FanFare

It begins in an unnamed city nicknamed “the Fairest”, it is distinguished by many things from the river fair to the mountains that split the municipality in half; its theaters and many museums; the Morgue Ship; and, like all cities, but maybe especially so, by its essential unmappability. [more inside]
posted by jazon on Mar 26, 2023 - 2 comments

English artist Louis Wain rises to prominence at the end of the 19th century for his surreal cat paintings that seemed to reflect his declining sanity. Benedict Cumberbatch and Claire Foy star in this affecting biopic of the Victorian painter whose enthusiasms were overtaken by mental illness. [more inside]
posted by jouke on Jan 14, 2022 - 5 comments

This week: the show once again comes to us from the Blank White Void of Sad Facts. Alex Jones solemnly states on air "I'll admit it... I will eat my neighbors." The Coronavirus has, in three months, killed more Americans than the entire Vietnam War yet with no end in site, yet Jared Kushner essentially declared victory over it on Fox News. Ubiquitious testing is our only real way out of this problem, with current testing levels falling far short of what is needed despite having had months to improve the situation, so the main story tonight is: what happened? On YouTube (23m) And Now: Even During a Pandemic, Florida Just Can't Help But Be Florida. Finally, for some reason cats seem to love Last Week Tonight, so they decided to pander to them with a short spin-off show, "Cat Week Tonight." Contains Martin Sheen. [more inside]
posted by JHarris on May 5, 2020 - 14 comments

A tribe of cats called the Jellicles must decide yearly which one will ascend to the Heaviside Layer and come back to a new Jellicle life.
posted by tofu_crouton on Dec 20, 2019 - 94 comments

Meet the fascinating felines and the people who pamper then in this whimsical look at the ins and outs of Canada's competitive cat show circuit, where the claws come out when a Turkish Angora and an adorable fluffy red Persian face off to take home the national award for Best in Show.
posted by PussKillian on Jan 24, 2019 - 10 comments

First up: An enthusiastic endorsement from Prudence for walking out of movies you don't like! Then, academic and pop culture writer Anthony Oliveira joins to tackle your letters: How do I get my husband to stop using a body spray that makes me ill? I told my "social justice warrior" kids I'm questioning my gender and they're threatening to skip the holidays. Help! My husband and I married young – should we open up our marriage to try new things? I adopted a lost cat as my own, but now I think I might've stolen it. I had a fling with someone that I later realized was in a long-term committed relationship – should I tell the other woman? And finally: My friends created a dumb nickname for my boyfriend and it stuck – how do I let it go so I don't accidentally call him by it?
posted by chesty_a_arthur on Jan 11, 2018 - 4 comments

Pulp novelist Holly Martins travels to shadowy postwar Vienna only to find himself investigating the mysterious death of his old friend Harry Lime. [more inside]
posted by Sheydem-tants on Dec 29, 2015 - 33 comments

This week: Vladimir Putin holds his yearly four-hour marathon Q&A session with the Russian public. Oklahoma volunteer deputy Robert Bates shoots black suspect Eric Harris. In preparation for Earth Day (it's in a week), they took a quick look at the plight of the polar bear; not only is their habitat shrinking, but pollution is threatening the species by weakening male polar bears' pelvic and penile bones. In studio we meet Marshmallow, the Polar Bear With A Broken Penis. And Now: The Most Patient Man On Television Endures The American Public. (That would be Steve Scully of C-SPAN's Washington Journal call-in show.) Main story: Abuses of the US Patent system. (YouTube 11m) And Now: The Continuing Adventures Of The Most Patient Man On Television. And finally, we return to CNN's infamous "end of world" video, with Last Week Tonight's own proposed version (YouTube 7m), narrated by Martin Sheen and featuring footage of an old-time Western saloon peopled by cats.
posted by JHarris on Apr 21, 2015 - 7 comments

Today we deliberate over careers, redundancy, hair dye and the Royals eating hot dogs. Answer Me This! Episode 308 is a surprisingly jobs-themed episode, with questions about whether your tertiary education should prepare you for one, to how your hair can affect your ability to get one, to what you do when you lose one. [more inside]
posted by jazon on Feb 20, 2015 - 0 comments

Should an elderly cat be treated as a family member? [more inside]
posted by Shmuel510 on Feb 16, 2015 - 14 comments

Hey you! On today’s question-answering slate: female strippers, male strippers, drupes, Grumpy Cat, beckoning cats, Cats, Lil Bub: the Chris Martin of cats, Ben Lashes, fast food delivery, wedding diplomacy, Happy Meal toys, Ronald McDonald vs Carol Vorderman, human beatboxing, coconuts, and Femidoms. Plus: Olly’s brain or his wang can be stimulated, but never at the same time; Helen could have been the late-90s Beanie Baby trading magnate of Tunbridge Wells; and Martin the Sound Man exercises uncharacteristic restraint in the face of a question about beatboxing. Though he still manages to sound like he’s polishing a window with his own spit. [more inside]
posted by ocherdraco on Feb 6, 2015 - 1 comment

Twenty-something Arash lives in an Iranian near-ghost town called "Bad City" with his dad Hossein, who's addicted to heroin and endlessly pines the loss of his wife. By day Arash holds down a gardening job, whose wages just bought him a brand new vintage Thunderbird. At night he tries, often unsuccessfully, to hold Hossein's vicious dealer Saeed at bay. Little does Arash know that someone else is becoming quite interested in Saeed's welfare. [more inside]
posted by Sheydem-tants on Jan 19, 2015 - 11 comments

Bee and Puppycat are watching a marathon of their favorite show -- "Pretty Patrick Lunchtime" -- when little kid/downstairs neighbor/landlord Cardamon shows to fix their toilet, and he throws them out for the day so he can work. The search for a free TV is on! Beach (Youtube 6m) - Cats (Youtube 7m) [more inside]
posted by JHarris on Dec 20, 2014 - 27 comments