The World Champion Of Comedy

Last weekend, as part of my birthday gift from my fiance, I got to go to The Stress Factory in New Brunswick, NJ and see Judah Friedlander performing. Judah Friedlander is known best for stand-up comedy, but has also appeared in several small roles in movies (Meet the Parents, American Splendor) and is most currently known for his role as staff writer Frank Rossitano on NBC's 30 Rock.

Back to last weekend...his stand-up routine was hilarious! I ended up being referred to as "NYU" and was mocked for thinking I was better than him, and Andrea was mocked for teaching the English language to high school seniors. Hilarious!

Check out these pictures from the night and, if you have the chance to see his act, do yourself a favor and get tickets! Andrea and I had the chance to talk with him personally for a few moments after the show (while buying the awesome t-shirt and hat you see below) and, on top of him being so funny, he actually is an extremely nice guy, sincerely thanking us for being such good sports during the show and for supporting him, and we even got to talking about his 30 Rock blog (check it out here). All in all, a great comedian, a great night, and a great gift. Thanks Andrea!

Shouldn't The Almighty Have Seen This Coming?!

Ouch! Evan Almighty, a movie with a reported production budget of $175 million (and an additional marketing budget of $40 million, making it the most expensive comedy ever) had an opening weekend gross of only $32 million!!!

The movie's executives have been busy making statements like "this is the kind of movie that will have legs over the next few weeks"...ummm, unless those legs can kill John McClain, poison lovable French rats, crush the Transformers, petrify Harry Potter, and eat Bart Simpson's shorts, I'm thinking someone just got their glasses tinted with a nice rosy color.

Let the movie executive firings begin!

[NOTE: This massive box office failure should in no way be contributed to Steve Carell. He is a comic genius and shall remain unharmed by the colossal failure that is the over-budgeted, over-cooked movie Evan Almighty.]

Scratching The 'Surface' Of Technology

Wow...can we have this now, please?

Run For The Border

Sixty-five percent of American adults (approx. 127 million people) are overweight, 60 million of which are obese and 9 million of those characterized as extremely obese*......and yet, Taco Bell has decided to execute a marketing campaign revolving around what they term "Fourthmeal: The Meal Between Dinner & Breakfast". How socially responsible of them!

Why eat a measly three meals a day, something those know-it-all "doctors" and health-obsessed hippie "nutritionists" suggest you do, when you can eat a 'fourthmeal' in the form of an 'Extreme Cheese and Beef Quesadilla' from Taco Bell!? Oh...because you'll end up developing hypertension, diabetes, and/or heart disease that will lead to premature death...then again, it's cheese and beef, so it's kind of a toss-up.

* Statistics from ObesityinAmerica.org.

The View Looks Better 'At World's End'

The Good: Let's start by saying that Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End is better than the second movie (which I remember felt like watching a 225 million dollar Looney Tunes cartoon, with various characters serving the role of Wile E. Coyote chasing the Road Runner, i.e. Capt. Jack Sparrow, around several islands for a few solid hours of my time). The stakes are a bit higher, the visuals are somewhat bolder, and the characters are a tad deeper. Simply put, there are several moments, especially during the final half hour of the movie, that I felt the fun and excitement returning to the Pirates franchise. And, in my opinion, very few movies have ever come close to the CG effects of the Davy Jones character's face. Just amazing.

The Bad: Let's continue by saying that At World's End is nowhere near as good as the original and, at times, is downright horrendous and laughable. It would have been so very simple during the editing process to leave about 25-35 minutes of footage on the cutting room floor, particularly footage that included torturous sequences regarding Captain Jack's multiple personalities. There were moments where I felt like I was watching Eternal Sunshine of the Pirate's Mind. It's sloppy editing and pacing that really kills the flow of an already uber-complicated story, which brings me to the second major problem of the movie. I'm all for beefing up the plot of a movie with various dramatic twists and turns, but if you twist and turn every few minutes you just end up leaving the audience dizzy.

The Verdict: Like a drunken pirate, At World's End stumbles far too often to be considered a great movie (or maybe even a good one), but you can't help but feel like the adventures of Captain Jack Sparrow and Company made for an overall fun ride while they lasted.

The Grade: B-

It's Official: Mike Gravel Is Insane

In case you don't know, former two-term Alaskan Senator Mike Gravel is one of the eight candidates currently running for the 2008 Democratic nomination. You likely don't know about Mr. Gravel because he last served in government over 25 years ago, not to mention he's basically just a cranky old man that likes to make bizarre, old man claims.

Well, turns out Gravel is not just a crazy old coot, he's actually insane! I present to you Exhibits A & B: the two most recent campaign videos of the 'Mike Gravel For President' campaign. Judge for yourself (and I suggest you utilize the fast forward function to prevent a Gravel-induced psychosis)......

It appears Gravel has resorted to a staring contest to win
the Democratic nomination...followed by a rock tossing contest?

Ever wonder what it would look like if a presidential candidate was
silently burning alive in a campfire of his own creation? Wonder no more!

Listening To The Generals

Joe Lieberman Is At It Again

[By General Wesley Clark, HuffingtonPost - June 12, 2007]

After wrongly supporting George W. Bush's strategic blunder of attacking Iraq, and continuing to support Bush's failed policies after the invasion, Senator Joe Lieberman made irresponsible comments this weekend regarding military action against Iran.

On CBS's Face the Nation, Lieberman said, "If [the Iranians] don't play by the rules, we've got to use our force, and to me, that would include taking military action to stop them from doing what they're doing."

This type of "tough-talk" by the Bush Administration and folks like Senator Joe Lieberman is why VoteVets.org and I collaborated to create StopIranWar.com, calling for heavy diplomatic, economic, and political action to discourage the acquisition of nuclear capabilities by the Iranian government.

Senator Lieberman's saber rattling does nothing to help dissuade Iran from aiding Shia militias in Iraq, or trying to obtain nuclear capabilities. In fact, it's highly irresponsible and counter-productive, and I urge him to stop.

This kind of rhetoric is irresponsible and only plays into the hands of President Ahmadinejad, and those who seek an excuse for military action. What we need now is full-fledged engagement with Iran. We should be striving to bridge the gulf of almost 30 years of hostility and only when all else fails should there be any consideration of other options. The Iranians are very much aware of US military capabilities. They don't need Joe Lieberman to remind them that we are the militarily dominant power in the world today.

Only someone who never wore the uniform or thought seriously about national security would make threats at this point. What our soldiers need is responsible strategy, not a further escalation of tensions in the region. Senator Lieberman must act more responsibly and tone down his threat machine.

Visit StopIranWar.com, and sign the petition to President Bush today!

We cannot let people like Joe Lieberman dictate the terms of this debate.

Top Five Birthday Gifts of 2007

5. Four Pairs of Gap Boxer Shorts......Although quite embarrassing opening in front of your fiance's entire family, there's nothing quite as refreshing (quite literally) as a few new pairs of boxers. [given by my fiance's mother]

4. $45 of AMC Theater Gift Cards......These will graciously be used up by mid-July. [given by my siblings]

3. Al Gore's The Assault on Reason......This would have been the first thing I purchased with the $20 Barnes and Noble gift card I received from my fiance's sister; now, I think I'll purchase approximately eight Starbucks Frappuccinos instead. [also given by my fiance's mother]

2. From the Earth to the Moon DVD Box Set......I've only desperately wanted this box set since I watched all twelve hours of the series over the course of two back-to-back nights about 9 years ago in the summer of '98. [given by Mr. Cooper in a wonderfully executed early birthday offering]

1. Sirius Satellite Radio w/ One Year Subscription......Considering how I'm practically in tears every time I drive in my fiance's Sirius-equipped '07 Jetta and get to listen to the incredible array of songs being played (none of which include the phrase "Don't cha wish your girlfriend was hot like me"), not to mention the endless hours of Howard Stern, I think it's pretty safe to say that this gift is the ultimate birthday present of 2007! [given by my amazing fiance]

Happy Birthday To...

...Kanye West (turns 30), Keenan Ivory Wayans (turns 49), Jerry Stiller (turns 80), Barbara Bush (turns 82), Joan Rivers (turns 342), and last, but certainly not least, me (turning the big 2-4). I think it's safe to say my birthday is 'certainly not least' when the list includes the likes of Keenan Ivory Wayans...yeah, I went there.

If only my mom could have waited a few more hours until June 9th, my birthday would be shared with much cooler people...Johnny Depp, Natalie Portman, Michael J. Fox! Oh well, I'll have to settle for a rapper and some old folks. Bring on the birthday cake!

I Think I Love You

Who Knew Accidental Pregnancy Could Be So Funny? Judd Apatow, That's Who.

The Good: Knocked Up takes humor to areas other comedies dare not touch (crowning baby heads, anyone?); this should come as no surprise since there is such a huge overlap of the creative minds involved with The 40 Year Old Virgin. While Katherine Heigl does a great job and Seth Rogen manages to survive his first leading role relatively intact, it's the members of the vast supporting cast (individuals plucked from previous Judd Apatow ventures like the masterful Paul Rudd, as well as cast members of NBC's The Office and Saturday Night Live) that deserve an overwhelming portion of credit for the movie's greatness.

The Bad: I'm not going to say every joke hits the intended mark; sometimes movies like these, thinking all jokes get better if you keep pushing them for a long minute, will end up killing a joke with force (recent offender - Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby). That being said, only a small amount of jokes end up lukewarm, while the majority of jokes result in reactions ranging from a chuckle to hilarity-induced crying. Furthermore, the movie industry needs to agree to never, ever, ever, ever let Ryan Seacrest act in another movie again. Ever.

The Verdict: Successfully using humor to dive headfirst into a wide range of topics (including the potential conspiracies surrounding hotel furniture selection), it is undeniable that Knocked Up is the must-see comedy of the summer.

The Grade: A-

True Colors

[From The Dallas Morning News, regarding a recent meeting between President Bush and "friends of his from Texas"]

But by all reports, President Bush is more convinced than ever of his righteousness. Friends of his from Texas were shocked recently to find him nearly wild-eyed, thumping himself on the chest three times while he repeated “I am the president!” He also made it clear he was setting Iraq up so his successor could not get out of “our country’s destiny.”

[From The Nelson Report, regarding a similar private meeting with President Bush]

Some big money players up from Texas recently paid a visit to their friend in the White House. The story goes that they got out exactly one question, and the rest of the meeting consisted of The President in an extended whine, a rant, actually, about no one understands him, the critics are all messed up, if only people would see what he’s doing things would be OK…etc., etc. This is called a “bunker mentality” and it's not attractive when a friend does it. When the friend is the President of the United States, it can be downright dangerous.