It would seem that bullet-points on Sunday is getting to be a tradition. Rather than fight it, I've chosen to embrace it. From now on, I'll save up all my bullet point crap during the week for Sunday. Easy.
• There's a nifty (but too short) interview with god Steve Jobs over at Newsweek. His assessment of Microsoft's incredibly fugly media player is priceless. When asked if he was concerned about the "wireless connectivity" functionality of Zune, Jobs replies: "I've seen the demonstrations on the Internet about how you can find another person using a Zune and give them a song they can play three times. It takes forever. By the time you've gone through all that, the girl's got up and left! You're much better off to take one of your earbuds out and put it in her ear. Then you're connected with about two feet of headphone cable." — I think I laughed for ten solid minutes after reading that.
• My favorite comic book series of all time is Superboy and The Legion of Super-Heroes. I still remember the first time I discovered it, which was in a series of Whitman/Gold Key reprint 3-Packs at the local SafeWay. The issues that hooked me were the first I read, #255-257. I then spent years filling in my collection all the way back to Superboy #197 which was when "Legion" got added to the title (not a mean feat for a kid on a fixed allowance in middle-school!). Anyway, WB Kids has created a Legion cartoon, which is surprisingly good...
Superboy is called Superman for some kind of stupid legal reason, but is portrayed perfectly. My favorite character in the cartoon is Brainiac 5, which they have changed into a full-fledged robot. I should hate that (he's humanoid in the comic), but he's just so cool that I can't manage it! If you like cartoons, you should check it out Saturday mornings.
• I watched a great show on The Science Channel called "Building the Ultimate... A Giant Out of Water" which was about the construction of Hong Kong's New International Airport. One of my regrets in life was that I never got to fly into Hong Kong's old Kai-Tak Airport on the infamous "13 Approach" (which you can read about on Wikipedia). Once they moved to the new airport, that thrill-ride was closed forever. I think that this show is actually a series, but The Science Channel's website sucks so much ass that I couldn't find out for sure. I searched for several minutes, but the site kept popping up empty windows (via Flash, because I have pop-up blocking on) and giving me errors. Why bother to have a site at all if it's totally useless?
• I love standup comedy, and am totally addicted to Comedy Central Presents. I've discovered so many talented comics on this show, including Mike Birbiglia, Nick Swardson, Kyle Cease, Stephen Lynch, and many others. Great, great shows. So where the f#@% are the DVDs?? You can get a few of the shows at the iTunes Store, but where are the DVD sets? This is a completely missed opportunity, because if they were priced fairly, they'd sell huge.
• In other "I wish it were on DVD news" I just saw Richard Grieco's If Looks Could Kill for the hundredth time on television. How can such a funny movie which has memorable characters by Linda Hunt, Roger Rees, and Gabrielle Anwar not be released? I want a Special Edition Director's Cut double-DVD set loaded with extras and complete cast/director commentary... yesterday.
• Betty White made a welcome (if unexpected) cameo in last week's Boston Legal that was pretty cool. I wish I could find a screen cap to post, because she totally steals the show without even saying a word! I've said it many times, but Betty White kicks ass. UPDATE: Got em'!
• Even NBC must be realizing how much the current season of Saturday Night Live is sucking ass, because they didn't even show a new episode last night. Instead, they repeated a sweet episode with Kate Hudson and Radiohead that had Will Ferrell's flawless impersonation of James Lipton from Inside the Actor's Studio. And, as an apology for just how bad SNL is sucking, they are also starting to release complete seasons of the show on DVD (with musical guests!!). I am so going bankrupt buying all these sets.
• Lastly, if you want your mind blown, here's a cool presentation in Flash of "Imagining the Tenth Dimension."
Well that was relatively painless. Look for all new bullets next Sunday.
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I mostly stopped watching snl a couple years ago. I first saw snl I think at age 9 or so, late 70’s and even then I saw it was funny.
I don’t remember snl being full of filler and a couple of good skits until the last few years.
Problem is, I don’t know if I changed more than snl did.
I have nothing against humanoid character in comic books.
Look Peter Parker… I like him because he’s capable of emotion.
In any case, Spiderman is better Superman, so there !!! (so there = Nananère in french) 😀
I stopped watching SNL a year or two ago, because it made me sad. I was actually saying to someone the other day that I can remember the last time it was good — and the announcer’s voice saying, “Dana Carvey…Nora Dunn…”
Wayne… I think that SNL was most creative when it first began, and has been slowing running out of gas ever since. There have been bright spots along the way (Phil Hartman, for sure) but now it needs something really drastic to recover from how bad it is.
Laurence… Yes, but Brainiac 5 is a robot with emotions! Hah! 🙂
Sandra… Dana Carvey was a good era. I think even the previous seasons that still have Will Ferrell in them were fine. But Tina Fey leaving was the last straw. The show is pretty dead now. 🙁
Avitable… Betty was given a new job last season, and pretty much written out of the show. She hasn’t appeared in several episodes, anyway. I agree that Brainy is weird and I shouldn’t like him but I really do! Timber Wolf is the character I don’t like (even though he’s a favorite in the comic). I’ve dropped SNL off my TiVo… unless Elizabeth Hurley is hosting, I’m through. Maybe the weird faces are a requirement to be posted on Comedy Central’s site? I dunno. They are darn funny though.
Omar will dig those toons. Thx.
That airport would have been something else to touch down in. I appreciate your regrets. There’s fab Asian grocery store downtown that I shop at from time to time – The Kowloon Market, now I know where it got it’s name.
Montreal features their “Just for Laughs” comedy show, if you have the opportunity to catch it, I’m guessing you’d like it.
Betty White – go figure.
SNL – it’s been a long slow death. I pray they breath new life into the show. I can be happy for all those Saturday nights I spent babysitting. How enriching.
Tenth Dimension – Somebody’s mommy HAS to be proud – that is fine. “Infinity” is used a lot in this house – one of Omar’s favourites. I’m thinking that the tenth dimension expands as quickly as our consciousness is able to contemplate it, which would stand to reason that my head is about to explode.
Saturn Girl was so hott. I’ll have to check out the cartoon.
/end fanboy mode
SNL is too painful to watch; I took it off of the season pass list and said fahhgetaboutit.
I don’t know if you like Wanda Sykes, but she has a new comedy special called “Sick and Tired” filmed in Seattle and it had my hysterically laughihg even as I was struggling to keep my eyes open last night!
Nancycle… I’ve only been to Montreal once, sadly. I loved the city and would love to make it back one day though. 🙁
Yellojkt… The fact that she went walking around in a pink bikini made it hard for her NOT to be hot! 🙂
Hilly… Wanda Sykes is one of my favorite comics. I have the DVD on order, and it should be here early next week! I can’t wait! I’ve got her Comedy Central shows burned to DVD, and bought “Tongue-Tied” on DVD too!
Updated the entry with screencaps of Betty’s Boston Legal cameo appearance…
I loved Betty’s cameo last week.
As for SNL, on the East coast it started late and they just re-aired the season premiere. I hadn’t seen it, so I caught weekend update to see who replaced Tina Fey but then skipped the rest. The Kate Hudson ep sounds much more entertaining.
I stopped watching SNL when I was in high school. It goes through extended periods of sucking, but the high point was always the “Weekend Update.” Now, that “The Daily Show” has one-upped them, there’s no point for me.
As for “Legion,” I’m still in mourning over the cancellation of “Justice League.” Cartoon Network aired the JL series finale this weekend; it reminded me how awesome that cartoon was. 🙁
1) I think it’s hilarious that Steve Jobs is helping legions of men flirt with hapless women via iPod.
2) We had Steven Lynch play at an event I hosted – we had 8 times our normal attendance – the man is AWESOME!
You just like that issue of Legion in the top right because of the scantily clad woman in pink spandex with handcuffs on. Admit it.
* comedy Central Presents introduced me to the “Hot Pockets” guy – for which I will forever be grateful.
* everything about BL kicks ass.
i LOVE Nick Swardson. have you seen his movie, “Grandma’s Boy”? it’s freakin hilarious!
We were in Hong Kong for a few years (I was born there) and my parents still to this day talk about those “thrill ride” landings. I think they considered them more like a “holy sh*t please don’t hit that building” type ride.
🙂
Saturn Girl looks a little different than in the good old days.
I like this new cartoon too. I don’t know if I mentioned I got hooked on Justice League. I had caught one or two and then you had mentioned it a time or two so I ended up watching all the seasons the past few months…
I almost mentioned LSH the other day when we were “talking” about the flying in Heroes. The bad effects of them flying actually reminded me of the first time they showed Super/Clark flying in the future (very awkward).
Claire… I usually like Dane Cook, but his SNL appearance was terrible, and I’m not blaming him.
Mark… I’ve been rewatching the JL cartoons on DVD and have fallen in love with them all over again. I sure wish that they would come out with a few direct-to-DVD movies because I miss the show too. 🙁
Bre… Stephen Lynch was on Comedy Central at a friends and we watched while incredibly drunk… it doesn’t get much funnier than that!
Kapgar… I admit nothing. But it’s probably true. 🙂
Miss Britt… That would be Jim Gaffigan, who I like very much too. The only thing that’s disturbing is that during his Hot Pocket diatribe, he steals my toilet paper entry!!
Dawn… I haven’t seen it, but put it in my Netflix queue, so thanks!
Alexa… I know more than a few die-hard travelers who have talked to me about their landings at good-ol’ Kai Tak! I am very sorry to have missed it. 🙁
Gary… The Legion from the 70’s and 80’s had pretty embarassing costumes, to tell the truth. I’m sure at the time they seemed modern, but looking back now they were laughably bad! Saturn Girl probably got the worst of it, though Shadow Lass had a pretty interesting costume herself! 🙂
Steve Gods lives in the tenth dimension; Brainiac was a robot, Brainiac 5 being his great-great-grandfather, who mated with someone in the tenth dimension; Building the Ultimate is a Science Channel series that airs @ 9a, 4pm, 11pm on Comcast West in thisdimension. Skipping ahead to the sixth dimension, er, bullet… William Shanter and Betty White live completely outside the fourth dimension (time).
And there you have it, back to the point, uh…
Mr. Mxyzptlk comes from the 5th dimension, so long as we’re keeping a list. 🙂
As for Brainy… it’s really hard to keep track with the Crisis books and all the reboots (and now the “one year later” stuff). Originally, Brainiac 5 is a decendent not from the original Brainiac (who, as a robot, can’t have children) but from Brainiac 2, a humanoid who was “adopted” by Brainiac to learn about humanity (or something like that). Currently, if I am thinking correctly, Brainiac 5 is a robot (just like the cartoon show) in the Supergirl & The Legion of Super-Heroes book.
Ok, haven’t been here in sooo freakin long. I’ve missed so much. Damn life getting in the way of reading my blogs!
Anyway, um, love Nick Swardson. I worked on the Aspen Comedy Festival and he stole the show. He was Jamie Kennedy’s writing partner on Malibu’s Most Wanted, y’know;-).
Also, I was a crazy Richard Greico fan back in the 21 Jump Street days. I swear I saw “If Looks Could Kill” a billion times. Poor Richard, sometimes I see him in Starbucks in Studio City. He looks like a truck hit him. Well, I guess one did, a cocaine truck…
If you end up heading back to Montreal – you’d better drop me a line, cuz we’re going out to EAT!!!
Stephen Lynch rocks my world.