Running Away from Lava in Swim Fins

Holy frak is the following blog post funny.

High Pitched Confusion Alarm: Moving with Dogs

If you have a dog(s), you understand.

Conversational Realities: Dumbasses

Me: I just don't understand why audiences won't watch intelligent television.
STK: They're all a bunch of dumbasses.

And I think that just about sums it up.

It's a Book!

What a novel idea!

Sign of the Oilpocalypse

I never thought I'd be saying this, but I agree with Joe Scarborough.

I would make the John Kennedy speech that by the end of the decade, we will go to the moon. This president can say, thank god it's the beginning of the decade, by the end of a decade, America will break its dependence on foreign oil. By the end of the decade, we will control our own destiny. By the end of the decade, we will be positioned to dominate the world in energy for the next century. We will do it because we must do it...

If anything good can out of this horrific environmental disaster, this would be the opportunity to make something happen. Imagine what would happen if the government poured money into an Apollo project type program intended to make significant strides in energy independence. This won't happen, of course, because the Obama administration appears to be more and more reactive over time. Why the frak didn't the White House mobilize containment crews the minute the extent of the BP disaster became apparent? A screw up of epic proportions. I suspect STK, my infinitely tolerant partner, is tiring of my "WTF, Obama?!" rants. Now is the time, Obama. Step up, make the speech, and freakin fight for something rather than maneuvering behind the scenes.

War Rules! Education Drools!

To all of the lazy teachers out there who were counting on a government handout.

A $23 billion payout to save thousands of educators' jobs faltered Thursday — perhaps for good — to election-year jitters among moderate Democrats over deficit spending and only lukewarm support from the White House.

So, let me get this straight. Our legislators don't want to put forth what amounts to another education stimulus because they're afraid voters will take them to task for too much government spending. The voters themselves bristle at any kind of tax increase to make up for recession created budget shortfalls. The only solution is to tell school districts to make more cuts? At the same time, both Congress and the average tax payer don't seem to have any problem shelling another $60 billion for ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Wars good. Education bad.

Hope all those teachers who are about to lose their positions have a resume tuned up. Oh, that's right, there aren't any teaching positions available.

What a freakin' waste.

Kiss My Creative Ass

From Spartacus: Blood and Sand Executive Producer/Creator and Whedonverse alum Steven S. DeKnight:

Let me be perfectly blunt: censor groups and religious watchdogs can kiss my creative ass. I have no time for those who would hold themselves above the rest of society and claim moral authority to dictate what books we read, music we listen to, or entertainment we watch. These calls for censorship are often couched in the hysterical battle cry of “we must protect our children!” Yet it is a fine line between protecting our children and being treated like a child. This show is clearly designed for a mature audience. If your kid is watching it, well then you need to keep a better eye on your offspring, buddy.

Love it. If you don't like the content of something, don't read it, watch it, or listen to it. Period. Critique it, slam it, refuse to watch it, whatever. What you don't get to do is tell me what I should, or shouldn't, consume. I got that covered, thanks.

Snobbery

My belief is that Dollhouse is a show that will be rediscovered on DVD and Blu-Ray by people who either have not seen it or gave up on it early on. This has turned out to be a rich, complex, and fascinating successor to Buffy and Firefly. Joss Whedon’s problem has always been that his shows are too intelligent, too challenging for broadcast TV. There will never be more than a limited audience for his shows because there are simply not enough Americans who value intelligent TV.

I'm going to let my Pop Culture Elitist flag fly, but I agree 100% with Robert Moore and his analysis of contemporary television. The only place for people like Whedon is on cable. The major networks are so starved for income that they water down everything and anything to make it more palatable to the most viewers. With the exception of a few thought provoking series, most network TV fare is cotton candy. I want media that makes me think, that surprises, and leaves me mulling over ideas for days, weeks, or months. What is there to think about after watching the latest Dancing with the Washed Up Stars? I guess we could talk about whether or not Donny Osmond bleaches his teeth (most certainly) or takes steroids (probably not), but that doesn't seem all that important in the extreme scheme of things. Shows like Dollhouse, on the other hand, feed my inner post-structuralist and challenge me to think about the implications of identity, subjectivity, and the collapse of modernity.

Despite the conclusion of Dollhouse (I gave the 1st season a C+; this season gets an A), there's hope on the horizon: there's a rumored meeting between Whedon and the head of FX sometime next week. Let's hope he's floating an idea for a new cable show.

Help us Joss Whedon; you're our only hope.*

*Which isn't entirely true. There is some good TV out there but you really have to dig (and have a DVR) to catch it. I'll post my list of worthwhile shows to watch in the next few days.