Not only was Mike Nelson one of the minds behind the fantastic "Mystery Science Theater 3000," but he's a very funny guy in his own right who continues to roll out new projects. While he wasn't the original host of "MST3K," Nelson's tenure as head writer and later as host helped to define the show. Much as I liked Joel Hodgson, I really think Nelson was the better host. He was much more comfortable on camera, had a more affable personality and his style of humor was a much better fit. Joel always seemed to be more of a passive riffer...Mike, Kevin Murphy (and later Bill Corbett) really turned up the heat and brought a new biting, acerbic edge to the comedy and the shows were great.
And unlike Joel, Mike has been steadily working in comedy since MST3K folded. Currently, he and some of his cohorts from the Satellite of Love have new movie-riffing ventures ("The Film Crew" DVDs and the web-based "Rifftrax.") These new projects show that time away from riffing has not dulled Nelson's wit...he's still as savagely funny as ever.
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