Bigmouth Strikes Again

Today, Les Moonves of CBS announced that highly-acclaimed television show Joan of Arcadia has been cancelled after only 2 seasons. I don't watch a lot of scripted programming--JoA, Lost, and 24 are pretty much the only dramas that I regularly tune in for--so I was upset about this. What's really distressing is that there is so much crap and mediocre programming, not to mention the 500 "different" crime procedural dramas which are boring as hell (why do people watch these shows?), that when something new and fresh and unique comes along, the network can't wait to crush it (much like last season's Wonderfalls, whose cancellation I'm still bitter towards FOX about). I didn't seem to me that CBS was ever really interested in JoA to begin with. The show might have been cancelled sooner if it hadn't helped CBS win it's Friday night time slot. The mere fact that this show was on Friday nights, when it's targeted younger demographic is more likely to be away from the television just goes to show how stupid CBS was with how they handled this show. So in spite of a much-publicized letter-writing campaign that JoA fans launched to try to save the show, CBS has cancelled it anyway. "Now I know how Joan of Arc felt."

This was a great show that was able to deal with religious and ethical issues, and it did so in a way that wasn't dogmatic or condescending towards the audience. The acting and writing was first-rate. And in a time when so many people in the world when the name of "God" is called upon as justification for terror, or to start wars, this show gave us a God that was compassionate, loving, and accepting of everyone. It's funny how a show like this would appeal to someone like me, who does not subscribe to any particular religion and has long been skeptical that God--or any god--really exists. But if I knew for certain that there really is a God, and that God really is like the being that was portrayed on this show, then I'd convert in a minute. This was a show that demonstrated what faith, religion, and humanity should really be about.

And as soon as I get a little money together, I'll be purchasing the Season 1 DVD.

The Future Free

Many years ago, back in 1992 or so, I picked up Daisy Chainsaw's first CD, Eleventeen. It was a great punk album, with driving beats and roaring guitars. But what really set the album apart was lead singer Katie Jane Garside's singing. Actually it wasn't so much singing as frantic screeching and angry screaming into the microphone. It was an awesome album, one of my favorites, and I eagerly awaited a second album from them. A year passed, and then another, and then another, but Daisy Chainsaw never followed up their first effort. Given the chaotic sound of their debut album, I figured the band itself had probably imploded, or maybe they were all mired in rehab or something. Eleventeen's singularity only made me cherish the album more, and every once in a while, in the years that followed, I'd play the album when I was in the mood for something really loud.

I mention this because the other day, while browsing Amazon.com, I came across their second album, which was released just one year ago. And I learned that Garside and guitarist Crispin Grey had previously put out a couple of albums in 2000 and 2002 with a band called Queen Adreena. I've since been listening to several of the songs and it is amazing how, in spite of all the time that has passed, they still sound pretty much the same as they did back in 1992. The second QA album especially could have been released back in 1993 or so--that's how much it sounds like the DC's debut.

It's freaky to think how much time has passed between the first time I listened to Eleventeen and the first time I heard one of their newer songs. Indeed, eleventeen years have passed! Although my need for this brand of psycho-punk has diminished over the years, it's still fun to listen to them again, and to finally see the potential hinted at in 1992 realized today.