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Some thoughts on television's winter
season:
-So, weren't those Golden
Globes just about the most boring award speeches you've ever heard?
-American Idol starts up again, 5th season already, can you believe
it? The one smart thing I learned from Simon Cowell: he reminds us that
Rock & Roll is anti-establishment music (and American Idol is an
establishment show). But the point is to remember that about R&R.
That's why the heart of R&R is still beating.
-The Desperate Housewives need group therapy.
-We all know that Las Vegas is a dangerous place, but CSI is way
too busy.
-Law and Order is a world wide phe-nom. You can watch it anywhere.
It's like seeing your family members when you turn on the television in
Beijing or Puerto Vallerta. I watch the episodes over and over
because I usually watch Law (I'm still mourning for Lenny Brisco) and then
sleep through Order, so I never know how things turn out.
-Survivor still rules the reality shows, but I do get a kick out of
Apprentice, especially The Donald, and I thought Hell's Kitchen
was too fun for words last summer. We need an abort button for Fear
Factor.
-West Wing continues to be the best show ever produced. Commander in Chief
on the other hand is a mess. Geena Davis
is doing a good job but the show is definitely a poor second to WW. The writers have to
come up with more believable storylines and work on character development. So far everybody is so stereotypical. We all
know that teenagers are self-centered, but no daughter was ever as bad as
Geena's, and Donald Sutherland's character is awful. How can he continue
to play it?
-Biggest surprise -- Boston Legal. What a terrific show.
-Last word: what on earth happened to the "good" sit-coms?
Still IN for 2005 and continuing in
2006
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The Terminator/Governator Guy
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The Cowboy President,
going for a new record: the worst two-term president ever
Also still in: Rumsfeld, Rice and the ever popular Dick Cheney
-
Martha Stewart -- out
of the slammer. Is Ken Lay going to
get his orange jumpsuit this year?
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War is still in and
going strong. I'm predicting that the "draw-down" of US
troops will occur right around the November elections. This is Bush's
war. He seems to be the only one who knows how it's going and when it
will be over. And he'll need some help to get his cronies elected.
Good news about the war in November will help his cause.
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Reality TV is still
in, along with photo cell phones, and fake fiber optic Xmas
trees
What’s OUT and what's IN for 2006:
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Out: Privacy
-
In: Wire-taping
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Out: Face-to-face
meetings, lunch with friends
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In: Video
conferences, cell phone KITs
-
Out: Relationships
-
In: Friends with
benefits
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Out: Real smiles
-
In: Smile-y faces :-)
-
Out: Gifts
-
In: Gift cards
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Out: Blockbusters
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In: Netflix
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Out: Feather beds
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In: Sleep number
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Out: french fries,
tacos, hash browns
-
In: milk shakes,
tamales, pancakes
-
Out: Caesar salad
dressing
-
In: Ginger peanut
dressing
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Out: cake and pie
-
In: creme broulee
-
In: Increased
national security, which includes sending
the national guard off to war in foreign countries, using local
government budgets to pay state debts which result in rotating
closures of fire stations and reductions in police forces, no more
bans on assault weapons; locking up citizens and non-citizens without
charging them with a crime. AND OF COURSE, not enough people on hand
to help out during hurricanes.
-
Out: civil liberties
and the feeling that our country can protect us
-
In: Increased airport
security, which includes women
being legally fondled in public, long waits for security checks,
increased luggage pilfering, but no feeling of safety. The good news
is that we can now bring aboard our small scissors, nail clippers and
small tools.
-
Still out: the friendly
skies
-
In: The economy of
greed and cynicism, with the emphasis
on marketing shoddy, dangerous products to unsuspecting customers
including selling cigarettes, pesticides, and untested drugs to
developing countries, toxic waste dumping in developing countries,
FDA allowing drug companies to push dangerous drugs to market too
quickly while over-regulating cheaper Canadian drugs
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Out: legitimate,
non-partisan oversight
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And finally, what's
on the way out, our newest endangered species: Social Security, as we
know it
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