Rest in Peace, George

I’m sure that I’m not the only member of my generation who first came to know the comedian George Carlin thanks to 1989’s Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, where he played Bill and Ted’s time-traveling mentor Rufus. But I’m pretty sure that I am one of a very few people in the world who, when they heard about the death of George Carlin, thought about his performance in Kevin Smith’s Jersey Girl first and foremost.

If you haven’t seen Jersey Girl—and, let’s face it, very few have, considering the horrible reviews it was given in the wake of Gigli—allow me to illuminate you. Carlin plays the father of Ben Affleck’s Ollie Trinke, and Carlin’s character, Bart, along with the eponymous Jersey Girl herself, are the glue that holds Ollie together after his wife dies in childbirth.

Carlin gets all the great lines and, in my opinion, steals or comes close to stealing nearly every scene he’s in. And for me, the film is worth watching if only to catch Carlin’s performance in a scene near the end, a scene wherein this battle-tested comedian gives an incredibly real and painfully heartbreaking dramatic performance.

I’m not sure if IMDB has the exchange exactly right, but they’ve got the gist of it:

Ollie: Come on, Dad. Don’t you wanna live alone again?
Bart: Not as much as I don’t wanna die alone.

Of course, Carlin also gets his share of hilarious jabs and colorful language in the film, too. But everyone who knows Carlin knows going into the film that he’s funny. I’ll always remember him in Jersey Girl because, for me, it was the film where he proved he could do it all.

Rest in peace, George.

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Ryan Seacrest To Host Three-Way

Editor’s Note: In case the date-stamp didn’t make it clear, this article was part of GF5’s April Fool’s Day Joke for 2008.

Ryan Seacrest will host a special three-way American Idol competition, Geek Force super-spies have learned. The competition will be between Sarah Silverman, Jimmy Kimmel, and Elizabeth Banks, each of whom has made a splash in the music industry this year with their “I’m Fucking So-and-So” songs. Silverman, of course, started the trend with “I’m Fucking Matt Damon.” Kimmel shot back at Silverman with “I’m Fucking Ben Affleck.” And Banks trumped the both of them by proclaiming loudly and proudly, “I’m Fucking Seth Rogen.”

Producers are in talks with Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson, and Paula Abdul to reprise their roles as absolutely horrid judges of American musical talent.

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Elizabeth Banks is Fornicating with Seth Rogen

Not to be outdone by View Askew alums Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, VA-mastermind Kevin Smith brings us Elizabeth Banks singing ”I’m Fucking Seth Rogen.” Unlike the Ben and Matt videos though, there’s no bleeping here. So, be sure to stay away from this one at work, unless you’ve got a good pair of headphones.

And, in case you’re wondering where this came from—because, really, who in their right mind would want to bone Seth Rogen?—this video also serves as a first glimpse into what’s going on behind the scenes during the filming of Kevin Smith’s next film, Zack and Miri Make a Porno. 

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Affleck vs. Damon - Who Would You F*ck?

I’ve had Sarah Silverman’s ”I’m Fucking Matt Damon” video saved as a favorite on YouTube since I first spotted it on the Best Week Ever blog back at the beginning of the month. Over the weekend, I fired up the AppleTV and showed it to my wife, my sister-in-law, and her husband. They all roared with laughter. My daughter, Kaylee, who will turn two in March, didn’t quite get it. “What’s with all the beeping, Daddy?” she would have asked, were her vocabulary expansive enough to allow for such a query.

Anyway, I think I like Jimmy Kimmel’s payback video even more. What can I say? I’m a sucker for the celebrity/pseudo-celebrity cameo. And this vid’s got that going on in spades. McLovin and Huey Lewis in the same clip? Sign me up!

How about you, Geek Forcers? Which of these two View Askew alums would you rather get down and dirty with? Ben Affleck or Matt Damon?

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