Wednesday, December 31, 2003
Resolutions and Reservations
Only a few hours left in this year and while I have torn myself away from the SVU Marathon on USA, I've decided to have my annual "quietly take stock of my life" because I am a stickler for tradition.

This Year ...
- was a time to reevaluate my life goals and realize I don't really have any.
- I successfully designed and built this site. Go me!
- I managed to get into shape with "into shape" being completely relative. I can run a mile now without pain or serious injury.
- I lost one of my favorite people in the world, my uncle, whose smile was enough to make me believe all was right with the world. I miss him dearly, but I am comforted in the knowledge he touched the lives of so many others.
- I went on one pseudo-date which puts me on pace with last year.
- I visited London and Los Angeles. My trips were brought to you by the letter "L" and the sponsored by the BBC Miniseries Tipping the Velvet.
- writing was once again something I enjoyed doing. Now, if I could just write grammatically correct sentences, my life would be perfect.
- I got a job at my old haunts and realized sometimes you can go "home" again without too much scaring.

Next Year ...
- I want to continue my progress as a human being. Learn more, love more and get in touch with my spiritual side.
- I want to continue my progress as a runner and possible run two miles without serious injury.
- take someone, anyone to a Met game.
- I see one movie a week.
- I need to learn to play my guitar.
- I want to try to read the New York Times at least once a week.
- I plan to revisited London and Los Angeles. My trips will be brought to you by the letter "L" and the sponsored by the Showtime series The L-Word.
- I want to have more New York experiences. Go to a Broadway show. Go to more concerts. Go to Museums. Go to Sunday brunches and long walks in the park. I want to have Carrie Bradshaw's life.
- I want to spend less time worrying about my life and actually have more of a life.
- I want to meet new people and not be afraid to put myself out there.

posted by runnerbird | 6:25 PM

Tuesday, December 30, 2003
A Look Back
As the end of the year approaches, the world becomes saturated with "End of the Year/Best of the Year" specials so I thought I'd have some fun and hereby name my favorite things, experiences, movies, songs, performance for this past year. I am nothing if not self-indulgent.

I Paid Ten Bucks to See It And Boy Was It Worth It
Since I have not seen Return of the King yet which I've been told is the greatest film since the dawn of time so I'll reserve a place in this category for it, but of the films I've actually seen, it has to be Freaky Friday. Lindsey Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis were perfect and this film was just pure fun.

I Paid Ten Bucks to See It And I Want My Money Back
Remember when Harrison Ford made good films. Okay, so it's been a while, but there was a time when the words 'Harrison Ford Film' equaled a pretty good time at the movies. Hollywood Homicide was one of those films that really makes you wonder, does Harrison Ford even read the scripts he agrees to do? Lena "I am bad-ass Irina" Olin couldn't even make this one entertaining.

My God, You Can Act
Charlie Theron surprised everyone by pulling an absolutely jaw-dropping performance out of the depths of her soul. Monster silenced everyone who believed she was just another set dressing, destined for a career as an object of beauty. Oh, how wrong we all were.

Damn it, Your Song is Catchy
The best song of 2003 also happened to be the catchest. Coldplay's Clocks has been featured in everything from commercials to movie trailers, but it never gets old. Maybe its the melodramatic piano or the heartbeat style drums, but what the hell is this song about? I listened to it a thousand times, but have yet to figure out what singer Chris Martin is sweetly singing. Is it about the passage of time? Missed opportunities? Lost love? Home? Whatever, I'll be listening to this song for the next decade.

Your Album Is Actually, Well, Good
I could barely surpress an eye roll when I found out Justin Timberlake was "going solo" and breaking free from his bandmates to strike out all on his own, but imagine my surprise when I actually heard his first solo album Justifed and realized, hey this is pretty good. Filled with rather infectous songs like "Senorita" and "Last Night," Justin made me a fan... a closet fan, but a fan nonetheless.

Rediscovered And It Feel So Good
Maybe it was the Behind the Music episode or maybe it was the realization that, unlike some of today's pop gods, they never took themselves too seriously and their music was all about fun, but imagine my surprise when I dusted off some of their old singles and realized the Spice Girls actually made some fairly decent pop music. Standouts from their all too brief career include "2 Become 1" and, of course, their breakout hit "Wannabe"... I especially love their last single "Goodbye" ... nowadays, I long for the days of Sporty, Ginger, Posh, Scary and Baby, as much it pains me to admit.

Everyone Wants One, But I Don't Have One
Apple's Ipod has become the fashion accessory of choice for the hipster New Yorker who like their entire mp3 collection at the tip of their fingers... because god knows when you might be in the mood to listen to Issac Hayes's Shaft in the work day. I know that's happened to me more than once.

Holy Pop Culture Commentary, Batman
It's official. Snark has hit the mainstream. Those of us in the "know" have been snarking on old television shows, celebrities and movies for years (courtesy of outlets like Fametracker and TWoP), but with "celebrity mouthpieces" like Hal Sparks, Mo Rocca and Michael Ian Black on those VH1 Pop Culture shows, snark, the humor of generation X and Y, has hit the American airwaves. Now everyone snarks on Bennifer and looks for HoYay in those Lord of the Rings movies.

Obssession, My Obssesion
I blame the economy! If it wasn't for the fact that I was unemployed for more than half the year, I would not have had time to watch twenty hours plus of Law and Order and its spin-off Law and Order: SVU. I wouldn't have had to time to care about Briscoe, Green, Jack, Abbie, Benson, Cabot, Cragen and Cabot... nope, I would have lived the rest of my life not knowing about motions to surpress or "boot-strapping." Now that I have obssession under control (I only watch about fifteen hours a week now), I can safely say if it wasn't for the economy my weeknights would be so very boring.

Sweet DVD, How I Love Thee
TV on DVD has given me an opportunity to fall in love with a two new shows, Alias and Sex and the City, and an opportunity to catch up on some old ones, Angel, Queer as Folk and Star Trek. Commercial-free with crystal clear picture and sound, it's almost a shame to watch these shows on "regular" TV. And lest we forget... DVD extras always make the price worth it.

The "Where Were You" Event
The day the lights went out in New York City, I was happily surfing the web in my home when suddenly my computer flicked off, my air conditioner died and I was left thinking what the hell happened? Despite fears of New York City sinking into the lower rings of hell without electricity to keep the masses in check (ala the '77 Blackout), the city was actually a nice place to be, dare I say pleasant, place to be during the sixteen or so hours without juice. Essentially, our lives stopped, but all of us took in stride and made us appreciate the finer things in life like running water.

The Guy Crush
Here are the men who struck my fancy in 2003... Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Hugh Jackman, Colin Firth, Hugh Grant, Michael Vartan, Chris Martin, Hal Sparks, Ewan Mcgregor, George Clooney and Hugh Dancy.

The Girl Crush
Here are the women I wanna to be like in an unhealthy Single White Female sort of way in 2003... Stephanie March, Mariska Hargitay, Julie Bowen, Martine Mccutcheon, Olivia Williams, Naomi Watts, Lena Olin and Sandra Bullock.

posted by runnerbird | 10:47 PM

Sunday, December 28, 2003
Imperalism, Orientalism and other Isms
I must admit I enjoyed The Last Samurai more than I thought I would. In general, I have a big problem when Hollywood uses Western imperalist framework to present another culture. A white man learns about the other, foreign alien culture and falls in love with it. See the beauty of this simple "savage" culture and how it is so different from our own. Isn't it amazing and wonderful!

The only reason this material is tolerable is because it is in the hands of a capable director Edward Zwick who usually gets a free pass from me because he and his Bedford Falls production company is responsible for four of my favorite television series ever (thirtysomething, My So-Called Life, Relativity and Once and Again), and an equal capable cast of which Tom Cruise is the least charming and riveting.

I feel Hollywood has plowed this field one too many times before... I liked this movie better when it was called Dance with Wolves. I liked this movie better when it was called Glory (which Zwick also directed). That said, the film is simply beautiful to look at and the fight sequences are brilliantly staged, but again, presenting such a cultural rich history like that of the Samurai within such a reductive framework is a bit insulting. I could have done without the ninjas thanks very much. But I guess if I want a cultural accurate film about the life of feudal samurai warriors, I should just rent Akira Kurosawa films.

posted by runnerbird | 8:52 PM

Friday, December 26, 2003
The Killer in Me
For me, the sign of a really good film has always been its ability to linger with me long after the closing credits. If it sticks with me, if flashes of scenes interrupt my daily thoughts, then, by god, that was a good film. Unfortunately, good films are hard to come by these days which is why when they do, I feel the need to shout atop the tallest building, "see this movie, you won't soon forget it." So, it is in this spirit that I shout, "see Monster, you won't soon forget it!"

Now, before you accuse me of jumping on the "Charlize Theron gives the best performance in the history of cinema" bandwagon that seems to be forming directly behind Roger Ebert, I have to say I didn't want to like her performance, but after the first few scenes, there is no denying Charlize Theron has taken her art to a whole other level.

Theron gives herself over to the role of Aileen Carol Wuornos, America's "first" female serial killer executed in Florida last year. There is not one ounce of Charlize Theron in Aileen and if you are looking for her onscreen, you are wasting your time. Believe me, I spent the first twenty minutes wondering if I could catch a glimpse of the glamour girl from The Devil's Advocate, The Cider House Rules, The Legend of Bagger Vance, Sweet November or The Italian Job, but there is no part of her there. She simply embodies this role in a way you don't see too often nowadays. These days, you slap on a fake nose and an English accent and you are given an Oscar (yep, looking at you Nicole!). While Ebert's grand praise of Theron's performance is taking things a bit too far, she certainly gives the best performance I've seen all year, probably the best performance I've seen in the past five years.

The film itself isn't a vindication or indictment of Aileen Wuornos's murder spree, but more of an examination of how this woman got to that particular moment. The film gives no easy, neat answers. Did she just play the hand she was dealt by life? Was she made a killer by years of abuse at the hands of every single man in her life? Was she a homicidal sociopath who was just "born bad"? Maybe all of the above? The film is surprising free of any "political" agenda. It isn't a "captial punishment is bad" film. It isn't a "look what society drives marginalized individuals to do" film. It isn't even a "she is serial killer, she is ultimate evil" film. The film simply offers an unflinching glimpse into this woman's short, tragic life.

For a more articulate assessment of this film, head on over and read Salon's Monster review. Big, old WORD to every point made in this article.

posted by runnerbird | 11:05 PM

Thursday, December 25, 2003
Last Christmas
Presents, food, hugs, food, kisses, food, tears, food, family bickering and some more food. Just another typical Christmas. Remember when Christmas was anything but typical? It was the one day of the year you believed wishes could come true. Hope and happiness were tangible. Anything was possible...even miracles. Christmas seems to loose a little more of its magic the older one gets.

When I was a kid, my parents would host an annual Christmas Eve, all night, super-sized party. Food, dancing, music and smiles filled my home. I went to bed late Christmas Eve to the sound of laughter and happiness lulling me to sleep. Sometimes, I would wake up to get some water in the early morning hours and sometimes, there were still people hanging around. My mother having serious conversations around a brewing coffee pot in the kitchen. My father putting away his records or quietly listening to Santana on an old, beat-up stereo. The house always smelled of food and cigarettes. Christmas morning, I would fight the urge to wake my parents up at six o'clock in the morning because I knew they probably got to bed only an hour or two earlier. Those mornings were always special because I knew I would be getting exactly what I wanted. Those were the days.

These days, I have to buy myself what I want and hope that I receive stuff I won't have too much trouble returning.

In the "why do I care so much" front, I heard that Bobby Flay, king of all asshat tools, proposed to his long-time girlfriend and my "damn, I want to be you when I grow up" TV girl-crush Stephanie March. Apparently, she said yes. Here's the happy couple:

I absolutely hate dwelling on the personal life and loves of celebrities, but in this case I must say ... Stephanie, girl you are so young. Sweetie, you are not even thirty. Why commit to marry a man who is old enough to be your ... father's slightly younger golf partner? I would be a-okay with this if your fianceé was in the least way appealing. If, you know, he had a sense of humor or something, but your boyfriend is, by all accounts, the dickiest human alive. So dicky, in fact, that flak magazine devoted an entire article on his Staggering Dicketry. Maybe he is an absolutely amazing, you know, "off-camera," some glowing, human side no one sees except you. And if that's the case...great, I wish you only the best. But think to yourself, Steph, can I call you Steph... do you really want to be with someone who can't wait to tell the New York Post personal details of his romantic proposal at Rockefeller Center while you are visiting your family in Texas over Christmas? I'm just saying... Bennifer revealed their engagement details and look what happened to them. Think about it.

posted by runnerbird | 10:17 PM

Sunday, December 21, 2003
SpyBreak!
I understand now. Over at TwoP Forums much was made over Lena Olin's role on Alias. I heard rumblings and phrase like "she is the best thing ever" and "wow, she is awesome" and sometimes even "she is making me question my sexuality," but I never imagined all these things were right on the money. I am actually considering buying the second season of Alias, a show I am only a casual fan of, because Lena Olin as Sydney Bristow's Russian Double Agent murdering mother is so, so good. Unfortunately, I hear Lena is not coming back because of a salary dispute. I'd like to take this opportunity to say to J.J. Abrams and ABC/Disney... PAY LENA OLIN ANY PRICE, BUT GET HER BACK ON THIS SHOW NOW! Alias is one of those shows that watch for everyone except the lead actress.

posted by runnerbird | 5:06 PM

Friday, December 19, 2003
The Life Before
I was watching an episode of Carrie Fisher's show Conversation from the Edge on Oxygen which featured Carrie's mother, Debbie Reynolds. During the course of the interview, which was more entertaining than over half the things I've seen on TV this year, Debbie revealed that she was kidnapped from her home when she was five by two neighborhood boys. Carrie Fisher, shocked by this, said with a completely dumbfounded, utterly confused look on her face, "what? who are you?"

This got me thinking... how much do we really know about our parents? Do any of us really know what they were before they had us? What they were like as kids? Their hopes? Dreams? Do we even make the effort to learn? I find it interesting that most would probably answer all these questions with a resounding 'no.' I guess this stems from the fact that for all our lives they have just been mom and dad. Their entire identity in your eyes for the better part of your life is wrapped up in their relationship to you that it is hard to see that there was, in fact, a life before you came along.

I've only recently started to get to know my mother as a person. I am interested in all the little facts I find out about her. How she met my father... what she wanted to be when she was young... who her favorite Beatle was... and what she did for fun when she was fifteen. I started a journal when I was 20 that I plan to give to my children when they want to know what my life was like before... I really want them to see the kind of person I was before I was mommy.

My friend Felicia, who is a member of SAG, got us into a free screening of Love Actually and the second time around the film was just as disarming, charming and sickly sweet that I could hardly stand it. While watching it, I also came to realize why I have such an affinity for the film. While this film is all about love, it actually never delves deeply into its subject. It paints around its edges leaving the middle undisturbed. It leaves out the messy, hard, difficult entanglements.

When people ask me if I've ever been in love, I quickly answer, "yes, of course," but, like this film, I've only run along the edge, never daring to cross straight through the middle, through the heart as it were. I'm good at certain types of love. I'm very good at unrequainted love. I'm good at longing, pining away and dying at the very thought of someone. If I'm ever faced with the real thing... the messy, complicated type, I will probably run screaming for the high hills.

posted by runnerbird | 11:45 PM

Thursday, December 18, 2003
And the Nominees are...
I'll admit that I get a certain thrill this time of year as award season starts to pick up steam. Golden Globe nominations were announced this morning and well, since I have nothing better to do, here are my picks for the major categories.

Best Motion Picture - Drama
Cold Mountain (2003)
Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003)
Mystic River (2003)
Seabiscuit (2003)
Who Should Win: The Return of the King. Peter Jackson not only made the best movie this year, but perhaps the best movie so far this century.
Who Will Win: Cold Mountain. Awards can't resist weepy, sweeping, romantic epics.

Best Motion Picture - Comedy/Musical
Bend It Like Beckham (2002)
Big Fish (2003)
Finding Nemo (2003)
Love Actually (2003)
Lost in Translation (2003)
Who Should Win: Lost in Translation. Sophia Coppola has carved a niche for herself outside the shadow of her dad making quality, just left of mainstream films. Hard to believe this is only her second film.
Who Will Win: Finding Nemo. The highest grossing film this year also happens to be the most sentimental.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama Russell Crowe for Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003)
Tom Cruise for Last Samurai, The (2003)
Ben Kingsley for House of Sand and Fog (2003)
Jude Law for Cold Mountain (2003)
Sean Penn for Mystic River (2003)
Who Should Win: Sean Penn basically carried the entire film on his shoulder... and very well.
Who Will Win: Penn has a good shot, but Tom Cruise might just have the edge in this category.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama
Cate Blanchett for Veronica Guerin (2003)
Scarlett Johansson for Girl with a Pearl Earring (2003)
Nicole Kidman for Cold Mountain (2003)
Charlize Theron for Monster (2003)
Uma Thurman for Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)
Evan Rachel Wood for Thirteen (2003)
Who Should Win: For completely disappearing into her role until not even a trace of her glamorous alter-ego was left, Charlize Theron should take it.
Who Will Win: Nicole Kidman can do no wrong in the eyes of voters. I'm now convinced she would be nominated if she were in a film reading a phone book.
Left Out in the Cold: Where's the love for Nic's best friend Naomi Watts. She delivered a charged, potent performance in 21 Grams.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Comedy/Musical
Jack Black for School of Rock, The (2003)
Johnny Depp for Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
Jack Nicholson for Something's Gotta Give (2003)
Bill Murray for Lost in Translation (2003)
Billy Bob Thornton for Bad Santa (2003)
Who Should Win: Bill Murray. Bill Murray. Bill Murray because he's got that going for him... which is good.
Who Will Win: I think Bill Murray will take it, but part of me wants Johnny Depp to take it because he was just so much fun as Jack Sparrow.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Comedy/Musical
Jamie Lee Curtis for Freaky Friday (2003)
Scarlett Johansson for Lost in Translation (2003)
Diane Keaton for Something's Gotta Give (2003)
Diane Lane for Under the Tuscan Sun (2003)
Helen Mirren for Calendar Girls (2003)
Who Should Win: Jamie Lee Curtis was perfection in Freaky Friday. Everything about her performance was fun.
Who Will Win: Diane Keaton... why? I don't really know, but I just think she will for no real reason.

Best Drama Series
"24" (2001)
"CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" (2000)
"Nip/Tuck" (2003)
"Six Feet Under" (2001)
"West Wing, The" (1999)
Who Should Win: Six Feet Under OR Nip/Tuck. Both of these edgy, smart cable dramas deserve some props.
Who Will Win: Even though it hardly deserves it, I think The West Wing will be the drama to beat.

Best Musical or Comedy Series
"Arrested Development" (2003)
"Monk" (2002)
"Office, The" (2001)
"Sex and the City" (1998)
"Will & Grace" (1998)
Who Should Win: The Office, but British comedy isn't everyone's cup of tea.
Who Will Win: If Friend was nominated, I would have said it was the one to beat, but I'll pick the other popular comedy in it's final season this year... Sex and the City.

Best Actor - Drama Series
Michael Chiklis for "Shield, The" (2002)
Anthony LaPaglia for "Without a Trace" (2002)
William L. Petersen for "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" (2000)
Martin Sheen for "West Wing, The" (1999)
Kiefer Sutherland for "24" (2001)
Who Should Win: Anthony LaPaglia for no real reason.
Who Will Win: This category is pretty weak this year with none of these actors giving truly memorable performance, but I'll go with Michael Chikis for his showy role in The Shield

Best Actress - Drama Series
Frances Conroy for "Six Feet Under" (2001)
Jennifer Garner for "Alias" (2001)
Allison Janney for "West Wing, The" (1999)
Joely Richardson for "Nip/Tuck" (2003)
Amber Tamblyn for "Joan of Arcadia" (2003)
Who Should Win: In the tears department, Joely Richardson outdid all her fellow nominees this year, but she is very good as the bored wife on Nip/Tuck.
Who Will Win: Frances Conroy

Best Actor - Comedy Series
Ricky Gervais for "Office, The" (2001)
Matt LeBlanc for "Friends" (1994) Bernie Mac for "Bernie Mac Show, The" (2001)
Eric McCormack for "Will & Grace" (1998)
Tony Shalhoub for "Monk" (2002)
Who Should Win: Tony Shalhoub
Who Will Win: Matt LeBlanc because Friends is drawing to a close.

Best Actress - Comedy Series
Bonnie Hunt for "Life with Bonnie" (2002)
Reba McEntire for "Reba" (2001)
Debra Messing for "Will & Grace" (1998)
Sarah Jessica Parker for "Sex and the City" (1998)
Bitty Schram for "Monk" (2002)
Alicia Silverstone for "Miss Match" (2003)
Who Should Win: Sarah Jessica Parker because I've loved her since Square Pegs.
Who Will Win: Sarah Jessica Parker because everyone else has loved her since Honeymoon in Vegas.

Best Supporting Actor -- Series, Miniseries, or Made-For-TV Movie
Sean Hayes for "Will & Grace" (1998)
Lee Pace for Soldier's Girl, A (2003) (TV)
Ben Shenkman for "Angels in America" (2003) (mini)
Patrick Wilson for "Angels in America" (2003) (mini)
Jeffrey Wright for "Angels in America" (2003) (mini)
Who Should Win: Ben Shenkman
Who Will Win: Jeffery Wright

Best Supporting Actress -- Series, Miniseries, or Made-For-TV Movie
Kim Cattrall for "Sex and the City" (1998)
Kristin Davis for "Sex and the City" (1998)
Megan Mullally for "Will & Grace" (1998)
Cynthia Nixon for "Sex and the City" (1998)
Mary-Louise Parker for "Angels in America" (2003) (mini)
Who Should Win: Cynthia Nixon or Kristin Davis roles in SitC are a lot less showier than their co-stars, but I think I love them more.
Who Will Win: Megan Mullally.
Left Out in the Cold: Lena Olin for Alias. She was recognized by the Emmys, but where's the love in the Hollywood Foreign Press for the Supa-Spy Mamma who came in from the cold?

posted by runnerbird | 10:24 PM

Sunday, December 14, 2003
The Crowd
I was finally able to see Lara, her husband and their beautiful daughter before they depart the States for good. It was quite nice to play catch-up and watch Jody (the baby) stick various items in her mouth. She seems to have an affinity for hair at the moment. I was also quite pleased to see other ex-bluewavers. We should have an ex-bluewaver reunion more often. If only to laugh at Don... I mean with Don...

I made the unfortunately mistake of shopping along Fifth Ave yesterday afternoon. It was crowded. It was noisy. It was awful. While I love tourist bringing much need revenue into our fair city, I would love them even more if they just got the hell out of my way. If any of you out there are thinking of visiting New York, I have a little tip for you. Nothing pisses off a New Yorker faster than when you stop in the middle of the sidewalk to admire some building, some window, to take a picture or to simply just talk to members of your group. NEVER STOP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SIDEWALK. New York runs at a certain pace. If you stop, you interrupt that pace! But please come to New York... we are friendly, really... just don't get in our way 'cause we'll hurt you.

posted by runnerbird | 8:54 PM

Saturday, December 13, 2003
This Used to Be My Playground
I was watching the news this morning and heard about a playground in a New York City public school that was finally able to afford safety covering thanks to a private donation. Definitely a good story, of course. Children should be protected from serious injury from playing on concrete, but then I got to thinking... where were these safety concerns while I was growing up?

You know what our playgrounds looked like in NYC circa 1982? Concrete and gravel surrounded a metal jungle gyms that stretch to at least seven or eight feet in the air. It was a badge of honor to successfully climb your way to the top. You were truly king or queen of the mountain. The swing set was usually rotting steel with metal benches and enclosed in steel cages.

Playing in these symbols of urban decay, you expected to get hurt. Skinned knees, bleeding, black and blues and maybe even a few broken bones were the norm. Once, I was playing in my school playground and fell right onto broken glass. Glass was still in my knees when my cousins picked up and carried me bleeding from the scene. Those were the days. It made you tough. It made you hard. It gave you scars.

I'm all for safety and caution where kids are concerned, but a part of me feels they are missing out. Scrapes and skinned knees are parts of growing up. Yes, with this attitude, I'll probably make a horrible parent.

posted by runnerbird | 7:28 PM

Sunday, December 07, 2003
Jumping the Shark
For those two of you who are not familiar with the term jump the shark refers to a scene in the show Happy Days where Fonzie jumps a tank of man-eating sharks on water skis while on a vacation with the Cunningham clan. This ridiculous moment marked a "turning point" in the series where it went from quality sitcom to utter crap. Thus, when a show "jumps the shark," stick a fork in it because it's done.

Since I'm fond of disappointment, I usually stick with shows well passed their expiration date. I continued to watch L.A. Law even after Roxie and Arnie fell through the ceiling while having sex. I watched thirtysomething after Peter Horton's character died. I watched Sisters even after they replaced Julianne Phillips with a new, long lost half-sister. I continued to watch Buffy after she shagged Spike...again and again and again. I stuck around a couple of seasons after Mulder left the X-Files. And I sat through an entire season of Xena versus her evil, grown-up daughter after she was frozen in ice for twenty years. What can I say, I like punishment... cruel, unusual punishment.

As much as it pains my little fangirl heart to admit, I fear SVU has turned that corner from being a fairly entertaining show with compelling storylines to being a show I watch out of bored habit, all the while thinking "okay, why am I watching this again?" The quality has slipped considerably which is unusual for two reasons. First, the same creative/production team is in place. Usually when a show slips this far, this fast, there are major "shake-ups" behind the scenes. Second, last season was so good... well, the first three-quarters at any rate. I feel the trouble stems from the movement away from "darker" material. For a show based on the sex crimes unit of the NYPD, this season there have been only four episodes that had an actual sex crime involved in the storyline.

The biggest blow this season has been the loss of SVU's ADA of four seasons, Alex Cabot. In a case of "don't know what you got 'til it's gone," I didn't realize how much Stephanie March brought to her role and to the series as a whole in her three year stint as our cool as ice lawyer. She took what could have been a one-note role and injected it with substance and charm. While, I'm still giving new ADA Casey Novak a chance to settle into her nitch, but it is clear charm and charisma are not part of her genetic make-up. So, can SVU be saved from the land of suckage? Could it possibly jump back into my good graces? Of course... there's always a way.

Let's Save SVU, Shall We
- Stop making "issue" oriented episodes which come off more as preachy Public Service Annoucements or tacky, ill-scripted afterschool specials. I think most Americans know drinking while pregnant is a bad idea and shaking your baby hard for several minutes is not kosher. Hell, my six year old cousin knows this is bad.

- Get back to basics. We need a good, old-fashioned Law and Order style freaky, crazy rape/homicide storyline with a twist ... damn it! Okay, that sounded a lot less pervy in my head.

- SVU is at its best when it uses all the unit detectives... interacting and solving the crime together. This season, there has been too much focus on character centric episodes. I like Benson/Stabler banter... Fin/Munch banter... hell, I'll even take Cragen/Wong banter at this point.

- Stop trying to make the audience like Casey. I know more about Casey in her short time on the show than I did in Alex's entire run. Alex was allowed to develop, evolve, grow... and that is what made her so likable. Casey seems more like a writer's experiment ... "see, we can write a character that is nothing like Alex, like her! Come on, like her!" One of the biggest mistakes creative types on a show make is trying to make a character instantly likable because more often than not, the character comes off as annoying and contrived.

Yes, I am deeply ashamed that I've thought about this enough to formulate a list. I guess this is why I never date.

posted by runnerbird | 8:28 PM

Saturday, December 06, 2003
Oh, the Weather Outside is Frightful
New York City is in the middle of a blizzard. Wait, is it even officially winter yet? The snow started falling yesterday and it still hasn't stopped. While, I hate the slush, ice and all the conditions that follow, there is something magically about snow in the city. I am now officially in a holiday mood.

Since the weather is keeping me indoors, I made this a "Mundane Movie Weekend" with three titles that make me appreciate my ability to just check my brain at the door the moment I press play.

X2: X-Men United -- This was definitely the most cerebal of the bunch. I appreciate what Bryan Singer has done with the X-Men films by taking the intelligent, thematic approach to the comic book film. At their best, sci-fi films give us the opportunity to explore very real stories in very extraordinary, fantastic settings. At their core, these films are about prejudice, opposition and misunderstanding. The human instinct to destroy what it fears or does not understand. To kill what is different. On this front, X2 is fantastic. As a film... not so much. The only character who is truly fleshed out is Logan/Wolverine. I understand him. I like him. I root for him. Everyone else is just around, delivering their lines like they are reading a phone book. I expect more from a cast with not one, but two Oscar winners, but I guess they could only work with what is written. So, when one of the X-Men sacrifices themselves so that the rest may live (I suspect, however, this character will live again, alá Spock in Star Trek III), I was like "yeah, so why should I care? I never really knew that character anyway." Bottom line... too many characters, too little time to really spend on any of them, but I liked the little glimpse we got of all of them. On a truly shallow front, I thought the Logan/Jean Grey kiss was fairly smokin' and the special effects were amazing.

Two Weeks Notice -- Proving again that I am endless amused and mesmerized by anything Hugh Grant is in, I rather enjoyed this film. Not the greatest romantic comedy ever, but Sandra Bullock and Hugh had some nice chemistry. On a truly shallow front, I thought their kiss was fairly smokin' ...

Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle -- I enjoyed this movie more in the theater. Maybe because it was bigger, louder, and flashier. On the small screen, the jokes were even more jarring. The slow-mo shots even more unecessarily. The pop culture references even more intrusive. And Demi Moore's acting campier, but without the irony.

posted by runnerbird | 10:36 PM

Monday, December 01, 2003
Apathy = Death
It frightens me how apathetic we have grown to the AIDS crisis, not just to its effects on own narrow, little corner of the globe, but on the larger world scale. Today, World's AIDS Day, I am here to shout on and preach on my little soapbox on the net, AIDS isn't over, ladies and gentleman! Far from it.

In Africa, AIDS is literally wiping out a generation, leaving its wake another entire generation growing up without parents. On this side of the world, the number of infections is on a steady and alarming incline in those 18-25, a sure sign of how many believe a) AIDS is over and its safe again to engage in unprotected sex b) AIDS is something that happens to someone else, someplace far away.

Sometimes, I forget that there is an entire generation who grew up after those really frightening early days of AIDS when we had no idea what it was or how exactly it was being transmitted. Could you get it from kissing? Hugging? Sharing food? Sharing drinks? Touching? A toilet seat? A mosquito bite? I grew up in the thick of these sobering questions, waiting from definite word from the Centers for Disease Control. I watched some of my idols slowly wither away, watching as this disease ate them alive. Rock Hudson. Freddie Mercury. Ryan White. I remember watching the news conference where Magic Johnson announced he was positive. Maybe because I grew up in these days, the safe sex message came through loud and clear. The message... if you ever find yourself about to have unprotected sex, stop and think. Is this one moment of pleasure really worth your future, your health, your life?

And lest you think it could never happen to you... a few years ago, someone I cared for deeply felt increasingly weak all the time. He had colds he just couldn't shake. He just felt a little off, but he never found time to get himself checked out. He was a hard-working family man with two young kids and had little time to "take care of himself."

One late summer day, he collapsed from what appeared to be a seizure. He recovered, but soon found himself in the hospital again a few weeks later with respiratory problems and infections in his tongue. His condition detorated rapidly after that. He slipped into a coma. It was at this time that I found out the truth of his condition. He had full-blown AIDS. He probably contracted the disease in his late teens or early twenties, but never bothered to get tested because of the stagima still attached to the disease in the Latino community (it's still a "gay" disease in other communities as well).

I watched as this vibrant, funny, great, caring guy was slowly and painfully taken from away as this disease ravaged his body. He died less than a month after slipping into the coma. So, the moral of my story is .. if you have sex, use a condom. If you are sexual active, get tested. AIDS happens to people you know, people you love and it can happen to you.

That's it. I'm done.

posted by runnerbird | 11:46 PM