Monthly Archives: November 2009

2009/11/22 · 7:41 pm

Bieber & Rocksteady

Our favorite Canadian tweeny bopper and Taylor Swift defender Justin Bieber is making headlines again.  But this time it’s what he didn’t do that was the news.

A meet and greet at Long Island’s famed Roosevelt Field Mall had to be canceled after the throngs of blood thirsty tweenage girls and their mothers proved too dangerous.  Clearly, the Roosevelt Field Mall and its parent company, Simon Malls, underestimated the appeal of the pint size pop star who is not afraid to push up the sleeves on his jacket or his cardigan.  Let’s hope the mall is more prepared come Friday morning.

Apparently a SVP from Bieber’s label was arrested, as police “…asked for his help in getting the crowd to go away by sending out a Twitter message,” and he refused to cooperate.  It’s rather alarming when Plan A for the authorities is to harness the power of Twitter.

Truly a shame, as it appears that Nancy Brcocowski drove all the way from Norway for the show.  Although, if she completed the trip in three hours as she claimed, then she made incredible time, so it wasn’t a total loss.

via our dear friend Eliot

 

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2009/11/20 · 11:25 pm

Finally We Can Add Terry Gross to the Judd Apatow Chart!

Well, not really.  Not unless he casts her in his next movie.  But maybe this time instead of stand-up comedians he’ll focus on the textured lives public radio personalities.  Anyway!

Been a long time since we talked about Judd Apatow on here (some might say too long), but Apatow was on Fresh Air with Terry Gross today, primarily to promote the DVD (and Blu-Ray!) release of Funny People (in both in Theatrical and Unrated editions!  So many choices!  Digital Download!).  Of course he also touched on Freaks & Geeks, casting his children in his movies, his history with Adam Sandler, and the one time while waiting to meet with Lorne Michaels he was overcome with weed paranoia.  A must listen for any Apatow completist.  A recommended listen for anyone who’s interested in the craft of comedy.  A marginally encouraged listen for anyone who likes interviews, specifically public radio interviews.  A must not listen for anyone who hates fun and/or does not have internet access.

Here –>  Judd Apatow on the Alchemy of Funny People

Speaking of Funny People, and what would a quick post be without some sorta unnecessary commentary, while the movie was bloated and somewhat self-involved, I think that it will benefit from the passage of time.  It wasn’t the kind of movie that lends itself to being seen in the theater with a full cackling, popcorn flying in the air from spastic laughter, kind of audience.  It’s probably best viewed from the couch, with microwave popcorn in hand (and all the better!  Did you read the new study on the caloric content of movie theater popcorn?  It’s outrageous!  Still going to buy it every time) and the flexibility to pause the film for (several) bathroom breaks.  It moves at a glacial pace, but there was some good acting being done there, and it’s certainly Apatow’s most personal, introspective movie.  The “you know how I know you’re gay?” jokes might not hold up in twenty years, but the sentiments and humanity in Funny People might.  It’s just not that funny.

And finally, an excuse for this, the best part about Funny People!

(and yes, that includes Randy.  He’s a close second.  Followed by Eric Bana)

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2009/11/20 · 12:43 pm

Aliens vs. Nazis and the NBA Playoffs

Over at the Awards Picks Red Carpet Blog I contributed a piece comparing Inglourious Basterds and District 9, proving beyond a shadow of a doubt that Tarantino’s revenge fantasy is the superior film, and is more deserving of a possible Oscar nomination.

Also, why did I ever get excited about a video game like this:

Really was the slowest, most boring product in the entirety of the EA Sports catalog.  The complete opposite of its hockey brother.

I want my scalps!  Or at least a bloody Wayne Gretzky.

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2009/11/18 · 1:11 pm

Light the Candles!

Cause it’s birthday time over here at Jumped The Snark!  So, in honor of the occasion, here are a few prudent video selections:

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2009/11/18 · 2:01 am

Reege No Longer Just a Danger to Himself, Nearly Gives Meryl Streep Heart Attack

Yesterday I turned the TV tuner to Live! with Regis and Kelly specifically to see if Regis would say something ridiculous within one minute.  Well, he didn’t disappoint.

A few weeks back Regis gave us a very detailed account of his painful battle with kidney stones many years ago, a fight that he thankfully won just before surgery.  On Monday’s show Regis and Kelly welcomed Meryl Streep to the stools and this time Regis decided to stop inflicting pain on himself and turn the cross-hairs on his guest instead.  In a smooth segue, Regis informs Streep that her daughter has broken her leg, nearly giving the Oscar Queen a heart attack as this was news to her.  In fact, it was news to everyone because ol’ Reege just completely butchered the cue card, which actually said that Streep’s daughter “just got her big break.” Just broke her leg, just got her big break, whatever, same thing.

(forward to 2:15 to see the incident)

You really can tell that Kelly is embarrassed, and these days she has to be feeling more like a handler than a co-host.  Let’s face it, the guy ‘s a loose cannon, and he’s going to do some real damage one day.

What makes this extra amazing is that apparently this whole time Regis has been so clueless about names and facts and words and he’s actually been reading cue cards.  Who knows what kind of bad news he would have delivered to Streep if he was left completely to his own devices.  Swine Flu?  SARS?    Black Lung?  Imbalance of bodily humors?

More: What do Kelly Ripa’s breasts, Costco, Charla Nash & Lou Dobbs have in common?

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2009/11/17 · 7:03 pm

In Memorium

I always liked Ken Ober.  I also always liked this show because the contestants got to eat popcorn.

But weren’t late 80s game show prizes the worst?  They just don’t hold up.  A video word processor?  They were so close to a computer!  And between Remote Control and Double Dare I think Casio gave away more keyboards in the 1980s than they actually sold.

Anyway, it’s a shame.  Hope John Sencio‘s doing okay.

(And yet all those insipid wastecases on the Real World-Road Rules Challenge continue to live happy, healthy lives.  And Jesse Camp, I assume)

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2009/11/16 · 6:21 pm

Carefully With Those Chili Peppers, Guy Fieri, Don’t Want To Get Too Extreme!

Food + Rock + 25 Gallon Margarita Machine + DJ = Guy Fieri Road Show!

Finally (!) more details have emerged about the Guy Fieri Road Show, where Food Meets Rock (again, finally!!!).  In a Q&A with the LA Times Mr. Fieri answers all our burning questions about this unique concert/cooking experience.  In talking about the origins of the show, Fieri thought “What if we take a cooking demonstration and fortify it with a lot of good music?. . . . Drive it to the next level?”  And here, this whole time, I thought the idea is to fortify cooking with unique flavor profiles, or at least some essential vitamins and minerals.  The good news?  Fieri says that the show will be “everything they won’t let me do on TV,” which we presume means that he’ll now be allowed to wear his sunglasses properly and put on a pair of pants.

Gets even better!  Want the chance to try a margarita made in a 6 ft, 25 gal mixer?  How about the opportunity to sample The “Bomb” Calamari or “Maui Onion Straws?”  Want to sit closer to the DJ who will be playing “everything from old school rock ‘n’ roll to theme-oriented stuff?”  Well, for $250 you can sit on the stage and have your dream come true!

Killer.

Via Pop Candy

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2009/11/16 · 5:41 pm

All the More Reason for ‘Wayne’s World 3’

An old, but still relevant article on the Huffington Post about the decline of Dana Carvey and Mike Myers, which hits on points we previously made in separate posts about Carvey (re: his Leno appearance) and Meyers (re: The Love Guru).

Better times:

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2009/11/16 · 3:15 pm

January Jones Was the Worst Host Ever On the Worst Episode of ‘SNL’ Ever

Or so it would seem.

The reaction to last week’s Taylor Swift SNL was overwhelmingly positive, with most critics/bloggers declaring it the best episode of the (mediocre) season.  While I think it was one of the stronger episodes of the season, I’m not quite sure it was the best (I’d probably have to hand that distinction to the Gerard Butler outing, in which Butler was more polished and comfortable than Swift), but certainly it’s possible to make the argument for its season supremacy.  But boy, how quickly things change.  After the buzzed about Swift edition SNL returned  this weekend with Mad Men‘s January Jones as host, and if the blogosphere is to believed it was the worst episode in the history of Saturday Night Live, featuring the most ill-prepared host in 35 years of the show.  Well, yes, it was bad, but we’re hyperbolizing just a little bit.  If anything, saying that the new episode was that bad gives too much credit to other dreadful performances from this season (basically all but Butler and Swift), and certainly episodes from past seasons (ahem, Michael Phelps).  So to get all riled up about a single terrible episode of SNL is about as useless as getting giddy about an excellent episode of SNL, because, no matter what, the show is coming back next week, sometimes it’s going to be inconceivably bad, sometimes surprisingly brilliant, and mostly very average.  That’s why teachers invented the bell curve, to bring the extremes back down to earth.  So, by all means, complain about the episode, as it was lazy, sloppy and just generally unfunny.  But, remember, they have and will do worse.

With that, it’s not worth doing a rundown of the highlights, as there weren’t that many, but a few thoughts:

More: Running out the clock, Jones vs. Hamm, Slate vs. Watkins, and cotton balls made out of clouds…

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2009/11/13 · 8:11 pm

More Crocs on Top Chef! But Still Way Behind Tattoos for Most Common Cheftestant Accessory

Months ago I lamented the departure of Top Chef Cheftestant and Hati survivor Ron Duprat, he of the red Crocs.  We were going to miss his jolly laugh, his trouble understanding the meaning of words like “vice” and “deconstructed,” and his revolting cocktails.  But most of all we were going to miss his plastic footwear, the fire truck red slip-ons that made him stand out from the rest.

It was then, with great pleasure, that I realized it appears that perennial challenge finalist and lover of all things pork Kevin Gillespie has been sporting his own pair of Crocs this whole time, albeit a much a less fashionable black set.  Looking back, it was very hard to pick this up, as they just as easily could have been confused for a pair of black boots.  But if you know what you’re looking for then you can (sorta) make out the Crocs, like in this picture from the Penn & Teller episode.

Kevin Gillespie

More photos of Crocs!

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