OH RICKY! OHHH BILLLYYY!

Going to see Ricky Gervais live in a couple of hours. The man, the legend. As far as I'm concerned, this man is truly one of the funniest people on the planet.

And it's more than just his formal output - The Office, Extras, The Ricky Gervais Show, stand-up etc, etc, - the man seems funny in everyday life, constantly; he seems like the kind of guy who is the funniest person in the room, always (except on that episode of Marriage Ref where Larry David took control for the entire episode).

It's these types of guys I admire most. Bill Murray is probably the pinnacle: there is no way anyone else is as funny as Bill Murray - on screen or in real life. I read a Bill Murray quote in Live From New York, an oral biography of SNL, where he basically says that he used to be funnier, though he's still funny, but back in the day it was almost - quote - "vengeful," as in, he wanted to make people laugh until it hurt, just drive the joke home over and over, without ever getting less funny, of course. Just relentless humor - with complete command over it.

Breathtaking.

My favorite scene in Ghostbusters is a Murray improvised line. He gets to Sigourney Weaver's for the first time and is prowling around the apartment and he just ambles up to the piano, hits a few notes, and says, "They hate that", i.e., that ghosts hate it. I heard that that was just Reitman telling Bill: "be funny." And the line is so subtle and so funny...Bill Murray inhabits the screen totally and completely. If you look at his performances, it's clear that Murray can take total control at any time. And sometimes he does. Watch Meatballs, his first starring role, and you can watch him struggle - still in the SNL ensemble mind set - wanting to take control, realizing he probably should, but not quite going there as much or as often as he should, given the supporting cast and quality of the script and story because of said mindset - and proably because he's not confident enough just yet.

And then you have movies like Lost In Translation, which is basically Murray not being funny - but it's still funny because of all of the stuff that the film viewer knows about Murray's character in real life and all of the roles he's played up until then - the viewer knows the history and it certainly affects the performance and the way we perceive it. Not to discredit him: Murray knows this and uses it; again, he is pitch perfect.

This is turning into a Bill Murray cock suck, but the man deserves it. He is my hero. There's something about the guy that is unparalleled. I look at message boards on You Tube and there is always one or two or three or four or more posts that say Billy Murray Is A God. It's true. Doesn't he say as much in Groundhog Day? Oh wait, he says he's A god, not the god.

It's like the geeks from Freaks and Geeks feel: when someone tells them that Bill Murray or Steve Martin isn't funny, they just can't believe it. Utter disbelief. Why? Because, like me, they know that that it is simply not true. Bill Murray is funny. People say that these things are about opinion and taste and blah blah blah - untrue. That is the case sometimes, but there are certain instances where it is a fact. People are funny, just as people are undeniably good looking.

I think Gervais is almost there. To deny that he's funny...well, it's not 100 percent unpardonable yet, but it's damned close. Yes, he's British, so I guess Americans get a pass for that if they think he's not funny. But if you really take the time and watch his oeuvre, and then watch him during interviews and award shows and the like, I think that it cannot be denied the man is a funny bloke. He's not Bill Murray (not yet) but he's got a shot.

If you need convincing, check out some of The Office bonus materials. Madness.

[The American Office is a fine show, full of hilarious moments. But there is no denying that the British Office -THE Office - is superior: funnier and also a perfectly crafted two season plus one XMAS special arc where the emotional highs and lows are do devastingly real and devestating that it cannot even be compared to questions of whether Pam's gonna suck Tim's dick in episode 345 or not.]