Misc. Thoughts

[thehefner]

I just realized that "Scrubs" is kinda like "Family Guy," except the random jokes actually serve the plot. This thought was soon followed by the realization that while I still enjoy and am entertained by "Family Guy," I don't really laugh out loud too often during it, compared to how I usually cackle like a madman at least three times during even a lame episode of "Scrubs." "Scrubs" and "Venture Bros" are the funniest shows on TV right now (among the five or so other TV comedies I check out).

***

Speaking of TV, I recorded Sci-Fi's 6 hour marathon of the first 6 episodes of "Heroes." Much praise has been slung for this show, a show about superheroes, so it's strange that I haven't watched it yet, but... well, I'm still a little hesitant because of Jeph Loeb's involvement. The man not only wrote TEEN WOLF 1 and 2, COMMANDO, and the Howie Long epic FIRESTORM, he's also one of the most undeservedly popular comic writers today.

Seriously, is there a term for cliched, hackneyed statements in stories, things where if you heard the first part, you could finish the rest? Like having a spy say, "If I told you any more, I'd have to kill you"? Or having characters say "You're going down!" or "Not in MY city!", you know, shit like that? Drives me bonkers. And oh yeah, like half of his books are having characters quoting someone or some thing else.

ARGH. Sometimes I think the only reason the man is fucking popular at all is that he teams up with excellent artists who can distract from his shitty, shitty writing. Case in point, anyone read the Loeb/Liefeld epic-in-the-making ONSLAUGHT REBORN? Loeb fans canNOT defend that. I dare them to try.

But still. "Heroes" is supposed to be excellent, so watch it I shall.

***

So it turns out that the raccoon with no tail and the limp wasn't Oy at all! No, Oy showed up a couple nights ago, fine as usual. And the next night, I caught both raccoons together on my porch. I pointed them out to Mom, who thinks the bigger, limping one might actually be missing a leg in addition to its tail. But all the same we were just "awwwwww!"ing together... because the two raccoons toddled off down the porch side by side. They're a couple!

***

If I had to recommend one single Stephen King book to anybody, I think it's be THE TALISMAN. I don't necessarily think it's his best, but man, it's certainly the one of his that I'll cherish the most.

Comments

[ortugatay.livejournal.com]

Oh MAN I love Scrubs. I want to marry Dr. Cox. I just think it has a lot of heart, plus it's funny as hell.

I guess that's why I don't really watch Family Guy anymore, y'know? The references can be funny, but sometimes if you don't get it, it just drags on. And the characters just don't have the heart that the Simpsons do, and the Scrubs cast.

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

Wow, you and Dr. Cox would be amazing to watch... you're unshakable optimism yet hardcoreness versus his caustic nihilistic sarcasm and seething anger would either be a disaster or the best couple ever.

And you're totally right about it lacking the heart of those other shows. It's why, no matter how funny FG is (and it can be frickin' hi-larious, don't get me wrong), it just won't ever match up to Simpsons, Scrubs, Futurama, hell, even Venture Brothers!

[tompurdue.livejournal.com]

Cox is one of those characters that requires exactly the right actor to pull it off. John C. McGinley is one of those clearly theater-trained actors, and I can't help but think that has something to do with it. (You know he did a guest spot on Justice League, right?)

He looks enough like Ted McGinley that I thought they must be related, but not so far as I can determine.

I wouldn't have thought to compare Scrubs to FG, but they've both got that sense of random surrealism. Good point.

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

I totally believe he's theatre-trained and that it has something to do with it. He's always been one of those notable supporting actors (wasn't he in HIGHLANDER 2?) and I'm finally glad to really see him let loose in a role like this. It's nice when a "that guy" actor actually gets a name attached to him. Still, most folks I know don't watch "Scrubs" and only know him as one of the two Bobs.

Oh god, yes. EVERYBODY's on Justice League. McGinley, Robert Picardo, Rob Zombie, David Warner, Malcolm McDowell, Susanna York, Michael Ironside, Jeffery Jones, Ted Levine, CCH Pounder, Ron Perlman, Virginia Madsen, Michael Dorn, Ben Browder, Michael McKean, half the cast of FIREFLY, and even, yes, Ted McGinley. I really did love that show. (And yes, I did check imdb for a few of those names, but the rest I got from memory, I swear. I'm just that much of a loser)

Yeah, random surrealism, that's a good way to put it.

[ortugatay.livejournal.com]

I'm gonna go with...best couple ever. :-)

Hooray for the shows with heart! And don't even get me started on American Dad.....

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

American Dad is a terrible show, yes, but it gets a lifelong pass from me purely for this moment:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VeJK4lrbsZI

[jellied.livejournal.com]

So long as I get to call dibs on JD.

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

Fine, just as long as I can have... um... not her, no... no, not her either... maybe Dr. Cox's wife if she weren't so caustic as to make me cry... oh, the new blond girl, the one who I think was in SLITHER! Yes, I'll take her! But mainly because she was hot in SLITHER.

[the-mithril-man.livejournal.com]

Heroes, well I’ve had to give this show more than a few tries. The main characters are just so damn un-likable. Save for Shiro, they all are whiney bastards. I guess the big deal being overcoming their own problems as to be better heroes and save the world. You know that old chestnut. As for Loeb, well when asked about Commando he simply smiles and says “It paid for my house.” And in the end that’s when I give all creative types a break, sometimes you just have to pay bills. And lets be honest, how high did your hopes get when you saw Howie Long’s name in the credits. Looking up at an ant’s belly weren’t you? You knew you wouldn’t be getting a Ronnie Raymond bio-pic.

Someone said we have money for someone to write a screenplay that makes Howie an action star. Jeph stood up and said “I’ll take your money.” and delivered a fun little summer popcorn movie. Mission Accomplished. Though you are right his dialogue can be God awful. I am interested in his take on The Ultimates and I’d like to see him do 616 Thor.

As for Family Guy, you will find no fans here. The new stuff seems like they come up with plots by slinging darts at a magazine rack while waiting in a doctor’s office. When I can catch Scrubs I like it, but House is still king of the funny doctor themed shows to me. The Simpsons is getting long in the tooth itself, but it can still be funny and a little heart warming when it wants to be. And The Venture Brothers? Any show that can believably work in the following line has me won over

“Hey, guess what? Nobody cares who would win in a crazy fantasy fist-fight between Anne Frank and Lizzie Borden!”

Of all the King books I’ve read The Talisman is not among them. I’ll have to take a look. Thanks.

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

My problem is that Loeb writes his COMICS the same way too.

I only barely tolerate Long Halloween because I love Harvey Dent, and damn if he doesn't write him interestingly, but holy crap I could write a whole essay about how Loeb is a cliched, hackneyed, cheap, lazy, trite (TRITE! That's the word I was looking for!) writer.

I too will likely check out Ultimates, mainly because I read through most of the comics that we get in the shipment. Still, Loeb AND Joe Mad? *shudder*

The way you describe how the FG staff comes up with plots reminds me... have you seen the Cartoon Wars episode of South Park?

Simpsons can still churn out one or two great episodes per season (the single greatest joke they've done in the past eight years, for my money, is the Jesus on the Swing gag), but the most recent episode? The one about Marge doing sculptures with popsicle sticks? Watching it all the way through felt like I was punching myself in the balls very, very slowly.

Yeah, do check out Talisman. I find that one to be particularly treasured with others as well as myself. It probably has something to do with the quest-like feel and the child protagonist.

[kosher-jenny.livejournal.com]

Oh, Heroes. I haven't really bothered to tune in since I found out that of the (two) female powered characters both have already had plotlines involving sexual assault, all within the first few episodes. Heroes, you don't have to be so much like comics you know. Anyway, it wasn't really the sort of info that made me want to follow the show.

...but then I heard that Christopher Eccleston is going to be on the show, who just so happens to be one of my favorite actors. So! I'll probably need to get caught up on that before he shows up. I've heard good things too, so hopefully I'll wind up liking it.

Also, Scrubs is wonderful. I used to follow it during the first couple seasons but then wandered away. Now that it's in syndication I've started watching it again (I'd actually just finished watching an episode and had sat down to check my flist) Watching some of the earlier episodes reminded me of how unique it was in the TV landscape when it debuted, with its lack of a laugh track and hilariously cartoonish (and sometimes almost surreal) gags. And it's still entertaining, while the same can sadly not be said for Family Guy.

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

Oh man, that's unfortunate. Ah well, I'll still plow through and see. It's getting enough good notices, and really, superhero-themed mainstream stuff really should be watched. I do keep punching myself in the balls and hoping that superheroes might get taken a wee bit more seriously... but then, they've been elevated from "kids' stuff" to "fun popcorn movie fodder," so that's progress, at least...

Oooh, Eccleston!!! Yayy! Have you seen REVENGERS TRAGEDY? First film I ever took notice of him in.

FG can still get me with random musical numbers, because I'm a sucker for that crap. And the occasional random gag like Brian reenacting "Peanut Butter Jelly Time." Most times, FG works as pop culture refference, not as actual humor. I think of it less "The Simpsons" and more "I love the 80's."

[yancentric.livejournal.com]

I've gotten sucked into Heroes and was wondering what you'd think. I like it a lot, but kind of expect you to hate it. It seems to play off the current popular trend of gathering a handful of "real" (as in flawed, sometimes tritely so) people suddenly thrust into a world where superpowers exist. I didn't like the first episode at all, as much as I wanted to, since the dialogue and acting were too rough.

But it's grown on me a lot. The people are starting to get into their characters and the writing's picked up a bit too. The bimbo chick is my least favorite and I want her to die, though some people seem to like her. Meanwhile, the cop, who only shows up in about every other episode, is far and away my favorite while tons of people hate him. Everyone else seems involved in some kind of political or criminal intrigue (and I guess he is too..) but he just feels like a real guy, like I could know him.

Far and away the worst element of the show are the intro/outro voiceovers. They're so fucking pretentious and add nothing. It's generally bullshit like "Sometimes, the truly weak awaken to discover they are actually not weak at all, while the powerful find themselves weak, and the people that are neither weak nor powerful find that, well, maybe they are powerful.. or weak. or just nothing much. maybe they like steak.."

Also, the first episode pissed me off by referencing X-Men #143 as the one where Kitty Pride traveled through time. Dude, you're making a fucking superhero TV show where your core initial audience is going to be the comic geek -- How the fuck are you going to get Days of Future Past wrong??? Pissed me off.

The dialogue can be weak, and the production value's lower than Lost (though it's popular enough that hopefully that'll change -- which is good because some of the effects blow), but it's a guilty pleasure. I think you're too much of a comic purist, though, and will hammer away at too much of it, caught in such a constant state of how good it could've been to get any enjoyment from it ;)

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

I'll try to remember all this and will get back to you on't when I get through 'em.

Because, hey, you might well be right. I am a grumbly picky fanboy who demands a lot. Damn it. But I'll give it all six or so episodes, maybe more, to see how it develops.

[spacechild.livejournal.com]

Heffie.. i dont know if you saw this... http://community.livejournal.com/scans_daily/2697880.html

but i decided you needed an icon from it..

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

God, yes. Still, I kinda want to tinker with it to try to get the lettering bigger/more legible. Because yes, that icon is a must-have. Thankee!

[spacechild.livejournal.com]

i did what i could with my office's crappy software.

feel free to make a better one. but you have this for now.

[kali921.livejournal.com]

I go hot and cold on Heroes. Some of the characters are great, others (Claire the Cheerleader, aka Wolverine) and Nikki (She-Hulk melded with Typhoid Mary) are grating.

But it's worth watching. Why? Because it's MUCH more realistic than comics can ever, ever hope to be.

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

I will keep it in mind, but I dunno, sometimes realism just gets in the way. Too much realism can ruin a comic. I like realism in the emotions and humanity of characters, but it doesn't work too well outside of that.

[kali921.livejournal.com]

No, trust me. It works. You get a decompressed storyline of people waking up one day with powers manifesting, and great episodes of how they deal with it. THAT part of the series I absolutely love, because I can't stand

I think that's why I got to love DC's Bulleteer, even if I was irritated by Grant Morrison's writing in her miniseries. One thing I think he really nailed was the period of transition Alix goes through after she first gets her powers, when she realizes that she can't keep her job, when she's depressed and grieving over her husband's death, when she's just totally LOST in trying to figure out what the hell she's going to do with her life.

I loved it. Absolutely loved it.

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

VERY well. I shall trust you. THIS time.

I still haven't quite gotten into or figured out any of Seven Soldiers. Once the final book comes out, I will just sit down and take my time as I read them all from start to finish.