Comedian Zach Galifianakis likes his one-liners. They become the quoted dialogue from his movies, he zings ‘em at stand-up audiences and even in interviews he relishes in punchy brevity. That makes an interview with Zach Galifianakis short but offers a strong case for quality over quantity. For... more

Comedian Zach Galifianakis likes his one-liners. They become the quoted dialogue from his movies, he zings ‘em at stand-up audiences and even in interviews he relishes in punchy brevity. That makes an interview with Zach Galifianakis short but offers a strong case for quality over quantity.

For some 15 years, Galifianakis has performed stand-up with a devout following, a cult which grew larger when YouTube made it easy to share covert videos from small stand-up gigs. This summer, movies cast Galifianakis into a major spotlight. The Hangover put Galifianakis’ obscure one-liners about post-9/11 airplane masturbation into one of the most seen comedies of all time. The success of G-Force, in which he creates a team of secret agent guinea pigs, paled in comparison.

After a smash summer hit like The Hangover, you’d think networks would be scrambling to build a TV vehicle around Galifianakis. HBO’s already got him signed to their upcoming series Bored to Death, which began filming before Galifianakis’ box office twofer. He plays the supporting role of Ray, the best friend of lead character Jonathan (Jason Schwartzman). Jonathan is a bored writer who decides to pose as a private detective, and actually takes on cases while Ray tries to talk some sense into him.

“If I were 26 and this was happening, it would be all great, and I would probably buy like 17 Dodge Vipers,” Galifianakis told a press conference in July. “But right now it's just a major inconvenience.”

After the Bored to Death cast press conference, a group of reporters followed Galifianakis into the hallway. The show doesn’t come on until September 20 so we need a little more comedy wisdom to tide us over until then. He stuck to the notion that attention was a burden but that only fed into his deadpan curmudgeon persona, with his trademark flannel and bushy beard. He did laugh at some of the zanier questions, as indicated.

Question: With this summer’s success, what does it feel like to be Zach Galifianakis right now?

Zach Galifianakis: It still feels fat. It feels the same, to me. I just forget that I’m in stuff, so I just live my life inside my own mind, and I forget that I’m in movies now.

Q: Is this funny to you, this whole experience of people wanting to talk to you?
ZG: No, it’s not. It’s a major inconvenience. People are coming and putting things through my mailbox.

Q: Like what?
ZG: Just notes from neighbors, like death threats. No, none of that. But, all that’s kind of new. I’m trying to figure that all out. Hopefully, it won’t be too big of a deal.

Q: Are you going to do Hangover 2?
ZG: If there’s a good script and we would all like to work together, maybe.

Q: So, you would be willing to do another one?
ZG: If there’s a good script, I would, yes. Right now, there’s no script.

Q: Now that you’re huge, who’s the most famous person on your speed dial?
ZG: [Laughs] Three of the members from the band DeBarge. Nobody remembers them. Nobody. I don’t hang out with famous people. I think they’re jerks.

Q: You are good friends with Bradley Cooper, aren’t you?
ZG: Is he famous now? Bradley is a friend of mine. He likes to come over to my house and take naps, which I find weird. Not with me, but he just will nap.

Q: Does he give you any advice about dealing with fame?
ZG: I don’t talk to Bradley about that stuff. It’s his fault that he’s a pretty boy. I don’t have to deal with that stuff. That’s his fault.

Q: On Bored to Death, what sort of comic relief do you get to be? What’s the tone of your best friend character?
ZG: He’s just this angry, surly curmudgeon guy that is frustrated with his existence. It’s really easy and fun to play. It’s a very fun, nice character to play. He’s not a nice guy, in particular, and he’s not socially gracious, but that’s really fun and easy to play.

Q: Were you a fan of Jason Schwartzman, prior to this?
ZG: Yes. Jason Schwartzman was a big reason that I wanted to do the show. I think he’s very good, clever and subtle and a very nice man.

Q: How long have you known him?
ZG: I only knew him right before working. He gave me a phone call and said that he was very happy that we were going to work together. Gentlemen are hard to find these days, especially in show business, and he and [series costar] Ted Danson are just gentlemen. I’m not necessarily a gentleman, but those guys really are. How nice they are on set actually makes me kind of upset because then I’m like, “Oh God, I’ve got to be a nice guy now?” They really are just gentlemen. They’re really nice people.

Q: Seriously, how has your life changed after all of the success with The Hangover?
ZG: I can get a really good table at Arby’s now. My life really hasn’t changed that much for me, honestly. It’s hard when you’re doing comedy, and then you get in this kind of world now. It’s a dangerous thing, with comedy, to be going to Hollywood parties and all that stuff. If you forget what brought you here in the first place, it can be a very dangerous thing. And I’m old enough now to be aware of it. I’m trying to not think about it too much. It hasn’t changed. I can pay my parents to leave me alone. No, it’s nice to spend money on your folks and people that are close to you.

Q: Have you splurged on anything at all?
ZG: No. I don’t spend money. I still have my 1998 Subaru that I will probably drive until it runs out. Hopefully, I’ll drive it for 10 more years. My goal is to keep my same Subaru. I also like the car.

Q: Are your stand-up shows more packed now than they used to be?
ZG: I don’t do shows that I announce. I just show up at hole-in-the-walls.

Q: Do you anticipate that there will be any stand-out jokes or lines in Bored to Death, like the bin Laden line you had in The Hangover?
ZG: There are some really good jokes in this TV show that I will not spoil, but yeah.

Q: Will your character stay out of trouble?
ZG: The character is a guy who has a girlfriend that has two kids, so he’s a little bit grounded. His whole goal, as the show progresses, is paternal. He wants kids. He smokes pot and drinks too much, but so do a lot of people and they still have other, more grounded goals.

Q: G-Force was such a big hit. Have you gotten a call for G-Force 2 yet?
ZG: No, not yet. I have not gotten a call yet.

Q: That could be a franchise for you. Is that something you’d be interested in?
ZG: When I was doing the first G-Force, the Disney people took pictures of me, in case they wanted to make a toy. I was like, “Oh my God, if this ever became a ride at Disney and you would just see my cut-out before you get in line and it says, ‘If you’re this short, you can’t ride this ride,’ that’s my nightmare.” But, having said that, I don’t know the answer to that question. Up to this point, I’ve just gotten work and it just falls into place. I’ve never really been drawn to anything. I just go and audition. I got lucky this summer, to be quite honest. Everybody is always like, “What drew you to this?” and I’m like, “Well, I needed a job.” There’s nothing that draws me. Now, hopefully, I can have those choices. But, if there’s a G-Force 2 and I get to talk to more guinea pigs, I don’t think there’s a problem with that.

Q: What is your favorite movie that no one else has ever heard of?
ZG: [Laughs] Maybe people have heard of it. I hope they have. It’s called Withnail & I, which is a British comedy.

Q: That’s your sensibility?
ZG: Yes.

Q: Do you have any personal, dream projects that you hope you’ll get to do at some point?
ZG: Yeah, there’s a lot of them. They’re all in my mind. Hopefully, maybe I’ll put them on the page, one day. There’s one called Fat Jesus that I’d love to do.

Q: Is that indeed about a fat Jesus?
ZG: It’s self-explanatory.

Bored to Death premieres Sept. 20 on HBO.

Summer is coming to an end, but the sun is still burning strong. Let the SuicideGirls help you cool down in this unbearable heat. How can girls so hot cool you down? -By striping down and taking a nice, cool bath. Get ready to take it all off and get wet. (image) (image) (image) (image) (image) (image)... more

Summer is coming to an end, but the sun is still burning strong. Let the SuicideGirls help you cool down in this unbearable heat. How can girls so hot cool you down? -By striping down and taking a nice, cool bath. Get ready to take it all off and get wet.






























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Check back for more Dirty Laundry and let SuicideGirls show you the best way to (un)dress.

In every new relationship there are moments of truth. They are small moments. Many of us don’t even recognize them or even remember them after they’ve passed. But the way these moments unfold can make the difference between a happily ever after romance and one cut down before it even has a... more

In every new relationship there are moments of truth. They are small moments. Many of us don’t even recognize them or even remember them after they’ve passed. But the way these moments unfold can make the difference between a happily ever after romance and one cut down before it even has a chance to begin.

That’s where leading comes in.

You can make goo-goo eyes at each other across the anime convention floor hall all you want. There still needs to be the moment where someone makes the decision to walk over and start a conversation. Leading can be non-verbal (taking someone by the hand, going for the kiss), or verbal, (asking for the phone number, revealing your sexual fantasy about the Kama Sutra Pirates).

I think of leading as anteing up. You‘re putting your money on the table (usually not literally), at which point the other person needs to either a) meet or beat your investment, or b) opt out of the game.

Leading isn’t about controlling the relationship. If anything, leading is about giving up control, because if the dancer(*) chooses not to follow, it’s the leader who ends up looking stupid.

Leading is about being willing to take risks. On a more practical level, it’s also about avoiding conversations like this.

BOY: Want to go out?
GIRL: Sure. What do you want to do?
BOY: I don’t know. What do you want to do?

And so on into infinity…

If you’re going to ask someone out, the onus is on you to provide direction for what you‘ll be doing. It doesn’t mean there’s no room for negotiation, but someone has to open the bidding.

Which brings us to the question, why does Boy get to lead? Girls can lead too.

They sure can. And if it works for you, go for it. Putting yourself out there when you don’t know how the other person feels takes guts, and I give mad respect to anyone--male, female, or other--that does it. Be advised however, in heterosexual dating circles, the woman leading goes against convention, so be prepared to face the following reactions.

1) Male insecurity. We’ve had it drilled into us from an early age that we are supposed to take charge. So when a woman does it for us, it can be a stab to the ego. Many women have run into this, and it’s what stops them from taking charge on a date. A friend of mine put it best: “It sucks when guys don’t have a plan cause not only do you have to take charge, you have to bring it up in a way that doesn’t hurt his feelings.”

You would think shyer or more inexperienced guys would welcome a woman who takes charge, but sometimes we take it the hardest because it reminds us of our shortcomings.

2) Suspicion. Often the more attractive a guy finds you, the harder time he’ll have trusting your motives. Instead of counting his lucky stars, he’ll be thinking. “There is no way THAT girl would ever have to ask a guy out, especially a guy like me. Either she’s messing with me or she‘s a murderous sex alien like in Species, and either way, I‘m not falling for it. And I‘m going to make sure everyone knows it by saying something mean to her.”

3) Inexperience. Most guys don’t get asked out a lot, which means they aren’t always going to know how to deal with it. I didn’t when it happened to me (**). We freeze-up and stammer and start looking around for the exits. It doesn’t mean we’re not interested. It means we don‘t deal well with unfamiliar social situations.

4) Dogs and cats living together, mass hysteria. When two people are simultaneously trying to be proactive, there’s going to be some clunkiness until they find a rhythm. The comforting thing about convention is everyone knows his or her role. On the other hand, those people bound by convention will never know what it feels like to live by their own rules.

The good news is, truly confident and self-assured guys have no problem with a woman showing a little initiative. The bad news is, most of those men live somewhere in the Andromeda galaxy. Here on planet Earth, truly confident men are a little thinner on the ground than one would hope. Kudos to you, if you’ve found one.

The last point about leading is that YOU DON‘T HAVE TO DO IT ALL THE TIME (***). Leading isn’t a way to prove what an mighty, in-control Alpha Male or Female you are. It’s a way of keeping a smooth flow while you get to know one another.

Good luck. The Kama Sutra Pirates await.

(*) I realize it would be less confusing to use ‘follower’ but I don’t like it. The word ‘follower’ implies blind obedience, which isn’t what we’re talking about at all. Plus ‘dancer’ sounds prettier.

(**) In my defense, the person hitting on me was another guy. Still, I felt dumb for not catching on sooner.

(***) Timing leads is a column on its own, but here are the basics. You lead a) during ambiguous/awkward moments b) as a response to a cue from your partner or c) when he/she has impressed you.