The Most Awesome Thing We Saw Last Week: Gordon’s Back!

By adminwp On July 23, 2009 · Leave a Comment · In The Most Awesome Thing

You know, we’ve taken a couple of weeks off in our cataloguing of Awesomeness. Please don’t think John Locke: Patron Saint of Awesome

that this reflects some sort of sea change at spunkybean, perhaps a new regime that assumes a “take it or leave it” approach to Awesome. No, you can rest assured that we care about finding and sharing things that are Awesome above almost all else. We don’t like the idea of missing out on something Awesome, so we’re back on the beat.

So settle in, and we’ll let you know what was Awesome. And if we’re missing something, well heck, let us know! We value your recommendations – if we work together, we can find twice as much Awesomeness!

MYNDI

I don’t usually watch the ESPY awards. I’ve seen them a time or two since their inception back in 2000, but for the most part, they’re kinda lame. However, this past week, while waiting for my husband to come sit down and watch Big Brother, I flipped on to ESPN to kill time. Mixed in with the largely pointless awards were some funny sketches featuring host Samuel L. Jackson, Justin Timberlake and underrated funnyman Peyton Manning.

Ever since Peyton did SNL, I get excited any time I see him in a commercial or any other setting where he might get to be funny. You wouldn’t think it based on his looks or his tone of voice when being interviewed in his capacity as quarterback of the Indianapolis Colts, but dude has a dry wit and pretty good comedic timing. Check out this short bit he did for the show and tell me he’s not sort of awesome:

Also awesome: this website (also an iphone app!) that last week’s issue of Entertainment Weekly informed me of: runpee.com. It offers visitors the best points during movies to make a trip to the loo. And when you select a movie, you can also find out what happens in the film during the time you’re expected to be gone for your pee break, but only if you choose to unscramble the spoiler.

It goes without saying that the season premiere of Hell’s Kitchen was pretty darn great. We’re not sure what we’ve done to deserve two seasons this year, but we are not going to look that gift horse in the mouth. The new crop of chefs hasn’t exactly impressed yet, with two failed services to start off the season. In fact, poor Gordon Ramsay was reduced to serving shrimp cocktails to the entire dining room, as the chefs couldn’t manage to produce anything fit to leave the kitchen.

In the two-hour premiere we saw the elimination of Melinda, who was so scared of Gordon that she completely froze, and Louie, who was fired mid-service. Then, last season’s Robert returned – he was removed for health reasons, but now he’s back. Amanda tried to get Gordon drunk, Jim had difficulty counting to six, Tony might be played by Fred Armisen, and Van, who threatened to punch out a teammate, was only the contestant with the second-worst temper. The winner there was Joseph, who mouthed off to Ramsay during the first challenge. That was bad enough, but at the end of the second episode, his refusal to answer a simple question earned him a dressing-down from Ramsay. Joseph reacted by stripping off his chef’s jacket, getting in Gordon’s face, and threatening to beat him up. That’s right. First off, Gordon is going to win that fight – that’s a guy who can back up his threats. Second, well, there is no second. The episode ended on a cliffhanger, and I seriously hope next week’s episode begins with Gordon Ramsay giving Joseph a taste of his pimp hand.

Also, you absolutely have to watch Comedy Central’s Michael and Michael Have Issues. Starring Michael Ian Black and Michael Showalter (who worked together on The State and have since appeared in just about everything), this new series has the potential to be the next Larry Sanders Show. It’s a behind-the-scenes look at the two Michaels (fictional) series. We get to see all the infighting and bruised egos that go into the making of a television show, with a healthy dose of deadpan absurdity. The first episode centered on the Michaels competing for the attention of their high-school intern. It’s exactly the kind of low-stakes/overreaction conflict that I love.

Enjoy some clips! First, Michael and Michael bring the tension to a boiling point. Next, the inherent difficulties in creating the perfect farting butterfly sketch.

Michael & Michael Have Issues

Premieres Wed, July 15, 10:30pm / 9:30c

Fighting for the Intern

www.comedycentral.com