I'm beginning to think I no longer represent a cross-section of the TV watching public. It's not because I don't enjoy reality TV. Right now, I have Project Runway, Survivor and Top Chef scheduled to record. It's not because I wouldn't daytime TV if I didn't work. I've plopped myself in front of the TV to watch Oprah and The Bold and the Beautiful on more than one occasion. I'm even willing to watch an episode of The City on my TV. Yep, I can waste my time with the best of them.
My problem is with sitcom comedies. Even shows as great as The Office and 30 Rock do make it on my "Scheduled to Record." If they do, I don't watch them. I'm trying to figure out why they don't draw me in because I fully appreciate a good laugh. But I realized that I generally prefer to laugh when the jokes are framed in a twisty and dark narrative (or as is the case with Glee rocking musical numbers). Rescue Me will bring tears to my eyes from laughter, but 30 Rock, most of the time, will just elicit an amused and appreciative smile (except for that scene with Alec Baldwin playing all the members of Tracy's family during a therapy session).
Another reason I don't follow sitcom comedies is because generally the narrative thread doesn't compel me as do those twisty dark shows or, I hate to even write the word, dramedies do. Ally McBeal sucked me in not because Fish was hilarious but ultimately I wanted to know where Ally's story was going to take her.
I guess I should be thankful that there is something on the TV spectrum that doesn't appeal to me. Otherwise, I'd have an even fuller TV plate than I can handle.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Sunday, September 20, 2009
The Faces of Glee
There's no denying Glee's wit. The dialogue is playful and smart, offering adult pleasure without disturbing the kids. But I realized last night how much I enjoy the reaction shots. The characters are so delightfully quirky that they all they need to do is raise an eyebrow to crack me up.
Another reason I appreciate the faces is that the members of the Glee club are not played by attractive actors with horn-rimmed glasses, messy hair, bad clothes and no makeup. Just as the vertically challenged choreographer pointed out, they have more than their share of flaws. But there's no doubt that they are the stars.
After just a few shows, my perspective about what makes a star has shifted so much that I'm actually shocked when the hot cheerio or football player shows that they have talent. Yet I wasn't surprised at all to see that the coach, the thumbless shop teacher or the janitor could so smoothly transition into a boy bad.
I can't wait to see where Glee is going to go. I only hope it involves a musical number with Jane Lynch. She's truly divine.
Another reason I appreciate the faces is that the members of the Glee club are not played by attractive actors with horn-rimmed glasses, messy hair, bad clothes and no makeup. Just as the vertically challenged choreographer pointed out, they have more than their share of flaws. But there's no doubt that they are the stars.
After just a few shows, my perspective about what makes a star has shifted so much that I'm actually shocked when the hot cheerio or football player shows that they have talent. Yet I wasn't surprised at all to see that the coach, the thumbless shop teacher or the janitor could so smoothly transition into a boy bad.
I can't wait to see where Glee is going to go. I only hope it involves a musical number with Jane Lynch. She's truly divine.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Glee, Sons of Anarchy and my project
I just have to clap for Glee (or maybe with glee at Glee?). It's wonderful to be able to watch a family show with a wicked and sophisticated sense of humor. Chris and I often look at each other while watching and say, "Did she just say that?" We then look at Luc who is absolutely oblivious but enjoying the show nonetheless. I think we have Akiva Goldsman to thank for the mulitple levels. The writer of "Six Feet Under" is consciously writing a family show.
On the other side of the adult TV spectrum is Sons of Anarchy during which we ban Luc from the living room. It's the type of series that I Quentin Tarantino would appreciate. Last season they seemed to aim high trying to tell the story of Hamlet with bikers. It ended up being disappointing. I didn't stick with it long enough to figure out why. But I am pleased to discover that they've traded Shakespeare for Roger Corman. They've traded betrayal, indecision and ambition for gang rapes and porn. As much as I love reworkings of Shakespeare, believe it or not, it seems to be a wise choice. Bikers are just more fun when they're show mindlessly looting, pillagine and plundering.The show is a whole lot of fun.
At the beginning of the week I mentioned that I was blogging in an attempt to find the right project. What I think I'm going to do is continue writing fragments on appealing narrative threads for the next 33 days. On Day 40, I'll begin weaving them together into an online game that will act as a final project for an indepedent study I'm taking on Immersive Learning. At this point I'm thinking about some kind of story engine that will allow people to generate meaning from all kinds of textual threads and fragments.
On the other side of the adult TV spectrum is Sons of Anarchy during which we ban Luc from the living room. It's the type of series that I Quentin Tarantino would appreciate. Last season they seemed to aim high trying to tell the story of Hamlet with bikers. It ended up being disappointing. I didn't stick with it long enough to figure out why. But I am pleased to discover that they've traded Shakespeare for Roger Corman. They've traded betrayal, indecision and ambition for gang rapes and porn. As much as I love reworkings of Shakespeare, believe it or not, it seems to be a wise choice. Bikers are just more fun when they're show mindlessly looting, pillagine and plundering.The show is a whole lot of fun.
At the beginning of the week I mentioned that I was blogging in an attempt to find the right project. What I think I'm going to do is continue writing fragments on appealing narrative threads for the next 33 days. On Day 40, I'll begin weaving them together into an online game that will act as a final project for an indepedent study I'm taking on Immersive Learning. At this point I'm thinking about some kind of story engine that will allow people to generate meaning from all kinds of textual threads and fragments.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Homme fatal, Mad Men and Mad Women
This morning I thought that I'd be writing about the powerful silences in Mad Men. Some of my favorite moments in one of my favorite series take place when the camera cuts to what is supposed to be a reaction shot of Don Draper's and we are witness to his gorgeous blankness. However, later in the day a colleague asked why I thought Don appealed to so many female viewers and i realized that what I find attractive about him is connected that gorgeous blankness. Don Draper functions as a screen onto which women project their desire. In other words, he is an homme fatal.
Look, for instance, at how Sally teacher's so quickly falls for him. She's a wounded woman looking for a father figure and she sees Don as a sensitive man for whom children come first. (Of course, later in the episode we see that he barely begrudged his wife half a day while she was delivering their new son) For Betty, Don is a tall, dark Prince Charming but she's ended up a princess in a rather frightening suburban castle. For Peggy, Don is the perfect father, husband and breadwinner.
Like a classic femme fatale, Don is pure surface who only gives an illusion of depth. He's appears to be a self-made man, but he's actually someone who has stolen and embellished someone else's identity. Ultimately, one of the reasons I think that the Mad Women are such well rounded characters is that we see them in relation to the flatness, the blankness, the void that is Don.
Look, for instance, at how Sally teacher's so quickly falls for him. She's a wounded woman looking for a father figure and she sees Don as a sensitive man for whom children come first. (Of course, later in the episode we see that he barely begrudged his wife half a day while she was delivering their new son) For Betty, Don is a tall, dark Prince Charming but she's ended up a princess in a rather frightening suburban castle. For Peggy, Don is the perfect father, husband and breadwinner.
Like a classic femme fatale, Don is pure surface who only gives an illusion of depth. He's appears to be a self-made man, but he's actually someone who has stolen and embellished someone else's identity. Ultimately, one of the reasons I think that the Mad Women are such well rounded characters is that we see them in relation to the flatness, the blankness, the void that is Don.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Outbursts
With the coverage of Serena Williams reaction to a foot fault call, Kanye West's comment at the VMA's and Joe Wilson's "No liar," it seems that all kinds of outbursts are making their way into the news. In fact , 2 of the 3 have even pulled in the President one way or another into the fray. As someone who's said plenty of stupid things only to regret them later, I have sympathy for those caught on tape behaving badly. What interests me more than the outbursts themselves is the outrage over the outbursts.
People have always been amused by others doing dumb things. The ongoing popularity of reality shows certainly testifies to that. Seeing someone make a fool of themselves often reassures people that their own flaws are perhaps not that bad. So it surprises me a little that people aren't more blase about the outbursts. I wonder if the outrage is somehow connected to an anxiety over the possibility that impulsive behavior can be recorded, stored and broadcast so easily. In the past, getting caught on tape and seeing that the tape made its way into the public eye on a wide scale was no easy task. It seemed that it was only people who actively sought fame would be humiliated in public. The rest of us could feel safe in our anonymity. Now with cheap, easy-to-use cameras and free social networking tools readily available, all of us, no matter what race, class or gender, can conveniently embarrass ourselves on a grand scale.
I wonder if we'll reach a tipping point with fame (and/or infamy). At some point, will fame will be so easily attainable that it will no longer be alluring? Has technology made it so easy to communicate that being famous no longer holds value? Or is it the case that the need to be seen, heard and known will end up overriding the need for privacy for more and more people.
People have always been amused by others doing dumb things. The ongoing popularity of reality shows certainly testifies to that. Seeing someone make a fool of themselves often reassures people that their own flaws are perhaps not that bad. So it surprises me a little that people aren't more blase about the outbursts. I wonder if the outrage is somehow connected to an anxiety over the possibility that impulsive behavior can be recorded, stored and broadcast so easily. In the past, getting caught on tape and seeing that the tape made its way into the public eye on a wide scale was no easy task. It seemed that it was only people who actively sought fame would be humiliated in public. The rest of us could feel safe in our anonymity. Now with cheap, easy-to-use cameras and free social networking tools readily available, all of us, no matter what race, class or gender, can conveniently embarrass ourselves on a grand scale.
I wonder if we'll reach a tipping point with fame (and/or infamy). At some point, will fame will be so easily attainable that it will no longer be alluring? Has technology made it so easy to communicate that being famous no longer holds value? Or is it the case that the need to be seen, heard and known will end up overriding the need for privacy for more and more people.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
What is it to be human?
One set of narrative threads that haas struck my fancy today comes from "True Blood." Although I think I represent a cross-section of the American public, I can't claim to know for certain why the series has captured America's attention. But I wouldn't be surprised if some of the threads that appeal to me may appeal to others.
As I type this, I realize that I've already found one of the connections between District 9 and True Blood: The theme of being human. Just as 2 non-humans showed the most humanity in District 9, so did the inhuman Sookie, Bill and Sam assume the roles of heros. In fact, they went on to save humanity which I'm afraid we might not see Wikus and Christopher doing in "District 10."
Those characters in both True Blood and District 9 who are hybrids of one sort or another are clearly troubled. In the case of True Blood, it looks as if next season will focus on their inner turmoil At the end of True Blood Sookie hesitated committing to Bill because of an identity crisis triggered by Maryanne's comments. Sam went in search of his real parent. As for District 9, I have no idea how Wikus will end up feeling although we know that he still remains connected to the human world.
During the course of the next few weeks, I'm going to rest content with pulling narrative threads from my favorite TV shows, movies, books and iTunes lectures (a revived interest). I don't know what I'll do with what I gather, but I trust that I'll be inspired to create something interesting.
As I type this, I realize that I've already found one of the connections between District 9 and True Blood: The theme of being human. Just as 2 non-humans showed the most humanity in District 9, so did the inhuman Sookie, Bill and Sam assume the roles of heros. In fact, they went on to save humanity which I'm afraid we might not see Wikus and Christopher doing in "District 10."
Those characters in both True Blood and District 9 who are hybrids of one sort or another are clearly troubled. In the case of True Blood, it looks as if next season will focus on their inner turmoil At the end of True Blood Sookie hesitated committing to Bill because of an identity crisis triggered by Maryanne's comments. Sam went in search of his real parent. As for District 9, I have no idea how Wikus will end up feeling although we know that he still remains connected to the human world.
During the course of the next few weeks, I'm going to rest content with pulling narrative threads from my favorite TV shows, movies, books and iTunes lectures (a revived interest). I don't know what I'll do with what I gather, but I trust that I'll be inspired to create something interesting.
Monday, September 14, 2009
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