The Obligatory

Hey, how about three of 'em?

It's just like the real MacGyver, except our MacGyver uses his powers to get out of doing work.

Episode One: The Written Word

Episode Two: A Meeting of the Minds

Episode Three: Only Time Will Tell

Our "PopoZao" take off is getting picked up all over, too. We're on BoingBoing today, and Salon mentioned us on Thursday's Audiophile post, calling us "sharp as a tack satirists."

Pass the song and video around if you can. It's really the only form of off-channel advertising we get. Also, it makes me smile. Even more than getting kudos from Salon.

And, in final work-related news, a caller picked up on my Pogues reference in Thursday's show, which briefly restored my faith in humanity.

That faith was then destroyed by "The Room," which I will devote more time to later on. Stay tuned.

I'm on Screenhead again.

It's the thing that's linked directly below this, if you don't feel like clicking twice to get to the video.

Still, awesome.

Every time I promise I won't just post link after link to stuff I do at work, I go into work the next day and come up with something that I'd like to share with people.

This morning, the opportunity arose to do a spoof of the Kevin Federline in-studio demo video, which is poised to blow up across the nation's cubicles this week. If you haven't seen it, yet, then please, please check it out here:



Terrible.

Terrible, terrible, terrible.

But oh, so ripe for parody.

And so, when the show asked which hapless sap would try - nay - dare to head up the writing, shooting, and editing of a reasonably humorous spoof in a four hour window, I reluctantly volunteered.

Kevin and I rocked this thing out quicker and dirtier than anyone would reasonably be expected to. With the help of a great film crew and extremely patient and flexible staff from departments all across the building, we got the thing edited and on to the air.

It stands as a testiment to hard work, speed, and the efforts of a group coming together to make something good. Also, to me running around the office with a giant scowl on my face.

Work is pretty fun sometimes.

Because video is now extremely easy to import into Blogger (I guess that's what going away for a year or two will do), here are some videos for you to enjoy.



First, Anderson Cooper, discovering the Japanese Lizard Show video that already appeared on the Colbert Report and on this very blog way back in November.

What Anderson loses in timeliness he makes up for with his enthusiastic use of telestrator. And his ability to totally dissect the video, explaining why it's funny and thus, surgically removing the funny from it.

Next up is a music video from a bizarro Swiss combo called "The Dead Brothers," who bill themselves as "the original funeral orchestra." They sound a little Tom Waits-ish, but still cool. And the video is weird and stylish in a way that can only be described as, well, weird and stylish.



A few simple Google searches reveal the band's record label, where you can pickup some of the guys' stuff, if you're so inclined. Since they're not on Amazon, I might be snagging one of these discs. I'd love to hear their take on "St. James Infirmary Blues," that's for sure.

And finally, some AOTS bits that I didn't directly produce, but really, really like.



First, "24: The Lost Minutes," starring the always-funny Jeff McFarland as frustrated superagent Jack Bauer.



Second is something that can only be described as a perfect storm - a brilliant combination in concept, writing, voice work, and animation ... that, of course, makes absolutely no sense. But I love it, and I hope it becomes a new franchise for us. Behold, "Schooled by Liam."

I'll have some stuff I did later on in the week, probably. If you can catch the show this week, watch out for "McGunner."

Until then, it's time to edit a new MySpace profile!

Labels: Internet Video

For the second weekend in a row, I've ventured out of the cancerous sprawl and into the uninhabited - yet conveniently located - Los Angeles metro wilderness areas.

This time it was up into the Santa Monica Mountains, which, being close to the ocean, are not as subject to the Smog Effect as the Angeles Mountains are. I chose a short hike from Topanga Canyon State Park to the Parker Mesa Overlook. It took about 3 hours roundtrip, and was fantastic the entire way.

Thus, hiking reminded me:

1. That I can realistically do this every weekend.
2. That it's one of the few physical activities I actually enjoy.
3. Still, the best parts of Los Angeles are the parts where no one lives.
4. I need new hiking shoes.



I also, for the first time, hiked the return trip with my iPod on. I'd never even thought of doing that, until someone from MySpace suggested it. I've got to say, when you're backtracking on the return trail, it makes the hike go much faster (so thanks, Adam). Even when you've got blisters on both feet. I also liked the thought of hiking in a rustic canyon, near the hippie capital of Los Angeles, while listening to folk music. Just kind of paints a complete picture, you know?

...That this diet supplement had to be named "Ayds." Oops!

Labels: Internet Video

On Saturday it "rained." And by "rain," of course, I am referring to the Los Angeles definition of rain. The kind of rain no one anywhere else in the country would even bother talking about, but the kind we here in the 'SouthLand!' feel the need to devote news breaks to.

So on Saturday, it drizzled.

Unremarkable, except for the usual chaos that happens here when it even looks like it might get cloudy - lots of traffic accidents, people running for cover, etc.

The benefit of rain in L.A., beyond sheer comedic value, is that it usually clears up the air for a day or two afterward. I remember one day, about four or five months after I first moved out here, when it rained - and the next day I saw a mountain I never knew was there before. No shit. An actual mountain.

Smog. Gotta love it.

So on Sunday, when I awoke to unusually blue skies, I remembered seeing that mountain for the first time and thought to myself - "hey, why don't I go check those mountains out?"

And so I suited up and drove the forty miles up to the Angeles National Forest, and the Angeles Crest Highway.

Mainly it was for a simple relaxing, solitary drive, with a few short hikes and vistas thrown in. The hiking part of it was cut significantly shorter when I discovered it was 30 degrees up on the mountains, and windy as hell. I'll have to remember my winter clothes next time I head up. But the views were amazing.

This is a view I usually don't get unless I drive at least a hundred miles outside of the city, here right in my (relative) backyard! To give you a more accurate view of my actual backyard, here is a labelled version of this beatiful vista.

As you can see, visibility was incredible. I have never even SEEN Catalina before. And the mountains even have a wonderful lack of palm trees, the most bullshit of all trees.

So good times. Maybe I don't have to spend so much on gas to get to nature-y type hiking places from where I live anymore.


On Monday, I further improved my eyesight by visiting the final day of the Pissarro / Cezanne dual exhibition at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, one of my favorite places in all of Los Angeles.

I am very happy to report that I am now able to add "Being Able to Differentiate a Pissarro From a Cezanne" to my long list of amazing but wholly useless personal abilities. Thanks, LACMA!

*detail - last 2 weekends' purchases, courtesy of Amoeba Records - "Transistor Radio" by M. Ward; "Mark Twang" by John Hartford; "Being There" by Wilco; "Woman King" by Iron & Wine; "Z" by My Morning Jacket; "King of America" by Elvis Costello; "A Decade of Steely Dan" by Steely Dan; "American Beauty" by Grateful Dead; "Genius" by Warren Zevon. Foreground is an Alaskan Smoked Porter in a Rogue pint glass.



*detail - Ibanez EP7, acoustic/electric nylon-string classical guitar. Newly purchased, courtesy of Citibank credit card. Soon to be purchased on said credit card - lessons for said guitar, so I can fingerpick more than the handful of songs I know now.

** side note - this guitar is amazing.

Back on the job just a few days, and I'm already hard at work, bringing you impersonations of Steve Jobs and fake 1950's educational films about the menace of the Feline Nation.

It's like ridin' a bike. Except a lot more work. And slightly funnier.

I should also mention that I am now officially a Writer on Attack of the Show. It is an honor to be able to work closely with two other extremely funny writers, and an exciting chance to have more input on a show that's pretty damn cool. And I still get to get my hands dirty producing skits, so it's the best of both worlds.

Here's to 2006.

Just thought I'd get a post with a few of the choicest slices of the recent internet, for your amusement. And, you know, for archival purposes. Someday, someone's going to want a record of all this crap.

First up. Eric, the Head Writer on our show, sent me this link of Channel 101's Rob Schrab in a pilot called "Thriller Chiller Theatre." It can be faithfully described as either hilariously odd, or oddly hilarious, and will make you want to be friends with Rob Schrab. Look at all that egg skin.

Up next, a pool from venerable photo site Flickr. In a stroke of mad genius, someone decided to show people Goetse for the first time, then capture their immediate reactions on digital film. The results are hilarious, and now that he's encouraged other people to follow in his footsteps and tag Flickr photos, you are guaranteed to find the mirror image of your own first reaction.

This one's my favorite:



Oh, and if you don't know what Goetse is ... um ... well ... don't Google it at work. Wikipedia has a tasteful article, if you're really intrigued but don't want to be mentally scarred yet.

And finally, in insane film director news, we showed off the trailer to Mel Gibson's new film "Apocalypto" on the show last week. The trailer itself is pretty interesting, but what's most interesting is a single frame of the trailer, where Gibson inserted a picture of himself, grinning wildly to camera.



This picture should be all the evidence you need to defend Mel Gibson the next time someone tries to call him crazy. He is not crazy. He is batshit crazy. The good kind. An inspiration.

This picture hangs on my desk.

Labels: Internet Video

I caught up with the silver screen this weekend to see two wildly different, yet equally enjoyable movies.

First up was "The Matador," which is an odd couple black comedy about a failing hitman and a failing salesman. While the plot is, in many ways, very traditional, the story and characters are interesting and the profession of assassin is treated with equal amounts of dark humor and actual menace. Also, Pierce Brosnan is hilarious. I didn't even know about this movie until very recently, so I don't know what kind of advertising it's getting - but it's well worth checking out.

The other movie I saw was "Brokeback Mountain," which you probably already know about.

It is excellent, excellent, excellent. One of the most visually beautiful and heart-wrenching movies I've seen in a very, very long time. Maybe that's just because I'm not usually one for dramas ... but damn. Go see it.

Tomorrow, it's Amoeba with Chris and then a 85% chance of buying a new guitar.

So I'm back in the mild, slightly-rainy climes of sunny Los Angeles after spending two glorious weeks back in the Proper Life of New England.

The Full New England Experience includes, but is not limited to:

- Of course, the family. And the family German Shepherd.
- Spending vast amounts of time playing video games with my siblings and my brother's girlfriend
- Drinking obscene amounts of excellent microbrew while playing said video games, including selections from Otter Creek / Wolaver's, Long Trail, and Smuttynose. Magic Hat would have been included, if they would start making Ravell actually available again.
- Eating even more obscene amounts of food at giant, extended family gatherings.
- Having great times with said extended families.
- Clam chow-dah. Delicious, authentic New England chow-dah.
- Visiting a Hartford blues bar and not getting a car towed like last time.
- Playing with my Goddaughter and cousin, both of whom vastly exceed the recommended daily allowance of adorable.
- Eating at historic 18th century taverns, while being serenaded by madrigal singers.
- Skiing for the first time ever. Getting so sore the day afterward that I moved like a 90 year old woman, then going skiing again.
- Spending lots of time playing my brother's nylon string guitar, then marvelling at how awesome he's gotten at blues slide guitar.
- Dunkin' Donuts. Lots and lots of Dunkin' Donuts.
- Enjoying walking around outside in the cold, losing feeling in my face, then entering a warm building to feel my skin slowly come back to life. I love that.

As special bonuses, I did also manage to get into New York City to see most of my ex-comedy troupe pals currently colonizing Brooklyn and Queens. So in addition to experiencing a walkable urban environment, a mass transit system, and kick-ass deli pickels, I was also able to walk through Times Square on New Year's Eve. This means I can say "I was in Times Square on New Year's Eve this year" and have it be factually correct, even though when the clock struck midnight, I was at home watching "Farscape" on DVD with my parents. I hate crowds. I can barely function in Trader Joe's.

And the party I was going to got snowed out. Honest!

So while leaving New England this year was incredibly difficult for me, I know 2006 holds many great changes and opportunities for me ... which, unfortunately, are in Los Angeles.

Here we go ...

Labels: travel