Saturday, February 09, 2002
SALT LAKE CITY – The world showed up on my doorstep Friday night, quite literally.
With the 2002 Winter Olympics in town and Rice-Eccles Olympic Stadium just about five blocks from where I live, I was able to peer out my balcony windows and see the fireworks go off over the well-lit stadium nearly in time to the sonic boom-boom-booms on NBC.
Opening Ceremonies had arrived, right in my backyard. In the first stadium I ever remember watching a game of any kind in – on my own University of Utah campus.
NBC’s pictures on a remarkably clear Salt Lake City night were nothing short of amazing – particularly aerial shots that exhibited the beauty of the downtown skyline and Rice-Eccles Stadium area, all dressed up for the world.
Odd, to be at the center of such worldly coverage. You want to reach out and slap Katie Couric when she refers to the University of Utah’s Huntsman Center as "Huntsman Arena," and you can feel the same chill announcer Jim McKay can as he stammers over opening introductions from above the stadium’s press box.
But on the other hand, you’re willing to forgive a few network misnomers or announcer blunders, for the bigger picture. This is no Utah Jazz game of the week, no Mormon Church controversy. For the first time in its history, Salt Lake City is in the world’s spotlight – and, for a change, it’s looking good.
The city, the people, the skylines and activities. They all look better than usual. Couric and her "Today Show" co-host, Matt Lauer, have already been in Park City doing the show for a couple of days and they appear to be having a good time. Things look dressed up, people seem hip.
Even the local TV stations are in on the act. I laughed at first when I saw the local Fox affiliate and the local CBS affiliate set-up for their nightly newscasts across the street from Rice-Eccles Stadium, on upper floors of apartment complexes I drive by nearly every day. "Poor, misguided uncredentialed schmucks," I thought to myself.
But then I saw that the very mighty and properly accredited NBC’s Tom Brokaw had situated himself in a similar setting for Friday’s night’s news and I thought that maybe our little locals were on to something.
[Memo to media: If you need another balcony with Rice-Eccles Stadium as backdrop, mine’s available.]
Locally, people grumbled over some aspects of the coverage – Couric and Bob Costas seemed to chatter a bit much, sometimes speaking over the top of one another. But I’m willing to give the pair (two personal favorites) a break. Though it would surely threaten Costas’ host role, NBC might consider pairing Couric with Lauer in the future for coverage of such fanciful aspects of the Olympics – if only because the two are used to working with one another and play off one another much more effectively.
But all in all, NBC’s night – and Utah’s spotlight – was pretty bright. From the shot of President Bush chatting on a U.S. Athlete’s phone to the network’s painstaking build-up to the U.S. Hockey Team’s torch-lighting appearance, the first page of the script was turned without a hitch.
Day One down, 16 to go. The world is watching.
And then, the world is here.
Friday, February 08, 2002
It’s been just more than three years since I last wrote opinion pieces for publication – since my last days as television columnist for the Salt Lake Tribune, a freelance gig I held for more than three years.
But some things, they’re in your blood. And one thing I’ve found is that, no matter how well I like my real-life job – in advertising – or the other things I do in my personal time, expressing my opinions on television, movies, music, even books and magazines, is something I’m addicted to, whether anyone is listening or not.
When I was kid, I got around this hurdle by writing long opinion pieces – reviews and commentary on kid-like favorites like "Star Trek" and "Star Wars." For nearly three years, I typed up such commentary in all capital letters, on a Royal portable manual typewriter in my mother’s basement. With Kinko’s being a convenience of the future, I’d make my mother take my musings to work and Xerox them on an office copier. She’d make me 25 or 30 copies and I’d hand them out to my friends the next day in the halls of my junior high school.
I called that publication Star Entries, and it began the trend that would mark the rest of my life. When my interests expanded beyond simple science fiction, I broadened the scope of the Mom-published publication, calling it On The Run, after a Paul McCartney song. When I made my junior high newspaper staff, I launched a column called "TView." I wrote movie and music reviews for my high school paper; music, movie and book reviews for my college newspaper and TV reviews for the first professional newspaper I worked for, the Standard-Examiner in Ogden, Utah.
Columns, commentary, opinions. I thought I’d given it all up a year or two ago, however much I missed it. But then I found out about how easy it is to get something going on the good old Internet, where nobody may read what I write, but at least I can write it.
So that’s what this is all about. Call it the 21st Century version of the musings I used to force upon my junior high school friends. But instead of Mom’s office copier, it’s my I-Mac computer, at work or at home. And unlike many of the writing assignments (and full-time writing jobs) I’ve had since those junior high years, this isn’t paid, either.
Stop by once in a while, then. See what I might have to offer. Whether it’s "Sex & The City" or "Buffy, the Vampire Slayer," whether it’s "The West Wing" or "Dawson’s Creek," I might have a thought or two on some television. And I might have a thought or two on some other aspects of popular culture, as well.
If you like it, let me know. If not, that’s fair, too.
Either way, that’s OK. Here we go.
But some things, they’re in your blood. And one thing I’ve found is that, no matter how well I like my real-life job – in advertising – or the other things I do in my personal time, expressing my opinions on television, movies, music, even books and magazines, is something I’m addicted to, whether anyone is listening or not.
When I was kid, I got around this hurdle by writing long opinion pieces – reviews and commentary on kid-like favorites like "Star Trek" and "Star Wars." For nearly three years, I typed up such commentary in all capital letters, on a Royal portable manual typewriter in my mother’s basement. With Kinko’s being a convenience of the future, I’d make my mother take my musings to work and Xerox them on an office copier. She’d make me 25 or 30 copies and I’d hand them out to my friends the next day in the halls of my junior high school.
I called that publication Star Entries, and it began the trend that would mark the rest of my life. When my interests expanded beyond simple science fiction, I broadened the scope of the Mom-published publication, calling it On The Run, after a Paul McCartney song. When I made my junior high newspaper staff, I launched a column called "TView." I wrote movie and music reviews for my high school paper; music, movie and book reviews for my college newspaper and TV reviews for the first professional newspaper I worked for, the Standard-Examiner in Ogden, Utah.
Columns, commentary, opinions. I thought I’d given it all up a year or two ago, however much I missed it. But then I found out about how easy it is to get something going on the good old Internet, where nobody may read what I write, but at least I can write it.
So that’s what this is all about. Call it the 21st Century version of the musings I used to force upon my junior high school friends. But instead of Mom’s office copier, it’s my I-Mac computer, at work or at home. And unlike many of the writing assignments (and full-time writing jobs) I’ve had since those junior high years, this isn’t paid, either.
Stop by once in a while, then. See what I might have to offer. Whether it’s "Sex & The City" or "Buffy, the Vampire Slayer," whether it’s "The West Wing" or "Dawson’s Creek," I might have a thought or two on some television. And I might have a thought or two on some other aspects of popular culture, as well.
If you like it, let me know. If not, that’s fair, too.
Either way, that’s OK. Here we go.
Thursday, February 07, 2002
So, great.
So, Shannen Doherty has left "Charmed."
Where does that leave the rest of us?
"After three seasons I felt like I had done all I could do with the
character," Doherty told Movieline magazine of her role, oldest witch sister Prue, in "Charmed." "They would not allow me to push the envelope any further."
Great, Shannen. Glad you're moving on. That's twice you've burned the rest of us.
For those of you who haven't been keeping track, Shannen was one of the original stars of the breakout hit, "Beverly Hills, 90210" on Fox about a decade ago or so. She played Brenda Walsh, one of the two Minnesota twins who moved to California and formed the basis for the show. In its first season, I fell in love with Brenda Walsh. I liked Shannen's looks, and her tight Levi's and cowboy boots didn't hurt.
I became a big fan of "90210."
A couple of years later, Shannen was leaving the show. She had been difficult, producers said. The rest of the cast hated her. Brenda had become a real bitch on the show, and -- all things considered -- she had to go. Doherty would go on to star in such movies as "Blindfold: Acts of Obsession," where she had kinky sex with Judd Nelson, of all people.
It was hard to be a Brenda fan.
That's why, when she turned up on "Charmed" (Thursdays at 8 p.m. on the WB network), I was kind of happy for her. She'd made up with Papa Bear Producer Aaron Spelling (who also did "90210") and she was now the lead of her own series -- about three sister witches. For Shannen, it certainly seemed like a natural fit. Despite the fact that I gave the series a poor review initially -- warmed over "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," I called it – I kept watching because it had a decent timeslot and between Shannen, Alyssa
Milano and Holly Marie Combs, how can you go wrong?
And they sucked me in, big time. By the most recent completed season, the show's third, I could quote "Charmed" scripture to you, lock, stock and barrel. The show had actually started to make sense to me. I could laugh with it, and cry with it. Shannen seemed like she was doing pretty well -- she was even directing a few episodes -- and the girls seemed to be getting along.
But then came the news that Shannen and Alyssa weren't exactly seeing eye-to-eye. A lot of infighting was going on, with Holly Marie playing peacemaker. It was no-win. When Alyssa threatened to quit, Shannen one-upped her and left instead. The "Charmed" three would become two. The season-ending cliffhanger left it open, but those of us who actually read magazines and newspapers knew better.
Shannen had hit the road. Again.
"It's a show for 12-year-olds," Doherty told Movieline. She was describing "Charmed."
Forget the fact that I'm three times as old as 12. Forget the fact that Shannen was venting -- posturing about a movie career (a comeback like John Travolta is what she envisions) she'd like to have. Forget the fact that she and Alyssa were bickering.
What it all comes down to is, Shannen Doherty thought "Charmed" was beneath her -- and doesn't care about idiots like me, who were watching anyway.
So, she's off to make movies. Maybe she can still co-star with Judd Nelson. I hear he's available. If not him, maybe Andrew McCarthy. Or Jason Priestley -- who will be taking alcohol education classes alongside his former "90210" twin, as both actors were arrested in the past year for driving drunk in Los Angeles.
One way or another, she's not "Charmed" anymore. They've replaced Shannen with someone named Rose McGowan. Forget about that "Charmed three" concept. Somehow, they'll work around it -- an insult to those of us who've actually come to believe in the conceit of the show.
For the second time in a decade, Shannen has burned me.
Just like all the other women in my life.
Charmed, smarmed
So, great.
I won't get fooled again.
So, Shannen Doherty has left "Charmed."
Where does that leave the rest of us?
"After three seasons I felt like I had done all I could do with the
character," Doherty told Movieline magazine of her role, oldest witch sister Prue, in "Charmed." "They would not allow me to push the envelope any further."
Great, Shannen. Glad you're moving on. That's twice you've burned the rest of us.
For those of you who haven't been keeping track, Shannen was one of the original stars of the breakout hit, "Beverly Hills, 90210" on Fox about a decade ago or so. She played Brenda Walsh, one of the two Minnesota twins who moved to California and formed the basis for the show. In its first season, I fell in love with Brenda Walsh. I liked Shannen's looks, and her tight Levi's and cowboy boots didn't hurt.
I became a big fan of "90210."
A couple of years later, Shannen was leaving the show. She had been difficult, producers said. The rest of the cast hated her. Brenda had become a real bitch on the show, and -- all things considered -- she had to go. Doherty would go on to star in such movies as "Blindfold: Acts of Obsession," where she had kinky sex with Judd Nelson, of all people.
It was hard to be a Brenda fan.
That's why, when she turned up on "Charmed" (Thursdays at 8 p.m. on the WB network), I was kind of happy for her. She'd made up with Papa Bear Producer Aaron Spelling (who also did "90210") and she was now the lead of her own series -- about three sister witches. For Shannen, it certainly seemed like a natural fit. Despite the fact that I gave the series a poor review initially -- warmed over "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," I called it – I kept watching because it had a decent timeslot and between Shannen, Alyssa
Milano and Holly Marie Combs, how can you go wrong?
And they sucked me in, big time. By the most recent completed season, the show's third, I could quote "Charmed" scripture to you, lock, stock and barrel. The show had actually started to make sense to me. I could laugh with it, and cry with it. Shannen seemed like she was doing pretty well -- she was even directing a few episodes -- and the girls seemed to be getting along.
But then came the news that Shannen and Alyssa weren't exactly seeing eye-to-eye. A lot of infighting was going on, with Holly Marie playing peacemaker. It was no-win. When Alyssa threatened to quit, Shannen one-upped her and left instead. The "Charmed" three would become two. The season-ending cliffhanger left it open, but those of us who actually read magazines and newspapers knew better.
Shannen had hit the road. Again.
"It's a show for 12-year-olds," Doherty told Movieline. She was describing "Charmed."
Forget the fact that I'm three times as old as 12. Forget the fact that Shannen was venting -- posturing about a movie career (a comeback like John Travolta is what she envisions) she'd like to have. Forget the fact that she and Alyssa were bickering.
What it all comes down to is, Shannen Doherty thought "Charmed" was beneath her -- and doesn't care about idiots like me, who were watching anyway.
So, she's off to make movies. Maybe she can still co-star with Judd Nelson. I hear he's available. If not him, maybe Andrew McCarthy. Or Jason Priestley -- who will be taking alcohol education classes alongside his former "90210" twin, as both actors were arrested in the past year for driving drunk in Los Angeles.
One way or another, she's not "Charmed" anymore. They've replaced Shannen with someone named Rose McGowan. Forget about that "Charmed three" concept. Somehow, they'll work around it -- an insult to those of us who've actually come to believe in the conceit of the show.
For the second time in a decade, Shannen has burned me.
Just like all the other women in my life.
Charmed, smarmed
So, great.
I won't get fooled again.
So, great.
So, Shannen Doherty has left "Charmed."
Where does that leave the rest of us?
"After three seasons I felt like I had done all I could do with the
character," Doherty told Movieline magazine of her role, oldest witch sister Prue, in "Charmed." "They would not allow me to push the envelope any further."
Great, Shannen. Glad you're moving on. That's twice you've burned the rest of us.
For those of you who haven't been keeping track, Shannen was one of the original stars of the breakout hit, "Beverly Hills, 90210" on Fox about a decade ago or so. She played Brenda Walsh, one of the two Minnesota twins who moved to California and formed the basis for the show. In its first season, I fell in love with Brenda Walsh. I liked Shannen's looks, and her tight Levi's and cowboy boots didn't hurt.
I became a big fan of "90210."
A couple of years later, Shannen was leaving the show. She had been difficult, producers said. The rest of the cast hated her. Brenda had become a real bitch on the show, and -- all things considered -- she had to go. Doherty would go on to star in such movies as "Blindfold: Acts of Obsession," where she had kinky sex with Judd Nelson, of all people.
It was hard to be a Brenda fan.
That's why, when she turned up on "Charmed" (Thursdays at 8 p.m. on the WB network), I was kind of happy for her. She'd made up with Papa Bear Producer Aaron Spelling (who also did "90210") and she was now the lead of her own series -- about three sister witches. For Shannen, it certainly seemed like a natural fit. Despite the fact that I gave the series a poor review initially -- warmed over "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," I called it – I kept watching because it had a decent timeslot and between Shannen, Alyssa
Milano and Holly Marie Combs, how can you go wrong?
And they sucked me in, big time. By the most recent completed season, the show's third, I could quote "Charmed" scripture to you, lock, stock and barrel. The show had actually started to make sense to me. I could laugh with it, and cry with it. Shannen seemed like she was doing pretty well -- she was even directing a few episodes -- and the girls seemed to be getting along.
But then came the news that Shannen and Alyssa weren't exactly seeing eye-to-eye. A lot of infighting was going on, with Holly Marie playing peacemaker. It was no-win. When Alyssa threatened to quit, Shannen one-upped her and left instead. The "Charmed" three would become two. The season-ending cliffhanger left it open, but those of us who actually read magazines and newspapers knew better.
Shannen had hit the road. Again.
"It's a show for 12-year-olds," Doherty told Movieline. She was describing "Charmed."
Forget the fact that I'm three times as old as 12. Forget the fact that Shannen was venting -- posturing about a movie career (a comeback like John Travolta is what she envisions) she'd like to have. Forget the fact that she and Alyssa were bickering.
What it all comes down to is, Shannen Doherty thought "Charmed" was beneath her -- and doesn't care about idiots like me, who were watching anyway.
So, she's off to make movies. Maybe she can still co-star with Judd Nelson. I hear he's available. If not him, maybe Andrew McCarthy. Or Jason Priestley -- who will be taking alcohol education classes alongside his former "90210" twin, as both actors were arrested in the past year for driving drunk in Los Angeles.
One way or another, she's not "Charmed" anymore. They've replaced Shannen with someone named Rose McGowan. Forget about that "Charmed three" concept. Somehow, they'll work around it -- an insult to those of us who've actually come to believe in the conceit of the show.
For the second time in a decade, Shannen has burned me.
Just like all the other women in my life.
Charmed, smarmed
So, great.
I won't get fooled again.
So, Shannen Doherty has left "Charmed."
Where does that leave the rest of us?
"After three seasons I felt like I had done all I could do with the
character," Doherty told Movieline magazine of her role, oldest witch sister Prue, in "Charmed." "They would not allow me to push the envelope any further."
Great, Shannen. Glad you're moving on. That's twice you've burned the rest of us.
For those of you who haven't been keeping track, Shannen was one of the original stars of the breakout hit, "Beverly Hills, 90210" on Fox about a decade ago or so. She played Brenda Walsh, one of the two Minnesota twins who moved to California and formed the basis for the show. In its first season, I fell in love with Brenda Walsh. I liked Shannen's looks, and her tight Levi's and cowboy boots didn't hurt.
I became a big fan of "90210."
A couple of years later, Shannen was leaving the show. She had been difficult, producers said. The rest of the cast hated her. Brenda had become a real bitch on the show, and -- all things considered -- she had to go. Doherty would go on to star in such movies as "Blindfold: Acts of Obsession," where she had kinky sex with Judd Nelson, of all people.
It was hard to be a Brenda fan.
That's why, when she turned up on "Charmed" (Thursdays at 8 p.m. on the WB network), I was kind of happy for her. She'd made up with Papa Bear Producer Aaron Spelling (who also did "90210") and she was now the lead of her own series -- about three sister witches. For Shannen, it certainly seemed like a natural fit. Despite the fact that I gave the series a poor review initially -- warmed over "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," I called it – I kept watching because it had a decent timeslot and between Shannen, Alyssa
Milano and Holly Marie Combs, how can you go wrong?
And they sucked me in, big time. By the most recent completed season, the show's third, I could quote "Charmed" scripture to you, lock, stock and barrel. The show had actually started to make sense to me. I could laugh with it, and cry with it. Shannen seemed like she was doing pretty well -- she was even directing a few episodes -- and the girls seemed to be getting along.
But then came the news that Shannen and Alyssa weren't exactly seeing eye-to-eye. A lot of infighting was going on, with Holly Marie playing peacemaker. It was no-win. When Alyssa threatened to quit, Shannen one-upped her and left instead. The "Charmed" three would become two. The season-ending cliffhanger left it open, but those of us who actually read magazines and newspapers knew better.
Shannen had hit the road. Again.
"It's a show for 12-year-olds," Doherty told Movieline. She was describing "Charmed."
Forget the fact that I'm three times as old as 12. Forget the fact that Shannen was venting -- posturing about a movie career (a comeback like John Travolta is what she envisions) she'd like to have. Forget the fact that she and Alyssa were bickering.
What it all comes down to is, Shannen Doherty thought "Charmed" was beneath her -- and doesn't care about idiots like me, who were watching anyway.
So, she's off to make movies. Maybe she can still co-star with Judd Nelson. I hear he's available. If not him, maybe Andrew McCarthy. Or Jason Priestley -- who will be taking alcohol education classes alongside his former "90210" twin, as both actors were arrested in the past year for driving drunk in Los Angeles.
One way or another, she's not "Charmed" anymore. They've replaced Shannen with someone named Rose McGowan. Forget about that "Charmed three" concept. Somehow, they'll work around it -- an insult to those of us who've actually come to believe in the conceit of the show.
For the second time in a decade, Shannen has burned me.
Just like all the other women in my life.
Charmed, smarmed
So, great.
I won't get fooled again.
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