The Nine Lives of Tyler Labine

Comedy is a treacherous business. I have a soft spot for a comedian who is having a hard time (unless that comedian is Dane Cook). Tyler Labine, a portly and wisecracking comic actor in the vein of Jack Black, has definitely been having a hard time. Labine may be adept at making me and my son laugh, but he has repeatedly failed to attract an adequate audience on television. He has starred in three short-lived series in the last four years. Invasion was canceled after 22 episodes, Reaper was canceled after 31 episodes and, now, Sons of Tucson was canceled after a mere 4 episodes. Any other funnyman would have exhausted his welcome with network executives, but Labine has something that the executives like. CBS has already cast the actor in a comedy series called True Love. Besides his television projects, Labine has a starring role in a forthcoming comedy-horror film called Tucker & Dale vs Evil. I extend my wishes for Lapine's eventual success.

Talk to the Hand

I feel bad about the passing of actor Robert Culp. I remember being in awe as a child when I saw Culp brandishing a computer hand in an episode of The Outer Limits called "Demon with a Glass Hand." For days, I went around my neighborhood pretending that I had a computer hand and that I, like Culp, had to do anything it took to escape sinister aliens who were out to kill me. I would make sure to stay out of sight by dropping behind a bush or ducking down an alleyway and then I would press pretend buttons in my palm to activate the computer for escape options. These days, I hold an IPod in the palm of my hand and punch keys to get movie times from my Flixster app. Sometimes, I still imagine that aliens are pursuing me and my IPod will tell me how I can get away.