I am seriously missing The Daily Show, and I was seriously doubting things will be sorted before the official primaries kick off, but I really do hope a settlement is reached fully before the new season of Bill Maher.
I am only one season into “The Wire” and I agree on everything I’ve heard about it. Fantastic show. Got the other seasons here but I’m saving them for Christmas.
Adam: Of all the shows going back on the air (and I can understand why they are. Conan’s show for example, 80 people will lose their jobs if they don’t) a lot of people want to see Leno without a script as the general belief is it will be horrendous as Leno is nothing without his writers.
Graham: Please tell your friend Matt Berry that having seen him appear with his band at the end of Screenwipe, he MUST MUST MUST record an album of Ronnie Hazelhurst themes. That version of “Sorry” was fantastic and I want an MP3 of it RIGHT NOW!
Since this’ll be the last comments post before Christmas, may I just say MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL OF YOU LOVELY PEOPLE! Thank you Graham for providing one of the comedy highlights of the year with The IT Crowd. And introducing me to the awesomeness that is Matt Berry. “FATHER!!!”
I liked that “Your going to die alone” video you posted a while back. It goes perfectly with the hand full of raging shitfits I’ve seen people throw in public this week.
Today I saw a perfectly normal looking man screaming ” IT’S CALLED A DROPBOX FOR A REASON YOU COCKSUCKER” into the open car window of a motorist. Festive!
I hope everyone has a merry cocksucking christmas!
No I haven’t Leia. It’s one of those things I’ve always wanted to check out and just haven’t gotten around too.
The other day I was in a car park at the grocery store and nearly got wiped out by three cars in quick succession going way to fast in the icy conditions, so I stood there, arms spread like I was nailed to a cross and screamed “ANYBODY ELSE WANT TO TRY AND KILL ME? ANYONE? NO? OKAY THEN!”
I’ve been told I probably shouldn’t be allowed out anymore:)
Drood~
Oh snap! That’s why I moved to California. That decision was facilitated mostly by me falling in the iced up parking lot after a closing shift at work and sliding like a hockey puck underneath the bed of my truck. After 6 years of winter in the Midwest I’ was pretty done with it all.
Oh and you know what else Berry’s been in that was fun? He did a show called Snuffbox with Rich Fulcher that was about a gentlemans club for hangmen.
Leia: I live in Canada. Moved here from the UK eleven years ago. I love the winter to be honest. It’s the drivers here who are absolutely insane and think they’re bloody Petter Solberg.
I actually have Snuffbox around here somewhere. It turned up on a torrent site that shall remain unnamed and I grabbed it because I really miss British comedy and am pretty starved over here for funny TV. (Since most of what passes for comedy here is pathetic.)
Drood~
Oh christ. Yeah. From what I understand Candadian winters are…Hella wintery. Better you than me, my friend.
Americans (I don’t know so much about canadians) Have this comfort zone when it comes to most forms of entertainment. The majority of people like things to take place within a highly realistic setting with highly realistic characters getting highly realistic divorces or having difficulty with their highly realistic children…There isn’t a huge amount of imagination or willingness to experiment.
If what I just typed there made any sense at ALL.
I think the best american comedies that spring instantly to my mind are “Dead Like Me” and “The Venture Brothers”
Just watching the ‘Golden Cleric’ award part. When the microphone goes right up when the nun is saying “Irregularities in his accounts.”
This caused me to slap my chair & yell, “That’s F–ing Genius!!”
Nice one.
Jimmy Kimmell is the most electrifying performer since Stephen Hawking.
The Christmas #1 thing is bewildering to this here Amurrican, but does anybody else like “Christmas Is Awesome” by Reuben? I’d never heard of them before that song (seen on YouTube), so maybe it’s not cool to like them. And it’s certainly not cool to say anything less than scathingly bitter about Christmas. But the video and the lyrics made me laugh. Plus the lead singer looks like Graham, a bit.
I wouldn’t go so far as to call Knocked Up hilarious, but it was pleasantly offensive, in an inoffensive way.
And finally: Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace is currently on rotation on Adult Swim every Friday night. I hope Ted Turner puts out a DVD that I can watch on a proper American DVD player.
P.S. That Ozzy thing would have been even funnier if Jake E. Lee didn’t stink to begin with. Also, if you’re not convinced Simon Cowell doesn’t know what he’s talking about, Reuben Studdard just got dropped by his record label.
‘Ratatouille’ is so good it deserves more than Best Animation at next year’s Oscars.
Perhaps it’s just me but I don’t think it’s been a good year for comedies. I can only remember ‘Death at a Funeral’ making me uncontrollable with laughter.
@Drood – I feel the same here in Australia – BBC three had only been going a short while before I left the UK and things like the mighty boosh etc….I saw Noel live at ‘Paul and Paulin calf’s drugathon’ a few years ago and Noel Fielding did standup and he was by far the funniest there – amazingly good, warped SOH – anyway…tangent….I would imagine Canada to be similar to Australia as far as comedy goes – there are occasionally some good shows, but mostly it’s woeful – so I’m left with Torrents as well mostly….
One of the funniest guys on Canadian TV is a guy named Rick Mercer. He does a “Daily Show” type thing once a week. You can get it on iTunes in Canada. Not sure if you could get it elsewhere.
There’s “Corner Gas” which is pretty funny. That’s about it though. And I won’t even start in on Canadian Content laws that force stations to show between 35-80% Canadian shows. Which rather makes “BBC Canada” a complete joke. What sucks is the CanCon laws mandate Canadian content, but with no quality control, meaning we get some really REALLY horrendous shows.
Jim Treacher: HAHAHA! Nice to see a like mind on here:)
Leia: What you said made perfect sense:)
I’m currently enjoying watching “Twin Peaks” again now it’s out on DVD properly. Dear god I had forgotten how truly wonderful that show was.
They’ve been showing Corner Gas on WGN, which is broadcast to most of the U.S. It’s a funny show. Kind of old-fashioned humor, but it’s got great characters and witty dialogue. And the lady who owns the diner next door makes me think of Lynda Carter, which makes me think of… never mind.
Can I just second the props to Matt Berry and his band for their cover of the ‘Sorry’ theme on Screenwipe? Fabulously funky. (I’d be very happy to buy a copy if the chaps felt like releasing a little MP3 single or some such…)
The picture attached to that article, it looks like his head might explode. Which of course would be funny.
It’s quite strange actually. I wrote on my blog earlier today and felt the entry was crap, going nowhere, and finished it up way before I planned too as it was just no good. My wife went and read it and was in tears of laughter over what I thought was a particularly unspectacular bit of my writing. (I’m a writer by profession, though unemployed right now. So she’s read a LOT of my stuff over the years.)
And I’ve posted the following before, and nobody commented, so I’m shamelessly posting it again. It is not my work. I just find this hilarious every time I watch it for some reason.
And since the site seems to go mad for me if I post two URL’s, here’s another. The mighty “Sparks” video for “Now That I Own The BBC”. Why am I posting this? Because it’s a good song that nobody but me seems to have ever heard. My Christmas gift to you all.
Merry Christmas all. Many thanks to Graham for writing a great series of the IT Crowd, and for providing many funny links. Special thanks for introducing me to the hilariously surreal Michael Kupperman.
That’s enough of the praise, now I must chastise you for belittling the splendid Christmas tradition that is Monopoly. Next you’ll taking a swipe at brussel sprouts. It’s simply not on sir.
In other news, I had a weird sense of deja vu while playing that framestore game. It looks like it was inspired by a Ferry Halim game called Winterbells, which is also pretty lovely. Indeed, as are all the orisinal games.
“Final, conclusive proof of why men are funnier than women…”
LOL — why are men so afraid of women who are funny? Why do they go to such lengths to “prove” that men are funnier, like Hitchens’ tirade? Is it really that frightening?
As a scholar, I find it hilarious to read this kind of article where a factual biological link gets distorted by cultural assumptions (as if we could see biological factors in isolation from cultural ones). A simpler answer: boys are rewarded for being funny, girls are punished. Parents tolerate boys spending hours in their rooms miming their favorite comedy routines, while girls are told to come out and be part of the social order.
I think the different between men and women is that men TRY to be funny, since making a woman laugh makes us feel good. Women on the other hand have no such compulsion, but are still just as capable. My wife isn’t that funny, but when she IS, she is very VERY funny.
Of course, what passes as “funny” in regards to female humour annoys me. Like Sarah Silverman for example.
Here we go. Hope Graham doesn’t mind. A genuine Christmas present for you lovely people. An MP3 of Matt Berry and his band’s awesome rendition of “Sorry” on Screenwipe. I’ve got what seems to be a punctured ear drum at the moment, so stereo is not on the cards for me right now. So I hope it sounds okay to those whose eardrums are more intact than mine.
I’ve been telling people for years that FATHER TED is the funniest thing that’s ever been on television, and I still think so. If only more TV productions would direct a greater percentage of their often massive budgets into decent writing, what a wonderful world television would be.
I’d like to know your thoughts on peer-to-peer filesharing if you get a moment and don’t mind holding forth on the topic.
Just to let you know: Not everyone in America is a war-mongering Bible-thumping whackjob or a half-brained Scientologist zombie. Some of us can even differentiate between primary colors and a variety of simple shapes, if we concentrate.
For the benefit of any Irish people reading this, ‘A Christmassy Ted’ is on RTE 2 on Christmas Eve at 9.30. Despite the fact that I have the box-set, and have seen that particular episode at least 20 times, I’ll probably skip midnight mass again so that I can watch it.
Merry Christmas! Your Ashton Kutcher link was much funnier than mine; I just thought it was somewhat relevant since it dealt with the writer’s strike. Maybe I have bad taste, but I thought there were a few funny moments.
I’ll try to redeem myself with nerdy Wikipedia humor. Updated frequently, here are the lamest Wikipedia Edit Wars: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Lamest_edit_wars.
I draw your attention to Cauliflower and The Year 2038 Controversy.
Happy Christmas n that…if you want a new idea for next year I suggest a waiter based sitcom…..There hasn’t been a good one since Fawlty Towers……now is the time….hehehehehe
Good idea about the waiter-based sitcom. I was brainstorming this morning and I thought of a sitcom in which a group of Irish priests are sent to a small island and hilarity ensues!
I was just reading this week’s British Medical Journal. The BMJ is one of the world’s most widely read and influential medical journals. Normally it publishes very serious scientific articles (e.g., trials of new drugs to cure cancer). However, the Christmas issue of the BMJ is more light hearted.
In the current issue, there is an article called “Pimp My Slang” that aims to teach doctors about modern slang words that are currently in common use around hospital words.
One of the terms is “Father Jack”!
Father Jack
The confused, usually elderly patient whose constant high pitched verbal ejaculation and attempts to get out of bed are responsible for insomnia on wards. (From a character in the television series Father Ted, who would sit in the corner of a room shouting “Drink,” “Feck,” “Arse,” etc.)
Holy shitcakes! (I don’t normally use such coarse language on the interwebs, but I think the occassion warrants it.)
The season 2 DVD is also a game? Or more specifically, an ARG???? That’s so L33T! ;)
And by the looks of it, an insanely difficult one. Big props to the guys trying to unravel this mystery. Holy shitcakes!
Could it have something to do with the Flash game he linked to earlier? I don’t see anything special on the physical DVD either, and now that I switched my region back to U.S. I don’t think I can watch the DVD again.
Merry Christmas everyone!
I ‘m not sure, but I may have got a little over-excited in proclaiming that the Series 2 DVD is an ARG, but there is definitely something suspicious about it. Also, the fact that the above image is titled X marks the spot leads me to believe that solving the riddle may leave to a giant treasure chest, filled with glittering dubloons and silver candy floss. I may be wrong though! At the very least, there are some excruciatingly well-hidden easter eggs on the DVD. Here is a link to a blog that is trying to unravel its mysteries.
There’s a real easy way to find easter eggs. All DVD players will let you choose which title to play on the disk. So just go through the numbers. I discovered this with a version of “Evil Dead” I had. There was the “Book of the Dead” edition. Then they stripped a bunch of extras and put out a cheaper version. Only they didn’t remove the extras, only the menu entries. They’re all still on the disk. I went through each title on the disk and found them all. Wicked fun.:)
Not sure if Graham will ever read this with it being Christmas, but if you’re reading this Graham, how much input do you have on the DVD? Do you have any say on easter eggs and the like?
Getting an iPod Touch today. Looking forward to that. It’s 9am. My eldest (six years old) is amusing himself with World of Warcraft (his mums account) while the youngest still, mercifully, sleeps!
I am enjoying the peace while it lasts.
And here’s Drood’s top tip: When you’re sleep deprived, be careful. I made myself a cup of tea. Grabbed a carton from the fridge to add milk… Sadly it was egg nog.
So my top tip: Tea with egg nog in it isn’t very nice.
You post so much good stuff. How do you find the time to write? And please answer my earlier question about DVD’s if you can, as I’ve never been able to ask an “insider”.:)
The one good thing about the crass titles of trashy BBC Three shows, is the derisory tone of Jeremy Paxman’s voice when he inevitably reads out a list of them to some suit from the BBC on Newsnight.
Drood – I’m with you there re:Year Zero, I’ve had enough internet chase games for this year, almost did my head in – was insanely clever and worth it in the end though (even though it still goes on and on)
Bex: A fellow fan… Good to meet you:) Really looking forward to seeing where the Year Zero universe goes now Trent is label free. Though he’s said the next thing he does might not be the follow up.
BTW, if you’re any kind of hardcore fan, you really need to check out remix.nin.com if you haven’t already.
Ray: Paxman is a god. I love the weather forecast he was forced to do for a while. The man is a legend.
Drood: yes yes! have you got the year zero remixed cd/dvd? oohh OOhhh it’s good I saw them 3 times when they toured here a few months back, they were playing relatively small venues and it was amazing.
Have you heard the Niggy Tardust album Trent just did with Saul Williams? It’s interesting, it took me a couple of listens, he alludes to an end of NIN but I can’t see that being feasible, since he IS NIN
Bex: I’ve got the remix CD/DVD. Been saving the CD for when I got my new iPod (not had a chance to listen to it yet though). Already used the DVD to make my own instrumental Year Zero though:) Not listened to Niggy Tardust yet. Again, got it on my iPod for when I get a chance to have a listen.
Paxman is a legend. I love this one from Have I Got News For You of him covering the weather.
Also under related, watch “Paxman promotes oh my newsnight”. (Would post the link, but two URL’s seems to require the post to be moderated.) Can anyone imagine ANYONE else getting away with this sort of thing?
The world needs more Jeremy Paxman’s. (In fact that should be the first cloned human attempt. Create an army of Paxman’s to wipe out the worst of US journalists. First stop: Bill O’Reilly.)
This Christmas, and having been inspired by David McCandless’ book which was featured here, I thought I would investigate Facebook (or rather more appropriately entitled, Crotchbook or Facebonk depending on how you use it). Things I have noticed during a few searches:
1) Most people in the TV industry seem to have long hair – especially the blokes. And in most profile pictures, people are drunk, having sex, or getting drunk AND having sex. Or thrusting some part of their anatomy at the camera. Says it all about broadcasting. :)
2) Piers Morgan does not have a profile picture. Thank God.
3) Chris O’Dowd has a GOOD profile picture (of a racoon in a Christmas hat).
4) It seems the entire Freud clan are using Facebook. Scary. World domination can’t be far off.
5) Rather surprisingly, quite a few of the Murdoch clan are using it too – which is somewhat bloody ironic given that the Dirty Digger has bought MySpace. At least THOSE members of the family have TASTE unlike dear pappa.
6) Most people still do not know how to adjust their privacy settings. Sigh. Please do. And no, you can’t delete a profile – merely disable an account where all your pictures of naughty bits and so on will remain on a server forever and ever and ever! Bwahahahaha! (cue thunder and lighting)
There was a rumour earlier this year that Facebook was actually a front for a CIA information gathering service and that the agency was basically using it to build profiles of people.
It’ll be a cold day in hell before I get on Facebook, Myspace or any of those sites. People put so many details about themselves online, then get surprised when it comes back to haunt them.
I do find Facebook useful to a certain extent if the privacy settings are set correctly (and that you give the out only the briefest of details).
MySpace is a lot worse though – my goodness, in general it has more security holes than a prostitute’s knickers (eh?!) even if you’re just *browsing* the site without an account. I won’t go into detail about a MySpace competition that Paramount was running, but I was tearing my hair out at the inefficiency and the general lack of sanity that Paramount and MySpace have in getting things fixed/checked over. Whoever is in charge of things would make Father Dougal look like a bloody genius!
Here’s hoping that Graham tackles this social networking phenomenon on a future IT Crowd episode…
CIA control PET international Agents etc.
LIST OF NAMES CIA control pet international Agents etc.
Timothy Leary?
Allison Legge
Joe Parise
PET
Sarah Johnson
Charlie Chrisawn
Carvalho Rasmussen
alex jones
tyrk ozoz
Ralf andersen
Tom Zajkowski
Colin Butler
Pia Kjærsgaard
Bjarne Bo Larsen
Cynthia Dame Logan
Jens ( Peter) Mortensen
Pam Hughes
lars ‘moslem’
Kareeme Tucker
Germany
Danish royals
jack harmes
INTELLIGENCES
Jens Mogensen? Henrik Sass Larsen? valerie plame ? karl rove? johnny hansen hardington thomas christensen lebrecht 322 boligforening dupont
OSAMA BIN LADEN
Svensson
Koskinen
Julita Brown
Victoria Mortensen
Tiitinev
DF
george tenet
HM
Jeppesen Dataplan
Crowell Aviation Technologies, Inc.
Lockheed?
Devon Holding and Leasing Inc.
Aviation Specialties, Inc.
Keeler and Tate Management LLC
Rapid Air Trans Inc./Rapid Air Transport Inc
Tepper Aviation, Inc.
Stevens Express Leasing Inc.
LCF
Premier Executive Transport Services,Inc.
Aero Contractors
Prescott Support
Maggie Gravelle
Villy Søvndahl
Charlie Chrisawn
Shane Fitzsimmons
Amber Smith
camre mogens?
Ehmsen
israel
batluder
Inger Serup
Juha Leppanen
Tracy Tilly
Kenn mortensen
putin
lars ‘moslem’
A. fogh Erasmussen
NATO
Nicholas Turza
mi5
Jens Mogensen ?
cameron
Gregory Asherleigh
Julita Brown
internet
PAUL NYRUP?
hollywood
above
this is war
above CIA
by
CIA control PET international Agents etc.
July 8, 2008 at 8:05 pm
I’ve ordered “Chrononauts” – thanks for spotting that!
Hail Xenu!!
by Vlad the Impala December 21, 2007 at 9:55 pmI saw Charlie Brooker’s ‘Tapping the Wire’ yesterday.
Nice to see you saying nice things to possibly the most grandiose (and I mean it in a good way) programme yet to grace the small screen.
by Theoban December 21, 2007 at 10:16 pmI haven’t watched much Father Ted but, oddly, the Christamas special that’s on tonight Ive seen about twelve times. Do they broadcast it every year?
Just watched Knocked Up — I get to see rentals early as I work in a video shop because I’m a loser.
by Wrong Headed December 21, 2007 at 10:20 pmIt really is hilarious.
“Just watched Knocked Up —
It really is hilarious.”
Ahh, Irony. You don’t see much of that around theese days.
by Magnus December 21, 2007 at 10:26 pmGraham, what are your thoughts on Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert returning to their shows in January prior to the end of the Writers strike? (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/21/business/media/21strike.html)
I am seriously missing The Daily Show, and I was seriously doubting things will be sorted before the official primaries kick off, but I really do hope a settlement is reached fully before the new season of Bill Maher.
by Adam December 21, 2007 at 10:27 pmI just saw 70’s Folk singer Shawn Phillips live. It was super amazing. I even met him and he signed my vinyl. Very cool.
by Ernst December 21, 2007 at 10:40 pmI am only one season into “The Wire” and I agree on everything I’ve heard about it. Fantastic show. Got the other seasons here but I’m saving them for Christmas.
Adam: Of all the shows going back on the air (and I can understand why they are. Conan’s show for example, 80 people will lose their jobs if they don’t) a lot of people want to see Leno without a script as the general belief is it will be horrendous as Leno is nothing without his writers.
Graham: Please tell your friend Matt Berry that having seen him appear with his band at the end of Screenwipe, he MUST MUST MUST record an album of Ronnie Hazelhurst themes. That version of “Sorry” was fantastic and I want an MP3 of it RIGHT NOW!
Since this’ll be the last comments post before Christmas, may I just say MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL OF YOU LOVELY PEOPLE! Thank you Graham for providing one of the comedy highlights of the year with The IT Crowd. And introducing me to the awesomeness that is Matt Berry. “FATHER!!!”
by Drood December 21, 2007 at 10:45 pmI liked that “Your going to die alone” video you posted a while back. It goes perfectly with the hand full of raging shitfits I’ve seen people throw in public this week.
Today I saw a perfectly normal looking man screaming ” IT’S CALLED A DROPBOX FOR A REASON YOU COCKSUCKER” into the open car window of a motorist. Festive!
I hope everyone has a merry cocksucking christmas!
by Leia December 21, 2007 at 10:50 pmDrood~
by Leia December 21, 2007 at 10:52 pmHave you seen Garth Marenghi yet? It is…and I do not use this term lightly…RADTASTIC.
I realy like your blog and your work – should you ever need a german law student on your shows, drop me a line ;)
by Ben December 21, 2007 at 11:00 pmNo I haven’t Leia. It’s one of those things I’ve always wanted to check out and just haven’t gotten around too.
The other day I was in a car park at the grocery store and nearly got wiped out by three cars in quick succession going way to fast in the icy conditions, so I stood there, arms spread like I was nailed to a cross and screamed “ANYBODY ELSE WANT TO TRY AND KILL ME? ANYONE? NO? OKAY THEN!”
I’ve been told I probably shouldn’t be allowed out anymore:)
by Drood December 21, 2007 at 11:03 pmDrood~
Oh snap! That’s why I moved to California. That decision was facilitated mostly by me falling in the iced up parking lot after a closing shift at work and sliding like a hockey puck underneath the bed of my truck. After 6 years of winter in the Midwest I’ was pretty done with it all.
Oh and you know what else Berry’s been in that was fun? He did a show called Snuffbox with Rich Fulcher that was about a gentlemans club for hangmen.
by Leia December 21, 2007 at 11:18 pmhttp://www.reghardware.co.uk/2007/05/03/forgotten_tech_epson_hx20/page2.html
by Adam December 21, 2007 at 11:30 pmThird picture down.
Leia: I live in Canada. Moved here from the UK eleven years ago. I love the winter to be honest. It’s the drivers here who are absolutely insane and think they’re bloody Petter Solberg.
I actually have Snuffbox around here somewhere. It turned up on a torrent site that shall remain unnamed and I grabbed it because I really miss British comedy and am pretty starved over here for funny TV. (Since most of what passes for comedy here is pathetic.)
by Drood December 21, 2007 at 11:32 pmDrood~
Oh christ. Yeah. From what I understand Candadian winters are…Hella wintery. Better you than me, my friend.
Americans (I don’t know so much about canadians) Have this comfort zone when it comes to most forms of entertainment. The majority of people like things to take place within a highly realistic setting with highly realistic characters getting highly realistic divorces or having difficulty with their highly realistic children…There isn’t a huge amount of imagination or willingness to experiment.
If what I just typed there made any sense at ALL.
I think the best american comedies that spring instantly to my mind are “Dead Like Me” and “The Venture Brothers”
by Leia December 21, 2007 at 11:54 pmJust watching the ‘Golden Cleric’ award part. When the microphone goes right up when the nun is saying “Irregularities in his accounts.”
by damian December 21, 2007 at 11:54 pmThis caused me to slap my chair & yell, “That’s F–ing Genius!!”
Nice one.
Totally agree on ‘Knocked up’. Best comedy in years. That and ‘Ratatouille’ were my films of the year, I think.
by Graham December 22, 2007 at 12:04 amAww. Ratatouille was sweet.
by Leia December 22, 2007 at 12:08 amJimmy Kimmell is the most electrifying performer since Stephen Hawking.
The Christmas #1 thing is bewildering to this here Amurrican, but does anybody else like “Christmas Is Awesome” by Reuben? I’d never heard of them before that song (seen on YouTube), so maybe it’s not cool to like them. And it’s certainly not cool to say anything less than scathingly bitter about Christmas. But the video and the lyrics made me laugh. Plus the lead singer looks like Graham, a bit.
I wouldn’t go so far as to call Knocked Up hilarious, but it was pleasantly offensive, in an inoffensive way.
And finally: Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace is currently on rotation on Adult Swim every Friday night. I hope Ted Turner puts out a DVD that I can watch on a proper American DVD player.
by Jim Treacher December 22, 2007 at 12:11 amP.S. That Ozzy thing would have been even funnier if Jake E. Lee didn’t stink to begin with. Also, if you’re not convinced Simon Cowell doesn’t know what he’s talking about, Reuben Studdard just got dropped by his record label.
by Jim Treacher December 22, 2007 at 12:54 am‘Ratatouille’ is so good it deserves more than Best Animation at next year’s Oscars.
Perhaps it’s just me but I don’t think it’s been a good year for comedies. I can only remember ‘Death at a Funeral’ making me uncontrollable with laughter.
by Richard Madeley December 22, 2007 at 12:57 amSnuff Box is totally brilliant, wish they’d make a second series. That would make me happier than a man with tits in his hat!
Rich Fulcher seems to liven up anything he is in, his Nabootique monologue in last nights Mighty Boosh was a prime example.
I’m off to watch The Ipcress File.
Merry Christmas Comedy lovers.
by Nini December 22, 2007 at 1:19 amP.P.S. George Washington didn’t believe in evolution. And neither does Prince Harry (it would negate his entire existence).
by Jim Treacher December 22, 2007 at 1:23 amP.P.P.S. How long did it take Al Gore to swim to Bali?
by Jim Treacher December 22, 2007 at 1:25 am@Drood – I feel the same here in Australia – BBC three had only been going a short while before I left the UK and things like the mighty boosh etc….I saw Noel live at ‘Paul and Paulin calf’s drugathon’ a few years ago and Noel Fielding did standup and he was by far the funniest there – amazingly good, warped SOH – anyway…tangent….I would imagine Canada to be similar to Australia as far as comedy goes – there are occasionally some good shows, but mostly it’s woeful – so I’m left with Torrents as well mostly….
by Craig December 22, 2007 at 3:55 amOne of the funniest guys on Canadian TV is a guy named Rick Mercer. He does a “Daily Show” type thing once a week. You can get it on iTunes in Canada. Not sure if you could get it elsewhere.
There’s “Corner Gas” which is pretty funny. That’s about it though. And I won’t even start in on Canadian Content laws that force stations to show between 35-80% Canadian shows. Which rather makes “BBC Canada” a complete joke. What sucks is the CanCon laws mandate Canadian content, but with no quality control, meaning we get some really REALLY horrendous shows.
Jim Treacher: HAHAHA! Nice to see a like mind on here:)
Leia: What you said made perfect sense:)
I’m currently enjoying watching “Twin Peaks” again now it’s out on DVD properly. Dear god I had forgotten how truly wonderful that show was.
by Drood December 22, 2007 at 5:29 amThey’ve been showing Corner Gas on WGN, which is broadcast to most of the U.S. It’s a funny show. Kind of old-fashioned humor, but it’s got great characters and witty dialogue. And the lady who owns the diner next door makes me think of Lynda Carter, which makes me think of… never mind.
by Jim Treacher December 22, 2007 at 6:17 amCan I just second the props to Matt Berry and his band for their cover of the ‘Sorry’ theme on Screenwipe? Fabulously funky. (I’d be very happy to buy a copy if the chaps felt like releasing a little MP3 single or some such…)
by Paul December 22, 2007 at 8:20 amGet an MP3 up on iTunes. Make sure it’s on the Canadian one, and I’ll buy it. That was just stellar. In fact I may rip the audio myself actually.
Jim: Lynda Carter… Yes, I can see the resemblance. She’s lovely. Corner Gas is the only Canadian show I’d recommend to people.
by Drood December 22, 2007 at 8:34 amFinal, conclusive proof of why men are funnier than women:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7153584.stm
or why women are the better sex…
by apintofbeer December 22, 2007 at 11:32 amThe picture attached to that article, it looks like his head might explode. Which of course would be funny.
It’s quite strange actually. I wrote on my blog earlier today and felt the entry was crap, going nowhere, and finished it up way before I planned too as it was just no good. My wife went and read it and was in tears of laughter over what I thought was a particularly unspectacular bit of my writing. (I’m a writer by profession, though unemployed right now. So she’s read a LOT of my stuff over the years.)
And I’ve posted the following before, and nobody commented, so I’m shamelessly posting it again. It is not my work. I just find this hilarious every time I watch it for some reason.
by Drood December 22, 2007 at 11:45 am
And since the site seems to go mad for me if I post two URL’s, here’s another. The mighty “Sparks” video for “Now That I Own The BBC”. Why am I posting this? Because it’s a good song that nobody but me seems to have ever heard. My Christmas gift to you all.
by Drood December 22, 2007 at 11:48 am
Thank you, Graham, for all the sweet sweet links that you’ve posted over the last year.
A merry Xmas to you and the wife and wishing you a thrilling new year.
by lamsicle December 22, 2007 at 12:20 pmx.
Incidentally, it does seem that the word ‘Tits’ has become funny again……….or was it always?
by lamsicle December 22, 2007 at 12:22 pmMerry Xmas Graham
Something tells me the 3rd series of IT Crowd will be the hardest thing you’ve ever written.
by Mark December 22, 2007 at 12:30 pmhere’s a quite fun Frankie Vallie video edit in case anyone’s not seen it
by Craig December 22, 2007 at 12:57 pm
drood – what’s the link to your blog?
by apintofbeer December 22, 2007 at 1:28 pmMerry Christmas all. Many thanks to Graham for writing a great series of the IT Crowd, and for providing many funny links. Special thanks for introducing me to the hilariously surreal Michael Kupperman.
That’s enough of the praise, now I must chastise you for belittling the splendid Christmas tradition that is Monopoly. Next you’ll taking a swipe at brussel sprouts. It’s simply not on sir.
In other news, I had a weird sense of deja vu while playing that framestore game. It looks like it was inspired by a Ferry Halim game called Winterbells, which is also pretty lovely. Indeed, as are all the orisinal games.
http://www.ferryhalim.com/orisinal/g3/bells.htm
by Pepisolo December 22, 2007 at 1:41 pm“Final, conclusive proof of why men are funnier than women…”
LOL — why are men so afraid of women who are funny? Why do they go to such lengths to “prove” that men are funnier, like Hitchens’ tirade? Is it really that frightening?
As a scholar, I find it hilarious to read this kind of article where a factual biological link gets distorted by cultural assumptions (as if we could see biological factors in isolation from cultural ones). A simpler answer: boys are rewarded for being funny, girls are punished. Parents tolerate boys spending hours in their rooms miming their favorite comedy routines, while girls are told to come out and be part of the social order.
by K. A. Laity December 22, 2007 at 3:47 pmWomen aren’t funny? The last comment cracked me up!
by Wrong Headed December 22, 2007 at 4:03 pmWomen aren’t funny? Sounds like an opportunity for me to big up one of my all time favourite comedians, the phenomenal Hylda Baker. Check it!
(warning – incredibly old-fashioned humour that may not be to everyone’s tastes)
by Pepisolo December 22, 2007 at 5:10 pm“LOL — why are men so afraid of women who are funny?”
Because it’s fun watching you get angry when we say you’re not.
Just kidding!
by Jim Treacher December 22, 2007 at 5:43 pmThanks for the pointer on Chrononauts, that’s one Christmas present sorted!
by Stark December 22, 2007 at 5:54 pmI think the different between men and women is that men TRY to be funny, since making a woman laugh makes us feel good. Women on the other hand have no such compulsion, but are still just as capable. My wife isn’t that funny, but when she IS, she is very VERY funny.
Of course, what passes as “funny” in regards to female humour annoys me. Like Sarah Silverman for example.
And since it was requested, my blog address is:
http://nothinggoodisleft.blogspot.com/
by Drood December 22, 2007 at 5:58 pmWhat does Santa do the other 364 days a year?
Now you know.
by Drood December 22, 2007 at 6:04 pmenough with the women vs men bulldada, please. And Sarah Silverman’s stand up is excellent, Drood.
by Graham December 22, 2007 at 10:30 pmTo each their own. I just don’t find her especially funny. Did like her stint on Larry Sanders though.
by Drood December 22, 2007 at 11:26 pmMerry Christmas, one and all!
by JohnnyW December 23, 2007 at 1:46 amAshton Kutcher and Demi Moore did a video spoof, I guess, of the writer’s strike. There are some really funny moments. It’s NSFW.
by rachel December 23, 2007 at 2:07 amHere we go. Hope Graham doesn’t mind. A genuine Christmas present for you lovely people. An MP3 of Matt Berry and his band’s awesome rendition of “Sorry” on Screenwipe. I’ve got what seems to be a punctured ear drum at the moment, so stereo is not on the cards for me right now. So I hope it sounds okay to those whose eardrums are more intact than mine.
http://www.sendspace.com/file/0aimby
by Drood December 23, 2007 at 7:06 amHi Graham,
I’ve been telling people for years that FATHER TED is the funniest thing that’s ever been on television, and I still think so. If only more TV productions would direct a greater percentage of their often massive budgets into decent writing, what a wonderful world television would be.
I’d like to know your thoughts on peer-to-peer filesharing if you get a moment and don’t mind holding forth on the topic.
Just to let you know: Not everyone in America is a war-mongering Bible-thumping whackjob or a half-brained Scientologist zombie. Some of us can even differentiate between primary colors and a variety of simple shapes, if we concentrate.
Cheers
by MOtis December 23, 2007 at 11:04 amEch. Ashton Kutcher. Nein danke!
Thanks to everyone for their comments. Have a great Christmas and hurray for the interweb!
xxxxx
by Graham December 23, 2007 at 7:08 pmFor the benefit of any Irish people reading this, ‘A Christmassy Ted’ is on RTE 2 on Christmas Eve at 9.30. Despite the fact that I have the box-set, and have seen that particular episode at least 20 times, I’ll probably skip midnight mass again so that I can watch it.
Merry Christmas, and all that…
by Ray December 23, 2007 at 10:02 pmSkipping midnight mass to watch Father Ted…
There is something gleefully lovely about that.
And once again, Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!
by Drood December 23, 2007 at 10:38 pmMerry Christmas! Your Ashton Kutcher link was much funnier than mine; I just thought it was somewhat relevant since it dealt with the writer’s strike. Maybe I have bad taste, but I thought there were a few funny moments.
I’ll try to redeem myself with nerdy Wikipedia humor. Updated frequently, here are the lamest Wikipedia Edit Wars: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Lamest_edit_wars.
I draw your attention to Cauliflower and The Year 2038 Controversy.
Some more nerdy Wiki humor-Deleted Articles with Freaky Titles:
by Rachel December 23, 2007 at 11:50 pmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Deleted_articles_with_freaky_titles
My favorite is “Aqua-hoochie.”
Here’s the correct link for the Lamest Edit Wars:
by Rachel December 23, 2007 at 11:52 pmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lamest_edit_wars
Happy Christmas n that…if you want a new idea for next year I suggest a waiter based sitcom…..There hasn’t been a good one since Fawlty Towers……now is the time….hehehehehe
by manuel December 24, 2007 at 1:37 amGood idea about the waiter-based sitcom. I was brainstorming this morning and I thought of a sitcom in which a group of Irish priests are sent to a small island and hilarity ensues!
by Mark December 24, 2007 at 2:27 amHi Graham
Merry Christmas!
I was just reading this week’s British Medical Journal. The BMJ is one of the world’s most widely read and influential medical journals. Normally it publishes very serious scientific articles (e.g., trials of new drugs to cure cancer). However, the Christmas issue of the BMJ is more light hearted.
http://www.bmj.com/
In the current issue, there is an article called “Pimp My Slang” that aims to teach doctors about modern slang words that are currently in common use around hospital words.
One of the terms is “Father Jack”!
Father Jack
The confused, usually elderly patient whose constant high pitched verbal ejaculation and attempts to get out of bed are responsible for insomnia on wards. (From a character in the television series Father Ted, who would sit in the corner of a room shouting “Drink,” “Feck,” “Arse,” etc.)
More at…
http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/335/7633/1295
by musiciscrap December 24, 2007 at 5:55 amI forgot to write my name! It’s Dave :-)
by musiciscrap December 24, 2007 at 5:56 am… and I meant hospital WARDS, not words!
by musiciscrap December 24, 2007 at 5:57 amThere’s something in the It Crowd dvds?
by Santa Claus December 24, 2007 at 1:28 pmHmm, I am examining my series 2 set and I see nothing remarkable. Anyone?
by Mark December 24, 2007 at 5:29 pmA potential clue. In the post the image he links to is called “X Marks The Spot.gif”
by Mark December 24, 2007 at 5:31 pmHoly shitcakes! (I don’t normally use such coarse language on the interwebs, but I think the occassion warrants it.)
by Pepisolo December 24, 2007 at 5:34 pmThe season 2 DVD is also a game? Or more specifically, an ARG???? That’s so L33T! ;)
And by the looks of it, an insanely difficult one. Big props to the guys trying to unravel this mystery. Holy shitcakes!
I guess I should buy these DVDs one day, seems like they have a lot of extras.
by Camille December 24, 2007 at 6:01 pmSo I guess that means this site just became an ARG…
Man, Year Zero was enough for me in one year:)
by Drood December 24, 2007 at 7:58 pmWhat’s happening? Can someone explain?
Please? And remember: I am not intelligent in any way so use language that can be understood by dogs.
by Bobkins December 24, 2007 at 10:03 pmWoof bark bark woof howl woof howl.
There, does that help?
by Drood December 25, 2007 at 1:04 amI was thinking more of simplistic commands like “Sit” and “Lie down”, but thanks for responding.
Oh, and Merry Christmas BTW.
by Bobkins December 25, 2007 at 6:51 amCould it have something to do with the Flash game he linked to earlier? I don’t see anything special on the physical DVD either, and now that I switched my region back to U.S. I don’t think I can watch the DVD again.
by dalas v December 25, 2007 at 7:07 amMerry Christmas Bobkins. Not actually been to bed yet. It’s 3am. Gotta get the kids presents under the tree and then head off to bed.
Saw the UK Top 40 online today… Dear god, is the music scene REALLY that pathetic? Damn near a quarter of the charts are OLD SONGS. WHAM at no. 16?
As a former avid top 40 listener, I’m glad I moved to Canada. Seeing the state the top 40 is in now is depressing as hell.
by Drood December 25, 2007 at 9:55 amMERRY CHRISTMAS! Dawkins bless us, every one.
by dcairns December 25, 2007 at 11:05 amMerry Christmas everyone!
I ‘m not sure, but I may have got a little over-excited in proclaiming that the Series 2 DVD is an ARG, but there is definitely something suspicious about it. Also, the fact that the above image is titled X marks the spot leads me to believe that solving the riddle may leave to a giant treasure chest, filled with glittering dubloons and silver candy floss. I may be wrong though! At the very least, there are some excruciatingly well-hidden easter eggs on the DVD. Here is a link to a blog that is trying to unravel its mysteries.
http://theitcrowd.wordpress.com/
I’m off to test my shiny new mp3 player! Be Merry, it is the festering season after all!
by Pepisolo December 25, 2007 at 11:21 amThere’s a real easy way to find easter eggs. All DVD players will let you choose which title to play on the disk. So just go through the numbers. I discovered this with a version of “Evil Dead” I had. There was the “Book of the Dead” edition. Then they stripped a bunch of extras and put out a cheaper version. Only they didn’t remove the extras, only the menu entries. They’re all still on the disk. I went through each title on the disk and found them all. Wicked fun.:)
Not sure if Graham will ever read this with it being Christmas, but if you’re reading this Graham, how much input do you have on the DVD? Do you have any say on easter eggs and the like?
Getting an iPod Touch today. Looking forward to that. It’s 9am. My eldest (six years old) is amusing himself with World of Warcraft (his mums account) while the youngest still, mercifully, sleeps!
I am enjoying the peace while it lasts.
And here’s Drood’s top tip: When you’re sleep deprived, be careful. I made myself a cup of tea. Grabbed a carton from the fridge to add milk… Sadly it was egg nog.
So my top tip: Tea with egg nog in it isn’t very nice.
by Drood December 25, 2007 at 4:31 pmGraham, if you see this, thanks for The IT Crowd.
It never gets old. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve watched each episode. And I still enjoy them greatly.
I hope that you and yours will enjoy a happy, healthy, prosperous and peaceful 2008.
by Chris Tucker December 25, 2007 at 11:36 pmChris, very, very sweet of you to say so, and on Christmas Day! Thanks a lot, it means a hell of a lot.
Hap X!!!!
by Graham December 26, 2007 at 12:35 amFor those IT Crowd fans that had never looked at it before…
http://www.reynholm.co.uk
by Drood December 26, 2007 at 2:13 amGood to see funography is alive and well
Can Fat Teens Hunt?
by Paul December 26, 2007 at 5:21 pmhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcthree/programmes/fat_teens/
It really pains me to see the once great BBC producing such televisual atrocities as that show.
by Drood December 26, 2007 at 7:46 pmGreat link with those jazz stories Graham.
You post so much good stuff. How do you find the time to write? And please answer my earlier question about DVD’s if you can, as I’ve never been able to ask an “insider”.:)
by Drood December 26, 2007 at 11:42 pmThe one good thing about the crass titles of trashy BBC Three shows, is the derisory tone of Jeremy Paxman’s voice when he inevitably reads out a list of them to some suit from the BBC on Newsnight.
(just scroll to 8min 20secs)
by Ray December 27, 2007 at 2:29 amDrood – I’m with you there re:Year Zero, I’ve had enough internet chase games for this year, almost did my head in – was insanely clever and worth it in the end though (even though it still goes on and on)
by Bex December 27, 2007 at 4:59 amBex: A fellow fan… Good to meet you:) Really looking forward to seeing where the Year Zero universe goes now Trent is label free. Though he’s said the next thing he does might not be the follow up.
BTW, if you’re any kind of hardcore fan, you really need to check out remix.nin.com if you haven’t already.
Ray: Paxman is a god. I love the weather forecast he was forced to do for a while. The man is a legend.
by Drood December 27, 2007 at 6:37 amDrood: yes yes! have you got the year zero remixed cd/dvd? oohh OOhhh it’s good I saw them 3 times when they toured here a few months back, they were playing relatively small venues and it was amazing.
Have you heard the Niggy Tardust album Trent just did with Saul Williams? It’s interesting, it took me a couple of listens, he alludes to an end of NIN but I can’t see that being feasible, since he IS NIN
by Bex December 27, 2007 at 3:06 pmBex: I’ve got the remix CD/DVD. Been saving the CD for when I got my new iPod (not had a chance to listen to it yet though). Already used the DVD to make my own instrumental Year Zero though:) Not listened to Niggy Tardust yet. Again, got it on my iPod for when I get a chance to have a listen.
Paxman is a legend. I love this one from Have I Got News For You of him covering the weather.
Also under related, watch “Paxman promotes oh my newsnight”. (Would post the link, but two URL’s seems to require the post to be moderated.) Can anyone imagine ANYONE else getting away with this sort of thing?
The world needs more Jeremy Paxman’s. (In fact that should be the first cloned human attempt. Create an army of Paxman’s to wipe out the worst of US journalists. First stop: Bill O’Reilly.)
by Drood December 27, 2007 at 7:23 pmThis Christmas, and having been inspired by David McCandless’ book which was featured here, I thought I would investigate Facebook (or rather more appropriately entitled, Crotchbook or Facebonk depending on how you use it). Things I have noticed during a few searches:
1) Most people in the TV industry seem to have long hair – especially the blokes. And in most profile pictures, people are drunk, having sex, or getting drunk AND having sex. Or thrusting some part of their anatomy at the camera. Says it all about broadcasting. :)
2) Piers Morgan does not have a profile picture. Thank God.
3) Chris O’Dowd has a GOOD profile picture (of a racoon in a Christmas hat).
4) It seems the entire Freud clan are using Facebook. Scary. World domination can’t be far off.
5) Rather surprisingly, quite a few of the Murdoch clan are using it too – which is somewhat bloody ironic given that the Dirty Digger has bought MySpace. At least THOSE members of the family have TASTE unlike dear pappa.
6) Most people still do not know how to adjust their privacy settings. Sigh. Please do. And no, you can’t delete a profile – merely disable an account where all your pictures of naughty bits and so on will remain on a server forever and ever and ever! Bwahahahaha! (cue thunder and lighting)
M.
by Martyn Drake December 28, 2007 at 10:38 amIf you would like to take a glimpse at the dreadful German version they made from “The IT Crowd”, just look here: http://www.sat1.de/comedy_show/iteam/videos/content/27094/. But beware! I’m still under shock…
(A Tarantino-produced South Korean Zombie movie is nothing compared to this.)
by anne December 28, 2007 at 2:09 pmThere was a rumour earlier this year that Facebook was actually a front for a CIA information gathering service and that the agency was basically using it to build profiles of people.
It’ll be a cold day in hell before I get on Facebook, Myspace or any of those sites. People put so many details about themselves online, then get surprised when it comes back to haunt them.
by Drood December 28, 2007 at 9:08 pmCIA? More like C&A.
I do find Facebook useful to a certain extent if the privacy settings are set correctly (and that you give the out only the briefest of details).
MySpace is a lot worse though – my goodness, in general it has more security holes than a prostitute’s knickers (eh?!) even if you’re just *browsing* the site without an account. I won’t go into detail about a MySpace competition that Paramount was running, but I was tearing my hair out at the inefficiency and the general lack of sanity that Paramount and MySpace have in getting things fixed/checked over. Whoever is in charge of things would make Father Dougal look like a bloody genius!
Here’s hoping that Graham tackles this social networking phenomenon on a future IT Crowd episode…
by Martyn Drake December 31, 2007 at 10:04 amCIA control PET international Agents etc.
by CIA control PET international Agents etc. July 8, 2008 at 8:05 pmLIST OF NAMES CIA control pet international Agents etc.
Timothy Leary?
Allison Legge
Joe Parise
PET
Sarah Johnson
Charlie Chrisawn
Carvalho Rasmussen
alex jones
tyrk ozoz
Ralf andersen
Tom Zajkowski
Colin Butler
Pia Kjærsgaard
Bjarne Bo Larsen
Cynthia Dame Logan
Jens ( Peter) Mortensen
Pam Hughes
lars ‘moslem’
Kareeme Tucker
Germany
Danish royals
jack harmes
INTELLIGENCES
Jens Mogensen? Henrik Sass Larsen? valerie plame ? karl rove? johnny hansen hardington thomas christensen lebrecht 322 boligforening dupont
OSAMA BIN LADEN
Svensson
Koskinen
Julita Brown
Victoria Mortensen
Tiitinev
DF
george tenet
HM
Jeppesen Dataplan
Crowell Aviation Technologies, Inc.
Lockheed?
Devon Holding and Leasing Inc.
Aviation Specialties, Inc.
Keeler and Tate Management LLC
Rapid Air Trans Inc./Rapid Air Transport Inc
Tepper Aviation, Inc.
Stevens Express Leasing Inc.
LCF
Premier Executive Transport Services,Inc.
Aero Contractors
Prescott Support
Maggie Gravelle
Villy Søvndahl
Charlie Chrisawn
Shane Fitzsimmons
Amber Smith
camre mogens?
Ehmsen
israel
batluder
Inger Serup
Juha Leppanen
Tracy Tilly
Kenn mortensen
putin
lars ‘moslem’
A. fogh Erasmussen
NATO
Nicholas Turza
mi5
Jens Mogensen ?
cameron
Gregory Asherleigh
Julita Brown
internet
PAUL NYRUP?
hollywood
above
this is war
above CIA