Category: Skit Happens - Dan Fiorella: Writer @ large

Dan Fiorella

Skit Happens 14

7/11/2018

Is there anything that has a shorter shelf life than a topical sketch that isn't selected? Other Pfizer price increases? 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? Post a slide show of the pages on YouTube? Or, do you just start posting on your own blog because you never know (actually you do, but you do it anyway)? There was a point last year that Pandora bracelets were all over the pop culture zeitgeist. And cable has a lot of First Alert ads, so this kind of came together. It could have worked as a stage or video bit, but it didn't make the cut. I was still in the midst of my "short bits" writing style. Then SNL did its Pandora Bracelet parody and now it's just time to put it here....

Pandora/First Alert Charm Bracelet

Skit Happens 13

7/3/2018

Is there anything that has a shorter shelf life than a topical sketch that isn't selected? Other than a nuclear agreement with North Korea? 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? Save it for a Twitter Hashtag game? Or, do you just start posting on your own blog because you never know (actually you do, but you do it anyway)? During the height of President Trump's goofy interaction with the families of killed soldiers, I wrote this bit as a video piece. It didn't get picked. I even considered just making it myself with my video software, but I just never got around to it. Oh, well. So now it's here....

Letters to the Fallen

Skit Happens 12

6/27/2018

Is there anything that has a shorter shelf life than a topical sketch that isn't selected? Other than bananas during the summer. At least then you get to make banana bread. 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? Hold it for a while and hope something similar happens again? Or, do you just start posting on your own blog because you never know (actually you do, but you do it anyway)? I wrote about a sketch last year (here). Update: It didn't get picked. I'm reminded of it now, because the troupe just put out the work it's prepping for this year's Comic-Con show. Sure, I could submit this again and hope they don't remember, or I can present it here...

Us Guys at Comic-Con

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

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

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

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

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!

SKIT HAPPENS 5

4/10/2018

Is there anything that has a shorter shelf life than a topical sketch that isn't selected? Other than that Easter Egg you just found behind the couch? 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? Or make copies and go door-to-door? Or, do you just start posting on your own blog because you never know (actually you do, but you do it anyway)? Sometimes you can stretch the definition of "topical" by mixing politics and pop culture. At least that's what I tried to do last November...

Talking Trump

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