Entertainment and Media

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27823569/

It seems Barbara Walters doesn't like former hosts speaking out against her show. Well, I'm not a former host, but I can't imagine she'll like this. Barbara- your show sucks.

Before The View, men assumed that women saw things a little bit differently. They assumed that all we talked about was lipstick colors, not-so-fresh-days, and guys we like in Hollywood. Now, they know it to be true. The only problem is, it's still not true in anyplace I've ever visited, except The View. I have discussed lipstick colors, however the conversation lasted an entire 20 seconds. It's nobody's damn business if I'm feeling not-so-fresh. And sure, George Clooney is hot, but I can't recall ever actually having a conversation where I mentioned that fact. It's just a given, and there's no reason to voice it.

Now, the entire world assumes that women are shrill, disagreeable, sarcastic, bitchy, whiny, fruitcakes with a collective IQ of 7. Thanks, Barbara.

I had a hard time with Band of Brothers, but I still respect it as a show. From what I saw, it was excellent. But war movies have never been my favorite, and neither have tv shows. Furthermore, coming off Saving Private Ryan, I had had my fill of war.

None of that is a reflection against the show itself. That's my own personal bias. But it did make it very difficult for me to watch. Still, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it.

HBO had a miniseries a few months ago, called Elizabeth I. In it, Helen Mirren played the Queen, and she was absolutely fantastic. She brings a lot to this role (although I have to admit that I liked her much better as Elizabeth II). And the supporting cast was just as excellent. Really, this is how historical shows should be, but unfortunately, most of the time, they are really dramatized in order to attract a bigger audience.

Rome was the end-all, be-all for historical shows on tv. As with all the others, it took a few details and dramatized them, but in this show, it's more forgivable because the best account we have of Caesar's stabbing came from William Shakespeare (who, to my knowledge, was not present). ;)

I recently heard one critic talk about how the sex in it felt like it was a background for how many of these people lived, rather than an excuse to show nudity on screen. Perhaps. But I do know that the show took a fair amount of heat for its debauchery. Justified?? I don't know.

Finally, how about Max Pirkis??? That kid is going to do some amazing work in the future, and I can't wait to see what he does next.

John Adams has been playing recently on HBO. It's an interesting series, and I never thought I would get behind the idea of Laura Linney and Paul Giamatti starring. But they are actually really good in their roles.

Needless to say, it makes history a little sexy by dramatizing certain events. But, it does as good a job as I think any historical show has done of showing the way it was. Tarring and feathering is shown for the horror that it was, rather than being shown in a cartoonish Tom-and-Jerry sort of way. The smallpox vaccine is enough to make anyone cringe, and wonder how anyone survived the vaccine. And Benjamin Franklin is shown for the randy, old bastard that he was.

Still, I have to wonder why they chose John Adams. He was a one-term President, and the election got rather ugly at a point. You think it's nasty today, but mudslinging really began with his election. Furthermore, when he was not reelected, he rather childishly refused to go to his successor's inauguration. As did his son, another one-term President. Throughout the series, you see him as a frustrated, ineffectual man, which seems to fit with the historical person, but it also makes you wonder why they chose him as a subject.