13 January 2011

So, I've been away for a while. Apologies for this; getting settled into a new job kind of took the front of my mind, and everything else took the backseat.
Havign said that, thanks to Kenneth Tong, I am probably going to escape back. I don't even have the emotional energy to explain to those who don't know what has happened, so I suggest you Google 'Kenneth Tong managed anorexia'.
Maybe try thinking before you speak, because then women and men all over won't have to sit, crying, reorganising their triggered minds as they try to fight this very fatal disease. Fucking anorexia is not a suggestion for anything, ok? Please educate yourself.
That's all folks. I will maybe try and write another post on this, being much more articulate about the matter, especially as I have been AWOL recently. But for now, please (and I trust you guys anyway, but it has to be said): eating disorders affect peoples' lives. They can kill, or they can permantly scar you mentally. They are not a joke, nor should they ever be used as a super special social experiment. Bear these things in mind.

11 January 2011

Maverick TV: Breaking the Rules yet Upholding the Status Quo

Who was it that said he didn't have time to write a short letter so his correspondent would end up getting a long one? Well, today, it is me. I am already late on this post, and it's been percolating as a post since before this blog was even a thought of a blog. And I've found a way to overexplain what I mean in every single paragraph. And being late, and tired, I am going to take the easy way out and put a jump in, instead of editing.

You know him. Well, you don’t personally know him. You know of him. You’ve totally seen him. He’s the star of your favorite movie or television show. He’s also the star of your mom’s favorite television show, and most likely your little brother’s, too. You’d probably be sleeping with him right now, except for the fact that he doesn’t actually exist. He’s the maverick!

“Maverick” is defined (on dictionary.com) in three ways. It’s an unbranded calf in the southwestern US. It’s a particular kind of cruise missile. And it’s “a lone dissenter, as an intellectual, an artist, or a politician, who takes an independent stand apart from his or her associates.” In this case, I’m talking about that as relates to entertainment, specifically television, because “the Maverick” has become a stock character. Not just a stock character either: he’s become a stock star. He’s Gregory House on House. He’s the Doctor on Doctor Who. He’s Richard Castle on Castle, Cal Lightman on Lie to Me, Nate Ford on Leverage, Patrick Jane on The Mentalist, Mal Reynolds on Firefly, Fox Mulder on The X-Files, Geoffrey Tennant on Slings and Arrows, Jimmy McNulty on The Wire. Trust me, you’ve seen him.  (He’s not new, either. You’ve met him before as Sherlock Holmes, d’Artagnan, Robin Hood.)