For those who may have missed it, here's Jon Stewart's interview with famed astronomer and "destroyer of Pluto" Neil deGrasse Tyson. He's a bit ecclectic, but bor the record, this is the proper way to interview a man of his stature. You hear that D.L. Hughley? No implying the guy needs to get laid or anything stupid like that. And how do you still have a show on, anyway? But I fear I'm digressing. Here's Jon and Neil.
To be fair, the guy does seem a bit too thrilled that we may all be doomed in roughly 30 years. Shades of Jack van Impe. And while I'm at it, here's what led off the next night's show. Proof that good comedy doesn't require writers.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Friday, January 30, 2009
On the Gaming Front: Dark Knight Rising
Behold the new trailer for the upcoming game Batman: Arkham Asylum. You pretty much don't have to see the trailer to figure out what happens, but it's still pretty.
Yes, that apparently is Conroy and Hamill. Yes, I'm entirely neutral about it.
Yes, that apparently is Conroy and Hamill. Yes, I'm entirely neutral about it.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
My Spoiler-Free Review of Final Crisis (abridged version)
Grant Morrison thinks too hard, and he shouldn't. There, I said it, and I don't apologize.
With these two hands, I will fight any army. Bring it!
With these two hands, I will fight any army. Bring it!
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
HouseTV: Depth Advisory
Depth, as in the third dimension. As in that thing that 3D glasses are supposed to provide. See what I did there? Yeah, I know it's stupid...
Anywho, for anyone possibly out of the loop, there are a small handful of ads and such during the Super Bowl that are being presented in 3D. Not only that, but NBC is also airing a special 3D episode of Chuck (a show anyone can love) the following Monday night.
If either concept appeals to you, then you can pick up a free pair of 3D glasses at the locations listed here. If, on the other hand, you feel like I do that fate and timing will conspire and that you will be the only person that won't find any of the millions of pairs of them floating around, you can opt to call the toll free number (1-800-646-2904) and get a free pair (or four, since they come on sheets of four). Of course, since they're mailing them out, you'd better get a move on if that's your choice. They're won't exactly do a ton of good if you get them next Tuesday (although apparently, you can watch the Chuck episode online in 3D... but what fun is that?).
Now if you don't mind, I have to spend the rest of the week figuring out who's playing the Piper to my David once I actually get my hand on some wacky shades. "Put on the ^$%* glasses!"
Anywho, for anyone possibly out of the loop, there are a small handful of ads and such during the Super Bowl that are being presented in 3D. Not only that, but NBC is also airing a special 3D episode of Chuck (a show anyone can love) the following Monday night.
If either concept appeals to you, then you can pick up a free pair of 3D glasses at the locations listed here. If, on the other hand, you feel like I do that fate and timing will conspire and that you will be the only person that won't find any of the millions of pairs of them floating around, you can opt to call the toll free number (1-800-646-2904) and get a free pair (or four, since they come on sheets of four). Of course, since they're mailing them out, you'd better get a move on if that's your choice. They're won't exactly do a ton of good if you get them next Tuesday (although apparently, you can watch the Chuck episode online in 3D... but what fun is that?).
Now if you don't mind, I have to spend the rest of the week figuring out who's playing the Piper to my David once I actually get my hand on some wacky shades. "Put on the ^$%* glasses!"
Monday, January 26, 2009
Stupid Rassafrassin' DVR...
Here's what's irking me about the dumb DVR. It's bad enough that half the time it won't properly set up a series recording to begin with. Due to the way the listings are designed, half the time when you want to record just the new airings of a series you get new airings and repeats. But no big deal, since I rarely want to set a series recording, anyway. But tonight... tonight was just a foobar of epic proportions.
See, I do have a handful of series recordings, and one of them is Mobile Suit Gundam 00. As it turns out it's not that big of a risk, since the show only airs the one time during the week. And since I had already missed a pair of episodes earlier in the run, I figured that way I wouldn't have to worry about it again, right? Right?
So of course, since I thought I had everything worked out, and since in a rush to head to work this afternoon it didn't occur to me once to check the recording settings, you can imagine my surprise when I came home expecting my DVR to be recording and found it to be doing nothing.
Here's what happened. See, the wonderful people somewhere (I'm uncertain whether I should blame Comcast or Sci-Fi Channel for this one) had the show listed in the channel guide as "Mobile Suit Gundam". The astute would note that that's an entirely different series. But I don't care, since I know what the show is (and honestly, it wouldn't exactly be a crime if someone aired the original MSG somewhere either). But note the usage of the word 'had" in the first sentence. Because someone, somewhere decided that this week would be the perfect time to change the title in the listings to the correct "Mobile Suit Gundam 00".
That shouldn't be a big deal, except for one problem. A different title means that my DVR treats it like a different show. Which completely negates my series recording and that means that I've now missed two episodes of the show again. So big ups to whoever it was that made that shift mid-series. If I hadn't seen the series already, I'd be legitimately miffed over it. As it is, I'm just slightly annoyed. Stupid DVR.
See, I do have a handful of series recordings, and one of them is Mobile Suit Gundam 00. As it turns out it's not that big of a risk, since the show only airs the one time during the week. And since I had already missed a pair of episodes earlier in the run, I figured that way I wouldn't have to worry about it again, right? Right?
So of course, since I thought I had everything worked out, and since in a rush to head to work this afternoon it didn't occur to me once to check the recording settings, you can imagine my surprise when I came home expecting my DVR to be recording and found it to be doing nothing.
Here's what happened. See, the wonderful people somewhere (I'm uncertain whether I should blame Comcast or Sci-Fi Channel for this one) had the show listed in the channel guide as "Mobile Suit Gundam". The astute would note that that's an entirely different series. But I don't care, since I know what the show is (and honestly, it wouldn't exactly be a crime if someone aired the original MSG somewhere either). But note the usage of the word 'had" in the first sentence. Because someone, somewhere decided that this week would be the perfect time to change the title in the listings to the correct "Mobile Suit Gundam 00".
That shouldn't be a big deal, except for one problem. A different title means that my DVR treats it like a different show. Which completely negates my series recording and that means that I've now missed two episodes of the show again. So big ups to whoever it was that made that shift mid-series. If I hadn't seen the series already, I'd be legitimately miffed over it. As it is, I'm just slightly annoyed. Stupid DVR.
Friday, January 23, 2009
The Daily Show: A Closer Look at Joe
I might as well drop a Daily Show clip while I'm at it. You knew they'd have to take a different tack with the new administration, but the Daily Show crew is already finding adequate joke fodder.
And while someone will find this offensive or something, I don't care. I appreciate it for the puppet work that starts to fall apart near the end.
And while someone will find this offensive or something, I don't care. I appreciate it for the puppet work that starts to fall apart near the end.
"It's a Metaphor and a Lie..."
This is a solid example of a good Stephen Colbert interview. Stephen acts like the idiot he is prone to be. The guest (poet Elizabeth Alexander) manages to drag him across a vlid point or two while entertaining his insanity. And to top it all off, at some point things take an insane turn that I'm not even sure that Stephen was expecting. But in spite of that, but parties maintain their composure... somewhat.
So for those studying at home, this is how you properly handle an interview from Stephen Colbert. Entertain his notions for a few minutes, drop a valid observation or two, ride out the crazy part, and then wait for him to eventually steer the topic back towards something reasonable and related to you (which Colbert will actually do at some point because, well, he's not actually insane).
So for those studying at home, this is how you properly handle an interview from Stephen Colbert. Entertain his notions for a few minutes, drop a valid observation or two, ride out the crazy part, and then wait for him to eventually steer the topic back towards something reasonable and related to you (which Colbert will actually do at some point because, well, he's not actually insane).
Abstract Thought of the Day
If what I saw of Black Snake Moan was any indicator, then yes, the film was marketed incorrectly. But in their defense, marketing it correctly wouldn't have gotten them any more viewers, anyway. Besides, Christina Ricci just isn't as hot as she used to be. Sorry, I'm not down with the toothpicks.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Shows I Like: The West Wing
All of this inauguration business reminded me of how much I really enjoy The West Wing. It's one of those shows that I picked up in the later seasons, then had to backtrack to catch the first few seasons.
This week in particular has been pretty good to me. Bravo (which shows two episodes a morning) did a mini-marathon of the last episodes of the series on Tuesday, which was appropriate since the series ends with the inauguration of a new president. And while many people will say that the show drpped off in the latter seasons, I think they really should get credit for the entire election run and for leaving things at a point where you really could stand to see what happens next. But then, I guess you are supposed to leave fans wanting more, and it's more than possible that another season would have just left you missing most of the older cast.
Still, the cast of characters and the stories they came up with over the years made for entertaining watching. And don't think they were particularly heavy-handed with their political messages, either. But then, that's just my take on it.
This week in particular has been pretty good to me. Bravo (which shows two episodes a morning) did a mini-marathon of the last episodes of the series on Tuesday, which was appropriate since the series ends with the inauguration of a new president. And while many people will say that the show drpped off in the latter seasons, I think they really should get credit for the entire election run and for leaving things at a point where you really could stand to see what happens next. But then, I guess you are supposed to leave fans wanting more, and it's more than possible that another season would have just left you missing most of the older cast.
Still, the cast of characters and the stories they came up with over the years made for entertaining watching. And don't think they were particularly heavy-handed with their political messages, either. But then, that's just my take on it.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
This Was My Day
So I get home from work first thing this morning and I try to figure out the sequence of events I need to pull off to make my dentist appointment at noon. It's a not so complicated list that centers around eating breakfast and taking some sort of nap. At some point, I figure I should brush my teeth, too, even though I've always found the whole notion a bit odd. I mean, you're going to get your teeth cleaned, right? Why would you clean them before you get there? If anything, I should be eating corn cobs and gummy bears and any other things I can think of to cram in there. You're earning that insurance premium today, baby!
Ahem. Sorry.
Anywho, I'm a little bummed out because when I changed my appointment to this Tuesday it didn't once occur to me that it would be right smack dab in the middle of the Innauguration ceremony. But no loss, because that's what the DVR is for, and it's not like it won't be replayed in perpetuity for the next week.
So I go to the dentist with little incident, and I stop by the store to pick up some supplies to cook dinner. Beef stir fry for the win (don't worry, I won't be writing any songs about it). So I come home and I prep a few things, and I'm well into planning out the rest of my afternoon when it hits me. We have a new President.
You had to know that would come up sooner or later, didn't you? But this wasn't quite the epic, "Change is here" moment that so many people will say overcame them at points in the day. I think I'm all momented out for the time being. But this was the first time that the gravity of the shift in power really hit me. The guy that was in charge isn't in charge anymore, and a new guy is in charge. I've been around to see a change or two as an adult, but it's a bit obvious that this time there is a little bit more going on in the world.
So yes, I did have a moment yesterday where I felt like things were a bit different. It just took a little while to set in, is all.
Ahem. Sorry.
Anywho, I'm a little bummed out because when I changed my appointment to this Tuesday it didn't once occur to me that it would be right smack dab in the middle of the Innauguration ceremony. But no loss, because that's what the DVR is for, and it's not like it won't be replayed in perpetuity for the next week.
So I go to the dentist with little incident, and I stop by the store to pick up some supplies to cook dinner. Beef stir fry for the win (don't worry, I won't be writing any songs about it). So I come home and I prep a few things, and I'm well into planning out the rest of my afternoon when it hits me. We have a new President.
You had to know that would come up sooner or later, didn't you? But this wasn't quite the epic, "Change is here" moment that so many people will say overcame them at points in the day. I think I'm all momented out for the time being. But this was the first time that the gravity of the shift in power really hit me. The guy that was in charge isn't in charge anymore, and a new guy is in charge. I've been around to see a change or two as an adult, but it's a bit obvious that this time there is a little bit more going on in the world.
So yes, I did have a moment yesterday where I felt like things were a bit different. It just took a little while to set in, is all.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
I Don't Like Tyler Perry.
There I said it. I feel better getting that off of my chest.
What? I should elaborate? But if I don't, it would be my shortest post ever. Fine, fine.
I get what the guy does, and I even respect him for making his money. But at the same time, I just don't enjoy all of his work. To be fair, a good deal of his work floats around a genre that I don't particularly enjoy, either. You know the one. That hybrid, traveling comedy show/gospel musical that isn't entirely uplifting. Okay, so maybe it's not a hard and fast genre, but you know what I'm saying.
I completely understand that I'm going onto an island here. Given said shows' success and popularity (they have to make money, or else every second tier singer/actor wouldn't be part of them), I can only imagine that most people do enjoy them. Of course, one could argue that a good deal of Tyler Perry's initial success is based on people's desire to purchase bootlegs, but that's a separate topic altogether.
For me, it's a perfect storm of indifference. I don't really enjoy Madea as a character, so right off the bat we're in the hole. I've always found the "down home" humor that most of his stories carry to be just a hair away from taking a step backwards culturally, but that's just my personal feeling on that. Still, strike two. And then of course, if at any point in time your story(ies) work towards pointing out that either A) black men can be faulty or B) black women can be crazy... well, you've just lost me.
Just for the full devil's advocate on this one, I haven't been horrifically exposed to his work. I've seen a few stage shows, I watched most of Diary of a Mad Black Woman (which somehow made me a pissed off black man), and I somehow got dragged into watching a few episodes of House of Payne (which TBS swears that a ton of people are watching). Like I said, they have their moments, but they just don't grab me.
Which seems like a shame, because Tyler Perry sounds like he should be a cool enough guy. I guess he'll just have to settle for being a cool guy that works in a genre I don't enjoy. Yeah. That guy and all of his fame and money. I think he'll sleep okay at night.
What? I should elaborate? But if I don't, it would be my shortest post ever. Fine, fine.
I get what the guy does, and I even respect him for making his money. But at the same time, I just don't enjoy all of his work. To be fair, a good deal of his work floats around a genre that I don't particularly enjoy, either. You know the one. That hybrid, traveling comedy show/gospel musical that isn't entirely uplifting. Okay, so maybe it's not a hard and fast genre, but you know what I'm saying.
I completely understand that I'm going onto an island here. Given said shows' success and popularity (they have to make money, or else every second tier singer/actor wouldn't be part of them), I can only imagine that most people do enjoy them. Of course, one could argue that a good deal of Tyler Perry's initial success is based on people's desire to purchase bootlegs, but that's a separate topic altogether.
For me, it's a perfect storm of indifference. I don't really enjoy Madea as a character, so right off the bat we're in the hole. I've always found the "down home" humor that most of his stories carry to be just a hair away from taking a step backwards culturally, but that's just my personal feeling on that. Still, strike two. And then of course, if at any point in time your story(ies) work towards pointing out that either A) black men can be faulty or B) black women can be crazy... well, you've just lost me.
Just for the full devil's advocate on this one, I haven't been horrifically exposed to his work. I've seen a few stage shows, I watched most of Diary of a Mad Black Woman (which somehow made me a pissed off black man), and I somehow got dragged into watching a few episodes of House of Payne (which TBS swears that a ton of people are watching). Like I said, they have their moments, but they just don't grab me.
Which seems like a shame, because Tyler Perry sounds like he should be a cool enough guy. I guess he'll just have to settle for being a cool guy that works in a genre I don't enjoy. Yeah. That guy and all of his fame and money. I think he'll sleep okay at night.
Friday, January 16, 2009
Did I Just...: Casting Call Edition
To paraphrase Lil John (and to a lesser extent The Doctor): "What? What?!"
First I have to hear that there was even talks of a Cowboy Beebop live action film. That in and of itself would be enough to make me boggle. But then, I have to learn about said film as I stumble across this tidbit of news from Newsarama.
First I have to hear that there was even talks of a Cowboy Beebop live action film. That in and of itself would be enough to make me boggle. But then, I have to learn about said film as I stumble across this tidbit of news from Newsarama.
Keanu Reeves is set to add another genre project to his resume, as the trades are reporting that he will star in a live action version of Cowboy Bebop for Twentieth Century Fox, based on the anime series. This confirms reports that Reeves would have some role in the live action version that have been circulating since summer.
You have to understand that I say this as a person who actually believes that Keanu Reeves can be a capable actor with range and everything. Mind you, I base this almost exclusively on not hating the film A Walk in the Clouds, but something had to be going right in my head there. At any rate, I have to say that Keanu as Spike Speigel? Um, no. This is a bad play call. And not bad like Keanu as Constantine. No, that was just an odd call. This may well be the first time ina good while that I can honestly say news like this killed any interest for me.
But to be fair, it's not like I believe in the project to begin with. I'm one of the rare few that has made his peace with Cowboy Beebop as a series and truly believes that any attempts to expand or continue it are destined to failure and disappointment. And while that may just be creating a self-fulfilling prophecy, I'll believe otherwise when I see it. As it stands, I have more confidence in the upcoming Dragonball film than I ever will in this project. The only thing that could save it is they somehow managed to drag Beau Billingslea into it. Yeah, it's like that.
Retro Friday: Stuff I Like
Before the pitchforks get raised or protests get filed, I should stress that these are retro shows that I like. I don't particularly care if they're your favorites or not. So there.
First up, I'm delivering on a thought I had earlier in the week. When hearing of Ricardo Montalban's passing and going over the many notable roles he has played, I recalled that he played an integral role in the old series Freakazoid!
I know many people that liked this show, but it was a personal favorite of mine. If nothing else, it took what could have just been a serialized show about a wacky hero and sent it on wild and wacky tangents. And speaking of which, let's revisit the rebirth of a classic that had its own sense of quirky style as well. Here he comes to save the day...
Now I have no idea why I loved Mighty Mouse so much as a young child (there's still a picture of me floating around somewhere as a 4-5 year old kid dressed as MM for Halloween), but I did. And this new series appealed to the adolescent in me as I recognized as operating on that rare "mulitple levels" thing that so many animated shows miss. Unfortunately, it may have been a little too ahead of its time, and a sudden controversy over some dust or pollen or crushed whatever could have only helped lead to the shows eventual disappearance. Granted, it did last two seasons (albeit one abbreviated one), so more power to it.
I was honestly going to try to find the old Andy Kaufman performance of the Mighty Mouse theme to top this whole thing off, but for some reason I couldn't dig it out of YouTube. Mind you, I know it exists. I djust don't feel like exerting the effort. Besides, half the people that read this won't even consider it all that funny. So dig for yourself if you care.
But to cleanse the pallete, here's a little bit of another show that operated on two levels and was a personal favorite of mine: Muppet Babies.
Ah. All better.
First up, I'm delivering on a thought I had earlier in the week. When hearing of Ricardo Montalban's passing and going over the many notable roles he has played, I recalled that he played an integral role in the old series Freakazoid!
I know many people that liked this show, but it was a personal favorite of mine. If nothing else, it took what could have just been a serialized show about a wacky hero and sent it on wild and wacky tangents. And speaking of which, let's revisit the rebirth of a classic that had its own sense of quirky style as well. Here he comes to save the day...
Now I have no idea why I loved Mighty Mouse so much as a young child (there's still a picture of me floating around somewhere as a 4-5 year old kid dressed as MM for Halloween), but I did. And this new series appealed to the adolescent in me as I recognized as operating on that rare "mulitple levels" thing that so many animated shows miss. Unfortunately, it may have been a little too ahead of its time, and a sudden controversy over some dust or pollen or crushed whatever could have only helped lead to the shows eventual disappearance. Granted, it did last two seasons (albeit one abbreviated one), so more power to it.
I was honestly going to try to find the old Andy Kaufman performance of the Mighty Mouse theme to top this whole thing off, but for some reason I couldn't dig it out of YouTube. Mind you, I know it exists. I djust don't feel like exerting the effort. Besides, half the people that read this won't even consider it all that funny. So dig for yourself if you care.
But to cleanse the pallete, here's a little bit of another show that operated on two levels and was a personal favorite of mine: Muppet Babies.
Ah. All better.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
"Enough is Enough!"
I've had it with these mother****ing actors and their mother****ing paychecks!
Or something like that.
Word is now out that Samuel L. Jackson, after appearing in a brief cameo as Nick Fury in the Iron Man film, may not make it into the sequel. The story here includes a quote from Jackson that I find interesting:
Or something like that.
Word is now out that Samuel L. Jackson, after appearing in a brief cameo as Nick Fury in the Iron Man film, may not make it into the sequel. The story here includes a quote from Jackson that I find interesting:
"There seems to be an economic crisis in the Marvel Comics world. It now appears that somebody else will be Nick Fury or maybe Nick Fury won't be in it."
Uh huh. That sounds like Mr. "Will appear in almost anything" is bucking for a bigger paycheck. Which might be a bad sign, given that money was allegedly one of the issues that led to Terrence Howard being recast. Allegedly.
So now we have to wait and see if this sequel, which should have been a virtual slam dunk as far as making money for all concerned parties, will exist in its expected form or at all. Honestly, with nonsense like this, Marvel's film making division is starting to remind me of its comics division.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Why I Love Attack of the Show: Part 3
With just a few small exceptions, I thought that the 01/13/09 airing of AoTS was about spot on perfect. But hey, judge it for yourself.
I particularly the double reference there near the end. And it's almost impossible to hate anything that references an Andy Sidaris production, especially when said reference is so far beyond epic. "This is for the Molokai cops..."
I particularly the double reference there near the end. And it's almost impossible to hate anything that references an Andy Sidaris production, especially when said reference is so far beyond epic. "This is for the Molokai cops..."
"Khaaaaaan!"
From the AP:
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Ricardo Montalban, the Mexican-born actor who became a star in splashy MGM musicals and later as the wish-fulfilling Mr. Roarke in TV's "Fantasy Island," died Wednesday morning at his home, a city councilman said. He was 88.
Of course, many people will remember him from his role as Khan in the original Star Trek series, a role he repeated later in the motion picture Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan (Which I actually saw long before his appearance in the series). Others still will remember him as Mr. Roarke, the charismatic and slightly dark fulfiller of wishes on the original Fantasy Island.
And of course, the really noteworthy among you will remember him as the voice of Guitierrez in the animated series Freakazoid. Not necessarily his greatest performance, but I still remember being impressed that he was involved at all when watching it in my younger days.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
My Mom is Like Cheese!
She gets better with age. 60 years and she's still running smooth as always. Happy birthday, mom. You go, girl!
(Note: I'd use my old birthday song, but I'm afraid that MC Chris' lyrics are just a tad too... blunt for my mom's taste.)
(Note: I'd use my old birthday song, but I'm afraid that MC Chris' lyrics are just a tad too... blunt for my mom's taste.)
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Retro... Sunday?: When Selling Out Goes Weird (Celeb Edition)
Every time I turn around, I see the girl that turns my world around. But not, like, an adolescent in different colored sneakers. Because that would just be wrong. And illegal. Anyways, we go back once again to the time when theme songs meant something in this special celebrity edition.
Well, they were celebrities at the time.
If you remember the terror of last week and Hammerman (I promise not to do that again.. I think, then you'll also remember there were a few more cartoons over the years that involved celebrities or TV shows. And while I could dig out any number of bad ones, I decided instead to pull a few that were odd, but at least watchable.
First on the agenda, a live action show that became a cartoon. There were a few (some of which I have to save for a crappier edition of Retro), but this one at least was based on a show that almost every kid of the time watched. I dare you to say that you were a kid when this was on and you didn't watch it:
The live action Punky Brewster show then begat the animated series, a show that shared characters but almost none of the concept of its predecessor:
Punky Brewster gets credit for a few things. First, it kept all of Punky's friends from the live action show in the cast of the cartoon. When you decide to throw a magical creature from beyond the rainbow into the mix, it says something about you that you bother to maintain the stability of her normal friends. It may have helped that Punky's live action show was still airing at the time the cartoon aired, since I'm sure there was some exec somewhere saying they should be included.
Second, the show had an actual plot. I know what you're saying. "That doesn't count as plot," but believe me when I say that there are far stranger and pointless programs out there in this genre (Gary Coleman Show, I'm looking in your general direction...).
Third, it employed the greatest cut-in of all intros: a band scene. Fat Albert did this back in the day, but you have to understand that Fat Albert and his gang actually played their instruments in their show. At no point in time does Punky and her friends play any instruments with the exception of the 3 seconds worth of intro. That's chutzpah.
Next up, that show about a wisecracking puppet from outer space? Alf? Someone, somewhere decided that he should have his own cartoon. And that it should be based on his home planet Melmak and family that no one knew anything about. And it have lost, except that as I said in the beginning, theme songs meant everything back in the day. Feline quartets... for the win.
I don't remember much of this show, but I do remember being incredibly entertained by it. Maybe even moreso than Alf's earthbound show. Make of that what you will.
Finally, we come to one of the greatest concept shows ever made. And I say this because it literally had to be random ideas drawn from a hat. World Class Gymnasts + solving mysteries + Mr. T = Ratings!
This show was everything that was good and right cartoons. Let's ignore for a moment that the show is basically yet another retread of the tried and true Scooby Doo formula (a group of _____ with a talking/intelligent _____ travel around and solve mysteries.. and yes, I realize that makes Mr. T Scooby). The show wins for several reasons.
First, the show had actual mysteries to solve. Unlike Scooby-Doo AKA "Misdirection Theater", these kids actually stumbled across clues that led to an actual answer that made sense. It's like after the writers came up with this wacky concept, they actually applied themselves and stuff.
Also, despite never explaining how or why Mr. T was selected as overseer of the gymnast team, they create an environment in which you just don't care. The kids find pointless reasons to do rolls and flips to either attack or escape danger. Mr. T just randomly exerts his strength (or super strength as the case may be) to handle problems. Spike and his Mr. T idolization/mimicry makes him Scrappy-Doo-like. Throughout it all, they find a way to teach a valuable lesson to at least one of the kids. The dog has a mohawk. It's the most contrived thing you will ever see and you will not care. You love every minute of it. That very special episode where Spike gets kidnapped and that one tear runs down Mr. T's face... it just gets you right here... in the heart.
Okay, enough insanity for now.
Well, they were celebrities at the time.
If you remember the terror of last week and Hammerman (I promise not to do that again.. I think, then you'll also remember there were a few more cartoons over the years that involved celebrities or TV shows. And while I could dig out any number of bad ones, I decided instead to pull a few that were odd, but at least watchable.
First on the agenda, a live action show that became a cartoon. There were a few (some of which I have to save for a crappier edition of Retro), but this one at least was based on a show that almost every kid of the time watched. I dare you to say that you were a kid when this was on and you didn't watch it:
The live action Punky Brewster show then begat the animated series, a show that shared characters but almost none of the concept of its predecessor:
Punky Brewster gets credit for a few things. First, it kept all of Punky's friends from the live action show in the cast of the cartoon. When you decide to throw a magical creature from beyond the rainbow into the mix, it says something about you that you bother to maintain the stability of her normal friends. It may have helped that Punky's live action show was still airing at the time the cartoon aired, since I'm sure there was some exec somewhere saying they should be included.
Second, the show had an actual plot. I know what you're saying. "That doesn't count as plot," but believe me when I say that there are far stranger and pointless programs out there in this genre (Gary Coleman Show, I'm looking in your general direction...).
Third, it employed the greatest cut-in of all intros: a band scene. Fat Albert did this back in the day, but you have to understand that Fat Albert and his gang actually played their instruments in their show. At no point in time does Punky and her friends play any instruments with the exception of the 3 seconds worth of intro. That's chutzpah.
Next up, that show about a wisecracking puppet from outer space? Alf? Someone, somewhere decided that he should have his own cartoon. And that it should be based on his home planet Melmak and family that no one knew anything about. And it have lost, except that as I said in the beginning, theme songs meant everything back in the day. Feline quartets... for the win.
I don't remember much of this show, but I do remember being incredibly entertained by it. Maybe even moreso than Alf's earthbound show. Make of that what you will.
Finally, we come to one of the greatest concept shows ever made. And I say this because it literally had to be random ideas drawn from a hat. World Class Gymnasts + solving mysteries + Mr. T = Ratings!
This show was everything that was good and right cartoons. Let's ignore for a moment that the show is basically yet another retread of the tried and true Scooby Doo formula (a group of _____ with a talking/intelligent _____ travel around and solve mysteries.. and yes, I realize that makes Mr. T Scooby). The show wins for several reasons.
First, the show had actual mysteries to solve. Unlike Scooby-Doo AKA "Misdirection Theater", these kids actually stumbled across clues that led to an actual answer that made sense. It's like after the writers came up with this wacky concept, they actually applied themselves and stuff.
Also, despite never explaining how or why Mr. T was selected as overseer of the gymnast team, they create an environment in which you just don't care. The kids find pointless reasons to do rolls and flips to either attack or escape danger. Mr. T just randomly exerts his strength (or super strength as the case may be) to handle problems. Spike and his Mr. T idolization/mimicry makes him Scrappy-Doo-like. Throughout it all, they find a way to teach a valuable lesson to at least one of the kids. The dog has a mohawk. It's the most contrived thing you will ever see and you will not care. You love every minute of it. That very special episode where Spike gets kidnapped and that one tear runs down Mr. T's face... it just gets you right here... in the heart.
Okay, enough insanity for now.
Friday, January 9, 2009
Why Can't Some Things Go Away?
You know, the fact that I may never in my lifetime achieve anything that resembles widespread noteriety is both relieved and antagonized when things like this occur:
Joe The Plumber is putting down his wrenches and picking up a
reporter’s notebook.The Ohio man who became a household name during the presidential
campaign says he is heading to Israel as a war correspondent for the
conservative Web site pjtv.com.
Why? Why, of all the human beings on earth you could pick to send overseas to do reporting, would you send Joe/Samuel/Dumbo on said assignment? The man has zero credentials, and the only television appearances he's made thus far have only gone to confirm that he's a blithering idiot. That's rhetorical, of course. The obvious answer is ratings. A second rate site will no doubt pull in tons of viewers who are either fans of Joe, enemies of Joe looking for ammunition, or random observers who need to sate their idle curiousity. I mean, hey, look at me. I wasted time talking about it this week.
I guess at least now when he decides to talk about Israel being in danger, he can maybe have some idea of what he's talking abou... nah. Nah. Can't do it. I can't find a positive way to spin this. Maybe if he took Joe Six-Pack and the rest of his buddies and formed an actual news cabal over there. JoeTV: all Joe, all the time. Hmm. Nah, that won't work either.
But I guess one day, when I bother to sell three copies of a book or get some random screen time as an aside on some third rate cable show, I'll have to accept that the world just isn't a fair and balanced place. And a small-minded nobody from the midwest can end up having to file for a passport and going on a trip across the ocean. Only in America.
Unfiltered: What Makes a Black Panther Not a Black Panther?
Reviewing my flash drive like I did at the end of last year reminded me of one important thing. I tend to start many a dialogue and rant without ever properly finishing them up or polishing them off. There are many times I fully intend to do this and post messages, and other times that I decide that whatever I'm working on just isn't up to the standard. Then I realized that I don't have a standard, and the six people (yes, I think it's up to six now for no reason at all) can't care about it that much.
So I now present my new topic set called Unfiltered. A place where I can toss out incomplete or just plain blind ranting with no regrets. Here is part one of said topic, a rant related to upcoming changes in Marvel's Black Panther comic that I started years ago...
Okay, so earlier this week, I was breaking down my fake lineup of "Dark Avengers" when someone alerted me to the fact that Black Panther is getting the treatment in upcoming months. For those not on the uptake, Marvel has plans to replace the T'Challa we know and love with a woman. Of course, which woman is under the mask hasn't come up yet, but that would wreck the mystery.
Now honestly, I want to approach the issue with my unending fanboyism and shout, "Nooooooooo!" as loud as I can, but the truth is that it wouldn't change anything. Allow me to explain why.
For the better part of the past few years, Black Panther's solo title has been written by Reginald Hudlin. Hudlin has been writing a good deal of that book like garbage since he came on board. Not all of it, mind you, but a good deal of it.
But to really say that, I have to explain that BP has two dedicated fanbases. One is the old school comic head that cares about such geekish things as continuity and consistency in writing (those guys exist?), and the other is the group of people who could care less about those things and just likes seeing BP "handle his business". Mind you, it is possible to be a member of both groups.
The important part comes with understanding a subset of the latter group: brothers and sisters (and I don't mean a family connection there). I have run into a good number of black men and women who sincerely only follow Black Panther in his book and will love that he will occasionally go over the top on someone. Not that it should surprise you to learn that Black Panther has a black following, but I'm just pointing out that many of the readers and/or buyers of BP are not, ahem..."traditional comic readers". This is important because once you understand that, you'll realize that the core readership of the book doesn't necessarily care if T'Challa properly follows or falls into normal Marvel continuity. They are literally there to see BP do his thing and move on with their lives.
Having said that, I don't begrudge anyone in the latter group. If you just want to see BP be the baddest man on the block, that's fine. In fact, I'd argue that you're the target demographic for this the book to begin with. But for the old school comic heads (like myself), a lot of what happens in that book makes you go "WTF?" That's unfortunately where I end up more often than not (and one of the reasons I ended up dropping the title way back when).
The impetus on having quality work coming out of the title falls on two fronts. The first would be with Hudlin himself, who has made it clear that he doesn’t particularly care what anyone thinks of his book so long as people buy it. He gets this attitude from the second tier of responsibility in his company: the editorial department. In particular, he gets it from editor-in-chief Joe Quesada, who pushes a good many books with the concept “We don’t care if it makes you mad, so long as it makes us money.”
What you have to understand is that Quesada pushing the book goes exactly with what I've been saying. He will push the crap out of anything he thinks will sell issues, especially if he can stir up some buzz (positive or negative) about it. What Quesada doesn't do, however, is generally care if the book has any quality storytelling or not. And really, why should he, so long as he makes his money? He can piss off an old school head like me indefinitely with his book so long as he gets one new person to be interested enough to pick up the issue I drop.
The problem comes in when your hype starts to fade and you have to make a choice. Create new hype (which may or may not alienate your new, possibly more fickle reader with no guarantee that the old reader will come back) or maintain the status quo (which may bore your new reader and guarantee your old reader won't come back).
To draw a more relevant analogy, it's like trying to balance energizing your base with reaching out to independents. And I guess maybe I see Quesada as more of a McCain than an Obama.
...
Dang. I just put way too much thought into this.
(Ed. Note: As evidenced by the last comment, I clearly started writing this long before my moratorium on political commentary at the end of the year. Not that said moratorium is even remotely official or going to last. I just have a feeling…)
So I now present my new topic set called Unfiltered. A place where I can toss out incomplete or just plain blind ranting with no regrets. Here is part one of said topic, a rant related to upcoming changes in Marvel's Black Panther comic that I started years ago...
Okay, so earlier this week, I was breaking down my fake lineup of "Dark Avengers" when someone alerted me to the fact that Black Panther is getting the treatment in upcoming months. For those not on the uptake, Marvel has plans to replace the T'Challa we know and love with a woman. Of course, which woman is under the mask hasn't come up yet, but that would wreck the mystery.
Now honestly, I want to approach the issue with my unending fanboyism and shout, "Nooooooooo!" as loud as I can, but the truth is that it wouldn't change anything. Allow me to explain why.
For the better part of the past few years, Black Panther's solo title has been written by Reginald Hudlin. Hudlin has been writing a good deal of that book like garbage since he came on board. Not all of it, mind you, but a good deal of it.
But to really say that, I have to explain that BP has two dedicated fanbases. One is the old school comic head that cares about such geekish things as continuity and consistency in writing (those guys exist?), and the other is the group of people who could care less about those things and just likes seeing BP "handle his business". Mind you, it is possible to be a member of both groups.
The important part comes with understanding a subset of the latter group: brothers and sisters (and I don't mean a family connection there). I have run into a good number of black men and women who sincerely only follow Black Panther in his book and will love that he will occasionally go over the top on someone. Not that it should surprise you to learn that Black Panther has a black following, but I'm just pointing out that many of the readers and/or buyers of BP are not, ahem..."traditional comic readers". This is important because once you understand that, you'll realize that the core readership of the book doesn't necessarily care if T'Challa properly follows or falls into normal Marvel continuity. They are literally there to see BP do his thing and move on with their lives.
Having said that, I don't begrudge anyone in the latter group. If you just want to see BP be the baddest man on the block, that's fine. In fact, I'd argue that you're the target demographic for this the book to begin with. But for the old school comic heads (like myself), a lot of what happens in that book makes you go "WTF?" That's unfortunately where I end up more often than not (and one of the reasons I ended up dropping the title way back when).
The impetus on having quality work coming out of the title falls on two fronts. The first would be with Hudlin himself, who has made it clear that he doesn’t particularly care what anyone thinks of his book so long as people buy it. He gets this attitude from the second tier of responsibility in his company: the editorial department. In particular, he gets it from editor-in-chief Joe Quesada, who pushes a good many books with the concept “We don’t care if it makes you mad, so long as it makes us money.”
What you have to understand is that Quesada pushing the book goes exactly with what I've been saying. He will push the crap out of anything he thinks will sell issues, especially if he can stir up some buzz (positive or negative) about it. What Quesada doesn't do, however, is generally care if the book has any quality storytelling or not. And really, why should he, so long as he makes his money? He can piss off an old school head like me indefinitely with his book so long as he gets one new person to be interested enough to pick up the issue I drop.
The problem comes in when your hype starts to fade and you have to make a choice. Create new hype (which may or may not alienate your new, possibly more fickle reader with no guarantee that the old reader will come back) or maintain the status quo (which may bore your new reader and guarantee your old reader won't come back).
To draw a more relevant analogy, it's like trying to balance energizing your base with reaching out to independents. And I guess maybe I see Quesada as more of a McCain than an Obama.
...
Dang. I just put way too much thought into this.
(Ed. Note: As evidenced by the last comment, I clearly started writing this long before my moratorium on political commentary at the end of the year. Not that said moratorium is even remotely official or going to last. I just have a feeling…)
Monday, January 5, 2009
HouseTV: Who for the Holidays
(Warning: I've tried to keep this review of Doctor Who's Christmas episode: "The Next Doctor" relatively spoiler free, but I'm sure that some things herein here could be considered minor spoilers. You've been warned.)
As anyone knows, I'm a pretty big fan of the Who. No, not the band (although I'm sure they're great and all that jazz). I'm talking about Doctor Who. I'm a big fan of all of the spinoffs (even the Sarah Jane Adventures, which I'm sure someone somewhere can't stand for some convoluted reason).
I admit to being a bit out of the loop on the news front. I was so out of the loop that it wasn't until this past week that I learned that David Tennant will be leaving the show at the end of 2009. Merry Christmas to me. As much as I love him on the show, maybe he has a point. Sometimes it is better to go out on top, and I really could see the role of the Doctor being something that, if not stepped away from in short order, you could end up doing for the rest of your life.
So with that news being added to the fact that in lieu of a full season of shows we only get a handful of specials, I sat down to check out this year's Doctor Who Christmas special hoping that it would serve to get my mind off the news and thoroughly sate me of my Who fix for the near future. It was a partial success.
Without going into too much detail, the special opens with the Doctor showing up in 1851 on (surprise, surprise) Christmas Eve. Hearing someone calling for his help, he runs to the wayward damsel in distress only to find that she isn't calling for him, but in fact for a different man. A man who also calls himself the Doctor. This entire incident, which takes up just the first two minutes of the program, sets the stage for a series of mysteries and missteps that you have come to expect from the show.
The setting and visuals are naturally Dickensian. It was the best of times. It was the worst of times. And so on and so forth. But this is less a tale of two cities and more a tale of two Davids.
David Tennant is of course his normal bubbly self as the Doctor. Although still reeling from the events of last season (which is slowly becoming a trend for Christmas adventures), he keeps most of the fare lighthearted and zany. Still, he does know when to rein things in for a serious or somber moment.
David Morrisey excels at his role as the titled "Next Doctor". He certainly does seem to relish the role, at times coming close to dwarfing Tennant's performance. Granted, he nears going too far over the top at times, but if you're like me, you can just accept that as a character trait/flaw and move on. His performance here is actually good enough to make me forget Basic Instinct 2. You hear me Mr. Morrisey? All is forgiven. But seriously, he does tap depths with the character.
The story? Sadly, the story was just okay for me. Mind you, a run of the mill Doctor Who tale is still better than half the stuff out there, but this is clearly middle of the pack territory at best. The show has always been more character than story driven, though, so this may or may not bother you.
I openly admit that I might be biased here. With last Christmas' special (the epic but tragically depressing Voyage of the Damned), a stellar fourth season (wrapped up with a jawdropping season finale), and my newly discovered news of Tennant's departure, it's possible I may have just expected too much from the whole thing. Without a full season to back it up, this special felt like it needed to stand out more on its own, and it just didn't. I don't know how I could find a show with two Doctors, two TARDISes (...TARDII?) and a horde of Cybermen as mundane, but it just seemed that way.
The most glaring absence would be the lack of a true companion. Even with Morrisey acting as an ad hoc companion and even having a companion of his own, the lack of Tennant having a true companion can be felt throughout the show. It's an apt testament to just how integral the companion has become over the years.
There's no point in giving a real recommendation here. You're either a Doctor Who fan or you're not. For fans, you're going to watch this no matter what (assuming you haven't already). For non-fans or new fans... well, you can check this out. It isn't breaking new ground, but like I said before it is still above average. In fact, check this out now, and then go back and dig up Season 4 of the series to see how they got to here. And especially check out the episode Midnight. Speaking of what happens to The Doctor when there's no companion around... ouch.
As anyone knows, I'm a pretty big fan of the Who. No, not the band (although I'm sure they're great and all that jazz). I'm talking about Doctor Who. I'm a big fan of all of the spinoffs (even the Sarah Jane Adventures, which I'm sure someone somewhere can't stand for some convoluted reason).
I admit to being a bit out of the loop on the news front. I was so out of the loop that it wasn't until this past week that I learned that David Tennant will be leaving the show at the end of 2009. Merry Christmas to me. As much as I love him on the show, maybe he has a point. Sometimes it is better to go out on top, and I really could see the role of the Doctor being something that, if not stepped away from in short order, you could end up doing for the rest of your life.
So with that news being added to the fact that in lieu of a full season of shows we only get a handful of specials, I sat down to check out this year's Doctor Who Christmas special hoping that it would serve to get my mind off the news and thoroughly sate me of my Who fix for the near future. It was a partial success.
Without going into too much detail, the special opens with the Doctor showing up in 1851 on (surprise, surprise) Christmas Eve. Hearing someone calling for his help, he runs to the wayward damsel in distress only to find that she isn't calling for him, but in fact for a different man. A man who also calls himself the Doctor. This entire incident, which takes up just the first two minutes of the program, sets the stage for a series of mysteries and missteps that you have come to expect from the show.
The setting and visuals are naturally Dickensian. It was the best of times. It was the worst of times. And so on and so forth. But this is less a tale of two cities and more a tale of two Davids.
David Tennant is of course his normal bubbly self as the Doctor. Although still reeling from the events of last season (which is slowly becoming a trend for Christmas adventures), he keeps most of the fare lighthearted and zany. Still, he does know when to rein things in for a serious or somber moment.
David Morrisey excels at his role as the titled "Next Doctor". He certainly does seem to relish the role, at times coming close to dwarfing Tennant's performance. Granted, he nears going too far over the top at times, but if you're like me, you can just accept that as a character trait/flaw and move on. His performance here is actually good enough to make me forget Basic Instinct 2. You hear me Mr. Morrisey? All is forgiven. But seriously, he does tap depths with the character.
The story? Sadly, the story was just okay for me. Mind you, a run of the mill Doctor Who tale is still better than half the stuff out there, but this is clearly middle of the pack territory at best. The show has always been more character than story driven, though, so this may or may not bother you.
I openly admit that I might be biased here. With last Christmas' special (the epic but tragically depressing Voyage of the Damned), a stellar fourth season (wrapped up with a jawdropping season finale), and my newly discovered news of Tennant's departure, it's possible I may have just expected too much from the whole thing. Without a full season to back it up, this special felt like it needed to stand out more on its own, and it just didn't. I don't know how I could find a show with two Doctors, two TARDISes (...TARDII?) and a horde of Cybermen as mundane, but it just seemed that way.
The most glaring absence would be the lack of a true companion. Even with Morrisey acting as an ad hoc companion and even having a companion of his own, the lack of Tennant having a true companion can be felt throughout the show. It's an apt testament to just how integral the companion has become over the years.
There's no point in giving a real recommendation here. You're either a Doctor Who fan or you're not. For fans, you're going to watch this no matter what (assuming you haven't already). For non-fans or new fans... well, you can check this out. It isn't breaking new ground, but like I said before it is still above average. In fact, check this out now, and then go back and dig up Season 4 of the series to see how they got to here. And especially check out the episode Midnight. Speaking of what happens to The Doctor when there's no companion around... ouch.
Rating: 7/10 (I can't help feeling it's better than I'm giving it credit for being, but I can't bring myself to rate it higher.)
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Strange Things from this Saturday
This is how the end of my Saturday got a bit weirder than I really wanted it to. It starts with work (as always, it seems) But I got off and instead of going straight home I hung out at Comic Box for a stretch (which was fine just for the sake of BloodBowl watching) and I head home. This is where the true strangeness begins.
Earlier, when I was leaving for work first thing in the morning, I debated turning on my outside light. it's one of those philosophical questions that I sometimes toy with. Do I leave a light on for the entire day on the possibility that I won't be home again before the sun goes down? In this case, I wasn't sure that I was going anywhere after work, and even if I got home late it wouldn't be that late, so I left it off.
So I'm pulling up into my driveway at around 7ish, and I'm thinking about unloading my gear from the trunk of my car, when I see a shadow moving along the right side of the car. No big deal. It's not a human sized "you're about to get jacked" shadow, so no threat there. It is, as I eventually notice as it wanders to the front of my car and into my headlights, a stray cat. I've learned over the course of time that stray cats tend to wander into my yard sometimes, so I don't think it's that big of a deal. Until I see another cat wander in fron of my car as well.
"Ah, he's got a friend today," I think to myself as I get ready to put the car into park. Then I see another cat wander by. And another. That's four cats in the course of a matter of about twenty seconds all wandering not just in my yard but in front of my car (which requires them to squeeze between my now parked car and a shrub, I should note). At this point, I have a few thoughts:
Earlier, when I was leaving for work first thing in the morning, I debated turning on my outside light. it's one of those philosophical questions that I sometimes toy with. Do I leave a light on for the entire day on the possibility that I won't be home again before the sun goes down? In this case, I wasn't sure that I was going anywhere after work, and even if I got home late it wouldn't be that late, so I left it off.
So I'm pulling up into my driveway at around 7ish, and I'm thinking about unloading my gear from the trunk of my car, when I see a shadow moving along the right side of the car. No big deal. It's not a human sized "you're about to get jacked" shadow, so no threat there. It is, as I eventually notice as it wanders to the front of my car and into my headlights, a stray cat. I've learned over the course of time that stray cats tend to wander into my yard sometimes, so I don't think it's that big of a deal. Until I see another cat wander in fron of my car as well.
"Ah, he's got a friend today," I think to myself as I get ready to put the car into park. Then I see another cat wander by. And another. That's four cats in the course of a matter of about twenty seconds all wandering not just in my yard but in front of my car (which requires them to squeeze between my now parked car and a shrub, I should note). At this point, I have a few thoughts:
- I didn't think cats traveled in packs like dogs.
- That's one heck of a glitch in the Matrix.
- This is just how those Stephen King movies start.
- This has to be the most tail that's ever been at my house at any one point in time.
- I wonder if I'm like Teen Wolf (and yes, I realize that's not how Teen Wolf happened at all, but I can't be bothered to think of the right movie that would fit here).
So I end up getting out of my car and attempting to shoo these cats, which turns out to be harder than I thought. Because not only did I have to run them the entire distance to my back yard, I then had to taunt the last two all the way over the back fence. Don't ask me why I was worried about there being cats in my backyard, and most certainly do not ask me why I thought they wouldn't just come back as soon as I went inside. I just don't know.
So I drift inside the house and I go to turn on some football. As a long time Falcons fan (or Falcons survivor, as I like to say), I have to show my team a little support. I turn on the TV, and I try to play catch up with the game. Only I can't, because I'm forced to answer a much more important question: who in the **** is Matty Ice?
There's a brief period where I think that maybe Arizona has some player I just never accounted for. Or maybe even that the Falcons have some new player. But no, what's happened is that, for reasons I can't fully assess, the commentating staff either heard or discovered that Atlanta QB Matt Ryan was either calling himself (or most likely was called by someone else) "Matty Ice". And again, for an inexplicable reason, said crew (which included Chris Collinsworth, who I'm all but positive is disliked by virtually everyone) decided to call Ryan "Matty Ice" for at least the fourth quarter but most likely the entire game.
And while many people may argue that it just wasn't Atlanta's game to win (they did overacheive for this year just making the playoffs), I can guarantee it wasn't meant to be based on one simple fact: they acquired a stupid nickname. For long following fans/survivors, you'll note that the first stage of a Falcons collapse is acquiring some type of moniker that the general public will find repulsive and/or stupid. The next most valid example of this would be the year the Falcons made the Super Bowl, a season highlighted by the team deciding they would refer to themselves as "The Dirty Birds". Fortunately, a Super Bowl defeat and a run of mediocre seasons all but obliterated that one. But now, we apparently have "Matty Ice"? Did I anger the football gods at some point?
Fortunately though, that's the pinnacle of oddity for my weekend. So I can't really complain that much. I know some folks that were doing far worse, so I've gotta say that for the most part, life's being pretty good to me. Now if I can just not hold feline conventions in my yard...
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Who is This Guy.
With a period, because it's not a question.
According the BBC News page, "Matt Smith has been named as the actor who will take over from David Tennant in Doctor Who - making him the youngest actor to take on the role."
And here I thought Tennant would be the young, hip Doctor of this era and they might go a different route with their new choice. But I'm not going to naysay at this point. It's still a full year before any changes are taking place, and I'm the first one to say that I reserve judgment until the show actually airs. After all, how many people went up in arms over Catherine Tate's casting last season only to eat their words later? Well, assuming you liked her (which I did).
Anywho, guarded optimism.
Friday, January 2, 2009
Retro Friday: When Selling Out Goes Wrong
Saturday morning. A refuge for creative and original output. But more importantly, a source of advertising revenue and an outlet for outreach and promotion. And while I can't say just what each of these entries are, I can say that they were at the best very, very odd choices.
Let us go back in time to the early 80's. The video game era was just beginning to sustain it's consistent stars, and among them is the star of our first clip. None other than the godfather of all video games, the pellet gobbling, ghost chomping fiend: Pac-Man. Here, Pac and his family dealt with pesky ghosts and protected the power pellets from evil. I can't make this stuff up.
Moving on in the same era, we get an even odder entry. At some point, they decided to ignore games and just go with a popular toy of the time. For anyone who wouldn't believe this happened if I just told them, and for others who might have erased it from their memory: Rubik, the Amazing Cube. Rubik was exactly what they said he was. An evil magician made a magical living cube that could grant perform incredible feats of power. And of course, he loses said cube and has to try and get it back from them. The kids, of course, protect Rubik from the bad guy and get into all sorts of trouble of their own.
Aside from the almost certainly drug-assisted premise of the show, there are some other interesting notes. This was apparently the first (or one of the first) series starring a Hispanic cast. And the theme was sung by Menudo (who if you recall were actually an integral part of the Saturday Morning programming block of ABC at the time). Anywho, enjoy this short but disturbing intro, complete with Rubik's creepy demon-child voice.
And finally, to bring this to the pinnacle of selling out... or is this selling in? I'm not really sure what to make of this, except to say that if I ever become famous enough to push for my own cartoon show, I hope I have the fortitude to make sure that it doesn't end up like this. No explanation needed here. Just... just listen to the song. Oh, Stanley.
Let us go back in time to the early 80's. The video game era was just beginning to sustain it's consistent stars, and among them is the star of our first clip. None other than the godfather of all video games, the pellet gobbling, ghost chomping fiend: Pac-Man. Here, Pac and his family dealt with pesky ghosts and protected the power pellets from evil. I can't make this stuff up.
Moving on in the same era, we get an even odder entry. At some point, they decided to ignore games and just go with a popular toy of the time. For anyone who wouldn't believe this happened if I just told them, and for others who might have erased it from their memory: Rubik, the Amazing Cube. Rubik was exactly what they said he was. An evil magician made a magical living cube that could grant perform incredible feats of power. And of course, he loses said cube and has to try and get it back from them. The kids, of course, protect Rubik from the bad guy and get into all sorts of trouble of their own.
Aside from the almost certainly drug-assisted premise of the show, there are some other interesting notes. This was apparently the first (or one of the first) series starring a Hispanic cast. And the theme was sung by Menudo (who if you recall were actually an integral part of the Saturday Morning programming block of ABC at the time). Anywho, enjoy this short but disturbing intro, complete with Rubik's creepy demon-child voice.
And finally, to bring this to the pinnacle of selling out... or is this selling in? I'm not really sure what to make of this, except to say that if I ever become famous enough to push for my own cartoon show, I hope I have the fortitude to make sure that it doesn't end up like this. No explanation needed here. Just... just listen to the song. Oh, Stanley.
I feel the need to note here that I totally respect Hammer for both his music career and the things he did for his community. That said... what the deuce, man? Normally, a cartoon intro is better animated than the main series, but even this was poor. And the series was abyssmal.
It didn't even have a real series of plots you could follow. Some bad guy would do something. Stanley would screw around for 10 minutes or so before realizing that something was wrong (or being able to sneak away to do something about it). Then Stanley would put on his magic shoes - his magic, talking shoes - and become Hammerman. Then Hammerman would dance around in about four frames worth of animation (at best), and magical notes would fix whatever the problem du jour was. I can't stress to you how bad it was. And I would know, because as a kid I remember really, really wanting to like it. Ah, what might have been.
Tune in next week, when I think the celebrity theme of that last clip just might continue. Oh, the terror of it all...
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Abstract Thought for the Day
Why was Sheriff Lobo so evil on BJ and the Bear and relatively likable on his own TV show? It would be like Andy Griffith being a jerk to the Beverly Hillbillies. Or something.
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