Rainn Wilson: Don't Watch "Filth" Like The Office

The Office still manages to be funny, even in its second season after the departure of Steve Carrell. It's not really "must see TV" anymore, but you could certainly do a lot worse. One of the reasons for its consistency is Rainn Wilson, the delightfully odd and creepy Dwight Schrute. This timely clip skewers Angus T. Jones' religiously nutty dissing of his own show, Two and a Half Men, another sitcom that lost its original star, and plods along anyway.

Two & A Half Men Star Finds Religion, Loses Mind

Who knew crazy was contagious? From People.

As an atheist, I have a very low tolerance level for religious foolishness. I understand that I'm supposed to respect peoples' religious beliefs. In point of fact, I don't. Well, let's not be too harsh. I respect your right to believe anything you wish. But I reserve the right to think that those beliefs are stupid.

In the stupid category I would put radical, nutbar religions like Seventh Day Adventists. And into that religion did one Angus T. Jones apparently fall. In what I'm hoping is either a publicity stunt, or a classic Punk'd episode with costar Ashton Kutcher, Jones--who plays Jake Harper, the half man of the title--has come out against the show. The show that made him a star, and is solely responsible for anyone knowing or caring what he has to say.  As I said, I hope it's all a ruse. If it's not, he's playing with the livelihoods of his costars and those of everyone associated with the show, all based on nothing more than this addle-brained, crazy-pants religious sect. And I'd lay money on Angus being very embarrassed by all of this when he outgrows his "religious phase." I may actually believe he's for real if he gives back all of the money he's gained from his "filthy" show.

Unaired Pilot Episode of The Big Bang Theory

I was going to post these videos on my Facebook page, but Facebook seems to have gone kerflugy tonight, so here it is on the blog. I wouldn't be surprised to see these clips pulled, so enjoy them while you can. . .

Most shows change a bit after their pilot episodes, and when they change a lot, they never make air. It's easy now to say that the unaired pilot of The Big Bang Theory is not as good as what they later came up with.  But then, I wasn't wowed by what eventually did air until it grew on me.  And honestly, the show has still changed a bit from the pilot that did eventually air.  But the unaired version shows a little too much cross-pollination with Two and a Half Men, with the "dumb girl" character being a lot like Charlie Harper.  Penny is an improvement.

Still it can be interesting to see these alternate versions of characters we've grown to love. But Sheldon having sex? And talking about it somewhat cavalierly?  I don't think so!

Frivolity Break: Chuck Lorre Title Cards

Image from source, ChuckLorre.com

If you've ever watched The Big Bang Theory, Two and a Half Men or Dharma & Greg, you've probably noticed the title cards from Chuck Lorre Productions. They're usually paragraphs long, but are only on screen for a second or two. I don't know why it took me so long to get curious enough to check it out, but I finally did. And they're pretty funny. But be warned, if you go to check them out, you'll find that there are over 260 of them. Keep an eye on the clock!

[Editor's Note: Yes, I'm aware that I'm late to the party on this one. Procrastination is my muse]

CHUCK LORRE PRODUCTIONS, #262 (From Big Bang Theory, Oct. 12, 2009)

As best as I can tell, life is intolerable. Oh, not always of course. A case can be made for all the big wonders and little blessings and blah, blah, blah. But when you really boil it down, our entire existence rests on a few really ugly premises. First, life, and by that I mean the big life, life with a capital L, must ingest other life in order for it to remain life. Or, put another way, in order to witness the miracle of creation, we must continually eat, and then poop out, a little bit of that miracle. Second, one of the charming side effects of sentient life is emotional pain. The fact that dead and fermenting plant life creates alcohol - a terrific anesthetic for emotional pain - might cause one to think that this is, by nature, a compassionate universe. Think again. Keep dulling that pain with booze and you wind up, if you're lucky, in a church basement sharing your tears with complete strangers. If you're not lucky, you wind up on a waiting list for a motorcyclist's liver. And finally, there is the ever-present knowledge of death. In order to "more fully appreciate the gift of life," we all get to ponder a violently sudden or slow and agonizingly painful descent into oblivion -- after which our beloved bodies turn into the stuff of nightmares. Which brings me back to my original premise: life is intolerable. But rather than go gently into that creepy night, I've decided to start a petition to protest the fundamental conditions of existence. I know it's not much, but it's a start. And damnit, I'm just the guy to do it! The petition is available at chucklorre.com. Sign on now and make your voice heard before you're dead and your vocal chords are being eaten by a swarm of disgusting bugs.

PETITION FOR IMMEDIATE CHANGE IN THE CONDITIONS OF EXISTENCE!


Chuck Lorre Productions

Big Bang Theory Takes Sneaky Swipe at FOX "News"

Image from source, Raw Story

Not much time to blog with guests coming over, but this story was right up my alley. Good going, Chuck Lorre!

[Excerpt]

CBS sitcom takes stealthy swipe at Fox News

Sitcom producer Chuck Lorre has developed a cult following for the lengthy diatribes he includes at the end of his shows. The "vanity cards," which are too long to read during the two seconds they air following CBS sitcoms "Two and a Half Men" and "Big Bang Theory" serve as mini-journal entries for Lorre, who has taken pot-shots at other media outlets and even his own network executives. . .

Read more at: Raw Story