Showing posts with label television. Show all posts
Showing posts with label television. Show all posts

Tuesday, April 9

Yes, It's Totally Okay to Cry Over This Dwyane Wade Budweiser Commercial


Unless there's some kind of crazy shenanigans on the final day of the NBA's regular season, Dwyane Wade has played his final home game in Miami. The Heat lifer has rocked the NBA since 2003, doing great things off the court on top of the wonders he worked on it. This whole season has been a farewell tour for him, and he's traded jerseys with opposing players after just about every game (Emmanuel Mudiay being the exception). 

Budweiser is no stranger to tearjerker commercials. So perhaps it's only fitting that they brought Dwyane Wade to center court to meet a few folks that had "jerseys" of their own. Try to get through their stories without feeling a bit weepy. Thanks for lots of magical moments, D-Wade.


Sunday, July 22

Sacha Baron Cohen Is Back On Network Television with "Who Is America?"

It's really spectacular what Sacha Baron Cohen is capable of doing. The man who brought us Borat, Ali G, and Bruno is back with another incredibly smart and biting satire – this time diving right into the political climate of our country. Who Is America? airs on Showtime Sunday nights at 10pm ET/PT, and boy, does it look intense.
This first look video shows Cohen posing as Col. Erran Morad, an "anti-terror expert." He sits down with a handful of folks and experiments in the playground that is America. One of his experiments? Actually getting support from real life people within the government to give guns to kindergartners. Yes, this is absurd, and yes, it's a little terrifying. But Cohen has always made us think with his work, even when it's inane. If this preview is any indication, he's done it once again.

Saturday, May 12

Mean Tweets is Back with the Avengers Edition


Mean Tweets from Jimmy Kimmel Live is always a good source of laughs, and the latest one is no exception. The cast of The Avengers: Infinity War share the rude thoughts of random Internet commenters, and it's jam-packed since there are like 47 people in the movie. You'll hear everyone get made fun of, from Chris Pratt to Chris Evans. Not everyone is named Chris, to be clear, that was just some nice symmetry.

Saturday, January 13

SNL's "My Drunk Boyfriend" Is Spot On


Saturday Night Live returned for the first time in the new year with host Sam Rockwell, and man, did this episode deliver. All the sketches had laughs, but the most fantastic was the "My Drunk Boyfriend" commercial. Rockwell and Kyle Mooney both serve as the drunken boyfriend models, spouting phrases like "Cops. I want to watch Cops." and sobbing about deceased relatives you didn't know previously existed. It's a spot on take of drunk cliches and an absolute delight.

SNL has been wildly inconsistent all season, but if this is an indication of what's to come, 2018 is gonna be a good year. 




Friday, December 29

Aaron Paul Joins James Corden for a The Price is Right Redemption


Back in 2000, actor Aaron Paul was on The Price is Right. Paul was unknown back then, but his energy was as strong as ever as he ultimately made it to the Showcase Showdown. Unfortunately, he overbid on his showcase by just $132, resulting in the dreaded double overbid.

17 years later, Paul is back at The Price is Right studios with James Corden to earn his shot at redemption. Corden and Paul sneak onto the set and relive the glory days. Will Paul have better luck this time around?

Tuesday, October 17

These Mars Bar Halloween Commercials Are Perfectly Creepy


Sports fans may have noticed a chilling series of short horror films plaguing their televisions this weekend. They looked like something straight out of a nightmare, but don't be fooled – they were actually commercials for candy.

Mars Bar partnered with Fox Sports to release four separate "bite-size horror" short films, all two minutes long, that aim to spook. These ads don't have any product placement (aside from the candy "presenting" the commercial), but they sure are bone-chilling. Skittles, Starburst, Snickers, and M&M's all get a chance to spook.

Check out a few of the commercials below and learn more about the making of the ads from Adweek.



Monday, October 2

SNL's "Papyrus" Sketch Is Pure Magic


Saturday Night Live kicked off its 42nd season Saturday, and boy, did it deliver the goods. Ryan Gosling served as host and delivered a handful of memorable sketches, though one struck me as particularly delightful. I won't spoil the details, but Gosling as an obsessive graphic designer (or at least someone with an appreciation for graphic design) is terrific.

Perhaps it's because my company just underwent a rebrand and I got a glimpse of all the craziness that goes into design work. Perhaps it's the idea that someone could be so passionate about a movie poster that's nearly a decade old. Or perhaps it's just a really funny sketch. Whatever it is, it's a winner. Enjoy!



Sunday, October 1

Conan O'Brien and Kevin Hart Hit the Gym




The remote segments that Conan O'Brien does are often among the most entertaining things on television (or I suppose on YouTube, since that's how most people consume late night segments nowadays). This one is no exception.

Conan hits the gym with Kevin Hart, and the rapport between the two is just delightful. We've seen this before when the two team up with Ice Cube to hijack a Lyft and with a student driver, respectively. There's no Cube this time around, but that doesn't diminish this, at all. Be sure to check out the outtakes, too, to see some more hilarity – plus a pretty impressive push-up from Hart.



Monday, June 12

Ice Cube Schools Bill Maher On His Language


Bill Maher recently said the n-word on his show, and naturally, there's been quite a bit of backlash. Maher has received quite a bit of criticism over the past week and there have been plenty of calls for his firing. Even as he said it, the audience responded with some groans. At the time, Maher kind of waved it off. He's since apologized, but his rationale for using the word in the first place isn't great.

On the latest episode of Real Time, Maher had regular guest Dr. Michael Eric Dyson, who condemned Maher's remarks but also initially came to the comedian's defense. The two had a back and forth that was pretty light-hearted and jovial, and it seemed as if that would be it as far as addressing the issue.

Fortunately, Maher also had Ice Cube on as a guest to promote the 25th anniversary of his album Death Certificate. Cube was kind enough to share his insights on both the word and the mindset of using it. The end result is a powerful monologue that had a notable impact on both the audience and Maher himself. Hopefully, it will have a lasting effect. Well done, Ice Cube. 

Thursday, June 1

12-Year-Old Girl Goes On "America's Got Talent" and Absolutely Crushes It


Darci Lynne Farmer is a 12-year-old from Oklahoma City. She first discovered ventriloquism at church and decided she wanted to pursue it as a hobby. Her parents surprised her with a puppet on her 10th birthday to help her overcome her shyness. And my goodness was that a great move.

Farmer appeared on America's Got Talent with her rabbit puppet, Petunia. She explained she wanted to keep ventriloquism alive because it's "not very common." To the awe of the audience and the judges, Farmer and Petunia performed "Summertime" by George Gershwin. It was so impressive that Mel B used her "Golden Buzzer," which is apparently a free ticket to the final live show that each judge can only use once each season.

I have honestly never seen someone sing while controlling a puppet or dummy. This is incredible. Watch it and enjoy.

Wednesday, May 3

Jimmy Kimmel Reveals Details of his Son's Birth and Heart Disease


Jimmy Kimmel was noticeably absent from Jimmy Kimmel Live last week, which naturally got the world wide interwebs ablazin' with all sorts of conspiracy theories.

Naturally, the real reason had nothing to do with any kinds of wacky rumors. Instead, upon returning to his show, Kimmel revealed that his son had been born with a heart disease and walked the crowd through all of the emotions of learning that your son has a problem with his heart. This story does have a happy ending and his baby boy is healthy, though he'll still have to have multiple surgeries down the road. We're hoping all goes well and Billy lives a perfectly normal life.

Check out Kimmel's monologue from when he came back. It's a long one but well worth the watch. 

Sunday, April 23

SNL's "Basketball Scene" is Simply Magical


Jimmy Fallon hosted Saturday Night Live last weekend, and it had a handful of enjoyable sketches. Perhaps the most hilarious, though, was the very last one of the night. Fallon and Mikey Day serve as extras that are trying to simply play some basketball behind a dramatic scene starring Pete Davidson and Kenan Thompson. However, these extras don't really know much about basketball, despite having great experience like taking a sports movement class at Juilliard and starring in a recreation of Basketball Diaries 


Tuesday, April 11

Steph Curry Has a New Life Coach, and it's James Corden


Steph Curry has become one of the most popular players in the NBA over the past few years. Sure, a good chunk of that is because of his insane ability to shoot a basketball, but another part of it is that he's just so darn likable. Doing bits like this with James Corden doesn't hurt. See what happens when Steph and James hit the town to try and up the two-time MVP's game in other areas of life.

Wednesday, March 22

BBC Mom Spoofs the Now Famous BBC Interview


If you've been near the Internet at all over the past couple of weeks, you've seen the now famous BBC interview where a man's children walk in on him as he's chatting with a news anchor over Skype. It's quite delightful and a good reminder that we're all human and life is pretty funny sometimes.

Jono and Ben have taken the comedy one step further with their version of things, the "BBC Mom." She handles her children walking in, and also does some baking, ironing, and even defuses a bomb. Not too shabby!

Monday, January 16

Mark Hamill Reads Donald Trump Quotes as The Joker


Oh man, this is fantastic. Mark Hamill recently released the first two of his #Trumpster series, which is him reading Donald Trump quotes in character as The Joker. Hamill hasn't been subtle about his dislike for Trump and this is a clever way to express his disdain. H/T to Matt Oswalt who gave Hamill the idea, and of course, to Hamill for pulling it off. Looking forward to additional entries into the series.


Michelle Obama Surprises Fans Recording Goodbye Messages to Her


Michelle Obama has been a fantastic First Lady. She's worked hard to improve the physical health in this country, improve our educational system, and has shown women everywhere how to carry themselves with dignity, class, and grace.

I'm not alone in feeling this way. The Tonight Show had fans record goodbye messages to the First Lady, and they're incredibly heartfelt and touching. The best part? Michelle and Jimmy Fallon are backstage watching people record their messages. When they're finished, they get greeted by Michelle and Jimmy. And everyone's reactions are wonderful. Check it out, and thanks Michelle. We'll miss you.

Tuesday, December 27

FX Brings 19th Century London to Television with the Premiere of Taboo


Tom Hardy and Ridley Scott are teaming up to produce Taboo, a new dark and gritty miniseries debuting on FX Networks in January. 

Set in 1814, Taboo follows James Keziah Delaney, a man who has been to the ends of the earth and comes back irrevocably changed. Believed to be long dead, he returns home to London from Africa to inherit what is left of his father's shipping empire and rebuild a life for himself. But his father's legacy is a poisoned chalice, and with enemies lurking in every dark corner, James must navigate increasingly complex territories to avoid his own death sentence. Encircled by conspiracy, murder and betrayal, a dark family mystery unfolds in a combustible tale of love and treachery.


As the show kicks off, FX Networks is giving away three separate secret collections of diamonds worth $3,000 apiece. And you don't have to come back from the dead or risk life and limb in order to snag them, either. Learn more and enter the giveaway here.

You can also follow along with the contest and show on social media using the hashtag #TabooFX. Winter TV shows are the perfect way to keep warm during the icy months, and the intrigue of Delaney – both his past and future – should prove to be gripping to all audience members. 

Taboo is intended for adults 21 and up. It premieres on FX Networks on January 10.


Sunday, November 13

Dave Chappelle Delivers One of the Best Opening Monologues in SNL History


Having Dave Chappelle handle the opening monologue for Saturday Night Live seems like a bit of a gamble, particularly when the episode he's hosting is the first one in a world where we know Donald Trump is going to be our next President. But while you never know what Chappelle is going to say, you know it's going to be poignant. That was certainly the case on Saturday night, and his monologue is well worth watching. Let's get more monologues like this, please, SNL.

Monday, November 7

This SNL Sketch Is Just Too Funny


Benedict Cumberbatch hosted Saturday Night Live this past weekend, and while many of the sketches were uneven, this one cracked me up. Cumberbatch plays a college professor who gets a little too enamored with Chad, the delightfully ignorant character Pete Davidson plays. Chad has made an appearance in SNL once before, as Julia Louis-Dreyfus' pool boy, but he's even better here, despite having an even more limited vocabulary. The juxtaposition of the two characters is wonderful, and makes for a delightfully entertaining few minutes. Enjoy!

Saturday, November 5

Budweiser Commercial Has Harry Caray Calling Final Out of the World Series


In case you missed it, the CHICAGO CUBS WON THE WORLD SERIES. That hadn't happened since 1908, which is crazy to think about even though everyone from Chicago (and probably the baseball world as a whole) has known about it forever. 

One of the biggest Cub fans out there was Harry Caray, the team's longtime play-by-play announcer. Caray died in 1998, so he never got to see the Cubs take home the title. But thanks to the magic of editing, Budweiser has given us a taste of what it might have been like if Caray was calling the final out of this year's Series. And it's magical. Enjoy.