vendredi, mars 02, 2007

Genuine Cultural Tensions

"When I leave work at night I am just riding on a subway car full of scary teenage people."
~Liz Lemon as played by Tina Fey

There is, like, nothing good on TV all week except for the Thursday night 9-10 timeslot. I used to watch CSI but abandoned it when 30 Rock came on (CSI reruns on like 3,000 channels at various times of the day anyway). I'm over Scrubs (The Office which precedes it has fallen off as well) but I am a new adherent of Grey's Anatomy. Is anyone else aghast at how old ass looking Ellen Pompeo is playing youngish Meredith? Ellen doesn't look a day under 40. She's frightfully skinny with saggy wrinkled skin but to her defense she nails her character's white girl helplessness despite looking middle aged). And no, I do not have DVR.

Last night's 30 Rock was hilarious as usual. Highly allusive. Cracked up at Tracy Jordan dressed up as Oprah channelling Dave "why do all Black male comedians have to crossdress for success" Chappelle on Oprah. Not to mention Lemon's subway joke (qtd. above), "the old leather pumpkin", Ridiculous holding Raven Symone over a balcony, and Donaghy recalling how Condi talked to the movie screen. I can't recall if they have a laugh track or not, which is a good thing. I generally find laugh tracks intrusive and patronizing but if a show is funny I don't notice them much, probably because I'm laughing. Anyway, Wayne "proudly still rocking an s-curl" Brady had the corny Black dude down pat but I suspect it's not much of a stretch. But where the hell was Twofer?

I should here note that I hated Tina Fey on SNL. She was NEVER funny but she flourishes in this context. I wish some of the other women from SNL could get some star vehicles, Cheri Oteri, in particular. I'm reminded here of Eddie Murphy's blueprint for success in distinction to the colored that preceded him, Garrett Morgan, and the generally shabby bunch that followed (Finesse Mitchell edging out the persistently unfunny Tim Meadows as the worst). Eddie wrote much of his own material. Fey is also a writer. They are of course on completely different levels. Despite my extreme disdain for Norbit I think Eddie is a comedic genius. Fey's good but not great, yet, at least. Still is/was their success as 'others' partially a result of their comedic writing prowess?