1. Possibly the best sports blog named after the best sporting moment ever, Kissing Suzy Kolber, is scoring way more than Joe Namath lately.
Between ripping the looks-like-a-jerk, acts-like-a-jerk Phil Rivers and showing who else besides Tom Brady isn't very special, it's a must-read. Plus, we haven't even gotten to the Patriots as told by a Bostonite (best line, referring to Wes Welker: "I always wanted Troy Brown to not be black, and now he isn't!")
By the way, Rivers showed a lot of class taunting the Colts fan after the game was decided. Why get into it with fans? Because he's already lost the taunting game against actual players?
2. The Yankees have a fight song, apparently. A long-standing one, too.
The fight song thing I've never gotten. Maybe it's because I went to a college that didn't have football. To me, fight songs should have stayed in the Civil War.Shooting unreliable weapons at close range and knowing you'll have to eventually foolishly charge forward with a pointy metal thing as your best weapon demands some real fight songing. And probably a good dose of whisky.
3. Out of morbid curiosity, I watched the first 10 minutes of the new "Terminator" show. All I knew going in was that there was a really hot, too young chick (who I correctly assumed to be the inexplicable ally) and a Linda Hamilton lookalike, only flightier. Also, the preview tagline was, "Only a mother's love for her son can save the future," which made me think the future was pretty much screwed. And also make me think of Oedipus.
Well, turns out there's even more B-list fun.
Dean Winters of "Rescue Me" and the first season of "SVU" was there. Poor guy's got lines like, "You must think I'm a jackass," and "I came here for HELP! Not for this!"
Then, there's a well-dressed black guy, who of course is from the FBI and spouts lines like, "She's a grade-A whackamole!" and "That's not my patter. I'm here because my boss, the United States of America..."
Just wow. To quote a wise person, Fox is great at making intriguing action plots with terrible dialogue and acting. Plus, as the link to the left notes, what mother of a teenage boy wears an F-me skirt like that? "Hilariously inappropriate" is correct.
Despite this, Variety enjoyed it, as the first link details, and so did Newsday. Maybe I should have had a longer attention span?
Labels: Midweeklinks
It's actually for the weekend, but I've never guaranteed these would be on an exact timetable.
1. Movies. Maybe you love them but can't afford the DVDs. Maybe you're only somewhat interested, a TV station isn't playing them at the moment and you're sure as hell not buying the DVD of anything you're not sure about.
An option that's far from perfect but is free is on YouTube, such as here, and elsewhere (this may be outdated). People are posting full-length movies, and unlike, say, bittorrents, you know what you're getting before you download the 300MB file.
It's still a crapshoot, and more tilted toward older films with less bells and whistles for the DVD makers to be protective over, but it's all part of that community-driven Internet we love so much.
2. There's also the legitimate, fully legal version at archive.org, which has amassed an impressive collection of stuff, to put it simply.
3. To dote more on old-time video, they sell these collections of TV commercials, predominantly from the 1950s and 1960s. While some are classic and many enlighten us to the whoring out that shows back then would do (hawking goods as scene extensions, in character), they probably aren't worth paying for. Here's an example.
4. Katherine Heigl is going classy for Vanity Fair. I'm not sure if she's Hollywood's hottest blonde, but she's in the discussion.
5. I've been listening to R.E.M.'s 1982-1987 collection, "And I Feel Fine...Best of the I.R.S. Years," and it's superb. Many of the songs I knew, others I had forgotten and some were new. Just a fantastic band whose understated and sophisticated sound doesn't sound dated -- rather, it sounds like a lot of the bands of recent years, only better. And for anyone wondering why I bring them up now, I've listened to them for a while. But I was only 4 when this album's chronology ends, so cut some slack.
6. The Spink Award for baseball writing was announced this week, to not-much fanfare. Larry Whiteside died this year, and he covered a lot of Milwaukee baseball (Braves and Brewers) before joining the Boston Globe. So while Bud Selig certainly knew who he was, nationally, not everyone (myself included) did. J.A. Adande was one who did know Whiteside, and he mentioned him in his welcome to ESPN.com column in August.
Dan Shaughnessy, usually not the somber and reflective columnist, offered up a nice viewpoint on Whiteside.
Labels: Midweeklinks
"Culture is worth a little risk."
Lots to talk about in an edition that almost makes it to midweek...
1. Norman Mailer, the often-crazed, old, brilliant kook, is dead, and he is remembered for his faults as fondly as his gifts by a often-drunken, middle-aged brilliant kook in Christopher Hitchens. And I use those adjectives in admiration.
I've a lot of catching up to do with Mailer, to be quite honest. I've read more about him than of him, which is a shame.
2. Mailer was a man who had his facts when he needed them and the sheer force of his considerable will when he maybe didn't. Here's a small example of what not having facts or personality does to your credibility.
3. This isn't brand-new, but the 10 films that couldn't have happened without Wes Anderson is interesting.
The maker of Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums and The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, among others, has best been copied (outside of Little Miss Sunshine)in television, where "Arrested Development" upped the awkwardness and stripped the sentimentality, and "The Office" has more caricatures but a deeper overall emotional impact, among others. One could argue Lost In Translation owes Anderson, for without Bill Murray (and parts of Scarlett Johansson), that film is a disaster.
Can't wait see if Juno is the real deal, though. With Michael Cera in it, it can't be bad, right?
3. PopMatters savages the new Avenged Sevenfold album. I liked the first single, but it had major holes. Listening to the album on The Leak, there's good stuff, but if you're going to focus on the vocals or lyrics at all, yeah, you're probably hate it.
4. Leo Durocher's ex-wife died. Laraine Day was pretty old, obviously, since Durocher was a teammate of Babe Ruth. But yeah, she was an actress. Not many left from that era.
5. Writers Guild strike getting you down? Jenna Fischer from "The Office" explains why you should not only root for them, but be glad they're striking. After all, the Screen Actors Guild strike is right around the corner.
Not sure what to think. There's no reason for them to get screwed on Internet and DVD revenue. But it's hard to feel, too, that they are the suffering masses.
6. To end with happier times and older movies, here's a collection of classic movie postings I stole from here.
And if you feel like expanding your horizon, take a chance on Cary Grant out of character (a bit) in None But The Lonely Heart.
It's not the most upbeat, not with lines like:
"When will the world awake from this midnight, when will humanity get up from its knees?" and
"They say money talks. All it every said to me was goodbye."
But it's a damn fine performance from Grant and the others involved.
Sadly, it's not on DVD.
Labels: Midweeklinks
This edition is sparked by what might be the most offensive thing The Onion has ever done. The redeeming value is it's almost not a spoof; it's almost like watching a real cable news channel (pick any of them) broadcast the latest cute missing co-ed.
Aquafina is simply tap water, and so is Dasani. This may not be surprising to you, but the labeling is finally starting to reflect this truth. It's just water in a bottle.
Seen the wordless "Nip/Tuck" season five promo? The song is Giant Drag's cover of Chris Isaak's "Wicked Game" -- the one with the black-and-white video with the naked model. The girl-sung, yet heavier Giant Drag version can be streamed here. There's also a live version from Coachella with a bizarre intro in which Annie Hardy jokes that Isaak stole the song from her -- among other things.
On the music kick, the Foo Fighters are back after a rather boring double album, and the first song, "The Pretender," is at their Myspace site. There's also this other new song (free download) from a radio session. And in a different vein of music, Rilo Kiley is always nice for free. And if you don't like the music, how can you not like her?
"Late Night With Conan O'Brien" is now streamed the next day on NBC.com. Full episodes. It's about damn time. Not everyone can stay up late to watch Quackers the shit-eating duck.
Labels: Conan, Midweeklinks
Sneaking something in between computer problems, travel and the long, dragging days at work.
The wonderful Minus The Bear has a new album that drops a little bit of the skittering, off-tempo jazzy math rock eccentricity but still delivers the goods. There's other Minus The Bear material here and tracks from the new album here.
Google Earth wasn't enough, nor was a bit of Google Mars. Now, we've got Google Sky, but one blogger says it's not up to par.
FX's shows are always talked about as edgy, with more gratuitous sex, violence, language, etc. What they aren't often recognized for is the best, if not only, consistent chance for 35-and-older women to shine. Just a very short list: Glenn Close on "The Shield" and "Damages," Andrea Roth, Callie Thorne, Susan Sarandon, Marisa Tomei, Gina Gershon on "Rescue Me," Joely Richardson and a plethora of guest stars on "Nip/Tuck," Courteney Cox on "Dirt," and Minnie Driver on "The Riches."
What's my point? Well, just praising FX again, because most of those shows are great for lots of other reasons.
But in that realm of older actresses, Mary-Louis Parker is finally getting some notice. New York magazine previously included her, in sort of a compliment, and her "Weeds" character in a story about the rise of MILFs. I'm not kidding.
I watched this tonight, and it delivers the laughs from an odd angle: "The Daily Show" and how Iraq is just like Indiana.
Labels: Midweeklinks
It's a weekend edition because I've been neglectful of everything over at Afternoon Baseball.
Though it's near the trade deadline, I was thinking of Opening Day for some reason. Ted Williams, no surprise, stands as one of the best performers ever on that day, and Walter Johnson tossed nine of his 110 shutouts to start the year.
Ever have a sweater with you but unsure of what to do when it's too warm to be wearing it? Here are some options.
Since it was Induction Day, here's a recap of someone else's recent Cooperstown trip.
"The Bourne Ultimatum" is out Friday, and there's at least three trailers and a so-far perfect rating at Rotten Tomatoes about which to be excited. Outside of the disappointing news that Julia Stiles has an expanded role, I'm excited, too.
In non-link mode, FX's "Damages" looks really good. It's a nice, dark companion to the similar but funnier chaos on "Rescue Me." And, with the stable of shows that USA and other networks have, more and more the best work on TV is on cable.
Labels: Midweeklinks
We lead off this session with what should almost be its own post. That is...
One of the greatest character actors ever, Charles Lane, has died at age 102. A founding Screen Actors Guild member, you'll see him every year in "It's A Wonderful Life" (and nine other Frank Capra films) and the "I Love Lucy" episode where she has her baby, but he's also in hundreds (!) of other films and shows. TV Land honored him on his 100th birthday, and you can see him picking up Ginger Rogers as a first-time prostitute (yes, you read that right) in "Primrose Path."
Sadly, there's not many other, much better clips I could find, although you can get "Lucy Goes To The Hospital" at Amazon.
For more, read some great thoughts and links at this fascinating blog.
In case you've forgotten any of the Lou Gehrig speech, made July 4, 1939, here's the text and the only audio available. Since the anniversary and the latest Old Timers Day was this week, I though I'd throw that in. For a shy, reticent man, he delivered more in a few minutes than most in a lifetime.
The worst football announcer of all time -- Bill Maas -- and a man who nearly made it impossible for me to watch New York Giants games has been arrested and as such is assuring us that he won't be back on the airwaves. Rejoice, one and all.
Jenna Fischer's blog has been picked as one of the best celebrity blogs. Sure, it's EW doing the picking, but still. It's a great insight into the show and the groundedness of its breakout star.
Michael Cera is moving on from "Arrested Development," but of course is inextricably linked to it. Read more about both here.
The deaths of Clete Boyer and other baseball figures, or rather, their lives, are remembered over at Bronx Banter. Boyer's Cooperstown connection, in particular, is recalled as we approach the induction of two other fine baseball gentlemen, Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripken Jr.
And last, and certainly most disgusting, is the news that Major League Baseball has enlisted Dane Cook as its postseason spokesman. The apt comparison with the NFL's choice is just the most-potent arrow slung at this target.
Labels: Arrested-Development, Midweeklinks, The-Office
Welcome back, fans. Let's not waste words this week.
Links after the jump...
1. PopMatters lists, explains and provides clips for "The 50 DVDs Every Film Fan Should Own." While it's certainly a diehard's list -- the selections include many that may be more fun to study than to enjoy as a fan -- there's a range of styles, genres and degrees of public success.
2. Identity thieves are caught out when they fail to recognize who Herman Munster was. For a video viewpoint, check out the last segment of TV Squad Daily's Brigitte. I don't know how much ground or news she breaks, but she's agreeable, covers a lot of stuff in 2:30 and isn't bad to look at.
3. I love "30 Rock." Let's just start with that. I think Tina Fey is still, somehow, underrated for this (and also underrated for how she let "SNL" fall apart her last few years there as head writer). Alec Baldwin delivered one of the great performances of all time -- seriously. And everyone else fits in well. But let's be honest -- the show staggered for the first four or five episodes, had a legendary 10-12 ep run, and then the last couple were just above-average. It's not the best comedy on its own network, much less TV.
OK, I'm done. What I meant to say was, check out the top 10 moments from Season One.
4. The great Phil Hartman, remembered in a best-of web clip collection. BTW, it leaves out some great stuff, but his "Best Of SNL" DVD is still worth taking a look at.
5. The Great Falls White Sox, of Great Falls, Montana, had retired railroader Walter Breuning throw out the first pitch at their 2007 home opener. What's the big deal? He's 110 years old. In the year he was born -- 1896 -- the X-ray was invented, Utah became a state, the first modern Olympics were held, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was started, and the big political issue in that campaign year was gold versus silver. Yes, he's terribly old.
That's all for now, folks. It's been fun, as always.
Labels: Midweeklinks
Another week, another edition as time rolls on.
"Knocked Up," the next step in the evolution of frat comedies with heart, is either a masterpiece or a too-long, unoriginal affair.
Chris Cornell has a new album out. There's a streamed song here.
Carl Pavano has his huge contract to console him, but still, he's lost baseball's respect, the usefulness of his arm for a while, and his smoking-hot girlfriend.
"The Office" and other finales covered as only The Onion can.
Steve Carell and Stephen Colbert debate the Iraq war after the fact in a hard-edged verbal battle called "Even Stepvhen."
Labels: Midweeklinks, Pavano, The-Office
It's more toward the end of the week, but oh well. Here we go:
The 1920 season for the New York Yankees, as reported by The New York Times. Great stuff, and especially interesting to see how the narrative has changed so drastically.
Jim Halpert Is Dead: Or so goes this interpretation, where our hero Dwight Schrute investigates the fall of his fellow worker.
Also, you can check out John Krasinski's spot on "Human Giant"'s 24-hour takeover of MTV. Also has the fantastic Will Arnett, Michael Cera, and Rob Riggle, he of Upright Citizens Brigade and a guest star on both "The Office" (Captain Jack) and "Arrested Development" (the congressman who visits Buster in his fake coma).
If you have a typewriter, this man can still fix it for you.
Another long-ago repeat to Midweek Links, The Constantines, have three of their songs for download on Myspace.
Pud Galvin, exceptionally durable pitcher of the 1880s, was a steroid pioneer. He's been dead for 105 years, yet has a blog devoted to him.
Deadspin is all over the idiocy that is A-Rod's blonde. It's just a continuation of the culture of overhyping things just because they involve Alex Rodriguez.
Labels: Arrested-Development, Midweeklinks, The-Office
They are back, and irregular in schedule as ever. Apparently, one or one-and-a-half people enjoyed them.
To you, then.
1. The Ben Stiller movie index -- Classics, Underrated, Overrated, and well, the bad. Can't say I disagree with much.
"Starsky & Hutch" truly is underrated. It's perhaps the best vehicle for Owen Wilson of the many, many Stiller movies he's been in. And Snoop Dogg always makes things lively (even the much-darker "Training Day"). Plus, look at the casting -- Jason Bateman, Juliette Lewis, Amy Smart, and Carmen Electra. Oscar-winning, no, but underrated.
2. Keeping on the movie theme, Mark Wahlberg is not a leading man. Most-illustrating point: "But actors who command attention without doing anything are rare, which is precisely what makes them stars. Wahlberg doesn't possess that brand of built-in charisma. You can see the distinction plainly in his "Departed" scenes, almost all of which place him right next to Martin Sheen. ... Try to imagine Wahlberg as Willard in Apocalypse Now -- he's almost the same age now that Sheen was then -- wearily intoning, "Saigon...shit. I'm still only in Saigon." Wahlberg could play Kilgore, but never Willard. (Robert Duvall is a legend because he can do both.)"
3. This aired a few weeks ago, but this "Bart and Lisa vs. the UPS" subplot kills me. Especially the subtle Bart line, "Who knew guys in brown shirts could cause so much trouble."
4. "Andy Barker, P.I.," a show so sensational is was almost immediately canceled. It's Conan-esque humor put to TV with the everyday but bizarre Andy Richter humor, apparently a tough sell outside 12:30 a.m.
5. I still haven't seen "Blades of Glory" (I almost completely fail to see anything in theaters) despite plugging it more than a year ago. Jenna Fischer, the unluckiest receptionist ever, talks about that and lots more. There's an "Arrested Development" bonus at the end.
6. The best for last. The cuddly "Cute Knut" polar bear is a worldwide phenomenon -- even making Vanity Fair. More on that with video here.
Here's the best places to find quick collections of photos before he gets too big to be cute: Berlin Zoo; Der Spiegel; German public broadcaster RBB (in German, but extensive); Knut on Flickr.
Labels: Midweeklinks
Let me start by saying the Yanks were terrible tonight, and they deserve no more comment. I didn't catch all of "Nip/Tuck," so I'm holding off on that, too. Thought it was a good return to the complexities between Christian, Sean and Julia, rather than the whole CSI-like Carver saga. Although, I thought that made for thrilling TV while it lasted.
Anyways...
1. They showed the "Casino Royale" trailer during "Nip/Tuck." First of all, Daniel Craig is the oddest-looking James Bond ever, but damn, can Judi Dench absolutely steal a scene. You don't mess with her.
Actually, despite thinking this project has been a disaster all throughout, it actually looks promising. Lots of action, appropriate nods to old-time Bonds, and a plot that perhaps may not make 007 look dated.
The "Bourne" movies took the whole spy thing and stripped it down -- rouge spy, a small team out to get him. Realistic enough to actually happen without major media paying much attention, gripping and human enough to make for a good view. Bond, next to that, is a poorly written and acted absurdity in a world where no one is trying to "take over the world" and no spy could be universally known. Austin Powers, in its biting satire, first buried Bond, then Bourne sealed the coffin.
If they can go back to an earlier Bond, take a micro focus that offers something new, not a macro look that anyone who wants to watch can go find the previous 20 films in the franchise. We'll see.
2. The Onion, for all its surprising reverence, mild jokes and rally-behind-the flag humor after Sept. 11, probably will bother some with "NYC Unveils 9/11 Memorial Hole." But the writing is much sharper than the headline.
3. For more un-PC stuff, The Brushback finds the non-shot NFL players.
4. This review likes the new Facebook news feed. But if you browse on Facebook, it seems everyone is creeped out by the whole thing. Sure, it's info that everyone "could already see." But it basically is a step-by-step list of everything you've been doing for anyone to see without them having to do the work. Sure, people today whore out all their info and their thoughts. But they still prefer to do so voluntarily.
5. Single and live in a major area? Forbes tells you the best places for singles. Learn if you'll be alone forever.
6. Stingrays are obviously deadly. Thanks, Steve Irwin, for showing us. But how deadly exactly? It's tough to say.
7. More from Slate, this time being teens, sex, and unintended consequences.
Kind of a serious links update today. Just like reading a lot of things, I guess.
Labels: Midweeklinks
I wonder if this is an unpopular segment. Then again, I have all this useless stuff to dispense, so unless I get hate mail, it's continuing.
Conan O'Brien is hosting the Emmys, and The Onion AV Club talks to him. Conan's a good interview, and there's lots of his clips online, plus a chronology of his first 10 years.
Also, no link to this, but he had Kristin Davis on last night promoting some terrible movie. But it doesn't matter, because, as usual, Conan has an amazing rapport with a growing number of actresses (and actors, too, to be fair). Davis has been on tons of times, says virtually nothing important, and yet is always a good interview. She's one of my favorite Conan guests to watch despite never, ever watching anything she's in.
Moving on...
William Shatner owns his own roast. He's a crazy SOB. Speaking of old guys who don't look their age for whatever reason, Regis turns 75 today.
In the Harold Reynolds corner, The Brushback asks the same question I had: What of the Little League World Series? Their answer: Coordinators of ESPN’s coverage of the Little League World Series were forced to tell curious 12-year-olds that Harold Reynolds, the color commentator who has been covering the event for years, was dead. Reynolds was fired from ESPN last month after being accused of sexual harassment, but the network didn’t want to divulge the information to the kids.
“Sorry, kids, but Harold’s dead,” producer Carol Schumann told a group of horrified little leaguers. “He died in a mysterious accident. We don’t know too many details except that it was kind of gross and yucky and it’s best if we don’t even talk about it. Sometimes people die. Get used to it. Anyway, we have Joe Morgan now. He’s about as humorless as an Islamic fundamentalist, but his knowledge of the game is unparalleled. And he doesn’t hug anybody inappropriately.”The Onion speaks some dangerous truth. Speaking of them, they mock crazy Michael Kay and his absurd comments (second item) with this brilliant one-liner:
"Yankees announcer compares groundout to 9/11."Traveling to Europe? Get downloadable audio guides for a cell or iPod.
Huge changes on "SNL" after last year's disaster (except for Amy Poehler). Horatio Sanz, who hasn't been funny since he was a bit player six or seven years ago, is apparently out, as is the man partly responsible for "SNL's" plight in the first place, Chris Parnell. My theory, in short, is that Parnell should have been the dominant guy after Will Farrell left ("SNL" always needs a dominant lead). Parnell's nothing but a good second option, and the show can't work that way. They've never fixed the problem, and making Seth Meyers solo head writer and having him bump Poehler off "Weekend Update" isn't going to help.
Labels: Midweeklinks
Lots of baseball in this edition.
The Astros lost to the Cubs in 18 innings, as Brad Lidge blew a save for the second time this year (and at least 5th time since 2005) in a game in which Roger Clemens was lined up to win. Lidge deservedly got pulled from the closer's role by Phil Garner after the game.
But wait. The Diamondbacks and Rockies played 18 innings, too, with Arizona pulling out a 2-1 victory at Colorado. Man, Coors Field is impossible to hit in nowadays.
A great set of thoughts on some Yankee minor leaguers, including Phillip Hughes, the construction of the new stadium, Robinson Cano, and Melky Cabrera.
Tim Keown briefly touches on the A-Rod saga, but then, as always has fun with the world of sports.
Mr. Feeny from "Boy Meets World," who'll be 80 in March but never looked that old on the show, has a small part in "Blades of Glory," the Will Ferrell spectactular I've already been jazzed about.
Elmo's terrible and he's killing "Sesame Street." Or so one man says.
Labels: Midweeklinks
I'm killing time while I push off this A-Rod piece, I know. But links are crowd-pleasers, no?
1. Muse, those purveyors of over-the-top madness, have the most daft video ever for the prog-rock absurdity of "Knights Of Cydonia."
The Wild West, cowboys, 1970s-style robots, the stocks (like, the prisoner-holding ones, not Wall Street), laser guns, motorcycles, vultures picking at skeletons, unicorns, a really hot blond woman, Kung Fu moves and preparation, cheesy mustaches, and somehow the song powering all of this. It's the greatest bad music video. Ever.
2. Think there's a 9/11 conspiracy. Maddox doesn't.
3. Hardly a definitive (or even well-reasoned) source, but Yahoo! Answers looks at whether Derek Jeter should be MVP.
4. If you go onto Google, Derek Jeter clutch gives you 132,000 results, while A-Rod chokes gets 119,000 and Alex Rodriguez chokes brings back 111,000.
Meanwhile, Gary Sheffield attitude gives you 237,000 hits. Interesting.
Labels: Midweeklinks
I omitted a few for some reason.
1. A-Rod is catching hell for all actions, even off the field.
2. Her show is most likely absolutely, completely terrible, since it was on the WB, but Sophia Bush has other things going for her. She's not one of those Bushes, in case people are upset. She's just hot.
3. A really, really, interesting shot of a spot in London. Not sure where in the city it is, however.
4. Steely Dan is mad because the "Dupree" movie that Owen Wilson is in rips off the name and story of a song from their 2001 Best Album-winning record. A couple things. One, they address it to Owen's brother Luke as if Owen's 12 and Luke will set him straight. Apparently, they only learned after posting the silly letter that Owen's older. Also, I don't think Owen Wilson's character is trying to nail his cousin in the movie, which seems to be the topic of the song.
Secondly, they should be glad anyone mentions Steely Dan. They only won that Grammy because the alternative was giving it to Eminem for an album where he kills his wife in at least one song and offended every homosexual (and plenty of others) except for Elton John. Not such good PR.
Maybe it's a satire. But we somehow doubt it, unlike the apparent case with Ken Jennings.
5. Tina Fey, as expected, is out of "SNL." So is Rachel Dratch. So what are we losing? A formerly great head writer who's let the show fall to all hell in the past two years (the game plan every week seemed to be, "If we put Amy Poehler in EVERY skit, maybe we don't have to do anything else) and the female cast member who was only funny (and not so much) and when she dressed as a boy. Maybe "SNL" can pick up the pieces. You know what might be a good start? Actually have funny men involved. Just a thought.
Labels: Midweeklinks
We start and end here with ESPN today.
First, Harold Reynolds fired for sexual harassment, according to the NY Post. Hopefully, it's just a misunderstanding (or a vendetta that gets exposed), because Harold is a great asset. Besides, who's going to broadcast the Little League World Series?
Of course, you won't find this info anywhere on ESPN.com. They have a 4-paragraph item buried on the MLB homepage. They also won't address why the antics of other on-air talent that involved criminal action (Michael Irvin) or on-air embarassment (Rick Sutcliffe drunk) don't result in firing.
Besides, if he's gone, that means more Sutcliffe, Kruk, and Steve Phillips. More on Phillips later. I think it's safe to say that the greater wrong is forcing 90 million households to listen to those three guys.
Cancer researchers wonder about the "Lance Armstrong" effect with testicular cancer.
Also, check out who's playing Lance in a movie. He's also playing Captain Kirk and in two monster threequels.
I'm not making fun of this. I'm just saying that it's not news, news being something that tells us something we don't know.
Lastly, Steve Phillips, the biased hater of A-Rod who's still trying to get back at him. Both the Reynolds and Phillips stuff I first saw at The Griddle, by the way.
Labels: Midweeklinks
I'm just a sucker for posts that have lots of info in them.
"Arrested Development," the movie, is still being considered. Last week, the show, a former winner of Best Comedy and a two-time winner (and four-time nominee) of Best Writing, won nominations in both, and they also got a technical nomination. Best of all, Will Arnett was recognized, finally, with a Best Supporting Actor nod.
Unfortunately, the show runs up against "The Office" in both categories. "The Office" was definitely the better show this year, but the writing, even with a little slippage, was unique and special on "AD." Hopefully, it splits that way and not where neither wins anything.
The Killers have a new song. There's a link to listen to streaming audio of it. Not terribly exciting -- I got bored listening to it, although it's not a bad song at all. It's just after watching the world completely ignore Franz Ferdinand's second, great album, the dance rock thing seems to be on the way out. Which is bad news for Muse's upcoming album, too.
To bolster my liking of this song, by the way, Pitchfork slams The Killers' pretensions of being The Boss. While I agree that's a silly idea, equally silly is the notion that "Bruce's [lyrics] were equally garish, but there was legit working class pathos behind them."
Maybe 35 years ago. Any point after he became a big star? Please. If Bruce pulls off brilliant, touching lyrics, it's because he's a great lyricist, not because he's blue-collar.
Scarlett Johannsson does movies or something. She's apparently a good actress. As the overrated copycats Jet once said, though, "You don't need that money when you look like that, do ya honey?"
Odalis Perez says the Dodgers have treated him like trash and driven him to tears. He then goes out and gives up one of the most no-doubt home runs ever to Albert Pujols, who is now 10-15 with 5 HRs against Perez. Good timing.
The list of countries without a McDonald's.
Labels: Midweeklinks
I'd been good with doing midweek links lately. Not so this week. I'm moving across town, so that's cut into it, too. Busy, busy. But no tears, Argentina -- you just lost in the World Cup.
Moving on:
Jenna Fischer of "The Office" fame has a very good Myspace (and yet is not running off to marry men from Jordan). Anyways, she has tons of "Office"-related tidbits, including answering some questions about the Season 2 finale and the upcoming Season 3.
She also has an "Office" shirt that you can buy online.
P.S. At some point I'll put a links page just for "Office" posts, since there's a ton of them. But not tonight.
The World Cup is ongoing, but did you know about the Third-World Cup?
Speaking of popular topics on this blog, here's a (fake) Ozzie Guillen update.
The Catch-22 of Alex Rodriguez's life.
Just a little scene of a train station (D.C.). I like photos, OK?
Speaking of photos, I ran out of other link ideas for the moment, but Winona Ryder appeared in public without stealing something, so that's noteworthy.
Labels: Midweeklinks
Filling a few gaps in my writing here with this entry, I hope.
I flew Southwest this weekend, arriving Monday a mere 25 minutes before my flight. A lady in front of me in line commented that Southwest, the only major airline without assigned seating, was going to end that free-for-all practice because people didn't like it. Lo and behold, they are experimenting with assigned seats.
Speaking of Dallas, the fans were as classy last night as the Mavs were during the whole series, loudly booing during the title presentation to the Heat. Even Mark Cuban politely clapped (well, after encouraging louder boos) for the team that proved to be more cohesive, more explosive and plain better than the supposed "chemistry and youth" team symbolizing the new NBA. Seriously, fans, just go home rather than stay and look petty. And the Dallas Mavs come across as a collection of SOBs. Pretty pathetic, considering the head cases Gary Payton, Antoine Walker, and Jason Williams, among others, play for the other club.
The Heat, by the way, are not setting the NBA back 20 years, no matter what Bill Simmons thinks. That vicious NBA he thinks was happening in the 1980s was really overhyped fights in the midst of no-contact play that produced little defense, terrible uniforms, and a lot of unathletic guys who would be overwhelmed today. Sorry. Nostalgia doesn't work for this sport.
A weird article about Stephen Hawking from China. I much prefer the "Family Guy" version, myself.
I'm stunned by this, but then again, I'm not a pure coffee fan. You can get the java from beans taken from the behind of an Indonesian marsupial. That's right.
"The Office" season 2 is available for pre-order. Another favorite, "Newsradio," is just about to have season 4 come out (season 3 debuted only 4 months ago).
Also, the awesomely bad "F Troop" from 1965 (the black-and-white season) is coming to DVD after too many years of being unavailable. They filmed an astonishing 34 episodes. I absolutely love this show, even though it went off the air about 17 years before I was born.
OK, that's it for now.
Labels: Midweeklinks
That's right, it's the recurring character of this blog, much like The Todd on "Scrubs," or Newman on "Seinfeld" -- sometimes inappropriate, but always worth the time.
Anyways, today we have a nice mix of sports and non-sports things that's surprisingly wordy:
Leading off, in the "college kids acting dumb" category, we have J.J. Redick dodging a police checkpoint by making a U-turn. I think we know how that turned out.
While this will lead you to question his on-the-court decision-making abilities, it does prove that he is ready to lead a life as a professional athlete. A push here for J.J., who we've talked about before, albeit back when I apparently thought his last name had two D's in it.
Jose Contreras has won 15 consecutive decisions. This is a nice kick in the gut for Yankees fans, despite the fact that it was generally a relief to be rid of him, even if little was being offered in return (Esteban Loiaza). There's a little discussion on it over at WasWatching, who was kind enough to say they liked this little blog. I just do it for the fun -- if it's actually not terrible, that's just a bonus.
One quick note of Loiaza: The year he won 21 games for the ChiSox, he had that great first half. I remember Peter Gammons at the time said, well, his first-half ERA was better than any second-half ERA he's ever posted. So expect a downturn. On the other hand, his first-half ERA was also better than any first-half ERA he's ever had. This was by a wide margin, too.
Paris Hilton has an album coming out. Don't laugh. Well, go ahead. Anyway, apparently her first single is remarkably similar to an old UB40 song. Want to know how bad this song is? Read the last sentence of this, um, review.
Not a funny one here. Sorry. Flag Day is tommorrow, and here's the official site for more info.
The august NY Times talks money for recent college grads. The biggie? Cook your own food, make your own coffee. Having a $3.50 latte every day can cost you more than $11,000 over 10 years. Similarly, quitting smoking can save up to $25,600 over 10 years. Heady stuff. Of course, that's betting on you not going out all the time, not sleeping and therefore not needing that latte.
I already talked about the new Metallica song, which I like, but with reservations. I've been checking out some other music haphazardly (and that's still without getting the full Pearl Jam and RHCP albums that I was so excited about...ditto for Tool).
The emo-loud-whatever band Thursday actually had a couple catchy songs on their new album, "A City By The Light Divided," which came out last month, that you can hear on their MySpace. "Counting 5-4-3-2-1" is probably the one that's the best example of them breaking out of the LI/NJ emo band habit of either too much noise or too much self-wallowing.
Just random stuff I've listened to otherwise.
Finally, to close it back out on a Yankees note, their official site's Mailbag addresses questions about the draft and current prospects. He wisely advises against panicking and trading for someone like Dontrelle Willis -- no need to have another ex-Marlin suck it up for the Yanks.
Labels: Midweeklinks
Ah, back to the grind.
1. The Catch-22 of pitching with your strength or mixing it up. By the way, if you haven't read Catch-22, the book, please do. It's just the best book of its time.
2. "Cracked" mocks the write-ups in People magazine's "Most Beautiful People" list. Now, you could say this is all too easy of a target. But the 15 entries are worth it just to see the ode to Scarlett Johansson. The ending?
Thank you, Scarlett, you trailblazer of supple cleavage —- you are truly the Rosa Parks of great racks.
3. While we're on the subject, I got this picture from this girl's blog. That makes it OK. Although I had no idea Katherine Heigl actually had a career. That's impressive.
4. The Red Hot Chili Peppers have a new album, and they play a couple news songs and some old ones for free on AOL's music feature. Predictably, Pitchfork was lukewarm on the album (4.7 of 10), which almost demands that you buy it, since 6 is about as high as you can get from them if you've ever sold more than 10 copies.
5. A great bit about Billy Crystal working Mickey Mantle into every conversation.
I thought I'd have more, but that's it for now.
Labels: Midweeklinks
They just keep a-comin', folks.
ESPN.com featured the famous San Diego Padres employee who happened to be a woman. Keith Hernandez is not happy.
About a week late, but Was Watching is looking ahead to moving Jeter from shortstop -- and without moving A-Rod. Even if Jeter was a great shortshop defensively -- not Ozzie Smith, but say, Phil Rizzuto -- you'd want to think about moving him at some point. He's going to be 32 in a month. It's worth looking into.
The trapped Australian miners -- 11 days now, although they've got food, supplies, and um, iPods, through a tube -- requested some Foo Fighters. Dave Grohl heard, and he's invited them for a beer when they get out. More specific details, although not as funny, here.
Pearl Jam's "comeback" album is out, and the two songs I heard about a month ago, "Worldwide Suicide" and "Unemployable," are certainly interesting, but not the best things ever. I headed over to Pitchfork to see what they thought, but as usual, read an essay that educated me on anything but the album.
On the other hand, the Red Hot Chili Peppers have a double album with the fantastic title of "Stadium Arcadium," and RS thinks it's great. The first single sounded like, well, a first single, until the last minute, when Flea and Frusciante go nuts -- like "Parallel Universe" but better. But it's no surprise when you consider Rick Rubin is the producer. He's also doing the in-the-works Metallica album, which can only help. Finally, iTunes is doing a pre-order with bonuses on the RHCP album.
OK, last link. Sports Pickle wishes Albert Pujols a happy 35th birthday.
Labels: Midweeklinks
It's past midweek, so it's a little late. But there's lots happening out there.
Tom Cruise is a midget -- It's always fun to see how much taller Katie Holmes is, although she looks terrible here. I know, she just had a kid. Still. By the way, "Thank You For Smoking" was excellent, and she's in it, although not pressed in her role.
Cosmetic surgery kills girl -- Seems to be a freak accident. But still, if the article's correct, it seems that this girl didn't feel like her life was going to be much without the surgery. That's a terrible thing.
The Brushback has a nice one-liner: "Cardinals Peaking At Right Time Again." Too much regular-season intensity from LaRussa and Bobby Cox has been a pet peeve of Bill Simmons for years, although I'm not sure that the Yankees or other playoff perennials are not intense. The second brief on this page is something The Onion used to do, for better or worse.
There was an idea floated a week or two ago (I think Drudge scared everyone with it) about standing-room seats on airplanes. The NYT ran with it and apparently did not fare so well.
However, the New Yorker came through with a brilliant cover, as usual. All on the link.
A nice little story of Bill Mueller and a blogger's memories of his dad.
Al Leiter visited the Yankee booth, verbally slapped Kay, and launched a discussion on Yankee broadcasters.
And finally, no link, but a friend of mine told me yesterday that a lawyer in the mayor's office in her city told her that flashing someone for a sandwich is not considered prostitution. Cause we've all been there. Food for thought, so to speak.
Labels: Midweeklinks
Well, I'm going to try and contribute other things besides just midweek links, but here goes:
1. This is a couple weeks old, but The Onion AV Club paid tribute to the genius of Don Knotts and "The Andy Griffith Show" with a list of the 20 greatest irrelevant conversations from the series. Just an absurdly good show, even 45 years later.
2. I really thought I linked this months ago, but apparently not. It's a list of expiration dates for 77 items.
Among the many things you'll learn: Nail polish only lasts about a year, but nail-polish remover lasts indefinitely.
That's it for now.
Labels: Midweeklinks
That's right. I may be absent for a couple days, but it doesn't mean I'm not keeping tabs on what's happening in randomville. Here we go:
1. A trip back in memory lane to December 2002, when Conan had one of his best shows ever: The segment where he dressed up as Santa in a mall, Al Gore actually being a good interview, and then Bruce Springsteen playing three songs, including a near-10-minute version of the early-70s song "Kitty's Back." Conan joins in on guitar on the last two songs, which were Christmas-y, I believe. "Kitty's Back" was just outrageously rollicking, in particular. Anyways, Blogcritics was particularly political, being disappointed in Gore and inspired by the Boss.
2. An interview with Angela from "The Office." Grabbed the link from Northern Attack, I believe.
3. Should have posted this 2 months ago, but a Latin acoustic-guitar duo has covered Metallica's 1986 classic instrumental "Orion," complete down to percussion, the solos and the fade-in/fade-out. Their version isn't quite as overpowering, of course, but it's complexity and richness in acoustic speaks to the craftmanship of the song. Metallica's members were 23 and 24 at the time, by the way. I'm almost 23. Damn.
4. For a change of pace and a quieter view, try the Port of Miami.
Labels: Midweeklinks
That's right, it's time for the return of Midweek Links.
First on the bill is the baby that had two heads and a successful operation to remove the second, partially-developed one. It wasn't capable of its own thought and, in purely medical terms, was a parasite. It was a great story of medicine and perserverence from such a young fighter.
Sadly, the baby has died right around its second birthday.
On a happier note, Conan was recently in Finland, as we all remember. Well, here he is, looking sort of awed by the fanatical outpouring of love from the Finnish people.
Lastly is this little kid, maybe 8-10 years old, who is dynamite on the pool table. He does scratch on one shot, but that's just quibbling.
Labels: Midweeklinks
I'm deliberately titling this post in case you don't want to read the rest.
Onward and upward...
1. I was in NYC last weekend and saw a Sienna Miller lookalike in Greenwich Village. But, alas, it turns out she was at pre-Oscars parties. Also, I looked at some of the pictures of her on the Internet, and wow, that lookalike was no match.
But I did get to see a guy cut someone off, straddle two lanes, and then when he got his bumper hit (no damage), he stops, gets out, throws out some yelled f's and a's at the driver, who was too scared to get out of the car. A woman, I presume, because the guy then said, "F'n bitch, get out of the car!"
All in front of 250 people, and about 40 cars that were blocked because neither car had the sense to move out of the middle of the road. I love New York.
2. In an actual link, in my Sin City review, I talked about how great Alexis Bledel's eyes were (really blue in an otherwise black-and-white shot). I take that back. At the Oscars, they were still blue, but Alexis looks like ET's sister. I won't say anything about the size of her forehead, other than that was the alternate site for the Mars Orbiter to land yesterday. Or that purple blob of a dress. Wow.
While I'm ripping things, I want to re-assess my "Sin City" review. While I think I was dead-on about the great choice in actors and amazing cinematography, I feel it's a movie that doesn't hold up as well on the small screen and to multiple viewings. It's a movie theater experience that reminds up how great cinema can be, and that's why it is still a movie Hollywood can learn from.
3. Petra Nemcova bowling. I've nothing to add, other than she was born to be in the SI swimsuit issue. And she survived the tsunami, so she's plenty tough.
4. And in saving the best for last, Joe Rogan (of "Newsradio," "Fear Factor," etc) had a little e-mail feud with some kid that he published on his MySpace blog. I don't even know what to think about the MySpace thing.
But seriously, ripping on Joe Rogan? First of all, he could and probably would kick your ass. Second, he's never claimed to be Bogart as an actor. Third, he's actually underrated. Why? "Newsradio" had Phil Hartman, the guy who singlehandedly held up "SNL" for years, Dave Foley, the funniest "Kids in the Hall" guy, Maura Tierney and Khandi Alexander, who have been on "ER" and one of the "CSIs" for years now, Andy Dick, who's insane, and Stephen Root, who was "that guy" in "Office Space," not to mention a bunch of other things.
Rogan actually holds up OK against that collection of talent. And "Fear Factor" may be ridiculous, but Rogan is the perfect host: that guy everybody knows who can get people to do the craziest things without having to actually join in.
Besides, Ray Romano was the original guy for Rogan's role on "Newsradio." While that would have spared us "Everbody Loves Raymond," it would have wrecked a far better show.
Labels: Midweeklinks
I'm going home, finally, to visit family and friends, cliche, cliche, so it may be it a bit sparse here.
Bronx Banter, as usual, does a better job covering the Yankees than anyone. They've got links about a 19-year-old kid with a big arm, RJ, Damon, and Sheff bitching about his contract, which is almost more of a self-motivator than anything to really worry about. I've discussed his 2007 option here and here. YanksBlog offers up an opinion on the matter, too.
Off The Facade links to an article where Andy Phillips discusses what his role will be and what he's doing to get there. Hopefully he gets the opportunity to succeed or fail.
In George We Trust shows some charts and graphs to try to figure out which of the two Kyle Farnsworths the Yanks can look forward to seeing.
And in a sort-of Yankees-related piece, Futility Infielder argues that Sammy Sosa might be worth kicking in a million for the chance that he'd hit 20 HR. He cites some teams that could improve their RF and/or DH situation, including the Yankees. I think that the problem with that argument is the baggage that Sosa will bring to any team, particularly a contender. He's also never been a full-time DH, and it's far more likely that an AL team would not want him disgracing the outfield on a regular basis. It's an interesting theory, but one that's likely to remain that way.
Labels: Midweeklinks
This is far from all the links I've run, but here's the midweek (or otherwise) posts that are solely links.
11/13/07 -- RIP Norman Mailer, fact-checking, Wes Anderson, Avenged Sevenfold, Leo Durocher, Jenna Fischer and the Writers Guild strike, old movie posters and Cary Grant
09/05/07 -- The Onion video, Aquafina=tap water, "Nip/Tuck" and "Wicked Game," new music, full episodes of Conan
08/23/07 -- Minus The Bear, Google Sky, Mary-Louise Parker, Iraq=Indiana
07/13/07 -- RIP Charles Lane (1905-2007), Lou Gehrig's speech, awful announcer Bill Maas, Jenna Fischer's blog honored, Michael Cera moves on, Clete Boyer and others remembered
06/22/07 -- 50 DVDs film fans should own, Herman Munster identity theft, "30 Rock" top moments, Phil Hartman clips, 110-year-old man throws out first pitch
06/03/07 -- 1920 Yankees newspaper reports, "Jim Halpert Is Dead," typewriter repairman, The Constantines downloads, Pud Galvin and steroids, Alex Rodriguez's blonde
04/19/07 -- Ben Stiller movie index, Mark Wahlberg can't carry a film, "The Simpsons" UPS parody, Slate looks at "Andy Barker: PI", Jenna Fischer interview, Knut the bear roundup
09/06/06 -- "Casino Royale" trailer, The Onion and 9/11, non-shot NFLers, Facebook news feed, best places for singles, stingrays, teen sex
08/25/06 -- Conan interview, William Shatner, Harold Reynolds, Michael Kay is crazy, podcast travel guides, "SNL" changes
08/16/06 -- 18-inning games, Yankee minor leaguers, Tim Keown, Mr. Feeny, Elmo stinks
08/04/06 -- Crazy Muse video, screw 9/11 conspiracies, Derek Jeter for MVP?
07/26/06 -- A-Rod, Sophia Bush, London, Steely Dan, "SNL"
07/26/06 -- Harold Reynolds fired, Lance Armstrong cancer effect and movie, Lance Bass, Steve Phillips
07/14/06 -- "AD" the movie?, Killers song, Scarlett Johannsson, Odalis Perez, countries without McDonald's
07/01/06 -- Jenna Fischer, World Cup, Ozzie Guillen, Alex Rodriguez, train stations, Winona Ryder