Pop Culture Club - by Philip

I actually just wanted to make a few comments about some recent pop culture situations since, as the parent of a teenage daughter, I am the most qualified person on the planet to opine on the state of popular entertainment today. But since I titled this piece "Pop Culture Club," I kind of feel obligated to say something about Boy George's incarceration for the false imprisonment of a male escort who refused to have sex with him. But I actually feel too sorry for Mr. George to take a cheap shot at his expense. Seriously, how skanky do you have to be before a hooker just gives you your money back and leaves? Ooh... looks like I didn't feel too sorry for him after all.

Now a quick question: Whither SNL? Why are you so good at political satire and so bad at everything else? You sucked last night, SNL, even with the extremely talented eye candy, Rosario Dawson, at the helm. My daughter and I looked at each other in stunned disbelief at least 3 times during last night's show because the sketches were so damn awful. Kristen Wiig, I want to have your babies, but please don't ever do that Gilly character again. I say this because I care. And who the hell are the Fleet Foxes? Sure, their musical ability is fairly apparent, but I'd have preferred to listen to the SNL band instead, or maybe to watch Rosario Dawson doing her wardrobe changes. Is that one of the options? Please?

Here's another question: Is Jemaine Clement the greatest living geek or the greatest geek of all time? Yes, Bret is awesome too, but Jemaine is the man. Though the season opener didn't leave me humming any songs (unlike last season's "Most Beautiful Girl in the Room" episode), here's hoping that things will pick up now that they've laid the groundwork for the new season.

On another subject, I have mad love for both Toni Collette and Steven Spielberg, but are they really making a show about a woman with multiple personalities? There have been more shows about people with multiple personalities than there are people with multiple personalities. Sure, they will probably make the best show of its kind, but did the world really need another one of these?

For our next topic, "Push?" Are you serious, Djimon Hounsou? You're better than this. I mean, Chris Evans and Dakota Fanning I can understand, but you? Speaking of hugely lopsided talent-to-movie ratios, Steve Martin has finally answered the imaginary clamor to make a sequel to his Pink Panther movie. My daughter Lauren said it best when she saw the trailer and asked, "Aren't those all the same jokes that they did in the first movie?" Yes. Yes, they are. At least for every steaming pile of Pink Panther poop that Steve puts out, he makes a movie like "Shopgirl" or he takes a couple of dead guys out to eat at the Lapin Agile.

And finally, congratulations to the Pittsburg Steelers for making it to yet another Superbowl, and to the Arizona Cardinals for finally getting some ass in their britches. Go Cards.