Ever since I first heard about Hot Ghetto Mess, I've been intrigued. The new BET series courted some controversy from folks who felt it exploited black stereotypes, and at least two sponsors, State Farm Insurance and Home Depot, have pulled their ads. Both BET entertainment chief Reginald Hudlin and Jam Donaldson (creator of the HotGhettoMess.com site on which the new series is based) say the purpose of the series is to encourage people, in a humorous manner, to take a look at themselves and their communities and try to affect positive change. The series mixes user-submitted video clips with man-on-the-street interviews.

Speaking of change, the series is now called We Got to Do Better. The actual content of the show won't change, but the new title more clearly explains the intent of the series. I discovered this last night while trying to find Hot Ghetto Mess on my Tivo with no luck. The series, hosted by Charlie Murphy (Chappelle's Show) debuts tomorrow (Wednesday) at 10:30 p.m.

Albert Brooks turns 60 today.

Brooks is mostly known for his films (Defending Your Life, Modern Romance), but he was also a favorite guest of folks like Carson and Letterman back in the '80s. He never quite gained the notoriety of some of his contemporaries, but his reputation as a "comedian's comedian" and a little something called "actual talent" has kept him out of obscurity -- and deservedly so, because he's one of the smartest and funniest people working today, even if he is a few steps outside the limelight.

Younger folks know him best for his various guest roles on The Simpsons, one of which I've posted below along with an appearance on Late Night with David Letterman (in two parts).

Last year, I mentioned a site called RejectedJokes in which comedy writer Ben Schwartz performed all the jokes he wrote that were rejected by the likes of Letterman and SNL's Weekend Update (he's a freelancer for both).

Ben's latest gig is creating videos for the Web site Super Deluxe. Below is a video he made featuring Rob Riggle (The Daily Show) as the coach for the Washington Colonels, a basketball team that has lost 125 matches in a row. Could it be that Riggle's team is that bad, or is it because their rival, the Bronx World Travelers, always bring things like stools and mini trampolines onto the court?

Welcome to Subtle Subtitles. For those of you who are uninitiated to the purpose of this feature, we're asking you to come up with your funniest quote or description for what's going on in the screen grab we choose for the week. Winners are announced in the following Friday's contest. (NOTE: Except for this week's contest, which will run two weeks.)

1st place to CaptKahunah:



2nd place to Derek: "How exactly does sticking my finger in my ear make this electric toothbrush work better?"
3rd place to Pete: "Shut up, honey. I'm trying to make a dinner date with wife-to-be #4!"

This week, a scene from the season premiere of Eureka ...

Larry Charles, director of Borat and a writer and producer for Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm, is teaming up with comedian Bill Maher (HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher) for a new film about God and religion. Their goal: make it funny.

To quote Variety, quoting Maher: "this movie will make you laugh so hard you'll pray for it to stop."

Maher and Charles traveled throughout the Middle East, interviewing people to try and find humor amongst the tragedy. It was undoubtedly a rough undertaking, but the result was hundreds of hours of footage that Maher and Charles are currently paring down to a feature-length film.

Do you like television? Yes, you do, otherwise you wouldn't be on a television blog reading about TV. I'm sure some a few farsighted readers think they're on eBay right now and are trying to figure out how to place a bid, but for the most part, you're here because you love TV as much as we do.

As lovers of TV entertainment, we owe a big thanks to Sid Caesar, who created Your Show of Shows, a comedy variety series that aired in the early 1950s and boasted some of the best comedy writers in the business: Mel Brooks, Neil Simon, Woody Allen, Lucille Kallen, Mel Tolkin and Larry Gelbart. The series starred Sid Caesar, Carl Reiner and Howie Morris.

I'm not always floored by what springs from the mind of Andy Milonakis, who, according to TMZ, recently gave a homeless guy a buck, but I like that he does his own thing and stays true to himself.

Before I joined the TV Squadders and before he had his show on MTV2 (The Andy Milonakis Show), I did a phone interview with the youthful-looking Milonakis (he's 31 now) about the Web videos he had been making that had caught the eye of Jimmy Kimmel and led to his deal at MTV. Back then, his humor didn't always hit, but when it did, I found it hilarious. And, even when it landed with a thud, I had to admire him for trying something different. Also, Andy and I are the same age and both seem to have a penchant for the absurd, so I was pretty much tuned in to his wavelength from the beginning.

Welcome to Subtle Subtitles. For those of you who are uninitiated to the purpose of this feature, we're asking you to come up with your funniest quote or description for what's going on in the screen grab we choose for the week. Winners are announced in the following Friday's contest.

1st place to KMF:

2nd place to brainguy731: "...and it comes with two condoms and a key to my truck, complete with pumps and hoses."
3rd place to stigmata: "Don't worry boysss, i replaced the *BURP* champagne with tap water for the cristening. *BURP*. Now, somebody hold the damn truck still..."

This week, a scene from the latest episode of Big Love:

Starting July 14 at 8:00 and 8:30 p.m., Discovery Health will air a new program called Doctor*ology, a look at all the different "ologies" going on at your local hospital.

The series will be hosted by actor Leslie Nielsen, who will inject a bit of comedy into each episode along with his nephew, Robert. Based on the press releases, expect an educational program with plenty of goofy comedy to make it appealing.

Welcome to Subtle Subtitles. For those of you who are uninitiated to the purpose of this feature, we're asking you to come up with your funniest quote or description for what's going on in the screen grab we choose for the week. Winners are announced in the following Friday's contest.

1st place to Dr. Funbags:


2nd place to Rogphi: "Matthew Perry fails miserably when the direction calls for him to 'stick it in his ear.'"
3rd place to Televinita: "Some warning signs of suicide are less subtle than others."

This week, a scene from the latest episode of Rescue Me ...

Jim Biederman, the producer behind The Kids in the Hall, The Andy Dick Show, The Tom Green Show and The Whitest Kids U Know, is looking for a new comedy troupe he can mold into the next big thing. He's staging a contest through video sharing site Daily Motion, and you can get all the details here. Or, check out the video at the end of this post for an explanation, plus kittens playing with string.

Basically, if you have a comedy group, and you think you're funny enough for the big time, upload your videos and Mr. Biederman will watch and determine if you have what it takes to be part of his Great Sketch Comedy Showdown.

Welcome to Subtle Subtitles. For those of you who are uninitiated to the purpose of this feature, we're asking you to come up with your funniest quote or description for what's going on in the screen grab we choose for the week. Winners are announced in the following Friday's contest.

1st place to MJBF:


2nd place to Avi Forstein: "Helen Keller watches the series finale of The Sopranos."
3rd place to Elf: "It's just a freaking metaphor, all right?" were Soprano's creator David Chase's last words, referring to the controversial final scene of his HBO series shown here, before he was beaten to death by a rowdy mob of dissatisfied television critics.
This week, a scene from Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip:

Muppet fans know that some characters evolve while others just spring up from out of nowhere. Cookie Monster, for example, began life as somewhat more ferocious-looking monster (the row of sharp teeth helped) in several commercials before being toned down and brought to Sesame Street.

In the clip below, a pre-Sesame Street Cookie Monster devours a machine while the machine describes how it works and what its many functions are. Actually, it only has one main function, but you'll have to watch the clip for that.

Welcome to Subtle Subtitles. For those of you who are uninitiated to the purpose of this feature, we're asking you to come up with your funniest quote or description for what's going on in the screen grab we choose for the week. Winners are announced in the following Friday's contest.

1st place to Chris Wyant:

2nd place to Fred: "Dude, if you're not even gonna try to do the Vulcan live long and prosper sign right, I'm not driving you to the Star Trek convention."
3rd place to Gary: "You look absolutely FABULOUS in that ensemble!"

This week, the final scene from the series finale of The Sopranos:

Some of you may remember a cartoon series that aired in the mid-'90s called Mega Man, based on the Nintendo video game of the same name. The series had something to do with Mega Man, a cyborg of sorts, battling an army of evil robots or some such thing. Whatever, the plot really isn't important, because it has nothing to do with the video I've placed below.

The folks from OvertimeComedy.com have dubbed their voices over a short clip from Mega Man to create "Lack of Social Awareness Mega Man." Instead of battling the forces of evil, Mega Man tries to convince his pal that Six Feet Under is the greatest show ever, and that he should come over to his place and watch it on DVD.