Deadwood

I should preface this post by writing a bit about our curious relationship with television. We have a 30 year old 13 inch TV set (yes, it's a colour set), and we don't have cable. We do have a set of rabbit ears, but since the American channels went digital, we can't pick those up anymore. We've aquired the very addictive habit of watching television series on DVD. Over the past couple years, we've watched The Wire, Homocide, The Corner, Prime Suspect, Cracker, The Sopranos, and now Deadwood.

I told a friend we were watching Deadwood and his comment was, "yeah, fuckin good show", referring to all the swearing. Swearing is so common throughout the series that hardly a moment goes by without it. The exceptions are some conversations involving the few women in the show who are not prostitutes. These conversations are spoken using a stilted, careful, formal language that reminded me of simultaneous translation of United Nations speeches.

Some of the characters in Deadwood, such as Wild Bill and Calamity Jane and Seth Bullock and Al Swearengen are based on actual characters who were in the Deadwood camp at that time. Others are composites or completely made up.

Deadwood is about life in a community which initially has no law, and how that community develops from a "camp" to a "town". We see how characters with cross-purposes learn to live and work together for the good of the community against a common enemy. It is set in an historical town in South Dakota in which prospectors set up camp on native land after gold was discovered.

At the core of the series is the relationship between pimp Al Swearengen and hardware store proprietor come sheriff Seth Bullock. Swearengen is a brutal murdering thug who sees the need to support a character like Bullock to front the town. As brutal as Swearengen is, he is depicted in complex humanity and we see sides of this character that include acts of kindness. Bullock is the good reasonable sheriff but he is also a hothead and a complex character in his own right.

I thought Deadwood was a splendid series, though there were sections of it I didn't think were as successful. The detail around the acting troupe was mostly lost on me. As well, I didn't think the character of Mrs. Garret/Ellsworth was so believable. What makes the series successful though was the ability of creator David Milch to deal with law and politics and power and at the same time all the personal relationships. Well done.

Did you see this series? Do you have any favourite charactors or actors or episodes?

Is conventional television in trouble in Canada?

CTV's conventional television operations expect to lose $100 million. I understand that CanWest Global is also facing a bleak year. If the world is changing, leaving the conventional television world behind, what is it changing to? Here at Anchovy World Headquarters, I think we are hopelessly out of touch with the cutting edge of television technology. We still use rabbit ears, and I guess we'll hold out until the bitter end, when digital signals make it impossible for us to pick up any channels on our ancient 13" television. We're so far behind the times, I can't even define the terms. I've heard people say, "I pvr-ed such and such last night". What's that all about? I don't understand terms like hd and blue ray, and the difference between all the different types of big screen units. We're happy enough watching on our crappola little screen.

That isn't to say we don't like television. We watch our share, although we prefer to watch television series on DVD. Over the past year or so, we've watched shows like The Wire, Homocide Life on the Street, The Closer, Cracker, and Prime Suspect.

Is the problem the networks are having because advertisers are putting their money elsewhere, or is it because times are tough and they are simply not advertising?

Fill me in please.

Dave Devall

Dave Devall has announced he is going to retire. Some of you non-Canucks out there might be saying, who the heck is that? Well, Dave Devall is the weather man. He's been the weather man for 50 years. When I was a kid, he stood behind a glass map and drew out the weather with both hands backwards. Marvelous stuff. Who needs radar and all the technobabble when you can write backwards with both hands.

Here he is...


Imagine being in the same job for 50 years? Imagine being a television performer for 50 years? I'm terribly afraid that we won't have weather any more with Mr. Devall gone. What are we going to do in a world with no weather?

Happy Retirement Dave Devall!

Jumping the Shark

For some time, I've known of the phrase jumping the shark, referring to a television show that resorts to increasingly bizarre story-lines in order to retain viewers and ratings. I didn't know the origin of the phrase until today? Am I the only one who didn't?

For the source of jumping the shark, watch the video below.

He can go into any book....

Today, somebody mentioned Gumby to me. I haven't thought about Gumby in a very long time. I forgot how delightful the little clay guy was.

The Wire

A while back, Tuffy P and I started watching The Wire on DVD. Tonight, we watched the last episode of the last season. About all I can say is Wow!

TV: Time to lock up the people who make Prison Break

I stopped unpacking boxes tonight to watch Prison Break. I enjoyed the show for the first couple seasons, and though last season they were running out of material, there was enough to keep me watching. So far this season is just lame. I think they should have quit while they were ahead instead of trying to squeeze every last possible dollar out of the show.

Elvis on TV?

Elvis Costello is coming to the small screen, as host of his own talk show, produced by Elton John (?) Mr. John said, "Elvis Costello is the foremost expert on popular music. I thought it would be sensational to use his knowledge and intelligence to explore the artistry of musicians and other fascinating people involved in making great music, as well as true music aficionados." Well, I guess if he IS THE FORMOST EXPERT on popular music, he's the right guy, eh?

I recall being very enthusiastic about Mr. Costello's first two or three recordings, back in the day, but I pretty much lost track of what he has been up to after that.

Tom Waits on Fernwood tonight

Remember Fernwood Tonite with Martin Mull? I stumbled into this video on You Tube - Tom Waits made an appearance. It's a scream.


While we're at it, here's young Tom on the Mike Douglas Show. Nighthawks at the Diner, baby.

Vira de Nazare

A Vira is a Portuguese dance rhythm that is like a fast waltz with a heavy emphasis on the first beat. Dancers twirl to this rhythm. Nazare is a village perhaps an hour and a half north of Lisbon in Portugal. It is a beautiful fishing village that has become a tourist resort, but even touristy, this beach town is very beautiful. We stayed not far south of Nazare when we were in Portugal, in a village called Foz do Arelha.

I didn't post at all last night - we dealt with our income taxes, then watched an episode of Prime Suspect Tuffy had on DVD. I appreciate the grittiness of those shows, and the fact that they aren't at all tidy. Watching American cop shows, you would think that being beautiful was a prerequisite for police work, especially forensic work.

Off to drumming tonight, then a few Go games. Back tomorrow.

I can't believe...

....there is an entire television program dedicated to criticizing the dresses of movie stars prior to the Acadamy Awards.