That Extra Fire

Someone brought to my attention that show casts—especially comedies, where the set is rife with slapstick and tongue-in-cheek—aren’t always perfect. Acting requires takes, extra shots, that extra go, and the rest? The “bloopers” reel.

Once I remembered “bloopers” existed, I had to check out some of F.R.I.E.N.D.S best and brightest blunders.

Fan and network compilations alike bring out the honest mistakes in all the actors: clothes shut in doors, flubbing over words, “spit takes.” Literal ones, if you’re Courtney Cox and Jennifer Aniston. But what really makes every one of these bloopers shine…even if you’re merely tripping over set, like Matt LeBlanc…is the live audience.

I’d forgotten they recorded F.R.I.E.N.D.S episodes in front of a live studio audience; at first, I thought all these compilations had laugh tracks in them for the ambiance. Then I noticed the pitches, the variations and, again, if you’re Matt LeBlanc, how the actors apologize right to the paying members after too many scene-retakes. Though I have no doubt the fans just ate it up. To see your favorites not only being hilarious, but also being hilariously human, would be worth any amount of time it took to film the episode.

Back to bloopers. The other Matthew, Matthew Perry, proves himself a bit of a bloopers-instigator on set. When he isn’t intentionally mocking other bloopers—like running straight into a scene at the Central Perk after LeBlanc tripped over the front doorstep so many times—he makes wisecrack asides and purposefully tries to break characters. Just ask Courtney Cox. Another episode, where she had to say a line several different times, by the umpteenth take Perry deviates from Bing long enough to say in response, “we know already!”

I’ll say it again: the audience certainly got their money’s worth. Bloopers weren’t simply mistakes, choked words, missed lines and entrances. They were the characters on a whole other plane, just for the audience in attendance, being wacky, brilliant, and most of all, real.

Turtle Power!

Sheldon might put the "fun" in "funeral," but he didn't kill any of his jokes (or my side-busting) with this new episode of Big Bang Theory. A lot of the cast came together this time, in pairings we don’t often see in the series. Of a more ground-breaking fashion, Howard and Bernadette’s father, his father-in-law. Of a risqué nature, akin to Two Broke Girls, Sheldon and Amy.
Of a gross kind, Howard and “the worm.”

In an effort to find common ground between Howard and his father-in-law, Bernadette proposed a fishing trip between the two. Perhaps they’re not leaves off the same branch, but the “father-and-son” duo have one switch in common: their wives. Even the big-man astronaut gets an accented snap every once in awhile, proving everyone has their shining badge; Howard’s might be his career, and Bernadette’s father’s might be his strength and intimidating nature.

Astronaut training apparently didn’t develop the type of skill and steady hand to hook a worm, however. Sure, keep yourself from getting airsick, but almost lose your lunch over gutting a fish. The “manly” Penny can’t help but acknowledge the friends’ off-kilter variety of support: "Cheerleading. Way to man things up."

Pre-memorial service, Sheldon finds Amy Farrah Fowler sick in a bathrobe and, after some relationship-agreement wheedling, remembers its his duty to take care of his girlfriend (with some uncharacteristically sweet words, I might add). However, Sheldon’s naiveté gets the best of him, as his feel-better methods tend toward the more…physical. As do his punishment methods.

But I won’t delve into the juicy details for anyone who hasn’t seen the show yet!  Just leave the article well aware Amy finds herself a particularly speedy recovery, placebos notwithstanding.

I privately hope they go more into Howard’s own family life in later episodes, after his father revelation. Until then, however, be curious about--or rest assured you don’t share—the other brainiacs’ eclectic parents.

“If a dude’s gotta wear an apron, why not make it a Dude Apron?”

How enlightening.

Just one of many finds while perusing the internet’s response to How I Met Your Mother’s Brobibs. Brobibs! The bibs hit the net shortly after Monday’s episode air time, leaving aspiring bros like me to puzzle over which to purchase this holiday season: these elegant food-guards, or Barney Stinson’s other notable suitjamas?

When it comes down to the decision—although The 80’s Rapper and Sasquatch are equally tempting, let me tell you—I’m a bit of an originals-follower and would stick to The Classic. “An awesome suit deserves awesome protection. So ‘bib up’ with The Classic—the bib that started it all.”

Yet, even with the gleam of business-casual in my eyes, I had to beg to differ: the lobster bib started it all.

While with an interesting selection, the “preppy” look seemed to be missing from their repertoire. Looking around, I spied something else equally interesting, and much more mysterious: dude aprons.

Dude aprons? There’s a heavily undermined connection here to the original Brobibs website, no matter how much the “company” begs to differ. In fact, they seem to spend a good deal of time talking about Brobibs in the very effort to disparage Barney’s endeavor, in the form of fact-based advertising:

            “Fact: Dude Aprons is a versatile spill facilitation device.
            Fact: Brobibs is nothing more than composite “junk” fabric recovered from a            Shanghai landfill.”

Ow? Harsh words from the hitherto unknown Dude Apron, Not A Dress LLC. I suspect we’ll be hearing more from the franchise directly. No company can burn this many bibs under Barney Stinson’s nose and get away with it. Or is this another one of the ultimate bro’s genius covers?

No pun intended.

I’ll wait patiently like the rest of you, puzzling over all these options and wondering where else I can craft a bib of my own.

It’s Kind Of Like Christmas

I might have written this article about more holiday-themed comedy episodes, from any one of our three fantastic series’. Or I could have gone on about brobibs from last night’s How I Met Your Mother episode. Yes, I would have chosen either of these two ideas, if it weren’t for one social media blogger who brought to my attention Amy Farrah Fowler has been called “vixen” on the Big Bang Theory—not once or twice, but a total of three times, brushing past the small margin of coincidence.

Well, I just had to research the when’s and why’s.

Amy gained the nickname during season four, episode twenty: The Herb Garden Germination. Amy subtly engages Sheldon in a social experiment among their friends, when previously Sheldon showed no interest in sciences he considered inferior to his own field. As an afterthought, he remarked, “You’re a vixen, Amy Farrah Fowler.”
Note he used the term when Amy succeeded in changing Sheldon’s outlook on a topic.

Fast-forward to season five, and our other two scenarios. Amy, frustrated by her and Sheldon’s lack of progress in a relationship, concedes to going on a date with Stuart from the comic book store. Penny calls her a vixen then, too, “just working it under all those layers of wool and polyester!”
The bold move on her part causes Sheldon to commit by the end of the episode. I’m thinking, strike two.

Sheldon discusses Amy later that season in episode 23, when he confesses to Leonard he can’t stop thinking about her: “Oh, what has that vixen done to me, Leonard?” Keeping in mind the meaning of the word, I’d say Amy earned the herald because she succeeded in doing what no one else has: swaying Sheldon any which way whatsoever!

The question is, has she developed wiles of womanly cunning since we saw her character enter the series? Or are her more (accidentally) “vixen” qualities simply Amy being Amy? Regardless of opinion, the real judge would, and should, be none other than Dr. Sheldon Cooper.

Crawl, you son of a me!

It’s the holiday season…and that means more clothing from Barney’s entrepreneurial line, of course. From the man you get your suitjamas and duck ties, Barney Stinson brings you…brobibs. For your business-casual, preppy, and “brobin Williams” looks!
And then there was the thing about Ted missing a project in life, Robin not getting what she wanted, and Barney and Patrice, but. Those come second to the brobibs.

Yet, even brobibs don’t quite top the very end of the episode, where we have another “a few years later” sneak peek. More on that in a minute.

After lamenting many an episode ago Ted didn’t have any “firsts” to his name—besides convincing Marshall to date Lily, a pretty important first—Ted redeems himself by witnessing many of baby Marvin’s own “firsts.” Unfortunately, these were sans Lily and Marshall…repeatedly. Such instances included a camera mishap and Santa misfortune.

Meanwhile, Robin finds herself in the trap of wanting what she can’t have, because Barney had the “last word” at the close of their relationship.
Uh, “relationship.”
After plowing through several plans (in delightful script font, I might add) to get her Barney-fix just one more time, she discovers he truly seems to have moved on…right over to Patrice. Finally. Someone asks Patrice!

Which leaves us with the episode’s closer. Ted makes sure there aren’t any grudges for taking Marvin’s first “meet with Santa,” and Lily and Marshall promise. Until, that is, we flash-forward and see Ted leaving his own daughter in the care of Aunt Lily and Uncle Marshall…to which his first is re-stolen in kind. Quaint, but that doesn’t answer the burning question: who is the mother? When will we meet her?

Ehem. I might take an HIMYM break for tomorrow’s program schedule…or re-watch the entire season one more time. Either way, I certainly can’t take my mind off the program. Until next Monday!

One Does Not Simply Ignore the Big Bang Theory

With as large a fan-base as The Big Bang Theory…and for as many Fans Talk articles I’ve written…you might have gathered the freedoms of speech, thought, internet, and ms paint, led to a good bit of joke-juggling and ‘fandom’ creativity. I only mean memes, of course.
Internet memes are witty nuances, phrases and comments, paired up with pictures that collectively say the “unsaid.” What everyone else has thought and is thinking. There isn’t a “what” to memes, especially…more like a when. No one knows why memes stick the way they do, but timing is everything.

As were every one of the Big Bang Theory memes floating around my social networks this morning. Fans produce them to be witty; a mark they sometimes hit and sometimes…not so much.

Memes commonly strike comparisons. “What I think,” versus “what others think.” This particular meme doesn’t sit idle with BBT. Why, when one things about THE Big Bang Theory, they’re probably picturing the actual theorem, not the small city-apartment of four scientists.
Or, the picture of an out-of-character Kaley Cuoco and Jim Parsons side-by-side, Kaley donning nerd-esque glasses and Jim looking especially punk. They focused on an alternate-universe character-swap (AU).

Sometimes they delve on one character’s traits and plug them into other pictures or roles. I’m looking at a picture of Sheldon right now, his head photoshopped in the place of the Dos Equis Most Interesting Man in the World. The caption? “I don’t always crack jokes…but when I do, bazinga.”
Raj’s social anxiety didn’t go unnoticed, or unscathed. This meme double-whammy pictures Koothrappali looking into the distance with a confused expression. The tagline here reads, “Meets Justin Bieber, can’t talk to him,” implying that…well…

I could only afford to scrape the meager tip of a very large iceberg with this subject. Best leave you with a mental image you can’t burn away so easily: a motivational poster displaying Batwoman-Howard, Wonderwoman-Sheldon, Supergirl-Leonard, and a very enthusiastic Catwoman-Raj. The motivation itself borrows the (horrifying to some) quote: “I don’t know about you, but I feel empowered!”

Four Guest-Stars

Realizing we may be seeing more of Joe Manganiello as Brad on How I Met Your Mother showed me how the show has seen a rather commendable slew of guest-stars. I’d love to sit down and examine all the guest stars of all three comedies I critique…but HIMYM certainly marches their own parade. The likes of Mandy Moore, Wayne Brady, even Britney Spears, stand up to all other programs equally.

So before we merge into the waiting game for Monday’s new episode, let’s recap the previous, and brilliantly successful, guest-stars:

Mandy Moore’s season 3 character, Amy, was Ted Mosby’s “12” to Robin’s “10,” and helped set up the plot line for later HIMYM episodes (not to mention took part in one of the first episodes to bring up the yellow umbrella). To try and “win” his breakup with Robin, Ted Mosby plans on getting a tattoo in the spirit of one of Amy’s many accomplishments—and follows through, unbeknownst to him the next morning. Hence, the “tramp stamp.”

Comedian Wayne Brady takes up the role as James Stinson, Barney’s black and gay older-brother, as pivotal to his dating scene as Barney is for all of Manhattan proper. However, James’ plot involves not wanting to share his engagement with his long-time bachelor bro; losing his number-one wingman wasn’t in the cards. But Barney comes around once he learns he’ll be an uncle in the long-run, and stands in at James’ wedding as Best Man.

But Britney Spears heralded the most-watched episode of season 3, for the episode Ten Sessions. To show his doctor, Stella, that he’s likeable enough to date, Ted Mosby plays nice to Abby (Britney), her receptionist. His plan backfires when Abby begins to show interest in him instead. Fortunately for Ted—although also unfortunately—Stella finally starts to show her true colors. Unfortunately, because Abby does the same. I’m sure Ted anticipated the run down the street about as much as we did.

All of HIMYM’s guest stars—seasoned actors or not—held their own as colorful, vibrant additions to the cast, if only for a couple episodes. Time to sit tight and see if any make a re-appearance for one of the last seasons for this record-breaking show…or whom the network will bring on board next.