TODAY: WORLD AIDS DAY 2013

CLICK HERE for more information from AIDS.gov.

CLICK HERE for an excellent post on the JOE MY GOD blog about AIDS activism history.

CLICK HERE for a direct link to the image gallery mentioned in the post above.

CLICK HERE for an archive of topical articles from The Advocate.

CLICK HERE for a list of Massachusetts state resources.

CLICK HERE for information specific to health insurance coverage under MASSCare.

TV REVIEW: THE MICHAEL J. FOX SHOW [NBC]

IN TWEET: MICHAEL J. FOX RETURNS TO HIS TV ROOTS IN A CHARMING NBC SERIES. IT’S ONE OF THE FEW NEW FALL COMEDIES THAT WORKS.

Full disclosure: my dad has Parkinson’s so it’s a subject matter that hits pretty close to home. He also has a killer sense of humor and would be the first person to tell you to leave your pity and platitudes at the door. It’s a mindset I find both refreshing and inspirational. That’s why it’s especially nice to see a major television network give a vote of confidence to a series that could help destigmatize the disease.

If you’re avoiding THE MICHAEL J. FOX SHOW (Thursdays at 9:30PM E/P on NBC with next day streaming on Hulu) because you think it’s going to be a Parkinson’s pity party, you can rest easy. It’s anything but. If, however, you have yet to tune in solely because you’re worried about being uncomfortable watching Fox, that’s a real shame. This charming series is one of the few new sit-coms that generates any real laughs.

Fox plays Mike Henry, a popular New York news anchor who retired after his condition became too much of a distraction on air. He wasn’t forced into mothballs. It was a decision he made following an embarrassing “rolling chair” incident during a live broadcast.

Now a stay-at-home dad, Fox is driving his family up a wall. What he sees as innocent attempts to encourage his wife and kids to eat a meal together or enjoy some quality bonding time, end up going over like lead balloons. They love him but prefer a “less is more” approach to familial togetherness.

After some backdoor maneuvering by his wife Annie (Betsy Brandt) and Harris Green, his hilarious lothario of a former boss (Wendell Pierce), Mike reluctantly heads back to his old TV stomping ground. Brandt and Pierce do uniformly excellent work here. Neither overplays it and both create endearing characters. It’s especially fun to watch Pierce cut loose in a major departure from his signature roles in THE WIRE and TREME.

It’s also a nice touch that the key players look and dress like real people. Sure, they’re a well off family living in New York City but their environs feel authentic and appropriately lived in. For a show with three younger actors in lead roles (the Henry children), there is admirable restraint in the "precocious kid" department. This isn’t FULL HOUSE with Parkinson’s. Thank goodness for small screen favors.

The “talking to camera” structure will feel familiar to MODERN FAMILY viewers but things are much more grounded here and less self-conscious. The creators aren’t taking a screwball approach to the proceedings. Production values are exceptional for a single camera comedy with nice use of outdoor city locations and real NBC studio space.

THE MICHAEL J. FOX SHOW feels like a warm down comforter with some added loft via a front and center depiction of day to day life with Parkinson’s. This is a show that earns its frequent laughs and feels like it has long term potential if it can find an audience. It definitely deserves one.

RONTHINK GRADE: B+

OPINION: VISIT MOUNT DOUCHEMORE!

IN TWEET: LET’S DEDICATE A NEW NATIONAL MONUMENT TO GRIDLOCK AND GOVERNMENT BY EXTORTION, COURTESY OF THE GOP.

What better way to “celebrate” the temper tantrum that is the current GOP-orchestrated shutdown of the government than immortalizing four of the key players that got us here? After all, future generations should have a striking visual reference to point to when their children ask: “Mommy and daddy, what was the Republican Party and who was responsible for killing it?”

I would suggest erecting Mount Douchemore in a gerrymandered district of the United States. Select an abandoned swath of land after the strip mining operation leaves town and fund the venture with a special tax levied on the estate of the Koch Brothers (once they kick off, of course).

The first image carved must be of Ted Cruz. After all, his ego is already massive and he’s a monumental asshole…just ask his law school compadres. People say Cruz is smart but that’s like saying a chicken with its head cut off is a fast runner. Sure it is…until it finally drops dead. Ted Cruz cares about one thing: Ted Cruz. He’s not on some damn fool idealistic crusade here. He really thinks he has a shot at being President. As scary as that prospect might be for those of us who don’t live in the Fox News Bubble, I sincerely hope the GOP hands him the nomination in 2016.

Next up: Speaker of the House John Boehner. He’s derisively referred to as John “Boner” but that incorrectly give this flaccid guy credit for having political wood. He doesn’t…even on a good day. A wet noodle has more stamina and staying power. Boehner never met a fight he didn’t run screaming from like a whiny bitch and every time one of the wackadoos from the Tea Bagger sect says “Jump, Johnny.” Boehner says “How high?” Then he cries.

The third slot on Mount Douchemore is reserved for Eric Cantor. When he isn’t looming over Boehner’s shoulder like one of those terrorists you see holding a gun to the head of a hostage in a ransom video, Eric Cantor is talking. In fact, give this colossal ass hat a microphone and he will verbally masturbate himself until everyone within earshot is sticky from the massive discharge of jerk juice. I can think of no other member of the GOP who can look as dickish as Cantor does simply by putting on his glasses and showing up.

Finally, Mount Douchemore wouldn’t be complete without the visage of the guy who runs the party: Rush “Oxycodone” Limbaugh. No offense to that little gerbil Reince Priebus, but Captain Fat Ass is the real Grand Poobah of the GOP. Every weekday, Rush anchors himself to a berth in his radio studio and spews three hours of pure comic gold. Oh, his devotees believe anything and everything he says as if it was gospel truth. Of course, the rest of us know it’s almost as big a steaming pile of bullshit as Rush is himself.

Though she didn’t make the cut for a slot on the monument, when Michelle Bachmann isn’t needed on the mothership, she  will be  the Head Docent and one of several rotating GOP heads that pop up from the holes in the live “Whack A Righty Mole” attraction. Gimme my mallet! Bam! Bam! Bam!

When all is said and done, a party that has no respect for the People certainly deserves none in return. The GOP has shown nothing but contempt for the President and the Democratic Process as a whole. Meanwhile, the Affordable Care Act remains the law of the land and the exchanges are open for business. See what all the GOP foot stomping is about by visiting HEALTHCARE.GOV. Remember: every time you click, you hit the GOP with the Obamacare stick. Thwap!

TRIBUTE: VALERIE HARPER

IN TWEET: VALERIE HARPER ANNOUNCES SHE HAS TERMINAL BRAIN CANCER. JOIN RONTHINK FOR A CELEBRATION OF HER AMAZING LIFE.

 

Growing up in the 70’s meant coming of age during a comedy renaissance on television. It was an era of major social upheaval; a decade that laid the foundation for the modern chapters of the civil rights movement, fueled the second wave of the feminist movement and gave real momentum to the fight for gay rights and marriage equality.

 

ALL IN THE FAMILY, GOOD TIMES, THE JEFFERSONS, SANFORD AND SON, CHICO AND THE MAN, MAUDE, THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW and RHODA were sit-coms that also held a mirror up to society. Through these now iconic series, once taboo or little discussed subjects like race relations, the plight of the poor, divorce, rape, homosexuality and women in the workplace  were suddenly broadcast into living rooms across the country. From controversial episodes like the Maude’s (Bea Arthur) decision to get an abortion (a TV first, to this day) to the attempted rape of Edith (Jean Stapleton) on ALL IN THE FAMILY, comedy in the 1970’s could indeed be very dramatic.

 

The territory covered by THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW and spin-off RHODA was decidedly on a more sunny side of the topical street but no less important. In both series the central characters were smart, single career women. They were also close friends who certainly dated quite a bit but were never defined by men or reduced to pathetic man hunters. Rhoda, played by Valerie Harper, also happened to be Jewish. VERY Jewish; something quite ordinary behind the scenes in Hollywood but still surprisingly rare on television at that time. Rhoda did eventually get married (in the spin-off) and also divorced, another taboo topic off the no-no list.

 

Watching many of these shows now, it’s almost shocking to see how freely topics that we still grapple with were discussed with a frankness and honesty that would probably not clear the S&P process today. Hearing Archie Bunker call someone a “fag” on ALL IN THE FAMILY or an episode of THE JEFFERSONS where the word “nigger” is bandied about would have many people in a tizzy if they aired tonight. Of course, those shows were expertly written and well-cast with talented folks who knew how to stoke controversy without exploiting it.

 

Valerie Harper was part of something special. A creative revolution of sorts, the likes of which we may never see again on the major broadcast networks. Harper announced yesterday that she has leptomeningeal carcinomatosis, a rare and terminal form of brain cancer. She believes she has as little as three months to live. It was devastating news for friends of Harper’s and fans like me.

 

While the news from Harper is indeed sad, she is still with us and has already amassed a body of work worth celebrating. I’ve pulled together a collection of links to great articles and posts that do just that along with one of my favorite full episodes of the spin-off RHODA (from Hulu). Note to to TV trivia buffs…run a stop watch during the opening credits of the series and try to find any modern TV show that would be afforded the same luxury of time.

 

CLICK HERE to visit Valerie Harper’s official website.

 

CLICK HERE to tour Los Angeles with Harper as your guide (from LA Magazine).

 

CLICK HERE to re-live some of Harper’s best television moments (from The Daily Beast).

 

CLICK HERE for a retrospective of Harper’s life before and after RHODA, in her own words (from The Washington Post)

 

CLICK HERE to buy Harper’s new book I, RHODA (from Amazon.com)

 

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