Tuesday Fun Links (Pure Fun! No Political Additives!)
1. I haven't paid much attention to Saturday Night Live for the last couple years. Is it usually this funny?
2. A brilliant mash-up of Peanuts and H.P. Lovecraft.
3. Another fine Peanuts parody, this time inspired by Sam Peckinpah.
Update: And if you want to put Peanuts and SNL together, go here.
[Thanks to Umbriel for link #2. Thanks to Larry Edelstein for link #4.]
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Ahh I see! I get it now, it’s all falling into place. It’s all about the CUPCAKES. Cupcakes are funny. They’re funny because, they’re baked in tinfiol… no, they’re made with corn syrup, no wait… it’s because … shoot.
That SNL short came from the brains of The Lonely Island, three guys who started doing shorts on the internet. Andy, the one you see in the video, was hired as a cast member while Akiva and Jorma were hired as writers. Since they have been hired SNL has actually been funny for a change.
For a good Peanuts parody, Google “Weapon Brown.”
(mumble mumble server mumble links mumble)
What is with the cupcakes? There is some kind of major piece of pop culture I’m missing here …
further to will’s:
http://www.thelonelyisland.com/awesometown/
I think the cupcakes are just there to replace the weed and/or malt liquor that would ordinarily occupy the corresponding “what we consume before we get to where we’re going” segment of the typical rap video. They eat cupcakes instead of getting high or drunk.
“What is with the cupcakes? There is some kind of major piece of pop culture I’m missing here …”
Actually, you can thank the delightful smacky for the recent run about cupcakes here.
Besides, who doesn’t like cupcakes?
CUPCAKES EXPLAINED
There is a particular bakery in NYC, called The Magnolia Bakery, in SOHO (?). Young professionals line up to get cupcakes at the bakery. Sometimes the line goes around the block. The ‘buzz’ surrounding this phenomenon is that the cupcakes are the best in the entire universe.
While I lived in New York, my wife and I went to experience this, we had a gift certificate from a friend–for cupcakes. Several women tried to cut in front of us in line–to get cupcakes.
Its an NYC joke.
Thanks, Rowanhill. I had assumed, like IW, that it was just a super-innocent substitute for weed. (Of course, it’s that too.)
The Peanuts parody broadcast last night as part of Dennis Leary’s Merry F$#kn’ Christmas special on Comedy Central is an instant classic. It can be seen in its entirety on the Comedy Central website here.
Why exactly is the SNL piece funny? Am I missing something? What’s the joke? I’m not being saracastic. I haven’t a clue what’s supposed to be funny about it. Anybody want to explain?
When Jesse asks if SNL is usually this funny, the answer is no, and that’s frightening in itself, because that clip sucked .
the new kid on SNL does have some game. I think you SNL haters just have your favorite cast members from whenever you used to watch the show. Unless you have no sense of humor at all and think that there was never a time when the show was good. Personally I thought the Will Ferrell years were the best. Sure the show goes through some dry periods, but its still one of the best breeding grounds for great comedians.
Well, no accounting for taste. I thought it was funny enough. The style it was parodying was a bit out of date.
The program they had with Eva Longoria was very good. She’s a hell of a comedian, BTW. And the show either directly before or after that one was also quite good.
I often see some parts of the show, and this season has been awful. It’s just not funny anymore, many of the skits are weird and don’t seem to have any energy. They need a Will Ferrell type to bring up the energy level. That said, I couldn’t stop laughing at the Parnell-Samberg fake rap video. It was a brilliant parody of rap videos, especially some of the old-school hard core NWA and Geto Boyz videos. The gunshots in the background were hilarious. But I definitely understand how someone who hasn’t seen those types of videos wouldn’t really see the humor. Kind of like how someone (like me) who doesn’t know the ins and outs of various celebrity lives doesn’t get the skits making fun of them.
I thought it was funny. I’ve been through the Magnolia bakery cupcake mania. I had the ‘which mapping site is the best’ conversation just the other day. My wife wants to drag me to Narnia. Its a good parady, a rap video for a 30 something white guy and his cousin living in modern NYC.
This season has sucked, but Jack Black hosted this last one and it was good. I thought the “Lazy Sunday” clip was hilarious. And the Magnolia Bakery– holy cow what a lot of hype for nothing. The cupcakes are good, no doubt. But they are not wait in line for an hour good– even stoned, I would guess.
I thought the clip was hilarious. Frankly, I haven’t watched SNL regularly in a decade, but this makes me want to check it out again. Ed’s comment that the skits this season are “weird” only encourages me more–that would make them a damn sight more interesting than the generally “lame” ones I recall seeing previously.
It’s always a fool’s errand to explain why you find something funny, but I thought that taking totally prosaic conversation about cupcakes and mapping software and setting it to an aggressive rap soundtrack was pure genius.
OTOH, I live in NY and maybe the fact that all the other people I’ve shown it to (who love it) either live in NY or used to live in NY pegs it as an inside joke.
You post about Peanuts, Christmas, and SNL all in one posting, and you *don’t* link to the Peanuts Christmas parody by Robert “TV Funhouse” Smigel from 2002? And here I thought you kids were *hip*.
http://www.devilducky.com/media/35924/
/larry/
Humor is very hard to do and it’s hard to explain why something is funny. As a long-time writer and first-time filmmaker recently, I can attest to the fact that some differences are taste, some are generational, some are IQ-based, and some go beyond catagorizing. With that said, I can’t figure out why the linked video is even vaguely funny. It seemed like a collection of slightly humorous subjects thrown together in ways that had no logical coherence to me. Yes, I understand that people will argue about which mapping service is best, but why does that fit in this context? What IS the context here? What’s the idea behind it all? What the heck does Narnia have to do with it? Those are the things that make no sense to me.
Of course, I’m one of those who found the Awesometown pilot episode mind-numbingly unfunny, so maybe I just don’t “get” this brand of humor. (That was the pilot done by Andy Samberg and a couple of other guys that Fox shelved. It led to two of the guys being hired by SNL.) I like humor to have a bit more logic behind it — or a reason why an illogical part is included to make it funny.
Well, I’ve never lived in New York and I thought it was hilarious, so it must have broader appeal.
Bragging about their “Hamiltons” was a nice touch. And I’m still chuckling over the “Ghost like Swayze” bit.
Lame is probably a better choice of words than weird. By weird I meant that the skits have often been very convoluted setups that don’t really seem to amount to anything. I think it’s weird that a writer would think that stuff is funny. But the skits themselves end up being lame. That is a better description.
Probably the funniest show I have seen this year (I have probably seen about 6 shows, most I could only stand for about a half hour) was hosted by this comedian named Dane Cook. He brought a great energy to the skits and also a stand up comedian’s sense of timing. Also, when Kate Winslet hosted (I think last year) she was great, her experience in theater in front of a live audience is obvious.
And the Magnolia Bakery– holy cow what a lot of hype for nothing. The cupcakes are good, no doubt. But they are not wait in line for an hour good– even stoned, I would guess.
My EVIL cupcakes are just that good. They are wait in line for an hour, even stoned, good.
It’s all about the Hamiltons. heh. heh. [crickets]
I think Brian 24 explained the humor accurately. Its a juxtaposition. A modern, thirty-something, film-viewing life in NYC set against set against the highly popular “What we do today?” rap video theme from the 30 something generation’s teenage years.
Just cruisin down the streat eatin my frostin
Left a trail a Hamiltons from SOHO to Boston. [crickets]
Ayn, you ignorant slut.
Despite its suckness, the wife and I still tune into SNL occasionally, hoping for a rebirth of sorts. It remains quite craptacular on average, but I loved that rap parody this past week, and it was even funnier watching it online a 2nd time (catching more references). Thanks for the link.
Warren, your webpage looks like it was made on a low-grade graphing calculator.
OK, that was funny. I’m tempted to take a look at SNL again, after not having watched it in years.
You post about Peanuts, Christmas, and SNL all in one posting, and you *don’t* link to the Peanuts Christmas parody by Robert “TV Funhouse” Smigel from 2002? And here I thought you kids were *hip*.
I ain’t hip, but I love that clip. Didn’t realize it was online. Thanks for the link, Larry.
I think this one’s funnier.
Bah-humbug to all that SNL…I really haven’t found it that funny in years..I chuckled a bit at the video, my larger point being that it sucked AND it was one of the funnier things to come out of SNL for a long time. It should have been cancelled long ago…how many presidential parodies do they have to do realize that they ceased to be funny?
I suspect there was a lot in the SNL Narnia rap clip that I didn’t “get,” but I thought it was funny anyway. It was so … beastie.
Also: Cupcakes, bitches! Cupcakes!
Give it up for smacky in da house!
I tivo’d the episode because Neil Young was on it. I was surprised to find myself watching the whole thing. That show has sucked for a long time now. 2 or 3 years ago I would try to stay awake for Weekend Update since it was still okay, but I haven’t even done that in a while. But this was a decent episode; and the usually heavy-handed presidential parody was replaced by a very funny Cheney-as-Santa-Claus skit that I think most people on here would have found hilarious.
mediageek-I think that skit is a perfect example of what’s wrong with SNL. It’s like they figure out how long a not-terribly funny premise can last and then triple it’s time.
Brian 24,
I agree. What’s more “wierd” or funny than “Killers Bees” and “Coneheads”?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Can we all just agree that SNL hit its peak in 1986-87, and that it won’t be great again until they bring back Jon Lovitz, A. Whitney Brown, the young Dennis Miller, and the late Phil Hartman?
Actually the interstitial segments like “TV Funhouse”, Digital theatre and the parody advertisements are about the only funny parts of SNL, now.
Jesse,
Bragging about their “Hamiltons” was a nice touch.
Yep, thanks for the links Jesse. I’m still laughing over the “you can call us Aaron Burr from the way we’re droppin’ Hamiltons” line.
I thought SNL hit its peak in 1975-79. The eighties had great performers and great moments. But sitting through a whole show was only a little less painful than it is now.
And let me take this opportunity to apologize to Jesse for implying several weeks ago that he didn’t know funny (after he explained why Arrested Development wasn’t funny, the bastard), when I really only meant to suggest he was trying too hard to justify his tastes with analysis. I was a fool, Jesse. A goddamned fool.
Warren, your webpage looks like it was made on a low-grade graphing calculator.
Umm thanks for noticing. My website is woefully out of date. But even if/when I get around to updating it’s gonna pretty much look the same. I encourage you to browse around a bit, it’s pretty eclectic (as it should be as it’s all about me). Oh and be careful reading my Christmas Rant (I think its well written and just keeps getting more relevant) the colors will fry your eyeballs.
Nothing drive traffic more than a snark like this:
Warren, your webpage looks like it was made on a low-grade graphing calculator.
After reading that, I just had to go look. And can I add that the geek factor is sky-freaking-high?
Not that there’s anything wrong with that.
I didn’t know graphing calculators supported background images… 😉
Everyone agrees that Joe Piscapo was the height of comedic genious on Saturday Night Live. Ever since the show starting focusing on some other youth group while I aged, the show has gone down hill.
Can we all just agree that SNL hit its peak in 1986-87, and that it won’t be great again until they bring back Jon Lovitz, A. Whitney Brown, the young Dennis Miller, and the late Phil Hartman?
No, none of those people are funny except Phil Hartman.
WE CAN AGREE ON NOTHING!!!
I think we can all agree that Weekend Update hasn’t been funny since the day Norm MacDonald left, and that Lorne should put it out of its misery without any lame movie adaptation.
Warren, isn’t that comic sans you’re using on your site?
“Ever since the show starting focusing on some other youth group while I aged, the show has gone down hill.”
Ding Ding Ding Ding!!!!!
All of you people are wrong. Saturday Night Live was never funny in its entirety: we get a misshapen sense of how funny it was from the constant highlight/best of shows. There were crappy, going-nowhere sketches in season one and season this one. It’s humor, folks, and it’s always going to have hits and misses.
The new shows are funny. The old shows are funny. But if you say everything with John Belushi or Will Ferrell or Billy Crystal or Chris Rock or whoever was gold, then you are stupid and delusional.
Additionally, since I haven’t completed my offensive comment, I must contend that the spelling bee sketch was the funniest thing on that episode. It was one joke, but it was a good one.
Interesting. There’s a coffee shop in my neighborhood in Seattle (Verite in Ballard) that started serving mediocre cupcakes. Since then, the business is booming and the yuppies line up for the damn things. They don’t taste any different than Duncan Hines from a box. What is it with yuppies and mediocre cupcakes?
(Skit’s hilarious, best SNL I’ve seen in years)
I also didn’t get the Narnia SNL video… (though I only watched a little bit of it) – I thought maybe it’s because I hadn’t seen the movie… But it’s refreshing to see that others also didn’t get it.
I followed the ‘Hat Tip’ link here from Radley’s pertinent blog entry. I wish that ‘The Agitator’ still had comments allowed.
The Morgan Stanley ad parody is the funniest thing I’ve seen on SNL in a while.
I hope you realize you’ll be paying interest on that whore outfit of yours untill your too fat and old to wear it!
Your dad’s kind of a dick.
That’s not my dad. That’s our Morgan Stanley advisor.
You kids want to get some ice cream?
Jesus Christ Frank! Grow a pair!
The Narnia rap is the second funniest. Chris Parnell is very underrated. He’s kind of taken the Phil Hartman utility comedian role on the show. He can also bust a rhyme in overtime. He’s done a lot of rap bits on the show. His love rap to Kristen Dunst was funny as hell.
His love rap to Kristen Dunst was funny as hell.
Yes, that was pretty funny. If there’s a video online, someone please post a link.
Jon is quite right that SNL has always been uneven, even in its best years. And even in its worst years, there have been funny bits. (In the mid-’90s — the era of those excruciating seven-hour cheerleader sketches — you could still count on a good cartoon from Robert Smigel and some funny one-liners from Norm MacDonald.) But there’s no question that some seasons have been better than others. We just can’t agree which is which.
Here’s some transcripts of some of his raps including Kristen Dunst.
http://groups.msn.com/SaturdayNightLiveCentral/rappinparnell.msnw
Can’t find video.
What is it with yuppies and mediocre cupcakes?
Nostalgia for school days?
All of you people are wrong.
That would make a great libertarian bumpersticker.