oh my goodness

dandywolves: pyoko: for sophia Don’t play that game. YAY

Thu, 17 Dec 2009 23:23:30 -0800

pyoko:

for sophia

Don’t play that game.

YAY

georgiaisyourfriend: We’re on the front page of the New York...

Thu, 17 Dec 2009 08:58:39 -0800

We’re on the front page of the New York Times Style section. My mind is blown by the whole thing. We’re also in talks with Food Network to host our own show. Life is crazy, no?

NYTFTW.

IRON MAN 2 TRAILER

Wed, 16 Dec 2009 16:32:16 -0800

IRON MAN 2 TRAILER:

jonahray:

This was JUST released.

Oh my goodness.

Improv Nerds Only

Wed, 16 Dec 2009 15:33:51 -0800

glamsoda:

iamachilles:

dangurewitch:

What if improv only had two rules:

1. Make each other right and make big decisions & assumptions until something fun happens.
2. Follow and expand upon that fun thing, fearlessly and without looking back, together.

Agreed.

I don’t shy away from using improvese because do I find a lot of it helpful. But I’ve also told groups I’ve coached that you only need to know how to do a few things well to be good at improv:

Listen

YesAnd

React

And before you do any of those things above: HAVE FUN.

Every other note you receive, no matter how it’s phrased or presented, is just another way to show you how to do those four things.

The “Two Rules” above reminds me of a Peter Gwinn note I’ve often mention to the groups I coach:

If you break it down, there are essentially three parts to any improv scene:

You and your scene partner YesAnd each other, give each other gifts, and find out what’s true about the scene.

You and your scene partner discover something unusual and react to it.

You and your scene partner explore that idea through patterns of behavior/reaction.

If a scene goes off the rails, the improvisers probably lost their way during Part 1 and Part 2.

A final P. Gwinn note to tie all of this together: Having fun is the most important thing. He said if we weren’t having fun, we had full permission to do whatever we wanted to make it fun. (He was speaking specifically about the organic opening, which he was teaching my 301 class at the time, but I think it applies to scenework as well.)

This is pretty on point. But I do like thinking of the “math” part of things as analogous to the neural buildup that comes from repetition. Doing something structured over and over again, whether it’s a Suzuki student playing scales or a track and field athlete throwing a javelin, builds connections in your brain, which in turn makes those actions more automatic. If everything goes well, eventually get to the point where you, in UCB parlance, “don’t think.”

That said, I’m still a constant hot mess onstage, and I do a lot of thinking. Or not enough…I don’t know. But bottom line, I agree: if you’re not having fun, the audience isn’t having fun.

That’s why it’s Weeeeezy… Weezy like Wednesday...

Wed, 16 Dec 2009 12:48:41 -0800

That’s why it’s Weeeeezy…

Weezy like Wednesday mornin’s, yeeeaaahhhh

Just another small town night in Los Angeles - without trying, I...

Wed, 16 Dec 2009 10:34:00 -0800

Just another small town night in Los Angeles - without trying, I ran into hydeordie, georgiaisyourfriend, thisismyfavoritesong, and atencio. We did the math and figured out that LA has a population of 127. We r all connected, y’all.

ps - ask Georgia about her favorite crystal. It’s horrifying.

ronbabcock: adamconover: kevhines: So before I joined Tumblr...

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 15:41:30 -0800

ronbabcock:

adamconover:

kevhines:

So before I joined Tumblr someone (Ben Ragheb?) posted a video of Cookie Monster singing about how it’s not a big deal that he eats non-cookie foods. A response to criticism that Cookie Monster should only eat cookies.

And I get it. I get that its a good message to send kids. If COOKIE Monster eats veggies, then of course a kid can eat veggies.

But the single minded-ness of a monster that only eats cookies and only wants cookies is funnier.

This video is one of the funniest things I have ever seen. It’s ridiculous to say this, but Cookie Monster’s “facial expression” when Kermit says he will give him a cookie (38 seconds in) makes me laugh out loud.

Not to mention his design is hilarious. A big pile of fabric and googly eyes just looks funny. But that has less to do with cookies.

Anyway, watch this video.

Kevin Hines makes a really good point. Cookie Monster is one of those characters that suffers from too much familiarity — after forty years of exposure, it’s easy to see a googly-eyed monster who’s monomaniacally obsessed with cookies and forget that, oh yeah, that’s really funny.

I forget how funny Sesame Street can be to not just kids, but adults. What a great sketch.

Smiles for days.

yourkitchensink: Fucked Up - Do They Know It’s Christmas YES!...

Fri, 11 Dec 2009 09:19:46 -0800

yourkitchensink:

Fucked Up - Do They Know It’s Christmas

YES! I’ve been waiting for this to hit the internets It features Yo La Tengo, GZA, Vampire Weekend’s Ezra Koenig, Bob Mould, Tegan & Sara, Andrew W.K., TV on the Radio’s Kyp Malone, David Cross, and Broken Social Scene’s Kevin Drew

Now if I can just figure who’s playing the role of Bono and sings “well tonight thank God it’s them instead of you.”

EPIC. Oh, and I’m pretty sure it’s David Cross singing the Bono part.

theoriginaljoefisher: Oh, Chan… I just think it’s weird...

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 16:38:39 -0800

theoriginaljoefisher:

Oh, Chan…

I just think it’s weird that we’re not married. Really, really weird.

Mysterious Blue Spiral in the sky over Norway...

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 11:49:01 -0800

Mysterious Blue Spiral in the sky over Norway...:

Ugh. I see something completely inexplicable like this, and immediately think, “Oh, nice viral campaign.” I’m actually hoping it’s some sort of tear in the fabric of time, heralding our imminent annihilation into some sort of interdimensional vortex. That would be more interesting than finding out it’s an advertisement for the 2012 Blu-Ray release.

(thanks, Marisa!)

daisyrosario: GPOYW - Me in the worlds largest coat with Santa...

Wed, 09 Dec 2009 10:27:37 -0800

daisyrosario:

GPOYW - Me in the worlds largest coat with Santa from the Macy’s Parade

If you’ve ever read or heard David Sedaris’ SantaLand Diaries, this is Santa Santa.

Seriously, I had bottles of water, a full sized walkie talkie, snacks, and my phone in the pockets of that thing.

Daisy, I don’t want to ruin a lovely Christmas memory, but it totally looks like Santa’s copping a feel. Maybe you couldn’t feel it through the jacket.

whiskeyandgoatsmilk: Happy Birthday Mr. Tom Waits. I wish he...

Mon, 07 Dec 2009 08:17:59 -0800

whiskeyandgoatsmilk:

Happy Birthday Mr. Tom Waits.

I wish he was my crazy uncle.

Man Digs Up Wife's Corpse to Hug Her

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 13:24:54 -0800

Man Digs Up Wife's Corpse to Hug Her:

And they say romance is dead…

unicornzzzzz: crbrown:ohryankelley: Wilco - Monday Good...

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 10:51:56 -0800

unicornzzzzz:

crbrown:ohryankelley:

Wilco - Monday

Good morning Monday.

I MADE A BIG MISTAKE…ALL RIGHT…ALL RIGHT…ALL RIGHT…AAAAAAHH…AHHH…WOOOOO…ALL RIGHT…SONOFA—

aconybell: popquizkid: forever-ago: Martha - Tom...

Sun, 29 Nov 2009 11:15:06 -0800

aconybell:

popquizkid:

forever-ago:

Martha - Tom Waits

Operator, number, please: it’s been so many years
Will she remember my old voice while I fight the tears?
Hello, hello there, is this Martha? this is old Tom Frost,
And I am calling long distance, don’t worry ‘bout the cost.
‘Cause it’s been forty years or more, now Martha please recall,
Meet me out for coffee, where we’ll talk about it all.

And those were the days of roses, poetry and prose
And Martha all I had was you and all you had was me.
There was no tomorrows, we’d packed away our sorrows
And we saved them for a rainy day.

And I feel so much older now, and you’re much older too,
How’s your husband? and how’s the kids? you know that I got married too?
Luck that you found someone to make you feel secure,
‘Cause we were all so young and foolish, now we are mature.

And those were the days of roses, poetry and prose
And Martha all I had was you and all you had was me.
There was no tomorrows, we’d packed away our sorrows
And we saved them for a rainy day.

And I was always so impulsive, I guess that I still am,
And all that really mattered then was that I was a man.
I guess that our being together was never meant to be.
And Martha, Martha, I love you can’t you see?

And those were the days of roses, poetry and prose
And Martha all I had was you and all you had was me.
There was no tomorrows, we’d packed away our sorrows
And we saved them for a rainy day.

And I remember quiet evenings trembling close to you…

Every time I listen to Tom Waits’s Closing Time album I always, always, return to
“Martha” and many other tracks but this one in particular. Stays with you. It’s beautifully tragic and unsettling. Such a brilliantly crafted song. I cannot say that I relate personally, athough there’s an understanding of said lyrics. Oh, and that the last line…

Hits hard.

You need this song in your life.

I miss Nora. Help.

Nothing better.

Thankful for Clyde Nickols, my grandmother!

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 17:13:50 -0800

Thankful for Clyde Nickols, my grandmother!

Thankful for The Shangri-Las!

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 16:58:50 -0800

Thankful for The Shangri-Las!

Thankful for Willie Nelson and Paul Simon!

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 16:42:52 -0800

Thankful for Willie Nelson and Paul Simon!

Thankful for Dolly Parton!

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 16:27:54 -0800

Thankful for Dolly Parton!

Thankful for Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash!

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 16:12:52 -0800

Thankful for Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash!