Oct 31 2008
"The Simpsons" is no longer the must-see-weekly cultural icon it once was, but even some infrequent viewers make a point of tuning in for the annual Halloween episode, "Treehouse of Horror" (8 p.m. Sunday, Fox).
This year's installment, number XIX, begins with political commentary more than political humor, something viewers started to see in these episodes a few years ago.
Homer goes to the polls on election day 2008. At first he votes for John McCain on a touchscreen then tries to change his vote to Barack Obama. The machine casts six votes for McCain instead before it eats Homer.
"This doesn't happen in America!" Homer says. "Maybe Ohio, but not America!"
Perhaps it would be funnier if the scene didn't reference a very real concern. Viewers tune to "The Simpsons" to escape real-world anxieties, not to be reminded of them. So it's a relief that the detour into real issues is short-lived.
The next sketch is a gloss on "Transformers" that isn't all that funny. That's followed by another lackluster tale titled "How to Get A-Head in Deadvertising" about dead celebrities used in modern advertising. It begins with an amusing, spot-on Homer-centric spoof of the "Mad Men" opening credits and then devolves into a Homer killing spree. He takes out several modern, living celebrities (George Clooney, Prince, Neil Armstrong) so advertisers can use their images in ad campaigns.
The show's writers save the best sketch for last: "It's the Grand Pumpkin, Milhouse." No one believes Milhouse, who believes the Grand Pumpkin exists. So he makes a delcaration of faith, borrowing from the Apostle's Creed of the Christian church: "I believe in the Grand Pumpkin, almighty gourd, who was crustified over Pontius pie plate and ascended into oven. He will come again to judge the filling and the bread."
This sketch succeeds because it offers the most sly cultural commentary, from Milhouse's creed to the Grand Pumpkin's offense when he's offered pumpkin seeds: "You roast the unborn!?!" It's not an on-the-nose fear like the voting machine incident but it's not as broad and goofy as the Transformers sketch. "It's the Grand Pumpkin, Milhouse" occupies the difficult-to-achieve middle ground of comedic commentary. It's a spot "The Simpsons" used to land in with much greater frequency.
Oct 29 2008
From a purely technical standpoint, "The Barack Obama Political Message" was extremely well crafted with high production values. Sure, you can criticize it to some degree as a clip show since it used excerpts from Obama's speeches, convention biography film and commercials. Some of the scenes had a faint musty smell about them because they'd aired before.
But there is no denying the power of the packaging and presentation. I'd love to know who put it together, especially the docu-drama segments. Obama narrated the hard luck stories of several American families over cinematography brought to mind high-minded PBS programs such as "The Farmer's Wife" or "Country Boys."
This half-hour paid political advertisement, which aired on multiple broadcast and cable networks, began with those favorite political cliches: Images of golden wheat blowing in the breeze and big sky country. Obama spoke about the tough times the country has faced of late and then viewers saw him standing in front of the American flag, near a desk, in a wood-paneled office with a bay window to the outdoors in the background. (Anyone who crowed over the Greek columns at the Democratic convention is sure to howl that the set looked like a rustic version of the Oval Office.)
Obama introduced viewers to the demographically diverse families -- white, black, hispanic -- and narrated their stories. You can argue with his policies, but the families in this half-hour ad came across as genuine. And they didn't lavish praise upon the candidate. I don't think any of them actually said anything about Obama. They just told their stories, which Obama used as examples of why a change is needed in Washington. Then he went about laying out why he's the right person to make those changes happen, seguing into the familiar talking points of his economic policies. When the show went to Obama's plans, it got boring but obviously his campaign felt it necessary to get these points across again. I'm sure it was designed for average Americans, not anyone obsessed with this election since those people know who they're voting for.
(One possible flaw in the presentation: Obama said he will cut taxes for families making less than $200,000. On some message boards, conservative partisans are already jumping on that, claiming Obama has gone back on what he's said in the past. What I recall hearing in the past was Obama saying he would not raise taxes on those making more then $250,000, which would seem to be a different way of saying something similar. Look for the discrepancy -- or the perceived discrepancy depending on what has actually been said in the past -- to turn up in a McCain ad. Interestingly, I don't think Obama's 30-minute spot ever mentioned McCain or even alluded to Obama having an opponent. That's probably a smart tactical move.)
What I found fascinating was the program's fluency with all the bells and whistles of prime-time network programming. The Web address for Obama's campaign site crept up in the lower right corner. An on-screen banner promised, "Live Obama Event Later in the Program."
The program even played like a Very Special Episode for sweeps month with cameo appearances by Michelle Obama, VP nominee Joe Biden, Google CEO Eric Schmidt, Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland, Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius and Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine among others.
Obama's ad also made excellent use of music. Strings -- guitar mostly, I think -- underscored most of the program, especially the stories of real people. And then, as the time for the live portion of the show approached, the music suddenly shifted into a more rousing, upbeat tempo. By the end of the half-hour, the music made me think of the uplifting score from NBC's "The West Wing," an intentional echo, no doubt.
Obama discussed his mother, who died of cancer, as an emotional call for health care reform. And he offered a mini-biography of running mate Biden. Obama even took a risk in offering up a sound bite that could be used by his political adversaries, acknowledging, "I am not a perfect man. I will not be perfect President but I can promise you this: I will always tell you what I think and where I stand. I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you when we disagree. And most importantly, I will open the doors of government and ask you to be involved in your own democracy again."
During the live portion of the program, Obama, to thunderous applause, proclaimed, "In six days we can choose hope over fear, unity over division, the power of change over the power of the status quo. In six days we can come together as one nation, one people, and once more choose our better history."
It was stirring rhetoric, but did anyone watch? We'll see what Nielsen says tomorrow. And did this convince Americans to buy the product advertised -- Barack Obama -- by casting a vote for him at the polls? We'll find out on Tuesday.
Did you watch the Obama show? What did you think of it as a TV production? Did it change your vote? Login to comment (register to comment here).
***
Friday's Tuned In column previews the new syndicated fantasy series "Legend of the Seeker," based on the Terry Goodkind book series. The show premieres Saturday at 5 p.m. on WPCW and stars Craig Horner (left) and Bridget Regan who seek to keep an evil force from ruling a "Lord of the Rings"-like land.
The show is from the executive producers of "Xena" and "Hercules," Rob Tapert and Sam Raimi. In a teleconference with reporters last week, Raimi, the director of the popular "Spider-Man" films, said he was unfamiliar with the Goodkind books until this project came up.
"I read it and I was just swept away like I am during the best of the original William Shatner 'Star Trek' episodes," Raimi said. "It has all the classic elements of sword and sorcery types of adventures."
Read more about the show Friday in the Tuned In column.
Oct 29 2008
The top of the 6 p.m. news on all three stations reminded me why many viewers profess a hatred of local TV news. All three stations led with reports of snow.
"Anyone wanting an early Halloween scare just had to look out the window," said WPXI anchor Peggy Finnegan.
On WTAE, anchors Andrew Stockey and Michelle Wright narrated viewer pictures of the miniscule snowfall, including the incongruent comment by Stockey, agreeing with a viewer that "the snow is beautiful." Wait, you're trying to scare us with something beautiful? How does that work?
KDKA reporter John Shumway, perhaps ashamed at the reporting he was forced to do, blamed a superior for barging onto some guy's driveway near Uniontown.
"Our boss sent us down here," Shumway said.
"Well, this is just a little frost," the man said.
Nooooooo! That's not the narrative KDKA, WTAE and WPXI wanted to send! They want us scared, cowering in fear of the flurries, our only recourse to retreat into the warm. glowing embrace of local TV news.
Snow in October? It's going to be a long winter. The predictable, angry viewer e-mails to the TV Q&A column should begin any minute. But, seriously, why bother getting angry? Just turn off the local news on nights when it insists on insulting your intelligence. If that turns out to be every night, so be it.
Oct 29 2008
In preparation for the "Barack Obama Political Message" (8 tonight on NBC, CBS, Fox, MSNBC, BET, TV One), here are some amusing political-themed Internet videos:
The first is a "Battlestar Galactica"-themed spot for McCain-Palin that suggests the pair are evil Cylons. (h/t Mary)
The second features Ron Howard (as Opie and Richie Cunningham) voicing support for Obama with assistance from Andy Griffith and Henry Winkler. (h/t Allan)
And the third is a new version of the old Bud "Wassup!" spot that's been updated as a means of support for Obama.
Finally, the liberal MoveOn.org allows Web surfers to customize a video for friends/enemies/frenemies. It's a faux news report on the one voter who failed to vote, leading to a McCain win. Here's one my friend Stephanie sent me. You can create your own here. And the Hillary Clinton version is here.
If I found any funny pro-McCain/anti-Obama spots I'd post those too, but I haven't found them other than the "SNL" spots from the other day. If you know of any, post links below in the comments section.
***
If you don't plan to watch the Obama show tonight, please check out ABC's "Pushing Daisies" (8 p.m., WTAE) as an alternative. It's an excellent, ratings-challenged series that could be canceled. If more viewers don't start watching, it doesn't have a prayer, which would be a shame. America should not be denied the charms of actress Kristin Chenoweth (pictured, right) on a weekly basis.
Oct 28 2008
In this week's Tuned In Podcast, six members of the Post-Gazette's features department join me break down the second season finale of AMC's "Mad Men." Warning: If you haven't watched this "Mad Men" episode yet, you might want to wait before listening to this podcast to avoid spoilers. Listen or subscribe to the podcast here.
***
So many washed-up celebs turn to reality TV to revive their careers. Coolio, famous for the 1995 song "Gangsta's Paradise" from the movie "Dangerous Minds," is the latest to make the attempt with Oxygen's "Coolio's Rules" (10 tonight). Six one-hour episodes were ordered.
Coolio actually does bring a winning, charming personality to the series but it still feels completely contrived.
The first thing I noticed about the show is that "Coolio" is either living in a rented home or the production crew painted and redecorated his pad just before production began. It looks too neat, too clean, too perfect to be a real, lived-in house. But give him props for living in a normal house, not a mansion. He says he had a mansion but his ex-wife got it in their divorce.
Coolio lives in this space with his kids, who range in age from 15 to 21. They have little respect for Coolio. He calls himself the "ghetto gourmet" (If I can get a woman to my house and get her to eat some of my food, her panties are coming off!") but his kids reject his pasta dish and mock him somewhat mericlessly. He comes off as pretty henpecked by the brood (3 girls and a boy).
The whole show feels pretty scripted as Coolio often takes time to directly address the audience from his kitchen. He also lays down is rules from time-to-time. Rule No. 1: "I pay the bills so I make the rules."
This summer at the TV critics press tour, Coolio shrugged off comparisons to last year's Snoop Dog family show, saying, "We didn't have any guest stars. No David Beckhams, nothing like that. ...We kept it straight family. At end of the day, I will have to say that once you guys see our show, you all will have to -- you will have to admit that we have the realest family reality show ever in history so far."
Sorry, Coolio, but I don't think so, not judging by the freshly painted walls and well-appointed rooms.
Oct 27 2008
I took a detour today off the TV beat for a brief layover on the movie beat with a set visit to "Sorority Row," a new thriller. Post-Gazette photographer Andy Starnes and I were on the set in Oakland today as a red-haired, pig-tail-extensioned Rumer Willis (pictured, right) appeared for the graduation scene. Her character, Ellie, was described by a member of the production as the intellectual among the sorority sisters in the movie.
The film is meant to take its events seriously but at the same time looks at sorority culture in a more humorous light:
"It's Laura Ashley by day and lingerie parties by night," said director Stewart Hendler. He said the film will emphasize character because "it doesn't matter when you kill them off if you're not invested in them."
Several main characters were seated side by side for the graduation scene, including good-time girl Claire (Jamie Chung, pictured left), party girl Chugs (Margo Harshman, center in the photo) and grande dame Jessica (Leah Pipes, on the right in the photo).
Actor Julian Morris, who plays a new character on "ER" this season, addressed the graduating class in a scene that took about two hours to film. A camera hung from a crane in front of him and then rotated around his head until it was filming the crowd from over his shoulder.
Morris (pictured, right), who is British, performed the role using an American accent that was pretty flawless.
Actress Carrie Fisher ("Star Wars") plays the mother of the sorority house, and reality TV veteran Audrina Patirdge, who appears as herself on MTV's "The Hills," also has a role. Neither were on the set today.
Although the original "House on Sorority Row" was considered a horror flick, Hendler and others described the new version as more of a thriller.
"I'm a big believer that less is more and less is often scarier," Hendler said. The film, which is expected to be R-rated nonetheless, will also have some self-aware humor. "I pitched it as ‘Mean Girls' meets ‘Scream.' "
For scenes shot in Homestead, a sorority house catches on fire but the production didn't actually burn down any buildings. Flame bars were set 4 feet from the house and filmed from down the block. Additional flames will be added in post-production.
"No houses caught on fire in the making of this movie," Karz said. "But it'll look like all of Homestead is on fire when we get done with the special effects," said Karz (pictured, left).
Two Web sites go behind the scenes of the movie:
-- Writer Josh Stolberg is blogging about the making of the movie.
-- And the Web site BloodyDisgusting.com shows some of the prosthetic effects from the movie, but be warned, one "Sorority Row" post includes a spoiler, albeit, a fairly predictable one.
"We have a great prosthetics guy," Karz said. "He's made bodies of several different actresses in the movie. Several of the actresses came and saw the prosthetics and were surprised by how close the resemblance was."
Oct 27 2008
D.L. Hughley's new weekly CNN series began with an announcement that CNN's regularly-schedule programming, "White Guys Over 50 With Opinions," would not be seen in order for the premiere of "D.L. Hughley Breaks the News" (10 p.m. Saturday).
It's an unusual effort for CNN, which isn't known for airing many comedy shows, particularly not ones that begin with this joke: "[U.S. Sen. Barack] Obama says there will be a special place for Colin Powell in his administration and that's gonna be amazing because there haven't been two black people at the White House at the same time since Thomas Jefferson had a three-way."
The audience laughed a little nervously at that one. I didn't laugh at a lot that followed.
Saturday's show began with Hughley doing a monologue full of racially-tinged jokes and then segued into an interview with "Freddie Mack, the baddest dude on Wall Street," who suggested those complaining about the financial crisis should, "Shut your mouth, [expletive deleted]." It was a lame skit.
Then Hughley interviewed a business correspondent, making the show an odd mix of attempts at humor and real news. Hughley also interviewed attendees at a Sarah Palin rally in the South. Some of Hughley's man on the street interviews were quite amusing. He even passed out "Palin-Hughley 2012" signs and got Palin supporters to chant for the ticket.
But much of Hughley's humor is obvious or tired, like his contention that, vis-a-vis Palin seeing Russia from Alaska, he can see the moon but it doesn't make him an astronaut. I've heard that line a half-dozen times in the past few weeks.
Hughley's big newsmaking interview with former Bush press secretary Scott McClellan was reported last week when the show was taped and McClellan endorsed Obama. It's an OK interview but the whole show is an odd mish-mash of comedy and news that's not an organic mix as it is on "The Daily Show." And at an hour, "Breaks the News" is both too long and yet many of the interviews seem brief. I can't see myself tuning in again.
***
In real-world news, local coverage of last week's McCain volunteer attack/mutilation hoax came under the national microscope, including cable and blogosphere criticism of the Post-Gazette and reports that a McCain aide told an incendiary version of the story to local media that was reported and then pulled back. The TPM report cites changes in versions of reports on the Web sites of both KDKA and WPXI.
***
If you watched last night's "Mad Men" season finale, you'll want to check out our conversation in this week's Tuned In Podcast, which will be posted tomorrow. I'll include a link in this blog once it's available.
Oct 26 2008
After weeks of spoofing U.S. Sen. John McCain and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, last night "Saturday Night Live" gave it to the Democrats with a cold open skit that poked fun at the statements of U.S. Sen Joe Biden (Jason Sudeikis) and U.S. Rep John Murtha (Darrell Hammond, sounding and looking more like his Chris Matthews character than the real Murtha). Watch it here.
Of course, it's more difficult to mock a single blunder than a pattern of missteps, so the laughs were not as loud or long as in previous weeks in this first sketch. (A later preview for U.S. Sen. Barack Obama's upcoming half-hour TV ad was more effective; I'll get to that later.)
Titled "Sen. Biden and Rep. Murtha Say Crazy Things in Johnstown, Pa.," the sketch begins with Murtha saying Western Pennsylvanians are not racist, just "ignorant. They don't know any better, especially your older ones. ... It's like someone said earlier in the campaign, I don't know who, they cling to guns and religion because they feel threatened. That's so true."
Then Biden takes over and says once Obama is elected he'll be tested by a crisis "the likes of which this nation has never before seen." Spectators at the campaign rally clap nervously and look around awkwardly. Biden says Obama's response to the crisis will involve decisions "that seem a little ill-considered. Our military may invade Pakistan or surrender to the Chinese. We may sell Hawaii to Saudi Arabia. Or just destroy it so it can't fall into North Korean hands. But we know what we're doing."
"Earlier what I said about Western Pennsylvania being ignorant, I was misquoted," Murtha says. "I meant more backward. People out here just don't understand the modern world because they're uneducated. They don't have radios and that kind of thing. Also, they're racist."
Biden returns to prophesy like Nostradaumas ("In the second year of the presidency of Barack Obama, a young child shall come from out of the North, from the city of steel and this child shall rule for a time but the child shall rule falsely, in deceit, by the Trident of Neptune, what I've spoken is the truth!") and Murtha, saying one more thing about the people of Western Pennsylvania, asks if anyone has seen the movie "Deliverance."
Later, "SNL" spoofed Obama's upcoming half-hour campaign spot, airing on NBC, CBS and Fox at 8 p.m. Wednesday. Obama (Fred Armisen) and wife Michelle (returning former "SNL" cast member Maya Rudolph) declare that with poll numbers ahead of the McCain-Palin ticket, they've decided to chuck the campaign ad and air a variety show instead. Barack and Michelle sing that their lead is "solid like Barack" to the tune of "Solid Like a Rock."
Nancy Pelosi, Barney Frank and Rahm Emanuel sing "Our House" and Bill Clinton chimes in with "Don't You Forget About Me." Then Biden shows up for dinner with a rubber foot in his mouth. Rev. Jeremiah Wright and Bill Ayers perform together as Wright sings "White Devils Be Crazy." Watch it here.
"SNL," hosted by "Mad Men" star Jon Hamm, also featured a few spoofs of Hamm's acclaimed cable show, including one with "Mad Men" co-stars Elisabeth Moss and John Slattery. In the skit, "Two A-Holes at an Ad Agency in the 1960s," the recurring "SNL" jerk characters meet with the Sterling Cooper ad team as potential clients who want to market a hoola-hoop with a strap on it. (It wasn't that funny but that could be beacuse I never find the two jerk characters to be funny.)
Watch it here.
Later, a better, shorter sketch mocks Hamm's Don Draper character and his silent reactions to women in "Don Draper's Guide to Picking Up Women." Watch it here.
On "Weekend Update," co-anchor Amy Poehler was absent because she gave birth to her first child, a son. Anchor Seth Meyers defended Palin charging the state of Alaska for her children's travel, saying, "In fairness to Gov. Palin, when she leaves them home alone, they get pregnant."
"Update" did mention the McCain volunteer who claimed, falsely, to be robbed and mutilated in Bloomfield with Meyers saying, "Still unanswered: Who did this to John McCain?" as an image of McCain with an "Obama loves Ayers" tattoo on his left arm was shown.
Oct 24 2008
AMC's "Mad Men" (10 p.m. Sunday) ends its creatively successful sophomore season set against the backdrop of the Cuban Missle Crisis. It's a smart move by series creator Matthew Weiner. The characters feel like the world is about to end which puts them in a more confessional, conciliatory mood. It also helps nudge them in other less savory, more base-instinct directions, too.
Not every thread is tied up in this episode, of course. Weiner operates from a "life is messy" perspective that doesn't require everything to be tied up with a bow. But some stories that have been dangling do lead to revelations. Others are ignored completely. And still others hint at resolution but don't spell it out.
There are no real cliffhangers, just questions about how characters and their relationships may bounce back.
If there's any particular takeaway, it's that season two has been about the "Mad Men" women empowering themselves. Junior copywriter Peggy Olson (Elisabeth Moss) now has the office next to Don and power over another co-worker. Betrayed wife Betty (January Jones) has become, cold, calculating and tough, shutting out husband Don (Jon Hamm). There's been a complete role reversal. Where once Don had most of the power in the relationship, Betty now has the upper hand.
Although it's not as emotional an hour as the first-season climax -- particularly the scene of Don pitching the Kodak slide carousel -- there are certainly some high-emotion scenes as characters pour out their hearts, hoping for a favorable response.
One odd scene on the rough-cut I saw: Early in the episode Betty is at the riding stables and has a conversation with another character. It's obvious that the first part of the scene was shot on location and all of the other character's scenes were shot on location. But when the scene cuts to Betty's closeups, its also obvious that Jones is standing on a soundstage with a green screen background that allows the production to insert stable scenes behind her.
I told my friend Legal Eagle about this shot, and he suggested that perhaps they re-wrote Betty's dialogue after first shooting the scene and opted to do re-shoots on a stage, which would be less expensive than staging another location shoot. That would make sense but I'm not sure that's right since none of the other character's dialogue was re-shot. And couldn't they just have looped in new dialogue and used reaction shots of the other character?
The other odd part of the scene comes at its conclusion. Betty crosses in front of the other character and when she emerges on the other side of that character the scene is fully on location, no green screen, but it's shot in such a way that the blond we see striding away may or may not be Jones. Her body is turned at such an angle so as to obscure her face. I have a question about this out to AMC, but so far, no response.
***
I have a tendency to complete what I start. If I'm hooked on a TV show, I'll generally stay with it through thick and thin. Sometimes I bail but often I do not. So it's with that in mind that I went to see "High School Musical 3: Senior Year," based on the Disney Channel franchise.
It's a better movie than "HSM2," although the songs are less memorable, but I like the way "HSM3" offers echos from the first "HSM" flick, which remains the best of the triology.
Blink and you'll miss the winner of ABC's ratings disaster "High School Musical: Get in the Picture." He's featured deep in the end credits after bloopers from the set are shown. His "music video" looks like it was made with a home video camera and it's shown on a small box on the screen. If ABC's reality show had been a hit, surely the video would have been more prominently displayed.
Disney, always planning head, introduces three new characters in "HSM3" who will presumably headline the already announced Disney Channel movie "HSM4." In addition, there's a suggestion one of the original, graduating "HSM" players will be back as a teacher's aid "in the fall." Hmmm, does Disney have a deal with Ashley Tisdale for another film? I put the question to a Disney Channel publicist but have yet to hear back. The Wall Street Journal covered Disney's plan to "regenerate" the franchise this week.
Oct 23 2008
Here's a sneak preview of Friday's column. I'm writing about the conversion to DTV again, this time some specifics about the digital-to-analog converter boxes that 7.7 precent of Pittsburgh area homes will need to install. Why am I doing this? Well, because there are still a lot of questions about the digital transition, as evidenced by Friday's TV Q&A column and phone calls I receive on a daily basis.
A lot of the phone calls and e-mails bring to mind this sketch from Spike Feresten's Fox show. It's an exaggeration ... but not by much! (h/t Paul)
Are you prepared for the digital transition? If you have questions, login (or register to login) to post them below and I'll try to answer them.
***
Another sneak preview: Video from the new season of "Lost."
***
This week's Tuned In Podcast covers Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin on "SNL," NBC's "Crusoe" and HBO's "Entourage." Listen or subscribe at post-gazette.com/podcast.
***
Coming tomorrow to Tuned In Journal: A review of the "Mad Men" season finale and my take on "HSM3: Senior Year."
More Posts
Next page »