JayHind! A Barrel of Lakhs for IndiaIn India, the expression “Jai Hind” usually functions as a patriotic salutation to the homeland. Like L’Chaim, but instead of “to life,” it’s […]
Live From Seoul, It’s Saturday Niiiiiiight!On December 3, 2011, South Korea got its first taste of this famous sentence. With its affinity for broad physical comedy and variety shows, […]
The Ex-Pat Revolutionaries of EstoniaAn American, Australian and an Estonian walk into a bar…
This may sound like the lead-in to a joke about general stereotypes, but it is […]
An Idiot Abroad Recap: ‘Whale Watching’At the mid-point of Season 2, I found myself actually agreeing with Karl for the first time. Each week, I am usually filled with the greenest […]
An Idiot Abroad Recap: ‘Swimming with Dolphins’In which our intrepid traveler never actually swims with marine mammals. I would normally invoke the “spoiler alert” were this plot twist not […]
An Idiot Abroad Recap: ‘Trans-Siberian Express’Whether Karl Pilkington is the so-called idiot Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant insist on reminding us he is, or he is a brilliant comedic […]
The Cuban Comedy (Non-)CrisisWhy are there no swimming pools in Cuba?
Because everyone who knows how to swim has already left the island.
This barb entitled “Swim […]
11 Comedy Tourist Destinations of 2011It’s been almost a year since I first invited the readers of Splitsider to join me in asking “what is the deal with international comedy?” […]
Those Clowns Down in PeruAmericans may be familiar with Peru as home to the breathtaking Machu Picchu, or perhaps as a bordering nation to Lake Titicaca. But, the […]
Can I Finnish?Geographically, Finland is sandwiched between two countries that could not be more different. Its neighbor to the left Sweden took first dibs […]
The Evolution of the Sitcom FamilyThe sitcom is a format difficult to define in detail but instantly recognizable when we see it. The field is broad, as is often the comedy. It […]
Egypt’s Ancient Comedy HistoryHave you heard the one about the bored Pharoah? It’s literally one of the oldest jokes in the book, or the papyrus scroll in this case. It […]
Stand-Up, CroatiaIf the cerulean waters of the Adriatic Sea aren’t enough to compel you to visit Croatia, then perhaps a burgeoning comedy scene will tip your […]
Looking at Hong Kong HumorThe Chinese have no sense of humor. At least that’s what the title of a recent study published in the October 2011 issue of HUMOR would have […]
Belgium: The Kingdom of ComicsFlemish humor. Sounds like a joke about my imminent Sinus infection from all this rain, right? Now that you’ve indulged me my one terrible pun, […]
Commedia All’Italiana: Comedy, Italian-StyleA confluence of economic prosperity, skilled directors, screenwriters at the top of their game and equally gifted actors created a perfect […]
Putting the Laffs in LaffghanistanTo say Afghanistan has had a rough go of it since the late 1970’s, is to guarantee an F on your Intro to International Relations term paper. […]
Singlish, Subversion and the Singaporean SitcomFor a country as small as Singapore, they sure like their humor broad, at least when it comes to their sitcoms. Although much of Singapore’s […]
The Comedy Central of CameroonDid you know the Comedy Central of Cameroon is a Facebook app? It all started when Facebook developer Mohamed Ahmed Felata recognized the […]
Arabian Comedy NightsWho knew the home to Mecca was also a new mecca for comedy in the Middle East? Much like many of its neighbors, The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is […]
Inside South Africa’s Young Comedy SceneWhat is the deal with international comedy? Join me each week to ask that very question in Comedy Tourism as I explore different trends and […]
The Backlash Against Brazil’s Anti-Humor LawWelcome to beautiful Rio de Janeiro. Home to the world-famous Carnvial, Christ-the-Redeemer, Stan Getz’s Ipanema, caiprihinas, samba! And also […]
The Myth of Universal HumorWhat is the deal with international comedy? Join me each week to ask that very question in Comedy Tourism as I explore different trends and […]
Parazit: Iran’s Subversive Comedy News ShowWhat is the deal with international comedy? Join me each week to ask that very question in Comedy Tourism as I explore different trends and […]
Yoshimoto and the Business of Comedy in JapanWhat is the deal with international comedy? Join me each week to ask that very question in Comedy Tourism as I explore different trends and […]