TV Rant: In Defense of Commercials...

Image via RaymondJ @ ifrymineinbutter.

How do I say this without sounding like an absolute asshole.... I miss commercials.

I thought, back in the days when I first got a DVR and was able to fast forward through these short annoyance breaks in between acts of my favorite TV shows, but, I was wrong, you guys. So. Dead. Wrong.

As my DVR led into ultimately streaming on places like Netflix and even in past blog posts lamenting about paying for Hulu Plus and it not allowing skipping commercials as a premium option, eventually I started streaming through my cable company's proprietary service and I noticed a new thing that I just can't get behind.

Instead of commercials, I get an almost vanity card like note from the network saying that they're at a commercial break, and re-assuring me that my program will return shortly.

I'd rather be watching an ad. Whether it be for a product, (Which means more money for the networks to help continue producing these shows I adore so much, always a good thing!), or for a different program on the network, (Which is also pretty badass since I don't exactly watch actual channels anymore, and I tend to miss out on some new stuff, so these ads really do help!!), I'd so much rather be inundated with some marketing than be staring at this vanity card for 2-5 minutes and listening to the same 45 second loop of elevator muzak over and over again.

And this missing commercials thing? It's gotten really bad. It's gotten Take-My-TV-That-Has-Only-Ever-Known-An-Xbox-As-An-Input-And-Actually-Screw-In-The-Old-School-Coaxial-Cable-In-BAD. Yes, you heard all that right, I am watching broadcast television at this exact moment. And commercials. And I'm not even feeling bad about the fact that I'm watching ads on a service that I actually pay way more for than I ever did for Netflix. I feel good about it. You know, like I'm doing my part to keep this almost flailing industry afoot.

And you know what, that's where I'll end this, Do your part, and watch a commercial today!

(Was that too The More You Know-y...? Cos if it was, you can totally tell me.)

Documentary Review: I Am Chris Farley

Image via Flickr: bsoist

Um. Have tissues nearby. Lots and lots of tissues.

This is a beyond touching portrait of someone who literally put their body on the line to make us all laugh. And as we often see with this type of person, that brand of self-deprecation comes at a very high price.

But let's not get all drowned in our own tears just yet....

This documentary is a loving tribute to someone who I know made my childhood immensely more fun than I ever thought possible. No lie, during the Spade/Farley/Sandler years of SNL, I would pretend to go to sleep on Saturday nights, wait until my parents were securely tucked away in their bedroom and I could hear just the slightest amount of snoring, and then I would sneak back into the living room with my favorite pillow and my unicorn comforter, turn the TV on as quiet as I could get it and still hear and plop down right in front of it to wait out the news ending and then have to fight the urge to squeal with delight as I heard those awe-inducing words, "Live from New York, it's Saturday Niiiiiiiiiiiiight!!"

Whether it was a Gap Girls sketch or Matt Foley Motivational Speaker, I think I might have more fond memories of watching these guys try to avoid cracking up than I do of anything else I encountered in my childhood. Screw playing with Barbies, watching these guys was the ultimate happy-making moment of every week.

But like all stories, his of course didn't start on the Stage That Lorne Michaels, his story started in Madison, Wisconsin. It was where he discovered that throwing himself under the bus for the sake of laughter was well worth it. In the stories lovingly told by his brothers, his mother and eventually his school mates, he was a physical comedian long before he probably even knew what that entailed.

That this eventually led him to Second City in Chicago is no surprise. And to hear everyone talk about his time there is amazing. You can read all the books you want, and while hearing it from Bob & Naomi Odenkirk in print is great, nothing beats seeing the look his comedy pals get on their face when they talk about his time there. Everyone remembers it fondly and you can understand why, he was a standout and even more than that, he was willing to do anything to get the laugh, which while a lot of people think they will do that, it takes a special kind of person to actually get up on that stage and follow through. Chris was that person.

Take-aways from this flick:

• There is a real life Matt Foley. And just wait til you find out what Mr. Foley does for a living.
• Dan Aykroyd is a special kind of tortured soul. You just wanna give him a ginormous bear hug when you think about what he went through with Belushi and then again with Chris. 
• Bob Saget can cry. Maybe this is bad on me, but I never really pictured Mr. That Ain't Right shedding a tear.
• Bob Odenkirk is mad. And when you see why, you get it. But, I just really couldn't hold back the tears, and I'm pretty sure I need to go watch The Bob being pure light and pure energy now to feel better about things. Terra-dalu!

This documentary is an amazing watch and well worth the potential dehydration you might suffer through from crying for an hour and 35 minutes straight, so GO! Watch it now!

TV Review: I Am Cait

I should probably start this out by saying that I'm not usually up for much reality TV. I grew up in an age of scripted sitcoms being my primary form of entertainment, save for the occasional viewing of The Price Is Right when I was home sick for a day or something, beyond that and the short-lived series Happy Hour on USA with the Zappa Brothers being my only real glimpse of "unscripted television"... Suffice to say, prior to the About Bruce episodes of Keeping Up With The Kardashians, I hadn't seen more than a few moments of the show while watching The Soup or flipping channels and the like. To be honest, I was never really captivated by the family and the bits I saw of how they treated Bruce, (The only member of the family I was even remotely familiar with), kind of turned me off from the whole thing. That said, being familiar with Bruce Jenner, I was intrigued to see how they would handle something quite as sensitive as his transition.

So I watched the About Bruce special, and I was kind of surprised. Sure they played up the dramatics with some of the daughters not quite taking things so well, but, truth be told, any family would probably deal with some similar emotions coming up during this process. It was at the very least, an honest portrayal and I based my decision to continue on with watching I Am Cait based on this fact alone.

And it was good, and it was touching and I may have cried a little bit during the very emotional moment where Caitlyn was taking part of a memorial ceremony for sweet Kyler Prescott. The lighthearted moments of the show were a nice breather from so much focus on such a heavy topic and the entire show was done with respect and seemed to have a larger picture view than any other "reality" show I've ever glimpsed tries to even aim for. I'll definitely keep watching this one, and I really hope that Caitlyn is able to continue down her path to transitioning with as much optimism and hope as she's shown thus far.

And I seriously, sincerely hope that the younger generation of folks who feel their own identity struggles can see her journey and hopefully receive the type of reception Cait has gotten from those closest to her, it hurts my soul to know that so many haven't been able to live as their authentic self, and for those who have tried and found the journey to be too much for them, my heart breaks over and over again. I know I don't have a personal connection to this world, but growing up in a stifling religious environment such as the one I did, I do know what it's like to not be accepted for who you are and even worse to be persecuted for even discussing your true self among those you feel closest to, I want for our world to be a more accepting place, and hopefully shows like this one can help us get there sooner.