So I realized upon re-reading it that yesterday's Aqua Teen rant was slightly disjointed. I guess to summarize what I was trying to say, I'll say this:
FOX News and much of our media in general ... sucks. They took what was a minor story in the grand scheme of things and made it into a full-blown "event." In doing so, they exposed themselves as the fear-mongering, hyperbole-spewing machine that is the ugly side of TV news. That is all.
- Just a random cool experience to share: this afternoon I met my friend Abby for lunch at the Disney studio lot where she works. While there, I saw all manner of fully-costumed, fully made-up PIRATES from Pirates of the Carribean 3 - walking around outside some big soundstages, and even chilling inside the Disney comissary and eating lunch. Man, those costumes and make-up jobs are AWESOME though - so Disney. ARRRGH!
- Yeah ... in my office building, home to Bravo, a bunch of radio stations, Warner music, and our humble NBC New Media group ... we don't get much in the way of cool stuff like that. But ... in other job-related news, as of February 12th, I will be an official STAFF member of NBC-Universal, meaning a salary, health benefits, etc. Congratulate me!
TV STUFF:
- THE OFFICE last night ... for some reason it didn't 100% click with me, but overall it was a pretty funny episode with some great humor from Dwight, and some interesting Pam-Jim stuff. I loved Dwight''s quizzing of the Ben Franklin impersonator, after being told by Jim that it WAS , in fact, the real Ben Franklin. Todd Packer as usual was pretty funny ... was Ed Helms even in this episode though? Weird ... Anyways, I guess what was odd about this ep was the plot. It just never really made sense. We have no real sense of what, exactly, Michael's day to day relationship with Jan is like. Therefore, I didn't really get a.) why he was so awkward about the strippers after intially being so gung-ho, or b.) why he was so worried about what Jan thinks of him, when most of the time he's not the type who cares about/ realizes the stupidity of his actions. Anyways, some good laughs, but not my favorite episode overall.
My Grade: B
- 30 ROCK ... I am liking the crazy humor, with Tracy Morgan in particular jsut being fall over on the floor hilarious week in and week out. BUT ... to me it would be a huge early jump-the-shark moment if Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin's characters were to get together, especially this early on in the show's lifespan. Not to say that they WILL get together, but even the little moments of tension between them in this episode were kind of unnerving to me. Aside from that, there was a lot of funny stuff, some of it hit or miss (Tracy Morgan and Kenneth the Page as the two sides of the producer guy's concious was great, Paul Reubens as a weirdo Euro Prince was just strange ...), but much more hit than miss. This continues to be a show to keep an eye on, and one of the best overall comedies out there.
My Grade: B+
- Also caught the SARAH SILVERMAN PROGRAM's debut episode last night on Comedy Central. I enjoyed it, though I did feel like a lot of it was the same-old schtick from Silverman, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. But, while I like Silverman's comedy in general, some of her psuedo-rascist stuff does get kind of annoying / obnoxious after a while. I get what she's trying to do with her humor, but it's the kind of thing that relies on shock value at times, and once the shock has worn off, it can be a bit grating. That being said, the show was pretty cool, had some very funny lines, and even some surprisingly nice production values (especially in the animated sequences). Maybe it'd be better as a series of sketches rather than as a continuous 30 minute quasi-sitcom? Hmmm ... definitely worth checking out if you like Silverman (and who knows, there's plenty of potential for future episodes to be funnier), but I'd still much rather just have new episodes of Stella.
My Grade: B -
- Finally, just want to mention the continued brilliance of JOHN STEWART and STEPHEN COLBERT. Caught both yesterday for the first time in a while and they are just pitch-perfect funny. Stewart's piece on Dick Cheney's unwillingness to discuss his lesbian daughter was just a brilliant piece of news-satire. Then, Colbert had an absolutely awesome piece about how he personally was ending racism that had me rolling in laughter. I realize it's kind of pointless to grade daily comedy shows, but these, easily, get an A.
- And, no, have not yet watched Smallville or The OC.
COMICS Roundup:
Some notes on the wide wonderful weird world of comics ...
- 52 this week rebounded from last week's kind of blah entry with a jam-packed issue that set up one hell of a cliffhanger. I now cannot wait for next week's Luthor vs. Steel slugfest. Still, some of the plotlines are getting a little convoluted ... the scientists on Ooblong Island for example. But I'll take the good with the bad, as 52 is still the first thing I read every week because despite its pacing it still has that must-read feel. It's the comic equivalant of Lost or 24 - episodic storytelling at its best.
My Grade: B+
- TEEN TITANS has been very hot and cold since the One Year Later jump, but man, Geoff Johns is going to go out with a bang here. The kickoff to the epic Titan's East storyline was a total blockbuster movie-style adventure. Nice to finally see a reasonable explanation for Cassandra Cain's odd / villainous behavior of late (Johns works his retconning magic once again) as well. And sweeet art by Tony Daniel.
My Grade: A-
- So long, LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT, it's been a good run. This Batman-centric title, started in the late 80's, ended its decades-long run this week with a final issue, to be replaced by the similarly themed Batman: Confidential. But man, LODK went out with a bang - literally, as the one-shot story by up and comer Christos N. Gage featured the assassin Deadshot. Seeing as how Gage did such a great job with his Deadshot minseries a while back, I had high hopes, and wasn't let down. This was a great tale contrasting Deadshot and the Dark Knight. Best of all, the artwork by one of my faves, Phil Winslade, was just kickass. His ultra-detailed style means he doesn't work all that often, but when he does, damn - Batman and Deadshot have rarely looked better. It's sad to see this title go, after some classic stories by the likes of Denny O'Neal, Mike Mignola, and many more. But at least it went out in style.
My Grade: A
Alright, that's it for now. Have a good weekend, GO PATS (oh, wait ...), and take 'er easy.
In honor of Superbowl weekend, I leave you with the still-classic and awesome lyrics to the themesong (by Ludacris) from Madden NFL 2000:
Maaaaaaaaan, get out my way and watch out as I come through
Bustin' in your line, crackin' helmets in two
I bring the pain, so what'cha gone do?
Stand there and just get shook out your shoes
So clean out your locker,
I'm out to get'cha
Cuz I just popped ya,
you can't take the pressure
You might as well quit,
cuz you just can't last
Madden two thou
put your face in the grass
And your spine in the DIRT,
so put on a SKIRT
If you step on the field
and don't wanna get HURT
Just bruised and beaten,
all black and blue
And it's been like that since Madden '92!
You better come harder than hard, rougher than rough (Blah!)
Put up your guard, get ready to crush (Blah!)
It's thangs on this field that you just can't change
E.A. Sports, it's in the game.
what'cha want?(The rock in the palm of my hands!!!)
What'cha got? (I got John Madden!!!!)
What'cha want? (The rock in the palm of my hands!!!)
What'cha got? (I got John Madden!!!!)
What'cha want?(The rock in the palm of my hands!!!)
What'cha got? (I got John Madden!!!!)
What'cha want?(The rock in the palm of my hands!!!)
What'cha got? (I got John Madden!!!!)
Feel the power.
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