The Watchin' Stuff (New) Portlandia Drinking Game

Hi there folks! As you know, it's been several months since I've posted an new drinking game and I figured it was high time for a new one. However, instead of creating a game based on a new show, I decided to revamp a previous show's drinking game. I made the original Portlandia drinking game before the start of season 2 and I've since realized some of the rules were not as relevant to the subsequent seasons as I had hoped. So, in order to rectify my lack of foresight into the development of Portlandia, I've made a brand, spanking, shiny, new Portlandia drinking game, perfect to play while watching any of the show's four seasons. So, try your hand at some mixology or just fill your mason jar with your favorite whiskey and have some fun with the official Watchin' Stuff (New) Portlandia Drinking Game. But remember, don't drink and bike.

5 reasons season three of Portlandia was the best

As you probably know, it's been a couple of weeks since the end of Portlandia season three. And in its absence I've been forced to do a lot of soul searching and reminiscing about the season as a whole. As a result, I've come to the decision that, for many reasons, season three was the best season yet. Don't wanna take my word for it? Well, check out a few of my reasons below. 

1. Season-long character arcs: Although I do love the the standard, disjointed Portlandia skit format, this season they switched it up with some of our favorite characters existing within storylines that developed over the course several episdoes. There were still a lot of crazy stand alone skits that were never referenced a second time, but having running plotlines throughout the season really served to bring more closure in the season ender. Peter and Nance became B&B owners, Fred and Carrie were almost torn apart and in the last episode we were left with a sense of finality and fulfillment which was a refreshing change from the previous two seasons. 

2. Winter special: Airing a few weeks before the actual first episode of season three, the winter special, "Winter in Portlandia", served as a good way to ease us into the season. There were very few things from the episode that were carried through into the next ten episodes, but it was nice to get a special, extra episode before the start of the real season to set a tone of sorts. Not to mention, it was just a really good episode. 

3. Use of the word "shit": In the previous two seasons of the show, there was little to no swearing, but it seems they got a little more lax in the third by throwing the word "shit" into the mix. Still no sign of an uncensored "fuck", but I'll take the occasional "shit". Not sure why I find this so exciting, I guess I just like swearing.  

4: Roseanne as the temp mayor: Initially, I wouldn't have necessarily thought that Roseanne would make such a great addition to the show, but, for me, she was one of the standout guest stars of the season. As much as I love Kyle MacLachlan as the official mayor of Portland, Roseanne's few episodes as the temp mayor were great and just watching her walk around the city judging the Portlandia natives was possibly one of the funniest things to happen all season. 

5. Carrie finally in a relationship with a girl: Carrie Brownstein and Chloe Sevigny guys, this cannot require much explanation. I know I can't be the only one who was hoping that the show wouldn't deny Carrie's occasional love for the ladies. So, after three seasons of the Carrie's character exclusively dating men, it was a nice change of pace for her to get a bit of action from Chloe Sevigny. Furthermore, and on a slightly more political note, I really appreciate the way they approached the whole "girl on girl" subject by totally going for it but, at the same time, not making a big deal out of the fact that Carrie is into girls. There was no big coming out or dramatic "I don't know what to do, I think I'm into her". It was just, "I'm into this girl, whatever", the way it should be, so thanks for that guys because, not gonna lie, this scene accounts for about 35% of my love for season three. 

Watchin' Stuff Lite: Vol. 1

Good evening, friends! So, despite the fact that Watchin' Stuff the radio show has come to an end, I figured that doesn't mean I can't continue to suggest things to those who visit the blog. And for that reason, I give you "Watchin' Stuff Lite" Vol. 1. A hint of Watchin' Stuff flavor without all the banter and games. Anyway, here are some things I thought I'd share:

#1: Here's a song I meant to play on the show at some point but didn't get a chance to.

"Hey" - Pixies

#2: Portlandia season 3 starts tonight, but while you wait, you should really check out the winter special, "Winter In Portlandia." It seems my favorite show hasn't lost it's touch and we're in for some fun this season. 

#3: Here's a song I'm kind of into. A little different than my usual plays on the show, but fun nonetheless. 

"Bad Girls" - M.I.A.

#4: The Supersizers Go..., available on hulu, find it and watch it. Introduced to me by "friend of the show" Chloe Holtzman, The Supersizers Go... is a British history/culinary show that follows a food critic, Giles Coren, and his comedian friend, Sue Perkins, as they attempt to live as people from various English time periods (although they do go to Ancient Rome and the French Revolution also) for a week. Although it is informative, it's also incredibly entertaining and always good for some laughs. 

#5: This tune I recently rediscovered. 

"English Rose" - The Jam

Recap of Episode 12: Saturday Night Live

So, this post has been a very long time coming and I apologize for my very lax blogging, folks. I hope to have everything up to speed on here very soon, but for now, lets start with a little SNL recap, shall we?

Saturday Night Live theme song circa 1995ish

A bit of SNL background and history.

Some clips we mentioned throughout the show: 

• Ludacris "Rickdiculous" monologue
• Chris Farley Chippendales dance
• Phillip the hyper hypo 
• Celebrity Jeopardy
• Will Farrell as Harry Caray
• Schweddy Balls 
• More Cowbell
• Mary Catherine Gallagher
• Two A-Holes
• Spartan Cheerleaders (bad quality, be forewarned)  
• Will Ferrell devil skit
• Matt Foley Motivational Speaker
• Political Comedian Nicolas Fehn
• Stefon

Commercial Parodies mentioned: 

• Woomba
• Mom Jeans
• Oops! I crapped My Pants
• Old Glory Robot Insurance 

"American Girl" - Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers

More music by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers

"King Tut" - Steve Martin

More music by Steve Martin

"Diamond Dogs" - Beck (David Bowie cover)

More music by Beck

Digital shorts from my digital short game: 

• Jizz in My Pants
• Lazy Sunday
• Dick in a Box
• Natalie's Rap 
• Motherlover 
• Original Shy Ronnie
• I'm on a Boat 
• The Shooting AKA Dear Sister 
• 3-Way (the Golden Rule) 
• Just Had Sex  

Podcast of Episode 12: Saturday Night Live

Shockingly enough, we have the recording of this morning's show already. So, for those of you who missed this morning's Saturday Night Live episode, here is the podcast chalk full of SNL info, good music and exciting games. So, check it out! *Note: this episode has been modified slightly from its original broadcast.

WS - Saturday Night Live 05.04.12 by Watchinstuff on Mixcloud

And if you care for a bit of drinking with your Watchin' Stuff podcasts, try out our official Watchin' Stuff drinking game while you listen.

Watchin' Stuff updates of the week

Hello everyone, hope you're all having a good week so far. Well, first, some bad news, it looks like due to some archival issues we might never see a podcast of our Britcom episode. Hopefully somehow the recording will appear at some point, but the outlook isn't so good for that one at the moment. Though it is sad, we here at Watchin' Stuff are looking into the future instead of dwelling on the past and we can't wait to bring you our 2 hour music extravaganza this Friday. Ever discovered a song through a television show or movie? We certainly have and we'll be playing several of them on the air for you this week, so be sure to tune in. In the meantime, check out this clip of my favorite musical usage in a TV show I've come across in quite a while.

The Watchin' Stuff Portlandia drinking game

All right, as promised, here's the Portlandia drinking game so you can enjoy the show and put a fifth on it! Hope you have fun with it.

Podcast of Episode 2: Portlandia

Hey everybody, for those of you who missed this morning's show, or just want to hear it again, here is the podcast of our Portlandia episode! I hope you enjoy it.
*Note: this podcast has been modified slightly from its original broadcast.

WS - Portlandia 02.17.12 by Watchinstuff on Mixcloud

And for those who would like a bit of alcohol with their Watchin' Stuff, check out our official Watchin' Stuff drinking Game.

Recap of Episode 2: Portlandia

All right everyone, here are some links to things we discussed on this morning's show.

The Internet videos that started it all, ThunderAnt! My favorite is One Man Show but go to the site and pick your favorite.

Assorted referenced Portlandia clips:

• Dream of the 90s: Fred and Carrie introduce you to the wacky charm of Portland 
• Steve Buscemi cameo: Steve finds out the bathroom really is '4 customers only' 
• Aimee Mann Cleaning Lady: The music industry really is struggling 
• Jeff Goldbloom cameo: Wanna buy an artisanal knot? 
• Wieden + Kennedy: Reference to the ad agency where Carrie once worked
• Wilson lightbulbs: Carrie shows her comedic abilities despite illness 
• Selma Blair cameo: Selma appears in a badly made short film for the Blunderbuss film festival

Carrie Brownstein's NPR Blog, Monitor Mix. Although she no longer writes for the blog it's still a good read.

Fred and Carrie's full Spotify playlists. Click the picture to access the playlist (just so you know, it requires Spotify):

More music from bands played/referenced on the show: 

• Trenchmouth (More Motion is them Red Over Red is not, just to clarify) 
• Excuse 17 
• Sleater-Kinney
• Wild Flag
• And another Carrie Brownstein related band I forgot to mention: The Spells (Age of Backwards and Bat vs. Bird are their's, not Little Oaks) 
• Washed Out: the band that provides the Portlandia theme song
• Portlandia soundtrack music

Some of the other songs played on the show today. 

My 'Put a bird on it' shirt.

Just in case you didn't believe me, proof that Carrie Brownstein is on Rolling Stone's list of the Top 25 Most Underrated Guitarists. 

And finally, proof of the show's quotability, this is the whiteboard on my fridge. This was a running game between my roommates and I for about a week. In case you can't read them, the quotes are: 

• "We have a me no no bring bags" 
• "Cacao!" 
• "A-oh River" 
• "Put a bird on it!" 
• "I made a homemade quesadilla" 
• "I do a lot of canning of jams and I would like to can you" 
• "I'm just a little guy" 
• "Cheese boats are dope" 
• "Whose dog is this, the one with the lips that are falling off?" 
• "Jenna get yo' acupuncture" 
• "I'm not gonna go crazy on the counter or anything" 
• "You've got a neck like a movie star" 
• "No, you go" 

I really hope that was everything. If there's anything else you care to know, please comment. Also, if you have IFC, tune in for the seventh episode of Portlandia season 2. Podcast and drinking game should be posted shortly. Thanks guys. 

Birthday post!

It's my birthday and I'm gonna make myself a homemade quesadilla. Not sure what this means? Check out the clip.

And as a birthday gift to me, please tune-in for our Portlandia show tomorrow morning! 

Valentine's Day Portlandia style

Happy Valentine's Day everybody! Hope it's a good one. In honor of V-Day and our upcoming Portlandia episode of Watchin' Stuff I've decided to post some of the best love/relationship clips from the show. Please, do enjoy.

The short-lived love between Carrie and a large man

Love and marriage

Love tainted by bad tattoos

Love that will make you a little uncomfortable

And the brand I'm most familiar with, infatuation

Portlandia avatars!

Talor and I are planning this weeks show today and got sidetracked making our own Portlandia avatars on the IFC website. Heres what we came up with. Hope you like them. Mine's the one on the right, without the beard. I have no beard.