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tvPalaver: Freaks and Geeks

Frustrated by the writers' strike?  Hungry for scripted tv?  One option is to rent a series you missed the first time around.  I'm still regretting that "Freaks and Geeks" never found enough of an audience to last more than one season, but fortunately its small audience was enthusiastic enough that they made the whole 1999-2000 series available in one six DVD set.

Set in a Detroit suburb in about 1980, "Freaks and Geeks" follows two groups of high schoolers:  the freaks (aka potheads, or "back-drivers" in my high school), through the experiences of Lindsay Weir, a former "mathlete" who wants to hang out with a rougher crowd, and the geeks, through her painfully vulnerable little brother Sam.  The show not only captures the stomach-churning awkwardness that is high school, presumably in every era, it gets so many details from the time right, including such small things as tough-girl Kim's blue ski jacket .  A few anachronisms show up from time to time -- Sam's one-piece "Parisian nights" jumpsuit, for example, seems a bit earlier than 1980 to me.  Though, I suppose, it is timeless.  F&G's creation is credited to Paul Feig and Judd Apatow, who've paired up on a number of tv shows and movies.  It seems more Feig than Apatow, though, and lacks the crude guy-factor of "Knocked Up" and "The 40 Year Old Virgin."

As Salon put it at the time, there's no wise narration telling you what to make of it:

Look, voice-over worked great for "The Wonder Years" and "My So-Called Life," but it's become a cliché. The teens in "Freaks and Geeks" are not looking back, all wistful and wise, at their youth, or reading their most secret diary passages to us. The kids on "Freaks and Geeks" are living in the moment, numb from the trauma of being picked on by bullies, made fun of by the popular crowd and misunderstood by parents and teachers. They don't have the self-awareness to reflect deeply on their lives; they're putting one foot in front of the other, like prison inmates, crossing the days off until their sentence is up.

Yet when we watch it as adults, we get to look behind the curtain and see how ridiculous the people who tormented us were.  After cringing as the sadistic gym teacher lets the geeks be tormented in gym class, we see him lounging on his couch watching "Diff'rent Strokes."  He wasn't that bad a guy after all; he was just a doofus.

The last episode ends at a high school dance, and if you can watch it without tearing up, I don't even want to know you. (That scene even made me like Styx.  A little.)  And if the following scene doesn't at least make you smile, I give up.

MusicPalaver: U2! 3D! IMAX!!!

I hadn't been giddy at a rock concert since seeing the Stones at Brendan Byrne arena in 1982, but when "City of Blinding Lights" starting pulsing through Madison Square Garden in 2005, I was exhilarated. I still well up every time I hear that song start up.  Now we can all experience it at our neighborhood IMAX theaters.  Here's what The Washington Post's Desson Thompson had to say:

Billed by its producers as the first film to be totally shot, edited and presented in digital 3-D, "U2 3D" doesn't just reprise 14 great tunes from the band's Latin American tour of 2006. Co-directors Catherine Owens and Mark Pellington practically put us behind the mike with Bono. And when we're not experiencing that electric primacy, we're huddling with his devoted followers as they wave, sing and raise their cellphones in LED reverence. In many ways, watching the movie is better than concertgoing. We can enjoy that buzzy feeling of community without the fist-pumping biker obscuring our view. And we can pound our feet to "Sunday Bloody Sunday" without anticipating the post-gig trudge to Parking Lot Hell.

Or, as Bill Goodykoontz of The Arizona Republic put it, "At times, it's sort of like getting a lap dance from Bono." (I'll leave it up to you whether that's a good thing.)

In DC it's playing at the Johnson IMAX theater at the Natural History museum.  You can buy tickets for the DC show online (for $12.50 each) here.  To find an IMAX theater near you, check out fandango.

HistoryPalaver: Celebrating Martin Luther King Day at the Folger

If you're still looking for a way to celebrate Martin Luther King's legacy today, head to the Folger for a poetry/speech reading and open mike event hosted by Donnajean Ward, the Folger Consort Manager, and Teri Cross Davis, Folger's poetry coordinator.  The event is free, and runs from 2 to 5 tomorrow, Monday, January 21.

When we let freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!

Martin Luther King, Jr.
August 28, 1963

Folger Shakespeare Library
201 East Capital Street, NE
Washington, DC 20003
(202) 544-4600

MusicPalaver: UK? Not so much.

I was in Starbucks a couple of weeks ago and saw their new CD, "Across the Pond."  It says it includes music by "The UK's Best and Brightest."  I was delighted.  I like UK artists, particularly the best and the brightest.  I might quite like this CD.  So I picked it up.  And saw that it includes a track by Damien Rice.  He's Irish.  And by The Guggenheim Grotto.  They are Irish. (Though,truth be told, I'd never heard of them.)

Note to Starbucks:  Ireland is an independent republic -- an independence earned from hundreds of years of hard-fought struggle.  It is not part of the United Kingdom.  I emailed Starbucks to bring this to their attention.  They assured me that my feedback is very important to them.

Maybe if you buy the CD and open it up you'll find more accurate artist info on the liner notes.  (Do they still call them liner notes?)  I did not. If you did, let me know.

DCPalaver: Metro Center's Sagging Platform

If you're traveling by Metro this weekend, say, to see Stephen Colbert's portrait by the second floor restrooms at the National Portrait Gallery, be sure to allow extra time.  Metro is reporting that

Red, Blue and Orange Line customers should build 30 minutes of extra travel time into their schedules this weekend and President’s Day weekend as Metro officials work to fix the sagging Red Line platform at Metro Center. As part of its infrastructure renewal program to ensure safe and reliable transportation, Metro is conducting major platform rehabilitation work at the Metro Center Metrorail station. To minimize customer inconvenience, this major rehabilitation project will occur over the Martin Luther King and President’s Day holiday weekends.

For more details regarding train schedules, see Metro's website.

SportsPalaver: Plexicushion Down Under

It's time for that glimpse of warm sunshine and hope in the middle of winter.  Here are Dubliner's comments at the outset of last year's Australian Open:

The Australian Open is one of my favorite sports events to watch. The tennis is great, the setting is beautiful, and Australia has such a rich history in the sport that I think the tournament brings with it a sense of pride in the Australian fans. But perhaps what's most appealing to me is that I get a glimpse of sunshine and warm weather in the depths of winter here. It gives me hope that summer will be here--eventually--and then I'll be able to get back on the court myself!

The big news at this year's Open is that they've replaced the former green Rebound Ace surface with a new, blue surface called Plexicushion (a bold move, given the greenwashing trend, at least back here in the U.S.) .  According to The New York Times, "Plexicushion will make for a lower-bouncing surface that generates safer and less variable playing conditions in the heat that inevitably rises in Melbourne during the Australian summer."  As to the color, last year teegirl commented that the courts looked "abnormally green."  Roger Federer agrees.  The Telegraph reports that the surface change is making Roger's brown eyes blue:

"I think the blue looks nicer on TV and it's nicer on your eyes when you play. The stadium looks just more friendly, more nice. The green was very much too green, and when the lights were on during the night sessions, it used to be a very strange place to play. So I really prefer the blue over the green," Federer said, and perhaps the only person who will take serious issue with him is Marat Safin. The Russian, the champion in 2005, and a man who loves to be contrary, has called the courts "too blue". "It's not as cool. Of course, we are going to get used to it, but just - why blue?" Who said that tennis players don't discuss the big issues?

It's always a challenge to watch Australian Open matches here in the U.S. given the significant time difference.  To keep track of the U.S. television schedule, check out Tennis.com.  ESPN2 will carry the women's final live on the east coast at 9:30 p.m. on Friday, January 25, and the men's at 3:30 a.m. on Sunday, January 27 (zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz).

By the way, I thought Roger Federer was terrific in The Kite Runner (right).  Is there nothing he can't do?

tvPalaver: A Surfeit of Jane (plus Mr. Darcy)

It seems we can never get enough of Jane.  Tonight Masterpiece Theatre (or should I say Masterpiece*) begins a ten-week run of film adaptations of Jane Austen's novels, as well as a new biopic of her life.  They will kick off The Complete Jane Austen tonight with a new production of Persuasion.  I loved the 1995 Amanda Root and Ciaran Hinds version so much I am hesitant to watch this new one (particularly after watching a clip on PBS's website that shows a ridiculously youthful Captain Wentworth).  I only hope this adaptation uses the line "I'm for Bath!" -- which mysterywriter, L, and I are likely to shout when any random decision must be made.  This is confusing to others.

The good news is that they're sticking with the Jennifer Ehle/Colin Firth version of Pride and Prejudice, which runs February 10, 17 and 24.  (And yes, this post was just an excuse to lead with a photo of Mr. Darcy post-swim.)

Masterpiece runs (at least on most stations) Sundays at 9, and only P&P and Sense and Sensibility run for more than one night.  If you've already missed tonight's film because my post is so tardy, check your local PBS station listings for repeats.  Or better yet, put the Amanda Root/Ciaran Hinds one on your queue.

* Evidently it's not just the name that changed.  From Alistair Cooke, to Russell Baker, to . . . Scully?

In January, 2008, Masterpiece Theatre introduces a new look, new scheduling, and the first of three new hosts for 2008. Gillian Anderson, well known to Masterpiece fans for her Emmy- and Golden Globe-nominated performance as Lady Dedlock in Bleak House, makes her debut as the host of The Complete Jane Austen, the highly anticipated showcase of all six of Austen's novels.

* * * *

A new Masterpiece classic host is not the only change coming to the series in 2008. Viewers can look forward to a schedule that breaks the year into three "seasons," each with its own host, stunning graphics, and fresh take on the series' famous theme music. In winter and spring, Masterpiece classic will feature signature period dramas. In summer, Masterpiece mystery! will present the best British mysteries, and in fall, Masterpiece contemporary will show dramas set in modern times.

ArtPalaver: Annie and Ansel at the Corcoran

If you want to see "Annie Leibovitz: A Photographer's Life, 1990-2005" at the Corcoran, you'd better act fast:  the exhibit closes this Sunday, January 13.  You would be wise to order tickets ahead; friends told me they were shut out last Sunday, and the Corcoran website now says that it's likely that tickets will sell out for Saturday and Sunday, January 12 and 13, and that you should call Ticketmaster at (202) 824-0786 "to confirm ticket availability prior to your arrival."  I recommend using this link to order online (the link is somewhat buried on the website). You've got a bit more time to see the Ansel Adams exhibit.  It closes January 27.

As Dubliner learned the hard way a few weeks ago, the Corcoran is closed on Tuesdays.  Check out hours and directions on their website.  Tickets for these exhibits are $14 (plus service charge if you order ahead).  The Corcoran offers brunch in the atrium on Sundays.  It used to be a gospel brunch; the website doesn't say whether it still is.  Regardless, but particularly if they do still feature live music, I wouldn't recommend it for this Sunday. With the crowds tonight it was so loud in the atrium I thought my head would explode.

If you are interested in a bite to eat before or after your visit to the Corcoran, tapas at Taberna del Alabardero, Peruvian food at El Chalan, and Italian at the revamped Spezie are all within a few blocks.

Corcoran Gallery of Art
500 17th Street, NW
Washington, DC  20006
(202) 824-0786
nearest metro:  Farragut West (blue/orange line)

RandomPalaver: Clean Slate

While driving back from Hoboken Tuesday I was thinking about that Etch-a-Sketch feeling you get on New Year's Day -- the feeling that you can wipe the slate clean and start over.  Or maybe it's more like a new-fangled Magna Doodle, with an effortless slide-erase lever, no need for vigorous shaking.  It reminds me of the feeling of walking out of confession and feeling like a million bucks.  But just as I would soon start fighting with my brothers and sisters again (perhaps the number one childhood confession, at least back in the innocent '60s), I've already blown it.  Like last year, for instance, my plan to go to bed early was foiled by the Fiesta Bowl, though watching West Virginia's impressive and emotional win over Oklahoma was worth it.  (Last year Dubliner commented that the Fiesta Bowl was "one of the best, most exciting I have ever seen."  I suspect he liked this one even better.)  And going to bed late leads to getting up late, which leads to starting the work day behind schedule, and failing to clean the clutter off my desk, which all ultimately leads to my continuing not to read Getting Things Done.  So I'm back to where I was a year ago.  But let's face it:  the New Year's holiday throws everything out of whack and is the worst time for resolutions. I'm planning on sliding the erase-lever on Sunday and starting with a clean slate then.  Note to Phil McT:  Did you stick to your five minute a night clutter maintenance plan?  If so, I will hire you as my guru.

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Year's and have a happy, healthy, safe, and laughter-filled 2008, clutter-free or not.