Jeff "Jmunney" Malone's Self-Styled "Expert" Thoughts on Movies, TV, Music, and the Rest of Pop Culture
April 7, 2013
Saturday Night Live, SNL Weekly Recaps, Television Melissa McCarthy, Phoenix, Saturday Night Live, Saturday Night Live Season 38, SNL, SNL Season 38 Leave a comment
You know what I’m writing off this year? The next generation.
Cold Opening – Kim Jong-Un
I laughed the most when he said “Wichita State.” Everything about Dennis Rodman screamed that he had just walked out of a time warp. B
Melissa McCarthy’s Monologue
This – THIS – is the sort of the offbeat, but so perfect, concept every monologue should aspire to. B+
April 6, 2013
Music, Television, VH1 Top 20 Countdown Leave a comment
No, folks, you’ve got it wrong. You’ve got it … all wrong.
Original Version
1. Maroon 5 – “Daylight”
2. Bruno Mars – “When I Was Your Man”
3. fun. – “Carry On”
4. Emeli Sandé – “Next to Me”
5. Macklemore and Ryan Lewis ft. Wanz – “Thrift Shop”
6. Justin Timberlake ft. Jay-Z – “Suit & Tie”
7. Rihanna ft. Mikky Ekko – “Stay”
8. Olly Murs ft. Flo Rida – “Troublemaker”
9. Mumford & Sons – “I Will Wait”
10. P!nk ft. Nate Ruess – “Just Give Me a Reason”
11. Pitbull ft. Christina Aguilera – “Feel This Moment”
12. Imagine Dragons – “It’s Time”
13. Taylor Swift – “22”
14. Ed Sheeran – “Lego House”
15. Train – “Mermaid”
16. Youngblood Hawke – “We Come Running”
17. OneRepublic – “If I Lose Myself”
18. Kelly Clarkson – “Catch My Breath”
19. Alabama Shakes – “Hold On”
20. The Lumineers – “Stubborn Love”
Jmunney’s Revision
1. Hold On
2. Thrift Shop
3. Stay
4. It’s Time
5. We Come Running
6. Troublemaker
7. Stubborn Love
8. Suit & Tie
9. Carry On
10. Next to Me
11. Just Give Me a Reason
12. Lego House
13. Feel This Moment
14. 22
15. Mermaid
16. When I Was Your Man
17. I Will Wait
18. Catch My Breath
19. If I Lose Myself
20. Daylight
April 5, 2013
Community, Community Episode Reviews, Television 1 Comment
I was a little concerned going into “Herstory of Dance,” not so much for the episode itself as much as how it would fit into the season. We’re more than halfway through Season 4, and it doesn’t feel like much BIG has happened yet. Some characters have important arcs they need to get through, and this could be the last season. Britta protesting the Sadie Hawkins dance with her own dance didn’t sound like the type of synopsis that would resolve the lack of bigness. But “Herstory” actually managed to move some of the big Season 4 arcs nicely along, as well as being a plenty enjoyable episode in and of itself.
Since it was introduced last season, the verb “to Britta” (“to make a small mistake”) has entered my regular vernacular. But it is a catchphrase that I’ve worried could be overused. Ever since Britta has known what it means, it just isn’t as sharp as it once was. Giving her a chance to reclaim “Britta’ing it” gave it fresh value. The fact that she actually succeeded – with a little help from Pierce (hey, remember just a few episodes ago when everyone was complaining how awful he was?) – made this perhaps her best episode ever. And she really deserved that moment of triumph. Confusing Susan B. Anthony with Sophie B. Hawkins was hilarious, especially considering Britta’s cat, but it’s not like it was that big a deal. As Pierce pointed out, Jeff really was being too hard on her. She has gone from the most worldly of the group to usually nothing more than the butt monkey. She deserved some dignity for standing up for herself and committing to the bit.
Abed also showed character growth this episode, growth that’s been percolating all season, particularly in “History 101” (accepting change) and “Conventions of Space and Time” (realizing he has people who care for him). In “Herstory,” he learned that while growth is valuable, he shouldn’t abandon his well-worn tropes if there’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity right under his nose. It helped that one of those opportunities, coat check girl Rachel, was played by the very cute Brie Larson, who looked very different than the last time I saw her, in 21 Jump St.. (Bonus points to the second check coat girl being played by Annie Mebane, the cutest Community writer on staff – and I’m not just saying that because she shares a name with the cutest Community character.) Sometimes people are lucky enough to meet someone who is absolutely perfect for them. Abed has had intriguing romantic prospects before – the girl who asked him out at the end of “Physical Education,” Special Agent Vohlers, Hilda – but none of them were quite so in tune with Abed as Rachel was. And I could tell that she was so perfect by how similar their shenanigans together were to those of Abed and Troy. Abed eventually realized how perfect this pairing was, and Shirley and Annie knew it, too. There was a danger of making Rachel too unbelievably quirky, but that was thankfully avoided, and this was made clear by the contrast to Kat (the girl Annie chose for Abed) the quirkiest girl ever. It simply will not stand if Brie Larson is not signed up for future episodes.
As for what was going on in the background of this episode, it felt like Donald Glover was given free rein to improvise, generally a good thing. For those of you wondering if he and Britta are indeed still a thing, keep in mind that he was helping her plan and run the dance. Changnesia still makes no sense, but damn if Ken Jeong didn’t somehow make the forgetful DJ shtick work. And Jeff’s reactions to the Dean touching are still gold.
“Herstory” was not my favorite of Season 4, but it was the one with the least badness (except for the lack of a tag – seriously, what was that about? [luckily, it’s online]). It made me the most confident I’ve been all season about the show’s future. The current crew seems to have finally gotten a handle on these characters and the pacing back in place just so. I’m perfectly pleased with this effort; I’m giving it a B+ now, but I can see myself thinking about it some more and bumping it to an A-. B+
April 3, 2013
Fuse Top 20 Countdown, Music, Television Leave a comment
I love meaningless connections … of which there are none.
Original Version
1. P!nk ft. Nate Ruess – “Just Give Me a Reason”
2. Bruno Mars – “When I Was Your Man”
3. Rihanna ft. Mikky Ekko – “Stay”
4. Macklemore and Ryan Lewis ft. Wanz – “Thrift Shop”
5. Justin Timberlake ft. Jay-Z – “Suit & Tie”
6. Pitbull ft. Christina Aguilera – “Feel This Moment”
7. Drake – “Started From the Bottom”
8. Imagine Dragons – “Radioactive”
9. Fall Out Boy – “My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light Em Up)”
10. Lil’ Wayne ft. Drake and Future – “Love Me”
11. fun. – “Carry On”
12. Icona Pop – “I Love It”
13. will.i.am ft. Britney Spears – “Scream & Shout”
14. Maroon 5 – “Daylight”
15. Olly Murs ft. Flo Rida – “Troublemaker”
16. Taylor Swift – “I Knew You Were Trouble”
17. Mumford & Sons – “I Will Wait”
18. The Lumineers – “Ho Hey”
19. Of Monsters and Men – “Little Talks”
20. Calvin Harris ft. Florence Welch – “Sweet Nothing”
Jmunney’s Revision
1. Radioactive
2. Little Talks
3. Thrift Shop
4. I Love It
5. Stay
6. Ho Hey
7. Sweet Nothing
8. Troublemaker
9. I Knew You Were Trouble
10. Carry On
11. Suit & Tie
12. My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light Em Up)
13. Just Give Me a Reason
14. Started From the Bottom
15. Feel This Moment
16. When I Was Your Man
17. I Will Wait
18. Scream & Shout
19. Love Me
20. Daylight
April 2, 2013
Music, Watch And/Or Listen to This Leave a comment
Finding out what songs were used in commercials and movie trailers was my main raison d’être for starting the Watch And/Or Listen to This feature. With that in mind, “Spitfire” is the track from the Trance trailer (which, with all due respect to Slumdog Millionaire and 127 Hours, looks like the most fun Danny Boyle flick in a while). Porter Robinson is a DJ following in the footsteps of Skrillex, but I’m also getting a nineties big beat vibe, in the vein of The Prodigy.
April 1, 2013
Music, Television, VH1 Top 20 Countdown Leave a comment
No more censorship, please.
Original Version
1. Bruno Mars – “When I Was Your Man”
2. Macklemore and Ryan Lewis ft. Wanz – “Thrift Shop”
3. Maroon 5 – “Daylight”
4. fun. – “Carry On”
5. Emeli Sandé – “Next to Me”
6. Olly Murs ft. Flo Rida – “Troublemaker”
7. Mumford & Sons – “I Will Wait”
8. Justin Timberlake ft. Jay-Z – “Suit & Tie”
9. Imagine Dragons – “It’s Time”
10. Rihanna ft. Mikky Ekko – “Stay”
11. P!nk ft. Nate Ruess – “Just Give Me a Reason”
12. OneRepublic – “If I Lose Myself”
13. Kelly Clarkson – “Catch My Breath”
14. Train – “Mermaid”
15. Alabama Shakes – “Hold On”
16. Taylor Swift – “22”
17. Youngblood Hawke – “We Come Running”
18. Ed Sheeran – “Lego House”
19. Calvin Harris ft. Florence Welch – “Sweet Nothing”
20. Pitbull ft. Christina Aguilera – “Feel This Moment”
Jmunney’s Revision
1. Hold On
2. Thrift Shop
3. Stay
4. It’s Time
5. We Come Running
6. Sweet Nothing
7. Troublemaker
8. Carry On
9. Suit & Tie
10. Next to Me
11. Just Give Me a Reason
12. Lego House
13. 22
14. Feel This Moment
15. Mermaid
16. When I Was Your Man
17. I Will Wait
18. Catch My Breath
19. If I Lose Myself
20. Daylight
March 27, 2013
Fuse Top 20 Countdown, Music, Television 1 Comment
Music, it’s the industry.
Original Version
1. Bruno Mars – “When I Was Your Man”
2. Justin Timberlake ft. Jay-Z – “Suit & Tie”
3. Rihanna ft. Mikky Ekko – “Stay”
4. Macklemore and Ryan Lewis ft. Wanz – “Thrift Shop”
5. Drake – “Started From the Bottom”
6. P!nk ft. Nate Ruess – “Just Give Me a Reason”
7. will.i.am ft. Britney Spears – “Scream & Shout”
8. Imagine Dragons – “Radioactive”
9. Lil’ Wayne ft. Drake and Future – “Love Me”
10. Maroon 5 – “Daylight”
11. Mumford & Sons – “I Will Wait”
12. Taylor Swift – “I Knew You Were Trouble”
13. fun. – “Carry On”
14. Of Monsters and Men – “Little Talks”
15. Olly Murs ft. Flo Rida – “Troublemaker”
16. Fall Out Boy – “My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light Em Up)”
17. Calvin Harris ft. Florence Welch – “Sweet Nothing”
18. A$AP Rocky ft. Drake, 2 Chainz, and Kendrick Lamar – “F***in’ Problems”
19. The Lumineers – “Ho Hey”
20. Swedish House Mafia – “Don’t You Worry Child”
Jmunney’s Revision
1. Radioactive
2. Little Talks
3. Thrift Shop
4. Stay
5. Ho Hey
6. Sweet Nothing
7. Troublemaker
8. Don’t You Worry Child
9. I Knew You Were Trouble
10. F**kin’ Problems
11. Carry On
12. Suit & Tie
13. My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light Em Up)
14. Just Give Me a Reason
15. Started From the Bottom
16. When I Was Your Man
17. I Will Wait
18. Scream & Shout
19. Love Me
20. Daylight
March 25, 2013
10 Representative Episodes, Saturday Night Live, Television Leave a comment
Taking a cue from The A.V. Club, this feature is a list of ten episodes from a particular television show that more or less best represents that program.
If I’m the one making the decision, then Will Ferrell is the best Saturday Night Live cast member of all time. His seven seasons on the show (1995-1996 to 2001-2002) were marked by character-driven (as opposed to concept-driven) sketches and a spirit of collaboration. The latter is due a great deal to Ferrell, who, though he was a star during his time on the show, was also one of the best utility players and probably the best team player in SNL history. He had memorable moments with literally every one of his castmates during his tenure. When choosing a set of episodes that show off all that SNL has to offer, one thing to keep in mind is that every era has had its mix of good and bad. Luckily, almost every episode also has that mix, so there’s no need to go out of my way to make sure the particular weaknesses of the era are represented. These 10 episodes offer a variety of essential recurring and one-off sketches, many of them – though not all – featuring Will Ferrell prominently.
Season 21, Episode 20 – Jim Carrey/Soundgarden (Original Airdate: 5/18/96)
The 95-96 season was the last true transitional season of SNL. With a young cast and not really any established stars, Carrey was able to stamp his own personal brand of humor onto the show. While Will Ferrell was yet to be as big a star as he would become, he was already the centerpiece of the cast, and it shows in two classic sketches that could have only occurred in an episode hosted by Jim Carrey – the insanely overprotective Jacuzzi lifeguard and the insanely drug-fueled Jimmy Tango’s Fat Busters. Also of note is Carrey’s bravura impression of Jimmy Stewart squaring off against Mark McKinney as Carrey in Jim Breuer’s showcase sketch, the Joe Pesci Show.
http://www.hulu.com/watch/285279
Season 22, Episode 10 – Kevin Spacey/Beck (Original Airdate: 1/11/97)
The Star Wars screen test audition sketches – with Spacey as Walter Matthau for Obi-Wan and Christopher Walken for Han Solo, Darrell Hammond as Richard Dreyfuss for C-3PO, Ana Gasteyer as Barbra Streisand for Leia, and, of course, Norm MacDonald as Burt Reynolds for Darth Vader – set the template for all future impression showcase sketches. Also, Michael Palin and John Cleese stopped by for a recreation of the Dead Parrot sketch.
Season 22, Episode 16 – Mike Myers/Aerosmith (Original Airdate: 3/22/97)
Before a time when every other monologue was a singing monologue, Mike Myers sang about the joys of a former cast member returning to host, and it may just have been the best SNL monologue of all time (bonus points for Tim Meadows having his own verse to decry the pitfalls of 30-year contracts). This episode serves as a prime example of a returning host bringing back some of his best recurring sketches and sticking the new current cast into them, particularly with Will Ferrell’s Helmut joining Dieter in a “Sprockets” sketch for the “Insane Academy Awards” (George Jetson wins “Best Shegro in a Musical” for My Left Foot).
http://www.hulu.com/watch/276364
Season 23, Episode 17 – Steve Buscemi/Third Eye Blind (4/4/98)
When I first started really getting into SNL in the late nineties, there were certain sketches I referred to as “What were the writers smoking?”-sketches. Appropriately enough, just about every sketch in the 1998 episode by Steve Buscemi fits into this category, particularly the Job Interview, with Buscemi as the most overly aggressive and oversharing interviewer of all time. He also shone as the most intense Grease fanatic of all time, a school janitor given to taking his pants off, and a hip-hop dance instructor appearing before Judge Judy. This episode is also an example of a strange trend from the 97-98 season in which the musical guest only performed one song.
http://www.hulu.com/watch/285847
Season 22, Episode 9 – Alec Baldwin/Luciano Pavarotti and Vanessa Williams (12/12/98)
This episode features two sketches that have become more or less synonymous with Alec Baldwin on SNL: the 6-year-old who looks like a fully grown man and seduces the hospital clown, and, of course, Schweddy Balls – which interestingly enough, isn’t very representative of most “Delicious Dish” sketches, which mainly made fun of the dry enthusiasm of NPR broadcasters. This episode was also very much of its time with the commercial parody for the long-distance phone service 10-10-1776-5-28-1830-242-3-316-68-22. And if you’re going to talk about essential episodes from Will Ferrell’s tenure, you’ve got to have at least one with a Bill Brasky sketch.
http://www.hulu.com/watch/4156
Season 25, Episode 1 – Jerry Seinfeld/David Bowie (Original Airdate: 10/2/99)
A solid collection of recurring sketches (the daffy talk show Morning Latte, with Seinfeld as a guest pitching the new diet “The Realm,” a Mary Katherine Gallagher sketch featuring a Catholic school vs. Jewish school basketball rivalry) and highly memorable odd original bits (following the series finale of Seinfeld, Jerry is transferred to Oz, where his exploits with the other prisoners resemble classic Seinfeld episodes; after ABC changes the title of 2 Guys, a Girl, and a Pizza Place to just 2 Guys and a Girl, NBC picks up …and a Pizza Place; the Action 8 News Watch keeps previewing its stories without ever getting to any of them) all done with a Seinfeldian viewpoint. And there’s the Seinfeld vs. Seinfeld (Jimmy Fallon) debate on Weekend Update.
Season 25, Episode 3 – Norm MacDonald/Dr. Dre (Original Airdate: 10/23/99)
Considering that Norm MacDonald is one of my favorite funny people ever, this was actually a somewhat disappointing episode, but it is worth mentioning for what may be the best SNL sketch of all time: the Celebrity Jeopardy with Sean Connery, Burt Reynolds, and French Stewart. It gave us funny oversized hats, “Moo – that’s the sound your mother made last night,” “Ah, ruff, just the way your mother likes it,” Turd Ferguson, Texas with a dollar sign, and many others. Also memorable was Norm’s monologue, in which he pondered how he could possibly be funny enough to host the show after being fired less than two years ago.
http://www.hulu.com/watch/12203
Season 25, Episode 16 – Christopher Walken/Christina Aguilera (Original Airdate: 4/8/00)
The Behind the Music with Blue Oyster Cult, a.k.a. “More Cowbell,” is rightly remembered as a classic, for performances from a mostly affectless Walken and a no-vanity, midriff-baring Will Ferrell, Jimmy Fallon cracking up before it was an epidemic, and rich dialogue (“Before we’re done here, y’all be wearing gold-plated diapers”). But “More Cowbell” is not the best SNL sketch with Walken; in fact, it is not even the best from this episode. That distinction belongs to the census interview, with brilliant straight man Tim Meadows as the interviewer and Walken (at his glued to the cue cards best) as Mr. Leonard, a convicted criminal who lives alone with a bobcat and works 56 hours a week as a street performer.
http://www.hulu.com/watch/4165
Season 26, Episode 1 – Rob Lowe/Eminem (10/7/00)
The best SNL season ever when it comes to politics (thank you, Florida) began here, with “strategery” and “lockbox.” This season premiere also saw the debut of Jimmy Fallon and Tina Fey as co-Weekend Update anchors, whose brother/sister-style repartee brought unheard-of mainstream press buzz behind the desk.
http://www.hulu.com/watch/284761
Season 27, Episode 9 – Ellen DeGeneres/No Doubt (Original Airdate: 12/15/01)
Another great Christmas episode! This episode features a bunch of fun (with a capital “F”) sketches. The Culps Christmas Pageant is perhaps the best appearance of Will Ferrell and Ana Gasteyer’s “hip” middle-school music teachers. Ellen falls for Chris Kattan’s exotic dancer character Mango, and it leads to an homage to A Hard Day’s Night. There is also the family on the road to vacation worrying that they may have left doors open and appliances running at home. Dad – played by Ferrell – is certain that he left two cans of gas in the sun under a magnifying glass. Finally, there is the perennial holiday classic “The Narrator That Ruined Christmas,” a pitch-perfect TV Funhouse parody of Rankin-Bass specials.
http://www.hulu.com/watch/284766
Ten More: Robert Downey, Jr./Fiona Apple (11/16/96), Sylvester Stallone/Jamiroquai (9/27/97), Ray Romano/The Corrs (3/13/99), Christina Ricci/Beck (12/4/99), Freddie Prinze, Jr./Macy Gray (1/15/00), Charlize Theron/Paul Simon (11/4/00), Tom Green/David Gray (11/18/00), Conan O’Brien/Don Henley (3/10/01), Jon Stewart/India.Arie (3/9/02), Winona Ryder/Moby (5/18/02)
March 24, 2013
Music, Television, VH1 Top 20 Countdown Leave a comment
Again and again, the hits (from years ago) just keep on comin’.
Original Version
1. Maroon 5 – “Daylight”
2. fun. – “Carry On”
3. Bruno Mars – “When I Was Your Man”
4. Macklemore and Ryan Lewis ft. Wanz – “Thrift Shop”
5. Olly Murs ft. Flo Rida – “Troublemaker”
6. Emeli Sandé – “Next to Me”
7. Imagine Dragons – “It’s Time”
8. Kelly Clarkson – “Catch My Breath”
9. Mumford & Sons – “I Will Wait”
10. Justin Timberlake ft. Jay-Z – “Suit & Tie”
11. Rihanna ft. Mikky Ekko – “Stay”
12. Calvin Harris ft. Florence Welch – “Sweet Nothing”
13. OneRepublic – “If I Lose Myself”
14. Taylor Swift – “I Knew You Were Trouble”
15. Alabama Shakes – “Hold On”
16. Train – “Mermaid”
17. P!nk ft. Nate Ruess – “Just Give Me a Reason”
18. Bon Jovi – “Because We Can”
19. Youngblood Hawke – “We Come Running”
20. Hunter Hayes – “Wanted”
Jmunney’s Revision
1. Hold On
2. Thrift Shop
3. Stay
4. It’s Time
5. We Come Running
6. Sweet Nothing
7. Troublemaker
8. I Knew You Were Trouble
9. Carry On
10. Suit & Tie
11. Next to Me
12. Just Give Me a Reason
13. Mermaid
14. When I Was Your Man
15. I Will Wait
16. Wanted
17. Catch My Breath
18. If I Lose Myself
19. Daylight
20. Because We Can
March 22, 2013
Community, Community Episode Reviews, Television Leave a comment
“Magnitude, you’re not to say ‘pop pop’ ever again.”
One criticism that people (including myself a few times) have been making about Community Season 4 is how overly busy the episodes have been. “Economics of Marine Biology” was among the busiest, but that wasn’t really a problem, as most of the plot sprang from the same point. Only Troy and Shirley’s storyline stood out as its own thing, but it was small-scale enough for its relatively little screen time to not cause it to suffer.
The only significant problem with the a-plot was that the “whale” (a rich potential student with plenty of money to spend freely while at Greendale) that the Dean was after didn’t make much of an impression. In fact, I had to look up his name (Archie), even after watching the episode twice. His description started out promisingly enough: SAT score of “0,” “high lack of ambition.” But he ended up not having much of a personality beyond “entitled” and “likes snowboarding.” And he didn’t provide much of a conflict either, as he didn’t require much convincing when the Dean insisted that he accommodate himself to Greendale. Luckily, though, this storyline did not hinge on Archie as much as the Dean and Annie’s reactions to him. While I was happy to see Annie actually have something significant to do, I would have liked if she had actually been given more to say, though her expressions were great, particularly when she and the Dean made pleading faces to Jeff (who couldn’t bear them for various reasons) and when she had to whisk Magnitude away. Speaking of Magnitude, it was brilliant that Archie stealing his catchphrase was the point at which things had gotten out of hand, and it was a great way to keep “Pop! Pop!” relevant.
The Delta Cubes business was amusing enough and certainly felt like something Abed would do. Actually, it felt like something Season 1 Abed would do, specifically, something he would do in “The Art of Discourse,” when he was trying to experience everything that movies told him were essential aspects of college. Maybe he just didn’t get a chance to pull a frat vs. dean stunt freshman year, and he jumped at the opportunity when it happened to arrive.
I have been hearing a lot that this season feels like Season 1 for some viewers, and that can be seen with Troy and Shirley’s Physical Education Education (P.E.E.) subplot, in that it focused on a class that doesn’t necessarily have much bearing on a season-long storyline. It managed to make Chang useful AND funny, with an inspired montage of Shirley teaching Troy to teach Chang. The golf swing sequence was the quite the sight gag. “I was supposed to teach you two to teach others, but instead, you ended up teaching me” was a nicely ridiculous tweaking of the often cliché story of teachers and students inspiring each other.
For those of you who have been getting worked up about Pierce reverting to a racist monster, this episode shows that it is best not to overreact to any one particular episode. And we have got to just keep praising Joel McHale. Jeff’s reaction to Pierce telling him that he’s proud of him for standing up to his father was reminiscent of the talk the two had in “The Politics of Human Sexuality.” But this time, Jeff saw no reason to say, “I was waiting for that to become inappropriate or racist.” His chiding to Annie and the Dean to not “talk about Pierce like that” conveyed in one sentence how much Jeff has matured. Annie’s expression of not being quite sure how to react was also telling. If Season 5 happens, I’m really going to miss Pierce. B+
Jmunney's Blog 