HOLY SH*T (You've Got To Vote) [Funny or Die]

Hilarious and Hillary-ous. Important messages can really be driven home by humor, and this is the FUNNY side of Funny or Die. A must watch, trust me.

HOLY SH*T (You've Got To Vote) from Funny Or Die

Blast from the Past: When TV Theme Intros Were Awesome

After a dry spell for a lot of years, some TV shows have come around to having some good credit sequences and theme songs, though they're usually fairly short. But nothing matches the quality of a good old one-minute to one-and-a-half minute opus of a theme song, with visuals edited to go along with the song! You might not even understand what I'm talking about if you don't already know. These were masterpieces that introduced the characters, the cast, the vibe of the show, and had real artistry. Though YouTube can kill some of the effect, the action would often be tailored to the beat, to the percussion, forming essentially a music video. Often they were themes by Mike Post or Lalo Shifrin. And the series they were attached to would often lose their nostalgia value without them.

Here are some of my favorites.

1. 21 Jump Street (1987-1991) - This show helped put Johnny Depp and the FOX TV network on the map. It was nothing like the movie. But the theme song sequence is really top notch.
2. Simon & Simon (1981-1989) - Never as popular as its cousin Magnum PI, this show nonetheless was a mainstay of the 80s. The intro was so memorable, it was parodied by Adam Scott in The Greatest Event in Television History.



3. Mission: Impossible (1966-1973, 1988-1990) - It would be impossible to leave this one out, though it had many versions, and different casts. The movie series had its highs and lows, but the television series stands on its own.
4. Hart to Hart (1979-1984) - Also parodied by Adam Scott, this is one of the iconic 80s programs, and the editing in the intro (which had several variations) was superb.



5. Charlie's Angels (1976-1981) - There were a total of six angels over five seasons. But for me, it was never the same after Kate Jackson left the series. Through each combination of Angels though, they did a great job with the credit sequence.
6. Knots Landing (1981-1993) - I debated whether or not to include this one, because the program had such varied and different themes from year to year. But something about season 7's theme has always stayed in my memory. So, it's worthy of inclusion.



7. The Incredible Hulk (1977-1982) - Cheesy by today's standards, but to its credit, played it straight. No campy, cartoony stuff here. And the opening explains the premise, while being very memorable.
8. The Six Million Dollar Man (1974-1978) - Okay, this one could be campy (Sasquatch, anyone?), but the opening is very much along the same lines as Hulk's.



9. The Bionic Woman (1976-1978) - Could I leave her out without being sexist?
10. The Fall Guy (1981-1986) - Back to Lee Majors, but I have to say, this is one of the best songs in TV theme history, and the opening credits were awesome.
 

And that will do it for this week. Happy Monday!

Adam Scott's Latest "Greatest Event in Television History": Bosom Buddies

In the past, Adam Scott--of NBC's Parks and Recreation--has created masterpieces that hit right in my pop culture sweet spot. He masterminded remakes of the opening credit sequences of classic TV series, Simon & Simon, Hart to Hart and Too Close for Comfort, complete with phony (and funny) behind-the-scenes "making of" documentary footage. And somehow, though this stuff is right up my alley, I keep being a bit behind the eight-ball on finding them. This time, I got it just a couple of days late though. So if you haven't already, enjoy!
 

Adam Scott & Amy Poehler Recreate Hart to Hart Opening

It has to be a small sliver of people who are tickled to death by the oddball humor contained in remaking a classic 70s/80s television opening sequence, and the behind-the-scenes mockumentary of its making. I am part of that sliver. I loved the recreation of Simon & Simon that Jon Hamm did with Adam Scott last year, and I love the Hart to Hart remake from last night's Greatest Event in Television History (again) on Adult Swim. I loved both original shows also, and was one of those weird kids who really dug the music and editing in these classic openings.

It doesn't hurt that Scott, Poehler (and Hamm, Paul Rudd, Jeff Probst, Horatio Sanz and everyone else involved in both sequences) have a warped, dry sense of humor, and chemistry with each other. I can't imagine what you'd call this subgenre of comedy, but it hits my pop culture sweet-spot with a bull's eye.

And here's the whole mockumentary behind the clip.

In Case You Missed It: Greatest Event in Television History

I don't know how this one got by me. But I caught it on one of my favorite blogs, Kenneth in the (212), and he'd missed it too, so I'm not the only one. I miss this stuff enough now that I had to create a "In Case You Missed It" feature. Here we go.


There's weird and then there's my kinda weird. Of all the random things to pick out of nearly-forgotten pop culture history, for Adult Swim's magnum opus be a mocumentary on the behind-the-scenes remake of the Simon & Simon opening sequence? Bizarre genius and also right in my pop culture sweet spot. As a theme song aficionado, I always dug the S&S theme song, and thought the editing to the music was uncommonly good. And of course, I was hopelessly smitten with Jameson Parker, which never hurts. Curiously, The Other Half was just as obsessed with Gerald McRaney. We have split affections on Bo vs. Luke Duke too, but that's neither here nor there.

Anyway, I know not everyone gets this sort of humor. It's sly, it's meta, and it's dry. If you like Adam Scott and Paul Rudd (beyond finding them adorable), you'll like these clips. It doesn't hurt to know the source material, and to have seen Jon Hamm's performances in either Saturday Night Live or 30 Rock either. [Note: Video may play on a separate page. Watch both parts!]

And of course, I have to run the original theme from Simon & Simon (though, really, this started in season 2. . .season 1's theme sucked).