Letters to the Editor
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30 Rock and Sentimental Comedy
30 Rock is okay. It's one of the funniest shows on t.v., but you can't look at the competition and claim that this is saying much. It's frustratingly stuck on steretypes. The dumb homeboy. The dumb blonde. The evil corporate people. The earnest befuddled scruffy liberals. Ah, that last one is the key to the show's success. To quote Havrilesky:
Take Liz Lemon, a character who, like most of us, alternately strives to be a better, more honorable, more down-to-earth person and gets diverted by her own shallow, petty urges. She knows who she is and occasionally tries to assert that her rather mundane desires and limitations are perfectly acceptable -- until someone shames her for them, and then she goes back into the closet and hides. Lemon embodies the nasty maze of conflicting desires and embarrassments common to single women in their mid- to late 30s: She wants a husband, sure, but she doesn't want anyone to be the boss of her. She wants to get ahead at work, yes, but she also wants to skip work and watch a rented movie in bed with a box of Chinese takeout on her lap. She wouldn't mind having a baby, true, as long as it wouldn't mind eating Chinese takeout in bed all day.
I don't know that this is like most of us at all. But it sure is what most of us what to think of ourselves as. So well meaning, but gosh, always being brough down by our own silly urges. But still so well meaning. And I think her refusal to be aggressive or harsh particularly feels good to women in the audience. This is no shrill Hillary. This is a cuddly cute Diane Keaton kind of feminist. And isn't that what ever woman wants to be? Except, of course, with a great job running the longest running comedy show on the air. And being, you know, in spite of the flaws, smarter and kinder than everybody else. She even has good feelings for that mean, sour Republican boss!
This is just too easy for me. Too saccharine. The show isn't brilliant. It isn't even insightful. Every character is a recycled stereotype, and the stereotypes aren't even handled with a new slant or fresh inspiration. The show is as often as not funny, and that's a much better average than any other sitcom currently running. But that ain't so much to be pleased with.
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Aniston School of Drama
I love your daring. Hardly anyone wants to touch either Oprah or Aniston - one for her great humanitarian work, and other other for, well, being dumped. Yeah, Oprah is great, Oprah is good, and we have a lot to thank her for...However she is no less prone to being wrong and annoying. The "Big Give" was ill-conceived and very annoying. Period. Being an XM listener and privy to Oprah & Friends Channel, I can tell you there is a lot of annoying happenings in Oprah's world. But you know as they say, it's her world and we just live in it. My advice is to take everything in moderation. A little Oprah is better than too much.
The same could be said for Aniston. I stopped being a fan when she dropped about 20 lbs after dating Brad Pitt. Suddenly everything about her seemed out of proportion to reality. For example, I started noticing that the funnier Courteney Cox's role was on "Friends", the more attention, praise and awards were being hoisted on Aniston, whose role and characterization left much to be desired (yes, it's sooo hard to wear the cutest clothes on TV and "act cute"). It didn't make sense, and yet it did. One was married to the biggest star in Hollywood, and the other was not. My point? Girlfriend has been and still is waaay overrated.
But that's what we do in our culture, isn't it? Too bad.
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Big Give, Go Home
I can't believe we watched the whole thing. One of the lamest reality shows ever!
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I like to Watch
I do not! Why does Oprah have to grand stand everything she does in the way of charity. Anonymity in giving is the Hallmark of sincere generosity. Oprah opens a school in Africa and a special TV program grandstanding her give is nauseating but Oprah loves the accolades.
Now we have Oprah's "Big Give", another TV show grandstanding her gifts. Oprah has never done anything with anonymity. True generosity is quiet and unspoken.
Oprah has to have Jennifer Aniston on to further draw attention to her give away. I am a bit tired of Oprah and her public displays of giving. Why does she feel the need to have viewers as opposed to just doing what extreme makeover does. They have a pool of needy people and chose a family who could benefit from a gift of home. No grandstanding, just recruitment of workers to make a dream home and make a deserving family feel hopeful. Perhaps Oprah could take a cue from Ty Bennington and just give without seeming needy for attention.
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Wow
I have no idea what this article is talking about, because I don't watch much TV. And after reading it, I'm glad I don't.
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Oprah's Big Ego
Why, indeed, must Oprah always be on camera. Sure, she gives big to Charity, but that is always best done anonomously. This woman is dominating TV and if you watch her, you'll notice how she constantly watches the TV or the stage monitor to make sure she is being filmed. Yeach! Try a little humility. You can probably afford to buy all four major networks, but please don't.
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Tina and Alec
Tina Fey is supposed to be funny? On what planet. It's a dull and stupid show.
Alec Baldwin is considered an actor? On what planet. He's a dull and stupid man.