Everybody's setting up a website these days, even comedians and other interesting star-type folks. And I'm not talking about fan sites…not even "official" fan sites. I'm talking about sites that the biggie actually arranged to have on-line, usually for commercial reasons. In a few cases, they even generate original content for it or answer mail. For example, you might want to go take a look at the new site, www.johnnycarson.com. That's right: Herrrre's Johnny's website! On it, you can order tapes of old Tonight Shows — so far, alas, the same ones that have been commercially available for some time. There are also some video clips and fun facts over there so it's worth a visit…though I think it would be funnier if they had a guest website on Monday nights.
Here are a few more that I've come across…
- www.georgecarlin.com — This is a wonderful site, crammed full of Carlinesque humor, much of it apparently written just for the web. Mr. Carlin has been doing comedy for a long time but he's still very, very funny. (He's also one of the folks behind www.laugh.com, which is selling comedy CDs and such.)
- www.shelleyberman.com — And, speaking of doing it a long time and still being very funny: This site will tell you where Shelley Berman is performing. If it's anywhere near you, go. He's still brilliant. (He did a poorly-released, hard-to-find CD about five years ago called Live at the Improv that's as funny as any comedy album ever done. One of those voices howling with laughter in the audience is mine.)
- www.colortini.com — This is the site of Tom Snyder, former host of The Tomorrow Show and The Late Late Show. About once a week, he posts an essay in the style of the little "editorials" he used to do at the outset of those programs. Always nice to hear what Ol' Tom has on his mind.
- www.sincity.com — Here's a site that will tell you where Penn and Teller are performing, and allow you to read diary-type listings that they post often about what's been happening in their lives. Loads o' fun.
- www.bobhope.com — Bob Hope's site: "Hey, how about those websites where they sell books and posters, and give you some bio stuff on the star? They're wild. No, but I wanna tell ya…"
- www.thehockeypuck.com — Don Rickles' site: "You big dummy. Why don't you tie a bell to the back of your leg and play 'Wagon train, comin' through the pass?' Here, I'll make you feel at home: 'You've got mail!' You dumb computer geek!"
- www.rodney.com — Rodney Dangerfield's site: "I'm all right now but last week, I tell ya, I was in rough shape. I went to my doctor and he told me I was overweight. I said, 'If you don't mind, I'd like to get a second opinion.' He said, 'Okay. Your website stinks!'"
- www.stevemartin.net — Very funny man, very funny website.
- www.lilytomlin.com — Very funny woman, pretty funny website.