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This is hilarious. Ronnie Karam (a.k.a. Flipit from TVgasm) stars as Andy Rooney in this parody of those ubiquitous Geico commercials. I laughed out loud multiple times, and I'm sure you will too.
It's July 4th weekend, and I think Ina Garten's got a message for all of us:
INDEED!
Last week, ABC premiered two "goofy" reality shows: Wipeout and I Survived a Japanese Game Show. Both have lots of potential, but only one seems to realize it. In short, Wipeout is awful. I could only bear to watch five minutes of it before turning it off. The main problem (among others): canned "play-by-play," which is clearly scripted in post production and is therefore dumb and annoying. The whole fun of a silly obstacle course should be the spontaneity of it all, but instead, Wipeout is dumbed down, thus proving that the producers have little or no faith that their subject can be amusing on its own. I know this is supposed to be a ripoff of MXC, but seriously, it's a piece of garbage.
On the other end of the spectrum is I Survived a Japanese Game Show, which is shaping up to be a great summer guilty pleasure. The show sort of plays out like The Gauntlet meets animé: two teams (the Yellow Penguins and Green Pandas) duke it out in a game show challenge, with the losing squad sending two members to an additional elimination challenge at the end of the episode. Along the way, there's plenty of funny yet fascinating cultural high jinks, and a spunky little housekeeper lady who's not unlike Japan's answer to Mrs. Beakley.
The first episode was hilarious, even if it was a bit uneven. However, last night's edition rose (just a tad) above the camp level as backstage drama flared. I actually found myself drawn into the story way more than I had expected. Don't get me wrong: this ain't high level stuff. But it's fun. My only critiques are the production similarities of Hell's Kitchen: same narration style, same interview style, same ambient music. I know the two shows share producers, but can we mix it up a bit? After all, if there's anything that reality TV has taught us, it's that we become more engaged when the characters do the exposition, not some disembodied voice (always a problem with Hell's Kitchen, in my humble opinion).
Nevertheless, in the clip above, one contestant, Meaghan, must act as a human claw and pluck stuffed pandas from a pile of balloons. Glorious exasperation ensues...
When it comes to Real World: Hollywood, no one passes judgment in a more snotty way than Sarah, the aspiring journalist from Arizona. Never is this more evident than in the clip above where Sarah comments, "Probably shouldn't be wrestling. Probably shouldn't be on top of another girl." The words alone aren't really what makes the clip. It's the prissy attitude, the cocked head, and the screwy face. All together, these factors combine to make a glorious moment of bitchiness.
And speaking of which, two bonus pics of Janelle giving her best "I'M A BITCH" face after the jump.
Grab your stamens of crocuses! Ina Garten has something to say about burnt cheese, and it's not kind. Check out the Barefoot Contessa video above to find out how she feels when her GOOD cheddar and GOOD gruyere get singed...
Major non-props to CBS and The CW, who have both apparently pulled their feeds from RedLasso. This means all my clips of Gossip Girl and The Late Show with David Letterman have been yanked. I discovered this just now when I attempted to create a clip of last night's Letterman, which featured Mary-Kate Olsen bashing Spencer Pratt (and Dave in turn calling him a "worm.") Alas, because of this CBS-RedLasso impasse, I find my hands tied. Sure, I know it's probably available on YouTube, but since I'm stickin' it to the man these days, I'm gonna refrain from seeking alternative video sources and let CBS reel from the ANTI-BUZZ. Furthermore, I'm going to post a clip from a rival entertainment source as further punishment.
So... Ha!
Right on the heels of Heidi Montag's gleefully absurd trainwreck, "Fashion," another dubiously talented poptart, Vanessa Hudgens of High School Musical fame, has released a similarly sartorial track titled, "Sneakernight." In terms of production values and general quality, this ode to dancing and sneakers is a significant improvement over the latest Speidi project, but it still leaves a lot to be desired. Plus, I fear that I'm going to be hearing the line "Basically what we're gonna do is dance" in my head all night, if only because Ms. Hudgens repeats it over and over and over again ad nauseam.
To her credit, the chronically flat Vanessa Hudgens manages to hit about three notes, which is a pleasant improvement over her previous work (anyone who's ever had to endure her ear-piercing duets in the High School Musical movies knows what I'm talking about). Still, in a strange twist, Vanessa has somehow injected her voice with a sort of pseudo-sassy-soul growl, whose authenticity feels somewhat questionable. Not saying she lipsynched... buuuuuut, well, I don't know how this could be the same girl who sang the relentlessly awful dirge "When There Was Me and You."
All in all, with the arrival of this video and Heidi Montag's latest, today might have to mark a veritable nadir for the music industry, this blog, and perhaps the world in general. On the other hand, Zac Efron totally has two new songs for his iPod, girrrrrl!
A clip of Vanessa strutting her atonal stuff in "When There Was Me and You" after the jump...
All this discussion about a possible Arrested Development movie has gotten me in a tizzy. I just had to post another video (plus, after my Heidi post, I had to earn back some blogger cred). Anyway, this clip features the gloriously withering reactions of Lucille Bluth (Jessica Walter) at a Denny's-like restaurant. Comic perfection incarnate.
Click for a classic Lucille Austero moment.
If Arrested Development comes back, Lucille II wants in. That's right. Liza Minnelli, who famously played Bluth family rival/siren Lucille Austero, has told the New York Daily News that she wants to be part of the Arrested Development movie. Who knows if producers will heed her request, but finding a place for her in the movie would certainly be, as Lucille Austero would say, a grand gesture. Let's just hope this project moves forward as planned (stoking the flames of internet buzz...).
• MINNELLI HOPES FOR ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT FILM CAMEO [Contact Music]
What's your favorite Lucille II moment/quote?
Great! She'll make lunch.
Ever since I saw the intro to this (GOOD) episode of Barefoot Contessa last year, it has ranked as one of my favorite Ina Garten moments. The combination of her WASPy sass and pleasant hospitality mixed with the images of her swabbing down a deck are too amazing to be denied. Plus, she makes mention of a tugboat. How bad can that be?
Just remember that if you view this while cooking, please be sure to use GOOD vanilla extract.
In case you haven't been watching Real World: Hollywood, do yourself a favor and spend this weekend catching up on every episode. After reaching a total creative and casting nadir with Real World: Denver, I thought the series was dead. It no longer seemed relevant or remotely fascinating. I stopped watching, and for the first time in ten years, completely missed an entire season (Sydney). But then came Hollywood. I had to watch it because that's where I live. Little did I realize that this new season with its revamped format would serve as the return to form that this franchise has so desperately needed. Yeah, there've been some good later seasons (I enjoyed Key West and San Diego), but the truth is that ever since Vegas, the storylines had become tiresome, and the cast members boring drunks who merely drone on for episode after episode about stupid hookups made when stupidly drunk.
This time around, the drama has felt bigger, better, and more riveting. The entire saga of poor Joey, the livewire addict who went from Incredible Hulk to rehab specialist, was more fascinating than most anything else on TV this spring. Plus, actually getting a cast with real career goals (even if they are in entertainment) makes a huge difference. There actually does seem to be a relatable through-line to the season: how to get your ass in gear when everything around you is tempting you to do otherwise. The show is relevant again (for the time being).
That's not to say it's without its old charms. Take, for instance, the clip above the clip here (obnoxiously, MTV doesn't allow the clip to be embedded in blogs). Sarah, one of the most judgmental girls in the house, gets a bit too tipsy at dinner, and well, vomit ensues. Ah, but the best part isn't the puking (although, it's pretty good). The best part is her vitriolic rant at the very end of the clip. To paraphrase her, "Probably shouldn't have been drinking. Probably shouldn't have been puking all over the sidewalk."
Nevertheless, a photocap of Wednesday's show after the jump...
The Best Little Skater in the World - Watch more free videos
Seriously, this kid is amazing. I don't often post skateboarding videos, but I had to share this with you guys. Take my word for it.
Yesterday, I detailed the mortifying experience of spilling an iced coffee on a reporter's PDA while discussing the Obamas. Little did I realize that this would be the start of some sort of national trend. It appears as though merely mentioning Obama, or specifically, Michelle Obama, causes coffee cups -- whether they be tall or short, hot or cold -- to topple over in dramatic fashion. Take, for example, the case of Whoopi Goldberg, who, less than twenty-four hours after my accident, similarly knocked her beverage over live on The View. But this time, it wasn't a reporter's invaluable collection of contacts that was in danger. No, it was guest host MICHELLE OBAMA HERSELF. Don't worry. She was safely away from any sort of caffeinated spillage. But still... Obamamania strikes again!
(Thanks Annie25 for the heads up)
Dance MTV User =About Me= Video - video powered by Metacafe
This is oddly transfixing. Sort of like watching someone shaking a bowl of cottage cheese. Well... I guess shaking a bowl of cottage cheese isn't that transfixing, but it is a fairly accurate description of this video.
Via (Best Week Ever)
I know this is like a day old, but man, it's too funny to ignore. It really is a stellar week for American divas on Asian TV.
It's not even 11:15 AM, and already two viral video gems have surfaced today. The first was a phenomenal Muppet mash-up. The second is this gloriously loopy clip of Sharon Stone explaining the karmic intricacies of the recent earthquake tragedies in China. Word to the wise: don't ever treat her GOOD friends unkindly. You never know what sort of natural disaster might come your way...
What happens when you take audio from the Woody Allen masterpiece Manhattan and pair it with the video from the Jim Henson masterpiece Muppets Take Manhattan? Nothing less than sheer brilliance.
Via Gawker
The new Weezer video, in short, is a blast. A romp. A rollercoaster of viral video emotions. The band collected some of the most famous faces from the YouTube generation and crammed them all into three minutes and nineteen seconds of musical bliss. All your favorites are there: Chris Crocker, Tay Zonday, and Miss South Carolina (looking like quite the hottie these days), just to name a few. The only one missing is the woman who fell out of the grape-mashing barrel. Still makes me laugh every time.
Of course, the strange footnote to all this is that I'd actually heard this song on the radio once last week, and silly me, I thought it was Sugar Ray. As a result, I've spent the past few days telling people, "Have you heard the new Sugar Ray song? It's actually REALLY GOOD!" Well, my hope for a Sugar Ray comeback has now been squashed, but hey, let's hear it for Weezer! I'm off to the iTunes store...
Thoughts on the song? The video?
Update: Full list of references after the jump.
This is astounding. Oprah Winfrey. Her favorite things. One very enthusiastic/ridiculous audience...
via digphilly
Saturday's season finale of SNL was a little disappointing, but there were still a few gems. Take, for instance, this Digital Short, which thankfully is not another music parody. Instead, it's a near pitch-perfect recreation of The Office pilot. Definitely worth checking out.
Back in Cycle 9 of America's Next Top Model, we watched the girls stumble and slur their way through one of the most ill-conceived product titles of all time: the Wetslicks Fruit Spritzer. To the uninitiated (ie. me), it sounded like the models were merely saying "westshlicksfritzsprtizer," especially when queen marble-mouth Jaslene got in on the action. Now CoverGirl is back with yet another tongue twister of a product name, and sure enough, Fatima, Whitney, and Anya all managed to completely botch it, reducing the brand to a mishmash of syllables that sounded not unlike "blashtlashtlashblahsshsblashssplash." I don't blame the girls. I blame whoever came up with the stupid tagline.
Nevertheless, I'm not even going to say what this product is called because trying to guess the words is half the fun.
Local NBC anchor Sue Simmons is a near legend in New York City. And hopefully now this clip will be too. FANTASTIC.
Video of the year?
• Susan Sarandon's skin looks nice.
• Hey, there's the paralyzed guy from Friday Night Lights.
• This is sort of weird.
• I like that random hand-drawn sequence.
• I never watched the original series; so nostalgia is not making this more enjoyable.
• The animé fans are going to be so annoying about this.
• There's something sort of fun about this hyperkinetic, colorful clip. But I don't want to see two hours and fifteen minutes worth of it.
• This sort of looks like Mario Kart.
• I'm gonna buy Mario Kart this weekend.
• I'm sick of fanboy cinema.
What are your thoughts?
I sometimes want to do this to EVERY CHILD I ENCOUNTER. (Except the good ones)
These days, Hills spoofs are a dime a dozen, but this one is actually pretty good. It's not perfect, but the UCLA kids that put this together definitely picked up on many subtle Hills-isms. If only they had included some sort of Lisa Love character...
Thanks to Jose for forwarding this to me.
In my live blog of European TV, I mentioned seeing a silly music video for a song called "Hot, Hot Summer." Well, I've tracked down the video, which is by a band named Monrose. They're sort of like the German version of the Pussycat Dolls. According to the charts, they've struck it big in Central Europe, conquering that ever elusive Swiss market. Now maybe it's time to take on America? We'll have to wait and see about that. In the meantime, I'll just say it: summer song 2008.
Be warned, the above song is as catchy as it is ridiculous...
Big Brother was one hell of a doozy tonight. The drama was pretty much as good as it can ever get. I don't anticipate that CBS will have the screen shots up before Sunday; so it might be a while before there's a photocap. In the meantime, for fans of the show, this clip is a MUST. For over five seasons, we've waited and waited and waited for something truly exciting to happen at the sequester house, and at long last, we finally had fireworks.
As you'll see in the video above, Crazy James once again proves that he's totally incapable of not blaming others for his own mess. He immediately holds Chelsia responsible for his ouster, saying that her parting comments in the house are what did him in. That's right, it wasn't his mopey attitude or angry self-pity or sanctimonious hypocrisy or vulgar tirades or the fact that he went back on his word in a major way to the point where no one could truly ever trust him. No, it was Chelsia's snippy/hilarious/cringe-worthy rant that turned all these people against poor James.
Now I'm no Chelsia fan — despite her VERY modern haircut — but even I felt bad for her as she sat there and listened to the one guy she cared for rail on her for being his downfall. Way to be a gentleman, James. Good to see you're still championing the return of niceness to this world.
Oh, but it gets worse. After making Chelsia feel so shitty that she stomps out of the room in tears, James has the temerity to wander into her room with a big smile and ask "What's wrong?" To paraphrase Sheila, are you frickin kidding me??? You just made the girl who supported you through thick and thin feel like the lowest scum of the Earth, and now you want to play all naive about why she's sad? Awful. But again, IT GETS WORSE.
James then reassures Chelsia that "I was a homeless kid that walked into Big Brother with no money. I'm okay with leaving with no money, but knowing that I fell for a girl." Well, obviously he wasn't okay with leaving with no money; otherwise he wouldn't have bitterly cut down the girl he allegedly cares for. Aren't "nice" people supposed to let bygones be bygones? And furthermore, enough with this homeless junk. Anyone who willingly lives on the streets, especially while maintaining a corporate sponsor (ie. American Apparel), does not deserve to play the homeless card.
Still, once James was able to make Chelsia cry, he seemed to be at peace with the whole situation. But I think it will be a long time before he ever takes any responsibility for his actions. I can't even imagine the sanctimonious questions he'll be asking come jury time. Only ten days away...
See more funny videos at CollegeHumor
Imagine taking the "Wow" factor of your typical time-lapse viral video and adding the artistry of Michel Gondry. You wind up with this clip, which follows the famed director and his brother as they drive across the country in just four minutes.
Via Gawker
Kristen Wiig once again served up one of the more memorable moments on last night's Saturday Night Live with her new character, Judy Grimes, a nervous "Weekend Update" travel writer. It can never be as great as last week's revelation — Sue, the surprise party enthusiast — but as always, Kristen Wiig provided some of the biggest laughs of the night in this brief skit (her craptacular Jamie Lee Curtis was pretty good too). I'm thinking that come September, she might just deserve an Emmy. Can I hear a Hallelujah?
Even if you don't watch Survivor, you've gotta enjoy this clip. Here's the backstory. A few episodes ago, Ozzy carved a fake, hidden immunity idol and left it under a rock. Jason discovered it, thought it was real, and on last night's show, he gave it to Eliza to protect her. That's all you need to know...
Hello. Celine Dion here.
Celine Dion really is hilarious. I respect what she's doing in this video (charity and whatnot), but I can't help simultaneously laughing at her voice, which sounds something like a Québécois version of one of those computerized Mac voices. Each time I hear her say "the most... heartbreaking... staTISTic," I let out a small chortle.
Be warned: this song will get crazy crazy stuck in your head.
A few weeks ago, I shamelessly plugged my friends' video, which was competing in YouTube's "Sketchies II" competition. Well, your assistance worked — they sailed into the finals, and now they're just inches away from taking the whole prize.
For this last round of competition, they had to create a video whose theme was "Living The Dream," and additionally, they had to work in the word "Indubitably." YouTube -- you so crazy with your wacky vocab! Anyway, I actually think this new video is better than the last one, and that's not just me kissing up to three hot women. If you're feeling generous, head on over to YouTube and give them a vote. Like last time, you can only vote once a day, and like last time, the process is slightly convoluted. Here's how to do it:
1) Go to www.YouTube.com/sketchies2
2) See the video player on the right? Enter "Unfamous" in the search box below
3) Click on the small icon that pops up below the search box
4) When the video appears, click thumbs up.
You can also give negative votes to the competitors — not that I would EVER engage in such dirty tactics. Anyway, hope you like the video. Oh, and my friend says that winning this contest could mean the survival of their site, WhateverHollywood. So, you know, NO PRESSURE.
Isn't it great when the pressures of Big Brother cause people to crack? And isn't it even greater when it happens to reality stars you just can't stand?? Oh, what a sublime way to start the week.
From last night's Saturday Night Live.
Thank God for Red Lasso. I just gained entry to their Beta, which means now I can easily post clips from the Food Network. What a glorious revelation. Why not kick things off with Sandra Lee who's baking CAAAAKE!!!
No one gets in a tizzy more than Big Brother's Sheila, and while some find her histrionics irritating, I think they're hilarious. Here's a brief clip from Wednesday's Big Brother After Dark in which she and Natalie revel in the outcome of that night's HOH contest. It gets funnier the more you watch it.
Thank God we have Sheila this season. Otherwise, I would have died. I would have DIED. DIED!!!
Busta Rhymes Owns Stupid British Woman - Watch more free videos
The name of the video says it all. It's kind of funny watching Busta's behavior go from sort of nice and jokey to, well, angry. Plus, the culture clash is quite phenomenal too. I mean, it's Busta Rhymes vs. some fussy British woman. WHAT'S NOT TO LOVE??
In other news, Busta Rhymes has sensational hearing.
I've always wondered what Sheila from Big Brother would look like sitting on a bale of hay, frolicking through a meadow, and giggling on a swing. Now I know, thanks to this clip from the 1984 masterpiece, Ellie, which stars Sheila and... multiple Oscar winner Shelley Winters? Sadly, this scene does not feature both acclaimed actresses sharing any on screen time together, but it does feature some dazzling country music and, of course, fleeting partial nudity (so be warned).
Yew know wut? The Academy doesn't owe Sheila an Oscar, but they kinda dew.
I don't know why Rachel Harris isn't more famous than she is. She's been around for several years now, popping up in commercials and Christopher Guest movies, but she's yet to really achieve the sort of recognition that she deserves. Nevertheless, here's a video of her doing impersonations. It's funny.
(via BWE)