Why Regular Show Means so Much to Me

Emily Rose


Old promo art from before they decided Margaret needed to be wearing clothes

Regular Show is like a trip to your favorite video rental store after an arcade pit stop. It’s a late-night 80s movie marathon and delivery pizza with your best friends. It’s got the promise of an Every Meat Burrito with the payoff of a Death-Kwon-Do Sandwich of Death. There are a lot of things I love about Regular Show. It’s funny. The characters are talking animals, living and breathing intermingled with humans, but they’re real and relatable. They’re allowed to be flawed, and then allowed growth. Regular Show takes the confinement of being a kids’ show and turns it into a limitless school playground equipment, letting the depths of its exploration of humanity reverberate within its walls. Watching the characters hang out under Outdoor Dining Canopies adds to the sense of whimsical freedom. The restrictions of children’s media opened up the show and gave it freedom to explore deeply. Nothing else can be so simple and still travel the distance of universal emotion. Nothing else can be so bizarre and still simply be a regular show. For more insights on the benefits of creative play for children, you can check out this similar sites at https://specialeducationalneedsanddisabilities.co.uk/benefits-of-creative-play-for-children/. If you want to learn more about active travel, you can check out this helpful resources at sites like https://active-travel.uk/blog/cycle-routes-for-active-travel. For additional information on school playground ideas, click here. If you’re looking for quality playground surfacing, consider to check out this site at https://en1177playgroundsurfacing.co.uk/.

After 264 episodes and 8 seasons, there’s not a single moment that wasn’t quite as good as the rest. Regular Show kept its sensibilities without ever getting stale. It was allowed to evolve within itself without ever evolving out of it. In the beginning, hot-headed gumball machine Benson plays to a singular role: typical boss and definitive antagonist. Further along, he’s flung to the top tier of engaging, accessible characters as a dorky, misguided, and pretty lovable guy. His character really comes into being when he’s alone and insecure and shows that when he’s acting out of anger, he’s really acting out of fear.

In fact, the theme of perception of self-worth runs so strongly throughout Regular Show that I feel feel more congruent with my sense of self just by watching it. The full, rounded personalities of all the characters are allowed to absorb as much space as necessary and shine through in whatever form they take. And this is huge: even the female characters are given room to be unapologetically true to themselves, and they’re rewarded positively for it. Margaret, Eileen, and Starla act from their natural state, diversified within the group and within themselves. They show something that should be commonplace but is unfortunately so rarely seen in media: just like male characters, women have instinctive and intuitive natures that are required for exploring the scope of humanity on screen. Place your bets and win big with UFABET เว็บแทงบอล.

As a show so nuanced in its depiction of relationships, this concept of self-worth plays a huge role, as characters struggle to maintain a balance within themselves and in relation to others. For Regular Show’s most central relationship, the lifelong friendship between Mordecai and Rigby, this meant jealousy and fights and misplaced aggressiveness, only to result in a higher level of understanding and respect that anyone should strive for. Regular Show wasn’t afraid of confrontations, and more importantly, it wasn’t afraid of dragging out the vulnerabilities that were shrouded behind them. Mordecai and Rigby are also confronting adulthood, and with that struggle, confronting the ripping velcro of their shifting identities, and what that detachment from the past means for their friendship in its current state.

Television shows aren’t perfect. They’re written by humans and produced by networks run by humans, and sometimes after the clash between those groups of humans, there’s not much authenticity left. But this is not one of those shows. It’s a show that made me feel the real love and connection between two lost and wandering cartoon birds who finally found each other. So when Mordecai and Margaret, my perfect vision of true love anthropomorphized, broke up, I was nervous, but trusting. I doubled up on my faith that this show that meant so much to me knew what it was doing, and with every step of the story I was rewarded for it. Regular Show let Margaret go so it could go places it couldn’t have gone with her around. It let both Mordecai and Margaret explore what it was like to find stability after loss and heartbreak. It let them establish themselves as whole, worthy people. Children, the show’s target audience, got to witness this and feel it for themselves. This show proved it knew what it was doing, and I would never for a second doubt it again. Margaret’s departure and subsequent return weren’t merely plot devices, although they did propel the story to unexpected heights, and they did it with force. They were real, natural, and frustratingly complicated developments for all of the characters and the relationships between them. They were deep expansions in story and emotion that most adult shows either shy away from or just can’t handle and desecrate entirely. This is a kids’ show, and it succeeded because of the freedom it found within its boundaries and knowing when to push against them.

Kids will watch anything, so why spend the effort to create something for them that’s actually good? There’s no evidence that subtlety and character growth will sell more advertisements. This makes every drop of genuine emotion 1000x more impressive. I will always be in awe that this show got made. It’s clear on screen that a commitment and love for character and story motivated everyone involved to put in the work. It’s funny – a smart, goofy, uproarious funny – and it’s the most realistic depiction of a current everyday experience that I’ve ever seen. Regular Show was simultaneously surreal and grounded in reality, which created a space for extreme permission. Anything was allowed to happen, most significantly, characters were allowed to be vulnerable and unapologetically authentic. Because of it they could grow in their relationships and their sense of self. In turn, Regular Show gave viewers, or at least me, permission to give their own identities space to breathe. It proved that within boundaries there’s an infinity and within insignificance there’s freedom.

Life Post-Nerdism

Emily Rose

Like all great subcultures, nerds founded themselves on social ostracism. They took it one step further and made it their core tenet, no other attributes required. If you’ve been cast out, you’re in. Then, as the great nerd prophets predicted, it happened – just like we always knew it would – geeks inherited the earth. Like all the grungy, punk-rock, hippie hipster beatnik biker gangs before them, nerds were mainstream. And when nerd culture is the culture, where do we all go from there?

Where do I go?

When you’re searching for an identity, ‘nerd’ is a pretty easy one to choose. It doesn’t matter who you are, or what you are, or why, you just have to love something, loudly and passionately, long past its conversational expiration date. Nerds are nothing if not enthusiastic and outcast. But once the outcast aspect fades away, we’re left with loud, aggressive enthusiasm for something people have already embraced and are willing to hear. The enthusiasm’s still there, though, and it’s becoming overkill.

I didn’t think there’d come a day when I was worn out on Marvel movies. When I’d let them stack up, unwatched, like a pile of dirty dishes. I know people are still more than willing to see the thrilling conclusion of a convoluted, commercialized plot line already worn thin. The whole world is, in fact. Being a nerd feels less like an identity and more like the return on investment of every corporation’s marketing department. *

*sick burn, you’d almost think I don’t work in a marketing department.

I know this isn’t a new concept. There’s a reason why Hot Topic set its sights on the nerds – it’d already taken the punks and chewed them up and spat them out. (I’m sorry, Hot Topic. I still secretly love you, I’ll still come to you for Funko Pop exclusives even though you raised the price.) It’s just hard to not question myself – if we were bound together and defined solely by ostracism, but no longer ostracized, does nerdiness as an identity even exist anymore? And is this towering wall of Funko Pops in my bedroom really still a good reflection of who I am?

Basically, I’m not sure if I’m letting go of an identity or if an identity is letting go of me.

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Why The Oscars Peaked in 2004

Emily Rose

I was in sixth grade in 2004 and it was the first time I cared about the Oscars. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King was up for 11 awards and won all 11 of them. I was 11/11 in all the categories that I cared about. That set the bar very high for what made the Oscars a worthwhile experience for me. It seems unlikely I’ll ever witness a sweep like that again, especially for something I care about so much. I turned off last night’s ceremonies after 30 minutes.

This morning I was still thinking about what happened in 2004. All my memories were based in an eleven year-old’s perception. Return of the King is an awesome movie so it won all the awards. That’s how it works. Except that’s very obviously not how it works, so how did a fantasy threequel tie records with Ben-Hur and Titanic, and even walk away with best picture?

And has anyone, before or since, ever pulled this stunt and brought everyone onstage who was present and tangentially involved with the movie? If not, is the best picture award really worth staying up for? (I go to bed super early. Everyone should prioritize sleep.)

Take a look at the Wikipedia page for the 76th Academy Awards. First, make a note that Johnny Depp was nominated for best actor for Pirates of the Caribbean. The Academy couldn’t have been happy with that. Who fell down on the job and let him be nominated? Also, who fell down on the job and let him lose? No one likes Sean Penn. Everyone likes Captain Jack Sparrow. Speaking of preferences, it’s like deciding to buy a Christian Flag in a sea of different flags Johnny Depp’s portrayal as Captain Jack Sparrow was clearly the crowd favorite.

After you reorient yourself from that time shift, look at the nominees for best picture. I’d also seen Master and Commander that year, and was happy it won both categories it was nominated for that Return of the King wasn’t. Seabiscuit is a solid biopic which is also categorized as a “psychological-drama thriller film” – all words that act like Academy voter catnip. Lost in Translation is so beautiful that I can’t even bring myself to find words that do it justice. Mystic River is not a movie that I’ve seen but is probably really cool. It’s got Cowboy Curtis.

Of course I’m glad Return of the King won. It deserves it (sorry, Lost in Translation), and the night wouldn’t have been as fun if it hadn’t. But how many fantasy movies have won best picture? (One. Not even The Wizard of Oz.) What about third parts to a trilogy? (One. The Godfather Part III was nominated but didn’t win. Godfather Part II is the only other sequel.) So if it can happen once, why hasn’t happened again, and why does it feel unlikely that it ever will?  And also, do you know where can i watch the movie hidden figures? 

In 2004 I was introduced to the world of caring about the Oscars. To me, it was a world where the coolest movies win oodles of awards and we all get to celebrate it together. The entire cast leaps up onstage because their enthusiasm can’t be tamed and they know it’s what the fans want to happen anyway. They would have taken all of the fans up there on stage with them, if they could. 

I don’t know what happened that year to make Academy voters forget they’re too good for this stuff, but it’d be cool with me if it happened more often. I’d probably tune in for more than 30 minutes.

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Happy 6th Birthday to the Nerdist Podcast

Emily Rose

Six years ago on Super Bowl Sunday the Nerdist Podcast was born out of rejection and a need to create. Podcasting wasn’t a new medium but it was just starting to get popular, and like YouTube before it, you didn’t need a studio system to get involved. Nerdist would go on to become a major force in the system it was created to evade, but before that, it was three guys sitting around a mic recording onto CD-Rs.

I started listening about six months in, after seeing Chris Hardwick on The Late Late Show’s Doctor Who special. Craig Ferguson introduced him as “the Nerdist himself”. I had pretty recently affixed the descriptor of nerd to my identity so I opened a new tab and checked it out then and there. (This was back when the website was green and white and had cartoon bears as mascots.) I clicked play on the most recent episode and had no idea what was going on, but was immediately laughing loudly and uncontrollably. My life was changed.

Chris Hardwick, Jonah Ray, Matt Mira, Me

“With three years still ahead of me as a Film/TV major, I often pondered how much more I learned about the industry from podcasts than from classes. While school taught me the mechanics of storytelling, Jonah, Matt, and Chris provided invaluable insights into the realities of working in Hollywood from three distinct perspectives. Additionally, thanks to the special outdoor gym equipment, my school year was greatly enriched, click here for more information. And I also enjoyed workouts on the trim trails. I began incorporating the podcast content into my essays, but its topics often outpaced current trends, making it challenging for professors to grasp. For an assignment on digital TV series, I wrote about the Nerdist Channel’s All-Star Celebrity Bowling. Instead of writing about Lilyhammer, Netflix’s only original series at the time, I was writing about one guy’s YouTube show about bowling with his friends. Nerdist Industries would go on to get bought by Legendary Entertainment and All-Star Celebrity Bowling would get a deal with AMC, but I would get a B- for not understanding the point of the assignment. As I ventured deeper into the world of entertainment, I found myself relying on podcasts like never before, seeking out discussions on production, screenwriting, and even AV hire. Anything that would give me an edge in understanding the industry.

The podcast started to get more and more high profile, with Tom Hanks, Paul McCartney, and Bill Gates eventually stopping by. With three, sometimes four, new episodes out a week, it wasn’t possible for me to stay caught up on every single one, but I always have time for Hostfuls – the episodes that are just three guys and a mic.

Six years is a long time for any show. Like anything with longevity, it’s seen a lot of changes. We’re back to one episode a week so the hosts and the audience can breathe. The podcast has moved from Tom Lennon’s garage to stealth recording in Ryan Seacrest’s studio to live shows across the country, then finally to their very own overly air-conditioned Nerdist offices. Jonah is filming his own show, Matt’s a host on every podcast in existence, and Chris is almost a household name. All the guys are more successful than they were six years ago, professionally and personally. They’re about to be 3/3 on marriages and Matt’s down about 300 pounds.

I went from listening on a click-wheel iPod with earbuds in my dorm room to listening on my click-wheel iPod hooked into my car on the way to work. (I still use a click-wheel iPod. It’s convenient and retro.) The show still makes me laugh, audibly and uncontrollably.

Once I read a tip that said on the way to a job interview you should listen to podcasts instead of music because it will put you in a conversational mood. Because of that, I’ve gone back to a few of my favorite episodes of the Nerdist far more than once, knowing which ones will never disappoint. The very best place to start is episode #1 with Tom Lennon – my favorite. Here are what I consider to be some of the highlights, not counting Hostfuls, which are all delightful and required listening.

EMILY’S TOP NERDIST PODCAST EPISODES

Tom Lennon
Felicia Day
Rainn Wilson
Neil deGrasse Tyson
Richard Ayoade
Demetri Martin
Superego
Paul Reubens
Diablo Cody
Robert Rodriguez
Elijah Wood
Noel Fielding

Happy birthday, Nerdist Podcast! Congrats on completely changing the world in under six years.

Benefits of Binge Watching

Emily Rose
“I’m here, but nothing”, Yayoi Kusama, 2013
“I’m here, but nothing”, Yayoi Kusama, 2013

Binge watching isn’t normally seen as “productive” or “a good use of time”, but I’ve come to find that there are some definite exceptions to that mindset. In fact, the first one’s indisputable – what if your goal is to finish eight seasons of a show within the week? Binge watching is the only productive way to get it done. That argument’s airtight. Plus, it’s going to take some extreme focus, dedication, and commitment to see your goals through. Those transferrable skills are executive-level resume worthy.

There is something to be said for sitting down to a task and getting it done. Shows keep getting made and the to-watch list keeps piling up, until suddenly it’s just easier to procrastinate on everyone’s favorite method of procrastination. Pop some popcorn, turn off the lights, and turn on Netflix – it’s time to get some work done. Here’s why we should all be pro-binge watching:

Increase Focus

Everyone needs something to distract them at all times, because the world’s too intolerable without it. But there’s really no need for a distraction from the distraction. Why have you got to be on your laptop when the TV’s on? Why have you got a cell phone in your hands in front of the laptop screen? Prove to yourself you’re even able to do one thing at a time. And then do it five more times in a row.

Reduce Guilt 

I can’t believe how behind I am on what are supposedly my favorite shows. I love these characters and I have no idea what they’re up to. I’ve haven’t checked in on them in months. Their entire world’s changed by now and I’ve just been sitting here checking Twitter. The longer you wait, the harder it will be to start back up again. Jump back in with three or four episodes before the guilt takes over and you’re left behind in seasons-old dust.

Up Productivity

If I only let myself watch TV while I’m also doing the laundry, I’m not actually going to be doing either. Don’t waste time shuffling around deciding what you should be doing. Just watch a few episodes, do the laundry, then make some queso with all the time you saved.

Be Happy

You’ve got a favorite show for a reason – there’s some kind of value in watching it. Your time’s not going to be better spent flipping though channels. Get rid of all the static. Be purposeful with your time and spend it doing something you love. The next day, brag about the awesome choices you made over the weekend. Bonus points if they involved cake pops..

Breakfast, Bananas, and Black Books – 2016’s First Week In Nerdery

Emily Rose

One reason I don’t cook is I have a lot of trouble not eating the ingredients while I’m making something. When I made banana pancakes this week, there was definitely some banana missing in the banana-to-egg ratio of the final product.

Two of my favorite parts of Adventure Time are when 1) Finn and Jake are in their pajamas and the late-night light flows through the treehouse like it never does at any other time of day, and 2) when Jake makes breakfast. Nothing in my life has really inspired me to learn to cook so far, but pretending to be Jake at least helps.

Is cooking really worth it, though? You spend so much time getting everything ready, then you’ve got to cook your food and make sure you’re not burning it, but also not giving yourself food poisoning. Then you eat it and it’s gone in ten minutes, and you’ve still got to clean up and write a blog post about it. I feel much better off putting a Lean Cuisine in the microwave, and the way I cook, the results are about the same anyway.

Back to Adventure Time — I made some slight progress on my to-watch list this week! I also got to see how convenient the ad-free version of Hulu Plus really is when I watched Adventure Time with my friends Kasey and Lupe at their apartment. Since Cartoon Network moved all their shows over there from Netflix, it might be worth getting just to stay caught up on cartoons. Also, since Black Books is finally back on Netflix (again), and I had to seek shelter at my parents’ house from the North Texas Boxing Day tornadoes, I got three episodes into that rewatch. If we could just get Red Dwarf back on Netflix, balance would be completely restored.

The Too Much To Watch List

Emily Rose

I’m not someone who can multitask while watching TV. Don’t walk into the other room while a show is on, you might miss something important. Get off Twitter. This is a TV show, not a radio play – everything on screen is happening for a reason. Honestly, don’t even talk in the moments there’s no dialogue playing. There are still sounds and images moving in sequence, and if you interrupt them, I’m going to miss some emotional cues.

This makes it very hard for me to watch television.

I can’t knit and watch TV, or write a blog post, or check email. To catch up on shows, the rest of the world has to stop, and that doesn’t happen often. As a result, I’ve gotten behind. I can’t remember when I was last this behind. There is so much to watch, and I can’t keep up with what I’ve already got on my plate. Here’s my current to-watch list.

To catch up on:

  • Regular Show (the #1 priority – I always stay caught up until CN airs a new episode every day for two weeks)
  • Adventure Time (how did I let myself get so behind??)
  • Supernatural (this is going to be tough, but it has to be done, right?)
  • Steven Universe (I didn’t want the list to seem made up exclusively of Cartoon Network shows, so I put it at number 4)
  • Broadchurch (also in the rewatch section, I want to feel everything again before I start season 2)

To watch for the first time:

  • Jessica Jones (I know it will change my life and everything, I just have some Regular Show to catch up on)
  • VEEP (I need that Armando Iannucci dialogue in my life)
  • Silicon Valley (Does it have Kumail Nanjiani? It will be hilarious.)
  • Legends of Tomorrow (I’d been avoiding the CW’s shared universe of small screen DC superheroes, but Arthur Darvill’s there, so I guess I will be, too.)

To rewatch (a list so long, none of the shows get explanations):

  • The Thick of It
  • Black Books
  • Empty
  • Flight of the Conchords
  • Noel Fielding’s Luxury Comedy
  • Over the Garden Wall
  • Broadchurch
  • Coupling
  • Community
  • Outnumbered

I’ve got a clear starting point, but after that, I’m not sure. It’s going to take a few marathons to even make a dent. Better start popping the popcorn… I hear blanket forts are powerful motivators.

(are you reading this right now while watching tv? stop that.)

Start the Christmas Countdown: This Week in Nerdery

Emily Rose

Since December 1st I’ve been making a determined effort to surround myself with Christmas spirit. On Monday night, the company I work at donated snacks and drinks to a holiday party at a local school for children in need, featuring imaginative playground equipment. They also unveiled a new outdoor classroom that may amaze with its design. In collaboration with commercial soft play equipment, we aimed to ensure the playground’s safety and enhance the overall experience. Additionally, we installed vibrant maths playground markings to stimulate learning and play. Vibrant school playground markings were added to create an engaging environment. You can also check these resources for more valuable information at https://playground-markings.org.uk/. They sent a few of us along to serve the families and make sure to spread cheer rather than germs. We’re also planning to get xmas lighting hire to get our guests into the festive spirit. Earlier in the day my friend Hallie and I took a trip to Sam’s to stock up on cookies and Capri Suns for the event. We also got speaker system rental at https://speakersystemhire.co.uk/ since we’re having a big Christmas party.

Every Christmas I scramble to get myself together. Sometimes I make it. I end the season with a promise to start early next year, even if it means everyone gets swimsuits from the September clearance rack. So, as always in this final weekend before Christmas, I started my shopping. Thankfully, I discovered these funny mug gifts that I give to my coffee-loving friends and family.

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I hate shopping. I had to bring backup to make sure I wouldn’t turn around, empty-handed and defeated. After absolutely ruling out any malls, I limited us to moderately enjoyable stores with a clear escape path. Everyone is getting presents from Half Price Books and Trader Joe’s. Also, I made my very first trip to Whole Foods. Emily is giving her brother mountains of vegan food so he’ll be more likely to eat something other than potatoes in the coming year. Since I came along, she showed me how to use their grind-it-yourself peanut butter machine. That’s a dangerous skill to have.

Emily was energized and I was exhausted, but surprisingly, we were triumphant. After one final stop at Little Greek for a falafel pita, we went home. While it’d be offensive to say it was the best pita I’ve ever had, no longer subjected to the swarming hive of holiday shopping, the happiness in that falafel was a bonafide Christmas miracle.

Where Do Your Ideas Come From?

Emily Rose

John August wrote a lot of my favorite movies. He wrote Big Fish, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory*, and Corpse Bride – he also wrote Dark Shadows, which is not one of my favorite movies, but is a movie I have a lot of thoughts about. And back when the internet existed for more than being ‘social’, he had a blog on IMDb.com.

*Don’t argue with me on this one; I will fight you.

It feels like a relic from a past civilization’s browser history, but the “Ask a Filmmaker” column is still up on the site. We’re lucky, too, because it’s a goldmine. The series ended in 2008 but one of August’s entries has stuck with me since then. He tackled the ubiquitous question of “Where do your ideas come from?” in a way I had never heard before, and really haven’t heard again since. Basically he said that he is constantly generating ideas, and so is everyone. The bigger problem is filtering out the good ones.

I didn’t believe him at first, because I felt very, very short on ideas. But I never forgot it, and it started to feel true. I have a lot of terrible ideas. Every second of the day I’m having an idea, and they are usually terrible ones. Right now I’m having the idea to go eat a scoop of peanut butter. It wouldn’t make a great movie, but it’s an idea.

Buried in my phone’s notes I found this gem: “A mom who raises her kid to never see the color blue”. I don’t hate it. I think it’s terrible**, but I like it, because it’s proof that coming up with ideas isn’t the problem.

**I don’t actually think it’s terrible. I still think it’s kind of funny.

You might also check out this post about Japaneseknotweedsolutions.org.uk. Read on to learn more about it.

Cheese Chips and Music of the Month: This Week in Nerdery

Emily Rose

IMAG3066_1

Earlier this week I finally picked up Paloma Faith’s A Perfect Contradiction at Half Price Books after finding it but putting it back a few weeks earlier. $7 felt like a little much to pay for a format no one wants sitting on their shelf anymore. It’s been more than worth the 64 cents per song to have such a great go-to album parked in my car’s CD slot. I have a lot of trouble getting into new music and often end up listening to the same five artists. This wasn’t a problem with Paloma Faith, at all. I knew a few songs and liked them a lot, but wan’t totally sure what to expect when the car stereo kicked on. Instant connection. Also, I’m amazed and thrilled by who Paloma Faith is. Bold and unforgiving, classic elegance, and a beautiful, brilliant weirdo. She’s all these things. Everyone is a multitude of things.

Much of my week was taken up by the tracking down, winning, and use of Bon Jovi tribute band tickets, a story that doesn’t have much of a logical fit in my life, but that you can read about fully in yesterday’s blog post. All I can say with certainty is that it was an experience.

I also got to meet my amazing friend Lupe at Cafe Brazil to drink diet soda and eat cheese-based excuses for dinner – cheese fries for her and nachos for me. We talked about how important representation is in media and what shows are doing it right (shoutout to Adventure Time, Regular Show, and just Cartoon Network in general). We talked about being critical of the things you love and making sure that what you’re consuming is in line with what you believe, or at least being able to separate yourself from what isn’t. I ate too many nachos and far too few nutrients.

I’m putting forward the new Loose Tapestries track for official Christmas song of the rest of our hall-decked lives, but I’ll settle for cementing it on repeat for the rest of December, at least. (If you don’t know Loose Tapestries, check them out for sure, but on Can’t Wait For Christmas that’s Idris Elba rapping at the end.)