Baron Dave Romm
Television - Spring 2010CE
By Baron Dave Romm
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Cody Rivers movies
The Cody Rivers Show comprises Mike Mathieu and Andrew Connor, two excellent comedians and dancers. When they play the Minnesota Fringe Festival, they're one of the top acts. A couple of times, they've slipped into Minneapolis under the auspices of The Walking Shadow Theatre Company. Most recently, March 18 & 19, 2010CE. I've had a chance to talk with them before, but this was the first video interview!
Direct link to above: Interview with The Cody Rivers Show in Minneapolis
At the end of the interview, I asked for a bit from their show. They thought about it for a minute, edited for time and blocking, and did this excerpt:
Direct link to above: The Cody Rivers Show - Icebox (excerpt)
The Cody Rivers Show is always a lot of fun. Check the tour schedule to see when they'll be near you.
2009-2010 Season Finales
Monk came to an inglorious end back in December. The eighth and final season was pretty weak, by my reckoning, and the series finale fell flat. The show was still fun and they did wrap up Trudy's death. The final show was (USA Network claims) "most-watched basic cable original drama series telecast of all time in total viewers". That a lot of qualification for one sentence. Still, I'll remember Monk fondly, and catch the occasional show in reruns.
Psych had a problem: Monk was finished. The strong lead-in was no more. So USA Network moved it off Fridays to a new time slot on Wednesdays. Alas, being stranded alone was not kind to Psych. The strength of the show was always the quirky and annoying characters who manage to be amusing while flim-flaming the hapless police and solving the crime despite screwing up. It's wearing thin. Other shows have taken this twist on Profiler-like shows and done much better. Notably, The Mentalist, which Psych mentions all the time. The season finale tried very hard and had some okay moments referencing Hitchcock movies, but didn't really work. Oh well. I'll still watch it next year, but frankly, it's becoming more annoying than amusing.
White Collar stepped into the void left by Monk, and did an okay job. And also got moved, to Thursdays. I still remember fondly It Takes A Thief, with Malachi Throne, Robert Wagner and (eventually) Fred Astaire, which was loosely based on the Hitchcock film To Catch A Thief. Somebody at USA is really into Hitchcock, I guess. White Collar updates the 60s spy thriller aspect to one of art forgery and FBI electronics. The cast is very good and, somewhat to my surprise, believable. Even Aretha Franklin has her (non-singing) moments. White Collar is a pleasant show that takes crime seriously and respects the characters. Without descending to nerve-pounding overwriting or a capital-I-important story arc, each show has managed to be interesting on its own while keeping the character development backstories moving forward.
2009-2010 Season Starts and Restarts
FlashForward went on a long hiatus. So long, that ABC spent a whole hour on a catch-up show. *whew* For a half-season, there was a lot of plot to cover. A two-part second-half opening episode greeted us with even more characters and plot twists, but got low ratings. I think the show is suffering from Lost backlash: A tightly produced show about an impossible situation that never actually goes anywhere or answers questions logically. FF might escape that fate, but it will have to provide catharsis not just thrills. FF is still fun and I'm still watching. But if the first season doesn't end well, future episodes will be relegated to a possible flix marathon.
Important Things is back, with all it's gentle but quirky observational humor. Dmitri Martin inhabits that middle ground between the askew vision of George Carlin and the creative experimentation of Ernie Kovacs, but much more laid back than either of them. I'm not always in the mood for Important Things, but that's why I have a DVR.
Human Target is a show I didn't expect to like much. Based on a comic book I've never read starring someone who's previous role I didn't like. Still, the writing is crisp and the acting is good all around. Mark Valley beings the same bemused indifference yet passionate underneath characterization to Human Target that he did to Boston Legal, but it works better. Chi McBride was good in the awful Boston Public and even better in the great Pushing Daisies. The other main character, an ultra-competent but amoral computer hacker/spy Guerrero, played by Jackie Earle, is growing on me. Mostly, though, what keeps me watching is the lack of formula. So far, every show has been different enough to avoid the repetition that's standard -- expected -- from these kind of danger shows.
Ugly Americans has had only one show, so I won't make any sweeping judgments. It had promise. The writing was clever and the alternate history of New York City played itself out in the signs that zip past. (Best to watch on DVR to be able to stop and read the stuff that flies by.) Still, it's pretty low-brow humor about disgusting creatures. Not, in and of itself, a fatal flaw, but a strike against it. I'll watch a few more (recorded), but I hope the show ramps up the weirdness without the squickiness.
Baron Dave Romm is a conceptual artist and a noble of Ladonia who produces Shockwave Radio Theater, writes in a Live Journal demi-blog maintains a Facebook Page, 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. A nascent collection of videos are on Baron Dave's YouTube channel. 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.
Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Ted Rall: HEY RIGHT-WINGERS! SAVE US FROM OBAMACARE!
Bill a Bailout for Insurers, Disastrous for Americans.
Froma Harrop: Will Snowe Fall in Maine? (creators.com)
Go visit potato country at the tippy-top of Maine. There, struggling farmers can look across the St. John River at equally hard-pressed potato growers in New Brunswick, Canada. The big difference between them is that if one of the Mainers falls grievously ill, the family may have to sell the farm to pay medical bills. The Canadian family doesn't.
Connie Schultz: Job or No Job, He's Still Her Hero (creators.com)
On her husband's last day on the job, Renee Spencer sent me the kind of e-mail that could have come from a devoted spouse living just about anywhere in America. I do not know Renee, but that didn't matter. She is a blue-collar worker's wife in Ashtabula, Ohio, reaching out to another wife, whose working-class roots run deep in that same small town.
"Wild Comfort: The Solace of Nature" by Kathleen Dean Moore: A review by Joseph Bednarik
Pay attention is the message of 'Wild Comfort: The Solace of Nature' by Kathleen Dean Moore, a philosophy professor at Oregon State University and the director of the Spring Creek Project for Ideas, Nature and the Written Word.
Susan Salter Reynolds: Greg Critser explores America's efforts to stop aging (Los Angeles Times)
"My American pathology trilogy," Greg Critser calls it: "Fat Land: How Americans Became the Fattest People in the World" (2003), "Generation Rx: How Prescription Drugs Are Altering American Lives, Minds, and Bodies" (2005) and the just-released "Eternity Soup: Inside the Quest to End Aging."
Connie Ogle: Writer Deborah Crombie is obsessed with her characters (McClatchy Newspapers)
Some suspense novelists grow weary of reprising their characters in book after book and seek respite by writing stand-alone novels. But Deborah Crombie's fans need not worry. "I hear writers say they are bored and that they would like to do something else, but I don't feel that way at all," says the creator of the Duncan Kincaid/ Gemma James mystery series...
Alexis Petridis: Misunderstood or hateful? Oi!'s rise and fall (guardian.co.uk)
Thirty years ago, a rock writer coined the term 'Oi!' to decribe his favourite music. Soon 'punk's idiot half-brother' was synonymous with arson, racism and football violence.
The Candle Thieves reinvent the rock tour in your garden (guardian.co.uk)
Why go to a gig when the Candle Thieves will come to you? Dave Simpson meets the intrepid two-piece as their tour of kitchens, living rooms and gardens brings them to his local pub.
George Varga: Foreign Artists Embrace an All-American Art Form (creators.com)
The wide world of jazz is broader and more global than ever, 77 years after Duke Ellington first toured Europe and more than 90 years after Alabama-born James Reese Europe and his big band became the first American jazz group to perform on the European continent.
Keith Evans' Art
The art of a nephew of mine.
Chris Jones: "When Elton met Billy: John recalls his emotional introduction to 'Billy Elliott'" (Chicago Tribune)
In 2000, Elton John walked, unannounced, into a second-tier screening room at the Cannes International Film Festival. No rock-star arrangements had been made, no security provided. Accompanied by his longtime partner, David Furnish, John sat quietly in the back. He was trying to support independent British filmmakers, but he knew next to nothing about what he had come to see.
Ryan Gilbey: "Brendan Gleeson: the character actor who steals the show" (guardian.co.uk)
From '28 Days Later' to 'Green Zone,' Brendan Gleeson has a habit of making peripheral roles the highlight of a film.
David Bruce: Nicholas Sparks' "A Walk to Remember": A Discussion Guide (lulu.com)
Free Download.
Hubert's Poetry Corner
The Janissary
The Weekly Poll
New Question
The 'DNA Database Blues' Edition
"President Barack Obama is not the civil-liberties knight in shining armor many were expecting... The nation's chief executive extols the virtues of mandatory DNA testing of Americans upon arrest, even absent charges or a conviction. Obama said, "It's the right thing to do" to "tighten the grip around folks" who commit crime..."
Wired.com
Do you support mandatory DNA collection upon arrest?
A.) Yes
B.) No
C.) Depends on the crime
Send your response to
replied:
From The Creator of 'Avery Ant'
from RJ
Links
Hi there
Two possible links for you today - thanks for taking a look!
Reader Suggestions
Michelle in AZ
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Overcast morning, sunny afternoon.
Gridiron Stand-In
Bill Clinton
Former President Bill Clinton poked fun at Republicans, Democrats, his own health and his audience of reporters Saturday night, telling the Gridiron Club's annual dinner he was there because "I really didn't have anything much better to do tonight."
Clinton, who stood in for President Barack Obama, said Democrats are going to pass health care.
"It may not happen in my lifetime, or Dick Cheney's, but hopefully by Easter," he said referring to his and the former to vice president's heart ailments.
The dinner marked the 125th annual gathering of the Gridiron Club, whose members include Washington based reporters.
Bill Clinton
London Stage
Olivier Awards
Rachel Weisz added a stage accolade to Hollywood stardom Sunday, winning the best-actress prize at London's Laurence Olivier theater awards for her role in "A Streetcar Named Desire."
The prize for a Londoner made good in the U.S. was fitting on a night that rewarded several Broadway-bound productions, including "Enron," "Red" and "The Mountaintop," a play about Martin Luther King by 28-year-old American writer Katori Hall.
Rock musical "Spring Awakening" - which traveled the opposite direction, from New York to London - took four prizes, including best new musical.
Weisz won for playing faded belle Blanche Dubois in the Donmar Warehouse production of Tennessee Williams' steamy southern drama. Ruth Wilson, Stella in the same play, was named best supporting actress.
Olivier Awards
Pigeon Show Ruffles Feathers
Mike Tyson
An animal welfare group wants New York City prosecutors to investigate boxing great Mike Tyson's upcoming reality television show about pigeon racing.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals alleges the Brooklyn-based show is cruel to animals. It says races likely will involve illegal gambling.
The show will follow Tyson as he competes in pigeon races. The former world heavyweight champ has raised pigeons all his life but is a racing rookie.
The show is slated to air next year on Animal Planet.
Mike Tyson
Filming Starts In July
'The Hobbit'
Shooting of Peter Jackson's long-awaited movies based on the JRR Tolkein fantasy "The Hobbit" is due to start in July in New Zealand, star Ian McKellen said.
The two-part film to be produced by Jackson, who directed the Oscar-winning trilogy of Tolkein's "The Lord of The Rings", will take over a year, McKellen said on his website.
"Casting in Los Angeles, New York City and London has started," said the British actor, who will again play the wizard Gandalf.
The Hobbit films will be directed by Mexican-born Guillermo del Toro, who is already living in Wellington, where Jackson's studio is based.
'The Hobbit'
SXSW Tribute
Alex Chilton
Alex Chilton, who died of a heart attack Wednesday, three days before the scheduled performance of his band Big Star at the South By Southwest music conference, was memorialized at the Austin event by colleagues, friends and admirers, with words and, most important, with music.
After a warmly reverent and nostalgic afternoon panel at the Austin Convention Center -- with Big Star co-founders Jody Stephens and Andy Hummel, latter-day members Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow, original producer John Frye and others -- Big Star's scheduled showcase that night at Antone's was turned into a kind of musical wake for Chilton, with numerous guests taking turns during the 80-minute show. But the performance was also preceded by more words.
Stephens told the packed house he was still "stunned and shocked" by Chilton's sudden death, at age 59, March 17 in New Orleans but thanked the fans for their support and noted that, in Austin, "it feels like the whole, broad music community has wrapped its arms around us."
Alex Chilton
Daytime Talk Show
Rosie O'Donnell
Rosie O'Donnell is plotting a return to daytime television.
O'Donnell, who hosted the syndicated "The Rosie O'Donnell Show" and did a stint on ABC's "The View," has teamed with syndication veterans Dick Robertson and Scott Carlin for another syndicated talk show.
The show, hosted by O'Donnell, is eyed for fall 2011 launch, which would coincide with the exit of "The Oprah Winfrey Show."
As president of Warner Bros. Domestic TV Distribution, a post he held for 17 years until segueing into an adviser position in 2006, Robertson shepherded the sales of the Telepictures-produced "Rosie O'Donnell Show," which ran for six years and won a truckload of Emmys, including five consecutive best-talk-show statuettes.
Rosie O'Donnell
The Buck Stops Where?
Pope
Pope Benedict XVI on Sunday urged Catholics to refrain from judging sinners a day after he rebuked Irish bishops for their handling of a half-century of sexual abuse of minors by clergy.
While the pope made no mention of the Vatican's widely criticized policy of cloaking abuse allegations in secrecy, a Swiss churchman called for the Holy See to start a registry of molester clergy to avoid more shuttling by bishops of pedophile priests from parish to parish.
The pontiff didn't mention his letter chastising Ireland's church hierarchy as he made his weekly appearance Sunday from his studio window overlooking St. Peter's Square. He cited the Gospel passage about Jesus' inviting those without sin to cast the first stone toward an adulterer.
In Germany, meanwhile, the news magazine Focus quoted the head of the German Bishops Conference on Sunday as acknowledging that Roman Catholic church consciously covered up cases of sexual abuse.
Pope
Web Impact
Wildlife
The Internet has emerged as one of the greatest threats fueling the illegal wildlife trade, making it easier to buy everything from live baby lions to wine made from tiger bones, conservationists said Sunday.
The web's impact was made clear at the meeting of the 175-nation Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, or CITES. A vote Sunday was scheduled on a proposal to ban the sale of the Kaiser's spotted newt which the World Wildlife Fund says has been devastated by the Internet trade.
The United States and Sweden, meanwhile are proposing to regulate the trade in red and pink coral which is crafted into expensive jewelry and sold extensively on the web.
The IFW has done several surveys of illegal trade on the web and found that thousands of species are sold on auction sites, classified ads and chat rooms, mostly in the United States but also Europe, China, Russia and Australia. Most of what is traded is illegal African ivory but the group has also found exotic birds along with rare products such as tiger-bone wine and pelts from protected species like polar bears and leopards.
Wildlife
Who Mattered
Flu Shots
Last fall, as swine flu cases mounted and parents desperately sought to protect their kids, the hard-to-get vaccine was handed out in some surprising places: the Royal Caribbean cruise line, the headquarters of drug giant Merck, the Johnson Space Center and a Department of Energy office in Idaho.
In some cases, financial institutions and other recipients got doses before some county health departments and doctors' offices, according to records obtained by The Associated Press through a Freedom of Information Act request.
Also, even though the federal government spent more than $1.6 billion to manufacture and distribute the vaccine, there is no complete record of where it went.
That's "a big deal" - the absence of complete data makes it hard to spot waste and other problems, said James Colgrove, a Columbia University scholar on the history of immunization campaigns.
Flu Shots
Volcanic Eruption
Iceland
A volcano in southern Iceland has erupted for the first time in almost 200 years, raising concerns that it could trigger a larger and potentially more dangerous eruption at a volatile volcano nearby.
The eruption at the Eyjafjallajokull volcano, located near a glacier of the same name, shot ash and molten lava into the air but scientists called it mostly peaceful. It occurred just before midnight Saturday (2000 EDT, 8 p.m. EDT) at a fissure on a slope - rather than at the volcano's summit - so scientists said there was no imminent danger that the glacier would melt and flood the area.
TV footage showed lava flowing along the fissure, and many flights were canceled due to the threat of airborne volcanic ash. After an aerial survey Sunday, scientists concluded the eruption struck near the glacier in an area that had no ice.
A state of emergency was declared although there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage. Evacuation centers were set up near the town of Hella, but many people returned to their homes later Sunday. The most immediate threat was to livestock because of the caustic gases the eruption released.
Iceland
Cold Climate Proves Lethal
Moscow
A Russian couple having sex in a car parked in a tiny garage have died from carbon monoxide poisoning, Interfax news agency reported on Tuesday.
"A man and a woman retreated to their Volkswagen to have sex... Most likely the lovers turned on the engine to get warm," Interfax reported, citing a source in the Moscow police force. During a moment of "intimate closeness," the pair, in southern Moscow, inhaled the gas and died, the source added.
Many Russians keep their cars in box-like iron garages near their homes, which snugly encase their cars.
Moscow
Deliver Gene Therapy Through Blood
Nanotech Robots
U.S. researchers have developed tiny nanoparticle robots that can travel through a patient's blood and into tumors where they deliver a therapy that turns off an important cancer gene.
The finding, reported in the journal Nature on Sunday, offers early proof that a new treatment approach called RNA interference or RNAi might work in people.
Dozens of biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies including Alnylam, Merck, Pfizer, Novartis and Roche are looking for ways to manipulate RNA to block genes that make disease-causing proteins involved in cancer, blindness or AIDS.
But getting the treatment to the right target in the body has presented a challenge.
Nanotech Robots
Weekend Box Office
"Alice in Wonderland"
Johnny Depp and Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland" took in $34.5 million to remain the No. 1 movie for a third-straight weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday.
"Alice in Wonderland" easily beat a rush of new movies led by 20th Century Fox's family film "Diary of a Wimpy Kid," which opened at No. 2 with $21.8 million. The movie is adapted from Jeff Kinney's cartoon novel about a sixth grader maneuvering through the intricate social structure at his middle school, which includes its own "cooties" game known as the "cheese touch."
Debuting at No. 3 was Jennifer Aniston and Gerard Butler's action comedy "The Bounty Hunter" with $21 million. Released by Sony, the movie follows a bounty hunter chasing his ex-wife, a reporter with an arrest warrant over her head after she misses a court date while pursuing a story.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Final figures will be released Monday.
1. "Alice in Wonderland," $34.5 million.
2. "Diary of a Wimpy Kid," $21.8 million.
3. "The Bounty Hunter," $21 million.
4
. "Repo Men," $6.2 million.
5. "She's Out of My League," $6 million.
6. "Green Zone," $5.96 million.
7. "Shutter Island," $4.8 million.
8. "Avatar," $4 million.
9. "Our Family Wedding," $3.8 million.
10. "Remember Me," $3.3 million.
"Alice in Wonderland"
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