Sanity Restored

I can't let the month of October end without having made a single blog post, and conveniently I just got back from Washington DC, having migrated there along with thousands of others for the Rally to Restore Sanity. So for any of you who may have watched the rally on TV (whether Comedy Central or C-SPAN) or the internet and wondered what it was like down on the ground, the answer: a whole lot of fun.

Yes, the sheer quantity of people was pretty insane. The estimate is over 250,000 people. A bunch of people I talked to after the fact said they couldn't really see or hear most of what went on. And that was the case for me some of the time too, especially when I first arrived to find myself right in the middle of a busy passing lane, but once I got settled in front of a Jumbotron (and once they finally turned up the volume), it was all good.

There may have been a lot of people, but everyone very much acted within the spirit of the day. There was no pushing and shoving, even in the 45 minutes it took to exit. Instead everyone was polite, courteous, and friendly. Most of the crowd was happy to chat with each other. While I expected a demographic closer to what I imagined Daily Show's audience to be (young white men), that's not who I saw at the rally. My immediate area had more people my parents' age than my age, equal numbers of men and women, and a good amount of racial diversity as well (though yes, still predominantly white).

As for the show itself, I imagine it may have played like a pretty decent episode of Daily Show or Colbert on TV, but of course it was a whole lot more enjoyable live. All the critics concerned about what the rally means for Jon Stewart's role in society can relax. This was no serious political rally - it was a positive, fun, upbeat, and entertaining gathering of good people to have a good time. Much of the content was completely apolitical, addressing sanity and fear more in the abstract. And when it did get political it was always in the most positive way, appealing everyone to just get along.

The Roots made for a great opening act, immediately getting everyone pumped. Then John Legend came on and took the energy down a notch. I guess if the idea of the rally was to keep everyone mellow, chill, and sane, he did his job, but after a little while it started to feel like nap time. I was surprised the Mythbusters segment even made it to TV. It was a clear "warm up the crowd" ploy that went about 15 minutes too long (though I admit I couldn't hear a lot of it).

So the show really got going once Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert took the stage. Loved Colbert's poem as read by Sam Waterston. Enjoyed all of the sanity and fear awards, especially giving one to a 7 year old girl for having more courage than the news organizations that wouldn't let their employees attend. Loved the Stewart and Colbert song, even if it did mean listening to Stewart uncomfortably try to keep up with Colbert vocally. My favorite lyric: "From gay men who watch football to straight men who watch Glee."

Favorite part of the actual show: the dueling train songs. On one side, Cat Stevens/Yusuf Islam, on the other Ozzy Osborne. Hilarious. I enjoyed most of the other guest appearances as well. Fun to see Father Guido Sarducci, though not sure how many other people my age remember him from 1970's SNL. The Kid Rock/Sheryl Crowe duet was...unexpected. A little "We are the World," but felt appropriate for the occasion. And Tony Bennett's presence made the whole thing seem classier.

And Jon Stewart's moment of sincerity at the end felt exactly right to me. It was what those of us who don't throw a fit every time he steps out of his comedian role for a second want from him. He was rational, he put things in perspective, and was even pretty inspiring. It wasn't a tirade against Fox News but a plea for people to strive to be better than all of the sniping of today's age. Very sane.

Best part overall though: the creative signs people carried. Sure, there were a few people who seemed to miss the message of what the rally was about (one poster showing Republicans with Hitler mustaches seemed to completely miss the point), but the vast majority were in the spirit of the event. I wish I could remember more, but here are some of my favorites:

Hitler is a Nazi

No one is Hitler*

*except Hitler

Will Read Tea Party Signs that Need Spellchikking for $5.00

Gay Agenda:

1. Call my mom

2. Buy groceries

3. Equality now

I will hold this sign for 20 minutes max and then I'm done

No more Texas

I Heart Kittens

Bring Back Firefly

Christine O'Donnell turned me into a newt

There's nothing to fear but the Zombie Apocalypse

Any sign referencing The Dude

Fight Night: Jon Stewart vs. Jim Cramer

Tonight's the night. After over a week of attacking each other indirectly, Jim Cramer will sit down with Jon Stewart on The Daily Show tonight.

To catch everyone up, TV Guide has a good blow-by-blow of how this feud went down, complete with video. But if you don't feel like clicking, here's where the feud began:

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

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Rick Santelli clearly had no idea what his cancellation would begin. From there, it went to a New York Times piece picking up where Jon Stewart began, Jim Cramer's angry rebuttal, more attacks on The Daily Show, and more defenses from Jim Cramer on various morning shows. But tonight they will meet at last.

Now, the other night I had a discussion with my friend who disapproves of Jon Stewart's actions. He thinks Jon is taking Cramer's words out of context and is putting his personal message above his role as a comedian. But Jon proved years ago that his job is to point out hypocrisy, in politics sure, but even more so the media. Remember his war on Crossfire? He got the show canceled!

But I will admit that this whole media battle feels a bit like a stunt. Daily Show is no longer just commenting on the news, but actually now part of the news. And I'm sure that's not unintentional. Even someone as low-key as Jon Stewart is probably enjoying the publicity.

Still, where's the harm in the smartest show on TV getting some buzz from those who wouldn't otherwise watch it? And fabricated or not, the whole fight has been pretty damn entertaining. So however you feel about the whole battle, you'd still best watch what's sure to be a must-see half hour of TV.

Prime Minister Pooh?

Yesterday I tried to make sense of the Israeli election, feeling that it's been somewhat under-reported in this country. Well not anymore, now that it's been covered by the only news show worth watching. Jon Stewart may not have figured the situation out any more than I have, but he does compare Ehud Barak to Winnie the Pooh. And Wyatt Cenac may just have figured out why Israeli elections lend themselves to disorder. Give it a look:

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

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Jon Stewart Should Be a Film Critic

If my repeated attacks on The Curious Case of Benjamin Button aren't enough to keep you away, then maybe one from Jon Stewart will. It took me ten paragraphs to explain what was wrong with the movie. It took Jon Stewart about 20 seconds. Further proof that he is the most reliable source for...everything.

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From Daily Show to Serious Actor?

Following up on last night's post about Darrell Hammond on Damages, it seems we've already got another case of a comedian getting serious. In this case, it's new Daily Show correspondent Wyatt Cenac (seen above), whose indie drama Medicine for Melancholy opens in select cities today, and, according to AO Scott's review for the New York Times, it's quite good.

From the way Scott describes the movie, it sounds like a black Before Sunrise, with a young sort-of couple walking around and talking. Even though Scott explicitly says not to call it a black Before Sunrise, I have to say I'm intrigued. Scott gives the movie a Critics Pick and singles Cenac out saying, "Mr. Cenac, a writer and fake reporter on “The Daily Show With Jon Stewart,” calibrates Micah’s vacillations between earnestness and guardedness perfectly."

Daily Show has certainly led to some big things. Steve Carell and Ed Helms got The Office, Stephen Colbert got The Colbert Report, and Rob Corddry got to be the racist government guy in Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay. But will Wyatt Cenac turn this small indie role into a career? I'm curious to find out.

Until then, here's proof he's doing just fine so far:

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Bush's Series of Unfortunate Disappointments

This week, President Bush gave a post-election Sarah Palin level of exit interviews, in which he tried to make sense of his legacy. As usual, Jon Stewart puts it all into perspective, hilariously:



There we go, Bush finally admitted to making a mistake...in the Mission Accomplished sign. Hey, it's a good start. Maybe by 2024 he'll say there should have been an occupation strategy for Iraq. Baby steps Bushie, baby steps. But it's unfair to blame Bush for things that were clearly our fault. The Iraq War, Hurricane Katrina, the financial crisis, we let him down...somehow. And hey, complete obliviousness to anything that's happened in the last eight years is preferable to that imitation of self-pity he did. You just stick to your principles, insisting you'd rather be unpopular than....right?

TOP 10 TV SHOWS OF 2008

2008 was not a strong year for TV. The writer's strike nearly destroyed the spring season and left the fall season with no new shows worth putting on my list. But those shouting that this Golden Age of Television is over are a bit premature, as I've got ten shows right here that prove TV is doing just fine. Here are my top 10 TV shows of 2008 and my 2008 TV awards:

1. Lost
Lost may always top my top 10 list, but rarely has it deserved the spot so much. This season Lost found the perfect balance between mythology and character. For every Ghost Christian in a cabin, there was a heartwarming phone call between Desmond and Penny and a personal tragedy for Ben. Lost also finally figured out how to bring in new characters, teasing Faraday and Co. without letting them take over. Just as last year's finale changed the game with flashforwards, this season's final scene left a freighter full of questions. Who's alive? Who's dead? Who cares! Being confused has never been this exciting, and I can't wait until January 21st.

2. Mad Men
Mad Men's first season was hard to top, bringing us into the world of 1960s advertising and the life of the mysterious Don Draper. Season 2 started slow, with a new copier and the insufferable Barretts. But every story served its purpose by the end. Peggy had a great season, moving up the creative chain while hiding her secret until a heartbreaking scene with Pete. Betty became a whole new person after kicking Don out. Even minor characters like Duck Phillips and Freddy Rumsen got episodes to shine. By the time the Cuban Missile Crisis hit in the explosive finale, it was clear Mad Men is no one season wonder.

3. Dexter
Season 1 was the hunt for the Ice Truck Killer. Season 2 saw Dexter hunted. Season 3 was...the friendship of Dexter and Miguel Prado? Doesn’t sound quite as cool. Yet as their relationship shifted from best friends to student and teacher to enemies, their psychological games created all the suspense needed. It helps that Jimmy Smits was able to play both charismatic and deranged so fantastically. Who cares if the IA girl was annoying or the Skinner plot didn’t satisfy? The Dexter/Miguel face-off, along with Dexter’s shift to family man, made season 3 must-see TV.

4. How I Met Your Mother
It may have seemed like a Friends rip-off at first, but How I Met Your Mother quietly became the best comedy on TV. HIMYM came back from the writer’s strike with nearly a full season of episodes. And good ones, too. Like Ted’s very sweet two-minute date for Stella. And Robin Sparkles’ hilarious break-up ballad “Sandcastles in the Sand.” Plus, Neil Patrick Harris’ Barney Stinson may be the single best character on TV. Season 4 got a bit more serious with everyone looking to the future. But whether the gang is addicted to interventions or singing “Let’s Go to the Mall” karaoke in a Canadian bar, the show is consistently legen – wait for it – dary.

5. Pushing Daisies
The fact that the most innovative comic fantasy on TV has been canceled is sad. But the fact that it got canceled just when it was getting so good makes it tragic. Pushing Daisies has done procedural better than CBS since day 1, with crimes involving a comfort food bake-off, gambling with Chinese food, and magicians. But with the arrival of the mysterious and deadly Dwight Dixon, the serial element kicked in just as strong. The last episode, which saw the gang covering up a murder from Norwegian detectives, was as suspenseful as anything on Dexter. With one hell of a cliffhanger, it will be a long wait until those final three episodes air.

6. The Daily Show/The Colbert Report
The presidential election was the TV event of the year, and Comedy Central was the place to watch it. From the primaries to the transition, Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert had more insight than any of the real news networks. On The Daily Show, Stewart brought out all the ridiculousness and hypocrisy of the campaign to hilarious effect. On The Colbert Report, Colbert personified said ridiculousness and hypocrisy. Both of them had their best material since, well, Indecision 2004.

7. Top Chef
Top Chef is my favorite reality show for combining two great things: food and competition. I may not get to taste anything the chefs make, but it all sure looks good. Season 4 had some of the most talented chefs yet, as Richard, Dale, Antonia, and Andrew all had a decent shot. But it was still satisfying to see the very deserving Stephanie become the first female Top Chef. This season has seen a number of early stand-outs while taking full advantage of the New York setting. Top Chef makes it on because unlike in most reality shows, talent wins out over drama.

8. 30 Rock
Tina Fey's Sarah Palin impersonation may have made her the Comedienne of the Year, but she brought the funny just as hard in her day job, as writer/star of 30 Rock. Her Liz Lemon has gone from best straight-man to straight-out funny as the show has gone on. But best is still Alec Baldwin's Jack Donaghy. From greenlighting "MILF Island" to working for the Bush administration, Jack always gets the funniest stories. Throw in Will Arnett in a hilarious recurring part, and I'm starting to understand why critics love 30 Rock so.

9. Battlestar Galactica
Despite the jaw-dropping reveal of four secret Cylons in season 3's finale, season 4 had a rough start. First there was Crazy Kara yelling, "WE'RE GOING THE WRONG WAAAAAAY!" Then there was Chief shaving his head. But somewhere around the midpoint of the season, BSG got awesome again. There was the Cylon civil war (badass), President Roslin's visions (creepy), and finally the landing on Earth (really creepy). I have no idea where this final season is going, but I know it will be frakking amazing.

10. The Office
In 2008, The Office showed its age. It put out a weak slew of episodes after the writer's strike and similarly dropped the ball after Amy Ryan's Holly was transferred back to New Hampshire. But when Amy Ryan was onscreen, The Office was often season 3 level good. The idea of a perfect woman for Michael is so mind-boggling that the joke never got old. From insulting Toby to beatboxing for Michael's lame rap, Holly's presence made everyone around her funnier. The Office needs her to transfer back, stat.

Now for my TV Awards:

Best Drama: Lost
Runners-Up: Mad Men, Dexter

Best Actor, Drama: Michael C. Hall (Dexter), Dexter
Runners-Up: Jon Hamm (Don), Mad Men; Bryan Cranston (Walt), Breaking Bad

Best Actress, Drama: January Jones (Betty), Mad Men
Runner-Up: Mary McDonnell (President Roslin), Battlestar Galactica

Best Supporting Actor, Drama: Michael Emerson (Ben), Lost
Runners-Up: Jimmy Smits (Miguel), Dexter; Vincent Kartheiser (Pete), Mad Men

Best Supporting Actress, Drama: Elisabeth Moss (Peggy), Mad Men
Runners-Up: Christina Hendricks (Joan), Mad Men; Jennifer Carpenter (Deb), Dexter

Best Comedy: How I Met Your Mother
Runners-Up: Pushing Daisies, 30 Rock

Best Actor, Comedy: Alec Baldwin (Jack), 30 Rock
Runners-Up: Lee Pace (Ned), Pushing Daisies; Steve Carell (Michael), The Office

Best Actress, Comedy: Tina Fey (Liz), 30 Rock
Runners-Up: Anna Friel (Chuck), Pushing Daisies; Mary-Louise Parker (Nancy), Weeds

Best Supporting Actor, Comedy: Neil Patrick Harris (Barney), How I Met Your Mother
Runners-Up: Chi McBride (Emerson), Pushing Daisies; Justin Kirk (Andy), Weeds

Best Supporting Actress, Comedy: Amy Ryan (Holly), The Office
Runners-Up: Kristin Chenowith (Olive), Pushing Daisies; Jenna Fischer (Pam), The Office

Last Post of the Year

Happy New Year's Eve everyone! On my last post of 2008, I thought I should do some kind of reflection on the year. I have to see a few more movies and catch up on a few more shows before I can do my top 10 lists, but they are coming. As for what else is coming up: tomorrow is blog resolutions, Friday is a midseason TV preview, and next week will be season premiere recaps. Now back to 2008:

It's a really good thing Barack Obama won the presidency in 2008, since that's about the only thing that kept it from being The Year That Sucked. Just look at today's news stories. In real news, the Israeli/Palestinian conflict has come back full force, and controversy over disgraced Governor Rod Blagojevich's senate pick will spill far into 2009. In entertainment news, a Viacom/Time Warner dispute could mean no Daily Show for the forseeable future, while a SAG strike is still a possibility. And that's just this week.

Here's just a few things we've dealt with this year: the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, the fall of Wall Street, the beginnings of the fall of Detroit, record-high gas prices, terrorist attacks in Mumbai, Russia's invasion of Georgia, the Eliot Spitzer scandal, the Rod Blagojevich scandal, a writer's strike that led to one of the worst TV seasons in memory, and a very weak year for movies.

But there were some bright spots, mostly in the election. From the epic Hillary/Obama primary battle to the conventions, debates, and Sarah Palin, the 2008 election was THE entertainment event of the year. People who never voted in their lives were suddenly political junkies, checking daily poll results and tracking debates like play-offs for the World Series. The election even spilled over to real entertainment, giving The Daily Show and The Colbert Report tons of material, and revitalizing Saturday Night Live with Tina Fey's instant-classic impersonation of Sarah Palin. And best of all, it had a happy ending.

While the overall field of movies and TV shows this year may have been weak, the best were comparable with any other year. The Dark Knight was the best superhero movie ever, one of the best crime epics ever, and featured one of the best movie villains ever. Wall-E was so much more than Pixar's best film, being as well a definitive look at our era. Slumdog Millionaire's frontrunner status for best picture may come out of lack of competition, but it would be at the top in any other year too. I'd put these three above my top three movies from last year, easily.

As for TV, I may not have added any new shows to my dvr in 2008, and a lot of my old favorites may have disappointed, but that didn't stop shows from continuing to wow. Lost, already the best tv show ever, proved it more by changing up the formula with flashforwards. Mad Men avoided a sophomore slump by going even deeper into its characters in year 2. And Dexter showed it could still be suspenseful without as compelling a central device as the Ice Truck Killer or the Bay Harbor Butcher.

So 2008 wasn't ALL bad, just mostly bad. On January 20th, 2009, Barack Obama gets sworn in as president. I certainly hope that means my final post for 2009 will be very different from this one.

Obamavision

With the election only 5 days away, seeing Obama on TV is to be expected. But last night, he had an even greater presence than usual with a half hour infomercial airing on NBC, CBS, Fox, Univision (en español), MSNBC, BET, and TV One (but not Disney, Malia), and an interview via satellite on The Daily Show. So how'd he do?

If you missed the primetime special, you can find it here:



Certainly it was no Ross Perot and his charts. With the Oscar-winning director of An Inconvenient Truth helming it, the special felt more like a documentary than an infomercial. In fact, with the families in need of better health care, it felt a lot like Michael Moore's Sicko. But while the half hour was admittedly dull at times, it seemed to accomplish its goals. Obama gave his platform clearly with nice little talking points written at the bottom of the screen. The focus on the regular American families showed his ability to connect to people. Interviews with top Democrats provided some powerful endorsements. And probably best were the parts on his biography and family. That stuff may be cheesy, but it's the best remedy to the silly "who is Barack Obama?" accusations made by Sarah Palin.

The live ending was a bit of a disappointment. Advertised throughout the special and with rumors of Bill Clinton appearing, seeing Obama merely ask for people's votes was a bit of a let-down. Still, the only thing in here that could hurt him is if the Oval Office-like setting for some of it seems too presumptuous. Otherwise, the special may help more people be able to trust him, if only for his excellent narrating voice.

His interview on Daily Show was more entertaining. Watch it here:



Jon Stewart's questions weren't exactly hard-hitting, with such nail-biters as "how are you?" But he did set Obama up for a lot of really good answers. Whether on the Bradley Effect ("I don't think white voters have gotten the memo"), bipartisanship ("Some of the problems are ones we can't solve with just one party dictating a solution"), or whether he still wants the job with all of the country's problems ("If you went into public service thinking you could have an impact, now is the time when you can have an impact"). But there were plenty of funny moments as well, in Obama's rebuttal to the socialism claim, questions of whether Obama's white half will vote based on the Bradley Effect, and the un-undecided nature of the typical Daily Show viewer. Plus, you get to see Obama smile a lot.