Someone might want to check in on Harry Shearer. Despite nearing his third decade on The Simpsons, Shearer’s next career move is to revive everyone’s third favorite character from a cult classic, simply as a vehicle by which to mock his…
An Afternoon with Fred Armisen and Jane Lynch
On Saturday, March 11th, I was fortunate to spend my afternoon with actor/comedian Fred Armisen and actress/comedian Jane Lynch at the California Theater located in the heart of Silicon Valley to accept their Spirit Maverick Award thanks to Cinequest Film…
TV Throwback Review: Party Down (1×09) “James Rolf High School Twentieth Reunion”
There is a moment in “James Rolf High School Twentieth Reunion” in which Lizzy Caplan’s performance reaches heights traditionally associated with prestige dramas or higher-brow sitcoms like [early seasons of] The Office. It’s an absolutely devastating dramatic moment, and both…
TV Throwback Review: Party Down (1×08) “Celebrate Ricky Sargulesh”
Now that’s more like it. If you’ve been following along with my Party Down reviews, by any chance, you’ll remember that I was let down by the last couple of episodes. I didn’t find them comedically satisfying. Last week’s episode,…
TV Throwback Review: Party Down (1×07) “Brandix Corporate Retreat”
There’s one truly great sequence in “Brandix Corporate Retreat.” It comes along well into the episode’s running time, just as all of the members of the Party Down crew show up for a team building exercise Ron has insisted they…
TV Throwback Review: Party Down (1×06) “Taylor Stiltskin Sweet Sixteen”
Given that Whiplash was my favorite film of 2014, I was delighted when I pressed play on “Taylor Stiltskin Sweet Sixteen” and was immediately reminded that J.K. Simmons basically plays his Whiplash character in this episode of Party Down. Like Terence Fletcher, Leonard…
TV Throwback Review: Party Down (1×05) “Sin Say Shun Awards Afterparty”
“Sin Say Shun Awards Afterparty” is not one of my favorite episodes of Party Down. Much of the episode is reliant on the obvious, juvenile jokes that come naturally along with a sitcom episode set at the afterparty of a pornography…