When The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air aired from 1990 to 1996, there were very few people out there who would have guessed that Will Smith was going to become one of the largest and most bankable stars in the world. A moderately successful rapper in the late 80s, he was almost bankrupt after underpaying his taxes and owing the IRS $2.8 million when he hastily took an offer from NBC to create a sitcom around him. The show, of course, was a success, nabbed Smith two Golden Globes nods and led a natural transition into his Hollywood career, when in the matter of three years, he starred in the huge box office hits, Bad Boys, Independence Day, and Men in Black, almost immediately turning him into one of the biggest stars in Hollywood.

And it all started with this show. I loved the show and probably watched most of the 148 episodes during my childhood, but like most 90s sitcoms, it suffered from being, well, a 90s sitcom. Most have not aged well (I mean Full House? It’s painful). Still, there is a moment in Fresh Prince that has always stuck out that I always remember. In one of the last episodes of the fourth season, Will’s father Lou suddenly shows up. Absent for most of his life, Will is elated when his father seems to take an interest in actually being his father and making amends for the pain he has caused his son. Ever protective of his nephew who he now thinks of as a son, Will’s Uncle Phil is weary of Lou, but despite his caution, says nothing as Lou offers to spend the summer with Will, as Phil knows that this is what Will wants. The episode ends with one of the most heart-wrenching moments in any 90s sitcom that I can think of – which, you know, is a rarity to begin with, given the nature of television at the time. The acting is actually very effective from Will, who shows shades of the big-time actor that he eventually becomes, as well as James Avery, who played Uncle Phil. Watching this classic moment reminds me why I liked this show so much as a kid.

Nothing I can really add to this video other than technical garbage. You can find all of the details about this new device over at the official Google Blog. I guess all I have to say is, “it’s about time!”

Summer is almost upon us and with it a plethora of nights filled with books thanks to the lack of good television. This is the time of year when show seasons end and we enter the depths of reruns, syndication, and perhaps catching up on what we may have missed over the last few months.

It’s not all bad though. True Blood is set to return on June 13th but there’s something else to get excited about, especially if you’re a fan of sweeping epics. If that’s the case, things don’t get much better than Sergio Mimica-Gezzan’s adaptation of Ken Follett’s Pillars of the Earth, the story of the building of a cathedral in Kingsbridge, England.

I first caught wind of the book and the production when doing some poking around Matthew Macfadyen’s upcoming projects and stumbled on what seemed like a promising one. The eight part miniseries with a budget of $40 million dollars, was definitely destined to look good but I was more excited to see it thanks to a cast that includes Ian McShane, Eddie Redmayne, Hayley Atwell, Alison Pill, Rufus Sewell, Donald Sutherland and Gordon Pinsent it’s certainly one I wasn’t going to miss. Thankfully, the trailer suggests that this could very well be the next John Adams.

Pillars of the Earth premieres on Starz on July 23th.

Trailer after the break!

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Believe it or not, this is a real commercial for a real mobile home company in Alabama. Awesome.

Last summer someone on the Tubes of You mashed up the opening credits sequence from Magnum P.I. along with Captain Han Solo and friends aboard the Millenium Falcon. While this newest mash-up doesn’t look like quite the same amount of patience and research the Solo P.I. employed, this Beastie Boys version of episodes from Battlestar Galactica is nonetheless still quite entertaining.

Look at your Facebook profile…now back to this post…now back to your profile…now back to this post. Sadly, your Facebook profile isn’t nearly as awesome as the commercial in this post. Look down…

 
“The tickets are now diamonds”…BRILLIANT!

Generally, I appreciate shiny things and good smells, but I’d rather at look at my own man with those two tickets to that thing I like. Especially, if that thing happens to be the March 6th, Minnesota RollerGirls bout. That’s right…Real. Live. Roller Derby! A smarmy, hot man on a horse selling nice smells, is all good and fine (actually, pretty damn funny), but hip checkin’ chics on skates crusin’ around a flat-track at dizzying speeds is some serious kick-assery. Roller Derby just isn’t old school pushing and shoving in tight shirts and hot-pants. It’s where fast, fun and flare meet strict rules, forceful determination, tactical decisions, skating savvy and the finesse of a fall.

 
Many a weary mother either in denial or the dark about derby, may have gotten a good lashing from begging daughters who came home from Barrymore’s Whip It, wanting skates, bruises and more black-eyeliner. Modern roller derby however, has become a sport that spans over 400 leagues world-wide. The Minnesota RollerGirls are unpaid, amateur skaters who belong to a governing body known as The Women’s Flat Track Derby Association. The skaters not only own the league themselves, but represent a cross section of their community and are involved in numerous charitable events and promotions. The recent “Rock the Cause: Gillter Ball 3″ event to raise money for Big Brothers Big Sisters, is just one of many ways The Minnesota RollerGirls give back to the community in the Twin Cities. To catch derby bouts and events near your own hometown, check out the WFTDA link and guys, if your feeling left out…get off your horse and on some wheels. Men’s derby is quickly becoming more and more popular, legit and wicked fast fun.

The recent chatter about a new Muppet movie sparked memories of Nanny’s green and white striped socks and a glassware collection preserved (I hope) somewhere in my parents basement. Back when kid’s meals actually came in handy handled boxes (perfect for transporting action figures, Legos and bits of plastic more useful than those that came with the meal), certain fast food establishments issued collectible glasses painted with pop culture’s favorite characters, including Snoopy, Kermit and even everybody’s favorite Wookiee.

We all know that it’s not easy being green and I’m not convinced that neon orange liquid they pass off as “drink” is really fit for consumption, however, when served as the backdrop for a cycling Kermit, the real question in my little six year old mind was not, “Why are there so many songs about rainbows?” but, what time do I need to wake up on Saturday morning to watch Muppet Babies?” I can think of few contemporary half hour segments that can provide a kid with silly cuteness, dangerous adventures in imagination and musical movie magic, like a Henson powered cartoon can. Then, why not wrapped it all up in a fashion statement dictating that green and white striped socks are really the only thing one needs to be fearful of? … Genius!

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From NPR:

NBC Entertainment president Jeff Gaspin took the stage at the Television Critics Association press tour and, without waiting for a question, immediately confirmed that Leno’s show will leave the 10 p.m. slot, but wasn’t able to say exactly what would happen after that. Gaspin confirmed that, as has been widely reported, he has proposed that Leno move to 11:35 p.m. for a half-hour show, followed by Conan O’Brien at 12:05 (doing what what would still be called The Tonight Show), followed by Jimmy Fallon at 1:05. Because the hosts involved are still considering the plan — Gaspin wouldn’t comment on which of them, if any, had agreed to it thus far — he said that “talks are still ongoing” and nothing is final.

Conan has brought new life to what had become a very stale The Tonight Show after over a decade on The Late Show and this is how they repay him – after packing up his family and his crew and moving 3,000 miles across the country to Los Angeles. I can’t see this becoming anything but even more of a disaster for NBC, who are going to make a very big mistake by displacing Conan’s current time slot.

Lame.

UPDATE: Conan’s official statement! Know, as insignificant as it may be, we here in the third row support you Conan!

And so my hunger begins.

While you can only watch this if you have the UK television station, Channel 4, the pilot for the David Cross and Will Arnett starring aired last week. The C4 website describes the pilot episode of the show:

US comedian David Cross plays Todd Margaret, a hapless office drone who flukes his way into a top management job heading up the British division of a US multinational. All he has to do is sell a dozen container loads of dodgy Korean energy drinks before his psychotic boss, played by Will Arnett, visits in a week’s time. It doesn’t help that he knows nothing about the UK or selling things. What’s more, he only has one very unhelpful employee, played by Russell Tovey, to assist him. Needless to say, it doesn’t go well and Todd’s spectacular failure to impress beautiful café owner Alice, played by Sharon Horgan, only makes things worse.

Watch the promo below. I am really looking forward to checking this show out.

Another season of Curb Your Enthusiasm has come and gone, this season being the most hyped of its seven season existence, mostly due to the fact that the season’s storyline would revolve around a Seinfeld reunion episode, reuniting the characters from the cast of the television show and throwing the we’re-thinking-it, he’s-saying-it Larry David in the mix.

For anyone that watched the season seven finale, what did you think? Pretty, pretty good or below average? Did it live up to the hype? Did it live up to the other brilliant season finales? Where does this season as a whole rank among the other seasons? Do you think that this was not only a season finale, but a series finale? Thoughts, questions, concerns, and complaints are all welcome in the comments.

Obviously, spoilers are involved in this discussion, so if you haven’t watched the seventh season yet, you may want to avert your eyes.

Anticipation mounts.

click images for ginormous versions:

This was beyond painful to watch, but I must commend Ian McKellen for handling it all with such grace. He’s awesome. This show is not.

1. Bored to Death

2. Curb Your Enthusiasm