Every now and then, after The Daily Show & Colbert Report end, I leave the tv on and watch a little South Park.  Usually I end up turning it off after 2 minutes, but now and then an eposide just reels me in and I find myself laughing out loud at their potty mouth,  irreverent, often crude and off the wall humor.   I love that nothing is sacred on this show…..  they are equal opportunity offenders.

Usually it’s the ones that are “musicals” or which skewer religion that get me. Tonight was one such night….    a take off on “High School Musical“ 

Enjoy this 2 minute clip:

Here’s the full episode: South Park  Elementary School Musical.

Here are links to a few of my other laugh out loud epidoes for your enjoyment.

Chinpokomon: The first episode I ever saw and couldn’t tear myself away. All the kids get obsessed with the Japanese toy Chinpokoman and go to some camp and start talking Japanese and get brainwashed.

All About The Mormons: Stan attends “family home evening” with the new kid in town and hears the Joseph Smith story, South Park style - musical and all. Remarkably close to the truth!

Probably - Satan tries to choose between Chris, who treats him like gold, and Saddam - with whom he has more chemistry.

The Return of the Fellowship of the Rings to the Two Towers - The kids go on a quest….

Super Best Friends Jesus calls on the “Super Best Friends” (Jesus, Moses, Buddha, Muhammad, Krishna, Joseph Smith, and Lao Tzu and Aqua Man) to defeat David Blaine and thwart his mass suicide plans.

Are you a fan of South Park? Do you simply hate it? Any episodes to recommend???

Loving:

Rachel Maddow. Normally I avoid cable news networks at all costs. But I caught a YouTube video of Rachel Maddow’s new show on MSNBC a couple of weeks ago and may just have to turn in every day to watch this Ph.D and Rhodes Scholar.

Unapologetically liberal, she is intelligent, witty, articulate and fair minded. She offers calm and intelligent discourse (based on facts). My liberal leaning friends will love her.

Anticipating:

Comdeian/Political Satirist Bill Maher takes on all the silliness of religions around the world in this comedy/documentary called Religulous. An advocate of “reason”, Maher is sure to be highly irreverent and offend millions of people. I can hardly wait. (Not for people to be offended, but to go LMAO in the theatre.)

Unsurprised:

I mean, come on.

Was ANYONE surprised by this?

Annoyed… and then pleased:

McCain wanted to postpone the planned Presidential debate Friday night so he could rush back to Washington and inject his vast economic experience into solving the current economic crisis (as if his de-regulation policies weren’t partially responsible for what’s happened…)

But Obama said, no way.

“With respect to the debates it is my belief that this is exactly the time when the American people need to hear from the person who in roughly 40 days will be responsible for this mess,” he said. “I think it is going to be part of the president’s job to deal with more than one thing at once. I don’t see why we can’t be constructive in helping with this problem.”

So what happens if Obama is the only one to show up?

In the early 80s, Kristin and I were watching HBO and happened upon one of the most memorable films of our lives.  It was a brief, animated short film which had won the 1982 Student Academy Award. 

It was called “Guess Who’s For Dinner” and in it, a spinach monster attacks a child during dinner.  It was hysterical and after 25 years is still a clear image in my head. Kristin and I have both spent hours over the years, searching for this in any form… if you stumble upon it, let us know!   The talented animator, Kathy Zielinski has gone on to career with Disney and animated the memorable character Ursula (the witch) in the Little Mermaid, in addition to others.

And then, of course, there were the midnight short film festivals at the Villa theatre where I saw some memorable, and not so memorable animated shorts. Who could forget…

Bambi vs. Godzilla?

I’ve been a fan of short films ever since. So I was delighted to find I can get the academy award nominated shorts for 2004 - 2007.   I got 2006 first (because that’s the one I noticed first) and watched them last night.   What a delightful evening.   Some were better than others, of course - but I enjoyed all of them but one.

I think my favorite live action short was  “éramos pocos” (spain).   Mom has left her slob of a husband and grown son, who are helpless without her. They liberate Gran from a nursing home to cook and clean for them.  Fun, with a twist.

West Bank Story is a love story and rivalry between Israelis and Palestinians and their fast food joints.  Made by students at USC, it actually was a musical - and won the Oscar.  It was fun.

My favorite animated short was The Danish Poet” (Canada-Norway) - which did win the Academy Award.  Simple line drawings and a sweet story. You can actually see this one on YouTube.

I’m looking forward to the other years’ collections!   Do you like short films?  Have you seen any that were memorable or that you’d recommend? 

OK, so I’ve been seeing these Bluefly commercials for awhile now - you know the ones…. where the woman is looking in her closet for something to wear to the dinner party downstairs and just decides to go nude.   Or the newest one where some gal wearing nothing but shoes and carrying a magazine goes through airport security, while the announcer says,…

 ”Bluefly - Always there when you have nothing to wear.”

These commercial makes no sense to me. If Bluefly is always there, why didn’t she go to bluefly.com and get some clothes???

Anyone else watching the spectacular show China is putting on for the opening ceremonies of the Olympics? 

I have found myself getting emotional on more than one occasion as I watch the artistry, beauty, creativity and awesome precision of the performances.  

15,000 individual performers, the worlds biggest LED screen on the floor, fireworks as only China can do them - and moving, moving art/dance/song.   Probably the most original, inspired and amazing opening ceremonies ever.  What an incredible undertaking.   

Can you just imagine how excited and proud the Chinese people must be about this?  It makes me teary.  

The only sad part is that the athletes didn’t get to see it : (  

Did you have a favorite performance?

I don’t know what the heck happened to trigger this, but for the past day and a half I haven’t been able to get this song out of my head.   Any suggestions???

However, in my head it not quite as performed in the clip - what I’m hearing is some mormon general authority’s middle-aged daughter perfoming this as a solo at general conference years ago (ET Benson, I think).  That she was a GA’s daughter is the only explanation I can think of for why she was given a solo spot. Oh, the warbly swooping up to each note was so very painful…

Perhaps you heard it and shared my pain…

Perhaps you’ve heard me imitate/mock it over the years…

Perhaps you are laughing right now thinking I deserve this.   Well stop it - because when you heard me imitate her you laughed too.

Please offer new song suggestions for my brain - this is cruel and unusual punishment!

I have fond memories of summer kiddie matinees in the late 60s, at the old Villa Theatre in Salt Lake (now Adibs Rug Gallery). 

Just a theatre full of kids and popcorn and movies.  I don’t recall my parents ever being there - could you even imagine that these days? Did you do this as a kid?

I can’t remember most of the movies we saw, but there was one that has always stood out in my mind.   Although I knew it had something to do with Captain Nemo, I couldn’t recall it’s name.  It never showed up as a late night tv movie, and if ever I described the movie and asked anyone if they’d seen it, I’d get blank stares.

Why was it so memorable?  It was an undersea adventure.  I remember vivid scenes of fish and coral - and people wearing beautiful blues and purples in an underwater city of gold.  And a sea monster and submarines. Something about it captivated my imagination as a youth and so over the years I’ve searched google using all sorts of name/word combinations trying to figure out what it was, to no avail.

Well, last night I happened to do a search again - and I FOUND IT! And, would you believe that it was also YESTERDAY that someone posted the entire movie on YouTube???   I couldn’t believe it….   and yes, I actually watched the whole thing - and it made me smile  (though I was not thrilled when Captain Nemo broke off a piece of coral, explaining how they used it for building/decorating the city…. Kristin will understand.) What a trip down memory lane.  I love YouTube.

I give to you, Captain Nemo and the Underwater City (1969) - Part 1

Here is Part 2. You get to see inside the fabulous city in part 3…  theree are 11 parts for the whole film.   Enjoy (or not : ) 

It’s rerun city on network TV…     

Aside from Criminal Minds, I think my favorite tv shows are actually on the cable networks now - and their seasons start in summer.  YEAH!   

I’m really enjoying In Plain Sight” on the USA network and HGTV’s Design Star, both on Sunday nights and the fabulous campiness of Dr. Who on SciFi.   But in July, things get really exciting…

PSYCH is back on the USA Network July 18th with all new episodes. I just love this show - smart, clever and smart-ass funny.  And their new commerical cracks me up every time I see it.

The Closer is back on TNT July 14th with Deputy Chief Brenda Lee Johnson. One of the best shows on TV.

And while not quite as good as Stargate SG1, I need my Sci-Fi fix and am looking forward to the new season of Stargate Atlantis on the SciFi Channel (Friday nights).  It has a nice mix of hunks and geekiness. 

Bravo TV has the best reality shows - Shear Genius starts this week, and my all time favorite Project Runway begins mid July.

 Are you a fan of any of these shows?  Any summer shows you’re eagerly anticipating?

Last night my typically bizarre dreams were accompanied by Kenny Loggins singing “Celebrate Me Home.”  

The song has been playing in my head all day long, but I don’t mind.  It’s one of my all time favorite songs - and one that always makes me smile.  I share it with you now.  Enjoy.  (Just click the little arrow to listen.)

Does that every happen to you?  You wake up with a song in your head and it just keeps playing?   It happens to me all the time - which can sometimes be really annoying, depending on the song.  And with the discovery of this cool little flash player, I am going to start a new feature called “Song in my Head” over there on the left column of my blog…    Check back often for this thrilling peek into my mind!  

What song is in your brain today?

For a couple of years now I’ve been feeling like an outsider because I just haven’t been able to get into Lost, when nearly everyone I know is enthralled.   Or Battlestar Galactica, despite the critial acclaim it receives.    Or Heroes, after the first half of the first season.  Frankly, it has been a bit befuddling.

Well, I think I figured out why I can’t get into “Lost” or “Battlestar Galactica”, etc…   there are 2 reasons - and both play a part in my apathy towards Lost.

1.  Apparently I no longer have the patience for shows that require me to watch each week to keep up with what’s going on.    I want resolution at the end of the hour, so it doesn’t leave me fretting and worrying whether they’ll stop the bomg in time for another week.   I think three thilling seasons of 24 and Alias burned me out.   

2.  When shows have fanatical religious undertones - just COUNT ME OUT.  Lost recently had a “recap” episode where it basically showed you what had happened over the year in a single night and I decided to watch it, to see if I could get pulled into the story.  As soon as that creepy guy (Ben?) and then John Locke got fanatical about the island and killed people because of their “faith” I was totally turned off (despite the eye candy cast).

 In it’s final 2 seasons, one of my favorite shows - Stargate SG1 -  ventured into a an ongoing battle with an opressive, powerful alien race called the “Ori” - who claimed to be gods and sent messengers around preaching religion, promising enlightenment & ascension, and then killing anyone who didn’t agree to follow the path.     “Hallowed are the Ori“.   Oh, Just shoot me now.   Look - they even got CSM (Cigarette Smoking Man) from the X-Files to be one of their creepy priors.  Just as they were about to lose me as a viewer, they thankfully threw in some NON-Ori episodes.   

I’m disturbed enough by the irrational religious fanatics in the real world - I don’t want them to invade my “escape” time as well.

So there you have it.   I guess I’m still an outsider, but at least I know why!

Are there any shows or fads you wish you feel left out of?