Community Review: "Early 21st Century Romanticism" (2.15)
One of my favorite things about Community is the sheer number of unique episodes the show’s had already in less than two seasons. Last week’s episode was one of those, re-framing the entire show within the world of a fantasy game, but that still leaves us the rest of the episodes. You know, the ones that don’t have a gimmick to rely on, the ones that need to go back to old-fashioned sit-com storytelling in order to get their points through. Unfortunately, those episodes aren’t really the show’s strength, even when there’s nothing particularly wrong with them. It’s just that,... read more
Found in: TV, ReviewsCommunity Review: "Advanced Dungeons & Dragons" (2.14)
There may be no form of comedy more delightful than a perfectly executed parody. It’d a rare thing, especially these days when the standards for what “parodies” are have been stretched to the point of breaking by Family Guy and Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer of Date Movie infamy. The ones that work, though, from the early Python movies to Shaun of the Dead have become cult classics for a reason. Community’s “Advanced Dungeons & Dragons” got every note of its parody so correct that it managed to outdo even “Modern Warfare” or “Epidemiology.” It just clicked in a certain... read more
Found in: TV, ReviewsCommunity Review: "Celebrity Pharmacology" (2.13)
With all of Community’s non-stop meta-commentary it’s a surprise that the show wears its heart so very much on its sleeve. Early commercials for it mentioned The Breakfast Club, and while that’s not really what Dan Harmon and company are going for, there’s a lot of that earnestness going into the show. Characters are really supposed to work out their issues and improve as people, which immediately sets the show off from the kind of nihilism of Seinfeld or meandering repetition of The Office. There’s an element of the show that, for better or worse, is a bit didactic. In... read more
Found in: TV, ReviewsCommunity Review: "Asian Population Studies" (2.12)
The elastic reality of Community feels more akin to animated sit-coms, and not just because it had a recent episode that was entirely animated. But while the show’s reputation is largely built on a solid sit-com foundation, it’s also dedicated to moving its cast forward as characters and not just spinning its wheels for episode after episode. That’s one of the most unique parts of the show, and while The Office may have personnel changes or relationship drama, ultimately its characters are the same week in and week out.... read more
Found in: TV, ReviewsThe 25 Best TV Performances of 2010
A year ago we proclaimed that a new Golden Age of Television had emerged during the new millennium. The good news is that much of the amazing talent from that first decade is still here; and better yet, some new kids on the block are causing a stir. read more
Found in: Blogs, List of the DayWatch Judd Apatow's PSA for American Jewish World Service That's Not Approved by American Jewish World Service
In honor of the American Jewish World Service organization’s 25th anniversary—not to mention the organization’s president’s 70th birthday—director Judd Apatow decided to film a funny skit promoting the AJWS. Although the short is understandably not endorsed by the charity, it still features cameos from lots of great Jewish and non-Jewish celebrities including comedian Sarah Silverman, Star Trek‘s Patrick Stewart, Community’s Donald Glover and Lindsay Lohan’s Lindsay Lohan.... read more
Found in: Culture, NewsSixteen Comedians, Musicians and Actors to Follow on Tumblr
No, we're not talking the NonSociety.com, fameballing type Tumblr celebrities... read more
Found in: Blogs, List of the DayCommunity's Donald Glover Campaigns for Spider-Man Role
Twitter is a-flutter with all of the fervor of political campaigning and less of the mess. After a short-list of actors up for the role of Peter Parker in a reboot of the Spider-Man franchise came out last week, some fans inspired Community’s Donald Glover to mount a campaign to be considered for the role.... read more
Found in: Movies, NewsCommunity's Donald Glover: Class Act
Hometown: Stone Mountain, Ga. Show: Community For Fans Of: 30 Rock, Upright Citizens Brigade, Encyclopedia Brown Donald Glover has never personally experienced the world of junior colleges laid out in NBC’s new sitcom, Community, but the 26-year-old wunderkind—who plays dim-bulb jock Troy—finds the premise familiar. “It’s about forcing people to interact with each other that you normally wouldn’t hang out with,” he says. “That was college for me.”... read more
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