Denis Leary
Mid-Year Review
July 02, 2009
by David Krell
david@davidkrell.com
And so 2009 is officially half-finished.
What kind of half-year has it been?
A half-year of transition.
We saw a transition of power from a republican president to a democratic president -- the first-ever minority to be elected to the highest office in the land.
We saw a transition of power in the coveted Tonight Show host job from Jay Leno to Conan O'Brien.
O'Brien passed the torch at Late Night to Jimmy Fallon.
And we saw a transition of power in the technological sense from antenna television to digital television.
A half-year of controversy.
Controversy was in abundant supply during the first half of '09.
Because of a joke during a monologue about Sarah Palin's daughter getting pregnant by New York Yankee Alex Rodriguez during the Palin's visit to New York City, David Letterman went from television star to hot-button topic.
Although he meant Bristol Palin, the daughter who got pregnant by her then boyfriend Levi Johnston last year, 14-year-old Willow Palin was the daughter accompanying her mom at the Yankee game.
The Palins took action and belittled Letterman.
A clarification of sorts took place a few days later with Letterman showing self-deprecation, humor, and a literal wink at the audience that the controversy was nonsense.
The Palins took action and again belittled Letterman.
But after a weekend of thought, deliberation, and analysis, David Letterman gave a sincere apology the following Monday night.
The Palins accepted Letterman's apology.
We saw Miss California lose her crown because of an honest answer to a politically-charged question.
A half-year of television shows that deserved a longer chance to find an audience.
In Life on Mars, the series finale revealed that Sam Tyler was actually an astronaut on the first manned to Mars. The events he experienced in 1973 were triggered by a meteor shower wreaking havoc with virtual reality program. He was supposed to be a New York City cop in 2008, but the meteor incident caused the virtual reality glitch that sent him to 1973.
We saw The Unusuals, another solid program with depth of characters, unique stories, and realistic relationships set in the fictional 2nd precinct of Manhattan. This show starring Adam Goldberg and Terry Kinney looks like it will not be renewed.
A half-year of veteran sitcoms and dramas setting up story lines that were months, sometimes years in the making.
We saw Michael Scott, inefficient manager extraordinaire, attempt to start a paper company with receptionist Pam and temp Ryan. He sought to compete with Dunder Mifflin, only to have Dunder Mifflin buy the company on The Office.
We saw Barney and Robin reveal their feelings for each other on How I Met Your Mother.
We saw Justin propose to Rebecca and we saw Rebecca say Yes on Brothers and Sisters.
And we saw Michael J. Fox in an Emmy-worthy guest role on Rescue Me as Dwight, the paraplegic, pill-popping boyfriend of Tommy Gavin figurative ex-wife Janet, played by Denis Leary and Andrea Roth respectively.
A half-year of goodbyes.
In the space of a few days, we lost three legends -- an angel, an icon, and a voice. Farrah Fawcett, Michael Jackson, and Ed McMahon.
If the second half of '09 is anything like the first half, then fasten your seat belts, it's going to be a bumpy ride.
david@davidkrell.com
And so 2009 is officially half-finished.
What kind of half-year has it been?
A half-year of transition.
We saw a transition of power from a republican president to a democratic president -- the first-ever minority to be elected to the highest office in the land.
We saw a transition of power in the coveted Tonight Show host job from Jay Leno to Conan O'Brien.
O'Brien passed the torch at Late Night to Jimmy Fallon.
And we saw a transition of power in the technological sense from antenna television to digital television.
A half-year of controversy.
Controversy was in abundant supply during the first half of '09.
Because of a joke during a monologue about Sarah Palin's daughter getting pregnant by New York Yankee Alex Rodriguez during the Palin's visit to New York City, David Letterman went from television star to hot-button topic.
Although he meant Bristol Palin, the daughter who got pregnant by her then boyfriend Levi Johnston last year, 14-year-old Willow Palin was the daughter accompanying her mom at the Yankee game.
The Palins took action and belittled Letterman.
A clarification of sorts took place a few days later with Letterman showing self-deprecation, humor, and a literal wink at the audience that the controversy was nonsense.
The Palins took action and again belittled Letterman.
But after a weekend of thought, deliberation, and analysis, David Letterman gave a sincere apology the following Monday night.
The Palins accepted Letterman's apology.
We saw Miss California lose her crown because of an honest answer to a politically-charged question.
A half-year of television shows that deserved a longer chance to find an audience.
In Life on Mars, the series finale revealed that Sam Tyler was actually an astronaut on the first manned to Mars. The events he experienced in 1973 were triggered by a meteor shower wreaking havoc with virtual reality program. He was supposed to be a New York City cop in 2008, but the meteor incident caused the virtual reality glitch that sent him to 1973.
We saw The Unusuals, another solid program with depth of characters, unique stories, and realistic relationships set in the fictional 2nd precinct of Manhattan. This show starring Adam Goldberg and Terry Kinney looks like it will not be renewed.
A half-year of veteran sitcoms and dramas setting up story lines that were months, sometimes years in the making.
We saw Michael Scott, inefficient manager extraordinaire, attempt to start a paper company with receptionist Pam and temp Ryan. He sought to compete with Dunder Mifflin, only to have Dunder Mifflin buy the company on The Office.
We saw Barney and Robin reveal their feelings for each other on How I Met Your Mother.
We saw Justin propose to Rebecca and we saw Rebecca say Yes on Brothers and Sisters.
And we saw Michael J. Fox in an Emmy-worthy guest role on Rescue Me as Dwight, the paraplegic, pill-popping boyfriend of Tommy Gavin figurative ex-wife Janet, played by Denis Leary and Andrea Roth respectively.
A half-year of goodbyes.
In the space of a few days, we lost three legends -- an angel, an icon, and a voice. Farrah Fawcett, Michael Jackson, and Ed McMahon.
If the second half of '09 is anything like the first half, then fasten your seat belts, it's going to be a bumpy ride.
Recount
June 04, 2009
by David Krell
david@davidkrell.com
HBO's 2008 tv-movie Recount dramatizes the events surrounding the controversial Florida votes in the 2000 presidential election.
The docudrama faces an enormous challenge because we viewed the real-life drama day after day on 24-hour cable news channels.
Recount takes us behind-the-scenes of the respective Gore and Bush campaigns, showing us the conversations, strategies, and debates that emerged in the post-2000 presidential election confusion concerning Florida's electoral votes.
Tom Wilkinson plays Bush team leader, Bush family friend, and former Secretary of State James Baker, a street-smart, no-nonsense, bottom-line politician.
John Hurt plays his counterpart, Gore team leader Warren Christopher. Christopher was also Secretary of State.
At the center of the controversy is Katherine Harris, Florida's Secretary of State and Co-Chair of the Bush Presidential Campaign in Florida.
Laura Dern plays Harris, a woman who must navigate through the pressures of Republican politics, sudden media attention, and jokes about her hair and makeup.
At the heart of Recount is Kevin Spacey, an acting force on stage, film, and television.
Spacey plays Ron Klain, a Gore insider once aced out of his pole position by an internal campaign competitor in the fast track world of presidential campaign politics. Now, Klain is back in the eye of the storm joined by Michael Whouley, a Democratic operative, genius political analyst, and brother-in-arms. Denis Leary plays Whouley.
Recount may take liberties with the behind-closed-doors conversations, but the subject matter is relevant.
And the factual scenario doesn't change.
Gore did concede to Bush, then called back to retract the concession.
And that's when things pretty much started to transition from a snowball to an avalanche.
Protests.
Lawsuits.
And pundits around the clock on CNN and the relatively fledgling cable news channels MSNBC and FOX News Channel. Both channels debuted in 1996, just four years prior to the Bush-Gore presidential contest.
Recount is somewhat nostalgic. Though the events in the story took place less than ten years ago, the time seems like another era.
Since the 2000 presidential election, we've seen...
...the horror of the September 11, 2001 attacks,
...the war in Iraq,
...new stadiums for the Mets and Yankees,
...Must See TV sitcoms losing exalted status to filmed comedies without a laugh track or studio audience -- My Name Is Earl, The Office,
...the first African-American President of the United States,
...and the last of a Clinton wanting to be President of the United States.
Well, maybe not everything changed.
david@davidkrell.com
HBO's 2008 tv-movie Recount dramatizes the events surrounding the controversial Florida votes in the 2000 presidential election.
The docudrama faces an enormous challenge because we viewed the real-life drama day after day on 24-hour cable news channels.
Recount takes us behind-the-scenes of the respective Gore and Bush campaigns, showing us the conversations, strategies, and debates that emerged in the post-2000 presidential election confusion concerning Florida's electoral votes.
Tom Wilkinson plays Bush team leader, Bush family friend, and former Secretary of State James Baker, a street-smart, no-nonsense, bottom-line politician.
John Hurt plays his counterpart, Gore team leader Warren Christopher. Christopher was also Secretary of State.
At the center of the controversy is Katherine Harris, Florida's Secretary of State and Co-Chair of the Bush Presidential Campaign in Florida.
Laura Dern plays Harris, a woman who must navigate through the pressures of Republican politics, sudden media attention, and jokes about her hair and makeup.
At the heart of Recount is Kevin Spacey, an acting force on stage, film, and television.
Spacey plays Ron Klain, a Gore insider once aced out of his pole position by an internal campaign competitor in the fast track world of presidential campaign politics. Now, Klain is back in the eye of the storm joined by Michael Whouley, a Democratic operative, genius political analyst, and brother-in-arms. Denis Leary plays Whouley.
Recount may take liberties with the behind-closed-doors conversations, but the subject matter is relevant.
And the factual scenario doesn't change.
Gore did concede to Bush, then called back to retract the concession.
And that's when things pretty much started to transition from a snowball to an avalanche.
Protests.
Lawsuits.
And pundits around the clock on CNN and the relatively fledgling cable news channels MSNBC and FOX News Channel. Both channels debuted in 1996, just four years prior to the Bush-Gore presidential contest.
Recount is somewhat nostalgic. Though the events in the story took place less than ten years ago, the time seems like another era.
Since the 2000 presidential election, we've seen...
...the horror of the September 11, 2001 attacks,
...the war in Iraq,
...new stadiums for the Mets and Yankees,
...Must See TV sitcoms losing exalted status to filmed comedies without a laugh track or studio audience -- My Name Is Earl, The Office,
...the first African-American President of the United States,
...and the last of a Clinton wanting to be President of the United States.
Well, maybe not everything changed.