V - the 2009 television series

Last night I had the chance to watch the original V series. I remember the television miniseries from back in the 80's when it was originally shown. It was a moving work of television at its best back then, and now.

But in watching the original, which was promoting the upcoming "revisioned" television series, I thought about what we know is different now in the coming premiere on ABC on Tuesday. Sadly, I doubt the impact, message, or interest will survive this "reimagined" program.

Right off the back there are a few things that are readily seen. The first is that the city this will be highlighting is New York City instead of Los Angeles. Another is that unlike the original, and unlike NYC, the diversity of the characters has gone out the window. Add to that the fact that several of the main characters have had their race and gender changed.



In 20 years, somehow NYC has become a place where people of color are incredibly unseen (or more accurately underseen). Which is amazing since NYC is possibly the most diverse population anywhere in the world. And it is that diversity which is a major theme of the program. That ALL human beings are involved and affected. That this can happen to anyone, everywhere. But in the new version, basically if you are a person of color, you just don't matter.

The original had several major characters that were women, or people of color. They were not authorities or people invested with the way of life. Just ordinary people that had to rise to the circumstances they found themselves in. The leader of the resistance is a woman who had no aspirations of power or leadership. But she became more than she knew she could be.

The new version will have women assuming several roles of the male characters from the original. The father that is divorced yet still tries to maintain a good relationship with his ex-wife and son is gone. The image of a strong man, that can work with and support a strong female leader is gone. The thought of ordinary people being more than they ever envisioned is gone.

I can only guess if the Holocaust survivor character will remain, but I doubt it. I can only guess that the hard working factory employee Black single father is also gone. I would bet that the references to social climbing succubi - as portrayed in the original - will be gone. In fact I expect every female character to be a version of Wonder Woman, and every male character to be little more than a boy Robin at best and more often a pack of impotent Renfield's. Just to suck up to the current political correctness of the day.

In the original the change from everyday freedom to a totalitarian society takes mere weeks. The change is fast but based in the very credible fears and weaknesses we all hold. And the Visitors obviously learned a lot about us, as they took the prime example of Hitler and the Nazis to implement their plans.

The new version will forgo that idea. Instead they will focus on a post-9/11 world. Aliens are among us, and have been for years. They have infiltrated our lives and we don't know it. And the world has been prepped for a siege none of us are ready for.

But that takes away from the story. It forgets that some of the most dangerous times in the world have been not when we are under attack (even unknowingly) but when we are feeling completely safe. When the Government and laws change ever so little, but sliding away from what we grew up with.

These are things that have been changed to suck in younger viewers. Because they never saw the original. Because Hollywood executives are sure that younger viewers will not understand the impact of the Nazis or how that could happen in America. Because they believe that feeding off of the hype of recent events is more entertaining than providing a lesson about how history repeats itself when we watch with dull minds.

The fact that this will be a weekly series means that people will not have to pay attention to what is going on. That if you missed something you can just wait for reruns to get it. That watching the show out of sequence will not destroy the meaning of what is going on. And it loses a lot in that.

The original series hit people because it left no stone unturned. It happened in a real world of people from all facets of life. It involved the real issues we all face. It delved into the need for security and comfort of routine. Even with a sci-fi background, it was something everyone could relate to.

The new series proposes to substitute a false image of the world. Where a great number of people don't exist. Where the frailties of society are replaced with the hype of politics. Where some will be able to hide - even if that is just a subliminal effect of what they have done. It is a watered down, self-serving, and quite possibly useless exercise in grabbing ratings.

I will watch the show. I will be more than happy to write a post detailing exactly how wrong I was on every point I have made. I will be delighted to headline a post with my failure to see the benefit of this "revisioned" show. But I wouldn't place a bet in Las Vegas that any of that will happen. Not because I am unwilling, hell I'm hoping, but because there won't be enough substance to cause it to happen.

In addition this new V series will be a ratings whore. It will be shaped by the number of viewers it will get. It will be modified by the popularity of the stars involved. Because every television show is. And when they aren't they get canceled for low viewership.

Television has always been an escape. A way to be amused by the antics that we all can feel safe are restricted to a small screen. When it is at its best and true to the purpose of its creation, television informs and educates. And that happens best in a small dose that has no regard for weekly ratings, star power, salaries, or fickle Hollywood executives. Roots is another great example of what can be done in a miniseries that cannot in a television series.

Will this version of V be interesting? I hope so. Will it provide the same political and societal message? Not at all. Will it rise to the highest goals of television? Most likely not. Will it last? Undoubtedly only a season or 2 at best.

I hope to be wrong. I hope to see a great program that is well written. But what I know I will see is a show that panders to popular political ideals, and seeks to garner ratings over delving into real issues.

Movie news: April 1st 2009

Ok, in more serious news that you may not have noticed today I saw that Calvin Broadus, best known as Snoop Dogg, has joined the Nation of Islam and changed his name to Snoop Y. I would say I am shocked, but then again, its all Fo Shizzle My Nizzle, as he would say.

Also in the news today is the fact that The Hobbit will soon be in brought to fans across the world. But unlike what most have been lead to expect, Peter Jackson has been contracted to make the JRR Tolkein novel into a musical play. There is no news on who will play the vital role of Bilbo Baggins, but so far Paris Hilton has been confirmed to play Gollum. This may be the first role that I think Hilton is thin enough to make look good.

In yet more news that I just cannot fathom I have heard that Denzel Washington is in talks to take the role of Blondie in Spike Lee's remake of The Good The Bad and the Ugly. The Lee Van Kleef role is already confirmed as going to Benicio Del Toro, with the likely role of Tuco the Rat going to either Eddie Murphy or Martin Laurence. I suppose either of the 2 will have to gain weight or wear a fat suit for the role. Still I find it unsettling that the revisioned film, which I generally dislike, will be filmed in modern day Los Angeles with gangs substituted for the Civil War factions. So far Clint Eastwood has denied any comments.

Still I have to say that the Howard the Duck remake is the biggest news of the day. I am amazed that anyone would take on this idea. Stephen Speilberg may be a genius, but I continue to think this is beyond him. I remain against this remake, even as I have learned that several movie studios are jumping at the script. It has to be the fact that somehow Speilberg got Tom Cruise to say yes to play Howard. I never thought there was enough money in the world for that. But at least Cruise will not need an accent.

Given that today is All Fool's Day, I'm taking all this news with a pound of salt, at least. We can all only hope that tomorrow we will wake up and know that this has all been a big joke. Really a big joke.

Tina Turner - true talent never ages

When I was writing my preview of the upcoming movie Notorious, I was thinking about how little Christopher Wallace was in the world and music in general. It’s sad to say but the thing that catapulted him to beyond superstar status was his death, kind of like what has since happened to Heath Ledger.


And then I noticed today a review of Tina Turner who performed Monday at Staples Center in Los Angeles. Tina Turner is 69 years old. And the performance was reviewed as a knockout event that most younger entertainers today couldn’t begin to match.

“But it was "Proud Mary," the Creedence song she put her stamp on 37 years ago, that still can't be beat, from slow and swampy nice to explosive and frantic rough…

Turner began the evening telling the mostly middle-aged crowd that she was offering "a show of my past." But she delivered a confirmation that in the present, she's every bit deserving of the marquee celebration at night's end that flashed T-I-N-A, an icon-- no, make that a queen -- of American music.”

That’s talent. Nearly 70 and she can pull an audience after 8 years in retirement. She’s had a career that’s spanned 52 years. She’s earned 8 Grammies, a NAACP Image Award, and is a 2 time member of the Grammy Hall of Fame. And she still reportedly has legs that most women 1/3 her age wish they could have.

Considering her sparse monetary upbringing, the horrendous marriage, and her rise fall and rise in popularity in her music career you would think she might deserve a movie as opposed to a dead crack dealer. Oh wait, she did have a major studio motion picture made about her life in 1993 starring Angela Bassett. Good film too.

Tina Turner just confirms something I have always believed. Talent is rare, and those with it can survive the test of time as well as life. Those without it can be no less successful but have to work harder to gain it. But those that gain success without effort or earning it will always lose it – quickly and usually for dumb reasons.

20 years from now almost every rapper since 1992 will be completely forgotten. Some won’t make it 5 years before you won’t recognize their name. But Tina Turner will still be on the radio. And I’m hopeful that she will still be performing at that time, with legs that will still probably be better than women half her age.

OJ Simpson convicted - kangaroo court closed

Prepare for the shock of your life. OJ Simpson has been convicted of 12 counts in the Las Vegas kangaroo court trial on Saturday. I’m sorry, I meant to say the legal farce that was the precondition to the incarceration of now convicted OJ Simpson, on charges that he murdered his White wife. Oh, wait. You thought this was a case about something else?

Lest you think I made this up, that OJ was on trial a second time about his wife’s death, here are some quotes to reflect on.

“I think he did it," juror Sherian Sue Eckart, 55, said in response to a questionnaire item on the murder of Simpson's ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson…

“I don't believe the jury consider(ed) the facts," Ruth Ann Horschmann, 62, wrote of the Los Angeles jury…

I disagree with the verdict. I think the police/prosecution in the case made errors," Sharon Ann Johnston, 36, wrote…

In documents released by the Clark County Court following the verdict, five of the 12 jurors disclosed during the jury-selection process that they disagreed with the 1995 verdict.”

“David Wieberg, a 51-year-old manager, was among the jurors who said he disagreed with the 1995 verdict.

"No, I don't believe the jury consider(ed) the facts," he wrote in his questionnaire.
Mr Wieberg also said he agreed with the outcome of the civil trial that found Simpson liable for the deaths.

"It may have given the victims' families some satisfaction," he wrote.”

“She says jurors instead used video, audio and documented evidence to evaluate whether Simpson was guilty of each of the 12 counts. She was one of seven jurors to speak to reporters.

Jury foreman Paul Connelly says it might have been a waste for prosecutors to give plea deals to several Simpson co-defendants in exchange for their testimony.”

And this was a fair trial? This was about Las Vegas?

This case was never about Las Vegas. If it were the fact that there was considerable evidence supporting the contention that OJ was entrapped into the whole thing would have been relevant. And the testimony of the witnesses, actually a group of men looking to avoid up to 11 years in prison each by turning states evidence, showed many reasons to have doubt.

Now that doesn’t mean a crime wasn’t committed. Nor that OJ shouldn’t be convicted of that crime. But it does mean that 12 crimes and a lifetime in jail is unwarranted. Unless you were one of those rejoicing at this blatant act of revenge. So much for a legal system.

This is so angering. This is all about race. A Black man was accused of a White murder, and because he could afford a legal team that usually only some Whites can and is found innocent he had to be tormented for his life. If OJ was caught on tape J-walking there were cops hoping to arrest him and lock him up. 13 years of news coverage of his every step, and newscasters unconcealed disdain over OJ’s freedom says it all.

There was no question of OJ getting convicted. I have spoken to dozens throughout the nation, not one thought he could win even if God came down and forgave him of his sins on primetime.

So while some are out having a great time, cheering and drinking the conviction here is a sobering thought. Justice in America, no matter how lax or intermittent before, is now dead. It is now legal precident that double jepardy is allowable and enforceable.

No longer will it be enough to win a case, be prepared to win in every concievable aspect and court, many times over. While the average White defendant will likely never have to worry about this, if you are Black you will have to. Because the legal system that previously was biased to significantly convict any Black defendant, and to more hashly sentence that defendant, will now follow you to your grave no matter if you win and everytime you do.

If you are White you likely will never understand why OJ being convicted this time matters. If you are Black you understood it the day he was arrested in Vegas, and all through the week of coverage that followed. And if you weren’t scared, you have to be dead.

Some want to think racial injustice in the law died the day that Senator Obama ran for President, and those same people were likely screaming for OJ’s blood 13 years ago – and rejoicing this weekend. So maybe it’s just that as long as you do what they would like you are treated well, and once you don’t they will have no problem cracking the whip. Just that these days the whip is the legal system.

And if you don’t agree then explain why so many are so damn pleased about this verdict, barely able to contain themselves about the case 13 years ago that had nothing to do with Vegas 1 year ago?

Thought for the new motorcycle converts

With the warmer weather hitting the nation, the seasonal flux of new and occasional motorcycle riders is in stride. But in this year a new trend is also coming to fore. New motorcycle riders that converted from cars, trucks and SUV’s due to the increased cost of gas. Already record numbers of motorcycles are hitting the roads.

“Motorcycle registrations in Minnesota are at an all time high, up 89% in the last 10 years. Local instructors have had to double motorcycle training courses to accommodate the increase.”

This says nothing of places like California, Texas, the mid-west, and other locations around the nation with pleasant weather conditions and good roads. Considering that gasoline will continue higher, with some pundits targeting a top price of $7 per gallon by next year, converts to motorcycles may become a trend of unforeseen levels.

But that isn’t entirely a good thing.

As a former rider myself, one thing is consistent in every state of the nation. Drivers in cars and other 4-wheel vehicles are as much, if not more, dangerous to those on 2 wheels as every other issue combined. So for all those new motorcycle riders I want to mention a couple of things to keep in mind.

Car drivers tend to change lanes and make turns without ever using blinkers or hand signals. It’s one of the bigger problems. They just turn and assume everyone will know what they are doing. They don’t take into account the stopping distance of a motorcycle, nor the potential danger in having to serve out of the way.

Car drivers don’t look for or recognize motorcycles. It’s almost like you are invisible. I can recall a couple of times when a guy with his wife and kids drove up along side me on a highway in the same lane. I was on the left side of the lane to avoid the oil on the highway, and to allow drivers ahead of me the ability to see me in their mirror. I wasn’t turning or swerving in the lane. So he thought the extra space was just meant for him to drive along side me, maybe a foot way. My comments changed his mind, thankfully, but had anything had caused my bike to move over I’d have been the one hurt.

Infrequent rain in some areas brings up lots of oil on the road. This happens a lot in California, especially in the Los Angeles area. The first rains of the spring/summer season brings up lots of oil from the traffic and makes for slicker roads, especially if you are in the center of the lane.

Car drivers invariably never get your speed right. As such they will turn or cross in front of you, or pull out, just in time to hit you or cause you to swerve. See the change lanes section above.

So if you are a new motorcycle driver I would suggest getting lessons. Take a defensive driving course. Wear bright reflective clothing. Keep an eye out on what cars ahead of you are doing, not just the one in front of you but 2 or 3 cars up.

Given these things I’m sure you will love the freedom and virtual feeling of flying that a motorcycle provides even more than the gas you will save. Just drive safe and please don’t try to impress anyone on the road.

As I was once told by an older biker named Preacher out by Fallbrook California,

“No need to impress them. They are in the car looking up and out at us. They want to be us. So why drive faster or crazy?”

And I’m sure other experienced motorcyclists out there have a few thoughts and tips for new drivers as well. Please leave a comment to help the newbies out. It’s one road out there and we all can enjoy it together.

The secret anti-gansta rap movement Part 3 - 4.30.2007.5

Continued from The secret anti-gansta rap movement Part 2 - 4.30.2007.4 Part 2...

On March 7th Mr. John Gibson of Fox News discussed the issue of rap and it’s images and words with Mr. Chuck Creekmur. I point out Fox News directly as I watch this cable news network often and they have had multiple members of the staff do pieces on the lack of attention on the words and images used in rap since Mr. Imus was fired. “Entertainers are responsible for their actions, both on stage and in the world. They are made to be role models, and how they present themselves is their own fault. But to blame the thoughtless actions of random people to these entertainers, on the sole basis that they are African American and there are drugs involved in this situation is wrong and insulting – to me. As Mr. Creekmur mentioned, where is the outcry about the virtual elimination of any form of rap or hip-hop that conveys a positive message? Where are the investigations why record studio executives consistently stereotype the Black community, or why there is active censorship of the formats availablke to the public?”

These are just a few recent items on the point. There has long been controversy and discussion of gansta rap. The commentary started long before this one-time sub-genre became the prevelant form in the industry. Many entertainers, celebrities, educators and commentators have spoken about this for years. The news media just turned a blind eye to it. Obviously their lack of attention led to the lack of knowledge among many Americans. Even the voice of Mr. Bill Cosby had no affect on news organizations in drawing attention to this subject.

“Recently Mr. Cosby has gone to Los Angeles and took to task the educators and parents of young African American students. As well he should, because it is the responsibility of both these groups to do more than just provide the minimum to children. It is not enough to expect rote memorization to provide the knowledge needed to do well in life. It is not enough to promote a dream of athletic prowess, without any thought of a back-up plan. It is far too little to believe that stardom in a mostly talentless industry will be the cure to all ills. Worse yet, acceptance of underperforming and allowance of a lifestyle that involves drug-use and misogyny and lack of self-responsibility are a plague in my view.”

So when the news media ask why nothing has been done I have to ask, “why didn’t you open your eyes?”

This is what I think, what do you think?