Blog Archives
Jimmy Fallon’s Lip Sync Battle Part 2 Featuring Joseph Gordon Levitt and Stephen Merchant
I love Conan, but nobody seems to have more fun doing late night TV than Jimmy Fallon. Whether he’s reuniting Jesse and The Rippers, having hash tag conversations with Justin Timberlake, or spoofing Breaking Bad, Fallon always comes off as the coolest guy in the room. His lip sync karaoke segment is no different. He created the segment a few months back with John Krasinski, and now he’s back at it with Joseph Gordon Levitt and Office co-creator Stephen Merchant. I can’t wait until he takes over The Tonight Show, but for now, let’s enjoy the lip syncing.
– Ryan
Arsenio Hall Is Back
Arsenio might have been out of the game for awhile but he obviously hasn’t lost his touch. If you have a guy in the audience with an eye patch you have to find some way of getting him on the air. I don’t care if you need to rewrite the whole show. Find some way of getting him on air, preferably positioning him as some type of stalker. That’s just what Arsenio did. That stereotype will never get old. People with eye patches are the coolest and the creepiest people in the world. Takes a special gene to pull that off.
– Ryan
SNL Officially Announces New Cast Members
(Source) “When NBC’s Saturday Night Live kicks off Season 39, it will be with a sum total of six, not five, new featured players.
As previously rumored, AT&T pitchman Beck Bennett (pictured, right) and Kyle Mooney (who also perform with the sketch comedy group Good Neighbor), female impressionist Noël Wells and comedian John Milhiser are now confirmed to join the late-night sketch series’ ensemble. Also, SNL scribe Mike O’Brien will step in front of the cameras this season.
But in announcing on Monday the new on-camera additions, SNL lobbed another name into the mix: stand-up comedian Brooks Wheelan (pictured, left), who last month had been made a part of the show’s writing staff.
The official announcement comes on the heels of Lorne Michaels telling the New York Times that sophomore player Cecily Strong will co-anchor Weekend Update with Seth Meyers this season.
SNL returns Sept. 28, with host Tina Fey and musical guest Arcade Fire.”
There you have it. 6 fresh faces will be part of the 39th season of Saturday Night Live. While I’ve only seen Beck Bennett perform (I hope his legs aren’t as short as they look in those AT&T commercials), it’s hard not to trust Lorne Michaels and his staff when it comes to finding new comedic talent. Transitions are always tricky, especially in a show such as SNL, which relies heavily on the chemistry of it’s actors and actresses. And while we’ll definitely miss Armisen, Sudekis and Hader, the large void their departures created could produce the show’s next rising star. My money is on Bobby Moynahan, but no matter who steps up, Season 39 should be a doozy.
– Ryan
Tina Fey & Bruce Willis Hosting SNL? Sign Me Up!
“Saturday Night Live” will turn to a familiar face to open its 39th season on NBC: Tina Fey, who will be the guest host for the premiere on Sept. 28.
On Monday, NBC announced the “SNL” guest lineup for the first three new shows of the fall season, leading off with Ms. Fey, one of the biggest stars the show has produced.
And the booking for the second week is sure to raise a few eyebrows — and some ratings points: Miley Cyrus, fresh from her much-commented on turn at the MTV Video Music Awards, will double as the guest host and musical guest on Oct. 5.
A third big name, Bruce Willis, will appear on Oct. 12, his second appearance as host.
The music acts are also high-profile. Arcade Fire will appear with Ms. Fey in the opener, and Katy Perry is booked on the show with Mr. Willis.
The choice of Ms. Fey, who starred on “SNL” for a decade, to headline the season premiere means a sure hand will be leading the cast, which is adding a raft of new members this season.
WOOF. Saturday Night Live is back. The show has very rarely disappointed me over the last few years (except you Bieber. Fuck you.). With that said, season 39 is a very big season for Lorne Michaels and company. Three major players are no longer on the active roster (Hader, Sudekis and Armisen are not returning to the show) and it’s lead writer and Weekend Update anchor, Seth Meyers, is leaving for his own late night talk show in October. While I have complete faith in Lorne’s casting, it still doesn’t hurt to stack the deck with some powerhouse hosts early on. Enter Tina Fey. She was one of the funniest actors on the show throughout the 2000s, which is saying something, considering her cast mates (Ferrell, Fallon, Parnell, Poehler, Rudolph). Add in the fact that Arcade Fire is performing and September 28th can’t come soon enough. Still need more? Two weeks later, everybody’s favorite lazy actor Bruce Willis will host the 3rd episode, with Katy Perry and her hall of fame boobs as the musical guest.
– Ryan
P.S. I’m just gonna pretend Miley Cyrus isn’t hosting the second episode. If she sticks her tongue out on that hallowed stage, I will personally drive to NY and kick her twerkin’ ass back to Nashville.
Christmas in September: NFL Seasons Opens Tonight!
The NFL season is finally here! Fan Duel. Fantasy Football. Survivor pools. And of course, rooting for your favorite childhood teams. I love my birthday and now that I’m an adult holidays are extra special because you get time off, but nothing brings me as much excitement as the opening night of the NFL season. Sunday fundays now have a totally different meaning. Men can talk football in bars, debating fantasy trades and playoff chances from now until February. God I love this country.
Is It September 9th Yet? I’m Ready for Peter Berg’s Monday Night Football
“On Sept. 9, as the Philadelphia Eagles prepare to take on the Washington Redskins in the first Monday Night Football game of the NFL season, ESPN viewers won’t be asked whether they are ready for some football. Instead, they’ll be treated to a montage of Darth Vader, Ronald Reagan and the daredevil who jumped from outer space in 2012. The creator of the new MNF opening segment is Peter Berg, the filmmaker and football fanatic best known for the Friday Night Lights film and TV series. Berg won the job after pitching the network on the idea of packing 44 years of culture and football history into a 90-second curtain-raiser for the weekly game. “Whether it be presidents being elected, great films, 9/11, Katrina — these are moments that we all remember culturally and somehow dealt with on Monday Night Football,” Berg tells THR. The new opening, which has been in the works for nine months, references Pac-Man, Bruce Springsteen and Titanic, among other major cultural forces. ESPN execs have been looking for a permanent opening since dropping Hank Williams Jr.‘s classic “Are You Ready for Some Football” intro in 2011 after the singer analogized President Barack Obama to Adolf Hitler. ESPN executive producer Jed Drake says at the end of last season, the network quietly put out requests for proposals to creative firms before Berg offered the timeline concept. Berg was hired and worked with Los Angeles-based design firm Ignition Creative on the opening, which moves from the first MNF game between the New York Jets and Cleveland Browns on September 21, 1970 to wide receiver Calvin Johnson’s catch for the Detroit Lions that set the NFL single-season receiving record in December 2012. Along the way, MNF’s familiar “Heavy Action” theme music plays, and classic game moments are dispersed with cultural ones. Of course, making the cut was John Lennon‘s appearance on MNF in 1974 where he tells Howard Cosell about the experience, “It makes rock concerts look like tea parties.” The plan is to regularly tweak the opening, adding and subtracting historical moments. “We hope this will spark debate about which cultural touchstones should be in it,” says Drake. One aspect of the montage that could generate chatter is the Disney quotient. ESPN’s parent company is represented by Star Wars and Indiana Jones (Lucasfilm), Toy Story (Pixar) and Iron Man (Marvel). Are the inclusions a sly promotional tactic, or was it just easier to license rights from a sister company? Berg says it helped “for sure” to have the Disney archive at his disposal, adding that not all studios were enthusiastic about helping promote football on a Disney network. He notes, “There was some stuff from The Matrix we had trouble clearing.” For Berg, the chance to work on the MNF opening brought back fond memories of watching the games with his father during his childhood. “We weren’t allowed to watch television,” he says about school nights. “But we were allowed to watch Monday Night Football. So it always had this special, secret holiday association for me.” – Hollywood Reporter
It’s about god damn time. It only took ESPN 50 years to get a country bumpkin racist out of their MNF montage and put it in the hands of a legitimate filmmaker. “Are You Ready For Some Football” was one of the dumbest opening themes for any show ever. Obviously I’m ready for football Hank. Why else would I be watching the damn channel. Now the theme is in the hands of Peter Berg, the creator of Friday Night Lights, and the director of one of my favorite 30 for 30 films, A Kings Ransom. He’s one of the more underrated minds in Hollywood, and judging by this interview, his creative juices seem to be in overdrive. If you think Monday Night Football is only about football then your clearly missing the bigger picture. Over the years, it has become as big a part of pop culture as any show on TV. Logically speaking, it’s impossible for any show that’s been on for over 50 years, sports or not, to not influence society, . While we’re going to have to wait until September 9th to see the entire opening montage, Berg did drop us some hints. “Heavy Action” will be the background music, and the pictures featured in the opening will parallel pop culture and Monday Night Football throughout the years (photos included above). If this doesn’t get you ready for football, then I don’t know what will.
– Ryan
P.S. If that Darth Vader/Terry Bradshaw two face picture isn’t the background of your computer by the end of the day then I know everything I need to know about you as a person.
Monday Night Raw Recap – 8/12/13
Daniel Bryan vs. Wade Barrett w/ guest ref Brad Maddox
Good match. Daniel Bryan get’s “cheated” out of the win with the Maddox fast count, yet still looks good as he got in a lot of offense. He hasn’t had a bad match in what seems like years. 
Orton vs. Sandow
Really good match. I wouldn’t mind these two feuding, as Sandow could carry the feud on the mic and Orton Is still super over with the crowd. Orton wins after Cody provides the distraction and Sandow gets RKO’d. 
PS- Love Sandow’s briefcase.
Sneaky good Ambrose/Shield promo I can’t see Ambrose losing the US Title anytime soon
Great Lesnar promo! Need more of those. Followed by a CM Punk promo where he quotes one of my favorite TV characters of all time, Omar from the The Wire: “you come at the king, you best not miss”.
Khali and Natalya beat Big E Langston & AJ Lee Filler match, with the ref missing the original submission finish. Probably the last time you see that ref.
VKM/Maddox/HHH promo Maddox as the special guest ref at SS? Or is it HHH? Judging from the pedigree, looks it’s going to be the three H’s.
P.S. Vince’s suit. Male Woof.
You can always tell the worth of a man by the way he takes a pedigree. #wwe @arda_ocal
— Mattchew (@MattyV1989) August 13, 2013
Kane vs. Titus O’Neil Kane wins a short match with a choke slam. Here comes the Wyatt’s! Usual entrance, with Bray Wyatt sitting in the rocking chair, while Rowan and Harper enter the ring and stalk their prey. Swerve! Kane sneaks out of the ring, and with the flick of his wrists makes fire come out of the ring posts! Quick, effective segment. Can’t wait for the ring of fire match at Summerslam.
P.S. The goat mask that Erick Rowan rocks is going to be a fashion staple for the Fall of 2013. You can either jump on board or be left in the dust.
Alberto Del Rio def. Kofi Kingston
So glad Kofi is back. Another really good match. Del Rio makes Kofi tap out, but Kofi looked really good in this match. I’m also glad he now wears pants to the ring.
Christian Promo Could it really be his last match? I really hope not.
Zeb Colter and The Real Americans I don’t think there is anyone in the WWE who is better than Zeb on the mic right now. “Letting immigrants cross our boarders like a hoard of rats.”…”if California floats into the Pacific Ocean that is 2.5 million reasons why America is a better place to live.” He could turn any crowd on himself. 
Also, can we talk about Cesaro’s flag cape? Pure power moves all-around for the Real Americans.
The Real Americans vs. The Usos
Decent match, with The Uso’s picking up the win with a roll up. I’m not sure where they’re going with this storyline, but as much as I like the Uso’s, I’d love to see Cesaro and Swagger got a shot at the tag titles.
Miz TV featuring Cena and Daniel Bryan
Great back and forth. Bryan is slowly becoming a great promo guy and Cena always has an awesome rebuttal. I don’t think HHH needs to be involved, which goes to show how good the lead up has been. They’ve done a great job hyping this match and I think it’ll be the best match of the night on Sunday.
Fandango vs. R-Truth (kind of)
Fandango and R-Truth have a weird dance off. I have to imagine the Miz TV segment ran long so they rushed this one. At least we got to see sweet Summer Rae 
WOOF
20 Man Battle Royal – Winner faces US Champion Dean Ambrose at Summerslam
Normal battle royal match. Cool spot with Kofi, Cesaro and Swagger towards the end of the match as Kofi got thrown over the top rope but held onto Cesaro and his feet dangled but never touched the ground ala HBK at the Royal Rumble. RVD and Mark Henry are your final two participants, with RVD picking up the win. The Shield’s music hits, but before they can take out Henry and RVD, the Big Show returns! Could setup a Big Show/Henry vs. Reigns/Rollins match.
Paul Heyman vs. CM Punk
Heyman comes out and runs down Punk on the mic, eventually bringing out Brock Lesnar. He tells Punk he has two choices, either be the “smart coward” and stay backstage and live to fight another day (Summerslam), or be the “stupid hero” and get his ass kicked tonight. Punk’s music hits, but there is no sign of Punk on the entrance ramp. He comes out through the crowd, grabs a camera and bashes Brock over the head. Lesnar takes head shots better than anybody. He beats Brock down with a chair, then chases Heyman up the ramp, where is greeted by Curtis Axel, who gets a GTS on the ramp for his troubles. RAW ends with Punk standing tall and Lesnar licking his wounds outside of the ring.
Overall a really good RAW, with several solid matches and an unbelievable back and forth promo between Cena and Bryan. If you weren’t excited for Summerslam before RAW, you should certainly be excited now.
Robin Thicke featuring Jimmy Fallon & The Roots – Blurred Lines
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOZjaqHioro&feature=youtube_gdata_player
How cool is Robin Thicke? Number one song in the world and still finds the time to cover his own song with classroom instruments. It must be a musician’s dream come true to go on Jimmy Fallon’s show. Not only can you rock out with Jimmy, but his house band is The Roots. Musical talent like you dream about. I didn’t think this song could get catchier. I was wrong.
– Ryan
P.S. Can’t hurt that this is his dad. Male woof.
