Post Apocalypse Post

Jericho is my new Netflix saga of the moment, but I can't tell whether I like it or not.

I tend to like post-apocalypse type settings for movies, but this one hits very close to home, at least metaphorically. The show is set in a timeline where there have been 23 nuclear detonations in major US cities, where the fictional hamlet of Jericho miraculously survives.

This plot kind of follows the worst-case scenario imaginable, except it's also got an over-arching Lost type of story arc with multiple mysteries and gray areas when it comes to the ethics of the main characters.

If it sounds familiar, it's because it's very similar to the premise of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica, which started earlier, but ran about the same time. I loved BSG, so I was intrigued by Jericho, but Jericho has not won me over. I am sticking with it because of the mysteries.

I find Jericho much more unsettling than Battlestar Galactica, mainly because of its setting. I almost find it dangerous to imagine such a realistic nuclear apocolypse, because it kind of presents an all-too realistic scenario. However, the acting is mostly good, and I can always picture Skeet Ulrich in Scream to snap me back to reality. I suppose I will finish it, but I may have to watch some cat yodeling to bring me back into the present tense.

Betty Mas Bonita

*Spoilers*
Ugly Betty is over. The show ended well, with a good finalization for most of the characters.

Betty moved to London to start a magazine. Daniel left Mode, and Wilhemena got the magazine, and a little bit of humanity.

The show was part sitcom, part soap, so it had trouble finding and keeping an audience. I still loved it though. But like most of the good television of the past four or five years, the writer's strike seemed to deal it a huge death blow. Television schedules weren't regular anymore. When the split seasons finally aired, who the hell knew when they were on?

I want to thank ABC for keeping the show going as long as they did. Hulu kept me in touch through most of my missed times and my TiVo conflicts.

In spite of it all, the show reached me. I loved its portrayal of social conflicts, corporate ambition, and body image issues. It had the perfect knack of getting to the heart of issues while keeping its audiences entertained.

I for one will miss the red glasses on my screen each week.

Family Guy Backlash

Bye Stewie. It's been nice knowing you.

RADAROnline has a great article on Family Guy and Seth MacFarlane backlash.

I've been irritated with Family Guy ever since the Barbershop Quartet AIDS song, but the reruns from the first volume of shows win me back. Lately though, it's been on the wane. I cheered Eric Cartman for trying to get Family Guy off the air.

Now that MacFarlane is teaming up with Burger King, he's pretty much officially sold out in my book.

Get Some Action

I've been addicted to this series. I've always loved it, ever since it was originally on Fox back in the day. At the time, I was in college and I never saw all of the episodes, but through the magic of Netflix, I can watch it online. I've seen the first half of the series, and I am looking forward to watching the rest.

The series was so ahead of it's time. It's on par with Arrested Development for its wit, timing, and incredibly gifted actors. I'm not advocating Netflix here, I'm just really excited about reconnecting with such a good show.

In the Life

I love documentary film. The PBS series IN THE LIFE uses a mix of interviews and documentary short subjects and excerpts to chronicle life in the LGBT community.

Although some of the stories are a little less than what DA Pannebaker might produce, the subjects are really compelling. A lesbian methodist minister in Pennsylvania, a LGBT group in Nepal helping write a new constitution, or a campground in upstate New York that has become a village of respite for lesbians and gay men. Interviews with Edward Albee, Judy Shepard, Margaret Cho.

Although for obvious reasons, my local PBS station would never air this series, you can get the podcast through their website.

Check it out.

Venture Brothers Trailer

My only hate sprung from my only queasiness

There is a report that two and a half men is swapping writers with CSI.

No good can come of this. Both of these shows make my stomach turn, but for very different reasons. Now I have a great reason not to watch either.

I love Butters, just not in that way.

Super Liza

I love Logo Online.

Check Out Super Liza Minnelli from the Big Gay Sketch Show.

Why the Venture Brothers totally rules

I found this great interview with Jackson Publick online.

This is probably the best written cartoon ever. If you've never seen it, you must check it out.

Pols and Polls

The debate-poll-primary model for US politics is severely broken.

I'm sick to death of polls. A Daily Show had Zogby on tonight and he basically had no excuse for why his polls were wrong going into the NH primary.

John Stewart's question, "Do polls influence the election?" was completely valid, and Zogby laughed it off.

To me, the answer is YES. Polls do influence the way people vote. Anything that is covered in the media is going to affect the way people think when they enter the voting booth. If Sen. Obama's supporters saw in a poll he had an 11-13% lead over Sen. Clinton, they probably decided to skip the primary.

The problem, like former President Bill Clinton said, is that the 24 hour news networks are constantly trying to beat each other with the newest information and they chase after the superficial crap no one cares about.

Don't talk to me about what dress Sen. Clinton is wearing. Don't talk about how articulate Sen. Obama is. Where do they stand on important issues? Don't just give me sound bites and attack ads.

The latest debate model of debate, debate, debate is the most contrived, nonsensical scheme of the media.

The general public is content to let Anderson, Blitzer, Hannity, et cetera tell them what they want to hear. These are the same dumbasses who covered Paris Hilton's release from jail, after all, and now we're letting them tell us how we should vote based on biased polls, farcical debates, and partisan rhetoric that they are all using to generate more ratings revenue?

The real problem is that people just aren't reading. There's no real journalism going on in the election. The media is just interviewing journalists from other outlets and calling them experts. It's sickening.

Of course, what everything boils down to is that it takes a lot of time and careful thought to pick a candidate. You have to research someone if you really want to make an informed decision.

My father said that Sen. Obama scares him. My dad is 69 years old and an avid fan of Faux News, the ones who accuse Obama of being everything from a liberal Christian, to a Musilim to a terrorist. I think my dad could like Obama if he didn't listen to the crap put out by the 24 hour media.

I urge everyone to perform their civic duties and carefully research and think about a candidate. Turn the television off and read through each candidate's web sites. Read the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, or something. Don't pick someone because of how they are portrayed on TV.

I'm allergic to Cashmere

Poor Lucy Liu. Cashmere Mafia had all the makings of a great series. But there's a reason it was held for mid-season.

The show was flatter than a pancake. The predictable plots were all very dreary and dull.

There were also scenes that had me leaping out of my chair to howl at the screen. First, the Caitlin character has had several failed relationships with men and she magically meets a woman who captivates her. I kid you not, the two women make eye contact and the soundtrack plays chimes. It was the cheesiest, most blatant pandering I've seen on a TV show in at least a couple of years.

That's when I said I was going to bed. I set the TiVo to catch the rest for me and I made time to finish it tonight.

The second howl-worthy moment came when the Juliet character learns that her friends saw her husband snogging another acquaintance. She launches into the speech of how she knew he cheated when he was out of town, but it was worse because it's someone they know. Then she justified herself for staying with him because the men who marry women like them give up the chance to have the ideal wife. To paraphrase, she said that because she makes more money and is more successful, her husband should be allowed to have an affair.

WAKE THE FRAK UP! What century was this woman from? First of all, if the man marries you, he should be faithful. That's kind of in the vows. Second, if he's cheating and you don't do anything about it, you are demeaning yourself by not doing something about it. Then later, instead of leaving him, she promises to him that she will 'take a lover' from their pool of friends to get even. If this is the way marriages operate in real life, something's definitely wrong.

The third character Zoë, is a hard-working mother of two with a working husband. She's at a crisis because she's in between nannies and barely has enough time for her kids. Bless her for trying to do it all, but the show made it look as though children were actually this woman's punishment for being successful.

The one redeeming quality the show had is that Mia, Liu's character, gets promoted to publisher over her fiancée and he breaks off the relationship because he secretly wanted Mia to be a stay-at-home wife. At least someone did something right. He was less than progressive for feeling that she should be for all intents and purposes barefoot and pregnant, but at least he didn't marry Mia under false pretenses.

At the end of the credits there was a shot of the familiar Darren Starr productions logo. He was behind Sex In the City, 90210, and Melrose Place. For me, the plots and characters were all just rehashed and mishmashed from those old shows. "Cashmere Mafia" is really nothing new.

Even though I consider myself amiable and open-minded toward entertainment, this is one show I really don't care for.

Another video from Jenny Lewis Weeds Intro

In which I admit to my Achilles Heel

I was looking for one of my favorite webisodes, Mr. Deity, when I stumbled across this at crackle.com. It's kind of bizarre how they've chopped up a 40 minute show and made it six minutes long, but I guess that way they don't have to pay Pam Anderson royalties or something.

I used to watch this show a lot. I actually miss it now that it's no longer in syndication. I must admit that this does not seem like the show I would be interested in, i.e. the women, but part of it was nostalgia for me. It was a lot like Charlie's Angels with its dopey plots and beautiful women with guns who can kick a lot of butt. It also has a nostalgic factor because it has the hot Asian guy from 21 Jump Street.

Also, sometimes I just want a little mindless violence, like this show, the A-Team, or college football. It's my version of the perfect Thanksgiving.