The end of "The Office" is accelerating toward us faster than, well, something between a snake and a mongoose. To honor it properly, "Office" star John Krasinski has produced a 10-episode web series that NBC will roll out over the next few weeks.
Friday, April 12, 2013
WATCH: Vince Vaughn 'SNL' Promos
Vince Vaughn is hosting "Saturday Night Live" for the first time since 1998 this weekend. That's nearly 15 years since the "Wedding Crashers" star has graced Studio 8H. This time, Miguel will perform as musical guest.
Watch his promos with cast member Bobby Moynihan above and catch the episode this Saturday at 11:30 p.m. on NBC.
That Time Jaime Lannister Ran Into George Clooney In A Bathroom Stall
"Game of Thrones" star Nikolaj Coster-Waldau stopped by "Conan" Tuesday night and told a story about an awkward encounter he had in the bathroom of an awards show. After the show, he really had to use the restroom. He ran into a stall, unaware there was someone inside.
“And then this idi ... well, this guy is in there ... I’m pretty sure there’s spillage. I’m sure there was," Coster-Waldau reported. “I said sorry, he said sorry, and then I go, 'Oh my God. That’s George Clooney. He’s so short!'"
So, Nikolaj thinks George is kind of a short idiot. He advised Clooney to close the door next time.
And hey, close a door, open a window. Remember when Nikolaj’s "Game of Thrones" character Jaime Lannister threw a kid out the window? Well, that’s kind of negatively affecting his life as a dad.
“One of my youngest daughter’s teachers is a big fan ... I come to pick up my kid, and all the kids are going, ‘That’s the guys who pushes kids out windows!'" he said.
Between the spillage and the upset kids -- not great days for Nikolaj.
Luckily, plenty is going well with "Game of Thrones," which is getting great ratings so far this season.
TV Replay scours the vast television landscape to find the most interesting, amusing, and, on a good day, amazing moments, and delivers them right to your browser.
Barbara Holm: Why the World Needs Bridgetown
Less than two weeks away, I'm really excited for Bridgetown Comedy Festival in Portland, Oregon. I'm obviously a little nervous about performing on shows with really good artists and also about being in huge claustrophobic crowds. But any anxiety is completely overshadowed by my joy and excitement that in the very imminent future hundreds of the best comedians I've ever seen will be performing on the same block, on good shows, to smart audiences. Bridgetown Comedy Festival is an amazing event that nurtures stand up comedy as an art form.
This is the sixth year of the Bridgetown Comedy Festival, a bundle of the best stand up comedy shows you've ever seen, mostly compiled along Southeast Hawthorne. It's the brainchild of very funny comedians Andy Wood, Matt Braunger and awesome comedy fan Kim Brady.
A lot of comedians love comedy festivals because it feels like summer camp to see old friends from across the country. I love it for that reason but also because it is such a beautiful showcase of comedians doing something special and unique to the best of their abilities. I think the concentration of such strong, artistic talent in one place in one weekend really inspires me to be better and makes me fall in love with stand up all over again.
Bridgetown does a really good job of showcasing the growing, unique hotbed of young, clever comics in Portland. The Northwest has a wonderful group of comedians that are doing something really interesting that makes me want to work harder and be a better writer and performer. I love watching the comedians here, and I'm so excited that the audiences get to see these great people too. I'm really excited to see local comics like Ian Karmel, Anthony Lopez, Alex Falcone, Sean Jordan, Shane Torres, Stephanie Purtle, Curtis Cook, and so many more. I love Bridgetown because it makes local performance art look really good.
The first year I did Bridgetown I counted and realized I watched over 20 hours of comedy. Good comedy makes me happier than anything in the world. I'm so excited to see hilarious people I look up to, who make me want to be better, and remind me that stand up is the most beautiful thing in the world and it can help people. I'm really looking forward to seeing Bryan Cook, Rylee Newton, Dave Ross, Emily Heller, Kate Berlant, Heather Thomson, Caitlin Gill, and so many more.
Comedy is the best thing in the world. It's an art form that can take the darkest parts of the human condition and make them everything seem less lonely and intimidating. The scariest parts of life seem more surmountable when you realize other people feel the same way and you can laugh about it together. Laughing is like therapy for me. Comedy makes life better, and good comedy makes comedy better, and Bridgetown Comedy Festival is a sloppy mess of amazing stand up comedy. So, you should go to it!
Breaking: It Is Very, Very Hot Out
Ah!
It's hot! It's a bazillion degrees outside!*
*hyperbole
It's hotter than your laptop that time you left it running on your bed and came home to find that it was, like, so hot and you had to find your roommate and make them touch it just so they knew that you weren't lying.
"But wait!" you say, "It is only April!"
This is true! It's suppose to be the beginning of spring -- the month that produces showers which, as we know, bring along with it flowers. And yet, here we are, basking baking in the glow of early onset summer disorder.
Because this is the case, the heat can be narrowed down to two things: Either the "weather gods" hate D.C. or the year 2013 has been shortened and we went from March right into July (in which case, I totally missed the fireworks on the 4th and I'm pissed about it).
Story continues below...
Stepping out onto the sidewalk, where, at the current record setting temperature of 90 degrees, the proverbial egg can be fried, one can see tourists begin to wilt, lobbyists and politicians sweat straight through the umpteen thousand layers they wear to work, wax figures at Madame Tussauds meld into work more closely associated with Picasso, and one can hear almost everyone complaining.
I, for one, have decided to spend most of the day indoors for multiple reasons:
1. I work indoors. Therefore going outdoors would mean serious slacking off.
2. As anyone working in a climate controlled office can tell you, stepping outside the front door after 10 a.m. into 90 degree weather will cause you to melt immediately upon exposure.
3. Per the melting -- I prefer to remain in a solid human form rather than a liquid one.
4. I burn faster than D.C. renames neighborhoods.
Still, most of you will have to venture outdoors at some point. Because lists are totally in this year and I am dying to win your love and affection, here are some rules and guidelines you should abide by whilst grinning and bearing the heat:
1. Every person gets two minutes to complain about the heat. If you're with friends, make this rule known. Whenever someone begins to complain, remind them that they are on the clock, like a debate. Notify them when they only have 30 seconds remaining, it's the courteous thing to do.
When the two minutes are up for each person in the party, try a different topic of conversation. Where you are going to get brunch this weekend and what happened on TV last night are popular subjects.
2. Avoid exposure to the sun for prolonged periods of time. It's only April, that means you have not adjusted your suntan vs. sunburn inner clock just yet. It's understandable, your body has been confused by the extreme temperature change. To avoid unsightly sunburns, try a tactic which was recently found to prevent sun damage to skin in a one thousand year study on human exposure to the sun -- stay in the shade.
Also -- this thing called sunblock was recently invented. Use it.
3. Remember that it could be worse. Remember that Death Valley, Calif. is very hot. You should be grateful that the founding fathers decided against situating the capital of the United States in the middle of a desert over 250 feet below sea level.
Wait, the high temperature in Death Valley today is expected to reach 90 degrees?!
WHAT?!
Remember that Antarctica is very cold. You should be grateful that the founding fathers decided against situating the capital of the United States on a frozen continent thousands of miles from southern tip of Florida.
4. Cherish it. Next year when we have a freak snowstorm in the middle of April you'll be all like, "Hey remember when our faces melted off in the middle of April? Good times."
5. Stay indoors. This one seems easy, but it is tempting to go running out into the heat, screaming and hollering in excitement like small children at a Build-A-Bear Workshop, drawn out by the seemingly beautiful weather. But if you do, remember that soon you will be nothing more than a sweaty puddle, sizzling out in the middle of the national mall, without the energy to get up and walk inside somewhere or call out for help.
6. Drink lots of water. It will do wonders, like keep you hydrated.
But, hey, at least the evenings are nice and the cherry blossoms are in bloom. Right?
Thursday, April 11, 2013
Every Meme EVER In One Epic Poster
Our friends over at CollegeHumor have put together THE definitive meme poster for 2013. Trust us, this is awesome.
Dyana Posner: Temple Horses' You're Not That Crazy Premieres at the Friars Club Comedy Film Festival -- A Well-Spent Saturday Afternoon
How did you spend your Saturday afternoon? Trolling Facebook? Enjoying the beautiful spring weather? Watching reruns of Girls On Demand? Well, I spent mine at the Friars Club Comedy Film Festival, checking out the world premiere of the new short film from the creative comedy team Temple Horses.
The short film is called You're Not That Crazy and takes place in a psychiatric hospital. It opens with two patients trying to "one-up" each other in terms of who has the bigger mental problem and whose problem is not even real. Throughout the short film, new patients join the group and join in on the contest. It is written and produced by Ryan E. Hoffman and Nick Ruggia; directed by Jason Sokoloff. This particular piece also features the popular comedian Greer Barnes, who contacted the Temple Horses after watching their previous shorts and asked to work with them. The core group of talented actors who typically perform in the Temple Horses' work, Hoffman, and Ruggia also star. It is only five minutes long, but it is part of a sketch comedy pilot called Watch This Drunk. The Temple Horses are currently shopping the sizzle to networks. The short film premiered before the premiere of the feature film Mulligan and took home the Audience Award for Best Short at the festival. It was a well-deserved award, to say the least.
As I have previously stated, the appeal of the Temple Horses' comedy is that it is smart. The Temple Horses constantly think out of the box. It is not in-your-face slapstick comedy that, while is entertaining, has a short lifespan. When you watch a Temple Horses' production, it takes a bit of brainpower to realize why it is funny. Yes, their work is meant to make you laugh, but it often feels like they are trying to make a larger and more important point about the world we live in. Comedy is an art form, just like any other. Like most art forms, you can make art, but that does not mean you are an artist. That said, in comedy, you can do comedy, but that does not necessarily mean you are a comedian. I think to truly be a comedian you have to see the world through unique eyes. You have to understand what is funny about certain situations, the most appropriate way to communicate that humor, and also where to draw the line. Not everyone has this gift, but Hoffman and Ruggia do.
This became crystal clear to me having seen You're Not That Crazy this past weekend. Needless to say, a psychiatric hospital might not be a location that screams good comedy, but in You're Not That Crazy it is. Hoffman and Ruggia skillfully manipulate a topic that is serious and sad for most of the population, turning it into a scenario that you can laugh about. A lot of the appeal of the short film comes from the fact that it makes fun of everyone. It is not about mocking people who are depressed, have ADD, or an eating disorder.
Moreover, You're Not That Crazy follows suit with previous Temple Horses' work in that it makes a larger point about life. Human beings are self-centered creatures. We always think we have it the worst. Our problems are worse than anybody else's problems. We have the hardest lives. At the same time, we can all agree that certain things really are terrible, and we like to indulge in other people's misery. Which is why when the schizophrenic shows up in hospital, everybody freaks out, moves to the other side of the table, and seems to be thankful they are not in his shoes. The cool part about this short film is that it could be set anywhere and it would still be relevant. The genius part about this short film is that the writers chose to set it in a psychiatric hospital. It goes without saying that I definitely spent my Saturday afternoon the right way.
You can follow Temple Horses on twitter at @TempleHorses, "Like" them on Facebook, or check out their website www.templehorses.com for more.
Guess What He & Amy Poehler Are Teaming Up For Next
Adam Scott stopped by "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon" on Tuesday to talk many things, including his Adult Swim side project "The Greatest Television Event In History". If you missed episode one featuring he and Jon Hamm recreating the opening of "Simon & Simon", you should do yourself a favor and check it out.
After rolling a clip from the Hamm episode, Scott announced that there are three more episodes coming and the next one will feature none other than his "Parks and Rec" co-star Amy Poehler, as well as "SNL" alum Horatio Sanz.
Scott would not, however, reveal which TV show they'll be spoofing. Watch the clip from "Late Night" above and let us know your best guess on which show he and Amy are taking on in the comments. We're keeping our fingers crossed for "The Greatest American Hero", which seems apt.
The next "Greatest Television Event In History" will air on Adult Swim on June 6th.
Mama's Home On 'Glee'
"Glee" is bringing in Artie's mom into the picture and she's played by none other than Katey Sagal.
The "Sons of Anarchy" star and "Married ... With Children" veteran tweeted a photo of herself with her new TV son Artie (Kevin McHale) and "Glee" co-star Becca Tobin, who plays Kitty on the Fox series.
Gleefully being Artie's mom!!Sooo sweet!!Hangin with beautiful Becca and Awesome Kevin...Lovin it. twitter.com/Kateylous/stat…
— Katey Sagal (@Kateylous) April 10, 2013
Both Sagal and her "Glee" son have been tweeting about the upcoming episode.
Fox hasn't said when Sagal's episode will air, but the "Glee" season finale airs on May 9.
"Glee" airs Thursdays, 9 p.m. ET on Fox.
PHOTO: Baby Turtle Really Wants To Tell You Something
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We're not sure if this baby turtle is even real, but it is incredibly adorable. This little guy recently appeared on Reddit's Aww page, but was originally posted a year ago.
According to user Hayloo, the creature may be a Razor-backed musk turtle (Sternotherus carinatus). Referring to the turtle in the photo and several other pets, the submitter wrote, "I can't wait until they're bigger, but I'll miss them as babies."
Although pet turtles like this one are cute, they may also carry Salmonella on their skin and shells. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommends that consumers avoid purchasing small turtles for pets or as gifts. They also suggest, "[Keeping] reptiles and amphibians out of homes with children under 5 years old, the elderly, or people with weakened immune systems."
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Tons Of New Comedy Coming To IFC
IFC intends to grow its comedy programming, as evidenced by the cable channel's announcement that they ordered three pilots and eight scripts for 2014.
Highlights of the announcement are a pilot built around Garfunkel & Oates, the female musical comedy duo made of up actress/musicians Riki Lindhome and Kate Micucci, and a script written by Megan Mullally ("Will & Grace," "Party Down") called "Two Idiots," about "a pair of odd women raised in an old world Beverly Hills hotel."
Lindhome and Micucci previously had a web series on HBO Go as Garfunkel & Oates.
Other highlights include a pilot from "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" alums Michael Blieden and Eric Ledgin called "International Plan," about two friends travelling around the world looking for love; the animated pilot "Timms Industrial Piping" featuring the voice talents of Maria Bamford, Nick Kroll and John Lithgow, among others; and a script order of "Stupid Life," an adaptation of IFC "adopted comic" Chris Gethard's autobiography that will be executive produced by Tom Scharpling (best known as half of the comedy duo Scharpling & Wurster, and host of "The Best Show on WFMU").
The network also ordered scripts from other big names in comedy such as Matt Besser, Rich Fulcher, Kyle Dunnigan, Tim Long, Rob Schrab, Michael Davis and Damian Lanigan.
In addition to these shows, IFC is premiering "Maron" from comedian and podcaster Marc Maron on May 3, and have also announced the early stages of new shows from Will Ferrell, Ben Stiller and Bob Odenkirk. "Portlandia," the show that showed IFC that comedy was a viable angle for their original programming, will return for a fourth season in January 2014.
IFC's upfronts will be held in Manhattan Thursday night, where the network will presumably provide more details on the upcoming shows.
Read the full lineup of IFC's pilots and scripts here.
Floyd Elliot: Libertarians: Live Free or Die of Frostbite
Some weeks ago, a study by the libertarian Mercatus Center found that the freest state in the United Ss Of A is... envelope, please... North Dakota! Shocker! (Next year, Mississippi.) Especially considering that North Dakota just passed a probably unconstitutional bill to outlaw its last hanging-by-its-fingernails abortion clinic. But if you're looking for a low-tax no-regulations gun-slinging secondhand-smoke-inhaling straight-white-male wonderland, North Dakota's your kind of town.
North Dakota Office Of North Dakota: North Dakota!
Institute Of Libertarianology*: Hi. We'd like to ask you about your fine free state.
North Dakota: Shoot! Hee! It's funny, because we have no gun restrictions.
Institute Of Libertarianology: We were just going to ask you about that! I'll just put a check here under "Freedom Of Guns".
North Dakota: You can also make out with a fish here.
Institute Of Libertarianology: I'm totally keeping that in mind. Tell us more about your many freedoms.
North Dakota: We have all the freedoms. Unless you're a woman and want the freedom to control your own body. Because, as we say here in North Dakota, screw them.
Institute Of Libertarianology: Hey, we say that in DC too! If we're libertarians. So, how about freedom of gayness?
North Dakota: Absolutely. Unless you're gay and want to get married. Or adopt a kid. Or not be gay-bashed. Because, as we say here in North Dakota, screw them.
Institute Of Libertarianology: Cool. We don't care about that, because we're not gay. Okay, so now here's the big question -- think about this one before answering --
North Dakota: How about I just say the first thing that pops into my head? I've got a smoke/shooting break coming up. I might go make out with a fish too.
Institute Of Libertarianology: Sure! We knew all the answers before we ever started our research anyway. Well, "research". So... how's North Dakota on taxes and regulation?
North Dakota: Hate 'em! Apparently they make your bridges not fall down and your poor people not die. Like that's a thing. Because, as we say here in North Dakota, screw them.
Institute Of Libertarianology: Wow, can I move to your state?
North Dakota: Dunno. Nobody's ever wanted to before.
Now, I can't deny that people have moved to North Dakota over the past few years; I just can't for the life of me imagine why. The authors think they have a point to make about this so-called migration from "non-free" to "free" states, which I believe we can summarize as follows: Freedom yay! Non-freedom boo! Americans are voting with their feet! (Makes sense; thanks to all those restrictive GOP voter ID laws, that's the only way most Americans can vote now.) Americans are supposedly moving away from the least-free states, including New York, California, Hawaii, New Jersey and Rhode Island, to the most-free: North Dakota, South Dakota, Tennessee, Oklahoma and oh let's say Somalia. (Actually, New Hampshire; to a former Mainer like me, there's little difference.) Freedom! we theoretically cry as we load up our rusted-out '97 Infinitis and head to Oklahoma City to become dust-ranchers.
This shows why libertarian academics should not be allowed near statistics, any more than I should be allowed near fireworks (my apologies to the entire 800 block of N. State Street) and why they ought to have "Correlation Does Not Imply Causation" tattooed all over their bodies, à la Memento. People have moved to North Dakota because of an oil boom there -- and as Alex Pareene points out in Salon, that's super-stable and could never vanish; long-term, the population of North Dakota has actually declined. That the "freest" states in the Union have experienced recent minor upticks in population does not show that low taxes and no regulation make people want to live there. Populations fluctuate from year to year. Being a shithole is forever.
Quick thought experiment to illustrate this point: between Honolulu or the Dust Bowl hell-dimension of Tulsa (a characterization based purely on my time at the Tulsa airport and The Grapes Of Wrath), where would you rather live? How about San Francisco v. Fargo? Sure, you might have to gay-marry someone every now and then in San Francisco, but you won't wind up in a wood-chipper -- the leading cause of death in any Dakota, including a Dodge Dakota. And Tennessee? Other than Connie Britton and Hayden Panettiere singing awesome duets and bitching each other out in Nashville, what's the point? (I have a hard time separating real life from TV. Ask my BFF Tyrion Lannister.) Freedom's just another word for the best restaurant in town is Olive Garden.
Do even libertarians prefer the "free" states? Of the two authors of the study, one teaches in Buffalo, New York and the other at Texas State, just outside the People's Republic of Austin. Now, Buffalo resembles no one's idea of paradise (unless you're into wings or Ani Difranco or possibly winged Ani Difrancos), but note: one of the authors of this study would rather teach in Soviet Buffalo than the University Of F'rinstance South Dakota. The Mercatus Center is housed at George Mason University, a public (!) school near DC. I look forward to hearing of the authors' and the Institute's relocation to the windswept steppes of North Dakota. Live free or die, guys. And don't forget to make out with a fish.
*Really the Mercatus Center, but my name's better. Don't cage my soul, man!
5 Celebrities Who Twitter Thinks Are Similar To Amanda Bynes
Amanda Bynes has made headlines recently for some of her outrageous tweets. The 27-year-old former Nickelodeon star has used Twitter to announce a number of things, including:
"I have a crush on who u used to be."
"I have an eating disorder so I have a hard time staying thin."
"When you write me on twitter and I ignore you it's because I plan on ignoring you on twitter and in life forever."
And of course:
"I want @drake to murder my vagina."
It's safe to say that Bynes has set herself apart from most celebrities when it comes to her Twitter account, yet there a number of celebs Twitter thinks are "similar to Amanda Bynes:"
According to Twitter, the suggestions are based on "several factors, including people you follow and the people they follow," but somehow we don't think the celebrities they suggested would like to be thought of as "similar to Amanda Bynes," at this point.
View the original article here
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