WhiteEyebrows

So, Brothers and Sisters was one of my favorite new shows last year, and Sunday Sally Field was honored with an Emmy for her great portrayal of the imperfect, yet sincere matriarch of the fictional Walker family.

So… toward the end of her speech she got a little flustered (a great human moment in the whole formality of these stupid events), and then recalled her place in the memorized text like all good actors: by repeating to herself the last line she could remember, until she remembered the next one.

So she was in the middle of making this beautiful point about how the work of mothers should be more valued in the world, and then she said “If mothers ran the world there would be no [g-d] wars at all.” A great point, a beautiful sentiment, and none of the 39 viewers at home got to hear it. She was censored at the “G-”.

I just loved the way she shrugged it off though when she learned she was censored. “Oh well. I’ve been there before,” she says.

You’d think, though, that she would have shown up a little more prepared. It’s not like she is any stranger to Emmy speech embarrassment. This is the same woman who famously makes the stupidest acceptance speeches known to man by saying “I can’t deny that right now, you like me, you really like me.”

And yet I can’t bring myself to slam Sally too hard. She’s a great little actor who has played a myriad of heartfelt and memorable roles. And the way she allows herself to age naturally and gracefully, not trying too hard to cover the grey whisps, makes her almost refreshing in the Hollywood crowd.

I think one day I would like to meet Sally Field.

I was very disappointed this morning when I found out that Apple had not changed the iPhone hardware AT ALL when it launched in the UK. I was sure the recent price drop was to pave the way for a 16GB model with 3G (europe has mostly 3G networks). Instead, O2, the exclusive provider in the UK, is having to roll out the 2.5G EDGE network. Stupid, dumb, stupid.

Whatever…

The longer you make me wait for iPhone 2.0, the more I’ll be tempted to buy this ugly, unusable, cheap, windoze phone:

Anyone else noticed that since Senator Thompson finally declared his candidacy, he and his campaign have suddenly gone into silent stealth mode?

Thompson certainly is not the candidate many people hoped he would be. He is appearing inarticulate and uneducated on many basic issues coming up in his campaign. He has certainly not emerged as the conservative no-nonsense savior the Republican right-wingers have hoped he would be.

The only positive headline I could find on him was that he was the highest internet drawing candidate. Well, I think that is because everyone in the world (including me) is still trying to figure this guy out.

Who is this washed up, ex-lobbyist, cradle robbing, former senator anyway?  I hoped by now he might have told us…

OK.  I was short on inspiration today for a blog, so I’m going to go with a topic I’ve been actually avoiding lately, but knew I would have to face sooner or later…

The Fall Lineup.

I’m not thrilled about TV.  The formula goes something like this, find a hit, then beat the life out of it for a few years while searching for another hit.  TV is like Fast Food.  Whip it up really quick, consume, defaecate, and repeat; with varying quality and relatively ZERO shelf life.

Every once in a while this tired recipe does actually creates some GREAT television, though.  Something that just hits on all cylinders, makes perfect sense, and fits the time perfectly.  The West Wing, Seinfeld, Cheers, Friends, and others.

Here’s my take on this year’s lineup.

FOX’s House is nearing a critical point. The writers and producers will have to pull a hat trick this year to keep it alive.  Last season was less than memorable, and we are all passed the moment of shock and awe that Hugh Laurie is actually faking the American accent.

NBC is hanging on by a thread, and betting the farm on season two of Heroes.  It was a big surprise from last year, and the most anticipated show of the year.  Hopefully the writers have had an active summer dreaming up an exciting follow on.

Brothers and Sisters was one of my favorites from last year, which I hope gets some good press this year.  Yes, I know it’s like a little self-indulgent domestic drama, but the point is, it has some real seriousness to it, and a bravery to tackle social issues, and even disagree with itself in points.

CBS has been promoting the life out of it’s newest reality show Kid Nation, and for good reason.  The concept certainly draws out your childhood fantasy and works in a 30 second pitch, but can they make an actual show out of it?

Also a surprise for me last year was Shark, a lawyer drama that got past the Law and Order formula, and concerned itself a little more with the life of a defense attorney turned prosecutor who is trying to be a single parent too.  It has good writing and some heart.

I purposefully ignore Grey’s Anatomy and Ugly Betty, mostly because I know pretty much nothing about them.

I’m looking forward to FOX’s new Kitchen Nightmares after I surprisingly fell in love with Chef Gordon Ramsey in this summer’s Hell’s Kitchen.  I don’t have high hopes for the show itself, but will certainly look forward to being entertained more by the Chef.

Now… here’s the audience participation part.  Everyone reply with your take on the Fall Lineup.  Having trouble starting?  Try responding to these questions:

1. Favorite show from last year?
2. Show you are sick of seeing the promos for?
3. Show you wish woud be taken off the air?
4. New show you are looking forward to?

That should get you started!  I look forward to reading the responses.

Yesterday was so incredibly beautiful here in North Texas. There was a gentle breeze, the temperatures were around 75 degrees, the sun was bright and gently warming , and the sky was blue!

I drove home with my window down and my elbow hanging out of the window. It reminded me of a study I once read that proved that the further people drive with their elbow out the window, the more happy they are. I looked around me for anyone else who was driving with their elbows hanging out of the window. No one.

In fact, the only other car with their window down was some ‘ghetto blaster’ mobile, who was bumping down the road listening to some cruelly loud, almost noise pollution, hip hop. Both his passenger and drivers windows were down, with the likely dual purpose of broadcasting his music and also relieving the outrageous sound pressure that must have been generated the sound equipment which occupied the space generally reserved for back seat passengers.

On this day, though, it didn’t irk me so badly. At least he was smelling the fresh air and enjoying the beautiful sunshine.

I like heading out into the neighborhood at dusk during the fall. It seems to be the time where the neighborhood is most active. Kids are out basking in the last moments of sunshine, and even the adults enjoying a leisurely stroll around the block. Many pull out lawn chairs and sit in the shadow of their garages, signaling to passing cars and pedestrians alike. They enjoy Texas’ signature iced tea as well as the company of their com padres, and just sit there as if the world was just put on hold for this special evening. Topics certainly drift from sports to current affairs to family and friends, and the old southern courtesy trumps opinion in every case.

As darkness and even cooler air sets in, the lawn chairs slowly disappear and hush falls over the street.

It is autumn in Texas, and all is right with the world.

Spencer W. Kimball said the important word in the English language is the verb remember.

On today’s sixth anniversary of the tragic events of 9-11-01, take a moment to remember the lives that were lost; lives of the innocent victims and of the heroic rescue workers.

The twentieth century was one of the bloodiest and war-filled in human history, and the twenty-first century is, so far, looking like a continuation of it. Let’s remember what the real war is about: ideology. There are people in the world who hate others for no other reason than the color of their skin or the brand of their religion. This is inexcusable for the level of ‘civilization’ and sophistication we claim to have established in this modern era.

Let’s recommit ourselves to fighting the ideology of hatred and repression that led to the tragic events of that day, and honor the memory of the lives that have been lost in this epic struggle.

May we never forget.

Several years ago, a large media circus was made out of a certain courthouse in the south who had a monument on government property with quotes from the Old Testament book of Exodus; the ten commandments. As I was listening to this debate unfold, and hearing the impassioned arguments of all sides, I came to a pretty basic conclusion…”Can’t we all just get along?”

America has long been a nation of misfits and immigrants. Most of our fore bearers came to this country to flee persecution, gain new liberties, or experience the freedom of a healthy free-market economy.

The gist is this: we need to be a society of inclusion. Consider the word inclusion. It indicates that everyone is involved. Everyone has a seat at the table. Everyone has a stake in the game.

It’s not tolerance. Tolerance connotes that you are simply ‘putting up with’ or ‘enduring’ someone else’s point of view.

It’s not acceptance, either. You can still disagree with others’ values and choices while still valuing and listening to them.

Inclusion means we are giving everyone a voice, and considering everyone’s viewpoint.

I don’t see anything wrong with having a monument of the Ten Commandments in my town. I would also have nothing against a monument to the Seven Avatars of Vishnu, should someone so choose to fund it. I feel that both can equally contribute something to our society. The beauty of the American constitution is that both of them will be treated equally under the eyes of the government.

This principle can be successfully applied to many of the values issues and moral debates that we face as a nation; school prayer, gay rights, immigration, etc.

Let’s take one of the simple ones: school prayer.  Many who were raised with publicly performed prayers in school seem to think our current educational system has become godless by prohibiting the practice of public prayer.  However, this policy has not taken prayer out of school.  In fact, it has probably allowed more prayers in our schools.  Now students from all denominations. who understand and practice prayer in various different ways. feel free to do so in their own personal way.  In effect, we have freed students to practice their own prayers, their own religion, by themselves and on their own time.

I understand that this is an idealistic perspective, and that in practice it is not always possible to accommodate everyone. We’re obviously not going to be able to fit 10 different religious slogans on our quarter, so for now we stick with our history: “In God We Trust.”

But this should be the basic starting point for the debate about these issues. We should begin the discussion by saying, “hey… how can we best include our fellow human’s rights and beliefs in this discussion.”