Do you hate Alicia Malone?
That's what a TCM-ABC-DISNEY suit asked us.
Why else, he wanted to know, would we avoid promoting Alica's new TCM program WOMEN WHO MAKE FILM?
But don't women make music as well?
We ask that because Labor Day weekend was music non-stop on TCM.
THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT (documentary about The Who), THE DECLINE OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION (at least directed by a woman if focusing on men), THE DECLINE OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION (ibid), THIS IS ELVIS, THE SONG REMAINS THE SAME (Led Zeppelin), JIMI HENDRIX (documentary), JIMI PLAYS MONTEREY, SHAKE: OTIS! AT MONTEREY, DON'T LOOK BACK (Bob Dylan), A HARD DAY'S NIGHT and GO GO MANIA. Women were featured . . . in FESTIVAL, WOODSTOCK and MONTEREY POP.
They weren't the focus, they shared focus with men -- with more men than women. Does that strike you as fair? All those programs focusing on men making music and when it came to women? Three programs that included them -- not focused on them, just included them.
Diana Ross, to cite only one artist, could have been represented. She's an Academy Award nominated actress. She has every reason to be on TCM. She's also done multiple specials that, as we've noted here in the past, could be used by TCM to give her a day of programming. There are her ABC specials for example and now ABC and TCM are owned by the same corporate parent. So where were Diana's specials? She was one of the first to do HBO specials, where are those?
For some reason, the most successful popular female singer of the 20th century wasn't part of the music line up. In fact, no individual woman made the line up for music.
Why haven't we offered TCM praise for their women in film series? Because their other actions cancel it out.
We're critics. Our job is to analyze and to offer assessments. From time to time, we may have a notion or two about solutions but, as critics, that's really not necessary. We thought about that Saturday night as yet another bad commercial from Joe Biden's presidential campaign aired. He was acting . . . or trying to, in his stumbling manner, as though he were a critic.
Donald Trump has done this, Joe weakly offered, and that, and it was wrong. Now before we get into the nonsense of him quoting Pope John Paul II on fear (if you're a Democrat and you're quoting about fear, you quote FDR -- but FDR is too 'radical' for right-wing Joe), let's just stop a moment. Donald does this wrong and that wrong?
Does Joe think he's providing brave or even new information? Has he missed every op-ed over the last four years? He's providing nothing.
Most importantly, he's providing no solutions.
We're critics. That's what we do here every week. We're critics and we're not running to be leaders, certainly not a leader of the United States. But Joe is. So why is it that he can't provide leadership? Why can't he talk about what needs to be done?
He has no campaign to speak of. Just one long critique of Trump. What would happen the day after the election? Some people note the whores for Joe. How these whores, for example, are using everything -- every lie, every deception, every bullying tactic, to get Joe elected and wondering what happens the day after the election to these whores? Do they suddenly switch from oral, hand jobs, half-and-halfs, anal, et al and begin demanding action from Joe?
Good question.
But here's a better one since Joe is running for president: Day after the election what does Joe do?
Because he's not campaigning on ideas or hopes or plans. People mocked Elizabeth Warren for having a plan for everything -- TIME magazine even titled their cover story on her "I HAVE A PLAN FOR THAT." Where are Joe's plans for anything?
As Jimmy Dore points out, Joe's on record for increasing the military budget. "He's not giving you healthcare in the middle of a pandemic," Jimmy observes and he also asks, "What's the difference between these candidates again?"
It's also Jimmy Dore who reports to the people about Joe's conversations with Wall Street.
Joe told his corporate backers that he's not going to propose any legislation, if elected. to curtail corporate abuses -- and he explained that to them on "multiple calls." So the few plans that Joe has are plans he keeps secret and from the public.
Jimmy notes that so many have lied for Joe and he calls out those ridiculous task forces and he calls out the ridiculous Bernie Sanders:
So this is Joe Biden pissing directly in Bernie's face and in your face. And what does Bernie Sanders say? 'Thank you, sir, piss on me again.' And it's not just pissing on his face, it's 'let's f**k over people hard. 'Yes, sir, I'm going to help Joe Biden f**k over people
There is so much dishonesty in the media and so few Jimmy Dores. Is there a purpose to the media these days? Informing the public doesn't seem to be a priority. Holding the powerful accountable doesn't seem to be a role they see themselves in.
Take the mincing queen Trevor Noah. At 36, what does the future hold for him? Batting his eye lashes and trying to look cute? Well Bob Hope made a career out of it. We lose interest in his career by the late fifties (our favorite Hope movie is MY FAVORITE BRUNETTE with Dorothy Lamour), but he kept working for decades so maybe Trevor can as well?
It won't be memorable work -- Bob's wasn't -- but he may be able to continue working.
We just wish he'd leave THE DAILY SHOW. What was once a laugh factory led by Jon Stewart is now fey facial expressions fronting Andy Rooney-type 'observations.' He's not funny anymore. He just minces before the camera serving up tired and boring 'observations' and we're left wondering what happens to a comic when the hunger inside dies? Maybe we'll find out in 2022 when Trevor's contract with COMEDY CENTRAL is up?
Maybe he could look to another faded COMEDY CENTRAL alumni? Say, Amy Schumer.
When Trevor's ratings were a bit higher, Amy was a COMEDY CENTRAL star with her much talked about INSIDE AMY SCHUMER (2013 to 2016). She was The Big Thing -- hit (or 'hit' when you look at the actual ratings) show and destined, based on TRAINWRECK, to be a movie star.
It's not even a half decade later and it's over for Amy. After I FEEL PRETTY, no one thinks she has a film career. Even COMEDY CENTRAL isn't interested in a TV series from her. She turned up on THE FOOD NETWORK. Few watched AMY SCHUMER LEARNS TO COOK but it appeared that it was increasing in the low number of viewers with the second episode. So THE FOOD NETWORK renewed it for a second season thinking that, even if they were wrong, just four episodes, how bad could it be?
How they regret that decision now. How bad? Season two managed to get even lower ratings. No one wants to watch Amy cook any more than they want to pay money to see her on the big screen.
She also turned her pregnancy into a reality show -- that she billed as a documentary -- which was aired on HBO MAX to a limited and very small audience.
We'd argue Trevor had a better chance at a cooking show but, after last season's "Hannah Hayes" on THE BLACKLIST took MPREG out of the realm of WINCEST fan-fiction and put it into TV drama, who knows who or what might latch onto Trevor's nipples in the future?