John Adams

Coming across this video on youtube, I was reminded how great the "John Adams" series was. I really should re-watch it from the beginning.

In this scene, the Revolutionary War is over and John Adams is sent to King George III basically as an ambassador. Great television. Make sure you turn off annotations.

[Youtube Video Deleted]

Tonight Show - Freestylin'

The latest edition of Freestylin' with the Roots.

MST3K - Season 11 First Reaction

Now, I don't personally believe there is such a thing as "spoilers" for Mystery Science Theater, but if you do, stop reading now.

I just finished watching the new season of MST3K. I wasn't specifically trying to get through it fast, it just sort of happened that way. The only thing nerdier than binge-watching MST3K would be to post a full, detailed review of it on my blog and my self-image couldn't take that right now. So instead, I just wanted to get a few observations out of my system.

First off, they did a great job. This is a reboot in the vein of Star Wars (oh no, I've mentioned Star Wars, this is spiraling out of control fast) in that they made something new, made something their own but were lovingly loyal to the original, and therefore didn't "piss off the fans". The jokes are funny, they throw in a fan-service in-joke every once in a while, some of the original writers are involved, the movies are terrible, they got some celebrity cameos but made sure their presence made sense in the context of the show and the jokes are funny. They continue the tradition of musical numbers excellently and there's even a Christmas episode.

So overall, I loved it.

There's also lots of "world building" in the show - not something I need but it adds some nice color.

Going into the season, I was pretty curious about the celebrity cameos. Previously, the biggest guest star they had gotten was Leonard Maltin. But, as I said, they turned out to be a nice surprise. For those of you interested, here are some I remember:

• 11.01 - Erin Gray and HWil HWheaton
• 11.04 - Neil Patrick Harris
• 11.06 - Jerry Seinfeld
• 11.12 - Mark Hamill
• 11.14 - Joel McHale
• And also Joel Hodgson, Mary Jo Pehl, Bill Corbitt and Paul Chaplin appear throughout.

One thing I started picking up (and subsequently made notes on) was that it became evident that one of the writers is a native of Philadelphia, though I don't know who - imdb hasn't been updated and it would take more googling than I cared to do. I know Joel has lived in the area for a little while but I don't think it's coming from him. Here are some of the references someone threw in:

• 11.02 - Cry Wilderness - A reference to the Phillie Phanatic.
• 11.08 - The Loves of Hercules - A reference to the Mummers.
• 11.09 - Yongary - A "traffic" joke about the Schuylkill.
• 11.10 - Wizards of the Lost Kingdom - A reference to Citizen's Bank Park.
• 11.13 - The Christmas that Almost Wasn’t - A reference to Bryn Mawr.
• 11.14 - At the Earth's Core - A reference to the Human Heart exhibit at the Franklin Institute. [Deep cut].

And just for good measure here are my favorite episodes so far:

1. 11.01 - Reptilicus.
2. 11.03 - The Time Travelers
3. 11.10 - Wizards of the Lost Kingdom
4. 11.02 - Cry Wilderness
5. 11.06 - Starcrash

You'll note that the list is heavily weighted towards the earlier episodes. The season doesn't really fall apart as it goes along, that's probably just my subjective mood at the time. These are all first impressions, after all.

One final note. There's been a lot of hype and hoopla about adding a new bot to the crew: Mr. Waverly. It's a big risk introducing a new character into the mix. I consider what they do with that character to be one of the masterstrokes of the new season.

Late Night - The Crocuses

Another short segment from Dave's Mom.

Dave's Mom

Dorothy Mengering, David Letterman's mom has passed away at age 95.

Dave's mom was always a highlight of the show. Her appearances every year on Thanksgiving became one of my favorite traditions. If it was Thanksgiving night, I was watching Dave guess the pies...



And this Top Ten is a highlight:

MST3K - Season 11

The new 11th season of Mystery Science Theater 3000 "drops" on Netflix this week. Friday April 14th, to be exact, and I can tell you it's going to be good.

If you're like me and you watch the hype and hoopla concerning the new season you'll see a lot being made of the special effects, the sets, the guest stars, the new bots, the new actors... All that is fine, and I'm a little curious about the special guest stars as well (Jerry Seinfeld), but as I said in a previous post, it's all about getting in the movie theater and making jokes and very little else about the show matters.

As a Kickstarter backer I was able to see the first episode before it gets officially released on Friday. And it's pretty great. They watch a terrible movie that I've never heard of in my life and the jokes are fast and furious. If I have any complaint, it's that the jokes were so fast it's hard to keep up at some points. It demands your full attention or you're going to miss a lot.

So, as a hardcore fan, I approve... I really enjoyed it... And I'm officially as excited about a "tv" show as I have been about any tv show in recent memory. It's back, somehow it really is back.

Cereal? But How?

Sure, I'd like to enjoy cereal but it's just so confusing. "Puffs", "chex", "fiber", "bunches", "cap'ns"... How could I ever hope to understand such an dizzying field?! Is there any hope or are some of us destined to a dull cereal-ess existence?

Well "Cereal Nerd" Toby Radloff says unequivocally "YES"... Uh, to the first part.... Yes, to the hope... Toby is here to make sense of a complex world and bring you his own cereal reviews. His precise analysis is what you need to choose the brand of bran that's right for you.

Continue? - Indiana Jones

The guys play Indiana Jones' Greatest Adventures.


As a bonus, I've never heard of this game in my life but it looks good.