The Mainstream Media

Tonight, I'm going to slip away from our normal discussion of dramatized television and focus in on our main stream media. The CNNs, MSNBCs and FOXnews channels.

I'm getting tired, alas weary, of the cable-news networks. When reporting on the vacation of a presidential candidate becomes public fodder, dare I say, we've gone too far!

The days of real news reporting are over, instead we are left with a bunch of people who know nothing of what they speak, and only peddle what they want or think they want us to hear.

Political pundits who spend no time in the real world, and all their time discussing the banal mini-wars between campaigns. McCarthy, the blue-stained dress, the Judas comment. The news dismisses these ridiculous arguments but then goes out of its way to report on it. And it's not just a 5 minute quip, it's hour of hashing and re-hashing till we just cannot take it anymore. Report the real issues. I know it's boring, but it's a hell of a lot more truthful than watching Obama sitting on a deck-chair in the Virgin Islands. I mean come on, I like the guy, but really? I thought PerezHilton and TMZ had a hold on scum-bucket news reporting.

So what are the best ways to counter the ever popular cable news? I guess you should write them, harass them with a barrage of emails or threaten to boycott their advertisers. OR, you can be like me -- you watch it daily and then find refuge at a bunch of politically slanted blogs.

I'd suggest that 'new' news comers avoid it like the plague. Stop watching now, you might only have days, hours or mere moments before you get sucked in. Only bad things can come out of watching the news daily. Thanks to the strike, this has been my sentence. May we pray that Swingtown brings us all out of this rut that we call 'the mainstream media'.

Melodramatic? I think not.

TvHipster may want us to believe that people do not speak from the heart when they talk about, "liberty and death and all that", but let me tell you: THEY DO. Melodramatic, I think not. Not that any of us actually knows, but John Adams probably spoke with the same intensity and veracity that we've witnessed from many powerful present day leaders.

I'd like to pose a question to our well-respected, articulate TvHipster. How should they have approached such a scene? Should it have lacked the fiery intensity or maybe it would have been better if the words blumbled out of his mouth?

John Badams?

"Utterly fantastic"?

Well, those wouldn't exactly be the words I'd use. It was good, and a welcome respite from the months of re-runs that we've all been subjected to, but I had a few problems with it.

Occasionally, it felt a bit melodramatic. Those speeches they gave during the Continental Congress felt a tad to overdone. Yes, they were great words, but did everyone scream about liberty and death and all that? I don't know, man.

The creators and producers meant for the miniseries to be as realistic as possible, and some of those moments felt inorganic to me.

Paul Giamatti is pretty good though. He changed his voice. I love when actors do that. Love it.

John Adams

Impressed. Indeed. More to come.

The John Adams miniseries kicked off tonight. Utterly fantastic, ultimately destined to be amazing in the weeks to come. A small spec of hope for the coming weeks, where re-runs splatter the airwaves. Also, here's to hoping it gets a little more pg-13 in the coming weeks. You know where I'm going...

April 3rd 2008

The NBC Thursday night lineup will be heading our way on April 3rd. I'd put up a promo video, but I can't find one.

Little add-on, a side note. Let me share some tender sediments, for a just a bit. All I ask for is your eyes, and some much needed social banter. (we have very little comments, almost none)

SNL. It has seen better days, years, months and so on. Tonight had a few moments of mention -- well maybe just one. As much as I respect Tina Fey, I must say that tonight she pwned. Yes, very much so.

"Bitch may be the new Black, But Black's the new President, Bitch!" I'm not sure if there were that many bitches, but I think it gets the point across. This might be a great point, but on this blog we do not make any political endorsements of any way, shape or form. Although, we strongly suggest that you reconsider voting for Monica Lewinky's x-boyfriend's wife.

SNL is slowly wooing me back into its good, yet unfunny graces.

...If only there was more on television to actually write about...(please come back television, please!)

We're BACK!

Yeah, so that little strike thing is over-- that means it's going to be T.V time soon! Everybody rev your engines, it's almost here. Alright, maybe not. We aren't going to see some of our favorite shows in awhile, so while we wait...let's try and rekindle our television love. Let's watch some oldies, but goodies or hell let's just watch the news. It's quite a soap opera over there. The actual stories only scroll at the bottom of the screen -- the real drama happens when you tilt your head up and watch the spinners spin and when John King rolls out that screen, you just want to play along, you know?

So don't let this, 'not a whole lotta new TV til the fall' mess with your perfectly well-functioning minds. Just sit back and soak in some real life drama. Or you could watch LOST. My cards are on Lost. Much less frustration involved.

Grey Issues on Grey's

Is it even necessary for me to state that Grey's Anatomy has been such a letdown this season or is that common knowledge?

I’ve finally realized what’s missing in the appeal-factor for me: a compelling love story. I’m tired of what has been offered thus far. The MerDer drama? Alex and his bevy of women? So old, so boring…so typical!
Why must everyone in the hospital sleep with one another? George and Izzie---pretty much repulsing to watch. This little Lexie is trying to bring her own drama and might have something going with the Seth Green patient character. Hmm…..an intern with a patient. My my, where have we seen that before?
Last season they had something great going with Alex and Addison. At least that was interesting and intriguing for viewers. It was fresh and brought up room for growth in both characters. Alas, Addison got shipped off to sunny Cali, therefore stabbing the last bit of life left in that story's potential.

Another Grey’s disappointment: Nazi boy. One of the things I found so lovely and compelling about Grey’s was how race was never an issue. For once since The Cosby Show, it was not discussed or even acknowledged on the show. Race was a grey area, if you will. People related to one another based on human emotion- not based upon the color of their skin. While I’m sure Shonda had good intentions with this story, it let me down because it fed into the separation/race issues, something I thought the show strived to avoid. Maybe it was necessary to bring awareness to viewers who are guilty of their own prejudices, but at the same time I was hoping that the show’s viewers were beyond this. Perhaps I’m being a bit too idealistic or naive here to assume that viewers are more intelligent than writers often give them credit for. Or maybe the show was simply running out of ideas and they felt the need and pressure to bring the race card up. I guess I shouldn’t judge until I see how the story is wrapped up in the second half of his two parter…..you have an hour to prove your story to me, Shonda.