Dr. King for a Day
Jan. 16th, 2012 12:22 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
vovatIt's Martin Luther King Day, and even though where I work is still open, I'm not working today. I wonder if it's because they'd have to pay me extra for working on a holiday. I don't know. Unfortunately, when thinking of Dr. King, it's hard not to be reminded how his daughter and niece are blatantly homophobic. People will say that the struggle for gay rights is different from that for racial equality, and yeah, it's not the same. Nobody is demanding that gay people pay a poll tax or drink from different water fountains, although it sounds like Richard Floyd of Tennessee would probably be in favor of such legislation. But the important point is that, even though they're different struggles, they're both important and both about how people shouldn't have different rights because of irrelevant differences. How is the fact that someone has a different sexual orientation hurting you any more than their having a different skin color would?
Okay, I think it's time to take a break from serious subjects for a little while, and talk about cartoons. The idea of Lisa starting a Facebook-like social network for Springfield is a little weird when an earlier episode actually mentioned Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook, but the way it played out was all right. Not great, but all right. Nothing earth-shattering in the plot or the humor, but I guess it worked, and the frame story with the trial was a good way to riff on the typical episode structure. I do get a bit annoyed at people making the same point over and over again about how socializing online isn't really the same as socializing in person, though. When you're socially awkward, you take what you can get. I'm not sure why this one ended up running short enough to require the unrelated bit at the end, but on the other hand it was nice to see another one after so long. Was it supposed to be in the style of Edward Gorey or someone else? I'm not quite sure.
I don't have a whole lot to say about the Family Guy episode other than that it really highlighted how much of a jerk Brian can be. I'm sure I've talked before about how it's interesting that Brian has gradually changed from the voice of reason to a character with his own significant flaws. I don't know exactly how that happened, but I think it has a lot to do with the idea that a sentient dog dating human women is acceptable within the confines of the show. If I remember correctly, the early episodes never really got into Brian's love life, and it's when they did that they played up how shallow he could be. Then there's the fact that he's become somewhat of a self-insert for Seth MacFarlane, so maybe there's an element of self-parody involved.
I didn't watch the Napoleon Dynamite cartoon. I wasn't a big fan of the movie anyway, although it certainly had its moments. Really, though, why is Fox trying to squeeze more milk out of that cow at this point? And is there really anything else they can do with the character? Eh, whatever. I've never really watched Allen Gregory either, although I did once have it on in the background while on the computer. I can take or leave The Cleveland Show; I generally watch it when it's on between two other things I was already planning on watching, but otherwise not so much. Regardless, I wish Fox would just stick with a schedule instead of changing it every week. And what happened to Bob's Burgers, anyway? I think I heard something about it coming back in March, but not what time slot it would be in.
As far as things I didn't watch, you can add the Golden Globes to the list. As far as I can tell, the only point of the endless awards shows is to see attractive celebrities in pretty clothes. And sure, I like that as much as the next person, and perhaps more than some, but even that tends to bear out the disconnect between rich people and everyone else. "Here's Female Celebrity X, wearing a dress that she got for free from a company that helped to ruin the American economy by shipping all its jobs overseas." Which is part of why I never buy it when people claim Hollywood is liberal.
Pictures courtesy of Suicide Blonde's Tumblr
Okay, I think it's time to take a break from serious subjects for a little while, and talk about cartoons. The idea of Lisa starting a Facebook-like social network for Springfield is a little weird when an earlier episode actually mentioned Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook, but the way it played out was all right. Not great, but all right. Nothing earth-shattering in the plot or the humor, but I guess it worked, and the frame story with the trial was a good way to riff on the typical episode structure. I do get a bit annoyed at people making the same point over and over again about how socializing online isn't really the same as socializing in person, though. When you're socially awkward, you take what you can get. I'm not sure why this one ended up running short enough to require the unrelated bit at the end, but on the other hand it was nice to see another one after so long. Was it supposed to be in the style of Edward Gorey or someone else? I'm not quite sure.
I don't have a whole lot to say about the Family Guy episode other than that it really highlighted how much of a jerk Brian can be. I'm sure I've talked before about how it's interesting that Brian has gradually changed from the voice of reason to a character with his own significant flaws. I don't know exactly how that happened, but I think it has a lot to do with the idea that a sentient dog dating human women is acceptable within the confines of the show. If I remember correctly, the early episodes never really got into Brian's love life, and it's when they did that they played up how shallow he could be. Then there's the fact that he's become somewhat of a self-insert for Seth MacFarlane, so maybe there's an element of self-parody involved.
I didn't watch the Napoleon Dynamite cartoon. I wasn't a big fan of the movie anyway, although it certainly had its moments. Really, though, why is Fox trying to squeeze more milk out of that cow at this point? And is there really anything else they can do with the character? Eh, whatever. I've never really watched Allen Gregory either, although I did once have it on in the background while on the computer. I can take or leave The Cleveland Show; I generally watch it when it's on between two other things I was already planning on watching, but otherwise not so much. Regardless, I wish Fox would just stick with a schedule instead of changing it every week. And what happened to Bob's Burgers, anyway? I think I heard something about it coming back in March, but not what time slot it would be in.
As far as things I didn't watch, you can add the Golden Globes to the list. As far as I can tell, the only point of the endless awards shows is to see attractive celebrities in pretty clothes. And sure, I like that as much as the next person, and perhaps more than some, but even that tends to bear out the disconnect between rich people and everyone else. "Here's Female Celebrity X, wearing a dress that she got for free from a company that helped to ruin the American economy by shipping all its jobs overseas." Which is part of why I never buy it when people claim Hollywood is liberal.
Pictures courtesy of Suicide Blonde's Tumblr
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2012-01-16 05:41 pm (UTC)You're right about the Simpsons tag being Gorey. (Skinner was even reading from "Somewhat Gorey Stories".) I liked the little tag, but... yeah. It did seem a little odd, given how short the episodes are now. That said, yeah. It just seemed kinda meh. (At least the main story, anyway. The Gorey thing was OK.)
I liked this ep of Family Guy better than any other episode this season that wasn't "Back to the Pilot". Mainly because it actually FELT like an episode of Family Guy, which is something they'd not really been doing in a while. I do like the idea of how this season's done a lot of weird left turns into SERIOUS TIME SHOWS but... I wish they were better written? Because it's like... they're half-assing them, and so when it comes out it just feels like they're using their quarter-ass. Because some of the concepts themselves seem half-assed.
Oh, wait, is black-dress lady Mila Kunis?
But yeah -- that was the weird thing with last week's too, speaking of her. It's really strange when they decide to do a Family Guy where all of a sudden they give a damn about Meg? I mean, I like the Meg eps usually, but.. yeah, it just seemed odd that "OH NO SHE WILL HAVE SEX WITH QUAGMIRE! OH NOS!!" and while... yeah, it was creepy, it just seemed a little huh.
no subject
Date: 2012-01-16 11:56 pm (UTC)I agree that it's weird when the family starts actually caring about Meg. One episode will have them concerned about her sex life, then the next will have nobody making an effort to get her out from under a roof beam. I know the characters are more flexible than on many shows, but it still comes across as bizarre.
no subject
Date: 2012-01-16 10:58 pm (UTC)It's kind of cool that the Napoleon Dynamite cartoon got all the original actors, but wouldn't it have been a better idea five or six years ago? If the main reaction a show gets is "oh, yeah, I remember that . . ." that's not good.
What I saw of Allen Gregory didn't interest me, and I only pay attention to The Cleveland Show when I hear David Lynch's voice. ^_^
I loved Bob's Burgers, though.
no subject
Date: 2012-01-16 11:57 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-01-17 02:51 pm (UTC)Love, Your Friendly LiveJournal Gay :)
no subject
Date: 2012-01-17 06:55 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-01-17 09:53 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-01-18 01:35 am (UTC)