Weekend Update with Norm Macdonald . . . Almost.

In what I consider a sweet pickup, SuperDeluxe has added Norm Macdonald to their roster of talent. Norm is doing an animated news show, called The Fake News. Below is the first episode of the show. I think it's okay, but I'm hoping that things will pick up as Norm starts to find his groove. I'll definitely keep watching.

Norm joins the likes of Bob Odenkirk, whose work on SuperDeluxe has been highlighted in this blog before.

Garth Marenghi's Darkplace

I have just discovered a called Garth Marenghi's Darkplace, and it is probably the best 6 episode show I have ever seen. I first saw the show on adultswim.com, and at the time I thought it was an adultswim production. In fact, it originally aired in the UK back in 2004. All of the episodes are available on youtube, and adultswim is continuing to air them.
Matthew Holness (second from right in the photo) plays Garth Marenghi, a horror writer. Garth wrote, directed and starred as Dr. Rick Dagless in Garth Marenghi's Darkplace, which was supposed to have originally aired in the 1980's. Now the show has been resurrected by the network, and spruced up with commentary from Marenghi, and two other members of the cast. Marenghi is a very David Brent-esque type of character - so you'll probably like this show more if you think that's funny. The show features a lot of intentionally bad acting and editing, which are all pretty enjoyable. A few of my favorite features of this show are:

• that all the characters seem to carry guns, even though they are doctors working in a hospital
• the male characters thoroughly berate the lone female character, frequently driving her to tears
  
• Dr. Dagless inexplicably drives a Knight Rider style golf cart around the hospital grounds
  

After just moments of watching the show, I thought that there was something familiar about Marenghi/Dr. Dagless. It turns out that he played the computer geek in an episode of BBC's The Office, which he was quite good in. I have included the show intro to Darkplace (which I think are pretty funny on their own), and a clip from The Office.

The Show Intro:


A clip of Darkplace star, Matthew Holness, as the "computer geek" from BBC's The Office:

Comics For The Mathematically-Minded

Below are a selection of web comics I enjoy, specifically focusing on math related entries. You've got to be smart and funny to keep us coming back. (Click on each for the full size version)

The Perry Bible Fellowship (previously honored in this blog)


xkcd - A webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language.


Dinosaur Comics

Public Domain Image Of The Day

Dugong. Pretty much says it all.

[Old Book Illustrations]

What Could Go Wrong?

Read it.

[HT:The Onion]

Welcome to Parodyland

So, I have been watching some trusty Mr. Show episodes recently, and last night I watched one of my all time favorites: the Mr. Show Lost Episode. In this episode, they perform what is probably one of my all time favorite tv show parodies, with the "Altered State of Druggachusettes" sketch. Here it is for your enjoyment (btw, if some readers out there still don't have audio, then I apologize for all these video posts - we'll work on that):



Now, this was a parody of Sid and Marty Crofft's HR Pufnstuf. Now, I have acquired all the HR Pufnstuf episodes, and in my personal opinion, it sucks. That show is basically only good for parody and nostalgia. Anyway, here is a clip of the show intro, so you can get a feel for what it was like:



Now I wonder, noble readers, what are your favorite tv show parodies? If you can find video clips of them, please post them in the comments.

Medical Miracle: Man Lives Thanks To Heart Stolen From Dead Man

Medical Miracle: Man Lives Thanks To Heart Stolen From Dead Man

Start your day with our morning show, Today Now! Join hosts Jim and Tracy as they welcome Dave Portman, a real-life Frankenstein's monster. (From The Onion)
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Excuse the dearth of posts recently, it has been a busy time - I'll try to get back on the wagon soon.

Do You Understand This Blog?

[HT: Look At This...]

Confirmed: I Missed Jury Duty

A while back I noted that I may have missed jury duty, but thought that I was in the clear.

I was wrong.

Today I received a letter from the city/county informing me that I had ten days to contact them with my reason for missing. Amazingly, I managed to not procrastinate on this at all, and called them up today. Honesty being the best policy, I informed them that I forgot to check on my day. The clerk didn't seem to care. Now I have to go in on November 13th to make it up. It should be fun - and I know I'll be there because I can't afford to miss it (money-wise or jail-wise).