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Dane Jeffrey Cook (born March 18, 1972) is an American stand-up comedian and film actor. He released three comedy albums: Harmful If Swallowed, Retaliation, and Rough Around The Edges: Live From Madison Square Garden. Retaliation became the highest charting comedy album in 28 years and went double platinum. Cook performed an HBO special in the Fall of 2006, Vicious Circle, a straight to DVD special entitled Rough Around The Edges (which is included in the album of the same name), and has made numerous television appearances.
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Quotations
Dream it, ya fuckin' dreamers. It's your dream house. Retaliation-Want (2005), track 12, Dream House
Enjoy your Spaghetti. You're very rude. Retaliation-Need (2005), track 3, Super Powers
I don't even know what schematics are, but I want 'em! Because I know they belong in labs! Retaliation-Want (2005), track 12, Dream House
I dont like being in a PERFECT SQUARE when I SHIT. BAM! Good BROKEN! I LIKE THAT. Harmful If Swallowed (2003), track 15, Bathroom
I even love that creak. Im not even going to WD40 the sound out. I want the ambience Retaliation-Want (2005), track 12, Dream House
I say fuck shoes! Your shoes do not represent you! Neither here, nor in a court of law, you son-of-a-B. Sorry to use harsh letters.
Encyclopedia
Dane Jeffrey Cook (born March 18, 1972) is an American stand-up comedian and film actor. He released three comedy albums: Harmful If Swallowed, Retaliation, and Rough Around The Edges: Live From Madison Square Garden. Retaliation became the highest charting comedy album in 28 years and went double platinum. Cook performed an HBO special in the Fall of 2006, Vicious Circle, a straight to DVD special entitled Rough Around The Edges (which is included in the album of the same name), and has made numerous television appearances. As an actor, Cook has appeared in fifteen films since 1997, including Mystery Men and Waiting.... He also starred in major movie roles since 2006 including Employee of the Month and Good Luck Chuck. He also had supporting roles in Mr. Brooks (a departure from his standard comedic roles) and Dan in Real Life. Most recently, Cook starred in My Best Friend's Girl.
Early life
Dane Cook was born in Boston, Massachusetts, the son of George Cook (who worked at a golf course but at different times managed and ran a lumber yard, a window business and a rock club in Cambridge) and Donna Cook, a homemaker. According to an interview with collegehumor.com, he had agoraphobia as a kid. He grew up in Arlington, MA and attended Arlington High School.
Stand-Up
In 1994, Cook moved to New York City and began performing in earnest. He also spent that time working the Comedy Club and College circuits. Two years later, he moved to Los Angeles, where he still lives today.
Cook's big comedy break came in 1998 when he appeared on Comedy Central's Premium Blend. This started a relationship between Cook and Comedy Central that has lasted many years. In 2000, Cook did a half-hour special on Comedy Central Presents. Since then his special has won the Comedy Central Stand-up showdown twice in a row.
In 2003, Cook released his first CD/DVD entitled Harmful If Swallowed. The success of the album landed him a record contract with Comedy Central Records. The album is certified platinum. He released his second CD/DVD in 2005, entitled Retaliation. This album went double platinum and made Cook the first comic in 29 years to have an album at #4 on the Billboard charts. This earned him a place alongside best-selling comedy vets Bill Cosby, George Carlin, and Steve Martin. The success of the album also landed him a comedy performance at the MTV Video Music Awards, and then afterwards he joined Snoop Dogg (who introduced him) in presenting the award for Best New Artist.
On April 15, 2005 Cook performed his first HBO Special entitled Vicious Circle filmed "in the round" at the TD Banknorth Garden. The same year Cook shot two pilot episodes for his own sitcom, Cooked. The sitcom never got picked up and the two pilot episodes were later released on DVD as the Lost Pilot Episodes. That same year he embarked on a 30-day 20-show college tour called Tourgasm with his long time friends Robert Kelly, Gary Gulman, and Jay Davis. The tour was filmed and was later made into a 9-episode documentary on HBO.
On December 3, 2005, Cook hosted Saturday Night Live. He performed the longest monologue in the show's history and it was one of the highest-rated SNLs of the season". He would then go on to host the premiere of season 32 of SNL a year later.
In 2006 Cook headlined for Dave Attell's Insomniac Tour and hosted the 2006 Teen Choice Awards alongside Jessica Simpson. The following year he won the award for Best Comedian. On November 12, Cook became the second comic to sell out Madison Square Garden. He did two sold out shows in one night. The show was filmed and would later be put onto a DVD to be sold on Cook's third comedy album.
Cook won the Big Entertainer Award at the VH1 Big in '06 Awards, and Rolling Stone magazine's Hot Comic of the Year.
On November 13, 2007, Cook released his third CD/DVD entitled Rough Around The Edges, which was filmed live at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The Album debuted at #1 on the Billboard Top Comedy Albums chart. During that time, he embarked on a tour of the same name. This was Cook's first arena tour.
On April 10, 2007, Cook broke The Laugh Factory endurance record (previously held by Richard Pryor) by performing on stage for 3 hours and 50 minutes. Dave Chappelle would break the record five days later. On January 1, 2008, Cook again broke the club's endurance record, by performing on stage for 7 hours.
From May 23, 2008 to May 25, 2008 Cook reunited with Robert Kelly and Al Del Bene for 3 shows at The Coliseum in Caesars Palace. Then, from May 29, 2008 to June 4, 2008, the Trio went to Iraq to perform for the troops. During all of these shows Bene was the Emcee, Kelly was the Feature, and Cook was the Headliner.
Cook is currently working on his fifth album Isolated Incident, which will also be a special that will air on Comedy Central in May. He performed this in only two cities, Los Angeles and Tampa. This album will be the last as part of Cook's four record deal with Comedy Central Records. The new album was performed at The Laugh Factory. He came unannounced to the Factory and performed his jokes in front of a crowd smaller than 30 people. His material was reportedly "edgy" and more graphic than usual.
Film
Cook starred in his first leading role as the slacker boxboy Zach Bradley in Employee of the Month with Jessica Simpson and Dax Shepard.
Cook co-starred in his first dramatic role as the devious photographer Mr. Smith in Mr. Brooks along with Kevin Costner, Demi Moore, and William Hurt. The film debuted at #4 at the box office, just behind Shrek The Third. The movie grossed $10,017,067 in the opening weekend.
Cook starred as the dentist Charlie Logan in the release of Good Luck Chuck with Jessica Alba and Dan Fogler. The film debuted at #2 at the U.S. box office just behind Resident Evil: Extinction and in its opening weekend, grossed $13.6 million in 2,612 theaters.
Cook played a slightly demented line cook in 2005's Waiting... which starred Justin Long, Ryan Reynolds and Anna Faris.
Cook co-starred as the cocky Mitch Burns in the release of Dan in Real Life along with Steve Carell and Juliette Binoche. The film grossed $11,809,445 in 1,921 theaters its opening weekend, ranking #2 at the box office, just behind Saw IV. As of December 26, 2007, it had grossed $46 million.
Cook starred as the air purifier call-center supervisor Tank Turner in the movie My Best Friend's Girl with Kate Hudson, Jason Biggs, and Alec Baldwin. The film grossed $8.2 million and debuted at #3 at the box office, just behind Burn After Reading, and got a 50-50 rating on fandango.com.
Style
Dane Cook's style is principally energetic physical comedy. He combines observational humor and wordplay with a casual attitude. Cook says his onstage persona is a combination of the personalities of his mom, Donna, and his dad, George. “My mother is like a Looney Tunes cartoon. She’s wiggly,” Dane says. “She has the ability to tongue in cheek a lot, and do it in a way where she’s being physical. My dad is the polar opposite. He always had a little ‘what the fuck’ in his voice. Even if he knew nothing about what he was talking about, he could sell it. So I looked at these two extremely funny people and created a style of comedy from absorbing their actions.”
His routines focus on his childhood, and his plans for the future, such as his "dream home". He will sometimes deliver jokes in the form of over-the-top rants with increasingly erratic body motions, pacing, waving, and jumping.
He explains that:
Brother's Embezzlement
In December 2008, Cook's older half brother Darryl McCauley was charged with stealing $1+ million from Cook over an 18 month period while acting as his business manager with Great Dane Enterprises, Inc. McCauley pleaded not guilty and was ordered held on $3 million bail. McCauley was fired in November.
Criticism and controversy
Material and delivery
Numerous commentators have characterized Dane Cook's humor as unfunny, banal, and lacking jokes. Comedian Ron White has criticized Dane Cook for his lack of real material and for his inflated ego; saying "(He) does not make me laugh, at all, in any way, shape or form." When asked about his opinion of Cook on The Howard Stern Show, comedian Nick DiPaolo said “he doesn't make me laugh, but that doesn't mean he's not funny.” On Boston radio station WBCN, Dane Cook was named by radio show Toucher and Rich to a tournament of the top 16 "Worst Comedians" and, based on listener voting, was voted the "Worst Comedian" of all. In the Michigan Daily, Elie Zwiebel wrote that "he's managed to become one of the most overrated comics ever" and that his act is "boringly stagnant".
Yuk-Yuks controversy
On July 24, 2006, Cook asked for a guest spot at the Yuk-Yuks comedy club. Initially he was set to go up at the end of the night, but upon arriving at the club he requested to go up before the headliner, Peter Kelamis. Cook went over his allotted time, and after several minutes of the "wrap it up" light flashing, the club cut his microphone and attempted to "play him off" with music. Cook acted as though it was a mistake and continued his set for another five minutes until the process was repeated. Cook then dropped the mic and walked off-stage, furious, and was heard screaming obscenities at club employees backstage. Kelamis then refused to take the stage, and later referred to Cook's actions as "the most arrogant thing that I've ever seen in my life".
Mark Breslin, the founder of the comedy club chain, quickly apologized and blamed the club's manager. Breslin stated in support of Cook, "I'm on Dane's side totally, 100 percent." Breslin also explained that Kelamis was the last show that evening and there was no reason he could not have gone on late, stating "the tradition is that stardom trumps everything". When asked by People magazine "What's something you did recently you wish you could take back?" Cook responded, "I went onstage and was the rudest, most obnoxious version of myself. Women came up to me after and said, 'Don't ever say those things again. That was horrible!'".
Discography
Albums
DVDs
- 2007: The Lost Pilots DVD. Sony Pictures Television
Singles
| Year | Title | Chart positions | Album |
|---|
| US Hot 100 | US Modern Rock | US Mainstream Rock | US Pop 100 | UK Singles Chart | Germany |
|---|
| 2006 | "I'll Never Be You" | - | - | - | 100 | - | 4 | - | | 2007 | "Forward" | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Cook co-wrote and performed the song "Ruthie Pigface Draper" for the Dan In Real Life movie with Norbert Leo Butz.
Filmography
External links
News articles & interviews
- Kolakowski, Nick. . Private Air, August, 2008.
- Bensinger, Graham. . ESPN The Magazine, December, 2007.
- Bolohan, Scott. . Real Detroit Weekly, November 21, 2007.
- Gonulsen, Jason. . Glide Magazine, November 12, 2007.
- Shmuel Reuven. . JewReview.net, May 28, 2007.
- Gladstone, Neil. . AOL Comedy, Nov. 2, 2006.
- Havrilesky, Heather. . Salon, Sept. 3, 2006.
- Zoglin, Richard. . Time, May 8, 2006. From Time 100 issue.
- Kharakh, Ben. . One Trick Pony. January 2006.
- Casey, Susan. . Entertainment Weekly, Sept. 30, 2005.
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