Spontaneous Musings

First off for those on my flist who like to read tv writer blogs - picked up two courtesy of ponygirl2000:

1. janeespension - just go to my user page and click on Janeespension's name and friend it. That's how I did it. If you want to write spec scripts for television - her blog is a must read. I read it because the tv biz fascinates me.

2. This - I can't figure out how to add to my flist but is the blog of the TV writer, Ken Levine, behind Frazier, Cheers, Mash, and Everybody Loves Raymond. He has some great posts regarding current tv shows, tv writing in general and the shows he worked on. He's snarky but careful - so do not expect any true bashing. I can't help but state that I agree with his assessment of Studio 60 which I like and rail at for the same reasons he does. Although I think I find it funnier than he does. He states and this made me giggle: "TV show writers are not *that* bright." Seriously they aren't. Which is the problem with Studio 60. Also, ahem, it takes itself a tad too seriously for a series about a sketch comedy. But if you love Studio 60, don't worry, he has other fantastic blog pieces that have zip to do with it. Including a rant about those music video montages appearing at the end of tv shows. And some great pieces about MASH and Frazier.

Go here: http://kenlevine.blogspot.com/ (And if you can figure out how to add him to your flist on lj, let me know. Does not have an RSS link that I can find.)

3. Not a writer blog, but a great TV Guide interview/Q& A with Joss Whedon posted by here and if you can't access it for any reason - the link's at whedonesque. Courtesy of buffyannatator and ponygirl2000.

In the interview, Whedon states how BSG is his favorite TV show ever (agreed - except I think I might put his two shows, BTVS and ATS above it, but BSG accomplishes in some respects what he attempted with Firefly - an outer-space character that focuses on those difficult human issues and doesn't get bogged down with aliens and bugged eyed monsters - in short, it lets the monsters be human.) And how there's only so much you can do with What if Romeo and Juliet had lived? (LOL! Yes, it does get redundant and boring after awhile. Which is why Shakespeare wisely killed them. It was either that or give them separate tv shows in separate locals.)

** Updated to add that if you go Here and scroll down, you can find out what the captions were on each of those sample pages - including one that, ahem, explains the sequence in the Angel episode "A Girl In Question" in a succinct way that NEVER occurred to any fanfic writer I've seen. (Although I think someone snarkily posted it as a possibility on a fan forum I was on at the time and it does fit with the themes I saw in that episode.) It also makes me think that Andrew really did have loads of fun with Angel and Spike in A5. LOL!! Plus, I think we may, ahem, have an answer as to whom was behind the robot invasion in that Wes episode. That is assuming of course the person reading those quote did so accurately. Makes me even more curious about the comics, but also somewhat wary. There is such a thing as going overboard and perhaps being restricted as he was on tv, was a good thing.

Regarding TV...watched: Heroes, Studio 60, the two part movie The Closer around S60 and Heroes, Boston Legal, Nip/Tuck, and Gilmore Girls. The only ones I *really* enjoyed were Boston Legal (made me laugh), Heroes, and The Closer. Found Nip/Tuck interesting. GG and Studio 60 somewhat grating.


1. Heroes - Still the best "shot" series on Television. Makes me think of a graphic novel with the colors and angles. Or a silent movie at times. There's really not that much dialogue. ( pointless to talk about this without serious spoilers )

2. Studio 60 - I think I'm the only person on my flist who still watches this show that was underwhelmed by it this week. Am I too cynical? Too critical? Do I watch too much TV? Probably. ( spoilers, of course and snarky. )

( Boston Legal, The Closer, and GG, vague spoilers if any. )

Okay, off to watch 30 Rock since Grey's is a rerun.

Since job thing-a-mig is currently driving me batty, am distracting myself flitting about on my lj and looking at emails, and pressing the back button alot. Currently feel as if the universe is biting its thumb at me, and saying n'yah, n'yah, n'yah.

Things that I've distracted myself with today:

1.( Copyright battle between Universal and CafePress )

2. ( Snarky Bush Humor because I can )

3. ( Snarky TV humor - because I care about this little tv show called studio 60, ghod only knows why )

4. Am tempted to swipe buffyannatator unpopular fandom opinions meme - it provides multiple opportunities for me to make sarcastic remarks, which will undoubtedly piss off my flist. So am resisting. We'll see how long that lasts. Been pressing the back button all day long.

5. ( New Jersey and Same-Sex Marriages )

[You can tell how high my frustration/stress meter is by how many posts I write on TV. I can't rail at the world, but I can rail at the idiot box without too much worry. Okay not true. But what the hell.

TV news:

1. Apparently they are casting a male nurse as a potential love interest for Linda G (Sam) character on ER. Rumor has it: There's two people up for it. A titular leading man type and get this a former Buffy actor - someone who was a leading male character on the show and in the front credits. They don't list names. And the winner will be released soon.

Sigh.

Well, let's see - we know it can't be Anthony Stewart Head or David Boreanze. So...that leaves:
Marc Blucas, James Marsters, Seth Green, and Nicholas Brendon.

The way my luck has been going lately: it will probably be Marc Blucas if the guy gets it. If he doesn't? Someone like Billy Baldwin or Ethan Hawk.

Personally? I'm rooting for Marsters or Brendon. But the only Buffy actors who get good roles are the ones I am truly ambivalent about. Damn, am I the only person out there who thought Brendon and Marsters were the only consistently good male actors with unlimited comic and dramatic range on that show outside of Head? Apparently so. Hollywood likes its buffboys. Buffboy is soap opera speak for pretty boy but not much there. Except for Seth Green who has a great career as character actor who pops up in weird places.

Oh well, doesn't matter - barely watch ER anymore anyhow. Show is getting awfully redundant and appears to have the longevity of Law & Order. Honestly, these shows are like cockroaches, you just can't kill them. No, wait L& O is like a cockroach - you can't kill it and it has unkillable offspring, ER is just well like a turtle it keeps plugging away.

2. Tim Minear has joined the writing staff of "The Stand-Off". Okay. Does this mean he'll give poor Gina Torres something else to do besides look cool and collected? And just when I'd given up on it.

3. Rejoice Jericho fans - your show got picked up for a full season. No need to send worried letters to CBS. It's not that suprising really if you think about it. Jericho has three things going for it that are guaranteed to make it survive, regardless of how badly written the show is. Trust me on this - if writing mattered, there would not be reality shows and TV writers would be treated with more respect. Do I sound bitter? Sigh. Anyhow here's the three things Jericho has going for it: a)Family drama with prodigal son and caring parents, b)crisis - disaster, everyone has to work together to survive and opportunities for much tear-jerking (if you've watched as many dumb disaster flicks as I have you know whereof I speak - Posideon Adventure? Titantic? Airport? Airport 1977? The Towering Inferno? There's a reason people love these things.) c.) a puzzel - why is this happening, and did the government do it? (X-Files, 4400, Roswell, half a dozen Oliver Stone flicks - people like conspiracy things about evil governments). Plus we have Skeet Ulrich. (Prefer Billy Crud-up, whose the better actor, they look a lot a like to me). So not really shocking it's doing well.

4. Rejoice Friday Night Light fans - NBC has chosen to sponsor your show over Studio 60 on The Sunset Strip. Sigh. (NBC is pulling Studio 60 on Oct 30 and airing Friday Night Lights instead, which really does nothing more than piss off the Studio 60 fans, but whatever. Okay updating to clarify - they are doing it, as far as I know, for one night only - October 30. We don't know if it is a permanent move yet.)

Do not understand why it had to be an either/or gambit. The two series couldn't be more different - people who watch Friday Night Lights aren't going to watch Studio 60 and vice versa. I think I've only found one person online who likes both. Most people either like one or the other. And the one's who like Studio 60 find FNL unwatchable. The one's who watch FNL find Studio 60 unwatchable. So, why in hell does the network programming people think that moving Friday Night Lights into Studio 60's timeslot on Mondays going to change anything? Wouldn't it make more sense to move the show to Sunday's after the football game? Football = Friday Night Lights. A match made in heaven. But noooo, instead they are reairing the popular "Heroes" in that slot?? Why? I know why. Advertisers. Yes, it is because of advertisers. Where they'll throw their money. And where ratings matter. They matter more on some nights than others. Ad dollars are higher on some nights. Course - if that's the reason, it makes little sense why they put "Friday Night Lights" an adult drama with no comedy in it that I can see, in an 8pm timeslot on Tuesday nights. Normally the best timeslot for adult drama is 10 pm. Or at least 9pm.

What I'd do if I were NBC is put Friday Night Lights on at 10pm on either Sunday or Tuesday or Wed nights. Keep Studio 60 on Mon or maybe move to 10pm on Tuesday. Another option is Friday Night Lights on Friday - nifty name thing. Kick Numbers to Wed. And I'd be less irritated if they put Studio 60 in the Tuesday slot - maybe at 10pm. But nooo, it's one or the other?? Fuck that. Because I got news for you - the Studio 60 fans are not going to start watching FNL. You aren't going to get new viewers. And for those of us, like myself that were considering given FNL a second chance, now won't out of annoyance for losing the show we enjoyed in order for it to succeed.

The other problem with all of this - is something that has been bugging for a while about network programming. If either Studio 60 or Friday Night Lights premiered on Showtime or HBO they would have been guaranteed a full season. Time to build a following. Both are shows that require that. They are not hot out of the pan shows. They have a slow build. It takes the writer time to find his/her footing. Plus both appeal to "nitch" audiences not broad. Which means you aren't going to get the ratings of a Grey's or Lost or ER. I honestly think NBC would have a couple of hits on its hands if it gave the shows time.

Baad network programming decision. And frustrating.

Okay enough railing at tv, off to eat lunch.