Mark Elliott passed away April 4, 2021. If you grew up watching white clamshell VHS prints of Disney movies, Mark’s voice is forever part of your childhood.
You can find the four seasons of British sitcom “The IT Crowd” on Netflix – and you should. It’s centered on three people who work Information Technology (I.T.) in the basement of a large London corporation. Chris O’Dowd (“Bridesmaids,” “Girls”) is Roy, the slacker. Richard Ayoade (“Travel Man,” “Submarine”) is Moss, the nerd. Katherine Parkinson is the allegedly normal one stuck with Moss and Roy.
There’s a lot of great small moments between characters, but my favorite episodes are the big farces where small bad choices snowball until there’s no dignified way out. It’s tough to find just one clip that explains all of that, so here’s some “greatest hits.”
I’m excited to see a three-season (so far) TV comedy is finally coming to the US. “Wellington Paranormal” is a spin-off from the 2014 New Zealand mockumentary, “What We Do in the Shadows.” The movie is both subtle and over the top – a horror/comedy about vampires who rent a house together in the New Zealand capital, Wellington. You’ll probably recognize Taika Waititi (“Thor: Ragnarok,” “Jojo Rabbit”) and Jemaine Clement (“Flight of the Conchords,” “Moana”).
In the original movie, the vampire lads run into all kinds of trouble, including the local cops, Officers Minogue and O’Leary. They’re by-the-book, but a bit dim.
I’ve noticed that since the clampdown, late night talk shows (Seth, Stephen, and the Jimmies) are more willing to put their writers on the air as performers. As a show producer, you know they’re funny and you don’t need to go through the trouble of auditioning actors during a pandemic.
“Late Night with Seth Meyers” writer and stand-up comedian Jeff Wright has been appearing by Zoom and in-person for months, commenting on politics and culture. This week, the clip getting passed around is Jeff as personification of all the COVID-19 vaccines interviewing for the gig.
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My favorite labored rhyme in a Christmas song? “Chimney” and “Bimini.” I’m posting a holiday song every day from now until December 25, and today, it’s that most loved Christmas crooner … Billy Squier … and 1981’s “Christmas Is the Time to Say ‘I Love You.’”
The video for the song was an on-air Christmas card from MTV. The veejays and crew and office staff got together on bleachers and Billy lip-synched in a magnificent sweater of the era. Here’s the clip, introduced by the 1990 Martha Quinn, reminiscing about nine years earlier. Jump to 1:28 if you don’t wanna hear Miss Quinn.
Lyrically, “Christmas Is the Time to Say ‘I Love You’” is pretty standard and kinda lovely – sharing the holiday spirit around the globe and hoping it just keeps going – which is why I’m surprised it hasn’t been covered by more contemporary singers. Katharine McPhee had done it, and Darlene Love, whom I’ll write about more as we close in on December 25. The cover that best captures Billy Squier’s enthusiasm is pop punkers SR-71 on the 2001 Special Olympics benefit album, “A Very Special Christmas 5.”