Community = #1!!!

The Year in TV
By Emily Nussbaum Published Dec 5, 2010

A scene from Community's upcoming episode, "Abed's Uncontrollable Christmas."   (Photo: Courtesy of NBC) A scene from Community's upcoming episode, "Abed's Uncontrollable Christmas."   (Photo: Courtesy of NBC)

It’s conventional wisdom that the antenna of a TV top ten—the selection that gets the fat print and the pretty illustration—should be a drama. It must be cinematic; it must be dark. It should almost certainly be on cable, probably with someone named David in the show-runner slot. So when I choose the network sitcom Community as No. 1, I’m not saying it doesn’t have serious competition: I couldn’t even fit Sons of Anarchy or Men of a Certain Age onto this list, each of which, were I in a different mood today, might rise right to the top. Cable still hosts the most ambitious television experiments, providing a place where oddball art can find a niche audience (and one that buys DVDs).

And yet it’s worth pointing out that smack in the middle of network, there it is: this auteurist sitcom, slamming it out of the park each week of its second season. Half-hour comedies are as potent an art form as one-hour dramas, and at the moment, the schedule is studded with great ones (Parks and Recreation, Eastbound & Down, Modern Family, Raising Hope, Bored to Death, Childrens Hospital, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and The Middle). Community is theoretically set at a community college, but it uses that conceit the way The Simpsons uses Springfield, as a jumping-off point for just about anything. The show explodes TV conventions while working within them, like the boldest meta-TV from Monty Python’s Flying Circus through 30 Rock. And it’s consistently hilarious, in large part because creator Dan Harmon has such a strong, icy grip on his characters and his idiosyncratic ideas about what’s funny. This season, Community pulled off an action-packed (and sexy) Halloween zombie episode, a self-referential riff on Charlie Kaufman–style self-referentiality, and the single best spiritual trampoline sequence ever. In a competitive environment for comedy, Community is this moment’s top dog.

Justin got injured :( production shuts down

Maybe he should stick to the funny and pass on the stunts.

After Justin Timberlake suffered a leg injury shooting his new film, Now, the studio has temporarily shut down production to give Mr. Sexyback time to get back on his feet, E! News confirms.

Here's what the production company has to say:

Community - Cast talks "Modern Warfare" Episode (Paley Center Interview)

I just love how Dan is like "don't fight for our show if we're getting canceled because we suck!"

I love these guys, I love Community.

Ryan Giggs was trending!

Well it was rumored that it was because Giggsy was said to be considering retirement, but I chose not to believe it. I mean, Ryan Giggs doesn't retire. He's just gonna play for Manchester United forever, and play like a 25 year old no matter how old he is. Right?! =/

In other United news: Owen Hargreaves is going back home to overcome his hamstring problems.

Hargreaves goes 'home' for help

Owen Hargreaves is returning to Germany – the country where he became a professional footballer – as he bids to overcome a "kick in the teeth."

How cold is it, really?

So tomorrow's game of Blackpool vs Manchester United has been delayed due to weather conditions. Apparently it's so cold there in England that pitches are freezing. I'm kinda bummed that there's no United game this weekend but I guess that means more time for me to do other stuff. I mean, it's out of their hands, really. Look at Old Trafford:

Frozen Old Trafford and the heating system