Community Community What is Urdu poet trauma Tahir Hanfi P4 therapy P16 talks about and could it help poetry as a reflection of you? Experts talk contemporary society about the need for and more on his visit professional help. to Doha. Friday, October 4, 2019 Safar 5, 1441 AH Doha today: 310 - 400 Making the cut SPOTLIGHT: Zach Galifianakis, right, and Scott Auckerman. COVER How Netflix’s Between Two Ferns movie STORY got Reeves, Larson in the hot seat. P2-3 CUISINE SHOWBIZ All about delectable Despite controversy, Pakistani delights. Joker tipped to soar. Page 6 Page 14 2 GULF TIMES Friday, October 4, 2019 COMMUNITY COVER STORY How they super-sized Between Two Ferns Josh Rottenberg talks to Zach Galifianakis and PRAYER TIME Scott Aukerman on the guests and the glory Fajr 4.10am Shorooq (sunrise) 5.28am Zuhr (noon) 11.25am Asr (afternoon) 2.48pm Maghreb (sunset) 5.20pm Isha (night) 6.50pm USEFUL NUMBERS Emergency 999 Worldwide Emergency Number 112 Kahramaa – Electricity and Water 991 Local Directory 180 International Calls Enquires 150 Hamad International Airport 40106666 Labor Department 44508111, 44406537 Mowasalat Taxi 44588888 Qatar Airways 44496000 Hamad Medical Corporation 44392222, 44393333 Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation 44845555, 44845464 Primary Health Care Corporation 44593333 44593363 Qatar Assistive Technology Centre 44594050 Qatar News Agency 44450205 44450333 Q-Post – General Postal Corporation 44464444 Humanitarian Services Offi ce (Single window facility for the repatriation of bodies) Ministry of Interior 40253371, 40253372, 40253369 Ministry of Health 40253370, 40253364 Hamad Medical Corporation 40253368, 40253365 Qatar Airways 40253374 ote Unquo Qu te “Those who look for the bad in people will surely fi nd it.” —Abraham Lincoln Community Editor Kamran Rehmat e-mail: [email protected] Telephone: 44466405 Fax: 44350474 TWO TO TANGO: Zach Galifianakis, right, with Scott Aukerman, who directed the comedian in the new Netflix film Between Two Ferns The Movie. Friday, October 4, 2019 GULF TIMES 3 COVER STORY COMMUNITY n January 2008, without any fanfare, an unassuming video was uploaded to the website Funny or Die in which a then- largely unknown comedian Inamed Zach Galifi anakis conducted a painfully awkward interview with actor Michael Cera on a bare-bones set featuring two potted ferns. Galifi anakis lobbed disdainful questions at Cera and snored aloud at his answers. He mockingly imitated his voice. He tried to force him to tickle his thigh. And a viral comedy hit was born. Subsequent episodes of Between Two Ferns racked up millions of views and a pair of Emmys, with boldfaced names including Brad Pitt, Jennifer Lawrence, Sean Penn, Charlize Theron, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton lining up for turns in the guest chair. Eventually, Galifi anakis and co-creator Scott Aukerman started toying with the idea of expanding the series, which skewered the typically bland, fatuous back-and- forth of celebrity interviews, into a full-fl edged feature fi lm. But that BLAST FROM THE PAST: President Barack Obama during an interview with Zach Galifianakis for Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis in the Diplomatic was easier said than done. Reception Room of the White House in 2014. “To take a four- or fi ve-minute video and blow it up into a movie thoughts on celebrity Aukerman: Yeah, what was it? it’s just not a good fi t because he — how would you do that?” really have not Galifi anakis: Who was Gerald wouldn’t have a sense of humor Galifi anakis says. “And why would changed. I don’t think Ford’s vice president? It was about it, which might be kind of you do that?” there was ever a feeling [Nelson] Rockefeller. By the way, interesting to fi lm but not a fun Well, they’ve done it. Now like, “Oh, darn, I’m no-one ever knows it. You could ask situation for us. I also just think streaming on Netfl ix and featuring known now. How do Gerald Ford — he wouldn’t know. he’s boring, so it’s like, why bother? appearances by Keanu Reeves, Brie we keep doing these?” Larson, Matthew McConaughey, We haven’t done a Have there ever been people Galifi anakis: Somehow Trump Chrissy Teigen, David Letterman lot of thinking when who wanted to be guests on can turn everything sad. He has and Tiff any Haddish, the largely we do these. It’s just Between Two Ferns who you said that magic. And I don’t want improvised mockumentary-style about what makes us no to because you thought it that. I want people to laugh. I Between Two Ferns: The Movie laugh. This is not a wouldn’t work for some reason? think humour is his Achilles heel. follows Galifi anakis as he takes his thinker of a movie. I Aukerman: To be a really good (deadpan) Also his breath smells bizarro public-access talk show don’t want somebody subject, you have to have a body horrible. I’ve been near him. That across the country in pursuit of his from some highfalutin of work with some failures that we might be why people fear him. dreams of late-night-hosting glory. college trying to make can make fun of. Ideally, you also Aukerman, who wrote and sense of it. have a personal life that’s had a lot Would you do an episode with directed the fi lm and hosts the Aukerman: For of drama in it. Anytime somebody one of the 2020 presidential popular podcast Comedy Bang Zach to say that he says, “Hey, this person wants to do candidates, like Bernie Sanders? Bang, and Galifi anikis sat down doesn’t really think it,” I’ll start thinking, “What are the Galifi anakis: We asked Bernie a with The Times to discuss how they about it is, I think, him jokes?” And if you can’t come up couple of years ago and he said no, super-sized Between Two Ferns, being a little humble. with enough angles on it … which I respect immensely. the one question that was (almost) It is stuff that we’ve thought about loop. When we did that episode Galifi anakis: We’ve had too off ensive for the show and why a lot. Where we landed in sort of with Jerry Seinfeld and Cardi B (last business entities reach out to us. What is the future of Between you shouldn’t hold your breath for addressing celebrity-culture themes year), I don’t know if I knew who Ford wanted to do something. And Two Ferns at this point? President Trump to be a guest. in the movie is that obviously we she was. Harvey Weinstein, years ago. Do Galifi anakis: My feeling is, how have distaste for it, and hopefully Aukerman: Yeah, well, she you remember that? long can you do this kind of show? Where did the seed of this we’re saying that getting famous didn’t know who you were either. Aukerman: Hmm, I’m trying to Humour changes. We’re also living movie come from? doesn’t make you happy, but I don’t think of anything we could make in meaner times and I’m wondering Aukerman: We did a half-hour think we’re beating people over the Have you ever pulled back on fun of him about. how a mean interview type thing Comedy Central special fi ve years head with it. a joke about someone because Galifi anakis: Well, this was plays in this climate. or so ago (Between Two Ferns: A you felt like it crossed the line? 10 years ago. He had some movie, I mean, look, creatively you Fairytale of New York), where we You’ve got a lot of celebrities Galifi anakis: With Natalie I can’t remember. And I’m like, never should say no to anything. took a trip out to New York and packed into this movie. How did Portman, there was one joke where “Why does he want (to do this)? If it feels right and we’re lucky were just running around having you go about lining everyone I was like, “Let’s get rid of that” — Nobody knows who he is.” enough to have someone that fun and shooting anything that up? and she wanted me to say it. Galifi anakis: And we have two wants to do it again, yeah. But it’s came to our minds. It was the fi rst of them! run a good course, put it that way. time we’d done something with Aukerman: We started shooting Over the years you’ve been And this would be a nice ending Ferns that wasn’t just the fi ve- with no-one on board. It’s a crazy doing Between Two Ferns, has Zach, after you did the to it. minute video, and we had so much way to do a movie, to not know the way you make the episodes episode with Hillary Clinton Aukerman: Every single one, fun, we said, “If we can ever think what you’re shooting. The crew changed at all? during the 2016 presidential we’ve said, “That’s probably it.” of an idea that is that low-concept thought we were insane. The script Aukerman: We’ve gotten a campaign, I asked you if you’d And then someone calls up and enough that we could just set up was just a jumble of ideas, and I little more economical, especially consider doing one with Donald says, “Can we do an episode?” and on the fl y and make something would just say, “Trust us. It’s going on the movie.