The Oatmeal

You should occasionally go read The Oatmeal. It's funny.

Or maybe you already read it and I'm just behind the coolness curve. Either way, thanks to my friend Bill (my longest standing friendship -- we grew up down a very rural road from one another and have been friends since nursery school!) for giving me the heads up when I stayed at his place in Northern Virginia last week.

Stop Stopping Making Sense

Apparently the Transformers sequel does not make any sense. I'm stunned. (And please do click on the link -- it is well worth it if you love full-on snark. And you do.)

Conan's Tonight Show

The New York Times Magazine on Sunday had a fantastic feature on Conan O'Brien's transition to replacing Jay Leno as host of The Tonight Show. Although I have not watched Letterman or Leno regularly for a long, long time, I am a much bigger fan of Letterman than Leno, who, though affable enough always struck me as anodyne and insipid.

Conan, meanwhile, has always been my favorite of the three. I was living in Boston (well, Somerville) in abject poverty when Conan's show debuted, and while I know that he is hit or miss with many people, I liked the show from the beginning, at least in part because he is willing to take risks that Leno never would and is a bit zanier than Letterman, whose ironic detachment occasionally feels slightly calculated even if it is a persona I like more than Leno's. I'll be rooting for O'Brien when he makes his debut next week, and will be wishing him well as the subtext -- Leno is not thrilled to be leaving the 11:30 slot -- plays out. I suspect that early on Leno's fans, who qualify as firmly middle-brow, will resent the new interloper, but hopefully Conan's audience will have time to bloom.

Flight of the Conchords Landing Near You

Normally, like any person with a modicum (even if only just) of dignity, I avoid novelty acts. But despite this general stance, I love Flight of the Conchords, the New Zealand folk duo that has stormed American hearts, largely through their brilliant eponymous HBO show. Bret and Jemaine are set to take flight (heh) on a nationwide tour.

Hat tip to the Thunderstick.

More Simpsons

Courtesy of longtime reader Greg: "Doh! 180 Foot Homer Upsets Local Pagans." The movie event of the summer kicks off in ten days.

The Simpsons Movie: The Countdown Begins

In honor of the pending release of the Simpsons Movie, which opens on July 27, The Sun provides "Top Simpsons Rib Ticklers." This is far from a complete list as with only one or two exceptions it sticks to the Simpsons themselves, avoiding the minor characters who make the show so great. Nothing from Mr. Burns, Apu, Krusty, Police Chief Wiggum? Only one from Moe? Nonetheless, it's time to start gearing up for the movie event of the summer.

My favorite Mr. Burns moment, by the way, is the following exchange after Burns loses the election for Governor:

Mr. Burns: This anonymous clan of slack-jawed troglodytes has cost me the election, and yet if I were to have them killed, I would be the one to go to jail. That's democracy for you.
Smithers: You are noble and poetic in defeat, sir.

Hat Tip for the link to the Thunderstick.

The Links Keep Comin'

I've been providing you with a lot of new websites -- mostly diversions -- these days. Here are two more: Undercover Black Man looks at politics, pop culture and history from a black perspective. Apparently the undercover black man in question is David Mills, who has written for The Wire and NYPD Blue, two of the greatest shows ever, and his interests range widely. Funny or Die comes to us from Will ferrell and Adam McKay (who directed Talladega Nights and Anchorman. Enough said.

Suck They Do, My Son

Glorious: Yankeessuckgear.

And this almost brought a tear to my eye:

That's just good parentin' shining through.

Hat Tip to Officer Tarango. Continue to protect and serve, sir.

Colon v. Wang: Headline Writer's Dream Confrontation

As the folks at Fire Joe Morgan argue, "It's Early... but the contest is over. This is the absolute best headline of 2007: Royals To Get A Taste Of Angels' Colon. Sort of hard to disagree, though as I pointed out yesterday, we may at least need to acknowledge that "Yankees Wang Hit Hard by Rangers" is going to get some votes.

Let's face it -- both Wang and Colon represent the low-hanging fruit for headline writers. And I say "Amen" to that.

Juvenile Titters From Headline of the Week

The official Yankee fan of dcat (Though my friend KO'C also qualifies), Holmes, wrote the following email to me this afternoon: "Call me immature, but this is making me laugh my arse off:" "Yankees' Wang hit hard by Rangers"

Amen, brother.

Parody Watch

I really did not intend to produce two posts in a row tied to The Plank. I really did not. But they have had the "This American Life--Can You Out 'Ira Glass' Me Challenge" going on and they have a winner. Let's just put it this way -- it involves Mexican immigrant children, dulce de leche, Catholic school, and masturbation. Comic gold, in other words.

Here are all three finalists.

When Comedians Attack

I have to admit it: I've never found Carlos Mencia to be all that funny. And my friend Jaime concurred after he went to see Mencia and walked out after discovering that he is not only not that funny, but he also may be a racist. Well, on top of that, apparently he is a joke thief. And now there are crazy goings on between Mencia (who apparently was born neither Mexican nor "Carlos Mencia") and Joe Rogan, who throws down hard over at his blog.

The joke theft aspect is to me the worst part, and Rogan does a pretty good job of explaining why. As a writer I fully understand his sentiments -- it is hard to imagine what it would feel like to be the victim of plagiarism, and as he points out, Mencia has a reputation for stealing from people who have not yet achieved enough fame or pull to protect themselves, which would be like being a junior faculty member and having a Bancroft Prize winner co-opt some of your work.

Hat tip to Andrew Sullivan.