The Axis of Ego

SitCombat: 4/21/11

Posted on April 22, 2011 by Tom Garrett

All three shows were new again tonight. Would Archer’s season finale be enough to propel the FX animated show to an improbable fourth consecutive victory? Would The Office take the crown as Steve Carell’s long goodbye continues? Or perhaps 30 Rock’s 100th episode would be enough to put Alec Baldwin and company over the top?

This could be a very close race. This was SitCombat for April 21, 2011:

Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Reviews, Television | Tagged 30 Rock, Alec Baldwin, Archer, Commentary, David Brent, Jane Krakowski, Reviews, SitCombat, Sitcoms, Steve Carell, Television, The Office, Tina Fey, Tom Hanks, TV, Will Ferrell | 2 Comments

PhillieBot to Throw Out First Pitch

Posted on April 20, 2011 by Tom Garrett

I may have mentioned once or twice that we here at the Axis of Ego are celebrating Robot History Month. Well, apparently, so are the Philadelphia Phillies.

A robot (brilliantly dubbed “PhillieBot”) will throw out the first pitch at the Phillies-Brewers game later today. While I would love to tell you this is part of a RHM celebration, this magnanimous gesture of inclusiveness is actually related to something called “Science Day.”

No one is complaining about that tiny detail: As everyone knows, robots will take recognition however they can get it.

We would like to applaud the Phillies for allowing this Robo-American the chance to prove himself on the field, rather than perpetuating negative stereotypes about robots.

I look forward to the day in the near future when Brian Cashman offers the PhillieBot a thirty million dollar contract in the off-season. Then, when the PhillieBot winds up remaining in Philadelphia, Hank Steinbrenner claims the Yankees were merely trying to drive up the PB’s price for the sake of gaining an even bigger competitive payroll advantage.

Posted in Commentary, General Culture and News, Sports | Tagged Baseball, Commentary, Domo Arigato, General Culture and News, MLB, Philadelphia Phillies, Robot History Month, Robots, Sports | 1 Comment

The ‘Bot Who Saved Video Games

Posted on April 18, 2011 by Tom Garrett

Robot History Month is a time to celebrate the unsung heroes woven into the rich tapestry of this proud community. One such hero is the Robotic Operating Buddy. “ROB” for short.

ROB the Robot was born in Japan* in 1985. More than anyone else, he is responsible for the revival of the video game industry after the infamous crash of 1983. This is his story.

ROB, during happier times

It’s the summer of 1982. Video game manufacturers and publishers are at the tail-end of a golden era in home electronics. However, low-quality games begin to flood the market, lowering consumer confidence that video games would continue to be a reliable medium for entertainment. Sales tumble downward, and several formerly-prominent companies are bankrupt by the following year. The most iconic incident during this dark time for console games is the burial of thousands of unsold video game cartridges in a New Mexico landfill by former kingpin Atari.

Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Gaming, General Culture and News | Tagged 1980's, Commentary, Gaming, General Culture and News, NES, Nintendo, ROB the Robot, Robot History Month, Robotic Operating Buddy, Robots, Video Game Crash, Video Games | 2 Comments

SitCombat: 4/14/11

Posted on April 15, 2011 by Tom Garrett

For the first time in a long time, we had three new episodes going head-to-head-to-head on Thursday night. Archer has managed to wear the crown the past two weeks with episodes that probably would have won even going up against debut episodes. But could the animated basic cable show stand up to the might of the NBC powerhouses back from break? With the Office winding down Steve Carell’s tenure with an important run of shows, and 30 Rock

Let’s find out. Here’s how the shows unfolded on April 14, 2011:

Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Reviews, Television | Tagged 30 Rock, Archer, Commentary, FX, NBC, Reviews, SitCombat, Sitcoms, Steve Carell, Television, The Office, TV, Will Ferrell | Leave a comment

“Sports Show” Really [Positive Sports Metaphor]!

Posted on April 14, 2011 by Tom Garrett

The always-funny and thankfully-resilient Norm MacDonald is back on television with a new effort for Comedy Central simply titled “Sports Show.” Unlike SportsDome, The Onion’s Comedy Central show that was a hilarious take on how cable news (read: ESPN) covers sports*, Sports Show is much closer to a version of The Daily Show with sports as the sole focus.

I thoroughly enjoyed the Tuesday night debut of Sports Show. Here’s a sampling of a half-dozen jokes I liked that give you an idea of the show’s sensibilities:

“[New reality TV show] ‘Kloe and Lamar’ is based on the two stars’ lives. I watched the show, and I must say that it is a clever combination of basketball and a bunch of s___.”

“This year, The Ultimate Fighting Championship and World Extreme Cagefighting have merged, and plan to form a new sport . . . called ‘Murder.’”

“President Obama is a phenomenal player of basketball for a President of the United States . . . but I think he’s just mediocre for a black guy.”

“I’m Blake Griffin, and you are?” “Your . . . good friend and teammate, Deandre Jordan?”**

“I don’t know the difference between a ‘hippie’ and a ‘hipster,’ but it’s fun to watch either one of them get beat up.”

“Cameron Diaz is developing a movie that would take place in the world of Major League Baseball, and she wants her boyfriend, Yankees’ slugger Alex Rodriguez to star in it. You can read my review for the film in ‘Norm MacDonald’s suicide note.’” (Opening joke of the series)

Norm MacDonald’s quirky sensibilities are a belt-high fastball in my comedic wheelhouse. Maybe this show isn’t for everybody, or maybe it’s not even for all sports fans. But, for me, this opening salvo was easily potent enough to warrant a “record series” click on my DVR menu.

The show airs once a week: Tuesday nights at 10:30 Eastern. I strongly recommend giving it a look.

____________________

*So, on the television satire spectrum, Sports Show and The Daily Show would be close to one end, while SportsDome would be near the other, and The Colbert Report would be somewhere in-between.

**This was part of a much-funnier-than-it-looked-on-paper bit where Norm “goes undercover” as Blake Griffin (actually the real Blake Griffin with Norm’s voice dubbed over). Great job by Griffin totally getting into the character of a middle-aged, out-of-shape non-basketball player. Surprisingly convincing. My favorite part may have been “Norm” calling out “SKYHOOK!” and missing the backboard entirely, bouncing his hook shot off the back wall. I also liked him frantically exclaiming, “I think I pulled part of my leg that’s . . . underneath the top part . . . ahhhhhh . . . sweet Gordie Howe!”

Posted in Commentary, Reviews, Sports, Television | Tagged Alex Rodriguez, Blake Griffin, Commentary, Khloe and Lamar, Lamar Odom, Norm MacDonald, Reviews, Sports, Sports Show, Television, TV | Leave a comment

Things I Learned by Watching the Comedy Awards

Posted on April 12, 2011 by Tom Garrett

Owner and President of SCTV, Guy Caballero, once came up with a brilliant plan: Stage an awards show on his network that would be a thinly-veiled, self-serving way to promote SCTV itself by handing out the lion’s share of the honors to performers and programs from his own network.

Thus, the People’s Global Golden Choice Awards were born.

Comedy Central (ironically enough) seems to have taken a page from the SCTV playbook by creating the Comedy Awards. Here’s what I learned by watching said show over the weekend:

1. Will Ferrell must be the funniest man alive. He was either nominated for, winning, presenting, or appearing in a video for a nominated work for nearly all of the early categories. I like Will Ferrell, and I’ve enjoyed the vast majority of his work, but the level of admiration and buzz thrown his way lead me to believe this show was actually prerecorded in 2005.

2. The “PC Guy” is evidently a writer for the Daily Show *and* has a ridiculous moustache.

3. Something unfortunate happened to Garry Shandling’s face.

4. The Hammerstein ballroom is used for something other than ECW shows.

5. Everyone who was in the movie “Airplane” died this past year

6. In Comedy Central canon, neither Conan O’Brien nor Jay Leno apparently existed in 2010.

7. On the other hand, Conan (and Ferrell) pal Andy Richter definitely exists and did a wonderful job as the show’s Oscars-style announcer.

8. Line of the night goes to Matt Stone, who, after winning for “Best Animated Show” (beating four shows that don’t air on Comedy Central) astutely observed: “Winning this award from Comedy Central is like being student of the month and your mom is the teacher.”

9. The same guy who does the disjointed, sometimes disorienting editing on the Comedy Central Roasts series must have edited this show. Eddie Murphy’s speech (among others) almost appeared to have been completed on separate days.

10. David Letterman IS still the funniest man alive.* And Bill Murray is still alive, period.**

Self-serving though it may have been, the fact that the show was built around some very talented folks in the comedy business made it more entertaining (and shorter) than any major awards show in recent memory.

_______________________

*Although Stephen Colbert can give him a run for his money. And Louis C. K. is the funniest stand-up comic alive. I loved C. K. basically trashing the show (in a non-mean-spirited way), except adding that him getting his award was a great moment, of course.

**Yes, I know Bill Murray is alive. It’s just that he’s very selective about what he does these days, and is reportedly impossible to contact, so, him showing up for not one, but two minor awards shows in a single twelve-month span is pretty remarkable.

Posted in Commentary, Television | Tagged Bill Murray, Comedy, Comedy Awards, Comedy Central, Commentary, David Letterman, Television, TV, Will Ferrell | Leave a comment

Mr. Roboto: A Narrative Lyrical Analysis

Posted on April 11, 2011 by Tom Garrett

Continuing our celebration of Robot History Month, we now present a narrative lyrical analysis of the Styx classic “Mr. Roboto.” Released in 1983, Roboto was one of the first serious attempts in mainstream music to tackle the issues of the role of the robot in modern society and the tension between humans and robots in our culture. This brave Dennis DeYoung-penned song from “Kilroy Was Here” has served as a ubiquitous anthem for robo-advocates all the way to the present day. Let’s delve into it:
Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Music | Tagged Commentary, Dennis DeYoung, Humor, Lyrical Analysis, Mr. Roboto, Music, Robot History Month, Robots, Styx | 2 Comments

My Favorite Moment from WrestleMania 27

Posted on April 9, 2011 by Tom Garrett

There was a lot to like about WrestleMania 27. Out of all the good matches, “sports entertainment” segments, celebrity appearances, and assorted miscellany, perhaps the best portions of the broadcast were the video packages that immediately preceded the entrances of the respective participants in the main event.

The Miz’ video was excellent in its retrospective nature as it juxtaposed great WWE champions of the past with Miz’ own rise to prominence from humble beginnings with “Hate Me Now” by Nas as the soundtrack. However, there was one specific thing in the Cena video that was my favorite single moment in the broadcast.

Cena’s video was also retrospective, but focused more on his connection to the fans rather than other performers, with “Prayer III” by DMX serving as narration. Toward the end, there was a zoom-out of Cena in the ring that revealed a little boy absolutely transfixed on him. Going from this:

To this:

Great video, great editing, great choice of soundtracks. The usual high-quality production from WWE. Perfect.

Posted in Commentary, Pictures, Sports | Tagged Cenation, Commentary, DMX, John Cena, Nas, Pictures, Pro Wrestling, Sports, Sports Entertainment, The Miz, WrestleMania, WWE | 1 Comment

SitCombat: 4/7/11

Posted on April 8, 2011 by Tom Garrett

Another blissful night with two previously-reviewed episodes awaits me before NBC comes back strong for the home stretch of the 2010-11 season. Tonight, we get the Todd Packer episode on The Office, followed by the Queen of Jordan episode from 30 Rock. That’s going to be some stiff competition for Archer, but the FX adult-themed cartoon has been hot of late.

Let’s dive in, shall we? Here’s how the chips fell on April 7, 2011:
Continue reading →