A blog about societal, cultural, and civilizational collapse, and how to stave it off or survive it. Named after the legendary character "Crazy Eddie" in Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle's "The Mote in God's Eye." Expect news and views about culture, politics, economics, technology, and science fiction.
I'm starting to ease out of the "I can't be all doom all the time" mood I had this morning, so I'm looking at the lighter side of DOOM! Right now, that's taking the form of featuring a pair of fan creations that help hype the beginning of the fourth season of "The Walking Dead."
This cocktail will leave you zombified...THE WALKING DEAD COCKTAIL. It's based on the TV show/comic book and it's loaded with alcohol. If you drink this you will pass out! It contains almost every liquor known to man!
There are more horror and science fiction drink recipes where that one came from.
Galpin Auto Sports has brought a Hyundai Santa Fe inspired by 'The Walking Dead' to life and equipped it with knives and machine guns to deal with the undead.
Al Jazeera America had a segment on The Stream Friday about Americans being “Obsessed with the Apocalypse.” It documents how people at the grassroots level are starting to realize that things are falling apart and they are getting ready for whatever comes next. It’s bubbling up into entertainment shows, including reality shows such as “Doomsday Preppers,” scripted dramas such as “The Walking Dead,” and movies like “The Hunger Games.” The news, which is supposed to tell us about reality, is avoiding the reality, but entertainment, which is supposed to be about escapism, is confronting it. Go figure.
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Speaking of the apocalypse, zombie or otherwise, here's a meme from Facebook: The government is shut down, the CDC is closed, and "The Walking Dead" begins Sunday. Coincidence?
I know where I'll be 9 PM Sunday--watching "The Walking Dead" with my wife.
Time to cover the politics and fantasy in the rest of tonight'snominees.
Miniseries and TV Movies
There are two political shows and one horror show, which will have to stand in for fantasy and science fiction, among the nominees for this group of categories.
The most nominated political show is Political Animals, which is up for Best Miniseries and has two of its actresses, Sigourney Weaver and Ellen Burstyn, nominated for best female lead and best female supporting role. I haven't seen it. Too bad, as my wife and I would like it better than "American Horror Story: Asylum." We watched it and couldn't finish it. That means were probably won't be rooting for it, despite its many nominations, including Best Miniseries, Best Actress in a Leading role (Jessica Lange), Outstanding Actress in a Supporting Role (Sarah Paulson), and two nominations for Best Actor in a Supporting Role (both of whom, Bart Cromwell and Zachary Quinto, have played roles in Star Trek movies). Neither series has any nominations for writing or directing.
The other political miniseries is "The Hour," a BBC America show up for Best Writing.
As for what I think will win, I'm betting on "Behind the Candelabra" to win the most awards among miniseries. It has nominees in all categories except those involving actresses. Given the subject matter, that should come as no surprise.
Variety Shows
This category also shows that politics and politicians are funny, with "Real Time with Bill Maher," "The Colbert Report," and "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" nominated for awards. All three are up for Best Variety Show and Best Writing for a Variety Show, and "The Colbert Report" and "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" are up for Best Directing in the category. My wife and I watch all three shows and love them all. Of them, my favorite is "Real Time with Bill Maher." May the atheist stoner's show win.
That's it for tonight until all the winners are announced.
I told my readers to "Stay tuned for my thoughts on the comedies, variety shows, and reality shows" in Politics and fantasy at the Emmy Awards: Dramas. Here's to keeping that promise, beginning with the comedies.
While there is at least one critically acclaimed comedy about politicians in "Veep," there is no equivalent fantasy. Instead, there is fiction about scientists and science fiction, "The Big Bang Theory." The latter will have to do.
ETA: both shows are up for best comedy series. I think both will lose to "30 Rock." Next year.
"Veep" and "The Big Bang Theory" each have three acting nominations, although they're competing against each other in only one category, Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Role, where Mayim Bialik, who plays Amy Farrah Fowler in "The Big Bang Theory," is facing Anna Chlumsky as Amy Brookheimer on "Veep." Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Tony Hale of "Veep" is up for female comedy lead and male supporting role, while Jim Parsons and Bob Newhart are contending for male comedy lead, and comedy male guest role for "The Big Bang Theory." My wife and I are watching "Veep," so we're rooting for that show. Neither of us are watching "The Big Bang Theory," even though we're both scientists. Maybe that should change. That written, I don't think either of those shows will outperform "Girls," which my wife and I have watched and don't think is particularly funny. Too bad.
Neither of these shows earned a single nomination for writing or directing, which probably shows how strong the acting is in both of them.
I'll return with my thoughts about the rest of the shows presently. Until then, here is someone noted for being both funny and playing a scientist on television, Neil Patrick Harris, on tonight's show.
Go behind the scenes of host Neil Patrick Harris' magical photo shoot for the '65th Primetime Emmy Awards.'
Among the nominated drama series, the only two series I've watched this season have been "Game of Thrones" and "House of Cards." Of the two, my wife and I preferred "House of Cards." The sex and violence in "Game of Thrones" becomes excessive at times. Then again, it's HBO; sex and violence is what they do best. There is one more political series among the nominees, "Homeland," but I doubt it's better than "House of Cards." I suspect neither of the shows we've watched will beat "Breaking Bad," which should edge out "Downton Abbey" and "Mad Men."
The political shows starred actors and actresses who were nominated for leading roles in dramas; "Game of Thrones" had no leading roles in these categories. "House of Cards" featured both Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright. Both Damian Lewis and Claire Danes earned nominations for their work in "Homeland." Jeff Daniels was the lone lead nominated from "The Newsroom," while Kerry Washington balanced out the sexes among political series for "Scandal." Of all the above, I preferred Kevin Spacey, while my wife preferred Jeff Daniels. I think Spacey did a better job of acting, while Daniels protrayed the much more sympathetic character. That written, I doubt it will matter, as I'd put money on Bryan Cranston of "Breaking Bad." As for the actresses, I have my doubts about Wright winning. She wasn't even the most compelling actress in the series; Kate Mara who played Zoe Barnes was, and she wasn't even nominated for a supporting role. As for who will win, honestly I don't know; my intuition says Elisabeth Moss of "Mad Men," but I'm not invested in that prediction in the slightest.
The supporting acting nominations were much more balanced in their representation of fantasy and politics, as both "Game of Thrones" and "Homeland" had two nominations each. Of Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister and Emilia Clarke as Daenerys Targaryen, I think Dinklage has the better shot. After all, he has won for that role before, while I think Clarke and her role still have their best days ahead of them. Mandy Patinkin and Morena Baccarin got the nods for "Homeland." Patinkin is the better known actor, but I still think he'll lose out to Dinklage. On the other hand, I'd put money on Maggie Smith for her role in "Downton Abbey."
Guest acting nominations also show less balance between fantasy and politics, with Diana Rigg nominated for a guest role in "Game of Thrones," while Jane Fonda and Margo Lessendale round out the nominees for guest roles in "The Newsroom" and "The Americans." On the men's side, it's all politics, with Bobby Cannavale in "Boardwalk Empire," Rupert Friend in "Homeland," Dan Bucatinsky in "Scandal." I'm rooting for Diana Rigg just because she's Diana Rigg, but I'd also be happy with Fonda. On the men's side, I like Nathan Lane in "The Good Wife," but he's primarily a comic actor, so I don't know if he's that good in a drama.
"Game of Thrones" and "Homeland" both earned nominations for writing, but I'd favor one of the two "Breaking Bad" episodes instead. The political shows nearly swept the directing nominations, with Tim Van Patten for "Boardwalk Empire", Lesli Linka Glatter for "Homeland," and David Fincher for"House of Cards" all earning nods. Fincher is a ringer, but as far as I'm concerned, he should win in a walk. Whether he will is another matter.
Looking at the drama nominations, I may be rooting for "House of Cards," but I'm impressed by how strong "Homeland" is, with nominees in eight of nine categories, more categories than any other series, including "Breaking Bad." It may just be the best show on this season that my wife and I are not watching. That may change.
On a day dedicated to excess, spectacle, and American Exceptionalism, is it possible to watch The Big Game and still engage in sustainable behaviors? On their Facebook page, Grist made a modest step by asking its readers:
What sustainable snacks will you be whipping up for your Super Bowl party? Share ideas and recipes!
The responses were not encouraging. Most people mocked the idea of combining sustainable food and the Super Bowl. The most popular comment just thought the entire idea was not worth considering.
F*ck the Super Bowl in all of its excessive entirety. I'm packing some trail mix and going hiking.
SOCRRA, the local recycling facility, skipped asking questions entirely, and just offered advice on their Facebook page.
Don't make Super Bowl Sunday super wasteful! As many people are planning their celebrations for this coming Sunday, consider opportunities to reduce waste. Serve beverages in their recyclable container (aluminum cans, plastic and glass bottles). Reduce the amount of disposable items as much as you can - do you have extra plates, silverware, and cloth napkins as an option? If you must use disposable, look for those with recycled content. Good luck in making it a Super Reduce, Reuse, and Recycling event!
That got a more favorable response, as no one dissed it, four people liked it, and two people, including me, shared it.
Now, what about the event itself? In a story I shared on last night's Overnight News Digest: Science Saturday on Daily Kos, Discovery News has the information.
The field won't be the only thing green about Super Bowl XLVI. The NFL has a plan in their playbook to tackle the carbon dioxide emissions caused by energy use at the six major Super Bowl facilities. Renewable energy certificates will pass 15,000 megawatt hours of clean energy to the NFL's environmental receivers.
At the slick new Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis even the lights shining on the New York Giants and New England Patriots will be accounted for by renewable energy certificates provided by Green Mountain Energy Company.
The stadium's namesake, Lucas Oil sells gasoline additives and other automotive products.
But the NFL doesn't want grease stains on their uniforms. They bought carbon credits to intercept the emissions resulting from transporting the Super Bowl teams to the stadium, according to NFL.com.
Click on Read More to see the infographic accompanying the Discovery News article and the relevant part of the NFL press release.
MTV announced today that True Life: I'm Occupying Wall Street will air in less than two weeks...On the night of November 5, we'll be treated to a well-edited version of the protests we've been watching for more than a month, starring college students Kait and Caitlin, and Bryan, a member of the Zuccotti Park sanitation team.
We suffer under a mass national hallucination. Americans, regardless of income or social position, now live in a culture entirely perceived inside a self-referential media hologram of a nation and world that does not exist. Our national reality is staged and held together by media, chiefly movie and television images. We live in a "theater state."
In our theater state, we know the world through media productions which are edited and shaped to instruct us on how to look and behave and view the outside world. As in all staged productions and illusions, everyone we see is an actor. There are the television actors portraying what supposedly represents reality. Non-actors in Congress perform in front of the cameras, as the American empire's cultural machinery weaves and spins out our cultural mythology.
Cultural myth production is an enormous industry in America.
And now that enormous industry has turned its eye onto Occupy Wall Street and converted it into entertainment. MTV has already released a preview of its reality show. Watch the clip at MTV's site.
For those who think that television and movie coverage is the ultimate validation of what you are doing, and that does seem to be a lot of people, congratulations, Occupy Wall Street has "made it." On the other hand, becoming famous is not the point. Changing the society, economy, and politics of the United States is. Keep up the good work, and remember that character is what one does when no one, including MTV's cameras, is watching.
