TV Imperialism.

I'm sure many visitors who are old enough will have at least some vague memory of The Nanny, a US sitcom that ran from 1993 to 1999.  It starred Fran Drescher as the nanny, not surprisingly named Fran, to a pair of kids in New York.   What is likely to come as a surprise however is that the series spawned foreign remakes.  TV networks in countries as varied as Turkey, Poland, and Chile decided their audiences deserved their own version of the series.  Not only that, but they also used scripts from the American original, adapted to local culture.  Of course this kind of thing isn't limited to foreign countries using American show concepts.  Various American versions have been made of (usually) UK TV shows, ranging from hits like All in the Family(based on the British Til Death Us Do Part) to failures like the 1996 American Doctor Who movie/TV series pilot.  So this kind of TV imperialism goes in more than one direction.  Still, if I were considering the idea of foreign networks doing local versions of a 1990s US sitcom I would have assumed Friends, not The Nanny.

This Post Includes Offensive Content.

If you haven't heard about it already you're likely to over the next few days.  The Canadian Broadcast Standards Council wants Canadian radio stations to stop playing the unedited version of Dire Straits' 1985 hit "Money For Nothing."  The problem is the use of faggot in the lyrics.  This story will of course prompt a bunch of yelling about government censorship.

But wait a moment.  It's not the government who wants the song removed.  The CBSC is run by the broadcast industry, not government.  The industry is policing itself.  And let's not hear any "slippery slope" arguments either.  Canadian radio stations already play versions of current hits where words many find offensive, like nigger, are edited out.  So removing one word from one verse of "Money For Nothing" is more a nuisance than anything else.

How offensive language should be dealt with is a question with no easy answers.  Unlike other media music on the radio has the problem that it's not really practical to warn for content on a specific basis.  Compare this with TV or the movies, which can warn in advance for offensive words in a specific piece of content.  It is also easier for viewers to realise that the words a character uses don't necessarily reflect the beliefs of the performer than it is in a song, where the tendency is often to assume the singer of a song and the persona in the song are the same. 

And let's also not forget that the song is still available for anyone to listen to in its original form on CD etc.  If not hearing one word ruins your enjoyment of a piece so much perhaps you shouldn't be listening to music on radio, which often airs versions of music shortened for one reason or another.

We've Been Lucky.

Today's attempted assassination of US Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords brought to mind that Canada has not been immune to political assassination.  However we've been very lucky given that we have only two examples compared to the American experience.  The last Canadian politician murdered was Quebec cabinet minister Pierre Laporte in 1970, killed by members of the Quebec separatist terrorist group the FLQ.  The so-called Toronto 18 terrorist plotters, arrested in 2006, wanted to behead Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper as part of their planned mayhem, but their effort came nowhere near execution.  Given the similiarities between our two countries it's surprising we haven't had more examples in Canada.  Perhaps it's because the political rhetoric here has been less vehement than it has been at many times south of the border.  There is also the fact that the US formed out of revolution, and many have taken this fact to justify their violence.

When I Rule The World 7.

When I rule the world onions will be prohibited.  Yucky, horrible things they are that must go.  Their absense will prevent many gastronomic horrors.

Gas In Saskatoon, January 7, 2011.

If you heard an odd noise in Saskatoon Tuesday it was the price of gas shooting up.  Gas in Saskatoon is now 111.9 cents a litre at most locations, a 6 cent jump from the previous price.  As you can imagine Saskatoon drivers are not amused.

Japanese Justice And Air India 182.

The 1985 bombing of Air India Flight 182 was back in the news in Canada today.  Inderjit Singh Reyat, the only person convicted of their involvement in the attack, was sentenced to nine years for perjury due to his actions during the trial of Ripudaman Singh Malik and Ajiab Singh Bagri.  Reyat had taken a plea bargain in 2003 to reduce his sentence in exchange for testimony against them.  Malik and Bagri were found not guilty due to lack of evidence.

Hearing about this case again this morning made me wonder why there has been no Japanese prosecution of any of these people, or anyone else. On the same day Air India Flight 182 was blown up by a bomb a similar bomb blew up at Tokyo's Narita airport, killing two Japanese baggage handlers and injuring four others.  Despite two of their citizens being killed I have seen no indication Japan has made an effort to get any of those accused by Canada in the case into a Japanese court.  They probably didn't need to with Reyat, since he was convicted in 1991 in the Narita bomb case.  But what about Bagri and Malik?  You'd think that after their acquital in Canada the Japanese might want a crack at them as well.  If anyone knows the story here I'd love to know.

A Request For Teletoon.

If by chance someone from Teletoon's programming staff passes through I'd like to make a request:  Please give Delta State another run through sometime this year.  If you can do it for Undergrads you can do it for Delta State.  I'd like to get the second half of it recorded, since I doubt we're going to see a "season 2" DVD set.  And in case anyone is wondering, yes, I sent some of my money the DVD company's way by buying the "Complete First Season" set.

Pay Cut.

It's amazing the kind of money some of our entertainers are paid.  A report this week claims that Robert De Niro got paid 20 million bucks for the much maligned Little Fockers currently stinking up the big screen.  Ben Stiller also reportedly earned 20 million bucks.  If you add their salaries to the salaries of Owen Wilson, Barbara Streisand, Dustin Hoffman(7.5 million for a mere five days of work) and Jessica Alba you get 72.5 millon bucks, a sum that would pay for the planned replacement for Saskatoon's mothballed Traffic Bridge.  It's hard to believe that some of these people are truly deserving of the money they're getting for these roles.  Perhaps it's time to reconsider these sort of high salaries given how a lot of these films perform.  But at least Little Fockers will probably make money.  It's the films that are flops where the star makes 10 or 20 million bucks that really make you wonder if things are getting too pricey.

It Will Not Die.

By all reason it should be gone.  Undergrads is a cartoon series that ran fo a single season of 13 episodes.  While in college Pete Williams submitted a short pilot animation clip of an idea he had, The Click, to an MTV contest.  MTV decided they liked the concept, and with some development it became Undergrads.  MTV teamed up with Canada's Teletoon to produce the series.  But while Teletoon apparently did well with the series and wanted more, MTV didn't.  Teletoon never managed to find a new financial partner, but they sure got their money's worth out of the series, playing it multiple times over the years despite its short length.  After its last runthrough a few years ago I had assumed it wasn't coming back, so when I saw it listed on the January schedule Teletoon put out in late December I assumed this was just a mistake.

But nope, when I checked the PVR Tuesday morning the first episode, "Party," was there.  Coming up on ten years after its debut the show is once more getting a runthrough on Teletoon.  It's amazing that it just won't stay dead.  No, no new episodes are likely, and like many fans I've got the DVD.  But it's still satisfying to have it back, and hopefully it will pick up some new fans.

Mick Karn, RIP.

Not a good start of the year for UK musicians.  Mick Karn, former bassist with British group Japan, has died of cancer at age 52.  Karn played fretless bass, and had one of the more distinctive styles you're likely to hear.  The song above, "Canton," appeared on their final album, 1981's Tin Drum. 

Goodbye, Gerry.

Reading that Gerry Rafferty has died I thought I should post a video of his best known hit, "Baker Street."  Reading an obituary on him it sounds as if Rafferty was one of those artists who really shouldn't have been famous.  He didn't seem to be the kind of person who wanted or could cope with the pressures of fame.  It's also interesting to read that he was an early collaborater with Scottish comedian Billy Connolly when the latter was still a folk musician, and apparently told Connolly his future was as a comedian.

Welcome To 2011.

Good to have you along.  Boy, it seems like 2010 was just yesterday.  Best wishes for the coming year.

Some Banjo Music.

Okay, likely not the kind of banjo music most people were expecting.  But hey, not everyone plays bluegrass on them.

Oh, Alanis.

More than once I've commented on the weird names people give their kids.  Given some of the names celebs give their kids it's no surprise normal people do the same.  For example Alanis Morrisette just had a son.  She and her husband named him Ever Imre  Not sure if that's supposed to be one name or his first and middle names.  I hope it's the latter, for his sake.

When I Rule The World 6.

When I rule the world the term "going commando" for not wearing any underwear will be banned.  For that matter I'll probably require people to wear underwear. 

Phony War.

If you're an American who has wondered if the "War on Christmas" idea has any play in Canada, now you know.  I came across this sign this morning on a local bus.  It's rather silly as far as I'm concerned.  Note that the first couple of lines are a slight variation on a classic phrase of Edmund Burke.  But really, not celebrating Christmas in a way acceptable to the sponsors of this sign is evil?  As is usually the case when I see someone use the phrase politcally incorrect without irony the feeling I get is the person in question wants the right to behave like a jerk.  They want their traditions respected, but are unwilling to do the same for others.

If they want to put "Christ back into Christmas" they should allow others to put paganism back into Christmas.  After all the Gospels don't actually give a date for Jesus' birth, since the writers apparently didn't think that this information was important. Instead later figures in Christianity adopted the date given its proximity to the Winter Solstice, which was celebrated by numerous cultures before Christianity. Many of the traditions we associate with the holiday also had existing roots.  When you think about it this was rather a clever move.  Not only would it appeal to possible converts by allowing them to continue celebrating a familiar cultural ritual, but it associated the birth of Jesus with the yearly birth of a new cycle in the depths of winter. 

Ironically many throughout the history of Christianity denounced the celebration of Christmas and/or its trappings like the Christmas tree.  It was even banned for a time in the United Kingdom and pre-revolutionary United States, and anti-Christmas beliefs persisted in much of the US afer the American Revolution.  Given that the US is the source for the "war on Christmas" idea this is especially amusing.

Casting Call: Julian Assange.

Given that we saw a big screen film about the guy behind Facebook of all things I'm sure we'll see a big screen Hollywood film about Wikileaks.  Reading an article about Julian Assange today in Forbes magazine a thought came to mind about who should play him in that film:  Neil Patrick Harris.  Harris looks close enough to Assange for Hollywood.  Whether he can do a convincing Australian accent is another question.

Gather Round The Tree.

Don't have a Christmas tree?  Feel free to spend some time around this one.  It's a humble one, and this photo really doesn't do it justice.

Enjoy the holidays, and try not to drink or eat too much.

Gas In Saskatoon, December 24, 2010.

The gas companies gave us an early present at mid-week.  Gas in Saskatoon is now 105.9 cents a ltre at most locations.

When I Rule The World 5.

When I rule the world I'll have to give myself an appropriately awesome name.  Supreme Commander?  His Great Munificence?  Ruler of the Universe?  Of course when you rule the world people are likely to refer to you as Giant Scumbag or something equally nasty if they can get away with it.