Thoughts on Nikki & Nora:
Thanks, ladies! I love my money, too. Especially when I can spend it on something worthwhile like Nikki & Nora.
On October 18th, my faux bro and I attended the screening of N&N at Raleigh Studios here in Los Angeles. It was part of the perk package for the successful crowdfunding campaign and we were able to view it with other contributors, as well as the cast and crew.
Congratulations, Christin, Nancylee, Liz, and Christina! You really do have something special: )
Now, as someone (for better or worse) who was born/raised/lives/works in the once-thriving entertainment capital of the world, I am not at all unfamiliar with the filming process. Production snafus, scheduling conflicts, creative differences, rough cuts, etc. are all par for the course. It doesn’t throw me. But I can fully appreciate how those of you who are not acquainted with this business might be a little bit baffled by the delays.
Let me tell you that it takes A LOT of time, A LOT of energy, and A LOT of money to put a show together. It doesn’t happen overnight, over a week, over a month, and often over a year. If you’re expecting a high-gloss, big budget extravaganza... um, nope. If you want quality, you need patience. A LOT of patience. And this show is most deserving of that patience for multiple reasons -- the main one being the relationship between Nikki Beaumont and Nora Delaney.
We were asked not to share spoilers and I will honor that request. I can tell you that I am pleased with what I have seen so far. It is sweet, funny, charming, and it depicts a loving, mature relationship between two contemporary adult human women.
Please reread the prior sentence a few times for the weight of it to sink in -- this is what victory looks like!
When the two leads (portrayed by the riveting Liz & Christina) kissed, and kissed again, neither one of them sprouted wings or fangs or fetuses. They didn’t smoke crack, run back to the bed of a man, or end up behind bars with Crazy Eyes. And, best of all, they didn’t throw themselves off of the top of the Superdome!
Yes, there is still work to be done. Yes, we have to wait for December 22nd until we see the finished product. Yes, this is progress! Please be sure to check it out along with the other great offerings from Tello:
For those of you who still wish to beg for and swallow the subtext crumbs of network programming, open up your calendars and look at the date: 2013 is almost over. The POTUS and the SCOTUS have seen the light. Isn’t it high time for Hollywood to do the same?
Unless you're perfectly happy with pouty teens and horny monsters, isn’t it time you as a marginalized audience demanded more? The squeaky wheel gets the grease or water-based lube. Use your voice – both written and verbal, use your remote control, and ultimately use the power of your purse/wallet like I did. Because this show isn’t a tiny crumb but the whole freaking baguette AND a bag of beignets; )
And that brings us to...
Thoughts on Rizzoli & Isles:
Sigh to the nth power: (
Where, oh where, do we begin with this Hindenburg? Okay, let's start off with why I took such a long break with my Self Control fanfic and why (against better judgement) I decided to resume until its completion. You see, I was ready to post a new chapter months ago but then Angie Harmon opened up her mouth and bon mots like "that demo" and "I am the man..." came spewing out.
That made me seriously wonder why I wanted to continue giving free publicity to a show which played (and continues to play) us for chumps. With the exception of some flattering comments and the occasional beverage of my choice, there was certainly no financial incentive for me to continue writing about it in any form.
And then the tragic suicide of Lee Thompson Young (Barry Frost) happened. He didn't die of cancer. He wasn't killed in a car crash. The man willing chose for whatever reason to blow his freaking brains out. Ask those of us who work in the medical profession how we truly feel about this. The response isn't pretty but that is another post for another time with large quantities of alcohol and/or chocolate involved.
Finally, Janet Tamaro getting Theresa Rebecked right out the door was the coup de grace. Despite her extremely repellent attitude and my massive disagreement with the direction she took R&I in after the first season, I am never overly thrilled when a woman in Hollywood is plowed under. It makes it that much harder for the rest of us. And if y'all are naive enough to believe this signals the dawning of maintext for Jane and Maura... hahahahaha!
There is so much bad juju enshrouding this show now, not even the miracle team of Shonda Rhimes, Steven Spielberg, and Jesus Christ could save R&I. Whomever they get to replace Tamaro will most likely maintain the current death spiral for the next season or two until they can successfully spin it off into "Major Boston Crimes" or some similar shit without the two leading ladies who are undoubtedly counting down the days until their contracts expire.
RUN, SASHA, RUN!!!
Now, you may be wondering why I am even bothering at this point. I no longer watch the show. I have a full-time, high-stress job. I want to pursue original creative endeavors in the very near future.
Yet, I find myself back at the keyboard because a.) I promised I would finish it; b.) some of you are tenacious bitches who won't leave me the fuck alone; and c.) despite all of the recent dinky, incremental progress the L and B in LGBT have made on screen, first-season Jane and Maura still represent the ideal most of us are seeking in our virtual representation.
Hooray for Orange Is the New Black! Huzzah for Orphan Black! Three cheers for The Fosters! Great shows that have helped the cause tremendously. But we're still looking at large ensembles, secondary characters, and muted displays of romantic affection.
Unfortunately, too many other shows have gotten away with dangling an interesting LGBT character out there only to have her suddenly die, disappear, or scamper back to Straightsville. Um, we are way beyond this now.
Shows like Once Upon a Time and Chicago Fire learned the hard way not to piss off this segment of their fan base or throw tired old tropes at us. Thankfully, they corrected course to an extent. All of this goes to prove that we indeed have a say in how we are portrayed if we are expected to patronize a show with our eyeballs and our pocket change. And please don't forget that!
I personally consider 2013 to be a turning point, not just politically or socially, but where we can point to a show like R&I and scream, "don't do that!" and then point to a show like the above mentioned ...Black or N&N and finally say, "please, do more of that."
