Did you guys and gals catch Jesse Eisenberg’s monologue from Saturday Night Live? Well here it is! The Social Network star is interrupted by SNL’s Andy Samberg playing Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg. Meanwhile, the real Mark Zuckerberg is backstage and eventually makes his way on stage to join the two men that portray him. It’s cute and geeky. Check it out!
Category: TV
Coffee Talk #294: Celebs You Should Hate, But Actually Like
Confession: I like Ashton Kutcher. On paper, I should loathe him. Punk’d is retarded. A lot of his movies suck. And there was that stretch in the early 2000’s when he annoyingly went to every videogame party in Los Angeles…
Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, Timmy Bradley’s disappointing victory, Ozzy Osbourne’s sudden illness, or last-minute international jobs, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
Confession: I like Ashton Kutcher. On paper, I should loathe him. Punk’d is retarded. A lot of his movies suck. And there was that stretch in the early 2000’s when he annoyingly went to every videogame party in Los Angeles. (To be fair, it wasn’t just him. Every party had at least on person from That ’70s Show and American Pie.)
The truth is…I find him funny and charming in some of his movies. I’ve enjoyed listening to him talk about his politics (fiscally conservative, socially liberal). I like that he’s perceived as this idiot pretty boy, but is much smarter than he looks. I love that he was one of the first celebrities to use Twitter in a hardcore way. Although his restaurants — Dolce and Geisha House — draw a hipster crowd, they’re actually very good. The Demi Moore thing is pretty cool too.
Ah, I feel better now that I’ve come clean about all of that. Do you have any celebrities you like but, on paper, should hate? Whether they’re from movies, music, or TV, please share your celebrity confessions today!
Al Franken Fears Comcast/NBC Merger Will Stifle Netflix
The approved merger of Comcast and NBC Universal has all sorts of implications for the entertainment business. For those of you that use Netflix on your consoles, this could mean bye bye to all NBC Universal content. Senator Al Franken believes that’s the case. Check out this bit from Ars Technica:
When it comes to the Comcast merger, Franken was even more vocal. “As you probably know, I hate this merger,” he told the group. Not only will it raise prices on TV subscriptions, it will give the combined entity incredible power to stifle competition from online sources like Netflix.
“I’m hearing that Comcast is already preparing to pull NBC Universal’s programming from Netflix when it’s next up for review,” Franken said. The cable industry is worried about the threat from cheaper options like Netflix; “they aren’t stupid and they want to shut it down.”
Allowing mega-powers to merge is rarely a good thing for consumers. This looks like another case of lobbying money trumping what’s good for the consumer. In the immortal words of Han Solo, I have a bad feeling about this.
What do you think of the Comcast/NBC merger? Do you think it will impact your entertainment experiences? Is it Comcastic?
What I Learned From American Idol Season 10 NJ Auditions
American Idol is back with new judges Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler (Aerosmith)! Gone are the awesome Simon Cowell, the useless Kara DioGuardi, and the ineffective Ellen DeGeneres. Adding continuity and stability are everyone’s favorite dog, Randy Jackson, and Ryan Seacrest, the hardest working man in Hollywood. So what did I learn from the season premiere of AI? Check it out.
– Jennifer Lopez wasn’t what I was expecting or hoping for. She’s supposed to be this raging-bitch diva…but she was the sweet one — almost Paula-like. Hopefully this will change. I need her to have a bad day so that she can take it out on the contestants and her fellow judges. That would be immensely entertaining. Sweet J.Lo is not doing it for me at all — far too normal and polite (so far).
– Steve Tyler wasn’t what I was expecting or hoping for either. I wanted him to be “the Paula” in terms of acting drugged out and making spacey comments. Instead, he came off as a stable dude that was reasonable and having fun on the show. What the hell?!?
– Randy is…Randy. Ryan is the object of lust for millions of American housewives and cougars. I wonder if that fact disturbs him….
– As for the contestants, Robbie Rosen shall henceforth be known as Crippy Boy. This kid’s sob story is that he was in a wheelchair at age five, but he appears to be fine now. After having homeless contestants and a blind guy, Crippy Boy’s sob story comes off as week. I hope America is tough on him.
– Ashley Sullivan believes that she can bring the Liza Minelli sound back to the mainstream. She deserves support just for thinking that’s a reasonable goal. I have to admit that living in a world driven by show tunes would be pretty amusing.
– There are 15-year olds now. The one that passed seems like an annoying 15-year old. Big surprise.
– The gag auditions included an 18-year old boyscout, a woman from the Ivory Coast with a thick accent that nearly overshadowed her horrid voice, and a Japanese dude that horribly sang a horrible Miley Cyrus song while busting out Michael Jackson dance moves. Personally, I would have given the Japanese cat a pass for ironically singing a song he didn’t like and performing a passable version of MJ’s signature steps.
– There were a few cute 16-year old contestants that made me feel dirty. Brielle Von Hugel was probably my favorite. She trotted out her father that battled throat cancer for her sob story. More importantly, she sounded like every girl I’ve ever met from Staten Island.
– Overall, the show was missing Simon’s snap, but the new judges did okay. I was also disappointed that the New Jersey auditions didn’t have more people the resembled Snooki or The Situation…though I suppose that’s more of a South Jersey thing.
Coffee Talk #287: Cutting the Cable Cord with Consoles
“Cutting the cord” was a popular phrase among tech nerds in 2010. The practice of cancelling cable or satellite service and relying on streaming television will become even more popular in 2011. There are several reasons for this…
Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, who should replace Regis Philbin, HP’s upcoming WebOS press event, or if Lance Armstrong is a cheater (or not), Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
“Cutting the cord” was a popular phrase among tech nerds in 2010. The practice of cancelling cable or satellite service and relying on streaming television will become even more popular in 2011. There are several reasons for this. A lot of people are still struggling financially and it’s cheaper to go with streaming. It’s fashionable among hipster douchebags to rely on modern services. And most importantly, streaming movies and TV shows has gotten really, really good.
A person can subscribe to Hulu Plus and Netflix, as well as rent movies on Vudu, for less than the cost of cable service with a premium channel. The offerings have gotten so good that many consumers are able to watch their favorite TV shows and new movies for a fantastic price. I’m super tempted to cut the cord, but that would leave me without live HBO boxing, live WWE Monday Night Raw, and original HBO shows (Entourage, Curb) when they premiere. Streaming services have gotten pretty excellent…but they’re not quite there yet for me. (To be completely honest, I might have to cut the cord whether I want to or not. Ha!)
How about you? Are any of you considering cutting the cord in 2011? Does the combination of Hulu Plus, Netflix, and Vudu provide you with enough entertainment? Why do cable companies suck so hard? Leave a comment and let me know (please)!
Mortal Kombat Getting 10 Web Episodes
Remember that really dark and really awesome Mortal Kombat movie trailer starring Jeri Ryan and Michael Jai White? The bad news is that it won’t be getting the full movie treatment. The good news is that it’ll be getting 10 online episodes. Here’s the scoop from Bloody Disgusting:
Director Kevin Tancharoen — who directed the awesome online short — will return behind the camera for a 10-episode web series dedicated to the popular video game. Penned by Tancharoen, Todd Helbing, and Aaron Helbing, star Michael Jai White leads the cast as “Major Jackson ‘Jax’ Briggs. Shooting will take place in Vancouver this coming February. Contested expected to be cast are: Shang Tsung, Liu Kang, Sub Zero, Durak, Kabal, Kitana/Mileena and of course Scorpion. No release date is planned, and there’s no word on that R-rated remake. The only plot details we could conjure up is that a few Earthlings will fight to save the planet from Shao Kahn and Shang Tsung, two Gods ruling over parallel universes, or something to that effect.
As I mentioned in June 2010, I have some issues with a few of the changes made to the characters. However, I love the overall tone of this Mortal Kombat. It’s dark and gritty…and doesn’t have Christopher Lambert’s stupid accent.
You guys and dolls looking forward to this one? Or would you have preferred a movie over an online show?
Today’s Poll: Ricky Gervais’ Golden Globes Performance
Actor/comedian Ricky Gervais has been getting skewered by the mainstream press over the way he hosted last night’s Golden Globe Awards. Several mainstream outlets said that his humor was uncomfortable, awkward, and disrespectful. A small number outlets that could be considered “hipster” sites and magazines loved the way Gervais poked fun at a self-important industry that often takes itself too seriously. Naturally, Gervais won hipster points for thanking God for making him an atheist.
Check out these clips, vote in the poll, and share your thoughts on Gervais’ jokes. As for me, I loved it! I’m a big fan of Gervais’ comedy and writing. I loved that he crossed lines and made jokes that made you squirm as well as laugh.
[poll id=”96″]
WrestleMania XXVII…in 3D?!?
Would you be into watching WrestleMania XXVII in 3D? You just might get the chance if The Wrestling Observer is right. According to the dirt sheet, the WWE is planning to make this year’s WrestleMania its first 3D broadcast.
I’m frightened by the prospect of sports entertainment in 3D. Don’t get me wrong — I’m all for seeing as many dimensions of the WWE Divas as possible (especially AJ Lee!). That said, too many wrestlers wear trunks. Seeing Sheamus’ milky thighs in HD is one thing. The thought of seeing them in three dimensions makes me shudder.
I know that most of you are anti-3D. Does WWE programming in 3D interest you or repulse you?
Source via CrunchGear
The Daily Show’s Verizon iPhone 4 Coverage
Here’s an excellent (and surprisingly long) clip of The Daily Show’s coverage of the Verizon iPhone 4 press conference. In addition to poking fun at AT&T, the sketch is funny because…well, it’s always funny when the mainstream media pokes fun at AT&T’s coverage.
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Here’s an excellent (and surprisingly long) clip of The Daily Show’s coverage of the Verizon iPhone 4 press conference. In addition to poking fun at AT&T, the sketch is funny because…well, it’s always funny when the mainstream media pokes fun at AT&T’s coverage. Enjoy the clip and share your feelings like a Care Bear!
Shawn Michaels in the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2011
On last night’s episode of of Monday Night Raw, WWE announced that “The Hearbreak Kid” Shawn Michaels will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame (excellent video above!). The ceremony will take place in Atlanta, GA on the Friday before WrestleMania XXVII.
On last night’s episode of of Monday Night Raw, WWE announced that “The Hearbreak Kid” Shawn Michaels will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame (excellent video above!). The ceremony will take place in Atlanta, GA on the Friday before WrestleMania XXVII.
Michaels has been my favorite wrestler of the last 15 years and I love that he’s headlining this year’s hall of fame class…but it seems off. Most of it has to do with the fact that he only stopped wrestling last year. Part of it has to do with Atlanta being a huge NWA/WCW city; I was hoping that this year’s class would focus on old NWA talent, centering around Arn Anderson and Michael “P.S.” Hayes. That said, I’m not going to complain — I’m too big of an HBK mark for that.
Man, I miss watching Michaels on TV. Just seeing him play around with the crowd, dance around like a tool, and deliver an awesome superkick to Alberto Del Rio (video below) reaffirmed that WWE hasn’t been the same for me since he retired. *sigh* Anyway, let me know what you think of Shawn Michaels headlining the WWE hall of fame class of 2011 when you have a moment.