News from Imponderables Central:
The Master Index of Imponderability Is Finally Online
At last, our index of the first ten Imponderables books and Who Put the Butter in Butterfly? is up. Click on the "Index" button on... More
Why Do Pirates Love Parrots? The newest Imponderables book.
Get it from Amazon.com
February 02, 2010
Jimmy Fallon: Well Played
Amidst the Leno-O'Brien kerfluffle, Jimmy Fallon is still trying to figure out how to host a late-night show. After a rocky beginning, there have been true signs of life. He'll never be the world's best interviewer, but some of the comedy and musical segments have been brilliant. Here is the fifth installment of a running bit, Head Swap:
And here's a parody of Glee, featuring Fred Armisen and Abby Elliott from SNL -- Elliott is a dead ringer for Glee's Jayma Mays.
Can't We All Just Get Along?
February 01, 2010
Selleck Waterfall Sandwich
Who would have thought that one website could capture all three?
January 30, 2010
Postgame Interview of the Week
January 29, 2010
Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps Promo
I'm always whining about the state of movie trailers, especially those for big-budget Hollywood movies. They tend to give away too much (too much plot in dramas, too many jokes in comedies, too much blood and guts in action movies) and entice us way too little.
Here's one that gets it right:
January 26, 2010
James Mitchell, R.I.P.
The actor-dancer James Mitchell, best known of late for portraying Palmer Cortland in All My Children for more than 30 years, has died. I did some consulting on All My Children, many moons ago. I met Mitchell several times, and exchanged pleasantries, but never spoke to him alone. What I can tell you is that he was beloved by his castmates and crew. He was known not just for his kindness and courtliness, but for his wit and wicked sense of humor.
Here's a video tribute. He was unbearably handsome in some of these photos, with a facial bone structure that served him well into his old age. This is a huge loss for the world of soaps, his partner, and all of his many friends and admirers.
January 25, 2010
What Happens to the Glasses You Toss in the Box After a 3-D Movie?
This is what I wonder about when watching Avatar.
January 24, 2010
Betty White Rocks it at the SAG Awards
She's the Greatest.
January 19, 2010
Kate McGarrigle, R.I.P.
Although best know as the mother of Rufus and Martha Wainwright, Kate and her sister Anna wrote and performed so much fabulous music that to me, her accomplishments far outstrip those of her children or husband. I especially love the McGarrigle Sisters' first album Here's a live version of one of its songs, Talk To Me of Mendocino.
January 16, 2010
Pants on the Ground Parts 1 & 2
January 12, 2010
Eric Rohmer, RIP
One of my favorite film directors, Eric Rohmer, died on Monday at the ripe age of 89. If you aren't familiar with his work, I'd recommend you check out My Night at Maud's. If you aren't familiar with his work, and wonder why reading scads of subtitles is worth your time, read Stephen Metcalf's tribute in Slate.
January 10, 2010
"Come On Back"
by the immoral F.U.S.B.I.
A Peek into Netflix Queues
What were the most rented films in your ZIP code? Find out here.
December 31, 2009
5 Cats That Look Like Wilford Brimley
Roger Ebert's Year-End Lists
Happy New Year, all!
I love eyar-end lists, and I haven't found any more interesting than Ebert's roundups. It's startling how many interesting movies I've missed.
December 16, 2009
Eligible Bachelors of the Day
Watch out, ladies: Protect Your Heart.
Some Octopi Are Smarter Than Some People I Know
December 08, 2009
Good News and Bad News
The bad news: As the World Turns, now the longest running soap still on TV, has been canceled, although it's been given a long leash -- until September, 2010. To be honest, I never watched it regularly, but when I worked at NBC daytime, it was one of the opposition shows I admired. ATWT took the notion of family and stability seriously, and its fans were loyal and rabid.
On a happier front, this season of Top Chef has been fantastic. Even if you haven't been following it, I hope you'll check out the season finale, tomorrow night at 10 p.m. on Bravo (with the penultimate episode re-airing at 9). The top four chefs are by far the strongest crop ever, and among final three, any could win. It should be a great show.
December 04, 2009
Passive Aggressive Notes
Try to escape -- but you can't.
November 24, 2009
Make Your Thanksgiving Gravy Today or Tomorrow
November 22, 2009
Curb Your Enthusiasm
The finale of what I consider the best scripted show on TV is tonight at 9:00 p.m. Doubt my evaluation? You don't have to take my word for it. HBO 2 is running a marathon of this season's episodes starting at 4:00 p.m.
November 20, 2009
A Preview of Office 2010
I must have seen fifty articles about Windows 7, but hadn't read a thing about the new version of Microsoft Office until this piece by the usually reliable Farhad Manjoo.
November 12, 2009
Glee over Modern Family
Troy Patterson, Slate's TV critic, argues that Glee, not Modern Family, is the best new comedy of the season. For what it's worth, I agree.
November 03, 2009
The German "Sense of Humor"
Stereotype or reality? Both?
October 30, 2009
Is This Cute Or What?
Introducing the nudibranch, courtesy of FU Penguin.
October 28, 2009
Ray Browne Obit in New York Times
I'm still under the weather, but I wanted to link to a wonderful obit written by Margalit Fox in the New York Times today.
If you've read my books, I think you'll have a good idea from this why I wanted to join him at Bowling Green.
October 24, 2009
Ray Browne, R.I.P.
You'll notice that the icon on the left categorizes this post as "Pop Culture." The man who coined the expression "Popular Culture," and more important, led the crusade to study and teach popular culture in universities, died Thursday at home with his family by his side in Bowling Green, Ohio.
Ray was a crucial figure in my life, and I want to write about it, but I've got a kidney stone and I'd rather wait than write something totally unworthy of this great man. In the meantime, here's the BGSU press release and a long interview with Ray that will give you a better idea of why Ray was so special.
October 19, 2009
Recession Road Trip
The Atlantic's Christina Davidson has traveled across the U.S. in her car for more than four months, chronicling the effect of the economic downturn on ordinary individuals. Most of the stories are heartbreaking, including her latest dispatch, about a "happy ending," albeit one framed by sadness and needless suffering.
October 18, 2009
The McDonald's Map
You are never more than 145 miles from a McDonald's if you happen to live in the U.S. Here's a map to prove it.
[Thanks to Andrew Sullivan]
October 14, 2009
New York Times Front Page Headline from October 8, 1929
[Thanks to The Nytpicker]