A Tribute to Bad 80's Sitcoms

In paying tribute to television of the 1980's, it's too easy to look at the obviously nostalgic: MacGyver, The A-Team, The Dukes of Hazard. No, in order to examine the 1980's, we must look at what passed for comedy. Today, the situation comedy, or sitcom, is all but dead, but in the 80's, it thrived. Shows with the most bizarre of premises popped up out of nowhere, or better, were spun off of existing shows. Who remembers that both Laverne & Shirley and Mork & Mindy were spin offs of Happy Days? Or that that Nurses was a spin off of Empty Nest which was a spin off of Golden Girls? The best is when studios utilized the one-off spin off, which is where a character is introduced into a popular sitcom for a single episode in hopes of generating a loyal fan base when that character is given his own show. The best example of that is Just the Ten of Us about a football coach (originally introduced on Growing Pains) that moved his family cross country. Another driving force behind the 80's sitcom was something we call syndication which is where a show's old episodes are sold to local markets for daily airings. Sometimes shows only existed in syndication, as was the case of Charles in Charge. As history remembers the 1980's, silly dramas like Simon & Simon or The Great American Hero will fade away, but "classic" sitcoms like Punky Brewster, Small Wonder and Alf will standout as the shows that defined a decade.

Mr. Bauer

As 24 gears up for its sixth season (the first four hours will air January 14 & 15) the show's creators have announced that James Cromwell has been cast as Jack Bauer's estranged father. I have no problem with Cromwell. I think he is a fine actor (most of you might know him as the farmer in Babe). However, this move raises the obvious question of why not Donald Sutherland, especially since the TV show he was in, Commander in Chief, was canceled. Donald and Kiefer Sutherland have never been cast as father and son before, although they have appeared in two movies together (Max Dugan Returns in 1983 and A Time to Kill in 1996). I'm sure there was a good reason why Donald wasn't cast, but at some point I would like to see him on 24, maybe as the head of the evil syndicate that has been in the background pulling the strings, including those of President Logan.

Something to Consider

Christopher Guest is coming out with a new movie this month called For Your Consideration. In it, three actors learn their respective performances in the film Home for Purim, a drama set in the mid-1940s American South, are generating award-season buzz. Though not quite a mocumentary like Guest's previous films (Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, A Mighty Wind), it does have the whole gang with one notable addition: Ricky Gervais from the British version of The Office. And while some of Guest's regulars are pretty annoying, others are hilarious (ie Fred Willard, Parker Posey, Harry Shearer). Guest is one of the few directors whose work I look forward to. In fact, the best characters in his films are often played by Guest himself. He really is a versatile actor (those of you unfamiliar with him, might know him better as the evil Count Tyrone Rugen, a.k.a. the six-fingered man, from The Princess Bride). He has also shown he has musical skills as he often writes the songs for his movies. Speaking of which, something I have always found funny is that the three members of Spinal Tap (Guest, Shearer, Michael McKean), a band created for Rob Riener's 1984 "rockumentary" This is Spinal Tap (Tag line: "Does for rock and roll what The Sound of Music did for hills") are the same three members of the folk music group The Folksmen from 2003's A Mighty Wind. What's more is that both groups sort of became real, doing concerts and musical appearances. Spinal Tap even went on tour and released an album (besides the movie soundtrack) called Break Like the Wind.

We'll always have Berlin

There's a new movie coming out that feels suspiciously like Casablanca. It's called The Good German and stars George Clooney, Cate Blanchett and that weenie Tobey Maguire. It takes place right after WWII and deals with an old love walking back into the hero's life. I may be wrong and it may be nothing like Casablanca, but the marketing efforts seem to suggest otherwise. Oh, and did I mention the movie is in black and white?

Murderers!

Please note: This web log entry contains one or more embedded YouTube videos that no longer work since YouTube permanently disabled my account. I apologize for any inconvenience. As many of you know I am a huge fan of the TV show Law & Order, having seen all but 6 of the nearly 400 episodes (in truth, I may have seen those 6 episodes too, I just can't be sure). In addition, I also became interested in the spin-off Law & Order: Criminal Intent, the subject of this posting. Sometimes the story lines of L&O:CI are a little hoakey, but the characters are interesting. Something else I find amusing is the many guest stars that come on the show and end up being the killer. Many times it's strange to see these actors taking on serious roles. Some of the more notable guest stars are pictured below including Stephen Colbert, Doogie Howser MD, both Perfect Strangers and that guy from Revenge of the Nerds. Rosanna Arquette Elizabeth Berkley Corbin Bernsen Robert Carradine Stephen Colbert Whoopi Goldberg Michael Gross Neil Patrick Harris Mark Linn-Baker Bronson Pinchot Brent Spiner Stephen Tobolowsky Michael York Here is a clip from when Stephen Colbert appeared on Criminal Intent as a forger and a killer.

Call of Duty

Since Arrested Development was not picked up for a fourth season, the best comedy on TV is now The Office (Thursdays 7:30 on NBC). If you aren't watching this show, you're missing out. For those of you that do watch, here's my prediction of what will happen with Jim & Pam: The Stamford Branch will close and many of its employees including Jim and Karen, who will have hooked up by then, will be transferred to the Scranton Branch. Watch out for some awkward moments as hilarity will no doubt ensue. The only question remaining is will Andy (Ed Helms) go too. Can you imagine him and Dwight in the same office? Anyway, below is a clip I put together that offers a glimpse into life at the Stamford Branch.

Life Lessons From The Simpsons I

Please note: This web log entry contains one or more embedded YouTube videos that no longer work since YouTube permanently disabled my account. I apologize for any inconvenience. One thing I learrned while working at the ad agency Merrell Remington is that the copy in a print ad must be short and simple. While the information may seem important to the copywriter, the reader almost never reads the whole thing. Below is a case in point.

R be me Favorite Letter!

I have to hand it to the marketing people at Disney. Even though Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest doesn't come out on DVD until December 5, they took advantage of today being National Talk-Like-a-Pirate Day and have been advertising on various web sites. Below are images captured from one of the ads.

My plan to fix college football

1. Eliminate the BCS and all conferences as we currently know them. 2. Organize all 120 Division 1A schools into 4 super conferences of 30 teams each based solely on geography as shown below. 3. Organize each super conference into 3 divisions or tiers of 10 teams. These tiers will come with a certain level of hierarchy. The top tier will consist of the best teams while the bottom tier will consist of the worst teams. 4. Each team will play the other 9 teams in its division with three games left for traditional rivals or other selected match ups. 5. At the end of the season, the champions of each conference's top tier will play in a four-team playoff with the winner crowned national champion. 6. All other teams will play in bowl games as they currently do. 7. The bottom two or three teams from the top tier will then be relegated to the second tier while the top two or three teams from the second tier will move up to the top tier and so on. The Resulting Benefits: It will eliminate controversy as to who should play in the national championship game. There would be fewer coaches abandoning schools on their way to the top as they would now be able to advance a mid-level program up to the top level. Similarly, it will appease the mid-majors as they would have a chance to move up to the big stage It will keep schools that don't really seem to be trying (ie Vanderbilt, Baylor and two thirds of the Big East) from piggy backing on the major programs for money It will preserve the importance that exists in every regular season game (something that a large tournament has failed to do in college basketball)

The Best of Reality TV

Many of you know where I stand on the issue of "Reality TV." I think it is boring and and very low brow. In fact I often consider certain scripted shows to be closer to reality than many of the unscripted ones. However, my opinions might be shifting. Lately I've found myself watching 30 Days (from the creator of Supersize Me). I especially liked the immigration, minimum wage and prison episodes. While I don't often agree with the politics of the show, it is a lot more intelligent and socially relevant than other programs currently on TV, especially other examples of Reality TV. At the opposite end of the spectrum is my favorite reality television show: Dog the Bounty Hunter. If you aren't watching this show (on several times a week on A&E), you're missing out. Let me elaborate. We all know the best part of the show Cops ("filmed on location with the men and women of law enforcement") is the white trash that end up handcuffed face down in the dirt after a brief chase around the trailer. Now imagine this: what if the cops chasing the white trash were also white trash. We're talking mullets, black leather, the works. Add to that a little born-again Christianity and bleeped-out profanity and you get Dog the Bounty Hunter and his family chasing down bail jumpers. It truly is quality television. Below is a clip I strung together. It is probably the greatest moment in the show's history.