Archive for December 12th, 2005

Alternate Realities TV Style

Posted December 12, 2005 By Dave Thomer

I’ve been on a bit of a nostalgia-fest watching the first two seasons of The Greatest American Hero on DVD. Fuller reviews will be posted here and/or at the LogBook some time soon, but as I was enjoying the show’s goofy charm, I also realized I do not have nearly enough suspension of disbelief to accept some plot developments. But it did make me ponder a question.

What would the world be like if it were like the world in Stephen J. Cannell shows?

I mean, we’re talking about a world where gun runners trying to supply anti-American insurgents in South America want to finance their purchase by winning a large bet on who wins the National League pennant and try to injure various players on the California Stars in order to ensure the bet goes their way. And at no point in this procession does the baseball team hire bodyguards for their players or even a car service that will prevent them from having to park their cars in underlit garages where the yare easy prey for hired muscle.

And that’s just oen episode of Hero. I have not even begun to ponder The A-Team yet.

Dead (Tired) Line

Posted December 12, 2005 By Dave Thomer

I get into such terrible habits when a major deadline looms, especially when writing is involved. Books, articles, and other notes pile up on the desk, a small maze of books forms near my chair, and all sorts of little things like laundry start stacking up. I cleared a major deadline this past weekend, and things should be pretty relaxed for the next month or so. The projects I’ve started scribbling in my planner will probably take up a large amount of that time, especially with Christmas shopping to worry about. But it still feels less pressured. The nice thing about coming out of this mess on the other side is that I get to clean it up. Today the top of my desk re-emerged from a long period of hiding. Some of the books are heading back to the library, others up to the shelves . . . and others to wait for me to get some new shelves, because man, I have too many books.