Have you ever had one of those times when you can't get a song out of your head? This is one of those for me. For the past few days, "Midnight Confessions" by The Grass Roots (in one of that groups's many incarnations) has been going through my mind at regular intervals. I'm not sure, but I think it might have been their biggest hit. At any rate, it peaked at #5 on the Billboard singles chart in August of 1968. Anyhow, I thought I might let the rest of you hear it....
"Midnight Confessions" by The Grass Roots
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Friday, April 21, 2006
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
House
Well, I finally got the PC fixed. It turns out my niece shut it down while Windows XP was still loading. She did not realise the dire consequences of this action. Anyhow, it is running normally again.
Last night I got off early from work, which gave me the luxury of actually watching primetime television for once. In this case I watched the last part of American Idol (not a show I would watch on a regular basis, but they were performing standards last night) and then House. Along with Lost and Desperate Housewives, House has been one of the most talked about TV shows of the past two years. Despite this, I did not have high hopes for the series. Medical dramas have never particularly appealed to me. Indeed, it seems to me that they all tend to be made from a cookie cutter. Every week another patient suffers some unusual ailment and the brave doctors must rush to save his or her life. And every week the brave doctors become emotionally involved with their patients. Indeed, I think it would be safe to consider medical dramas as a subgenre of soap operas for the most part.
Fortunately, House is different. Much of this is due to the character of Dr. Gregory House himself, played by the great Hugh Laurie (of The Young Ones, Blackadder, and Jeeves and Wooster fame). House is an absolute curmudgeon who never gets emotionally involved with his patients. In fact, he has a tendency to view his patients more as "cases" than as "human beings." House is also an outright cynic when it comes to humanity. When it comes to people, he tends to believe that they almost always act with their own interests in mind. Despite this, there can be little doubt that deep down House does care about his patients, even though he does keep his distance, and he always fights to save the life of each and everyone.
House is assisted by a small group of residents, each with his or her own unique personality. Dr. Allison Cameron (played by Jennifer Morrison) is the closest the show comes to the physicians usually found on TV medical dramas. She typcially becomes emotionally involved with her patients (much to House's consternation) and is always concerned with the ethics of any given situation. Dr. Eric Foreman (Omar Epps) is ambitious and sometimes seems to put such ambition above his relationship with his other residents and even his patients. Dr. Robert Chase, played by Jesse Spencer, is the closest of the residents in personality to House. He is a bit of a medical detective, fascinated by the puzzles that often confront them.
Indeed, moreso than its characters, House is set apart from other medical dramas in that it is much more of a mystery series than a soap opera. The show has been compared to the Sherlock Holmes stories and with good reason. Each week House and his residents are confronted with another mysterious malady. The doctors then chase down various clues until finally arriving at a diagnosis. Gregory House is a good match for Holmes, often using unconventional methods to solve a mystery. In fact, he has been accused of caring more about his medical puzzles than his patients.
In this respect, I rather suspect that House would appeal more to fans of mystery series than medical dramas. The show literally owes more to Columbo than it does Marcus Welby M.D.. In fact, I can actaully see the typical fan of medical dramas actually disliking the show. On the other hand, I think anyone who likes a good mystery and can appreciate original, unique characters enjoying the series quite a bit. On the surface, House might appear to be a medical drama, but it owes more to CSI than it does ER.
Last night I got off early from work, which gave me the luxury of actually watching primetime television for once. In this case I watched the last part of American Idol (not a show I would watch on a regular basis, but they were performing standards last night) and then House. Along with Lost and Desperate Housewives, House has been one of the most talked about TV shows of the past two years. Despite this, I did not have high hopes for the series. Medical dramas have never particularly appealed to me. Indeed, it seems to me that they all tend to be made from a cookie cutter. Every week another patient suffers some unusual ailment and the brave doctors must rush to save his or her life. And every week the brave doctors become emotionally involved with their patients. Indeed, I think it would be safe to consider medical dramas as a subgenre of soap operas for the most part.
Fortunately, House is different. Much of this is due to the character of Dr. Gregory House himself, played by the great Hugh Laurie (of The Young Ones, Blackadder, and Jeeves and Wooster fame). House is an absolute curmudgeon who never gets emotionally involved with his patients. In fact, he has a tendency to view his patients more as "cases" than as "human beings." House is also an outright cynic when it comes to humanity. When it comes to people, he tends to believe that they almost always act with their own interests in mind. Despite this, there can be little doubt that deep down House does care about his patients, even though he does keep his distance, and he always fights to save the life of each and everyone.
House is assisted by a small group of residents, each with his or her own unique personality. Dr. Allison Cameron (played by Jennifer Morrison) is the closest the show comes to the physicians usually found on TV medical dramas. She typcially becomes emotionally involved with her patients (much to House's consternation) and is always concerned with the ethics of any given situation. Dr. Eric Foreman (Omar Epps) is ambitious and sometimes seems to put such ambition above his relationship with his other residents and even his patients. Dr. Robert Chase, played by Jesse Spencer, is the closest of the residents in personality to House. He is a bit of a medical detective, fascinated by the puzzles that often confront them.
Indeed, moreso than its characters, House is set apart from other medical dramas in that it is much more of a mystery series than a soap opera. The show has been compared to the Sherlock Holmes stories and with good reason. Each week House and his residents are confronted with another mysterious malady. The doctors then chase down various clues until finally arriving at a diagnosis. Gregory House is a good match for Holmes, often using unconventional methods to solve a mystery. In fact, he has been accused of caring more about his medical puzzles than his patients.
In this respect, I rather suspect that House would appeal more to fans of mystery series than medical dramas. The show literally owes more to Columbo than it does Marcus Welby M.D.. In fact, I can actaully see the typical fan of medical dramas actually disliking the show. On the other hand, I think anyone who likes a good mystery and can appreciate original, unique characters enjoying the series quite a bit. On the surface, House might appear to be a medical drama, but it owes more to CSI than it does ER.
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Technical Difficulties...
Last night I came home from one of my two jobs to find my PC behaving oddly. Although it would connect to the net, Internet Explorer would simply stop responding rather than connect to any web site. Netscape worked fine. My Symantec Internet Security would simply stop responding. Trend Micro Anti-Spyware simply would not launch at all. I know that my niece had been on the computer earlier from various evidence, but I am not absolutely sure that she inadvertantly downloaded any malware, spyware, or trojans. At least a cursory look at the system revealed none, although as both Trend Micro and Symantec could not be run, I could not be certain.
At any rate, last night I spent doing a reinstall on my PC. I am still in the process of reinstalling various programmes, not to mention fix a few more that appear to have been damaged in the transition. I am certainly not happy. If I don't make another blog entry for a few days, well, it is because I am still getting this machine back in shape.
At any rate, last night I spent doing a reinstall on my PC. I am still in the process of reinstalling various programmes, not to mention fix a few more that appear to have been damaged in the transition. I am certainly not happy. If I don't make another blog entry for a few days, well, it is because I am still getting this machine back in shape.
Sunday, April 16, 2006
Whatever Happened to Easter Programming?
Today Christians celebrated their Easter. Since Thursday Jews have been celebrating Passover (which continues until this coming Thursday at sunset). And while these holidays are important to a good many people, one wouldn't know it from the television networks. There was very little in the way of programming dedicated to Passover, the Christian's Easter, or even so much as the season of spring. While I am neither Christian nor Jewish, I think this is a grevious oversight on the networks' parts.
It wasn't always this way. Growing up I can remember that the networks would show various specials this time year. Naturally, given that the majority of people in the U.S. are Christian (or at least nominally so), most of them had an Easter theme. Rankin/Bass, the animation studio which dominated holiday specials in the Sixties and Seventies, produced no less than three Easter specials alone. Here Comes Peter Cottontail was the first, in 1971. Curiously, it was not based on the song of the same name, but on the Priscilla and Otto Friedrich novel The Easter Bunny That Overslept. They followed this special with another, The First Easter Rabbit in 1976. The First Easter Rabbit is unusual for a Rankin/Bass producton. Best known for their stop motion work (think Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer), this particular special used cel animation (think Frosty the Snowman). They produced another Easter special the following year, The Easter Bunny is Comin' to Town, which was in some ways a sequel to their popular Santa Claus is Comin' to Town. Fred Astaire gave his voice to the mailman narrator just as he had in Santa Claus is Comin' to Town, this time explaining the origins of the Easter Bunny.
Rankin/Bass were not the only people who could be counted on for specials for nearly every holiday. Lee Mendelson-Bill Melendez produced Peanuts specials for nearly every special occasion, including Easter. It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown was a variation on the Great Pumpkin idea, with Linus insisting that the Easter Beagle will bring everyone eggs. The Peanuts weren't the only comic strip characters with an Easter special. A Family Circus Easter debuted in 1982, based on the famous one panel strip by Bill Keane.
Even classic animated characters received their own Easter specials back in the day. In 1977 Warner Brothers produced the special Bugs Bunny's Easter Funnies. It pretty much featured classic Warner Brothers shorts within a framework story in which Bugs must replace the Easter Bunny. From my childhood into early adulthood, there were many other animated Easter specials. There was Fat Albert's Easter Special, Peter and the Magic Egg, and so on.
Of course, not all Easter programming was animated. And not all of them concentrated on eggs and Easter bunnies. Some of the programming that the networks once showed this time of year drew upon Christianity, while at least one classic film typically shown this time of year was based on events portrayed in the Torah. Growing up I can remember that for a few years NBC showed the classic rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar this time of year. And for a time the miniseries Jesus of Nazareth was a staple of the season. The all time champion for being aired this time of year, however, goes to the classic Cecil B. DeMille movie The Ten Commandments. I swear it has been shown every year since the Seventies. Based on the stories of Moses and how he led the Hebrews out of Egypt from the Torah, the movie is arguably a great choice for this time of year. It could appeal to both Christians and Jews alike, making the only Easter/Passover special ever shown.
Regardless, this Passover and this Easter saw far fewer shows dedicated to the season airing on the networks. ABC aired It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown just a few days ago. Last night they continued their annual airing of The Ten Commandments. That has been the extent of the networks' observation of the season.
Of course, the fact that there are not very many Passover or Easter specials being shown the past several years should not be surprising. I have written in this blog of how the networks don't show nearly as many Yuletide specials as they once did. The truth be told, they don't show very many specials dedicated to any holiday any more. I can remember a time when there were several Halloween specials on the air. Beyond It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, I can't think of any that aired last year. As to Thanksgiving, the only thing I can think of that they have shown of late is the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Personally, I find this sad. Holidays play an important role in our society. They serve as a break from the humdrum, workaday world. They give people a chance to escape from their everyday lives and to enjoy themselves. In the case of holiday specials, they give individuals a break from usual network programming, as well as envelop them in the spirit of the holiday. A Christian watching Jesus of Nazareth may well be reminded of the meaning of the holiday to him or her. Quite simply, holiday specials help in maintaining holidays as a part of our lives. True, we don't need them to celebrate the holidays, but it is nice to be able to watch programming oriented to a holiday when that holiday rolls around.
It wasn't always this way. Growing up I can remember that the networks would show various specials this time year. Naturally, given that the majority of people in the U.S. are Christian (or at least nominally so), most of them had an Easter theme. Rankin/Bass, the animation studio which dominated holiday specials in the Sixties and Seventies, produced no less than three Easter specials alone. Here Comes Peter Cottontail was the first, in 1971. Curiously, it was not based on the song of the same name, but on the Priscilla and Otto Friedrich novel The Easter Bunny That Overslept. They followed this special with another, The First Easter Rabbit in 1976. The First Easter Rabbit is unusual for a Rankin/Bass producton. Best known for their stop motion work (think Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer), this particular special used cel animation (think Frosty the Snowman). They produced another Easter special the following year, The Easter Bunny is Comin' to Town, which was in some ways a sequel to their popular Santa Claus is Comin' to Town. Fred Astaire gave his voice to the mailman narrator just as he had in Santa Claus is Comin' to Town, this time explaining the origins of the Easter Bunny.
Rankin/Bass were not the only people who could be counted on for specials for nearly every holiday. Lee Mendelson-Bill Melendez produced Peanuts specials for nearly every special occasion, including Easter. It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown was a variation on the Great Pumpkin idea, with Linus insisting that the Easter Beagle will bring everyone eggs. The Peanuts weren't the only comic strip characters with an Easter special. A Family Circus Easter debuted in 1982, based on the famous one panel strip by Bill Keane.
Even classic animated characters received their own Easter specials back in the day. In 1977 Warner Brothers produced the special Bugs Bunny's Easter Funnies. It pretty much featured classic Warner Brothers shorts within a framework story in which Bugs must replace the Easter Bunny. From my childhood into early adulthood, there were many other animated Easter specials. There was Fat Albert's Easter Special, Peter and the Magic Egg, and so on.
Of course, not all Easter programming was animated. And not all of them concentrated on eggs and Easter bunnies. Some of the programming that the networks once showed this time of year drew upon Christianity, while at least one classic film typically shown this time of year was based on events portrayed in the Torah. Growing up I can remember that for a few years NBC showed the classic rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar this time of year. And for a time the miniseries Jesus of Nazareth was a staple of the season. The all time champion for being aired this time of year, however, goes to the classic Cecil B. DeMille movie The Ten Commandments. I swear it has been shown every year since the Seventies. Based on the stories of Moses and how he led the Hebrews out of Egypt from the Torah, the movie is arguably a great choice for this time of year. It could appeal to both Christians and Jews alike, making the only Easter/Passover special ever shown.
Regardless, this Passover and this Easter saw far fewer shows dedicated to the season airing on the networks. ABC aired It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown just a few days ago. Last night they continued their annual airing of The Ten Commandments. That has been the extent of the networks' observation of the season.
Of course, the fact that there are not very many Passover or Easter specials being shown the past several years should not be surprising. I have written in this blog of how the networks don't show nearly as many Yuletide specials as they once did. The truth be told, they don't show very many specials dedicated to any holiday any more. I can remember a time when there were several Halloween specials on the air. Beyond It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, I can't think of any that aired last year. As to Thanksgiving, the only thing I can think of that they have shown of late is the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Personally, I find this sad. Holidays play an important role in our society. They serve as a break from the humdrum, workaday world. They give people a chance to escape from their everyday lives and to enjoy themselves. In the case of holiday specials, they give individuals a break from usual network programming, as well as envelop them in the spirit of the holiday. A Christian watching Jesus of Nazareth may well be reminded of the meaning of the holiday to him or her. Quite simply, holiday specials help in maintaining holidays as a part of our lives. True, we don't need them to celebrate the holidays, but it is nice to be able to watch programming oriented to a holiday when that holiday rolls around.