This Week in Instant Watching: SNL reruns

Netflix has been kind of funny lately. It goes days without adding anything of consequence to its streaming roster, or even adding anything at all, then it dumps a ton of stuff at once. Instead of making any kind of attempt to be comprehensive, I'm going to mention a few titles I think may be underrated or lesser known here or there, or just ones that amuse or excite me, and from time to time, I'll talk generally about content that is on Netflix Instant Watching. That, in fact, is what I want to do today.

One of the coolest areas of the vast Instant Watching library is the collection of "Saturday Night Live" episodes dating back to the beginning. Now, I'm not so interested in the first 5 seasons, even though I like them the best, because they are on DVD. Far more compelling is the presence of those forgotten seasons of the eighties, ones that may never make it to disc, like, well, season 6, the infamous non-Lorne Michaels year featuring Charles Rocket and Denny Dillon as well as emerging stars like Joe Piscopo and Eddie Murphy.

Before I get back to season 6, let me give this caveat about all the "SNL" series on IW: The episodes are eviscerated. Some installments are as short as 20-some minutes long, and no one is really sure why. All musical performances are gone, not surprisingly, as are sketches with music that NBC/Universal didn't want to bother clearing, and I'm not sure that this drastic hack job is necessary for digital streaming, but apparently someone figured it best not to take any chances.

But there are plenty of embarrassing moments that are left in the shows--horrible sketches, flubs, and the Queen Mother of All Embarrassments, the moment when Rocket said a clear "F-bomb" at the end of the Charlene Tilton-hosted episode. So if someone is making edits for reasons of aesthetics or standards and practices, that person is doing a horrible job.

So the rationale behind the ridiculous editing remains a mystery, but that said, it's still a trove of fascinating viewing. I'm making my way through that sixth season now, and, yes, the show is terrible. But there are moments here and there, and no matter how bad things get, it's interesting watching the product on screen both as a time capsule of the era and as the result of the backstage turmoil that has been talked and written about so extensively.

Oh, and there is one good reason to wade through season 6, and that is the young Edward Regan Murphy. Maybe it's just the advantage of hindsight that makes him stand out today, but watch those first several episodes, then see Murphy's first appearance (or at least the one represented in these versions) and marvel at just how fresh and exciting he seems. They must have known, you can't help but thinking, even though Murphy overcame resistance from the show's then producer to make it on the air in the first place.

The fact is that these shows aren't all that great, and sometimes I watch one and am almost thankful someone went to the trouble of whittling it in half, but "Saturday Night Live" endures as one of those programs that is disproportionately more interesting to follow than to actually watch. Even when the comedy isn't firing on all cylinders, there is enough going on, especially in these older seasons, to make viewing the show a fun experience, especially if you educate yourself as to what was going on behind the scenes.

Brooks on Books: Sarah Silverman

The Bedwetter: Stories of Courage, Redemption, and Pee by Sarah Silverman: Silverman is a lot savvier than her persona would indicate, and here she crafts a memoir that is deeper and more insightful than that persona might indicate. She puts the bedwetter thing right up front--hey, it's right there in the title--and she is courageous enough to include embarrassing details about that aspect of her life and others that may be seen as less than exemplary.

She also speaks with candor and self-awareness (but not the self-obssession and narcissism of her TV character) about her experiences in standup comedy, on "Saturday Night Live," and as a performer and producer of a very funny but underseen sitcom on Comedy Central with her name in the title. She explains her side of controversies in her life such as when she used an ethnic slur on Conan O'Brien's show, and what's more, she uses that incident to explain her philosophies on the use of offensive material and language in comedy. I was both gratified and horrified that she used the book to out a prominent 1980s music star as being apparently racist (though I wonder if there's any way she is missing some kind of context that would change her view, much the way people who attack her often miss the context). I appreciated that she put it in there as a blind item but basically told us who it was.

One aspect of her life is largely absent from this book, though, and that's her romantic life. Oh, she mentions sleeping with guys and makes broad statements about that sort of thing, but it's odd considering how forthright she is that there is so little mention of the high-profile relationship she had with Jimmy Kimmel. And I may not really want to know what dating Dave Attell was like, but it was odd to learn that by reading a photo caption and not see anything in the actual text.

Still, it's a revealing book, and the only reason it's not as funny as, say, Silverman's act is that instead of assembling a collection of bits, she took the time to tell her life story in a thoughtful manner. She even offers some life philosophies that make sense, like her belief in "keeping it special," i.e. not overdoing things that give you pleasure. She does it all with humor, of course, but the book is not just a yukfest. I recommend it without reservation to any fan of Silverman, and fans of comedy in general can appreciate the insights into the world of standup and television, and they can also feel relief that, no, she isn't really the character she plays in public.

In theaters this weekend

Hall Pass: I've seen the ads for this, you've probably seen the ads for this--heck, we've all seen the ads for this. Someone is selling this one hard as the goofy breakout comedy hit of the year. What's not being sold hard--at least not that I've seen--is the involvement of the Farrelly brothers. Interesting.

I chuckle at some of the bits in the ubiquitous ads, like the guys attempting to cruise for women at Applebee's, but I have an uneasy feeling that this is one of those movies that is not nearly as funny as you think it's going to be. It has that aura of funny about it, and it has funny moments in the trailer, but it ends up disappointing you.

Part of what worries me is how unbelievable it seems. The notion of a couple of schlub husbands getting "hall passes" as temporary freedom from their marriages is of course a ridiculous one. Yet it's a funny one, so I'll go along with it. But these guys look really stupid in these ads. I mean, really stupid. The sight of them stuck among senior citizens and families with kids at an Applebee's when they were expecting hot singles is amusing, but who would get into that situation? And these guys aren't supposed to be Lloyd and Harry, right? They're supposed to be identifiable, basically likable average guys...or so I assume. If they're total idiots, then that kind of changes the whole movie.

Maybe I'm reading too much into this. Maybe this is nothing more than a silly farce of a movie with guys who are total idiots doing unrealistic things. If that's the case, then fine. I don't have trouble with that kind of flick. But it had better be really funny. I'm a little worried about "Hall Pass."

Drive Angry: Anytime you get Nicolas Cage in antic mode, you have a decent shot of producing a movie at least as funny as "Hall Pass."

Allow me to borrow the synopsis from Wikipedia because this pretty much says it all:
John Milton (Nicolas Cage) is a criminal that has broken out of Hell to kill Jonah King (Billy Burke), a cult leader that tricked Milton's daughter into joining his followers in the wake of Milton's death only to kill her and her husband and steal their daughter - Milton's granddaughter - to be sacrificed in a Satanist ritual.

Got to say, folks, even if this is total crap, it's got to be entertaining on some level, right? When I first read about this movie, I thought maybe "Hell" was a nickname for some maximum security prison. Apparently not! And that makes the movie sound all the more fun. But then again, I found "Ghost Rider" pretty dull, so...

Oh, and this one is available in 3-D if you like your Nicolas Cage even antic-er and in-your-face-ier than in standard format.

This Week in DVD

This week's post is dedicated to the memory of the late Dwayne McDuffie, a talented comic book and animation writer who died suddenly this week just as his adaptation of comic hit "All-Star Superman" hit DVD shelves. Unfortunately, my biggest exposure to the man's comic book work came on his ill-fated run on "JLA," which should have been DC's flagship title but was plagued by editorial interference and chaos which hampered McDuffie's work. The coverage of that situation and McDuffie's exit from the company overshadowed the book itself, but I have seen enough of his animation writing in efforts like "Justice League Unlimited" to recognize the man's talent and to be shaken up by his untimely death. Reading the outpouring of grief and kind words from his colleagues makes it even more heartbreaking, but I still look forward to sitting down soon and enjoying "All-Star Superman."

Megamind: Will Ferrell and Brad Pitt square off in animated form, and I'll be darned if I'm not kind of interested in this one. It seems like it was heavily hyped but flamed out relatively quickly, but it looks like a solid rental.

Due Date: I won't say I was gratified when I read James Woolcott claim he didn't "get" Zach Galifinakis, but I'm just saying, at least I'm not alone. The marketing for this buddy comedy with Robert Downey Jr. was clearly going for a "Hangover" vibe, but it didn't get anywhere near it. This one looks more like a "wait for pay cable and hope for the best" kind of title.

Get Low: Bobby Duvall stages his own funeral, while he's still around, mind you, and that sounds at least worth a look, doesn't it?

Have Gun Will Travel Season 5 Series 2: I can't say that I understand why CBS brought this back into regular rotation while shelving "Rawhide"--can it really be just a pure numbers decision, given the unpredictable schedules? But at least the show is getting out there.

BCS football games: A series of presumably complete games from this year's college football BCS. I find the system totally illegitimate, but I welcome the release of high-profile big sporting events on DVD.

Yep, must be pledge time

A couple weeks ago, I stumbled on a pair of new--well, new to me--Britcoms airing on one of the local public broadcasting stations. "The Old Guys" is about--spoiler alert--two old guys who exchange banter about old guy stuff while fantasizing about a neighbor played by Jane Asher. It's chock full of familiar and talented performers, so that's a good thing. It's a funny show, one I plan to check out each week.

I also enjoy "Outnumbered," a comedy about a harried husband and wife who struggle to keep on top of, or at least just keep up with, their 3 young children. I really like the POV of this show. As opposed to most family sitcoms, which take a broader view of the world in and outside the subjects' houses, this one takes place entirely in the brood's flat. There are definite traces of the adult world in the conversations Mum and Dad have, and the adult world sometimes makes its way inside, but most of the show revolves around the kids, just as life itself must necessarily revolve around the kids when you have 3 of them. It has a certain realism about it that hits home with me; more importantly, it's quite funny without being cloying. In fact, the kids are not standard cute kids at all, and they certainly seem to be working against the parents, not with them--hence the series title.

So this week I sat down and watched episode two of each of these series, and afterward, I looked at the program guide to make sure I had the series recorded and that I would get next week's installments. Turned out, there would be no installment next Tuesday. OK, some Motown at the White House concert thing. That's kind of a big deal. Can't get too bent out of shape about a preemption there.

Moving on to the next Tuesday, though, I saw ANOTHER week without the two Britcoms. Here I saw a Suze Orman special. Uh-oh, I thought, I see what's going on here. Finally I logged on to the channel's website and discovered each series will resume with its third episode...on Tuesday, March 22.

Tuesday, March 22?

I looked at the rest of the program listings and saw more financial advice shows, the ubiquitous My Music concerts, some self-improvement program called "The Amen Solution"...looks like the kind of show that spreads throughout a public broadcasting lineup every other month or so. What kind of channel dumps its quality programming in the middle of its limited run and replaces it for weeks with overplayed boomer-baiting "specials"?'

Yep, a public broadcasting station during pledge week/month/whatever. This channel apparently wants to lure my dollars by yanking the shows I like for a month so it can harp at me to support those shows. It's either a misguided form of blackmail or just a stupid form of marketing.

Roundup of New Shows (Part 3)

Working Class: CMT's new sitcom is a Melissa Peterman vehicle. I don't have a problem with either part of that sentence. If CMT wants to make sitcoms, that's fine, and if they want to build one around the former second banana from "Reba," hey, that's all right, too. I think the world needs more quality sitcoms, and if the networks are gonna spend so much time on reality shows and other time fillers, let cable fill the void.

But we need quality sitcoms. This one is bland and not all that funny. So I appreciate the (I guess) effort, but I can't really endorse "Working Class." If CMT wants to try again, I'll give their effort a chance, and I do thank them for at least managing to build a show around someone NOT in the Blue Collar Comedy Tour. But, hey, I thought Ed Asner was in this series, and he was nowhere to be seen in the episode I checked out. What a ripoff!


Retired at 35: TV Land has proven itself practically incapable of producing solid scripted programming (I include its myriad cheapo "reality" shows in this statement), with "Hot in Cleveland" one possible exception. This series is another indication that cable networks aren't gonna be the saviors for us sitcom fans. It is filled with sex humor in an apparent effort to alienate all the people who actually DO turn into TV Land during the day for "Bonanza."

So, yeah, the show itself is pretty much worthless, and one wonders what audience TV Land is really going for. It hedges its bets by bringing in some old pros like George Segal, Jessica Walter, but it features as its lead--the guy who is "retired at 35" and living with his dad in his retirement community--Johnathan McClain, the former, not-so-long-ago host of a monstrosity on Nickolodeon called "Sponk," a show so heinous that when I had reason to encounter it in a professional capacity, I was forced to write its name using asterisks so as not to somehow jinx me and my colleagues into bringing it back into our lives.

OK, "Retired at 35" had one big strike against it before I even saw an episode. But that episode was enough to retire the side in order.

Onion Sports Dome/Onion News Network: Hey, two shows I actually like! These were pleasant surprises for me after the disappointment that was "The Onion Movie," a failed effort that made me question whether the humor newspaper's style could translate to a filmed format.

Fortunately, it can! "Sports Dome" is a fun, fast-paced, irreverent parody of cabinetmaking. No, it's a sports parody, of course. I find it amusing enough, but the use of more generic humor and recurring characters as opposed to heavy emphasis on specific parody of actual athletes inhibits the show somewhat. At least, I found the first couple installments funny but not captivating enough to add the series to my DVR. I may catch up with it at some point. If comedy Central were to pair it with something else I watched regularly, I might see "Sports Dome" on a regular basis.

The "Onion News Network," on the other hand, quickly became a weekly must-see. I am worried about IFC ruining itself by adding series like this instead of, well, movies, but I have to admit this is a great one. The show is just as fast and frenetic as "Sports Dome," but seems sharper and more effective, even though it relies heavily on fictitious people and events.

The brilliance is in the mockery of cable news, and even though one might think that target would have been stripmined for all the comedy it could bear years ago, "ONN" scores every week, and a big part of that is anchor "Brooke Alvarez. " The slender, attractive, and blonde Suzanne Sena pulls off the look of a typical cable news anchor while delivering rapid dialogue with superb timing and skill, all while getting over her character as vain, self-absorbed, and condescending to the viewers, newsmakers, and even (or maybe especially) her colleagues. I wasn't surprised to learn Sena had a background in cable news, but it's impressive that someone from that realm could pull off this character--and she stays in character the entire "newscast"--so well. Alvarez's cynical asides after the stories she introduces or the interviews she conducts are some of the clear highlights of the show.

Spearheaded by her outstanding performance, "ONN" blends sharp social and political satire with spot-on parody of media--much like the print "Onion." The series does the original proud, and that's quite a statement, I think. Even if you're wary of IFC's increasing foray into original series programming, give this one a shot.