A Holiday to Remember

If this ad didn't gut punch you by surprise during the Thanksgiving weekend football games, chances are decent that someone you know has posted it to their social media feed. It is, as intended, heartwarming and emotional... and in many ways, an accurate depiction of the effect of Alzheimer's on someone. (Chevy worked with the Alzheimer's Association on the ad.)

I find myself with really mixed feelings about it... well, not as mixed as I would like. I saw parts of it once over the Thanksgiving weekend and had to fight back a reaction. Then, watching the full five-minute version today, I sat in front of my computer as tears rolled down my face.

When I'm talking about mixed feelings, I'm not talking about the effectiveness of the ad - it's an impressive piece of filmmaking and a brilliant use of John Denver's "Sunshine on My Shoulders" as the soundtrack. The ad has a happy ending - Grammy's memory is sparked by the field trip with her granddaughter and she's able to connect in a meaningful way with family. 

But the ad stops before what happens to many families in this situation - when the person suffering from dementia lapses back into a thousand yard stare or confusion or becomes stuck on a mixture of memories and fiction like a record skipping across a deep scratch.

I say that because we chose to move my almost 85 year old mother into a memory care facility the week before Thanksgiving. And while there are moments when Mom peeks through the haze, those are getting fewer and farther between. 

I don't really have a point - and I'm not interested in debating the choices we as a family have made. I just felt the need to share my reaction to the video... and that I love and miss my mom.

Hartsfield's Landing: Revisited

If you're dumb, surround yourself with smart people. If you're smart, surround yourself with smart people who disagree with you.  

Isaac Jaffee, SPORTS NIGHT

I think it's this idea that provoked me to tears a couple of different times while watching the staged reading of the classic THE WEST WING episode, "Hartsfield's Landing". I miss having someone who values wisdom and intelligence leading our country. 

I know THE WEST WING is a TV show... and at many levels, a fantasy of a center left administration that didn't have the skirt-chasing/#MeToo issues of the Clinton presidency. I harbor no illusions that a Nobel Prize-winning economics professor will be up for election any time soon... or that everyone who works for the President will spout quips and monologues as if Aaron Sorkin is whispering in their ear.

But I want a President who's "top priority items for a second term" is more than this:

Well, one of the things that will be really great… You know, the word experience is still good. I always say talent is more important than experience. I’ve always said that, but the word experience is a very important word. It’s a very important meeting. I never did this before. I never slept over in Washington. I was in Washington, I think, 17 times. All of a sudden, I’m president of the United States. You know the story. I’m riding down Pennsylvania Avenue with our First Lady and I say, “This is great.”

But I didn’t know very many people in Washington, it wasn’t my thing. I was from Manhattan from New York. Now I know everybody, and I have great people in the administration. You make some mistakes. An idiot like Bolton, all he wanted to do is drop bombs on everybody. You don’t have to drop bums on everybody. You don’t have to kill people.

taken from town hall with Sean Hannity on June 25, 2020

Or more recently: 

By the way, nice trucks. You think I could hop into one of them and drive it away. I’d love to just drive the hell out of here. Just get the hell out of this. I had such a good life. My life was great. And then I said, “Let’s do this, darling, this will be a lot of fun.” 

quote from rally in Allentown, PA on October 26, 2020

If you'd like to see an excellent reading by almost all of the original cast (with the exception of John Spencer who passed away during the final season of the show),  HBOMax has made it available for free until the end of 2020. (For those of you who were fans of the show - like me - it's a wonderful trip down memory lane and a reminder that I'm getting older.)

I'm guessing that some of you reading this blog post are sure by now that I am stealth campaigning for the Democratic candidate... I am not. You need to make your own decisions about who to vote for and why. If you'd like to hear more about my reasoning (which pre-dates COVID, George Floyd, tear-gassing protesters to hold a Bible upside, and all the other insanity of the majority of 2020), please read Choosing Not To Die - which I wrote in February of this year.

Walk & Chew Gum

Some things that you are able to do at the same time:

- like highly rated games on BoardGameGeek and still enjoy playing Monopoly

- love watching renovation shows on television and not actually enjoy renovating things yourself

- home school your kids and support public schools

- be a follower of Christ and not be a Republican

- be a follower of Christ and not be a Democrat

- believe in personal freedom and still wear a mask in public to protect others

- believe in the inspired nature of the Bible and still listen to scientists

- believe that systemic racism in America must be dealt with while denouncing violent rioting 

- be an advocate for policing reform while supporting police officers

- passionately protest racial injustice and show profound respect for people regardless of color

- be a white evangelical without supporting our current President

- discuss issues with people who disagree with you while not demanding that they change their minds as the price of your friendship

Hail & Well Met, Fellow Survivor Fans!

I used to describe myself as a "Johnny-come-lately" to Survivor... but the painful reality is that I've watched every season live since Season 10 (Palau)... so I guess I'm an old hand now.

Old enough, anyway, to follow Andy and his reality blurred site - and when he asked for input on the current season, I dutifully shot off an email to him that he quoted in yesterday's article: Why is the Survivor David vs Goliath cast so likable & fun?

1. They are interesting people – not just types. Examples: The wrestler (John) is self-aware & not just playing a character, evidenced by his delightful conversation with Christopher about Slamtown and hiring practices. The ex-cheerleader (Kara) has a meaningful faith that created a bond with another player and scared Natalie enough to behave badly & tank her game. She’s not just a cheerleader. Christopher is a nerd/geek… but w/real people skills and an amazing level of empathy.
2. There doesn’t seem to be a lot of “playing for the camera”—whether that’s a function of the weather conditions or something else, I’m not sure. But the focus has been on the game and relationships, and I’m enjoying it!

For the record, nothing that happened last night changed my mind about any of this... in fact, it seems like we have less self-serving interviews and more glimpses into camp life and relationships - so I missed #3... a better job of editing the show.

And, because it wouldn't be a Survivor old-timer post without it:

• I'm Team Boston Rob NOT Team Evil Russell
• My favorite winner is actually Yul Kwon (who had a really cool PBS series on the technology grid some years back)
• I've gone back and watched all of the seasons I've missed except Amazon, Marquesas & Thailand

I'm Not Dead Yet

OK, so the blog's been in hibernation for a while... suffice it to say that my life has been complicated, my job (though financially a blessing) is a time sink, and I've been using precious blogging time to actually play board games.

I'm going to try and get going again - though I will warn you ahead of time that there could be dry spells through the early fall. 

If you have a question for me to answer - it can be personal, spiritual, weird or just hobby-related - leave it in the comments section. I'll see if that doesn't inspire some more interesting (and offbeat) posts.

 Recent & Recommended

• APP - Descent: Road to Legend (app for the iPad that works with your Descent: Journeys in the Dark 2.0 games & expansions to create a GREAT cooperative experience)
• BOARD GAME - 7 Wonders: Duel (fantastic re-imagining of a multi-player classic as a 2 player game... can't wait for the expansion!)
• BOOK - The Aeronaut's Windlass (first book in Jim Butcher's newest series... steampunk-y and creative)
• CARD GAME - Bear Valley (weird little racing game that is easy to teach and fun to play... a run through bear-infested wilderness)
• MOVIE - Captain America: Civil War (all the ways it could have gone wrong... and it didn't)
• MUSIC - Andrew Peterson: The Burning Edge of Dawn ("The Rain Keeps Falling" is the song of my heart some days)
• PODCAST - Revisionist History (Malcolm Gladwell + odd bits of history + musing on human behavior)
• TV - Limitless (it's on Netflix... and it's cheerfully wacky)

My Top Five Podcasts (Which Could Change)

Let's start with a few simple statements of fact/personal opinion:

1. Podcasts are wonderful because I can listen to them in the car on my commute.
2. I have no interest in watching a podcast. Internet video as a review/podcast medium is pretty much lost on me.
3. I've actually gotten bored with most board gaming podcasts. 

That said, here's the top five podcasts on my iPhone (in order of how excited I am to listen to them):

• Pop Culture Happy Hour - I have not been shy over the years about expressing my love for the writing, humor & commentary of Linda Holmes, who is now runs the NPR pop culture blog, Monkey See. I first discovered her stuff on the (sadly) now-defunct Television Without Pity website where she recapped both Survivor and The Amazing Race. I'm not sure why it took me so long to add this roundtable discussion of music, film, books & television to my list, but I'm hooked by the witty conversation, the exuberant geekiness, and the "kicky theme music".
• The Unofficial Guide's Disney Dish with Jim Hill - The titular Jim Hill is great - and his co-host (Unofficial Guide's Len Testa) makes a perfect foil as they delve into Disney theme park plans, history and general craziness. For my money, the best of the Disney podcasts out there.
• Serial - I've written about Serial before... and goodness knows, the Internet has weighed in over & over about this podcast. During the first season, I downloaded the podcasts the MINUTE they were available and listened as soon as I could... it's a fascinating & evocative way to report on a huge story. Season 2 is coming...
• BoardgamesToGo - Mark Johnson was one of the earliest podcasters... and certainly one of the earliest board gaming podcasters. His wry yet warm & endearing approach to talking about our shared hobby is a delight to listen to. (Note: I've been a guest a number of times on the podcast and consider Mark a good friend*, so I may be a little prejudiced here.) Mark is currently taking a sabbatical from podcasting - but you've got a great back catalog to listen to while he's having a well-deserved "vacation". 
• Stuff You Missed In History Class - It's quirky, it's short (30 minutes), and the two hosts feel your geeky history nerd friends who can't wait to share their most recent research with you. 

For the record, I also listen to (though much more sporadically):

• Boardgame Babylon (why no new episodes, Eriku?! why!?)
• Garrett's Games & Geekiness (another podcast I've been a guest on)
• Ludology
• On the Media
• Theology of Games
• This American Life

I'm curious if my loyal readers have any suggestions for podcasts for me to add. What say you?

* Mark Johnson & I are often confused for one another - similar names, similar facial hair, same hobby. Here's how you can tell us apart:

• if you see us together, he's the tall one
• if you see one of us playing a fantasy-themed game, it's me
• if you see one of us working on actual science-y stuff, it's Mark Johnson

The Lidless Eye

When you stare into the abyss the abyss stares back at you. (Friedrich Nietzsche)

Sometimes, my best blog post/sermon ideas come to me while I'm in the shower. I'm not sure that what follows is one of those - but it did occur to me while I was trying to get shampoo out of my rapidly thinning hair, so I guess that's gotta count for something. Right?

The title of the post comes from The Lord of the Rings (which we can also blame for Dungeons & Dragons, large chunks of prog rock, and Peter Jackson's remake of "King Kong")... it's one of the names of the "big bad", Sauron. More importantly for my purposes, it's a phrase that seems to aptly describe the new realities of television in a world full of smartphones and massive amounts of bandwidth.

Between the 24 hour news cycle and the ability to stream content at will, we live in a world where the lidless eye is (as the name would suggest) always open. Scarier still is the fact that the lidless eye truly peers at us without blinking... with our television sets hooked up to DVR boxes and our iPhones harvesting a couple of Santa's worth of cookies, we are feeding information about ourselves, our habits and our tastes into the voracious maw of a variety of companies & entities.

Now, I'm not here to advocate dropping off the grid or even exiling your TV to the junkyard. We are not going to be able to put the genie back in the bottle... and, while I'm pretty much over pop-ads and 95% of the videos on YouTube, I don't ever want to go back to watching TV without a DVR. What do I want to suggest that this lidless eye reality has a profound effect on how we "do church" and/or "walk with Jesus".

We have, I think, a trio of options when attempting to speak "capital T" Truth into the lives of those around us:

1. We can attempt to out-shout & out-sensationalize the culture. We can be flashier, bigger & louder.
2. We can run away & hide. We can demonize the culture & the technology that carries it into our lives.
3. We can be the voice of reason & faith. We can engage the culture with wit, wisdom & the heart of Jesus.

If you've read this blog before, you've already figured out that I'm a big fan of #3. 

Quickie Applications (for church leaders):

1.  Bigger/louder isn't necessarily bad - there are times when we need to attract attention to the truth. When our volume is always goes to "11", however, it's easier for people - both Christian & non-Christian - to tune us out.
2. There are times for contemplative retreat & silence - but walling ourselves off from the culture means that we will cease to be "salt & light" (Matthew 5:13-16) to a world around us who needs to hear & experience the love & grace of Jesus Christ.
3. Engaging the culture is not an event - it's a lifestyle that has to be modeled and taught.

Quickie Applications (for Christians in general):

1. You don't have to shout, literally or metaphorically. You don't have to win every argument. Not every theologically questionable statement needs you to bump/set/spike it back in their virtual faces with a Bible verse and and an alliterative cliche. 
2. You need to listen to people who you don't agree with - whether it's politics, theology, philosophy, culturally.. or if you just think they're wrong about their taste in music. The only way we get a chance to speak truth in a way that will be heard is to listen first. You don't have agree with their pseudo-Gnostic beliefs, their love for Coldplay and/or support the politician they campaigned for... but you do have to treat them with respect.
3. Engaging the culture is not an event - it's a lifestyle that has to be chosen & prayerfully lived out.

I've written about this subject before... you may be interested in reading:

• Richard Niebhur, John Travolta & Martin Luther King
• Diving Beneath the Surface
• Open Mic: The New World Slang

Two Spikes

Spike #1:

My pastor, Ed Stetzer, (who also happens to be the head of Lifeway Research and a guy with a large social media footprint) was kind enough to feature one of my classic blog posts in his daily "Morning Roundup" post on The Exchange blog. Readership of aka pastor guy shot up - which is both weird & cool.

The post he referenced - Marryin' & Buryin': How Much Should I Pay the Pastor? - was already the most popular post in the 9+ year history of this blog. Now, it's even more popular, like the good-looking kid whose parents bought him a convertible for his 16th birthday. I expect the post to go tooling around the neighborhood with the top down, blaring 38 Special & Triumph to the neighbors. (Well, that's what I would have done if my parents had bought me a car for my 16th birthday.)

Spike #2:

My good friend & Top 100 Games compadre, Stephen Glenn, is a game designer of some note... and I want to play his newest publication as soon as possible.

It's named Spike, thus giving it a place in this blog post.

Stephen has done some great games:

• Balloon Cup (most recently released as Piñata)
• 1st & Goal!
• Rattlebones (which I've never actually seen, but I love the idea, so I'm calling this good before I even get a chance to play it)

You should try them all. :-)

The Kitchen Sink: Comics, Cards & Kings

It's been a while since "The Kitchen Sink" appeared here on the blog... the place where I share various bits of stuff that really aren't big enough to deserve their own posts. You may now proceed to ignore and/or enjoy this as needed.

coulson lives
Just finished watching the first season of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. on DVD - and I loved it. It took a while to ramp up - but once it did, it combined sly humor, comic book references, great action sequences & Whedon-esque twists & turns. I particularly like how events in the Marvel films (Thor: The Dark World & Captain America: The Winter Soldier) play an important role in the storyline of the series.

I've DVR'd the first few episodes of the second season and look forward to watching them this weekend. I'm also looking forward to seeing the Agent Carter series on the way this spring.

dominion
In the very first Kitchen Sink post in September of 2013, I told you guys that I had reached 1000 plays of the long-defunct Dominion iPhone app. I noted:

(There's an official one now through Goko, but I haven't bothered with it.) I don't even own a copy of Dominion (it's low on my list of "deck-building games I like" - sorry, Dale)... but this app manages to run a 2 player game in about 5 minutes, making it perfect for standing in line/waiting around time-killing.

Well, it's October of 2014 - a little over a year later - and I've made it to 2000 plays. The AI is pitiful - I've managed 1,451 wins (72.55%). 

If you're looking for better (read: games I like) deck-builders, I'd strongly suggest checking out Eminent Domain (with the Escalation expansion) or Core Worlds (with the Galactic Orders expansion).

quote of the week
"When a king forgets who he is, he looks for himself in the rubble of conquered cities. He is haunted by a bottomless pit in his soul, and he will pour the blood of nations into it until the pit swallows the man himself." (Andrew Peterson, North! or Be Eaten)

The Quest

For the first few years, I made fun of people who watched Survivor... or any "reality" TV, for that matter. Then I watched a few episodes (of the now classic "Palau" season) and I was hooked. (Read my apology to those I made fun of at A Real Good Thing.)

Over the years, I've been drawn into other race/competition shows:

• The Amazing Race
• Treasure Hunters (kind of National Treasure meets Amazing Race 3-member team show)
• Expedition Impossible (3 member teams racing across the wilds of Morocco)
• The Mole (the non-celebrity seasons, thank you)
• Capture (hi-tech tag in a forest)

My most recent (and possibly favorite) entry into this genre is ABC's The Quest - which you should be watching. And, if you hustle over to ABC's website, you can watch Episode 1 & 2 tonight and Episode 3 & 4 tomorrow... just in time to watch the fifth & sixth episodes on Thursday.

I don't quite know how to describe it:

• it's a reality competition with no prize other than the honor of winning & defending the kingdom
• it's not really a reality competition - because it's set in a fantasy world (and shot primarily in an Austrian castle)
• the contestants (paladins) are immersed in that fantasy world - and whoever did the casting knocked it out of the park, as the paladins seem to have bought into enjoying the fantasy world & storyline
• it's family-friendly... which can be a rare commodity in reality television

In short, just go watch it. And tell your friends about it. (We get the TV shows we deserve - if we watch garbage like Mud Lovin' Rednecks, they'll program more of that schlock. If we support wonderful stuff like The Quest, networks will pay attention.)

Heroes know that things must happen when it is time for them to happen. A quest may not simply be abandoned; unicorns may go unrescued for a long time, but not forever; a happy ending cannot come in the middle of the story.      Peter S. Beagle, The Last Unicorn

The Epitome of Fragility

First, there was Fragile is Not the Same as Broken.

Then there was My Fragile Apology.

And now...

Yes, my friends, it's time to pay honor to a very good game that is so stinkin' "fragile" (susceptible to wonky-ness due to newbie and/or suboptimal play) that I refuse to play it again:Modern Art

I know, I know... it's one of the "great" pure auction games. And the economic system is really nifty. But all it takes is one player who doesn't grok the system (or doesn't care) - and it feels like this:

 

In case you're unclear, the rogue player (and the game!) are Joel... you are playing the role of the hapless Chet.

Never again.

Survivor: My Momma Taught Me Right

Dear Survivor Producers:

My momma taught me to do a number of things right:

• don't mix reds & whites in the laundry
• eat your vegetables
• send thank you notes

Well, this is a very short "thank you" note after the first episode of the new season. I was skeptical about the whole beauty/brains/brawn tribe division... and yet the first ninety minutes (and two Tribal Councils) were both classic Survivor AND surprising.

Thank you as well for:

• all-new players (please stop sending old players back into the game)
• casting interesting people
• gorgeous challenge designs
• twists that actually forced players to make interesting decisions

Sincerely,
mark

P.S. My pick to win (as of right now) is Sarah.

The Tonight Show ("Weight" for It...)

Some of us out here in blogland are old enough to remember Johnny Carson. He's the guy who was Late Night Television - even though he wasn't the original host of the The Tonight Show.

And while I used to love Jay Leno's early stand-up routines, I never really enjoyed his run(s) as the host of  The Tonight Show... reading Bill Carter's The Late Shift and The War for Late Night didn't do anything to improve my opinion, either.

Once upon a time, I thought David Letterman might be a good choice - yes, I'm ancient enough to remember the daytime version of his talk show - but his schtick has gotten old and increasingly mean-spirited.

Frankly, I never "got" Conan - with the notable exception of the last few weeks before he was dumped from The Tonight Show. Yes, that means I'm chronically unhip. (I also don't get Seinfeld.)

But if anyone is going to take over at this point, I think Jimmy Fallon's warmth & willingness to be a complete goofball is a great idea. His backstage music videos with The Roots and guest artists are great fun - as is his pure enjoyment at playing silly games with his guests. Note: I thought he was just so-so as a part of SNL... so color me surprised to see him flourish as a late night host.

And as if to confirm my positive thoughts, this is how he went out on his last show. With the Muppets.

Your Love for Seinfeld Confuses Me

I've always thought Linda Holmes was a wonderful blogger, a tremendous recapper (back in the day) of Survivor & The Amazing Race, and a wise, funny person who "got" pop culture.

But she exceeded my already lofty expectations with this post. She is so very, very right.

I don't like Seinfeld, I don't miss it, and every time I'm asked to participate in some sort of acknowledgment of its greatness, or its place in the pantheon, I feel myself cringe and lie and say I understand, but I am here to tell you, and then never to be so cowardly again: I don't understand.

You should, of course, read the whole thing.

Not-So-Super-Bowl... and Mostly Not-So-Super Ads

If it hadn't been for Twitter, the game would have been a total washout. (The final score of 43-8 makes it sound much closer than it really was... and that's an understatement.) Folks chimed in with some really clever bits that made me smile:

• Rob Fee: "Use the promo code PEYTON when ordering a Papa Johns pizza & when it’s delivered to your house, a Seattle DB will take it from you & eat it."
• Scott Firestone IV: "For all the points he's given Seattle, Peyton might still win the MVP..."
• Matthew Baldwin: "I hope the parents of the Broncos players take them all out for pizza."
• Mike Selinker: "Now it's a three-way race between Seattle's offense (13), defense (9), and special teams (7). It's anybody's ball game."

As it was, the ads were pretty lackluster as well. There were exceptions:

• the Tim Tebow "no contract" ads...
• the Coca-Cola "It's Beautiful" ad (we'll talk more about that in a minute)
• the Muppets ad (for Toyota, I guess)

But overall, it was pretty much the same mess of lame jokes about sex, expensive celebrity cameos and too darn much CGI.

I was especially turned off by:

• the Butterfinger pseudo-Reese's Cup ad, with sex therapy & threesomes as a joke to sell product.
• the David Beckham commercial - though, granted, I'm not exactly the target for a commercial whose key element is suggesting that Posh Spice's hubby is nekkid.
• Subway's Frito Chicken Enchilada - because nothing says "I'm ready for the Olympics" like needing a vat of Rolaids.
• Axe's "Make Love Not War"... which looked like a SNL ad parody.
• Bob Dylan selling out for Chrystler

My biggest surprise? Go Daddy ads that I could let my kids watch.

And I have no idea about the halftime show... I missed most of it.

Just a trio of notes to my Christ-following friends who are tempted to join in on the whole "America is fer peoples who speak American" bandwagon in response to the lovely Coca-Cola ad:

• An international company just paid big money to put these lyrics back into public discourse:
• America! America!
  God shed his grace on thee
  And crown thy good with brotherhood
  From sea to shining sea!
• A long time ago, some decidedly non-American guys (who spoke mostly Arabic & Hebrew & Greek) wrote these words:
• Gone is the distinction between Jew and Greek, slave and free man, male and female—you are all one in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:28, PHILLIPS)
• All the families of the Earth will be blessed through you. (Genesis 12:3, MSG)
• After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. (Revelation 7:9, NLT)
• C.S. Lewis said it beautifully:
• It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest most uninteresting person you talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship, or else a horror and a corruption such as you now meet, if at all, only in a nightmare. All day long we are, in some degree helping each other to one or the other of these destinations. It is in the light of these overwhelming possibilities, it is with the awe and the circumspection proper to them, that we should conduct all of our dealings with one another, all friendships, all loves, all play, all politics. There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations - these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit - immortal horrors or everlasting splendors. (from The Weight of Glory)

The Crackpipe Remote (Fall 2013 Edition)

Our "Year of Nigh-Infinite Transition" has put a damper on some of my TV watching (no Tivo, no VCR) and much of my TV writing. But I still have shows I enjoy... and stuff to rant about, so let's get to it.

For those of you who will inevitably ask how I watch this much TV, I don't sleep as much as the average person...

Breaking Bad

• Didn't watch it. Not interested. Tired of people telling me I should be. 

Shows I'm Still Watching But Don't Know Why

• HAWAII FIVE-O - Nothing has changed here - it's still one of the silliest shows on television... and I watch because my wife likes this show. (I enjoyed the first season but a lot of the writing since has been forced & over-the-top. Good guest stars, though... and the relationship of McGarrett & Dano is a lot of fun.)

Shows I Like But Want Some Improvement

• BLUE BLOODS - I always want the writing to live up to the first season of this show - and when the focus is on  the portrayal of a realistic family who had a real & meaningful faith connection with the Catholic Church, it's great. Some of the storylines last season smacked of "weird crime of the week".
• ONCE UPON A TIME - I'm half a season behind on this... I love some of the twists & turns and all the playing with the fairy tale mythology - but it just falls flat about half the time.

Shows I Look Forward To Each Week

• ARROW - It took a few episodes to get going, but they've learned what to do with their cast and they've found ways to tweak those of us who've read way too many Green Arrow comic books. I especially like the new directions they've started in with the beginning of the second season.
• PERSON OF INTEREST - I have loved this show... and am incredibly frustrated at CBS for making it impossible for me to catch up. (Full rant below.)
• ELEMENTARY - Ditto for this witty & very interesting take on Sherlock Holmes... the CBS eye is a black eye over this one as well. (Full rant below.)

Reality TV

• SURVIVOR - Though I had my doubts, the Blood vs. Water family twist has actually worked out well. There have been some genuinely surprising moments and real emotion... and examples of great & lousy gameplay.
• AMAZING RACE - On the other hand, the Amazing Race is still conflicted in how it casts - there are some really interesting teams mixed in with "I'll do anything for camera time" teams. (Prime example: the self-named "Afghanimals".)
• CAPTURE - A summer reality show from the CW that was basically The Hunger Games reimagined as Tag... but I found surprisingly fun to watch.
• TOP SHOT ALL-STARS - As much as I've enjoyed the previous four seasons, this "no drama/all skill" version of the game this last summer was a blast.

My Rant

• CBS has the worst iOS viewer around... episodes of Survivor aren't available for a week, older episodes are often not there...
• ...and their website isn't much better. I particularly hate the "here's all this extra content" junk that sucks up bandwidth while watching Survivor. Grrr.
• Hard to call yourself "the #1 network" when the CW has the online thing wired better than you do.

In Honor of the Government Shutdown...

...a visual representation of the high level of our current political discourse & informed debate.

Generation Gap

I walk this hall at least once a week for work - it's the tunnel from the Charlotte St. side of Legislative Plaza under the Capitol building. 

Each time I traverse the the hallway, I can mentally hear the "Get Smart" theme playing in my head, complete with slamming doors.

My boys (age 12 & 8) saw this picture and immediately said "It looks like The Avengers."

Crackpipe Remote: Spring 2012 Edition

I haven't written about TV in a while... doesn't mean I've stopped watching, though. But I've been working to get non-gaming-related content back to the blog - and this was first in line.

For those of you who will inevitably ask how I watch this much TV, I don't sleep as much as the average person...

Shows I Gave Up On This Year

• RINGER - Literally bailed on this one during the pilot when one of the most inept green screen FX in living memory totally took me out of the already questionable story.
• REVENGE - I could see where it could be enjoyable if I was in the right mood... but it was just too over-the-top for me.
• TERRA NOVA - Great premise. Bad show.

Shows I'm Still Watching But Don't Know Why

• HAWAII FIVE-O - Actually, I do know why... my wife likes this show. (I enjoyed the first season but a lot of the writing this season has been forced & over-the-top. Good guest stars, though.)
• UNFORGETTABLE - I seriously don't understand why I'm still watching this. But I am.

Shows I Like But Want Some Improvement

• BLUE BLOODS - The first season was really, really good... esp. the portrayal of a realistic family who had a real & meaningful faith connection with the Catholic Church. That's been shortchanged by the writing this season - but when you've got Tom Selleck & Len Cariou around to do the heavy-lifting, you can get away with that.
• ONCE UPON A TIME - The first of two LOST-inspired shows to premiere this year, it's a real mixed bag. The fairy-tale stuff has been very, very good... and the twists on the old tales are well-done. Sadly, the Mayor/Evil Queen is given very little to work with except mustache-twirling evil & scenery-chewing. (I'm 4-5 episodes behind on this one - but Tivo keeps them for me.)
• MISSING - Have just seen the pilot... am worried it will be "Nowhere Ashley Judd".
• AWAKE - Have just seen the pilot... curious as to where it will end up going - if anywhere. (It's not an easy show to watch casually.)

Shows I Look Forward To Each Week

• ALCATRAZ - The second of the LOST-inspired shows... and the better of the two. After a bit of early fumbling about, they've found a good tone, a sardonic X-FILES-ish sense of humor, and some genuine horror/tragedy in the premise. As well, they seem to be unspooling pieces of the mystery w/out giving the whole thing away. (I'm 3 episodes behind on this one - with the season finale showing tonight.)
• PERSON OF INTEREST - Combining the acting chops of Jim Cavaziel & Michael Emerson with some extremely tight writing (last week's "baby" episode managed to have humor w/out overwhelming the edgy nature of the show) makes for a winning combination.
• THE FINDER - Don't expect this to last... but I like the quirky, shaggy good humor of the show.
• THE FIRM - Thankfully, 22 episodes were purchased to start with (it's actually a Canadian show)... because the ratings on this one have exiled it to Saturday nights. Shari & I like it a lot, though - they've borrowed the "flash forward" technique from LOST and used it in a different (and interesting) way.

Reality TV

• SURVIVOR - the Coach/Ozzie season had some lovely moments... but I was so happy to see a season w/out a returning player this spring. OTOH, "One World" has given us (and thankfully taken away) one of the most obnoxious emotional bullies I've seen in a long time (Colton). I'm looking forward to seeing what happens now that his bad juju is gone from the show.
• AMAZING RACE - The boys have started watching with us... which means we get to explain why you shouldn't use "that kind of language" and also given us some excellent negative examples of how to treat your wife or girlfriend. At the same time, the race usually delivers some lovely moments (the Border Patrol guys giving Bopper some of their winnings, for example... or this week's Temple of Fire "hoedown") that are worth the junk.

And Finally, A Fond Farewell

• CHUCK - went out on a high note... there were some lovely moments and a willingness to mess with their own mythology in order to give the show a fitting & wonderful close.

Sondheim! A Birthday Celebration

Watch the full episode. See more Great Performances.

I watched the Sondheim! Birthday Concert earlier this summer on Netflix streaming - and while this isn't really supposed to be a review, it was too long for a Facebook status post, so I shifted it over here & expanded it. The concert was filled with amazing performances of some of Stephen Sondheim's best music by top Broadway stars.

I know that a number of the folks who follow my blog probably don't know Stephen Sondheim from a hole in a wall - so, here's some bullet points just for you:

• Unless you're a musical theater devotee, you probably haven't heard much of his music - except for a bunch of insipid re-recordings of "Send in the Clowns"... a song that doesn't make much sense yanked from the context of the musical it was written for, A Little Night Music. (He also wrote much of the lyrics for West Side Story - but didn't write the music.)
• Oddly enough, A Little Night Music is the only Sondheim musical I've ever seen in a theater.
• He is probably the most influential living Broadway composer... even though most of his shows had short runs in their original productions (Merrily We Roll Along - a personal favorite - was only on Broadway two weeks).
• On the other hand, his shows are revived over & over - and often in productions of amazing quality.

Now, the following details won't mean much unless you're a fan of the American musical theater and/or Mr. Sondheim...

There was a LOT of Follies - though I could do without watching E. Stritch & "I'm Still Here", as it seems to show up on every Sondheim tribute. OTOH, having John McMartin (the original Ben from Follies) sing "The Road You Didn't Take" - wow.

Note: if you haven't heard Sondheim before, don't come expecting a hoe-down. (obligatory Sports Night reference) The music is sophisticated, the lyrics are intelligent... but the stories they serve are often dark. And when I say dark, I mean that they can be downright depressing.

Performances on the video (I've bolded the ones I really enjoyed):

• "America" (Dancers, West Side Story)
• "Something's Coming" (Alexander Gemingnani, West Side Story)
• "We're Gonna Be Alright" (Marin Mazzie, Jason Danieley, Do I Hear a Waltz?)
• "Don't Laugh" (Victoria Clark, Hot Spot)
• "Johanna"(Nathan Gunn, Sweeney Todd)
• "You're Gonna Love Tomorrow" and "Love Will See Us Through" (Matt Cavenaugh, Jenn Colella, Laura Osnes, Bobby Steggert, Follies)
• "Too Many Mornings" (Nathan Gunn, Audra McDonald, Follies)
• "The Road You Didn't Take" (John McMartin, Follies)
• "It Takes Two" (Joanna Gleason, Chip Zien, Into the Woods)
• "Growing Up" (Jim Walton, Merrily We Roll Along)
• "Finishing the Hat" (Mandy Patinkin, Sunday in the Park with George)
• "Move On" (Mandy Patinkin, Bernadette Peters, Sunday in the Park with George)
• "Pretty Women" (Michael Cerveris, George Hearn, Sweeney Todd)
• "A Little Priest" (Michael Cerveris, George Hearn, Patti LuPone, Sweeney Todd)
• "Theme from Reds" with Pas De Deux (NY Philharmonic, Two ABT Dancers Maria and Blaine)
• "So Many People" (Laura Benanti, Saturday Night)
• "Beautiful Girls" (David Hyde Pierce, Follies)
• "Ladies Who Lunch" (Patti LuPone, Company)
• "Losing My Mind" (Marin Mazzie, Follies)
• "The Glamorous Life" (Audra McDonald, A Little Night Music)
• "Could I Leave You?" (Donna Murphy, Follies)
• "Not a Day Goes By" (Bernadette Peters, Merrily We Roll Along)
• "I'm Still Here" (Elaine Stritch, Follies)
• "Sunday" (Broadway Chorus, Sunday in the Park with George)
• "Happy Birthday" (All Cast)