Greetings, Freejacks!

Apologies ahead of time.  This installment will be shorter than you are used to.  See, I’ve had—

Hey!

Quit cheering.  It’s rude.

Anyway, my plate has been extremely full lately.  Between my hours changing at my job, my parents coming for a surprise visit this weekend, and having to put extra hours in on my web comic “The Draconia Chronicles”, I barely have time to sit and chat with you fine people.

Why are you laughing, now?

So, I wanted to share with you an exquisite little British show that just came out on DVD here in the US that anyone who can declare themselves a true geek should fancy.

I’m talking about “Spaced”.

Anyone who loved Shaun of the Dead or Hot Fuzz should love this show as well.  Four of the lovable Brits who are responsible for the movies above are also responsible for this instant classic of a show – Simon Pegg, Edgar Wright, Nick Frost, and Jessica Hynes (née Stevenson).

The plot is simple – Simon and Jessica play Tim and Daisy (respectively).  Both of them recently became in need of a place to live.  After a chance meeting in a diner, they decide – despite not really knowing each other – to pose as a couple in order to meet the criteria necessary for a cheap flat (that’s what they call apartments in the UK) that has just become available in the classifieds.  The series, which only lasted two seasons, follows their lives as they deal with the crazy and surreal situations that keep popping up episode after episode.

What makes this show a must for the geek crowd is the fact that it’s filled with geek moments and references to a lot of the pop culture you and I squee over endlessly (okay, maybe just me).  In fact, one episode is directly responsible for the creation of Shaun of the Dead.  And at just under $30, it’s one of the more reasonably-priced British imports we’ve seen in some time.

“Spaced” is an awesome series, one that will make you laugh constantly.  At the very least, you’ll be pointing at every other moment in each episode, saying “Holy crap! That’s awesome!”

Or you may suddenly find yourself in a random, slow-motion shootout using your hands as guns.

 The Don doesn’t think dogs can look up either.  Let the aerial attacks begin.

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Greetings, Wonder Hamsters!

I’ve been a big fan of “Weird Al” Yankovic (not Yankovich, thank you)  since his first major chart hit – “Eat It” – started making the rounds when I was eight years old.  I was a trailer park kid, so I wasn’t able to get any of his albums in stores.  Nope.  But, I had plenty of friends who made me copies of his releases on tape.  That’s right - I was playing it illegal waaay before NAPSTER.  I did what I wanted!  I robbed and pillaged!  I pretended real life problems and video game problems were synonymous!  And I ruled the world!!!  MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

*ahem*

Sorry about that.  I guess the spirit of the Al is infecting me a little.

Anyway, to make a long story short (too late), I’ve been a fan since I was eight.  Last night I had my first opportunity to see him live in concert with my wife and a couple of friends.

In a word – WOW.

To say I went to a concert is an understatement that makes calling a HUMVEE a gas-hog an accurate assumption.  When you go see “Weird Al” perform, what you attend is a multimedia experience.

For two and a half hours, we were subjected to his Royal Weirdness on stage performing a lot of his hits (most of them from his latest album, Straight Outta Lynwood).  During that time, this man – who is pushing 50 – exuded an energy and limberness I’ve never seen in a human being before.  Incredible!  There were a lot of costume changes, but this is where the “multimedia experience” comes into play.  During his costume changes (sometimes they came after each song) a three-screen display would show clips from several of his “AL TV” specials, as well as clips from movies, cartoons, and awards shows that he has been featured in.  With all of this bombarding your senses, there was not a dull moment.

And the performances for each song were mind-blasting!  As I said before, he had all this maniacal energy not typical of a 48 year-old man.  He never wavered, never faltered.  Even when wearing layers that would have dropped a lesser performer from heat exhaustion, Mr. Alfred Matthew Yankovic brought the crazy.

My favorite performance was when Al came out to do “The Saga Begins”.  Why?  Ask the Star Wars geek within me, as he was screeching the entire time when a small squad of Stormtroopers came out with Darth Vader leading them to center stage.  Then, the coily-coiffed one and his band came out in Jedi robes to perform the song (with the exception of keyboardist Rubén Valtierra, who was dressed as the Emperor).  At that point my inner geek fainted, and I had to slap him around to get him out of his stupor.  Geek side revived, I was able to enjoy the rest of the song.

The rest of the concert was nothing short of exuberant.  All five of us walked out of there last night hopped-up on all of the raw energy that was flying around that venue.  I’ve been to plenty of concerts in the past few years, but I have never been to anything like that before.  I left The National (in Richmond, Virginia) invigorated, giddy, and it felt good.  It was like a roller coaster – intense, fast, and exhilarating.  And it was over too quickly.

Next time he’s playing nearby, I’m going for another ride.

The Don dares to be stupid, much to his wife’s embarrassment.

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Hey Spwug readers!  (oh wait — what? — it’s not Wednesday?!  Whoa and last week’s post didn’t post after all!!! Dang it!)  *ahem*

You read that right.  Giant. Robot. Schoolgirls. But I bet she wouldn’t stand a chance against a fearsome looking Maid Guy.  He has x-ray vision, levitation and nightmarish mental projection powers.  In a few days though, I’ll be spirited away to fight devil dogs and collect skulls instead, or at least that’s what I’ll hear.  But wait! Never fear!  George Washington (NQSFW) will save us! 

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So Katy and I went to a Jonathan Coulton concert last night, at the House of Blues in Los Angeles. The concert was incredible, but I’ll leave the concert reports for more dedicated bloggers.

What I want to talk about is the opening band.

The comedy music duo known as Paul and Storm were the opening act, and they started with a hilarious song sending up their own status as an opening band called “Opening Band”. And from there, things just kept getting funnier. There were points where we both were laughing so hard we were tearing up.

Their songs run the gamut from parodies to satire to plain old comedy. From a Schoolhouse Rock parody about counting to ten (“Count To Ten”) to their idea of what a theme song for the Lord of the Rings would sound like if it were written by Randy Newman (“Randy Newman’s ‘Theme from The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King’”), their songs all had the audience laughing loud and long. They also sang several fake commercial jingles that they come up with, covering products from kitty litter to Necco wafers.

I have the feeling that a lot of Jonathan Coulton fans (including myself and Katy) became Paul and Storm fans that night as well.

Check them out, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. (Warning: They do swear in their songs sometimes.)

So, dear readers, do you have any favorite comedy musicians (beyond Weird Al, Jonathan Coulton, and Paul and Storm)? Do they have any specific shticks that set them apart?

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I was watching a preview of the upcoming episodes of Avatar: The Last Airbender, and there’s a conversation between Zuko and Sokka that caught my eye ear.

Warning: POSSIBLE SPOILER

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POSSIBLE SPOILER:

Sokka: My first girlfriend turned into the Moon.

Zuko: *thinks for a second, then completely seriously says:* That’s rough, buddy.

This is one of the funnier and more unexpected things I’ve heard recently.

So, have you ever run into a line or lines in a show that made you stop in your tracks, thinking, “Did they just say that?” What was the line? Do you use the line yourself?

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As I mentioned back in Feel the Burning #3: Music to Burn, the formation of JAM (Japanese Animation song Makers) Project in 2000 was an earthshaking moment in anime music.  In the name of “bringing the old, good anime song spirit to the 21st century,” Mizuki Ichiro gathered up some of the most recognized and popular singers in the field to create anime music he could be proud of.

Take a look at the names and discographies involved and it’s easy to see why Japanese otaku quickly became devoted to the project:

- Mizuki Ichiro: Active anisong maker since 1968. Famous for Getter Robo and dozens of other old-school themes.
- Kageyama Hironobu: Active anisong maker since 1985. Famous for the Dragon Ball Z theme, Saint Seiya and a lot of tokusatsu/Power Rangers themes.
- Matsumoto Rica: Active seiyuu and anisong maker since 1988.  Voices Satoshi (Ash) in Pokemon and sings its iconic theme song.
- Okui Masami: Active anisong writer/singer since 1993. Famous for Di Gi Charat, Utena and much, much more.
- Masaaki Endou: Active anisong maker since 1995. Famous for the GaoGaiGar opening and passionate shouting.
- Fukuyama Yoshiki: Active anisong maker since 1994.  Best known as the singing voice of Basara in Macross 7.
- Kitadani Hiroshi: Active anisong maker since 1999. Best known for One Piece opening “We Are!”
- Sakamoto Eizou: Vocalist for cover group Animetal. No longer active in JAM Project.

JAM Project’s music is designed to remind many of its listeners of the songs they listened to when they were young, especially since many of their listeners actually did grow up listening to Mizuki and Kageyama.  They don’t worry about sounding lame or outdated, and don’t feel at all self-conscious when they shout out giant robot attacks in their songs - examples include Masaaki Endou busting out with “DIVIDING DRIVEEEEER” in GaoGaiGar and the whole group shouting “SUPER ROBOT WAAAAARS” during Break Out.

Due to their burning blood and fiery passion, they’ve become the default performers for modern giant robot shows, and they’ve become an integral part of the Super Robot Wars franchise.  A JAM project song is guaranteed to add balls-out energy and full contact awesome to anything, from giant robot fight scenes to fantasy epics and even ero games (it’s a long story and I’ll talk about it next week).

Heck, the Lucky Star opening as sung by JAM Project worth listening to (and a top 10 single in Japan)! And that’s impressive in and of itself.  You should check out their music some time if you’re looking for a good energy boost.

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First, get your mind out of the gutter. I’m not talking about that kind of “big bang”. If you want that, you’ll want some other blog.

I’m talking about the new sitcom on CBS, The Big Bang Theory. While at its heart it’s a basic ensemble show with a running romantic comedy thread running through most of the episodes, it’s unique in that four of the five principle characters are nerds and geeks. (Yes, both.)

The writing for the show is very solid, and even if I wasn’t partial to it because of the majority of the characters, I’d probably still watch it for the keen dialog. While the show has its fair share of the more cliché sitcom moments, for the most part the writing feels fresh and snappy. (I am likely biased since the show makes me laugh a lot, and the general theme of the show resonates with me somewhat.)

It also doesn’t hurt that the opening theme is by Barenaked Ladies. Their musical style really meshes well with how the show feels. Their geeky lyrics and quick, peppy tune really reflects the show in my opinion.

The principle characters include four of the more stereotypical geek and nerd archetypes, which is a nice change from older shows where any and all nerds where effectively Steve Erkel.

Leonard, effectively the main male lead, is the nerd/geek that wants to be more “normal” in many ways (dating, socializing, etc.), but is unsure of himself and inexperienced in dealing with the “normal” world. His roommate, Sheldon, is the “uber” nerd/geek, being insanely intelligent, but seeing the world through a very narrow (in his case, geeky and scientific) point of view.

Their friend Howard is the sex-obsessed one, and goes about trying to get it with all of the awkwardness and ineptitude most of expect a nerd/geek like him. And their other friend, Raj, is the super-shy nerd/geek, who is at heart a reasonably social person, but who also becomes incapable of speech when faced with his kryptonite – women.

And I can’t forget Penny, the “normal” next door neighbor that Leonard is in love with. She’s a good example of the non-nerd/geek friend who likes her nerd/geek friends, but often just has to nod and smile because she doesn’t quite understand them.

The mix of nerd/geek archetypes, the fairly realistic portrayal of geeky past times (which have thus far ranged from World of Warcraft references to Halo 3 being a semi-important plot point to Lord of the Rings costumes) and lifestyle (check out their wardrobe - I caught myself going “hey, my friend wore that once” more than a few times, and the solid writing and acting have me hooked. I truly think this show is great.

If you don’t watch this show, and watch television at all, I would highly recommend The Big Bang Theory. It’s quite good, and I’m looking forward to the DVD (maybe even hi-def) release.

So, does anyone else out there watch the show? If so, what do you think? Do you have any favorite character(s)?

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Misunderstandings. Miscommunications. Missed appointments.

They lead to more strife than any other thing I can personally think of. A misunderstanding can cause friction between allies, hearts to break, and even occasional “border disputes”. 

But in this case, we’re talking about the misunderstandings that cause the funny situations in fiction. The oft-used vehicle for creating (usually) non-violent conflict between characters. 

Misconstrued messages. Hearing only part of a conversation. Confusing someone’s gender. These are all time-honored ways of getting things wrong. And all have been used to great effect in anime, comics, sitcoms and many other forms of entertainment.

A personal favorite of mine is “hearing most, but not all, of what someone has to say, then filling in the blank with something completely wrong”. This is often used for romantic mix-ups, but it can also be used to induce unnecessary fear in the person doing the misunderstanding.

Another often used convention is the “broken telephone” – one person tells another to convey a message, and it ends up being fragmented so much that by the time it gets to the person it’s intended for, it’s completely wrong – yet they believe it’s truth.

 There are so many, it’s hard to list them all. But as cliché as they are, most people enjoy them, and they are here to stay. 

What are some of your favorite comic misunderstandings?

(I apologize for the kind of boring topic, but it’s been on my mind, and I’ve been busy as all get out at work.)

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