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Mike Mitchell’s Funny, Twee Caricatures of Pop-Culture Icons

By Judy Berman on

Mike Mitchell paints familiar characters as you’ve never seen them before: There’s Homer Simpson blissfully jumping rope, April from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles sucking on a Big Gulp, and A.C. Slater from Saved by the Bell sitting backwards, in his usual fashion, on a toilet. Visually, these witty caricatures straddle the line between adorable and creepy; each portrait has the big, watery eyes of a cartoon and the chubby, flushed cheeks of a child. We’ve collected some of our favorite work by Mitchell, who we discovered via The Mary Sue, after the jump. Readers in the Los Angeles area can see these pieces in person through April 28th at Gallery 1988 Melrose, where you can also buy originals and affordable prints. … Read More

Television

10 TV Shows That Would Make Great Theme Parties

By Jennifer Lewis on

It’s officially springtime, folks! If you’re anything like us, you may or may not have exploited the, “I can’t come out tonight, it’s too cold outside” excuse to hole up all winter and indulge in Downton Abbey and Community marathons, and now you’re ready to face the spring warmth as a social butterfly. But what should you do with the vast, invaluable TV knowledge you acquired over your Netflix hibernation period? Throw a party, of course! But not just any party — a Mad Men or Freaks and Geeks-style bash. We brought you movies and albums that would make great party themes, and now we’ve gathered ten TV shows that will similarly get the party started. … Read More

Television

The Strange Stories Behind TV Shows That Changed Their Titles

By Victoria McNally on

Writers, directors, and actors involved with the ABC show Cougar Town have all complained that the title was a mistake and has contributed to their struggling ratings. However, as Courteney Cox pointed out recently, if they changed it, they might lose some of their DVR audience, whose machines wouldn’t know to record the newly titled show. But throughout the history of television, it hasn’t been unheard of for a show to change its name. We’ve rounded up some of the weirdest stories behind TV title changes; if you think of any we missed, let us know! … Read More

Television

Adult TV Characters and Their Kid Counterparts

By Judy Berman on

Well, TV fans, the die is cast. Last week, The CW green-lighted The Carrie Diaries, that Sex and the City prequel network television has been threatening to inflict on us for years. Set in the ’80s, the show will follow Carrie Bradshaw’s high-school years in Connecticut, where we’re sure she’ll be asking a whole new, teen-focused slew of pseudo-profound questions (“What does ‘going steady’ really mean?”) and lusting over shoes at Contempo Casuals. But forgive us if we don’t intend to watch the show for long enough to find out. Like Mary Elizabeth Williams at Salon, we’ve had our fill of Carrie. In fact, the only good thing we can imagine coming from the prequel is that it inspired us brainstorm some adult TV characters who already have kid equivalents on other shows. Find out who Zack Morris grew up to be, and which kid reminds us of Downton Abbey’s Dowager Countess, after the jump. … Read More

Television

Matchmaking for TV Teens: 9 Fictional Couples We’d Like to See

By Jennifer Lewis on

Is your boyfriend in love with his cousin? Are you in love with your neighbor? Is your neighbor in love with a jerk? Are you a cartoon? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, you might be a lovelorn teenage character on a TV series. When we brought you our favorite ’90s teen power couples, we neglected to mention the best friends, classmates, ex-lovers, and siblings of these perfect couples — the characters who, more often than not, are majorly lacking in the love department. This phenomenon is typically blamed on awkwardness, fickleness, or ugly duckling syndrome, but what if these misfits’ true TV match is just on another series? With Valentine’s Day less than a month away, we’re pairing lonely teenage TV characters with other lonely TV characters. Some are from current shows, others are from yesteryear, but all deserve a little more love than they receive. Check out the matches we’ve made after the jump, then hit the comments to recommend others. It’s pretty fun. … Read More

Television

TV’s Best ’90s Teen Power Couples

By Jennifer Lewis on

Ah, to be young and in love on a ’90s television series. So much tension, so much betrayal, so many make-ups and too many break-ups. Remember that time Jordan Catalano enlisted Brian Krakow to secretly write his love letter for Angela Chase? Or when D.J. Tanner accused Steve Hale of canoodling with an ex-girlfriend at the school dance? What about when Steve Urkel transformed into Stefan Urquelle in order to win Laura’s heart? Most ’90s teenage relationships were trivial, others lasted seasons upon seasons, but we’re recalling the ones that still make us giddy — the ones that we thought, at one point or another, were meant to be. Take a trip down TV’s memory lane with some ’90s teenage power couples after the jump, and let us know in the comments whose relationship made you the most envious. … Read More

Web

What’s On at Flavorpill: The Links That Made the Rounds in Our Office

By Judy Berman on

Today at Flavorpill, this supercut of 40 TV Christmas moments reminded us that Saved by the Bell once did its very own rendition of A Christmas Carol – and Slater was Tiny Tim. We found McSweeney’s “Jingle Bells FAQ” illuminating. We thought it was very sweet that Jonathan Ames bought Bored to… Read More

Television

10 Totally Slammin’ TV Bands from the ’90s

By Jennifer Lewis on

There’s no denying that ’90s television was chock-full of dope fictional bands, and it’s about time we cranked up our nostalgia and got jiggy with the fake musical groups of yesteryear. Some were boy bands, others were punks, but most just settled into their oversize, unwashed flannel shirts with some bangin’ alt-rock vibes. Remember that time Little Pete and meter-man Mel formed the Blowholes? Or when Doug and Skeeter ran into the Beets at the Honker Burger? What about that time Jordan Catalano, like, serenaded Angela Chase with that song written about her hair, or something? …Not! (Hold up, did we even use that right? It’s been a while.) Regardless, check out some totally fake ’90s TV bands after the jump, home-skillets. They’ve missed you. … Read More

Television

When TV Appropriates Cult and Indie Culture: A Retrospective

By Judy Berman on

When word spread that Gossip Girl was going to set an episode at New York’s cultish “immersive theatre” production Sleep No More, fans of the show — who have been known to develop wallet-crippling addictions to it — were not happy. Would their favorite secret spot soon be overrun by teenyboppers keen on re-enacting Serena and Blair’s melodramatic intrigue? Would Gossip Girl give away any of the Macbeth-inspired experience’s secrets? Well, the episode aired last night, and we learned far more about Chuck Bass’s libido (or newfound lack thereof) and Ivy’s ex-boyfriend than Sleep No More. To commemorate this supremely odd moment of convergence, we’ve rounded up some of the best and strangest moments that have found TV shows appropriating cult, underground, and indie culture, from Saved by the Bell‘s rave to Roseanne‘s riot grrrls, after the jump. … Read More

Pop Culture

10 Awesomely Fake Music Videos from Film and TV

By Jennifer Lewis on

Every now and then, we’ll come across a “successful” fictional musician that — you got it, releases a full-length music video for an original song within their respective film or TV show. Unlike the fake music videos that merely string together inconsequential scenes from footage we’ve already seen, the ones we’re noting are tiny, ridiculous masterpieces in themselves. Want some lovin’? Rex Manning’s got a whole music video about bringing it to your front door. Need a pink-haired Jonathan Rhys Meyers to glam up your life? We’ve got that, too. Kick back and enjoy as some daring actors fulfill their inner pop star fantasies in these over-the-top, awesomely fake music videos, and sorry in advance for getting these silly songs stuck in your head. You may proceed. … Read More