The Remote Island : Seth Green

"Heroes": These "Dipshits" Are Done

Jake Kalish — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 16:32:00 GMT

So we were all ready to summarize this week's Heroes episode, which sucked as usual, except that Seth Green and Breckin Meyer of Robot Chicken were on it as comic store guys. But then we got to thinking about Tim Kring's comment that only "saps and dipshits" would watch shows in a serialized format. You know, this quote:

(The serialized show) is a very flawed way of telling stories on network television right now, because of the advent of the DVR and online streaming. The engine that drove [serialized TV] was you had to be in front of the TV [when it aired]. Now you can watch it when you want, where you want, how you want to watch it, and almost all of those ways are superior to watching it on air. So [watching it] on air is related to the saps and the dipshits who can't figure out how to watch it in a superior way.

And if you're a sap and dipshit for watching the show Mondays at 9 and trying to follow the nonsensical plots and completely inconsistent characters, you'd have to be extra sappy and dipshitty for jotting down notes on everything that happens on Heroes, and then trying your best to cleverly summarize it for people who have grown attached to the show even though it's no good anymore. And who wants to be sappy and dipshitty? Not us. Therefore, in the interest of being neither saps nor dipshits, we have decided to stop writing recaps of Heroes. And if we accidentally find ourselves watching the show on occasion, hoping it'll somehow be saved or, if not, mercifully euthanized, it's only because we're too dumb to figure out something superior to do.

[Ed.: Actually, if Bryan Fuller replaces Tim Kring, we're totally there. Just saying.]

-- Jake Kalish is the author of Santa vs. Satan: The Official Compendium of Imaginary Fights

"Family Guy Sings!" This Monday and Tuesday Night At Carnegie Hall

Jake Kalish — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 16:26:00 GMT

This Monday and Tuesday at Carnegie Hall, it's Family Guy Sings - live readings of two episodes and songs performed by a 40-piece orchestra. It's your chance to see Meg Griffin (nee Mila Kunis) up close -- and she's way better looking in person. The whole crew will be there -- Seths McFarlane and Green, Kunis, Alex Borstein. Now, Family Guy fans tend to be rabidly fanatical about the show, so maybe we're preaching to the choir here -- and you better be loco about Peter and Stewie if you plan to attend, 'cause with tickets from $39-$110, that ain't cheap. Even if a talking dog or evil baby came with your purchase.

-- Jake Kalish is the author of Santa vs. Satan: The Official Compendium of Imaginary Fights

"Robot Chicken Star Wars: Episode II": Like "Empire," Better Than The First One

Bryan Christian — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 18:30:00 GMT

Forgive us, oh comedy/sci-fi nerds, but we found the first Robot Chicken Star Wars special a little undercooked. The most interesting part of the exercise -- the participation of George Lucas as a voice actor and, apparently, a good sport -- was indeed, a little amusing, but was probably a little funnier when Shatner did it. But the rest of the show was sort of like any episode of Robot Chicken: amusing in spots, but with more than a drags.

Which is why last night's second installment in the series was such an awesome surprise. Nearly every bit was funny -- not in a "Wow, Star Wars is awesome and also lame" way, or a "Wow, George Lucas is a real guy" way, but just plain funny. Seth Green, who directed the episode, deserves serious kudos for keeping the gags coming at a perfect pace, for not letting the writing get bogged down with obscure fan-driven blather and mashnotes, and above all making it gorgeous. Seriously, this was a major step up from the last one, so if you liked the last one even a little bit, it's worth checking out.

No embeddable links yet, at least no decent ones, but we'll let you know if they show up. In the meantime, head over to Adult Swim, and in the meantime, here's what we could scrounge up.

TV Orgy Tonight!

Ben Kallen — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 21:20:00 GMT

Er, we mean an orgy of TV, not an orgy on TV. But a huge number of new episodes and season premieres will be happening this evening. Here's what's in store for you, your couch and your TiVo:

ABC: Ugly Betty She'll have to decide between her two boyfriends, and maybe find out how many more years those braces need to stay on.

ABC: Grey's Anatomy Now that Dr. McDreamy and Dr. McSkinny are back together, Nurse McNobody turns out to be... well, it's kind of a spoiler, even though it's been in every ad for the past three weeks. Hope all the talking about it won't distract them from their complicated medical procedures, like always!

CBS: Survivor: Gabon Host Jeff Probst is worried about how he'll look now that the show's going high-def. Dude, you're not the one who's going to end up 30 pounds lighter and covered in filth. As for the contestants, we hope they've read this.

NBC: My Name Is Earl Seth Green alert! This show may not seem so new and fresh anymore, but it sure gets good guest stars. Plotwise, we think Earl's still working on that list or something.

NBC: The Office Woo-hoo! Amy Ryan's back, Michael's still nuts, Jim and Pam still can't put together a decent PB&J, and we can't wait.

NBC: ER Bad stuff happens! It's the last season! We haven't watched this show in years!

CW: Smallville Last week, Clark applied for a job at a major metropolitan newspaper and they made him a reporter, just like that! Did he even finish college? Don't they know blogs are where it's at these days? And when did Chloe become the hottest character on this show?

CW: Supernatural Spooky! (That's all we got.)

Fox: Kitchen Nightmares Our nightmare is that some jerkwad chef came over to our place and screamed for an hour, but that's just us.

PBS: American Masters: The Warner Brothers These guys went to Hollywood, and 100 years later they made The Matrix. Good times.

TV Columnist Admits TV Stars Hate TV

Ben Kallen — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 18:25:00 GMT

We all know people who claim they don't ever watch TV, except maybe Mad Men and Masterpiece Theatre and the occasional roundtable debate about the effects of global warming on penguin habitats. But now we have confirmation from AP television writer Frazier Moore that this group of Hills-despising, How I Met Your Mother-ignoring snobs includes TV performers themselves.

"Among the scads of TV stars I've talked to, I never made a point of grilling them on their TV consumption," Moore writes. "I don't recall how often it came up. But over time I started to realize (and marvel) that, out of everyone who did address the issue with me, fewer than a dozen of them copped to being TV fans.

"The rest: Well, they don't shun just the programs they appear in. They don't watch TV, period. Or so they claim."

Well, sure -- it's one thing to play Horny Nerd at Sci-Fi Convention on The Big Bang Theory, and another to admit you watch the thing. What would you tell your friends when you run into them at Pinkberry? In fact, Moore points out, it's obvious what Hollywood's attitude toward the medium itself is, given that the TV-watchingest TV characters tend to be fat louts such as Homer Simpson, Peter Griffin and Tony Soprano.

Luckily, not all performers feel that way about their own audience. The actors who Moore says do admit to being fans of the tube also participate in some of the smartest, most pop-culture-relevant shows: The Office and Extras writer-actor Ricky Gervais, Robot Chicken cocreator Seth Green, and Mad Men star Jon Hamm.

So if you ever catch yourself saying all you watch is Mad Men and The Office, keep in mind that the people on the screen are home with a bowl of popcorn and Two and a Half Men or some Law & Order marathon, just like everybody else.

Image: Fox

Previously:
Mad Men Recap: Sunday Worst
Even More Great Office News
How I Met Your Mother Secrets Revealed (No, Not That One)

Watch Yet Another "Heroes" Promo

Ben Kallen — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 20:25:00 GMT

Apparently a whole bunch of superpowered bad guys (and probably a few good ones -- who can tell?) escape from jail. No, it's not Prison Break, but another preview of the upcoming season of Heroes. And from the dark tone, it looks as if a little Seth Green comic relief can't come too soon.

Previously:
Geek City! Seth Green and Breckin Meyer To Play Comic Book Guys on Heroes
Heroes Panel Loaded With Spoilers

Geek City! Seth Green and Breckin Meyer To Play Comic Book Guys on "Heroes"

Ben Kallen — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 13:31:00 GMT

Good news for the geek squad: Entertainment Weekly's casting wizard Michael Ausiello says that Seth Green and Breckin Meyer are near a deal to appear on Heroes for a multiepisode story arc. If all goes as planned, the buddies will play "comic book aficionados who cross paths with (and perhaps serve as advisors to) one of the Heroes."

Former child star Green, of course, is familiar to nerds of all kinds for his work in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the Austin Powers movies. Meyer is recognizable from sitcoms as well as such kid-friendly films as Garfield and Herbie Fully Loaded. They've worked together on several films, and both write and do voices for Green's animated-action-figure series Robot Chicken.

They're both funny guys, and the characters should provide some good self-referential fun for Heroes' most dedicated fan base, the Comic-Con set. Especially if one of them ends up with the cheerleader.

Photo: WatchingHeroes.com

Previously:
Remember the Farce: Robot Chicken: Star Wars Is Getting a Sequel
Heroes Panel Loaded With Spoilers

Remember the Farce: "Robot Chicken: Star Wars" Is Getting a Sequel

Ben Kallen — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 17:35:00 GMT

Forget that weird-looking Clone Wars movie coming out next month. The animated Star Wars sequel you're really going to want to see is part two of Robot Chicken's parody of the nerdtastic space epic.

Robot Chicken, of course, is the Cartoon Network show -- cocreated by actor Seth Green -- that satirizes pop culture with animated toy action figures. The results are as funny as anything on TV, while the classic stop-motion cartooning techniques are actually a lot more real-looking than a lot of the computerized animation seen today. And the show's Emmy-winning Star Wars episode, which was done with the blessing and participation of George Lucas himself, was just plain hilarious.

In addition to original Star Wars acting talent such as Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams and Ahmed Best (who somehow seems to have retained his sense of humor about Jar Jar Binks), the sequel will include a wide variety of well-known voices, including those of Green, Breckin Meyer, Conan O'Brien, Andy Richter and Seth MacFarlane. (Family Guy creator MacFarlane, of course, did his own Star Wars satire last year -- a highlight of which was when Chris, voiced by Green, and Peter, voiced by MacFarlane, stopped to argue about which one was better.)

The sequel will air in November -- just as Robot Chicken: Star Wars is released on video. After all, if there's one thing Lucas fans know, it's marketing.

Image: Cartoon Network

Previously:
Family Guy Creator To Rule the Internet