Come on, monkey. Do us all a favor.

Some quick-hit thoughts today. Sorry for the lengthy absence--I have been busy with my real (read: paying) job and haven't been able to channel the needed mental energy that I use to write this blog. I am going to throw a few quick hits out there for you, and I will be back soon with a long post. Enjoy.

1. I know that I am not the first person who has brought this up, but I couldn't be happier about the recent backlash against Dane Cook. He is inarguably the most popular comic in American right now (HBO series, HBO special, hit movie, SNL host, tabloid star), but I have never laughed at his routine. Ever. The origin of Dane's schtick seems to be thus: come up with an unoriginal premise, present it for a few paltry laughs, then repeat it louder and louder until people start laughing. I really think that people laugh at his "jokes" so that he will think they liked it and he will move on to the next one. Everytime I see him on TV I keep assuming that he is just giving a lengthy build up to a good joke, but the joke never comes. He evidently subscribes to the school of thought that if something isn't funny the first time, it sure as hell will be funny the 15th time.

I hear people say that they like his humor, but I have never actually seen anyone watch him on TV or repeat any of his jokes. I think most "Dane Cook fans" like the "idea" of his humor, because it means that they are tapped in to hip popular culture. It is the classic "cool by association" argument, except it falls short in this case because Dane Cook isn't that cool. He is a Boston native and self-professed Red Sox fan who was seen on his HBO series with a Yankees hat on. No real Red Sox fan would ever do this even as a joke. I think that Dane wants to claim the Sox because they present the same sort of hip cache that so many people think that Dane himself offers. It's a vicious cycle. Basically, Dane Cook sucks and the sooner that we all admit it the sooner we can all move on to someone else that will make us feel cool.

2. I've got a few music and movie suggestions for you guys out there. Some of these might seem strange at first, but give them a shot. I promise they'll grow on you.

Bottle Rocket--Wes Anderson's first feature film, it was originally a short that he made with his buddies from the University of Texas, Luke and Owen Wilson. Unfortunately Wes' films have fallen off as of late (The Life Aquatic sucked and you can't convince me otherwise), but Bottle Rocket is an amazingly confident effort from a first-time director. How they convinced James Caan to be in the film is beyond me.

Rushmore--While we're on the subject of Wes Anderson, I might as well throw in his sophomore effort. Obviously better funded, it has Bill Murray in the first of what has become his signature role of late--essentially acting like himself. He debuts his self-loathing middle-aged role here alongside Jason Schwartzman. Rushmore is a very touching movie, and pay attention to the ending. It's one of the best and most film-appropriate you'll find.

Big Fish--Arguably Tim Burton's best movie (it's by far his most accessible). To call Big Fish a father-son movie or a retelling of a man's life story would be criminal; there is no proper description for this moving story of love and misunderstanding. The ending is guaranteed to make you cry like a baby.

My Morning Jacket, Z--The follow up to their breakout album, It Still Moves, Z is rocking, haunting, silly, sad, and beautiful. "Gideon", "Lay Low", "Dondante", and "How Could I Know" are all standout tracks on an album by a band that manages to combine Southern rock know-how with a garage sound that is slickly produced without sounding derivative (like this review). Basically, I am telling you to buy this album. Listen to it 3 times all the way through, and you won't be sorry.

Velvet Underground, Loaded--For a band that wrote most of its songs about heroin, the Velvet Underground manage to sound pretty darn cheery. The rare rock band that has been mythologized before it's members' deaths, it is interesting to listen to this album and see how The Strokes, et al lucked out by managing to sound like a crappy band from the 60s but were fortunate to have songs good enough to overcome it. This is the same trick that Velvet Underground pulled off. All of this is made even weirder when you realize that their singer later became an actor, sang the song "The Wild Side", and is obsessed with Sumarais.

Wilco, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot--The best album from a great band. I would name the best songs for you, but they're all terrific. It reaffirms my belief that no one in Hollywood knows what they're doing when I remember that not only did Wilco's record company dislike this record, but YHF caused the band to be completey fired from their label. Turns out, it's regarded as one of the best albums of the past decade, if not all time. Good call, record company. Way to think that one through.