Archive for category Watcher
Life on Mars
I had a chance to watch some of the UK version of Life on Mars. The Brits have a different sort of pace and function to their dialog, even for the cop shows. It’s kind of refreshing from the NYPD Blue / CSI style fast paced programming, and yet, they contain the same depth.
The UK version of Life on Mars is worth a look if you enjoy cop shows with a bit of a Sci Fi twist. If the US version is half as good, then put it on your TIVO.
McCain won Friday’s Debate
I hope you watched the debates using your DVR. The discussion was fast furious, and the fluff really did fly. I’m only going to dissect part 1, the financial question because it can be used to demonstrate the difference between the two parties.
McCain really schooled Obama in every foreign policy area and I don’t believe there is any reason to point out the substance over style requirement to be President.
Another note before I get started: ABC handled the debate poorly. Stephanopoulos is not the ideal commentator if you really want an unbiased view. George Stephanopoulos is a master at turning rockstar popularity into political credibility and he awarded Obama the debate based on style, not substance.
Getting Started
Lehrer: Gentlemen, at this very moment tonight, where do you stand on the financial recovery plan?
How did Obama do?
Obama: uses up 184 words and then states we need four things: oversight, it gets paid back somehow, and no golden parachutes (I think that’s oversight), help homeowners because foreclosures are the root of the problem.
In all, Obama used 397 words to stump, attack, and answer the question. It took him 184 words to get to this point, of which only 113 actually took a position on the recovery plan and he used the rest (100 words) to continue to stump.
My problem? I didn’t hear an answer. He did not state a unique position on the financial recovery plan. Instead, I heard exactly what everybody has been saying over the past few days: oversight, no golden parachutes, homeowner protection, payback. He used almost 75 percent of his opportunity to take a position as an opportunity to endear himself and indict McCain.
I wanted to hear an answer, not a stump speech.
How did McCain do?
McCain started with a quick note about Kennedy being ill, stated his gratitude that the parties are working together, scoped the problem and stated his position at word number 219.
His answer, in 49 words: transparency, accountability, oversight and something unique: loans to failing business instead of governments taking over loans.
His is the first concrete answer: loans to failing businesses, rather than the government taking over those loans. We heard the rest of everything stated so far but this is the first explicit answer and unique answer in the session.
This means that financial institutions that are being rescued would be forced to grant loans to other, smaller businesses.
On a side note, McCain did not attack the Democrats in any shape or form, yet.
Lehrer is not impressed and tried again: “…How do you all stand on the recovery plan?…”
Obama: We can’t answer this to your satisfaction because we simply don’t know enough about the plan. However, lemme start pointing the blame and “I told you so”.
McCain: I told you so too. Now, it’s time for accountability. Those responsible for this situation should be held accountable.
Obama: “Well, I think Senator McCain’s absolutely right…”
Banter, banter, banter.
Here is my problem and why I think McCain wins this section of the debate:
Obama calls for more government.
Obama: [McCain and I] fundamentally disagree. We need more government “day in and day out” NOT over those who have power and influence, BUT ALSO FOR the nurse, teacher, police officer.
McCain believes that government must just do it’s job better.
McCain: We have to fix the system. D.C. & Wall Street greed has got to be penalized because Main street suffers. Our current laws are not being enforced properly and the room for interpretation and manipulation of the laws needs to be reduced.
However, American’s are good and I believe in the American people as producers, consumers, and facilitators on the world stage.
End Part 1: McCain is the winner: we need to ensure that those we bail out are responsible for paying it down and bail out smaller businesses. We need to better enforce our existing laws. American’s need to be accountable for greedy business practices.
Who Won?
Obama loses part 1 because he did not address the issue in particular except to point blame, restate the position of the mainstream news, used “I told you so”, and suggested bigger government as a solution, right down to the men and women who hold this country together.
TNT Raising the Bar
There are too many sites out there that post new articles simply to be disagreeable with every topic they post about and I really don’t want to be that guy.
However, I gotta say, this television show is just plain bad. TNT has pushed this show as if it’s the next “Shield” or “The Practice” and it’s not. What it is is predictable, soft, cliche, and not even close to the billing that I had to suffer though while watching the “Closer” and “Saving Grace”. I can’t recommend it.
Draper is a Sociopath
Fast Company did an article on business execs and how many possess traits similar to those of a sociopath. In the A&E television show, Mad Men, Donald Draper is the Creative Director at the firm, Sterling Cooper and he is the centerpiece of the show.
Grodin suggests keeping posts short but he loves lists so I’m just going to suggest watching the show and provide this short list from http://www.mcafee.cc/Bin/sb.html for you to compare.
They never recognize the rights of others and see their self-serving behaviors as permissible. They appear to be charming, yet are covertly hostile and domineering, seeing their victim as merely an instrument to be used. They may dominate and humiliate their victims.
Feels entitled to certain things as “their right.”
Has no problem lying coolly and easily and it is almost impossible for them to be truthful on a consistent basis. Can create, and get caught up in, a complex belief about their own powers and abilities. Extremely convincing and even able to pass lie detector tests.
A deep seated rage, which is split off and repressed, is at their core. Does not see others around them as people, but only as targets and opportunities. Instead of friends, they have victims and accomplices who end up as victims. The end always justifies the means and they let nothing stand in their way.
When they show what seems to be warmth, joy, love and compassion it is more feigned than experienced and serves an ulterior motive. Outraged by insignificant matters, yet remaining unmoved and cold by what would upset a normal person. Since they are not genuine, neither are their promises.
Living on the edge. Verbal outbursts and physical punishments are normal. Promiscuity and gambling are common.
Unable to empathize with the pain of their victims, having only contempt for others’ feelings of distress and readily taking advantage of them.
Rage and abuse, alternating with small expressions of love and approval produce an addictive cycle for abuser and abused, as well as creating hopelessness in the victim. Believe they are all-powerful, all-knowing, entitled to every wish, no sense of personal boundaries, no concern for their impact on others.
Usually has a history of behavioral and academic difficulties, yet “gets by” by conning others. Problems in making and keeping friends; aberrant behaviors such as cruelty to people or animals, stealing, etc.
Not concerned about wrecking others’ lives and dreams. Oblivious or indifferent to the devastation they cause. Does not accept blame themselves, but blames others, even for acts they obviously committed.
Promiscuity, child sexual abuse, rape and sexual acting out of all sorts.
Tends to move around a lot or makes all encompassing promises for the future, poor work ethic but exploits others effectively.
Changes their image as needed to avoid prosecution. Changes life story readily.
Another thought on Regenesis
I named a few shows that Regenesis borrows from, and in some cases, even pays an omage to. “Good hunting”. That comes from one show on TV right now, Battle Star Galactica. BG has three great battles going on: the government against the military, government against the people and the military against the alians out to destroy them all. In Regenesis, it’s the Government against scientists, the corporations against the scientists against the viruses that want to destroy us all.
So yea, put BG in that earlier post…
Regenesis
The Canadians don’t know how good they have it. Regenesis is the Canadian version of House with huge helpings of 24, Alias, Firefly (the team component), and Breaking Bad.
The show gets bad publicity because it takes on current issues and seems to have a political agenda. Fortunately, it’s difficult to determine exactly which group they would be most affiliated with as they just address each issue as they come across it in the script. Right now, Episode 9 of Season 2, they are analyzing a sexual preference gene and suicide rates from the Katrina tradegy.
Give it a watch if you come across it. It’s not available in the US – unless the F-word and partial nudity is suddenly permissible in Primetime or Showtime picks it up.
GK ep3
Great episode, but I’m gonna have to cut this short. The God Father is rough, more political motivated than we believed but relents in the end to show a human side of the machine.
The Dark Knight
The Dark Knight Rocked! We went with a couple of friends to the AMC 15 at North Park, the only place to watch a movie, on Saturday night.
The Joker was insane, but there is a haunting reality to his madness. Joker is just pure chaos, not necessarily evil because he messes with the good and bad guys. Unfortunately for our hero, Batman, Joker has an obsession with the fact that nobody knows who he is and every man must be accountable for his actions. Unfortunately, his obbession creates another (longtime comic) villian, Two Face. You can’t help but feel sorry for the guy. Harvey was a decent man, even a noble one, until he was hurt and he had to make things right.
Bruce Wayne was really overshadowed in the story and if you don’t remember why he was acting like such an ass, then go back to “Batman Begins”. Batman was definately more angry than usual. Angry, dark, driven, whatever, his voice was always unusual and raspy.
It’s obvious that the crew could have made a 3.5 hour movie instead of the 2.5 but this version should have been called “The Joker’s Game… with a cameo by Batman and some of his toys”.
I expected the Dark Knight…. ok, I had no expectations because I refused to watch previews and read reviews. The movie kicked ass. I’m excited to see what will happen in the next installment. Gothem (Chicago), still needs a hero and the Caped Crusader rode into the sunset with a wanted sign on his back. Something bad is going to happen, really bad.
Oh, that broad who played Rachel, Maggie Gyllenhaal, bad casting. I’m not sure what happened to Katie Holmes, but Maggie Gyllenhaal would have been better cast as Spider Man’s MJ. Gyllenhall has had a very low profile career and was wonderful in Mona Lisa Smile, but seemed to phone this performance in.
Go to the movie. It’s the only movie that Abby has ever told me that she’ll see 2 times.
Cleaner, Episode 2…bad
Maybe it’s just because there are too many “turnaround” shows on tv. You know the ones, a guy with demons turns it around because of a life changing event and is an unappreciated hero who must change the world, one broken person at a time. After a few years of Angel, Moonlight, Buffy, Spiderman, X-Men, and Saving Grace, I just can’t buy it anymore – at least not this one.
Maybe I’ll give it another shot next week but I can’t find a new story here.
The Cleaner
A&E has a new show, ‘The Cleaner” with Benjamin Pratt and a really fantastic cast, including Grace Park (BG fame) kidnap people and cart them off to rehab. Actually, it doesn’t look half bad. However, I’m getting a bit tired of the Intervention stuff – it’s on every station and on every tabloid.
The show is a bit campy and has all the hard core characters you would expect: cleaned up addicts and all the baggage that comes with being one.
Here’s the gyst: William operates and acts like a hitman but he has an angel complex and takes his targets off to rehab. Like all the heroes in today’s shows, this angel has his demons but ultimately, it’s the good they do, not the baggage they are carrying. It’s not bad but is totally predictable. William’s one way dialog with God is amusing enough to stay tuned for a few episodes.
End of episode update: this show is kind of a heart breaker. It’s destined to be fodder for addict jokes and there is no ‘happy ending’. It’ll be heralded as greatness and then quickly slip off the deep end.