Grid Effect

Why the fuck do Denis Leary and Evan Reilly think anyone tunes into these shorts for slow motion vignettes that depict the lifestyles of these guys, whether it is professional or social? Generally speaking, while many of them are tragic in how self-destructing they can be, they also have a comedic side that we prefer to see rather than them running out of a burning building in slow motion with kids in their hands then smoking cigarettes in recognition of a job well done. Additionally, I don’t think the mini-episode was even four minutes long. Why even bother? And what an awful one to go out on. They should have closed strong with the steroids in baseball installment.

In case you didn’t watch it, the entire three and a half minutes was a shot down a hallways of a burning house, the a couple fireman running down a flight of stairs, with LEary following them holding a little girl in his arms. They eventually put a camera on the front of the building as he exits, hands her off to an EMT, then stands by a firetruck with Lieu, Franco, Mike and Garrity, as they revel in their heroism. All to some church music at about a fifth of the frames per minute they usually use.

We usually enjoy shit like this in the series, mainly because firefighting is an admirable profession, and the closest we’ll ever come to being able to do what they do is watching Rescue Me. But there has to be some sort of backstory, and watching characters I know fairly well relegated to silence in the name of faux-high art just feels lazy.

Anyhow, that is the end of the Rescue Me mini-episodes. What a glorious run it was. By our count, we got five that were great to good, two that were pedestrian and three that were bloody fucking awful (All three were virtually silent). We appreciate the effort, but glad the stunt is over. I have to imagine there are others in my camp on this one, particularly the stagehands.

Anyhow, as is traditional with our mini-episode commentaries, here are some links. Enjoy being loosely informed on innocuous TV news.

This article ponders why there is such an abundance of rich characters on television when there are so many people with modest household incomes. The simple answer is escapism: People watch television for a distraction from how miserable there lives are, not to be constantly reminded of it. Its the same reason Cinderella Man was did so terribly at the Box Office despite being Howard, Giamatti and Crowe at their peak. Another contributing factor is that 99% of the people responsible for what gets on television have nary a clue about what it’s like to live below the poverty line. Ever hear the phrase, “write what you know”? Well, virtually none of them know financial hardship.

How did "The Wire" make it on television anyways?

E! has canceled Denise Richards “reality” series It’s Complicated. Some say it was due to low ratings, some say its because she was too narcissistic even for E! execs, and others say it was a culmination of both. Either way, whether it was E! viewers or E! execs, if you are too self-involved for either of them to stay on the network, then it’s probably time for some self-reflection.

ESPN is rumored to be shopping a late night series and already Jason Whitlock and Colin Cowherd have turned down an offer. God, what exactly are they offering in terms of salary? Do they even get access to the lunch hall in Bristol? Lord knows that would be a tipping point for Whitlock. Cowherd might not be a terrible choice, but I don’t need an hour of him lambasting about how big city people are better than small town people, if I want that, I already get it for two hours a day on his radio show.

Entourage has teamed with some airline to offer themed flights. Because everyone knows that twenty-something guys who pine to befriend someone famous are loaded with dough. We suspect this will get the airlines out of the gutter. Personally, I would rather have an It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia themed flight, in which the flight crew drunkenly berates me for something irrelevant, then put me in some awkward predicament with potentially humiliating consequences.

We’ll try to come back with something refreshing today.