Dojo's Blog

Is it considered a necessity in the snarking community to continually feed your IQ (that's Ignorance Quotient)? It seems a requirement to display daily, or more often, the lack of intellect or knowledge of your subject matter, plus an uncanny compulsion to talk down to your audience.

Already today, after last night's CSI Miami episode, "Down to the Wire", we've seen the snarkers out, proudly displaying their obtuse views regarding Tom Sizemore appearing in a guest role (excellent portrayal, by the way, along with Chris Williams). Since we now have a somewhat clearer understanding of the intent of snarking (though we still cannot comprehend the 'why') of it, we have to ask the question. Is there some specific reason for making fools of yourselves? Or is that simply a by-product of the 'art of snarking'?

Is there so little cognizance of stage presence and the acting craft among bloggers and snarkers who profess an expertise of stage, screen and television? And, we're the nitwit? Pay attention here, snarkers. David Caruso is the star and the lead in CSI Miami. No one, and we mean no one, upstages him without his consent and encouragement. That same scenario applies in any well done movie, tv show or stage play.

THAT'S what a good actor does. Let's each performer do what they do best! That brings out the best performance in ALL the cast and a superior finished product. We believe that's the reason they are there. They are THE BEST AT WHAT THEY DO. That includes producers, cast, directors, writers, stunt peeps, stage crew. We could take a page from their book; do what we do best and refrain from showing our vacuous vapidity by telling them how to do their business. I.E.;

UPSTAGED by Tom Sizemore!
Written by *********** on May-13-08 11:21am. Tom Sizemore plays a bad guy..... Sizemores facial expressions are a pleasure to watch. David Caruso take note! That is the way acting should be. Tom Sizemore clearly upstages David Caruso...............

http://dojodabbles.blogspot.com/
http://community.tvguide.com/forum/Csi-Miami/700011884

We hope the mothers at TV Guide; staff, readers, bloggers, have a great Mother's Day!

You, too, Heidi!

Where has this person been all my life? Within 2 hours, perhaps less, of our rather lengthy missive we had a response, along with a couple of excellent suggestions.

Kuddos to David.

OUR BLOG ENTRY OF MAY 9, 2008, AT 11:52 AM HAS BEEN DELETED BY TV GUIDE MODERATORS, WITHOUT EXPLANATION, BUT WITHIN 20 MINUTES OF ITS FIRST SIGHTING BY THE SUBJECT. COINCIDENCE?

Nice CBS clip of CSI Miami's season finale, "Going Ballistic" with David Caruso and Emily Procter. No, we don't have any knowledge of the origins of the black eye or why David's hair changes during the interview process.


http://www.cbs.com/primetime/csi_miami/video/video.php?cid=723063648&pid=8CwhwekDkDJgqFryhCYQKEZnCaIIo0rd&play=true
http://dojodabbles.blogspot.com/

Due to the constant harassment and barrage of postings on unmonitored boards with no deletion option, we will not post further in either the CSI Miami or the David Caruso forums.

To do so is a disservice to those who have been supportive of our efforts. Neither they nor we need to expose ourselves to such behavior in what is presumed to be a civilized opportunity to dialogue with others.

As has been our custom, we will not delete responses either in support of our comments or in opposition, while reserving the right to delete any and all from a known and acknowledged obsessive stalker.

In the event our stand is considered out of line by TV Guide standards (and God only knows who sets those), then so be it. We will be gone.

http://dojodabbles.blogspot.com/

Fasten your seat belts! It's likely to be a bumpy ride!

Once again there's a black cloud looming; this time over the Fall Premiere schedule. Screen Actors' Guild (SAG) who represents television and screen actors and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), the studios, have failed to achieve much common ground, setting the stage for a June 30th strike, when their current contract expires.

AMPTP has apparently begun separate negotiations with AFTRA.
The discussions between AFTRA and AMPTP are expected to produce satisfactory results quickly, leaving SAG to haggle independently with AMPTP. It appears many SAG members and leaders believe AFTRA has been riding their shirttails for too long. Perhaps there's a method to this new madness.

We're all aware of the repercussions of a strike for all involved, still struggling with the aftermath of the 100 day drought (WGA strike). Scripted shows, still trying to restore some of their pre-strike strength, will surely suffer the brunt of any extended SAG-sanctioned stoppage.

From what we've read, most SAG members do not favor a strike. Over 40,000 hold dual memberships (for the CYA crossovers), with AFTRA providing the least protection (SAG members refer to AFTRA low-ballers as "Walmarters"). Can SAG hold out and, most important to this question, can SAG recruit their own membership in the upcoming battle?

Are we, as viewers, doomed to the neverland of reality and game shows? As we noted prior to the WGA agreements, the writing has been on the walls for primetime scripted shows for awhile. Will this hasten the eventualities?

http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D90GFIVO0.htm
http://hollywoodinsider.ew.com/2008/05/sag-conglomerat.html
http://dojodabbles.blogspot.com/

Note that ran in papers both in The States and in Austria along with a statement of the Stalker's "profound mental disability", after hearings in absentia were conducted while she was "out of the country" (yes, she was trying to gain entry from Mexico into California in her pursuit).
After hundreds of "fan" letters to David Caruso, this was the clincher that brought the FBI and Austria's CIB into the fray. This stalker, who goes by many names on the internet and is known/acknowledged by nearly everyone except TV Guide, twice travelled over 12,000 miles in search of her prey (note sent between first and second trip), is now in hiding from authorities, although equipped with her newly restored laptop. The evidence can be seen wherever and whenever an article or comment is made about David Caruso.
We'll let TV Guide readers be the judges. Clearly, the readers have far more insight than TPTB.

http://dojodabbles.blogspot.com/

Montezuma's Revenge is alive and well on the internet. For those not familiar with this term, it can refer to sudden, unexpected evacuation of disease from the system. Anyone with a keyboard and an ip, with only the basest capability of forming random letters into words, can attain prominence (i.e., notoriety) with diatribe diarrhea. And it's often contagious.

While TV Guide maintains a semblance of protocol, many other sites allow, in fact encourage, vulgar, tasteless and indecent language. Often, in reading some of these blurbs, one gets the sense of a competition taking place. Is there an award for the crudest comments? What kind of trophy? Is there a playoff? When does the season end? Is there a hiatus before the "slaughter to the senses" begins anew?

The ridiculous exchange of comments between responders takes on a oneupmanship challenge to other readers; i.e., Today's News: Our Take of Wednesday, regarding David Caruso's Stalker At Large piece. Many excellent comments (a few truly hilarious), interspersed with the inane and repetitive, usually from a single source, struggling to remain "the final word".

In our short time online, all of our faculties have been assaulted routinely. We acknowledge that happens only in certain forums and on certain sites. However, to the uninitiated (as we were), a mini-meltdown can result.

Our experiences have provided no end of near brilliant comments and articles, bringing laughter and tears in equal measure, along with a like amount of absurdities, lewd innuendoes, trashy references. The internet is, in various ways, an exceptional example of "mass media"; a virtual communications vehicle that transcends all levels of society.

http://dojodabbles.blogspot.com/

Perhaps our title is a bit strong; however, since we include ourselves as members, we'll willingly take the hit.

Bloggers are a creation of the internet. Those who would never publish their opinions, and those who would never read these opinions, meet on a level field; the writer and the reader, bonding over a review, a critique, or simply a personal statement of the writer.

In this arena, the subject at hand is television. We find most bloggers either like or dislike a particular actor, character or show and state their case, often taking on dissenters. That's what blogging is all about and should be; an exchange of opinions and ideas, occasionally heated, as emotions rise to the cause or in defense.

Some bloggers exist solely to snark about others, writing slurs against various performers or shows, that would never be allowed elsewhere if given voice, and would be banished from any politically correct forum.

This should not be a forum for personal assaults. A critique of a performance, show or movie, is encouraged. When one descends into personal attacks it diminishes any opinion they may have, regardless of validity. For such attacks to be tolerated diminishes the integrity of the entire site.

Contributing bloggers enjoy a community feeling in a particular forum, such as provided by TV Guide. Many readers wait for an article by a favored blogger, write a comment, often just to let the blogger know they're being read and are appreciated. Others browse and comment at their leisure, without fear of retaliation or personal attack. It's a comfortable pastime for most of us. We prefer it not be spoiled by the chronic negativity of those with a personal agenda reflected in their "Off Topic" responses.

http://dojodabbles.blogspot.com/

What do David Caruso, Tiger Woods, Nancy Pelosi, Seal and Heidi Klum have in common? All are well known, with instant recognition, throughout the world. Are these and other performers, politicians, athletes, required to make themselves available at the whim of the public or the media? Do they "owe" this perpetual access to those who pay to see their act, vote for them, cheer on their team?

Think of the absurdity of this. You and a friend have just had a wonderful night out, away from kids, spouses, work, family concerns. Just the two of you, enjoying the evening and each other. You emerge from the restaurant and are immediately accosted by men and women with cameras, flashes, microphones, questioning why you were there, who you're with, where you're going; demanding you stop for pictures and make a statement. What would you do? How would you react?

We know what we would do and it wouldn't be pretty. If our attempts at humor and a plea for privacy didn't do the trick, we have no doubt we would raise eyebrows and tempers with either a few not-so-well chosen expletives or we'd be back in the restaurant looking for a police escort; possibly both. There is a God who would guide us into research, out of the public eye.

What makes the high profile individual less entitled to go about his or her business, unfettered by an unconscionable media or public? Their celebrity, their notoriety? "You owe it to the people who made you rich or famous or ??". Where is the rationale in such a statement? Does the Walton family owe their private lives to everyone who shops at Wal-Mart? Do we have free access to Donald Pliner because we wear his shoes? Or Steve Wynn or Peter Loftin because we drop a ton of money at their establishments?

Seal made front page entertainment news in the past 24 hours for calling paparazzi "scum" when he and his wife, Heidi Klum, had mikes and cameras shoved in their faces exiting a restaurant. Naturally, the paps retaliation came by way of a video of the episode (link below).

http://www.theinsideronline.com/news/2008/03/16707/index.html
http://dojodabbles.blogspot.com/

For those who routinely read our independent blog, this is a reprint.

Not usually inclined toward self-inflicted pain, we nonetheless remained true to our resolve to watch some of the shows during strike hiatus that we've avoided, ignored or just missed on their first run.

Tonight it was the 4 half hour sitcoms that play on CBS prior to CSI Miami. We are regular viewers of Two and a Half Men, but have had no interest in the others. After watching tonight, we recall our earlier, sound reasoning.

How I Met Your Mother, Welcome to the Captain and The New Adventures of Old Christine no doubt have their fans. We are not among them. The only snicker uttered in our house during these 2 hours was for Two And A Half Men, an excellent sitcom with a great premise, good actors and fresh writing.

While the other 3 all boast good actors, they seem misplaced. The writing is strained, as if they're forever reaching for the laugh. There's no natural flow. We've determined Christine with Julia Louis Dreyfus is borderline okay; Welcome to the Captain shouldn't make it to the fall schedule and we have no idea why "How I Met Your Mother" is still on the air.

Disagreements with our assessments are expected. That's as it should be and are welcome. Were they preferrable to watching the reality shows? Oh, yes, at least this once. A weekly diet is altogether another matter. It's back to the books for the next couple of weeks.

We did notice CBS is running a video collage of the new episodes coming up later this month. It seems like the ads for the fall lineup. Is it September already?

http://dojodabbles.blogspot.com/

An update note on the 1.4 mil fine the FCC imposed on ABC and 51 of its affiliates for the 5 year old NYPD Blue episode showing Charlotte Ross' naked bottom.

On Thursday of this week, FCC rejected ABC's appeal, still labeling this scene as "exposure of a potentially sexual/excretory organ".
Are we then to assume that all the other bare butts we've seen on primetime TV were NOT "potentially sexual/excretory organs"?

What is the primary function, then, of the derrieres exposed, on NYPD Blue alone, of David Caruso, Dennis Franz and Jimmy Smits? Please, that was a rhetorical question.

The absurdities of a bureaucracy are alive and well. What a comfort!

http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080220-fcc-rejects-network-appeal-of-nypd-blue-tushy-fine.html

http://www.dojodabbles.blogspot.com

We've never been a fan of HBO, Showtime or any of the cable networks (barring Sopranos), while cognizant of their place and time. However, when CBS, in their gasping attempt to improve ratings, decides to air "Dexter", we have to see what all the talk is about.

After viewing our first episode last night, our only question is "How Long Will It Last?" The concept alone gives rise to an assault by conservatives demanding that it be removed from the schedule.

Visually, we found it difficult to watch, though we acknowledge we couldn't watch all of "The Godfather" and only recently have been able to watch a full hour of any of the CSI's. Yes, we are a wimp.

With Dexter, it goes far beyond the graphics of the forensics to make one squeamish. The underlying issues are bound to cause an uproar. The same might be said of "The Sopranos", which more than compensated with the slickness of the production, the superb acting and it's place on cable.

We feel compelled to ask a nagging question here. How is a show such as Dexter allowed to pass censure, yet Charlotte Ross' bare bottom in NYPD Blue garnered ABC a 1.4 mil fine? It defies rationale.

As a parent, we have allowed a fairly free tv reign to the teenager, while monitoring the youngens. We questioned this long held decision with the airing of Dexter. Are we in the minority with this judgment? Do others share our concerns?

http://www.dojodabbles.blogspot.com

WGA strike is over. Writers are back in the trenches. Production is up and running. What to do till new episodes are ready? Go to Plan "B", of course.

CBS, who took the biggest hit during the strike (due to less reality and more scripted shows), in their infinite wisdom, is encouraging viewership of repeats of CSI Miami and Ghost Whisperer by providing us with pop-ups, called "bullet points" on CSI Miami and "love notes" on Ghost Whisperer, to be dispersed throughout episodes in the next two weeks. These apparently will consist of peeks behind the scenes and interesting trivia about the show and cast.

Will the marketing ploy bring in the viewers lost to the realities during the strike? Time will tell. Ghost Whisperer on Friday (tonight) will be the first test of these, followed Monday, Feb. 18th, by the same on CSI Miami.

Pop-ups are generally more annoying than informative. That's a hurdle to overcome. We'll reserve judgment until next Tuesday.

http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?date=02/14/08&id=20080214cbs02

http://dojodabbles.blogspot.com