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Reality TV Comes To Silicon Valley

April 24, 2012 By

Silicon Valley RealityThe television landscape is awash in reality tv as it has been for years. Just when you think you’ve seen it all, Bravo is bringing it’s brand of “reality” to Silicon Valley. A new show to be called “Silicon Valley” will follow the exploits of several type-a personalities as they do business in The Valley. The series is being produced by Mark Zuckerberg’s sister Randi and is already catching flack from some in the valley who think the show will make them look silly. Ya think?

The only thing i’m surprised about is that it took this long. Unfortunately, they’re going to have to bend reality pretty hard on this one as anyone who has lived in the valley knows. It’s no Jersey Shore. People take their dogs to work, stare at computer screens all day and talk geek. The show would have been much better if done during the Internet boom days when people got millions of dollars for an idea scribbled on a napkin, literally. Paper millionaires were being minted daily, and then, just as quickly, poof, it was all gone. Now that was drama.

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Taking “Occupy” To The Next Level

January 9, 2012 By

Angry SignI’m not necessarily a big Occupy guy although I understand and sympothize with the ideas. Occupy needs to move beyond camping, however, if it’s going to start effecting real change. Occupy is also going to have to cooeless around some clearly communicated values and goals. It’s going to have to start trying to wrest the reins of power from the very 1% it rails against. This is what has made the Tea Party so effective. They turned their movement into a political power. Like it or not its political power that effects change.

Occupy likes to think of itself as an ultra-democratic, grass roots, no formal organization and leaderless body. That’s great for a utopian dream, but impractical in today’s reality. You can take your hippie-dippie values and shove ‘em, the only thing that counts is real change and real change takes leaders and solid ideas. Unfortunately or fortunately the only way to make real change is to wield the levers of power. The two levers of power in this world are money and politics. So either Occupy finds some very rich support or they had better start figuring out how to get folks elected to local, state and national office. I’m sure most Occupy folks abhor money and politics but if they don’t get over this problem soon, they will amount to a hill of beans. Yell, scream and shove signs in my face all day and I don’t care. Why don’t you pick up a shovel and get to work already. Stop shouting and DO something.

Again, this is where you have to greatly respect the Tea Party. They did their protests in the park and waved their signs, and then they got to work getting people elected. They realized the current folks in power were not going to pay attention to them, so they worked to get them out in favor of candidates who held values closer to their own. It didn’t always work and they lost plenty of times, but they moved the needle.

This is how it works and unfortunately I don’t see any ambition or organization in Occupy to do anything like this. People WILL tire of your bitching and complaining if that’s all you seem to do. 2012 is the make or break year for Occupy. Time to stand up or fade away.

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Toddlers & Tiaras – The Show That Makes Me Cry

December 19, 2011 By

toddlersSo-called “Reality TV” gets sicker and sicker every year, but the one show that really gets to me is Toddlers & Tiaras on TLC. This show is all about beauty pageants for little girls, from babies to 3-4 year olds. More than that, it’s about the moms and their obsession with everything from hair to makeup to presentation. They continually tell us on the show how their daughters love it, but you can’t help but wonder who really likes it more.

It’s hard to describe how wrong the show is. The kinds of pressure they put the kids under, the complete obsession with “winning”. I literally make me upset just to talk about it. I suggest you watch an episode yourself to fully understand. I can’t stand watching the kids on this show, no matter how much they seem to enjoy it at times. I’m sure an elephant at a circus thinks it’s got it good at times, but we all know he would be just as well and probably better free on the safari.

The general objectivity of beauty at such an early age, the mothers who often act horribly and yell at the kids. The pounds and pounds of makeup, the mouth inserts to change the jawline. This show literally makes me want to cry. I cannot watch it. There is nothing cute or funny about it. These are real kids who deserve to just be kids and not parade around and win crowns to make their moms feel better about themselves.

 

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The Rankness Of Life

November 9, 2011 By

Every time I walk up to a public ATM machine I always wonder about the keypad. Just take a moment and have a good look at one. Most are truly disgusting. Dirty beyond belief. What nastiness is on there? Now a new study shows that quite a bit of nasty is on those keypads, along with many other public items you touch on a daily basis.

Among the gems, 16% of cellphones have poop on them. Also, computer keyboards are 5 times dirtier than a toilet seat. There is no stat for ATM keypads but I can only imagine. Fortunately, we put these things out of our minds for the most part because if you didn’t, you woud be carrying around a large jug of hand sanitizer and rubber gloves everywhere.

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Almost Famous: My Favorite Movie Of All Time Now On Blu-Ray

October 7, 2011 By

Almost FamousAlmost Famous from director Cameron Crowe is my favorite movie of all time. I love everything about it. The acting is supreme. Phillip Seymour Hoffman is brilliant as rock critic Lester Bangs, Billy Crudup as Russell Hammond and of course Kate Hudson as Penny Lane. There are no words to explain how much I love Kate Hudson in this movie. She is so gorgeous and her character, so enchanting. The story, of course, revolves around rock and roll and a young budding rock writer. I will admit to being a Cameron Crowe fanboy. Hey, I even liked Vanilla Sky. 

Now Almost Famous is coming out in blu-ray and fortunately its the full directors cut version which is much better than the original theatre version. There are a number of little extra scenes and other scenes that are longer than they were in the regular theatre version and adding all that back really ads to the movie. If you haven’t seen the directors cut, you haven’t really seen the movie yet. Watch it again.

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Pam Am, The Playboy Club And The Death Of Creativity In Television

September 25, 2011 By

Pan Am PosterTwo new television programs getting big pushes this fall are ABC’s Pan Am and NBC’s The Playboy Club. ABC especially is promoting the hell out of Pan Am. Both these shows are period pieces and direct, shameless rip-offs of AMC’s Mad Men.

Mad Men was a breakthrough when it came out. A beautiful period piece set in the world of Advertising in the 50′s and 60′s. The writing is superior and the attention to detail in the show is remarkable. What is sad is once something becomes very popular, people in TV rush to copy it. So it’s no surprise to see these two new shows. Frankly I wonder what took them so long. There is such a void of creativity in television, truly great shows only come around once and awhile and most of what is out there are rip offs. CSI became popular and what did they do, replicate it several times. Same for Law and Order.

I guess it’s been this way for quite awhile though. Television goes through phases. For one period, everything is a cop drama, than a hospital one. Lately, the traditional cop drama has morphed into more of a psychic cop drama like Medium.

I predict both The Playboy Club and Pan Am will be failures. People do see through this pretty well and neither bring anything original or interesting to the party. None of the actual creativity comes from the major networks anyway. Virtually everything that is decent now comes from networks like AMC, FX, and HBO.

For the record, here are the only shows I watch these days that I think are worth watching.

Breaking Bad – I came late to this show but I’m hooked now

The Walking Dead – I have read the comic and it’s awesome. I was very worried they would mess it up, but so far the show is great.

Sons of Anarchy – How can you not love crusty Ron Perman as the head of a rough and tumble motorcycle gang?

The Daily Show – When the actual news is so insane you want to tear your hair out, this is the only thing that may keep you from completely loosing it.

I’m sure there are some shows I have missed but with three kids, I only have time for so much. Add your favorites in the comments below.

 

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Steampunk Palin Comic

January 26, 2011 By

If I didn’t see it for myself I might think it wasn’t true, but there is indeed a new comic book featuring Sarah Palin in a Steampunk adventure. You could create a lot of different comics with Sarah Palin, but somehow the Steampunk genre fits well. I don’t think I’ll get or read the comic mostly because I don’t want to add any more monitory value to her name in any way even in jest. Still, I think it’s cool.

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New Years With Ke$ha

January 1, 2011 By

Maybe we should set one thing straight first. I generally don’t give a crap about new years or it’s celebrations. It’s an excuse to get drunk, an excuse to get laid, an excuse to make promises you won’t keep. It’s ok to do something in acknowledgment of the changing of the year but new years is so overblown and filled with too many expectations. It’s true of most holidays, especially Christmas. I think it’s why people often get depressed around the holidays. It’s all too much and no one can possibly live up to the hype.

Hanging around new years eve watching the putrid crap that goes for new years eve coverage from New York is particularly depressing. This year the best ABC could do was Ke$ha and the Backstreet Boys. God bless Dick Clark, one of the legends in music but this is what his famous show has come down to; Ryan Seacrest standing next to Ke$ha for new years 2011.

Most people probably start their blog in the new year with something hopeful. Oh the great things I will do. I didn’t want to do that. I’m starting with an angry, angst filled rant. Why not? I’m not promising a damn thing to anyone, especially myself. There are plenty of things I need and want to do this year. None of it means a thing unless it happens. Action is everything; it’s the only thing. So I’ll leave it at that. Ke$ha is a no talent hack but she got more done than me last year. I have some catching up to do.

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The Tattooed City

November 15, 2010 By

I’m constantly amazed at the number of tattoos I see in and around Portland. All kinds of people, young and old, male and female, every race and creed is tattooed in Portland. I once read Portland is the most tattooed city next to San Francisco. It certainly makes for a colorful and interesting place. Forgive me for my naiveté for remember, I came from Orange County, CA, one of the most conservative parts of the country. While we are on the subject, let me also recommend a great book called Tattoo Machine by Jeff Johnson of the Sea Tramp Tattoo shop right here in Portland, OR. It’s a good read and provides real behind the scenes insights into the tattoo world and the running of a shop. Have I thought about getting a tattoo? Sure. Will I ever get one? Doubtful.

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Why Comic Book Stores Rock

January 19, 2010 By
Action Comics #1 (June 1938). The début of Sup...

Image via Wikipedia

I have been recently introduced to comic books, something I never was into when I was a kid. As a result, I have found myself going to various comic book stores. Going into a comic book store is a pretty alien experience for me as I don’t know a thing about comics but the experience so far as been great. My first store was in Portland, Oregon where I was trying to find some comics to start with. The guys there were patient, understanding and found me some great comics. Later, at Nuclear Comics in Orange County, I discovered a new comic with the help of the staff there.

One of the things I truly love about these stores is that they are so niche and the staff really knows there stuff. It reminds me of small, independent book stores of old. Today, the small bookstore is all but gone, replaced by the megastores. These stores are huge and cater to the masses. The staff is friendly enough but you’re really not going to be able to get down into an in depth conversation about a particular kind of book and what they recommend. No fault on them, it’s the nature of the beast. But comic book stores are small and dedicated to a particular crowd and the staff really knows their comics which they are happy to talk about. At the same time, I found no snobbery or ill will toward newcomers. There is a passion and excitement at these stores and that breads sales.

Comic stores are also unique in that they specialize in a product that has not yet been duplicated digitally. With all the fancy eBook readers and web tablets, no one has produced a device that can replicate a full color comic in all it’s glory. This puts them in a better position than the rest of the publishing industry which is daily being eaten alive by digital technology.

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