Writer's Bloc

By Phil Cauthon

Thursday, January 3, 2008

For most of my 30 years, I haven't really watched much TV. Yeah, I know ... but really, I just don't. Not because I'm awesome. Just that — in my experience — if you're not ready to schedule your life around whenever X show (that's not a re-run) comes on, you're condemned to watch Mythbusters or Law & Order or worse.

Thanks to the magic of D - V - R, that was beginning to change for me ...

No need to worry about what came on and when. If an amigo told me that Always Sunny In Philadelphia was the chronic, I could set the DVR to "record series" and check it out later, at my convenience. Wow — suddenly I can look forward to watching TV, albeit still at my convenience. Sweet.

Just as I was catching my DVR stride, the writer's strike hit. Two months later and, again, there isn't shit worth watching on TV, even if you can record it ahead of time. So I took the DVR back.

But tonight I watched as KU kicked Virginia Tech's ass in a football game. Feeling pretty good about that — I lingered in TV land a bit... and holy crap — Letterman's got a beard! And so does Conan?

Right away, I figured it had something to do with the writer's strike. The news has had talk of the shows coming back for a while now, "for the sake of the shows' non-writer employees," and, of course, for the audience. I figured that Letterman and Conan — seeming like reasonable, non-total-bastard-types — would exhibit some sort of solidarity with the writers. Like the beard thing. Pretty sweet ... if you haven't seen it on air, it is cause for at least slight pause (Letterman video available here, Conan's here.

What I hadn't expected that they'd seize the opportunity to use virtually their entire shows as a vehicle for expressing their support for the strike (and this on the second day back from the strike... I missed the first).

The shows were *great.* Maybe it's because they've had two months to write them, but to me they were fun to watch because they were *real.* They felt a lot less like the best take of a script and more like sincere, urgent broadcasts of an important message over the priceless medium they have at their disposal. Seeing tonight's two late-night shows gave me hope for mainstream culture...

(Note: despite the strike Carson Daly remains a [shaven] douchebag. His guest tonight was 10-year-old Ariel Gade, who Daly described on-air, without a hint of irony, as the "most intelligent guest I've had in six weeks." Way to make hay, Carson.)

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Posted by DOTDOT (anonymous) on January 4, 2008 at 10:19 a.m. (Suggest removal)

The chronic?

Posted by pc (Phil Cauthon) on January 4, 2008 at 11:17 a.m. (Suggest removal)

You got me ... I'm not, in fact, a gansta. Let's just say Always Sunny is quite enjoyable and mildly habit forming.

Posted by Joel (Joel Mathis) on January 4, 2008 at 12:04 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Nothing like dropping 15-year-old lingo to prove that you're still down with the kids.

You are fresh AND dope, Phil.

Posted by DOTDOT (anonymous) on January 4, 2008 at 12:19 p.m. (Suggest removal)

W3rd

Posted by OnShakedown (Chris Tackett) on January 4, 2008 at 12:32 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I haven't been on the Tube in a while either, but whilst home for the holidays my parents decided they wanted to get into LOST so we got the DVD's for Seasons 1, 2 and 3 and have been watching about 6 episodes a night. Now, that is a show worthy of a DVR! As was last night's Orange Bowl. Trying to jump between the game and the Caucus just wouldn't have worked without a dvr.

phil, do you know if that song is from the Into The Wild soundtrack? I've been hearing _about_ it, but haven't actually heard it.

Posted by pc (Phil Cauthon) on January 4, 2008 at 12:50 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Joel! I ain't got nothin to prove, yo. Except that choice slang NEVER goes out of style.

Chris— yep, it's from that very choice soundtrack. It's the first time I've enjoyed listening to Vedder's new stuff in, what, 10 years?

Posted by leslie (Leslie vonHolten) on January 4, 2008 at 1:27 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Is beard-growing an unspoken pact among men expressing solidarity? I kind of like it.

Posted by godjilla (Jill Ensley) on January 4, 2008 at 2:29 p.m. (Suggest removal)

There is no condemnation in watching Mythbusters, for it is the BEE'S KNEES, my friend.

And also, Carson Daly is all that is wrong with television, wrapped up in one big douchebaggy meat-sack.

Posted by pc (Phil Cauthon) on January 5, 2008 at 7:26 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Leslie— yes. I've been expressing solidarity nearly half my life and I can tell you that we stand for warmth and unchapped skin in the winter months, and big savings on razors year round. Not to mention El Sexay.

Jilla— ha... you may well be right. I can affirm this: your vocab is top shelf.

Writer's Bloc

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