Tell a Vision: The Best Night of TV

What do you think the best night of television is? Monday? Tuesday? Maybe Wednesday? Well, you’d be wrong! The best night of television is hands down Thursday night. No other night of television beats Thursday in quality or quantity of shows. Don’t believe me? Well, then I’ll just have to go through show by show to convince you and by the time this blog entry is done I’ll have proven conclusively that Thursday night is the absolute best night of television.

Community (NBC) – (8:00 pm Thurs.): This is a new show, but it is quickly becoming a laugh riot. It centers on an eccentric, eclectic study group at Greendale Community College. My cool readers will know Ken Jeong from Pineapple Express and the Hangover and my really cool readers will know Chevy Chase from Saturday Night Live. However the real breakout star here is Danny Pudi as the socially inept pop-culture aficionado Abed Nadir. Abed is obsessed with pop-culture even more than I am. This obsession allows for the show to be self-referential even having Abed point out the show’s clichés and breaking the forth wall. Is Abed just crazy or does he really know that he’s in a TV show? Either way, he is in a TV show and it is hysterical.

Parks and Recreation (NBC) – (8:30 pm Thurs.): Parks and Rec is from the creators of the American Office so you know it’s good. The show centers around the Parks Department of the fictional town of Pawnee, Indiana and the members of its staff. It’s a very clever and incredibly accurate portrayal of municipal government. The show filmed in a mockumentary style, meaning the characters a treated like “real people” who are aware of the cameras and know they’re being filmed. In fact, many of the shows best jokes come from cut-aways to characters talking directly into camera like you would see in any one of today’s reality shows. The show has a surprising number of big name celebrities for a television series including Aubrey Plaza (Funny People), Rashida Jones (I Love You, Man) and Aziz Ansari (Funny People and I Love You, Man). If that’s not enough to convince you, the show stars former Saturday Night Live Weekend Update anchorwoman Amy Poehler and she is always good for a laugh.

The Office (NBC) – (9:00 pm Thurs.): This show IS the American Office so you know it’s good. If you have not yet scene the Office I recommend you rent the DVDs because the show is on its sixth season and there are so many hilarious episodes that would a shame for you to miss. So much has happened in the Scranton branch of the fictional company Dunder Mifflin since the show started, from the growing relationship between Jim and Pam to the antics of bumbling characters like Michael and Dwight to just showing us how ridiculous office politics are. This mockumentary style show based on the British show of the same name stars Steve Carell (The 40-Year-Old Virgin). This is one of the funniest shows on television and you do not want to miss it.

30 Rock (NBC) – (9:30 pm Thurs.): 30 Rock is the most critically acclaimed television series of our time. It won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series for every year it has been on TV so far. Between being produced by Lorne Michaels, starring famous Saturday Night Live hosts and cast-members like Tracy Morgan and Alec Baldwin, cameos by SNL alums and Creator/Star Tina Fey this is the closest you can get to SNL in primetime. The show takes place behind the scenes of a sketch comedy show that is filmed at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in New York (sounds like another sketch comedy show, doesn’t it). However the lives of the cast and crew are far more amusing than the show. Luckily their lives are what we get to watch on this outstanding program.

Important Things with Demetri Martin (The Comedy Network) – (10:00 pm Thurs.): If you haven’t heard of Demetri Martin you should go look up some of his stand up material. He is what we here at the Orange Rhyming Hour call a STAND-UP 2 WATCH (watch, watch). He possesses incredible wit and a hilarious dead pan. He uses ridiculous observations and wonderful wordplay to whip the audience into a frenzy. Every episode focuses on a different “important thing” (i.e. Safety, Coolness) and involves sketches, animations, songs and of course stand up that all relate back to the topic. Demetri is an incredible clever mind and remarkable wit. This show is worth watching this show just to watch his intelligent stand up and quick-witted one-liners.

There you go. Thursday is THE night for television. What other night has two and a half solid hours of quality programming? So next Thursday you better not be out with the kids or going to a party, you better be sitting in front of the TV and watching these shows which have be conclusively proven to be the best!

Moving Motion Pictures: My Most Anticipated of Summer 2010

It is officially Summer Movie Season! So I thought I’d treat you folks to the movies I am most looking forward to this summer. These films that I’m dying to see. It’s a countdown y’all! We’ll be starting at 6 and working our way to the movie I most want to see this summer. So, without further ado, let’s kick this into business!



5. Inception – (July 16th 2010): After Memento there was no question that Christopher Nolan was both a great writer and director, but with The Dark Knight he achieved the impossible. He got me, a Marvel Comics fan, to enjoy a DC Comics film. So, I was very excited when I heard about this film starring Leonardo DiCaprio which, according to the press release, is set “in a world where technology exists to enter the human mind through dream invasion”. Both Nolan and DiCaprio do great with this psychological stuff and I love it. Now, add to this equation Ellen Page the star of Juno (one of my absolute favorite films of all time) and this film is starting to look pretty dang good.



5. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World – (August 13th 2010): The poster claims that this will be “an epic of epic epicness” and the trailer looks it. It appears to be stylized film that is set-up like a comic book (with POW! and ZAP! appearing by peoples fists) or an old-school video game (with VS. Screens and K.O.’s). Luckily stylized is what British director Edgar Wright does best. I enjoy Edgar Wright’s work (Hot Fuzz, Shaun of the Dead) and am curious to see how he will do without the presence of his fellow Brits and constant collaborators Simon Pegg and Nick Frost (much like I’m curious to see those two star in Paul, an upcoming non-Wright directed film). Instead he will be working with some talented young North Americans like Michael Cera (Juno, Superbad) and Anna Kendrick (Up in the Air). Anyway you slice it, this film looks … epic.




4. Kick-Ass – (April 16th 2010): Now, I’ve already scene this movie, but I ranked it forth because hat's where I would have ranked it if I hadn’t. This movie originally interested me because of the involvement of Christopher Mintz-Plasse and Clark Duke and because it was based on a comic book by Mark Millar and John Romita Jr. (the best comic book writer and illustrator currently in the biz respectively). However, any expectations I had for the movie were not only exceeded, but were shot through the head killing two other expectations. This movie was so flippin' awesome! Kick-Ass seemed to be almost tailor-made for my movie tastes. It has a relatable protagonist (incredibly relatable for me as a teenager), a compelling story, laugh-out-load comedy and mind-blowing fight scenes. Most of those great fight scenes are thanks to eleven-year-old Chloe Moretz who plays the foul-mouthed assassin Hit-Girl and was the highlight of the film. I predict that this young lady has terrific acting career ahead of her, a career that I will be closely following. You don’t know “awesome” until you’ve seen a little girl take down about seventeen armed gangsters in a hallway. Kick-Ass is one movie that truly lives up to it’s name.



3. Toy Story 3 – (June 18th 2010): Who doesn’t like Pixar movies? Seriously, who? Tell me! I want to kick their face in! Pixar has as close to a spotless record as you can get in this business (completely spotless if you don’t count 2006’s Cars). There is not a single demographic that Pixar movies do not appeal to. You could watch a Pixar film with any one of your friends or any member of your family and have a great time. Sure, they’re cartoons, but they usually have more depth and more heart than most of the other movies released that year combined. It’s been 11 years since the last Toy Story feature film and a lot has changed (just compare the quality of animation). John Lasseter is now Principal Creative Advisor for Disney and will not be directing this 3D instalment of the franchize. Instead he will be a producer and Lee Unkrich will direct, but Toy Story is a classic. These are characters we all know and love. The audience already has an emotional attachment to Buzz and Woody and they’re ready to love this movie. The only question is: "Can lightening strike thrice?" With Pixar? I’m thinking: "Yes!" In fact, I bet this movie will win the Oscar for Best Animated Feature. Just a wild guess!



2. Iron Man 2 – (May 7th 2010): I was a huge Iron Man fan before the first movie came out. Back in the days when you would tell someone that Iron Man was your favorite superhero and they would reply “Who?” I was nervous and excited for Iron Man's first leap to the big screen and I was not disappointed. The film had everything a fan could have wanted: a story that stayed true to the source material, little references that only the fans would catch and perfect casting of the lead. Robert Downey Jr. had Tony Stark’s character down to a tee and that is what really made the film work for me. So, I’m pumped to revisit this wonderful movie universe. With additions such as Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow, Don Cheadle as War Machine and Mickey Rourke as Whiplash it’s sure to be a thrill ride. I’m stoked for the all AC/DC soundtrack (consult the chart for more info), but no matter what the reason I most want to see this film is to see Downey Jr. once again bring life to my hero Tony Stark.



1. MacGruber – (May 21st 2010): Since 2007 the critically-acclaimed sketch comedy program Saturday Night Live has been airing three-part, prerecorded MacGyver parodies entitled MacGruber starring Will Forte and funniest woman alive Kristen Wiig. These sketches have become a staple of the show and always end with the title character exploding, but when member of The Lonely Island and writer of the original sketches Jorma Taccone was approached about writing and directing a feature film based on the sketch he saw potential. The film looks hilarious and is sure to have appearances from various SNL alums, but the surprise move was casting Val Kilmer and Ryan Phillippe along with many other dramatic actors in the supporting roles. The film is an homage to 1980’s action movies, but it’s not a spoof. By casting all these “serious” actors it makes Will and Kristen’s characters even more ridiculous by comparison. The other surprise here is that the film is rated R. The previous SNL films have aimed for a PG-13 in order to keep most of their TV audience, but apparently Taccone has pulled no punches claiming that film boarders on an NC-17. Jorma Taccone is one of my biggest comedy influences and idols. So, I’ll see anything that he does, but this film has the potential to be the next Hot Rod and that is one big reason to get excited about *BOOM* MACGRUBER!

So, with all these fantastic looking motion pictures coming out, it looks like it will be good (albeit expensive) summer.

Stand-Ups 2 Watch: Bo Burnham

A sixteen-year-old kid in his bedroom singing about homophobia. A fairly average sight, at least by YouTube standards, right? But, what if I told you that kid now has a very successful stand-up career because of that video? Oh, you’d believe that too? Well, I was just asking! Gosh!

Bo Burnham is one of the smartest, most talented and most clever performers out there right now and he is only two years older than I am. He first made a name for himself on the internet when he was a year younger than me! I, like most people, found Burnham on the internet. He immediately found his way into my heart because he preformed musical comedy (consult the chart for more info). But, I soon realized that Bo was not a “musical comic”. He was a true stand-up who just happens to sing songs. His albums are live, while Weird Al’s are studio albums. No offence to the great Weird Al Yankovic, but this is the difference between a “musical comic” and a comedian who plays music. Burnham is the latter.

It has been fun to watch Bo Burnham’s act evolve over the few years that he’s been a comic. His act is constantly evolving mainly to keep Burnham from getting bored. He’s moving away from silly songs about Helen Keller and switching them out for thousand-joke-a-minute raps that need to be listened to three or four times to catch every joke and play on words. The keyboard and guitar are what made him famous, but more and more he is moving away from them. Sure, he still writes new musical material, but his routine is becoming much more stand-up alternating with songs than simply song after song. Bo does what he finds funny, even if Salvador Dali jokes and "Sonnet 155 or If Shakespeare Had Written a Porn" are over his target audience’s heads. As far as Bo is concerned if he doesn’t find it funny then there’s no point in performing it. He believes firmly in staying true to who he wants to be as a performer.

Burnham also strongly believes, as I do, that nothing should be off-limits in comedy. In fact he is one of the few comics out there in this age of political correctness who truly believes that nothing is sacred. If you can’t make fun of everything then you can make fun of nothing and as long as it’s more funny than it is offensive it’s fair game. That being said, if any of my readers are easily offended they might want to use discretion when watching any of the clips posted in this blog entry. Like this one:



Bo Burnham’s stage persona is that of a dick. He hates the audience, calling them names and shooting them dirty looks when they laugh at certain jokes or, worse yet, when they sing along to a song. “If you know the words please feel free to shut the f*** up!” The only person Burnham hates more than the audience is himself. He reveals embarrassing “facts” about himself onstage and obviously resents himself for going into showbiz. This was never more apparent than in is relatively new song “Art is Dead” in which he calls himself (and everyone else in entertainment) a self-obsessed, attention-starved child who never grew up and is only in it for the money. “Art is dead. So people think you're funny? How do we get those people’s money?” A great example of Burnham mocking both the audience and himself was when he preformed at YouTube Live where he sang a song entitled “Welcome to YouTube” which made fun of YouTube Celebrities such as himself and the majority of the people there. Let’s watch, shall we:



Bo Burnham has only been at the stand-up game for 2 years, but has already found a voice for himself. With razor-sharp wit and some of the cleverest word-play I’ve ever heard, young Burnham is a comedic force to be reckoned with. At the age of nineteen he already has an EP, a live comedy album and a comedy central special with another album and special on the way. He has even been drafted by Judd Apatow (the current king of comedy who has jumpstarted many young comedian’s careers, notably Seth Rogen) to write and possibly star in High School Musical parody film. For all these reasons and more Bo Burnham in a STAND-UP 2 WATCH (watch, watch)!