…And it’s better reading than watching most of the shows:
A recent article on Vulture.com by Josef Adalian argues that“Shrinking Sitcom Ratings May Be the Best Thing to Happen to Smart Comedies.” He points to the recent Fox pick-ups of NEW GIRL, MINDY PROJECT, AND BROOKLYN NINE-NINE despite their low ratings and thinks in this day and age, only niche comedies will thrive.
What’s that? You didn’t know there was one? Well the good folks at Deadline.Com are here to tell you all about it…cuz they’re busy trying to prove that we should always go to them instead of sites like The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, and Deadline’s archenemy, The Wrap.
Dig in and enjoy the benefits of Deadline’s ambition dedication:
Here it is, the discussion we all should be having. A tip of the hat to writer Theresa Celebran Jones:
by Theresa Celebran JonesOne of the biggest events this past week for us Filipino Americans was Friday night’s episode of Grimm. If you grew up hearing tales of the Aswang — a Filipino mythical creature that eats babies — the Grimm episode, “Mommy Dearest,” was likely one of the most terrifying things you’ve seen on prime time this season. It also probably brought you back to the days when your lola would sit you down and tell you all about the Mumu and Tiktik and Manananggal — stories to put the fear in you and discourage you from being too curious.
You don’t need me to even mention what a wonderful, validating thing it is to see a part of your childhood on television after being invisible for so long. It was also incredibly encouraging to read that the writers personally consulted Reggie Lee — the actor who plays Sergeant Wu, the character around whom the episode was centered — for ideas on a Filipino mythological creature. It was a great episode, one that did justice to how truly terrifying these stories were to us as children, and it was nice to see an actual Filipino American community on television.
You read that right. YOU’RE NOT GOING TO MAKE IT.
Of course, you COULD add an “UNLESS” to the end of that. And you have to make your own UNLESSes.
Here are some serving suggestions:
Cuz nowhere nearly enough has been written about this awesome show:
by Ben AdamsSpoilers through Season 1 of House of Cards; some mostly spoiler-free discussions of Episode 1 of Season 2.
Season 2 of Netflix’s House of Cards ends with a reminder of a crucial fact: Frank Underwood is crazy. At this point in the episode, we’re already well aware of that fact, based on the horrible things he has done (and which I won’t spoil here). But throughout the episode, the audience has not been treated to Underwood’s signature move, a snarky aside or quip spoken directly to the audience, unseen by the people around him. Only at the very end, as Frank contemplates his actions in the mirror, does he turn to face us: “Did you think I’d forgotten about you. Perhaps you hoped I had.” And then we’re reminded, oh yeah, this guy talks to people who aren’t really there.
