'Best of TBH Politoons'
Baron Dave Romm
George & Sarah
By Baron Dave Romm
Shockwave Radio Theater podcasts
Scheduling during the writer's strike has hurt the producers and saved some shows
The writer's strike has exposed a basic flaw in the producer's argument: Regularly scheduled tv is not the dominant entertainment media it once was. We have Netflix, our own library of unwatched shows, iTunes, YouTube, the internet and other options. The producers, who sued YouTube for a billion dollars and then claim that internet rights aren't worth anything to the writers, seem to have shot themselves in the foot. On the other hand, the strike has exposed a basic flaw in the writer's argument: Present Shock. Without any new material at all, there's enough entertainment out there to keep everyone occupied. Our craving for New & Improved is tempered by the If You Haven't Seen It, It's New To You quest to relieve boredom.
While immediate programs like The Daily Show and The Colbert Report were missed while gone and have suffered without writers, I haven't missed the network shows that are on hiatus. Not much, anyway. Still, a few shows have just started their run. Whether they were planned as mid-season replacements or the producers waited in case the strike continued, I don't know. Or care
George of the Jungle
George of the Jungle (Cartoon Network). Bet you didn't know a new series of George of the Jungle cartoons was coming up. I didn't. They snuck up on me. The original was dumb but fun. The theme song was always the most memorable part.
The new version (two cartoons in a half hour; I've only seen a few) owes more to Johnny Bravo and Ren and Stimpy than Jay Ward. Odd, psychedelic, backgrounds have replaced limited animation. The clueless innocence of George and the jungle gang drives the plots, such as they are. The major change is the elimination of Fella, replaced by redheaded southern belle Magnolia, so the theme becomes "... and Maggie and Ursula stay in step...". The narrator is fun, the animals are varied, the situations fly by as the plot rolls on.
Chucklesome and not too violent. Unlike the original it's pitched mainly for kids (I'd guess tweens), but good enough for others. Anyone who remembers the 1967 original fondly will like the update if you approach it with an open mind. It's not way high on my viewing list, but will do until Bones comes back.
George of the Jungle web site, takes a while to load but has the theme and other stuff.
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
Meanwhile. The Governator... er, Terminator is back, but isn't the star. There have been three episodes of The Sarah Connor Chronicles aired so far. The first two were awful, but it was clear that they needed to get past the movies. I haven't seen the third one, so some of the references went over my head. By the end of the second episode, they move on.
The third episode was better. The rules for the relentless terminator are a bit different than in the movies, and Sarah and her eventual hero son are protected by a former kick-ass fighter from Firefly/Serenity, now typecast as a cyborg. (She still looks like a Gilmore Girl to me.)
The series is not there yet, and I wouldn't be watching further if my Soprano's DVDs were flixed more quickly, but what the heck. It's biggest problem is that it's sort of a prequel to the plot of the movies, even though it's after the events of the movies, and we know how it works out. Maybe. (Got it? Time travel is so much fun.)
Side note: Harlan Ellison isn't given acknowledgement.
Official web site which still hasn't finished loading as I'm finished typing about it, and I have cable. Why do too many web sites feel that they need to have huge downloads to ba active?
Color Television
The Trivia question from a few days ago was, "What was the first US television show to have all its episodes filmed in color?" The answer being Bonanza, starting in 1959. The full story of color television is long and well outside the bounds of this web site, but Bonanza did play an important part. See RCA Press Release and this YouTube selection of an RCA color tv set from 1956 with a Bonanza clip (1956? Early, anyway.)
The first color tvs were sold on Dec. 30, 1953 and the first coast-to-coast color broadcast was two days later on Jan. 1, 1954. The initial cost of an RCA Victor color tv was $1000, roughly the cost of a Chevrolet. NBC, airer of Bonanza, was the first tv network to have all new shows be in color in 1966. The peacock was more than just an annoucement of a color show, it was the proud logo of a color network. One of the major benefits of RCA/NBC going color was Star Trek:Oh, the celebrated letter-writing campaign by the fans to NBC helped keep it on the air, but what was even more essential was the fact that STAR TREK was on NBC, and that NBC was a division of RCA, and RCA was not only the biggest maker of color television sets in the world, but also the holder of the patent on the color television system used by every other maker, and so it had a vested interest in selling color television sets, and catering to the audience that used them.
And while STAR TREK was never a hit in the overall ratings, it was always in the top 10 of color television shows, and the top 10 in households equipped with color sets. That, and its daring use of color (especially in its special effects) for the time, kept the series going for three seasons.
Once again, the relationship between science and art produced unexpected results.
Baron Dave Romm is a conceptual artist and a noble of Ladonia who produces Shockwave Radio Theater, writes in a Live Journal demi-blog, plays with a very weird CD collection and an ever growing list of political links. Dave Romm reviews things at random for obscure web sites. You can read all his music recommendations from Bartcop-E. Podcasts of Shockwave Radio Theater. Permanent archive. More radio programs, interviews and science fiction humor plays can be accessed on the Shockwave Radio audio page.
Thanks to everyone who has sent me music to play on the air.
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Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Nat Hentoff: Is Obama's Constitution Strong Enough? (villagevoice.com)
He stirs the crowds, but when will he tell them about their lost liberties?
SUSAN ESTRICH: Crazy Kids and Car Wrecks (creators.com)
Jack Nicholson said he warned him. Another friend was supposed to call and wake him up the next morning. Now that it's come, they all saw it coming. Isn't it always that way?
Joshua Kaplowitz: How I Joined Teach for America-and Got Sued for $20 Million (city-journal.org; from Winter 2003)
It was May 2000, and the guy at Al Gore's polling firm seemed baffled. A Yale political-science major, I'd already walked away from a high-paying consulting job a few weeks earlier, and now I was walking away from a job working on a presidential campaign to do . . . what?
Tom Danehy: If you're a vegetarian ASU fan with a dual-flush toilet, this column is for you (tucsonweekly.com)
He closes with a quote from one Dr. Neal Barnard, who zooms into Never-Never Land with, "The beef industry has contributed to more American deaths than all the wars of this century, all natural disasters and all automobile accidents combined." That's the stupidest crap I've ever read. And I've read Ann Coulter.
Jim Hightower: THE ECONOMICS TREPIDATIONS OF THE RICH (jimhightower.com)
Time for another peek into the "Lifestyles of the Rich - and Cranky." The rich would like a little more respect from you hoi polloi.
Jon Bream: "Sophie's choice: Career decision seems to be the right one" (Star Tribune; Posted on popmatters.com)
You could almost hear Sophie Milman's parents cringe in the background. After all, they had moved from Russia to Israel and then to Canada to find a better life for their children. Sophie is finishing her degree in commerce at University of Toronto but her job as a jazz singer has cut into her schoolwork.
Len Righi: Indie dance-music band Mahjongg makes a play (The Morning Call ; Posted on popmatters.com)
Given his druthers, Hunter Husar would rather not talk about what makes Chicago-based electronic dance-music collective Mahjongg tick.
John Anderson: Marion Cotillard talks about becoming Edith Piaf (Newsday; Posted on popmatters.com)
To observe that a French actress is beautiful is ordinarily an exercise in the incredibly obvious. But given Marion Cotillard's titanic and tortured Oscar-nominated performance in "La Vie en Rose"-in which she twists, bends and mutilates her physique to recreate the legendary chanteuse Edith Piaf-the transformation is unforgettable.
Roger Moore: Still larger than life, Francis Ford Coppola now thinks smaller (The Orlando Sentinel; Posted on popmatters.com)
It's been 10 years since the great Francis Ford Coppola made a movie, 10 years since we've read stories about him battling the elements, the studios, the banks, his actors and himself as he finished another project, almost always against long odds.
Roger Ebert: Bully (4 stars; from 2001)
Larry Clark's "Bully" calls the bluff of movies that pretend to be about murder but are really about entertainment. His film has all the sadness and shabbiness, all the mess and cruelty and thoughtless stupidity of the real thing. Based on a real story from 1993, it tells the story of a twisted high school bully and a circle of friends who decide to kill him. But this is not about the evil sadist and the release of revenge; it's about how a group of kids will do something no single member is capable of. And about the moral void these kids inhabit.
George W. Bush: The Country He Inherited, The Country He Leaves Behind (Chart)
Hubert's Poetry Corner
Rescuing Hillary and Barack
Double Trouble?
was right, too, with:
Reader Suggestion
Calvin Simmons
Check out ARTS HEROES OF BLACK HISTORY / CALVIN SIMMONS
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Gray, rainy day, and the cats are very annoyed.
Here's a complete list of SAG Awards Winners - 2008.
'No Country for Old Men' Top Winner
Directors Guild of America
Joel and Ethan Coen won the top prize from the Directors Guild of America on Saturday for "No Country for Old Men," giving them the inside track for the same honor at the Academy Awards - assuming the Oscars go on amid the writers strike.
The Coens were only the second two-person team to win the Directors Guild honor, following Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins for 1961's "West Side Story."
The Coens' former cinematographer, Barry Sonnenfeld, also was a guild winner. Sonnenfeld, whose films include the "Men in Black" series, won a small-screen prize, receiving the award for television comedy for directing an episode of "Pushing Daisies."
"Mad Men" earned the TV drama honor for Alan Taylor, while Yves Simoneau won the TV movie award for "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee."
Other TV winners included Glenn P. Weiss for musical variety for "The 61st Annual Tony Awards"; Bertram Van Munster for reality programming for "The Amazing Race"; Paul Hoen for children's programs for "Jump In"; and Larry Carpenter for daytime serials for "One Life to Live."
Directors Guild of America
Vermont Lawmaker Standup Guy
Jason Lorber
How many politicians does it take to draw a laugh?
At least one in Vermont, where state Rep. Jason Lorber does standup gigs, produces comedy shows and runs improv workshops when he's not making laws.
"When I first came here, people said `You're the first comedian to come to the Statehouse.' I say `I'm the first PROFESSIONAL comedian to come to the Statehouse,'" he said.
He also isn't shy about basing humor on his personal life - he's gay, in a civil union, and has a 1-year-old son.
Jason Lorber
Biggest-Budget French Film Ever
Asterix
Michael Schumacher racing a Roman chariot, Zinedine Zidane in unlikely Egyptian garb kicking a ball -- "Asterix at the Olympic Games", France's biggest-budget movie ever, was designed with a bit of magic Gallic potion to please any audience.
Produced at a record cost of 78 million euros (114 million dollars), its star cast and massive release on 5,000 screens in 40 European countries this week and next, is timed to benefit from the 2008 Olympic spirit, and its financial spin-off.
In terms of budget, it beats Luc Besson's two blockbusters "The Fifth Element" and "Arthur And The Minimoys" (1997 and 2006), but to get a payback on investment, the film will need to beat the two first Asterix films at the box office.
Loosely based on a 1968 comic book of the same name, the 12th in the series about the tiny Rome-bashing Gaul and his portly sidekick Obelix, the made-to-measure movie makes no bones about exploiting the Olympic factor.
Asterix
Legal File-Sharing Service
Qtrax,
Qtrax, a new legal online file-sharing service that allows fans to download songs for free, said on Sunday it will launch with 25 million to 30 million copyrighted tracks with backing from major labels.
The free service will be funded through advertising revenue that Qtrax will share with the music companies.
Qtrax executives said the company's digital rights management technology will count the number of times each song has been played in order to fairly compensate artists and rights' holders, without restricting consumer use.
The company has focused on ensuring that its network is free of spyware or adware such as pop-ups common on many peer-to-peer networks to improve the customer experience.
Qtrax,
Considers Hong Kong Move
Gary Glitter
British former pop singer Gary Glitter, jailed in Vietnam for child molestation, is considering moving to Hong Kong after his release, a report said Sunday.
Glitter -- whose real name is Paul Francis Gadd -- is set for release in August, when he will be deported back to the UK.
Glitter began thinking about Hong Kong 13 months ago after a meeting about life in the UK with British police and a sex offences specialist at his prison in Thu Duc, the source said.
Gary Glitter
Farmer Hides Castle
Robert Fidler
A farmer built an entire mock castle behind a screen of hay bales and lived there concealed for four years to evade planning regulations, officials said on Friday -- but it may be torn down anyway.
Robert Fidler hopes to take advantage of a provision of planning law that allows buildings without planning permission to be declared legal if no objections have been made after four years
But Reigate and Banstead Borough Council in Surrey is not impressed. "It does not count because the property was hidden behind hay bales," said a spokeswoman. "No one knew it was there."
The council wants the building near Redhill some 30 km south of London to be demolished, along with an associated conservatory, marquee structure, wooden bridge, patio, decking and tarmac racecourse.
Robert Fidler
Analysis Opposed WTC Command Center Site
NYPD
A detailed 1998 New York Police Department analysis opposed the city's plans to locate its emergency command center at the World Trade Center but then-mayor Rudolph Giuliani's administration overrode the objections, The New York Times reported on Saturday.
"Seven World Trade Center is a poor choice for the site of a crucial command center for the top leadership of the City of New York," the Times quoted a panel of police experts aided by the Secret Service as having concluded in a confidential Police Department memorandum which has not been previously disclosed.
The longest of the analysis' nine sections, headed "Explosives," describes a blast analysis of the likely impact of various types of bombs, and concluded that the largest of truck bombs would have led to the building's collapse, the Times report said.
Giuliani, currently campaigning in Florida for the Republican presidential nomination, has acknowledged some skepticism by the police about the choice, but characterized it as a dispute between government officials and departments, the Times said.
NYPD
Fight Over Jeans Leads To Casino Jackpot
Sammy Zabib
All week, Sammy Zabib was getting an earful from his girlfriend for forgetting to buy her a pair of designer jeans she spotted in a casino boutique last weekend.
"She was mad," said Zabib, a 42-year-old limousine fleet manager in New York. "We had an argument. More than one."
They're not arguing now.
On a return trip to pick up the jeans and end the grief Friday morning, Zabib won nearly $800,000 playing a slot machine.
Sammy Zabib
Weekend Box Office
'Meet the Spartans'
The epic spoof "Meet the Spartans" narrowly conquered "Rambo" to nab the top spot in the weekend box office, according to studio estimates Sunday.
The 20th Century Fox movie, which lampooned last year's epic blockbuster "300," took in an estimated $18.7 million in its weekend debut. It edged out "Rambo," a Lionsgate release starring and directed by Sylvester Stallone, which took in $18.2 million.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Media By Numbers LLC. Final figures will be released Monday.
1. "Meet the Spartans," $18.7 million
2. "Rambo," $18.2 million
3. "27 Dresses," $13.6 million
4. "Cloverfield," $12.7 million
5. "Untraceable," $11.2 million
6. "Juno," $10.3 million
7. "The Bucket List," $10.2 million
8. "There Will be Blood," $4.9 million
9. "National Treasure: Book of Secrets," $4.7 million
10. "Mad Money," $4.6 million
'Meet the Spartans'
In Memory
Viktor Schreckengost
Viktor Schreckengost, an artist and prolific industrial designer whose ubiquitous works ranged from familiar toys and White House porcelain to innovative trucks and even lawn mowers, has died. He was 101.
Schreckengost, a 2006 winner of the National Medal of Arts, was best known for his 1930s "Jazz Bowl" series, commissioned by Eleanor Roosevelt for the White House. The electric blue and black porcelain bowls, inspired by the sights and sounds of New York City, became icons of the Art Deco era.
Schreckengost incorporated fine design into mass-produced goods in an effort to make aesthetically pleasing, functional items available to everyone. His industrial designs include bicycles sold by Sears, iconic children's pedal wagons, lawn chairs, sit-down lawn mowers and even American Limoges dinnerware.
His innovations spanned several industries. He helped design the first cab-over-engine truck in 1932 for the White Motor Co., which increased hauling capacity. He was lead designer for bicycles and toy pedal cars for the Murray Ohio Co. from 1938 to 1972, and designed printing presses for the Harris-Seybold and Chandler Harris companies.
Schreckengost was born in 1906 in Sebring, a commercial pottery town near Youngstown. He studied ceramics at the Cleveland Institute of Art and the Kunstgewerbeschule in Vienna, and taught at the Cleveland Institute of Art in the early 1930s.
During World War II, he joined the Navy, where he was recruited to develop a system for radar recognition which won him a commendation from the Secretary of the Navy.
Viktor Schreckengost
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