All blogging, great and small. For your dining pleasure on a Monday evening.
Media Review Weekly: For our many, many loyal readers, here's a look at some goings on that caught our eye(s) in the past week or so.....
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Saturday Night Live(s)!:
Yes, that headline has been used a time or two before by others. But we aren't above stealing a priceless comedic gem like that. So.....
SNL was not really very good the first few episodes of the 06-07 season. But the 1/13/07 show kicked serious funnybone ass. Really.
"Stock Footage Awards"? -- This is why SNL was created (partly); to make fun of the plump and pompous, to ridicule the ridiculous. Great stuff. Loosen up a bit, though guys. It's a comedy show, not a midterm. Great concept.
"Bronx Beat" -- We hope they do this one to death, because it has legs. Amy Poehler and Maya Rudolph were priceless as the down but not out, depressed but not quite suicidal, angry but still alert borough dwellers who brow beat a poor young author into submission. Kind of what a visit to the Bronx would be like in real life for some of us. Terrific. Will they destroy someone next week? Hope so. Can Mayor Bloomberg make an appearance, or are all the male cast members over 5-8?
"Laser Cats 2" -- Again, terrific. Funny, just funny. Lorne Micheals has the Emmy in the bag for best actor. Well, maybe not. But still a great job by all four. This one might have legs, too. Cats with Lasers? Beat that fucker into the ground, THEN it will get even funnier. If no one laughs the third time, do it a fourth. And a fifth. Who knows? No one thought the bees were funny at first. Including Belushi, we recall. Now THAT was a great series of sketches. The "why are we so put upon, Lorne?" stuff kills.
"Weekend Update" -- Now, we're talkin'. The iPhone was ripe. But how about 6 billion phone numbers, not a bajillion. And Jobs has a lot of strange speaking tics, too. Funny material. He's so smooth he's creepy. And creepy is funny (any cast member doing Crispin Glover doing....well, anyone. that would be funny. and if Glover is dead, we apologize for stepping where we shouldn't. but we really don't think he's dead. we'd have heard about that.) "20 minute battery life!", now that is funny. Because it's true.
"'Law and Order' Master Class in Acting" -- Funny because it's true, as well. You can have The Falconer sketches. We don't know of any real life falconers besides Timothy Hutton. But there are hundreds of NYC actors willing to do just about anything to get on the L&O show(s). That's real life, in all its quiet desperation. And THEY REALLY DON'T EVER STOP MOVING on those shows. (Wait for the "bump bump". Now that's gold.) Sam Waterston is one tough impersonation to nail. He speaks softly, then loudly, with his head back when he gets going. Voice going up and down, head weaving. And weird eye rolling movements, too.
Oh yeah. Jake Gyggenhaal: Think summer movie villain, Jake. For "Spiderman 3.14", maybe a good bad dude part would be a great move. Jake, ya have the elastic facial muscles, the voice, the size, and the balls to be a great bad guy. Bond bad buys get pigeonholed, but put on some makeup and a cape and fly through the air on a vacuum cleaner, and it's all good. You heard it here first. Though Dafoe reportedly has a bit of a "package" advantage over you.
From what we read on The Drudge Report and other blogs of that ilk.
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SI.com
After reading Monday Morning Quarterback (As we always do. Every monday. And tuesday.) we had a thought...
Non-Quote of the Week:
-- "They showed no class at all. No class. Maybe it comes from their head coach. There you have it.'' -- from a devastated and fatigued MVP and future Hall of Famer, LaDainian Tomlinson, on the Patriots' celebration after Nate Kaeding's missed kick that would have sent the game to OT. Why would anyone want to make this sound byte a big deal? The young man is beyond consolation, and was pissed his team lost. Did Hobbs or some of the other guys celebrate? You're damn right they did. Was LT2 right for getting po'ed at pretty much the world? You're damn right he was. No harm, no foul. Total non issue that shouldn't be viewed by hundreds of thousands, as MMQB is.
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The continuing decline of what has traditionally been the most important network news program, "60 Minutes."
A pulse? Yes, the show has a pulse. Thanks to...
...Pieces on great Americans like Betty Ford. A layup for most anyone, with the charisma and heart that woman possesses. She could make Carl Cameron seem human. But Leslie Stahl did a nice job. We did not know that Mrs. Ford had been married and divorced prior to meeting Gerald. Not that Stahl let us know that (Newsweek did), but the First Lady fascinates. Stahl did tell us that Mrs. Ford modeled the rooms of her recovery center after her own 1978 rehab stint, with roommates for all. Good story on maybe the greatest First Lady.
...A nice piece on the amazing, sexy, kick-butt Brit actress Helen Mirren by Morley Safer. Ms. Mirren remains one of the planet's great beauties, with looks, brains, and guts. It would be frightening to be in the same zip code as such a thoroughbred. Safer pulled it off nicely.
...Mike NiFong may very well be our 21st Century Bull Conner, the notoriously rascist and evil cop/bully/race baiting ruler of Birmingham during the Civil Rights movement. Conner was certain no one could touch him. Because of his race, his power, his arrogance, and his tired small mindedness, seen so often in local pols and officials. Conner was wrong, as is the local DA. NiFong's unbelievably crass, illegal wielding of the Durham County DA's power should result in felony convictions and jail time for him and his cronies. A censure? For what he has done to bankrupt the student's painfully well spoken families? For forever damaging the lives of all the accused Duke lacrosse players? For not even interviewing the fucking star witness until late this winter? He belongs in jail. The best case scenario for the three accused kids and their families? Hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal bills, the charges dropped, their faces etched in folks minds forever, whether as perps or victims. And possibly a six to ten year long legal pursuit of moneys and apologies from Durham County. Not a good choice among them. For shame.
And last and certainly least....
Scott Pelley "interviewing" President Bush. Wow. That was really scary all the way around.
First Presidential quote to jump out at Apt404 staff: "I think the Iraqi people owe the United States a huge debt of gratitude." What? What? Maybe in between all the funerals and the walking six miles for a gallon of water, they could all sign a big "Thank You" card for us back here in the States. It would be the biggest "Thank You" card in the world, right TJ? That frighteningly juvenile sound byte from this nation's Executive in Chief blew us away. A debt of gratitude? Do you want them to give us an extra quarter in our weekly national allowance? What does he mean?
Please, deal with reality and let Hollywood handle bullshit and fantasy. The reality is that the entire Middle East is in play. It is right now, Sir. President Bush went on to say "If we were to start withdrawing now, we'd have a crisis on our hands." This man is not living in reality. He is a scared man with his fingers plugging his ears. Sorry. And despite our view, we will always refer to him as our nation's "President" (and not as "Mr. Bush", as Pelley did once.), but he is flat out wrong.
And still they die. Every day, they die.
The President looked absolutely skittish standing next to Pelley outdoors near his Laurel Canyon retreat. This is the man who's been POTUS for over six years? He looked like a middle manager at some fiberglass manufacturer, he was so stiff. Goodness. What is going on?
And the worst, most telling moment came when Pelley said to the President re Saddam's hanging, "You didn't want to see him go through the trap door?" President Bush winced, looked away, and mumbled, "yeah." This is the leader of the free world, who sends your kids and your spouses and your relatives off to fight, possibly die, and most definately come back changed forever? This is who the United States trusts with the car keys? He can't even watch the execution of the man he wanted out of power so bad he spent several hundred thousand dollars on the extravaganza (or was it a bit more.)? A breathtaking answer.
One other thing we found out reading "Newsweek." On the night that Saddam was hung? President Bush was asleep. At 9 in the evening.
--------------------------------------------------
Here's something to get us all through the night...''
(nod to Newsweek)
--------------------------------------------------
Saturday Night Live(s)!:
Yes, that headline has been used a time or two before by others. But we aren't above stealing a priceless comedic gem like that. So.....
SNL was not really very good the first few episodes of the 06-07 season. But the 1/13/07 show kicked serious funnybone ass. Really.
"Stock Footage Awards"? -- This is why SNL was created (partly); to make fun of the plump and pompous, to ridicule the ridiculous. Great stuff. Loosen up a bit, though guys. It's a comedy show, not a midterm. Great concept.
"Bronx Beat" -- We hope they do this one to death, because it has legs. Amy Poehler and Maya Rudolph were priceless as the down but not out, depressed but not quite suicidal, angry but still alert borough dwellers who brow beat a poor young author into submission. Kind of what a visit to the Bronx would be like in real life for some of us. Terrific. Will they destroy someone next week? Hope so. Can Mayor Bloomberg make an appearance, or are all the male cast members over 5-8?
"Laser Cats 2" -- Again, terrific. Funny, just funny. Lorne Micheals has the Emmy in the bag for best actor. Well, maybe not. But still a great job by all four. This one might have legs, too. Cats with Lasers? Beat that fucker into the ground, THEN it will get even funnier. If no one laughs the third time, do it a fourth. And a fifth. Who knows? No one thought the bees were funny at first. Including Belushi, we recall. Now THAT was a great series of sketches. The "why are we so put upon, Lorne?" stuff kills.
"Weekend Update" -- Now, we're talkin'. The iPhone was ripe. But how about 6 billion phone numbers, not a bajillion. And Jobs has a lot of strange speaking tics, too. Funny material. He's so smooth he's creepy. And creepy is funny (any cast member doing Crispin Glover doing....well, anyone. that would be funny. and if Glover is dead, we apologize for stepping where we shouldn't. but we really don't think he's dead. we'd have heard about that.) "20 minute battery life!", now that is funny. Because it's true.
"'Law and Order' Master Class in Acting" -- Funny because it's true, as well. You can have The Falconer sketches. We don't know of any real life falconers besides Timothy Hutton. But there are hundreds of NYC actors willing to do just about anything to get on the L&O show(s). That's real life, in all its quiet desperation. And THEY REALLY DON'T EVER STOP MOVING on those shows. (Wait for the "bump bump". Now that's gold.) Sam Waterston is one tough impersonation to nail. He speaks softly, then loudly, with his head back when he gets going. Voice going up and down, head weaving. And weird eye rolling movements, too.
Oh yeah. Jake Gyggenhaal: Think summer movie villain, Jake. For "Spiderman 3.14", maybe a good bad dude part would be a great move. Jake, ya have the elastic facial muscles, the voice, the size, and the balls to be a great bad guy. Bond bad buys get pigeonholed, but put on some makeup and a cape and fly through the air on a vacuum cleaner, and it's all good. You heard it here first. Though Dafoe reportedly has a bit of a "package" advantage over you.
From what we read on The Drudge Report and other blogs of that ilk.
--------------------------------------------------
SI.com
After reading Monday Morning Quarterback (As we always do. Every monday. And tuesday.) we had a thought...
Non-Quote of the Week:
-- "They showed no class at all. No class. Maybe it comes from their head coach. There you have it.'' -- from a devastated and fatigued MVP and future Hall of Famer, LaDainian Tomlinson, on the Patriots' celebration after Nate Kaeding's missed kick that would have sent the game to OT. Why would anyone want to make this sound byte a big deal? The young man is beyond consolation, and was pissed his team lost. Did Hobbs or some of the other guys celebrate? You're damn right they did. Was LT2 right for getting po'ed at pretty much the world? You're damn right he was. No harm, no foul. Total non issue that shouldn't be viewed by hundreds of thousands, as MMQB is.
--------------------------------------------------
The continuing decline of what has traditionally been the most important network news program, "60 Minutes."
A pulse? Yes, the show has a pulse. Thanks to...
...Pieces on great Americans like Betty Ford. A layup for most anyone, with the charisma and heart that woman possesses. She could make Carl Cameron seem human. But Leslie Stahl did a nice job. We did not know that Mrs. Ford had been married and divorced prior to meeting Gerald. Not that Stahl let us know that (Newsweek did), but the First Lady fascinates. Stahl did tell us that Mrs. Ford modeled the rooms of her recovery center after her own 1978 rehab stint, with roommates for all. Good story on maybe the greatest First Lady.
...A nice piece on the amazing, sexy, kick-butt Brit actress Helen Mirren by Morley Safer. Ms. Mirren remains one of the planet's great beauties, with looks, brains, and guts. It would be frightening to be in the same zip code as such a thoroughbred. Safer pulled it off nicely.
...Mike NiFong may very well be our 21st Century Bull Conner, the notoriously rascist and evil cop/bully/race baiting ruler of Birmingham during the Civil Rights movement. Conner was certain no one could touch him. Because of his race, his power, his arrogance, and his tired small mindedness, seen so often in local pols and officials. Conner was wrong, as is the local DA. NiFong's unbelievably crass, illegal wielding of the Durham County DA's power should result in felony convictions and jail time for him and his cronies. A censure? For what he has done to bankrupt the student's painfully well spoken families? For forever damaging the lives of all the accused Duke lacrosse players? For not even interviewing the fucking star witness until late this winter? He belongs in jail. The best case scenario for the three accused kids and their families? Hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal bills, the charges dropped, their faces etched in folks minds forever, whether as perps or victims. And possibly a six to ten year long legal pursuit of moneys and apologies from Durham County. Not a good choice among them. For shame.
And last and certainly least....
Scott Pelley "interviewing" President Bush. Wow. That was really scary all the way around.
First Presidential quote to jump out at Apt404 staff: "I think the Iraqi people owe the United States a huge debt of gratitude." What? What? Maybe in between all the funerals and the walking six miles for a gallon of water, they could all sign a big "Thank You" card for us back here in the States. It would be the biggest "Thank You" card in the world, right TJ? That frighteningly juvenile sound byte from this nation's Executive in Chief blew us away. A debt of gratitude? Do you want them to give us an extra quarter in our weekly national allowance? What does he mean?
Please, deal with reality and let Hollywood handle bullshit and fantasy. The reality is that the entire Middle East is in play. It is right now, Sir. President Bush went on to say "If we were to start withdrawing now, we'd have a crisis on our hands." This man is not living in reality. He is a scared man with his fingers plugging his ears. Sorry. And despite our view, we will always refer to him as our nation's "President" (and not as "Mr. Bush", as Pelley did once.), but he is flat out wrong.
And still they die. Every day, they die.
The President looked absolutely skittish standing next to Pelley outdoors near his Laurel Canyon retreat. This is the man who's been POTUS for over six years? He looked like a middle manager at some fiberglass manufacturer, he was so stiff. Goodness. What is going on?
And the worst, most telling moment came when Pelley said to the President re Saddam's hanging, "You didn't want to see him go through the trap door?" President Bush winced, looked away, and mumbled, "yeah." This is the leader of the free world, who sends your kids and your spouses and your relatives off to fight, possibly die, and most definately come back changed forever? This is who the United States trusts with the car keys? He can't even watch the execution of the man he wanted out of power so bad he spent several hundred thousand dollars on the extravaganza (or was it a bit more.)? A breathtaking answer.
One other thing we found out reading "Newsweek." On the night that Saddam was hung? President Bush was asleep. At 9 in the evening.
--------------------------------------------------
Here's something to get us all through the night...''
(nod to Newsweek)
posted by joe sweeney at 5:33 PM
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