With the Best Of Podcast coming out tomorrow and I Live With This coming down the home stretch, I ain’t got much so watch these two videos below and go here if you have any questions.

It’s been a rollercoaster glass case of emotion for us Phillies fans this week. But Doc Halladay (above), some good luck, and Jayson Werth’s homer have taken the Pennant race back to Philadelphia. Don’t call me this weekend.

The Best Of The Unknown Penguin Podcast will come out NEXT WEEK! You can listen to past Podcasts right here or you can download them from iTunes (clicking will launch your iTunes player). Get pumped!

I’ve been listening to the new Ben Folds/Nick Hornby album Lonely Avenue almost on repeat for the last several days. Great stuff!

Have you seen The Closer?

I am not by nature a “joiner.” I get a trillion Facebook invites just like you do about events and causes and Farmville. And I ignore them all. I don’t protest, I don’t march, I don’t sit-in, I just don’t. So when I got the event notice with the headline: “October 20th: Spirit Day - Wear PURPLE!” I clicked expecting to find nothing special.

What I saw was this:

It’s been decided. On October 20th, 2010, we will wear purple in honor of the 6 gay boys who committed suicide in recent weeks/months due to homophobic abuse in their homes and at their schools. Purple represents Spirit on the LGBTQ flag and that’s exactly what we’d like all of you to have with you: spirit. Please know that times will get better and that you will meet people who will love you and respect you for who you are, no matter your sexuality. Please wear purple on October 20th. Tell your friends, family, co-workers, neighbors and schools. RIP Tyler Clementi, Asher Brown, Seth Walsh, Justin Aaberg, Raymond Chase and Billy Lucas. You are loved.

I am wearing purple on Wednesday because I will be out in the world. And while out in the world there is a chance that I will be seen by a LGBTQ teen/preteen. And there is a chance that said LGBTQ teen/preteen will know that some random stranger with a beard & a nine month-old son who is chewing his socks supports him/her. There is a small chance that I can impact someone’s life simply by wearing purple. Actually impact. Not in some abstract or distant way. Not in a way that will simply make me feel superior or self-righteous but in a real, concrete way. And as long as there is a chance of that happening, I will wear purple.

Though not officially connected with the It Gets Better Project, it is certainly related. And I hope you’ll do what I did today: look in your closet for something purple, find nothing, go to Goodwill, hunt furiously, buy a $4 purple shirt, wash it immediately because Christ knows where it’s been, and lay it out to wear Wednesday.

The biggest little city in the world.

Not much work accomplished this week because as you may or mayn’t be aware, I spent a 4 day weekend at a Bachelor Party in Reno, Nevada [and also San Francisco (and Sacramento)].

Different look during the day.

When I asked my pal Ben Garant from the TV Series RENO911! (’scuse me, let me pick that name up) what I should do in Reno, he said: “Vegas.”

Never having been to Las Vegas, I found Reno weirdly okay. The town is poor, make no mistake. And a little dirty.

The burned out hotel behind ours.

But the Pawn Shops are thriving! (I bought a ukulele and got a free ring with purchase.)

Pawn shopping.

I lost money at Craps & Blackjack (they play with one deck, cards face down) and had a very good time.

Reno Italian Festivals are just like the ones back home.

The cap of this 4 day weekend  Bachelor Party in Reno, Nevada [and also San Francisco (and Sacramento)] was the Eagles/49ers football game Sunday evening. As with any out-of-town sportsball match, there were tons of Philly fans in attendance. As always, things were spirited. And (as often occurs) several fights broke out in the stands. The largest of which occurred two rows in front of me.

Below is the only video I could find online of the brawl taken by a man seated to my left. You can actually see me briefly in the upper, right-hand corner of the frame (seated wearing a black sweatshirt) around second 8 or so. The guy seated right in front of me was also shooting video but I guess he hasn’t posted it online.

via Brandon Martinez’s tumblr

As you read this (if you read this on Friday morning, which presumes you’re reading it at all) I am on a plane bound for Sacramento, California which will take me to a car which will take me to Reno, Nevada. God knows what I’ll find there.

All of this is by way of saying that I’m writing this on Wednesday after Roy Halladay’s amazing NLDS No Hitter and not on Friday morning as I usually do. So something may have developed between the writing of this and then. But I doubt it. Hence the Wednesday.

I Live With This nears completion. Some time soon we, the producers (Austin Bragg, Jeff Crocker, myself, & Eddie Quintana) will sit down, watch the series, and scrutinize every detail. Once this is complete, all that remains is to polish these rough edges and we will be released! (Hopefully.)

Confidence Men, the new improv show I’ve been working on with Eddie Quintana premieres at ComedySportzLA on Wednesday, October 13. I’m really amazed how well it’s coming together and I hope you can come out to see it. I’ll give you more details once I’ve got them.

Praise his face.

Post production continues on I Live With This. Projected release of late October seems within our grasp, so fingers crossed!

Had our first rehearsal yesterday for the new improv show CONfidence Men, opening in three weeks at Comedy Sportz LA. More soon!

This weekend is all about Eagles/Redskins & the ladywife’s world famous BBQ chicken dip.

Have a nice weekend and we’ll see you on Monday!

Our final shooting day for I Live With This is Sunday. Very excited to have Jen Bascom and Laila Ayad joining the cast! Series release due in late October unless someone buys it and tells me otherwise.

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Finished the edit for the Best of the Unknown Penguin Podcast podcast. Once Ma2 approves the edit (and he will!) it should be set for release in November.

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Rehearsals begin next week for CONfidence: a long-form improv show created by Eddie Quintana that I am . . . dramaturging, I guess you’d say. It’s an improvised con a la The Sting or The Spanish Prisoner. It goes up at Comedy Sportz LA mid October.

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New Doctor Who Magazine hit the stands Wednesday, so I’ll be getting that.

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Watching:

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And this week, God hates Polar Bears.

-p

Here’s a sneak peek at Unknown Penguin’s newest web series I LIVE WITH THIS.

We’re currently seeking distribution for this 8 episode series. It was written and directed by Patrick Flynn (Keith Powell Directs a Play) and starsChris Mathieu as Dan and Mike Gregorek as Brandon.

Guest starring: Amy Rosoff (FlashForward, Lie to Me), Louise Munson, Laila Ayad, and Silvie Zamora.

Produced by Austin Bragg (The Defenders of Stan), Jeff Crocker (Superego), and Eddie Quintana(Women Be Trippin’).

I LIVE WITH THIS
My name is Dan. And I live with this.

You wouldn’t berate your best friend with hypothetical situations about sleeping with his mom. You wouldn’t trick your roommate’s girlfriend into disrobing in the living room. You wouldn’t casually bring up abortion. You wouldn’t but Brandon would. And Dan lives with this.

I LIVE WITH THIS chronicles the back-and-forth of Dan & Brandon, a modern double act in the tradition of vaudeville. Brandon’s madness covers topics ranging from how a shaved head can cost $138 to Jews for Jesus. All sacred cows are filet mignon in Brandon’s hands.

In the pilot episode Brandon creates a kinder, gentler term for abortion.

Due for release later this fall, I LIVE WITH THIS takes the double act into strange new places (like Abbott & Costello meet It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia) Odd? Fresh? Crime against nature? Possibly; but as Brandon says: “I don’t see how I can be worse than Hitler. No matter what that nun said.”

Well, it’s taken four full months but I’ve got it. Here are the Top Ten (11) films of the 2000s. I went with 11 ’cause it’s my damn list and I’ll do with it as I please. The last decade was full of ups and downs on a year-to-year basis but over all there were some tremendous films American Psycho, Baadasssss!, Bloody Sunday, Best in Show, Inglourious Basterds, Heist, Kill Bill, The Room, The Royal Tenenbaums, Shaun of the Dead, State and Main, WALL-E, et al. But here are the Big 10 (11).

Almost Famous (2000, Cameron Crowe) A high-school boy (Patrick Fugit) is given the chance to write a story for Rolling Stone Magazine about an up-and-coming rock band as he accompanies it on their concert tour. I just kept coming back to this one over and over again as I was making this list. Solid storytelling, great acting, and a compelling (mostly) true tale about a young man’s quest to be cool and learning that sometimes not being cool is the coolest thing of all. Philip Seymour Hoffman makes a terrific turn as Lester Bangs and Jason Lee gives what will probably be the best performance of his life in a non-Chipmunk related film. Oscar for Best Original Screenplay, nominated for 2 Best Supporting Actress (Kate Hudson & Frances McDormand) and Best Editing.

Casino Royale (2006, Martin Campbell) In his first mission, James Bond (Daniel Craig) must stop Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen), a banker to the world’s terrorist organizations, from winning a high-stakes poker tournament at Casino Royale in Montenegro. There are Bond films and then there are Bond films. Casino Royale is the latter. Series reboots have never looked so good. Daniel Craig might not be the best James Bond but he is probably the best actor to play the role so far. With Bond XXIII (maybe called The Hildebrand Rarity, maybe not) delayed indefinately, films like this sustain me in my darkest hours. Fun fact: Most faithful Bond novel adaptation since From Russia With Love (in the book its Bacarat not Poker) followed by Quantum of Solace which only took the Fleming’s title and left the rest to die in a ditch.

Hot Fuzz (2007, Edgar Wright) Jealous colleagues conspire to get a top London cop (Simon Pegg) transferred to a small town and paired with a witless new partner (Nick Frost).  Hard to choose between this and Shaun of the Dead but choices must be made and this film is better. It’s funnier, it’s cleverer, and it just totally rocks the Kasbah. Best film of 2007 and that is saying something. Both Simon Pegg and Nick Frost give excellent performances surrounded by a veritable who’s who of British character actors. Look out for Cate Blanchet & Peter Jackson in the early London scenes.

The Incredibles (2004, Brad Bird) A family of undercover superheroes, while trying to live the quiet suburban life, are forced into action to save the world.  Pixar has only missed once (Cars, and that’s more of a fowl-tip than a strike), WALL-E is a better film, Up is better animation achievement, but The Incredibles has that indescribable something that makes it a cut above. The genius of Brad Bird doesn’t hurt.  Oscar for Best Animated Feature and Best Sound Editing, nominated for Best Original Screenplay and Best Sound Mixing.

The Lord of the Rings (2001-03, Peter Jackson) 4 Hobbits, 2 warriors, a dwarf, and an elf embark on a journey to destroy the One Ring and end Sauron’s reign over Middle Earth. Can’t choose from amoung the three films so I’m not going to.  Say what you will about The Return of the King’s ending(s) or that The Two Towers isn’t even really a full movie, this is a remarkable cinematic achievement. And if you ever have 12 hours, you should watch all three extended cuts back-to-back-to-back. I did once. Once. The trilogy won 17 Oscars including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, 2 for Cinematography, and 3 for Visual Effects; nominated for 13 more.

Memento (2001, Christopher Nolan) A man suffering from short-term memory loss (Guy Pierce) uses notes and tattoos to hunt for the man who killed his wife. Say what you will about Chirstopher Nolan being an insufferable, pompous ass, he makes goddam good films. Memento makes the list over The Prestige, Batman Begins, and The Dark Knight (and Insomnia for obvious reasons) because of its unconventional and well-thoughtout storytelling device. Excellent acting combine with excellent screenplay and direction and create a film that is . . . well, excellent. Oscar nominations for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Editing.

A Serious Man (2009, Joel Coen & Ethan Coen) Larry Gopnik (Michael Stuhlbarg), a Midwestern professor, watches his life unravel through multiple sudden incidents. Originally this slot was occupied by No Country for Old Men. But after discussing both films with a mustachoed gent over a cup of coffee, I came to realize that this smaller work is the superior film. A Serious Man is that rare kind of picture that very few filmmakers ever get to make. It’s dark and funny and devistating and simple and plotless and brilliant. It is a unique artistic expression from two of the greatest filmmakers ever. There are pieces of Miller’s Crossing, Barton Fink, Raising Arizona, Fargo, and The Big Lebowski here to be sure; but what makes it surpass so many other films of the last decade is its surprising moments of self-realisation. Without warning, A Serious Man will chill you to the core. One leaves the theatre having had their thought process shifted. Brilliance.  Oscar nominations for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay.

Primer (2004, Shane Carruth) Four friends/fledgling entrepreneurs, knowing that there’s something bigger and more innovative than the different error-checking devices they’ve built, wrestle over their new invention. FULL DISCLOSURE: I am a sucker for any movie about time travel. But Primer is much, much more. Made for less money that half-an-hour of shooting on any movie Michael Bay has read, Primer quitely and quickly gets inside your mind and then screws with it. I dare you to only watch it once. Whole websites have been built mapping out the timelines of the various characters. And yet, these details don’t bother you until well after you’ve finished watching it. It’s impossible to shake. It is independent cinema at it’s very best.

The Station Agent (2003, Thomas McCarthy) When his only friend dies, a man (Peter Dinklage) moves to rural New Jersey to live a life of solitude, only to meet a chatty hot dog vendor (Bobby Cannavale) and a woman dealing with her own personal loss (Patricia Clarkson). With this film and The Visitor, Tom McCarthy is quickly establishing himself as one of the best character-driven writer/directors out there. His characters are fully-drawn, ordinary misfits doing the best they can. The Station Agent finds humor and sadness among a group of three “loosers” and warms your heart as it does so. Dinklage gives the performance of his career and should’ve at least been nominated for an Oscar. Brilliant little film.

Strong Language (2000, Simon Rumley) While a narrator (David Groves) tells the story of a night of terror that changes his life forever, 16 young people chat about their lives in London in the late 90s. With topics ranging from Ecstasy to AIDS to BritPop, racism, punk, hooliganism, and the London Police. You’ve never heard of this movie. I know of only two other people in this country who have ever seen this movie. It’s not on DVD in this country. I don’t know that it ever got a theatrical release. I only saw it by chance in a Widener Law School dorm room on VHS because my friends Zach & Gene and I enjoy quirkly British pop culture. But if it ever comes here in a viewable format, I will shout from the rafters. All people do in this film is talk directly to the camera. It’s funny, compelling, and will break your heart. Simplicity can be brilliant on its own and Strong Language is proof.

Strong Language from Simon Rumley on Vimeo.

There Will Be Blood (2007, Paul Thomas Anderson) A story about family, greed, religion, and oil, centered around a turn-of-the-century prospector (Daniel Day Lewis) in the early days of the business. If Stanley Kubrick ever wanted to make a film about an oil man, it would have looked like this. PT Anderson takes a long time between his films these days and they are certianly worth the weight. Daniel Day Lewis won his second and well-deserved Oscar for H W Plainview. He will scare, amuse, and disappoint you over and over again. Sweeping shots of the Texas countryside combined with a haunting score, terse direction, and a tight script. What more do you want from a film? Oscars for Best Actor (Daniel Day Lewis) and Best Cinematography (Robert Elswit) and nominated for 6 more including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay.