Well, so much for the bit about clothes -- I really have an idea for a post about fashion, but that'll have to be put on the proverbial back-burner while I continue my pursuit of the closest thing I get to normalcy, currently in the form of a Sunday "hey-look-what-I'm-into-this-week" blurb about, well, what I'm into. Yeah, yeah, I know, it's a bit late (unless you think a week is equal to about twelve days), but better late than never, right?
I'm actually getting into a lot of stuff as of late, but here's my three wonderful things this week:
1) Book: Age of Wonder by Richard Holmes -- One of my roommates got a nice shiny hardback copy of this book for Christmas, and while he's yet to open the dust jacket, I became so intrigued by the premise that I went out and bought my own, less rugged paperback edition (which you can also purchase here) that I've taken to reading during my lunch hours at work. Richard Holmes' work is, at its core, a biography -- a story of the men who presided over the pre-Victorian age of "Romantic Science." From Joseph Banks and his time in the newly discovered paradise of Tahiti to the Herschels and their telescopes, from the discovery of planets to the discovery of manned flight, Holmes weaves a fantastic and very readable narrative. I'm sure I'll talk more about the book as I get further along in the story (in all honestly, I'm only at about chapter three), but I'm loving every page of it. A word of warning, though: Holmes is, at heart, a historian of the poets of the age, and if you're looking for an in-depth scientific account, you might be a bit disappointed. The historian in me, though, appreciates the interesting stories. Your mileage may vary.
2) The 2010 UK general election -- As slightly-more-than-casual (read: obsessive) observer of UK culture and, to a lesser extent, politics, it's really fascinating to note the differences between their elections and ours. The election for the new British government officially lasts about six weeks, announced at irregular intervals, while the bi- and quadrennial US elections seem to start as soon as the last one ends. Last night, UK television saw its first televised leader's debate, and it was pretty much better than any US debate I've seen in my lifetime (although the American media merely saw this as an opportunity to snarkily welcome Britain to the 21st century -- bastards). I tweeted my tape-delayed "live" reactions to the debate, which I might bring over here for the next one. Truly a fascinating election -- I especially am interested in their immigration policies, speaking from the perspective as a prospective future immigrant -- and besides that, it's always good to step outside one's geographic borders and, you know, actually see what the rest of the world is up to, something Americans are woefully shit at.
For example: one of the main news stories in America over the last few weeks has been Obama's nuclear summit, and an overall goal for a reduction in nukes from all countries; in last night's debate, one of the more heated discussions came about when the Lib Dem leader, Nick Clegg, proposed that the UK's entire nuclear defence program essentially be scrapped, with the other two leaders not sounding very keen on scrapping any nukes at all. Now, since the UK is, in theory at least, one of our major allies, why is this not important? This is especially important considering that the Liberal Democrats' chances of actually becoming the government party in this election, despite Clegg's superb debate performance, is essentially nil. How Obama manages to work with Britain on this specific task (especially since the question of nuclear disarmament is supposedly one of the reasons Obama got his Nobel Prize) already looks to be a bit of a sticky situation. But now I'm just rambling. Yeah! Get your heads out of the sand, America!
3) TV: Have I Got News For You -- Confession: I have this weird obsession with trivia and quizzes, not a very attractive trait for someone that has any hope of making friends or finding a mate during the course of their natural lifespan, and one that made me a truly insufferable child for my first, oh, let's say, 26 years this coming May. One of my first, and most poorly constructed posts was about the game shows of my youth and how they've basically crumbled to a pile of dried poo at my feet in recent years. I try and rekindle my love affair -- I play Family Feud on Facebook! -- but most of what my homeland can provide includes "Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader?" and endless repeats of "Deal of No Deal." Then, a few years ago, I stumbled on a clip of a show on YouTube, a sort of topical news quiz called -- well, you know what it's called. It's up there, in bold font, with italics for good measure. It rapidly became one of my favourite TV shows. ever. and, although it's been going for about 20 years now (39 biannual series), I think I may have seen almost every episode they've broadcast. It's that good.
In essence, HIGNFY is a generic panel show/topical news quiz, a television format that is virtually unknown here in the States; two teams, each with a regular "captain," answer questions and crack jokes under the direction and scrutiny of a chairman (read: host). Depending on the show, each team has one or two C- and D-list celebs (sometimes B-listers!) on as guests, whose job it is to be as witty as possible, and who you've likely seen in several other panel shows as well. For the most part, I think a well-done panel show is better comedy than any sitcom or stand-up act, and if you watch many of these programmes (especially as a foreigner), you'll find that you are more familiar with the D-listers than the top-shelf celebrities they're actively mocking. It's sad that, when you take into account how many ideas we basically steal from across the pond (see the aforementioned "Deal or No Deal," among other, more annoying shows *cough*America'sGotTalent*cough*), we haven't really seen any panel- or quiz-type shows even attempt to make it over here, and I'd be curious to see if any ever got pitched in Hollywood. I have a few theories -- something about the difference in celebrity culture here, or the fact that the networks gave up on prime-time "game shows" decades ago and everything now needs to be an hour-long blockbuster, or the fact that our TV seasons are full-year commitments so to be engrossed in a panel show when there are potentially better "vehicles" for one's talent might be seen as a cop-out -- but really, I think that, given the right format, these things could really take off in America. HIGNFY, if you got the right US cast, could be brilliant.
But you would have to have the right cast -- HIGNFY's team captains (they've been without a permanent chairman since 2002, long story) are brilliant at what they do, and when they have as their guest someone who has been in the news recently, they have taken comedic grilling to a new level. Politicians, in particular, have taken an appearance on the show as a high-risk high-reward venture; MP Roy Hattersley was famously replaced by a tub of lard after having flaked out on an episode for the third time, and Boris Johnson rode his own coattails after a number of humanizing performances on the show, all the way to becoming the Mayor of London. Another peril of US panel shows -- getting "non-entertainment" names on the show. Lord knows no politician would walk into that minefield; they're far too spineless.
Well, now that you've heard my dissertation on the state of American television, I should probably get off this silly box and accomplish something. Or I could stay on the silly box and finish that post on clothes...
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