All the weeks are blending together, but somehow we've made it all the way to the 38th edition of Friday Five. Our content consumption this week revolved a lot around the career of Norm Macdonald, but that didn't stop us from checking out some great new stuff from current artists, too. We've got some funk, some indie-dance-pop, and a little bit of Oscar bait. All in all, it's a pretty loaded list.
Norm Macdonald
The comedy world lost a legend this week with the passing of Norm Macdonald. Dozens of the comic’s bits and videos circulated as tributes poured in, and we definitely went down the rabbithole of all his old work. Our favorite, and the one we recommend visiting first, is his portrayal of Burt Reynolds, AKA “Turd Ferguson,” on Saturday Night Live’s “Celebrity Jeopardy!” It’s an iconic sketch, and definitely one of the Youtube videos we’ve watched the most through the years. His smirk and deadpan delivery standout in a scene with some really talented performers, and Turd Ferguson is maybe the best made-up name ever. But really, there’s no wrong place to start in reliving Macdonald’s best work. You can start with one of his various talk show appearances, his roast of Bob Saget, his hosting gig on the ESPY’s, or just compilations of great Weekend Update jokes. While maybe not always mentioned with the all-time greats, it was incredible to see just how widespread Norm’s influence stretches throughout the comedy scene. And, of course, just to remember how incredibly funny he was.
Glass Animals - “I Don’t Wanna Talk”
The Glass Animals dropped a song at the end of last week that we cannot seem to get out of our heads. “I Don’t Wanna Talk (I Just Wanna Dance) is upbeat, it’s catchy, and it’s infectious. It just makes you want to move. And fittingly enough, the band dropped a music video that puts it on display. The video follows a boombox, presumably playing the hit song, around a small town. We see a wide collection of people all dancing along at work, in parking lots, out at bowling alleys, and pretty much anywhere else you can think of. The colors in the video are incredibly vivid, and the reds especially pop off the screen. There’s a really cool retro feel to the town itself, and the fonts and other elements of the video match it. Just like we can’t stop listening to the song, it’s pretty hard to take our eyes off the video. Glass Animals brought high-octane fun with their song, and they certainly matched the energy with the video. Now we just wanna dance.
The Other Two
Once again, we have a new comedy series to recommend that’s early in its run. This time, it is HBO’s The Other Two, which comes from a couple veteran SNL writers and features a loaded cast of comedic actors. The Other Two, now in its second season, mainly follows the two underachieving siblings of a 13-year old pop superstar. While Season 1 focused mainly on the young “Chase Dreamz” and his rise to stardom, Season 2 lets family matriarch Molly Shannon really cook, and she delivers. After just seeing the former SNL standout on White Lotus, it’s been fun watching her really go for it in a pure comedy. Ken Marino, another one of our comedy favorites, also delivers on a great bit-part as a talent manager, which gives him a ton of space to riff. Helene Yorke and Drew Tarver, the siblings from the title, are more than capable of hanging with the bigger names, and quickly put their improv chops on display. While the show is mostly light-hearted, and often vulgar, there are also some really touching family moments that provide a nice, surprising change in tone. If you’re looking for a new show to deliver some laughs, look no further than The Other Two.
The Eyes of Tammy Faye
Now that the summer is over, we get to really start to see all of the Oscar battles heat up as studios release their biggest projects. This week marks the release of The Eyes of Tammy Faye, which should at the very least get some awards buzz around its lead performances. Jessica Chastain and Andrew Garfield, both Academy Award nominees, seem to be really going for it as the infamous televangelist couple Tammy Faye Bakkar and Jim Bakkar. After seeing a lot of the trailer in theaters this summer, we are excited that it’s finally hitting the big screen. While sometimes biopics can be a little dull or predictable, the trailer for this one offers up some pretty cutting humor. And, of course, the performances promise to be pretty spectacular. And we’d be remiss to not mention the use of “These Eyes” in the trailer, which is both insanely catchy and will also forever remind us of Superbad. We don’t expect The Eyes of Tammy Faye to highlight the fall run of awards contenders, but it definitely feels good to be kicking off the season.
Southern Avenue - Be The Love You Want
We already got you up and moving with “I Don’t Wanna Talk,” but if you’re looking for something a little more chill this week, Southern Avenue has you covered with their album Be The Love You Want. Right off the bat, you can feel the funk influence in the album, as the title track immediately brings in horns and a solid groove. The vocals across the whole album, no matter the pace of the track, are incredibly smooth, and often soothing. Even on the slower, chiller songs, you still might feel your foot involuntarily tapping due to a killer rhythm section. We need to start building out our cold nights playlists, and there are definitely a number of tracks off Be The Love You Want that would fit right in, including “Fences.” But until the weather really cools down, we can just keep the whole album in rotation anytime we need a little funk in our life.