Pan Am has Taken Off

Started watching Pan Am with the family (note, we usually don't take up watching TV regularly, but it's something we can all do together and we wanted to give it a chance - takes place in my favorite era, great production value, lots of pretty girls, what's not to love?) I thought the pilot was pretty good - but it under delivered - it seemed kind of light and perhaps too deliberate in construction. The second episode improved some - characters building, interest building, acting actually pretty top notch, especially Christina Ricci - getting promising.

I just got to watch episode three - and let me tell you, if you wrote off Pan Am after watching episode one, or didn't give it a chance thinking it a too light confection that overplays a false sense of feminism to mask the sexist underbelly of a postwar world finding its stride in prosperity (well, maybe you didn't think about it that much): IF you did then you've missed out.

If there is any way to un-jump the shark, Pan Am just did it - in slow motion, but episode three was and is a finely crafted piece of television. I hope they keep this curve up.

Bravo.

Top of the world to you.

People! Don't worry so much, everything will be fine.

Good things are still happening in the world. People are realizing their dreams, taking chances and winning, loving, sharing, moving on with their lives and ignoring the morass of news - strife and incompetence and riots and unemployment and AA+ credit downgrades. It's a big pond we are floating on, and it will take a LOT to really rock this boat.

When I fly my little airplane I hit what is called "light" turbulence, and it is bouncy. It feels severe, but only because actual severe turbulence is a rare thing, and if you think you're scared by these bumps, you ain't seen nothing yet. "Moderate" turbulence will scare you to death.

No, we're in some light chop, maybe we're hitting a hard bump now and again, but it will take some real effort to crash this plane. Let's hope the gremlins swarming around Washington stop trying.

What Chuck Lorre and WB should do.

Not that Chuck Lorre is reading this - but if I were him, I'd have a new guest star play the Charlie Sheen role every episode. Show just how replaceable he is, cast against type - younger, older, handsomer, uglier - go way out there and throw in an actress.

How's this for a list - Charlie Sheen's character THIS WEEK is played by...

Ben Afflek,, Terrence Stamp, Tilda Swinton, David Strathairn, "Flo" from the Progressive commercials, Will Smith, One of Will Smith's Children, Willem Dafoe, Shia LaBeouf, Paul Giamatti...

Or how about Kirk Douglass, who would make it more like THREE and a half men.

You get the idea.

I think it would save the show...now if the show were only worth saving.

I'm a serious fan of my daughter. You should be too.

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Gina Sposto (Greedy Kidney)

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Mr. Obama, please SHUT UP already.

Look, B, I like you, you're my kind of dude, I can relate...but TAKE A DAY OFF FROM SAYING SOMETHING TO THE MEDIA! The more you talk, the less serious folks will take you, and they will tune you out.

TR spoke softly so people would lean in close and listen to him...you have to become EF Hutton, instead you are running the risk of becoming background noise. The public media are (is?) not your personal Facebook wall!

Love you, telling you this because I do.

This isn't really a post.

Blah Blah Blah, I hate when this happens. I'm actually writing this on Saturday, July 25th. I've been living in Facebook land and doing other things that have taken me away from my blogging. Since I don't really believe anyone is reading this, I guess it doesn't matter.

Wired Gauge of the Economy

Don't judge this by its cover - judge it by its spine.

Back in the day - the last days of the last boom economy, we're talking mid 2000 or so, Wired magazines were FAT as all get out. Everyone was making money hand over fist, start-ups and venture money abounded - it was a great time, baby. I subscribed to Wired (still do) and the line of Wireds on my bookshelf - and their ever growing girth, was a reliable gauge of the economy. Though I didn't pay heed at the time, if I was savvy I would have seen the virtual Nostradamus on my shelf. As the economy fell through 2001 and went to rock bottom (or what we considered was rock bottom at the time - silly humans) the Wired magazines got progressively thinner.

I'm sorry to report that the Wired pictured above is the thinnest Wired I have ever seen. Looking at it from the outside I can't imagine that there is much in the way of advertising in this puppy. I'm almost loath to crack it, as even though I'm sure the contents will be as entertaining and informative as always, every turn of page sans ad will remind me of the state we are in. Let's hope that thicker Wireds are on the way - that we have reached the bottom of the trough.

Piece of advice, save your Wireds and put them on your shelf, in a few years you will have a graph of the economy, your bookshelf will be a predictor of economic prosperity and depression - heed the Wired oracle.