Neutral Man's Burden

This is one of the funniest editions of "The Word" on the Colbert Report in recent memory. Colbert has a brilliant take on the grilling of Sotomayor and the difference between how she is lambasted for making a comment about her background helping her make judgments and how Alito three years ago was applauded for discussing his own family's Italian background. Apparently life experiences make you a better judge...if you are a white male. If you're anyone else, well, you're a clear Band-Aid (watch the clip).

My favorite line is the first one about touching a hot stove. Love it. Thanks to Smark for sending me this.

Roker 1, Speidi 0

Al Roker is my new hero for actually calling out Spencer and Heidi Pratt's utter and complete ridiculousness and delusions of grandeur re:their own fame and claims that they aren't acting to get attention. It's pretty hilarious and pathetic to watch them try to defend their idiocy as shown on clips from that "I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here" show that even I, lover of trashy reality tv, refuse to watch. Speidi of course limply attempted to strike back with Heidi playing the victim, but it's just laughable. Really? You don't know who Al Roker is? REALLY? You cried about the label being peeled off your shampoo?? Seriously? If you're acting...well, well done I suppose. If not, just WOW.

Glorious pop trash at its best and worst, and best.

Zack Attack

Yes, yes, I know...this was all over the internet today, so everyone and their brother has seen it, but I can't resist posting it on the slight chance that one of my dear readers has NOT experienced this joyful nine minutes of nostalgia.

Watch Mark Paul Gosselar appear on Jimmy Fallon's new show in character as Zack Morris. We learn several things from this:

1) Zack Morris is not only cooler than Jimmy Fallon (obviously. Zack is cooler than 99% of people and Jimmy Fallon doesn't exactly set the bar high), but he's much funnier. I know the point of this was for him to steal the segment, but he does so a liiiittle too well.

2) Great stage makeup (with copious amounts of bronzer) really can erase 20 years.

3) While the Zack Attack had a great song in "Friends Forever," what we really need is a performance from "Hot Fudge Sundae."

4) Gosselar's new show "Raising the Bar" probably saw strong ratings for the premiere based on that segment. I kind of feel obligated to watch next week simply to thank Gosselar for making my afternoon. Plus, it also has Gloria Reuben who played Jeanie on "ER" and Jane Kaczmarek from "Malcolm in the Middle." Oh, who am I kidding---I'll wait till it comes out on Netflix.

Rachel Maddow on Tea Parties

O. M. G.

Why do these Republicans just make it SO EASY for pundits to make fun of them??? Don't strategists have media people who are supposed to filter unintentionally inappropriate catchphrases? I mean really. I would like politicians to please pay me a lot of money so I can tell them what to NOT call their protests (i.e. avoid any phrase that is a blatant, gross sexual euphemism).

Kudos to Rachel Maddow for not completely dissolving into laughter and tears while delivering this segment. That's poise.

I'm Finally on the Adam Lambert Bandwagon

I have been very slack about positing lately---packing, preparing for the move, and wrapping up things at work have been consuming me! I'll try to do better this week and the next.

Okay, so Idol. I hated Adam Lambert in the early weeks of this competition, especially after his creepy and screechy version of Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire" that made me feel like I needed a shower or six. After he sang "Tracks of My Tears" two weeks back, I begrudingly gave him credit for a stellar performace, but wasn't yet sold. Last night, though, pushed me fully into his camp. "Mad World" is a great song and he absolutely killed it (in a good way...unlike the way Scott and Lil killed their songs) When you get the first and only standing ovation from Simon in the show's history...you're it. Damn. Well done.

Portia de Rossi on Prop. 8

I heard Portia de Rossi on the radio the other day and was reminded of how funny she is. I wish she were still playing Lindsay on Arrested Development (may the show rest in peace, till the movie comes out at least). This is a great faux PSA clip from her as a lesbian woman apologizing for all the pain and suffering she has caused to pro-Proposition 8 demonstrators injured in the line of duty.

Nick/Norman is the Next American Idol

I am reaaaaaally unimpressed with this season on Idol so far. Bad song choices are killing some talented people--haven't they learned yet? It's season EIGHT. You don't know by now not to sing Whitney, Mariah, Michael Jackson, etc.? Don't you know to pick a song that shows off your range and is age-appropriate? Le sigh.

One dazzling beacon of hope, however, is Nick Mitchell (AKA Norman Gentile). He's a comedian of sorts who surely tried out initially as a joke, but he made the judges laugh so much they put him through once, twice, three times. He will almost surely make it through to the top 12 based on last night's dramatic performance of "And I Am Telling You" from Dreamgirls. Most of the contestants last night were boring, pitchy, and overall awful. He was the most entertaining part of the night, which does not say much about the quality of contestants this season.

On a side note, I HAAAAAATED Adam Lambert's performance. I didn't like him in Hollywood week, and I like him even less after last night. I can't find a clip to it, but it's just as well. Self-indulgent, shrieky, melodramatic...go back to musical theater!!!!

Go Your Own Way

The quality of this clip isn't great, but nonetheless...I heart it. Carrie Underwood and David Cook singing "Go Your Own Way," which is quite possibly my favorite song ever (at the very least, it's top three). I think they need to a) date and b) sing more songs together.

Jericho

I'm about halfway through the first season of "Jericho" on DVD, and I know understand why my friends who were fans during its short run were PISSED when it got cancelled. What a great show! The premise is that various cities across America have been nuked, leaving small town Jericho, Kansas cut off from all communication from the country and world and struggling to survive. It takes a pretty freakin' good show for me to compare it to the greatness of "24" in its best seasons (1, 4, 5), but I think it stands up to the test. It's suspenseful, scary, stressful, shocking, and entirely addictive (whoops, messed up my stellar alliteration).

I hate knowing that I only have half of season one left and a meager two discs or so of season two. At the same time, though, I can see how a show like this could become ridiculous and repetitve after going on much longer than two or three seasons (ahem, Prison Break? Heroes? Lost?Are you listening?). Most of its appeal is probably in the initial intrigue of the first season. But who knows...it could have stayed great. We'll never know. Rest in peace, Jericho, with your other comrades felled too young: Arrested Development, Freaks & Geeks, My So Called Life, Pushing Daisies, etc.

Those of you who have Netflix or Blockbuster Online, definitely add this to your queue.

Gossip on (What Else?) Gossip Girl

For Gossip Girl fans out there, this NY Magazine article is a glorious treat. Chock full of gossip about the stars themselves and how much the show imitates real life (or real life imitates the show, it seems), it also talks about the way the show's success is almost entirely grounded in new technologies: online viewings, texting, blogging, etc. Cleary the show is a hit, just not for The CW during its actual airtimes. The tv station, and other stations as well, have got to figure out a way to make money from their shows in an era when more people than not choose to watch the show any of a million ways EXCEPT sitting patiently through commericals as the show airs on tv in its neatly assigned timeslot. The article was written near the end of the first season, so I'm not sure how ratings may have changed since then, but it's a great read nonetheless.

"I Love Jesus, But I Drink a Little"

I'm not a big talk show fan (unless you count The Daily Show and Colbert), but I do enjoy Ellen. The star of this clip, however, is not Ellen but her 88-year-old fan Gladys from Austin, Texas. Gladys has a few helpful suggestions for Ellen and some priceless comments about her own life. I love funny old people. I wish I could hang out with Gladys.

Obama: He Completes Us

I posted this Daily Show clip on Facebook back when it came out last August, just after Obama had clinched the Democratic nomination. Given the crazy fanfare of last week's inaugural festivities, I thought it deserved another viewing. Remember back in August when we thought perhaps Obamania had calmed down now that he had finally beaten Hillary? What sweet little naiive children we were. This send-up applied to last week just as much as it did to last fall, if not more so.

All jokes aside, it's the most exciting time of all NOW. It's the CIIIIIIIIRCLE OF LIIIIIIIIFE.

Be sure you watch to the end. The last shot's the best.

Idol's Best

To celebrate the return of American Idol, here's a list of the top 16 best performances of all time according to Entertainment Weekly (including video clips, sweet). As a loyal viewer since the Kelly Clarkson days, I think this is a pretty good list. I'd argue that Carrie Underwood's cover of "Alone" should be higher on the list, and I would have chosen "Eleanor Rigby" for David Cook instead of "Billie Jean." David Archuleta singing "Imagine" still gives me chills. I was hoping to see Tamyra Gray on there, as she is one of my faves, but she was so long ago in Season One that I can't even name one of her great performances (though I do remember clearly that she butchered the already lame "New Attitude" and got the boot for it).

Man Vs Food

I'm conviced that The Travel Channel does food shows better than Food Network. Be ashamed, Food Network, be very ashamed. Oh, and get rid of that Guy Fieri guy and his 8th grade boy hairdo...I'd watch "Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives" much more often if you got a new host.

On Wednesday nights at 10:00, following the drool including "Food Paradise" that I blogged about a while back, is a new show called "Man Vs. Food." The host, Adam Richman, is an energetic and funny everyman who has an impressive apetite. He comes off as slightly too eager verging on annoying in the commercials for the show, but when you watch the show he's hard not to like. Each show he visits a different city to try three restaurants, the third of which always has a daunting eating challenge. Richman is batting better than .500 on challenge completion by now, or at least from the shows that I've seen. Part of what makes the show so entertaining are the funny restaurant patrons who team with him or compete against him on the challenges to varying degrees of success. The most amusing part is when they inevitably start to get the meat sweats.

"The Word" on Statute of Limitations

During the height of the election season, I thought "The Daily Show" was much funnier and sharper than "The Colbert Report." I think Colbert's making a comeback now, however, with gems like this edition of his segment "The Word." The link is to the entire show, but that segment runs from about 6:40 to 11:04. Deadpan as usual, Colbert brings to light some ridiculous and unjust uses of the statute of limitations laws surrounding discrimination cases (his character, of course, supports the Supreme Court's idiotic reasoning in the cases). Here's hoping for some changes in those laws once Obama takes office...

One Man Against Torture

Last week John sent this article by Matthew Alexander (a pseudonym), who is a US solider taking a stand against interrogation techniques that use torture. He makes a powerful case against torture, and obviously his team is doing something right: they were responsible for obtaining the information that led to al-Zarqawi's capture. One of his detainees said to him, poignantly, "I thought you would torture me, and when you didn't, I decided that everything I was told about Americans was wrong. That's why I decided to cooperate."

I thought the article was great, so I was excited to see Alexander on The Daily Show two nights ago. As John Stewart mentions, a pseudonym doesn't work quite them same when you go on tv, but I'm glad he did---this is a brave man with an important message. Now if only the military and DOD would pull the cotton out of their ears and hear it...

Here's the link to Alexander's new book. I hope to get my hands on it soon.

Food Paradise

I like eating even more than I like reading or sleeping, which is saying a lot. Lately I've been loving Travel Channel's "Food Paradise" show. It comes on Wednesday nights at 9:00 (so check it out tonight if you're bored) and features the greatest foods across the country. Each episode has a different theme, like pizza, steak, donuts, sandwich, and my personal favorite, DEEP FRIED PARADISE. The Web site lists the different restaurants featured so you can check them out if any are near where you live or where you're traveling. Make sure you've eaten a substantial dinner before you watch or you are likely to order and eat an entire pizza, carton of ice cream, or other such gluttonous fare. At the very least, you'll need a napkin to wipe the drool off your face.

Dogs 101

I am hooked on the Animal Planet show "Dogs 101." Each episode covers about four different dog breeds, discussing the origins, physical makeup, temperament, health concerns, friendliness, grooming needs, hot or cold tolerance, etc. of each breed. You can always expect precious video of puppies, as well as spotlights on trainers and owners devoted to the featured breeds. Last night's episode featured the English bulldog with a good fifteen minutes about UGA, Athens, and of course, the Uga and Seiler family legacy. The clip isn't online yet, but I'll post it when it comes up.

The Web site also has a cool feature: the Dog Breed Selector. As we consider getting a new friend for Laveau (our high maintenance but wonderful Weimaraner) sometime in the next six months to a year, we'll look to this resource that gives you suggested breeds based on your answers to a series of questions regarding your preferences, family situation, living area, etc. It suggested spaniels, beagles, or Corgis for us. I'm partial to Shelties and golden retrievers, so we'll see what happens!

Rachel Maddow on Colbert

I've only recently become aware of Rachel Maddow and how awesome she is, so I was happy to see her on Colbert a few days ago. She's sharp, witty, and most importantly, really holds her own with Stephen (not an easy feat, as we know). I loved her description of how conservatives in government saying they want to reduce government is like hiring a vegan to be your butcher.

Interesting note: Maddow was the first openly gay American to win a Rhodes Scholarship.

Everybody's Favorite Sociopath

I am right in the middle of watching season two of "Dexter," which I think is one of the greatest shows of this decade. My favorite show of all time is "Six Feet Under," which starred Michael C. Hall as conservative, gay, pale-faced, neatly-dressed, squirmy, and overly sensitive David Fisher. As Dexter, Hall could not possibly be more different: he's tan, unshaven, unemotional, and oh, a sociopath. Dexter's foster father realized this about his son early on and trained him with a code to let out his violent urges only on people who are killers themselves, thereby rendering a twisted service to society. He's a forensic blood spatter analyst for the police department, another way he fulfills his urges. The show is intense, dark, funny, ridiculous, suspenseful...it's brilliant. It was just renewed for another two seasons, which makes me a very happy camper. Now if only I had Showtime and didn't have to wait for it to come out on DVD!