"Lost" Chapelle Show episodes to air this weekend!

[SlurveBaller66]

July 7, 2006

"Somebody had to do this," Charlie Murphy says, stating the obvious, as he and sketchmate Donnell Rawlings take the stage to introduce the puzzle pieces Dave Chappelle abandoned when he bolted "Chappelle's Show" a year ago April. Finally premiering on Comedy Central this weekend as "Chappelle's Show: The Lost Episodes" - without Chappelle's input - the slated-for-third-season sketches Dave has since disowned are as outrageously pointed, loaded with potential and fitfully funny as the man who left $55 million behind.

That much-reported contract clearly was weighing heavy on Chappelle's mind as he went to work earning its big bucks by lampooning them. In Sunday's first sketch, car washes suddenly cost Dave $873, and haircuts go for $11K after the locals get wind of their homeboy's hefty payday. There's also a mournful warning voiced, right after nefarious IRS agents pull pieces to collect their silver: "You didn't have to do two more seasons," Dave is told by a dying comrade. "No matter how good the show is, they're only gonna say 'It's not as good as last year was.'" "I know," comes the somber reply from a hardly jesting Chappelle. "I already know that."

Keen as this is, it's not all that funny, which is probably why Chappelle belatedly decided to leave well enough alone. Not that he couldn't have delivered more kick-butt material. Chappelle's a sharp enough guy to ultimately produce. But the pop culture timing and comedy atmosphere might not have been favorable for the kind of out-of-left-field flair that made "Chappelle's Show" such a sensation originally, from its Rick James swagger to its blind racist unaware he's black.

Sunday's first half-hour contains essentially four skits that barely fill half that length (Murphy and Rawlings do the padding), and two of those are "Dave's rich"-related. The others are hip-hop swipes that feel a little too easy to resonate with the slap "Chappelle's" should have. Most of the bits have their clever moments, even some of the signature bite, but it seems Dave knew what was coming, so he got gone.

Comedy Central's main stage now seems left to Carlos Mencia, whose "Mind of Mencia" has shown plenty of spark, too, when it comes to American cultural absurdities. The second season kicks off Sunday with Carlos in blackface helping ensure "freedom of speech" gets amended into the Constitution. It's delivered with a surplus of screech, though, a tactic to which the livewire Mencia too often resorts as a laugh accelerator. Rappers, rednecks, Middle East sheiks and an "office pimp" provide this week's racial red meat, while Mencia manages celebrity name checks from Rosie O'Donnell to Star Jones Reynolds' husband's, uh, body parts.

And he reaches, too, for a "Chappelle's Show" shout-out. Mencia may air on the same network but hasn't reached the same stratosphere.

source- washington post

[Logann]

He went crazy? brb....Okay, looked It up on wiki and

Season 3 turbulence

The comedian stunned fans and the entertainment industry when he abruptly left during production of the third season of Chappelle's Show. He spent two weeks in South Africa before returning home to his 65-acre farm near Yellow Springs, and then returned to standup comedy. His decision triggered reports that he had mental or drug problems, which he denied. On May 11, 2005, news sources (most notably Entertainment Weekly) reported that Chappelle had checked himself into a psychiatric facility in South Africa. Chappelle denies this. On May 14, 2005, Time Magazine announced that one of their reporters had interviewed Chappelle in South Africa, and the comedian said no psychiatric treatments were occurring or necessary. Chappelle reportedly went to South Africa to purify himself and to do some soul searching. Chappelle has also said he was unhappy with the direction of his show. He has recently claimed that he felt pressured by network executives regarding the show's content.

Chappelle's Show is on hiatus as of May 2006 while he sorts out unspecified personal issues. On August 3, 2005, co-star Charlie Murphy (brother of comedian Eddie Murphy) gave an interview to TV Guide stating that he believed that Dave Chappelle was finished with Chappelle's Show and would not be returning. Although Chappelle might have been done with filming the show, Comedy Central had reported that they were to release the un-aired sketches of the third season of Chappelle's Show into a couple of half hour episodes in mid-2006. A season three trailer was shown on Comedy Central during their Last Laugh '05 and then on their web site.

Chappelle himself, however, has expressed disdain at the possibility of his material from the unfinished third season being aired, saying not only does he feel that it is "a bully move", but also that he would not return to the show if Comedy Central were to air the unfinished material.

On May 30, 2006, Comedy Central announced plans to air Chappelle's Show: The Lost Episodes on July 9, 2006. An uncensored DVD release of the episodes will be available on July 25, 2006. Chappelle has made no comment on the release of the unaired episodes.

Meh.