Too many Cowboys, Not Enough Aliens

Too Many Cowboys, Not Enough Aliens!

David Giarrizzo

A stranger with amnesia and a strange shackle on his wrist (Daniel Craig aka James Bond) stumbles into the hard desert town of Absolution In 1873 in the Arizona territory. Before he can get there, he has to contend with all the venomous creatures on bellies and on horseback. The Claiborne clan try to get the drop on him, eldest Wes (played by veteran actor Buck Taylor of Gunsmoke) and sons who give him a great old fashioned shoot out, disastrous, of course for the boys and Dad. The stranger wanders into a young bully terrorizing the locals, to whom he teaches manners. Unfortunately, this youth is the local rich kid, lone heir to the Dolarhyde ranch, the local cattle land owners who also own the town. The cocky youth shoots a deputy and is locked up, much to Big Daddy Dolarhyde’s dismay.

Eventually, someone (cause Absolution is such a Mecca!) recognizes him as Jake Lonergan ,a rustler strong-arm , which lands him in Meacham’s(Clancy Brown of Highlander, Shawshank Redemption) jail cell where he tries to remove the strange shackle, where he is stuck in a cell next to the young Turk. . By all normal appearances this would be your typical Gold Boom Town, but this stranger soon finds out they have a secret that has eluded even the town Cattle Baron , Woodrow Dolarhyde (Harrison Ford) . Then, all hell breaks loose.

The town’s people hear a roar and look skyward to see lights like from “First Encounters of the Third Kind” appear deploying smaller jet like crafts. To the horror of the town’s people, the stealth bullet shaped crafts swoop the town, roping humans like cattle, dragging them up to the mouth of the Mother Ship. The stranger’s shackle begins glowing and he makes his escape from the jail house while all this pandemonium ensues.

Faced with numerous loved ones ( including the Sherriff) snatched into the air by these alien rustlers, Lonergan and Dolarhyde must join forces with the assistance of the local Doctor, an Indian Stepson of Dolarhyde, and a Gunslinging mysterious girl next door,

Ella Swenson( Olivia Wilde).

Like all Westerns, there is a formula which involves an anti-hero, a formidable foe alliance, a weak character, a love interest, and a mutual enemy to defeat. In this case, the enemy was virtually unseen. Visuals of the creature were as fleeting as the monsters from “ALIEN” with a “Predator” look, shown only in flashback scenes and shabbily drawn running CGI images. If the director’s (Jon Favreau of Iron Man )intention was to create more of a suspense with the lack of the creature on screen, it was poorly overdone. The alien’s absence only made the under budgeted visuals more evident. The character development seemed to dominate the story, even though the protagonist seems to be a bit unsympathetic to us, we still find ourselves routing for us stupid humans. It did have elements of Indiana Jones, especially the constant hat retrieval of Lonergan and the gratuitous explosions and gunfire.

Cast for his resemblance to Steve McQueen “The Magnificent Seven”, Craig has the cool calm which gives him a nice contrast to Harrison Ford’s gruff John Wayne impression. With the assistance of Speilber
g, we see Ford and a former James Bond on screen together again (Ford as Indianna Jones and Connery as his Dad) creating a complex combination that works well.

Produced by sixteen names, including Steven Speilberg, Ron Howard and the writer Robert Orci, this strange blend of Western Drama and Science Fiction( from a comic book) seems to be a new genre that hasn’t had its day yet. I was impressed by the acting, the lighting, and the camera work. The wholesomeness would appeal to a family, but I wouldn’t recommend it for children under 13 years of age. The on ship scenes of experiments and the drooling alien fangs gave me a bad dream or two. The concept is great and the cast was incredible, however, too many cowboys and not enough aliens make for a poor box office seller.

Inglourious Basterds : Cinema for the Movies

Inglourious Basterds : Cinema for the Movies
By David Giarrizzo
Imagine yourself in Nazi-occupied France circa 1942; Lt. Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt) has pulled together a team of Jewish soldiers to systematically annihilate as many German troops as possible, interrogating first, scalping them afterwards. “I got a word of warning for all you would-be warriors. When you join my command, you take on debit. A debit you owe me personally. Each and every man under my command owes me one hundred Nazi scalps. And I want my scalps. And all y'all will git me one hundred Nazi scalps, taken from the heads of one hundred dead Nazis. Or you will die tryin'. Working through the country killing Nazis and collecting intelligence, the “Basterds” find their way to spy Bridget von Hammersmark (Diane Kruger), who tips them off to a Third Reich film premiere to be held at a remote Paris Theater, the Le Gamarr owned by Shoshanna Dreyfus (Melanie Laurent), a young Jewish woman who witnessed the massacre of her family by “The Jew Hunter,” Nazi officer Col. Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz) and is living incognito under a non-Jewish name. When word of the premiere reaches Raine, and the VIP list of Nazi officials including; Hitler (Martin Wuttke) himself, officer Col. Hans Landa, Fredrick Zoller (Daniel Brühl;, Joyeux Nouell), a German soldier and war hero who’s stars in the featured propaganda film and its director Joseph Goebbels himself (Sylvester Groth: The Reader), the plan is set into motion to access and blow up the theater.

Inspired by the 1978 Enzo Castellari film, “Inglorious Bastards,” the crudely re-titled “Inglorious Basterds” offers Tarantino a new film genre to taint with the Tarantino black humor. One can sense the vein-popping determination from the filmmaker to make sure every single frame of this film remains to his liking; it’s a picture of intricate cinematic details and cold, chilling responses. Tarantino uses men-on-a-mission plotting to spin off into wildly different directions, some richly theatrical, while others remain potently visual, gleefully imagined by a resourceful filmmaker who loves the electric charge of subversion.
Turning his twisted spin on Film Noir, “Basterds” falls in line with the rest of Tarantino’s un-orthodox cinema, returning stunning discourse, solid plot development, effective and unconventional soundtrack, and methodical performances to the screen. Perhaps not as tumultuous as the advertising suggests, “Basterds” goes elsewhere to find inspiration, finding the art of intimidation and espionage even more thrilling than straightaway slaughter. It’s a patient, layered, cinema graphic creation. Once again Tarantino has come to push the envelope of cinema, and the results are characteristically spectacular.

Basterds is so superior to much of Tarantino’s previous work because he’s not just being a smug geeky basterd himself here: all the corny movie jokes he deploys -- from the 1970s-era Universal logo that opens the film and the old-fashioned “guest starring” credits to the film-within-the-film to that final parting shot -- aren’t just nerd enhancing cinema. Unlikely many of his other films, this isn’t about feeding the inner geek: it’s about why and how movies can inspire such devotion in the first place. If many of Tarantino’s other films have been incestuous preaching to the masses where he and his fans get off on one another and how clever they all are, this film was made more as homage to the Movies themselves. A+

Revolutionary Road, a Painfully Intimate Journey

Revolutionary Road, a Painfully Intimate Journey
by David Giarrizzo

Genre: Drama
Running Time: 119 min.
MPAA Rating: R
Director: Sam Mendes
Writer: Justin Haythe, Richard Yates
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet,
Michael Shannon, Kathryn Hahn,
David Harbour, Kathy Bates, Ty Simpkins,
Zoe Kazan, David Harbour, Ryan Simpkins

Mendes triumpant advent to his arduous style in “Revolutionary Road,”is an extraordinary motion picture that assimilates enthralling affective discharge and riveting aversion, using two of the most talented and captivating stars of today to bring to the screen a masterwork of domestic detachment. Directed with illustrious adeptness by Sam Mendes (American Beauty), who lures us into in the daunting Yates-faithful script by Justin Haythe, the film is a painfully intimate journey, but well worth the ticket. Camera genius Roger Deakins lights the "hopeless emptiness" on view with an aberrant allure. Like American Beauty, the grand zoom outs from uncomfortably intimate close-ups, and vice-versa, are a dead givaway. I went into the theater not knowing who the director was. By the time the opning credits rolled, I knew. One of my favorite scenes is shot at Grand Central Station amongst a sea of suits and fedoras, all walking in slow motion with dead facial expressions. It seemed like that scene was an homage to Ron Fricke of Godfrey Reggios' Koyaanisqatsi (1982).

All the actors astonish also. DiCaprio is in his zone, peeling away layers of immersed emotion to a crestfallen man. And the splendiferous Winslet defines what makes a great actress, scintillating commitment to a character and the magnitude to make every nuance felt. Winslet's last scene, as April prepares breakfast for a husband who can't see the torment behind her smile, is emotionally devastating. This movie takes a piece out of you and spits it out. Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio, as her husband, Frank, could not be better in the roles of young marrieds who (shades of Mad Men) move from Manhattan to the suburbs, promising themselves it's all just temporary. To hear Kate Winslet, as April Wheeler, express her desire "to be wonderful in the world" is to be reminded of how individualism is like living free, at best a concept. She wants so desperately to be special, as if to feel unimportant if established in society. Hand over an award for Michael Shannon as John Givings, the institutionalized son of a gossipy realtor (the awe-inspiring Kathy Bates). Home on a visit, John splits no hairs with the truth " You say existence here is hopelessly pointless. I'm impressed. Most people get the emptiness, but few understand the hopeless part." Playing the role like a heat-seeking missile that targets hypocrisy, the eruptive Shannon blows the roof off the theater. Add two kids, thwarted ambitions, adultery — Frank with a secretary (a vivid Zoe Kazan) and April with a married neighbor (the excellent David Harbour) — plus April's unwanted third pregnancy.

Trying their best to conform to mid-1950’s standards of social grace and marital comfort, Frank and April Wheeler are coming apart at the seams. With years of growing unrest at home sending April into depression and Frank to infidelity, the couple decides to shake up their life by moving to Paris, to start over with renewed vows of devotion. April hatches a very feasible plan in which the couple could be happy once again and quickly Frank jumps on-board. But as is the case with any dream that goes against the grain of what society expects, the longer the couple waits to hatch their plan, the more it falls apart. Think about that great movie or screenplay idea you had and how excited you were by the prospect. Then think about how day by day, hour by hour “real life” or friends calling you crazy got in the way and quashed out your spark. If you know what I’m talking about, you’ll understand all too well what’s happening as the wheels fall of for the aptly named Wheelers. Spreading the news to friends (David Harbour, Kathryn Hahn) and acquaintances (Kathy Bates), the couple perceives the hesitation of congratulations, amplified when Frank receives a promotion at work and April discovers she’s pregnant. With the window of opportunity closing on their European dream, Frank and April turn on each other, powerless to confront and amend their dissatisfaction and fear.


The true test of “Road” is the range of melodrama that exists within. Adapted from the beloved novel by Richard Yates and knowing Mendes’s predilection for polished hysteria, it makes perfect sense for the film to dwell on the bubbling pot of emotive poison spattering Frank and April, with an eye toward grandstanding professions of marital bile. However, “Road” never goes to a shrill place of obviousness, nor doesn’t it attempt to spell out the misery with wild performances and on-the-nose screenwriting. Instead the film is a gorgeously mounted voyage of discomfort, observing the widening dividing line between two people who’ve lost interest in open communication, forced to preserve a decomposing lifestyle and status in the name of matrimony.

The cruelty which pulls Frank and Alice apart is where “Road” hits the hardest. Playing with steadfast gender roles and suburban complacency, “Road” elects the slow burn route, generously exhibiting the erosion of spirit within the two lead characters. Frank and April were brought together by cocktail-hour flirtation and broken promises and now, left to deal with the mess of life, they’ve declared war, using April’s pregnancy and Frank’s possible new position at a company he loathes as ammo to unleash horrible diatribes against each other. “Road” is teeming with blistering argumentative situations, but Mendes doesn’t allow the unhappiness to blur into white noise. Instead “Road” grips tighter with every row, deepening the characterization as Frank and April confront their boundaries for the first time, coming to the realization that kids, a house in a WASPy neighborhood, and predetermined domestic roles have transformed them into rats trapped inside a cage.

As “Road” tightens with anguish, lies, and acts of emotional revenge, Mendes positions the film beautifully to best consume the painful road ahead for Frank and April. With a cast this tight, production credits that evoke a 50’s mood with both obvious and subtle characteristics (think cigarettes and internalization aplenty with copius martinis), and a directorial job that can manage the displeasure of marital disagreement and loathing without submerging the intended pitch of sorrow, “Revolutionary Road” reaches a summit of dramatic gratification and pure emotional mutilation that’s absolutely riveting.


Watch the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpra9OEw6nQ

Punks Pack Slims at X show

Christmas in Frisco, the crowds fill the street, the guy on the corner plays a bass and his brother has a three piece trap to keep the beat. Macy's is packed, the sidewalk is cracked, and there is no shortage of places to eat. Ally, Hawkeye and I step out of the Drake and heed the call of the night. "Taxi!"

Opened in 1988 by legendary R&B artist Boz Scaggs, Slim's (http://www.slims-sf.com/) is a live music nightclub with food & drinks, and a variety of American Roots Music--Blues, R&B, Cajun/Zydeco, Jazz, and Alternative. The club is located in the South of Market district of San Francisco, a hub of nightlife in the city. The premises consist mainly of an open floor on a main level. At one end of the floor is a performance stage. At the other end we have a small balcony with table seating for 70. Often packed beyond what I would think is the capacity, there are very few places upstairs to sit, let alone a safe place to stand on the floor below. Besides, you have to buy food or two drink minimum to park it up there. As we entered the quickly filling room, I spied a large sign" No Moshing, No Stage Diving, and No Slam Dancing!" Ha! They'd be lucky to pogo at this gig. We stayed down on the floor.

The opening act was the Twisted Hearts, an edgy Pop band sporting black fedoras and up-beat attitude. Between their sweet Anglophile melodies, they occasionally hawked their CD which sat off to the left of the mountain of X paraphernalia. We enjoyed drifting through the crowd, dancing to the back beat rhythm and rock. There was a brief intermission, so we decided to slip out and sit on a flower box outside the club, lighting up a smoke to enhance the Punk experience. Soon after, the mob filled the club. The only safe place to stand was by the entrance, so we hung back where we could at least see a glimpse of the band. Then, the lights went down and the thunderous beat of D.J. Bonebreaker filled the air. A dim blue spotlight pulls up on the drums as a shadowy figure struts up to downstage right, electricity buzzes through the air. A staccato of twang guitar drives the drums faster as a red spotlight comes up on the striking figure of Billy Zoom. Another shadowy figure runs up to the opposite side of the stage, pow! John Doe is at the mike flailing on his bass. Last but not least, a small figure of a shapely woman skips onto the stage in a flower print dress from an Andrew Wyeth painting, steps up to the center stage. The crowd is jumping up and down, people are spilling drinks over each other to get a better look at Exene . John purrs into the mic, "Sheeee, had to leave.." The crowd sings along with Exene calling back, "Los- an- gell -ees!" You could tell there were hard core fans out there. People in black, people with gray, young punks, old punks, feel alright on a cold San Francisco night.

X was founded by bassist/singer John Doe and guitarist Billy Zoom. Doe brought his poetry-writing girlfriend Exene Cervenka to band practices, and she eventually joined the band as a vocalist. Drummer DJ Bonebrake was the last of the original members to join.

X's first record deal was with independent label Dangerhouse, for which the band produced two singles, "Adult Books" (1978) and "Los Angeles" ("We're Desperate" was the b-side to "Adult Books"). The Dangerhouse session version of "Los Angeles" was also featured in a Dangerhouse compilation in 1979 called "Yes L.A." (a play on the now-famous No Wave compilation No New York), a picture disc that featured other early-punk-era LA bands like the Weirdos and Black Randy. As the band became the flag bearer for the local scene, a larger independent label, Slash Records, signed the band to issue its first LP.
The result was their first LP release, Los Angeles (1980) (produced by The Doors' keyboard player, Ray Manzarek). It was a minor hit and was well received by the underground press and mainstream media]especially the remake of the Doors "Soul Kitchen". Much of X's early material had a rockabilly edge, mainly due to the twang-king Billy Zoom on guitar. Doe and Cervenka co-wrote most of the group's songs, and their slightly off-kilter harmony vocals remain perhaps the group's most distinctive element.

Their follow-up effort, 1981's Wild Gift, broadened the band's profile when it was named "Record of the Year" by Rolling Stone, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, and the Village Voice. Wild Gift, like their debut album, was released on Slash records, and was similar in musicial style, although Wild Gift featured shorter, faster songs; arguably their most stereotypically punk-sounding record.
X then signed to Elektra in 1982 to release Under the Big Black Sun, which marked a slight departure from their trademark sound. While still fast and loud, the album's country leanings were evolving and its raw punk sound was channeling raw guitar power chords. The album was heavily influenced by the premature death of Exene Cervenka's elder sister Mirielle (Mary) in an automobile accident in 1980 ( while living up here in Humboldt County). Three songs on the album, "Riding With Mary", "Come Back To Me", and the title track all directly relate to the tragedy. A fourth, a high-speed version of Leadbelly's "Dancing With Tears In My Eyes", was indirectly attributed to Exene Cervenka's mournful state of mind years later. The stark black & white cover art and title were also a reflection of the somber mood of the band during this time. Nonetheless, this album remains Exene's favorite X album.

The majority of the Slims show was material off these albums, excluding the jolly versions off Chuck Berry's Run Run Rudolph and the classic Santa Clause is Coming To Town and the Doors Crystal Ship with their own flavor, naturally.

1983 saw the release of the More Fun in the New World album. X slightly redefined their sound with this release, making it somewhat more polished, eclectic and radio-ready than in previous albums. With the sound moving away from punk rock, the band's rockabilly influence became even more noticeable, along with some new elements like funk on the track "True Love pt. II" and Woody Guthrie-influenced folk protest songs like "The New World" and "I Must Not Think Bad Thoughts." The record received critical praise from Rolling Stone and Playboy, who had long been stalwart supporters and fans of X and their sound.

A side project of some of the band members was Poor Little Critter In The Road in 1985, underthe name The Knitters: X minus Zoom, plus Dave Alvin (of The Blasters) on guitar and Johnny Ray Bartel (of The Red Devils) on double bass. The Knitters were devoted to folk and country music; their take of Merle Haggard's "Silver Wings" "may be the definitive version."

Despite the overwhelmingly positive critical reception for their first 4 albums, the band was frustrated by its lack of wider mainstream success. Billy Zoom had also stated that he would leave the band unless its next album was not more successful. The band decided to change producers in search of a more accessible sound. Their 5th record, Ain't Love Grand, was produced by pop-metal producer Michael Wagener. It featured a drastic change in sound, especially in the polished and layered production, while the band's punk roots were little in evidence, replaced by a countrified version of hard rock. The change in production was hoped to bring the band more chart success, but although it got somewhat more mainstream radio play than their earlier releases, it did not represent a commercial breakthrough. Zoom left the group shortly thereafter in 1986, the same year in which the feature-length documentary film, X The Unheard Music was released.


Zoom was initially replaced by Alvin on guitar. The band then added a 5th member, guitarist Tony Gilkyson, formerly of the band Lone Justice. By the time the band released its 6th album, See How We Are, Alvin had already left the band, although he plays on the record along with Gilkyson. Like Ain't Love Grand, the album's sound was fairly far removed from the band's punk origins, yet featured a punchy, energetic, hard-rocking roots rock sound that in many ways represented a more natural progression from their earlier sound than the previous record had. After touring for the album, X released a live record of the tour entitled Live at the Whisky a Go-Go, and then went on an extended hiatus. Much to my delight, Billy returned to the band to play his signature rockabilly leads and occaisionally make robotic facial gestures to the adoring fans.

I was pleased that the original line-up playing with such fervor. You could tell that this was all second nature to them, but they were re-discovering their own material. A stripped down raw sound that moved me to the pit of my stomach, X was back with a vengeance. I remember seeing them in 1982 at a small club called Mojos in Arcata, CA, and they had much of the same energy now as they did then. My friend and guitarist caught John Does pick the first show there. When they returned a year later, Stevo, being the kind guy, returned John his pick and ended up having a smoke with him "Nice guy!" Well, tonight was no exeption to their kindness, and wow, the driving force with zero dead air. These guys are my peers and they still put out the buzz! Exene gave great banter with John and the audience, "Smells like weed out there", big grin. She used her shy charm to sweeten up the flavor and keep the vibes cool. I must admit, for a punk show, the crowd was very well behaved. The worst part of the show was trying to see around unusually tall people. It might be my imagination, but I am certain that the audience members have gotten taller. I saw a guy in there that stood at least 7 feet. "Wow!", I thought to myself, "Wheres my Jumbo-tron? " The people kept coming through the door till the doorway was packed with standing hopefuls. It had been a long time since I have been to a punk show, so I hung in there as long as my legs could stand. There comes a point when you gotta call it a night. The cab ride home was a relief; food, smoke, shower, love, and to all a good night!

Guitar Thieves Smash Local Musicians Car Window!

See photos of Franko's
missing guitars!

Tuesday morning, January 13 sometime between 2AM and 9AM after playing the open mic at the Boiler room, some body smashed out the back car door window on Frank Mancinelli's hatchback in front of his home on Harris Street in Eureka, CA. Obviously the perpetrator was on foot because they made off with two guitars, a brown sunburst Silvertone with vinyl siding,
the other a Fender silver metal flaked Squire Jazzmaster with a red devil girl decal and left his amplifiers.

Any information leading to the retrieval of these items will be rewarded.
Contact Frank at 707 498-4082 or
Dave at 707476-0369

Television, the new Big Screen

Man has sought entertainment through spectator events: still seeking outside stimulus to forget the drudgeries of life. Entertainment has a very interesting evolution ;indigenous dances , bloody fights in coliseums, or elaborate "Morality Plays". Live theater seems to always flourish, despite all the options of more contemporary electronic media. However, movie cinemas haveDating back as far as history can recall, man has sought out new forms of experienced a big drop in attendance mainly due to the attention television has diverted, thus, fragmenting the entire industry. Action films and gratuitous teen films seem to have dominated the box offices in the past, but that trend is changing. Because of the explosion of internet media, the Information Generation is becoming a little more discerning in how they spend their time and money on entertainment. With inventions such as satellite networks, online streaming, and Tivo, one can view whatever whenever.

With the creation of online interfacing, many people can preview clips of films and reviews more readily, thus enabling the potential viewer to make personal and educated decisions. Fantasy has become less of an attraction and reality has stepped out into the limelight. This can be a good thing as more documentary styled movies have come about, not to mention mini-series on PBS. Unfortunately, the television executives have done a knee jerk reaction to the "reality craze", creating one crappy reality series after another. It all stated with "Cops", a Rupert Murdock abomination that depicts the public as shirtless, spouse abusing, drug induced degenerates. We all know the plot and the boys in blue are never the bad guys. (Talk about an oxy-moron!) I think we can move past this one.
You'll see the truer nature of police if you watch "Reno 911" (ironically enough, another program that now airs on Fox.)
With all the bad press about lawyers and cops , we had to create a legacy of television called "Law and Order" It wasn't enough to have cool dramas like Hill Street Blues, they had to put more reality in and less humor. Based on actual crime cases, they glamorize crimes and the people who solve them. If there is any humor, it is usually a snipe on a crime scene from some unlikely hero such as Ice Tea. Then the forensic craze took over, and slowly, but surely, the CSI series cloning began. (CSI Miami, New York, etc..) Our military has lost numerous points in the popularity polls with all this mucky muck in the Middle East, so what do the P.R. guys do? They create a hybrid of CSI and Law and Order, thus birthing NCIS. Sucking us in with the boyish charm of Marc Harmon and a collection of misfits, they are the new "cool" military. Hmmm.

But, there is light at the end of the tunnel. Fortunately, there are a few shows that have risen above the hard boiled reality craze. Animated comedies and situation comedies have taken a few twists in the wind , yet, a select group have stood apart from the flock. Even so. many still prefer to spend their time blogging, or chatting online. But, I digress.

Butthead was sophomoric, but a little more edgy. Another one that lays in the "Where are they Now" category is "Ren and Stimpy". Once again, sophomoric humor, but just gross and weird enough to entice my adult brain.” Family Guy" takes paying homage and collegiate humor to a new level. Nothing is sacred with such things as gay baby, a talking dog, a pedophile, a slutty stoner mom, angry handicapped cop, a black guy with a speech impediment, and more. Being as it shows on primetime, this makes even more dubious intent onOne of my favorites remains "The Simpsons", still poking fun at their own network and the rest of us as well. Matt Groening created another show "Futurama" which was short lived, unfortunately. The problem was he was competing with his other creation, "The Simpsons!" "King of the Hill" has it's moments, but is really just a watered down Mike Judge. Beavis and the part of it's creator Seth Mc Farland. It seems to me that a little show that’s been running on Comedy Central for the last decade had gone that route already. Yes, I am talking about "South Park", the epitome of bad jokes and even worse animation. Creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone were the pioneers in pushing the envelope for what is appropriate and fair game. A good example was the whole Tom Cruise/Isaac Hayes incident where the sarcasm offended one of the talent to the point of resignation. Hayes played Chef, a lovable school cook that was a bit of a self proclaimed Romeo. When Tom cruise and his Scientology babble was parodied more than once, Hayes quit and said "Making fun of religion was wrong." The reaction to this was a farewell to Chef episode filled with out of context clips and sound bytes of Hayes’s character making embarrassing comments. This show was no more offensive than the multiple reruns of Family Guy we are given on other stations, some not even on cable. Why we don't see shows like South Park, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Home Movies, or even Ren and Stimpy (which, ironically started on Nickleodeon, a TBS affiliate) on in rerun syndication, I still don't understand.

As far as situation comedies go, you get more bang for your bucks with Big Bang Theory. With a theme song by Barenaked Ladies” ,The History of Everything", you just can't go wrong. The premise is simply a group of nerdy high tech reseach workers who share a flat across from a normal intelligence blond waitress. Their worlds intertwine, like aliens and cowboys. The show distinguishes itself by being unafraid to toss scientific references and techno babble into an otherwise standard sitcom, even employing a physicist to keep things accurate. Created by writer/producers Chuck Lorre (of Two And A Half Men) and Bill Prady (of Gilmore Girls) roommates/physicists Sheldon (Johnny Galecki of "Rosanne") and Leonard (Jim Parsons of "Ed") meet Penny (Kaley Cuoco of "Charmed"), a beautiful woman moving in next door--and realize they know next to nothing about life outside of the lab. Rounding out the crew are the self-proclaimed womanizer Wolowitz (Simon Helburg), and Koothrappali (Kunal Nayyar), an East Indian who suffers from an inability to speak in the presence of a woman. Because the writing is quick and filled with Sci-Fi pop references, and the players work so well of each other, I have to tip my hat to this as being the most superior comedy on primetime. Most other situation comedies, I have to shut down my critic inside, and play dumb like the rest of American viewers.

Following Big Bang Theory on the same network is How I Met Your Mother, a comedy about Ted (Josh Radnor) and how he fell in love How I Met Your Mother is a comedy narrated through flashbacks from the future about Ted (Josh Radnor) and how he fell in love. Ted's best friend, Marshall (Jason Segel), drops the bombshell that he's going to propose to his long-time girlfriend, Lily (Alyson Hannigan), a kindergarten teacher. Ted realizes that he had better move quick if he wants to find that special one. Helping him in his quest is Barney (Neil Patrick Harris), a sideman who has a love for suits and knows all the lines to pick up women. When Ted meets Robin (Cobie Smulders), he's sure it's love at first sight, but destiny may have something else in store. At first I really liked this show, mostly because I like seeing goody goody Doogie Houser misbehaving in adulthood. The ironic part is Harris is gay in real life. But, I digress. The plots remind me of a combination of Seinfeld and Friends, but the characters are likable enough. A bit anticlimactic, however, especially after watching the brilliance of Big Bang.

Scrubs, a half-hour comedy, is filmed in the North Hollywood Medical Center, which has gone under severe reconstruction to fit all the equipment and represent Sacred Heart Hospital. This show, (also narrated) focuses on the bizarre experiences of fresh-faced medical intern John "J.D." Dorian (Zach Braff) as he plods along on his career in a overworked and wacky hospital crammed full of unpredictable staffers and patients.

Joining the rumpled J.D. in his own private Idaho are his college buddy, Chris Turk (Donald Faison, "Clueless"), an intern with a more elite surgical group, and J.D.'s fellow medical intern, the beautiful and driven Elliot Reid (Sarah Chalke, "Roseanne"). Keeping the new interns on their toes are: The fatherly chief of medicine, Dr. Bob Kelso (Ken Jenkins); the sarcastic, yet, paternal Dr. Perry Cox (John McGinley), and the caring but slightly jaded nurse Carla Espinosa (Judy Reyes). The hospital janitor (Neil Flynn) also never seems to miss an opportunity to harass his target. The use of music with the "lesson" in each episode is done nicely, often tying together the subplots at the end. .

A more recent addition is one you can only view on The CW, "Reaper". The series is produced by ABC Television Studio in association with The Mark Gordon Company. It has been given a 13 episode (coincidence?) initial order by The CW. Throughout Sam's life, he always wondered why his mom and dad were so lenient. Whether it was sports, school, career choices, or picking on his little brother Kyle, Sam always got away with everything. Because of it, he decided to drop out of college and take a dead beat job, wasting most of his time playing video games and wishing he could ask his co-worker Andi out. However, everything changes in Sam's life once he turns 21 and finds out the reason his parents let him get over was because they sold his soul to the devil before he was born.

Satan (Ray Wise of Twin Peaks) explains to Sam that he must serve as his bounty hunter, tracking down souls that have escaped from Hell. Initially, Sam refuses to accept his fate but he realizes the results of breaking a deal with the devil. He is armed with various vessels to collect the escapees. Sam finds that the work is dangerous and frightening even with the slapstick help of his friends Sock and Ben, and Sock's former girlfriend, Josie. As weird as it seems, Sam feels somewhat positive about his newfound "jobs", removing errant souls from our world and sending them back to the smelly special effects ridden hell. Along with his misfit friends and his vessel of the week, Sam goes working for the hoofed one as the "reaper". Its a funny show that I wish was on another network without so many commercials between scenes. That’s the rub. To do a really good production, one needs backers. To get backers you either have a rich benefactor or sell a lot of advertising. And what’s up with the volume levels of the promotional limbo we call commercial breaks? That’s when VCRs and TIVO come into play. If you record the show, you can bypass the obnoxious barrage of ads.

Another recent addition is “Fear Itself”, a one hour weekly series Produced by Andrew Deane and Adam Goldworm (Masters of Science Fiction/Horror) which features short films of suspense by different directors for each episode. The first suspense (as opposed to typical horror) episode of Fear Itself proves to be a disappointment, and I suspect most of the blame this time lies with the direction, rather than with the script. Not that the very guessable "twisted" ending writer Victor Salva (Jeepers Creepers) offers helps matters, but the uneven tone, utter lack of subtlety, and clumsy pacing of the episode, directed by John Landis, killed it more efficiently than any insidious serial killer could do to a real victim. It reminded me more of a Lifetime cable made-for-TV movie...and, except for the weak twist ending, it did resemble far too many of the video Romance Novels that station runs more than any successful thriller. Even with a few nicely-composed shots; the series continues to be admirably well-produced on what's surely a modest to medium budget.

There are many other choices to peruse, these are just a few of which I have observed. Television is rarely criticized with any accuracy and perspective, so, I hope I have made a small dent in the fabric of this mind boggling enigma. It is so easy to ”just give in” and watch whatever is in front of your face. It’s the easy way out, but, not always the most beneficial approach. I really have tried to sit still while some of these inane shows continue to insult my intelligence and integrity , while the rest of society bleats on about television personalities I care little for. Too bad Johnny Rotten isn’t on the air any more. I’m sure he’d have a thing or two to say.