Pending funny: South Park tackles election on Wednesday

November 4, 2008 5:29 pm

Wednesday's episode of South Park is likely to be a timely address of the election which is playing off today. It looks like they are going to play a game of, "Who's president-elect" between McCain and Obama. If it's anything like the episodes "Douche and Turd" and "Best Friends Forever," which were produced very quickly in the wake of the 2004 election and the Terri Schiavo controversy respectively, the episode could be a surprising example of the quickness of modern animation production. Do you remember the episode "Christmas in Canada" where the makers of South Park produced a Saddam Hussein-themed episode just days after he was captured in Iraq?

Let's see if Matt and Trey are up to it again.

Making Fiends is back! Long live Making Fiends!

October 5, 2008 11:50 am

Does anyone remember Making Fiends? Did anyone ever watch Making Fiends? Making Fiends was a glorious Web cartoon that ran from 2003 to 2006 about the vicious Vendetta, her cavalcade of fiends and the innocent Charlotte, who just wants to be Vendetta's friend. Well, that cartoon ended unceremoniously with the cast of characters drifting out onto an uncertain sea. Well, two years later, we finally see where they ended up!

Making Fiends creator Amy Winfrey, responsible for equally enjoyable creations Muffin Films and Big Bunny, sold her fiends to Nickelodeon, which has invested in Winfrey's idea and transformed her cartoon into a brand new Nicktoon. I guess this means Vendetta could be the next SpongeBob, but who knows.

Winfrey says you can get schedule information here. She also alludes unconvincingly to the possibility that the new cartoons will begin becoming available online on Oct. 10. Here's hoping that's true (and also that they become available on iTunes, because I'd totally be game for a season pass!)

Here's the new intro. For you fiendish virgins, check it out, it's very cool.

SNL: Art imitating life?

September 29, 2008 10:48 pm

By now everyone has heard about the Tina Fey impressions of Sarah Palin. I mean, it was a match made in comedic heaven. Surely you've seen this week's offering:

But what about the actual interview? Especially some of Palin's scatterbrained answers:

Wow. I mean, her answer on Russia's proximity to Alaska was bad enough. Wow, maybe this bird will fly.

Still Golden

April 24, 2007 7:29 pm

golden.jpgIt might be described as a mistake, maybe, but for the past year (and more) I have been going about the arduous task of watching the entire "Golden Girls" series on DVD. One might ask, "Why?" and I might need to remind one that I don't have cable so its difficult to take a walk down memory lane by clicking through the dial to Lifetime. After finishing "Sex and the City" so long ago, I decided to jump to the antecedent and get a glimpse of television history. Oh boy, did I get that in more.

Watching a sitcom on DVD, at least at first, can be very difficult. A half hour is not very much time, but a nine half hours of repetitive television writing, especially in those early seasons, can really suck the fun out of the better part of three hours (though episodes of "The Golden Girls" are very enjoyable to throw back on a lunch break). It's been quite a trip, but I finally made it through all 180 episodes.

If I could give my opinion on the series, I would say that it is most certainly excellent. There are so many episodes that are worth watching. Some that are just hilarious. Some that are very obviously ahead of their time. Some that are surprisingly current and touching. My all time favorite I think would be the one where Dorothy and Sophia dress as Sonny and Cher and sing "I've Got You Babe." Fabulous. I wish I could find a clip.

The series really hit its stride in seasons 3 and 4. You could really see it try a resurgence in season 6. I really thought that Dorothy and Stan were going to get back together. Having Leslie Nielsen come swoop up Bea Arthur without a fight was pretty weak. It would have been nice to see Stan and Dorothy get back together, but I guess some things are not meant to be. By season 7, the series was truly done, and I'm glad it bowed when it did. Hopefully I'll have an opportunity to see "The Golden Palace" because its always great to see an old friend.

For now, for better or worse, Dorothy, Blanche, Rose and Sophia are still with us. Bea Arthur has completed a one-woman show on Broadway. Rue McClanahan has finally written the book she was meant to pen, "My First Five Husbands ... And the Ones Who Got Away" (It's available this month, go get it! She's led an amazing life). Betty White has lived a long and lovely life and now works tirelessly for animals, her lifelong passion. And sadly, our champion Estelle Getty lives out of the public eye, suffering from a debilitating disease, but still committed to raising money for AIDS research and living each day to the fullest.

It was a pleasure exploring the work of these fine women. So, I find myself at an interesting juncture: What next? From "Sex and the City" to "The Golden Girls," I may take a brief stop with the serials "Dead Like Me" and "Entourage" before moving on to "Six Feet Under." I want a reason not to go there, but I haven't found one. So, hopefully the next one won't take me all year to finish.

For fun, a clip of Estelle Getty, Betty White and Rue McClanahan:

Loading

Television

Since 2005, I haven't regularly watched television. It has been one of the best decisions I ever made for myself. Despite that, I can't escape popular culture transmitted over-the-air and into our living rooms.

Follow me

Beta period

Thanks for visiting my new blog! I'm just ramping things up here. So far, there's a lot of archive content from my previous blogs. Eventually, I want to put some cool dynamic stuff here, but I will need a few months to collect some fresh content. Enjoy reading what I have here and thanks for stopping by!