Seriously, that was just…weird. Seth Meyers and Darrell Hammond looked like they didn’t know how to work on a weekday, but Kristen Wiig was, as usual, on point.
Still…why?
Also, I just heard Joe the Plumber isn’t even a licensed plumber. Hilarious.
November 4 can’t get here fast enough.
Nothing from me today. The most epic of football confrontations, year in and year out, happens at 1:15 p.m. PST and I have to be ready. Okay, the most epic for a Redskins fan.
Meanwhile, talk amongst yourselves. There are plenty of Newman obits out there but I find it sad to keep reading through them. It’s also interesting that Pete Hammond has finally joined the Oscar blogging rat race after trying to make a column work at a couple of outlets the last few years. We linked to his first item in yesterday’s round-up, which might or might not pan out.
Other possible talking points include the over-analysis of the debate (it was a fucking bore, let’s move on and never let Jim Lehrer near the gig again), last night’s latest Palin sketch (so should Fey just join the cast again instead of lurking in the buliding and being on the ready?), Halloween costumes (I heard the best idea the other day: nurse Joker) and the relative disappointment of most of the fall’s television series so far (The Shield, True Blood, Entourage — though The Office season opener was awesome).
Have at it.
I’m no fan of Will Ferrell’s comedic sensibilities in the slightest, but “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby” is probably the best film of his typical mold to hit screens yet. I know “Anchorman” has its devoted, and “Old School” was apparently good enough in the eyes of Bravo to make it to an obscenely high position on their recent (awful) list of the best comedies of all time.
But “Talladega Nights” has the right mixture of peripheral comedic brilliance that Ferrell has needed for some time, to off-set that “me, me, me” schtick that hasn’t worked since Jim Carrey started talking out of his ass.
Nothing in the way of a full review here, but a few thoughts can’t hurt. Not only does John C. Reilly prove himself something of a hilarious comedic sideman once again (playing a similar character to his “Days of Thunder” role, only this guy ate paint chips as a kid), but he at times beats Ferrell at his own game. Gary Cole, meanwhile, is becoming the master of the extended cameo yuk-yuk.
Sacha Baron Cohen (along with on-screen hubby Andy Richter) gives enough reasons to slap your knee – and expect him to blow up even more once “Borat” hits cinemas, giving the actor a nice one-two punch this year). It’s always great to see Pat Hingle on screen, no matter how inconsequential the part, and Amy Adams…Amy Adams has just…never been sexier. It’s like a new breed. Subjective, of course…
Ferrell is what you would expect, though he really nails that southern fried cluelessness that has become it’s own standard. Once “Stranger Than Fiction” releases in November, showcasing acting chops that ought to turn a head or two, the Golden Globe nominee will have potentially started the crossover that can be a painful process for comedians, bridging the gap to dramatic tendencies. We’ll see how that flies with the critics and public at large.
In the meantime, go out and enjoy a laugh or two when “Talladega Nights” hits theaters next weekend. I’m fairly certain the appeal will be there for Ferrell fans, but this viewer, not one to jump in line for the comedic stylings of the Saturday Night Live alumn, was pleasantly surprised by some nice goofball entertainment. Take it for what it’s worth.