Best Music/Sport Videos of 2007

Only true maestros are able to master and connect two completely separate genres; be it in literature, cinema or modern dance, only true maestros can do it. This year we here at Rory and Craig are paying tribute to true music maestros who were able to infuse their work with the kinetic drama that is sport.

Can a music video feature a sport that has nothing to do with the song? We are willing to offer a resounding yes. Here are our top five picks for 2007.

Our grading system is based on three criteria: (1) sportsmanship (2) representation of sports (3) the video must have been viewed at least once in 2007.

5. Tom Petty - Free Fallin'.

Before this song was synonymous with Tom Cruises' moment of rebirth in the movie Jerry Maguire (a sports agent movie, we should point out), the song's video contained a representation of sports.

The first half of the video is a proverbial snore, but once we see that half pipe, we're in sports heaven. Neon clad teens give us insight into the fact that hindsight is 20/20. Back then skateboarding may have just been a fad, but these kids, pulling cliff side aerials, paint a vivid portrait of the billion dollar sports info-tainment industry that skateboarding has since become.



4. Hootie and the Blowfish - Only Wanna Be With You

Sports, Sports, Sports, Sports, Sports. That's what's in this video. Where do we begin? How about the fact that the video starts with Sportcenter anchors Keith Olberman (now a serious journalist) and Dan 'En Fuego' Patrick talking about how bad Hootie are at sports. What follows is a barrage of sports ladened shenanigans perpetrated by the Blowfish. Kudos. Dan Marino is tossin' some passes, to no avail; lead singer Darius 'Butterfinger' Rucker drops the ball as he thinks about playing more golf.



3. New Edition - Cool It Now

This video focuses on the eternal battle that all adolescents face: pro sports vs. pro creation. A crisp skip pass to an easy lay up is how this one begins. Great fundamentals. But sportsmanship quickly loses out as hot dogging (Bobby Brown's dunk) leads to skirt chasing (sunset walk anyone?). Basketball is completely disrespected, as puppy dog love shows it vicious teeth. The only reason we picked this as a sports video is the athletic merit of Ralph's continuous hand gestures as he sings. Come on boys...Cool It Now.



2. Bruce Springsteen - Glory Days

I had a friend who was a big baseball player, back in high school...and his name was Bruce Springsteen. Baseball takes center stage here, and reminds us why we love sports: because it distracts us from the harsh reality of our brain-deadening 9 to 5 world and allows us to project our broken dreams onto our children, giving them a false sense of hope, before they too are sucked into the machine.



1. Dire Straits - Walk of Life

This video has it all. The ups, the downs, the pomp, the circumstance, and Mark Knopfler. Just watch and enjoy.




Bonus Video: Fantastic 5 and Cold Crush Brothers - Basketball Rap.

This clip from the movie Wild Style doesn't qualify as a music video, but they sure know how to talk trash on the courts (in rap form). Keep in mind that towards the end they are playing and rapping at the same time. Hell Yeah.



HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Funemployment Episode 4

Rory and Craig are out of jobs again. But don't worry, rather than search Craigslist for new positions, they produce a daytime talk show to help you in your job search.

Enjoy two new segments: Resume Roundup and Craig's Craft Corner.

With Special guest Jim Sneider.

Click pic below.



Check out the other episodes of Funemployment here.

French Class

Improv titan Will Hines recently asked me and a bunch of UCB performers to appear in a short spec promo for the upcoming Adult Swim show Fat Guy Stuck in Internet. I'm only in the spot for about .0034 seconds, but I figured it was worth posting. It's a parody of this scene from the movie Breathless. Enjoy.

Pro Crastinators

We were in a new sketch on mtvU's Freshman this week. This is similar to what Rory and I were like in college (for instance I always buttoned the top button of my shirt). It starts about 35 seconds into the clip.

Click the picture below.



Other names that would fit the sketch are: Study Buddy Huddy Duddy or The Silly Study Situation.

Sick Day

Enjoy our new video.

Rory and Craig have a big important meeting, but Rory is feeling under the weather. Is their job in jeopardy? Is Craig wearing a tie? Does Rory take medicine to get better?

All these questions are answered. And more.

Click picture below.

That's The Truth Ruth.

This is perhaps my favorite piece of footage I have ever edited at work. It's Dr. Ruth at the mtvU Woodie Awards. Please Enjoy.

We Are Famous.

Is it me, or are a lot of celebrities too cool to admit how famous they are? Examples: Kevin Spacey, Sam Champion and Ray Romano. Well, Rory and I just had our first serious run in with fame, and we can promise you that we will not play the Ray Romano card, and hide from it.

This past week, Rory and I went to our first awards show; the mtvU Woodie Awards. It's official: we've arrived.



Among the people we mingled with were Gym Class Heroes, Fall Out Boy, Annie Lennox, Q-Tip, and Tom DeLonge (formerly of Blink 182 -- now of the more soul searching Angels and Airwaves). We made up a great nickname for Tom -- DeLonge Arm of the Law -- and now he's considering it for the name of his solo album. Now if that doesn't make us famous, than I have no idea what the word famous means.



If you aren't sold on our new found fame...get a load of this. WE WERE THROWN OUT OF THE AFTER PARTY. The couches in our exclusive booth simply weren't up to our standards (they weren't made from Kobe Cows), so we started ripping them to shreds and were escorted out by security.

What a great night, and a strong beginning to a lucrative future. Below is a paparazzi video that was snagged right after we got our Verizon/Loreal gift baskets.

You Are Borg

In the 1996 feature film, Star Trek: First Contact, Captain Jean-Luc Picard is briefly assimilated into the Borg machine. As it turns out, the Borg quest to assimilate the entire universe, including all of Earth's celebrities, did not end with Picard.

Jean Luc Picard













Bjorn Borg




















Bjork(k is Icelandic for g)




















Ernest Borgnine


















Call me a conspiracy theorist but it makes you think, don't it.

All The Crews That Fit The Print

This Sunday, my improv group, Twelve Thousand Dollars, had a picture up in the Sunday Times. There was a full article about The Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, and we made the cut. Check out the full article here.


I was able to reach myself for comment, and I said, "nice."

You can check out Twelve thousand Dollars on Tuesday nights at The UCB Theater. Check HERE for schedule.

Re-Release The Beast

I just put a bunch of our videos up on SuperDeluxe, which has a ton of great comedy videos. All our videos on their will be higher resolution, so they will look much better. Check out our Channel on SuperDeluxe here.

Here are all the ol' Funemployment videos as well. Enjoy.

Funemployment: Episode 1


Funemployment: Episode 2. With Special guest Rory.


Funemployment: Episode 3. The Origins.

Twoness/Newness

Hey Friends. Here's episode two of Lessons Learned. Here Rory and Craig talk about what you can learn from the new movie Good Luck Chuck. Enjoy. Check it out right here:

Move over Jesse Camp.

Here's some pretty sweet news from the Rory and Craig front. We are excited to announce that we're hosting a new show on mtvU, called Lessons Learned. We show clips from upcoming movies and explain the life lessons that can be learned from them. Here is a link to the first episode, about the new Amanda Bynes movie, Sydney White. Or watch it here:

The Freshman

Last year we filmed a sketch with mtvU, for their show The Freshman, advertising the Buddy Beacon feature on the Helio Drift. It hasn't been up on our website, so here it is. The sketch starts around the 2 minute mark.

Click here to check it out.

Remix Yourself For $9.95

Our german DJ counterparts have an unbeatable offer for you. DO NOT WASTE TIME! CALL NOW!

A Letter to Wired

Dear Wired Magazine,

I was recently reading a back issue of your magazine, a regular authority on all things related to science and technology. It was to my dismay that I came upon an inaccurate technological statement. Although just an intro, the sentence claimed, “We will never know who would win in a fight between Optimus Prime and Darth Vader.” Really? Let’s just take a quick look at this.

Darth Vader is a man-sized cyborg. Optimus Prime is a building sized complete robot. I’d say Optimus takes the advantage here. Well then, some may argue that The Force could play a role in the battle. Hmmmm, the most powerful Jedi in the galaxy, Yoda, uses the utmost of his powers to lift a standard T-65 X-Wing star fighter, a lightweight titanium alloy craft, from the swamps of Degoba. Sure the Dark Side of The Force is rumored as stronger, but no proof of the power to manipulate a large spacecraft (or robot) is ever provided.

The Lightsaber? Yes it can cut through thick slabs of metal, but it is a difficult and lengthy process. Optimus Prime is armed with a laser cannon, which is a far more sophisticated weapon system. If melee combat is necessary, Optimus also has an energon energy axe to wield, which would tower over Vader’s saber. An argument can be made that Luke Skywalker was able to bring down an entire AT-AT (Imperial Walker) using just a light saber and thermal detonator. However, you must consider that Skywalker is much more agile and flexible than his mechanized father. Also the AT-AT is a vehicle controlled by notoriously inept Imperial Storm Troopers. Optimus Prime is an autonomous being, possessing the Autobot Matrix of Leadership, a mystic talisman passed down through the ages, to help defend against such a rouse.

The contest is already a landslide in favor of Optimus Prime without bringing his trailer into the picture. The Combat Deck trailer is outfitted with a veritable battle station of artillery and beam weapons, which would render the great Sith Lord quite inadequate.

So Wired, in the Future please check your facts before printing erroneous statements in your magazine.

Sincerely,
Rory

Interdimensia 6028

I just bought a green screen yesterday. Coincidentally, Rory and I stumbled upon an inter-dimensional portal in the same afternoon. This is the frightening result.

Harry Potter Spoiler

We're all huge H.Potter fans over here at Rory and Craig Dot Com, so we figured we'd wait a bit to tell the big secret about the newest and final installment about the Boy Wizard. Here's what we've all been waiting to find out.

>> WARNING: Here Be Spoilers <<<

Harry's scar turns out to be Scar from The Lion King

roryandcraig.food.com

Before we sit down to eat a full balanced meal, let us welcome you to our website.

ID4 2K7

Rory and Craig are celebrating Independence Day in true American style. Forget grilling and fireworks, cause breaking into The National Archives Building in Washington D.C., and adding our signatures/autographs to the 231 year old document, sounds a little bit more patriotic to us.

We know this sounds like the plot to the Nicholas Cage masterpiece "National Treasure," but its actually really different. This is not a high stakes historical scavenger hunt, but, rather, a recreation of what we feel are the coolest/easiest things to recreate from that magical time that we call the American Revolution.




6:00AM: Rory throws 2 pounds of Darjeeling Tea into motel bathtub. Craig soaks in tub, benefiting from Tea's healing effects.

7:15AM: Continental breakfast. No Fish and Chips (for obvious reasons).

8:00AM: Door to door rapping of Beastie Boys' song 'Paul Revere.' Rory does Adrock's lines, Craig does Mike D's, MCA will be with us.

9:30AM: Knicker shopping. We will be searching high and low for the tightest and most becoming knickers in all of the knicker district. We may splurge for pantaloons.

Noon: Brunch with British consulates at British embassy. We will not attend.

1:15PM: Bagged lunch.

3:00PM: Historical reenactment of Mel Gibson's film "The Patriot." Heavy focus on scene where Gibson kills 15 soldiers (without anti-Semitic over/undertones).

6:00PM: National Archive break in. Declaration signing. Personal archiving (mostly for tax purposes).

8:30PM: Play 'Music for the Royal Fireworks' by George Frideric Handel on old phonograph, without fireworks.

10:15PM: Screening of Adult Film, 'The British are Coming.'

11:30PM: Remove powdered wigs. Go to bed.

Exclusive Will Smith Interview

WIll Smith is not getting younger, but his movies and life endeavors are getting stronger by the minute. This is a fact that was confirmed when Roryandcraig.com got to talk to the "Willennium Man' himself at a SoHo hot spot that makes Jay-Z's 40/40 Club look like a stag party's barf room.



Roryandcraig.com: What are you drinking Will?

Will Smith: Fruit punch and carbonated ice water. What about you guys?

RandC: We're sharing a Shiraz. We love blush wines.

You're coming out with a vampire movie this summer called "I Am Legend," what differentiates this from all the other vampire movies you've been in?

WS: I don't want to give too much away, but you have to realize that this movie takes place in New York City. There are ethnic cab driver vampires, ethnic subway vampires and ethnic bodega vampires. Wesley Autrey, the guy who saved a man's life by jumping on the subway tracks, will be playing a vampire who kills a man on the subway tracks. This movie is gonna be off the chain.

RandC: When you act, are you really acting?

WS: No. I believe in a singular universal experience that we are all living. We all share the same life, that transcends space and time. When I portrayed Muhammad Ali, in 'Ali,' I wasn't acting like Muhammad Ali, I actually was Muhammad Ali. I ate his food, breathed his air and suffered whatever disease he now has.

RandC: Is there any beef between you and DJ Jazzy Jeff? We've noticed a lack of collaboration in the last 10-15 years.

WS: Jeez. You're throwing some heat now. In our 1989 album, And In This Corner, there was a song called "You Got It (Donut)." If you listen to that song, you'll understand that we were fighting over a donut...that's what we called girls in 1989. Needless to say, that Donut caused a huge riff in our relationship.

RandC: And who was that Donut?

WS: Brooke Shields' agent.

RandC: What can we expect for the "Jiggy-man" for the rest of this Willennium.

WS: I think technology will play a huge role in the next few years, so I'm embracing it completely. I'm releasing an album/peace contract dedicated to our future robot rulers. "Yes Yes Y'all: Cyborg Lovin' 1001101."

RandC: Thank you so much for speaking to us, Will. This both fulfills a huge dream of ours, and an obligation we had to your team of agents.

WS: Thank you fellas. Keep dreaming.

YouTube Tonight!

Come check out a sweet show in NYC this weekend. Rory and Craig will be the house band in a show about everything YouTube.

Videos, sketches, Turkish Michael Jackson...it's all there.

With a bunch of song renditions from RandC.

YouTube Tonight!
Saturday June 9th.
Upright Citizens Brigade
12:00 Midnight.
$5

To reserve tickets, and get more info, go here.

Sometimes Bloopers Aren't Funny

Max Rosen and Dave Gilbert won $10,000 on America's Funniest Home Videos in 1996. Since then, their lives have spun out of control. Here is the real story, told by the men themselves.

America's Funniest Home Videos Debacle

Add to My Profile

The History of Sherpa

Here's a little video PBS made about the history of my improv group Sherpa.



If you haven't seen us perform yet, check out our show dates here.

Northbroughm Science Redux

Check out this alternate trailer to Northbroughm Science.

Is it a comedy or a coming of age story? Or both? Or neither? Or a third thing?

This is the sad trailer for a happy movie.



-----
Also, if you want a DVD copy with this trailer and extra bonus features (a commentary with Rory and Craig etc.) email me at craigrow@gmail.com

For the low low price of whatever the shipping cost is.

Via Satellite

Rory and Craig were asked to attend their alma mater to introduce their film Northbroughm Science. Unfortunately for the school, Rory and Craig are simply too rich to take such an invite seriously.

Instead, R and C synchronized their Satellites and made a brief introduction via their individual video feeds. Enjoy.

A Triumph at the Auction Block

During my recent trip to Sotheby’s auction house I was able to make a life long dream of mine come true. Through a bit of roguish bidding I was able to win handedly the entire works of my favorite artist, Gary Larson. For those of you who are not attuned to the art world, Gary Larson was the man behind the comic strip, “The Far Side.” As I am always trying to bring the Internet patrons of roryandcraig.com free and otherwise unattainable web content, I have labored through a huge lawsuit with Larson’s people which I can’t get into here, to bring you this never before seen “The Far Side” gem.

Stop Reading Books!

It has recently come to my attention that books still exist. I know. What the hell? If we, as a people, are truly devoted to making our society futuristic then we must act quickly. I have already donated several dollars to investigate the mounting dilemmas blocking our glorious advancements towards futurism.

The Institute for Future Development (IFD) did a three year study and the results yielded these three steps to reaching a proper future, safely:

1. Burn all car tires. This will both prove that pollution doesn't exist, as this will in no way affect our atmosphere, and will bring us closer to fully functional flying cars.

2. Shave yourself. In the future all human beings will be hairless and androgynous. To speed up this process, remove all hair from your body. (side note: do not use Nair, because in the future, this will be a form of liquid currency)

3. Invest in Soy Gum. In the future, the IFD found, Soy Gum will either be the cause of, or antidote to, all of earths major viruses and disease. In either case, it will be very interesting watching this baby in your stock portfolio.

Commercial Commentary 2

The best commercial team in the biz is still at it. Enjoy.

Send My Ideas to Hollywood

I am constantly coming up with million dollar ideas, but travel and networking scare me. If you are so willing, please take my brilliant ideas to moneymakers around the country (especially L.A.) and cut me in on the action. Here are a couple to get you started.

~Martin Lawrence in Daddy Day Care 2.
~Che Gueverra coffee mugs.
~A new Sandra Bullock movie involving low budget time travel concepts.
~Flavored Toffee.
~Put advertisements on the hole in the o-zone layer.
~Free Umbrellas!
~A TV show about James Earl Jones doing voice over jobs (could be a sitcom or a drama).


Good luck. I am looking to get about 25%, but am willing to negotiate.

Northbroughm Science

Finally, Rory and my Thesis is up online (shot Spring 2006). Check it out here!

Time: ~45 Minutes.
Synopsis: Ernie Fuller has won the science fair three years in a row with his teammate Keaton. What happens when their legendary team breaks up right before the big event? Honorable mention or not, you'll have a ton of labs...we mean laughs.


NORTHBROUGHM SCIENCE





Northbroughm Science on Vimeo

Written and filmed by Craig Rowin and Rory Panagotopulos.

Location, Location, Domain Name

As a web entrepreneur myself, I always like to keep one eye open on how the market is doing. Since Craig and my web endeavours have taken off I'd like to help those who are still trying to get into the web game. I have found a few web domain names that are open real estate, and hey if they fit your endeavours by all means take one on me. Both www.fart.biz and www.mytits.com are available real estate on the web so please make your move now before it is too late. My quest to uncover hidden gems on the web is never ending, so hopefully I'll be back soon with a new crop of sure fire domains.

Commercial Commentary

The hottest team in commercials (Jo Taylor, Brad Fitz-Sternman, and Marcus Gladwell) is finally doing commentary on their best work. Here is the first in a series of their enlightening discussions on today's best Ads.

Concert of da Lyfetime

I'm going to the Danity Kane concert tonight, send me an email if you want to meet up at a merch booth or something.

The Origins

Check out the newest installment of Funemployment. The early days of Craig's vlogging are exposed. Lust, lost love and Dune are all points of interest. Enjoy.

Saxy Back

The double entendre between sex and saxophone has amused and emblushenned fans of contemporary light jazz for many years. Titles like, “Hot Sax, Cool Jazz” “Sax on the Beach” and “No Sax in the Champagne Room,” always liven up record store displays. I recently encountered a new variation on this classic favorite, “Very Saxy.” I discovered this coy phrase on a New York vanity license plate. I can say that the driver of that car must have been listening to Jazz Moods and getting very “Very Saxy.” I decided to take some time out with my personal photographer, Jeremy Gallaghan, this weekend and see just how “saxy” I could get. We took a few shots for my upcoming solo album, “‘Bone’ Thug in Harmony.”

Job Hob Knob

As the winter weather consumes our shriveling hearts, we all march on towards the shadowy valley. The days are long and harsh; those seeking work revel in their own filth. Glorious is the past, bleak is the future.

Enjoy our new episode of (F)unemployment.

(F)unemployment

I recently dropped my old job, and am currently on the "in between team." This video has all the advice you might need to enjoy your Funemployment.

Winter Fashion Bug

Is it getting hot in here, or is it just this season's fashion? Some may complain about the "global warming," but I say, "more room to accessorize." With the unpredictable climate, zip off capris are a must. And whoever thought the shawl was out, looks a fool. Personally, I've been sporting Mudd Dungarees, a blowout sash and "Li'l Bratz" tees.

While winter can often tell your style to hibernate, don't be afraid to peak your head out of the den of dispair, and say "I'm a bear who wants to look sexy." Speaking of...bear skin ankle highs are the "holla back" choice of the season. For a booty call, or a cutie mall (trip), lace leggings and bumber tube tops are prime real estate.

Don't get me started on Victoria Secret's jump into club wear!

Top Advice: Be safe. Don't go goo goo for Gucci garments if getting gutsy is going gutter. Ya heard?

Dinner With Myself

I work a 9-6 job, and sometimes I just don't have the time to reflect. Tonight, though, I set some time aside to sit quietly at home with myself to have a nice, homecooked meal. I found that I was quite easy to talk to, quick witted, and dashingly handsome. The conversation flowed so beautifully, that it was a shame when I finally had to leave. The only awkward point came right before I left. A hug? A kiss, perhaps? The moment came and went, so, naturally, I reverted back to what is most comfortable -- a fist pound and a simple "later, bro." Overall I was a gentleman, and I would love to see myself again soon. What a pleasant night.