Friday, April 22, 2005

Reason #1,354,657,865 why Rick Berman never "got it" and why Ron Moore is a television God!

From Ron's Blog:

"What do you have to say to new fans, like myself, people who are unfamiliar with the mythos of BSG? You've been talking mainly to people who are intimately familiar with the original series."

I guess I say welcome aboard and you've got some homework to do. If my references to the original series drive you crazy, why not go out and get the DVD set of the original and see what all the hoopla's about? I try not to delve too deeply into the original show in my commentaries, but at the same time, this show does have a history and I think it's only fair to point out the connections between now and then, after all there would be no Galactica now were it not for Galactica then.


Tonight's episode of "Enterprise" proves that even more. If Manny Coto had been around when the show was first conceived and writing like "Into the Mirror Darkly" had been happening from day one we might still have Star Trek on TV. This took chances, this shook it up.......this was FANTASTIC. Ron and Manny have respect for the original material; I don't believe Berman ever did. Ron and Manny have respect for the fans; I don't believe Berman ever did. What Ron and Manny have done for the genre is laudable and deserves all the applause and awards that could be heaped upon them; what Berman has done to the genre is a crying fucking shame.

Monday, April 18, 2005

Seperated at birth?

My son....The Prince.


Sunday, April 10, 2005

Another lazy weekend. Some friends went to a renaissance Faire. I bowed out because they bore me to tears. All of the stereotypical "geek" labels people put on Trek fans I put on people who are into these events. Yes, I am a geek and can walk around all day in a Starfleet costume. However, I do not walk about making believe it's 2265. You'd think the wannabe actor in me would appreciate what the performers are doing but it just is one big yawn fest for me.

I only left the house to go to work for a few hours Saturday and get the mail. Other than that it's been veg out and catch up on shows I have on TiVo.

"Blind Justice" is Stephen Bochko's latest and it has taken some getting used to, but I'm glad I stayed with it. The premise is a bit of a stretch; a NYPD detective is blinded in a shoot out and goes back on the job guide dog and all. The thing which has kept me there is the lead actor, Ron Eldard. He plays John Dunbar with a strength which grabs you and keeps you there. The real hook to the show is exactly how a blind person deals with every day life; that sometimes is more intriguing than the detective stories happening around him. And, OK, I live for the bedroom scenes with his wife, Rena Sofer.

It's been probably 30 years since I watched an episode of "Kojac" so I'm not sure exactly how close the USA Networks version with Vingh Raimes is to the original but I like it. I know they definitely do not have the character of Detective Crocker as well fleshed out as the original but Vingh hold the show together tightly. He plays the cop we all wish cops could really be, doing whatever is necessary to get the bad guy and bending or breaking the rules if it either gets the job done or helps out the good guys. He has got to be the best dressed cop on TV today.

"24" continues to be bad television done well. Last week's episode cranked up the suspense but continued to stretch believability. It cannot be that easy to take down Air Force One.

"Robot Chicken" is hilarious. Thanks to my friend Dave for hooking me up with it. They had a bit on the Star Wars Trilogy which almost had me peeing my pants.

I could not really enjoy "Gray's Anatomy" for the same reason I skip "ER". A little too real. Death and sickness is enough to deal with in the real world; when I sit to watch TV I'd like to have a little fun and escape. I tried though, I really tried but kept getting creeped out.

Wednesday, April 06, 2005

I usually don't try to say much derogatory about The Ex in public. Well, at least when my son is around. But I think it's time to state the obvious.

The Ex is a big poopie head!

Today I called and broached the idea of taking Johnny to the first midnight showing of "Revenge of the Sith". She laughed and said, "Honey, you're not serious". Her concern was his missing school. Mine was missing out on a fantastic father/son moment. While she may have a point this is something of an event.

OK, OK....I'm a geek. But so is my son! He hides it well, but he is a geek by genetics if nothing else. We have never gone to any of the Star Wars movies on opening day much less a midnight show. This would be something he'd remember forever.

I still vividly remember my father trying to share a passion of his with me when I was little. Stock car racing. It was too loud for my little ears and I walked around most of the time with my hands plastered to each side of my head. He tired bribing me with memorabilia and food. I would have no part of it. I can see him dragging me through the packed parking lot back to the car. As the dim of the engines faded behind us I was sure he was taking to my next spanking as I had put up quite a stink to leave early. But it was a moment between him and me that is still so vivid I can smell the fumes. I want him to have just as many with me when he gets older.

As what I was hoping would be ammunition on my side I asked her if she thought my friend Dave (The Hey, for those in the know) and his wife had these same kind of conversations when Opening Day approached. That much we did agree on.

The only good part to the conversation was that we were able to joke and talk to each other about it like we might have years ago. It's nice to have that much of my old friend back.

Even if she is a poopie head.

Tuesday, April 05, 2005

I just had the coolest conversation with my son today. I was sharing with him my opinion of "Sin City" (It sucked) when I was given the most unexpected gift; his respect.

I was telling him how, while I liked the visuals of the movie, it lacked a coherent plot. Basically, there was no story to really follow. He said, "Wow, it must have been bad; something like that coming from you" He values me opinion and seems to use it as a yardstick for comparison. OK, so he probably doesn't always agree, but he does seem to put value to it.

I don't think my feet have touched the ground. Each day with him gets better and better the older her gets. I know I've spouted off before about envisioning the two of us as adults together, but this hammered that home to me again. We have grown, not only as parent and child, but as friends. There were may times since the divorce when The Ex had said things to try to undermine my relationship with him but that all fades away with each moment like this. In spite of the mileage and situations my son and I have grown together. I do still regret not being part of the day to day of his life; but what he now have, and what it seems to be going, is a fantastic relationship I see getting stronger than if I had been there all along.

Speaking of opinions:

Battlestar Galactica has got to be the best thing to hit television in a long time. I yelled out when the twist ending hit last Friday night. I did not see it coming. The writing is as good as The West Wing as is the acting. It's a drama that just happens to be science fiction. If you missed it the first time around please find a DVD, download it from the net, watch the reruns....whatever you have to do to get into this show.

24 continues to be a bad show done well. Maybe it's because they have gone to the well one too many times and stretched believability too far. In this weeks episode I find it beyond belief that getting to Air Force One could be so easy and that, knowing of the imminent danger, that the President would just sit and wait.

The Pacifier bites. When it was over, I turned to my son and said, "You owe me $12." While it was aimed directly at 10 year olds it really should not have seemed as if it were written by a 10 year old. Yeech.