Articles Written By Michael Rottman
TMN Contributing Writer Michael Rottman lives like a lord in Toronto. His miscellany has appeared in print in The Fiddlehead, Grain, and Opium, and online at Yankee Pot Roast, Cracked, News Groper, and McSweeney’s.
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Spoofs & Satire
Papal Haze
Even as the Roman Catholic world prepares to welcome its 267th leader, the papacy remains mysterious and misunderstood. It’s time to explore the world of popes!
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Spoofs & Satire
This Will Be the Year That Was
Already 2013 has seen America drive off the fiscal cliff, only to freeze momentarily, then either reverse in mid-air or drop straight into the canyon—depending on how you look at it. Here’s more of what to expect over the next 12 months.
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Punchlines
Dark Material
There is a brand of humor with an inherent meaning so dark that, even though we may wish we hadn’t laughed, we’re programmed to think it’s funny. An explanation of a joke about a pedophile.
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Spoofs & Satire
This Will Be the Year That Was
As 2012 hatches, many face the new year with trepidation and excitement. Whose political fortunes will shine brightest? Were the Mayans right? Here are startlingly accurate predictions for the year ahead.
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Punchlines
Cosa Nostalgia
How Hyman Roth’s quip in The Godfather: Part II picks up on a cinematic pastime, and exposits layer upon layer of information about his character.
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Punchlines
Erogenous Gaps
Humor happens when an audience fills in the gaps—at its best, those gaps are packed layers deep with meaning. An explanation of an 18-word Mitch Hedberg joke.
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Spoofs & Satire
I Love You in Europe
Romance is in the air during February, especially when the air smells vaguely European.
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Spoofs & Satire
Being Nominated Is the Award
The allure of an awards show is not the thrill of victory, but rather the anticipation—and of course the potential for a handjob.
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Spoofs & Satire
From the Annals of Motherhood
When faced with insurmountable obstacles, when all other options have been exhausted—that’s when moms say the darndest things.
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Spoofs & Satire
Paul Is Death
While the most popular Beatles rumor turned out to be false, making the case for an even more dramatic revelation.
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Spoofs & Satire
The Fiery Furnaces Visit the Department of Motor Vehicles
The brother-sister duo’s narrative inclinations take over during a license renewal.
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Spoofs & Satire
Not Everyone “Got” It
In the early days of The Muppet Show, the famous bonhomie between celebrities and their Muppet co-stars wasn’t there yet. Here are the encounters that didn’t make a rainbow connection.