Stars Doing Stand Up

"How do you kill a circus? Go for the juggler!"

This joke was Daniel Radcliffe's introduction to stand up comedy. Admittedly, the star of the Harry Potter series wasn't making a serious career move when he took the mic on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. Radcliffe's aspirations to be a comedian merely came up in his conversation with Fallon, and the bit was only meant to be part of the talk show. A few celebrities have given stand up comedy a try, however. Most of the time their efforts only make it clear why they didn't become famous for being funny in the first place. Here are some stars that tried to do stand up comedy:

John Mayer

The soulful singer's sense of humor proves to be a little dirtier than you'd expect. He keeps the audience fairly entertained, but it seems like most of them are waiting on Mayer to change...back into a musician.

George Bush

As a former president certainly not known for being witty, Bush does fairly well as a comedian. A lot of the work seems to have been done for him, however, as his best jokes are at the expense of his own presidency.

Steve-O

The resident dare devil of Jackass doesn't really stray from his drug abuse in his act. For his own health, and for his career's sake, he might want to stick to snorting wasabi.

Larry King

Watching King do stand up is kind of like listening to your grandpa at the Thanksgiving table. He gets a few big laughs, they're often spaced out between ten minutes of rambling.

Dustin Diamond (a.k.a. "Screech")

There's no way the actor known for playing "Screech" on Saved by the Bell was going to escape his sitcom persona, but he definitely tried. He spends more time trying to intimidate hecklers than telling jokes.

-Riley Ubben

Favorite Faux Twitters

Twitter didn't invent pretending to be someone you're not on the internet, but it just might have made it more hilarious. Rather than tweeting about what they ate for breakfast or their weekend plans, some clever individuals are approaching the social networking sites with a mischievous sense of humor. Here are a few fake twitter profiles that are especially entertaining.

1. http://twitter.com/#!/BPGlobalPR

2. http://twitter.com/#!/FAKESARAHPALIN

3. http://twitter.com/#!/bronxzooscobra

4. https://twitter.com/#!/Jesus_Christ

5. http://twitter.com/#!/darthvader

-Riley Ubben

Summer Jams

As the sun begins to shine, so does everyone's mood. While lying bare foot in the grass, it seems as if all negative thoughts melt away..almost as fast as the ice cream. The closet has finally been cleared of heavy parkas and snow boots...so why not clean up your music playlist? These four songs are sure to get you in the mood for those lazy, summer days.

1. ) Foster the People - Pumped Up Kicks

Foster the People formed in October of 2009. The trio's first single aired on NPR. They released their EP in January of 2010, and expect a full album sometime this spring. The group made a big name for themselves at this year's SXSW festival. After touring Europe this spring they will travel across the U.S this summer.

2.) Tennis- "Marathon"

This husband and wife duo gained inspiration from a sailing trip of the Eastern Seaboard. Their full length album "Cape Dory" came out in January of this year. Tennis's retro-pop songs are sure to be great company while at the beach.

3. ) Cults - "Go Outside"

Couple Madeline Follin and Brian Oblivion didn't know what to expect when uploading their three songs online. The duo began by making music in their home, and gained popularity through social networks quickly thereafter.

4.) Surfer Blood - "Take it Easy"

Often compared to group Vampire Weekend, Surfer Blood's first single "Swim" was quickly placed on Pitchfork's best songs of 2009. Their album "Astro Coast" was recorded in their University of Florida dorm.

This Year Is Here?

Cubs- 2 Astros- 11

Ouch!

As I sat watching my beloved Cubs get embarrassed by a 3-8 Houston Astros team, I was comforted by the fact that the World Series favored-to-win Boston Red Sox lost again, sliding to a 2-9 record. That matches the team’s worst start ever. How does that happen?

Baseball, long considered America’s pastime, is truly unpredictable from the start of Spring Training, from the start of the season, and even from the first pitch of any given game. While the Cubs seem to have had bad luck for the past century of professional play, other teams seem to pour millions of dollars into what amounts to losing teams on the field. It’s an enigma. The game, meticulous in every sense, requires a great deal of patience and a hell of a lot of practice. Each pitch is crucial, and one play can have an effect on an entire season. 162 games.

For me, I can assume that it’s going to be another long season of losing. History is against the Cubs winning anything, and has been for 103 years. But since I understand the fickle game that is baseball, there is still hope. If the Red Sox are off to their worst start ever, then who’s to say the Cubs can’t compete. A man can dream right? I can label this game as a fluke (and it really was- two of our best pitchers are injured, so we had to start an inexperienced relief pitcher who set a miserable tone to the game). There’s no real excuse, though, for the committing 3 errors in the field. That’s just bad baseball.

There’s still a long way to go, but by the time October rolls around I’m sure I’ll remember games like this. Oh the misery of being a Cubs fan. Red Sox fans, you once knew the feeling- may your 2 and 9 start remind you what it means to perpetually lose.

-Eric Hawkinson

The Best of Banksy

As popular as graffiti art is these days, sometimes it's easy to forget that it's illegal under usual circumstances. When you think about it, that's probably part of it's appeal. Take Banksy, the British graffiti artist whose handiwork can be found all over the globe. He's essentially a wanted criminal, so his identity has to remain anonymous. Having a secret identity hasn't kept him from gaining recognition, however. You might even say that his anonymity has helped make him famous (ironic, much?). Online blogs speculate on his identity, news sources watch out for him at the Oscars, and before you know it he's a legend.

Regardless of what you think of this antihero's hobby, one thing's for sure: the guy's great at what he does. Here's a few of my favorite Banksy tags.

-Riley Ubben