#julie klausner

[postguiltypleasures]

My Peak TV journey *The Marvelous Mrs Maisel*

Prior to the final I made some predictions about where the show would end up. one was that Esther would grow up to resent her mother like Lorelei resented Emily Gilmore. I was right about that. I also speculated that maybe this was the story of how Midge could make anybody laugh, but could not make it as a comic. I was wrong about Midge’s career.

I liked the flash forwards but some of the choices of people she would be involved with seemed more funny peculiar than funny haha. It implies she was involved with Mike Nichols. In the first season there was an episode where she did not know about his act with Elaine May and almost ended up in a Nichols and May knock off act, making this later implication funnier. The flash forwards made a big deal about her working with Bob Hope which tracks with aspirational dialogue from earlier in the series. While Hope had a long and successful career, (meaning I understand why he was chosen as the symbol of what success in the field looked like), he also fell incredibly out of fashion starting in the late sixties. As a choice, it says Midge never quite seemed “young” in her career. Which, I guess makes sense.

That said I really liked the final season. In earlier posts about the show I acknowledge criticism that the Weisman’s players by goy actors were so much more likable than the Maisels, played by actually Jewish actors. This season seemed to recognize it and subtly correct.

The elder Maisels were suddenly hilarious, if still crass and unkind. The Wiseman’s reliance on their housekeeper Zelda, who got married and retired over the season revealed some very unappealing aspects of their characters.

The show sometimes felt like it took place in 1960 for multiple years. As a series The Marvelous Mrs Maisel didn’t exact love the time period in which it took place, so much as it loves the pop culture from its time. It never made me want to be there, just to keep watching people in their colorful, well tailored clothes. But it was not particularly critical, nor interested in a “this is what led to things being the way they are now” type of rational for its existence. As a choice it’s doesn’t clarify, but doesn’t let you wallow for the good old days either. Sometimes it felt like every year on screen was 1960. This disinterested ambivalence occasionally led to wanting to me I’d want to fact check it, but rarely actually doing it. The one time I did was regarding Clark Gable’s death, which I thought took place a year after the season was set. I was wrong. 

In the final episode there was an establishing shot of the Ansonia indicating that is where Midge live in 2005. Later she makes a comment about Yoko Ono being one of her neighbors. Ono famously lives in the Dakota, several avenues from the Ansonia. I was going list this as another thing that makes me doubt the interest in veracity o the series. Then I found this discussed in this post finale interview with Amy Sherman-Palladino. It’s a fictional building in a fictional timeline. Don’t make a big deal about it. Some how this made define with it.

I want to end this by praising the actors who joined the series late players. 

Some how I forgot that Julie Klausner joined the series late in the fourth season, but she regularly had me giggling over her appearances in the final season.  (Interestingly, Klausner is not a Lenny Bruce fan.)

Alfie Fuller is new to me and she was so great as Dinah. I hope Dinah has as great a management career and I look forward to seeing Fuller in something soon.

Reid Scott is such a charming bully as Gordon Ford, you almost don’t resent his character’s success. (Though I think the no writer on the show rule was a good one) 

I’ve liked Chris Eigeman since those Whit Stillman films and I really liked seeing him run the Village Voice here.

Jason Ralph, (Rachel Brosnahan’s real life husband) had some very funny bits as Mike, especially in relation to Suzie. Seeing him here mostly made me think how I want to see him as a lead again. 

Nina Arianda has intrigued me since I saw her play Stan Laurel’s wife in Stan and Ollie. She still does as Gordon’s wife/Susie’s ex, Hedy. 

[regularsizedsally]

Julie Klausner is the cutest comedian alive.

[adamwatchesmovies]

Shrek: Forever After (2010)

After Shrek the Third, I suspect many didn't even bother with Shrek Forever After but this final instalment in the series ties up the franchise in a pleasant, satisfying way. It’s not on the level of the first two. What it does well, however, does make it worth seeing.

Shrek (voiced by Mike Myers) has grown weary of his present situation. The monotony of home life with Fiona (Cameron Diaz) and the three ogre children make him pine for the days when he was a “real ogre”. When Shrek meets Rumpelstiltskin (Walt Dohrn), the imp tricks him into signing a contract that alters the past. In the new present, Shrek never rescued Fiona and Rumpel rules the kingdom of Far Far Away.

This story isn’t all that original. It’s yet another take on It’s a Wonderful Life. It still works. The previous film introduced many ideas that would’ve hampered any conventional sequel. The number of magical creatures to keep track of ballooned with the introduction of the three ogre children - essentially non-characters -, Shrek regressed emotionally by going back to his swamp and no one wanted more of Arthur or Merlin (neither of which are even mentioned in Shrek 4). Putting Shrek in a situation where he’s all alone is a good move. He and the audience get back some of that magic from the first movie when Smash Mouth’s All Star played and the green-skinned terror was doing whatever he wanted. Then, we remember the growth we’ve experienced since that first adventure and want it back.

A big part of this film's success comes from Rumpelstiltskin. The character is hilarious. Walt Dorn's voice tells you everything you need to know about him instantly, and his mannerisms make him a great, memorable - and original - foe. Every time he’s on-screen, he steals the show. He’s a great addition to the series, much more than the numerous ogres introduced - part of a resistance against Rumpelstilskin's dominion. They feel like a cheat because they come out of nowhere. It isn’t as though previous movies dealt with other ogres besides Shrek. How would him not being born make them spontaneously appear?

The previous chapter made it clear the well of jokes at the expense of Grimm’s Fairy Tales and nursery rhymes had dried up. Well, almost. This film shows us two stories we haven't seen before: Rumpelstiltskin and the Pied Piper. Those aren't enough to carry an entire 93-minute running time, which is why the bulk of the jokes offered come from the franchise itself. We see an alternate version of Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas) who, from lack of adventuring - has become fat and domesticated. Shrek meets Donkey (Eddie Murphy) for the first time again but now, Shrek is the clingy one. The ogre must get Fiona to fall in love with him, which causes us and the character to remember how well the love plot was executed in Shrek. At this point, it feels right to use nostalgia as a tool and our expectations being turned on their heads make for clever gags.

Shrek Forever After doesn’t quite have the same magic as the first two movies. The story isn’t as inspired, the musical choices don’t hit the mark the way they used to. By focusing on nostalgia and the love story, it makes up for these flaws. Although this is a more serious story than we’ve seen before, the laughs come consistently. It’s a fitting conclusion the fans will be pleased with. (October 4, 2019)

[arielmagicesi]

why do I have to like genre sitcoms so much when they’re all like... either Smurfette levels of women in the cast... or the women routinely get treated as brainless sex objects by the camera and writers... I need Crazy Ex-Girlfriend but with 20-minute-long episodes and without making me cry. Oh wait, Mythic Quest.

[westerberg]

Difficult People was so important to me as a comedy fujoshi teenager 🙏 Thank You Julie Klausner for giving me gay Seth Meyers and John Mulaney

[lesbiancolumbo]

and because today is john's birthday i'm going to give you all a special treat which is a photo of me on the last day of sundance 2018 and i'm eating my first real meal in two weeks and listening to julie klausner's podcast bit where she just slams john cassavetes in rosemary's baby, which is one of the most iconic images of me ever taken

happy birthday johnny my love

[avaford2009]

Dreamworks Animation announced a prequel of “Shrek” for an upcoming feature-length adventure, “Princess Amelia and the Pied Piper”. It shows a watercolor 2D style created in CGI same as Disney's Wish. Coming this Fall to a social media art and literature platform near you! The upcoming flim is about when a lonely and orphan princess in Hamelin decides to find her true love, revealed to be Pied Piper (who’s hired by Rumpelstiltskin), and she knew that seen too many bad things in the Kingdom of Far, Far Away. Meet the protagonist of the Princess of Hamelin, Amelia. She’s romantic and beautiful. She decides to find her true love is Pied Piper, and she knew that seen too many bad things. Mae Whitman as Amelia in her speaking role and Ariana Debose in her singing role. Meet the Pied Piper! The Pied Piper is hired as a bounty hunter by Rumpelstiltskin. He has a magical flute with a dial on it; whichever symbol he chooses. His flute is also his primary way of communicating, as he is unable to (or chooses not to) speak. He saw Princess Amelia for the first time at it was love at first sight. Since Jeremy Steig died in 2016, we’ve decided to have a new flutist actor! Despite being unable to speak, he was voiced by the new flutist Emmanuel Pahud. Featuring the original music score by Harry-Gregson Williams and original songs by Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez. It has 9 original songs written by Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez and it uses the 2.00 : 1 (intended ratio) aspect ratio, same used in ‘Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget’. Additional voices of upcoming social media art and literature platform Dreamworks’ Princess Amelia and the Pied Piper. Amy Sedaris as Cinderella, Amelia's best friend. She is obsessed with cleanliness and tidiness after doing a great deal of housework for her stepmother and stepsisters. Cheri Oteri as Sleeping Beauty, Amelia calls her Aurora or Brair Rose. She suffers from intense narcolepsy, constantly sleeping at random moments, and sometimes while standing. Amy Poehler as Snow White, she has a talent for singing, which she uses to charm animals and make them follow her orders. She is shown to be very proud and vain. Maya Rudolph as Rapunzel, she is a woman of unrivalled beauty with perfect hair. Julie Andrews as Queen Lillian, she was the wife of King Harold (who also ruled the kingdom), and is the mother of Princess Fiona. She was also born into royalty, thus claiming her title when she married Harold. She gives an Amelia for welcome meeting to Arthur. Justin Timberlake as Arthur Pendragon, is the new King of Far Far Away, succeeding King Harold. He welcomes Amelia in the kingdom of Far, Far Away. Cameron Diaz as Princess Fiona is the princess of Far Far Away, and the daughter of Queen Lillian and King Harold. She cares Amelia too much about herself. Meg Ryan, Jonathan Dokuchitz, Mike Myers as Hamelin adults and Emma Berman, Glenn Walker Harris Jr., and Bella Ramsey as Hamelin children. Directors of upcoming social media art and literature platform Dreamworks’ Princess Amelia and the Pied Piper are Mike Mitchell, Kelly Asbury, Vicky Jenson. And writers of upcoming social media art and literature platform Dreamworks’ Princess Amelia and the Pied Piper are Josh Klausner, Darren Lemke, Jennifer Lee and Eric Darnell. Storyboard artists of upcoming social media art and literature platform Dreamworks’ Princess Amelia and the Pied Piper are Chris Miller, Matthias Lechner, Michael Herrera, Cody Cameron, Teny Issakhanian, Mark Kennedy, Kenna Jean Harris and Justin Hunt.

Meet the protagonist of the Princess of Hamelin, Amelia. She’s romantic and beautiful. She decides to find her true love is Pied Piper, and she knew that seen too many bad things. Mae Whitman as Amelia in her speaking role and Ariana Debose in her singing role.

Meet the Pied Piper! The Pied Piper is hired as a bounty hunter by Rumpelstiltskin. He has a magical flute with a dial on it; whichever symbol he chooses. His flute is also his primary way of communicating, as he is unable to (or chooses not to) speak. He saw Princess Amelia for the first time at it was love at first sight. Since Jeremy Steig died in 2016, we’ve decided to have a new flutist actor! Despite being unable to speak, he was voiced by the new flutist Emmanuel Pahud.

This is a town of Hamelin from upcoming social media art and literature platform Dreamworks’ Princess Amelia and the Pied Piper. The town celebrates the 5th anniversary of the Pied Piper of Hamelin from 1284, so Amelia would take charges of the story about how he lures the rats away and he cames back from revenge and he lures the children away, but expect the lost and last boy alone.

Here’s the first look of Pied Piper’s procession palanquin from the upcoming social media art and literature platform “Dreamworks’ Princess Amelia and the Pied Piper”. This is the scene where the Pied Piper participates for his procession when he goes sitting seiza inside in his procession palanquin, and the poles that will carry the rats to scurry.

[godlessondheimite]

when julie klausner likes my tweets…

[catch57]

difficult people nathan lane bathroom scene but julie klausner's pointing at me and saying Ennis doesn't even have a 10k tumblr post!

[shynmighty]

thanks for tagging me @vanaglori-ah 🥰

Rules: List eight shows for your followers to get to know you better.  

(I’m a little nutty about watching TV, I haven’t watched a whole lot recenty)

---

08. The Mandalorian (Big surprise. But I love it!!!)

07. Night Court (The old one from the 80′s, my husband and I have been watching it together recently and some of the humor is a bit dated but it’s still fun)

06. Poker Face (This was a fun spin on murder mysteries)

05. Bad Batch (I enjoy watching this with my daughter)

04. What We Do In The Shadows (Silly vampires!)

03. Poirot (Classic murder mysteries! I guess this is a thing I like? But there’s an episode in season... I want to say 9... called Five Little Pigs and it was just SO GOOD. It stayed with me for ages. Fantastic stuff.)

02. Spy x Family (I do love me some anime from time to time!)

01. Difficult People (Julie Klausner is my spirit animal)

tagging: My go-to’s! @magicallulu7 and @queen-scribbles! 

[popculturelib]

Fanzine Friday #8: But a Paper Dress no. 3 (1990s) by an unknown author.

We don't have many fanzines that talk about Barbie; in fact, we could only find this one issue. But a Paper Dress (BPD) is a zine that talks about quite a few things, most of them related to punk rock and music. But there are two pages sharing what people think about Barbie as a cultural phenomenon -- though they're a bit of a different take on Barbie than what we've seen earlier this week. What do you think about Barbie (and Ken)?

Transcripts below the read more.

The Browne Popular Culture Library (BPCL), founded in 1969, is the most comprehensive archive of its kind in the United States.  Our focus and mission is to acquire and preserve research materials on American Popular Culture (post 1876) for curricular and research use. Visit our website at https://www.bgsu.edu/library/pcl.html.

Text from the cover, read top to bottom:

Interviews with:

Mark Amft from Drink Me

Chocolate USA

R. Seth Friedman of FACTSHEETS

And Julie Ann Klausner?

Barbie: The quintessential icon of popular culture, or just another prick tease?

Eat My Shit, MTV boy

The Lost Art of Female Masturbation: A "How-To" guide of sorts

[around the central figure's halo] Sing a Song of Loyalty / Wearing But a Paper Dress - Brian P. De[illegible]

John Henry. Pleased to meet you.

Welcome to the mesmerising queasiness of our brother zine, The Strobetongue Files

And more BPD punk rock rubbish

live from the bowls of Hell! Special Monkees Issue

Text from the pages about Barbie, titled "Cowgirl on Wednesday"

Speculations on Sexist America's favorite pop icon. Names have been omitted for reasons of anonymity. [heart]

As a little girl I used to stand in front of my mirror naked, and compare Barbie's body to my own. I would compare our breasts, hips, tummy, and how far apart our thighs were. I would evaluate how I could change to look more like Her.

If you've ever taken off a Barbie Doll's hear you'd have seen a freakishly long neck, and at the top a kind of tan saucer connected to the body by a plastic ball. The saucer is mobile, and the ball will swivel around its "axis" so that Barbie will be able to move her pretty head to look up at the sky, over her shoulder to smile at something behind her, or just to nod. My friend Chris collects Barbie Doll heads, but I find the saucer-ball part much more fascinating. Keep in mind that without this golden choking hazard, Barbie's head would have to have to be secured in place only by being shoved down directly above her shoulders. This technique tends to make the doll resemble Barbie's heavier and less attractive cousin, White Trash Skipper. (Trailer Park and rifle sold separately)

I used to love Barbie dolls when I was little. I would imagine going to huge parties with my best friend Barbie by my side, and how we would make our grand entrance in extravagant pink gowns. Come to think of it, and the time she was my only friend...

When you lift up a Barbie Doll's arm you can see that her armpit is like a 3 dimensional sphere. I thought armpits were supposed to be concave.

[next page]

When I first heard about that GI Joe/Barbie voice box mix-up on television I thought I was going to split a side. What a great prank!

Maxie. Maxie could never wear Barbie's clothes. She could fit into them all right but she couldn't fill them out properly - especially with those straight arms. Man, Barbie could wear lime green spandex like no one else.

I remember that Ken's genitalia consisted of either flesh-colored briefs or a vague, androgynous "hump" kind of a shape that may have suggested a sort of phallus to the girls that cared. (myself included)

Every Barbie doll looks completely different - and it's not just the hairstyle or eye color either. I know they're made from cookie cutters, but I could never get rid of the feeling that each doll had an entirely unique identity. And I didn't name any of them "Barbie."

Barbie never menstruated. Barbie looks great under fluorescent lighting, and thin when she wears horizontal stripes. Barbie could be a rocket scientist on Tuesday, a [illegible] on Wednesday, a nurse on Thursday, Miss America on Friday, and still have time to run with the Rockers in time for their huge gig this weekend. Barbie's parents made sure to properly bind her feet when she was young so she looks very chic, but can't really wear shoes without scotch tape at hand. Barbie never fucked. (she hated sex) Barbie never ate despite her constant cooking. Barbie has never seen a corpse or a book or a cigarette or a vagina. Barbie's legs feel different from her torso.

Sideways text in the upper right corner: "If you or someone you know is interested in this subject, do not hesitate to order Barbara's divine fanzine, Hey There, Barbie Girl! for 2 dollars from HTBG! PO Box 819 Peter Stuyvesant Station, NYC 10009. Not only does she know the guys from Ms. Lun, but she's a peach of a zine editor as well."

[adultswim2021]

Delocated #1: “Pilot” | April 1, 2008 - 12:30AM | S01E01

I have to admit that I don’t really remember the lead-up to this series. It must’ve been reported somewhere, and I surely anticipated it. In this chronological watch-through for this blog, I’m mostly relying on records of what shows aired at what time, but as far as the ancillary things surrounding those shows (like how they were announced or promoted or audience reactions) I’m mostly relying on my own memories, if I have any. For this show I have a vague sense that I must’ve known about it beforehand. I posted on aspecialthing.com, where Jason Woliner also posted. He was the DP and editor of this episode. I have some inkling that I watched this episode knowing “a guy I know on a message board worked on this”. Oh yeah, this would’ve been post Human Giant. I don’t mean to damn anyone by giving their top credit as “associated with me online”. 

The comedy pedigree doesn’t stop there. In fact, I’m only leading with the guy I know because he’s the guy I know. Yet another case to be made for me doing a bad job writing this blog. But, please, read this anyway: Jon Glaser stars as “Jon”, a guy who’s in the witness relocation program. He was primarily known as being part of Late Night with Conan O’Brien, doing hilarious characters in sketches and comedy pieces. His personal bodyguard, Mike, is Kevin Dorff, and his boss at Copy City is Brian Kiley, both of whom are also from Conan. Eugene Mirman plays a guy from the Russian mafia. I can’t recall him ever being on Conan, but he’s definitely from the same New York comedy scene. He must’ve done a few things on there (UPDATE: He did stand-up on Conan; can’t find any evidence of him being a sketch player and I don’t feel like clicking page 2 of google to find out). 

I don’t recall if the show ever makes a point to fully lay out exactly what “Jon”’s involvement was in whatever mafia-related crime he witnessed, and I don’t think it really matters. What matters is that the Russian mafia wants him dead. He’s agreed to put himself and his family on camera because he’s also a buffoon who, like many other clout-chasing but unexceptional American dipshits, is absolutely enchanted with the idea of becoming famous. So the show-within-the-show exhibits a bit of tortured logic: put your anonymous witness and his family on camera for a reality series, BUT, outfit them with ski masks and micro titanium vocal harmonizers that have been surgically implanted onto their vocal cords so that they can’t be identified. 

The premise of the show is that he’s moving his family to New York City to live in a bitchin’ loft. He’s taking on a job at a copy shop, “mak-in’ cop-ees” as us 90s kids refer to it. When they get to their new accommodations, they find out it’s a crappy little studio apartment, basically a hotel room. Jon gets on the phone with the producers to yell at them and thoughtlessly refers to the fact that he didn’t put his family in murder’s way for a rinky-dink studio apartment. His wife is aghast after overhearing this cold display. The fact that she and their son have become pawns in his opportunism motivates her to leave him, taking their son “David” with her. Eventually “Jon” begins a dating, and we see a montage of disastrous dates. He quotes a crass Billy Joel lyric to Julie Klausner, a disgusting crime. I was literally so enraged that I said “ma’am, is this fella bothering you?” to my TV.

A central scene in the pilot is one where “Jon” is out clothes shopping and he spots Paul Rudd. As he’s complimenting him for his work, we hear a gun with a silencer go off. Apparently the assassin was trying to kill “Jon”, but they shoot Paul Rudd instead. This is a tragic occurrence, causing “Jon” to loudly mourn the entertainment world’s loss by weepily listing Paul Rudd’s credits as he lay lifeless in his arms. Mike eventually joins in. Though tragic, This is a key bonding moment for the two of them. Later we see Mike also quote a crass Billy Joel lyric to “Jon”, strengthening their bond further.

The final scene is we see Eugene Mirman talking on the phone, discussing his botched assassination attempt. He makes a dramatic proclamation vowing to kill “Jon” if it’s the last thing he does. He eventually questions how reality TV cameras got into his apartment. 

The pilot, in particular, plays with a lot of reality show tropes that are later dispensed with in the regular series. Talking-head confessionals and scene transitions with establishing-shot b-roll set to generic-sounding hip-hop beats are seen here, but not really seen afterwards. Jon Glaser notes this in the commentary. By the way, there’s DVD commentary on this episode. He also notes that the ski mask was, for the most part, mistakenly worn inside-out for this pilot, and if you really look closely at the seams you can tell that’s the case. 

He also notes that the Paul Rudd scene is actually taken directly from a demo they shot for the series. The demo is actually called “Relocated”, and is rather short, and doesn’t include “Jon” having a family. It also makes a point to mention that Eugene’s character is an alternative comic, who performs in Russian. The demo ends with “Jon” performing with Yo La Tengo, and we get to see him sing a few bars of “Sugar Cube”. Way to not cheap out, Adult Swim. 

Another thing to note is that there’s a doorman character in this who obviously has a fake mustache, which gets pointed out by “Jon”’s son “David”. This seems like a set-up for some kind of plot where we find out the doorman is a mole or something. This actor actually doesn’t come back for the series, and is replaced with Assy McGee’s own Larry Murphy. I forget how this thread plays out, but I’m pretty sure it’s just an ancillary bit of weirdness.

The thing about this show is that it’s in many ways a very typical Adult Swim show; it’s an intentionally stupid premise, and the writers could, if they felt like it, rest on their laurels and just be satisfied with the idea that the main joke of the show is that it exists at all and hope for the best. I’m talking about shows like Saul of the Mole Men, or Fat Guy Stuck in Internet. I feel like those shows sorta got away with something, even though time hasn’t been kind to either of those shows.

This show is so much better than that. In fact, the thing that strikes me about this show is that it has this uncanny ability to refresh itself and become something entirely different. The status quo on this show gets shaken up fairly frequently. Characters are killed off. Plot lines that could fuel material for an entire season are burned off in the span of a single episode. It’d be like if Twin Peaks solved Laura Palmer’s murder in episode 2 and somehow didn’t suffer for it. I haven’t watched it in a while, and I’m glad to have it in the mix.

EPHEMERA CORNER:

Superjail #2: “Superbar” (FINE CUT VERSION) | April 1, 2008 - 12:45AM | S01E01

Here’s another one I’m gonna save for later: Superjail’s first proper episode was presented in a mostly-finished state. I remember watching it and thinking it was great, though, for whatever that’s worth. I actually got a hold of a copy of the as-aired-on-April-Fools version of this, and the main thing I noticed is that it started off with a back title card that said “Waiting” on it for about 10 seconds, leading me to believe that this was some sort of internal Cartoon Network thing they were making fun of on Space Ghost. There’s also no theme song or credits; the opening has generic library music over it with a subtitle explaining that the real theme song hasn’t been cleared yet.

[homeworkparty]

Here's a cover of the TMBG song "Thermostat" that I did which was discussed on "This Might Be A Podcast" with Julie Klausner! <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-228-thermostat-w-julie-klausner/id1445431962?i=1000615772378" target=blank>Here's the episode!</a> #tmbg #tmbp #theymightbegiants #thermostat #homeworkparty

[knownhag]

Down worse than Julie klausner selling tie dye

[westerberg]

DIFFICULT PPL FANS RISE!!!!!!!! nothing can stop us if we band together…

YES!!!!!!! Easily one of the best sitcoms of the past decade. I LOVE U JULIE KLAUSNER 💖💖💖