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Wednesday, April 09, 2008

End of an Era

It’s official.  Television Without Pity is dead to me.

When Bravo bought them out a year ago, I was thrilled for the founders because they were going to be making some well-deserved money off of their brainchild, which was in my opinion the single greatest website on the internet.  Sure, maybe others are more useful, but the content came first, it was sharp and funny, the boards were moderated and not full of inane chatter, flame wars or AOL-speak, and it was the site where I most enjoyed spending (wasting?) my time.

On the other hand, with the Bravo deal, I got a little nervous that TWoP would start to turn into the same mess that is the Bravo website—which is notoriously impossible to navigate, with loud colors and annoying flash and advertisements everywhere.  Changes began to be implemented, little ones at first, then bigger and a bit more annoying.  Still, I held out because the content on the site was still great—when you could find it.  Recaps still stunning, forum participation still a lot of fun, although it was starting to get harder to wade through all the “me too!“s and “I haven’t read the whole thread, but don’t you think"s.

Then last month came the sad news that the founders, Sars, Wing Chun and Glark, were stepping down from Television Without Pity.  I knew the death knell was sounding, and began visiting the site less and less.  Still, I told myself, when The Amazing Race comes back, I’ll still read Miss Alli’s recaps.

Turns out that while I was visiting the site less and less, I totally missed Miss Alli’s announcement that she, too, has left TWoP.  She does, fortunately, have her own blog right here, where she is currently doing her own Survivor recaps, and I hope she will be doing Amazing Race also when the next season starts.

I’ll miss TWoP.  I was a fan going back as far as the MightyBigTV.com days, when I would nearly pee myself with laughter over the recaps for The Real World written by Pamie and Kim and Alex Richmond.  Seriously, I would weep with laughter.  And the old recaps are still stored at the site, though who knows how long before the powers that be will have them removed.

You were a great site, TWoP, but as Robert Frost (and Ponyboy in The Outsiders) once said, “nothing gold can stay.”  Rest in Peace.

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

An invitation

Last night while recording the Hucklebug (in a conversation that very likely may get cut, since we ran quite long last night), I tossed out the idea that we might want to have some of the Presidential candidates on the show.  Any of them.  Even Ralph Nader, to whom we would simply say, “Mr. Nader, thank you for being here.  Fuuuck oooofffffffff!”

Ever since I floated that idea last night, I’ve been thinking about potential interviews.  Because of the nature of the Hucklebug, we wouldn’t be doing hard-hitting exposés or anything—I can’t speak for Bet, but I just don’t know enough about politics or global economics or foreign affairs to tackle big issues like that.  So it would be softball questions—what’s your favorite movie, would you rather be a Brady or a Partridge (nice one, Mike), would you invite the Hackensaw Boys to play at your inauguration, do you think Ward & June Cleaver had rough sex, etc.

But just because they’re softball questions, don’t think their answers wouldn’t mean anything!  I think we could learn a lot about Barack Obama by delving into his inner Brady.  Also, I’ve read that Hilary Clinton claims her favorite movie is Casablanca, and I suspect that’s her “safe” answer (so that people don’t find out it’s actually something like Audition or Zoolander).  I bet she’s never even seen it.  If I ask her what her favorite scene is and she doesn’t say “The Marsellaise,” she is a LIAR.  No one who’s seen that movie would answer any differently.  People who haven’t seen it would say “the ending scene at the airport,” because that’s the one that’s in all the clip shows (spoilers!!).  But if she does say “The Marsellaise,” we can be friends.  Even though Bet doesn’t like Casablanca.  And I will ask Hilary to do a Peter Lorre impression:  “Reeeck!  Save meeeee!”  Bet would like that.

Speaking of movies, here’s a link.  Some decent choices there, I like Edwards’ the best.  There’s also this more recent link for the current top three.  I suspect I could bullshit about movies with John McCain for hours.  Or until he got bored and walked away from me (five minutes maybe?).  I love this quote:  “Nicholson plays too much Nicholson.”  So true, Mr. Senator, so true!  And he lists Some Like it Hot among his favorites, which is not a shabby choice at all.

Oh, also, look at Clinton’s favorite actors:  Redford and Streep.  How BORING!  You know, she’s got this image of being so ballsy, and then picks shit like Out of Africa as a favorite movie.  On the other hand, I respect it because at least it’s honest, because who would LIE about Out of Africa being their favorite movie?  No one, that’s who.  I don’t mean to pick on Hilary; maybe the problem is that I really want to like her, but she keeps giving me reasons not to.  Like saying something ludicrous like Robert Redford is her favorite actor.  Come on.  Redford is barely mediocre.

So anyway, I wanted to throw the invitation open to any and all candidates (present or former)—consider yourself invited to come on the Hucklebug for an interview.  We promise not to ask about the recession.  I was going to say “you’re all invited except Mitt Romney,” but it might be fun to have Romney on, come to think of it.

QUESTION:  Mr. Romney, I submit to you that you are a douchebag.  Do you deny it?
ANSWER:  Hey, but I like Raiders of the Lost Ark, doesn’t that count for anything?
QUESTION:  Lots of douchebags liked that movie, sir.  It does not redeem you.

I have to admit, though, I’d give particular preference to Gov. Mike Huckabee, just because his name is so close to “Hucklebug,” I mean—how can you not invite him on the show?  Bet pointed out that if he listens to even one episode, he’ll never come on the show (I suggested that he avoid any episodes where we make fun of Jesus).  But come on!  Huckabee/Hucklebug?  And now that he’s out of the race he’s got nothing else to do.

QUESTION:  Governor Hucklebug—
ANSWER:  Huckabee.
QUESTION:  Sorry.  Governor Huckabee, don’t you think that if you’d changed your name to Hucklebug, you’d have gotten more delegates?
ANSWER:  Probably not.  Hey, I can play “The Hucklebuck” on the guitar, though.
QUESTION:  Sweet!  Will you come on our 100th Episode?

Huckabee’s not even ON that CNN list of movie favorites, from February 2007.  That’s how much they underestimated Governor Hucklebug, or “misunderestimated” as our current President might say.  Remember when Giuliani was running for President?  No, me either.

One more aside about that CNN article:  Did it really take the CNN Senior Political Analyst to write that little blurb?  Isn’t that kind of overkill?  I’m pretty sure they could have gotten an intern to put that together.

Wednesday, September 05, 2007

More tales of an NPR geek

I can’t believe I missed out on this, y’all:  ‘All Things Considered’ Wants You to Pick Lyrics.  Apparently NPR is having a contest to submit lyrics to the All Things Considered theme tune.  Listeners of the Hucklebug will already know that I have already written my own lyrics to All Things Considered, which go like this:

Good things, bad things
All things considered!

Then the announcer comes on and tells you what’s going to be on the show, and then:

Big things, small things
Considered!

Now, granted—my lyrics are not very good.  But jeez, I would have liked the chance to enter, since the contest seems tailor-made for me and my stupid propensity to make up lyrics for theme tunes that have none of their own.  I never heard the call for submissions—probably during pledge week, damn it. 

And!  If I’d been a finalist, I would have had the thrill of hearing Legal Affairs Correspondent Nina Totenberg (or Nina Totenbag, as I now like to call her) actually sing my stupid lyrics in her lovely soprano.  If you go here to NPR’s site, you can hear all four finalists, as sung by the esteemed Ms. Totenbag.  She has a lovely voice.  Maybe she should get on that Karaoke site that Bitterspice blogged about.

Friday, August 31, 2007

Revolutionary

From Overheard In New York:

White teen girl, about statue of Alexander Hamilton: Look at him! I mean, he’s such a dreamboat… That’s why he’s my favorite federalist.
Mom: And what did your class call him?
White teen girl: Hammy! And he was big pals with B-Frank, and Johnny Ads, and G-Dubya, and J-Marsh, and… And… And I can’t remember any more founding fathers, but of course they all had their own gangsta names, too. They were big pimpin’ over there in Independence Hall. The only things they were missing were the hos… And that’s why Abby A. wanted them to remember the ladies.

Now, at first glance, this exchange might cause one to roll her eyes in annoyance.  But what’s cool is, whoever this white teen girl is, she’s got it down.  She forgot to mention T-Jeff, of course, and in fact Hammy and Johnny Ads had quite the falling out later in their careers (maybe she hasn’t gotten that part of American history yet).  But Abby A. did want them to remember the ladies.  I’m not sure I had that grasp of Revolutionary history when I was in high school.

She’s right about one other thing.  Hammy was totally hot.

Friday, July 13, 2007

What I learned on NPR this week

My blogging time is limited today, so no time for a full-on weekly wrap-up, but I had to share this little nugget I learned on NPR this week.  This is not a news item; rather it is a new premium they are offering in NPR’s Shop:  the Nina Totenbag named after Nina Totenberg, NPR’s Legal Affairs Correspondent.  Which was so popular it is actually SOLD OUT already!  I just thought it was clever.  I thought maybe my NPR-listening friends might agree.

Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Don’t bogart, eh?

From NPR’s news blog:

The CBC reports that the United Nations, which has regularly ranked Canada No. 1 on its Human Development Index, has put the country near the top of another list. It appears that Canadians smoke marijuana at four times the world average.

In a related story, the CBC also announced that Canada is the world’s leading consumer of Cheetos.

Saturday, February 10, 2007

Great googly moogly

The surest sign that Google has officially jumped the shark.  In this post in the official Google Blog, Office of the apes, the author actually asks, “Wouldn’t it be Googley?”

GOOGLEY?  WTF, Google.  Get over yourselves already.

Friday, February 02, 2007

Weekly wrap-up

Happy Groundhog Day, Dear Reader!  Think it’s gonna be an early spring?  Welcome to the first edition of the Lost Angeleno weekly wrap-up.  Below you’ll find a few things that have been keeping me busy in one way or another this week.

Links of the week:  Wordhunter Xtreme.  Bet, pay attention—you mentioned playing keyboard Boggle the other day?  Here is online Boggle for you.  Pretty addictive.  I don’t recommend it for work.  Although if you’re going to play it at work, at least it doesn’t make any noise like most online games.  If you have a Google start page, there’s a module you can add, which is what I did.

Awesomest thing I saw on TV:  Mike Rowe, my TV boyfriend and soon-to-be-husband (though he doesn’t know it yet) sang the National Anthem on Dirty Jobs this week (in a segment that took place at a baseball stadium).  He then rounded the episode out by getting good and dirty.  I have since written him the following e-mail:  “Dear Mike—will you sing at my wedding?  Also, will you be the groom?  Love, Stennie.”

Bitterest disappointment of the week:  Una Giornata Particolare, an Italian film that I’ve wanted to see for years (starring Marcello Mastroianni, of course), arrived from Netflix on Wednesday.  DUBBED IN ENGLISH!  They should be flogged.  I sent it back unwatched.  My own fault for not reading Netflix’s online reviews from people who’d made the same mistake.

Least awesome thing I saw on TV:  Fucking Ilan won Top Chef.  I’m totally not watching that show ever again.

What I learned on NPR this week:  That I can’t stand listening to NPR during pledge week.

Projected weekend activities:  Tonight, James Bond double-feature at the Aero Theater with Scotty Dude.  Saturday, I will try to restore my laptop to its former speedy glory by reformatting it.  Then to make the weekend complete on Sunday, I guess I will just go ahead and buy a “Geek” t-shirt, while I studiously avoid the Superbowl.

(Pictured:  future husband Mike Rowe, doing something dirty.)

Monday, March 27, 2006

Fun movie links

Bored at work?  Lots of fun stuff to watch here, kids.  Remember that trailer that recut The Shining to make it look like a happy father-son comedy?  Well, more fun with movie trailers can be found here:  Wife Force One.  Fans of Harrison Ford, take note.

Also, wow—Angry Alien has been busy lately!  30-Second Bunny Theatre takes on A Christmas Story, Brokeback Mountain (those bunnies sure found a way to make the time pass), King Kong, Star Wars and lots more.

Enjoy!

Monday, January 23, 2006

PSA

Hey, asswipe!  It’s National No Name-Calling Week again!