Some People Shouldn't Parachute

We shouldn't laugh at this. But we all will.

"Nobody's Watching": The Show That *Everyone* Is Watching

For those of you that are soooo last May right now, the big news in TV's off-season is the emergence of a quirky little sitcom pilot that has turned up on YouTube after two networks passed on it. "Nobody's Watching" is the brainchild of Bill Lawrence, the principal writer for Scrubs, plus two other writers from Scrubs and Family Guy. Here's a news article with more background details from Ohio.com, and another version of the story at Engadget. (EDIT: An even better article can be found at the NY Times.)

You can watch the show in three parts by clicking below. If these embedded videos do not work, links are found below the videos.

Nobody's Watching pilot, Part 1


Nobody's Watching pilot, Part 2


Nobody's Watching pilot, Part 3


Direct Links:
Nobody's Watching pilot, Part 1
Nobody's Watching pilot, Part 2
Nobody's Watching pilot, Part 3

Some initial thoughts... I think this is a great concept for a show, with pretty good writing and very good acting. I wouldn't have thought that a scripted show about two guys being pulled into an unscripted reality show about creating a new scripted sitcom would work -- but it does.

It's flaws are minor -- after Derrick delivers Chandler's signature "Could this *BE* any cooler?" line on the fake Friends set, it's completely unnecessary for him to point to himself and say, "Chandler". We all got it, and those that didn't get it right away won't know who Chandler is anyway.

It will be interesting to see if the show now gets picked up, and more interestingly, what other failed pilots find a second life on YouTube...

Overheard at a Baseball Game

Woman 1 was holding an infant and talking to Woman 2 at a youth league baseball game today. I was standing right behind.

Woman 1: "...So he said to me, 'Hon, it's been six weeks, are we ready to start up again?'"
Woman 2: "Heh! What did you say?"
Woman 1: "I told him I'd pay for a hooker."

Music of the Moment

I haven't done a "music of the moment" post for over a year, and a lot has changed in the world of rock. While I still think that The Dillinger Escape Plan is continuing to forge into new territory on the hardcore front, I think the best pure rock group on either side of the pond right now is England's Muse.



For a trio, these guys create an incredible wall of sound -- but that isn't what makes them great. It's the songwriting that will leave you wanting to hear every single song they've ever recorded.

One caution, however: rumour has it that their new album has taken an "art pop" twist, a la Radiohead and U2. Fingers crossed that it's not true!

EDIT 6/24: I should probably give props also to Canada's Broken Social Scene, another troupe with a nifty sound and a solid live act:

More Unmarked Helicopters

I love a good conspiracy theory.

I've toyed with everything from JFK to UFO's, 9/11 missile-theories to crop circles, fluorinated water to pushup bras. Or so I thought....

A few days ago I ran across a reference to "chemtrails" in the sky. What the hell? Do they mean contrails left by airplanes? Well, I am now *all* up to speed on the latest, and as the theory goes, a top secret plan is afoot to spray our skys with chemicals for the purposes of weather control or, more cynically, for population control.

This tinfoil hat movement has no shortage of evidence to back their claims. This site contains lots of chemtrail photos from 1999-2000, including telephoto shots of a "Mega Sprayer" 757 in action. Another more polished site has an FAQ detailing the differences between contrails and chemtrails. (Of course, in reality, there isn't any.)

Perhaps the most entertaining theory surrounding chemtrails belongs to a fellow on a Dutch web server:

"The key to this penultimate battle is the coming ascension of planet Earth back into the fifth dimension, and the choice its people to either stay here in this dimension, or to go with it. The chemtrails fulfill that part of the Hopi prophecy spoken of about the Day of Purification when cobwebs would be spun in the skies."

Now I'm an obliging sort of fellow, so I thought I'd take a look up from my front porch at sunset a few nights ago, and lo! I grabbed my cell phone camera and snapped this photo of a perfect chemtrail...



It's a perfect specimen -- there's a defined start and stop point, where the Spraymaster turned the device on and off, and a feathery tail to boot.

(By the way... JFK was shot by the Russians, pass it on...)

Thirsty Criminals

Spotted this article on Ann Althouse's blog: Vandals drain desert water tanks intended for illegal immigrants

While many folks find it unconscionable to drain water tanks intended for illegal immigrants crossing the Arizona desert, it seems to be that it depends on who's land the tanks rest. If a landowner in southwest Arizona wants to put water tanks on his 200 acres, then it's clearly vandalism to trespass on his land to drain them.

However, if these tanks on left on public land, then it's the tank-fillers who are the criminals. They are providing those in Mexico with a false expectation that these tanks can be counted on to provide water for thier illegal crossing:

"Mich also says each week Humane Borders finds at least one or more of their 70 water tanks vandalized, an act these volunteers say can kill. 'If they're planning on getting their water at that location and they get there and there's no water, then the next time they could get water could be not before they die,' Saavedra said."

The main problem I see here is that these border crossers may now be *planning for* these water stations. The stations could be vandalized, but they could also be destroyed by wildlife or depleated by a previous group of crossers.

By placing these water stations, it seems that the burden is incumbant on the volunteers to ensure adequate water supplies.

It's probably better to just remove the stations and send a message south of the border: bring your own water.

What Do I Do, What Do I Do?

I took this picture today on my phone camera while crossing High Street at Vine Street, in Columbus's Arena District...

Why I Don't Ride Motorcycles

Yep, that's what's left of Big Ben's trike after bumping into a Chrysler New Yorker.

Pretenders

Am I the only one that doesn't "get" Brookers?

I mean, we all remember cranking up the stereo when we were kids and lip-syncing into a mop handle with our friends. We'd make absolute fools of ourselves, falling over each other performing adolescent antics for the imaginary camera across the room.

I guess we've arrived at a point where watching such goofery is entertainment in itself now. Brookers, a young gal who had fun posting videos of herself lip-syncing pop songs, has now been offered a contract with Carson Daly.

I've seen one of her videos on youtube.com, and cringed slightly at her antics:



Brookers' final video with a teary goodbye: