(Display Name not set)September 2006 Archives

The ever-rising star television series creator and producer J. J. Abrams has done it again: "Six Degrees" (which premieres tonight at 10 on ABC) is riveting, complex, and promises something simple but essential for TV drama: good stories.

Reminiscent of the film "Love Actually" in more ways than one, the pilot opens with scenes from New York City--the subway, people passing on the streets, the skyline--layered with voice-over narration by one of the characters, Carlos. Carlos, a public defender who is single but seeking, reflects about love, relationships, how people meet and why, and most importantly of all, the roles that fate and chance play in the pivotal moments of our lives: when we meet that person who will one day become our spouse, our best friend, or perhaps even our worst enemy.

The storyline plays out from there, cutting back and forth between the daily lives of its six main characters--Carlos, Whitney, Mae, Damian, Steven, and Laura--encouraging viewers to piece together, bit by bit, each of their stories, and enticing us to guess how each character's story will become connected in some way, as they title implies will surely happen. If you loved or even liked "Love Actually," "Six Degrees" employs the same format of unraveling and intertwining the lives of a large group of people through relationships--friendships, romances, betrayels, breakups. If relationships in general fascinate you in any way, "Six Degrees" is a must-see.

But why am I calling a show about relationships classic J. J. Abrams? Well, for fans of all things J. J. Abrams, viewers will be pleased to see signatures from his three other hit shows--"Felicity," "Alias," and "Lost"--peppered throughout the storyline and casting of "Six Degrees." I am a longtime Abrams devotee, and in a rather classic J. J. Abrams fashion, simply by chance (or is it fate?), not by intention, caught "Felicity" from the get-go back in my early 20s and watched it faithfully until its final season, before moving on to "Alias," and more recently, "Lost."

In some ways, you could say that with "Six Degrees" Abrams has returned to his roots. "Felicity" was driven by the relationships between its characters, but also had a rather magical air of romance and fate as well. The show pivoted on what some would call daring and others foolish--the fact that Felicity, its central character, enrolled in NYU because a boy she didn't even really know at all in high school, Ben, was her soul-mate, and NYU was the college of his choice. Felicity believed they were "fated" to be together. That provided our introduction to Abram's fascination with chance, the mystical, the romantic, the religious, the spiritual; there are many things one could call it--the belief that something mysterious draws people together, makes them do things they otherwise wouldn't, shakes them with fear, drives them to the brink of despair, calls them to believe in some higher power than themselves, or makes them sigh with joy and gratitude. This notion of the "something beyond"--however differently it can be interpreted--is present in everything Abrams does.

The connections between "Six Degrees" and "Felicity" are rather obvious, and with "Alias" and "Lost" a bit less so, but they are still there for fans to find. Viewers will be pleased to find that the name of one character--Mae Anderson--is an alias. She has a secret, and we are not sure if she is on the side of good or evil, though we can't help but root for good. And most importantly of all, she starts the show a platinum blond and by the end has dyed her hair almost a reddish-brown. Sound familiar?

Then, echoing "Lost," is the ensemble cast (which includes the fantastic actor Campbell Scott as Steven) whose lives we know not only will be thrown together in multiple ways (though not on a deserted island)--but who also may have a past that connects them as well (as do all the characters on "Lost"). Though Abrams so far does not employ the signature flashbacks of character back-stories, as he does each episode on "Lost," it's clear that each character brings baggage to the table that will become important as their relationships evolve and tighten.

All this to say, whether you are new to J. J. Abrams or a longtime fan, "Six Degrees" is yet another fantastic contribution to television drama by the man who can do no wrong (it seems) when it comes to imagining an engaging story. Definitely tune in. I'd say that your horoscope today says its in the cards for you to take a chance on tales of love and friendship.

September marks the premiere issue of Good, a magazine founded and funded by Ben Goldhirsh (son of media-multi-millionaire Bernie Goldhirsh). Good is for the "growing number of people tied together not by age, career, background, or circumstance, but by a shared interest," writes Goldhirsh in a letter to potential readers on the magazine's website. "This revolves around a passion for potential mixed with fierce pragmatism and creative engagement. We sum all this up as the sensibility of giving a damn. But to shorten it, let's call it GOOD. We're here to push this movement and cover its realization. For while so much of today's media is taking up our space, dumbing us down, and impeding our productivity, GOOD exists to add value."

Described as falling between "New Age meets new money volunteerism meets the consumerist imperative," by NY Times reporter Sharon Waxman in her article "A Magazine for Earnest Young Things," the magazine has no explicit religious ties or motivations--though Waxman describes the magazine's headquarters by saying, "Yoga mats are neatly arranged in little cubbyholes next to the bar. The staff generally gathers for yoga classes out on the narrow balcony about three times a week."

Also absent from Good? Irony and sarcasm. "The founders say they were motivated by a desire to contribute to society and express something on behalf of their generation.... One thing that distinguishes Good from other young magazines is its wholly unironic tone.... Mr. Schorr believes that his generation is looking for a little earnestness."

To entice subscribers--of which I plan to count myself one as soon as I finish this post--Good boasts an offer that seems almost too good to be true: the entire $20 six-issue subscription fee will go to one of the 12 charity organizations listed on its subscriber page--and you choose which one. Charities include: City Year, Donors Choose (Katrina Aid), Teach for America, UNICEF, and the World Wildlife Fund.

How good is that? Now the only question remaining is to which organization should I assign my subscription?

It may be #10 on the Top Ten list of things Jews and Christians shalt not do, but not coveting thy neighbor's house, other related property, and just generally not coveting things that are not yours still made the tablet. And yet a new MySpace-like online community has sprung up with the sole purpose (or so it seems) of baiting us to break commandment #10.

Zebo.com, launched last week, is devoted to building community based on personal profiles that list all your possessions and reveal your deepest desires for that which you do not have but desperately want. Zebo.com allows members to make friends, invite others to join (and a host of other Friendster- and MySpace-like functions), yet with the sole purpose of giving everyone a little peep show into what you have (or at least, claim to), as well as the ability to go poking around in the contents of your friends' closets, drawers, and other private places normally reserved for personal viewing only.

"If the Internet encourages people to share with the world the contents of their souls, Zebo encourages them to share the contents of their homes. It is 'MTV Cribs' for the masses. Minimalists need not log in," writes NYTimes reporter Stephanie Rosenbloom in her article, "A Sense of Belonging Among Belongings," about the site.

Rosenbloom interviews Roy de Souza, Zebo's founder and chief executive, who offers the following mantra about the generation sure to make his site a success: "For the youth, you are what you own," [de Souze] said. "They list these things because it defines them."

Apparently, according to Rosenbloom, the biggest draw to the site is not simply getting to show of your own worth in stuff, but getting to see what everybody else has and craves themselves. Though Rosenbloom's overall assessment of Zebo is that--at least at this point--the site seems almost "wholesome," her final words sum up Zebo quite succintly: "Its members' primary vice is coveting."

Zebo is clearly for Christians and Jews whose Commandments only go to 9.

Website-creator turned author Janice Taylor brings her food-obsessed, playful, confessional ourladyofweightloss.com to the printed page, with a new book titled the same: "Our Lady of Weight Loss: Miraculous and Motivational Musings From the Patron Saint of Permanent Fat Removal" (Viking Studio).

As someone who grew up in a house filled with saintly paraphernalia and an all-too-pervasive knowledge of the, count-em, 6000 or so saints that make the Catholic holier-than-thou grade, I'm all for coming up with new saints for such difficult wordly tasks as weight loss. And Taylor--a weight-loss coach by profession--more or less masquerades as the Lady herself. NY Times book reviewer Liesl Schillinger explains that Taylor's weekly e-letter includes "confessions" of dietary transgressions sent in by the weight-struggling--which Our Lady of Weight Loss promptly and kindly forgives: "For instance," writes Schillinger about one e-letter. "When a woman admits that she wolfed down an egg biscuit and hash browns at McDonald's--'I sullied myself for the sake of convenience'--Our Lady is merciful: 'All is forgiven. Move on.'"

Truth be told, Our Lady of Weight Loss seems a bit more New Age than Catholic as far as spiritual persuasions go, and certainly not without humor, as evident in Taylor's site describtion of this saint of fat removal: "Our Lady of Weight Loss is dedicated to those who are drawn to The Art of Weight Loss. Our Lady encourages all to lighten up in every way. Have fun, laugh at yourself, enjoy a healthful lifestyle, and redirect those 'feeding' energies into something creative and more fulfilling than any bowl of ice cream could ever be."

Taylor's inspiration that started it all?

Janice's [Taylor] epiphany came one day in 2001 when she dragged herself to a weight loss center "where people obsess about weight and food," she recalled. "I weighed in and nearly keeled over. The scales of injustice were heavy indeed. It was all so dreary and depressing. I thought, 'I'm never going to make it.'" Then she heard The Voice (who later revealed herself to be Our Lady of Weight Loss), "If you think you're never going to make it, you never will. You're an artist. Make weight loss an art project." And she did, becoming America's first weight loss artist.

Well, at least "The Voice" part sounds very Catholic!

...Or so the comedian-turned-liberal political commentator claims during the initial moments of the documentary "Al Franken: God Spoke," opening in limited released tomorrow.

Hilariously dressed in a Santa Claus-like beard and holding a Ten Commandment-esque tablet--presumably Al Franken's mode of representing God--the film opens with Franken's voice booming amid the clouds: "God Spoke! God spoke to me and he told me to write this down...." Franken is of course, mocking pundits and politicians who have been known (and heard) to imply that God speaks through them and the ideas they espouse--most notably President Bush. (This scene is sure to offend some viewers--though then again, those viewers it might offend probably won't go see a documentary about Al Franken. They are busy at home reading Ann Coulter's latest diatribe, "Godless.")

But for viewers hoping for a Franken critique about God and politics, religion and the public square, Franken's mockery of right-wingers' claims to bend the ear of God is limited to those first moments. This documentary is not at all about religion or God (at least in any direct way), despite its title's implications. It is, instead, an overview of two years in the life of Al Franken--which includes a good deal of sparring with Ann Coulter and the rise and subsequent demise of Air America, the liberal radio network Al Franken spearheaded. (OK, maybe "demise" is not the right word--but the network is having its troubles.)

The film is certainly a tribute to the career of Al Franken, specifcally how he uses the claims and foibles of our country's O'Reillys and Coulters as a means to espouse his liberal point of view and make his targets look stupid in the process. The film also highlights Franken's recent struggles to make Air America work. (It is having trouble finding its audience and has been dropped altogether in some major markets.)

Though I was disappointed to find out that the film has virtually nothing in common with its title, the documentary is sure to interest Al Franken fans. It's as "fair and balanced" a film as one can hope from two unabashed fans of the documentary's subject.

The Catholic Church has not ever been silent about its non-love affair with Harry Potter & Company. Concerns about the series creating witch-loving children abound. But to say that J.K. Rowling's beloved series, which has the world's children reading like...