After nearly seventy years, the popular satirical publication Mad Magazine will not be coming out with new content, after its next issue. Any new issues from now on will feature best-of-content and other nostalgic material from its sixty-seven years of publication, as well as new covers. It will also only be available to subscribers, and in comic book stores.
Mad Magazine was a highly influential publication for many growing up, since its first issue was released in 1952. It was first established as a line of comic books, before changing to magazine format in 1955. It was heavily recognized for its idiosyncratic front covers, which would parody current affairs as well as other popular TV programs. The mascot, the gap toothed Alfred E. Newman was also often featured on the front covers.
DC, the publishers of the magazine, stated that “After issue #10 this fall there will no longer be new content – except for the end of year specials which will always be new. So starting with issue #11, the magazine will feature classic, best of and nostalgic content from the last sixty-seven years.” They did not explain their decision.
Many fans, including parody singer-songwriter Weird Al Yankovic, responded to the news and shared their sadness.
Image Via Rolling Stone
“I can’t begin to describe the impact it had on me as a young kid – it’s pretty much the reason I turned out weird” he said. “Goodbye to one of the all-time greatest American institutions.”
From YouTube to Hollywood, Burnham has come far from his internet roots and is the perfect choice to compose songs for the upcoming Sesame Street film. Here is why.
Way back in 2006, when the video sharing service was just beginning, Bo Burnham started uploading his own original, satirical songs. Some songs are personal and relatable, while others are purely satirical, borderline offensive, for everyone who loves that type of humor.
Most YouTube stars have stuck with YouTube, putting on live performances here and there. Burnham on the other hand, has really branched out since his early days as a YouTuber.
Not only is he a successful musician and comedian, he’s also a filmmaker, has a small acting career, and he’s a poet with his own published book entitled EGGHEAD: Or, You Can’t Survive on Ideas Alone. Looks like he hogged all the creativity in his family.
Image via Amazon
This is what makes him the perfect choice in the production for the upcoming Sesame Street adaptation.
Bo Burnham performing | Image via Long Room
With Burnham’s experience with film and music, this should be an easy transition for combining the two together for a major motion production. More than that, if you haven’t already heard his music, Bo Burnham sings catchy, upbeat tunes, that children will love to hear, if their parents would let them. But if comedians like Robin Williams, Tracy Morgan, and Bob Saget have taught us anything, it’s that great comedians can perform for any age. It’s just a matter of changing the material and switching some words around.
According to Entertainment Weekly, the film is “[s]et to be released in 2021…[staring] Anne Hathaway [and the] cast of Sesame Street characters…[with] Jonathan Krisel, known for his work on Portlandia and for co-creating FX’s Baskets…directing.” Bo Burnham will be contributing songs to the film, ones that are more suited for the whole family.
The Simpsons has a real eerie habit of predicting the future. The show’s biggest prediction to come true was Trump’s election. The latest revolves around Game of Thrones’ most recent episode, “The Bells,” which was, let’s just say, an incendiary move.
I would provide an obligatory spoiler warning, but The Simpsons already spoiled the events of GoT’s final season back in 2017.
Metro pointed out that the show’s GoT parody episode, “The Serfsons,” predicted Daenerys Targaryen’s descent into madness with extreme precision. The Simpsons watch in amusement as a fire breathing dragon lays waste to the medieval version of Springfield at the end of the episode.
The Simpsons’ portrayal of Dany’s descent into madness is evidently very comparable to her choosing to burn King’s Landing to the ground, and fans definitely took notice on social media. Considering the intense security measures the show uses to prevent script leaks, it seems impossible that the writers could have gleaned any insider information. (Fun fact: Jaime Lannister actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau also made a voice appearance on the episode, meaning that the two episodes have even more in common… Yeah…) We may not know HOW The Simpsons makes these freakish, frankly paranormal predictions, but we do know that the show always get them right.
While we won’t know how the legendary series will conclude until next week (and we definitely don’t know if it’ll be any good), we can at least say for certain that The Simpsons is always right.
Well, HBO is developing a prequel series and George R.R. Martin still has to finish the series, so Game of Thrones will live on on the silver screen and on the page. But the main show, the only show as of now, the show that brought many of us to this fantastic story and allowed book readers to sit back with smug looks on their faces, is coming to a close.
In honor of that, let us sit back and reflect.
And laugh a little as we go through all the parodies of Game of Thrones through the last nine years (that’s nearly a decade of murder over a big chair!)
Let’s run back to May 24, 2013. You might not have been in your comfy seat, but you felt that warm and fuzzy feeling as a smile came across your face.
Image Via The Daily Beast
Recall that smile, and together we’ll watch back when times were simple. Among other things, Jimmy Fallon was the host of Late Night on NBC. He and his teams of expert writers transformed the 30 Rockefeller Center into its own version of Westeros. The Iron Thrones became the Iron Desk, Dragons were Peacocks, and the Red Wedding hadn’t aired yet.
On Sep 25, 2013 we were graced with this wonderful parody. Bill Hader, future Richard Tozier in It Chapter 2, stands before three super fans played by Taran Killam and Aidy Bryant, but the third fan, Duncan (Zach Galifianakis) has come dressed as a dragon. Why is Jaime called Kingslaver? Who killed Half-hand? Easy questions, but Duncan is asked this: What is the capitol of Wisconsin?
Oh, I feel attacked, and the sketch isn’t even in full swing yet.
Even back in 2014 we were making jokes about how slow George writes. Oh, if only we knew.
But if want to know why George R R Martin hasn’t finished The Winds of Winter and Dreams of Spring yet? Well on April 6, 2014 we got an answer, sort of.
It’s exactly what George R R Martin would say if he actually let loose and spoke his mind.
Bonus points if you want to know how he got to name the White Walkers?
Image Via The Independent
I’ll give you a hint: a white guy just walked past me.
What happens when you bring a brooding Jon Snow to a dinner party in a Brooklynn Townhouse? On April 7, 2015, five days before season 5’s premiere, Seth Myers learned that winter was coming. Spring has sprung, he prattled, but Jon Snow gave his usual warning, “Winter is coming.”
“So much for global warming,” one patrons jests.
“You won’t be laughing when the white walkers rip you limb from limb.”
It’s funny because the Night King hadn’t risen the dead in front of our eyes.
Hope you didn’t have a baby shower before Feb 18, 2016, because you might have invited the wrong guest. Seth Meyers did in his sketch on Late Night where he brought the Red Priestess herself, Melsiandre, to a baby shower. “The night is dark and full of terrors,” she warned, sitting in a room with not only Seth Myers, but his pregnant wife and human rights attorney Alexi Ashe. At least didn’t set anyone on fire.
On April 3, 2016, SNL gave the stage to Peter Dinklage and Emilia Clarke (Kate McKinnon) as they took viewers behind the scenes on Game of Thrones’ sixth season, giving us our first look of Tyrion with the pre-CGI Dragons. Yes, they sound like raptors but Randy is hilarious.
And if Drogon sounds like Randy, then he totally should talk.
Back on May 8, 2016 it was a simpler time. “Jon Snow is dead!” all the characters say, while we the audience sat back and said, “Shut up and bring him back.” In this sketch, Cecily Strong and S.N.L host Brie Lawson (Captian Marvel) act as audience surrogates, showing that maybe things were a lot easier during episodes 601 and 602 when we know what was coming.
The best part is Jon keeps waking up and being told “Not yet!” by Melsiandre.
Aired Aug 9, 2017, it’s less of a parody but more of a commentary. Seth Meyers steps by Leslie Jones’s apartment to listen her live instead of just reading, like most of us, her live-tweets.
Watch it. No spoilers, but Varys stops by just Jamie meets Drogon, as well as Daenerys Targaryen, for the first time.
You might remember this one since this sketch only aired on Dec 8, 2018. It’s KHAL DROGO’S GHOST DOJO! It’s a place where all the characters who died on Game of Thrones can go. With Khal Drogo there for Dothraki public access, what can go wrong?
Image Via Science Alert
Either way you cut it, its laugh-out-loud hilarious to see Khal Drogo meet several other dead characters. The first guest is a punch in the gut, however, since it’s the lovable puff-bag Hodor. Honestly, that “hold the door” joke was as painful as the Red Wedding. At least they made it up with hearing him actually speak in coherent sentences.
On a related note, sorry for bringing up the Red Wedding. I know you probably forget about it.
