woot woot! this is looking better and better.
related:
I Was a Teenage Alien
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Quip Pics
sometimes spreadsheets and powerpoints aren't enough for me, you know? as much as i love the usual infographics, i think even simple clip art is trying to tell us something. back in 2006, i experimented with a little 'truth in clip art' presentation. it seemed to go over well, so i came back for more a couple of weeks ago.
i hope i don't ruin microsoft for you.
i hope i don't ruin microsoft for you.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
more than one way to Skin a cast
when word got out last week that a buffy feature was going ahead without joss whedon at the helm, joss had a couple of words on the subject. his response was honest, and cynical, and witty - all the things you would expect of him. and, while i'm incredibly miffed that this project is happening (as is the rest of the internet, it seems), i was so impressed with his tiny takedown of the hollywood machine that i forgot to be angry for a moment.
"feeding off the carcasses of beloved stories", as he puts it, is nothing new. but it doesn't feel like things are even given enough time to decay or disappear from the pop cultural conscience anymore. case in point: Skins.
not a beloved story exactly, but this british tv series only premiered in 2007 with two really amazing seasons, another two fairly good seasons with a second-generation cast followed, and a third generation for season 5 was just announced in august.
this show is alive and well in the uk (with a substantial american following), not long dead and buried, which used to be the prereq for a reboot. nevertheless, mtv's decided an almost shot-for-shot remake is what america needs right now.
now, i'm not a purest - some of my favorite shows have been reboots (battlestar gallactica), revamps (baz luhrman's r + j), pastiches (every campy minute of BtVS), etc. what i am, however, is someone who believes reviving something before it's dead is a big waste of time. and, in the case of Skins, the disappointment comes from knowing that the version american audiences will settle for will be a dressed up, watered down half hour of tv.
the genius of Skins was showing kids (not near 30 year-old actors) do and say the things you know they shouldn't (but really do anyway). sanitizing the on-screen drug use and sex, replacing normal looking teens with impossibly attractive cast members... this is only going to make the Skins reboot mtv's undressed, part 2. and, really, what's the point? the grit of the uk Skins didn't insult my (read: the teenager inside me) intelligence. but, you know, that's something mtv lives to do these days (i'm looking at you, jersey shore).
as long as these easy-bake remakes make advertising dollars, there's really no stopping the studios from popping them out. but i will say this, if i could get paid for turning in my co-worker's project, i guess i wouldn't be too picky about the quality of the copy either.
"feeding off the carcasses of beloved stories", as he puts it, is nothing new. but it doesn't feel like things are even given enough time to decay or disappear from the pop cultural conscience anymore. case in point: Skins.
uk cast, 2007
not a beloved story exactly, but this british tv series only premiered in 2007 with two really amazing seasons, another two fairly good seasons with a second-generation cast followed, and a third generation for season 5 was just announced in august.
us cast, 2010
this show is alive and well in the uk (with a substantial american following), not long dead and buried, which used to be the prereq for a reboot. nevertheless, mtv's decided an almost shot-for-shot remake is what america needs right now.
now, i'm not a purest - some of my favorite shows have been reboots (battlestar gallactica), revamps (baz luhrman's r + j), pastiches (every campy minute of BtVS), etc. what i am, however, is someone who believes reviving something before it's dead is a big waste of time. and, in the case of Skins, the disappointment comes from knowing that the version american audiences will settle for will be a dressed up, watered down half hour of tv.
the genius of Skins was showing kids (not near 30 year-old actors) do and say the things you know they shouldn't (but really do anyway). sanitizing the on-screen drug use and sex, replacing normal looking teens with impossibly attractive cast members... this is only going to make the Skins reboot mtv's undressed, part 2. and, really, what's the point? the grit of the uk Skins didn't insult my (read: the teenager inside me) intelligence. but, you know, that's something mtv lives to do these days (i'm looking at you, jersey shore).
as long as these easy-bake remakes make advertising dollars, there's really no stopping the studios from popping them out. but i will say this, if i could get paid for turning in my co-worker's project, i guess i wouldn't be too picky about the quality of the copy either.
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