June 2007 Archives

While I have been enjoying the respite that the final episodes of now cancelled "Studio 60" have given me this month amidst the summer wasteland of TV reruns and reality junk, I have to say that Thursday’s season finale--which ironically lead the series at long last to win the night in the ratings--was a reminder of why the show was so frustrating for fans and critics alike.

After the last three weeks of juggling multiple storylines which included flashbacks to the show after 9/11, cast member Tom’s soldier brother being captured in Iraq, exec Jordan McDeere having severe pregnancy complications, and the ongoing tumultuous romance between Matt and Harriet, last night’s episode finally brought the four-episode arc as well as the series to an end. The lackluster finale showed how producer/writer Aaron Sorkin can sometimes be a victim of his own genius because he set up too many scenarios in need of dramatic pay-off and made us care about too many characters to effectively bring a authentic resolution to the world he created.

At the end of one of the longest nights in television history, we never truly got the whole story of what happened regarding Matt and Danny’s firing, and we had to settle for a bunch of neat, tidy, and unrealistic endings to the other plot points. Jordan miraculously recovered, Tom’s brother was saved, and Matt and Harriet are back together again. All of these happy endings go against the complex and often chaotic nature of Sorkin’s characters.

Are we really to believe that Matt and Harriet will live happily ever after? Wouldn’t a more realistic and thought-provoking statement have been made if Tom’s brother unfortunately was killed despite all efforts to save him? Worst of all, for all of the show’s pondering of the importance of religion in how our country’s culture is shaped, no one on the show seems to have come very far spiritually as a new day dawns, not even Harriet. For those of us that have been followers of not only "Studio 60" but "Sports Night" and "The West Wing," it felt like we were cheated just a little bit.

But while I may be unsatisified with the series end, I will still be looking forward to the DVD release this fall, for which Sorkin will be providing commentary for the episodes. Maybe then I will get some of the missing answers I wish I would have seen last night.

Germany is now saying "Wilkommen" to Tom Cruises' production of "Valkyrie," reports Reuters.

Although the production is ruffling feathers of the heirs of the film's protagonist, Claus Graf Schenk von Stauffenberg, and German politicians, it seems that money speaks louder than words, even words spoken a mere three days ago. Germany's Defense Ministry is backing off its statement that Cruise is not welcome to film on historical military sites because he is a Scientologist.

In fact, according to Reuters, The Defense Ministry has said that it's not even responsible for approving film shoots at Bendlerblock--the building in which the "Valkyrie" plan to overthrow Adolph Hitler was forged--a site the producers would most likely be interested in.

The Defense Ministry isn't "even responsible for approving film shoots at Bendlerblock because they are only tenants on the land," a Defense Ministry spokesman told the news service, since, "the location is under the authority of Germany's Finance Ministry" and Defense would "look agreeably" upon any such application.

I understand that bureaucracies are bureaucracies the world over, even at the Bundestag, but this is the type of quick turn of course I usually only expect from the U.S. government. Either the German military is trying to deflect the media attention brought about by its earlier statement on to a higher authority: not God, in this case, but Geld--or accusations of religious persection of Cruise are causing them to rethink the publicity. But, as Michael Kinsley says, a gaffe is when a politician--or a military bureaucracy--tells the truth, and gaffes are usually followed by 'expanded and corrected' remarks.

Hamid’s recent novel, "The Reluctant Fundamentalist," is written as a monologue, a very challenging style since the author has to guarantee credibility while safeguarding against tedium. It is stimulating, unsettling prose, and the novel’s surprise ending is thought-provoking and evocative.

The author's second novel draws upon his experiences in America: It's the story of Changez, who is living an immigrant's dream in pre 9/11 America. He is at the top of his class in Princeton and is snapped up by the elite evaluation firm of Underwood Samson. What drives him are the energy of New York City and the budding romance with a rich classmate, the elegant and beautiful Erica. With Erica, Changez has the promise of entry into Manhattan society at the same exalted level once occupied by his own family back in Lahore, Pakistan.

But in the wake of the tragedies of 9/11, Changez’s world is turned upside down. His position in his adopted city is abruptly reversed. His relationship with Erica is eclipsed by the reawakened ghosts of her past. Changez starts questioning his own identity. Ethnic profiling and external influences unearth allegiances more fundamental than money, power, and maybe even love.

Florida-based Christian rock band StorySide:B is serving up a fresh mix of musical talent with their new album, "We Are Not Alone," a follow up to their 2005 debut, "Everything and More."

Comprised of guitarist/vocalist Lu Rubino, drummer Jordan Mohilowski, bassist/pianist Ron McClelland, and guitarist Preston Phol, these guys seem to work well together if past success is any indication.

Their debut single "Miracle" off "Everything and More" peaked at #2 on the Christian Hit Radio (CHR) chart, as did their follow-up single "Everything and More"--which went on to become the seventh most played song on Christian radio last year.

Now it seems as if their second album could see another hit, especially with, "Tell Me What You Think of God." The strong message of this song relates to everyone whether a believer or not. Each day we have seemingly countless choices in life, and whatever we might think about God, the guys still tell us "He believes in you." Sounding unlike any other popular Christian song I’ve heard, the song is sure to stand out from the rest.

The lyrics are sometimes inspiring, like in "Demons and Angels” where Rubino sings, "Enchanting melodies, bitter and sweet, tell me what You want from me." But other times they are just plain dull, such as in "Be Still": "It's then You whisper in my ear, be still and know I'm here."

Quite a large lack in harmonies leaves the vocals a bit boring, and when there are harmonies, they are not strong enough. The music itself though, is amazing, and has a cool echoing sound which drew me into it. The songs are creatively arranged with the number of upbeat and downbeat tracks well-balanced.

"We Are Not Alone" brings a message of the importance of service to God, along with the struggles and joys Christians face. StorySideB: sounds a bit like of Jars Of Clay if you throw in a small twist of Creed--it's definitely worth checking out. Although these four guys have a bit more growing to do lyrically and vocally, I'm sure we'll be seeing a lot more of them in the future.

--Jana Melpolder

Paris Hilton is out of the clink and millions of men and women are still in. But Hilton's freedom is much bigger news than the freedom of a man that has been incarcerated for 20-years for a crime that he didn't commit.

It amazes me how much attention the media gives to a woman who could barely serve out the full-term of her 45-day sentence when almost one year ago, rapper Lil' Kim served nearly 10-months of a year sentence with very little complaint--and no big money offers from the media to tell all (except for a BET program chronicling her days prior to lock-down). Where was Larry King when she was released? Why didn't we get to hear Kim's testimony about how her time in jail changed her life, considering that of the two--Hilton and Kim--statistics indicate that black people are five times more likely than white people to be in jail.

But this is bigger than Hilton having the opportunity to feign redemption for an hour on Larry King (which she did last night). The problem is that we--the general public and the media--deemed Hilton's story---and her mere existence---important enough to be considered nationally ground-breaking news. We rewarded a woman used to being in the spotlight with yet another opportunity to do what she does best--be in the spotlight

And we don't do it with just with her. We've been over-saturating our lives with information about people we will probably never meet in this lifetime. We have let the lives of celebrities eclipse those of our own brothers and sisters fighting extraordinary battles.

While we are busy believing that Hilton's story deserves to be breaking news, the body count in Darfur is still rising, AIDS in Africa is still spreading, the war in Iraq is still raging on, and many in our own communities are impoverished, under-represented, and disenfranchised. This isn't to say that we don't pay any attention to these issues, because we do. But little-by-little, the irrelevant news is what is splashed across the front pages of newspapers and websites while more serious issues get second-billing.

Some would argue that we need news like Hilton's release to take the sting off of what is really going on around us, but at what point do we stop anesthetizing ourselves? I think we've taken one too many shots and need an antidote.