It's a Trainwreck

Every week at SNL, the writers and cast put together hours worth of material- way more than can fir in the allotted time. Then, Saturday night, everything gets put into the dress rehearsal, and an hour's worth of sketches- anything that doesn't work in front of the audience- is cut right before showtime.

This video is from the Justin Bieber-hosted dress rehearsal, with a sketch that was way too bizarre for the audience of "prepubescent girls" that had come to see Bieber. It's decent, not great (though the Back to the Future line at the end caught me completely off guard). What really makes this video worth your time, though, is the commentary that Bill Hader and the writers give, explaining just how awfully the sketch went:

...You Know What I Mean?

I can't say what I love so much about this:

A Modern Roundabout... For John

As the fear of Cheyenne's Pershing /Converse Ave Roundabout starts to become a reality... many of us are left terrified to use this intersection... but the Cheyenne Metropolitan Planning Organization (who knew this even existed!!!! I sure didn't!) is here to help.

What is a modern roundabout???

Accoridng to CMPO "A ‘modern’ roundabout is a circular intersection that provides a safer and more efficient operation than standard traffic signal controlled intersections. Traffic speeds entering a roundabout are typically 15 to 20 mph. Roundabouts move traffic safely and efficiently through an intersection because: lower speeds (15-25 mph). Fewer Traffic Conflicts (8 versus 32),Easy Decision Making."

That's right! Easy decision making!!!! Unless you are unsure if you should be in the out side lane or the inside lane... and do you yield when entering the roundabout or when you leave the roundabout... and what happens if there is a pedestrian!?!?!?!

Now if you are paralyzed with fear don't worry... there is an interactive, role playing video available for you from the CMPO! You can choose to be a car, a commercial vehicle, a pedestrian a bicycle, or even and emergency worker (just don't let you boss catch you making siren noises while you are playing)!!!!

Watch This Video – Roundabout At 19th St/Converse Ave/E. Pershing Blvd (you'll need to open this in internet explorer)

Now I'm not sure that there will only be four cars on the roundabout at any given time (as the video portrays)... and I think one of my favorite parts is the instruction on how NOT to use a roundabout!

But ready or not here it comes! Check out the CMPO's Roundabout Page and learn what to do and not to do in a roundabout!

Two Sketches... One Person

I ran across this online... I'm sure several people have. Being a woman who has self image issues this really struck home. Below is a project done by Dove on how women percieve themselves... I find it fasicinating and it gave me so much the think about. It's something maybe a little more "serious" than what we normally post... but something that I wanted to share!

 

Sure, but... Mad Men, Am I Right?

Among the best jobs that I can imagine, television critic is up there. One of the most respected critics out there, Alan Sepinwall, explains how his job has gone from casually watching the three or four major networks to a constant barrage of quality television. One telling portion talks about how many shows are now on cable (and not the five major networks):

In 2007, there were 42 original dramas and 17 comedies. By last year, that number had ballooned to 77 original dramas and 48 comedies. And in the first four months of 2013 alone, there have been 34 dramas and 19 comedies. And that's on top of everything that ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC and the CW are doing. That pace will slow down somewhat as we shift into summer, but I'd still expect 2013 to top the 2012 numbers, and to keep rising. Netflix is making its own original shows now, and releasing all the episodes at once. Amazon has pilots in development. The amount of television expanding, but so is our definition of what counts as "television."
 

It's a good point- in the last few years, I've certainly gone from knowing at least something about any show people talk about, to sounding like my parents (What's the name of that show? Do we get that channel? How come I've never heard of it?)

You can read the whole thing here.

Friday Video

Okay. That's funny.

Roger Ebert

Three links for the recently deceased Roger Ebert:

The Onion's fantastic Roger Ebert Hails Human Existence as 'A Triumph';

An short essay written after 'Knowing', the another Nicolas Cage movie that got worse the more you thought about it;

Roger's rememberance of Gene Siskel.

Who needs sleep???

It's not like I didn't already have a very full list of things I'm terrified of....

Sigh. 

"Hi.  I'm the size of your face!!"

New Species Of Giant Tarantula Discovered...omg.

And so are TJ and Dave

This week's Radiolab is a conversation with TJ Jagodowski and Dave Pasquesi, two of the nation's best improvisors. They do a weekly show at one of Chicago's best improv theaters in which the two of them build a two-man, hour-long play out of nothing. The discussion centers around how they deal with that level of uncertainty each week, and how they are able to provide such a high quality show despite that uncertainty. If you have fifteen minutes, it's well worth a listen.

...That It Be Totally Believeable

If things have been slow here, it's because the May Ozy scripts are being written now, or at least they should be. One of the things I really like about our process is the way our scripts are seen as a rough draft. From the night we share them until show night (and sometimes the next show night,) we constantly move things around, add jokes, take out lines that aren't working. It's all about collaboration and feeding off of each other.

Looking at someone else's process is always interesting to me- seeing where we're the same, what we can steal, what we excel at- but this may be, if you'll excuse the reference you don't know I'm making for another five seconds, the Holy Grail of seeing someone else's process.

Some kind, brilliant soul recorded the 1978 planning sessions between Kasdan, Lucas, and Spielberg for Raiders of the Lost Ark, and a transcript is available online. It'll take me a while to get through- it's 90 pages- but it's a great read.

Lucas — There's also the thing you can do which is your famous "Jaws", or what I call the hand on the shoulder trick, which is not only skeletons, but we can have skeletons that aren't that old, they just have drawn skin all over them, that are lurking in the shadows.

 

Spielberg — Falling into their arms. A skeleton comes out of the cobwebs, and just embraces the guy. The guy eases him to the ground.

 

Lucas — At the more tense moments in that whole thing. We'll work on that more specifically. Anyway, he goes through a series of really spooky scary things.

 

Spielberg — What we're just doing here, really, is designing a ride at Disneyland. 

Kareem's Insight

According to IMDb, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has appeared in 147 different TV shows and movies (He was a suspect on Mannix in '71!) That's as good an entrance as any, I suppose, to have a monthly entertainment column in Esquire magazine. Some lines from the first two columns:

I was a teenager when I first read Rudyard Kipling’s poem “If”

One of the best models for male behavior in shows aimed at teens is ABC Family’s Bunheads, which features a group of ballet students and their charming teacher.

And that makes Django [Unchained] melodrama, not literature. It offers no insights, only the most familiar observations.

I have a vast collection of Wild West paraphernalia and have read extensively on the era.

Goes to show you can't judge a book by his purple-and-gold cover.

Casting the Justice League

As successful as the Avengers was, DC Comics (and parent Warner Bros) are desperate to get a Justice League movie off the ground. Unfortunately, for every step forward they make (The Dark Knight) they take a step back (Green Lantern). High, high hopes have been put on this summer's Man of Steel, and Henry Cavill (Superman) is signed on for a JL movie. Warner Bros is including Christopher Nolan in the planning, though that has been seen as an attempt to get Christian Bale to come back as Batman.

Frankly, I think they should hold out there and do a World's Finest movie before continuing on, but that's not how Marvel did it, so neither will DC. The next problem, then, is what to do about Green Lantern. On the positive side, there are a couple different Earth-based Green Lanterns, and a JL movie could use any of them. Hitfix has a gallery of suggestions, the best of which is Idris Elba as John Stewart, though his part in the next Thor movie may exclude him from consideration. Maybe Jason Clarke as Guy Gardner?

I may spend too much brainpower on these things.

The Buck Stops....um....somewhere.

I cannot wait for The Lifetime Network to get to work on this political drama.

Dept. Of Education Problems? Shocking....

Sitcom March Madness

For the past few weeks, Vulture has been running a bracket to determine the best sitcom of the past 30 years. This morning they declasred a winner. Before you see who that winner was, take a minute and run through the 4 rounds they set up, and come up with your own opinion:

Cheers
The Office

Arrested Development
South Park

Friends
Golden Girls

Roseanne
Malcolm in the Middle

Cosby Show
Simpsons

Larry Sanders Show
Community

Sex and the City
30 Rock

Seinfeld
Louie

BA in Comedy

Damn....

If I were only 18 again.

Take a listen:

http://wgnradio.com/2013/03/17/comedy-studies-degree-with-columbia-college-and-second-city/

There is an agreed upon game

This will be longer than most, but explains what improv is all about very nicely, if you're interested in reading that sort of thing.

A book that I'm reading (More Baths, Less Talking) mentions a book the author is reading (The Conversations) which talks about a game called Negative Twenty Questions.There's a long excerpt from it, and a description of how it relates to improv, after the jump (Click on Read more):

The Real Happily Ever After

After Ever After.....
This made me just giggle... not that I'm looking to hate on happily ever after... but this is brilliant!  Enjoy and HAPPY FRIDAY!!!!  

I Can't Go On Forever, And I Don't Really Want To Try

Alex Trebek has been hosting Jeopardy! since 1984, and it only makes sense that at some point he would be interested in not hosting Jeopardy!. Trebek has made clear that time will be 2016, when his latest contract with Sony expires.

But there's money to be made with Jeopardy!, so the search has begun for someone to play Ryan Seacrest to Trebek's Dick Clark. The New York Post says the front runner is Matt Lauer, whose contract on Today will be over by then. I imagine the contestant interviews being five minutes of Lauer saying, "Wow, you're smart," over and over.

A better choice would be Anderson Cooper, who the Post says is runner-up. Not mentioned? Ken Jennings, who would be the obvious choice in my mind. When you win 74 straight, you inherit the Chocolate Factory, pure and simple.

Conan Hates Elitists

Old School Public Service Message

Buckle up Wyoming...

 

 

But I Haven't Thought Of You Lately At All

A decade ago, season-long arcs were all the rage on television, but character was still something we cared about. The shows that missed out having strong characters...

Ah, screw it. I'm typing up a long thing explaining why Veronica Mars was so good, but the short version is: if you haven't seen it, you should. Especially try to get it all done before 2014, when the movie comes out.
That movie was fully funded on Kickstarter today- over $2 million in the span of 11 hours. That's some Duncan Kane money right there.

Spring TV's Top Ten

Here are the current television power rankings for spring programming as of today:



#10 Parks and Rec - This season isn't as inspired as the past couple, but it still provides great laughs every episode.  I can't get enough Ron Swanson!

#9 Top Chef Seattle -  The season just ended a couple of weeks ago and this Bravo show again reminded me of how bat-shit crazy Wolfgang Puck is.

 

 



#8)  The Walking Dead - This third season had a great fall campaign with Rick and company more focused on killing zombies instead of talking about the nature of God.  However the last few episodes seemed to have regressed back into the talking trap.  Get on with the coming war! By the way, in case you were still wondering - Daryl Mother F******* Dixon is still the best character on TV right now.

 

 

 

 

 

#7)  Survivor "Fans Vs. Favorites"  - Yes, I know some of you are TV snobs who hate the offerings of reality programming.  Get over yourself and get to CBS on Wednesday nights.  There are some serious wackos being starved to death for your entertainment!

 



#6  New Girl - This show is fun, heartfelt, and features great writing.  Exactly  what How I Met Your Mother used to be like.

#5 Stranded -  What could be better than watching a bunch of 20-somethings left stranded in a allegedly haunted location for five days and slowly watch them all lose their minds?  Not much.

#4  Spartacus God Of War -  Lets go through the checklist here:

• Graphic and Over-The-Top Violence and Blood - Check!
• Ridiculous dialog that makes you have to rewind the DVR to listen to it again - Check!
• Needless nudity  -Double Check!

This show is my guilty pleasure!

#3  All Star Celebrity Apprentice  -  Oops.  Nevermind.  This show is my guilty pleasure.

and how about this:

 

#2  The Following - I love this show - but I'm starting to have some concerns about it's goal to try and shock the audience with a twist each week.  Everybody can't be involved in the conspiracy, can they?  CAN THEY???  Are you one of them????? 

#1 House Of Cards - A Netflix original show starring Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright.  It is like Sopranos meets West Wing.  The performances, writing, and story are brilliant!  Start streaming this 13 episode season tonight!  I'm not sure how The Emmy's won't all be focused on this show next fall.

This whole list is subject to change once Mad Men and Game Of Thrones opens up shop over the next five weeks.

Meenan has that same Suit & Tie

Last night's SNL? Very, very good.

This specific sketch ('She's Got a D!%k')? Not funny, and vaguely homophobic.

But our ears will always perk up hearing Justin Timberlake calling out for Melanie:



You can watch the whole episode on Hulu.

Coughing, Sneezing and You

 

Sound advice during the cold and flu season...

 

 

Debate

This is how Mark sees Mr. Norris.






This is how some of us other Ozy people see him.





Debate...

Name the Floor Plan

Okay, TV Fans- whose apartment is this?

Answer after the jump:

...and that includes Monday Night Football

I somehow missed the fact that ESPN, whose 30 for 30 documentary series has been the best thing on their network since the John Clayton commercial, has been doing ten to fifteen minute shorts under the 30 for 30 name over on Grantland. I'm only through a couple of them, but this is my favorite so far:

An explanation of how the iced tea/lemonade hybrid came to be known as an Arnold Palmer, featuring the skinniest Will Arnett you'll ever see.

Knotting Hill 2??

This video has also been making it's way around the Facebooks and Twitters. 

It is fantastically awkward and perfect interview between a very green reporter and Mila Kunis as she suffers through the press tour for her upcoming movie Oz The Great and Powerful.

Hmmm..it's almost too perfect....I'm starting to think this was a set-up - but either way it's great!

You can't take that away from me

This flew around the internet for a few days before I finally gave in and listened to it. Nine Inch Nails' 'Head Like a Hole' mixed with Carly Rae Jepsen's 'Call Me Maybe':




Frankly, it's got Mark written all over it.

The Tallest Man On Earth

I'm sad I have lived this long without knowing about this artist.

I can't get enough of him.  I haven't eaten, slept, bathed, made eye contact with my children, or waxed my body since I've started listening to his tunes.

Now it's your turn for this audio addiction:

And yes, I already get the irony of me liking someone who goes by the name of "The Tallest Man On Earth".  You can leave your snark in your pockets.

The Nursing Home Was Ecstatic

It's been less than a week than we pointed out NBC's woes, but this is a sign of disaster.

In what must have started as a joke, then became a dare, then ended in a reality that I still can't believe, the NBC affiliate in Cleveland didn't even bother to show repeats of The Office last night, and chose to air an old 'special episode' of Matlock instead.

Our Nation's Pastime

As you will find out... I am a baseball fan.  I love sitting in the sun watching a game.  I love beer.  I love hot dogs.  And... I love the Chicago Cubs.  (This last little fact has made me an optimist beyond all comprehension.)  I also love the competition... the superstition... and the history of our national past time.

As Spring Training gets under way and the countdown to opening day... I would like to share the following...

Milwaukee Brewers' racing sausage missing after bender!

For those of you concerned about the famous sausage races... never fear.  The sausage has been found.

Normally I would comment on how it's only Brewers fans who would think that this is news! But I will leave the division rivalry behind for just a moment.... Right now I'm just excited for baseball.

Bates vs Lange

Fans of the dark American Horror Story can start salivating right now for next years volume.  Kathy Bates is joining the cast in an adversarial role against Jessica Lange that will promise to be epic.

http://insidetv.ew.com/2013/02/26/american-horror-story-kathy-bates-season-3/

Cannot wait!!

A Story Written for Sarah

Three days with Bill Murray, going to Cubs games at Wrigley.

It's a long one- you can read it here.

Back When Jack Donaghy Ran The Network...

It's hard to pick just one quote out of this New York Times article on how bad things are at NBC right now. Here are two that I had to read a couple times to make sure I read that correctly:

Nothing NBC has put on in prime time has matched even the appeal of the “Talking Dead,” a show with people simply discussing “The Walking Dead.” That show managed a 2.2 rating in the 18-49 audience. NBC’s best prime-time number for the month has been a 2.1.
 

And:

Remarkably, the best-rated show on NBC all month has been “Saturday Night Live,” which produced two original versions in February, both times hitting a 2.3 rating, topping everything else on the network.

What I'm surprised they haven't tried yet are bringing back old casts for reunion specials- or better yet, short runs of new episodes, like Arrested Development is doing. Tell me that there's not enough money to get the six Friends back together for a month, or that Bill Cosby & Phylicia Rashad couldn't visit the grandkids, or Ted Danson doesn't want to...

 

Friday Video

Undisputable Oscar Picks Of Glory!

Hello friends.  It is my favorite time of year - The Oscars!!

For movie buffs like myself, this is our Superbowl.  It is a night of rambling acceptance speeches by winners, fake smiles by the losers, and really awkward post-show interview.

Every year I sit down I sit down and consult the leaders in the movie industry as well as a Native American Shaman to come up with my picks.  I have never been wrong.  Ever.  Here are my picks for Sunday's show:



BEST ACTOR -

Daniel Day Lewis  -  This is a sure bet.  Lewis transformed into Lincoln so much that if I were him I would be afraid that the ghost of John Wilkes Booth would come back to finish what he started.    100 % sure this award goes to Daniel Day Lewis.

BEST ACTRESS -

Jessica Chastain - Not quite as sure of a bet here, but she was really really good in Zero Dark Thirty.  There is a possibility that Jennifer Lawrence could steal this one away, although I see support for her being split between herself and Naomi Watts.  75 % sure this award goes to Chastain.

BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE -

Robert De Niro - Yuck.  While I don't think he should win I guess he probably will.  I think he did fine as Bradly Cooper's OCD pops in Silver Linings Playbook it did not seem to be a role that stretched him enough to give him this award.  I would much rather see Christoph Waltz (Django Unchained) or Tommy Lee Jones (Lincoln) snag this one...but the writing on the wall indicates a win for Deniro.  Sigh.  80 %  confident in this pick.

BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Anne Hathaway - This is no contest.  Yes, Helen Hunt and Sally Field did fine jobs in their movies and in a normal year should be given their due.  This, however, is not a normal year.  Hathaway absoltly killed it in Les Miserable and will and should win. This pick is made with 400 % confidence...suck it math geeks!

ANIMATED FEATURE FILM

Wreck-It Ralph. As a father of three boys I have seen all the nominees for this catagory and I'm pretty torn for what I think is going to happen here.  I did not think it was a great year for animated films.  Brave, Wreck-It, and Paranorman were all just ok for me.  I was really surprised not to see Rise Of The Guardians on this list...it was far better than a couple of the nominees.  The only animated movie that really caught my attention was Frankenweenie.  Tim Burton did a wonderful job paying tribute to classic horror movies while painting a really nice story with a touch of old school animation.  Frankenweenie should win, but it won't.  Wreck-It Ralph will because it is a "cooler" film that has a catchy soundtrack, although my confidence in this is only at 60 %.

BEST DIRECTOR

Ang Lee.  This is really just a two-horse race between Lee and Speilberg that will have a fairly slim margin of difference between them.  I haven't see Life Of Pi, so I cannot speak to how Lee brought that amazing story to life, but I did see Lincoln and can speak to how epic of a movie it is.  Speilberg did a great job of taking a very "talky" movie that has an outcome we already know about and make it compelling.  That said anytime a director can make a movie about a tiger in a boat with a giant whale flopping around I think they are going to get the edge.  Close race, but I'm 55.7 % confident that Lee pulls it out.

BEST MOVIE

Les Miserable.  I'm going out on a limb on this one because this is going to be considered a huge upset as all the buzz has been going for Argo.  The truth is Argo is a good movie, but it isn't a great one.  Les Mis is a great movie that captures the emotion of the iconic story while not sacrificing the music or the beauty of the set design.  It is a movie that leaves the audience sitting in their seats afterwards effected.  Sure, it was not beloved by the critics and perhaps it's divisiveness will be it's undoing but I feel that the people who are going to vote for it are more enthusiastic towards this film than the other supporters will be toward their choice.  It should and it will win...although I'm only 40 % sure it will squeak past Argo.

                      Am I Hugh Jackman or the lead singer to the Folk-Rock band Iron and Wine?

"I'm Gonna Tell You What I'm Gonna Do"

When you type the name Craig Ehlo into Google, Google will helpfully suggest that you are looking for the shot, as in 'The Shot', as in the defining moment of Michael Jordan's definition-defying career:

Jordan turned 50 last week (and has been retired for 10 years, and hasn't been a Bull for 14), and this interview with Craig Ehlo gives you an idea of one of the hardest jobs ever: trying to guard the greatest player in the game.

Siblings or not, when you leave two bunnies alone long enough...

Drew Magary over at Deadspin deconstructs the childrens' new classic Max & Ruby. Be warned: the language is not appropriate for anyone of Max & Ruby's age:

Max & Ruby is a quiet show, which is a big deal to parents like me. I don't want some show that has s***loads of loud kiddie music and rampaging, seizure-inducing, anime-style jump cuts every tenth of a second. It's an easy show to ignore if you're in the room while it's on. It's not anywhere near as overly stimulating as a show like Wow Wow Wubbzy, which is f***ing awful.
 

You can read the full thing here.

Kevin Spacey is back!

Not that he really went anywhere, but I have never forgiven him for being in Pay It Forward.

Until now!!

If you value fantastic performances you must check out what Mr. Spacey and Robin Wright are doing in the Netflix Original show House of Cards.  It is amazingly amazing with amazing sauce on the side!

It's like Sopranos meets West Wing!

Friday Video

Friend of Ozy, Josh Thein, filmed this edition of The Harlem Shake with some of LCCC's finest.  Thanks Josh.

Eating Good In Our Neighborhood

Let's call this out on the carpet- if you're eating at Applebee's on a Friday night (or worse, on Valentine's Day), it's not because you think they have the best cheese quesadilla in the tri-state region. The constant barrage of commercials they show make even the broccoli look tasty, and that slowly seeps into your brain.

Cheyenne has a pitiful self-image when it comes to restaurants. We say there is no good place to go eat, and if you're only eating at the airport foot court that is Dell Range, you're right.

To help contradict that, here's a list of Cheyenne's home-grown restaurants.

Gutsy Move. Let's See If It Pays Off For You.

I spend all day working with really smart kids, so Teen Week on Jeopardy! is almost never impressive to me. One of the contestants from last night's championship game made it all worth it:




You have to ignore the fact that his math is completely off, and just be amazed at the confidence.

Zombies on the Attack!

Zombies were on the attack yesterday.... and no it's not because The Walking Dead is back (yippee!!!)  I am a sucker for most things zombie... but this did make me giggle!

Monday the people of Great Falls Montana heard an emergency broadcast warning of a Zombie attack!  You can read  more about it here and see video of the warning.

"The bodies of the dead are rising from their gaves" says this NPR Story. They also say someone hacked the Emergency Alert System.... That part does scare me a bit. But the fine folks of Monkey See have also given us 10 Clues That Zombie Announcement is Not A Joke.

Get out your machete and shotgun!  Hit up The Walking Dead site on Facebook and Zombie your self up! Have Fun!!!

A Friend of Ozy

This incredible artist is a friend of our very own Sean Meenan.  Subscribe to Peter's YouTube page and listen to his music, you won't regret it.

Ozy and the end of Pope Benedict XVI

For those of you that say this weeks unrehearsed show.... We did not mean to create a Twitter scandal leading to this... the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI! 

Next step will be for Ozy to decide who the next pope will be... we will be taking suggestions.. I personally think Mark did a pretty good job Saturday night!

Friday Video

Gonna Make You Happy Tonight

Looking for that perfect Valentine's Day gift?  Maybe this will inspire you... 

Building an Improv Community

Really interesting article from an amazing voice of improv.  In this article from Jill Bernard she talks about  how to cultivate a positive improv community.  Ozymandian Theater was lucky enough to have a private workshop with Jill a few years ago and are HUGEOMONGOUS fans of her.  She is brilliant.

Here is that article:

http://www.hugetheater.com/2013/on-forming-an-improv-community/ 

All The News That's Fit To Print

If you are stalking John (and who isn't?), you'll want to grab a copy of today's Cheyenne paper:

There's an actual short article that goes with it, obviously. If they put the story online, I'll come back and link to it. Otherwise, you may have to fight the coffee drinkers at Carl's Jr for their copy.

EDIT: They have posted the article; you can read it here:
Wyoming Tribune-Eagle

Disney Infinity

Um.....YES PLEASE!!!!

A game for all generations that will force parents around the world to get a second job in order to pay for each of the Disney characters.

This  mix of Minecraft and Skylanders is a glimpse into the next generation of gaming,

The Giant Sleepy Puppy

In case you didn't see it this morning, Channel 5 has posted video of Sarah and I promoting our show (This Saturday at the Atlas!) on the morning news:

KGWN –Cheyenne, WY– Scottsbluff, NE News,Weather, Sports

Some thoughts about the game we played after the jump:

A Great 5 Minute Read!

Do yourself a favor and read this:

When your houseis burning down, you should brush your teeth.

Friday Video

Ode To The Stinkin' Wind

On a terribly windy day in Cheyenne this poem by William Shakespeare seems appropriate:

Blow, Blow, Thou Winter Wind

Blow, blow, thou winter wind
Thou art not so unkind
As man's ingratitude;
Thy tooth is not so keen,
Because thou art not seen,
Although thy breath be rude.

Heigh-ho! sing, heigh-ho! unto the green holly:
Most freindship if feigning, most loving mere folly:
Then heigh-ho, the holly!
This life is most jolly.

Freeze, freeze thou bitter sky,
That does not bite so nigh
As benefits forgot:
Though thou the waters warp,
Thy sting is not so sharp
As a friend remembered not.
Heigh-ho! sing, heigh-ho! unto the green holly:
Most freindship if feigning, most loving mere folly:
Then heigh-ho, the holly!
This life is most jolly.

 

On June 7th I will be making a little birdhouse in my soul!

The band that rocks the jukebox in my soul will be in Denver on June 7th.  TMBG fans it is time to mobilize and prepare.

 

 

 

 

TMBG @ The Ogden!!!!

Cheyenne's deepest darkest fear; Part 2

If John thinks the roundabout is bad, what do you suppose he thinks about this?

College and 125

The Last Snack

And as we close in on the Lenten season... The last snack by Nancy Peppin... who knew Hostess Products could be art???

You can read more about her Hostess art here: Twinkie Artist

New Look At Dr, Dre

Interesting story on NPR last week 'The Chronic' 20 Years Later: An Audio Document Of The L.A. Riots.

It's fascinating to think of music as an Audio Document of what is happening in our country.  Looking beyond the stereotype of a music genre to the message it has to offer.

If you have a few minutes give it a listen.

Free The Mustache!

I just saw this pop up add on a website and I couldn't stop looking at it.  That was yesterday morning....

 

 

 

 

This is got to be the most amazing mustache I have ever seen on a guy who looks like a close relation to Captain Kangaroo.  I have no idea how anyone on Earth who has seen this picture will ever be able to consider growing a mustache of their own now that have seen how perfect this one is.  I'm pretty sure the only crime this guy is guilty of is "Handlebar Perfection In The First Degree".

 

I challenge you all to stare at this photo for the next hour or so.  It is like one of those 3-D pictures...eventually you will see a unicorn leaping over a rainbow.

 

Mr. Mustache, I salute you and your finely crafted facial hair!  I hope you didn't get shived.



 

Total Harmony Between The Cuts And The Rhyme

In 1985, Run DMC was too expensive for Colby College in Maine, so they paid $500 to get some kid named LL Cool J up there. The organizer's son found this video and uploaded it a few weeks ago:

This is why I imagine the internet was created.

What's with these Nerds?

Noel Murray at the AV Club tries to separate out autistic tendencies from nerd stereotypes, and talks about the way pop culture representations of autism are leading to better understanding and acceptance in the world at large:

The key to the success of all of these characters is that the people who’ve brought them to life haven’t stopped at a costume or a funny voice. They’ve looked for the humanity, and haven’t treated these characters as unknowable, mockable weirdoes. And don’t think it hasn’t made a difference in the way real people understand and appreciate what it means to be autistic.

You can read the article here: The Changing Face of "Nerds" (and Autism) in Pop Culture

Murray's earlier article about the subject five years ago is also very good (if not better), and is here: Rain Man Revisited

Friday Video... A day late

Drunk History

The More You Know

It's rare that I read something that makes me rethink everything I know about something, but sure enough, right when I had assumed Manti Te'o was complicit in the whole "fake girlfriend" ordeal, along comes this posting, refocusing the story around his Samoan heritage:

So as an ethnographer of Samoan migrants, I want to say that I heard a number of stories that sound almost exactly like Manti Te’o’s story — naïve Christian golden boys who had been fooled by other Samoans pretending to be dewy-eyed innocents. Leukemia was even a theme, I guess Samoan pranksters keep turning to the same diseases over and over again.

It's a quick read, and certainly made me think. And in the end, I'm back to where I was a week ago: I don't care anymore. Curse you, news media, for making me think this mattered! Curse you!!!

Reason #403 why my childhood was all a lie.

Sigh.

Voice of Charlie Brown arrested on the California/Mexican border for allegedly stalking and threatening somebody. We should have all seen the signs of this kind of behavior years ago.  Talking to dogs, being abandoned by his parents at such a young age, and being a self-righteous jerk lead were are indicators that he was unbalanced - why didn't anybody do anything about this then???

Good Grief is right....

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/23/entertainment-us-usa-people-charliebrown-idUSBRE90M17M20130123

Cheyenne's deepest darkest fear.

The city of Cheyenne has faced down tornados, floods, tourists, and the music of Latoya Jackson but we are facing our most terrifying nightmare ever....

The Roundabout.


This is an pretty accurate picture of what Converse and Pershing will look like in a couple years:

Be afraid people.

Biebs is King Of Twitter Mountain.

For all those of you Justin Bieber fans out there (Mark) you can finally rest easy. 

The young robot has finally dethroned Lady Gaga for having the most followers on Twitter.

Now we can all finally get on with the other issues that face our world. Like how in the hell has Christopher Walken not gotten a chance to host his own cooking/talk show?  Come on America, forget gun-control, the issue of daytime TV being absent of CW's wisdom is the real tug on the fabric of our union!

I Thought That I Heard You Laughing

Someone else would have to explain what the difference between minor and major chords really is (other than they use different notes), but here for your listening pleasure is REM's "Losing My Religion", shifted to major keys.

Sex In The Towerless City

CW's decision to omit The World Trade Center Towers from their new show The Carrie Diaries is certainly a damned if you do, damned if you don't situation.  The premise of the story takes place in the 80's long before the terrorist attacks of 9/11 so to keep them out of the skyline is rewriting history and is kind of a weird thing to do - but to keep the image of those buildings in the show also reminds all of the audience of the events and terror we faced 11 + years ago which is probably not the mood the producers of the Sex In The City prequel have in mind for the viewers.

So in teen world of Carrie Bradshaw the Towers never existed.  I'm not sure what to think about that.  Maybe they should have just gone with the way Fringe did it with the multi-universe premise.  However, I'm not sure how many bizzaro versions of Sarah Jessica Parker I can take.

Anyway, here is a really interesting article on the delicate relationship television has had with The World Trade Center.

Schadenfreunleven!

I was just putting together a post about how I view Lance Armstrong in the same way I view Jerry Lewis (Short version: Yes, they both did bad things, but those were clearly a product of the culture they came from, and besides, the good they have done FAR outweighs the bad), but when I went looking for a picture of Jerry Lewis, I came across this bit of news:

For the first time since 1995, Jerry Lewis will star in a new film, shooting now. I can only hope that it involves a giant tote board and the ghost of Ed McMahon.

A good week to be an exec for FX

Someday I will a more in depth obituary for the death of network TV.  Today however, lets all celebrate the beautiful and creative storytelling that is pouring out of various cable channels.  It's no longer just HBO, Showtime, or even AMC that is providing rich and compelling television.  FX should now be considered one of the elites and this is their week to shine.

On Wednesday night The American Horror Story: Asylum story comes to an end.  It's the second volume/season of from the franchise that came straight from the apparently twisted mind of Ryan Murphy.  It is by far the meanest and dark hearted television show that I've ever seen on the small screen, part of me will be relieved that it is going to go away for a while.  However, there is another part of me that seriously will miss the creative storylines and the really compelling characters that are a part of The American Horror Story universe.  This season focused on the inner demons of Briar Cliff, a church-run haven for the criminally insane that is managed under the strict rule of Sister Jude, who is played brilliantly by Jessica Lange.  The 13-episode volume featured serial killers, aliens, Nazi's, the devil, and lab-created monsters.  Those things were pretty scary, but what unnerves me the most in the show is the fairly accurate depiction of how the mental health field operated in the 60's.  I'm certain had I grown up then I would have had a couple lobotomy's by now. 

 

http://www.fxnetworks.com/ahs

As if FX wasn't having a good enough week with the end of the second volume of American Horror Story they get the celebrate the return of Archer on Thursday Night. If you have not seen a second of this irreverent and hilarious animated series I suggest that you drop everything you are doing right now (unless you are holding a baby) and run to Netflix or Hulu right now.  It is definitely for those among us who appreciated the gift that Arrested Development was.  If you have never heard or watched Arrested Development before I think you may be a robot who does not enjoy joy or laughter.  Find your creator and ask him to rewrite your program soon.  Archer follows the store or international spy Sterling Archer and the rest of his fellow co-workers as they combat terrorism, other spies, and each other.  It is really funny and I'm celebrating it's return this week!

 

 

http://www.fxnetworks.com/archer/

 

 

Friday Videos

I'm a sucker for these kinds of things.

Also, along the same lines, check out this video Rick showed us a few years back.
 

Hey, lady! You call him Dr. Jones!

Last fall, the University of Chicago Admissions Department received a mysterious package addressed to one Henry Jones, Jr:

Inside was an incredibly detailed journal belonging to Abner Ravenwood:

After a month of questions about how the journal from Raiders of the Lost Ark made it into their hands, the mystery was solved.

My gift to you all....

Since this is my first time here posting at Ozy Blogs I felt I should share with all of you one of my absolute favorite stand up moments every caught on camera.

Larry Miller's 5 Levels of Drinking is a master class on the craft and art of being funny:

Enjoy!

Our Story Tonight in Four Acts

As This American Life explains this week, Fred Armisen put together an impression of Ira Glass a few years ago that made it to dress rehearsal, then was cut from the actual show. Video of that dress rehearsal is now online. You can watch it here.