Maybe Saturday Night Live should stick to doing ONLY parodies of The Office from now on because, seriously, the two Office parodies they’ve done recently, have been two of the best things they’ve done, since, I don’t know, when Will Ferrell left?

Both feature Jason Sudeikis and Kristen Wiig as Jim and Pam, respectively, who do a great job mugging for the cameras. And Kristen Wiig, who has become a star since Rainn Wilson’s SNL, does an amazing Japanese-Pam-laugh. Kenan Thompson does Stanley justice in both, and Bill Hader steps in for Rainn in the Japanese version. I think, though, that seeing Steve Carell say “That’s what she said” in Japanese (I’m pretty sure that’s what he says towards the beginning with Pam) puts “The Japanese Office” over the top — and having Ricky Gervais in support doesn’t hurt either. But either way, they’re both classic moments from SNL.

Rainn Wilson’s Opening Monologue

Steve Carell in “The Japanese Office”

Someone serialized the beginning of Indiana Jones and The Raiders of the Lost Ark. Very cool. Watch below:

(via Videogum)

As anyone who follows me on twitter knows, I have recently fallen madly in love with Billy Bragg.   And one of my favorite songs is “Waiting for the Great Leap Forwards.”  I found this video of Billy playing the song last year at SXSW via The Current, which is an awesome public radio station out of Minneapolis. (They have an excellent weekly podcast as well.)  Mr. Bragg is always tweaking the lyrics to this classic.  Here are some choice lyrics in this version:

“The Cold War now is over / But the stakes are getting higher / I’m frightened of collateral damage / And of friendly fire /  And I don’t believe we can defeat no Axis of Evil by putting smart bombs in the hands of dumb people.”

Seriously good stuff people. Check it out:

It looks like Scarlett Johansson got caught on video trying to “sing” some Tom Waits songs recently. Someone even recorded her doing it as prank and are putting it out as an album — a non-standard celebrity oops (a little refreshing, actually).

For the record, my money is on Zooey Deschanel as best starlet singer. She’s like a sweet little wet puppy with those big round eyes of hers — what is known as a PILF in some circles — and having M. Ward right there beside her makes for a formidable team.

Unfortunately for ScarJo, she reads a little flat when doing Tom Waits. It could be because she is flat, or it could be that Tom Waits and pretty don’t mix. Whatever it is, I don’t *get* it. But then again I don’t always get Tom Waits either, so in a weird way maybe it does work.

Nonetheless — wait for it — I could watch Scarlett sing the phonebook and find it completely captivating. She could even sing the worst thing the world to EVER have to read, YouTube comments (MUCH, MUCH worse than the phonebook, and plus, does anyone actually read the phonebook anymore?) and still be sexy. There, I said it.

Anyway, here’s some of the captured video…

(via Stereogum)

This just in: More evidence that America is the GREATEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD. Where else would these remarkably dumb hillbillies (this is actually what they call themselves) get to live in freedom and say ignorant sh*t like this?

Money quotes:

“I’VE HAD ENOUGH OF HUSSEIN”
“She actually fears Obama because he is black”

Question: Has there ever been a time when Rihanna wasn’t amazingly hot? Okay, I see you shaking your head. And I agree. Even in this video where Maroon 5’s Adam Levine mercilessly tries to wrestle the sexiness away from Rihanna (have you no decency sir?!), she somehow manages to pull it off. Especially great is at the 2:55 mark when she glides her hand over the neck of (remember to breathe, breathe) of his guita-ahh! I can’t take it anymore! Adam Levine you’re killing me dude! Must. Not. Watch. Okay, just one more time.

(via Idolator)

Oh, and by the way, as a diehard Vikings fan, I agree.

In case you missed it, Man vs. Beast was a Fox TV show in 2003, that featured human competitors trying to beat various animals, or “beasts” as the show called them, in athletic activities. There were many uniquely funny and ridiculous moments on Man vs. Beast but none funnier than when a team of tracksuit wearing midgets raced a camel. Not only is this ridiculous purely for the setup. I mean, brilliant idea. But what makes the clip is the completely over the top announcing. I hope he got paid well for this, because that is not easy.

Really, I feel bad for everyone involved in this race. From the midgets who are obviously being exploited because they look funny running around the track, which they do, to the camel who thinks it’s running for its life, and for anyone, like me, who actually spent minutes (plural) watching this dreg. But in the end, Joe Gieb’s track team of midgets did pretty well. It’s unfortunate that “Mighty Mike Murga” had to slow them down.