Nicholas Gurewitch's Soundtrack for Wes Anderson's The Cloud Photographers

I'm still trying to decide whether Wes Anderson jumped the shark with The Fantastic Mr. Fox, but there's no denying the fact that the man knows how to put together a delicious soundtrack. Somehow all of the silly and twee things that annoy me in his films are much more tolerable when you pare away the actual movie part of the movie.

This is probably why I enjoy Nicholas Gurewitch's (creator of the excellent Perry Bible Fellowship) soundtrack for the fictional Wes Anderson movie The Cloud Photographers. It features music from The Zombies, Bell and Sebastian, cross-ethnic covers of a few 60's pop hits and lots of really obscure stuff that you've probably never heard of before. The only thing missing is a healthy dash of Bowie.

Enjoy.

Craig Ferguson's Tom Snyder Throwback

Fifty years ago, Johnny Carson began hosting The Tonight Show and established a late night talk show format that lives on to this day; with small variations from show to show, host to host. Of all of the current hosts, only one seems to make any effort at trying new things. While Letterman enjoys a deserved semi-retirement and Leno cruises by, relying on denim shirts and lowest common denominator jokes, Craig Ferguson has taken The Late Late Show to new heights.

Not everything he does works for me (puppets?) but a lot of it does, especially his free-form monologues and occasional musical numbers. Last Tuesday, Craig made one of my dreams come true by returning The Late Late Show to format it held back when Tom Snyder was the host. Snyder was on the air from 1995 to 1999. I was too young then to fully appreciate his intelligent show, but I could tell that I liked it. Snyder's intimate one-on-one interviews were shot without a studio audience and he even took phone calls from viewers. As a person raised on Letterman's brand, Snyder's unique style was intriguing. I've been hoping that after Letterman retires he'll do a show somewhat like this, but maybe Craig will go in that direction first.

Below is Craig's show in seven parts, thanks to some intrepid youtuber. Enjoy!

Michigan Professor Discovers SyFy Original Movie in 67 Million Year-Old Indian Stone

An eleven foot-long snake snacked on a one and a half foot-long freshly hatched baby sauropod moments before diner and meal were encased in mud or something, according to University of Michigan professor Jeffrey Wilson. This is almost certainly an example of viral marketing for a follow-up to the SyFy Original Movie Sharktopus. I don't know if the new movie has a name yet, but I reccomend Snakasaurus REX.

OK Go - This Too Shall Pass Rube Goldberg Mania

If you haven't already seen this, you'll probably watch it somewhere else soon. That is, assuming you don't watch it here.

An Ode to the Hosts of the 2010 Olympics

I can think of no better way to pay tribute to the noble Canadians than this lovely song from Mystery Science Theater 3000.


Also:

Dinosaur Comics

This is my favorite comic of all time, and has been for about four years. Written by noted Canadian, Ryan North, it covers a wide range of subject matter that appeals to me so much that sometimes I think it is being written just for me. Common topics include language and grammar, Shakespeare, God, the future, history and Batman. The exciting thing about it is that even though the art stays the same day-to-day, the writing is so good that it bends the art to suit its purpose. That's powerful writing right there!

So yeah, go check that shit out! If you need more convincing, here are some more great examples! I wasn't going to do this, as Mr. North has been writing since 2003 and I thought that picking my favorites out from the pile would be a huge waste of time, but then I did it anyway. Oh, I almost forgot! Don't forget to hover your mouse cursor around for the secret jokes!

Michael Emerson/Terry O'Quinn Hitman Show to Probably Own

...assuming it gets on the air. This thing from TV Guide says that Terry O'Quinn, badass owninator John Locke on Lost, is pitching a show where he and Michael Emerson, who co-stars on Lost as man-with-a-plan Ben Linus, would play suburban hitmen. Ownage potential is currently registering about 95% on that noise alone, with the inevitable cycle of Lost guest stars bringing the total up to about 110%. These two are pretty much the best actors on TV, so hopefully this gets picked up and soon!