Patrick Warburton has made a career out of playing the smug and clueless jerk everyone loves to laugh at on shows like Seinfeld, Less than Perfect and Rules of Engagement. I guess that's why Apple thought he'd be the perfect guy to play a "top of the line" PC in the latest Mac ad:
I love these simple and amusing Get a Mac ads, but this is probably one of my favorites of the bunch. I never imagined this before, but now I can see the hammy Warburton maybe playing a self-important '60s commercial actor on Mad Men, or at least starring in an SNL-style Mad Men parody.
Patrick Warburton-related stories
Patrick Warburton is a 'top of the line' PC in the latest Mac ad
Continue reading Patrick Warburton is a 'top of the line' PC in the latest Mac ad
The Venture Bros: The Family That Slays Together, Stays Together (Part II) (season finale)
(S03E13) It feels like the third season started only yesterday, but it's over, kids. Even though it didn't end with a massive cliff-hanger like in previous seasons, it certainly went out with a bang. Because the lovely, creative people that make this wonderful show can feel our pain in waiting, Season Four is already in production and actors will be recording next month. Calm yourselves. If you're still looking for goodness to get your fix, check out our VB-related posts.
The Venture Bros: The Family That Slays Together, Stays Together (Part I) - VIDEO
(S03E12) Firstly, a bit of news. Both Doc Hammer and Jackson Publick, as opposed to a solo Doc, will be attending this year's Dragon*Con in Georgia, so go see them if you can. Secondly, the guys have done a video commentary for "ORB" and you can watch it on Adult Swim's website. Not as many off-topic ramblings that we know and love in this one, so if you miss irrelevance and mimed nunchuck skills, revisit the old "The Buddy System" commentary. And last but not least... This week's episode premiered on the Adult Swim Fix as usual, but this time there's actually bonus footage that was not included in the televised version. It's pretty self-contained, but definitely worth a watch. I've embedded it here, to save you that exhausting trip across teh internetz.
Continue reading The Venture Bros: The Family That Slays Together, Stays Together (Part I) - VIDEO
My Top 10 list is better than Sci Fi Wire's
Let's face it, science fiction on television is always a challenge, and more often than not, these series fail to find a big enough audience to stick around. That's why the year after Lost hit it big on just minor sci-fi elements, we had three ratings flops at once with Invasion, Threshold and Surface. And all three were good, for different reasons. So my question is why did none of them make Sci Fi Wire's list of the top 10 sci fi shows canceled too soon? Because Sci-Fi Wire liked Eerie, Indiana better!Seriously though, while there were some good elements in their list, and I absolutely agree with their number one choice, there were some real problems and omissions as well. Wonderfalls ranked way too high and Homeboys in Outer Space didn't even make the list? Outrageous! So I've taken it upon myself to make my own list of The Top 10 Sci Fi Short-Lived Sci-Fi Shows That Weren't Pulitzer Worthy But Went Great With Popcorn. And I intentionally didn't include any of the shows on their list, because I'm acting like a spoiled brat and I don't want to play with their toys.
Continue reading My Top 10 list is better than Sci Fi Wire's
The Venture Bros: Now Museum -- Now You Don't! - VIDEO
(S03E09) This was a real treat for all of those that love some old-school Team Venture action ("Action, action, action!"). In this episode, we found past and present protagonists and antagonists meeting for the first time in decades. The action-packed cold open featured Jonas Venture, Sr. as a terribly unconvincing Asian stereotype sporting a nipple on his face. You know, that same old story. Of course, this far-fetched disguise was just another part of the Team's plan to bring down Scaramantula and his Fraternity of Torment, a sort of a not quite as impressive Guild of Calamitous Intent boasting the powers of Brainulo and a young Manotaur.Continue reading The Venture Bros: Now Museum -- Now You Don't! - VIDEO
The Venture Bros: What Goes Down, Must Come Up - VIDEO
(S03E07) Now, that was a Venture Bros. episode. In fact, throw the cake and eat some confetti, because I think I may have a new addition to my top five favorite episodes. After my less-than-confident review of last week's episode, "Dr. Quymn, Medicine Woman", this was a very pleasant surprise. The episode didn't have any real ties to previous ones, but we got the chance to explore yet another part of the compound and some dark secrets of the original Team Venture.Gallery: The Venture Bros: S03E07
Continue reading The Venture Bros: What Goes Down, Must Come Up - VIDEO
The Venture Bros: The Buddy System
(S03E05) In last week's review for "Home Is Where The Hate Is," I mentioned how I felt the season so far has all been set-up, set-up, set-up and we're still waiting for the punchline. I mean, it's been hilarious and beautifully animated set-up, but it's been set-up nonetheless. With "The Buddy System," we're finally getting back to everyday life on the Venture compound. It feels good to get a better sense of the family's present.Gallery: The Venture Bros: S03E05
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The Venture Bros: Home Is Where The Hate Is - VIDEO
(S03E04) Wow! An episode with absolutely no flashbacks or crazy hallucinations. That's a change. However, this was definitely the slowest episode out of the four that have aired, and I feel like we are missing something. Don't get me wrong. I have loved just about everything from this season, but it seems like we should be a bit further at this point. Only now do we see the direction for the rest of the season and who our major players are going to be. It's been two hours of set up. When are we getting the punchline?Gallery: The Venture Bros: S03E04
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The Venture Bros: The Invisible Hand of Fate
(S03E03) The Venture Bros. has some of the most incredibly strong secondary characters in the entire cartoon universe. I love their intricate back stories and the delicate explanations of their tendencies and motivations. It's like Lost, but with more robot hands and bad break-ups. That said, is Season Three going to be the season of back stories? I mean, seriously. The first episode was all about the origin of The Monarch and Dr. Girlfriend, the second was an in-depth exploration of Rusty's past affecting his future, and "The Invisible Hand of Fate" taught us more than we ever wanted to know about the early days of Billy Quizboy and Pete White.Gallery: The Venture Bros: S03E03
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The Venture Bros: The Doctor Is Sin
(S03E02) After the season premiere left us with a depressing lack of Venture, this episode more than made up for it, taking place entirely on the family's compound. Plus, bonus Henry Killinger (and his magic murder bag)! "The Doctor Is Sin" marked a turning point in Dr. Venture's character and vulnerabilities. I don't really mind when an entire episode sacrifices fast-moving plot and crazy ninja fights to allow a character to come to critical realizations about himself/herself, as long as said realizations affect his/her future actions. I cannot begin to explain the frustration I feel when seasons carry on as if these moments never happened. Here's to hoping that Dr. Venture's new awareness of his occasional villainous tendencies provide some interesting changes in upcoming episodes.Gallery: The Venture Bros: S03E02
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Is Christine joining Scrubs on ABC?
In a TV Guide exclusive, Michael Ausiello reports that The New Adventures of Old Christine could be moving to ABC if CBS doesn't give it a third season pick up. The way I see it, this is great news for ABC. They seem to do great at one-hour dramedies -- Ugly Betty, Pushing Daisies, Desperate Housewives -- but just swing and miss when developing good sitcoms. Only Samantha Who has been a winner this year; its most recent effort, Miss/Guided, has left me cold.Continue reading Is Christine joining Scrubs on ABC?
Family Guy: Believe It or Not, Joe's Walking on Air
(S06E03) After six years in a wheelchair, Joe Swanson regains his ability to walk. In character, he then decides to go into extreme sports. I've always liked Joe and I think Patrick Warburton's voice makes the character. It's similar to his character on Adult Swim's The Venture Bros. Maybe he only has one character.
The show has apparently gone back to the constant cut-away references. At least they're being self-referential about it with Cleveland's line "I hate shows that cut away from the story for some bull crap".
Continue reading Family Guy: Believe It or Not, Joe's Walking on Air
How about Rosie O'Donnell as Peter in a Family Guy movie?
Now that The Simpsons has made a successful jump from the small screen to the big (a billion bucks worldwide so far!), people are talking about bringing another FOX animated series, Family Guy, to your local theater as well. But does it have enough of an audience for such a project?
Seth MacFarlane isn't sure, but he has a live-action cast picked out. Rosie O'Donnell would be Peter (a very scary Peter), David Hyde Pierce would be Stewie (?), Ann Coulter would be Brian, Phillip Seymour Hoffman would play Chris, Juliette Lewis would be Meg, and Kathy Griffin would portray Lois.
Continue reading How about Rosie O'Donnell as Peter in a Family Guy movie?
The Venture Bros. Season Two - DVD review
The first thing I noticed about the Venture Bros. DVD was the packaging, which is actually a lot nicer than I expected. I had already fawned over the art when it was released online, but I gained a whole new appreciation when I actually had the product in my hands. While the first season's DVD packaging was simple and sleek, this one has great, aged detail and -- get this -- it feels so wonderfully soft and papery. I'm probably a little weird for doing this, but as soon as I pulled the box out of the plastic, I gasped and made the people around me pet the DVD packaging. And if they refused, I shouted until they agreed. "Yes, Annie. Yes, that is very nice DVD packaging..."Continue reading The Venture Bros. Season Two - DVD review
Jackson Publick: The space race, missing moms and geekdom
In my Comic-Con post, I briefly mentioned The Sound of Young America's interview with the Venture Bros.' Jackson Publick, but I suppose I might as well devote a full post to it, since at least five different people have urged me to do so since then.This twenty-some minute chat provides a very interesting look into the life of Jackson Publick, covering topics like his educational career (he very briefly attended cartooning school before attending community college and Rutgers University), the loss of his mother and this event's effect on the Venture brothers' own mommy-less world, and the show's prevailing themes of disappointment and failure. I always love hearing from the creative forces behind my favorite shows, so this was a real treat for me.
I also enjoyed Jackson's great Brock Samson impression at the very end of the program. I suppose this means that Jackson can also do fantastic impressions of Kronk (The Emperor's New Groove), Joe Swanson (Family Guy), and Puddy (Seinfeld).
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