infoMania Blog 43 items | updated Jun 20 2011

Wednesday isn't called "Humpday" around the infoMania offices, and not just because of that stern email from HR. Instead it's known as "Show Day" because we finish shooting (and then editing) the week's episode for its Thursday night airing.

The heaviest Wednesday lifting comes on the show-topping "Week in Everything" segment. The castmembers and writers craft spend the morning submitting their final would-be witticisms on the TV clips we've collected, news headlines, magazine stories, viral videos and anything else floating in the zeitgeist.

infoMania’s top-of-the-show (TV lingo!) segment, "The Week In Everything," typically clocks in at about four minutes. Given that we’re trying to cover the past 168 hours, lots of material gets cut for time.

We thought we’d share how some of that decision-making process works, in the hopes that a) you might find it interesting, and b) to fill out a blog post on this new souped-up home page.

Here’s one joke that got the ax right around lunchtime Wednesday:

“Former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich asked a judge this week to cancel his retrial because he says he can’t afford to mount a defense. Wow, you know the economy’s struggling when even embezzlers are broke.”

Brett Erlich is the host of infoMania.

He hails from Simi Valley, California and attended Stanford University, where he performed in the blues/rock band North of Cuba, with the Stanford Improvisers (SIMPs), founded the Stanford Shakespeare Society, and occasionally was a mystery taster for Jack In the Box. In Los Angeles, Brett worked for United Talent Agency (UTA) before coming to Current TV where he quickly made himself known as hilarious through his work on Google Current, Campaign Update, The Rotten Tomatoes Show, and infoMania where his segment Viral Video Film School won a 2010 Webby Award. His desk could be cleaner.

He is a devoted son and some people think he looks like John Krasinski (The Office). We think John Krasinski looks like him.

Where to find more Brett: 

• Current.com
• Twitter
• Facebook Fan Page

Sergio Cilli is just like you and wants to be your friend. He is one of the nicest people I know except if he is hungry then he’s a jerk. Sergio peaked maybe a little too early when he was awarded, “funniest student” back in 8th Grade. Before rocking it with Infomania, he worked at The Showbiz Show with David Spade and the subtle beast that is the Craig Ferguson Show.

Sergio went to school at Ithaca College where majored in film and learned that wind is super annoying. Sergio is a gracious winner, he loves picking flowers, licking stamps, passing out flyers to strangers, putting out amazing energy, beating you at something you’re really good at, and the occasional light pillow talk.

Sergio would do you a favor if you asked him and expects the same in return.

Where to find more Sergio:

• Current.com
• Twitter
• Facebook Fan Page
• Cream Comedy
• UCB

Ben Hoffman joined the infoMania team in 2007 and within a matter of months was moved from the front lobby into an office. He has appeared on TV in numerous capacities, including a guest-starring role on “Arrested Development” and a slew of national and international commercials where he looked like a complete idiot. He also directed “Scissor Sisters: A Year of Ta-Dah” for Universal and got a free poster for it. You can see him at numerous comedy clubs across Los Angeles, usually at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre.

Ben has gained international (or national, or local) acclaim on infoMania for his Editorials, his field pieces, his Craigslist Interviews, Kid's Kouch, his “Cewebrity” interviews and his red carpet coverage. He is also the show’s Webby nominated tech reporter, where he covers anything and everything that’s on the cutting edge of technology. By the way, that was the first time “Ben Hoffman” and “cutting edge” has ever been used in the same sentence (and this is the second).

Where to find more Ben:

• Current.com
• Twitter
• Facebook Fan Page
• Scissor Sisters TV
• Pop Tarts

Erin Gibson is the writer and host of infoMania’s Modern Lady on Current TV, which comically explores women in today’s media landscape.

Her other TV credits include Parks and Rec, The Aisha Tyler Show, HBO's Funny or Die, King of Queens and commercials. In addition to being a regular performer for Funny or Die, she's also been in web series for The WB, Comedy Central, and NBC's Community.

Erin's an accomplished improviser, having studied at Second City, IO and UCB LA, where she is a regular performer. Please do not startle her. She will scream.

Where to find more Erin:

• Current.com
• Twitter
• Facebook Fan Page
• Huffington Post
• Official Site

Bryan Safi is an Emmy Award-winning writer and performer at Current TV for the half- hour comedy show infoMania. He is the writer and host of “That's Gay,” a segment that looks at gay issues and stereotypes and how they’re portrayed by the clueless media. Safi and the segment were included in Out Magazine’s “Out 100” – their collection of the 100 gay men, women and transgender people who made 2009 a year to remember – and “That’s Gay” was also a 2010 Webby honoree. The segment is also regularly featured on the front pages of The Huffington Post, Andrew Sullivan, Ted Casablanca’s The Awful Truth on E!, and Entertainment Weekly’s PopWatch.

Before infoMania, Bryan was a staff writer at The Ellen DeGeneres Show, for which he won an Emmy Award. And prior to that, he worked in the land of the dude-bros as a staff writer for the comedy website "Funny or Die," creating web series’ for Will Ferrell, Jack McBrayer and Richard Jenkins. He’s also a blogger for The Huffington Post and regularly performs at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in Los Angeles.

Where to find more Bryan: 

• Current.com
• Twitter
• Facebook

Brett Erlich is the host of infoMania.

So by now you’ve heard it all. 

James Franco and Anne Hathaway bombed. The hipster minions who thought Franco could do no wrong, and could pull off some weird meta-performance art that skillfully undermines the pageantry of the nation’s single biggest act of self-stroking have to admit now that he can do wrong, and he did wrong from start to finish, and in a way that didn’t look like cool-stoner, but rather stoner-stoner. Those of us who fell in love with Hathaway in Rachel Getting Married and Love and Other Drugs had to admit she came off as the little girl at the kids table at Thanksgiving dinner, who desperately wants you to listen to the new song she learned at school. You don’t want to listen to it, but you know you have to. She’s still a really good actress though.

You’ve heard how in a year that was supposed to be focused on the younger demographic, it was the palsied old Hollywood relic who became the highlight of the evening. But even that didn’t last long. Playing on our assumption that he’d lost his marbles, Kirk Douglas’ sleight of hand had us eating out of his hand, and then sadly Melissa Leo’s had us putting our hand over our mouths trying to hold in the pukeys that come with watching someone so mortifyingly bats#!%.  

You’ve heard jokes about The King’s Speech winning, and how every 20-something on Facebook is loathing that fact... except Mark Zuckerberg. Though, as a story of a powerful man struggling to overcome his socially crippling communicational disorders, The King’s Speech is more about Zuckerberg than The Social Network is.  (Of the ten nominees for Best Picture, I rated The King's Speech at number nine -- it was formulaic and just like every period piece I've ever seen).

You heard people mock Natalie Portman for thanking by name not just everyone who worked on Black Swan, but also everyone who saw Black Swan. (Wouldn't her speech have been better if she had gone into labor instead?)

Should have wons: If you haven't seen Restrepo, you should. You owe it to yourself to see first hand what happens on the ground in Afghanistan. There were really strong documentaries in that category -- it was probably the most competitive category when you think about it.

Today at the water cooler, it’s old hat. But last night, the thousands of us who went to Xfinity it in real time. The night is typically oohs and ahhs, but we thousands filled it with boos and awws.  And we should do it again sometime.  

My dearest infoManiacs,

After almost six years in front of the same green piece of cloth, I'm off to experience a change of scenery.

I left Current at the end of last year. As much as I've loved hosting and producing the best standard definition clip show on expanded cable, it's time for me to try something new.

Keep your Thursday nights open, though - infoMania will continue on in 2011. Over the past few weeks, the staff has been working round the clock to figure out what the new show and season will look like, and they've cooked up some great stuff. Stay tuned for more news and previews on Current.com.

I'll hopefully be able to share some exciting news of my own very soon. I can't say much yet, but I CAN promise it will not involve me swapping wives, wrestling a little person, judging a plastic surgery competition, or participating in any form of cake decorating.

I'm so grateful for all of the support and laughs I've gotten over the years from our amazing fans. You guys are great/probably insane. Thanks.

See you soon. Now please stop emailing me links to weird magazines.

- conor

Ben Hoffman is a writer for infoMania and host of "Tech Report." We asked him to look back at 2010.

Many of you don’t know that I’m a passionate music fan. It might be the only thing I’m passionate about, other than my hatred of everything else.

I love making end-of-year album lists but thought of a new idea this year. I’m going to use the “Play Count” button on my iPod to see what I listened to the most this year.

A couple of notes: This is only for my iPod, not my home stereo. I have two iPods — one for the gym, one for everything else. This is the one for everything. Also, this is the main iPod for my car, so maybe this is my car music of the year? Anyway, here it is:

My three top albums were all played a lot.

1) The Black Keys — Brothers: This was my favorite album of the year, and I apparently listened to the opening track a whopping 45 times on my iPod. That’s a lot, especially since it came out in May.

2) LCD Soundsystem — This is Happening: Apparently another big hit in my car. Also, they put on my favorite show of the year at the Hollywood Bowl.

3) Scissor Sisters — Night Work: I make web content for this band, but apparently it is justified.

Brett Erlich is a writer for infoMania and host of "Viral Video Film School." We asked him to share his top viral videos from 2010.

Here’s the study guide for the 2010 Viral Video Film School: Final Exam. Study up for the quiz during infoMania’s hour-long 2010 year in review this Thursday at 11 on Current TV!
 
10. Keenan & 50 Cent

Keenan dominated the viral video charts in 2009, and this year he’s back with some star power.
 

Bryan Safi is a writer for infoMania and host of "That's Gay." We asked him to reflect on the top gay moments of the year.

The holidays are here! But just because it’s the season for merriment, it doesn't mean you're a scrooge if you hate Christmas. Take my Aunt Carol. She LOVES Christmas. She's also a paranoid schizophrenic. Did I make this sad? Yes.

But here’s something to be happy about! The decade’s done! The year is over!  And what a stupid shit-show of a year it was for gays – with some exceptions. Let’s count down the high and lows.

10. The A-List

Love it or hate it – and you hate it – the fact is we finally had the opportunity to make television worse, just like everybody else has for years. It was a profound moment of equal opportunity mixed with a profound moment of embarrassment. But, as one of my friends told me over a 12-pack of Bud Light Lime recently, “We all agree this show is ridiculous, so why is this the third time we’re talking about it in less than an hour?” So, there’s that.

9.  Chris Colfer and Eric Stonestreet: Nuanced Stereotypes

The first time I saw Glee, I was unimpressed that the gay character was a swishy fashionista with a lisp. And when I saw Modern Family, I thought it was a poor choice to depict gay parents as people who dress up their toddler like Diana Ross.  And then I said to myself, “Remember when you had a sense of humor? Remember how you watch these shows for these characters who really are making things better on television? And remember how someone made Katy Perry not completely awful?” Then I decided that with all those questions I was asking myself out loud, I was well on my way to a life of schizophrenia. And enjoying Christmas.

Ellen Fox is a writer for infoMania and host of "Rotten Tomatoes on infoMania." We asked her to look back at the year and share some of her favorite moments from the show.

George Clooney in 5 Minutes or Less

This George Clooney bio shows what a slog it was to get to his megastar status and that he still chooses to make some films that – though not commercially successful – mean something to him.

Conor Knighton is a writer and host of infoMania. We asked him to take a look back at 2010 and share his top TV trends.

In January 2011, I will be launching a television show about a little person from New Jersey who hunts chickens so he can use their eggs to bake a cake.

Sound crazy? Well, if the TV trends of 2010 have taught me anything, my show will be a huge hit.

This was a year in which Americans watched more hours of television than ever before. Sadly, most of those hours fall into five major categories.

Below, the most absurd TV trends of 2010.  Please be sure to tune into Tiny Tasty Turnpike Hunters next year!

1. Shows about cake.

Erin Gibson is a writer for infoMania and host of "Modern Lady." We asked her to take a trip down memory lane and share her favorite segments from the year.

My first year on Infomania has been so amazing, that I thought it only fitting that I take a look back at all the segments.  Also, the Internet division required that I do so.

You guys ready to hop into the Modern Lady Lookback Machine?

Oops, too late, I already closed the door!

Eat Pray Love

I used to hate everything about sentimental lady media. Then my friend Marisa taught me that you can be pro-choice, fight for equal pay, equal stage time, equal treatment, but still cry when Julia Roberts gets her heart broken. Marisa taught me that being a Modern Lady means being confident about being complicated.  Which is why I took her and all my other complicated lady friends to see this movie. And try to show other women that it’s OK to like this lady garbage.

Ben Hoffman is a writer for infoMania and host of "Tech Report." We asked him to take a look back at his favorite moments from 2010.

1) “Every Fart App in 100 Seconds” — I love farts!

Bryan Safi is a writer for InfoMania and host of "That's Gay." We asked him to share his favorite "That's Gay" moments of the year.

As the second season for That’s Gay comes to a close (l’m pretending we have seasons, so roll with it), I figure this is a great time to look back at my favorite segments of 2010. Especially since I won’t be able to do this at the end of next year (We’re all on board with the Mayan 2012 thing, right?). So let’s look back. Laugh a little, cry a little, dance a little, shrug a little.

Johnny Weir

You know that feeling you get when you see a wild dolphin leap into the waves with his friends? Or the sensation of a slight breeze on your face caused by the dazzling wings of a hummingbird a few feet away? For me, that can be compared to taking in the supreme athletic artistry of Johnny Weir on the ice this Winter Olympics. But that feeling was not shared by the media. Their question was, “Is Johnny Weir too gay for figure skating?” Yes, 2010, that was a conversation that kicked you off this year.

Bryan Safi is a writer for infoMania and host of "That's Gay."

Next Thursday, I’m debuting a That’s Gay live show at the Out Loud Comedy Festival in San Francisco! But enough about me and how you should buy tickets to see me here -- and on to someone far more interesting.

I had the chance to chat with the brilliant and hilarious Sandra Bernhard, who is headlining the Out Loud Comedy Festival in San Francisco Saturday, October 9th at the Castro.

We talked about her time on Roseanne, those unforgettable Letterman interviews, the nutty Christine O’Donnell, and why I would absolutely watch her reality show.

Q: You were kind of a big part of my household when I was younger. I told my Mom I was interviewing you and she goes, “Is that the one like Courtney Love?”
A: Really?! Oh my God. That’s hysterical.

Q: I told her you’ve both sung songs by Hole but that’s where it ended.
A: For sure. Oh my God. For sure.

Q: So what are you planning to do at Out Loud?
A: Just 45 minutes of my music and my comedy. It’ll cover everything from contemporary pop culture to my personal life to politics and everything in between.

Q: I saw you perform in Los Angeles once. And I remember that Michelle Lee from Knots Landing was in the audience. She was tipsy and you made some snarky remark to her.
A: Tipsy Lee! I’m gonna see Michelle tonight. We’re going to see Liza Minnelli.

Bryan Safi is a writer for infoMania and the host of "That's Gay."

Remember how Mean Old Man McCain threatened to block movement to repeal "don’t ask, don’t tell" and we were all like, “um…you’re stupid”? And then remember how last night we waited to see if Sarah Palin would show up on DWTS to cheer on her little star who’s famous for not using a condom? One of those two things didn’t happen.
 
You guys - Grizzly Mama didn’t show! But McCain and every other Republican Senator came through. Efforts to repeal "don’t ask, don’t tell" failed when the Senate was unable to invoke cloture, which would allow the bill to come back to the floor at some point for another vote. It’s basically a second chance to fuck someone you couldn’t believe you scored to begin with.
 
So, why did the vote fail?
 
It’s the same thing we’ve heard every time we’ve tried this (and every time I try to get some action from my boyfriend) – it’s a bad time. Please do not disturb. It’s just not the time or place. Let’s talk about this later – like in that hotel room we rent on the weekends that has the oversized tub and the million-dollar pancakes. But, no. Not now.
 
These politicians have mid-terms elections in November. And they need to keep up bigoted appearances so they can be re-elected to serve our country for a few more years. So, maybe after November? Or maybe after the 2012 election when Obama secures a second term? Or maybe in 2020, which at least sounds like the future so maybe we’ll be on Mars and maybe they’ll make it legal on Mars so if we’re on Mars, hey, anything’s possible? But right now? Haha. No, not now.
 
Who can we blame?
 
Pappy McCain (obvs), also Democrat Harry Reid for his “my way or no way” approach in allowing Republicans only one amendment to this bill. And finally, Hope Floats himself – President Obama who could end this entire thing if he really, really, really wanted to.

Today, he went so far as to call himself a “fierce advocate.” So why does our fierce advocate keep throwing it back to Congress? And why did the man, who Hope Floats himself nominated to head the Marine Corps, speak out against the repeal today?! What message is this sending? Because the message I’m receiving is, Hope Floats wants nothing to do with gayness (except the word “fierce”).

So where are we to look for any real hope and change? We have one option - Lady Gaga. Seriously. That’s where the hope is. That’s who’s trying to make a difference here. She put away her Muppet outfits, put on a suit and said, Today I’m gonna use real words instead of giving bjs to expressionist imagery.

God Bless You, Lady Gaga. But you look real weird in people clothes.

What I said months ago about the DADT debates apparently still stands - when push comes to shove, everyone's still afraid of the gay penis: