Decoration Day

Happily, I'm still able to learn new things - yet another thing for which I'm grateful to the men and women who've fought and died to protect America. One of those facts, which I probably should have learned back in grade-school, is that Memorial Day was originally called Decoration Day. Started by former slaves as a way to honor Union soldiers who died in the Civil War, it developed over time into a broader holiday to honor fallen soldiers from all conflicts. Learning about this evolution makes me appreciate the holiday all the more, because the ability for our country to change and grow seems like one of the key things for which our fallen veterans fought. That's what I'll be thinking about later when I'm having a beer.

Borders of Idiocy - Buzz Edition

Any doubts that the current management of Borders doesn't know what they're doing are further dispelled by the recent announcement that they're attempting to end their deal with Seattle's Best Coffee to operate the in-store cafes in favor of doing it themselves (again). As reported by Bloomberg News, the reason is that Borders feels that operating their own cafes would "generate significant cost savings, and boost cafe profitability." Maybe I'm missing something, but I could swear that cutting costs and boosting profits was the rationale for making the arrangement with Seattle's Best Coffee and ditching some very bright and talented people in the process. For their part, Seattle's Best is trying to block Borders attempt to end the deal, though, I can't help but wonder if it's really a fight worth having. Here again, maybe I'm missing something.

Biggest Losers (Past/Present/Future Edition)

Is deception any more palatable if the perpetrator is trying to deceive themselves at the same time they're working to deceive the masses? This is the question I'd like to ask Presidential candidate Newt Gingrich as he proclaims to a gathering of journalists and, by extension, anyone else that will listen that he's "not a Washington figure." That the only reason that claim has any truth in real-world terms is because he was ousted from office (in the wake of what turned out to be a monumental display of hypocrisy) is seemingly beside the point.

The problem for Gingrich is the problem that afflicts any Republican politician worth a damn. If they have any sincere desire to accomplish anything beyond futile displays of ideological purity, they've had to find common ground with those "across the aisle". While rational voters may appreciate this, rational voters don't drive the primary/caucus cycle, meaning anyone with ideas worth serious discussion doesn't stand a serious chance of becoming the GOP nominee without disavowing the ideas that made them worth talking about in the first place. In short, the only way that the theoretically more thoughtful, mature Newt Gingrich stands a chance of facing off against President Obama in the 2012 general election is by acting like a hyper-partisan jackass. Anyone who doubts this need only look at the uproar that followed Gingrich's critique of fellow Republican Paul Ryan's plans to "reform" Medicare a week or so back on NBC's Meet the Press.

Sticking with the topic of NBC and deception, I was struck by the network's commercials advertising the season finale of The Biggest Loser. As the announcer celebrates the amazing physical strides made by the contestants, a ubiquitous pop song declares "you're amazing just the way you are." At the risk of seeming insensitive, isn't the whole point of the show that the contestants weren't amazing just the way they were? Yes, they've done amazing things, but they've done it by making changes. Clearly, deception can come in all shapes, sizes and media campaigns.

Let's Have an Orderly Rapture People!

Against a backdrop of questionable "end times" predictions, you have to give kudos to the New York Police Department for their very thoughtful response. As reported by New York City's Fox Network affiliate, the departmental attitude was: "We don't plan any additional coverage for the end of the world. Indeed, if it happens, fewer officers will be required for streets that presumably will be empty." Move along, people - no tribulations here.

Fame?

I've always thought the concept of out-of-touch "Washington elites" was mainly the product empty-headed political mud-slinging. Sometimes, though, you see things that at least partially explain why the notion has the traction that it does. Today's Reliable Source column in the Washington Post pondered how such a high-profile public figure like Arnold Schwarzenegger was able to keep his out-of-wedlock child a secret for as long as he did. While the article itself is interesting, in particular when it talks about questions of what financial dealings elected officials need to disclose, the head-scratching element came about two paragraphs into the piece when the writers referred to Schwarzenegger's "equally famous wife". Granted, Maria Shriver is known in her own right as part of the Kennedy family and as a journalist. Still, only in the Washington DC area would anyone think to place Shriver's notoriety on the same plane as that of a global movie star. Nice try, Washington Post.

Waiting for the End of the World

Today feels like a good day for random observations.

First, I hear a lot of talk that this coming Saturday the 21st will be the date of the Biblical "rapture". Assuming that's what they're talking about, as opposed to a reunion performance by Blondie, I just hope is holds off until after the matinee showing of Thor I'm planning to see.

Regarding the Arnold Schwarzenegger/Maria Shriver divorce, I hate to sound like I'm taking a cheap shot but my inner 13-year-old can't resist. At one time, I had seen Schwarzenegger as a bit of a Clinton-esque figure, mainly for his political acumen and positioning. However, in light of the revelations that he had an affair that led to an out-of-wedlock child, he seems like he belongs in the Kennedy family more than ever.

What Does 15 Add Up To in Time Lord Years?

15 years ago today, Doctor Who came back from six years of TV oblivion in the form of a one-off movie that sadly failed to set the stage for a new series. 15 years later, Doctor Who is in the midst of the sixth season of its revived incarnation and has seen the premiere of an episode by arguably the most acclaimed writer to ever write for the show (and maybe for television in general), Neil Gaiman. It's interesting that, like that attempted 1996 relaunch, Gaiman's episode The Doctor's Wife spends a great deal of time exploring the nature of the TARDIS and the Doctor's relationship to it. As such, it ends up being a good point of comparison as far as where the program stands 15 years since the first post-"classic series" attempt to revamp it.

The most obvious thing that stands out is that both episodes demonstrate the importance of getting the Doctor right. Whatever the flaws of the 1996 attempt, Paul McGann was undeniably good. This was brought home watching some of his screen test footage that was included on the DVD release. While the material itself seemed a bit dicey, McGann's conviction for the role draws you in. In the same way, current Doctor Matt Smith gives his all in every episode, making even some conceptually shaky stories very entertaining.

In terms of content, The Doctor's Wife comes across as a sincere valentine to the show, while the 1996 movie was an earnest albeit flawed effort to revamp it for a new audience, both guided by people who genuinely love the show. Ultimately, though, neither episode is likely to rank as one of Doctor Who's finest hours. In this way, both of these stories bring to mind the contributions of the one Doctor Who writer who challenges Gaiman's level of acclaim, the late great Douglas Adams (about whom Gaiman wrote a biography in the 1980s).

Putting aside his brilliant salvage job, City of Death, Douglas Adams wrote two full stories during Tom Baker's tenure in the late 70s. The first of them, The Pirate Planet, was silly but fun, while the other, Shada, is legendary not for its quality but rather because it was never finished. in short, Doctor Who rarely lends itself to perfection, and as tonight's episode reminds me that seems just as it should be.

Grading on a Curve: BBC America vs. Brand Identity

It’s been a decade since I first got BBC America. In that time, I've been introduced to some great shows like Coupling, seen the triumphant return of a favorite show in the form of Doctor Who and realized that last month's broadcast of the royal wedding actually may be the most actual BBC programming the channel has ever aired on a single day.

BBC America has come a long way from 2001’s seemingly endless loop of gardening shows and Brit-coms that had already worn out their welcome on PBS stations, with just a few fresh drama and comedy programs to frustrate the faithful while giving them just enough reason not to ditch the channel. However, distance is only a useful measurement is you’re going in the right direction. Even as they get their highest ratings ever for the most recent season premiere of Doctor Who, it's hard to argue that this is the case for BBC America.

My problem isn’t necessarily commercials. They're as much a fact of life in British TV as they are in America and they didn't stop Britain's ITV network from producing the masterful Brideshead Revisited. The issue seems to be the underlying impact on BBC America's programming choices. A friend of mine commented recently that the channel seems to have more America on display lately than it does BBC, and there's a lot of truth to that. Aside from some quality nature documentaries, the Graham Norton Show and their “supernatural Saturday” block, there aren’t a lot of British accents to be heard. Even the “supernatural Saturday” block is scheduled to be annexed by reruns of the Sci-Fi Channel’s Battlestar Galactica series next month.

Working in this area of the entertainment business, I certainly understand the practical side that the channel needs viewers to get advertisers, with science-fiction audiences being among the most devoted, but showing things like The X-Files just feels wrong. It gives the impression that there’s no real identity animating the channel. What’s disappointing about this is that the millions of viewers who tuned into PBS to see programs like Downtown Abbey on the 40th season of Masterpiece Theatre empirically proves that there’s a substantial audience for traditional British drama programs, but presumably it’s not the right (i.e. young enough) audience for BBC America. 

Hopefully someone there will realize eventually that, not only do the older viewers have more money, they’re also looking for programming that won’t patronize them. Until then, BBC America will stand as the British Broadcasting Corporation’s greatest missed opportunity since they trashed hundreds of programs from their archives in the 1970s.

So Long and Thanks for All the Books

I was just reminded that today is the 10th anniversary of the death of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy creator Douglas Adams. If there's a writer who's work has given me more pleasure and/or contributed more to my outlook on the world/universe, I can't think of who it would be. As mentioned in a previous posting, I believe that his crowning glory remains the original radio version of Hitchhiker's Guide. That's not to knock any of his later work, just that the radio series ingrained itself so much in my mind that it will always be with me. In fact, when I met Adams at a reading/signing at the Borders store in Center City Philadelphia, I had him sign my copy of the scripts for the radio series. Sadly, I lost that copy years ago. One of the pieces he read was an excerpt from the book he did on endangered species called Last Chance to See, which was adapted into a TV series a couple years ago featuring his friend Stephen Fry. It was a very strong testament to the author's desire to leave the world a better place. Though his efforts were certainly cut short, I think most people would agree that at least on some level he succeeded.

No Second Acts vs. 15 Minutes of Fame

The famous F. Scott Fitzgerald quote about there being "no second acts in American lives" doesn't seem as meaningful as it once did. Perhaps that's because it's at war with Andy Warhol's saying about how in the future everyone will be famous for 15 minutes. In any case, the latest proof of the Fitzgerald quote's increasing irrelevance came the other day with the news that rapper Luther Campbell of the infamously disgusting 2 Live Crew is pursuing a campaign to become mayor of Florida's Miami-Dade county. As a friend of mine observed, the only thing that would make this story better (i.e. more entertaining) would be if Campbell was running for mayor in Broward County, where he had so many obscenity-related legal troubles in the 80s/90s.

Wherefore Art Thou Midwestern Values?

Despite the seeming dominance of both the 2012 presidential race and the death of Osama Bin Laden, perhaps the most fascinating political story this year is the way in which various Midwestern states seem to be in a race to see who can export the most crazy. Obviously, Wisconsin is leading the race thanks to Governor Walker's crusade to break faith with public workers over legitimately negotiated benefits. Michigan for their part has State Senator Bruce Caswell who proposed legislation dictating that children in the state's foster care system would only be allowed to use their $80/year clothing allowance in thrift shops to ensure the funds aren't used for anything else - like medicine or school supplies. Caswell quickly backtracked, presumably after public response convinced him that the political future for someone who makes Dickensian factory owners look charitable looked pretty dim.

Not to be outdone, Minnesota has given America (and the world) Michelle Bachmann. On a lower-key note, though still crazy, is the Minnesota House Majority Leader Matt Dean calling an acclaimed author a thief (among other things) in relation to payment for a 2010 speaking engagement at a small-town library that came from a fund intended to enable small-town libraries to host speakers they might not otherwise be able to afford. This might not have gotten much press outside of Minnesota except that the writer happened to be the very popular Neil Gaiman. A May 4th story in the Minnesota Star Tribune, who had already written a story in
2010 questioning the payment to Gaiman, encapsulated Dean's comments as follows. 

"Dean also singled out a $45,000 payment of Legacy money that was made last year to science fiction writer Neil Gaiman for a four-hour speaking appearance. Dean said that Gaiman, "who I hate," was a "pencil-necked little weasel who stole $45,000 from the state of Minnesota."

Putting aside the name-calling aspect of the comments, which really should be beneath an elected official at this level, what's most fascinating is hearing a Republican like Dean come out against the supposedly infallible free market system. According to Gaiman's account of the events, he accepted the speaking engagement reluctantly, because he was told that the library in Stillwater was in danger of losing the money (which could only be used to hire speakers) from future budgets if not used by a certain. Gaiman did the performance, gave much of the money to charity and went back to his day job (i.e. writing), all along demonstrating a considerable degree of class.

In contrast, Dean’s remarks were clueless every step of the way as shown by his suggestion that Gaiman atone for his capitalist misdeeds by donating his time for charitable purposes, despite the fact that the author had already donated his post-tax earnings to charities. From the tone of Dean's various remarks, including the semi-apology apparently made at the directive of his mother, one can intuit that Dean’s reason for picking on Gaiman was that the write could be painted as an oddball artist and probably someone who wouldn’t fight back. What Dean didn't reckon with was how many of the Gaiman's many followers would follow his suggestion and flock to the legislator's website to voice their disapproval, crashing it in the process.

Obviously, it's nice to see a bully get some comeuppance, but it's sad that this ever was a story. As with most political issues, there is a reasonable debate to be had as to whether $45,000 was an excessive fee for a small library to pay an author, even a popular one, but that has nothing to do with the writer and everything to do with elected officials who conveniently forget their free-market principles when it comes to the arts. Normally, when an elected official makes inane comments like saying that his libelous attacks on a science fiction writer had made him enemies among Star Trek fans, you'd think they were bring disrepute upon their part of the country. As it stands, though, when you're in the company of people like Caswell, Walker and Bachmann comments like that almost pass for sensible discourse. I feel for my friends and family in the Midwest if this is the best political "leadership" the region can muster.

Free Comic Book Day

I love comic books. I love them so much that I don't even feel compelled to call them "graphic novels' in an attempt to somehow seem less nerdy. Not surprisingly, I am therefore looking forward to going to my local comic store today for Free Comic Book Day. Admittedly, this is as much for the chance to pick up some trade paperback collections on sale as whatever the free issues are, though, I am interested in the one for DC Comics' upcoming Flashpoint storyline.

As a fan for over 30 years, it's interesting to see the way in which comics are simultaneously more prevalent and more marginal in pop culture. Based solely on box-office results, the characters (even second-tier ones like Iron Man) are more popular than ever, but the comics themselves are much less so. Once upon a time, selling less than 100,000 copies a month would get you canceled. In the current environment, that's frequently enough to make you the top-selling comic of the month.

Other people have written insightful pieces about why that is, generally focused on a mix of higher prices, complex continuity and a broader range of entertainment options for kids. Without getting into anything overly nostalgic, I'll just say that's shame because I love these characters. It's easy to dismiss the likes of Superman, Green Lantern and Iron Man as muscle-bound, vigilante crypt-fascists, but the fact is they stand for a principle that I wish seemed less quaint than it does these days. They represent the idea that people with amazing abilities which they could easily use to subjugate others would choose to do the right thing. I suppose I'm just idealistic (and a touch naive) enough to want to cheer for that.

In closing, I'll sat that, while I very much like my current comic shop (Beyond Comics in Gaithersburg Maryland), I miss the first one I ever went to. This was the Book Swap (more recently the Comic Swap) in State College, Pennsylvania, which became my regular shop again when I went to college at Penn State. I still remember buying that old (a whopping 3-4 years old!) back-issue of Justice League of America with Superman punching out Green Lantern on the cover. I don't have it anymore and don't think they've re-printed it, but I'll definitely check while I'm out shopping on this pleasant Free Comic Book Day.

"Day of the Moffat" or "Are You Leading Me On?"

I wanted to withhold judgment on Doctor Who's season opener until seeing the conclusion. On reflection, this was pointless because head writer Steven Moffat has set up his version of Doctor Who as an ongoing storyline even more so than his immediate predecessor Russell T Davies', who largely took things year by year. As a result, it's hard to even review the tandem of The Impossible Astronaut and Day of the Moon on their own terms, because they're obviously meant to be seen as steps on a journey more so than a trip in their own right.

While Moffat's ambition is admirable, the execution has been uneven. In particular, there's something out of balance in the interplay between the plot of these specific episodes and the character moments that feed into the ongoing drama. The lack of focus on the plot side is especially surprising because it was an area where his scripts for previous seasons had been excellent. Based on those scripts, it was also the aspect many fans expected Moffat would return to prominence after what they perceived as Russell T. Davies turning Doctor Who into a soap opera. Of course, what that notion ignored was that the difference between being the head writer and being a guest writer who does one story per season is comparable to the difference between a parent and the relative who stays with the kids for the night so the parents can go out to dinner. When you consider that none of Moffat's episodes during Davies' tenure as head writer really tied in with the over-arching story-lines for their respective seasons, it makes one wonder if Moffat got an overly easy ride from fans (aside Lawrence Miles, but that's another posting).

As things stand, the dissonance between the beautifully handled character moments and the ambitious but messy plot really encapsulates this particular story. There's no question that Moffat loves his lead characters and it's fun to see their interaction. As much as the story set-ups might strain credibility, the dynamic between the Doctor and his friends (including guest-star Mark Sheppard as Canton Everett Delaware III) feels very natural. The events surrounding them, however, didn't draw me in like some of Moffat's earlier stories.

Perhaps it's unfair to compare these new episodes to The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances, which may be the best Doctor Who story ever, but their use of similar central images (i.e. a child separated from the world by a life-support device) kind of calls out for it. While the earlier earlier story unfolded with a sense of urgency, balanced by some quiet moments to step back and get to know the characters, the more recent story meanders a bit and sometimes takes our affection for the characters for granted. As a result, the many intriguing ideas Moffat packed into the story feel like isolated flashes of greatness rather than parts of a coherent whole.

It's certainly possible that this seemingly unfocused structure is part of a cunning plan that will pay off later in the season, and Doctor Who will always get the benefit of the doubt from me. Still, much as I enjoy an ongoing storyline and seeing how disparate threads come together, part of the appeal of the show for me is the way it walks the between ongoing drama and anthology series, with each story intended to be enjoyed as its own entity. Having to guess which of the (too) many seemingly trivial elements will be relevant five episodes later takes some of the fun out of it.

Thankfully, even the weaker stories under the current production team have been fun thanks to one key contributor. As a reviewer said about Francis Coppola's 1992 Dracula movie, if you're only going to have one great performance in your Dracula movie it had better be the guy playing the vampire. A similar thing could be said about Doctor Who, and thankfully Matt Smith is a joy to watch as the Doctor. Some have suggested that he was somehow an overly safe choice as a successor to David Tennant, but they couldn't be more wrong. In many ways, Smith's take on the character is more alien than his predecessor, with more of the prickly nature that characterized the performances of William Hartnell and Christopher Eccleston on display. In particular, he captures the sense of an old soul in a young body better than anyone since Peter Davison. Here again, Doctor Who and especially this Doctor will always get the benefit of the doubt, even as I hope the next episode will stand up better on its own.

Always the Twain Shall Meet

In a previous posting, I opined what Mark Twain might have said about the current media environment. Not surprisingly, Twain had a thoroughly fitting quote for the news about Osama Bin Laden.

"I've never wished a man dead, but I have read some obituaries with great pleasure."

If This Is Winning, I'd Hate to Learn What Losing Feels Like

Like a lot of my friends, I'm a little uncomfortable hearing about people celebrating the death of Osama Bin Laden by singing Queen's We Are the Champions. Nothing against Queen, it just feels like the wrong time to boast. At the same time, I think (or at least hope) that this is generally speaking an example of benign mob mentality, especially where New York City is concerned.  That is to say, I believe most people intellectually understand that Bin Laden's death isn't really the end of terrorist threats, they're just reacting to him as a symbol. Over the past decade, and a sequence of events that ultimately straddled three American presidencies, he became a symbol not only of the threat of terrorism but also the way in which we as a country allowed ourselves to be distracted from the actual fight against it. In that light, Bin Laden's death has a cathartic aspect that, while it may be overblown, should not be casually dismissed.

Obama vs. Osama

It's sad to think that the news that US forces have succeeded in killing Osama Bin Laden probably won't make a bit of difference to the people who dismiss President Obama as an un-American foreign-born usurper. I won't be surprised to see an onslaught of conspiracy theories relating to whether the body us real that will put the so-called "9/11 truthers" (let alone "Obama birthers") to shame. For sensible people, though, this development is a highly tangible sign that the Obama administration continues to pursue the best interests of the American people. Clinton and Bush tried and failed to get Bin Laden. Obama did it. The GOP underestimates our current President at their own risk.