KCRW's THE SPIN-OFF: Paul Scheer Tackles TV "Like Pioneer Life"

On the latest edition of KCRW's The Spin-Off, Joe and I are joined by comedian Paul Scheer, one of the busiest guys in Hollywood:

You might know Paul Scheer from his role on the FX comedy The League. Or maybe you've seen him on ABC's Fresh Off the Boat or Hulu's Hotwives of Las Vegas. Or perhaps you've seen him at a UCB comedy show or listened to his podcast How Did This Get Made?

The multitude of projects make up what Scheer calls his pioneer life in television. Instead of finding one network show and sticking only with that, Scheer gladly passes on the old ways of "Must See TV" to take part in all kinds of different comedy shows -- from online, to on TV, to even on a bus. While the constant hustle takes a lot of energy, Scheer says he loves the creative freedom it provides.

In this wide-ranging conversation, Scheer talks about coming up in the school of UCB, what today's YouTube stars are missing out on, and which retro show he'd most like to parody.

Listen below!

KCRW's The Spin-Off: The Last Man on Earth / Togetherness / Portlandia Edition

On the latest bonus edition of KCRW's The Spin-Off, we replay the audio from my Emmy For Your Consideration panel featuring the people behind Fox's "The Last Man on Earth," IFC's "Portlandia" and HBO's "Togetherness." I wrote about it back in May; now you can listen to it too! Details:

Members of the panel included Carrie Brownstein and Jonathan Krisel from Portlandia, star and creator of Last Man on Earth Will Forte, and Mark and Jay Duplass from Togetherness. For years the Duplass brothers were known for their work in indie film. They kicked the conversation off by telling Schneider how they got drawn into working on television projects.

Listen below!

A Comedy Hipster's Dream Panel: Carrie Brownstein, Will Forte and the Duplass Brothers, All Together

Last week I moderated a joint TV Guide Magazine/TV Insider/IFC/HBO/Fox panel, timed to Emmy campaign season, about comedy stars who do it all: Write, produce, direct and star. These super impressive talents also have time to work on other projects at the same time. Carrie Brownstein is a rock star (Sleater-Kinney has a new album out and is touring) in addition to co-creating and starring in "Portlandia." Will Forte does it all on "The Last Man on Earth." Mark Duplass stars in "The League" and countless movies in addition to co-creating (and starring in) "Togetherness," while Jay Duplass stars in "Transparent" in addition to co-creating "Togetherness" and also working on many other things. (The Duplass brothers even appear on "The Mindy Project.")

Check out Diane Gordon's write-up of the panel for TVInsider.com. And check out some pics below, courtesy IFC:

Mystery Solved: Watch the "Welcome" Video from Dumb Starbucks Creator -- And Comedy Central Star

Well, here's our answer. Comedy Central star Nathan Fielder, the star of the network's "Nathan For You," has revealed himself as the brainchild behind "Dumb Starbucks." Watch the video. And see our coverage -- including pics -- here.

MIKE ON RADIO: KCRW's TV Podcast Tackles Comedy, "The Walking Dead," Social TV

Thanks to A.J. Marechal for snapping this pic of me in the studio of KCRW. Yep, A.J., Joe Adalian and I are back with the second edition of our monthly TV podcast. It's a spinoff of KCRW's "The Business," and if you subscribe to that podcast, you'll get ours as well. But if you don't, go here. Now. And listen up!

This month's topics:

The State of TV Comedy: What’s gone wrong with NBC’s comedy bloc? Why doesn’t it just go with niche comedies like 30 Rock? Do today’s TV viewers prefer niche comedies --like Veep and Louie-- found on cable channels over the broadcast’s broad fare?

The Walking Dead Phenomenon: The Walking Dead had 16 million viewers tune in for it’s Season four premiere. How did this zombie show that has graphic violence and kills off major characters become such a hit? Plus, how has this series continued strong even while it’s gone through continuous showrunner turnover?

Social TV: Twitter, Facebook and the Second Screen: TV executives love Twitter because it’s essentially free advertising for their shows. Does TV chatter on social networks lead to tune-in or just brand awareness (ie: Sharknado)?

Listen right here!

John Beard on How He Became "Arrested Development's" Unlikely Star

Even John Beard was surprised by the amount of face time he got in the new season of "Arrested Development." The former Los Angeles TV news anchor, now in Buffalo, spent a 12-hour day last year shooting all kinds of footage for the show's new Netflix run. Most of those scenes ended up spaced out throughout this season.

I last spoke with Beard back in March, before the show premiered. Now that we've seen this season, I asked him to talk about his experience -- read the story here.

An excerpt:

In the "Arrested" world, the newscaster has become the host of a "To Catch A Predator"-like show, quits his anchor job and defaults on his house. House of Lies' Ben Schwartz even plays his slacker son, John Beard, Jr.

Creator Mitchell Hurwitz says the story of Beard's career collapse on the show mirrors the Bluths' prospects. "I don't know why this guy isn't taking some of Brian Williams' jobs in comedy," Hurwitz says. "He's excellent. He plays it serious and also makes fun of himself, and also seems real. I just love him."

Beard says his character's career evolution in Season 4 also "mirrors that of every long-time TV news anchor, as the business transitions into a much leaner enterprise than it was when we started." He knows that situation first-hand, having left KTTV in 2007 when his contract wasn't renewed. "I think news viewers in every market have seen that change reflected in many local stations," Beard says. "Mitch managed to put that and the housing market collapse to good comedic use."

Variety On the Air's Holiday Comedy Extravaganza

My colleague Jon Weisman has put together an hourly feature on our Variety On the Air blog this Christmas, posting 24 different great comedy moments throughout the day and night. He started with this famous holiday wish from Steve Martin (above), and has continued with clips from shows and comedians including Ricky Gervais, "The Simpsons," "Diner," Louis C.K., "Community," "Flight of the Conchords," Bill Cosby, "The Daily Show" and so much more.

After the presents are open and the coffee's brewing, it's not a bad way to kill a few hours. Happy Holidays!