While being all manly in his wood working workshop, Parks and Recreation‘s Nick Offerman read tweets by some of our favourite female celebrities for Conan last night. He took tweets from the likes Amanda Bynes, Miley Cyrus, Carly Rae Jepsen and Katy Perry. While some people might find the contrast between Offerman’s majestic beardedness and the mundane tweets jarring, it actually feels really natural too me. He’s all man of the woods and such while reading Carly Rae Jepsen’s tweet where she compares herself to Snow White. See? It all totally makes sense.

Justin Timberlake seems to be living at NBC’s infamous 30 Rockefeller building as he follows up his appearance on Saturday Night Live with “Justin Timberlake Week” on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon.

We already know that Justin and Jimmy make a great team, having performed some hilarious sketches on SNL in the past. But seriously, it’s like the writers at SNL and Late Night save all the good sketches just for him, which is actually great because Timberlake can carry sketches all by himself. It must’ve been that Mickey Mouse Club training.

Thank the lord because here’s another winning skit from Justin Timberlake and Jimmy Fallon. Just watch as they do a fantastic barbershop quartet (well, quintet now) cover of “SexyBack” with the Ragtime Gals. Let’s all just find downloads of this, shall we?

On this week’s episode, the gang got weird.

It was a milestone for the series as the study group spent Thanksgiving with the family. Jeff finally meets with his father (with Britta tagging along, of course) while the rest of the group spent the holiday at Shirley’s. It was an episode that would have made more sense if it had aired on the scheduled October date and which felt like the darker timeline Abed predicted back in season three.

This week’s guest stars alone may just be what it took to turn the season’s record of disappointing episodes, but even the writing was remarkably better. The slight nod to the Shawshank Redemption was subtle enough to bring us back to seasons one and two style writing and served as a reminder of just how great the show is at doing this kind of thing. Well boys, it looks like we’re finally getting back in the Community groove!

Here are five things from this week, Shawshank style:

1. James Brolin.

Finally, FINALLY the show utilizes the talent that comes to them in a celebrity guest star as Brolin joins the cast as Jeff’s father. Though he has some entertaining lines, his character had a more serious tone. Having a character/actor keep an appropriate tone for the story line isn’t something we’re used to seeing from the show (even with more serious plot lines) and it was refreshing and extremely well done. Brolin’s ability to keep a straight face while informing Jeff that he had nothing to worry about in the bedroom when he got older made him the perfect Papa Winger. It’s safe to say that this week’s guest appearance was a home run for the series.

2. “He’ a  Schwarzenegger; I’m a DeVito! I get it!” Read more…

I want to be able to say that Community is getting better—but it isn’t. The only thing keeping me tuning in is the hope that, hey, we’re only four episodes in. There’s plenty of time to turn the season around. That and the fact that show is clearly fighting with everything they have to survive. While the actors and writers are still trying their best, it’s just not working. Usually Danny Pudi or Donald Glover will have lines or a scene that will stand out and save the show for me, but even this week their efforts (and there were a few hilarious moments! – “It’s like a Darren Aronofsky film…”) couldn’t revive this episode.

If you didn’t catch it, here are the five things that happened this week:

1. They’re baaaaack. The Germans, that is.

Remember way back to season two when Jeff and Shirley battle royal-ed for the rights to the foosball table? Yeah. Those guys. The lackluster antagonists return this week to attempt to steal the study room. The best part about this? All the German puns at the writers’ disposal. The bad? They didn’t even bring back Nick Kroll! He was the best one! Although well done to his replacement for the manic evil laughter during history class.

2. Oktoberfest.

In a Hogan’s Hero-style ruse attempt, the group foils the German’s by planning a fake Oktoberfest on campus. It was entertaining for multiple reasons as it referenced a number of German stereotypes. The best part of the scene, though, is when one of the Germans blatantly motorboats a couple of the 99 red balloons in the background. Oh yeah, that happened. It’s right after Jeff says “Ruse? No Ruse!” at 13:08 minutes in. Check it.

3. “It turns out, we’re the Germans.” Read more…

Ladies and gentlemen, may I proudly remind you that asides from being February 7^th, it is also October 19^th, a.k.a. the return of Community.

Contrary to my own beliefs, Community is not the most popular sitcom on television ratings-wise but neither was Tina Fey’s brain child 30 Rock and 30 Rock went on to win multiple awards before it ended its run in January.

While Community did not get the accolades it deserves, it does have a small and loyal fan base that revels in the show’s absurdity, meta-ness and sharp writing. I’d even like to argue that the balance between the weird, intelligence and heart is what makes the show so great. Case in point: using a campus-wide pillow war to illustrate a low point between two friends.

The show’s creator, Dan Harmon, might’ve been ousted unceremoniously last summer but us hardcore Community fans hope that the show’s longtime writers can stay true to the show’s roots. Just judging from the teasers they’ve thrown out so far, it seems like it has.

But just in case you’re still not convinced to tune in, here are just some exceptional reasons as to start watching Community:

1. The cast

Everyone in this cast is funny in their own right but they’re also very good at playing off at each other. The chemistry that exists between all the characters has resulted in the show’s family-like dynamic. I should also mention that Dean Pelton, a.k.a. Jim Rash, is an Oscar winner and the first to jump on the Angelina Jolie leg-bomb phenomena, and Troy Barnes is indeed Donald Glover a.k.a. Childish Gambino.

2. Pop culture references

While it’s definitely possible to watch the show without having to understand all the references, it does help to enhance the experience. In fact, some of the best episodes have stemmed from these pop cultural references. I mean, what other TV show would use Dungeons and Dragons to drive the whole plot? Or have a Quentin Tarantino-esque paint ball episode in the first season? The answer: no one.

And if that doesn’t compel you, tonight’s episode is called “The Hunger Dean.” Interested now? Go watch.

3. Classes we wished were real Read more…

Does Jay-Z have some long lost sister he doesn’t know about? A woman claiming the rapper is her bro bombed a live NBC 4 newscast saying she couldn’t find him on the subway.

Naturally, the best way to track him down would be to ask the entire city over a live broadcast. That said, New York reporter Checkey Beckford seemed to handle the situation pretty well, diverting attention away from the bomber and throwing it directly to the clip.

There are two types of people who brave dangerous hurricanes. The first type hole themselves up at home with their spouses, friends and kids to stay safe. The second type throw their hands in their air and say: “I’m just gonna treat this hurricane gust of wind with a sense of humor.” Take for instance, this dude who donned a horse head and went for a topless morning jog in the FREEZING COLD.

Dude was clearly trying to get on camera and luckily for him, he succeeded. The Hurricane Horseman made an appearance on NBC Washington’s News 4 with Megan McGrath. Go prosper Hurricane Horseman. We salute you.

Watch it here

With September around the corner, this means a bunch of new sitcoms will be making their way into Primetime television. One of these shows are none other than Glee producer Ryan Murphy’s  ’The New Normal’, which is set to premiere on September 11.

The new comedic series features gay couple David (Justin Bartha) and Bryan (Andrew Rannells) who are hoping to start a family through a surrogate, single mother Goldie (Georgia King).   Also starring on the show, is Ellen Barkin as Goldie’s bigoted grandmother Jane, Bebe Woods as Goldie’s bright and precocious daughter Shania and NeNe Leakes as Bryan’s sassy assistant Rocky.

An extended trailer for the show released just yesterday, and it’s already proving to show a lot of potential for laughs and even some tears.  Personally, my favourite line in the trailer is when Justin Bartha’s character tells his partner, “You know you can’t return a baby to Barney’s.”

What do you think of this upcoming series? The concept here sounds quite similar to the hilarious Modern Family, but it isn’t fair to make comparisons before giving this show a shot first!

By Galen Simmons

For your consideration, I submit to you seven ex-Greendale Community College students: Jeff, Britta, Shirley, Annie, Pierce, Troy, and Abed. They found out last night that the school they attended for the past three years (13 in Pierce’s case) only existed in their minds. Greendale is actually the name of the mental institution they were all patients in, up until their recent release.

But all is not what it seems. Were the Greendale Seven really patients at a mental hospital, or was this part of some dastardly plot by the school’s head of security to keep them from uncovering the dean’s disappearance and subsequent replacement?

Oddly enough, it’s the latter of the two, even though the mental hospital’s explanation makes a lot more sense and would explain some of the people who attended Greendale as their classmates / fellow patients.

With that in mind, here are five things I learned from last night’s episode, “Curriculum Unavailable.”

1) John Hodgman makes a very convincing fake psychiatrist. For most of the episode, he had me convinced that all three seasons of Community were just delusions of seven mental patients. OK, fine, maybe I wasn’t completely convinced, but is it so wrong to want to believe your favourite show would end with exactly the same twist as Shutter Island (movie-spoiler if you haven’t seen it, but if you haven’t, I’m very disappointed)?

2) Pierce is becoming senile. Even a fake psychiatrist could see that. He’s slow to react, rude, and forgetful, and that was all before the senility began to sink in. Now it seems like Pierce has the potential to forget he was talking to someone in mid-conversation or even in mid-sentence. But I guess everyone is little crazy-town-banana-pants sometimes. Read more…

By Galen Simmons

Dearest Mother,

By the time this letter reaches you, Troy’s blanket fort has probably seceded from Abed’s pillow fort. Greendale has divided its loyalties along said line, and a conflict of unimaginable proportions has taken place.

General Shirley has won quite a few battles for Troy, but for all her victories, General Pierce seemed to shoot back with his own triumphs. The ever-diplomatic Jeff has been encouraging the feather-shed (get it? Blood-shed?) for his own self-interest, while Annie has been nursing the countless wounded.

There is peace for now, brokered by Dean Pelton, but for how long? All I can do now is hope I live to see another day, but, alas, if I don’t make it home alive, please take comfort in these out of focus, poorly framed battlefield pictures taken by Britta.

Yours truly,

Galen.

P.S. Five things I learned from last night’s episode of Community “Pillows and Blankets” are…

1) When it comes to pillow fighting, the Changlorious Bastards are a force to be reckoned with. When unleashed upon Abed by Troy and led by General Chang, the Changlorious Bastards turned the tide of war. Their youth gave them an advantage over the regular infantry, as most of the regular infantry hadn’t fought a pillow fight since they were young. Only history will tell of the atrocities unleashed by the Changlorious Bastards.

2) General Pierce’s Pillow Suit might have saved countless lives on Abed’s side. The suit allowed Abed, for a time, to defend his soldiers against the infamous Changlorious Bastards. Unfortunately, at the last battle before the peace treaty, General Pierce was struck down by the Bastards. If the war had continued, Abed wouldn’t have stood a chance without the Pillow Suit. Read more…

By Galen Simmons

Happy New Year… in March. Last night’s episode of Community was surprisingly narrow in focus for once. The episode centred around Abed’s apparent addiction to celebrity impersonators, mixed with a dash of Britta trying to save Jeff from his own mental problems. Shirley, Annie, and Pierce did not really factor into the episode at all, other than being the butt of a few celebrity look-a-like jokes.

So, five things I learned from last night’s episode “Contemporary Impressionists” are:

1) Abed is an addict. He’s also sociopathic, but that’s not the point… or maybe it is, I don’t know, I’m not a psych major. Either way, Abed almost had his legs broken because of his addiction to celebrity impersonators last night, yet he didn’t seem to care. Britta’s planning to take him on as a case study for her psych class, but I think Jeff would be an easier choice, and that’s saying a lot.

2) Jeff still has problems, the latest of which can be metaphorically summed up by an expanding apple. While trying to save Abed from the consequences of his debt to the celebrity impersonator mafia, Jeff’s ego is left unchecked and is eventually enhanced by the anti-anxiety meds he’s taking. Dressed as Ryan Seacrest at a bar mitzvah, Jeff is told again and again that he’s better looking than the guy who’s sort of famous for being good looking. The apple that is Jeff’s ego finally consumes him, leaving him mentally broken by the side of a road for Britta to pick up.

Watch it here: 

3) Troy may not put up with Abed’s antics much longer. He was so upset with his roommate’s latest escapade that he had to convince Abed to give up his free will in certain situations to prevent him from getting into situations that could cause anyone bodily harm. If Abed can’t mend his ways, we may see a splitting of friends in episodes to come. And I don’t know if I can take that.

4) Britta’s psych classes at Greendale require her to study and diagnose her mentally unstable friends. I suppose if I were in psych and had six nutball friends as examples of unhealthy psyches, I would probably pick up the ability to diagnose people’s mental disorders as quick as Britta did.

5) Dean Pelton is so susceptible to Jeff’s anxiety-medicated swagger force field that he ends up writhing on the ground, half in pleasure, half in pain. Never underestimate the power of aviator sunglasses and a beard.

Tonight’s the night! Community is finally returning after it’s overdrawn hiatus. We know you’re already in the mood (how could you not be?) but in case you need a reminder of how awesome the show is, check out this fan promo, which showcases the show’s best clips with Madeon’s “Pop Culture” playing over them.

The video’s editor talks about the show’s influence on their life: “The writing on this show has effected me greatly since I found it, such that it convinced me to return to university after having dropped out. I truly love the show, so the goal of this video was to hook people into it as best I can. Hopefully the video isn’t cheesy though.”

I already revealed that I watched the entire two and a half seasons in a month, often cramming them in before bed or early in the morning…. I have an addictive personality when it comes to worthy TV shows. I don’t know how I’ll fare watching the show on a weekly schedule… it’s just not enough.

The ladies of the Today Show finally got their chance to face Joel McHale, who makes part of his living making fun of people like them on his show The Soup. Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb seemed genuinely annoyed by McHale, who was there to promote tonight’s new episode of Community.

The ladies called him out by rolling the very clips in which he makes jabs at their drinking. McHale even came prepared with a bottle of wine for them.

I don’t know if they were expecting and apology, but McHale firmly stood by his decision to mock their “drunken” antics while the ladies pretend to laugh with pained smiles on their face. Even if they’re secretly hurt, the ladies take it in stride.

After all, it’s all in good fun and it’s free publicity for their show… As for McHale, I think he really wanted to talk about Community but instead he was on the defensive for part of the interview.

I’m a little late to the whole Community obsession. I only started watching it a little over a month ago but have already gobbled up all two and a half seasons. It takes a lot for me to admit this.

Anyway, Community is returning from its hiatus this Thursday and in an upcoming episode they’ll be paying homage to another NBC show. Maybe you’ve heard of it, Law & Order? That one.

In the meantime, Tauntr created this Law & Order Community intro to tide us over. As Abed would say, “cool cool cool.”

1) Community is slowly shifting from a clever comedy to an epic thriller — the entertainment event of the year. No more laughing for us, it’s all about the suspense.

2) It’s the end of the world community college as we know it. The Greendale seven are expelled, but are given a second chance to purge all the weirdness from their system. This naturally leads to the question, what will happen to the weirdest person in the group, Chang?

3) The main love interest is of course Troy and Abed, but they are ripped apart by their “destinies.” It seems to come to a head in a battle of pillows, with each of them leading their own warriors.

4) Annie gets a “passing grade.” I know, hold your shock. Apparently Annie sometimes gets C’s too.

5) There are tons of epic scenes, though it’s hard to relate them to one anther: Chang tasers his man parts, Britta dresses as Michael Jackson, Jeff goes to the chapel with a special someone and Abed wears a fake beard.

The new season starts on March 15. Will you be watching?

Your WORST nightmare has come true. Joel McHale revealed in an interview with TV Guide that a character from community — thankfully not one of the main ones — will die this season. He said it’s “someone you’ve seen a lot. And he dies in the mid-afternoon.” That’s very important: note that he will die, not she.

Is there anyone on the show that you would be happy to see go? Place your bets here, but please note,  we can only offer the victor bragging rights.

If you’re not a fan of football, you may watch the Super Bowl for the amazingly expensive commercials.

Since the big game airs on NBC, actors from some of the biggest shows on the network got together for a musical number. Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin from “30 Rock” started off, with appearances from the cast of “Community”, “Parks and Recreation”, “Smash” and my favourite: “Law and Order: SVU”.

The number ended with everybody out on the street dancing like they’re filming an episode of “Glee”. It’s cheesy but endearing. If you love to watch NBC, you’ll appreciate this commercial.

The Situation is taking his G-T-L to the suburbs.

The Jersey Shore star is set to play himself in an episode of the NBC comedy Suburbatory. He’ll be seen DJing at a high-school school dance. I’m sure the extras on the set will be excited about that.

Situation is following in the footsteps of Vinny, who was recently seen on 90210, playing an arrogant Hollywood actor. It wasn’t anything to write home about, though. Vinny could have used some acting classes, as I’m sure the Situation will desperately need too. Although he did appear on a season of Dancing with the Stars, it wasn’t necessarily “acting”.

The Gossip Cop says the episode staring the guido should air sometime next year.

Most divorced couples stay far, far away from each other. Courtney Cox and her ex, David Arquette are doing the complete opposite.

The couple recently separated after 11 years of marriage when rumours of David’s infidelity made headlines. The two have a daughter, Coco, who is now 7. To prove to Coco and everyone else they can still be model parents, they managed to stay friendly and respectful.

David is currently a contestant on ABC’s Dancing with the Stars and Courtney has been seen in the audience cheering him on. Cute! I can’t list that many broken-up couples that can still manage to be in the same room together, let alone go on to produce comedy shows.

The pair have sold a sitcom to NBC, according to the Hollywood Reporter. It’s called Ten Years and much like their own lives, it’s the telling of a modern couple going through marital problems. But the work doesn’t stop there!

They’re also in talks to sell another sitcom, Skinny Girl, to ABC. This show follows the life of a former fat girl who’s trying to maintain her weight while working at a greasy diner. It doesn’t sound as interesting or intelligent than Ten Years but if the two manage to sell both sitcoms to both networks, we can expect them to stay side by side for a long time. Maybe even rekindle lost love, later down the road. It’s all about staying together for the kids, right?