- Pierre Bernard (comedian)
Infobox Comedian
name = Pierre Bernard, Jr.
imagesize =
caption =
birth_name = Pierre Bernard, Jr.
birth_date =
birth_place =
medium =television
nationality = American
active =
genre =Sketch comedy ,Physical comedy ,Surreal humor
influences =
subjects =self-deprecation ,pop culture
spouse =
notable_work = Graphic designer for ""Late Night with Conan O'Brien "
Sgt. O'Brien in "Stargate SG-1 "
website = [http://www.totallygraphic.com/ Totally Graphic]
footnotes =
emmyawards =Pierre Bernard, Jr. is a
graphic designer andcomedian for theNBC show "Late Night with Conan O'Brien ". He regularly appears in a sketch known as "Pierre Bernard's Recliner of Rage", where he complains about issues that concern him. Presumably, he sits in a recliner during these segments simply for the sake of comfort. The issues that he complains about are typically esoteric in nature and mainly deal withcomic books ,drawing , orscience fiction .The humor in these segments derives from the obscure, inconsequential nature of the topics and Pierre's unemotional delivery of his "rage."Or|date=September 2007 The segment may have been inspired by an earlier sketch where someone began selling coins on eBay featuring one of his graphic designs for the "New Commemorative State Quarters" sketch. Conan invited Pierre up to his desk, where he showed his original design and attacked the copycats by saying something like, "You bastards. You think you can steal from me? .... You A-holes are going down," in a completely unemotional fashion.
Notable appearances
Pierre Bernard's Recliner of Rage
Drawing pens
In one segment, Bernard complained that a certain brand of drawing pen that he enjoyed was discontinued.
Bottle Caps
In another segment, Pierre was collecting a certain type of Snapple bottle cap for an art project, only to find that the caps had changed in design.
Robotech
Bernard complained on one segment about the increasing number of
Robotech DVDs. [http://www.robotech.com/news/viewarticle.php?id=199 Robotech.com actually responds] .Action Figures
This segment sees Bernard complaining about the Justice League Unlimited action figures.
Case Closed
Bernard complains about The Cartoon Network putting
Case Closed on duringCowboy Bebop 's usual airtime. He dislikes Case Closed's campy 70's style tunes compared to Cowboy Bebop's jazzy ones which helped him sleep. Coincidentally, Case Closed's main character takes the assumed first name of Conan.targate SG-1
One segment garnered Bernard somewhat of a cult following in the "
Stargate SG-1 " community. The initial segment was a complaint that "Stargate SG-1 " was better without Dr.Daniel Jackson (played byMichael Shanks ). Shanks had left "SG-1" after the fifth season only to return for the seventh season, and Bernard felt Jackson's involvement with the team averted too many action sequences.After the "SG-1" production team saw the sketch, they were so excited that Bernard gave "SG-1" national TV publicity that they offered him an extra role on an episode of "SG-1" as a technician named O'Brien (for
Conan O'Brien ). Bernard's filming process was recorded and aired as a remote segment on Late Night. When asked if he would return for another episode, he showed a clip where his character is shot after he greets an off-screen Dr. Jackson.He was then invited to an "SG-1" convention as a famous guest, which was also recorded and aired as a remote on "Late Night".
He also appeared in the Season 8 episode Zero Hour as O'Brien, his first appearance on an aired episode.
He then appeared in the 200th episode of "SG-1", now as a
zombie d O'Brien, and is shot by a main character.cite episode |title = 200 |episodelink=200 (Stargate SG-1)|series = Stargate SG-1 |serieslink = Stargate SG-1 |credits = |network = The Sci Fi Network |station = |city = |airdate = 2006 |season=10|number =200 ] The behind-the-scenes production of this was shown on the May 5th show ofLate Night with Conan O'Brien .cite episode |title = Late Night with Conan O'Brien |series = Late Night with Conan O'Brien |serieslink = Late Night with Conan O'Brien |credits = |network = NBC |station = |city = New York |airdate = 2006-05-06 |number = ]In 2006, Pierre was interviewed by
The Scifi World with regards to his appearances on "SG-1".cite web | last =Nuytens | first =Gilles | authorlink =Gilles Nuytens | coauthors =Linda Craddock | title =Interview with Pierre Bernard Jr. | work =Interviews | publisher =TSW: The Scifi World | date =2006-07-17 | url =http://www.thescifiworld.net/interviews/pierre_bernard_01.htm | format =htm
accessdate = 2007-03-15 ]After the show was canceled, Pierre returned in another segment of "Recliner" complaining to the
Sci Fi Network regarding the show's cancellation.cite episode |title = Late Night with Conan O'Brien |series = Late Night with Conan O'Brien |serieslink = Late Night with Conan O'Brien |credits = |network = NBC |station = |city = New York |airdate = 2006-09-08 |number = ] In a later episode of the show, Conan O'Brien allows Pierre to come on the show and rant about the cancellation of Stargate SG-1. In a follow-up sketch to this rant, Conan announced that he would do Pierre a favor by havingJon Lovitz call the Sci Fi Channel to ask programming executiveMark Stern to reverse the cancellation.cite episode |title = Late Night with Conan O'Brien |series = Late Night with Conan O'Brien |serieslink = Late Night with Conan O'Brien |credits = |network = NBC |station = |city = New York |airdate = 2006-09-12 |number = ]Bobblehead Collection
After receiving an
Empire Today bobblehead doll , Bernard decides to begin a bobblehead doll collection. However, after ordering 60 bobbleheads, he finds that some were in fact figures in which the head remains stationary and the body bobbles. Bernard feels strongly that such figures should be "accurately labeled" as "bobble-body" and "not" "bobble-head".cite episode |title = Late Night with Conan O'Brien |series = Late Night with Conan O'Brien |serieslink = Late Night with Conan O'Brien |credits = |network = NBC |station = |city = New York |airdate = 2006-06-21 |number = ]Betty Boop figurine
Pierre wanted to buy a 5-foot
Betty Boop statue for his living room, but, after being told by a female co-worker that a life-size statue of a cartoon character would severely limit his prospects of keeping a girlfriend, Pierre decided, instead, that he would settle for an 18-inch figurine of Betty Boop which he found particularly alluring as she is dressed up in a black French maid outfit. Unfortunately, the website where he spotted the black-outfitted version of the figurine had completely sold out of them, and, while he found another website selling the French maid Betty Boop figurine, the uniform itself was red, which Pierre doesn't find to be a suitable uniform color for a French maid. He wanted to call the company that made the figurine, Character Collectibles, but he complains that he couldn't find a phone number anywhere on their website.cite episode |title = Late Night with Conan O'Brien |series = Late Night with Conan O'Brien |serieslink = Late Night with Conan O'Brien |credits = |network = NBC |station = |city = New York |airdate = 2006-11-28 |number = ]Hot Wheels Display Cases
In a segment that aired on
January 11 ,2007 , Bernard complains about not finding a suitable display case for hisHot Wheels collection, including the famed Arachnorod model. He wants to display the collection in his bathroom, but one case cannot accommodate trucks, and another has distracting hinges.cite episode |title = Late Night with Conan O'Brien |series = Late Night with Conan O'Brien |serieslink = Late Night with Conan O'Brien |credits = |network = NBC |station = |city = New York |airdate = 2007-01-11 |number = ]Anime Network
On the
April 13 ,2007 show, Pierre expressed his love for Japaneseanime and the female voice actors. He stated that he was angry that the East Coast cable providers did not allow him to subscribe to theAnime Network so he could listen to their voices all day.cite episode |title = Late Night with Conan O'Brien |series = Late Night with Conan O'Brien |serieslink = Late Night with Conan O'Brien |credits = |network = NBC |station = |city = New York |airdate = 2007-04-13 |number = ]Dragon Con
On the
September 5 ,2007 show, Bernard complained about his recent visit toDragon Con . He described it as an event similar to the more popularComic Con , but one which Bernard thinks is better. His complaint involved waiting in numerous lines, not being able to eat hisChick-fil-A meal, and not receiving a badge of the Dragon Con logo he was counting on getting.cite episode | title = Late Night with Conan O'Brien| series = Late Night with Conan O'Brien | serieslink = Late Night with Conan O'Brien | airdate = 2007-09-05 | number =]Red Plum Advertisements
On the
April 11 ,2008 show, Bernard complained about not getting aBest Buy advertisement. He stated that while he receives weekly mailers notifying him of sales in his area, these ads are typically only for grocery stores. He admits that these are sometimes useful, such as when he was notified about a sale onPop-Tarts . Bernard's complaint, however, is that he never receives notice of sales at high-end stores or stores that specialize in electronics. Bernard specifically mentionsBest Buy . Recently, a special edition DVD ofI Am Legend (film) was on sale there. Neighboring areas were made aware of the sale, but he was, "left in the dark like a fool." By the time he found out about the sale, the DVD was regular price and had no bonus disk. He called the distributor responsible for his weekly mailer, Red Plum, and was told there was nothing they could do. cite episode | title = Late Night with Conan O'Brien| series = Late Night with Conan O'Brien | serieslink = Late Night with Conan O'Brien |credits = |network = NBC |station = |city = New York |airdate = 2008-04-11 | number =]Pierre Bernard: Serial Killer
On the
March 13 ,2008 episode NBC aired a sketch of Conan interviewing Pierre Bernard in a mock news style ala The Today Show orDateline NBC . The cause of the interview was Bernard's real life refusal to allow the show to tape a remote segment at his house with his sizeable action figure collection. Conan contended that this refusal could be explained only by Pierre Bernard being a serial killer. In the interview Conan asks Bernard questions meant to make him look like a killing machine. This is contrasted with Bernard's mostly unemotional responses. As the interview goes on Bernard gets more into the spirit of the gag and at one point admits the he doesn't describe himself as prolific because "I haven't been killing for a long time." The segment ends with Pierre being wheeled onstage in astraightjacket and a face mask in a parody ofHannibal Lecter in "The Silence of the Lambs".cite episode | title = Late Night with Conan O'Brien | episodelink = | series = Late Night with Conan O'Brien | serieslink = Late Night with Conan O'Brien | credits = | network = NBC | station = | city = New York | airdate = 2007-03-13 | began = | ended = | season = | number = | minutes = | transcript = | transcripturl =]Other appearances
Pierre has appeared at other times on
Late Night with Conan O'Brien , both as himself and acting as characters. He has portrayedWhoopi Goldberg , the rejectedX-Men characterVelcro eto,cite episode | title =Late Night with Conan O'Brien | series = Late Night with Conan O'Brien | serieslink = Late Night with Conan O'Brien | airdate = 2006-05-27 | number =] and a character that was supposed to beJohn Mayer 's only black male fan.As himself, in one of his first appearances (if not "the" first), he appeared in a sketch where Conan took him, another co-worker, and Joel Goddard on a spending spree in
New York City , following the recommendation that shopping was the best thing one could do to help the city recover following September 11. In another segment, a parody ofNBC 'sThe More You Know segments, Bernard advises high school seniors to hire an escort to avoid the anxiety of finding aprom date. He cautions, however, before spending the money, to make sure she doesn't have apenis . In another early appearance, Pierre was brought out in recognition of his appearance in an NBC or Rockefeller Center newsletter noting his dedication to fitness.Pierre appeared in a non-recliner sketch on the
June 9 ,2006 show. In the segment entitled "Prom Primer", he gave nonsensical and humorous advice on going to the prom.cite episode |title = Late Night with Conan O'Brien |series = Late Night with Conan O'Brien |serieslink = Late Night with Conan O'Brien |credits = |network = NBC |station = |city = New York |airdate = 2006-06-09 |number = ] On the October 17, 2006 show, Pierre was in a comedy sequence about satellite tv channels.cite episode |title = Late Night with Conan O'Brien |series = Late Night with Conan O'Brien |serieslink = Late Night with Conan O'Brien |credits = |network = NBC |station = |city = New York |airdate = 2006-10-17 |number = ] He was also in a bit part on the show a few days after as a part of the recurring gag, "New Fall Characters ". In the segment, Pierre was dressed in a diaper and was theAfrica n baby that Madonna did not adopt.cite episode |title = Late Night with Conan O'Brien |series = Late Night with Conan O'Brien |serieslink = Late Night with Conan O'Brien |credits = |network = NBC |station = |city = New York |airdate = 2006-10-19 |number = ]Pierre appeared in a bit gag on the show's February 13 airing where he was shown exercising on a stationary bike to test the effects of his sweat on females. This was in response to a then-recent study that claimed that male sweat had
aphrodesiac -like effects on women.cite episode |title = Late Night with Conan O'Brien |series = Late Night with Conan O'Brien |serieslink = Late Night with Conan O'Brien |credits = |network = NBC |station = |city = New York |airdate = 2007-02-13 |number = ] On the 2007 February 26 show, Pierre was in a skit where he reenacted some select scenes from the then-recentAcademy Awards show. It was explained by Conan that the sketch was being done due toNBC being unable to show actual clips of the event.cite episode |title = Late Night with Conan O'Brien |series = Late Night with Conan O'Brien |serieslink = Late Night with Conan O'Brien |credits = |network = NBC |station = |city = New York |airdate = 2007-02-26 |number = ] In a "Hannigan the Travelling Salesman " sketch that aired on the Thursday, April 12th, 2007 episode of "Late Night with Conan O'Brien", Pierre had a cameo as a character dressed in a gym vest and short running shorts named "Gay Haitian Lee", a pun on "Playstation 3".cite episode |title = Late Night with Conan O'Brien |series = Late Night with Conan O'Brien |serieslink = Late Night with Conan O'Brien |credits = |network = NBC |station = |city = New York |airdate = 2007-04-12 |number = ]During the show's
San Francisco excursion in May 2007, Pierre participated in a sketch where he played a San Francisco enthusiast whose calves had grown to enormous proportions walking up the city's hilly streets.cite episode |title = Late Night with Conan O'Brien |series = Late Night with Conan O'Brien |serieslink = Late Night with Conan O'Brien |credits = |network = NBC |station = |city = New York |airdate = 2007-05-02 |number = ]In September 2007, Pierre was flown out to
Garnett, Kansas to appear in a local commercial forThe Sherwood Inn ,"http://www.sherwoodinn.biz] a local "good ol' down-home-cookin'" restaurant. The entire commercial was aired on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, and when Pierre was asked how much he was paid for the ad he said he was paid "in food." During the bit, Pierre expressed his desire to be in a commercial for the furniture companyLa-Z-Boy .cite episode | title = Late Night with Conan O'Brien| series = Late Night with Conan O'Brien | serieslink = Late Night with Conan O'Brien | airdate = 2007-09-11 | number =]He appeared as Senator
Barack Obama 's arm on an episode that aired June 3, 2008 to commemorate Obama's Democratic Nomination, which was confirmed earlier that day.Bibliography
* cite episode | title = Late Night with Conan O'Brien | episodelink = Late Night with Conan O'Brien
credits = | network = NBC | city = New York | began = | ended =References
External links
* [http://www.totallygraphic.com/ Totally Graphic] official website
*imdb name|id=1642993|name=Pierre Bernard
*" [http://www.gateworld.net/news/2005/08/stargateconventiononiconan.shtml Stargate convention on "Conan" this week] " article at Gateworld.net
* [http://www.robotechcompanion.com/pierrescript.html Text of the "Robotech" rant] (accessedAugust 20 2006 )
* [http://kiyone.blogspot.com/2006_11_26_archive.html#382333243882668836 Text of the Betty Boop figurine rant] (accessedNovember 30 2006 )
* [http://kiyone.blogspot.com/2007/04/pierre-bernards-recliner-of-rage.html Text of the Anime Network rant] (accessedApril 14 2007 )
* [http://www.robotech.com/news/viewarticle.php?id=199 Open Letter to "Late Night with Conan O'Brien"] on Robotech.com (accessedAugust 20 2006 )
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