The teleplay (the term seems more accurate than miniseries) is filled with references to the apocalypse, the world falling to pieces at the end of the millenium. As one of the ghost Priors puts it, “The world has grown so very old.” The character Lewis is constantly breaking down what it means to be free, what it means to live in America. The script touches on justice, love, race, religion, sexuality, and truth– it is all inclusive, covering the entire human experience. And it makes you wonder: What is existence, now, in the beginning of the 21st century?

ANGELS IN AMERICA takes place in 1986, the year I was born, and I think things have changed quite a bit since then. We have this technology, the remarkable, indefatigable internet, that binds the majority of humanity together. We have experienced things, both great and horrible, that which we would never have dreamt. But deep down, we must question again: What does it mean to be… us? With all the technology, have we become disconnected from each other? Is there some earthy, organic, animal connection that has been pushed to the side in our newly found obsession with sanity and sanitary? And most importantly, how much do we let fear drive us?

Fear is a strange thing. It prevents us from reaching out, participating, taking chances. I think our fear of our world has decreased since 1986, but fear of ourselves has become so very strong that it is forcing us away from each other. Everyone is afraid of being hurt, or being sued, or being censured, or being used, that we don’t quite connect anymore. I’m not saying this from experience, mind; this is my world, I’ve always been taught to be very careful of others, to be accepting, non-judgmental, to mind what I say and do. But it seems that these things are fairly new. A couple of generations ago, the term “sexual harassment” meant something very different than it does today. Not that we haven’t made advancements, protected people, et cetera, but it may very well be that we are now too careful.

“This disease will be the end of many of us, but not nearly all, and the dead will be commemorated and will struggle on with the living, and we are not going away. We won’t die secret deaths anymore. The world only spins forward. We will be citizens. The time has come. You are fabulous, each and every one. And I bless you. More life. The great work begins.” These are the last words of the picture, and they truly resonate. It reminds us of where we came from, and where we’re going. It bolsters our confidence. It makes us look to the future.

The Great Work is something referred to (in one form or another) by plenty and multiple faiths and religions around the globe. What is it? Well, each of us has his or her own definition, I guess. But is there one great work that we should all be looking to accomplish, together? And with the world unified through information and technology as never before, can we finally accomplish whatever great work is laid out for us? And if we do, what comes afterward? So many questions, so little time! Maybe that’s the key– time. It’s something we all share, and the most unstoppable force known to us. Or maybe there is no resolution to the idea of the great work, just a general directive; to ever improve ourselves, etc. In this humble blogger’s opinion, however, there’s only one thing for it: trust yourself, trust destiny, and do the best you can to reach the light at the end of whatever tunnel you happen to be stuck down at the moment.

With cheers and love,

EPBroadcast.

On December 3rd, Comcast and NBC Universal officially announced their plans for the cable operator to acquire NBCU from GE in a deal valued at about $30 Billion. NBC has been down the toilet for the last few years, consistently falling into the number 4 category. Jeff Zucker, president and CEO of NBCU, has managed to bring one of the most prestigious media companies of all time to it’s knees in a matter of years. Now we are faced with this… transaction.

I personally see the sale of NBCU to a cable operator as a threat to broadcasting and media distribution. Comcast will have the opportunity to make key decisions from inception through distribution, and this means (possibly) a major shift in the paradigm of screen-based entertainment. One problem is that they could choose to proprietize films out of Universal Studios so that they were only available via Comcast’s cable products. While this is a good way for them to drum up “competition” (it is my experience that when it comes to cable, there really is no competition), it reminds me of the days when the studios each owned their own theatres, and those theatres only screened the films made by that studio (i.e. Paramount Theatres only showed films made by Paramount Pictures).

Another problem I see with this merger is that it opens the door  for even MORE media conglomeration, which has only proven to stifle creativity, downsize industry infrastructure, and put people out of work. I would NOT want CBS to be merged with a distribution system, (i.e. Verizon or AT&T) because it would constrict our ability to compete by give us an additional level of bureaucracy to wade through. There are already so many barriers we cannot cross: the FCC’s Rules, the Christian right (incl. irritants like Focus on the Family), the advertisers demands, the expectations of our demographic (which is decidedly old at this point). I think that if it were CBS being merged, it would risk our ratings, and thus our livelihood. I know NBC’s ratings are in the gutter, but the possibility of dragging them down any further seems like it would pose serious problems to the affliates and thus the network as a whole.

Then there is the potential of NBC becoming a cable net. This is a scary thing, (even though they denied that they have any intention of shutting down the affiliates), because if the trend of converting free OTA broadcast networks to cable could mean the demise of the big four entirely, in rather a short amount of time. There is no guarantee that the peacock wold do any better that  any other cable channel if it were converted over, but right now as a network it’s operating budget, it’s infrastructure, and it’s overhead are MUCH larger than a cable channel. Conversion would result in job loss, and the destruction of at least one source of free entertainment (and, more importantly, local news/information). It poses a risk by suggesting that OTA broadcasting is no longer needed, when this is certainly not the case.

As far as I know, the NAB has not stood up against this merger, most likely because they don’t want to end p on the bad side of two of te largest media conglomerates in the country. Apparntly the FCC is taking complaints / comments into consideration before approving the merger. Perhaps if enough people chime in against this mess, it’ll be denied, and we can just put it all behind us; at least for a while.

Lastly, although I do not like the idea of the Comcast/NBC Universal merger, I acknowledge that in all likelihood it WILL eventually happen. I have two reactions to this: first to warn you- enjoy what you have for now, ’cause it’s going to start changing sometime soon; and second, that it scares the hell out of me, because I was taught a system, and to venture into the great unknown– well, when it comes to how you make a living, that just isn’t fun.

Yours,

Evan

NYTimes1, 2, Comcast’s Blog

That being said, there are some great masters in the field of costume makeup. I see some amazing things done in the movies; the most recent example I can think of is the makeup done for Tom Ford’s opus, A SINGLE MAN, which has a 10 out of 10 in my book, and may join the list of my favorite movies, probably in between THE HOURS and THE WAY WE WERE. The period makeup, the color palette, the handsome people: all amazingly beautiful. If you have not see the film, I highly recommend you check it out.

Anyway. I hate that normal societal limits keep guys from really wearing makeup. I am also displeased that the current trend actually is moving a lot of women away from the lipsticks and mascaras that the previous generation would never have left the house without. Makeup, with it’s many shades, textures, shapes, and styles, is art, and makes life more beautiful. And if we’re not here to make the world a more beautiful, wonderful place, I’ll be darned if I do know what our purpose is.

Faithfully yours,

Evan

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Swide Magazine by Dolce&Gabbana.

Although I have less and less time these days, I find I’m spending more and more of the time I do have free on fashion sites. Looking at all of the  “pretties” makes me happy in a weird way– it almost puts me in a kind of awe, the concepts, the creativity, the models… everything’s so beautiful, and, well, Fabulous!

I’m kind of wishing I could go to the NY Fashion shows next month, but I sincerely doubt that will happen.

More later. Oh, and sorry for the long absence, reader. Things have been busy here in La-La Land.

Don’t get me wrong, there were gems back in the day. The golden age of television really did have a lot of golden, eternally excellent programming. But modern TV goes beyond the entertainment value of the old shows, and on to the more emotional, intellectual level. In this episode in particular, the visuals: costumes, music, colors, shots; combined with music (always amazingly excellent on GG), and above all writing create this filmic, emotional piece of prose that I feel privileged to have seen. Unfortunately, Gossip Girl is not exactly appreciated by the television community. It has been marginalized because of it’s network and it’s ratings, and by the target demographic, which is mostly teenage girls. Nevertheless, this viewer would hold the show to the same high standards as Battlestar Gallactica and Mad Men. Kudos to the writers, cast, and production staff of GG, especially for this superb episode.

Have we lost some part of the human experience by not writing letter any more? Has e-mail and texting and all of the social technologies undone us? Is there a chance that, without reflecting on events as much, we are not creating our own opinions? Are we losing our sense of self?

Just something to think about. I know I will try to journal more in the future.

Here’s my take on this year’s new season: EXCELLENT. The new TV out for this 2009-2010 season beats the pants of the last five years. I’ve been super excited for GLEE since the sneak peak FOX showed during Idol finale week. Now that I’ve seen the second episode, I’m definitely hooked; Matthew Morrisson is so HOT, and I’m going to love having new musical acts to watch every week. I’m also looking forward to Accidentally On Purpose (gotta give new multi-cam comedies a chance!) and The Good Wife from the Tiffany Network  and am curious to see Eastwick and Cougar Town from the Alphabet. And to bring up the rear in my new TV picks is Stargate: Universe airing on the newly re-branded SyFy.

Returning series I love and can’t wait for are Ugly Betty, Desperate Housewives, The Big Bang Theory, Fringe, and 30 Rock. I’ve also been slightly tempted by the promos for Survivor: Samoa, but we’ll see about that. If I actually watch all of these programs, that 10 hours of primetime programming a week, which gets me to the point of this particular post.

Americans watch a lot of television. And when I say a  lot, I mean a LOT; according to Nielsen, the average American watches 151 hours of television per month. That’s about 5 hours per day, or somewhere between 25-35% of a person’s waking day. Ridiculous, right? But, as a television professional, I say, THANKS AMERICA!!!

Anyway, what is it about TV that makes us so attached to it? Is it the wonderful programming? No, I don’t think so. Most of it is crap. (Yes, Jay Leno, I’m talking about you.) Is it to have something easy, cheap, and noisy so we’re not alone and bored in our living rooms? Very possibly, but that’s not all of it. People want their stories, and more importantly, they want the characters. These fictional creatures- be they animated, shot on film, or staged in multi-camera, come into our homes on a weekly or sometimes daily basis, and are part of our lives. We learn from them, laugh with them, cry with them. Television characters are the friends that we can have over when we feel like it, and we can never upset them, insult them, or hurt them. They are our constant, our rock in this ever-changing world.

I don’t write this facetiously; I really do feel that TV is like that to me and to many others. Is it wrong? Maybe, but it’s not hurting anyone, and it certainly keeps me gainfully employed, so why not?

For now, just keep on watching! There’s good stuff coming…