Jack and Bobby review

You have to watch Jack and Bobby in the Fall. The pilot is the best I've seen since the West Wing (and I think it may even be slightly better). I like how it is futuristic fiction without being sci-fi. All the actors are really good (John Slattery and Christine Lahti) are among my favorites. The writers truly captured a magical story of a boy who would grow up to be President. The only thing that is a slight blemish on this otherwise great series is the horrible makeup on FutureCabinet (my phrase, so if you use it, give me credit). It also was incredibly moving. It premieres on 9/12 at 9/8c on The WB. If you don't watch it and it gets cancelled, I'll be mad.

New Fall TV

Here are series that I think will be either pretty good or incredible:
Jack and Bobby (I saw the pilot in a DVD in Entertainment Weekly and I need to give a review of it)
Clubhouse (I like baseball so sue me)
Tilt (This one is coming in Jan.)
Life as We Know It
Lost (This is probably going to be good, low-quality fun)
Dr. Vegas (Joey Pants, Rob Lowe and the female guest star from Everwood in a trashy Vegas series (sold).

Returners that I like:
Alias (I'm a guy and I have two eyes so this is a can't miss).
West Wing (I thought this had long since jumped the shark but the additions of Alan Alda and Jimmy Smits have me jazzed)
Everwood
Joan of Arcadia
Tru Calling (this is crap but I got addicted over the summer)

Beyond this, there's not too much else I'd watch, which means after the presidential, my TV viewing will drop dramatically.

Speaking of Ham...

I saw this really disturbing Iron Chef on the Food Network. A whole piglet was roasted and the other guy used squid ink in a dish. And there was a piglet head in some broth. ewwww.

Unfortunately for certain people on this site, that is the only ham that will ever be mentioned.

And who out there knows the end to the Graefe quote?

Movie/TV thread (Eurotrip, Girl Next Door, West Wing)

Eurotrip-I loved this movie. It had a nice, light, goofy and jaunty feel. It had 2 brilliant Shakespearean plot twists (the one happened early on) and one at the end. It had a well motivated yet totally tasteless running gag. I will leave the discussion at that lest I start talking about Michelle Trachtenberg and gender roles.

Girl Next Door-I thought this would be a good "unfunny comedy" in the tradition of Say Anything. It was looking good after the first act and then the 2nd and 3rd acts went to hell. I kind of liked the ending but the rest felt kinda skeezy.

West Wing-Good Episodes I've seen lately:
In the shadow of 2 Gunmen (parts I and II)
Noel
Somebody's Going to Emergency, Somebody's Going to Jail (a good yet remarkably Freudian story)

What's the Matter With Kansas?

What's the Matter With Kansas is a great book. It explains the whole phenomenon of conservative populism. I think that it is the single most important thing that a Democratic campaign needs to address. The perception that needs to be handled is that people who don't agree with the most conservative social voices are whiny n'er-do-wells that would rather dictate policy that spits on the belief systems of 30 million Americans. And now that there is a consistent opposition organ out there to spin this, it is imperative for any Democrat that wants to win to try to get people back to voting their economic interests.

RNC craziness

Hey all,
I'm psyched about the RNC coming up. Of course, I'm all over the Santorum speech. That should be the best. speech. ever. I can hardly wait for all the tolerance and peace and love. And then we can hear about how the president will continue our unprecedented prosperity and our high esteem in the world.

P.S. Anyone who doesn't know what Santorum is synonymous with should check out www.dailykos.com.

Graefe quote

Anyone who knows the Graefe quote can sing along:
Every morning I look at myself and I say...

Me at my white trashiest!
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Wow! What a dork!
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Up and Running

Hey guys,
Welcome to the Stop Stop! I will be musing about politics, philosophy, life in CA and matters of grave geek security. I will post as I see fit.