drunkencomputing

Many of you will say, “‘Saturday Night Live’ isn’t as funny as it was back in The Day.”  Most people who say that, weren’t even alive back during said “The Day”, or if they were, they were too young to appreciate Dan Akroyd and Eddie Murphy.  Their statement about “SNL back in The Day” is based upon “Best Of” SNL shows, and that’s it.  Today, “SNL” is funny, it’s just that it’s a different funny.  But I will admit, sometimes they do struggle to during skits.

For instance, there’s the “SNL Digital Shorts.”  These are hands-down whacky hilarious.  You can’t compare that to anything back in The Day.  It’s a complete appeal to Gen-X and Y people (the title alone says that) who don’t even watch the show, but instead get forwarded the clip via e-mail or YouTube it (reference, “Lazy Sunday”).  They don’t even bother watching SNL on the DVR, let alone the live broadcast –which gives the show some of it’s complete hilarity–seeing jokes be ad-libbed or fall apart in real-time).  Instead, if you could track the popularity of any given “SNL Digital Short”, you’d find it was just as influential on today’s culutre as “Wayne’s World” or Bill Murray.  Notice I said “today’s culuture.”

Next, there’s the dead-on parody’s of the 2008 election (and the follow-on political antics).  I mean, I haven’t laughed that hard at a comedy parody of a politician for so long since Dana Carvey as George H.W. Bush or Will Ferrell as the latter Bush (notice a trend?!?).  The final debate parody between McCain and Obama sent tears streaming down my face, just like Dana Carvey’s “lock box” for keeping money from Congress in.  And of course, the Tina Fey/Sarah Palin stuff.  While funny, it wasn’t SNL’s doing–it was hers.  Wasn’t Tina Fey just mimiking Sarah Palin most of the time?  When SNL’s joke’s did come out, however, they were priceless (“Oh are we don’t doin’ the tah-lent pohr-shun of tha shooow?”) and just deadly accurate continuance of the politician’s behavior in an elaborated format.  How is that not funny (and relevant!).  And how about their (sometimes one-sided) portrayl of Barack Obama this past week: calm, cool, never gets upset?  This wasn’t so much political sattire genius as it was just saying something everyone knew, then making a huge, awesome joke out of it (The Rock Obama!  C’mon!).  All this make SNL still funny.

“Weekend Update” is still classicly hilarious.  The jokes are more up-to-date, but the delivery remains the same.  I think I even like “Weekend Update” better with just Seth Meyers by himself.  And who here has not said “FIX IT” at least once to someone yet?  Still funny, still viable.

Then there’s the other statement from people, “SNL pushes the envelope.”  I have no examples of how it did this back in the day (I’m sure it did, and I’m sure George Carlin’s name will somehow be tied to one of the arguments), but I’ve heard people say that before.  Today, the envelope is pushed still by the show, right?  Look at how it “changed the face of the election.”  Isn’t that pushing the envelope?  Or how about the mainstream use of the word “douche.”  We now can hear the loveable term used in nearly any TV show (including primetime!) and it’s derivitives (“douchy”) thanks to SNL.  Up next for pushing the envelope: the term “BJ” and and any follow-on references to such.  Thanks Dwayne Johnson!

So yeah, SNL is still funny.  It has it’s moments where it’s not, but it’s always had those.  I think it’s only because we’re in a different era where the public still determines it’s OK for Chris Brown to beat Rihanna.  Or it’s OK for slow death by media (a la Britney Spears), so therefore, the writing staff and producers have to adapt the same way.  Can they still pull of the traditional joke?  Like the Sports Show Alien named Greg?  Or do they have to rely on a one-liner like “the whales will quiet down if I get to have sex with you, but they’ll settle for a BJ.” (sic), while the rest of the skit is simply filler (except for the constant buckets of water they splashed on the actors, that was just damn hilarious…again, something you can only appreciate probably if you see it live).  The staff at SNL is still trying to figure this out, I think.  They’re adapting (reference: SNL Digital Shorts) and trying to remain relevant in an era that changes by the minute.  So give ‘em some slack.

Ahh, TV. I miss you. Gone are the shows that kept me enthralled over the fall and winter. And just when I thought I could break away from the TV for the summer, I find that I can’t. Behold, “John from Cincinnati.”

I’m not a smart person or a deep thinker, so for me to say “I’m a fan of John from Cincinnati” may to some seem as if I’m trying to say I like it because I’m some sort of enlightened person. Just the opposite, actually…I like stupid action and linear drama, so “John from Ciny” should be right over my head and definitely not a show that I’d consider myself a fan of. But here I am, saying it, and not because I am or think I’m enlightened. It’s because the show is going to keep me guessing.

“John from Ciny” isn’t the type of guessing either that’s done on “Lost.” On “Lost,” you are wondering what’s going to happen next to a character? Who’s going to die? What do the numbers mean, etc. On “John from Ciny” you wonder what the fuck is going on. It’s one giant puzzle, not a smaller set of mini-puzzles. You’re given a bunch of characters with varying levels of connection. Your introduced to an enigma…he may or may not be God or something thereof. Slowly and frustratingly, their connections were further forged, the actions of the characters somehow explained (and, perhaps, justified?), and the enigma made even more mysterious. You weren’t left with tangible questions, only distant, completely speculative theories that if you voiced them it would make you not believe them. You were given a bunch of characters, a situation, and a blank slate with a few scribbled notes as to what the hell could be going on.

This was a fun way to handle a TV show. It was a drama, but not a drama the likes of “The Sopranos.” And also unlike “The Sopranos,” it didn’t have me waiting for 8pm every Sunday. However, that changed with the most recent episode (15 July 07). The doors weren’t completely blown off the mystery of the show (or are they? They could be, but I can’t tell), but we were finally treated to that tangible thing that the loyal viewers of “John from Cincy” have been thirsting for–and the things that made the critics pan the show. Finally, with 5 what-the-fuck minutes, the show validated itself as a true healthy obsession for a television viewer. And then finally, even though I had no idea what the hell is still going on–but have a few great theories I’m no longer ashamed of–I could finally call myself a true, justified fan of “John from Cincinnati.”

The TV season is almost over. Some big finales are coming up. And for some reason, I’m just not as excited as I thought I would be. I’m not sure why that is, maybe because most of the TV shows this year have either been “bleh” or “meh.” Some thoughts:

• 24: Started out as a fucking kick-ass season, then tapered off into the suck after about 5 episodes. Then toward then end it kind of picked up with the last three episodes, but then just fizzled on the season finale. I guess nothing exciting happened, but at the same time, we don’t have a huge cliff hanger to deal with to make us piss our pants until January of 2008. I give it 2.5 out of 5 stars, and a “bleh.”
• Lost: Lost this season was only OK. It had it’s high points (I thought the Nikki and Paulo episode was the most traditional of all Lost episodes this season, although it barely had any bearing on the overarching story of the show) and it’s low points (if they get captured one more fucking time, I swear to Christ…). The entire season (nay, the SERIES!) was redeemed for it’s faults with last night’s season finale. FINALLY we as viewers got what we wanted. We FINALLY had some definitive answers. We FINALLY thought that the characters on the show were doing what we were telling them. Finally some people died who should have died so long ago. And lastly, some characters established themselves as heroes, and others returned to their natural bad-ass-motherfucking selves that made me fall in love with this show (oh, Locke and Sawyer, I love you two). And best of all, even though the finale was a mind-fuck, it didn’t cock-tease us too much. We can all breath with a little weight off our chest in the fact that Lost didn’t end with a complete bastard of a cliff hanger (ala season 2–or even worse–season 1). Thank you, Lost writers and producers, for returning your show to excellence (and my top 10 of all time list) with one fucking 2 hour episode. The season gets 4 out of 5 stars and “yaay!”
• The Sopranos: Sadness fills my heart as The Sopranos exit from my TV forever. Only two episodes left, and this season has been pure dynamite. It’s back to the old Season 1 & 2 Sopranos. I actually feel like I know Tony, and I like him, and I actually feel his torment, his anger, etc. It’s incredible to be this tied to a character on TV. And when Chris died, I just shuddered because I saw a side of Tony that was so dark and demonic that it rattled me to the bones. And now, what’s going to happen…is Tony going to be a tragic hero? Who else will die? I’m going to miss this fucking show. 5 out of 5 stars and a very sad “meh meeeh.”
• The Shield: The biggest cat ever on this show is out of a very small bag. Now what will happen? There’s too much fucking bad stuff waiting to go on. Is this the end of The Shield? If it is, it’s going to ass-fuck the viewer with a sense of non-closure to say the least. But this season has been amazing…almost as good as last season, and nearly as good as the Glen Close season. 4 out of 5 stars and a “meh?”
• Entourage: Maybe the 2nd best season, but it’s just not as Ari-funny any more. Everyone else seems to have gotten funnier, except Ari. What’s up with that? But now that most of the fallout from the first half of season 2 has been repaired, what else can happen to keep us coming back for season 3?

On the horizon is some amazing shit too, don’t be confused. Even those a lot of shows are ending (some permanently), there’s some new stuff (and new old stuff) spinning up that I can’t wait for. Such as:

• John from Cincinnati: I have no fucking clue what this show is about, so I’m intrigued and will probably watch it. Plus, it’s from the guys who do (did?) “Deadwood.”
• The Wire: The best show on TV ever is coming back sooner than I expected, according to the previews on HBO. Supposedly this season will continue with the drug war, the politics of Baltimore, and the school system, but will also wrap itself around the media and news outlets. Should be interesting to see how the hell that will work. Oh, plus it’s the goddamn best show on TV so shut the fuck up and watch it.
• 24: It’s back in January, I just saw the preview. As I said above, it ended ho-hum, without any real cliff-hanger to setup anything in the new season. This should allow for the creators and writers to get the fuck back on track and unfuck all the goddamn shitty writing and plot they had this season. It’s going to give them a clean slate to establish what they call in the preview “the best season of 24 ever.”

As you can tell, I’m a little excited, but not as much. I’m more looking forward to what’s coming down the pipe. I just can’t believe how relaxed and not on edge I’ll be with my favorite TV shows not ending with a stroke-inducing cliff hanger. I can actually focus on my summer now! Thanks, TV!

With the new season of “24” exploding (quite literally) onto the silver screen, here’s a few things I’d like to point out to the producers after watching the first four episodes:

Do:

•  Make jack bauer look human. when jack cries, i do too. he’s a hard man, but man, when he breaks down, I want to feel it.  So far this season, Ihave.
• Make Counter Terrorist Unit (CTU) LA fail at times. it shows us that in the end, we can’t always expect the “good guys” to win.
• Sacrifice the real-time action for real-time stunned silence. It was such a brilliant effect.
• Use the real-time stunned silence to twist everything we’ve come to expect from “24.” just when we thought we could expect you to kill off a main character, you throw a curve ball at us. and it was completely unexpected.
• Approach the sub plot with the legal and human rights side of the war on terror.  We love Jack Bauer shooting up terrorists, but I also love to see what happens in the “real world” while that transpires. it’s a welcomed addition to the show.

Don’t:

• Ever stop making “24.” Keep up the great work, and continue to make us guess and expect the unexpected.

Rachael and i snuck a peek a head. season 4 finished so phenomenal, capping off an amazing 13 hours of tv. as everyone has said, it’s the best.

…but season 5 will rule television. you can take your “Lost,” and your “Sopranos” and shove them right up your ass. nothing will ever hold a candle to “The Wire.” yeah, i remember saying that “The Sopranos” was the best show on tv…then i said that “The Wire” could replace it someday. that was two years ago. oh, it has replaced it. “The Wire” is my favorite TV show ever. fuck your serialized drama.

this is the real reality tv. it’s the best tv. thank you, “The Wire.”