Communism is Beautiful

BEFORE you give me hate comments, I would just like to explain that I don't mean communism, as in, the political movement. I mean communism, as in, being a fan of the show Community. I realize how it sounds. That's the whole reason I say it. Shock value. xD

Well, Community has officially become a new obsession. I still adore absolutely ADORE Whose Line, and Colin Mochrie and everyone else (Colin will never stop being adorable. EVER.) so don't get me wrong on that. But Community is just..... really incredibly awesome.

Here's Community in a nutshell:

-Ridiculousness/hilarity
-Pop culture references
-More ridiculousness/hilarity
-Identity
-Friendship
-Did I mention ridiculousness and hilarity?

And I may or may not have already ranted about my love for Abed. He's to Community what Colin Mochrie is to Whose Line for me. I love everyone else, but Abed will always be my favourite..... of course that has NOTHING to do with the fact that he's a filmmaker, and that he's obsessed with movies and shows all too easily. Am I the only one seeing connections here?

And it's pop culture references - at times they just have me in stitches. Inspector Spacetime may be one of the greatest Doctor Who spoofs I've ever heard of. And the action movie homage (Modern Warfare)? Epic. Amazing. The western homage (A Fistfull of Paintballs)? Even better. And don't even get me started on the second part of that episode, the Star Wars homage (For a Few Paintballs More). The fact that they dedicated the pilot of the series to John Hughes, using Don't You Forget About Me, and actual lines from the Breakfast Club is a brilliant and amazing foreshadow of just what kind of show this was going to turn out to be. Ending the chicken fingers episode with them sitting on the counter, as a reference to Sixteen Candles. Freaking yeah. The Law and Order episode? Made. Of. EPIC. And the documentary episodes? Sure, maybe not as much a pop culture reference as an actual study on the storytelling used in documentaries, but it was still awesome as HECK and very much proves that some flies are too awesome for the wall.

Pillows and Blankets has got to be one of my ultimate favourite episodes though. It was an actual documentary, not a study of one. A documentary about the essence of war when a fight broke out between Troy and Abed about whether or not to use pillows or blankets for their fort. It was, of course, a pillow fight. But it was more than that. It was a pillow WAR.

And that episode was so goshdarn awesome because not only was it HILARIOUS. Not only was it RIDICULOUS. It was actually also looking at Troy and Abed's friendship/relationship, because let's face it - Troy and Abed are wired differently. And eventually, they had to disagree on something. The way Abed studies everyone and uses that against Troy - and the way Troy replies with hurt disguised as scorn, saying things to Abed that people had probably been saying to Abed his entire life - and a few that only Troy personally was in the position to say.

Not to mention talking about how the rest of the study group act in a war zone - Jeff takes advantage of it, Annie tries to help everyone, Shirley kicks some serious booty and Pierce does his best to always be on the winning side. Oh, and Britta tries to capture the horror of war - by apparently taking pictures. To spread awareness? I don't know. Britta's kinda weird.

But enough about that episode. Community is awesome all the way around.

ABED WILL MAKE YOU CRY I SWEAR TO GOD. He is such a tragic character. He's hilarious and awesome, but so MISUNDERSTOOD AND YOU WILL CRY AND ROLL ON THE GROUND FROM THE FEELS AND YELL "NO ABED IT'S OKAY I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!"

Troy and Abed's bromance will make you cry as well. BECAUSE THEY'RE AWESOME AND THEY'RE BROS AND THEN ABED DOESN'T DO THE HANDSHAKE AND WHYYYYYYYYYYYY?!?!?!?!

But the thing about Community is that, unlike a certain other sitcom claiming to be a nerd's show, Community celebrates nerd culture rather than making fun of it. I can't explain it very well, but it was very well explained in this post on Tumblr, so here you are:

And all that was said there is true, and that is why a show about such average and not-particularly geeky people is such a geek's show. It's a big fluffy hug saying "you're not alone". In fact.......

Virtual Systems Analysis - Annie: (to Abed) "You're afraid you don't fit in, you're afraid you'll be alone. Great news. You share that with all of us. So you'll never be alone, and you'll always fit in." 

Now, that's quite a forward way of putting the theme, but that was an absolutely heart-breaking episode. The Abed ones usually are. Abed had been convinced for the majority of the episode that, in order to put other people's needs before his own (Annie had been rather heatedly preaching "empathy") he needed to eradicate himself from other people's lives. So he had become every other member of the study group and told Annie that Abed didn't exist. Meanwhile, the Abed that is actually Abed is shackled in his middle school locker - where he apparently spent the most part of his middle school years. Because "this is where people put people like me when they finally get fed up with us."I nearly burst into tears the first time I saw that scene. 

But enough about that. Every episode of Community is brilliant in its own way and amazing and fantastic. Let's establish that and move on. 

So, for my birthday, I got these things:

First season DVD box set of Community. It literally reads like a yearbook, with notes from all the characters all over it. It's really awesome. 

Greendale Community College T-shirt. Go Human Beings!!!!

Troy and Abed in the Morning mug. 'Nuff freaking said.

Aaaaaaand a whole bunch of figurines from the claymation episode of season 2 (Abed's Uncontrollable Christmas). For thos who care, the figurines were Troy Soldier, Ballerannie, The Christmas Wizard, Snowman Chang, Britta-bot, Jeff-in-the-box, and Teddy Pierce. 

I love being a communist, hah. 

Community: General Review

So, lately I've gotten really into a show. That show is called Community.

Maybe you've heard of it. Maybe you haven't. But I suggest you watch a few episodes. You'll probably like it.

Or....

Well, some people start out liking it and then get tired of it. I was the opposite. I started out not really thinking much of it, and then loving it.

Basic concept:

Seven very different people meet up at a crappy community college. They're all taking spanish, so they form a study group. And that study group becomes a kind of family.

The writing in this show is good, but what I really really love about it is that the characters all have their very own, very distinct identity:

Jeff: He was a bigshot lawyer before he got kicked out of his law firm for not having the proper papers for being a legitimate lawyer. He knew he didn't have the proper papers - Jeff is very used to scamming his way through life. So, in order to get back easy, he went to a crappy community college to get the easiest way back into being a real lawyer. Jeff is a master at manipulating people, and he will if he feels it will help him gain something. He seems to think - or at least tells people that he thinks - that he is the most deserving person on earth. He very rarely likes to admit he cares about something - he prefers to be extremely non-chalant and cool toward people. He's the one who starts the study group in the first place, but not for the proper reason - he did it so that he could get in Britta's bed.
What I like about this character is that he starts out, as you can probably tell, as a huge D-bag. But he does have a kind of evolution through the series, as does every character. He uses his "powers" to bring the group together. He starts thinking about other people - sometimes over himself. He starts to show that he does care about some things. But you need to be following the series to see this - if you start an episode without knowing what's going on, then he's just going to look like a D-bag.

Britta: She's what you would call a modern hippie. A rebel without a cause - or as the show once described her, the "needlessly defiant". She talks about being all for female empowerment, charity, organicness and naturality, to the point of being annoying to the others. She's attractive - she knows it, and uses it. She can be very immature - she has what one could call a brother/sisterly rivalry with Jeff, and they're often bickering and making fun of each other - but she can also be very mature. She and Jeff act as the mother and father figures of the study group, respectively. What Britta most cares about is putting others before herself, and helping others - even if some other people accidentally get hurt in the process. But she's also very defiant by nature, and if someone offends her, then she will do what she can to shove it back in their face.

Annie: A nineteen year old girl, very driven, very smart, very determined. She probably could have gone to a better college, but in high school she got addicted to pills and had a nervous breakdown. She had to go to rehab. Her mother didn't support her in rehab, and as a result they've turned their backs on each other and Annie now lives in an apartment by herself in a dangerous neighbourhood. You wouldn't be able to tell she ever had that problem now. She's quite by-the-book, though she does have the ability to adapt and be resourceful. She had a crush on Troy, and now appears to have a crushy thing on Jeff. She, like me, analyzes everything, though as a result she reads too far into things and ends up expecting more than people actually offered. She's an adult by her actions, but childlike by her morals - her distinction between right and wrong is very bold, and if someone lies or is disrespectful then she will be the one to "tell on them". Her friends are a top priority for her. She wants the best for the people around her, but her judgement of what's best may not be the same as others.

Troy: He and Annie went to high school together. He was the jock in high school, and was very popular then. Now he goes to Greendale...... for some reason. Troy is a believer in passion, and a believer in fun over work. His brotha-from-anotha-motha is Abed.... who I will get to. Troy is not smart.... in the traditional sense. He's not smart intellectually/academically, or particularly street smart..... but he knows instinct, and he knows motivation. And every once in a while he dazzles them with a good idea. Troy is a little bit like Jeff in some ways..... being the popular jock in high school left him under the impression that he was a little more entitled than the rest. But he also has a very dutiful sense of right and wrong, and he always corrects himself if he offends someone, and will tell someone if he thinks they're doing something wrong. He's a little childish - in fact, he's quite childish, but he knows when to be mature.

Shirley: She's a born again christian woman, single mother - her husband cheated on her, so she kicked him out, and then when he came back she forgave him because of her christian values. She fancies herself the perfect christian - she forgives everyone (or says she does) and works hard to always be considerate and nice to people. She responds to good news with an "oh, that's nice," in a very super sweet way and responds to bad news with questions about why that would happen. Shirley.... has thinly veiled anger issues hidden shallowly beneath the surface. If someone offends her, or someone she cares about, then forgiveness and turning the other cheek sort of goes out the window - she knows how to kick ass. She believes in perfection - she strives for it, and can't understand why other people wouldn't. I mean..... she accepts people for their imperfections, but she strives to make sure that nothing that would make people unhappy happens, and can't understand when other people let that happen. She's had some darkness.... she used to be an alcoholic. Which is probably one of the reasons she tries so hard to keep that kind of darkness out.

Pierce: Pretty much Community's equivalent of a crazy old man. Ah, wait, scratch that - that would be Leonard. Pierce is older than the others (like in his sixties) and has very... outdated points of view. That is, he's pretty much racist and homophobic. He thinks he can rule other people's worlds with his money and riches. He likes to manipulate people that way - he's not dependent on people, but he's dependent on people being dependent on him. He demands respect in spite of the fact that it's very hard to. At least in the second season, he was pretty selfish and self-centered, but he was mostly playing the antagonist in the second season, so........ What he wants is to be accepted somewhere, to be liked. He makes it hard for himself though, because if he has any negative feelings toward anyone he tends to blow it out of proportion and just make things worse. He's been married seven times, divorced every single one. When he meets someone he likes, he tests their boundaries. Pushes them. That's why most of them don't last very long. But he gives respect where he can see that respect is due.

Abed: Last but not least. Certainly not least. He's my ultimate favourite out of this show. He's just made of awesome.
Abed is undiagnosable. Jeff's said Aspergers, but that's not the point. The point is Abed is..... weird. He doesn't know how to act around people, he doesn't understand people. He doesn't understand emotion, and he seldom ever really shows any emotion through any facial expression - the only emotion he shows is through cliches from TV that he happens to find relatable at that point in time. He likes TV more than he likes life - he understands TV more. To him, TV has more structure than life, and so because of this he's developed a kind of obsession with television. He's always making references to TV, slipping into blatantly obvious stereotypes or characters from TV and movies, because to him it just makes more sense to apply it that way. Abed does not understand people at all, and he does not know how anything he does will affect anyone, so Abed learns by observation. He observes how people talk to each other, and he usually makes the connections of their psychologies/personalities........ but he doesn't have the natural instinct for it that "normal" people do. He needs to work hard to act accordingly around people. Abed is used to not being understood, and though his facial expression never shows SIGNIFICANT change, one can tell when he's been hurt or doesn't understand something. The most enthusiasm Abed usually shows is a slight twitch at the corner of the mouth and a "Cool. Cool cool cool." People often think that Abed is incompetent because of this.... "disability", and then discover they're sadly mistaken when Abed swiftly and unexpectedly proves his point and make everyone rethink everything. Abed knows the difference between right and wrong, and though you wouldn't know it sometimes, he knows the difference between TV and real life. But Abed has difficulty expressing his emotions. Observations and thoughts, no problem. But emotions are hard for him. That's why he makes movies. People understand movies. They make sense to everyone. So Abed is working to become a filmmaker. He's also Troy's brotha-from-anotha-motha - they have lots of fun doing ridiculous things together.

Those are my summaries of the characters. I know I was supposed to be reviewing the show, but this is pretty much the Community rant I've been wanting to have. But, all in all, the show is wacky, fun, light-hearted, ridiculous at times, great if you like spoofs (courtesy of Abed) and hilarious. It's also great for analyzers like myself, because those wonderful writers are constantly adding dimensions to the characters.

There's always conflict, but it's usually light-hearted nonetheless. It's always wacky, but never nonsensical. It's ingeniusly balanced.

If you like to think, it's a fun show. If you just watch a show for the sake of watching it, then it's fine then too - it will provide you with the laughter you seek. All in all, it's a great show to watch, and you should all watch at least a few episodes.

5/5 stars.

P.S Did I mention that Abed is the best? Because Abed is like the best character. He's awesome.

ARGH MY LIFE HATES ME AND ALSO MY MOTHER ENJOYS CRUSHING ALL MY DREAMS.

Drew Carey, Ryan Stiles, Colin Mochrie, Brad Sherwood, Jeff Davis, Jonathan Mangum, Heather Anne Campbell and Laura Hall are all performing in Vegas tonight.

And Mom won't take me to Vegas.

IT'S LIKE THE WHOLE GANG PLUS AWESOME PEOPLE LIKE JONATHAN MANGUM AND HEATHER ANNE CAMPBELL. TO SEE THIS WOULD BE A FREAKIN' DREAM COME TRUE. 

WHY CAN'T I JUST LIVE IN LIKE A VAN FOLLOWING THEM EVERYWHERE. 

And you know what the worst part is?

RYAN AND COLIN TOGETHER AGAIN!!!!!! ARGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I HAVE TO MISS ALL THIS AWESOMENESS JUST BECAUSE MOM WON'T TAKE ME TO VEGAS. *sobs* WHYYYYYYYYYYYY?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

First I miss Colin Mochrie live in Calgary. And I thought that was a big deal. 

BUT RYAN AND COLIN AND DREW AND BRAD AND JEFF DAVIS AND JONATHAN MANGUM AND HEATHER ANNE CAMPBELL AND THE ONE AND ONLY LAURA HALL ALL DOING A SHOW TOGETHER?!?!?!!? THAT'S A BIG FREAKIN' DEAL.

*goes in a corner and cries*

WHY WON'T MY MOM LET ME GO TO VEGAS?!?!?!!?!?!?!?!

WLiiA Meme: Day 30

IT'S THE LAST DAY!!! MY LAST ACTUAL REGULATED RANT!!!! SAVOUR IT!!!!

Day 30: A Moment That You'll Never Forget

Honestly, this is really hard. I say that about every single one, but it really is difficult, for a few reasons.

First off, how many absolutely unforgettable moments are there on Whose Line? Tapioca, Arctic Tern, Animal Porn, Master of Segues, and that's just from Greatest Hits! Then you go into other games and you get Colin groping everyone, Ryan licking Colin's head, Wayne singing a Strip-o-Gram song to a retired lunch lady, "Come!", Ryan and Colin's first kiss, Nice Pants, Wayne as a drill sergeant, Ryan smashing his head into a neon light whilst doing a Carol Channing impression, Captain Hair, A Big Stick with a Big Nose, Drew tripping on the stairs, Drew's Jerry Lewis impression, the ever famous Ryanless Hoedown, the Going Bald Hoedown, the Harley of Seville, Colin's penis pointer, the Tarzan Sound Effects with the old ladies, this list could go on and on and on, you know it could!

The problem with this question is that it says one moment. And I can't guarantee I'll remember a single moment from this show when I'm old and one would suppose mature (although if I do turn out to be a director/writer, I sort of doubt that) with a family I hope, and, you know, a life. But there is one thing I will always remember about this show.

It made me laugh.

Not just once, not twice, but almost everytime I watched it/listened to it/looked at it (obsessiveness lets me do all those things).

That's the most important thing, and that's the point I really wanna get across. Because if my life has anything like a philosophy, it would be to do what one loves, do what makes one happy, love, forgive, laugh often. Simple as that. It's a nice way to live.

And Whose Line let me laugh often, which, though it is mentioned last, is actually very key in my strategic plan (or, random sentence I just realized about myself. What's the difference?)

But, well, one moment...... if I had to pick just one moment that will stick with me for as long into the future as I can sanely foresee.........

Hmm................

I'll go with Animal Porn. It's the only thing that keeps persistently coming, and I'll go with my gut since logic really has no say in this anymore.

I just adore Colin's apologetic little smile and laugh.

And the way Ryan took a minute to compute what Colin had just said.

And the way Ryan covers his face with his hands because he's ashamed for Colin, but in the most laughing, amusing way possible, and he's got a high little giggle because he's almost in shock.

It's kind of the best thing ever.

God. I love this show so much. I hope I never forget about it. I hope when I'm middle-aged and have children, I'll remember to show them the show too, and grant them the gift of laughter. My mother has laughed so hard she cried at this show. Literally, tears rolling down her face.

I hope Whose Line never fades. It's a piece of utter brilliance, and thank god it lasted a whole eight seasons, plus the ten season British version.

I just love it so much.

*happy sigh*

Peace out Whosebuddies,

MeganH

P.S I KNOW YOU WERE CURIOUS DON'T DENY IT. So here it is. The infamous Animal Porn incident.

From Now On, Nothing's Allowed to Exist Without Me Knowing About It.

My problem is that I always get into things way too late.

I mean, sometimes it's okay, things like Shakespeare and the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy will always be timeless. And the Simpsons was actually fairly up to date..... even if, of course, I didn't particularly like the ones that were up to date.......

But if we keep going on this timeline of obsession, we come to Firefly. That was on in 2001. I found out about it in 2011. I was literally a decade late. Meaning, though the fandom lives on, I missed all the panels I probably could have gone to, and talks and blah blah blah. I missed out.

And then we come to Whose Line, which is of course the most recent one, having only become an obession last March.

Now, from my knowledge of Whose Line and the people in it, Whose Line ended in 2005, meaning I missed ever seeing it on TV..... the only reruns are played at midnight on channels I don't even get. And watching it on the computer does lose it's magic, because I can get ANYTHING on the Internet. Which is, of course, the point, but no it's not. The point is that watching it on television is different, and I missed out.

Drawing from my extensive knowledge of these people, Colin and Ryan, whom I recently refferred to in an English project as a "comic match made in heaven", seldom ever see each other anymore. Colin lives in Toronto, doing gigs mainly in Canada except for when he tours with Brad Sherwood for the ever anticipated Colin and Brad Show.

Ryan, on the other hand, lives in America, and does a live show, aptly called Whose Live Anyway (which is, by the way, coming to Coquitlam in February!!!! I WAS FREAKING OUT SO MUCH I PULLED A MUSCLE I CAN'T MISS WHOSE LIVE IF I DO I WILL ACTUALLY KILL SOMEBODY I MUST SEE IT) with Chip Esten, Jeff Davis and Greg Proops, and occasionally does a thing called Stiles and Proops: Unplanned, with, yep, you guessed it, Greg Proops.

I'm not saying it's like "east is east and west is west and never the twain shall meet" because Colin and Ryan do see each other on occasion...... just very rarely.

Well, you know what I found out?

In February, 2011, in Vancouver, for a benefit gig, the twain met.

They called it "A Mochrie of Stiles".

And I missed it.

They did A Mochrie of Stiles in like, two places. EVER.

DO YOU KNOW HOW LIKELY IT IS THAT THAT WILL EVER HAPPEN AGAIN IN VANCOUVER?!?!?! VERY VERY UNLIKELY.

AND I MISSED IT.

GAH. WHY DOES LIFE HATE ME.

*goes in a corner and cries*

I MISSED IT WHY DID I MISS IT WHY CAN'T I GET INTO THINGS BEFORE THINGS LIKE THAT HAPPENED GOOD GOD THAT MUST HAVE BEEN AN ABSOLUTE GEM TO GO TO, CAN YOU IMAGINE SEEING COLIN AND RYAN ONSTAGE TOGETHER AFTER ALL THIS TIME OH MY GOD WHY DO I HAVE TO MISS THINGS LIKE THAT?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

*takes deep breath*

I. MISSED. A Mochrie of Stiles. When it was in Vancouver. As recently as 2011.

*sobs*

WLiiA Meme: Day 29

Day 29: Why Did You Love This Show?

Day 29 already!!!! The last question on this meme answered next Friday! I can't believe my rant stimuli is almost over! I..... I haven't ranted all I wanted to yet.......

Anyways, the question. Why do I love this show.

Oh, strap yourselves in boys, make yourselves comfortable, maybe grab a snack. This is going to be a long one probably.

Let me tell you a love story - no, not the Ry/Col story! A different love story.

About this time last year, maybe a month or so later, my father was surfing Youtube and found himself searching up clips from a show he used to watch when I wasn't old enough to appreciate it, or even understand it. That show was called Whose Line is it Anyway. At that time, I had no idea what it was, but I heard Mom and Dad laughing at the computer and snuck into the room to join them. It was the famous Sound Effects Scene with the old women (that narrows it down) - the Tarzan Sound Effects.

Every Whoser is probably going "Ahhhh, yes."

I watched it and laughed, but my first question before I laughed was "Is this Just For Laughs?" because I seemed to remember an improv act like this with these people on Just For Laughs (of course I was probably thinking of when Colin and Brad played Sound Effects on Just For Laughs).

Dad looked at me like I was crazy and said "No, it's Whose Line is it Anyway."

Those words meant absolutely nothing to me.

SEE HOW MUCH I'VE CHANGED?!

So I went out of the room when the video was done, not sure what I had just seen or why those people (especially the bald guy) looked so goshdarn familiar, and I've decided I probably watched it when I was younger with my dad, though I can't remember it, and that I remembered Colin from Just For Laughs. Again, I heard Mom and Dad laughing at the computer. Again I entered the room, curious.

It was the same people on the same set, only this scene was the famous "THE CAT!"

So the next time I was on the computer I decided to look up the show, wondering what it was. And I laughed and I enjoyed it, and I discovered games that I loved (my favourite at that time was Irish Drinking Song - again, I've changed so much). But after a while it faded from my memory, and I didn't really think about it anymore.

Fast forward quite a few months - past Thanksgiving, past Christmas, past my birthday. All this time passed and I didn't give Whose Line a second thought. Of course, from my brief binge of it in October, I now knew what it was and all their names and a few inside jokes, a few games - I knew the basics. But I didn't love it, I didn't even really think about it at all.

Spring break comes.

The first week of spring break, I believe my grandmother was there, and I was occupied and generally not bored, though when away from school I rarely saw any of my friends. Then after the first week of spring break my grandmother leaves and I realize that I really don't have anything to do. Anna had an excuse at all times to not come over, Erin had her fifty other friends that were four years older than her, and everyone else I was too shy to call them up. Not because we weren't close friends, but because I perhaps had a bad rep with their parents (or their parents had a bad rep with me). Anyways, no matter the reason, I was extremely bored and extremely lonely. Aimless. And while I do enjoy being alone, I had thought of about all I could think about by myself. I was just so incredibly bored.

Then while surfing Youtube and realizing I had nothing in particular I had on my mind to watch, on a whim I looked up Whose Line again. It was the first time I had even thought of the thing in months, but I searched it on a whim.

And I laughed. And laughing felt really really good.

So I looked it up again the next day. And again, I laughed. And again, it felt really really good.

Before long, it had become an addiction. No, I was not in the fandom quite yet, I was not obsessed. I was addicted. There's a difference.

And, though addiction is regarded as a negative word, I don't think being addicted to laughter is the worst you can go. It was what I needed in order to survive the rest of my lonely week.

The funny thing is, I didn't even realize I was addicted. I just looked up the show and laughed. That was all it was to me. It was only until one night when I was conversing with my mom and I started telling her something that I realized I spent an abnormal amount of time watching these clips.

Me: So, today I was watching Whose Line -

Mom: *sarcastically* There's a surprise.

I shrugged it off, not ashamed, and continued to watch the thing anyway.

And when school started and the crap in our friend group began to do what we call in english class the "rising action" (which comes right before the climax) I watched it to cheer myself from a crappy six hours of my life.

THAT was when I became obsessed.

I knew everything about Whose Line - or I thought I did. I still remember surfing the Whose Line clips after a couple months of watching it, thinking I'd probably seen it all, and finding a related video on the side that said "Whose Line: Whose Line (Game)" and thinking "Whose Line GAME?!?!?! There's a GAME called Whose Line?!?!?!" Fandom was young.

And, though it's perhaps lost just a little of the first time magic that Whose Line has when you see it for the first time, when I watch it I simply can't stop smiling. In fact, after a while, my face hurts from smiling so much, but I don't regret it at all. And I laugh still. And I love it still, though I'm not nearly as insecure and lonely as I previously was.

See, when I'm lonely and bored, I get into this state of mind, where I start to blame everything on myself. I get depressed, I get snappy, I get into this place where I simply can't stand myself. I feel like I have no friends. I feel like I've failed at everything I ever tried. It's just not a good space, and it's very very hard to get me out of that. But Whose Line always has something to remind me that I can laugh. Whose Line is like a four minute therapy session. Watch a clip and you're already feeling better. And last year I was very prone to these bouts of depression - hell, this year I probably will be too, though it hasn't happened yet - and that was why I loved Whose Line. Because it actually did help me. It said "Hey, remember you can laugh? You should try that again." It just always makes me feel good.

Because, I've said this before and I'll say it again, Whose Line would simply not be the same without the friendships it has within the cast. Because not only are the scenes one of the funniest things you will ever see, but they can laugh at themselves and at each other afterward, and you can sense the friendship happening and you can sort of feel the companionship. That was what it was for me at least. When I was lonely, Whose Line gave me laughter and companionship. Because I wasn't just laughing at what they were doing - I was laughing with them. THAT'S the magic.

And maybe I'm not depressed, but it's still something I love, and I'll probably always love it, though the fandomness might fade. This isn't just a show to me. This is important to me. And I'm not the only one.

THAT'S why I love this show.

*takes deep breath* Okay, the love story's over. You may exit the theatre now, but please remember to throw your wrappers in the garbage.

Peace out, Whosebuddies,

MeganH

Hey I'm Back AND WLiiA Meme: Day 19

Back from Timberline! Not my best Timberline year, but when we laughed we laughed a lot. MAN.

Anyways,

Day 19: Favourite Greatest Hits

The first one that comes to mind is Songs of Horror.

It's just got that classic Ryan & Colin banter - you know what I'm talking about! Colin putting Ryan in his place, Ryan laughing almost uncontrollably (though not as bad in this one as in the Arctic Tern, or Tapioca) and Ryan.... well, being Ryan. Come on. And the songs that Wayne and Chip improvise are pretty good too.

But my absolute favourite is probably Songs of the Motorcycle.

First and foremost, this contains Colin's infamous Animal Porn moment, which in itself is just hysterical. Also, the songs that Jeff and Wayne do in this are pretty amazing. It's just an all around great playing of this game.

But while I'm doing this, I'd like to give a shout out to Songs of the Hitman and Songs of Women.

Songs of the Hitman because the songs they do are actually really great - I mean they do it really really well! And Songs of Women because, well, I just love the banter in that one. My personal opinion of course.

But Songs of the Motorcycle is totally my favourite.

Okay. Yeah. There you go.

Peace out Whosebuddies,

MeganH

P.S Bend a car? Pat Benatar!!! ..... it just never loses it's magic.

If I Could Be Serious For Just a Moment

From what I hear of american news (all my information on that comes from Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert), there's a restaurant in the U.S called Chik-Fil-A that has actually come out saying that they are against gays and gay marriage.

This is the most hateful, awful thing I have ever heard in my life.

And perhaps it might seem ridiculous to get upset at a fast food restaurant, but this article does an extremely good job explaining why it really isn't that ridiculous at all.

Here's what I find absolutely ludicrous about the whole thing - these people are discriminating against homosexuals in the name of God, and Jesus.

I like to think of myself as a fairly religious, christian individual, and the fact that people are being so horrifically homophobic "in the name of God" actually insults me to my core. And no, I am not a homosexual. It's still insulting to be justifying hatred in the name of my religion, which taught to love, and only love.

When did Jesus ever teach ANYTHING against homosexuality? If anyone can find a passage in the Bible where Jesus is saying to deny anyone of their rights because they are homosexual, I would like to see it please.

But you won't find it because that passage doesn't exist. And if it did, perhaps it would change my mind. But not on the issue of supporting gays, or gay marriage. It would perhaps change my mind about being christian at all.

I am aware of the fact that in the Old Testament, God said many times that a man having intercourse with another man is a sin.

We are also not allowed to use God's name in vain. We are also not allowed to disobey our parents. According to the Old Testament, if a woman's husband dies she must then marry his brother. I know what I'm talking about, I've read the Old Testament myself, and much of the New Testament. Most of these rules have been broken in these times. So why is homosexuality being hounded on?

Christianity is not a justification of hatred. Jesus taught to love each and every person, regardless of any differences. To do unto others as you would have them do unto you. In my room there's a quote from the book of John, somewhere in chapter 15, where he says to love each and every person as He, Jesus, loved them all. And Jesus does not hate gays. Jesus does not know how to hate. Any christian who knows anything about christianity should know this much.

And it is absolutely ridiculous and makes me incredibly angry that people go marching around with signs saying that the reason people are dying is because gay marriage is allowed - in SOME states. You cannot take something so tragic and tie it with something so utterly unrelated and turn it into hatred. It doesn't work, it makes you people look like total idiots. Can't you take a second and think about what you're doing? Think about, not even in the view of what christianity is really about, but just in general? Imagine being one of these poor people, who cannot help who they are, being discriminated against, oppressed, and threatened just because of who they are?

Homophobia is the same as racism. The only difference is who you're oppressing.

It disgusts me.

They are HUMAN. Nothing more and nothing less. My neighbours - lesbians. They are extremely kind people. One has worked with my brother, who is autistic, and helped him. They bring troubled people into their house to help them for a while. They are some of the kindest people I have ever met, and to think that some people hate these women just because of their sexuality - I'm speechless.

My great aunt - lesbian. She and her partner are wonderful people, who come to family reunions to laugh and have fun with family. They like to take photographs as a hobby.

My cousin - lesbian. She is a well-meaning individual who goes to comic-con, likes Star Trek, Doctor Who, Sherlock, Firefly, etc. I have had some of my best summer memories with her, staying up late watching Batman movies or really bad horror movies like Night of the Lepus and Kingdom of the Spiders. No, it never felt weird, a straight girl hanging out with a lesbian. Why should it? They're people.

Why am I telling you all this? To give names and faces to the people you are oppressing. To demonstrate that it's not just a faceless throng you have chosen to hate - these people have passions, have friends, have hobbies. They have faces and they have lives. Their sexuality, though part of their identity, does not define them.

So think about that - it's not just one thing you're against when you go outside and say that gays should die. It's not just homosexuality you are threatening/oppressing. These are people. Whole people. They are of the same species.

And if I may branch off from that point for a second - I think I've made that point pretty clearly - why are religions influencing politics? It shouldn't be. As I said, I'm a fairly religious christian, but why should one religion be influencing what becomes law, what becomes illegal/legal?

Answer: It shouldn't be.

You don't see muslims making it law for women to cover their heads in scarves. There's nothing wrong if you believe they should, but the freedom to not do that still exists.

So why does "christianity" influence what should be a completely unbiased decision based on what the people - and ALL the people - need/want?

I saw someone asking the same question - not even asking the question, saying without question that religion should not be influencing what becomes law. What he said was, and I quote: "Religious bigotry does not equal federal law." And a comment on this statement says, and once again, I quote: "But religious bigotry MUST equal federal law, or else gay people would be allowed to marry."

The deliberate ignorance of that commenter just blows me away. I was actually stunned at the utter stupidity of a comment like that. I don't have words to describe how much that comment angers me. Think what you like, have your own opinions, sure, but don't openly hate. Don't hate at all. These people did nothing to you, they did nothing to deserve your hatred, and Jesus said that even if they did, you should forgive them. We are bullying these people, oppressing them even. We are supposed to be above this. We, of the twenty first century, having admitted our wrongs about the racism and sexism of not too terribly long ago, are supposed to be above any further discrimination.

Don't kid yourselves. Homophobia is discrimination.

I hope I've made you think at least.

Peace, love, tolerance and acceptance.

MeganH

WLiiA Meme: Day 13

Day 13: Favourite Blooper


Oh, lordy.

Let's see.

Brad: "BLEBLEBLEBLEBLEBLEBLEBLEBLE!.......we're really doing this?"


Brad: "Well, I can't stop staring at your breasts!"


Ryan: "I smell like condiments........ Relish! Mustard! Ketchup and cheese!"


Ryan: "If we do another hoedown, I'll slit my f*cking wrists!"


Ryan: "This is what I have to do to please the f*cking brit!"


Ryan: "Everytime I do they seem to f*ck me up the ass!"

Plenty of swearing on Ryan's part.

Ryan: "That's a weird f*cking looking thing, isn't it?"


Ryan: "That spider's f*cked up, man!"

.....lots of swearing on Ryan's part.

Ryan: "Well, f*ck you then, I will, you know......"

OKAY WE GET THE POINT, RYAN SWEARS A LOT.

Favourite blooper...... favourite blooper......... Colin in Dead Bodies comes to mind....... everytime Ryan and Colin almost kiss, that comes to mind....... hmmm..........

My favourite...... this is strange because this isn't a blooper that sticks out in people's minds generally, but it never fails to make me laugh.

They were attempting a hoedown.

Brad: I was feeling frisky, I went for a drive,
I took all my handguns and I shot myself alive, I.....
*lays down on the ground from his epic fail*


Wayne: I consider myself quite a fugal frella, and - 
*Brad bursts out laughing at Wayne's fail*
Shut up!

I think it was supposed to be a hoedown about banks or something of the like.

But Brad...... I just love him to pieces. Man. Another great Brad blooper hoedown would be:

Brad: I went to an awful restaurant, they had to use these towels, 
And all the food was awful, tasted like something from your bowels,
I had to leave so right away, cause it didn't really matter, 
What was I thinking, ordering the poopoo platter?


And everyone except Brad knew that that would be unairable.

Anyways..... the bank hoedown messups are my favourite. Video:

Peace out, Whosebuddies,

MeganH

P.S "It was an ATM machine for a sperm bank!"

WLiiA Meme: Day 12

Day 12: Favourite Scene


.......My favourite scene? Out of the whole show? REALLY? How... is that..... even...... POSSIBLE to say?!

I'll do my best.

So many to choose from, I'm not sure I can do this one........

Film, TV and Theatre Styles where Colin and Ryan are arguing over Ryan's pit bull?

Whose Line where Colin is the lone ranger and Ryan is Tonto?

Whose Line where Colin is Sampson and Ryan is Delilah?

........ pretty much every game of Whose Line was one of my favourite scenes.

And every game of Narrate, too.

Wow this is hard.

Well, I know what USED to be my favourite scene. The Narrate where they're at a lingerie store, and Colin was searching for The Golden Bra. That used to be my ultimate favourite Whose Line scene ever.

But now, just because of how much more Whose Line I've seen since then, it's just not anymore.

The car repair shop Narrate comes to mind.

So does the Number of Words with Jeff, where he was some kind of explorer or archaeologist or something, and Colin was his feisty female companion.

Ultimate favourite scene....... I need to think hard about that one.

You know, there's just too many favourites to just pick one. It's impossible. But I'll go with a classic, and it definitely is something that never fails to make me laugh.

The Cat.

Any Whoser out there knows exactly what I'm talking about.

It was a game of Improbable Mission.

The Cat.

What more can I say, really?

Peace out Whosebuddies,

MeganH

P.S THE CAT!!!!!!!!!!

WLiiA Meme: Day 11

Day 11: A Memorable Scene From a Hat


Wow. So many to pick from. Which one sticks out in my mind the most? Hmmmm.......

[Things that would cause a Drew Carey spit take]
[Come!]
[A glimpse into the dreams of Colin Mochrie]
[If people recieving awards were completely honest in their acceptance speeches]
["I'm Colin Mochrie!" ....."I'm Brad Sherwood!"]
[Things you can say about (insert something here) but not your girlfriend]

So many just swimming around in there.

But the one that sticks out in my mind the most is probably........ Eh.............

[Hey, I didn't mean to cook your dog!]
[With the wig, you remind me of Julia]
[I like to stick my head in! Go brbrbrbrbrbrbbrbr!]
[You are dead to me. Nothing but scum......]
[Unusual jump rope chants to hear]
[Things bald people are tired of hearing]

......anyone where Colin had to be dragged off.

Ah, but one of my favourites, and the one I'll use for this particular post, is

"The worst soap opera cliff hanger lines leading into commercial."

Colin: What's for dinner?

Brad: Here, kitty kitty kitty.

Colin: Wait a minute.... this says you shouldn't operate heavy machinery.

Brad: Honey, we're out of toilet paper!

Colin: Ninety nine...... here I come. 

What makes it so great is Colin's soap opera faces (shown above) and his soap opera voice. Like, I would totally watch a soap opera with Colin in it, and not just because I watch anything with Colin in it. 

Full video here.

..... and you can tell it's the right one from the thumbnail!

Peace out Whosebuddies,

MeganH

P.S "What's for dinner?" Da da DUM!!!!!!!!! 

WLiiA Meme: Day 10

Day 10: Infomercial Product You Would Buy


Um............. *laughs* None? I mean, maybe the weight thing, just to have those headphones that play neverending Hoedowns, but, I mean, really...........?

I mean, come on. Look at what they do.

Does any of that look particularly great to YOU? This whole idea of actually buying one of these things is really making me laugh. 

So I'll just go with the hoedown headphones, because really, who in their right mind would buy ANY of this stuff?

Peace out Whosebuddies,

MeganH

P.S "I'm Craig T. Nelson......." 

WLiiA Meme: Day 9

Day 9: Best Break in Character


Man, so many to choose from! Mostly looking back at times Colin has made Ryan crack up, cause when Ryan breaks up, you KNOW it's funny.

But my favourite is definitely a classic: TAPIOOOOOOOCA!

That, of course, would be Ryan's break in character. Colin stays as composed as ever.

Now, first of all, this is the first clip I ever saw where someone actually totally broke up during a game. So that right there makes it special for me.

But what I think makes it really priceless is the fact that Ryan pulls it off as cheesy infomercial laughter at first.

"Hahaha....... noooo, Colin......" *informercial laughter* "I'm talking about Cu - " and before he can even finish the word he just loses it. Like he has to turn away from the camera in order to get ahold of himself. And Colin sits there, completely composed, giving him one of those classic Colin "What are you laughing at?" looks. He shrugs at the camera. And Ryan comes back and tries again. "I'm talking about Cuba, Col - " And he loses it again.

Colin tries to help him out. "Cuba. It's a small island."

Ryan tries to go on. "It is." *cracks up again* I love the look Colin is giving him here at this moment, like "Did I just break you up this much?" Ryan comes back just enough to say this, his voice strained with restrained laughter: "Why don't you tell the people about it?" And he cracks up again.

And the best part is that Wayne used the tapioca thing in his songs whenever he could after that, and when Ryan made the ska joke, Colin just brings the tapioca up again, just to rub his nose in it. It's hilarious.

Now that I think about it, besides "THE CAT!" I've never seen Ryan break up that much. He laughs at some things a little bit, but never THAT much. That's probably why it's my favourite.

Peace out, Whosebuddies.

MeganH

P.S TAPIOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOCA!!!!!!!

Trust Us With Your Life: REVIEW

Honestly; it was hilarious.

As a person who loves talk shows and as a person who loves improv (well, watching improv), I must say it was a success. It's great to see Colin back in business on TV, great to see Wayne back to improv, and people like Jonathan Mangum in action..... it was just awesome to see some new TV improv again, especially after Improv-a-Ganza crashed.

I love the fact that they mixed it up - you know, a few games from Whose Line, a few games from Improv-a-Ganza, adding a few factors from a different game to a new game here and there, like changing the styles of it now and then.... a lot of it was like Hollywood Director, except without the actual director part, just the host changing the styles of the scene.

I heard someone saying they didn't much enjoy the premise of the show, about celebrities telling stories, and then our beautiful improvers acting out the story we just heard. And it is a weird sort of set-up, I suppose, but I honestly think it worked, and here's a few reasons why:

• It just about proves that they are, in fact, making it up as they go along. No script. Because who has ever heard of a script for a talk show? (I, of course, never doubted that for a second, but I know there are lots of people who have. And I believe it was Colin Mochrie who said "Who, when watching Whose Line, thought that we knew beforehand what was going to happen?" A few people clap. "Yeah? You people are bastards.")
• It was still funny. That's the point of the show, and it gets across, and that's really the main thing, isn't it? To make you laugh.
• It stays compelling. At least for people who like talk shows, anyways. And really, who doesn't like talk shows? The stories are still interesting and, you know..... amusing. And the scenes based off of them make them downright hilarious.

I really enjoyed the little touches they had, too, like cutting to the celebrity in question whenever something particularly outrageous happened. I love watching reactions, and the reactions of the celebrity are usually priceless. 

That being said, there were one or two things I think they could have done better, and hopefully that'll be improved upon as the series goes on (fingers crossed that it'll go to series!).

First of all, the stories. That was one thing that took away from the talk show part of the show. The host always asks for a particular story that he already knows about them. And that bugged me, it made it seem to me like the show was already set up with what stories he wanted them to act out. Looking at Conan as an example, he doesn't right out ask for the story. He'll say something along the lines of "I heard something about........ [insert story subject here]. Is that true? What was going on?" And I know Trust Us With Your Life isn't a talk show, it's not trying to be a talk show, and I know the interview part or whatever it is shouldn't take TOO much time....... we wouldn't want to take time away from our wonderful improv heroes. But make it more casual for god's sake. Don't force them into telling a story you haven't interested them in telling.

If it were up to me, I would have the performers themselves talking to the guests, taking turns talking to the guests. Sort of like they did on Improv-a-Ganza, where they took turns introducing the scenes and everything. That, for me, would be ideal, but I suppose on a show in this format you do sort of need a host, so I guess there's that.

All in all...... it was good. I liked it and it has definitely become my new Tuesday show. It was pretty great in fact, it made me laugh pretty hard. 

But let's not fool ourselves. It was no Whose Line. Whose Line had just the right collection of everything, it was a masterpiece, and nothing can live up to it. 

But Trust Us With Your Life was in fact, great. I rate it 8.5/10 stars, and to any lingering Whoser wondering, I recommend you watch it, just to see our boys back in action. 8) It's good, it's funny, it's interesting.... it's very well put together. Watch it.

Peace out

MeganH

WLiiA Meme: Day 8

Day 8: Best Wayne Song


Okay, I know I'm saying like every single one is hard for me now, but this one really is because I don't watch a whole lot of Wayne singing, and most of my favourites aren't just Wayne, they're Wayne and Brad, usually.

The YMCA one comes to mind, though, where the thing accidentally gets sped up. That one was good.

OH! Or the...... Coffee Grinder I think it was? He had to do it like the Rocky Horror Picture Show. That's a classic.

I'm trying to think of some Greatest Hits, but all the good Greatest Hits were with two people. But the Blink 182 one for Songs of the Hitman (I believe that one was with Chip) or the famous Harley of Seville for Songs of the Motorcycle (that one was with Jeff)...... those are kind of fantastic.

OH! The Blues Brothers one with Brad - that's one of my favourites. (Video on this post)

OH OH! The one where Wayne had to do it as Prince - that was awesome.

Or anytime where Wayne has to be Michael Jackson.... good gracious. It's brilliant.

But right now, the Coffee Grinder is probably one of my favourites to hear/watch. I mean, I've never even seen the Rocky Horror Picture Show and am probably missing a million references, but it's just fun to watch and hear.

Peace out, Whosebuddies.

MeganH

P.S H - O - R - W - A - R - D it's HOWARD! xD

WLiiA Meme: Day 6

Day 6: Favourite Slip-up


Aw man that's really hard. The first one that comes to mind is the Carol Channing incident, but that's really not my favourite. Just the most memorable.

Some others that come to mind are Chip mixing up the words wrestler and professor.

Or Chip leaping onto Colin's foot.

Or Chip leaping onto Ryan's back (wow, Chip really screws up a lot).

Or the time Ryan couldn't get his words out in a game of Narrate.

Ryan: But what he didn't was - know was - or was no........... was that I was dyslexic.


And later:


Drew: Each a thousand you points for.


Ryan: That made sense to me!


Or Brad saying "Nothing like a two hundred pound snatch if you know what I mean," in a game of If You Know What I Mean.

Or Colin's Nice Pants.

Or Colin's "Really? That sucks."

Or Wayne in Questions Only going up and saying "Ecuador."

Or Kathy actually ripping out some of Colin's chest hair.

Or Wayne in Greatest Hits, Songs of Marriage singing as the Backstreet Boys "I'm going to find myself a guy!"

Or the Animal Porn incident.

Or Ryan (who actually has a wide enough range of half decent impressions) going up in Questionable Impressions and sort of faking one.

Drew: Who was that, by the way?


Ryan: I don't know.....


Or, you know, every single one of Colin's impressions.

Or Colin in Multiple Personalities getting all the props and attempting to do a mixture of Braveheart, Jimmy Stewart and Carol Channing (which apparently equals some kind of duck monkey).

Or Colin's "Joe had a nice bone."

Or the Wrong Name in Bed Irish Drinking Song:

Wayne: One night I was getting freaky.


Drew: *garbles his words* With my largarlelane.


Colin: Boy we had some fun!


Ryan: Lalahrouaroua.


Wayne: *cracks up laughing*


Drew: *cracks up laughing*


Colin: Meow!


Or the Three Headed Broadway Star where Drew's in it and messes up bigtime.

Drew: And take me on a.......! Oh wait, one word.


Ryan: Trip so beautiful!


Wayne: I love you!


Or David Hasselhoff's Three Headed Broadway Star. Gawd, that was painful.

Or Ryan always calling Colin Charlie when he was supposed to be Bosley.

Ryan: What do we do, Charlie?


Colin: I'M BOSLEY!!!!!!!!!


Oh, good memories.

Now, my FAVOURITE slip-up from the US Whose Line is definitely Colin spilling coffee on himself.

They were playing Helping Hands (Colin stands behind Ryan, Ryan has his hands behind his back and Colin is his hands) and the producers had decided it was a good idea to put hot coffee in a scene where one of them can't see what they're doing.

So as Colin's pouring the coffee, he spills it on his hand.

So he drops the coffee cup and coffee spills all over the floor.

No one knew at the time that it was actually hot, but Colin certainly knew the minute it hit his hand.

If you pay close attention, you see Colin's eyes close in pain and you can hear a tiny squeaking sound - which, in the conversation after the game, Colin says is him screaming into Ryan's back.

So Kathy, being at the side and probably able to see Colin, realizes that Colin is in pain and goes to pour cold orange juice on his hand to help.

But Ryan is acting like he is the one in pain, because Colin's hands are supposed to be his, and he's yelling, and Colin, heroically playing along (or not playing at all) is spasming his hands around to demonstrate it. Unable to see Kathy with the orange juice, his spasming knocks it out of her hand, and the glass pitcher full of orange juice falls to the ground and shatters.

It was chaos.

Beautiful, Whose Line-ic chaos.

But my ultimate favourite Whose Line slip-up is actually from the UK version.

They were doing a hoedown about their worst nightmare. It was Ryan's turn. And as I can't accurately describe it without hearing his voice, I'll just give you the video.

That's gotta be one of my favourite Hoedowns, right beside the Colin Mochrie Hoedown - both of which, now that I think of it, are from the UK version.

Peace out, Whosebuddies.

MeganH

P.S "I didn't feel a thing!"

WLiiA Meme: Day 4

Day 4: Favourite Guest Star


Now this one's harder because I don't know exactly what they mean - guest star as in like Kathy Griffin was or Whoopi Goldberg was, or guest star as in what Richard Simmons was or Florence Henderson was.

So I'll just say both types.

My favourite guest star who actively participated in most of the games is definitely Whoopi Goldberg. Robin Williams is up there too - I love what he did in Hollywood Director and he was so hyper and energetic - but Whoopi Goldberg was consistently funny in every game, had good chemistry with the rest of the cast and obviously had a lot of fun, so she gets her spot as the favourite.

Plus she got to kiss Colin.

Now my favourite OTHER type of guest star - the kind that was just there to look pretty and didn't actually do a whole lot of stuff - is tied up, but for COMPLETELY different reasons.

The first one that comes to mind is Richard Simmons, because he was so pumped up for everything and hyper and energetic and got everyone excited for the games. Also because he just made everything so incredibly AWKWARD with..... well, everything he did. Honestly, the Richard Simmons episode is widely regarded as one of the funniest episodes ever made, mostly because of the Living Scenery. That Living Scenery is widely known as the funniest skit they ever did. Oh my god....... what a creepy man that Richard Simmons is.

The second one that comes to my mind is Florence Henderson, but for a COMPLETELY different reason. I think of her because she actually knew how to play along with the rest of them, because she knew how to actively participate even if she didn't necessarily have to. Normally the regulars like Ryan and Colin are running the scene, but Florence Henderson knew how to play along with them and actually work well with them. And that made the scenes she was in very enjoyable and funny and..... yeah.

Peace out, Whosebuddies.

MeganH

P.S I've never had a jet ski lesson in my life!

WLiiA Meme: Day 3

Day 3: Favourite Game


This one is especially hard because it changes all the time, and a lot of them are tied up here. But I'll see what some of the constants are.

Some games that leap immediately to mind are If You Know What I Mean, Questions Only (and any spinoffs from that like Questionable Impressions and Questions with Wigs), Song Titles, Narrate, Whose Line (yeah, that was the name of the game), Scenes From a Hat, Irish Drinking Song, and Film, TV and Theatre Styles. That's the list of favourite games, and now, looking at all the games, I'm going to put it in order, a countdown from least favourite (out of the favourites) to favourite.

8.  Irish Drinking Song
   
This game was at one time, the only thing I went out looking for. I loved it that much. Let me explain the rules, for non-Whosers. The cast stands in a line and sing an Irish Drinking Song, making it up one line at a time. After every verse they sing the chorus, which is always the same: Idy idy idy idy idy idy i! The topic for the Irish Drinking Song is usually taken from the audience.

But it was one of my favourites because first of all, the song would start with a topic taken from the audience and become a story, and by the end of the song the story has morphed so much that you would have no idea what the song was originally about, usually. And that's pretty funny, but the reason Irish Drinking Song is as famous as it is, is because Colin always goes last. And as Colin struggles to find something that rhymes while thinking quickly and trying to make sense..... the best way to explain it is that Colin pwns with his failure.

"There's blood in my stool!"


"Joe.... had a nice.... bone."

And my favourites:

"He put my stone back in my end!"


"MEEEOOOWWW!"

7. Scenes From a Hat


Always a fan favourite. Scenes From a Hat is where the audience has written down suggestions for scenes for the cast to act out. The producers pick out the good ones and mix them up in the hat. Drew picks them out and reads them and the cast acts out the scenes. It can be pretty funny - that's probably the game where the cast cracks up the most. It's also one of those games that are ideal for making fun of people, for making people laugh by saying nothing at all, or for making people laugh by saying too much. This is the game where running jokes are started and/or continue. The chance to get everyone laughing too hard to go on. Wars have been waged during Scenes From a Hat. It's always fun to watch. While it's never been my ultimate favourite, it's definitely up there.

6. If You Know What I Mean


I'm sure I've talked about this enough already in the Brad Rant, but I'll just explain it to be clear. The whole game is a double entendre. The players of this game (which has always been Brad, Ryan and Colin) must speak in obscure euphemisms and cliches related to the setting. Which is a fancy way of saying that it's a That's What She Said while thinly disguising it as talking about whatever they happen to be doing at the time.

That's a funny enough concept on it's own, but here's the clincher. Brad and Ryan are good at it; all of Brad's things usually work and Ryan can hold his own in the game, usually, even if one or two of his things don't make sense. But Colin is just awful, in the best possible way. If he could, he wouldn't say anything in the scene, but he has to. And everytime he says.... well anything, really, it's so bad that he has to take imaginary shots. Like, it's absolutely terrible. And it's hilarious. Like the only reason they put him in the game at all is because he's so awful at it and it's fun to watch him struggle. Sometimes Colin will just give up and say whatever, whether it's an If You Know What I Mean or just a random statement. The point is, it's one of those games that are funny mostly because no one knows what anyone means.

Colin taking some of his invisible shots, after saying "Hey...." and then walking away awkwardly because he didn't know what to say.

5. Song Titles


The concept is simple, even if playing it is not; you must speak only in song titles. Not LYRICS from the song; the song TITLES. It's harder than it sounds.

Seeing as that explanation was really short, it looks like a lame game. But it's usually pretty funny. First of all, they're using the titles in a way that people don't generally think of, and finding loopholes in order to use the song title in that way, if that makes sense.

*Song Titles in a hospital*


Colin: *walks in holding his side in pain* Ohhhhhh....... Canada.


Or

Ryan: I'm Henry the Eight I am.


Brad: Who are you?


Ryan: Disco - DUCK! *they both duck down*


Brad: Love is a battlefield!


I should mention that there are always a few that they - well, Ryan - always pulls out. I've Got a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts. I Am the Walrus. To name a couple. And Chip always pulls out songs like "Theme from Jaws" or "Theme from Titanic" or whatever. Which apparently are song titles.

And even besides finding the loopholes and whatnot...... it's so easy to mess up in. And as a lover of bloopers and improv, I think messing up during a scene is one of the funniest things ever. I will share with you one of my ultimate favourite Song Titles conversations ever, just to show you.

*In a psychiatrists office*


Colin: *as the psychologist, in his listening voice* What's new, pussycat?


Ryan: I've got a feeling.


Colin: Feelings!


Ryan: One.


Colin: What's the buzz, tell me what's - a - happenin'?


Ryan: Nowhere, man.


Colin: .............................. Really? That sucks.


Or what about:

Ryan: *pointing to Colin's feet* Blue suede shoes. 


Colin: .....................Nice pants.

Or even:

Chip: Theme from Jaws.


Colin: I'll get a harpoon!-lala lala?

It always seems to be Colin that messes up the most, eh?

4. Whose Line


This is a game where the audience writes down suggestions for lines to be said in a scene. The producers pick the ones they like, and Ryan and Colin put the lines in their pocket (without looking at them!) and insert the lines in while acting out the scene.

I'm not sure why this is one of my favourites, but it is. It's just funny to watch them pull out lines that are so ridiculous, like I can't even think of a good example of how ridiculous they are, and try to work with them. Try to make it look like that's what they meant to say the whole time.

Plus it's the game where Ryan and Colin always have a romance going on, Colin being the girl all the time. Whose Line is probably the game that Ryan and Colin have kissed the most in.

So really, what's not to love?

3. Film, TV and Theatre Styles


This is a game where Drew gets different styles of TV, theatre or film (like Crocodile Hunter, Shakespeare and horror, but usually more than three) and while whoever is doing the scene - usually Ryan and Colin and sometimes Wayne, or Wayne and Ryan and Greg.... the lineup isn't as consistent with this game, there's no "usual" for it - whoever's doing the scene starts out normal (or as normal as you can be on WLiiA, am I right?), and then Drew buzzes in with the different styles and they have to now do the scene in that style. Make sense?

Here's one of my favourites to give you the gist of it:

Now this game is funny just because it goes so off-course with everything. You'll probably notice by the end of the one I've put above, it's sorta like "Is this still about the dog?". Plus they totally use all the cliches and jokes and everything from all the styles, or at least what they think that particular style is like...... it's not always correct. And really, what's not to love about them attempting Shakespeare?

*Wayne is a mob hitman who finds Colin and Ryan, who are disguised as women*


Drew: Shakespeare!


Wayne: I'm looking for the two who have escaped from the times which whence they have not been captured.


Colin: (aside) A plan has formulated upon my head, tickling my cerebrum like - the little pricks that do. If this plan does come to forth, I shall be free, free as a bi - ! I go short of breath. 


Ryan: If my clothes were so tight that I could not speak, it would be a thong. 


Colin: I do take off my guise! I am but the man you are searching for!


...... and it goes on.

2. Questions Only (and Questionable Impressions, and Questions with Wigs) 

Questions Only is a game where - you guessed it! - you must speak only in questions. Again, it's harder than it sounds. Questionable Impressions is the same game, only they have to do a different impression everytime they come on as well. And seeing as most of them can only do one or two good impressions (unless you're Colin, in which case you can't do a good impression to save your life) it can be pretty funny. And Questions with Wigs is Questions Only, but they have to wear a different wig every time they go on. Which is good.... but not that good.

This game is funny just because it's so easy to mess up in too. Plus they can be pretty clever. I just like that game. Always gonna be one of my favourites. No particular in depth reason. It's just funny.

This one is a Questions Only.

This one is Questionable Impressions.

And the ultimate favourite..... DRUM ROLL PLEASE.

1. Narrate

This is a classic game. Ryan and Colin do a scene as if it's a Film Noir scene, and stop to narrate it - again, as if it's a Film Noir scene. It doesn't make a lot of sense when I explain it, so let me show you a video to let you know what I'm talking about.

This game is just so fun because it's Colin and Ryan making fun of each other without giving the other a chance to argue. It's the game where they can trip each other up and the other just has to go with it. I mean, what better game for Colin and Ryan to play than one where they get to deliberately humiliate each other's characters without giving the other a chance to defend themselves. There is no such thing as a Narrate that is not funny. It's the best. Just a game where you can see Ryan and Colin bounce off each other for a while. It's just amazing.

So, uh, yeah.

Peace out Whosebuddies.

MeganH

P.S 1000 points to you for reading the whole damn thing.