When every country in Europe except the UK printed those topless photos of Kate Middleton, it was time to dust out the broad stereotypes and have some fun! This didn’t land as well as I had hoped but it was still fun.
Mitt Romney’s jump-the-gun response to the attack on the Libyan consulate in Benghazi got me thinking: what if he was the sheriff coming in to clean up an Old West town? Here’s what I came up with. Mike Besaw did a great job with the sound effects on this one. And I like how Mike McLendon’s character’s name is a shout-out to his Harold team.
When the story of John Travolta being accused of sexually harassing masseurs broke, Matt Manser suggested a he said/he said song parody would be in order. And since probably the most famous song from “Grease” fit the bill, I went to work. There’s a couple of line flubs, but there’s some stuff I’m really proud of – especially the perfect scan of “John Travolta” to “Summer Lovin'” in the opening lines, and the “Look Who’s Talking” reference.
We needed another sketch for our show this week, one with a lot of good parts for the ladies, so I threw together this piece about George Clooney’s fundraiser for President Obama that gave the cast a chance to show off their impersonations.
With all the controversy over HBO’s “Girls” I thought it would be timely to do an alternate version that might air on another network – and PBS seemed the most appropriate home for a show contrasting a refined appearance with a more earthy subject matter!
I was kinda surprised at the extent to which Davy Jones’ death affected people. I think it’s because even though he was 66, the public’s image of him is frozen at the age he was in “The Monkees.” And of course there was one classic TV appearance he made after that: in the famous “Getting Davy Jones” episode of “The Brady Bunch.” Which gave me the idea for this sketch, which people really seemed to enjoy. (The key was figuring out the game with Bobby.)
We’ve received nominations for Best in Sketch Comedy (we’re the only show in Los Angeles to be so recognized, and one of only two outside New York and Chicago!) and Best Comedy Song (for “Sad Christmas Songs,” with lyrics by me and music by Gregg Lopez! We’re even nominated in the latter category with Flight of the Conchords!
And other folks in the TS!W family were nominated as well:
– Our home venue, iO West, was nominated for Best Venue and Best Training Program!
– One of our head writers, Matt Manser, was nominated for Best in Stand-Up!
– Bro Squad 5, featuring our writer/segment co-producer Phil Ranta, was nominated for Best in Long Form!
– And one of our writers, Keith Saltojanes, was nominated for Best Instructor, his team English Speaking Moose was nominated for Best in Long Form, and his school ImprovLA was nominated for Best Training Program!
If you could take a moment and vote for us in categories #7 and #11, I’d really appreciate it! Just follow this link!
Christmas gave me the chance to write the least topical thing I’ve written in a while, spurred by a comment at our writers’ meeting by Colin Hughes (no relation) about how many Christmas songs are sad. To be honest, I think some of the rewriting done here didn’t help things – Judy and Bing shouldn’t have been singing at either the top or bottom of the sketch, for instance – and the actors weren’t as precise as I would have liked. But Kipleigh Brown’s Judy Garland is a thing of beauty!
HOW (NOT) TO WRITE A HOLIDAY CLASSIC by Michael Hughes
Mike Hughes' blog 
Watch “A Big Hunk of Hamm” from Top Story! Weekly Episode 192: “Ten Years After”!
March 27, 2013Okay, so a sketch about how Jon Hamm’s penis is so big that “Mad Men” producers have asked him to wear underwear may not be the most sophisticated thing I’ve ever written. But this sketch (from the First Annual Los Angeles Scripted Comedy Festival, which featured our special guest Lucas Grabeel from “Switched at Birth” and “High School Musical” – check out some more hilarious sketches from the show on YouTube) seemed to get some good laughs from the audience. Very happy people picked up the allusion in the Jon Hamm/Don Draper monologue!
A BIG HUNK OF HAMM by Michael Hughes
Starring Gregg Lopez (Jon Hamm), Artemis Pebdani (Elizabeth Getzinger), Brian Vestal (Vincent Kartheiser), Jen Cain (Elisabeth Moss),
Josh Rachford (P.A.) and Phillip Wilburn (Makeup Artist)
Directed by Michael Hughes
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Tags:Artemis Pebdani, Brian Vestal, carousel, Carousel speech from Mad Men, Dick Whitman, Don Draper, Elisabeth Moss, Gregg Lopez, High School Musical, Jen Cain, Jennifer Getzinger, Jon Hamm, Jon Hamm's crotch, Jon Hamm's penis, Josh Rachford, Kodak carousel, Lucas Grabeel, Mad Men, Mad Men Season 6, Michael Hughes, Mike Hughes, Peggy Olson, Pete Campbell, Phillip Wilburn, Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce, Switched at Birth, Top Story! Weekly, Top Story! Weekly guest stars, Vincent Kartheiser
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