Mar 23 2009 David Cross Back on TV... in the UK

Broadcast Now reports David Cross, who's already made himself a TV favorite with Mr. Show and Arrested Development, will star in a new comedy pilot he's written with Shaun Pye. Fellow Americans, time to warm up our downloading machines, because this one's going Channel 4:

The US actor will star in The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret, a culture-clash comedy he has written with Shaun Pye for RDF Television. It centres on a US executive who finds himself out of his depth when he is mistakenly sent to run his company's UK arm. Cross' Arrested Development co-star Will Arnett is also in talks to appear.

UK, is it not enough you've already made most of the recent great television comedy? Now you're stealing some of our best people to work for you too? This must be how every non-US-based sports fan feels.

Feb 19 2009 'Battle for Terra' Teaches Kids Humans Are Jerks

Every generation needs their own animated, ham-fisted, humans-as-enemies morality tale. My generation had Fern Gully, a response to deforestation concerns told through ferries fairies and an obnoxious bat. This generation will have Battle for Terra, giving today's youth the clear message that humans should not commit genocide in the name of colonization, even if the native inhabitants of those lands do look like creepy stillborns just begging to be killed. Here's the trailer:

Continue Reading " 'Battle for Terra' Teaches Kids Humans Are Jerks "

Oct 27 2008 David Cross/Bob Odenkirk No Longer Doing That HBO Comedy :(

Back in March, word was David Cross and Bob Odenkirk had shot a sitcom pilot for HBO, and the network liked it enough to pick it up. Things were so good then, and the days with bright with comedic potential, but sadly it was not to be: Odenkirk has announced he and Cross decided to end the project. There isn't a left parenthesis curved enough to portray my sadness in emoticon format. But all is not lost. Thankfully, Odenkirk was good enough to post a clip from the series. In his words:

Here is a short bit of the pilot David and I shot for HBO a few months ago. HBO was AWESOME to let us shoot it, and we are the ones who nixed going forward with the show...however- -We all had such a good time that David and I are working on a new show that will let us kick ass. I put this video up because I think it kicks ass. I know you are missing story here...basically Zach Galifianakis plays an annoying old friend of David's who chances upon his house just when the house is being used to tape an episode of "Good Morning, Predator". Zach's character, LAME, has a shitty song he loves to sing to everyone and he does so here, completely oblivious to the fact that he is being labeled a predator. He's so happy to be on TV, that that is all that matters. It's a funny song, and cool video. Enjoy.

Here it is (and thanks for the "heads up," Tooom):

Continue Reading " David Cross/Bob Odenkirk No Longer Doing That HBO Comedy :( "

Mar 19 2008 New Cross/Odenkirk Sitcom Picked Up by HBO

Long-standing haven for most of television's watchable content, HBO, has officially picked up a new pilot by Mr. Show's David Cross and Bob Odenkirk. From the sounds of it, it will be the next higher-cable entry you'll be tenaciously insisting your friend have to watch.

It’s currently called “David’s Situation” with Cross playing himself. In the show, the comic has quit show biz and is working for inflight magazines. He lives with two roommates in a gated community, each the polar opposite on the political scale - one left and one right. David: “And I’m right in the middle.”

[T]he pair intend to keep the sitcom act break structure and break them up with fake commercials, which will allow the pair to exercise their considerable sketch comedy chops directly.

I can't tell--is this a spoof on the sitcom format or a self-aware attempt at revitalizing it? And more importantly, is it possible for their new fake commercials to top their previous fake commercial for Vaunnies Mustardayonnaise?

Bob and David Officially Returning to HBO [CC Insider]

Feb 1 2008 'The Grand' Trailer Might Not Redeem David Cross

With its cast of mostly-respected actors and comedians (we'll forget that Rush Hour-director Bret Ratner is in it), I really wanted to like The Grand. I hoped it would be the definitive skewering of the sunglass-wearing, cowboy-hatted chip-stack of arrogance that is the world of professional poker. Unfortunately, from the looks of the trailer, it won't be.

You'd think Werner Herzog as a crazy German who must kill something each day would be funny enough, but somehow this and every other caricature fall flat in their over-eccentricities. They're somehow so wacky they're dull. Hopefully the full film plays out a little better, at least for the sake of David Cross. This was meant to be his post-Chipmunk redemption.

And sorry for slow posting today. I have one of those headaches from medicine commercials, where parts are pulsing with pain light.

'The Grand' Trailer [Yahoo!]

Jan 29 2008 AM Poster Post: No One Was Going To Tell Me About 'The Grand'?

There's an improvised poker comedy starring talent like David Cross, Cheryl Hines, and Richard Kind, and this is the first I'm finding out about it? Why has no one told me about this? Because attempt by the writer of Inspector Gadget, Elektra, and X-Men 3 to be a director? OK, that makes some sense.

Still, it could be good, right? Or at least very yellow.

The Grand Poster [IMPA]

Dec 4 2007 More 'Alvin and the Chipmunks' Anger Fuel

Jesus Christ. If these are the most impressive clips to show off Alvin and the Chipmunks, it's actually much, much worse than even the phrase "munk yourself" implies.

Honestly, try watching this clip of an updated version of the old Chipmunks classic, "Witch Doctor." What little you hear over your own internal screaming will surely be one of the most maddening experiences of your life. I can't even figure out if the modernizing is an actual, sad attempt at making an idiotic novelty song trendy again or a self-aware reference to the sad state of modern pop music. Judging from everything else I've seen, I have a hard time believing this film is capable of exhibiting any self-awareness.

If that's not enough, try out this clip, in which Jason Lee's ridiculously stilted performance seems almost acceptable once you realize he must be holding back a mouthful of vomit. Or this one, with an extremely original slimy manager character played by a near-suicidal David Cross.

This movie must be made by some kind of nostalgia Grinch, desperately trying to convert any pleasant pop culture memories of your youth into raw, unadulterated rage.

Alvin and the Chipmunks Clips [Yahoo!]

Nov 8 2007 'Alvin and the Chipmunks' Full Trailer!

As awful as I realized Alvin and the Chipmunks would be from its Jamie Kennedy-esque attempt at hip-hop parody, vague allusions to HBO programming, and literal shit eating, this new trailer for the film updates me as to many other terrible things it will include. Such as:

- David Cross. Normally, the inclusion of the hilarious David Cross would be a positive, but seeing him in this crap-cake is equivalent to watching your favorite band play at a Taco Bell. Nice to see them, but why there, among the rodents? This is below you, no matter what the compensation.

- The chipmunk voices have gone up about five octaves, now reaching the point of completely unbearable.

- Besides the aforementioned shit-eating joke, there are also fart-in-the-face jokes.

- According to descriptions of each chipmunk I'm given in the trailer, Alvin is a flamboyantly seductive hula hooper, Simon has a servant fetish, and Theodore is a nocturnal frotteur.

- The chipmunks are almost always naked. Which wouldn't be that weird for animals, except they're constantly being portrayed as bizarrely sexual.

Basically, unless you want your kids to become feces-obsessed perverts, I wouldn't recommend taking them to Alvin and the Chipmunks. Thanks for the tip, Kyle.

Alvin and the Chipmunks Trailer [Yahoo!]