Stuff We've Got To Talk About

Ok, I've got 45 minutes before I have to get in the shower and head off to meet a friend, so let's get to it!  So much going on...so here it is, in absolutely no particular order.

Oh, the Chevy Chase/Dan Harmon thing makes me SO SAD.  Without knowing any more than what anybody else on the internet knows, my take on it is that these dudes are both just too cranky and too narcissistic to ever get along.  However, in the over-all scheme of things I've got to side with Harmon.  Chevy has been vocal about his disdain for sitcoms since the beginning, and doesn't seem to be able to understand how transcendent Community really is.  Here is a guy who has been, since the real beginnings of his career on SNL, a superstar, and has the ego to match.  I'm betting his agent or manager or someone convinced him to do Community in order to get his face out there to a younger audience and that Chevy didn't bet on the show becoming the phenomenon it has.  Additionally, I think the Pierce character hits a little too close to home for him sometimes.  I don't mean the daddy issue stuff (although, who really knows), but the old man/out of touch/hopelessly un-hip stuff ("Encarta it" ahahahahaha).  I bet before this show Chevy still thought of himself as being a classic bad-ass, but the writing has forced him to look his own old-man-ness in the face.  Anyway, that's just my take on it, who effing knows.  I think it was bad form for Chevy to walk off the set, and it was bad form for Harmon to chant, "Fuck you, Chevy" at the wrap party (although I do think that's pretty funny), but it was really bad form for Chevy to leave such a horrible message for the guy that is his BOSS.  And sorry, but calling D. Harms a bad writer doesn't hold water because everyone in the world knows that the opposite is true and that he's actually The Best writer (and I'm sure that Dan could care less about Chevy telling him to suck his cock).  Threatening to leave the show over this is a selfish, petty, childish, TOTAL DICK MOVE.  Honestly, I wouldn't care THAT much if he left - the incredible cast could pick up his slack - but the threat to do so just pisses me off.  Chevy needs to get over himself, stop thinking he's above doing television, and maybe if he were a little more respectful than stuff like this wouldn't happen.  Hmph.

Alcatraz!

I feel like Alcatraz should always be pronounced the way that Gob Bluth pronounces Michael's name when he thinks he's escaping to Portugal down ol' South America way: "Michael!"

"Are you trying to grow an afro?"

Mr. Sunshine was really en pointe last night. Great enough that I haven't eaten lunch and I need to shower and go to work but I just had to write this post.

Everyone was given a chance to shine in this episode. The A storyline was great, with Ben realizing that he needs to learn his employees' names in order to make them not hate him and do their jobs. I like that there wasn't any threat of firing anyone (except for the overachieving mascot, who has "come up with ways of hydrating that would disgust you") but that Ben realized that learning their names would actually be beneficial to everyone. And once he does (by giving their initials randomly cruel mnemonic devices, AKA Fred Patterson becomes Fat Pumpkin) he finds that he actually enjoys connecting with people. That happy feeling doesn't last long, however, since Roman gets distracted and, in my favorite moment of the night, turns up the giant fan to belt out Cher's "Believe" into and accidentally blows the name cards out over the arena where the workers find them. Anger and hilarity ensues. There were some great chances for Jorge Garcia to shine (I'm assuming he's doing guest spots here while waiting for Alcatraz to start filming full-time) including the tag. The show does an excellent job of humanizing the narcissistic, misanthropic Ben, and while I know he's not going to become a total softy he's already more of a person and less of a caricature.

Meanwhile in the B story line, they finally gave Andrea Anders something to do and she knocks it out of the park while looking really effing hot (and skinny blonde is so not my type). Crystal has a new boyfriend named Darius Washington whom she assumes Alonzo will know because they're both "brothers". It's much more funny to watch it all unfold and to see the tension ratchet up, so I'll let you watch it yourself, but suffice to say there is some hard-hitting comedy going on here.

Mr. Sunshine is a classic sitcom, but not in the tired CBS style. It doesn't go as far as Community in terms of mixing things up, but it lets the characters play off each other with fabulous results. Even if the storylines may be somewhat tired, Mr. Sunshine finds a way to showcase them from a fresh perspective. I am keeping my fingers crossed extra-hard in the hope that it gets picked up for a second season.

Notes & Quotes:

"You're not black."

"Well, I could've been! My mom was very progressive in her 20s."

Seriously, even if you don't watch anything else, you should watch Roman autotuning himself with the giant fan.

"Because of your ridiculous flash card scheme it's hot again and I look like Art Garfunkel."

"This is San Diego - they made the library out of conches!"

"Benjamin, you're a preening, self-centered narcissist and your socks are too design-y. What's with all the stripes? You're not Beetlejuice, you're a human man!"

The evolution of Crystal's hair is both hilarious and highly believable (unlike Monica in Barbados, which is hilarious and highly unbelievable (it doesn't get humid in NYC?) but ends in the pay-off of her "sexy" braids, which I love. /endparantheticalFriendsreference)

"Oh, good. I don't have kids or a wife. I'm gonna get drunk and race go-carts."

And with that, I'm gonna go get drunk and race go-carts. Oops...I mean go play cards with 5th graders.

"It rubbed off...from friction."

Ok, I just watched an insane amount of TV in like, two days. As a result, I have a lot I want to say but the organization of my brain isn't working too well, so I'm just going to start wherever it wants and will probably end up with a super long and slightly discombobulated post. Stick with me, kids.

Mr. Sunshine

How often is it that a pilot episode surprises you by being miles better than you thought it was when you already thought it was going to be awesome? Not very. Mr. Sunshine brought it SO UTTERLY AND COMPLETELY to the table that I cannot wait for the next episode. Allison Janney is a comedy goddess and a dream come true; she should honestly share top billing on the show. Matthew Perry is a master of acerbic wit and Mr. Sunshine was tailor-made to cater to his strengths - even the theme song reminds me of him. And somebody must have known that I'd be watching to include the brilliant and fabulous Jorge Garcia cameo, even if he is only around for one episode. I would highly recommend this show to anyone who has ever enjoyed Friends, Studio 60, Allison Janney in 10 Things I Hate About You, or has ever been to San Diego. You can find plenty of links here at my new favorite TV streaming site, Project Free TV.

Archer

I was planning on writing a long Archer post the morning my computer died, but it probably boils down to "Archer is hilarious. If you like Arrested Development or South Park or Adult Swim, you will love Archer." So watch it - it's a much better way to get your Jessica Walter fix than that painful guest role she had on The Big Bang Theory this week, and sometimes Jeffrey Tambor shows up as well! You can even watch them out of order, it doesn't really matter, although starting from the beginning will give you a better idea of why they treat Pam like crap or why Cyril is such a douche. Oh, and H. Jon Benjamin gives me a susan. If you're as enchanted by his mellifluous voice as I am and want to see what he looks like in person, you can watch the episode of Parks And Recreation where Leslie fills in the pit and Andy ends up in the hospital; Benjamin is the city lawyer.

J'adore Jorge Garcia

I will watch this man do anything. I would watch him on Dancing With The Stars; I would watch him on that dutch oven show they talk about on The Soup. I would even watch him on Grey's Anatomy (sacrilege!). I will most fucking definitely watch him on one of my favorite shows that's been recently floundering. I don't take back any of my previous criticism, but OMG this will almost definitely save How I Met Your Mother Season 6 for me:

Good job, producers. You might just be able turn this whole thing around. And Jorge Garcia, you light up my life.

Image via Inquistr.com

The Inevitable Disappointment

I've realized that what's even worse than Bryan Cranston beating Jon Hamm for the third year in a row is that Emmy voters simply have no taste. In fact, the only major awards I think they got right were the Emmys given to Jane Lynch and Mad Men.

It always sucks when there's a category (Best Supporting Actor in a Drama, por ejemplo) where 5 of the nominees are so good I can't decide which one deserves it and the remaining one is lame...and wins it. Michael Emerson, Terry O'Quinn, John Slattery, Martin Short...you were robbed. Not to mention that Christina Hendricks and Elizabeth Moss lost to a woman who quite clearly stated, "This is great for my career" in her speech. No shit, dude. Now go do something worthwhile.

Fuck The Good Wife. I hate the title, I hate the subject, and I hate that it captivates all of the elderly and unimaginative Emmy voters. And while we're at it, fuck The Closer even harder. How cunty was it when Kyra Sedgwick made Tina Fey hold her Emmy while she gave her speech? I have always hated Kyra Sedgwick, but that just cemented it. God, what an awful thing to do. Tina, I love you. I'll give you an Emmy.

I'm glad that NPH won for the Tonys because clearly no one is ever going to give him or Steve Carell any of the love they so truly deserve.

And we're just going to forget everything that Jimmy Fallon said - let's just remember what he sang. Dude has seriously surprised me at actually being really good on Late Night, but the writing on the show last night was so bad there was no way he was gonna pull it off. Thank god for John Hodgeman.

The opening, however, was brilliant. They should all get Emmys just for that, including Tim Gunn and Randy Jackson (I'm not an Idol fan by any means, but it was awesome to see him actually up there totally shredding on the guitar), but we can leave out Kate Gosselin and that unrecognizable brunette who jumped in at the last minute. And can someone please make me a gif of John Hamm shimmying and then backing it up? And one of Jorge singing? I need that hotness multiple times a day, man.

In other news, once Jorge Garcia and John Hamm and Joel McHale form a band, my life will be complete. Seriously, guys...I would pay a lot of money to see that. Maybe all my money. Ever. So...get on it.