Archives for the Month of February 2010 on Cereal Monogamist
Extras is extra funny
Today, I braved the snow for five minutes to hit the library and pick up some books I had on hold. I wandered into the DVD section browsing for a TV show on DVD that I could use as background noise while I worked on my grading.
In that sense, I failed. I picked up the first season of Extras, the show Ricky Gervais made after putting a conclusive point of punctuation on his original series, The Office (that's the UK edition, of course). Though the show was, in fact, hilarious, I lost four hours of my afternoon to it. Too much funny! Could not concentrate on anything else.
But I can highly recommend the show! In fact, I will surely be hitting the library tomorrow to pick up season two. (What's awesome about Gervais' series is that they're never longer than six episodes. Even though I fritter away my time, it's not really a huge loss.)
The premise is that Andy, a pale, paunchy dude who has crossed the threshold of middle age, thinks that he has what it takes to be an incredible actor. The only work he can get, however, is playing the guy in the background. So, he sucks up to the famous actors he meets in hopes that he will make connections.
In this clip, Patrick Stewart of Star Trek fame regally outlines his script idea for the befuddled Andy.
Breaking my silence on the late night feud!
...I know, people were on pins and needles. I avoiding taking a position on the whole Conan O'Brien-Jay Leno feud, based solely on the fact that I didn't watch either show. In general, though, I find Leno smug and unfunny (and easily one of the worst interviewers on the talk show circuit right now). Thus, I have no problem showing some anti-Jay propaganda.
This is a real promo for the return of Leno's show, with the original music replaced by a classic Radiohead tune. Tipped by the AV Club.
Incidentally, even though Conan has collected his millions and walked into the proverbial sunset, the feud continues--now it's just a matter of rhetoric. Look at these two completely different takes on the guest lineup for Jay's first week.
No Leno boycott as celebs line up to welcome Jay back (from the Washington Post)
Sucky Jay Leno announces sucky guests for his sucky return (from the AV Club)
Such is the nature of wikis
This entire story is a testament to both my undiagnosed ADD and how easily amused I am, but here it goes:
I was reading from Leaves of Grass for the Master's exam and came across "Thought" (one of maybe five to ten poems Whitman entitled "Thought") in which he mentions the President, which footnotes in the text told me was a transatlantic steamship that disappeared somewhere between New York and Liverpool in 1841. I love those types of mysteries and looked it up on Wikipedia. From there I jumped to reading about the Lost Colony of Roanoke and then looking at History's Mysteries, a show I know used to air on one of those nerd channels--History or Discovery or something. I was checking to see if it was on DVD, because if so I'd like to hunt up some of those episodes (Roanoke! the Bermuda Triangle!).
So I hit the History's Mysteries page and found that it has been wikibombed. At least, I think it's been wikibombed.
Either that, or I'm totally misremembering that show.
By the way, my apologies that this kind of thing is what passes for a hilarious anecdote these days... I've been reading SO MUCH. Happy weekend, everybody!
BUT IT'S FREEZING OUT
So, I thought no one complained more than me about the weather--about the cold, about the piles of snow that I have to traverse to walk to the bus stop or to give the dog a walk, about the slippery roads and the pants cuff-ruining slush.
What I didn't realize is that there are people who are even more out of touch with the realities of existing in the real world--and what a surprise, they're asking for things on Craigslist.
See the full entry in its cracked glory at You Suck at Craigslist.
Snow and Helplessness
Feeling a little out of control this week! Over the weekend one of my cupboards was infiltrated by grain beetles. (EEEEWWWWWWWWW.) We are buried under a mass of snow (and recently named "worst snow city" in the country! aces!) plus the weather has knocked out my cable and internet since Monday.
Thus, this quotation that I read the other day feels particularly apt.
"An absolutely certain way in those days to draw down on one a wretched fate was to claim superiority in anything over any deity; nevertheless, people were perpetually doing so."
Edith Hamilton, Mythology
I get it, universe! Plagues, storms and deprivation have done their jobs. I AM YOUR PAWN. (Now can I have my cable and Internet back? I'm really wondering what happened on Lost.)
Long Did She Live... The Faerie Queene
Though seemed it never would transpire
Thought I 'fore I reached the end would I be dead.
Yet tonight did I finish what need be read*
Upon this moment could I ne'er be higher!
Blissful my rewards shall be
Red wine, cheese and macaroni.
*That's Books 1 and 2, incidentally. It took me two months to read one sixth of this work! I did more than half of it this week, however. That's the power of resolution after procrastination.
Racing to "The Iraq" and Back
The newest season of The Amazing Race begins a week from Sunday. I happened to check out the show's website and discovered that one of the teams is a pair of dating models. Oh, boring, right? Every season has at least one pair of dating models. What makes this pair so special?
Well, one of them is this person:
Upon reading this news, my emotions are mixed. Firstly, people who are dumb make me sad. That people who are dumb can find fame and success if they are also beautiful women makes me angry. That this woman became a national joke makes me...a bit amused, truth be told.
That she has finagled her way onto one of my favorite shows ever makes me suspicious. I guess everybody deserves a chance to redeem themselves. However, I'll say this: you better not be in this to extend your 15 minutes, Vanna! The Amazing Race is hard, man, and people who go on the show just to publicize their careers do not tend to acquit themselves that well. Case in point: that girl who was an aspiring country singer. She did not come out of that thing looking too good. And neither did her boyfriend.
How much do I miss the Whites right now?
Congrats to Sandra Bullock!
She's now in the running for best performance of the year and worst performance of the year.
I was never gonna see either movie, but now they're just screaming "double feature," aren't they?
P.S. Go team Inglourious Basterds!
LOST! TONIGHT!
I had a busy, busy day, but it was all worth it because now it's mid-afternoon and I basically have no responsibilities to the world at large until tomorrow. Turned in a paper this morning, my lesson plans for the week are set. That all means that I can--and WILL--spend the next four hours watching Lost! The last few episodes of the fifth season (that's where they left off last spring) and then at nine o'clock (eight central!) the first episode of the final season begins!
Yeah, I'm excited.
Here's the schedule again:
8pm-9pm: They're doing one of their classic catch-up hours (for the casual Lostie).
9pm-11pm: 2-part season opener!
Here's the first part of an awesome 3-part interview with (Lost creators) Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof by Maureen Ryan at the Chicago Tribune. Lots of interesting discussion about satisfying television finales (they really liked how The Sopranos ended, if that tells you anything) and how there would be no Lost if not for Nash Bridges.
Also, Lost characters explain how to make a sandwich.
More Lost madness after the jump!