Reminisce and Revisit: SNL New Classic – Single…Ladies?

Another fantastic hosting job last night on SNL from my Fey-vorite. Leaving such a funny taste in my mouth (in the best way) I spent time revisiting landmark hilarity from the seminal sketch show’s past few years. The one skit I’ve found near-impossible to track down in decent condition has finally been unearthed! A five-minute beauty airing well before the slew of parodies that followed Beyonce’s “Single Ladies” video. Excellence all around from B-rilliant Beyonce, host Paul Rudd and surprise guest Justin Timberlake in his Emmy-winning year.

“Warmed up like dance biscuits.”

Christopher Walken and SNL’s take on the US Census

“I’m so bad with numbers.”

A little gem from the comedy archives as this feels apropos during our time of national surveying, and it’s just a good bit of fun thanks to one of the greatest SNL hosts ever.

Breaking Bad – Getting Away With it Since 2008

Today I would like to celebrate the programming prowess of AMC – it’s so much more than a channel showing classic american movies.

If you’ve got your finger on the pulse of entertainment buzz you should already know of, and be avidly watching, AMC’s first breakout original progam Mad Men. I would like to now boldly declare that cool cat Don Draper isn’t the only compelling character ruling the airwaves – he’s got stiff competition in the form of  an Albuquerque  high school chemistry teacher. “Wha, wha, what?” you may be asking yourself. Stay with me, there’s more to the story. This particular teacher shaping young minds by day has a moonlighting gig: cooking and dealing crystal meth. Meet the shades-of-grey “hero” of Breaking Bad, Walter White.

Bryan Cranston imbues Walter with the same kind of intense, nuanced bad guy gravitas that James Gandolfini brought to Tony Soprano which has netted him two well-deserved Emmys in the process and deftly made Breaking Bad a show worthy of taking up The Sopranos mantle. The crux of the series is not only following but ultimately feeling for someone introduced as an innocent everyman who chooses to navigate down a conscience-corrosive road of crime all the while maintaining a deluded end-justifies-the-means attitude.

Amazing character development plus the high stakes inherant in dealing with the dangerous underbelly of drug trafficking makes for a series that cannot be missed. Take six minutes to watch a recap of the last two years bringing the uninitiated viewer up-to-speed for tonight’s explosive season three premiere.

Spotlight on: Donald Glover

Thanks goes out to one of my faves in the blogosphere, Wacky (he of Wacky on the Junk, who commands not only my utmost respect in music selections but also television choices), for bringing to my attention this New York Times article on Community‘s Donald Glover. While seeming little more than the token black guy in the misfit cast of community college characters, his comic talent has elevated the easy-to-write-off-as-a-one-dimensional-jock Troy to hilarious heights. Of particular note are the coda moments he’s created with Danny Pudi capping off each episode of the Thursday night NBC hit. Not only has his part in these comedic gems caused me to sit up and take notice of his skill, after learning that his professional pedigree includes a two-year tenure on the writing staff of 30 Rock this rising star has earned much admiration from this faithful funny follower.

Vodpod videos no longer available.

Vodpod videos no longer available.

Vodpod videos no longer available.

Conan Doesn’t Need No Stinkin’ Talk Show

He’ll just take his funny on the road.

In a move that had been speculated for awhile, Conan O’Brian announced this week via Twitter (which he officially discovered and has since embraced like a fiend post-Tonight Show) that he will headline a two-month, 30-city tour beginning April 12. “It was either a massive 30-city tour or start helping out around the house,” O’Brien shared in another post.

The tour, titled “Legally Prohibited From Being Funny on Television,” after a clause in O’Brien’s exit contract with NBC that doesn’t allow him to appear on TV until September, will visit theaters in at least 20 states and two Canadian provinces.

In keeping with O’Brien’s knack for unorthodox choices, recently showcased in his decision to pick a regular Michigan woman as the only person he would follow on Twitter, O’Brien will kick off the tour in Eugene, Oregon.

Promising “a night of music, comedy, hugging and the occasional awkward silence,” O’Brien will be joined by longtime sidekick Andy Richter and the former “Tonight Show” band. Adds the man himself, “I’ll be doing all Liza Minnelli songs.”

Ah, CoCo we off-center masses have missed you in our homes every night. For tickets and more information visit the official website.