Netflix’s new Norm Macdonald doc makes the case the stand-up was best sitting down - The Globe and Mail

Stand-up comedians have always had a reverence for what they like to call a “comic’s comic” — a fellow comedian who works with such distilled purity and edge, diving head-first into the gnarly metaphysics of comedy, that the comics end up worshipping him more than the public does. (He’s the stand-up-comedy equivalent of an ultimate cool indie-rock cult band.) Gilbert Gottfried was a comic’s comic. So are Larry David and Doug Stanhope and Maria Bamford. And Norm Macdonald was one too, except that as you watch Judd Apatow’s juicy and haunting documentary “Norm: The Tale of Norm Macdonald,” you realize that there was a special thing about him. He was a comic’s comic…who everyone else loved too. As the movie demonstrates, Macdonald’s credentials as a comic’s comic were unassailable. We see his very first network television appearance on May 9, 1990, on “Late Night with David Letterman,” where he did a bit about the devil commanding someone to kill his family and chop them into bits and stuff the pieces into a duffel bag. (Then the killer learns that the devil is a friend who was kidding.)

Marvel Studios’ release of Avengers: Endgame: Encore was a shrewd gambit for a few reasons: It put the studio’s most successful film back in conversation right after the juggernaut success of Spider-Man: Brand New Day; it tided die-hards over with new footage ahead of December’s Avengers: Doomsday; and, perhaps most importantly, it raked in an additional $138 million for the film, reinstating its position as the worldwide box office champion over James Cameron’s Avatar. Cameron, who certainly doesn’t spend his precious time fretting about such matters as lifetime financial grosses and being the best in the world at stuff, recently expressed his congratulations to Marvel for once again overtaking his 2009 sci-fi film. “You are one of the people,” the director wrote (per The Wrap) in a composite image from Avatar, with Iron Man at the center of a welcoming Na’vi tribe. “Congratulations to Marvel and the #1 Avengers: Endgame: Encore for bringing moviegoers to the cinemas! – Jim Cameron.”

TikTok has banned the entire Musk film account, citing political content that violates its policies. The move, which comes just as the Alex Gibney’s investigation into Elon Musk expands to more than 470 screens across North America, raises concerns about Big Tech suppression that the very film seeks to expose. Distributor Bleecker Street was informed Friday afternoon a “permanent suspension” was coming. The entire page disappeared from TikTok’s platform shortly after. The film company had been planning to spend ad money to boost certain posts; that will no longer happen. A spokesperson for the distributor confirmed that TikTok reps had informed them of the suspension and noted “disappointment” in the timing. After grossing $70,000 in four theaters in New York and Los Angeles in its first weekend of release, Musk is now playing in dozens of cities this weekend. The spokesperson said the company is in the process of appealing the move; even a reversal, however, could still prove costly if it doesn’t come during a weekend window when many people are likely to see the film.

If the streaming age of corporate consolidation and disposable TV has taught us anything, it's not to get too attached to any show, regardless of how great it is. A landscape that treats series as bingeable content doesn't always have the patience for slow thematic development, subtle character writing, or weird stylistic swings. It's never been uncommon for truly great shows to fail because of clashes between the network and the creative team, a failure to market the story correctly, simple time-slot mismanagement, or some infuriating combination of all three. Modern versions of these same problems still persist, though in the context of a more prestigious streaming landscape. These programs can command blockbuster budgets and rely on the schedules of A-list talent, all while facing cancellation decisions driven by often inscrutable performance metrics.