Spaced Out on Ali G and More

Good news: Spaced is out on DVD. The BBC show was a very intelligent comedy that served as a launching board for director Edgar Wright, plus Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, all of "Shaun of the Dead" and "Hot Fuzz."

Of course, lots of the show is already available on YouTube. I reckon the BBC have worked out how to deal with YouTube in a way that's good for both parties. Here's a little taste of episode 2 (picked only because it's funnier faster ... feel free to go back and start with episode 1 of series 1).



But getting started on YouTube is pretty dangerous if you're me. French and Saunders interviews; the Mighty Boosh; Dead Ringers. I'll go out on a limb. British comedy is just much funnier than anything produced here -- I can't imagine how good it would be if I actually understood all the references. My other favorite thing to explore on YouTube is the original Ali G show. Below, please find a travelogue Ali did of Wales ... which, as everyone knows, is "the fish with the biggest dick in the ocean." That Cohen is one funny bloke.

Happy "Independence" Day

Unless there's some big news, I may take the 4th off (and I usually don't blog on Saturdays as well).

It's an appropriate time to ponder the question of how independent we really are in America if we rely on the UK so heavily to set the trends in music, entertainment, etc. With everyone playing Grand Theft Auto (produced by UK's own Rockstar Games), with Coldplay at the top of the charts, and Brits leading theatre, cinema, and television ... In a world where pop culture is the culture, how independent are we? Of course, I say, bring it on!

So as a holiday treat, I'll leave you with a couple of bits and bobs/odds and sods pointing out that are a little different to the way we do things here (read like Jerry Seinfeld):
*What is the deal with A4 paper -- can't we agree on the same paper size?
*What is Marmite made out of and why do people love it so much?
*Why haven't we heard of The Mighty Boosh on this side of the Atlantic?
*Why don't Americans use the stone system of measuring a person's weight? Better yet, how can the Brits still hold onto this tradition, plus English, plus metric? They must be very clever.
*Don't get me started with the driving on the left thing.

Feel free to come up with some more of these. Happy 4th of July.