Hat tip to ECORALguy:
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Friday, August 29, 2008
Book Review: I Hate Ann Coulter by Unanimous
The Strand Books Annex in Lower Manhattan is closing (boo hiss). Before they close that location, they are selling books really cheap (woo hoo). I managed to by I Hate Ann Coulter for $2.50 (woo hoo).
It's a short and incredibly bitchy book written by some guy about the Coultergeist (I called her that before I heard about Olbermann doing it, and I'm sure you thought of it too.). She is one mean, ugly monster, and that's just her personality.
A fun passage from the book:
I've always wondered if Coulter changed clothes monthly or if she had an enormous closet filled with dresses that look like part of witch's costume for Halloween. Also, is her hair naturally urine blond, or does she get it done that way on purpose?
I love the section of the book on "Al Pieda," the two guys who threw pies at the evil one. The recipe for the "Tofu Terror Pie" (a tofu cream pie recipe) ends quite swimmingly:
I personally can't stand most cream pies and think all of them (except for the chocolate ones) should be thrown at Coulter, Hannity, etc.
The book quoted the incredible Coulterbeast saying something that probably gave a lot of people ideas:
Let's try the flails out on you, Ann! Anyway, the book has one photo of Ann as a dominatrix that obviously was faked since the woman's body had visible breasts.
If you have had a rotten week like I did, you will especially appreciate the venom Unanimous spewed at the most venomous pundit of all. Here are some things I hate almost as much as Coulter.
- Velvet Elvis paintings
- Screaming children
- Lima Beans
- Traffic jams
- Unreality television
- Filling out tax forms
(Note: I thought about using the "hairy" label, but realized that would be a bad idea since I only want to see posts about hot hairy guys when I click on that.)
It's a short and incredibly bitchy book written by some guy about the Coultergeist (I called her that before I heard about Olbermann doing it, and I'm sure you thought of it too.). She is one mean, ugly monster, and that's just her personality.
A fun passage from the book:
She calls Pamella Harriman and Patricia Duff "whores," but she arrives at the Today show at 6:00 a.m. in last night's cocktail dress.
I've always wondered if Coulter changed clothes monthly or if she had an enormous closet filled with dresses that look like part of witch's costume for Halloween. Also, is her hair naturally urine blond, or does she get it done that way on purpose?
I love the section of the book on "Al Pieda," the two guys who threw pies at the evil one. The recipe for the "Tofu Terror Pie" (a tofu cream pie recipe) ends quite swimmingly:
Throw at Ann Coutler
I personally can't stand most cream pies and think all of them (except for the chocolate ones) should be thrown at Coulter, Hannity, etc.
The book quoted the incredible Coulterbeast saying something that probably gave a lot of people ideas:
I have to say I'm all for public flogging.
Let's try the flails out on you, Ann! Anyway, the book has one photo of Ann as a dominatrix that obviously was faked since the woman's body had visible breasts.
If you have had a rotten week like I did, you will especially appreciate the venom Unanimous spewed at the most venomous pundit of all. Here are some things I hate almost as much as Coulter.
- Velvet Elvis paintings
- Screaming children
- Lima Beans
- Traffic jams
- Unreality television
- Filling out tax forms
(Note: I thought about using the "hairy" label, but realized that would be a bad idea since I only want to see posts about hot hairy guys when I click on that.)
Sunday, August 24, 2008
My Inner Manga
Hat tip to Strange Relationship, who seems to have his finger on the pulse of fabulous, time wasting fun. There is this site called FaceYourManga.com which lets you make your own manga style avatar. The only drawback is that it will make an avatar in its twenties or younger, regardless of your actual age. But, it's still fun.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Acting Vs. Indicating on As the World Turns
Soap opera's are a "guilty pleasure" (OK, really an embarrassing pleasure since I don't seem to have the guilt gene). That said, it is nice that one of them has somewhat realistic gay characters.
As the World Turns has an actual gay couple, Noah and Luke, who fans affectionately call "Nuke." If you work during the day and don't feel like recording it, you can watch the show online.
As you might expect, the paultry air time Nuke usually get is really annoying, though it is good that there is a queer couple on the show. I understood immediately why that bothered me. However, there was something else that annoyed me, something I didn't know how to explain.
One of the other things that actually sets ATWT from its competition is the quality of the acting. However, Proctor and Gamble, which owns the show (a true soap opera), has been messing with that too. Grayson McCouch, one of the two best actors, left the show because TPTB (the powers that be) decided to get hard assed in contract negotions. He's coming back (his character from the dead LOL), but the other best performer, Martha Byrne, was pushed out.
Sadly, her character was recast by the mediocre Noelle Beck. I didn't know how to explain what is wrong with Beck's performances until WBAI's theater reviewer mentioned the difference between indicating and acting. Backstage.com has a great article by Jean Schiffman on what these terms mean and what the difference is. Here's a basic explanation:
Earlier in the article, they gave a more concrete example:
In writing, they often say that you should "show, not tell." I guess this is the analogous thing for acting.
Now, I undertand the difference between Byrne and Beck. Beck is indicating, while Byrne was acting.
As the World Turns has an actual gay couple, Noah and Luke, who fans affectionately call "Nuke." If you work during the day and don't feel like recording it, you can watch the show online.
As you might expect, the paultry air time Nuke usually get is really annoying, though it is good that there is a queer couple on the show. I understood immediately why that bothered me. However, there was something else that annoyed me, something I didn't know how to explain.
One of the other things that actually sets ATWT from its competition is the quality of the acting. However, Proctor and Gamble, which owns the show (a true soap opera), has been messing with that too. Grayson McCouch, one of the two best actors, left the show because TPTB (the powers that be) decided to get hard assed in contract negotions. He's coming back (his character from the dead LOL), but the other best performer, Martha Byrne, was pushed out.
Sadly, her character was recast by the mediocre Noelle Beck. I didn't know how to explain what is wrong with Beck's performances until WBAI's theater reviewer mentioned the difference between indicating and acting. Backstage.com has a great article by Jean Schiffman on what these terms mean and what the difference is. Here's a basic explanation:
Indicating, writes Alex Golson in Acting Essentials (McGraw-Hill, 2001), is what you do when you "show the audience what you are thinking or feeling" -- that is, showing instead of thinking, feeling, and doing. He advises, "Don't ever show; just do and trust that your feelings and thoughts will be discovered by the audience." Chicago teacher Ed Hooks, in The Actor's Field Guide (Back Stage Books, 2004), describes indicating as "the acting equivalent of one of those old paint-by-number kits." He explains that you mustn't decide what the emotion ought to be in a certain moment in the scene and then try to come up with ways to act that emotion. Certainly that's a more subtle approach to indicating than scrunching your face or cocking your head, but it's indicating just the same, because it's not being in the moment.
Earlier in the article, they gave a more concrete example:
Yet indicating happens. In discussing sense memory in her book Acting for Film (Allworth Press, 2003), Cathy Haase gives an example of it: "If it is supposed to be a sunny environment, the actor acts like they are in the sun. They squint their eyes, lick their lips from thirst, and wipe away the sweat from their brow.... [They] use a gesture to indicate what is going on in the environment. These gestures are generally too stagy for the camera." In most cases, they're too stagy for the stage, too.
In writing, they often say that you should "show, not tell." I guess this is the analogous thing for acting.
Now, I undertand the difference between Byrne and Beck. Beck is indicating, while Byrne was acting.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Cloris Leachman Kicked Ass at the Bob Saget Roast
I was flipping channels last night, and the Comedy Central thing said something about a Bob Saget roast. The Pamela Anderson roast a while back was funny, so I was intrigued, but a question remained:
Who is Bob Saget?
Once I saw his picture, I vaguely remembered that he was associated with a tedious show called Full House as well as America's Least Funny Home Videos. Then, a thought crossed my mind.
Bog Saget isn't funny.
Apparently, a lot of the roasters agreed with that assessment. Anyway, the comic who stole the show was Cloris Leachman. Here are two clips from her routine which was absolutely hysterical.
She did a great interview after the show too.
If she wants to be a standup comic, she will do quite well.
Who is Bob Saget?
Once I saw his picture, I vaguely remembered that he was associated with a tedious show called Full House as well as America's Least Funny Home Videos. Then, a thought crossed my mind.
Bog Saget isn't funny.
Apparently, a lot of the roasters agreed with that assessment. Anyway, the comic who stole the show was Cloris Leachman. Here are two clips from her routine which was absolutely hysterical.
She did a great interview after the show too.
If she wants to be a standup comic, she will do quite well.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Roger Federer Is Still the Cutest Pro Tennis Player
The Truth About John "Keating Five" McCain Is Pretty Funny
If McCain staggers his way into the White House, stand up comics will have a bonanza.
Hat tip to Mock, Paper, Scissors
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Paris Hilton Tosses Her Hat Into the Ring
See more funny videos at Funny or Die
Now, that she was such a good sport about this, I don't hate Paris Hilton as much as I used to.
The Geekiest Cartoon Strip I've Ever Seen
It's called the Webcredibles. It is a series of comic strips about website usability using cartoon superheros such as "Hyperlink" and "Webcrawler."
Of course, if people followed the advice, the web would be easier to use and less annoying.
Of course, if people followed the advice, the web would be easier to use and less annoying.
Saturday, August 2, 2008
90 Things Meme/Game
Hat tip to Melodramatic Diary of a Cynic, which explains this meme/game as follows:
1. Bought everyone in the pub/bar a drink
2. Climbed a mountain
3. Held a tarantula
4. Taken a morning shower with your man
5. Been in love
6. Broken someone’s heart
7. Had your heart broken
8. Done a striptease
9. Bungee jumped
10. Watched a lightning storm at sea
11. Stayed up all night long, and watched the sun rise
12. Seen the Northern Lights
13. Gone to a huge sports game
14. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
15. Slept under the stars
16. Changed a baby’s diaper
17. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
18. Watched a meteor shower
19. Gotten drunk on champagne
20. Given money to charity
21. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
22. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
23. Had a food fight
24. Bet on a winning horse
25. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
26. Had a snowball fight
27. Photocopied your butt or any other intimate body part
28. Held a lamb
29. Gone skinny dipping
30. Taken an ice cold shower
31. Seen a total eclipse
32. Ridden a roller coaster
33. Hit a home run
34. Been arrested
35. Visited all 50 states
36. Taken care of someone who was drunk
37. Stolen a street/highway sign
38. Backpacked in Europe
39. Taken a road-trip
40. Taken a midnight walk on the beach
41. Gone sky diving
42. Milked a cow
43. Alphabetized your records
44. Sung karaoke
45. Lounged around in bed all day
46. Gone scuba diving
47. Danced in the rain
48. Gone to a drive-in theater
49. Started a business
50. Gotten married
51. Been in a movie
52. Crashed a party
53. Gotten divorced
54. Had sex in an unusual place
55. Made cookies from scratch
56. Gotten a tattoo
57. Been on television
58. Had sex in a public place
59. Got so drunk you don’t remember anything
60. Recorded music
61. Had too much to drink at a party
62. Bought a house
63. Shaved or waxed your pubic hair off
64. Been on a cruise ship
65. Spoken more than one language fluently
66. Bounced a check
67. Called or written your Congress person
68. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
69. Sang loudly by yourself in the car
70. Wrote articles for a large publication
71. Piloted an airplane
72. Helped an animal give birth
73. Been fired or laid off from a job
74. Won money on a T.V. game show
75. Broken a bone
76. Ridden a motorcycle
77. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced
78. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
79. Ridden a horse
80. Had major surgery
81. Had sex on a moving train
82. Slept through an entire flight: takeoff, flight, and landing
83. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
84. Visited all 7 continents
85. Eaten sushi
86. Had your picture in the newspaper
87. Parasailed
88. Changed your name
89. Dyed your hair
90. Been a DJ
Obviously, I better get cracking.
Bold the ones that you've done before and leave the rest alone. As always, I'm not gonna tag anyone, but you're more than welcomed to play.
1. Bought everyone in the pub/bar a drink
2. Climbed a mountain
3. Held a tarantula
4. Taken a morning shower with your man
5. Been in love
6. Broken someone’s heart
7. Had your heart broken
8. Done a striptease
9. Bungee jumped
10. Watched a lightning storm at sea
11. Stayed up all night long, and watched the sun rise
12. Seen the Northern Lights
13. Gone to a huge sports game
14. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
15. Slept under the stars
16. Changed a baby’s diaper
17. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
18. Watched a meteor shower
19. Gotten drunk on champagne
20. Given money to charity
21. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
22. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
23. Had a food fight
24. Bet on a winning horse
25. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
26. Had a snowball fight
27. Photocopied your butt or any other intimate body part
28. Held a lamb
29. Gone skinny dipping
30. Taken an ice cold shower
31. Seen a total eclipse
32. Ridden a roller coaster
33. Hit a home run
34. Been arrested
35. Visited all 50 states
36. Taken care of someone who was drunk
37. Stolen a street/highway sign
38. Backpacked in Europe
39. Taken a road-trip
40. Taken a midnight walk on the beach
41. Gone sky diving
42. Milked a cow
43. Alphabetized your records
44. Sung karaoke
45. Lounged around in bed all day
46. Gone scuba diving
47. Danced in the rain
48. Gone to a drive-in theater
49. Started a business
50. Gotten married
51. Been in a movie
52. Crashed a party
53. Gotten divorced
54. Had sex in an unusual place
55. Made cookies from scratch
56. Gotten a tattoo
57. Been on television
58. Had sex in a public place
59. Got so drunk you don’t remember anything
60. Recorded music
61. Had too much to drink at a party
62. Bought a house
63. Shaved or waxed your pubic hair off
64. Been on a cruise ship
65. Spoken more than one language fluently
66. Bounced a check
67. Called or written your Congress person
68. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
69. Sang loudly by yourself in the car
70. Wrote articles for a large publication
71. Piloted an airplane
72. Helped an animal give birth
73. Been fired or laid off from a job
74. Won money on a T.V. game show
75. Broken a bone
76. Ridden a motorcycle
77. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced
78. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
79. Ridden a horse
80. Had major surgery
81. Had sex on a moving train
82. Slept through an entire flight: takeoff, flight, and landing
83. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
84. Visited all 7 continents
85. Eaten sushi
86. Had your picture in the newspaper
87. Parasailed
88. Changed your name
89. Dyed your hair
90. Been a DJ
Obviously, I better get cracking.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)