Wednesday, December 31, 2008

I'm Rather Alarmed (And Nine Feet Tall?)

All right. This is a pretty disturbing trend that seems to have cropped up. Now, I love the Golden Globes- by far the must entertaining awards show of the year. And I love many of the nominated actors and whatnot. But now it seems that almost all of this year's nominees felt the urge to release a statement to the media saying how thrilled they are by the statement was was released with their nomination. Mind-boggling. It just goes to show that even the most fantastic actors (hello, Dustin!) can be rather...uninspired...writers. There are precisely TWO amusing statements in the whole list, made by the most Vicodin-y and most horrible of the lot. Anyway, here's the list. (from EW):

Kevin Connolly, Entourage
Nominated for: Best Performance By an Actor in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy

"When my phone started ringing this morning, my instinct was that something was wrong because I've never picked up the phone to good news at 5:30 a.m. I could feel the excitement in the voices on the machine so I was unsure what was going on. I called my mom who started to cry, she's so excited, I can't wait to bring her as my date. This is an incredible honor, I am thrilled. Thank you so much HFPA, this means the world to me."

Dustin Hoffman, Last Chance Harvey
Nominated for: Best Performance By an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy
"It is so exciting to be nominated, but working with Emma was reward enough. Don't get me wrong, I still want to win!"

Neil Patrick Harris, How I Met Your Mother
Nominated for: Best Performance By An Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series, or Motion Picture Made for Television

"I'm delighted and honored by this nomination. It takes some of the sting out of being blatantly overlooked by the Obama transition team."

Shirley MacLaine, Coco Chanel
Nominated for: Best Performance By an Actress in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

"I am really thrilled! I guess I should dress up more. Maybe Chanel could do a couture line for seniors?"

Sally Hawkins, Happy-Go-Lucky
Nominated for: Best Performance By An Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy

"Wow, wow, wow -- what a surprise, I cannot describe how I feel, so appreciative of it all and so very pleased!! Such an honor to be in the same category as Meryl Streep and Emma Thompson. They are great, iconic women that I've watched for years -- they have definitely inspired and influenced me in my decision to pursue acting. So proud to be in this film and having the chance again to work with Mike Leigh. These past couple of days have been a whirlwind but I am feeling quite lucky and blessed at the moment."

Hugh Laurie, House
Nominated for: Best Performance By an Actor in a Television Series - Drama
"I am thrilled. Nine feet tall and thrilled."

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Engrish

As opposed to public bench legs. These are for your enjoyment only. Although, as we all know, the legs are not necessary...


FLAIDING! Wow! That is an epic word. I think it's right up there with 'smorking'. On a side note- this just came to me- how do you treat a bathtub to make it safer? Is it something you spray on?

You always have to watch out for the possibility of getting up and allergie, you know? "How were your allergies this week?" "Very bad, Dr. Drapken, I kept getting up and allergying"... And what is this oyster constitution? Hm.

Sunday, December 28, 2008

Split Personality

I don't know why the video ends so suddenly, but I wish it didn't- I want to hear more about Welsh Nathaniel! Ahahaha...

You Could Do So Much Better Than This...

The titles of Keane songs really fit as a descriptors for just about anything, no? But here's a House/Cuddy/Wilson fan video someone made to the Roxanne Tango from Moulin Rouge!. I would have chosen different clips, personally...but it's way better than the House/Cameron video I found to the same song. Still, it's a solid video, all in all, and I love this song so much it hurts, so...enjoy. And don't cry. For me. Argentina.

Boo to BBC

Well, BBC has been kind enough to disable embedding of videos from their Youtube channel. Gee, thanks, guys! That's really the right way to encourage people to watch your old television series that nobody used to watch until Hugh Laurie did House and now we want to watch and Youtube is the only way and did I mention I HATE THOSE PEOPLE? Anyway. Since I can't embed, here's the link...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8chs2ncYIw

And by the way, I have no idea why they labeled it as a Dylan impersonation. I hate Dylan, but trust me, Dylan was NOT the target of this clip. Fry and Laurie themselves probably have no idea why it's labeled as a Dylan impersonation...

Prank Calls and Unfairness

Slow Engrish and news and whatnot day, so I dredged up some random stuff...

Okay. I admit. Each time they aired Idol Gives Back, I had a mental image of all the contestants just chatting with each other the whole time. Or, you know, doing this. Now I have to add Mekhi Phifer to my ever-growing list of "people I can't take seriously through no fault of their own". THANKS. Jeez.



Also, HOW DOES HE DO THAT FINGER THING??? I've tested this, and have come to the conclusion that my fourth finger cannot separate that far from my fifth finger by itself. It just CAN'T. AND I'VE BEEN PLAYING PIANO FOR 11.5 YEARS! Not bloody fair.

STOP...THINKING...NOOOOOoooo!

Some pretty seriously hilarious Engrish for y'all...

Ok, to be perfectly clear, we've seen amused House, along with stoned House, angry House, drunk House, and very often high-on-Vicodin House, and it was NOTHING LIKE THIS.


In case you want to cover your skillet with nail polish? Or is it a mani complete with those paper bags they use to treat hyperventilation during a panic attack? Ok, that was lame. Sorry.


I...I don't even know...wow. I have a sudden urge to run outside and scream "NORTH AND SOUTH FREEEEEEEDOM PASSAAAAAAAGE!" at the top of my lungs. I think the capitalization has something to do with it.

Saturday, December 27, 2008

Another Christmas MUSIC VIDEO!

Why was this only released in the Phillipines? WHY? I thought I was sick of Christmas music COMPLETELY but...yeah, I'm still sick of it, but this would be the exception. Especially with this very nice, if not particularly creative, video:

And LAAAAAAAvender's the Shade!

EDIT 1: OMG, ADAM SHANKMAN MADE THIS! I DIDN'T KNOW THAT! He's absolutely my favorite judge from SYTYCD. Absolutely.

EDIT 2: Apparently, the lady playing one of the Prop-8-ers is Kathy Najimy...or, wife of Dan Finnerty...OF THE DAN BAND! And NPH was in the Dan Band's holiday music video (along with Michael!). Ah, what a small, small world.

Well. Pooey. This came out a week after the election, and I watched the first 30 seconds, yawned, and ignored it.

Little did I know that I was missing out on JACK BLACK AS JESUS and NPH IN YET ANOTHER KICKY MUSICAL NUMBER. Not earth-shatteringly funny otherwise, but it really does do a nice job of summing up the whole Prop 8 issue. Also, it has John. C. Reilly and that strange SNL lady. Enjoy.

Thursday, December 25, 2008

The Rest of Dr. Horrible (#4, #5, #6)

And here is the rest! This contains my ABSOLUTELY fav. song- and the smirk:


EDIT: Oh, jeez, forgive the total fail. Yesterday, I accidentally posted Act 2 Part 2 TWICE, instead of the finale. Sorry for the anticlimactic finish. It's all fixed now. I must have been to distraught after re-watching the finale...*blubbers*

This is Act 3 Part 1- which suddenly turns a little dark and Sweeney Todd-y...and the line "it's not enough to bash in heads, you've got to bash in minds" is pretty brilliant.



And now, ladies and gentlemen, start...your...tear ducts! POOR BILLY!


Am I alone in totally seeing the Moulin Rouge *connections* here? Only...Christian didn't become the supreme villain, second only to Bad Horse, the thoroughbred of sin. Hm.

I love the slightly strange ending- how at "I don't feel a thing" it flashes to a shot of Billy in his normal clothes...very dramatic. Again, POOR BILLY!

For those insufferable, evil people...

...who also happen to be the bane of humanity and actually don't want to watch the rest of Dr. Horrible, (yes, they're out there, beware...), here's the best song of the whole thing, in my opinion. Also. the source of The Slowly Curling Evil Smirk and the Difficult Hand Motion, at 0:09 and 0:40, respectively.

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Dr. Horrible Act 2 Part 1, or #3

Even though some people...or...you know...1/3 of my readership (one person)...weren't liking the Horribleness, here's the beginning of Act 2:



"Smother an old lady...?"
"Do I even know you?"
:D

I believe that Act 2 Part 2 has the song "Brand New Day", which is awesome beyond belief, if only for the slowly curling evil smile. I re-watched that smile like twenty times in a row.

Some Engrish

Merry Christmas, beeboll! Time for some more misguided translations and the occasional fail...

To car? Is this a verb?


The exact House quote eludes me, but it's something like, "Oh yeah, we'll give her REAL medicine this time..."


BUMP! But ON TOP OF WHAT?!


A very Christmas-y one...

My SYTYCD Montage

This was an experiment to figure out if Adobe Premiere could do cool things. Conclusion: IT CAN!

And so, without further ado, I present my very own, home-made video. Much like Dr. Horrible, it gets considerably better towards the end...when I figured out the whole nifty "split clip" button:

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Dr. Horrible Act 1 Part 2, or #2

Ahahaha. This is where it gets really funny. Aw, poor Dr. Horrible/Billy...at least he got his Wonderflownium.

I love how they RANDOMLY burst into short bits of song. And from about the end of this to Act 3, Dr./Billy starts getting very jealous, VERY Ewan McGregor-style...(that is, musically).

Monday, December 22, 2008

Dr. Horrible, Act 1, Part 1

Since we're kind of on a musical kick...maybe...or not...I thought I would post this. It's an online series distributed for FREE, starring Neil Patrick Harris (Doogie Howser, for anyone who cares, like...Mom...) and other people. It's called Dr. Horrible's Sing-along Blog, and it's very random but funny. See? This is how a zany, spontaneous musical should be done.

The first parts aren't really funny, but bear with me, because the next installments- which I'll post later- get considerably funnier. Here's Act 1, Part 1...



Also, didn't you think for just a split second that it was Gordon Ramsay in that lab coat?

And for his laundromat dilemma...well, he should take some advice from Harry: hop onto the washer and warble a greeting, then take a gulp of bleach. Works every time.

EDIT: AHA! I figured it out, with a little help from my friends...or...IMDB...the girl? Recognize her? She was on House in ep. 2 of this season. The one where all these people who got body parts from the same organ donor get sick and die. She was the one who had the hallucination that House came in and tried to chop her head off. They used that moment A LOT in the previews, which is why her face seemed so familiar. I feel smart.

Saturday, December 20, 2008

Radio Interview

Fantastic radio interview with a certain Michael Johns...it comes up as a pop-up, so you might need to disable your blocker...
http://www.streamaudio.com/Player/?station=wsb_fm

Sportin' Harry

Okay, first of all, a note to those who have seen Gershwin's Porgy and Bess...okay, a note to my mom specifically: remember when the drug dealer Sportin' Life appeared and I said "OMG MUST POST A VIDEO ON BLOG IS RELATED EEEEEEE!" ? Well, this is that video.

To everyone: This is a dream sequence from S.2 of 3rd Rock, specifically, Harry's dream sequence...

Bang On...or...not.

Watch out, He Of the Red-Haired Head-Banging! The Aussies have advice for you:

Headbangers told: Wear a neck brace or risk serious injury

12/18/2008 3:00 PM, Yahoo! Music
courtesy of NME.com


Medical experts in Australia have warned that headbanging is likely to be behind a silent epidemic of head- and neck-related injuries.

Dr. Andrew McIntosh, biomedical and injury expert at the University Of New South Wales, carried out research into headbanging, and published his findings in the British Medical Journal.

McIntosh issued a stark warning to music fans who headbang.

"We identified a definite risk of mild traumatic brain injury from headbanging," he said. "We would suggest a proper public health warning, as for smoking."

The report calls for fans to wear neck braces when headbanging in order to protect themselves from injury. McIntosh also recommended listening to less intense music, reports The Herald.

"Perhaps AC/DC should play something more appropriate, such as 'Moon River,'" he joked.

Friday, December 19, 2008

A Touch of Engrish

I wasn't planning on posting any engrish today, but this was too good...


All together now: "It doesn't have to throb..."

Monday, December 15, 2008

Michael Interview!

Ooh. A nice, scoop-laden interview from Atlanta with a gentleman named Rodney Ho. Ouch.



Also: the hat. must. be. burned. now. the. voices. tell. me. so. Although I rather like the blue polo.

All I Know is I Have a Thing In My Head

A fun little 1997-ish interview with French Stewart, by EW. I can believe the bruises part; that thing where he was working out with the resistance bands and hit his head on the TV made an awfully loud thunk:

Validation has come in strange packages for 3rd Rock From the Sun star French Stewart, but on the streets of New York this October, it darn near killed him.

''I'm walking along and this huge workman is standing there in a hard hat, tool belt, and dirty boots,'' says the 32-year-old Albuquerque, N.M., native, readying a blunt Brooklyn accent. ''He looks over at me and says, 'Hey! It's f — — — in' Harry! What are ya, kiddin' me?! Co'mere!' Then he squeezes me — nearly crushes me — and invites me home so his wife can cook for me. I thought, If this guy can love me, I'm going to be okay.''

Stewart's meteoric rise as Harry — the hyper-kooky alien with more loose screws than a Sears tool department —is quite a charmed tale, considering the 12 years of prologue: donning a Yogi Bear suit at trucking conventions; performing safety-themed puppet shows at kids' parties; getting rejected for a sitcom starring a talking goat. ''I was working harder than anybody but getting nowhere,'' he says. ''You start thinking, Should somebody be having a talk with me?''

Thank a higher cosmic force for the arrival of 3rd Rock, which embraced Stewart's salty-eyed squinting (''a bad acting habit that just got out of control'') and loopy physical shtick. (''He's like liquid,'' coos costar Kristen Johnston. ''No bones.'') The key word is simplicity: ''Stumble into a room, say something stupid, hurt yourself, get the hell out,'' chuckles Stewart. ''It's amazing how much mileage you can get out of a character who has only a brain stem.'' Judging from the gashes and bruises he sports after filming, we're talking major commitment. ''French is willing to die for his art,'' notes Johnston.

A frying pan to the face may not be the dream of every American Academy of Dramatic Arts graduate, but this former Shakespearean actor is downright giddy. ''I never thought of myself as an actor of amazing depth,'' says Stewart, who'll play Happy in the film McHale's Navy, due out in January. ''I have a certain talent, and now I've found a place for that, so I'm going to ride it into the ground.''

It Looks Like a Burst Appendix. Don't Let the Saline Count Fool You: That Man is a Diabetic

Hee. I love that quote. Anyway. Just a mild little funny:

Friday, December 12, 2008

Please? It'll Look Great On My Resume!

Today I'm exhausted and in a hurry, so I decided to post something that speaks for itself.



Er, dazzling. The sad thing is that I've seen this movie, but only realized it about halfway through the trailer.

Sunday, December 7, 2008

EXCITEMENT.

I AM EXCITED FOR THIS MOVIE. It's actually coming out around early January, not fall 2008. That is all. Oh, and I also think I might read the book, too.

Oy Vay

So as far as I understand it...(watch the video BEFORE scrolling down, or else the surprise will be spoiled...)











French Stewart has dedicated his post-3rd Rock career to playing villains who get beat up by little twerps in straight-to-video children's movies. This particular instance is from the cinematic gem "Dog Gone" (2008). There are good career moves, and then there are bad career moves, and then there are career moves that Harry would have considered stupid. Our only quantum of solace here, so to speak, is that this little twerp isn't quite as twerpy as the Home Alone 4 twerp. And he's trying to find his dog. Well. You can't blame Harry for trying to steal his pooch, considering how Harry is with dogs...

Then My Work Here Is Done.

Alright! Even better than bringing mankind the gift of electricity: it's funny-picture time again!

I feel rather conflicted.

And this is even MORE confusing!


Um...sure! Whatever you say!



OH NO! The tortoises are coming!

Saturday, December 6, 2008

How I Named This Blog, or, PREPARE TO BE DAZZLED

Today I had a discussion with a certain person whose name begins with K and ends with E about the name of this blog. I mentioned that I'd considered just naming it Associate World or ASSOCIATEd World to highlight the ASSOCIATE reference, but had decided on Associated World because it was a relatively normal title.

But there's also a little wordplay involved that I didn't quite realize until now. A lot of our inside jokes are really based on, well, ASSOCIATIONS. For example, Crusteh Bob alone wouldn't give much material for jokes. But when you incorporate 88 Minutes, you get "Tick Tock Doc" and Al Pacino, and then you get a photo of Al Pacino and Robert DeNiro together and suddenly Phillip Glass is mixed up in it all and you get this:

So much joy! And all because of ASSOCIATIONS. So there. My blog name is justified!

And now, enjoy this cute song and music video from Fountains of Wayne:



Yes, that IS the band we randomly saw playing in the middle of Evanston in October. Yes, this song DOES grow on you eventually.

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Never Tear Us Apart

You remember that amazing Telethon performance, where Michael sang 'Never Tear Us Apart' by INXS and everyone went to ventricular fibrillation and stuff? Well, he sang it again at a UNIFEM Benefit on Tuesday, and, dare I say it, it was even better. Unfortunately, he chose to repeat the stupid hat, too. WHY?! Also: he sang another song, called "Into Temptation", by a band called Crowded House. Yeah. Crowded. HOUSE. Beeboll. I think he's just messing with our minds now.

Yes, It Certainly Is.

I love the Internet. No, seriously. Also, I love Jon Stewart, and I love French Stewart (which is actually his name, even though I thought it was a joke at first). Also, this is practically ancient- it's from 1999. Pre-historic stuff. And without further ado, I present to you: THE TWO STEWARTS.

Monday, December 1, 2008

Super-Spy Challenge Answer!

Exciting, I know. This was a very "AAAH!" "Just Baldrick, spring cleaning..." moment for me. And I have the screencaps to prove it!

First, we had this priceless shot:


Inspired, no? Then this popped out of the box, so to speak:

And then there was Harry. Mainly I'm very proud of myself for catching this by going very sloooooowly with the stop/start button and freezing every 1/5 of a second, because if it had been an obvious part of the trailer it just wouldn't have been as thrilling.

Super-Spy Challenge

Well, golly. I was just readin' some stuff on good ole IMDB, and I clicked on a trailer for a movie, fully knowing that somebody whose name seemed, uh, familiar would be in the trailer. And I found them, gosh darn it...or so I thought. Then I watched the thing frame-by-frame (it's very jumpy), and I realized that I hadn't actually found them the first time around. So no more clues, and let's play SPOT THE RANDOM PERSON! Warning: this is pretty bloody and salacious and disturbing, so I'm not too sure about the movie itself...



If you're completely stumped, some clues:

1) Yep, the studio is called Hannibal. Nope, that's not the point.
2) Look around 0:37
3) Yep, I thought that was the person you probably thought it was too. It's not. Now go back to 0:35 and literally go frame-by-frame (by double-clicking the play/pause button). See it yet?
4) It's not one of the people listed in the credits. That would be kind of, you know, easy.

I'll post the answer + a screencap tomorrow, maybe, if anyone bothers to care, myself included. It's pretty exciting, though.

Best of Best of Harry

Now that I've finished the arduous search for the best 'Best of Harry' video on Youtube, ENJOY!