Since NBC rolled out their revamped comedy schedule this week, I felt compelled to check it out. Except for "Scrubs", which is now scheduled against "House" and will now be relegated to a future Netflix queue.
(Note: Spoilers there be in these parts. Stop reading if you're waiting to watch these, particularly "The Book of Daniel", which is apparently reairing on Sunday.)
Thursday
Will & Grace: Could someone please tell me why this show is still on? I feel very certain that watching The Weather Channel for 30 minutes would generate more laughs. It's just painful. The only thing that I found entertaining about this show was finding out that Debra Messing apparently can sing. And she also looks really stupid in a "Sound of Music" costume.
Four Kings: This was a very pleasant surprise, because I fully expected this show to suck, as most shows that are hyped as the ______ version of "Sex and the City" usually do (BTW, the true male version of SATC is called "Manchild", and it regularly reairs on BBC America, so don't bother trying this again, networks.) It has a few typical startup flaws. The flashbacks for the guys to childhood are understandable, but shouldn't be relied upon. Seth Green's character could use a little more likeability and a little less whininess (although his reaction to another character's girlfriend's ultimatium was really cool, and kinda redeemed himself.) But overall, the tone was good and realistic. The guys acted like, well, guys, and it reminded me why I prefer hanging out with men (and whatever that dish was that one of them cooked at the end, I want the recipe.) The girls didn't come off so hot, but it was also true to life. In any case, this show earned a TiVo Season Pass.
My Name Is Earl: I can't slurp on this show much more than I have in the past. It continues to be excellent. One suggestion, NBC - have a weekend marathon of the first half of the season, or at least reair the pilot one night. I have a feeling that people may have seen this show for the first time this week, and have no clue what the premise is.
The Office: I really have no clue why I hate this show so much. Maybe it just boils down to preferring Ricky Gervalis any day of the week over Steve Carrell. Maybe it's the "Coupling" syndrome, where they recreate plotlines from the UK version and they just don't hit it as well. Maybe it's because the boss is so much like past management I've worked with that it's too close to home, whereas David Brent was just a funny character. In any case, I give up. Even Rainn Wilson can't help.
Friday
The Book of Daniel: This was an amazingly entertaining, provocative show. I've heard enough about the Episcopalian Church from close friends that I'm fairly sure it's somewhat accurate on how things work, although I'm not so sure that a priest whose family is so scandalous would ever manage to hang onto his parish. But Daniel is the kind of guy who would convince me join the Church, so any Episcopals who are upset with the storyline need to keep that in mind. And I really don't understand why people are so upset about Jesus' role in this. I'll admit that I'm a liberal Christian, but he seemed to be written just like I would think he would be if he did show up today on earth. I've pretty much read every part of the Bible that tells his story, and nothing seemed to go against canon for me. So I'm to assume that the protesters think that Jesus wouldn't talk to a guy who has a gay son, a drug-dealing daughter and has a bit of a pill-popping problem himself? Does anyone remember that Jesus was friends with Barnabas, and Mary Magdalene, and all sorts of folks who didn't have the most pristine backgrounds?
Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members
of my family, you did it to me.' Matthew 25:35, 37, 40
Get over yourselves, people.
Anyway, as a bonus, I'll remind everyone that "House" is now airing on Friday nights at 11 EST on the USA Network. If you're not a junkie like me and have the DVD set, here's a good way to watch Season 1 and get hooked. This show deserved a lot more Golden Globe and Emmy nominations than it got.
1.04.2006
Anyone Hear Anything About A Mine Explosion?
As we all know, I'm the Queen of Breaking News. So you know that I was parked in front of CNN until the wee hours, watching coverage of the W. Virginia miners. Unfortunately, I fell asleep shortly before what media folks call "the money shot" but I call the "balloon pop". So I fell asleep around 1:30, blissfully listening to people cheering and awoke at 5 to hear people sobbing to Miles O'Brien. Ugh.
But there are a few things that have struck me about this whole thing, other than how absolutely horrifying the whole thing had to be, and how many lawsuits that the company owning the mine will now be facing...
(Warning: my language here isn't terribly polite, but f*&^ that s%#$. This isn't a Charlie Brown Christmas Special.)
1) Okay, this one goes back to Iraq, Katrina, and even some of my own personal experiences - how f*&^ing hard is it to tell people the TRUTH about something before they find out in the worst way possible? In last night's case, the mining company had a decent idea within 20 minutes of the false report that there were going to be more deaths. All that CEO of the company had to do was walk over to where Anderson Cooper was doing his live shot and basically tell the world to hold its horses. He wouldn't have had to say they were probably all dead (or almost dead) or anything - just that the reports out of the mine were inconclusive and that people needed to hold off on the celebrating until they had the final word. THAT would have been fair to the families. THAT might have prevented the clusterf*&^ that happened over two hours later when he dropped the bomb in the church. And news flash -- deflecting the blame onto others during and after the fact (i.e. calling a news conference the next day to explain how this is really not all your fault) doesn't fix anything, and usually makes the people who are actually dealing with this feel even worse. It's all well and good to feel bad in retrospect when you see the footage of people cussing you out on CNN after you kept your mouth shut, or when actually get around to seeing the people starving on the streets of New Orleans that you didn't/couldn't help, or whatever actually happens when people find out the real truth of a situation and end up really hurting. And believe me, they always do. And even if you're not around to see how much it screws up the people, there's no way that you'll end up better. If nothing else, give the media some credit for their ability to dig and just own up to your mistakes sooner than later. You might even come out looking better than a dickless weasel in the end.
2) Speaking of the media, some people think that CNN has some apologizing to do. Once again, I cry BS. Anderson was anchoring live from the scene, not working as a field reporter or producer. How in the bloody hell is he supposed to go verify the things that people are coming up and telling him in the middle of a live shot? Was he supposed to sneak down to that mine and check it out himself? And of course he was calling it "a miracle." What else do you call something like that? And did anyone who watched him in action during Katrina honestly expect him to show no emotion? And how much more verification do you need during a breaking news situation than church bells ringing, people dancing around in celebration and EMS workers driving by giving the live team thumbs-up signs? It's not the media's fault that #1 happened, and they shouldn't get the misplaced blame for it, just because no one bothered to pass the truth along. Having worked in a newsroom and working in conjunction with one now, I can tell you that when something's aired that's dicey in the factual department, you usually get a phone call within about two minutes of it airing. Those live guys were there reporting and reacting to what was going on around them. It's easy to say in retrospect that they should have waited, but if you were actually watching and seeing the commotion, there was no way. It would've been like waiting to air footage of the NOLA mess until FEMA confirmed that it had actually happened. In any case, I'm now looking very forward to seeing Anderson giving Mr. CEO the Landrieu treatment in the very near future.
3) I would like to give the people of West Virginia credit for coming off as intelligent, respectful people. They managed to do it in a way that some of the reporters noted with such increduality that you'd think that they were expecting characters from "My Name Is Earl." I think they were much more relatable than anyone else in the country has ever given them credit for being. As far as their "we're gonna kick someone's ass" reaction to the bad news this morning, I think that's pretty damn understandable under the circumstances. In fact, I would daresay that if you've ever had a drop of true redneck blood in your veins, you would react in a similar way. And rednecks (I'm using the politically-correct definition of this, since I don't believe they all have a chaw and look like Kid Rock) are all over this nation, and I daresay we've all got it in us. So no one needs to get all holier-than-thou on this.
But there are a few things that have struck me about this whole thing, other than how absolutely horrifying the whole thing had to be, and how many lawsuits that the company owning the mine will now be facing...
(Warning: my language here isn't terribly polite, but f*&^ that s%#$. This isn't a Charlie Brown Christmas Special.)
1) Okay, this one goes back to Iraq, Katrina, and even some of my own personal experiences - how f*&^ing hard is it to tell people the TRUTH about something before they find out in the worst way possible? In last night's case, the mining company had a decent idea within 20 minutes of the false report that there were going to be more deaths. All that CEO of the company had to do was walk over to where Anderson Cooper was doing his live shot and basically tell the world to hold its horses. He wouldn't have had to say they were probably all dead (or almost dead) or anything - just that the reports out of the mine were inconclusive and that people needed to hold off on the celebrating until they had the final word. THAT would have been fair to the families. THAT might have prevented the clusterf*&^ that happened over two hours later when he dropped the bomb in the church. And news flash -- deflecting the blame onto others during and after the fact (i.e. calling a news conference the next day to explain how this is really not all your fault) doesn't fix anything, and usually makes the people who are actually dealing with this feel even worse. It's all well and good to feel bad in retrospect when you see the footage of people cussing you out on CNN after you kept your mouth shut, or when actually get around to seeing the people starving on the streets of New Orleans that you didn't/couldn't help, or whatever actually happens when people find out the real truth of a situation and end up really hurting. And believe me, they always do. And even if you're not around to see how much it screws up the people, there's no way that you'll end up better. If nothing else, give the media some credit for their ability to dig and just own up to your mistakes sooner than later. You might even come out looking better than a dickless weasel in the end.
2) Speaking of the media, some people think that CNN has some apologizing to do. Once again, I cry BS. Anderson was anchoring live from the scene, not working as a field reporter or producer. How in the bloody hell is he supposed to go verify the things that people are coming up and telling him in the middle of a live shot? Was he supposed to sneak down to that mine and check it out himself? And of course he was calling it "a miracle." What else do you call something like that? And did anyone who watched him in action during Katrina honestly expect him to show no emotion? And how much more verification do you need during a breaking news situation than church bells ringing, people dancing around in celebration and EMS workers driving by giving the live team thumbs-up signs? It's not the media's fault that #1 happened, and they shouldn't get the misplaced blame for it, just because no one bothered to pass the truth along. Having worked in a newsroom and working in conjunction with one now, I can tell you that when something's aired that's dicey in the factual department, you usually get a phone call within about two minutes of it airing. Those live guys were there reporting and reacting to what was going on around them. It's easy to say in retrospect that they should have waited, but if you were actually watching and seeing the commotion, there was no way. It would've been like waiting to air footage of the NOLA mess until FEMA confirmed that it had actually happened. In any case, I'm now looking very forward to seeing Anderson giving Mr. CEO the Landrieu treatment in the very near future.
3) I would like to give the people of West Virginia credit for coming off as intelligent, respectful people. They managed to do it in a way that some of the reporters noted with such increduality that you'd think that they were expecting characters from "My Name Is Earl." I think they were much more relatable than anyone else in the country has ever given them credit for being. As far as their "we're gonna kick someone's ass" reaction to the bad news this morning, I think that's pretty damn understandable under the circumstances. In fact, I would daresay that if you've ever had a drop of true redneck blood in your veins, you would react in a similar way. And rednecks (I'm using the politically-correct definition of this, since I don't believe they all have a chaw and look like Kid Rock) are all over this nation, and I daresay we've all got it in us. So no one needs to get all holier-than-thou on this.
1.02.2006
Starting the New Year off right
Okay, so I realize that I haven't updated in a really long time. So here's a summary of the highs and lows of the past month or so.
- Actually managed to get all my stuff moved to N.C. in less than two weeks, at Christmas, which is NOT something I highly recommend. I also do not recommend using World Moving Services to manage your move, because despite their high ratings online, they are about as helpful as my cats at making sure things go smoothly. /end rant.
- I now live in a lovely house in North Raleigh that's really close to a lot of stuff that I knew from my previous time here, about eight years ago. For instance, the mall where I worked for Hecht's is right up the road. The Wal-Mart where me and my ex used to spend a lot of time is less than a mile away. But while there's so much that's somewhat familiar, there's so much new stuff that it's really disconcerting.
- My roommate's cool, and as much of a workaholic as I am. Unfortunately, her brother got really sick between Christmas and New Year's and ended up in the hospital, making things tough on her. But that did have the side effect of letting me babysit his two huge dogs, who were sweet enough to (almost) get me over my fear of canines.
- My job is amazing. I've never talked about work before, so I'm not going to start now. But so far it's been really great here.
- I spent Christmas Eve unpacking, Christmas working from home remotely, and New Year's unpacking and nursing a cold. Exciting stuff, I know.
- I attended the service at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Raleigh yesterday, where they were celebrating the New Year in the traditional Japanese way, including the listing of the 108 Buddhist weaknesses that we could renounce for the year, the throwing of coins and tacking up a special card with your resolution on it. It was a gorgeous ceremony, and actually helped me feel like I really can make a fresh start for 2006. However, the church itself seemed to have a more sedate feel to it than the one I attended in Nashville, and I'm not sure it's where I'll end up. Next week I'm actually dragging my butt to Chapel Hill to give their UU congregation a try.
- Speaking of Buddhist things, I'm going to my first meditation group, based on the teachings of Thich Nhat Hahn, who's been very influential to me in the past. Kinda interested in how this turns out. The idea of a quiet mind appeals to me.
- I have found a Japanese fast-food place with decent sushi, a place with the best cheesesteak I've had outside of Philly, and a Caribou Coffee that opened last week a couple of miles from my place (soooo much better than Starbucks.) Once I find a good Indian place, I'll be set. Of course, this would be when I'm starting Jenny Craig.
- And there's a Whole Foods here! It was like entering a shrine or something. Sorry Wild Oats, but you do not even come close to Whole Foods (or as some friends say, Whole Paycheck.) I can't wait to have enough money to dabble in the attached Whole Body store, which has every organic and herbal body product and vitamin known to man in it. I'll have to stay out of the food part of the store, lest I be permanently broke.
- Speaking of groceries, N.C. is cool enough to actually sell wine in their grocery stores. Hell, they even have wine at Target! That means the prices are excellent and the selection is primo. Too bad the liquor stores are state-owned and seem to be hidden in weird places.
- Something that's not related to N.C. - I got two great presents for Christmas - a Mac Mini and an XM Radio. The Mini is teeny-tiny and looks great. However, it turned out that my existing keyboards and mice don't work with it (damn PS/2s) so I'm currently awaiting a shipment from NewEgg so I can actually use it. Same goes for the AirPort card that I need to connect to the wireless. And I won't even go into the hoops I have to go through to get wireless for my PC. On the other hand, my XM works perfectly, and ESPN and Fox Sports Radio made my trip across the looooooong Carolinas much more entertaining.
- Oh, have I mentioned how nice it is to see the Tar Heels on a basic channel?
- "House" is coming to the USA Network on Friday nights starting this week. Nevermind I have the Season 1 DVDs - I can never get enough.
- Adult Swim has become the highlight of my week. "Huey Freeman's Christmas Play" on "The Boondocks" was so kickass that I'm shocked that it ever made it on the air.
- So the Titans managed to get third-place in the Reggie Bush Bowl. I predict either Cutler or Leinart will be suiting up in Tennessee colors next season, and either would make a nice pick. I would personally prefer Cutler, but Norm Chow might get a lot outta Leinart, despite the snarking about his weak arm. Poor Volek.
So that's it. Hope that the holidays treated you and yours well, and stay outta trouble.
- Actually managed to get all my stuff moved to N.C. in less than two weeks, at Christmas, which is NOT something I highly recommend. I also do not recommend using World Moving Services to manage your move, because despite their high ratings online, they are about as helpful as my cats at making sure things go smoothly. /end rant.
- I now live in a lovely house in North Raleigh that's really close to a lot of stuff that I knew from my previous time here, about eight years ago. For instance, the mall where I worked for Hecht's is right up the road. The Wal-Mart where me and my ex used to spend a lot of time is less than a mile away. But while there's so much that's somewhat familiar, there's so much new stuff that it's really disconcerting.
- My roommate's cool, and as much of a workaholic as I am. Unfortunately, her brother got really sick between Christmas and New Year's and ended up in the hospital, making things tough on her. But that did have the side effect of letting me babysit his two huge dogs, who were sweet enough to (almost) get me over my fear of canines.
- My job is amazing. I've never talked about work before, so I'm not going to start now. But so far it's been really great here.
- I spent Christmas Eve unpacking, Christmas working from home remotely, and New Year's unpacking and nursing a cold. Exciting stuff, I know.
- I attended the service at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Raleigh yesterday, where they were celebrating the New Year in the traditional Japanese way, including the listing of the 108 Buddhist weaknesses that we could renounce for the year, the throwing of coins and tacking up a special card with your resolution on it. It was a gorgeous ceremony, and actually helped me feel like I really can make a fresh start for 2006. However, the church itself seemed to have a more sedate feel to it than the one I attended in Nashville, and I'm not sure it's where I'll end up. Next week I'm actually dragging my butt to Chapel Hill to give their UU congregation a try.
- Speaking of Buddhist things, I'm going to my first meditation group, based on the teachings of Thich Nhat Hahn, who's been very influential to me in the past. Kinda interested in how this turns out. The idea of a quiet mind appeals to me.
- I have found a Japanese fast-food place with decent sushi, a place with the best cheesesteak I've had outside of Philly, and a Caribou Coffee that opened last week a couple of miles from my place (soooo much better than Starbucks.) Once I find a good Indian place, I'll be set. Of course, this would be when I'm starting Jenny Craig.
- And there's a Whole Foods here! It was like entering a shrine or something. Sorry Wild Oats, but you do not even come close to Whole Foods (or as some friends say, Whole Paycheck.) I can't wait to have enough money to dabble in the attached Whole Body store, which has every organic and herbal body product and vitamin known to man in it. I'll have to stay out of the food part of the store, lest I be permanently broke.
- Speaking of groceries, N.C. is cool enough to actually sell wine in their grocery stores. Hell, they even have wine at Target! That means the prices are excellent and the selection is primo. Too bad the liquor stores are state-owned and seem to be hidden in weird places.
- Something that's not related to N.C. - I got two great presents for Christmas - a Mac Mini and an XM Radio. The Mini is teeny-tiny and looks great. However, it turned out that my existing keyboards and mice don't work with it (damn PS/2s) so I'm currently awaiting a shipment from NewEgg so I can actually use it. Same goes for the AirPort card that I need to connect to the wireless. And I won't even go into the hoops I have to go through to get wireless for my PC. On the other hand, my XM works perfectly, and ESPN and Fox Sports Radio made my trip across the looooooong Carolinas much more entertaining.
- Oh, have I mentioned how nice it is to see the Tar Heels on a basic channel?
- "House" is coming to the USA Network on Friday nights starting this week. Nevermind I have the Season 1 DVDs - I can never get enough.
- Adult Swim has become the highlight of my week. "Huey Freeman's Christmas Play" on "The Boondocks" was so kickass that I'm shocked that it ever made it on the air.
- So the Titans managed to get third-place in the Reggie Bush Bowl. I predict either Cutler or Leinart will be suiting up in Tennessee colors next season, and either would make a nice pick. I would personally prefer Cutler, but Norm Chow might get a lot outta Leinart, despite the snarking about his weak arm. Poor Volek.
So that's it. Hope that the holidays treated you and yours well, and stay outta trouble.
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