If every post was funny, I wouldn't feel the need to give such a seemingly conceited award. But I have had whole weeks where I was not only unfunny but I didn't even try. You wonder why comedians rarely update their blogs? They save their best shit for the stage anyway. Even the posts that were funny on this blog started out serious. But like I said, I've had a good year. I'm on the blog rolls for all the major alternative comedy blogs. Some of the biggest music bloggers have linked to my stuff. Vh-1's Best Week Ever has linked to me(I'm "one taker" in this link) twice.
Here is the best blog post I've written all year. I get a lot of my best material on and offstage ranting like a music geek. Not the cool High Fidelity indie snob variety but the slack-jawed ne'er do-well flushing the jazz section at FYE. Reading Billboard, I got mad at the quality of music that made the modern rock charts. Thus I got to typing and penned this vitriolic missive about the sorry state of popular rock.
Enjoy Hot Rock Genres and have a happy new year. Let's hope Carson Daly uses the five point palm exploding heart technique on Ryan Seacrest.
Previous Posts:
Funniest Song of '06: Kramer Rap
Funniest Viral Video of '06: Crying Wrestling Fan
Funniest Movie of '06: Idiocracy
Funniest Show: 30 Rock
Funniest Stand-Up Comedian: Louis CK
Funniest Sketch Group: Olde English
Funniest Website: Diesel Sweeties
Friday, December 29, 2006
Funniest Website of '06: Diesel Sweeties
Ze Frank would have won but he's occasionally serious. Any comedian would have won, but they do not consistently update their pages. College Humor is awesome but occasionally lapses into predictable frat boy/meathead premises for their articles (Top Ten Things to Say to a Girl Who Caught You Slippin' Her a Roofie, etc.) No, I need the robot/goth/metalhead/indie snob/furrie webcomic soap opera to force those Chinese schoolgirl giggles out of me.
Like Seinfeld, Diesel Sweeties is about everything and nothing. There is a serial narrative, but I started reading it long after the first page. I put up an older comic below to give you guys a sample of the funniest website of the year. Yes, you are wasting time reading my blog.
Like Seinfeld, Diesel Sweeties is about everything and nothing. There is a serial narrative, but I started reading it long after the first page. I put up an older comic below to give you guys a sample of the funniest website of the year. Yes, you are wasting time reading my blog.
Thursday, December 28, 2006
Funniest Sketch Comedy Group of '06: Olde English
Not only for Ben Takes a Photo of Himself Every Day
but for this classic
These guys had the best success story: doing a sketch a day on their website, having "Brian Takes..." go viral and getting their own UCB show. I just hope we see some more new sketches in 2007.
but for this classic
These guys had the best success story: doing a sketch a day on their website, having "Brian Takes..." go viral and getting their own UCB show. I just hope we see some more new sketches in 2007.
Funniest Stand-Up Comedian of 2006: Louis CK
For the show "Lucky Louie." For the podcast. For his popularity in "cringe humor" circles as well as alternative comedy circles. No other comedian gets this much respect in pop and indie circles. He's like the Justin Timberlake of comedy. Also the scandal that brought about Dane Cook's downfall. Yes Dane, he who lives by the web (MySpace) dies by the web (A Special Thing). Of course Louis CK also has jokes. But the number one reason why he's the comedian of the year is his pathological incapability to give a fuck. Here's Louis CK from Comic Relief. Yes, he has done more for Katrina than FEMA has.
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
Funniest Show of '06: "30 Rock"
My brain says "Colbert Report," my heart says "Lucky Louie" but my split-open sides and my slapped-out knees say "30 Rock." Entering the NBC fall schedule in the wake of that wooden Aaron Sorkin monstrosity "Studio 60," Alec Baldwin and Tracy Morgan became this year's most hilarious grotesques of vanity and insanity leading to much hilarity in this SNL parody. Did I already use hilarity?
Think peacock!
Think peacock!
Funniest Movie of '06: "Little Miss Sunshine"
I know, I am committing heresy. I'm supposed to choose "Borat." A few things:
a) "Borat" loses momentum in the third act; "Little Miss Sunshine" gets funnier and funnier
b) LMS is like an indie version of "National Lampoon's Vacation"
c) Steve Carell, not Sacha Baron Cohen, is the finest comic actor of the decade
d) Greg Kinnear is the most underrated comic actor of this generation
UPDATE: Idiocracy is the funniest film.
a) "Borat" loses momentum in the third act; "Little Miss Sunshine" gets funnier and funnier
b) LMS is like an indie version of "National Lampoon's Vacation"
c) Steve Carell, not Sacha Baron Cohen, is the finest comic actor of the decade
d) Greg Kinnear is the most underrated comic actor of this generation
UPDATE: Idiocracy is the funniest film.
Fuck You, I Am the Man of the Year
Frank Rich and George Will have a problem with Time magazine's cover. The one that says "You" are the person of the year. I can see why. It is a little desperate. But I resent that they argue, as Brian Williams does in that same PotY issue, that New Media/Web 2.0 is all about self-absorbed brats who want to talk about their lives. Are you fucking kidding me? People still think that all blogs are personal? That all YouTubes are like Loonygirl15? That there are no blogs or YouTubes that talk about Iraq?!!! Have we heard of political bloggers or military bloggers? Did we not see war footage on YouTube yet Frank? We know you are important, but reread your fucking editor's notes every now and again. Unfucking real.
I am especially pissed off because I never write about my personal accomplishments on this blog. And believe me there are many. I could have written about:
* the time I saved the kitten stuck in the space elevator
* the time I saved Tyco Brahe's corpse from Opie and Anthony
Hey, put that mustache down!
* the time I did a stand-up comedy gig at Bumbershoot, put it on YouTube and ended the war between Israel and Lebanon
* the time I taped "Veronica Mars" for my parents
But I never write about these things on my blog. Instead, I selflessly put aside these small but precious victories and herald the arrival of things bigger than me like puppet chic and insurance rap. So, yes, I, Mo Exclamation Point, am the man of the year. I would love to write a long thank-you list, but I see a couple of shock jocks fondling Nicolaus Copernicus.
This year man of the year, next year sexiest man alive!
I am especially pissed off because I never write about my personal accomplishments on this blog. And believe me there are many. I could have written about:
* the time I saved the kitten stuck in the space elevator
* the time I saved Tyco Brahe's corpse from Opie and Anthony
* the time I did a stand-up comedy gig at Bumbershoot, put it on YouTube and ended the war between Israel and Lebanon
* the time I taped "Veronica Mars" for my parents
But I never write about these things on my blog. Instead, I selflessly put aside these small but precious victories and herald the arrival of things bigger than me like puppet chic and insurance rap. So, yes, I, Mo Exclamation Point, am the man of the year. I would love to write a long thank-you list, but I see a couple of shock jocks fondling Nicolaus Copernicus.
Tuesday, December 26, 2006
Funniest Viral Video of '06: Crying Wrestling Fan
Again "Dick in a Box" lost because it didn't have that schadenfreude. And that, my friends, is the secret ingredient of a viral video. I mean, why else is Star Wars Kid more popular than a Paris Hilton porno tape? So, despite the fact that my girlfriend feels sorry for him, I never stop laughing at that loss of WWF innocence. Listen for that twangy wrestler's consolation: "Take it easy, man."
Funniest Song of '06: Kramer Rap
I have seen the future of musical comedy and it is the mash-up. For years musical comedians have either written parodies or original songs. But if there is one thing that web surfers love, it's schadenfreude.
Surfers hate schadenfreude
With the mash-up, the most embarrassing moments are galvanized into crunktastic gold. And is anything more ironic than a rap song sung by a man who rants against blacks? "Dick in a Box" is funny as well, but "dick" is not the taboo word on the web. Thus I doff my fictional hat
Fictional Hat
to the Kramer Rap gang.
Surfers hate schadenfreude
With the mash-up, the most embarrassing moments are galvanized into crunktastic gold. And is anything more ironic than a rap song sung by a man who rants against blacks? "Dick in a Box" is funny as well, but "dick" is not the taboo word on the web. Thus I doff my fictional hat
to the Kramer Rap gang.
Top Comedy Podcasts on Digg
While I was away, I caught Digg's new podcast section. Here are the top ten comedy podcasts.
1)Tiki Bar TV
2)Strong Bad Emails
3)The Onion Radio News
4)Ask A Ninja
5) Keith and The Girl
6) French Maid TV
7) The Show with Ze Frank
8) The Ricky Gervais Show
9) Nobody Likes Onions
10) Happy Tree Friends
Commentary: First of all, the number one comedy podcast has 2790 diggs. Number ten has 310. That's a 2480 digg drop man. Indeed I think it's important to look at who is in the Digg Thousandaire club. Tiki Bar, Strong Bad and The Onion are. So mixed drink sketch comedy, surreal cartoon comedy and fake news comedy take the cake. How does stand-up fare? Not bad. Keith and the Girl often has guests like Liam Mcaneany and Greg Giraldo.
But do stand-ups have their own popular podcast? Depends. #17 is Comedy Central stand-up video. Within that podcast the most dugg episode is the Christian Finnegan one. But that's a one minute clip. The biggest, at number 21, is Jimmy Pardo's Never Not Funny.
OK this is boring. Let me look at the music podcasts and make fun of the hipsters. The biggest indie podcast on Digg (Paste Culture Club) is at number 25. This is the web, where every blog never fails to remind you how every breath you draw is false because you haven't heard the latest TV on the Radio album yet. But that's just it: Digg hates bloggers. Even the blog posts that make the front page have one comment about how bloggers are stupid. Of course, in Hipsterburg, blogs course through the sickly veins of all the pale indie fans. Word to the wise: if you are a hipster comic or critic, get your podcast the fuck away from Digg. Still not convinced? The Burg (a show I actually like) has two (2) fucking Diggs! Perhaps hipster comedy isn't so hot on Digg either. Yes, I'm gonna break it to you hipsters: nerds with tape on their glasses and halitosis in their crusty mouths are more popular than you are. People would literally rather watch an iPod in a blender than watch that cell phone video of My Morning Jacket at Lollapalooza.
And they find this show funnier than The Burg.
Tiki Bar TV
1)Tiki Bar TV
2)Strong Bad Emails
3)The Onion Radio News
4)Ask A Ninja
5) Keith and The Girl
6) French Maid TV
7) The Show with Ze Frank
8) The Ricky Gervais Show
9) Nobody Likes Onions
10) Happy Tree Friends
Commentary: First of all, the number one comedy podcast has 2790 diggs. Number ten has 310. That's a 2480 digg drop man. Indeed I think it's important to look at who is in the Digg Thousandaire club. Tiki Bar, Strong Bad and The Onion are. So mixed drink sketch comedy, surreal cartoon comedy and fake news comedy take the cake. How does stand-up fare? Not bad. Keith and the Girl often has guests like Liam Mcaneany and Greg Giraldo.
But do stand-ups have their own popular podcast? Depends. #17 is Comedy Central stand-up video. Within that podcast the most dugg episode is the Christian Finnegan one. But that's a one minute clip. The biggest, at number 21, is Jimmy Pardo's Never Not Funny.
OK this is boring. Let me look at the music podcasts and make fun of the hipsters. The biggest indie podcast on Digg (Paste Culture Club) is at number 25. This is the web, where every blog never fails to remind you how every breath you draw is false because you haven't heard the latest TV on the Radio album yet. But that's just it: Digg hates bloggers. Even the blog posts that make the front page have one comment about how bloggers are stupid. Of course, in Hipsterburg, blogs course through the sickly veins of all the pale indie fans. Word to the wise: if you are a hipster comic or critic, get your podcast the fuck away from Digg. Still not convinced? The Burg (a show I actually like) has two (2) fucking Diggs! Perhaps hipster comedy isn't so hot on Digg either. Yes, I'm gonna break it to you hipsters: nerds with tape on their glasses and halitosis in their crusty mouths are more popular than you are. People would literally rather watch an iPod in a blender than watch that cell phone video of My Morning Jacket at Lollapalooza.
And they find this show funnier than The Burg.
Tiki Bar TV
Friday, December 15, 2006
Ghost of Christmas Videos Past: Springsteen/E Street/Weinberg 7/Conan O' Brien, "Merry Christmas Baby"
I'm taking off until the day after Christmas. Happy holidays.
Thursday, December 14, 2006
Ghost of Christmas Videos Past: The Kinks, "Father Christmas"
1977 was the year the Sex Pistols released "Anarchy in the UK." Ever since the song has been on Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4, "Anarchy" - along with punk rock - has lost its edge tremendously. Jazz is no longer hip, punk no longer dangerous.
So in retrospect Hall and Oates's "Rich Girl" and The Kinks' "Father Christmas" (both from 1977) are two of the most acid-tongued songs in pop history.
Like "Rich Girl," "Father Christmas" is less about class war and more about class resentment. The snide remark "Give all the toys to the little rich boys" packs more of a wallop than "I wanna destroy passersby" ever will. Above all, even the rich college students or hipsters can relate to the chorus: "Father Christmas, give us some money." Read: Mom and Dad, gimme me money so I can go get fucked up with my friends the day after Christmas.
So in retrospect Hall and Oates's "Rich Girl" and The Kinks' "Father Christmas" (both from 1977) are two of the most acid-tongued songs in pop history.
Like "Rich Girl," "Father Christmas" is less about class war and more about class resentment. The snide remark "Give all the toys to the little rich boys" packs more of a wallop than "I wanna destroy passersby" ever will. Above all, even the rich college students or hipsters can relate to the chorus: "Father Christmas, give us some money." Read: Mom and Dad, gimme me money so I can go get fucked up with my friends the day after Christmas.
Flickeur: Funnier Than Anything on YouTube
Sometimes artists are actually funnier than comedians. Flickeur for instance. Flickeur makes a moving slide show of random Flickr images and types the day and time underneath each moving image as if it were a suspense thriller. The soundtrack is so ominous but it's hilarious when used to score the image of, say, a dining room table.
You thought it was brisket...
via Rhizome
You thought it was brisket...
via Rhizome
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
Ghost of Christmas Videos Past: Run DMC, "Christmas in Hollis"
Yes there was a time when rap songs told stories. But the catalogs were most important.
It's Christmas time in Hollis Queens
Mom's cooking chicken and collard greens
Rice and stuffing, macaroni and cheese
And Santa put gifts under Christmas trees
Decorate the house with lights at night
Snow's on the ground, snow white so bright
In the fireplace is the yule log
Beneath the mistletoe as we drink eggnog
The rhymes you hear are the rhymes of Darryl's
But each and every year we bust Christmas carols
Plus this song was in Die Hard.
PS: I want that elf's Simon-like control panel soo bad for Xmas.
It's Christmas time in Hollis Queens
Mom's cooking chicken and collard greens
Rice and stuffing, macaroni and cheese
And Santa put gifts under Christmas trees
Decorate the house with lights at night
Snow's on the ground, snow white so bright
In the fireplace is the yule log
Beneath the mistletoe as we drink eggnog
The rhymes you hear are the rhymes of Darryl's
But each and every year we bust Christmas carols
Plus this song was in Die Hard.
PS: I want that elf's Simon-like control panel soo bad for Xmas.
Hey Pauly Shore and Michael Richards
You're not Andy Kaufman. For those who don't know, Pauly Shore got punched by a "heckler."
Guess what? It's fake. Who pretended to confront hecklers? Andy Kaufman. But Pauly's not the only Kaufman biter: Michael Richards, a friend of Kaufman's, was obviously trying to antagonize the audience Kaufman style. Kaufman, like the Beatles, were revolutionary artists that spawned the awful genres of art-comedy and art-rock respectively. Pioneers open the gates for opportunistic hacks. Psychedelia begets art rock, punk rock gives birth to mall punk and yes, one day, all comedy shows will become festering sores all over the cityscape full of talentless "performance artists." Andy Kaufman was the first of his kind and the last. So for the few earnest artists left who want to prevent their seemingly inevitable descent into Kaufmania, here's a list of do's and don'ts so you can be a respectable comedian not a washed-up hack relying on confrontational (read: desperate) gimmicks.
Do: Have a character. Richard Pryor and Peter Sellers had characters.
Don't: Act as if the character is not really a character. Even Sacha Baron Cohen puts his name in the credits. Please don't answer your phone as "Manifred Chesterton, Peoria's #1 Evangelical Pet Psychic."
Do: Innovative crowd work. I agree, sometimes stand-up feels like the least funny thing in the universe and you need to resort to non sequiturs and anti-humor to cleanse the palette.
Don't: Yell at the audience or, perhaps worse, pretend to fight the audience. This isn't the seventies, when most people predicted we would be talking into radio wristwatches. We have cell phone cameras and Google caches. Believe me, the audience will know if it's a prank.
Do: Performance art, as long as it's funny. Just remember: everything is art, but not everything is funny.
Don't: Suddenly "take an interest" in "performance art" eight years after your last hit show or film. We have enough trouble imagining you in a different Hollywood role, why would we possibly think you are the second coming of Vito Acconci?
Do: Be yourself.
Don't: Be Andy Kaufman. Or Tony Clifton. Or Pauly Shore. Or Michael Richards. Or Vito Acconci.
Guess what? It's fake. Who pretended to confront hecklers? Andy Kaufman. But Pauly's not the only Kaufman biter: Michael Richards, a friend of Kaufman's, was obviously trying to antagonize the audience Kaufman style. Kaufman, like the Beatles, were revolutionary artists that spawned the awful genres of art-comedy and art-rock respectively. Pioneers open the gates for opportunistic hacks. Psychedelia begets art rock, punk rock gives birth to mall punk and yes, one day, all comedy shows will become festering sores all over the cityscape full of talentless "performance artists." Andy Kaufman was the first of his kind and the last. So for the few earnest artists left who want to prevent their seemingly inevitable descent into Kaufmania, here's a list of do's and don'ts so you can be a respectable comedian not a washed-up hack relying on confrontational (read: desperate) gimmicks.
Do: Have a character. Richard Pryor and Peter Sellers had characters.
Don't: Act as if the character is not really a character. Even Sacha Baron Cohen puts his name in the credits. Please don't answer your phone as "Manifred Chesterton, Peoria's #1 Evangelical Pet Psychic."
Do: Innovative crowd work. I agree, sometimes stand-up feels like the least funny thing in the universe and you need to resort to non sequiturs and anti-humor to cleanse the palette.
Don't: Yell at the audience or, perhaps worse, pretend to fight the audience. This isn't the seventies, when most people predicted we would be talking into radio wristwatches. We have cell phone cameras and Google caches. Believe me, the audience will know if it's a prank.
Do: Performance art, as long as it's funny. Just remember: everything is art, but not everything is funny.
Don't: Suddenly "take an interest" in "performance art" eight years after your last hit show or film. We have enough trouble imagining you in a different Hollywood role, why would we possibly think you are the second coming of Vito Acconci?
Do: Be yourself.
Don't: Be Andy Kaufman. Or Tony Clifton. Or Pauly Shore. Or Michael Richards. Or Vito Acconci.
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Ghost of Christmas Videos Past: Pretenders, "2000 Miles"
I'm going to be shopping/working very hard this week. I know, we had a gangbusters first year, ending up on the blogroll of TSOYA, Baron Vaughn, Giulia Rozzi, Carolyn Castiglia, Susie Felber, Dead Frog, The Apiary, Fast Hugs, Sammy Ray and Passion of the Weiss. But unlike group blogs like Gawker or Boing Boing, I am but one man and, yes it upsets me but I can't surf the web as much as I do during the non-holiday season.
But don't my blog readers deserve gifts? Of course. Here is a classic from the hippest era of Christmas music: the '80's. This one gets me because, unlike all the other festive lounge lizard ditties, "2000 Miles" is plaintive and lovely. It's like the "Sweet Jane" of Christmas songs (Cowboy Junkies steez).
Now if you want people to get you this song for Christmas make sure they don't get you the cheap Coldplay knock-off. You'll find a better imitation in Chinatown. While you're in Chinatown, go to an opium den and crank this on your iPod.
But don't my blog readers deserve gifts? Of course. Here is a classic from the hippest era of Christmas music: the '80's. This one gets me because, unlike all the other festive lounge lizard ditties, "2000 Miles" is plaintive and lovely. It's like the "Sweet Jane" of Christmas songs (Cowboy Junkies steez).
Now if you want people to get you this song for Christmas make sure they don't get you the cheap Coldplay knock-off. You'll find a better imitation in Chinatown. While you're in Chinatown, go to an opium den and crank this on your iPod.
Friday, December 08, 2006
I'm a Member of the MTV Generation?
I thought I was a member of Generation X, but according to the infallible consensus that governs Wikipedia, if you were born between 1975-1984 in America, you're a member of the MTV Generation. That explains why I keep posting music videos on my blog. The Lost Generation had The Sun Also Rises, we'll always have this:
Hey Sony
Stop trying to give us next-gen video formats. Betamax was a nightmare and according to this Dark Horizons article Blu-Ray is the next video format to go kerplunk. All because it was included with the PS3. Sony assumed that using their PS3 as a Trojan Horse for the digital video pestilence that is Blu Ray would be a sharp idea. Nevermind the fact that, uh, PCs, digital recorders, laptops and all other video game systems play DVDs. Did you really expect a nation to become early adopters so soon? Especially when the competing format is called HD-DVD? Do you think an Amsterdam resident would move to New Amsterdam or Red Grass? Nevermind.
Maybe Sony needs to put their video formats on the Surreal Life.
Betamax: Ooh, you like hot tubs, huh?
Vanity: Yes, but - wait-I'm born-again! Oh what the hell, let's go.
Betamax: Best part: I can get it all on tape-(sobs uncontrollably, runs away)
(cut to Vanity confessional segment)
Vanity: I was sooo boored. Until YouTube showed up.
Maybe Sony needs to put their video formats on the Surreal Life.
Betamax: Ooh, you like hot tubs, huh?
Vanity: Yes, but - wait-I'm born-again! Oh what the hell, let's go.
Betamax: Best part: I can get it all on tape-(sobs uncontrollably, runs away)
(cut to Vanity confessional segment)
Vanity: I was sooo boored. Until YouTube showed up.
Thursday, December 07, 2006
Freakypedia
Remember this lame-o?
Now imagine this guy finding the following on Wikipedia and dying of cardiac arrest. Only true nerds need to look this stuff up.
Circle Jerk
A circle jerk usually refers to a group of boys or men masturbating together. The participants may or may not masturbate each other.
Sometimes this may be in the form of a game.
Dildo History
Dildos in one form or another have likely been present in society throughout history. Artifacts from the Upper Paleolithic which have previously been described as batons were most likely used for sexual purposes (Marshack 1972: 333; Vasey 1998: 420). However, there appears to be hesitation on the part of archaeologists to label these items as sex toys, as one archaeologist put it "Looking at the size, shape, and — some cases — explicit symbolism of the ice age batons, it seems disingenuous to avoid the most obvious and straightforward interpretation.
69 (sex position)
The sexual position 69, also known as soixante-neuf (taken from the French for the number), is one of the most commonly known sexual positions. In this position, two people orient themselves such that each person's mouth is near the other's genitals so that they can simultaneously perform oral sex on each other.[1] This can be done lying down, one on top of the other or side by side, or alternatively, one partner can stand while holding the other upside down.
I Promise We'll Never Eat Here Again, Honey
Notable Appearances of the Shocker
In the last episode of Sealab 2021 the commercials on the program that satirize the restaurant chain Applebees with Grizzlebees features an entrée called "The Shocker" which features, among other ingredients, sausages sticking out of bread obviously aligned to resemble the hand gesture. The commercial ends with the catchphrase, "You might have to talk her into it."
Vanity (performer)
Matthews appeared in B-movies such as Tanya's Island and Terror Train. In 1982 she met Prince who re-named her Vanity (saying he saw his female reflection when he looked at her) and she became the lead singer of singing group, Vanity 6, that same year. Prince produced the group's biggest hit "Nasty Girl". Their trademark was explicit sexuality in their lyrics, performances and attire. After one album, Vanity decided to leave her role in Vanity 6 and the proposed film Purple Rain in 1983. Vanity signed a lucrative record deal with Motown Records in 1984. She recorded two albums Wild Animal and Skin On Skin. She also starred in a handful of movies, including The Last Dragon, Action Jackson, and played a villain torturing Nancy Allen's character in 1990's amnesia-plot TV movie Memories of Murder (the film has appeared on the Lifetime channel). She posed for Playboy in 1988.
Now imagine this guy finding the following on Wikipedia and dying of cardiac arrest. Only true nerds need to look this stuff up.
Circle Jerk
A circle jerk usually refers to a group of boys or men masturbating together. The participants may or may not masturbate each other.
Sometimes this may be in the form of a game.
Dildo History
Dildos in one form or another have likely been present in society throughout history. Artifacts from the Upper Paleolithic which have previously been described as batons were most likely used for sexual purposes (Marshack 1972: 333; Vasey 1998: 420). However, there appears to be hesitation on the part of archaeologists to label these items as sex toys, as one archaeologist put it "Looking at the size, shape, and — some cases — explicit symbolism of the ice age batons, it seems disingenuous to avoid the most obvious and straightforward interpretation.
69 (sex position)
The sexual position 69, also known as soixante-neuf (taken from the French for the number), is one of the most commonly known sexual positions. In this position, two people orient themselves such that each person's mouth is near the other's genitals so that they can simultaneously perform oral sex on each other.[1] This can be done lying down, one on top of the other or side by side, or alternatively, one partner can stand while holding the other upside down.
Notable Appearances of the Shocker
In the last episode of Sealab 2021 the commercials on the program that satirize the restaurant chain Applebees with Grizzlebees features an entrée called "The Shocker" which features, among other ingredients, sausages sticking out of bread obviously aligned to resemble the hand gesture. The commercial ends with the catchphrase, "You might have to talk her into it."
Vanity (performer)
Matthews appeared in B-movies such as Tanya's Island and Terror Train. In 1982 she met Prince who re-named her Vanity (saying he saw his female reflection when he looked at her) and she became the lead singer of singing group, Vanity 6, that same year. Prince produced the group's biggest hit "Nasty Girl". Their trademark was explicit sexuality in their lyrics, performances and attire. After one album, Vanity decided to leave her role in Vanity 6 and the proposed film Purple Rain in 1983. Vanity signed a lucrative record deal with Motown Records in 1984. She recorded two albums Wild Animal and Skin On Skin. She also starred in a handful of movies, including The Last Dragon, Action Jackson, and played a villain torturing Nancy Allen's character in 1990's amnesia-plot TV movie Memories of Murder (the film has appeared on the Lifetime channel). She posed for Playboy in 1988.
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
Jack vs. Jack (Or, "Lost" vs. "24")
inspired by PotW's comparison of Back to the Future vs. Bill and Ted's
Look there are many good shows out there ("Weeds," "Veronica Mars," "Daily Show") but none are quiet as addicting as "Lost" and "24." Both are serial dramas for the post 9/11 age. Indeed, I would rather watch one episode of these Emmy-award winning dramas than one Best Picture-Oscar-winning film from this decade (A Beautiful Mind? Are bimbos naming movies nowadays?). But after vacillating for too long I have decided to make this point by point list that answers once and for all: which show is better?
Better Hero
Dr. Jack Shepard, "Lost": Yes, Jack is the hero of the show. When everyone is in trouble they look to Jack. Jack will most likely get his fellow prisoners off the Alcatraz they are currently stuck in. Plus thus far Jack has kicked the most Other ass.
Look, I am the last person who wants to bash Jack. I am a Jater, not a Skater. But one of the necessary requirements of a modern hero is that he's an anti-hero. If we know anything about Dr. Jack Shepard, we know that he's a crybaby goodie two shoes. You wonder why Kate ends up with Sawyer, Jack? Because you're too busy having those godawful flashbacks about Doctor Daddy Jack. My advice: stick yourself in the prison x-ray machine and give yourself some radioactive super powers. I'm still rooting for you doc, but why does it take you so long to punch two people? Woody Harrelson's more of a badass than you.
Jack Bauer, "24":
Better than all of the mutants on "Heroes" combined. Unlike most TV protagonists, Jack Bauer reminds us of such heroes from the Golden Age of Marvel as Spider Man and The Hulk. Much like our favorite webslinger and green giant, Bauer has hidden from the cops and the feds as well as from the terrorists.
But the most immediate reason why Bauer is better than Shepard is the way he says "dammit." Sutherland's apoplectic, guttural "dammit" is especially awe-inspiring when compared to Fox's mousy, spoiled brat "dammit." It sounds like Fox is saying "dammit" because he has to take time out from "Lost" to film a homoerotic pigskin flick with Matthew "It Ain't a Thing But a Chicken Wing, M'man" McConaughey.
Winner: Jack Bauer, "24"
Better Theme Song
"Lost": Both shows have very avant-garde theme songs. This one has a discordant, hollow noise.
"24": Those who don't watch the DVDs think the theme song of "24" is that beeping clock. Beep-beep-beepbeepbeepbeepbeep.
Winner: "24." "Lost" gives us enough mysteries; they could at least tell us what the hell that noise is when the title pops up after the cold open.
Better Character Development
"Lost": This is one of the reasons I love the show. Sometimes the character involvement is so great I find myself asking dumb questions like "What does Locke eat when he's stoned: Count Chocula or Franken Berry?"
"24": All I know about Jack Bauer is he kicks ass; even heroin's ass.
Winner: "Lost"
Better Depiction of Arabs
"Lost": Let me give full disclosure: I am an Arab-American. In a time when my people are stereotyped as cabbies or terrorists, it feels great watching Sayid tap that white ass.
"24": So far "24" has the lead in this point-by-point comparison but a black eye for the show's history will always be the hysterical beginning to season five, with the shady Arab-American family. The laugh-out-loud funniest part is when Behrooz nonchalantly drags his white girlfriend's corpse to the basement. Rumor has it, they were originally gonna kill his girlfriend off by making her choke on Behrooz's stinky, long pubic hairs while he eats a falafel at a gas station.
Winner: "Lost"
Better Comic Relief
Hugo "Hurley" Reyes, "Lost": Both shows have very subtle comic performances. Indeed, the only reason I would even hesitate to say that Hurley is better than Chloe is because he does say "dude" a few too many times.
Chloe O'Brian, "24": Chloe is the cranky, visibly irritated worker drone in all of us. This is an even better quality when she rolls her eyes at an order from Karen Hayes. Plus actress Mary Lynn Rajskub was previously on "Mr. Show."
Winner: Chloe, "24"
Better Junkie
Charlie Pace, "Lost": We could have gotten answers from one of the Others through interrogation, but that shrill wastrel Charlie had to shoot Ethan. Thanks to Charlie, a nation had to wait until season two for the few cryptic answers we got from another member of the Others, Ben. If that's not enough, he pokes his annoying Monaghanose into every mission that has nothing to do with him. Locke and Eko are saints for not smashing a coconut on his head. If I were in charge, I would have Charlie walk in front of me at all times in case there's a booby trap ahead.
No Charlie, we really made a bet - leader of the pack gets the smack.
Jack Bauer, "24": Bullets can't do it. Bombs can't do it. Palmer's death can't do it. Only the brown horse can make Jack Bauer bawl like a Justin Timberlake fan. This, my friends, is the face of addiction. This is acting. (starts at 0:40)
Winner: Jack Bauer, "24" by a landslide. A vicious, soul-crushing landslide.
Better Twists
"Lost": Shows like "Heroes" brag that questions are answered in the next episode. Good, but the writers also have smaller questions to answer like "Did the Vegas stripper shoot the black guy?" True, "Lost" is notorious for stringing viewers along, but when the twists do come (the superpowers from the implosion, a regular suburb on "the island") nobody sees it coming. Except Desmond.
"24": Yes the beginning of season five was ridiculously politically incorrect, but on the flip side, political correctness prevents the show from having all non-white villains, meaning every season they try to make you believe the enemy is abroad when it's really within. Cool, but predictable. They should just come out and say who's the mole in CTU and the White House. If you see a shady or flaky white guy in the White House or CTU, you best believe that he's one of the baddies and the A-rab works for him, not the other way around.
Did you really not know he's the bad guy?
Winner: "Lost"
More Relevant to the Times
"Lost": Both "24" and "Lost" are post-9/11 parables. "Lost" has a plane crash that forces the survivors to unite. Just like "Star Trek" is a relic of the Kennedyian progressivism and the push for racial equality that the '60's will always be remembered for, the multicultural cast and the cooperative nature of "Lost" is analogous to how Americans came together after the attacks. The Sayid-Shannon kiss is the new Kirk-Uhuru kiss.
We All Everybody
"Lost" will also be remembered as the show with the more nuanced take on torture. Sayid insists on torturing the Others to get answers, thus taking the question of detainee torture outside of the PC academic ghetto it's usually stuck in and bringing it right into the prime-time living room. Watching all those prisoners get tortured by the Others makes Jack's mutiny in the last episode that much sweeter.
"24":
"24" is about terrorism, thus it's a very relevant show. The President is a perfidious traitor (season 5), a military-industrial complex wants us to go to war under false pretenses (season 2).
"24" should be the clear winner, but some very false notes prove to be major hindrances. First of all, unlike "Lost," "24" sometimes seems like a mouthpiece for Rupert Murdoch. Which isn't a bad thing per se, but in season four, detainee torture is dealt with for ten minutes in one episode. Basically, the message was "Waah, you want a lawyer to protect civil rights? Boo-fucking-hoo. This is Fox, bitch!" If this episode had a title (as opposed to the time of day) it would be called "Veto This, John McCain!"
Besides its simplistic perspective on torture, "24" also has season three, or as I call it, "Reefer Madness Season." Yes, Mexican drug lords are terrorists capable of unleashing theTortillaCordilla virus. Remember that when you puff that demon weed, kiddies!
Winner: "Lost"
Better Sex Appeal
"Lost": Kate's dimples and smile remind me of my girlfriend's. Plus Sun is the hottest Asian female since Zhang Ziyi.
Look, Kate's on top of Sun.
"24:" "24" would have won this one hands down (in my pants. Ow!). Elisha Cuthbert's caterpillar eyebrows alone are hotter than all the women on "Lost" combined. But Ms. Cuthbert was too good for "24" and had bigger projects on the horizon like House of Wax.
What was I saying? Oh yeah, without Kim Bauer and Edgar Stiles, "24" has no sex appeal.
Winner: "Lost"
Overall Winner (not by much): "Lost"
"24" needs better plot twists and more sex appeal to beat "Lost." All "Lost" needs to do is kill off Charlie. In February.
Look there are many good shows out there ("Weeds," "Veronica Mars," "Daily Show") but none are quiet as addicting as "Lost" and "24." Both are serial dramas for the post 9/11 age. Indeed, I would rather watch one episode of these Emmy-award winning dramas than one Best Picture-Oscar-winning film from this decade (A Beautiful Mind? Are bimbos naming movies nowadays?). But after vacillating for too long I have decided to make this point by point list that answers once and for all: which show is better?
Dr. Jack Shepard, "Lost": Yes, Jack is the hero of the show. When everyone is in trouble they look to Jack. Jack will most likely get his fellow prisoners off the Alcatraz they are currently stuck in. Plus thus far Jack has kicked the most Other ass.
Look, I am the last person who wants to bash Jack. I am a Jater, not a Skater. But one of the necessary requirements of a modern hero is that he's an anti-hero. If we know anything about Dr. Jack Shepard, we know that he's a crybaby goodie two shoes. You wonder why Kate ends up with Sawyer, Jack? Because you're too busy having those godawful flashbacks about Doctor Daddy Jack. My advice: stick yourself in the prison x-ray machine and give yourself some radioactive super powers. I'm still rooting for you doc, but why does it take you so long to punch two people? Woody Harrelson's more of a badass than you.
Jack Bauer, "24":
Better than all of the mutants on "Heroes" combined. Unlike most TV protagonists, Jack Bauer reminds us of such heroes from the Golden Age of Marvel as Spider Man and The Hulk. Much like our favorite webslinger and green giant, Bauer has hidden from the cops and the feds as well as from the terrorists.
But the most immediate reason why Bauer is better than Shepard is the way he says "dammit." Sutherland's apoplectic, guttural "dammit" is especially awe-inspiring when compared to Fox's mousy, spoiled brat "dammit." It sounds like Fox is saying "dammit" because he has to take time out from "Lost" to film a homoerotic pigskin flick with Matthew "It Ain't a Thing But a Chicken Wing, M'man" McConaughey.
Winner: Jack Bauer, "24"
"Lost": Both shows have very avant-garde theme songs. This one has a discordant, hollow noise.
"24": Those who don't watch the DVDs think the theme song of "24" is that beeping clock. Beep-beep-beepbeepbeepbeepbeep.
Winner: "24." "Lost" gives us enough mysteries; they could at least tell us what the hell that noise is when the title pops up after the cold open.
"Lost": This is one of the reasons I love the show. Sometimes the character involvement is so great I find myself asking dumb questions like "What does Locke eat when he's stoned: Count Chocula or Franken Berry?"
"24": All I know about Jack Bauer is he kicks ass; even heroin's ass.
Winner: "Lost"
"Lost": Let me give full disclosure: I am an Arab-American. In a time when my people are stereotyped as cabbies or terrorists, it feels great watching Sayid tap that white ass.
"24": So far "24" has the lead in this point-by-point comparison but a black eye for the show's history will always be the hysterical beginning to season five, with the shady Arab-American family. The laugh-out-loud funniest part is when Behrooz nonchalantly drags his white girlfriend's corpse to the basement. Rumor has it, they were originally gonna kill his girlfriend off by making her choke on Behrooz's stinky, long pubic hairs while he eats a falafel at a gas station.
Winner: "Lost"
Hugo "Hurley" Reyes, "Lost": Both shows have very subtle comic performances. Indeed, the only reason I would even hesitate to say that Hurley is better than Chloe is because he does say "dude" a few too many times.
Chloe O'Brian, "24": Chloe is the cranky, visibly irritated worker drone in all of us. This is an even better quality when she rolls her eyes at an order from Karen Hayes. Plus actress Mary Lynn Rajskub was previously on "Mr. Show."
Winner: Chloe, "24"
Charlie Pace, "Lost": We could have gotten answers from one of the Others through interrogation, but that shrill wastrel Charlie had to shoot Ethan. Thanks to Charlie, a nation had to wait until season two for the few cryptic answers we got from another member of the Others, Ben. If that's not enough, he pokes his annoying Monaghanose into every mission that has nothing to do with him. Locke and Eko are saints for not smashing a coconut on his head. If I were in charge, I would have Charlie walk in front of me at all times in case there's a booby trap ahead.
Jack Bauer, "24": Bullets can't do it. Bombs can't do it. Palmer's death can't do it. Only the brown horse can make Jack Bauer bawl like a Justin Timberlake fan. This, my friends, is the face of addiction. This is acting. (starts at 0:40)
Winner: Jack Bauer, "24" by a landslide. A vicious, soul-crushing landslide.
"Lost": Shows like "Heroes" brag that questions are answered in the next episode. Good, but the writers also have smaller questions to answer like "Did the Vegas stripper shoot the black guy?" True, "Lost" is notorious for stringing viewers along, but when the twists do come (the superpowers from the implosion, a regular suburb on "the island") nobody sees it coming. Except Desmond.
"24": Yes the beginning of season five was ridiculously politically incorrect, but on the flip side, political correctness prevents the show from having all non-white villains, meaning every season they try to make you believe the enemy is abroad when it's really within. Cool, but predictable. They should just come out and say who's the mole in CTU and the White House. If you see a shady or flaky white guy in the White House or CTU, you best believe that he's one of the baddies and the A-rab works for him, not the other way around.
Winner: "Lost"
"Lost": Both "24" and "Lost" are post-9/11 parables. "Lost" has a plane crash that forces the survivors to unite. Just like "Star Trek" is a relic of the Kennedyian progressivism and the push for racial equality that the '60's will always be remembered for, the multicultural cast and the cooperative nature of "Lost" is analogous to how Americans came together after the attacks. The Sayid-Shannon kiss is the new Kirk-Uhuru kiss.
"Lost" will also be remembered as the show with the more nuanced take on torture. Sayid insists on torturing the Others to get answers, thus taking the question of detainee torture outside of the PC academic ghetto it's usually stuck in and bringing it right into the prime-time living room. Watching all those prisoners get tortured by the Others makes Jack's mutiny in the last episode that much sweeter.
"24":
"24" is about terrorism, thus it's a very relevant show. The President is a perfidious traitor (season 5), a military-industrial complex wants us to go to war under false pretenses (season 2).
"24" should be the clear winner, but some very false notes prove to be major hindrances. First of all, unlike "Lost," "24" sometimes seems like a mouthpiece for Rupert Murdoch. Which isn't a bad thing per se, but in season four, detainee torture is dealt with for ten minutes in one episode. Basically, the message was "Waah, you want a lawyer to protect civil rights? Boo-fucking-hoo. This is Fox, bitch!" If this episode had a title (as opposed to the time of day) it would be called "Veto This, John McCain!"
Besides its simplistic perspective on torture, "24" also has season three, or as I call it, "Reefer Madness Season." Yes, Mexican drug lords are terrorists capable of unleashing the
Winner: "Lost"
"Lost": Kate's dimples and smile remind me of my girlfriend's. Plus Sun is the hottest Asian female since Zhang Ziyi.
"24:" "24" would have won this one hands down (in my pants. Ow!). Elisha Cuthbert's caterpillar eyebrows alone are hotter than all the women on "Lost" combined. But Ms. Cuthbert was too good for "24" and had bigger projects on the horizon like House of Wax.
What was I saying? Oh yeah, without Kim Bauer and Edgar Stiles, "24" has no sex appeal.
Winner: "Lost"
Overall Winner (not by much): "Lost"
"24" needs better plot twists and more sex appeal to beat "Lost." All "Lost" needs to do is kill off Charlie. In February.
Monday, December 04, 2006
Soundtrack to Mo the Mo!vie
via TAN
IF YOUR LIFE WERE A MOVIE, WHAT WOULD THE SOUNDTRACK BE?
So, here's how it works:
1. Open your library (iTunes, Winamp, Media Player, iPod, etc)
2. Put it on shuffle
3. Press play
4. For every question, type the song that's playing
5. When you go to a new question, press the next button
6. Don't lie and try to pretend you're cool...
Opening Credits: "Know Your Onion!," The Shins
Waking up: "It's a Hit," Rilo Kiley
First Day at School: "Ignition," Superwolf
Falling in Love: "One is the Loneliest Number," Three Dog Night
Fight Song: "Love and Happiness," Al Green
Breaking Up: "Bucky Little Wing," Islands
Prom: "AA XXX," Peaches
Life: "Caravan," Van Morrison
Mental Breakdown: "Suspicious Minds," Elvis Presley
Driving: "Forest Families," The Knife
Flashback: "Deceptacon (DFA remix)," Le Tigre
Wedding: "When the Night Comes," Joe Cocker
Birth of a Child: "Twisting the Night Away," Sam Cooke
Final Battle: "Who's Got the Crack," The Moldy Peaches
Death Scene: "Get Out of My Dreams, Get Into My Car," Billy Ocean
Funeral Scene: "Girl Inform Me," The Shins
End Credits: "Save Me," Aimee Mann
So this is the story of my life according to the soundtrack:
From the opening credits, we know I'm a nerd who's "allergic to love." My wake-up song continues the loser theme ("Any chimp can play human for a day"). First day at school everyone is making out. But when the girl I love walks past me in the halls, she rejects me at first ("No is the saddest experience you'll ever know"). It's not until I beat up her emo trash boyfriend (the horns toward the end of "Love and Happiness" would make for incredible Vegas style boxing music) that she loves me. A day later we break up. My girl and I go to the sexy hipster prom with separate dates. A very strange XXX theme. Post-prom there's a montage of all the characters having fun and listening to the radio, getting down "to what is really wrong." Away from my ex-girlfriend, I have a mental breakdown in Vegas while "Suspicious Minds" is playing. This leads to a rant during my stand-up routine: "He's a cheater. Fifty years ago we'd have you upside down from the top of a hotel." I drive off in anger from Vegas to NY with the throbbing synth pop of The Knife in the background. I see my girl and we flash back to the good ole Williamsburg days when DFA was relevant. We have a very ironic wedding song (Joe Cocker! Ha!) We are excited about our baby as we twist the night away. Speaking of twists, here's a twist: we smoke crack and have a "final battle" over it. She owns the crack and the baby in crack court. So I wander the streets as a tranny hooker and a trick pulls up blasting "Get Out of My Dreams, Get Into My Car." Turns out it's undercover cops who shoot me At my funeral, the song "Girl Inform Me," is cruelly ironic since I'm buried as a tranny. The undercover cop who shot me kisses my crackhead girlfriend in an ending that is a blatant rip off of PT Anderson's "Magnolia" which has a coke-addicted lady date a cop with the same exact song playing in the end credits.
IF YOUR LIFE WERE A MOVIE, WHAT WOULD THE SOUNDTRACK BE?
So, here's how it works:
1. Open your library (iTunes, Winamp, Media Player, iPod, etc)
2. Put it on shuffle
3. Press play
4. For every question, type the song that's playing
5. When you go to a new question, press the next button
6. Don't lie and try to pretend you're cool...
Opening Credits: "Know Your Onion!," The Shins
Waking up: "It's a Hit," Rilo Kiley
First Day at School: "Ignition," Superwolf
Falling in Love: "One is the Loneliest Number," Three Dog Night
Fight Song: "Love and Happiness," Al Green
Breaking Up: "Bucky Little Wing," Islands
Prom: "AA XXX," Peaches
Life: "Caravan," Van Morrison
Mental Breakdown: "Suspicious Minds," Elvis Presley
Driving: "Forest Families," The Knife
Flashback: "Deceptacon (DFA remix)," Le Tigre
Wedding: "When the Night Comes," Joe Cocker
Birth of a Child: "Twisting the Night Away," Sam Cooke
Final Battle: "Who's Got the Crack," The Moldy Peaches
Death Scene: "Get Out of My Dreams, Get Into My Car," Billy Ocean
Funeral Scene: "Girl Inform Me," The Shins
End Credits: "Save Me," Aimee Mann
So this is the story of my life according to the soundtrack:
From the opening credits, we know I'm a nerd who's "allergic to love." My wake-up song continues the loser theme ("Any chimp can play human for a day"). First day at school everyone is making out. But when the girl I love walks past me in the halls, she rejects me at first ("No is the saddest experience you'll ever know"). It's not until I beat up her emo trash boyfriend (the horns toward the end of "Love and Happiness" would make for incredible Vegas style boxing music) that she loves me. A day later we break up. My girl and I go to the sexy hipster prom with separate dates. A very strange XXX theme. Post-prom there's a montage of all the characters having fun and listening to the radio, getting down "to what is really wrong." Away from my ex-girlfriend, I have a mental breakdown in Vegas while "Suspicious Minds" is playing. This leads to a rant during my stand-up routine: "He's a cheater. Fifty years ago we'd have you upside down from the top of a hotel." I drive off in anger from Vegas to NY with the throbbing synth pop of The Knife in the background. I see my girl and we flash back to the good ole Williamsburg days when DFA was relevant. We have a very ironic wedding song (Joe Cocker! Ha!) We are excited about our baby as we twist the night away. Speaking of twists, here's a twist: we smoke crack and have a "final battle" over it. She owns the crack and the baby in crack court. So I wander the streets as a tranny hooker and a trick pulls up blasting "Get Out of My Dreams, Get Into My Car." Turns out it's undercover cops who shoot me At my funeral, the song "Girl Inform Me," is cruelly ironic since I'm buried as a tranny. The undercover cop who shot me kisses my crackhead girlfriend in an ending that is a blatant rip off of PT Anderson's "Magnolia" which has a coke-addicted lady date a cop with the same exact song playing in the end credits.
OMG, I Love Racism Too!
OMG, I want us to be BFF. Sarah Silverman like totally read my mind in the NY Times. Check it:
The whole incident, she said, reminded her of Mel Gibson’s drunken anti-Semitic tirade in Malibu earlier this year. In a good way. “When I heard Mel Gibson had said that stuff, I was happy,” Ms. Silverman said. “Jews love real anti-Semitism because it’s something you can point to to show it’s real. It’s not just gas in the air.”
Right on. I personally love when my Arab peoples are mercilessly mocked on stage by comics and they still have their own Comedy Central show.
That's how we play the game, baby -- the "crying game."
REMEMBRANCE OF VIDEOS PAST #36
The whole incident, she said, reminded her of Mel Gibson’s drunken anti-Semitic tirade in Malibu earlier this year. In a good way. “When I heard Mel Gibson had said that stuff, I was happy,” Ms. Silverman said. “Jews love real anti-Semitism because it’s something you can point to to show it’s real. It’s not just gas in the air.”
Right on. I personally love when my Arab peoples are mercilessly mocked on stage by comics and they still have their own Comedy Central show.
That's how we play the game, baby -- the "crying game."
REMEMBRANCE OF VIDEOS PAST #36
Friday, December 01, 2006
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