An Entertainment Quote from Eric Balfour

Classic Comedy Sketches: Why Laughing Your Heart Out is Great For Your Health

They say that laughter is the world’s best medicine.  Have you ever wondered why you feel better after a good laugh? You feel more relaxed. You don’t feel any tensions in your muscles.  Here are 5 reasons why laughing to your heart’s content  will improve your health.

Laughter is a Stress-buster

In a world where almost anywhere you look there is something to be stressed about, laughter holds the key to improving the way you fight stress. Studies have shown that laughter can significantly reduce the amount of cortisol and epinephrine in the body. This effectively reduces the body’s response to stress.

A little stress every now and then is not actually a bad thing.  It can make us aware of a situation that requires our attention. However, in the process of addressing this stress, we use up energy. This is why you feel your heartbeat go faster, your muscles tense, and you experience rapid breathing. This is in an effort to prepare the body to face and manage stress. However, if stress is not immediately controlled, it can escalate into severe stress requiring cortisol to be released. Unfortunately, cortisol leaves you feeling exhausted.

Laughter decreases the need for epinephrine and cortisol by acting on the part of the brain that releases natural endorphins as well as the neurotransmitters serotonin and dopamine. Known as the ‘feel-good’ neurotransmitters, dopamine and serotonin can significantly improve the way you feel about things. Simply put, these substances will enhance your mood and make you focus more on the more pleasurable things in life. In other words, laughter can make you feel less stressed.

Laughter is Good for your Heart

While it is true that you can almost feel your heart pounding in your chest after laughing, this is not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, studies show that laughter is excellent in keeping your heart in tip-top shape. The improved blood circulation produced by the stimulation and release of natural endorphins from the brain allows the more efficient delivery of oxygen to the muscles of your heart. This leads to improved cardiac output. Increasing cardiac output naturally improves the delivery of invaluable oxygen and nutrients to the different cells and tissues of the body. More importantly, these endorphins have been shown to stimulate the synthesis of nitric oxide which can provide the heart with natural protection in terms of reduced inflammation of the heart’s blood vessels and reduced clumping of platelets to prevent blood clots.

Some studies even go on to recommend laughter yoga as a means of improving overall oxygenation of the tissues of the body. This facilitates the enhanced metabolic processes of individual cells. And when you have a fully functioning cell, you have a healthier body. This is especially true for the heart because it is the one kind of muscle that never stops contracting. Because of this, the muscles of the heart require substantial amounts of oxygen and nutrients to keep it pumping without tiring. Conditioning it by increasing the number of contractions per minute can also enhance the ability of its muscle fibers to contract, making them more efficient. This is the principle behind cardiovascular endurance workouts. You don’t need to go to the gym to make sure that your heart gets a good workout. Sharing heart-felt laughter with your friends is more than enough to maintain a healthy heart.

Laughter Protects you from Diseases

Did you know that laughter can boost your immune system? By decreasing the levels of stress hormones, laughter also decreases the risk of inflammation. You see, many of these stress hormones produce inflammation in the body. Inflammatory conditions are always the beginning of disease processes. The more you laugh, the lesser is the risk for the development of inflammatory conditions, and the healthier you become.

Additionally, studies have shown that laughter can increase the levels of lymphocytic T-cells in your blood. These white blood cells are responsible for a host of immune protective processes. There are seven types of T-cells that function in a variety of ways but ultimately leading to protecting the body against disease-carrying microorganisms. Some T-cells help other immune cells fight infection while others destroy cells that have been infected as well as cells that carry a mutagenic element. Other T-cells produce antibodies and assist the innate immune processes of the body.  In other words, you will simply get sick less often with laughter in your life.

Laughter is a Great Way to Relax

Laughing stimulates the release of inhibitory neurotransmitters from the brain. Gamma-aminobutyric acid and serotonin have both been observed to be especially beneficial in inducing relaxation. These neurotransmitters block nerve impulse transmission so what you get is a more relaxed, calmer state of the body. Additionally, laughing stretches your muscles which has been shown to produce a very relaxing effect. Its stress-busting effect can also help provide for a more relaxing after-effect. Why not just devote a few hours of no-holds-barred jokes and roasting of your friends instead of spending hundreds of dollars on a relaxing spa or massage session? It is a very inexpensive way to relax. Besides, nothing beats laughter shared in the company of friends.

Laughter is Better than Prescription Analgesics

Well, almost. Laughter stimulates the production and secretion of natural endorphins from the brain. These interact with opiate receptors in order to affect your ability to perceive pain. This is the same action of prescription narcotic analgesics like Vicodin and OxyContin. In short, you simply will not recognize the pain. The good news? Laughter will not bring you to the emergency room because of an overdose. It will also not put you into a comatose state attached to an artificial ventilator. Additionally, laughter will not kill you. Instead of popping a pill or two, why not just spend an hour or two watching the comic classics of Friars Roasts?

Laughing is free. No one can prevent you from laughing to your heart’s content. With the many health benefits of laughter, it is no wonder why many watch roasting events a lot more than toasting celebrations. Not impressed? Put on that DVD of the Friars Roasts’ Classics and ask yourself if you haven’t felt a lot better afterwards.

About Classic Friars Club Roasts: Classic Friars Roasts is a DVD collection of the best comedy roasts of all time. The Jerry Lewis roast features incredible barbs from comedy legends. The Johnny Carson DVD is just as hilarious as the skits you remember from The Tonight Show. Visit the website at https://www.classicfriarsroasts.com now to order your celebrity roast videos. “Like” the Facebook page for links to some classic comedy sketches. Call 866-987-3678 to order your very own collection of Johnny Carson videos and Don Rickles videos.

John William "Johnny" Carson: Comic Characters

John William "Johnny" Carson (October 23, 1925 – January 23, 2005) was an American television host, comedian, writer, producer, actor, and musician, best known for his thirty years as host of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962–1992). Carson received six Emmy Awards, the Governor's Award, and a 1985 Peabody Award. He was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 1987. Johnny Carson was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1992 and received a Kennedy Center Honor in 1993.

Although his show was already successful by the end of the 1960s, during the 1970s Carson became an American icon and remained so even after his retirement in 1992. He adopted a casual, conversational approach with extensive interaction with guests, an approach pioneered by Arthur Godfrey and previous Tonight Show hosts Steve Allen and Jack Paar. Former late-night host and friend, David Letterman, cited Carson's influence.

Carson played several continuing characters on sketches during the show, including:

Art Fern, the "Tea Time Movie" announcer,[20] whose theme song was "Hooray for Hollywood". Carson once admitted on camera that this was his favorite character, based on late-afternoon TV hosts who would deliver commercials throughout the movie. Each sketch usually featured three long commercials interrupted by silent, four-second clips from antique films. When the camera returned from each clip, Art was always caught off-guard and immediately reminded viewers that they were watching a film favorite. The movies always had unlikely casts and even less likely titles: "Slim Pickens, Patti Page, Duke Wayne, and Charlton Heston in another classic Western: 'Kiss My Saddle Horn'!" Carson originally played the fast-talking huckster in his own voice (as Honest Bernie Schlock or Ralph Willie), and finally settled on a nasal, high-pitched, smarmy drone, reminiscent of Jackie Gleason's "Reginald Van Gleason III" character. The character, now permanently known as Art Fern, wore a lavish toupee, loud jackets, and a pencil mustache. 

Actress Carol Wayne became famous for her 100-plus appearances (1971–1982) as Art's buxom assistant, the Matinée Lady. While Art gave his spiel, she would enter the stage behind him. Art would react to her attractive body, wincing loudly: "Ho — leeeee!" After Carol Wayne's death in 1985, Carson kept Art Fern off the air for most of the next year, and finally hired Danuta Wesley and then Teresa Ganzel to play the Matinée Lady. Carson also used these sketches to poke fun at the intricate Los Angeles interstate system, using a pointer and map to give confusing directions to shoppers, often including points where he would unfold the cardboard map to point out, via the appropriate picture, when the shopper would arrive at "the fork in the road". Another freeway routine in the same theme centered on the "Slauson Cutoff", a slang term Carson popularized to describe the truncated Marina Freeway (which ended abrubtly at Slauson Avenue in Culver City).

Art Fern would advise drivers to take a series of freeways until they reached the Slauson Cutoff, and would then advise them to "Get out of your car, cut off your slauson, get back in your car," often followed by peals of laughter from the audience, led by McMahon.

Carnac the Magnificent, a turbaned psychic who could answer questions before seeing them. Carnac had a trademark entrance in which he always turned the wrong direction when coming onto stage and then tripped on the step up to Carson's desk. (In one episode, technicians rigged Carson's desk to fall apart when Carnac fell into it.) These comedic missteps were an indication of Carnac's true prescient abilities.

Ed McMahon would hand Carnac a series of envelopes containing questions, said to have been "hermetically sealed in a mayonnaise jar buried under Funk & Wagnall's porch since noon today." Carnac would place each envelope against his forehead and predict the answer, such as "Gatorade." Then he would read the question: "What does an alligator get on welfare?" Some of the jokes were feeble, and McMahon used pauses after terrible puns and audience groans to make light of Carnac's lack of comic success ("Carnac must be used to quiet surroundings"), prompting Carson to return an equal insult.

Pat McCormick wrote some of the zaniest Carnac material. The one that had Ed and Carnac nearly rolling on the floor with sustained laughter was "Siss, boom, bah" Answer – "Describe the sound made when a sheep explodes." McMahon would always announce near the end, "I hold in my hand the last envelope," at which the audience would applaud wildly, prompting Carnac to pronounce a comedic "curse" on the audience, such as "May a flock of wild geese leave a deposit on your breakfast!!" "May your sister elope with a camel!", "May a diseased yak take a liking to your sister", or, the most famous: "May the bird of paradise fly up your nose!"

Floyd R. Turbo, American (with no pause between words). A stereotypical common working man, wearing a plaid hunting coat and cap, who offered "editorial responses" to left-leaning causes or news events. Railing against women's rights in the workplace, for example, Turbo would shout: "This raises the question: kiss my Dictaphone!"

Aunt Blabby, a cantankerous and sometimes amorous old lady, invariably being interviewed by straight man Ed McMahon about elder affairs.[20] McMahon would innocently use a common expression like "check out", only to have Aunt Blabby warn him: "Don't say 'check out' to an old person!" Aunt Blabby was an obvious copy of Jonathan Winters' most famous creation, Maude Frickert, including her black spinster dress and wig.

El Mouldo, a mentalist, who would attempt to perform mind-reading and mind-over-matter feats, all of which failed. Often his tricks would include an attempt to bilk money from Ed McMahon or would end with him begging the audience for a dollar, or at least bus fare.

The Maharishi, whose theme song was "Song of India". This frizzy-haired "holy man" spoke in a high-pitched, tranquil tone, greeted announcer McMahon with a flower, and answered philosophical questions.

Source: Wikipedia

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SPECIAL VALENTINE’S OFFER: 10% Off Friars Roasts

Celebrate Valentine’s Day With Love and Laughter

Happy Valentine’s Day from Classic Friars Roasts. Since it’s inception as The National Press Agents Association (1904) the Friars Club has been known for its irreverent and bawdy humor. With Valentine’s Day fast approaching, it could serve you well to remember the important connection between humor and romance; humor is consistently ranked in the top 5 traits people look for in a mate. Many people feel the pressure to deliver the perfect romantic experience for their significant other on Valentine’s Day, but this doesn’t mean you have to break your budget (or your back) executing an extravagant and elaborate event. Why not plan a romantic evening at home enjoying some of the best comedy roasts of all time? Set the mood with some romantic lighting, prepare dinner for two, cue the DVD and snuggle up to enjoy an evening of love and laughter.

Be sure to include the Classic Friars Roast of Jack Benny in your viewing line-up! Jack Benny was born on Valentine’s Day 1894 as Benjamin Kubelesky. A number of conflicts with other performers over his name led to the adoption of “Jack Benny” as his permanent moniker, a name (and character) that grew to be loved by a nation. Benny got his start in Vaudeville, eventually moving on to radio. “The Jack Benny Program” played on the airwaves from 1932-1950 and featured comedy sketches that centered around a regular cast of characters. It was adapted for television, running from 1950-1965, where it became a variety show featuring an impressive list of celebrity guests. He was also featured in a number of movies including the Academy Award winning “The Holiday Revue of 1929”.

Benny had the good fortune to marry and work with the love of his life, Mary Livingstone (born Sayde Marks). The two met when she was a young girl who caught his attention by refusing to laugh at one of his performances. They would occasionally run into each other over the next few years but it took some time before they began to date. The couple finally married in 1927 when Benny convinced her to break her engagement to another man to marry him. They worked together on “The Jack Benny Program” radio show, but Mary ceased performing when it went to television.

No marriage is perfect, and theirs was no exception. Benny summed this up perfectly in his comment “My wife Mary and I have been married for 47 years and not once have we had an argument serious enough to consider divorce; murder, yes, but divorce, never.” In true romantic fashion he made sure to show that his love for her was eternal, even surviving his death. Benny passed away in 1974 but prior to his death he arranged for one final gesture of love. Each day from his passing until her own in 1983, Mary received a single red rose from her husband as a symbol of their love.

Classic Friars Roasts Valentine’s Zingers:

Give your loved one the gift of laughter this Valentine’s Day. We’ve compiled a list of classic Valentine’s Day zingers that are sure to have you and that special someone laughing all night long!

Q: Why did the banana go out with the prune?
A: Because it couldn’t find a date!

Q: What do squirrels give each other on Valentine’s Day?
A: Forget-me-nuts!

Q: What did the stamp say to the envelope?
A: I’m stuck on you.

Q: What did one magnet say to the other magnet?
A: I find you attractive.

Q: What did the caveman give his wife on Valentine’s Day?
A: Ughs and kisses.

Q: What did the boy sheep say to the girl sheep on Valentine’s Day?
A: I love ewe!

Two antennas met on a roof, fell in love and got married. The ceremony wasn’t fancy. The reception, however, was excellent.

Knock, Knock,
Who’s there?
Olive
Olive who?
Olive you!

GREAT NEWS: You can now watch Friars Club Roasts online anytime, anywhere on your laptop, TV, phone and tablet! Streaming memberships are available for $11.66/month, $28.74/quarter or a best value of only $95.52/year. Call us today at 866-987-3678 to order your Friars Club Roast DVDs or start your membership, and then pull up a turkey leg and get ready for some side-splitting viewing fun.

Wishing you all a Happy Valentine’s Day from Classic Friars Roasts!

About Classic Friars Club Roasts: Classic Friars Roasts is a DVD collection of the best comedy roasts of all time. The Jerry Lewis roast features incredible barbs from comedy legends. The Johnny Carson DVD is just as hilarious as the skits you remember from The Tonight Show. Visit the website at https://www.classicfriarsroasts.com now to order your celebrity roast videos in time for Thanksgiving. “Like” the Facebook page for links to some classic comedy sketches. Call 866-987-3678 to order your very own collection of Johnny Carson videos and Don Rickles videos.

SCARE UP SOME FRIGHTFULLY GOOD MOVIE SCRIPTS WITH THESE HALLOWEEN SCRIPTWRITING IDEAS

Dear Friends,

Halloween is a funny and a frightening time of year. It is one holiday where there is no need to obsess about entertainment options or gift-giving demands. We can choose to enjoy a good scare, or simply participate in the fun of trick-or-treating. If you are writing a movie script, you can learn a few lessons from the Halloween zeitgeist.

Writing a screenplay does take a lot of work and dedication, but I always advise aspiring screenplay writers to have a little fun in the process. There are some scary issues, such as character development and dialogue writing, that can put your mettle to the test, but some solid scriptwriting techniques can put those problems to rest permanently.

My book, The Story Solution: 23 Actions All Great Heroes Must Take, can equip any screenplay writer with the tools needed to bring depth and passion to even the most zombie-like of screenplays. The “23 Actions All Great Heroes Must Take” supplies an easy-to-understand paradigm that provides writers and filmmakers with the interconnecting, storytelling elements they need to create a powerful script.

Thank you to all of those who came out to STORY EXPO 2015 last month.  As always, I had a great time speaking about creating great characters, character growth and how to build plots.  It was great to get feedback from people who attended the presentations, to answer their questions about writing a screenplay, and to know that people came away with a better understanding of story structure and character growth. In case you did not attend, you can read about some of my impressions and takeaways from the great people I met and saw at this year’s event here: “ERIC EDSON’S STORY EXPO TAKE AWAYS”

Scriptwriting Lessons from the Scariest Halloween Movies

When it comes to great screenplay writing, one need look no further than those spine-tingling Halloween movies for inspiration. In addition to their ability to keep audiences glued to the edge of their seats while inducing cold-sweat nightmares, these movies can also provide some helpful screenwriting tips:

• The “Halloween” Juggernaut: Since John Carpenter directed the original “Halloween: The Night He Came Home” back in 1978, this movie franchise has racked up incredible box office results worldwide. The plot was foreboding, and the visuals were viscerally thrilling. Audiences identified so much with the characters that this may have been the beginning of shouting at movie screens, “Don’t go into that room!” The principles established in Halloween helped set the standard for most modern-day horror films.
• The Exorcist: Before this movie came out in 1973, who knew that exorcisms could be so frightening? With a young girl inhabited by unspeakable demons and the heroic priests battling to cast them out, this has come to be regarded as one of the scariest movies of all time. William Peter Blatty won Oscars for Best Picture and Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium. Exorcist barf bags anyone?  Be mindful of including powerful adversaries.
• Sleepy Hollow: Turns out this little hamlet isn’t so sleepy after all. In 1999, director Tim Burton took a mildly amusing Washington Irving story about Ichabod Crane and a headless horseman, and turned it into ghoulish, intriguing fun.  Don’t forget to look to the past for strong ideas that adapt well in the present.
• Psycho: Major kudos to Alfred Hitchcock and stars Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh, and Vera Miles for breaking the rules of “proper” movie production back in 1960, but screenwriter Joseph Stefano carried the day with his well-crafted characterizations. Stefano won a screenwriter Edgar for Best Motion Picture and was nominated for Best Written American Drama by the Writers Guild of America. Another film with an exceedingly strong adversary with more than one dimension.  Character matters, even in the bad guy.
• The Shining: In a possible morality tale for aspiring novelists about the stresses of writing, Jack Nicholson is seriously freaky as a crazed novelist. Stanley Kubrick manages to keep his 1980 thriller thoroughly unnerving by creating characters that are realistically frightening. Taken from author Stephen King’s novel, the screenplay was written by Kubrick and Diane Johnson.  The lesson here is to maximize emotional impact by having a vulnerable looking hero up against an apparently unbeatable adversary.

After having fun studying these Halloween movies, spend some time reading my book,The Story Solution. Recognized as one of the best books on screenwriting in the U.S., China and many other countries, it gives readers a solid foundation for their screenplay writing efforts.

Halloween Q&A with Eric Edson, The Story Solution

Q: What do you think is one of the most important skills to have when writing a screenplay?

A: Although all skills are important, it is crucial that the screenplay writer know how to create dynamic characters that leap off the screen and resonate with the audience. My book outlines the 23 actions all great heroes must take.

Q: How can I improve my dialogue skills?

A: Read my book for dialogue tips, but also learn to be a careful observer of life. You want your dialogue to be human and realistic. Observe how people of different ages and backgrounds communicate verbally with each other. Writing dialogue for the printed page is not the same as writing dialogue for the screen.

Q: What types of characters do I need to create for my movies?

A: You are probably familiar with the most well-known characters such as the hero, the adversary, and the sidekick. Their dialogue has to be crisp and insightful. You also want to write meaningful dialogue for the love interest, mentor and endangered innocent. Listen to my audio clips to learn to create better characters when writing screenplays.

Happy Halloween from The Story Solution!

Eric Edson

p.s. Don’t forget to enter the Halloween Costume Contest on Facebook.  Post a photo of your movie character costume (past or current) and you could win a signed copy of The Story Solution. Winner will be announced in early November. “May the odds be ever in your favor!”

The Influence of Bollywood on Hollywood Continues to Grow

Bollywood is the term given to movies in Hindi that are produced in Mumbai, India. It is a mixture of Bombay, which is what Mumbai used to be called, and Hollywood. For years, Bollywood cinema was largely ignored by the rest of the world outside of India and surrounding countries, but that is simply not the case anymore. Bollywood's influence on Hollywood and other film making countries is now so strong that it can no longer be denied or ignored.

For years, the government of India forbade banks and other large investors from pouring money into film making, claiming it was not a real industry. Some aspiring directors who were fortunate enough to have some money would finance their own endeavors, but that was not an option for most. Instead, they looked towards smaller investors, which in some cases meant using crime syndicate money from underground gangs. The use of mob money to finance movies gave Bollywood a bad name, which is why so many in the western world dismissed the industry altogether for so many years.

In 2000, the Indian government finally lifted their ban on banks loaning money for films and recognized movie making as a viable industry. It didn't happen overnight, but, after several months, some of the larger banks began investing in the industry, allowing Bollywood to distance itself from the illegal money. When this happened, more movies began production, and ticket sales and revenues shot to billions of dollars every year. Hollywood began to take notice, since some very influential filmmakers began to tell how past Bollywood films influenced their mainstream films.

One of the most famous directors to claim a Bollywood influence is Australian filmmaker Baz Luhrmann, who won acclaim for "Moulin Rouge" in 2001. The musical was wildly successful, and it was influenced by the song and dance numbers that permeate Bollywood films. "Moulin Rouge" was such a hit that it spurred a renaissance of sorts in Hollywood for musicals. In the next few years, musicals like the Oscar-winning adaptation of "Chicago," "The Phantom of the Opera," "Rent," and "The Producers" were all made into mainstream movies that earned big box office revenues. "Moulin Rouge" was widely credited with spurring this musical revival, with Bollywood being the inspiration to bring musicals back to western movie theaters. This is arguably the biggest contribution that Bollywood has made to the movie industry.

Bollywood also has a big influence over the financial aspect of the film industry. Once the Indian government allowed banks to finance films, the executives of the banks saw how profitable the films could be. With low production costs and high ticket sales, the profit margin was through the roof on many films, and bankers recognized the potential of the industry. Soon, they began to not only invest in Bollywood, but in Hollywood as well. Director M. Night Shyamalan, a native Indian who was raised in the United States, got roughly half the financing for "The Happening" from Indian banks. This kind of deal could easily be made with other directors who are willing to take an unconventional route to get their films financed. This type of arrangement would never have happened unless the Indian bankers saw the potential in film through Bollywood.

Since money is the bottom line for many Hollywood executives, they have paid close attention over the years to the disparity between ticket sales for Bollywood films versus Hollywood films. In an average year, Bollywood films sell around 3.6 billion tickets, while Hollywood sells just 2.6 billion. Granted, the price of Hollywood tickets is higher, so revenue is much higher as well. The cost of the average United States-produced movie is around $50 million, whereas the average Indian film has a cost of just $1.5 million. With such a high profit margin, film executives in other countries clamor to see how they can lower costs on their films and sell a billion more tickets each year like Bollywood does.

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