Taking a page from James Dinan, I present:
Making it Better: American Idol
So you may be thinking, making it better? It's one of the top-rated shows on TV. It made a star of an unknown Kelly Clarkson, and may do the same for as many as five others. Every network is ripping it off, even the home network of Fox. So what's to improve?
Quite a bit, actually.
1. Hire someone who can produce plausibly live television. One of the consistent problems this season was the every episode seemed a little off. Ryan Seacrest would introduce the contestants, and the camera would be late in tracking them as they entered. Seacrest would walk over to interview the kids to save the time it took for them to walk to him. Some shows ended with extra time, some were too short to allow the person voted off a chance to sing. Graphics were often late, and at times mis-identified people.
I tend to think that there were a couple changes from last season that exacerbated the problem (see numbers 2 and 3), but I also have to think that there is a producer or production team out there that could handle this better than the current folks. The problems above aren't gaping problems, but they give the show a shoddy feel.
2. Ease back on the commercials, real and otherwise. Of course, TV is about selling product. Heck, this entire show is about creating a new product to sell. But if there was one major difference between the first and second seasons, it was the amount of promotional material. I'm not only talking about obvious ads, but also the product-placement segments. Did we need to have the kids get their hair colored by the Herbal Essences folks? Or have Seacrest demonstrate a Nokia phone that also takes pictures?
While fewer real commericals would help, I can see where that's unlikely to happen. Replacing some of the placement spots with other information on the contestants and their doings will help develop a stronger brand identification, ultimately allowing those who release albums to have a better fan base. Which means more money. At least for those with a cut of the music.
3. Go back to 10 finalists or break up the group of 12 finalists. The addition of 2 finalists allowed for more episodes, but also created more congestion. It also allowed for non semi-finalists to get another shot at the finals, which is how we wound up with Carmen Rasmussen. Avoiding a repeat of both of these results would be optimal.
One way to do it is to go back to 10 finalists. Fewer people give each individual more time to become a known quantity. I don't see this change happening, as this year's format allowed each judge (and the public) to pick a wild card. I don't think the judges will want to lose this, and giving the public a vote creates that much more connection between them and the contestants.
So, if we're staying with 12 finalists, have the first two rounds of competition involve two pools of finalists. That way you have six people singing each night (to start), then merge the groups after a week or two. Not only do you get even more shows out of this, but the producers get an even better chance to monkey with the groups.
4. Bring back live music and backing. The karaoke backing tracks and often over-wrought backing vocals can influence how a performance is seen by the public, and thus hurt a contestant through no fault of their own. Having the contestant out there alone also took away from performances, as the contestant would look like they were singing in a vacuum, not connecting to anything.
One of the best weeks from the original series was the big band week, as the live music allowed for more energy in performances and gave us a chance to see how each contestant interacted with other performers. It doesn't have to be big band, just a band. I caught part of the first episode of Fame tonight, and the opening number was much better for having a live band than if the music was piped in.
5. Give up the "humor". A basic fact of the show is that none of the regulars are that funny. They can throw out the off quip, but they don't carry off the scripted stuff very well. It doesn't help that the jokes they do get aren't particularly sharp. The writers should either focus on the quicker hits, or just drop the humor completely and let the regulars fend for themselves.
6. More information, less filler. One of the promised facets of the show this year was supposed to be reports from the house, giving some level of inside info on the contestants. We got zero reports, and in fact saw less of the house this year than last (except when it served as a backdrop for product placement purposes).
On the one hand, I'm not complaining as it meant no more Kristin Holt, a grating retread from the first season. However, the limited information we got on each contestant didn't give much insight. I feel like I know much less about Clay and Ruben than I did Kelly and Justin. In some cases that may prove to be a good thing, but it was ironic to hear Simon talk about how he didn't know anything about Kimberly Locke. When did the show even bother to provide some background to help that process out?
7. Less repetition. I got a little sick of "worst singer in the world" Kevin the 93rd time I saw him. I don't think I'll be able to listen to Ruben's first single, "Fly Without Wings," as he sang it five times in the 25 hour period of the finals and final results. The way each week's result show is staged makes kabuki look like a night at the improv.
There are tendencies in the show to repeat things. Break them. I know showing different things is a crazy idea, and may actually require spending money or writing new material, but it makes the show less stale.
And finally...
8. Let contestants sing the entire song. OK, it could be in the first week or two you have to truncate songs to get everyone in. But why, when there are three contestants left, do we have them sing parts of three songs instead of two full ones?
There were weeks where a contestant's entire performance was one verse and the refrain sung three or four times. What does that tell us about the contestant? Make each person memorize and entire song and try to sell it on national TV. That will tell us more about their ability to be the American Idol than a minute and a half of a partial song.
Oh, and 8a: Let them sing some newer songs. Sarah read an article comparing the show to Britain's Pop Idol, and one of the big differences is that on the British show they tend to sing much more recent material. Most of the songs from this year's American Idol were from before 1985. Some of this was due to the choice of judges and themes (hard to sing a post-1985 Neil Sedaka song), but there's not much to learn about how a kid will do as a pop star by singing "Smile" or "Over the Rainbow." There may be a rights thing, too, but the show's making enough money. Spend a little so that we get post-2000 songs on more than the Ford ads.
28 May 2003
27 May 2003
Other random thoughts from the long weekend (and today):
* Good Eats marathon: good. The Man Show marathon: bad. It's not even male-centered humor anymore. It's like the guys who inhabit light beer ads are writing, producing and performing their own half-hour of TV material.
* Thing I Did Not Know That I Know Now: Roald Dahl wrote the screenplay for You Only Live Twice.
* As much as the traffic yesterday wasn't as heavy as you'd expect for the end of a long weekend, we did see a car on its roof on Route 95 North somewhere in the Burlington-Woburn-Waltham area.
* Who knew that the President liked to name tech companies on the side?
* Why is the commissioner's office sending a glove with a patch commemorating a pitcher's 300th win to that pitcher before the win has taken place? This stinks in several ways. I suppose that the glove got the boot and that the Sox won should give comfort, but what the hell? It's not like they sent Palmiero bats with the number 500 on them to commemorate his milestone.
* Oh, and can I also say how sad I am that the Yankees are 2-8 in their last 10? If things go right, they'll be behind the Sox and the Blue Jays by this time on Thursday.
* Should I be more concerned that Nike signed 13 year old soccer phenom Freddy Adu to a $1 million endorsement deal? On the one hand, he's 13. On the other hand, he's 13. But, on the third hand, it's not like Adu got bilked out of his college eligibility (he wasn't planning on going that route). I suppose this doesn't get to me like the whole LeBron thing as Adu has steered clear of the whole shamateurism thing.
* Patrick Roy retiring? Sacre bleu! I should hate him for his years in Montreal, but at this point I really do more identify him with the Avs. Let the David Aebischer era commence!
* Best story you probably didn't see from the weekend: Keira Goerl throws a no-hitter in the national title game to lead UCLA to the NCAA division 1 softball title. Oh, did I mention that she also pitched all 47 innings of UCLA's tournament games?
* Good Eats marathon: good. The Man Show marathon: bad. It's not even male-centered humor anymore. It's like the guys who inhabit light beer ads are writing, producing and performing their own half-hour of TV material.
* Thing I Did Not Know That I Know Now: Roald Dahl wrote the screenplay for You Only Live Twice.
* As much as the traffic yesterday wasn't as heavy as you'd expect for the end of a long weekend, we did see a car on its roof on Route 95 North somewhere in the Burlington-Woburn-Waltham area.
* Who knew that the President liked to name tech companies on the side?
* Why is the commissioner's office sending a glove with a patch commemorating a pitcher's 300th win to that pitcher before the win has taken place? This stinks in several ways. I suppose that the glove got the boot and that the Sox won should give comfort, but what the hell? It's not like they sent Palmiero bats with the number 500 on them to commemorate his milestone.
* Oh, and can I also say how sad I am that the Yankees are 2-8 in their last 10? If things go right, they'll be behind the Sox and the Blue Jays by this time on Thursday.
* Should I be more concerned that Nike signed 13 year old soccer phenom Freddy Adu to a $1 million endorsement deal? On the one hand, he's 13. On the other hand, he's 13. But, on the third hand, it's not like Adu got bilked out of his college eligibility (he wasn't planning on going that route). I suppose this doesn't get to me like the whole LeBron thing as Adu has steered clear of the whole shamateurism thing.
* Patrick Roy retiring? Sacre bleu! I should hate him for his years in Montreal, but at this point I really do more identify him with the Avs. Let the David Aebischer era commence!
* Best story you probably didn't see from the weekend: Keira Goerl throws a no-hitter in the national title game to lead UCLA to the NCAA division 1 softball title. Oh, did I mention that she also pitched all 47 innings of UCLA's tournament games?
26 May 2003
Another Memorial Day weekend has come and gone, and with it another unofficial start to summer. Unless you live here in New England, in which case it was a continution of "spring," what we've been optimistically been calling this season of temps in the 50s and almost daily rain. Some springs have been colder, and some wetter, but this may be the most irritating mix of the two in my lifetime.
Such weather led to some cabin fever, and a call by the future Mrs. Blogalicious to do something "fun." What wound up being fun was a day trip to Portland, Maine to see the Portland Sea Dogs of the Eastern League take on the Harrisburg Senators. Our hope, apparently buoyed by weather reports, would be that southern Maine would be less rainy than the Boston area.
The drive to Portland and our initial foray into Hadlock Field, home of the Sea Dogs, seemed to bear this out. However, the rain picked up steadily during our time there, to the point where not five minutes after taking our seats, the game was called. We now have tickets for a game against the Binghamton Mets on August 8, making this the earliest I've ever known what I was going to be doing on my birthday.
I will say from our brief visit that the stadium is pretty good, nothing special but at least better than some of the piles commemorated in photos along the concessions concourse. There is a touching yet sad double-A version of the Green Monster, complete with a Coke bottle and Citgo sign above it. Sadly, no seats are available for purchase on the wall.
With a newly-freed afternoon in Portland, we decided to drive down to the Old Port, the section of Portland down by the waterfront. We had a "cahn't get theyah from heah" moment where none of the roads seemed to go the direction we needed, but eventually righted ourselves. Not surprising for so crappy a day, not much was going on in the Old Port. We did spend part of our time looking in the shops, not a total loss given my purchase of a bobblehead moose.
What we wound up doing was taking a cruise among the islands of Casco Bay on the mail boat, the ferry that brings mail as well as passengers and goods to the islands. No mail today, of course, but there were a fair number of people going to and from the islands. We were one of two pairs of round-trippers, somewhat conspicuous with our lack of baggage.
While most of the islands play host to seasonal residents, there are year-round inhabitants as well, and I wonder how they cope with not being able to just get up and go when the mood strikes. I know that may be an odd sentiment for someone who can only answer that same call by walking, but the fact is that I can at least do that. I suppose it's something you either know from birth or develop skills to work with, but I can't see living that way for good.
In any event, it was a fun way to burn an afternoon, even if the weather was less hospitable than our last cruise to nowhere, a round-trip across the St. Lawrence between Quebec and Levis (sadly before we knew that our friends had famous forebears honored there, else we'd have gotten off the ferry and looked around).
From the ferry terminal it was off to Governor's, a local chain of restaurants that names burgers for current and recent holders of that office (and some historic ones as well). And then it was home, fighting through the "delays" that were warned about at toll booths and on the Maine Turnpike radio station but in reality did not exist. We did see a fair bit of traffic heading south as we were going north, so perhaps they'd set everything up anticipating the usual late departure. If there were any delays on that road today, they were more likely at noon than our early evening traveling hours.
Such weather led to some cabin fever, and a call by the future Mrs. Blogalicious to do something "fun." What wound up being fun was a day trip to Portland, Maine to see the Portland Sea Dogs of the Eastern League take on the Harrisburg Senators. Our hope, apparently buoyed by weather reports, would be that southern Maine would be less rainy than the Boston area.
The drive to Portland and our initial foray into Hadlock Field, home of the Sea Dogs, seemed to bear this out. However, the rain picked up steadily during our time there, to the point where not five minutes after taking our seats, the game was called. We now have tickets for a game against the Binghamton Mets on August 8, making this the earliest I've ever known what I was going to be doing on my birthday.
I will say from our brief visit that the stadium is pretty good, nothing special but at least better than some of the piles commemorated in photos along the concessions concourse. There is a touching yet sad double-A version of the Green Monster, complete with a Coke bottle and Citgo sign above it. Sadly, no seats are available for purchase on the wall.
With a newly-freed afternoon in Portland, we decided to drive down to the Old Port, the section of Portland down by the waterfront. We had a "cahn't get theyah from heah" moment where none of the roads seemed to go the direction we needed, but eventually righted ourselves. Not surprising for so crappy a day, not much was going on in the Old Port. We did spend part of our time looking in the shops, not a total loss given my purchase of a bobblehead moose.
What we wound up doing was taking a cruise among the islands of Casco Bay on the mail boat, the ferry that brings mail as well as passengers and goods to the islands. No mail today, of course, but there were a fair number of people going to and from the islands. We were one of two pairs of round-trippers, somewhat conspicuous with our lack of baggage.
While most of the islands play host to seasonal residents, there are year-round inhabitants as well, and I wonder how they cope with not being able to just get up and go when the mood strikes. I know that may be an odd sentiment for someone who can only answer that same call by walking, but the fact is that I can at least do that. I suppose it's something you either know from birth or develop skills to work with, but I can't see living that way for good.
In any event, it was a fun way to burn an afternoon, even if the weather was less hospitable than our last cruise to nowhere, a round-trip across the St. Lawrence between Quebec and Levis (sadly before we knew that our friends had famous forebears honored there, else we'd have gotten off the ferry and looked around).
From the ferry terminal it was off to Governor's, a local chain of restaurants that names burgers for current and recent holders of that office (and some historic ones as well). And then it was home, fighting through the "delays" that were warned about at toll booths and on the Maine Turnpike radio station but in reality did not exist. We did see a fair bit of traffic heading south as we were going north, so perhaps they'd set everything up anticipating the usual late departure. If there were any delays on that road today, they were more likely at noon than our early evening traveling hours.
23 May 2003
So is there a famous person of the last 10-20 years who has had a more publicly perplexing mid-life crisis than Harrison Ford? Consider that his career is going gangbusters, he's fresh off of hits playing Jack Ryan and the President in Air Force One, and then...
1. He doesn't learn the lesson of Sabrina and starts trying to be a romantic lead in Six Days, Seven Nights and Random Hearts.
2. Turned down leads in The Perfect Storm, The Patriot, and Traffic, but takes the lead in K19: The Widowmaker.
3. Bails out of a 20 year marriage to take up with Calista Flockhart by way of Minnie Driver - both of whom were born after the day Ford was first married (June 18, 1964).
4. Takes the lead in Hollywood Homicide, which wouldn't be that bizarre except for the ads with 50 Cent's "In Da Club" featuring prominently. That just mixes things up.
Kudos to Cooch for catching the last point, as it was that ad that got me thinking along these lines to begin with.
1. He doesn't learn the lesson of Sabrina and starts trying to be a romantic lead in Six Days, Seven Nights and Random Hearts.
2. Turned down leads in The Perfect Storm, The Patriot, and Traffic, but takes the lead in K19: The Widowmaker.
3. Bails out of a 20 year marriage to take up with Calista Flockhart by way of Minnie Driver - both of whom were born after the day Ford was first married (June 18, 1964).
4. Takes the lead in Hollywood Homicide, which wouldn't be that bizarre except for the ads with 50 Cent's "In Da Club" featuring prominently. That just mixes things up.
Kudos to Cooch for catching the last point, as it was that ad that got me thinking along these lines to begin with.
22 May 2003
A lot going on in the world of sports:
Rocket wins 299 Not the biggest story of the day (that'll come next), but given the local flavor I had to lead with it.
I have to admit some conflict when it comes to Roger Clemens. On the one hand, I think he had to leave the Sox when he did. Had he stayed he'd probably not gone more than another season or two. I look at it as a more extreme case of the Ellis Burks case, where the best think he could do was leave Boston before his career ended prematurely.
On the other hand, I never liked the way Roger left town. At best he was reacting to management in a way that's not surprising of a star veteran who wants out. At worst, he was complicit in his own decline, purposefully going out of shape to force an ouster. That he managed to stay in the division just makes things worse; I don't think I'd be half as conflicted if he went to Houston.
In any case, I do know this much: I don't want any Yankees pitcher to get a landmark win off the Sox, be it his first or 300th. That it's Clemens doesn't matter as much as I thought it would.
Annika is playing with the boys Annika Sorenstam, the best current female pro golfer (and perhaps the best of all time) is teeing it up today in a PGA event, the first woman to do so in 58 years. While a couple of the guys firmly planted foot in mouth at this turn of events, most of the players are just focusing on the golf and demurring on questions related to Annika's participation.
So far she's even through 14 holes, with a birdie and a bogey. She's been hitting fairways like nobody's business, but the putting could be better (if I'm reading her LPGA stats right, the putting problem isn't a surprise). Going even over the first two rounds would probably see her make the cut (last year's was, from what I can gather, +3).
For those worried about what this means to the men's club that is the PGA, I'd suggest waiting about 5-7 years to worry. That's when you'll have Michelle Wie trying to earn her tour card. That's PGA tour card, by the way. Heck, maybe she'll have a card for both PGA and LPGA.
LeBron James hits jackpot before hitting lottery Anyone who is surprised that Nike would shell out $90 million to put LeBron James in the swoosh please stand on your head. King James apparently also signed a deal with Upper Deck which will add another million to the pot for the next five years. That'll keep the Hummer in tranny fluid.
As for where LeBron may be spending his endorsement millions, the draft lottery is tonight, during halftime of whatever NBA playoff game is on. In the grand tradition of screwing whatever team has the best chance to win the lottery, I am predicting that Miami will land the rights to James.
Game 7 in NHL Eastern Conference I suppose I have to root for the Devils to keep BU involved (Jay Pandolfo plays for the former Team Pizza Hut), even if it means that BC spawn Brian Gionta gets a shot at a Cup. Wow, here's a metaphysical quandary.
There is part of me that wants a Ducks-Sens final outside of all the parochial Hockey East claptrap. Seems like the healthier option.
Rocket wins 299 Not the biggest story of the day (that'll come next), but given the local flavor I had to lead with it.
I have to admit some conflict when it comes to Roger Clemens. On the one hand, I think he had to leave the Sox when he did. Had he stayed he'd probably not gone more than another season or two. I look at it as a more extreme case of the Ellis Burks case, where the best think he could do was leave Boston before his career ended prematurely.
On the other hand, I never liked the way Roger left town. At best he was reacting to management in a way that's not surprising of a star veteran who wants out. At worst, he was complicit in his own decline, purposefully going out of shape to force an ouster. That he managed to stay in the division just makes things worse; I don't think I'd be half as conflicted if he went to Houston.
In any case, I do know this much: I don't want any Yankees pitcher to get a landmark win off the Sox, be it his first or 300th. That it's Clemens doesn't matter as much as I thought it would.
Annika is playing with the boys Annika Sorenstam, the best current female pro golfer (and perhaps the best of all time) is teeing it up today in a PGA event, the first woman to do so in 58 years. While a couple of the guys firmly planted foot in mouth at this turn of events, most of the players are just focusing on the golf and demurring on questions related to Annika's participation.
So far she's even through 14 holes, with a birdie and a bogey. She's been hitting fairways like nobody's business, but the putting could be better (if I'm reading her LPGA stats right, the putting problem isn't a surprise). Going even over the first two rounds would probably see her make the cut (last year's was, from what I can gather, +3).
For those worried about what this means to the men's club that is the PGA, I'd suggest waiting about 5-7 years to worry. That's when you'll have Michelle Wie trying to earn her tour card. That's PGA tour card, by the way. Heck, maybe she'll have a card for both PGA and LPGA.
LeBron James hits jackpot before hitting lottery Anyone who is surprised that Nike would shell out $90 million to put LeBron James in the swoosh please stand on your head. King James apparently also signed a deal with Upper Deck which will add another million to the pot for the next five years. That'll keep the Hummer in tranny fluid.
As for where LeBron may be spending his endorsement millions, the draft lottery is tonight, during halftime of whatever NBA playoff game is on. In the grand tradition of screwing whatever team has the best chance to win the lottery, I am predicting that Miami will land the rights to James.
Game 7 in NHL Eastern Conference I suppose I have to root for the Devils to keep BU involved (Jay Pandolfo plays for the former Team Pizza Hut), even if it means that BC spawn Brian Gionta gets a shot at a Cup. Wow, here's a metaphysical quandary.
There is part of me that wants a Ducks-Sens final outside of all the parochial Hockey East claptrap. Seems like the healthier option.
21 May 2003
So much for the Liberace theory.
Ruben Studdard was named this year's American Idol winner, besting Clay Aiken by 13000 or 1300 votes, depending on which number you believe. Heck, if the show had gone into a third hour the difference probably would have dropped another zero.
The show itself contained enough filler to make Oscar Meyer proud. Lots of group singing, a reprised song from last night for Ruben and Clay, and some live reports from each of their home towns. It was craptacular.
As far as the result goes, I don't see it making a big difference for either guy. Ruben will have claim to the title, but both will go on the tour, both will release albums, and in an apparent nod to the first Pop Idol finalists both will have singles released in the same week.
Now we just have to wait until January to do it all again. Just enough time for Ryan Seacrest to collect enough human souls to maintain his corporeal presence throughout the affair.
In other Fox programming notes, The O.C. is apparently starting life as a summer series. Knowing how Fox plays around with their schedule, it may not even make it to September. Maybe we'll get an extended run of this Paradise Hotel thing where viewers become contestants during the run of the show. Wouldn't that be fun?
Ruben Studdard was named this year's American Idol winner, besting Clay Aiken by 13000 or 1300 votes, depending on which number you believe. Heck, if the show had gone into a third hour the difference probably would have dropped another zero.
The show itself contained enough filler to make Oscar Meyer proud. Lots of group singing, a reprised song from last night for Ruben and Clay, and some live reports from each of their home towns. It was craptacular.
As far as the result goes, I don't see it making a big difference for either guy. Ruben will have claim to the title, but both will go on the tour, both will release albums, and in an apparent nod to the first Pop Idol finalists both will have singles released in the same week.
Now we just have to wait until January to do it all again. Just enough time for Ryan Seacrest to collect enough human souls to maintain his corporeal presence throughout the affair.
In other Fox programming notes, The O.C. is apparently starting life as a summer series. Knowing how Fox plays around with their schedule, it may not even make it to September. Maybe we'll get an extended run of this Paradise Hotel thing where viewers become contestants during the run of the show. Wouldn't that be fun?
20 May 2003
Without waiting for the actual show, I'm going to predict that Clay Aiken will be your new American Idol when all is said and done tomorrow. I've got two reasons for this, one offered by a co-worker, the other my own.
1. Clay has never been in an elimination group. Kelly Clarkson was never in an elimination group. Kelly Clarkson was named American Idol. Therefore, Clay will be named American Idol. (That's from the co-worker)
2. My reason is what I call the Liberace Theory. There was a time, before the palimony suit and the Batman villainy, when Liberace was a hot draw, both on stage and on TV (OK, he did pretty well even after the Batman and palimony things). The cornerstone of his fan base, apparently drawn by his mix of classical and popular music, his flashy clothes and jewelry, and those candelabras, were older women.
My guess, from a very small statistical sample (around a half dozen) is that moms have a similar attraction to Clay. Don't know if it's his stagey delivery, his non-threatening looks, or the love he displays for his mother, but there's a storeroom of votes to be tapped in the moms whose kids are watching the program. My guess is that while the kids are texting their votes in, mom is on the bedroom phone working speed dial.
Anyway, that's my theory, and I'm sticking with it.
1. Clay has never been in an elimination group. Kelly Clarkson was never in an elimination group. Kelly Clarkson was named American Idol. Therefore, Clay will be named American Idol. (That's from the co-worker)
2. My reason is what I call the Liberace Theory. There was a time, before the palimony suit and the Batman villainy, when Liberace was a hot draw, both on stage and on TV (OK, he did pretty well even after the Batman and palimony things). The cornerstone of his fan base, apparently drawn by his mix of classical and popular music, his flashy clothes and jewelry, and those candelabras, were older women.
My guess, from a very small statistical sample (around a half dozen) is that moms have a similar attraction to Clay. Don't know if it's his stagey delivery, his non-threatening looks, or the love he displays for his mother, but there's a storeroom of votes to be tapped in the moms whose kids are watching the program. My guess is that while the kids are texting their votes in, mom is on the bedroom phone working speed dial.
Anyway, that's my theory, and I'm sticking with it.
Am I the only one casting a wary eye to the proposed ACC expansion based on it giving greater exposure to the athletic teams from Boston College? Probably. Ah, rivalry. Or "rivalry," as about the only thing we have an actual rivalry with BC in is hockey, which will be unaffected by the move. Football is an obvious wash, and getting BC on the hoops schedule was already a chance thing. We hold our own with them in the non-revenue sports, which is nice but not particularly satisfying.
On the one hand I'm not sure why the ACC would go after BC, given that it's out of the way and would have some of the smaller facilities in the league. On the other, it makes sense to include another northeast school if you're going after Syracuse, so all those sports can do a New York and Massachusetts swing before heading back down below the Mason-Dixon Line. Also, if you're going to add a recent football national titlist and the reigning hoops champ, would may want the third addition to be someone who can be a patsy as easily as a contender.
And, after looking at this thing, the Big East does appear to be in serious trouble. Its survival is clearly contingent on maintaining a credible football presence. The key to that is to get Notre Dame to join. You can imagine the big wad of cash that'll take, especially as the future ND schedules are less and less Big East heavy. If the move takes place, ND will have no Big East teams on its schedule in 2006. And to accomodate a Big East schedule, they'd have to drop at least a couple of the semi-traditional games against Michigan, Michigan State, Stanford, Air Force, and Purdue.
Building from within the other Big East members is a no-go. UConn is technically a full D1 program, and their 2003 schedule reflects their status - a couple of 1AA teams, some MAC goodness, and major conference weak sisters like Wake Forest and Indiana. They do nod to their Big East destiny with BC, Virginia Tech, and Rutgers. But they'd need to come along faster to help now.
Outside of UConn, pickings are slim. Villanova has a good thing going in A-10 football and seems to have little interest in ramping up their program. Georgetown is getting its hat handed to it in the Patriot Conference. St. John's "reformulated" their program into the grave (is it a Mike Jarvis thing?). Seton Hall and PC have no football.
Poaching also looks like a poor substitute. Louisville and Cincinnait are probably the most poachable teams from CUSA, but neither really addresses the football part of things (they'd also still only have 7 teams). Getting Marshall to jump the MAC seems unlikely, and isn't the sort of marquee name needed. Even if they get all three to jump, we're looking at an east coast version of the Mountain West Conference, which probably isn't what the Big East going for.
The final option, outside of closing up shop, would be for the Big East to retrench as a basketball-focused conference and let the members with football compete as independents. This is almost worse than death, as the lack of football money would hamper the league elsewhere.
Then again, we may be sounding the death knell too early. Miami says it has "no timetable" to make the jump, and there's an economic argument that suggests that the current ACC schools may not profit from the increased enrollment. So perhaps this'll wind up being a tempest in a teapot, though I still think it'll happen.
On the one hand I'm not sure why the ACC would go after BC, given that it's out of the way and would have some of the smaller facilities in the league. On the other, it makes sense to include another northeast school if you're going after Syracuse, so all those sports can do a New York and Massachusetts swing before heading back down below the Mason-Dixon Line. Also, if you're going to add a recent football national titlist and the reigning hoops champ, would may want the third addition to be someone who can be a patsy as easily as a contender.
And, after looking at this thing, the Big East does appear to be in serious trouble. Its survival is clearly contingent on maintaining a credible football presence. The key to that is to get Notre Dame to join. You can imagine the big wad of cash that'll take, especially as the future ND schedules are less and less Big East heavy. If the move takes place, ND will have no Big East teams on its schedule in 2006. And to accomodate a Big East schedule, they'd have to drop at least a couple of the semi-traditional games against Michigan, Michigan State, Stanford, Air Force, and Purdue.
Building from within the other Big East members is a no-go. UConn is technically a full D1 program, and their 2003 schedule reflects their status - a couple of 1AA teams, some MAC goodness, and major conference weak sisters like Wake Forest and Indiana. They do nod to their Big East destiny with BC, Virginia Tech, and Rutgers. But they'd need to come along faster to help now.
Outside of UConn, pickings are slim. Villanova has a good thing going in A-10 football and seems to have little interest in ramping up their program. Georgetown is getting its hat handed to it in the Patriot Conference. St. John's "reformulated" their program into the grave (is it a Mike Jarvis thing?). Seton Hall and PC have no football.
Poaching also looks like a poor substitute. Louisville and Cincinnait are probably the most poachable teams from CUSA, but neither really addresses the football part of things (they'd also still only have 7 teams). Getting Marshall to jump the MAC seems unlikely, and isn't the sort of marquee name needed. Even if they get all three to jump, we're looking at an east coast version of the Mountain West Conference, which probably isn't what the Big East going for.
The final option, outside of closing up shop, would be for the Big East to retrench as a basketball-focused conference and let the members with football compete as independents. This is almost worse than death, as the lack of football money would hamper the league elsewhere.
Then again, we may be sounding the death knell too early. Miami says it has "no timetable" to make the jump, and there's an economic argument that suggests that the current ACC schools may not profit from the increased enrollment. So perhaps this'll wind up being a tempest in a teapot, though I still think it'll happen.
19 May 2003
So while things were hopping on campus this past weekend, the town of Wellesley also had its own festivities, as Wellesley's Wonderful Weekend took place. Does it seem strange to you that there'd be an entire weekend of festivities like this the week before the Memorial Day long weekend? It does to me, too. Especially when the event's home page touts that the whole thing is "Dedicated to those who serve."
In fact, the weekend is kind of like Memorial Day and the 4th of July all rolled up into one big thing, which would explain why there's no actual celebration on the 4th itself. Turns out that the impetus for doing all of this now, and not on either of those holidays, is that too many residents are away at the Cape or the Vineyard to do them at the proper time. As snooty as my hometown is, we at least know when to celebrate our holidays!
I suppose this deflates the theory that the weekend actually celebrates the end of the academic year here at Babson. Given the poor town-gown relations, it was a logical guess.
We did partake in parts of the weekend. Sarah has this thing about public meals (they apparently form a cornerstone of community life in Maine), so we partook of both a pancake breakfast and franks-n-beans supper. They weren't too bad, to be honest, though the choice of citrus-flavored beverages at the breakfast - Gatorade or Tang - left something to be desired.
There were fireworks, too, and they were pretty good for a town of this size. Probably more big boomers than you'd want in a show that's not near the water, but still very well done.
So the weekend wasn't a total loss. It also verified that I would not want to live in Wellesley for the long haul, which I pretty much knew, both from the "community" and from the simple economic indicator of house prices.
In fact, the weekend is kind of like Memorial Day and the 4th of July all rolled up into one big thing, which would explain why there's no actual celebration on the 4th itself. Turns out that the impetus for doing all of this now, and not on either of those holidays, is that too many residents are away at the Cape or the Vineyard to do them at the proper time. As snooty as my hometown is, we at least know when to celebrate our holidays!
I suppose this deflates the theory that the weekend actually celebrates the end of the academic year here at Babson. Given the poor town-gown relations, it was a logical guess.
We did partake in parts of the weekend. Sarah has this thing about public meals (they apparently form a cornerstone of community life in Maine), so we partook of both a pancake breakfast and franks-n-beans supper. They weren't too bad, to be honest, though the choice of citrus-flavored beverages at the breakfast - Gatorade or Tang - left something to be desired.
There were fireworks, too, and they were pretty good for a town of this size. Probably more big boomers than you'd want in a show that's not near the water, but still very well done.
So the weekend wasn't a total loss. It also verified that I would not want to live in Wellesley for the long haul, which I pretty much knew, both from the "community" and from the simple economic indicator of house prices.
18 May 2003
One of the drawbacks of my job is that I have to spend a lot of quality weekend time at work during the times where students move on and off of campus. This includes back-to-back noon to eleven pm Saturdays. It'd be fine if we got overtime, but there's a reason we're on salary. Oh well, it's not like I didn't know this going into things.
You do learns some interesting things during these times, though. My boss, for instance, seems to have a strong appreciation for Shania Twain.
I'm also constantly fascinated at some of the crap that turns up during a move out, perhaps more correctly the stuff that gets left behind. There's the required crappy furniture that was probably salvaged from a yard sale, but we also seem to have more electronics left behind than you might expect. A lot of futons left behind this year, I suppose given the relatively low price (as opposed to an actual bed).
I'm also re-amazed every year about this time at the incredible self-centeredness of some of our students, though by now I should be immune. One of these days I'm going to snap at someone who is lingering past closing time and being a pain in the ass, and just start throwing their stuff out the window. We didn't have any real pains yesterday, but definately had people who were playing the system. Another of the many small examples on the ethical foundation of tomorrow's business leaders. Or at least the ones that, with my luck, will be managing my retirement fund.
You do learns some interesting things during these times, though. My boss, for instance, seems to have a strong appreciation for Shania Twain.
I'm also constantly fascinated at some of the crap that turns up during a move out, perhaps more correctly the stuff that gets left behind. There's the required crappy furniture that was probably salvaged from a yard sale, but we also seem to have more electronics left behind than you might expect. A lot of futons left behind this year, I suppose given the relatively low price (as opposed to an actual bed).
I'm also re-amazed every year about this time at the incredible self-centeredness of some of our students, though by now I should be immune. One of these days I'm going to snap at someone who is lingering past closing time and being a pain in the ass, and just start throwing their stuff out the window. We didn't have any real pains yesterday, but definately had people who were playing the system. Another of the many small examples on the ethical foundation of tomorrow's business leaders. Or at least the ones that, with my luck, will be managing my retirement fund.
17 May 2003
A few notes to wrap up this week of next season's TV:
* I somehow missed that Fox's show Skin has Ron Silver's character playing a porn producer. I don't think that helps the show any, but given the show title and that it's on Fox, you'd think I'd have noticed.
* Oh, sometime between my initial look at the Fox lineup and posting, the Eliza Dushku show became Tru Calling. I don't think I'd have missed a word in the title. Or at least I hope I didn't.
* LaPlaca Open handicapping note: one of the Fox sitcoms I couldn't bring myself to describe, Arrested Development, stars Jason Bateman. You're welcome.
* Pax apparently doesn't do an upfront, or if they do they keep it very quiet, not even mentioning anything on their website. Speaking of which, they use the .tv domain, either because the name wasn't available on the more traditional .com, or to underscore the fact that, yes, Pax is a TV network.
* Pax is the only network to have, among their links for things like "Privacy Policy" and "Legal," a link for "Worship."
* I somehow missed that Fox's show Skin has Ron Silver's character playing a porn producer. I don't think that helps the show any, but given the show title and that it's on Fox, you'd think I'd have noticed.
* Oh, sometime between my initial look at the Fox lineup and posting, the Eliza Dushku show became Tru Calling. I don't think I'd have missed a word in the title. Or at least I hope I didn't.
* LaPlaca Open handicapping note: one of the Fox sitcoms I couldn't bring myself to describe, Arrested Development, stars Jason Bateman. You're welcome.
* Pax apparently doesn't do an upfront, or if they do they keep it very quiet, not even mentioning anything on their website. Speaking of which, they use the .tv domain, either because the name wasn't available on the more traditional .com, or to underscore the fact that, yes, Pax is a TV network.
* Pax is the only network to have, among their links for things like "Privacy Policy" and "Legal," a link for "Worship."
16 May 2003
Fox and UPN had their upfronts yesterday. Couldn't Fox and PAX gone at the same time for irony's sake?
The biggest question going into next season for UPN is how to replace Buffy, perhaps the signature show of the netlets to date. The answer, apparently, is Jake 2.0, a show about a guy who becomes super-powerful after being infect by nanites, which are molecular-sized computers. Think Freakazoid meets Michael Crichton's book Prey. I'm sure that's the concept used when the show got pitched.
The other four new shows on the UPN schedule for next year replace any number of sitcoms that the bulk of humanity couldn't name under pain of torture. If nothing else, there are some entertaining concepts here. Our quartet includes:
* All of Us, a sitcom about domestic life produced by Will and Jada Pinkett Smith. According to the UPN website, the show will look at how divorced parents raise their kids together. The website says the show is also inspired by Will and Jada's "domestic adventures," perhaps making this the first sitcom with plotlines ripped from the tabloids. Can a Bat Boy sitcom be too far off?
* Rock Me Baby stars Dan Cortese as a "shock jock" and new dad who has to balance mocking his home life (and getting in trouble with the wife) and not being too family-oriented on the air (and getting in trouble with his partner and their boss). So, it's a show based on about 10 minutes worth of Private Parts that foists Dan Cortese back on a populace that's shown little love for him previously. Genius!
* The Mullets is my favorite sitcom concept of all the new shows. It basically follows two brothers who sport the haircut that is also their surname as they try to achieve their dreams. Loni Anderson plays their mom, which seems significant for some reason that I can't fathom. Their dad, a game show host, is played by John O'Hurley, who played Peterman on Seinfeld, meaning that the curse is ready to start victimizing that show's secondary characters. Except for Jerry Stiller, who is apparently bulletproof.
* Finally, the one show that may actually be around for the 2004-05 season is The Opposite Sex, which stars rap/hip-hop artist Eve, who showed some acting ability in Barbershop. The UPN description of the show makes it sound like roughly two-thirds of any relationship-based sitcom that's aired since 1990, so I'm basing my prediction of survival on (a) Eve making a connection with UPN's core demographic, (b) a reasonably friendly Monday 8:30 timeslot after The Parkers, and (c) the idea that in a contest between the vague and the crappy, go with the vague.
So then there's Fox. First surprise: the Miss Dog Beauty Pageant is not becoming a regular series. Damn. Second surprise: Joe Millionaire returns. I can't believe they'll go the same prince or pauper routine, so all those jokes from SNL are fair game again. My money is on Joe Heterosexual.
Also back is Oliver Beene, for more of its special brand of ripping off The Wonder Years. Boston Public moves to Friday night, backstopping what passes for a mid-season hit in Wanda at Large, and Luis, a multi-ethnic comedy starring Luis Guzman, best known for appearning in Paul Thomas Anderson films. It appears to be the latest example of the concept that it's OK to make ethnic/racial jokes as long as you do so to everyone. Which may not be the worst concept, except that the comedy rarely justifies the veiled hate.
Fastlane is gone. Boo hoo. John Doe is gone, too. Oddly, the Fox website still lists Futurama and The X-Files among its shows.
As for the new stuff, Fox proves that it can rip off the British too with The Ortegas, apparently based on the Blighty show The Kumars at No. 42. From the description it sounds more like they're ripping off The Mike Essany Show, as the main Ortega has a talk show that operates from the studio his parents built in their backyard.
Get used to the idea that Fox's new shows remind you of something. Or a few somethings.
Continuing with the pandering to America's fastest-growing ethinc group, there's the drama Skin, which combines Romeo and Juliet with the MacLean Stevenson flop Condo. White and Latino kids want to get together, but their parents get in the way. It's just in this case, the parents are more powerful and will use the law and politics to thwart their offspring's carnal desires. Man, it's like a chapter from my life.
The sitcom A Minute With Stan Hooper reminds me of the first question on my torts final exam. In that, we were given a fact pattern and had to pick out all the torts and explain how they'd play out. In this case, though, your task would be to read through the show description on Fox and pick out all the other TV shows being ripped off. I'll wait.
Here's my answer key, though I'm sure some of you will pick up a show or two that I've missed:
* 60 Minutes, of course, given that Stan's segments sound a lot like Andy Rooney, just less crusty.
* The Early Show and 48 Hours, as the content of Stan's segments sound like Steve Hartman's "Everybody Has a Story" bits that have run on both CBS shows.
* Ed, for quitting the big city and moving to an idyllic small town
* Seinfeld as the house that Stan and his wife rent in Wisconsin comes with a butler. Heck, I suppose the importance of the butler in modern life can even be linked back to Joe Millionaire.
* Picket Fences for the concept of quirky Wisconsinites.
* And pretty much any sitcom that has unrelated people living together for allegedly comedic purposes.
This thing stars Norm MacDonald and Penelope Ann Miller, who are apparently fulfilling some sort of public service requirement.
Speaking of rehash, the drama Tru puts a spin on Early Edition by having its heroine awake to relive the previous day, where she gets the chance to prevent a murder. You see, she works at a morgue, and the corpses seeking a second chance talk to her. Somewhere, Dr. Evil is saying "Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight." The lone saving grace is that Tru is played by Eliza Dushku, known to many as the slayer gone wrong Faith on Buffy.
And in the "it could be worse" department, Tru is paired with The O.C., which is apparently some sort of cool slang for Orange County. I think all I need to say about this is that it comes from the paired creative genius of McG and Doug Liman (who I wouldn't have slagged before he made The Bourne Identity). From the description this sounds like Fox's annual nominee for the Most Aggressively Stupid TV Show Emmy That Only Gets Awarded in Mark's Head. Everyone is beautiful and living secret lives in the cradle of luxury. Or, as Fox calls it, "reality programming."
Fox even manages to rip off TNN or Spike TV or The Cable Channel Formerly Home to Hicks or whatever it's called with Banzai, a summer 2003 series that seems an awful lot like the Most Extreme Elimination Challenge. I won't even comment on the midseason replacements Fox has lined up, other than to note that one is tabbed by its creators as "Touched by a Crazy Person" and another is about a family a year after their cop son is killed in the line of duty - and the dead son is narrating the show from beyond the grave.
What does it say that, after recapping Fox's new shows for 2003-04, I find myself praying for a second annual Miss Dog Beauty Pageant?
The biggest question going into next season for UPN is how to replace Buffy, perhaps the signature show of the netlets to date. The answer, apparently, is Jake 2.0, a show about a guy who becomes super-powerful after being infect by nanites, which are molecular-sized computers. Think Freakazoid meets Michael Crichton's book Prey. I'm sure that's the concept used when the show got pitched.
The other four new shows on the UPN schedule for next year replace any number of sitcoms that the bulk of humanity couldn't name under pain of torture. If nothing else, there are some entertaining concepts here. Our quartet includes:
* All of Us, a sitcom about domestic life produced by Will and Jada Pinkett Smith. According to the UPN website, the show will look at how divorced parents raise their kids together. The website says the show is also inspired by Will and Jada's "domestic adventures," perhaps making this the first sitcom with plotlines ripped from the tabloids. Can a Bat Boy sitcom be too far off?
* Rock Me Baby stars Dan Cortese as a "shock jock" and new dad who has to balance mocking his home life (and getting in trouble with the wife) and not being too family-oriented on the air (and getting in trouble with his partner and their boss). So, it's a show based on about 10 minutes worth of Private Parts that foists Dan Cortese back on a populace that's shown little love for him previously. Genius!
* The Mullets is my favorite sitcom concept of all the new shows. It basically follows two brothers who sport the haircut that is also their surname as they try to achieve their dreams. Loni Anderson plays their mom, which seems significant for some reason that I can't fathom. Their dad, a game show host, is played by John O'Hurley, who played Peterman on Seinfeld, meaning that the curse is ready to start victimizing that show's secondary characters. Except for Jerry Stiller, who is apparently bulletproof.
* Finally, the one show that may actually be around for the 2004-05 season is The Opposite Sex, which stars rap/hip-hop artist Eve, who showed some acting ability in Barbershop. The UPN description of the show makes it sound like roughly two-thirds of any relationship-based sitcom that's aired since 1990, so I'm basing my prediction of survival on (a) Eve making a connection with UPN's core demographic, (b) a reasonably friendly Monday 8:30 timeslot after The Parkers, and (c) the idea that in a contest between the vague and the crappy, go with the vague.
So then there's Fox. First surprise: the Miss Dog Beauty Pageant is not becoming a regular series. Damn. Second surprise: Joe Millionaire returns. I can't believe they'll go the same prince or pauper routine, so all those jokes from SNL are fair game again. My money is on Joe Heterosexual.
Also back is Oliver Beene, for more of its special brand of ripping off The Wonder Years. Boston Public moves to Friday night, backstopping what passes for a mid-season hit in Wanda at Large, and Luis, a multi-ethnic comedy starring Luis Guzman, best known for appearning in Paul Thomas Anderson films. It appears to be the latest example of the concept that it's OK to make ethnic/racial jokes as long as you do so to everyone. Which may not be the worst concept, except that the comedy rarely justifies the veiled hate.
Fastlane is gone. Boo hoo. John Doe is gone, too. Oddly, the Fox website still lists Futurama and The X-Files among its shows.
As for the new stuff, Fox proves that it can rip off the British too with The Ortegas, apparently based on the Blighty show The Kumars at No. 42. From the description it sounds more like they're ripping off The Mike Essany Show, as the main Ortega has a talk show that operates from the studio his parents built in their backyard.
Get used to the idea that Fox's new shows remind you of something. Or a few somethings.
Continuing with the pandering to America's fastest-growing ethinc group, there's the drama Skin, which combines Romeo and Juliet with the MacLean Stevenson flop Condo. White and Latino kids want to get together, but their parents get in the way. It's just in this case, the parents are more powerful and will use the law and politics to thwart their offspring's carnal desires. Man, it's like a chapter from my life.
The sitcom A Minute With Stan Hooper reminds me of the first question on my torts final exam. In that, we were given a fact pattern and had to pick out all the torts and explain how they'd play out. In this case, though, your task would be to read through the show description on Fox and pick out all the other TV shows being ripped off. I'll wait.
Here's my answer key, though I'm sure some of you will pick up a show or two that I've missed:
* 60 Minutes, of course, given that Stan's segments sound a lot like Andy Rooney, just less crusty.
* The Early Show and 48 Hours, as the content of Stan's segments sound like Steve Hartman's "Everybody Has a Story" bits that have run on both CBS shows.
* Ed, for quitting the big city and moving to an idyllic small town
* Seinfeld as the house that Stan and his wife rent in Wisconsin comes with a butler. Heck, I suppose the importance of the butler in modern life can even be linked back to Joe Millionaire.
* Picket Fences for the concept of quirky Wisconsinites.
* And pretty much any sitcom that has unrelated people living together for allegedly comedic purposes.
This thing stars Norm MacDonald and Penelope Ann Miller, who are apparently fulfilling some sort of public service requirement.
Speaking of rehash, the drama Tru puts a spin on Early Edition by having its heroine awake to relive the previous day, where she gets the chance to prevent a murder. You see, she works at a morgue, and the corpses seeking a second chance talk to her. Somewhere, Dr. Evil is saying "Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight." The lone saving grace is that Tru is played by Eliza Dushku, known to many as the slayer gone wrong Faith on Buffy.
And in the "it could be worse" department, Tru is paired with The O.C., which is apparently some sort of cool slang for Orange County. I think all I need to say about this is that it comes from the paired creative genius of McG and Doug Liman (who I wouldn't have slagged before he made The Bourne Identity). From the description this sounds like Fox's annual nominee for the Most Aggressively Stupid TV Show Emmy That Only Gets Awarded in Mark's Head. Everyone is beautiful and living secret lives in the cradle of luxury. Or, as Fox calls it, "reality programming."
Fox even manages to rip off TNN or Spike TV or The Cable Channel Formerly Home to Hicks or whatever it's called with Banzai, a summer 2003 series that seems an awful lot like the Most Extreme Elimination Challenge. I won't even comment on the midseason replacements Fox has lined up, other than to note that one is tabbed by its creators as "Touched by a Crazy Person" and another is about a family a year after their cop son is killed in the line of duty - and the dead son is narrating the show from beyond the grave.
What does it say that, after recapping Fox's new shows for 2003-04, I find myself praying for a second annual Miss Dog Beauty Pageant?
15 May 2003
The main reason why I didn't get to CBS's presentation until this morning is that I was out last night with yet another dinner and a movie, this time a work-centered affair. Dinner was at John Harvard's Brewhouse in Framingham, which has a very nice combo of food and beer, especially for the 'burbs.
The movie portion was one of the five pre-premiere screenings of The Matrix Reloaded that our theater showed last night. I liked the original, but am not part of the hyperventilating fan-boy masses that the movie created. That actually may have been a problem, as I did not re-watch the original in preparation. I'd suggest doing so.
I'd also suggest making sure your theater has working AC, as ours did not. The stuffiness worked against me (as did the 10 pm start time), and I drowsed through much of the first half. I don't think I ever fell asleep, but I'm sure that if I were to go back and see it tonight there'd be parts of the first half that didn't look familiar.
For the middle movie of a trilogy, the film didn't get bogged down in exposition too badly, though there was some drag to the movie at the start. I will say that there is one fight scene that pretty much kick-starts the movie, giving it good energy the rest of the way. And, as the first one did, the second one presents enough material to chew on until the third installment comes at the end of the year. This is where I think my lack of rabid fandom does me in, as I think there are things I should be connecting that I'm not.
Oh, thinking of the third movie, don't leave the theater while the credits roll. We did, and missed a preview for the third movie. Not sure if this will happen all the time, but it's not like waiting the extra time is going to kill you.
The movie portion was one of the five pre-premiere screenings of The Matrix Reloaded that our theater showed last night. I liked the original, but am not part of the hyperventilating fan-boy masses that the movie created. That actually may have been a problem, as I did not re-watch the original in preparation. I'd suggest doing so.
I'd also suggest making sure your theater has working AC, as ours did not. The stuffiness worked against me (as did the 10 pm start time), and I drowsed through much of the first half. I don't think I ever fell asleep, but I'm sure that if I were to go back and see it tonight there'd be parts of the first half that didn't look familiar.
For the middle movie of a trilogy, the film didn't get bogged down in exposition too badly, though there was some drag to the movie at the start. I will say that there is one fight scene that pretty much kick-starts the movie, giving it good energy the rest of the way. And, as the first one did, the second one presents enough material to chew on until the third installment comes at the end of the year. This is where I think my lack of rabid fandom does me in, as I think there are things I should be connecting that I'm not.
Oh, thinking of the third movie, don't leave the theater while the credits roll. We did, and missed a preview for the third movie. Not sure if this will happen all the time, but it's not like waiting the extra time is going to kill you.
The roll-out of next year's TV schedules continued yesterday with CBS taking their turn. Apparently this has turned into the big hit of the upfront week, with Les Moonves cracking wise and appearing in filmed bits related to current Eye network shows (check out the Aaron Barnhart piece about this). As for the shows, you'd be excused if you thought the "C" in CBS stood for crime, as all of then new CBS dramas (five of them!) have a crime angle.
The more obviously crime-related appear to be Cold Case, NCIS, and The Handler. Cold Case follows a detective who uses modern science to solve old murder cases. Good bye car chases, hello gripping scenes of DNA matching. NCIS is a JAG spin-off (making some people very happy, I'd bet) revolving around a Navy Criminal Investigation Service officer named J.P. Gibbs (played by Mark Harmon). Finally, The Handler stars Joe Pantoliano as and FBI agent who trains and "handles" undercover agents, including the required rookie and grizzled veteran. I'm sure Joe Pants would like this to go better than the short-lived EZ Streets, but Friday at 10? Ouch.
The crime-tinged dramas are Joan of Arcadia and The Brotherhood of Poland, N.H. Joan stars Joe Mantegna as the police chief of Arcadia, California (Fat Tony gone legit - sniff) who has his hands full with his teenage kids- the son still coming to grips with a car-wreck derived disability, and a daughter who talks to God. Yes, that God. The daughter would be the Joan in question. Whether or not she leads the French to victory in a May sweeps extravaganza is yet to be determined. Joan also features Mary Steenburgen, continuing the strange hold that she and hubby Ted Danson have on the network. I'm thinking blackmail.
The Brotherhood of Poland, N. H. is David E. Kelley's oddest-titled series ever. The "brotherhood" is actually three brothers who all live in the title town. One is the mayor, one is the police chief, and the third is "still looking for his calling," also known as the screw-up. The show has a several people you've heard of: Randy Quaid, Mare Winningham, and Elizabeth McGovern most notably. Whether or not you want to watch them on this is another thing entirely. I suppose it can't be worse than girl's club... can it?
The two new sitcoms are Two and a Half Men and The Stones. Two and a Half Men brings us the one-two punch of Charlie Sheen and Jon Cryer. The half-man in the title is one of their sons. Do you even want me to continue the description? Blythe Danner co-stars, which make me sad.
The Stones stars Judith Light and Robert Klein as a couple who decides to divorce, and seem very happy about it. Much to the chagrin of their twentysomething kids, who find out during a wedding anniversary celebration they throw for them.
Both of these sound like LaPlaca fodder, except that Two and a Half Men gets the post-Raymond spot on Monday, and The Stones will run post-King of Queens on its new night and time, Wednesday at 9. That sets up quite the battle, as you'll have that comedy block fighting against The West Wing and The Bachelor. I don't think The King of Queens will have a Becker-like fold when it was moved out of the Monday line-up, but it's a risky move.
The other notable time change is JAG moving to Friday at 9 to anchor Joan and The Handler. This, I think, is even riskier, as if the new shows falter, JAG will probably have to move again to accomodate a movie or something. Too much moving isn't good.
One of the frustrating things about the new show information is that some networks are much more open about mid-season shows than others. CBS has no information about them with their new line-up, while the WB had them right there with the fall premiers. Given the usual level of quality of mid-season replacements, perhaps this isn't such a bad thing from the CBS perspective.
Oh, and Kimberly Locke did go on American Idol last night, to the surprise of no one (or very few). This sets up the Clay-Ruben battle that's been brewing for a couple of months, when it was clear that they were the two who had both singing ability and lots of fans. Which leads me to think how someone becomes a rabid fan of a person who is basically doing nationally-televised karaoke every week, but that's a thought process I'd rather not contemplate at this hour of the day.
The more obviously crime-related appear to be Cold Case, NCIS, and The Handler. Cold Case follows a detective who uses modern science to solve old murder cases. Good bye car chases, hello gripping scenes of DNA matching. NCIS is a JAG spin-off (making some people very happy, I'd bet) revolving around a Navy Criminal Investigation Service officer named J.P. Gibbs (played by Mark Harmon). Finally, The Handler stars Joe Pantoliano as and FBI agent who trains and "handles" undercover agents, including the required rookie and grizzled veteran. I'm sure Joe Pants would like this to go better than the short-lived EZ Streets, but Friday at 10? Ouch.
The crime-tinged dramas are Joan of Arcadia and The Brotherhood of Poland, N.H. Joan stars Joe Mantegna as the police chief of Arcadia, California (Fat Tony gone legit - sniff) who has his hands full with his teenage kids- the son still coming to grips with a car-wreck derived disability, and a daughter who talks to God. Yes, that God. The daughter would be the Joan in question. Whether or not she leads the French to victory in a May sweeps extravaganza is yet to be determined. Joan also features Mary Steenburgen, continuing the strange hold that she and hubby Ted Danson have on the network. I'm thinking blackmail.
The Brotherhood of Poland, N. H. is David E. Kelley's oddest-titled series ever. The "brotherhood" is actually three brothers who all live in the title town. One is the mayor, one is the police chief, and the third is "still looking for his calling," also known as the screw-up. The show has a several people you've heard of: Randy Quaid, Mare Winningham, and Elizabeth McGovern most notably. Whether or not you want to watch them on this is another thing entirely. I suppose it can't be worse than girl's club... can it?
The two new sitcoms are Two and a Half Men and The Stones. Two and a Half Men brings us the one-two punch of Charlie Sheen and Jon Cryer. The half-man in the title is one of their sons. Do you even want me to continue the description? Blythe Danner co-stars, which make me sad.
The Stones stars Judith Light and Robert Klein as a couple who decides to divorce, and seem very happy about it. Much to the chagrin of their twentysomething kids, who find out during a wedding anniversary celebration they throw for them.
Both of these sound like LaPlaca fodder, except that Two and a Half Men gets the post-Raymond spot on Monday, and The Stones will run post-King of Queens on its new night and time, Wednesday at 9. That sets up quite the battle, as you'll have that comedy block fighting against The West Wing and The Bachelor. I don't think The King of Queens will have a Becker-like fold when it was moved out of the Monday line-up, but it's a risky move.
The other notable time change is JAG moving to Friday at 9 to anchor Joan and The Handler. This, I think, is even riskier, as if the new shows falter, JAG will probably have to move again to accomodate a movie or something. Too much moving isn't good.
One of the frustrating things about the new show information is that some networks are much more open about mid-season shows than others. CBS has no information about them with their new line-up, while the WB had them right there with the fall premiers. Given the usual level of quality of mid-season replacements, perhaps this isn't such a bad thing from the CBS perspective.
Oh, and Kimberly Locke did go on American Idol last night, to the surprise of no one (or very few). This sets up the Clay-Ruben battle that's been brewing for a couple of months, when it was clear that they were the two who had both singing ability and lots of fans. Which leads me to think how someone becomes a rabid fan of a person who is basically doing nationally-televised karaoke every week, but that's a thought process I'd rather not contemplate at this hour of the day.
14 May 2003
A couple of things to note on the quiz/trash front.
First, there's Cancel Bowl 4: The One With the Whales, the annual guerrila trash thing I've been doing for, well, four years. PROGRAM NOTE: the date's changed to June 28. Otherwise, it's pretty much the same as it always is.
Second, and more important from a personal standpoint, is that I've accepted the role of regional college bowl coordinator for ACU-I's region 1 (New England). This should be an interesting challenge given all the organizational differences between CBI and other formats. I've talked through a lot of this with the outgoing coordinator (who will, thankfully, still be in the region and is more than willing to help), and many of the concerns I had going in are now allayed... sort of. It's one thing to have an intellectual handle on things, and quite another to have things work out in practice.
There are also a number of volunteers in the area who've been helping out for some time, which makes my job a little easier on that end. Plus, there are any of number of you, dear readers, who I'll be bothering in the months leading up to things. Heh heh.
First, there's Cancel Bowl 4: The One With the Whales, the annual guerrila trash thing I've been doing for, well, four years. PROGRAM NOTE: the date's changed to June 28. Otherwise, it's pretty much the same as it always is.
Second, and more important from a personal standpoint, is that I've accepted the role of regional college bowl coordinator for ACU-I's region 1 (New England). This should be an interesting challenge given all the organizational differences between CBI and other formats. I've talked through a lot of this with the outgoing coordinator (who will, thankfully, still be in the region and is more than willing to help), and many of the concerns I had going in are now allayed... sort of. It's one thing to have an intellectual handle on things, and quite another to have things work out in practice.
There are also a number of volunteers in the area who've been helping out for some time, which makes my job a little easier on that end. Plus, there are any of number of you, dear readers, who I'll be bothering in the months leading up to things. Heh heh.
13 May 2003
First, the upfronts.
ABC will premiere four comedies and four dramas next year. The dramas are all kind of vague sounding. They include:
* 10-8, about becoming a rookie cop in LA
* Threat Matrix, the first of what will be hundreds of shows about the brave men and women of the Department of Homeland Security
* Karen Sisco, a show built around Jennifer Lopez's character from the movie Out of Sight
* Line of Fire, which looks at G-Men fighting the Mob. It'll be a mid-season replacement, probably picking up wherever the euthanized carcass of one of the preceding three shows leaves off.
Most notable is that the biggest name in any of these shows is Carla Gugino, who you may know as the mom in the Spy Kids movies. Or not.
The sitcoms include one where Kelly Ripa and Faith Ford play sisters (Hope and Faith), a Birdcage-inspired one where a girl raised by a gay couple falls for the offspring of a conservative family (It's All Relative), the Notting Hillish I'm With Her about a school teacher who marries a movie star (played by Teri Polo), and Back to Kansas, which inflicts Breckin Meyer on us again, this time as a New Yorker who moves to Kansas and has to deal with his wife's large and outgoing family. Think Mama's Family meets, uh, some piece of crap.
George Lopez and Life With Bonnie get shipped over to Friday to make an older-skewing TGIF with two of the new shows. Dragnet (called L.A. Dragnet on the ABC website, apparently to differentiate it from Peoria Dragnet or Port St. Lucie Dragnet) will move to Saturday and be paired with, I am not making this up, The Wonderful World of Disney. Expect Detectives Friday and Smith to investigate the kidnapping of several dalmatians in next year's premiere.
Missing from the schedule is anything Drew Carey related, as both his sitcom and Who's Line Is It, Anyways are apparently sent packing. They were on air this year, weren't they?
Oh, ABC's cheif entertainment guy is named Lloyd Braun. Sound familiar? It should. That was also the name of George's arch-nemesis on Seinfeld, the guy who snaps and is eventually hired by Frank Costanza to sell computers of out a garage ("The Serenity Now"). Given some of the other in-jokes in names on that show, I have to think this isn't coincidence.
The WB had their upfront as well today, which will be of interest to all three of my sub-25 readers. Angel returns as the only 2003-04 outlet for fresh Buffy-related material, and will be joined by Smallville. Impossibly attractive vampires and homoerotic burgeoning superhero-and-villain back to back. There's a combo for you!
The only other thing worth noting (for me) is that Greetings From Tucson isn't on the schedule, or listed as a mid-season replacement, meaning I'm getting LaPlaca Open points for it. Woo hoo!
Apparently there'll be a Gilmore Girls spin-off coming mid-season. One new drama, Fearless, reuinites us with the concept of 21 Jump Street, as the FBI develops a special unit of brooding, poorly-shaved hotties who will fight today's new youthful supercrooks. Two of the characters are named Gaia and Harmony. Ugh.
Another noodle-scratcher is Tarzan and Jane, which puts Tarzan in the asphalt jungle, fighting for right in New York City. Jane in this case is a cop who alternately loves, respects, and finds fault in this hairy, brooding vigilante. I can't believe I just typed that.
Irony alert! Harry Groener, who played the evil mayor of Sunnydale during a season of Buffy will co-star in a mid-season show called The Mayor. Let's hope he doesn't turn into that snake beast thing again; that's so been done.
I don't have the strength to write anything else about the WB upfront, other than to note that they seem to have more replacement series than new fall premieres. Hmm.
In American Idol action, say what you want about this season not measuring up to last, but we do have one thing that we didn't have last year: an actual three-way race for the final two. Or at least a plausible race, based on performances.
Kim Locke was, all things considered, probably the best performer tonight. She, Clay, and Ruben each got to sing three songs (OK, parts of three songs): one of their choosing, one chosen by judges, and one selected at random. She did "Band of Gold" (which she did in Glendale with Frenchie), some song I can't remember, and Natalie Cole's "Inseperable."
Clay looked human for the first time in the competition with a really horrid take on Don McLean's "Vincent," but came back on "Mack the Knife" and "Unchained Melody." At times Clay has a really sibilant s, almost to the point of lisping.
Ruben was Ruben on "Signed, Sealed, Delivered," "Smile," and "If Ever I'm In Your Arms Again." He sounds more hoarse to me now than before. Hope he's not doing damage to the pipes.
I'm predicting that Ruben and Clay will square off in the finals based more on popularity than performance, though to be honest any of the three would be as good as the others as the winner.
ABC will premiere four comedies and four dramas next year. The dramas are all kind of vague sounding. They include:
* 10-8, about becoming a rookie cop in LA
* Threat Matrix, the first of what will be hundreds of shows about the brave men and women of the Department of Homeland Security
* Karen Sisco, a show built around Jennifer Lopez's character from the movie Out of Sight
* Line of Fire, which looks at G-Men fighting the Mob. It'll be a mid-season replacement, probably picking up wherever the euthanized carcass of one of the preceding three shows leaves off.
Most notable is that the biggest name in any of these shows is Carla Gugino, who you may know as the mom in the Spy Kids movies. Or not.
The sitcoms include one where Kelly Ripa and Faith Ford play sisters (Hope and Faith), a Birdcage-inspired one where a girl raised by a gay couple falls for the offspring of a conservative family (It's All Relative), the Notting Hillish I'm With Her about a school teacher who marries a movie star (played by Teri Polo), and Back to Kansas, which inflicts Breckin Meyer on us again, this time as a New Yorker who moves to Kansas and has to deal with his wife's large and outgoing family. Think Mama's Family meets, uh, some piece of crap.
George Lopez and Life With Bonnie get shipped over to Friday to make an older-skewing TGIF with two of the new shows. Dragnet (called L.A. Dragnet on the ABC website, apparently to differentiate it from Peoria Dragnet or Port St. Lucie Dragnet) will move to Saturday and be paired with, I am not making this up, The Wonderful World of Disney. Expect Detectives Friday and Smith to investigate the kidnapping of several dalmatians in next year's premiere.
Missing from the schedule is anything Drew Carey related, as both his sitcom and Who's Line Is It, Anyways are apparently sent packing. They were on air this year, weren't they?
Oh, ABC's cheif entertainment guy is named Lloyd Braun. Sound familiar? It should. That was also the name of George's arch-nemesis on Seinfeld, the guy who snaps and is eventually hired by Frank Costanza to sell computers of out a garage ("The Serenity Now"). Given some of the other in-jokes in names on that show, I have to think this isn't coincidence.
The WB had their upfront as well today, which will be of interest to all three of my sub-25 readers. Angel returns as the only 2003-04 outlet for fresh Buffy-related material, and will be joined by Smallville. Impossibly attractive vampires and homoerotic burgeoning superhero-and-villain back to back. There's a combo for you!
The only other thing worth noting (for me) is that Greetings From Tucson isn't on the schedule, or listed as a mid-season replacement, meaning I'm getting LaPlaca Open points for it. Woo hoo!
Apparently there'll be a Gilmore Girls spin-off coming mid-season. One new drama, Fearless, reuinites us with the concept of 21 Jump Street, as the FBI develops a special unit of brooding, poorly-shaved hotties who will fight today's new youthful supercrooks. Two of the characters are named Gaia and Harmony. Ugh.
Another noodle-scratcher is Tarzan and Jane, which puts Tarzan in the asphalt jungle, fighting for right in New York City. Jane in this case is a cop who alternately loves, respects, and finds fault in this hairy, brooding vigilante. I can't believe I just typed that.
Irony alert! Harry Groener, who played the evil mayor of Sunnydale during a season of Buffy will co-star in a mid-season show called The Mayor. Let's hope he doesn't turn into that snake beast thing again; that's so been done.
I don't have the strength to write anything else about the WB upfront, other than to note that they seem to have more replacement series than new fall premieres. Hmm.
In American Idol action, say what you want about this season not measuring up to last, but we do have one thing that we didn't have last year: an actual three-way race for the final two. Or at least a plausible race, based on performances.
Kim Locke was, all things considered, probably the best performer tonight. She, Clay, and Ruben each got to sing three songs (OK, parts of three songs): one of their choosing, one chosen by judges, and one selected at random. She did "Band of Gold" (which she did in Glendale with Frenchie), some song I can't remember, and Natalie Cole's "Inseperable."
Clay looked human for the first time in the competition with a really horrid take on Don McLean's "Vincent," but came back on "Mack the Knife" and "Unchained Melody." At times Clay has a really sibilant s, almost to the point of lisping.
Ruben was Ruben on "Signed, Sealed, Delivered," "Smile," and "If Ever I'm In Your Arms Again." He sounds more hoarse to me now than before. Hope he's not doing damage to the pipes.
I'm predicting that Ruben and Clay will square off in the finals based more on popularity than performance, though to be honest any of the three would be as good as the others as the winner.
12 May 2003
Monday marked the start of network TV "upfront" presentations, where the new season's schedule is unveiled. It's when you learn what new shows are coming and what old ones are getting the axe.
(NOTE: I've not seen any of the pilots, wasn't at the presentation, and have no knowledge of any of this other than things I read on and linked from the TV Barn web site. I'm going to mock them just the same.)
NBC got to go first this year, undoubtedly reveling in the fact that they get one more year of Friends. Among the shows getting the axe were the Latino Sopranos-knock off Kingpin, Watching Ellie, and Just Shoot Me, which I think I forgot was even still on the air.
New shows include a Whoopi Goldberg sitcom that was described as being in the vein of Norman Lear. Which is fine, until you realize that Lear's last bona fide hit was in 1976. I'm looking forward to the renewed frank discussion of liberal causes in sitcom form, because there's not enough left-leaning talk on TV nowadays.
There's also a sitcom pairing John Laroquette and Christine Baranski, which makes one hope they lay in a good supply of scenery for them to chew. Both this show and Whoopi's will air on Tuesday, trying to help Frasier end gracefully. Of course, to have done that right Frasier would have had to have gone off the air in 2001.
Seriously, though, how pissed off do the Frasier people have to be that they have to share their final season with Friends? Now they'll just be a footnote to the end of the next TV season, a quiet clutch of people sipping lattes while the cool kids get the big bash in a trendy New York hot spot.
(Oh, Good Morning, Miami and L&O:SVU will also move to Tuesday.)
The third new sitcom is a US version of the racy British show Coupling, which stars a sexy sextet of people we've never heard of. Kind of like Union Station meets Men Behaving Badly. There is apparently a second-most sexy sextet out there, as the show's already been re-cast once. Expect the original hotties to wind up on the WB as student teachers on Smallville or something.
Three new dramas will air as well. One is Rob Lowe's golden parachute for leaving The West Wing, They Lyon's Den, where Lowe plays a crusading Washington attorney from a politically connected family. Shows whose titles play on a character's name always do so well, don't they? Remember The Wright Verdicts? No? See. Seriously, though, I expect this show to merge with Mr. Sterling some time over the holidays without anyone noticing.
(Actually, Mr. Sterling isn't to be found on the schedule anywhere. Perhaps it'll be a mid-season switcheroo instead of a melding.)
Also on the drama front are Vegas, starring James Caan as a casino security director. It's like they put Law & Order, CSI, and Lucky in a blender. Then there's the aptly-named Miss Match starring, I kid you not, Alicia Silverstone and Ryan O'Neil as daughter and father. She's a divorce attorney by day, high-priced yenta by night. He's, well, her dad.
Two shows return that make members of the Blogalicious community happy. Boomtown, a fave of Chris Rosenberg, will return, as will Ed, a personal fave. Oddly enough, Ed returns to Wednesday at 8 after having some success on Friday at 9. The now-Jane Pauleyless Dateline will take that spot, just after the aforementioned Miss Match.
The other notable news is that we're going to get at least 3 more years of ER, meaning that there's enough time to change the entire cast twice. Except for Noah Wylie and Laura Innes, who have now learned the drawback to signing a contract in blood.
Thinking positively, though, I've read that Parminder Nagra, the star of Bend it Like Beckham, is going to appear on the show next season as a med student. Which would be promising, until you realize that the med student played by Omar Epps killed himself, while Kellie Martin's Lucy Knight got slashed to death. Uh oh.
(NOTE: I've not seen any of the pilots, wasn't at the presentation, and have no knowledge of any of this other than things I read on and linked from the TV Barn web site. I'm going to mock them just the same.)
NBC got to go first this year, undoubtedly reveling in the fact that they get one more year of Friends. Among the shows getting the axe were the Latino Sopranos-knock off Kingpin, Watching Ellie, and Just Shoot Me, which I think I forgot was even still on the air.
New shows include a Whoopi Goldberg sitcom that was described as being in the vein of Norman Lear. Which is fine, until you realize that Lear's last bona fide hit was in 1976. I'm looking forward to the renewed frank discussion of liberal causes in sitcom form, because there's not enough left-leaning talk on TV nowadays.
There's also a sitcom pairing John Laroquette and Christine Baranski, which makes one hope they lay in a good supply of scenery for them to chew. Both this show and Whoopi's will air on Tuesday, trying to help Frasier end gracefully. Of course, to have done that right Frasier would have had to have gone off the air in 2001.
Seriously, though, how pissed off do the Frasier people have to be that they have to share their final season with Friends? Now they'll just be a footnote to the end of the next TV season, a quiet clutch of people sipping lattes while the cool kids get the big bash in a trendy New York hot spot.
(Oh, Good Morning, Miami and L&O:SVU will also move to Tuesday.)
The third new sitcom is a US version of the racy British show Coupling, which stars a sexy sextet of people we've never heard of. Kind of like Union Station meets Men Behaving Badly. There is apparently a second-most sexy sextet out there, as the show's already been re-cast once. Expect the original hotties to wind up on the WB as student teachers on Smallville or something.
Three new dramas will air as well. One is Rob Lowe's golden parachute for leaving The West Wing, They Lyon's Den, where Lowe plays a crusading Washington attorney from a politically connected family. Shows whose titles play on a character's name always do so well, don't they? Remember The Wright Verdicts? No? See. Seriously, though, I expect this show to merge with Mr. Sterling some time over the holidays without anyone noticing.
(Actually, Mr. Sterling isn't to be found on the schedule anywhere. Perhaps it'll be a mid-season switcheroo instead of a melding.)
Also on the drama front are Vegas, starring James Caan as a casino security director. It's like they put Law & Order, CSI, and Lucky in a blender. Then there's the aptly-named Miss Match starring, I kid you not, Alicia Silverstone and Ryan O'Neil as daughter and father. She's a divorce attorney by day, high-priced yenta by night. He's, well, her dad.
Two shows return that make members of the Blogalicious community happy. Boomtown, a fave of Chris Rosenberg, will return, as will Ed, a personal fave. Oddly enough, Ed returns to Wednesday at 8 after having some success on Friday at 9. The now-Jane Pauleyless Dateline will take that spot, just after the aforementioned Miss Match.
The other notable news is that we're going to get at least 3 more years of ER, meaning that there's enough time to change the entire cast twice. Except for Noah Wylie and Laura Innes, who have now learned the drawback to signing a contract in blood.
Thinking positively, though, I've read that Parminder Nagra, the star of Bend it Like Beckham, is going to appear on the show next season as a med student. Which would be promising, until you realize that the med student played by Omar Epps killed himself, while Kellie Martin's Lucy Knight got slashed to death. Uh oh.
10 May 2003
Last night was another dinner and a movie outing, with at least a better ending gastrically. So far.
For dinner, we headed out to Red Sauce, part of a small chain of Italian restaurants from the folks who brought you the Naked Fish chain. It was a nice change from the Italian chains that aim for quantity, either in the entree (Vinny Testa, etc.) or the sides (Olive Garden). Which isn't to say the portions aren't ample, but they weren't ridiculous, either.
We had a terrific mushroom bruschetta to start, great grilled bread and plenty of garlic with the mushrooms. Sarah had the chicken and asparagus risotto, which I passed on because, for whatever reason, I read asparagus and thought artichoke. I don't mind artichoke, but I wasn't in the mood for them. Not that it mattered, as the beef braciole (thin slices of beef stuffed with sausage, cheese, and garlic and sauteed) was tremendous.
Then it was back to the West Newton theater to see Bend it Like Beckham, which I would highly recommend if you're looking for light comedy mixed with cultural commentary. There's part of me that's grumpy about this movie not getting wide screening while Hilary Duff and Amanda Bynes choke the multiplexes. The curse of the indie film, I suppose.
For dinner, we headed out to Red Sauce, part of a small chain of Italian restaurants from the folks who brought you the Naked Fish chain. It was a nice change from the Italian chains that aim for quantity, either in the entree (Vinny Testa, etc.) or the sides (Olive Garden). Which isn't to say the portions aren't ample, but they weren't ridiculous, either.
We had a terrific mushroom bruschetta to start, great grilled bread and plenty of garlic with the mushrooms. Sarah had the chicken and asparagus risotto, which I passed on because, for whatever reason, I read asparagus and thought artichoke. I don't mind artichoke, but I wasn't in the mood for them. Not that it mattered, as the beef braciole (thin slices of beef stuffed with sausage, cheese, and garlic and sauteed) was tremendous.
Then it was back to the West Newton theater to see Bend it Like Beckham, which I would highly recommend if you're looking for light comedy mixed with cultural commentary. There's part of me that's grumpy about this movie not getting wide screening while Hilary Duff and Amanda Bynes choke the multiplexes. The curse of the indie film, I suppose.
09 May 2003
Three stories that caught my eye in the headlines box on Yahoo! this morning:
Study says you're not grown up until you turn 26 Apparently, this comes from that being an age where an individual has finalized the transition from education to the working world, is financially independent, and is starting a family. Something else I'm behind the curve with.
Government to go after fast food places for enabling obesity I'll admit to not having read all the details here, but this seems out of place for the current administration. You'd think they'd be trying to set liability caps for burger joints or something. In any case, I'm picturing an ad campaign with Pudgy the Squirrel, talking about how eschewing acorns and eating discarded Big Macs has ruined his health.
Massachusetts to sell naming rights for state parks As if we needed any more proof that our state government is completely bereft of ideas, vision, or leadership. Some of you may remember a similar idea a few years back to sell naming rights to T stations. Considering there's no "Baldini's Pizza/ICA" stop on the Green Line or "Border Cafe/Harvard" stop on the Red Line, you can imagine how that worked out.
Corporate naming rights seems like it should be the next bubble to burst, if it hasn't already in these tight economic times.
Study says you're not grown up until you turn 26 Apparently, this comes from that being an age where an individual has finalized the transition from education to the working world, is financially independent, and is starting a family. Something else I'm behind the curve with.
Government to go after fast food places for enabling obesity I'll admit to not having read all the details here, but this seems out of place for the current administration. You'd think they'd be trying to set liability caps for burger joints or something. In any case, I'm picturing an ad campaign with Pudgy the Squirrel, talking about how eschewing acorns and eating discarded Big Macs has ruined his health.
Massachusetts to sell naming rights for state parks As if we needed any more proof that our state government is completely bereft of ideas, vision, or leadership. Some of you may remember a similar idea a few years back to sell naming rights to T stations. Considering there's no "Baldini's Pizza/ICA" stop on the Green Line or "Border Cafe/Harvard" stop on the Red Line, you can imagine how that worked out.
Corporate naming rights seems like it should be the next bubble to burst, if it hasn't already in these tight economic times.
07 May 2003
Calm heads and reason prevailed on American Idol as Josh was told to stand down from the competition. He sang himself off with "To Love Somebody" while holding his baby daughter, which was reasonably cute.
The highlight of the show, though, was the Ford ad that had Ruben dressed up pimp-style going to the house and turning Clay into a pimp as well. Glad to see the producers finally got back at Ruben for missing the hair coloring a couple weeks back.
(Hey, speaking of the house, whatever happened to Kristin Holt and all that inside dish we were supposed to be getting from the house? Did their attempt to turn the show into a Real World clone with music fail, or did Kristin's huge teeth throw too much glare into the camera?)
And speaking of cheese and of kids, we were promised that the upcoming American Juniors would do for kids what the parent show did for young adults. I know a threat when I hear one. Thankfully, they'll be focusing as much on the stage parents as the kids, exposing the pushy adults for their negative worth. Suffice it to say I will not be giving you weekly updates on this show.
The highlight of the show, though, was the Ford ad that had Ruben dressed up pimp-style going to the house and turning Clay into a pimp as well. Glad to see the producers finally got back at Ruben for missing the hair coloring a couple weeks back.
(Hey, speaking of the house, whatever happened to Kristin Holt and all that inside dish we were supposed to be getting from the house? Did their attempt to turn the show into a Real World clone with music fail, or did Kristin's huge teeth throw too much glare into the camera?)
And speaking of cheese and of kids, we were promised that the upcoming American Juniors would do for kids what the parent show did for young adults. I know a threat when I hear one. Thankfully, they'll be focusing as much on the stage parents as the kids, exposing the pushy adults for their negative worth. Suffice it to say I will not be giving you weekly updates on this show.
06 May 2003
Songs by the Bee Gees were the fare tonight on American Idol, as Robin Gibb was present to guest judge what turned out to be a whole lot less falsetto than you'd imagine (though Kim Locke did bust a high note during "Emotion" that surprised me, both in her ability to hit it and in its location in the song). Robin was kind of a stiff as a judge, loved everything.
I called "fraught" off the bat when they said Josh would be singing "Jive Talkin'," but he countryfied it and it didn't turn out too bad (or at least not to the train wreck level I was expecting). He also sang "To Love Somebody," which Clay did in his first go 'round. Clay's was much better, but Josh didn't fare too badly.
For his second song Clay sang "Grease," and wore the dopiest looking leather jacket I've seen in quite some time. First problem: it was red. Second problem: IT WAS RED. No belts or spangles like the Michael Jackson red leather jacket, but still.
Kim and Ruben were their usual selves, nothing really stands out here for me outstide of Kim's high note. Actually, Ruben's second song confirms for me the idea that he'll be this generation's Luther Vandross (speaking of which, I'm still kind of dumbfounded about Luther's stroke; I know he's a big man, but still).
As far as the booting goes, Josh is clearly the fourth best singer in this group of four. I am, however, afraid that his powers will continue to hold for this week. I'm guessing Kim Locke will go out, but hoping that common sense (and the loss of dial tone at Marine bases nationwide) will ease Josh back into military life... until he has to go on tour.
Unrelated Fox programming note: the Miss Dog Beauty Pageant that's coming up may be the first time in pageant history where someone can call a contestant a bitch without getting slapped.
Further unrelated Fox programming note: how bad off is Whitney Houston that she has to guest star on Boston Public? Do current high schoolers even have working knowledge of her music?
I called "fraught" off the bat when they said Josh would be singing "Jive Talkin'," but he countryfied it and it didn't turn out too bad (or at least not to the train wreck level I was expecting). He also sang "To Love Somebody," which Clay did in his first go 'round. Clay's was much better, but Josh didn't fare too badly.
For his second song Clay sang "Grease," and wore the dopiest looking leather jacket I've seen in quite some time. First problem: it was red. Second problem: IT WAS RED. No belts or spangles like the Michael Jackson red leather jacket, but still.
Kim and Ruben were their usual selves, nothing really stands out here for me outstide of Kim's high note. Actually, Ruben's second song confirms for me the idea that he'll be this generation's Luther Vandross (speaking of which, I'm still kind of dumbfounded about Luther's stroke; I know he's a big man, but still).
As far as the booting goes, Josh is clearly the fourth best singer in this group of four. I am, however, afraid that his powers will continue to hold for this week. I'm guessing Kim Locke will go out, but hoping that common sense (and the loss of dial tone at Marine bases nationwide) will ease Josh back into military life... until he has to go on tour.
Unrelated Fox programming note: the Miss Dog Beauty Pageant that's coming up may be the first time in pageant history where someone can call a contestant a bitch without getting slapped.
Further unrelated Fox programming note: how bad off is Whitney Houston that she has to guest star on Boston Public? Do current high schoolers even have working knowledge of her music?
Should it bother me that there seems to be more backlash against the Dixie Chicks for their sadness at sharing a home state with W than there is towards R. Kelly's alleged hanky-panky with underage females (based on the success of his recent album and single)? I think it should, but I'm just wondering if I'm not processing something right.
05 May 2003
OK, everything seems to be back to normal. At least here. I've spent the past 36 hours working through something GI-related, kicked into overdrive by Saturday's barbecue but probably in the background since sometime mid-week (based on a "not quite right" feeling that showed up around, oh, Wednesday). A diet rich in Gatorade and saltines seems to have helped. Thankfully, I have a doctor's appointment today anyway and will throw this into the mix of annoying but apparently not serious medical issues already on the docket.
The general lassitude that came with the tummy trouble put me on a pretty heavy diet of TV, though the only thing of note was that we're into another pledge month on some of our PBS affiliates. More Suze Orman and doo-wop. Ack. One thing I did catch part of yesterday that I wish I'd stayed awake for was a PBS show about how a Massachusetts golf course was having to combat a goose poop problem. The guy who maintains the course apparently rented Caddyshack as a how-to video, given that among his solutions were fireworks and a radio-controlled boat. Surprisingly, neither worked.
Sleep also allowed me to miss the Sox collapse against the Twins, so I suppose this thing had its good points.
The general lassitude that came with the tummy trouble put me on a pretty heavy diet of TV, though the only thing of note was that we're into another pledge month on some of our PBS affiliates. More Suze Orman and doo-wop. Ack. One thing I did catch part of yesterday that I wish I'd stayed awake for was a PBS show about how a Massachusetts golf course was having to combat a goose poop problem. The guy who maintains the course apparently rented Caddyshack as a how-to video, given that among his solutions were fireworks and a radio-controlled boat. Surprisingly, neither worked.
Sleep also allowed me to miss the Sox collapse against the Twins, so I suppose this thing had its good points.
04 May 2003
03 May 2003
So we went and saw Chicago tonight, and I have to say I really liked it, especially surprising given my general disdain for musicals or movies with Catherine Zeta-Jones. Impressed with the level of singing and dancing from actors not generally known for doing such things. Richard Gere sounds like Murray Head when he sings, making me wonder if that big-screen version of Chess can't be too far off.
We saw the movie at the West Newton Cinema, an indie house with six screens (I'm hoping none were smaller than ours). A neat place, still holding on to some of its era charm (pre-1950, not sure how pre-, though), but with a shabby gentility.
The original plan was to see The Pianist, which we scrapped at dinner, as the couple sitting next to us was (a) unbelievably pompous, and (b) planning on seeing The Pianist. Fearing the possibility of us and they being the only two couples in the theater, we opted for an earlier show.
Other possible choices included A Mighty Wind, the Christopher Guest movie you've seen mentioned on Greg and James Dinan's weblogs, and Bend it Like Beckham, a movie about an Indian girl with soccer talent. I almost wish we'd seen that instead. Maybe next time out, though given that this was the first time at the movies since The Recruit, we'd need to pick up the pace a bit.
West Newton would actually be a nice place to live, it having a confluence of the movie theater, barbecue (where we ate dinner), and a commuter rail stop. I just hope the jackasses we encountered at dinner aren't typical of the locals.
We saw the movie at the West Newton Cinema, an indie house with six screens (I'm hoping none were smaller than ours). A neat place, still holding on to some of its era charm (pre-1950, not sure how pre-, though), but with a shabby gentility.
The original plan was to see The Pianist, which we scrapped at dinner, as the couple sitting next to us was (a) unbelievably pompous, and (b) planning on seeing The Pianist. Fearing the possibility of us and they being the only two couples in the theater, we opted for an earlier show.
Other possible choices included A Mighty Wind, the Christopher Guest movie you've seen mentioned on Greg and James Dinan's weblogs, and Bend it Like Beckham, a movie about an Indian girl with soccer talent. I almost wish we'd seen that instead. Maybe next time out, though given that this was the first time at the movies since The Recruit, we'd need to pick up the pace a bit.
West Newton would actually be a nice place to live, it having a confluence of the movie theater, barbecue (where we ate dinner), and a commuter rail stop. I just hope the jackasses we encountered at dinner aren't typical of the locals.
Went to a charity event last night raising money for research, etc. into autism. The reason I'm noting this is that at some point we drove through a hole in the space-time continuum and wound up at the fundraiser sometime between 1993 and 1996, based on the music. I'm still not down with OPP, whatever that means.
02 May 2003
Now that they've got the full list of honorary degree recipients up, it's actually kind of a bland year for BU. No Marisa Tomei, Jason Alexander, or even Geena Davis. About the best known name after Will's is Van Cliburn, who I didn't even know was still alive. I suppose we have to wait for Julianne Moore to finally win an Oscar before she gets invited.
To follow the commencement speaker threat that Cooch started with his graduation retrospective, BU will have George Will stepping up to the podium to deliver this year's address. Expect him to somehow combine the recent Iraq stuff with the Red Sox.
Babson's undergrad speaker is New Hampshire governor Craig Benson, who is an alum. He gets the unenviable task of following up Ted Turner. I feel worse still for the MBA speaker, whoever it is (can't remember), who has to follow up Robert Kraft in his Super Bowl glory.
Babson's undergrad speaker is New Hampshire governor Craig Benson, who is an alum. He gets the unenviable task of following up Ted Turner. I feel worse still for the MBA speaker, whoever it is (can't remember), who has to follow up Robert Kraft in his Super Bowl glory.
Didn't see the boot-off American Idol until last night (taped it so we could watch the final episode of Manor House), so the surprise introduction of Ruben to the bottom group (now two rather than three) waited a day. He didn't get the heave-ho, but rather Trenyce was the night's victim. Actually, the real victim was "What the World Needs Now" sung by 9 of the 12 finalists (missing were felon-in-training Corey Clark, and the two early rejectees who've spoken out against Big Brother, Vanessa and Charles) while being conducted by Burt Bacharach. The cut will apparently appear on his new album. I suppose I shouldn't argue; it's better than any version of "God Bless the USA."
Josh, who probably should have been voted off, seemed distraught with the possibility that he'd remain and Ruben wouldn't, suggesting that even he realizes his talent level doesn't justify continued appearances on the show. He's this season's R. J. Helton, just with better phone support (someone check the Pentagon's dialing records). Considering that one of the upcoming weeks will involve the Bee Gees, Josh may not be around too much longer. He's proven disco isn't his forte.
Josh, who probably should have been voted off, seemed distraught with the possibility that he'd remain and Ruben wouldn't, suggesting that even he realizes his talent level doesn't justify continued appearances on the show. He's this season's R. J. Helton, just with better phone support (someone check the Pentagon's dialing records). Considering that one of the upcoming weeks will involve the Bee Gees, Josh may not be around too much longer. He's proven disco isn't his forte.
01 May 2003
Following up on the tight-fisted jackass, I discovered that the Bruins are listed as a proud member of the Delaware North corporate family alongside American Park 'n Swap (flea markets gone corporate!) and CA One Services, an outstanding purveyor of food and retail outlets in airports nationwide.
Mail call! Proving that the art of correspondence is not dead, I found this missive in my inbox:
you need a hobby
I guess I can pass on wordsmith - that's obviously taken! I'd opt for dimwit who emails strangers with half-witted comments, but that's taken, too. Damn.
On the NHL front, it struck me today that we could have a conference finals made up completely of teams founded from 1990 on (Ducks, Wild, Senators, and Lightning). Not sure what that says about the NHL, if anything. It does suggest that a team can develop into a contender quickly, if their owner isn't a tight-fisted jackass.
you need a hobby
I guess I can pass on wordsmith - that's obviously taken! I'd opt for dimwit who emails strangers with half-witted comments, but that's taken, too. Damn.
On the NHL front, it struck me today that we could have a conference finals made up completely of teams founded from 1990 on (Ducks, Wild, Senators, and Lightning). Not sure what that says about the NHL, if anything. It does suggest that a team can develop into a contender quickly, if their owner isn't a tight-fisted jackass.
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