EverythingNothing

Last fall Amir Blumenfeld and Streeter Seidell started a new podcast entitled EverythingNothing.  They use the pseudonyms of Dannis O'Connell and and Dennis O'Connor respectively.  They even have their own twitter feed for the podcast, mostly consisting up of updates on new podcasts and extended jokes.  And this podcast is hilarious.  It has a different type of humor than Jake and Amir.  Their catchphrase is, "The only podcast in the known universe dedicated to arts, science, literature, philosophy and everythingnothing in between."  It also opens with some smooth jazz music.  But this podcast is far from the serious air they ironically put off.  One character (I get them mixed up but whichever one Streeter plays) was raised in a unconventional way and keeps track of time in lunar years.  He has interesting stories to frequently "interject".  Amir's character is seemingly more normal, but often does stupid things, like losing the use of his feet.  They both act as if they are extremely well-informed while in reality they are completely out of it, and it make for great comedy, especially when combined with a game of minesweeper (which is a whole different topic).  It's best if you start from the beginning, episode 401.  Highly recommended.

The Old Man and the Seymour

"The Old Man and the Seymour" is perhaps one of the most creative short films I've ever seen.  Starring CollegeHumor's Amir Blumenfeld (previously mentioned in Amir's video letter to Santa) and Streeter Seidell, the film follows the recent events is Lewis Plunkett's life.  He is a 47-year-old with a growth hormone deficiency that often leads to him being mistaken for a high-schooler.  When his brother dies, he reluctantly gains custody of his high-school nephew, and is mistaken for the new kid at school.  The film is hilariously taglined, "Over 90 million Americans use products or procedures to fight the visible signs of aging.  Lewis Plunkett isn't one of them."  It received a multitude of awards including, Director's Choice at the Sacramento Film and Music Festival 2009, Audience Award at the Portable Film Festival 2009, and Best Cinematography at the NYU First Run Film Festival 2009.  It also played at a series of other accredited film festivals.

Only 31 minutes in length, "The Old Man and the Seymour" focuses mainly on the jokes and less on the story line, but it still is hilarious, and any fan of Amir would enjoy it.  Even the trailers are hilarious.  Then second trailer featuring "Requiem for a Dream" can be found here.  The entire short film can be watched online, through Vimeo here.

This short film makes me optimistic that comedy can come in any form, even if the concept seems depressing at first, jokes can precede story, and Amir can make me laugh in any situation.