Comic for Monday, December 17th, 2007

Posted: 7:20 am, Monday, December 17th

The top line is almost always just a line from whatever song I have playing in the background while I'm writing the blog, and today's is something from the New Pornographers, I band I know very little about, but my iTunes has kept an NPR concert of theirs on hold for about two months now, and it's actually pretty enjoyable. Anyway, thought the lyric was probably pretty apt for today's strip.

Following today's theme of woe, my sincere condolences to 15, since her namesake was traded to San Diego in a cost-cutting move this weekend. What a drag, man.

Also, what a drag, the Wolverines hired a coach. Hopefully this hire works out as well as when Michigan poached WVU's basketball coach before this season. I'm looking forward to Rodriguez trying to run a spread game with Mallett under center. Also, Reggie Ho must be immensely happy, because he's hated Rich Rodriguez for years, and not he can combine two great flavors of hate right there in one hideous blue and "maize" package. (Maize. Michigan's pants.)

More depressing news, here's the recap video of the Irish season. Ugh.

Moving on a bit, man, check out some of the crazy-ass sports on this Cracked list. The first three are kind of tame, and then it gets nuts. I don't know what I thought the Eton wall game was, but it surely wasn't that. Also, the last goal was scored in 1909? That's not a sport, that's just dumb. The number one crazy sport looks more like a drunken mob. Videos galore, check it out.

Absolutely bizarre and awesome comic on Retrocrush right now.

2.0 and I saw I Am Legend on Saturday night, and it was pretty sweet. There's a few things that don't make a whole ton of sense, but overall, it's a really tense two hours, and the scenes of post-apocalyptic New York are eerie as all hell. It's kind of a bigger budget 28 Weeks Later (or Days, but more like Weeks because of the quarantine situation) with the gore ratcheted down and the tension ratcheted up a bit more. And Will Smith does a really phenomenal job in it. What he's asked to do during the first two-thirds of the film really reminded me of Cast Away with ol' Tom Hanks, there, and made me think that Smith has a lot more of Jimmy Stewart in him than Hanks does. (Every year when we watch It's a Wonderful Life - which we did last week - 2.0 goes on a brief diatribe about how she can't stand the Jimmy Stewart-Tom Hanks comparisons.) Smith isn't to the point in his career where he's doing many everyman roles yet - I guess the Root of Happyness or whatever, but I didn't see that - but I think when he does, he'll excel at it. He's really extremely likeable, and has long-since ditched the Fresh Prince mugging. (Which made me feel old - there were a ton of kids in the audience with us, and, man, almost none of them know Smith primarily from Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Yikes.)

Dear Lord, I just checked boxofficemojo - I Am Legend is doing huge business, which I kind of expected (not this huge, though), but Alvin and the fucking Chipmunks has raked in $45 million? How can that be? This is only Sunday afternoon when I'm writing this, so I hope that's just a crazy-inaccurate estimate.. Wow. I guess good for Jason Lee, but, man.

Anyway, whoo, last-minute shoppers. I don't think I've been down this road in a long time.

bullfrog

Bullfrog -- Monday, December 17 2007, 07:14 am

Yeah, sorry, Wood - ain't much chance of me having the strip up at 6:09 am.

I love Jen saying nothing. SO representative of how break-ups go - it doesn't matter what is said AT ALL. classic. This is why 5 bucks is the best!

but the handle isn't as fun anymore! And the cards games won't be as fun anymore either, jedmonds is just so entertaining to watch. Lucky san diego!

I'm loving all this pre-xmas strip excitement.

I hate the fact that "The Golden Compass" made $20 million less than "Alvin and the Chipmunks" its opening weekend. I didn't love the "Compass" adaptation, but Jason Lee and computer-generated rodents with annoying voices over Daniel Craig and armored polar bears? Bleah.

And oh, poor Adam. It was so coming -- but poor Adam.

I've been wanting to do that wordless bubble for ages.

Pursuit of Happyness (not that anyone really cares). And why did they have to spell happiness wrong??

Pursuit, Root, whatever. I remember there was a "reason" for misspelling happiness. Was it the boy's name or something?

I'm not saying movie-of-the-year here, but I really enjoyed "Pursuit of Happyness". It gives a serious gut-check in terms of being thankful for your blessings, especially for those in the crowd that are responsible for one or more mini-humans.

There's a mural on the wall/window at the kid's daycare, where they don't speak much English, and "Happyness" is misspelled. Per the dvd special features (which I also recommend), it was misspelled in the same way in the daycare center from the actual events on which the movie is based.

So...if Jen admits her love to Ron, what will happen to Mara?

And condolances to 15 for the departure of No. 15 to San Diego. Half of it was the expectation that Edmonds's skill will decline, half is because, apparently the Cardinals management has decided to emulate the KC Royals. That's not a good thing.

And...what's wrong with Jimmy Stewart being compared to with Tom Hanks?

Other way around - 2.0's got beef with Tom Hanks being compared to Jimmy Stewart. I'll let her explain if she drops by in the afternoon.

oh yeah, i do remember that mural. it was a cute movie. hey - did anyone else see brady hawking subway sandwiches this weekend on TV?

Early in his married career, Bullfrog-The-Wise has already learned not to speak on his spouse's behalf for sensitive matters. I look forward to seeing you all at their 50th anniversary bash - preferably in that same barn if at all possible.

Tom Hanks cannot seem to escape his own overbearing personality. No matter the film he will always be the kid in Big to me. Part of the problem is he has a sort of distinctive voice which tends to sound screechy in the throws of extreme emotion. (Think "Willllsoooon")

I admit, Jimmy Stewart also has a distinctive voice, but he isn't nearly as ham handed an actor.

No, I didn't see Private Ryan.

I didn't see that. I only saw the Peter Griffin Subway ads.

I did like the American Dad Christmas episode. Seeing the Holy Spirit taking a dump seem oddly appropriate. I'm not sure why.

Yeah, I agree, Smith's work in I Am Legend is along the lines of his work in The Pursuit of Happyness - without the cloying sentimentality. He's come a long way, and I think if he chooses his roles carefully he can evolve completely from simply Action Guy to Actor Guy.

Apropos of nothing? I liked Pete's shirt today.

I assume you mean Adam's. That shirt actually has a story behind it. For some reason, my junior year of school - I forget if this was a dream or a day dream - I was struck with this vision of my one roommate throwing my other roommate Sweaty through the window of our third-floor room, out into the quad. Kind of like in a Wild West flick - head first, glass shattering everywhere, Sweats flips and falls on his back. My roommate who did the tossing then leaned out of the window, shook and angry fist, and yelled, "I said, 'git, varmint!'" Which I now see I misspelled on Adam's shirt. Anyway, this cracked me up to no end, scared Sweaty, and then we went back to drinking.

A) "Roommates"

B) Sweaty not only survived the fall, he more or less sprang back up to his feet, dusted himself off, and ran back into the dorm.

Dan - the cloying sentimentality is exactly what drove me nuts about Happyness. The whole was just so sticky sweet while being just downright depressing. Maybe you have to have kids, like MJL, but I didn't like it at all and actually thought Smith wasn't that great in it. Just for a dissenting opinion.

Is Adam on drugs or something?

Um, no, but he probably wishes he were.

This cannot end well (for Jen that is)!!! She should go for what is real and right in front of her, and not some pipedream guy who will never like her more than a friend!!!

End of rant.

This may come as a shock, but I'm still scared of getting thrown out of a window.