I've been a fan of Aaron Sorkin's work since Sports Night. That's 1998 for those of you keeping track. It started with Sport Night, became forever solidified with The West Wing, and continued through Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (a show widely regarded as lackluster, but at least somewhat better than that). And let us not forget A Few Good Men, The American President, and other movies he wrote the screenplays for like Charlie Wilson's War, Moneyball, and The Social Network (for which he won the Academy Award). So, when I heard of his new show, The Newswoom, I was ready for Sorkin to be back on TV. But this isn't TV. Its HBO.
I watched the series premiere Sunday night despite being exhausted from Saturday night, and when you've watched enough Sorkin you start to notice patterns. The Newsroom, like other Sorkin shows, gets things rolling early with a character ranting something in public that he shouldn't which puts his job in jeopardy or gets him fired (i.e. Dan Rydell in Sports Night, Josh Lyman in The West Wing, Wes Mendell in Studio 60); former flames being brought together to work with each other (Josh & Mandy in The West Wing, Matt & Harriet in Studio 60); the workplace romance (Natalie & Jeremy in Sports Night, Sam & Mallory in The West Wing, and Danny & Jordan in Studio 60). Some of these ideas have a tendency to recur, but they always go in different directions.
Like other Aaron Sorkin shows, The Newsroom idealizes and romanticizes the new business. So much so that after watching it I thought, "Damn, why aren't I doing that with my life? It looks awesome!" Idealizing and romanticizing is what Sorkin does best. But the thing that I believe makes this show unique is that the series begins in 2010 and is going to cover real news stories that have occurred between then and now. I read an article a few days ago that scoffed at this, pointing out that it's unbelievable to portray the characters in this newsroom as the only ones in the business who get things right, foresee unforeseeable consequences, and are righteous. I say get over yourself, this is fiction. This is news idealized and romanticized. If you want reality, watch a damn documentary.
As I write this, I'm scanning through other reviews online and they're mixed. Words like "self-righteous," "passionate," and "grandiloquent." Are they right? I don't know. According to them the upcoming episodes of the show are just terrible and full of banality, and that the show does a disservice to actual reporters who worked on these stories in real life. Unfortunately, I can't speak to that, but I for sure enjoyed the first one. We'll see how next week turns out.
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
2,946 Miles And Back
Here are some thoughts on my recent cross-country trip from Poughkeepsie, NY, to Henderson, NV, via Tucson, AZ.
Luigi's Pizza, Akron, OH - In planning our trip, I tried to find local places where we could eat along the way. Chain restaurants can be great, but I can have Chili's any time. So, on our way to Indianapolis we stopped at Luigi's Pizza. I did some Googling and found this place, which was described as an Akron "institution." Since 1948, mind you. And it was OK. The inside has pictures of famous bowlers on the walls (as Akron used to host a lot of pro bowling events), and it looked like a family-own place with history. But I wasn't that impressed with the pizza, though my dad liked it more. First off, it was $13+ for a (large) 12-inch pie. Here in NY I'm used to 16+ inches for $10-13, depending on toppings. And to be honest, it reminded me of the pizza they used to serve on campus at Geneseo. It wasn't bad, but not my first choice.
Pappy's Smokehouse, St. Louis, MO - Probably the highlight of the trip. I found this place online as well, and it had great reviews. We arrived around lunchtime on Monday and the line was insane - it started as a U in the outer hallway, and then when you got permission you went into the main restaurant where a second line made a big L around the counter. The inside was covered with all sorts of things on the walls, and there was blues music playing. Awesome. And we weren't the only ones who had the idea to come here: behind us we met some people in town from Wisconsin for a conference. They had asked where to go for the best BBQ and were sent to Pappy's.
I decided to have the pulled pork and beef brisket with potato salad and vinegar slaw. My dad had the ribs with slaw and sweet potato fries. And wow. This food was amazing. If it's not in the best BBQ I've ever had, it's in a tie for first. The sauces were also dynamite. There were three of them, all served on the side (because they've got nothing to hide) - regular, sweet, and hot. I mixed and matched. My dad was blown away as well. I don't know when I'll get back, but at least they have a website where you can order the sauces.
Garcia's, Albuquerque, NM - We had a 16-hour day of driving on Tuesday, so we needed something quick and easy. Garcia's was just a fast, tasty (New) Mexican take-out chain not far off the interstate, and the food was good, though admittedly it was a little challenging to eat in the truck while moving. What I was most surprised at was how dense that section of Albuquerque is. Everything was so close together for a city built in the desert, and when we pulled into the little drive-thru parking lot of Garcia's we didn't know if we were going to fit. But we did.
On a side note, New Mexico is huge and beautiful, and I saw maybe the most amazing sunset I've ever seen while driving through it. But after a while, you just want to get where you're going.
Las Vegas, NV - This was my 4th time in Vegas and my shortest visit. I was only there for about a day and a half, and part of that time was spent unloading the truck and bringing some furniture to a 2nd-floor apartment. Gee, wasn't that fun? In my free time, I had Mexican at Baja Miguel's in the South Point, a burger at the Burger Brasserie in Paris, and Chinese at the Coronado Cafe in the South Point. Gambling-wise, I won $40 on a Wheel Of Fortune slot at the Tropicana, broke even on roulette at the M, and lost $40 on blackjack at the South Point. As always, if you don't lose, you win!
We still had the 16-foot Penske truck the first night in Vegas, so we were taking it up and down the strip. It was a trip trying to get it valet parked at the Cosmopolitan resort (no luck), and also at the Tropicana. Aaand my dad hit the valet with the side-view mirror as he pulled away. Classic. The guy laughed.
But to be honest, I was so wiped from the drive and the cold I had developed after St. Louis that I wasn't really into doing Vegas too much. The trip home with a cold was no grand prize, either. Vegas to Memphis, Memphis to LaGuardia, LaGuardia to Grand Central, Grand Central to Poughkeepsie, all with packets of tissues at the ready. It's hard to hit on cute girls in that condition.
And I can't wait to go back.
Luigi's Pizza, Akron, OH - In planning our trip, I tried to find local places where we could eat along the way. Chain restaurants can be great, but I can have Chili's any time. So, on our way to Indianapolis we stopped at Luigi's Pizza. I did some Googling and found this place, which was described as an Akron "institution." Since 1948, mind you. And it was OK. The inside has pictures of famous bowlers on the walls (as Akron used to host a lot of pro bowling events), and it looked like a family-own place with history. But I wasn't that impressed with the pizza, though my dad liked it more. First off, it was $13+ for a (large) 12-inch pie. Here in NY I'm used to 16+ inches for $10-13, depending on toppings. And to be honest, it reminded me of the pizza they used to serve on campus at Geneseo. It wasn't bad, but not my first choice.
Pappy's Smokehouse, St. Louis, MO - Probably the highlight of the trip. I found this place online as well, and it had great reviews. We arrived around lunchtime on Monday and the line was insane - it started as a U in the outer hallway, and then when you got permission you went into the main restaurant where a second line made a big L around the counter. The inside was covered with all sorts of things on the walls, and there was blues music playing. Awesome. And we weren't the only ones who had the idea to come here: behind us we met some people in town from Wisconsin for a conference. They had asked where to go for the best BBQ and were sent to Pappy's.
I decided to have the pulled pork and beef brisket with potato salad and vinegar slaw. My dad had the ribs with slaw and sweet potato fries. And wow. This food was amazing. If it's not in the best BBQ I've ever had, it's in a tie for first. The sauces were also dynamite. There were three of them, all served on the side (because they've got nothing to hide) - regular, sweet, and hot. I mixed and matched. My dad was blown away as well. I don't know when I'll get back, but at least they have a website where you can order the sauces.
Garcia's, Albuquerque, NM - We had a 16-hour day of driving on Tuesday, so we needed something quick and easy. Garcia's was just a fast, tasty (New) Mexican take-out chain not far off the interstate, and the food was good, though admittedly it was a little challenging to eat in the truck while moving. What I was most surprised at was how dense that section of Albuquerque is. Everything was so close together for a city built in the desert, and when we pulled into the little drive-thru parking lot of Garcia's we didn't know if we were going to fit. But we did.
On a side note, New Mexico is huge and beautiful, and I saw maybe the most amazing sunset I've ever seen while driving through it. But after a while, you just want to get where you're going.
Las Vegas, NV - This was my 4th time in Vegas and my shortest visit. I was only there for about a day and a half, and part of that time was spent unloading the truck and bringing some furniture to a 2nd-floor apartment. Gee, wasn't that fun? In my free time, I had Mexican at Baja Miguel's in the South Point, a burger at the Burger Brasserie in Paris, and Chinese at the Coronado Cafe in the South Point. Gambling-wise, I won $40 on a Wheel Of Fortune slot at the Tropicana, broke even on roulette at the M, and lost $40 on blackjack at the South Point. As always, if you don't lose, you win!
We still had the 16-foot Penske truck the first night in Vegas, so we were taking it up and down the strip. It was a trip trying to get it valet parked at the Cosmopolitan resort (no luck), and also at the Tropicana. Aaand my dad hit the valet with the side-view mirror as he pulled away. Classic. The guy laughed.
But to be honest, I was so wiped from the drive and the cold I had developed after St. Louis that I wasn't really into doing Vegas too much. The trip home with a cold was no grand prize, either. Vegas to Memphis, Memphis to LaGuardia, LaGuardia to Grand Central, Grand Central to Poughkeepsie, all with packets of tissues at the ready. It's hard to hit on cute girls in that condition.
And I can't wait to go back.
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
To Buffalo And Back: Part 2
The last 5 days have been a bit on the hectic side. For the past two months I've been organizing an appreciation/retirement dinner for my three high school music teachers; one of them is retiring so we decided to celebrate the 15 years that they've worked together. The dinner was Friday night, so I was running around Thursday and Friday making sure everything was ready for it, then attending it. It came off really well, and I'm happy that a good number of people came out to honor and give thanks to these three teachers who have meant so much to a lot of people. We ate dinner, jammed on some music, and enjoyed cake. (And to top it off, I got to watch Johan Santana complete the first no-hitter in New York Mets' history at the bar in the club!)
On Saturday, In The Pocket played a wedding at Shadow Lawn in High Falls, NY - cool place (a converted barn), good music, great food (New World Home Cooking), and a very appreciative crowd. We only wish we could've played more for them. See, when we play a bar or outdoor show, we're used to playing 2-3 hours. But at a wedding there is so much going on that we're lucky if we play an hour and a half.
On Sunday, I got up before 6AM on about four and a half hours of sleep, loaded into a car with my parents and drove almost 6 hours to go to my grandfather's 90th birthday party in Lockport, NY (outside Buffalo). Like I said last week, I've driven the NYS Thruway so many times that I can do it almost with my eyes closed. My dad was driving this time, but at one point I opened my eyes and immediately knew that we were in Herkimer - no road sign necessary. And the party was mostly a success despite the massive rain that was falling at times. But that's why my uncles got a tent, of course. The party was at 2PM, and up until then all I had eaten was a banana, so I started to house the chips, pretzels, veggies, and dips, along with the Labatt Blue Light. Then the real food arrived; BBQ chicken, ribs, mac & cheese, baked beans (no thanks), salad, and cornbread from Chiavetta's. Then cake. Exhausted, we spent the night at my uncle's, then drive home yesterday.
At this point I've eaten cake the past 4 days. I need a run.
On Saturday, In The Pocket played a wedding at Shadow Lawn in High Falls, NY - cool place (a converted barn), good music, great food (New World Home Cooking), and a very appreciative crowd. We only wish we could've played more for them. See, when we play a bar or outdoor show, we're used to playing 2-3 hours. But at a wedding there is so much going on that we're lucky if we play an hour and a half.
On Sunday, I got up before 6AM on about four and a half hours of sleep, loaded into a car with my parents and drove almost 6 hours to go to my grandfather's 90th birthday party in Lockport, NY (outside Buffalo). Like I said last week, I've driven the NYS Thruway so many times that I can do it almost with my eyes closed. My dad was driving this time, but at one point I opened my eyes and immediately knew that we were in Herkimer - no road sign necessary. And the party was mostly a success despite the massive rain that was falling at times. But that's why my uncles got a tent, of course. The party was at 2PM, and up until then all I had eaten was a banana, so I started to house the chips, pretzels, veggies, and dips, along with the Labatt Blue Light. Then the real food arrived; BBQ chicken, ribs, mac & cheese, baked beans (no thanks), salad, and cornbread from Chiavetta's. Then cake. Exhausted, we spent the night at my uncle's, then drive home yesterday.
At this point I've eaten cake the past 4 days. I need a run.
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