Stuff I Like #19: Patrick Stewart

My last post was Star Trek related, and since I mentioned my favorite character/actor from the Original Series, I have to write a post about my favorite character/actor from the Next Generation!

If I had a chance to pick which captain I would want to serve under, it would be Jean-Luc Picard in a heartbeat. He was stern, fair, able to laugh at himself, and a magnificent leader.

Patrick Stewart the actor is magnificent as well! How could you not love a man who has been captain of the Enterprise AND Professor X? The man has a voice to die for. He's a classically-trained Shakespearean actor, the epitome of actors.

The best part is that he is a man who is able to laugh at himself! A few years back, he did a bit on the Conan O'Brien show about his dark secrets. One of his secrets? His favorite food is bald eagle. You'll have to watch the clip to find out why.

Stuff I Like #16: Outsourced

No, I'm not advocating sending jobs overseas! I want you to watch this awesome new sitcom from NBC.

One of my college roommates used to call me the sitcom queen. I love humor, and I love laughing. Since I'm not married, it's often difficult for me to relate to family sitcoms. I love twenty- and thirty-somethings sitcoms, but it seems like a lot of the humor is based on making fun of someone else. There's enough meanness in the world that we shouldn't find it funny when people are mean to one another.

There's a lot of humor in the difference between cultures, however. The basis of the show is a recent graduate who comes to start his first day as manager of a call center only to find that his call center has been moved to India. He has student loans, and if he wants to keep his job, he has to move to India as well. So, he packs up and moves himself to India where he finds that his call center is what another American call center manager terms the "B" team.

There is humor in the Indian misunderstanding of American novelties such as Cheeseheads for Packers fans, and bachelorette party favors. The assistant manager tells the American that there is a celebration called "Vindaloo Day" and that they take half a day off for that day. The sexual harassment seminar provides for a lot of laughs, and the manager is shocked when he has a harassment charge filed against him.

If you want a good laugh, and are tired of seeing only white actors and actresses on TV, tune in on Thursday nights at 9:30 p.m. on your local NBC station.