This week’s Documentaries To Check Out

Stretch and Bobbito: Radio That Changed Lives

This documentary is for all those Hip Hop heads who lived through 90‘s Hip Hop. You remember hearing those shows via tape if you weren’t in New York. I remember hearing tapes all the time and some of the songs they played you would never hear them anywhere else or even hear them again. It was the place to be for real MCs to showcase their skill. You get the story from the start to the end of the duos run, even that point where it felt like they sold out by being on Hot 97. Great documentary for those who love Hip Hop and remember or just want to get a quick glimpse into a time far gone.
I Am Road Comic

 

This documentary explores the perception of what is to be a road comic. You get the real details of budgeting and how hectic the travel is as well as the places that suck for road comic…. Houston, don’t know why but it is universally panned by comics in this film. You get the unwritten rules of being the opening act to selling merchandise.

Going Clear

This documentary is very close to being completely full of hate towards Scientology. What keeps that from happening is the fact that the people speaking were all at some point in their lives a member of scientology. The begining isn’t much new information, it’s the second half that gets creepy. Every religion is a few steps away from being a cult or just becoming something awful and this documentary shows that scientology has crossed the line a few times but depending on where you stand with scientology you either see it or you don’t.

NBC is doing what?

 

“We just can’t get the audience for them. They tend to be a little bit more narrow and more sophisticated than you want for a broad audience.”

–        NBC president Robert Greenblatt

I figure its not new news now that the Thursday night lineup NBC has will be gone after next season. I never understood how a network that seems to have nothing but viewer loved comedies can’t find the numbers to back them. The Office and 30 Rock both had to deal with those years NBC was truly in cut back mode and both shows felt the blow, damn Heroes and all the effects needed for that shows first season… Parks And Recreation suffered from being a knock off of The Office most of its first season so many people didn’t even give it a chance at first, yes I’m in that boat. The thing is the show did find its own footing but it just didn’t help rating wise. Then there is Community which I enjoy and have been saying is a good show since the first season.  It doesn’t help matters that things were ify about the return this year.

NBC has also canceled Awake. That must be what NBC specializes in, get shows with an out there premise and good writing, put it out there and then cancel it at some point to tease viewers. I’m lost on why that is, Chuck was saved by Subway and people who love and like the show will admit it is a different show than what it started out as. Again the return of Chuck was less of a NBC thing and more of the viewers who love the show as well as Subway being a major sponsor.

At this point I’m really getting tired of watching good shows that will get the axe while How I Met Your Mother is a hit? What NBC wants is that audience, you know that audience that likes those CBS shows. So how does sophisticated comedy appeal to a “broader” audience? It doesn’t which means if anything NBC will return back to the days of Friends which was nothing new at all and just seem to catch fire at the right time in the 90’s. It’s sad when the President of a network it saying the shows on the network he is running are too smart and or different for the “broader” dumber viewers out there so those shows need to be replaced with dumb shit. You can’t blame NBC it is a network channel not some random but cool cable channel with hidden gems that you luck up and find yourself watching like when I found myself watching The League one night, it was like six shows back to back.

If there is anyone to blame it is network television because cable has so much more to offer and if network television just tried to be bold maybe things would catch on. The problem isn’t these shows aren’t good it boils down to ratings. Many shows have done extremely well due to syndication and a few have even grabbed a second chance because of that, remember Family Guy anyone? NBC is concerned with the now and as of now the more “sophisticated” comedies aren’t gaining traction rating wise. We can blame Hulu and Netflix or the fact that cable channels show those same shows an average of fifteen times in one day, sometimes you’re able to catch the same episode on two different channels. So yeah if I just wait it out my Monday through Friday will have me caught up to speed with one of those NBC shows, more so 30 Rock and The Office. Still it is a sad time when you have to dumb down in order to have people watch your network. So does this mean the Rainn Wilson spin off show will be dumbed down or has the idea been scrapped all together?

Tracey Morgan you are now a star

Man it’s been along time since the hustle man role Tracy Morgan played on Martin as well as his resident token black guy on SNL. With the success of 30 Rock comes the burden of having shit he does get viewed with a different scope.

This shouldn’t be important to anyone because comedians say out there shit ALL THE TIME so I will try to be brief and move on to real shit to talk about. So Tracy had some really fucked up jokes about gays, children being gay and everyone is bent out of shape why? It’s a joke. Trust me even Bill Cosby has some jokes that by today’s standard can make him look bad. It’s Tracy Morgan if there are any comics in the business you really wouldn’t take serious he’s one of them. It’s not like he was at a bar drinking and then these comments came out or around friends and someone told the press the views expressed by Tracy Morgan. What’s crazy is if you followed his career he may have said that joke a few times here and there, so why is it a big deal now?

I’m not saying that people (GLAAD more specifically) shouldn’t be outraged and on their high horse about this, I’m saying it’s a joke. No one has heard the whole routine to hear the build up or end of the joke yet, is there some audio of the whole routine out there? So what can a fucking comic say now? I mean yeah Morgan stabbing his son to death for speaking in a gay voice is crazy but I’m sure people were laughing. When Carlin got to his no such thing as God routine I’m sure people were offended, Hell Carlin had a joke about doing crazy shit to some young girl who’s family sends Christmas letters out every year no one screamed in outrage. Comedians push the line all the time, they tap on our warped sense of humor, it’s a guilty pleasure to laugh at things in that setting you couldn’t laugh at other wise. To take offense because yes gay bashing is still a big thing in many places in Americais understandable but to really make such a big deal out of this is crazy. So would Bernie Mac have to not do the routine of his sisters three children that he took care of if he was still alive? That routine is classic and even got Mac a television show. That routine also claimed the only boy was gay and the funny stories of him being gay, yes he didn’t say the kid would get stabbed but I’m sure there were more harsh shit said in certain cities that didn’t make it in The Kings Of Comedy film.

Craziest shit is as Morgan and Tina Fey and even NBC are apologizing for the gay comments, do we get a public apology to his son who the comment was made about or do we as a people understand that Morgan is a good farther and his son was the vehicle for the joke? You would think stabbing his son would be as big of an issue as the gay thing, he said he’d stab his son… Come on people where is the outcry for justice on that fact alone? I’m not seeing child welfare jumping down Morgan’s back and it was his son that was going to be stabbed to death, maybe they understand it was a FUCKING JOKE. Again Tracy Morgan you’re a pop celebrity now if you didn’t know at first, so choose you words wisely from now on.

Community Watch

 

 

I’ve been watching the NBC show Community, and first off the time slot is just wrong for the show. To be fair this isn’t one of those “Blame it on Jay Leno” moments, this is more of an “NBC really doesn’t need this show” moment. Meaing just like The New Adventures Of Old Christine on CBS or King Of Queens final season, they will move the show in a bad slot in hopes that the time slots dooms  the show. Now I’ve seen two episodes so I’m giving you my thoughts from those two shows, it’s still early in the season folks.

 The premise of the show, seven community college students hangout together, four are older and the other 3 are young 20 something’s interact with one another. Simple as hell, right?  Kinda sort of, NBC seems to be trying  hard to milk the ensemble cast in a small space thing to death. Now, I missed the season premier of 30 Rock so I have no idea if they too added a Middle Eastern person to their cast, if not just to poke fun at the now very noticeable running theme of NBC’s Thursday Night lineup. Community is a very, I mean VERY dry comedy. I have laughed out loud a few times each episode. You can tell the people behind this show, who are no strangers to this kind of comedy, are tip toeing a bit with this show. I know NBC isn’t one for the too quirky or flat out cerebral comedies so it puts this show at an even greater risk to be axed at some point. The problem is NBC has struck gold with The Office and though ratings aren’t super and a bit of criticism has come 30 Rock’s way because of last season and the guest star phase they went through, it too is still a major hit for NBC. So now you have Community along with Parks and Recreations on the roster for Thursday nights that are just like The Office and 30 Rock You might expect this from rival networks but not NBC rivaling itself, its just too far of a stretch.  Again I feel Community will go first if a show has to be cancelled. Why? Well because NBC has done for Amy Poehler the same thing they did for Jay Leno, gave them a show to keep them from sliding somewhere else and becoming a threat to NBC.

 The show has an odd line up. Don’t get me wrong it seems to work here and there but it’s still odd to me. There is Chevy Chase, playing an older entrepreneur but is at a community college. Huh? Like so many aging comics who find themselves playing old crazies, he has become a victim of age. I will say this though he does have signs of insightful lines here and there that help make him well rounded as a character. Then there’s Joel McHale who is the host to one of my favorite week in review shows The Soup. I feel they want to use his wit and comedic timing but just have no idea when to do it. There are times he’s good, really good, then there are times its like he’s the biggest asshole EVER. Then you have Yvette Nicole Brown who you have seen tons of times in fiber cereal and other commercials. Yeah she’s back in the big leagues again, the last time I saw her not in an ad was Tropic Thunder. Danny Pudi, who I would have lost money on if I made a bet off of first glance, he looks like the Slum Dog kid. Ken Jeong who has been doing his thing with small roles is also part of the cast. There are other people as well to round out this cast of what looks like “improve class 101”.

 I think the show if given a chance to grow can be one of those cult favorites turned classics like Family Guy, Cheers, Married With Children, Taxi and Arrested Development (FYI Directors Joe and Anthony Russo who are directors for Community also worked on Arrested Development, not sure if that’s a blessing or a curse). Again it’s very slow-paced joke wise but when the laugh out loud moments come it’s worth the wait. I hope NBC either asked the writers to step it up for the primetime slot  so regular people can catch on or just move it to The USA Network where it can grow in peace.

 One thing the directors and editors should have done to really make the first 3 minutes before the theme song kicks in is have those Glendale Community College ads they have online start off every show. I love how the Dr. Patrick Isakson character looks so worn down and pissed in the online ads. It would add so much more to the show. I love dry slow humor so Community is a fine addition to the some times fast pace blink you miss it jokes of The Office and 30 Rock. Hope the rating indicate that to NBC.