So ... what have I been up to lately? As you've probably noticed, it's been a busy (and Comcastic) couple of weeks, and therefore, my blogging output has most definitely taken a hit. Sure, I've managed to churn out a couple of movie reviews, but other than that, I'm well aware that it's been slow here in terms of all-new, all-awesome adventures. So let me run through a couple of things I've been wanting to talk about:
LIVE COMEDY: Thanks to my brothers' new gig at a marketing firm that represents comedians, I've gotten to attend a couple of great shows over the last couple of months.
First off, several week ago I was lucky enough to see a show at the Hollywood Improv headlined by comedian Andy Daley. Not a household name, per se, but a recognizable face (he's the school principal on Eastbound & Down), and a truly amazing comedian. Daley really blew me away, performing in-character as a variety of off-the-wall personas, from an increasingly dirty-minded old man to a sleazy fortune-teller whose visions of the future mostly revolved around his predictions of increased sexual liberation. It was an absolutely hilarious show, and there were even some very funny opening acts - including a surprise appearance by Nick Swardson, testing out some new material. Good stuff.
Then, a few weeks ago, I was lucky enough to see NORM MACDONALD live. For me, this was really a dream show, as Norm is to me one of the funniest people ever. I started really getting into Saturday Night Live during his 90's stint as Weekend Update host, and I used to go around quoting his go-to jokes ... "note to self," "you guessed it ... Frank Stallone," etc. That said, I wasn't exactly sure what a Norm MacDonald stand-up show would be like. Turns out, it was amazing. Just genius, really. Norm was really on top of his game, delivering a long set of jokes and stories on everything from his father's death to how he would kill someone and cover it up if he was ever so inclined. Norm goes to some really dark and messed-up places with his comedy, but there's a certain world-weary, irony-tinged, anything-goes style that really makes him unlike any other comedian out there. We were sitting feet away from Norm, and I was cracking up, hysterical with laughter, for the vast majority of the set. Brilliant comedy - Norm is still the man! And hey, Norm is one of those "comedian's comedians" who other funny people love, and so it wasn't a huge shock - but still a surprise - that the likes of Sarah Silverman and Geoffrey Ross were in the audience. There was definitely that feeling of being at the center of the comedy universe at the Hollywood Improv that night.
DISNEYLAND: So the other week, a couple of friends and I did a long-time-coming trip to Disneyland. It wa a great weekend to do it - the MLK Day holiday weekend. Not only did we have an extra day off, but the weather here in SoCal was amazing (sorry east-coasters). It really felt like a Summer day. I hadn't been to Disney in a few years, and I was particularly excited to check out the special "ElecTRONica" attraction that had opened in honor of the release of Tron Legacy. Anyways, we spent the early part of the day in the main Disneyland Park - we did all of the classics like Pirates of the Carribean, Space Mountain, and Splash Mountain, but we also had some odd detours. We paddled canoes. We ate ice cream while watching the cartoonishly hilarious Bill Hill and the Hillbillies play bluegrass and country classics. And yes, we saw the revived presentation of Captain EO, which was a total nostalgia trip. I think the last time I saw Captain EO - which I remember being totally enraptured by - was when I was 7 or 8 years old. Later on in the early evening, we crossed over to California Adventure. We did one or two rides there and then entered the neon blue ElecTRONica area. It was awesome, and I was totally geeking out. The whole area was lit up to look like a scene out of Tron and/or Blade Runner, and the centerpiece was a huge dance/rave area where a DJ dressed like Michael Sheen in Tron Legacy played techno music, flanked by a mini-army of dancers dressed like residents of The Grid. There was even a Gem lookalike who was quite, um, mesmerizing. Disney patrons could participate in the free-flowing dance party, or walk over to a separate stage where a guy called Lazer Man performed all sorts of cool lazer tricks. Nearby to that was the End of Line bar, where glowing libations for everyone were served. And past that was, aw-yeah, Flynn's Arcade - a recreation of Tron's famous retro arcade, complete with all manner of vintage 80's-era arcade games, with the famous Tron game acting as the centerpiece. The machines even ran on custom-made Flynn's Arcade tokens. Now that's attention to detail. After spending a good chunk of time in ElecTRONica, we grabbed dinner, rode the Tower of Terror, and then took in the impressive World Of Color water-and-light show. Finally, we returned to Disney for a couple more rides (Mr. Toad FTW), and then ultimately called it a night. Definitely a memorable Disneyland adventure.
And now, it's been a while, but here's some quick thoughts on TV:
- I am watching and enjoying LIGHTS OUT on FX. After three episodes, I am pretty absorbed, and definitely into the characters and plotlines. I still feel like something is a little off - where the show is not *quite* firing on all cylinders just yet. But overall, this has been a worthy new show, and I hope more people give it a shot. In particular, it's great seeing Stacy Keach back on TV, kicking ass as the former champ's grizzled father and trainer.
- Speaking of FX, I can't wait for the return of JUSTIFIED. To me, this was easily one of the best shows of 2010, and I can't wait to see what the show has in store for Season 2.
- Meanwhile, I've been catching up on BREAKING BAD. AMC has been showing two episodes per week, in order, and so I've been dutifully recording and watching each week with my brother. Holy crap, how have I not been watching this show? It's absolutely phenomenal! I'm currently at the tail end of Season 2, and have already seen several episodes that I'd count as bonafide classics. One or two, in fact, I'd put right up there among my favorite TV episodes of all time. The ep with Tuco's elderly uncle and his bell? ... good lord ... just incredible. I wasn't really surprised to discover that Bryan Cranston is amazing on this show, but even with high expectations going on, I find myself continually floored by the level of his performance. Suffice it to say, all of those Emmys have been very much deserved. Watch Breaking Bad - simply incredible TV.
- It's nice to see FRINGE continuing to perform decently in the ratings despite being consigned to the "Friday Night Deathslot" by FOX. This show is simply too good to die a quiet death on Fridays. In fact, I loved its Friday debut, featuring the great Christopher Lloyd as a washed-up rockstar who is in the middle of a time-travel mystery. I also enjoyed this past weekend's mythology-heavy episode, heavily featuring those pesky, otherdimensional shapeshifters. But, I also hope that the show's increasingly convoluted mythology can be streamlined a bit. I'm worried that the show has now introduced so many divergent plot elements that it's hard to relate everything. We've got other dimensions, shape-shifters, Cortexifan trials, Massive Dynamic, the "First People," our giant mystery machine powered by Peter, and the mysterious Observers. Still, Fringe is still the #1 must-watch show on TV, in my humble opinion, and I'm excited to see how the rest of the season plays out.
- By the way, how nice is it to have PARKS AND RECREATION back on TV. All hail the return of Ron Swanson and his Life Pyramid, which incidentally, is a work of sheer, unbridled genius.
- Also, in terms of comedy ... how great and hilarious is AN IDIOT ABROAD ...? This one is basically a no-brainer if you've been a fan of Ricky Gervais' hilarious series of podcasts, but I think this show is flying a little under the radar here in the US - airing on The Science Channel and at pretty obscure hours. But if you like things that are funny, do yourself a favor and set your DVR to record this. Basically, it's The Office co-creators Gervais and Stephen Merchant sending their favorite round-headed punching bag, Karl Pilkington, across the world on a series of adventures. Each episode sees Karl - a blue-collar idiot-savant of sorts - visiting one of the Seven Wonders of the World. And if you're not familiar with the podcasts, just know that Karl Pilkington is an endlessly entertaining man. Gervais and Merchant enjoy making fun of him - and a lot of their mocking is deserved. But Karl also has this uncanny ability to cut at some deep truths with his non-sequitar observations and lame-brained philisophical musings. So yeah, seeing him travel to China, and making the claim that the Great Wall of China should probably only be called the "Alright Wall of China" ... it is a unique sort of hilarity. Watch this. It's on the Science Channel, and it is awesome.
- Finally, I've been enjoying PORTLANDIA on IFC. I'm a huge fan of sketch comedy in general, and I'm always eager to try out alternatives to SNL. Interestingly, Portlandia is produced by Broadway Video and stars current SNL featured player Fred Armisen. It's a little weird to see Armisen on a completely different sketch show while still on SNL, but at the same time, the style of Portlandia is similar to some of Armisen's more offbeat SNL sketches. Overall, the show has a looser, almost Kids In the Hall style to it, with a mix of standalone and interconnected sketches. Some of the humor can be a little too too-cool-for-school and hipster-y, but I've definitely found a lot to like in each episode to date. One nice surprise is Armisen's co-star, Carrie Brownstien, one of the members of indie-rock band Sleater-Kinney. Brownstien has already shown that she's very funny and talented, and that she works really well with Armisen. So yes, Portlandia is definitely worth taking a look at.
Okay, that's it for now. Tonight, I'm going to see OZZY OSBOURNE and SLASH in concert, so stay tuned for a full recap!
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