This must be just like living in Keamy’s Paradise
What do you get when you combine Lost, blog technology, and a fan with a lot of time on his hands? You get Keamy’s Paradise.
It’s a new blog from a devoted Lost fan and (more specifically) Keamy fan. You’re probably wondering to yourself, how much material can you get out of one character who was only on the show for a handful of episodes? Plenty. Take a look above at Keamy as the Burger King! Or how about Keamy as the baby on the cover of Nirvana’s Nevermind? Here’s Keamy as Vincent Van Gogh and here he is starring in I Dream Of Keamy.
This is one of my favorites, as is this.
This is a great idea. There are several blogs and Twitter accounts that revolve around a character or a show, but a lot of the time it’s just words and can get stale pretty quickly. But putting Keamy into these photos is a funny idea. Who knew that Keamy would become the Boba Fett of Lost?
Arrested Development: Motherboy XXX - VIDEO
Do not adjust your web browser. You are now entering the Retro Squad, where we are reviewing past episodes of classic TV shows.
Originally aired March 13th, 2005 — There are way too many great episodes of Arrested Development. I can’t think of any other sitcom that has as much replay value as this show does. Maybe Seinfeld, but c’mon - Jerry, Kramer, George, and Elaine had a lot of stinkers. I don’t think the Bluths ever disappointed. When we nominated Arrested Development to get the “Retro Squad” treatment, “Motherboy XXX” immediately popped into my head. It’s one of my favorites because it blends so many different stories together and it includes what I think is quite possibly the funniest, and most important, inside joke ever featured on the show.
The episode begins with Michael waking up extra early in an effort to avoid his family - pretty much the gist of every episode, no? Anyway, Lucille has beaten him to the punch. Today is Motherboy XXX (I feel like that should always be followed by a deep voice yelling “SUNDAY, SUNDAY, SUNDAY!”) and she can’t sleep. Buster had always been his mother’s date to Motherboy, a dinner dance meant to foster mother/son relationships. But his recent run-in with G.O.B.’s wife’s seal has left him short one hand and therefore, far less desirable to Lucille. Meanwhile, Tobias has a new acting prospect, George Michael is prepared to go church camp with Ann, Maeby is set on finding ways to skip school, and G.O.B. is prepping for his divorce.
Why do I love this episode so much? Let’s break it down:
- Carl Weathers - Tobias’ former acting coach returns with a new job. He’s directing a tell-all episode of Scandal Makers featuring the Bluths and he needs Tobias to sign off the family rights. He agrees to do so, but only if he can plan George Sr. in the episode. Carl is happy to oblige. That’s not the best part though. Burger King paid for placement in this episode. Rather than bury the product deep in the show, it became part of the story in the funniest way possible. Tobias and Carl eat at Burger King. They praise it. They shove french fries in their mouths. Ads for the then new Tendercrisp Sandwich are seen in virtually every shot. At the end, George Michael and his father toast with large BK cups. There’s more that I’m sure I’m forgetting. It just went on and on. Plus, the entire ordeal gets a mirror held up to it when Carl tells Tobias that he’s agreed to take money from BK with the agreement that Scandal Makers will shoot a scene there! The level and sophistication of the self-reflexive humor on this show was at its peak right here.
- Henry Winkler - Best known for his role as Fonzie on Happy Days, Winkler’s nod as the Bluth’s family lawyer Barry Zuckerkorn was superb. He appeared in a ton of episodes (at least a dozen) but none of them stood out like “Motherboy XXX.” In a joke so simple, yet so expertly crafted, you couldn’t even laugh. I distinctly remember the first time I saw it, all I could do was say “wow.” After tracking down the seal that ate Buster’s hand, it turned out to be just a shark who had eaten the seal’s fin. Upon the discovery, Barry says he’s going to Burger King (again with the BK!) and jumps over the shark as he leaves the pier. F’ing brilliant! A reference to Winkler’s previous shark jumping antic as Fonzie? Of course. A suggestion that maybe, just maybe, this is the high point and that it’s all down-hill from here? We all know that wasn’t the case. But it makes you wonder what the writers and producers were thinking at the time. Ratings weren’t exactly top-notch for AD, so maybe this was their way of saying “We get it. This might be it.”
- Amy Poehler - In her final appearance as G.O.B.’s nameless wife, Poehler managed to get more laughs out of one picture than most sitcoms can hope for over an entire season. After their drunken dare of a marriage, G.O.B. and his wife never did the nasty. Now she’s divorcing him and he can make it all go way if he admits they never consummated it. Planning to lie about it (since he won’t admit his virginity to anyone), his devious side turns on the nameless wonder and they get down to it in the judge’s quarters at the court. She snaps a photo to prove they had sex and it looks an awful lot like those horrible pictures that surfaced after the torture at the Abu Ghraib prison. Hilarious, right? Well… yeah. Poehler’s army outfit finally made sense and it definitely tied right in with the Iraq theme that ran through so many other episodes, especially George Sr.’s dealings with Saddam Hussein. Thumbs up anyone?
There are so many other things that made this episode great. There’s just too many to list them all. Dave Attell as Tobias, G.O.B.’s concern for Buster’s lost Swatch, Maeby’s campfire story at church camp, Tobias’ “Dr. House” license plate, the return of the Lance Ito-wannabe Judge Ping, Operation Hot Mother… I could keep going. Watch it again for yourself though. You be the judge. And make sure you check back here on Friday as we wrap up our first Retro Squad week with a review and analysis of the Arrested Development series finale, “Development Arrested.”
Classic Quotes
“I mean, look how he zips now!” - Lucille, on the limitations (and back scratches) caused by Buster’s hook hand
“You know, I wine ’em and dine ’em, but I don’t let them tell me what to do.” - George Sr. on women (and dolls)
“Do you guys know where I can get one of those gold necklaces with a “T” on it?” - Maeby, confusing her religious symbols with letters of the alphabet
“It’s a wonderful restaurant!” - Tobias, during a shameless plug for Burger King
“My army training tells me that this is going to be a hot mission.” - Buster, scoping out Lucille and George Michael at the Motherboy XXX dance
What I love about Burn Notice
What did I do during the writers’ strike, you ask? I got caught up on the first season of Burn Notice, which I regrettably missed the first time around.
This show has got it all — great characters, action-packed plots and layers of intrigue. Without simply saying that I love everything about Burn Notice, here is my list:
1. Jeffrey Donovan
The lead of Michael Westen could not be better cast. He is believable, but he layers on the quality of the performance with the best facial expressions on an actor’s face that I can remember. I know when he is being a smart-ass, I know when he feels overwhelming love for his mom and I know when he knows he is in it deep.
2. The voice-overs
Yeah, I know. Sometimes voice-overs are the worst thing that could ever happen to a show. Not so in Burn Notice. They are done by lead character Michael Westen, who tells us little tidbits about what it is like to be a spy. They are funny, insightful to his character’s history and experience, and help tie the storyline together. Here’s one of my favorites:
“Thirty years of karate, combat experience on five continents, a rating with every weapon that shoots a bullet or holds an edge… Still haven’t found any defense against Mom crying into my shirt.”
- Michael Westen, Burn Notice
3. Michael’s family
Take two likable actors (Sharon Gless of Cagney and Lacey and Seth Peterson of Providence fame), insert chain smoking, hypochondria and huge costume jewelry; a shady job, a questionably acquired mansion and a little sibling rivalry whining and you’ve got Michael Westen’s mother and brother. It’s a recipe for success and the perfect foil to the straight man spy, although we do get some glimpses of what the family life was like growing up and it wasn’t all fun and games.
4. The chemistry between the three leads
There is sarcastic banter between Sam (Bruce Campbell) and Fiona (Gabrielle Anwar), who say they don’t like each other but I think they really have a deep respect for each other as colleagues. Michael and Fiona, who were a thing, then weren’t, now are again. The dance of them getting there was fun because Fiona’s got sass. And Michael and Sam? Their friendship runs deep and true. They’d do anything for each other and they mean that.
5. Yogurt
The only food that is ever in Michael’s fridge is yogurt, with only beer to keep it company. It is reminiscent of Seinfled’s cereal and it is funny. Someone is always grabbing a yogurt to eat while discussing surveillance or making fake explosives, and Sam has even been known to use the ol’ “running out to get Michael some yogurt” excuse.
6. Gadgets
I tell ya, Michael Westen makes MacGyver look like a downright sissy. Westen and his partners make everything from homemade bugs to motion detecting devices to C4. And it is a whole lot more believable than an explosive made from a piece of gum and a paper clip.
7. The “burn”
This is a new concept to me, and I like it. The writers have layered the basic burn with conspiracy, intrigue, murder, set-ups and the like. It has all the makings of big secrets akin to X-Files and Alias. It make one wonder if there is a government agency out there that isn’t corrupt …
The season finale was gripping and really leaves us with a cliffhanger. The DVDs of season 1 come out in June, and season 2 is due out sometime this summer. I can hardly wait.
The Best and Worst Reviewed Movies of 2007 (So Far)
Rotten Tomatoes have published their Mid-Year Report, which features a list of the best and worst reviewed movies of the first six months of 2007. You can see the top ten of each below.
Best Reviewed Movies
1. “Ratatouille”
2. “Away From Her”
3. “Once”
4. “Knocked Up”
5. “Hot Fuzz”
6. “Sicko”
7. “The Host”
8. “Zodiac”
9. “Waitress”
10. “The Lookout”
Worst Reviewed Movies
1. “Because I Said So”
2. “The Number 23″
3. “Premonition”
4. “The Reaping”
5. “Norbit”
6. “Perfect Stranger”
7. “Happily N’Ever After”
8. “Are We Done Yet? ”
9. “Code Name: The Cleaner”
10. “Hannibal Rising”
Not many surprises to be found. Ratatouille has wrestled the best reviewed wide release of 2007 title away from Knocked Up, which is still holding strong at #4.One unusual observation is that the best movies list features a lot of comedy/romantic comedy films (Ratatouille, Once, Knocked Up, Hot Fuzz, Waitress). In the past usually dramatic indie flicks have dominated the list. I’m also glad to see Zodiac as I’ve fielded negative comments about the film from most people I have spoken with. David Fincher’s film is one of my favorites of the year thus far.
Because I Said So and The Number 23 are the film’s I’ve least enjoyed this year so far. So I feel a little vindicated seeing them rank at the top of the worst reviewed films list. I am actually surprised to see Hannibal Rising make the worst list at #10. I didn’t enjoy the film, but at the same time, I didn’t hate it either. I wonder if there is a huge backlash on the film purely based on it’s comparison against Silence of the Lambs?