Aasif Mandvi Slant-Rhymes with Zombie (11/9/09)

Hey, Anglophiles! What's shakin'? Are you ready to take another Monday by storm? (By "take another Monday by storm," I mean play games on iGoogle, wander about your offices aimlessly, and generally be hideously unproductive as you pine for the weekend that was. Obviously.)

As for me, my weekend-that-was totally rocked for the following blog-related reasons:

1. I found out that The Daily Show's Aasif Mandvi used to live in the UK! This is fantastic, because I try to keep my non-Britty obsessions off the blog, but now when I talk about The Daily Show, as I lurve to do, I don't have to focus quite so much on John Oliver. Not that I don't heart John Oliver, but I was starting to seem a little creepy, no?


2. Speaking of how Aasif Mandvi now qualifies as Anglotastic material, I got to hear him read from what I hope is a forthcoming book at the fabulous and hilarious Moonwork on Saturday. (It's bi-weekly and open-bar. Check it out.) So if you ever get a chance to see Aasif, do it. Then beg him to read his book to you. Don't try to follow him home or anything, though. That would be weird.

Aasif Mandvi and John Oliver put on their quizzical faces.

While we're on the subject of Brits and former Brits in connection with comedy, there has been a crazy kerfuffle Tea-Side in re: how offensive comedy should be. (Apparently a radio personality said that an athlete has a large schnoz. As an American, I can't help thinking, "Really? This is upsetting to you? Why don't you people try Don Imus on for size?")

Anywho, I'm pretty fond of the Telegraph's take on when comedy can be offensive. Other offerings include the Independent's somewhat rambling piece, which charmingly quotes Don Ward as saying that objections to sexist material "are almost considered twee" (fuck you very much); and this depressing poem from Chortle about how rape comedy = not a good idea. (Isn't it fantastic that it's necessary for someone to explain that? In the form of a poem? In the year 2009? Yaaaaay, progress!)

Okay, I know, I'm depressing you. I'm depressing me, too. So let's talk about Miss Jane Austen!

OMG! It's Jane Austen: 21st Century Edition! She LURVES zombies!

I feel better already.

Two things, both courtesy of Austenblog:

1. HOW did I not know about From Prada to Nada (aka Sense and Sensibilidad)? The modern-day Latino spin on Sense and Sensibility is slated for 2011, and Alexa Vega (yeah, that's right—the girl from Spy Kids) is going to be in it, as is Lindsay Lohan's ex Wilmer Valdarrama, whom I always dug as sketchy Fez on That '70s Show. I am intrigued.


2. Our friends over at Quirk Books are publishing a Pride and Prejudice and Zombies prequel. In Dawn of the Dreadfuls, we'll be learning how Lizzie Bennet became "a savage slayer of the undead." So if zombies are your jam, save the date: The book drops March 24, 2010.

Dawn of the Dreadfuls will be a brainy read.

Oh, Jane. You cheer me up every time!

Simon Pegg and Nick Frost make funny films (9/21/09)

Hey, you guys, have we ever talked about how awesome Spaced is? No? Well, let's do.

Spaced is awesome! Are you, or have you ever been, or will you ever be, a marginally employed twenty-something, slightly to the left of nerdy, who has creative aspirations in the way of drawing comic books or writing articles for magazines with a circulation greater than 1,000?

Jessica Hynes and Simon Pegg as my heroes Daisy and Tim in Spaced.

Yes? Then you should totes check out Simon Pegg (whose Tim Biswell may or may not be my ideal, if geeky and immature, man) and Jessica Hynes nee Stevenson (whose Daisy is my person) and their ragtag bunch of freaky friends. Espesh if you dig endless references to all things comic, nerd, and horror. (Watch the DVDs with the pop culture subtitles if you really want to be in the know. Best bit: the subtitles in later eps reference earlier moments in the series. Brills.)

They are creeps. They are weirdos. You will love it.

What brought on this paean to a 10-year-old Britcom with a weakness for the faux-macabre? Hot Fuzz, that's what! I watched Simon Pegg and Nick Frost be ridiculous and wonderful as austere and bumbling police officers (respectively, that is; not simultaneously austere and bumbling) with my roomie last night, and it was excellent. And unnecessarily weird. Also, be warned: There's a fair amount of squirting blood. So that was gross.

OMG Nick Frost and Simon Pegg bromance! Adorbs!

It resulted in kind of a cool nightmare, though: Simon Pegg. Nick Frost. A horse with the (very large) head of a parakeet. A parakeet who enjoyed spitting thick funnels of water at people. (Yes, I woke up in the middle of the night and checked my room for aggressive, water-loving creatures.) *shudder*

I dreamed about a horse-parakeet. This is a lion-parakeet. But you get the idea.

Rly quick Robin Hood update, my peeps: Robbie will be appearing in the Ridley Scott incarnation of his life May 14, 2010, and I've seen conflicting reports re: the sheriff. Will Russell Crowe be appearing as both Robin Hood and the Sheriff of Nottingham, Eddie Murphy-style, or will Matthew Macfadyen (aka Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice 2005, aka gent-who-isn't-nearly-as-fabulous-as-Colin-Firth-thank-you-very-much) be donning the persona of evil?

Will Russell Crowe take the "worst Robin Hood" title from Kevin Costner? Should we start a pool?

Also, sad note: The cast list over at IMDB makes no mention of Sir Guy of Gisbourne, which means no leering appearances by Richard Armitage (or Richard Armitage wannabes, even). Shame.

Richard Armitage's Sir Guy of Gisbourne: NOT a nice man. (Hot, though. In a dirty, angry way.)

In grocer news, supermarket chain Tesco is a bigoted, anti-Jedi organization. (Hat tip to runwithskizzors.) Jediism founder Daniel Jones was told he must remove his hood or leave the north Wales store. The chain's defense: Obi Wan Kenobi, Yoda, and Luke Skywalker all appear in public sans hood. And furthermore, "If Jedi walk around our stores with their hoods on, they'll miss lots of special offers."

Jediism: Use the Force, Luke...to find deals on aisle 2.

Love. It.

Brits in America (8/17/09)

The Times of London recently explored a subject near and dear to my Anglophiliac heart, y'all: "Why do so many Brits fail in the America?" is the article, and the question is one I'd quite like to know the answer to. I could use more Brits in America, thanks. Of course, their failure here could be down to a tangled time loop: Beckham may be having problems with soccer fans, and Tesco may not be able to launch a chain Stateside, but these problems don't even begin to compare to the problems they ancestors had with the colonists.

On a closely related topic, the Independent has compiled a short-list of the smuggest Britons, and you can check it out and vote here. Are any of your fave peeps on the list? And, more important: In your heart of hearts, are you ready to admit that maybe they belong on the list?

Uh-oh, Ricky Gervais! Are you smug?

Speaking of Ricky Gervais, I got tickets to see him in November! Most excellent.

Comedy is in Fashion (8/11/09)

Dig it, y'all, recycled and homemade fashion is all the rage. Over at the Independent's blog, Sanjida O'Connell reviews Junky Stylings, a repurposed clothing shop, and Junky Stylings, the shopowners' book about their lives making threads from thrift-store finds (complete with tips on doing it yourself). The brand's own website, complete with a sartorially inspiring photo gallery, is here.

Junky Stylings: Fashion from a Bin

Meanwhile, stateside, a tweaking-simple-sewing-patterns-for-dummies book is dropping. Per Bust magazine, Cal Patch's Design-It-Yourself Clothes drops in September, and offers basic patterns with instructions on how to make them actually fit you. Score.

Design-It-Youself Clothes

In summary: Cheap, custom-made clothing? Methinks I need to get my sew on.

In another 'cross the pond overlap, the Edinburgh Comedy Festival is happening right now and runs through August 31, and if you are anywhere near Edinburgh, you should go for me, 'cause I can't. And if I could, I probably couldn't understand the accents. Or the jokes, for that matter.

Meanwhile, closer to home (across-the-East-River close, actually), the New York Comedy Festival isn't until November (and only lasts from November 4 to November 8), but tix go on sale August 17, and Ricky Gervais is one of the headliners! I'm guessing I won't be able to score a seat to see Gervais, but there are 150 other peeps to choose from, so I'm sure something will work out. And I will go, and we will all laugh and laugh.