美国国家公共电台 NPR Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Of 'Veep,' 'Seinfeld' Fame, Receives Mark Twain Prize

 

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

The veep was at the Kennedy Center last night. Well, I'm talking about HBO's "Veep," Julia Louis-Dreyfus. She was in the nation's capital to pick up the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. And some big names in comedy joined her there, as NPR's Elizabeth Blair reports.

ELIZABETH BLAIR, BYLINE¹: Julia Louis-Dreyfus grew up in Washington, D.C. She went to Holton-Arms, the same private high school as Christine Blasey Ford², the woman who accused Brett Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her 36 years ago. It was Tina Fey who made the connection.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

TINA FEY: Anyone who knows Julia knows she cherished her high school days, boofing out on the quad³...

(LAUGHTER)

FEY: ...Playing Devil's Triangle with her girlfriends.

(LAUGHTER)

BLAIR: But Fey also talked about being in awe⁴ of Louis-Dreyfus.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

FEY: It's her ability to appear completely effortless and natural on the surface while being a stone cold machine of timing⁵ underneath⁶ it. Julia is a Terminator robot of comedy.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "SEINFELD")

JULIA LOUIS-DREYFUS: (As Elaine Benes) I met this lawyer. We went out to dinner. I had the lobster⁷ bisque. We went back to my place, yada, yada, yada. I never heard from him again.

(LAUGHTER)

JERRY SEINFELD: (As Jerry Seinfeld) But you yada yada'd over the best part.

LOUIS-DREYFUS: (As Elaine Benes) No, I mentioned the bisque.

(LAUGHTER)

BLAIR: Comedian⁸ Kumail Nanjiani loved watching Elaine on "Seinfeld."

KUMAIL NANJIANI: It's really impressive to see how she's been redefining herself as a comedian and an actor over the decades.

BLAIR: Julia Louis-Dreyfus has won 11 Emmys, including six for "Veep." Her character is ambitious, high-strung and not very savvy⁹ about social media.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "VEEP")

LOUIS-DREYFUS: (As Selina Meyer), Why are you even here?

TIMOTHY SIMONS: (As Jonah Ryan) Oh, I came here to tell you that you're a meme, ma'am.

LOUIS-DREYFUS: (As Selina Meyer) I'm a meme-ma'am? What are you talking about? Speak English boy.

SIMONS: (As Jonah Ryan) A meme, an Internet phenomenon.

ANNA CHLUMSKY: (As Amy Brookheimer) Oh, OK.

BLAIR: Among others honoring Louis-Dreyfus was "Veep" cast member Tony Hale, who plays her fawning¹⁰ assistant. He said it's been a privilege getting to know her creative process, the way she works with writers, and her commitment to finding the right joke.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

TONY HALE: She consistently handles it with grace and integrity. Except there was that one time...

(LAUGHTER)

HALE: ...When I couldn't stop laughing during a scene. And she turned to me, and she said, Tony, you know, you're not watching the show. You're in the show.

(LAUGHTER)

BLAIR: Julia Louis-Dreyfus has been performing since she was a child. She did theater in high school, then at Northwestern. She was in an improv theater group in Chicago that was invited to join the cast of "Saturday Night Live." It was a brief and not very successful stint¹¹. But it's where she met Larry David, who went on to create "Seinfeld." Jerry Seinfeld said he liked working with Louis-Dreyfus so much, he barely needed to act at all.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

SEINFELD: I could not get enough of her. I never said or did anything inappropriate. But that whole time - nine years - I was not acting¹². I couldn't.

BLAIR: Last year, Julia Louis-Dreyfus was diagnosed with breast cancer. Accepting the award last night, she said everybody needs laughs.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

LOUIS-DREYFUS: So the fact that I've had the opportunity to make people laugh for a living is one of the many blessings¹³ that I have received in my life.

BLAIR: A telecast of the Kennedy Center's Mark Twain Prize for American Humor airs on PBS next month. Elizabeth Blair, NPR News, Washington.

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 Ford   

n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过

参考例句：

• They were guarding the bridge,so we forded the river.他们驻守在那座桥上，所以我们只能涉水过河。
• If you decide to ford a stream,be extremely careful.如果已决定要涉过小溪，必须极度小心。

3 quad   

n.四方院；四胞胎之一；v.在…填补空铅

参考例句：

• His rooms were on the left-hand side of the quad.他的房间位于四方院的左侧。
• She is a 34-year-old mother of quads.她是个生了四胞胎的34岁的母亲。

4 awe   

n.敬畏，惊惧；vt.使敬畏，使惊惧

参考例句：

• The sight filled us with awe.这景色使我们大为惊叹。
• The approaching tornado struck awe in our hearts.正在逼近的龙卷风使我们惊恐万分。

5 timing   

n.时间安排，时间选择

参考例句：

• The timing of the meeting is not convenient.会议的时间安排不合适。
• The timing of our statement is very opportune.我们发表声明选择的时机很恰当。

6 underneath   

adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面

参考例句：

• Working underneath the car is always a messy job.在汽车底下工作是件脏活。
• She wore a coat with a dress underneath.她穿着一件大衣，里面套着一条连衣裙。

7 lobster   

n.龙虾，龙虾肉

参考例句：

• The lobster is a shellfish.龙虾是水生贝壳动物。
• I like lobster but it does not like me.我喜欢吃龙虾，但它不适宜于我的健康。

8 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。

9 savvy   

v.知道，了解；n.理解能力，机智，悟性；adj.有见识的，懂实际知识的，通情达理的

参考例句：

• She was a pretty savvy woman.她是个见过世面的漂亮女人。
• Where's your savvy?你的常识到哪里去了？

10 fawning   

adj.乞怜的，奉承的v.（尤指狗等）跳过来往人身上蹭以示亲热( fawn的现在分词 )；巴结；讨好

参考例句：

• The servant worn a fawning smile. 仆人的脸上露出一种谄笑。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Then, what submission, what cringing and fawning, what servility, what abject humiliation! 好一个低眉垂首、阿谀逢迎、胁肩谄笑、卑躬屈膝的场面！ 来自英汉文学 - 双城记

11 stint   

v.节省，限制，停止；n.舍不得化，节约，限制；连续不断的一段时间从事某件事

参考例句：

• He lavished money on his children without stint.他在孩子们身上花钱毫不吝惜。
• We hope that you will not stint your criticism.我们希望您不吝指教。

12 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

13 blessings   

n.（上帝的）祝福( blessing的名词复数 )；好事；福分；因祸得福

参考例句：

• Afflictions are sometimes blessings in disguise. 塞翁失马，焉知非福。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• We don't rely on blessings from Heaven. 我们不靠老天保佑。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》