Have you ever found yourself in a meeting, attempting to communicate what you know to be a sound and worthy idea, and yet every point you make is blunted and deflected by your collaborators? Perhaps there is some friction with their corporate culture, or a difference...
comedy
‘Cedar Rapids’ (Ed Helms, Anne Heche movie, 2011)
It's the quirks and surprises that make an offbeat movie like Cedar Rapids enjoyable. The basic story is strictly conventional: Naive insurance agent Tim Lippe (Ed Helms) is unexpectedly catapulted from his routine life in the Wisconsin hinterlands to the bright...
Simpsons World: The Ultimate Episode Guide, Seasons 1-20
Simpsons creator Matt Groening was on NPR's Weekend Edition Sunday this morning to talk about The Simpsons "Treehouse of Horror" episodes, which — together with all of The Simpsons episodes from the first 20 years of the television series...
‘Morning Joe’ Scarborough brews up Jon Stewart feud over Starbucks
ormer Florida congressman Joe Scarborough, host of MSNBC's Morning Joe, may be the electronic media's most tolerable conservative Republican. He may even have a new book, out just yesterday, urging his party back from radical recklessness to a more...
Stephen Colbert reports from Iraq this week
The Colbert Report should be especially good this week, with Stephen Colbert on location in Iraq, a trip whose exact date and destination had been kept secret until Friday, leading many to ask (and search for), "Where and when is Stephen Colbert going to the Persian...
Alchemist Theatre, Bay View, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee, Wisconsin — The Alchemist Theater and Lounge, at 2569 S Kinnickinnic Ave. in Milwaukee's Bay View neighborhood. The Alchemist's show schedule includes several sketch and improv comedy offerings.
Deep thought: Happy birthday, Jack Handey!
Jack Handey is a real person, and just to prove it, he got himself born 60 years ago today. Even Wikipedia agrees that "Handey is a real person, not a pen name or a character," so happy birthday, Mr. Handey. Even though Jack Handey has authored books — such as Deep...
‘The Digg Reel’
Here at the Mark Czerniec Internet Testing Laboratories, we like The Digg Reel. As a matter of fact, we have secretly been enjoying The Digg Reel since — well, since September 6, which is when we discovered Miro, the thing we use to download and watch The Digg Reel....
SNL skits: Fred Armisen, ‘Obama Plays It Cool’
Fred Armisen was jeered pretty roundly when he started playing Barack Obama on SNL, but I always thought he had keyed in on several quirky traits, and that the parody just keeps getting better and better. Last night's "Obama Plays It Cool" piece was his best yet....
Thursday night TV
For several weeks now (otherwise known as the February "Sweeps"), Amy and I have looked forward to Thursday night TV with a childlike glee. Three NBC Thursday night comedies — My Name is Earl, The Office and 30 Rock — are so good that we want to punch the furniture....
British law to protect religion from hatred — and laughter?
This morning there was a story on NPR's Weekend Edition (click the "Listen" button) about a new law in Britain banning incitement to religious hatred. Reportedly Michael Palin, of Monty Python fame, has said that under this law, the comics would not have been able to...
comedy
‘Exporting Raymond’: ‘Everybody Loves Raymond’ in Russia
Have you ever found yourself in a meeting, attempting to communicate what you know to be a sound and worthy idea, and yet every point you make is blunted and deflected by your collaborators? Perhaps there is some friction with their corporate culture, or a difference...
‘Cedar Rapids’ (Ed Helms, Anne Heche movie, 2011)
It's the quirks and surprises that make an offbeat movie like Cedar Rapids enjoyable. The basic story is strictly conventional: Naive insurance agent Tim Lippe (Ed Helms) is unexpectedly catapulted from his routine life in the Wisconsin hinterlands to the bright...
Simpsons World: The Ultimate Episode Guide, Seasons 1-20
Simpsons creator Matt Groening was on NPR's Weekend Edition Sunday this morning to talk about The Simpsons "Treehouse of Horror" episodes, which — together with all of The Simpsons episodes from the first 20 years of the television series...
‘Morning Joe’ Scarborough brews up Jon Stewart feud over Starbucks
ormer Florida congressman Joe Scarborough, host of MSNBC's Morning Joe, may be the electronic media's most tolerable conservative Republican. He may even have a new book, out just yesterday, urging his party back from radical recklessness to a more...
Stephen Colbert reports from Iraq this week
The Colbert Report should be especially good this week, with Stephen Colbert on location in Iraq, a trip whose exact date and destination had been kept secret until Friday, leading many to ask (and search for), "Where and when is Stephen Colbert going to the Persian...
Alchemist Theatre, Bay View, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee, Wisconsin — The Alchemist Theater and Lounge, at 2569 S Kinnickinnic Ave. in Milwaukee's Bay View neighborhood. The Alchemist's show schedule includes several sketch and improv comedy offerings.
Deep thought: Happy birthday, Jack Handey!
Jack Handey is a real person, and just to prove it, he got himself born 60 years ago today. Even Wikipedia agrees that "Handey is a real person, not a pen name or a character," so happy birthday, Mr. Handey. Even though Jack Handey has authored books — such as Deep...
‘The Digg Reel’
Here at the Mark Czerniec Internet Testing Laboratories, we like The Digg Reel. As a matter of fact, we have secretly been enjoying The Digg Reel since — well, since September 6, which is when we discovered Miro, the thing we use to download and watch The Digg Reel....
SNL skits: Fred Armisen, ‘Obama Plays It Cool’
Fred Armisen was jeered pretty roundly when he started playing Barack Obama on SNL, but I always thought he had keyed in on several quirky traits, and that the parody just keeps getting better and better. Last night's "Obama Plays It Cool" piece was his best yet....
Thursday night TV
For several weeks now (otherwise known as the February "Sweeps"), Amy and I have looked forward to Thursday night TV with a childlike glee. Three NBC Thursday night comedies — My Name is Earl, The Office and 30 Rock — are so good that we want to punch the furniture....
British law to protect religion from hatred — and laughter?
This morning there was a story on NPR's Weekend Edition (click the "Listen" button) about a new law in Britain banning incitement to religious hatred. Reportedly Michael Palin, of Monty Python fame, has said that under this law, the comics would not have been able to...