Via Throwing Things: John Hodgman was the keynote speaker at the Radio & TV Correspondents' Dinner, where his primary topic was that of bridging the gap between nerds and jocks. Whereas the previous presidency was made up of jocks, our new presidency is comprised of nerds. Hodgman described our president -- "with a Spock-ish calm and gangly frame" -- as the man who is bringing an emphasis on science and objective reality back into our nation. He adds, "There is even talk of some states decriminalizing evolution."
At the 8:25 mark, Hodgman questions the president's "nerd credentials" through a series of slides, and at the 9:29 mark, Obama throws up the Vulcan salute without hesitation.
ABC has released the first thirteen minutes of the Nathan Fillion crime-comedy Castle, and I have to say, it's a bit more charming than I was anticipating. At first glance, this show seems to be stealing the heterosocial "cop-buddy" formula of Bones, The Mentalist, and Fringe (whereby the goofy playboy male is juxtaposed with the intelligent and rational female), and this was a major turn-off for me. I'm happy that females are being represented as logical, but do they also have to be shown as cold-hearted and unable to let things roll off their backs? I also feel like pairings in this manner constrict the characters to certain boxes as a means of forcing the inevitable will-they-or-won't-they dilemma. I find this to be a terribly boring plotline when that's set up as a major premise, rather than unfolding naturally in the narrative. The original trailer for Castle, which can be seen at the end of the thirteen-minute promo, pretty much screams "SEXUAL ELECTRICITY! THEY'RE MADE FOR EACH OTHER!"
But, having said that, the first thirteen minutes shows promise. For one, the leading actress, Stana Katic, doesn't annoy me (at least, not yet). She's very fluid with her lines, and she doesn't seem to be putting on the tough act in every single one of her scenes. And then there's Nathan Fillion -- who is perfectly cast in this role -- who allows for serious moments, such as with his mother and daughter, in an otherwise absurd role. First, I'm pleased that he has a family of women around him. This will allow him to have heterosocial relations with women outside of Katic's character. Also, it will ground him as a character and make him seem more three-dimensional. If he were just a playboy with no moral foundation*, his schtick would get really old, really quickly. Second, I thought the incorporation of Castle into the police's work seemed natural and convincing. I hate that the original trailer makes the exchange in the questioning room seem so flirtatious, because the scene's actually better written than that. And third, Fillion is really bringing his A-game here. He's making sure that his character is likable, but also not a complete idiot. As soon as he's done joking with his new cop buddy, he goes home and starts looking through his old books for answers. It shows that he takes himself -- and his copycat psychopath fan -- seriously.
* The fantastic part about this -- other than casting Susan Sullivan (of Dharma and Greg) as Castle's mother -- is that Castle's daughter will play the adult in their relationship, and yet he will no doubt play the adult in his relationship with his mother. A fantastic scene in the promo involves his mother singing "I'm just a girl who can't say no," which Castle suggests be her theme song. There's a real boy-in-a-grown-man's-body issue here, and I think that will develop into something interesting.
The premiere is Monday at 10pm on ABC. I'll be watching the first few episodes. Hopefully the rest of the episode will maintain my interest.
Warning: You should have a five foot radius around you while watching this, and you definitely shouldn't have any liquid or food in your mouth. It could be very dangerous.
A little background information: My mother went into labor while watching The Sound of Music and refused to go to the hospital because "the Nazi part" hadn't come yet. So my mother waited. Until this three-hour movie was over. Before allowing me into the world. Well, lucky for us (so as to not become a site for bitterness), The Sound of Music became one of my favorite films (Captain von Trapp is amazing) and ABC shows the film every year on my birthday. I can't even think of a time when this film didn't show on my birthday. But there is one part -- one song -- that my mother cannot stand, and it happens to be the song that is the most fun to sing: "The Lonely Goatherd." Its playfulness is contagious, but my mother absolutely hates it. She walks out of the room. So mum, this video is for you.
In the video above, late night comedian Craig Ferguson's puppets do a rendition of "The Lonely Goatherd." Watch, listen, enjoy, and repeat. You'll need to repeat it because you will have missed it the first time from laughing so hard.
(Actually, this video is really for me. I think Craig Ferguson is one of the funniest improvisational comedians I've seen -- certainly on any late night program -- and I can never tell when his jokes are scripted, which is a sign that he does his job well. He's been starting off each episode with a puppet show, rather than a monologue, and the set-up should absolutely fail, but somehow it doesn't. What's impressive about the video above is that Ferguson knows the lyrics to the song -- really well -- to the point that, when the unicorn's mouth doesn't match the lyrics, he knows and the unicorn looks around confused. So what's better than Craig Ferguson, puppets, and The Sound of Music? Not much, not much.)
In case you missed last night's episode of Flight of the Conchords, which matched the height of the near-perfect first season, here is "Choir of Ex-Girlfriends" (or The Carole Brown Song?). The jokes were top-shelf (Keitha's "Australianness" was comedy gold), the sight gags were clever (Bret's gloves that look like hands!), and the songs were brilliant (see also "Too Many Dicks on the Dancefloor"). But instead of doing a commentary on the episode (I don't watch the show regularly enough to add anything insightful), I thought I would simply share this video that makes me so, so happy.
It is also worth noting that Michel Gondry was the director of this episode, and the music video above clearly showcases his unique visual style.
I'm taking Gaeta's death a bit harder than I could have predicted. I really identified with him... he acted on principle... and I find Gaeta's lament on a loop in my head...
Alone she sleeps in the shirt of man With my three wishes clutched in her hand The first that she be spared the pain That comes from a dark and laughing rain When she finds love may it always stay true This I beg for the second wish I made too But wish no more My life you can take To have her please just one day wake
I am finally done watching the entirety of Freaks and Geeks, and I have to say, it's honestly one of the best programs I've watched in a long time. Sports Night was well written, but some of the character interactions seemed gimmicky and the relationships forced. Leverage, on the other hand (which I do recommend to anyone who hasn't seen it yet), has fantastic characters, but the episodic narratives leave room for improvement. And with Coupling, the episode-long set-ups are great, but I often times find myself waiting impatiently for the end to roll around, just so I know what the thematic punchline is. With Freaks and Geeks, however, it's a-generic, existing somewhere between nostalgic drama and comedy, a commentary on the present as well as the past. I don't have the time to go through each individual episode (why when Alan Sepinwall has already done it so thoroughly?), but below are some of my favorite parts to this painfully entertaining show -- painful in its honesty, entertaining in its accuracy.
(Unfortunately, some of my favorite "moments" are entire episodes -- like "We've Got Spirit," "The Garage Door," and "Dead Dogs and Gym Teachers," and I can't very well post entire episodes on here. You know what? Do yourself a favor and just go out and buy the show. It's only eighteen episodes, and you'll thank me when you're done.)
Coach Fredericks tries to find out who's been prank calling him.
Bill Haverchuck (Martin Starr) defines awesome.
Daniel (James Franco) explains the three tracks of high school.
"As I pulled the reigns of the horse, she pulled the reigns of her soul." Possibly the best worst song ever.
Last night's episode of SNL had a lot to offer fans, though -- being a fan of NPH's sexy, sexy voice -- I was disappointed that he didn't sing beyond a few bars of Rent's "Seasons of Love" during the Broadway sketch. The show opened with a sketch on Blagojevich and Rachel Maddow. And later they did a "Save Broadway" sketch that, really, only a small percentage of viewers would understand. But the SNL studio is in New York, so they kind of had to do a sketch on the falling ticket sales. (Though, how many people got the absent Jeremy Piven joke?) And on a side note, I've met both Anthony Rapp (the OBC Mark from Rent) and Neil Patrick Harris (who played the autobiographical lead from Jonathan Larson's other musical, Tick, Tick... BOOM!), and I know that these actors know each other. I wonder if NPH called up Anthony Rapp and was like, "Hey, I'm going to make fun of your mannerisms, and it's going to be spot-on."
But, whereas the Broadway sketch just seemed to be referential, I thought the "You know how I met your mother" opening monologue (Andy Samberg's Mark Wahlberg: "Say hi to the cast of How I Met Your Mother for me") and the send-up of Frost/Nixon with NPH as David Frost interviewing other celebrities (David Crosby is a coked up walrus!) were really strong sketches. The best segment, of course, was the much adored Penelope at a meeting for divorcées. Not only did she invent air, but her best friends are Liza Minnelli and a tomato!
After seeing a commercial for Demetri Martin's upcoming "Important Things" on Comedy Central (eek!), I had to figure out what it's all about... especially since the commercial was just him waltzing with a guitar and harmonica.
UNIVERSAL CITY, CA, January 9, 2009 -- Demetri Martin launches potentially the most important TV show ever of all time, "Important Things with Demetri Martin," a sketch comedy series premiering on Wednesday, February 11 at 10:30 p.m.
Stand-up comedian, Emmy-losing writer and all-around person, Demetri Martin is the creator, executive producer and star of "Important Things with Demetri Martin." In this sketch comedy series, Martin mixes stand-up comedy, sketches, animation, studio bits, and music to explore one "important thing" per episode - like Power, Safety or Chairs. Demetri's jokes, drawings and hair will play major roles in the series. There are also some celebrity cameos by David Cross, Amanda Peet, and Martin's "Daily Show" colleague John Oliver.
"Important Things with Demetri Martin" is the second series pick-up under COMEDY CENTRAL's first-look agreement with Jon Stewart's Busboy Productions, Inc. The show is produced by Busboy in association with One Verse, Inc. and is executive produced by Stewart and Martin. Rich Korson and Chris McShane are the executives in charge of production for Busboy. Dan Powell is the executive in charge of production for COMEDY CENTRAL.
Personally, I'm looking forward to the episode about chairs. I think chairs look silly, and I know Demetri Martin will tap into the undiscovered comedy gold hidden in the existence of chairs. Below is a youtube clip from his show "Person," in which he also incorporates musical and artistic sketches. As evidenced by the clip below, his drawings are hilarious. Visual puns are brilliant. Best part? Pillow vs. Pillow = Crazy Awesome.
My favorite lines: "His hat is green!" "It's a fire station! That's why the door was red!" "Oooh. Well, I'd never."
Irritation by pretending to be considerate.
Airplane pilots having a bit of fun
Favorite lines: "I spy with my little eye... something beginning with the letter S." "Sky?" "Mmm-hmm." "The wings are NOT on fire." "...but do not unfasten your safety belts."
In the spirit of Christmas, I'm posting scenes from my favorite Christmas movies -- It's a Wonderful Life, Elf, and A Christmas Story -- all of which keep me company on Christmas Eve. Enjoy, and happy holidays, everyone!
One of my favorite scenes. Ever. "This is a very interesting situation!"
"My mouf's bleeding, Burt! My mouf's bleeding!" I cry every time.
In honor of Black Friday (of which I am not participating), I bring you the best commercial of the holiday season (thus far). Here is Game Stop's new advertisement, and I have to say, I kind of want a zombie for Christmas now.
Yes, I've been absent for a week and a half, but this is the busiest time of the semester for me, and I'm only now just catching my breath. Tomorrow I plan to take on the huge task of giving a mid-season review of my favorite shows -- Chuck, House, The Mentalist, Bones, The Office, 30 Rock, Grey's Anatomy, Dexter, Desperate Housewives, Big Bang Theory, and How I Met Your Mother (yes, I do watch a lot of television) -- so you will have that to enjoy tomorrow. As for NOW, however, enjoy this absolutely delightful Youtube video of two guys spoiling the ends of movies. Most people know that I don't mind spoilers -- going to the movies is about the experience of show-telling, not about the end result of the narrative -- so I don't think spoilers actually "spoil" the emotional impact of a film (at least, they shouldn't). But if you don't mind spoilers or you've seen a lot of movies, I highly recommend watching this. My favorite part is, as is mentioned in the title, them making fun of Meg Ryan romances, but I also enjoyed all the ways Kevin Spacey dies in his movies. Very well structured.
Update: My friend Jessica has informed me of some incorrect information. In City of Angels, Meg Ryan dies -- not Nicolas Cage. Still, the segment's funny. (P.S. Nicolas Cage sucks.)
Every now and then, something so amazing comes along and blows up your brain. It's November, and this video trumps every bit of viral awesomeness from this past year (the sexy costume video is from years ago). This guy, who appropriately calls himself Apprentice A, sings a four-part a cappella harmony about Star Wars but to John Williams' theme songs from E.T, Close Encounters, Jaws, etc. (It'll make sense when you watch it.) If you're a fan of Star Wars, you will geek out like you've never geeked out before.
From The Movie Blog, Spartacus is coming to television. Anyone who's ever eaten at a restaurant with me knows that Spartacus is my code name because I'm always hoping that somewhere there is a man who will stand up at the announcement "Spartacus, part of two" and shout "NO! I AM SPARTACUS!" Apparently, this show, which is being developed by Starz, will not come from the page of Kubrick, who directed the 1960 film Spartacus. But that works in the show's favor because it could not keep a multi-season story working within that framework. I'd be really interested to watch this show -- simply because Spartacus is the ultimate underdog and I will always root for him.
Yet another Nicholas Sparks novel is being adapted for film. This time, it's Dear John. Let's see... it's about a soldier who falls in love with someone and then re-enlists after the 9/11 attacks. I don't even need to read the book, watch the movie, or heck, watch the trailer to know that someone dies -- most likely by self-sacrifice and for the good of the country. My friend was an extra on this film for a week, and he says that Channing Tatum, who plays the soldier, has done a good job... but I don't know if I can shake his Step Up persona. Regardless, I won't be seeing this movie.
Here's the trailer for Lord of the Rings and the Half-Blood Prince. Oh, wait, I'm sorry. This is the next Harry Potter installment. Excuse me while I roll my eyes.
Film School Rejects lists the 10 Hottest Sex Scenes on Film. The best part of the list is the commentaries. Who knew there were so many adjectives to use when describing sex? The commentaries are porn in their own right.
10. Damages Jeremy Irons lusts after Juliette Binoche and shows it by fucking her on every hard surface in his house. And make no mistake, the duo is not making love, they’re fucking. One scene starts on his desk before moving to a stand-up position against his counter top and, eventually, the floor. Binoche is on her back with her feet up around Irons’ neck, her thigh-high stockings rubbing against his face as he thrusts into her French patisserie, gently knocking her head against the floor each time. Her moans begin to match the impacts until finally they both stop happily and simultaneously… and then they move to the bed.
Film School Rejects also creates a list of 7 Rejected High School Musical Plotlines. It's hard to decide which one is my favorite, but it may very well be High School Nudical, solely for the musical number:
In an effort to widen their audience, High School Nudical begins with drama teacher Ms. Darbus’s retirement from the school system and a much-needed vacation to the Caribbean. However, her replacement is a young, Danish teacher (played by Charlize Theron) who corrupts the now-full drama club by forcing them to do a reprisal of Hair, complete with full frontal nudity. After seeing what Troy is packing, Sharpay finally loses interest in him, but sparks still fly when Kelsi comes out of the Disney closet and tries to pry Gabriella away from Troy. Meanwhile, Chad has become a full-fledged hippie, coming under the influence of the classic free-love musical. Eschewing the tenants of capitalism, Chad slowly builds an underground network, creates a commune and firebombs the school during, “Hoony-Boony-Lacka-Wacka-Die-Capitalist-Pig-Dogs (The Clap Hands Song)”. The crew is split by political association, but after the national guard is called in to quell the uprising, and most of the minor characters are killed, Troy, Gabriella, Chad and Sharpay mourn their brethren and celebrate their enduring friendship with some of Zeke’s Freedom Cupcakes as dawn breaks on a new morning.
And lastly, studios are apparently looking to remake Hitchcock's The Birds, which is just mind-boggling. Isn't this movie so great because it's ridiculously campy and absurd and filled with horrible special effects... and yet you still freak out by flocks of birds? How can they "update" or "reimagine" this movie without destroying the silliness of the original? Is Hollywood so unoriginal that they can't even make remakes of movies worth remaking -- like, say, Audrey Hepburn's Wait Until Dark?
Word! Above is the new promo for Season 5 of Lost. The idea of the show is better than its execution, but I'll be damned if this promo doesn't get me all excited again.
I completely own up to my dorkiness, and an animated parody with Superman and Batman is always going to make this fangirl smile. But what really gets me is the Batman voice, replicated to perfection. Once Batman says, "He dresses like A CLOWN," I can't stop laughing.
What if Wes Anderson made an attack ad for McCain? It would look like this and it would be awesome. (Note the yellow jogging suits!) Also included are fake ads from John Woo and Kevin Smith.
Here's the trailer for Zac Efron's 17 Again. I'm a sucker for these illogical body-swap movies -- Big, 13 Going on 30, Freaky Friday -- and although Efron looks nothing like Matthew Perry, I think the movie looks cute enough. But... is anyone else freaked out that Efron's character seems to be hitting on his daughter? An over-protective boy in high school? Isn't that an indicator of a crush?
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