30 Rock (named for NBC's Manhattan address) has taken the Thursday night slot of Seinfeld on NBC and in my heart. Tina Fey writes and produces this sitcom about a problematic variety show. On the show, she plays a senior writer trying to keep sponsors and network executives satisfied, while micromanaging her staff and the eccentric and mislead egos of her cast. Tune in for off-color jokes, excessively witty and politically incorrect banter and major celebrity cameos.
*Due to the writers strike, this show is of course on a break. But I'll be right here waiting for it to come back.
**Tina Fey may or may not be behind my decision to start wearing glasses again.
Ok. Let's take a look at this show and go beyond the superfluous violence, disturbing drug use and a dialect of foul language that I didn't even know existed. The underlying themes of this HBO drama are that of morality at all levels, family, trust, psychology in its most raw form and pure Shakespearean irony. We follow Anthony (Tony) Soprano through six seasons of his life. Our first encounter with him is in his therapist's office where he is seeking help for panic attacks. This show is about a top wiseguy who is having legitimate psychological problems due to the nature of his position. We learn to care for his family, both immediate and criminal. As the seasons progress, La Cosa Nostra starts to become this thing of OUR'S, not just theirs. You will find yourself wanting the FBI to fail in their efforts to bring this crime family to justice. Plus, there are so many Godfather references in this show, just waiting to be discovered.
*I have yet to see Season Six, part two.
This film is a musical that follows several characters as their lives intertwine. Jude, Maxwell, Lucy, Prudence, JoJo, Sadie and several other psychedelic personalities run around the turmoil-covered 60's and completely reinvent the Beatles' catalog. Now. I grew up listening to the Beatles. Their music comforts me, inspires me and makes sense to me. Nothing about their music needed to change. However, seeing and hearing it completely re-done with completely new meanings was simply a treat. Hearing these songs that spanned several decades come together to form a single musical with one main plot was like magic. However, it must be watched with an artistic eye and not the idea of don't fix what's not broken, as my dad said about the concept.
*But don't worry. Nothing's gonna change my world. I still love the originals.
Move over "Little Miss Sunshine." There needs to be room next to you for the next irreverent comedy. Excellent acting, perfect writing and lots of sarcasm was the recipe for "Juno" a story about a teenage girl who gets pregnant by her best friend. She decides to give the baby up for adoption to a young couple who have less in common than they think. Juno (not like the city in Alaska) definitely marches to the beat of the drums in her head. As she navigates the pregnancy with the help of her family, friends and the adoptive parents, you'll see why this movie is already winning awards and is sure to win more.
*Not to mention, I've wanted a blue slushy real bad ever since seeing this.
Well sports fans, those are just a select four entertainment choices that I enjoyed this past year. I laughed, I cried, I ate a lot of Milk Duds. Just in case you were wondering(and you probably weren't), you probably shouldn't watch most (make that any) of my picks with most (make that any) of your children under the age of 25. It's true. These picks are adult in content. But, to me, that doesn't take away from their artistic value. If you have any questions, or would like to leave your own favorite things of 2007, just say it at the beep!
