SCARY SMASH!!!

(Thanks to Nikki Faith for this link.) I loved it for so many reasons, not least of all because this is how storytelling happens in my house, too. My son or daughter comes up with the basic premise and I start asking leading questions to make it go in different directions, and my husband and I are often in stitches at the result. The idea to take that story and animate it — starring Joss Whedon as "Gerald" — is genius. Also, watch how the SQUAT team is always squatting, hahaha!

Just Because...

Why I ♥ George Takei

This just made me LOL. Watch all the way to the end for the fantastic Buffy reference! ;)

Friday Funny

Thanks to Chris Lockett for this one.

Emmys Office Sketch

Aside from Kyle Chandler winning Best Actor (yeeeeaaaahhhh!!!) this was the best moment of the Emmys for me. Jesse! LOL!!

Tom Waits meets Cookie Monster

My brother just sent this to me and it made me laugh out loud. I don't know how I've NEVER made this connection before, but now when Tom does the growly voice, I'm going to always picture Cookie Monster singing. ;)

Game of Thrones RPG

Thanks to Chris for sending this to me... HILARIOUS!!! (And I should warn you, it's very NSFW, and very spoilery for season 1 of Game of Thrones.)

Can I Ax You a Question??

I'm a big fan of Catherine Tate. She's a comic in the UK who had (has?) her own sketch comedy show, and I spent hours watching YouTube clips of her best sketches when I should have been writing books on Lost. About a month ago when I finally watched the season finale of The Office, I was so excited when she was one of the potential managers, and posted my glee on Facebook, saying how much I loved her as a comic.

But now, I'm beginning season 4 of Doctor Who (yes, I owe you guys a bunch of blogs on previous seasons and I hope to do those soon!) I realize that many DW fans must have been chuckling behind their hands at me, knowing something I didn't know... that she would eventually play the Doctor's companion! I was SO HAPPY and already I'm really enjoying her.

But of course, this also casts a new light on this particular sketch that I've watched about half a million times (mostly because I'm fascinated by Tennant's real accent) and that has always made me laugh, not knowing she'd ultimately be a big part of the show. (When this was filmed, she wasn't yet on DW, but I'm wondering if this pairing led to it.)

This is probably Tate's best known character, Lauren, a shit-disturber who's always driving her teachers crazy, always in the same way but tailoring her response to the teacher and the subject he or she is teaching. So watch when she takes on her new English teacher.

"Question..."

Someone sent this video to me ages ago... probably about 10 years ago. I remember laughing and laughing and watching it CONSTANTLY. Along with Dog Judo, it's probably my favourite animated thing on the Interwebs. (This is the English band Elbow doing a jazzy version of Destiny's Child's "Independent Woman.")

Our family just got a new kitten, who pretty much looks exactly like the xylophone kitty in this. So I finally had to post it.

Spotted at the Royal Wedding

So this morning I got up at 3am to watch the royal wedding. I wasn't going to. I'm one of those people who doesn't care much for the royal family, and whose mom is a royalist so I've had a lifetime of being annoyed by it. But on Easter weekend I was reminded by aunts talking about it that I'd gotten up at 5am to see Di marry Charles, and maybe it would be kinda cool to do it again. My best friend was getting up at 2:30 this morning, so I thought what the hell... I'd drive down to her place Thursday night, grab a couple of hours of sleep, and we'd watch together. It was awesome fun in the end, even if it was kinda bleary, tired fun. She went all out -- blue and white streamers with the little white bells; wedding confetti all over the coffee table; homemade scones with jam and clotted cream; full English breakfast later in the morning; little plastic tiaras and pearls for us to wear while watching; champagne poured during the kiss. (She's a serious royalist, but you probably figured that out by now.) So it was awesome.

Anyway, at one point in the (poor) CBC coverage, one of the anchors made a comment about how no one alive today was around to see Queen Victoria's coronation. I made a sarcastic remark about how that damn commentator was making a rather general, sweeping statement, and not taking into account time travellers or Doctor Who.

Well, it turns out that Victoria's coronation isn't the only royal event the Doctor has attended at Westminster Abbey. Speak of the devil...



(Via Vanessa Aisha)

UPDATE: After my post went up, one of my readers sent the following evidence, proving my statement the morning of the wedding to be absolutely correct! Thanks for the laugh, Scott. ;)

It's... Oscar Time!

My best friend Sue is coming down this weekend so we can watch the Oscars together with a few people on Sunday. Before I had kids, she and I would put on THE most elaborate Oscar parties you could imagine. We’d have close to 40 people, all crammed in a room (or various rooms on various TVs) and throwing snark at the show we were all watching. We’d run a pool -- $5 at the door and you filled out a ballot, and the one with the most points at the end of the night won (one year the pot was $175). I was a movie hound at the time, and made it my mission to see every single film nominated in a major category – writing, acting, directing, picture, or music. I found it clouded my judgement; you’d become passionate about a certain film that was nominated even though only you and three other people ever watched it, and you’d vote for that person to win even though they didn’t have a chance. The people who saw none of the films usually did the best, because they just listened to the pundits on TV in the days leading up to it.

I should probably mention that I kind of hate the Oscars. Actually... I loathe them. And yet, I cannot look away. So our idea was to devise a party that would allow us to actually celebrate the cheesiness of them and enjoy watching all of the categories, no matter how overblown the actual production was.

We had an Oscar statue… we’d make montages of everyone nominated by cutting out pictures in magazines and creating these massive posters… one year my friend’s younger sister showed up in this long, sequined, form-fitting gown and acted as the hostess at the door, leading people in (did I mention we also had a red carpet outside that went all along the porch, down the stairs, and out to the driveway?) We had trivia on the commercial breaks where you could win fabulous prizes. Yeah. We went all out.

But we never worked as hard at anything as we did our menu. We’d begin planning it around Christmas, and have amassed a large collection of appetizer cookbooks that I still have. In January we’d begin guessing what movies would be featured and would continue to hone in the dishes, and by Oscar night we had the dishes, the names of the dishes, and elaborate menus written up that would describe each one. They were corny as hell (and groceries were usually over $300 and we’d be up first thing on Sunday morning to begin assembling everything) but we loved it.

A couple of weeks ago Sue found the old menus on her computer and forwarded them to me, and we laughed and laughed and laughed. Sue is the queen of cheeseball writing... the two of us would sit down and come up with ideas, and one would throw out the idea, the other would cheese it up in the descriptions. (I've rarely laughed as hard as I have when we're writing something together... one of these days we need to collaborate.) This Sunday, we’re having about eight people in total, still doing the ballots, but the snackies will be of the “open up the bag and pour it into a bowl” variety. Kids kinda change those priorities (I’d rather hang out with the kids all weekend than cook! Although strangely enough, while my daughter has very little interest in cooking or baking, my son loves it). But we’ll always have our corny menus from the days of yore. So here I present to you, a couple of our old Oscar menus... here's hoping they make you groan. Enjoy the Oscars!

The 2002 Oscar Party Menu!
Sit back, watch the Oscars, and enjoy our Denzel Dips and Beautiful Finds, and groan at our cheesy descriptions (hey, we aim to please). And because everything you see below is made from scratch, Jen and Sue can assure you there will be no A.I. (Artificial Ingredients).

Moulin Rouge Pepper Dip
(Rye bread with red pepper dip)
♪ How wonderful life is, now this dip’s in the world. ♪ You can-can-can and will-will-will love this yummy dip!

Russell Crudité
(Veggie Tray)
As long as he’s a staple on the Oscar ballot, this dish will be a staple at our Oscar party. Just take a look at those succulent carrots, the yummy cucumbers, the, um, celery, and — oh my god, I think the Russians have put secret messages in our veggie tray!

One Shrimp Ring to Rule Them All…
… one shrimp ring to find them. One piece of shrimp to tickle your tastebuds, and in its goodness, spellbind them.

In the Bedshroom
(Feta cheese and breadcrumb-stuffed mushrooms)
You won’t want to bury this fungilicious dish in the woods!

Monster’s Cheese Ball
Made with three different kinds of cheeses, this luscious cheese ball has more zing in it than an electric chair!

Halle Berry Punch
With a mixture of ginger ale, and tastes of orchard apples and cranberry juice, this little recipe packs a huge punch! Kinda like Halle.

Sissy Spanakopita
She’s gone from a pig-blood-drenched telekinetic prom queen to a coal miner’s daughter, and now she’s a tasty Greek treat!

Pimento
(Olives)
Yeah, yeah, it might not be as fancy as the other dishes, but we can promise you won’t easily forget this wonderf--… what was I saying?

Sexy Beef
(Swedish meatballs)
Spicy yet sweet, like Ben Kingsley’s various roles. The kind of meatballs that would make Don Logan visit your house to try them out. So you might not want to keep them around…

Marisa Tomeitoes
(Avacado-stuffed tomatoes)
You say tomato, I say to-mah-to, you say Marisa won in 1993, Rex Reed says Jack Palance was drunk in 1993… we can’t say if the ballot box was stuffed when she won for My Cousin Vinny, but these tomatoes sure are! (And hey, this time she deserves to be nominated!)

Gosford Bark
(Chocolate bark with roasted almonds)
Upstairs or downstairs, you’ll kill for a taste of this delicious treat!

The 2003 Oscar Party Menu!
We’ve been wiling away The Hours in the kitchen all day to bring you these Catch Me If You Canapés. We hope you are Spirited Away by our culinary delights that we guarantee will leave you Spellbound! We’ve discarded some of our other ideas (Renee Zellburgers, Attack of the Scones, Gangs of New Pork, Road to Fruition) and we hope you enjoy our Adaptations of some traditional foods. You won’t feel Far From Heaven after eating these!

Razzle Dazzle Raspberry Punch
♪ “Give ’em the old razzle dazzle/ Razzle Dazzle ’em!/ Give ’em a punch with lots of zing in it,/ And the reaction will be passionate!” ♪

Unfatful
Worried about the size of your waistline for the nude roll in the hay scene with the sexy young foreign stud? No need to worry, these veggies and dip will keep your waistline so slim that your husband will overlook your adulterous cravings and take you back.

Queen Tortifah Roll-Ups
This is one mighty big appetizer for you all to enjoy. Its rich flavourful centre is fit for a queen. Remember, if you’re good to us, we're good to you! (Tip jar is near the door.) Who’s queen? Why, Queen Tortifah of course!

Polanski’s Piroshki’s
You’ll risk an arrest warrant to try one of these vegetarian delights! A meatless concoction for our herbivore friends, these veggie-filled pastries contain eggplant, onions, garlic, and tomatoes. Recommended for ages 13 and up.

Eminems
♪ “You better lose yourself in the candy, the chocolate/ You ate it, you better never let it melt! [in your hands]/ You only get one red, do not miss your chance to eat it now/ This opportunity comes once in a lifetime, yo!” ♪

Catherine Feta-Shrooms
Get ready for all that ’shroom. Your fight to get the last ’shroom may end up with you behind bars for murder — but they had it comin’. It’s the feta that made you do it.

My Big Fat Greek Baklava
The clock’s ticking and you’re not getting any less full — you’re ready for dessert! Baklava combines “baka” a Greek word for “heavenly” and “lava,” meaning “mouthwatering.” Put it together and what do you have? A heavenly mouthwatering treat! Opa!

Julianne MoOreo Cheesecakes
These heavenly cheesecakes are so good you’ll want to toss that old cake in the garbage! They’ll make you forget about your confused son, your gay husband, and your black gardener… you’ll just want more and moreo!

Lost Valentines

These have been making me laugh all day.

May the Force Be With You!

This is my new favourite commercial...

Buffy vs. Edward

I posted this once before, back when it first came out, but it's always worth revisiting, especially in light of our Buffy Rewatch. One of the reasons I started the rewatch was because, despite using this blog to talk about Lost for the past five years, I've constantly referenced Buffy and discovered that many of the Lost fans following this blog hadn't watched the show. I wanted to open them up to this amazing world and let them see for themselves why BtVS is still so close to my heart. But I also wanted to return to the brilliance of Joss Whedon's creation in light of the vamp-mania that's happening right now: suddenly all the vampires are broody (like Angel) or dancing around delighting in their kills (like Angelus) and the irony has been (pardon the pun) sucked right out of everything Joss did. The new vampire shows take themselves WAY too seriously, lacking the sarcasm and punch that BtVS had.

Twilight, of course, is the ultimate example of this. And as I've said many times before, I don't mock it without knowing it. I suffered through the first book, thought Edward was an abusive stalker and Bella needed to grow a spine. (And I don't mean any offense to the many of you who enjoyed the books; some of my closest friends are Twilight fans...) ;) I've seen the movies (I just couldn't read any more of that craptastic writing) and I hated those as much as the first book.

This GENIUS mash-up of the Twilight film with various scenes from the complete series of BtVS sets up the dichotomy between the two brilliantly. Edward is a useless drip, pining after Buffy; Pattinson's acting is flat and wooden compared to Gellar's in every scene; his words are mindless and boring and obvious while Buffy is quick with the puns; the dialogue is amazing, the camaraderie between her and the others is great, and the film stock just looks better (and yes, yes, I know the Twilight film was washed out to give it MOOD, but good writing can do that, too...)

If the following is what Twilight had REALLY been, it would have been awesome. Sit back, Buffy fans, and cheer and laugh as Buffy turns down his advances with "ew" face, time and again.

My Blackberry's Not Working!

This one is for humanebean. ;)

How to Survive a Zombie Apocalypse... at Christmas!

Thanks to Corey for the link.

You Know...

Some families go for the warm and fuzzy for their Christmas cards. A roaring fire, big warm red Christmas sweaters, mistletoe. Some families just send out cute pictures of their children laughing to express the holiday spirit.


And then there are the Kardashians...





... who embrace the icy cold side of Christmas with all its white and silver and GOTH. If this were the promo pic for this season of The Vampire Diaries, it would be awesome. But the family Christmas card? Really?

Well, at least none of it was photoshopped in any way. *cough*

LOST: Jack Was All About Fun

This week's Lostaholics Anonymous featured a long discussion about Jack, and I realized I'd forgotten to post the above image to go with it, which was sent to me late last week by artist Richard Rische, designed by his friend Mike Steffler. Love it.

I mentioned that as much as I adored that character, he was always fun to poke fun at because he was just so damn serious. A friend of mine forwarded me this video last week asking if I'd seen it, and I said not only had I seen it, but I used to post it on a regular basis here because it killed me every time. And in light of our discussion, I thought hey, let's post it AGAIN!! This might be my all-time fave Lost fan video.

I Had a Dream I Could Buy My Way to Heaven...

Kanye x Zach Galifianakis + Farming Equipment = WIN

Lost: How it Should Have Ended

I have had so many people forward this to me today... and I wasn't on my email. Thanks to everyone! Sorry to take so long to get it up! This is awesomely awesome.