Live TV

I caught the live episode of Will & Grace last night. It was very…interesting. I’m not a very big fan of the show, I’m really indifferent too it. It’s not like I don’t like it, I just have trouble getting on board with any sitcom and there are none I watch regularly. I catch the Will & Grace reruns on UPN occasionally, and enjoy watching it. Anyway, I have new respect for Alec Baldwin and Megan Mullally. The only ones I believe who didn’t crack, although Ms. Mullally appeared to come close once. To tell the truth, I wanted more. It was over way to soon. I think there should be more live tv. Of course it would be difficult to do with hour-long shows like Lost or CSI, but I can see it really working for sitcoms. Modern actors have become lazy, I believe, because there’s no pressure to get it right the first time, or even the second or 8th. Being a fan of James Dean, I’ve seen several tapes of live broadcasts he did before he got into films. While, the story lines and everything aren’t on par with what we see today, there are fewer screw ups than by the SNL crew. Each one has a moral, but the actors for the most part give realistic performances and never drop a line, and if they’re reading from cue cards, I can’t tell it (unlike on SNL). Especially in The Bells of Cockaigne.

Considering my recent posts, one may get the grossly incorrect impression that I watch a lot of tv, which is certainly not the case. There are a few shows I watch regularly, LOST and 24, other than that there are shows I like, but generally end up missing several episodes. CSI for instance, I like it, but actually watch fewer than ten shows a season. Just thought I’d clear that up.
I started reading Little Birds, by Anais Nin last night. I got it because I saw Henry & June, which is based on one of Ms. Nin’s diaries. Apparently, before she became known as the world’s foremost diarist, she got her start writing underground erotica, which is what Little Birds is. This is quite obvious from the cover, which has the title in barely able to read red letters, while erotica is spelled out in large black block print, and is the first thing one’s eyes are drawn to upon looking at the cover. It’s basically just a cheesy marketing ploy to get people to purchase it, I know, but it’s still kind of awkward when I think of some old librarian checking this book out and sending it off through the mail to me. I’m only on the second story (the book is comprised of several very short stories) and so far, like the previously mentioned film, I wouldn’t call it pornographic; which I guess is what the definition of erotica is supposed to be. They certainly are not the best written stories I’ve ever read-the sentences are short and often seem very “choppy”-but there is something lightweight and ethereal about them, making the stories more sentimental and aesthetic than sexual.