I love how Outnumbered’s kids’ dialog is improvised. No one would write this well for her. Wake up, sitcom writers!
Karen Says the Darndest Things
26 Feb 2012 Leave a Comment
in television Tags: BBC, child, comedy, sitcom, truth
Not your typical flower girl, is she? Karen of Outnumbered.
Regarding the “Ulika” reference, this was on YouTube as a comment:
Ulrika Jonsson has had quite a lot of relationships and is seen as a bit of a slag…so by seemingly comparing Julie to Ulrika, Pete & Sue were calling her a slag.
I Saw Sunday
19 Feb 2012 Leave a Comment
in architecture, Blogging Challenge, culture, media, meme, museum, musing, theater/music Tags: architecture, ceramics, Chicago, Chicago 2012, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, comedy, fantasy, Jerome Kern, light comedy, lyric opera chicago, Midsummer Nights Dream, Mississippi River, Musical theater, Oscar Hammerstein, racial, Shakespeare, Showboat, William Shakespeare, Woodblock prints
Here’s a new meme: I Saw Sunday
So, what did you see this week?
One thing or a whole list! – Words or photos or both!
Share it here with us.
The Rules
1. Write your post on your blog and include a link back to I Saw Sunday.
2. Leave the link to your post in the Mr Linky widget so we can find you.
3. Leave a comment after linking so that I know you have been here.
4. Please be sure to visit the other participants and share what they saw.
Chicago's Wrigley Building
Whoa.
It’s been a whirlwind, a lovely cultural whirlwind the last few weeks in Chicago.
I got to see a clever production of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer’s Night‘s Dream at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater and at the Art Institute I wandered through their Asian and European galleries.
I loved the Japanese Woodblock prints from the 1960′s and 70′s.
Modern Japanese Print
Modern Japanese Woodblock
Wandering downtown lead me to the Chicago Cultural Center, which has interesting exhibits. Their Project Onward, a gallery that sells art created by artists with disabilities charmed me. Lots of whimsical and thought-provoking work.
At the Chicago Cultural Center
I loved Showboat at the Lyric Opera. Anyone in the city must take this in! I had no idea how much I’d like this musical or how many of the songs were well known.
Although I was leaving for China on Tuesday morning, I couldn’t pass up tickets to Showboat. That was a wise choice. The Lyric put on an excellent production, which knocked me off my feet. For days the songs lingered in my head. By all means go see this if you can.
I just saw that this meme has been closed. Oh, well. I’ll find another or just keep up with these Sunday reviews on my own.
“Slow down and take the time to really see. Take a moment to see what is going on around you right now, right where you are. You may be missing something wonderful.”
- J. Michael Thomas
Related articles
- A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream (meetcute3.wordpress.com)
- Classical music review: Madison Symphony Orchestra’s and Madison Opera’s maestro John DeMain triumphs in Jerome Kern’s “Showboat” at the Lyric Opera of Chicago (welltempered.wordpress.com)
- Shakespeare meets Grand Canyon? (rakstagemom.wordpress.com)
- Coriolanus ~ (UK, 2011) ~ In Theaters (chazzw.wordpress.com)
- A Midsummer Night’s Dream – review (guardian.co.uk)
Outnumbered
07 Feb 2012 1 Comment
in television Tags: award-winning, BBC, Ben, comedy, Curb Your Enthusiasm, excellence, fresh, humorous, improvisation, Jake, Karen, Modern Family, Outnumbered, Pete, sitcom, Sue, witty
Cast of Outnumbered
The most hilarious, smart sitcom I’ve seen in a long time is the BBC’s Outnumbered. Each week the parents Pete and Sue valiantly try to survive the chaos inherent in raising precocious children: Jake, Ben and Karen. The plots are loose and the dialog brilliant. Like Curb Your Enthusiasm, much of the dialog is improvised, which is probably why what the kids say seems so real, unlike the average show where the jokes are clearly written by 27 year olds and mouthed by 7 year olds.
I’ve just seen six episodes and the main thread is that the father, a secondary school history teacher, bumbles his way around the disaster he created by making a joke at the expense of one of his heavier students. Sue is a stay at home mom, who’s often overwhelmed, but never comes across as the nincompoop say the mom in Modern Family can be. Don’t ask me why. Maybe it’s because Sue’s smart kids often do have a good point when they argue, whereas the Modern Family kids are clearly reading from a script.
A few realistic, serious problems are woven into the series. Pete’s worried that Jake is a victim of bullying. The issue’s handled better than it would be on many sitcoms. Like in real life, Pete tries to open lines of communication, Jake denies there’s a problem. Then at the end of an episode, once you believe Jake, you see him washing his hands and his forearms are badly bruised. Another issue is caring for an elderly parent in decline. Sue has been the local go-to person for her father while her sister galavants. The sister returns and the relationship is rocky. Sue’s glad for the relief, yet has to hide her jealousy that Angela, her sister succeeds with the father – at first. So as in real life competing feelings exist in one person.
The dialog is brilliant. Take a look:
Karen with a nurse
Husbands and Wives
19 Jul 2011 Leave a Comment
in culture, film Tags: comedy, intelligent, witty, Woody Allen
Woody Allen’s Husbands and Wives, is witty and fresh, though it was made in 1992. It’s fresher than his recent films that I’ve seen (N.B. I haven’t yet seen Midnight in Paris, and many have said that’s good.) With a great cast including Judy Davis, Sydney Pollack, Mia Farrow, Liam Nielsen, Juliette Lewis and Allen, Husbands and Wives begins with Allen’s two friends announcing they’re divorcing after 15 years. As the plot develops, all the characters question marriage, their wants and needs, their partner’s personalities and ticks, with various degrees of accuracy as the bungle along searching for authentic relationships. Allen plays a writing teacher who, surprise, surprise, falls for the most promising student in his college writing class.
The story has a similar theme to Whatever Works, but this film does work far better. Allen’s character does say something towards the end about his heart wanting what it wants . . . but you can see from this film that that doesn’t lead to a fulfilling life. The film was absorbing so it wasn’t till the end, where thoughts of Allen’s own choices in his marriage with Farrow, diverted my attention. Guess that’s bound to happen. Still it’s a well acted film with a natural plot rhythm (i.e. not glaringly influenced by Syd Field et al’s formula). This film stands the sands of time.
Comedy Repression Therapy
14 Jul 2011 Leave a Comment
Comedy Repression Therapy. Wow. Jon Stewary AND Jerry Seinfeld.
Web Therapy
02 Jul 2011 Leave a Comment
in humor, satire, society, television, YouTube find Tags: comedy, Lisa Kudrow, psychology, webeside
In Web Therapy Lisa Kudrow plays a psychologist, who could use a few sessions herself. Kudrow’s character Fiona Wallis provides 3 minute sessions because in a 50 minutes session there’s so much time wasted on dreams, feelings, past experiences, and what not that don’t add up to much in her book.
I love the dry humor.
Old Flame Part 1
Old Flame Part 2
Old Flame Part 3
smkelly8
