WHEN THE FRIEND YOU NEVER KNEW GOES AWAY

Some events in life you never expect, early death is usually one of those unexpected events. When a person facilitates their own death it just compounds the pain that much more. When I first read that Robin Williams had been found dead I simply dismissed it as a net hoax. I kept running into reputable sources that reported the same thing until I found myself accepting that he was dead.

The details behind his death were a shock to me but the fact that he was dead was the enormous shock that was impossible to reconcile. I wondered for a few hours why his death was having an effect on me. Robin Williams was human, a celebrity, but human and not necessarily immune to problems. I started really going back to when I first became aware of Robin Williams, the first thing I thought of was Popeye, his first lead role in 1980. The film Popeye was a visual feast although the story itself was not so captivating in real time. I thought some more and I arrived at Mork and Mindy. 

I was a huge fan of the show that made Robin Williams a star. I thought of Robin Williams as that alien that arrived on earth at the height of the disco craze and gave birth to a child that was in his 50's when he hatched from a giant egg. To me the show was an example of one man's sensational timing, frenetic energy, and amazing talent. Before I arrived at that trend of thought, I thought of Williams as a sort of friend.

When I was a kid I used to love watching Nick at Nite and my favorite show to watch was Mork and Mindy. Growing up I was sometimes a loner because I was shy and not originally from Florida. Mork was the kind of character that kids in that position could relate to. I understood the sensible side and celebrated that nonstop comedy. I watched the series many times over and always thought of that crazy spaceman as the friend that got me through some difficult growing pains. The spaceman is there but only in memory, we won't see him anymore.

I guess the best way to wrap this up by saying nanu nanu to our buddy. I hope that trip back to Ork is full of the wisdom, peace, laughter, patience, and lessons your brought to us. Good night friend I never knew, thanks for everything.

COMICS ON TV

I recently read that Agents of SHIELD is steadily losing viewers which brings to mind something I've always thought, extremes with comic book stories are not very good in television. When Batman came out in 1966 it was a lot of camp and not too much substance. That series worked because back in those days television was not a charged medium. The Superman series starring George Reeves was geared toward kids and it had been on air in the 1950's.

Superman was highly predictable and did not have much depth since it only had a 30 minute timespan in which to tell a full story. If you fast forward to the 70's you have shows like Shazam, Wonder Woman, and the ill fated Justice League, series.

All of these shows failed to get long runs out of the gate because by the 70's there were more shows chose from and comic books were not really as marketable as before. With films such as Star Wars it seemed like comic books would be doomed. Yes Superman was released in 1978 and it was a huge box office hit but beyond that it seemed like the genre did not really have a life in the small screen.

Fast forward to the early 90's and it was more of the same with failed attempts in shows such as the Flash, and Justice League. It wasn't until Smallville that there was a real success with heroes. Now we look at SHIELD and see what's wrong.

People expect all out action and special effects sometimes and SHIELD has not gone that route. SHIELD has taken to slowly telling a story that relies on depth mixed with action. A show like Smallville began to step away from the soap opera in order to bring in more comic book aspects and while that worked, it took a little bit of wind from the shows sails. As far as SHIELD goes there's a possibility that it can nail the right balance if given a chance. People should not view it as just another comic book show. Perhaps the show is lagging because it only has one so far compelling character in terms of Agent Coulson.

I hope the show stays on the air because I think it's a great show.

AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D.

So I have seen two episodes of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and I have to say I dig it. I think that the formula for a comic based series is really there. With the long run of Smallville and the apparent good reception of Arrow it seems like there's a new age for comic book stories in television. It doesn't help when people like Jim Steranko, the Warhol of Marvel, say that the stories are weak. Comic books have a broad base of material to chose from.

Marvel has a lot that they can incorporate but it does help to create certain characters, like they did with Firestar in the 1980 Spiderman and his Amazing Friends cartoon. I love the fact that they brought in Samuel L. Jackson and that they use foreshadowing as a tool to broaden interest. It may be a long time before they decide to hype up interest by attempting to bring in faces such as Robert Downey Jr. and Mark Ruffalo for cameos.

I think the show deserves a chance because honestly it's one of the few good shows on TV, where entertaining the audience with a plausible continuing story is important.

JUMPING THE SHARK

I have often heard the "Jumping the Shark" idiom used in a negative light. When a person talks about jumping the shark they refer to a specific moment when quality is sacrificed and what could have been great pretty much turns into self parody. So where did this come from? The shark jumping reference refers to the Happy Days episode where the Fonz decided to literally jump a shark on water skis. What made this a landmark moment was the fact that Happy Days would never be the same after.

To me it's fair to say that people jump the shark when they go overboard thinking that extreme decisions and outlandish actions will improve an idea or existing formula. To me jumping the shark is like driving a car in a foreign country, you just don't do that shit. I think we al jump the shark every day in some respect, even if it's just in terms of things we think or say.

My advice is simple, remember the Fonz and try not to jump the shark.

REMEMBER WHEN WRITERS ACTUALLY GAVE A SHIT

I was recently watching my Miami Vice DVD set and wondering what the hell happened to good television. When I was growing up writers actually tried hard to put out a good product. Yes, in the 80's and 90's there were a lot of shows that depended heavily on stale jokes and laugh tracks, but at least they tried. Today I switch channels thinking that TV is simply the prostitute you go to for the sweet release of death.

Right now there are a handful of shows that I give a crap about and I have to pay to watch them. When you think about how many channels there are on television, and what little quality is out there, it's impossible to believe the programming is so stale and crack whore like. I don't care for housewives, whores, celebrity self destruction, or anything on the air today.

Perhaps I am becoming old but at 34 I doubt that's the case. I think that I just can't stand the prostitution of the word reality and the constant lies made to look like regular life. I don't give a shit about pseudo celebrities that lack talent, I could care less about roundtables of nonsense, and I don't give a damn about Jessica Simpson. Someone please dust of the real writers and bring back quality programming please.

OKAY SO YOU'RE RETIRING, GOOD FOR YOU

I like Barbara Walters because I think she is a great example of a pioneer. Barbara Walters has been a major part of the broadcast landscape for the last five decades and over those five decades she has also become a symbol of American excellence. Throughout her career she has interviewed world leaders, movie stars, rock stars and everyone in between. There is no doubting the contributions of Barbara Walters to the world of broadcasting. When you think about it 20/20 was the Ferrari of magazine shows.

I still think it's a tad bit self serving to start the countdown clock and create a self portrait of sorts. Everyone knows Barbara Walters is a legend that has accomplished what few if any individuals have. Barbara Walters has managed to stay current and on top of the game even though she is 83 years of age. I still think that making the announcement over a year ahead of time is like saying " everyone prepare yourselves please." I would have rather seen the announcement delivered in the form of a press release or perhaps something more significant than that ridiculous daytime show.

I will miss Barbara Walters because for well over twenty five years I have seen her interviews. Barbara Walters made ABC destination television even when ABC was so far behind in the ratings that a safe distance was considered one million light years behind FOX. There will never be another Barbara Walters but then again there will never be another Bozo either, okay bad comparison.

NO ONE REALLY CARES ABOUT ELIZABETH HASSELBECK

After sixteen years the TV show The View is still on the air. The show has gone through several changes and one thing has remained the same, the show is total shit. You have four or five extremely annoying  women talking about nonsense for what seems like an eternity. Yes the show talks about some relevant issues but with few exceptions those conversations are dull as dirt. Now that the unfunniest comedienne in the world Joy Behar has left the show there is a 5 month countdown for the departure of Elizabeth Hasselbeck. I as well a lot of other people just don't really care.

Elizabeth Hasselbeck is boring, self righteous, and a completely transparent person. Nothing she ever did in that idiot show, or outside of it, ever made any sort of impact at all. Oh wait she was a contestant on Survivor over a decade ago. I don't really care if Elizabeth Hasselbeck leaves or stays because that show is garbage. I think I speak for a lot of people when I say " Elizabeth Hasselbeck, you are an idiot and no one cares for your idiot views or idiot career."

THE WORM DOES NORTH KOREA

Dennis Rodman's visit to North Korea has sparked some serious moral outrage given his defense of Kim Jong Un whom he now refers to as a "friend." Everyone in the media has attacked Rodman because he has chosen to label the injustices in North Korea as simply "politics" that he does not agree with. I think that this whole situation should be put into some real perspective. 

No one in the media seems to understand that this is Dennis Rodman. Dennis Rodman does not have the relevance of a Muhammad Ali or anyone else that has chosen to use merit and stature as a means to engage in diplomacy and goodwill. Does anyone remember the wedding dress? Does anyone remember "Bad as I Wannabe"? Yes Rodman was a huge star with five championship rings but we are not talking about a Michael Jordan or someone whose achievements stand out as almost singular. I like Rodman and I think his personality made him unique on the court but his actions outside the court in a global aspect do not really call my attention. 

The media understandably feels a need to chastise Rodman because he seems to be employing a tremendous lack of depth. I wonder if the media understands that Rodman is not a Rhodes Scholar. Rodman went to North Korea to have a good time and not to engage in shuttle diplomacy. I am certain that the North Korean government did not take the visit from Rodman as a sign of US approval for their policy on human rights or nuclear arms. 

The media needs to really chill out before continuing to make this story something so relevant that we end up looking like a country that takes the opinions of a washed up sports ex athlete as if they were policy gold. 

KATE PLUS WHORE MAKES ME BORED

I really dislike Kate Gosselin a lot in fact I dislike her as much as I dislike actual shit. To me Kate Gosselin is a false and extremely annoying woman that cashed in on her kids in the most annoying way. I was never a fan of John and Kate plus 8 and I did not think much of her participation in other series that shall go without mention. There is one person that I dislike as much as her and that person is Kendra Wilkinson.

Kendra Wilkinson became famous for being one of the three girlfriends of the Social Security Office's favorite bachelor Mr. Hugh Hefner also known as a ridiculous old man that thinks he still has some sort of game. Kate and Kendra have come together in order to take part in an episode of ABC'S train wreck known as Celebrity Wife Swap. 

I find it annoying that a couple of idiots with nothing to provide society are actually being given any sort of attention. I find this to be a part of America's problem at least on the entertainment front. Every time some talentless whore or hack comes along that person gets put in a television series documenting their uninteresting and overly rehearsed lives. I am assuming that this episode will have the light, dramatic and conciliatory tone that every episode has.

In the end this will be just another annoying episode that no one cares about and that when watched will represent lost time in someone's life.

OH SAM!

Sam Donaldson got pulled over for a DUI recently and it was kept under wraps for a while. I have to laugh a little because honestly I find Sam to be the most arrogant sack of crap in the history of news reporting. I am not sure if it's the toupee or if it's his demeanor but the guy is like an ass that you want to constantly kick.

I think newsmen like Sam have an inherent knack for coming off as arrogant because they criticize public figures but they themselves are filled with imperfections. The truth of the matter is that Sam Donaldson's overly argumentative nature as an anchor and contributor to several political programs as well as a White House correspondent make him the equivalent of a human fart.

I personally hope that this particular experience will make Sam consider taking off that horrible dead cat on top of his head.

CHEERS SAM!