tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13032761681284140072024-03-13T22:11:47.952-07:00Unadulterated DouchebloggeryIllustration by Rob RodasGeoff Whitmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11290565975730247684noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1303276168128414007.post-72471152780463943272011-08-13T06:37:00.000-07:002011-08-13T06:37:39.354-07:00After spending only a few short minutes on CBC.ca reading the comment section of coverage of the Toronto Judge ruling that Police were far "too aggressive" during the G20 protest / riot crackdown, I am now utterly sure that I live on a continent filled with aggressively terrified Big-Brother wannabes.<br />
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An example: "Given London, given Vancouver, this ruling is entirely unacceptable."<br />
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People overwhelmingly (in the CBC.ca's news story comments section) defer to personal safety and comfort before anything else. So much so, that any other idea (ie, freedom sometimes costs, but it's worth it) seems regarded as a violent salvo from a bitter enemy.<br />
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I shouldn't be surprised. We live in an era of Tea Party Vs Democrat, Mayor Ford Vs Toronto, Stephen Harper Vs a fair-handed political process, right Vs left, us Vs them.<br />
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It's always that. Us vs Them.<br />
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When did we get here? Was it when George Bush Jr gave the world permission to not "do nuance"? When did we so willfully throw away our capacity for compromise and understanding?<br />
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The Toronto Police probably did over-react during the G20 riots. And I expect an investigation (unlikely to ever happen) would uncover political encouragement for said behaviour. But you know what? There were also a good number of trouble-making douchebags at that protest, mixed with with those using their rights to assemble and be heard.<br />
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Wait. What? You mean there might be more than one side to this story. Whoa. Slow down. Are you saying that there are two sides to EVERY story?! Can't be! If I have to consider your side, then where will I find the time to worry that someone from THE OTHER SIDE is going to come and rob me of my family and all my awesome possessions?<br />
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Is it that we don't feel safe unless we can identify the enemy? There has to be an enemy. Someone we can keep our eye on. Maybe it's a lower social class. Maybe a minority. Could even be folks of a different vague political leaning. either way, we're good at spotting fabricated enemies. They're everywhere! <br />
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It's way past time we accepted that we need to grow up. If we truly believe what we say we stand for, then there will always be risk attached to that.<br />
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Now we just need to grow up enough to be able to accept that.Geoff Whitmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11290565975730247684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1303276168128414007.post-76472124597221223022011-01-18T16:13:00.001-08:002011-01-18T16:13:13.211-08:00Verb the Noun<br />
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Two men approach each other on the sidewalk. One has his face buried in a newspaper and doesn't notice the other right away.<br />
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Man 1<br />
"Hey! Noun? Noun, is that you?"<br />
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Man 2 (looks up from his paper)<br />
"What? Oh, Noun! How ya verb? Doing adverb?"<br />
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Man 1<br />
"Yeah - I'm doing totally adverb! Oh yeah - di you get that noun I verbed?"<br />
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Man 2<br />
"Yeah, sorry to hear you won't be able to verb with pronoun tonight."<br />
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Man 1<br />
"Yeah, sorry about that - I gota go verb the ole noun, if you know what I mean."<br />
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Man 2<br />
"I hear that. My noun has me verbing like crazy. Especially on the weekends."<br />
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Man 1<br />
"Wow that must REALLY adjective!"<br />
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Man 2<br />
"A bit. The worst part is that now when I verb, I also verb adverb adverb."<br />
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Man 1<br />
"Whoa, that's adjective."Geoff Whitmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11290565975730247684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1303276168128414007.post-77803708676255593782010-11-22T08:17:00.000-08:002010-11-22T08:49:09.253-08:00And I thought I was done with zombies...That is, until "The Walking Dead" came along.<br />
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I'd long been a fan of the Kirkman comic series (Collected in trades. Yes, I'm one of THOSE comic readers.), but had long ago burned myself out on zombies on film.<br />
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Damn you AMC, for changing that.<br />
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The TV series, "Walking Dead" is simply a bit of televisual perfection as far as I'm concerned. It's a balance of familiar TV tropes, comfortable character protrayals, and the otherwise unremarkable banality of regular-joe characters that is beautifully thrown into sharp contrast against the backdrop of the zombie-infected world in which these characters live.<br />
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It is survival fiction done well. It is survival fiction that works very hard to make us understand the human side of staying alive at all costs.<br />
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Like I said, awesome stuff. "Lost" can go sit in a corner and be forgotten now.<br />
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After watching epidose four last night, I discovered that my zombie love is rising once again. The flames of zombie fan-boy-ish-ness have been fanned into life by watching it executed so skillfully by Darabont et al.<br />
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And ya know what? I think it's time for me to share OUR humble little zombie effort once again (and I DO mean humble - we love our little zombie hobby film).<br />
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So with that in mind, I give you our own little slice of zombie survival horror: "Bum of the Dead".<br />
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<center><br />
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</center><br />
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Enjoy.<br />
-g-Geoff Whitmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11290565975730247684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1303276168128414007.post-85829861086465042632010-11-21T09:18:00.000-08:002010-11-21T09:18:55.751-08:00Rob Rodas - illustrator to the stars......or somesuch.<br />
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As you may have noticed, "Unadulterated Douchebloggery" has a spiffy new title illustration. This wunnerful, wunnerful pic is the work of one Robert Rodas, illustrator, animator, friend, and now - assistant director. Here's his blog with some awesome samples of his awesome awesomeness:<br />
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<a href="http://robrodas.blogspot.com/">http://robrodas.blogspot.com/</a><br />
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Rob Has worked with me on a variety of projects over the past four (five?) years, and will continue to do so as we ramp up on (amongst other things) the "City of Ghouls" short film and comic.<br />
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So, a big "Unadulterated Douchebloggery" shout-out and thanks to Rob!<br />
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-g-Geoff Whitmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11290565975730247684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1303276168128414007.post-14575216153534062752010-11-20T08:57:00.000-08:002010-11-20T09:01:42.289-08:00The Toronto Film ChallengeHere's our entry in the "Toronto Film Challenge". The TFC is a contest that sees GTA-area film-makers get together and write, shoot, edit, and finish short films in a 48 hour time period (or 24, depending).<br />
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This year, at the urging of my friend and film co-conspirator, Rich, I put together a team representing Favours For Friends pictures. The following film is the result of 48hours of straight film-making. I hope you enjoy it, warts and all. A more refined cut will make its way online in the coming months. But nor now, I present, "Kinsmen", by the Favours For Friends team:<br />
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<object height="385" width="640"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/wn_V-yl6UdY?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/wn_V-yl6UdY?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object><br />
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The Favours for Friends team is: Geoff Whitman, Rich Bisquera, Christine Buijs, Andrew Chapman, Connie Daye, MarkMcIntyre, Jim Field, Rob Rodas, Luke Schultz and Stephen Leck.<br />
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The Toronto Film Challenge: <a href="http://torontofilmchallenge.com/">http://torontofilmchallenge.com/</a><br />
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-g-Geoff Whitmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11290565975730247684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1303276168128414007.post-34656396190460759162010-11-08T19:22:00.000-08:002010-11-08T19:23:59.464-08:00It's "Hey! Admiral Ackbar!" Episode Four!In which youtube fails to defeat the Admiral, and we talk the digestive tract!<br />
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<object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/x7yB9GAyM4Q?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/x7yB9GAyM4Q?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>Geoff Whitmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11290565975730247684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1303276168128414007.post-26320574319928329512010-11-02T15:30:00.000-07:002010-11-02T15:30:40.121-07:00So, how come I haven't seen this?I mean, aside from the fact that it's not 1994 any more.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM5SG6KyQDUvBnDOWsvkUB3soUuCWRE0HcVsm032iZRyEwgHTtvhZ4maThmulypj4N73iXzYBbOPacTACWYT7ZYG0aD-jeR6X5Sqohos3mtARsIgMV6mlVLbq8dFfC1eo6YK0wSaueUTU/s1600/deforest+gump.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM5SG6KyQDUvBnDOWsvkUB3soUuCWRE0HcVsm032iZRyEwgHTtvhZ4maThmulypj4N73iXzYBbOPacTACWYT7ZYG0aD-jeR6X5Sqohos3mtARsIgMV6mlVLbq8dFfC1eo6YK0wSaueUTU/s400/deforest+gump.jpg" width="302" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">-g-</div>Geoff Whitmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11290565975730247684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1303276168128414007.post-5311989404027517722010-10-29T10:38:00.000-07:002010-10-29T10:38:34.263-07:00Partytruckers of the World Unite!Once again the lads at Partytruck USA podcast (<a href="http://www.partytruckusa.com/">http://www.partytruckusa.com/</a>) have once again been more than kind enough to give my humble l'il blog a shout-out. God bless their pointy little heads.<br />
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If you're here searching for the most recent review of Partytruck USA, then seek out the poast named "Things Are Gonna Get a Bit Mtea Before They Get a Bit Better".<br />
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And if you'd like to see the logo I composed for them (yeah I know, a video logo for an audio podcast. Quick, go look up "counter-intuitive" in the dictionary), then you can find it on YouTube here: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZVVOdBJ9OQ">Partytruck USA animated logo</a><br />
Otherwise, feel free to have a look around. Postings have been a bit thin of late (work, as usual, gets in the way of sharing my wit and wisdom with the world, it seems), but reast assured that more content is on its way here, as well as at our sister blog, Stomping Ground (<a href="http://www.stompingground.ca/">http://www.stompingground.ca/</a>).<br />
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Thanks for stoppin' by!<br />
-g-Geoff Whitmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11290565975730247684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1303276168128414007.post-15367301196628107042010-10-13T16:43:00.001-07:002010-10-13T16:43:44.275-07:00Superman without the amnesia kiss...This is so elegant in its simplicity.<br />
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<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Al7FeEZrH1E?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Al7FeEZrH1E?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br />
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-g-Geoff Whitmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11290565975730247684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1303276168128414007.post-17759168263279968292010-10-12T17:27:00.000-07:002010-10-12T17:27:36.206-07:00Hey kids! It's NOT "Hey! Admiral Ackbar!"Hey all;<br />
Just a quick blab to let you know that we're taking a skip week for "Hey! Admiral Ackbar!" in honour of Thanksgiving (Canadian edition). But dry those tears, l'il cowpokes, the Admiral will be back next week to further enhance your life with his cavalcade of learning!<br />
-g-Geoff Whitmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11290565975730247684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1303276168128414007.post-37186816349128625302010-10-09T20:12:00.000-07:002010-10-09T20:12:02.724-07:00My SPAM tells me...That a LOT of men are worried that their dicks may be too small. Is that REALLY a pervasive enough concern to warrant that much email SPAM dedicated to the subject? The Library of Congress' archives wouldn't be big enough to house all the emails I've received on the subject.<br />
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Okay, given the twinge of fear I felt even writing the phrase "I've received on the subject" is proof enough that - yes - men ARE worried that their dicks may be too small. I though that would have faded after adolescence, but apparently, such is not the case. Men the world over are fretting and stressing about an issue they've been uptight about since they were 13. How tiring that must be.<br />
<br />
Poor bastards. maybe I'll email them and offer to help.<br />
<br />
wAnt b1G Peeeenus? Want all-n4tur4l v14gr4? Ema1L mE!<br />
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-g-Geoff Whitmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11290565975730247684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1303276168128414007.post-81417966595688272302010-10-04T17:35:00.000-07:002010-10-04T17:35:53.218-07:00It's "Hey! Admiral Ackbar!" Episode 3!Once again for your viewing... I'm sorry, I just gotta cut in here and say how much I love doing these lame-ass only-funny-to-me videos. There's something so enjoyable about thinking up an excuse to present an over-used almost-dead meme as an opportunity to play with a little bit of tv-show-formatted pseudo-comedy. God, I love teh intarwebs.<br />
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Ladies and gentlemen, I present, for my viewing pleasure - episode three of "Hey! Admiral Ackbar!".<br />
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<object height="385" width="640"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/0ns75fB-NjY?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/0ns75fB-NjY?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object><br />
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Enjoy, ya'll!<br />
-g-Geoff Whitmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11290565975730247684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1303276168128414007.post-83631961295561040492010-10-03T14:05:00.000-07:002010-10-03T14:32:17.621-07:00And just because I can...Here's one of our cats, being extra cute and stuff.<br />
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFsF1zKl2wM">Pip eats a strawberry</a><br />
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<object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/xFsF1zKl2wM?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/xFsF1zKl2wM?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>Geoff Whitmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11290565975730247684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1303276168128414007.post-33285623515565820522010-10-01T12:00:00.000-07:002010-10-01T15:22:32.627-07:00Things Are Gonna Get a Bit Meta Before They Get a Bit Better<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.partytruckusa.com/"><img border="0" height="195" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghanHs7598S_WAfaGMmusG8MdSpjd4mmoA5bkah4GZzaDOOjA-_uWwirZs3Tk3TXgTLONN2pgSWqB3MHGlvuroDDHICCa_m_sIctlisDReRUb9b1QzM2QqA-Rurv1B8vVqupnK4d8lye4/s200/logo.gif" width="200" /></a></div><div goog_docs_charindex="1" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10pt;"><br />
</div><div goog_docs_charindex="4" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10pt;"> <span goog_docs_charindex="8" style="font-family: calibri;"><span goog_docs_charindex="9" style="font-size: small;">You know, there's something... special about having an un-proof-read, first-draft blog post read aloud (to an ACTUAL audience, as opposed to my usual, somewhat more imaginary one) by the people the review is about.</span></span></div><div goog_docs_charindex="227" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10pt;"> <span goog_docs_charindex="231" style="font-family: calibri;"><span goog_docs_charindex="232" style="font-size: small;">Joy. Bliss. Immediate regret I didn't do a second draft.</span></span></div><div goog_docs_charindex="292" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10pt;"> <span goog_docs_charindex="296" style="font-family: calibri;"><span goog_docs_charindex="297" style="font-size: small;">So, the partytruckers liked my review. Which is awesome. And Brian Lynch (known forever to me as "the unchanging core") re-tweeted it to his 10k+ followers. Double awesome. Then, they (the partytruckers, not the 10k+ followers) read the damn thing on the cast!</span></span></div><div goog_docs_charindex="561" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10pt;"> <span goog_docs_charindex="565" style="font-family: calibri;"><span goog_docs_charindex="566" style="font-size: small;">...that last bit kinda blew the top off the awesome-o-meter.</span></span></div><div goog_docs_charindex="630" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10pt;"> <span goog_docs_charindex="634" style="font-family: calibri;"><span goog_docs_charindex="635" style="font-size: small;">And what a cool-assed way to discover it.</span></span></div><div goog_docs_charindex="680" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10pt;"> <span goog_docs_charindex="684" style="font-family: calibri;"><span goog_docs_charindex="685" style="font-size: small;">I waited almost a week to listen to the cast then, walking home from work one evening, hear my name pass in one ear hole and out the other via my headphones. Fall down. Get back up. Look at your man. Now back at me. Keep walking long enough to get home. Call wife-like girlfriend at work, and do happy dance at her over the phone (less effective than one might hope).</span></span></div><div goog_docs_charindex="1056" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10pt;"> <span goog_docs_charindex="1060" style="font-family: calibri;"><span goog_docs_charindex="1061" style="font-size: small;">The partytruckers are pretty awesome guys, and they treated my review just as it deserved (actually, far better).</span></span></div><div goog_docs_charindex="1178" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10pt;"> <span goog_docs_charindex="1182" style="font-family: calibri;"><span goog_docs_charindex="1183" style="font-size: small;">Good god, is my wife-like girlfriend listening to Level 42? She is.</span></span></div><div goog_docs_charindex="1254" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10pt;"> <span goog_docs_charindex="1258" style="font-family: calibri;"><span goog_docs_charindex="1259" style="font-size: small;">It was written as I was finding my way through their entire catalogue, and as such, showed its ignorance.</span></span></div><div goog_docs_charindex="1368" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10pt;"> <span goog_docs_charindex="1372" style="font-family: calibri;"><span goog_docs_charindex="1373" style="font-size: small;">This review, however shall work under no such burden. After having finished my semi-marathon of Party Truck episodes, </span></span><span goog_docs_charindex="1494" style="font-family: calibri;"><span goog_docs_charindex="1495" style="font-size: small;">I now feel qualified to point out exactly why PTUSA works, is awesome, and has become my new favorite podcast: Party Truck USA exists as a world of "yes".</span></span></div><div goog_docs_charindex="1653" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10pt;"> <span goog_docs_charindex="1657" style="font-family: calibri;"><span goog_docs_charindex="1658" style="font-size: small;">...It also exists as a world of "mercilessly-mock-your-friends-if-they've- got-it-coming,-but-do-it-to-Rich-all-the-time-anyway,-'cause-that's-how-we-roll", but mostly it's the "world of yes" thing.</span></span></div><div goog_docs_charindex="1860" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10pt;"> <span goog_docs_charindex="1864" style="font-family: calibri;"><span goog_docs_charindex="1865" style="font-size: small;">On Party Truck, no comedic thread - however weak and hopeless - is ever left un-picked-up. If one of the cast puts something out there, the rest will scramble like madmen to pick it up and run as far as they can with it. After all, this is the auditory equivalent of an artist doing doodles, sketching out an idea in the rough.</span></span></div><div goog_docs_charindex="2196" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10pt;"> <span goog_docs_charindex="2200" style="font-family: calibri;"><span goog_docs_charindex="2201" style="font-size: small;">As I'd mentioned previously, the core group of Partytruckers, are writers, film- makers, (ex?) improv performers, and actors. When the time comes for the geek fists of fury, these are the guys you want throwing the punches.</span></span></div><div goog_docs_charindex="2428" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10pt;"> <span goog_docs_charindex="2432" style="font-family: calibri;"><span goog_docs_charindex="2433" style="font-size: small;">Party Truck is what happens when the kinds of mind more concerned with the fallout from "Secret Invasion" than the invasion of Iraq, grow into adult-aged geeks that are wicked clever. And quick.</span></span></div><div goog_docs_charindex="2631" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10pt;"> <span goog_docs_charindex="2635" style="font-family: calibri;"><span goog_docs_charindex="2636" style="font-size: small;">An exchange in an older episode regarding the making of a fictional Kevin Costner vehicle "Landworld" featured a request for a prequel featuring a world NOT blighted by the problems of a waterless world. The answer from Jordy Boggis (film-maker, and not from Jersey) - "A Perfect World" - was waiting before the echo of the question had faded from my headphones. The boy is quick. They all are. Though, it may be possible that Boggis has a far greater tolerance for mediocre Hollywood fare than anyone else in the world. The films that man has seen - and enjoyed - would make the crassest Hollywood mediocrity merchant giggle with glee.</span></span></div><div goog_docs_charindex="3276" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10pt;"> <span goog_docs_charindex="3280" style="font-family: calibri;"><span goog_docs_charindex="3281" style="font-size: small;">There is, of course, a punching bag of sorts in the form of Rich Monahan - one of the lads from Jersey. Rich is the unrestrained id of the group, and one of the strongest parts of the podcast because of it. He is the one who will say what daren't be said, who will give the answer the next punchline requires, regardless of risk to himself. He'll even sing if required (just so long as it's to the tune of Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start The Fire"). It's clear that he's a skilled performer with a mind to match, he just keeps it to one side so it doesn't get in the way of the funny. He is the most unprepossessing member of the group, and often the funniest because of it.</span></span></div><div goog_docs_charindex="3959" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10pt;"> <span goog_docs_charindex="3963" style="font-family: calibri;"><span goog_docs_charindex="3964" style="font-size: small;">Plus, at least HE still sings the segment jingles. There's another guy who used to sing with him, as well as add some valuable comedy to the jingles, but has of late decided it wasn't worth his time. Let's not talk about him.</span></span></div><div goog_docs_charindex="4193" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10pt;"> <span goog_docs_charindex="4197" style="font-family: calibri;"><span goog_docs_charindex="4198" style="font-size: small;">If we WERE to talk about him, then we'd probably be talk about one of the funniest recurring character bits. "It's me, Brian Sadecki" will make me laugh no matter what. You have to hear it in context. Trust me. Sadecki is, not unlike Jodry Boggis as well, a bit of a comedy ninja in this show. While Rich will happily toss his hat into any conversational ring (regardless of whether or not he knows or cares about the subject at hand), Sadecki will wait for his moment to strike. Like a sniper on a sunny day, the lens cap on the scope isn't flicked open until JUST he right time. Then... BAM! Comedy gold.</span></span></div><div goog_docs_charindex="4808" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10pt;"> <span goog_docs_charindex="4812" style="font-family: calibri;"><span goog_docs_charindex="4813" style="font-size: small;">Then we come to Brian Lynch - the afore-mentioned "unchanging core". Did I mention that he's unchanging? Good, 'cause he is. Unchanging. You got that, right? Okay, cool.</span></span></div><div goog_docs_charindex="4986" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10pt;"> <span goog_docs_charindex="4990" style="font-family: calibri;"><span goog_docs_charindex="4991" style="font-size: small;">Lynch is the reason I listen to Party Truck. A one time collaborator of Kevin Smith's, I once heard him on an LA radio station doing his level best (and it was awesome - "Fun City", anyone?) to help get Smith's radio show off the ground by playing sidekick to the "Jay and Silent Bob" pairing of Smith and Jason Mewes. That bit didn't work out. There was no second episode. Pity. lynch was hilarious. And, I hate to say it (because I think he has people that will beat me bloody) so much funnier than Smith himself, that I was immediately hooked. And surprised. Why hadn't Smith had this clever fellow put to death? </span></span><span goog_docs_charindex="5613" style="font-family: calibri;"><span goog_docs_charindex="5614" style="font-size: small;">Lynch on that program was everything I believe comedy should be - quick, relevant, nimble, and just surreal ENOUGH to inform his comedy with a life beyond his utterance of it. All while sounding like an intellectually-elevated "David Spade's Hollywood Minute". Dude was funny. And he writes comics. And screenplays, so yeah - I was (am) a fan.</span></span></div><div goog_docs_charindex="5963" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10pt;"><span goog_docs_charindex="5967" style="font-family: calibri;"><span goog_docs_charindex="5968" style="font-size: small;">All I can do at this point is recommend the podcast to you and yours. That is, assuming that you and/or yours enjoy the ephemera of comics and movies, pop culture, and the comedy that is day-to-day life.</span></span></div><div goog_docs_charindex="6175" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10pt;"> <span goog_docs_charindex="6179" style="font-family: calibri;"><span goog_docs_charindex="6180" style="font-size: small;">Go listen to Party Truck USA. They're your ears' new best friend. And tell your ears to tell Rich I said "Keep on singin' - you rock!"</span></span></div><div goog_docs_charindex="6318" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10pt;"><br />
</div><div goog_docs_charindex="6324" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10pt;"><span goog_docs_charindex="6325" style="font-family: calibri;"><span goog_docs_charindex="6326" style="font-size: small;">-g-</span></span></div><br goog_docs_charindex="6333" />Geoff Whitmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11290565975730247684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1303276168128414007.post-20739064908957403752010-09-28T15:37:00.000-07:002010-09-28T15:37:54.972-07:00Party Truck: The Review 2: Electric Boogaloo... Coming soonJust a quick note to let you all know that I'll be posting another Party Truck review later this week. It's being written at the request of one of the Partytruckers themselves. They're awesome like that.<br />
<br />
And you may rest assured, gentle reader, that this review will ACTUALLY be a review, and also make for better reading. Having the podcasters in question pay attention to what one writes REALLY focuses one's writing gland.<br />
<br />
Look for it no later than Friday evening.<br />
<br />
-g-Geoff Whitmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11290565975730247684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1303276168128414007.post-3319816471287160212010-09-27T18:21:00.000-07:002010-09-27T18:21:32.959-07:00It's "Hey! Admiral Ackbar!" - Episode Two!Hey kids! It's time for another edu-tastic episode of "Hey! Admiral Ackbar!"<br />
<br />
This week - DENTISTRY! Starring Connie Daye!<br />
<br />
<object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/XY5TrGnpsog?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/XY5TrGnpsog?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>Geoff Whitmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11290565975730247684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1303276168128414007.post-16746464158449943462010-09-25T10:55:00.000-07:002010-09-25T10:55:52.849-07:00The Colour and the ShapeI've been thinking about comics a lot lately. Difficult not to when you spend three hours of commuting time a day listening to geek-friendly podcasts.<br />
<br />
Comics fans of my ilk are now, it seems, kind of the ruling power structure behind current mainstream interest in comics, comic-related ephemera, and super-hero- themed prose. If you're between the ages of 22 and 40 and identify as even slightly geekish, then odds are the media world is going out of it's way to give you comics-related material to toss your shekels at.<br />
<br />
I'm 38. I've been a fan of comics since I was about... oh, about four or so. Granted, while my time with comics didn't start with "Maus" or "Dark Knight Returns", a solid grounding in "Archie", "Richie Rich", "Casper the Friendly Ghost", and the rest of the non-superhero young readers offerings paved the way for a lifetime obsession that stays with me to this day.<br />
<br />
I'm no rarity. And mainstream media producers are aware of that. So, we get comics movies. We get superhero TV shows. Cartoons are becoming slightly less interested in repackaging Japanese toys commercials, and are a little more likely to actually produce comics / super hero material.<br />
<br />
And what goes with all of that? That's right - cultural self-analysis (this blog post being a stellar example of said - there's an extra free-fer-nuthin' level of meta to this post. It's significance is recursive - whoo!).<br />
<br />
We love to talk comics, we geeks. Since the first proto-fanboy who crawled out of the primordial basement with the question poised on his lips... "Who would win in a fight between...?", we've always loved dissecting the whys and wherefores of our favorite pastime, pursuit, and passion.<br />
<br />
An it's not just the fanboy (and girl) community that's in on the conversation anymore. Lately, it seems Hollywood has more than entered the discourse. In this case, "lately" has a given value of +/- 10 years-ish. Or more.<br />
<br />
From stars to writers, to producers, to media pundits - everyone seems to be chatting comics like crazy, and has been for ages, it seems.<br />
<br />
But I've noticed something. When asked, as they inevitably will be, what began their love affair (real or not) with comics, most actors, writers, media figures, and even comics creators themselves, will invariably give an answer speaking to the deeply significant moral/metaphorical/emotional/intellectual impact of their favorite works.<br />
<br />
Be it the pathos-laden origin of Batman or Spider-Man, or the Man-and-Superman, Man-who-fell-to-earth duck-out-of-water origin of Superman, the answers try desperately to give strong intellectual validation to ideas many parts of media culture have labelled "kid's stuff". They try so hard. Spider-Man is the embodiment of western cultural guilt. Batman is the right-leaning reaction to the chaos of modern culture. Any way they spell it, their first foray into comics was first and foremost LEGITIMATE.<br />
<br />
Which is kinda odd when you consider that a lot of us first discovered comics when we were wee nippers, barely able to complete a complex sentence let alone conceptualize the metaphorical implications of a mythical / fantastical creature such as a super hero.<br />
<br />
I think there's some disingenuously stated ideas here. I think, like Spider-man making a deal with the devil, or the multiverse disappearing, only to re-appear again, some retconning is happening.<br />
<br />
The thing is, the truth may well be just a bit too straight-forward and - and this is the sticky part - childish for prime-time.<br />
<br />
You know why I got into comics? Specificaly super-hero comics? The answer can be told in two words: bright colors.<br />
<br />
As a child, it was clear that the world of adult media was a bland, subdued- color-palette of boring-ness wrapped up in ideas and words that made no sense to my six- and seven-year old brain. But Superman? That red-and-blue adult who never talked about taxes or other boring crap? Yeah, he was cool.<br />
<br />
Same with Spider-Man, AND he could stick to walls, which you gotta admit - is pretty kickass. Batman? When I was a kid, we were still pretty close to the Adam West era. So again - bright colors. Plus a utility belt.<br />
<br />
I had the twelve-inch tall Superman figure as a youngster. Same too for the Mego 8" Spider-man figure. Both were amongst my most prized toys. They were prized not just because of their attachment to the cartoons that replaced the boring muted world of adults with something with some damn visual flair, but because they served that same purpose in the real world.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_UgwAGHR2f39G32QvQnna8J_N67iEJ7dJ7-c4vormW8_P8wh5E_eNCId_9ECkDHzsq8f_mu5iZg2Le9KC_6rmstSlpMUpS23UbbSW8puFov-yzG_FqGmYmBJIs9vDgwX0Tds6Z9dd7PE/s1600/rare-mego-superman-12-foreign-mib-super-hero_130416573988.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_UgwAGHR2f39G32QvQnna8J_N67iEJ7dJ7-c4vormW8_P8wh5E_eNCId_9ECkDHzsq8f_mu5iZg2Le9KC_6rmstSlpMUpS23UbbSW8puFov-yzG_FqGmYmBJIs9vDgwX0Tds6Z9dd7PE/s200/rare-mego-superman-12-foreign-mib-super-hero_130416573988.jpg" width="150" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn_ydC67ry9CF2OcnCY5u4BcnLYVIPsxr1T-PHfVdEsJZ-KRM5kRHPs-Ptvx2tp25lDYq7YIkYQdme8H7wNOlEuA2MM7CHt60gssnc6PTnFHnLZaD8x7FSCzDTSO-z_bOpEio1Kqp-GuA/s1600/megospidey-219x300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn_ydC67ry9CF2OcnCY5u4BcnLYVIPsxr1T-PHfVdEsJZ-KRM5kRHPs-Ptvx2tp25lDYq7YIkYQdme8H7wNOlEuA2MM7CHt60gssnc6PTnFHnLZaD8x7FSCzDTSO-z_bOpEio1Kqp-GuA/s200/megospidey-219x300.jpg" width="145" /></a></div><br />
Like a torn-bodice-clad maiden holding a cross to ward off the vampire, so too did my primary-colored avatars hold the real world at bay, and let the color and magic of the unreal take its place.<br />
<br />
Why did I get into comics? Because they're better than the real world. It was true when I was six, and sometime, just sometime - it's true today, too.<br />
<br />
-g-Geoff Whitmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11290565975730247684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1303276168128414007.post-7720049268343683772010-09-24T18:55:00.000-07:002010-09-24T19:25:02.998-07:00Partytruck USA!Howdy guys n' gals. Forget everything you know or care about "Hey! Admiral Ackbar!". As of today, let's ALL pay attention to one of the interwebs's'es' funnest and funniest podcasts - PARTYTRUCK USA!<br />
<br />
Some of you may recall the review I wrote last week. I tweeted it to Brain Lynch, one of the four Partytruckers, and he kindly re-tweeted it. Needless to say, this blog has gotten more hits in the past week then in its entire history.<br />
<br />
And just when I didn't think my brief flirtation with Partytruck could get any better - it went and DID.<br />
<br />
Episode 27 - the episode in which they read my review and say awesome nice stuff at me.<br />
<br />
GO LISTEN NOW!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghanHs7598S_WAfaGMmusG8MdSpjd4mmoA5bkah4GZzaDOOjA-_uWwirZs3Tk3TXgTLONN2pgSWqB3MHGlvuroDDHICCa_m_sIctlisDReRUb9b1QzM2QqA-Rurv1B8vVqupnK4d8lye4/s200/logo.gif" width="200" /></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.partytruckusa.com/">http://www.partytruckusa.com/</a></div><br />
-g-Geoff Whitmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11290565975730247684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1303276168128414007.post-11693847271308545612010-09-20T18:32:00.000-07:002010-09-20T18:32:50.759-07:00It's "Hey! Admiral Ackbar!" Episode one.Welcome to Unadulterated Douchebloggery's premiere show, "Hey! Admiral Ackbar!". This is episode one of a multi-episode series to be shown here every Monday night at ten pm Eastern Standard time. We hope you enjoy tonight's episode, and c'mon back next week for another episode of:<br />
<br />
"Hey! Admiral Ackbar!"<br />
<br />
<object height="385" width="640"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/4Fr7Zgl7Z2U?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/4Fr7Zgl7Z2U?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object><br />
<br />
favoursforfriends@gmail.com<br />
Twitter: @case71<br />
<a href="http://unadulterateddouchebloggery2.blogspot.com/">http://unadulterateddouchebloggery2.blogspot.com/</a><br />
<a href="http://www.stompingground.ca/">http://www.stompingground.ca/</a>Geoff Whitmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11290565975730247684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1303276168128414007.post-20223696318478092432010-09-19T11:24:00.000-07:002010-09-19T11:24:05.464-07:00Tune in Monday night!For the launch of "Unadulterated Douchebloggery"'s newest (and only) show, "Hey! Admiral Ackbar!". The first ep will go live around 10pm est. C'mon by and tune in! The Admiral will be waiting...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJziAeE4Bysg_ubMKGSYV6oaq9gFkoqd22GEZ7_rr2sdw7dfrCUDBshry99nIArQAMIyaeKc1O0rpNXik0jiHLnt1kRxJ_Pjv1mFLk4KNTgAg1BpoVIFwrIPbBtz-2rFGa97zO73obJxs/s1600/AA+001flowers+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJziAeE4Bysg_ubMKGSYV6oaq9gFkoqd22GEZ7_rr2sdw7dfrCUDBshry99nIArQAMIyaeKc1O0rpNXik0jiHLnt1kRxJ_Pjv1mFLk4KNTgAg1BpoVIFwrIPbBtz-2rFGa97zO73obJxs/s320/AA+001flowers+copy.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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-g-Geoff Whitmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11290565975730247684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1303276168128414007.post-86614406427422299932010-09-18T13:30:00.000-07:002010-09-18T13:30:07.337-07:00While I have your attention......for the next five seconds. May I recommend you visit my other, more media-related sites?<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.stompingground.ca/">http://www.stompingground.ca/</a><br />
This is the blog / posting spot for any and all creative endeavours. This blog features music, video, short films, and prose from myself and an ever-growing cast of creators.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/case71">http://www.youtube.com/user/case71</a><br />
My youtube channel. All sorts of little stuff here. Mini films, and video jiggery-pokery.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://twitter.com/case71">http://twitter.com/case71</a><br />
Here is where I tweet. I do this more than anything else.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.vimeo.com/fffp/videos">http://www.vimeo.com/fffp/videos</a><br />
My Vimeo page. This is where I put my favoritest videos that I've made. And yes, "favoritest" IS a word, dammit.<br />
<br />
Enjoy, all;<br />
-g-Geoff Whitmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11290565975730247684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1303276168128414007.post-24739362893902535032010-09-18T13:16:00.000-07:002010-09-18T13:16:30.426-07:00Now I have a big happy......so big it could choke a Rhino. Wanna know who gave me my giant happy?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGksZ3PArDftZnqftL3BrgipriuxJDn2v2NHBBCFLt3dAY6VMHLsTVa6ViFUITlPkP77wKblb3KpygPydeHvBVzR3t3cTX-pJDD0DTpCJEddidF92Oms4HXBmqjeosfeqMU-fGvRj-Cb0/s1600/lynch+link.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="117" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGksZ3PArDftZnqftL3BrgipriuxJDn2v2NHBBCFLt3dAY6VMHLsTVa6ViFUITlPkP77wKblb3KpygPydeHvBVzR3t3cTX-pJDD0DTpCJEddidF92Oms4HXBmqjeosfeqMU-fGvRj-Cb0/s400/lynch+link.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Neat! And, you know - effectively whore-ish on my behalf, too. Which in internet terms, spells double win. <br />
<br />
I sense a meme coming on. Double-self-whoring-win-all-the-way-man. DSWWATWM. Yeah. Snappy.<br />
<br />
-g-<br />
<br />
PS - And geek fanboy win, too of course. I always assume that this goes without saying in my case.Geoff Whitmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11290565975730247684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1303276168128414007.post-45671788558503159512010-09-18T12:31:00.000-07:002010-09-18T13:23:26.341-07:00Saturday morning's all right for fighting...Fine. Afternoon. <br />
<br />
Too long has it been since I've blogged properly. It seems the small amount I do nowadays is all about posting video or prose or something to <a href="http://www.stompingground.ca/">www.stompingground.ca</a> and even THAT has been some thin treacle of late.<br />
<br />
I've gone pdcast crazy. Right now I'm listening to the entire Kevin Smith Smodcast network pods (there's, like, five or six of 'em now - <a href="http://www.smodcast.com/">www.smodcast.com</a>), and have just singed on to Brian Lynch's "Party Truck USA" pod. <a href="http://www.angrynakedpat.com/podcast/">http://www.angrynakedpat.com/podcast/</a><br />
<br />
I love 'em all, but I gotta say - that Party Truck has really captured my imagination. It comes off as a cross between prepared improv and genuine off-the-top-of-one's-head banter. The pod features a lightly rotating cast of four to six guys. Mostly friends from Jersey now living in LA, and most of them are ex- (or current) comedy improv players.<br />
<br />
Lynch himself (writer / director "Big Helium Dog", and comics writer ("Spike: Asylum", and um, that other Spike book. With puppets. That one.) is the unchanging core of the group. Any further details would only serve to better derail the point I'm slowly trying to make.<br />
<br />
Wait. Was there a point? Hm. Maybe not. Maybe this IS just one giant loving ass-kiss to my newest favourite podcast. With more than a tinge of jealousy that there exists a group of writers / film-makers / comedians, and all I have is a cat, a collection of action figures, and you, dear internet. Thank god and baby jesus for you.<br />
<br />
Okay - quick solo improv game. Fake podcast intro - two hosts, and... GO!<br />
<br />
Host 1: "Hello, and welcome to the Fake podcast, episode one. I'm one of your hosts, Fakey McFakerton, and with me as always is the lovable, wacky, Falsey Falsetein. Say hi Falsey."<br />
<br />
Host 2: -honks horn-<br />
<br />
Host 1: "Really? Again with the horn?"<br />
<br />
Host 2: -honk-<br />
<br />
Host 1: "Godamnit, Falsey, you said you weren't gonna do this again."<br />
<br />
Host 2: -honk- -honk-<br />
<br />
Host 1: "No one wants to listen to that, man! You sound like a fucking idiot. I swear, if you don't put down that godamn horn, I'm gonna go across this table at you."<br />
<br />
Host 2: -honk-<br />
<br />
Host 1: "That's it, you sonuva..." -indistinct struggling noises-.<br />
<br />
Aaaaand... scene!<br />
<br />
Okay, so maybe I'm not so much missing out.<br />
<br />
-g-<br />
<br />
Follow me on twitter - <a href="http://twitter.com/case71">@case71</a>Geoff Whitmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11290565975730247684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1303276168128414007.post-27999123990110594102010-08-29T05:37:00.001-07:002010-08-29T05:40:22.475-07:00The greatest TV theme music ever...<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><div><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/5TQUdcYk82U?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/5TQUdcYk82U?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br />
</div><div style="font-family: 'Arial'; font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></div><div style="font-family: 'Arial'; font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">I'm sure you'll agree. How can you not? Just LISTEN to that music, man!</div><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">-g-</div></span></span>Geoff Whitmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11290565975730247684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1303276168128414007.post-13770437050866473702010-08-25T09:10:00.000-07:002010-08-25T09:10:27.370-07:00DreamsWaking from dreams of a dead friend is no way to start a productive, happy day. That the dream was inturrupted by my alarm clock just as said friend was about to speak, is heartbreaking. I feel like they've torn her away from me all over again.<br />
<br />
I don't know who "they" are. "They"'re just the ones that visit death, sadness, and fear into your life, unasked-for. They are cancer, accident, depression, suicide, illness, disease, hopelessness, and more. And I fucking hate them all.<br />
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-g-Geoff Whitmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11290565975730247684noreply@blogger.com0