[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYwsaspQ29c] [Via]
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[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxLK2etT5fM] This is a clever twist that pokes at society's perception or expectations of Asians in this country. Although at the same time it depresses me that an Asian American speaking without an accent is a big "gotcha moment" for a TV show...as we're nearing the end of the first decade of the 21st century. What are the wacky TV writers gonna show America next? Asian American dudes droppin' science with the ladies?
Pop quiz boys, girls, and everyone in between. Anything I watch on television is a) brilliant, b) noteworthy, c) destined to be renewed for another season, or d) all of the above. These are three shows I'm currently watching and tivo'ing (okay, not actually Tivo® but Time Warner's knockoff version) and if you haven't added these to your must-watch list, then rectify that omission and watch them ASAP!
1. Flight of the Conchords (HBO): When parents of multiple kids are asked which is they're favorite, they'll hem and haw but deep in their hearts, there's one child they favor in particular. That's the way I feel about this list. If I had to choose, Flight of the Conchords is currently my favorite show on the boob tube. I can't think of a show like it currently or ever, for that matter. Loosely, it features two New Zealanders, Bret and Jermaine (often hysterically confused on the show by other characters for Europeans or Australians) attempting to make it in New York City as broke musicians, who are also best friends, roommates sharing a tiny studio in Chinatown, and occasional rivals and mutual wingmen for girls. There is some episodic continuity, but the show's par excellence occurs when dramatic moments in the show convert into stylized music videos that perfectly mimics various genres. On the surface, the jokes are hilarious and perfectly timed--clearly Bret and Jermaine have a brilliant rapport--and the supporting cast especially Mel (the band's sole fan/groupie whose desire for a threesome with the band isn't too undisguised) and Dave (the owner of a pawn shop, 'nuff said) is memorable. However what really makes the show compelling for me is its ability--beneath the jokes--to tap in my nerdy and er, romantic tendencies.
2. Human Weapons (HIST). Two white dudes--one is a former NFL player/wrestler and the other a mixed martial arts fighter--travel all over the world, Phillipines, Japan, Thailand, and such, to learn the country's indigenous martial art and in the end of each episode, one of the two is picked to fight a local. The part of each epsiode that I especially enjoy is when they cut to a compute graphic that demonstrates using physics why a certain attack, a punch, kick or offensive block, is effective: e.g., a particular blow is equivalent to getting hit in the head by a hammer. Ouch.
3. Dogfights (HIST). Using computer graphics reminiscent of video games, this show recounts famous air battles--with explanations of tactics (vectors!)--and it's freakin' awesome!
I'm obsessed with the groundbreaking Discovery Channel series "Planet Earth." What makes this nature show particularly fresh is the innovating and inventive cameras they utilized to capture really amazing videos of the wild. While watching it this past Sunday, I kept a short running diary of my thoughts on what I was seeing (it's all a bit out of context in retrospect here):
Gazelles are motherfucking fast.
Go penguin, go! Run goddammit!!
How the hell do they do the spanning time lapse camera work?
OUR PLANET IS pretty magical and breathtaking and yet, still very alien.
The Arctic Fox is so freakin' cute, I want to toss it into a deep fryer. But how does the fox find the eggs it hides in the ground later?
Damn the music! It sometimes make me tear up a little. JUST a little.
(I feel like I've blogged this before, but shit, I don't remember...It's still pretty hilarious so here it is again for recent visitors.) The title should be pretty self-explanatory. I don't mean to mock this woman who I'm sure is a lovely lady, but the resemblance is very uncanny.
We already know that Bill O'Reilly is a blustering, xenophobic douchebag whose allegiance to hate and bigotry is only second to his TV ratings and rubbing women with loofas. And while he explicitly explicates the "modus operandi" of Carribbean vacations, we know that his modus operandi on his show is to invite a "guest" and then cuts them off while yelling at them and calling them enemies of the State. As much as I dislike Geraldo and as much as I dislike listening to two 'pundits' screaming at one another, it's still good to see someone stand their ground against a bully on his own turf, even if it is another bully such as Geraldo.
My ears are still kind of bleeding from listening to these two, and I'm sure yours is as well, so I'm going to let the sweet, sweet voice of Jon Bon Jovi and the aural medicine that is "I'll Be There" sooth you:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtzcOqv_P-4]
(Thanks Chloe!)
For the first time in my favorite game show, Jeopardy's history, the contestants all finished with identical scores for a three-way tie!
That is so gangsta. Who is Bonnie Parker?
Check out the video clip (I heart You Tube):
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZV9vuKfVO04]
I love Alex's response when he sees the final contestants score: 'AH-HA!'
Update: From Metafilter's usual bookish crowd discussion, some have theories on this result not being as randomly odds defying as it appears on surface.
"Doofus Magoo" writes: The guy in the lead was grinning like the cat who ate the canary while the answers of the other two were being revealed, so I think he was deliberately angling for a two- or three-way tie -- and why not? He had to know the other two had bet it all, and regardless of whether he ends up with $16,000 in a tie or $16,001 as the sole winner, he gets his money. By bidding the lower amount he gets to make one or two other people very happy at no cost to himself.
In fact, you could argue that he benefits from this strategy, as he gets to compete again against people that he may be confident he can beat.
"SeizeTheDay" continues: I agree with Doofus (I don't think I've ever said that before...it's just so odd). The guy is apparently a puzzle wiz and a computer science professor. He clearly knew what he was doing when he made that bet. There might be a three-fold argument: one, he was doing the other guys a really nice favor by tying instead of winning outright (since 2nd place gets $2500 and 3rd place gets $1000); two, he was ensuring that he knew who his competition would be for the next time (dude has now won over $60K; he's clearly not dumb); and three, his name and face will always be in the Jeopardy record books for being a part of the three way tie. Pretty ingenious.
Hi, everybody. I was interested to see what kind of reaction my wager would get; you all have not disappointed me. :-)
So why did I do it? I knew that there had never been a 3-way tie before in the history of the show. (OntarioQuizzer is right that a kid had asked if there had ever been a 3-way tie before. I honestly don't remember hearing that question; maybe it registered subconsciously.) I saw the possibility to make Jeopardy history, and I took it. I've never had a philosophical objection to tie games, although I understand the strategic reasons why you shouldn't bet to tie. Making history seemed like a very special reason to bet to tie. Plus it's not every day you get to give away $32,000.
A story: This was the last show taped that day. As my family and friends and I were standing outside the studio absorbing the moment, the schoolteacher who brought the kids that day came up to me and said he wanted to thank me for teaching his kids such a lesson in sportsmanship and generosity. Two of the kids were standing there agog looking at me. It's a moment I'll always treasure and one that wouldn't have happened if I bet that extra $1.
I emailed the YouTube link to a close friend--a friend who generally immediately appreciates the wacky and exceptional--earlier this morning and her response was very indifferent. Am I the only one here that appreciates this event?
This is why I love Conan O'Brian over all the other late night hosts, although my old fogie self as of late is finding his show's airing a bit past my bedtime. This is where you whisper, "That's because you're an old man. You're a burden now to our society. Shuffle away and just die." But thanks to the user generated, or rather user recorded content power of YouTube and the near instant gratification that it provides, I was able to view a segment from Thursday night's episode of Conan O'Brian that featured him (in a very special, that is in very especially disturbing costume) in an epic tennis match against tennis great Serena Williams...brought to you by the Nintendo Wii.
I won't spoil the outcome for you, but watching it and seeing just how fun these two were having with the Wii made me decide which to eventually choose between the Nintendo and the Xbox 360.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhGi0F3ms5w]
I don't think I would ever find myself using the words 'bad ass' and 'Phil Collins' in the same sentence, but then again I never thought I'd ever see [censored]. Check out this scene from the pilot episode of Miami Vice that proves once and for all that convertibles, blazers (cuffs rolled up natch) and Phil Collins do indeed go together like Bacardi and Cola. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Tnyp9tRXRo]
I think I just saw a reality TV first--a contestant in the first episode of the second season of Flavor of Love not only shit herself, but...actually shat on the floor. Amazing.
Winning American Idol really does make you famous--so famous that I'm sitting here, using up my precious brain cells and not-so-precious time to write about someone writing about seeing American Idol winner Taylor Hicks at Yankee Stadium:
As we settled in our seats and got over the fact that we paid $8.00 for a beer (for the mathematically inclined, that’s approximately a 1,039% mark-up over the national average price of a single beer in a six-pack) we noticed that there was a commotion going on to our left. We look over to see what’s going on and it seems there is a crowd gathering around a very old man sitting five seats away. Finally the crowd disperses and it’s none other than Taylor Hicks! And he’s there with Seth Green! (Ed. Note: It was not Seth Green, it was in fact Elliott Yamin, the third place finisher in “American Idol.” He was, however, the first place finisher in the “Eating Dippin’ Dots Out Of A Mini Helmet Bowl” race.)For anyone out there who is wondering what Taylor Hicks looks like close up, here is the best description I can give: old. I’m not kidding when I say that this man is lying about his age.
The man looked like he was 40-years-old after the magic of make-up, stylist, and soft-focus TV cameras. In real life he probably looks like this:
The summer season has historically been considered a lull for television. I can only watch So You Think You Can Dance and the umpteenth airing of Alien vs. Predator so many times. Well, I've discovered the antidote to all the banal summer programming: It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Despite the awkward title, this show--about four friends who run a bar owned by a character played by Danny DeVito--is freakin' hilarious. Each episode involves these guys (and one gal) getting into some sort of calamitous adventure. I highly recommend you check it out (watch a couple episodes for the characters and pace to soak in). You can see it on FX.