So Much Fun It Hurts...

Don't Call It A Comeback...

2010-03-22T01:30:00.003-04:00

...just yet. But wethisclose.

Till then... we be tweetin', tumblrin' and up to all kinds of beheadin' foolishness.

Anticipation...

2009-11-16T08:10:00.003-05:00

The best last minute $9.00 gift you'll spend on your mom this week. Or something.

Friday Night Lights Season 4 destroys the universe

2009-10-05T16:45:00.006-04:00

(Via)

While last year's promos for Friday Night Lights' debut on DirecTV had a vaguely mysterious magical quality to them, the fourth season promotional push has a simpler, more understated, end-of-the-world-2012-directed-by-Roland-Emmerich feel to them, which is fine by us all the same.

As long as we know we'll have Coach Taylor and co. to keep our eyes clear and hearts full for two more seasons, no one loses (pun and done).

For more about the upcoming season, check out show creator Peter Berg's discussion about this season's new characters in Bill Simmons' 30 for 30 podcast here.

Joe Swanberg mocks mumblecore with CGI nekkidness

2009-10-02T05:00:00.006-04:00

Birthday Suit

It's lightweight at best, but it is fun to see Joe Swanberg have a sense of humor about mumblecore's penchant for 'real live nudity.'

Tommy Wiseau is a Mindf*cker

2009-09-24T13:00:00.005-04:00

(via)

This isn't particularly funny or good in any discernibly concrete or abstract sense, but for devotees of the Church of The Room, any Tommy Wiseau is good Tommy Wiseau. Even if it comes in a ridiculously blonde wigged, sci-fi semantic-ridden package.

Zach Galifianakis makes Charlize Theron sweat

2009-09-08T06:00:00.003-04:00

Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis

Maybe not the funniest of the series, but seeing Galifianakis with pretty much anyone is still a sight to behold.

Andy Griffith reminds us pimping ain't easy in Play the Game

2009-08-05T23:25:00.001-04:00

After his charming turn in the sweet and surprisingly pleasing Waitress, everyone's favorite go-to-use of the phrase "living legend" Andy Griffith returns in Play the Game, a film that looks about as enjoyable as hearing your grandpa's story about the Vietcong for the thirtieth time over Sunday brunch but it's still sweet and nice to hear about violence and brutality over mimosas and eggs benedict because grandpa is adorable even though he doesn't remember your name anymore and keeps looking at you suspiciously and muttering "bastard" under his breath but it's all good because we all love grandpa.

Either way, it's nice to see the always charming Griffith still getting work along side Doris Roberts and Liz Sheridan (ageism be damned). And maybe you'll finally have something to do with grandpa or grammy other than sitting on the deck and lying about your so-called journalism career.

Editor's Note: We know it's been somewhat all quiet on the SMFIH front as of late, as yours truly and some of the staff have been busy trying to juggle the difficult task of both failing personally, professionally, and socially while also consistently bringing you the clusterfuck of culture you desire (or randomly stumble upon never to read again). For those of you still with us, thank you, and to newbies, we'll be back with new pieces to ogle and wantonly discard so please stay tuned and remember:

Jesus, man.

(For daily non sequiturs just like Momma used to make, follow us on Twitter and Tumblr.)

Dexter Season 4 trailer

2009-07-25T07:00:00.001-04:00

New Dexter Season Four promo:

Oh...yeah.

Project Runway finally bridges the gap between self absorbed fashionistas and lovers of battered middle aged housewives

2009-07-20T20:00:00.003-04:00

After the fairly impotent past few seasons of our once adored (now mostly non-plussed) Pro Run, Das Klum, the Gunn and Co. return with this... pretty much the exact same show it's always been except now in Los Angeles, with the same cavalcade of fashion icons/US Weekly cover of the week judges (there's hope for you yet, Kate Gosselin!), and now with the added bonus of seeing the 'show within the show', watching the runway models, to paraphrase Das Klum,"Walk the walk and actually see if they're capable of human speech, er, talk!"

To wit:

Project Runway is back
It's in LA
Lindsay Lohan maybe has better judgment with fashion than she does with choosing scripts?
ProRun's Models of the Runway finally reveals an original show about models being the horrible human beings we've always hoped them to be... for the rare breed of fashion reality show fan who somehow has never heard of America's Next Top Model
Viewers will no longer be saddled with the arduous task of pressing a button to change the channel from their beloved Reba marathon
Das Klum is having another kid? Seal FTW

And America wins. I think.

Zooey Deschanel: Faux-Indie Heartbreak

2009-07-16T07:00:00.007-04:00

(Via)

Somewhere while traversing the complicated land of physical objectification, a young adolescent publicly lauds the "realness" of an understated, yet overexposed beauty's ability to encompass every aspect of the flannel intelligentsia fantasy; noting her multifaceted artistic ability and her realistically unrealistic every-woman aesthetics, denying struggles in being able to easily name a successful independent work that actually conveys her dramatic expertise while discreetly consummating his relationship with the idealized indie archetype vis-à-vis a cold, sleek, cologne advert addled corporate magazine within the privacy of the family furnace room.

Young love in a sadness bowl.

Aziz Ansari's Raaaaaaaandy documentary

2009-07-13T11:00:00.002-04:00

While the marketing behind the new Apatow helmed picture Funny People has been somewhat of a mixed bag (what with the whole putting out a trailer that details the entire movie and all) if there's one thing to look forward to, it's a supporting spot by our beloved Aziz Ansari as the character Raaaaaaaandy, a vulgar, ridiculous, yet still amazingly charming and hilarious stand-up in the backdrop of the Sandler/Rogen somberfest.

The jury may still be out on whether seeing the overexposed Rogen weeping it up next to a melancholy Sandler will be funny, but if Raaaaaaaandy is any indication of the supporting personalities in the film, it should be a fun ride all the same.

How to Save Newspapers: Buy One Anyway

2009-07-09T16:00:00.001-04:00

I'm presuming this is supposed to be an attempt at humor, but for those of us invested in the industry, it just seems ridiculously sad. And not funny. And sad. But mostly not funny.

Patton Oswalt's Big Fan

2009-07-07T12:45:00.003-04:00

(Via)

Patton Oswalt in a movie about a depressed, directionless New York Giants football fanatic.

Kind of like De Niro and Snipes in The Fan except not completely hilariously awful. Just sad. And funny. With one of New York's favorite blackest white guys, Michael Rapaport.

Yes.

We'll Always Have Sexy

2009-07-06T12:30:00.001-04:00

(Via)

Tear.

The economy makes selling out cute

2009-07-05T21:00:00.002-04:00

Ray LaMontagne's "Trouble" in a Travelers Insurance commercial. Awww. On two levels.

A proper lady never fake orgasms before dessert

2009-07-04T13:00:00.004-04:00

The Ugly Truth's Katherine Heigl is the Debbie Gibson to Meg Ryan's Britney Spears of fake movie meal orgasms.

Oh, yay.

Sexy Sarah sets summer straight

2009-07-02T14:00:00.002-04:00

(Via)

America's loss is Runner's World's gain.

George Lucas before Patton Oswalt wanted to kill him with a shovel

2009-06-25T14:30:00.005-04:00

(Via Binary Bonsai)

Above, a newly uncovered film from Binary Bonsai that reveals a young George Lucas before he became the movie making luminary-turned-scorn-of-the-geek-blue-sea. He's angry, he's ambitious; pretty much how all fairly successful innovators start out before the eventual decline into accomplished complacency.

Below, the perfect rejoinder to today's Lucas courtesy of our beloved and insightful Patton Oswalt:

Buzz Aldrin & Talib Kweli Wait for Guffman

2009-06-24T08:00:00.004-04:00

Talib Kweli sees Common's crappy action movies and raises him a golden comedic performance. Now can my Henry Kissinger and Tom Waits fantasy collabo come true, please Internet?

Scripted spontaneity is the spice of life

2009-06-20T08:00:00.005-04:00

(Via)

Although Obama's penchant for the unnecessary photo op and media overexposure has at times bordered on the ridiculous (a Chicago White Sox visit even though they won their championship in 2005, really?) this behind the scenes look at his taped segment for The Colbert Report in Iraq is fun for everyone. Liberals can enjoy the sight of Colbert and Obama chumming it up, while conservatives who've lambasted the president for his incessant teleprompter use can lambast it up:

And one can't help but see the internal conflict of the country embodied by the video's disembodied YouTube commenters:

Hamlet, thy name is Joe402.

Finding the method

2009-06-17T13:30:00.001-04:00

(Via)

In Character: Actors Acting from Vanity Fair:

JEFF GOLDBLUM
Left: You’re the surly 14-year-old son of a single mother, steeling yourself as she awkwardly, haltingly begins a belated and unnecessary “birds and bees” talk. Center: You’re at your daughter’s college graduation, and the pretty classmate of hers that you’ve been secretly ogling has just said, “Mr. Lefkowitz, you can’t be 58—you’re too cool!” Right: You’re the valedictorian of your high-school class, having just been introduced to give the speech of your young life—and your mind has gone completely blank.

JOHN LEGUIZAMO
Left, Center, Right:

Larry David rekindles awkward love

2009-06-17T12:35:00.006-04:00

Those of us hardcore Larry David fans somewhat underwhelmed by Whatever Works can take solace in one positive outcome of Woody Allen's casting: the sudden and somewhat unexpected presence of David actually sitting down for televised interviews without the trademark awkwardness we love him for. Here, he actually seems to be almost relaxed on Conan, dropping in nice lines with good measure.

A bonus: Larry David's first and only (?) appearance on Letterman:

Craiglist Missed Connection

2009-06-16T07:00:00.003-04:00

A friend of mine back in college used to say he only dated "online chicks" or women whose social networking site profiles had access to. He'd study their profiles, meticulously figure out what would catch their eye, then "accidentally" bump into them on the way to class. Somehow it worked. At least EIGHT TIMES.

I struck up a conversation with a woman at a party recently who talked about how she'd never found that one true love. Except once...on a Craigslist Missed Connections page. She was sitting in a train. He was in a form fitting three piece suit and smiled at her. They shared a "moment." Then he picked up his briefcase reluctantly (her words) and walked out, then paused for a second to turn around and gaze at her longingly as the train doors closed on his face. Then that night as she religiously (and inexplicably) did, she scoured the Missed Connections pages and found:

"On train tonight. You smiled at me. I was in a suit. You in a dress. I felt something. Hope you did too."

No actual description of the train line, or the time, or the place just that. But she knew it was him and never actually saw him ever again. Yet that was true love.

And that is why people are assholes. Fin.

White Light from a Mouth of a Blowhard

2009-06-15T20:05:00.002-04:00

Bill Maher, just like Keith Olbermann, has always posed a unique problem for the moderate, understated everyday person left of center: he has the uncanny ability to both voice the same political and social ideas they believe in, while absolutely pissing them off by being the loud mouthed blowhard left wing, pretentious stereotype every conservative and moderate can point to when trying to show how uppity we all are.

Maher is a self-righteous asshole (as is Olbermann), but as is the case here in the above video, he's right in taking Obama to task, and actually making sense. The message is on point, if it weren't for the awful mouth it's coming from.

Garfunkel & Oates: Twee can work it out

2009-06-11T14:30:00.002-04:00

Los Angeles based comedy-folk duo Garfunkel and Oates have set alt comedy and hipster hearts aglow with their brand of saccharine sweet snark. Comprised of singer-songwriter/actresses Riki Lindhome and Kate Micucci who formed following filming of Lindhome's musical short "Imaginary Larry":

Since then, Micucci became a popular recurring character on the last season of Scrubs, and Lindhome has starred in Wes Craven's House on the Left. Yet as the pair's particular brand of preciousness continues to toe the line between cutesy and kitsch, they've also hit the mainstream radar for their parody of conservative "duck" rhetoric:

Here's to more females in the male dominated comedy scene, especially those of the musical kind. For more on Garfunkel and Oates go here and check out their video "Sex with Ducks" and the random celebrity cameos of "Present Face" below:

LOST's Sawyer Simpsonized

2009-06-02T14:00:00.006-04:00

Josh Holloway with glasses, Simpsonized or not, is pure sexy goodness.

(Via)

Kate Plus Eight Hate + Rihanna = Sadness

2009-05-31T22:00:00.002-04:00

(Via Us Weekly)

Kate Gosselin's hair + anyone (especially Rihanna)= Sadness personified

"See What Stars Look Like With Kate Gosselin's Hair! Check out funny photos of the iconic hairstyle"

"Iconic hairstyle" really Us Weekly? Also, thank you.

I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! makes us regret missed opportunities

2009-05-31T21:30:00.001-04:00

Speidi & Blagojevich on I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here!

"Every life is precious."

No. No, they are not.

If there is a higher power or being, he or she must be looking at this picture the same way a parent looks wistfully at a child, while lamenting the abortion that could have easily made way for the vacation to Antigua that you never got a chance to realize. Ever. Again. Erg.

ABC's World News Tonight discovers Tommy Wiseau's The Room

2009-05-30T00:00:00.003-04:00

(Via)

After taking a small break from covering the everlasting goodness that is The Room, leave it up to ABC's World News Tonight with Charlie Gibson to finally clue the geriatric early bird dinner news watching set into the inexplicable majesty of Tommy Wiseau. (Is it sad that the sound of hearing Charlie Gibson say "steamy love triangle" makes me giggle? Or maybe I'm just five years old.)

The mere visage of Alec Baldwin commenting on his own personal Room discovery is enough to make us excited all over again for next month's screening. And, yum.

Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans trailer

2009-05-28T10:55:00.003-04:00

Abel Ferrara's Bad Lieutenant was a disturbing downward spiral of addiction, corruption and a cop's attempts to find some semblance of redemption. And way more Harvey Keitel penis than one could fathom.

Werner Herzog's Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans is...uh...um...a sequel, no, an unintentional sequel to Neil LaBute's unintentional remake of The Wicker Man meets Ghost Rider meets your brain exploding at the reality that someone in today's economy thought the idea of spending money on making this would be a good one.

Also, wow.

Tiny Toons banned "One Beer" episode

2009-05-28T09:20:00.002-04:00

(Via)

Nothing like a Tiny Toons episode educating us on the evils of drinking to start a rainy morning off.

Hump days are Mondays trying to borrow a dollar, getting turned down, and asking for 50 grand instead

2009-05-27T11:45:00.003-04:00

Trying to get a 26 year-old woman (with actual self respect) to put her hand on 'it' on your first date with her at a movie theater, seriously Mr. Hedge Fund Manager Guy? Really? Has the maturity of the dating process really regressed that badly since I've last been single? Did you really expect to get some action while watching the Brothers Bloom? Ack.

Tim Gunn meets Iron Man

2009-05-22T08:45:00.000-04:00

(Via)

Spider-Man meeting Stephen Colbert? After Colbert's Tek Jansen schtick, I get it.

Obama meets Spidey? In an economy where Montel Williams is hocking horrible collectible presidential coins, I can see it.

But a beloved fashion mentor of a reality show competition where suddenly:

"Mr. Gunn becomes an action figure — jumping into Iron Man’s suit of armor to save a fashion exhibition from evildoers."

Um...

Of course, a famous fashion figure of a popular show with a predominantly female audience transforming into iron clad alpha male fantasy would appeal to the widest female audience imaginable and possibly bridge the precarious gap between Fashion Week devotees and Comic Con. Because that makes total sense.

Tom Brokaw keeps cool with Colbert

2009-05-19T07:00:00.005-04:00

(Via)

My alma mater gets Tom Brokaw as their commencement speaker, and he naturally drops in a special note from Stephen Colbert to keep it gully and keep it fresh with the kids.

The last few years the kids get Charlie Rose, Tom Brokaw, and a free performance from U2. Four years of expensive ass education and all I got was a speech from a then-soon-to-be-fired Mets manager Willie Randolph (over a customary chorus of boos cause um, we were in the Bronx, which is uh, Yankee country), just because his daughter happened to be graduating with us. And I'm actually a Met fan. Ugh.

College. It's what's setting the table for a lifetime of disappointment that's what's for dinner.

Patrick Ewing prediction comes true...finally

2009-05-17T23:20:00.001-04:00

Patrick Ewing kills it with Snickers "Patrick Chewing" and actually gets one right. Totally makes up for that whole guaranteeing a Knicks championship every year, finally getting close and providing soul crushingly endless nightmares of clang after clang of missed shots.

Yes.

Nine trailer

2009-05-15T06:00:00.004-04:00

Anything Daniel Day-Lewis can do, we can't do better.

I'm pretty sure this might be the only musical I won't have to be forced by a woman to actually see. (Wait, is that Fergie? Might...)

Marion Cotillard classes this joint up

2009-05-14T06:00:00.002-04:00

Oui. Et oui.

Every little girl dreams of being a freedom of speecher

2009-05-13T14:10:00.002-04:00

I'm sick of this story as much as everyone else should be, but a good rant is a good rant. California we go hard.

In the Aeroplane Over the Sea the High School Musical

2009-05-13T13:15:00.001-04:00

(Via)

Amanda Palmer of the Dresden Dolls goes back to her old high school and helped create With the Needle That Sings in Her Heart, a play based on the beloved Neutral Milk Hotel classic In the Aeroplane Over the Sea. It's almost exactly how one might picture what a Neutral Milk Hotel inspired play would look and sound like, and pretty much better than anything I've ever been forced to see because of shameful dalliances with cute theater girls.

Fly the freshest skies

2009-05-13T09:00:00.002-04:00

(Via)

Somewhere on that plane, the words "Damn it" and "Obama's fault" are being muttered violently in someone's internal monologue.

Hold me closer Paul Rudd dancer

2009-05-13T08:00:00.004-04:00

And that is a line we've double dutched over many a time.

Mos Def takes a break between takes to drop "Casa Bey"

2009-05-13T07:00:00.001-04:00

As an undying devotee of the wonderous perfection of Black on Both Sides and Black Star, it's hard to get one's hopes up over the forthcoming The Ecstatic.

It's now been ten years since the release of Black on Both Sides, burgeoning mixed bag of an acting career, lackluster releases and the occasional guest verse, it appears the Black Dante's opening salvo on Both Sides wasn't a harbinger of hope for the heart of hip hop at the millennium, but a slight pit stop on its descent into creative cultural irrelevance.

Hip hop isn't dead; Kanye and mainstream music consumers can attest to that. But its cultural relevance as a art form that could both entertain, educate and elevate has become so diluted it's hard to not blame younger generations for not being able to differentiate between hip hop the culture and hip hop the art. The culture has become a brand name, an overly simplistic, yet easily defineable mixture of slang and style that's become appropriate for mass consumption and that's fine: part of making it in the mainstream is becoming one with the masses.

And while easily disposable hip pop will always be part and parcel of the business, it's become increasingly difficult to find message within the gloss that isn't trite, contrived, or convoluted. The often disparaged moniker of the "socially conscious backpacking hip hop head" (i.e. Tribe, Common, Mos, the Roots) has led to an uneasy balance, and the reality that just like the optimistic young activist who cowtows to the responsibilities and comforts of age and convenience, so too have our generation's supposed speakers of truth lost the edge, the fight and settled down for the comforts of commercialized action/pothead films, and late night gigs with job security.

For kids just discovering the fire and energy of artists that inspire and invigorate, take time to cherish and hold onto that feeling. It never, ever lasts.

Aziz Ansari keeps bringing it

2009-05-10T19:25:00.001-04:00

Aziz Ansari's complete and total domination of all things awesome and awesome-like continues with his recent appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live. Totally worth it just for the Raaaaaaaandy Funny People preview.

Whatever Works doesn't always

2009-05-09T06:00:00.002-04:00

I love, love, love, love, LOVE Larry David. Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm, the legendary "nah, I don't feel like it" approach of some of his stand up gigs, (Christ I even watched Sour Grapes)... I love it all.

And Woody is Woody. Any true blue, born and raised New Yorker with even a smidgen of a semblance of an aspiration for comedy writing has to do their due diligence on Allen's work, and for better or for worse I've always been one of his biggest proponents (how on earth a person could end a relationship with a woman because of a fight about the inability to look at the work separate from the artist's 'personal proclivities' seemed implausible, until, well, I did) in good times (Manhattan!) and bad (I refuse to acknowledge the existence of parts of the 80s, 90s, and 00s).

So hearing the idea of Woody possibly getting back into the swing of things (or at least as good as the recent swing has been for him) by reuniting with David as the lead sent my envy for Jewish comedic gold into a tizzy (sort of like Mel Gibson, except the complete opposite). Then it opened the Tribeca Film Festival, and uh...:

That Evan Rachel Wood does do a mean Holly Hunter. Or Anna Paquin. I'm not sure. So there's something (protectively eyes copy of Bananas in denial).

TipToes: a tour de force of tour de forceness

2009-05-09T04:00:00.005-04:00

Seriously watch it. Just watch it. You know you want to watch it. Holy shit, just watch it:

(Via)

I've never been so ashamed at missing the first boat on something as I am with Tiptoes. Kate Beckinsale. Patricia Arquette. Peter Dinklage. Gary Oldman. Matthew McConaughey.

And wow. Also, amazing. AMAZING.

Gawker loves us to love them

2009-05-08T07:20:00.002-04:00

Okay, you run this shit, we get it. Now jump.

Larry King saves us from J-School

2009-05-07T08:00:00.001-04:00

You, all right?! I learned it by watching you.

Blame it on the Wainy Days

2009-05-07T07:00:00.010-04:00

Our beloved David Wain's Wainy Days returns for a fourth season of more relationshit addled absurdity with the underutilized and always game Amanda Peet.

For people willing to tough it out for the hope of rush tickets, the 92Y Tribeca's Comedy Below Canal is hosting Wainy Days Live tonight at 9pm with Wain, his Stella compatriots Michael Showalter and Michael Ian Black, Rescue Me's crazy good at playing crazy Callie Thorne, the never not awesome Joe Lo Truglio and the apple of SMFIH's eye (and naughty places) Paul Rudd.

So those of you who were smart enough to not get sold out and actually had the foresight to get tickets immediately in advance...fuck you. Oh, and please somehow record it and upload it for our viewing pleasure, please? Thank you.

Blackmail for breakfast

2009-05-07T06:30:00.000-04:00

One of Hitchcock's earliest films that was shot as both a silent film as well as the first British talkie, Blackmail is good, dark fun and an early example of what would lay the groundwork for some of his trademark thematic elements.

For fellow film geeks pining for the excitement of your first film class, the adorable (albeit heavily Czech accented) Anny Ondra and Hitch messing with one of his earliest 'icy blondes':

Sean and Jilly Move In

2009-05-04T13:00:00.000-04:00

Something to get through the evil Monday: Sean and Jilly Move In, a faux documentary web series about a couple who decide to move in with each other to save their relationship. It's too precious and Office-y in some moments, but it's cute and sweet and reminds me how great being single again really is.

Ahhhh...the joys of being free (as I look at my day planner that has Healthy Choice ice cream coupons crudely attached to "After Work Plans").

Joe Wong takes a nation of billions to make us laugh

2009-05-04T09:00:00.004-04:00

I rarely ever deviate from my self-hating Asian stance, but after catching wind of comedian Joe Wong's Letterman set from Louis C.K.'s blog, it's nice to see one of my people taking the stereotypically un-stereotypical path towards comedy without lowering himself to hack/ethnic idiotic simplicity.

It's an uneven set at best, but it is always great to see the genuine look of nervousness and excitement in a performer getting the biggest break of his career thus far.

For a thoughtful and nostalgic take on Wong's set from arguably the best comedian in the game today, read here. Rumble Joe Wong, rumble.

Jon Hamm makes everything all better

2009-05-04T08:00:00.006-04:00

I've never been the biggest Kevin Pollak fan, but his new web series Kevin Pollak's Chat Show is a surprisingly good Charlie Rose-like show featuring Pollak talking shop with actors, comedians, musicians and Internet personalities with a serious and thoughtful approach to how people came to be as well as the future of entertainment media. And the obligatory Walken impersonation.

Above is Pollak kicking it with our beloved Jon Hamm, talking about his early "Show Killer" status (going through 12 failed pilots), his fun "Larry King game" take (right at the end) as well as gives insight behind his awesome James Mason impersonation:

Yes.

“We'll never solve the feminization of power until we solve the masculinity of wealth.” ~Gloria Steinem

2009-04-29T11:00:00.003-04:00

(Via)

Chicks dig the long socks. Except in bed. Seriously. When we say, "No socks in bed" we mean "No socks in bed," you naked-except-for-socks-wearing-weirdos.

Julia Roberts roasts America's hearts anew

2009-04-29T08:00:00.003-04:00

This Tom Hanks tribute speech has definitely made the rounds and reveals that all America really wants is its sweethearts to stop being polite and start going blue (honestly, we don't get enough usage of the word blue in a 'blue' sense as much as we should) and maybe we'll start going to see your highly stylized/romantic/caper/political/dramatic/kids movies.

And because we like you more than Andie MacDowell (Well, at least America does. Personally, I'm always going to side with anyone even remotely connected to the underrated ridiculocity of Bad Girls).

[Cue the sound of America's love snapping back]

The Many of Faces of Genius

2009-04-26T07:00:00.002-04:00

Yes to the yes power. (Via Paul Scheer's Twitter)

American Idol defile Lykke Li

2009-04-24T15:40:00.002-04:00

(Via)

I know I should be happy for our beloved Lykke Li, getting her work some pub on the most popular show in America, and I know I'm sounding like an overprotective hipster asshole but, uh...argg...wha...no:

Maybe I'm pretentious. Maybe I'm a sexist pig who only wants his precious Swedish indie pop in lingerie adverts featuring German reality show hosts. Or maybe I'm just an insecure purist who wants things unadulterated and pure, like the warmth of an infant's unwavering look of innocence:

Nope, I'm probably just a sexist pig.

Rashida Jones & ?uestlove justify Jimmy Fallon's existence

2009-04-24T08:00:00.007-04:00

My fifteen year-old internal monologue: "That hot girl Louisa from Boston Public and the drummer of The Roots with the ill afro who produced D'Angelo's Voodoo in the same room together? I think I might wet myself."

My twenty-something internal monologue: (Quietly changes pants in excited shame)

Enter yum here.

Kids preach the darndest things

2009-04-23T15:00:00.002-04:00

Little Toddler Preaching at Church

My boss: "How adorable is this little guy? Future leader of America that one."

My uterus: "Never. NEVER. NEVER. NEVER." (shivers in fetal position underneath desk)

Manolo Bottlenecks

2009-04-23T14:10:00.002-04:00

(Via)

In a past life, bottle opener heels would have been the definition of class for me. And if wasn't for the shame of being eyed by a thirteen year-old Cure fan, I might even consider making the journey into Hot Topic hell.

Kanye's Arli$$

2009-04-22T12:55:00.002-04:00

A parody of Kanye's "Heartless" about Robert Wuhl's Arli$$ that's more fun than expected and something I'd rather blare than the anger inducing Asher Roth.

Sasha Fierces Piccadilly Circus

2009-04-21T14:45:00.004-04:00

Because this is something that absolutely needed to be done (and be over with).

And no publicity hounds trying to be famous by any means necessary- just because you painstakingly gather and organize a large event in a public place set to a popular song does not mean it should instantly go viral and instantly become the talk of the town on every Tom, Dick and Harry's blog and...oh...uh, I'll shut up now.

Tom Waits Street

2009-04-20T08:00:00.004-04:00

(Via)

I want to go to there.

Tom Waits and Richard E. Grant in Dracula

Rudd's Ramen Rules

2009-04-18T10:35:00.003-04:00

(Via)

Cup Noodles is choice.

Tuxedo while fine dining is extra choice.

Being Paul Rudd while eating Cup Noodles while in a tuxedo...most choice.

Super Mario Bros: The most fun a kid could have

2009-04-16T09:10:00.003-04:00

(Via)

When I grow up, I wanna be a journalist just so I can do due diligence reportage like this. As well as emulate the mack daddy anchor man doing the intro and outro.

Zooey Deschanel's warm cottony feeling

2009-04-16T08:45:00.002-04:00

A sudden urge to splurge on overpriced vintage cotton tees and mainstream comedies (both intentional and unintentional) starring opposite precariously older male leads while refining the glassy doe eyed look overwhelms.

And sigh.

Susan Boyle: Supa Dupa Superstar

2009-04-14T11:00:00.003-04:00

Susan Boyle on Britain Got Talent

This has been definitely making the rounds the past few days, but it was hard to resist this sweet middle aged British lady who looked every bit the part of the "oh-god-this-is-going-to-be-awful-but-I-can't-look-away" aspect of Simon Cowell 'talent' competitions. But seeing a frumpy, unemployed, self-described cat lady making the assiest of assholes in Simon Cowell and Piers Morgan smile and applaud is a site to behold.

She's already got fan sites popping up. Go girl. And yay.

Quiet Asian Syndrome

2009-04-14T08:00:00.001-04:00

The disease that keeps on giving.

Maddow tea bags our hopes and dreams

2009-04-11T05:45:00.002-04:00

Tea bagging has never been as cute as this. Yay.

James Toback's Tyson

2009-04-10T11:00:00.002-04:00

Infamy is the greatest form of flattery. While sports purists and historians relish debating the importance of statistics and events often invoking the cultural impact of their respective eras, it's the brand of persona that trumps accomplishment; lionizing the legend over unrealized promise. More than any other sport, the 'sweet science' depends and thrives upon the brand of persona, and its precipitous decline within the mainstream consciousness reflects this weakness. Director James Toback examines boxing's last most notable and polarizing figure in Tyson.

Using Mike Tyson as the sole voice and eyes of his documentary, Toback forgoes any attempts at objectivity and instead allows Tyson to reveal himself today: somber, regretful and surprisingly cogent. Though the omission of other perspectives creates an uneven feeling, it succeeds in accomplishing its diary-like form. It may not be the most definitive, in-depth take on the Mike Tyson story, but Toback's Tyson is as engaging as it is complicated.

For the most part, the film follows the conventional rise and fall arc, with old videos and photos of past fights and indiscretions interspersed with Tyson's running commentary. Rising from the poverty and crime of Brooklyn to finding direction and meaning under the tutelage of trainer Cus D'Amato, Tyson's beginnings read like a conventional hard-luck-turned-good sports story with one caveat: the audacity of greatness. Through seemingly unknowing power and ability, Tyson's infamy builds because of the greatness he stumbles upon. He fought in an effort to hide weakness and by fighting found celebrity that ultimately unveiled and exacerbated the weakness.

As our narrator, Tyson speaks like a remorseful child still failing to grasp the potential of greatness squandered, but also very conscious of the punchline persona he's become defined by. There are rare moments of anger (refuting his rape conviction but complicit with other sins), light unintentional comedic moments (discussions of sex and women being a through line), and sentimental moments with family (evoking images of Stallone's content retired warrior in Rocky Balboa).

It's a reclamation project by all accounts, and Toback doesn't shy away from the reality that Tyson is as much about revealing another side of a celebrity pariah as it is about reinventing and reintroducing the brand name of Mike Tyson. Toback aims to put his friend in as flatteringly truthful a light as possible, shooting him in the calm, white washed tones of a Miami mansion, walking along a beach at sunset while reciting poetry (in an unintentionally laughable Jack Handey-esque manner) and using heavy handed overlapping split screen boxes to reflect "the complicated madness" inside the man.

In prior films like Black and White and Two Girls and a Guy, Toback showed a penchant for compelling subjects with a sometimes uneven dosage of subtlety. Yet in Tyson, a stripped down simplicity succeeds in making the fallen champ all the more watchable. The film may have been able to make plausible the prospect of making him a sympathetic figure, but one can't help leaving with something more.

Best. Frisbee. Scene. EVER

2009-04-10T09:30:00.002-04:00

Sometimes art transcends the limitations of form and becomes something greater. Like this.

Bronson Pinchot dances pre-meme innocence away

2009-04-08T16:55:00.001-04:00

This is exactly how I start every single work day. Except with more crying, liquor and not enough crotch glaring.

(Via)

Balki, we go hard, we go hard.

The Hangover trailer

2009-04-08T11:45:00.001-04:00

Zach Galifianakis, Ed Helms, Jeffrey Tambor, Matt Walsh, Rob Riggle, Rachel Harris, Mike Tyson and that irascible rapscallion Bradley Cooper?

Comedy geekgasm complete.

Grand Theft Facial

2009-04-08T08:00:00.004-04:00

Oddly pleasing. Play an actual demo of Close Range here.

Tuesdays are Mondays realizing your life peaked at age six

2009-04-07T14:45:00.002-04:00

Dance, dance, dance...before your landlord says no more.

Eminem's "We Made You": Wigga out like it's 1999

2009-04-07T08:00:00.003-04:00

(Via)

Pop culture parody is old hat for Em we all know, but it's hard to get past how dated and flat it really is. One can't hope but hold out hope for the Limp Bizkit reunion we so badly will never want/need.

Open-mindedness is the new close-mindedness

2009-04-06T12:35:00.001-04:00

(Via)

"An open mind that demands little or no evidence or ideas before accepting them will let in an awful lot of rubbish."

Sometimes critical philosophical thinking requires the help of a British accent and 60's era comic art. But that's just what I believe, not necessarily what you believe, though you may believe what you believe about what I believe you believe I believe you to believe. Exactly.

Sometimes you just need to synchronize dance

2009-04-03T12:00:00.002-04:00

(Via)

Adorable. Simply, beautifully, absolutely adorable. Way less annoying than that lame fake funeral prank.

Norm MacDonald reminds us of the glory days of political incorrectness

2009-04-03T08:30:00.003-04:00

(Via)

The fact that something like this from barely ten years ago wouldn't have a shot in hell of airing on television today makes me incredibly sad. Political correctness be damned.

The combination of MacDonald's deadpan and the looks of disgust and "oh shit he didn't" expressions make this a joy to behold. Fantastic.

Big Daddy Kane still killin' it after all these years

2009-04-02T09:00:00.000-04:00

(Via)

Nice mini documentary on Big Daddy Kane giving Brooklyn the This is Your Life treatment. Definitely one of the most energetic, livest hip hop performers ever, here's Kane rocking "I Get the Job Done" on Arsenio:

And still moving like a madman at the ridiculously phenomenal Kane tribute at the Vh1 Hip Hop Honors with T.I., the Roots, and Common:

Yes.

Before the Music Dies

2009-04-02T08:00:00.006-04:00

Start the morning off with this insightful documentary I caught at a screening a few years ago about the state of the music industry. Four years since the release of this documentary, it's easy to see how the Internet has served as a democratizing musical resource that's made any and every niche genre accessible for people curious and savvy enough to find it. And for those languishing behind in the digital divide, both young and old, a glorified karaoke contest reigns supreme.

In light of the growing demise of the comfy, conventional record store, a look back for those of us who once relished the effort and passion of looking for that old record smell and not the cold, odorless disposable apathy that seems to define our dour downloadable dispositions. Watch the hi-res version here.

Rufus makes April Fools smile

2009-04-01T12:00:00.004-04:00

Rufus Wainwright

If there's any positive to having my inbox flooded by my boss's love of America's Funniest Home Videos rejects today, it's that it somehow reminds me of how much I love this song.

John Cage 4'33" starts April off right

2009-04-01T10:30:00.003-04:00

Because haters of classical music and anything remotely pretentious really needed more ammunition. And because April Fools Day is terribly, annoyingly useless and needs to die and go away and have never existed. The end. (Via)

Bobby Brown kills karaoke cold

2009-04-01T08:00:00.001-04:00

Bobby Brown's "On Our Own" is masterpiece. We just haven't realized it yet.

At least it is according to Wired and SPIN Magazine writer Brian Raftery's new book, DON'T STOP BELIEVIN': How KARAOKE Conquered the World and Changed My Life, a fun, charmingly insightful journey into the world of karaoke culture. As a self-professed hardcore karaoke enthusiast, Raftery finds history, community, love and identity in what for most of us passes as an occasional drunken night of pop music nostalgia and public, inexplicable shame.

It's a sweet-natured, honest look into why and how karaoke has shaped the musical sensibilities of generations both old and American Idol obsessed and why a massive group of drunken apathetic strangers can suddenly harmonize in unison over Mr. Big's "To Be With You":

It's a light, pleasing read well worth the microphone envy it induces. Buy the book here. See Raftery bring the karaoke goodness this April at the UCB Theatre here.

Also, check out videos on the book and clips of the awesome awful artistry of karaoke videos:

Fly the sexy sock synchronized skies

2009-03-31T15:00:00.000-04:00

(Via)

The way things are going, the idea of serving Bloody Marys to bloated blowhard businessmen thousands of feet in the sky doesn't sound so bad. Especially if they're actually still able to get raises in this economy.

(Via)

I'm as mad as hell and I'm not gonna take it anymore...until tomorrow or when I have time after work

2009-03-31T14:00:00.009-04:00

(Via)

I'm sorry, but getting angry just ain't gonna pay my rent this month. I really would burn my bra right now if this one didn't cost so damn much.

Your Friendly Neighborhood Cuban Gynecologist Car Salesman

2009-03-31T12:30:00.005-04:00

(Via)

Lou Dobbs' mind? Officially blown.

Sometimes a gal just needs to kill a guy

2009-03-31T12:00:00.004-04:00

Snapped is like the Oxygen Network's gift to those of us who have men that need to be reminded on a weekly basis that we can go all Lorena Bobbitt on their asses if they don't stop their shady text messaging with their ex-girlfriends.

Spring Breakdown: Direct to DVD'oh

2009-03-31T11:00:00.006-04:00

(Via)

Spring Breakdown. Like a ladies version of Old School meets 13 Going on 30 meets Satisfaction meets my DVD collection.

Ouch.

Hot N Cold done right

2009-03-27T11:00:00.004-04:00

I know at this point that I should hate this song, but I can't help it. Sometimes a lady just needs pump up the fake lesbian jams and dance, dance, dance! (much to the horror of the new administrator across from my cubicle)

The Cosby Show porn parody fills void we didn't know needed to be filled

2009-03-27T09:00:00.001-04:00

(Via NSFW)

Comedians Wyatt Cenac and Joe Mande talked about Not the Cosby Show XXX at last Wednesday night's "Totally J/K at the UCB Theatre, and while television porn parodies have all but been an amusing sub-genre to point and laugh at (and pretend you're not curious in perusing), there's no way it seemed it could be as ridiculous as they described it.

But it is. Holy shit, it fucking is:

(TRFW: Too Ridiculous For Work- Via)

Wow. No seriously. Wow.

While the Office porn parody seemed funny and harmless enough, this Cosby porn parody is silly...with an undeniable aura of creepiness. Yes, Mr. Ward's Cosby impression is amazingly spot on, but then panning over to the children, to Rudy, it's just...um...no...ugh...and I'm done. My inner seven year-old's soul just committed suicide in shame.

That being said, I'm all for an A Different World porn parody. Dwyane Wayne, Denise, Sinbad...anything to clean my mind of...(haunting shivers).

The Great White Mustachioed Hope

2009-03-27T08:00:00.000-04:00

David Wright + mustache = an amusing sliver of hope for blue and orange faithful fully anticipating the worst. But hey, how bout that fancy new stadium of ours?! Huh? How bout...uh...um...sigh.

Trojan Condoms: The proud patriotic prophylactic

2009-03-27T07:00:00.006-04:00

Because nothing elicits a sense of patriotism and pride during these tough economic times more than the American flag and the bald eagle. Oh and of course, the Trojan Pleasure Pack.

"Because we believe we should ride out these tough times...together."

Classy, thy name is lubricated latex.

Where the Wild Things Are trailer so hip it hurts

2009-03-25T15:25:00.001-04:00

I think I just wet my tight hipster pants.

Hipster Hardcore

2009-03-25T12:00:00.000-04:00

(Via)

That's real dedication, holmes.

Oops, old man just one upped you. And that's how you get served. (Oh, snap!)

Twife is like a box of Twittering Twats

2009-03-25T11:00:00.002-04:00

You know who you are.

Twitter Song - Ingrid Michaelson

The Dot and the Line learns us some love

2009-03-25T07:00:00.001-04:00

Everything I know about love I learned from The Dot and the Line: A Romance in Lower Mathematics. Which pretty much explains a lot about the state of my relationships today.

A LOT.

Phone Sex Stand Up Comedy

2009-03-24T16:10:00.002-04:00

(Via by way of)

I'm not really the biggest fan of prank phone call humor (because I'm not twelve years old anymore) but UCBer, comedian, and all around good guy Gil Ozeri's prank phone call to a phone sex operator requesting a "Bad Stand-Up Comedian" fantasy is pretty much...genius. Just goes to show you that almost anyone could perfect being a hack comedian. It's the phone sex operating that's the real skill.

Tommy Wiseau's The Room takes over New York

2009-03-23T17:45:00.004-04:00

I've already expounded on my undying love for the inexplicable awesomeness of The Room, but last Friday night's midnight screening(s) extravaganza was a comedy geekgasm galore.

Introduction by David Wain! Tommy Wiseau's wonderfully somewhat incoherent recitation of Shakespeare's Sonnet 116! More plastic spoons, plastic footballs, confetti and fun shouting at a movie screen than I ever thought was possible!

If (or when) a screening of The Room pops up in your area, don't be an asshole- GO. Your soul will thank you (and DVD just doesn't do it justice; a multitude of jokes just don't appear until seen on the big screen- I never noticed Lisa's crazy alien neck thing!)

For more on The Room in NYC go here and here (and to see a tiny still semblance of yours truly and Lady A among the sold out huddled masses yearning to find the meaning of blind love, look for us here).

His Girl Friday saunters on a Sunday stroll

2009-03-22T07:00:00.002-04:00

In these dark times, a little Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell waxing journalistic poetic can be a nice smidgen of sunshine.

Silence of the Lambs Lego Musical

2009-03-20T12:25:00.001-04:00

I vaguely remember hearing about it's Off-Broadway production a few years ago when I was staying in New York, and now really wish I actually went to see it instead of staying home to catch up on my Monk.

The full Silence of the Lambs parody musical is here. Sadly without Lego accompaniment.