Ricky Gervais recently reprised his portrayal of David Brent from the original U.K. “The Office” in a new short, The Return of Brent. He created the video for a U.K. telethon that is sponsored by Comic Relief called Red Nose Day. Although the special that ended the series was a perfect ending to the tale of David Brent, I guess I don’t mind too much finding out what happened to him, which includes pursuing a music career and selling cleaning supplies. It’s not too surprising to hear him describe the time since working at Wernham Hogg as “the best ten years” of his life. Check it out.
In the video, Brent mentions that he is working with rapper Dom Johnson, and you can see the “result” of their collaboration in this video for “Equality Street.”
The new David Brent videos are related to a new Ricky Gervais YouTube channel. The new channel will feature sketches, podcasts, and clips related to the making of the new Muppets sequel that stars Gervais.
What do you think of David Brent’s return? Leave your two cents in the comments.
Steve Earle recently performed two songs from his upcoming album The Low Highway on the Ron and Fez radio show. Check out “The Low Highway” and “Invisible” below.
We have previously featured the video for “Invisible,” Earle’s new song about the homeless. The Low Highway will be released April 12.
What do you think of Steve Earle’s new songs? Leave your two cents in the comments.
On March 19, 1931, Nevada state legislators voted to legalize gambling in the state. The measure was passed out of concerns about people leaving the state and how hard times had hit the state during the Great Depression.
After the U.S. acquired the territory in 1848 after the Mexican War, a large number of settlers moved to the state following the discovery of gold and silver. Nevada became a state toward the end of the Civil War, but by the time the Great Depression arrived, the state was not doing well. So, the move to legalize gambling was seen as a way to save the state’s economy.
During the early decades of legalized gambling, organized crime controlled much of Las Vegas. Among the organized crime leaders was Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel.
Siegel arrived in Las Vegas in the 1940s. His life is portrayed in the movie Bugsy(1991), directed by Barry Levinson and starring Warren Beatty.
The most famous gangster film also features a character based on Bugsy Siegel. The character of Moe Greene in The Godfather (1972) is based on Siegel.
In The Godfather, Michael Corleone arranges to have Greene killed in a massage parlor with a bullet in the eye after Greene refuses to sell his casino interest. Alex Rocco plays Greene/Siegel in this clip below.
In Mario Puzo’s novel The Godfather, Greene is killed in his Hollywood home. That version is a little closer to the real-life death of Siegel, who was shot and killed while he was at an associate’s home in Beverly Hills.
Speaking of the real man, you can see the real Bugsy Siegel and the 1940s Las Vegas scenery in this footage posted on YouTube by one of Bugsy’s daughters. Check it out.
While Bugsy is no longer around, celebrate the anniversary of the Nevada law by recognizing you are lucky to be alive. Enjoy the day.
What is your favorite movie set in Las Vegas? Leave your two cents in the comments.
In a recent discussion of the song “The Raven” from The Alan Parsons Project album Tales of Mystery and Imagination: Edgar Allan Poe, I promised to revisit the 1976 album. My favorite song on Tales of Mystery and Imagination tells the saga of one of my favorite Edgar Allan Poe stories, “The Cask of Amontillado.”
“The Cask of Amontillado” is narrated by a man taking revenge upon a person named Fortunato for some unnamed insult. The narrator tempts Fortunato to his basement with a cask of the alcoholic beverage Amontillado, a type of sherry. And then begins his plan.
This fan video for The Alan Parsons Project song helps illustrate the disturbing tale, beginning with the wonderful opening haunting line by The Alan Parsons Project that encapsulates Poe’s story: “By the last breath of the four winds that blow / I’ll have revenge upon Fortunado.”
Toby Keith used the idea of “The Cask of Amontillado” in a video for his song “A Little Too Late” from the CD White Trash With Money“ (2006). In the video, Keith uses the same idea that appears in the Poe story of building a tomb of bricks around one’s “enemy.”
Although Keith’s song is not literally about the Poe story, the video, directed by Michael Salomon and featuring actress Krista Allen, gives a humorous twist to the original disturbing ending of the Poe story. Check it out.
“The Cask of Amontillado” has inspired other songs, TV shows, etc., in pop culture, such as an episode of The Simpsons where Mr. Burns tries the tactic on Homer. The twist in the Toby Keith video reportedly copied a 1971 episode of Rod Serling’s Night Gallery called “The Merciful” (available on Hulu) so it is unclear how much the director was thinking of Edgar Allan Poe and how much of Rod Serling.
Finally, did you know there is a word for building a wall around someone so they die? “Immurement.” Anyway, these immurements made some interesting stories and songs.
What do you think of “The Cask of Amontillado”? Leave your two cents in comments.
Last night, The Office featured what was apparently edited from the pilot for the abandoned spin-off series Shrute Farms. The episode “The Farm” featured Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson) returning home after his aunt had died.
In the episode, we also met Dwight’s brother Jeb (Thomas Middleditch) and his sister Fanny (Majandra Delfino). The three siblings discovered that their aunt left her large farm to the three of them if they would return to take care of the farm.
The enjoyable episode did seem like a pilot with the introduction of characters that you expect to be developed. Also, there were some oddball touches, touching on the strangeness we are used to seeing when Dwight has returned home in previous episodes.
The Office has long been one of my favorite shows in both the American and the U.K. versions. And even though I have missed Steve Carrell, I so hate to end my relationship with the characters that I would have given any spinoff a chance. It would have been interesting to see how Dwight’s life developed. But, alas, it is not to be.
“Sons and Daughters”
One of the interesting aspects of the episode was the appearance of a Decemberists song I really like, “Sons and Daughters.” In one scene, Dwight and his family sit around playing instruments and singing the song.
While it seems odd that the Schrutes would be playing a recent song by the Decemberists instead of an old German folk tune, it was great to hear the Decemberists and “Sons and Daughters” getting some wider exposure. (Update: The original video of the scene is no longer on YouTube, but the video below includes some images from the episode.)
The Decemberists
“Sons and Daughters” appeared as the final song on the Decemberists album The Crane Wife (2006), the band’s major label debut. The album is partly based on a Japanese folk tale about a man who discovers the woman he married is actually a crane he had once helped.
As part of the song cycle on the album, “Sons and Daughters” is a hopeful ending, looking forward to a better future. When we arrive sons and daughters; We’ll make our homes on the water; We’ll build our walls with aluminum; We’ll fill our mouths with cinnamon, now.
Although it looks like there is no happy ending for Schrute Farms for now, we are hopeful that The Office will pull it together to give us a finale that lives up to this song and the great series. In this video, the Decemberists, who have previously appeared on The Simpsons, play “Sons and Daughters” at Metro Theatre in Sydney in 2010:
What do you think of the final season of “The Office”? Leave your two cents in the comments.
Ricky Gervais recently reprised his portrayal of David Brent from the original U.K. “The Office” in a new short, The Return of Brent. He created the video for a U.K. telethon that is sponsored by Comic Relief called Red Nose Day. Although the special that ended the series was a perfect ending to the tale of David Brent, I guess I don’t mind too much finding out what happened to him, which includes pursuing a music career and selling cleaning supplies. It’s not too surprising to hear him describe the time since working at Wernham Hogg as “the best ten years” of his life. Check it out.
on the 
“ (2006). In the video, Keith uses the same idea that appears in the Poe story of building a tomb of bricks around one’s “enemy.”
