tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post7319170151941365283..comments2024-03-28T10:18:00.370-05:00Comments on Gentlemen of Leisure: Last Week in TV #8Austin Gortonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14281239771248780430noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-65543054615873173762011-11-21T13:30:32.617-06:002011-11-21T13:30:32.617-06:00@Blam: I'm so glad that first-run TV will take...@Blam: <i>I'm so glad that first-run TV will take a break after Thanksgiving</i><br /><br />Me too! It's been all I can do to keep up with the stuff I've been writing about (and I've fallen behind on <i>Community</i> and <i>Parks and Rec</i>), and there's a ton of stuff, like <i>Pan Am</i>, <i>Once Upon a Time</i> and <i>Grimm</i> that I started, enjoyed enough to want to keep watching, and then just haven't had the time for yet. Plus, <i>Hell on Wheels</i>, which I haven't even started yet. <br /><br />I gave up on the <i>Buffy</i> re-watch eons ago, much to my disappointment, but I've been trying to keep up with some of Nikki's other posts, like the <i>Walking Dead</i> ones, but it's taken most of my online free time to keep things up and running here. Still, I miss hanging out over there. <br /><br /><i>"Seventeen countries and it has to be unanimous! I can't get three friends to agree on a restaurant. Can you imagine how hard it would be if none of us spoke the same language and our grandparents killed each other in World War II?"</i><br /><br /><i>That</i> was the other line I really loved, but I couldn't remember it accurately enough or in its entirety to quote it. I did really love that entire European segment. <br /><br /><i>What bugged me about the Cee-Lo Green sketch is that he's so parodyable and Kenan Thompson is physically the perfect match to send him up. </i><br /><br />You're right on both counts (I like Keenan on the show, but his impressions are just so weak), and it really was a missed opportunity to do something hilarious with Cee-Lo. <br /><br /><i>the fact that all of the comics' routines are intentionally thuddingly awful is self-sabotage.</i><br /><br />What makes it work for me is that I have little-to-no tolerance for the stand-up acts that bit is parodying (which seemingly constitute 98% of all stand-up comedy these days), from Dane Cook (who Charlie Day's "Jack Knifed" character was clearly mocking) to Carlos Mencia to the interminable Larry the Cable Guy. All of their schticks are just as thuddingly awful as what the sketch put forth, so the sketch slips into that "funny cuz it's (sadly) true" realm for me. <br /><br />That said, the randomness of Adam 'Hawk Attack' Levin elicited the biggest laugh of the sketch from me. <br /><br /><i>...also why the last commercial break before the goodbye varies in length.</i><br /><br />I'm not exactly sure why (maybe because it's so atypical for TV) but I remain endlessly fascinated by stuff like that, the nuts and bolts of how a show like <i>SNL</i> is put together/performed.Austin Gortonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14281239771248780430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-81421279974315646282011-11-20T21:52:43.289-06:002011-11-20T21:52:43.289-06:00Teebore: Only the Dr. Oz and Cee-Lo Green sketches...<br> Teebore: <i>Only the Dr. Oz and Cee-Lo Green sketches fell flat</i><br /><br />What bugged me about the Cee-Lo Green sketch is that he's <i>so</i> parodyable and Kenan Thompson is physically the perfect match to send him up. Thompson seems like a nice guy, but his impression skills are close to nil; it was a real missed opportunity.<br /><br />I thought about you (and my other Greek-myth-loving, <i>SNL</i>-watching friends) during the Olympus sketch, which I found a really funny premise with decent in-sketch springboards that still didn't quite realize its potential. As for the latest "Kings of Catchphrase Comedy" bit, I'm sorry to disagree, but I stand by my notes of it being "totally devoid of humor except for the five laugh-out-loud seconds of Adam 'Hawk Attack' Levine"; it's a fine idea, giving everyone something to do not unlike the quick-round impressions called for in the "screen test" or "holiday album" skits, but the fact that all of the comics' routines are intentionally thuddingly awful is self-sabotage.<br /><br />Teebore: <i>That Lil'Poundcakes commercial randomly showed up at the end of the episode; I wonder if a sketch got cut at the last minute, or if there were timing issues with the show?</i><br /><br />From what I've read either (or both) of the latter is the likely answer. One reason why they do a full dress rehearsal <i>with</i> audience earlier on Saturday evening, apart from just working out any last-minute bugs, is to gauge the timing of the show complete with laugh breaks; it's not a foolproof system, though, which is why there's often a repeat commercial jammed in at the end, or by contrast an outside-the-box concept sketch that could've easily been cut, and also why the last commercial break before the goodbye varies in length.<br /><br>Blamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07342343767763035991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-49881346273243323302011-11-20T21:50:16.002-06:002011-11-20T21:50:16.002-06:00Teebore: No time! No time!
I know how you feel. I...<br>Teebore: <i>No time! No time!</i><br /><br />I know how you feel. I've been taking notes on shows that you're likely to write up for weeks now, and even half-read some <i>Last Week in TV</i> posts that I could <i>only</i> half-read because of how far behind in my viewing I am — but I haven't actually commented in too long. And I'm still trying to keep up with Nikki's <i>Buffy</i> Rewatch, too; I'm so glad that first-run TV will take a break after Thanksgiving, so that I can catch up when family leaves town.<br /><br />Teebore: <i>"It’s November 6th. How come we’re not airing a Halloween show?"</i><br /><br />That <i>is</i> funny. I get it, and as we've established I don't even watch <i>The Simpsons</i>.<br /><br />In fact, the only shows you blogged on this week that I watched (just to balance out Anne 'n' Sarah) were <i>HIMYM</i> and <i>SNL</i>, and I didn't jot anything down for the former at all.<br /><br />My favorite part of <i>SNL</i> by far was "A Closer Look at Europe" on <i>Update</i>. I actually paused and transcribed both the "college campus" line you referenced and the hilarious "Seventeen countries and it has to be unanimous! I can't get three friends to agree on a <i>restaurant</i>. Can you imagine how hard it would be if none of us spoke the same language and our grandparents killed each other in World War II?"<br /><br>Blamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07342343767763035991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-11445990795365718952011-11-16T12:07:59.743-06:002011-11-16T12:07:59.743-06:00@Anne: didn't they reference the pedophile Dif...@Anne: <i>didn't they reference the pedophile Diff'rent Strokes episode?</i><br /><br />They did. I totally should have mentioned that; I really enjoyed all the <i>Diff'rent Strokes</i> references in the episode. <br /><br /><i>we were just frustrated because we really liked all the bubble chefs and they really got the shaft. </i><br /><br />I liked some of them too, but I wonder how much of that was genuine appeal and how much was the fact that they were the only chefs, so far, that we'd spent any time getting to know, just by virtue of the episode's structure. <br /><br />@Sarah: <i>Because by the time the second episode aired, i was pretty much done with all the beginning elimination crud and just wanted to get to the usual show</i><br /><br />Ditto. <br /><br /><i>Just like i like it when brian acts like a dog, i also like it when stewie acts like a baby.</i><br /><br />Ditto ditto. <br /><br /><i>Also, in that episode, i enjoyed Stewie's raged proclomation that he should be on Glee.</i><br /><br />Yeah, the whole "Stewie singing in the car, waiting for the song to end" bit was pretty funny. I tend to enjoy Stewie's random little obsessions like that.Austin Gortonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14281239771248780430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-89907380792470553552011-11-15T13:31:35.729-06:002011-11-15T13:31:35.729-06:00what anne said.
I really think Bravo just should h...what anne said.<br />I really think Bravo just should have bit the bullet and made a 2 hour premier episode of top chef. Because by the time the second episode aired, i was pretty much done with all the beginning elimination crud and just wanted to get to the usual show. Well as usual as it can be considering it sounds like they'll be travelling around texas and junk.<br /><br />Roger's creepy muscular legs bothered me. <br /><br />I also liked when stewie started crying hysterically when Brian told him that he'd have to tell lois and peter about the crashed car. Just like i like it when brian acts like a dog, i also like it when stewie acts like a baby.<br />Also, in that episode, i enjoyed Stewie's raged proclomation that he should be on Glee.Sarah Ahiershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02795455714801965956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-77303479673847618722011-11-15T12:50:08.001-06:002011-11-15T12:50:08.001-06:00i still can't get over that it was Ryan Reynol...i still can't get over that it was Ryan Reynolds doing his own voice- i mean, i knew it going itno it, and yet it still just didn't sound anything like him (from what i've come to expect he sounds like).<br /><br />i do love a good Brian/Stewie pair up, and especially love time travel, so i appreciated that episode (although i was baking or something so was a little distracted and missed a few bits)<br /><br />I can't believe i didn't see it coming when Roger stole Ricky's shirt- i just assumed he would play the shallow card.<br />I like the principal so enjoyed that plot- didn't they reference the pedophile Diff'rent Strokes episode? That's the 2nd time Seth Macfarlane has referenced it- so then i had to go wikipedia Diff'rent Strokes and now i know entirely too much about it.<br /><br />Top Chef- we were just frustrated because we really liked all the bubble chefs and they really got the shaft. And we really wanted short-haired lesbian to go on, but could see from a mile away that they were going to give it to tenderloin girl. Also- once we figured out cruise ship was from MN we wanted to see more of her. plus that french guy, and the bald guy. See? we liked everyone in the bubble<br />We just found out that pretty much no one in our ACTUAL cooking club watches Top Chef. wtf is wrong with all of them?Anne Ahiershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04695186823472404436noreply@blogger.com