. . .

• I bought my Xmas tickets today. I'll be Cincy from December 21st-26th. If you'd like to be snubbed/ignored/insulted by me, drop me a line.
• So after badgering by someone's wife, I joined Facebook. It is about 100x better than the terrible, terrible Myspace. No spam, cleaner interface, and shock of shocks, everything works.
• So...Friday Night Lights. Last season was probably one of the best shows ever on TV, so of course no one watched it. Great acting, great characters, good storylines, drama without being soapy, and most of all, realism. I'm not someone who demands veirsimilitude in all things, but if you're going to do something, you might as well go all the way; if you have a goofy, soapy show, just acknowledge that fact and you'll get my respect. It's the shows that are goofy and soapy at their core, but put on this veneer of pretentiousness and Meaning -- Six Feet Under, Sex and the City, even Dawson's Creek -- that really bother me. Why do you need to be anything other than entertaining? Why try to be Art?
• Anyway, this season has been disappointing from a realism standpoint so far. Here is a listing of reasons why:
1. Awful storylines involving Landry. Last year, he was the goofy, nerd sidekick of Saracen, the inexperienced QB. This year, they not only have him trying out for a spot on the team, but he's on varsity and actually getting PT. GARBAGE. First of all, the basis of the show is how the high school football team has a hold on the mind of this shithole West Texas town because there's nothing else there. So, show, you're telling me that a kid in the junior class who's never played football before is getting a spot on the varsity team? Fucking come on. Dillon High has been established as a football factory. Kids at these schools have been playing football since kindergarten, in programs designed for one thing: developing these kids to play varsity football. At best, a kid just trying out would make JV, if not just get summarily cut the first day of practice.
2. The other bad storyline is Landry killing the guy who almost raped Tyra (the school slut, with a heart of gold and a brain). Several problems with this story:
1. Tyra is one of my favorite characters on the show. Not only hot, but she was an absolute badass last season, which culminated when she fought off the attacker by herself. Now this season, she needs the nerd to save her? What a lame, TV/Hollywood bullshit way to write a character.
   
2. Random attacks happen. They outnumber the serial-type people by an order of magnitude. Serial killers are fascinating because they are so rare; random violence is just everyday and commonplace. Why bring the rapist back? What is this, a CBS drama? Just silly, Hollywood bullshit.
3. I could put away the previous two if not for this one: they threw away the body afterwards. They're in redneck Texas; killing in self-defense is not just okay, it's practically venerated. So why hide the body? Hell, they'd probably give Landry an award for killing the guy. Silly, dumb shit.
3. So you'd think that one would bother me the most. Nope. My biggest problem is the lack of attention to even a bit of continuity issues. It was established last year that Street, the star QB who was paralyzed, his best friend Riggins, the drunken fullback, and his hot, hot, hot girlfriend Lyla were all seniors. What happens this year? Riggins is back on the team, which is somewhat believable because he's been established as a moron, but what is Lyla doing there?
   
• Kenny vs. Spenny is back! It's on Comedy Central on Sundays, for some reason.
• The Bengals suck, what a shock.
• RIP, Joe Nuxhall. You could always tell what inning it was by how slurred his words were. The Old Lefthander enjoyed a cocktail or three.

Labels: TEG, TV