Bagger Vance Himself

This is one of those things that I just keep cracking up about, and thanks to the miracle of the WW, here it is, eight years after the fact: Topher Grace discusses Wild Wild West with Jon Stewart.

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Topher Grace

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Topher Grace > Ashton Kutcher

(And that joke was relevant eight years ago!!!)

Pop Culture in Brief, Part Two

What I'm sticking my nose into these days...

Mostly kids' books, for work. About halfway through a book involving Vikings, Beowulf, white slavery, and pagan magic. Pretty good, and better than the pale Harry Potter knockoff I read before it. I've got all my kids reading books with deep mythological roots, whether they be Norse, Greek, or Celtic. Not sure what we'll do with all of it yet, but so far so good.

Read Barack Obama's first book over break, and marveled at how easy of a storyteller the guy is. Had a real sense of place, and gave me a better understanding of places I've never been, such as Indonesia and eastern Africa. Met a Maasai holy man a couple of weeks ago and had a better understanding of his culture thanks to Obama's section on Kenya.

Not sure when I'll pick up The Audacity of Hope, but I plan to sometime soon.

Dipping back into Tolkien a bit, and finally read The Children of Hurin. Worked well as a stand-alone story, taken out of the massive thick First Age history of The Silmarillion.

I'm having trouble finding something to take on the trip. I doubt I'll find anything as perfect as Bob Dylan's Chronicles, which I read in 2006 as I moved across the West Country and southern Wales. I've got a small list of books I haven't picked up yet. Maybe Downtown Owl, or The Wordy Shipmates?

Not taking any travel books with me this time 'round. No need to. I've got a pretty clear idea of every place I'm heading to, and I think I've moved beyond travel books, at least for Ireland. One less thing to pack in the bag.

So it could end up being Klosterman or Vowell that comes along, or I may just bring Chronicles with me and pick through that again until something finds me in some quiet bookstore.

Pop Culture In Brief, Part One

Wherein I ramble for a bit about the stuff I've seen, read, or listened to lately.

Inkheart

An underthought, pretty but slightly empty version of Cornelia Funke's great children's novel. Had a lot of fun taking my students to see it, but the experience of reading it, and reading it aloud to my kids, trumps the film by a long shot. A pity that I'll probably retire reading it to future classes, as I had almost all the voices figured out.

Coraline

Here's something that got it just right. The tone and spirit of Gaiman's novel, the dedication to real objects as opposed to overdone CGI. A smart girl as the hero. This is the type of thing that I use to separate people who get it, and who don't. If you spent your February weekends watching Paul Blart, or My Bloody Valentine, then I pity you.

Watchmen

Sometimes I thought this was going to be awesome, sometimes I thought it was going to be an embarrassment (a scene involving hokey-looking fighting when they break Rorschach out of prison didn't get me very excited.) Overall, though, I think they nailed it, especially Dr. Manhattan and the aforementioned Rorschach. Other good stuff: the opening credits, Manhattan's Mars musings (try saying that three times fast), and the general bleakness of its message (effectively funneled through Jeffrey Dean Morgan's The Comedian).

Misc. Stuff

United 93 and World Trade Center

Last two movies in my Netflix queue. Sent both back without watching them. Account is currently on hold because I don't seem to be in the mood for 9/11-inspired somberness in my movie choices.

Lost and Battlestar Galactica

Perfection. Best storytelling on TV. And yes, if this post didn't prove it enough, I am a huge nerd.

There's Lots of World Out There

Want to know what gets you out of a bad mood? Wall-E. I defy anyone to watch it and not be amazed. Just lovely. Just perfect.

Iran So Far

SNL got into some trouble this week for making fun of New York's blind governor, David Patterson. Fred Armisen was pretty hilarious as Patterson, but it's another clip of Armisen that I just can't get enough of. I don't know how I missed it, but below is one of Andy Samberg's Digital Shorts, and it's a love letter to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Not nearly as perfect as "Roy Rules!", or as well-known as "Lazy Sunday" or "Dick in a Box," but it's worth it just to see the goofy-ass face on Fred Armisen throughout the clip. And you get to hear "Avril 14" as well, which is my favorite tune to listen to when I'm feeling like a depressed little girl.




I can't figure out how to make the embedded clip bigger, but if you click the wee little square in the upper-right corner, you should be able to make it go full screen. Or just go to hulu.com and watch it in better quality.

Bills and Phil

Can someone please tell Bill Donohue to please go fuck himself?

I am so, so surprised to find out that this reactionary two-bit right-wing activist was behind the call to fire Bill Maher. After all, he's the guy that doesn't want us to read His Dark Materials because it's an evil atheist plot to get kids to stop believing in God.

Best to stop there. I'm too tired to rant.

Aqua Teen Terrorism

Turner Broadcasting, a division of Time Warner Inc. and parent of Cartoon Network, said the devices were part of a promotion for the TV show "Aqua Teen Hunger Force," a surreal series about a talking milkshake, a box of fries and a meatball.

Sometimes you wake up in the morning, read the daily news, and life gives you a little present. Like having a cartoon meatball cause a homeland security scare in Boston.

Ignignokt: You and your third dimension.
Frylock: What about it?
Ignignokt: Oh, nothing; it's cute. We have five.
Err: Th-thousand.
Ignignokt: Yes, five thousand.
Err: Don't question it!
Frylock: Oh yeah? Well I only see two.
Ignignokt: Well that sounds like a personal problem.

A Dash of Pepper

The other night I was trying to explain this song that was stuck in my head. Something about "mama quiero" and a "dash of pepper." It was from an old Tom and Jerry cartoon and I also remembered something about a cat dressed up like Carmen Miranda.

Cori just about spit out her cereal this morning when she saw it on TV, remembering my attempt to sing the song. And thanks to the miracle that is YouTube, I present for you the entire cartoon.

Watching it brought back about 50 other buried memories, including a vague one where my buddy Mike would imitate the little girl who dresses Tom up like a baby. Goddamn those cartoons kicked ass.

What Kind of Show Has It Been

Not a very good one, if you ask me.

This hurts me to say it, being the Aaron Sorkin nut that I am, but Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip is... not that great.

It disappoints me to say it, and I've been holding out these past few weeks, hoping that the show finds its groove, its timing, and its reason for existence, but it just ain't happening.

I don't really care for the characters, and so I don't really care what happens to them. Matt and Harriet and yet another will-they-or-won't-they situation? Bleah.

The show has potential, I believe that firmly, given the talent involved in front of and behind the camera. But Sorkin just seems to be using the show as a means to start a national discussion rant on the Christian right and why it was so, so mean of NBC to fire him from The West Wing.

Now I don't really need to point out the fact that I too can come across as self-righteous and smug about the Christian Right, but I write a dinky blog that a handful of people read. I expect more from the so-called "credentialed" pros.

I guess I'm just disappointed in Aaron Sorkin. He's so much better than what Studio 60 has been. His shows, always concerned with passionate people committed to their professions, can literally inspire to you be more devoted to your job, your friends, or at least your grammar skills.

For a show that's supposed to be about a comedy show, they forgot one important element: They forgot to bring the funny. Skits about Juliette Lewis and a Wild at Heart-era Nicholas Cage would be really funny in 1993, but not now.

Maybe, if it's given enough time, Studio 60 will run out of Sorkin Grudge Topics and will become a decent show. My first suggestion would be to find a crack comedic actress that can rattle off that dialogue better than Peet and Paulson. Bring Sabrina Lloyd back from TV Limbo, hell, have her play Natalie Hurley again for that matter. She ain't no gal Friday.

She's good.

The Astonishing X-Men and other nerdy matters

I'm disappointed in my reading habits this year. I burned through books like mad last year, but this year I haven't gotten through more than a few. Planned on starting another Rutherfurd book but it's still sitting on the nightstand, unopened.

Admittedly, I've been digging back into the comic book habit a bit. The awfulness that was X-Men: The Last Stand drove me to discover better-told X-Men stories, and I found that in Grant Morrison's run on New X-Men and the more-recently published Astonishing X-Men by Joss Whedon. Astonishing reminds me most of those character-driven Chris Claremont issues of the mid-80s, and of course it has Kitty Pryde, which is always a plus in my (comic) book.

In other geek reads, I've been nosing through Order of the Phoenix for the second time, and so far it still holds up as the "best" Harry Potter book in my opinion. While not as showy as Goblet of Fire, it's the book that feels the most grown-up, imploding the last little bits of its happy-little-magic-land.

Harry's an asshole (but for good reason), the Ministry of Magic is shown as a hypocritical, bureaucratic disaster (like most governments), and Dolores Umbridge makes for a pretty psycho-ass villain. Plus, you've got a secret society meeting in a decrepit mansion, Fred and George's farewell, and that incredible moment when the ministry officials are coming to get Dumbledore and he just takes them out and Bam! disappears into the night. That'll look quite cool in the film version.

And in case I don't sound nerdy enough at this point, I'll just add two more things: Heroes is actually a pretty good comic-book style adventure, and of course Battlestar Galactica returns Friday night, which better damn well record on my DVR this weekend while I'm out of town. (In spite of my extremely nerdy tastes, I do have a life and am heading north for the weekend with some friends.)

'Nuff Said.

Hepburn and The Gap

Been fighting a cold off and on for a week. Work all day then spend most of the evening in front of the television, in bed before 10, asleep before 11 most nights. Nothing like a small cold to make you feel like you're 80 years old, eh?

Hoping to get out of the house this weekend, maybe another hike through the arboretum or get into the city a bit. Haven't been in Chicago proper for quite a while. I think there was an exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art that looked interesting. Maybe check that out.

I've had enough TV for a while. If I see that damn Gap commerical with Audrey Hepburn one more time, that might make me crack up. And I really can't handle School for Scoundrels being shoved down my throat. Please, Hollywood, just stop forcing me to like Jon Heder. Or if nothing else, don't let Ben Stiller have any more cameos where he has a bad accent and equally bad facial hair.

Now that the American government is officially in the torture business, I think they could add network television advertisements on their list of approved methods. Water boarding, stress positions, and NBC promos. That's what would make me crack.

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip

Mondays, NBC
Pilot Episode Review
Written by Aaron Sorkin, Directed by Thomas Schlamme

Somehow I was able to get a copy of the pilot episode for Studio 60 through Netflix and had a chance to check it out before the general premiere next month. Many of you know that I am quite the Sorkin fan (Sports Night, The West Wing) and I was eager to check out how Studio 60 fared compared to his earlier series.

He's assembled a great cast, and a setting that should provide plenty of good storytelling, although I have a feeling we'll see the occasional plotline lifted from Sports Night, as both shows deal with the behind-the-scenes goings-on of a television series dealing with network pressure.

Many people will first know this show as "Matthew Perry's New Show" since he's arguably the main star. He plays Matt Albie, a former writer of the SNL-style Studio 60 lured back after an on-camera meltdown by the executive producer (Judd Hirsch). He's joined by his longtime creative partner, director Danny Tripp (West Wingand-Sorkin-dialogue-veteran-extraordinaire Bradley Whitford.)

This is the most autobiographical aspect to the show, as it seems Sorkin is recreating the strong writer-director bond he has shared with Tommy Schlamme for a number of years. They battle both substance abuse and meddling network heads, and to me this plotline was the weakest part of the show (aside from Amanda Peet's repeated vacant stare into the camera, which apparently is to show how much of a Young and Hot Network President Genius her character is.) We all know that lots of TV is bad and that network execs never know anything, but this time 'round it's grown a little tired.

It's my hope that Sorkin doesn't use Studio 60 as a soapbox to exorcise his personal and professional demons. It usually doesn't make for compelling drama (insert any joke about The Bonfire you want to make at this point.)

Overall, a decent start, but it doesn't grab you quite like that West Wing pilot did seven years ago. To be fair, Sports Night took a few shows to find its groove, and I look forward to where Studio 60 goes once it gets going. Hopefully Sorkin eases off his usual, and now tired, targets (network execs and the Christian Right) and creates a memorable show to rest alongside his other stellar work.