What are you watching right now?

[Cavaliere (moderator emeritus)]

Criminal Minds: "Amplification"

[PowerBook Pete, the Mad Mod]

Antenna TV is running a marathon of The Jack Benny Program this weekend. I watched one episode last night and saw Jack on trial for murder with Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) as his attorney. As Mason enters the courtroom, the judge (Frank Wilcox) asks for Mason's autograph and refuses Benny's. Burr played Mason a little differently here and appeared to be having a lot of fun with the role.

[Jeff of Earth-J]

Reminds me of Tony Twist vs. Todd McFarlane. After ruling in Twist's favor, the (St. Louis) jury crowded Twist for his autograph. If they were smart, they would have ruled in McFarlane's favor and asked for sketch. :P

[ClarkKent_DC]

Jeff of Earth-J said:

You know, I think Josh and Donna's flirtation and attraction to each other was mutual. As I do with "Baby, It's Cold Outside," I'm going to give them a pass.

So was Bill and Monica's.

[Jeff of Earth-J]

Was it, though? 

[ClarkKent_DC]

That's exactly the point: In an attraction/flirtation/dalliance/romance between two people in the same organization in which one party is the subordinate (and directly reports to the other party), can it be said to be mutual? 

[ClarkKent_DC]

At that West Wing Weekend I attended, one session was on romances on the show, and more than a few people thought Donna's career was held back because of Josh. Maybe not intentionally -- I'm sure Josh didn't think he sabotaged Donna's progress -- but the damage still exists, intentional or not.

[Jeff of Earth-J]

I'm not going to be put in the position of defending Bill Clinton, but comparing Bill & Monica to Josh & Donna is, I think, a false equivalency because the latter pair are fictional. Whereas in the real world I would certainly agree with you, I think it's possible for an man and a woman in this situation to have a harmless and flirtatious yet platonic relationship because that's the way it was written. It might be considered politically tone deaf in the post-Me Too era, but that's as far as I'm willing to go.

[Jeff of Earth-J]

60 Minutes

Fear TWD

TWD: The World Beyond

Last Week Tonight

[ClarkKent_DC]

Election Day news from The Hill:  "Biden Wins Vote in Tiny Dixville Notch, NH"

Which brings to mind another gripe I had about The West Wing and the "Hartsfield Landing" episode, referenced above:

ClarkKent_DC said:

Plus, Josh's sending Donna out into the cold to plead with some farmer in New Hampshire to vote for the Bartlet ticket, only for said farmer to think he's a political kingmaker and demand more and more in tribute for his vote -- this was presented as something wonderful and noble, Representing the People in the Heartland, Democracy in Its Purest Form, Listening to the People at the Grass Roots, yadda yadda yadda ... but it made me think, and not for the first time, Why do we STILL give so much weight to the most un-representative part of America? Why do we still act like the people who are brown or Black or red aren't "real" Americans like the folks in the smallest, whitest place within the contiguous United States? Why don't we perceive that there are grass roots people in the cities and suburbs -- y'know, where most of the people are? Why do we still act like it's right and proper and natural and ordained by God that New Hampshire goes first? The West Wing doesn't challenge any of this; it sings a song of praise for it.

In a world in which more than 100 MILLION PEOPLE have voted BEFORE Election Day, why do we give a gnat's fart about a small town in New Hampshire? New Hampshire isn't "first" any more! 

And in the context of the episode, President Bartlet is a favorite son -- he's the former governor of the state -- and a incumbent running for re-election. Why would he or his people even sweat this?

[Jeff of Earth-J]

"In a world in which more than 100 MILLION PEOPLE have voted BEFORE Election Day, why do we give a gnat's fart about a small town in New Hampshire?"

I don't know, Kelvin. But I do know people. And you know journalists. To this day, whenever there's a newspaper story about comics books, the title still invariably has "Biff! Bang! Pow!" in the title. I'm almost convinced that the people who choose those titles don't even know the reason for it anymore. It's just baked in to expectations, the same was stories about Hartsfiled Landing and Dixville Notch are baked in.

[ClarkKent_DC]

Forgot to consult the Smilies Folder when I posted the above. 

[Jeff of Earth-J]

THE LONE RANGER: I am finally through season three. Clayton Moore is my favorite LR, but after watching 44 John Hart episodes in a row, it's going to be strange going back. (Oddly, my recordings leap ahead to season 4, episode 35; I don't know why I didn't get the first 34 episodes of season 4.)

FONZIE MEETS THE LONE RANGER

I'm really not surprised that Arthur Fonzerelli is a Lone Ranger fan. That's John Hart in the clip. Too bad they couldn't have used Clayton Moore, but at least Hart is wearing Moore's mask!