Happy Birthday, Toro! (And Hellllo Sunday TV)
Today is Toro’s birthday. In honor of the awesomeness of one of my closest friends, I give you the Totoro Song:
Cheers, Toro. Hope you’re celebrating in style in Japan.
Oh, and um, both the Amazing Race and Brothers & Sisters came back on Sunday. I’ve yet to see either yet, but I’m salivating at the thought of AR. Welcome back, Phil! From the look of the cast, it looks to be a damn good season.
TV is Back! TV is Back!
The new Fall TV season is upon us, and I cannot the last time Mondays felt so jam-packed. How I Met Your Mother, Gossip Girl, and Heroes ALL had new episodes last night, and I still have to catch up on the last ep of Entourage.
This is because I watched Dancing With the Stars last night and boy are we in for a funny ride:
It’s The Economy, Stupid.
Two wildly different responses to the the sea of red the financials & Wall Street are currently bathing in:
McCain’s response: “You know that there’s been tremendous turmoil in our financial markets and Wall Street. And it is, it’s – people are frightened by these events. Our economy, I think, still, the fundamentals of our economy are strong but these are very, very difficult times. And I promise you, we will never put America in this position again. We will clean up Wall Street. We will reform government.”
Obama’s response:“The challenges facing our financial system today are more evidence that too many folks in Washington and on Wall Street weren’t minding the store. Eight years of policies that have shredded consumer protections, loosened oversight and regulation, and encouraged outsized bonuses to CEOs while ignoring middle-class Americans have brought us to the most serious financial crisis since the Great Depression.”
I tend to be apathetic when it comes to participating in political commentary, but I believe this economic unraveling is far too important of an issue for there still to be misconceptions about Obama’s economic policies. So, since the Dow is down 500+ points for the greatest drop since 9/11, I figured this was a good time to post two articles some fellow U of C economists referred me to:
http://www.tnr.com/politics/story.html?id=4d40a39e-8f57-4054-bd99-94bc9d19be1a
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/24/magazine/24Obamanomics-t.html?pagewanted=1&hp
Everyone who knows anyone who is planning on voting for McCain or gotten starstruck by Palin should really and truly forward these onto them. If everyone read these articles, there would be no question as to who would be the next President.
What Is The CW Good For?
As much as I love Gossip Girl and escapist shows, some of the television trends among younger-geared shows (and many of these air on the CW) is starting to sound alarm bells.
1) Where are my colored folks?
Both Jezebel and I would love the answer to this question. Since the merger of UPN and WB, the new CW has become a reincarnation of the WB as shows with minority protagonists were removed from the line-up. Only Everybody Hates Chris and America’s Next Top Model remain. Aliens in America, a show about a Muslim Pakistani exchange student who joins a Wisconsin family, had potential and was a charming – if not perfect – show. It got canceled in May and won’t be returning for a second season.
I came across this article from Salon.com writer Heather Havrilesky on Jezebel as well. I love Gossip Girl, but reading this just further accentuates the depth of Veronica Mars’ awesomeness. It helps that I recently rewatched the spectacular Season 1. The heart of the show, the relationship between Veronica and her dad Keith, remains one of the best, most accurately portrayed parent-child relationships out there. Veronica Mars had it’s share of narrative problems by Season 3, but even on its worst day it was superior to many.
3) In comparing the cast of the original 90210 and the new 90210, Shalya Thiel-Sterm of University of Minnesota does a critical analysis of the feminine body and the transition over the last decade.
Project Runway, NY Fashion Week
I think Project Runway is one of the best television shows on the air currently, but this season has really and truly sucked. I watched the first couple of episodes and found myself utterly uninvested, which may be due to Season 5 airing so closely on the heels of Season 4. Or it could be because Bravo was determined to sink the ship before it sailed off to Lifetime.
I will inevitably catch up in a marathon, but for now I can scroll through the finale in photos and get the Fug Girls’ recap. There were six final shows because some of them are decoys. SIX. Really, Magical Elves? Six?!
Overall, there are two that I love and one that I like. I(I won’t say who to avoid spoilers). I love this for it’s colorful, Pushing Daisies-like kookiness and its fantastic final dress. And while this has lush, detailed elegance, it’s this one that is the most structurally interesting, beautiful collection. My prediction is that the third will take the cake.
Dr. Horrible Sings Les Mis
So Matt mentions in his blog today that he just finished watching Joss Whedon’s Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, which as well all know, is awesome times.
Which got me thinking about Neil Patrick Harris, whose work I always enjoy, be it How I Met Your Mother, Harold & Kumar, or Doogie Howser or guest-hosting on Regis & Kelly. One of my favorite NPH interviews is from several years ago, where he and Jason Segel face off with the “Confrontation” song from Les Miserables.
One more How I Met Your Mother clip of Barney:
Ra Ra Riot
I heard the band Ra Ra Riot on Conan last night – the vocalist isn’t the strongest in the world, but he’s good enough and I am a sucker for music that blends rock and cello.
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