Monday, September 29, 2008

Mystery Team Trailer Now Online


Derrick Comedy has been around for what seems like ages - I'll still go back and watch classic sketches like "Jerry" and "Keyboard Kid" months and months after seeing them on youtube. If you're unfamiliar with Derrick, my recommendation is you watch Bro Rape - the video that got me to watch their progress as a comedy group.

They just released the above trailer for their feature length movie, Mystery Team. It may start out a little slow, but really picks up towards the end. I'll be chuckling at the "Let's treat ourselves" line all day.

Whether you think the movie will be good or not, you've got to give these guys props - they took a year to write, shoot, and edit this movie and are really going for it. Some of them have even already gained marked success - Donald is a writer on 30 Rock and if you watch closely in the trailer, you'll see that newest SNL cast member Bobby Monyihan has a part in the movie.

Friday, September 26, 2008

Why Oregon State Upsetting USC is Bad For Penn State

I'm often told I'm a pessimist. So often that over the years, I've developed an reply that is now nearly automatic - "Well, I guess that mean's I'm never disappointed. I'm either right or pleasantly surprised." Consider this the crux of the following argument.

If you [somehow] haven't heard, The University of Southern California (ranked #1 in every college football poll after trashing perennial BCS Bowl contender Ohio State) was trailing Oregon State 21-0 at the half. Some of us turned off It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia to watch the greatest upset of this fall so far, some fielded texts from friends watching the game becuase that show is hillarious, and I assume some minority joined me in serendipitously being in a room with two tvs, having our cake and eating it too. Eventually, USC rallied just enough to piss away the game and give Oregon State Beaver fans their christmas present 3 months early.Now - normally in the BCS system, any contender suffering a loss is a good thing. Statistically, I can't argue with that. But a Foxsports article by Michael Rosenberg really made it clear that this presents a problem for Penn State:

"The No. 1. Trojans were just beaten by Oregon State. That is the same Oregon State team that fell behind 45-7 to Penn State, and that's the same Penn State team that is not supposed to be on the same level as Ohio State, and that is the same Ohio State that got crushed 35-3 by USC, and if you can't understand this sentence, don't worry. I wrote it and I'm as baffled as anybody."

"The quick conclusions are that Ohio State is not nearly as good as we thought, USC is a little shaky and Penn State should be in the top five. But who knows?"

This is bad. Penn State needs to fly under the radar. As a Nittany Lions fan, I know we're good. But as a college football fan, I also know that athletic talent alone doesn't decide a football game. Hype is a killer - and for a team that has lost its star defensive player (Sean Lee), is rife with off the field controversy (uh, half the team), and doesn't have a clear-cut No.1 quarterback (Clark starts, but the chants for Devlin are just an INT away), the last thing they need is the nation expecting them to be a top 5 team.

I know, most seasoned fans will take these statements with a grain of salt - the BCS is destined to be screwed up with these upsets by the end of the year - but people tend to forget how stupid media coverage can be. The very experts themselves become hype-peddlers when they should know that this hiccup doesn't circuitiously make Penn State being a Top-5 team.

Thanks to Oregon State's colossal win over USC, and their one-sided loss in Happy Valley, people will watch the Nittany Lions in prime time on ABC against Illinois this Saturday, expecting Penn State to blow the shit out of Juice Williams and the Fighting Illini. I'm not going to say it won't happen - but I'd rather have people underestimate the team.

Because it feels much better to be on the wrong end of an expected challenge (which I think, despite the disparity in Illinois' #22 ranking and Penn State's #12, this game very much is), than to be the victim of an upset.

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

This Is Why I Love LOLJocks

Through some channel or another (probably Kissing Suzy Kolber), I discovered LOLJocks.
It's not updated very often - it seems frequency of posts depend on opportunity - but when they get a good picture, you can bet they make the most of it.

Monday, September 15, 2008

SNL Has Regressed

To summarize what Filmdrunk has so astutely stated, SNL blew this past Saturday. I'd go into it further, but really I think I'd just get depressed. The good news is that there was one shining light - a digital short by Andy Samberg. It's so bizarre, but I can't stop watching it.

Seriously, there was maybe one other sketch that was funny.

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Website of The Week - Powell To The People

The internet can be a very scary place - something that anyone who has accidentally stumbled on to hentai can tell you - but there are, as you may know, a great deal of websites tucked away in the series of tubes that are worth visiting. I found one today.

Powell To The People is the personal website of Keith Powell, an incredibly funny actor who plays Toofer on 30 Rock, which I regard as the greatest comedy on television right now. The best part of Powell To The People is that you get to enjoy more Powell-centric comedy than the ensemble cast of 30 Rock can show. This is very apparent in the intro:
"I understand that most actor websites have touched-up headshots, carefully selected reviews, and photos of themselves standing next to famous people. Well, I will do no such thing because I really think it distracts people from seeing more of me."
I guess what surprises me most about the website is how funny the guy is in text. Some of us know Powell as a talented comedic actor, but his self deprecation in his bio is quite good.
"He has shown an amazing range for a young actor, jumping effortlessly from comedy to drama to Wendy’s commercial."

"A career in regional theater followed where he portrayed everything from rappers (criminals) to kings (in-breeders) to the cognitively disabled (Irish)."
On top of this, he has some original content in the form of viral videos, (though honestly, I enjoy the written segments of the website best so far), a blog which he seems to update regularly, and a form to contact him. Not bad.

I guess I just appreciate those in comedy who take the time to use the internet to break down some barriers between performers and fans. In the Funny Or Die era of internet comedy, a young talent in Powell has arrived.

Monday, September 8, 2008

I'm Back

The hiatus is over - I've decided to try and at least write one post per day now that the school year has started.

Expect bizarre anecdotes, sports references, and other internet musings.