]

A 30-minute television special, Between Two Ferns: A Fairytale of New York, aired on Comedy Central on May 6, 2012. The show featured interviews with Tina Fey, Jon Stewart, and Richard Branson.[7]

The episode featuring President Barack Obama was timed to encourage Americans to sign up for health insurance at Healthcare.gov—with Funnyordie.com becoming at one point the top referrer to the government site.[8] The September 2013 episode featuring Justin Bieber also received significant media attention. The show opened with Galifianakis telling him, "It's really exciting to talk to you. Especially right in the middle of your public meltdown."[9]

The 2014 episode featuring Brad Pitt, in which he was referred to as both "Bradley Pitts" and "Bart Pit," was called one of the funniest episodes by media[citation needed]. Galifianakis referred to Pitt's latest film, Fury as "Furry", and asked Pitt, "Is it hard for you to maintain a suntan...because you live in your wife's shadow?" Galifianakis also asked Pitt if his relationship with wife Angelina Jolie was anything like "Ross and Rachel" from Friends, the show that made a star of Pitt's ex-wife, Jennifer Aniston.[2]

In a January 2016 interview with the Los Angeles Times, while promoting Baskets, Galifianakis discussed the status of Between Two Ferns, stating: "I don't know what else to do ... [Between Two Ferns'] kind of run its course a bit." Galifianakis also expressed desire to interview the Pope on the show.[10]

Episodes

No. Title Guest(s) Directed by Release date Viewers
(millions)
1"Michael Cera"Michael CeraRuben FleischerJanuary 4, 200815[11]
2"Jimmy Kimmel"Jimmy KimmelRuben FleischerApril 17, 20086.8[12]
3"Jon Hamm"Jon HammDaniel StrangeDecember 12, 20087.5[13]
4"Natalie Portman"Natalie PortmanDaniel StrangeMay 6, 200917[14]
5"Bradley Cooper"Bradley Cooper and Carrot TopDaniel StrangeMay 25, 200913[15]
6"Charlize Theron"Charlize TheronScott AukermanSeptember 7, 200913[16]
7"Conan O'Brien and Andy Richter"Conan O'Brien, Andy Richter and Andy DickScott AukermanNovember 16, 20099.1[17]
8"Ben Stiller"Ben StillerDaniel StrangeMarch 16, 201010[18]
9"Steve Carell"Steve CarellB.J. PorterJuly 27, 201016[19]
10"Sean Penn"Sean PennScott AukermanAugust 31, 20108.1[20]
11"Bruce Willis"Bruce WillisScott AukermanOctober 12, 201010[21]
12"Jennifer Aniston and Tila Tequila"Tila Tequila and Jennifer AnistonB.J. PorterFebruary 8, 20119.4[22]
13"Will Ferrell and Jon Hamm"Will Ferrell and Jon HammScott AukermanMay 22, 201111[23]
14"Oscar Buzz Edition Part 1"Jennifer Lawrence, Naomi Watts, Christoph Waltz, Anne Hathaway and Amy AdamsRuben FleischerFebruary 11, 20136.6[24]
15"Oscar Buzz Edition Part 2"Jessica Chastain, Sally Field, Emmanuel Lewis, and Bradley CooperScott AukermanFebruary 12, 20133.8[25]
16"James Franco"James Franco, Edward Norton, and The Lonely IslandScott AukermanMay 7, 20132.1[26]
17"Justin Bieber"Justin BieberScott AukermanSeptember 26, 201329[27]
18"Happy Holidays Edition"Tobey Maguire, Samuel L. Jackson, and Arcade FireScott AukermanDecember 18, 20134.7[28]
19"President Barack Obama"President Barack ObamaScott AukermanMarch 11, 201432[29]
20"Brad Pitt"Brad Pitt and Louis C.K.Scott AukermanOctober 22, 201420[30]

Television special (2012)

Title Guests Directed by Network Original air date
"Between Two Ferns: A Fairytale of New York"Tina Fey, Jon Stewart, and Richard BransonScott AukermanComedy CentralMay 6, 2012 (2012-05-06)

Awards

Award Category Nominee(s) Result Ref.
2013 Creative Arts Emmy Award Outstanding Short-Format Live-Action Entertainment Program Mike Farah, Scott Aukerman, Zach Galifianakis, B. J. Porter, Anna Wenger, Betsy Koch Nominated
[31]
2014 Creative Arts Emmy Award Outstanding Short-Format Live-Action Entertainment Program Scott Aukerman, Zach Galifianakis, B. J. Porter, Mike Farah, Sean Boyle, Rachel Goldenberg Won
[32]
2015 Creative Arts Emmy Award Outstanding Short-Format Live-Action Entertainment Program Mike Farah, Scott Aukerman, Zach Galifianakis, B. J. Porter, Sean Boyle, Michelle Fox Won
[33]

References

  1. ^ a b "Zach and Bruce Willis on Between Two Ferns". TIME. 27 May 2011.
  2. ^ a b Randee Dawn (October 23, 2014). "6 reasons to watch Brad Pitt and Zach Galifianakis on 'Between Two Ferns'". TODAY Show. Retrieved February 21, 2015.
  3. ^ http://www.quora.com/Is-Between-Two-Ferns-With-Zack-Galifianakis-real-or-staged. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  4. ^ "How Funny or Die Got President Obama on Zach Galifianakis' 'Between Two Ferns'". Retrieved 9 September 2015.
  5. ^ "Zach Galifianakis: Comedy's Sensitive, Sarcastic Sensation". ABC News. 6 October 2010.
  6. ^ Christopher Borrelli (4 April 2012). "'Seven Minutes in Heaven': The not-so-fine art of the awkward kiss". Chicago Tribune.
  7. ^ Josh Modell (May 6, 2012). "Between Two Ferns: A Fairytale of New York". The A.V. Club. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  8. ^ Variety
  9. ^ Hillary Busis (September 26, 2013). "'Between Two Ferns': Zach Galifianakis gives Justin Bieber a stern talking to". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved February 21, 2015.
  10. ^ Meredith Blake (January 29, 2016). "With movie comedies 'a little bit one-note,' Zach Galifianakis tackles TV". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 16, 2016. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  11. ^ "Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis: Michael Cera from Between Two Ferns, Zach Galifianakis, Michael Cera, Comedy Deathray, and BJPorter". Funnyordie.com. 2008-01-04. Retrieved 2014-09-11.
  12. ^ "Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis: Jimmy Kimmel". Funnyordie.com. 2008-04-17. Retrieved 2014-09-11.
  13. ^ "Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis: Jon Hamm". Funnyordie.com. 2008-12-12. Retrieved April 16, 2015.
  14. ^ "Between Two Ferns With Zach Galifianakis: Natalie Portman". Funnyordie.com. 2009-05-06. Retrieved 2014-09-11.
  15. ^ "Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis: Bradley Cooper". Funnyordie.com. 2009-05-25. Retrieved 2014-09-11.
  16. ^ "Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis: Charlize Theron". Funnyordie.com. 2009-09-07. Retrieved 2014-09-11.
  17. ^ "Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis: Conan O'Brien & Andy Richter". Funnyordie.com. 2009-11-16. Retrieved 2014-09-11.
  18. ^ "Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis: Ben Stiller". Funnyordie.com. 2010-03-16. Retrieved 2014-09-11.
  19. ^ "Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis: Steve Carell". Funnyordie.com. 2010-07-27. Retrieved 2014-09-11.
  20. ^ "Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis: Sean Penn". Funnyordie.com. 2010-08-31. Retrieved 2014-09-11.
  21. ^ "Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis: Bruce Willis". Funnyordie.com. 2010-10-12. Retrieved 2014-09-11.
  22. ^ "Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis: Tila Tequila". Funnyordie.com. 2011-02-08. Retrieved 2014-09-11.
  23. ^ "Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis: Will Ferrell". Funnyordie.com. 2011-05-22. Retrieved 2014-09-11.
  24. ^ "Between Two Ferns: Oscar Buzz Edition Part 1". Funnyordie.com. 2013-02-11. Retrieved April 16, 2015.
  25. ^ "Between Two Ferns: Oscar Buzz Edition Part 2". Funnyordie.com. 2013-02-12. Retrieved 2014-09-11.
  26. ^ "Between Two Ferns: James Franco". Funnyordie.com. 2013-05-07. Retrieved April 16, 2015.
  27. ^ "Between Two Ferns: Justin Bieber". Funnyordie.com. 2013-09-26. Retrieved 2015-04-16.
  28. ^ "Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis: Happy Holidays Edition". Funnyordie.com. 2013-12-18. Retrieved 2015-04-16.
  29. ^ "Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis: President Barack Obama". Funnyordie.com. 2013-03-11. Retrieved 2015-04-16.
  30. ^ "Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis: Brad Pitt". Funnyordie.com. 2013-03-11. Retrieved 2015-04-16.
  31. ^ "Between Two Ferns". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved September 13, 2015.
  32. ^ "Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis: President Barack Obama". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved September 13, 2015.
  33. ^ "Between Two Ferns With Zach Galifianakis: Brad Pitt". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved September 13, 2015.
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