"I overheard another teacher tell a concerned couple, 'That could be the reason that your child may end up developing interpersonal difficulties,' and then the couple was shown a drawing of a platypus their son had made and was told that an average platypus should look 'less deranged.'"
"Will it save the world? Will it bring on the apocalypse, with millions manufacturing their own AK-47s? Or is it all an absurd hubbub about a machine that spits out chintzy plastic trinkets?"
A.J. Jacobs poses these questions at the start of his essay in the New York Times last September detailing his quest to make* dinner via 3D printer. No, this is not a post about attempting to print a hamburger. This is a post about a machine that spits out chintzy plastic trinkets. And useful things.
The other night I was like, "Yo, Greg, how these things work?!"
I actually didn't ask that. I understand the basic operations of 3D printers. But although I had seen his collection of Ultimakers spit out countless Air Dock† parts, I had not put together how the whole process worked. So what I actually asked was, "How does the file get from the computer to the printer?" Essentially, how does the printer know what to print? My printer at home knows what to print because it's connected directly to my computer. My printer at work knows what to print because it's connected via a network cable. But Greg's printers are on top of his washer and dryer, so, you know, wtf?
What I found out was, Greg has a very advanced washer and dryer. They are hooked up to his computer via a very convoluted network of water, electric, and network cables that send signals to the printers. Not really. What I really found out was that long story short, the printers have SD card slots. Long story long, I found this out by printing a Hello Hamburger.
"What do you want to print?" Greg asked. I stood there biting my lip for a good several minutes trying to come up with something useful. In the end, I gave up on the "useful" part and settled on, what else, a Hello Kitty. OMG DID YOU KNOW YOU CAN DOWNLOAD 3D FILES OF LIKE ANYTHING ON THE INTERNET?!?!This was actually big news to me, as I figured picking something to print would also involve creating a 3D file in something like AutoCAD or SketchUp. But no, they're just out there, on things like the Thingiverse. A search for "Hello Kitty" on Thingiverse yields a variety of Hello Kitty and non-Hello Kitty items of varying quality and usefulness. I chose "Hello Hamburger," because who wouldn't want a random plastic Hello Kitty face meant to be used as a hamburger patty press. Download "Hello Hamburger," open with Cura to resize and such, save file to SD card, take SD card from computer to printer, select some things on the printer's menu, watch printer spit out one Hello Hamburger, and woohoo, I have a chintzy plastic trinket!
*see also, prepare, fix**, cook and any other of several verbs used to describe assembling a meal
**perhaps I will at some point write a post detailing how I do not like the word fix used to describe preparing a meal
†Order one of these. Greg makes them and Greg is awesome so you should buy one. Also they are aweome if you want to conveniently charge your phone wirelessly. Also Blogger is telling me wirelessly is not a word.
I would like to share with you a collection of Tea Party propaganda emails. I would like to, but I can't. Because I deleted them.
Marcella appears to have received at least one of the same emails:
"I had a friend who joined the Tea Party when it was new. She sent me an email full of misinformation. I sat down and painstaking corrected all her mistakes with citations to where she could find the sources. Then I thought, I can't send her this. So I started over. Once again I had to correct her mistakes. And then I thought I can't do this. I just wrote her out of my life."
I want to applaud her for writing this person out of her life. She must be more strong-willed than I am. Like Marcella, I composed detailed responses to these emails, complete with links to credible news sources, press releases, and fact-checking websites, and then thought, "I can't send this." Unlike Marcella, I did not voluntarily write the original sender our of my life. Because I thought I was going to marry him.
I could look past his uninformed perspective - he didn't seek out information about politics and current events on his own, instead relying on Tea Party-esque emails his grandmother forwarded him from the comfort of her home in a rural, homogeneously white town in Michelle Bachmann country. I could look past a lot of things: our divided political associations (as addressed in a New York Times Motherload blog "Parental Quandary"), his lack of personal responsibility, my frustration at his inability to plan anything in advance, and the fact that we lived hundreds of miles apart.
I could look past all of this because I love him, and because I fell in love with him long before any of these issues came up. And yet, every time he forwarded me one of those Tea Party emails, I did what Marcella did. Minus the writing him out of my life part. And then he wrote me out. Not over Tea Party emails, or politics, or anything I can actually put my finger on. And he said we could be friends, but like that ever works...
And so I found myself in the same position as Marcella, by different means. I began the purge. I threw out everything that ever belonged to him, that he ever gave me, and that reminded me of him in the slightest. I tried (unsuccessfully) to sell the table we bought together at Ikea on Craigslist. I threw out the ice packs and socks he left in my freezer. Yes, he left a pair of socks in my freezer. And I threw the Tea Party emails into Gmail's virtual trash can.
So I can't share these emails with you, even though I'm sure you'd find them immensely entertaining. But I can tell you that Marcella's comment reminds me of the power of saying "good riddance," and the fact that hopefully, despite my devastation at losing the man I want to spend the rest of my life with, I will no longer have to deal with Tea Party emails. Or frozen socks.
I just said that word to myself for the first time in...well I don't know how long, but considering my most powerful memories of that word involve Aaron and Philadelphia, I'm assuming it's been a really long time.
So, what's so sweeto right now? Well, I said the word to myself in response to an email I got stating that my application for a job had been received. I get emails like this every time I apply for a job online, so why haven't all the emails I've gotten from ski resorts and other random companies elicited a "sweeto?" Because this email was about a job in DENVER for a company that makes SHOE CLOSURES! You may be asking yourself, "You want to work for a shoe lace company?!" But they manufacture no ordinary shoe laces! Check these out! This job was listed on Malakye.com, a job search site that specializes in companies producing some pretty awesome outdoor products and services. Seriously, there are some fascinating companies out there! And that's what so sweeto.
What else is sweeto? -Rob just moved to Silicon Valley to get Meloncard running full speed, which just happens to be where Aaron of the "sweeto" Philadelphia connection lives. Here's to more sweeto connections, and a possible sweeto job working for Rob in CA in the future. -Aveda tea -Suburgatory on ABC
There are also a bunch of things that are not sweeto, but that list would be too long for this blog.
just got SO good tonight. If the storyline introduced tonight continues, as I assume it will, I think this show has the potential to be what Southland never was.
Also, I love Michael Imperioli.
Meanwhile, we're several weeks into the return of Real Time, and there's no sign of Eliot Spitzer yet. I guess he's been too busy over at CNN to make any guest appearances. I like him, but not enough to watch CNN. Luckily, my boyfriend will be making an appearance at Mr. Maher's roundtable this Friday. No, I'm not talking about the loser "friend with benefits" who dumped me this weekend and no longer wants to be friends nor engage in benefits. I'm talking about Andrew Ross Sorkin. You know, the kind of guy who graduated college in less* than six years.
*Yes, I know that is supposed to say "fewer." But "less" just makes it sound more spiteful.
Real Time comes back Friday, and I have just one thing to say: I always enjoy me some Sully, along with my boyfriend Andrew Ross Sorkin and The New York Times' conservative columnists, but most importantly, moar Eliot Spitzer plz. kthxbai.
As promised, Part II of my Fall preview. The following excerpts are highlights from TWoP's"Best and Worst New Shows" feature, and include my added comments.
-Terriers (Premieres September 8)The premise admittedly sounds more like a USA Network show -- an ex cop teams up with his best friend to solve crimes -- but FX's execution is dark, gritty and enthralling. Donal Logue stars as a loser who's lost his job, wife and pretty much everything else and is now forced to take on any sort of investigations that come his way. Michael Raymond-James (the vampire-hating Rene from True Blood) plays his younger partner with domestic issues of his own. With its focus on blue-collar underdogs solving mysteries that threaten to expose the corrupt upper class of a California town, this show reminds us of both Ross MacDonald's Lew Archer novels and the late lamented Veronica Mars, which is high praise indeed.
I don't really have time for FX shows (i.e., they're not a priority), but this one made TWoP's "best" list, so it might be worth a viewing.
-Boardwalk Empire (Premieres September 19)We're waiting with bated breath for this highly touted HBO series from Sopranos scribe Terence Winter and producer Martin Scorsese. This period crime drama literally looks fantastic, with Steve Buscemi at the center of the action in a Prohibition-era Atlantic City. If it's half as good as we think it will be, it'll still be the best show of the fall.
Three Letters: HBO.
-The Event (Premieres September 20)This is another complicated, high-concept show like FlashForward, so we were totally hesitant about getting invested. Now that we've seen the pilot, we already like Jason Ritter far more than Joseph Fiennes, although we're worried the show will fall victim to unflattering Lost comparisons (and not just because both had crashing planes in their pilots). The storyline involves a mysterious government operation and how it affects the lives of everyone from the president (Blair Underwood) to a guy on vacation with his girlfriend. Laura Innes co-stars in a totally shady role, which brings back fond ER memories. There's enough intrigue in the premiere to make us want to go along for the ride... but if Dominic Monaghan suddenly shows up with a missing finger, all bets are off.
Though I'm more than a little turned off by the comparison to Lost, I missed FlashForward, so I'm more than a little interested in this. But it might be too...complicated.
-Lone Star (Premieres September 20)We don't like this show just because it co-stars Friday Night Lights alum Adrianne Palicki, but that certainly doesn't hurt. We were actually won over by the concept, which sounded iffy on paper, but succeeds on screen. James Wolk is a con artist who lives a double life, wheeling and dealing and dating one girl while married to another. He swaps identities with ease since he's been doing it for years at the behest of his con-man father David Keith. But when trying to scam the uber-wealthy father of his wife, played by Jon Voight, he ends up trying to be a good person instead of taking the money and running. The pace may feel a little slow at first, but the tricky nuances and character development definitely pay off.
Mostly appealing because of Adrianne Palicki, but the rest sounds cool too.
-Detroit 1-8-7 (Premieres September 21)This is network cop drama done right... which probably means that it'll get cancelled quickly. It's fairly gritty, it's all about disturbing homicide cases, it has a strong cast and it has some dark humor. The premise is straightforward -- cops solving crimes and being badass in a very rough town -- but it's well executed. We're naively hopeful that this will last longer than Michael Imperioli's last cop series, Life on Mars.
I never watched the Sopranos, but Michael Imperioli impressed me in those few Law & Order episodes he was in (in as much as anyone can be impressive in L&O). I also like the idea of a gritty network cop drama done right.
-Running Wilde (Premieres September 21)The good things about this show: It's from Mitch Hurwitz, who brought us Arrested Development. It stars our beloved Felicity (a.k.a. Keri Russell, who is making her return to TV) and Will Arnett (who can make us laugh in anything... even the horrible When In Rome) and David Cross. What's not good about this show? Pretty much everything else. It's an odd premise (which admittedly worked for AD) about a rich playboy wants to woo the highly principled girl of his dreams by trying to be a better man, but it just isn't funny. At. All. In fact, instead of laughing, we were cringing.
This was on TWoP's "worst" list, but I'm excited to see Keri Russell back on TV and Will Arnett with more than a recurring role.
-The Whole Truth (Premieres September 22)Yes, it's another courtroom drama, but it's actually got a novel twist: it focuses equally on both the defense and the prosecution and their overlapping trial prep, culminating in a suspenseful verdict pronouncement. The great cast includes TV vets Rob Morrow as the laid-back criminal attorney and Maura Tierney as the DA. Here's hoping that this procedural show ups the ante throughout the season like The Good Wife did last year.
I probably don't need another courtroom drama, what with L&O: LA premiering and all, and I'm actually not a big fan of Maura Tierney, but I <3>
-Undercovers (Premieres September 22) Putting aside the overuse of the word "sexpionage" in the pilot and the trailer, this is actually a fast-paced, well-produced show about the spy world overseen by the guy who brought us Alias. Here, J.J. Abrams promises the show will be a little less mythology-based (you don't need to have a doctorate on Rambaldi just to watch an episode) but will still have action-packed, kick-ass scenes. And it doesn't hurt that the married duo who get sucked back into the CIA are played by the extremely attractive stars-in-the-making Boris Kodjoe and Gugu Mbatha-Raw.
Again, not something I'm dying to watch, but it is getting a lot of hype, and it is J.J. Abrams. Perhaps it should not be overlooked.
- Law & Order: Los Angeles (Premieres September 22) It's hard to judge this one since we haven't seen it, but we're guessing that if you like the rest of Dick Wolf's Law & Order franchise, then this will be your cup of tea. Here, Alfred Molina is the deputy DA, Regina Hall is the ADA, Skeet Ulrich and Corey Stall are cops and Wanda DeJesus is the lieutenant. Something tells us we'd just rather be watching Southland.
Two words: SKEET ULRICH (because of one word: Jericho). Oh, and two more words: Law & Order.
-My Generation (Premieres September 23)The gimmick of this show sounded irksome when we first heard it, but it actually turned out to be kind of an intriguing concept. A few members of a high school are selected to participate in a documentary, then ten years later the crew follows up on their lives to see if they lived up to their potential and achieved their dreams. They're not a group of people who would necessarily be friends or even cross paths, and there's no irksome murder and slowly doled-out reveals like on Reunion. What we learned about the characters from the first episode definitely whetted our appetite for more.
I saw a the trailer for this and thought "barf." Girl is in an unhappy marriage, guy feels unaccomplished, other girl is looking for marriage material, other guy gets call from third girl that she had his baby after they slept together on prom night...blah blah blah. But it's supposed to be about MY generation, so I'm supposed to want to watch it. Either it's supposed to make me feel extremely pathetic, or comforted because there are other people out there as aimless as I am, and I'm betting on the former. But, TWoP did put it on the "best" list... -No Ordinary Family (Premieres September 28) Don't worry, this show isn't really attempting to be the new Heroes; these aren't folks from all around the world coming together to prevent some massive catastrophe. Instead, the show's about a family that goes on vacation, crash-lands in a mysterious lagoon and ends up returning home as supercharged beings with powers of speed, strength, smarts and telepathy. It's more like The Incredibles with the spirit of the original Stan Lee-Jack Kirby Fantastic Four. Michael Chiklis plays an unstoppable force (much like his Fantastic Four character); Julie Benz, Kay Panabaker and Jimmy Bennett round out the nuclear family. Romany Malco from 40 Year Old Virgin steals most of his scenes as Chiklis' overenthusiastic best friend and advisor.
Sounds pretty cheesey, but it made the "best" list and I'm glad Julie Benz found a steady gig after Dexter mercilessly brutalized her last season.
- Blue Bloods (Premieres September 24) It's a cop drama headed up by Tom Selleck as the patriarch of a family in which all the members of his family are in some branch of law enforcement. Donnie Wahlberg, Bridget Moynahan and Will Estes are among the offspring. Expect skeletons in the closet, sibling rivalry and, of course, some backstabbing.
Selleck, Wahlberg, others...not a bad cast.
Obviously I'm not going to watch all these, and the casts appeal to me more than most of the plots, but hopefully some will end up being high quality for seasons to come.
The first of two posts about the television season soon to be upon us. Reprinted below are highlights of TWoP'spreview of returning shows, with my own comments added:
-Sons of Anarchy (Returns September 7) One of the best series on television returns with a vengeance, and we're not expecting any dip in quality in the third season. We have more faith in this show than probably any other (with maybe the exception of Mad Men... and Jersey Shore). Gemma's on the run with Unser, Abel's been kidnapped by a crazy Irishman, Jax and Clay are far from reconciliation -- it's going to be a gory, gripping, excellent season. Can't wait for the ride.
I have never seen this show, but the hype around it, combined with the lecture Henry Rollins gave about his experience as a cast member last time I saw him speak make me curious. Worth some DVR space? Possibly. -The Vampire Diaries (Returns September 9)Our heads are still spinning from the season finale. Seriously, Katherine is one badass vampire, and we cannot wait to see how it all plays out. Also, there will be some new residents in town, which we expect to lead to major characters getting killed. After all, there's no mercy on this show. WTF is up with vampires? and this show? it won a bunch of TWoP Tubeys, and the only reason I even know it exists is because Nina Dobrev, previously of Degrassi: The Next Generation fame is in it. Not on my watch list. I just had to rant. -Parenthood (Returns September 14)This show turned out to be a nice little surprise last year. It's a little corny and slightly boring at times, but the talent is great and it frequently delivers some genuinely moving moments and mindlessly enjoyable light entertainment. Plus, Peter Krause's face is on it! This season, Peter Krause's face returns, and there will be more of Dax Shepard's adorable son Jabbar, who is now a series regular. Unfortunately this does not mean less Dax Shepard, but it could be worse -- Billy Baldwin could be replacing Jason Ritter as Lauren Graham's love interest! Oh wait... crap. It is super corny, and Billy Baldwin can't possibly help it out of any of the major holes it dug itself into last season, but despite not loving Peter Krause's character, I have been a fan of him since Sports Night, so I'll probably keep watching, if only to witness Mae Whitman's superb acting and hope to figure out wtf is up with that Joel character. -The League (Returns September 16) If you didn't watch the short-but-sweet six-episode first season of this comedy about fantasy football fanatics, you have 13 more chances. That's how many episodes FX has ordered for the second season, so expect more hilarity from this group of friends that's only superficially about football. Bengals player (and Dancing star) Chad Ochocinco guest stars in the season premiere, when the League goes to Vegas. More Ochocinco on TV?! Can't miss that! But seriously, this sounds interesting. I may have to DVR it. -Chuck (Returns September 20) She'll be back. In this case, the "she" in question is Mama Bartowski, and she'll be played by the one and only Linda Hamilton. How cool is that? Also Dolph Lundgren, Olivia Munn, Stone Cold Steve Austin and the Old Spice Guy will be put in guest appearances and likely make Chuck's life miserable. Another rant: I never got into this show. Why all the love? I'm especially baffled by the nominations Yvonne Strahovski got for her portrayal of Sarah Walker, Chucks handler. I always thought she was terribly miscast. -How I Met Your Mother (Returns September 20) Will we meet the mother? Hard to say. The producers have promised that the season will open with a big, game-changing event and that there will be a general push towards revealing the mom's identity. We do know that Rachel Bilson will be back and that Laura Bell Bundy will be on the show as Robin's new co-anchor. I continue to watch this show, despite no sign of the mother, and incredibly stupid plot devices, like breaking Robin up with everyone she has a seemingly serious relationship with. The TWoP teaser promises big things, though, so hopefully this season will top the last one. Any mention of Stella or the presentation of any Stella-like character/relationship, though, and I'll have to rethink my loyalty.
-Glee (Returns September 21) It's Britney, bitch! The show will reportedly tackle the music of Ms. Spears as the TV juggernaut heads into its second season. There's also a Rocky Horror Picture Show episode in the works, Kurt might get a boyfriend, Kristin Chenoweth will be back and Javier Bardem may stop by. A guilty pleasure. How could I not watch Glee? -Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (Returns September 22) While last season saw medical examiner Melinda Warner get shot in the chest in the shocking finale and Assistant District Attorney Sharon Stone leave the show after her arc, look for more famous faces to arrive this season. The new ADA will be played by Paula Patton (Precious), and Jennifer Love Hewitt will guest-star in the first episode as a rape victim who refuses to leave her house. Plus, some scenes will take place in L.A. -- perhaps tying in to the new L&O series Law & Order: Los Angeles. I'm pretty addicted to this show. After realizing I'd seen every episode ever in syndication, I had to start watching new episodes, which I will keep doing despite being blasted with a new ADA with some lame/ridiculous plotline every few episodes. Hopefully Paula Patton won't be an alcoholic, detective's former lover, or anything else crazy. Let's hope for consistency. -Modern Family (Returns September 22)Last season was as stellar a debut year as any show could hope for, so it's no surprise that Modern Family is back for round two. Hopefully they can keep the momentum going and the perfectly over-the-top characters from turning into caricatures, but at this point, we are nothing but optimistic about the show's sophomore season. And that's despite reports of a Nathan Lane guest appearance, so you know our passion really runs deep. I only saw one episode of this last season. It was entertaining. It was funny. It won a lot of awards. DVR-worthy? Perhaps.
-30 Rock (Returns September 23)To certain critics, this show has lost a bit of its luster, but for us, it's still one of the few sitcoms that consistently makes us laugh, and we'll be loyal to it until it doesn't. Which might happen this season, unfortunately, as Jack Donaghy and Avery become parents, Liz Lemon calamitously dates her astronaut and the show finds a way to negate Kenneth's transfer to Los Angeles in some flippant throwaway reversal in the first episode. A lot of it sounds either like a beleaguered trope (a new baby? Ugh) or a stale device relied on far too much by this show (how romantically undesirable can Liz Lemon possibly be, and how many times in a row can we stand to watch it?), so we're a little worried. But only a little. I'm a little worried too. I hated Avery last season, and I don't see how a baby can help that. But hopefully they'll throw in episodes as good as Season 3's "Generalissimo" every once in a while. As long as Tina Fey keeps being Tina fey, I'll be watching.
-The Big Bang Theory (Returns September 23) The show is moving to Thursday nights. That's the big news. Additionally, Sheldon and Mayim Bialik will be continuing what is certainly the most awkward romantic relationships on TV. I think I watched last season's finale at least 3 times. After seeing a couple Season 2 reruns, I tuned in for Season 3 soon after it started. It took me less time than I thought it would to get over Kaley Cuoco's relatively bland character, mostly because the nerd-dom displayed here is so fascinating (and, somehow, relatable). And Jim Parsons won an Emmy. Yay!
-NCIS (Returns September 24)Do you watch this show? Neat! You are one of 18 million people we have never encountered. If we had met you, maybe you could have explained this show's appeal to us, but since that didn't happen, we're going to continue ignoring it as usual. I think TWoP's attitude toward this show is odd. I don't tune in to the new episodes every week, but the reruns got me on TNT, so I understand the appeal. -Dexter (Returns September 26) It's going to be next to impossible to match the Trinity season in quality, but we've decided to be optimistic. Yes, certain plot elements and truly awful guest stars (Julia Stiles? Come on!) we've been hearing about sound annoying, and the fact that the series' showrunner jumped ship after killing Rita makes the show seem like it's in a free-fall, but you know what? The trailer for the new season is awesome. It looks terrifying, actually, and though Quinn is a poor man's Doakes, the stakes seem incredibly high this season, and either way, we know Michael C. Hall will be a joy to watch throughout. So we're going to wait until episode three or so before deciding whether to deem it a total failure. I'm still pissed about Rita. I know a lot of viewers hated her, but she held some things together. I was almost ready to boycott this season, but the trailer really does look awesome. -Bored to Death (Returns September 26)You know you have a unique show on your hands when the season ends with a battle royal between two rival magazine editors and their posses. Season 2 looks like more of the same: Jason Schwartzman's writer/detective, Zach Galifianakis' comic book artist/worrier and Ted Danson's editor/drug addict going on adventures, solving crimes, being pathetic and smoking marijuana. In Brooklyn. I didn't really want to like this show, what with its hipsterness and incessant pot smoking, but I found Season 1 quite entertaining, and have been waiting for its return, which should have come much sooner.
There's also a bunch of shows I either stopped caring about or never got into in the first place. One day I'll catch up on House, start caring about Bones again, and give Community the regular viewing it probably deserves.
NOTE: though the timestamp says July 27, I did not in fact post this until September 1. I meant to put this entry up in, you know, July, but never finished it, so now it's a bit out of date and I have since formed a broader opinion about this season of Mad Men, but here it is, mostly as written the week following the premier, though the last couple paragraphs have just been written today, hastily and without much thought. But, I wanted to get it up since I started it and want to move on to Fall TV now.
Everyone's favorite period drama is back. Or should I say, everyone's favorite drama, period, as I don't see how it won't win this year's Best Drama Emmy.
While last season brought us many unforgettable (the lawnmower), inevitable (Betty's discovery of Don's true identity), and surprising (the formation of the new agency) moments, I thought the content between these redemptive occurrences was mediocre. Grandpa Gene, Henry Francis, and Suzanne Farrell were distracting, and I'm still surprised that Mr. Francis and his relationship with Betty did not make the finals in any of TWoP's "Worst Of" categories in the website's annual Tubey awards. But the season finale more than made up for Matthew Weiner's subplot transgressions, and season four brings us SCDP, only in Arial here thanks to Blogger.*
The premier included entirely too much sex and too many references to Don's balls and Roger's crudeness, but also included some gems from the writers, who rarely need to use more than one sentence to show the characters' many layers and the attitudes of the era, as is evident from these lines (and their delivery by the cast):
-"Do you want women who want bikinis to buy your two piece, or do you just want to make sure women who want a 2-piece don't suddenly buy a bikini?" - Regarding the lack of a conference table in the new office, a character (Bert?) notes that circle of chairs demands a conversation , to which Don replies, "about why there is no table"
-"I can use my expense account if I say they're whores, " says Pete, while proposing how to fund a rogue publicity stunt.
-"it was going great. Until it wasn't." - Peggy, on the result of the publicity stunt.
Prior to the premier, Matthew Weiner participated in an interview on NPR's Fresh Air, which included some of the following comments of note:
-"The stakes are so human on this show, there's no murders, there's no explosions...you have to have a different kind of stakes..." on moving on to the next stage in the characters' lives, and the trajectory of a show that does not rely on crime and other extraneous events to move its plot forward. This made me realize how many of the shows that I watch do rely on such devices.
-"Don's phantom limb" ...barf. Weiner is either talking about Dick, whom I really couldn't care less about (for the most part. I actually didn't mind the California episode, but those childhood flashbacks and his grating effort to so fully suppress his true identity beyond all recognition I could really do without), or about Don's penis, which we all know is not a phantom at all and would be fine never hearing about it again.
-Don's "almost self-destructive carnal force" ...barf again...Weiner goes on to comment on the reveal of Don's more kinky desires, saying "I don't care what anybody says, that's part of the human proclivity, so I always sort of, um, take that seriously without any judgment or any politics at all and say, this is the place where Don Draper is living right now." This is all well and good, but Weiner preceded this comment by saying "it's not that that's my particular taste, but..." Should we admire him for recognizing a very believable aspect of Don's human condition, or chastise him for feeling the need to include his own supposed aversion to such acts as a qualifier? I think the latter.
A couple other comments before I sign off: -In the premier, Don offers to walk his date, Bethany, up to her room in the Barbizon. Correct me if I'm wrong, but weren't men prohibited from the Barizon? Perhaps they were allowed in the lobby, but I'm almost certain they were not allowed near the ladies' rooms. And Matthew Weiner prides himself on being historically accurate...
-moar Trudy plz
*There was some ridiculous controversy started in the blogosphere about whether the SCDP logo was in Arial, which did not exist in the '60s. I'm not a "font nerd" and I could tell easily that the logo was clearly NOT in Arial. Whoever Evan is, he should be ashamed of himself, as no self-proclaimed "font nerd" blogger should ever have confused the SCDP font with Arial.
...which I didn't expect "Pushing Daisies" to have. But there she was, singing "Hopelessly Devoted to You" from Grease (among other things).
Besides the show being a forum for Kristin Chenoweth's voice (and her boobs), it also looks like one ridiculously large dye destruction print. Along with other quirky aspects, such as the show's use of alliteration, the locationless setting, and the use of pristine old cars in what is seemingly a modern time period, the the show's trademark visual style is one of vivid, supersaturated colors that, while achieved with a blue screen on the show, are reminiscent of the photographic dye destruction (aka Cibachrome, aka Ilfochrome) process for printing color images from slides.
Sandy Skoglund is famous for her dye destruction prints of elaborately produced sets featuring repetitious sculptures arranged in monochromatic spaces. Such images include Revenge of the Goldfish and Radioactive Cats, reproduced below (do click on the images to see them in their entirety): Which we can compare these to a [most likely computer generated] promotional shot for "Pushing Daisies:"or, to compare a more monochromatic shot, this one of "Pushing Daisies's" Anna Friel: While that is more than enough photos to make my point, here's one more, from William Eggleston (from Southern Suite, 1981), one my favorite photographers. Though he does not often use the dye destruction process, here we see the dye transfer process he prefers, which, while not achieving the same saturation levels as dye destruction, does offer a wider color gamut than any other color photo process: I miss the darkroom.
