Saturday, April 11, 2009

Scenes from South Park's "Fantastic Easter Special."

For any of you who don't know the episode, I'm going to quote from the Wikipedia plot synopsis (to bring you up to speed as to what happens in the first third)...
As the Marsh family colors eggs for Easter, Stan questions what it has to do with Jesus Christ. Not really satisfied by his father's vague response, Stan storms off and makes the same inquiry to a mall Easter Bunny, who has previously received death threats from a falsely cheery Cartman. The mall bunny tells Stan that it's "just Easter", and to "just go with it", then makes a mysterious phone call.

Stan soon finds himself being chased by men in bunny suits. When he gets home, he finds that his father is part of the plot. Randy calls the men off, and tells Stan he's in a society called "The Hare Club for Men", who have guarded the secret of Easter for generations. Randy takes Stan to the headquarters of the Hare Club, where he is to be initiated into the group, which reveres a rabbit named Snowball. Just as he is about to learn the secret of Easter, Stan's initiation is interrupted as the club is ambushed by ninja. The Hare Club members rush to protect Snowball, and Randy gives the rabbit to Stan, telling him to run. He escapes with Snowball, and witnesses the ninja and their leader, William A. Donohue, executing a resisting hare and interrogating Randy. Stan runs off to his best friend, Kyle's house and tries to extract any knowledge Kyle has of Easter. Kyle, who is Jewish and doesn't know anything about Easter and was busy finger painting does not want to be involved in something so dangerous, but Stan persuades him to help.








Get it?



Yah! A lazy dog!

Friday, April 10, 2009

I still don't understand how I ended up on Amy Ephron's "One For The Table" mailing list

As she once threatened to sue me for saying she'd slept with Tony Hendra.

But I am on her site's list.



I will say this...she's got an eye for a nice E-Card image.

"The world is getting smaller for the torture conspirators."


Sting - They Dance Alone
Uploaded by jpdc11

(if you don't know why I'm posting this song with this item, this may explain it)


Ex-Bush Officials May Be Indicted in Spain This Week For Torture

Human rights organizations and legal scholars are applauding the efforts of Spanish lawyers in seeking the indictment of six former officials of the administration of President George W. Bush in connection with the torture of detainees at the U.S. military's Guantanamo Bay prison.


The views of Michael Ratner, president of the Center for Constitutional Rights – which has played a major role in mobilizing lawyers to defend Guantanamo detainees, probably represent the consensus among U.S. human rights advocates. He said, “The importance of this investigation can not be understated. Contrary to statements by some, the Spanish investigations are not ‘symbolic.’ Just ask Augusto Pinochet, who was stranded under house arrest in England and who ultimately faced criminal charges in Chile because of the pressure of the Spanish courts.”

He added, “If and when arrest warrants are issued, 24 countries in Europe are obligated to enforce them. The world is getting smaller for the torture conspirators.”

Wishing for a miracle

Entertainment Weekly on the possible ending of 'Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.'

Now that is a happy kid

Ok. As a rule, I am opposed to the posting of paparazzi photographs involving children. My feeling is, grown-ups have made their choices, but the kids haven't. Once in a whenever, however, I'll make an exception like this one.

It's Matilda Ledger with her mother Michelle Williams and "an older mystery male"

Photobucket

Could these pictures be any sweeter?

Thursday, April 09, 2009

President Obama...this isn't the job we hired you to do



I know Roberts fucked up the oath, but we still expect you to "preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States," Mr. President.

Imagine if Scrubs was not about doctors and nurses but homicide cops...

And the show was not a half-hour sitcom with some dramatic overtones but a one-hour "human comedy," with some dramatic overtones (and without the fantasy sequences).

Well, that's The Unusuals.

I liked but did not love the debut of ABC's new series last night. Unfortunately it didn't start out very strong in the ratings (how rare for a show I like), apparently, though it was well-received by critics.

I suppose it can be accurately judged to be trying too hard to be "quirky" (and the title doesn't help)--one of the plotlines last night was about a serial killer of cats.

But, I found it always interesting; often amusing (even affecting in at least one scene), with real nice plot turnarounds that I wasn't expecting. Plus more than a few laugh-out-loud moments; with a strain of darkness.

They play in my key, as it were.

(and ah, suddenly I understand--writer/creator Noah Hawley is a veteran of Bones.)



A solid, talented cast is led by Amber Tamblyn and Jeremy Renner. Tamblyn's a former vice-cop (when we first meet her, she's undercover as a prostitute; whose mother picks the worst times to call) transferred to the homicide squad. She also doesn't want anyone to know that she comes from money. Renner is her new partner who keeps his own cards close to the vest.

Tamblyn's role is to be the audiences "POV" character--as she gets to know the squad, so do we. So far she's a bit of a straight woman for the wit to play off of. But I'd be willing to bet that will change; anyway she does it well (and need it be added, looks sexy doing it).

Support includes Harold Perrineau and Adam Goldberg as a detective team. One of whom has taken to wearing a Kevlar vest almost 24/7, the other who's facing death from illness and looking to go out a hero.

Monique Gabriela Curnen is the only other female detective who, when Tamblyn asks about her new partner, says

"Well, the good news is, he's not one of those guys who stares at your boobs while he's talking to you."

"What's the bad news?"

"I got nice boobs--why isn't he looking?"


If it can stick around long enough to find its feet, this might be something. Later episodes will tell the story, I guess--and this one did make me want to see the second...which is a pilot's job.

The thing is, Bill, you're right for once...so why are you complaining about him on your show?

Bill O'Reilly sets out to prove that no one takes Eminem seriously--by taking him seriously.

I would've made this another one of my "X has become a parody of himself" posts...

But let's face it--we're talking about Rick "man on dog" Santorum, so that happened some time ago.

Rick Santorum: Out of office, but still bringing honor to his party.

Not like I was planning to see this anyway, but...

Does Seth Rogen Rape Anna Faris in Observe and Report?

Last weekend we were hanging out with a bunch of movie-loving friends who professed no desire to see Observe and Report, Seth Rogen's mall-cop black comedy. "I just don't want to see any movie where the main character's a rapist," one girl said firmly, which caught us by surprise. It's true that the movie's red-band trailer shows him pumping away on an unconscious Anna Faris, but then she stirs and yells, "Did I tell you to stop, motherfucker?" We assumed that once we saw the movie, we'd see some mitigating scenes that, as the Times claims, make it more clear that Brandi, Faris's cosmetics-counter floozy, has given her consent. Surely no studio comedy, no matter how supposedly "dark," would portray its lead character as a rapist, right?

And then we watched it. Spoilers ahead!

Not having seen (or read) "Twilight," I don't get most of the parody part, but on its own terms, this is actually kinda nice

Wednesday, April 08, 2009

For Jen, in the event she wants to see something funny

The good news and the bad

The good news: The Grey's Anatomy season finale will feature, as a guest star, Liza Weil. I consider Weil (best known as Rory’s ferociously intelligent friend Paris on Gilmore Girls) one of the best actresses working today. And as many of you know, would dearly love to see and hear her speaking my dialogue.

The bad news is, this means I may have to watch another episode of Grey's Anatomy. And that feels like a betrayal of my inner child.

Tuesday, April 07, 2009

See? I'm not imagining it!

Via Yahoo!, someone at the Television Without Pity site has put together a list of

The 10 Shows That Deserve to Return Next Fall (But Might Not)


I direct your attention to

Photobucket

2. "Life"
Charlie Crews, the fruit-loving L.A. detective with a Zen attitude, has become one of our favorite TV cops ever in just under two years, thanks to Damian Lewis' deceptively placid, quirky charisma. Photobucket This season, the weekly cases got more creative, the supporting cast got stronger (partly due to the addition of Donal Logue and Gabrielle Union) and the underlying conspiracy plot got twistier.


Now, I may disagree with some of the details here--I'm not so sure about the weekly cases, and I definitely disagree about Donal Logue's character making the cast stronger. (As I always feel compelled to point out--it's the character I find replusive, not the actor, who I've liked in other things).

But on the whole, you know I agree that the series deserves to return for a third season (and Gabrielle Union was an excellent addition).

I'd mention that the American Film Institute named "Life" one of the top 10 programs of last year, but, what th'hell, didn't do "Veronica Mars" any good.

Which brings me to...

Photobucket


6. "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles"
We've already lost one show with robots this season with the end of "BSG". Don't take our other one away from us. We need some robots kicking butt to really round out our weekly TV viewing.

Photobucket

Seriously though, we love the idea of this show and every time it starts to wear our patience thin with family drama, they hook us again with more cool Terminator technology.



Shirley Manson.

Photobucket
Cool Terminator technology.

Monday, April 06, 2009

Watch.








The Future Depends On It




I love this show...

As a fan of apples, I resent that

Via Andrew Sullivan (back in my good graces for the moment):

Philippe Sands, British human rights lawyer...was particularly shrewd in assessing the response of Bush officials to Abu Ghraib, which revealed many of the techniques they had already approved for use:

Sands said that he read the protestations of innocence from Bush Administration officials, who blamed a few “bad apples” for the incidents, with the eye of a barrister. He recalled, “I could spot right away that they were speaking as advocates of a cause..."

Mole or secret agent, she's still my dream girlfriend*

Over on the "Tonight's Best TV" section of the Entertainment Weekly website, Jessica Shaw offers of tonight's episode of Greek:

Is Rebecca a mole or a secret agent for Frannie? Wow, it's like the sorority version of 24. I wonder if Casey will torture anyone to find out where she hid the corsages.


That's preposterous, of course.

...24 is the sorority version of 24.

(for those of you playing at home, Rebecca's the girly-babe on the far right with her hand on her hip; Casey's on the far left leaning against the tree. Frannie's not pictured)

*One of them.

Sunday, April 05, 2009

New Amazon book reviews

Beige
by Cecil Castellucci


Unfriendly Fire: How the Gay Ban Undermines the Military and Weakens America
by Dr. Nathaniel Frank


And--

Star wars : the clone wars. Wild space / Karen Miller.

Links that quite possibly no one will click

Given that I don't know for sure who reading this blog watches Dr. Who, apart from Corey, and he sent me the links in the first place so he's not going to be clicking on them now. But anyway.

Corey sent me links to a couple of interviews with outgoing Who writer/producer Russell T. Davies and Doctor actor (also outgoing) David Tennant.

Here's a couple of good bits from the RTD interview that I liked because, let's not kid ourselves, they reminded me of me.

There is, however, no separating Davies from his writing. It's how he defines himself, and the aspect of his life on which his self-esteem is based. "To me. It's not a job, it's not work, I wouldn't even call it a vocation, it's simply the way that I think, all day, every day."


And this on the books he grew up around, and reading.

Then there was his mother's collection of Agatha Christie paperbacks, and his own beloved stash of Asterix and Peanuts books. Even now, he can hear the rhythm of Charles Schulz's punchlines in his own writing.


Check, check, check...and check.

This is an art appreciation blog?

New blogfriend Darren Daz Cox answered my "six random things" tag, and in so doing described dragon w/Buddha thus:
My friend Ben Varkentine tagged me on his art appreciation blog!


I think that's the first time anyone's ever described one of my blogs such...I kind of like it. And I suppose if we broaden the scope of the term, to
any field using the skills or techniques of art


...then this is an art appreciation blog. Sometimes the art is in the field of television, sometimes... Photobucket

...ahem, sometimes books, sometimes music, sometimes cartoons, sometimes it's actually what most people think of when they see the word "art."

I appreciate that.