In a new interview about his joke-writing process, comedian Jerry Seinfeld opens a video, shot by The New York Times Magazine, by saying, "I know you think people are going to be interested in this, but they're not."

Oh, but we are.

What follows is a 5-minute story about the two years Seinfeld has spent writing a joke about Pop-Tarts. Yes, you read that right: TWO YEARS. "It's a long time to spend on something that means absolutely nothing," Seinfeld concedes. "But that's what I do."

What exactly the comedian does was painted in broad strokes in his long-running TV series "Seinfeld," then dissected with a finer point in the 2002 documentary "Comedian." Not since then has Seinfeld so candidly revealed his comedic process like he does in the video and accompanying print piece, available online now.

There are some great takeaways in the package for fans of Seinfeld (the man, and the show). Among them: Seinfeld and "Seinfeld" co-creator Larry David used to write every episode of the show longhand, on a yellow legal pad with a blue Bic pen. Here's a close-up of that treatment when it comes to the Pop-Tart joke.

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If you're still waiting for that one great thing that Twitter will give us, the wait may be over. The "Modern Seinfeld" feed has arrived. With fewer than 40 tweets as the time of this writing, @SeinfeldToday has more than 20,000 followers. Each tweet is a logline of an episode of the iconic show, as if it were still on the air.

AP file

The stars of "Seinfeld," from left, Michael Richards as Kramer, Jason Alexander as George Costanza, Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Elaine Benes and Jerry Seinfeld as himself.

Can't you imagine a show that involves addictive Internet trends, like Pinterest? This tweet posits just that scenario: "Elaine yells at her co-workers for loving Pinterest. Kramer becomes an @Uber driver. George opens actual jerk store on Etsy." And yes, we agree, the Trader Joe's line would give Jerry some fantastic fodder: "Jerry gets in a fight in the Trader Joes line. George's Netflix thinks he's gay. Elaine has to get One Direction tickets for her boss's kid."

There's no indication that anyone associated with the original show is behind the feed, but it can be assumed that like the folks behind "Seinfeld," the Twitter author is deeply familiar with New York City, as evidenced by this tweet that name checks notoriously tough-to-get-into spinning studio SoulCycle.

The @SeinfeldToday feed has been up barely a full 24 hours, and it's already chocked so full of pop culture goodness, if it doesn't make you yearn for a revival of the show, you were probably never a fan to begin with.

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Jason Kempin / Getty Images

Jerry Seinfeld.

In a piece that ran in Monday's New York Times, Neil Genzlinger opined about his dislike for the the use of the word "really" as a comedic tool. "I’m not talking about 'Really?' as a request for more information or an expression of surprise," he wrote. "I’m referring to the more recent, faddish use of it: delivered with a high-pitched sneer to indicate a contempt so complete that it requires no clarification."

Genzlinger goes on to say that when "Really?" pops up in scripted shows, it's "lazy writing" and the use of those "Reallys?" are playing a role in the "continuing collapse of society." Really.

Jerry Seinfeld, who has performed in the hit "Saturday Night Live" sketch "Really?!? With Seth and Amy" took umbrage with Genzlinger's notions, and penned a letter to The New York Times defending its use.

Seinfeld wrote: "Your Critic’s Notebook column about the overuse of the term 'Really?' was so deeply vacuous that I couldn’t help but feel that you have stepped into my area of expertise. Really, Neil? Really? You’re upset about too many people saying, 'Really?'? I mean, really. O.K., fine, when it’s used in scripted media, it is a little lazy. But comedy writers are lazy. You’re not fixing that. So, here’s the bottom line. If you’re a writer, fine, don’t use it. But in conversation it is fun to say."

Seinfeld's example of when, precisely, it is fine to say "Really?" riffs on an example from the original piece. "Your example with the girl in the office and the bad clothes? It is definitely much more fun to look at her and just say, 'Really?' than to actually talk about the stupid outfit. Really, it is ... You crumbled a bit of civilization off there yourself. Really."

Seinfeld's letter struck a chord: it became the No. 1 most viewed article on NYTimes.com -- the first time a letter to the Times has ever hit the top spot, according to what letters editor Thomas Feyer told Jim Romenesko.  

What do you think of the use of the word? We want to hear from you on Facebook. Really.

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Crackle

Michael Richards, left, and Jerry Seinfeld chat about working together on "Seinfeld" in the last installment of the web series "Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee."

Jerry Seinfeld's web series "Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee" has been a reliably hilarious glimpse into the world of Seinfeld and his famous comedian-type friends. But the recent installment, starring former "Seinfeld" co-star Michael Richards takes a decidedly more serious turn.

If you recall, Richards was caught on tape at an L.A. comedy club responding to hecklers in the audience with a shockingly racist tirade, calling the hecklers the "n-word" and referencing a time when blacks were often victims of civil rights abuses. The fallout was immediate -- the public turned against him and he apologized, but Richards tells Seinfeld the wounds are still very present.

"I think I worked selfishly, and not selflessly," Richards said of his time on "Seinfeld." "It's not about me, it's about them (the audience). That's the lesson I learned seven years ago when I blew it in the comedy club and lost my temper because somebody interrupted my act and said some things that hurt me and I lashed out in anger. I should have been working selflessly at that time." 

Richards then clarified that the rumor that he'd done several comedy sets since is not true. "No. I busted up after that event. It broke me down. It was a selfish response, I took it too personally. I should have said (to the hecklers), 'You're absolutely right, I'm not funny, I'm going to go home' ... Inside it still kicks me around a bit." 

"That's up to you," Seinfeld replied to Richards, who he's stood behind throughout the incident. "It's up to you to say 'I've been carrying this bag long enough, I'm going to put it down.'"

At this point it's interesting to note that unlike any of the previous episodes of "Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee," this one begins with a caveat: "Certain events in this episode seem set up. They were not." Whether that applies to a strange mix-up at the beginning of the show when Richards and Seinfeld think they're knocking on boxing great Sugar Ray Leonard's door (it's actually the home of actor/comedian Jay Mohr) or Richards' candid remarks, or both -- who knows? But, one thing is certain: the incident in the club has forever impacted Richards. Where the rest of the "Seinfeld" cast has moved on, he's still struggling with that one awful night.

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