So I was flipping through the channels last night and discovered that 90210 was in the middle of it's first airing. They say time is cyclical; history too. All things eventually repeat themselves. It's is no shock that T.V. repeats itself, we've been aware of this for awhile. But have we really come full circle now? Can we say we're back at the beginning. For my generation that time is now.
Sure, Password, Pyramid, and every other gameshow (except Press Your Luck? Why? Whammy. That's why) have been remade and recycled to the masses in recent years. But that was infant T.V. Starsky and Hutch has become a movie, along with every other mildly successful T.V. show from the 70s. Again, pre-me. Enter 90210. A continuation remake of the hit O.C. of my life. I watched it at times, missed it more often than not. I remember very, very little about it. But it's back on T.V. now.
I have long given up caring about T.V. Ever since reality T.V. made inroads into the culture. I still do not care. I do not watch dramas; I prefer comedies. My shows are: 30 Rock, The Office, How I Met Your Mother, The New Adventures of Old Christine and Pushing Daises. And Scrubs -- whatever channel that's on (DVR!).
I express this in the interest of full disclosure. I'm not on the outside looking in. I'm also aware of the large plank in my own eye. Recently I watched Definitely, Maybe. Somewhere I'm sure it was billed as a Romantic Comedy. How romantic comedies have changed. How they less and less represent the ideals of love and more and more represent the accepted reality that love is malleable. I'd say it's sad because it is.
As for television and movies then I am fascinated by the prescient and absolutely brilliant Network, a mid-70s Oscar winner:
Max Schumacher: It's too late, Diana. There's nothing left in you that I can live with. You're one of Howard's humanoids. If I stay with you, I'll be destroyed. Like Howard Beale was destroyed. Like Laureen Hobbs was destroyed. Like everything you and the institution of television touch is destroyed. You're television incarnate, Diana: Indifferent to suffering; insensitive to joy. All of life is reduced to the common rubble of banality. War, murder, death are all the same to you as bottles of beer. And the daily business of life is a corrupt comedy. You even shatter the sensations of time and space into split seconds and instant replays. You're madness, Diana. Virulent madness. And everything you touch dies with you. But not me. Not as long as I can feel pleasure, and pain... and love.
Now, with the recycled 90210 television has touched my time and is well on it's way to destroying that. Unless, of course, they bring back MacGyver. That would be awesome.
Sure, Password, Pyramid, and every other gameshow (except Press Your Luck? Why? Whammy. That's why) have been remade and recycled to the masses in recent years. But that was infant T.V. Starsky and Hutch has become a movie, along with every other mildly successful T.V. show from the 70s. Again, pre-me. Enter 90210. A continuation remake of the hit O.C. of my life. I watched it at times, missed it more often than not. I remember very, very little about it. But it's back on T.V. now.
I have long given up caring about T.V. Ever since reality T.V. made inroads into the culture. I still do not care. I do not watch dramas; I prefer comedies. My shows are: 30 Rock, The Office, How I Met Your Mother, The New Adventures of Old Christine and Pushing Daises. And Scrubs -- whatever channel that's on (DVR!).
I express this in the interest of full disclosure. I'm not on the outside looking in. I'm also aware of the large plank in my own eye. Recently I watched Definitely, Maybe. Somewhere I'm sure it was billed as a Romantic Comedy. How romantic comedies have changed. How they less and less represent the ideals of love and more and more represent the accepted reality that love is malleable. I'd say it's sad because it is.
As for television and movies then I am fascinated by the prescient and absolutely brilliant Network, a mid-70s Oscar winner:
Max Schumacher: It's too late, Diana. There's nothing left in you that I can live with. You're one of Howard's humanoids. If I stay with you, I'll be destroyed. Like Howard Beale was destroyed. Like Laureen Hobbs was destroyed. Like everything you and the institution of television touch is destroyed. You're television incarnate, Diana: Indifferent to suffering; insensitive to joy. All of life is reduced to the common rubble of banality. War, murder, death are all the same to you as bottles of beer. And the daily business of life is a corrupt comedy. You even shatter the sensations of time and space into split seconds and instant replays. You're madness, Diana. Virulent madness. And everything you touch dies with you. But not me. Not as long as I can feel pleasure, and pain... and love.
Now, with the recycled 90210 television has touched my time and is well on it's way to destroying that. Unless, of course, they bring back MacGyver. That would be awesome.
2 comments:
Love MacGyver. In fact, some time ago I was looking for the MacGyver MasterCard commercial on YouTube and found this video called "The New MacGyver"...I watched it and found that it starred our former schoolmate Paul "Radar" Reese. Pretty funny: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdjR2kQvpbg
Network is a fantastic movie. Exposing mass media for the soulless, life-sucking entity that it is.
"I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore!!!"
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