The video of local Los Angeles station KDOC’s utter disaster of a New Year’s Eve special took the Internet by storm last week, and justifiably so. It was six minutes of uninterrupted chaos and unprofessionalism, and I loved every cuss-filled, vacant-Stu-Stone-expression-laden second of it. It was such a fantastic cluttered mess that I somehow forgot to even mention that Bone Thugz-n-Harmony was there. Inexcusable on my part. I apologize.
Anyway, the clip generated so much buzz that even the Old Gray Lady herself caught wind of it (online, at least). The NY Times Arts Beat caught up with the show’s host and producer, Jamie Kennedy, and you will be pleased to know that — and I am quoting him directly here — “it was totally supposed to be like that.” Ooooooooooookay, Jamie Kennedy.
We wanted to make almost an anti-New Year’s Eve show, and the recipe calls for unexpected. We had an open bar for our guests, we were unrehearsed. It was not glamorous. We shot at the apex of craziness on Hollywood Boulevard on New Year’s Eve, in front of one of the most highly visible places, the Chinese Theater, and it was more like a block party type of feel.
Now, I have never been to a block party that featured a Playboy Playmate being interviewed while holding a huge cheeseburger and ended with people bum-rushing the stage and starting a brawl, but I suppose that one’s on me. I have apparently lived a more sheltered life to this point than I thought, and I need to get out there and live a little more. We all have New Year’s resolutions, and this is mine.
But, please, Jamie Kennedy. Go on.
The more stuff I do, the more polarizing I become. Sometimes I’m like the Kardashian of comedy. People seem to hate me but they can’t stop watching. I’m fine. We wanted to make a stink. Did we know it was going to make this much of a stink? No. But if I had done this correctly, would I be talking to you right now? No. How many people are talking about a New Year’s special on the 4th? Carson Daly, Ryan Seacrest – no. They’re talking about me. Some people really go after you, and I don’t know where the hate comes from. Here’s what I say: I didn’t stab nobody, I didn’t shoot nobody. I just made a New Year’s Eve special. Is that so bad?
Okay. I posted that whole paragraph to be sure I allowed him to make his whole “bad publicity is better than no publicity” argument, but if you made it past the sentence “Sometimes I’m like the Kardashian of comedy” on your first run through, you are a better person than me. “The Kardashian of comedy.” He said that about himself. About. Himself. Jeeeeeeeeesus.
And now, the big question: Will they do it again next year? (Please say yes please say yes please say yes.)
Commerce Casino is already signed up for next year, they loved it. And I got a text from Marilyn Manson that says he wants to do next year. And I want to get Wu-Tang Clan. I want to put people in that I like.
Oh please God let Wu-Tang do this next year. Hologram ODB or GTFO.