November 14, 2010

Ok, it's final

I officially hate Glee.


Seriously, this brings me nothing but pain. The watered-down and obnoxiously censored lyrics, Gwyneth Paltrow trying to be sassy, the unbelievably obvious autotuning...I'm sorry. I hate Glee. It's official.

That said, I don't think I ever have to write anything about it ever again. I'm done. It's finished. I'm not going to watch any more. It's gone from being a good show to being an interesting trainwreck, then to being a trainwreck, and finally to being a complete waste of time. I don't even want to watch the show to see how much worse it gets, because frankly, I don't think it can possibly get any worse than this.

I mean, seriously. You put a bunch of white kids in a band room with Gwyneth Paltrow-the whitest person in the world-censor all of the lyrics to "Fuck You", and you expect the song to have anything close to the power and absurdly hilarious joy that Cee Lo Green brings to it?

The song is a soul number, for crying out loud! The least you could do is give it to the one soul singer in the cast: Mercedes. But no, you didn't put this song into the show because you know anything about music, did you? You shoehorned this song into the episode because it's popular and will bring in millions in iTunes downloads. Fine. Revel in your goddamn riches, you hacks. Just feast at the table of the almighty dollar. I hope you choke on a Missouri quarter.

Okay, good. I've gotten it out of my system. I don't ever have to devote a blog post to Glee again. I can turn to other interests. Right now, I'm going to watch this until my mind is completely scrubbed of anything Gwyneth Paltrow-related. Besides Iron Man.

November 12, 2010

This is a repost of something I wrote a few years ago, but you probably never read it, so it's new to you

I'm putting this up for two reasons. 1) I seriously am exhausted tonight, and even though I know I should be updating my blog on a weekly basis, I literally can't think of a thing to say. 2) I like to look at my old writing to see how much has changed since I wrote things like this two years ago. As you can tell, I was a lot angrier. It's a good thing I'm in a relationship now.

I was driving through Meredith today, going to a highly unnecessary orthodontist appointment, when a sign in front of the Meredith Baptist Church caught my eye. It was one of those stupid religious billboards with trite sayings that neither communicate any intelligent commentary on faith, nor communicate anything intelligent at all. Usually, I just ignore these signs and go on my merry Roman Catholic way, but today the sign I saw angered me with its blatant disregard for any sort of mathematical, logical, or downright common sense.

THE BEST THINGS IN LIFE ARE NOT THINGS

I'm sorry, what?
That makes sense how?

Okay, then what are the best things in life? Are you saying the best things in life are logical contradictions?

I mean just think about it. In mathematical terms, what you're essentially saying here is "x does not equal x". You CAN'T DO THAT! It doesn't make sense!

In Aristotelian logic, you would have to sum this sentence up in the following argument.

1. Some things (x) are the best things (y) (Assuming that there are "best things")

2. No things (x) are the best things (y) (re-arranged from THE BEST THINGS ARE NOT THINGS)

3. Conclusion: Some things (x) are not things (x)

4. Conclusion: People who make signs (z) are idiots (k)

Already, if we go by the square of opposition, we can see that what we have here is a contradiction. Actually, you know what? You don't even need a square of opposition. IT'S SO FREAKING OBVIOUS!

I noticed that-with very little effort-you could arrange the letters on this sign to say THE HINGES ARE NOT HINGES. And you might as well. Because it MAKES ABOUT THE SAME AMOUNT OF SENSE.

Okay, I get what they're saying with this sign. They're saying "Hey, you shouldn't worry about material possessions ("things") so much because (either God or your family or...I dunno, fruit roll ups maybe) are the best things in life. And they're not things! Doesn't that make them good things?". Well, in that case, what the hell is the definition for a thing? You're saying (God or your family or whatever) is not a thing. Says who? If a "thing" is an object in space, then hell, maybe a person is a thing in the strictly literal sense. A person is totally an object in space, although it has the capabilities and sentience to distinguish it from non-sentient objects. But fine, we'll all agree that calling a person a "thing" is kind of derogatory, so they're not really things. We'll limit "things" to non-living objects, like an X-Box or a poop sculpture. Well then, why bother even classifying (people or God or whatever) as "the best things" in the first place? You're trying to have your cake and eat it too, aren't you? It's the equivalent of a dumbass husband saying to his wife "you're the best thing in my life!.....not that I think of you as a thing or anything...Not like you're just an object to me...a dishwasher, specifically..."

So don't even bother with the Oscar nominees this year, because according to the Baptists it's quite possible to nominate your grandparents for Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Animated Short. When the audience screams in protest as Granny Meredith mounts the stage to take her Best Supporting Actress Oscar, you can go up to the podium and say "Hey, hey, hey, look. The best supporting actresses are not actresses, okay?"

Writer's Block

I'm having a real hard time coming up with things to write about these days.

......

...

Um, that's it.

(cue laughter).

No laughs?

Okay. I guess that wasn't funny.

Damn. Now I have to come up with something to write about.

October 27, 2010

The Rocky Horror Glee Show: The Screenplay

Open with some lips singing “Science Fiction Double Feature”. This is the auto-tuned karaoke version of the song, as performed by a fifth grader. The opening credits tells us that this is the “The Rocky Horror Glee Show”, even though the show’s traditional title screen announcing that this is just “Glee” will come on in a few minutes.

CUT TO:

RACHEL and FINN are onstage singing “Over at the Frankenstein Place”. Because this is a surprisingly good rendition of a lesser-known song, it has to be cut short so that the sucking can commence. Will watches from the auditorium, even though he's IN the show, so he should probably be getting ready or something.

John Stamos stops the performance to embarrass himself, which is really saying something considering what John Stamos has done in his career. But he’s sooooooo good looking so it’s ok.

John Stamos: Hey! Will! You’re trying to get with my girl!

Will makes a stupid face. He might be A) showing how awkward and uncomfortable he feels B) remembering that he cast himself in this show, so he should probably be in costume and backstage, or C) shocked that John Stamos has just now realized that Will is after his girl.

Will’s inner monologue begins.

WILL (I.M): How did this all happen! My plan was perfect. I was going to put on a full-budget production of The Rocky Horror Show without enough actors for a school that has repeatedly punished me for allowing sexually explicit material to be performed, and have the entire show staged, designed, choreographed, and rehearsed in one week. Also, isn’t one of my cast members a single mother? Or did we just sort of forget about that? Anyway, it’s time to show you how we got to this arbitrary point of contention that isn’t actually the climax of the story.

CUT TO:

Will and Emma are having lunch together, because this show believes that adults only ever discuss anything over lunch.

EMMA: Carl has cured me of my mental disorders! He did it by bringing me to the Rocky Horror Picture Show.

WILL: Yeah? Well, my Glee club is going to put on an entire staged production of “The Rocky Horror Show”!

EMMA: Oh how nice! Well, anyway, we also went to see “The Passion of the Christ”. It’s my favorite movie.

WILL: Oh really? Well, the Glee club is going to stage a cross country rendition of the Passion, starting at the baseball field and ending on Golgotha’s Rock. We’re actually going to crucify three cast members.

EMMA: Oh, that’s nice. We also went to see Avatar. It was so much fun!

WILL: My Glee club is going to write and produce the sequel to Avatar, get James Cameron to declare it canon, and win the Best Picture Oscar he never received. I’m going to play a Na’Vi.

EMMA: Do you have some sort of ulterior motive in doing all of this?

WILL: No. Because I say I don’t.

Will then tears off his shirt and starts screaming for attention. Everyone in the cafeteria considers calling 911, but instead cowers in silence.

CUT TO:

The classroom. All Glee club members are present.

WILL: We’re going to do the Rocky Horror Show!

MEMBER (it doesn’t matter who says it. Seriously. Give this line to anyone.): I don’t know what that show is, because I’m like, 16.

WILL: It’s a classic. Everyone loves the Rocky Horror Show!

And because WILL says it is so, it is so. Excited murmuring indicates how happy everyone is to be doing a show that is mostly famous for being terrible.

WILL: Now tell me what role you want, and I’ll give it to you because making actual casting choices makes me puke blood.

Rachel and Finn will be Brad and Janet, because they fit those roles.

Kurt will not play Frank N. Furter, because he would fit that role.

Sam will play the monster, because he’s blonde.

So Mike will play Frank N. Furter, because…he’s the only male left.

More than one person will play Columbia, because…what?

Quinn will play Magenta because she used to be pregnant…I guess. I don’t know.

The kid in the wheelchair will play the guy in the wheelchair, even though he’s a shitty actor. He’s not a shitty actor because he’s handicapped, he’s just a shitty actor.


WILL: Yay! NOW LOVE ME CHILDREN! LOVE MEEEEE!

CUT TO:

SUE says something dry and witty. It is similar to what conservatives say on the planet that Ryan Murphy comes from.

CUT TO:

MEAT LOAF and BARRY BOSTWICK show up to give Rocky Horror fans boners. Their only other purpose is to make everyone else wonder why Glee brought in such awful actors to play boring, unfunny characters we’ve never seen before. SUE is there too, to be dry and witty and intimidating.


MEAT LOAF: We need you to make sure Rocky Horror gets performed so that you can talk about how awful and immoral it is!

SUE: Why wouldn’t we just shut it down, since we think it’s awful and immoral?

BARRY BOSTWICK: Something something something you’ll get a local emmy.

SUE: Sold!

SUE does something intimidating.

CUT TO:


RACHEL and FINN have a scene, because they’re allegedly the main characters. It has nothing to do with anything.

CUT TO:

“Dammit Janet” is performed. Again, it is kind of good, so we have to interrupt it halfway through for some more bullshit.


SUE pulls WILL aside.

SUE: I want to be in the show.

WILL: There is absolutely nothing suspicious about this. I am a gullible moron. You can be in it.

SUE: I can rewrite the show now.

WILL: That’s…that’s kind of illegal. It's an owned property and we have a contract to perform it as is. We might get sued…

SUE: Ha ha! “Sued”. That’s like my name.

WILL: Well, the joke’s on you, because we’re never going to actually show you playing the role I just cast you in!

WILL then starts poking SUE and meowing, hoping that she’ll feed him.

CUT TO:

MIKE talking to WILL.


MIKE: So my parents don’t want me playing a transvestite.

WILL: HOW could I not SEE this COMING!?!?!??! Everything is SPINNING OUT OF CONTROL!!!!

WILL looks directly into the camera, with a big, silly “jeepers creepers” smile on his face, and shrugs his shoulders.

THE DIRECTOR: Matthew, stop that.

CUT TO:

SUE, JOHN STAMOS, and EMMA are all having a conversation. It really doesn’t matter where. Seriously.

SUE: John Stamo-I mean Carl! We have to cast you in this show!

JOHN STAMOS: Ok. I AM incredibly handsome.

WILL walks in.

WILL: What’s all this about?

SUE: John Stamos is going to be in our show!

WILL: John Stamos?! Oh my god! That’s amazing!

SUE: Wait, did I say John Stamos? I meant Carl. Yes. Carl.

WILL: WHAT!?!!??! (breaks a vase) CARL!?!?!? I HATE CARL!!!!! He has to audition!

JOHN STAMOS: Well, I mean, if I need to audition, you could always just hold open auditions to the entire school, or even the community. I’m sure there’s somebody else who wants to…

THE DIRECTOR: John, just stay on script please.

Cut to:

JOHN STAMOS sings and dances in front of the entire club. It is terrible.

THE ENTIRE CLUB: That was so great!!!!!!! We don’t understand that not all music is great!!!!!!

WILL: Fine. I’m going to cast you in a highly sexual role with a bunch of teenagers. However, I can’t cast you as Frank N. Furter so we still don’t have a show, making this entire musical number completely irrelevant to the plot.

MERCEDES: I want to play Frank N. Furter.

WILL: That’s a really stupid idea, and this is coming from the guy who agreed to a Madonna theme week.

MERCEDES: But a line in the Rocky Horror Script has some vague, tenuous relationship to what I’m experiencing in my life. Therefore, I want to play this role that was clearly not written for an unsexy female gospel singer. If we were doing “Sweeney Todd”, I would want to play Sweeney Todd.

WILL: Sold!

CUT TO:

“Sweet Transvestite” with MERCEDES as Frank N. Furter happens. Tim Curry is more ashamed of this than of “Congo”.

THE ENTIRE CLUB: That was great!!!!!!!!

GLEE FANS WORLDWIDE: AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! THIS IS TEH BEST!!!!1!!!!!

CUT TO:

WILL and EMMA are in an arbitrary room. Just…a room.


WILL: I talked Sam out of playing the monster.

EMMA: Why? He was really looking forward to it.

WILL: I know. I’m just a selfish pig. I’m going to play the monster. Want to help me rehearse?

EMMA: I have a condition where I am completely insensible to men’s attempts at taking advantage of me. Therefore, yes I will

WILL: Good. I really need to rehearse a scene where I just stand here and you writhe around sexily.

EMMA: This sounds like a completely professional use of our time.

EMMA sings “Touch-a Touch me” and rips WILL’s shirt off, because she doesn’t understand how rehearsing works. All of the ears in America die of sadness. EMMA finishes the song and runs out of the room, embarrassed. WILL looks directly at the camera.

WILL: OMG, THINGZ ARE GOING SO WRONG YOU GUYZZZ!!!! WOOPILY SCOOPILY!!!!!!

He makes a silly face at the camera. Then he rips his pants off and does a silly dance. Everything is so silly! Oh that Will!

Cut to:

@#!$%!#!@!$!&$**&!& WHY AM I STILL WATCHING THIS HORRIBLE SHIT!!!!!! WHEN DID GLEE SUDDENLY TURN INTO SUCH A HORRIBLE PIECE OF COMMERCIAL HACK WORK!?!!?! WHY IS LEA MICHELE ON THE COVER OF VANITY FAIR!?!?!?! WHY AM I CRYING UNCONTROLLABLY AND RIPPING MY ARM HAIR OUT?!?!?!!? WHAT IS THIS SHOW DOING TO MEEEEE!?!?!?!

Cut to:


WILL goes into THAT PRINCIPAL GUY’s office. FINN is there.

WILL: What’s going on?

PRINCIPAL: Finn is suspended!

WILL: Don’t suspend Finn!

PRINCIPAL: Okay.

THIS SHOW WON AN EMMY AND COMMUNITY DIDN’T EVEN GET A NOMINATION?!?!!? WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU, AMERICA!!!!!!

Cut to:
Oh good, we’re back at that scene from the beginning. You know, when they interrupted “Over at the Frankenstein Place” so that we could have a flashback. This is what the entire episode has been building up to. This is the suspenseful moment that we've been waiting the entire episode to see resolved. This is really gonna be an epic confrontation, folks!


JOHN STAMOS: Hey! Will! You’re trying to get with my girl!

WILL: Sorry. Are you going to quit the show?

JOHN STAMOS: No.

WILL: Ok.

…….

WHAT THE F…….


Cut to:

BECKY the retarded girl enters WILL’s office.


BECKY: Sue’s trying to sabotage your show.

WILL: Nooooo I don’t believe that.

BECKY: Are you…are you really surprised? I mean, she’s tried to stop pretty much everything you’ve ever tried to accomplish in your life.

WILL: She’s not up to anything. Don’t be such a retard.

Long pause.

………

Long pause.


WILL: I meant, stop being so retarded.

BECKY: I have a tape to prove it.

WILL: WHAT!?!?!

WILL, rather than freak out and break something, puts on his disappointed puppy dog face and tears up a little. After all, there's only ten minutes left in the episode, and WILL hasn't been disappointed with anyone.

Cut to:

WILL talking to EMMA in an auditorium. Because…where else?

WILL: So I cancelled the show. I was just doing it to impress you.

EMMA: What?! Seriously?!!? I did NOT see that coming.

WILL: Yeah. I’m really sorry. But I learned my lesson. I shouldn’t deprive you of the only thing that makes you happy just because I want to jump your bones.

EMMA: Really? You just learned that?

WILL: Yeah. I’ll probably forget about it in a week, too.

EMMA: Remember when we kissed at the end of the first season one finale? You know, before those other nine episodes that turned you into a total jerk? Remember when that was actually really sweet and touching, and a really moving depiction of two desperately unhappy people finding a fleeting but beautiful moment of solace together?

WILL: I’m sorry, I wasn’t listening. I was too busy coming up with wacky schemes for my Glee club.

EMMA: Oh.

WILL: I love you.

EMMA: See you later! This incident will have no long term effects on our friendship at all!

She leaves.

Cut to:

The entire club does “The Time Warp”.

Because it is terrible, they show the entire thing.

Nothing about their staging, choreography, or casting makes any sense. The singing is autotuned and soulless. By attempting to make Rocky Horror sound polished and professional, they have destroyed the ironic enjoyment that can be gleaned from listening to it. Nothing about this is enjoyable, even on an ironic level. The cast doesn’t even seem to be having any sort of fun; they just look like androids programmed to simulate the motions of human beings having fun.

Glee’s soul makes a final, desperate squeal for help, and then disappears into darkness forever.

Itunes writes Ryan Murphy a check for ten billion dollars.

The end.