Summer of Excitement: Work Wedding - [a case of the summer]

Much like last year, this summer's first installment of Summer of Excitement is kicking off with a wedding!

However, while last year's wedding was a celebration for a long time friend from high school, this year's festivities were for a a work friend that I made only a couple of years ago.  And it was a really great time!  Ironically, it was at the very same place that the last wedding I went to (in October) -- right down to the same cocktail area and ballroom.  Small world, eh?

The wedding, of course, was lovely.  And it was really great to get to hang out and let loose with my work friends.  Because I work so far from my home (about an hour or so), I can never have more than a couple of drinks when we go out after work.  So it was nice to not have to worry about how I was going to get home or anything (I stayed at the hotel).  Unfortunately, I didn't feel like I got drunk, though!

Oh, and for some reason or another, my friends at work are a tad younger than I am (usually in the range of 23-27).  And trust me, they bring that up whenever the opportunity presents itself.  Yet who was the last man standing at the end of a full day and night of drinking and dancing?  That's right, the 31 year old!

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Trending Topics: Alec Baldwin, GLAAD, and Senseless Violence - [a case of the summer]

So I tore apart a "celebrity" (generous title) in the first edition of Throwback Thursday, so why not discuss a super sensitive and somewhat controversial subject in the inaugural 2013 installment of Trending Topics?

TV Guide's website is reporting that Alec Baldwin apologized to GLAAD for the remarks he made on Twitter directed towards George Stark, the Daily Mail journalist who (seemingly erroneously) reported that Baldwin's wife was tweeting during James Gandolfini's funeral.  Here's what GLAAD had to say in response:

"Alec Baldwin is making it clear that the intent behind his tweets does not excuse his language, especially at a time when there were 11 incidents of violence against gay men in New York City just last month. As we all work to end such senseless acts of violence, allies like Baldwin are right to use these moments to reinforce support for the community and LGBT equality." - GLAAD's Vice President of Communications, Rich Ferraro

I certainly hope it goes without saying that bigotry of any sort is inexcusable.  And I want to be careful with how I phrase this, but does anybody else take issue with this response? 

Baldwin's original Twitter comment was, "I am gonna f%#@ you up. ... I'm gonna find you...you toxic little queen, and I'm gonna f——...you...up. ... I want all of my followers and beyond to straighten out this f---ing little bitch." Baldwin directed these threats to the reporter BY NAME.  I find it somewhat bothersome -- however understandable -- that somebody would even read that comment and be disturbed by the "queen" and "little bitch" portion.  I mean, the guy blatantly says he's going to FIND the reporter and mess him up.

And after making all of those comments, it's GLAAD that is owed the apology?  How so?  And for that matter, why would ANY organization go out and essentially say, "Well, that particular violent act wasn't directed at us, so all's good"? 

Again, bigotry is awful and I'm all for equal rights.  But an act of violence does not need to be a hate crime in order to qualify as being "senseless."

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Throwback Thursday: The 4400 Promicin Injection: Matt Basilo Interviews Joel Gretsch (10/3/07) - [a case of the summer]

Oh man, it's the first full week of this year's [a case of the summer] and I'm already REALLY behind.  But don't worry, there will be Trending Topics and Summer of Excitement installments later this week!  I promise!

However, since I made you guys wait til after 10:00 for the first edition of Throwback Thursday, I figured I might as well make it a juicy one.  So, let's take a look back to October 3, 2007, when I posted my interview with Joel Gretsch of USA's The 4400 on the Inside Pulse website.

Here's the original link, although I will reproduce the content below (my present day comments are within the parentheses and in bold italics):

http://insidepulse.com/2007/10/03/70255/

The 4400 Promicin Injection: Matt Basilo Interviews Joel Gretsch

On Thursday September 6th, I had the pleasure of talking to Joel Gretsch (this is the first lie of the interview.  It was an absolute horror, and that's because he was a terrible interview and a bit of a massive asshole as well.  You'll see why), who stars as Tom Baldwin on the hit USA series The 4400. The sci-fi series centers around 4400 people vanishing at various times and returning at all once from a ball of light. Through time, these returnees discover that they have extraordinary abilities.

As one of NTAC’s lead agents, Joel’s character has always played a vital role on the show. This season focuses on the government’s war on promicin, arresting anybody who takes the shot in order to acquire a special ability. Tom is at the forefront of this war, not only having to track down those who have used the shot, but also protecting his son, who has taken the injection.

---

Matt Basilo: First off, I hope that you have some good news regarding The 4400 being renewed for another season. I don’t know if you know that or not.

Joel Gretsch: I have no news. (great response.  Awesome insight)

MB: (Laughs) Well hopefully the news will be good when it comes in.

JG: Yeah.

MB: I’m sure there are some difficulties being a summer series, going on such a long hiatus, but it’s a true testament to the writing and acting that you guys can go on such a long break and still manage to maintain interest.

JG: Yeah, I concur.

MB: One thing I especially like this season is how they made the war on promicin a political/government issue. It rings very true to life.

JG: Yeah, good. (Are you noticing a trend?  That I'm asking these nice, long questions, and he's giving me one word answers?  HORR-OR!)

MB: Kind of like a war on drugs, and I don’t think that a lot of shows would think of putting it in that situation. What I’ve always liked about the show is the fact that there is great ensemble cast and really each of the characters are strong on their own, meaning that many main characters rarely ever interact with each other. Your character, on the other hand, is in the unique position of being closely connected with pretty much every person on the show. Are there any characters or actors you especially enjoy working with?

JG: Oh, boy, pretty much everyone. There’s not a person on the show, and I know this sounds overly optimistic but it’s true, that I don’t enjoy working with. It’s very enjoyable working with any one of them. (He finally gives more than a one word answer, and it's to give me a non-answer!)

MB: We’ve seen several aspects of Tom’s personality depending on the person he is interacting with. He’s a father figure to Shawn and Kyle, loyal friend to Diana, authority figure to Jordan. We don’t see that sort of range from a lot of the characters.

JG: Yeah. (Awesome)

MB: Here in the U.S., the show is currently on hiatus for the US Open. The last episode we saw was when Diana and Meghan discovered that Tom isn’t quite himself.

JG: Right.

MB: It looks like you’re having a lot of fun playing a more sinister character.

JG: Yeah, it’s always enjoyable. When you’re playing a bad guy, there’s always a lot more liberty to play more of a darker side (laughs). Yeah, it’s a lot of fun.

MB: It’s interesting that there are so many characters that you don’t know are good or bad, but your character was one of the few explicit “good guys,” and now you’re not so much, for the moment anyway.

JG: Yeah, well, it’s somewhat specific, because he’s one of the marked now. He’s changed, but I think that Tom Baldwin is genuinely a good guy.

MB: I also think its great that this possession happened just as Tom and Jordan were beginning to come to an understanding or respect each other a bit, and this puts a question mark on that.

JG: Yeah.

MB: Everyone on the show also has an extraordinary ability of some sort, is it difficult or frustrating playing a regular person?

JG: No, I always appreciated that he was a regular person.

MB: I guess it makes it easier to connect to some of your audience.

JG: Well, you know, it’s the delineation of choosing to take promicin to get an ability. You have to take the shot and take that risk. In a sense, it’s whether or not you need an ability. I’ve always appreciated the fact that Tom and Diana don’t have abilities.

MB: This season reminded viewers about Matthew Ross’ involvement with the show. When he was killed off last season, I felt like the writers really missed out on a great opportunity as there was a lot more that could have been done with his character. They’re obviously taking advantage of that now, with you.

JG: It’s true, you never know what they’re going to do until later.

MB: Unlike a lot of other shows that are surrounded by mystery, as a viewer, I really do get a sense that the writers do know where they’re going with the show, and it’s not just constant twists and additions to keep the viewers interested. They seem to really know where they want to take it.

JG: Yeah, I agree.

MB: That’s very comforting as a viewer.

JG: Right, right, I agree. (Thanks.  Glad we're having this talk, then)

MB: When we last left the show, it was the episode that Meghan and Diana figured out that Tom has been possessed. What can we expect from the rest of the season when it does return?

JG: Well, there’s going to be more of that, and there’s going to be a big reveal that will resolve that issue. There’s a lot that’s going to happen in the last few episodes.

MB: I’ve always felt that The 4400 really delivered in their season finales. I am definitely looking forward to this season’s final episode.

JG: Good. (Thanks!!)

MB: I especially liked season two’s finale, with Jordan’s return. I thought it was phenomenal.

JG: Oh good.

MB: I see that you’ve worked on quite a few different television shows. Was this your first show as a series regular?

JG: Yeah.

MB: Are there any future plans or projects that you’d like to share?

JG: Well, I have a part in National Treasure: Book of Secrets, which is coming out (I'm sure he was magnificent). So, yeah, we’re just waiting to hear about the future of The 4400.

MB: I’d be very disappointed if the show didn’t get picked up. I think it should be more than just a summer series, to be honest. (The show, unfortunately, did not get picked up.  THAT was disappointing.  The silver lining?  This guy was out of a job)

JG: Yeah, and I’m sure there are quite a few people who would agree with you on that.

MB: Well, hopefully enough. It’s a phenomenal show and everybody does a great job, from writing to acting.

JG: Well thank you, I agree.

MB: I think it’s great that you guys can avoid stretching out mythology to the point of frustration for the viewers, like with Lost. You guys maintain the mythology but have independent season story arcs to keep things fresh and interesting. (Notice I keep asking questions instead of letting the interview end.  It's because I'm holding out SOME hope that he'll give me something substantial to work with)

JG: Well, good.

MB: Thank you for taking the time to talk with me. Is there anything else you’d like to say?

JG: No, it was a pleasure talking to you too (now he's lying), and we’ll keep our fingers crossed and see what happens with the show.

MB: Well I look forward to the finale, you guys always do a great job.

JG: Fantastic.

(About two minutes after this interview ended, I got a phone call from the editor over at IP telling me that Joel Gretsch called his publicist and complained about the interview.  I had asked a question about Heroes -- which did not make the final draft -- that he did not appreciate.  Despite the fact that I all but said that Heroes was copying them.  That very same day I had an interview with his co-star, Chad Faust, who was an absolute pleasure to deal with.  He was talkative and actually seemed to appreciate a fan's perspective of the show.

Even before that, I had interviewed Patrick Flueger and Jenni Baird, both of whom were delights to interact with.  Jenni Baird, in particular, had asked me to interact with her again!  Following the finale, I reached out to the IP editor to see if we could set up another interview with her.  He told me probably not, because Gretsch had done such a number on me.  What a lovely guy, huh?)

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LIVE Raw thoughts - June 24, 2013

11:08 - GREAT win for Daniel Bryan!  Much deserved and I HOPE this means that WWE is serious about giving him a real push.  Great to see him get a big time win against a legit star and main eventer in the final segment of the show.

10:54 - I'm guessing somebody might get in trouble for that chairshot directly to the head.  Isn't that a no-no?  Especially with all of the recent head injuries?

10:32 - The WWE Championship Ladder Match is REALLY stacked.  Wondering who will be in the World Heavyweight Championship one.  Especially since half of the competitors (Sheamus, Orton, and Christian) are Smackdown guys.  I would have guessed Ryback and Jericho, but I guess they're fighting each other.  Big Show and Jack Swagger seem like obvious options, but who else?  Miz?  Cody?  Sandow?  Barrett?

10:22 - The match was fun, but the post-match attack seemed really awkward and (poorly) choreographed. But I really did enjoy the Curtis Axel save at the end.  Again, a fun new chapter added.

10:09 - Awesome, compelling story told by two awesome promo guys.  A great new layer to this storyline.

9:59 - Actually, I like the hair length.  The sideburns are just dreadful, though.  By the way, I appreciate this CM Punk history lesson.  WWE gets weird sometimes, where they just expect fans to know the intricate backstage relationships between certain personalities, and suddenly we're supposed to care about their betrayal.  The best example is Kevin Nash and Triple H.  Two guys who have NEVER been shown to be friends as television characters.  But we're supposed to know that they're best friends backstage, and we're supposed to care that one turns against the other.

9:45 - I would love for the Usos to get a legitimate push.  I don't think they should be the Shield -- not yet, anyway -- but I'd love to see them get a series of big wins over the rest of the tag team division.  WWE quite frequently pushes them strong, and then after two or so weeks has them job clean to Big Show in a handicap match.

9:43 - What is with Michael Cole constantly referring to things happening "a little bit ago"?

9:36 - At what point can we stop pretending that Mark Henry was constantly draped with championship gold?  This "the WWE Championship is the only title he never held" thing is REALLY heavy handed.  He was European Champion, ECW Champion, and World Heavyweight Champion.  Never Tag Team Champion.  Never Intercontinental Champion.  Never United States Champion.  Never even Hardcore Champion.  I'd say there were PLENTY of titles he never held.

9:29 - The criticism is probably overstated, but it's worth bringing up.  The severity and intensity of Mark Henry's attack is certainly impacted negatively when John Cena makes his first appearance by cracking jokes about selling his t-shirt.

9:24 - In a trend for what I've been saying all night, but where does Ryback go from here?  Payback was a bit of a transition where people's allegiances changed and feuds ended.  But really, only certain people got new storylines.  Cena moved from Ryback to Mark Henry....but what happens to Ryback?  Punk moved from Jericho to Lesnar....but what happens to Jericho?  Daniel Bryan is up to his own thing now, so what happens with Kane?

9:22 - SHOCKED that Khali is getting this much offense.

9:15 - It bothers me that Brad Maddox's tie is visible below his vest.  And it's kinda lame that Rock is on the cover of the new WWE game.

9:12 - Is Vickie even still a heel?  Shocked she still gets this sort of reaction considering she hasn't done anything explicitly bad in pretty much all of 2013.  Gotta love that they're doing ANOTHER fan voting for Bryan vs. Orton, since that worked SO WELL last time.

9:02 - Jericho is another guy that is sorta directionless right now.  I'm enjoying the Dolph Ziggler face turn (probably more natural for him anyway), but I'm wondering how they're going to formally separate him from AJ?  Which is disappointing, because I find them to be an entertaining pair.

8:54 - Why is JBL talking about how a count out win will allow Del Rio to retain the title?  Isn't this a non-title match?

8:46 - Oh, now you know this heel turn is for real.  Del Rio is back to wearing his black attire.  Well, since he's a heel, can he bring back his car entrance now?  And DEFINITELY dump the decidedly face "American Made" t-shirt.

8:31 - Still love AJ.  Although I find it extremely hard to believe that Layla could hold back Kaitlyn.  Curious that King brought up Layla's prior behavior as part of Lay-Cool.

8:26 - While I don't mind Punk growing his hair out (although I thought he looked cooler with the shaved head), I REALLY hate this Wolverine muttonchops thing he has going on.  Just grow the beard back, already.

8:16 - Thrilled that Christian's back, just wish he had some direction instead of just being tacked onto Sheamus' feud.  And, as always, I really wish they would do SOMETHING would Cody Rhodes.

8:03 - Since they're starting off the show with Daniel Bryan, I suspect he's going to have a semi-big role this episode.  Oh, and is he now OFFICIALLY a face, since he's back to wearing the "YES!" t-shirt?

8:00 - Will tonight's show continue last week's momentum?  Let's find out...

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[a case of the summer] 2013!

For the -- I think -- third year in a row, I'll be doing my [summer of excitement] series to keep things active on this blog during the summer months.  Like in past years, I'll keep some of the prior features while incorporating some new ones as well.  Since summer officially started yesterday, next week will be the first full week for each topic.  Here's what you have to look forward to (as well as a loose expectation of when it will be posted:

Trending Topics - As seen last year, this is just an opportunity for me to rant about any topic that's on my mind.  Maybe it'll be a review of a television show that I don't normally recap.  Maybe it'll be to complain about something going on in my life.  The sky's the limit!  To be posted Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday.
CLICK HERE TO READ LAST YEAR'S TRENDING TOPICS

Throwback Thursday - To steal from the popular trend that has taken over Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other forms of social media, this feature will have me reposting something from the past while offering my current insight on that topic.  To be posted Thursdays, obviously.

Summer of Excitement - This was one of the more difficult but enjoyable features of my [a case of the summer] series.  Frankly, at this stage of my life sometimes it's a lot of work to go out and find something fun to do.  Or it's simply that much easier to stay home and catch up on some rest.  I don't want that to happen, though.  So every week for the entire summer, I will make sure I do something that I either really enjoy, have never done before, or possibly scares me.  This is dubbed the Summer of Excitement.  To be posted Friday/Saturday/Sunday.
CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE SUMMER OF EXCITEMENT RECAP VIDEO

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LIVE Raw thoughts - June 17, 2013

11:06 - Wow, what a truly fantastic ending to Raw!  Loved Ziggler's surprise return and the solidification of his face turn (but, again, I'm curious what this means for AJ).  And while not completely unexpected, Brock Lesnar's appearance was a very nice surprise.  And, much like the Mark Henry segment earlier, while we all suspected what Brock was going to do.....we still sat there at the edge of our seats waiting to see what would actually happen.  Ultimately, he hit Punk with the F5 and solidified Punk's face turn as well.  And I am ecstatic to see Brock doing something with someone other than Triple H!

Overall, pretty thrilling Raw that seemed to change the course of the company (and I mean that in a good way).  There were a couple of hiccups -- I could've done without the Sheamus/Rhodes Scholars thing and there was a bit too much McMahon drama and I wish they had done a better job of spotlighting Daniel Bryan (so was the injury real or not?) but overall, really great stuff!

10:42 - So I guess we're not getting that epic John Cena vs. Daniel Bryan match at Money in the Bank?

10:34 - I just noticed....the Sin Cara mood lighting is back.

10:31 - While I've always been a fan of colored straps and customized championships, I am beginning to hope that the Intercontinental Championship returns to its classic black strap.  It seems a little "off" with every other championship on a black strap.  And really, only a handful of guys used the white strap back in the 80's and 90's.  Either that, or change ALL of the titles to a different colored strap.

10:20 - Wait, if he's going to leave one boot in John Cena's ass....then shouldn't he have three boots with him?

10:13 - I'm not over the moon about Mark Henry like many others are, but that was an utterly fantastic performance.  Extremely well done -- few people could have pulled that off.

10:09 - Would you have ever imagined a world where Mark Henry announced his retirement, and the crowd chanted "One More Match"??

10:01 - It's kinda odd.  The crowd wasn't even overwhelmingly anti-Cena.  Why is he baiting them?

9:50 - Hey, if it allows Cesaro to win some matches, I'm all for it.

9:43 - Honestly, I can't remember the last time the McMahon Family Drama has been the most entertaining or interesting part of the show.  I just have zero interest in seeing Triple H and Vince McMahon in a pissing contest.  Or Triple H and Stephanie McMahon intimidating people who fans are expected to pay to see fight.

9:37 - You gotta love this deep analysis the WWE announcers are giving regarding how difficult it is to defeat the same guy twice in a row......just one day after a 2/3 Falls Match.

9:27 - So, to sum it up, every single Diva on the roster is afraid of Stephanie McMahon.

9:24 - I sure hope Stephanie is being purposely ironic right now.  Or that AJ at least calls her out on her hypocrisy.

9:21 - Couldn't be happier to see AJ Lee as Divas Champion.  I am curious, though, what a Ziggler face turn might mean for AJ.

9:12 - Obviously, I really hope Daniel Bryan isn't actually injured.  But if he isn't, what an incredibly lame ending.

9:06 - I know most people were hoping for a 2/3 Falls Match, but the one upside of not doing that match is that, conceivably, Bryan could get a big win over an established star without having to eat a pinfall himself.

8:54 - I know a lot of people had issues with the Shield's "first" defeat happening on Smackdown, but I loved it.  People constantly complain that nothing ever happens on Smackdown (I insinuated such here).  When something significant does happen, you can't complain about it.  Sorry, you can't have it both ways.

8:48 - Could've done without the Triple H segment.  What was the benefit?  To show that Vickie Guerrero DOESN'T have any actual power?

8:46 - That is an epic still photo of Randy Orton.

8:38 - Happy Cody and Sandow won....but Cody still deserves better than this.

8:31 - Glad to see Christian get the win, but what does this mean?  What's his direction and motivation?  If Punk isn't eventually winning the World Heavyweight Championship, I personally would've preferred seeing Christian make his return during the opening segment to challenge Del Rio to a match instead.

8:22 - Solid opener, however I would've gone the full mile and had Punk vs. Del Rio for the World Heavyweight Championship.  Give Punk the win and finally give the World Heavyweight Championship a rub by making the champion a legitimate top star.  It would essentially be a "it was all a dream!" retcon, but perhaps that's what the product needs at the moment.

THRILLED to see Christian return, but I wish it was under more significant circumstances.

8:10 - Loved Punk's specialty gear last night.  Detest his hair and sideburns right now.

8:07 - I haven't done this in a while, but after what sounds like an AWESOME Payback I was actually looking forward to Raw tonight.  I missed the first couple minutes, but it looks like we're right in the midst of an Alberto Del Rio heel turn.

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WWE: Putting all their eggs in one basket

It's been a while since I've updated the blog (although I WILL be doing another "A Case of the Summer" feature over the next couple of months) so I thought I'd do a post about an observation I (and many others) have had over the past few years:  Basically, that WWE seems to be putting all of their eggs in one basket.

Once the brand extension found its footing, things seemed relatively level.  Whether it was the company's top stars, the World Championship, or the shows themselves, nothing ever seemed THAT much superior to their counterpart.

First, you had your top stars.  During this time period, the main event scene seemed pretty evenly divided between top stars like Stone Cold, Hulk Hogan, the Rock, Triple H, the Undertaker, Kurt Angle, and a handful of others.  I honestly cannot think of a period of time where you could say, "Wow, this guy was in the main event (that is to say, the last match of the night) for every single PPV for the past year or so."  One month Stone Cold vs. the Undertaker might be the featured feud.  Then it was Hogan vs. Triple H.  It seemed to shift around pretty regularly.

Even as new stars emerged, things seemed spread out pretty well.  Eddie Guerrero and Chris Benoit climbed up the ladder at the same time, as did Randy Orton and Edge and later John Cena and Batista.  And when Cena and Batista finally cemented their status as "THE" new top guys, for many years they seemed to be regarded as being at the same level.

And then there were the TV shows.  Sure, at first Raw was still TREATED as superior (with their announcers calling the PPVs) and Smackdown clearly had the superior roster.  But, again, once the dust settled things were treated pretty evenly.  Raw had Chris Benoit, while Smackdown had Eddie Guerrero.  Raw had Triple H, while Smackdown had the Undertaker.  Raw had John Cena, while Smackdown had Batista.  Raw had Randy Orton, while Smackdown had Edge.  Smackdown had Brock Lesnar while Raw had Goldberg.  And while both shows seemed to have a lengthy period where they'd usually close the show, it seemed like both Raw and Smackdown pretty evenly got highlighted as the main event of the night at PPVs.

Finally, there were the World Championships.  Initially, the WWE Championship seemed to be the "featured" title, with Brock Lesnar (of Smackdown) being the champion.  His matches seemed to close out the show while Triple H and the World Heavyweight Championship was your mid-show attraction.  Then the World Heavyweight Championship took center stage with Goldberg's arrival, Chris Benoit's rise to the top, and the ascension of Batista.  Things shifted to John Cena and the WWE Championship when he moved to Raw, but for quite some time things seemed to flip flop between the two titles.  Looking at the first six years of the brand extension, the WWE Championship closed WrestleMania at 19, 22, 23, and 25, while the World Heavyweight Championship main evented 20, 21, and 24.  This seemed fairly consistent with how the title was treated at other events as well.

But then, things changed.  While John Cena was once a handful of stars along with Batista, Orton, Edge, Triple H, and the Undertaker (amongst others), he's now regarded as THE star.  His angle is always the top angle, regardless of the stories, characters, or whether a championship is involved.  Even when somebody like CM Punk (who challenges him in every regard) emerges, John Cena remains the center of the show.  John Cena is unequivocally the center of the promotion, with guys like CM Punk and Sheamus behind him, and guys like Randy Orton, Alberto Del Rio, and Daniel Bryan even behind them.  But unlike any other time in the company's modern history, nobody is the counter to John Cena.

And then there's the show.  Consider this:  At one time Raw had Austin and Smackdown had Rock.  And now?  The company's two biggest stars (Cena and Punk) are both on Raw.  The guy currently getting the best crowd reactions (Daniel Bryan) is part of Raw as well.  The hottest new prospects -- the Shield -- are all members of Raw's roster.  And your big star part timers (Triple H and Brock Lesnar) are on Raw as well.  And who does Smackdown have?  A directionless Randy Orton, and a floundering Sheamus and Alberto Del Rio.  I award them bonus points for officially keeping Undertaker on that roster, even though 90% of his appearances happen on Raw.

This ties into the championship matter, but when's the last time Smackdown ended a PPV?  Admittedly, the WWE Championship isn't even guaranteed to close the show these days, but at least that title is treated like a big deal.  While each championship was treated as prestigious, the WWE goes right out and now says that the WWE Championship is THE most prestigious championship.  Sadly, the World Heavyweight Championship is typically relegated to opening match honors.

So why did WWE go from trying to keep things even steven to suddenly deciding that John Cena stands alone as the biggest star, Raw is undoubtedly the superior brand, and the WWE Championship is unequivocally the most prestigious championship in all the land?  What changed?  And what's the benefit?

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A Case of the.... Arrested Development - Season 4

I was a little late to the Arrested Development party.  I never watched it during its initial run on Fox.  It wasn't until I got a new laptop a couple of years later, and the entire series (with brief commercials) came with one of the programs, that I began watching it.  And, quite simply, I fell in love immediately.  I loved all of the random running jokes -- honestly, I don't even know where to start listing them.  There's Mr. F, referring to various items as "things" (like, "he ate a thing of peanuts"), leaving out "the" when referring to various items (such as, "look at banner" or "I got this from Army"), the inexplicable chicken dances, and repeated one liners such as "well that was a freebie" and "I've made a huge mistake."  It was just such a clever, out there show....well worth all of the praise.  So it goes without saying that I was looking exceptionally forward to the show's return, even though I don't even have a Netflix membership.

Like many people, I was skeptical about the fact that each episode would revolve around a different character, limiting the interactions between all of the characters dramatically.  As others have noted, part of what made the show great were the scenes in which the characters were all together.

Now that I've seen every episode, honestly I didn't find this to be a huge problem.  For the most part, all of the central characters interacted with each other in some manner, and we even got certain pairings that I don't recall ever seeing in the original series (like Tobias and Lucille).  There were a lot of things that I liked, and a few things that I didn't like.  To end things on a positive note, let's start with the things I wasn't so wild about.

One common criticism was that many of the characters didn't seem to act like themselves.  For the most part, I disagreed with that assessment.  However, the one person I thought fit this description was Michael.  For whatever reason, they decided to make him almost completely unlikable as he displayed virtually no redeemable qualities.  The brilliance of Michael's character was that he always tried to do the right thing and that he always acted like he was so above the rest of his family.  And what made him so funny was that, on many occasions, he proved to be no better than any of them.  He would get competitive, he wouldn't listen to his son, he would go against the very instructions he had given his family.  He was incredibly flawed and lacked self awareness.  But he was still good.

The writers seem to have forgotten about that last part, however.  I'm thinking back, and I honestly can't think of a single thing he did that was even relatively moral or with selfless good intentions.  And his relationship with George Michael in that first episode was just plain creepy.  What was with them showering together.  I expect that sort of scene from Lucille and Buster -- but Michael and George Michael?  Definitely not.

I'm reluctant to refer to this as a criticism, but I do think they took the fun out of the dysfunction of the Funke family.  The humor in their problems was the fact that they stuck together despite their issues.  Not because of any sense of loyalty, but rather out of necessity, lack of options, or pure laziness.  This season, we had Tobias and Lindsay essentially leave Maeby for over a year without seemingly caring very much.

I also think they went a bit overboard with stunt casting.  Don't get me wrong, the show has always utilized big stars and put them in hilarious (or sometimes very insignificant) roles, but it felt a bit more blatant here.  Ed Helms, John Krasinski, Mary Lynn Rajskub, John Slattery, Kristen Wiig, Seth Rogen, and even using Ron Howard in an actual role seemed a little unusual.  And while not a complaint, it did feel like they went somewhat overboard bringing back every single recurring character  that has ever appeared on the show.

And as a follow up to that, I was REALLY irked by the use of Seth Rogen and Kristen Wiig in flashbacks as young George Sr. and Lucille.  For one, it especially came across as stunt casting.  Secondly, it was inconsistent with what they had done in the past.  We've seen George Sr. appear in many flashbacks, and he was always portrayed by Jeffrey Tambor wearing a wig.  Why, suddenly, is he Seth Rogen with a mustache?  And while Kristen Wiig at least TRIED to replicate Lucille's behavior and manner of speaking, Seth Rogen acted and sounded nothing like George Sr.  It was really distracting.

And finally, for a show that is so incredibly meta, I'm a little surprised they resisted the urge to bring attention to the fact that some of the characters had changed so significantly, despite certain scenes seemingly happening seconds after season three left off (like Michael's shortened hair, Lindsay's....everything, Tobias putting on some weight, and George Michael looking 20 years older).

Now, to the stuff I loved.  Like I said, I was skeptical about the format of the episodes and quite honestly, the first couple episodes are a little rough.  But once you get a few episodes in, you start to really appreciate what they're going for.  It was actually quite brilliant seeing the "punchline" to a joke, only to find out the setup several episodes later (like having a random ostrich in the penthouse, only to find out why it was there halfway through the season).  I actually really enjoyed getting filled in on certain things way later than I otherwise would have.  This was no more true than in the George Michael episode.  When he appears early on in the season, and during the Maeby episode, it seemed odd to me that they made no reference to him having a crush on her.  However, when we see the George Michael episode near the end of the season, we come to learn that everything he had been doing was to win her over.  And that, in reality, his brilliant and lucrative "Fake Block" idea was a complete fabrication.  There are other instances too -- like not finding out the identity of the mystery legs coming from Gob's bedroom until near the end of the season.

It was also great seeing the way each of the characters played a role in what happened to the other characters.  Like how Lindsay's boyfriend was the vision that George Sr. saw in the desert.  Or how Gob was responsible for Lindsay's boyfriend getting arrested.  There were loads of other times where this happened, but these were some of the first that came to mind.

And the brilliant idiocy of each character turned as well, like Gob questioning his sexuality because he develops a genuine friendship with another man -- a feeling he's never experienced before, which he therefore interprets as homosexual emotions.  And then the materialistic nature of everybody, particularly Tobias and Lindsay as they buy a new house, despite being broke, provided many hilarious moments as well.

And, of course, there were the return of the running gags like Mr. F!  And "well that was a freebie."  And hilarious new gags, like the repeated chorus of "Hello Darkness My Old Friend."  And nobody recognizing the poorly aged Steve Holt.  One thing that surprised me, however, was the inconclusive manner in which the season ended.

Overall, I ABSOLUTELY recommend viewing this season -- but do it in as short a time period as possible, as it'll help you truly appreciate some of these gags.  It's different than what you're used to, but it's still great.  Yes, there are some slow spots, but it's well worth overcoming those.  There are A LOT more good moments than bad.

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The Simpsons at Universal Studios

How awesome does this look?  I'm tempted to go all the way to Florida JUST to see this attraction.  Awesome sauce.

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Countdown to July - June 4th, 2013

As of today, this is how I feel:

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