I like catchy songs.
Hello … Zip Codes …
Wayne Knight CRUSHES IT.
From The A.V. Club …
If the ad seems funnier than it has any right to in this context, that’s because it was written by Seinfeld alum (and Veep showrunner) David Mandel, no stranger to the tics that made Newman so memorable. According to Entertainment Weekly, it was Mandel who convinced a reluctant Knight to reprise the role.
More Pretende—**squints** Dum Dum Girls
Shit
Ron Cobb, an underground political cartoonist, who happened to befriend a young Spielberg, and went on to design Star Wars Cantina creatures, the Back to the Future Car, the Nostromo (ask Makerbot), a time traveling DeLorean, and ET (Spielberg gave him a cut, and made him so rich he fucked off to Australia and was never heard from again), has died. His political cartoons were ridiculously prescient, and are sadly still timely. Comic above is from 1968!
View samples here.
The Critical Drinker
This guy eviscerates movies that shouldn’t exist. Here’s his take on Alien: Covenant.
Ride The Nazi’s Swing Of Agony, My Little One
The Nazis must have spent a fortune on lingerie.
Speaking Of Great Covers …
A little … context, courtesy of you-know-who.
The Elvis Costello & the Attractions version was first issued as the B-side of Lowe’s 1978 single “American Squirm”, credited to “Nick Lowe and His Sound”. At the time, Lowe was Costello’s producer, and he produced this track as well. When the song became a hit, it was quickly appended as the last track to the US edition of Costello’s album Armed Forces. It has appeared on most of Costello’s “Best of…” compilations over the years, as well as on the soundtrack to the film 200 Cigarettes. Live versions appeared on Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Volume 7: 2002–2003, and 2012’s The Return of the Spectacular Spinning Songbook, both by Elvis Costello and the Attractions. In 2004 Rolling Stone magazine ranked this version of the song as the 284th best song of all time.
Modern Drummer said of drummer Pete Thomas’ performance, “A beautiful thing happens on this song, common to many early Attractions songs. It’s that feeling that the track could derail, when in reality Thomas has everything locked down. He does a lot of playing here without overplaying. Like most Attractions songs from that era, this was cut live, full-band and lead vocal. That’s probably why so many years later, it still sounds so energized and inspired.”
The video for the song was directed by Chuck Statler.
Exhibit B
Makerbot recently posted a Terry Bozzio video. Here is further support for what research has proven time and again: that non-sociopathic drummers use their spare time to acquire too many drums, which they then overplay. In some ways the above video is a more disturbing example. For where Mr. Bozzio employed instruments in a range of pitches (therefore demonstrating some higher-order thinking), this character for some reason has about 50 of the same crash cymbal, and seems intent on hitting them all. A drummer with only basic skills could do the same thing with two. WTF?
These Squirrels Are Smarter Than I Am
Seriously. Clever and not easily thwarted.
Also reminded me of this bit from early Letterman, which I was delighted to find on the youtubes.
Best Video Game End Credits Ever
GLaDOS, a supercomputer who becomes increasingly malevolent as the game progresses, sings to you at the end of Portal. Funny and catchy, courtesy of Jonathan Coulton.
The cake is a lie!