And we're back...

It has been a LONG holiday season and with limited time the blog has suffered. Coming soon...

The Curious Case of Benjamin Buttons

Revolutionary Road

Milk

24

Lost

Reality TV - part 2

The Inauguration

Memo to the ABC (by way of the Walt Disney Company)

Have you guys learned NOTHING from Jeffery Katzenberg's departure from the animation division of Disney all those years ago? This week ABC once again took its most interesting and original shows and sent them into oblivian. The most recent casualities making the trip to the broadcast TV graveyard - Eli Stone, Dirty Sexy Money and Pushing Daisies.

I have written my opinions on the former two and my particular fondness for Eli Stone. While not a fan of Daisies, I did appreciate it's high concept and execution. All debuted in the torpedoed season of the writer's strike and all had strong enough content to warrant a pass for the season when up against creatively anorexic likes of Private Practice and Wife Swap (both of which remain on and without reason). I wish this was an anomoly, but for ABC it is not. ABC has a torrid history of yanking shows or exiling them to die in rotating timeslots. If they are not a hit out of the gate (think Desperate Housewives) there is no hope for a stay of execution. ABC simply retreats to far less quality entertainment. In the dying format that is broadcast television, you'd think there would be the luxury of patience in seeking out good shows and nuturing them. Lets think, that seemed to work as a formula for Cheers, Seinfeld, Law and Order and Hill Street Blues, but I digress. Figuring out how to use other mediums like the internet to enhance interest seems a logical start. It's worked for LOST. But in a season that has produced no hits from the freshman class and with a derth of any kind of consistent scripted television ABC choses to hatchet shows that deserved better and attempt to mine fields where they had previous success. Just what I need three nights filled with Wife Swap and The Bachelor.

So gone are these three wonderfully flawed but intriguing shows. The only solace is that they stand in good company with the likes of Sports Night, The Nine, Eyes, Cupid and many others I won't go on to list. I have said it before on this blog and I say it again. The likes of Brandon Tartikoff are missed more and more with each passing day as broadcast television writes itself into the oblivian it has sent many of its best shows.

Twilight and 24

The above would describe the most anticipate film and TV moments of the fall season. I am giddy for the latter and blissfully limited in my knowledge of the former. Having neices who read (and a sister too apparently). I know all about the Twilight series and it teen-phenom following. If I go to my resident critic neice, 13 year old Cailyn, skepticism is the word of the day. She is convinced they are going to screw it up. I am going to challenge her to write me a review. So we shall see.

For me, the review to wait for is on my main man Jack Bauer and the prequel movie of 24. This for me is the pinnacle of the fall season. I have fewer and fewer appointment TV moments these days and at it's worst 24 has remained among them. For a show whose intriguing concept delivered on its promise I for one after a full year without it am once again looking forward to my clicking digital clock returning to my TV screen.

Twilight - in theaters today
24 - Sunday night on Fox.

Something for everyone to enjoy!

The Wonderful World of Disney

I make no qualms about it, I love Disney animation. I remember vividly seeing Sleeping Beauty at the Patchogue Movie Theater as a kid and taking Shanna (the little girl I babysat) to see the new wave of animated features that began with The Little Mermaid and the sense of wonder that Beauty and the Beast revealed and the joy of watching them all again through the eyes of my nieces and nephews and now my own child.

Yes Disney is an empire. Yes the cross over product and domination of the under 8 crowd can be annoying. But all my memories of Disney revolve around friendship and moments I am fond of. Two weeks ago they re-released Sleeping Beauty on DVD, my enduring favorite in the princess canon. The animation is dated in many ways, but the great evil of Maleficent and the charm of Prince Phillip endure - as does the rival of the pink and blue fairies. I watched my daughter marvel in the silly fairies and yell at the TV "bad witch, you are not being nice!" Then last night we sat down and watched the newly released Tinkerbell. For the first time, I sat and watched a movie new with my child. There was a beautiful peace in the moment as she crawled into my lap and tucked into my arm as the big castle came on the screen to indicate there was movie about to begin. We both sat engrossed, by the vibrant colors, the sweetness of the story (a pre-quel about how Peter Pan's Tinkerbell got her start in the world). Delightful is a word that often feels patronizing these days, but in its purest form I think best describes this film. A story of self discovery and loving who you are for what you are and the accomplishments that come out of your individual talents. Like cotton candy the movie washes over smoothly and sweetly but not as though you had any substance once it ends. That's OK though, it's a fantasy about the life of the fairy.

Moments in Time

I spent the better portion of this year glued to election coverage. Primaries, debates, conventions - Oh MY! I devoured it all with great concern of where my country was headed, but truth be told because it was a compelling drama. Over the course of the last 10 months we have watched the David vs. Goliath primary season of Obama defeating the Clinton machine, seen the resurrection of John McCain and the third act plot twist of Sarah Palin. That's without mentioning all the red herrings like Rev. Wright, Pastor Hagee, Troopergate and yes, even "Joe the Plumber" - An aside, knowing what we do about him, can we cease from calling him that and more accurately call him "Joe from Ohio"?

All the while I watched many late nights, MSNBC, Morning Joe, CNN (and that damn 'best political team on Television), AC360, Today, GMA and yes O'Reilly and Hannity as well. I mourned the loss of the lion of politics in my mind, Tim Russert and revelled in anything and everything Peggy Noonan had to say, even when I disagreed with it.

Then last night it happened - no recount necessary, no Supreme Court intervention, no disappointing finish of a candidate that I was less than thrilled with by the end of the race. No, last night the country seemed to simply right itself and for that BOTH John McCain and Barack Obama should be applauded and respected.

I sighed in relief when Pennsylvania went blue.
I cheered in great anticipation as Ohio went blue.
I was jubilant and proud as in tandem the news reported Virginia turning blue and the West Coast polls closing to bring home the victory of our President-elect.

In that moment I cried, I cried for the joy of watching the resounding choice we made as a country, for the vindication of Joe Biden's service to country and for the return of the John McCain I have always admired and whose eloquence in losing far surpassed any of his actions when seeking to win.

In the closing weeks of this campaign we watched Obama's leadership in his handling of the economic crisis, but for me, more importantly we watched his humanity - in stepping off the trail to see the grandmother who raised him to see the possibility of the dream he was chasing but would not live to see realized. His priority of family ensuring the tradition of taking his young daughters trick-o-treating remained in tact.

We celebrate the history, we celebrate the significance of the time, but what I find so overwhelmingly joyful in this moment is that we celebrate the best in who we are as country - rewarding the person who worked hard, stayed true to himself and never lost sight of what made him the person he is as he reached for the dream of what could be.

My daughter blew out her third birthday candle yesterday, what a day all around.

Yes We Did!