Hey, hey, hey, it’s fat Al
And here I thought actors jumping over to politics (Jesse Ventura, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bill Frist, etc.) was a dangerous trend. Now someone wants to try the reverse.
I’m tellin’ ya, pretty soon you won’t be able to tell the difference between celebrities and politicians. “Nightline” will merge with “Entertainment Tonight” and become “Entertainment Tonightline.” (Maybe this was what “The Simpsons” was trying to get at when they had Homer run for mayor while wearing a salamander suit in a recent episode. We might never know with that one.)
Reverend Al Sharpton wants to be a sitcom star. I wish I was kidding.
Sharpton is in talks with CBS to star in a family sitcom, according to Variety. If that isn’t enough, in a move that should make Norman Lear proud, the show will apparently be called “Al in the Family.” Continues after the jump »
The few, the proud…
Well, I am glad to know that our military has SOME standards.
Shane Stant, the “hit” man who smacked Nancy Kerrigan’s leg in 1994, wants to be a Navy Seal. Read about it here.
What a great patriot this man wants to be. After serving 14 months in prison for his assault on the skater, he now wants to be serving our country. There’s one little snag. The Naval Special Warfare Division won’t allow convicted felons to join up. Well, I think that is sensible enough. After all, the military has the highest standards, and recruits only the highest level of soldier, right? All those recruiters I have seen in the Wal-Mart and Costco parking lots are very selective.
The funny part is that this guy actually thinks he should be allowed to jump into war zones wearing a wetsuit and carrying automatic weapons. I commend Multnomah County Circuit Judge Julie Frantz for refusing to clear his record. He caused enough of a problem 11 years ago with a police baton that anyone can obtain. Methinks we might want to keep his busy hands away from the C-4.
Crap Filter rules!
Yes, dear readers, it’s the day all of you have been waiting an entire month for: Crap Filter is now a member of the 9rules network. All of our tireless dedication to sorting out the good from the bad, the awful from the outstanding has paid dividends.
The 9rules Network is a highly exclusive group of outstanding weblogs and Web sites. We’ve been up and running for a little over a month now, and readership has been great so far. The 9rules Network will be an extremely valuable resource in hooking us up with even more of the people who stop by for entertainment news, reviews, and commentary every day.
Thanks to 9rules for recognizing that we’ve got the right stuff. We at Crap Filter promise not to let you down!*
*Not a guarantee.
2 Crouching, 2 Hidden
Ang Lee has failed to reach the success of “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” since it enraptured the movie-going public four years ago. His most recent film, “Brokeback Mountain,” which has come to affectionately be known as “The Gay Cowboy Movie,” is set to be released next weekend to uncomfortable audiences across America (mostly blue states). The artistic and risky choice for Lee follows “Hulk,” which also could have been called “Blah.”
So what’s a director to do to recapture his prominence?
How about a sequel? Or better yet, a prequel? Continues after the jump »
Voltron TPBs by Devil’s Due
We all remember Voltron: Defender of the Universe from our childhood. I still have my fully assembled Lion-Force Voltron. It is the metal version, that was recalled for having lead-based paint. My mommy said I could keep it, as long as I didn’t lick it. Recently I picked up and read a couple of trade paperbacks that I really enjoyed. For the last couple years, Image Comics, and Devil’s Due Publishing have put out a run of Voltron comics, which are now collected in these digest-sized collections from Devil’s Due. Continues after the jump »
Yeah, that’s right, Tip O’Neill… twice!
Yet another benefit to living in the New York City area that I didn’t initially anticipate is celebrity sightings. This occured to me when my family and I were having Thanksgiving dinner in the Essex House near Central Park. Just after we entered the hotel, a man walked by us that my father swears was Tom Coughlin — head coach of the New York Giants.
Granted, not the best celebrity to kick off this piece, but a celebrity none the less.
Anyway, I wasn’t convinced, even though I never saw his face; I just caught the back of his head and thought to myself, “I know backs of people’s heads, and that’s not the back of Tom Coughlin’s head.” And besides, why would Coughlin be staying there? It just didn’t make sense, so I was very skeptical. This issue remains unsolved to this day.
Now, I understand I made the declaration in a previous article that I’m not much for idol worship, mainly because I’ve come to realize that they’re just normal people like you and me, putting their pants on one leg at a time, even though their pants are a lot more expensive than ours. But the celebrity-spotting game is a fun one, if only because you don’t expect them to happen. Continues after the jump »
Schebb’s upside ya head
A Week of Kindness, New York’s only sketch comedy group, has released the third installment of the Dr. Schebb’s “Soft” Gel Shoe Insoles saga.
Drop on by to visit what some people, mostly me, are calling the Crap Filter of sketch comedy. While you’re there, make sure to check out some of their other great sketch videos.
AWOK will be preforming their Barnyard Jamboree show at the People’s Improv Theater in New York on December 10 and 17. You won’t be disappointed.
Thanks for showing up, ‘SNL’
And it goes on.
The celebrated fat suit made an appearance on “Saturday Night Live” last night, this time of the spoof variety. Not so surprisingly, “SNL” was a couple weeks behind on a trend that, incidently, Crap Filter brought to the attention of the public.
Rachel Dratch, who’s fast reaching “Christ, she’s still on the cast?” territory (ala Darrell Hammond), put on the fat suit in order to make light of the hard-hitting segments by Tyra Banks and Vanessa Minnillo.
In typical neo-“SNL” fashion, tired racial stereoyptes were in full force, albeit ironically. All the black guys Rachel ran into on the street were totally into her oversized booty. Sir Mix-A-Lot’s “Baby Got Back” came out in 1992, so that should give you a sense of “SNL“‘s comedic progression, or lack thereof.
An art survival guide
- Safe
- An exhibition examining people's eternal desire for security.
- Running through January 2 at the MoMA, New York City.
My favorite story that arose during the hysteria just after 9/11 had to be the one about celebrities buying up gas masks, even though they were virtually useless, especially in the hands of someone like, say, Shannon Elizabeth. She might as well have taken advice from former Homeland Security head Tom Ridge and Duct Taped her windows.
Hysteria can often have these comical results (above), as well as depressing ones (presidential elections). But whatever the outcome, it’s always a fascinating study of human behavior, which is why I had to check out an exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art called “Safe.” (Check out the online version of the exhibit here.) Continues after the jump »
Oh Ricky!
You may have missed the news last week, but Ricky Gervais, the comedy genius behind The Office, has a new podcast for Guardian Unlimited starting today.
When Ricky Gervais was asked to name the funniest man alive, he said, “my friend Karl Pilkington. The trouble is, I don’t think he knows he’s being funny”.
Each week, award-winning comedians Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant rummage around in the mind of Karl Pilkington to prove he’s not just the village idiot, he’s beaten off all competition to take the national title.
Join Ricky and Steve as they help Karl wrestle with such burning issues as:
“Jellyfish - do we need them?” “How could an infinite number of monkeys type the complete works of Shakespeare if they’ve never read it?” “Why do you never see an old bloke eating a Twix?”
Burning issues indeed.
OK, so maybe I’m completely lost, but I have people who assure me that such things constitute humour across the pond. But don’t take it from the promotional text. Take it from me, somebody who has seen every episode in Season 1 of The Office. That should be reason enough to check out.
A quick note: As of 3 a.m. Eastern, the podcast isn’t available yet, so keep checking.
