W-a-y too many too list...
Robin Williams has probably brought me the most laughs over the years - plus I appreciate that he has done some first-rate drama as well
George Carlin - RIP Simply the Best! Great writer and stand-up. The ultimate anti-authoritarian
Woody Allen - His early comedies still crack me up
Mel Brooks - His comedies are among my favorites
Monty Python - Collectively and individually brillant
Jerry Lewis - What can I say? When I was a kid I watched all his movies (I know, pretty tame and goofy stuff by today's standards) - also, I raised a ton of money for MDA during his telethons.
Bobby Slayton - The Pitbull of Comedy (be sure to catch his final line, LOL):
Mad Magazine and National Lampoon - Probably the two largest comedic influences in my life...that's where I get my sarcastic/slightly twisted sense of humor from - I grew up on that shit
Alex Bennet - A longtime San Francisco Bay Area morning jock that frequently hosted comedians on his show:
Quote:
An early video pioneer, Bennett created and produced Midnight Blue with Bruce David (who went on to be the editor for "Hustler Magazine") for a New York Public-access television cable TV channel.
In 1980, Bennett returned to his native San Francisco to host a morning show for album-oriented rock station KMEL. Bennett found success by featuring standup comedians as his guests. Before they became famous, performers Bob Goldthwait, Whoopi Goldberg, Dana Carvey, Ray Romano, and Jay Leno were guests on Bennett's program.
The popular show aired on three San Francisco area radio stations throughout the 1980s and 1990s: KMEL, KQAK, and KITS. The Alex Bennett Show changed stations due to management/consultant conflicts (KMEL), a format flip (KQAK), and, finally, a station ownership change (at KITS, where he did two stints).
Bennett also briefly hosted talk shows on KNBR in San Francisco and WIOD in Miami, Florida (the latter, a very sour experience), in between his Bay Area morning show gigs. During the 1980s, Bennett was the original host of public television?s Comedy Tonight.
A technology aficionado, Bennett took advantage of the early growth of the World Wide Web. After leaving FM rock radio in the late 1990s, Bennett created an Internet Television show for Play TV that ended when the company went out of business. He also developed an early website, The Surfing Monkey (along with Chuck Farnham, David Biedny and Jesse Montrose), which featured, among other things, a series of articles written by an inmate on Death Row at San Quentin. The prisoner, identified by the pseudonym Dean, reported on daily prison life in a series called ?Dead Man Talking?. Bennett is personally opposed to the death penalty. He also voiced the Starbase Commander character in the 1992 release of Star Control 2 by 3DO.
Bennett briefly returned to radio in 2001 to host a technology-oriented midday talk show for CNET Radio at its San Francisco flagship affiliate, KNEW. Bennett's attempt to return to general AM talk radio was hampered by his outspoken left-leaning political views (though he temporarily hosted a morning show on KNEW when they changed their format to a talk format in 2003). Station managers at the time only wanted to hire right-wing talk show hosts.
In 2003, Bennett returned to New York, and started his current 9-noon ET show on Sirius Left on April 19, 2004. On his weekday show, he talks about politics, entertainment, and personal matters. He has also served as a substitute host for syndicated talk show host Lionel on several occasions.
In May 2011, SirusXM Left was created on Channel 127 and Alex and crew became the morning program.
He currently hosts a weekday radio show on Sirius Satellite Radio channel "SIRIUS Left 146" and XM Radio's "America Left" Channel 167
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Cheech and Chong - I get red-eyed just thinking about them
Sarah Silverman - A shout out to the lady comediennes
Bill Maher - Best humorist of our time (Lenny Bruce reincarnated)
Jon Stewart - The Daily Show rocks!!!
Finally props to a few (of the many) local SF comedians that made good, Tom Hanks and Dana Carvey.
Laugh and Live Long GFY!
ADG