Frivolity Break: Would You Have Sex with Paul Rudd?

I'm tired, and didn't get around to blogging for Wednesday. Sorry. Here's something funny to watch instead. Oh, and the obvious answer to the above is, "Yes, please."

Billy on the Street: Would You Have Sex with Paul Rudd? from Billy on the Street

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).

Janeane Garofalo Answers Questions from the Internets

Image of Janeane (with the adorable Paul Rudd)
from Yahoo!

Janeane Garofolo has always been a favorite personality of mine (and a crush of my brother's).  I think she's a great actress, I seriously share many of her political views (though maybe not quite as stridently), and she's seriously extemporaneously funny.  But most of all, she is in an elite company of people (which includes Barack Obama, Michael Moore and Keith Olbermann) whose mere mention can provoke frothing, swearing and twitching from ardent conservatives. Which is nice.

[Excerpt]

Janeane Garofalo On Obama vs. McChrystal, Glenn Beck's Douchiness & Justin Bieber's Hair

While her career may be varied, covering everything from hosting a radio show to killing in movies like "Wet Hot American Summer," when it comes down it, Janeane Garofolo is a stand-up. And an opinionated one at that. . .

Read more (with video) at: Huffington Post

Joe Biden "Gaffe Scale" Opens Saturday Night Live

Uh oh. Saturday Night Live has had quite a run, through the Presidential primaries, and up to the election. Some of their best stuff in years included spoofs of Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin. And while many have pondered where political comedy is going to go with the election of Barack Obama and Joe Biden, we're starting to get a taste. And try as they might, they may have a very hard time making Obama, and--especially--Biden funny.

With Obama, they have a good impressionist (Fred Armisen), and he does a good job, as long as the premise is right, and he has another character to play off of. But Jason Sudekis (who's versitile and very funny) hasn't got alot to work with in Biden. Sure Biden makes gaffes--he's legendary for it--but they are more a Weekend Update commentary kind of funny, not an impression kind of funny. Don't believe me? Watch the opening skit. . .



On the other hand, this episode as a whole was funnier than most, with Paul Rudd as the host. There was an unusual amount of gay humor, but Rudd never seems to have a problem with that, and good for him. Here are a couple of those sketches, which were pretty darned funny, if a little odd. . .