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Jun. 16th, 2018 09:15 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shadowkat1. So on my walk today to the grocery store ran into a political canvaser who asked if I was a registered Democrat. (I said no, I'm Green Party, because I don't like either party and think the Green Party is the only one who doesn't want to further their own ideological image and agenda. He said -- "They are the most honest." I said, "yep". And I agreed with their platform. The Democrats pissed me off in the last Governor race. We had a brief chat, ending with.."I can't talk about the other party (Republican) without getting really angry and I'm having a happy day." He said, "Okay, let's not mess that up. Nice speaking with you." )
I'm tired of politics. I feel as if I've been inundated with nothing but politics since 2016. Stop already. Doesn't help that I have a job in a state and federally funded industry and am inundated with state and local politics daily.
2. Discussed Patterson/Clinton book "The President is Missing" with my mother.
Me: So how's the book coming along?
Mother: It's not well written, but it is a page turner and interesting. Clinton should have gotten a better writer, maybe David Baldaccio, who is a much better writer than Patterson. There's a review in the NY Times that basically said the same thing. And I do think Patterson wrote this one, not a committee. Clinton's very knowledgable and he probably chose Patterson because a lot of people read him for some reason. The plot is about the president going missing --
Me: If only.
Mother: What?
Me: Every time I hear that title, I think if only it were true.
Mother: Except he hasn't really gone missing --
ME: Unfortunately.
Mother: No, I mean in the book -- he hasn't, the president in the book just goes undercover to get to the root of a leak in cybersecurity. (In short the President of US is the detective and hero. Probably because Clinton wants to make people care about the Presidency again? Good luck with that.)
It's okay. I'm 75% of the way through. I was getting bored of historical romance novels and needed a change of pace.
3. Riverdale
So I finished the second season of Riverdale finally. It's a lot better than the first season. They wisely moved away from Archie attempting a music career. Because the actor really isn't much of a singer. And focused on the dark doings of various parents, as the kids figure it out. It's become Archie Comics meets Twin Peaks, except the heroes are the kids.
The villain is Veronica's dad, played by Mark Conselous...the hubby of Kelly Ripa. He's a good choice. I know Marsters auditioned for it. On the fence as to which would be better -- eh, Mark Conselous. Her father is buying up the town and hiring black hoods to kill people and a mobster.
The other villian is Betty Cooper's dad. Her father is the serial killer, or the Black Hood that killed half the town..
Basically Betty and Veronica have homicidial Daddy's. LOL!
While Jughead and Archie's dads are rather even-keel and upstanding.
This show is rather good. A bit slow in places and the dialogue could be better. But it's fun and has a great production value.
4. For the People
Finished watching this one, which is basically another Shondra Rhimes series, although less soapy than her others and a lot less fun. It takes itself a wee bit too seriously and is far too earnest for its own good. It got renewed. Don't know if it will survive for long though.
Does have a few bright spots here and there -- I rather like bisexual Kate Little John. Was surprised they chose to write out Leonard, although he may be back, who knows? And Jay, the Muslim Pakistani attorney is rather interesting. Everyone else is too earnest and I want to smack them.
On the legal side of things...it doesn't bug me as much as other shows do. Although the sets are far too nice for words. No way those characters have that nice an apartment on their salaries. An entry level Federal Prosecuting Attorney does not make a six-figure salary, a lot of them make the same amount as teachers if not less. They were kidding about this on NY1 recently, how all these television shows and movies always have people with much greater apartments than anyone making their salary in reality does.
A one bed-room apartment in that area costs at least $3500. Two bedroom? $4500. Glee was far more realistic, they had everyone living together in a loft space out in Bushwick.
5. Nashville
Eh, writers...this story is not working for me. Weirdly the Deacon storylines never work for me. I wish he'd sing more. This show works better when it focuses on the music industry and less when it focuses on romantic relationships. Also the women characters are being shoved to the background and have almost no voice in the series now -- when it started out as a female centric show, and the guys in the background.
I can see why they are cancelling it. But am annoyed. I liked aspects of it quite a bit. Also, they are replacing it with another vomit-worthy reality show aka unscripted highly edited tv. (Basically you hire a bunch of models with no talent, put them in a lot of crappy situations or fun ones, follow them about, orchestrate scenarios that will make them crazy enough to scream at each other and fight, edit it to make them all look like shallow jerks and sell it to an audience who likes that crap. I call them social psychology experiments with untalented models who are narcissists. Cheap to make and it appeals to the sadist voyeur in everyone.)
What's not working? They have a storyline where Deacon's 14 year old step-daughter is entering a reality show singing contest that is run by a man who hates her father and is an asshole. She knows he's an asshole. She's seen how he treats his own son. And her father, and her father's significant other. But she wants to make it big too and get on stage and sing her music. Which would make sense, except -- she has been at the Grand Old Oprey, and sang in various concerts with her sister and mother and step-father. Her step-father is running a record label and is more than happy to record her. He just thinks she might be a bit young. He is also willing to help her. She's being an idiot for no good reason, and after seeing her sister be an idiot, you'd think she'd know better? No.
I don't buy it. It's lazy writing and cliche. They can do better.
Then there's the hot pink haired female singer who joined Avery/Gunner and Will's group, only to flirt and sleep with Gunner, get bored with him and come on to Avery and sleep with him -- effectively breaking up the group. Then going off to sign a deal with the head of the rival label, aka the villain for a lot of money. And she doesn't even have to sing.
And I'm thinking...REALLY?
Ugh. Headdesk. Show...you have what, seven to eight episodes left? You can't do better than this? What happened to the amazing writing last year? Did you fire last year's writers???
I'm tired of politics. I feel as if I've been inundated with nothing but politics since 2016. Stop already. Doesn't help that I have a job in a state and federally funded industry and am inundated with state and local politics daily.
2. Discussed Patterson/Clinton book "The President is Missing" with my mother.
Me: So how's the book coming along?
Mother: It's not well written, but it is a page turner and interesting. Clinton should have gotten a better writer, maybe David Baldaccio, who is a much better writer than Patterson. There's a review in the NY Times that basically said the same thing. And I do think Patterson wrote this one, not a committee. Clinton's very knowledgable and he probably chose Patterson because a lot of people read him for some reason. The plot is about the president going missing --
Me: If only.
Mother: What?
Me: Every time I hear that title, I think if only it were true.
Mother: Except he hasn't really gone missing --
ME: Unfortunately.
Mother: No, I mean in the book -- he hasn't, the president in the book just goes undercover to get to the root of a leak in cybersecurity. (In short the President of US is the detective and hero. Probably because Clinton wants to make people care about the Presidency again? Good luck with that.)
It's okay. I'm 75% of the way through. I was getting bored of historical romance novels and needed a change of pace.
3. Riverdale
So I finished the second season of Riverdale finally. It's a lot better than the first season. They wisely moved away from Archie attempting a music career. Because the actor really isn't much of a singer. And focused on the dark doings of various parents, as the kids figure it out. It's become Archie Comics meets Twin Peaks, except the heroes are the kids.
The villain is Veronica's dad, played by Mark Conselous...the hubby of Kelly Ripa. He's a good choice. I know Marsters auditioned for it. On the fence as to which would be better -- eh, Mark Conselous. Her father is buying up the town and hiring black hoods to kill people and a mobster.
The other villian is Betty Cooper's dad. Her father is the serial killer, or the Black Hood that killed half the town..
Basically Betty and Veronica have homicidial Daddy's. LOL!
While Jughead and Archie's dads are rather even-keel and upstanding.
This show is rather good. A bit slow in places and the dialogue could be better. But it's fun and has a great production value.
4. For the People
Finished watching this one, which is basically another Shondra Rhimes series, although less soapy than her others and a lot less fun. It takes itself a wee bit too seriously and is far too earnest for its own good. It got renewed. Don't know if it will survive for long though.
Does have a few bright spots here and there -- I rather like bisexual Kate Little John. Was surprised they chose to write out Leonard, although he may be back, who knows? And Jay, the Muslim Pakistani attorney is rather interesting. Everyone else is too earnest and I want to smack them.
On the legal side of things...it doesn't bug me as much as other shows do. Although the sets are far too nice for words. No way those characters have that nice an apartment on their salaries. An entry level Federal Prosecuting Attorney does not make a six-figure salary, a lot of them make the same amount as teachers if not less. They were kidding about this on NY1 recently, how all these television shows and movies always have people with much greater apartments than anyone making their salary in reality does.
A one bed-room apartment in that area costs at least $3500. Two bedroom? $4500. Glee was far more realistic, they had everyone living together in a loft space out in Bushwick.
5. Nashville
Eh, writers...this story is not working for me. Weirdly the Deacon storylines never work for me. I wish he'd sing more. This show works better when it focuses on the music industry and less when it focuses on romantic relationships. Also the women characters are being shoved to the background and have almost no voice in the series now -- when it started out as a female centric show, and the guys in the background.
I can see why they are cancelling it. But am annoyed. I liked aspects of it quite a bit. Also, they are replacing it with another vomit-worthy reality show aka unscripted highly edited tv. (Basically you hire a bunch of models with no talent, put them in a lot of crappy situations or fun ones, follow them about, orchestrate scenarios that will make them crazy enough to scream at each other and fight, edit it to make them all look like shallow jerks and sell it to an audience who likes that crap. I call them social psychology experiments with untalented models who are narcissists. Cheap to make and it appeals to the sadist voyeur in everyone.)
What's not working? They have a storyline where Deacon's 14 year old step-daughter is entering a reality show singing contest that is run by a man who hates her father and is an asshole. She knows he's an asshole. She's seen how he treats his own son. And her father, and her father's significant other. But she wants to make it big too and get on stage and sing her music. Which would make sense, except -- she has been at the Grand Old Oprey, and sang in various concerts with her sister and mother and step-father. Her step-father is running a record label and is more than happy to record her. He just thinks she might be a bit young. He is also willing to help her. She's being an idiot for no good reason, and after seeing her sister be an idiot, you'd think she'd know better? No.
I don't buy it. It's lazy writing and cliche. They can do better.
Then there's the hot pink haired female singer who joined Avery/Gunner and Will's group, only to flirt and sleep with Gunner, get bored with him and come on to Avery and sleep with him -- effectively breaking up the group. Then going off to sign a deal with the head of the rival label, aka the villain for a lot of money. And she doesn't even have to sing.
And I'm thinking...REALLY?
Ugh. Headdesk. Show...you have what, seven to eight episodes left? You can't do better than this? What happened to the amazing writing last year? Did you fire last year's writers???