११ फेब्रुवारी, २०२१

The ambiguous "drops."

Headline at Hollywood Reporter: "HBO Drops Pair of Mike Judge Comedy Series."

I know "drops" is supposed to sound cool, like when some pop star "drops" a new recording. But it's such a saggy, sad word, and sometimes — as in that headline — it sounds like the very thing they're trying to get us excited about just got cancelled

Oh, no! Wait. I'm reading this article now:
'QualityLand' and 'A5' will not move forward as the 'Silicon Valley' co-creator continues to juggle the new take on 'Beavis and Butt-Head' for Comedy Central.
These shows did get dropped in the old-timey sense of cancelled/rejected. The word has ambiguity whichever way you want to use it. 

And by the way, what does it say about America that something new called "QualityLand" is shunned and they're bringing back "Beavis and Butt-Head"? Personally, I loved "Beavis and Butt-Head" — as an MTV show in the early 1990s. It's a quarter century later, though, America. 

I thought I was a little childish watching that when I was in my 40s, but who would have thought that 20+ years later, a reboot of the thing would be what was happening on HBO? What was on HBO, 20+ years ago? Here's a list of the best of HBO in the 1990s, topped by "The Sopranos." 

Watching "The Sopranos" in the 1990s, I might have wondered, What would HBO be in the 2020s? If the only fact I had from the future was HBO will be generating new episodes of "Beavis and Butt-Head," I would have been terrified. What the hell will have happened to America?!

४७ टिप्पण्या:

Jaq म्हणाले...

College students no longer recieve the kind of quality education it takes to learn how to create shows like The Sopranos. Now they basically create woke indoctrination morality plays. It’s why the first thing I look at before streaming a movie is that it be made prior to about 2012. Prior to 2000 is a better guide.

Kay म्हणाले...

I take your point. HBO has a new reality series called Haute Dog. It’s a dog grooming competition. It’s not bad, but it’s no Sopranos. And the production value and style for this show is very Netflix. I still have faith in HBO, nevertheless.

Jaq म्हणाले...

" I still have faith in HBO, nevertheless.”

Based on what? I never find myself compelled to watch HBO like I used to. It’s all political indoctrination. One of the problems with studying literature in college is that you can see through their techniques so easily and so it’s hard to really enjoy a good brain washing session with a bowl of popcorn and a snuggy blanket.

Mikio म्हणाले...

Personally, I loved "Beavis and Butt-Head" — as an MTV show in the early 1990s. It's a quarter century later, though, America. I thought I was a little childish watching that when I was in my 40s

What I'd give to see Althouse doing an impression of Beavis as Cornolio.

mezzrow म्हणाले...

There are few people who see into this American civilization and know how to express it back to ourselves in a way we can absorb and laugh at. Mike Judge is one of those few.

Judge's third film, Idiocracy, a dystopian comedy starring Luke Wilson and Maya Rudolph, was given a limited release theatrically by 20th Century Fox in September 2006, two years after production. The film's original release date was intended to be on August 5, 2005, according to Mike Judge.[35]

In April 2006, a release date was set for September 1, 2006. The film was released without a trailer or substantial marketing campaign.[36] The film was not screened for critics beforehand as is usually done.[37] Lack of concrete information from Fox led to speculation that the distributor may have actively attempted to keep the film from being seen by a large audience, while fulfilling a contractual obligation for theatrical release ahead of a DVD release, according to Ryan Pearson of the AP.[38]

That speculation was followed by open criticism of the studio's lack of support from Ain't It Cool News, Time, and Esquire.[39][40][41] Time's Joel Stein wrote "the film's ads and trailers tested atrociously", but "still, abandoning Idiocracy seems particularly unjust, since Judge has made a lot of money for Fox."[40] Despite the film not being screened for critics, the film received positive reviews and was a minor box-office success.[42]

In the U.S., the film was released to DVD in January 2007 and later aired on premium-television, multiplex channels Cinemax in September 2007 and HBO in January 2008. Since then, it has gained a cult following.[43]


Take a deep refreshing draught of our social and political reality. Does it taste like Brawndo? Does it have electrolytes? Is it better for you than that clear stuff in your toilet?

I'm also not surprised that he is a bass player. When you play the bass line, you understand the importance of your life being based on something. That's not a pun, it's an observation. I've played a lot of bass line.

If you haven't seen Idiocracy, run it down and watch it. It's the third rail you're not allowed to touch.

Eric the Fruit Bat म्हणाले...

The way to get even is to put a "done" in front of drops and then it becomes racist.

rhhardin म्हणाले...

What the hell will have happened to America?!

Women in political communication. Household rules for running the nation.

rehajm म्हणाले...

Also, Facebook dropped Mike Rowe's popular show...

RMc म्हणाले...

Watching "The Sopranos" in the 1990s, I might have wondered, What would HBO be in the 2020s? If the only fact I had from the future was HBO will be generating new episodes of "Beavis and Butt-Head," I would have been terrified. What the hell will have happened to America?!

The baseball writer Bill James calls this a "my Daddy can beat up your little brother" argument, in which the best of X is compared with the worst of Y. (This is why nutty Republicans get all the press coverage whilst nutty Democrats get ignored.)

David Begley म्हणाले...

Rhhardin: Every answer by you to a question by Althouse doesn’t have to be about women and the feminization of America.

What DID happen to America?

With respect to movies, it has been the comic book hero movies that do great at the US and Chinese box office. AMC and AMZN have produced some great long form TV series e.g. Mad Men. As to our overall culture, I’m not sure what happened and how it did happen.

Kay म्हणाले...

tim in vermont said...
" I still have faith in HBO, nevertheless.”

Based on what? I never find myself compelled to watch HBO like I used to. It’s all political indoctrination. One of the problems with studying literature in college is that you can see through their techniques so easily and so it’s hard to really enjoy a good brain washing session with a bowl of popcorn and a snuggy blanket.
2/11/21, 5:58 AM


Well they got some newer more long-form drama-type series that I think are pretty ok. Are they as good as the Sopranos? Maybe not. But better than a lot of what’s out there.

Temujin म्हणाले...

"If the only fact I had from the future was HBO will be generating new episodes of "Beavis and Butt-Head," I would have been terrified." Yes, hilarious...and here we are. Yikes.

Rejam mentioned Facebook dropping Mike Rowe's show which was interesting because it was not only highly viewed, but received awards. It was what you want your programming to be. However, Mike Rowe is a very common sense guy. Cannot have that on Facebook.

HBO in the 90's had some stellar programs. Yes, the Sopranos, but also Larry Sanders (one of the all time great shows), Oz, Tracy Ullman, Mr. Show...Today?

Temujin म्हणाले...

By the way, reading about the two Mike Judge shows that got 'dropped', I'm hoping someone else picks them up (if he's not on exclusive contract to produce content for HBO). They sound interesting, especially in his hands.

mezzrow म्हणाले...

Five minutes after the above comment, I find this:

Recent studies have reported a worrisome decline in IQ scores in Western nations over the last decades, a reversal of the once-hopeful Flynn Effect (named after the late philosopher and psychologist James R. Flynn) which posited a growth in cognitive abilities for much of the 20th Century. Now the Flynn Effect seems to have reversed, leading to predictions of a general dumbing down of selective populations. Other studies report that IQ erosion is not confined to this century but that IQ has dropped by an average of 14.1 percent over the last century. As Evan Horowitz writes for NBC News, “A range of studies using a variety of well-established IQ tests and metrics have found declining scores across Scandinavia, Britain, Germany, France and Australia.”

There's a photograph of the leader of a Western democracy at the link. You'll have to click below to see who it is. I'd put my coffee down first, though.

https://pjmedia.com/columns/david-solway-2/2021/02/10/the-decline-of-intelligence-in-the-west-n1424731

Laslo Spatula म्हणाले...

I am curious to see how Judge approaches this.

Does he pretend no time has gone by, culturally?

Does he try to avoid offending the Woke?

Do Beavis and Butthead recognize the racism inherent in their oppressive whiteness?

Do Beavis and Butthead accidentally find themselves at a BLM protest*?

(*with the obligatory Beavis cries of "Fire! Fire!"?)

Do Beavis and Butthead watch a video of "WAP" and find themselves rendered speechless?

Like I said: I'm curious to see how he threads the modern needle...

I am Laslo.

Jaq म्हणाले...

The thing about Idocracy was that they limited their jabs to viewers of Fox News when we all know that CNN and MSNBC views are arguably worse. Russiagate, anybody?

Jaq म्हणाले...

I’m with Laslo. This Beavis and Butthead thing will be very enlightening. Will it be the camel’s nose under the tent, or will woke tame the boys? My money is on the latter, but we. can only hope for the former.

Heartless Aztec म्हणाले...

There is also a dearth of great new actors. Where is this generation's Brando or his like?

There are no "contedas".

NorthOfTheOneOhOne म्हणाले...

Laslo Spatula said...

Like I said: I'm curious to see how he threads the modern needle...

Well, based on mezzrow's link the show might end up being titled Beavis and Butthead: World's Smartest Men.

NorthOfTheOneOhOne म्हणाले...

BTW, Judge's "Tales from the Tour Bus" was great.

Iman म्हणाले...

Blogger NorthOfTheOneOhOne said...
BTW, Judge's "Tales from the Tour Bus" was great.


Agreed. And there’s still a wealth of material yet to be mined.

Fernandinande म्हणाले...

https://pjmedia.com/columns/david-solway-2/2021/02/10/the-decline-of-intelligence-in-the-west-n1424731

--> Link to

"This increase in IQ scores was first reported in the United States by Runquist (1936)and was later confirmed by Smith (1942) and Tuddenham (1948)"

Dammit, I though I was the only one in thw whole world who knew about Smith. Even in 1942, he was apologizing in advance for his results.

Wince म्हणाले...

If the only fact I had from the future was HBO will be generating new episodes of "Beavis and Butt-Head," I would have been terrified. What the hell will have happened to America?!

America has become, ahem, very Judge mental?

rehajm म्हणाले...

It's a purge. More to come...

Fernandinande म्हणाले...

I know "drops" is supposed to sound cool,

It surely does not sound cool, but "drops pair" sounds pornological enough to make up for it.

America has become, ahem, very Judge mental?

Judge's production company is "Judgemental Films".

God of the Sea People म्हणाले...

MTV actually resurrected ("Huh.. huh.. huh, erect") Beavis and Butthead a few years ago, for one relatively short season. It was the typical B&B format with a storyline interspersed between segments of them watching television. However, instead of watching music videos (which no one makes or watches anymore) they were making fun of reality tv shows and other garbage television. It was a little strange, but I still enjoyed it and it was something my wife and I could watch together. Beavis and Butthead was something we both watched during our formative/young teenage years.

Unfortunately, you can't really find old episodes of Beavis and Butthead to watch with their music video commentaries. Apparently MTV didn't appropriately lock down the rebroadcast rights for all of those music videos. They can play them on their channel, but they can't sell them on DVDs or streaming.

Tom T. म्हणाले...

Judge's Silicon Valley was really funny, and it was squarely plugged into the culture out there and occasionally a bit daring. I hope that any new (or reprised) offering from him would manage the same.

God of the Sea People म्हणाले...

Agreed. Silicon Valley is one of the best shows of the past decade. I used to represent a few entrepreneurs in the startup scene, and Silicon Valley's send-up of that community is on point.

Gov98 म्हणाले...

I've started asking people, the Jetson's came out in the 1960s. Do you think this is what they thought the 2020s would be like? And if it was, do you think that's only because they would have assumed a nuclear catastrophe was the cause.

Known Unknown म्हणाले...

One could say HBO dropped a deuce of Judge shows ...

Known Unknown म्हणाले...

The funniest Super Bowl ad in our household was the Paramount+ one when Beavis and Butthead make fun of "crack." Never gets old.

narciso म्हणाले...

Idiocracy you didnt see that coming.

Sebastian म्हणाले...

"What the hell will have happened to America?!"

Progs took over. Nice liberals stood by.

RNB म्हणाले...

'Idiocracy' didn't do very well at the box office, but then documentaries seldom do.

Yancey Ward म्हणाले...

I loved Beavis and Butthead and Daria, the spinoff.

independent म्हणाले...

Q's cryptic messages are called "drops." Can't get any trendier than QAnon.

PM म्हणाले...

The grand troika:
Citizen Kane
Sunrise
Idiocracy

Oso Negro म्हणाले...

Blogger tim in vermont said...
College students no longer receive the kind of quality education it takes to learn how to create shows like The Sopranos. Now they basically create woke indoctrination morality plays. It’s why the first thing I look at before streaming a movie is that it be made prior to about 2012. Prior to 2000 is a better guide


Interesting comment Tim. I feel the same about history books. I prefer things written before 1970. After that the PC kicks in. It seems that any TV series these days eventually breaks toward political correctness.

Oso Negro म्हणाले...

As a parent, "Beavis and Butthead" made me feel better about "The Simpsons".

SensibleCitizen म्हणाले...

We did a marathon "Arrested Development" session over the holidays. That show couldn't be made in the current age of woke. Some of the tropes they leaned on for humor are better dead and buried, but 95% of the humor that is taboo today, is still good comedy.

Political correctness has killed comedy. Nothing is funny anymore. I stopped watching SNL. It is angry and sad -- not funny.

Clyde म्हणाले...

How long until HBO is showing "Ow, My Balls!"?

Clyde म्हणाले...

Heartless Aztec said...
There is also a dearth of great new actors. Where is this generation's Brando or his like?


There is no Brando, only Brawndo!

Josephbleau म्हणाले...

"Beavis and Butthead and Daria,"

come on, was that real or just cartoon porn?

signed Cornholio.

gbarto म्हणाले...

In the first episode of the new Beavis and Butthead, Beavis comes across a looping porn gif and stares transfixed, muttering, "Whoa, Butthead! She's still doing it!" By the third episode, he has died of starvation.

John Lawton म्हणाले...

The Sopranos ran from 1999-2007 (86 total episodes). Only 13 episodes ran in 1999 (January-April). Definitely a great show, but hardly an exemplar of 1990s TV. In fact, it's often cited as one of the first examples of the new "Golden Age" of long form TV series in the 2000s.

reserachchem म्हणाले...

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K म्हणाले...

I'm confused. From your quote:

> .. the new take on 'Beavis and Butt-Head' for Comedy Central

Doesn't that imply that the new Beavis and Butt-Head show is for (and presumably will be 'aired' by) Comedy Central and not HBO?