Hello, Sacramentonians!

I went with my friends Holly and Chad to see Conan O'Brien's "Legally Prohibited From Being Funny on Television" tour last Thursday in Sacramento. The place was packed and the show was really funny. His band from the show (minus Max Weinberg) played a few introductory songs, and at one point all of the horn players walked out among the audience on the floor and played their solos using their wireless mics.

Conan did a monologue with some choice local material, including his impression of our governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Sadly, but not unexpectedly, mention of the governor's name garnered mass boos from the audience. He's not a popular guy in this state right now, primarily because our budget is such a mess, but I digress. Conan used the Schwarzenegger impression and the associated booing to good effect, though, bringing it back several times and throwing in a faux-behind-the-scenes impression of Schwarzenegger talking to Conan on the phone about mention of his name and how it went over.

There were a couple of prerecorded videos which were really funny. I won't spoil it for those still waiting to see the tour, but one documented Conan's life during the post-Tonight Show funk prior to his putting this tour together and another involves a certain comic canine with which any fan of Conan's will be familiar.

There was more music than I expected. Conan played the guitar, and took center stage quite often, both singing and strumming, playing with the full band and two backup singers. Mr. Andy Richter also appeared, adding to the comic mix. They play off of each other well and Andy complements Conan perfectly.

Overall, this was a really fun show that exposed the audience to more of Conan's forthright genuineness and humor. He poked fun at TV network executives without being cruel, and made light of his own situation and his struggle to recover after losing his dream job.

Conan's recent interview on 60 Minutes was good, too. Nothing particularly groundbreaking was revealed, but he made it clear he was disappointed in how the late night situation happened and how he would have handled it differently had he been in Jay Leno's shoes.

This is great, too: Conan's recent appearance at Google, which happened on this tour the day before he appeared in Sacramento.

When the Germans attacked Pearl Harbor

Tonight was all about relaxing and taking in a few of the gospels of comedy movies. The first was "Life of Brian" by Monty Python, which, all by itself is enough to feed a large portion of modern comedy culture. 1979? Is it really that old? If you haven't seen this one, get yourself a sense of humor, especially about Chrisitianity, and take a look. The lighter side of stonings and crucifixions has never been funnier.

And whatever you do, if approached, join the People's Front of Judea, not the Judean People's Front or the Judean Popular People's Front -- don't be a splitter!

The second gospel tonight was "Animal House." Good lord, 1978, really? The mother of all college/fraternity/misadventure movies, this one never gets old. Besides Mr. John Belushi in his breakout role, and John Vernon as Dean Wormer, this movie can't be beaten. Simply classic in all respects. If you don't know what it means to be on "double secret probation," you have missed something and need to see this movie.

Separated at birth?

This is fantastic. This is my brother Brian holding Artie Lange's book, Too Fat to Fish.

What a difference an "e" and a "t" make

I wonder how different would a children's librarian be from a children's libertarian?

Would a children's libertarian be involved with children only to the extent such involvement is explicitly enumerated in a written constitution with the child left mostly to fend for itself?

Now if a children's libertarian worked in a library...

Possible clan names - inspired by todolistblog

This post immediately reminded me of my brainstorming session to come up with a clan name in Halo 2 for my group of buddies. I dug up my notes from back in 2004, saved no doubt because of some brilliant naming nuggets which I will now reveal to the world:We ended up going with Lemming Army. Incidentally, my buddy Shawn and I extended the exalted lineage of "Lemming Army" by using it as our team name when we captured third place in the Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory tournament at PAX 2005.

The funniest ones to me have either the word "biscuit" or "ferret" in them.

Multiple geek layers

Even I was surprised at the multiple layers of geek embodied in this site: Wookieepedia.

Internet | Wiki | Wookie | Star Wars | 49,355 articles since March 2005

I heard Howard Stern mention it on today's show in connection with a funny interview one of the Stern show's correspondents, Gary Garver, did with a man at a recent Star Wars convention who was in costume as Darth Nihilus. In the "Wookieenews" section of the site, for June 19, 2007, there is already an entry that states:

• Howard Stern—an influencial radio shock jock mentioned Wookieepedia, and proceeded to read from the Wookieepedia entry on Darth Nihilus.[1]

Gary Garver took a pretty hostile, "how long have you been living with your mother" attitude toward the guy and several others he interviewed and the variety of reactions was quite entertaining.

I voted for Sanjaya and it's Howard Stern's fault

I've been working an evening job to bring in some cash, and when I turned on Howard 100 tonight at 10:30 after my shift ended, I saw that on the second line of the display on my radio, underneath "Howard Stern Show," it said "Vote for Sanjaya 866-436-5708." Here on the west coast American Idol ends at nine, meaning viewers can vote until 11p, so I dialed the number and ended up voting five times in the parking lot before driving home.

Without even watching the show, knowing nothing about the other performers/contestants. Apparently Sanjaya actually did ok tonight.

I'm not sure when the Sanjaya movement began, but a few weeks ago Howard brought up the web site VoteForTheWorst.com on the air and interviewed the founder of the site on the show. Howard was digging what the guy was doing and has stated several times since then that he thinks it's great to destroy something, meaning the show American Idol -- to take part in such a disruption and distortion of what the show means as to make it worthless as a concept.

I have to agree the idea is hilarious. Sanjaya isn't the worst I've heard, but there is no way he is the best singer on that show right now. Just the fact that he made it into the top 10 and will be a part of the forthcoming American Idol live tour is sweet justice. Last week, even Simon gave up criticizing Sanjaya's performances because he knows it's useless, calling his performance "brilliant."

Of course all of this Sanjaya mania isn't due to Howard Stern alone, but Howard's name is being mentioned in connection with it. The publicity certainly can't hurt. Is this the first true test of the power of satellite radio? Is the fact that this is the first true test of such power a sad commentary on what millions of Americans are focused on? Am I actually typing this?

Results of a fitful sleep

I had a bizarre dream last night.

Comedian Jim Gaffigan, Jon Stewart of The Daily Show and I were making a disturbingly large ottoman, sometimes known as a footstool. Only this was no stool. We could've eaten dinner on this thing, it was huge. John and I were stuffing a fabric tube with cotton which we were then going to cut into four pieces for the legs. I don't think it would've held up.

But I wasn't worried about that. I was laughing hysterically at Jim while I was searching for a pen I could use to mark up the fabric tube. Lying on my side, much in the same position I usually sleep in, I couldn't get up or move I was laughing so hard. I don't remember what he said.

The only benefit I've seen to intermittent sleep is that I seem to dream more, or at least remember what I've dreamed. Jim Gaffigan has been making more frequent appearances on Comedy Central and you might also recognize him from recent Sierra Mist commercials.

Sacha Baron Cohen interviewed on NPR's Fresh Air

You probably know him as Borat, the star of the recent movie Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, but he is also Ali G and Bruno.

I thought the interview would be boring since Cohen was interviewed out of character as himself, but it proved to be both funny and interesting as he explained some of his comedic process and some behind-the-scenes things from making the Borat movie.

You can listen to the whole interview on NPR's web site as well as see a picture of Cohen as he really looks.

Kathy Griffin at the Crest

I'm not sure why I didn't post this earlier, but my girlfriend and I went to see Kathy Griffin here in Sacramento on December first. Griffin did two shows that night, and the later 10:00 show we went to lasted an hour and forty minutes! Great stuff, she is a hilarious stream-of-consciousness comic, mainly focusing on her interactions with "A" list celebrities as a self-proclaimed "D-lister." Topics ranged from Britney to Lohan, Clay "Gayken" (allegedly) to Kathy's parents behavior on her reality show on Bravo.

Interestingly, the stage at the show was completely bare except for a stool with several water bottles on it and a microphone stand. This is a 36' X 24' stage in a 975 person theater and the place was sold out. It made me realize just how difficult it must be to build up a routine to the level of being able to keep a paying audience entertained for a full show.

She'll be on tour in California through January 12th before heading to the Northwest and then east again if you'd like to catch a show.

Colbert is absolute gold

You must check out this video of Stephen Colbert boxing newly elected Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi -- using custom Mii avatars on Nintendo's Wii Sports boxing:




If for some reason the YouTube video does not show up, click here. Colbert puts more thought and effort into his show than almost anyone I've seen.

Popcorn & This Old House

It really doesn't get any better. I am at the midpoint of the This Old House hour where the work on the project house for this week has been documented and we are about to begin the Ask This Old House portion of the show. This week, TOH did some serious work on their project house in East Boston, consisting of demolition in the kitchen involving asbestos-tainted floor removal, knocking down a wall, and replacement of a sewer pipe that had become clogged with the roots of a nearby tree. They actually had the city come in with a backhoe to dig up the sidewalk and dig down to the sewer main to replace a section of pipe that had been compromised and clogged with roots. The backhoe operator was, as they said in the show, friggin' surgical. He pulled up a three-foot square section of sidewalk in one piece and put it right in the dumpster still in one piece.

If this doesn't excite you as much as it does me, maybe you don't appreciate circular saws, sledgehammers, 6-mil plastic liner, hepa-filtered exhaust fans and triple-chambered isolation tunnels. Oh, and I'm eating popcorn that is goooood! This is my specialty snack and just can't be beaten. First, I pop my corn old school, you might say, popping kernels in hot oil right in a saucepan -- no microwave for me. With the popped kernels still piping hot, I add Jolly Time Buttery Seasoning, which just makes it simply heavenly. It's like friggin' bacon. I can't give enough praise.

Artie Lange on NPR's "Fresh Air"

Artie was interviewed by Terry Gross on Fresh Air this morning. Interestingly, Gross said she and the producers of her show are Howard Stern listeners and think Stern uses the radio medium in an innovative way. She could have said "genius," but I'll have to listen back once the mp3 is posted on NPR's site at 3p eastern today.

The cool thing about this interview is that Gross asks mostly about Artie, his life and progression as a comic and actor. She took the interview seriously, unlike most mainstream media figures who treat anything related to Stern as mere "entertainment," purely "offensive" or a circus freakshow that only appeals to the most crude and base listener. The local NPR affiliate host announced this interview at 7:30 this morning and said that while she "would never listen to Stern," NPR would play an interview Artie Lange, a member of Stern's show. Typical.

They talked about how Artie came to be a part of Stern's show, what he does to prep for the show and the fact that the show acts as a kind of therapy for Artie. They talked a bit about Artie's beginnings on Mad TV, mentioned his movies such as Dirty Work, Lost & Found, The Bachelor, Old School, Elf, and now Beer League.

Artie talked about his desire to only "do the funny stuff" in movies but that with movies like The Bachelor and his most recent movie Beer League he realized that doing other non-funny parts (like creating a believable romantic interest) help develop the characters and allow the funny stuff to work better for the audience.

Gross asked about the death of Artie's father and Artie's response gave tremendous insight into his motivations and addictive behavior. Artie even discussed things I hadn't heard him say on Stern, like bombing at his first try at standup comedy and then not trying again until four years later after his father had died. There was also some discussion of Artie's "waaaah" bit on the show and Artie said the death of his father "was his waaaah."

It was refreshing (hello, Fresh Air) to hear Lange being taken seriously in a major media interview, and the approximately 30 minute piece is well worth listening to.

Why Howard Stern's interviews rule

Howard -- "What do you do?"

Guest Jessica in studio -- "I'm an independent contractor, a courier."

Howard -- "What's that, like, a pigeon?"

-From 9/13/06 show

Carson Daly is a genius

Okay, before you call me a nutball, listen up:

I've never given his show a chance because I think he's a complete moron and a horrible latenight TV host. Tonight I happened to catch the beginning of his show because Conan ran right up to the last minute and Carson's show began immediately.

Carson did a few ok jokes, but the genius is that he knows when to stop his opening monologue. His interviewing "skills" are atrocious, and generally he's a boring guy on TV, but he certainly knows when to quit.

If you're not a funny guy, knowing the moment to go out on top with a great joke somebody else wrote is genius in my book.

Katamari goodness

If any of you Katamari Damacy fans eat at Japanese restaurants and like edamame, you will appreciate this food imitating art.

The best commercial ... and my favorite show on tv

I saw the commercial for this product and my jaw dropped for the duration. Actually, several times during the commercial my jaw allowed me to form the word "YES!" and then "this is the best ad ... I have ever seen." Check out the video loop on the site -- you can't tell me that's not compelling television.

I ran into that ad while surfing during a commercial break for my absolute favorite show for laughs, MXC (Most Extreme Elimination Challenge) on Spike TV. The Spike site is all flash, so even with broadband it takes too long to load. It also plays a video continuously (and commercials if you pause it) so if I could apologize I would. Just turn your speakers off. A much less offensive and more informative link is at the ubiquitous Wikipedia.

The video and images on the show are from an old Japanese gameshow from the 1980s called Takeshi's Castle. Spike's version has english voiceovers for the ridiculous visuals which, in terms of funny, are second only to the performance of the contestants on the show. The short version of what goes on is that people who are generally uncoordinated confront physical challenges that often resemble a real-world physical manifestation of Super Mario Brothers. The obstacles appear to be made of foam and wood, like something you'd make in your backyard, which just adds to the joyous cheesiness.

For example, one of the events requires a contestant to cross a narrow elevated rope bridge without handrails, carrying a gold-colored volleyball, and make it all the way across the wobbly bridge without [DEUUUUGE!! *-- headshot!] ... without falling while two or three other guys on the ground use a machine to shoot volleyballs at legs, the groinal area, head, face and at the precious gold ball to knock the contestant off.

Genius.

I just guffaw and laugh at the antics. I cannot control myself. The games are out of control and the contestants hopelessly inept. Sometimes they succeed, but it's rare. This goes on for half an hour, but often this show is run in marathons, so usually there's at least an hour of goodness to be had.

* Hear DEUUUUGE!! (Flash required):


Super-DEUUUUGE!!:

New gametype: FPCBS

That's First-Person Cardboard Box Sorter. Finally, the videogame industry has listened and responded to its critics with the introduction of Stacker, the seminal title in a groundbreaking new genre in gaming. Comparisons to Tetris are unfounded, industry monitors say, because Stacker is significantly more nonviolent, more nonimmersive and has even less of a storyline.

Says Doug Benzies, Stacker's chief developer:

"We're confident that the new 'reluctantly interactive' content engine we designed will prevent any excitement or emotional involvement, inappropriate or otherwise, on the part of the player."

Revelation of the demo at the Tokyo Game Show this year made no mention of online play, but seeing as how that may encourage interaction and possibly creativity, it seems an unlikely feature to be added before release, or really at any time.

All is not rosy, however, as some parents are already salivating at the possibility of lawsuits related to Stacker's release. From the article above:

...several parents of teenagers who work in warehouses and box factories are already threatening Take-Two with civil lawsuits, claiming that Stacker may adversely affect children of low-income workers. "My kid certainly doesn't want to stack cases of instant coffee in a hot warehouse all day, like his old man did," said Loretto, PA father Reginald Hauser. "Now they're saying there's a video game that might glamorize the activity. Those video-game honchos are up to the same old tricks."

It is unknown at this time what the ESRB content rating will be for Stacker, though many have speculated that it won't really matter. No word as of time of publication of any reaction by attorney Jack Thompson to the news of this release. Speculation is that this won't really matter either.

Dave Chappelle Season 3 in 2006!

I just saw a promo on Comedy Central that made the above announcement.

Comedy Central's web site confirms this and says it will show a sneak preview of Season 3 material during this Sunday's (December 11) "COMEDY CENTRAL's Last Laugh '05" program scheduled to broadcast at 9p. As always, check your local listings.

Finally, more Chappelle!

Star Wars fans, remember your sense of humor...

A friend found this never-released preview for a slightly different version of Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. A bit more uptempo, this one is.