Letters to the Editor
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Boondocks bad fit for Adult Swim?
First of all,why be surprised that a group of white people in Chicago would agree with Huey? Illinois is, as far as I can tell, the most liberal state in the Midwest--hell, we've managed to outpace Minnesota.
Secondly, while Boondocks may seem like a bad fit for Adult Swim, it does have a certain Anime look which might help it slot in quite well. I'm very interested to see it, though I tend to enjoy the anime less and the weird, shorter shows (Aqua Teen, Tom Goes to the Mayor, Squidbillies) with funkier animation more than the anime--but just the look of it might fit it in nicely with some of the other shows.
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individualism
Right off the bat -- I've not read the whole thing
yet -- I have to say (what is this new form of letters for if not the instant gratification that it allows?), besides, I'll forget; is that it
seems to me that we celebrate rebels and 'individualism' only when (or because) it comes w/a little bit of cash.
I've lived long enough (for me, anyway) to know that the odds on there not being exceptions to that are so small as to be non-existent.
Please remind me of them someone please.
The fact that we don't tolerate difference easily generally, among our peers and neighbors (it's based on psychology and the nuclear family being the ideal, but I digress), can't possibly be related to our veneration of relative 'wealth', can it?! Even being a de facto student of psychology doesn't mean that Cleopatra was the only queen of the Nile. (Will and Grace, I think)
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Project Runway
Project Runway was hands down the best reality show of the year last year, how could you have missed it!!?? I'm so excited for the new season... but still, I expect our TV Critic to be in the know enough not to miss gems like this one. Other than that, nice article :)
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McGruder
Lame analysis of McGruder. He IS an asshole to have voted for Nader. That makes him an iconoclast? That's just silly.
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Huey in the Suburbs
It seems to me that the 1st episode of "The Boondocks" was a sort of intro in the this strange world of Negro "double consciousness" these folk find themselves inhabiting, and at that level the show maybe worked. But the sly bit was the appearance of the suburban magnate's grandson as a useless, hostile "wigger" wannabe. Also, the Chicago audience doesn't "agree" with Huey as much as--reality check-- condescend to him, drooling over his "articulateness".
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Desperate in Suburbia
As one who spent agonizing teen years in the suburbs, I can say with absolute confidence that what "Desperate Housewives" needs to fully capture the horrors of these cultural wastelands is someone (a new caste member/denizen of the Lane)living there, who is not one of them: the orchid growing among the impatiens. Only through the eyes of an intellectual, eccentric, impassioned outsider can this kind of area be shown in it's true(beige)colors.
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Boondocks
The Boondocks comic strip is REALLY unlike anything else on comics pages - the politics of Doonesbury or Bloom County, the weird-kid's perspective of Calvin and Hobbes are about as close as it's gotten in recent years. And no art like that has been seen on newspaper comics pages... well, in a really long time. I'm not sure that the new TV show is as much unlike other animated TV shows as the strip was unlike other strips - animation on TV is one of the few truly anarchic areas left in broadcasting. But still, Boondocks (TV) is definitely its own thing. And that's a good thing.
I agree that it may not be the best fit with the rest of the Cartoon Network's wacky weird-o latenight lineup. Just as the comic strip, there's a real serious message in there. Also, it moved pretty slowly. Hoping things pick up a bit in future episodes.
The animation struck me as kinda clunky but I love the still art. The colors, the expressions on Huey and Riley's faces. The unique look of the Boondocks translates well onscreen.
What I really couldn't get over is the fact that Huey and Riley are clearly voiced by a grown woman, and it's the same woman for both of them. Augh! They couldn't find any kids to do voiceover work? Or an adult voiceover actor who can do two separate voices? Or even, at least, one _believeable_ boy's voice for both brothers to share??? It got better when Huey got mad, but almost all the times Huey opened his mouth, and _all_ the times Riley opened his mouth, the voice that came out seemed _so_ off.
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Why Whedon?
This seems to be an issue particular to Salon: Can we end the Whedon Worship sometime? Are we a collection of 15 year old girls sharing the same livejournal? Buffy the Vampire Slayer sucked; it was like watching a long string of those awful David Spade insurance ads. Firefly sucked too. We as a group of somewhat like-minded people need to stop confusing snappy dialogue with goodness.
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Why is nothing written about the psycho mom on Trading Spouces?
I hope something about this is included in next week's article.