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).

SNL: The Ambiguously Gay Duo Live Action!

Image found at PopBytes

In a largely underwhelming episode of Saturday Night Live, hosted by Ed Helms, there was a notable exception. It isn't so much that the skit itself was sidesplittingly hilarious. It was funny, but more notable for what it was and who was in it, that any single joke.

For years, SNL ran Robert Smigel's Saturday TV Funhouse, a series of wacky cartoons. One of the prominent recurring bits was The Ambiguously Gay Duo, a superhero team that is clearly gay, but unstated. The villains are so preoccupied trying to prove that Ace and Gary are gay, they neglect their nefarious schemes. Ace and Gary were voiced by Steve Carrell and Stephen Colbert.

After an absence of some years, The Ambiguously Gay Duo was back this weekend. Only this time, Ace and Gary are zapped by a ray that brings them (and the villains) into the real world, where they are portrayed by Jon Hamm and Jimmy Fallon! Helms, Colbert and Carrell were villains. It wasn't the funniest skit they've produced, but it was certainly one of the more surprising. When's the last time SNL surprised you?

Amy Poehler Has Baby; Misses Saturday Night Live

Photo from Chicago Improv Festival

Amy Poehler, one of the funniest cast members of Saturday Night Live, missed tonight's episode (except for a filmed segment) due to the birth of her son, Archie. She couldn't have missed a better night, because the show just wasn't very funny. I know, it's a constant criticism, but to be fair, there are usually one or two funny skits, and you can depend upon the cold open and Weekend Update for solid laughs.

But not last night. The opening skit, about Jack Murtha and Joe Biden's gaffes this week was deeply "inside politics," and probably only appealed to right-wingers desperate for a game changer. WU was fine with the fake news, but the "robo call" segment was bad, and the Nicholas Fein bit--once funny--is out of gas.

I say this as a fan who has watched since episode 1 in 1975, who has seen every rise and fall of the show. I don't think it's Saturday Night Dead yet, as it always bounces back. And back again, sometimes in the same season. The sad part is, Poehler won't be back. But maybe Amy will make some guest spots, like Maya Rudolph made last night, which was one of the brighter spots in a flat show.

In any event, congratulations to her and her husband, Will Arnett.

[Except]

Amy Poehler baby causes mom to miss 'Saturday Night Live'

Poehler, who is married to actor Will Arnett ("Arrested Development"), gave birth to Archie Arnett earlier Saturday in New York, according to a post-show NBC statement.

The network said the baby weighed in at 8 pounds, 1 ounce, and that mother, child and father were all healthy and resting comfortably. . .

Read more at: Chicago Tribune