I usually take all MoveOn.org mailings with a boulder of salt. Like a friend said, they tend to make 4-alarm fires out of burning food in the kitchen. But this one checks out, and hits really close to home.
Last week, a House subcommittee voted to sharply reduce federal funding for public broadcasting (including NPR, PBS, and public radio and TV affiliates,) and plan on completely ending it within a few years. Don't believe me? Go to Snopes and read the bottom paragraph. It looks like Sesame Street isn't in danger, since most of their funding comes from other sources. The same cannot be said for public radio and TV stations, who are woefully underfunded to begin with.
I agree with Jeff Jarvis' idea that the best way to save public broadcasting is to completely make it independent of government funding. However, I think that this might not actually happen in time to actually save the affiliates, who are almost always running on empty.
As I said in my signing of the MoveOn.org petition, I learned how to read at the age of 3 watching Sesame Street and Electric Company. Now my 3-year-old niece is learning the same way by watching PBS Kids (her mother stays away from Teletubbies, however.) As a news professional, NPR is one of my major sources for in-depth reporting that's not attached to a time-slot or agenda. Cutting funding for these things would be like cutting the PE departments out of elementary schools. PBS children's programming is like exercise for the mind, and NPR does the same for adults. I can't think of a worse way to send a message about the priorities (or agenda) of government than this.
6.20.2005
6.17.2005
A few little things on the run...
- This afternoon I had to make an unexpected trip to the Nashville Superspeedway in Gladeville, TN, and managed to get myself stuck in the worst traffic I've ever seen, and I've driven in LA and Chicago. There are great advantages to living three exits from work and working a weird schedule. I highly recommend that more Nashville commuters try it.
- Remember the scene in "Pulp Fiction" where Uma Thurman's character orders a $5 shake, John Travolta flipped out over the price and then says it's a damn good shake? Hardee's makes the best damn shakes on the planet now, and they aren't $5 (or, as it would be if that movie were made today, $7.50.)
- One of my best friends in the world, horror author Elizabeth Donald, is a visiting author at HyperiCon this weekend, and she's doing a reading from, amongst other things, her upcoming vampire novel tomorrow afternoon at 1. Elizabeth is a working journalist in Edwardsville, IL but moonlights as a published author, and her work makes for excellent readings. And I know that a lot of Nashville's blogosphere is not into cons, and I'm not even a big sci-fi person (except for my XPhiledom), but I'm really glad Nashville is getting one, because they can bring in some great tax revenue (ask the folks at Dragon*Con in Atlanta, which is enormous) and very nice folks. So if you'd like a little Memphis-spiced vampire fiction with a distinct snarky edge and strong female characters, come by and hear Elizabeth, and stay for the other stuff.
-
- Remember the scene in "Pulp Fiction" where Uma Thurman's character orders a $5 shake, John Travolta flipped out over the price and then says it's a damn good shake? Hardee's makes the best damn shakes on the planet now, and they aren't $5 (or, as it would be if that movie were made today, $7.50.)
- One of my best friends in the world, horror author Elizabeth Donald, is a visiting author at HyperiCon this weekend, and she's doing a reading from, amongst other things, her upcoming vampire novel tomorrow afternoon at 1. Elizabeth is a working journalist in Edwardsville, IL but moonlights as a published author, and her work makes for excellent readings. And I know that a lot of Nashville's blogosphere is not into cons, and I'm not even a big sci-fi person (except for my XPhiledom), but I'm really glad Nashville is getting one, because they can bring in some great tax revenue (ask the folks at Dragon*Con in Atlanta, which is enormous) and very nice folks. So if you'd like a little Memphis-spiced vampire fiction with a distinct snarky edge and strong female characters, come by and hear Elizabeth, and stay for the other stuff.
-
6.15.2005
My take on the Phil Jackson/Lakers weirdness
As I posted as a comment elsewhere...
I have decided that Phil Jackson has hatched a secret plot to coach the Lakers, marry Jeannie Buss, take over ownership of the team and then trade Kobe to the Hawks. Then he'd be "rich, beootch!" and on the beach Zen mastering his own team while Kobe sweats and fumes in the Georgia humidity.
I have decided that Phil Jackson has hatched a secret plot to coach the Lakers, marry Jeannie Buss, take over ownership of the team and then trade Kobe to the Hawks. Then he'd be "rich, beootch!" and on the beach Zen mastering his own team while Kobe sweats and fumes in the Georgia humidity.
"You have to trust in something"
Steve Jobs did the commencement address at Stanford this year. Doubtless you know who he is, and if you've ever watched any of his MacWorld addresses, you already know he's a helluva speaker. But this one was particularly special, and a truly amazing retelling of many of the events that shaped where he is now.
Click here for the whole address
There's one particular passage that really struck me.
You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something - your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.
This whole line of thinking - trust, faith, karma, etc. - has been on my mind a lot recently. In particular, someone asked me something along the lines of, "Why do you agree with parents forcing their kids to follow a religious belief that they don't believe in?" That struck home a bit, because I was raised in a fundamentalist Christian family, later became Catholic and am now Unitarian-Universalist. But honestly, I'm grateful for the upbringing I had. Because even though I never bought the whole ball of wax of my parents' religion, I learned a lot about personal faith. And to me, that faith is a very simple thing. I learned how to believe in something that I couldn't see or even explain, but just was, and that that belief and trust would somehow get me through anything that came my way. As I got older, I used that same sort of thing with other people. If you're someone whom I believe in, it's not something that you constantly have to prove or work for - I just do, and that very rarely changes. That's burned me more than a little, but it's fundamental to me, and not something I can really "fix". And while the simple faith is considered by some to not be properly thoughtful, more than naive and pretty foolish, it's also a great comfort.
And that's where another paragraph of Jobs' speech jumps out:
Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of other's opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.
I can't say that my inner voice is very loud, or that my heart is very smart in its path. But maybe it all comes down to faith and trust after all.
Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.
Indeed.
Click here for the whole address
There's one particular passage that really struck me.
You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something - your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.
This whole line of thinking - trust, faith, karma, etc. - has been on my mind a lot recently. In particular, someone asked me something along the lines of, "Why do you agree with parents forcing their kids to follow a religious belief that they don't believe in?" That struck home a bit, because I was raised in a fundamentalist Christian family, later became Catholic and am now Unitarian-Universalist. But honestly, I'm grateful for the upbringing I had. Because even though I never bought the whole ball of wax of my parents' religion, I learned a lot about personal faith. And to me, that faith is a very simple thing. I learned how to believe in something that I couldn't see or even explain, but just was, and that that belief and trust would somehow get me through anything that came my way. As I got older, I used that same sort of thing with other people. If you're someone whom I believe in, it's not something that you constantly have to prove or work for - I just do, and that very rarely changes. That's burned me more than a little, but it's fundamental to me, and not something I can really "fix". And while the simple faith is considered by some to not be properly thoughtful, more than naive and pretty foolish, it's also a great comfort.
And that's where another paragraph of Jobs' speech jumps out:
Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of other's opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.
I can't say that my inner voice is very loud, or that my heart is very smart in its path. But maybe it all comes down to faith and trust after all.
Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.
Indeed.
6.13.2005
Yet another blog post about The Verdict
Once upon a time, on another blog elsewhere, I made a post on the day that Michael Jackson was arrested. At the time, I said that obviously I don't know what happened, but it was really hard to look at a man who admits to sleeping with children and who'd already paid off other accusers and believe that he didn't do it. I still say that, to an extent. The trial brought out even more of the Wacko Jacko stuff, and I know waaaay too much about his choice in porn. But I did learn an important lesson - that no matter how screwed up a person seems to be, there's always someone more screwed up to make them look good in comparison. And that, to me, exemplifies the Michael Jackson trial.
Was I shocked by the verdict? Yes and no. I dodn't see him being convicted on the highest molestation charges, just simply because the alleged victim and his family just didn't present convincing evidence. When you have a mother who's already proven to use her children to scam a company out of money, how can you believe that they're not doing it again? The kids' inconsistant stories, the mom's wacked-out testimony...it's hard to convict someone else when your victim and witnesses seem to be the ones on trial at times. And Debbie Rowe pretty much blew the conspiracy charges outta the water, even if I personally thought she was full of crap when she did it. The one thing I was surprised on was the lesser alcohol charges. When you have person after person taking the stand, talking about the Coke cans with wine, it's hard not to believe the "Jesus juice" testimony.
The thing that gets me about the verdict (and I guess here some would say that I'm offering some fake sort of compassion, but believe it or not, I do mean it) is that everyone's crowing about a victory here. There were no victors in this trial. If it's the worst-case scenario, a pedophile got off scot-free and was pretty much given free rein to share beds with boys and serve Jesus Juice till kingdom come, while a young boy basically lives the rest of the life with what happened to him, knowing that the justice system failed him. But that pedophile would also have to live with the knowledge of what he's done, and with the knowledge that over half of polled U.S. residents think that he's guilty. As obsessed as Michael is with his image, the knowledge that most Americans think he's guilty as sin and that he deserves that will eat him alive. And I would also say that his supply of possible future victims has dried up. Being alone with a guilty conscience is not a great place to be.
But even in the best-case scenario for Michael, this is not something he's going to recover from quickly. He's spent almost two years with the world press picking apart his life, and it was definitely a TMI situation. Now he probably faces some sort of civil action, and he's already broke. I'd say that most likely he'll be reduced to a Las Vegas casino act for a long time. But most of all, he's lost something that was very important in him - trust. He said in an interview that he didn't trust adults, but children had never let him down. And losing that kind of faith and belief in people is worse than losing all the money in the world. As for the kid, he's still a victim - of a maniulative mother, a vindictive prosecutor, and media who will forever chronicle every misstep in his life. It's hard to believe that this boy randomly decided to pipe up one day and call a person who had been so nice to him a molester. There's a lot going on behind this, and none of it is a good life lesson for a young child who's already fought for his life in the past.
In any case, the verdict is in, and after awhile another celebrity screwup will become the media's darling and the late-night punchline. But I do hope that people learn more from this trial than what weird markings are on a singer's private parts. I hope that it doesn't discourage some young kids watching this trial from afar from reporting the terrible things that have happened to them. And I hope that us adults begin to look at the prosecution of sexual exploitation charges as less of a means to be vindictive and "nail" someone in a salacious way, but as more of a way to possibly save countless others from the same fate.
http://www.protect.org/
Was I shocked by the verdict? Yes and no. I dodn't see him being convicted on the highest molestation charges, just simply because the alleged victim and his family just didn't present convincing evidence. When you have a mother who's already proven to use her children to scam a company out of money, how can you believe that they're not doing it again? The kids' inconsistant stories, the mom's wacked-out testimony...it's hard to convict someone else when your victim and witnesses seem to be the ones on trial at times. And Debbie Rowe pretty much blew the conspiracy charges outta the water, even if I personally thought she was full of crap when she did it. The one thing I was surprised on was the lesser alcohol charges. When you have person after person taking the stand, talking about the Coke cans with wine, it's hard not to believe the "Jesus juice" testimony.
The thing that gets me about the verdict (and I guess here some would say that I'm offering some fake sort of compassion, but believe it or not, I do mean it) is that everyone's crowing about a victory here. There were no victors in this trial. If it's the worst-case scenario, a pedophile got off scot-free and was pretty much given free rein to share beds with boys and serve Jesus Juice till kingdom come, while a young boy basically lives the rest of the life with what happened to him, knowing that the justice system failed him. But that pedophile would also have to live with the knowledge of what he's done, and with the knowledge that over half of polled U.S. residents think that he's guilty. As obsessed as Michael is with his image, the knowledge that most Americans think he's guilty as sin and that he deserves that will eat him alive. And I would also say that his supply of possible future victims has dried up. Being alone with a guilty conscience is not a great place to be.
But even in the best-case scenario for Michael, this is not something he's going to recover from quickly. He's spent almost two years with the world press picking apart his life, and it was definitely a TMI situation. Now he probably faces some sort of civil action, and he's already broke. I'd say that most likely he'll be reduced to a Las Vegas casino act for a long time. But most of all, he's lost something that was very important in him - trust. He said in an interview that he didn't trust adults, but children had never let him down. And losing that kind of faith and belief in people is worse than losing all the money in the world. As for the kid, he's still a victim - of a maniulative mother, a vindictive prosecutor, and media who will forever chronicle every misstep in his life. It's hard to believe that this boy randomly decided to pipe up one day and call a person who had been so nice to him a molester. There's a lot going on behind this, and none of it is a good life lesson for a young child who's already fought for his life in the past.
In any case, the verdict is in, and after awhile another celebrity screwup will become the media's darling and the late-night punchline. But I do hope that people learn more from this trial than what weird markings are on a singer's private parts. I hope that it doesn't discourage some young kids watching this trial from afar from reporting the terrible things that have happened to them. And I hope that us adults begin to look at the prosecution of sexual exploitation charges as less of a means to be vindictive and "nail" someone in a salacious way, but as more of a way to possibly save countless others from the same fate.
http://www.protect.org/
6.11.2005
I guess Aruba makes for a better live shot than Birmingham, anyway
This post perfectly illustrates what's wrong with the priorities of network and cable news these days. Don't get me wrong - I feel for Natalee Holliday's family. But just like the Runaway Bride, these stories are a dime a dozen, and it's an injustice to everyone else who gets thrown in as a VO or as two paragraphs on Page 3 to focus on the young, cute girls.
My boots are made for stomping, and they're stomping all over this video
Just had the opportunity to see the new Jessica Simpson video for "These Boots Are Made For Walking". Just about what I expected. But there are some glaring things that that I feel the need to mention (well, snark is more like it.) I know I'm nitpicking, but I also know that I'm not the targeted demographic for this video. Those who are probably won't be reading the rest of this post anyway. They're probably on their third viewing already and (edited because this is a family-friendly blog aggregated on an even more family-friendly website.)
- I grew up watching "The Dukes of Hazzard", just like pretty much every southern kid in the '80s. And the one thing that you know even if you've only watched 1-2 eps is that you don't open the doors of the General Lee. The boys always shoved themselves out of the windows. When I asked my former race-car driving daddy why, he said it was because it's a race car and they weld the doors shut (if that's wrong, please don't flame me - I actually went looking online and no fansite I could find had an answer to verify.) So what the hell is Jessica doing opening the car door in the first scene? To me, not only does that completely screw the authenticity of the movie (since I now assume everyone will open the car doors) but it ruined their chance to get another big ol' picture of her butt. Since her butt was actually the star of the video, they missed a golden opportunity there. They could've gotten a shot of the boots elsewhere.
- When did Jessica become pre-Federline Britney Spears? Never thought of her as a great singer or performer, but I at least gave her credit for wearing clothes. I know she's Daisy Duke, but dayum. And as a southern woman, I'd have to say that I've never seen any other southern women washing cars while wearing string bikinis (well, with the exception of the women advertising the naked car wash at Christie's Cabaret on 8th Avenue) especially when they're washing the car indoors. If Jessica had worn her Daisy Duke outfit for that, she not only would've been more authentic, she could've had great wet T-shirt potential for the guys. But I digress.
- Why did they feel the need to bill this song as a duet with Jessica and Willie Nelson? Because, frankly, you can't even really hear him in the song. If they hadn't used him in a couple of shots (okay, the one of him breaking a beer bottle over a guy's head was funny) and had her give him props onstage, you'd never know he was involved. It's a sad world when a legend gets upstaged by an butt.
- When you're dancing around a bar, giving guys lapdances with their beers for free, you probably shouldn't sock a guy in the head for getting fresh. Just sayin'.
- Please don't tell me this song is getting its own line dance. Scratch that. Please don't tell me that this song is going into heavy rotation on country radio and CMT.
- Did the producers of this video come up with the "washing the General Lee" idea before the Paris Hilton Carl's Jr. ad? I do prefer Jessica's car-washing skills to Paris'. I assume they cut a suggestive water-spraying shot somewhere so that they'd actually get on CMT. But in any case, if Jessica's career somehow gets shot to hell, she can always get a job at the Christie's Cabaret car wash.
In any case, it's an amusing video, but it doesn't give me a whole lotta hope for the movie. The main nice thing that I can say is that I'm forever thankful that Jessica didn't give Burt Reynolds a lapdance in it.
And in other non-Dukey news, American Idol winner Carrie Underwood is playing Fan Fair, and played the Opry last night. Not only is she about five-times a better singer than J.Simp, she keeps her clothes on. Go see her, y'all.
- I grew up watching "The Dukes of Hazzard", just like pretty much every southern kid in the '80s. And the one thing that you know even if you've only watched 1-2 eps is that you don't open the doors of the General Lee. The boys always shoved themselves out of the windows. When I asked my former race-car driving daddy why, he said it was because it's a race car and they weld the doors shut (if that's wrong, please don't flame me - I actually went looking online and no fansite I could find had an answer to verify.) So what the hell is Jessica doing opening the car door in the first scene? To me, not only does that completely screw the authenticity of the movie (since I now assume everyone will open the car doors) but it ruined their chance to get another big ol' picture of her butt. Since her butt was actually the star of the video, they missed a golden opportunity there. They could've gotten a shot of the boots elsewhere.
- When did Jessica become pre-Federline Britney Spears? Never thought of her as a great singer or performer, but I at least gave her credit for wearing clothes. I know she's Daisy Duke, but dayum. And as a southern woman, I'd have to say that I've never seen any other southern women washing cars while wearing string bikinis (well, with the exception of the women advertising the naked car wash at Christie's Cabaret on 8th Avenue) especially when they're washing the car indoors. If Jessica had worn her Daisy Duke outfit for that, she not only would've been more authentic, she could've had great wet T-shirt potential for the guys. But I digress.
- Why did they feel the need to bill this song as a duet with Jessica and Willie Nelson? Because, frankly, you can't even really hear him in the song. If they hadn't used him in a couple of shots (okay, the one of him breaking a beer bottle over a guy's head was funny) and had her give him props onstage, you'd never know he was involved. It's a sad world when a legend gets upstaged by an butt.
- When you're dancing around a bar, giving guys lapdances with their beers for free, you probably shouldn't sock a guy in the head for getting fresh. Just sayin'.
- Please don't tell me this song is getting its own line dance. Scratch that. Please don't tell me that this song is going into heavy rotation on country radio and CMT.
- Did the producers of this video come up with the "washing the General Lee" idea before the Paris Hilton Carl's Jr. ad? I do prefer Jessica's car-washing skills to Paris'. I assume they cut a suggestive water-spraying shot somewhere so that they'd actually get on CMT. But in any case, if Jessica's career somehow gets shot to hell, she can always get a job at the Christie's Cabaret car wash.
In any case, it's an amusing video, but it doesn't give me a whole lotta hope for the movie. The main nice thing that I can say is that I'm forever thankful that Jessica didn't give Burt Reynolds a lapdance in it.
And in other non-Dukey news, American Idol winner Carrie Underwood is playing Fan Fair, and played the Opry last night. Not only is she about five-times a better singer than J.Simp, she keeps her clothes on. Go see her, y'all.
6.08.2005
Seasons of Love
525,600 minutes! 525,000 journeys to plan. 525,600 minutes - how can you measure
the life of a woman or man?
In truths that she learned, or in times that he cried. In bridges he burned, or
the way that she died.
It’s time now to sing out, tho the story never ends, let's celebrate remember a year in the life of friends.
the life of a woman or man?
In truths that she learned, or in times that he cried. In bridges he burned, or
the way that she died.
It’s time now to sing out, tho the story never ends, let's celebrate remember a year in the life of friends.
Damn, a movie trailer isn't supposed to make you cry.
Trailer to "Rent"
The "Rent" Blog
6.04.2005
Such A Geek
I'm posting this entry from a $2,699 PowerBook G4 inside the brand-new Apple Store in Green Hills. This is after waiting over an hour in line to get in. Have I earned my geek cred yet?
6.03.2005
The Dead Season for TV
The other day one of my coworkers (who is known for his taste for reality shows like American Idol) said that this is one of the few times in his memory that he's watching nothing on TV. With reruns on the networks, no AI or Nashville Star to snark, and terrible summer programming choices (the poorly-executed ballroom dancing show on ABC and that abysmal-looking Ashton Kutcher show spring immediately to mind) he's just not tuning in. So I've been planning to do a post offering up some excellent alternatives for great summer viewing. Until I spent a couple of days thinking and came up with very little. But there are a couple of things that have kept me watching lately, and some things I'm looking forward to.
- A few weeks ago, I mentioned my interest in the upcoming US premiere of Green Wing on BBC America, as I had heard it was funnier than Scrubs. I have not been disappointed in the least. Tasmin Grieg was the perfect comic foil in Black Books, but she shines Dr. Caroline Todd in Green Wing, actually generating chemistry with every actor she shares screentime with. Moreover, a large ensemble cast seem to work together almost seamlessly to create an atmosphere of zaniness with heart. You can't help but care about most of the characters, and even the ones you hate (i.e. Dr. Guy Secretan, the most slimy male character ever written) are interesting enough to want to keep around. And there's neat little things, like the staff psychologist (played by my favorite guest stars on Manchild) who's a secret dominatrix, and the intern who spends his free time unraveling the frayed edges of the consultant radiologist's psyche. The character played by Sarah Alexander (formerly of Coupling) is actually the most boring of the bunch, which is pretty ironic. And I adore Dr. Martin and will gladly take him if Caroline is dumb enough to not snatch him up.
- Coming soon to America (July): Footballers Wives. Which, incidentally, preceded Desperate Housewives by several months and taught it some hype lessons as far as backstage drama goes. Also another Must-See on BBCA - The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, directed by Terry Gilliam, starring John Neville and Eric Idle and just looking deliciously farsical.
- I do watch networks other than BBCA, really. There is this little thing called the NBA Playoffs going on, which I find infinitely more interesting this year without the Lakers involved (I make sure to buck the trends.) I enjoy baseball more than I used to, although I rarely make it through a whole game. But my new sports fix is NFL Europe on the NFL Channel. Ratings for the games are supposedly skyrocketing, and I'm not surprised, because it's just entertaining. Sure, it's not big-name players or on the level of the US version, but that's almost what makes it cooler. Plus with the Titans going through their well-documented woes, you can watch Jarrett Payton (Titans draft pick last year and son of Walter) making waves with the Amsterdam Admirals and hoping for his chance with the Titans this year. If Travis Henry doesn't come to town, who knows?
- I am known for my unabashed love for cheesy sitcoms. I make no excuses, other than they're cheaper than therapy, and easier to schedule. And even if you aren't normally into them, you can always find something to like, if only for nostalgic reasons.
Ex: I was recently visited by a friend of mine, a soldier at Ft. Campbell. His tastes in TV are polar-opposite of mine - 10 minutes of The Office left him stone-cold, and I tried valiently to figure out the civilian interest value of Mail Call. But then while he was perusing my TiVo with little success (obviously, he's no Reba fan), we hit pay dirt.
Friend: Murphy Brown!
Me: You like Murphy Brown?
Friend: What's not to like? Boy, I wish this show were around now for this Bush presidency.
That launched us into a discussion of that era in politics, and why I watch Murphy Brown - because it takes me back to, dare I say, a simpler period of political life, at least for me. You honestly could reduce a debate over TV indecency to a 30-minute sitcom plot, and it was actually funny and entertaining because it wasn't such a sore subject. Nowadays politics is a whole mess of jangled nerves, but Murphy Brown existed in an era when civility still existed in D.C., extremists were still funny, and you could almost believe that press and politcos were best buddies. And if you work in the news biz nowadays, in the era of imaging and sound-bites, it's fun to see that stuff satirized way-back-when and laugh at how far it's come. And for me, an early-30-something who finds myself occasionally questioning some of my more liberal worldviews, a recent show where the anchors all realized that they've lost a little of their lefty souls with age kind of hit home.
- The Happy Hunting Grounds for cheesy sitcoms is Nick at Nite, and it's celebrating its 20th anniversary this month (damn, June must be a big month for cable.) So in celebration, they are devoting three days to the best of 1985, which was a particularly good year in sitcom history. There's Moonlighting before it sucked, the best Must-See-TV lineup of all time (Cosby Show, Cheers, and Night Court) the best Facts of Life ever (Mrs. Garrett wearing the Hawaiian shirt - even if you hated the show, you probably know the shirt), and Benson! Since Sports Night is gone, I need some Benson. So get your TiVos ready - this runs June 21st-23rd.
That's about all I'm thinking of right now. If anyone has any more Summer Doldrum programming suggestions, feel free to comment. And if anyone in the Nashville area has any of the new Dr. Who eps around (not that I advocate t0rrenting or anything, but BBCA should get that on the air across the pond yesterday) lemme know.
- A few weeks ago, I mentioned my interest in the upcoming US premiere of Green Wing on BBC America, as I had heard it was funnier than Scrubs. I have not been disappointed in the least. Tasmin Grieg was the perfect comic foil in Black Books, but she shines Dr. Caroline Todd in Green Wing, actually generating chemistry with every actor she shares screentime with. Moreover, a large ensemble cast seem to work together almost seamlessly to create an atmosphere of zaniness with heart. You can't help but care about most of the characters, and even the ones you hate (i.e. Dr. Guy Secretan, the most slimy male character ever written) are interesting enough to want to keep around. And there's neat little things, like the staff psychologist (played by my favorite guest stars on Manchild) who's a secret dominatrix, and the intern who spends his free time unraveling the frayed edges of the consultant radiologist's psyche. The character played by Sarah Alexander (formerly of Coupling) is actually the most boring of the bunch, which is pretty ironic. And I adore Dr. Martin and will gladly take him if Caroline is dumb enough to not snatch him up.
- Coming soon to America (July): Footballers Wives. Which, incidentally, preceded Desperate Housewives by several months and taught it some hype lessons as far as backstage drama goes. Also another Must-See on BBCA - The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, directed by Terry Gilliam, starring John Neville and Eric Idle and just looking deliciously farsical.
- I do watch networks other than BBCA, really. There is this little thing called the NBA Playoffs going on, which I find infinitely more interesting this year without the Lakers involved (I make sure to buck the trends.) I enjoy baseball more than I used to, although I rarely make it through a whole game. But my new sports fix is NFL Europe on the NFL Channel. Ratings for the games are supposedly skyrocketing, and I'm not surprised, because it's just entertaining. Sure, it's not big-name players or on the level of the US version, but that's almost what makes it cooler. Plus with the Titans going through their well-documented woes, you can watch Jarrett Payton (Titans draft pick last year and son of Walter) making waves with the Amsterdam Admirals and hoping for his chance with the Titans this year. If Travis Henry doesn't come to town, who knows?
- I am known for my unabashed love for cheesy sitcoms. I make no excuses, other than they're cheaper than therapy, and easier to schedule. And even if you aren't normally into them, you can always find something to like, if only for nostalgic reasons.
Ex: I was recently visited by a friend of mine, a soldier at Ft. Campbell. His tastes in TV are polar-opposite of mine - 10 minutes of The Office left him stone-cold, and I tried valiently to figure out the civilian interest value of Mail Call. But then while he was perusing my TiVo with little success (obviously, he's no Reba fan), we hit pay dirt.
Friend: Murphy Brown!
Me: You like Murphy Brown?
Friend: What's not to like? Boy, I wish this show were around now for this Bush presidency.
That launched us into a discussion of that era in politics, and why I watch Murphy Brown - because it takes me back to, dare I say, a simpler period of political life, at least for me. You honestly could reduce a debate over TV indecency to a 30-minute sitcom plot, and it was actually funny and entertaining because it wasn't such a sore subject. Nowadays politics is a whole mess of jangled nerves, but Murphy Brown existed in an era when civility still existed in D.C., extremists were still funny, and you could almost believe that press and politcos were best buddies. And if you work in the news biz nowadays, in the era of imaging and sound-bites, it's fun to see that stuff satirized way-back-when and laugh at how far it's come. And for me, an early-30-something who finds myself occasionally questioning some of my more liberal worldviews, a recent show where the anchors all realized that they've lost a little of their lefty souls with age kind of hit home.
- The Happy Hunting Grounds for cheesy sitcoms is Nick at Nite, and it's celebrating its 20th anniversary this month (damn, June must be a big month for cable.) So in celebration, they are devoting three days to the best of 1985, which was a particularly good year in sitcom history. There's Moonlighting before it sucked, the best Must-See-TV lineup of all time (Cosby Show, Cheers, and Night Court) the best Facts of Life ever (Mrs. Garrett wearing the Hawaiian shirt - even if you hated the show, you probably know the shirt), and Benson! Since Sports Night is gone, I need some Benson. So get your TiVos ready - this runs June 21st-23rd.
That's about all I'm thinking of right now. If anyone has any more Summer Doldrum programming suggestions, feel free to comment. And if anyone in the Nashville area has any of the new Dr. Who eps around (not that I advocate t0rrenting or anything, but BBCA should get that on the air across the pond yesterday) lemme know.
6.01.2005
CNN on its Silver Anniversary
Courtesy of What's Happening at CNN, a QuickTime clip of the intro to the first CNN newscast on June 1st, 1980. And for later, the first three hours of airtime, plus video tours and stuff. *sniffs, sobs a little at my desk*
I'll admit it - I'm a CNN junkie of the worst kind. It's my mom's fault. Growing up in the middle of the country, our antenna only picked up four channels - the three networks and, for some weird reason after about 1983 or so, CNN Headline News from the cable company's dish nearby. Then when we got a satellite dish, we had both Headline News and the regular channel. After Mom decided that soap operas weren't fit viewing for a child, she would leave the TV on CNN all day unless network or local news was on (I grew up idolizing Dan Miller from WSMV, pre-Pat Sajak, bunny-suit days.) So while all the other kids watched cartoons, I watched Bernard Shaw.
I never saw myself working in broadcast news. That sort of thing really wasn't seen as a viable career option for a little girl with a lisp in rural Tennessee in the mid-70s. But all the interest in news and current events got me into politics, which did eventually get me into J-school, and then a long, long, time later, into an RT program. It wasn't so long ago that I was the one running a camera in the River Region campus newscast, and getting a thrill because I was there. And no matter how jaded or hardened I become, this is still a really cool place to be.
CNN's changed a lot over the time I've watched. This morning they were asking people to write in with the story that affected them the most, and I can't even put a finger on just one, because CNN was so much a part of everything. If there was a crystalizing moment, it was the night that the U.S. planes started bombing Baghdad during the first Gulf War and my mom changed the channel and I heard the three reporters hiding out in their hotel room, trying to tell the story and not get caught by the Iraqi authorities. That was the story that made me want to be there (yes, I'm nuts.) But then there's been elections and impeachments, earthquakes and hurricanes, huge fires and small babies and famines and fury galore. I saw the video of the Twin Towers fall and the Pentagon smoking with my mouth agape. And through anchors and reporters that came and went, I always felt the CNN connection in Atlanta (and yes, I've visited almost every time I've gone there) and that's always made it more like home.
I can't say that I'm entirely happy with the way that CNN is now. But I'm so glad to see how it's evolved from the husband-wife team with bad hair to the polished product that it is now. It's revolutionized the industry, and it changed the course of my life. And for that, I give thanks.
I'll admit it - I'm a CNN junkie of the worst kind. It's my mom's fault. Growing up in the middle of the country, our antenna only picked up four channels - the three networks and, for some weird reason after about 1983 or so, CNN Headline News from the cable company's dish nearby. Then when we got a satellite dish, we had both Headline News and the regular channel. After Mom decided that soap operas weren't fit viewing for a child, she would leave the TV on CNN all day unless network or local news was on (I grew up idolizing Dan Miller from WSMV, pre-Pat Sajak, bunny-suit days.) So while all the other kids watched cartoons, I watched Bernard Shaw.
I never saw myself working in broadcast news. That sort of thing really wasn't seen as a viable career option for a little girl with a lisp in rural Tennessee in the mid-70s. But all the interest in news and current events got me into politics, which did eventually get me into J-school, and then a long, long, time later, into an RT program. It wasn't so long ago that I was the one running a camera in the River Region campus newscast, and getting a thrill because I was there. And no matter how jaded or hardened I become, this is still a really cool place to be.
CNN's changed a lot over the time I've watched. This morning they were asking people to write in with the story that affected them the most, and I can't even put a finger on just one, because CNN was so much a part of everything. If there was a crystalizing moment, it was the night that the U.S. planes started bombing Baghdad during the first Gulf War and my mom changed the channel and I heard the three reporters hiding out in their hotel room, trying to tell the story and not get caught by the Iraqi authorities. That was the story that made me want to be there (yes, I'm nuts.) But then there's been elections and impeachments, earthquakes and hurricanes, huge fires and small babies and famines and fury galore. I saw the video of the Twin Towers fall and the Pentagon smoking with my mouth agape. And through anchors and reporters that came and went, I always felt the CNN connection in Atlanta (and yes, I've visited almost every time I've gone there) and that's always made it more like home.
I can't say that I'm entirely happy with the way that CNN is now. But I'm so glad to see how it's evolved from the husband-wife team with bad hair to the polished product that it is now. It's revolutionized the industry, and it changed the course of my life. And for that, I give thanks.
5.28.2005
Damn you, CNN!
When news junkies have spent three days watching a guy hanging out on top of a construction crane blocks from your studios, we do not want to see a Breaking News crawl when he finally comes down. We want to see him come down live, dammit! We don't want to watch a rerun of Aaron Brown. He was boring the first time around!
Of course, I am the only person in America sitting at home, drinking rum and watching this guy hanging out on his little white crane on Peachtree. So you probably shouldn't listen to me anyway.
Grudging love (but just for Anderson Cooper, who I always adore),
Dana
Of course, I am the only person in America sitting at home, drinking rum and watching this guy hanging out on his little white crane on Peachtree. So you probably shouldn't listen to me anyway.
Grudging love (but just for Anderson Cooper, who I always adore),
Dana
5.25.2005
You'll never walk...aw hell...
Well, maybe 2005 is just going to be a good year the teams I follow. Or maybe if the Titans are hurting, all of my out-of-town teams decide to overachieve or something. But I'm so happy for Liverpool, who pulled out a thrilling win over AC Milan today. If anyone saw this coming at the half, they would have to be lying. But they did it, and their long-suffering fans deserve this. Congrats.
5.24.2005
When Celebrities Should Really Just Shut Up
Apparently Tom Cruise doesn't have enough to do promoting his new movie, trying to get MI:3 off the ground, and making a fool out of himself with his new girlfriend on Oprah. He's now trying to telling fellow actors what they're doing wrong with their brain chemistry.
See, Cruise is a Scientologist, a sect that is apparently not too fond of psychiatry as a field. And Brooke Shields, whom he acted with in Endless Love almost 25 years ago, recently released a book detailing her battle with postpartum depression. In it, she mentioned being prescribed Paxil, taking it for awhile, going off of it when she felt better, then going way off the deep end and ending up going back on the meds. Very riveting story, and very much not abnormal for anyone who's ever been through clinical depression themselves. But apparently Tom Cruise doesn't think so, and he saw fit to say so to Access:Hollywood's Billy Bush:
"These drugs are dangerous. I have actually helped people come off," Cruise maintains to Bush. "When you talk about postpartum, you can take people today, women, and what you do is you use vitamins. There is a hormonal thing that is going on, scientifically, you can prove that. But when you talk about emotional, chemical imbalances in people, there is no science behind that. You can use vitamins to help a woman through those things."
Okay, Tom, I'd really like to know if you've ever really spent a day truly depressed in your life. Or at least in the way Brooke described in her book, parts of which I've read. When she was having severe mood swings and having delusional thoughts of throwing her baby against a wall, she should have been taking vitamins?
See, it is true that there are chemicals involved here, and that certain vitamins and mineral supplements can help you control your levels of these chemicals. One of those, 5-HTP, is good at keeping an even level of serotonin in your bloodstream. These supplements are excellent, and a lot of people should be taking them who aren't. But when you enter a major depressive state, your body needs help producing serotinin beyond what it can naturally produce. And there are often other factors involved beyond just the chemicals, like learning how to deal with the emotions that are causing the problems in the first place.
But since Tom Cruise is such a star and seems so perfect and believable, some woman somewhere who's having a horrible time will hear what he says and think that he's right. They won't get the help they need and will turn to a bottle off multivitamins instead of turning to a crisis hotline. Just like people everyday are told by their pastors that they'll feel better if they turn away from sin and pray harder. Or some college professor tells a student that they're just not living up to their potential and need to quit being lazy and get to class or else. Or their buddies tell their friend to just have another beer and don't worry about it. It's amazing how people are so willing to accept a chronic illness of the body like arthritis or lupus, but refuse to believe that you can have an illness of your mind that's treatable but also deadly. And because of that, people go into a state of denial.
I've been around a lot of depressive people, and there are two things that you get very good at doing. One is maintaining a veneer of perfection. Even if you are a complete mess otherwise, the outside world only sees a polished version. The second thing is that you become a cocoon. You isolate yourself from the world, and only tell those few around you trust how you really feel. You're not looking for all the answers because the answers look out of reach, but you really need a glimpse of understanding, or just a hug. But instead you might end up getting a metaphorical slap in the face or a turned back. When the people you turn to tell you to "snap out of it" and give you their quick cures, or end up rejecting you altogether, that's the worst thing in the world, because it only pushes you further into the spiral.
If Tom Cruise really does feel true concern for Brooke Shields' well-being, the place to express that isn't on a tabloid TV program. That's not a place that's she's going to watch, say, "Wow, he's right! Get me his number!" and change her path. He should have tried to talk to her personally and privately. But moreover, even if he wanted to expressconcern about her physical and mental health, he should respect her ability to make her own decisions about them. Because even if it's not his own personal way, she's now happy and she's alive, along with her baby. And in the end, isn't that what matters?
See, Cruise is a Scientologist, a sect that is apparently not too fond of psychiatry as a field. And Brooke Shields, whom he acted with in Endless Love almost 25 years ago, recently released a book detailing her battle with postpartum depression. In it, she mentioned being prescribed Paxil, taking it for awhile, going off of it when she felt better, then going way off the deep end and ending up going back on the meds. Very riveting story, and very much not abnormal for anyone who's ever been through clinical depression themselves. But apparently Tom Cruise doesn't think so, and he saw fit to say so to Access:Hollywood's Billy Bush:
"These drugs are dangerous. I have actually helped people come off," Cruise maintains to Bush. "When you talk about postpartum, you can take people today, women, and what you do is you use vitamins. There is a hormonal thing that is going on, scientifically, you can prove that. But when you talk about emotional, chemical imbalances in people, there is no science behind that. You can use vitamins to help a woman through those things."
Okay, Tom, I'd really like to know if you've ever really spent a day truly depressed in your life. Or at least in the way Brooke described in her book, parts of which I've read. When she was having severe mood swings and having delusional thoughts of throwing her baby against a wall, she should have been taking vitamins?
See, it is true that there are chemicals involved here, and that certain vitamins and mineral supplements can help you control your levels of these chemicals. One of those, 5-HTP, is good at keeping an even level of serotonin in your bloodstream. These supplements are excellent, and a lot of people should be taking them who aren't. But when you enter a major depressive state, your body needs help producing serotinin beyond what it can naturally produce. And there are often other factors involved beyond just the chemicals, like learning how to deal with the emotions that are causing the problems in the first place.
But since Tom Cruise is such a star and seems so perfect and believable, some woman somewhere who's having a horrible time will hear what he says and think that he's right. They won't get the help they need and will turn to a bottle off multivitamins instead of turning to a crisis hotline. Just like people everyday are told by their pastors that they'll feel better if they turn away from sin and pray harder. Or some college professor tells a student that they're just not living up to their potential and need to quit being lazy and get to class or else. Or their buddies tell their friend to just have another beer and don't worry about it. It's amazing how people are so willing to accept a chronic illness of the body like arthritis or lupus, but refuse to believe that you can have an illness of your mind that's treatable but also deadly. And because of that, people go into a state of denial.
I've been around a lot of depressive people, and there are two things that you get very good at doing. One is maintaining a veneer of perfection. Even if you are a complete mess otherwise, the outside world only sees a polished version. The second thing is that you become a cocoon. You isolate yourself from the world, and only tell those few around you trust how you really feel. You're not looking for all the answers because the answers look out of reach, but you really need a glimpse of understanding, or just a hug. But instead you might end up getting a metaphorical slap in the face or a turned back. When the people you turn to tell you to "snap out of it" and give you their quick cures, or end up rejecting you altogether, that's the worst thing in the world, because it only pushes you further into the spiral.
If Tom Cruise really does feel true concern for Brooke Shields' well-being, the place to express that isn't on a tabloid TV program. That's not a place that's she's going to watch, say, "Wow, he's right! Get me his number!" and change her path. He should have tried to talk to her personally and privately. But moreover, even if he wanted to expressconcern about her physical and mental health, he should respect her ability to make her own decisions about them. Because even if it's not his own personal way, she's now happy and she's alive, along with her baby. And in the end, isn't that what matters?
If I had a magic wand, this would definitely happen...
"9 to 5 II" (or however you'd title it...since they'd probably be retirees, maybe "11-8"?) : When I was 5ish, that song was my very favorite thing in the world. My mom was a Home-Ec teacher, and I'd wander the halls of her school singing it over and over to poor defenseless students. Then my clueless parents let me watch the movie when it came out on TV, which I guess was okay, since most of it went over my head anyway (I just thought that the women really, really enjoyed cigarettes, and I didn't really get the sexual harassment stuff.) It was a really cool movie, and pretty revolutionary for its time, I think, since the women actually took charge and took names. Now that it's been 20 years or so and that glass ceiling's supposedly been busted and we've got this new era of political correctness in place, this could be a good place to see if things really have changed for the better, or if we're just shoving things into the closet.
This would definitely not happen...
Live Aid II: Bono and Sir Bob Geldorf had supposedly squelched this rumor yesterday, saying that the situation in Africa is too grave for one concert to make a difference, and that it would minimize the situation. I agree. What is needed for African relief is a worldwide concerted effort along the lines of the tsunami relief effort, not just one concert. However, my primary, selfish reason that I don't want LAII is because it would most likely suck compared to the first. Anyone remember who was on last Christmas' "Don't They Know It's Christmas?" Neither do I. (Except for Bono, who I would gladly listen to singing "Do Re Mi" all afternoon long.) And why does it have to be the same thing? Live Aid was in the 80s. The 90s was Lollapollooza and all its imitators. Is this all that the 2000s going to be - rehashes? We've already had a Woodstock that turned into a riot. Let's not take a chance on ruining another great memory and actually figure out how to do something original for a change.
(Note to self: Buy DVD of original LA.)
"9 to 5 II" (or however you'd title it...since they'd probably be retirees, maybe "11-8"?) : When I was 5ish, that song was my very favorite thing in the world. My mom was a Home-Ec teacher, and I'd wander the halls of her school singing it over and over to poor defenseless students. Then my clueless parents let me watch the movie when it came out on TV, which I guess was okay, since most of it went over my head anyway (I just thought that the women really, really enjoyed cigarettes, and I didn't really get the sexual harassment stuff.) It was a really cool movie, and pretty revolutionary for its time, I think, since the women actually took charge and took names. Now that it's been 20 years or so and that glass ceiling's supposedly been busted and we've got this new era of political correctness in place, this could be a good place to see if things really have changed for the better, or if we're just shoving things into the closet.
This would definitely not happen...
Live Aid II: Bono and Sir Bob Geldorf had supposedly squelched this rumor yesterday, saying that the situation in Africa is too grave for one concert to make a difference, and that it would minimize the situation. I agree. What is needed for African relief is a worldwide concerted effort along the lines of the tsunami relief effort, not just one concert. However, my primary, selfish reason that I don't want LAII is because it would most likely suck compared to the first. Anyone remember who was on last Christmas' "Don't They Know It's Christmas?" Neither do I. (Except for Bono, who I would gladly listen to singing "Do Re Mi" all afternoon long.) And why does it have to be the same thing? Live Aid was in the 80s. The 90s was Lollapollooza and all its imitators. Is this all that the 2000s going to be - rehashes? We've already had a Woodstock that turned into a riot. Let's not take a chance on ruining another great memory and actually figure out how to do something original for a change.
(Note to self: Buy DVD of original LA.)
5.23.2005
Continuing the Titans Lineup at the CJC...
Titans wide receiver Tyrone Calico cited on May 12th for public indecency after being caught rockin' and rollin' with an 18-year-old in the back of an SUV....
...And across Middle Tennessee, guys at sports bars and outta earshot of their wives are slapping each other's backs and praising Calico's prowess to the gods.
...And across Middle Tennessee, guys at sports bars and outta earshot of their wives are slapping each other's backs and praising Calico's prowess to the gods.
5.19.2005
Stuff
Not particularly posty, but here are a few things...
- The new Diet Coke with Splenda is very, very sweet. Not sure if that's its real taste or the effect of my migraine drugs, which screw up some carbonated beverages. But hey, I can drink it. And it's better than Diet Rite.
- Green Wing premieres tonight on BBC America. I hear it's funnier than Scrubs. I'll have to see it to believe it, but with Fran from Black Books, Susan from Coupling and some guy from Notting Hill, it can't be bad.
- For some reason I could care less about Star Wars. I'm not burnt out on the hype, nor am I being anti-geek. I'm just not getting it. Maybe I need professional geek help. (And shock and horrors, it's already leaked on the intran3ts! Who didn't see that coming?)
- The BBC is axing a scene from the new Doctor Who series because it was just a little "too horrible" for their tastes. Having seen some of their crime dramas, it must have been pretty damn graphic. Considering the current climate in American TV, it makes me wonder if certain X-Files episodes would fly today. I already know that the beginning of the movie (a federal office building blowing up re: OKC) would've been kiboshed after 9/11. But what would the FCC think about "Leonard Betts" showing right after the Super Bowl today? (For non XPhiles, this was the ep where a guy regenerates his head after it's cut off 2-3 times in the ep, and it's rather ugly. This was my first ep, I think.) Or "Home"? (I typed out a description of this ep, but it's so nasty that you can go read it for yourself if you wish.) Or "Sanguinuriam"? (Ditto.) It's an interesting thought.
- The most useful Google Maps hack I've seen in a bit (at least for Chicagoans) - it maps out locations where crimes have been committed. Wonder if such a thing would be easily doable in Nashville?
- There was a story the other night about a lone buffalo wandering the roads of Lincoln County, TN. Think he'd come live with me? I've always wanted a pet buffalo for some reason. *whistles "Home on the Range*
- The new Diet Coke with Splenda is very, very sweet. Not sure if that's its real taste or the effect of my migraine drugs, which screw up some carbonated beverages. But hey, I can drink it. And it's better than Diet Rite.
- Green Wing premieres tonight on BBC America. I hear it's funnier than Scrubs. I'll have to see it to believe it, but with Fran from Black Books, Susan from Coupling and some guy from Notting Hill, it can't be bad.
- For some reason I could care less about Star Wars. I'm not burnt out on the hype, nor am I being anti-geek. I'm just not getting it. Maybe I need professional geek help. (And shock and horrors, it's already leaked on the intran3ts! Who didn't see that coming?)
- The BBC is axing a scene from the new Doctor Who series because it was just a little "too horrible" for their tastes. Having seen some of their crime dramas, it must have been pretty damn graphic. Considering the current climate in American TV, it makes me wonder if certain X-Files episodes would fly today. I already know that the beginning of the movie (a federal office building blowing up re: OKC) would've been kiboshed after 9/11. But what would the FCC think about "Leonard Betts" showing right after the Super Bowl today? (For non XPhiles, this was the ep where a guy regenerates his head after it's cut off 2-3 times in the ep, and it's rather ugly. This was my first ep, I think.) Or "Home"? (I typed out a description of this ep, but it's so nasty that you can go read it for yourself if you wish.) Or "Sanguinuriam"? (Ditto.) It's an interesting thought.
- The most useful Google Maps hack I've seen in a bit (at least for Chicagoans) - it maps out locations where crimes have been committed. Wonder if such a thing would be easily doable in Nashville?
- There was a story the other night about a lone buffalo wandering the roads of Lincoln County, TN. Think he'd come live with me? I've always wanted a pet buffalo for some reason. *whistles "Home on the Range*
5.13.2005
Bye Oldies, Howdy Jack (and Howdy Oldies Again)
I think I'm probably the only person in Music City who's glad to see Oldies 96.3 go. Or is at least willing to say it publically.
I have fond memories of the morning that Jack FM came into my life. I was still in Carbondale, and a friend emailed me the link to the original Jack station in Toronto. Back in those days, I didn't have a cable modem, and I was on a reaaaaalllly slow 28.8 dial-up modem. It's a good thing no one needed to get in touch with me that weekend, because I was streaming that station (and the other two Canadian Jacks - Calgary and Vancouver) all weekend long. I'd never heard anything like it.
In the two years since, the Jack FM phenomenon has moved into the U.S., with a lot of success and some mixed reaction. link link link
My take? I love it. I'm pretty much genre-less, although to say that Jack isn't a genre is a fallacy. For the Nashvillians who remember Thunder 94, it's pretty similar without as much of an alt-kick to it. It also reminds me a lot of pre-country switch KDF. There's a little bit of country rock thrown in, but it's minimal. So far the Nashville version hasn't sounded quite as cool as DaveFM in ATL, which is heavy on REM, or the Canadian/Rogers Group versions, which give a lot of love to cool Canadian artists. But I'm hoping that as the station has a few weeks to ease into its new format, it'll find its own place and do what Dave has done and promote Nashville's artists. Jack stations in other towns may not have on-air talent, but they make up for it by having awesome shows.
And that brings up another subject - the loss of the oldies station and poor, poor Coyote McCloud. As someone said earlier today, he's known as one of the three great on-air talents of this market. It's sad to see him go, and I hope he lands on his feet at another station. But it is, unfortunately, an indication of the way that radio is going today. This really is "iPod radio". Will Nashville take to a station with all music and attitude? Time will tell. But I'm looking forward to spending a few nights with Jack myself.
(Oh, and a note to any Nashville Jack station personnel who might stumble across this blog entry - your email address isn't working that's linked on your site. It's kinda hard to comment.)
EDIT: What a difference an hour makes. As soon as I posted this, Star 97 became Oldies 97 and Coyote McCloud had a job again. I guess it's true that the only true constant is change. Maybe everyone can be happy after all.
I have fond memories of the morning that Jack FM came into my life. I was still in Carbondale, and a friend emailed me the link to the original Jack station in Toronto. Back in those days, I didn't have a cable modem, and I was on a reaaaaalllly slow 28.8 dial-up modem. It's a good thing no one needed to get in touch with me that weekend, because I was streaming that station (and the other two Canadian Jacks - Calgary and Vancouver) all weekend long. I'd never heard anything like it.
In the two years since, the Jack FM phenomenon has moved into the U.S., with a lot of success and some mixed reaction. link link link
My take? I love it. I'm pretty much genre-less, although to say that Jack isn't a genre is a fallacy. For the Nashvillians who remember Thunder 94, it's pretty similar without as much of an alt-kick to it. It also reminds me a lot of pre-country switch KDF. There's a little bit of country rock thrown in, but it's minimal. So far the Nashville version hasn't sounded quite as cool as DaveFM in ATL, which is heavy on REM, or the Canadian/Rogers Group versions, which give a lot of love to cool Canadian artists. But I'm hoping that as the station has a few weeks to ease into its new format, it'll find its own place and do what Dave has done and promote Nashville's artists. Jack stations in other towns may not have on-air talent, but they make up for it by having awesome shows.
And that brings up another subject - the loss of the oldies station and poor, poor Coyote McCloud. As someone said earlier today, he's known as one of the three great on-air talents of this market. It's sad to see him go, and I hope he lands on his feet at another station. But it is, unfortunately, an indication of the way that radio is going today. This really is "iPod radio". Will Nashville take to a station with all music and attitude? Time will tell. But I'm looking forward to spending a few nights with Jack myself.
(Oh, and a note to any Nashville Jack station personnel who might stumble across this blog entry - your email address isn't working that's linked on your site. It's kinda hard to comment.)
EDIT: What a difference an hour makes. As soon as I posted this, Star 97 became Oldies 97 and Coyote McCloud had a job again. I guess it's true that the only true constant is change. Maybe everyone can be happy after all.
5.12.2005
Blogger crack, I tell ya
My friend Joe first turned me onto The Huffington Post, which was bad enough. As Joe describes it in his blog, it's as if Salon and Slate got high and did a three-way with Drudge, and the kid turns out to vote Democrat and lives off a multi-million dollar trust fund. Joe is pretty conservative and I'm a bit more liberal on some issues, but I have to agree that the bloggers are addictive. Reading blog entries from such varied celebs as Quincy Jones, Bill Maher and Ellen DeGeneres are weird enough. But even more interesting are the perspectives on subjects I care about, all in one place instead of slingshot across the internet. Like Cable Neuhaus standing up for Aaron Brown (who I do like and who I don't think that CNN should ditch, although I don't think he should have a 9 pm time slot. And Joshua Zeitz's interesting piece about a "racialist" magazine with an editor who has allegedly gotten a lot of praise from some prominent right-wingers. As well as David Sirota's post about media reactions to a previous comment about network coverage of Iraq. It's interesting to see how fluid this all is, and how the bloggers seem to respond to it.
However, even funnier yet may be a new parody site that's now sprung up - Huffington's Toast. Part of it is the Al Franken, "Woe is me, Bush is in power and he's eeeevil" parody (note: I adore Franken.) But for anyone who was at BlogNashville, you'll get a kick outta the Glenn Reynolds/Dave Winer parody, even if no one else does.
However, even funnier yet may be a new parody site that's now sprung up - Huffington's Toast. Part of it is the Al Franken, "Woe is me, Bush is in power and he's eeeevil" parody (note: I adore Franken.) But for anyone who was at BlogNashville, you'll get a kick outta the Glenn Reynolds/Dave Winer parody, even if no one else does.
5.09.2005
My BlogNashville Thoughts
Yes, I'm probably the very last participant of BlogNashville to actually not blog about the thing. There are a few reasons. One was that I immediately got sick afterward. Another was that I was kind of "blogged out" and needed a day off. But mostly I wanted a day of perspective to get all my thoughts in order about the whole thing. And what I've decided is not to do a long blow-by-blow post about the whole thing, nor a listing of all the amazing people I met. I would inevitably leave something or someone out, and the events are pretty much covered in a zillion posts that will be chronicled for posterity elsewhere. But here's what I got out of it.
- Blogs have much more of a worldwide impact than I had really ever thought about. Sure, I was as captivated by Salem Pax as everyone else during the Iraqi invasion, but I never thought about acting as a proxy for a Chinese blogger so that they could speak freely about what's going on there. Or bloggers making their voices heard from Africa and Afghanistan and throughout the Middle East. Rebecca Mackinnon from Global Voices really opened my eyes, and hopefully will open many more. I think it's very important for kids to get involved and know what's going on without being turned off by the death and destruction on TV news, and some of the examples she gave in her presentation (like the Burka girls, who are hilarious!) are proof that there might be hope to bring the MTV generation into this.
- If I weren't already in love with podcasting, I am now. I went to the podcasting session that was hosted by Brendan Greeley of the Public Radio Exchange, which I have a feeling may turn into my new favorite site, and was also attended by Dave Winer, who I actually found to be really cool (apparently, I'm almost only person at BlogNashville to not get totally turned off by him, judging by the blog postings I've read, but I didn't attend the session he hosted.) Later in the evening I attended the podcasting Food For Thought, which was sadly underattended - just me, Brendan, J.D. Lasica was a late arrival, and Mr. Roboto and his date made a welcome appearance. Which is a shame, because the conversation was incredible. And I'm very excited by what's being done with podcasting, audioblogging (which is really more of what PRX is) and videocasting. If the law can just catch up with the technology, I think it will possibly turn the internet into the new creative renaissance that it has had the potential of being. Oh, and if you're a digital filmmaker or a audioblogger and aren't using Ourmedia for your storage, you're missing out.
- An Iranian blogger and I taught John Jay Hooker how to start his own blog. That might have been one of the most surreal moments of my life. Hooker will go down in history as one of the most famous rabblerousers in American politics, and I was honored to meet him again (I met him once before, as a little girl.)
- A very interesting discussion on "committing journalism" with Staci Kramer from PaidContent.org. In some ways it was very much like the very first day of News Writing 201 at Chapel Hill, except viewed from the slightly-warped (and maybe not in a bad way) blogger POV. Also had one of the best speeches ever from the aforementioned John Jay Hooker, and I thought it was interesting to see everyone blogging his remarks as he spoke, just like old-time reporters would do with their teletype machines in the movies. In a way, that's the ultimate act of committing journalism.
- And for a few BN notes, I had the first disappointing meal that I've ever had at one of my formerly favorite Nashville restaurants, Tabouli's. I hope they haven't permanently lost their touch with Mediterranean food. Patrick's on Music Row has excellent Cajun and Abita's, y'all! And I have to commend Mr. Roboto and Hammock Publishing for throwing an excellent opening-night party. I met a zillion cool people who I could never completely name here. Hope everyone made it home safely!
- Blogs have much more of a worldwide impact than I had really ever thought about. Sure, I was as captivated by Salem Pax as everyone else during the Iraqi invasion, but I never thought about acting as a proxy for a Chinese blogger so that they could speak freely about what's going on there. Or bloggers making their voices heard from Africa and Afghanistan and throughout the Middle East. Rebecca Mackinnon from Global Voices really opened my eyes, and hopefully will open many more. I think it's very important for kids to get involved and know what's going on without being turned off by the death and destruction on TV news, and some of the examples she gave in her presentation (like the Burka girls, who are hilarious!) are proof that there might be hope to bring the MTV generation into this.
- If I weren't already in love with podcasting, I am now. I went to the podcasting session that was hosted by Brendan Greeley of the Public Radio Exchange, which I have a feeling may turn into my new favorite site, and was also attended by Dave Winer, who I actually found to be really cool (apparently, I'm almost only person at BlogNashville to not get totally turned off by him, judging by the blog postings I've read, but I didn't attend the session he hosted.) Later in the evening I attended the podcasting Food For Thought, which was sadly underattended - just me, Brendan, J.D. Lasica was a late arrival, and Mr. Roboto and his date made a welcome appearance. Which is a shame, because the conversation was incredible. And I'm very excited by what's being done with podcasting, audioblogging (which is really more of what PRX is) and videocasting. If the law can just catch up with the technology, I think it will possibly turn the internet into the new creative renaissance that it has had the potential of being. Oh, and if you're a digital filmmaker or a audioblogger and aren't using Ourmedia for your storage, you're missing out.
- An Iranian blogger and I taught John Jay Hooker how to start his own blog. That might have been one of the most surreal moments of my life. Hooker will go down in history as one of the most famous rabblerousers in American politics, and I was honored to meet him again (I met him once before, as a little girl.)
- A very interesting discussion on "committing journalism" with Staci Kramer from PaidContent.org. In some ways it was very much like the very first day of News Writing 201 at Chapel Hill, except viewed from the slightly-warped (and maybe not in a bad way) blogger POV. Also had one of the best speeches ever from the aforementioned John Jay Hooker, and I thought it was interesting to see everyone blogging his remarks as he spoke, just like old-time reporters would do with their teletype machines in the movies. In a way, that's the ultimate act of committing journalism.
- And for a few BN notes, I had the first disappointing meal that I've ever had at one of my formerly favorite Nashville restaurants, Tabouli's. I hope they haven't permanently lost their touch with Mediterranean food. Patrick's on Music Row has excellent Cajun and Abita's, y'all! And I have to commend Mr. Roboto and Hammock Publishing for throwing an excellent opening-night party. I met a zillion cool people who I could never completely name here. Hope everyone made it home safely!
5.07.2005
More BlogNashville Reading
If I'm late to the morning sessions this morning, note the time stamp and the following links.
BlogNashville brings new breed of writer to Music City
Iranian blogger travels to Nashville to share his story
Hope y'all enjoy. Now I'm going home and going to bed.
BlogNashville brings new breed of writer to Music City
Iranian blogger travels to Nashville to share his story
Hope y'all enjoy. Now I'm going home and going to bed.
5.06.2005
BlogNashville
Off to start what will hopefully be a lovely weekend at BlogNashville, as soon as I figure out where the afternoon roundtable is (note: Belmont University's a big place, guys - specifics are nice) and what in the heck to get for lunch beforehand. Hope to see a lot of you locals there. I'm the tall redhead who will probably be stumbling around on these heels that I haven't quite gotten used to yet. Everyone else have a lovely day.
5.05.2005
Scooter Envy
My sister's planning to buy a Vespa soon, and I'm very jealous (incidentally, I bet you didn't know that there's a Vespa dealer in Nashville now! Check out www.vespausa.com.) But this might actually be even cooler.
Runs on a hydrogen fuel cell. Neato. Details here. Mama want.
Runs on a hydrogen fuel cell. Neato. Details here. Mama want.
5.04.2005
Howdy! (Again)
Wow, I'm amazed. In the couple of days since I landed in the Rocky Top Brigade, I've gotten a ton of comments and emails from members. Thanks for the welcome, guys! I know that my blurb in the Brigade and my blurb on here say very little about me, and my lack-of-postiness has said even less. So here's a Cliff-Notes version of me:
- I live in Donelson and work for one of the local TV stations. No, I'm not going to say which one. It doesn't matter. I have nothing to do with what they put on the air, and I don't want to be pointed at as an example of that "liberal media elite". I think that would be pretty unfair, considering I'm not writing the stories or appearing on-air.
- I'm a sports nut. I'm a girl. The two things aren't such a weird combination. My great loves are football and "footy" (soccer for us unfortunate U.S. folks.) And while I'm at it - Go Reds! Beat Milan! And shut up Mourinho!
- I spend way too much time watching TV. My choices are pretty varied and change from month to month. Right now I'm really into The L Word (Yes, you can be straight and still love it. Once straight men figure out that it's on and that the women are half-naked in it, it'll be the #1 cable show in the U.S., I swear. And straight women can watch and be grateful that they only have to deal with men's weirdness and not female drama.) I also watch pretty much anything on BBC America. If I could just get a direct feed of BBC and ITV, I would be a happy camper. And I'm a CNN junkie, although if they don't quit being the Salacious News Network that they're in danger of becoming of late, I'm not going to be able to stomach it anymore. Runaway Bride was NOT breaking news, folks.
- I'm an aspiring foodie. Would try my luck at cooking more of it myself, but I'm a single woman on a small budget. So I stick to looking for local ethnic haunts. I'm always looking for people to hang out with me and nosh on sushi or Indian or Cajun. Maybe I'll resurrect my Sunday Dinner Review...
- Oh, and I develop weird interests in random online things and gadgets. My current obsession is podcasting. I'm mentally writing a long post about it, but I'm so busy with my RL job that I rarely have time to post these days. But there's some really interesting stuff out there. Just don't listen to the Dawn & Drew Show and decide that's the future of podcasting. If that's the future, I want out now. It makes my ears bleed. I have no idea why "the media" is hyping that crap so much.
- As far as my personal life, I've been divorced for over four years now. Me and the ex are still friends, and he's in San Fran. My family is in Dunn, TN (a cookie if you know where that is.) I have the smartest 3 1/2 year-old niece on the face of this earth, and one lovely sister. I reside with three cats (no "crazy cat lady" jokes, please.) I am single and taking applications (although, now that I look at that sentence, that sounds bad. Read Camryn Manheim's book to see what I mean by that.) And now I am tired of talking about myself. If anyone actually wants to know anything else about me, I guess I could always do that "5 Questions Meme" that's popular in blogs everywhere. But just feel free to ask.
- I live in Donelson and work for one of the local TV stations. No, I'm not going to say which one. It doesn't matter. I have nothing to do with what they put on the air, and I don't want to be pointed at as an example of that "liberal media elite". I think that would be pretty unfair, considering I'm not writing the stories or appearing on-air.
- I'm a sports nut. I'm a girl. The two things aren't such a weird combination. My great loves are football and "footy" (soccer for us unfortunate U.S. folks.) And while I'm at it - Go Reds! Beat Milan! And shut up Mourinho!
- I spend way too much time watching TV. My choices are pretty varied and change from month to month. Right now I'm really into The L Word (Yes, you can be straight and still love it. Once straight men figure out that it's on and that the women are half-naked in it, it'll be the #1 cable show in the U.S., I swear. And straight women can watch and be grateful that they only have to deal with men's weirdness and not female drama.) I also watch pretty much anything on BBC America. If I could just get a direct feed of BBC and ITV, I would be a happy camper. And I'm a CNN junkie, although if they don't quit being the Salacious News Network that they're in danger of becoming of late, I'm not going to be able to stomach it anymore. Runaway Bride was NOT breaking news, folks.
- I'm an aspiring foodie. Would try my luck at cooking more of it myself, but I'm a single woman on a small budget. So I stick to looking for local ethnic haunts. I'm always looking for people to hang out with me and nosh on sushi or Indian or Cajun. Maybe I'll resurrect my Sunday Dinner Review...
- Oh, and I develop weird interests in random online things and gadgets. My current obsession is podcasting. I'm mentally writing a long post about it, but I'm so busy with my RL job that I rarely have time to post these days. But there's some really interesting stuff out there. Just don't listen to the Dawn & Drew Show and decide that's the future of podcasting. If that's the future, I want out now. It makes my ears bleed. I have no idea why "the media" is hyping that crap so much.
- As far as my personal life, I've been divorced for over four years now. Me and the ex are still friends, and he's in San Fran. My family is in Dunn, TN (a cookie if you know where that is.) I have the smartest 3 1/2 year-old niece on the face of this earth, and one lovely sister. I reside with three cats (no "crazy cat lady" jokes, please.) I am single and taking applications (although, now that I look at that sentence, that sounds bad. Read Camryn Manheim's book to see what I mean by that.) And now I am tired of talking about myself. If anyone actually wants to know anything else about me, I guess I could always do that "5 Questions Meme" that's popular in blogs everywhere. But just feel free to ask.
4.25.2005
Nice work if you can get it, and you can get it if you try
A Vols football player made a little bit of noise today for doing something other than getting arrested (sorry, low blow.) Offensive tackle Michael Munoz announced that after not being drafted over the weekend, he's quitting football and not going to try to be signed as a free agent. From the reaction of most of the sports press, you would've thought he was throwing away a winning lottery ticket.
Not me. I applaud his decision.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not attacking professional football as a career. If you've got the skills, what's a better way to sock at least a couple hundred-thou a year in the bank? You get at least a couple of months off a year, you get to travel a lot, meet lots of celebrities and hot babes, and all the free food you can eat. But when you get down to it, is that really a life? In a way, it's like extended college, but better financed and with a lot scarier downside.
Munoz said today that he never found his identity playing football. To me, that's an amazingly mature statement to make at age early-20ish. Most guys I know of that age find their identity at the bottom of a beer keg or in other activities that cannot be described in this family-friendly blog. Then it becomes your career. Some of us get stuck one one of the first two categories, by choice or otherwise. But this guy already has it figured out. He wants to finish college, maybe get his MBA, marry his fiancee', who's graduating nursing school, and have a family. He's choosing life over a football career. And instead of doing "whatever it takes" to pursue a dream that might be fleeting, he's building a foundation for something real.
By some weird coincidence, tonight I happened to have the final episode of "Coach" TiVoed (if you haven't figured it out yet, I have a thing for cheesy sitcoms.) In the episode, Hayden Fox has to decide whether to accept a $17 million, 10-year contract with his current NFL team or a deal with two other hot teams. In the end, he ditches football altogether to move back to Minnesota to live in his lakeside cabin with his wife and his newly-adopted son. Which is about the stupidest ending of all endings in the world if you've ever watched the whole show, because Coach Fox was about as likely to just abruptly quit football as Coach Fisher would be (God forbid!) But somehow, watching that episode with Coach and his baby Tim sitting next to the lake as he decided that he now knew what the real priorities in his life were, I actually got it. And while real life is rarely like a sitcom, I hope that Michael Munoz at least gets his version of a fairytale ending. Heck, I hope all of us looking for our identities do.
Not me. I applaud his decision.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not attacking professional football as a career. If you've got the skills, what's a better way to sock at least a couple hundred-thou a year in the bank? You get at least a couple of months off a year, you get to travel a lot, meet lots of celebrities and hot babes, and all the free food you can eat. But when you get down to it, is that really a life? In a way, it's like extended college, but better financed and with a lot scarier downside.
Munoz said today that he never found his identity playing football. To me, that's an amazingly mature statement to make at age early-20ish. Most guys I know of that age find their identity at the bottom of a beer keg or in other activities that cannot be described in this family-friendly blog. Then it becomes your career. Some of us get stuck one one of the first two categories, by choice or otherwise. But this guy already has it figured out. He wants to finish college, maybe get his MBA, marry his fiancee', who's graduating nursing school, and have a family. He's choosing life over a football career. And instead of doing "whatever it takes" to pursue a dream that might be fleeting, he's building a foundation for something real.
By some weird coincidence, tonight I happened to have the final episode of "Coach" TiVoed (if you haven't figured it out yet, I have a thing for cheesy sitcoms.) In the episode, Hayden Fox has to decide whether to accept a $17 million, 10-year contract with his current NFL team or a deal with two other hot teams. In the end, he ditches football altogether to move back to Minnesota to live in his lakeside cabin with his wife and his newly-adopted son. Which is about the stupidest ending of all endings in the world if you've ever watched the whole show, because Coach Fox was about as likely to just abruptly quit football as Coach Fisher would be (God forbid!) But somehow, watching that episode with Coach and his baby Tim sitting next to the lake as he decided that he now knew what the real priorities in his life were, I actually got it. And while real life is rarely like a sitcom, I hope that Michael Munoz at least gets his version of a fairytale ending. Heck, I hope all of us looking for our identities do.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
