22 August 2006

We Interrupt This Melodrama...For Some Laughs

Two very quick notes, as I have come home from work to encounter an angry tirade from a friend half a world away that needs immediate mending and also I am utterly exhausted from computer problems at work...

One: the Ben Affleck/Adrien Brody "Hollywoodland" movie is coming out a week earlier now (Sep 8) than yesterday's mentioned "The Black Dahlia" (Sep 14). (By the way, upon further investigation, I found out "The Black Dahlia" movie is based directly from the 1987 James Ellroy novel, so we have a fighting chance at a somewhat decent script. And the director of "Scarface" is at the helm, too, so I now feel better with its potential...as long as Giorgio Moroder is not on the soundtrack, anyways.) However, due to work constraints and the inability to get the "Hollywoodland" trailer to properly load from YouTube, I'll do that movie's workup, so to speak, Tuesday night.

Two: there are truly two wonderfully funny shows I've happened across tonight on TV here in the States, if you have basic cable anyways.

The first is "Gene Simmons' Family Jewels" over on A&E network . (And yeah, it's the same Gene Simmons from KISS. And I don't care what you think of his band, personal life, or even his mental status, the man is nothing short of genius...check out his bio pages and the vast business pursuits he's involved in, even outside the band's merchandising juggernaut, like the Indy 500...who knew?). As witty and educated as The Beast is (he was a NYC sixth-grade teacher in the early 1970s before the band hit it big), and as level-headed and equally smart his long-suffering but still unmarried mate is (ex-Playboy Playmate® Shannon Tweed), the real stars of this show are their kids, 15-year-old aspiring musician Nick and 13-year-old beauty Sophie. I don't know if Nick will ever make it as a musician (with or without Dad's help, and God knows Gene is trying...Nick even quips that his Dad "could sell whores in a vagina storm" when complaining of Gene's intervention with Nick's teenage band), but the now-son and future man-in-training has a career in comedy, or at least comedic writing. He may be the funniest thing on the show, and this is a pretty funny show. I adore the A&E and Bravo networks, but in the interest of keeping the material coming and their shows fresh, their 'seasons' are almost prematurely short compared to the major networks (a crime we can thank HBO for starting years ago)...ranging from 8-12 shows a season generally...so catch Gene & Family soon. I think Monday's episode (and I caught the repeat) was show #3 or #4 of their debut season, but you can watch some previews and episodes from the link above, too. (Thank you, A&E.)

The second is an oldie but a goodie: The Cartoon Network's "Adult Swim"(which kicks in around 9pm my time in the East anyway) has some well...varied yet mature...shows in that schedule. Some are just weird, some are borderline sadist in the portrayal of their female heroines, and some are just heavy on the sexual inneundo. The latter category has a new addition it seems (or maybe just a new airtime, I don't watch TCN as much since the almost hysterically raunchy "Sealab 2021" was pulled) with the addition of a cult classic from my junior high and high school days: "Pee Wee's Playhouse". Oh yes, friends, the Paul Ruben-CBS Saturday morning staple (which taught you everything from dealing with horny sea Captains to gay TV genies to the infamous "you can use your hands for all sorts of enjoyment" episode that would have made the Violent Femmes' "Blister in the Sun" proud) was on just now starting at 12am EST. (And may I just add I eagerly await seeing the late, great "SNL" comedian Phil Hartman as Captain Carl, the ultra-cool Laurence Fishburne as Cowboy Curtis and the fantastically beautiful Lynne Marie Stewart as Miss Yvonne.) Tonight, I learned colour coordination when dressing and how many people die in barrels each year going over Niagra Falls. And, I also witnessed the marriage of Mr. Peanut Butter to Ms. Jelly in the refrigerator, too. Life is damn good again...on TV anyways...although I did have a longing to slap on my old Candies® shoes and listen to the Go-Gos' "Head Over Heels" album again. Ahhh, to be 15 again...all-cool, all-sensitive and yet all-knowing...and all at the same time.

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