Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus give us 6:00 minutes of pure fun.
Tag: TV (Page 12 of 17)
File this under “Greatest Internet Finds.” It’s spectacular.
In 1977, NBC gave Richard Pryor a prime time show. It last four episodes. Well, three and then an unaired final episode. That unaired episode is on YouTube. Find 45 minutes to watch it.
It’s not a standard sitcom or variety show episode. Rather, it is a full-on roast of Pryor by the writers and performers of the show. Tim Reid, who went on to play Venus Flytrap on WKRP In Cincinnati. Marsha Warfield, who played Roz on Night Court. Robin Freaking Williams. Sandra Bernhard. And Paul Mooney, who collaborated with Pryor for years, went on to his own stand up success, and more recently wrote and performed on Chappelle’s Show.
Oh, and then Pryor wipes them all out in the end.
This is extremely Not Safe For Work (clearly why it never aired). So watch with caution.
Via Kottke
This is so great in so many ways.
The Brooklyn Cyclones minor league baseball team will be hosting a Seinfeld night on July 5, the 25th anniversary of the “Seinfeld Chronicles,” the original name for “Seinfeld.” They’ve put some thought into this. Activities will include:
- MCU Park will known as Vandelay Industries Park for one night only.
- Mailmen in uniform get to throw out a ceremonial first pitch (“Hello Newman!”)
- Anyone who has a business card indicating that they are in fact a “Latex Salesman” will also receive a free ticket to the game. If we call the number and it’s some apartment on the Upper East Side, you won’t qualify for the freebie.
- Fans can visit the information table for an “airing of grievances.”
- Closest to the pin / whale’s blow hole competition (“Is that a Titleist?”)
- The foul poles will be known as Festivus Poles.
- “Low-Talking” PA Announcer.
- Elaine Dancing Contest
- Players in puffy shirts for batting practice.
That is some good stuff. I can’t see anyone doing something like this for a current show 25 years from now.
I had planned on getting this post out Friday. But, as some of you may have noticed, there were some issues with the site in the morning and I spent a fair chunk of time trying to get it working again. That also allowed me to finish another long article to throw in here.
So, here they are: some showbiz links.
First, one of two reprints that were circulating recently. It is a really amazing profile of Johnny Carson from 1977. It took me about four days to get through, reading at school pick-ups and in spare moments here-and-there. But it is worth the time.
Observations:
* Johnny was an icon to me, someone I got to see on Friday nights, when I was allowed to stay up late, or over the holidays at relatives’ homes. He was this grand, benevolent embodiment of the pulse of the nation. I didn’t realize he was quietly outspoken, if that’s possible, in a rather liberal way. I’m surprised that my grandparents watched him every night.
* I enjoy the speculation throughout the profile on how long he would continue to work. No one, in 1977, thought he would hang around until 1992.
* I couldn’t help but think about how late night TV has changed. Back then, there was, really, only Carson. Letterman came along five years later as an irreverent nightcap for those who could power through until 12:30. Then, there was the great disruption of the late night landscape in the late 80s, when Joan Rivers and then Arsenio Hall challenged Carson from Fox. Upon Carson’s retirement, all hell broke loose. Today, we have Fallon taking over the just-retired Leno, Letterman, and Kimmel at 11:30. Conan is still out there somewhere. Ferguson and Myers hold down the very late night shifts. Oh, and there’s Stewart and Colbert doing their thing, arguably better than anyone else. We’ve come a long way from the single late night voice to rule them all.
Anyway, it’s a fantastic read if you remember the glory days of the “Tonight Show” or are just a fan of pop culture in general.
Q: On the show, one of the things you control most strictly is the expression of your own opinions. Why do you keep them a secret from the viewers?
Carson: I hate to be pinned down. Take the case of Larry Flynt, for example. [Flynt, the publisher of the sex magazine Hustler, had recently been convicted on obscenity charges.] Now, I think Hustler is tawdry, but I also think that if the First Amendment means what it says, then it protects Flynt as much as anyone else, and that includes the American Nazi movement. As far as I’m concerned, people should be allowed to read and see whatever they like, provided it doesn’t injure others. If they want to read pornography until it comes out of their ears, then let them. But if I go on the “Tonight Show” and defend Hustler, the viewers are going to tag me as that guy who’s into pornography. And that’s going to hurt me as an entertainer, which is what I am.
Fifteen Years Of The Salto Mortale
Speaking of late night forays. here is a recycled profile of Chevy Chase from 2002. The fall of Chevy is one of the more amazing things in Hollywood in my life. He was at the pinnacle of American comedy and, really, disappeared not because he was a recluse or had some religious awakening or massive drug problem, but rather because he, apparently, was a titanic asshole who made a bunch of bad choices in projects and had no goodwill with which to rescue himself.
Anyway, given his semi-resurgence over the first four seasons of “Community,” I found the piece’s closing line especially interesting.
’’You know, everybody has disasters,” says Steve Martin, a friend from ”’Three Amigos.” ”And then you have a hit and then the disasters don’t matter. So, if you think about it, everybody is just one hit away from being exactly where they were. Chevy is one hit away. It will happen. He’ll get that hit. And he’ll be back.”
He’s Still Chevy Chase (And You’re Not)
This oral history of Ghostbusters was perfectly timed, coming out right after the recent death of Harold Ramis.
Originally I was writing it for me, Eddie Murphy, and John Belushi, and I was about a third of the way through. On a beautiful March day, I was writing a line for John when the phone rang and it was Bernie [Brillstein]. He told me that John had died in the Chateau Marmont. I finished the script with Bill Murray in mind.
He was writing for Eddie, too? Man…
An Oral History of Ghostbusters
And, finally, Alec Baldwin sums up the entertainment industry in so many ways. Based on his performances over the years, he seems like a fun guy to hang out with. But he also appears thin-skinned and prone to dramatic outbursts. In other words, he’s a phenomenal actor because he makes us believe he is worthy of respect and admiration when he’s really just as screwed up as the rest of us.
In this “As Told To” piece, he claims he’s leaving the public world to regain control of his life and image. He says that he still wants to work but will give up taking to the press, going on “Letterman,” and “SNL.” We’ll see about that. But it reads as a thoroughly enjoyable train wreck of a piece, whether you like Baldwin or not.
I thought it had been longer, but it was March 5, 2013 when I last shared the list of shows I’ve been watching. With the fantastic return of “The Americans” last night, it seems like the perfect time to offer up my current list. Last season’s rank in parenthesis.
- “The Americans” (4) A year ago it was too new to put this high, but season one was phenomenal and, as I’ve already said, last night’s season two debut did not disappoint. Two amazing scenes (Philip meeting with the Afghanis, and then Philip and Elizabeth discovering their comrades in the hotel room) were fan-freaking-tastic. And most of the rest of the show delivered, too. Just a brilliant show.
- “Community” (5) I gave up on the show after about three episodes last year. Dan Harmon’s departure as show runner and writer was painfully obvious. I heard there were some better points in the season, but I was never tempted to watch again. But with Harmon’s return, I decided to give it another shot. And it was great from the first episode. I loved the way they handled the departures of Pierce and Troy. I’m looking forward to its post-Olympics return tonight to see where they take things.
- “Parks & Recreation” (1) Another show that handled the departure of key cast members wonderfully. The show is just so smart and perfectly pitched and full of laughs. Great cameos nearly each week. And some of the best characters in recent sit-com memory. It’s a damn shame that this hasn’t won any Best Comedy Emmys.
- “Modern Family” (2) It just keep chugging along. Its Emmy streak was finally broken, which should have happened about three years ago. But just because it’s a B+ show now doesn’t mean we can’t appreciate it. My biggest complaint about the show is often things are wrapped up too nicely in the closing scene. But it is still consistently funny and sweet, if a step behind “P&R.” At least to me.
- “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” (NR) The newcomer for 2014. I watched the pilot back in September, liked it a lot, and added the show to my DVR schedule. For some reason I never started watching it, though, and didn’t finally jump back in until the Holidays. Thank goodness I did. With some key members of the writing team coming from “P&R,” it’s no surprise that there are a lot of common elements. Humor that is right up my alley. Quirky characters aplenty. I think the Emmy win for Best Comedy was a reach, but this is surely a promising season one. Hopefully they can get stronger the way “P&R” and “The Office” did.
Honorable Mention:
“Archer” (3) I LOVED the premise for this year, moving to Miami and rebooting it as “Archer: Vice.” But as has always been the case with this show, one minute it’s brilliant, the next it is wildly uneven.
“The New Girl” (NR) S. has watched this show from the beginning. Often I would find something else to do. The whole “adorkable” thing put me off a bit. But eventually I caved and paid half-attention, which has turned into watching two of every three episode. A funny, fun show, but not top five material. Also worth noting this past Christmas was the first time I would watch Elf and think Zooey Deschanel looked wrong as a blonde.
The Americans returns tonight! The Americans returns tonight! With another potentially big winter storm in the forecast, this is just the news I needed to get out of bed in the morning.
The AV Club says season two starts off quite well. Here’s a good look at where the series is as the new year kicks off with some interesting details about how the show is created.
The Americans aims to break the second-season curse
While you’re at the AV Club, here’s another one to add to your reading queue.
Reviewing episodes for 40-year-old game shows may not sound like a lot of fun. But I found this look back at Match Game fascinating. I loved that show back in the day.1 In college, I think I spent a lot of mornings when I was skipping class watching the updated version, hosted by Bert Convy, that often featured Brad Garrett and Marsha Wallace.
Anyway, if you remember the 1970s version, this article is funny and enlightening. There was a lot of wink-wink, nudge-nudge gay humor for example.
Somers sat in the upper tier next to, and mock-sparred with, Charles Nelson Reilly, who also joined in 1973 and continued through a 1990-91 revival. Not concerned with being recognized as gay, Reilly was a role model for a lot of youngsters who didn’t yet realize they needed one. In contrast to the misanthropic Paul Lynde on Hollywood Squares, Reilly was a “good gay” who winked at the audience and looked genuinely sorry when he didn’t match contestants. When the question is about a “really weird” woman who “keeps her husband in a blank,” Reilly responds with “closet.”
That’s brilliant! And I bet not everyone got it back then.
10 Match Game episodes that hit viewers right in the blank
- Top 5 favorite game shows, pre-puberty edition. Match Game, Tic-Tac-Dough, The Gong Show, Press Your Luck, and The Price Is Right. I say pre-puberty because I think most boys only cared about Barker’s Beauties once the hormones kicked in. ↩
Note: I’ll kick off my look back at the music of 2013 later this week. Here’s an appetizer about music in, but not of, 2013.
I forget what the motivation was, but for some reason last night I decided to check and see when season two of The Americans was supposed to start. Unofficially, I found early February. Which is kind of a bummer. Mid-January would be much nicer. I guess I can go stream all of season one after the holidays to refresh my memory before the new ones air.
I must have felt something in the pop-culture airwaves. Because this morning the AV Club posted a playlist, and discussion, of the terrific music choices made in season one. Scratching me right where I itch, as Kramer would say.
I have been out covering spring sports the last two nights. Tuesday I caught a county tournament baseball game, which was a scintillating 15-0, five inning win. Last night I had a first round girls tennis sectional match, which was a 5-0 wipeout. But I’m not complaining. It was dry and warm both days, which has been unusual for this spring.
When I got home last night everyone was already in bed, so I flipped around and came across the Marcus Dupree 30 For 30, The Greatest That Never Was. It was already 20 minutes in, but I was captivated for the next hour and forty minutes. Between the old Big 8 highlights,1 hearing Charlie Jones call the 1983 Fiesta Bowl, lots of Barry Switzer goodness2, and Dupree’s legendary flameout at the beginning of his sophomore season, it had a good base to work with. And then there was Dupree’s legendary fashion sense.
I vaguely recalled Dupree ending up in the USFL, but I don’t think I ever watched a USFL game. So I forgot he was actually pretty good at first. Then came the career ending injury and inevitable financial troubles that left him in a sad spiral, sitting at home in Mississippi, fat and alone like an old man at just 23. At the midway point, as he walked through his grandmother’s tiny home that was filled with the trophies and photos of his glory days, it was thoroughly depressing. Another promising athletic talent wasted.
But then came the comeback, which I did not remember at all. He went to an NFL game in 1989, got a spark, and thought, “I want to do that again.” In three months he dropped 100 pounds and the next year he was on the field with the Rams. Nuts. He played for two years, until the Rams cut him before the 1992 season, despite leading the team in rushing in the preseason. He wasn’t bitter or upset. He was, rather, proud that he got his shot and took advantage of it. He claimed control of his life and remained in control. Since his career ended he’s worked steady, if unspectacular, jobs as a truck driver and helping clean up the Gulf Coast after the BP oil spill.
The best part of the film, though, was the closing scene. The producers sat Dupree down at a computer and had him watch his grainy highlight videos from high school. Mostly silent, all in black-and-white, he galloped through hopeless, hapless defenders. He sat in silent awe, as if he had forgotten just how good he was and why there was such a fuss about him. It seemed absolutely genuine, and thus was completely charming to watch.
We can all talk about athletes we saw as kids who never made it, for any one of a thousand reasons. I always thought Marcus Dupree never made it. Turns out he did make it, both in football and in being a normal, decent human being.
After that, I watched this lovely, mini-documentary about Morganna Roberts, aka The Kissing Bandit. It’s a little NSFW-ish, but is a must-watch for anyone who grew up watching baseball in the 1970s and 1980s.
- KU in lighter blue jerseys with a bird on the helmet, Colorado in their UCLA colors, OU fans throwing oranges on the field. Was there a better part of going to a Big 8 school than throwing oranges on the field? If you went to a bottom-feeder school, you threw your oranges ironically in the first couple weeks of the season before OU and Nebraska came to town and hung 70 on your team. ↩
- I hated Barry. Still do, to be honest. But that dude was the best. ↩
Last month I shared the list of TV shows I have been watching this year. As I kind of expected, there has been a big change in how I rank those shows. I finally got all caught up on “The Americans” and it is now the show I look forward to and enjoy the most each week. Since it’s still new and “Parks & Recreation” gets some love for lifetime achievement, I’ll rank the shows as co-#1’s for now.
The AV Club has a nice little Q&A with Matthew Rhys, the actor who plays Philip Jennings, today. Learning that he is Welsh makes me like him and the show even more.
So if you haven’t started watching yet, I almost insist that you do. It is so well done in every way. After taking a week off, “The Americans” returns tonight on F/X.
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I’ve meant to get to my rankings of this year’s TV shows for awhile. But a DVR snafu forced me to wait to see the second episode of “The Americans” until this past weekend. With that finally knocked out, though, I can get to it. Keep in mind, I watch approximately five shows, so making the top five isn’t necessarily a sign of quality. It’s a sign that I pay attention to that program.
- “Parks &; Recreation” It’s one thing to have a good season or two. It’s another to crank out the best, most consistent comedy on TV for five straight years. “P&R” almost never has a down episode. It does a better job than any other show straddling the line between silly and smart. Every character is well-developed and we get to spend time with each of them throughout the season. There is a whole sub-world of side characters, inside jokes, and self-references. Ron Swanson is one of the “-time great characters. Put it ” together and “P&R” is one of the best comedies of ” time. Sadly, wherever it f”s on that list, it will likely be the least watched of the greats.
- “Modern Family” The show, briefly, lost its fastball” in seasons two and three. But its been great again for the past two years. What keeps it behind “P&R” is that it will occasionally have a subpar episode. And those tidy, feel good endings feel less natural and subtle than “P&R”s. But we aren’t talking about a huge gap between the two.
- “Archer” A little disappointing this year, although last week’s episode was a fine return to form. But it is still a half hour of complete, vulgar ridiculousness. And it is clearly building toward something big with Barry and Katya.1
- “The Americans” Cold War era spy thriller? If I have an alley, this is right up it. I don’t have a lot of room for current dramas in my life, but I’ve made room for this one. The pilot was phenomenal, especially the final garage scene. The next two episodes were terrific as well. I still have several episodes on the DVR, but I’ve heard nothing to make me think it doesn’t continue to be good. The fear with a show like this is how they can sustain the tensions they built early one between the Jennings and their FBI neighbor, Stan Beeman. How long can they drag on their parallel lives without Beeman first figuring out he lives next to the people he’s charged with finding and then there being a big, nasty resolution? I hope the show lasts long enough that this becomes a real concern.
I love the early 80s culture and political references. I love the twist of the characters we most care about being Soviet spies living as Americans and the Feds being the bad guys. And, as so many have pointed out, I love that it is really a story about marriage and relationships disguised as a spy story. Great stuff all around, so far. - “Community” So disappointing, so far. It’s hard not to watch with great trepidation, knowing show creator Dan Harmon was run off in the summer and then the show was iced for five months until “30 Rock” finished its run. It’s just not the same show anymore, which is an utter shame considering how terrific it was.
And not a current show, but I finally started “Breaking Bad” after Christmas. I got nearly through season one quickly, but haven’t watched for awhile. I re”y liked what I’ve seen so far. And we’ve been stuck at the beginning of season four of “Mad Men” since June. Someday well start it again.
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- Side note: I love how voices from “Archer” are popping up on PBS Kids’ “Word Girl” ” the time. Chris Parnell is a regular on both. I’ve heard H. Jon Benjamin and Judy Greer as well. I would imagine they aren’t the only ones. Anyway, I’ll hear their voices on “Word Girl” and start laughing, which always makes the girls start bothering me about why I’m laughing. Which I can’t share, since “Archer” is a filthy, filthy show. ↩