The 2015 Oscars, in 50 words or less

Let's see how close I can come:

1. How did Michael Keaton NOT win?
2. I'm not frequently disappointed by Neil Patrick Harris. But I was here.
3. We were coming up on the four-hour mark ... for what turned out to be the lowest-rated ceremony since 2009. Do you think the two are related?
4. No, seriously: how did Michael Keaton NOT win?
5. They should never let John Travolta near the stage again. 

Sixty-six words. Damn ... even I ran long just talking about the show ....

Till death do we part

Two recent news articles have strengthened my faith in pop culture's place in our lives.

Death is the topic of both articles, unfortunately. But how those deaths embraced the passions of the deceased is nothing short of touching.

• Renato Garcia passed away at the too-young age of 50, and his wake featured the man propped up and dressed as Green Lantern, in a costume he'd apparently taken a liking to shortly before his passing.
• Stephen Merrill, meanwhile, passed away at the even younger age of 31. The official cause of death is likely cancer -- details are not provided -- but Stephen's friends and family published an obituary blaming the cause of death on an uppercut by Batman. Yes, you read that right. An uppercut. By Batman. Evidently, Stephen was a huge comics fan, and those who knew him best figured he'd appreciate the gesture.

We've all experienced loss in our lives. During those times, we reach out for something to hold onto, something that provides structure and security yet allows us to remember and grieve: religious ceremony, family gatherings, friends ... the list goes on. That both Renato's and Stephen's families chose to honor their memories in such ways does not strike me as odd or, worse yet, something to mock. It strikes me as heartfelt and sincere. It reminds me of how, in good times or bad, the culture with which we choose to infuse our lives can mean so much more than simply an afternoon in a movie theater, or checking out new comics every Wednesday, or reading a book. It can have powerful and healing resonance during our lives, yes, but it can be just as vital as we shuffle off this mortal coil.

Dressed as Green Lantern, for instance. Or maybe as the result of an uppercut from Batman.

You should maybe watch this: TableTop

I'm not entirely certain what led me to watch my first episode of Wil Wheaton's gaming show TableTop. It's not as if I counted myself among the target audience: I'd never actually played a tabletop game -- well, not counting "Life" or "Sorry"-- and blithely walked past those for sale at the comic shops and bookstores I've frequented over the years.

Cloudy provenance aside, I did find my way to the show and am glad I did ... despite the fact that:

1. The idea of watching people play a board game just sounds ... odd. Until you take into consideration that gameplay videos are huge online, and millions of people watch grown men play games like football and basketball despite the fact that many of those same viewers are completely competent enough to, you know, go to a park and play one of those games themselves. Sometimes, we all just like to watch. 
2. The show often features guests I've never heard of before in my life. That's not a bad thing, per se. I'm just saying that it might be easier to understand the appeal of the show if its guest list paralleled favorite performers of mine. (No offense to folks like Nika Harper, Sandeep Parikh or Michael Swaim.) 
3. Even with its phenomenal post-Kickstarter budget, the show never really strays from a table. Admittedly, there's usually a couch at the end, and intermittent "talking head" spots, but, really, it's just folks sitting around a table.

So, are you pumped? Feeling really thrilled to watch and episode or two? You should, and here's why:

• Wheaton typically does a darn good job of bringing folks together who really seem to enjoy one another's company.
• The show's aesthetic, modest as it is, adds to the charm. C'mon, how many times do you really want to point your eyes at $100 million of CGI?
• The game is always the star of the show, and some of these look very entertaining. (Yes, I've purchased a few after seeing them on TableTop.)

I want to save you a bit of a trip -- clicking a hyperlink can be really difficult, after all -- so here's one of my favorite episodes, featuring, among others, Garfunkel and Oates' Kate Micucci and Riki Lindhome.

You can check out more game play right here.

Aliza and Mike, at the bar

This is a nice, brief comic. Go read it. No, really. Right now.

(Hat tip to The Comics Reporter.)

Catching up

Hey, can you turn that light on? I'm back.

Let's see what's changed during my hiatus:

They went with Colbert. I'm trying to come up with other times we've seen a performer shed a 24/7 character, like the uber-yet-faux conservative "Stephen Colbert," in favor of their own true -- or at least true-ish -- self, like Stephen Colbert without the quote marks.

Hmm:

• The Rock was a WWE performer before becoming movie star Dwayne Johnson. 
• Bobcat Goldthwait had an act that he just seemed to carry around all the time, until eventually becoming a guy who didn't stammer-shriek constantly.
• Russell Brand looks like he's going to hold onto his for a bit longer yet.

I'm sure there are more. Sure of it.

***

They stuck the landing. Don't misunderstand how crucial this is to a show like True Detective. Just ask Lost. Or Seinfeld. Or The Sopranos. After investing all of that effort into creating something, I'd imagine the LAST thing you'd want to do is have your fans walk away disappointed, or, worst, disgruntled. Didn't happen here.

I'd like to also mention Netflix's The Fall, which started out with such promise and face-planted its ENTIRE second season, down to shamelessly aping Silence of the Lambs at one point. I'll likely have more on this a little down the line.

***

I was right to be bullish on Jimmy Fallon. Except I think he'll be on way, WAY longer than 10 years.

***

Patton Oswalt is still deserving of your love. And his new book is great.

It's real dark ... Inside Llewyn Davis

Not the laff riot you've been led to expect.

Why haven't I seen reviews that talk about the kinda-prominent supernatural/horror angle of Inside Llewyn Davis? No, I'm not kidding and, no, this isn't really much of a spoiler: you have the sense that something is up from practically the first scene.

Entertainment Weekly seems to dance around the issue with its review, using words like "spooky" and "hauntingly." And there are certainly readings of the Coen brothers film that don't require invoking "horror" as I just did, but ... man, it's right there. At the beginning, in the middle, at the end.

If, as I was, you're putting off the film because folk music isn't your thing, give it a second thought.

Stop the presses! It's a Lili Taylor post!

They look angry because it's difficult
holding that much talent in check.

I was reminded recently of the TV program Deadline starring Lili Taylor. Well, it technically "starred" Oliver Platt, but Taylor was part of an ensemble that included not just Platt and Taylor but also Tom Conti, Bebe Neuwirth and Hope Davis.

Alas, the show simply wasn't as good as its premise and cast would lead you to believe. Bummer. My Taylor fix must be filled nowadays by Almost Human (a decent show I hope realizes its potential during season two) and Hemlock Grove (which I cannot tell you anything about because I literally just fast forward to all the parts with Taylor).

Can True Detective stick the landing?

Twin Peaks dropped the ball: that series finale, Fire Walk with Me.

Lost fumbled. "No, they're not dead!" "Well, maybe kinda ...."

Though I've never seen an episode, the conclusion to Dexter generated enough Internet-fueled gnashing of teeth to spark fires worldwide.

So, True Detective, whatcha got for us?

(Please don't suck.)

Voting no on Stephen Colbert

No thanks?

I don't disagree with Mark Evanier often, but he posted this today when talking about the inevitable post-Letterman CBS late night scene:

If I were CBS, I'd send a Brinks Truck to Stephen Colbert's house but I'm sure others will be discussed. 

Um ... to which Stephen Colbert is he referring? The faux-conservative Stephen Colbert? Or the other, "real" Stephen Colbert that only appears rarely? And if it's the latter, where is the evidence that a sizable late night audience would want to tune into him each and every night?

Not that I dislike Colbert: on the contrary, I think his show is terrific. When I see interviews with the actual human being named Stephen Colbert, I think: That guy seems decent. Still: it's not like his current show is preparing the audience for an hour of "not the funny, kinda dumb conservative character everyone enjoys laughing at." NBC -- and its audience, and the affiliates -- knew exactly what they were getting with the shift from Leno to Fallon. There would be too many questions for CBS with this scenario, I think.

Two other late night bits, real quick:

1) I find Seth Meyers personable, and will give him another chance. But I've been underwhelmed by what I've caught of his show so far. I'm not worried, though: I think the folks behind that show can fix it as fast as they need to (which, given its time slot, is probably a fair amount of time).

2) Letterman continues to phone it in. There's a longer post in this, but I just need to say it again: I really wish this guy knew when to leave when the leavin' was good. But then, I'm not pulling in seven figures a year for doing something I could -- and do -- sleep through.

True Detective FTW

I almost don't want to say this -- I have a staunchly juvenile belief in jinxes, and there are two episodes to go -- but True Detective is simply fantastic. We've been watching The Walking Dead first and then switching over to the DVR'd Detective. We'll be swapping that order for the next couple of episodes.

Guardians of the Galaxy, by way of Firefly

Props to my brother, who said he felt the Guardians of the Galaxy was rocking what he thought was a bit of a Firefly vibe.

Vibe #1

I didn't catch it before, but now find myself hooked on the same feeling.

Vibe #2

That's a good thing, by the way, and in no way suggests any inappropriate vibe-lifting on Marvel's part. I just hope Gamora steers clear of those Reavers. Man, I hate those guys.

My new Flappy Bird high score

Is 13. I'm seriously considering pulling a John Elway and retiring while I'm on top.

Isabel Allende might not be awesome at this whole bookselling thing

Alas, the cat, too, hated mysteries and loved the joke.

Isabel Allende, on her new book Ripper:

“The book is tongue-in-cheek. It’s very ironic…and I’m not a fan of mysteries…So I thought, I will take the genre, write a mystery that is faithful to the formula and to what readers expect, but it is a joke.”

A book someone wrote as a "joke," to poke fun at a genre of which she is not a fan. Wow, where do I sign up to invest my time and money?

(BTW: She's backpedalling now.)

The title was published by Harper. Can you imagine being inside Harper HQ when that interview came out?

David Bowie! Seu Jorge! Whatever!

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou remains the only Wes Anderson film I've not seen. I tried to get into it, but something held me back.

This might change things: the Criterion Collection is coming out with a Zissou disc. I have all of the Collection's Wes Anderson releases (except the latest, Fantastic Mr. Fox) and will be tempted to give this one another go.

But this post is not actually about the film itself. It's about something I spotted as I was reading about the upcoming release, something among the list of extras:

Ten performances of David Bowie songs in Portuguese by Brazilian recording artist and actor Seu Jorge

How awesome is that? I don't even know what that sentence means, but I think it's great that it's in there. And that's why I like the Collection's approach to compiling its individual releases. The extras almost serve as a conversation with the movie watcher: "Oh, you enjoy this movie? Well, check this out! You like that? There's more over here! Look!"

Also: love that cover art.

It's early yet, but I remain bullish on Fallon

Michelle Obama, Jimmy Fallon.
(I hope to God you knew that already, though.)

If you don't read News from ME, Mark Evanier's blog, you should. Today, Mark writes:

It wouldn't surprise if Fallon has a firm two-year on-air guarantee with one of those wicked penalty clauses…like if they take him off before 104 weeks are up, he gets a million a week for every week he isn't on. Or something like that. (You can bet he has a time slot guarantee and they won't try moving his show to Midnight.)

Not that Mark is saying anything to the contrary, but I think Fallon doesn't need to worry about a two-year deal. He's going to host The Tonight Show for nothing less than 10 years. Late night talk shows will expire before his run does.

My new Flappy Bird high score

Is 5.

I'm trying to maintain my composure, but I'm pretty excited about that.

(Man, that f'ing bird is HARD to steer.)

The Human Torch is black now -- get over yourself

Your new Human Torch. If this bothers you, seek help.

I mentioned the presumptive Fantastic Four cast the other day in something of a derogatory fashion. But while my chagrin is aimed at the fact that gray-haired, wise scientist Reed Richards is going to be portrayed by a 12-year-old boy, others have alighted upon the fact that the Human Torch is going to be portrayed by an African American actor, Michael B. Jordan.

(No relation to that other Michael Jordan. I checked.)

I didn't know people cared about such things in the 21st century. Apparently, some do. But is the media making more of this than it should, giving a relative few idiots a disproportionately louder voice than they deserve? There are, what, 400 million tweets per day? That suggests to me that, on any given day, you could pretty much create an online controversy whenever you wanted. I mean, it's the law of averages: with that many tweets going out each and every day, there's bound to be plenty of stupidity to go around.

And, as far as this topic is concerned, there is. But I can't help but think that for as many morons as there are out there gnashing their teeth at this alleged canonical injustice, there are just as many who met the news with a collective shrug and said, "I just hope it's a good movie."

Unfortunately, they don't seem the type to tweet about it with lots of exclamation points.

I think it's more important to stay true to the spirit of the comic than exact particulars established back in the early 1960s. I suspect as far as the Human Torch -- hot-headed, impulsive Johnny Storm -- is concerned, Jordan will do just fine.

I'm just wondering how they're going to explain a pre-pubescent genius scientist. And I sure hope it's not something like this:

Is Miles Teller the new Reed Richards?

My Flappy Bird high score

Is 4. Try not to be jealous.

Hey, this is neat ...

... you should check it out.

Hat tip to i09.

Remember my Jerry Seinfeld thought experiment? Never mind ...

Ken Levine, on his blog:

Watching the final Jay Leno show with Billy Crystal, who’s had as much work done as Joan Rivers, talking about old variety shows from the ‘60s, I could see why NBC made the switch. No one under 50 knew what they were talking about or cared. 

Valid point. Hey, remember when some screwball wondered if NBC wouldn't approach Jerry Seinfeld for The Tonight Show? That same Jerry Seinfeld just performed a standup routine on Fallon's new show grumbling about cell phones and email. He sounded like a 90-year-old luddite.

Here's something you won't hear a lot: maybe NBC has done the right thing.