The show: American Dad!
The episode: "Moon Over Isla Island"
What happened: Stan tricks Roger into impersonating the brutal dictator of a small island nation near Cuba. Before the citizens can fulfill their wish to assassinate their dictator, Roger and Stan escape, and a skilled dancer takes over as dictator. A title card at the end tells us that he became the country's most brutal dictator ever, known as "el bailarin de la muerta."
What's wrong with that: My Spanish is rusty, but I can tell there is something is off about that phrase "el bailarin de la muerta." I put that into Babelfish and it gave "the dancer of the dead." Hmm. Did the writers mean to translate "the dancer of Death" to Spanish? Turns out that they were off by one vowel: "el bailarin de la muerte." Put that into Babelfish and you will get "the dancer of the death." Not quite, but a little closer than before.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Monday, December 28, 2009
Are you sure you want to take credit for failure?
It's not a good sign that I'm nitpicking the news a lot more often than I intended to.
ABC News, CNN, NBC News, etc., are reporting that al-Qaeda has claimed responsibility for the failed plane bombing this past Christmas. I'm skeptical: why would a terrorist organization claim responsibility for a terror plot that failed? As you probably know by know, Umar what's his name brought explosives aboard a plane headed for Detroit and burned himself trying to detonate. The plan wasn't foiled by the Air Marshall aboard Northwest Airlines Flight 253, or anyone armed. It was foiled by the other passengers!
By claiming responsibility for such a failure, al-Qaeda would be saying "Hey, watch out, we can put our idiots on planes to embarrass themselves!" Ooh, I'm scared.
ABC News, CNN, NBC News, etc., are reporting that al-Qaeda has claimed responsibility for the failed plane bombing this past Christmas. I'm skeptical: why would a terrorist organization claim responsibility for a terror plot that failed? As you probably know by know, Umar what's his name brought explosives aboard a plane headed for Detroit and burned himself trying to detonate. The plan wasn't foiled by the Air Marshall aboard Northwest Airlines Flight 253, or anyone armed. It was foiled by the other passengers!
By claiming responsibility for such a failure, al-Qaeda would be saying "Hey, watch out, we can put our idiots on planes to embarrass themselves!" Ooh, I'm scared.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Brittany Murphy, im memoriam
It's hard to believe that the young Brittany Murphy has been dead for a week now. But the news comes from reputable sources, many of which then go on to list her most memorable rôles, namely Tai on Clueless, Luanne Platter on several episodes of King of the Hill, Alex on 8 Mile, Sarah on Just Married, Daisy on Girl, Interrupted.
She was a very good actress, and there are many other films to remember her in besides the obvious ones mentioned in the various news stories. The one I would like to draw your attention to is The Ramen Girl, directed by Robert Allan Ackerman. Murphy is Abby, a spoiled American who is magically drawn to a ramen shop, taking her on a journey that turns her into a master ramen chef. The film is in English and Japanese, but don't let the presence of subtitles put you off from it. It's a very nice film.
Early in her career, Murphy had guest rôles in several TV shows: Murphy Brown, Parker Lewis Can't Lose, Blossom, Frasier, Party of Five, Sister, Sister, SeaQuest DSV to name just a few. And let's not forget that on King of the Hill she also voiced Joseph Gribble before the boy's voice changed.
She was a very good actress, and there are many other films to remember her in besides the obvious ones mentioned in the various news stories. The one I would like to draw your attention to is The Ramen Girl, directed by Robert Allan Ackerman. Murphy is Abby, a spoiled American who is magically drawn to a ramen shop, taking her on a journey that turns her into a master ramen chef. The film is in English and Japanese, but don't let the presence of subtitles put you off from it. It's a very nice film.
Early in her career, Murphy had guest rôles in several TV shows: Murphy Brown, Parker Lewis Can't Lose, Blossom, Frasier, Party of Five, Sister, Sister, SeaQuest DSV to name just a few. And let's not forget that on King of the Hill she also voiced Joseph Gribble before the boy's voice changed.
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Soap opera pace: interspersing glacial and warp speed
There's a small handful of soap operas I occasionally tune in to, and this past week they have all had various Christmas decorations in the background and allusions to Christmas. And I'm pretty sure they also exhibited that Christmas theme around this same time last year. But in between, the pace has been so glacial that I have a hard time believing that taken at face value the plots of these soap operas have really progressed a full year. Some soap operas, like Days of Our Lives, give me the impression that the plot of each 45-minute episode (not counting commercials) advances the story a lot less than 45 minutes. "What is it you were going to tell me?" asks one character in one scene. Zoom in on the worried person being asked that question. Cut to another scene, which probably also ends with an unanswered question. Then we cut back to the first scene. "Oh, I was just going to remind you about this thing, but it's not important anymore." Can you honestly believe those two characters spent two minutes just staring at each other?
Sunday, December 20, 2009
How to name fictional towns in Iraq
Those of you who write JAG or NCIS fanfiction will sooner or later have to name fictional towns in Iraq. There's Baghdad, that's the capital, and even despite our bombing the bejesus out of it, it still lacks that truly rural flavor some of you may want for your fanfics. The problem with picking a real town out of a map is that a soldier or Marine who's actually been there could nitpick your fanfic to death.
So what you do is invent a town in Iraq with the necessary parameters. It has one well, a few camels, whatever you need for your story. What do you call your fictional town? They've had that problem on JAG, and here's their solution: put the letters A, F, I, K, T into a hat. (You can put I in twice if you want). Shake the hat a little, then draw out the letters. In whatever order the letters come out, that's your town. What if you get the three consonants in a row? Just shift one of them out of the way. That's how JAG's writers came up with Tikifa for the episode in which the SecNav is tried in an international court, and Tifka for the episode in which Pfc. Smithfield gets killed and Harm fails at making Bush's "stay the course" doctrine sound any less stupid.
So what you do is invent a town in Iraq with the necessary parameters. It has one well, a few camels, whatever you need for your story. What do you call your fictional town? They've had that problem on JAG, and here's their solution: put the letters A, F, I, K, T into a hat. (You can put I in twice if you want). Shake the hat a little, then draw out the letters. In whatever order the letters come out, that's your town. What if you get the three consonants in a row? Just shift one of them out of the way. That's how JAG's writers came up with Tikifa for the episode in which the SecNav is tried in an international court, and Tifka for the episode in which Pfc. Smithfield gets killed and Harm fails at making Bush's "stay the course" doctrine sound any less stupid.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Blue Harvest
With "Something, Something, Something Dark Side" due out next week, I think it would be appropriate to review the previous installment of Family Guy's homages to the classic Star Wars trilogy.
The title of that first installment already gives cause for a nit: based on the first episode to be released, Episode IV, A New Hope, the Family Guy homage is titled "Blue Harvest," which was the code-name for Return of the Jedi, not A New Hope. Do you buy Seth MacFarlane's explanation that they didn't know if their homage would be successful and if then they would have to make the other two installments? Heck, they'll probably even have to make installments for the prequel trilogy. But at this point, the only previous material unquestionably suitable for reference in nitpicking is the film A New Hope itself.
After that there is the matter of assigning Family Guy characters to Star Wars characters. The most obvious choice for Luke and Leia are Chris and Meg. However, the Family Guy writers are so dead set on using Meg for a punching bag, that Meg couldn't be Leia, she had to be a monster in the trash compactor. Instead, Lois is Leia. So family correspondence does not matter for the choice, fine. Still, I was troubled by the choice of the pedophile Herbert for the noble Obi-Wan Kenobi. And I think a fat Darth Vader (Peter) would've been funnier than a short one (Stewie), but I have to concede that Peter makes an excellent Han Solo.
There is also the matter of which version of the movies to use as the source text: the classic edition of 1977 or the Special Edition of 1997? The decisive question of who shot first in the cantina provides the answer: Han/Peter shoots at Greedo first, as in the classic edition, which makes more sense to a nitpicker anyway. Greedo must be a real retard to shoot first and miss! How can such a lousy shot make it as bounty hunter worthy of being hired by Jabba? (To refresh my memory on Greedo's background, I went to starwars.com; I wouldn't trust Wikipedia or even the Wookiepedia—ugh! But note that starwars.com emphasizes that Greedo shot first and missed.)
The following are from the IMDb, at http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0888817/goofs. I will give my running commentary as I go along.
"Continuity: A cloud appears in front of one of Tatooine's twin suns too quickly (possibly a deliberate error since the same thing happens in the actual movie.)" OK, whatever. I've never noticed that and it probably wouldn't bother me if I did.
"Revealing mistakes: When Peter [Han] and Chris [Luke] are getting the couch out of the trash compactor, Brian [Chewbacca] and Lois [Leia] are standing on top surface of the garbage water." Didn't notice that either but that's a worthier nit.
"Continuity: At the Cantina bar, Han Solo is the last character to leave for the Millennium Falcon, but somehow manages to get there before everyone else." Whatever.
"Continuity: When Peter (Han Solo) and Chris (Luke Skywalker) attempt to get the couch out of the trash compactor, somehow Chris gets his end of the couch out but Peter can't get his." I'm willing to give a pass on this one.
"Continuity: During a light saber duel between Obi Wan (Herbert) and Darth Vader (Stewie), Darth Vader uses a red light saber. After killing Obi Wan, Darth Vader is seen with a blue light saber as stormtroopers fire on the Millennium Falcon as it departs. In the next shot that shows Darth Vader, he is again holding a red light saber." That's a good one.
"Continuity: After the light saber duel between Herbert (Obi Wan) and Stewie (Darth Vader), Brian (Chewbacca) and Peter Griffin (Han Solo) run out with the couch. When they are arguing with each other on how to get the couch into the Millennium Falcon, the laser blasts are actually going the wrong way. The Storm Troopers are on the right of them firing to the left, but the the laser blasts are coming from the left of them and going right. You can clearly see there wasn't any Storm Troopers on the left of them as they were running to the ship." Fine, I'll accept this one.
The title of that first installment already gives cause for a nit: based on the first episode to be released, Episode IV, A New Hope, the Family Guy homage is titled "Blue Harvest," which was the code-name for Return of the Jedi, not A New Hope. Do you buy Seth MacFarlane's explanation that they didn't know if their homage would be successful and if then they would have to make the other two installments? Heck, they'll probably even have to make installments for the prequel trilogy. But at this point, the only previous material unquestionably suitable for reference in nitpicking is the film A New Hope itself.
After that there is the matter of assigning Family Guy characters to Star Wars characters. The most obvious choice for Luke and Leia are Chris and Meg. However, the Family Guy writers are so dead set on using Meg for a punching bag, that Meg couldn't be Leia, she had to be a monster in the trash compactor. Instead, Lois is Leia. So family correspondence does not matter for the choice, fine. Still, I was troubled by the choice of the pedophile Herbert for the noble Obi-Wan Kenobi. And I think a fat Darth Vader (Peter) would've been funnier than a short one (Stewie), but I have to concede that Peter makes an excellent Han Solo.
There is also the matter of which version of the movies to use as the source text: the classic edition of 1977 or the Special Edition of 1997? The decisive question of who shot first in the cantina provides the answer: Han/Peter shoots at Greedo first, as in the classic edition, which makes more sense to a nitpicker anyway. Greedo must be a real retard to shoot first and miss! How can such a lousy shot make it as bounty hunter worthy of being hired by Jabba? (To refresh my memory on Greedo's background, I went to starwars.com; I wouldn't trust Wikipedia or even the Wookiepedia—ugh! But note that starwars.com emphasizes that Greedo shot first and missed.)
The following are from the IMDb, at http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0888817/goofs. I will give my running commentary as I go along.
"Continuity: A cloud appears in front of one of Tatooine's twin suns too quickly (possibly a deliberate error since the same thing happens in the actual movie.)" OK, whatever. I've never noticed that and it probably wouldn't bother me if I did.
"Revealing mistakes: When Peter [Han] and Chris [Luke] are getting the couch out of the trash compactor, Brian [Chewbacca] and Lois [Leia] are standing on top surface of the garbage water." Didn't notice that either but that's a worthier nit.
"Continuity: At the Cantina bar, Han Solo is the last character to leave for the Millennium Falcon, but somehow manages to get there before everyone else." Whatever.
"Continuity: When Peter (Han Solo) and Chris (Luke Skywalker) attempt to get the couch out of the trash compactor, somehow Chris gets his end of the couch out but Peter can't get his." I'm willing to give a pass on this one.
"Continuity: During a light saber duel between Obi Wan (Herbert) and Darth Vader (Stewie), Darth Vader uses a red light saber. After killing Obi Wan, Darth Vader is seen with a blue light saber as stormtroopers fire on the Millennium Falcon as it departs. In the next shot that shows Darth Vader, he is again holding a red light saber." That's a good one.
"Continuity: After the light saber duel between Herbert (Obi Wan) and Stewie (Darth Vader), Brian (Chewbacca) and Peter Griffin (Han Solo) run out with the couch. When they are arguing with each other on how to get the couch into the Millennium Falcon, the laser blasts are actually going the wrong way. The Storm Troopers are on the right of them firing to the left, but the the laser blasts are coming from the left of them and going right. You can clearly see there wasn't any Storm Troopers on the left of them as they were running to the ship." Fine, I'll accept this one.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Nitpicker-proofing the Tonight Show
As of last week, Cody Deveraux, the brooding vampire on The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien, has committed suicide nine times (or ten times, I don't know, I lost count somewhere). And I laugh every time, even though he meets his death in exactly the same way, exposed to the same sun in the same cloudless sky.
He appeared again last night, and once again ran out of the stage to meet his death in the sun. But as Conan had remarked earlier in the show, it had rained in Los Angeles that day, and the temperature had dropped to a frosty 61 degrees. This prompted Andy Richter to nitpick the bit right on the show, mentioning not only the rain but also the fact that Cody has died nine times prior. Actually, he said ten, but the point is that Cody has died before multiple times. In response, Conan wondered that this is the point at which the bit lost credibility for Andy.
Conan makes a lot of predictable jokes. Yes, Larry King is old, Kristie Alley is fat, New Jersey stinks, big whoop, move on. But I still laugh about the vampire and the wolf boy. And for what it's worth, I'd go crazy for the wolf boy but not the vampire.
He appeared again last night, and once again ran out of the stage to meet his death in the sun. But as Conan had remarked earlier in the show, it had rained in Los Angeles that day, and the temperature had dropped to a frosty 61 degrees. This prompted Andy Richter to nitpick the bit right on the show, mentioning not only the rain but also the fact that Cody has died nine times prior. Actually, he said ten, but the point is that Cody has died before multiple times. In response, Conan wondered that this is the point at which the bit lost credibility for Andy.
Conan makes a lot of predictable jokes. Yes, Larry King is old, Kristie Alley is fat, New Jersey stinks, big whoop, move on. But I still laugh about the vampire and the wolf boy. And for what it's worth, I'd go crazy for the wolf boy but not the vampire.
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Nitpickers wanted for new Oprah's recommendations
As America's new Oprah, Conan O'Brien has recommended Killdozer and three movies from the Leprechaun series, including the two sequels with the confidence-inspiring titles Leprechaun: Back 2 the Hood and Leprechaun 4: Leprechaun in Space. I am slightly inclined to watch Killdozer. But I have no interest whatsoever in watching any of the Leprechaun movies. Leonard Maltin's guide actually rates the first movie "BOMB" but gives the second a star and a half (and doesn't even dignify the rest with a mention). Interestingly, Jennifer Aniston was in the first Leprechaun movie but not the second. I wonder if she was asked to come back to the second one?
My collaborator, Bill Thomas, has no interest in watching any of the Leprechaun movies, nor Killdozer. Bill Berg is not returning my e-mails. So if anyone out there has seen those movies and is willing to nitpick them (which of course requires accepting their basic premise, no matter how preposterous), they're welcome to join my team.
My collaborator, Bill Thomas, has no interest in watching any of the Leprechaun movies, nor Killdozer. Bill Berg is not returning my e-mails. So if anyone out there has seen those movies and is willing to nitpick them (which of course requires accepting their basic premise, no matter how preposterous), they're welcome to join my team.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Punchingbaggis personae
Since very early on in Family Guy, Meg Griffin (Mila Kunis) has been a punching bag. But this tendency, which was latent from close to the beginning, became excessively pronounced when the show returned after being canceled.
Now it seems that every single character on the show will become a punching bag. The next one to receive this treatment, of a character beating as relentless as it is predictable, is Brian. The pre-cancelation episode "Brian Does Hollywood" planted the seed for this new attitude to Brian: instead of a straight man foil to Peter's lunacy, now Brian is continuously hounded for his mediocre writing and general pretentiousness.
In "Jerome is the New Black," aired a couple of Sundays ago, we find Brian inexplicably concerned that Quagmire doesn't like him. The episode culminates in an unfunnily long speech from Quagmire listing all of Brian's faults, which of course includes a dig at Brian's pretense of being a great writer. Brian comes home devastated, and Stewie soon comes to regret asking Brian to sleep in his room. Then, in "Dog Gone," as if it wasn't bad enough that Brian's novel Faster Than the Speed of Love supposedly didn't sell a single copy even with the endorsement of Oprah's Book Club, we now find that a book club for retards actually loves the book.
I can only speculate which character will be the next target of the punching treatment. But I predict that it will not be funny or at least entertaining.
Now it seems that every single character on the show will become a punching bag. The next one to receive this treatment, of a character beating as relentless as it is predictable, is Brian. The pre-cancelation episode "Brian Does Hollywood" planted the seed for this new attitude to Brian: instead of a straight man foil to Peter's lunacy, now Brian is continuously hounded for his mediocre writing and general pretentiousness.
In "Jerome is the New Black," aired a couple of Sundays ago, we find Brian inexplicably concerned that Quagmire doesn't like him. The episode culminates in an unfunnily long speech from Quagmire listing all of Brian's faults, which of course includes a dig at Brian's pretense of being a great writer. Brian comes home devastated, and Stewie soon comes to regret asking Brian to sleep in his room. Then, in "Dog Gone," as if it wasn't bad enough that Brian's novel Faster Than the Speed of Love supposedly didn't sell a single copy even with the endorsement of Oprah's Book Club, we now find that a book club for retards actually loves the book.
I can only speculate which character will be the next target of the punching treatment. But I predict that it will not be funny or at least entertaining.
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