I will admit that I USE to watch a lot of television.  I grew up when television was basically in its infancy and thought it was a real treat when mom and dad agreed to let my sister and me see The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show.  Comedies were centered on family life and dramas would make you think. My how television has changed.

Where have all the movers and shakers gone?  I remember a time when shows like The Twilight Zone was considered a curiosity.  It made us think.  Remember the original (and even the remake) of Star Trek?  They didn’t rest on their laurels.  They kept pushing the bubble and making you think.

Then there were the shows that made you laugh.  I loved I Love Lucy as a child.  I loved Home Improvement and Full House as an adult.  Now the comedies don’t seem to be grounded in anything but being obnoxious and borderline offensive.  Where have the shows gone that made you laugh.

Maybe I’m much too serious  Last night while channel flipping I came across Robert Downey Jr.’s Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.  I own a copy and have meant to watch it all the way though but haven’t had the energy or chance to do so.  Last night, I sat down and watched the commercial version.  Now I know what I’m missing from most movies and television show.  I’m missing the element of surprise — the element where you want to continue to watch.  I’m missing things that make you think.

I’m not sure if the movers and shakers have disappeared from movies and television.  The movies don’t seem to have much trouble (except for a desire to remake all the classics with actors I don’t find funny or that talented). The real issue is television.  They’re so afraid to try anything new.  ABC announced that there would no longer be a mid-season break.  I actually loved the mid-season break because my favorite shows weren’t always being interrupted by sports and “award” shows.  Television seems afraid to try storytelling as an art. The comedies used are usually something that most people can’t relate to and thus have dismal ratings.  The dramas predominantly are crime shows.  What little sci-fi is out there is limited in scope and rarely lasts more than one season.

So my question is why? If we can have event shows like The X-Files, why can’t we have thought provoking shows each week.  If we can have entertainment shows that aren’t looking for the gross like America’s Got Talent, why do we fixate the objectionable acts. If we can in the not so distant past have shows that had audiences like Friends, isn’t someone capable of designing another show that plays on what we want to see and not what someone at the network think we want to see?

 

Once Upon a Time decided that Regina and Hood needed to be separated by death.  Am I happy about this?  No, I wish their romance could have developed but as I’ve stated before somehow I don’t think his death was as final as Hades thought.  The reason:  She saw him before he disappeared and Hades was dust as soon as he was hit by the crystal.

So with that being said, I’d somehow during season six have a mysterious note appear.  Henry would have written it in his semi-trance.  The note would be addressed to Regina, with a picture of Hood and her together and read:

My darling Regina:

We may not be together now, but there are things in this world that we do not understand. Hades didn’t understand all the power of the crystal.  Strive for “good” and know I am with you always. RH

This could give Regina the determination to fight herself and win over being totally evil.  It also could set up something very interesting when the show finally does its final episode.

Most of my friends will tell you I want the final season to be something like C. S. Lewis’ The Final Battle.  How appropriate would it be for Regina to be allowed entry and told to move further up and further in to find Robin waiting on the other hill.

Remember — this is only my two cents and I’ll probably have more later.

Once Upon a Time may be my must watch show right now.  While I didn’t agree with everything they did, overall the show was more like season one than it has been in quite some while.  There is one little issue, and I’ve been vocal to both Horowitz and Epperson, that I didn’t like.  I’ve always hoped for a C. S. Lewis’ Narnia ending.  What they did with Hood set it up so we assume he could return in the show’s finale.  But is that true.  Let’s look at something before we go further.

• Hades said that anyone killed by the crystal would dissolve into nothingness.  That would mean that Robin should have disappeared immediately with no spirit lingering.  Yet, we saw the touching goodbye that happened between Robin and Regina before his essence disappeared.  By the way, we saw his body!
• When Zelena turned the crystal on Hades and blasted him, he did immediately disappear and his body turned to dust.  Does this mean that the crystal works differently on “fallen gods” than it does on “reformed heroes?”

While Adam Horowitz assured me on Twitter that Hood was really dead, the deaths are different.  Hades was instanteous.  We did get that tender scene between Regina and Robin.  Can I hold out hope? Sure I can and I will at least for the show’s finale.  There’s one way to give Regina a happy ever after and I see how.  Beside Howoritz, Fury, and company told me that there would be no purgatory for the LOSTies but there was.  And that was way back in season one.

Now here’s where fan fiction may come in.  If I get the opportunity tomorrow, I’ll write up how I would end the romance.  I think it would make all happy. It certainly would give Robin and Regina a semi-happy ending.

In the world of reality television, people seem to live by different rules.  Many of the things they do would get the ordinary individual sent immediately to trial.  In the norm, extensions are onl…

Source: Dance Moms: Abby Lee Miller Gets Another Extension

In the world of reality television, people seem to live by different rules.  Many of the things they do would get the ordinary individual sent immediately to trial.  In the norm, extensions are only allowed some of the time and for complex cases where those involved have trouble being present.  In the “Reality World,” extensions seem to be the norm.

Case in point, Abby Lee Miller of Dance Moms fame. Ms. Miller has been indicted on over 20 counts of fraud.  This has been ongoing since October of 2015.  Every time she is supposed to go before the judge for pretrial, she gets an extension.  She even got a “leave the country” pass for work related business.  With her sixth extension given this week, she must hold an all-time record.  Luckily the judge said no more.

I’ve seen the court documents and read some of the statements.  When someone tells her lawyers — “Let’s keep Abby out of jail” — the average person would assume that she (Abby Lee Miller) knew what was going on.  Her excuses in the press has ranged from no comment to blaming her deceased father for her woes.  And the statements in emails — well — they didn’t exist.

Let me just start off by saying that I don’t see why Abby had to leave the country in March.  From all her posts on Twitter and Instagram, it looked like the trip wasn’t show related but to build up her image overseas.  I saw no mention of cameras rolling only meet and greets and performances which means she was earning money but not necessarily for her “Abby Lee Dance Studios.” Also the only dancer who appears to have traveled with her was her newest. Not much of a draw for long time Dance Moms fans expecting to see Maddie Ziegler.

Ms. Miller always seems to search for someone else to blame.  She tried putting it off on her lawyers, her accounts, Collins Productions, Lifetime — anyone who she did business with — but nothing seems to change.  No blame for Abby Lee. Now the press is reporting that she knew nothing of her finances.  Her father took care of her business affairs; and after he died, she didn’t pay attention? If I have a business that was my livelihood, I would.

I don’t know how this will play out.  The internet is hinting that a plea bargain is being worked on that would see Ms. Miller get parole.  Is this fair?  Well, I’m not the courts.  And only time will tell on what actually happens.

 

Since the start of movies and television, young actors have been a part of the television screen.  While some have succeeded, many have fallen by the wayside and failed.  I’m going to use this article and look to see why some succeed and some don’t.

The children are grounded.  They don’t come into the career with high expectations but look at what they can do.  They don’t think they’re a star as soon as they step on the stage. Their parents are there to offer guidance and encouragement. It’s never you must succeed from the parental unit.  It’s the statement:  you did your best.  A key example of this is Nia Frazier of Dance Moms.  Nia has never gotten the television exposure or respect from her teacher but she’s found her own venue to shine.  Nia’s star just seems to grow brighter.

While I could use others from the show to prove the opposite, I have long said I would talk negatively about present stars.  Thus, while many have been in the news for not having the guidance they need, I’ll just say . . .  some parents need lessons.

The production company and older actors serve as mentors.  Children are on the set with grown ups for many hours of the day.  Sure they must go to classes, but they also see and hear what goes on around them.  For example, Castle had a swear jar on set and the cast and crew had to deposit money in the swear jar if Molly was on set.  Rumor has it that Nathan Fillion filled that jar up several times.

The best example of role models and mentors from the adults can be seen in the career of Ron Howard.  Ron literally grew up in movies and television. He had not only his own family but the extended fathers of Andy Griffin, Henry Fonda and Tom Bosley.  He has said that those three men offered him advice and strength.  After Happy Days Ron made the move from on camera work to behind the camera.  Not only was he a child star but now he is an award winning director/executive producer.  Ron is a success.

The child is given wise counsel.  Whether it is from family, agents or friends, the child star is told when they’re going over the edge or when their stardom is fading.T  Miley Cyrus is a good example of one who listened.  While she has had her wild child antics, her behavior has approved and she’s back to looking more like a role model and less like a juvenile delinquent.  Miley is moving back to the success area.

The same can’t be said of Lindsay Lohan (or at least not yet).  Lindsay had a wonderful career before her.  She was in with Disney who was giving her mature roles with her advancing teen years.  Then, she started running with the wrong crowd, partying and getting into trouble.  With both rison and rehab behind her, she’s had problems with probation. While she seems to be walking the straight and narrow, her career is nowhere where it uses to be.  Lindsay is a child star who hasn’t made it.

I could give many more instances and tips but this article is much too long already.  I’ll log off and let you add some.

 

 

ABC?  Have they screwed up?

I’ve been seeing many complaints about ABC’s decisions about what to cancel and what to keep.  Granted, I don’t think any of their comedies (except Modern Family) is good or realistic but that can wait for a later post.  What I do know is that I can understand why some of the long running dramas got their walking papers.  My question is why hasn’t others like Grey’s Anatomy.  Let me clue some of you in.

ABC decided to cancel Castle not due to ratings but due to expenses.  The show would have started their ninth year.  Stars salaries have to be negotiated and both Fillion and Katic are known actors with good reputations.  Yes, I know Fillion has a tendency to leak spoiler information but would we love him less for that?  I’m not sure when their last salary increase was negotiated but I’m sure it went up the chain more than we can image.

That being said, the problem I have with this cancellation is all the pre-press associated with it.  First we learned that Katic would not be returning. Then we learned that the company was in negotiation to get Fillion to return.  It looked like a done deal but wait.  It’s only for 13 episodes. Once that was acknowledged, they cancelled the show.  This looks like poor sportsmanship on ABC’s part.  They didn’t get what they wanted so they walked.

Nashville, for me, is a little more tricky to figure out.  They may not have had the numbers but they had the fans as any fan gathering for the show would prove.  They had Nashville’s approval.  Why cancel a show that has survived the network for only four years and cut it due to ratings.

My thoughts are that it is due to one thing, and one thing only.  The expenses to get permissions to pay for the music was something the network/company no longer wanted to negotiate. Plus with additional “guest stars,” you have to add on the salary costs.

We will never really know why the shows got cancelled but the good news is that they live on.  We can buy the DVDs and watch them.  Castle actually is running nightly on TNN or TNT (can’t remember which).

And they wonder why viewers are turning away from the big four?

Many people wonder why I blog about television.  After covering television at various websites, I realized that television is something that no matter what we say will be around in some form for a long time.  Considering I grew up on the “boob” tube, it isn’t odd that I write about it.  Consider:

Where else do you view history as it happens?  I saw the men walk on the moon, Kennedy’s assassination (yeah, I am showing my age), the space shuttle explode, and 9-11.  History is now very much played out in real time and in our views.

What source is better for gauging culture?  Now you may wonder what I mean.  With the predominance of reality shows on the air, we see real people put in silly or extreme situations and whether they can adjust or not.  Dramas and dramedies play out our fears, our hopes, and our wishes for a better world.  I may be the most upset over the comedies.  In the 50s to 80s, they did echo how society changed.  Even into the 1990s and early 2000s we see life as more realistic than now.  Today, the comedies seem to play out the networks view.  While I can’t agree, I know some people do.

I’ll end tonight on this note.  With changes attitudes and opinions it is rare to see a television show make it one season much less five.  When a show reaches 100 episodes it should be celebrated.  Unfortunately, I start worrying about whether the show will survive.  We’re always on pins and needles as the networks make their decisions.  I’ll write more on that next time.