She Likes to Watch

Looks like I have a fan in television pundit Stephen Colbert.

Colbert, host of Comedy Central’s wildly popular “The Colbert Report,” mentioned my name last week in reference to Canton, South Dakota.

Colbert apologized for calling Canton “America’s real assburg” and “North Dakota’s dirty ashtray.”

He also read from an article by The Argus Leader of Sioux City, S.D. The newspaper quoted a local photo-journalist named — you guessed it — Sarah Linn as saying, “Canton is not a place where I’ll run into tons of opportunity to improve my career.”

I’m not sure if we share the same spelling, but that’s still pretty cool.

Of course, Canton, S.D. is not the first place to face Colbert’s wrath. He’s also dissed Canton, Georgia; Canton, Kansas; and Canton, Texas.

When will this reign of terror end?

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Can’t get enough of Canton?

A South Dakota graphic artist has created Canton-versus-Colbert, a Web site that catalogs anti-Canton sentiment. There’s even a game that lets visitors fling pheasants at the South Dakota state capitol to make Colbert apologize.

(I don’t get it either. Must be a South Dakota thing.)

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IN OTHER SHOWBIZ NEWS:

Promotional campaigns are getting so elaborate these days.

First there were fan-created frenzies over “Snakes on a Plane” and “Cloverfield.” Then Batman and The Joker stared their own propaganda campaigns to drum up press for “The Dark Knight.”

DreamWorks Pictures joins the fray with a wacky promotional site for the war spoof “Tropic Thunder.”

Faux filmmaker Jan Jürgen exposes the ego, ineptitude and madness behind “Tropic Thunder” in his documentary “Rain of Madness.”

There are undertones of horror and humor, as in Fax Bahr and George Hickenlooper’s behind-the-scenes documentary “Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse.” There’s also a lot of wonderful weirdness.

I recommend Jürgen’s “Dispatches from the Edge of Madness,” in which he interviews the cast and crew of this silly movie-within-a-movie.

PLUS, did you know that the Death Star has recently been spotted over San Francisco?!?

According to Gizmodo.com, the Galactic Empire has begun its invasion of the Bay Area. The proof is this video.

Nearly three minutes of footage depict TIE fighters soaring over the city, an Imperial Star Destroyer hovering near the Golden Gate Bridge and ATSTs (the so-called “chicken walkers”) exploring the beach.

I think I speak for the rest of California when I say: “We surrender!”
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Stephen Colbert photo courtesy of “The Colbert Report.”

Yes, that really is Robert Downey Jr.

I’ll admit it.

I chuckled when Robert Downey Jr. launched into his speech about “Rain Man,” “Forrest Gump” and other tearjerkers about “simple folk” in “Tropic Thunder”. Okay, I actually laughed out loud.

“Tropic Thunder” has everything we’ve grown to expect from 21st century comedy — racial stereotypes, fart jokes and the unsavory sight of Jack Black in his undies.

Many of the jokes tow the line between foul and funny. But as offensive as the film can be at times, it’s not all shock-and-awe.

Directed and co-written by Ben Stiller, “Tropic Thunder” sends a gleeful salute to “Platoon,” “The Deer Hunter” and “Apocalypse Now.” It also boasts pitch-perfect parodies of Hollywood players and some well-placed cameos.

Director Damien Cockburn (Britain’s Steve Coogan) has set out to make the ultimate Vietnam War movie, based on a book by a grizzled vet (Nick Nolte).

He’s got a wild Southeast Asia setting, a huge budget and monumental amounts of explosives.

Unfortunately for Cockburn, his cast consists of an action star turned flop (Stiller, surprisingly ripped), a comic battling drug addiction (Black), a energy drink-peddling rapper (Brandon T. Jackson) and a crazed Aussie so dedicated to his craft that he’s undergone “pigment surgery” for his African American role (Robert Downey Jr.).

When the self-important celebrities find themselves cut loose in the jungle, however, it’s time for the actors to start acting like men.

Starting with a slew of fake trailers, “Tropic Thunder” sets out at a roaring pace and only picks up speed with appearances by Tom Cruise and Matthew McConaughey. Unfortunately, the movie bogs down just as our reluctant heroes finally step into action.

Although many of the bits get old, there’s plenty of humor here — including some rather nasty one-liners. (The only clean one I remember involves Mother Nature “wetting her pantsuit.”)

Downey Jr. is one of the factors that makes “Tropic Thunder” so unexpectedly enjoyable.

He inhabits two roles — a Russell Crowe look-alike chasing his next Oscar, and a salty black sergeant who craves crawfish and quotes “The Jeffersons” theme song. It’s a sharp satire that would not be out of place in a Spike Lee movie.

Like Downey Jr.’s performance, “Tropic Thunder” is at times brilliant and downright cruel.

On one hand, it’s Hollywood excess at its best, a mega-budget blockbuster with the best cast money can buy, matched by an audacious script and an off-kilter premise.

On the other, it’s a mean, manic product of the Perez Hilton era.

Here’s my advice:

See “Tropic Thunder” for the foibles of the rich and famous — not all the stereotypically fat, black, Asian and mentally challenged people that the movie so ludicrously mocks.

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Photo courtesy of MovieWeb.com.

Make ‘em laugh: “Tropic Thunder” aims for funny bones, gag reflexes 

Now that “Tropic Thunder” has opened in theaters, questions about the goofy war movie spoof are flying like fur.

Is “Tropic Thunder” a clever satire of Hollywood types? An offensive slur on African Americans and people with developmental disabilities?

Most importantly, will “Tropic Thunder” wallop “The Dark Knight” at the box office?

“Tropic Thunder” is the latest in a long line of boundary-pushing comedies — most of which rake in huge returns. They’re rude, crude and frequently raw.

So why are gross-out gurus like the Farrelly Brothers, Judd Apatow, Kevin Smith and “South Park” creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone so successful?

Without further ado, I bring you “The Six Habits of Highly Disgusting People.”

UNLEASH YOUR INNER 8-YEAR-OLD

Locked inside each and everyone of us is a second-grader who still giggles at poop jokes. While some filmmakers rely on clever wordplay and plot twists to get their point across, these guys gleefully plumb the gutters for gags about diarrhea and dogs biting people in the crotch. And guess what? It’s still funny.

BE A POTTY MOUTH

Like it or not, swear words get our attention. That’s why you’ll see F-bombs and detailed descriptions of various sex acts floating through many an obscene comedy. Extra points if you get a little old lady, a minority character with a funny accent, or beloved game show host Bob Barker to utter your filth.

GET ‘EM TALKING

It took moviegoers and news anchors buzzing about Cameron Diaz’s hair gel faux pas to make “There’s Something About Mary” the sleeper hit of 1998. The same goes for Ben Stiller’s cat-milking scene in “Meet the Parents.”

MIX SASS WITH SWEETNESS

Look past the porn jokes, perversity and painful nerdiness of “The 40-Year-Old Virgin” and you’ll find a man searching for romance in a harsh world. Apatow in particular excels at mixing bro humor with touching themes of love and male friendship.

WHEN IN DOUBT, SING

As the “South Park” guys know, there’s something endearing about characters launching into song: whether it’s a cheerful tune about trapping animals (”Cannibal! The Musical”) or “Everybody’s Got AIDS” (”Team America: World Police”).

CONTROVERSY, CONTROVERSY, CONTROVERSY

Few things heat up a theatrical run like boycotts and angry protesters.

You could cast Alanis Morissette as God (”Dogma”) or give moviegoers an unsolicited look at Satan’s love affair with Saddam Hussein (”South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut”).

Or you can go the “Tropic Thunder” route and load up on jokes about self-centered actors willing to break every social taboo to bring home Oscar gold. Works (nearly) every time.

Looking ahead at August’s big blockbusters

For movie studios, August is summer’s last gasp.

They typically choose this month to unload the last few action movies, big epics and comedies aimed at a younger crowd. Fall and winter? They belong to the adults.

This August, we’ve got a fantasy adventure flick, a couple of offbeat comedies, an animated film and an American rehash of a martial arts film. Let the games begin.

“The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor” (Opens Friday)

When archaeologist Rick O’Connell discovers the tomb of China’s Dragon Emperor, he gets more than he bargained for: a terracotta army, a three-headed dragon and a yeti, all commanded by martial arts superstar Jet Li.

Fortunately, Michelle Yeoh is on hand to summon a skeletal army of her own. “So these are the good undead guys, right?” a character quips. Let’s hope so.

Brendan Fraser looks a mite rusty as Rick, but he’s still quicker with quips and a pistol than co-stars Maria Bello and Luke Ford — playing his wife and son.

We’ll see if Fraser can still balance humor with horror-lite.

“Pineapple Express” (Aug. 6)

After all the subpar material the so-called Frat Pack has been pushing lately (”Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” “Step Brothers,” “Drillbit Taylor”), “Pineapple Express” is a breath of pot-infused, ahem, fresh air.

Seth Rogan, that loveable schlub from “Knocked Up,” stars as a pothead process server who accidentally witnesses a mob hit. He goes on the run with his equally clueless dealer (James Franco, delightfully against type).

Count on Rogan and company to take stoner comedies to a whole new high. (Pun heartily intended.)

(A note: That catchy tune at the end of the trailer is M.I.A.’s “Paper Planes.”)

“Tropic Thunder” (Aug. 13)

After all the buzz about Robert Downey Jr. in blackface, it’s hard to tell just how good “Tropic Thunder” might be.

Helmed by Ben Stiller and featuring an all-star cast including Jack Black, Steve Coogan, Nick Nolte and stand-up comic Brandon T. Jackson, “Tropic Thunder” certainly has an interesting premise:

Seeking more realism for his Vietnam War epic, a director dumps his cast in the midst of the real thing.

Is this a war movie spoof? A satire of Hollywood’s self-absorbed A-listers?

One thing’s for sure. The much-hyped Tom Cruise cameo — not shown here — is sure to be a highlight.

“Star Wars: The Clone Wars” (Aug. 15)

Bryan Adams’ brilliant animated series made life tolerable for “Star Wars” fans over the past decade.

While George Lucas turned our beloved franchise into a trio of cheesy, ill-conceived potboilers, the smart, slick-looking “Clone Wars” captured the best things about the “Star Wars” universe. It had compelling characters. Action-packed fight scenes. Deadpan humor.

Leave it to Lucas to ruin a good thing.

This computer-animated version of “Clone Wars” looks clunky and surprisingly flat. Is it a bad sign when few characters speak more than three words in a row?

“Bangkok Dangerous” (Aug. 22)

Somebody needs to tell Nicolas Cage to stop making action movies.

His latest attempt — which has a long-haired Cage playing as an international hit man struggling with personal demons — is just plain embarrassing.

Cage appears to be channeling John Cusack’s post-modern hitman in “Grosse Pointe Blank.” Instead of quips and heartache, however, we get boring, cheesy musings about the loneliness of a killer’s life.

Directed by the Pang brothers, “Bangkok Dangerous” happens to be a remake of their own 1999 flick.The difference? Cage’s character isn’t deaf-mute. And he certainly ain’t Thai.

Skip it.

“Babylon A.D” (Aug. 29)

It’s not quite a blockbuster, but I couldn’t resist including “Babylon A.D” in the mix.

Ol’ Chrome Dome himself, Vin Diesel, plays a tough-guy mercenary hired to transport a mysterious woman from Russia to America. This being the future, that’s presumably a tougher job than, say, hopping on a commuter flight.

Of course, there happens to be something very special about this particular girl.

“Babylon” comes to us courtesy of “Gothika” director Mathieu Kassovitz, who pairs his futuristic setting with some rather silly action sequences and painfully tin-eared dialog.

Recommended only for dedicated Vin Diesel fans (you poor souls).

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Photo courtesy of MovieWeb.com.