Bye House

It's been amazing eight seasons!

RIP Harry's Law

Another good series bit the dust. In one of her recent tweets, Kathy Bates (Harry Korn) announced that Harry's Law would not be coming back for a third season. What a dumb move.

Harry's Law is--or, was-- NBC's latest legal drama-comedy (or, dramedy) created by David E. Kelly, who is the master mind behind the whole string of legal dramas we've seen so far on TV (The Practice, Boston Legal, Ally McBeal). It features an Oscar-winning actress Bates as the House, or the Sheldon, or the Barney, of the series, and a bunch of new faces, such as Brittany Snow (Jenna Backstorm), Nathan Corddry (Adam Branch) and Christopher McDonald (Tommy Jefferson). The first season comprises of thirteen episodes, which essentially tells a transition story of bored-to-death, former-patent-lawyer Korn opening up her own shoe-store-cum-law-practice in one ghetto neighbourhood in Cincinnati, Ohio. Granted Korn falls short of the magnetic charisma of House or Sheldon in their respective series, but nonetheless, Bates' portrayal of the curmudgeon lawyer who has a penchant for shooting quails is pretty delightful.

At the start of the second season, the show decided to toss up its cast by dropping Snow and Aml Ameen (Malcolm Davies) and introducing other new pretty (perhaps prettier?) faces, namely Karen Olivo (Cassie Reynolds), Mark Valley (Olli Richard), and from episode 16 onwards, Justine Lupe (Phoebe Blake). All of these aimed at bringing in more younger viewers, which the show desperately needed. Apparently in the US the deciding demographic that determines whether a show remains on the air is that of 18-49. It has something to do with the idea of it being the age group with has the most purchasing power, and since the network gets its money through its ads spaces, the higher the 18-49 ratings, the more willing the ads companies are to pay a higher price for the spaces, and therefore the more likely that a show would remain on the air. 

Sadly for Harry's Law, despite being the most viewed scripted show on NBC, pulling in an average of seven to eight millions viewers each week, and despite Bates' obtaining an Emmy nomination and Paul McCrane's (Puck Peyton) winning an Emmy for their respective performance in the first season, the 18-49 ratings have not improved enough to keep it on the air. Most of Harry's Law's loyal followers happen to be older. 

It is sad because I actually think that this is a good show, and not in anyway worse than the fas-and-critic-favourite The Good Wife (which Raj once mentions in TBBT as his new Grey's Anatomy)--although I have to say Harry's Law's attempts to appeal to the 18-49 demographic have been so in-your-face, that sometimes it is ridiculous, if not patronising. It is definitely much better than Shonda Rhimes' latest baby Scandal.

In the episode The Contest, Korn told Branch that: "And you know what else? I may be sixty, I may be short, but I'm damn hot! I sizzle in fact! And I want to win this competition. May be the equivalent to lawyers' wet T-shirt contest? I don't care. I want to get the news out there. The law offices of Harry Korn: we're sexy, we're hip, and we're hot!" after previously commenting that the 'people' think that they're 'fuddy-duddy'. 

In the last episode The Whole Truth, in a scene where Korn is forced to get out of bed at 6 a.m. (what's the purpose of this scene?), she grumbled: "It sucks getting old. I miss the time when I was in the age of eighteen and forty nine." Also, in a concluding scene of this episode, where Korn, Jefferson, Branch and Blake were sitting together drinking, Korn commented "Some days I don't know whether I'm gonna make it, but today... *one by one they held each others hands* *cue music with lyrics: /cause you're all I need/and I can't do this alone/stay with me/stay with me*". 

Nonetheless, it is really sad that the show is almost over. There were some really great highlights, such as: Jean Smart (Rosseana Remmick) being the draconian DA we all love to hate, the testimony in Sins of the Father which led the judge to declare prosecutorial misconduct, the cross-examination by Korn in Purple Hearts which stirred a confession from a nurse for a murder of a baby, and the Jefferson's auto-tuned version of a confession which he sneakily caught on tape. The show combines a healthy dose of lightheartedness with moments of moralising which give us the much-needed catharsis at the end of the episodes.

Of course, Kelley could have developed the character better, especially in the second season where more characters are introduced to the main cast, and there are times where I felt that the episodes abruptly ended where it did not feel like it was supposed to end there, but no show is perfect (with an exception of Grey's, TBBT and Modern Family), and I thought--and think--NBC should have given Harry's Law another shot, and instead of focusing so much on the 18-49 ratings. RIP Harry's Law. Can't wait for season finale next week!

Watching ABDC 2012 Week 5

ABDC is such a great show. I have not really been following the series for a couple of seasons, but this season I'm hooked. First and foremost, of course I am wrong about my opinions of the show or some of the crews featured. And of course, I am biased--that's the whole point of writing about your POV on something, isn't it? But disclaimer aside, this season's diversity of talent is insane. Granted, I did not see some of the previous seasons, which could have had some amazing stuff which my ignorant self is not aware of, but what makes this season exciting for me is that the talents are not as gimmicky as I thought they would be. Or at least some of them.

Before I forget, DJ Pauly D, whatever his name was: so unnecessary. They try to hype it up so much, given that this week was J.Lo's week, but I really don't think it's necessary. Lowest part of the show: Lil Mama's commentary. I cannot bring myself to listen to her--I've tried--and it's not only because of what she said. Funniest part of the show: when JC succumbed to following the crowd dancing the J.Lo signature dance thing. You could totally see his thought bubble: "Really? Urgh, F*ck it. *follows the crowd*". 

Anyway, obviously, MWC is the crowd's favorite, and I think that they are most solid dance crew on the series: they have some of the best choreography, some of the best dancers, and they win over their fans by their impeccable dancing, not so much by gimmicks. While RNG is strong on choreography as well, what makes MWC the one to watch is that they can execute their choreography flawlessly. Meanwhile it feels like RNG pack too much of a good thing in too short a period of time sometimes, which makes them look a teeny bit sloppy. But RNG are comprised of children, so perhaps anatomically speaking, they are already at a disadvantage. Nonetheless, I thought their piece this week was awesome, even better than last week's with the whole reverse concept thing. I am not particularly a fan of MWC's piece this week, and come to think of it, it seems that this crew is suffering from the problem of peaking way too soon in the season. Their debut piece was the best one, probably in the entire season, and they have not been able to top it off since--granted, now the show imposes ridiculous 'challenges' and assigns at-time-WTF tracks which more-often-than-not do not help this crew, or any crew for that matter, to achieve their best. 

Electrolytes this week is very entertaining. The theatrics worked. It is incredibly hard to incorporate a story line into a dance piece, and I thought they did that brilliantly. This has been the downfall of the FP this season, I believe, because while FP are known for their theatricality and such, they did so at the expense of shortening their choreography moment in their piece, so much so that it appears that there isn't much dancing in their pieces. Of course, dancing is so much more than displaying choreography or pulling off stunts, but in a competition, one's got to bring out the goods, and mere acting is often less than appreciated. Perhaps if the camera angle is good, the FP's story lines/concepts would come across better to the TV audience, i.e. voters, but so far it has not worked in their favour. That is why this week, FP pulled all stops to showcase their dance choreography, their concept and their fulfilling of the challenge, and they did much better than they did in previous weeks. Thing is, for this crew, when they got artists like Madonna and J.Lo, they should have ripped. it. apart. (pull stops for emphasis!), you could hear the crack on your TV screens, but I think they have yet to reach that potential. And I really want to like FP more than I actually do, but sad to say, I think they are riding more on their established reputation and their supposed potential in surviving on the show, than on their performances. 

The dark horse this season is 8F, and they are lethal machines. They say the best gifts come in small packages, and in this case they come also in eight flavours. This crew is the perfect blend of street dance (I won't say hip hop) and gymnastics (I won't say contemporary/jazz since they mostly, if only, use it for stunts). They really have good odds of winning the season because one, they are killing it each week someone should really have them arrested (save for may be last week, but that's a whole another story); two, they have a great back story (i.e. eight munchkins overcoming the distance to dance together and Angel's mum passing); and three, we have yet to see the best of them. I think 8F still have a couple of tricks up their sleeves that they are saving for the last lap of the season. One, two, three, and bam! A magic formula that will take them to the very end. 

Speaking of back stories, the reason why 8F are winning people over is that their story is not one that has been relentlessly flaunted on the show for seasons, so much so that the audience are practically numbed by it, i.e. one that's about dancers struggling to make ends meet, living off the streets with parents who are disapproving of their career of choice, or one about injured dancers fighting to not let their crews down. Not that I want to trivialise these issues--they are real and serious issues--but we have seen it one too many times on the show that we are used to it (or may be just me?). If you're a someone who has chosen street dance as a career, chances are you are not going to be wining and dining at some fancy restaurant or driving a Jaguar, at least not until some producer wants you to star in the next Step Up movie. But in exchange, you've got a good body, friends which you can call family and the joy of doing something you love. So, you win some, and you lose some.

Anyway, the results so far have been justified, I think, first they kicked out the foreigners (voters putting the A in ABDC), then the crew with gimmicks as their main selling point (as in the case of SB, which I could not stand, putting the B in ABDC), and now the real popularity contest begins: which crew is the most exciting one that even though they are not the best dancers, they are the best at putting on a show for the viewers (which is a plausible interpretation of ABDC, I guess)? I think MCW would come out in the end as the winner, although I hope they keep 8F and FP till the end because I'm just curious about what they would do with the challenges and how they would react to the development of the show thus far: for 8F, with Angel's coming back to join the force, and for FP, their retaliation after having been thrown to the bottom two weeks in a row now. Exciting much! 

Foodlocker

How many ways can you spell 'unagi'? 

Gayest xiao long pao ever! Garlic, Ginseng, Crab egg, Szechuan, Black truffle, Cheese, Foia gras and Original in the centre!

Spirit

About two days ago I went to visit my grandmother--my ailing grandmother who is now struggling to maintain her lucidity. I was told by my dad, but mostly by my mum, of episodes where she behaved less than a quarter her age. She is now eighty three years old, and I believe, personally, that she is suffering from mild Alzheimer's--although (no) thanks to the conservative thinking of everybody else in the family, she is judged to be merely senile. 

Nonetheless, she has recently been assigned a care-taker to look after and watch over her every need, even though the fact that the care-taker let my grandmother out of the house with pink eye shadow speckled all around my her eyes makes me shake my head little. This is an eighty-three year-old who in her prime has mothered four sons and two daughters, and used to run a Nazi-efficient operation in the kitchen each time the family came together to celebrate Chinese New Year, birthdays and the like. She used to be revered and feared as the matriarch of the family. And this omnipotent, despotic image was one that I know all my life. Since my grandfather passed away when I was too little to remember any encounter that I may (or may not) have with him, to me, my grandmother had always been atop the family tree. So, to see what her both her physical and mental capacities had been diminished to, when I saw her the other day, was truly incredible. 

Another sad news: one of my grandaunts just passed away, at the age of 52. Since I had a very vague recollection of who she was (apparently I used to see her a lot when I was young), truth be told, I was not particularly distressed. Nevertheless, two days ago my parents brought me and grandmother to pay a visit to my granduncle's to show our condolences. My granduncle lived in a humble area where the government built a strip of hostels for the army. When we arrived, we saw him sitting alone with a newspaper in one hand and a bowl of soup in the other, and after an exchange of pleasantries (which was awkward for me because I could not decide whether to call him 'granduncle', or just 'uncle', as I hardly knew the man), we sat down in the concrete-floored, spartanly furnished porch, just escaping the sting of the unforgiving midday sun--although the heat swallowed us up like a fat boy eats cake. Anyhoo, listening to these grown-ups talking about my late grandaunt and the miscellanea that ensued really made me realize how much I had been cut off from all these home/family stuff. 

I learnt that for quite a while I had been missing all these family rites, which I knew for sure I would have taken for granted had I been around all this while--'missing' in the sense that I was not there to experience them, not that I had sentimental yearning to be participate in them. I realized that I had been living away from my family for almost eight years now, and for those 'almost eight years' I had not been brought by my parents, by bribe, trickery, blackmail, or otherwise (I hate family functions!), to attend any of these vicissitudes of communal living. Just be clear, I did not resent coming over to meet my granduncle.

It also then made me realize how much my thought process had deviated from the people here back home. Disclaimer: I neither frown upon those people who cling closely to their superstitious/spiritual beliefs, nor do I think that my reason-based philosophy is superior to that of the former. It was intriguing to me how my granduncle relied on his belief/faith so much in processing his grief. He told this guests that he believed that my grandaunt's spirit was still with him. According to his religion (for the sake of avoiding controversy, it shall not be named), my grandaunt's spirit would still be around until the fortieth day after the date of her passing, and within this period there were certain protocols that my granduncle had to follow to ensure that my grandaunt's spirit could move on peacefully--one of which was to pay off all of her outstanding debts, no matter how small the amounts were, and irrespective of whether the creditor was willing to release the debts ex gratia. Moreover, my aunt, who joined us halfway through, believed that she had actually seen signs of the eventual preluding my grandaunt's passing, such as how my grandaunt became bashful when asked about her health, and how she snored nights before her passing.

I felt really sorry for their loss, not because I knew my grandaunt well--or my granduncle, or my aunt for that matter--but because from the passion and vividness with which they told these stories, I could tell how much my grandaunt was loved by her family, and how greatly she was going to be missed. 

My aunt also told us that the local community just finished building a place of worship (note the censorship) in the area, and that they agreed to name it after my grandaunt. Suddenly, a smile came to her face. She believed that through the good deeds performed in and around the sacred place, good karmic return would flow to benefit my grandaunt in heaven. It really hit me when I saw the totality in which my aunt held onto her belief and her god. Even though I thought that I had brought myself back into believing in my God, I was not sure that the confidence which I had now in mine was anywhere near my aunt's in hers. 

My torrid love-hate affair with God began when I was seventeen, and one of the many people that I turned to in order to find the answer was Julia Sweeney. I watched her TED talk some years back, and it got me started to re-think and re-evaluate my view of God and religion. And happy accident: last night that I managed to get my hands on the full version of her talk, titled Letting Go of God, all thirteen parts of them, which lasted for two good hours. Just for the record, she is an excellent speaker. 

Sweeney was born and raised Catholic, and growing up she had more an affinity toward Catholicism and nun-hood than do a typical teenager toward alcohol and porn. Later on she enrolled in a bible study group, which turned out to be nothing she had initially bargained for. She found the bible inconsistent, incongruous and incoherent: like how there were two versions of the creation of Adam and Eve; how in the Sodom-and-Gomorrah story Lot offered his daughter, in lieu of the two angles who had come to visit him, to be raped by a mob outside his house (the mob initially demanded for the angles which had taken the form of two male humans); or how Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son belies our instinctive and modern standard of ethics. Moreover, according to Sweeney, the New Testament did not show much improvement: Jesus appeared to be impatient and angry most of the times, and St. Paul's sexist view on women did not help to win Sweeney over either.

So, after all of that, Sweeney tried to find God elsewhere. She turned to Buddhism, but was terrified at the sight of a mother somewhere in Bhutan who callously said that she did not feel sorry for her son's deformity because she believed that it was justly caused by karmic retribution. To her, the god that encouraged that could not possibly be her God. She then turned to nature, but when she saw a Blue-footed Booby's brain being pecked clean by its stronger sibling in the course of natural order of things, she concluded God could not be nature either. She even turned to Deepak Chopra, consciousness and quantum mechanics, but based on her findings, they all panned out to be horseshit. Ultimately, she turned to science, through which she found out that man could stimulate the brain to artificially create a visceral encounter with the spiritual, which of course cheapened the notion of spiritual encounter with God. This was the last straw. 

At this point, Sweeney was ready to break up with God. This was an experience where she imagined that an aged, white-bearded man was sitting right outside her house refusing to go away. Sweeney reasoned with the old man, and after much cajoling and abandoning, he finally left. Subsequently, she told her devout-Catholic parents that she did not believe in God anymore. This, coupled by an expose splashed in local paper where her parents lived, labeling her an atheist, her father went ballistic. He was so angry that he even said that he wished she had told him that she was gay instead, because that would at least be socially accepted. Nevertheless, time healed all wounds, and Sweeney ultimately managed to make amends with her parents. 

One of the most beautiful things that I saw in her talk was the realization she had at her father's funeral: 

I look at the altar through my father's eyes, and it was rich and beautiful. I was baptized in this very church when I was one week old, and in so many real ways, I will never stop being Catholic. I mean, Christianity has helped shape my brain. It seems inevitable to me, that after all this searching, I have return to the Catholic church. I unexpectedly am right back where I started, surprised like Dorothy back from Oz. 

After all when I left the Catholic church, I did not realize that I would be giving up on God altogether. I just thought that I would find another church that would make more sense to me. May be this time, it would be more meaningful somehow, because I wouldn't be debating all the time, about what I believed and didn't believe. I would know that I just didn't believe in any of it.  

I mean, after all, may be objective reality is not the most pleasant prism through which we can view this world. And may be, by using fantasy, we can allow ourselves to glimpse at something greater than what we otherwise would be able to. Let's face it: truth is such a poor competitor in a marketplace full of ideas, and the love and the community and this church are real, and potent. Even if God isn't. 

To me, this seems to be such a painful reconciliation, worse than what I have ever had. Perhaps it is because I never took God and religion as seriously as did Sweeney with hers. And perhaps my relationship with God was, is, and can never be, as potent as I want it to be because of that. Unlike Sweeney--at least for now--I am okay with leaving the true existence of God to chance. I am okay even if deep down, as much as I do not want to, I still think that my belief is simply a protective psychological construct with which I process the not-so-great things that come my way. All I know is when the going gets tough, and I pray, I feel better. And so, given the pathetic state of my relationship with God, as much as I want it to be the opposite of that, this is good enough for me--at least for now.