Aziz Ansari

CHICAGO – “30 Minutes or Less” isn’t a complete disaster but it definitely falls into the sophomore slump category given the general awesomeness of Ruben Fleischer’s incredible comedy/horror/action hybrid “Zombieland.” This follow-up would barely be noticed if it didn’t involve so many talented people taking a step down from previous work. Jesse Eisenberg rules in “The Social Network”; Aziz Ansari rules in “Parks and Recreation”; Danny McBride rules in “Eastbound & Down”. There’s really nothing about “30 Minutes or Less” that comes close to ruling.

CHICAGO – “Modern Family” may have just won the Emmy and “Louie” & “Curb Your Enthusiasm” both had very strong summer outings, but the fourth-season premiere of NBC’s “Parks and Recreation” (and the equally-hysterical episode that follows it) makes the case that the Amy Poehler vehicle is the best comedy on television right now. With incredibly smart writing and increasingly impressive performances from the entire ensemble, “Parks and Rec” just keeps getting funnier.

CHICAGO – There’s quite a race for the best comedy of the year and I suspect that “Modern Family” will take the Emmy at Sunday’s awards (which we’ll get into more in-depth with a predictions feature later in the week), but the winner by a nose for this critic is NBC’s “Parks and Recreation,” a show that just got better episode by episode as its brilliant third season progressed. See for yourself with the recently-released DVD from Universal.

CHICAGO – Following our low-grade review of the new Jesse Eisenberg and Aziz Ansari comedy “30 Minutes or less,” what we find most interesting is why these talented stars think it’s much funnier than it actually is.

CHICAGO – The new half-unfunny comedy “30 Minutes or Less” stands as a destructive come down for newly minted star Jesse Eisenberg following his high-profile role as Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg in David Fincher’s “The Social Network”.

CHICAGO – The midseason premiere of season three of “Parks & Recreation” starts by catching us up on what we’ve missed. It details the arrivals of auditors, the “black hats,” played by the non-descript Adam Scott and a goofily-exuberant Rob Lowe, and features a tongue-and-cheek detailing of the budget crisis facing the parks department.

CHICAGO – Amy Poehler’s “Parks and Recreation” had the serious problem of trying to find an audience on NBC during the destruction of the network by “The Jay Leno Show.” Debuting in April of 2009, it struggled to find a following and then barely hung around through the disastrous times at NBC during the 2009-10 season. To everyone’s surprise, it was renewed and will return on a revamped Thursday night lineup in January. To try and ignite interest in the show one more time, Universal has released the second season of this better-than-average show.

CHICAGO – Improving with every episode of its short first season, now available on DVD, “Parks and Recreation” returns tonight with the best episode of comedy in tonight’s much-hyped cavalcade of premieres. Amy Poehler, Rashida Jones, Paul Schneider, and the rest of the cast and writers of “Parks and Recreation” are doing everything they can to turn their comedy into the next NBC must-see show. Do your part and tune in.

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(L to R) Seth Rogen as Ira, writer/director/producer Judd Apatow and Adam Sandler as George.

CHICAGO – This 30-image slideshow contains the official press images for “Funny People,” starring Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen, Leslie Mann, Eric Bana, Jonah Hill, Jason Schwartzman, RZA, Aubrey Plaza, and Aziz Ansari. It was written and directed by Judd Apatow. The film opens on July 31st, 2009.

Television Rating: 3.5/5.0

CHICAGO – The Emmy Award-winning team behind NBC’s massively successful “The Office” returns to the mockumentary format with the similar “Parks and Recreation,” an effective comedy starring Amy Poehler of “Saturday Night Live,” Rashida Jones (“I Love You, Man”), Aziz Ansari (“Observe and Report”), and Paul Schneider (“Lars & the Real Girl”).