One of the most memorable episodes from Seinfeld’s early years found Jerry befriending his idol, New York Mets star Keith Hernandez, who Jerry clearly adores, but not enough to go all the way — i.e., help him move.

In order to beef up “The Boyfriend” into a two-part episode that could help boost ratings during sweeps week, the writers also wove in a storyline in which Hernandez dates Elaine and, most notably, they concocted an elaborate parody of Oliver Stone’s JFK.

As documented in a mock Zapruder film, Kramer and Newman accuse the first baseman of spitting on them following a 1987 loss to the Phillies. But as Jerry points out, via his “Magic Loogie” theory, their story is contradicted by the “immutable laws of physics,” suggesting the presence of a second spitter.

According to Larry David, this piece of the episode was inspired by one of the show’s writers,...

In between Mystery Science Theater 3000 and South Park, Comedy Central's biggest breakout was a cheaply made animated show called Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist. Co-created by comedian Jonathan Katz and animator/producer Tom Snyder, it starred Katz as the titular shrink and his relationships with his receptionist (Laura Silverman) and his son (H. Jon Benjamin, now of Archer and Bob's Burgers fame). The show was fleshed out by comedians like Ray Romano, Dom Irrera, Dave Attell, Louis C.K., Denis Leary, Jon Stewart, and Janeane Garofalo. The show last aired in 2002, but a few years back, Katz dusted off his...

Another new web series crossed our path today, and while it's more on the humor side of the horror-comedy sub-genre, given that it tackles everyday horrors and allows viewers to approach their most acute fears with laughter, we thought it well worth sharing.

Written and directed by Tom Snyder, creator of Comedy Central’s "Dr. Katz", Explosion Bus stars comedians Jonathan Katz and Tom Leopold. It's the story of two unqualified heroes who take on the cruel host of America’s most popular TV show, a fictional version of "American Idol". In their bus with their "staff", they cross the country making talent audition house calls. The humor is dry, the dialogue is conversational, and the women are beautiful. Just like real life!

As Katie Covett, executive producer of Explosion Bus, explains it: "The horror that pervades Explosion Bus is subtle but very much present. Eb confronts everyday horrors: the...

The above embedded video is more of a TV trailer than a film trailer, but it’s all hilarious. Mike Salva‘s Pound Dogs follows the minimalist adventures of dogs locked up at the local pound, desperately waiting to be adopted. To relieve the boredom, they resort to fun dog activities such as rubbing one’s butt along the floor, wearing sombreros and confessing their love of eating cat poop.

Salva has animated a 13-minute pilot episode for a potential series for Pound Dogs. The short film features the voice work of comedians Ryan Williams and Sean Parrott; cartoon voice actors Andy Merrill (Space Ghost Coast to Coast, Aqua Teen Hunger Force) and Samantha Newark (Jem); and singer/music producer/filmmaker Steve Taylor.

Pound Dogs, the full short, will be screening at the upcoming NY Television Festival on Wed., Sep. 21 at 6:15 p.m. and Fri., Sep. 23 at 9:00 p.

Nestled in the foothills of northern California, the Nevada City Film Festival has evolved from a locals-only fest into a four-day international smorgasbord of short films, plus a couple of features thrown in for good measure. There’s also filmmaking panels, award ceremonies, a live comedy show and some very special guests.

This year, Ncff welcomes Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim of the Adult Swim hit Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! On the 21st, they’ll be screening a very special selection of shorts and music videos from the show.

The features they’re screening are Brett Haley’s The New Year, which stars indie breakout actress Trieste Kelly Dunn (Vacation!); Stuck! by underground bad boy director Steve Balderson; and the innovative animated film Mars, directed by Geoff Marslett, who way back in the day (1999) directed the underground music video Monkey vs. Robot for James Kolchaka.

Ncff is...

Just because you’ve been sentenced to death doesn’t mean you can’t look good doing it. Animator Mike Salva made the very funny embedded short film Death Row Diet with Jonathan Katz as the inmate looking to pick up a Weight Watchers endorsement contract while waiting to be put to death, and Tom Leopold as the lawyer helping him achieve his goals.

Katz is, of course, the same Jonathan Katz of the late, lamented Comedy Central “squigglevision” animated series Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist. Although Death Row Diet isn’t squiggly, the audio director and editor is Tom Snyder, co-creator of Dr. Katz. Tom Leopold is a long-time comedy actor and writer, having written several episodes of Seinfeld and Cheers, amongst writing and acting in a ton of other things.

This all gives Death Row Diet a slightly higher profile than many other animated shorts that I post to Bad Lit.