Apr 30, 2009
Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens is apparently part of a movement that believes Shakespeare's plays were actually written by Edward de Vere, the 17th earl of Oxford. As for me, MTV's "The State" had Shakespeare himself admitting in a throwaway line at the end of a particular sketch that "Christopher Marlowe wrote all my plays," so that's what I choose to believe.—JM
You've got your classic "Saturday Night Live" sketches, and then you've got the ones that should have become classics... like this one. Good ol' Norm.—JM
When Bill Simmons writes about the NBA, it's like when Julia Roberts goes on Letterman; you just don't want to miss it.—JM
Apr 29, 2009
Think the slumping economy might mean a nice cut in ticket prices for your favorite team's games? Turns out that might not necessarily be the case...—JM
Wain talks about Role Models, The State DVD, and most intriguing of all, the possibility of a sequel to Wet Hot American Summer.—BK
The ongoing battle between high-fructose corn syrup and cane sugar, one that could potentially have a big impact on soda drinkers (gulp).—BK
Apr 28, 2009
We don't get much Tuesday Morning Quarterback between January and August, so I suggest we all get while the getting is good.—JM
Oh, it is on, folks. It is fucking on! (sorry for the swear word, Mom and Matt, but I think even you would agree that sometimes, only the "f"-word will suffice. And this is most certainly one of those times)—JM
Fascinating insights into the development and mentality of infants. You were one, once.—JS
An interesting piece on, among other things, how Team Obama makes lemonade from Joe Biden's lemons.—JM
Apr 27, 2009
Peter King tells us all we need to know about the NFL draft. Probably. I mean, if there's more to know that he hasn't told us, I wouldn't know it.—JM
Reminds you that Guest/McKean/Shearer aren't just hysterically funny, they're also pretty good songwriters and musicians. We should probably hate them.—BK
A sure sign I'm getting old: I find myself agreeing with more and more of these "this is what's wrong with young people today" articles.—BK
Apr 24, 2009
America's sweethearts say the darndest things.
Gay marriage, Kent Hrbek, and "Chuck."
(this blurb should not be taken to mean that Kent Hrbek is getting gay married to a guy named Chuck. I mean, I haven't specifically heard that he isn't, but, in this particular case, I think we can take the absence of any evidence that he is to mean that he is not)
Observations on fatherhood, the state of the term "nerd," and the author's ongoing gay crush on Jason Statham.—JS
When there's free Sedaris on offer, you take it.—JS
Apr 23, 2009
I've been looking for this for years; it's finally online. It's as good as I remember.—JM
Please, please, please please please please please watch "Chuck," you guys. It's gotten so good.—JM
The title of the piece says it all; no need for me to try to elucidate.—JM
Apr 22, 2009
Short answer: almost certainly not by the celebrity you sent it to.—BK
Demetri Martin has been cast as Paul DePodesta? Wow. Even if I had dared dream they'd make a Moneyball movie, there's no way I'd have envisioned Steven Soderbergh, Brad Pitt, Steven Zaillian, and Demetri Martin as the team responsible for bringing it to the screen.—BK
An in-depth look at the rise in the use of "neuroenhancing" drugs as a way of battling fatigue and the demands of a wired world.—BK
Apr 21, 2009
TMQ returns from hibernation with his annual NFL draft column! Rejoice!—JM
A brief, entertaining interview with David Wain about the official announcement of when we can finally hold The State in our hands.—JS
If you like Pac-Man, this'll keep you entertained for quite a while. If you don't, then greetings! How are things in Communist Russia?—JS
A thoughtful companion to Joe's recent post on the legalization question.—JS
Apr 20, 2009
Now we just wait for the Jared Allen quote saying "Yes, yes, this lion is much more frightening. I am now afraid to sack Daunte Culpepper."—MW
The editors at The New Republic have some unsolicited advice for Minnesota governor – and possible 2012 GOP presidential hopeful – Tim Pawlenty regarding the Norm Coleman/Al Franken senate election. But just because advice is unsolicited doesn't mean it's necessarily bad.—JM
It's good to see someone devote some column space to the underappreciated Adsit, though I can't help wishing it was longer and more in-depth.—BK
It sounds like YouTube may prove financially unsustainable. You mean I'll have to burn videos of my daughters to DVD and mail them to my parents, like some sort of caveman?—JM
Apr 17, 2009
Apparently there's more to it than just pointing at things off the starboard bow and yelling "Avast, ye scurvy dogs!"
How do you get two byline links in the same week here at PoopReading.com? By making at least one of your pieces about Michael Schur, of course.—BK
And the crime of the century behind the theft. (A similar story popped up in William Goldman's Adventures in the Screen Trade but I had no idea it was true!)—JS
Yeah, sometimes we link to fiction here at Poop Reading. Fiction that makes you think.—JS
Apr 16, 2009
Bill Simmons is right: Dwyane Wade is Jack Bauer.—JM
For those of you looking for a 10,000-word piece on the collapse of the Icelandic banking system, here's a 10,000-word piece on the collapse of the Icelandic banking system.—JM
My wife found out about this piece on Oprah; even so, you should still check it out. It's really long, but it's endlessly fascinating.—JM
First they came for the wrestlers, then they came for the baseball players...—JM
Apparently, the Long Island University basketball team would have represented the United States at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, but they chose not to go, and their story remained largely unknown.—JM
Apr 15, 2009
Marinovich's story remains a sad cautionary tale: an obsessed father tries to create the perfect football player, and in the process, quite possibly destroys his son's life.—BK
How the success of This is Spinal Tap and the mockumentary in general have made it harder for some real documentaries to be taken seriously – particularly a new one about a very Tap-esque band named Anvil.—BK
I was too young to fully appreciate the Mark Fidrych phenomenon as it was happening; Joe Posnanski was nine, and he remembers the pitcher with the perfect mix of childhood hero worshipper and baseball historian.—BK
Apr 14, 2009
A little old perhaps, but still fascinating. Bite me, I'm running a high fever today.—JS
At last someone gets to the bottom of this whole thing. Kids today!—JS
Apr 13, 2009
This piece was written last summer, but it's just as true now. I don't know what made me think of it; maybe I just wanted to be needlessly provocative.—JM
Yes, it failed to live up to the ridiculously high expectations, and sure, it almost destroyed the Kids in the Hall, but it deserves a little love and the A.V. Club is here to give it.—BK
Yes, I've linked to a piece by a right-of-center columnist. But it's okay, folks. You can unbunch your panties: this one is just about baseball.—JM
Apr 10, 2009
It's not exactly a collection of the best and the brightest.
I whine about an obscure baseball urban legend and recommend a show on DVD.
Reflecting on the 10th anniversary of The Matrix. (Which caused me to take a fond, and cringing, look back at my own Matrix Week, coinciding with its 2003 sequel.)—JS
Not updating currently, but among the most poopable things I've ever seen online. Print out a few of these entries whenever you need a quick fix.—JS
Truly chilling outcomes from the smash success of Fast and Furious. This is the year that my mystification at popular movie tastes went from annoyance to outright panic.—JS
Apr 9, 2009
There's almost nothing less funny than a bland recap of a stand-up comedy show, but the comics at this show are so out-of-their-minds hilarious that even this bland recap of a stand-up comedy show is funny. I really could have seen this show, too. Dammit. I should have tried harder (or, indeed, at all) to pull that off.—JM
According to this piece, at least, Howard the Duck isn't as bad as you remember. It's worse.—JM
The former MTV "Singled Out" host and son of a Hall of Fame bowler contends that advances in technology are making bowling too easy. Maybe he's right; any idiot can bowl a 129 nowadays. Right, Mr. President?—JM
Apr 8, 2009
You never thought you'd see the day, but after four months it's finally here... I unveil the second of my multi-part series, in which we consider the top TV shows ever set in Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida and Georgia.
Ted Williams was a piece of work, with a mix of rage and ego that made him a borderline sociopath, and that comes roaring through every inch of this super-long profile of the Hall of Fame hitter, now available online for the first time since it originally ran back in 1986.—BK
Anna Faris was a much-debated omission from this PoopReading column, and since I was the guy who shot her down, my posting of this link will no doubt now cause Jameson's head to explode.—BK
About 15 years ago, Second City in Chicago ran a show that ended with an angry man ranting about consumerism and asking audience members to throw their Blockbuster cards on stage to be cut up. And it almost never failed to yield multiple cards, often tossed with an enthusiasm that seemed cathartic.—BK
Apr 7, 2009
This is the reason I refuse to watch, read, or link to anything Michael Ian Black does.—JS
Okay, this review loses its snarky zing after a while, but I'm pretty sure the ninja is fighting a shark in a water hazard. If you tell your grandchildren about one thing, let it be this.—JS
Apr 6, 2009
In the first paragraph of this piece, Joe Klein offers up what may in fact be the best idea any human being has ever had. Better than fire, better than cars, better than WrestleMania. He goes on to make the standard case that pot should be legalized, a case that – for my money – can't be made often enough.—JM
An interview with "30 Rock's" Frank, the guy who wears the custom made trucker hats (in character, and in real life). My personal favorite so far? The one that just said "DRAPES."—JM
How some MLB teams are starting to embrace advanced statistical analysis of fielding as a way to get a competitive edge.—BK
I feel like this is the stuff we here at PoopReading.com would write, if we here at PoopReading.com wrote stuff like this.—JM
Apr 3, 2009
It's a fine line between cranky old humorist and becoming a real-life version of Grandpa Simpson.
Thoughts on NASCAR (sort of), "Castle" (watch it), and Uncle Ned Packers Fan (I'll explain...)
As a satirical critique of the modern mishmash media culture, it's brilliant. As a serious suggestion, it's ludicrous. If only we could be certain which...—JS
It's not just a stupid promotional gimmick that ruins otherwise good cinema, it's also physically detrimental!—JS
Apr 2, 2009
As if we needed evidence to confirm it, evidence seems to confirm that Republicans are on the receiving end of more – and more bitter – jokes from late night comics.—JM
A look at the status of Chicago's bid to host the 2016 Summer Olympics. Hm, the International Olympic Committee meets Chicago politics... one can only imagine how exquisite the corruption will be.—JM
As this piece accurately points out, "there are only four people alive so familiar to Minnesotans that they can be referred to by a single moniker: Jesse, Prince, Dylan — and Sid." (thanks to Cousin Adam for the link)—JM
Apr 1, 2009
In honor of this, the foolingest of days, here's some classic poop reading that's my choice for the greatest hoax of all time.—BK
I'm of the opinion that this is the best sketch that Mike Myers ever did on SNL. I suspect he also wrote it, though I've never been able to confirm that.—BK
Terrible title, decent profile, but at least there's a quote from Michael Schur. I'm gonna pretend I didn't just hear you say "Who is Michael Schur?"—BK
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