Posted June 1, 2012 at 1:23pm
We need to make books cool again. If you go home with somebody and they don’t have books, don’t fuck them.
— John Waters
[W]hen you see that money is flowing to those who deal, not in goods, but in favors—when you see that men get richer by graft and by pull than by work, and your laws don’t protect you against them, but protect them against you—when you see corruption being rewarded and honesty becoming a self-sacrifice—you may know that your society is doomed.
— Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged
HEROES
Seth Meyers, Kristen Wiig,Jason Sudeikis and Bill Hader
Ever since I was a kid, I have been crazy about comedy, whether it was making my friends laugh or finding a new comedian who could make me laugh. Since the 90s, this love of comedy allowed me to keep close tabs on Saturday Night Live, which (ideally) featured the “who’s who” of comedy, either as a guest star or as a cast member. In that time, I found heroes in men like Chris Farley and Will Ferrell. But even with the Clinton-era cast in consideration, I still have to admit, I’ve found SNL’s newest cast to win me over the most, both as entertainers and as people to look up to; people I’d love to hang out with, and people I’d love to be like. From their characters on Saturday Night Live to their roles in movies and television, these people continue to make me laugh hysterically, and continue to evolve and perfect their sense of humor —all seemingly influencing each other in the process. I couldn’t be more thankful for this lot of comedians to grace my television once a week, and I’m so sad to see Kristen leave the show.
Those who could become the New Intellectuals are America’s hidden assets; their number is probably greater than anyone can estimate; they exist in every profession, even among the present intellectuals. But they are scattered in silent helplessness throughout the country, or hidden in that underground which, in human history, has too often swallowed the best of men’s potential: subjectivity. They are the men who have long since lost respect for the cultural standards to which they conform, but who hide their own convictions or repress their ideas or suppress their minds, each feeling that he has no chance against the others, each serving as both victim and destroyer. The New Intellectuals will be those men who will come out into the open and have the courage to break that vicious circle…[T]hose who will take the initiative and the responsibility: they will check their own philosophical premises, identify their convictions, integrate their ideas into coherence and consistency, then offer to the country a view of existence to which the wise and honest can repair.
— Ayn Rand, For The New Intellectual
New Girl: Reflections
I initially put off watching New Girl because, well, most basic cable sitcoms are terrible, and putting an indie-charmer with mediocre acting chops as the main attraction just didn’t seem appealing to me; that “adorkable” tagline made me want to strangle myself. But eventually, I gave in to those big doe eyes and stellar bangs and gave it a whirl after a good 10-12 episodes had built up, or rather, what I assumed to be the entirety of season one.
What has shocked me more than the length of season one was New Girl’s ability to stay fresh and legitimately funny, bringing in new characters (and great actors) throughout the season, while fleshing out the main cast immensely. By the end of the season, gawking at Miss Deschanel seemed to be the last thing I was tuning in for. New Girl relies heavily on great chemistry, great delivery, and great variety. What could’ve been a show obsessing over making Zooey Deschanel a star, turned into a “buddy” tv show that played to every actor’s strengths. Everyone adds something to the show, and every episode has been worth getting excited to watch. It’s a relief to see FOX deliver such a solid show without jumping shark or beating a dead horse. I just hope they stick to the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” rule they’ve been managing to follow so far.
It’s still got a ways before I’d ever give it a “Friends” comparison, but it does have considerably better delivery than the Friends-wannabe, How I Met Your Mother, which offers incredibly bland characters with flat, chemistry-less interaction. I can only hope New Girl has the longevity that both Friends and …Mother have had.
Posted May 10, 2012 at 8:52pm
