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Bernie Mac’s Comedy Lives Forever

Bernie Mac, one of the most successful and beloved black comedians ever, passed away Saturday at age 50 from complications due to pneumonia. Complex will always remember the Chicago native for his foul mouth and absolute realness when dealing with touchy subjects like child abuse. Like many of his early fans, we first discovered Mac when he was doing stand-up on HBO’s Def Comedy Jam in the early ’90s.

Through the rest of the decade, there was hardly a noteworthy “urban” or “hip-hop” comedy that he didn’t make a cameo in—from Mo’ Money and Who’s the Man? to Friday and Booty Call. A more mainstream audience discovered Mac in his 2001 Fox sitcom The Bernie Mac Show, as well as in theatrical gems like Ocean’s Eleven and Bad Santa. Reminisce over some of his most memorable clips below.

Cheech And Chong Bake Up A Reunion Tour

Okay, you degenerate ’80s babies. Quick history lesson: these two old farts are named Cheech Marin and Tommmy Chong. They made a lot of money 30 years ago turning weed into comedy. Without the (Dutch) masters, you wouldn’t have your Grandma’s Boy, your Pineapple Express, even your Half Baked and its backeotomies. The thing is, a while back Cheech decided he was tired of stoner humor, so he got a job on Nash Bridges and left poor ol’ Chong in the lurch—or, more specifically, in the bing for selling bongs over the internet.

Well, the funny thing about pot humor is that it pays better than being Don Johnson’s wisecracking buddy, so Cheech and Chong are getting the brand back together and hitting the road on a comedy tour. They’re officially announcing tomorrow, so write yourself a note, because you’ll most likely forget otherwise. After the jump, watch a blunt retrospective of some of C&C’s finest throwback moments.

R.I.P. George Carlin

Yesterday, we lost one of the true O.G. characters of our culture when George Carlin passed away from heart failure at the age of 71. In the world of stand-up comedians, this New York City native is one of the profession’s true icons, rivaled only by legends like Richard Pryor.

Known for pushing taboo subjects and challenging societal norms, he is the reason why the FCC has so much power over the content that we hear on the airwaves today. Back in 1973, an angry father complained about Carlin’s “Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television” routine being broadcast on the radio, which led directly to a landmark Supreme Court decision that gave the FCC the power to determine what is and what is not “indecent.” Learn more about this comedy God by watching some classic clips below.

Ben Stiller’s Tropic Thunder Fights The Good Fight

Last night Complex rolled to a rough-cut screening of Tropic Thunder, Ben Stiller’s new summer comedy about a group of pampered actors who get caught in real jungle warfare while filming your average Vietnam War flick. The premise sounds like a cross between ¡Three Amigos! (awesome) and Delta Farce (considerably less awesome), and given that it’s been a minute since a Stiller comedy wowed us, we weren’t sure what he’d deliver. The first good sign was that he was present for the screening, as were his parents and Larry David.

It turns out that Stiller, who co-wrote, directed, and starred in the movie, is sitting on a banger (you know a movie’s funny if it makes the god Larry David cackle). Stiller and Jack Black are back. Tom Cruise’s cameo as a ball-breaking movie producer is crazy…funny. Everyone is so strong that you can’t say one performance steals the show, but Robert Downey Jr. as a Russell Crowe-inspired Aussie thespian in black face is ballsy and hysterical. Between this and Iron Man (release date: May 2), Downey Jr. is going to own the summer. Judd Apatow and Seth Rogen’s weeded crime thriller Pineapple Express (August 8) will have a legitimate box office battle on its hands when Tropic Thunder drops on August 15. Peep the trailer after the jump.

MADtv Keeps Up With The Kardashians

MADtv’s uniform pop culture spoofs are normally more miss than hit, but when they poked fun at the Kardashian clan on the most recent episode, they actually nailed it. Granted, none of the actors have the sex appeal of Kim, Kourtney and, um Chloe, still their imitation of the girls voices as if they’re in pain when they speak is undoubtedly funny. Watch the video after the jump.

The Real Brainstorms More Failed Ideas

KOCH’s new marketing campaign for Cam’ron.

The Real has a lot of bad (yet hilarious) ideas. Surprisingly, one of their recent ones—convincing DJ Drama to let them host a Gangsta Grillz mixtape—might not be that far off. According to a message on their Facebook profile, Drama saw their proposition video and thought it was “hilarious.”

While the world waits for this mother of all collaborations (sorry G-Unit x Gangsta Grillz), watch a new video after the jump that exposes some of The Real’s other ideas that didn’t get such a good response, including pro-New York rap protests and the new “Soulja Boyz II Men” mash-up.

Flight of the Conchords Prepare For Departure

Damn that writer’s strike! Even though cult-followers of HBO’s Flight of the Conchords will have ’til later this year (or possibly next year) for the return of the comedy-rock cult-favs, the melodic New Zealanders haven’t lost steam with their new LP, set to drop April 22nd. After the success of their Grammy-Award winning EP, The Distant Future, their long playing album features songs from classic episodes, including the hilarious David Bowie tribute. Listen and laugh out loud to their newest song “Ladies of the World” after the jump.

Get To Know Leon From Curb Your Enthusiasm

For fans that couldn’t get enough of his character from Curb Your Enthusiasm, J.B. Smoove a.k.a Leon from the show, brought his outlandish comedy to the stage this past Saturday in NYC. J.B.’s perfect performance—which was introduced by Tony Yayo’s “So Seductive”—touched on the unthinkable, like bootleg circuses, and the foaming at the mouth. Check out a quick clip from the show after the jump, where Smoove talks about declaring “pewwwn” as the fastest speed known to man.

Will Ferrell And Andre 3000 On The Cover Of Complex

Far from amateurs, and always professional, that’s how we get down at Complex. Our cover subjects have been known to deliver the seasons’ best comedies (We see you Seth Rogen). So we kept it consistent for our Feb/March issue, pairing Semi-Pro stars Will Ferrell and Andre Benjamin on our cover. They had plenty to say about their new ABA-inspired comedy, groupies and haters. And when it came to the photo shoot they left it all on the court. This quote from Ferrell’s publicist should give you some insight as to what went down: “Will doesn’t think it’s violent enough. Can he slam himself face-first through the hoop?” Click on the pic below to see for yourself. Till you see the rest of the issue, enough said.

Besides the cover story, our stomach-knot inducing N-Word Matrix, the L Word’s Sapphic siren Sarah Shahi, and interviews with Jordan design O.G Tinker Hatfield, round out our lifestyle side of the book. As always this cover is one of two. Want to check the heat on the cover of our always progressive, never behind-product guide? Stay tuned for that tomorrow. ‘08 has arrived. We’re here for the championship rings.