C-SPAN’s In Depth is the crown jewel of BookTV. Dana convinced me to tape it while we were in Ohio, and I’m glad I did. Only a three-hour interview can do justice to certain unique creative personalities. How else do you begin to comprehend the individualism of a pro-choice, Bush-defending, lesbian, anti-gun-control, feminist, death-penalty advocate like Tammy Bruce? Well, I guess I could also read her books, but the stack on my night stand is about to collapse as it is…
Archive for the ‘Television’ Category
A gay chick with a microphone and a gun named Snuffy
Tuesday, September 5th, 2006Various & Sundry, part forty-three
Friday, September 1st, 2006— Month of August workout totals: Swim-4; Bike-7; Run-1; Lift-2; Yoga-7
— I saw Sheldon at the gym again this morning, well into Brian’s strenuous workout. I’m convinced that Sheldon really wants to get in shape. If Brian was putting me through that routine, I’d be having a tough time of it, too. Sheldon is one of the best fine artists in this part of the United States, but that distinction doesn’t exempt him from his sedentary profession. Good for you, my friend. Health, wellness, and life extension are something we can all be pro-active about, and that’s the service Brian provides. He’s one of the most fit young men in this part of the United States. On Wednesday night he came flying by me and called out, “Hop on!” I was already pedaling hard, but took the challenge to catch his draft at nearly 30 miles per hour. I could only “suck wheel” for a couple hundred yards before I fell apart. Man… Now that’s cycling.
— The Breidenbach 50th Anniversary collage had been sitting on my art board all week, so I set myself to the task of completing it this afternoon. While she was making constructive comments, Dana accidently smeared some fresh ink. She felt terrible. All I could say was “Just leave the area.” I wasn’t sure what to do at first, but within several minutes I managed to clean and repair the damage—with no indication of anything having gone wrong. I flashed back thirty-two years, when I’d doctor the dates on European rail passes. Yes, I could’ve been a master forger… I might’ve even become a David Halifax!
— Hugh (my friend the mayoral candidate) stopped by while we relaxed on the front porch this evening to enjoy the most refreshing air we’ve had in quite some time. We got to talking about the Town House, and tapped his wealth of knowledge about the history of local real estate. Our home on West Broadway was built in the 20s by W.A. Walker for a railroad man named Arnold, who also had a twin dwelling constructed for his daughter on St. Mildred’s Court, close to campus. She married a Bush Nichols, whose brother, one of Danville’s only Republican mayors, lived in the house across the street from ours. The Arnold daughter died at a young age. The second wife and widow of Bush Nichols still resides in the Twin House today.
— We haven’t indulged much network TV in ages, but last night Dana and I found ourselves glued for 90 minutes. We watched three consecutive episodes of “The Office.” Actually, the term “glued” is not correct usage. This might be the funniest show since “Seinfeld.” If that’s the case, it’ll be impossible to ignore.
My brother, my mate, and my true friends
Wednesday, August 16th, 2006Last night I stayed in Tipp City with my chum Bill and we enjoyed our shared anticipation for a September fishing trip to Michigan. Even though I failed to reach him by phone and he was bone tired from a day in the sun (after clearing fallen trees from the Great Miami with a chain saw), he welcomed me with a bear hug and set his last Bud Light in front of me—that’s what I call a friend.
It took me ten hours to get home from Ohio today. The joint in my rear drive shaft broke south of Kenton County, but I was able to arrange a tow and successful repair before the end of the day. I felt like I’d sweated off a couple gallons, baking on the shoulder of I-75. It was almost the exact spot where years ago a state policeman pulled me over after the Cincinnati Marathon to test my sobriety. Old “Ned” continues to give me fits if I don’t keep spending money on him that I’d rather not. I’m glad this didn’t happen yesterday with Mike.
Crucial to getting out of my predicament: 1) Dana insisting on Monday that I carry a cellular phone. 2) Being able to talk through the details of the breakdown with my brother Jay, an expert truck mechanic. I was so focused on his long-distance analysis and advice that I completely forgot that today is his 45th birthday.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my brother, “Bub.” I love you, forever…
Sitting for a long time at a garage in what barely passes as a “waiting room” can be a strange experience. I watched part of a “Gunsmoke” episode featuring Anthony Zerbe playing opposite himself in a split-screen double role, but my mind was on a personal crisis more critical than a broken pickup. I thought about the counsel of my best friends from youth. Each has his own brand of wisdom, having survived his own chapters of adversity. Both genuinely care about the particular challenges it’s my turn to face.
Dadbo once said to me after his buddy Joe died that a man is lucky to have one or two true friends in life, and now I know what he meant.
Various & Sundry, part forty-two
Saturday, August 12th, 2006— David and Lee scheduled an appointment to look at a house on the 400 block of West Broadway, so we tagged along. I had a bad feeling about this. Californians bought the house last summer, and it seems as though they had more money than good sense. Workers and dumpsters suddenly vanished a few weeks ago. Our look through the property confirmed my worst suspicions. One of Danville’s finest historic homes had been hung up and gutted like Duke Brian in “Gorky Park.” Reportedly, the owner can’t be located. To add a ludicrous element to the whole thing, a daughter is now asking prospective buyers to pay an even higher price than her mother paid for it—a perfectly livable home that was stripped, raped, and left for dead.
— Analysts are predicting that the demand for refurbishing Web formats may soon overtake the need for new site designs. Prices for domain names are dropping, a clear indication that the market for original sites is slowing down. Some agencies and firms are staffing specialized divisions devoted to economical “creative makeovers.” Deep within his Sanctum of Fortitude, Website Makeover™ Man is contemplating his fate.
— Watched a copy of “Broken Trail” last night, which Terie taped for us (before our vacation with Marty), because we no longer pay for channels like AMC. It was interesting to study the similarities and differences in Duvall’s performance, compared to “Open Range,” along with the contrasting directorial styles brought to similar subject matter. And speaking of contrasts, the radically different character that Church personifies, versus his memorable Jack in “Sideways,” is worth the viewing. As much as I liked “Broken Trail,” and as much as I admired its aura of authenticity, the screenplay does suffer unfortunately from what I’ll refer to as presentism. For the most part, in my opinion, Costner managed to avoid presentism when he made “Open Range,”—an impressive personal achievement, quite frankly, since his indulgent first western reeked of it. Nevertheless, who doesn’t like the entertaining “Dances,” in spite of its PC tone?
Keep them dogies movin’
Wednesday, August 9th, 2006We broke another record with tonight’s ride—around 40 participants, although I didn’t get an exact head count. They broke into three fairly even pace groups, just like they did last week. Dotti was passing out flyers for the open meeting for cyclists and collecting email addresses on her clipboard. Rick S had commitments that caused him to hand leadership of the C-Group to me, and it got a bit wild at first when a few teens wanted to squirt too far ahead of the pack, but I think I managed to get their respect by outriding them.
“Don’t try to understand ’em. Just rope, throw and brand ’em.”
Finally… our return to the high valley of the French Broad
Sunday, August 6th, 2006Drove to Hot Springs yesterday via 25-E, which, during the daytime, is a much more pleasant route than the Interstate. It gave us an opportunity to locate the LMU campus and learn that it’s quite close to the Cumberland Gap tunnel. Much of the way I read to Dana from “Simple Loving,” a book that used to belong to Joan and Joe. By the time we arrived at Broadwing Farm, we were thinking sufficiently “outside the cube” to make our short breakout worth it, even if nothing comes of our appointment tomorrow. Bob and Carol had a delicious supper prepared and we talked until sleepiness held sway. Typically, we spent today in deep conversation, fueled by natural foods, fresh air, a majestic view, a run to the nearby coffee hangout, and a dip in the spring-fed pond. Carol turned us on to Sarah Susanka, Bob convinced me to start watching the series “Band of Brothers,” and Pete gave me some hemlock slabs from the sawmill for my woodcut experiments. The regional infestation has worsened to the point that he’s been forced to harvest a lot of hemlock from the forest, but the timber is being put to good use in building a horse stable and a third rental dwelling. This one will be called Cedar, and will surely add to the success of Poplar and Pine at Broadwing Natural Bath Cabins.
Day Four at Barefoot’s Resort
Wednesday, July 19th, 2006It’s early. Marty and I are getting up to go perch fishing. Dana is kindly making pancakes for us. It just dawned on me that I have a Bicycle Commission conference call this morning which I may need to join by cell from out on the lake. That’s too wild for me—I don’t even typically carry a mobile telephone in my “day job!”
Speaking of wild, I had a dream last night about getting stuck in an unknown J.J. Abrams TV series (from when he was younger) called “Submission,” and it was a phantasmagoric mix of “Baron Munchhausen,” Twyla Tharp, William F. Cody, and “Alias.” I thought, “Wow. This guy is a damn genius!” I had to laugh at myself when I woke up and realized it was a dream.
GABBF 2006, additional reflections
Monday, June 12th, 2006— Sunday was a day to shrug off the crazed Prospector (you should’ve seen him mining for diamonds last night) and just absorb the world-class sounds of the Band Festival before the musicians took their final bows.
— I often hear people say that the event “isn’t my kind of music.” I wonder how much of a Festival weekend they’ve actually experienced firsthand. Yesterday afternoon was a good example of how diverse the tunes can be—jazz, rock, motion picture soundtracks, patriotic marches, worship music, pop, classical—nobody would be out of luck except for a few die-hard country, hip-hop, or church organ fans. Over the weekend I heard bagpipes, a xylophone, a melodica, all types of percussion, plus a synthetically enhanced electric tuba, but primarily loads and loads of brass virtuosity. I honestly believe there’s no place on earth one can go to hear many of the world’s most skilled brass artists play for free, except for Danville, Kentucky during a couple days every June. Now, I suppose if you simply don’t care for people blowing horns, this event is not your cup of tea. To each his own, but one ought not to make assumptions. That’s like saying “I’ve never been to The Smithsonian or the National Gallery, but museums aren’t my thing.”
— I really shouldn’t go on. Everyone has their unique preferences when it comes to entertainment. I just happen to like James Clavell novels, Triple Crown horse races, vintage Chuck Heston movies, the Tour de France, watching old TV shows from the 60s, swimming in cold lakes, looking for pirates at plastic toy conventions, and sitting in front an outdoor stage at Centre College once a year. It’s just me. I never know what particular pieces of music will stir my emotions at the Brass Band Festival. This year it was Jens Lindemann playing Leroy Anderson’s “A Trumpeter’s Lullaby” in public for the first time in his career, or Randy Edelman’s haunting “Reunion And Finale” from the film “Gettysburg” and remembering the searing performance of Jeff Daniels, or hearing a Rhythm & Brass interpretation of Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of Moon” creatively fused with songs from “The Wizard of Oz.” We must all seek out these types of individual pleasures for a balanced spirit, or bring less of ourselves to the serious endeavors that life demands of us at other times.
Confessions of a “philistine” in recovery
Friday, June 9th, 2006Our friend Gruntled has a couple recent posts about one of my favorite movies of the year. Back in January, after I saw “The Squid and the Whale,” I made a personal pledge to avail myself of the great novels. I recently watched a lecture Tom Wolfe gave at Duke on my birthday (indispensable C-SPAN!), and his comments reinforced my conviction. As it turns out, I was already chest deep in Ralph Ellison’s “Invisible Man.” I finished it last night. The towering, soul-rattling masterpiece has shattered any vestigial reluctance I had for embracing major American fictional works.
Now I find myself dealing with a new state of indecision— What next?
“The mind that has conceived a plan of living must never lose sight of the chaos against which that pattern was conceived. That goes for societies as well as for individuals.”
— from Invisible Man
“Bimbo’s TV Trivia” lives on
Tuesday, May 30th, 2006Dr. Gruntled has a recent post that gets some of us thinking about how marriage is portrayed on TV. He suggests that “Medium” currently features the best marriage and welcomes other nominees for strong marriages on television today.
I haven’t found a series that I can get myself to regularly watch since I soured on “Alias” and ABC cancelled “Eyes,” so I’ll have to present a more historical survey. Look elsewhere for cliche nominees like The Cleavers, The Petries, Andy Taylor, and Steve Douglas. This is my peculiar take on the subject, in no particular order, but highly influenced by my favorite shows:
• Best Single Mom—
One Day at a Time | Ann Romano | Bonnie Franklin
Star Trek: The Next Generation | Commander Dr. Beverly Crusher | Gates McFadden
The Big Valley | Victoria Barkley | Barbara Stanwyck
Julia | Julia Baker | Diahann Carroll
• Best Single Dad—
The Byrds of Paradise | Sam Byrd | Timothy Busfield
The Courtship of Eddie’s Father | Tom Corbett | Bill Bixby
Jonny Quest | Dr. Benton C. Quest | voice of Don Messick
The Rifleman | Lucas McCain | Chuck Connors
• Best Married Couple—
thirtysomething | Michael and Hope Steadman | Ken Olin and Mel Harris
Firefly | Zoe and Hoban Washburne | Gina Torres and Alan Tudyk
Life Goes On | Libby and Drew Thacher | Patti LuPone and Bill Smitrovich
Love on a Rooftop | David and Julie Willis | Peter Deuel and Judy Carne
The M:I “Saga” Series — a complete history
Monday, May 8th, 2006The Rollin Saga / ELENA / starring Martin Landau and Barbara Luna / Episode 10, Year One / First aired, 12/10/66
The Cinnamon Saga / THE SHORT TAIL SPY / starring Barbara Bain and Hans Gudegast (Eric Braeden) / Episode 14, Year One / First aired, 12/17/66
The Jim Saga / NICOLE / starring Peter Graves and Joan Collins / Episode 73, Year Three / First aired, 3/30/69
The Barney Saga / DEATH SQUAD / starring Greg Morris and Cicely Tyson / Episode 100, Year Four / First aired, 3/15/70
The Paris Saga / MY FRIEND, MY ENEMY / starring Leonard Nimoy and Jill Haworth / Episode 107, Year Five / First aired, 10/25/70
The Dana Saga / THE MISSILE / starring Lesley Ann Warren and John Beck / Episode 119, Year Five / First aired, 1/16/71
The Willy Saga / DOUBLE DEAD / starring Peter Lupus and Irene Tsu / Episode 143, Year Six / First aired, 2/12/71
The Nicholas Saga / THE ASSASSIN / starring Thaao Penghlis / M:I Revival, Episode 32 / First aired, 1/20/90
The Shannon Saga / CHURCH BELLS IN BOGOTA / starring Jane Badler / M:I Revival, Episode 34 / First aired, 2/10/90
The Ethan Saga, Part One / Mission: Impossible / starring Tom Cruise and Emmanuelle Béart / Theatrical release, 1996
The Ethan Saga, Part Two / M:I-2 / starring Tom Cruise and Thandie Newton / Theatrical release, 2000
The Ethan Saga, Part Three / M:I-3 / starring Tom Cruise and Michelle Monaghan / Theatrical release, 2006
M : I : 3
Sunday, May 7th, 2006If you grew up with the original Mission: Impossible concept and sat through two substandard motion picture versions…
If you admire the best aspects of the Alias television series…
If you’re ready for some young IMF team members that Dan Briggs would have been proud to carry in his portfolio…
If you don’t dislike Tom Cruise any more than you do Jennifer Garner…
If you think Ving Rhames is cool…
If you think Lalo Schifrin is even cooler…
Then you’re ready to buy a ticket for the next installment of “The Ethan Saga.”
Various & Sundry, part thirty-six
Saturday, April 29th, 2006— It was a small group of local runners this morning, due to the Derby Festival in Louisville. I’m sure most of them were competing in the 13.1-miler, but my pals Don and Larry were doing the full Marathon. Mort and I did ten miles at a comfortable enough pace to talk the whole time, covering a range of subjects from mentorship, aging, rail trails, grassroots activism, minority politics, and the separation of church and state, which was a great way to start a birthday. After I got home, Lee stopped by to present her gift—a copy of The Emerald Book, which she found in her grandmother’s attic. It’s troubling to think it wasn’t so long ago that third and fourth graders were reading the poems of Shakespeare, Stevenson, Kipling, Tennyson, Coleridge, Hawthorne, Riley, and Emerson. It also contains reproductions of works by painters like Hals and Carpaccio, with short lessons in art appreciation. What happened to the idea of children having the imaginative freedom to be kids while they simultaneously advance on a gradient apprenticeship to adult culture? Instead, we have a glut of twenty-something adolescents attempting to understand the roots of Western Thought by watching a Brad Pitt movie, as primary schoolers learn that “fuck” can be either a verb, noun, or interjection. Does anyone know how we let this happen?
— Although we had a good turnout at our banquet Thursday evening, most of our strong Centre College supporters were absent because, unfortunately, we were competing with the appearance of Helen Thomas as part of their Press Distinguished Lecture Series. Not surprisingly, the veteran White House correspondent directed her criticism at the president, suggesting he follow the advice given to LBJ during Viet Nam and “Declare a victory and leave”. Please pay closer attention, Helen—that’s what our enemies may already be in the process of doing. Jordanian Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, in a desperate attempt to impede the steady rise of Iraqi democracy, revealed his appearance in a recent propaganda video. In another tape, Egyptian Ayman al-Zawahri pleaded impotently with Muslims to oppose our Arab allies, and he declared that militants have “broken the back” of the U.S.-led effort. In the face of such frantic attempts on the part of Al-Qaida to remain relevant in Iraq, now is not the time to abandon the fledgling coalition government.
— Terie and Marty came over for either a late lunch or an early dinner—not sure which—with berry pie and ice cream (I don’t do cake on April 29th, thank you). Marty described his new pc game, Rome: Total War, and we watched a classic M:I episode, “The System” (we used to call it “Johnny Costa” back in the 60s) while Dana and Terie finished the tuna melts, keeping an eye on the NFL draft at the same time. I’d already received my gifts of a wristwatch and set of Koh-I-Noor Nexis art pens from Dana. Terie and Marty surprised me with a Serenity DVD. Well, maybe my home is not a hotbed of high culture, but who can find fault with a full day of pleasurable cooleosity?
— Ok, it’s 54. Happy Birthday to me.
v i c t o r y
Friday, March 31st, 2006March experiment—day thirty— As the announcer used to say on the program called “Iron Chef,” the battle is oh-vah!
Because the competition was with myself, I won—that means I also lost, but only the counterproductive habit patterns that were due to permanently go. The transformation feels vast, but I’m still too close to all I’ve been through to judge the full effects. Everything has culminated with the creation of my prototype for a personalized commemorative illustration. Tonight it will be unveiled before members of The Wood Duck Society, and then tomorrow it will be presented for target-market evaluation at a fundraising dinner—the Kentuckiana Chapter of Safari Club International in Louisville. By Sunday I’ll be in a better position to begin reflecting on these past few weeks.
You can’t take the sky from me
Tuesday, March 14th, 2006March experiment—day thirteen— Today’s dramatic change in weather makes me realize I got just what I wished for. Hmmm—perhaps, while I’m on a roll…
A few interesting things happened today. I was happy to get back from the gym in time to catch Junger’s interview on C-SPAN, and it made for some good breakfast viewing. Although I’ve broken my habit of watching early morning television, this was a worthwhile aberration. I share with him a special concern for the Afghan people that goes back to the 80s, when friends and I met with Mujahideen representatives during their stay in Dayton. I can’t like a journalist as much as I like Junger unless I trust that person’s instincts, and for some reason I completely trust this guy to get exactly the right take on whatever he observes. So now I’ll have to go find a copy of “Vanity Fair.” This afternoon I had a crucial discussion with Wilma at the Community Arts Center about raising my profile as an artist, and her advice may prove invaluable. The most stimulating thing is how much it coincides with some of the suggestions and encouragement I’ve gotten from David. A daunting transition, to be sure, but one that I must initiate in the near term. Stay tuned.
Today’s sight bite— Flags snapping on the Salvation Army pole against a field of midday blue—c-l-i-c-k—the kind of pure, deep shade that invigorates my soul.
Tomorrow— Conference call with KBBC Commissioners, trip to the courthouse to pick up my “Share the Road” license plate, and an evening of Russian music…
Another lesson learned
Monday, March 6th, 2006March experiment—day five— The momentum of the time study was interrupted by yesterday’s lack of focus. It wasn’t difficult to see why the pace of the schedule had broken down by this morning. I’ve learned something simple but important about the effect of a weekend, and that relaxation must be purposeful, but without a loss of inertia. In other words, proper rest must be seen as an integral part of the drill itself, like the 15-minute mile I deliberately inserted into a 12- or 14-mile training run. Rest is for replenishing energy, and to rebuild one’s reserves—not, as in this case, to dissipate creative force or sacrifice mental clarity.
Unfortunately, yesterday ended with as much laziness as it began. I tend to watch the Oscars for the “moments,” rare as they are, but was surprised to discover how much I enjoyed Stewart’s quips. He just might be as good as I’ve been told, but we don’t get Comedy Central. I got a kick out of his Heston joke. That montage of suggestive western clips is a treasure (none of us will probably ever get to see it again), and that hunk shot from “The Big Country” was quite possibly a major sway for Wyler on the Judah Ben-Hur casting decision. And, of course, Chuck also made it into the “epics” montage with his classic clenched-teeth charioteer shot, a role he admits he probably wouldn’t have gotten if he hadn’t accepted the supporting part in the ’58 picture with Peck. I demand as many years as possible before the time of sadness when Chuck makes the “In Memoriam” reel. Douglas and Newman are about the only other true “legends” left. (You thought I was going to say Mickey Rooney, didn’t you?) Well, maybe Sophia Loren and Lauren Bacall, too…and did you watch how Bacall salvaged that TelePrompTer mishap with quintessential poise? Now that’s a classy pro!
Today’s sight bite— The almost-but-not-quite-amusing, embarrassingly unskilled knot—c-l-i-c-k—that I tied to secure in the trunk the oversize box containing our faulty monitor.
Tomorrow— A full resumption of the experiment, and a meeting with the CREEC volunteers…
Please tell me how he does it
Sunday, February 26th, 2006After watching Lamb’s interview, with Glenn Reynolds, I want to read his new book, “An Army of Davids.” It also makes me want to understand more about the blogosphere I’ve blasted myself into. I suppose I now qualify as a blogger, after a solid year of doing this, and yet I still know almost as little about the emerging trend as I did when I started. One thing I suspected from the beginning is certainly true—this practice is all about time management. There’s got to be something important to learn from a cool guy who manages to be a law professor, plus a husband and father, and stay highly informed on just about everything, including nanotechnology, publish articles, write books, present the most consulted blog in America, while still finding the time to do a podcast with Tim Minear and brew his own beer.
Various & Sundry, part thirty
Friday, January 13th, 2006— You asked for them…
BIG Jim — The BIG Guy Himself — The BIG Valley — The Other BIG Guy Himself
— The BIG news of the week in Danville was the corporate restructuring of Ephraim McDowell Health, with the president of the medical center being ousted in the process. When I chatted with him today I suggested he run for County Judge Executive, just to see his reaction. He didn’t dismiss the idea at all and said, “John, I’ve thought about a lot of things this week, but that wasn’t one of them.” It was almost as if I could hear that familiar Lalo Schifrin tune, and felt like I was finally stepping into the shoes of YOU KNOW WHO.
— We just got home from the BIG Danville-vs-Boyle-County basketball double header. As Cliff predicted, the boy’s game was intense, given the deep local rivalry. I haven’t felt that kind of energy near a basketball court since my high school days, when a Northmont or Vandalia-Butler showndown brought the student body to fever pitch. Both Boyle County teams won, and I agreed with Marty that the girls’ game was more satisfying to watch. If I counted correctly, Hayley’s point total made it to double digits again. She’s a real playmaker and had a number of significant assists. She also continues to be prone to mistakes that accompany her inexperience with sustaining game focus. It’s scary to think how good she’ll be when she stops making them.
— After the ball games, while taking Marty home, we learned that Bruce was being admitted back into Methodist Hospital. It has to do with replacing some of his dang “pipelines and spigots.” I guess BIG problems could result if this kind of thing were ignored or downplayed during his steady recovery.
Captain Zero vs Marvin and Boop-0
Tuesday, January 3rd, 2006One of these days we’ve just got to dig out all of Mombo’s photos of the “Blackboard Comics.” How many years has it been? Quite possibly it could take forensic expertise to read the dialogue.
Just in case you aren’t familiar with this long-running series, it just happens to be one of the most awesome collaborative formats ever conceived. Anyone in the vicinity above the age of six is invited to add a frame to an evolving pictorial narrative until the evolving chalk drawing has filled it’s designated space, followed by prompt documentation before anyone in the vicinity under the age of six follows his or her urge to be similarly creative.
There’s nothing like drawing with real chalk on real slate. It’s in my blood. On New Year’s Day we decided to mess with perfection and develop our strip in reverse. It was a space-western vignette, of course, due to the prevailing supremacy of a certain defunct TV show.
My predictions for 2006
Saturday, December 31st, 2005 • The issue of a nuclear Iran fully ignites as a major global crisis and precipitates some type of military action before the end of the year.
— reference
• Despite the conventional wisdom that Academy members won’t choose two portrayals of dead musicians back to back, long-shot Joaquin Phoenix takes home an Oscar for his Johnny Cash performance when Hoffman, Strathairn, and Ledger split the “progressive” votes.
— reference
• Voters, upset with a blatantly hypocritical broadening of investigations into the governor’s partisan supporters, cast ballots to further reduce the number of Democrats in the Kentucky House.
— reference
• Aggragetors and reading lists for RSS feeds will hit a tipping point of mass appeal in the same way that Web logs did in 2005, making blogs an even more popular “spectator sport.”
— reference
• Senator Clinton enters the autumn with such an insurmountable lead in funding over Kerry, Edwards, and her other opponents that the media acknowledges her inevitable nomination and shifts its attention to who might successfully challenge her on the Republican side, leaving the door open for Bayh to exploit her “frontrunner” status and surge in polls by the end of the year.
— reference
• Critics shower Tom Cruise with praise for finally “getting it right” with his decision to put the fate of his M:I franchise in the hands of “Alias” creator J.J. Abrams, and the partners follow their summer box-office smash with an announcement that Abrams will scrap “Alias” to develop a new “Mission: Impossible” television series starring Ving Rhames as the team leader, with “the voice” of the mission controller to be Cruise himself.
— reference
Christmas musings
Sunday, December 25th, 2005• Nobody can recite the Holy Bible like Charlton Heston, and I do mean nobody. Christmas morning isn’t set until I watch his performance of the Nativity verses, filmed at the ruins of a Roman amphitheater. Sometimes I just want to shut my eyes and listen to the masterful shift of his voice characterization from Angel to Blessed Virgin to Shepherd to Magi to the 12-year-old Jesus in the temple doing “my father’s business.” And I always enjoy how he portrays the angel telling Joseph that Herod “is dead,” almost as if the heavenly being takes grim satisfaction in the opportune demise.
• My TV-Show Fantasy Wish List for Santa: I want a sprawling hacienda like Big John Cannon’s, on a ranch like The Yellow Rose, with a horse just like Jason McCord’s, and a fully stocked pull-down gun panel like the one James West had. When I need to be in the city, I’d like a Robin Masters Ferrari so I can commute to my urban pad, just like the apartment Jim Phelps lived in, with a big John Gnagy studio attached, plus a closet with an Alexander Mundy wardrobe. I suppose that’ll do for this year, Santa, unless you want to toss in a hovercraft, custom-built by Benton Quest. I’ve been really, really nice.
• I don’t know how long ago the “Oyster-Stew Eve” tradition began, but now it wouldn’t be Christmas for me without it. We gathered once again last night at Mombo’s, and it was a full house with all the Hellyers in attendance. Bubb played the temperamental stew chef, but his main course was superb as usual. I could have done without the bizarre homily that gushed on about everyone’s favorite computer racketeer earning his media sainthood. Oh well, there’s got to be a reason church hierarchs would exile a pastor to the boondocks of rural Kentucky. After what I’ve learned about the downfall of the precious parish in Richmond, nothing is going to surprise me about the bewildering judgments of those running an institutional religion that long ago lost its way. Give me a simple family Christmas Eve, with loving hugs, wall-to-wall cousins, Yorkies under foot, Jaybon’s vino, mud room goodbyes, and the lasting brilliance of a Dadbo who combined the sleep-inducing benefits of warm milk for the kiddoes, with a dose of aphrodisiac for Mr. and Mrs. Claus.
I don’t care, I’m still free
Friday, December 16th, 2005In the past 40 years, the very best broadcast television series—with the notable exceptions of Mission: Impossible and Seinfeld—have all been Western hybrids:
The Wild Wild West (western/espionage)
Kung Fu (western/martial arts)
The Yellow Rose (western/soap)
Ned Blessing: The Story of My Life and Times (western/literary)
The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. (western/fantasy)
And now, wholeheartedly, I can add another to my list—
Firefly (western/science fiction)
Well, to be accurate, perhaps not the very best from an objective standpoint, but my top favorites. You have to keep in mind that I have unusual tube tastes, and I’ve also never had premium cable channels like HBO, so I’ve yet to see an episode of The Sopranos, wasn’t able to follow the anthology series Dead Man’s Gun, or have had an opportunity to watch the currently running, critically acclaimed Deadwood.
Lonesome Dove might be the best evidence that the viewing public will always respond to a well-made, well-marketed Western (but that was just a mini-series, and made over 15 years ago, now that I think about it). It’s possible that the 20-year drumbeat of Gunsmoke scripts (better add Bonanza to that) sucked the life out of the genre for the mass audience, forcing it to mutate to survive. In that sense, the Western has never gone away, but diversified for niche audiences. The problem is that television, even in the age of cable/satellite channels and the explosion of niche marketing in just about every other realm of business, still hasn’t learned how to reap success with smaller segments of loyal consumers of entertainment. Notice how many of my favorite shows were cancelled prematurely, if not in a preposterously capricious manner.
This should finally change forever with the maturity of the Internet.
I hope I live long enough to watch Con-Geeki, that really good Frontier Polynesian Interstellar Grifter Comedy I’ve always longed for.
