Awkward, indeed.

Now I'm not saying this site is safe-for-work, but I *am* saying it's funny-fodder-for-a-slow-Saturday-night.. it's the Awkward Boners blog; check it!

File under "comedy"?

Well, at the least, I can say, "we've all been there" -- at least to the guys -- but, shizz, do have you had it captured on camera (or video)? haha. I feel like this sort of thing was more of an issue in high school? Or maybe in high school it was more a topic of conversation?

Maybe it was because I wore more sweatpants back then?

Anyhoo.. do you have a memorable awkward boner story? Write about that shizz in the comments; get it off your chest, score some karma points. And if you have a picture, well, you know where to go..

~~

Thanks to Thrillist New York for, um, pointing the way (to the site).

Ready to superimpose your lips on mine?

Man, I love the syncro-vox interviews on Late Night with Conan O'Brien!

Over the weekend, I caught the latest one - with firebrand and, I use the term loosely, media darling (one we love to hate), Jeremiah Wright - on hulu.com; it was originally aired on April 30, 2008 (but now find it on-demand, natch). And as far as I'm concerned, Conan and his crew need to do more of these sketches, these fake celebrity interviews, of which I've apparently only seen just a handful, because wikipedia mentions no less than 12 different ones out there, from Tom Cruise and Donald Trump to Martha Stewart and Hillary Clinton.

Wait, hold up a sec..

For those of you not familiar with syncro-vox, it is filming method that superimposes real talking lips onto a static photograph or cartoon (positioning the lips so that it looks as if the person/animal/whatever is doing the talking). But nevermind the technicals; all we need to know is that its results are totally silly and totally hilarious, especially in the hands of madwitty comedians like Robert Smigel and Brian Stack, who handle the syncro-vox "impersonations" on Conan.

So, without further ado, check the Reverend Jeremiah Wright on Conan now (video).. as, um, interpreted by Mr. Smigel. Awesome.

I've tried looking up some other clips on hulu.com and youtube.com, but I could only find a couple featuring (our governor), Arnold Schwarzenegger. The first (video) is "Arnold" role playing every cast member from Friends (much to Conan's chagrin, but to the audience's delight), and the second (video) is Arnold meeting "Arnold", followed by Arnold syncro-vox'ing Conan live. Huh? Just watch, and you'll see what I mean; the tables will have turned!

In any case, I wish I could find more clips, so if you have any links/leads, let me know! In the meantime, good evening!.. and goddamn you (all to hell) (video)! And Fievel Goes West!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

By the way, in other contexts, syncro-vox can look pretty dark and creepy. For this, let me submit Captain Fathom (video), low budget cartoonage from the 60's, as my evidence. Makes me feel all swarthy just looking at it.. haha.

Better late than never, SF Sketchfest

The 7th annual San Francisco Sketchfest just started this past weekend; it runs from now through the 27th of January. That's right, a comedy festival right here in our great city, running for weeks on end.. and I've still never been to a showing!

Not until this *coming* Sunday, anyway..

This year's awesome lineup has finally gotten me off my ass. I mean, the folks that put on the SF Sketchfest have grown the event to be a premier venue for both up-and-comers and those from the "established comedy underground", folks like Brent Weinbach, Brian Posehn, Tim and Eric, the Upright Citizens Brigade (A.S.S.S.S.C.A.T.) and a reunited Kids in the Hall. And this list is just the tip of the iceberg; scores of others are also performing.

Yeah, so I bought tickets to a show this coming Sunday at Mezzanine:

Jon Benjamin and Eugene Mirman's Fresh Faces of Comedy
Featuring Bob Odenkirk, Tim and Eric, and Michael Showalter

There are a couple other shows I thought about going to (ex. anything with Mr. Weinbach), but given some schedule clashes (CCSF night classes start this week), I was limited in my options. That said, the Fresh Faces of Comedy show was at the top of my list anyway. Yeah, I'm not sure what to expect from the guys behind Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!, but it's sure to be at least pleasantly askew, if not a full on bad makeup and pursed lip comedy trainwreck (in a good way - haha). And, of course, Bob Odenkirk and Michael Showalter are proven laughologists..

In any case, if you're into slightly-skewed comedy, I'd say to get on some tickets (check the SF Sketchfest schedule); shows are happening everyday and at venues all over the city. Some of the big name events (like A.S.S.S.S.C.A.T.) have sold out already, but there are still plenty of laughs to be had. I'm pretty sure that if you go with an open mind - and maybe have a drink or two while you're there - you can't really go wrong; laugh therapy does a body good.

The Japanese are at the top of their game

From Japan, by way of (a friend in) Ireland..

Human Tetris I
Human Tetris II
Human Tetris III

If this isn't stuff comedy, I'm not sure what is. Seriously, I haven't laughed so hard - at least not so sustained - in awhile. The Japanese have got a lock on "the awesome gameshow".

Do they know this?

ps. If you only watch one of these, watch number II.

Triumph: what a funny little bitch

You sure could use a laugh today.

Or, alternatively, some socially-acceptable mood enhancers (or, if you're feeling randy, some minimally-acceptable mood enhancers enjoyed in socially-accepted places, with social and accepting people).

Well, I can't help you with the latter two solutions (not tonight, anyway), but for the first, I've got you covered.. watch the wicked musings of Triumph the Insult Comic Dog and laugh yourself silly.

Start your journey here at Wikipedia for some background, then work your way into Triumph videos and interviews (NYTimes, MTV or NPR); the man is a puppet is a man. And, thoroughly enjoyable.

Be proud of the trinity: newbeer, djmix, gayeyes

Three disparate stuffs for a Monday:

First, I added a new link to the "Social Lubricants" menu on the right: The Beer Pirate (http://www.thebeerpirate.com/). While it sounds swashbuckling and bombastic, it's actually a very straightforward blog of mostly beer reviews, along with the occasional piece of beer news; in short, it's full of some easy (and mouth-watering) beer reading. In fact, it reminded me that pumpkin ale season is upon us with today's review of Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale. It's not that big of a deal here on the West Coast, but on the East Coast - especially the Northeast - the appearance of pumpkin ales certainly indicates the arrival of Fall, cooler temperatures, shorter days, darker (and spiced) beers and so forth. Yeah, since here in SF where is never gets too hot or too cold, I sorta had to do a double take, like it didn't occur to me that the summer was "over" (but I guess it never occurred to me that the summer "started" either).

My continuing internet adventures today led me back to one of my favorite music sites: Disco Belle, where I played a bit of catch-up on a few weeks of entries. Again, they brought another kick-ass dj mix to my attention.. this time by Them Jeans, that LA music tastemaker (or, at least, player), Jason Stewart. While he's been known to throw down anything from hardcore to post-rock to ambient at his parties (per his bio), this mix - called "All Work. All Play." - is pure dancefloor-friendly hiphop.. with a little British twist at the end. I've been playing it non-stop today; check the track list:

Russ Chimes - She’s Got The Heat
M.I.A. - Boyz (acapella)
Rock D The Legend (ft. Big Boi) - DDT
N2Deep - Back To The Hotel
Freck Billionaire - Peter Pan
Soulja Boy - Crank Dat (instrumental)
M.I.A. - Paper Planes
U.G.K. - Swishas And Dosha
Busy P - Rainbow Man
Khafani (ft. Keak Da Sneak) - Fast
DJ Khaled - We Takin’ Over (instrumental)
Electric Light Orchestra - Showdown
M.I.A. - Jimmy
Uffie - Brand New Car (instrumental)
Soulja Boy - Crank Dat (Cousin Cole remix)
Kia Shine - Wow (acapella)
U.G.K. - Like That (remix)
Ali & Gipp (ft. David Banner) - Get On The Floor
Dude ‘N Em - Watch My Feet
Juelz Santana - Okay Okay
Ratatat - Loud Pipes
Ice Cube - You Know How We Do It
The Smiths - How Soon Is Now

Get this music here, now; and dance around your room.

Finally, as I was leaving the SF Library (main branch, natch) this evening, a man in his late 20's comes up to me and asks, "Are you gay?" I casually turn my head more fully towards him and simply say, "No".. to his minor disappointment. All the while he's giving me his best "Gay Eyes". I quickly offer a "Sorry" and we both continue on; why would I feel the need to offer a "sorry"? haha. Yes, just another day in the life..

ps. If you're wondering what "Gay Eyes" are, I'd suggest asking local comedian Brent Weinbach - one of my favorite comedians anywhere, actually. He also has a great recipe for couscous.

Derek and Simon, I'll occasionally frequent you

Well, I'm a man who can appreciate absurdism (sometimes, but more and more as the years pass). So, at times proper, I'll frequent the jocular dreams of folks like Bob Odenkirk, sincerely; they could be so funny. And luckily for us (me?), it seems like he's got some new skits going under the "Derek and Simon: The Show" moniker. Check it here(s):

http://www.myspace.com/derekandsimon
http://www.superdeluxe.com/sd/artist/bob_odenkirk

What do you guys think?