48 posts tagged “parody”

This was very subtle:

I thought it was a typo when I originally saw it (the proofreader’s instinct again), before it clicked: it’s Google’s 11th birthday. As parodies go, this one is clever—and few people can go around wrecking the Google logo in parody form, since the company regularly does it by itself.

Found via Jason Cutler’s Facebook, one of the funniest videos I have ever seen on YouTube. Sure, the cut of Helvetica is not quite right and the typesetting is a bit on the tight side compared to the original Magnum, PI opening, but it still shows amazing attention to detail. And the sequences that the creator chose are perfect.

My good friend on Vox, M., mentioned Kevin Spacey did some more impersonations when he hosted Saturday Night Live, as different actors auditioning for Star Wars. I have found the clip, and it is hilarious. Spacey does Christopher Walken again:

I quite liked the 1970s’ look to this sketch, too. Shows the attention to detail Lorne Michaels’ crew paid.

One of my favourite Benny Hill sketches—probably because I was a fan of The New Avengers, which was still on telly when this parody aired. Watch out for Jackie Wright as Mike Gambit! (This was originally preceded by a TV awards’ announcement, where Patrick Macnee wins best actor over Tiddles the Wonder Cat.)

Fabio Rex Too on Flickr has the right idea about swine ’flu:

   I think the internet population is realizing what a crock some of the swine ’flu reports are, especially the idea about vaccination. The image sums it up in a “so 2009” way. (Image licensed under Creative Commons 2·0 attribution licence.)

Found via Angie Blue Moon’s Vox, this is hilarious! Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders, Joanna Lumley, Sienna Miller, Philip Glenister and Alan Carr star in a spoof of Mamma Mia! for Comic Relief 2009.

What if Star Wars were made in the 1950s (and presumably in colour) and Saul Bass did the titles? A student worked on the following and I loved it.

   Another YouTuber responded with a parody of a parody, taking aim at the ‘remastered’ version:

I gave some thought to what on earth would happen if Life on Mars were remade in New Zealand, as the American one airs here a couple of hours before the British one is repeated on another channel.

Interior: police interview room. DCI Sam Tyler is interviewing a suspect, Colin Raimes, at the Wellington Central Police Station, with by Maya Roy, his partner and girlfriend, and Colin’s lawyer, psychiatrist and social worker.

   Sam: Interview commenced at 11 a.m. Present are Colin Raimes, his lawyer, psychiatrist and social worker. You know you are here for the abduction and murder of Lauren Chester.
   Colin’s psychiatrist: You are upsetting him, DCI Tyler. I am warning you. This prisoner has rights.
   Sam: I have here your diary, Colin Raimes. In here you state, ‘I’m a killer, she’s been killed.’ This was dated November 4, a day after the murder. Now, we know on November 2, when she was abducted …
   Colin’s social worker: November 2? No, he was in our drop-in centre. I can confirm that.
   Lawyer: This interview is finished.

Interior: Later, at the station.

   Sam: I just know it was Raimes. He fits the profile. It’s in his psych analysis.
   Maya: Sam, I have a feeling about this.
   Sam: Look around you. What good are feelings in this place?

Sam looks around. He thinks he spies DCI Gene Hunt, DS Ray Carling and DC Chris Skelton out of the corner of his eye, at the end of the station. He shakes his head, only to find that Maya has gone. He returns to work on his PC terminal. Eventually, his mobile phone rings, breaking his concentration.

   Maya (over mobile): Sam, I am following my hunches. I’ve tailed Colin Raimes to … (screams).
   Sam: Maya! Maya!

Ext., on the streets of Wellington. Sam drives out, in his Jeep Grand Cherokee, angered and saddened at Maya possibly having been abducted by Raimes. On his Ipod, David Bowie’s ‘Life on Mars’ plays. As a car overtakes him, he brakes hard. He gets out of the car to collect his thoughts when a 1973 Holden Torana strikes him and he is thrown to the ground.
   Sam gets up, looking around and seeing 1973 cars parked on the street. People around him are dressed in 1973 gear. He looks in the mirror of one car and notices his reflection. He walks back to the police station, which is exactly how he remembers it, except for the 1973 cars outside.

Interior, police station. Ray Carling and Chris Skelton are in the corner where Sam thought he saw them. He walks over to them, confused.

   Sam (confused): What’s going on here? This is my office!
   Chris: You might want to keep it down, boss.
   Ray: Stop acting like a poofter. People are working here.

A rumbling noise is heard inside Gene’s office.

   Ray: Now you’ve done it. You’ve woken him.

Gene Hunt walks out, as Sam walks up to confront him.

   Sam: All right, surprise me. Just who are you supposed to be?

Gene grabs Sam into his office.

   Gene: They reckon you’ve got concussion, but frankly, I don’t give a toss. I’m Gene Hunt, your DCI. It’s 2009, and you shouldn’t take bloody smokos in the middle of the day, ya wanker. Stop heading down to look at the classic car parade and get back to work.

Sam looks out to see his PC, its screen still on the Colin Raimes file.

   Somehow in New Zealand, land of the All Blacks where blokes pride themselves on being blokes, male attitudes and language haven’t changed as much as they have in the UK since 1973. And there are certain places you could film this and it would still look like 1973. Go around and see some of the guys’ hairstyles and I swear it looks like the 1970s.

I had seen numerous Weird Al Yankovic parody songs, but I didn’t know he had a Star Wars one. The man is very clever, and without facial hair he looks younger than he did in the 1980s.