Funny

I, like most people of my generation, like cartoon programes such as The Simpson’s and Family Guy, yet I miss Looney Toons like Tom & Jerry. My favorites also included Speedy Gonzales, Foghorn Leghorn, Sylvester & Tweetie, Road Runner and of course Bugsy. But a part from the odd feature length sanitized version from Disney, they never seem to show the classics on terrestrial TV, or else I’m never up early enough to watch them? I fear however the PC’ers and people with too much time on their hands to complain caused them to be axed…

I’m not condoning the violence of cartoons or sayings its amusing (although of course it is hilarious); no I’m also interested in the philosophical issues raised by cartoons such as T&J, Cats inhumanity to Mouse for example. Also it’s an interesting case study of the 1950s/60s and its politically incorrect climate, which is progressively diametrically opposed to our current more enlightened times. I’m not asking that they show them just for entertainment, but for the purposes of education of our youth, social studies classes should be established for the study of such cartoons!

Or you could just watch the ones I found on youtube?

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8z5JON-fOc
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvR58XdzINk&mode=related&search=
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=av7nyA3ufXE
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mT92rLEAWd8&mode=related&search=
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7-OzPYra_o

Tuesday, April 24th, 2007 // Fun Stuff

This story gave me a laugh when I came across it this morning. In what was basically a very bitter divorce, a man chainsawed the couple’s summer home in half after their divorce settlement.

Well, the judge did say he was entitled to half…..

Just the mental picture of this German dude making off with half a shack on a forklift is cracker:

“The man said he was just taking his due,” said a police spokesman. “But I don’t think his wife was too pleased.”

After finishing the job, the man picked up his half with the forklift truck and drove to his brother’s house where he has since been staying.

Saturday, March 10th, 2007 // News & Media

On the cover of On Second Thoughts… is a drawing of King Arthur and his knights sitting at a square table as one of the group asks if anyone else thinks the Feng Shui is all wrong.

But they say never judge a book by its cover.

Past the cover, On Second Thoughts falls down hard. The books is a supposedly funny collection of “first drafts” that might have happened, described on the tagline as “Bad first ideas and other rubbish from the bins of the famous”.

To be fair, On Second Thoughts has its good moments. There’s a series of spoof library tickets sent to famous people. A chasing letter to Bono for the return of “How To Be Me” by Mother Teresa and stuff like that.

Admitting my ignorance, I’ll also say that some of the references are too obscure for the average Joe. There were whole sections that I just didn’t get. And I consider myself fairly well read, so there.

Another problem with the book is the poor quality of some of the clippings. I know they’re supposed to be mock-authentic items, but the quality is so poor that the pieces are actually hard to read.

Nope folks, give this one a wide berth!

A copy of this review is posted at PopOpinions.com.

Monday, February 26th, 2007 // Book Reviews

I picked this book up for the missus just before Christmas, and decided to give it a quick flick through before I wrapped it. Within half-an-hour I’d read it cover to cover,

Loads More Lies… is the follow-up to the very popular “Great Lies To Tell Small Kids”, and features a variety of warped cartoons. For example, the picture of a Tweenie lying on the ground - dead - with an Uzi by his side as his anguished mate cries “noooooooo!!!” to the skies. Read the rest »

Saturday, February 24th, 2007 // Book Reviews

The tagline to Never Hit A Jellyfish With A Spade is “How to Survive Life’s Smaller Challenges”, and that’s the essence of this book. A series of short articles lifted from Browning’s Guardian column, each focuses on a micro-topic from everyday life: How to…. eat biscuits, mow the lawn, read a Sunday paper.

I remember reading Browning’s column from time to time and marvelling at how he managed to take everyday situations and spin them into something thought-provoking and funny at the same time: Read the rest »

Friday, February 23rd, 2007 // Book Reviews

You know how it is, you’re out for the night with a hot girl and you end up back in her bedroom. Did you remember to bring protection?

How long before this sort of thing becomes a reality?

Link leads to a video which may or may not be worksafe. It just depends on whether your employer has a sense of humor!

Thursday, October 5th, 2006 // Observations

If ever a website made you want to cringe with embarrassment, Black People Love Us will do the job every time.

Warning to the humourless: This is a spoof website.

Sally and Johnny are a middle-class white couple who find that they are well-liked by black people:

We are well-liked by Black people so we’re psyched (since lots of Black people don’t like lots of White people)!! We thought it’d be cool to honor our exceptional status with a ROCKIN’ domain name and a killer website!!

The pictures on the homepage are of Sally and Johnny ‘hanging’ with their black friends. Brilliantly, they are at the center of the group and all their black friends are laughing at their jokes. Underneath this, they have a set of testimonials from their “real life friends”:

Johnny calls me “da man!” That puts me at ease. It makes me feel comfortable, because I am Black and that’s how Black folks talk to one another.

Check out the hanging out section for pictures of Sally and Johnny chillin’ with their homies!

As you can imagine, there’s a serious message behind the satire, and it points the finger at the misconceptions we have of other races and the social stereotyping, like all blacks listen to gangsta rap, submit to ghetto culture and are somehow less intelligent than white people. Also, how all blacks think the same:

Sally and Johnny always ask me how the entire black community feels about certain topics. I really respect this about them because I am black and therfore obviously know how all blacks feel about everything! Black People Love Us Testimonials

We don’t really have this problem in Northern Ireland, because we’re not that multi-cultural. Yet. It’s coming, though and maybe we need to ask a few questions about our attitudes toward different races and cultures.

Friday, July 7th, 2006 // Fun Stuff

Prepare to wet yourself laughing. The Leader Of The Free World takes the U2 classic and makes it his own. Pure class!

As seen on Break.com

Discovered on The DIY Rockstar

Sunday, July 2nd, 2006 // Fun Stuff

I was browsing through the book section in a second-hand shop in Ballymena on Saturday, when I came across this bargain:

You’re probably wondering, “How did he resist?” Believe me, it wasn’t that difficult! I wish I’d read the back cover to get a feel for the story, though…

Sunday, July 2nd, 2006 // Observations

I was watching Corpse Bride with the kids recently, and was completely struck by the similarities between slimy Lord Barkis and our permatanned Secretary of State, Peter Hain. It’s quite sinister really.

If you don’t think there’s a resemblance between the two, watch the movie and you’ll see what I mean.

Tuesday, June 27th, 2006 // Observations