Tag Archives: Neil Patrick Harris

Big bite

Posted on July 28, 2012 | Leave a comment

I just discovered a sport that I’d be great at…

CUPCAKE GOLFING!

It’s part of the “Big Appetites” collection by Seattle photographer Christopher Boffoli. I learned about the series just this morning in a Twitter recommendation from everyone’s favorite human Neil Patrick Harris.

Thanks, Barney.

All the photos in the collection feature tiny people in a world of big foods, which is fun to look at, sure — but is also a whimsical representation of our obsession with all things food.

Speaking of which…

It’s lunchtime.  Gotta grab a bite between Olympic viewings.

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Posted in Art, Design, Foods, Olympics, Sports

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Here’s to love

Posted on June 14, 2011 | 1 Comment

I have discovered the next Broadway hit.

It happened last night, quite by accident, while I was still basking in the glow of Sunday’s incredibly entertaining Tony Awards.  (A lineup of stellar performances + The Book of Mormon’s awards domination + the incomparable Neil Patrick Harris = GREATNESS.)

I plopped down on the couch for an evening of sloth, and what did I find on HBO?

Down with Love

Did you see it?  This 2003 romantic comedy was an homage to the 1960′s sex comedies starring Rock Hudson and Doris Day.

In Down with Love, Renee Zellweger plays a bestselling author who advises her readers to ‘give up men,’ a credo much at odds with journalist Ewan McGregor’s playboy lifestyle.  The two get involved in a relationship that is not what it appears.  Hilarity ensues.

I love this movie.  The script is smart and funny and filled with double entendres.  (These are my people.)  In one scene, the two leads work out separately yet together via split-screen; the effect is very, very naughty.

The costumes and set design are amazing as well.  The characters live in a New York City that alternates between cotton candy pastels and race car brights, not unlike the world imagined in this year’s Broadway smash How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying.

I imagine Down with Love as a musical; the movie was not, although Zellweger and McGregor did sing the title song over the movie credits.  And both can sing.

Oh, to have Ewan McGregor on Broadway.  Tony-winner David Hyde Pierce was in the movie version as well.

This may be my best idea to date.  Let’s bring Down with Love to the Great White Way!

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Posted in Broadway, Celebrities, Comedy, Commentary, Design, Entertainment, Fashion, Humor, Life, Movies

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Kiss and tail

Posted on June 12, 2011 | Leave a comment

The Tony Awards are tonight!

As excited as I am to see the incomparable Neil Patrick Harris host the festivities, and watch performances from the most exciting lineup of nominated shows in years…

I’m really psyched about the red carpet.

You see, the Tonys are in my ‘hood this year, at the Beacon Theatre on the Upper West Side.  You may remember it as the site of Comedy Central’s Night of Too Many Stars, A Benefit for Autism, hosted by Jon Stewart.

Rory and I happened upon that red carpet quite by accident.  A small crowd of people had gathered on the sidewalk across the street from the red carpet, so we stopped to see who we could see.

Most of the celebs got out of their cars and went straight into the media tent, but a few acknowledged the crowd.  Amy Poehler and Will Arnett waved.  Jack Black did a high energy running high-five.

And Jimmy Fallon kissed my dog.

I was holding Rory in the crush of people.  Jimmy was shaking hands and working the crowd — this was right before Late Night went on the air.  When he stepped in front of me, he said “Your dog is so cute,” and then kissed Rory right on the mouth.

Rory never heard from Jimmy again.

Success will do that to a person, I guess.

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Posted in Broadway, Celebrities, Dogs, Entertainment, Humor, Life, Television, Travel, TV, Walking

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Live on

Posted on January 19, 2011 | 1 Comment

“Regis is here!” — Regis Philbin (anytime he walks into a room)

We all knew the day was coming.  But Regis Philbin’s announcement yesterday that he plans to leave Live with Regis & Kelly at the end of the summer was still a shocker.

David Letterman — who has poked fun at the man more than anyone on television — called Regis while taping last night’s Late Show to lament his decision.

Personally I applaud Rege for leaving before he ‘needs’ to… for retiring while he still loves the job and while the audience — and the industry — still loves him.  Now executive producer Michael Gelman must find not just a new co-host, but the right co-host, to join Kelly at the Live desk.

I think we know how I feel about this.

Way back in November 2009, when Regis had heart surgery and was out for six weeks, I made my preference known.

And still today, I will accept — without too much whining — only one of the following to sit by her side:  Neil Patrick Harris or Anderson Cooper.

Anderson just signed a deal to host his own daytime talk show, so I would think that takes him out of the running. Which can only mean one thing….

If Gelman has a brain in that yoga-toned body of his, America will soon be waking up to the next great morning show:

Live with Kelly and Neil Patrick

(I think she’s earned top billing by now.)

It will be legen — I’m still waiting for it — dary.

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Posted in Celebrities, Commentary, Entertainment, Family, Friends, Home, Humor, Life, News, Television, TV

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Aim higher

Posted on May 5, 2010 | Leave a comment

Jimmy Fallon is hosting this year’s Emmy Awards?  Really?

Has Neil Patrick Harris died?  Is Hugh Jackman on walkabout in Australia?  Have Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin had a falling out?

I mean, Jimmy’s a great guy, and he’s done some funny pieces for his late night show (the “Lost” parody and “Robert is Bothered” to name a few).  But hosting the Emmys?  Have you seen his opening monologues?  The dude is a joke reader, not a comedian.

Last year we had the multi-talented, host extraordinaire Neil Patrick Harris.  This year, we get the stripped-down, laughs at his own jokes, ain’t-ready-for-this-by-no-stretch-of-the-imagination Jimmy Fallon.

The Leno effect strikes again.

That’s right — the Leno effect.  The play-it-safe, middle-of-the-road, celebration of mediocrity-over-humor that Jay Leno has perpetuated in this country.  The ‘less offensive is more desirable than creative’ choice.

We saw how well that worked out at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, now, didn’t we?  (I’ll shut up.)

Thank goodness the Golden Globes had the balls to book Ricky Gervais as its host for the second year in a row.  Of course, they are the Hollywood Foreign Press.  Perhaps they are immune…or have a vaccine.

Lucky aliens.

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Posted in Humor, Internet, Travel

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Oscars fixed?

Posted on March 8, 2010 | 1 Comment

No, they weren’t fixed.  They were quite broken.

That’s why the ceremony lasted until past midnight ET, had not even one surprise winner and was a big ol’ fat yawn.

The only surprise of the evening was the appearance of Neil Patrick Harris in the opening number.  Martin Short was scheduled to do the honors, but had to pull out just days before the show due to ‘personal reasons.’  So, Harris was the unannounced fill-in.  My hopes soared.

And then were slowly suffocated by the standard awards show jokes and parade of predicted winners.

BO-RING.

So I propose the following fixes for the next decade of Academy Award broadcasts.

  1. Go back to five Best Picture nominees.  You upped it to 10, and there were still less than five legitimate contenders for the award.  You simply made the show longer, not more competitive.
  2. Hire new writers for the broadcast. We have all these great sitcoms doing really creative television.  Can’t we find a new way to be funny in a televised awards show other than to put the nominees in the audience on the spot?  I hate that.  They hate that.  And nine times out of 10, it’s just not that funny.
  3. Skip the long tributes to the nominated actors/actresses. Some of them were quite good.  Most of them sucked.  Show a longer clip of the nominated role instead.  You might actually get people to go to the movies.
  4. Hire permanent hosts. Have Neil Patrick Harris and Hugh Jackman alternate years.  Guaranteed charm, talent, good looks and triple threats.  I’m happy.
  5. Guarantee interesting shows. If all predicted winners win after the votes have been tabulated, randomize a minimum of five categories for the shock value alone.  The audience will stay tuned if they know that might be coming.

Now that sounds like an award winner.

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Posted in Humor, Movies, Television

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Nothing but NPH

Posted on January 28, 2010 | Leave a comment

There’s talk swirling in the ‘hood again about Regis Philbin’s replacement.

(I say the ‘hood because the “Live with Regis and Kelly” studios are just a few blocks from my apartment. Yeah –  I’m that hip.)

The chatter first begain when Regis had heart bypass surgery a few years ago, and the parade of replacement hosts began.  I think we know who won that go-round:  the incomparable Neil Patrick Harris, with notable stand-outs Anderson Cooper, Bryant Gumbel and Pat Sajak.

But then Rege recovered nicely, and “Live” soldiered on.

In December of last year, Rege was out yet again for over a month, this time with hip replacement surgery, and the co-host dance was back in full swing.  Anderson Cooper was there — a lot — and some fresh faces, too.

But no Neil Patrick Harris, who I think we all agree is Kelly Ripa’s soulmate at the desk.

My take on it?  After triumphs at the “Tony Awards” and “Emmys” and “American Idol,” he may have outgrown the guest host role.

NPH is simply too H-O-T.

But I still believe, on the day that Rege retires, NPH would be the best choice for the longevity of “Live.”

If he’s not too big to fit in the chair.

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Posted in Humor, Television

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DV-no R

Posted on January 10, 2010 | 2 Comments

I can Skype live with someone in China for free, but Time Warner Cable’s DVR can’t shift forward to record all of “Saturday Night Live” when football coverage runs long?

Come on.

This week’s show, hosted by Charles Barkley with musical guest Alicia Keys, was going along swimmingly.  I don’t know when I have laughed as consistently and as hard since — well, since Justin Timberlake or Neil Patrick Harris hosted last year.

And then, dead air.  The “Would you like to Save, Delete, or Restart?” buttons appeared.  And there was at least another 30 minutes to go in the show.

Now, I know I have many options available to me to catch the sketches that I missed.  NBC.com.  Hulu.com.  Any number of web blogs that will attempt to link to the sketches — and be successful for a few days — until NBC pulls them for copyright infringement.

But it’s the principle of the thing.  If my DVR is high-tech enough to know when the TV show is playing in the first place, it should be savvy enough to know the show has been pushed back because the Cowboys game ran long.

Nuff’ said.

Hut…Hut.

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Posted in Humor, Internet, Sports, Television

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Host boast

Posted on November 29, 2009 | 1 Comment

No one does Regis Philbin better than Neil Patrick Harris.

He even beat out Regis for “Best Regis” in the annual “Live with Regis and Kelly” Relly Awards competition.  He’s that good.

So, the minute Regis announced to last week’s Las Vegas audience that he was taking a leave of absence from the show to have hip-replacement surgery — we’re talking 4-6 weeks off, people — my first thought was…

Neil Patrick Harris.

Let’s face it.  He is the obvious choice to fill Regis’ chair.  He triumphed at the Tonys.  He elevated the Emmys.  He can keep the Rege in ‘Live with Regis and Kelly’ and, at the same time, give us a glimpse of what the show could be in that far away future.

Look — I love Anderson Cooper’s silver hair in the host chair, and am often charmed by Bryant Gumbel’s new-found sense of humor…but Neil Patrick Harris is Kelly’s hosting soul mate.  He’s the sun to her moon, the yin to her yang, the salt to her pippa.

Gelman, if you’re reading this — and if you are, hire me soon in some over-paid capacity– please, give us Neil Patrick Harris while Regis is away.

It will be legen — wait for it — dary!!

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Posted in Humor, Television

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La la la…ha ha ha

Posted on November 9, 2009 | Leave a comment

So, I’ve had this theory for a while.

I think episodes of “Saturday Night Live” tend to be funnier when the guest host is a male celebrity in his mid-20′s to early 30′s.  The SNL writing staff is predominantly male and around this age (at least in their minds) and just writes better stuff for a host that is more like themselves.

Case in point:  Justin Timberlake.  Zac Efron.  Neil Patrick Harris.  Paul Ruud.  Anna Faris.  (She counts as a guy.)  Shia LaBeouf.  Jake Gyllenhaal. They have all had incredible shows — really funny stuff.

Of course, even I look at that list and think — that’s a pretty impressive group of talent.  But we’ve seen really funny people appear on SNL and suck wind.  So, that’s not always a given.

And then someone like Taylor Swift appears on SNL as both the musical guest and the host.  Now, I personally felt this was a huge risk.  Obviously, she can sing.  But who thought Taylor Swift was going to be able to hold her own as host? Has she done any kind of acting up to this point?

But she did.  I thought Saturday’s show was hilarious. But a big part of that was the writing.

Taylor got the writers on her side.  And she’s not a male celebrity of the appropriate age.  She falls outside my hypothesis.  How did she do it?

Here’s my new theory:  Taylor let ‘em ‘have at her.’  Gave them her personal life and let them play. No topics were off limit.  And it worked.

So, then I went back and looked at the other shows that I liked from the past.  Zac Efron poked fun at his own success on “High School Musical.”  Neil Patrick Harris did an inspired salute to “Doogie Howser.”  Jake Gyllenhaal did his opening monologue in drag.

Maybe they all were successful for the same reason: no holds barred comedy.  I just didn’t notice until Saturday.

Go bunny business!

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Posted in Humor, Music, Television

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