Mel and Carl take the cake at #COMEDYFEST Opening Day

Comedy Central ushered in its first ever social media driven comedy festival yesterday. There were no tents, overpriced drinks or porta potties to be found. With just an Internet connection and a Twitter account, one was privy to a bevy of comedy delights. The highlight of Monday’s events was a live-streamed discussion from L.A.’s Paley Center starring comedy greats Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner. The moderator was none other than the esteemed comedy director, Judd Apatow. The hour long panel revealed some insightful trivia. The worldwide audience learned that lifelong friends, Mel and Carl, are huge fans of Breaking Bad and showed great admiration for other TV shows like 30 Rock, The Office, and Homeland. And if that wasn’t shocking enough, we discovered that the two directors have huge fights over chicken, Zankou chicken to be exact. I’m guessing showing up at Mel’s house with some shawerma might lead to some mental distress. Some of the more profound thoughts that film-makers shared included “Comedy always reflects the mores of the times” and “making fun of the things around you always works.” Of course, the event would not have been complete with out a Mel Brook’s Hitler reference as all Paley audience members held up their free copy of Carl Reiner’s book “I Remember Me” in unison for the photographers. I can’t wait to see how the rest of the fest unfolds!