This show was the first time in almost two years I had two sketches in “Top Story! Weekly!” This one was a look at the Lindsay Lohan fuck list, and an excuse for me to write for great impressions like James Warfield’s James Franco, Mark Gagliardi’s Colin Farrell (both of whom were on the list) and Tammie Smalls’ Wanda Sykes (who wasn’t, but could have been…)
Hey! It’s been a while! But when our show’s most loyal fan, Herb Koss, celebrated his 80th birthday a few days before our March 9th show I knew we had to do something to address it. Brian Vestal does an absolutely amazing characterization of Herb here – even if you don’t know him, you’ll really enjoy it!!
So the December 8 episode of Top Story! Weekly? No big deal. Our guest comedian was only BOB FREAKIN’ ODENKIRK!!!!!
So with a completely sold-out house, and a guest comedian who was one of the reasons I wanted to do sketch comedy, I made sure we brought our A-game. And I came up with an opener that is probably the most UCB-ish game sketch I’ve ever written for TS!W, based upon a suggestion from Phillip Wilburn that the Obamacare website could be a “Christmas miracle.” I went in a different direction, and it ended up opening the show.
Lance Armstrong. Manti Te’o. What a great week this past week was for comedy about the news. We had Mike McLendon in our cast that week to play Lance and Tammie Smalls to play Oprah so at the readthrough we brainstormed ideas on how to hit the interview. I riffed, “Sheryl Crow doesn’t really exist”…and here’s the result!
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.
It felt a little weird to do a sketch about a six-year-old girl. But the contestant in the National Spelling Bee was in the news – and the chance to have some fun with that character as played by Artemis Pebdani was just too tempting! I think it came out pretty fun – especially as part of our big Los Angeles Improv Comedy Festival show with Bill Burr!!
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.
Mitt Romney’s troubles connecting with Southern voters, the Puerto Rico primary falling on the same day as our show, and the fact that two of our cast members of Latin descent were in the cast gave me the inspiration for this look at Mitt’s attempt to be kinda Puerto Rican!
Mayor Villaraigosa negotiates the end of the “Occupy L.A.” protests the same week that Top Story! Weekly has Neil Garguilo (Principal Cox from MTV’s “Awkward” and iO West‘s Dr. God, and one of our regular cast members as well) in the cast? That makes it time to revisit one of our favorite recurring sketches – the telenovela with Los Angeles’ Mayor, “El Alcalde de la Pasion!!”
Mike Hughes' blog 
Watch “The Lindsay Lohan Support Group” from Top Story! Weekly Episode 241: “Malaysian Mystery!”
March 21, 2014This show was the first time in almost two years I had two sketches in “Top Story! Weekly!” This one was a look at the Lindsay Lohan fuck list, and an excuse for me to write for great impressions like James Warfield’s James Franco, Mark Gagliardi’s Colin Farrell (both of whom were on the list) and Tammie Smalls’ Wanda Sykes (who wasn’t, but could have been…)
THE LINDSAY LOHAN SUPPORT GROUP by Michael Hughes
Starring Julia Wackenheim (Marcia), Mark Gagliardi (Colin Farrell), James Warfield (James Franco), Tammie Smalls (Wanda Sykes), Adam Campbell-Schmitt (Kevin), Phillip Wilburn (Regis Philbin) and Jen Cain (Anchor),
Directed by Michael Hughes
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Tags:Adam Campbell-Schmitt, Colin Farrell, Eiffel Tower, Eiffel Towering, James Franco, James Warfield, Jen Cain, Julia Wackenheim, Lindsay Lohan, Lindsay Lohan fuck list, Lindsay Lohan sex list, Mark Gagliardi, Mean Girls, Miami Vice, Michael Hughes, Mike Hughes, Monrovia, Phillip Wilburn, Regis Philbin, Tammie Smalls, That 70's Show, Top Story! Weekly, Wanda Sykes, Wilder Valderrama
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