Go Kendra, Go Kendra, Go Kendra

By now, everyone knows Kendra Wilkinson has a sex tape. Unless you don't know who Kendra Wilkinson is because you don't have a mother who occasionally fell asleep to episodes of The Girls Next Door. That show was kind of hypnotizing, right? The girls' lives were whitewashed into some semblance of normalcy, making it really easy to forget that they were all living in that mansion in exchange for having sex with the same decrepit old man. Yet they looked like they were having fun! Kendra especially. So, sure, she has a sex tape out now, but you can find some way more interesting videos on Youtube. Like this one, which raises so many questions. Like, what is the intended audience for this video? It's not sexy or naked enough to compete with the wealth of porn on the internet. And it's not really informative enough to qualify as an instructional dance video. And WHY that song??

"Okay, that's it, I'm gonna show you some martial arts next!" -Kendra
Just for good measure:

Just a hint.

You know how that new J.J. Abrams movie is coming out, and people are trying to piece together what it is based on a bunch of little clues. Well, I've got a potential new project coming up this summer, and here is the first part of the puzzle. Try it. It's awesome!

Yuck.

In case you guys needed a reminder.

Katherine Heigl's still terrible.

Werner Time

I'll be honest (as usual, no frontin' allowed here). I didn't watch all of this yet, because, um, 18 minutes long. But I thought that some people (Alex) might not have seen it yet. Why doesn't Werner narrate everything? If his voice was in commercials, I would buy so much stuff.

Dupreenaissance

Robbie Dupree certainly has been in the news lately! Not that he's news to us; we've been jamming to Dupree's hit "Steal Away" for years, thanks to Papa Winfrey's smooth rock vinyl collection. You can see why we were attracted to this cover:

It just screams (or whispers) smooth! As you might remember, Alex has a notorious beef with Dupree over a little music licensing disagreement. Really, though, I think that the Robster was only the pawn in a WMG-orchestrated bad-business scheme.
The man's certainly been productive lately. Not only does he have a new album coming out, but Steal Away is featured on the MacGruber soundtrack, as well as the soundtrack of whatever that new artsy Jim Carrey movie is called. Jimmy Fallon, yacht-rock enthusiast, also took an interest in the greatness that is Steal Away, and Robbie Dupree performed on his show Friday night! It was really wonderful, not only because Jimmy's Michael-McDonald-inspired backing vocals seemed to be making the other backup singers laugh, but because Robbie Dupree was really great! It's such a disappointment to hear a singer once known for their falsetto strain to reach the notes that once came easily (Supertramp is a good example), but Robbie Dupree still sounded great, and he seemed like he was having a lot of fun. Also, duh, The Roots! Here's
the performance on Hulu. I can't stop watching it! Let the Dupreenaissance continue. Obviously I am really proud of that pun.

Awesome.

This guy is using his family to its full potential. I know you guys have seen the original, so I'm not even going to bother posting it. "I am, uh, crazy about the blonde." So good. His Family Ties intro is amazing as well.

Careless Whisper

This is pretty much my room every night. I have a roommate who happens to be Japanese, and one of his many eccentricities is whisper singing. I assume he's listening to music, but who knows. Anyway, it's kind of like he's trying to keep it down, but at the same time he just can't hold it in. It's the loudest whisper I've ever heard, and I get to hear it a lot. He's also taken to snapping his fingers a lot. Sometimes he'll just say one word really loud to his computer. He stomps his feet about 10 times before leaving the room. He laughs to himself a lot and claps his hands. He's constantly making noises like he just discovered a life changing secret. He eats Skittles out of a cup the way most people drink water. He only ever eats candy, and he does so loudly. What I'm trying to say is, you ain't never meant anyone like Yamaguchi.

While We're on the Subject...

Has a hipster band made a dance remix of this yet? I feel like that probably exists, somewhere.

You can't even imagine what I had to Google to find this

Okay, I'll just tell you. It was "90's children's show man with beard." Alternately, I could've just called my mother.
I think there's a 95% chance that Alex doesn't remember this at all, but when we were really little, we used to watch this show everyday. Actually, Alex thought this was our dad. It's called Fred Penner's Place and it's Canadian, but we must've seen it on Nick Jr. Between this, Muppet Babies, Sharon, Lois, and Bram, Mr. Roger's Neighborhood, and David the Gnome, it is a wonder that we ever went outside at all. Just seeing this makes me feel such a deep feeling of comfort! But maybe, like Little Alex, I'm just thinking of my dad. This doesn't start until about 40 seconds in.

I truly feel that people working on children's television shows are doing the Lord's work. And I would be remiss if I didn't note that Fred Penner had a lot of outfits!

Greenberg

I went and saw Greenberg tonight. When I purchased the ticket, the lady asked me, "Just one?" as if I were buying a single ticket to Dear John or something. I have wanted to see this movie for a while, mostly because of my casual interest with Noah Baumbach and my more than casual interest with Greta Gerwig. I was really feeling a movie tonight, so truthfully I would been pretty forgiving of just about anything I went and saw. That being said, Greenberg was pretty good.

I went into the movie with kind of low hopes. While I did want to see it, the trailers didn't really do anything for me. I thought the dialogue sounded kind of overly clever. I'd heard people, including Ben Stiller, compare it to a seventies movie, and I thought, "come on." Just because a film has a somewhat unlikeable protagonist doesn't mean you need to talk about Hal Ashby all the time. Then when the film started, I shut up because yeah, it did kind of remind me of a seventies movie. Greenberg reminded of that particular era of filmmaking not so much because of the (slight) narrative similarities, but because of technical factors. The editing, which was, thankfully, not interested in continuity of motion, and the opening credits of the film were nice and unexpected after seeing the trailer. I also enjoyed the use of the zoom, which is something that people are starting to use more, and I have to say, I fully support. Zoom it up, baby. The film looks really pretty, which is always good.

There was only one scene in the film that reminded me of what I expected from the trailer, and that was one of the worst parts of the trailer as well. The scene in which Roger Greenberg interacts with several younger partygoers and talks about how olllllllddddddd he is. This scene went on for a while, and was the only time that I thought Baumbach's dialogue really felt writerly and forced. However, this scene is followed by a really nice scene with Greenberg and his friend, Ivan. The interaction between Greenberg and Ivan was one of my favorite parts of the film. There was an appropriate amount of it, and it felt pretty authentic.

Now to the Gerwig stuff. Was she good? Yes. Did she get naked? Would you expect anything less from her? All jokes aside, the lady gets naked in nearly every movie she's in. Her character was interesting and wasn't too much of a pixie dream girl, which the trailer kind of implied. It was nice to see a strong independent lady up there, not looking for relationships and having casual sex. Good for you.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, Greenberg was enjoyable. Don't be put off by the trailer. It felt much more natural than I thought it would, and Ben Stiller does a great job of keeping his character believable. If you have really wanted to go see a movie, and it's a Monday night and you're alone, I can think of nothing better to do.

I wish there was an app to remove Will.I.Am from songs

Breaking Upwards

Like we say often (usually before posting something negative), we don't like to post negative things. I'd like to know your opinions on this, though. This movie looks bad, right?

Listen. I like Andrew Bujalski as much as the next white girl with an English degree, but I don't need another one of him, okay? One is enough!
That being said. I know I will end up seeing this movie, and I'll probably even like it. I want to talk about all the things I hate about this trailer ("Monogamy is hard, boo-hoo") but those are all the things I love about Woody Allen movies.
Alex is gonna hate this one.

Muscles

This was a really weird phase in Diana Ross's career.

Dan originally showed me this video, and he could point out every little eccentricity far better than I can. So, instead, here's the entirety of Wikipedia's description:
The single's music video featured Ross in bed dreaming of muscular men. In one scene she is shown floating through the air over a landscape which turns out to be a man's musclebound body.
Fun fact: this song was written by Michael Jackson.

Steff

My favorite television character Special Agent Dale Cooper once said, "Harry, I'm going to let you in on a little secret. Every day, once a day, give yourself a present. Don't plan it. Don't wait for it. Just let it happen. It could be a new shirt at the men's store, a catnap in your office chair, or two cups of good, hot black coffee."
I live my life with this in mind. Usually I opt for hot black coffee over the shirt from the men's store, but sometimes my present to myself is something else entirely. Today, it's this video.

The cast put Pretty in Pink way above the rest of the 80's teen movie crop. From Harry Dean Stanton's tender bum of a dad to Andrew McCarthy's eye-twitching heart-throb to Jon Cryer's brilliant portrayal of the high school outcast I only wish I knew when I was 17, the casting choices were flawless. But H and I have our own favorite character; James Spader's Steff, who wears his shirt perpetually unbuttoned to the navel (sometimes not buttoned at all!) and saunters through the high school looking not a day over 35. We quote Steff a lot, but for some reason, no one else seems to appreciate him the way we do. When we saw PIP in a theatre, we were the only ones laughing at lines like, "What's her name, Eddie or something?" and "If we're gonna shoot, we've gotta shake it," and our personal favorite, "You're gonna be late, buddy." I'm glad this video exists, because it proves that someone else in the world appreciates the wonder and bitchiness that is Steff.

Elizabeth Taylor

This weekend my grandma asked me if I was going to get engaged for my birthday. This was my response:

Why, yes, I DO have a B.A. in Howling from the Elizabeth Taylor School of Denying Things.

This was funny.

The idea is pretty silly, but it was really well done! I mean, this seems like a trailer.

It's my birthday week, I post what I want

Apparently Alex is too busy for the blog now. "I'm in college. I'm writing and producing a hit TV show." - my impression of Alex. I guess it's up to me to keep the blog going, and I can't think of a better way to do that than...
Rod Stewart!
The video isn't embeddable, and you might not think it's worth clicking over to Youtube to watch, but it is. Prepare to be surprised by one of my favorite Rod songs. In this live performance, he flouts conventional sartorial wisdom by rockin' a jacket with horizontal stripes. Also, a sailor hat. At one point, an audience member THROWS A STRIPED SCARF (a scarf? really?) at him and he immediately puts it on. When you're Rod Stewart, your audience always knows to only throw color/pattern-coordinated accessories at you. He also showcases some great dance moves, like "removing a hat and then putting it back on" and "wrist-shaking." Do yourself a favor and check out the dancing lady at 3:52.

Lady Stuff

On a Winfrey Family Vacation a couple of years ago (which took place on/near a mountain and involved staying in a cabin, as do all Winfrey Family Vacations), Alex brought along a book called Things I've Learned From Women Who've Dumped Me. The book consisted of (mostly) humorous essays by comedians, writers, and comedy writers about, you guessed it, the things they learned from the women who dumped them. I brought along East of Eden, because I entertained foolish hopes of using the car time to work my way through a classic. I ended up not even opening East of Eden and instead reading Alex's book when he finished it. A lot of my favorite comedians were represented (notably, David Wain, whose contribution was among my favorites) and I enjoyed the book.
After I'd finished it, Alex asked if it was weird to read a whole book chronicling mens' relationships experiences (and it was all men...no lesbians allowed here!). Well, no. Actually, it wasn't weird, because welcome to the whole wide world of comedy, film, and literature. While I consciously and unconsciously seek out the work of female comedians, writers, and directors, there's no denying that even underground/independent art forms are predominantly male. Of course, this isn't really anyone's fault, and it isn't even inherently bad. Like I said, I really enjoyed Things I've Learned From Women Who've Dumped Me. But did I feel like the book was intended for me? Did I feel like I was in on the joke? No way. But that's okay.
When I read Julie Klausner's fantastic book I Don't Care About Your Band, I thought "Finally! It's Things I've Learned From Women Who've Dumped Me, but for women!" It was everything the other book had been: witty, smart, in turns hilarious and heartbreaking. But this time, I didn't feel like I was sitting in the corner watching everyone else have fun. Julie Klausner was a woman making astute pop-culture references and identifying with a Muppet. She was funny, and she didn't have to pretend to be a man in order to get a laugh.
All of this is one big rambling way of saying that Julie Klausner is on one of our favorite podcasts, The Sound of Young America. TSOYA has had interviews in the past with some of my favorite smart, funny ladies (Miranda July, Charlyne Yi, Sloane Crosley, Maria Bamford) as well as lots of smart, funny men. The best part of this interview is that Julie Klausner comes across as a very nice person, because as you know, Alex and I have a hard time liking a comedian if they seem mean-spirited. Julie Klausner also compares her book to Things I've Learned From Women Who've Dumped Me, saying, "I didn't dump you. You were terrible, and then you disappeared."
Truly a woman after my own heart.

Lots and Lots of Rocks

Based on that title, Alex knows what's coming.
When we were little, Alex absolutely loved the Olsen twins. They had this series of videos where they were detectives, or "super duper snoopers," to use their wording. They had an office in (I think) a treehouse, and their tagline was, "We'll solve any crime by dinnertime." Alex practically wore out the VHS. Each video was, like, 15% mystery, 15% weird acting, and 70% awesome songs. Alex reminded me of this song recently, and oh MAN is it bad/wonderful.

First off, who is their vocal coach? The Olsens were just children and cannot be held responsible for those heinous singing choices. Randy Jackson would say, "Yo yo yo dawg, for me for you, you took some liberties with the melody. Pitchy, dawg." And secondly, I feel terrible for the lady who played the librarian. She had to muster up a Tawny Kitaen-in-a-Whitesnake-video level of enthusiasm for a song about rocks written for children.
Also, while we're talkin' Olsens, this one is the jam.

The Vote is IN

Not funny!

Kerry and I recently heard Natasha Leggero on Doug Benson's I Love Movies (family fav!), and we came to a conclusion about her. She's annoying. She doesn't like hip hop music you guys, because she's my mom. I'd heard a lot about her before, and I think I always just assumed she was cool because of the people she's associated with, but I was wrong. I don't want to say that she's popular because of her looks, but... Also, can you really be funny and be that well dressed? I get every feeling from her that she thinks she's better than everyone. Ugh, you guys, popular music is soo bad. Blah blah blah, Natasha Leggero. You've made a powerful enemy.

For Some Reason

this made me laugh. Clearly that guy is having a great time. I think this is actually the official video.

Book Club: Snow Angels

Our Book Club pick for April was Snow Angels by Stewart O'Nan. Perhaps not a seasonally appropriate choice, but still one that I was very happy with. Out of all the books we've (or I've) read for Book Club, this one is the easiest to recommend, but also the most depressing. Sure, The Moviegoer was depressing, but in a way that's hard to verbalize. For me, while I enjoyed The Moviegoer, the language got in the way of a visceral connection. With Snow Angels, the language (I almost typed "prose," but I'm not in an English program anymore. I don't have to use that word anymore! Barf) was unobtrusive and simple, bringing the devastation of the story to the forefront.
Snow Angels deals with two plots, one focusing on a fourteen-year-old boy, Arthur, and the other on his former babysitter, Annie, and her husband, Glenn. One of these stories is far more tragic than the other, and it's a real credit to O'Nan as an author that he's able to make us care just as deeply about the more trivial story.
What made this novel stand out so much for me was O'Nan's attention to the little high-school details; the indignities of riding the bus, the marching band director trying in vain to extract some kind of greatness out of a bunch of bumbling kids, and most importantly, the real selfishness of 14 year old kids. I'm pretty sure Little Alex never went through a phase like that, but most kids, myself included, did. In one scene, Arthur's parents are arguing in the next room as he prepares for a date, and he thinks, "I wasn't going to let anything ruin my happiness." Well, yeah. That's being 14.
So in a way, sure, this is a book about "growing up," but it's a lot more than that, too. The last paragraph is one of the most quietly crushing passages I've ever read. Highly recommended, you guys! You'll go O'Nanners for O'Nan (sorry).

Crazy excited.

I've been listening to this song a lot lately. The video is pretty nice too. Mostly I just wanted to say how excited I am to see George Saunders this week. I think that will be one of the few things I've ever done that is actually worth blogging about.

PS

Book club selection TBA. Hold your pants on.