An Unscheduled 4 Year Update

Yeah, I know, it's been 4 years since my last post. A lot of things have changed in my life in that time, but here's a short recap of the action: wife took a transfer to offices in Sacramento, allowing us to move out of the Bay Area and me to get out of the prison that was my previous job; we bought a house, just after everyone's money caught on fire in the recession, so the price was lowered; I went back to dealing poker in a card room, but the recession also meant that wifey's job evaporated.

We have been lucky, having been able to get a couple contract jobs for my wife, while holding onto enough savings that, with my income and tips, we have been able to keep the house (not that a lot of nails weren't bitten and hair wasn't pulled). Now, wifey's job prospects are looking up again, and we are looking for a return to a more normal household economy.

That's a nutshell.

Other things did happen: Mom and Dad came down from Canada for a visit; 3 Christmas' have passed; I turned 40 (in a doctor's office with pneumonia); we totaled one car, bought a new one - life goes on. If I had been keeping up with the blog, each of these would have been a significant post. I was looking though my older posts and can update a few of them - television programming still seems to be recovering from their reality TV addiction; G4 has improved, but I am now thinking that I have left their target demographic; I still hate Hayden Christiansen and George Lucas for raping my childhood; and there is a kinder gentler president.

Looking at everything, things are ok right now - when our household recession is finally over, I am sure I will post more, but until then, everything seems to be alright. :)

Studio 60

I hate NBC right now. I will get over it, but right now their executives are the lowest forms of life.

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip was, in my mind, the best show on the box. It was funny, charming, engaging, and felt genuine. Studio 60 is a big reason that I started watching network television again after nearly 10 years of going out of my way to avoid reality programming. And just like that - poof - it is gone

Maybe it's me. Maybe because I felt so strongly for the show I jinxed it. I haven't felt this strongly for a show since Firefly, and that ended prematurely as well.

Or maybe it is the viewing public. I have believed for quite a while that the western world is being dumbed down. Perhaps we just weren't ready for a program without black hat bad guys. Is it that the general public doesn't understand conflict if it appears that neither side is 100% right or 100% wrong? In the pilot, the executive producer rants on live air how the media has lowered it self to "pandering to 12 year old boys.....and not even the smart ones...."

I normally love irony, but this seems to be too close to the mark.

It is easy to see the conflict in a show like Studio 60's successor, the Black Donnelys. I didn't watch the premiere, and I won't watch any episodes of it, but I can pretty much tell you the story of it. Please tell me I'm wrong, but it has been laid out in all the trailers and teasers leading up to tonight's show - 4 brothers, 1 steals money from a mob boss, gets caught, and beaten within an inch of his life, and the oldest brother must now heroically hold the family to together while at the same time exact revenge for his brother. Sounds like it would have made a good feature film, but not a long run television series...the plot isn't open ended enough to carry more than 2 or 3 episodes.

And perhaps this is what the television audience is looking for: the only thing cerebral about it is the target for a baseball bat.

I will mourn the passing of Studio 60. It is a real shame they couldn't have put it in another time slot. On the TV landscape right now, there are 3 CSI's (more if you count NCIS, Crossing Jordan, Medium, and any other find the bad guy shows), 4 Law and Orders (and more if you count other police/courtroom dramas), still a full plate of gladiatorial reality shows, and very few original ideas.

NBC, shame on you for giving us more of the same with a shiny new bow on it.

G4 revisited

Well, it has been over 2 years since I last wasted breath on the merger of G4 and TechTV, and what a changed place G4 has become. Two years after Comcast bought TechTV and tried to merge it with G4, I can say that some of my predictions have come to pass, all except where they are out of business (but that does look to be right around the corner.

Has anyone else noticed the programming on G4 lately? Just looking at their website, there are only 4 shows that air regularly that are produced in-house: X-Play, Icons, Cheat, and Attack of the Show (formerly the Screen Savers, formerly cool).

They are running episodes of Star Trek TNG, Arrested Development, Street Fury, and Ed the Sock. While I could go into detail on each of these shows, I will spare you the horror and only give a brief description of each:

Star Trek - seen it, multiple times, to the point where I can recite a lot of the dialog
Arrested Development - canceled 3 years ago, no new episodes being made, and there will soon be reruns of reruns
Street Fury - dated car culture series I had never heard of before - rather light my eyelashes on fire
Ed the Sock - inspiration for Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, except that Triumph is actually funny

What about the shows being produced in-house?
Well, X-Play has been neutered to the point where they average more silly little sketches than actual game reviews. And if that isn't bad enough, the sketches used to be shorter, fewer, and funnier, and now they are just longer and irritating....and neither Sessler or Webb will be winning roles in Oscar contenders anytime soon. More reviews and less acting needed.
What about Attack of the Show? Kevin Rose (remember him, the original host?) found an escape clause in his contract and bailed. Sarah Lane, well, I wasn't paying attention, but she stopped sleeping with Kevin, and was there one minute and gone the next. Alex Albrecht was terrible, and was canned quickly. The Asian girl who's name I am afraid of mangling so I won't try, is gone as well. There must be a revolving door in their casting offices. Kevin Pereira is good, engaging, and better without a script and when he is not trying so hard to be cool. The show itself has sucked every ounce of goodness that was in it from the TechTV/Screen Savers days and is almost a mockery of what good TV is all about.
Cheat.....well, they got rid of the squirrelly little guy who looked like he had tried to unlock everything and they put in eye candy. Did I say eye candy? She isn't as hot as she thinks she is, and I don't believe for a second that she has ever used a controller for anything more than self-satisfaction (they do vibrate, ya know).
And last there is Icons, that shows biographies of the pioneers and innovators of the video game industry, complete with the cheesy narration and the talking head "experts" a la the Discovery Channel. That isn't to say it isn't informative, but I look at it the way I look at the History Channel - only if there is nothing else on.
There is also CinemaTech, but hey, I can hook a VCR to my Xbox too.

Is the end near for G4? No, I don't think so, but if I was to subject myself to watching a whole programming day, I think the nearest comparison would be a local cable access channel with flashier graphics and nationwide distribution. Production quality is still in the toilet, at least for the shows they actually produce. I'm unclear if it is cheaper to buy the license to air an episode of Picard and Crusher's romantic tension than it is to rent studio space and record your own show, or if it was a case that more people would watch a 10 year old rerun than the mindless dribble being produced.

If the latter is the case, then maybe the end is closer than they think.

The Rebirth of Television

I may be a little premature in saying this, but television may be getting over it's addiction to reality shows and getting back to telling an interesting story. I do mourn for the days when Hill Street Blues, Cheers, MASH, and other story based programming was hot, but all of a sudden, I find myself watching network TV again. And I like what I see.

My view towards reality shows are fairly well spelled out in my previous post "A Powerful Weapon", so I won't go into detail on why I think it is a symptom of the fall of Western civilization.

I guess I saw the rise of reality TV coming. I remember when they canceled my beloved Firefly, and I remember watching the first season of Survivor. I did happen to enjoy The Mole while it was on, but even reality shows can fall under the ax too (was the Mole too cerebral, or was Celebrity Mole too much for anyone to bear?) I have been a rampant fan of Food Network, and was devastated when TechTV was purchased and dismantled by Comcast/G4 (and those are reality TV, too, when you think about it). It was the more violent and nasty reality shows that took over after Cheers, Seinfeld, and Friends left the airwaves. I had stopped watching network TV altogether at that point, retreating to the specialty cable channels like Bravo, Discovery, Food, Comedy Central, and Spike.

It looks like maybe the profit of these reality shows is bottoming out for the networks, or they see for themselves how formulaic the programming must be to be able to spawn shows that were an outright mockery of the format (Average Joe, Drawn Together, The Gottis). Or maybe the major networks collectively grew a conscience. They were responsible for some pretty disgusting things in the past, like making a bigger deal than necessary out of Anna Nicole Smith, Kellie Osbourne, and Paris Hilton. I would also be remiss if I didn't mention The Surreal Life, and the fact that reality show contestants were getting "star" status in the media. Hollywood specifically, and entertainment in general, was a mess.

I am watching 3 shows religiously right now, but I hope the networks see the light and make more of these gritty shows that can hold our attention week to week. I am watching Heroes, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, and The Unit. I see there is a new show out now called 3 lbs. Of the shows that I am watching, I am pleased to report that there is only one big name in all the actors (Matthew Perry in Studio 60), taking a page from Hill Street Blues in casting unknown quality actors and letting the story be the star.

The Story as the Star. What a concept. No one knew who Ted Danson was before Cheers. Or Jason Alexander before Seinfeld. Maybe we need a moratorium on how long fame should last. If you haven't been on a weekly show for 3 years, you should sell the house in Malibu and return to dinner theater in Des Moines. Nah, it would never work, but maybe the bankability of stars has to be examined, that just because you fill a cast with Oscar and Emmy winners doesn't mean the show will be any good.

But I don't want to get negative with this post. I wanted to congratulate Hollywood on these 3 programs, and any others I may be missing or haven't aired yet. I can honestly say, with irony rather than sarcasm in my voice, I WILL be watching.

my friend Eddie

I've been playing poker online for quite a while now, and I have recently met a special friend online. Eddie is a sweet sweet girl. She also has cancer. She told me that she is fighting hard, but her doctors have already tried everything. She is going to fly to England in a few weeks to see a guy she has been chatting with on the tables. I told her about my own internet romance, and how my wife and I are still together and still in love, but also how we are the exception to the rule. I warned her to never let the guard down, and always be cautious until she knows for sure.

I just keep having horrible thoughts.

Like her 8 hour flight hurting her.
Or the cold air hurting her.
Or being stranded in a strange country with a strange man, and stress hurting her.

Goddess....Bastet, Hera, Freya....goddesses of home and health...watch over my friend Eddie, that she will be able to take all my chips again and again for many years to come.

Blessed Be.

Video Game Violence

ENOUGH ALREADY

I am sick to fucking death of politicians rallying around such a non-issue as the damage done to children by video games. Please note, that if you listen to the Congressional testimony and substitute the words "Ozzy Osbourne" for "Grand Theft Auto", the arguement starts sounding hauntingly familiar....but I digress.

First off, let me make the assertion that VIDEO GAMES ARE NOT FOR CHILDREN. They are not marketed to children, they are not priced accessably to children, and they are not demographically aimed at children. I was a child when the Atari 2600 was released, and during the rise of the coin-op arcades on every corner. I have watched, and played, as the video game industry grew up with me. It seems, however, that peoples conception of who plays games has not changed from 1979. I am of the video game generation. I am 36 years old and video games have been a part of my life for over 25 years. I read a study one time that put the age of the average gamer at 35. Not 10, not 15, but 35. Someone in DC has to notice this.

Now, with the previous assertion firmly in mind, let me make my second point: CHILDREN GET THEIR HANDS ON VIOLENT GAMES BECAUSE THEIR PARENTS BUY THEM. Has anyone else seen the box cover graphic for the GTA game? You know, the one showing guns being aimed and crackwhore hookers striking seductive poses. Do parents not see this when buying it? It strikes me dumb that grown adults could ignore these pictures and think this game was about rainbows and lollypops. That brings me to my third point:

THE ONLY THING WRONG WITH THE USRB RATING CODE IS THAT THE ONLY ONES WHO PAY ANY ATTENTION TO IT ARE THE GAME PUBLISHERS. I have to confess that I don't really look at the rating, but I am legally considered an adult, and I am buying the games for myself. I am not buying God of War for any 12 year olds to play. When I buy games for my neices, all younger that 15, I do look at the rating. Perhaps it is arrogance on the part of the parental buyers that is the reason for the ignored ratings; arrogance in the way that they obviously know better than the experts who gave the game a mature rating. Remember, these are the same people that are shocked when they heard about the Hot Coffee mod. All I can ask is, at the time of purchase, WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?

My final point in this rant, and perhaps the most pertinant one, is GROW UP AND BE A FUCKING PARENT. If your brat is playing a game that you don't think they should be playing, take the damn thing away. You are the grown-up in the house. You make the rules. Like it or not, household politics are not a democracy, and they shouldn't be, not even ruled by committee. A household has to be a totalitarian regime, benevolent, but totalitarian. You, as the parent, are the supreme ruler, and as supreme ruler, when the peasants decide to have a revolt, they should be sent to bed without supper.

But I am sure I am wasting my breath. I am sure that the politician who is able to capitalize on peoples fears the most will win.

In these mid-term elections, find out where the candidate stands on video game violence. I recommend that if they think legislation is the only course to correct it, VOTE AGAINST THEM. Do not let the fearmongers win this time.

A Powerful Weapon

There is a device out there that gets little to no use. Its use has far reaching implications for control of societies ills. It is generically made, and very widespread and almost invisible. I would guess there are many in your home right now. It has the ability to control pornography reaching children, violent video games, infomercials, inappropriate music, offensive radio personalities, and even controversial entertainment choices. It is truly revolutionary when used properly. The unfortunate thing it is not.

It is called.....the power button.

Did your 6 year old see a nipple on TV? Turn it off.

Grand Theft Auto a little too gangsta crazy for your 11 year old? Well, you bought it for them, but you can also turn it off.

Howard Stern (while still terrestrial) a little too much for your delicate sensibilities? Turn him off.

I will never understand why people don't use this device. It's use is not too complicated or convoluted....it is as simple as moving your index finger. Why do people feel the need to, instead of turning the offending device off, holding a parade, starting a petition, or just whining and bitching about the offensive material? Are they afraid of what the neighbours think? Are they worried they may start to enjoy it? Perhaps they maybe already do enjoy it, but that is not how proper people behave.

"My parents didn't grow up watching this filth."

"I didn't have to contend with nonsense like this when I was a kid."

Have I got news for you. The more things change, the more they stay the same. Does anyone remember Three's Company? The story of a man living with two beautiful women, posing gay so as not to attract the attention of his landlord. If you have seen the show, and I am sure many of you have, it was full of playful innuendo and sexual humour. And it did draw it's fair share of criticism from sensitive individuals in the 1970's.

"My parents didn't grow up watching filth like this."

We could talk about the need for The Ed Sullivan Show to only show Elvis Presley from only the waist up, for fear that America's teenage daughters would all get fucked that night from his gyrating hips and "black" music.

"I didn't have to contend with nonsense like this when I was a kid."

The echoes of the past coming out of the mouths of today. Let's not forget Deep Throat once being shown at the same theater as Lady and the Tramp, prohibition in the 1930's, or Captain Kirk and Uhura kissing. Everything I have mentioned in here seems laughable now, but in their time, it was all outrageous, and people actually left their homes to picket and carry on, instead of just making the choice to not watch. The peculiar thing is that they continued to watch....in fact they watched more closely, I guess in an attempt to get more outraged.

Do I practice what I preach? Yes I do. Moral values are a funny thing. I find it interesting that breasts are not allowed on television (although 50% of the population has them), but it is completely acceptable to show depictions of violent and gruesome death over and over. Myself, I have made the conscious choice to avoid gladiatorial programming on TV. Survivor, Fear Factor, and even America's Next Top Model are all shows that are the equivalent of blood sport, but because they don't depict anything outright offensive on the screen, they are seen as harmless. Maude has an abortion, Murphy Brown has a child out of wedlock, and the world is going to hell, but the belittling, demoralizing, and degradation of fellow human beings is ok.

That is what I turn off. And I know where the power button is.