Objectivity be damned. The AOATGAF has spoken.
----------------------------------
Bohemian Rhapsody, Queen
Imagine, John Lennon
Hotel California, Eagles
Always Look on the Bright Side of Life, Monty Python
What's Going On?, Marvin Gaye
You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch, Thurl Ravenscroft
Shine On You Crazy Diamond, Pink Floyd
Stairway to Heaven, Led Zeppelin
American Pie, Don McLean
Short People, Randy Newman
Feels So Good, chuck mangione
Black Water, The Doobie Brothers
Tempted, Squeeze
I've Seen All Good People, Yes
Liar, Rollins Band
Taxi, Harry Chapin
I.G.Y, Donald Fagen
Sunflowers, Wynton Marsalis Septet
Africa, Toto
Down on the Corner, Creedence Clearwater Revival
The Sound of Silence, Simon & Garfunkel
Free as a Bird, The Beatles
Sir Duke, Stevie Wonder
In the Air Tonight, Phil Collins
Virtual Insanity, Jamiroquai
The Logical Song, Supertramp
All Things Must Pass, George Harrison
Romeo and Juliet, Dire Straits
Billy Jean, Michael Jackson
Dust in the Wind, Kansas
White Lines, Grandmaster Melle Mel
Helplessly Hoping, Crosby, Stills, and Nash
Yes I Am, Lyle Lovett
All You Need is Love, The Beatles
The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, Gordon Lightfoot
Wonderful World, Art Garfunkel
Leader of the Band, Dan Fogelberg
You're So Vain, Carly Simon
Free Bird, Lynyrd Skynyrd
Late in the Evening, Paul Simon
December 1963 (Oh What a Night), Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons
God Only Knows, The Beach Boys
Chameleon, maynard ferguson
Big Bottom, Spinal Tap
Bad, Bad Leroy Brown, Jim Croce
Afternoon Delight, Starland Vocal Band
Closer, Nine Inch Nails
Hurt, Johnny Cash
Three Views of a Secret, Word of Mouth
Brick House, The Commodores
Life's Been Good, Joe Walsh
Aeroplane, Red Hot Chili Peppers
Comfortably Numb, Pink Floyd
Reminiscing, Little River Band
Sowing the Seeds of Love, Tears for Fears
For What It's Worth, The Buffalo Springfield
Sexual Healing, Marving Gaye
Garden Party, Rick Nelson
Watching the Wheels, John Lennon
Islands in the Stream, the Bee Gees
A Case of You, Joni Mitchell
Don't Call Me Nigger, Whitey, Sly and the Family Stone
Boy From New York City, Manhattan Transfer
Kashmir, Led Zeppelin
Just Dropped In, The First Edition
Eminence Front, The Who
Have a Cigar, Pink Floyd
What a Wonderful World, Louis Armstrong
Jack and Diane, John Mellencamp
Time After Time, Cyndi Lauper
Werewolves of London, Warren Zevon
Harvest Moon, Neil Young
Puff the Magic Dragon, Peter, Paul, and Mary
Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey, Paul McCartney
Peace Train, Cat Stevens
Don't Stand So Close to Me, The Police
Love Shack, The B-52s
Knockin' On Heaven's Door, Bob Dylan
I Don't Need Your Rockin' Chair, George Jones
Mama Told Me (Not to Come), Three Dog Night
Sail on Sailor, The Beach Boys
Hallelujah, Jeff Buckley
I Will Survive, Gloria Gaynor
I Want Your Sex pts. 1-3, George Michael
Alone Again (Naturally), Gilbert O'Sullivan
Steppin' Out, Joe Jackson
Love the One You're With, Stephen Stills
Don't Drink the Water, Dave Matthews Band
No One is to Blame, Howard Jones
Still the One, Orleans
Crazy, Gnarls Barkley
Baker Street, Gerry Rafferty
Love on the Rocks, Neil Diamond
Sledgehammer, Peter Gabriel
The Cool, Cool River, Paul Simon
On and On, Stephen Bishop
Murder By Numbers, The Police
Something About You, Level 42
Lovin', Huggin', Squeezin', Journey
Atlantis, Donovan
Mama, Genesis
If, Bread
Heroin, The Velvet Underground
One Week, Barenaked Ladies
Kiss, Prince
Shame, Randy Newman
Leave It, Yes
Railroad Worksong, Notting Hillbillies
No Diggity, Blackstreet
Saint Augustine in Hell, sting
High Hopes, Pink Floyd
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Monday, April 25, 2011
2 dream fragments
I'm at a seamy place, a home or apartment i don't recognize. There are people around. The energy is unfocused and partylike. I'm with Caitlin and Danielle [non-sexual friends i first met when they were teenagers in a children's theater troupe of mine]. I realize everyone is having sex, and pull Caitlin to me with anticipation. I take her shirt off, and am taken aback. Her breasts are inhumanly tiny. Fully developed, but only a couple inches wide. I'm very uncomfortable. I look to Danielle, and realize she's the one to have sex with. I reach around to pull her to me...i know her breasts will be wonderful.
================
I'm in Florida...or a darker, future version of Florida. Scattered members of my Mom's side of the family have gathered, for Mom-Mom's death. I'm at her home. I step out onto the driveway, and Peter [the most gentle, soulful, beloved dog i ever knew] is there in the darkness. He moves toward me frantically, as though in pain. He's hopping on his splayed hind legs, keeping his anus close to the ground. He hops in circles, waiting for me to help. I can see that he has a stool halfway out, which is stuck. Also a hard-on. He's so distressed, but i don't know what to do. My helplessness is misery. I hear voices inside, and realize Aunt Joyce is coming. She'll know what to do, i hope. She does.
================
I'm in Florida...or a darker, future version of Florida. Scattered members of my Mom's side of the family have gathered, for Mom-Mom's death. I'm at her home. I step out onto the driveway, and Peter [the most gentle, soulful, beloved dog i ever knew] is there in the darkness. He moves toward me frantically, as though in pain. He's hopping on his splayed hind legs, keeping his anus close to the ground. He hops in circles, waiting for me to help. I can see that he has a stool halfway out, which is stuck. Also a hard-on. He's so distressed, but i don't know what to do. My helplessness is misery. I hear voices inside, and realize Aunt Joyce is coming. She'll know what to do, i hope. She does.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Next Generation, season 5
FOUR-STAR EPISODES: 6
AVERAGE EPISODE RATING: 3.0
-Redemption II ****
-written by ronald d. moore
-directed by david carson
The overthrow of gowron can only be prevented by disrupting a covert romulan supply line. Picard is given a fleet for a blockade. Will and data are given commands. Sela reveals herself, while b'etor proposes dishonorable marriage to a kidnapped worf. Guinan's presence lends a nice link to "Yesterday's Enterprise". Data saves the blockade, despite a prejudiced first officer. Worf is given the life of duras' son, and spares him. Less brilliantly written than part 1, and sela is sadly one-dimensional, but the rest is too rich to be denied.
-Darmok ***
A seamless performance by paul winfield (THE WRATH OF KHAN, THE TERMINATOR) as an alien facing a life-threatening situation (and language barrier) with picard. Don't let the subtlety of winfield's work be obscured by all the prosthetic makeup. Stranded together, they must fight to survive and understand each other, and jean-luc finally realizes that winfield's species communicates exclusively through metaphor. If anyone wishes to challenge my rating system, your opportunity will never be more ripe. This one oozes excellence out of every pore (including a non-Hollywood ending, both tragic but hopeful). If you were to design a sci fi series, this is exactly the kind of script you would hope to produce. And they did...with no weaknesses. So why only three stars? Especially following a four-star episode which is objectively inferior? The only answer i can give is that mysterious factor called x. An excitement which defies qualification. Perhaps i'm being too hard on myself. Perhaps there is something genuinely missing here...some more satisfying resolution, character development, or emotional impact. Perhaps. In any case, it's brilliant - including the delightful debut of ashley judd (FRIDA, RUBY IN PARADISE) as ensign robin lefler.
-Ensign Ro ***
Ro laren (michelle forbes - GALACTICA, TRUE BLOOD) is a court-martialed bajoran Starfleet officer freed from prison, just to be part of a mission to quell bajoran terrorism. The Enterprise crew (and command staff) treat her with disdain. She is bitter, and the only one to embrace her is guinan. A fine effort made a little less so by the obviousness of another "evil (and stupid) admiral", being manipulated by cardassians.
-Silicon Avatar **
The crystalline entity attacks a colony where Enterprise is supplying settlers. The Federation's leading authority on the entity (ellen geer - HAROLD AND MAUDE, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST) arrives. She is suspicious and hostile toward data, because of lor's association with the entity. They track it, and dr. marr covertly destroys it, as vengeance for the death of her son decades before. The flaw in this one is having a 24th-century human act too much like ourselves. The mechanics of grief would be no different in TREK's time, but the contours of loss would be - it's not credible that any TREK human could be so crippled decades after the fact. In any sane future, we'll have largely cured the horrific loneliness and alienation that plague us now. And...there's a riker flirtation which devolves into unrealistic, leering cliche. Just bad writing.
-Disaster ***
The last episode to air during gene roddenberry's lifetime. In terms of dramatic tension, the Enterprise was sometimes a little too powerful and indestructible, but not here. Quantum filaments pass through the ship, wreaking damage and death. Communications are down, power at a minimum, and emergency bulkheads in place. Will carries data's head through jefferies tubes to fight a core breach. Worf delivers keiko's baby. Beverly and geordi are threatened by plasma fire, and must vent their own compartment into space. Deanna takes an uncomfortable command on the bridge, where ro and o'brien can't agree. Picard is in a turbolift coming free of its moorings, with a broken ankle and three frightened children. There is a dangerous tightness throughout.
-The Game ***
Wesley! Wesley!! Wil wheaton is back, on Academy vacation. Riker brings a video game from Risa, which turns out to be a psychotropic mind-control device. Wesley and ensign lefler realize that something is very wrong, as data is sabotaged and the entire crew comes under alien mind control. Wes saves the day, and gets the girl (er, young woman). Brilliant.
-Unification 1&2 ***
GAME...ON! Sorry, the classic TREK nerd in me just got a chubby. Picard meets sarek on Vulcan, then he and data are sent on an undercover mission to Romulus, on the heels of ambassador spock (leonard nimoy!), who is suspected of defection. They are escorted in a cloaked klingon ship (captained by stephen root - NEWSRADIO, THE WEST WING), disguised as romulans. Enterprise plays cat and mouse inside a galactic junkyard with a mysterious ship, and riker plays the blues with a jaded, four-armed pianist (harriet leider - TORCH SONG TRILOGY, DREAM LOVER). Spock is sewing the seeds of reunification. Picard must tell him that his father has died. The second half loses tightness, and sela is still one-dimensional. But the spock scenes with data and picard are priceless. Classic TREK veteran malachi throne (CATCH ME IF YOU CAN, IT'S A BIRD...IT'S A PLANE...IT'S SUPERMAN!) plays a romulan senator, and daniel roebuck (THE FUGITIVE, ORION SLAVE GIRLS MUST DIE!!!) an agitant. Like a movie, this one's compelling and large.
-A Matter of Time ***
Fun fun fun. Matt frewer (MAX HEADROOM, THE MEANING OF LIFE) plays an historian who appears in a 26th century timeship, collecting stories and artifacts. He turns out to be a New Jersey charlatan from the past, who stole his ship.
-New Ground ***
Deadbeat dad, chapter 2? As Enterprise assists on tests for an engineless mode of interstellar travel, worf's mom returns alexander (the TREK debut of brian bonsall - FAMILY TIES, MICKEY'S 60th BIRTHDAY), saying he's too much to handle. He continues to lie and bully, so worf decides to ship him off to a klingon school. Deanna intercedes, talking worf through his emotional minefield and the abandonment issues alexander may be facing. Most of troi's screen time revolved around being an empath or lover, not her actual job, but this is some of the best work for marina and michael in the entire series. He decides to have alexander stay onboard. Yes, the alexander factor is one of flaccidity and foreboding, but if you can look past that there's some lovely stuff here.
-Hero Worship ***
Data rescues a boy, the sole survivor of a starship disaster in which all other hands were lost, including his parents. Traumatized, the boy starts to assert that he is an emotionless android too. Troi has data encourage this. The strength of this one, aside from lovely performances by spiner and guest joshua harris (DALLAS, FALCON CREST), is how it touches upon something from which no cultural or technological advancement will ever protect us - instant, horrifying tragedy. TREK writers didn't always perfectly capture how human nature will be different in the future they paint, but this kind of loss will be with us forever. Funny and heart-rending.
-Violations **
As Enterprise transports members of a race of mind-probing memory historians, deanna, will, and beverly fall into comas. Deanna recovers, but can't recall anything. A mind rapist is on the loose. This one has potential, but doesn't come together - the only notable moment is a memory flashback of jean-luc showing beverly jack's body.
-The Masterpiece Society ***
Enterprise visits a genetically-engineered biosphere society facing a natural cataclysm. Their social fabric is so specific and interwoven, it would be shattered by any disruption. Deanna has a touching affair with their leader (john snyder - THE WARRIORS, K-9). Geordi has a touching friendship with their lead scientist (TREK guest extraordinaire dey young - SPACEBALLS, YOUNG LUST), who ultimately asks picard for asylum, along with dozens of others. Plus some fine ron canada (THE WEST WING, BOSTON LEGAL, and another TREK recidivist). Touching and thoughtful.
-Conundrum ****
-written by barry m. schkolnick
-directed by les landau
An alien vessel selectively wipes the memories of the crew, and disables the ship's memory files. They find mission orders which tell them to destroy an alien base. Worf assumes his sash means he's in command. Unbeknownst to them, there's a stranger in their midst, commander macduff (erich anderson - UNFAITHFUL, NYPD BLUE). Files reveal him as the exec (why he didn't make himself captain, is anybody's guess). The crew struggle with whether to go through with their orders, especially when the base is discovered to be almost defenseless. Raise your hand if you buy worf's refusal to fire, at the moment of truth. Crewmember kristin (liz vassey - THE TICK, TWO AND A HALF MEN) is achingly beautiful. Troi and riker sense their spiritual connection, and he beds ro. Action, humor...brilliant.
-Power Play **
A lost Starfleet vessel is found crashed on an inhospitable alien planet, 200 years later. Energy beings possess the bodies of deanna, data, and o'brien, and take hostages in ten forward. They claim to be the ghosts of the Essex, but turn out to be disembodied prisoners trying to free all the members of their penal colony. If you can overlook data being possessed just as an organic would be, and the immorality of Starfleet officers just abandoning helpless prisoners who've been abandoned by their captors, it's a fun ride.
-Ethics **
Ethical dilemmas that don't feel manufactured. Worf's spine is crushed, and he asks riker to assist him in the klingon suicide ritual. By following the dictates of his culture, is he acting cowardly in abandoning his son? A visiting surgeon wants to try an experimental procedure likely to kill worf. Beverly balks. Despite some fine moments, the alexander factor isn't the only soggy noodle in this entree.
-The Outcast ***
A lovely classic TREK feel, and one of the best poker scenes ever. The Enterprise helps an androgynous race investigate the disappearance of a shuttle. Their culture has an underground who tend toward gender-orientation, but transgressors are vilified and surgically/psychologically "corrected". Riker and one such (melinda culea - KNOTS LANDING, THE A-TEAM) fall in love. The parallels to homosexual persecution couldn't be more spot-on. Despite an occasional lack of sophistication in the writing, this might be four stars if the producers had cast a male as his leading lady, as frakes wanted.
-Cause and Effect ****
-written by brannon braga
-directed by jonathan frakes
The stuff of childhood nightmares. Enterprise is caught in a temporal time loop that always ends with the ship's explosion. Tight and fun, with poker games and picard/crusher zip. They must find a way to send a message to themselves in the next loop. In one of the most needle-moving cameos in TREK history, kelsey grammar (FRASIER, THE SIMPSONS) is perfect as captain of a ship that's been stuck in time for the better part of a century.
-The First Duty ****
-written by ronald d. moore, naren shankar
-directed by paul lynch
At the Academy, wesley is involved in an accident that claimed the life of a cadet. Their squadron was attempting an illegal maneuver, and the survivors, led by nicholas locarno (robert duncan mcneill - VOYAGER, SHARKY'S MACHINE) agree to a pact of silence. The Enterprise gets involved in the investigation. Ed lauter (THE LONGEST YARD, B.J. AND THE BEAR) plays the dead cadet's father, and ray walston (MY FAVORITE MARTIAN, FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HIGH) adds crotchety gravitas as boothby, the groundskeeper who once mentored picard. Jean-luc discovers the deception, and confronts wes. So tight it hums.
-Cost of Living ***
Lwaxana and alexander - cataclysm casserole! Yet somehow here, not. She's preparing to marry a man she's never met, and alexander is fighting his father's discipline as deanna tries to mediate. Lwaxana spirits alexander around, playing games, taking mudbaths, and encouraging his rebelliousness. Her loneliness is touching, and she gains as much from their time as he. She sabotages her wedding by appearing naked - yay! Can you spot the uncredited dustin diamond (SAVED BY THE BELL's screech)?
-The Perfect Mate ***
Famke janssen (X-MEN, GOLDENEYE) plays an empathic metamorph bred to become the perfect woman to whichever man she is with. For a screen debut, not bad. In an all-too-rare trekslap at monogamy, she's the only woman to ever kiss both captain and first officer. Due to some ferengi malfeasance (another turn for max grodenchick - THE ROCKETEER, BARTON FINK), she comes out of stasis early and imprints on picard instead of her intended mate. The effervescent tim o'connor (BUCK ROGERS IN THE 25th CENTURY, NAKED GUN 2 1/2) is her chaperon.
-Imaginary Friend **
A lonely child aboard Enterprise is shocked when her imaginary friend comes to life. "Isabella" gradually grows frightening, and is finally revealed to be an energy alien orchestrating the death of the crew because they are cruelly restrictive with their children. Picard must convince the alien that this treatment is only a manifestation of love.
-I, Borg ****
-written by rene echevarria, jeri taylor
-directed by robert lederman
A borg drone is rescued from a crash. During a fencing session, guinan drills picard with the folly of his mercy. He plans to send the borg home with an implanted paradox that will disable the collective. Beverly, then geordi, then finally guinan raise ethical objections, as the drone "hugh" begins to manifest a personality. A nuanced performance by jonathan del arco (THE CLOSER, THE MAMBO KINGS) - humanizing a monster, in the best TREK tradition. In the end, hugh voluntarily returns home, in order not to imperil his new friend geordi. The initial heartlessness of both guinan and picard may be a bit overwritten, but the structure and chemistry of this episode are seamless. It's also fascinating to contrast the treatment of hugh, with how Voyager dealt with seven. Brilliant sci fi.
-The Next Phase ***
Geordi and ro are in a transporter accident aboard a damaged romulan ship, and they become cloaked. She tries to convince him they're dead, but he figures out what happened. As plans proceed for their memorial, they must contend with a cloaked romulan, and find a way to return to normal space. Rich and rollicking.
-The Inner Light ****
-written by morgan gendel, peter allan fields
-directed by peter lauritson
Touching and exquisite - the least overt four-star TREK ever, rendered almost entirely in gentle human tones. Picard is rendered comatose by an alien probe, and wakes up in a stranger's identity on a world he's never known. He lives forty-five years surrounded by friends and family, reawakening on the Enterprise after only twenty-five minutes. The probe was a dying species' last gesture of remembrance. Stewart's performance is grand. Margot rose (HOLLOW MAN, 48 HRS.), richard riehle (OFFICE SPACE, FERRIS BUELLER), and patrick's real-life son daniel (DETONATOR, THE PROGRAM) are superb.
-Time's Arrow, pt. 1 ***
Twain TREK! An ambitious, enjoyable, over-the-top effort guilty of only minor overreaches in the writing. The discovery of data's head in a 500 year-old Earth mine leads to predatory aliens and accidental time travel. Alone at first, data enlists the aid of guinan, who is (was) a 19th-century San Francisco socialite. Jerry hardin (MISSING, THE X-FILES) plays the interfering, prickly clemens beautifully. Plus DS9's marc alaimo as a delightful saloon poker player.
AVERAGE EPISODE RATING: 3.0
-Redemption II ****
-written by ronald d. moore
-directed by david carson
The overthrow of gowron can only be prevented by disrupting a covert romulan supply line. Picard is given a fleet for a blockade. Will and data are given commands. Sela reveals herself, while b'etor proposes dishonorable marriage to a kidnapped worf. Guinan's presence lends a nice link to "Yesterday's Enterprise". Data saves the blockade, despite a prejudiced first officer. Worf is given the life of duras' son, and spares him. Less brilliantly written than part 1, and sela is sadly one-dimensional, but the rest is too rich to be denied.
-Darmok ***
A seamless performance by paul winfield (THE WRATH OF KHAN, THE TERMINATOR) as an alien facing a life-threatening situation (and language barrier) with picard. Don't let the subtlety of winfield's work be obscured by all the prosthetic makeup. Stranded together, they must fight to survive and understand each other, and jean-luc finally realizes that winfield's species communicates exclusively through metaphor. If anyone wishes to challenge my rating system, your opportunity will never be more ripe. This one oozes excellence out of every pore (including a non-Hollywood ending, both tragic but hopeful). If you were to design a sci fi series, this is exactly the kind of script you would hope to produce. And they did...with no weaknesses. So why only three stars? Especially following a four-star episode which is objectively inferior? The only answer i can give is that mysterious factor called x. An excitement which defies qualification. Perhaps i'm being too hard on myself. Perhaps there is something genuinely missing here...some more satisfying resolution, character development, or emotional impact. Perhaps. In any case, it's brilliant - including the delightful debut of ashley judd (FRIDA, RUBY IN PARADISE) as ensign robin lefler.
-Ensign Ro ***
Ro laren (michelle forbes - GALACTICA, TRUE BLOOD) is a court-martialed bajoran Starfleet officer freed from prison, just to be part of a mission to quell bajoran terrorism. The Enterprise crew (and command staff) treat her with disdain. She is bitter, and the only one to embrace her is guinan. A fine effort made a little less so by the obviousness of another "evil (and stupid) admiral", being manipulated by cardassians.
-Silicon Avatar **
The crystalline entity attacks a colony where Enterprise is supplying settlers. The Federation's leading authority on the entity (ellen geer - HAROLD AND MAUDE, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST) arrives. She is suspicious and hostile toward data, because of lor's association with the entity. They track it, and dr. marr covertly destroys it, as vengeance for the death of her son decades before. The flaw in this one is having a 24th-century human act too much like ourselves. The mechanics of grief would be no different in TREK's time, but the contours of loss would be - it's not credible that any TREK human could be so crippled decades after the fact. In any sane future, we'll have largely cured the horrific loneliness and alienation that plague us now. And...there's a riker flirtation which devolves into unrealistic, leering cliche. Just bad writing.
-Disaster ***
The last episode to air during gene roddenberry's lifetime. In terms of dramatic tension, the Enterprise was sometimes a little too powerful and indestructible, but not here. Quantum filaments pass through the ship, wreaking damage and death. Communications are down, power at a minimum, and emergency bulkheads in place. Will carries data's head through jefferies tubes to fight a core breach. Worf delivers keiko's baby. Beverly and geordi are threatened by plasma fire, and must vent their own compartment into space. Deanna takes an uncomfortable command on the bridge, where ro and o'brien can't agree. Picard is in a turbolift coming free of its moorings, with a broken ankle and three frightened children. There is a dangerous tightness throughout.
-The Game ***
Wesley! Wesley!! Wil wheaton is back, on Academy vacation. Riker brings a video game from Risa, which turns out to be a psychotropic mind-control device. Wesley and ensign lefler realize that something is very wrong, as data is sabotaged and the entire crew comes under alien mind control. Wes saves the day, and gets the girl (er, young woman). Brilliant.
-Unification 1&2 ***
GAME...ON! Sorry, the classic TREK nerd in me just got a chubby. Picard meets sarek on Vulcan, then he and data are sent on an undercover mission to Romulus, on the heels of ambassador spock (leonard nimoy!), who is suspected of defection. They are escorted in a cloaked klingon ship (captained by stephen root - NEWSRADIO, THE WEST WING), disguised as romulans. Enterprise plays cat and mouse inside a galactic junkyard with a mysterious ship, and riker plays the blues with a jaded, four-armed pianist (harriet leider - TORCH SONG TRILOGY, DREAM LOVER). Spock is sewing the seeds of reunification. Picard must tell him that his father has died. The second half loses tightness, and sela is still one-dimensional. But the spock scenes with data and picard are priceless. Classic TREK veteran malachi throne (CATCH ME IF YOU CAN, IT'S A BIRD...IT'S A PLANE...IT'S SUPERMAN!) plays a romulan senator, and daniel roebuck (THE FUGITIVE, ORION SLAVE GIRLS MUST DIE!!!) an agitant. Like a movie, this one's compelling and large.
-A Matter of Time ***
Fun fun fun. Matt frewer (MAX HEADROOM, THE MEANING OF LIFE) plays an historian who appears in a 26th century timeship, collecting stories and artifacts. He turns out to be a New Jersey charlatan from the past, who stole his ship.
-New Ground ***
Deadbeat dad, chapter 2? As Enterprise assists on tests for an engineless mode of interstellar travel, worf's mom returns alexander (the TREK debut of brian bonsall - FAMILY TIES, MICKEY'S 60th BIRTHDAY), saying he's too much to handle. He continues to lie and bully, so worf decides to ship him off to a klingon school. Deanna intercedes, talking worf through his emotional minefield and the abandonment issues alexander may be facing. Most of troi's screen time revolved around being an empath or lover, not her actual job, but this is some of the best work for marina and michael in the entire series. He decides to have alexander stay onboard. Yes, the alexander factor is one of flaccidity and foreboding, but if you can look past that there's some lovely stuff here.
-Hero Worship ***
Data rescues a boy, the sole survivor of a starship disaster in which all other hands were lost, including his parents. Traumatized, the boy starts to assert that he is an emotionless android too. Troi has data encourage this. The strength of this one, aside from lovely performances by spiner and guest joshua harris (DALLAS, FALCON CREST), is how it touches upon something from which no cultural or technological advancement will ever protect us - instant, horrifying tragedy. TREK writers didn't always perfectly capture how human nature will be different in the future they paint, but this kind of loss will be with us forever. Funny and heart-rending.
-Violations **
As Enterprise transports members of a race of mind-probing memory historians, deanna, will, and beverly fall into comas. Deanna recovers, but can't recall anything. A mind rapist is on the loose. This one has potential, but doesn't come together - the only notable moment is a memory flashback of jean-luc showing beverly jack's body.
-The Masterpiece Society ***
Enterprise visits a genetically-engineered biosphere society facing a natural cataclysm. Their social fabric is so specific and interwoven, it would be shattered by any disruption. Deanna has a touching affair with their leader (john snyder - THE WARRIORS, K-9). Geordi has a touching friendship with their lead scientist (TREK guest extraordinaire dey young - SPACEBALLS, YOUNG LUST), who ultimately asks picard for asylum, along with dozens of others. Plus some fine ron canada (THE WEST WING, BOSTON LEGAL, and another TREK recidivist). Touching and thoughtful.
-Conundrum ****
-written by barry m. schkolnick
-directed by les landau
An alien vessel selectively wipes the memories of the crew, and disables the ship's memory files. They find mission orders which tell them to destroy an alien base. Worf assumes his sash means he's in command. Unbeknownst to them, there's a stranger in their midst, commander macduff (erich anderson - UNFAITHFUL, NYPD BLUE). Files reveal him as the exec (why he didn't make himself captain, is anybody's guess). The crew struggle with whether to go through with their orders, especially when the base is discovered to be almost defenseless. Raise your hand if you buy worf's refusal to fire, at the moment of truth. Crewmember kristin (liz vassey - THE TICK, TWO AND A HALF MEN) is achingly beautiful. Troi and riker sense their spiritual connection, and he beds ro. Action, humor...brilliant.
-Power Play **
A lost Starfleet vessel is found crashed on an inhospitable alien planet, 200 years later. Energy beings possess the bodies of deanna, data, and o'brien, and take hostages in ten forward. They claim to be the ghosts of the Essex, but turn out to be disembodied prisoners trying to free all the members of their penal colony. If you can overlook data being possessed just as an organic would be, and the immorality of Starfleet officers just abandoning helpless prisoners who've been abandoned by their captors, it's a fun ride.
-Ethics **
Ethical dilemmas that don't feel manufactured. Worf's spine is crushed, and he asks riker to assist him in the klingon suicide ritual. By following the dictates of his culture, is he acting cowardly in abandoning his son? A visiting surgeon wants to try an experimental procedure likely to kill worf. Beverly balks. Despite some fine moments, the alexander factor isn't the only soggy noodle in this entree.
-The Outcast ***
A lovely classic TREK feel, and one of the best poker scenes ever. The Enterprise helps an androgynous race investigate the disappearance of a shuttle. Their culture has an underground who tend toward gender-orientation, but transgressors are vilified and surgically/psychologically "corrected". Riker and one such (melinda culea - KNOTS LANDING, THE A-TEAM) fall in love. The parallels to homosexual persecution couldn't be more spot-on. Despite an occasional lack of sophistication in the writing, this might be four stars if the producers had cast a male as his leading lady, as frakes wanted.
-Cause and Effect ****
-written by brannon braga
-directed by jonathan frakes
The stuff of childhood nightmares. Enterprise is caught in a temporal time loop that always ends with the ship's explosion. Tight and fun, with poker games and picard/crusher zip. They must find a way to send a message to themselves in the next loop. In one of the most needle-moving cameos in TREK history, kelsey grammar (FRASIER, THE SIMPSONS) is perfect as captain of a ship that's been stuck in time for the better part of a century.
-The First Duty ****
-written by ronald d. moore, naren shankar
-directed by paul lynch
At the Academy, wesley is involved in an accident that claimed the life of a cadet. Their squadron was attempting an illegal maneuver, and the survivors, led by nicholas locarno (robert duncan mcneill - VOYAGER, SHARKY'S MACHINE) agree to a pact of silence. The Enterprise gets involved in the investigation. Ed lauter (THE LONGEST YARD, B.J. AND THE BEAR) plays the dead cadet's father, and ray walston (MY FAVORITE MARTIAN, FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HIGH) adds crotchety gravitas as boothby, the groundskeeper who once mentored picard. Jean-luc discovers the deception, and confronts wes. So tight it hums.
-Cost of Living ***
Lwaxana and alexander - cataclysm casserole! Yet somehow here, not. She's preparing to marry a man she's never met, and alexander is fighting his father's discipline as deanna tries to mediate. Lwaxana spirits alexander around, playing games, taking mudbaths, and encouraging his rebelliousness. Her loneliness is touching, and she gains as much from their time as he. She sabotages her wedding by appearing naked - yay! Can you spot the uncredited dustin diamond (SAVED BY THE BELL's screech)?
-The Perfect Mate ***
Famke janssen (X-MEN, GOLDENEYE) plays an empathic metamorph bred to become the perfect woman to whichever man she is with. For a screen debut, not bad. In an all-too-rare trekslap at monogamy, she's the only woman to ever kiss both captain and first officer. Due to some ferengi malfeasance (another turn for max grodenchick - THE ROCKETEER, BARTON FINK), she comes out of stasis early and imprints on picard instead of her intended mate. The effervescent tim o'connor (BUCK ROGERS IN THE 25th CENTURY, NAKED GUN 2 1/2) is her chaperon.
-Imaginary Friend **
A lonely child aboard Enterprise is shocked when her imaginary friend comes to life. "Isabella" gradually grows frightening, and is finally revealed to be an energy alien orchestrating the death of the crew because they are cruelly restrictive with their children. Picard must convince the alien that this treatment is only a manifestation of love.
-I, Borg ****
-written by rene echevarria, jeri taylor
-directed by robert lederman
A borg drone is rescued from a crash. During a fencing session, guinan drills picard with the folly of his mercy. He plans to send the borg home with an implanted paradox that will disable the collective. Beverly, then geordi, then finally guinan raise ethical objections, as the drone "hugh" begins to manifest a personality. A nuanced performance by jonathan del arco (THE CLOSER, THE MAMBO KINGS) - humanizing a monster, in the best TREK tradition. In the end, hugh voluntarily returns home, in order not to imperil his new friend geordi. The initial heartlessness of both guinan and picard may be a bit overwritten, but the structure and chemistry of this episode are seamless. It's also fascinating to contrast the treatment of hugh, with how Voyager dealt with seven. Brilliant sci fi.
-The Next Phase ***
Geordi and ro are in a transporter accident aboard a damaged romulan ship, and they become cloaked. She tries to convince him they're dead, but he figures out what happened. As plans proceed for their memorial, they must contend with a cloaked romulan, and find a way to return to normal space. Rich and rollicking.
-The Inner Light ****
-written by morgan gendel, peter allan fields
-directed by peter lauritson
Touching and exquisite - the least overt four-star TREK ever, rendered almost entirely in gentle human tones. Picard is rendered comatose by an alien probe, and wakes up in a stranger's identity on a world he's never known. He lives forty-five years surrounded by friends and family, reawakening on the Enterprise after only twenty-five minutes. The probe was a dying species' last gesture of remembrance. Stewart's performance is grand. Margot rose (HOLLOW MAN, 48 HRS.), richard riehle (OFFICE SPACE, FERRIS BUELLER), and patrick's real-life son daniel (DETONATOR, THE PROGRAM) are superb.
-Time's Arrow, pt. 1 ***
Twain TREK! An ambitious, enjoyable, over-the-top effort guilty of only minor overreaches in the writing. The discovery of data's head in a 500 year-old Earth mine leads to predatory aliens and accidental time travel. Alone at first, data enlists the aid of guinan, who is (was) a 19th-century San Francisco socialite. Jerry hardin (MISSING, THE X-FILES) plays the interfering, prickly clemens beautifully. Plus DS9's marc alaimo as a delightful saloon poker player.
Monday, April 18, 2011
billionaires for millionaires
I attended a protest today, right here in Jersey City. Sponsored by MoveOn.org, it was held outside a Wells Fargo branch, in protest of the fact that many of this country's biggest corporations exploit loopholes to avoid paying any taxes...in the case of Wells Fargo, that's five billion dollars. Teachers are losing their jobs, social services are being slashed, the middle class is disappearing, and corporate America is having a party. We're talking to you, G.E., Exxon/Mobil, Bank of America (hissss), Chevron, Boeing...the list goes on and on. Here's Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, to tell you about it:
http://tucsoncitizen.com/view-from-baja-arizona/2011/04/17/10-top-corporate-freeloaders-in-america/
I don't want to say the protest was underattended. But if the decibel level of a crowd measurably increases when one more voice shows up...well, i'm loud, but i shouldn't be that loud.
It was a good experience though. Good people. And despite the serious intent, there was time for fun. There were three fellows on the edge of the crowd dressed in tuxes, heckling the speakers. At first, i thought they were actual corporate reps. Then i looked closer. They had dollar-sign ties, blingy chains, cigars, and martini glasses. They addressed the crowd at one point as members of Billionaires for Millionaires, and they were hysterical. With names like Philip Maipokets and Filmore Barrels, they were absolutely talented. They were off-script, deflecting the heckles of the crowd, and never missed a beat (unless that one heckler was a plant...hmmm). But whatever, they were brilliant.
The only point i disagreed with was the movement to keep gas prices down. Ixnay that. We need to double gas prices. Triple them. More. Only when gas becomes so expensive that American business and consumers can no longer afford the road, will we sever our addiction to fossil fuel. So what can be done about the corporate freeloaders, aside from making as much noise as we can with our representatives? Hit 'em where it hurts, in the pocketbook. A couple of selective nationwide boycotts - let's say G.E. and Carnival. Over the next year, let no patriot in this land buy one single G.E. bulb, or take one Carnival Cruise.
Spread the word.
http://tucsoncitizen.com/view-from-baja-arizona/2011/04/17/10-top-corporate-freeloaders-in-america/
I don't want to say the protest was underattended. But if the decibel level of a crowd measurably increases when one more voice shows up...well, i'm loud, but i shouldn't be that loud.
It was a good experience though. Good people. And despite the serious intent, there was time for fun. There were three fellows on the edge of the crowd dressed in tuxes, heckling the speakers. At first, i thought they were actual corporate reps. Then i looked closer. They had dollar-sign ties, blingy chains, cigars, and martini glasses. They addressed the crowd at one point as members of Billionaires for Millionaires, and they were hysterical. With names like Philip Maipokets and Filmore Barrels, they were absolutely talented. They were off-script, deflecting the heckles of the crowd, and never missed a beat (unless that one heckler was a plant...hmmm). But whatever, they were brilliant.
The only point i disagreed with was the movement to keep gas prices down. Ixnay that. We need to double gas prices. Triple them. More. Only when gas becomes so expensive that American business and consumers can no longer afford the road, will we sever our addiction to fossil fuel. So what can be done about the corporate freeloaders, aside from making as much noise as we can with our representatives? Hit 'em where it hurts, in the pocketbook. A couple of selective nationwide boycotts - let's say G.E. and Carnival. Over the next year, let no patriot in this land buy one single G.E. bulb, or take one Carnival Cruise.
Spread the word.
Friday, April 15, 2011
no, allow me!
I found this ad today on the Craigslist W4M romance site. I couldn't resist my response, which follows. What do you think? To what extent is she joking? To what extent am i?
ALLOW ME
So, you’ve got a great job, a house, a car. Your friends are encouraging and supportive. Your family adores you. Dogs, cats, and children flock to you. But, you’re just missing that little something. You just need a little more flavor. Something to keep you on your toes. I’ve met your type before and I know just what you need. I can provide you with a ration of anxiety attacks, sleep disturbances, and newfound paranoia. I am also willing to upset the most solid of friendships, anger your mother, and challenge your ability to keep your job. I can convince you that you are responsible for my well-being and, despite the havoc I leave in my wake, you will be inexplicably attracted to me. I’m sure you’re wondering how I will accomplish this feat. That is not important. My undeniable sex appeal, charm, and natural talent for mayhem will not fail. What you should be asking is why. Why would you want this? Well, you’ll be the first to admit that your comfortable life is getting quite dull. Once our courtship ensues you will have a renewed appreciation for the ho-hum. You’ll catch glimpses of the life you once had…casual drinks after work, football on Sundays, barbeques in the summertime…and though you’ll long for those days, you will feel wounded, crippled, unable to crawl back to that time. Eventually, though, I will feel you’ve had enough. I will leave you helpless, friendless, and so accustomed to my insatiable sex drive that you will continue to be isolated, frightened, and incapacitated in my absence. A ghost from your past life will find you, just before you turn to hard drugs to soothe your scarred psyche, and will nurse you back to emotional health. This journey, this voyage will create a lifetime of unwavering appreciation for all of the things you had once thought to be dull. Food will taste better. Laughter will be more joyful. Warm human contact will be orgasmic. Plus, you will have an abundance of interesting stories to share with your loved ones. This experience may even lead to a new career as a motivational speaker. Why am I willing to offer this life changing experience? Well, frankly, I really need a good back rub right now.
(my response:)
NO, ALLOW ME!
So, you feel comfortable in your place in this world. You understand the scope of your charms, and feel no compunction using them to get what you want. You feel no compunction using people either. If they're idiotic enough to obsess over you because you understand some basic psychology and look a little like Christy Turlington...well, nobody's twisting their arms.
Then i come along. And your sense of values gets turned upside down. You realize that the reason you've never felt loved is because you've never been able to take down your walls to really let someone in. I teach you things you've never known about the human nature that's been buried by this horror show of a post-agricultural society. I teach you about the science of attraction, and how a child might grasp the difference between lust and love, but the more advanced understanding belongs to one who understands the difference between the hormonal state of "in love", and companionate love. You begin to see this society in a different way, and will never again not be disturbed by someone who has a flashy SUV and a penthouse apartment while 16,000 children die of starvation today.
Mostly, you realize that no one in your life, not Mom nor Dad, has ever loved you as unconditionally...sought out every farthest corner of your spirit...or made you feel so mindlessly loved as you do when you're in my arms. You stop coloring your hair and engage in a more physically active life, just to be like me.
And then i move to an intentional community in Mauritius, to teach you a spiritual lesson about letting go. And you walk through your world in a daze, disgusted by the smallness and meanness of everyone you meet.
And why would i even want to give any of this to you, when you're not yet on my spiritual plane? Because i just gotta know how much of your ad was real, and how much was a bizarre sense of humor.
And i desperately need three backrubs.
all my love,
wrob
ALLOW ME
So, you’ve got a great job, a house, a car. Your friends are encouraging and supportive. Your family adores you. Dogs, cats, and children flock to you. But, you’re just missing that little something. You just need a little more flavor. Something to keep you on your toes. I’ve met your type before and I know just what you need. I can provide you with a ration of anxiety attacks, sleep disturbances, and newfound paranoia. I am also willing to upset the most solid of friendships, anger your mother, and challenge your ability to keep your job. I can convince you that you are responsible for my well-being and, despite the havoc I leave in my wake, you will be inexplicably attracted to me. I’m sure you’re wondering how I will accomplish this feat. That is not important. My undeniable sex appeal, charm, and natural talent for mayhem will not fail. What you should be asking is why. Why would you want this? Well, you’ll be the first to admit that your comfortable life is getting quite dull. Once our courtship ensues you will have a renewed appreciation for the ho-hum. You’ll catch glimpses of the life you once had…casual drinks after work, football on Sundays, barbeques in the summertime…and though you’ll long for those days, you will feel wounded, crippled, unable to crawl back to that time. Eventually, though, I will feel you’ve had enough. I will leave you helpless, friendless, and so accustomed to my insatiable sex drive that you will continue to be isolated, frightened, and incapacitated in my absence. A ghost from your past life will find you, just before you turn to hard drugs to soothe your scarred psyche, and will nurse you back to emotional health. This journey, this voyage will create a lifetime of unwavering appreciation for all of the things you had once thought to be dull. Food will taste better. Laughter will be more joyful. Warm human contact will be orgasmic. Plus, you will have an abundance of interesting stories to share with your loved ones. This experience may even lead to a new career as a motivational speaker. Why am I willing to offer this life changing experience? Well, frankly, I really need a good back rub right now.
(my response:)
NO, ALLOW ME!
So, you feel comfortable in your place in this world. You understand the scope of your charms, and feel no compunction using them to get what you want. You feel no compunction using people either. If they're idiotic enough to obsess over you because you understand some basic psychology and look a little like Christy Turlington...well, nobody's twisting their arms.
Then i come along. And your sense of values gets turned upside down. You realize that the reason you've never felt loved is because you've never been able to take down your walls to really let someone in. I teach you things you've never known about the human nature that's been buried by this horror show of a post-agricultural society. I teach you about the science of attraction, and how a child might grasp the difference between lust and love, but the more advanced understanding belongs to one who understands the difference between the hormonal state of "in love", and companionate love. You begin to see this society in a different way, and will never again not be disturbed by someone who has a flashy SUV and a penthouse apartment while 16,000 children die of starvation today.
Mostly, you realize that no one in your life, not Mom nor Dad, has ever loved you as unconditionally...sought out every farthest corner of your spirit...or made you feel so mindlessly loved as you do when you're in my arms. You stop coloring your hair and engage in a more physically active life, just to be like me.
And then i move to an intentional community in Mauritius, to teach you a spiritual lesson about letting go. And you walk through your world in a daze, disgusted by the smallness and meanness of everyone you meet.
And why would i even want to give any of this to you, when you're not yet on my spiritual plane? Because i just gotta know how much of your ad was real, and how much was a bizarre sense of humor.
And i desperately need three backrubs.
all my love,
wrob
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
dear nephews
Dear nephews,
As you walk through life, everywhere you turn someone or something will always be there to tell you what you should FEEL, what you should THINK, and what you should WANT. Most of the time, these messages come without words. We transfer our attitudes about everything around us to those we are with, without opening our mouths. You've probably not had many talks about elevators, yet you know something about the elevator-attitude of everyone you've ever shared one with. You have been absorbing values from the people and images around you since the day you were born. Those values are now "you".
Here is some of what you've absorbed.
You should go to college to get a job to work at least eight hours a day five days a week to get as much money as you can until you're sixty-five, then you get a few years off before you die.
This is NONSENSE.
If you convince the most beautiful women you ever meet that they should have sex and babies with you and no one else, you will win the game of life.
This is NONSENSE.
The first thing that people will always want to know about you is whether you're in a romance.
This is NONSENSE.
Some people think Star Wars is better than Star Trek.
This is NONSENSE.
Now, would you like me to tell you what isn't nonsense?
I can't.
The only person who can tell you what isn't nonsense is you. The hard part is finding "you". Your voice, your feelings, have been buried by what your family and friends have been pouring into your head since you were a baby. Most of what your family and friends know, they learned from a TV commercial.
It takes some people five years to find their own voice. It takes others fifty. Most people never find it, because most people never look for it.
You've probably noticed the idiots in this world. They're hard to miss. What you may not have noticed is that the people who seem like they're not idiots...are also idiots. Every single one. Especially me.
And that's not nonsense.
love,
Uncle Buddy
As you walk through life, everywhere you turn someone or something will always be there to tell you what you should FEEL, what you should THINK, and what you should WANT. Most of the time, these messages come without words. We transfer our attitudes about everything around us to those we are with, without opening our mouths. You've probably not had many talks about elevators, yet you know something about the elevator-attitude of everyone you've ever shared one with. You have been absorbing values from the people and images around you since the day you were born. Those values are now "you".
Here is some of what you've absorbed.
You should go to college to get a job to work at least eight hours a day five days a week to get as much money as you can until you're sixty-five, then you get a few years off before you die.
This is NONSENSE.
If you convince the most beautiful women you ever meet that they should have sex and babies with you and no one else, you will win the game of life.
This is NONSENSE.
The first thing that people will always want to know about you is whether you're in a romance.
This is NONSENSE.
Some people think Star Wars is better than Star Trek.
This is NONSENSE.
Now, would you like me to tell you what isn't nonsense?
I can't.
The only person who can tell you what isn't nonsense is you. The hard part is finding "you". Your voice, your feelings, have been buried by what your family and friends have been pouring into your head since you were a baby. Most of what your family and friends know, they learned from a TV commercial.
It takes some people five years to find their own voice. It takes others fifty. Most people never find it, because most people never look for it.
You've probably noticed the idiots in this world. They're hard to miss. What you may not have noticed is that the people who seem like they're not idiots...are also idiots. Every single one. Especially me.
And that's not nonsense.
love,
Uncle Buddy
grace, M
WOMEN 58-59
GRACE
One of the mothers from the children's shows i did on Sanibel. She had been unhappily married for fifteen years and divorced for one, and was raising two kids alone. She didn't make a strong first impression, but i gradually and sweetly fell for her. One time in the darkness backstage during a show, she stood nearby while i sat with a couple little bundles of joy bouncing on my knees. I gently reached out and rested my hand on her hip for a few minutes. Breathtaking. I wrote her poetry, we went out once or twice…but she wasn't ready. Or i had bad breath.
M
Another bittersweet moment. Beautiful soul, worldly, a dancer. I was quite attracted to her when we met, but a friend of mine was courting her. During a chance encounter at a gas station, i almost told her how i felt. Out of consideration for my friend, i didn't. A year later, not long before their wedding, she asked whether i remembered that day at the gas station. She said she had wanted so much to tell me how attracted to me she was. And the beat goes on…
GRACE
One of the mothers from the children's shows i did on Sanibel. She had been unhappily married for fifteen years and divorced for one, and was raising two kids alone. She didn't make a strong first impression, but i gradually and sweetly fell for her. One time in the darkness backstage during a show, she stood nearby while i sat with a couple little bundles of joy bouncing on my knees. I gently reached out and rested my hand on her hip for a few minutes. Breathtaking. I wrote her poetry, we went out once or twice…but she wasn't ready. Or i had bad breath.
M
Another bittersweet moment. Beautiful soul, worldly, a dancer. I was quite attracted to her when we met, but a friend of mine was courting her. During a chance encounter at a gas station, i almost told her how i felt. Out of consideration for my friend, i didn't. A year later, not long before their wedding, she asked whether i remembered that day at the gas station. She said she had wanted so much to tell me how attracted to me she was. And the beat goes on…
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