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Posts tagged Television
Les Lye Dies at 84
0914 days
On July, 21st 2009 someone very near and dear to my heart died. Les Lye, a great comedic actor from Canada died at the age of 84.
He started out doing radio shows back in the early 50′s on Canadian radio. Later he would join Bill Luxton in the in the mid 60′s as the kids comedy team of “Uncle Willy and Floyd” which ran for some 20+ years. Until he was tapped to do a children’s show on Nickelodeon. That show would go on to run 143 episodes and span 3 decades. All of which Lye was a part of, and played nearly every adult character.
Go ask your mother...
I can remember watching that show as a little kid and just laughing and having the best time. My parents even used to watch it with my sister and I when it was on. My mother to this day still will tell my sister and I, “Don’t encourage your father.” Memories of that show will out last most any television or movie quotes I have filed away in my brain.
Recently I was able to find on the internet a collection of the entire series of You Can’t Do That On Television, on DVD. The rights to the show have been fought over for years and years, some say Lye has the rights others say Nickelodeon does, maybe even some Canadian television station has them. It doesn’t matter, the set that I have could be called bootleg I guess. They are copies of the shows that were obviously recorded on a VCR then transferred to DVD. The quality is pretty poor, but again it doesn’t matter. I can still watch them, hear them, and in some cases recite the lines word for word. Now that Les is dead they may finally decide on who really owns the show and maybe even make a “real” DVD set. If that is true, then I will be first in line to pick it up.
Most remembered TV face of the 80's
You Can’t Do That on Television spawned several things that were influential on nickelodeon and in some cases television in general. For one, the green slime that is used on other shows came from YCDTOTV. Just the simple phrase “I don’t know” was enough to bring down a bucket of the green gooey stuff on your head. You could also just as easily get doused with a bucket of water but uttering “water” on set. It was simple and childish, but hell, it WAS a kids show. I think I even remember the Family Guy using that bit at some point. YCDTOTV also was a jumping off point for a lot of child actors. They would get their start on the show do a couple seasons then move on to bigger and better things. Just look at the IMDB listing for that show. Granted the names aren’t very familiar but those kids have all pretty much been busy playing roles here and there on TV ever since. The most glaring example of that was Alanis Morrisett. Personally I always liked the episodes/seasons with Moose, Lisa, Alasdair and Kevin Kubusheskie. They will always be the best group of kids on that show.
Les Lye 1924-2009
Anyway, it’s just a shame that Les Lye dies and no one (including myself admittedly) knows about it, at least here in the states. Also, in 2003, Lye and Luxton were honored with lifetime achievement awards from the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists, for their work onWilly & Floyd. Lye continued to work as an active member of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and was writing a book of his memoirs at the time of his death.
I saw a post somewhere about this that made me laugh, it said something to the effect of: I can no longer make a snarky comment about a cheese burger with out thinking that some how, some where, Les heard that.
Eastbound and Down
01038 days
by WiFi Pirate
in Reviews
About 2 months ago i was sitting at work when my cell phone suddenly showed i had a voice mail. This was odd of course simply because my cell never rang, so i knew i didn’t miss a call. When i called to retrieve the message, i was greeted with a strange voice calling me names, and telling me i owed him money for beer. Strange again, because i didn’t know who it was and had no idea of a time when someone had paid for beer for me. Then he said his name, Kenny Powers, and said he would be in my town soon, and all the tumblers fell into place. HBO had a new comedy coming on soon and this was a joke a friend was playing on me, and i had fallen for it hook line and sinker. Viral marketing sometimes works really well.
Kenny is Bad Fuckin Ass
After getting the message i went online to check out who Kenny Powers was and why i would care. Turns out it’s a show based on the fictional life of Kenny Powers Former Major League Superstar. Kenny Powers is played by Danny McBride (from Pineapple Express, Tropic Thunder, and Foot Fist Way) he is also a local boy from Fredericksburg Va. Anyway, the show is written by Danny and Ben Best (who plays Clegg on the show) and produced by Will Ferrell (who plays Ashley Schaffer) and Adam McKay. With all these people attached to this show, its no wonder that it is as funny as it is.
Kenny Powers, as i said, is a “Former” Major League Superstar. He got a big break closing out a world series finale with a strike out and his now world famous catch phrase, “You’re Fucking Out!” After that day, things went south for good ol’ Kenny. He was traded all over the place, lost the speed on his pitch, and eventually, lost his contract to play in the majors. So he decides since he is broke and has no career in baseball (at the moment) he will go home and live with his brother, and “train to get back in shape.” He takes on a job for “walk around money” working as a Phys Ed substitute teacher at the local middle school. Where he meets his high school “sweet heart” April, who happens to be engaged to the principle. The rest of the season is all about Kenny trying his best to get back into shape one way or another and to win back April from her fiance.
Kenny's SanFran Baseball Card
When i watched the first couple episodes i was thinking, why didn’t they make this into a movie. I would have paid to see this, it’s funny enough for sure. Then the more i watched it the more i realized that they wouldn’t have been able to tell the whole story of Kenny in an hour and half long movie. The first season spans six episodes, all thirty minuets each. Most are damn funny, but there are one or two that really make you feel bad for the guy. Like Brian said “You end up feeling sorry for the guy, even if he is a huge douche bag to everyone.” That’s is just good writing and story telling. The final episode of the season ends on a real downer, but only makes me want to watch more to see what happens next.
That's MY game! Wooooo!
This is a show that i hope has a long run on HBO. I am pretty sure that enough people have watched it, and the ratings are going to be good enough to continue it a couple more seasons. Also i just have to say that Will Ferrel’s character “Ashley Schaffer” is probably the best character Will has done since Ricky Bobby. The way he plays Ashley as a kind of “what if Ric Flair owned a BMW dealership” is simply amazing. And you can’t tell me that isn’t EXACTLY what he was going for when he set out to create this character. He has shoulder length platinum blonde hair he constantly repeats himself, and he yells “WOOOO” all the time. If that isn’t Ric Flair in a nut shell i don’t know what is.
Like i said the season is over for now, which is very sad, but i really hope it will return soon. If you have HBO set your DVR to record re-runs of it, and watch for the next season. If you don’t have HBO i am sure there are *ahem* other ways of getting the shows. Either way it is well worth watching. More than a few times i laughed out loud, and it’s pretty rare that television makes me do that, besides 30Rock.
Wipeout!
31095 days
Let’s face facts, there is a lot on television that is just plain out and out utter crap! Reality TV has taken over most time slots and in some cases entire freaking channels. Television shows, that intrigue you, make you think or just flat out make you laugh, are few and far between. Well there is one show out there that has absolutely captured my attention and I can’t miss an episode. That show is Wipeout.
Wipeout started this past June on ABC, and is hosted by John Henson (from the old Talk Soup) and John Anderson (from ESPN’s Sportscenter) Jill Wagner rounds out the hosting cast as the attractive on site interviewer. Every week 24 contestants (both men and women) run through a myriad of obstacle courses (more on that later) as they are slowly eliminated until the final four run the final course for a chance at $50,000! It;s in the same vein as Most Extreme Elimination Challenge, but without the hilarious overdubbing. Still, the “Johns” are great as hosts and John Henson drawing over the screen usually generates it’s own laughs.
The first course “The Qualifier” usually consists of some sort of balancing obstacle followed by the “Sucker Punch”, which is a wall of boxing gloves all trying to knock you off balance. Then comes the best part of the entire show really, the “Big Balls”. Four gi-normus red balls perched above water face each contestant down every week, and every week someone “wipeout” is worthy of many many replays. After that is comes some sort of pole-vault/rope swing to the finish.
Round two is “The Sweeper”. Twelve contestants standing on pedistals high above water have to dodge, dip, duck, dive, and dodge a rotating bar that aims to put everyone in the water. The top six move on and the last man/woman standing gets an “easy” $1,000.
Round three is usually either the “Dread-Mill” which is a tread mill with some sort of distraction or obstacle of its own. Or sometimes it is the “Dizzy Dummy” which spins contestants around, then forces them to run a small course to the finish. The top four move on to the final test.
Round four is “The Wipeout Zone”, and it is both nasty and wonderful. Take a ride down a HUGE water slide into (usually frigid) water. Then the “Barrel Roll” where they need to make it up a ramp with 50gal barrels are rolling down to knock them off. Next up is the “Water Wall” where you are forced to scale a very thin ledge under a water fall to get to the next obstacle. “The Spinner”! Which is usually the second best at giving a great replay. It’s a giant spinning platform with padded columns sticking up all around it. Usually the contestants hit one and go flying into the water, or in some cases will completely snap one off and fall into the water. Finally the “Launch Pads” are all that are left between defeat and 50K. Jump a series of trampoline pads of different heights, land on the last platform, and if your time is fast enough claim your prize.
My wife and I love the show. So much so that over the summer we planned dinner and friends coming over around the event. Currently the show is in reruns, after they just had their big Super Bowl episode of Cheerleaders Vs. Couch Potatoes. The show apparently is so popular that it has sparked something like 20 different countries to start their own versions of the show. How often is it that American television is the trend setter? Check your local listings for the show, give it a try, try not to laugh. I dare you.
Televison, Where have you gone?
01099 days
BBC, Oh how I love all the comedy you have brought me.
I can remember watching, Keeping up Appearances, and Are you being served on PBS just before SNL would come on in the 80′s. It was really my second introduction to what BBC had to offer. The first being the fact that I was already a big Monty Python fan and had seen most of the Flying Circus shows before I really knew what I was getting into.
I don’t think that I can pinpoint exactly why I love BBC comedies so much. The actors are fine, most of which I have never heard of until stumbling across their show. The settings for them are usually just one area, much like American sitcoms. I guess if I HAD to nail it down it would be the writing. Simply amazing! The set up for some jokes take an entire show to come across but in the end they are totally worth it. Timing is so key to most of the punch lines that it makes me disgusted to think how horrible most American TV has gotten.
My recent discovery, thanks to a friend of mine, was Black Books. A comedy set in a book shop in central London. It stars a comedian by the name of Dylan Moran who you will more than likely remember from Shaun of the Dead. He is the owner of the shop, and is completely drunk and mad. He has an assistant, Manny, and a best friend, Fran. The series follows them on a “day in the life” sort of way, and I am completely hooked on this show.
Other favorites of mine are The Young Ones, Bottom (by the same guys that did The Young Ones), Are You Being Served, Little Britain, and League of Gentlemen. All of which are equal parts utter insanity, and hilariousness.
I just wish that American television would do the same type of things that the BBC does. No I don’t mean “The Office” or NBC’s other (failed) attempt to remake a BBC comedy “Coupling”. I want an original idea from the big networks (or the smaller ones). The closest that anything has come is either 30 Rock, or Family Guy. 30 Rock is hilarious, because it takes a normal setting and makes it wildly outrageous and over the top, but never takes itself too seriously. Family Guy is just great writing, and is completely insane as far as story plots go.
Much like Hollywood movies nowadays, everything is a remake. There are very very few original ideas out there. Think about the past couple years movie releases. There are at least double the amount of remakes or re-hashes of old movies and TV shows made into movies, than original thought out films. Coming soon to a theater near you G.I. Joe the movie, with previews for the yet to be fully fleshed out A-Team Movie (minus Mr. Effin T). MTV reported the other day that they are working on remaking Karate Kid. KARATE KID!!! Are you kidding me?? That movie was great (and still is) there is no reason what so ever to remake that movie than the shear fact that Hollywood directors/writers/producers are out of original ideas.
Anyway, I guess I got off on a little tangent there, sorry. I just want TV to be as good as I remember it being back in the 80′s. When people weren’t caught up in who they would offend, or trying to be PC. Political Correctness has absolutely KILLED America’s sense of humor. That, I guess, is the point I am trying to get at. It makes me sad to think that there may never be a show as fun and care free as Gimme A Break ever again…
Super Bowl with a dash of Porn.
21099 days
So apparently if you lived in the Tuscon, Arizona area, and were watching the Super Bowl on your Comcast enabled television last night, you got a tiny bit more than you bargained for.
Arizona Cardinals fans were treated to a “Tyler Durden” style slip immediately following the Larry Fitzgerald TD near the end of the game. It seems that for what ever reason Comcasts signal decided to slip 30 seconds of their channel “Club Jenna” into the Super Bowl feed. Millions of people were probably horrified (or pleased depending) to a shot of some dude (Evan Stone) pullin out his junk on national TV. Probably not the celebration dance that everyone was expecting to see after that awesome play. Apparently only the standard definition feed was interrupted, not the High Definition, sorry for all you HD porn aficionados.
“When the NBC feed of the Super Bowl was transmitted from KVOA to local cable providers and through over-the-air antennas, there was no pornographic material,” KVOA president and general manager Gary Nielsen said in a statement. “KVOA will continue to investigate what happened to our clean signal and make sure our viewers get answers.”
Comcast engineers have been working through the night to track down how this could have happened, but haven’t come up with anything yet. Needless to say if someone is blamed for the little slip, they probably will be fired faster than I can come up with a clever euphemism for the incident. Also i bet This Guys Twitter account is going to blow up at some point.
I posted the link to a site that is already set up around the incident. I think this goes with out saying if you read what I just typed but I will say it again, this is very very NSFW! *Either this link is still overwhelmed, or the site was killed*
*apparently that site is getting hit with a tidal wave of hits (go figure) so I will also post the Gizmondo link with the video embedded*
