02.29.08
SNL in the Mist of a Political Firestorm
Saturday Night Live’s debate sketch featuring a furious Clinton and idolized Obama brought up controversy for the candidates and the show. SNL came back on the air after a three month hiatus due the the writer’s strike. The SNL cast proved they were ready to jump right into the political scene.
The democratic race is really close and may have candidates looking for every opportunity to state their case. Senator Hillary Clinton used an SNL skit as an example of how the media presents a bias toward Obama. Clinton felt she was not receiving equal treatment at the debate held in Texas this month. Clinton told moderators, “In the last several debates I seem to get the first question all the time, I don’t mind. I’ll be happy to field it. I just find it curious if anybody saw `Saturday Night Live,’ maybe we should ask Barack if he’s comfortable and needs another pillow.” The Daily Show took it a step further this week when they joked that Clinton’s paranoia was not wrong as they reported from Anti-Hillary HQ.
SNL tried to level the playing field when host Tina Fey pledged her support for Clinton. Fey stated that while Hillary may be considered a bitch, “Bitches got things done, yo, and that’s why Hillary would be a good president. So I’m sayin, it’s not too late, Texas and Ohio, get on board! Bitch is the new black!”
The idea of media bias may have to do with celebrities sharing their opinions with the press. Obama has definitely rallied a lot of celebrity backing. Everyone from Oprah Winfrey, Matt Damon and comedian Stephen Colbert have pledged their support along with a slew of others. While Hillary has her own list of supporters she also sports a short list of celebrities willing to come out against her for her stance on the Iraq war. I expect (and hope) voters rely more on a candidate’s presentation or stance on a particular issue than celebrity testimony. I am sure celebrity endorsements makes a difference to some though. It may simply be a matter of exposure. Celebrities can reach an audience not normally tuning into debates or the nightly newscast. It is like the old saying, ‘no press is bad press’.
SNL is also in the forefront for casting actor Fred Armisen from Chicago in the role of Obama. The choice has some viewers up in arms. Bloggers argue that the role should have gone to one of the casts many black actors.
The media backlash is a bit of a surprise considering this is a common trend for SNL. Darrell Hammond played Reverend Jesse Jackson and Billy Crystal was cast as Sammy Davis Jr. Crystal’s impersonation is considered the most flawless in SNL history.
This is just SNL up to their old tricks. Is it wrong? -Probably. Is it offensive? -To some. I’d be really interested to hear what people had to say about his performance and whether the actor’s race really makes a difference.
02.28.08
Moment of Truth: The Show LIES
Recent “Moment of Truth” contestant Lauren Cleri maybe heading for divorce because of her honesty. The show is a new low for television. USA Today said it correctly when they stated, “[Fox Reality] pursues bad taste with a zeal unrivaled in the industry”.
The show pits contestants against a polygraph and they are rewarded for telling the truth. That is fine and dandy but contestants have led anything but exemplary lives. They have cheated on their spouses, stole from their jobs, admitted to gambling problems and much more.
Contestants are so mesmerized by the chance to be on television and the thought of half a million dollars that they are willing to embarrass themselves and put themselves in ruin. Players do not consider that fact they could lose their jobs, their spouse or worse. The crowd could tell Monday that Cleri was going to be honest even if it ended her two year marriage to Frank Cleri. Host Mark Walberg even asked the contestant to stop but who knows if that is a genuine plea or merely a part of his job.
Contestants know what they are signing up for and should hardly act surprised about the results. According to an article in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, “Contestants’ friends and family are interrogated thoroughly. “They research your whole life,” says Christie Youssef, 22, who admitted she’s a virgin in the second episode. “I didn’t have any idea of the scope until afterward.”
All the questions are answered in advance when the player is connected to a polygraph. Contestants are just not aware of the results. They also have to put up with shocking twist, like when Cleri was read a question by her ex, Frank.
A polygraph is not a perfect tool that magically detects lies. While the lie detector is hardly flawless it is the best tool available but still should not be considered by any means a mind reader. New York polygraph expert Joel Reicherter explained how the machine worked in an article with The Columbian. Essentially, the polygraph monitors whether a person is trying to “‘beat the test by clenching muscles. The collected data is fed into the examiner’s laptop computer and charted. The program includes a comprehensive database of medications that affect the test, so those can be factored.”
Players unfortunately seem to be getting themselves into more trouble by admitting to the truth rather than merely attempting trying to beat the test.
Hopefully predictions about the show are correct and it will be pulled because of faltering ratings.
02.27.08
Be Kind Rewind Shows Heart and Imagination at its Best
Be Kind Rewind takes on a light hearted subject in the mist of an onslaught of dramatic movies. Michel Gondry’s film veers away from the current trend in theaters. The film is experimental and uplifting while other top rated movies like No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood have been horrific and bloody.
Be Kind Rewind follows the plight of Mike (Mos Def) to help his guardian’s, Mr. Fletcher (Danny Glover), failing video store. Half-wit Jerry (Jack Black) unknowingly erases all the tapes when his brain becomes magnetized. In an effort to save the store, Mike and Jerry set out to “swede” popular titles including RoboCop and Ghostbusters.
Director Michel Gondry ventured a bit from his serious dream-like style as seen in The Science of Sleep and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Be Kind Rewind did maintain a lot of imaginative qualities and reminded me of seeing a group boys playing the backyard. The movie plays out like every kid’s imagination comes to life.
The actors seemed to interpret their roles like they were playing kids. It was hard to determine whether Mos Def was really in his mid 30s or a sniveling 12 year old. Mike came off as whiny and powerless to the whims of others around him including Jerry. Jack Black has made a career of being a big kid or immature, however you feel the need to interpret it.
The film had a good message which was appealing after weeks of mostly seeing blood and violence in the cinema. It was a great reminder to me why film is fun; may the imagination of film making live another day.
02.25.08
Oscars: Media Savvy or Sellouts
Jon Stewart did a decent job at the 80th annual Oscars last night but certain segments made me wonder if some of the sketches were built in plugs.
Jon Stewart had some funny moments at the Academy Awards. He nailed a lot of jokes, excelling of course with his trademark political humor. He was gracious during the ceremony. He even ushered singer Marketa Irglova back on stage for her acceptance speech for the song “Falling Away” from Once after she was abruptly cut off.
He seemed quite taken back by new technologies though. Stewart was featured watching Lawrence of Arbia on his iPhone. He battled 11-year old singer, Jamia Simone Nash, from August Rush in a game of Wii Sports tennis.
Engadget readers are left to debate whether the skits were merely a paid for advertisements or a celebration of new technology and pop culture.
The iPhone may have been a tool to make fun of some of the petty arguements that were center stage during the writer’s strike. Essentially studios and writers were fighting over profits from downloads that may end up on iPhone’s 4 1/2 by 2 1/2 inch screen.
Neither Nintendo or Apple were official sponsors of the Academy Awards. A list of sponsors included American Express, Coca-Cola, General Motors, L’Oréal, Mars, Mastercard, McDonald’s, J.C. Penney, ad firm Procter & Gamble, and Unilever. I am curious how Apple and Nintendo managed to sneak their way on the show.
I guess, good for them. They got the perfect promotion spot and waived the reported $1.8 million advertising fee. The commercials during the Oscars are only second to the Super Bowl in price.
Javier Bardem’s Oscar Dedication
Javier Bardem, Best Supporting Actor, for No Country for Old Men dedicated his Academy Award to his mother. He added in a small thanks in Spanish for her. I figured I would translate it for those who do not have the advantage of three years of high school Spanish under their belts (or an online translator).
“
Wow. Alright, this is very amazing. It’s a great honor for me to have this. I want to I have to speak fast here, man. Thank you to the Coens for being crazy enough to think that I could do that and put one of the most horrible haircuts in history over my head.
Thank you for really proving my work. I want to share this with the cast, with the great Tommy Lee Jones, with the great Josh Brolin, with the great Kelly MacDonald. And I want to dedicate this to my mother, and I have to say this in Spanish, and I’m sorry…
Mama esto es para ti. Esto es para tus abuelos, para tus padres, Rafael y Matilde. Esto es para los comicos de Espana que han traido la dignidad y el orgullo a nuestro oficio.
Esto es para Espana. Y esto es para todos vosotros.
Thank you very much!”
Translated:
“Mom this is for you. This is for your grandfathers, for your parents, Rafael and Matilde. This is for the Spanish comics that have brought the dignity and the pride to our position.
This is for Spain. And this is for all you”.
02.24.08
Oscar Highlights
The 80th anniversary Academy Awards had a couple surprises on their winner’s list. 
Smaller pictures like Once and La Vie En Rose astonished audiences with their wins. No Country for Old Men stole the show, deservedly, with four wins.
Once beat out all three nominated songs for Disney’s Enchanted. I would have figured by numbers alone Enchanted would seal the deal. Marketa Irglova was let back on stage by host Jon Stewart after first being cut short. She had some touching words aimed at struggling artists in her acceptance speech, “And, you know, fair play to those who dare to dream and don’t give up. And this song was written from a perspective of hope, and hope at the end of the day connects us all, no matter how different we are”.
Juno is an indy script with a low-end Hollywood budget, which makes a huge difference. Diablo Cody, who’s real name is Brook Busey-Hunt, gained a lot of applause for her anticipated win.
She has led an eventful life going from getting a media studies degree in Iowa, to stripping, to blogging, to screen writing. Cody came out of the woodwork for this film but I anticipate there will be a lot more from her.
There is one person I believe was totally overlooked. Cate Blanchett was completely passed over. I can’t be upset that she lost to Marion Cotillard for best actress. I am still writhing over the fact that she lost the Supporting Actress nomination for I’m Not There. There is no way she should have gone home empty handed!
Though this was no surprise Daniel-Day Lewis took home the Best Actor award. I would have given up on awards shows altogether if that wasn’t the case.
02.23.08
Cancelled TV Shows Back From the Dead
Every Fall a new lineup of shows emerge which audience can pick their favorites including the quirky Arrested Development. Although, some are innovative shows that break free from the sitcom formula they have little chances for survival.
TV execs are now relying on turning shows that have some cult appeal directly to DVD, on demand or online venues. When shows that have a loyal following slump in the ratings producers purposely cancel the show with plans to later release it.
In an interview with the Seattle Post-Intelligencer Paramount Home video Vice President of Publicity, Martin Blyth said, “There’s no question that studios are running out of catalog theatrical movies to release. There are only so many special edition revisits you can do. Television catalog in addition to the new television product is taking up the slack.”
There is further hope for the future of one tragically missed series, Arrested Development. Fans cry out for rumors of a movie version to come true. MSNBC’s host Keith Olbermann even got into the action with his segment “Come On”.
02.22.08
Daniel Day-Lewis On Religion
A previous post I did seemed to attract some viewers interested in details about Daniel Day-Lewis’s life. He is known for his unique method acting often finds it hard to separate himself from his character. Rumors circulated that while filming My Left Foot he refused to get up from his wheelchair often requiring the staff to carry and spoon feed him. This behavior may seem a little eccentric but it has ushered some great performances. He mentions in an interview with CinemaBlend.com he finds it hard to say goodbye to some of his characters.
It seems Daniel can adapt any character with great intensity but reserves his private life from the media. He carefully chooses his roles and has a reputation for dropping out of the entertainment industry with large time gaps between films.
Daniel Day-Lewis seems very connected with the characters that he creates and that it can be quite eerie at times. His public persona reflects an articulate person with an interesting upbringing.
There Will Be Blood reflected a lot of religious themes. Daniel did not like that interruption, noting that it was too broad. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal Daniel stated, “People already have made certain connections and invited us to think about it almost as if it’s a parable, a cautionary tale, a story that somehow has a clear reflection in our contemporary world,” he says. “But our work is a much narrower field of focus. And it’s vital for us that we, that in telling our story, we do it only with the intention of 
trying to imagine that world, to create that very particular world, that very particular society within that world.”
Details on his own religious beliefs are scarce. He was born Posh, Jewish, and Irish but grew up in London. His Irish heritage attracted him to work on In the Name of the Father. He told the Wall Street Journal, “I did believe very strongly in the importance of telling that story about the Guildford Four, and probably my raising, my education, my cultural background led me to that place. But I choose not to dwell upon that when I’m working .”
Daniel Day-Lewis seems to maintain his religious beliefs have little to do with choosing the role in There Will Be Blood. He has mentioned in an interview from 2002 with poet Eileen Myles he considered himself agnostic.
Eileen Myers: Do you believe in god?
Daniel Day-Lewis: I’m still not sure. I suppose I’m a die-hard agnostic. I don’t know. Do you?
EM: I think I do, because I like the feeling of saying so. I grew up very educated to believe — Catholic School and all that. I bumped up against religion again some years later, and took it on when I would take anything on. Then I just started to think, “Maybe I do believe.” I like praying.
DDL: I never took the habit.
EM: The habit of prayer or the habit of religion?
DDL: I certainly prayed from time to time, but it was not something that I was brought up to do. We prayed at school, but I had no real religious education. Most of my contemporaries in Ireland are ferocious lapsed Catholics who exercise as much energy in despising the religion as they would in staying with it — it’s a full-time job. I think I’m a pagan, probably. If I ever took to religion it would probably be pre-Christian, but I’m quite ritualistic about clothes.
Edit: I am not quite sure what the interest has been behind his religion. It either is the themes of There Will Be Blood or Daniel Day-Lewis’s response to anti-gay protesters reacting to tributes to Heath Ledger for his role in Brokeback Mountain.
Daniel told the press, “We should leave [Heath] alone and we should leave his family alone to suffer their unimaginable grief in private and it’s not going to happen”.
He felt that the best way to stop the protesters was to ignore their demonstration. He said, “We should just stop encouraging people to have greater and greater interest in raking over every detail, which is none of our business anyhow.”
02.21.08
Japanese Vs American Horror
In deciding a victory in this it’s necessary to understand all the components of a horror movie. There should be a distinction between horror movies and a new genre that I refer to as “torture porn”. Movies like Hostel and The Hills Have Eyes have little in terms of plot in exchange for gore, blood and violence. Those are mainly an American development and compete among themselves for the most demented slaughter. I for the most part exclude those in my analysis and center more on classics films.
Here is a breakdown of some elements that have become a staple of the genre. Though all these elements are rarely all packed in one movie there is not one I can think of that excludes any of these:
Psychotic Killer: Viewers may not know the origin or motive of the villain but for some reason 
(usually fully explained by the sixth sequel) he wants to kill little Sally down the street.
Teenage Girls: -Either the bad girl who dies after having sex, or the heroine girl next door every movie has at least one. Japanese films have a habit of featuring screaming schoolgirls.
Monsters: This is a broad category ranging from Gamera and Godzilla to
Dracula and Romero’s zombies. In Japan, monster movies are so broad that they encompass their own genre.
Curse/ Ghost: This is prevalent in Japanese horror and probably much more scary to them considering their culture. They believe quite fanatically in ghost and curses. I think some fear is lost in the transition. They could be trapped in a house or your computer but either way these spirits want revenge.
Jump Scares: Is it the neighbor’s cat waiting around the corner or the psychotic killer? The creepy soundtrack tells people the latter. This is a cheap parlor trick is a staple of American films though it makes some appearances in Japanese movies.
The Creepy Kid: Damien, Rosemary’s baby and Reagan started the trend. They are followed by the girl in The Ring and that funny meowing kid in The Grudge. Moral of the story being don’t have children, most have some relation to the devil.
Japanese films that make their way into American theaters have more original screenplays. An onslaught of remakes have hit the United States in recent years. Most of them are literally just translations featuring the same effects, storyline and actors as the original. American produced films have either been remakes or sequels. Overall America has the most memorable features from Psycho to The Omen which unfortunately have been, excuse the pun, done (and redone) to death.
My vote in this battle goes to the Japanese. The future of horror genre lies in the capable hands of Japanese directors like Takashi Miike.
02.20.08
Reality and the Death of the Sitcom
Television has been invaded by a complete lineup of reality shows like American Idol. Reality programs bought the studios some time during the writers strike but everyone can already sense the trend will continue. Studios like the cheaply ran options like American Gladiators and only have to spend money on a select few programs.
A couple of series have created a dynasty that I am afraid will never die. American Idol continues its seventh season manufacturing another set of pop icons. Big Brother starts its ninth season doing whatever it does, what that is I am still not sure. Survivor may be running out of exotic hot spots. My bet is they will soon have to send the guests to Survivor Disneyland.
Sitcoms have had a fair run but the market for new ones is quickly dying out. 30 Rock and The Office have a stronghold in the genre. Those two cant hold it down forever.
Sitcoms for the most part have become formulaic drones. I am just hoping for a third comedic option. Don’t make me choose between the two anymore.
I feel like I am stuck in the middle of Idiocracy. Soon we will all be laughing at the hit program Ow! My Balls!.
