Thursday, March 29, 2007
How Do You Spell Sanjaya?
I admit, I may very well have mocked Sanjaya at first. And deep in my heart, I know that he's nowhere near the best singer on American Idol.
And yet, once he reached that low point, that sort of hurt and sad place where you know you're a laughingstock, Sanjaya did the only thing I think you can do, short of killing yourself. I can't believe I'm actually saying this, but he turned his frown upside down.
I think he just decided to ride this crazy pony til he gets bucked off, and enjoy the scenery along the way. That very act, in and of itself, is inspirational.
I'm semi-serious here. He can trace a spiritual ancestry back to the guys playing on the Titanic while it sank out from under them. Facing utter disaster, he's making the best of things, and how can you not like someone who can be that positive?
As far as Idol goes, who cares who wins? Even non-winners are making hit records now. Talent wins out.
In the meantime, how do you spell Sanjaya? B-a-n-d-w-a-g-o-n.
And yet, once he reached that low point, that sort of hurt and sad place where you know you're a laughingstock, Sanjaya did the only thing I think you can do, short of killing yourself. I can't believe I'm actually saying this, but he turned his frown upside down.
I think he just decided to ride this crazy pony til he gets bucked off, and enjoy the scenery along the way. That very act, in and of itself, is inspirational.
I'm semi-serious here. He can trace a spiritual ancestry back to the guys playing on the Titanic while it sank out from under them. Facing utter disaster, he's making the best of things, and how can you not like someone who can be that positive?
As far as Idol goes, who cares who wins? Even non-winners are making hit records now. Talent wins out.
In the meantime, how do you spell Sanjaya? B-a-n-d-w-a-g-o-n.
Labels: TV
Friday, March 16, 2007
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
I saw a couple of brief commercials for the movie early in the promotional campaign. They were short. Or I wasn't paying close attention. Whatever the actual case, I didn't hear them talk. And I didn't see much. And I said to myself, "Self, if they play this right, this movie could kick major butt."
How could they play it right? By being completely serious. By not playing to four year olds. Burps played cute for laughs? Out. Keanu style voices? Out. Circa 1985 surfer lingo? Out.
If they had just played it straight, this movie could have been awesome. Martial arts? Check. Cool ninja weapons? Check. Monsters? Check. Taking the movie seriously, and leaving the My Little Pony stuff to be put in some other crap flick? Ch- err, not quite. Here's a trailer for you.
I had high hopes for this movie, and all the things I hated about the cartoon haven't gone away.
Please God, don't let them screw up the Transformers. This I pray, in Jesus' name, amen.
How could they play it right? By being completely serious. By not playing to four year olds. Burps played cute for laughs? Out. Keanu style voices? Out. Circa 1985 surfer lingo? Out.
If they had just played it straight, this movie could have been awesome. Martial arts? Check. Cool ninja weapons? Check. Monsters? Check. Taking the movie seriously, and leaving the My Little Pony stuff to be put in some other crap flick? Ch- err, not quite. Here's a trailer for you.
I had high hopes for this movie, and all the things I hated about the cartoon haven't gone away.
Please God, don't let them screw up the Transformers. This I pray, in Jesus' name, amen.
Saturday, March 10, 2007
Sanjaya
I'm telling you, it's the hair. He's man-pretty, and the girls keep voting for him. In some ways, it's sad, because I'm sure that after the last two weeks, he must be feeling a bit guilty. Someone who wasn't as self-aware would be excited about moving on, but Sanjaya knows he's moving on at the expense of better singers.
What can he do, though? It's not about Randy, Paula and Simon anymore; it's all on the voters, and that's where it gets interesting.
Remember those two guys from early in the auditions? Bush Baby and Tweedle-Dee? Here's a little story about them. Their auditions run from about 0:42 to 2:02. The stink of this Olberman piece is that Idol is evil for putting these guys on, and for making fun of them. Or at least that seemed to be the root of the furor.
However, at this point, Idol has nothing to do with keeping Sanjaya on. A mockery is being made of one of the contestants, and we're the ones keeping the moment alive.
So why are we doing it? Is it really just the hair that is getting the votes of millions of prepubescent girls? Are people so dumb that they really think Sanjaya is the better singer? Or, do we know he's a worse singer, we don't care about the hair, and we're voting for him anyway, just because it's fun to see him squirm?
Then you've got the people at Vote for the Worst. They've got a whole website devoted to voting for the worst singer each week, and as a consequence, getting rid of a more deserving singer. Sanjaya is their man at this point. What happens if Sanjaya wins? Well, it's possible to imagine that something like that would break the show, sort of a jump the shark moment, if you will.
Honestly, Vote for the Worst sounds like nothing more than a couple of people with a grudge for not getting on TV a few seasons back. Hey guys, so you weren't that great. At least you didn't suck so bad that they put you on as one of the mockable losers you claim to care so much about.
I have to believe that's who they are, because I just can't see one of the other networks having the skill to pull off this sort of strike against the show they have referred to as a death star and a nuclear bomb in that time slot.
What can he do, though? It's not about Randy, Paula and Simon anymore; it's all on the voters, and that's where it gets interesting.
Remember those two guys from early in the auditions? Bush Baby and Tweedle-Dee? Here's a little story about them. Their auditions run from about 0:42 to 2:02. The stink of this Olberman piece is that Idol is evil for putting these guys on, and for making fun of them. Or at least that seemed to be the root of the furor.
However, at this point, Idol has nothing to do with keeping Sanjaya on. A mockery is being made of one of the contestants, and we're the ones keeping the moment alive.
So why are we doing it? Is it really just the hair that is getting the votes of millions of prepubescent girls? Are people so dumb that they really think Sanjaya is the better singer? Or, do we know he's a worse singer, we don't care about the hair, and we're voting for him anyway, just because it's fun to see him squirm?
Then you've got the people at Vote for the Worst. They've got a whole website devoted to voting for the worst singer each week, and as a consequence, getting rid of a more deserving singer. Sanjaya is their man at this point. What happens if Sanjaya wins? Well, it's possible to imagine that something like that would break the show, sort of a jump the shark moment, if you will.
Honestly, Vote for the Worst sounds like nothing more than a couple of people with a grudge for not getting on TV a few seasons back. Hey guys, so you weren't that great. At least you didn't suck so bad that they put you on as one of the mockable losers you claim to care so much about.
I have to believe that's who they are, because I just can't see one of the other networks having the skill to pull off this sort of strike against the show they have referred to as a death star and a nuclear bomb in that time slot.
