Apple

Zooey Deschanel in an Apple iPhone ad

OK, fine, so I find Zooey Deschanel delightful and have seen her iPhone commercial numerous times and not fast forwarded past it.

But does Siri actually work the way the iPhone commercial would have you believe? One man put it to the test, asking his phone the same questions Zooey did, and the answer is, kind of!

The most striking part was that, yes, Siri appears to work a bit slower in real life. Still, it responded closer to the commercial response than I expect, so point to you, Apple!

(But really, if I ask Siri to set an alarm it will set it for 9 a.m.? If this is a weekend, Siri's getting thrown out a window. Oh, and Zooey, were you asking if it was raining because you were confused about what that water falling from the sky was?)

I'm also happy to report that the TV network upfronts where they talk about their fall lineups are this week, and "New Girl" is back for more (set in our fair city of Los Angeles). I will continue to watch the stories of life in an apartment way nicer than anything I will ever live in in this city (or likely anywhere).

(Hat tip: Vulture)

Tom Lewis/KPCC

Comedian Bill Burr gives a tour of Santa Monica

• You should watch this epic tour of Santa Monica and Venice Beach by comedian Bill Burr, the latest in a series of Burr tours shot by Without A Net's very own TV junkie Tom Lewis. I agree with Laughspin; Bill Burr should have his own show on the Travel Channel. (Warning: The language is not safe for work, young ears, or, well, most places.)


• Well this is the most depressing reason ever to keep working forever: Dodgers announcer Vin Scully says he doesn't want to retire because "I don't want to lose my friends," as he says he knows he'll never see his friends at the office again once he retires. "Some people die twice: once when they retire, and again when they actually pass away."


• Zooey Deschanel: Awesome or awful? I'm personally a fan, but I also liked Natalie Portman in "Garden State," so, I'm clearly a sucker for "manic-pixie dream girls," as they're known.


• Ms. Deschanel is also hosting Saturday Night Live this weekend. Check out the awesome promos for her appearance, featuring jazz hands.




• Speaking of Saturday Night Live, you should read about the spectacle of polarizing hipster musician Lana Del Rey's L.A. appearance at Amoeba Records following her album release and recent SNL crashing and burning.


• Great interview with the showrunner from one of my favorite cable series, AMC's "The Walking Dead," including how he first got his start by calling people he knew in New York and asking "Do you have a cousin in Los Angeles?"


• We're hosting an Un-Grammys event here at KPCC tonight (which you guys should all RSVP for free and go to); we'll have more coverage of the Grammys here and on our Twitter account @WithoutABlog this Sunday, but the L.A. Times has a great piece on how the category most important to a comedy nerd like myself has changed! (Comedy. That category is comedy. In case you haven't figured it out yet.)