The Joe Schmo Show

I was lucky this year. I just happened to walk away from the computer at a time I am normally on and started watching television on a particular Tuesday night and discovered that The Joe Schmo Show had returned to Spike this year after being off the schedule for almost a decade.And it was worth the wait.

For those of you who haven't heard of this show, the premise is that it is a reality show with one real contestant competing against a group of actors who are all portraying various types of stereotypical reality show players.

In the case of the third season of the Joe Schmo Show, the fake reality show was a competition for a job as a bounty hunter called "The Full Bounty" and the real contestant was an awesome guy from Pittsburgh named Chase. Against him were actors portraying an asshole, a confidante, a widow, an ex-model, a buff black guy, an overachiever, a deaf woman with her interpreter and an ex-con (along with Lorenzo Lamas playing a more egotistical version of himself), and for the most part they all played their parts well.

I like the fact that the real contestant that they pick is a really nice person, the kind of person whose ethics and kindness would probably prevent them from winning most reality shows, because they are smart and able to play the game, but they also don't want to screw someone over really bad. I know there have been real shows that have been won by such sympathetic characters, but it generally isn't the case.

The Schmo always seems to be the kind of people that you'd want to know in real life. And while it is a show about fooling people, the way it is presented is never in a way that makes their mark seem stupid or like a fool. It is a performance for their benefit, a life changing event that has been designed just for them, which is awesome.

In many ways, it seems like a much zanier version of The Game than an homage to The Truman Show, and that is why I like it so much. While they are putting the Schmo through a very strange experience, you can tell that the producers and actors genuinely like him (and looking at the twitter stream for Chase, you can see that he is still talking to a lot of the people he was on the show with, which is really cool). 

I have so many questions that I am hoping will be answered when this season is finally released on DVD, since there was quite a bit of stuff cut out from broadcast that I think could show up as extra features. It was a great ride as a viewer and I can only imagine how fun it turned out to be in retrospect for Chase.

Community: Season 4 Premiere Impressions (No Spoilers)

There has been a lot of press about the season premiere of Community in the past 24 hours, and a lot of it has been negative, and I get it, I really do. There was a weight of expectation going into last night since the fan base had been waiting a long time for the episode and with all the news about what has been going on behind the scenes with the firing of Dan Harmon and the problems with Chevy Chase, and everything else that has been going on, there was clearly a lot of extra scrutiny on the show.

I am not going to lie to you and tell you that last night's episode was the best thing ever, but really, I can't say it was the worst the show has been either. It felt a bit busy, like the writers were trying to cram too much in a short time, but as sins go, that's forgivable, because the pilot does that too... in fact, looking back, all the season openers do that.

I am willing to give the show the benefit of the doubt for now because I remember some of the episodes from the first season that left me with similar feelings, like the series hadn't gotten its footing yet.People seem to be panicking and pronouncing this the worst season ever and other such things, but really, it is a really small sample size at the moment.

In fact, if I am honest with myself, I have to admit that there are episodes from the first three seasons which I don't really like. You know, I pop in the DVDs and I just skip them because they are just not as entertaining for me, and looking at the episode list on Wikipedia, that list ends up being more episodes than I can count on my fingers, but the ones I don't really like are more than made up for by episodes like "Advanced Dungeons and Dragons", "Modern Warfare" and "Remedial Chaos Theory" and I'm okay with that.

I am going to give it time, and those of you afraid that the show has lost its soul or something else like that, I would advise you to do the same.

Dave Chappelle and Fan Entitlement

It had occurred to me earlier this evening that I hadn't heard too much about of Dave Chappelle in a long time, and I decided to look him up on the IMDB. I hadn't been living under a rock when he had his much publicized parting from Comedy Central, but I had thought that he had still done a few projects over the years, and it turns out that I was mistaken.

Anyway, while I was there, I happened to start reading threads that people had started about him.

Now first, don't do that. While it is moderated, it is like a cleaned up version of Youtube comments, which means that a lot of stupidity remains.

Case in point, a thread calling his a coward for abandoning his fans.

There is a huge difference between saying "I'd like to see Dave Chappelle start doing tv again," and saying "Dave Chappelle is a coward who is letting down his fans."

Because really, Dave Chappelle doesn't owe you or me anything. If he doesn't want to do television or make movies anymore, then he is free to do so. If he wants to retire to Ohio and raise a family outside the scrutiny of TMZ, then he is entitled to do so, and he doesn't have to explain himself to anyone.

He made a decision, like Bill Watterson did, to pull back from the limelight and do what he wants to do with the rest of his life, and while I miss seeing him do standup on TV, I respect the decision he's made.

If you were his fan, don't be an ass and demand that he entertain you so more. If he wants to come back and do something, he will. Until then, be patient.

The New York Times Takes A Dump On Game of Thrones Again

I think it takes a particular kind of arrogance to tell the readers of a review that they are basically too stupid to be able to follow the plot lines of a narrative work because there are a lot of major and minor characters.

But the New York Times has done this not once, but twice regarding the Game of Thrones on HBO.

Last year, Ginia Bellafante said the following:

Keeping track of the principals alone feels as though it requires the focused memory of someone who can play bridge at a Warren Buffett level of adeptness. In a sense the series, which will span 10 episodes, ought to come with a warning like, :If you can’t count cards, please return to reruns of Sex and the City".

And this year, Neil Genzlinger took an equally vicious slash at New York Times readers who may have wanted to join the fun this year:

The character board for the series on HBO’s Web site has 49 head shots on it. Thinking of jumping into the new season without having seen the first? Don’t even try; your brain doesn’t have that many neurons.

Because it isn't the fact that they don't like it, because hey, we are all entitled to our opinion, and he is getting paid to share his. No, it is the dismissive attitude that the critic is using to paint Game of Thrones as this thing that only geeks... no, scratch that... something only this small subset of geeks could ever like.

It is part of the reason Roger Ebert's dismissal of video games irks me as well... because there is this attitude that anyone who likes them is dumb or wasting their lives. That's what these reviews in the Times reek of.

It's as if somewhere down the line, editorially they've just decided that fantasy is juvenile and should be treated as such. A commenter on the Io9/Geek With Curves article discussing the NYT review got right to the point of these reviews: "in short, 'if you're a basement dwelling NERD, go right ahead. the rest of us ADULTS have more important and artful things to watch, harumph.' "

The reason why I like Game of Thrones isn't the setting. It could take place during the Second World War, the High Middle Ages, in Japan, in the far future, and it would still be compelling. The setting is made for the struggles of its characters, it is true, but with tweaks, it could take place almost anywhere, any time. It is the characters themselves, in both the books and as portrayed on the small screen, that make it compelling in many of the ways other shows championed by critics (including at the New York Times) are.

Using the genre trappings of a series to utterly dismiss it is the worst kind of criticism, since it is based not on the content. You couldn't write a book report with that kind of superficiality, but apparently reviewers for one of the most prominent papers in history can get away with it.

Two Years, Two Months, Six Seasons And A Movie

I haven't watched NBC since Conan's final Tonight Show back in January 2010, as that moment was the straw that broke the camel's back.

There were many things which the network had done in the past which had gained my emnity, one of which was cancelling Last Comic Standing right before they were going to show the finale.

And I've been rather resolute about this whole thing. But now, I think I have to break it because even though my viewership doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things, I am going to finally start watching Community.

I've let a funny show pass me by because of a principle, one which wasn't even hurting NBC in any way.

I still watch Conan, but basically boycotting a network for 2 years has to be a reasonable amount of effort. I can afford to watch one show on NBC now, can't I? Especially if this upcoming bunch of episodes may be the last for Community.

Is principle really worth not seeing something I would enjoy after all this time?

Is This A Contest Or A Threat?

I got an email titled the following today:

*shudder*

Stuff I Am Working On

Since I haven't been posting regularly, some of you may think I've run out of material. That is not the case.

I am just working on a few things that are taking up a little more time than a normal post and I thought I'd give you all a preview of some of the things I am working on.

-If I wrote... The Matrix Sequels. I have some ideas but I have to watch them again to make sure I am not missing anything.

-Remembering Streets of Fire. This has been on the backburner longer than my recent Remembering Commando piece, but I think now is the right time for it.

-Digital Distribution. I was very much against digital distribution of media and I was quite vocal about that, and I plan on explaining my change of heart.

And maybe, maybe I'll do a retrospective about a TV series like Samuraifrog has been doing with the various Star Trek series.

So it is basically longer stuff which requires a bit more planning.

Simpsons Marathon

In Los Angeles, Fox is going to be celebrating the upcoming 500th episode of The Simpsons by showing every episode in order and having people try to set a Guinness Book of World Records for the longest continuous television watching session (the previous record is about 86 hours).

My question is, do you think that if someone watched The Simpsons that way, that they would notice the exact moment where the show started to go downhill?

Does Film Exist In The Future? Not According to Star Trek

I've been thinking about this for a couple of days and I think I've noticed something very strange, something which never occured to me, but which seems so obvious now, and if I am off base, I have a feeling I will be corrected quickly.

Have you noticed that it seems like movies have ceased to exist as a medium in the Star Trek universe?

I mean, books exist, as they have been given as gifts a number of times through the various series and movies, but movies... where did they suddenly go.

I know some of you are saying they were made redundant by the holodeck, but I don't think that would be true, because there have been references to live theatre and other artistic media as well.

If Gilbert and Sullivan made it to the 24th century, then where did movies go? You'd think that on a ship that is out in space for months at a time, that having someplace on board where a large group of people could watch movies when they aren't on shift would be a good idea. Or with all the kind of computer resources that have access to the knowledge of the universe and replicators and such, it would seem like it would be possible for there to be a couple thousand movies in the databanks as well.

And there is video communication in that universe, but people don't really seem to take home movies. I know people have made logs, but those were all official. My memory isn't bringing up any instances where someone filmed their children doing things or stuff like that.

That's not to mention the absence of television or episodic entertainment as well.

Now given how some of the holodeck programs run, it is clear that someone somewhere in the history of that technology had seen genre film (like Tom Paris's sci-fi serial based holodeck simulations and Picard/Riker's film noire styled holodeck adventures), but it seems like for the most part, film does not exist as an artform in that era.

But when I think about it, it seems that in a lot of movies about the far future, it seems that film doesn't exist.

Comedy Gold: The Relationship Doppelganger

In situation comedies, there tends to be certain patterns that emerge as you watch characters traverse the world of relationships. One which I've noticed popping up more often than I had thought is the relationship doppelganger. To explain that simply, I mean instances where one character begins dating someone who is clearly a younger or slightly altered version of another character on the show.

I have broken these kinds of relationships into 4 different kinds.

The Oedipal: Examples: Frasier, Two and a Half Men

The lead character has just met the perfect woman, someone who makes them feel something they haven't felt in a long time. And then the other characters on the show meet the new girl and there is a stunning physical and at times, personality similarity to the lead character's mother. Everyone else can see it and is unnerved by it, but the character in question is in denial. It finally takes seeing their new lover in a situation which makes it clear that they are very much the embodiment of their mother for them to finally understand what they have done.

In the case of Frasier, it took seeing some home movies of his mother, played by the same actress as his character's girlfriend, Rita Wilson, for him to finally see that he was dating his mother. And on Two and a Half Men, Charlie had to see his current girlfriend with her two sons to finally see the parallels between her and his own mother. The fact that he stays with her after noticing it pushed the joke way too far though.

The Ex/Desired Lover: Examples: Friends, Frasier

A character either breaks up with another character on the show or they secretly long to be with them, and they then start dating someone who is very similar physically and in terms of personality to that person.

With Friends, there was a single episode which followed Rachel's admission that she wanted to be with Ross, and the ill fated list that angered her so. So she ends up dating Russ, who is also played by David Schwimmer. Ross hated Russ, even though all the things he hated were things that he himself did. Of course, everyone but Ross and Rachel could see from the outset that they were very much the same person, which said everything about Rachel's feelings for Ross.

And on Frasier, just before Niles was going to ask Daphne out, she met Rodney at a singles bar, a man who looked and acted very much like him. Unlike Ross however, Niles almost immediately realizes the similarity. In the end, Rodney ends up falling in love with the woman that Niles had started dating and in the final segment, Niles ends up comforting Daphne about the breakup.

And these last two examples are both Seinfeld spins on this kind of thing.

Dating Your Best Friend: George dated a girl who physically looked a little like Jerry. It wasn't until she got gum stuck in her hair and had to get a short haircut that he finally saw it.

Dating Yourself: Jerry got engaged to a girl played by Janeane Garofalo who was basically him as a woman. He decided that he couldn't date himself because he hates himself.

Now, there are likely other variations on this theme that I've missed, but I think you get the basic idea of this particular category.

Sunday Video: Pingu's The Thing

This claymation masterpiece has been making the rounds on Facebook this week, and it is just awesome.

Basically, by blending the children friendly Pingu with a rather faithful condensation of one of the best horror movies ever made, Lee Hardcastle has produced something which is astonishingly compelling.

It wasn't until my third viewing that I noticed something a little off about the music at the end.

Sunday Video: Game of Thrones Theme With Bagpipes

Strangely appropriate.

Just one of the many cover versions of that theme song.

Save Community!

I think someone should paint Save Community! on some watertowers.

An Open Letter To NBC Regarding Community's Future

I Don't Remember This Episode of Ren and Stimpy

And I hope this is Safe For Work for everyone.

Ren is totally selling it.

Its A Meme, A Protest...

...and a television reference.

Midweek Video: The Walken Dead

Just goes to show that a well thought out and executed premise is comedy gold.

I just wish "The ice... is gonna break!" was in it though.

Awesome Muppet-Based Costumes

I wonder if the people inside do the speech effects too?

AWE______________________SOME!
AWE_________SOME!
AWE_SOME!
AWESOME!

Sunday Video: I Sell Dubstep And Dubstep Accessories

Hank Hill vs Dubstep

A Potential Problem From All These Soap Operas Ending

I just realized that with all these soap operas going down, one of the avenues for young actors to learn their craft and get exposure is slowly being squeezed out of existence.

I am sure most of my peers in pop culture and entertainment blogging have seen at least one list of high profile actors and actresses who got their big break working on a soap opera, and with live theatre going through its own downturn (well, it has been on the decline for a while given the costs of producing new and existing work), it seems that there are going to be fewer opportunities for those in the acting profession to learn their craft professionally. And that will be a real shame.

So The Simpsons May Be Coming To A Close Soon

Apparently there is a rumor going around Hollywood that Fox may be considering cancelling The Simpsons, a show which has been on for so long, there is a generation of college kids who have never lived in a world without it.

But it isn't ratings or the quality of the show which may bring this chapter of American television to a close. No, it is simply a matter of money.

You see, the contracts of the voice cast are expiring and Fox wants them to take a large pay cut. The cast is willing to take a slightly smaller pay cut, but apparently they want a percentage of ancillary profits, meaning they'd get paid for every DVD, syndication sale and merchandise that is related to The Simpsons, which to me at least, seems entirely fair, but which Fox seemingly does not.

Personally, the way I thought The Simpsons was going to end was the death/firing/departure of one of the major voice actors and the others, including Groening deciding that without that member, the show should not and could not continue.

But in all honesty, I think the threat of cancelling the series is just that, an empty threat. The series still has better ratings than American Dad and The Cleveland Show, so to cancel it over a little money seems silly to say the least.

I think in the end, this is going to be merely a bump on the road in their contract negotiation. The numbers have gotten softer, prompting the request for lower salaries, but I don't think they are soft enough to merit cancellation.