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Saturday, January 6, 2007
Whence we Came: A Culture Kills Comic
Thrown together with spare parts like a Frankenstein monster with the tools from Strip Generator
Friday, January 5, 2007
Week 34: Pageant of the Transmundane
Hello from Dog River, Saskatchewan. There is not a lot going on here, so I was in the perfect frame of mind to peruse a lot of blogs this week to find a winner. Well, between filling gas tanks and bussing some tables that is.
This week we were once again graced by another winning entry by Diana Prince over at Bulletproof Bracelets, as she generally finds the best celeb pics around.
What did she discover this week to win this award? Why, it is a picture of Michael Jackson doing yet another inappropriate thing, this time with James Brown. There is a narrow line between being respectful at a funeral and being creepy, and well, Michael Jackson trotted over that 50-yard line and just kept running to the endzone.
It is setting the bar to a nice height for the coming year, and as such, that picture is a winner of the Homer Simpson Transmundanity Award.
Congratulations Diana Prince for winning the first award of the new year. Huzzah!
The rules of this little contest: Every week I will be selecting one blog post that I have seen from the vast reaches of the blogosphere to bestow with the Homer Simpson Transmundanity Award for being one of the freakiest(in a funny way) things I've seen or read during a 7 day period. It doesn't necessarily have to have been written during the week, I just had to have encountered it. That means that if you find something interesting and repost it like a movie or whatever, if I saw it at your blog first, you get the prize. Of course, creating your own content is also a very good way to win.
Now, if you see a post that you think is worthy of this illustrious prize, just drop me a line at campybeaver@gmail.com and we'll see if we can't get your suggestion up and award-ready while giving you some credit and a link to your own blog.
This week we were once again graced by another winning entry by Diana Prince over at Bulletproof Bracelets, as she generally finds the best celeb pics around.
What did she discover this week to win this award? Why, it is a picture of Michael Jackson doing yet another inappropriate thing, this time with James Brown. There is a narrow line between being respectful at a funeral and being creepy, and well, Michael Jackson trotted over that 50-yard line and just kept running to the endzone.
It is setting the bar to a nice height for the coming year, and as such, that picture is a winner of the Homer Simpson Transmundanity Award.
Congratulations Diana Prince for winning the first award of the new year. Huzzah!
The rules of this little contest: Every week I will be selecting one blog post that I have seen from the vast reaches of the blogosphere to bestow with the Homer Simpson Transmundanity Award for being one of the freakiest(in a funny way) things I've seen or read during a 7 day period. It doesn't necessarily have to have been written during the week, I just had to have encountered it. That means that if you find something interesting and repost it like a movie or whatever, if I saw it at your blog first, you get the prize. Of course, creating your own content is also a very good way to win.
Now, if you see a post that you think is worthy of this illustrious prize, just drop me a line at campybeaver@gmail.com and we'll see if we can't get your suggestion up and award-ready while giving you some credit and a link to your own blog.
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Projected Story Ideas for Studio 60 in the New Year
If you are planning on watching the show on DVD or if/when it arrives on your nation's airwaves, I would skip this entry as it does contain spoilers regarding things that have already come to pass.
I like the show and all, but I can still admit that yes, it is somewhat silly at times. So in that vein, I thought about some of the possible directions the show could go in. These are meant to be humorous for the fact that they are plausible but unlikely, and in no way do I actually expect these things to happen this season.
Anyone want to put some odds on variations of any of that stuff happening?
I like the show and all, but I can still admit that yes, it is somewhat silly at times. So in that vein, I thought about some of the possible directions the show could go in. These are meant to be humorous for the fact that they are plausible but unlikely, and in no way do I actually expect these things to happen this season.
- Matt and Danny hire new writers for the room, one of whom is very much the sexual social climber, much to Harriet Hayes' chagrin. The whole arc culminates in a stunt guest appearance by either Steve Martin, Anne Heche or Ellen Degeneres.
- Matt and Danny sit in a darkened bar for an entire episode navel-gazing about the moral implications of pursuing romances where an imbalance of power exists whilst throwing out references to Bismarckian politics, Mark Twain and the Taming of the Shrew.
- A Christian fundamentalist group boycotts the network over a sketch involving a fake commercial for a Jesus bottle opener that turns your bottled water into wine and Harriet Hayes must calm the whole situation down with Biblical materials and a quote from a rather stunning source.
- A guest appearance by Martin Sheen as himself culminates in the line to Danny Tripp (played by Bradford Whitford) that "he looks really familiar, but he can't put his finger on it". This joke could also work with Matthew Perry's Matt Albie with a cast member of Friends, Ricky Gervais and the writer played by Lucy Davis or Nate Corddry and anyone from the Daily Show.
- In the terse control room, the technical staff of Studio 60 battle over whether to launch a tactical strike against 30 Rock.
- Danny, Matt and Jordan discuss the fickleness of the committees that nominate shows for awards.
- Five Words: Jordan McDeere's baby - The anti-Christ
- Simon Stiles is caught in a sex tape scandal. Ratings for the in-series Studio 60 explode. Ratings for the real life Studio 60 do not.
- Ed Asner's Wilson White publicly bickers with Rachael Ray after she claims that he is just a hairy freak with no spunk and darker intentions in mind with that whole Macao deal.
Anyone want to put some odds on variations of any of that stuff happening?
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Thursday, January 4, 2007
Culture Kills says Goodbye to The O.C.
I originally watched the pilot of the O.C. for a simple reason: I had seen the previews of the show and they showed the scene of the troubled Ryan Atwood being driven away from the O.C. and passing a girl standing by the side of the road... and I just had to know if that girl happened to be Mischa Barton, who I had enjoyed in the movies Lawn Dogs and Lost and Delirious.
And it was. But once I had confirmed that, well, I got ensnared in the show that was a little too hip for its own good. It was a teen drama that I watched for the mature actors and their story lines... Peter Gallagher, Melinda Clarke, Alan Dale and Kelly Rowan. It was one of those moment that I realized that I had indeed made the transition from being a teenager to an adult. And of course the writers and producers knew what it was, and they played with every convention of the genre. It wasn't groundbreaking stuff to be sure, but it have definitely have style, and for television drama trying to create a buzz, well, that is an ingredient more important than originality or high quality writing. Of course, if you happened to watch first 7 episodes of that first season in quick succession, you can basically see the writers cleaning up the town. The first few episodes it is teenaged Babylon, with nearly every young character drinking to excess, being promiscuous and/or doing drugs... but by episode 8, well, the town is pretty clean. Maybe the writers knew what was coming in the months ahead with Marissa so they wanted to make the contrast between her behavior and that of her peers that much more defined.
Whatever the case may be that first long season was magically both in terms of the storylines and the ratings, and like all television phenomena, it could only go down from there. By that second season, the writers were a little too willing to try to play into their success with a knowing wink to the audience through a Seth Cohen off-the-cuff joke or Sandy Cohen line and because so much had happened in the first 27 episodes, well, there were fewer and fewer places for the show to go and it jumped the shark before that fateful gunshot. But I still wasn't ready to leave the warm embrace of that Newport Beach-Chino corridor just yet.
No, what really did in the O.C. for me was scheduling. Last season I had a choice between watching the quickly declining Fox drama and another failing series, I chose the latter and watched Alias slide down towards an ending, so I am to put it mildly, out of the loop at to the things that are happening in Newport Beach. But from a former fan of the show, I can only imagine how far it has gone down hill from where it once was. So when I heard the series was ending on February 22nd, well, I was not really surprised.
So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, goodbye Cohens, Coopers and the rest of the gang in Orange County. We'll always have "Welcome to the O.C., Bitch!"... though it may be better used now like the ubiquitous "jumped the shark"-- to describe a show that starts off very fast and hot but ends up a shattered wreck in the end. I am sure that we all know of a few shows that are on now that this particular phrase will also apply to.
And it was. But once I had confirmed that, well, I got ensnared in the show that was a little too hip for its own good. It was a teen drama that I watched for the mature actors and their story lines... Peter Gallagher, Melinda Clarke, Alan Dale and Kelly Rowan. It was one of those moment that I realized that I had indeed made the transition from being a teenager to an adult. And of course the writers and producers knew what it was, and they played with every convention of the genre. It wasn't groundbreaking stuff to be sure, but it have definitely have style, and for television drama trying to create a buzz, well, that is an ingredient more important than originality or high quality writing. Of course, if you happened to watch first 7 episodes of that first season in quick succession, you can basically see the writers cleaning up the town. The first few episodes it is teenaged Babylon, with nearly every young character drinking to excess, being promiscuous and/or doing drugs... but by episode 8, well, the town is pretty clean. Maybe the writers knew what was coming in the months ahead with Marissa so they wanted to make the contrast between her behavior and that of her peers that much more defined.
Whatever the case may be that first long season was magically both in terms of the storylines and the ratings, and like all television phenomena, it could only go down from there. By that second season, the writers were a little too willing to try to play into their success with a knowing wink to the audience through a Seth Cohen off-the-cuff joke or Sandy Cohen line and because so much had happened in the first 27 episodes, well, there were fewer and fewer places for the show to go and it jumped the shark before that fateful gunshot. But I still wasn't ready to leave the warm embrace of that Newport Beach-Chino corridor just yet.
No, what really did in the O.C. for me was scheduling. Last season I had a choice between watching the quickly declining Fox drama and another failing series, I chose the latter and watched Alias slide down towards an ending, so I am to put it mildly, out of the loop at to the things that are happening in Newport Beach. But from a former fan of the show, I can only imagine how far it has gone down hill from where it once was. So when I heard the series was ending on February 22nd, well, I was not really surprised.
So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, goodbye Cohens, Coopers and the rest of the gang in Orange County. We'll always have "Welcome to the O.C., Bitch!"... though it may be better used now like the ubiquitous "jumped the shark"-- to describe a show that starts off very fast and hot but ends up a shattered wreck in the end. I am sure that we all know of a few shows that are on now that this particular phrase will also apply to.
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Wednesday, January 3, 2007
Remembering "Dog Park"
This is an odd little romantic comedy starring Luke Wilson, Natasha Henstridge, Janeane Garofalo and Kids in the Hall alum Bruce McCulloch. As the title suggests, canines are heavily involved. The story follows Andy (Wilson in one of his first movie roles), a magazine writer who has just been dumped by his girlfriend Cheryl (Kathleen Robertson) and his efforts trying to get over that relationship, and the parallel story of Lorna (Henstridge), who plays a children's show host who has also had bad luck with men. A chance meeting at a bar introduces these two characters and through some clever interconnections involving their friends, their respective chain of doomed relationships and of course, their dogs. Andy and Cheryl are having a custody issue over his dog Mogli and Lorna's dog Peanut is having a discipline problem, and as such, they both visit Dr. Cavan, a pet psychiatrist, for different reasons. Mark McKinney's performance as Dr. Cavan would have fit quite well in a Christopher Guest movie, and seeing as McCulloch directed this movie, he probably trusted his former castmate to riff in a few of the scenes, and it shows.
Now, this movie was not well received when it was released (Rotten Tomatoes has it at 35% and the IMDB at 4.9/10), but it may be something that you would like. But there is another reason that I am recommending this movie. Ever person I have ever shown this movie can relate to one of the relationship models portrayed in it as something that has happened to them. Plus, there are some really funny KITH references and a nice burn to a relative of one of the major players in the film that can't be missed. It isn't a monument in celluloid I admit, but it is an entertaining way to spend 91 minutes of your life.
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Tuesday, January 2, 2007
I have seen the light... wait, I need a light
In accordance with my seventh pop cultural resolution this year, I decided to find a religion that was just tailor-made for me and I think I have found it.
The Church of the Latter Day Dude, a church based on the fundamental principles set forth in the movie The Big Lebowski, and the philosophies, lives and works of other great Dude prophets in the past, like Lao Tzu, Heraclitus and Walt Whitman and present day warriors of the faith like Sarah Silverman, Quincy Jones and Joni Mitchell amongst others.
The Dudeist philosophy is a strange and wonderous thing, and one that is both deep and wide. Allow me to quote from the Duderonomy
As stated in Book 3, Chapter 8
And I must always keep Book 1, Ch. 7 in my heart and mind.
So, do you think you have what it takes for the life of the bathrobe and flipflops?
The Church of the Latter Day Dude, a church based on the fundamental principles set forth in the movie The Big Lebowski, and the philosophies, lives and works of other great Dude prophets in the past, like Lao Tzu, Heraclitus and Walt Whitman and present day warriors of the faith like Sarah Silverman, Quincy Jones and Joni Mitchell amongst others.
The Dudeist philosophy is a strange and wonderous thing, and one that is both deep and wide. Allow me to quote from the Duderonomy
As stated in Book 3, Chapter 8
What happens when one fucks a stranger in the ass is not always what one might think will happen, nor what is necessarily fair or just to any of the concerned parties.
And I must always keep Book 1, Ch. 7 in my heart and mind.
Employ comfortable furnishings in your home such as reclining chairs, scented candles, Persian rugs and fanciful mini-bars with ironic posters of former adversaries. Your house is your temple and your temple should be well tied-together.
So, do you think you have what it takes for the life of the bathrobe and flipflops?
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Monday, January 1, 2007
My Top 10 Pop Culture/Blog Resolutions for 2007
1. I will at some point pick up the first season of Veronica Mars on DVD or catch it on the Women's Television Network (for the non-Canadians, yes, it is actually called that).
2. Appreciate more art... both commercial and non-commercial.
3. I will try not to mention Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan or Britney Spears for months at a time.
4. Make fun of entertainment new programming more.
5. Talk more about books... hell, I'll try to READ more books.
6. I am probably going to be an uncle on Thursday, so perhaps I should be a little more kid-friendly(and resolution #3 should cover that).
7. Find Religion (I am on track to do this one first... more tomorrow ;) )
8. Go Kitsch... Go Kitsch in a massive, massive way
9. Introduce new recurring features(I got three so far... let's try for five)...
10. More podcasts... so many more audio posts.
2. Appreciate more art... both commercial and non-commercial.
3. I will try not to mention Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan or Britney Spears for months at a time.
4. Make fun of entertainment new programming more.
5. Talk more about books... hell, I'll try to READ more books.
6. I am probably going to be an uncle on Thursday, so perhaps I should be a little more kid-friendly(and resolution #3 should cover that).
7. Find Religion (I am on track to do this one first... more tomorrow ;) )
8. Go Kitsch... Go Kitsch in a massive, massive way
9. Introduce new recurring features(I got three so far... let's try for five)...
10. More podcasts... so many more audio posts.
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