Today's column is a twofer:
A few weeks ago, ABC gave us "Cashmere Mafia," from "Sex and the City" creator Darren Star. Tonight at 10, NBC gives us "Lipstick Jungle," from "Sex and the City" author Candace Bushnell.
At this rate, I expect every person who ever worked on "Sex and the City" to get their own show with a fashion/warfare title.
"From the second unit director of 'Sex and the City' comes 'Pantyhose Ninjas'!"
"From the focus-puller of 'Sex and the City' comes 'Pashmina Slaughterhouse'!"
"From the craft services department of 'Sex and the City' comes 'Rayon Cagefight'! Only on Fox!"
To read the full thing -- including my skepticism about whether I'll be into the new "Survivor" --
click here.
Today's column is a twofer:
I know it's because I've only watched the show for the last two years, but I really enjoyed China and even went back and watched seasons 6 and 7 (the Rob C/Jonny Fairplay ones). Can't wait for this one, if only to see Probst not try to hide his hatred for Fairplay once again.
ReplyDeletePlus, not having seen any All-Stars edition of any show ever, I'll be curious to see how favorites from past seasons will be treated by their All-Star team-mates. This time Yau-Man won't have the advantage of stupid people around patronizing him, for example.
Hee, great post, Alan. Liked the Andrew McCarthy shoutout... one his best performances, and a real standout in general, is his role in "Heaven Help Us." He broke my heart in that film. And then he went and did Weekend at Bernies. Sigh.
ReplyDeleteI stopped watching Survivor, um, damn, can't even remember... 4 or 5 seasons ago? Like ER, I wish they'd put this show out of its misery.
By putting Johnny Fairplay on this one, there is virtually no chance that anyone will be more unlikable than him, so past contestants may preserve some dignity. I also believe Jeff Probst hates Fairplay, so that may be some interesting tension as well.
ReplyDeleteI have weaved in and out with Survivor, and I did watch most of China, so I am game to give this one a go for a little bit. I also watched the season Yau Man was on and since I like him, I hope he does well.
As for Rayon Catfight or whatever the latest clone is, I may check in to see Andrew McCarthy because I did like him in Pretty in Pink and that other 80s movie with Robert Downey Jr. Otherwise, these kinds of women annoy me. (on TV) They claim to be independent and powerful, but are incredible idiots and act like teenage girls around men.
I finally bailed on Survivor this year, I even bailed on Amazing Race, my wife likes them and I will probably see some of it but it is no longer appointment tv
ReplyDeletealan - why do you say Sex in the City has aged so badly? I greatly enjoyed the original run. The handful of reruns I've seen were fine, except the edits to make it "safe" for broadcast TV. What am I missing?
ReplyDeleteCarlos, your mileage obviously varies, but I find that I detest Carrie Bradshaw now. I look back and can't believe I was ever interested in her story, her stupid puns, etc.
ReplyDeleteThere was something IMO fundamentally insincere about Parker's portrayal of Carrie Bradshaw.
ReplyDeleteI'm sort of warming to Cashmere- oh, screw it, I could watch Miranda Otto all damn day if she was Pauly Shore's mom on a sitcom.
I'd totally watch a show with Price and Otto as, uh, thieves?
Would the women of Pantyhose Ninjas be literal ninjas or just figurative ones?
ReplyDeleteYou know what? It doesn't matter. I would totally watch that show just on the title alone.
Frankly I was starting to sour on SATC in the last season when Carrie moved to Paris just to be with Baryshnikov. That move was so out of character for someone who was supposedly self-confident and in then end Big had to "bring her back home". She was a dishrag who "just needed the right man" and that message was more chauvinistic than any silly soap opera on television.
ReplyDeleteSATC was the opposite of empowering for women because the ultimate message for all of them was that they needed a man to be happy... which I thought was the opposite of the point of this show.
And out of all the four, Carrie was the most shallow and was the least developed as a character. Miranda, Charlotte and Samantha ended up different from when we first met them, Carrie, not so much.
I also think that movie will be a disaster. What really is there to say about any of them.
Well, wrt SATC, I agree that the last season was far and away the weakest, and I also agree the final "message" implicit in how the storylines ended was completely out of sync with the prior years of the show (although I don't think it's chauvinistic of me to say that in the end, family is what ends up mattering the most to most of us, much more so than partying).
ReplyDeleteThat said, the first couple of seasons were an absolute blast and, indeed, groundbreaking for better or worse.
I don't think the show ever purported to be about deep women or deep issues (Carrie's obsession was overpriced shoes, after all). Or perhaps I'm just dating myself a bit, b/c I used to read bushnell's column back before I could "afford" any part of that lifestyle, and then the show came on just as I was going to some of those same hotspots, and so there was a certain fun in watching that as well.
Finally, on a completely unrelated matter, Nico is a perfectly acceptable and normal italian name... for a guy.
It's so refreshing to finally hear someone speak the truth about Carrie Bradshaw. I've been saying the same thing for years to gasps of horror from my friends. But let's face it, Carrie sucked.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of sucking, I preferred Lipstick Jungle to Cashmere Mafia. I might be back for Andrew McCarthy and Julian Sands. Before the strike changed everything, this was supposed to be a midseason replacement, right?
BTW, TVGuide.com has published a show-by-show list of what's going to happen to the rest of the season (assuming the strike ends). It's unclear if the final Scrubs episodes will air or go straight to DVD.
So, Alan, is there a character named Victory?
ReplyDeleteI'm not watching either of the two Lingerie Deathmatch shows, because I agree that SATC ages badly and I'm just not interested in reliving it.
As for Andrew McCarthy being on the verge of stardom....really? In every movie I've ever seen him in, he expresses emotion the same way: bugging out his eyes and pursing his lips. It becomes maddening to watch. What's been so amusing in watching Patric Dempsey transformed into "McDreamy" is remembering what a geeky, marginal figure he was in '80s films ("Loverboy" anyone?). But, yeah, McCarthy was featured in a lot of big stuff, and just didn't have the chops to carry it through. Although, as you say elsewhere, YMMV.
About the final season of SATC: yeah, my distaste for Carrie hardened into actual hate pretty much at the moment she called Miranda from Paris after a week, complaining that she'd "been to every museum in Paris twice" and had run out of things to do. What an empty character! You have to pretty seriously lacking in initiative to be bored in Paris, my friend. And, a professional writer, to boot? In PARIS?? I get that she missed her friends, but my GOD, did she really have no interior life whatsoever?
PANTYOSE NINJAS! Please write up
ReplyDeletea script and shop that thing all
around.
Thanks for helping me pin point
why I just didn't care about
Lipstick Jungle. Like Brooke,like
Andrew,etc. But the clothes and
the interiors just were blah.
All three characters were right
into whiny victim mode. Give them
glamour and success,TV Gods,before
you tear them down!
SATC's plots don't wear well,but
I still want some of those clothes
they wore.