Comedy That Heals (maybe?)

I caught this Saturday Night Live skit over the weekend and I must say, I found it cathartic.  In an election season where the polarization and rhetoric are toxic, SNL manages to remind us in that we all have much more in common than what we are led to believe on TV or social media (while making us laugh).  I was pleasantly surprised Monday to discover the skit has been making the rounds on the internet with an overwhelmingly positive reception.  The way I see it, the only way you can be offended by this skit is if you are looking to be offended.

Increasingly, it seems we categorize ourselves and one another, and with those categories come simple assumptions about what the other group thinks, behaves and even whether they are all good or bad.  In my life, I find people are much more complicated.  And looking a certain way or thinking a certain way doesn't entirely define an individual or a group, much less determine a minimum threshold for basic decency and respect.

Anyway, it's not much.  But right now with our politics and culture so broken and divided, I'll take it.

Top 10 Doctor Who Episodes (Series 1-5)

Since 2005, the last of the Time Lords has done his best to protect humanity from the universe's many dangers. With the sixth season of Doctor Who premiering Saturday night, it's time to look back on the best of the first five seasons.  As an American, I did not grow up with the show, so I lack the cultural familiarity associated with this longstanding element of British entertainment.  Although the Doctor Who phenomenon doesn't even register as a blip in America, I do remember as a kid watching it a few times on public television and being impressed by the show's complex plots.  And while I would likely lose at 'Doctor' Trivial Pursuit, I've become a fan of the new series.  It's an odd, but highly original and entertaining mix of science fiction, science fantasy, mystery and thriller.  Here are the highlights:  

10. Dalek  (series 1)
Drawn off course by a distress signal, the Tardis lands in Utah, inside the underground bunker of wealthy American mogul Henry Van Statten in the year 2012.  The bunker turns out to be a museum made up of alien artifacts fallen from space and collected by Van Statten. The Doctor and Rose are taken to see the museum's only living specimen, the "Metaltron," which turns out to be a lone Dalek who survived the Time War.  When Rose inadvertently reactivates the Dalek, it escapes and begins exterminating.

What makes this story compelling is the new series' first real exploration of the Doctor's character and history, warts and all.  We see the Doctor's prejudices, his hatred of the Daleks, and the scars left over from the the mysterious "Time War," (something lacking in subsequent seasons).  We also gain some understanding of why the Doctor needs a companion to ground and "humanize" him.

9. Rise of the Cybermen/ The Age of Steel  (series 2)
The Tardis materializes in present day London of an alternate dimension where everyone has EarPods that directly download news and other information directly into their brain.  The maker of these Earpods, John Lumic, has plans to upgrade human beings into Cyborgs.  After secretly kidnapping homeless people and converting them against their will, Lumic creates an army of Cybermen to "upgrade" the human race. The appeal of the Cybermen as villains is the frightening way people are stripped of their identidies and enslaved to a single consciousness.  Nothing terribly original, but an excellent reintroduction to the Cybermen with solid action and story.

8. Army of Ghosts/ Doomsday  (series 2)
In this two-part season finale, the Doctor and Rose return to London to find the world populated with"ghosts" that appear everywhere in regular intervals.  The world has largely embraced the phenomenon, but the Doctor is suspicious.  He begins to investigate, but is soon taken prisoner by Torchwood, a secret government organization that is performing experiments on a mysterious sphere, causing a breach that the "ghosts" emanate from.  Things begin to go badly when the ghosts materialize and turn out to Cybermen who promptly begin conquering the Earth.  Shortly thereafter, the sphere opens up and Daleks emerge with their own designs for the planet and every Doctor Who fanboy's fantasy is fulfilled as the Doctor's two greatest enemies face each other for the first time.  The confrontation doesn't disappoint as the Cybermen try to establish an alliance, but the Daleks will have none if it, and the battle begins.  The Doctor finds a way to send both the Daleks and Cybermen back through the breach, but at a cost.  Rose is sent to an alternate universe with Mickey and her parents, forever separated from the Doctor.  This episode satisfies on nearly every level, plenty of action and drama with an emotional climax.  Just ask my wife.  She cried.

7. Human Nature/ Family of Blood  (series 3)
The Doctor is being hunted by aliens who need a Time Lord body to avoid death.  In order to escape, the Doctor transforms himself into a human and hides on Earth in the year 1913.  We find the Doctor is now John Smith, a teacher at a boys military school in England, with no memory of who he is.  Martha poses as a maid, watching over the Doctor until it's safe for him to regain his identity.  But the Family of Blood have followed the Doctor to Earth and begin looking for him, killing as they go.  When everyone in the school and surrounding village are threatened by the Family, John Smith must decide to "die," in order for the Doctor to return and save everyone.

An exceptionally well written episode, complete with creepy (but campy) villains and believable romance.  Not enough can be said for David Tennant's performance.  His ability to connect with the audience emotionally is what drives the story.  My one criticism is the anti-military, almost anti-British current running through this episode (Why do Brits seem so ashamed of their history?).  It's distracting and doesn't serve the story well.
  

6. Silence in the Library/ Forest of the Dead  (series 4)
Donna and the Doctor arrive on the library planet Biblios in the 51st century only to find that all inhabitants are gone. While trying to solve the mystery, they are joined by a team of explorers led River Song, an archeologist who is also trying to solve the mystery.  They soon discover that a race of flesh-eating microscopic creatures live in the shadows.  This is an intricately plotted thriller penned by Steven Moffat, the series best writer.  His most ingenious contribution here is the character River Song, a woman from the Doctor's future who has become a fixture in the series.

5. The Waters of Mars  (2009 special #2)

The Doctor drops in on a Mars colony in the year 2059.  Shortly after arriving, two of the colonists contract something from unfiltered glacier water that transforms them into weird, zombie-like creatures that gush water.    When more of the colonists are turned, the crew must stop the aliens from getting to Earth.  The Doctor quickly comes to the realization he has arrived on the day history when the Mars colony is destroyed. Because of the event's historical significance, the Doctor decides he cannot interfere to save them, and begins to leave.  When their shuttle is destroyed in an explosion, trapping them and the aliens on Mars, the Doctor turns back to save the rest of the colonists, and change history.  Without a human companion, we see the Doctor's arrogance spiral out of control, at the cost of history itself.  In a stunning climax, the Doctor is humbled by an act of human defiance.  This is writer/producer Russell T. Davies at his best - controlled and focused.

4. The Girl in the Fireplace  (series 2)
The Doctor along with Rose and Mickey find a spaceship adrift and without a crew, but operational.  Inside, they discover an old fireplace that turns out to be a time window into 17th century France.  There, the Doctor meets a little girl named Reinette.  When he passes through the fireplace into the girl's bedroom, he finds a clockwork android hiding there.  After bringing it back to the spaceship, the Doctor learns the clockwork androids have a specific, but unknown interest in the girl.  When he passes back through the window, the Doctor once again meets Reinette who is now a young woman and realizes she is in fact, Madame de Pompadour, the mistress of Louis XV. The Doctor and Reinette are instantly taken with one another and have palpable chemistry.  Minutes on the spaceship are years for Reinette, as the Doctor hurries to uncover the androids' plans for Reinette before time runs out.  This is another gem by Steven Moffat.  Fast paced, tightly written and engaging.

3. Time of the Angels/ Flesh and Stone  (series 5)

River Song leads Amy and the Doctor to the crash site of a ship carrying a Weeping Angel.  With the help of a squad of militarized clerics, they must re-capture the Angel, but in order reach the ship, they must travel through the statue-filled catacombs of an extinct race.  Before long, the Doctor figures out the statues are all Weeping Angels who are regaining their strength from the radiation of the crashed ship.  With an army of Angels pursuing them, the Doctor and friends must escape and find a way to neutralize the monsters.  The return of the Angels doesn't disappoint, as Moffat finds new ways to creep us out.

2. The Pandorica Opens/ The Big Bang (series 5)
Easily, the best 'Who' series finale to date, 'Pandorica' is epic in scale, ingeniously plotted and fun.  The Doctor and Amy are summoned by River Song to 2nd century Britain at the site of Stonehenge.  There they discover the Pandorica, a mythic prison designed to hold the universe's greatest warrior. Shortly after arriving, they are met by all the Doctor's enemies from across the universe who have formed an alliance to lure and capture him.  They believe him to be responsible for a time explosion that's erasing all of existence, so they try to prevent it by imprisoning the Doctor in the Pandorica. The Doctor must escape and race to restore the universe before it's too late.

1. Blink  (series 3)

Simply the finest episode of the series and one of the best hours of television I have ever experienced.  It's as good as any episode of Star Trek, the new Battlestar Galactica or the original Twilight Zone.  The story begins with Sally Sparrow, a young woman trying to solve a mystery involving several disappearances and strange messages from someone called the "Doctor."  Behind it all are the Weeping Angels, the most frightening of all the Doctor's foes.  Blink is writer Steven Moffat's masterpiece; fabulously clever, suspenseful and scary.

The Hysteria Channel

Has anyone watched the History Channel lately? I'm having a hard time finding much history in its programming. In fact, the History Channel has disintigrated in recent years into sensationlist, tabloid-grade tripe. Since its inception in 1995, the History channel has gone from showing seeminly non-stop WWII documentaries to a popular, ratings driven enterprise. Don't get me wrong. There are some good shows (Modern Marvels and and Dogfights are excellent), but most of the programming today is just silly.

For example, Ax Men and Ice Road Truckers are reality shows that document the on the job drama of timber workers and truckers. History? Yes, according to History Channel execs. Apparently, they couldn't ignore the ratings of shows like The Deadliest Catch over at the Discovery Channel (Why a show that chronicles the day to day lives of Alaskan crab fisherman is a mainstay of the Discovery Channel, I'll never know either).

A more curious trend has been the History Channel's strange, fatalistic obsession with end of the world scenarios, as evidenced by shows like Mega Disasters, Last Days on Earth, Life After People, and Comets: Prophets of Doom. It seems as though the only history the network is interested in is the end of history. It's depressing. At least there's programs like Gangland, Shockwave and Tougher in Alaska to enrich my understanding of human history.

Surely the same can be said for shows like the Lost Book of Nostradamus, Vampire Secrets, MonsterQuest, and UFO Hunters. Apparently, the History Channel needed to nail down that crucial black helicopter demographic, as well as fans of the X-Files.

Seriously, isn't the History Channel essentially endorsing the notion that history is boring and has no bearing on our lives if they feel the need to sensationalize it and substitute Bigfoot for the British Empire?

Revenge of the Fanboy!

You have to hand it to George Lucas. After virtually ruining the Star Wars mythology and tainting the greatness of the original trilogy with his pathetic prequels, he at least is willing to give other creative people at shot at reparing the damage he's done to the Star Wars legacy.

The first non-Lucas project was handled by emmy award winning animator Genndy Tartakovsky, creator of Samurai Jack. He created two 1/2 hour Star Wars cartoons called the Clone Wars that tell the story between Episodes II and III. I was amazed by how much I enjoyed them. They were more exciting and more inspired than their big screen counterparts. It seemed laughable that a cartoon done by a bunch of fanboy animators could be better executed, with better writing and acting than a movie created by professional producers, directors, and actors. And yet there it is.

Well now it looks like Lucas is about to be outdone again. A new CGI animated movie called Star Wars: The Clone Wars is scheduled to be released in theaters August 15 of this year. It will be the first chapter in an ongoing television series that will follow. This series also takes place between Episodes II and III. Here are the trailers:



sneak peek

trailer #1

trailer #2

I don't know about you, but this looks pretty dang cool. It looks like everything I hoped the prequels would be, but weren't. So thanks George Lucas, for realizing that you suck, and letting other people tell the story of Anakin Skywalker the way it should have been told in the first place.

Quick!

Which 80's vehicle do you choose if you need to chase the bad guys, escape the authorities and get the girl ?!!! Be prepared to back up your answer to this important question with vigourous arguments.

General Lee
1969 Dodge Charger

A-Team's 1983 GMC Van

Miami Vice's 1986 Ferrari Testarossa

KITT

1982 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am

Magnum P.I's Ferrari 308 GTS

Shark Week!

This week marks the return of one of my favorite times of the year - Shark Week on the Discovery Channel, seven straight days of documentaries on one of nature's greatest predators. As someone growing up wanting to be Jacques Cousteau, this was a Godsend and I've been watching Shark Week since it began about twenty years ago. And in those twenty years, I've noted some interesting changes in the content of these documentaries.

Some of the shows discuss the biology and behavior of sharks. Some explore specific species of sharks. Some discuss shark attacks. And some just consist of guys jumping in the water with sharks and talking about the experience. The vast majority of these shows gave fair treatment to the subject matter. The ones about sharks attacks, while discussing the horrors of these encounters, also talked about why sharks sometimes attacks people.

This is important because sharks, for a host of reasons, have a nasty reputation. Much of it comes from fear and paranoia created by movies like Jaws. People (myself included) fear the idea of being attacked in the water by large unseen predator. Unlike other maneaters (Lions, Bears), sharks aren't cuddley or cute, and aren't social or familial in the same way mammals are. Having said all this, people also fear sharks because they do, in fact, sometimes attack people.

And this brings me back to what has changed in the coverage of sharks over the years. Today, there is a greater emphasis to downplay the danger of sharks (statistically, you are three times more likely to be struck by lightning), and to demonstrate that sharks attack people because mistaken identidy. Much more time is given to discussing the danger that man poses to sharks through overfishing (especially in Asia where Shark-fin soup is a delicacy), pollution, protective nets, destruction of habitat, etc. We are also told more and more what maginificent, unique and extraordinary animals sharks are.

I don't really have a problem or disagreement with any of this. However, it seems to me there is a growing number of scientists, conservationists, and activists that have become what you might call shark apologists. At every opportunity, they tell us that we are the problem, sharks aren't really dangerous, and only attack when driven to it as a result of the consequences of man's encroachment on their environment. While there may be some truth in this, it seems to me that science and the study of the environment is increasingly being blurred with an environmental agenda that borders on propoganda.

Let me give you an example. Last Week I came across the Larry King show, where the discussion was sharks. Among the guests were Les Stroud (Survivorman), Phillipe Cousteau Jr. (grandson of Jacques), Jack Hannah of the Columbus Zoo, a wildlife photographer, a shark attack victim, and a shark activist. At one point, the host asked where the most dangerous places for shark attacks are. The answer from the one guest was "What sharks? They're almost all gone." She said that with a straight face while the rest of the panel nodded in agreement. Nevermind that we have statistics that show where most shark attacks occur, and that Cousteau Jr. had only minutes before pointed out the of number shark attacks worldwide has remained fairly constant over last 20-30 years, despite the purported decimation of shark populations.

The host then asked what the most dangerous species of sharks are. Stroud essentially blew off the question, saying that sharks aren't a threat to people; it's the other way around. Again, we have clear statistics that show what species (Great White, Tiger, Bull) are most likely to attack humans. One shark attack survivor who lost his right arm to a Bull Shark went so far as to say that if he had not put his arms out to deflect the shark away as it swam at him, the shark would have probably left him alone. Yeah, okay.

The impression one is left with after listening to this group is that shark attacks only occur when people swim into the shark's mouth. The last guest was a shark activist named Rob Stewart who has who has dedicated his life to the preservation of sharks, even risking his life in conflicts with foreign governments. His upcoming film Sharkwater chronicles his struggle. And listening to him (and the other guests) talk about sharks in the most reverant terms (their majesty and beauty), and how their lives have been changed by their experiences with sharks, I came to a realization. These people don't just love and appreciate nature and want to preserve it. I can appreciate that. No, these folks are in love with nature. I believe this reflects a growing religious tenor to the environmental movement. This love of nature accordingly involves a rejection of anything that places special importance on human beings. And this "faith" frames their worldview.

The guests on Larry King were so blinded by their faith, they couldn't even answer legitimate, straightforward questions, choosing instead to push their environmental agenda. The troubling implication is that science is becoming so politicized, it is difficult to sort out what is true, especially when you can't always trust the "experts."

One bonus to this year's Shark Week is the release of the the 1971 documentary Blue Water, White Death. It is arguably the finest film of its kind and was the inspiration for Jaws. It documents the first ever expedition to film the Great White Shark.

Star Trek Cribs

I wish to express my hearfelt thanks to those men and women who dedicate their efforts and resources in the tireless pursuit of cheap laughs. They make the world a better place.

Cribs

Poolside

Coffee Shop

Karaoke

Star Trek Remastered

I'm a big Star Trek fan. I got hooked on the original series in 6th grade. I eventually came to really like the Next Generation too. I even liked Deep Space Nine. I thought Voyager was lame, and I never bothered to watch Enterprise. The movies were great up until number five when they assumed that because Leonard Nimoy was a good director, Shatner must be also.

I even went to a few Star Trek conventions. When we weren't playing Contra for hours or creating new and exciting D&D characters, a friend and I used to spend a good portion of our time playing Star Fleet Battles or Starship Tactical Combat Simulator, while thumbing through the Federation Ship Recognition Manual.

Yes, we were crown-princes of geekdom, but we didn't care. Nowadays, the time spent in such lofty pursuits is limited, so it's a relief to flip through the channels and land on an episode of Star Trek. I love the original series and simply can't turn away when it's on TV. A few months ago, I was surfing through the channels and landed on the episode where Kirk and the crew run into Khan. While watching, I was suddenly blown away by something. When they showed the Enterprise cruising through space, it was tricked out with slick new special effects! It looked awesome!

A little while later, I did some research and discovered the entire original series is being digitally remastered with new sound, music, and special effects. Having seen an episode or two,  these new enhancements give a whole new life to the series.  And unlike the special editions of the Star Wars movies, they don't add whole new scenes or anything else that takes away from the spirit of the show.  Can't wait to get them on dvd, so I can watch Captain Kirk take advantage the weaker sex, beat up aliens, and break the prime directive anytime I want.

Top 5 Cartoon Intros

I had intended to include some of these in my first list, but it got so big I decided to make a separate list for cartoons. There were a lot to choose from and I surely left some out, but these I thought had the best intros based on pretty much the same criteria as the TV shows.

5. Scooby-Doo
I think I saw more episodes of this than any other cartoon. And for some strange reason, I never got tired of it (that is until they added scrappy-doo). Who was your favorite guest stars? Don Knotts? Sonny and Cher? Batman and Robin? The Harlem Globetrotters? I can't think of any cartoon that had real people as guests on the show (or lasted so long with the same plot for every episode). Great 70s theme music too.

4. Thundarr the Barbarian
Are there enough Star Wars rip-offs in this one? Toss in Conan for good measure and you've got a great formula for Saturday morning. Probably my first memory of must-see TV.




3. G.I. Joe
What's not to love. Action packed. Great theme. Patriotic. Scarlett and Lady J, and don't forget the Baroness. One of the all time great cartoons. By the way, if I lived in the G.I. Joe universe, I would invest heavily in companies that manufacture parachutes.



2. Samurai Jack
"Long ago in a distant land..." Perhaps the best cartoon ever, the Samurai Jack intro starts with his origin narrated by his nemesis, Aku (voiced by Mako, the wizard from Conan the Barbarian). It then transitions into a cool theme song stylishly intermixed with scenes from the cartoon.


1. Challenge of the Superfriends
This was simply my favorite cartoon as a kid, due in no small part to its awesome intro. It was the most epic, pump you up, starting to any show ever. The theme could have been used in recruiting advertisements. The show made you feel like you had a duty to watch and support the Superfriends' heroic struggle against the Legion of Doom (Even with the politically correct additions of Black Lightning, Apache Chief and Samurai).

And while we're at it, remember these?
Dungeons and Dragons

Tarzan

Voltron

Top 10 Television Show Intros

I remember as a kid, part of what made television shows cool was the opening credits. In addition to memorable theme music, the opening credits would tell the story of the show so that you could jump in anywhere. It also would pump you up to watch the show. I used to get mad if I came in late and missed the credits.

One thing I was amazed with was the length of some of the credits. Compared with today's TV shows where the credits are usually very brief (presumably to give more time for the show itself), TV shows in the 70s and 80s had fairly long credits, sometimes nearly 2 minutes long. I don't have a set criteria for my choices. Basically, it comes down to music and cool factor.

10. Bonanza
Great theme music, and the burning map is especially cool. Who didn't want to ride on the Ponderosa alongside Hoss and Little Joe after watching this?





9. Star Trek
Is it me or does Shatner manage to overact even in his narration?






8. Knight Rider
This may be the only positive thing I every say about something David Hasselhoff is invovled in. This also may be the only time a Trans-Am was so cool.





7. Incredible Hulk
I think its funny that the producers of the show decided that the best example of what sends David Banner over the edge into a raging monster is trying to change his tire in bad weather.





6. A-Team
Its amazing how something so lame could be so cool. Those who loved this show as a kid and have seen it recently know exactly what I mean. It had a great intro however. Remember when anything with a Crack-commando unit was awesome?




5. Greatest American Hero
This one makes the list purely on the basis of its great theme song. And William Katt's hair.






4. Dukes of Hazzard
Its hard to believe that my brother and I used to love this show so much that we would pretend that we were the Duke boys. The great thing about the credits was the catchy Waylon Jennings theme song and the way it tricked you into believing that the show was much better than it actually was. What other TV series had characters named Cooter and Cletus?



3. Battlestar Galactica (original)
A show that was actually as cool (at least at the time) as its epic opening credits.






2. Six Million Dollar Man
These opening credits make nearly dying in a plane crash seem like a good idea. Remember the episode where he fights Bigfoot? Classic.






1. Buck Rogers
"In the year 1987..." That just cracks me up.








Honorable Mention
These are goods ones too, but just didn't fit into my top ten.

1. Kung-Fu
Can you imagine how much cooler this show would have been with Bruce Lee instead of David Carradine?

2. Tour of Duty
I really liked this show. Paint it Black by the Stones was a nice touch.

3. Airwolf
Jan Michael Vincent's one hit wonder. Cool intro and cool show.

And While We're At It, Remember These?
1. Manimal
To an 8-year old boy, this was the coolest show on TV. Scary.

2. The Fall Guy
Yes. That is Lee Majors singing.

3. Tales of the Gold Monkey
I can't even believe I remembered this one.