Billy On The Street Will Save Fuse

Billy On The Street is one of those TV shows that stands out because it feels like it shouldn't be on TV at all. A zippy, 22 minute version of the popular Funny Or Die web series, the show is one long man-on-the-street segment comprised of bursts of pop culture trivia questions posed to strangers. On paper, it's nothing new, but the exciting twist in this incarnation comes in the way host Billy Eichner manages to make screaming & cursing into the faces of strangers read as oddly endearing.

Mostly, Eichner's approach is running up to New York City pedestrians and asking one off questions with a determined enthusiasm that they have no choice but to match. He screams and berates his contestants all the way through, but always with an excited anticipation of wanting to see them answer correctly. The result is warm, addictive, and more times than not, very, very funny.

Watching New Yorker after New Yorker so quickly surrender to Eichner's rush of questioning is fascinating. Despite (or perhaps because of) his brash approach and casual racial/ethnic/sexuality-insensitivity, you'd be hard pressed to find a contestant who isn't smiling throughout the exchange. Even on-lookers appear to be witnessing something special, not just another guy in front of a camera with a microphone in New York City.

While many of the gun-to-head responses from strangers are hilarious, some of the funnier moments of the show are when Eichner will simply breeze past a contestant for giving an answer he doesn't like (not knowing who Laura Linney is) or for trying to promote their website he doesn't care about. This unpredictability makes it feel as though you're planted right along side Eichner's brain while it fires neurons a mile a minute, deciding what's worthy of attention and what's shit.

Wisely, Billy On The Street separates itself from the much tamer & less entertaining Cash Cab by making the game more about opinion than fact. It's way more fun to hear people have to answer if Celine Dion is 65% bird or to name three movies that don't exist than to watch them wrestle with a Jeopardy daily double. Segment titles like 'Are You Smarter Than A Gay 5th Grader?', 'Rebecca Black or Black Person?', 'Is This A Real Tyler The Creator Lyric?', and 'Quizzed On The Face' speak to this frivolous-on-purpose tone.

Billy On The Street - watch more funny videos

Billy On The Street: Exclusive Preview - watch more funny videos

Fortunately, Fuse seems to be putting marketing muscle behind it, which is good since letting Billy On The Street slip by unnoticed after a season would be a mistake. Judging by how easy it is to turn people on to the show by simply showing it to them, Fuse would need to majorly fuck up to blow what could be a game changer for their struggling network.

One look at any of Fuse's programming outside Billy On The Street and it's easy to see why they're currently engulfed in a Time Warner/MSG packaging scuffle (in which no cable provider wants to pay for the 3rd rate MTV-alternative programming that Fuse currently banks on). With Billy On The Street, Fuse has a chance to diverge from the fleeting 'music channel' ideal and become a unique network with bite, the basic channel equivalent of 20-something comedy aficionado-oriented IFC with some music flavor mixed in for good measure. Luckily, it's a refreshing enough show that it may be strong enough to help steer the network into new (and far better) territory. Wooo!!!

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Twin Sister "All Around And Away We Go" Video Shoot

Here's the video I directed for Twin Sister's "All Around and Away We Go." Thanks to Ian Perlman, Dan Devine, Seamus McGuire and Herb Hernandez for all their hard work. Andrea drew the animations!


All Around and Away We Go from Twin Sister on Vimeo.

Some pics:

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SUNDANCE 2010 FAVORITES: Hilarious, Life 2.0, Daddy Longlegs, Cyrus, I'm Here, Enter The Void

I was lucky enough to spend the past 6 days in Park City, Utah while attending the 2010 Sundance Film Festival. Long story short, it was unforgettable. Hopping around snowy Park City from theater to theater, waiting in lines for extended periods of time, and managing to function on 3-4 hours of sleep daily might not sound like a blast, but I couldn't have had more fun. I can't imagine another environment in America where film is appreciated and talked about with such collective enthusiasm & excitement. Everyone, including the filmmakers, actors and writers whose work the festival consists of, is on the same page; everyone is cramming into the same buses and everyone is waiting in the same long lines. I would recommend the festival to any fan of film in a heartbeat - there's nothing like it. (Check out my iPhone YouTube page for some videos taken during the fest!)

Of the bajillion films showcased at Sundance, I caught 10 features, 2 documentaries, and 13 shorts. If it weren't for non-guaranteed wait-list ticket lines draining valuable time out of each day, I might have managed to double my film intake. Regardless, I saw some fantastic films. Here are my thoughts on those worth mentioning:

Louis C.K.: Hilarious

It would be wonderful if this stand-up "concert" film could arrive in theaters, if only to simulate the live audience experience when this screened at its premier. Prior to this film, my perception of Louis C.K. was as a smart comic mind (as stated in my Eric Rohmer post, he's written and collaborated with Chris Rock for a number of years) who was a better writer than he was a performer. His HBO show Lucky Louie was canceled in its infancy, and outside his small but solid role in NBC's Parks & Recreation, I didn't know him from much else. He didn't seem like the type of stand up that would knock me out. Well, I was wrong and Louis C.K. is now one of my favorite comedians. Prior to the film, his problem seemed to be that he looked and sounded too normal. What was his angle? Where was his Romano / Seinfeld / Rock / Lopez-esque ethnic background that seemed to brand each successful stand up comedian? He was just an average, slightly overweight white guy - arguably the hardest position in American comedy to define. What this doc highlights is that THIS is EXACTLY what defines him: the anger and self-loathing that come with being white, comfortable, and jaded in America today. Brilliant & hysterical, his show had the theater crying.

Life 2.0

Do you know Second Life? That internationally popular online computer game that kinda looks like The Sims? Turns out it's not a game, but a sort of advanced social network that has grown so intricate and nuanced that people are giving up their real lives to live vicariously through avatars in the simulated world of Second Life. Life 2.0 presents four subjects whose cases are absolutely fascinating: a couple who's romance has blossomed beautifully within the game, and are now meeting in person for the first time to attempt a real life relationship; a woman who spends months designing digital houses, clothes & jewlery and makes an actual living (as in American dollars) by selling such items within Second Life; and a grown man who spends the majority of each day embodying the avatar of an 11 year old girl. For these people, the false reality they've created in Second Life is more fulfilling than their real lives, and their stuggle to balance the two is incredibly interesting - and many times, sad - to watch. But the film can also be very funny, and at its best poses fascinating philosophical questions about the role & future of online life in our increasingly plugged-in real lives.

Daddy Longlegs

Daddy Longlegs is one of those films that are hard to pinpoint just what it is that makes you keep chewing on it days after you see it. It's a small film shot on grainy 16mm film which tells the story of a divorced father who isn't exactly the shining example of parenthood. In one sequence, neither he nor his girlfriend can be up in time to watch the kids, so he breaks up a sleeping pill & feeds it to them in an attempt to add hours of sleep to their morning. The kids don't wake up. They freak out, call a doctor, and when informed that they have to wait out the children's coma-like sleep, he continues on his day. While this main character is seemingly unlikable, conniving, and a despicable parent, what makes judging his character challenging is that he clearly loves his kids despite his questionable actions. The young filmmakers Josh & Benny Safdie described their film as a jumble of memories of their father, who while not perfect, was a man of compassion. At the screening they passed out posters that they themselves designed, along with postcard-sized reprints of an actual photo taken during a wind tornado of sheets of paper - a sequence from their lives recreated in the film. D.I.Y. filmmaking at its best & most inspiring.

Cyrus

You may not yet know of the directing duo the Duplass Brothers, but you will. Their previous two films, The Puffy Chair and Baghead, are two of the coolest & most unique examples of how digital filmmaking is changing the way stories are told in movies. The two loosely map out their films within a genre - The Puffy Chair is a road movie, Baghead works within the most obvious of horror conventions, and Cyrus is, on the surface, a romantic comedy - but by allowing their actors the freedom to improvise heavily, capturing the action in documentary-like handheld (racking up hours and hours of digital tape in the process), they create some of the most realistic, genre bending and uniquely unfolding stories that are being told today. Cyrus is their first studio film (Fox Searchlight), and with it comes bigger talent - John C. Reilly, Jonah Hill and Marisa Tomei. It's fascinating to see these three in such a realistic, low-budget-feeling story, and they all thrive wonderfully. Reilly is a recently divorced fuck-up until he meets Marisa Tomei. Everything is well and grand until he encounters her needy, live-at-home son, Jonah Hill, who shares a strangely close bond with his mother. What's more is that Hill's character appears disarmingly mature. Reilly now has to juggle entering their lives while dealing with Hill's increasingly hostile and clever attempts to thwart the relationship and keep his mom all to himself. Not only is the film fucking hilarious, it's one of the most realistic and truest movies you will ever see any of these actors in. Cyrus was one of my favorite films at the fest. (View the trailer for Cyrus here.)

I'm Here

Spike Jonze is one of my favorite filmmakers and this 25 minute short film about robots falling in love is, I think, my favorite thing he's done. In a way, I'm Here feels like the culmination of everything Jonze does well - inventive, playful visual storytelling with a big ol' sad heart behind it. Have you seen Wall-E? My favorite part of that movie was watching the process of machines falling in love because it's love in it's barest, most elemental form. I'm Here is like Wall-E with characters that appear in their early 20's and actually live on present day earth with humans. The robots don't look stupid or hokey as I was afraid they might, but instead have disernable personalities. Due to the film's seemless interjection of CGI (very similar to the process used in Jonze's Where The Wild Things Are), the robot characters are in a way better actors than any human filling the role could have ever been. I'm Here is Jonze making a simple, melancholy love story that essentially could have been told without robots. But, that's what makes the short fun and fascinating to watch.

Enter The Void

CAUTION! ONLY DIE HARD FILM VIEWERS WILLING TO SUBJECT THEMSELVES TO CINEMATIC ABUSE PROCEED! SERIOUSLY, NO JOKE. Have you seen Irreversible? It's a film by bald-headed french filmmaker Gaspar Noe that is incredible but not for the faint of heart. It is a tough, brutal art film that separates itself from many european 'art films' by not using the slow, static shots for dramatic effect that have become their staple. In contrast, Noe's camera is almost always moving, winding, twisting and breathing; colors are dense and plentiful. He also embraces CGI in some of the most inventive ways of any modern filmmaker. Sounds great! Here's the hard part: Noe is a master of making you feel absolutely horrible. I want to clarify: his films are nothing like the Hostel or Saw torture porn films we in America think of as pushing the bar on what audiences are willing to subject themselves to. You won't see his films playing at the local AMC. On 1/22/10 at 8:30 AM, I saw a screening of Enter The Void and it was without a doubt the most intense & visceral film experience I've ever had. I know, I know, when "visceral" gets thrown around to describe a movie, the intended meaning is vague. I'll put it this way: you know how jarring, surreal, disturbing & metaphysical your most powerful & disorienting dreams can feel? The kinds of dreams where emotion and atmosphere are heightened to your subconcious imagination's max? This is like that. Sound plays a major factor in this effect, creating a paranoid, stomach-turning soundtrack, and, in a few key moments, nerve-stinging jolts of sound to coincide with the more physically-jarring sequences in the film. First-person camera is used through much of the film and the beginning 20 minutes or so are especially clever in placing us inside the head of its drug-influenced main character. The film's opening title sequence is one of the coolest, most electrically-charged mix of music & text that I've ever seen. But its not just craziness; the film is at times profoundly sad, and Noe has no problem sucking you into a strong emotion as a way of muddying the waters of what your feeling. It's an infuriating, exhaustive experience, but its a testament to just how good a filmmaker Gaspar Noe is. Enter The Void is almost impossible to convey, and even harder to recommend, so I'm not even going to try. I will just say that if you think you are up for it, take a chance and check out what I will definitively dub The Most Fucked Up Movie I Have Ever Seen.

Quick Note: infamous graffiti artist Banksy had a documentary at the fest called Exit The Gift Shop which I didn't see but was supposed to be great. As myself & a small group walked down main street at 7am for the Enter The Void screening, few others were walking the street. But the ones that were were talking about the couple of marks that Banksy had left on the city over night. This, an image calling to mind the idea that artists kill what they find beautiful by making it art, was one of them:

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RIP Eric Rohmer: Extremely Worth Remembering

Claire's Knee (1970)

Despite his significance as a founding member of the mega-influential French New Wave of the 1960's & 70's and a skilled writer/director, you'd be forgiven if the name Eric Rohmer didn't ring any bells.

When word broke two days ago that Rohmer had passed at age 89, even slashfilm.com, one of the more prominent & knowing film blogs on the web, failed to mention the loss of this influential figure.

Exciting & reassuring, then it was to Rohmer's admirers, to watch as the term "Eric Rohmer" climbed into the top ten trending topics on the ultra-modern culture current that is Twitter.

Gene Hackman's character in 1975's Night Moves famously stated, "I saw a Rohmer film once. It was like watching paint dry." Those words, especially coming from Hackman's mouth, are sign of just how hilariously French Rohmer's movies can appear to an American viewer. No, they are not ultra-arty exercises in experimental pretension. The films do not, for instance, look like this:

Instead, you'll find Rohmer's films to be deceptively simple stories of men lusting after women, without much extraneous plot. The ingredient that makes these films engrossing is their acute, masterful attention to thought process. Rohmer uses extensive voice over, a common device used in French films from that time, suggesting the fascination New Wavers had with tying moving images to literature. But Rohmer takes this further than others, and his Six Moral Tales, a collection of six films which remain his most notable work, deal with the step-by-step psychology behind what goes through a human mind as we become attracted to another person.

La Collectionneuse (1967)

The Moral Tales are comprised of stories about men falling for women they are fascinated by. But in each, we are exposed to the specific psychological motivations which guide the characters through whatever relationship progresses. As a result, what seems on the surface to be a simple story of lust becomes an intricate social dance of twists & turns that is remarkably entertaining and cool to watch.

At each film's end, an incredible and surprising sense of satisfaction takes over. It's the same feeling as closing the back cover on a great book you've just finished. It's literature as film, and that's exactly Rohmer's intent; all six of the Moral Tales were written in book form and then adapted into scripts.

If you feel easily compelled to punch European people acting all European and what not in the face, Rohmer might take a minute to warm up to. Full disclosure: there are a fair amount of turtlenecks featured in his work. Rest assured, there are also naked ladies. Which is exactly what lead Chris Rock to remake Rohmer's Chloe In The Afternoon into his own 2007 film, I Think I Love My Wife:

Rock explains:

"I was in Tower [Records] and I was just in the mood for foreign movies...Chloe had a naked girl on the cover. So, out of all the foreign movies I bought that day, I was like, 'I'm gonna watch this film first.' And I really liked it, it was really good."

Louis C.K., Rock's co-screenwriter on the remake, said this about Rohmer's original:

"It's French. And it's from the 60's, or 70's. And it's just got this tone to it. This dude just stands around smoking cigarettes in a suit. And people barely say anything. It's just very slow paced and subtle. And because of that deliberateness of the slow pace, it's like a horror movie. You're like, 'oh my god, he's gonna fuck this woman.' But it's French people, so you think, 'oh, they all fuck each other, so nobody cares.' But then it starts sneaking up on you that it matters to this guy what happens... So, the ending has this huge impact. It really was very powerful."

I really hope that in the wake of Rohmer's death, more fans, students, and admirers of film & screenwriting will be compelled to seek out his work. Much of it is too good and too inspiring to miss.

Trailers for Rohmer films are hard to come by on the Intertubes. My four most recommendable Netflix rentals are: Chloe In the Afternoon (also known as Love In The Afternoon), My Night At Maud's, Claire's Knee, and La Collectionneuse. To give a brief, Chris Rock-ian taste of Rohmer, here is the "prologue" to La Collectionneuse:

Ahh, sweet, French objectification. The 60's for ya.

Eric Rohmer

1920-2010

(For an in depth NY Times obituary on Rohmer, go here. For an appraisal piece written by NY Times chief critic A.O. Scott, head here. To download an mp3 of the Creative Screenwriting interview with Chris Rock and Louis C.K. on their Rohmer remake, go here.)

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Jersey Shore: The Reason To Watch MTV Again

If Twitter and Facebook updates are any indication, MTV has hit a massive cultural nerve with Jersey Shore. Only four episodes in (each an hour long), and the show's cast members have appeared on Leno, Conan, Kimmel, and Saturday Night Live (if you count Bobby Monihan's Snooki impression and Bill Hader's back-abbed The Situation). Last time I can think of an MTV show making these kind of waves was Jackass, and that was a while back. So what does this show do differently that makes it stand out from the bajillion other reality shows on the tube?

Jersey Shore or The Jerz, as I call it (nope), plays off the club hopping, macho dude Italian stereotype that I think first showed signs of a societal giggle in this 2007 Youtube video (that I unfortunately hate):

The idea is that the show allows you to laugh at its subjects while giving you enough Real World-style drama to carry one through an hour long episode. But JS doesn't take itself as the super serial, generational-snapshot bullshit that Real World gets caught up in. Instead, it feels much looser and fun. The editors have no problem guiding viewers toward the more unflattering moments of the show's cast and emphasizing their strange, idiosyncratic language and cocksure attitude. But the show also gives the sense that the cast mostly gets why what they say or do is funny. It's easy to imagine them viewing these episodes and cracking up at their own behavior like someone watching back an embarrassing video from the night before.

And that's it: in contrast to the the stone-faced, emotionless asshole depicted in the aforementioned Youtube video, everyone on the show has an almost bubbling inclination to laugh. Instead of resenting them, we begin to enjoy their company and treat their "guido-ness" as a funny quirk, and the show quickly becomes very easy to like.

Thank god MTV knew to avoid the goofy, sound-effect ridden editing of VH1 celebrity reality shows to emphasize the show's tongue-in-cheek quality. Instead, the editing feels more like a social document rather than reality TV, capturing this strange, foreign world of protein supplements and extra long bathing suit shorts for us Westerners to delight in.

It's also an interesting sign of MTV catching up with the infamously fast-evolving tastes of its young audience -- it wasn't too long ago that anyone of the muscle head, partypartyparty cast members of Jersey Shore could have been found on The Real World, minus the lens of humor.

Pauly D, Snooki, and Mike "The Situation" have emerged as the three faces of the show. I wonder what if any future they might have in entertainment. Probably nothing, as things go in Reality TV. But I am interested to see how an inevitable second season is going to work. Will the show keep the same cast or enlist a new set of "guidos"? Or, will MTV pick another ethnic group to lampoon? Blackies in Miami Beach? Chinamen in San Fran? The possibilities are endless!

Here are those three participating in a mildly brilliant Funny Or Die vid that further proves the cast's ability to be in on the joke. Essential viewing for fans of the show:

The REAL Situation (Feat. MTV Jersey Shore's The Situation, Snooki, and Pauly D) - watch more funny videos

Also, I saw someone mention that Mike "The Situation" kind of looks like Pauly Shore. Thought that was funny.

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Cornelius Perform On Nick Jr.'s Yo Gabba Gabba!

No longer the die-hard Nickelodeon-Head that I absolutely once was, I've missed out on some serious next-generation kids show scoping. However, you, like me, may have collected word over the past couple of years that Nick Jr. show Yo Gabba Gabba! was laying claim to some pretty killer format experimentation, most notably of which consists of sing-alongs lead by a handful of impressively top name indie bands.

There was mention of The Shins & Mates of State taking part in the action, first peaking my interest. Both those bands create music one can imagine children digesting comfortably & singing along to in joyful, melodious wonder. But last week, it was reported that Cornelius had taped a performance for the show. As in the awesome, shredding, Japanese math rock band, Cornelius?! This Cornelius?!?!?:

Clearly, Yo Gabba Gabba! is the greatest children's show of all time.

Unfortunately, there is no way to embed video of the performance, but you can and should take a look over at Jezebel, or watch full screen on Yo Gabba's own site (how cool is their site? Adult Swim for kids).

Cornelius is one of my favorite artists whose rockin', strange time signature music practically begs to be used cinematically. Ranging anywhere from acoustic, Zen-like calm to thrashy, noise-art rock, their kinetic & frenzied sound marries wonderfully to visuals, and some of Japan's top visual artists agree. In addition to some fantastically surreal & beautiful music videos, the band performs live in front of a large screen displaying video pieces created by various such artists that are specifically synchronized to their playing. Here's what the beginning of a show looked like during their recent Sensuous Synchronized tour:

I think it's safe to say that Cornelius is breaking some new ground in redefining what's possible at a live show. Videos like that prove you don't have to be U2 or Radiohead to utilize the wonders of synched visuals. Here are some more of the group's amazing background videos, sans the band:

As mentioned before, the band has some great traditional music videos as well. Take a peak:

I myself used many songs off the band's 2001 album Point throughout SEAN. (a feature film I made in 2005) and the band's "I Hate Hate" was the theme song to a television public access show I co-created called I'm On Public Access!:

Cornelius' last release was Sensuous in 2006, and assumedly, a follow up is in the works. Until then, may I suggest feasting the eyes & ears on their Grammy-winning CD/DVD Sensurround + B Sides ("Best Surround Sound Album" Woooo!).

*UPDATE*: Just learned that Cornelius has apparently written new music for Shawn Of The Dead and Hot Fuzz director Edgar Wright's new film, Scott Pilgram Vs. The World. Hopefully, this signals a new venture for Cornelius in scoring film.

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Go Forth: Levi's Dreamy New Ads Are The Bomb

Obama '08!

By now, most of us are familiar with Levi's newest series of ads: a jumble of wistfully filmed footage evoking the nostalgic sense of old-school patriotism apparently running rampant in today's Obama-era youth. One thing is for sure - they are some of the more visually & creatively striking ads in recent memory. But do they successfully redefine the Levi's brand? Are they too much all at once?

Here is Levi's first, extended 'Go Forth' ad which first caught my eye online a couple of months ago:

When that appeared during the opening previews to a film I saw in theaters (before trimmed versions of this began airing all over TV), the audience of young 20-somethings - the ad's intended demographic - burst into laughter at the abrupt Levi's logo tailing the piece.

One obvious problem was the lack of straightforward product display in the pitch - the same criticism so commonly leveled at...abstract jean ads that don't show any jeans. But, the scoff itself was also a sign that people were invested & proof of the advertisement's powerful ability to move. The interjection of the brand's logo during the haunting sound of a violently waving flag after an ear-shattering gunshot may not have been the smoothest exercise in subtlety, but it certainly lets us know who's running the show.

Aesthetically, the ads have a uniquely cinematic dream quality that is immediately gripping (we have the ads creators, Wieden & Kennedy, to thank for that, who, funny enough, also created the great Maria Bamford Target Ads I wrote about last week). Ethereal and atmospheric, the spots present a new, inventive idea - great editing undercut by scratchy phonograph recordings of poets reading their own words, balanced with strange & moody background music.

But again, are they effective? As a consumer, do I now have a different, more positive image in my head of what Levi's jeans & clothing represent? Actually, yes. Yes I do. In fact I can't even recall the last incarnation of Levi's identity. Up until this much needed facelift, they had succumbed to being just...jeans. Another company. Now, at the very least, they stand out as something.

The rest of the campaign, unfortunately - and perhaps inevitably - slips into gimmick. One look at their Go Forth website, with it's attempts to act as a gathering place for those with "indomitable american spirit" and "revolutionary thinking", is enough to make you throw up all those beers you drank while listening to Obama's inauguration speech last January. We saw the ad, we don't need another social network. Please just, just show me where to buy the jeans.

And let's not forget, in theory, the intention of these ads is no different from that of the horrendous, hilariously condescending Miracle Whip ads that have aired in the past year:

Clearly, it is the execution that determines whether or not we figuratively & literally buy it.

So, as a result of all this, do I want to Go Forth (get it) and purchase a pair of Levi's jeans? No, I'm OK. I have a couple of pairs of jeans lying around that still fit and look fine. Not to mention there are few experiences I look forward to less than trying on pants in a store. But I've made a mental note for when my "This Country Was Not Built By Men In Suits" look needs some creative retooling.

(For anyone looking to read more on the subject, Bob Garfield, a writer for AdAge, has an interesting review of the Go Forth ads I ran across while "researching." It discusses further the paradoxical nature of the campaign: "it's no good because it's too good by half." Worth checking out.)

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Last Call With Carson Daly: Suddenly...Awesome?

Then:

Now:

When NBC made their big late night transition, moving Leno to 10, Conan to 11:35 and Fallon to 12:30, it seemed an existential crisis was in order for Carson Daly and crew. Last Call With Carson Daly, Daly's attempt at a studio talk show, was in poor shape. Having appeared in the 1:30 spot after Conan since 2002, the half-hour show never failed to emit the feel of an awkwardly painful, 3rd rate talk show. The problem wasn't just that Daly wasn't a comedian and had trouble managing a studio audience; the bigger issue seemed to be that the show didn't offer any unique reason to tune in.

So, in the midst of this line up shake-up, Carson & gang decided to take a week, hit the road and film some travel segments outside the studio while on a cross country extravaganza through various American cities. Though this period sometimes took on the look and feel of a Coke commercial targeting young 20 somethings enhanced by the annoyingly reflective narration of Daly, it was evident that this new format might signal an interesting evolutionary step in the right direction for the show. Could this be the key to harnessing Daly's inexplicable and hard to pin down calm charisma that made watching late 90's pop music videos somehow easy to digest?

Smartly, they quickly realized that their old format would not hold water in this new, jazzed up era of NBC late night. Instead, they decided to embrace their inability to draw substantial talent by introducing newer, "undiscovered" acts to a television audience that wouldn't normally have the chance at this stage in their career, if at all.

And, since shedding the need for a studio audience, the show has become mobile, allowing for intimate--and many times, insightful--interviews. Carson may not be the best interviewer in the game, but he is an excellent converser, and can bring the interviewees down to a level of open casualness that isn't possible in front of a live audience. In this sense, Daly's lack of knowing, comic wit, which propels shows like Conan's, is his greatest advantage. He gives the sense that him & the guest are hanging at a bar, talking over a beer, which many times, they are.

The show also features a strong focus on music, which is where Carson is in his element. Not only is the show able to film bands as they perform for their own fans in venues around LA, but the edited segments feature some of the best, coolest music that can be heard on TV (a whole lot cooler than MTV). I've found that one of the draws of considering Carson Daly's musical taste is that it isn't grounded in whether or not the music is hip, but whether or not the music is actually any good.

But, perhaps the coolest aspect of the new and improved Last Call with Carson Daly, is that it's become the first late night show I can think of where the audience can learn about things they wouldn't have otherwise discovered, rather than being presented with a continual stream of guests merely pedaling their media product du jour (French for, "of the day"). The guests on Last Call feel more like subjects the show has chosen to cover rather than talent ordered by the network to have on, which, assumedly, is the freedom that comes with having an undesirable 1:30am slot. "Check this out" is something Daly often says before cutting to a segment, and that's exactly how it feels: a small group of people making a show composed of things they think are cool or interesting, and they are excited to show it to you and hear what you think. It's a strangely humbling goal in this day and age of television.

The show can still suffer from editing overkill, looking like a film school student's interpretation of an MTV show. But hey, it's on NBC, not MTV. And again, at 1:30 in the morning. It's all part of the aforementioned humble-factor. I'll put it this way: it could be a whole lot worse. Let them experiment. I'm all for it. Good job, Carson & crew, it's working.

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Target Courts Maria Bamford

Black Friday Post-Thanksgiving Shop/Consume/America/Buy Buy Buy Day was a week and a half ago, but I didn't want to miss posting these amazingly weird Target ads staring the underrated Maria Bamford:


That aired on national TV multiple times. Isn't that...cool? While it's nothing super crazy, its nice to know that we're at a point where more alternative, weirdo comedy can comfortably enter the mainstream commercial lexicon.

Also, its important to note this isn't a Skittles or Snickers commercial, where the target (ha) audience is composed of 15 year old Venture Bros. fans. This commercial is intended for the very demographic -- shop-conscious middle aged moms -- it's more or less spoofing as, well, crazy. So, props to Target for having the balls to take a chance with these.

If you, like me, have been a fan of Bamford's since her emergence on Comedy Central stand-up specials way back, you'll recognize the character in the ads as sort of an exaggerated incarnation of her "deep voice" character. Bamford, in reality, has more of a shy, mousy voice and the contrast produces hilarity. This little bit (from her 1st Comedy Central special, the one I remember first seeing her in) is interesting considering her so far strange, winding career. Who is Maria Bamford?:
Comedy Central Special (#1) Clip

Maria Bamford! MySpace Video

Bamford found a place in the alternative comedy scene when she went on tour with these dudes:


She then began collaborating with Tim & Eric, perhaps further developing the spotty character that would emerge in the Target ads:



Unsuprisingly, she has done a fair amount of voice work, appearing in audio form in Arrested Development creator Mitch Hurwitz's Sit Down Shut Up, American Dad!, Home Movies and a bunch of kid's cartoon shows. I really hope her work in these Target ads springboard her career toward more live action roles; Bamford deserves to be in front of the cam in bigger mainstream projects.

Maybe as the evil sister of (unusually similar looking) Rachel McAdams?

Here are two more of the Black Friday Target ads that aired on TV staring Bamford:



Get this woman a show!

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Ken Jeong: A New York Times Profile In The Making

Few comic actors manage to suddenly appear in every funny project spanning multiple mediums in a matter of three short years. When someone does, it's a good sign that there is a wellspring of untapped potential genius waiting to burst into leading man territory.

If one were to ask a typical TV or movie watcher whether the name Ken Jeong rang a bell, it likely would not. But, granted they are not an Amish recluse, they know and have seen him before. Between 2004 and 2009, Jeong has the following (among many other) credits to his name:

Grounded For Life

MAD TV

Two and a Half Men

Mind of Mencia

Jimmy Kimmel Live!

The Office

Entourage

The Shield

Knocked Up

Curb Your Enthusiasm

Boston Legal

Step Brothers

Pineapple Express

Role Models

American Dad

Party Down

The Hangover

The Goods

Community

Couples Retreat

So let's see: Apatow loves him. Will Ferrell & Adam McKay love him. Larry David loves him. Seth MacFarlane loves him. Greg Daniels & Ricky Gervais love him. David Wain loves him. Jon Favreau & Vince Vaughn love him. Todd Phillips (Hangover & Old School director) loves him. For Christ's sake, Charlie Sheen & gang love him. (Unfortunately, Carlos Mencia, too, adores Jeong). It appears pretty clear that we should start paying close attention to Mr. Jeong and his work.

As of right now, his IMDB page doesn't list a starring vehicle in the near future. I believe, however, we will see one within the next few years. I wonder what type of film he could helm? I'd like to see him in a role that utilizes and explores his darker acting talent (the doctor in Knocked Up, quick role in The Office episode, teacher in Community), rather than his goofier, over the top "I'm an Asian guy" bit (The Hangover, Role Models, The Goods). More than likely, it'll probably be a hybrid of the two, which may be the best route anyway.

Long story short, he deserves better than this:

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Todd Solondz, Todd Solondz, Todd Solondz.

After re-watching Palindromes last night for the first time in a long while, I was reminded just how masterfully skilled of a writer/director/artist the film's creator really is. If you're not familiar with Todd Solondz's work, he has made a total of 5 films, each a darkly comic look at the strange, the outcast, the things in society we fear examining too closely out of the discomfort they evoke. Pedophilia, rape, underage pregnancy, severe mental and physical handicap are all common themes that take precedence in his films.

Here's the thing: his films are fucking hilarious. "You sick bastard" is the response I'm sensing. In less talented hands, yes, this would likely be the case. But the genius of Todd Solondz's work lies in getting his (staggeringly talented) actors to portray such funny, overly-flawed characters as if there is nothing funny or comical about them. The resulting effect can be disturbing, sad, profound, and hilarious all at the same time. It's unlike anything else, and the strangeness and incongruity of it all immediately sucks you into its world. And how it is able to do this, is all because of Solondz's shrewdness as a fantastic filmmaker.

Before I get to Palindromes, here is one of my favorite scenes from Solondz's 2001 film Storytelling, which will hopefully give the uninitiated a taste of the rhythm and balance of tragedy and humor in the writer-director's work:

Here's a scene from his 1998 film Happiness that, considering the wholesome, sit-com lesson-learning string music that rides in, leans more toward the overtly funny. What makes it funny, is that this music is paired with an absolutely cringe-worthy scene involving a father talking to his son far too candidly about masturbation. (*Only watch until scene ends at 2:30 to avoid spoilers.)

In my eyes, Palindromes, his fourth major feature film, takes things to an entirely new level creatively, artistically and philosophically. It is the journey of a single soul embodied by 8 actresses who couldn't be more different on the outside, yet in each we see the same quiet, sweet speaking pattern and soft, hurt eyes. There are so many tragic, flawed, and sad, sad characters in this film, and one question the film asks is: Is there such thing as hope?

When I first saw Palindromes a couple of years ago, I considered it one of Solondz's lesser films. An intriguing experiment that was not 100 percent successful. After last nights viewing, I'm convinced Palindromes is Solondz's masterpiece. Unfortunately, there aren't ideal clips of the film online, so I'll instead post one of the film's trailers:

Solondz's newest film, Life During Wartime, is due to hit theaters soonish, but no trailer has been released as of yet. Needless to say, I'm super psyched.

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