美国国家公共电台 NPR Kevin Hart's New Online Comedy Service Joins Crowded Streaming Market

 

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

The actor Kevin Hart is launching an all-digital streaming comedy service. The Laugh Out Loud Network is the latest entry in a crowded market. NPR's Elizabeth Blair reports.

ELIZABETH BLAIR, BYLINE¹: Kevin Hart is super active on social media. Between his Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, he's got more than 100 million followers².

(SOUNDBITE OF COMEDY SPECIAL, "I'M A GROWN LITTLE MAN")

KEVIN HART: You got to know who you are as an individual. If you're not a fighter, understand that you're not a fighter. I know I'm not a fighter. That's why I carry a whistle.

(LAUGHTER)

HART: I'll blow the [expletive] out of a whistle...

BLAIR: In partnership³ with Lionsgate, Hart and his team are scouting⁴ for all kinds of comedy, says his marketing⁵ head, Thai Randolph.

THAI RANDOLPH: So you'll see sketches⁶ and clips. You'll see previews of some of the short films that we might be carrying. And then you'll also see a lot of stand-up.

BLAIR: Including old-school stand-up. The LOL Network will stream the Def Comedy Jam archives, the 1990s TV show that helped launch the careers of, among other comedians⁸, Bernie Mac and Chris Tucker.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "DEF COMEDY JAM")

CHRIS TUCKER: You ever had a neighbor that borrow your [expletive]...

(LAUGHTER)

TUCKER: ...And keep it so long...

(LAUGHTER)

TUCKER: ...You have to borrow it back?

(LAUGHTER)

BLAIR: The LOL Network will have plenty of neighbors to contend with - Comedy Central, Netflix, HBO, Funny or Die, Adult Swim. It's crowded out there. NBCUniversal's comedy platform Seeso is having a hard time. Staff members have left. Shows are in limbo⁹. Ron Funches is keeping an eye on what Kevin Hart's doing. He likes that this new network is being driven by a fellow comedian⁷.

RON FUNCHES: I am excited about it. It's just fun to have people take control of the machine aspect of it.

BLAIR: Funches doesn't know yet if he'll get involved with the LOL Network. He says he might like to start his own thing. Elizabeth Blair, NPR News.

1 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

2 followers   

追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件

参考例句：

• the followers of Mahatma Gandhi 圣雄甘地的拥护者
• The reformer soon gathered a band of followers round him. 改革者很快就获得一群追随者支持他。

3 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

4 scouting   

守候活动，童子军的活动

参考例句：

• I have people scouting the hills already. 我已经让人搜过那些山了。
• Perhaps also from the Gospel it passed into the tradition of scouting. 也许又从《福音书》传入守望的传统。 来自演讲部分

5 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

6 sketches   

n.草图( sketch的名词复数 )；素描；速写；梗概

参考例句：

• The artist is making sketches for his next painting. 画家正为他的下一幅作品画素描。
• You have to admit that these sketches are true to life. 你得承认这些素描很逼真。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 comedian   

n.喜剧演员；滑稽演员

参考例句：

• The comedian tickled the crowd with his jokes.喜剧演员的笑话把人们逗乐了。
• The comedian enjoyed great popularity during the 30's.那位喜剧演员在三十年代非常走红。

8 comedians   

n.喜剧演员，丑角( comedian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The voice was rich, lordly, Harvardish, like all the boring radio comedians'imitations. 声音浑厚、威严，俨然是哈佛出身的气派，就跟无线电里所有的滑稽演员叫人已经听腻的模仿完全一样。 来自辞典例句
• He distracted them by joking and imitating movie and radio comedians. 他用开玩笑的方法或者模仿电影及广播中的滑稽演员来对付他们。 来自辞典例句

9 limbo   

n.地狱的边缘；监狱

参考例句：

• His life seemed stuck in limbo and he could not go forward and he could not go back.他的生活好像陷入了不知所措的境地，进退两难。
• I didn't know whether my family was alive or dead.I felt as if I was in limbo.我不知道家人是生是死，感觉自己茫然无措。