Dan Fiorella: Writer @ large - Easy as Falling off a Blog

Dan Fiorella

Skit Happens 11

6/4/2018

Is there anything that has a shorter shelf life than a topical sketch that isn't selected? Other than a Trump lawyer explanation. It's rough. You pull together a decent take on today's headlines only to learn they didn't pick your sketch to be in this week's show. Then what? Submit it around to the hundreds of comedy troupes that are looking for sketches from strangers? Turn it into an ebook and sell it on Amazon? Or, do you just start posting on your own blog because you never know (actually you do, but you do it anyway)? This started as an evergreen bit, but the premise just flowed into recent news about comedians. So, we present

Comedy Karaoke

TMI Minute Apr/May 2018

5/31/2018

My jokes culled from the last couple of TMI videos...

Skit Happens 10

5/30/2018

Is there anything that has a shorter shelf life than a topical sketch that isn't selected? Besides my Roseanne spec script? But I digress...It's rough. But sometimes it's only kinda topical. But, still, it doesn't get picked. It now just sits there, festering on your hard drive until you decide to blog about it because you never know (actually you do, but you do it anyway). Fitbits where the "next big thing" not so long ago. I was hoping that by mixing a hot new fad with an old movie, it might lean it into "evergreen" territory. But then I ended it some cell phone current events, which pushed it back into "topical" land. Plus I was going for an epic scale on this stage skit. Not many groups I know have a cast big enough to mount it. So, here we are, for your reading pleasure,

The FitBit Skit

Skit Happens 9

5/22/2018

Is there anything that has a shorter shelf life than a topical sketch that isn't selected? Besides that Brooklyn Nine Nine spec...wait, it's uncanceled? I can submit it again?? But I digress...It's rough. But sometimes it's not topical at all. Sometimes it just doesn't seem to strike anyone except you as funny. You submit it. You include it in your packets. It's made the rounds of a dozen different comedy troupes that are looking for sketches from strangers. Then it just sits festering on your hard drive until you decide to blog about it because you never know (actually you do, but you do it anyway). This was a silly little sketch, not anchored to any current events or reality, inspired by both Monty Python and the Three Stooges. I got it up once with a theater group once years ago, but it hasn't been on its feet since then. Sure, I've reformatted it for stage, video and radio, but the nibbles don't come. So it becomes a featured bit here...

BAGPIPES

Sketchy Tales 8

4/28/2018

The Misfit Sketches

I've felt my sketch writing as evolved over time (I would hope so!) but not just talent; I think the format has as well. When I first started writing sketches, I was imitating what I watched on TV. SNL. Carol Burnett. Bob Hope. And others. The sketches usually broke down into two styles; the skit and the black-out sketch (made very popular by Laugh-In). Most did sketches that would run 7 to 8 minutes (even earlier, in the era of "Your Show of Shows," they ran even longer). I remember some early SNL sketches that were closer to short one-act plays than comedy sketches. But it did seem to be the norm. Then Monty Python and SCTV came along.

SKIT HAPPENS 8

4/22/2018

Is there anything that has a shorter shelf life than a topical sketch that isn't selected? Other than that Mork & Mindy spec script. It's rough. You pull together a decent take on today's headlines only to learn they didn't pick your sketch to be in this week's show. Then what? Submit it around to the hundreds of comedy troupes that are looking for sketches from strangers? Do a podcast about it? Or, do you just start posting on your own blog because you never know (actually you do, but you do it anyway)? I guess, technically, this sketch isn't totally dead. It's a holiday bit. It mocks a cable channel that seems to be in it for the long haul (am I right TruTV?). But it didn't get picked. But it may serve double duty...I've already reworked it as a comedic monologue to submit to a group I deal with annually. But, until that time, here's...

The CPHCCVDMF

A Writer’s Journal Journey 45

4/18/2018

The Final Entries

I've been looking back on my adventure in Hollywood, culling pages from my journal...

Previously on a Writer’s Journal’s Journey: I am introduced to a low-level producer who likes my stuff. A meeting is arranged…

So a few days later, I meet with Ralph Cooper, low-budget producer. My new contact, Bernadette, was there and some other guy (Joey Kato—who?) at Club USA. I have the barest of memories of being in this quiet bar on a Monday night. Cooper was very, very impressed with “Peking Duck.” And he’s willing to do whatever he has to do get Duck to his contacts, including cut a deal with Night Hawk Entertainment. Cooper feels his contacts are placed high enough and are anxious enough to see something from him that he has to act quickly.

Cooper thought a lot of himself.

SKIT HAPPENS 7

4/17/2018

Is there anything that has a shorter shelf life than a topical sketch that isn't selected? Other than that charcoal sneaker insole. It's rough. You pull together a decent take on today's headlines only to learn they didn't pick your sketch to be in this week's show. Then what? Submit it around to the hundreds of comedy troupes that are looking for sketches from strangers? Make a puppet show? Or, do you just start posting on your own blog because you never know (actually you do, but you do it anyway)? I often delve into political humor and that dates really fast. I try not to be too specific, but fortunately, a lot of the same stuff just comes up again and again. Seriously, it's like they can't let it go. So, maybe it hasn't dated just yet. For example, this proposed short video script...

Hillary Card Collection

A Writer’s Journal Journey 44

4/16/2018

As the 1994 went along, I wound up in a meeting with Chris Deluca, of the Staten Island writers group. He was producing a show(case) at the local Art Center, a comedy troupe he had pulled together, and he was looking for some material. Naturally, I inundated him with sketches. As it turned out, the show was “half my material, half Chris.”

I also started working on a rewrite of “Closed Set.” Nothing much else happened as August began.

SKIT HAPPENS 6

4/15/2018

Is there anything that has a shorter shelf life than a topical sketch that isn't selected? Other than that container of sour cream that looks like a science project now. It's rough. You pull together a decent take on today's headlines only to learn they didn't pick your sketch to be in this week's show. Then what? Submit it around to the hundreds of comedy troupes that are looking for sketches from strangers? Turn it into a Kindle ebook? Or, do you just start posting on your own blog because you never know (actually you do, but you do it anyway)? I often delve into political humor and that dates really fast. But some of the stuff I just really enjoyed writing an was really pleased the way it came out. But, the comedy show I submitted it to really doesn't do song parodies, so that was a huge obstacle I built for myself...

Oh, Donald!

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