The Catalano factor—TV boys who look good but aren’t good for you
1. Jordan Catalano Mysterious, floppy-haired, droopy-jeaned, an excellent leaner, Jordan Catalano of My So-Called Life is the archetypal irresistible slacker bad boy of your dreams. He seems perfect because (besides being beautiful) he is quiet and deep, soulful, full of longing. He plays guitar, wears vintage/thrift store clothes (or is he poor?! Sad puppy!) and … Continue reading
Funny business
With the release of Bridesmaids and Tina Fey’s book Bossypants there’s been lots of talk about funny women lately. Here are some of my responses and gripes. Women are funny. Period. Moving on. Can we stop bemoaning the Chick Flick? Much of the time our media suggests that what’s normal is a white male perspective. … Continue reading
Pee-pee envy: The hot and heartbreaking sexual appeal of Russell Brand
I am a bit late to the Russell Brand boat, I think. My brushes with current pop culture are piecemeal and oddball, and mainstream stuff tends to pass me by. Although Russell Brand is only recently mainstream, I think. At least in America. I first saw Brand in what I believe were the commercials … Continue reading
Apologizing for the thing I can’t stand
If you haven’t heard, dear readers, there’s a new crap sandwich in town and this shit is gourmet. It’s served on fancy artisan bread with hand cut shoestring potatoes fried in truffle infused oil and a somehow snooty pickle spear on a bed of arugula. It’s Rebecca Black’s “Friday.” Upon hearing how bad this song … Continue reading
N*gger Wetb*ck Ch*nk
N*gger Wetb*ck Ch*nk is a critically acclaimed, renegade stage show about race and racism. Sporting only three actors who reflect the “characters” in the title, and using a combination of theater, stand up and slam poetry, this smart comedy has been a runaway hit throughout the US. The New York Times has called it “A … Continue reading
On winning and losing it
I like to think of myself as someone with a good sense of humor. I “get” comedy stylings ranging from Andy Kauffman’s violent vignettes of discomfort to Andy Samberg’s dormitory humor. Lucy and Ethel to Roseanne. Carlin, Chappelle and Cho? Seen them all live. Okay, I do draw the line of funny with certain figures—I … Continue reading
Get Spaced
I always feel a little wrong when I tell people something I’ve recently discovered is one of my favorite things. I think it’s because as a society we’re trained to think we can’t really love something or be fans of whatever it is unless we’re balls to the walls crazy over it, following it since … Continue reading
Maria Bamford: in-house comic
Maria Bamford is a woman of many voices, many addictions, many neuroses. A self-proclaimed “semi-successful comedian,” you might have seen her stand-up featured on Comedy Central, or you might recognize her from a string of holiday Target commercials in which she plays an odd and tightly wound Christmas-obsessed shopper. Or maybe you’ve never heard of … Continue reading
On my way
Aziz Ansari—Intimate Moments for a Sensual Evening Released January 18, 2010 I love comedy records. Always have. Wrote about them a few months ago. I love finding something new, something that makes me laugh out loud, something that just brings joy like a good comedy record does. This is one of those CDs. I have … Continue reading
The customer is always right, and this jerk is a customer
Legendary radio and television comedian Jack Benny has been on my ‘to do’ list of Idler topics for a little while, and what better time of year to highlight what is still the funniest Christmas TV show I have ever seen: the 1960 “Christmas Shopping” episode of The Jack Benny Program. As a child I … Continue reading
