Guest Post: American Idol Recap - Boys Top 13

It's time for another post from our guest blogger Daniel!  Here at We Like TV, we don't watch much reality television and never got into American Idol (between the two of us, we have seen <1 episode).  Daniel, however, is a big American Idol fan, so enjoy his recap of the show and critique of the performances!

Colton Dixon was the highlight of the first night of live performances

Last night was the first live show in the 11th season of American Idol, meaning that from this point forward, America get to decide who moves on in the competition. Before we go over the performances of the Top 12 13 guy contestants, last night, Ryan Seacrest announced some changes to the show. For one, only five guys and five girls will be voted in by America. The judges then each have one save which they can use to bring back anyone in the top 24 who didn’t make it to the top 13. Also a note about the way I grade them: I grade them based only on their performance, not on any previous ones. When we get to the top 12 I will start doing overall rankings, but for now the grades are based solely on the one performance. Now, as Brian Fellow would say “Let’s get going!”

Reed Grimm Moves Like Jagger

I had high expectations for Reed going into this week and sadly I didn’t really think he met them. His “Moves Like Jagger” was interesting, but turning a Maroon 5 song into the jazzy tune he sang might have been too gutsy. Also drumming in the middle of the song? Also possibly too gutsy. Another problem was that it started out really slow, but when he got to the drums, he seemed to get more comfortable and he showed us the Reed that impressed me so much in Hollywood week. He also confirmed that he is very similar to last season’s Casey Abrams. Also interesting that he chose a song so associated with The Voice. I like him, he seems like a really nice guy and I actually hope he makes it but performance wasn’t what I was expecting from Reed. B-

Adam Brock Think

Where do I begin with this one? The only word I can think of to describe Adam’s performance of “Think” is "weird". Not only did he choose an Aretha Franklin song, but in his video he said that many people think that “There is a large black woman stuck inside me.” WHAT?!?!?! WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN?!?!?! AND THEN SINGING AN ARETHA FRANKLIN SONG?!?!?! HUH? I guess it was ok. No bad notes, but still. I don’t think America wants an emotional, geeky-looking white guy, who acts like a large, black woman as their American Idol. Maybe as a recurring character on 30 Rock, but not as an American Idol. B-

Also at this point I remembered that Randy, J-Lo and Steven just compliment people during the live shows and don’t really give any honest opinions anymore. 

DeAndre Brackensick Reasons *Worst Performance Of The Night*

I want to like him. He seems like a nice guy. He has fun on stage. But it’s hard when he sings the whole song in falsetto. Literally, he almost sang the entire song in falsetto and it made some of his bigger falsetto notes less impressive. His last note was really nice and it had a nicer tone. If he had sang the whole song like that and slipped the falsetto in every now and again he would have done much better. He has some skills but this performance just wasn’t very good. Also, did it look like Steven cut off J-Lo? C-

Colton Dixon Decode *Best Performance Of The Night*

Ah Colton. One of my favorites. He’s likeable. He’s funny. He’s talented. Last season when he didn’t make the top 24 I was outraged (especially considering he lost the spot the Brett Lowenstern but that’s another story). I was thrilled to see him come back and he has torn it up in Hollywood. I had very high expectations for Colton. And he met them. He chose a perfect song: Paramore’s “Decode.” This was just fantastic. You could feel his passion and intensity. Every note was great. And jumping up on the piano and singing?!? WOW! AWESOME! I agree with J-Lo that when he’s at the piano you can really feel his heart but I also think it’s a good thing he branched out and didn’t stay behind the piano for the whole performance. His show reminds me of a Chris Daughtry-James Durbin hybrid. And he’s 19! A

Jeremy Rosado Gravity

This kid must be one of the nicest contestants that has ever been on Idol. And he sang his heart out. He was loud, clear, and incredibly genuine. He really nailed that last note. And he’s 19 too! Nothing else to say, really, besides WOW. A

Aaron Marcellus Never Can Say Goodbye

Hey, a New Yorker! Aaron flew under the radar for most of Hollywood week, getting through without creating a lot of buzz. He chose a great song for him (that makes 3 good song choices in a row, him Colton and Jeremy) and he did a good job in his first live performance. It wasn’t really anything super special but he sang very well. It might have been a bit generic but this early in the contest, that’s ok.  Overall, very nice showing for Aaron Marcellus. B+

Chase Likens Storm Warning

The good ole country boy didn’t get much screen time in Hollywood so a lot was riding on this performance for him. He chose a song I had never heard of by an artist I had never heard of. However, he did a really good job. He worked the stage, he had fun, and he sang near perfect vocals. Chase really stepped up to the plate here, fearlessly did his thing, and did it well. A- 

Creighton Fraker True Colors

Lets just be honest about this guy. He is very quirky and quite honestly he’s probably too weird to make it far, regardless of what kind of singer he is. He is also, most likely, gay, which I don’t have any problem with, but I know some people in America will. Another thing that won't do him favors, his super over the top rainbow lights that accompanied his performance. He sang well but not really well. By all means he has a good voice but the next day I had forgotten all about this performance. But as I said before, in poor Creighton’s case, it doesn’t matter how great he sings, he’s too off beat for America. B

Phillip Phillips In The Air Tonight

This young man is both charming and incredibly talented. I had higher expectations for him (along with Colton, Reed, Joshua, Eben, see below) then I did for the others and this, well, was a huge disappointment. When I heard what song he was singing I thought “oh, nice” but Phillip really let me down. The melody was way too slow and he didn’t really do much with the song. It didn’t really give him any places to shine and while he nailed the last note, the beginning was so sub par that it can't be overlooked. Randy, while he did cop out by complimenting Phillip’s guitar and saying “I’m a fan”, was absolutely right about the melody. I still want Phillip to make it to the next round cause I think he’s that good but this was a rough one. Pull it together next week Phillip! I think America will give you the chance. C-

Eben Franckowitz Fire To The Rain

EBEN!!! I really like Eben. For one, he’s relatable and it's cool to see someone my age (15) on the show. Two, I think he may be Jewish (also like me), which would be awesome. Him and Colton are probably my two favorites. However I was determined not let any of these factors affect the way I evaluated him. I thought he was really good.  He started off really strong and even though in the middle he sounded a little flat at times, he pulled it together with a fantastic ending. Like super good. The other problem was when he got to the first chorus, his voice was kinda drowned out a little by the music. However, as Randy and J-Lo both said, he really showed composure and the way he pulled himself together to absolutely NAIL THE END was impressive. Like I said when talking about Aaron’s performance, its just the beginning.  We are looking for talent, potential, overall appeal and intangibles, all of which Eben has. And it is so wrong that he is on vote for the worst. Anyway, keep your head up Eben! B+

Heejun Han Angles

Ok. Lets be honest. This guy has a great personality. Did anyone see him at the beginning of the show when he mouthed along to Ryan saying “This is Ammmerrrrican Idol?” He’s super funny and seems very well liked by all the other contestants and on top of all that he works with kids with special needs! Honestly when his performance started I was kinda disappointed his video was over cause he is so funny. Then I noticed his glasses. It looked like there was no glass! It looked like just a pair of frames. About his actual performance, when I heard what song he chose I thought it was a good choice. However, by the first chorus it became clear that it was not. His voice sounded weak. Sorry Heejun. C-

Joshua Ledet You Pull Me Through

First things first. I thought his name was pronounced Le-DAY, with a silent T but it is actually the way it sounds. Ledet. He just has crazy talent and he showed it. He has a tremendous range and is very passionate. This one is one to watch. Keep your eye on Joshua Ledet. A

And the mystery person who is going to get a second chance at the top 24 is…

Jermaine Jones Dance With My Father

It was pretty predictable that they would bring back ‘the gentle giant’ after they broke his heart in Hollywood week and showed tons of footage of him sobbing but it was still nice to see his beaming on the stage. The 6’8 Jermaine took advantage of his second chance using his deep baritone voice to nail Luther Vandross’ ‘Dance With My Father.’ I also liked how after his performance he left and Ryan said “wait don’t leave” and he laughed saying “ya. I’m here to stay now.” A

Overall a good night. Colton confirmed he is a class ahead of the rest. He’s my fave with Eben in second and Joshua in third. As far as last night goes, Colton was the best, with Joshua in second and Jeremy in third.

Happy Leap Day!

It's that special day that only comes once ever 4 years!  So be sure to wear yellow and blue and enjoy all the candy that was traded in for baby's tears!  Happy Leap Day!

And don't forget to watch the Jim Carrey classic Leap Dave Williams all day long on USA!

Remembering Davy Jones of The Monkees

We are saddened to learn the news of the death of TV star Davy Jones.  Davy Jones starred on the 1960's sitcom The Monkees, a show parodying the success of The Beatles.  The fake band from the show become so popular that the actors eventually leaned to play instruments and released many albums as a real band.  The group had may big hits, such as "(Theme from) The Monkees", "Last Train to Clarksville", "Daydream Believer" and "I'm a Believer" (which was later covered by Eddie Murphy as Donkey at the end of Shrek).  Here's the opening theme from the sitcom The Monkees:

And here's the music video for "I'm a Believer": 

Davy Jones also had a fairly successful post-Monkees career making guest appearances on television shows.  Most famously, he appeared on The Brady Bunch.  In the episode, Davy is recording a new song entitled "Girl", when Marcia walks in to ask Davy to sing at her prom.

Spoiler Alert: He comes to her house and agrees to perform at the prom, if Marcia will go as his prom date:

Lastly, Davy Jones also had a memorable appearance on the 1990's sitcom Boy Meets World (well it was memorable to me). In the 3rd season episode "Rave On", he appeared as Reg, Reginald Fairfield, a dear friend of Cory's parents (who can't seem to remember him).  The episode ends with Davy reuniting with  2 of the other Monkees (Micky Dolenz and Peter Tork) as they perform for Cory's parents anniversary party.  Here's a compilation of clips from Davy Jones' appearance on Boy Meets World.

Rest in peace Davy Jones.  You will be missed.

Guest Post: Multi-Impression Skits

Daniel is a good friend of the blog, and just like us, he likes TV.  He has signed on to be an occasional guest blogger for the site.  His posts will be begin with "Guest Post" in the title.  His opinions are his own and do not reflect the opinions of We Like TV.  Here is his first post as guest blogger:

SNL relies on its cast to be able to do good impressions and some impressions are so good that they write skits where the cast can parade these impressions. While some people find this to be lazy writing I love these skits. Here we are going to visit a few of my favorite multi-impression skits.

Bunny Business

This skit is just great. It’s a wonderfully absurd concept that allows the cast to trot out their favorite musical impressions. All the impressions are strong. Fred Armisen starts them off strong with a solid Randy Newman. Kristen Wiig then does a pitch perfect Natalie Merchant aka the singer from 10,000 Maniacs. Guest Host Taylor Swift then nails Shakira as Andy Samberg does a wonderfully goofy impression of Adam Duritz from Counting Crows. Abby Elliott and Bill Hader then come on as Christina Aguilera and Eddie Vedder who scream the song “The Bunny Merger Went Through.” Then to top it all off, Kenan Thompson as Jennifer Hudson. A really great skit.

Crazy Person Selection Sunday

Doing impressions of crazy people is always a good option and this premise, which featured a March Madness-like tournament to see who was the craziest person in the world, was just wonderful. Fred’s Muammar Gaddafi kills, Andy nails Dick Vitale, and Kristen does a very funny Melissa Leo. However the highlight of the skit came at the end in the form of Bill playing Charlie Sheen perfectly. Another great impression-heavy skit.

Knights Of The Realm

This one starts out as a TV show skit called “Fancy A Jar Do You”, when it was interrupted by a long named British newsman, reporting that a dragon was attacking London and that the “Knights of the Realm”, the group of celebrities knighted by the queen, had been activated. We then move to the home of Elton John where various British celebs have congregated. Andy Samberg’s Bono, Taran Killam’s Ian McKellen, and Fred Armisen’s Ringo Starr (who is not a bloody knight) are all solid but not outstanding. Despite not saying anything, Kenan as Sir Mix-A-Lot was very funny. However the two top impressions were far and away Tom Hanks’ slow-talking Michael Cain and Bill Hader’s hilariously hyper Richard Branson (WOAAA!). Host Elton John played himself and was serviceable, taking good-natured jabs at the Spider-Man musical, despite flubbing a main punch line.

Mort Mort Feingold: Accountant for the Stars

This skit features Andy as an accountant named Mort Mort Feingold, who does accounting for celebrities. The cast then goes forward with their wonderful parade of impressions. Paul Brittain did a good James Franco. Nasim Pedrad, Abby Elliott, and Vanessa Bayer played the Kardashian sisters with Pedrad and Elliott out shining Bayer. Taran Killam did a fun, just-out-of-the-closet, Ricky Martin. Jay Pharaoh does his rather generic Will Smith. Then comes my personal favorite part of the skit: Helen Mirren as Helena Bonham Carter and Bill Hader as Tim Burton. Both impressions are very strong but the best part of the skit is Bill as Burton handing over their receipts, which he made into a dream spider. Then Paul Brittain does his second impression of the skit when he shows up doing his spot-on Johnny Depp, whose watch got caught in Helena Bonham Carter's hair. The skit closes with Fred as Gaddafi, which was solid.

These are just a few of my favorite impression heavy skits. Feel free to tell me yours. Also thank you to Jason for allowing me to write this article for his blog. I really appreciate it.

Thanks for the great post, Daniel!

Sitcom Moms & Dads: Liz Lemon's Dad

It's time for another installment of Sitcom Moms & Dads, where we talk about the legendary actors who play the parents of our favorite TV characters.  Today, we discuss Liz Lemon's father on 30 Rock, Dick Lemon, who is played by the legendary Buck Henry.  Never heard of him?  Well you're probably familiar with his work without even knowing it.

Buck Henry is probably most famous for two reasons.  First, he co-wrote the screenplay for the classic 1967 comedy film The Graduate starring Dustin Hoffman and Anne Bancroft.  He also had a cameo in the film as a hotel clerk.  He can be seen around the 1:25 mark.

Buck Henry's other big claim to fame was co-creating the spy comedy TV series Get Smart with Mel Brooks (who wrote and directed the classic comedy films The Producers, Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein, and Spaceballs).  The show, which was recently turned into a feature film starring Steve Carell and Anne Bancroft, ran for 5 successful seasons from 1965-1970.  Here is the show's iconic opening theme:

Buck Henry was also a frequent host of the early days of Saturday Night Live.  He has hosted the show 10 times, which is the fourth most of any host (behind only Alec Baldwin's 16, Steve Martin's 15, and John Goodman's 12 hosting gigs).  Here's a sketch from Buck Henry's first hosting gig from season 1 episode 10 of SNL, Samurai Delicatessen.

More recently, Buck Henry has mainly been doing guest appearances on sitcoms.  In the 7th season of Will & Grace, he appeared as the husband of Will's boss, who was very attracted to Grace.  In this clip, he interrupts Will's dinner with his boss, so he can get a paddle for Grace to spank him with.

And lastly, here is Buck Henry as Liz Lemon's father.  He has appeared twice so far, first in the season 2 episode "Ludachristmas", and second in the season 5 episode "Gentleman's Intermission".  In this clip from "Gentleman's Intermission", he stays with Liz for a while as he takes a break from his marriage to Liz's mother, and Jack steps in to help Liz save her parents' marriage.

BREAKING NEWS: James Spader to leave The Office

Wow, it sure is a busy news day!  James Spader, who joined the cast of The Office this season following the departure of Steve Carell, has announced that he will not be returning to the show next season (assuming the show is picked up for a 9th season).  We haven't really been big fans of Spader's Robert California character, so we are kind of glad to see him go.  The last few California-less episodes have been really great, so it seems like the show does better without him.  

So the question now is who will take over as CEO of Sabre?  Perhaps Catherine Tate's Nellie will step in?  Or Kathy Bates will return as Jo?  Or will a new name join the cast?  Will The Office even return next fall?  We'll keep you posted as we learn more!

Stephen Colbert's I Am a Pole (And So Can You!) - Updated!

Last month, we reported that Stephen Colbert has written a children's book entitled I Am a Pole (And So Can  You!).  At the time, Colbert said that they were still shopping around for a publisher, but it has now been reported that the book will be published by Grand Central Publishing and will be released on May 8!  Here's hoping Colbert does a book tour so we can meet him in person!

And in other Colbert book related news, it was reported that Colbert will follow up his non-children's book I Am America (And So Can You!) with a new book entitled America Again: Re-Becoming the Greatness We Never Weren't to be released in October.  As big fans of his first America book, we can't wait!

Weird Al on 30 Rock - Updated!

As we reported last week, comedy singer "Weird Al" Yankovic will be guest starring on an episode of 30 Rock.  At the time, that was pretty much all we knew, but we now have some more details on this developing story!

Last Thursday night, Jane Krakowski stopped by Late Night with Jimmy Fallon to talk about 30 Rock.  They discussed Al's upcoming appearance, and unveiled this photo from the show:

They went on to discuss some more details of his appearance, saying that Jenna records a song and music video which is then parodied by Weird Al.  Check out the full interview here:

According to Weird Al's Facebook page, the episode should air around the 3rd week of March, so don't forget to watch!  Should be pretty epic!

Congrats to Bret McKenzie and Jim Rash!

Of the 3 TV stars who we were rooting for at the Oscars last night, 2 of them took home Oscar gold!  Congrats to Bret McKenzie (from Flight of the Conchords) for winning Best Original Song for "Man or Muppet" from The Muppets and to Jim Rash (from Community) for winning Best Adapted Screenplay for The Descendants!

Sadly, Kristen Wiig lost the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for Bridesmaids to Woody Allen for Midnight in Paris.  While I was disappointed, I'm also a big Woody Allen fan and loved Midnight in Paris, so I couldn't get too upset.  But hey, 2 out of 3 ain't bad, right?

Academy Awards Tonight!

As we previously reported, 3 of our favorite TV stars are nominated for Oscars tonight.  If anyone deserves the prestigious honor of the Academy Award, it's these three people:

Good luck to Kristen Wiig, Bret McKenzie, and Jim Rash!  The Academy Awards air tonight on ABC!

Fred Armisen and Penny Marshall

On last night's Portlandia, TV legend Penny Marshall guest starred as one of the original founding member's of the Women and Women First feminist bookstore.

It was fun seeing Fred Armisen share the screen with Penny Marshall, because on Saturday Night Live, Fred has often impersonated Penny Marshall.

For those of you who have been reading this and have no idea who this Penny Marshall lady is, she is an actress best known for playing Laverne on the classic TV comedy Laverne and Shirley from 70's.  Here's the iconic opening theme:

  

She is also the sister of Garry Marshall, the legendary director who created Laverne and Shirley (and Happy Days, from which Laverne and Shirley was spun off), and more recently he has directed the holiday ensemble films Valentine's Day and New Year's Eve.

Community Set to Return!

As reported earlier this week, Community is set to return to NBC on Thursday March 15 at 8:00!  While the low rated show was temporarily shelved to make room for the return of 30 Rock, the outrage that followed it's hiatus, which resulted in petitions, campaigns, and even flash mobs, seems to have really brought a buzz back to the show.

Unfortunately, the return of Community Thursdays at 8:00, which will push 30 Rock back to 8:30, means that Parks & Recreation will go on a short hiatus until April 19, when it takes over the 9:30 spot from Up All Night, which will have ended it's first season order.

While we are sad to see Parks & Rec off the schedule for a few weeks, we are very excited for the return of Community!  The fun thing about Community is that you really have no idea what to expect with each episode. There is no set formula of the show, but rather each episode often mocks or honors a particular film or television genre, all while staying true to the characters of show and the plot of the story.  Here's a few examples of the various film types that have been spoofed on Community.

Musicals/Glee

In the last episode to air before its long winter hiatus, the show mocks the TV show Glee, by using musical performances to bring Christmas cheer to the gang.  The episode also features Saturday Night Live featured cast member Taran Killam as the hilariously psychotic Glee Club Instructor.

Anime

An intense game of foosball soon turns into an anime battle.

Horror/Vampires
For this season's Halloween episode, Community featured the study group competing to tell the scariest story, which allowed for some great horror movie spoofs, particularly of Twilight and the vampire movie craze.

Dungeons and Dragons

An entire episode revolved around the gang sitting around the table and playing the fantasy role-playing game Dungeons and Dragons.

Claymation

As a parody of the classic animated Christmas specials, Community got clay-mated for last season's Christmas episode.

Paintball 

Lastly, we can't leave out Community's trademark paintball season finales.  Both the first and second seasons have had an epic paintball themed finale, and it's likely the third season will too (and hopefully it won't be the end of the show).  In a combined spoof of action movies, conspiracy movies, western movies, and Star Wars, here's a clip from Part 1 of last season's two part paintball season finale.

Community returns to NBC Thursday March 15 at 8:00pm.  We can't wait to see what crazy things they'll do next!  Six seasons and a movie!

Shows On Other Shows - SNL on The Office - UPDATED

Earlier this month, we had a post of all of the references to Saturday Night Live that have appeared on The Office.  Well, we thought of another one!  In the season 4 finale"Goodbye, Toby", after Michael first meets Holly, when they're sitting on the floor fixing her chair, Holly makes a joke and then Michael says "Acting!".  Holly and Michael then repeatedly shout "Acting!", and then finally Holly says "Lovitz", to which Michael agrees. This is a reference to the catchphrase of former SNL cast member Jon Lovitz's classic character Master Thespian.  

You can see the clip from The Office in this fan-made You Tube video at the 28 second mark: 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxBKc3IVrps (embedding for the clip was disabled).  
You can view the SNL sketch here:

We'll be sure to post more as we think of them.  Comment and let us know if you can think of any others!

BREAKING NEWS: Weird Al to appear on 30 Rock!

"Weird Al" Yankovic, known for his best-selling comedy albums and pop song parodies, will be appearing on an upcoming episode of 30 Rock.  Weird Al broke the story himself on Twitter, when he tweeted the following message:

Al Yankovic @alyankovic 

Guess which show I'M gonna be on...

Clearly, that is a picture of Weird Al with Tina Fey and Scott Adsit from 30 Rock.  As huge fans of both Weird Al and 30 Rock, we are very excited by this news!

30 Rock has previously referenced Weird Al in the season 3 finale "Kidney Now".  In the episode, Jack decides to have a benefit concert "like 'We Are the World' - or 'Weird Al' Yankovic's less successful parody benefit, 'We Are the Pizza'".  Perhaps "We Are the Pizza" will finally see the light of day?

Weird Al is no stranger to appearing on TV comedies.  He has made guest appearances on many TV shows, most recently on an episode of How I Met Your Mother, playing himself from 1985.

Happy President's Day!

It's President's Day!  That special day when some people have work and some people don't, and the malls have sales that in no way have anything to do with the lives of our nation's greatest presidents.  We thought we'd celebrate this great day with some great TV clips honoring our nations founding fathers.

First, up, President George Washington (as played by Russel Brand) is transported to the present day to give advice to our nation's leaders.

Next, a very young Michael Scott makes an educational video for the office, quoting the words of Abraham Lincoln, to educate against racism.

Additionally, on Happy Endings, Penny (and Max) run into a very charming Abraham Lincoln at a Halloween Party.

Finally, as I'm sure you all know, TGS star Tracy Jordan is a descendant of Mr. Jefferson, and he decided to honor his ancestor by making a dramatic film about his life, in which he plays every part.  Check out the trailer!

Happy President's Day everyone!

GIF of the Week: Joe Jamal-Biden

I think most of us can agree that Mondays are terrible (well, maybe not this particular Monday if you are lucky enough to have a day off for Presidents' Day). To brighten all of your respective Mondays, we will be posting a custom-made TV-related animated GIF every week just for you!  So, dearest internet readers, enjoy Jason Sudeikis as "Joe Jamal-Biden" in the SNL Cosby-Obama sketch that my co-blogger Jason very recently blogged about.

 You may be wondering:

• Why would they decide to do two consecutive blog posts about the same exact sketch?'
• 'Do they ever coordinate with each other when they post?' 
• 'I didn't realize that there was more than one person contributing to this blog.' 

To answer your hypothetical inquiries:

• We get really excited about things.  We seek to overwhelm you with our excitement.
• See above.  This was no mistake.
• Surprise!  If you haven't already noticed, Jason writes many posts.  I came up with this animated GIF thing so I can contribute by making one silly image per week, plus the occasional post wherein I spend half of the time explaining that I don't post often.  Best idea ever.

TV Clip of the Day: The Obama (Cosby) Show

As we previously reported, Maya Rudolph made her much anticipated return to Saturday Night Live as host last night, and we thought she was amazing.  In our opinions, she was up there with Jimmy Fallon as one of the best hosts of the season.  Nearly all of the sketches last night were great, but one sketch won the prize for our absolute favorite of the night.

Maya Rudolph appeared as Michelle Obama to announce that in an effort to continue her fight against obesity, she was starting a half hour comedy show starring her family.  The sketch then turned into a great parody of The Cosby Show, featuring the Obama family.  The best part is the preview at the end for the next episode!

I'm a big fan Bill Cosby and The Cosby Show (I've seen him do live stand-up and even met once at a book signing).  But for those of you who aren't familiar with the show, here's a few clips that'll help you get the references in the SNL parody.

Here is the the season 2 opening to The Cosby Show, featuring the cast of the show dancing to the show's jazzy theme.

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This next clip shows Cliff's (Cosby's) obsession with eating junk food, specifically hoagies.  The scene starting at 1:39 is most directly parodied in the SNL sketch.

Lastly, here is the famous clip of the Huxtable family lip-syncing for their grandparents anniversary, which was parodied in the SNL sketch in the preview for next week's episode.  (This clip actually features 2 lip-syncing performances from the show, the first one is the one parodied in the SNL sketch)

TV Star Spotlight: Catherine Tate

This past Thursday's episode of The Office saw the return of a familiar face.  In addition to David Koechner (who plays Todd Packer), British comedian Catherine Tate returned to the show as Nellie Bertram.  She first appeared  in last season's finale "Search Committee", as a potential candidate to take over Michael Scott's job as Dunder Mifflin Scranton's regional manager. The position ended up going to Andy, but she has now resurfaced working at Sabre headquarters as the head of the Sabre Store initiative.   

While Catherine Tate may not be familiar to us here in the United States, she is actually quite famous in England. In fact, she even had her own award-winning sketch comedy show entitled The Catherine Tate Show which ran in England for 3 season (or 3 series, as they call them over there).  Here's a few clips from her show:

Tate has also appeared in some American films as well, such as the 2010 Jack Black comedy Gulliver's Travels.

And now, here's Catherine Tate on last week's episode of The Office.  I thought she was hilarious, and from what I've read, she's going to be on for the next few episodes, so she's not going anywhere any time soon!

The Dream of the 90's is Alive in Portland

Back in December of last year, I saw online that Fred Armisen would be doing a signing at the NBC Store in New York.  As big fans of Fred Armisen on Saturday Night Live, we were very excited to go and meet him. But it turns out that Fred wasn't there to promote SNL, but rather to sign DVDs of his new IFC sketch comedy show Portlandia.  We had heard of the show, but never really watched it, so we decided we'd buy the DVD so we could meet him and get his autograph.

When we got to the NBC Store, turns out it was much more than just a DVD signing.  Fred had a bunch of instruments set up in the staircase, and he was giving everyone in the store a free concert!  He used a loop machine to record his own accompaniment.  He sang some covers as well as two songs from Saturday Night Live.  Here is some exclusive We Like TV footage of the live performances of "I Sent A Bottle of Sparkling Apple Juice to Your House, Did You Get It?" and "Massachusetts Afternoon" from SNL.

 

But enough SNL.  We've talked about that show enough on this blog (for now).  The point is that we now had an autographed copy of the first season of Portlandia in our hands, so we decided to give it a watch.

The show basically features Fred Armisen (SNL) and Carrie Brownstein (from the bands Sleater-Kinney and Wild Flag) playing a variety of characters who live in Portland, Oregon.  Each episode features a group of random sketches, as well as one sketch that continues in 3 parts throughout the episode.  The show pokes fun at the hipster culture of Portland, and the many types of people who live there.  Many of our favorite TV actors have also guest starred on the show, such as Fred's SNL co-stars Jason Sudeikis, Andy Samberg, and Kristen Wiig, as well as Jack McBrayer (30 Rock), Aubrey Plaza (Parks & Rec), and Sean Hayes (Will & Grace).

While the show can get a little strange at times, it really is a very funny show, and we look forward to watching it each week.  Catch a new episode tonight and every Friday night at 10:00pm on IFC!

Jimmy Fallon and Stephen Colbert

Jimmy Fallon and Stephen Colbert are two of our favorite comedians, and their shows Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and The Colbert Report are two of the best late night shows on TV.  While both comedians are hilarious on their own, when they come together, true magic occurs.  So lets take a look back at the very long, complex, and ever-evolving relationship between Jimmy Fallon and Stephen Colbert.





It all started almost a year ago on March 2, 2011, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon's 2nd anniversary show, when ice cream makers Ben and Jerry stopped by to present Jimmy Fallon with a very special gift:



Stephen Colbert, who has his own flavor or Ben & Jerry's ice cream named "Stephen Colbert's Americone Dream", was not happy.  He wanted to be the only late night talk show host with an ice cream flavor.  Jimmy Fallon then crashed his show, to confront Stephen on this ice cream debacle.

The Colbert Report
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The Colbert Report
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And like that, they were BFFSM, Best Friends For Six Months.  And as best friends, Stephen Colbert took the liberty to pledge Jimmy's money to one of his charities, without his permission.


Jimmy decided to return the favor by promising that Stephen Colbert would come on his show and sign Rebecca Black's "Friday" if his fans could raise the $26,000.  Well, the Fal Pals came through, and Stephen Colbert was a man of Jimmy's word.



And after that epic performance, the two friends seemed to be on great terms. That was until Jimmy released  his Emmy consideration packet with a picture of Stephen Colbert on it.  Stephen decided to respond by mocking one of Jimmy's weekly segments, "Thank You Notes".

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Jimmy retaliated by mocking his Colbert's recurring segment "The Word".



Sure, they shared a little good-natured "ribbing", but the two were still best friends.  That was, until they realized their 6 months had expired...

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Colbert then appeared on Jimmy's show to take part in an epic farewell duet.  (Unfortunately, NBC has taken down the clip, so this low quality YouTube clip is the best we could find.)



And with that, they became eternal enemies.  For 6 months.  Jimmy had Ben and Jerry over on his show to talk about his ice cream, and how it was outselling Colbert's Americone Dream.



Colbert responded by saying a few nasty things about Jimmy's ice cream flavor, and he urged all his viewers to go out and buy some Americone Dream, to try to outsell Jimmy Fallon's Late Night Snack.

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Then Jimmy decided to up the ante by creating a contest to see what you can do with Stephen Colbert's Americone Dream, besides eating it of course.



Colbert responded by trying to one-up Jimmy's ice cream by making Americone Dream the new official ice cream of the future.

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Jimmy then shared some entries into his contest, and even managed to manipulate Colbert's attempt at ice cream supremacy as an entry into his contest..



Colbert later retaliated with a few more insults for Jimmy's ice cream, and announced that his ice cream would now be sold in collectible "Super Pac Packs", and that Ben & Jerry's scoop shops would be giving them away for free on Valentine's Day.

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Then, a few days ago (as we previously posted on our Valentine's Day post), Stephen Colbert sent Jimmy Fallon a Valentine, to let him know that even though they are enemies, he he misses his former best friend (for 6 months).

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The next night, Jimmy received the Valentine on his show, as well as a very special surprise gift.



And as of this posting, that is the latest in the epic relationship of Jimmy Fallon and Stephen Colbert.  We will be sure to post any future incidents between these two, so check back often for the latest on friendship/enemyship of Jimmy Fallon and Stephen Colbert.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Still haven't made Valentine's Day plans?  Here are ideas from some of our favorite TV couples:

If you are your loved one are both working (preferably at the same job) and have a baby to take care of, you might consider avoiding the crazy Valentine's dinner "thing" and having to hire a baby sitter, and just going out for a nice romantic lunch.  Just remember that you still have to work after lunch, so try not to drink too much. Right Pam?

If you don't happen to work with your significant other, you can always surprise your loved one by sending flowers and chocolates at work. Just make sure you spell the name right so it doesn't go to the wrong person!

If you're willing it put in more effort than just sending flowers and chocolate, you can consider creating a scavenger hunt around the town, hiding clues in all of the places that are special to you two as a couple.

Or if you've been married for a while and you're tired of being those same old people you've been all year, you might want to try to spruce things up by pretending to be other people, going to a hotel bar, and seeing where the evening goes... (The commercial that plays before the clip is very long, but the clip will play once it's done)

Maybe you used to be with someone you really cared about, but recently had a fight and are now mortal enemies (for six months).  Valentine's Day is the perfect time to send that special someone a note to let them know how much you miss them.

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Stephen Colbert's Free Americone Dream Day
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And if there is no special someone in your life right now, fear not.  You can always throw a "Lonely Hearts Valentines Single Mixer" in hopes of meeting that special someone.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Congrats Adele!

In honor of Adele's big win last night at the Grammys, we figured we'd post some TV show clips featuring her Grammy award winning music.

First up is the cast of SNL listening to Adele's "Someone Like You" and getting a good cry.  Watch and cry along!

Next up, Jimmy Fallon decided to start off his live Post-Super Bowl special in Indianapolis with a parody of Adele's "Rolling in the Deep".

Finally, three of Adele's songs have been featured in Glee.  Last season, Rachel and Jesse performed an a capella version of "Rolling in the Deep".

And then, earlier this season, Mercedes, Santana, and The Troubletones performed as mash-up of 2 Adele songs - "Rumour Has It" and "Someone Like You".

TV Clip of the Day: Being Quirky with Zooey Deschanel

Zooey Deschanel, star of the breakout hit FOX comedy series New Girl hosted Saturday Night Live last night, and we thought she was great.  But our favorite Zooey Deschanel performance wasn't Zooey Deschanel at all, but rather SNL cast member Abby Elliott's impression of Zooey Deschanel in the sketch "Being Quirky with Zooey Deschanel".  The sketch (which I really hope will recur in the future), featured Abby as Zooey as host, with Taran Killam doing a great  (albeit squeaky)  impression of Michael Cera as co-host.  The real Zooey then came out as a very frail Mary Kate Olsen, and later in the sketch Kristen Wiig reprised her hilarious Bjork impression.  Enjoy this very quirky clip!

Shows On Other Shows - SNL on The Office

Today we start a new recurring segment called "Shows On Other Shows" where we talk about when one show is mentioned or referred to on another show.  In this case, we're talking about Saturday Night Live on The Office.  Michael Scott is a big fan of comedy, and he loves Saturday Night Live.  Even if he doesn't talk about the show too much, he very often refers to characters or sketches from SNL.

In the season 3 episode "The Merger", Michael and Dwight make a video to welcome the new members of the office to Scranton.  The video is a music video for a song he wrote called "Lazy Scranton", which is a parody of the SNL Digital Short "Lazy Sunday".

Michael especially loves to dress up as SNL characters for Halloween.  In the season 6 episode "Koi Pond",  the gang turn the warehouse into a haunted house.  Michael decides to dress up as one of the guys from the SNL Digital Short "D*ck in a Box"

The following year, in the Season 7 episode "Costume Contest", Michael dresses up as the SNL character MacGruber for Halloween, and even tricks Gabe into cuing his catchphrase.

While those are the most obvious SNL references on The Office, there are many other more subtle references (for which I cannot find videos of online).  For example, in the season 5 episode "Lecture Circuit Part 2", Michael travels to Utica to talk to Holly to get some closure on their relationship.  When he gets there, he discovers that she's not there, but when he goes over to her desk he notices that the desktop wallpaper on her computer is of Martin Short's SNL character Ed Grimley.  This makes him smile, because he realized that they both love SNL, and that they really belong together.

And back in season 1 in just the 3rd episode of the show "Health Insurance", Michael sees Pam and says "Pam! Pamela! Pamalama-ding-dong. Making copies" (despite the fact that she wasn't making copies), a reference to the popular Rob Schneider SNL sketch.

Those are all of the SNL references I can think of on The Office, but I'll be sure to update if I think of any others.  Feel free to comment and let us know if we missed any!

Maya Rudolph to Host SNL!

It was just announced last night that former Saturday Night Live cast member Maya Rudolph would be returning as host on the February 18 show!  Maya has had a great year after starring in the summer's breakout hit film Bridesmaids and now starring on her own hilarious NBC comedy series Up All Night.  We loved Maya Rudolph's great impressions and crazy characters on SNL, so here's hoping she brings some of them back when she hosts next week.  I'm especially hopeful that Nuni and/or Prince Show will return since Fred Armisen is still on the show*.  Here's a look back at some of our favorite Maya Rudolph moments on Saturday Night Live.

The Art Dealers (Nuni)

Bronx Beat

Beyonce Knowles on "Prince Show"

Whitney Houston

Oprah

*"We actually spoke with Fred Armisen a few weeks ago in a We Like TV Exclusive Interview (well, actually it was a DVD signing, but it still counts), and when asked if he would do another Nuni sketch, he responded "maybe it Maya came back to host'".  Looks like the time has come!