John Gushue . . . Dot Dot Dot

Benedict Cumberbatch does Alan Rickman singing Gin and Juice

Nick and I were catching up on some Jimmy Fallon episodes on the PVR, including one in which Benedict Cumberbatch gets into a competition for the best impersonation of Alan Rickman. 

Um, Cumberbatch easily wins. 

 

No one ever dresses as crippling self-doubt

Says Henri, le chat noir, and he ought to know, no? 

My wretched, privileged life

I have some problems with the whole "first world problems" thing; it sets up an odd dichotomy in which, say, people in developing nations must by necessity have overwhelming problems. All the same, I have to admit that a lot of the whines that attract the label are pretty funny. The above is part of this set. 

A true mystery section

As seen here. 

The Homer Shake

The most obvious attraction of the Harlem Shake meme of the last few weeks is that anyone could (and evidently did) produce their own version of the video: an opening shot, with a jump cut to a wildly dancing, usually gyrating crowd. Get a few friends, organize yourselves, turn on the camera, upload ... boom.

Give The Simpsons some credit for having to animate it! 

That video went up on Friday and has been seen at least a million times since. That's a small fraction of the overall views of the countless Harlem Shake knockoffs ... and it's not even the first time Homer made an appearance in one, either! To wit, this pick of 10 of them, which starts with a very clever use of the Peanuts classic A Charlie Brown's Christmas. 

Origami: wayyy harder than it looks

I admire people who can make little works of origami art, and not just because of their dexterity. Really, it's their patience. 

That's why when I see photos like the one on top, I'm pretty sure my own creation would very much look like the one on the bottom. 

I saw this image in a collection of "Pinstrosities," or Pinterest replications gone awry, that my wife sent me. A few of them truly made me laugh out loud. 

Yay, it's the weekend.

Party on, Garth. Party on, Harry and Ron. 

 

A Thursday evening lift

Because sometimes that sneezing panda cub is just what you need. :)

The exquisite existential agony of Henri, the black cat

A friend of mine shared one of the Henri, Le Chat Noir videos the other day, and it was just what I needed. 

Here are three videos ... and a link to Henri's ennui-laden Twitter feed. 

While other cats dream of cheeseburgers, Henri just ... is. (And sleeps, too.) 

The first: 

 

The second, Paw de Doux, featuring the cheeseburger-loving idiot: 

 

And the third, in which Henri contemplates his internet fame ... and the vet. 

How to fake having read a book

Specifically, faking your way through a book club meeting, and even more specifically, one of those book club meetings. 

From Funny Or Die. 

Surviving a Book Club: Better Book Titles presents HOW NOT TO READ by Dan Wilbur - watch more funny videos

The Jimmy Fallon-Justin Bieber awesome-off

A sketch from Fallon's show, with Justin Bieber and the host challenging each other to a series of contests. (Unfortunately, Fallon doesn't do his own Bieber impression.) 

 

Michael Caine, my cocaine: it all depends on how you pronounce it

A while back, I came across a good one-liner: "If you say 'my cocaine' aloud, you're also saying 'Michael Caine' in his voice." 

If you can do a decent impersonation of anyone, surely you can do a Michael Caine too. (Here's a recent post about Steve Coogan, which included a mention about his epic competition of Caine impersonations with Rob Brydon on The Trip.) 

It turns out that one of the people who can do a very good classic Caine impression is ... Michael Caine himself. 

A belated (but scientific) St. Patrick's song

My laugh of the day: a video that both extols and explains what happens when one drinks beer on St. Patrick's Day ... right down to the dehydration and running off to the loo. 

Spoon leaves a message for fork

I saw this on my friend Paulo's Facebook feed. 

 

 

'I sound like the Joker,' said the fellow whose arm was being rebroken

This video has been making the rounds lately thanks to a pickup on Reddit and circulation on Tumblr, and small wonder it's caught on. It was taped last fall, featuring a young man named Tyler who had broken his arm. The medical team needed to reset it, which meant, effectively, breaking his bones again to put them right. To do that, a general anesthetic was administered ... and then the (perceived) fun started.

Bill Cosby channels Jerry Maguire

As seen here.

The reading techology that does not need to be recharged

My wife and my mother-in-law laughed quite a bit over this video, which praises the humble book. It helps to know Spanish, but fortunately this version has English subtitles.

The hipster ice cube

Just remember: the ice cube was always cooler before you.

As seen here.

 

Jedi? Nerd? Zombie? Bum? It may be a time management issue

Designed for the students, but I stll found it funny. I saw this on I Love Charts. 

A rock-bottom bit of geology humour

Another time, maybe, I'll get a joke that's gneiss and easy. This will have to do for now! As seen here. 

 

Let the chicken be

I saw this on my friend Michelle's Facebook wall, and nicked it. 

Those French cows dig that jazz music

I love this video of the New Hot 5, an American jazz ensemble, serenading a herd of cows at a farm in France.

A final thought: more cowbell!

This WILL make you smile. I guarantee it

Lights out time here, but before I go to sleep, something that put a smile on my face tonight. I'm willing to bet it will do the same for you. 

It's the elastic Nathan Barnatt, with a bit of last-minute help from Jenny Fine, busting every move in the book to Madeon's Pop Culture. 

You'll feel better. Guaranteed. 

I walk the dinosaur

Cute, what? 

As seen here. 

 

To don't list

I'm a habitual maker of lists, though not quite as focused or dedicated as Martha, who could (and maybe should!) write a book on the subject. Usually I just scratch some notes, although I often type them now, and also take advantage of electronic tools.

This product makes me wonder, though, if we should put a little more emphasis on what not to do. It certainly would be more fun.