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From the Comments | January 22, 2007

I just wanted to quickly address a couple of the comments from the past week. Mentioning that Simon Cowell told Oprah that Seattle had the worst contestants ever, Darcy wondered whether that was a good or a bad thing. Well, I will be so bold as to say that it is awful for American Idol, based on the Seattle show. What makes the horrible performances on the audition shows fun is that you also get to see the talented individuals who really do know how to sing but haven't had the opportunity to do anything with their singing. It's the whole thrill of victory/agony of defeat thing-- one makes the other worthwhile. I thought that the Seattle show was pretty boring. And yet, it was still better than the Grease: You're the One That I Want, which I hope really picks up with the live shows starting next Sunday.

Also, Isabel wanted to talk about It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. I have to admit that I begrudgingly admire the show. I didn't want to like it the first time I watched it. But the more I watched it, the more I wanted to watch it. I think it was the writers' fierce determination to hit every single taboo subject possible that kept the show funny this season. I think part of my initial disdain was that I'd read that they wanted to make an anti-Friends, and that really ticked me off. Friends boasted what was probably the best blend of physical and verbal comedy that we'll see in our lifetime, and I thought that harshing on Friends was just a way to get attention. Well, a much better way to get attention is to have a ferociously funny show, and the It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia gang, who also are the show's writers, have just that. I don't know why I get so defensive. I never listened to Eddie Murphy's standup until a couple years ago because he dissed Bill Cosby, who, for my money, is the best standup ever. But I digress. There's also a tale out there about the IASIP gang shooting their own pilot on a shoestring budget, and I do find that to be an inspirational story. In fact, thanks to this show, I have my own aspirations for shooting a TV pilot this year. Question: Do you think it was better with or without Danny Devito?

Could someone, very quickly,. give me a reason to like Veronica Mars, please? It seems like it has all the elements of a show that I should like, but the few episodes that I've seen have failed to pull me in.

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