BLOGS

June 2008 Archives

Emcee of His Domain

First, Jay-Z sampled the musical Annie in "Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)." Then, Danger Mouse mixed Jay-Z's Black Album and the Beatles' White Album to make The Grey Album. Now, in the latest bit of what I like to call "stunt-sampling" (although there may actually be a word for it that I am not cool enough to know), a new, free rap album is available for download that samples music and quotes from Seinfeld. No, it's not Judgement day, although if you want to start praying, go right ahead. It certainly couldn't hurt.

Daddy Dearest: Our Tribute to TV Fathers

When it comes to TV, there are way more fabulous and high-profile roles for moms and the poor dads get the short shrift. However, we spent minutes weeks hunting through Wikipedia and our collective minds the annals of television for the best and worst TV dads that we could remember. Well, at least these are the ones that left an indelible mark on us, and not with wire hangers or anything (though we may not put that past some of the dastardly daddies on our naughty list). So in honor of Father's Day, here's our slapped together long-awaited list in alphabetical order (because we just couldn't decide if Jack Bristow or Keith Mars would be the No. 1 perfect patriarch).

Office Spin-Off Will Rule Your Ass Can I get a "fuck yeah"? Rumors of an Office spin-off are true and better than I could ever have hoped for: Aziz Ansari, of the genius MTV sketch comedy show Human Giant and the hilar-town Asiz Is Bored website (not to mention a full-fledged celeb amongst comedy nerds, of which I am one), is the first cast member that NBC has unveiled for the forthcoming show. Other news about casting and plot are being kept under wraps, but this news speaks volumes about the direction of the show and bodes well -- very well for its potential greatness. Office executive producer Greg Daniels told Variety, "We're meeting with a lot of cool people. We're trying to see how the pieces all fit together." The to-be-named show will premiere this winter right after the OG Office. In the words of Mindy, hollerate!
MTV's attempt to return to the video-showing glory days of its youth, FNMTV, premieres tonight, and you're expected to be excited. The Pete Wentz-hosted show is supposedly focusing on Brand! New! Music! You've! Never! Even! Heard!, but that's, of course, a lie. Confirmed acts for this summer? Panic At the Disco, Snoop Dogg, The Pussycat Dolls, Flo Rida, The Ting Tings, Lil' Wayne, Duffy, Boys Like Girls, and Vampire Weekend. Basically, if you were ever going to care about those artists, you already do. You've either flipped on a Clear Channel station once or twice, been to an Urban Outfitters, seen commercials because your stupid roommate won't go halvsies on DVR, googled the term "4 minute dick joke" for giggles and stumbled upon Flo Rida accidentally, had ears or used the internet in the past 12 months. Regardless, none of those artists or their songs are new to you if you have even a vague awareness of music, and neither are any of the videos Pete Wentz and Viacom will be trying to shove down your throat tonight. Salut!

Poor Joey Fatone (who I still call Fat-One... can't help it. Old habits die hard). Seriously, his career hasn't sunk quite as far as another Dancing With the Stars alum, Joey Lawrence (who is hosting the hideously awful Master of Dance), but the ex-N'Syncer is getting pretty damned close by acting as the ringmaster on Celebrity Circus. The highlight of the entire first episode was him being hung up by one foot and dangled from the Spanish web without a net. The "celebrities" in question are well, questionable. When your biggest stars are Wee-Man and Antonio Sabato Jr., you should probably be worried about the future of the series.

Real American Heroes

Move over, Hulk Hogan, and make way for...Hulk Hogan? For the past 13 years, toymaker JAKKS Pacific has made action figures of the Superstars of World Wrestling Entertainment, and now the two companies are finally preparing to part ways, with Mattel (makers of the Dark Knight toys) taking over the license in 2010. But now JAKKS has two new tag-team partners, both of whom are big names in the world of combat entertainment, except these guys do it for reals.

Here's what I know about Brad Garrett: He starred on the ubiquitous Everybody [Except For Me] Loves Raymond. He is very tall. He is hairy. He has an annoying adenoidal register that makes him sound like a cartoon elephant with a sinus infection. He hates the paparazzi. Up until now I figured I could skate through life on this bare-bones knowledge. But the universe had other plans! Thanks to the fine folks at Videogum [via Variety], I now know that he's on the hunt for a wifey, he's suffering a mid-life crisis, and he is close friends with his urologist.

Katherine Heigl is Asking for It Katherine Heigl withdrew her name from the Emmy submissions this year because she hates the Grey's Anatomy writing staff and doesn't care who knows about it. She told the L.A. Times:

"I did not feel that I was given the material this season to warrant an Emmy nomination and in an effort to maintain the integrity of the academy organization, I withdrew my name from contention. In addition, I did not want to potentially take away an opportunity from an actress who was given such materials."

Hulk Smash the Internet

by Angel Cohn June 11, 2008 2:06 PM

If you, like everyone else in the whole wide world, were disappointed by the last big screen installment of the Hulk, and are gun shy about seeing the new Incredible Hulk movie that comes out this week, well I've got just the thing for you. Firstly, our own Zach Oat promises that the new flick is not only better than the last one (I mean, it would have been tough for it to be worse). Secondly, if you are just being frugal with your money until you hear what your friends thing or until it eventually ends up on DVD, recall the good old days of the Hulk without ever leaving the comfort of your couch. Through the magic of the internet, the pilot of The Incredible Hulk series is available below for your viewing pleasure. Though a bit on the dated side (especially with the effects), seeing this again and remembering why I used to adore the combo of Bruce Bixby and Lou Ferrigno makes me even more grateful that watching videos actually counts as work for me.

The Ghost Whisperer Experiment

by Angel Cohn June 11, 2008 1:26 PM
The Ghost Whisperer Experiment Kill me now... wait, don't do it because then Jennifer Love Hewitt would want to talk to me and then I might have to be in the proximity of Jamie Kennedy and I so can't handle that in life or the afterlife. I am not ashamed (OK, not that ashamed) of the fact that I watch Ghost Whisperer regularly. In fact, I've been trying to figure out what the mysterious ending was really all about. Now Jay Mohr, who I find amusing and kind of charming, is heading off for the inoffensive and generic new series Project Gary (at least based on the pilot I saw) and taking his place is Jamie Kennedy. Ugh. Mohr had been sort of comic relief on the show as a professor and sounding board who listened to Melinda's wacky ramblings and advised her on otherworldly creatures. Once Mohr's character heads off on "sabbatical" (aka his new sitcom) Kennedy will fill his shoes as a grad student who presumably has an affinity for the supernatural. Unless he's undead, this is not cool. I find Kennedy's shtick uninteresting and usually avoid him, but to see him regularly on a show that is a guilty pleasure of mine sort of makes watching just guilty and less of a pleasure. I at least hope that they can find a way to tone him down... if at all humanly possible. Or kill him off and have Melinda cross him over to the other side. That I would enjoy watching.
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