Monday, November 30, 2009

Can you guess the new blog logo theme?

Okay, you probably can, as I've followed one of the more esoteric logo themes to date with one of the more obvious ones. I'll just be curious to see how quickly someone can correctly identify all four characters depicted.

And, as a reminder, I have links to and explanations for all the previous logos in this post. I'll weigh in on the comments in this one once it's clear people have either figured it out or are somehow completely stumped.

53 comments:

Anonymous said...

he he love it! !

Mel said...

The Anal Retentive Chef (whose name is Gene, I believe), Frank Sinatra, Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer, and Troy McClure.

alynch said...

Anal Retentive Chef, Frank Sinatra, Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer, and Troy McClure. The connecting theme between those four is self-explanatory, although I'm curious why you went with three SNL characters and then changed it up a bit with a Simpsons character.

Anonymous said...

The late, great Phil Hartman.

Sam said...

Why a Phil Hartman logo now? Just curious

bmfc1 said...

The late, great Phil Hartman is the nexus.

TimmyD said...

I believe Troy McClure is singing "You've finally made a monkey out of me" from Planet of the Apes the Musical! Do I get extra credit?

Alan Sepinwall said...

I believe Troy McClure is singing "You've finally made a monkey out of me" from Planet of the Apes the Musical! Do I get extra credit?

You do!

Alan Sepinwall said...

I'm curious why you went with three SNL characters and then changed it up a bit with a Simpsons character.

Just for variety, I suppose. At one point, I also had Bill McNeal in there, but that was essentially Phil looking like Phil, so Gene the Anal Retentive Chef (who at least had a hat and glasses, and a more pinched voice) took his place.

Anonymous said...

"You've finally made a monkey out of me"


And now I will be singing it all morning! :)

Alan Sepinwall said...

Why a Phil Hartman logo now? Just curious

Because Phil was awesome, because every now and then I like to do a Four Faces of So-and-So logo instead of picking four separate people, and because very few of the logos are timely in any way.

Unknown said...

I would have gone for a shot of Admiral Stockdale chasing after Perot's car.

Anonymous said...

What does it say about me that I have yet to understand a logo on intial posting?

Sam said...

Because Phil was awesome, because every now and then I like to do a Four Faces of So-and-So logo instead of picking four separate people, and because very few of the logos are timely in any way.

Fair enough, sir. As I said, solely curious.

JMC said...

It means you ain't watching enough TV! :)

Dave Lifton said...

Hartman's Sinatra Group sketch remains one of my all-time favorite SNL moments.

I've got chunks of guys like you in my stool

Adam said...

Related: a young Phil Hartman promotes Activision Ice Hockey for the Atari 2600. Likely 1981-82.

Otto Man said...

Because Phil was awesome

'Nuff said.

Unknown said...

you may remember me from such blogs as, what's alan hearing? and what's alan smelling: the stinky truth...

anyways, were you ever on board with The Simpsons (I'm assuming yes), and if so when did you bail? Episodes/season?

Tom Murray said...

I'm just a caveman.

dickey simpkins said...

I believe he hates every ape he sees, from chimpan-a to chimpanzee.

I don't know if this is serious or not, but several Simpsons showrunners have stated Phil wanted to do a live-action Troy McClure movie. That would have been far better than going out on Jingle All the Way.

Bitsy said...

PHIL HARTMAN. He voiced the last character, the rest are all him.

chalmers said...

Troy's agent Mac Parker (Jeff Goldblum): Troy, have you ever heard of the Planet of the Apes?

Troy (puzzled): Ehhhh, the movie or the planet?

Ahhh..."A Fish Called Selma," eases the pain.

Kim said...

My personal favorite Hartman moment was his Bill Clinton, on the campaign trail in McDonald's: are you gonna finish those pickles?

Though I suppose some holiday greetings from Frankenstein might be seasonally appropriate. Aw, Phil. May he rest in peace.

Joan said...

I was actually a little worried by how quickly the name "Troy McClure" popped into my head. I haven't watched The Simpsons in years.

Hartman really was great, and this logo choice did not surprise me. I can easily envision the train of thought: Thanksgiving -> WKRP -> NewsRadio -> Hartman.

Anonymous said...

Ah, good times....

Hatfield said...

Your new blog logo frightens and confuses me...

Bitsy said...

Your world frightens and confuses me.

Anonymous said...

Alright, issue number four - The bald chick. What gives, Uncle Fester? I look at you, I'm thinking "fourteen in the side pocket!"

belinda said...

I miss Phil.

Though, I will have "Dr. Zaius" in my head all day now.

Unknown said...

Phil Hartman was insanely talented. He could act, write, sing, do voices, and draw (he did the graphic design for album covers in the 70s).

The moral of the story here is: keep careful track of which pharmaceuticals your wife is taking.

Pamela Jaye said...

thanks for the youtube link. I'm very into Nostalgia via Youtube these days

Unknown said...

"I believe Troy McClure is singing "You've finally made a monkey out of me" from Planet of the Apes the Musical! Do I get extra credit?"

Despite what Alan said, Troy is actually singing the line "Oh my God, I was wrong; it was Earth, all along..." in that frame-cap.

Credit rescinded!!

Unknown said...

If we are going to get all technical, the third one is Keyrock as that was the character's name. "Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer" was the name of the fictional show in which he appeared.

I've used Keyrock as my avatar around the net for years. Love that guy, although this blog frightens and confuses me. Is there a little guy in the screen typing all these reviews?

Anonymous said...

Of all the celebrity deaths, this is the one I lament the most. Damn the guy was just a complete class act.

If you haven't seen it before, have a watch of his SNL audition tape, a great watch:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQIlGpOVY5E

BF said...

"At one point, I also had Bill McNeal in there, but that was essentially Phil looking like Phil"

Replace Sinatra Phil ("I've chunks of guys like you in my stool!") with the Bill McNeal who hasn't eaten a Vending Machine sandwich in 12 hours.

Good Times...

Unknown said...

The last character on the logo is Hank Scorpio, not Troy McClure. Hank Scorpio was the megalomaniac who hired Homer and tried to takeover the world. He was not voiced by Phil Hartman.

Peter Villa said...

What? No Captain Carl from Pee Wee's Playhouse???

Anonymous said...

@Keith

I originally thought it was Hank Scorpio as well, but having looked at pictures of both Hank and Troy with a beard, it's most definitely Troy McClure.

BSK said...

Alan, have you seen his SNL audition? I only recently stumbled upon it and its amazing. Even the more dated stuff (Jack impression) has a very funny twist on it. It just showcases his raw talent and charisma.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQIlGpOVY5E

NJMarkB said...

My personal favorite Hartman moment was his Bill Clinton, on the campaign trail in McDonald's: are you gonna finish those pickles?

Intercepted by warlords.

fgmerchant said...

Um.. I read all the comments and I still don't get the theme! alynch said "The connecting theme between those four is self-explanatory" but it's not self-explanatory to everyone! Please post the actual answer!

Adam said...

My favorite Phil Hartman moment can be summarized by two words: FIRE BAD!

Jon J. said...

From Chimpan-A to Chimpanzee...you've finally made a monkey...

Anonymous said...

For the guy who just asked, he theme is Phil Hartman.
Before Phil died, he was cast as the role of Zapp Brannigan. Zapp probably is my favorite character of all time. I can't imagine how much I'd love Hartman if he had played all those SNL characters, Lyle Lanley, Troy McClur, Lionel Hutz, AND Zapp Brannigan.

chrissie said...

God bless you, Adam, for posting that Ice Hockey ad link. That right there is the reason YouTube was invented

Smizzle said...

Top 10 shows is a weird hurdle for a show like this, because it fills a different need than most of the quality shows on TV now. I can't stack it up against Modern Family or even Mad Men, because they do different things for me. Can't say one makes me laugh more than the other makes me tense. I think calling it a Top 2 or 3 Suspenseful Drama on television is an accurate and impressive category. It sits with shows like LOST, but excludes shows like Mad Men.

A show where I need to watch some Curb or some Californication after to cool down, means it took a lot out of me, which is a great thing.

What other shows "take a lot out of you" besides LOST and Dexter? Where you need to watch a comedy after. It's a good question because these kinds of shows are an event and get people excited to sit and watch. It's like movie television I guess. One of those shows you have to be ready to watch, like sometimes I just won't be ready to watch Lost yet. I'll need to prepare myself.

Occassionally this would include Rescue Me, Sons of Anarchy, Mad Men (although it's not edge of your seat, more middle of your seat), but I can't think of anything that hits this mark consistently like Lost and Dexter. Who else delivers 45 minutes of wire-to-wire tension week after week in the climactic stretch of their season?

dronkmunk said...

Because of the Tiger woods incident (ie celebrity assaulted by crazy wife)

Hi, I'm Troy McClure said...

You may remember me from such automated information kiosks as "Welcome to Springfield Airport", and "Where's Nordstrom?"

Anonymous said...

And such films as "The Erotic Adventures of Hercules" and "Dial 'M' for Murderousness"

Anonymous said...

Or such cartoons as "Christmas Ape" and "Christmas Ape goes to Summer Camp"

dez said...

Or from such educational films as "Two Minus Three Equals Negative Fun" and "Firecrackers: The Silent Killer".

Chalmers said...

Or such self-help videos as "Smoke Yourself Thin" and "Get Confident, Stupid!"