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(09/21/07 1:24am)
This week, the major networks began premiering their new fall shows. Along with those new shows comes the continuing of some major trends in television, both good and bad. \nBoth the networks and their audiences are full of optimism that all the programs debuting will be huge successes. The bad news is that the shelf life of a new program is way too short. Consider that of the almost 30 programs that debuted on the major channels last fall (ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX and CW), only nine survived for a second season. And some lasted an entire season just to be cancelled before the 2007 schedules were announced (“The Class”), while others were highly-touted this time last year only to be shelved before Thanksgiving (“The Nine”). \nRegardless, 70 percent were probably axed for the same reason that is plaguing network TV today: the ratings crisis. The bigwigs are so concerned with creating a new ratings sensation that they forget there are quality shows that can slowly build a following over time. The tabulation methods they use are out of date, and only now is the industry getting around to incorporating TiVo and DVR viewers. \nAlas, there are at least 25 new shows hoping to avoid the ratings guillotine, and many of them are classic examples of what television does seem to be good at: copying off the previous year’s success and trying to recreate it. In 2005 the networks shelled out many duplicates of the 2004 serial uber-hit “Lost,” including “Invasion,” “Surface” and “Threshold,” all of which failed to find an audience. \nLast year’s only true rating hits, “Heroes,” “Ugly Betty” and “Brothers and Sisters” have spawned many rip-offs of their own. “Heroes” made the superhuman popular again, so now we have a “Bionic Woman” remake. Arguably, the show’s most popular character was the loveable goof Hiro Nakamura, and so the networks have given us “Chuck,” a story about a loveable goof who has the entire government intelligence database downloaded into his head, and “Reaper,” a story about a loveable goof who finds out his parents sold his soul to the devil.\nThe other aforementioned hits from 2006 have birthed the most copies, as their soapy tones have been remade everywhere. No less than five shows, including “Big Shots” and “Gossip Girl,” which depict the lives of the rich and famous, are set to air soon. \nAside from the reproduction of ideas and characters from other shows, there are programs that have gone as far as to rip-off other forms of media. This is why we have “Cavemen,” a show that took the mildly amusing cavemen from the Geico commercials and turned their lives into a sitcom. The characters weren’t funny for 30 seconds, so how do they expect to make them funny for 30 minutes?\nThe quality of this year’s fall slate looks to be another disappointment and will only perpetuate the terrible trends of the past few years. If these trends in television continue, the medium will grow more disconnected from their viewers.\nWell, at least we have season four of “Lost” to look forward to.
(09/20/07 4:00am)
Motion City Soundtrack is considered one of the best bands in the "emo" scene due to the pop culture-laden lyrics and synth-pop sound they crafted so perfectly on their debut I Am the Movie. Behind its quirky veneer is frontman Justin Pierre's battle with substance abuse, which he finally conquered during the recording of their third album, Even If It Kills Me.\nWith that fitting title, MCS has created its most personal material to date, and the results are tremendous. The group has made the logical progression from their previous release, and while the 13 tracks display a man fighting off major demons, it's not a depressing listen.\nThe band is at its best when it's not trying to recreate old music and instead dials it back for more piano-led tracks. "Last Night" is an ideal example of this, as Pierre croons, "The truth is I'm too tired to play pretend" over the twinkling guitars. \n"Hello Helicopter" combines both old and new to generate a fantastic track. The song opens with Pierre whispering over a soft piano until the guitars drive the verses in their typical foot-tapping fashion. The synth laces the final minute as gang vocals assist Pierre to ask, "Are we ever going to get it right? / Are we ever going to start making sense?"\nWhen MCS does return to its light-heartedness, there are standout moments, including the single "This Is For Real," which features surprisingly upbeat lyrics about "coming clean," as Pierre looks for light at the end of the tunnel.\nThe closing title track is the most optimistic song of the album and wraps up Pierre's feelings about overcoming his addiction. All the struggles from the previous 12 tracks are wiped away, and Pierre is finally hopeful as he sings, "For the first time in a long time I can say that I want to try to get better."\nEven If It Kills Me is a beautifully personal album that is not only the best release of the Motion City Soundtrack's career but also the best album in the pop-punk scene this year.
(09/14/07 4:41pm)
Ah, September. In many ways its arrival brings joy to people each year for three reasons: cooler weather, football and the return of quality television. \nWhile that’s great for those people, September typically isn’t kind to moviegoers. For those who follow films and release dates closely, it’s common knowledge that September is nothing more than a wasteland. \nI can remember seeing trailers and becoming completely engrossed by a film. Until I saw that it was being released in September. No matter how awesome it seemed, that atrocious month forced me to be cautious, if only a little. Sometimes I was wrong to discriminate based on release date, but on many occasions I wasn’t. “Once Upon A Time In Mexico,” I’m looking at you.\nAt one time, the film industry decided that September was the time to take a break. Films that were released weren’t up to par. Studios put out bad products and they didn’t get a good return because of it, and the box office numbers for September were always some of the lowest of the year.\nBut in recent years, the quality of the films released in September has slowly increased. Case in point, 10 years ago the No. 1 movie for the first weekend in September was the Steven Seagal environmentalist-vehicle, “Fire Down Below,” a film that scored an impressive 4.2 user rating on The Internet Movie Database and opened with a paltry $6 million. Even adjusted for inflation, that’s a disappointment. \nCompare that with last weekend’s No. 1 flick, “3:10 to Yuma,” which stars critic darlings Russell Crowe and Christian Bale. The film garnered huge praise, an 8.4 user rating on IMDB and opened to $14 million. While the box office isn’t overly impressive, it would have been an Oscar player had it been released later, and still may be. \nDuring the 10 years between the two, September has gradually displayed more important films, whether they were critically acclaimed or simply entertaining. A short list would include “Ronin,” “American Beauty,” “Zoolander,” “Matchstick Men” and “Shaun of the Dead.” With Yuma and other 2007 releases such as “Shoot ‘Em Up,” “Eastern Promises” and “The Kingdom,” the audience can finally recognize the month as something more substantial than a dumping ground for the newest Sean William Scott “comedy.” \nSome would say that the box office receipts for the month haven’t drastically improved over the years and that because that’s what matters, the month still falls short. That’s true in some cases, but there are films (“Sweet Home Alabama” and “Flightplan,” for example) that have opened well. More importantly, the caliber of the films has increased. More Oscar hopefuls are being released early to build momentum ahead of those coming out in the classic holiday weeks and it’s worked (“American Beauty”). \nSeptember will never be the month for all the expensive, tent-pole films or all the artsy, critical wonders. But if this trend continues, it will feature some of both, and give people another reason to look forward to the month.
(09/07/07 2:44am)
This Sunday, MTV will air what is arguably its most popular program, the MTV Video Music Awards. Always full of debauchery and unpredictability, MTV is taking it one step further this year by holding the event in the cesspool of sin, Las Vegas. \nSadly, with this change MTV is continuing down a path it’s been on for years. And that’s not a good thing.\nIn the late ‘90s MTV garnered criticism for shoving boy bands and teen queens down its viewers’ throats. Sure, it was annoying to watch Total Request Live to see tweens screaming at the top of their lungs every two minutes, but at least it highlighted some music. Yet, over time, instead of playing whole videos, TRL began to show seconds-long clips. Thankfully, that gave everyone more time to ogle at the dreamy Carson Daly. It was the beginning of the end.\nIn the past few years, MTV has been sucked into the reality show black hole, and its music coverage has been almost non-existent. \nAlmost all the new programs the network has created have failed. Anyone remember “Burned”? How about “The Wade Robson Project”?\nEven worse, once it figured out what programs worked, MTV decided to create one off-shoot after another. “Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County” became a huge hit because it followed the “unscripted” lives of rich, white, blonde kids. MTV’s demographic ate it all up and the “real” people on that show became D-list celebrities. \nSo what does MTV do? Create five more shows that are exactly the same. “Laguna Beach” is done. MTV moves the camera crew down the coast to Newport where life is totally different. It then took quality programming such as “The Real World” and transformed it from cutting-edge to drunken sex fests with only extremely attractive people allowed. No longer did “The Real World” change lives or teach anyone anything unless it was about how many sex partners were too many or how to mix drinks.\nMTV has become a derivative version of its former self. Nonmusic programs run for the majority of the day. Technological advances such as the Internet and its cogs such as YouTube and MySpace have completely passed by MTV. The Internet allows for more music to be heard than ever before, and no longer do people tune in to MTV to find out about new music when they can find it themselves. It’s sad to see something that was so influential in the music world erode into an unfunny joke. The MTV generation grew up and went to work, while the network failed to capture the attention of its younger siblings. \nMaybe this year’s VMAs will celebrate the past year that was great for music and head MTV down the right path. \nOr maybe Britney Spears will show up sans panties to lip-sync her comeback single as midgets wrestle in honey while Akon commits actions worthy of an FCC fine. \nSounds like the true definition of music television to me.