US actor and comedian Tim Allen has ignited a fresh debate about racial language in comedy after stating that he should be free to use the n-word in his stand-up routines. In an interview with the Tampa Bay Times, Allen questioned why the word should be considered offensive when used by someone who claims no racist intent. 'If I have no intent, if I show no intent, if I clearly am not a racist, then how can 'nigger' be bad coming out of my mouth?' he asked. He also argued that the phrase 'the n-word' is worse than the word itself.
African-American commentators have strongly disagreed with Allen's stance. Sociologist and author Michael Eric Dyson responded on MSNBC, offering a simple rule for white people: 'Never.' The controversy echoes a recent incident in the UK involving comedian Reginald D Hunter at the PFA awards, and a performance by Filipino-American comedian Edwin San Juan at a Los Angeles county sheriff's department event, which reportedly insulted multiple ethnic groups and included use of the n-word.
Meanwhile, Ricky Gervais has claimed that offers are flooding in from record labels worldwide to produce an album of songs by his character David Brent. The interest follows Gervais's online series Learn Guitar with David Brent, which features a hymn to the fictional manager's hometown of Slough. 'I can't believe I'm now getting ridiculous offers from major record deals all over the world,' Gervais said. 'Where were these people when I was trying to be a real popster? And starving?'
In other comedy news, Spotify has launched a new comedy app, and Dave Chappelle broke ticket sales records at Montreal's Just for Laughs festival. Simon Bird confirmed a second Inbetweeners movie is in the works, and Philip Seymour Hoffman is set to star in a comedy pilot titled Trending Down, described as a darkly comic examination of youth-obsessed culture.
