Conservative Group Attempts Humor, Leading Into First Democratic Debate

Stop trying to be funny, conservatives. This is an attempt to make the Democrats look silly, and I can't fault them for that. But with the shenanigans going on, on the right side of the political world right now? They need to do a whole lot better than this.

 

Hannibal Recut as a Cooking Reality Show

Hilariously disgusting!

 

Grazing Cattle! (Another Rocky Mountain Mike Parody)

I'll freely admit to still not really getting this whole Cliven Bundy cattle grazing dispute. I mean I get that this Bundy guy is peeved and doesn't want to pay the rev-en-ooers. But try as I might, I can't figure out what kind of leg he has to stand on, or exactly what the "freedom" principle is here.  But the good news is, it's provided fodder for yet another Rocky Mountain Mike parody, and this one is inspired: Blazing Saddles, writ large! It's great! And it makes as much sense as anything else. And how weird is it. . .Cliven. . .Cleavon?!?

Dispatches from the War on Christmas, Parts 5 - 8 (Kenny Pick)

More great bits by Kenny Pick (often of The Stephanie Miller Show) about that ridiculous War on Christmas.

 

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.

Gays Beware! with George Takei and Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Funny or Die)

This PSA parody is actually clever on a couple of levels, first being an excellent riff on the moralistic "warning" film reels of the 1940s, 50s and 60s, and for its casting the homophobe as the person to be afraid of. Plus, it's kind of funny. And Jesse Tyler Ferguson's fiance is cute!

Gays Beware with Jesse Tyler Ferguson and George Takei from Jesse Tyler Ferguson

Best Anti-Gay Marriage Ad Ever!

I posted this on the Facebook edition of Greenlee Gazette a day or so ago, but I think it's funny enough for the main page, don't you? Also, hey, check out the Facebook edition of Greenlee Gazette!

Mitch McConnell Falls for Obvious Satire

Oh, McTortoise. How embarrassing.

[Excerpt]

Mitch McConnell falls for parody news report about Guantanamo Bay prisoners being eligible for GI Bill benefits

A fake news story claiming that Guantanamo Bay prisoners can apply for GI Bill benefits found a credulous victim in Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who posed a serious query to the Pentagon about the unbelievable report. Wired reported that McConnell fell for a far-fetched story on The Duffel Blog, a parody news site with fake reports about the military. . .


Read more: New York Daily News

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).

Skeeterstock (Rocky Mountain Mike)

You've met Skeeter, your typical American tea-bagger with Obama Derangement Syndrome. Well, Skeeter's political action committee, SkeeterPAC is having one last pre-election blowout!

(And yes, I found that I'd missed several more Rocky Mountain Mike parodies, and there is limited time to get them up before the election!)

Blast from the Past: Spoof Movies, Pt. 2

Last week, in Blast from the Past, I shared trailers from some of the best spoof movies of all time. Not surprisingly, most were from the masterful Mel Brooks, and some combination of ZAZ (David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, Jerry Zucker), and we won't stray far from them here. This week's collection isn't quite up to the level of Part 1 by necessity. They were just the best. But there is some gold to be found here.



1. Naked Gun 2-1/2: The Smell of Fear - Police show parody - You'd think I'd put The Naked Gun: From the files of Police Squad! as my pick from the series, but no. The first in the series was the revival of the short-lived television show. It was funny, and provided fodder for the series, but was a little thin, especially toward the end. Part 2 was consistently funny, end-to end. Part 3 rehashed a lot from the original series, so Part 2 wins it. All are worthy of your time, and are responsible for Leslie Nielsen's resurgence, and Hollywood's belief that he'd make any movie funny. Here, it was true. ***

2. Hot Shots! Part Deux - Rambo/war movie parody - Like the inferior Airplane II: The Sequel, this movie put its title's suffix into the lexicon. If you hear "part deux" or "the sequel," that's where it came from. Unlike the latter, HS!PD is a worthy sequel, if slightly less so than its predecessor. This time, Charlie Sheen (in his prime) is aping both Rambo and Apocalypse Now, along with several other movies. He's helped along by Richard Crenna, Rowan Atkinson, Ryan Stiles and Lloyd Bridges. It kinda runs out of gas about 2/3 of the way through, but there are memorable gags throughout. Recommended. **-1/2

4.

3. Scary Movie - Scream/horror movie parody - The first in the series--by the Wayans brothers--is a gem, funny, filthy and a lot of fun. It closely follows the Scream movies, and parodies the crap out of them. Which is kind of funny, when you consider that Scream was sort of a send-up of horror films in the first place, and had the working title, Scary Movie. This movie also put Anna Ferris on the map, in the first of four in the series. The Wayans' take on what is essentially a white-centric movie genre is genius. ***

Scary Movie 3 - Parody of Signs and The Ring - Part 2 of this series was just terrible, mostly for Chris Elliot (decidedly not for every taste) and the fact that it strayed so far from the first movie. Part 3 took the series out of the Wayans' hands, and into David Zucker's. It was perhaps his last funny movie. Very funny, again with Charlie Sheen. But if you watch the outtakes, you'll see what a mess it could have been (and reasons why the movie is a little disjointed in places). Part 4, also by Zucker, has its moments, but is not worthy of this list. **-1/2



5. History of the World, Part I - Historical epic parody - This one doesn't rate in the top mostly because it is wildly uneven. There are moments--many moments--of genius in this film. In my storied pop culture consciousness, there are quotes from this film aplenty. But lo these many years later, it just doesn't hold together. I find myself fast forwarding in places. But the French Revolution, Spanish Inquisition and Roman Empire sections are golden. I'd tell you more but I'm on my wine break. Mel Brooks managed to pull this one up above the line, but not to true greatness. **

6. Spaceballs - Star Wars/space movie parody - Critics said that this movie was curiously late, 10 years after Star Wars. But, did they say that about Young Frankenstein, 42 years later? Anyway, that wasn't really my problem with it. It has funny, memorable moments. It is classic Brooks. But it's thin. It feels like an hour's worth of jokes, spread over 96 minutes. Makes the list for the many classic bits, but just barely. **



7. Monty Python's The Meaning of Life - Historical epic parody - This one is one of my favorites, but like History of the World (and Monty Python in general) is wildly uneven, and not for every taste. Uproarious in places, head-scratching in others. **-1/2

8. Shaun of the Dead - Zombie/horror parody - This one should really be in my first list, to be fair. It is perhaps the best of the bunch, since it works as both a superb parody, and as an effective movie of its genre by itself. Hilarious, tense, well acted, and well written. Certainly the most in-genre spoof movie, but closely tied with Young Frankenstein for authenticity. Simon Pegg made his name here. ****

See, they put him in everything.

Also rans: Repossessed, the Exorcist parody really tries, but too hard. Airplane II has its moments. Naked Gun 1 & 33-1/3 do too. The Creature Wasn't Nice (also known as Spaceship!) has some classic moments, but is kind of cheap. Don't be a Menace to South Central while Drinking Your Juice in the Hood is funny, but way outside my pop culture zone, as is I'm Gonna Git You Sucka (both are worthy, I'm just unworthy to review them). Austin Powers and its sequels probably qualify, but sort of became an entity unto themselves. Not Another Teen Movie has some very good jokes (and Chris Evans), but is responsible for. . .

Terrible spoof movies: Disaster Movie, Date Movie, Meet the Spartans, Superhero Movie, Epic Movie, countless others, and the worst spoof movie of all time: An American Carol. Its spectacular badness is only rivaled by The Happening, which is possibly a spoof, but is so bad it doesn't matter.

And that's it for now. Have a great Monday, everyone!

Blast from the Past: The Best Spoof Movies of All Time (Part 1)

Image from Wikipedia.

So, I'm thinking of things for Blast from the Past today during my walk, and I came up with a great idea! And now, I have no idea what it was. But I still have a column to do. So, why not the best spoof movies of all time? It's one of my favorite pop culture things, and they're the kind of films you can watch over and over again. Unfortunately, today's generation has been fed a series of hideously bad spoof movies like Date Movie and Meet the Spartans. They really need to read this list, and check out some of the films on it, to see how it's supposed to be done. These are in no particular order, but I've given each a score on a * to **** scale.

1. Blazing Saddles (1974) - Western spoof. This is Mel Brooks' funniest film (his best is below), and he's chased it ever since. Don't get me wrong, I'm in awe of the man. But his best work was in 1974. The cast, Cleavon Little, Harvey Korman, Slim Pickens, Madeline Kahn, and especially Gene Wilder are sublime. The jokes are rapid-fire, and hilarious. The script (co-written by Richard Pryor among others) would never be green-lit today. But it will live on forever on video. If you haven't seen it, add it to your movie list. ****

2. Young Frankenstein (1974) - Universal horror spoof. Mel Brooks' best film by a mile, and funny too, if less rapid-fire than Blazing Saddles. Probably more quotable than any other film in history, this is a cinematic masterpiece. It's as much an homage to the original Frankenstein series as it is a send-up. Wilder is also at his best, and ably supported by Terri Garr, Marty Feldman, Cloris Leachman and Madeline Kahn. ****



3. High Anxiety (1978) - Hitchcock spoof. The last Mel Brooks film of the list isn't in a league with the first two, but is better than most attempts by others. And it holds a very special place in my pop culture noggin. I've loved this since I saw it (again and again) on TeleCinema, the precursor to HBO. Madeline Kahn doesn't enter until the second half, but is fantastic. Cloris Leachman is demented and very memorable as Nurse Diesel. Harvey Korman, Ron Carey, Dick Van Patten and many others are all pros. The more you know Hitchcock, the better you'll like it. ***

4. Airplane! (1980) - Disaster movie spoof. This is one of the funniest movies of all time, by David Zucker, Jim Abrahams and Jerry Zucker (ZAZ). It's somewhat dated, having been shot in the waning days of the 1970s. But considering the heyday of disaster movies was the 70s, that actually helps with the humor. Robert Hays and Julie Haggerty are pitch perfect, but it's the unlikely comedic performances of Lloyd Bridges, Leslie Nielsen (at the time, not known for comedy), Peter Graves and Robert Stack that added an extra layer of brilliance. (Followed by a much lesser sequel) ****

5. Hot Shots! (1991) - Top Gun parody. Jim Abrahams of ZAZ was behind this one, and he loses nothing without the Zuckers. It's a riot. It spoofs far more than Top Gun, though it uses that movie as a framework. Charlie Sheen is terrific in the lead, and supported by many funny supporting actors, including Lloyd Bridges (again). (Followed by a decent sequel) ***-1/2

6. Top Secret! (1982) - Elvis movie/Cold War parody. ZAZ again, and this one is an odd one to try to describe. In addition to Elvis movies, and "behind enemy lines" Cold War movies, this one spoofs The Blue Lagoon, beach movies, westerns and even The Wizard of Oz! Scattershot, but oh-so funny. Val Kilmer--in his first major role--is fantastic: singing, dancing and hilarious. Not a lot of famous co-stars, though Omar Sharif and Peter Cushing are here, but it doesn't matter. It's the characters that make this one, and wow, what characters! Deja Vu, Latrine and Chocolate Mousse, just to name a few! This one is only marred by a too-abrupt ending. Watch it.  ***-1/2

And that's going to have to wrap it up for this week. More to come! In the mean time, have a great Monday!

Report from New Hampshire (Mike in Raleigh)

I don't usually run two of these in a row, but this one hits my pop culture sweet spot. As goofy as it was, I loved Dickie Goodman's Mr. Jaws. It was a novelty hit in the mid 70s, with Dickie as a reporter interviewing the shark from Jaws. All of the shark's answers were played as snippets from popular songs, like Please, Mister, Please by Olivia Newton-John and I Think We Can Make It by Melissa Manchester.

Well, The Stephanie Miller Show's Mike in Raleigh has assembled a political version, and the homage is perfect.

The Tim Tebow Skit from Saturday Night Live

When I watched this skit on Saturday Night, I thought it was cute. Kind of funny.  It wasn't riffing on religion or Christianity as much as it was riffing on excessive displays of religiosity. Saturday Night Live is  satire, and in satire, very little is off limits to my mind. Sure, SNL can sometimes be unfunny, and can veer off the rails all the way to offensive. But this wasn't offensive. Do you know how I know? Because Pat Freaking Robertson was offended. 'Nuff said. He doesn't matter.

God Writes His Memoirs: The Last Testament

Image from source, Gawker

As an atheistic agnostic, I've always wondered why God supposedly talked and interacted with people in the Old Testament, but doesn't anymore. And yet God is "unchanging." And why does the accounting of God and his son, Jesus end two thousand years ago. God didn't have anything left to say? He didn't have an opinion on say, the Spanish Inquisition? It's a logical problem that has never adequately been explained to me.

But what if God came out with Book Three? 

[Excerpt]


God Really Did Create Adam and Steve

We've all heard members of the religious right rambling their silly, anti-gay slogan, "God made Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve." Well, on this National Coming Out Day, God is coming clean and admitting they're wrong: He did, in fact, create Adam and Steve.  . .


Read more at: Gawker

The Onion Freaks Out Twitter Users

This could be used as proof that we're getting dumber. The Onion,a satirical website that has been around for frickin' ever tweeted some "breaking news" about Congress taking a bunch of school kids hostage. And Twitter users freaked out. It's not like Poe's law, where an extremist's views are indistinguishable from a parody of those views. This is The Onion, people!

[Excerpt]


The Onion Live Tweeting Congress Hostage 'Breaking News'

Satirical news publication The Onion broke the news on Twitter about an hour ago of a hostage situation involving Congress, but the story is not true and a number of Twitter users are saying it's not funny.

It all started with this tweet:

@ TheOnion : BREAKING: Witnesses reporting screams and gunfire heard inside Capitol building.

That was quickly followed up by this: "BREAKING: Capitol building being evacuated. 12 children held hostage by group of armed congressmen. . ."

Read more at: Huffington Post

Thanks to Stupid Monkey Planet for the link. 

Saturday Night Live: Sigourney Weaver in Alienses

Saturday Night Live isn't as funny as you remember. I don't mean now versus yesterday, I mean it was never as funny as you remember. I've watched since the very first episode in 1975, and am an unabashed fan. Even with its wild swings in quality (often within the same episode), I've stuck with it through thick-and-thin, only abandoning it during the abysmal 1980 season (and even caught a couple of those). As terrific as it could sometimes be in its original years, and successive reboots, it's always been hit-and-miss, with nostalgia painting it "better than it was."


You know how sometimes these days, the "cold open" or the monologue, Weekend Update or the SNL Digital Short might be absolutely hilarious, and then the rest of the show might suck? Yeah, it's always been that way, really. I think it's the nature of live TV. You don't know what's going to work until it's over. A Debbie Downer might only be funny because all of the cast cracked up during the live show. A bit might only work with repetition. But one thing SNL has only rarely been is: funny all the way through.


I can think of two episodes that were. One was a show hosted by Roseanne Barr (Arnold). And the other was the episode hosted by Sigourney Weaver in 1986. Hers was the premiere episode of the season, after the abysmal single season that marked Lorne Michaels' return to the show after a long absence. Though the 1985 season introduced Dennis Miller, Nora Dunn and Jon Lovitz to America, the rest of the cast (which included Robert Downey Jr., Randy Quaid and Anthony Michael Hall) never clicked, and the show was nearly cancelled. Madonna (the host of the 1985 premiere) even came back to declare the whole season a "horrible, horrible dream."


But in 1986, Lorne Michaels hired perhaps the best cast in SNL history, barring the original. For the next several years, the cast remained intact, and segued along nicely for many more. 1986 saw the introduction of Dana Carvey, Victoria Jackson (batshit teabagger, these days), the fabulous Jan Hooks, Kevin Nealon and the sadly departed Phil Hartman. And in that first episode (which also featured Weaver's friend, playwright Christopher Durang and musician Buster Poindexter), SNL aired probably their strongest premiere episode ever, including the first Church Chat, featuring "church lady" Enid Strict. There was the great "Quiz Masters" game show segment. Also, the Derek Stevens "Chopping Broccoli" bit.  Then there was the timely Aliens parody, spoofing Weaver's huge hit movie, called Alienses.



I found and watched this episode (after having had it saved on videotape for years, since discarded) on Netflix. I was disappointed to find that Alienses and a duet with Buster Poindexter (and any other possibly included musical guest) were curiously missing from the episode. Why on earth they would do this, I have no idea. I know that sometimes bits that didn't go ever well are excised in reruns. But Alienses is a fan favorite, with Carvey's colonial marine aping Bill Paxton's character:  "We're shredded wheat, man! We're grated cheese, man!" So after that (very) long introduction, here is Alienses. . .



Sigourney Weaver in "Alienses" by alienfan

Funny or Die: "Nurse Jackée"

Okay, so the best joke is in the title, but it made me laugh, so there you go.

Nurse Jackée from Jackée Harry

Frivolity Break: What's in Spock's Scanner - Part 1

I can't wait for part 2!



Found at Voenix Rising

Blast from the Past: Soap Operas, Sitcom Style!

As I said before, a huge chunk of this weekend was spent watching Soap--the 70s sitcom spoof of soap operas--on my free Netflix trial. I mean a lot. Anyway, when it came time for me to write my weekly Blast from the Past feature, I couldn't quite shake off the Soapy residue. So, I thought, how about some clips from soap opera spoofs? Then, I thought "how many were there?" Let's see. . .




1. Soap - The one that got me started, and you can read that post here.
2. Grand - This was a very funny show that didn't last very long, unfortunately. It starred Pamela Reed, Bonnie Hunt and Michael McKean.
3. Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman - My mom loved this one, but it was just a little over my head. . .or something.
4. Fresno - This one was a miniseries starring Carol Burnett, Teri Garr and Gregory Harrison, at the height of the Dynasty, Falcon Crest and Dallas phase.
5. The Powers That Be - Tragically short-lived, but hilarious. Starred Holland Taylor, John Forsythe, and David Hyde-Pierce.
6. As the Stomach Turns - All right, this one is a bit of a cheat. It was a recurring skit on The Carol Burnett Show, but is one of the classic soap opera spoofs.

That's it for this week. Happy Monday!