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October 26, 2004
I Want Night Court On DVD!
With practically every show ever made being released on DVD, where may I ask, is the comedy series Night Court?
Night Court was one of the most brilliant, overlooked sitcoms of the '80s. Its stellar cast portrayed some of TV's most memorable characters, from the quirky prankster Judge Harry Stone, to the overly simplistic Bailiff Bull Shannon, to the beloved womanizer Dan Fielding. Storylines were always original, and no doubt, had an influence on later zany shows like Ally McBeal.
What I've always loved most about Night Court though, was how well it captured the mood and ambience of New York City. I don't know whether it was the stale courtroom, the range of social litigants, or the opening street shots of every episode, but Night Court just "got it." To this day, I credit that show with influencing my affinity for the Big Apple.
So whoever owns the rights to this show - which is not even shown in syndication anymore - I'm begging you, please release Night Court on DVD!
Posted by Michele at 09:46 PM | Comments (1)
October 22, 2004
A Touch Of (Stevie) Wonder
"Rooooo-bert"
"I don't know what to say."
"J-J-Jammin' on the one. J-J-Jammin' on the one."
"Laaaaaaaaa."
The above quotes are from the best Cosby half-hour ever, entitled A Touch Of Wonder. In this episode, Theo and Vanessa get into a car accident with Stevie Wonder's limousine. Instead of getting mad, the prodigal one invites the family into his recording studio, where they explore the magic of his high-tech keyboard, and harmoniously sing his signature hit, I Just Called To Say I Love You.
If you haven't seen this gem, now's your chance. In celebration of the show's Twentieth Anniversary, Nick at Nite will be running a Viewer's Choice Cosby Show Marathon starting Monday, November 1st at 10 p.m. EST.
Go ahead & cast your vote here!
Posted by Michele at 10:22 AM | Comments (1)
October 21, 2004
Ghostbusters 2: Bad Movie, Socially Relevant?
Last night, having nothing else to do, I decided to crack open one of the unwrapped DVD's sitting on my dusty shelf. I could've chosen high quality laughs like Caddyshack or Tenacious D: The Complete Masterworks. But for some reason, unseen forces were pulling me to watch Ghostbusters 2.
As a young lass, I was a huge fan of the original 1984 franchise. I had an official "No Ghosts" t-shirt, played with homemade proton packs, and even developed a crush on Bill Murray...which I somehow never outgrew.
When Ghostbusters 2 entered theaters five years later, the thirteen year old in me rather enjoyed it. Bill Murray was still as charming as ever, and that Bobby Brown theme song killed. Damn Bobby! But deep, deep in my cavernous heart, I suspected that maybe, just maybe, this movie blew.
So when it came time to choose a movie last night, I think I secretly wanted to test myself. I wanted to see, once and for all, if Ghostbusters 2 was as bad as I feared.
It was. Oh yeah, it was.
With the exception of Bill Murray's ad libs, Ghostbusters 2 is a horribly written, directed and edited film. The characterization is poor, and the plot is a bit weak.
But as I watched on, I came to a stark realization! This movie couldn't be more relevant to today's times. Sure it sucked, but hey, so does the current state of the world! Here's what I'm talking about:
At the beginning of Ghostbusters 2, New Yorkers have become mean, selfish and inconsiderate. All this negativity causes gabs of underground pink ooze to expand and attack the city. At the same time, Viggo, an evil foreign guy in a museum painting, tries to inhabit the soul of Dana's young innocent baby so that he may live forever.
Think about it. Why do terrorist groups like Al Qaeda hate us? They believe Americans are a bunch of rich, SELFISH and exploitative people. Hmmm...
While Viggo's nationality is never revealed, we do know that he is foreign, as is his possessed sidekick, Janosz. These guys, while likely not from the Middle East, were implied to be of Russian ancestry. Russia, as we know, harbors old nuclear weapons. Nukes, which we fear, could mistakenly be sold to terrorist groups today.
Now when Viggo is moments from taking over the baby's soul, who do the Ghostbusters enlist to save the day, but Lady Liberty?! Is this metaphor not obvious?? Freedom kills terror!
And the people of New York help defeat evil by singing along to Jackie Wilson's positive anthem, "Your Love Keeps Lifting Me Higher." If only it were so easy...
What, if anything, do we learn from this movie? The lesson is twofold. One, we need to show more compassion in order to win this war on terror. Positivity breeds positivity. And two, we can effect change by starting with our own captured terrorists. Forget the old methods of torture and humiliation! We just need to show Ghostbusters 2 over and over and over again, and just maybe the message will sink in, and the world will be a safer place for it.
Posted by Michele at 05:54 PM | Comments (3)
October 19, 2004
All Hail To Massachusetts
Massachusetts is the smartest state in the union, according to a report released by Morgan Quitno Press. Connecticut, Vermont, New Jersey and Wisconsin rounded out the Top 5. For the third consecutive year, New Mexico placed last.
Wouldn't it make sense to adjust the electoral college votes to factor in these rankings? A formula akin to the following could work:
(Population x 1/4 Education Ranking)/XXXXX = # Electoral Votes
Nothing drastic...just a little boost to help get Dubya out of office.
Posted by Michele at 08:41 PM | Comments (0)
October 18, 2004
There Was This One Time, At Band Camp...
Ex-Motley Crue badass Tommy Lee played with the University of Nebraska marching band on Saturday as part of a prospective "back-to-school" reality TV show.
Filming this experience is a good idea. I'm sure the tapes will come in handy when Lee's own kids drop out of school in a few years.
Posted by Michele at 12:53 PM | Comments (1)
October 10, 2004
Jew Klux Klan
As eighties hip hop pioneers, The Beastie Boys are pushing 40 in a genre that's seeing its breakthrough superstars age for the first time. Tonight at Madison Square Garden, they proved that elder man can still dance and rhyme on stage as good as MC's half their age - minus the stamina.
The night kicked off with Triple Trouble, their current struggling single off To The 5 Boroughs, and quickly merged into crowd favorites Sure Shot and Root Down from Ill Communication.
The set list was confusing, much like the Beastie Boys' present identity. For the past ten years or so, they have been altruistic rock stars, using their celebrity to promote women's rights, Tibetan Freedom and liberal causes, among others. Tonight, they kept mum about their agenda, except for when they 1)showed a Will Ferrell as Dubya video snippet; and 2)dedicated Sabotage to George W. Bush in their encore.
In fact, they almost seemed to retrogress to their frat days of Licensed To Ill. They performed three songs off that album - Time To Get Ill, Paul Revere and Brass Monkey, the last of which they've historically avoided in concert. Maybe I'm getting old, but seeing MCA rap about the pleasures of excessive drinking is just plain silly.
(Noticeably absent was their least young frat album, Paul's Boutique, represented only by the party anthem Shake Your Rump.)
But after taking a look at the ocean of white known as their audience, one can see why they're confused. I've been to several Beastie Boys concerts, and I don't think any have been as "white frat" as this one. I should've known I was in for trouble when young drunk boys entered MSG in a shouting chorus of The Biz Vs. Nuge. And I should've seen the light when clusters of white boys gathered around the big screen televisions in the corridor to watch the Yankees game. But it really became apparent when the big ass mosh pit erupted. Isn't moshing so yesterday? And don't even get me started on the post-concert, MSG-exiting chants of "New...York...YANKees!" Ugh.
The Beastie Boys don't want you to think they've completely sold out. They had a strong opening act in Brooklyn rapper Talib Kweli, let the legendary Doug E. Fresh beat box with them (I guess Justin Timberlake was busy), and gave a "shout out" to fellow pioneer DMC of RUN-DMC. They performed a kick ass instrumental interlude, with the band set up much like an old school Italian wedding - blue formalwear, stringed lights, upright bass. And in a time of excessiveness in the entertainmnent industry, their minimalist, yet artful, stage was quite refreshing.
All in all, The Beasties did what they do best. They put on a fun, high-energy concert, performing all their hits to a crowd of devoted fans. With a set clocked at 1 hour and 35 minutes, I just wish they would've played more.
Posted by Michele at 12:55 AM | Comments (2)
October 06, 2004
Carl Lewis: Winner in Track, Loser in Life
Nine-time Olympic medalist Carl Lewis is one of the most talented track & field athletes of all time.
So what the hell possessed him to make and promote this piece of crap?
Posted by Michele at 09:39 PM | Comments (2)
The Dick & John Show
I heart John Edwards. I really do. Since the beginning of the Democratic primaries, I've been a big supporter of his, and as a result, had very high expectations going into the Vice Presidential Debate.
Overall, I think he did a great job. He fought fire with fire by debating Dubya-style, making strong use of repetition and his fisted thumb. His attacks at Cheney for wrongly linking the war in Iraq to the war on terror was extremely compelling.
But I was disappointed in how he dodged many questions, in particular, the question on why he is qualified to be Vice President. As a relative newcomer to the poli-scene, he needed to talk about himself more. Critics continually accuse him of being an inexperienced one-term senator, and he failed to address this concern to the American public.
Cheney matched John Edwards point for point. Much like John Kerry last week, he spoke intellectually, with the facts to back his statements. Unfortunately, many of those facts were incorrect (i.e. never meeting John Edwards before, never directly linking Hussein and Bin Laden); tricky, since the majority of viewers won't be able to call him on his lies.
Cheney's greatest strength was knowing when to shut up. He gave succinct answers, and chose not to talk about the subjects he didn't want to talk about. While I found this appalling - to not rebut when given the opportunity - his tactic was generally effective. Why? Because once again, the average voter won't even notice. Instead, they'll likely remember Edwards' breaking the rules by twice name-dropping "John Kerry," when he was supposed to be speaking about his own qualifications.
All in all, I think there was no clear winner. If the press does their job and exposes Cheney's lies, it's possible that Edwards will emerge victorious. Here's hoping...
Posted by Michele at 12:01 AM | Comments (1)
October 01, 2004
Kerry Wins! (Says Me & The Majority of A.M. Polls)
Yesterday, many commentators were saying that last night's debate was "do or die" for John Kerry. Kerry had to prove to voters why he could do a better job as commander-in-chief, while Bush merely had to respond. Kerry rose to the challenge and succeeded.
Kerry exuded confidence and intelligence, in speaking about Iraq, the war on terror, and the current foibles of the Bush administration. While Bush always countered with conviction, he never seemed to answer the questions directly. Take these few quotes:
"So what's the message going to be: 'Please join us in Iraq. We're a grand diversion. Join us for a war that is the wrong war at the wrong place at the wrong time?'"
"They're not going to follow somebody who says, 'This is the wrong war at the wrong place at the wrong time.'"
"I don't see how you can lead this country to succeed in Iraq if you say wrong war, wrong time, wrong place."
"...he [Kerry] voted to authorize the use of force and now says it's the wrong war at the wrong time at the wrong place."
"My opponent says help is on the way, but what kind of message does it say to our troops in harm's way, 'wrong war, wrong place, wrong time'?"
As you can see, Bush uses REPETITION as a tactic when he can't make a factual, valid argument. This is unacceptable!
Of course, Kerry wasn't perfect. He could've questioned Bush's reasons for going to war more (i.e. nuclear weapons in Iraq). But overall, he did enough, at the very least, to make undecided voters more curious.
For the full transcript of the debate, click here.
Posted by Michele at 10:37 AM | Comments (0)
