Pop Culture Week in Review 1/5-1/12

This week, nominations came spilling into and over our collective consciousness for every film and television show we wanted-to-but-didn’t-get-the-chance to see.  But for all of the Hollywood hoopla, leave it to Piers Morgan and CNN to finally get the most of our attention.  In an interview with radio sensation Alex Jones, Piers sought what many journalists have since the shooting sprees of late: debate about gun control.  Instead, he got screamed at, mocked, threatened, and flabbergasted by a certifiable lunatic seeking to deport him.  OoOoOoOoooo!  Entertainment!

Read More

Oscar Nomination Predictions (UPDATED!)

In perhaps my least snarky PorchDrinking article to date, I’m going to take some shots in the dark and guess who will be nominated for the Academy Awards. PD is looking forward to bringing you some great Oscars coverage, but here now is one guy telling you what he thinks (and hopefully having something to brag about once nominees are announced tomorrow). I’ve marked movies I’ve seen with ***asterisks***, so you can know I’m not full of it. Watch nominations come out, then keep coming back to PorchDrinking.com for more Oscars coverage from our team of amateur pop-culture experts.

UPDATE: Oscar nominations were announced this morning (Thursday). A few surprises, especially in the directing category. I’ve added some additional commentary, partly in the interest of giving you the most information possible, and partly because I’m proud of how close I was in a lot of cases.

Below, I’ve bolded the predictions that were accurate.
Read More

A Shameless Plea: Watch Cougar Town

I love Cougar Town.  Please hear me out.  I know, the title sucks.  No one is arguing that.  But other than the shit title, what do you really know about the show?  You might say, “Well, its about cougars.”  This is the point where steam comes out of my ears, I slap you in the face with a fish and yell, “NO ITS NOT YOU STUPID FACE. YOU DON’T KNOW ANYTHING.” Then I apologize and get you the alcoholic beverage of your choice.

Read More

Pop Culture Week In Review – Welcome to 2013!

Hope you all had a healthy, happy, fun New Year’s Eve! The world of entertainment certainly did. Here are some of the highlights for our last 2012 pop culture week in review. Enjoy, and we hope to see a lot more of you in 2013!

Read More

Awesomesauce- BadLipReading

Move over Gossip Girl, there’s a new queen bee in town.

While Gossip Girl can be cutting, BadLipReading never fails to elicit a laugh.  The YouTube account’s owner has released a series of videos that embarrass politicians, musicians, and the occasional movie star in equal measure.  The anonymous creator takes video clips from the internet, television, and movies and overdubs the dialogue or lyrics to comic effect. Read More

Pop Culture Week in Review 12/21-12/28

The end of the year is my least favorite time for pop culture.  TV shows go on hiatus.  News outlets are only doing their “Best Of’s” and not reporting any news.  Though unless you count what Demi Lovato is getting her mom for Christmas as ‘news,’ there really isn’t anything to report as people are spending time with their stupid families instead of working.  The only good thing to come out of all this is the movies released on Christmas Day.  But you can really only see one on Christmas.  So then you get a huge backlog of movies you have to see and spend $13 per ticket (in New York- I hear there are magical places that charge less than $10 for a movie ticket but I don’t believe they exist) to see. But you can’t really afford to see them because you just dropped a ton of cash on DVD box sets for the whole family.  Hang on, I need a cookie.
Read More

Saul vs. Saul | A Matchup Between Fan Favorites on Homeland and Breaking Bad

If you’re not watching Homeland, shame on you. If you’re not watching Breaking Bad, shame on you. These are two of the BEST shows on television right now—so good that even as they get more and more insane and less and less believable, I still find myself more addicted with every episode. Read More

Celebrity Christmas Wish Lists

My buddy Santa hooked me up with a look at some of the letters he received from celebrities this year. Let’s see what was on their celebrity Christmas wish lists this year!

Read More

How To Celebrate Festivus

With each passing holiday, it seems more and more like American consumerism knows no bounds. Every superstore begins their holiday-hyping months in advance, and the majority of American consumers spend exuberant amounts of cash fulfilling every advertised need. From thousands of Christmas lights perfectly choreographed, to beating your neighbors bloody for the last honey-glazed ham, it would seem Americans love spending money on holidays almost as much as businesses love exploiting them. The mere opportunity of Black Friday deals turn regular people into riotous mobs, with incidents of trampling becoming commonplace each year. But it was in a similar moment of impassioned consumerism when Frank Costanza, after raining blows upon a rival buyer, realized there had to be another way. Soon after, Festivus was born. “Festivus for the rest of us!”

Read More

Terms of Servicepocalypse- Instagram Edition

A week ago, we took a closer look at Facebook’s proposed changes to their terms of service.  This week we’ll examine a similar story- Facebook is now ruining Instagram too! Read More

Pop-Culture Week In Review: 12/16 – 12/23

Yes, this post is later than you’re used to.  What did you expect?  THE WORLD WAS SUPPOSED TO END.  Did you think I would spend my final hours hunched over a computer, slaving away with research and delicate prose to deliver you the best pop-culture bits of the week?

….well, I did anyway.  You know, just in case.

Read More

New Star Trek Villain: An Examination and Reveal! (Maybe)

I am a nerd: to begin with.  If you haven’t suspected from some of my articles, there is no doubt about that.  If there’s one thing you will take from going forward, it is that inescapable truth.  Now, a nerd wouldn’t (and shouldn’t) claim this fact, for true nerds need no social verification.  We are born of an individual and insatiable passion which we may or may not choose to share among likeminded enthusiasts.  But if unknown to you, dear reader, it must be distinctly understood, or nothing wonderful can come from this speculative story.

Read More

5 Movies to See and 5 To Skip This Holiday Season

I hate mediocre films.  I hate them so, so much.  I hate them even more than terrible movies.  Why?  Because unlike those drenched in passable mediocrity, bad films get punished.  More often than not, awful films bomb at the box-office because anyone with moderate observational talents can see them coming from a mile away (exhibit A: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-7iv6-8BRw).  Mediocre films, on the other hand, slip by, make millions, and tell studio execs, “Hey, this isn’t too shabby!  Let’s do more of this, because real talent costs money, and MONEY IS OUR GOD.”

Read More

TV Shows You Really Should Be Watching

I know we all only have so much time in the day.  We hit the grind all the live long day and seemingly only have a few minutes to ourselves before we hit the hay and start the process all over again.  But if you find yourself in need of something to do on a certain night of the week, I suggest filling the time void with some good old fashioned television.

You might think I’m crazy with the following list of TV shows, but please hear me out on these shows you should be watching but probably aren’t. Read More

Vote 2012

Are you voting in 2012?

Not *that* vote…you’re just a bit late for that one…

You know that paragraph all your friends have been copying and pasting on their walls, stating that they retain all their rights to the content they put on Facebook, etc, etc, blah, blah, blah?  Facebook has proposed several site changes that sparked that flurry of idiocy and they’re letting the users vote on the changes. Read More

Pop Culture Week in Review

Prin Kate is Pregs

I can’t even be bothered to write whole words about this as it really isn’t that interesting.  The married couple who have an obligation to an entire country to maintain the family line have conceived a child!  Who would have thought.

Read More

(Tr)iPad

The iPad has been in the news recently for several reasons – here’s what you missed!

Here’s why you should NEVER buy an iPad at Wal-Mart

A video that four … Read More

How to be Conversant in ‘Lost’

As much as I try, even I can’t watch all the television there ever was. Personally, I despise the moments where I admit I haven’t seen a show and the person I’m talking to freaks out. “How can you claim a television obsession and have never seen [Insert title]?!?!”  I’m sure you have also had a moment like this  and I’m here to help. Here’s everything you need to know to have a conversation with someone about Lost.  [SPOILER ALERT]- I would think this is obvious, but I just wanted to cover my bases. Read More

Ultimate 6er | It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia

The latest, and as always, ridiculous It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia continues to a 12^th season. And what better show to sit down with an Ultimate 6er for? Well, maybe not the entire six pack since some of these are strictly for the type of… gentlemen… that the series showcases. So here’s to everyone’s favorite show about everyone’s favorite alcoholics.
Read More

Pop Culture Week In Review – 11/4-11/10

4 more years! 4 more years! 4 more years of Boy Meets World!

This has been a great week in America, not just because we had another historic election, but because Hollywood has done some cool stuff. So regardless of which candidate you voted for, the future is bright – there’s casting news, performance reviews, and crushes of Drew’s in this article. It’s the pop culture week in review for November 4-10… let’s go!

Read More