The importance of originality...

With Thanksgiving being so late it is extremely important to have a strategic plan in place to get in all the important Christmas movies. It is good to know what you get in before you head this way so that we are down to the same ones left to watch. 

I see your Henry Cavil respect video and I raise you Tom Hiddleston talking a delayed gratification with Cookie Monster. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_ubVVnWglk

Speaking of Tom Hiddleston and delayed gratification, I have got to see Thor. Which leads nicely into my topic for today…

We need to have a conversation about the lack of originality in the entertainment world. I know that this isn't new and I am usually the first person to say I don't care, I'll see you in line for Iron Man 6 and the next installment of Star Trek. And I love when existing stories are re-imagined, whether it's the Lizzie Bennett Diaries or every version of Sherlock. And even though the book is better 99.9% of the time, I don't even mind that Hollywood takes every book I love and turns it into a movie - whether they craft a beautiful visual to compliment Harry Potter or let the original writer adapt his novel own novel with brilliant casting like Perks of Being a Wallflower. (I also enjoy many others that don't happen to star Emma Watson)

But a couple of things have happened recently that have made me cringe almost as much as that talk of a Buffy reboot sans Joss Whedon or a Ferris Bueller sequel.

First is this: http://insidetv.ew.com/2013/11/15/how-i-met-your-mother-spin-off-pilot/

I will certainly miss How I Met Your Mother, although you have to agree, it was time for it to be done. Why do we need to replicate the premise for another show about late 20s/early 30s friends? How I Met Your Mother was basically the new Friends, only with less viewers and a fun gimmick to tie things together. But it wasn't the gimmick that kept us watching week in and week out, it was the characters. And so maybe it doesn't matter if you copy that same gimmick for a new show as long as there are quality characters, but could we maybe come up with a slightly different premise, to feign just a little bit of creativity?

And then, I was going to leave this topic alone, but what really pushed me over was this:  http://www.hypable.com/2013/11/18/its-a-wonderful-life-sequel/ 

I don't feel a need to comment on how completely sacrilegious this feels. Unless you can get Jimmy Stewart to come back from the dead to play a ghost, I'm really not interested. Side note: someone should start working on that immediately.

I don't blame the writers for any of this. I really think they are just trying to get something put on TV and studios prefer to back projects that have a built-in fan base and proven success rate. Maybe the HIMYM guys have some fantastic new ideas and this new show (which, with its female lead would fit beautifully into CBS' Monday night lineup, giving “America’s #1 network” a full 2 hour comedy block of all female-led shows with 2 Broke Girls, Mom, and Mike & Molly-sorry Mike, Melissa McCarthy is the star there) will be great.  Who knows?

Here’s the thing: I am the most pro-TV, give everything a chance, likes way too much of it all person I know, so if I'm having doubts, then perhaps they need to pause and think about things a little. 

Of course I can always peruse YouTube, which never seems to be lacking in original content.

Switching gears and completely negating all my half-assed pleading for a bit of originality, I really do think one can never have too many superheroes (although, I thought that about vampires too, so please don’t introduce any superheroes who sparkle in the sunlight). This week Arrow is introducing the Flash, who will get his own show in 2014. Per this lovely little article (http://www.hypable.com/2013/11/18/flash-standalone-pilot-arrow/) it looks like early viewings have been positive, so I will report back after these next two weeks of Arrow.  

Some might think that having an early pre-Thanksgiving meal would lead to Sarah lightening up on the anti-Christmas efforts.  Instead she channels Mad-Eye Moody and pushes forward into the next week and a half shouting CONSTANT VIGILANCE.  Her & Aunt Kelli have joined forces to boycott stores opening on Thanksgiving Day.  Shop at your own risk, America.