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I now use a new blog:

The Jew York Times

I post in it more often.

Ben Folds Five/OK Go Video Mash-Up

Ben Folds Five is the Dark Side of the Moon to OK Go's Wizard of Oz.

Catching Up

So until I felt the need to express my joy for a rumored NYC In-N-Out location, I hadn't posted in the blog for over seven months. In that span, I finished interning at The Daily Show, interned at a fantastic radio station in Massachusetts, graduated from college, and moved back to New York to begin life as a grown-up.

I'll post some things in the coming days that will be of interest to few others, but the following should be of interest to all. Many thanks to Chris Kula for coming through with maybe the greatest video ever:



Two Scared Dudes Ride Rollercoaster from Chris Kula and Vimeo.

I Haven't Been Around Much

But I feel like this is worth posting:


(clipping from Departures magazine, via Midtown Lunch)

Where Have I Been?

Oh dear blog, how I have neglected you. I'm sure you must be asking yourself, "where have you been? I've been worried sick!" Well, worry no longer, dear blog. I have returned. Chances are, another post won't come for another several months after this one, but I have nevertheless returned.

Truth is, blog, I've been up to a lot. I interned at The Daily Show with Jon Stewart for four months. On November 15th, I got to participate in a segment with correspondent Rob Riggle. The segment was taped in-studio directly next to Jon's desk, and it was pretty exciting to rehearse in the studio and then tape in front of the live audience. Although you can't see my face, I do have two lines. Needless to say, it didn't take much to get off-book. Here's the segment:



Later that week, I got a call from my friend Charlie who told me Ben Folds had contacted him about doing a few large-scale pranks at his shows in New York City at the Hammerstein Ballroom and Beacon Theatre. I had participated in several of Charlie's pranks before, and he knew I was a huge Ben Folds fan. I jumped at the opportunity. There were two pranks planned. The first was for the 11/19 concert at the Hammerstein Ballroom which would play on the Ben Folds impersonation prank that started Improv Everywhere over five years ago. The second was for the following Monday, 11/20 at the Beacon. Ben had been telling the story of the mythical "brown note" -- a 10 Hz frequency that supposedly makes you shit yourself -- all during his tour. On this particular night, several IE plants would shit themselves, be helped onstage by security out of harm's way, and then attended to by EMTs.

We arrived in late afternoon to plan and rehearse.
Ben explained what it is he thought we should do.
They gave us all access backstage passes. Sweet.
I sat in the audience and waited.
And then the shit started hitting the fan...


Read about both pranks with Ben Folds, and see tons more photos here.

Then, I did a bunch of other cool shit.

On December 15th, my improv team Stab! debuted in the East Village. Be our myspace friend!


The very next night I performed in UCBW Hanukkaos: The Festival of Fights. The UCBW is the UCB Theatre's professional wrestling league. One match each week occurs at the CageMatch improv show, and every few months we do a pay-per-view extravaganza where nothing but hilarious wrestling matches are performed.

My character, The Paperboy, is known for delivering free copies of The Onion to the audience and his opponents, and then getting the shit kicked out of him with them.

Tonight, The Paperboy debuted his new manager, Father Figure. Paperboy's dad is a friendly 1950s-era pop, but becomes a grumbly wifebeater with the smallest sip of of booze. Here's my match with Registered Sex Offender Gary and his manager, Trust Fund:


More Matches from Hanukkaos
Rock 'n' Roll Kid vs. Fratboy
Rubber Ducky vs. Foreign Menace
Intergender Handicap Match: Futbol vs. Babydoll the Bounty Hunter, Vynus & Lezzie Steel
Tag Team Match: John 3:16 & Son vs. Bad Medicine
Main Event: Chuck McMahon & Leviathan vs. CakeFace & Marz

I've actually been a wrestling fan for a long time, and last week I appeared on Jordan, Jesse GO! (link will open in iTunes), one of my favorite podcasts, to defend being a wrestling fan. Jordan, Jesse GO! is part of the Maximum Fun network of podcasts which also puts out their flagship show The Sound of Young America (link will open in iTunes), along with several others. If you're not a listener already, you should be. JJG is their new podcast, a throwback to the old TSOYA where it was fewer informative interviews and more goofin' around and comedy segments. Download this week's episode of the show here (MP3), and scroll to 24:20 for our conversation about pro wrestling.

Oh yeah, I also went to the Meadowlands to see the Jets clinch an unexpected playoff berth for the season. J! E! T! S! Jets Jets Jets!

I will be moving back to Amherst, Mass. later this month and have leased a fantastic apartment through May, at which point I'll probably move back to New York City.

Check out my flickr photostream and photosets for tons more pictures of stuff I've been up to.

And oh yeah, last night I met one of my heroes:

Nice!

Here's the first four minutes of that Borat movie everybody is talking about.



You're welcome.

Let's Go Mets Go!

The baseball playoffs are underway, but perhaps the best matchup on paper has yet to begin. It will today at 4:00 PM when the New York Mets face the Los Angeles Dodgers in a battle of arguably the best teams in the National League. For much of the season, the boys from Queens have been the favorite, but recent devastating injuries to the pitching rotation have given the series more of an equal advantage.

What makes this season special for the Mets, besides the dominance they put on display all season long, both of the New York teams won their respective divisions in the same season for the first time in history. And both the Mets and Yankees finished with identical league-best records at 97-65. A Subway Series revival certainly seems looming over the horizon on paper, but first they must battle their way through the league's other best.

The media and internet are buzzing over the playoffs, and the Mets in particular due to their eye-catching resurgence this season and return to a dominant force not seen since the Mets last won the Eastern Division Championship eighteen years ago.

Here are some highlights of the coverage:

ESPN: Short Hops, previews for each playoff team
ESPN: 100 reasons to watch playoffs, very funny and insightful overview of what's to come

This one gave me chills while reading it:

"99. The possibility of Julio Franco, 48 years young, delivering a pinch-hit single in the ninth inning of Game 7 of the World Series to win it for the Mets."

ESPN: Expert picks, 8 of 17 pick the Mets to go to the World Series
ESPN: Mets vulnerable against lefties
ESPN: Vote: Are you picking the Mets or Dodgers?
ESPN: Main playoff series page
MLB: Dodgers-Mets: Quick hits
MLB: Dodgers-Mets: Position analysis, even "intangibles" are compared
MLB: Dodgers-Mets: Rotation analysis
MLB: Wide-open postseason great for game, fantastic article detailing the entire playoff field

Excerpt: "The New York Mets were the other most notable breakthrough team of 2006. Not only did they end the Atlanta Braves' record of 14 straight division titles, they became hands down the best team in the National League. They put a wonderful lineup on the field; both powerful and versatile, able to score runs in bunches or manufacture runs one at a time with speed and craft. The Mets' success, not completely unexpected when you consider the star power they amassed, still represented a change in baseball's pecking order."

MLB: Twenty questions and playoffs loom

"5. Can the Mets make it to the World Series without Pedro Martinez?

Absolutely. The Mets have the best lineup in the NL, and they were able to forge the league's best record, even with Martinez missing much of the season. Even without Pedro, the Amazins still have enough to get past any team they face in the NL playoffs."

Deadspin: Where My Team Stands: New York Mets
Deadspin: Playoffs Pants Party: Mets Vs. Dodgers
The New York Times: Fans of Yankees and Mets Cast a Wary Eye at the Other Side
North Jersey: Bragging rites, another fun article on the Mets-Yankees rivalry
The New Republic: Mets = Dems, great quick article
Best Week Ever: Congratulations To The New York Yankees!, fucking hilarious

MP3: Our Team, Our Time (the ridiculous and hilarious, yet awesome 2006 Mets theme song -- via Central Village)

Here are some other things that are pretty awesome:

Top 10 Weird Al Videos - they've been YouTubed!

Street Fighter: The Later Years (click anywhere in the white box to view)

Fusion

I've been needing new razorblade cartridges for a while. Whenever I'm out doing errands I also manage to forget to pick some up. Not today. I stopped at the pharmacy on the way home, but instead of picking up the Mach3 Turbo cartridges I've been using for over two years, I decided to make the switch to the the highly-touted (by my dad) Gillette Fusion. I haven't been doing a whole lot lately, so this was a genuinely momentous occasion. When I got home, I had an e-mail waiting for me:


$9.99 down the drain! I've been had. Damn you, spammers!