Category Archives: Entertainment

Comedy, Entertainment, humor, Lists, pictures, TV, Video

Chris’s Top TV Shows

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Ahh television, a medium we don’t cover as much as one may hope, perhaps because most of us don’t watch that much TV. But, don’t worry you boob tube lovers out there, today is your lucky day because I’m listing off my twenty favorite TV shows of all time! For this list, I tried to stick mostly to sitcoms, but there are a few sketch based shows I just couldn’t abandon. And though I’m a fan of some news programs, informational shows, and goofy “talk shows” like Springer, I decided to save those for another segment. Now, there are a few programs that I enjoy, but did not make this list. This is strictly favorites. From 20 to 1, Hey Ho! Let’s Go!

20) Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! (2007-2010)
I just recently got turned onto T & E and of all the shows featured on this list, this is most definitely the oddest. T & E minimizes comedy down to it’s barest essentials: something to laugh at. I specifically admire how they can go so far beyond the concept of a “joke” and just swerve the viewer into any direction possible. This duo understands TV, they just don’t give a shit about conventions, they would rather poke fun at them, and they have successfully done just that.


“Screech at the Beach”- this is what he did before Wavves haha

19) Saved By the Bell (1989-1993)
Admittedly, there are several corny shows on this list, but without a doubt SBTB is the corniest. Thank God for Kelly Kapowski and fourth wall breaking!

18) That 70s Show (1998-2006)
I once read somewhere that of all the shows that premiered in the fall of 1998, “That ’70s Show” was the only one to last past one season. It just goes to show you that most sitcoms blow. Luckily, this one didn’t (well perhaps toward the second half of it’s run…) and treated us to a wonderful cast of characters and numerous highly memorable episodes. Out of all the period sitcoms out there, with the exception of perhaps “Freaks and Geeks,” this is by the far greatest.

17) The Adventures of Pete and Pete (1993-1996)
Only 62 people on Facebook “like” this show and I don’t mean 62 of my friends (none of them do!), I mean 62 people in general. 62 fucking people?! What is this world coming to? For my money, Pete and Pete was Nickelodian at its prime and alas this show has fallen through the cracks over the years, either people have totally forgotten about it or they never heard of it. Naturally, it was a little before my time, so most of the kids my age, reasonably are unaware of it. Poor souls, they are missing out on one of the most unique teen shows in the history of television. Pete and Pete was innocent, strange, and wonderfully off kilter. I mean what other shows feature a metal plate in your mother’s head, a tattoo, and Artie the Strongest Man in the World as characters? This show also wins my vote for top opening theme with Polaris’s catchy “Hey Sandy,” which also added to the show’s neat character.

16) Home Improvement (1991-1999)
This here is a goofy, mainstream Americana, family programming and while at times extremely preachy and represents everything KLYAM repudiates, actually is (or was) a highly memorable and well written show. Wilson’s character alone is a reason for this show to stick with me till the day I die.

15) Seinfeld (1989-1998)
And what’s the deal with “Seinfeld” being at number 15?! Okay okay I know. If this was a “Greatest Shows” list then without a doubt it would appear in the top 3, hands down. But this is MY favorites list and though I do love Seinfeld, I don’t enjoy it enough to put it higher on the list. All in all, what else can be said about the show, it is etched in our American psyche as one of the wittiest and certainly funniest sitcoms of all time.


Boy Meets Man…
AKA:

14) Boy Meets World (1993-2000)
I grew up with this show, this was my “Wonder Years.” As a kid, I thought this was an accurate portrayal of youth and high school, until I grew older and realized it was anything but. Yet that’s what I adore about BMW. The show’s little idiosyncracies are what makes it a classic. So, most of us don’t have our next door neighbor for a junior high, high school, and college professeur, but at the end of the day it’s just an amusing kids show and a great one at that.

13) Beavis and Butthead (1993-1997)
Everybody’s favorite headbangers! Beavis and Butthead set the standard for raunchy, animated, adult programs. I remember being five, sneaking around and watching this with my brothers because it was the “bad” show haha! Watching it now, I really do feel like it was a fucked up series and sadly one not as many folks watch anymore; reruns should be up and running on a major network like Comedy Central. It’s the comedic, cartoon version of the darkside of America seen in such disturbing visual films as Gummo (1997). Seriously, think about it!

12) Saturday Night Live (1975-Present)
The one, the only. For all intents and purposes I’ll eschew the past decade or so and focus on the good times! Personally, my favorite cast is the early 90s-Sandler, Farley, etc. group, but I love various eras of the sketch comedy. For me, SNL is the equivalent to a series of excellent scenes in a film. When it was great, it was great. When it sucked, it sucked. And everything in between. But, the show has certainly created some of the funniest and most memorable sketch bits/characters in the history or comedy. Oh and for those that are not fans, I feel bad for you poor ignorant sluts out there.

11) Chappelle’s Show (2003-2006)
Some shows on this list I look at and think “man, they should have curtailed this series years earlier,” but it is the exact opposite for Mr. Chappelle. I know for some this is bold placing Chappelle ahead of SNL, but what can I say I find his sketches more amusing. From Negrodamus to crackhead, Tyrone Biggums, CS has given us some of the craziest characters to hit the airwaves. This show is smart, confrontational, and overall hilarious.

10) Freaks and Geeks (1999-2000)
Here’s another show I just got turned on to (wish I had much earlier). This is truly a fantastic show that served as vehicle for several future stars (Seth Rogan, Jason Siegel, James Franco, etc) and all of them offer engaging and entertaining performances. I also applaud the series for creating hour long episodes (44 minutes without commercials) and never losing the audience’s attention span, a rare feat for a comedy. F & G straddles the line between a wholesome Dazed and Confused and a risque episode of “Boy Meets World”; simply put it’s just a great, fun look at teenage life. It is what shows like “Malcolm in the Middle” wish they were.

9) Everybody Loves Raymond (1996-2005)
Okay, so not the most original or unpredicatable show out there, but ultimately the strength of the show relies on its chracters. We know Ray will fuck up and try to fool Debra, his intrusive parents and jealous brother will worm their way into the situation and make it worse, etc. etc. With this show, the joy actually comes from seeing the disaster a mile away and watching the mess enfold. Also, as far as sitcom families go, this is the one I can most relate to. Unfortunately, like many of the others on this list, Raymond’s clone shows like “King of Queens” never quite emulated the magic of its predescessor.

8) Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990-1996)
The best thing Will Smith ever did with his career. Another one of my favorites from my childhood; this show has the rare quality of never overstaying its welcome. In other words, out of six seasons not one was a bad apple, which can only be said for a few shows on this list. Perhaps greatest lyrics to an opening theme?

7) The Cosby Show (1984-1992)
Speaking of comedians/actors in their prime, without a doubt this is Mr. Cosby’s finest work. A massive disinction should be made between this show and banal bullshit of the “Full House” variety. Sure, Cosby was a family show, but it was smart and didn’t condescend its audience. It never bombarded the viewer with too much emotion to get its point across. At the end of the day, Bill himself summarized it best, “There is nothing here, but a whole bunch of fun… that’s all.”
Best Season: 2

6) Friends (1994-2004)
Looking over my list, I’ve realized a lot of great shows are based in New York, and by far this one integrated the city into its plot the most, practically making it a character. “Friends” may not have the wit of “Seinfeld” or the social satire of “South Park,” but it knows what show it is and tries to be neither. To quote Brian Johnson “in the simplest of terms, in the most convenient of definitions” this is just good TV, not much more you can ask for in a comedy series about six friends in New York City.
Best Season: 2

5) Summer Heights High (2007)
We live in an age of Reality TV, side interview driven programs, ultimately shows that boost the egos of their subjects. With SHH, creator, actor, etc. Chris Lilley skillfully creates a world that duplicates all of this noise to the point of it feeling like our own life experience. Lilley’s acting is tremendous; he plays a sixteen year old girl (Ja’mie) so well it’s scary! You seriously forget you are actually watching a grown man. This is true of his other two chracters (Jonah and Mr.G) and with those in mind it seems all the more impressive that he can pull off all three performances and make them so distinct and true to life. Besides his brilliant acting, the show works on various other levels. In terms of conventions, it is not groundbreaking, but he uses the popular/cliched mockumentary genre and combines it with elements of a sitcom. This is what makes us want to watch more and learn more about the characters. It’s too bad SHH only aired for one season, but at the same time, there is a feeling of completeness at the very end and extending it beyond that would only kill a truly terrific season. In some ways, it’s best to think of it as one, long comedy movie.
Best Season: 1 (the only season)

4) Family Guy (1999-Present)
Let me just start by saying I am only a devoted fan of the first three seasons of FG. Following that, the series began to plunge downhill, with a few decent shows in Season 4 and flashes of amuesment here and there. Too bad. Those first three seasons are for me some of the funniest entertainment I have ever seen. So many classic quotes, I just loved the show for that reason alone and its total randomness. Back then it still had wit and when those episodes were new I wondered why most people didn’t tune in and now it’s vice versa. It might not be the most original or creative show, but for a brief time it was arguably the funniest.
Best Season: Season 2

3) South Park (1997-Present)
Perhaps the most imortant show on television right now. It’s impressive to think of how long SP has entertained, shocked, and informed its viewers as well as its detractors. The series should be applauded for its longevity and the fact that for nearly fourteen years now Trey Parker and Matt Stone have enriched our lives with four foul mouthed kids and the fucked up world they (WE!) live in. For my money, this is the longest running series that has never lost its quality. By this point in time, for my tastes “The Simpsons” had already slid downhill. But, SP is still very much funny and as poigant as ever. True, sometimes the morals are too forced, but overall I look forward to them and seeing what spin Trey and Matt put on every issue from sex education to stem cell research.
Best Season: 4 (but not real positive on this one, they’re all pretty kickass!)

2) It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (2005-Present)
This show was built as “Seinfeld on crack,” and I couldn’t think of a better way to describe it. For the past five years, Sunny fans have watched easily the five most dispicable characters in all of sitcom (or television for that matter) history. But, at the same time we love them for those very reasons. With Sunny, we finally have the live action version of what the raunchy and/or satire based prime time cartoon shows like “The Simpsons,” “Beavis and Butthead,” “South Park,” “Family Guy,” etc. have been doing for years; touching upon or poking fun at controversial issues in every episode. The gang has given us meaning to the words Paddy’s Pub, Rickety Cricket, Kitten Mittens, Dayman, Nightman, and who could forget GREENMAN! The show proves that you don’t need a laugh track to tell your audience when to laugh, if it’s funny enough, they know when.
Best Season: 2

1) The Simpsons (1989-Present)
What else did you think would be number 1? King of the Hill?! I’ve watched “The Simpsons” for my entire life and it is more apart of my tastes in art and entertainment than any other sitcom. I’m going to say right now this is the greatest and most important TV show ever made, no contest. I can’t think of any other series with as many quality seasons as “The Simpsons.” The show is the wittiest, best written TV show known to man. The characters have all become part of our American consciousness and as a whole this show reflects America better than anything else on the tube. Overall, it should be remembered for opening the door for all sitcoms, but especially for cartoons; it was the first or at least the most relevent animated series to force its audience to take it just as a serious as anything else on air. If Homer Simpson isn’t on your best character list, your list ain’t shit.
Best Season: 4 (8 is extremely close though)

Crime, Entertainment, Essays, history, pictures

Charles Manson: An American Superstar

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Charles Manson: An American Superstar

He is a beloved recording artist, his image has been plastered everywhere from tee shirts to tattoos, and he has legions of devoted fans. No, not Bob Dylan, this 60s icon spent his entire youth in and out of prison. His name is Charles Manson, a name practically synonymous with mass murder. Manson and his followers, known as “The Family” were convicted of the Tate-LaBianca murders in 1971. In spite of or because of this, he has been given celebrity status as if he was a movie star or baseball player. His infamy is eerily commonplace in various areas of our pop culture. One can turn on the TV and catch his character portrayed in such comedy shows as “South Park” or “Family Guy.” In fact, it was through an episode of “South Park” where I attribute my earliest memory of Manson. I remember watching a SP Christmas special as a child in which Manson appeared as a character with redeeming qualities. Even though it was satire, at the tender age of nine my brain was already invited into the world of one of America’s most feared individuals. Ever since then, his name kept coming up over and over again; I knew he was associated with murder, but even at a young age, I thought of him as another famous name from my parents’ time period. Most people seem to be intrigued by the man and in the American media, Charles Manson has been glamorized to the degree of a superstar. For the television viewing public he has become an object of personal entertainment; just another fascinating celebrity in the league of Michael Jackson and O.J. Simpson.
To begin to understand how or why this character of Charles Manson is so fascinating to the media and the American public as whole, we must start with a look at his childhood. Charles Manson was born on November 12, 1934 in Cincinnati, Ohio. His mother was a sixteen year old prostitute that spent some time in prison when he was a child and he never really knew his father. Unlike most Americans, Manson did not live in a comfortable house on a safe street with at least one, if not two loving parents/guardians and all the other things we associate with typical upbringings. Manson by his own claims and he would claim this over and over again, lived on the streets. He did not know the world of the average American. At an early age it was reinforced that he was different from the rest of America. He was essentially abandoned by the very people whom should have loved him and spent the rest of his childhood years from this boarding school to that boarding school, often running away multiple times from each of them. One time, he tried to be with his mother, but she rejected him. Manson, felt unwanted and unloved and learned to never trust anyone for the rest of his life. With such a troubled past behind him it does not take Sigmund Freud to figure out that Manson would soon find himself deeply invested in petty crime. This included breaking into grocery stores all the way up to armed robbery at the young age of thirteen. He was in and out of juvenile hall centers. According to Manson, he was constantly raped and beaten at said centers and in fact he would run away upwards to eighteen times. His crimes continued into adulthood, basically making prison his new home. In 1967, he was finally released from prison, ironically against his own will; by this time he had spent seventeen years (more than half of his life) in prison.
When Manson left the penitentiary a new world awaited him. A generation had come of age and the Summer of Love was kicking. The 1960s counterculture, particularly in San Francisco, had taken over the nation, so to speak. Long hair, antiwar protests, and psychedelic drugs became ubiquitous seemingly overnight. Young people disdained their parents’ traditions and trashed anything representing the establishment. These kids related to the rebellion of Rock and Roll bands like The Rolling Stones and The Doors and admired the outlaw image of figures like Bonnie and Clyde and Che Guevara. They dug leaders that stood for a new kind of America, one that buried all the traditional values of the America they were raised in and felt abandoned by. Enter Charles Manson, who himself stated, “When I got out all your children would come to me because nobody else had told them the truth.” Of course this was far from the truth as certainly all children did not go to Manson for enlightenment. Naturally, most kids, no matter how drugged up and doped out they were, had enough sense not to join Manson and become part of his “Family.” But, just a few were enough. The man recruited several young, impressionable people, mostly women and was able to brainwash them (often with the assistance of LSD) into thinking he was Jesus Christ or a similar Godlike figure. These women essentially became Manson and would do anything he instructed them to. Even at this juncture in his acting career, Manson dazzled his audience with his intense and fascinating philosophies on life. He had so much control over them that he was able to mastermind his minions into committing the horrible massacre of the Tate-LaBianca murders in August of 1969. Though, Manson was not present, his underlings followed his orders to murder actress Sharon Tate and several others at her home in Death Valley. In prosecutor, Vincent Bugliosi’s book, Helter Skelter he describes the terrifying scene of the crime, “Sharon Tate Polanski-murder victim. Eight months pregnant, she pleaded for the life of her child. “Look, bitch, I have no mercy for you,” one of her killers replied… Only on getting closer did the officers see the bizarre message the killers had left. Printed on the door, in Sharon Tate’s own blood, were the letters PIG” (142). The next night they committed similar murders at the home of Leno and Rosemary LaBianca. Subsequently, the police made the connection between both massacres and the killers and their ringleader were brought to trial. Finally, the whole world got to see Charlie and his angels perform and they loved the attention. This was the beginning of the Charlie Manson Variety Hour, a program the media has eaten up ever since.
During and after the trial (he and his Family were all convicted of murder), Manson’s image became one of the most recognizable in the world. Most famously, his face graced the cover of Life magazine (though he also made the cover of Rolling Stone, amongst others) and this has since become the most famous photo of Manson to date. The mainstream media loved Manson, but obviously portrayed him (rightfully so) as a monster. Of course, if they had made Manson a christ figure they would have lost most viewers, but just by giving him so much attention, he was given all the glamour he needed. The underground press or much of it anyway had no issue with portraying Manson as not only a victim, but another hero of the Revolution, another freedom fighter. At the time, the Vietnam War was boiling and people were taking sides. On one hand was the establishment (Western Civilization) and on the other was anti-establishment, which it turns out in many cases could very well be solely those that opposed the establishment. Thus, Manson became an icon of sorts for the counterculture. Fellow outlaw, Jerry Rubin wrote of visiting Manson in prison following the trial. Rubin, however was not a murderer, but rather one of the leading social activists of the era with a radical sensibility. In his 1971 book, We Are Everywhere, he wrote, “I fell in love with Charlie Manson the first time I saw his cherub face and sparkling eyes on national TV…Manson’s soul is easy to touch because it lays quite bare on the surface. He said he was innocent of the Tate murders and was being persecuted by the pigs because of his lifestyle… Is Charlie innocent or guilty? What is innocence and what is guilt? Can Amerika, after all it has done to Charlie Manson, now put him on trail?” (239-240). Rubin’s sympathy and endorsement of Manson was not uncommon during this era, particularly amongst other subversive and/or underground figures. In fact, in some interviews/speeches, Rubin and others radicals almost sounded like Manson: militant and dogmatic in their attitude and always condemning the American society that turned them into who they were. Of course, the former spoke of liberation, while the latter spoke of domination and annihilation, hardly a freedom fighter,
In the years since his imprisonment, Charles Manson’s stardom has only increased. He has become a massive figure in our American pop culture, he might as well have his star on the Hollywood walk of fame. From books to movies to documentaries, Manson is everywhere. To this day people, particularly young people, follow, worship, or are at least fascinated by Manson. Why? This can be attributed to Manson’s lack of respect for authority. His sense of anti-authoritarianism, at least on the surface, and individuality is attractive to young people, whom are finding themselves as well. Secondly and more significantly, in general the public loves a juicy story, and when it is a celebrity, it is all the more entertaining. The bizarre, the unusual is a big dollar. And the Manson murders were anything but usual and have since become one of the most famous murder cases in history. After his imprisonment, he received numerous interviews on national TV from some of the most famous reporters of all time including Geraldo Rivera, Charlie Rose, Tom Snyder, Diane Sawyer, and others. With the help of the Victims’ Rights Movements, this trend of interviewing serial killers has dyed down over the years. Ultimately this media coverage does very little to nothing for society, except make us crave Manson and other serial killers all the more. When we watch said interviews we do not gain any knowledge or further understanding. Admittedly, they are entertaining, but they mask themselves as something more. But, there is truly no moral purpose to interviewing Charles Manson and giving him the time of day for millions of Americans to tune in to him in their homes. When all is said and done, it is nothing more than cheap entertainment, which is okay, but should be acknowledged as just that. It is no different then any other tabloid, celebrity story. Though Manson is still quite famous, it is for the best that he receives less and less attention, so instead we can focus on real issues rather than fascinating stories to satisfy our taste for the peculiar. In one of his famous prison interviews, Manson was posed the question, “People look at you today, twenty years later and they still have no idea what you’re about. Tell me in a sentence who you are.” After making a series of comical faces, he replies, “nobody.” And there you have it, no one knows Manson as well as Manson himself. For once, I agree with Charlie, he is “nobody,” just another celebrity in a sea of celebrities.

Art, Entertainment, Film Review, Films, pictures, Video

Classic Film Review: Pink Flamingos

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Full Title: Pink Flamingos
Director: John Waters
Year: 1972
Comments: Now, I’ve seen my fair share of sick movies, but this “exercise in poor taste” brings disgusting comedies to a whole new level. Waters places his viewers amongst a sea of vile characters, and adimittedly this is style over substance. Drag Queen, Divine fights with her criminally insane counterparts, Connie and Raymond Marble for the title of “the filthiest person alive” and will stop at anything and I mean anything to wear the crown; in the ninety or so minutes of this film, wild, campy, cinematic fringe entertainment (depraved humor and chaos) ensues! Particularly I love the look of the film: trashy, video, stock footage vibes, as if you are viewing The Mansons Family’s home movies. This look has clearly influenced Justin Kelly’s work in the Hunx videos. All in all just a terrific peek into a bizarre, warped world, most of us would never dare to enter. Hilarious, stupid, vomit inducing, but best of all original. I recommend this to anyone that wants to see an offensive, off the wall, no holds barred comedy.
Grade: A-

Comedy, Entertainment, Holiday, humor, TV, Video

The Spirit of Christmas

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Here’s the original from 1992. This is the earliest incarnation of South Park in which Jesus anilhilates an Evil Frosty! The Kenny killed looks just like Cartman haha.

and here’s the second version made a few years later. In this one the characters appear (in terms of animation and character) as they would in the future series, it just looks crappier. Instead of Frosty, we witness Jesus v. Santa! Who will win this epic showdown for the bragging rights of Father Christmas?