TVSquad

(S01E08) "You think we learned anything tonight?" - Jonathan

I'll tell you what I learned -- Bored to Death has a lot of potential. All season long, I've gone from loving to hating to loving this show, and with the season finale now come and gone, there's a real opportunity here for Bored to Death to become HBO's next break-out hit when it returns. All the pieces are in place and it probably could have blown up this season had there not been so many episodes where the show tried to find its footing. Is it a detective show? Or is it about three friends in the publishing world trying to make their mark? Or is it both?

(S01E07) "I don't mean to be rude, but I was transporting chilled semen." - Ray

What a great way to set up the season finale! At this point, I'm not sure Bored to Death has turned out to be anything like what HBO originally green-lit, but, despite its many ups and downs, it sure has been fun to watch.

Not only did last night's episode feature the return of two plots, that, when originally introduced, seemed like throw-away gags (Ray's sperm donations; George's rivalry with Richard Antrem), but it also featured one helluva line-up of guest stars. It bodes well for season two and even though we still have one more episode left, I'm feeling a lot better about the direction Bored to Death is taking when compared to Hung.

(S01E06) "Excuse me -- can I get a cheeseburger, no cheese, to go?" - Jonathan

Despite its overall mediocrity thus far, those of us out there who have been sticking with Bored to Death in the hopes that it would get less, well... boring, were finally rewarded. Not only was "The Case of the Beautiful Blackmailer" the best episode of the season to date (I know I've said that before, but clearly I spoke too soon), but it definitively justifies the show getting a season two renewal. This episode proved that the ensemble can actually work well together, and it also made one other thing very clear -- individually, Schwartzman, Danson, and Galifianakis are funny guys. But, together? Comic gold.

(S01E05) "Is vodka really made from potatoes?" - Jonathan

Bored to Death isn't boring me, but after last night's extremely slow episode, it's close. The premise of the show coupled with a really great cast speaks to the potential Bored to Death has, but save for last week's episode (the one with Parker Posey and still the best so far), there haven't been many high points. Last night's installment had some of those moments, but for the most part, I didn't give a crap about the white dove or why she was lonely.

(S01E04) "I'm almost done. Just three more tugs!" - Ray

After I screened the first three episodes of Bored to Death early last month, I had resigned to not watch it ever again. For the most part, save for Ted Danson's performance, there wasn't much I found funny about the show. Add in last week's weirdo installment featuring Jim Jarmusch and I wasn't sure what to think. Given the premise of the show, last week's episode didn't even feel like the same program. It was like they took a script from something else and just had the Bored to Death ensemble act it out.

But then HBO went and renewed it for a second season and I figured, hey - maybe I'll cover the rest of the season for TV Squad. Well, I'm glad I did. Despite numerous shortcomings, "The Case of the Stolen Skateboard" is easily the best episode of the series thus far. And Ted Danson? Still very funny.

I've caught the first two episodes of HBO's Bored to Death, and while I'm not totally in love with the show (yet), the cast is impressive enough to keep me coming back for more.

The three main characters are Jonathan Ames (Jason Schwartzman), a struggling writer who leads a double life as a private detective; George Christopher (Ted Danson), the editor of Edition magazine and Jonathan's sometimes employer (and pot supplier); and Ray Hueston (Zach Galifianakis), a talented cartoonist who's Jonathan's best friend.

There's plenty of street creds in the other players, too, including Kristen Wiig, Jenny Slate, Heather Burns, Olivia Thirlby, and Trieste Kelly Dunn. Based on all of these folks, as well as the quirky film noir vibe, it seems like a can't-miss TV series. Let's put it this way: I've enjoyed the first two episodes, and will tune in for more to see where it goes.

Anyone else watching Bored to Death?

Season four of Tim and Eric Awesome Show Great Job! has been over for months, and "Season Cinco," as season five has been dubbed on the pair's Web site, has not yet started. But fans can bide their time with the Tim and Eric Awesome Show Great Job! S3ASON THR33, which was out earlier this month.

In season three, Tim and Eric took a step up. The shows got funnier and tighter, without losing any of the scattershot, what-the-hell-am-I-looking-at feel. They upped the ante on creepy and uncomfortable with the "Child Showcase" sketch, featuring Patton Oswalt and Rainn Wilson as children singing inappropriate songs while an approving host looks on. It's an immediately unsettling image (though nothing really tops Chippy for that so far), a seamless special effect that puts Oswalt's and Wilson's heads on a kid's body.

I wanted to write about this panel last night. However, the cumulative effects of my afternoon sojourn to In-n-Out Burger to have a double-double and fries, both "animal style," and the evening Food Network party that included a roasted pig, gourmet grilled cheese and other chef-created delicacies, caused me to collapse into a food coma at around 11 PM.

But l couldn't let two of HBO's panels go without comment. One was for the new comedy Bored to Death, based on the writings of Jonathan Ames. Joining Ames on the panel were Jason Schwartzman (via satellite), Ted Danson, and the hot comedian of the moment, Zach Galifianakis. The other was Robin Williams, who was promoting his new HBO special, Robin Williams: Weapons of Self-Destruction, which is set to air in December.

It wasn't surprising that Galifianakis' weird sense of humor dominated his panel; anyone who's seen him on the Comedians of Comedy tour or in The Hangover would have expected that. The surprise was that, in his panel, Williams was more reflective and pensive than manic.

If you enjoyed the Yo Teach ... ! clips Jason Schwartzman did to promote Judd Apatow's Funny People, then you'll dig the following teaser for HBO's Bored to Death. The upcoming comedy stars Schwartzman as a struggling writer who moonlights as a detective.



Writer Jonathan Ames is the man behind the series, which features an amazing cast including Zach Galifianakis (still riding a buzz from The Hangover), Ted Danson, Parker Posey and Saturday Night Live's Kristen Wiig.

Some of us here are big fans of the Comedians of Comedy, a collection of various comedians (the core group consists of Patton Oswalt, Brian Posehn, Maria Bamford, Eugene Mirman and Zach Galifianakis) who play small rock clubs and similar venues rather than the usual comedy clubs.

Patton Oswalt recently posted on the comedy site A Special Thing that a brand new DVD, The Comedians of Comedy: Live at the Troubadour, would be released on October 2. What's even cooler, or maybe just equally as cool, is that the entire concert will be shown on Comedy Central's Secret Stash, completely uncensored and uncut, on September 29.

After sitting through hours of spoilerific, carefully-calibrated marketing presentations, there's nothing quite as bracing as the inspired lunancy of Sarah Silverman and friends. The entire cast of The Sarah Silverman Program gathered at this year's Comic-Con to share clips from their second sesaon and a tape of Steve Agee masturbating, or as the moderator, comedian Zach Galifianakis, put it "alphabetizing his testicles." (He was alphabetizing for comedic purposes, of course.) Needless to say, it was an R-rated evening all around.

Comedian Zach Galifianakis has outdone himself this time. First, he appeared in the Fiona Apple video, "Not About Love." Now he's lip syncing in Kanye West's new music video for "Can't Tell Me Nothing". We know Kanye's in on it because it's posted here on West's official website.

I don't know if you guys saw the Fiona Apple video, but I found it hilarious because it just seemed to come out of left field. Fiona seems like she takes herself so seriously, so having Zach appear with her and do the lip syncing in the video was surprisingly amusing.

The idea of doing this kind of thing again for a different singer seemed a little lame... until you see the video. Zach is bad assing as some sort of Amish farmer on his own farm in North Carolina. He's spitting on people and humping farm equipment. He's accompanied by comedian musician Will Oldham and a troupe of dancing girls dressed like they came out of the movie Heidi.

Warning: Song includes some profanity.

The Sarah Silverman Program debuted with great numbers for Comedy Central last week. They are understandably pleased about that, but this announcement came as a bit of a surprise to me. The network has already picked up a second season, after just two airings of the show. That seems to be a bit of a gamble.

I watched the first two episodes, and they weren't bad. There were some genuinely funny moments in both of them. My favorite parts were the scenes with Zach Galifianakis, but I always like him.

In watching it though, I got the feeling that this could grow old rather quickly. Sure, it could be a break out hit. It's hard to predict what is going to catch on. And because it's so hard, giving it a little time to prove itself might have been a wise move. Nobody wants to be stuck with the last season of Drew Carey, long after fans have quit watching.

[ via Cynopsis ]

Did you know that comedian Zach Galifianakis and Kevin Federline have a history? Oh, it's not nearly as sordid as the Britney-Kevin history, but in some ways it's much more entertaining and a lot less pathetic.

On his website, Zach recently posted a link to this video on YouTube that shows Kevin Federline as one of the dancers on Zach's short-lived show, Late World with Zach. Why were there dancers on Zach's show? Well, it was all part of a sketch to announce the cancellation of Zach's show. I've posted the video after the jump. K-Fed is the dancer with the hat on and is pretty easy to recognize. This was back in 2002, before anyone even knew the guy. Back then, K-Fed was much less of a punk and more graceful.

The furriest member of the Comedians of Comedy and Dog Bites Man team Zach Galifianakis is embarking on a fall tour.

If you've missed out on Galifianakis' more recent outings, you may remember him from the short-lived VH1 talk show Late World with Zach.

If you haven't seen Galifianakis live, you're in for some of the most experimental stand-up to hit the stage since Andy Kaufman took Carnegie Hall out for milk and cookies.