“Fizbo” and…

“Here Comes My Girl”

November 25th, 2009

Thanksgiving is a holiday about family, which when deployed in television does one of three things. The first is to emphasize the cohesiveness of a particular group of characters who work seamlessly when brought into the same setting. The second is to emphasize the sheer chaos that results from the show’s personalities coming together, to either comic or dramatic purposes. The third, meanwhile, is to demonstrate that the show is a convoluted mess where bringing the characters together is a futile exercise that will fail to provide interesting television.

What’s helpful for ABC’s 9pm comedies is that both of them have built their identity around the idea of family, to the point where bringing the gang together is like second nature to the two shows. Cougar Town has really started to charm me as of late, and “Here Comes My Girl” is yet another fine episode that brings together this group of individuals into a family of sorts that’s just an enormous amount of fun to watch bounce off of each other. And “Fizbo” is perhaps my favourite Modern Family episode yet, taking advantage of the chaos at the heart of this family and bringing things to a satisfying (and also sort of sweet) conclusion.

It made for a really comforting hour of television comedy, which is what the timeslot has been providing (on average) all season.

Perhaps the strongest individual element of the episodes were the show’s fully taking advantage of the strengths of a pair of supporting characters, in this instance Dan Byrd’s Travis and Eric Stonestreet’s Cameron. The two characters have been strong overall, but this episode allowed them to take things to another level. With Travis, this means going beyond his sarcasm and awkwardness to the heart of his relationship with his mother, resulting in Jules losing her sense of self-control and failing miserably at being anything close to “cool.” The result is a really honest, but funny, story of a son coming to terms with the role his mother will play in his adult life, and while it had its broader comic moments (the balloon gag) and its quippy one-liners (the rolling pin would make me feel self-conscious too) it was more about that moment at episode’s end (set to, thanks to the sleuthing skills of Mrs. Sepinwall, Noah and the Whale’s “Give a Little Love,”) where Jules and Travis share a quiet moment preparing Thanksgiving dinner. It was a wonderful piece of acting from Cox and Byrd, and totally sells that Travis is more well-adjusted than Jules but is nonetheless believably awkward. It was a heartfelt and funny little story that really sold me on the relationship.

As for the genius of Fizbo, I don’t really know where to start. Stonestreet’s Cameron has become the show’s breakout character: while Ty Burrell’s Phil stole the pilot (Lion King moment notwithstanding, even, I’d argue), Cameron has been able to show more dimensions and has a slightly better foil in Jesse Tyler Ferguson’s Mitchell. Fizbo was a stroke of genius because of both the sheer commitment of Stonestreet and some legitimately amazing directing choices. Look at the dramatic angles the show uses to introduce the character as Cameron puts on the nose/eye makeup, or the amazing shot of Fizbo’s foot stepping out of the car when Mitchell’s about to get attacked at the gas station. The show worked to create the legend of Fizbo, and while Stonestreet was nailing the smaller moments (like the “something”/”nothing” gag with Jay) the direction was establishing just how epic this ass-kicking, balloon-animal machine really is. It didn’t have the emotion of Cougar Town’s storyline, but it didn’t have to: who needs sentiment when you have legend?

Cougar Town was less interested in creating such a huge sense of destiny, but I thought the comic rhythms the show has established in recent weeks were working in overdrive: there were a number of fantastic scenes with Ellie and Laurie playing off of one another, the dynamic between the three men was as strong as it always is, and both broader scenes (the “Hi Kylie” song and the basketball games) were executed to their full effect. I also like that they came right out and pointed out that both Bobby and Grayson are at the point in their lives where Jules is the perfect woman for them, and that they used this for both comic and dramatic effect. There was a joke to be had in Grayson’s suggestion of buying it deep inside and avoiding it, but it’s also kind of true, and the characters have a strong enough dynamic for me to buy things going slowly. Some shows I’d wish that they’d get the usual storylines out of the way, but I’m so enjoying just hanging out with this family that a Thanksgiving dinner can simply hint at some things before just being about spending time together.

And perhaps the best thing about “Fizbo” was that this same theme wasn’t hammered into our heads. The conclusion did end on a note that Luke got a great birthday after all, one where he (and not the holiday) was the center of attention and where the whole family came together, but it came to be through a series of hilarious circumstances. After complaining about V’s in media res opening this week, it was great to see one where the views into the hospital scene made us on alert for potential maladies, and the result was a lot of brilliant comic tension as you had both legitimate threats (the scorpion, Dylan’s mayo allergy, the crossbow) and hilarious phobias (Phil’s fear of clowns, which was a great piece of acting from Ty Burrell) pulling us in various different directions. When things eventually go terribly wrong, with Manny becoming the great hero (“My dog’s still in there” was a cute touch) only to have Luke end up breaking his arm after slipping on Claire’s “comb sheaves” beads was the sort of wonderfully fitting climax that the show should do more often. The show earned that scene in the hospital in a way that previous episodes haven’t earned their tidy endings, and the result was a really great half-hour of television.

Overall, two families I’d be glad to have Thanksgiving dinner with, so long as there’s no crossbows involved and Fizbo is invited.

Cultural Observations

• Want to take this chance to wish all of my American readers a Happy Thanksgiving – sure, it’s not as good as the real CANADIAN Thanksgiving, but I hear it’s still a pretty big deal and all that jazz.
• There were a number of great Fizbo sight gags, but I think the battle for me is the post-badass novelty clock pullout and the running away from the scorpion like a small child. So different, and so amazing.
• Although there were a few too many Michael Scott style “Make joke and mug to camera” moments for Phil in this one, I liked that the show continued last week’s trend of Phil making fun of Claire as opposed to vice-versa.
• Andy’s “I’ve got a secret” heartburn was a fun bit of comedy from Ian Gomez, and Christa Miller is as lovely as always in twisting the knife.
• My one question from the show: while Bill Lawrence’s usual signature touches (the use of music, the oddball comedy, the physical comedy, etc.) are all in place along with a sense of sweetness that the show was lacking in the pilot, I do wonder if the show is interested in investigating actual sadness or tragedy at all. Scrubs, as a medical show was forced to confront it, but these characters are relating to the point where something happening to a distant relative could be played emotionally, but it definitely feels more resistant than Scrubs (or, for that matter, Spin City) to the idea. Just a thought.

I don’t know how I feel about Cameron being gone. I kind of liked her character’s interaction with House in the earlier seasons, so for that reason alone, I liked her a little. And she loved him. HOWEVER, and that’s a big however, she was annoying. First of all, I got tired of her endless morality babble. She was always accusing House of this or that and yelling about the morality of an issue when he was trying to solve the case. Drove me up a wall. Second, her parting words to House were flat out ridiculous. He never murdered a patient (who didn’t want it – I’m thinking of Season 3’s “Son of a Coma Guy” here). And to say that he created an atmosphere that permitted Chase to commit murder was the…retarded. Because I can’t think of a better word through the haze of annoyance. Could someone please tell her to shut up and sit down? I love how everyone is still ragging on House even though he’s trying to change for the better. Yes, let’s accuse and badger the recently-released-from-a-mental-hospital guy. See if we can put him back there. I don’t know why the producers decided to write her out that way, but that was perhaps the epitome of her career of annoying the shit out of me.

Onto Huddy. I don’t think Cuddy and House should wind up together. There is something about that pairing that screams “bad juju.” And I firmly believe in the feeling of bad juju. The way they were at the beginning is the way they should be. Friends who care about each other, with a little sexual tension, and a lot of arguments, but a LOT less emotional baggage. This week’s episode pissed me off too, simply because of the Huddy situation. I don’t know why people want them to get together. They are better the way they were, and now stuff is going to be awkward. C’est la vie, I suppose. Please, let this plotline lie for a while, and maybe for the rest of the series. I hope she marries Lucas.

Dear Tertia

Thank you for this post.

Thank you for making me feel okay about not being good enough.

Thank you for making me feel okay about worrying about dummies.

Thank you for making me feel okay that it’s better that there are no tears for mama and child.

Thank you for your courage to share your life with the world.

It is you I thank every day, mama Tannie T.

Thank you for inspiring me to keep writing.

Thank you for reminding me that the decisions Cam and I make for our lives are ours, and not to be influenced by anyone else, no matter who they are, or what they say.

I am mama, and I know the best way for my daughter and I.

Thank you for making me feel brave enough to admit that yeah…

Nappies were gone by 2; bottles were gone during 3, dummies are going. but they’re not gone yet entirely.

(on that note, Cam has told me that she’ll give them up when I give up smoking. eek. she’s  a smart one, that one).

And, swimming lessons resume again next year. But that’s not my fault or Cameron’s.The important thing is that she is brave enough to begin again.

Thank you for writing that post.

Of every single one of yours that I have read (and yes, when I found you, I read every archive and every post so I can proudly say I have read every single one)… this one…this one had me entirely.

Thank you.

From one rocking mama to another, thank you for being you.

As a traditional ‘divided loyalties’ Ulster Protestant (a member of a mainstream unionist party at home, and of the Conservative & Unionist Party in England), I am rather worried. My dual membership means that one of my parties may do well and the other not so; that’s certainly been the case recently.

But I thought the Conservatives were on track to beat Labour. Now the polls have narrowed, with the latest IPSOS-MORI for the Observer showing only a 6 point lead and the grim prospect of a hung parliament. With UKIP and the ‘vile BNP’ polling well collectively.

So what happened the the twentysomething Conservative lead? I have a hunch that the Clarke effect combined with Lisbon/the EU policy, and the appalling abuses of the expenses system by Tory MPs (most recently the adulterous David Curry, himself a notorious Europhile), and the sudden electorate’s collective misapprehension that the economy’s well again, has led to this scenario.

All’s not rosy in the garden, as Labour’s Wilted rose shows, and it’s time for another festive onslaught re the economy from me.

It’s now the right time for Labour to call an election. They’d probably gain a lead in the polls while the public are distracted by the apparent lull in our economic rendezvous with the inevitable.

Brown would blow Cameron out of the water. But, like Callaghan in the 70s, Brown is blinded by disbelief and a lack of COURAGE, and hasn’t got the guts to call the election that could keep him in the job he plotted for over a decade to grab off Bliar. The ditherer will bottle it again.

Brown’s gutlessness allows traditional Tories, as well as trade unionist, dual-membership conservative unionists like me, sleep soundly at night.

With the Queen’s Speech this past week announcing Labour’s last major opportunity to cling to power and claim Mr Brown is capable of delivering on old promises, the UK entered into the long preamble before a hotly-anticipated general election.

Cameron Vs Brown: The irrespressible force and the immovable object?

That’s right I said hotly-anticipated. Forget that Obama nonsense, we’re gonna show them just how to throw a democratic party. Right?

Well sadly probably not. As Daniel Finkelstein suggests in The Times, who cares?

“It was my first proper introduction to what has become one of my rules in understanding politics. Most people, most of the time, aren’t following.”

This is not a new phenomenon. Nor, indeed, is it the “dirty secret of politics”, as Mr Finkelstein says. Public ignorance, as it is called in academia, has been rife for decades, perhaps even since the birth of democracy in Athens. It is a major problem but it has always been a facet of “government by the people”. In fact, much of my dissertation’s argument hinged upon it.

So why only now has the political malaise become so tangible and we realise our democracy may not be as healthy as we declare it to be?

I was fortunate enough to attend a lecture with former political editor of the Evening Standard, Charles Reiss. He knows the game inside out and gave an incredibly interesting lecture on political spin and reporting.

He showed figures of declining voter turnouts, floored trust levels in politicians, and sadly journalists as well, and answered, when asked, that the tendency toward the middle of the spectrum by British political parties was not the main factor behind the apathy.

Gordon reveals the special move he hopes will beat Cameron

He was then asked, not by me, what his opinion was on the announcement of Herman Van Rompuy as President of the EU. He spoke of a democratic deficit in the European Union. I asked him if, with falling voter turnouts and an as yet unelected Prime Minister, there was a democratic deficit in the UK. No was the gist of his answer, although it was a non-committal no.

“Emotionally I want to say yes but intellectually I don’t think so.”

Only time will tell whether the scandal which enveloped all politicians earlier this year will lead to a greater level of engagement in the run up to the general election. According to the latest Ipsos Mori poll, though, we could be in for a tight race. Indeed, Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg’s reaction was to announce, somewhat boldly considering his position, that the election will not be a “shoo-in”.

For those who are following, one would certainly hope not. Where’s Don King when you need him?

Brown and Cameron were both forced to write an apology to Very Rev Dr John Hall, Dean of Westminster Abbey after both leaders used Remembrance Day for a photo-shoot.

The Mirror downplay the incident:

Row over Remembrance Day photo-ops

Gordon Brown and David Cameron have apologised after suggestions that they competed for photo opportunities at a Remembrance Day service attended by the Queen, it has been revealed.

The Daily Mail are more dramatic, as per course:

Brown and Cameron apologise for Poppy Day stunts: Abbey’s fury at BOTH leaders over Remembrance Day photo-shoots

Gordon Brown and David Cameron have been forced to make grovelling apologies after they were accused of exploiting a Remembrance Day service attended by the Queen, turning it into a media ‘turkey shoot’ to win votes.

Everything a Polichicken does is a political stunt.  One day it is Gay Pride, the next Muslim Friends and on the weekend, Dinner with Dictators.  All spun into tales showing compassion, empathy and bravado but all just political stunt after political stunt after political stunt.

Even this “story” could be a political stunt for the non-mentioned Nick Clegg, the Establishment hoping the Liberal Democrats hoover up the disheartened masses that dessert NuGov & the Cameroons.  In the age of spin, no truth is too sacred to be distorted into political capital.

OOOOooo there’s loads of annoying shit to write about today, but I’ll start with this:

While I think speculation about Cowell being ennobled is premature, there are some incontrovertibles to ponder:

• Simon Cowell is a cynical, manipulative, devious money-grabbing cunt.
• He sacrifices talent and good music on the altar of squeezing a buck out of the lowest common denominator.
• He’s the biggest closet case since The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.
• Did I mention that he’s an unspeakable cunt?

But what did we expect when the Tories’ Comms director used to write the ‘Bizarre’ showbiz column for The Sun?

I’m sure someone out there can be bothered to find quotes of Cameron criticising Blair and Brown’s dalliances with celebs.

Welcome to our future.

AJ

-TRAMA- 

Un vecchio amico ed ex-paziente di Wilson viene ricoverato nella clinica perché soffre di una paralisi al suo braccio destro. Nel frattempo, la Cuddy continua nella sua ricerca di una nuova casa.

The Express suggests that Britain needs a strong leader to oppose the European Council’s idea of Nationhood.  Well, that is Brown, Cameron and Clegg out of the running.  Afterall, they’ve had plenty of time to stop the behemoth long before the Lisbon Treaty even became part of the political landscape yet have only accelerated the process.

BRITAIN REQUIRES A STRONG LEADER TO RESIST BRUSSELS

WHEN Margaret Thatcher made her famous Bruges Speech opposing those wishing to create a United States of Europe she spoke for millions.

“We have not successfully rolled back the frontiers of the state in Britain, only to see them re-imposed at a European level with a European superstate exercising a new dominance from Brussels, ” she declared. “Europe will be stronger precisely because it has France as France, Spain as Spain and Britain as Britain, each with its own customs, traditions and identity. It would be folly to try to fit them into some sort of identikit European personality.”

But more than 20 years later that is exactly what the unelected Brussels bureaucracy is up to. Political leaders from across Europe have decided to surrender national sovereignty rather than defend it. As the European Union appoints its first president and foreign minister, nowhere is the sense of betrayal greater than in Britain. None of the so-called “mainstream” parties has emerged with credit from this process.

Each, in turn, has buckled in the face of Brussels pressure and abandoned the very notion of democracy.

Oh for a leader prepared to say, as Thatcher once did, what the British people really think: No, no, no.

With the mention of Mrs Thatcher, I have to add, we all remember the knives drawn out for her.  Sometimes a strong leader isn’t enough.  She may have tamed the EU machine for a while but the stooges soon got the European Project back on track by getting rid of the Iron Lady.  No, it isn’t just a strong leader but a strong party that is needed for our salvation.

And if the Big Three are incapable of defending British Sovereignty, they should stand aside and let the BNP, the only Patriotic Party left on these British Isles, to have a go.  Of course the Multi-Culture promoting NUJ doesn’t agree with BNP policy so vilify the Party and its supporters as racists and fascists, when really, the only bone the NUJ has with the BNP is that they’re Nationalistic and that just doesn’t do for the Globalist Cartels that control the planet.

Either we are a free and independent Nation or we are nothing more than a dictated European Vassal.  You decide.

Admittedly, I have actually had these pictures in my possession for over a month now. But better late than never, right? Here are some of my favorites.

Descobri por um simples acaso sobre “Avatar” o filme de James Cameron. Devido aos comentários em toda internet, twitter e até mesmo amigos de MSN. A princípio nao levei muito a sério, e também não sabia que era um filme de Cameron, e descobri à pouco que se tratava de um filme seu e que também está em produção desde o seu último filme que foi “Titanic”. Criou-se uma expectativa muito grande ao redor do filme devido as poucas informações divulgadas, agora que estão surgindo notícias e teasers e trailers sobre “Avatar”. Ao que tudo indica será um filme de uma grandiosidade tremenda devido a toda essa expectativa gerada em torno do filme. Outros fatores também ajudaram para tanta expectativa por parte dos cinéfilos de plantão, é que pouco se sabe sobre a história, detalhes da produção e outras coisas do tipo mas o que se sabe mostra que o senhor James Cameron não está para brincadeira!!!

Cameron quis filmar a história em 1999, logo após Titanic, mas na época os efeitos especiais que desejava utilizar eram muito caros e o orçamento ultrapassou os $400 milhões de dólares! Na época nenhum estúdio gastaria uma fortuna dessas com um único filme devido à incerteza do projeto. A maioria do filme (60% em média) é feita em computador que usam captura de movimentos e animação gráfica, Cameron só teve certeza que a tecnologia já estava desenvolvida o suficiente para tornar o seu filme realidade quando viu o personagem de Gollum nos filmes do Senhor dos Anéis, em 2002.

O roteiro, escrito pelo próprio Cameron, conta a história de uma lua chamada Pandora, onde vivem humanóides conhecidos como Na’vi. Em algum lugar no futuro os humanos decidem explorar o planeta, através de um ser criado pela recombinação de DNA humano e extraterrestre, e controlado mentalmente por um humano. Essa criatura dá nome ao filme.

Confira o Trailer:

Para os esperançosos, este “Avatar” nao é o “Avatar” de Aang o whatever dobrador de vento.

David Cameron said recently that local people and organizations will be given first refusal to take over community amenities such as library, post office, sports centers, pubs, etc.

The conservative party aired Party Political Broadcast yesterday, which was very much like an election campaign advertising.

The whole clip lasts nearly 5 minutes. I was really astonished to watch it on TV, because quite obviously, this clip was broadcast as an advertising, and such a long ad. would cost the conservative party a fortune.

At first glance, you will most probably be attracted by Mr. Cameron’s eloquence in answering questions, particularly the confidence he revealed while talking to a group of questioners.

Given it a second thought, I find there are too many signs that the Q&A was not authentic but a set-up shot, no matter how good those questioners perform.

I didn’t say that they were actors. They might be real persons, by which I mean they are who they say themselves are. But they must have been told beforehand and might have been particularly invited to the site.

I don’t know if the conservative party regularly puts clips like this on TV; if not, then it’s obvious that Mr. Cameron’s election campaign has already started.