How to Spend $20

By David Mumpower

May 24, 2011

No wonder healthcare's in such a shambles.

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Welcome to How to Spend $20, BOP’s look at the latest Blu-ray discs and DVDs to hit stores nationwide. This week: Gnomes find true love (and possibly drink poison), blue bloods get married and wear funny hats, and Doctor Childrens founds a hospital.

For people who have nightmares about clowns performing unnecessary surgeries on them: Childrens Hospital: First & Second Seasons (Pick of the week)

When TheWB.com re-launched as a web only programming network, they included new content in addition to their back catalog of Joss Whedon shows and teen melodramas. Comedian Rob Corddry (whom you know as the creator of Lougle.com) developed a series of ten vignettes spoofing all of the television medical series swarming throughout network television. All of them combined comprise about 45 minutes of run time, making the first season of the show the same length as your average episode of Grey’s Anatomy. The primary difference is that the laughs in Childrens Hospital are intentional while the ones in Grey’s come from obsessive self-indulgence from the television characters as well as the television viewers. I would apologize to Grey’s Anatomy viewers for the snide comment but I have to say that despite the show’s massive popularity, I don’t know anyone who describes him/herself as a viewer. This is one of network television’s great mysteries to me. But I digress.

Childrens Hospital is a satire that sports a remarkably good cast for any program, much less an internet creation. Lake Bell (What Happens in Vegas), Ken Marino (Veronica Mars/The State), Megan Mullally (Will & Grace), Henry Winkler (The Fonz), and goddess of love Malin Akerman (Watchmen) are regulars, while a slew of guest stars such as Danny Glover (Lethal Weapon), Kurtwood Smith (That 70s Show) and Ed Helms (Mike Tyson’s bitch) also recur. The talent level alone should provide enough justification for you to give the show a shot.

Childrens Hospital mocks Scrubs more than anything else, particularly the show’s habit of having doctors reveal internal monologue as they walk down the halls of the hospital. It also has some clever gags that subvert expectations such as the title of the series, which I have not been misspelling. The founder of the hospital in question is Doctor Arthur Childrens and while there is a pediatric center on the premises, almost all of the patients are adults. I could say more but since the show is so brief (you could complete catch up in about four hours, just in time for the season three premiere next week), I do not want to spoil any gags. Instead, I will simply say that while some of the episodes are better than others, each one requires an investment of only 5-10 minutes of your time. The show is easily consumed and provides more than enough laughs to justify its low purchase price.




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For people who are British, female, or vaguely recall the news cycle previous to Seal Team Six taking out Osama: The Royal Wedding: William & Catherine

Here is what I learned during the week of the Royal Wedding as well as its aftermath. Something called Pippa is (allegedly) hot and supposedly likes to take pictures of herself in various states of undress. Also, there are female members of the royal family who have the appearance of the evil stepsisters from a famous fairy tale. Also, they wear hats that may or may not be alien life forms masquerading as headdress accessories. Admittedly, I did not pay a lot of attention. If I am missing some key details, I apologize. Clearly, I am not the target audience but if you are British or female, I am certain that this DVD will provide with you hours of entertainment. Nothing says excitement like the intricacies of extended ceremony. The Royal Wedding is like getting to watch 14 graduations in a row.


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