While the rest of the world was watching Dancing With The Stars and American Idol, I have been amusing myself with the funniest tv show to come down the pike since The Kids In The Hall. The Frugal Maven is addicted to The Penguins of Madagascar. I love them all, Rico, Skipper, Private and Kowalski, but mostly I love King Julien. If you've seen the movies, and who hasn't, he's the dancing king of the lemurs with the smart mouth and the continuous trashing of the English language. Now ensconced in the Central Park Zoo, Julien, his minions Mort the Mouse Lemur and Maurice the other lemur, the penguins and Marlene the otter drag race cars, raid the banned popcorn stores, and generally do all the things we think we would do if we lived in a zoo and had it all to ourselves every night.
All of them are entertaining, but Julien is the light that beckons me through lo these sad and hard times. He is irrepressible, rude, clueless, bossy, classist and a royal pain to everyone, yet he is impossible to resist. He says everything we want to say on our worst days. These episodes which air on Nickolodeon, are half-hour shows comprised of two full episodes, split in half by commercials but uninterrupted during the segments. When I come home from work beat and just want a little mindless tv to let me wind down, any episode will do. Here are just some of my favorite Julien moments:
King Julien: Silly otter. I do not need this thing called help.
Marlene: Mmm, okay. If you change your mind, you know where to find me.
King Julien: Yes, yes, but I don't change my mind. I have people for that.
or:
[Julien is watching the TV he won from the penguins]
TV Announcer: Are you paying too much for auto insurance?
[the signal goes to static; Julien turns to Mort, who is on top of the set, holding the antenna]
King Julien: Mort, no slacking! How am I to know if I'm auto-paying too much?
and:
Maurice: [as they put Mort inside Rico to defuse the bomb] The birds have gone carnivore!
King Julien: We must flee! Quick, Maurice! Distract them by being eaten!
and my very favorite, when an unclaimed egg has been discovered and everyone wants it:
Maurice: You should just let it go. I'm no expert, but I'm pretty sure whatever is in that egg, it ain't one of us.
King Julien: Oh, really, Mister Smarty-booty? And where else would J.J. come from but an egg?
Maurice: Well, mammals usually come from... [Whispers in Julien's ear]
King Julien: [Spit take] Do not gross me out with nonsense, Maurice!
So, as you can see, I am hip and stingy this week with my entertainment. Very few are more effortlessly hip than Julien and nothing is stingier than rewatching DVR'd episodes of Nick at Nite.
We are on the cusp of the holiday weekend! Three days off. Hope everyone's Friday brings with it that most wonderful of things; the end of the week and the beginning of the weekend!