Al Franken titled his 1996 bestseller "___ Is a Big Fat Idiot and Other Observations". Whose name fills the blank?

"Comédie larmoyante", or "tearful comedy", was established as a genre in the 1700s in which country? Comedy Central had a hit in 1994 with which British import starring Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley? Which Canadian comedy series moved from the CBC to NBC and then to Cinemax? Which comedy style, in which the performer shows no emotion, is associated with Buster Keaton? Which comet of 1973 failed to put on its promised spectacular show? Comet, Lysol and Pine-Sol are brands of which kind of product? Which casual shoe brand, introduced in 1958, has a basset hound as its logo? Which comfy, informal chair filled with small pellets is often found in dorm rooms?