Thinking of Linking

Some interesting things I've seen lately:

*If you're interested in the new Bruce Springsteen joint, you can read about 40 words on it in "Entertaimment Weekly" or you can check out my amigo Mike's analysis here.

*Ken Jennings, who isn't my amigo but seems like a decent chap, has an amusing take on "Lost's" time travel theme this season.

*I found this through Baseball Musings: An awesome exploration of the pursuit of Babe Ruth's career home run record in 1973 by...Snoopy!

*I feel comfortable declaring this the Best Marvel Comic of 2009 already, even though it won't be here till summer: Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting examining the history of the Marvel Universe.

*Roger Ebert goes existential in his blog.

Let's all laugh at Richard Dreyfuss

I know there have been key events recently that inspired hope in Americans--the Inauguration, the Steelers winning the Super Bowl--but these are still trying times. In such difficult times, I think the country can benefit from doing what I like to do when I'm feeling down or stressed: Mock Richard Dreyfuss.

It just so happens that DVD Talk reviewer Paul Mavis has given us some excellent laughing material in one brief but glorious paragraph in his review of "Rona Barrett's Hollywood," a compilation of celebrity interviews she conducted for TV in the 1970s. I can't possibly do this justice by summarizing, so instead I quote:

RICHARD DREYFUSS
From the sublime to the ridiculous. Aggressively egomaniacal Richard Dreyfuss, here interviewed in 1981, pontificates about sex and bachelorhood as only former cocaine-addict Dreyfuss could. Dreyfuss' pseudo-intellectual rap, fully aided by a rapt Barrett, is nauseatingly intense. Dreyfuss loves to hear himself talk, and here he insists that no other man but himself knows what truly meaningful sex is like, and that he's better than every other guy, because everyone he grew up with was conditioned to mindlessly score with as many girls as possible, while he alone wants a "real" encounter with a woman (this from a guy married three times). The best (and worst) moment has to be when Dreyfuss lets his elitist side show when he proclaims that although his parents' income was middle-class, they fortunately didn't possess "middle-class intellects." Jesus, what a tool.

Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Paul Mavis! I'm always up for a good mocking of Richard Dreyfuss, and this is probably the single funniest thing I've read in an online DVD review since...well, maybe ever.

The rest of the review is entertaining as well, though not on that level. But that's not a knock on Mavis, but an indication of how supremely idiotic Dreyfuss must be on this disc.

So, America, sit back, grab a cold one, and let's all laugh at Richard Drefyuss. We deserve it.

(By the way, despite Mavis practically begging us not to buy or even rent this Rona Barrett DVD, and despite the ample evidence he provides as to how it doesn't even succeed as kitsch, I still kind of want to rent it. Maybe America should have a laugh at my expense.)

Premio Dardos

Many thanks to Ivan, he of the outstanding "Thrilling Days of Yesteryear" for honoring me with a Dardos award and, more importantly, honoring me with such generous praise. If any of you are visiting Cultureshark on his recommendation, I welcome you and urge you to check out the other great sites Ivan has assembled on his blogroll. I appreciate just being linked to, let alone singled out for such attention.

I feel like a novice professional wrestler getting the chance to work a match with the seasoned veteran. Win or lose, he knows he "gets a rub," or gains an elevated profile, just by being in the ring with his opponent. Except we're not bashing each over the head with chairs. And we're not winning or losing or even in direct competition of any kind with each other. And in wrestling, the veteran can just as easily make the newcomer look bad by not cooperating with him--ah, the analogy sounded a lot better when I first thought of it.

Anyway, there are rules for a recipient of this award, mainly bestowing the honor on 5 other worthy blogs. I feel awkward about passing the Dardos on their way because, after all, none of these established sites needs any kind of "rub" from this humble operation, but rather than let this spiffy tuxedo I just happened to have laying around go to waste, I formally accept the Dardos and maybe give these destinations a few more eyeballs:

*Classic Television Showbiz: It's simple, actually: Tons of fascinating clips from TV history. There's always something amazing to see here.

*Classic TV History Blog: Stephen Bowie's analysis, reviews, and obituaries would be reason enough to visit his site, but he also contributes some outstanding original research, such as the "Studio One" material posted this week.

*Baseball Musings: An essential, continuous assortment of links to compelling baseball stories and info, accompanied by the observations of David Pinto.

*Hacking Netflix: Not some kind of criminal enterprise, but an invaluable collection of news links and information helping us Netflix subscribers get the most out of the service. The lively discussion will teach you all you need to know about controversial topics like "throttling."

*TV Obscurities: I just discovered this one and plan to make it a regular stop. In addition to the actual "blog," there are periodic articles about, well, TV obscurities--that is, lesser-known programs from television history.

Thinking of Linking: Move over...uh, me!

I would like to extend a hearty welcome to Ivan, writer extraordinaire and Friend of Cultureshark, as he joins the ranks of pop culture food bloggers with his Half-Assed Gourmand series.

Truth be told, though I appreciate his gracious shout-out (even as I wonder how he got the scoop on my upcoming Food Network throwdown), Ivan's first post puts my own recent food writing to shame. In short, this Gourmand is way more Half-Assed than I can ever hope to be.

Er, that didn't quite come out how I meant it, but I hope you understand the sentiment.

Thinking of Linking

*A BBC News article about the Vatican forgiving John Lennon--sort of--for his infamous comments comparing The Beatles to Jesus. I remember first learning about the brouhaha and marveling that people blew his remarks so far out of proportion. The best thing about the controversy was Lennon's bewildered apology. For some reason, I crack up each time I hear him say that he wasn't "comparing us to Jesus Christ as a person or God as a thing or whatever it is." Something in the way he says it amuses me because it's clear how stupid he sees the whole thing. Of course, it probably wasn't too funny to him at the time.

*An extraordinary piece by Roger Ebert chronicling his own physical appearance over the years and how he feels about resembling the Phantom of the Opera (his words, not mine).

*A spirited rebuttal to "Heroes" creator Tim Kring's assertion that his show is struggling because of the difficulty of sustaining a serialized drama in today's TV environment. Kring sounds increasingly desperate, like a guy who doesn't really know why his show isn't catching on anymore and is trying to come up with anything to convince people he has an answer.

*An appreciation of recently-deceased comedy writer Irving Brecher at Thrilling Days of Yesteryear. Ivan focuses on Brecher's radio work, but what a career--the Marx Brothers, "Life of Riley," "Meet Me in St. Louis" and on and on.

*Last but not least, Stephen Bowie offers a fascinating take on "The Donna Reed Show" while insulting the views of DVD Talk reviewer Paul Mavis. I think Bowie goes too far with regards to Mavis, but his essay is great reading.

Thinking of Linking

Darn it, just because the Internet moves so blamed quickly (unless you have dial-up) doesn't mean we have to abandon everything that was published more than a day or two ago, does it? Answer: No.

*I would have liked to have written more about Rudy Ray Moore, but 15-20 years after discovering him, I still kind of wonder what the heck he was about, and this is from someone who has a box set of his DVDs. Here's an "L.A. Times" obit that does manage to explain some of the appeal of the Godfather of Rap.

*Sitcoms Online recently conducted a great interview with Lydia Cornell, AKA "the hot blonde on Too Close for Comfort." Cornell really just took the questions and ran and ran with them. The actress has a lot of interesting things to say, but unfortunately, she makes Ted Knight sound like a real ass. Well, maybe it's actually kind of cool to read that Knight's ego was as big as some of his characters', but though Cornell takes pains to praise the guy, just relating her experience on the show gets a certain message across. The whole piece is a good read for fans of 80s sitcoms and sex symbols, though.

*Hopefully you already have the excellent Greenbriar Picture Shows bookmarked, but in case you don't, here's a provocative piece about the Little Rascals and the recent DVD set.

*Writer Steven Grant shares his enlightened take on price increases in comic books here.

*And this Q&A from "Variety" with showrunners Craig Thomas and Carter Bays is a must-read for fans of "How I Met Your Mother."