Setting aside our feelings about whether or not there should even be another installment in the Hangover franchise — as our own Jason Bailey already pointed out, The Hangover Part II was “the closest thing to a shot-for-shot remake since Van Sant’s Psycho” — we can’t help but blanch over the news that Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis, and Ed Helms are asking for $15 million a pop to reprise their roles in the third film. Bear in mind that’s $10 million more than the entire budget for the original movie.

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We’re so crazy about HBO’s Bored to Death that we’ve spent the entire season meticulously footnoting every episode. But we wanted to do something a little bit different in celebration of last night’s climactic finale, to give those who already miss Jonathan, George, and Ray an opportunity to relive Season 3′s highlights. With that lofty goal in mind, we’ve compiled a self-guided tour of Bored to Death’s most recognizable locations, from the Coney Island Wonder Wheel to the Grand Central Oyster Bar. After the jump, follow around as we take you neighborhood by neighborhood to the places where the characters worked, played, and ate in Season 3. Here’s hoping it helps tide you over until next year. Read More »

Although we enjoy Bored to Death’s hilarious story lines and overarching themes, we get at least as much pleasure out of its details — the literary references, the in-jokes, the real, New York City locations. So, this season, we’re publishing a weekly series of Bored to Death footnotes. Follow along with us after the jump as we go minute by minute through episode seven, shouting out places we recognize and explaining some of the show’s oddball allusions. Feel free to point out anything we may have missed in the comments.

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Although we enjoy Bored to Death’s hilarious story lines and overarching themes, we get at least as much pleasure out of its details — the literary references, the in-jokes, the real, New York City locations. So, this season, we’re publishing a weekly series of Bored to Death footnotes. Follow along with us after the jump as we go minute by minute through episode six, shouting out places we recognize and explaining some of the show’s oddball allusions. Feel free to point out anything we may have missed in the comments.

Read More »

Although we enjoy Bored to Death’s hilarious story lines and overarching themes, we get at least as much pleasure out of its details — the literary references, the in-jokes, the real, New York City locations. So, this season, we’re publishing a weekly series of Bored to Death footnotes. Follow along with us after the jump as we go minute by minute through episode five, shouting out places we recognize and explaining some of the show’s oddball allusions. Feel free to point out anything we may have missed in the comments.

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1. It’s official: Shooting on Skyfall, the 23rd installment of the James Bond franchise, begins on Monday. Joining Daniel Craig for the Sam Mendes-helmed project (which it should be noted, will not connect with Craig’s previous two Bond films, plot-wise): Academy Award winner Javier Bardem, who was previously cast as the villain — although it’s not confirmed yet whether or not he’s playing Blofeld. [via Deadline]

2. “I’m sure it wouldn’t have happened if I were a man. What other people think of me is none of my business but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt my feelings… My mood changes about it depending on the day. In general, you don’t want anyone to say anything bad about you.” – Lana Del Rey discusses her detractors

3. Wu-Tang’s RZA — who scored both Kill Bill films for Quentin Tarantino — is the latest actor to join the cast of his anti-slavery spaghetti Western, Django Unchained. At this point, the star-studded ensemble already includes Jamie Foxx, Kerry Washington, Leonardo DiCaprio, Don Johnson, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Anthony LaPaglia, Misty Upham, Gerald McRaney, and M.C. Gainey. [via Variety]

4. The Peter Jackson-directed second Tintin film will not be based on Prisoners Of The Sun, as was previously rumored. Instead, that book may be the plot of Tintin 3, leaving the storyline for the sequel still up for discussion. [via Slashfilm]

5. The world premiere of Edward Albee’s new play Laying an Egg — which was set to makes its Off-Broadway debut in February — has been indefinitely postponed. Explains artistic director James Houghton: “All good things are well worth the wait, and most certainly a new play from one of our most treasured playwrights is no exception.” [via Guardian]

Bonus Buzz: Zach Galifianakis Stand Up From 1999

Although we enjoy Bored to Death’s hilarious story lines and overarching themes, we get at least as much pleasure out of its details — the literary references, the in-jokes, the real, New York City locations. So, this season, we’re publishing a weekly series of Bored to Death footnotes. Follow along with us after the jump as we go minute by minute through episode four, shouting out places we recognize and explaining some of the show’s oddball allusions. Feel free to point out anything we may have missed in the comments.

Read More »

Although we enjoy Bored to Death’s hilarious story lines and overarching themes, we get at least as much pleasure out of its details — the literary references, the in-jokes, the real, New York City locations. So, this season, we’re publishing a weekly series of Bored to Death footnotes. Follow along with us after the jump as we go minute by minute through episode two, shouting out places we recognize and explaining some of the show’s oddball allusions. Feel free to point out anything we may have missed in the comments.

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Nestled among this week’s new theatrical releases is The Big Year, a rather syrupy looking Bucket List riff co-starring Steve Martin, Jack Black, and Owen Wilson. Let’s be clear: we have not yet seen it. But we’re not holding out much hope for a movie that puts those three guys together and cannot find one single laugh to put in a trailer.

How could you combine three men as (granted, not always reliably) funny as these and not come up with a laugh riot? Quite easily, turns out. The recent cinema is all but littered with pictures that teamed up established comedic talents and thus sounded like sure-fire crowd pleasers, but which ended up tickling the funny bones of neither critics nor moviegoers. After the jump, we’ll run down ten comic combinations that misfired.

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Lit geeks, amateur sleuths, and brownstone Brooklynites, rejoice! Our favorite HBO sitcom, Bored to Death, has returned for a third season — and last night’s premiere was a lot of fun. This year, it seems we’re looking forward to a whole lot of daddy issues: There’s Jonathan searching for the sperm donor who is his biological father, George coming to terms with his daughter’s relationship with a much older man, and Ray trying to grow up just enough to be a responsible part-time parent to his own baby.

Although we enjoy the show’s hilarious story lines and overarching themes, we get at least as much pleasure out of its details — the literary references, the in-jokes, the real, New York City locations. So, this season, we’re launching a weekly series of Bored to Death footnotes. Follow along with us as we go minute by minute, shouting out places we recognize and explaining some of the show’s oddball allusions — and feel free to point out anything we may have missed in the comments.

Read More »