Mego’s blog

I caught an episode of "The Daily Show" before it goes on hiatus for the Thanksgiving holiday and forgot how funny Jon Stewart and company are.

In my favorite segment "Gaywatch," a young boy faced bullies at school after refusing to stand for the pledge of allegiance until there truly is justice for all (specifically, equal rights for gays and lesbians). Stewart shot back at the bullies with the help of "Senior Asskicker" Mick Foley (he also schooled CNN's ass in this segment).

I recently have been writing some catalog copy for a new eco-friendly t-shirt company -- Jetpack Agenda. The t-shirts are pretty awesome. One of my favorite shirts is "That What She Thread" -- an homage to sewing (as well as my friend's Etsy page that features cute aprons) and NBC's "The Office" (Michael's "That What She Said").

That's What She Thread

Starting on Sunday these shirts will be for sale on the site, but here's a sneak preview. The t-shirts are screenprinted in Pittsburgh with water-based and phalate-free inks and dyes. The shirts are also 100% cotton, made in the USA, and from the popular styles of American Apparel.  

It's a simple formula for a successful film. If you have a movie about football that comes out around the Holidays, it's almost guaranteed to be a hit.

I predict Sandra Bullock's new film The Blind Side will score big this weekend, not because it looks particularly good (Bullock's performance in the previews looks cringeworthy), but because people love a good family movie involving football.

I also question why every family football movie must have a scene where everyone shares a musical moment (i.e. Remember the Titans did "Ain't No Mountain High Enough").

In The Blind Side's trailer, at 2:21 into the trailer, the little boy and the football player share a little dancing scene in the car. Why? Why is this necessary? Both 2:21 and Bullock's dialogue make me cringe!  So I suppose we could revise the formula to "Football + Holidays + Musical Moment = Hit."

Am I just a heartless B or does this movie look cheesy?

I had high hopes for January Jones on "Saturday Night Live" last week, probably because I'm a huge "Mad Men" fan. However, the SNL episode turned out to be one of the worst I've seen in a long time. Although Jones was noticeably nervous (who wouldn't be!), the script and skits did nothing to accommodate her skills.

In the past, "Saturday Night Live" has been able to take the weakest players (for example, Wayne Gretsky) and make them hilarious (Wayne on "Wayne's World")! Nowadays, it appears that the cast is just trying to make anything funny -- including themselves.

This Grace Kelly skit was just awful. I think they missed an opportunity by not parodying the Larry King/Carrie Prejean story instead.

And although some believe Taylor Swift was the best host of the season, I found her quite weak as well, especially in "The View" skit that is normally kinda funny (at least Fred Armisen's Joy Behar always makes me chuckle). She was playing Kate Gosselin for Christ's sake. Anyone else would have had a blast being an octo-witch!

I would like to submit a proposal consisting of five key decisions that will vastly change "Saturday Night Live" for the better. This is a matter of life and death, here. This is turning out to be the unfunniest SNL season ever.

1. A new head writer. I love Seth Meyers and always used to look to "Weekend Update" as the one beacon of funny on the show, but even that skit isn't entertaining anymore. The reviews and ratings indicate it's time for new blood.

2. Keep the funny people. Getting rid of Michaela Watkins was a huge mistake. Watching her grin and bare it as Hoda with Kristen Wiig's Kathie Lee during the "Today Show" sketch was entertaining. Jenny Slate just looked scared as the new Hoda. I also always loved Casey Wilson (also fired).  

3. Don't let Kristen Wiig be in every skit. I've said it once, and I'll say it again: she's not that funny.

4. Get some new African American comedic talent. I always liked Finesse Mitchell. Without him, Kenan Thompson had to learn to play every black character on the show.

5. Find funnier hosts. I think anyone could have predicted Megan Fox would be limited.  Sometimes, I feel like they choose people only because their names are in the headlines.  

Christmas comes early tomorrow for me when It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia releases a Christmas special on DVD.

Since I've become disillusioned by the holidays in recent years (having worked in Customer Service), I'm really eager to see if Sunny can manage to represent the holidays as they should be depicted: with selfish rage. Screw Frosty! This is something I can actually get on board with. 

I saw the film Serious Moonlight last night at the Three Rivers Film Festival in Pittsburgh. Although I am a Meg Ryan fan (she's just so gosh-darn loveable), I didn't have high expectations going into the movie based on the trailers that pigeon-holed it as a screwball romantic comedy.

I was pleasantly surprised to love this movie. Meg Ryan is serious(ly) funny! The movie's format is a bit like a play, with one scene and a character-driven storyline. The late Adrienne Shelly wrote this film, and while I didn't see Waitress, I suspect Moonlight is just as quirky and original as Shelly's directorial breakout hit.

I think Serious Moonlight has something to say about relationships as they grow and get older. Although Ryan's character chains her husband to the toilet at one point, there is actually substance beneath the comedy. Plus, a twist ending I kinda saw coming.  

While I can foresee the backlash (anything Meg Ryan does lately is deemed crap), I stand by my endorsement of this film. It was just a lot of fun.   

I heard the Magic Kids on my XM radio yesterday and was thoroughly impressed. They have a sound like the Beach Boys meets the Pipettes meets the Brady Bunch. This song certainly makes me happy (like all of the other bands mentioned above normally do)!

I can't get much info on them from their Myspace page (they're apparently from Tennessee). Hopefully, we'll only hear more from this group.

The trailer for the action-comedy Date Night is online.

When I read the IMDB synopsis ("In New York City, a case of mistaken identity turns a bored married couple's attempt at a glamorous and romantic evening into something more thrilling and dangerous"), I thought this movie sounded cute. It actually reminded me of Woody Allen's Manhattan Murder Mystery, where Woody Allen and Diane Keaton play a middle-aged married couple who discover a murderer in their apartment complex (with hilarious results!).

However, by the looks of the Date Night preview, it looks a little more Get Smart, a little less New York neurotic. I find this troubling since I like the two leads so much. I just don't know if I want to see them in a pseudo, geeked-down Mr. and Mrs. Smith.

I first sense trouble in this preview when Mark Wahlberg appears, using gadgets and computers like something out of a sci-fi movie. I sense trouble again when James Franco and Mila Kunis show up. Because Carell and Fey are so quirky, we want to see them in something quirky. I just don't think this looks like something that will make them comedically shine.

I'll be sticking to the marital hijinks of Carol and Larry Lipton, thank you very much.

Carrie Prejean, the Miss California USA with a sex tape, was on "Larry 'Inappropriate' King Live" last night, and she refused to answer any questions. This is pretty much one of my favorite television clips of 2009.

I find it strange that this woman would want to be on a talk show only to avoid talking about every issue and controversy in which she's involved, deeming everything Larry said, "inappropriate." Why even go on the show to begin with? I suppose even bad publicity is good publicity.

I feel bad that Larry King was left in the dark on what questions he could ask her, though. Although, I'm pretty sure he probably is always in the dark.

P.S. With January Jones from "Mad Men" hosting "Saturday Night Live" soon, I hope they include her in a skit where she plays Carrie Prejean. Don't they look alike!

Most recently, I decided to take a stab at reading Ayn Rand's Atlas, Shrugged. But once I took a look at the length of the book (clocking in around 1,000 pages in my paperback 70's edition), I realized it was going to be a challenge for my reading stamina. I find it a struggle to read a long book, unless of course it's remarkably written (I haven't yet been able to judge Rand since I'm only about ten pages in).

I've realized I simply love short stories. I believe that short stories capture real life more than any novel ever could.  

I think that's why I like misterab.com. Each video is a short little tale that makes you think and doesn't require more than two minutes of your time.

They post a new video every Wednesday! Here's the latest!