It seems like the whole world has stopped. And sure, the speeches are over, and Andy Milonakis has already performed, but they are only just wheeling the solid gold coffin out of the Staples Center now, so it doesn't feel like things are going to pick up anytime soon.
Leave your thoughts here, if you have them. I know that you were watching. Michael Jackson Memorial Service post-mortem. (Sorry.)
Veteran comedy guy Hugh Laurie hosted SNL Saturday with musical guest Kanye West, and what is up with those long sketches? For example: at the 43 minute mark, there had been just five sketches. None of them were terrible, but you can't have an eight minute sketch with one funny joke in the middle. On the plus side, they do seem to be using the new girls more, but maybe that's because last night's show was Amy Poehler's last (:(). The funniest parts, after the jump.
Tina Fey was on Conan last night, where she shared the behind-the-scenes story of Sarah Palin's SNL appearance, including the fact that Palin offered to have her pregnant daughter, Bristol, babysit Tina's toddler. She definitely puts to rest those rumors that nobody ever believed that Tina resented Sarah's appearance and talks about how weird it was to meet her, but really, did she have to be THIS nice? I prefer to believe that Tina Fey is simply the most graceful human being on earth. The Jackie O. of comedy. Video after the jump.
Remember last week's SNL "Most YouTubed Local News" sketch that this one was so crazy about? I loved it partly because almost every example was based on real-life viral local news gaffes, and those are everyone's favorite things. But they forgot one kind! The reporter who can't stop laughing. (Update: No they didn't, I am a moron. But the following video is still amusing.) There's a new one today:
I miss the Jimmy Fallon/Horatio Sanz laughing fits.
Remember those terrible "crazy frog" ringtone commercials that used to air during The Daily Show on Comedy Central? Everyone complained about how stupid they were, but guess what: teenagers have their own credit cards now and the people who made those are feeling ashamed about their annoying crazy frog ringtones all the way to the bank. Similarly in teenagers have their own credit cards now news, I just saw this outraged blog post about the rise of TV shows where people read paid text messages sent in by viewers: Text Me TV: Proof That The Apocalypse Is Near:
That's right, for only 99 cents, you can send a text message to two complete strangers, and it will appear for a minute or two at 3:00 in the morning on some regional public-access network that nobody watches.
This is one of those times where the mere concept for a show is so stunningly retarded, I can't believe that it was approved by anyone, ever, for any reason.
Believe it! These shows, which have regional equivalents in a lot of cities (and are big in Europe, apparently) are the exact opposite of retarded. They're total genius! Not since The Hills has a show concept more brazenly skipped past the "Actually creating content" part of the equation and gone straight for the "Cashing the check" part. There's something pure and beautiful about these shows in the way they're just like "This is what you want, kids? Well here. Have it. (Cha-ching!)" These shows are the entertainment equivalent of making your kid smoke an entire pack of cigarettes in one sitting so he never wants a cigarette again. Except that might work sometimes, and these trends aren't going to make pop culture smarter. There are excerpts from this particular show on YouTube, but despite my "defense", they're exactly what they sound like: people reading text messages on TV. I just wish I owned the idea.
Bill O'Reilly devoted .0000000003% of his show last night to addressing the tape everyone saw this week of his legally abusive temper tantrum on Inside Edition. "By the way," he starts, segueing into his acknowledgment as if it just came to mind in the middle of an interview and he wanted to share it with us. Bill claims that he's contractually obligated to perform these stunts for the amusement of his co-workers, none of whom seemed remotely tickled in the first tape:
My favorite part is when someone off-camera fake-laughs. I wonder how much he was paid or threatened to do that.
The funny thing about the Sue Simmons f-bomb "scandal" is the outpouring of support (and little to no criticism) the gaffe has brought out in New Yorkers. She's like the anti-O'Reilly, especially since she was most likely joking and he was abusively dead serious. I love Sue, and admire the grace with which she's handled this embarrassing moment. She's even answering all of her emails. But that doesn't mean that this 236 video by our friend Max Silvestri, which imagines what Sue was looking at that made her yell, isn't still funny:
First Bill O'Reilly in the '90s, now this (ha). Last night, beloved longtime WNBC co-anchor Sue Simmons was teasing a story about getting the most at the grocery store when, apparently thinking she was off the air, yelled "The fuck are you doing??". It was followed by 8 seconds of silence:
Simmons later apologized for using "a word that many people find offensive":
Carrie Prejean turned the video camera off, put on some clothes, and stepped out of her house. It was a beautiful day outside. The air smelled like apples, and the late morning light hit the world in just such a...
After watching Death Sentence, a terrible movie starring Kevin Bacon as a father in search of vigilante justice directed by Saw's James Wan, Gabe embarked on The Hunt For The Worst Movie of All Time. This is his sad journey.
If you are a sassy and sarcastic young man in an American sitcom who represents the sitcom writer's desire that a nerdy Jewish teenager can somehow be the desirable romantic hero in this world, then eventually you will get a...
I shouldn't even be here right now. I SHOULD BE GETTING INTO MY COSTUME! If I don't hurry, my facepaint won't be dry before I get to the MOONVIE theater, and everyone will be like "hahah, you look like you're...
Blogging about TV and movies isn't all fun and videogames. Every week, Lindsay or Gabe will be presented with a physical or mental challenge that tests their bravery,patience, and taste.
The Challenge: I had to go on a 3.5 hour bus tour of totally random TV and film locations in New York City. Alone, and wearing a specific ridiculous tshirt. And I had to find someone to take my picture...
Uh. OK. Well, first let's address what this movie did well, like the disappointed parents we are (or at least that I am), recognizing that the negative feedback won't be useful or constructive if it isn't preceded by something positive....
