15 posts tagged “spoof”

My colleague Jen Hamilton and I were browsing YouTube after working on a site for a client, and stumbled across a bit of royal humour. What if the Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburgs, I mean, the Mountbatten-Windsors, were a Simpsons-style cartoon (featuring Mohammed al-Fayed and the Rt Hon Tony Blair)?
   Note to self: do not mention this blog post next time I see the Governor-General and his wife.

I searched for this online years ago and could not find it. Finally, it’s on YouTube. Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you the British version of ‘You’re the One that I Want’, written by John Farrar, but lyrics slightly modified from the original. (I could have lied and said I travelled to the future and found a video of Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta from 2050 in a Grease remake.)

Have y’all heard of Uncyclopedia? It’s a Wiki, but far more entertaining. The idea, as far as I can tell, is to take an entry and turn it into humorous BS. Here’s the beginning of the entry for Life on Mars:

Life on Mars is a BBC television series, based on the life of David Bowie.

Premise
Life on Mars tells the story of a police officer, Pete Tyler (played by Graham Norton), who is hit by a car and dies, only to wake up to find himself on an alien planet, where society is based entirely on old 70's sitcoms.

And it goes on from there. Take a peek—it’s a good laugh, especially if you have grown up watching 1970s British TV series.

I would have watched Alias if it was more like this each week.

Columbo in the 21st century

As a Miss (Universe) New Zealand judge, I can’t help thinking that pageantry would be an awfully good setting for a Columbo story, rather than the world of Sandra Bullock and Miss Congeniality. But we should have William Shatner guest-star.

Opening scene: Auckland hotel room. Miss Balclutha lies dead with a knife in her back. There is no blood as this is prime-time TV. Miss Titirangi, Miss Balclutha’s roommate, stands by the fireplace, her hands covered in fake-looking blood (which you can show on prime-time TV). A bloated, overweight crime scene photographer takes a snapshot of the body.

Cop 1 (examining the body): Looks like suicide to me.
Cop 2: Yep, let’s put that on the report.

Lt Columbo enters.

Cop 2: Say, Lt Columbo from the LAPD! It’s all right here, sir. It looks like a regular suicide.
Columbo: Is that a fact? You know, here I am on vacation in New Zealand with my wife, Mrs Columbo, and I see all these police cars, and I say to her, I just have to see what the boys in New Zealand are doing.
Cop 1: We appreciate it, Lieutenant, but I think we can handle it.
Columbo: Do you mind if I just look around? My wife, Mrs Columbo, she’s back in the hotel room watching CSI. I don’t like that show. Oh, too much blood, you know how it is.
Cop 2: Sure, Lieutenant. Pity those cops don’t know how to solve crimes like us real ones, huh?
Columbo: Oh, you can say that again.

Columbo turns to Miss Titirangi.

Columbo: Ma’am, can you help me out here?
Miss Titirangi: Of course, Lieutenant, but you have to know I’m pretty shaken up. I came back—I’ve been assigned as her roommate—and just found her like … that.
Columbo: Oh, I didn’t want to know all that. I was just wondering if you could stand over there so I could be nearer the fireplace. This coat, you know, it doesn’t have lining, and it’s colder here in New Zealand than in LA in April.
Miss Titirangi: That’s fine Lieutenant. Would you like a drink?
Columbo: No, Ma’am, I’m fine. But I just have to ask myself something.
Miss Titirangi: Yes?
Columbo (eyeing the coffee table): You see that DVD of Miss Congeniality that she has on the coffee table? I find that strange.
Miss Titirangi: Why is that strange, Lieutenant? A lot of us in beauty pageants have seen that film. Michael Caine is so dreamy. If you’re into old dudes.
Columbo: Aw, he’s not that old. Is he old? Maybe you’re right. But can I ask you one more question?
Miss Titirangi: Er, OK.
Columbo: Why is it that the store security sticker is still on it? She hasn’t watched it. So why would she kill herself?
Miss Titirangi: Well, you know, she was always a bit … unstable. I hear that she’s not even from Balclutha.

Columbo, seemingly satisfied, begins stepping toward the door.

Columbo: One more question, Ma’am. I won’t be a minute.
Miss Titirangi: Make it fast, Lieutenant.
Columbo (going to the coffee table, picking up items): And you see this greeting card she bought? She hasn’t filled it out yet.
Miss Titirangi (getting frustrated): She was a beauty queen. Maybe she was illiterate?
Columbo: I have to ask myself why she would even buy that if she was planning to kill herself.
Cop 2: Lieutenant, we might have to wrap it up here.
Columbo: That’s fine, Constable, I really should get back to my hotel room and see my wife, Mrs Columbo.

Columbo and the cops begin leaving. Columbo turns around.

Columbo (to Miss Titirangi): One more thing, Ma’am.
Miss Titirangi (irate): Yes, Lieutenant?
Columbo: How come your roommate left an envelope under the couch?
Miss Titirangi: What envelope?
Cop 1: Wow, he’s good, I never saw that.
Cop 2: Yeah, well you sat your Police College exam six times, Einstein.
Cop 1: Better than sitting it seven times. And you’re not in Guatemala now, Dr Ropata.
Columbo: This envelope, under the couch. I wonder what’s inside. Can we open it? Can we do that, Ma’am?
Miss Titirangi (irate and puzzled): Sure.

Columbo retrieves the envelope and opens it, pulling out photographs.

Cop 1 (examining the photographs): That’s Miss Titirangi!
Cop 2: Wow, that’s some serious girl-on-girl action.
Columbo: Is that you, Ma’am?
Miss Titirangi: No! Oh, just stop it! Stop it!
Cop 2: Your conscience finally got you, hey Miss?
Miss Titirangi: No, the questions! Stop him asking questions!
Columbo: One more question, Ma’am.
Miss Titirangi: No! OK, I did it, just stop asking me stuff! I can’t handle it!
Columbo: It won’t take any time, just one more.
Miss Titirangi: Stop it! Stop it! I did it, I knifed her in the back, see? She was blackmailing me with those photos, saying that she’d show them to the judges, especially Jack! And he’s the mean one! I came up behind her after she had been to Whitcoulls for the DVD and the greeting card! Please, lock me up. I confess. I’ll do life. Just no more questions!

Cop 1 and Cop 2 begin putting handcuffs on Miss Titirangi.

Cop 1: You have the right to remain silent …

Fade out. CBS’s ‘Mystery Movie Theme’ plays.

Author’s note: to the Trekkies expecting a walk-on from William Shatner, you’re too late. He played the crime scene photographer at the beginning.
   N. B.: This did not happen at this year’s pageant. Not exactly like this, anyway.

Anyone remember the 1984 Apple Macintosh TV commercial? A YouTube poster called ParkRidge47 has made an edited version with Sen. Hillary Clinton in the Big Brother role. For a home-made vid, this is really good.
   Please note that this video was put together by a Sen. Barack Obama supporter and that his URL appears at the end.

Un parodie du pub de 1984 pour l’Apple Macintosh, avec Hillary Clinton, trouvé à YouTube.

If you had a time machine, which year would you travel to and why?
Submitted by Michelle.

Probably 2015. Jennifer and I turn out fine, but it’s our kids, Marty. Something’s gotta be done about our kids.

You have to hand it to the folks who do these parody titles.

I found this among the Facebook-posted items from Eric Karjaluoto: a scene from Sesame Street dubbed with the voices of Robert de Niro and Joe Pesci from Casino. Warning: there is a lot of swearing in this. But of the remixes, re-edits and redubs on YouTube, this has to be one of the best.
   The worrying thing is that there are resemblances between Ernie and Pesci, and Bert and de Niro.

It’s time for Tony Ferrino to make a comeback. How about it, Steve? I know this was not that successful back in 1996–7, but I still think it was Steve Coogan’s best character. And trends have shifted: I thought Coogan was always too early with his impression of a fading Portuguese superstar in a pre-Pop Idol world. Just imagine: Tony Ferrino on MySpace! Tony Ferrino on X Factor!
   Coogan can actually hold a tune. Four clips from YouTube are below, one with Kim Wilde exploring the origins of the Tony Ferrino Phenomenon (the title of the show), a number called ‘A Short-Term Affair’ (later performed with Björk), another with Gary Wilmot (‘Fishing for Girls’) with some very bad innuendo, and my favourite, ‘Just Help Yourself’ with Mick Hucknall (saving the best till last here).
   There are far worse entertainers out there with more fame, and a pisstake one such as Ferrino might just work in the 21st century. The issue is: would he be too late now, post-Borat?