YIL Preview: The Sarah Silverman Program: Season 3
Our resident expert on potty-mouthed TV heroines, Pam Cesarec, is back with her thoughts on the upcoming season of The Sarah Silverman Program.
The new season of The Sarah Silverman Program starts in a mere two days. Finally! It’s safe to say that with the year-long hiatus, these ten episodes have been carefully planned out and should be pretty filthily awe-inspiring.
I’ve seen the first two episodes and I got pretty excited as soon as I realized the theme for episode one–appropriately titled “The Proof is in the Penis“–was a topic near and dear to my … funny bone (heart hardly seems appropriate in this case). And I got a little scared. Ok, a lot scared. Uh, it centers around the idea that Sarah was born with both. Yes, both. Parts. Man and lady. So if the thought of a 30-something woman accidentally swallowing her own tiny baby penis (which was removed at birth and she recently found in a zip-lock hospital bag) is offensive to you in any way, you might not appreciate this show as much as yours truly did–which was immensely. Sarah Silverman is exceptionally audacious, which probably puts the fear of god into the person who’s in charge of censoring her work. My mouth was agape in shock throughout most of the thirty-minute episode. And let’s put it this way: I’m not easily shocked. I loved every second of it. Oh man. Nine more episodes of this? Sign me up.
The second episode was amusing, but nothing can top a hermaphroditic premiere. In episode 2, Sarah hosts a children’s TV program. If the prospect of that is so frightening it makes you a little nauseous just wondering what that could possibly entail, we are on the same page.
For those of you who have missed the first two seasons, here’s an abbreviated recap: Sarah (the character, not the actor) has pretended to have AIDs, donned black face, been arrested for licking her dog’s anus in a park, talked dirty to her sister, pooped her pants during a farting match, and tried to sue the entire nation of Mongolia. What a gem!
Anyway, back to season three. There’s an upcoming episode titled “Wowschwitz.” Come on, who else could get away with that? Exactly. Looks like Comedy Central promises to be an unpredictably intriguing place to spend your Thursday nights!
For those curious what a musical interlude about baby penises might look like:
| The Sarah Silverman Program | ||||
| Preview – The Baby Penis in Your Mind | ||||
|
||||
The Sarah Silverman Program Season Three premiers Thursday, February 4th, 10:30 PM (Eastern)
Get Your Own “Mad” Style
Long to emulate the classy vintage style of the ladies of Mad Men but unsure how? Janie Bryant, the costume designer for the show, wants to help you. Along with fashion journalist Monica Corocan, Bryant has written a new style advice book to help fans learn “how to tap into their inner ‘leading lady’”.
According to EW.com, the book will explore vintage couture, including that of screen icons from Clara Bow to Brigitte Bardot. But fear not! The purpose of the guide will not be to turn you into a costume character. Rather, the goal will be to teach you how to incorporate elements from your favorite decade into modern dress. The as-yet untitled book will land in bookstores this fall from Grand Central.
The only decision you have to make now is: are you a Betty, a Peggy, or a Joanie?
Betty
Peggy
Joanie
We’re With Coco!
Apparently there’s some pivotal event happening today that could shape our country’s future for decades to come. Something having to do with the employment status of some guy from Massachusetts. The country is certainly divided, and the stakes are high.
That’s right, Conan O’Brien is reportedly set to take a big chunk of change and vacate his slot as the Tonight Show host, allowing Jay Leno to resume hosting duties. It looks like it may be too late to change this outcome, but that doesn’t mean people aren’t showing their love for the Pale Force.
I’m With Coco, the brainchild of artist Mike Mitchell, is still going strong with almost 400,000 Facebook fans and Conan rallies across the country (grab the inspiring poster art here and show your solidarity on your Facebook profile). This weekend, hundreds of Los Angelenos crowded the NBC lot in the rain for an I’m With Coco event (a stunning achievement, considering their aversion to inclement weather). Coco himself made an appearance, running through the streets leading his band of merry revelers, giving a rooftop speech reminiscent of Eva Peron, and even ordering free pizza for his loyal subjects. You can read a recap on the Tonight Show blog, and watch a video of the proceedings:
Then when you’ve dried your tears, revisit a a simpler time, 2004 to be exact, when Jay Leno knew that he’d be washed up by 2009 with this video from the Funny or Die archives.
Oh, and I guess there’s some Senate seat up for grabs today too. Not sure what that’s all about.
Sue Good to be True
Pam Cesarec, friend of YIL, and enemy of the capital letter, pays homage to the Season of Sue.
with the fall t.v. season coming to a close, viewers are left to pause, take stock, and reflect upon what we have to be thankful for from these past few months. the answer should come easily and can be summed up in a single name: sue.
2009 introduced us to two classy characters who share a first name: sue sylvester of the campy, but surprisingly good-natured “glee” and sue “rhymes with weenie” collini, of showtime’s surprisingly not so good-natured “californication.” played by golden globe nominee jane lynch and kathleen turner, respectively. these broads know how to deliver a line. (and i can’t, in good conscience, write this without an honorable mention. there’s a third sue– sue who’s always “so FRICKIN’ excited”. the baggy sweater-wearing super geek who can never contain herself when a surprise is a’brewin- played by the incomparable kristin wiig on SNL).
sue syl loves blackmailing, making ridiculously unseemly remarks to students and fellow faculty at her school, tucking the jacket of her adidas track suit into her pants, encouraging people to “cane” their children on the local news in order to toughen them up, and – on occasion – donning a zoot suit for some hardcore swing dancing.
collini has very different priorities- including, but not by any means limited to, having coke blown up her ass, throwing swinger parties in her sex toy-filled LA mansion, and engaging in incredibly aggressive and explicit sexual harassment at the workplace. she was neither afraid nor ashamed in the least to propose to her brand new employee charlie runkle that they “slip out of this business casual and see what kind of sodomy laws we can break.”
these sues are two classy ladies. i use the term “ladies” liberally here. very. at any rate, i’m relatively sure that the unflappable/wicked-cool jane lynch improvises a lot of her lines, but we gotta give kudos to the writers of “glee” for crafting her dialogue in such a fashion that she gets away with some remarkably whack stuff without getting banned by the censors. and if collini wasn’t on a pay channel, her character simply wouldn’t have a snowball’s chance in hell of even existing. that is one filthy, filthy post-menopausal woman. just imagining her growling “rrrrrunkle” in her, ahem, sexy, ahem, baritone gives me goosebumps… in a profoundly creepy way. 
(one observation that i feel compelled to mention here: kathleen turner has the second-deepest human voice i’ve heard, next to yao defen, aka the world’s tallest woman [look her up!]. when i read on IMDB that turner was born in 1954 and did that quick math in my head, i had to do further research because i felt it simply couldn’t be. weeks after this discovery, i still find myself disturbed that she’s only 55 years old.)
bottom line: at first, i was not a bit excited to see kathleen turner join the cast of “californication” but, man, now i can’t get enough. and i have no doubt that sue sylvester will go down in t.v. history as one of the crudest, rudest, most clever villains we’ll ever have the pleasure of gasping at. all right, ladies and gents, i could write for days on this topic but i shall leave you with some random sue/sue quotes. do enjoy. and please remember during this holiday season– sue: it’s the gift that keeps on giving.
“that was the most offensive thing i’ve seen in 20 years of teaching— and that includes an elementary school production of ‘hair.’” -sue sylvester
“i used to run lines with margot kidder before she went ape shit.” -sue collini
(really this was the only amusing thing collini said all season that was clean enough to quote.)
cesarec… out!
Mad Men goes shark jumping.
Say it ain’t so, Matthew Weiner! First Sal gets the axe for having some scruples, now this? Everyone’s (okay, only the 2 million of us with good taste) favorite show, Mad Men, has gotten the Sesame Street treatment. In the short segment, Don Draper (a daper Guy Smiley) teaches two of his underlings a lesson about Mad vs. Sad. While the whole exercise make me a bit sad, I’ll admit I was pretty surprised to hear the word “sycophant,” thrown into the segment. Maybe back when I was a toddler they threw those sort of 10-cent words into the sketches, too, and it just went over my head.
Stay tuned for Episode 2 staring the newest Sesame Street character: Whisky Monster (”M is for Maker’s…”)
The New Must-Have Do
As far as defining moments in hair go, there are just a few hair-idols from the world of television who have changed the look of women across the globe. First there was the Farrah: the flipped out, bouncy hairstyle worn by Farrah Fawcett on “Charlie’s Angels” in the ’70s. Then in the ’90s, there was the “Rachel,” a layered, ultra-angled look named after Jennifer Aniston’s character on “Friends.”
And now, we have “Gossip Girl hair.” According to The New York Times, the new must-have hair style is: extra long, ultra-shiny blond with a mussed-up tussle frolicking through the ends, as inspired by Blake Lively, the 22-year-old actress who plays Serena van der Woodsen on “Gossip Girl.” Those coveted tresses are all about extremes — extremely blond, extremely long, and extremely tousled. The NYT article speaks to the popularity of the cut, but also how expensive it is to maintain, calling it “aspirational.”
As if there’s a part of Gossip Girl’s designer couture, Upper East Side lifestyle that isn’t.
White is the new Pink.
How do I look in my new shirt? Like the (hand)cuffs?
Working in Midtown Manhattan has its drawbacks. Having to bob and weave through packs of clueless roving sightseers when you’re just trying to grab a quick lunch is one of them. But there are some sweet benefits as well. When I saw that the USA Network was opening a Thomas Pink pop-up “shirt bar” promotion just a two minute walk from the office, I had to check in out. I’ve always been a huge fan of Pink’s British-inflected dress shirts, but they’re generally above my pay grade. So a free white shirt, in honor of the series premier of USA’s White Collar (Fri., Oct. 23, 10/9 central), was certainly worth dodging the huddled masses for. The show’s about a white collar criminal-turned-informant who wears fancy shirts just like Thomas Pink makes, so it’s only natural that to honor tomorrow night’s premier episode, a white collar giveaway was in order.
If you’re in town, stop by Rockefeller Center off Fifth Ave. (about 100 yards east of the skating rink) today before 6 p.m. or tomorrow from 8 a.m.-6 p.m. to get fitted for your own white shirt. Wait time’s about an hour, but for a free $200 shirt in this economy, a little patience isn’t too much to ask. They have pros on hand to measure you, and you can choose among three styles for gents or two for ladies. Naturally, I chose the tuxedo shirt, because that’s how I roll. There’s a gratis shoe shine station set up as well, so factor in another $3.50 savings and you’ve really got a bargain on your hands. Even if you don’t have a black tie gala at which to don your new apparel, at least when you’re cracking open a fresh Pabst and taking in an episode of White Collar–in about 10 days, since they ship the shirt to you–you’ll be impeccably dressed (from the waist up).
Friday Funny: The Count goes blue
Sesame Street sure has changed since I was a kid. Good for them!
A Little Too Much Lithgow?
If you’re anything like me, you’ve been counting down the days til the return of Dexter. Over the past year, Showtime’s addictive serial killer series has quickly become my favorite show on TV. And while I was surprised — and devastated! – to learn that the show’s dreamy Cro-Magnon-resembling star, Michael C. Hall, and his co-star Jennifer Carpenter (who plays his adopted sister in the show) had wed on New Year’s Eve, I certainly was not expecting the shock that Sunday night’s season premiere delivered. Three days later, I’m still reeling and am not quite sure what’s scarier: the sight of John Lithgow butt naked or the idea of the Trinity Killer forcing me into a tub with him and slashing one of my arteries in two.
In a recent interview with the Edmonton Sun, Lithgow revealed, “I think there’s something very bland and neutral about me…I’m like Mr. Potato Head. You can put things o
nto this face for a completely different effect.” George Henderson? Neutral? Sure. Dick Solmon? Bland? You bet. Arthur Mitchell in the buff? The stuff of nightmares.
O…M…Gossip Girl
Gossip Girl has finally returned to Monday nights and we couldn’t be happier (did you catch last night’s episode?!?) But if the once a week episodes still aren’t enough to cure your GG cravings, then be sure to check out Anna Sui’s new line for Target. The 19 looks are inspired by Gossip Girl’s four female leads – Serena, Blair, Jenny, and Vanessa.
But be quick! Rumor has it the clothes are already sold out online. So stores are your best bet for scoring these Gossip-worthy clothes.
Until next time It-listers,
XOXO
Nina Garcia talks Style
We are thrilled to have the amazing Nina Garcia as a guest blogger on Your It List. The new season of Project Runway has just debuted and Nina’s new book The Style Strategy hits stores this week. Her latest book is filled with smart shopping strategies for style on a budget, interesting fashion tidbits and lists of bargain fashion musts.
Photo by Barbara Nitke
I am a working mother and a wife. I am a sister and a daughter. I am a student of fashion and a shopper of everything. Each experience in my life fuels what I do, who I am, and, more important, who I see myself evolving into as tomorrow dawns.
I have goals. For myself, for my son, for my family, and for the people who listen to what I have to say about fashion and style.
Every day I plan, I organize, I schedule, I strategize. And the most important thing I’ve learned is that while no amount of planning fully prepares one for life’s inevitable speed bumps, knowing that I’ve built a strong foundation enables me to negotiate such bumps with assurance. I must problem-solve at a moment’s notice. And sometimes even change course altogether in order to adapt to whatever circumstances are thrown in my path. I have to be quick. I must embrace spontaneity while always keeping my feet on the ground. I must have unwavering trust that I’m making the right decision. If I even begin to doubt myself, I crumble, and nothing gets done. Or rather, nothing gets done correctly.
It is with this goal in mind—of imparting my strategy for achieving this level of self-assurance and confidence, while also economizing—that I decided to write this book. As I look at the women around me—on television, in the news, and throughout the world—I realize that although different circumstances may rule each of our lives, we share the core elements of who we are. We’re survivalists. We’re nurturers. We’re women.
An essential aspect of being a woman is not only taking care of everyone around us, but also taking care of ourselves and each other. We figure out new ways to look and feel gorgeous. Sharing our notso-secret tips with each other is probably the easiest, and definitely the most fun, way we care for ourselves. As women, it is in our nature to reach for perfection. And although perfection may not be 100 percent possible, getting close is. In fact, I see women getting closer to perfection every day.
I witness this striving toward an aesthetic ideal in the wonderful designs I handle as a fashion director. I see it in pristine garments, astute styling, and impeccable tailoring, among many other examples of the craftsmanship I’ve come to adore. But I also see perfection embodied in the women walking down my street. Fearless, creative, stylish women who inspire me.
But getting there is a process. It requires a strategy. Taking command of your style and staying chic is but one step in this process— an important one, mind you, but not the only one. Shopping smart and saving our hard-earned money is another very important step. And although it can be a challenge, being practical while honing your style can also be a damn good time. Trust me.
The Style Strategy by Nina Garcia
————————————————————————————————————————————————–
With her signature eye for style, Nina Garcia is best known for her appearance as the unerring, formidable fashion judge on the hit show Project Runway. An elite authority in the industry, she has worked in fashion houses and in fashion media, with everyone from Marc Jacobs to Elle magazine and Marie Claire. She is also the New York Times bestselling author of The Little Black Book of Style and The One Hundred. Originally from Colombia, she now makes her home in New York City.
BREAKING NEWS!!!
Photos by Mathu Andersen
RuPaul, the world’s most famous drag queen of all-time and television host of Logo’s RUPAUL’S DRAG RACE, is writing the book we’ve all been waiting for…
WORKIN’ IT! RuPaul’s Guide to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Style!
The book, published by It Books, is part style guide, part confidence manifesto and just like Ru, entirely fabulous.
WORKIN’ IT will provide helpful and provocative tips on fashion, beauty, style and confidence for girls and boys, straight and gay – and everyone in between!
No one knows more about life, self-expression and style than RuPaul! With photos by Mathu Andersen from the new season of RUPAUL’S DRAG RACE and a fresh look at style and inner beauty, WORKIN’ IT will pick up where show leaves off… and you know you wanted more after the fierce first season! The book will be as colorful, fun, and intriguing as RuPaul, with insights into makeup, clothing choices and the illusion of drag. Fans of RuPaul will get piece of Ru’s philosophy on style and attitude – and how it’s more than the clothes that make the man, or woman!
“If you weren’t lucky enough to inherit a fabulous sense of style from your parents, you can certainly cultivate one using the tried, tested and found true tools in this book. ” RuPaul
Look for this in stores in Winter 2010, just in time for the second season of RUPAUL’S DRAG RACE on Logo produced by World of Wonder.
Seminal moments on television (circa 1986 to 1989) Part I
www.htmlgiant.com
Thanks to Matthew Simmons over there at HTML Giant, I just had the most vivid flashback I’ve ever had that did not stem from some mind altering drug.
Simmons brought me back to when worlds collided and Diff’rent Strokes’s Arnold (Gary Coleman) snuck onto the set of Knight Rider and meet David Hasselhoff as he’s filming an episode. There the lines of fiction vs. reality blur in head-hurting detail, which Simmons eloquently explains in his evaluation.
This then brought back a flood of images and episodes of various programs I will loosely define as circa 1986 to 1989 (being that I must have seen these episodes during that time regardless of it they were new or repeats).
In no certain order, I present Seminal Moments in Television (circa 1986 to 1989) Part I:
Punky Brewster – Cherie in the Fridge
www.rottentomatoes.com
Poor Henry. Old, slow, broken, not as cool as once was. I’m talking about his refrigerator, of course. Off to Sears to buy a new one. Cart the old one off into the backyard. Let’s just put it here beneath the tree house where all the neighborhood kids will be playing.
Punky: Hey Cherie, let’s play hide-and-seek!
Cherie: She’ll never find me if I hide out in this old refrigerator!
Fast forward: There’s no air in the fridge! Cherie is unconscious! Punky will use her Punky-Power! (and CPR class) to bring her back to life… and a generation of people will never throw away a fridge without unscrewing the door again. Video.
ALF – The be continued (still waiting)
http://alf.fanspace.com
I remember the first episode of ALF. September 22, 1986. My 6th birthday. But that is not the seminal moment in this classic sitcom…
After years of struggle on this stupid earth-planet Gordon Shumway (derogatorily nicknamed ALF by the non-cat-eating humans) is finally able to return back to Melmac and to his long-lost love “Help Me” Rhonda. As our hero makes his way through the woods, into the clearing to finally have the chance to be free he is seized upon by the FBI, the CIA, the damn Tanner family and their indentured servitude contract. The space ship appears… the flood lights turn on… the guns are pointed… and… and…
To be continued.
A classic cliff hanger. Children across the country screamed. And then… cancellation. NBC pulls the plug. The resolution episode never airs. And Gordon will remain in perpetual limbo for all of time (note: ignore the horrible made-for-tv-movie Project ALF that came years later). Video.
Valerie (aka Valerie’s Family; aka The Hogan Family) – Where’s Mom? She’s dead. But here’s Sandy Duncan.
http://timstvshowcase.com
Seriously, NBC. People in the mid-to-late eighties watch your cheesy little sitcoms to be drawn into the perfect, funny little world Ronald Reagan kept telling us existed. A world where the dad’s a pilot, the fat-red-headed neighbor Mrs. Poole brings over brownies, the older brother is obsessed with girls and his hair and there are stereotypical twin boys (one jock, one brain). Ya know what we don’t tune in to watch? Death.
We know, we know it must have been tough re-negotiating that contract with Valerie Harper. She’s tough. Look at all the times Rhoda sabotaged Mary Tyler Moore’s dinner parties. So lets just kill her off, rename the show, bring in Peter Pan and all will be good. Not good. If I wanted to be all dark and depressed and cry I’d just look at my own family. This one’s not even worthy of a video link.
And so ends Seminal moments on television (circa 1986 to 1989) Part I. Stay tuned for Part II where we’ll explore the day nucleaur war threatened the peaceful tranquility of Our House (not to mention rocky relationship between Shannen Doherty, Chad Allen, Deidre Hall and the Quaker Oates guy), the often-forgotten spin-off of Who’s the Boss starring Halle Berry and Leah Remini, that episode of Facts of Life where Blair tries to kill her friends (and everyone ignores this guy) and more!
Welcome back, Atlanta housewives
The elegant and always classy ladies of The Real Housewives of Atlanta have returned to bring a much needed dose of decorum to my Thursday evenings. Everyone take note…THIS is what reality television is for. Diva smack downs. Plain and simple. I don’t want to have to think about it…just sit back with a big-ass martini (or as I also call it, dinner) and enjoy. If you are yet to experience this, do yourself a favor and watch the clip below. Beautiful.
“Who gonna check me, boo?” Who indeed, Sheree, who indeed…
Go Mad Men yourself.
Mad Men is finally coming back. For real. It is about time. August 16th will be a big night.
I’m most excited for more Pete/Peggy. It’s pretty obvious they are setting up a storyline involving Pete’s inheritance not being granted unless he has a child. Luckily he has that bastard child he doesn’t know about lying around… of course this is just my guess at a new storyline.
Like most Mad Men watchers I’ve always felt I would have done very well in that time-period of the late 50s/early 60s and I would have fit in well at Sterling Cooper. Drink and smoke in the office? Sign me up. But I guess it was not meant to be. It’s a shame being born in the 80s.
Until today when in the custom of “Make yourself a Simpsons character” that was all the rage last year, AMC unveiled Mad Men Yourself.
That’s me, circa 1963. Hot, right?
You Can Do That in Heaven
You Can’t Do That on Television was a notable part of my childhood, mostly because it was included in my mom’s banned TV show triumvirate (Roseanne and Married with Children completed the list). Thanks to reverse psychology, that made it much more exciting when I caught episodes at a friend’s house. In a summer of pretty hefty celebrity deaths, I’m sad to learn (via the Vulture) that Les Lye, who played a wide range of adult characters on the show, has passed as well. Tonight when you’re drinking a 40 of green slime, remember to pour one out for your homie.
