Comedy Central: Daniel Tosh makes his mark with 'Tosh.0'
Comedian Daniel Tosh grew up in Titusville and graduated from the University of Central Florida in 1996, but he won't be bringing his act to Central Florida.
"I've boycotted Orlando eight or nine years purposely," he says. "All my family is in that area, and it's the reason I don't do standup there. I did a show in Rollins College. In the front row was a group of older ladies. By older, I mean old ladies. They were holding up signs 'We're friends of your mother.' I can't deal with family members watching me."
His parents in Titusville and his siblings in Winter Park and Melbourne will have to catch him on "Tosh.0," which plays at 10 p.m. Thursdays on Comedy Central.
Tosh, who is 34, said he didn't expect the series to be picked up. He acknowledges a lousy record of shooting a dozen failed pilots, most of which he called awful.
But "Tosh.0" has been different. He mixes Internet clips and his own comedy, a style he calls "casual and unprofessional."
The segment "Web Redemption" gives people in infamous viral videos the chance to redeem themselves. They have included a Miss South Carolina contestant who gave an incoherent response, a man who threw up on television and a woman who fell off a card table.
In another memorable spot, football star Terrell Owens reeled off a series of apologies before another football season starts. Tosh re-edited an interview with Spencer and Heidi Pratt to puncture the couple's vapid blather.
"They're letting me tell the jokes I want," Tosh says of Comedy Central. "They're not being overly controlling."
Lauren Corrao, president of programming and development for Comedy Central, praises her new host.
"'Tosh.0' relies and succeeds upon the strength of its host, Daniel Tosh," she says. "He's charming, talented and incredibly quick on his feet. It's Daniel's unfiltered performance that truly brings the show to another level. I also love Tosh's commitment to participate in the bits themselves. If someone is invited to do the 'Milk Gallon Challenge,' Daniel's right there chugging away with them. If Miss South Carolina is asked to re-do her famous 'such as' pageant faux pas, Daniel is right there with her ... in an evening gown."
If you've missed the routines, you can find them at Comedy Central's Web site. Tosh says he tries to make the show go fast, and consequently, nothing stays on the screen too long. That approach reflects his standup.
"I've always been a joke teller -- whatever gets me the best punch line," he says.
Tosh turned a Google scavenger hunt to find an old Demi Moore photo into the No. 1 Google trend for five days. His mother wasn't impressed.
"It made my mom mad," Tosh said. "She said, 'Why do you have to do the gross stuff?' I try to leave porn-y stuff out of the show. She doesn't like anything sexually related. She said, 'Just show people getting hurt.'"
Tosh has major hopes for "Web Redemption." "My dream is to get Michael Richards in front of an all black audience," Tosh says of the "Seinfeld" star who unleashed a racist rant in a comedy club. "We approach him every day. We keep letting him know we're dying to do this."
Another goal is to make the show less dependent on Internet clips, which take a long time for a staff of four writers to review and check for legitimacy.
Tosh, who received a UCF degree in marketing, says Orlando bolstered his comedy career. "It's good to start in a market that has some comedy clubs," he says. "When you start in a smaller city with comedy clubs, it's easier to get stage time. It was a great town for me to start in."
And what if the University of Central Florida invites Tosh to come back to Central Florida? "If the offer comes, I'll say yes," Tosh says. "I don't need to plead. I'll go do Gator Growl."
Congrats Daniel! Reading this honestly makes me sad that all our talented folks (actors, writers and crew) end up moving away because they can't make a living doing what they love at home. Few ever look back..
Posted by: Jen | July 07, 2009 at 10:31 AM