Sunday, October 08, 2006
"Weird Al" is back!
There were lots of things going on in the last couple of weeks. Former President Bill Clinton went on the attack regarding his record on terrorism. The leaked National Intelligence Estimate shows that the Bush administration's record on terrorism isn't all it's cracked up to be. The US legislature has now passed a bill that all but gives the president the authority to torture and suspend habeas corpeus with impunity. Mark Foley has disgraced himself, and revealed how the Republican leadership in Congress apparently put politics above the safety of its teenage pages. And it seems we're going backwards in Afghanistan with the resurgence of the Taliban.
I got kind of busy, but I wanted to write about more than a few of these topics. However, there was one bit of news that I couldn't ignore. "Weird Al" Yankovic has a new album out! Al is apparently a bona fide computer geek, so check out his web site and the new music videos he's put up on YouTube here and here. Weird Al's popularity has waned since the 80's, but he always seems to come back with fresh parodies of current songs. They're always funny, and sometimes are even topical and insightful. I bought the album this weekend, and I give it the Unsolicited Opinions official Unsolicited Endorsement.
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
Old People are Really Nasty and Raunchy
Okay, maybe that's a bit of a generalization. But that's the impression I got from watching the Comedy Central roast of William Shatner. I used to watch the TV show Golden Girls when I was a kid in the 80's, and Betty White was one of the stars. She played, the sweet, but gullible (read: stupid) Rose and really projected the persona of a nice, sweet old lady. Imagine my surprise watching Betty White roast William Shatner with the most vile racial and homosexual jokes, complete with language that would make Richard Pryor blush. Oddly, she delivered all her jokes in the same sweet, old lady voice and tone I remembered from the Golden Girls. It was absolutely hilarious (see a clip here; *WARNING* it's not for sensitive viewers).
And she wasn't the only senior citizen on this show with a foul mouth. Star Trek co-stars Nichelle Nichols and George Takei were equally raunchy and funny, not to mention the guest of honor William Shatner himself at the end.
A roast is definitely not for the easily offended or thin-skinned. The jokes pull no punches and the roasters seem to take perverse delight in outdoing each other in vileness offensiveness and profanity. The humor comes from their reveling in the vileness and the absurd extremes to which they push the material.
I expected the raunchyness from the younger comics at the roast, but watching Betty White casually join in the fun was a treat of perverse comedy. I guess when you get older and wiser, you're less concerned about how other people see you and more interested in just getting the most out the time you're given on this Earth.
Wednesday, March 01, 2006
Stephen Hawking: Brilliant Astrophysicist, Hardcore Gangsta Rapper
It's absurd. It's juvenile. It's offensive. And it's hilarious. Check out the website of MC Hawking and his music video and album trailer. This seems to be a few years old, but I hadn't seen it until now. You can even buy MC Hawking's greatest hits CD: A Brief History of Rhyme. MC Hawking is representin' for the scientists, yo.
DISCLAIMER: If you're deeply offended by gangsta rap, profanity, and/or disrespect towards religion, don't click the link.
This clearly isn't the way to advance science education and awareness, but it struck my twisted sense of humor. I couldn't help laughing.
For a less controversial but even cooler hip-hop animated music video, check out Danger Doom's ode to Cartoon Network's Aqua Teen Hunger Force.
Tuesday, June 28, 2005
The Future is Now
Wonder what will be in the news in 2056? Check out last week's (or is it the week of June 22nd 51 years in the future?) edition of The Onion. For anyone unfamiliar with The Onion, it's pure hilarity. This satirical fake newspaper is inspired.
Labels: humor
