I wanted to alert everyone...

... to this thing. It was made during the writer's strike to show the potential of internet-only content, and it's available to watch in full for what I imagine is a limited time. Also, I imagine it's better than pretty much anything on TV.

Speaking of TV, I admit that there was a time when I was a gigantic Law and Order fan. I've watched more than one of those frequent USA or TNT marathons. I think, then that my brief discussion of some of what is actually on TV should start there. I watched the season premiere of SVU this week.

There was a subplot involving a credit card being stolen which was actually taken by Chris Meloni's daughter. This was more interesting than the actual plot. Luke Perry was some sort of serial rapist who confessed off screen after long, painful minutes of screen time were given to some truly atrocious child-acting/tantruming.

I also fell victim to the JJ Abrams hype machine and actually watched Fringe. The show is talked about as if it is a blend of the X-files and.. well... something. Whatever that something is, it's not very present in the blend. Fringe is a watered down and more absurd X-files. The plot of the second episode was actually a rip off of three different X-files plots, and as of the third episode, nothing has been encountered that Dr. Regent of Gondor doesn't specifically remember working on back in the day. How convenient. The plots and characters are cribbed from a better show and the complexity of the relationships outside of this core group are so wildly underdeveloped that conversations become incomprehensible. And it doesn't help that half the locations are giant glass buildings, so that from the inside the audience can't tell if they're in Boston or New York or some new all-glass structure.

And don't get me started on the giant 3-d letters that tell the location and then are integrated into shots as if the label "Harvard" is actually physically present on the Harvard campus.

Also, some of the biggest upcoming fall shows are Kath and Kim (remake from Australia), Life on Mars (remake from England), Knight Rider (remake from Hell), and Little Britain (England again). So now this post ties in with my overall theme, sort of.

And on another TV note, I wonder what they're scrambling to replace tomorrow's debate with, since John McCain has shown his leadership by running back to D.C. to vote instead of, you know, having a debate that will help determine who will lead the damn country. In his defense, though, I wouldn't want to debate Barack either.

Music: tv on the radio: shout me out

The original score...

...is taking over the blog... it's actually a reasonable amount of time and effort each week to write snarky and insulting film summaries and then post them with cumulative scores.

Not enough work that I'm going to stop... just, I'm going to keep up with it on a monthly basis for the rest of the year, I think. I'll throw September's totals up with some appropriate jabs (I'm looking at you Bangkok Dangerous) after the last friday of the month. That way I can actually use this blog to, you know, blog. Instead of just keep a tally.

So in non-original movie news:

I've been querying agents like mad, even though I don't know if this is really the thing to do. I've got a few good scripts and I even have them registered with the WGA, and I'd like someone to sell them and give me money. I realize, however, that this is a difficult proposition. Especially in Carrboro.

So at the same time, I'm putting together an application for the graduate MFA program for screenwriting at UCLA. I'm lining up recommendations and letters of reference and requirements and whatnot. I kind of hate the idea of going to school again, but the economy and the business being what it is, I guess there are worse things.

Some guy sold us a kiln, and Amanda has been firing and glazing and throwing (pots... as in making them) like crazy. She might even take a stab at an MFA herself... but regardless of that she's making some pretty amazing things.

And that's what's afoot aside from how unoriginal hollywood is. Along those lines, I would like to point out that there are an awful lot of "new" shows this fall that are remakes of older or more foreign shows. the bastards.

MUSIC: beck: earthquake weather