Freelancette

Image courtesy of AMC.com

While waiting for Battlestar Galactica to return in January, I've become obsessed with another cable show that, on the surface, also appears to take place in a completely alien universe. Mad Men is set on the Madison Avenue of the early 1960's, and the creator, designers and producers go to impressive lengths to ensure that the show remains firmly rooted in the past: every crystal decanter, every Wheel-O children's toy, every Chip 'n Dip are carefully chosen for period accuracy. This throwback world is ruled by huffing, puffing, slick-talking suits and their harems of pencil-skirted secretaries (at the Sterling Cooper ad agency), coiffed wives (at home) and sultry mistresses (everywhere else). Beneath the cloud of cigarette smoke and the haze of 11am martinis lies a pervasive chauvinism and near-misogyny.

It can be easy for modern career gals like me to dismiss the craven office politics of Mad Men as an anachronistic blast from the past, and to breath a sigh of relief that the show's blatant and infuriating sexism belong to bygone days. But while I may be lucky enough to work at a women's magazine where the male-female ratio of top execs is the inverse of Sterling Cooper's, it's still a mad, mad world out there in the industries of law, finance, science and yes, advertising.

I was reminded of this the other night while listening to some of the Mad Men behind-the-scenes commentary for Episode 6: Babylon (that's one of the nice things about watching a show for the first time on DVD: you can totally gorge on the special features). This episode, in which several characters reveal a secret longing for some unattainable conquest (Don for Rachel, Rachel and Betty for Don, everyone for personal fulfillment) while the agency pursues an account with the Israeli Tourism Bureau (hence the beautifully metaphoric title), was written by the husband-and-wife team of André and Maria Jacquemetton.

During the writers' voiceover, Maria Jacquemetton provided historical context and led us on a tour of the gender landscape of the time. "Women were forced back into the home largely by advertising," she said. She explained that advertising made women feel like they had to be the perfect housewife, with the perfect house and the perfect children, and still be able to "cook dinner in a crinoline skirt." She blamed the 60's for forcing women back into the straightjacket role of homemaker. Jacquemetton then went on to observe that what was happening in the 60's "is very similar to what is going on today."

Continue reading ""Mad Men" writer thinks today's young women are all a bunch of Bettys" »

Posted by Corrie at 1:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Last Tuesday night, I attended the Sci Fi Channel upfront presentation in the newly-renovated Morgan Library. Women's magazine writers don't usually top the invite list for this network's annual dog-and-pony show upfront, but I was on Sci Fi's radar after writing a short item about their marquee show, Battlestar Galactica, for the April issue of ELLE ("A Woman's Space", p. 224). I brought K.O. as my "VIP Guest" (after all, he's the one who introduced me to the show), and we had a total blast.

The event began with a one-hour press Q&A with the men responsible for Battlestar, Ronald D. Moore and David Eick, Sci Fi's head of programming, Mark Stern, and all of the major stars of the show. We scored great seats, and were eye-level with Katee Sackoff (Starbuck), Mary McDonnell (President Laura Roslin), Tricia Helfer (Number Six), Grace Park (Boomer/Athena), Edward James Olmos (Admiral Adama), Jamie Bamber (Apollo), James Callis (Gaius Baltar), Michael Hogan (Colonel Tigh) and Aaron Douglas (Chief Tyrol). Bestill my heart!

After taking a little while to get comfortable (the reporters seemed as nervous as the stars wriggling awkwardly in their director's chairs), there was a comfortable back-and-forth. Most of these actors, save for McDonnell and Olmos, were basically unknown before Battlestar. That means they haven't yet had time to develop celebrity-sized egos and still seem like really nice, down-to-earth people. They're also genuinely (and justifiably) proud of their work on the show –- they don't take this for granted. As they sat there on stage answering questions about the fourth and last season of BG, which starts April 4, you could tell that they've all enjoyed working on such a smart, progressive show, and they're going to miss the experience. Edward James Olmos was pretty frank about what a "helluva ride" it's been, and expressed how emotional it will be when the season draws to a close –- whenever that will be (the writer's strike means that there are still about ten unfinished episodes).

The big news of the night for hardcore fans was that Sci Fi has green-lighted a BG spin-off prequel called Caprica that take place 50 years before the period covered in Battlestar. Caprica, which is the name of now-destroyed planet, will explain the creation of the Cylon robots, will focus on the struggles and conflicts of two important families. Ronald Moore compared Caprica to a sci-fi version of Dallas -- a good, if unconscious, hook for female viewers (and Sci Fi could certainly use more of us).

After the Q&A, members of the press (and our VIP Guests) headed upstairs to join the crowds of advertisers and execs to eat, drink and mingle. There were more announcements about other new Sci Fi shows, one involving anime, and something about a tech web site called dvice.com (sorry, I wasn't really listening to this, as I was too busy worshipping Mary McDonnell from across the room). After the suits had left the stage, the stars were let loose to pose for photo ops and chat with everyone. The cast of one of Sci Fi's other shows, Eureka were also there, working the room. When I asked Mark Stern and Sci Fi/USA president Bonnie Hammer if they had any other programs that might appeal to women, they reflexively mentioned Eureka. However, I haven't had a chance to check it out, and at the upfront, I only had eyes for the Battlestar crew. My conversations from that night:

Mary McDonnell: It's hard not to get chills watching Mary McDonnell play Laura Roslin, former schoolteacher turned Leader of the Free Universe. Any aspiring candidate, black or white, male or female, could learn a lot from President Roslin's pragmatism, humanity, and ability to make tough decisions quickly and decisively. During the Q&A, a reporter asked Mary if Barack Obama had asked her to be his running mate. "Actually," she responded with a twinkle in her eye, "Hillary has." Can you imagine a Clinton-McDonnell ticket? Talk about experience: Mary's been doing the job for four years)! And, Mary's wit and charisma would be a nice balance for Hillary's aggressive opportunism. Later that night, Mary admitted to me that she was actually a fan of both candidates, but that Hillary was the "right candidate for right now." "She could "pave the way for Obama," she said. Time will tell if "President Roslin" has paved the way for "President Clinton"… In the meantime, wish I had a "Clinton/McDonnell '08" T-shirt.

Katee Sackhoff: In her role as Starbuck, the fastest, toughest and possibly craziest fight pilot in the Galactica fleet, this woman can make a drab cotton racer-back tank (part of the pilot's standard uniform) look sexier than a black lace g-string. She's fit, she's sassy, she's gorgeous, she completely fearless -- she's my hero. Sounds like I'm not the only woman who has a crush on Katee, though: she told me at the party that she "keeps getting offers from The L-Word." I personally think that with her up-for-anything grin and confident swagger, she could give slutty Shane a run for her money...but Katee said that while she has nothing against the L-Word, she wants to convince audiences that she's without-a-doubt straight (proof: she's got a director boyfriend in New Orleans), and fears that her roles in Battlestar and Bionic Woman may have given them the wrong idea. I don't get this, as everyone knows Starbuck has slept with just about every dude on the ship (she's never dating less than two men at a time) and is as hetero as they come. In person, Katee is beautiful and feminine: she was wearing a cute sleeveless black trapeze dress with gold patent stilettos, and her makeup looked great. I guess some people automatically assume that short hair + shameless sexuality + muscles = lesbian. What a shame. I also think it's a bit of a shame that Katee is growing out her hair, as it's still a little unusual to see sexually powerful women on TV or in the movies with short hair. Anyway, Katee was really fun to talk to, and devoted a lot of her time to us. The only time she tried to break away was to grab her dad (!) and ask him to tell her mom (!!) that Mrs. Sackhoff simply must try one of the little chocolate dessert tarts because she'd really like them. I love Katee -- platonically speaking, of course.

Tricia Helfer: Stunning (and tall -- she towered over me) Tricia had a successful career as a model before switching over to acting. In fact, she's posed for ELLE many times, and one of her covers from the mid-90's is still hanging in our main hallway. I look at her every time I walk down to our executive editor's office. She has caramel-colored hair in that photo, but has since gone white-hot-blond for her role as a cyber-babe Number Six, and is almost always shown wearing skimpy little outfits that look like they came from Victoria's Secret "Space Angels" collection. Honestly, Tricia is almost too gorgeous for her own good. Every time I've heard her speak (on last year's ComicCon panel, in interviews), she comes across as exceptionally sharp and pragmatic. Even dressed in the kind of second-skin minidress she was wearing Tuesday (my Spanx covers more surface area), she's also cool and likable, the kind of girl you'd totally want to get drinks with -- if only she didn't attract so much unwanted male attention. I was absorbed in our conversation at the upfront, and thus didn't realize that no fewer than five men were circling around the two of us like pinstriped sharks. Tricia chatted with me about how female viewers seem to really appreciate the complexities of her character (a robot with a preternaturally developed sense of morality, also surprisingly spiritual and empathetic. She sympathizes with the humans even though she is programmed to destroy them). However, Tricia said, men don't seem to pick up on that as much, and see Number Six as more of a sex object. Sigh. I'm not surprised, but I am a little dejected. Six is a profoundly conflicted character, and I think Tricia expresses that very well, with subtle facial expressions and anguished glances. I do hope that more producers and directors take note of her work on the show. I asked Tricia what else she had coming up, and she told me that one of her recent projects was a direct-to-DVD movie called Walk All Over Me. Tricia starred alongside Leelee Sobieski (cool!), but played a dominatrix (boo!). She sounded pretty excited about it (was it genuine?), but I'd love to see her in a role that makes takes more advantage of her acting talents than her model figure. She's had enough of that kind of exposure already. Tricia informed me that she looks a little more regular-girl and a little less blond in this season of BG, so perhaps that will be a little less distracting for the guys.

I also spoke briefly with Jamie Bamber (this Brit's dad is from Detroit, and that's why he's able to nail Apollo's American accent) and fawned over Ronald Moore (that man is brilliant. I could listen to him talk about writing for television forever). Such a great group. I'm looking forward to watching them in this season of Battlestar, and beyond.

Posted by Corrie at 12:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Image courtesy of NBC.com

I've been noticing a lot of unabashed, in-your-face cleavage on prime-time television lately. There's Tina Fey as Liz Lemon in her unbuttoned button-downs and plunging V-neck sweaters on "30 Rock"; Kristin Chenoweth and Anna Friel in low-cut frocks and push-up bras on "Pushing Daisies" (Friel recently acknowledged this to "People" magazine: "There's a lot of attention drawn to [costar] Kristin [Chenoweth's] and my breasts as the season goes on"); Julia Louis-Dreyfus in partially-unwrapped wrap dresses in "The New Adventures of Old Christine." On just about every channel, the ladies are busting out.

Stylists and wardrobe consultants have always tried to draw the viewer's eye to their clients' best assets, of course, but in the past, breasts were visual shorthand: Cleavage = bimbo. If the character was supposed to be smart and sexy, then maybe she'd reveal some leg, or the curve of a derrière in snug slacks, but she'd strive to remain brainy above the belt. This was especially true in the T&A-era of the late seventies: Sexy, spazzy Chrissy Snow pratfalled in tight T's and halter tops on "Three's Company" while sensible Janet stuck to collared polos, and the most clever of "Charlie's Angels," Sabrina Duncan, was far less likely to be karate-chopping in a bikini than co-angels Jill Monroe and Kelly Garrett. More recently, girl-"Friends" Rachel and Monica occasionally gave viewers an eyeful, but in the course of their daily squabbles, breakdowns, frolics and fantasies, they preferred to keep all eyes at hair-level. They were sophisticated, professional Manhattanites, after all.

The interesting thing about today's TV women is that they're baring more, but viewers are ogling less. All of this plunging, pushing and revealing seems to be flying under the radar. No one is making a big deal about breasts –- unless, of course, they're unavoidably enormous and patently fake, like the parting-shot pneumatic globes that belong to Michael Scott's girlfriend Jan on "The Office". But for most other characters, breasts have become irrelevant.

They certainly don't signify sexual prowess in the way that they used to. Christine's cleavage and Lemon's cantaloupes (I mean, check out the cleavage in this video) haven't been able to secure either of them a satisfactory partner. In an odd bait-and-switch (or a bad casting decision), Christine's supposedly sexy nemesis, "New Christine", is more covered-up than she is! Christine's ex-husband's new partner--a classic bimbette-- is often shown in sack-like shirts that reveal little more than a clavicle, while funny, take-charge "Old Christine" is practically popping out of her sweaters as she bops from her son's school, to her office at the gym, to (often disappointing) dates out at night. Christine is a stunning woman, but she doesn't use her looks or her figure to her advantage. Hmmm...maybe she should!

The same goes for Liz Lemon, the brilliantly funny and extremely capable TV producer on "30 Rock." Her wit and sass have made her top-dog on the set of her show, but not even her killer curves can get her a date with a decent guy. Listening to Liz's coworkers mock her looks, her age, and her semi-pathetic singleness makes us want to shake some sense into them. The woman is hardly mockable. She is smokin' hot! Am I the only one to notice this?

Over on "Pushing Daisies," cleavage is practically part of the uniform for women at The Pie Hole bakery, but the ladies aren't getting any bonuses for it. Waitress Olive Snook is constantly overlooked by her true love, Ned, despite her lovely, prominently-displayed wares (and I'm not talking about the pies). For Olive's sartorial sister and romantic rival, Charlotte "Chuck" Charles, those cute, low-cut dresses and snug cardigans pay off -- sort of. She got the guy, but he'll never be able to lay a hand on any part of her body (if he touches her, she dies). All that wasted décolleté!

These characters don't seem to have to worry about whether their sexy clothing choices will compromise their credibility or detract from their intelligence. In fact, Liz Lemon was recently shown wearing a loose-fitting but extremely low-cut J. Crew dress that I happen to own. I'm afraid to wear it to my casual office without a tank underneath, but Lemon wore it to NBC with pride, sans tank and sans bra. Instead of showing Liz in her cute, figure-flattering ensembles partying it up after work, the show makes a big point of telling us that Liz usually goes home alone, with only a meatball sub ("extra bread") as her companion. A nice rack doesn't hurt these women at the office (hooray for that!), but, unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be helping them much outside the office, either (what's up with that?).

It's almost as if cleavage has been de-sexualized -- on TV at least. Or maybe it's more that breasts have been put in their proper place, and are no longer the clues or props they once were. Producers and stylists have finally realized that women can be brainy and buxom, they can be sarcastic and sexy, they can be neurotic and nicely put-together, they can be voluptuous and...lonely. Or not. One thing is certain: you can't judge a woman by her cleavage. Today's female TV characters are more than the sum of their parts.

Posted by Corrie at 12:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Nerve's recent review of Pushing Daisies totally nails this show's seductive power. Writer Bryan Christian describes Daisies as a "whimsical, deeply stylized, romantic murder-mystery fairy tale" that "took the piss out of the deathly serious murder porn that litters the network landscape" yet still "hews close to the classic screwball tropes." Think "Law and Order" meets "Moonlighting," with emphasis on the latter.

"Like Moonlighting," writes Christian, "Pushing Daisies knows that screwball means more than just snappy banter and sexual tension: it means having the discipline to be in constant pursuit of the good part of the story — the chase, the flirt, the best joke at hand — then move on to the next thing with giddy momentum."

I was initially wary that the show, with its saturated colorscapes, flouncy frocks, sweetly chaste lovers and CG sets would send my internal Quirk-o-Meter into spasms. But like Christian, I was lured in by the soothing, Potter-y baritone of venerable British actor Jim Dale, and charmed by the moony green eyes and expressive eyebrows of American actor Lee Pace. I'm still occasionally irked by the "Gilmore-ish" dialogue (add that to the Gen Y lexicon), but I'm really enjoying the bizarre weekly mysteries and the Chuck-Ned-Olive love triangle -- and Olive herself, played with lots of sass and cleavage by Kristin Chenoweth.

"Moonlighting's" ratings plummeted after Maddie and David finally slept together. Lucky for "Pushing Daisies," sex will never be an option for Ned and Chuck (if he touches her, she dies). So as long as the characters keep their libidos and their quirkiness in check, we'll be able to have a satisfying and fulfilling relationship.

Posted by Corrie at 2:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Photo courtesy of Fox Broadcasting Co., 2007, as seen on TV.com
I've always admired How I Met Your Mother's depiction of romantic relationships between twenty-something urban professionals. The newlyweds Marshall and Lily Eriksen (Jason Segel and Alyson Hannigan) are goofy, tender, loving, easily amused by one another, and easily distracted from one another -- just like a real New York couple! They were already my favorite husband-wife team on TV, and last night's episode, which dealt with my current obsession (the job/kids conundrum), made me like them even more. A recap:

Continue reading "How I Met Your Mother recap: Marshall and Lily 4-eva" »

Posted by Corrie at 10:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

After catching the Season 2 premiere of NBC's most banked-upon series, “Heroes,” I'm left feeling a little empty. I spent all summer gorging on spectacularly brilliant television like “Battlestar Galactica” and “Freaks and Geeks,” so the “Heroes” flaws seem especially obvious -- kinda like eating a Subway sandwich after a City Sub. Last season, I was a devoted fan of "Heroes." I never missed an episode, and enthusiastically recommended the show to friends. But after last night, I’m asking myself why. Frankly, Heroes is only so-so. I realize that the show supposed to feel like a comic book adaptation (or something like that), but that still doesn't excuse its utter disrespect for almost all of the elements that make up a great television show. The dialogue is preposterous (even comic book characters occasionally make sense), and most of the superheroes are flat caricatures, even though we all know that it’s possible to be more than your superpower –- just look at Tobey Maguire's Spiderman, Christian Bale's Batman, and even Pixar's Mr. Incredible. Most annoyingly of all, everyone on "Heroes" goes out of their way to act illogically, doing exactly the wrong thing at exactly the wrong time. The pompously professorial Mohinder Suresh is especially guilty of this crime. Last season, Mohinder was willing to believe that humans had special super-powers, but not that one might actually come to his apartment and seek out his help (even though his father basically wrote the book on superpowernoia!). Proving his inability to recognize a superhero even when one is staring him (menacingly, I might add) in the face, Mohinder spent days road-tripping with the villainous Sylar (who doesn't even bother to clean up after his gory crimes), never suspecting that his mysterious new friend was a psychopathic killer who zips off the top of people's skulls. Last night, we watched Mohinder seriously consider a clearly ominous deal proposed by a creepy, bespectacled loner with the Midas touch. For someone who’s supposed to be a gifted scientist, this guy really doesn’t seem to be very smart.

In another example of character behaving against their best interests, on Monday we saw Claire Bennett, the Indestructible Cheerleader, do a back-tuck off a three-story tower just to prove that she could -- even though her only hope to avoid discovery (and certain death!) is to avoid attracting attention through stupid stunts exactly like this one. Kind of reminds me of how, last season, doomed person after doomed person would wander unsuspectingly into empty artist’s studios and dark, ransacked apartments, refusing to read the writing on the wall (or the blood on the wall, as was the case). Sometimes it feels like Sylar has tampered with everyone's brains... or at least their common sense.

At the end of this season’s first episode, as Claire's mom cooed at her pitiful pup (after all her memory-replacement treatments, shouldn't this woman be effectively lobotomized by now?), and Claire’s dad shot a soap-opera-caliber “portentous look” at his daughter; as Matt "The Mindreader" Parkman cradled the precocious Molly in his arms (I'm sorry, but this kid drives me nuts); as Hiro was left standing in the middle of a field "somewhere outside Kyoto", conversing with a blond, British samurai (okay, I'll admit I'm curious to see where this storyline goes), I was left wondering, why the heck am I still watching this silly show?

Well, after some reflection, I've come up with a few reasons:

Continue reading "Why I Watch "Heroes"" »

Posted by Corrie at 12:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In hindsight, the death knell for one of my favorite shows on TV, "Veronica Mars," was the de-amped version of the theme song at the start of Season Three. The original song, "We Used To Be Friends," by alt-rockers The Dandy Warhols, was sassy, youthful and defiant. It was the soundtrack to skipping school and to peeling out of driveways; it was the music playing the first time you smoked a joint and the tune you wanted to hear after you told off your ex-BFF. It was the song you blasted when you thought you were living on the edge, before you grew up and realized how steep the drop-off was.

When the CW took over from the WB after Season Two, just as Veronica was starting at Hearst College, the network decided they needed a new theme song to reflect the show's new dark, noir-ish image. Of course, VM fans know that it had always been dark and noir-ish, but the CW really wanted to pound the point home. They took that classic theme song, silenced whatever musical instruments made it so rockin', and snuffed out all the energy. The Dandy Warhols now sounded moody and muted, like they were singing under water. Is this what growing up is supposed to sound like?

The producers also messed with the opening montage. The old credits showed close-ups of the characters in action, with little notebook-paper nametags scrawled with a symbol alluding to the show's central mystery. A little cliché, sure, but cute. And fun! In the CW's too-cool-for-school credits, the images of the characters looked like paper dolls, sepia-toned and mood-lit, peering out of dim corners and staring pensively off into space. The nametags were gone. Worse, the CW commercial breaks featured a sexed-up Veronica strutting down a runway in a hideous shorts-and-suspenders getup that would have been perfect for meeting Dylan, Kelly and Brandon at the Peach Pit, but wasn't very appropriate for running around Neptune solving crimes.

After sticking out the entire third season of Veronica Mars, I have to admit, I'm not that disappointed that the show has come to an end –- albeit an abrupt and rather unexpected one. The show, and its heroine, have changed. Like the theme song, they've become less interesting, less sassy and less vibrant. I've realized that the charming, beguiling Veronica I fell for in Season One left long before the last episode.

Continue reading "Veronica Mars and me: We used to be friends. But not anymore. And not just because her show got canceled." »

Posted by Corrie at 11:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Well, would you look at that: Veronica's new BF on the now-defunct "Veronica Mars", Stosh "Piz" Piznarski, was named after Mark Piznarzski, who directed two episodes of VM in 2004...including the pilot. Now, in the wake of VM, the Best Show Ever (besides Battlestar Galactica, of course), the real Piznarski is working on what the CW hopes to be its next big hit, Gossip Girl -- which, incidentally, Kristen Bell will be narrating.

Posted by Corrie at 10:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The new ABC pregnancy comedy, “Notes from the Underbelly,” looked like it was written for my friends and me. As soon as we turned 30 last year, I felt like we were sucked into this time warp that aged us into a new demographic universe. My married friends started breeding like an alarm had gone off, and even the unmarried and uninseminated among us suddenly found ourselves enthusiastically sharing maternity tips and childcare advice. Truthfully, I’m so far away from being a mother, I’m not even in the same prefecture as pregnant –- and yet I’ve had many long conversations with girlfriends about how we’re going to handle the work-baby tug-of-war and how we feel about breast-feeding in public. I even bought my own maternity sweater (okay, that was kind of by accident). Babies, bellies and swollen breasts are a huge part of my life right now –- even if they all happen to belong to other people. But besides the fact that moms-to-be are main characters in my discussions with friends, in the articles I read, the web sites I peruse, and even the magazine I work for, no television program had pushed them into the spotlight.

Until now. First came this season's shows about love, then came marriage, and here comes "Notes from the Underbelly" with the baby carriage. The adventure of parenthood is the main theme of this half-hour sitcom about two pregnant couples and their two very single friends/sidekicks. The commercials made "Notes" look like "Sex and the City"-meets-"thirtysomething," and since I was a fan of both, I was curious to tune in last week.

Continue reading "ABC's new pregnancy-comedy miscarries" »

Posted by Corrie at 4:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Several male friends, having heard of my newfound obsession with Battlestar Galactica, have implored me to put in a good word for the show to their girlfriends and wives. My guess is that these pals have been spending too much time tuning in solo to the Sci Fi Channel, and it’s reminding them of their single days. Well fellas, while I’d be honored to act as the official female spokesperson for BSG, I should tell you that some of the brightest and most discerning broads in the biz have already praised the show to the gods, and you should definitely send those two reviews to your girl (perhaps with a link to this photo). That should pique her interest.

But because you can't say enough good things about BSG, and because it really can be a hard sell, I'll add my two cents.

Continue reading "Woman to woman: Battlestar Galactica is out of this world" »

Posted by Corrie at 3:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

When I first saw the pageant queens of this season's Amazing Race, with their blown-out blond 'dos and aggressive grins, I had to suppress a snort. Dustin ("Dee") and Kandice roomed together at a Miss America pageant and have been BFF's ever since. According to their official show bio, Miss California’s and Miss New York’s highly original reason for competing on the Race was “to see the world and share this experience with one another."

I immediately fell into the old trap of assuming that because these women were stereotypical blond bombshells, they must also be stereotypical air-heads. I’m willing to entertain the argument that beauty pageants can be a great way to pay costly tuition bills, but I still think there are better, more noble and even more efficient ways to earn money for school than yodeling onstage in sequin dresses and modeling swimsuits in stilettos. While some contestants may think they’re exploiting the pageant system for their own personal gains, the truth is that these ridiculous events and the women who participate in them are still promoting outdated, sexist ideas of feminine beauty and grace. They’re silly, and I assumed Dustin and Kandice would be, too. I figured these ladies would meet the same fate as Megan and Heidi, the model-pretty towheads from Season 7 (also former roommates) who scampered around cluelessly with “PINK” scrawled across their sweatpant-clad butts and got booted after only a few episodes.

Now that Season 10 has drawn to a close, I’m still not convinced that Dustin and Kandice are using their Miss America winnings to pay for doctoral programs at Oxford. However, I will concede that their smiles weren’t the only aggressive things about them.

Continue reading "Dustin and Kandice were robbed." »

Posted by Corrie at 10:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Who are these new LOST characters, where did they come from, and why do we have to care about them?! I would have assumed they were Others, but their line readings are so wooden, they must simply be new (and hopefully temporary) survivors. The blond girl-–whose name is Nikki, spelled the annoying way--has dewy-fresh skin, petal-pink lips, and perfect barrel curls that could only have been achieved through the use of a curling iron and styling crème. I didn’t realize there was a Sephora on the island – maybe it’s in the one of the hatches?! Until now, the show’s hair and makeup people have been really good about grubbing up the characters. Everyone sports a patina of sweat and grime, and their hair seems to be getting progressively longer and rattier (except for when they “cut” it with their jackknives). Jack, Sawyer, Sayid, Charlie, Locke and especially Kate accurately resemble people who have been stuck on a deserted island for weeks, with only the occasional rinse in a hatch shower or a dip in the ocean to clean themselves off. Then in waltzes Miss Nikki looking like she just came from lunch with the ladies of Wisteria Lane, not like she's been scrounging for nuts and berries in 100-degree heat. I realize that Shannon was also able to keep up appearances on the island, but she only had to do it for a short time – certainly she would have run out of nail polish or spilled some papaya juice on her miniskirt by now. If they won't take Nikki out of the show completely (please!), the least they can do is make her look as realistically bedraggled as everyone else.

Posted by Corrie at 3:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Shows about television writers seem to be like Pringles: I can’t have just one. I’ve been tuning in to both "Studio 60" and "30 Rock" for three weeks now, and I can’t seem to break the habit. But in the same way that not all flavors of Pringles are equally crisp-a-licious, different episodes of these two SNL spoofs vary in their tastiness. So, I’ve decided to judge them side-by-side each week, and select my favorite. This way, if the DVR ever breaks down, I’ll be able to choose which one to watch.

Week of October 22, 2006
60: The Wrap Party vs. 30: Blind Date

In "Studio 60", we got to see a new side of Jordan (Amanda Peet), Tom (the other Corddry brother) and Cal (the guy from "thirtysomething"). Jordan, buzzed with the success of beating out HBO for a smart new series, gets drunk and tries to make friends with Harriet and the other funny girls (Her goofy pick-up line--“I don’t have any friends”– confirms that it’s lonely at the top). Tom gives his clueless Midwestern parents a tour of the studio, during which his mother asks him how they come up with the “skits” and his dad tried to make Tom feel guilty that he isn’t with his brother in Afghanistan, fighting for American world-domination – er, democracy (But nice Tom doesn’t get mad – he gets them a record for their turntable). Matt and Danny, usually the focus of the show (and my favorite characters), were overshadowed by a touching subplot involving a former television writer who was blacklisted during the McCarthy era.

In "30 Rock", we got to see more of the same from Jack Donaghy (Baldwin), Liz Lemon (Fey), and the rest of The Girlie Show writers. Jack, so superbly slimy in the first episode, took things a little too far in a mean-spirited poker game, and Fey’s self-deprecating me-so-single-ness feels tired (in this episode, her character has two slapsticky scenes where she almost dies from loneliness – literally). Jack fixes Liz up with a blind date, Thomas, who turns out to be a hot, sexy, funny, smart –wait for it-- lesbian named Gretchen Thomas. (Have I seen this episode before, or does it just feel like I have?) Tracy Jordan hardly got any face time, which is too bad, since I think he's becoming my favorite character on the show (who would've thunk it?!).

Verdict: Jordan’s lack of friends was funnier (and more interesting) than Liz’s lack of boyfriends. "60" proved that not every episode needs to be about Matt and Danny; I think "30" really needs Tracy Jordan. "60" took a risk and went for the heartstrings; "30 Rock" stuck with the tried-and-true and didn’t get much out of me. I chortled (at Jordan) and nearly cried (at the blacklisted old writer) during "Studio 60"; I barely giggled during "30 Rock." 60 wins!

Posted by Corrie at 7:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Two new SNL-type parodies, both on NBC, both with numerals in their name. Do I really have room in my life (and on my recordable DVD's) for both of them? Well, until tonight, the answer was no. Over the last few weeks, I've grown quite fond of Studio 60: Fantastic cast (especially that Matthew Perry! Could there be a better post-Friends comeback role for him?), snappy dialogue, exciting hour-long stories. I'm not yet convinced that Sarah Paulson is funny, but I think her character(a passionately religious comedian) could be interesting. So in my mind, 30 Rock, with Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin and Tracy Jordan, was over before it even aired. I love Tina's writing, but I'd rather see another actor perform her stuff. As an actor, she has the potential to irk me. More than that, I felt like 30 Rock would make Wednesdays feel like a lame sequel to Mondays. And I hate sequels.

But then I got home from work early tonight, and I needed something to do with myself before LOST came on at 9pm. I decided to give 30 Rock a chance. And you know what? Tina wasn't half bad! She held her own alongside both Baldwin's delightfully oily TV/oven exec and Jordan's hilariously nutty, say-anything comedian. She did some of her usual self-deprecating shtick, but she was also feisty and fun in an appealing Mary Tyler Moore-ish way. And the half-hour length, instead of feeling abrupt, made the laughs all the more precious, and left me wanting more (take note, Ugly Betty).

Of course, television shows follow trends, just like anything else. We've seen the legal trend (Ally McBeal, The Practice, Boston Legal), the crime trend (the CSI franchise, the Law & Order franchise), the scary catastrophe trend (Invasion, Surface, Jericho), the I-see-dead-people trend (Medium, The Ghost Whisperer), among others. Not all of those shows felt like retreads; there was a time when I was a simultaneous fan of both Ally and The Practice.

I'm still skeptical of whether Studio 60 (dramatic SNL spoof) and 30 Rock (funny SNL spoof) can co-exist on TV in general, and on my TV in particular. But until my recordable DVD's fill up, I think I'll keep watching them both.

Posted by Corrie at 11:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)