The SESAME STREET Controversy or How Elmo Destroyed SESAME STREET

Sesame Street is in the midst of a controversy right now. Some footage of singer Katy Perry singing a cleaned-up version of her song "Hot N Cold" with Elmo was released before the episode aired. A lot of parents saw the footage and complained, basically, that there was too much of Perry's cleavage showing. Sesame Street has now decided to pull the segment altogether. This has raised some controversy because in recent years the show has parodied such adult cable shows as True Blood and Mad Men and people didn't really complain about that. I don't think there were as many complaints about those shows for two reasons.

The first is that many parents of younger children don't really know what True Blood or Mad Men are. Those shows are cable shows and a lot of people with children don't have much time to devote to tv, especially shows that appear on premium cable networks (you have to pay more money each month to get AMC and even more for HBO). I know that those shows are available on DVD and members of those shows have graced numerous magazine covers, appeared on countless talk shows, and have multitudes of websites devoted to their characters. Still, unless you're an entertainment junkie or work in the industry, if you're a parent you really don't have much time for such drivel. You're too busy going to work, raising your kids, and taking care of your home. The shows you watch are probably mostly animated cartoons and educational shows. The magazines you read, if any, are more likely to be Good Parenting instead of Entertainment Weekly. The websites you visit are probably have lots of info about child-rearing and basic medical advice, not fan websites. You just don't have time so when you see a segment on Sesame Street called "True Mud" that's about a grouch who wants mud for a mud bath, you probably think, "That's kind of lame. I don't remember Oscar ever taking a mud bath. That wasn't a very good segment." You then never think anything of it. Now, if you happened to be an entertainment junkie or worked in the business, then when you see such a segment you would probably think it was clever, but risque for Sesame Street. Except, if you're a woman who watches one of those shows.

Which brings me to point two. The audiences of shows like True Blood and Mad Men are mostly women (around 70%). People get very attached to their tv shows. I can remember as a kid my Mom was addicted for awhile to Days of Our Lives. Heck, even my grandma had a soap opera she used to watch all of the time until she forced herself to break that addiction. I've never missed an episode of Survivor. I get it. When you become attached to a particular show, you become protective of it. The majority of the people who watch True Blood are women so if you happen to have a child and are watching Sesame Street when a segment called "True Mud" airs, you're probably going to think, "Oh, how cute. They're parodying True Blood. How clever of Sesame Street." Since you're a fan of the True Blood, you know it's not a show that kids have any business watching and that even a parody of it shouldn't be airing on Sesame Street, but since you're a fan of the show you call it cute and clever.

Katy Perry is a pop singer who appears all over the place. She's doesn't appear for just a few weeks on a premium cable show. She's all on the talk shows, both morning and late night, of all the major networks. Her videos are some of the few that still play on MTV. She's seen on VH-1 and sang a song at the Kid's Choice Awards on Nickleodeon. Her face has been on all kinds of magazines. But, Katy Perry is female and for whatever reason, a lot of females seem threatened by her. So when Katy Perry appears on Sesame Street wearing a dress that female ice-skaters wear, people complain.

Personally, I think it's all a crock. Sesame Street shouldn't be doing parodies of "True Blood" or "Mad Men" and even if she is a pop-singer sensation, Katy Perry shouldn't ever appear on the show. I grew up with the Muppets. Some of my favorite shows of all time were The Muppet Show, Jim Henson's The Storyteller, Fraggle Rock, and Sesame Street. The stuff that appears on Sesame Street now would never have even aired on a children's show. It might have gotten some play on The Muppet Show, but definitely not Sesame Street. Sesame Street was a safe place. Guest stars were actually rare on the show. The cast of characters was relatively small, just a few humans and a handful or two regular Muppets. Oh, and Cookie Monster ate cookies, not fruits and vegetables.

I think that changed whenever Elmo came on the scene. He's extremely annoying and somewhat obnoxious. He's the Barney Fife of the Sesame Street universe. Elmo didn't exist when I watched Sesame Street and I'm convinced the nature of the show changed when he came onto the scene. Big Bird, Bert and Ernie, Oscar, Grover, Cookie Monster, and the Count all had to step into the background and let Elmo take the spotlight. And take it he did, Elmo is all over Sesame Street now. Quite frankly, I think Elmo is representative of a great deal that's wrong with education and child-rearing in America. Elmo is allowed to run rampant all over the place. Sure, he's good-natured, polite, and tries to do the right thing, but he keeps popping up in places he shouldn't be. Elmo shouldn't be the center of attention. He shouldn't have his own segment and appear in the majority of the regular Sesame Street segments. He should be contained, disciplined so to speak. Instead, he's pretty much been given free reign, just like a lot of the kids in America today.

Anyway, last year while watching the three-year old son of a good friend of mine, I watched the first episode of Sesame Street that I had seen in over a decade. I was flabbergasted. The show had several regular features, including "Elmo's World", that were basically like mini- episodes. There was very little original animation and there were way too many guest stars (not including the "Elmo's World" actors there were 3 guest stars on the show that day). The quaint, simplistic, educational show of my childhood was gone. It remained in name only. The soul had been sucked away, replaced by a vapid void of hyperactivity and listlessness. And that is why Sesame Street now parodies a show like True Blood.

Joaquin Phoenix Was Acting the Whole Time

Remember about a year and a half ago and Joaquin Phoenix appeared on David Letterman with a scruffy beard and was acting all bizarre. It was shortly after he made the announcement that he was "retiring from acting" and had decided to pursue a career as a hip-hop or rap musician.

As it turns out, it was all faked. It was just one big stunt.

I told you. Joaquin Phoenix was acting the whole time.

I'm not sure why Phoenix wanted to do the gig. His announcement came just two years after his Academy Award-nominated performance in Walk the Line. As for Casey Affleck, he's trying to prove himself more as a filmmaker and the more talented of the Affleck brothers, so I can see why he was interested in the stunt.

So, there you have it.

Why Porn Shops Don't Have Windows

Thanks to Justin Taylor for this. The following is taken from a message from John Piper entitled "Do You See the Glory of God in the Sun?"
________________________

Do you know why there are no windows on adult bookstores? Or do you know why there are no windows on certain kinds of nightclubs in the city?

I suppose your answer would be, “Well, because they don’t want people looking in and getting a free sight.”

That’s not the only reason.

You know why? Because they don’t want people looking out at the sky.

You know why? The sky is the enemy of lust.

And I just ask you—you think back on your struggles. The sky is a great power against lust.

Pure, lovely, wholesome, beautiful, powerful, large-hearted things cannot abide the soul of a sexual fantasy at the same time.

I remember as I struggled with these things in my teenaged years and in my college years —I knew how I could fight most effectively in those days. And I’ve developed other strategies over the years that have proved very effective. And one way of fighting was simply to get out of the dark places, get out of the lonely rooms, get out of the boxed-in places, get out of the places where it’s just small me and my mind and what I can do with it, and get out where I am just surrounded by color and beauty and bigness and loveliness.

And I know that when I used to sit in my front yard at 122 Bradley Boulevard with a notepad in my hand a pen and trying to write a poem—at that moment my heart and my body were light years away from the sexual fantasizing I was tempted by again and again in the late-night, quiet, secluded, in-house moments.

There’s something about bigness, there’s something about beauty, that helps battle against the puny, small, cruddy use of the mind to fantasize about sexual things.

And then turn it around: it works this way too. We know from experience that if we give way to sexual fantasies and yield to lusts and dwelling on unwholesome things, our capacities for seeing the sky are cut in half. And then cut in half again. And then cut in half again—until you’re just a little worm on the ground as your language and your mind is nothing but smut. It can happen to anybody!

And so I just commend to you: don’t let that happen. Battle lust—among all the other weapons that you’re given in Scripture—battle it with the upward glance of the magnificent blue and the thunder and the lightning and the sunrises and the sunsets and the glory of God. And say to yourself, “If I give way in this hour to that kind of thinking, I won’t enjoy this, I won’t have a large heart, I won’t have a capacious mind, I won’t be a noble person—I’ll just be an old gutter person.” Preach to yourself like that! And then give yourself over to the ministry of the sky. And let it help you free from lust.

Graphic Novel Review: STAR TREK: SPOCK-REFLECTIONS

Beginning just before the release of the movie STAR TREK, IDW began publishing Star Trek comics that are notable not only for their artwork and stories, but for their appreciation and adherence to the Star Trek’s universe history. For instance, STAR TREK: COUNTDOWN was the Star Trek story that should have been the next Star Trek movie.

STAR TREK: SPOCK-REFLECTIONS is a supplemental tie-in to the STAR TREK movie. The story follows Spock as he secretly travels from Romulus to Earth and back to Romulus. Along the way, the reader sees flashbacks from Spock’s life illuminating why he is now on Romulus attempting to bring the teachings of the Vulcan philosopher Surak to the Romulans. Though the book is about Spock and his reflections and is a loose tie-in to the movie STAR TREK, the story brings together elements from various other Star Trek movies and wraps them up nicely.

The story unfolds at a slower pace than many other Star Trek stories, but that fits because the focus is on the character of Spock and not plot. There doesn’t have to be great battles, large explosions, or massive firefights. Instead, the events unravel one at a time, at the end revealing a glimmer of what has made Spock who he is.

Like STAR TREK: COUNTDOWN, STAR TREK: SPOCK-REFLECTIONS contains some beautiful illustrations. The layouts done by David Messina, find a nice balance between a classical Star Trek style and the new sleek and flashy Star Trek look. It’s a nice combination of old and new.

Star Trek fans will probably enjoy STAR TREK: SPOCK-REFLECTIONS as well as anyone who has an interest in Spock.

Book Review: FINDING OZ

Once upon a time I was cast in a production of THE WIZARD OF OZ and began doing some research not only into Oz, but into the man who created that world, L. Frank Baum. One of the books I read as part of my research was FINDING OZ.

The book is flows smoothly and is rather easy to read. The premise of the book is that many of the characters, events, and places in THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ were inspired by people, events, and places from Baum’s own life. FINDING OZ attempts to illustrate just what all those people, events, and places were. The book begins with Baum’s familial background and his birth and follows his life until just after the major success of THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ.

Though the story moves along very smoothly and is filled with facts, as a biography the book isn’t very good. FINDING OZ is filled with suppositions. For instance, when discussing a time when Baum went to meet his future wife, Maud Gage, the author makes all kinds of suppositions from the probabilities of the things they would have worn, to how Baum would have arrived, to what songs were sung, to how long Baum spent at the house, etc. I realize these suppositions were included to keep the book smoothly flowing. However, they aren’t factual and I felt that they took away more than they added.

I also didn’t like how the author tried to find a real-life reason for all of the major events, places, and characters in Oz. As Baum clearly points out in his own introduction to THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ, the story is supposed to be an American fairy tale. It’s not a parable or an allegory. We do know that there are certain things that did inspire Baum’s tale, for instance his niece Dorothy who died at an early age, the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago, and Baum’s experiences selling china (the Dainty Chinaland chapter in THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ all makes sense now). However, not everything in the novel was inspired by something else. Sometimes a story is just a story, and I often felt while reading FINDING OZ that the author forgot that.

The book also ends rather abruptly. It spends a great deal of time on Baum’s life leading up to the publication of THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ, but very little time on the events of his life after that. Baum wrote many other books and though none were as successful as the first Oz book, he was one of the most famous and successful authors of his time. He went back to the Oz books because the public demanded them. If people, places, and events in THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ were so closely based upon real-life, were the people, places, and events of the sequels also based upon real things? The author never comes near that question and FINDING OZ basically ends after the success of THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ.

That’s not to say FINDING OZ is a terrible book because it’s not. The book is entertaining and is occasionally informative. For instance, the author makes it clear that Baum did not base THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ upon Populist politics of the day as several historians and theorists have suggested in the past. In fact, Baum was a staunch lifelong Republican. The book also gives a great deal of insight into Matilda Gage and her relationship with her son-in-law.

FINDING OZ was a mixed-bag for me. The structure flows as smooth as a novel, but the major faults of the book kept me from enjoying it as much as I have similar-themed works of non-fiction.

Crazy Love--Chapter 7; Faith

Luke Warm Christians?

Is there such a thing as a luke warm Christian? I've heard a couple of handfuls of sermons about luke warm Christianity during my life. Those sermons usually disturbed me because most of the time the speakers talked about how not to be a "luke warm Christian". The problem I had is that there is no such thing in the Bible. You're either a Christian or you're not. There is no in between. Why deceive people into believing they can be something that doesn't exist?

"Mother Goose and Grimm" and THE WIZARD OF OZ

Media Consumed: August 2010

Books Read

*Problem Identified and You’re Probably Not Part of the Solution Scott Adams

Stephen King Goes to the Movies Stephen King

The Dumbest Generation Mark Baurlein

*The Storm in the Barn Matt Phelan

+Frankenstein Mary Shelley

Cliffs Notes on Shelley’s Frankenstein Jeff Coghill

Stuff Christians Like Jonathan Acuff

#, + Harvey

* = denotes book of comic strips or graphic novel

+ = denotes a work previously read

# = denotes a play

I found The Dumbest Generation to be highly informative. It provides the best statistical and data available illustrating that children’s increased use of the Internet, cell phones, etc. are actually causing the majority of the youth in America to become less intelligent.

I started re-reading Frankenstein two years ago when I was teaching it. I never finished re-reading the last chapter until now.

Stuff Christians Like is both funny and thought-provoking. It laughs about things contemporary Christians tend to do, while at the same time using satire to raise important issues.

Harvey is a great play and I read it in preparation for the production I’m acting in and producing.

Movies Watched for the First Time

Who Done It?

The Other Guys

Astro Boy

Who Done It? is another Abbot and Costello picture. I remember seeing part of it years ago on tv. It’s a funny murder-mystery story.

The Other Guys is Will Ferrell’s best movie in years and is hilarious. Ferrell doesn’t get to do the typical things he usually does and is more restrained. Mark Wahlberg is actually the funny man in the pic with Ferrell being the straight man.

Astro Boy was an enjoyable animated feature. It didn’t have a message or moral, but was just a colorful piece of high-tech animated fluff.

Media Consumed: July 2010

Books Read

The New Yorker: On the Money Ed. Robert Mankoff

1,001 Facts That Will Scare the S#*t Out of You Cary McNeil

*The Wizard of Oz Graphic Novel Adapt. Michael Cavallaro

Finding Oz Evan I. Schwartz

* = denotes a graphic novel

July was kind of a slow month, reading-wise for me. I was in the midst of a musical and spent a large part of my free time (especially during the last two weeks) on the show. Of the four books, the only one I can give a solid recommendation for is 1,001 Facts That Will Scare the S#*t Out of You. The book is filled with facts about all kinds of things. If it doesn’t kill you, it truly will make you stronger.

Movies Watched for the First Time

Tenure

Despicable Me

500 Days of Summer

The Lonely Guy

*Hold That Ghost

Inception

Pardon My Sarong

*The Dreamer of Oz

Tenure was in interesting little film. It’s not a full-fledged comedy and the drama isn’t as serious as one might think. It doesn’t fit definitely into one type of genre. I tend to like movies like that.

Despicable Me was a complete joy. Steve Carrell’s voice is unrecognizable and the Minions are adorable.

I liked the way 500 Days of Summer was told, but I hated the story.

I watched several Abbott and Costello films the past couple months in preparation for my role as Lion in The Wizard of Oz. Hold That Ghost is one of the duo’s earliest best. Pardon My Sarong wasn’t quite as funny, but it’s still has plenty of classic Abbot and Costello humor.

Inception is a great movie that’s ruined by an indecisive conclusion (Chris Nolan should have had some balls and made a choice one way or the other). It’s by no means the best movie of the year (Toy Story 3 is that), but it does break some ground effects-wise.

Lastly, The Dreamer of Oz is a made-for-tv movie starring John Ritter. I saw the film when it first aired on television. It was on the The Wizard of Oz DVD I own so I watched it again in some final preparation for the show.

"Pearls Before Swine" Tribute to Charlie Brown

STAR WARS Prequels Parody

Thanks to Jack Hager for leading me to this Star Wars tribute/Queen parody.

After the Lion Got His Courage

--From Parade magazine Sun., Aug. 8, 2010

Book Review: TV'S GREATEST GAME SHOWS

I’ve always been a fan of game shows. The best game shows aren’t just entertaining, but include an element of education, whether through trivia, word games, or musical memory. I’ve auditioned for several game shows, but have never been selected as a contestant. I also enjoy watching episodes of old game shows. The best ones are still entertaining today. Some of the best game shows ever to air on American television are reviewed in TV's Greatest Game Shows.

The book begins with a preface by the author where he discusses his love for game shows and his experiences on trying to get on JEOPARDY! and WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE? An introduction follows that gives a short history of U.S. game shows.

Each of the games reviewed begin with a snapshot of the show’s main credits: the dates the series aired, the network the show aired on, the hosts of the show, the series creators, the show’s producers, and the show’s director. If a show was revived or aired on a different network, that information follows the credit info about the original show in the same format. Following the credit info, there is a short synopsis about the show. Depending on the popularity or impact of a game show, the synopsis is as short as a paragraph or as long as several pages. Usually some bits of trivia or lines from the show are included. There’s also a section discussing some of the most famous of game show hosts. Shows included in the book range from AMERICAN GLADIATORS to JEOPARDY! to MATCH GAME to PASSWORD to WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE to I’VE GOT A SECRET.

The book is really easy to read. Like the best game shows, I found it both entertaining and informative. TV's Greatest Game Shows makes a great reference guide about game shows as well as a nice gift for anyone who enjoys game shows.

The Death of Western Philosophy

--from The Wild and Twisted World of Rubes by Leigh Rubin

Winnie the Pooh in an "Argyle Sweater"

--from 50% Wool 50% Asinine by Scott Hillburn

Reading CRAZY LOVE

A few months ago, a good friend sent me a copy of CRAZY LOVE. It's a book I had been wanting to purchase myself, but never had, yet. I read the introduction about a month ago, but because of a show I was involved with, I never got any farther than that. I continued reading the book last week and have finished the first chapter.

I know I've just read the first chapter, but the book is a great book and one I highly recommend. It's encouraged me about the way I've tried to live my life, while at the same time challenged me to live even deeper. The overall message of the book is one that is relevant to both people who are "new" Christians and those who have been believers most their lives. I think believers around the world can take something away from the book, but it's clearly aimed at American Christians.

As a way to increase interaction, Francis Chan made several videos to accompany the book. These videos are free, short, and can be found online not only at the website for the book, but on YouTube, too. Here and there, as I'm reading through the book, I'll post one of the videos. The one below goes with Chapter 1. It raises some good questions. Tell me what you think.

The Lincoln Family in "The Argyle Sweater"

--From 50% Wool 50% Asinine by Scott Hillburn

Children's Book Review: A DELUGE OF DOGS

In the world of children’s publishing, one of the easiest books to write and publish is the alphabet book. Alphabet books are supposed to be designed to help children learn the alphabet by having a line or lyric about each letter. Take, for example the classic, “A is for apple, B is for ball, C is for cat, etc.” I’m not a very big fan of alphabet books. The majority of them tend to be trite and drivel that really don’t attempt to contribute to expanding a young person’s (or a person learning English) knowledge of the English language. On the other hand, there are some alphabet books that though they don’t contain any great word play, they are filled with gorgeous illustrations that are works of art. It is rare that one comes across and alphabet book that tries something different, has great illustrations, and is fun to read for both kids and adults. A DELUGE OF DOGS is such a book.

The book takes the concept of the alphabet book and ties it together with dogs. Kids love dogs and many adults do, too. However, the author takes the concept one step further by using some entertaining wordplay through the use of alliteration, assonance, and rhyme. There are 26 different dogs in the book, each beginning with a different letter of the alphabet. The words that the author uses with the names are unusual and great for expanding one’s vocabulary. A few examples include “A is for Astro aglow in a tree”, “Q is for Quentin quenching his thirst”, and “X is for Xerxes exhorting a yak.”

Accompanying the H.C. Fargot’s text are the vibrant illustrations by Wrolf Bronesby. Not only are the illustrations works of art in themselves, but they give the words an added layer of meaning. For instance “M is for Murphy making ends meet” we see the dog Murphy sniffing the rear end of another puppy and in “R is for Riley realizing the wurst” we see a dog named Riley running down the street with a link of sausages in his mouth.

Alphabet books are a dime for a dozen, but A DELUGE OF DOGS is a superior alphabet book that both children and adults will enjoy reading and looking through.

THE ARGYLE SWEATER Meets VeggieTales

Another strip out of 50% Wool 50% Asinine by Scott Hillburn.

More Thoughts About the Dumbest Generation

"The decline of school-supporting leisure habits--lower reading rates, fewer museum visits, etc.--created a vacuum in leisure time that the stuff of youth filled all too readily, and it doesn't want to give any of it back. Digital technology has fostered a segregated social reality, peer pressure gone wild, distributing youth content in an instant, across continents, 24/7. Television watching holds steady, while more screens mean more screen time. What passes through them locks young Americans ever more firmly into themselves and one another, and whatever doesn't pass through them appears irrelevant and profitless. Inside the classroom, they learn a little about the historical past and civic affairs, but once the lesson ends they swerve back to the youth-full, peer-bound present. Cell phones, personal pages, and the rest unleash persistent and simmering forces of adolescence, the volatile mix of cliques and loners, rebelliousness and conformity, ambition and self-destruction, idolatry and irreverence, know-nothing-ness and know-it-all-ness, all of which tradition and knowledge had helped to contain. The impulses were always there, but the stern shadow of moral and cultural canons at home and in class managed now and then to keep them in check. But the guideposts are now unmanned, and the pushback of the mentors has dwindled to the sober objections of a faithful few who don't mind sounding unfashionable and insensitive."

p. 200 of The Dumbest Generation by Mark Baurerlein

Thomas Has a Very Valid Point

I'm named after the Apostle Thomas and portrayed him once in a short musical. I love this comic. I found the comic online here.

Another Argyle Comic

- from the book 50% Wool 50% Asinine by Scott Hillburn

TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD comic

Here's a funny "Argyle Sweater" comic parodying To Kill a Mockingbird. It's from 50% Wool, 50% Asinine by Scott Hillburn.

Some Thoughts About TWILIGHT and Christianity

A man I respect introduced me to the following video. Whether you agree or disagree, it does raise some very interesting points that are worth thinking about, discussing, and contemplating.

Some Words From THE DUMBEST GENERATION

Even though I have a mountain of other books I'm reading, I recently came across this book, The Dumbest Generation by Mark Bauerlein, and purchased it to read. Even though I'm not currently teaching, I try to stay abreast of educational trends, theories, etc. as well as what young people are into. The book is chock-full of facts and figures about the young people in our country and how instead of becoming more intelligent they are actually becoming more ignorant. What follows are a few quotes from the introduction to the book.
------
"We have entered the Information Age, traveled the Information Superhighway, spawned a Knowledge Economy, undergone the Digital Revolution, converted manual workers into knowledge workers, and promoted a Creative Class, and we anticipate a Conceptual Age to be. However, overhyped those grand social metaphors, they signify a rising premium on knowledge and communications, and everyone from Wired magazine to Al Gore to Thomas Friedman to the Task Force on the Future of American Innovation echoes the change....

And yet, while teens and young adults have absorbed digital tools into their daily lives like no other age group, while they have grown up with more knowledge and information readily at hand, taken more classes, built their own Web sites, enjoyed more libraries, bookstores, and museums in their towns and cities...in sum, while the world has provided them extraordinary chances to gain knowledge and improve their reading/writing skills, not to mention offering financial incentives to do so, young Americans today are no more learned or skillful than their predecessors, no more knowledgeable, fluent, up-to-date, or inquisitive, except in the materials of youth culture. They don't know any more history or civics, economics or science, literature or current events. They read less on their own, both books and newspapers, and you would have to canvass a lot of college English instructors and employers before you found one who said that they compose better paragraphs. In fact, their technology skills fall well short of the common claim, too, especially when they must apply them to research and workplace tasks.

The world delivers facts and events and art and ideas as never before, but the young American mind hasn't opened....

Teenagers and young adults mingle in a society of abundance, intellectual as well as material. American youth in the twenty-first century have benefited from a shower of money and goods, a bath of liberties and pleasing self-images, vibrant civic debates, political blogs, old books and masterpieces available online, traveling exhibitions, the History Channel, news feeds...and on and on. Never have opportunities for education, learning, political action, and cultural activity been greater. All the ingredients for making an informed and intelligent citizen are in place.

But it hasn't happened....They have all the advantages of modernity and democracy, but when the gifts of life lead to social joys, not intellectual labor, the minds of the young plateau at age 18. This is happening all around us. The fonts of knowledge are everywhere, but the rising generation is camped in a desert, passing stories, pictures, tunes, and texts back and forth, living off the thrill of peer attention. Meanwhile, their intellects refuse the cultural and civic inheritance that has made us what we are up to now."

A Couple of Star Wars Videos.

Here's a couple of funny Star Wars related videos. The first is from the zany people at Improv Everywhere who go around New York performing seeming "random" acts of "improved" hilarity.

The second is from the folks at CollegeHumor.com. It pokes fun at some of the "myths" surrounding Sept. 11th by using Storm Troopers talking about the destruction of the Death Star.

Final THE WIZARD OF OZ Reminder

A final reminder, tonight is the beginning of the final weekend for The Wizard of Oz. If you're anywhere near the area (Highland, IL), you'll want to stop by.
I hear the Cowardly Lion would win an Arts for Life Performance award if Highland, IL were 4 miles closer to Clayton, MO. You really don't want to miss out.


The Wizard of Oz
Produced by Hard Road Theatre in association with the Highland Arts Council and sponsored by Scott Credit Union

Final Performances:
Fri., Aug. 6, 2010 @7:30 P.M.
Sat., Aug. 7, 2010 @7:30 P.M
Sun., Aug. 8, 2010 @2:00 P.M.

All performances are held at the Upper Elementary Auditorium, 1800 Lindenthal Ave., Highland, IL 62249.

Ticket Prices: $9 adults, $8 seniors, $7 children

For more information go to www.hardroad.org

Another Oz Comic

Here's another THE WIZARD OF OZ comic strip. This one's from the book The Wild and Twisted World of Rubes by Leigh Rubin.

At the Other Premiere of THE OTHER GUYS

So, late yesterday afternoon I went with my brother to St. Louis. St. Louis beat 19 other cities out in an online voting contest to hold the Other Premiere for THE OTHER GUYS, a new movie starring Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg. Ferrell and Wahlberg were scheduled to make an appearance and my brother is a huge Ferrell fan. The red carpet line-up was scheduled to start at 7:30P.M.

The first celebrity to appear was one that was completely unexpected: the one and only Don King.

The radio DJ's who were emceeing the event were completely caught off guard by that one. They weren't as surprised when a couple of expected guests arrived shortly after: Ozzie Smith & Mayor Francis Slay.

The DJs recoginzed some St. Louis Blues players, but they had no idea who any of the St. Louis Rams were, including offensive lineman Phil Trautwein who was dressed in a giant Elf costume. Poor Rams. Maybe if they'd win more than 1 or 2 games a season, people would start caring about them again.

After a couple of hours waiting near a barricade (and seeing one woman almost faint from heat exhaustion nearby), Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg finally arrived.

The Mayor gave them keys to the City of St. Louis. Ozzie Smith gave them Cardinals jerseys with his number, but with their names. Someone from the Rams gave them Rams jerseys. They chatted for a bit. Then they "drove away" apparently to return to the theatre to take some questions from people who were lucky enough to get in to see the movie. Overall, it was quite a memorable evening.

OZ Reminder

Just a reminder, tomorrow is opening night for The Wizard of Oz. If you're anywhere near the area (Highland, IL), you'll want to stop by. The show's worth watching just alone for the performance of the actor portraying the Cowardly Lion. I hear he is amazing.


The Wizard of Oz
Produced by Hard Road Theatre in association with the Highland Arts Council and sponsored by Scott Credit Union

Performances: Fri., July 30, 2010 @7:30 P.M.
Sat., July 31, 2010 @7:30 P.M.
Sun., Aug. 1, 2010 @ 2:00 P.M.
Fri., Aug. 6, 2010 @7:30 P.M.
Sat., Aug. 7, 2010 @7:30 P.M
Sun., Aug. 8, 2010 @2:00 P.M.

All performances are held at the Upper Elementary Auditorium, 1800 Lindenthal Ave., Highland, IL 62249.

Ticket Prices: $9 adults, $8 seniors, $7 children

For more information go to www.hardroad.org

President Obama on THE VIEW?

This morning as I looked at the news blurbs from Yahoo! News one in particular caught my eye: "Obama opens up on 'The View'". I did a literal double-take. I thought to myself that there's no way that could be correct. But, it was. The President of the United States appeared on morning television at a women's coffee klatch.

Seriously?...Come on, really?... Seriously???

Barack Obama is the President of the United States. I opposed him when he was a candidate, but he won. Even though I disagree with many of the policies and laws he's campaigned Congress to enact, I've tried to give the man the respect that a person in the Office of the President deserves. I pray for the man. But when you are the President of the United States and you are a guest on "The View" you not only set yourself up for ridicule, but it shows nothing but disrespect and disgrace for the Office of the President. You make yourself not only to be a laughingstock, but also the Office of the President in general and by extension the entire United States. It leaves me flabbergasted.

I Write Like...

According to the website, "I write like" (www.iwl.me), I write like David Foster Wallace. Here's the link to the badge.

http://iwl.me/s/d7939cdb

I think that's a decent comparison. I was hoping for Flannery O'Connor myself, but David Foster Wallace is good, too.

Yoda Voice Recording Session

Here's a hilarious video from Tomtom with Yoda recording for their GPS system.

WIZARD OF OZ Comics

The following comics come out of the book 50% WOOL 50% ASININE by Scott Hilburn. They are strips from "The Argyle Sweater". I found them funny and since they are all THE WIZARD OF OZ connected and I'm currently in that show, I thought it appropriate.

TWILIGHT Vs. TRUE BLOOD

Remember when vampires were evil creatures of undead? Remember when vampire hunters were heroes? Remember when vampirism was a metaphor for all the evil (though very appealing stuff) that you should stay away from?

Yesterday I discovered this hilarious video. It pretty much sums up how incredibly ridiculous this whole new vampire fad is.

Hard Road's Production of THE WIZARD OF OZ

FYI, I've been spending most of the summer rehearsing for a musical. Hard Road Theatre is putting on The Wizard of Oz and I'm acting in it. I'm portraying the Lion, you know the King of the Forest who's really just a big old coward.

If you are anyone else you know of is interested in seeing the show (or just seeing me for that matter), below is the information you'll need. I hope some of you will be able to come out and see it.

The Wizard of Oz
Produced by Hard Road Theatre in association with the Highland Arts Council and sponsored by Scott Credit Union

Performances: Fri., July 30, 2010 @7:30 P.M.
Sat., July 31, 2010 @7:30 P.M.
Sun., Aug. 1, 2010 @ 2:00 P.M.
Fri., Aug. 6, 2010 @7:30 P.M.
Sat., Aug. 7, 2010 @7:30 P.M
Sun., Aug. 8, 2010 @2:00 P.M.

All performances are held at the Upper Elementary Auditorium, 1800 Lindenthal Ave., Highland, IL 62249.

Ticket Prices: $9 adults, $8 seniors, $7 children

For more information go to www.hardroad.org

What I'm Reading Right Now

Here are the books I'm reading right now.

Media Consumed: June 2010

Books Read
Wicked Gregory Maguire
Blockade Billy Stephen King
High Soft Lisp Gilbert Hernandez
Shrek Graphic Novel Various
A Barnstormer in Oz Philip Jose Farmer
101 Things I Learned in Film School Neil Landau
The Complete Peanuts 1975-1976, Vol. 13 Charles Schulz
Word Pictures Brian Godawa

Wicked is a book that I had been looking forward to reading for sometime. Since I'm in a production of The Wizard of Oz and knew I was going to see the stage version of Wicked in July, I figured now would be a good time to read it. Well, the 1st half of the book is pretty interesting, but after that the story and actual writing just goes downhill. It really isn't a great book and this is an instance where the stage show is actually a major improvement upon the original material.

Blockade Billy is the latest work from Stephen King, a writer whom I really enjoy. It's a bit different from some of his more typical writing. The book contains two novellas, "Blockade Billy" and "Morality" which are similar in style, but very different in theme. It's not typical King, but I've found that I usually like those stories better than his usual, spooky stuff.

A Barnstormer in Oz was a book I read as part of my research for OZ. It didn't help in any way and the story ends rather abruptly. I wish Farmer would have gotten around to writing a sequel. Overall, I liked the story as it presents a world in which much of the events in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz actually happened and that Dorothy had been a real person who gave an exclusive interview to L. Frank Baum.

I'm a major "Peanuts" fan and was very excited to read the latest installment of the Complete Peanuts books being published by Fantagraphics. The !975-1976 Collection is an interesting read as it is the first collection where the Peanuts have jumped completely into the realm of the absurd.

Lastly, Word Pictures was a book that I really enjoyed. Basically, it's about how the Bible and God can't really just be understood on a completely literal level and that there has to be some literary elements to it as well; the visual is just as important as the written word. Jesus was the Word of God, but he also was a man who really did live and breathe.

Movies Watched For the First Time
Trick 'R Treat
They Saved Hitler's Brain
Marmaduke
9
Used Cars
Horton Hears a Who
Wicked Wicked
The A-Team
Midgets Vs. Mascots
Collateral
Toy Story 3

They Saved Hitler's Brain is a terrible B movie that is almost worth watching for the payoff of seeing Hitler's "brain" towards the end (notice I said almost).

Used Cars is an earlier Robert Zemeckis directed feature from 1980 that stars Kurt Russell. The movie has an amazing finale that is worth watching for that.

Wicked Wicked is a movie not available on DVD or VHS, but airs occasionally on cable. It's a low-key thriller that's notable because it's viewed almost completely on a split screen.

The A-Team movie is a pretty decent adaptation of the 1980s television series and I enjoyed it.

Midgets Vs. Mascots is the last movie starring Gary Coleman. Besides the excessive foul language, the movie is actually very funny and has appearances by some people who are now more famous thanks to Glee.

Lastly, the best movie of the year is Toy Story 3. It probably won't win Best Picture because Hollywood doesn't really acknowledge that an animated film can be better than a "regular" film, but Toy Story 3 is by far the best movie of the year and can be enjoyed by anyone from very young children to the elderly. It speaks volumes about loyalty, friendship, family, growing up, and the end and return to innocence. If you haven't seen it yet, you must. Go to the theatre today and watch it. It really is that good.

Proposed Postage Stamp Increase

The U.S. Postal Service proposed today a stamp increase of 2 cents that would begin Jan. 2. That would increase the rate of a stamp from 44 cents to 46 cents. In addition, a whole slew of other rate increases are included in the proposal. The Postal Service cites "ever-declining mail volume as people and businesses shift to the Internet and the declining economy reduces advertising mail," as the principle reasons for the proposed increase.

Even though the Postal Service doesn't receive any tax income, it is still a federal agency and, boy, does it show. When a business is losing revenue, you don't increase the price of your product in order to increase that revenue. Instead, a business lowers the price of the product and then when things have started to pick-up you gradually increase the price. That's just a basic principle of business and economics. But, as many of us know, the federal government doesn't follow basic business and economic principles.

I like the Post Office. I'm one of a few who actually enjoy going to the Post Office and getting stamps for letters and sending out packages. I've collected stamps since I was about 8. I still write hand-written letters and I try to support my local Post Office as much as I can (Post Offices in small towns are part of the town's livelihood). Yet, it really irritates me when the people at the Post Office propose such bone-headed decisions. Come on people, get with the program.

Christianity, Social Justice, and Politics

I've read C.S. Lewis' The Screwtape Letters at least three times. There is so much in the book that continues to be relevant in this post-post-modern era we now live. Below is a passage from the book about social justice and politics. Read it and see if you can recognize how it's being used in certain political circles today.

From a letter from Senior Tempter Screwtape to his nephew Wormwood, who is in training to tempt Christians:

About the general connection between Christianity and politics, our position is more delicate.

Certainly we do not want men to allow their Christianity to flow over into their political life, for the establishment of anything like a really just society would be a major disaster.

On the other hand, we do want, and want very much, to make men treat Christianity as a means; preferably, of course, as a means to their own advancement, but, failing that, as a means to anything—even to social justice.

The thing to do is to get a man at first to value social justice as a thing which the Enemy (God) demands, and then work him on to the stage at which he values Christianity because it may produce social justice. For the Enemy will not be used as a convenience. Men or nations who think they can revive the Faith in order to make a good society might just as well think they can use the stairs of Heaven as a short cut to the nearest chemist’s shop. Fortunately it is quite easy to coax humans round this little corner.

The Screwtape Letters, pp. 126-127. [A special thank you to Justin Taylor for posting this]

Happy Independence Day!

Happy Independence, America! To help celebrate here's a couple of good videos. The first is a sequence from ABC News about Frank Buckles, the last living American WWI veteran. The video is from a year ago when Frank was 108. He is now 109.

The second video is of some of the Muppets performing the "Stars and Strips Forever". There's very little more American than Muppets and John Philip Sousa.

Book Review: THE COMPLETE PEANUTS 1975-1976

The 13^th Volume in Fantagraphics republishing of the complete Peanuts, THE COMPLETE PEANUTS 1975-1976 could also be subtitled “The Peanuts of the Absurd”. In the past Schulz had toyed with some absurdist plotlines, e.g. the talking school building. However, between 1975-1976, Schulz took those ideas to a whole new level. The talking school returns but ends up falling apart because of depression, Charlie Brown’s pitcher mound floats away during a major rainstorm, and Snoopy’s stomach (and later feet) has conversations that Snoopy sometimes hears and sometimes doesn’t.

The longest sequence in this volume is where Snoopy breaks his leg. There’s about six to eight weeks worth of consecutive strips (including some Sunday strips) dealing with the saga of Snoopy breaking his leg and trying to recuperate. I’m not sure, but I have a feeling that either Schulz or someone in his family must have broken a leg sometime not too distant from this storyline.

Besides Snoopy breaking his leg, this volume introduces us to one of Snoopy’s brothers, Spike, and a sister, Belle. I never knew about Belle until I saw the SNOOPY’S REUNION special. However, Spike was one of my favorite Peanuts characters. I’m not sure what it was, but there was something about Spike’s lonely existence in the Arizona desert that particularly appealed to me. Snoopy goes to visit Spike and Spike comes to visit him for Thanksgiving which leads to a memorable holiday for both dogs.

Peppermint Patty is featured in a majority of strips in this volume. There’s a storyline where Peppermint Patty spends Halloween in a pumpkin patch with Linus. There’s the storyline where Charlie Brown’s school building collapses and he ends up having to share a desk with Patty at her school for several weeks. There’s a story where Peppermint Patty and Marcie try to fly Snoopy’s doghouse to a Powder Puff competition in Michigan and there’s an incredibly long storyline where Peppermint Patty leaves regular school to attend a private school recommended to her by Snoopy, the Ace Obedience School. She graduates near the top of her class and thinks she’s done with school for life until she is shown the truth.

It seems that Schulz thought about introducing a new character to the strip, a girl named Truffles back in 1975. Linus and Snoopy get lost in the woods and are rescued by Truffles. They both fall head over heels for her, but Snoopy is more quick in the ways of love that poor Linus. After a few weeks of strips about Truffles, she leaves to return home and other than a Christmas card at the end of the year she’s never heard from again in this volume. Truffles has an appearance completely different than any previous Peanuts character.

Towards the end of this volume I came across a strip that is featured in the revival edition of the musical YOU’RE A GOOD MAN, CHARLIE BROWN. It features Charlie Brown and Linus talking about Linus’s grandfather and how old he is. It should also be noted that it is in this volume of strips that the Cat Next Door’s name is revealed. The vicious cat that Snoopy is frightened of, yet still teases is named World War II.

The introduction to THE COMPLETE PEANUTS 1975-1976 is written by Robert Smigel.Like some of the other introduction writers, it’s fitting that a person of Smigel’s humor write the introduction for this absurdist collection of “Peanuts” comics. His introduction is one of the best in the series so far and touches not only how “Peanuts” influenced his own life, but how the strip interacted with and reflected parts of history. This isn't the best collection of "Peanuts", but it does capture the evolution of the strip into a new era. It's a must for any "Peanuts" fan or anyone who is a serious fan of comic strips.

A Children's Book Recommendation

From the illustrator of The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales and The True Story of the Three Little Pigs comes this humorous little book about a monkey, a jackass, and a mouse delivering a story about the power of books.

I can't ever recall a time in which I read a story about the power and permanence of books that starred a jackass as one of the main characters.

Older elementary kids and younger middle school boys will love this book, but if I had a younger child, I'd think I'd let her read it, too, even if there is a jackass in the story.