Today at Flavorpill, we watched Stephen Colbert infiltrate Occupy Wall Street while dressed as Che Guevera. We wished that we could buy some stock in zombies. We wondered what Chris Brown could have possibly been thinking when he picked out this obscene alien costume. We learned a few things about mustache etiquette courtesy of loveable know-it-all John Hodgman. We considered supporting this Grilled Cheesus sandwich press project on Kickstarter. We found out why fingernails on blackboards sound so unpleasant to the ear. We loved this photo of a Kenyan kindergartner who just finger-painted for the very first time. We were happy to hear that St. Paul’s Cathedral in London will not be taking legal action against the Occupy London protestors camped outside its doors. And finally, we studied up on McDonald’s beloved McRib sandwich, which contains a mind-blowing 70 different ingredients, including “pig bits like tripe, heart, and scalded stomach.” Yum!
Today at Flavorpill, we discovered that some of our favorite writers have voiced their support for the Occupy Wall Street protests. (On a related note, we read about a new “I’m Getting Arrested” Android app that could come in handy for a few of them.) We were happy to hear that Sons of Anarchy has been renewed for another season. We questioned one woman’s desire to make South Park’s Mr. Hankey the official mascot of rectal cancer. We learned how to make our own chomping Pac-Man costume. We celebrated National Boss Day with some hilarious New Yorker cartoons. We were thrilled to see that John Hodgman is now on Tumblr. We wished that we had an office baby to dress up in this adorable French bulldog Halloween costume. We saw the world through the eyes of a pug. We found this Christopher Walken/Walking Dead mash-up highly entertaining. And finally, we were glad to see the wedding of Improv Everywhere founder Charlie Todd was just as wacky as you would hope it would be.
Good news, music buffs with camcorders and NYU students everywhere: veteran indie rockers They Might Be Giants are launching a contest for fans to create a music video for their recent single, “Can’t Keep Johnny Down.” Though anyone on the internet can vote, John Hodgman will be the sole judge (he says ‘You’re Welcome’). The winner will have their video promoted on YouTube and on the official TMBG podcast, making the filmmaker famous among college girls and their dads. So go forth!
From the announcement:
TMBG is inviting creative visual people to make a stylish, smart rock video for the song. It can be live action, motion graphics, animation, stop motion. It can be people jumping around in capes, but they should be very stylish people in very stylish capes or you will not win the contest.Videos are to be uploaded to YouTube and posted on the official TMBG Facebook page. All videos linked there will be voted on by the Facebook friends of TMBG, but the winner will be judged by Judge John Hodgman and by Judge John Hodgman alone. Submission deadline is July 15th. Winner will receive $1000 bucks and a pizza from the pizzeria of their choice. The video will be posted on tmbg’s you tube channel as well as posted on TMBG’s podcast — so lots of people will celebrate your efforts. Select runners up will also receive a pizza.
See the official video announcement featuring John Linnell as a cat spinning around in his room after the jump.
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Today’s biggest pop-culture news is that visionary Beach Boy Brian Wilson is getting his own biopic, and The Tree of Life producer Bill Pohlad and I’m Not There screenwriter Oren Moverman are already attached to the project. As anyone who knows even the basics of rock history knows, Wilson has lived one hell of a strange and sad life, which would make great film fodder if handled properly. Although it’s encouraging that Pohlad and Moverman are on board, we’re interested to see who will end up directing the movie — and can’t wait to hear who will star in it. We have a few ideas on that front. Read them after the jump, then let give us your suggestions in the comments.
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When your band is called the New Pornographers, chances are you’re going to have a pretty good sense of humor. Perhaps that explains the group’s new video for “Moves,” shot in the style of a trailer for a hilariously sensationalized movie about New Pornos main man Carl Newman’s life — and preceded by glimpse at a faux Judd Apatow-meets-Junior-style comedy called Expectant Dads. In addition to that film’s two top-billed stars, Paul Rudd and Bill Hader, the video includes cameos by just about every awesome comedian you can think of, from Daily Show all-stars John Oliver and John Hodgman to Todd Barry and the wonderful Julie Klausner (as fellow fire-haired diva Neko Case, of course). Indie rock fans, be sure to also keep your eyes peeled for Ted Leo (who recently made a similarly comedian-packed video) and Jon Wurster. Do these guys all hang out on a regular basis or something? If so, we’re very jealous.
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If you’re a music fan, we’re guessing at least one friend has sent you Ted Leo and the Pharmacists’ hilarious new video for “Bottled in Cork,” which debuted right where it belongs — on Funny or Die — today. It’s a send-up of a certain, very popular punk-rock musical, featuring some wonderful cameos. If you haven’t seen the clip yet, check it out after the jump and follow along as we break down the appearances and references. Since we’re pretty sure we may have missed a few semi-famous faces, help us fill in the blanks in the comments.
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Today at Flavorpill, we discovered why superheroes aren’t online more often. We looked at iconic characters put in sketchy situations, as told by M&Ms. We met Rev. Barbie, the creation of Episcopal priest Rev. Julie Blake Fisher of Kent, Ohio. We made mental note of Gawker’s list of 13 things not to do on a plane. We tried to imagine eating 47 feet worth of nachos. We discovered Gaga Stigmata, an online journal devoted to critical writing and art about La Gaga. We wondered what your average male studies major looks like. We asked ourselves why any parent would give their son a meat name. We peeped into other people’s office buildings, courtesy of Parisian photographer Jean-Pierre Attal. And finally, we said goodbye (at least probably) to the Justin Long/John Hodgman Apple commercials. Which is sad. They were always our favorite.
With Inventory, the Onion‘s pop-cultural critics at the A.V. Club provide a hilarious compendium of their ultra-specific weekly lists.
From a dozen songs about how much public transportation sucks and ten movie franchises that never were to 25 sure signs that a sitcom is terrible, Inventory provides an exhaustive collection of esoteric knowledge. It also includes special book-only sections and lists penned by non-Onion funny people like John Hodgman and Amy Sedaris.
Additionally, there’s an intro by the always engaging Chuck Klosterman (who recently revealed to us his own list of albums to beat writer’s block). The best part: The book’s full of recommendations and forgotten titles that will send you to Amazon or Netflix with a quickness.
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“While still in high school, Galifianakis developed what he considers his first full-fledged comic ‘character’: an effeminate redneck, with a wildly exaggerated lisp, whose mother warned him about coming into physical contact with black people. ‘The black kids at school loved it,’ he told me. ‘They used to bump into me in the hallway, just to hear me go into my bit.’”
- New York-based novelist John Wray (who we interviewed here) profiles Zach Galifianakis in this week’s New York Times Magazine. We spotted Zach at Fette Sau a few weeks ago, where he was dining with John Hodgman(!); we got super excited and did this weird fist pump/salute thing in his direction, and he did it right back. WE. LOVE. HIM. The Hangover opens in theaters this Friday.
Paul Feig is one of our favorite funny filmmakers; he wrote a bunch of episodes of Freaks and Geeks, and along with the final episode of that series directed a handful episodes for shows like Arrested Development, Weeds, and The Office. He also has a fantastic memoir called Kick Me: Adventures in Adolescence that makes it obvious that Freaks and Geeks is 100 percent not made up and that he is totally Bill Haverchuck. But all of this is just our really long winded way of introducing you to his Twitter feed, which is one of our favorite daily reads. Read More »
