in: viewing room

A.V. Club: “My Coco”

in: viewing room

Ack, again with the business. That’s busy-ness, for the record.

Things are still crazy on this end, so this’ll be a quick post. I know – not even a Dunce Cap to satiate your needs. Here’s what I have to share: a song.

Stellastarr* released this obvious gem, “My Coco,” in 2004. The track is from the band’s self-titled 2003 debut, and it’s a clear winner.

Art from the CD single of "My Coco"

This song has so many associations for me. It was, if I recall correctly, the first track I ever downloaded on iTunes. And I put it on a mixtape for nearly every boyfriend and crush I had during high school. And I recall so acutely the time I had what seemed like an epiphany about the track – I understood the meaning of the song.

I don’t remember exactly what I understood about the song then, but the song always conjures these feelings for me. It’s a track I think I’ll always love, and I like it all the more when it’s paired with this little explanation from stellastarr* lead singer Shawn Christensen.

 

“My Coco” is about those first few months when you meet somebody and everything’s just new, great and spontaneous. You know when you start dating someone, and everything’s great? It’s giddy and amazing and explorative, and you can’t wait till she calls you? Coco is actually an ex-girlfriend, though that’s not her real name. Eventually, the relationship started going in a downward spiral, and I lost all that initial giddiness.

God, I know that feeling. Heck, sometimes I think I live for that feeling. It’s total adoration, and it’s a feeling I always hope lasts. I’m feeling the first inklings of this, I think, maybe. Right now, it feels oh-so-good.

Though, let’s be honest: “On an island far away, lemonade with my Co-co-co.” I wish. This snow’s quickly growing tiresome.

Happy listening.

A.V. Club: Merry Christmas, Tracy Jordan!

in: viewing room

Over the years, “30 Rock” has produced some pretty killer jams. From “Muffin Top” to “Werewolf Bar Mitzvah,” the tunes from Tracy, Jenna, Liz and the whole gang bring hilarity and joy. This one is good, too, and seems so appropriate for today.


Tracy Jordan, “It’s a Jordan Christmas”

And for those of you not into “30 Rock” but still feeling the Yuletide spirit, here’s a video The Frisky so aptly labeled “Hot Guys Play Santa, For the Heck of It.” Somehow, I think they missed the point of this, but the video made me tear up all on its own. Also, the use of one of my favorite tracks (“Blue Skies” by Noah and the Whale, featured on The Dunce Cap, Vol. 25) was a truly stellar choice. [The Frisky]

¡Feliz Navidad! Buone Feste Natalizie. Joyeux Noel. Mo’adim Lesimkha, Chena tova. Merry Christmas.

Love,
The Girl

A.V. Club: Winter Vacation, Part Three

in: viewing room

I’m going to make this a pretty quick one because I start work tomorrow, and I want to be all sprightly and fresh.

I’m back in Chicago after a wonderful few days back home with my family, and I have to say – it’s more lonesome than I think I anticipated it would be. It’s as if the empty streets echo a bit. Regardless, the flight back was nothing short of interesting. I had an entire gospel choir seated behind me, and they weren’t afraid to belt one (or two) out at the departure gate. I’m glad to be back, but I’m a bit antsier than normal too.

It’s been a few exciting days – finally the repeal of DADT! – and I’m sure there’s much more to come.

Anyhow – here’s a video, a site and a product you ought to all check out:

Batman ain’t sinister, he’s a Powerpuff fan!

Bruce Wayne himself (or, at least, his most recent portrayal) sings the Powerpuff Girls theme song on “Popcorn” with Rolling Stone‘s Peter Travers alongside Mark Wahlberg to promote their film “The Fighter.” It’s pretty amusing, and I completely forgot about Christian Bale‘s Welsh accent. As one of the Frisky commenters points out, I thought initially that the Welsh accent was fake! [The Frisky]

Kat Doodles!

Happy Thanksgiving from Kat Doodles!

My adorable friend Kat runs a fittingly adorable blog called “Kat Doodles.” It’s no misnomer – Kat doodles both things from her imagination and by request, and it never fails to be rather twee and smile-inducing.

Ray Lewis fans, breathe easy

Comfy n' snug, Ray?

Your favorite NFL player/acquitted murder suspect has his own Snuggie!

A.V. Club: Winter Vacation, Day 2

in: the press, in: viewing room

Alanis Morissette's misheard lyrics via Buzzfeed

Readers (see: Dan, Jen), I’m back. Siriusly. And Chaucer’s sleepin’ on the couch, splayed out on two cushions all adorable, so I’m relegated to the floor. I’ll make this quick-ish. And, for the record, Chauce hates the sound of Neil Patrick Harris’s laugh. He balked a bit.

Some news of the day:

  • Scarlett Johansson and Ryan Reynolds  have called it quits! A second sad break-up in as many days.  [LA Times]
  • Andy Cohen asks Diane Von Furstenberg and Iman (David Bowie’s wife!) a rousing question: “Lady Gaga’s fashion: fabulous or fakakta?” [Bravo]
  • This is old news, but Tommy Lee is all up in arms over what? Lee wrote Sea World to complain about the fact that killer whale Tilikum continues to be used for his sperm. [Newser via The Frisky]

And today’s videos for sharin’:

Rudolllllllph. You don’t have to put on the red light.

This video had me in stitches. It’s a mash-up between The Police’s classic “Roxanne” and Christmas classic “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” and brings me such joy. [The Daily What]

And all these oil spills? Hit the showers!

Vodpod videos no longer available.

The Arcade Fire guest star on a pretty humorous Saturday Night Live Digital Short from November 13. I love Andy Samberg. Rip your shirt wide open and danceeee.

 

A.V. Club: Winter Vacation

in: the press, in: viewing room

The Dunce Cap’s been on such a hiatus, but we’re back! So much to share.

I’m spending some quality time with Chaucer, so I’ll keep these fairly brief. But, if I can stick to the plan, I’ll be posting a couple of things every day for the entirety of vacation.

dumbdumb

Jason Bateman and Will Arnett started this ingenious comedy enterprise, dumbdumb productions, which creates and distributes hilarious web content. They began with a series of videos for Orbit Dirty Shorts, including this one.

Canine Arts n’ Crafts

Also a major winner.  This video for Best Friends Animal Society encourages you to adopt a pet this holiday season, and I think this particular tactic will really work. [The Daily What]

And in the News Flash! category, two big things a-happenin’.

Image from Disnology.com

First – Zanessa is dunzo! No more Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens lovin’. Sources (however unreliable) say the duo’s relationship has run its course. [LA Times] Maybe it was Zefron’s excellent new facial hair.

From a more reputable expert comes the following exchange:

C: “Efron. Single.”
D: “Efron. Gay.”

Lee's back in the Phillies uniform with R2C2

Second – Cliff Lee signs to the Phillies. Again. This makes the Phillies’ rotation as follows: Cliff Lee, Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt, Cole Hamels. Which begs the question: WTF?! [ESPN]

And, for shits n’ giggles, I joined free dating site OKCupid!, so expect some fun anecdotes from that endeavor in the coming weeks. I am not using the website for its intended purpose. It’s amusing, y’know? It’s a sociological experiment of sorts.

A.V. Club: Flashback!

in: viewing room

So, I ended up in Memphis with the Keevan clan for Thanksgiving, and my jokester sister reminded me of two viral videos that made me positively guffaw in high school. I figured, because it’s reading week and all I want to do is sluggishly slink through the house, I’d share them with you. For what is probably the ten thousandth time.

It looks like The Dunce Cap mixes will, indeed, be up on Thursdays again, but that really depends on this Thursday. And how up to a mix I’m feeling. And I’ll be starting a killer (and immensely exciting) internship at The A.V. Club, the pop culture pull-out of The Onion. Not really sure how that with figure into my regular blogging, but I’m hoping I’ll find a day with a patch of time for, at least, regular mix making.

In the meantime, this week ought to be replete with lots of exciting videos to share with all y’all.

I am le tired.


“The End of the World,” albinoblacksheep

Basically, this video defined late middle school/early high school for me. My aforementioned sibling first showed this gem to me, and I spent many a lunchtimes regaling my classmates with my shitty (and borderline offensive) impressions from this video.

Shut up, betch. Let’s get some shoes.


“Shoes,” liamkylesullivan

And this video. Oh man, this video. One of my best friends in high school, ChayNay, and I used to watch this video religiously. It’s a gloriously hilarious video chocked full o’ quotables. It began a gorgeous love affair with the video’s snarky protagonist, Kelly.

You wanna play love games?


“The Legend of Old Gregg,” themightyboosh

For me, this was the sardonic soundtrack to my senior year with a collegiate sophomore year reintroduction. “The Legend of Old Gregg” is from this wacky British television show, The Mighty Boosh, and in high school, a few girls discovered this particular skit. It is absolutely ridiculous – and fantastic. It was such a thing in the end of high school, and, thanks to The Boy, it became a trademark in college too.

I’ll be back tomorrow with some new videos for your watching enjoyment. In the meantime, happy watching.

A.V. Club: Check Out This Budding Filmmaker (& His Blogging Friend)

in: viewing room

My very dear friend Greg (mono man, get yourself well!) wrote and directed this short film for Campus Movie Fest, the world’s largest student film festival. It’s this really brilliantly dark and humorous bit that you really must watch for yourself. Give it a go – I think it may be Greg Porper’s (keep that name in mind, folks) best work yet.

Also, watch his hilarious web series, “The Triple,” on YouTube.

Also, give a gander to the hilarious Impressionable Man’s Blog. It’s written by my best friend, the Duckster, and it’s chocked full of gut-clutchingly funny anecdotes, videos and musings. It’s a rare shimmer of total blogging brilliance.

Dunce Flash: Week of 11/08/10

in: the press, in: viewing room

This has been quite the week. It’s been chocked full of disappointments and total excitements, to be sure, and it’s been a rather hectic and disappointing week on my end, but I am eager for the weekend. And, certainly, I’m thrilled to share with you five big pieces of news for the week.

Cee-Lo drops “The Lady Killer”

Can you say finally? I’ve been looking forward to this album from Cee-Lo for months, what with the tease of such a killer (no pun intended) lead track. I haven’t given the full thing a spin yet, but I’m hoping to do it this weekend, with (hopefully) a review to follow. In the meantime, PopMatters has a pretty thorough review praising “Fuck You,” noting the album’s sheer brilliance in nostalgic hooks and failure to maintain the musical throwback. [PopMatters]

Check out the video for “Fuck You” above.

Warner Bros. attempts to redirect obnoxious VM movie pleas (like mine!)

The cast of "Veronica Mars," Image courtesy of CW

Five months after “Veronica Mars” producer Joel Silver confirmed that the feature film project was dead, Warner Bros. created an official e-mail address where fans can send requests and open letters (cough) for a VM movie. New York Mag (unfortunately) (and rightly) believes this is simply a ploy to clean out the inboxes, but the move must say something – maybe the fans are really demanding some sort of conclusion. I say give it a shot. If you want it as much as I do, the effort certainly couldn’t hurt. [New York Mag via Playlist]

Daria Morgendorffer directs you through traffic

Good news! Now you can customize your GPS to have MTV’s most apathetic teen guide you to your destination. Daria Morgendorffer (of the eponymous ’90s cartoon) will be your guide! And remember: “There is no aspect, no facet, no moment of life that can’t be improved with pizza.” [Frisky via MTV]

Below, Daria on popular culture.

more exciting news after the jump

Dunce Flash: Halloween, Shy Ronnie and Newsies

in: the press, in: viewing room

Happy Halloween, readers!

There’s so much to talk about today, of all days. It’s Halloween, first of all, the most splendid of teeth-rotting holidays! I’m thrilled. My costume? Suri Cruise! Last year, I went sans costume, and the year before I was Lady Stardust, and the year before that, I was Gilda Radner. I’m getting more and more clever and more and more obscure.

Google celebrated this Halloween with a five panel Google Doodle. The full thing is below and is totally excellent. It chronicles the ultimate Scooby Doo mystery – the search for a candy thief. Gotta love Google and Halloween.

Google Doodle, 10/31/2010

And, for good measure, a Halloween tune. Or, at least, a song called “Halloween.” It’s more about a party and about relationships and about a bout of sadness. And, I suppose, my Halloween weekend was full of heartache and sadness – and rollicking fun and acceptance and hilarity too – , so it seems rather appropriate. It’s too much to go into now, but this weekend, I hope, I’ll tackle The Third Year Thirty in a more concise manner.

Happy listening.


“Halloween,” Matt Pond PA

The return of Shy Ronnie

Perhaps my favorite SNL skit of the last year, “Shy Ronnie,” a digital short co-starring Rihanna and Andy Samberg, returned to Saturday Night Live this week in the Jon Hamm episode.

The sequel to the video takes place in a bank in a hold-up called “Ronnie and Clyde” and is seriously gut-clutchingly funny.

Check out the video to the sequel below or watch the original “Shy Ronnie” on Hulu.

Vodpod videos no longer available.
“Shy Ronnie,” Saturday Night Live

Seriously. “Shy Ronnie” brings me such joy.

In other news

– Never thought I’d say it, but poor Christine O’Donnell. Gawker, you’ve left me a journalist ashamed. [Gawker]

– Dear Marie Claire writer,

At our worst, we may all think it. But never in a million years would we write it.

Sincerely,
The Girl with the Dunce Cap [Marie Claire]

– I’ve been meaning to say this for months – Matthew Gray Gubler, I love your new haircut. [Hell Yeah Matthew Gray Gubler]

A.V. Club: Double Shot of Save the Dates

in: viewing room

Just a quick one-off of videos that have captivated my attention this week. I promise you’ll all know soon why I’ve been such an unreliable blogger. And I promise it’ll all be worth it.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

TV Spot #8

It’s the second-best thing to seeing a nude Daniel Radcliffe in Equus – Radcliffe clad in panties and a bra for the first installment of the adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s seventh Harry Potter book! To confuse Lord Voldemort (gasp!), Harry’s pals down a potion which makes them all appear as Harry’s doppelgangers. Fleur Delacour, one of many Harrys, seems particularly disgusted with her new appearance. “Look away – I’m hideous,” she whines.

“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” (part 1) is out November 19.

Hayden and Sean – Save the Date!

In what I think is a hilarious wedding ode to director Wes Anderson (Gawker commenters be damned!), Sean Duffy and his fiance, Hayden Geller, ask friends, family and Bear Grylls to save the date for their April wedding. Set to The Creation’s “Making Time” and Cat Stevens’ “Here Comes My Baby,” the video is an obvious tribute to Anderson’s “Rushmore,” complete with the tongue-in-cheeks gags and subtitles. It’s definitely a clever and innovative wedding invitation. [Houston Press]