Psych - USA Network’s Latest (practical jokes) Comedy Series

July 30th, 2008 admin Posted in comedy |

By Christopher Buckley

Psych is the latest comedy to come out of America and is certainly very unique and original.

You have probably heard the slogan of the show, “fake psychic, real detectives”. It is therefore no secret that the show is about a guy, Shawn Spencer, who pretends to be a psychic and yet is working as a detective.

In fact, it is Shawn’s eidetic memory (also known as photographic or total recall) which allows him to recognize clues and make deductions that others cannot and the result is that everyone is marvelled to the extent that they would believe him to be a psychic. This basic premise of the show allows for a lot of material and sets the tone as one of playful deceit.

The cast are an eclectic bunch with James Roday, despite being a relative unknown, playing the lead character, Shawn Spencer.

More well known to viewers are Dule Hill, who plays Shawn’s best friend (Charlie Young from The West Wing) and Corbin Bernsen of LA Law fame who plays Shawn’s father.

Shawn, whilst being the son of a policeman, is a haphazard grown-up kid who has never held down a decent job for a significant period of time. He is somewhat reminiscent, in my opinion, of a Jim Carrey character who has taken his medicine!

Gus is a pharmaceutical sales rep and the perfect antithesis to Shawn’s hyperactivity. Naturally cautious, this can be to the detriment of his sense of adventure. It remains to be seen at this early stage of the series whether Gus will play a large part in the series or take a back seat to Shawn.

Henry Spencer, Shawn’s father, is a retired former cop who was highly respected in the force. Somewhat estranged from his son for specific reasons unknown, we can expect to see development in father and son’s relationship through the series.

The show is set in Santa Barbara, California but is actually shot in Vancouver, Canada. Whilst some eagle eyed viewers can easily spot the difference, most cannot.

Released only in the USA to date and having premiered on July 7th 2006, the show goes out at 10pm Friday night, Eastern time.

It is actually more accurate to call Psych a dramedy or comedy drama. There are no laughter lines and no slapstick and an evolution of a real story line. If you haven’t yet seen it, I suggest visiting USA Network’s site for a free viewing of the pilot - you’ll be glued for the rest of the series!

Christopher Buckley is owner of psychfan.com, a regularly updated psych fansite. Visit psychfan.com

Video Sharing Sites Other Than YouTube
By Tyler James Ellison

Although the big sites may be attractive, sometimes the smaller ones can be a good choice too. Any of the sites previously talked about would be an excellent alternative for your video uploads. With sites like YouTube that receives a hundred million hits a day, it is easy for your video content to get lost in huge number of daily uploads. Smaller sites sometimes offer better viewer-ship since your recently uploaded video stays in the list longer.

Almost anyone you talk to has an idea of what YouTube is. DailyMotion is another site that most tech savvy people know by name. They are the big players in the world of online video sharing. With the explosive growth that site like YouTube have fueled when it comes to video, other sites are popping up that allow for video sharing. This article will take a look at some of those other sites.

If you like the look and feel of sites like YouTube and Dailymotion there are two others that also allow for the same type of video uploads. Sharkle is one site that follows along the same lines as the video giants. The site has an easy to use interface and makes it easy to create communities with people you know to share your videos. Sharkle also has some interesting features such as their ad mixer and contests.

The other, YouTube-like site that I will talk about today is SelfCastTv. The site is listed as beta, but it does have a nice clean interface and an interesting way of organizing the user’s videos. The channel feature on SelfCastTv makes it easy to categorize your videos. It also makes it easier to find the types of videos you like to watch. Either site can be a great choice if your new to the world of online video, because with a smaller user base your videos don’t get lost in the mix.

If blogging is more along the lines of what you like to do there are two other video sites that cater more to video bloggers. Flukiest is one of the best video blogging sites. More than video blogging it is really a social networking site. Flukiest is the first social networking site that caters to people who want an easy way to share photos or video. ZippyVideos is another website that focuses as much on community as it does video.

The site seems to be the smallest of the websites that we have talked about so far, but small sometimes has it’s advantages too. If you tend to use online video as your way of journaling or blogging one of the community focused sites can be an excellent choice.

The other two sites worth mentioning are Vmix and ShortBrainTV. Vmix, although it has some features like those found on the other sites listed here, tends to cater more to a business audience. They do have user submitted video, but their focus is on business solutions. That isn’t surprising really, since Vmix was started by some of the big names in the media industy. ShortBrainTV (formerly known as bliptv) caters to the creative types. ShortBrain is a collection of online amateur and professionally produced short movies and animations. Whatever your tastes or intentions, there are a lot of great sites on the internet for those wanting to share their videos.

For funny online videos, spend some minutes at Videyos.com and share it with your friends.

The Lowdown On Las Vegas Comedy Clubs, Comedy Shows & Stand Up
By Karin Manning

Las Vegas is famous for its strip clubs, casinos, buffets and show girls but Las Vegas also well caters for visitors who would like to try their hand at stand up comedy or who are just after a laugh in one of the many Las Vegas comedy clubs and comedy shows.

Here’s a list of Las Vegas comedy clubs and shows to keep you in stitches on your Las Vegas vacation together with Las Vegas comedy show ticket information:

Boomerang’s - 6650 Vegas Drive 792/631-4711. Boomerang’s is a late night comedy club open every Saturday from 10.30. If you are looking for a cheap night you will be pleased to know Boomerang’s has no cover charge.

Funniez Comedy Club. This comedy club is open every Friday and Saturday night from 10pm. It is for people aged over 21 years. It’s at Buffalo Bill’s.

Funny Business Comedy Club - Krave Nightclub, at Aladdin 866/273-6029. It hosts both new talent and experienced talent. It has shows every night from 7pm.

Laughs at the Beach - The Beach, 365 Convention Center Drive 702/731-1925. This club is open every Saturday from 8pm to 10pm with both local and visiting acts. There is no cover charge.

Riviera Comedy Club - Mardi Gras Entertainment Complex at the Riviera, 702/794-9433. This comedy club has more than just the usual stand up comedians. It has shows every night at 8.30 pm and 10pm.

The Comedy Stop-Comedy Stop Theatre at the Tropicana, 702/739-2411. This comedy club has three comics that rotate weekly and also love to feature the latest comedians. The age is over 21 and there are two shows every night at 8pm and 10.30pm.

The Improv - Harrah’s 702/369-5111. This comedy club features three new acts every week. You must be over 18 years of age. It has shows Tuesday through Sunday at 8.30 and 10.30pm.

If you fancy yourself as a bit of a yet to be discovered stand up and are looking for an open mic try out Boomers 702/368-1863 which has an open mic night every Sunday from 8pm; Norma Jeane’s, 702/768-6666 (evenings) with an open mic night every Thursday from 11pm onwards; and The Dive Bar, 702/579-4707 which has an open mic night every Sunday from 10pm

For the latest up to date comedy club information go to http://www.vegas.com/shows/ and http://govegas.about.com/od/comedyshows/

For detailed information about The Las Vegas Comedy Festival go to http://www.lasvegascomedyfestival.com/

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