Month: January 2007

A salute to Martin Luther King, Jr. The hope that the world can continue to improve continues.

The man who will not retire: Bill Moyers may be coming back to tv with yet another weekly show. God love him, I’m glad he’ll do it. If you have it in you, and the world needs your voice, why not get back out there?

Saturday: went shopping at Staten Island Mall. Not nearly as fun a place as it used to be, but it’ll do. Bought books at Borders (I could have sworn I wasn’t going to buy anything this month, after the spending for Christmas that I did), so to redeem holiday rewards dollars. Some interesting reading to look forward to doing and good bargains.

And, of course, tonight is the premiere of “24.” Hmm, should be interesting.

In my internet surfing, I was reminded that it’s the 20th anniversary of Star Trek: The Next Generation. 20?! Yikes. But, it’s true – 1987. I checked though – the actual anniversary’s not until September, as opposed to, say, how the later spinoffs premiered (Deep Space 9 and Voyager both aired as January premieres).

Sooner or later, Hollywood’s going to have to figure out whether You Tube is “friend or foe,” as this NY Times article suggests. There are pros and cons, no doubt – but big bucks are also involved…

Slate’s “Jurisprudence” on an analysis and slide show of Justice William Brennan’s views and notes. Cool stuff.

I know; I’m old-fashioned: while still trying to get rid of more clutter, I listened to some CD’s, my belated Xmas presents. “Jersey Boys” Broadway show album – awesome! Now, if only I’ll ever see the show… Snow Patrol (I know the “Chasing Cars” song is a bit ubiquitous these days, but the album “Eyes Open” is overall pretty good), and The Fray (yes, their song “How To Save a Life” is also all over the place – both Snow Patrol and The Fray have to thank “Grey’s Anatomy” for putting their songs on the commercials and soundtracks; but The Fray’s album is also overall pretty good).

Food eaten: homemade fried wontons – yum. (Good – delicious! Bad – my weakness for fried foods will likely do me in one day); Dunkin Donuts’ munchkins. I believe that munchkins make you happy. Bit into the sugar coated ones, thinking it’d be either a jelly or a creme; turns out to be creme. Happy little surprise. The world sucks, at least if you watch the news, but you got to take the little joys in life.

In a world record for me, I’ve actually satisfied the first half of my new year’s resolution in only 12 days by joining up with the YMCA with P- today. The local YMCA facility is brand new. The second half is to start swim classes.

In other purchases, bought a fine mesh conical strainer. It will come in handy the next time I’m making a gravy from roast beef. Bailed on buying an OXO water kettle. Tasty treats from Sahadi’s and the store next door, Damascus Bakery. They have really good, not too sweet Halvah, a sesame desert made from a secret receipe.

January reading: Nelson DeMille’s Word of Honor. Bit long (like, hi, an editor can help you cut things out, you know); gets down to the nitty-gritty of how bad wars are bad (Vietnam War vet’s covering up of war crimes comes to haunt him real bad; feels very 1980’s because the book was written and published in the 1980’s). Good subway read.

NY Times’ Stuart Elliott reports on the trend of using penguins as advertising spokesanimals. Yeah, you know, ’cause penguins are so darn cute. I blame it entirely on “March of the Penguins” and “Happy Feet.”
In honor of Iwao Takamoto’s passing, Slate republishes/re-posts its Appreciation for the Scooby-Doo thing. Apparently, in 2004, Chris Suellentrop said:

Here’s the easiest way to comprehend the longevity of Scooby-Doo: Casey Kasem has been doing the voice of Shaggy (Norville Rogers, if you insist on his given name) for longer than he hosted his weekly Top 40 radio show. He started voicing Shaggy in 1969, the year before American Top 40 debuted, and he’s still got the part, on television in the WB’s Saturday-morning cartoon, What’s New Scooby-Doo?, and in the direct-to-video movies the franchise keeps churning out. [….]

But beyond making comparisons to the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew, or citing the general appeal of talking dogs, or noting that Daphne is as sexualized as a kiddie cartoon character gets, it’s difficult to say exactly why the show has had such a long-standing appeal. It’s not as if the show’s animator, Iwao Takamoto—his other creations include the Great Gazoo of The Flintstones and Grape Ape—is an unheralded genius, a mystery-genre Tex Avery or Walt Disney. “I never got it,” complained Mitchell Kriegman, the creator of Nickelodeon’s Clarissa Explains It All, to the Boston Globe a few years back. “It’s got kind of a slacker appeal, a no-resistance story line.” Animators and children’s TV creators around the world must see Scooby and ask themselves: Why can’t my crappy show become iconic? [….]

TV snobs surely see Scooby‘s ineffable charms as another brick in the wall of American decline, the latest example of how we’re all slouching toward Toon Town. As if our children should all be watching The Sopranos. Maybe Scooby‘s appeal makes sense when you compare it to the rest of kids’ TV. The most ham-handed of children’s shows try to stuff a moral message down the audience’s throat. But the moral code of Scooby-Doo permeates the entire enterprise without you ever noticing it. The Washington Post‘s Hank Stuever concisely elucidated the “Scooby worldview” when the first live-action movie came out: “Kids should meddle, dogs are sweet, life is groovy, and if something scares you, you should confront it.” What needs to be explained about that?

“Ugly Betty” on Thursday night – very interesting episode.  Poor Daniel learns that Sophia was toying with him all along (Salma Hayek played the character’s less-kind side so well, that it was hard to really believe her at the end, when she tells Daniel that he wasn’t what she thought after all).  Poor Wilhelmina gives up her nicer side because love burned her.  And Betty – does she realize that she’s unemployed now?  I certainly hope next week’s episode will get us on the path of wrapping up the conspiracy storyline, which is no fun at all.

Wantedf to catch more of “The O.C.” as it pursues the road to its series finale, but – good grief – the time slot is up against “Grey’s Anatomy.”  Dr. Izzie – do you realize that you can use your $8 million inheritance to help others get medical treatment?  And, once again, Meredith’s family issues rear their ugly heads.