This is a vlog post in response to an article, “Comedians In Chief Musnt be Prudent” from the New York Times; and my thoughts and reaction to the article. Enjoy!
Article: Click Here
SNL and Its Politics
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Category Archives: Popular Culture (Movies/ non-Classical Music/etc.)
The Gamelan Orchestra
Let me start off by saying that it was a really wonderful concert. What made it even better was that the entire class was able to play the instruments that we saw on stage last week. Knowing how difficult it is to sound as good as the orchestra did certainly made me appreciate the sound more, despite how unfamiliar it is to me. It is certainly unlike any of the other music we have explored this semester; it is completely unique to Bali. There were two dancers, who danced in seemingly traditional dances (although one would be led to question how “authentic” any of this performance is, considering Bali’s musical history). The costumes of the orchestra members, who were barefoot as well (a sign of respect in Bali culture) completed the uniqueness of this event. Something striking about the instruments is that they look quite ancient. In reality, they are a modern creation, much more modern than the instruments found in a classical orchestra. The history of the Gamelan Orchestra is not as glamorous as it seems to be: instead of being traditional and spiritual, the Gamelan style of music was created because the Indonesian government pushed for it in order to entertain tourists at hotels. It’s amazing how great the orchestra sounded, when most of the orchestra was percussion. There were only two flutes to complement the percussion. The sounds were quite new and refreshing. The gong, which I got to play in class actually reminded me of the bells attached to ocean buoys. Alone the instruments do not sound so great, but put together, they sound quite impressive. This was evident in the segment of the show where the conductor pieced together the orchestra, part by part, before they played the full song. I know the music makes sense on a theoretical level, but only because the music majors in the class told me so. This concert and the classroom session on the Gamelan Orchestra was quite an interesting topic, and it explored a side of music that I previously knew very little about.
When Political Interpretations are Taken Too Far
If you are anything like me, you have not only seen the new muppet movie, but you have practically memorized the soundtrack (OK, very few of you are anything like me.) The movie has been praised almost across the board as a glorious return of an old favorite. Why is it then, that Fox News feels you shouldn’t see this movie? Because, of course, it is leftist propaganda being made to brainwash our kids. Of course.
I find this to be incredibly ridiculous. Their claim is that the movie negatively characterizes oil barons and teaches our kids that hard work should not be paid off. For one thing, the movie in no way says its wrong to dig for oil. It does however say it is bad to lie, cheat, and steal to dig for oil, just as it would be wrong to lie, cheat, and steal to save the dolphins. The only reason he is an oil baron is because the story required a reason for someone to want a piece of land. Secondly, no one criticizes Tex Richman, the villain of the film, for being rich and working hard. They criticize him for being evil. Theres a difference. Furthermore, the Muppets themselves are shown working incredibly hard to try and save their show, though they only succeed due to a change of heart by Tex Richman. If anything, this movie shows how you can work as hard as you can, and still be subject to the whims of the rich.
Fox continues to criticize shows like Captain Planet and Nickelodeons Big Green Help movement for similarly brainwashing the youth of today into trying to help keep the world clean and safe. It is so absurd that I almost felt like I was watching a clip from the Colbert Report. Whatever the case is, I can’t wait to see what Fox has to say about the Lorax movie coming out in March. If there is any children’s entertainment figure more green than the Lorax, I don’t know what it is.
Street Acrobatics
New York City is home to all different kinds of art forms. These art-forms usually make their home in galleries, museums, and theaters. New York is special though, in the sense that it often brings the art to you. These street acrobatics that I witnessed in the streets of Manhattan were proof of that. With a drummer and a four piece drum-set, four dancers on Broadway Avenue attracted quite a large crowd. If graffiti is the modern equivalent of a painting, then these street acrobatics are the equivalent of a modern ballet. Regardless of what your taste in art is, there’s no denying that these street performers are bringing dancing and many other forms of art to a public that would not otherwise view them. Whether they are getting in your way in a subway station, or spray painting the sides of buildings on your drive home, these “street artists” are bridging the gap between the public and art, more than ever before. These acrobats are certainly skilled, and could rival the skill of the ballet dancers that we saw at “Fall for Dance”. Their style of dancing, which is a blend of break-dancing, acrobatics, and hip-hop dancing, is becoming more and more popular in society. Shows like So You Think You Can Dance? are becoming all too commonplace on television. Just walk into the Macaulay Lounge on any given day and you find a bunch of students practicing similar techniques. I think this best represents the changing taste in art in recent times, which people of every class, “classy” or not, can witness and participate in artistic activities without conventional means.Their antics involved feats of strength, flexibility, and even eating cigarettes! All of these for now charge at all, although the dancers certainly recommended a donation. I’ve attached a video that I took of these quite entertaining acrobats: Street Dancers
Of Politics and Graphic Novels.
It was not too long ago that the world heard Frank Miller, the graphic novel writer responsible for Sin City and 300 (and mostly notably, the grittier incarnation of Batman), speak out against the Occupy Wall Street movement. In his little tirade against OWS, which anyone is free to read through at frankmillerink.com, he called the movement “a pack of louts, thieves, and rapists, an unruly mob, fed by Woodstock-era nostalgia and putrid false righteousness” and warned them “Wake up, pond scum, America is at war against a ruthless enemy” (by which he means al-Qaeda and Islamicism). Fans of Miller were—unsurprisingly—shocked by the attack.
Rick Moody, the author of this article in the Guardian, claimed they shouldn’t have been because Miller “was just voicing Hollywood’s unspoken values;” and after all, these are the people he has made the most money out of. In this same article, Moody continued by attacking not only Miller but Hollywood as well. He called the notable filmmaking factory’s output a “mindless, propagandistic storytelling medium,” and listed several movies to support his argument (among them, the adaptation of Miller’s 300, Ridley Scott’s Gladiator, and James Cameron’s Avatar). Though the argument suffered from being pretentiously hyperbolic, it’s hard to argue with some of the points he made.
The author of this response in the Irish Times, Laurence Mackin, believes Moody’s argument de-railed when he claimed, “comic books themselves are so politically dim-witted, so pie-in-the-sky idealistic as to be hard to take seriously.” The author gives Moody the benefit of the doubt by suggesting that he may draw a distinction between comic books and graphic novels (“as straightforward as arguing about what is a worthwhile, and what is merely a piece of Hollywood cryptofascist propaganda”), but it is clear that this is pure mockery. Mackin’s own belief (and mine) is summed up perfectly in the paragraph that follows:
“Graphic novels are every bit as powerful and engaging as their wordier, pictureless colleagues. They bring a cinematic edge to literature, create an accessibility that it would be foolish to dismiss as puerile, and open up good writing to a much wider readership who might otherwise not engage with a straightforward novel. They also allow a writer a whole other level of creative freedom and offer a collaborative process where writers, illustrators, inkers and letterers are working in tandem to create something complete, satisfying and deeply meaningful.”
Graphic novels are not, as Moody suggested, without political influence or relevance. In fact, one of the most prominent features of the Occupy Wall Street movement is a mask, which many commentators have linked to Guy Fawkes but which also happens to be “a key piece of symbolism from one of the most vital comic books of the last few decades, one that drew on the ideas in books such as George Orwell’s singular Nineteen Eighty-Four and took them a step further.” By donning this mask, the protestors reveal exactly how they feel about their government (authoritarian, overly reliant on surveillance, etc.) and exactly what they intend to do about it (dissent, upheaval, etc.).
Photograph courtesy of the blog Whoa, This is Heavy! Confessions of a Movie Geek.
Most recently, the comic book/graphic novel medium has also become a vehicle for capturing the story of the Occupy Wall Street movement. Occupy Comics is a book that is collaboratively being worked on by a number of writers, artists, and business executives (among which are Amanda Palmer of the Dresden Dolls; the painter Guy Denning; and Alan Moore). According to this FAQ on kickstarter.com it “is intended to be a time capsule of the passions and emotions driving the movement.” The book and graphic novel artists and writers “have been inspired by the movement and hope to tell the stories of the people who are out there putting themselves at risk for an idea.” Occupy Comics is about direct action.
Clearly, comic books are not as “politically dim-witted” as Rick Moody claimed them to be. Frank Miller’s tirade against the Occupy Wall Street movement may have been a little immature, but the work of his colleagues is anything but. Maus. Sandman. V for Vendetta. Watchmen. These are not for “pre- and just post-pubescent boys.” These are for intellectuals like us. They are a lens on the world we live in. And just as they offer inspiration for movements such as OWS to do something about the injustices that exist in our society, the Occupy Comics project may prove to do the same for generations in decades to come.
Gamelan is the “Bomb”-elan!
After having the opportunity to play the instruments of the Gamelan Orchestra, I was able to appreciate the Gamelan Concert on an entirely different level in LeFrak Hall on Monday, December 5. As a class, I think we can all agree that we didn’t have any idea this music form existed! Not only do these instruments sound different, but also they have a very unique design! The deep reds and golds make them look rich and ethnic, which adds to the experience of watching a performance. Another aspect that adds to the performance is the addition of dancers! The style of dancing is very basic, and the women dancing are dressed in dresses that have the same color scheme as the drums and xylophone-type instruments. However, when I write “basic,” I don’t mean to take away the unique style that it carries. Although the moves are basic, they require the dancers to twist and turn into positions that catch your eye but don’t take away from the instrumental performance.
I also want to touch on the sounds and styles of the music created with the Gamelan Orchestra. Today, and the day I got a chance to use the instruments, when I heard them individually, they were each pleasant and catchy on the ears. For example, the gongs resonated throughout the room and gave off a rich, deep “yong.” The slenthem is the Gamelan version of the xylophone, which I am familiar with. Having played the xylophone in the past, I know the notes are read like a piano. However, the slenthem is read in a whole other set of notes. Although it looks the same, it requires a little change in understanding. Also, after each strike, the musician must muffle the bar so the sound doesn’t ring on forever, because that would cause a big mess of noise. Speaking of noise, when all of the instruments are played together, it is easy to heard just a bunch of noise. The percussion instruments definitely overpowered the slenthem and others, unless the percussion wasn’t playing. This isn’t to say I didn’t enjoy the Gamelan, I actually loved it! I played percussion in the past, so I appreciate the beats produced, but I also enjoy the balance of sounds in the traditional band. I would definitely consider taking a Gamelan class in the future!
Gamelan!
On Monday, December 5th during free hour, the Gamelan performance in LeFrak hall featured four pieces presented by Queens students and faculty. The musicians were arranged in a distinct triangular manner, radically different from a typical American band or orchestra. Two sets of double rows pointed to a seated player surrounded by a large drum on his right, smaller one on his left, and a proportionally petite drum by his feet.
It was interesting to watch the mysterious manner in which the musicians slowly picked up their utensils and gyrated their hands and wrists before playing. My favorite piece of the show, “Belaganjur Bebarongan” was a drum directed piece which featured two dancers who circled to the beat of the loud assault of cymbals, flutes, and drums. It juxtaposed the following number, “Brayut” in which there was no bass, but simply a pair of soloists meticulously playing their ceng ceng kopyaks, or crash cymbals.
Throughout the other pieces, the musicians situated on stage right played half as many notes-per-measure then their counterparts (on the opposite part of the stage) playing lighter sounding ceng ceng kopyaks. In front of these musicians was the soloist, positioned next to two flute players. Altogether, the random assortment of flute, crash symbols, and deep leading drums come together into a beautiful display of a new culture of music unknown to many of us on this side of the world.
“99 Problems” and None of Them in Concert with the 99%
Everyone can calm down now. We have found the art that Occupy Wall street has been waiting for. The protest joining the young together has finally (inadvertently) found its source of artistic inspiration. Who is this Muse? None other than the man Shawn Corey Carter, AKA Jay-Z.
Daniel Edwards has recently revealed a sculpture that is causing quite some controversy with the music mogul. The statue, pictured above, depicts Jaz-Z as the base of many other smaller (fictional) figures, such as Scrooge McDuck, stacked above him. This sculpture is meant to depict Jay-Z as one who is only looking out for himself and his pocket. This art piece is in response to Jay-Z attempt at making a quick buck by selling t-shirts with the words “Occupy All Streets” for a whopping $22-with no benefits going towards the Occupy Wall Street movement.
The statue is a critique of Jay-Z as usually a man who likes to think of himself as someone from the block, as the average Joe.; instead of helping the average Joe, Jay-Z decided instead to sell a product and take advantage of the movement that is looking out for the public rather than one’s private bank account.
One could take the side that these shirts are helping promote the cause, so it can’t be so bad. What do you think?
Although this sculpture may not be “Born In the USA” we have finally seen some sort of effect that Occupy Wall Street had on the arts. The arts have done its job by protecting the people and their integrity for what they stand for. They aren’t the 1% that could afford a $22 t-shirt, but if that same shirt was selling for $4.99 at Target, with Jay-Z still receiving the profit, would there still have been an outcry?
Fashion: A Lost Art?
And by lost I mean forgotten and by forgotten I mean marginalized. But I guess I should be a bit clearer. When I say fashion is a lost art, I’m not referring to the mega-successful fashion industry. I’m talking about an individual’s sense of fashion. The way I see it, everyone’s distinct sense of style attests to a certain artsiness (yes, that is actually a word) inherent in every human being. I know that’s a broad statement, but fear not – I shall expound.
Fashion bloggers/photographers like The Sartorialist immortalize the most ubiquitous form of creative expression through taking pictures of original ensembles they spy on the streets
There are many definitions one can give to the word “art.” The one that the dictionary offers, and that I myself happen to espouse, is “the expression or application of human creative skill or imagination.” If that is the case, then, isn’t the way someone dresses him/herself a form of art in its own right? Even if someone doesn’t put much thought into his/her daily ensemble, the piecing together of certain articles of clothing, however well or poorly pieced together they may be, is a legitimate act of creative expression in the literal sense of the word “art.” In that way, isn’t everyone an “artist” to some extent?
To be sure, as in every artistic genre, there are artists who excel and artists who fall short. (I’m not quite sure where the objectivity lies in such a form of artistic expression, though. As in, what determines if someone is dressed “better” than someone else? Skill is not really a factor, as I think we’re all more or less equally adroit and experienced. I would love to press further into the issue, but it would constitute an annoying digression that, frankly, I haven’t the time for at present.) My point is that fashion is an art form available to everyone. Obviously, consumerism plays a role in fashion but it is pretty much free from most of the fetters typically imposed on other forms of art. Think about this way: With clothing, for a relatively small sum, you can turn yourself into a walking form of creative expression. And you do. Everyday. There’s no need for museums either. Just walk outside and the streets become the exhibit.
Of course, I’ve only scratched the surface. There is more to be said about the issue, but I think the main thing about it is that it warrants a fresh perspective on the otherwise exclusive art world. The common folk are allowed in, it seems, if only for a moment, through the wide world of fashion. So don’t lose sight of that the next time you bemoan your creative deficiencies. You’re more creative than you think. The proof? Well, you’re wearing it.
QC Nota Bene Contemporary Ensemble
Yesterday’s the Nota Bene Contemporary Ensemble at the LeFrak Concert Hall was spectacular. The blend of poetry, music, and light was perfect. This performance again includes percussion instruments and the unique effect it produces in this performance make me like them more.
I like the first piece very much. It reminds me the music used in the dance “the Water Stains on the Wall” that I watched before by myself. I wasn’t sure what instrument created the sound when I was watching the dance. I was so surprised that it turned out to be flute. The combination of drum and the special way of playing the flute create the music that is similar to the music used for perform Chinese Kungfu such as Tai Chi in some way. This performance was very different from the concert we listen to before; it does not have a huge group of people. However, it was like a concerto because it has flute as solo, accompanied by drums.
The fifth piece of this performance mainly contain singing. The song that was sang was abstract and creepy. It was like the song used in the near end of the dance Three to Max by Ohad Naharin that we watched in the Fall for Dance at City Center. It was not like a normal song that we listen to. It is hard to understand what it is expressing.
It must be not a coincidence that both contemporary music are used in modern dance. Both contemporary music and modern dance tend to convey ideas in abstract ways; they are usually not understandable to most people. So, contemporary music and modern dance seem come together naturally and acquiescently.
I am so glad that we have so many great performances right in our campus. I anticipate more wonderful performances at the LeFrak Concert Hall.
Unleash Your Inner Artist!
Thanksgiving is over, and we in Professor Smaldone’s seminar enter our final stretch of our first semester in college (Crazy, huh?). But the closing of November marks the termination of another event- NaNoWriMo! No, this is not a Japanese sitcom. This is National Novel Writing Month, a unique, stimulating challenge for creative writers around the world. The task: to write a 50,000 word (or more) novel in one month. No previous experience in the art of writing is necessary. In fact, NaNoWriMo was created in 1999 by 21 non-writers who decided to embark on a monthlong journey just to get their voice out there. They wanted to write novels not out of any aspirations of tapping into their creative selves, but rather for the same reason angry teenagers start doomed-for-failure boy bands- to make some noise. And, they claim, “Because we thought that, as novelists, we would have an easier time getting dates than we did as non-novelists.”
Each group member strung thousands of words together through the month of July 1999. What they discovered was not embarrassment, pain, and self-doubt, but a whole lot of fun! The writing process was so enjoyable that they decided to go for a second round the following year in November, taking advantage of the miserable weather. A website was created and they each forwarded the challenge to their friends, recruiting 140 participants. The event spread from their San Francisco Bay area to around the United States and Canada, turning NaNoWriMo into an international race. The official rules were set, and NaNoWriMo has been exponentially growing in participants and countries ever since.
“Valuing enthusiasm and perseverance over painstaking craft, NaNoWriMo is a novel-writing program for everyone who has thought fleetingly about writing a novel but has been scared away by the time and effort involved.” With NaNoWriMo, it’s all about quantity, not quality. Go ahead and spew. You get an A+ for having fun with the process. NaNoWriMo will challenge your inner perfectionist and force your brain to pump out creativity on a whole new level. NaNoWriMo’s promoters beg, “Stop being one of those people who say, ‘I’ve always wanted to write a novel,’ and become one of those people who can say, ‘Oh, a novel? It’s such a funny story–I’ve written three.’”
If you are especially ambitious and up for an arduous test, NaNoWriMo’s November challenge is still open for submissions by midnight, local time, November 30th. However, if you do not feel capable of churning out 50,000 words in the next two days, fear not. NaNoWriMo is held several times a year, so you can be sure to make the next deadline.
For a complete list of rules and instructions, visit the NaNoWriMo homepage here.
Lefrak Performance
Today, I attended the concert in Lefrak Hall. The concert was The Nota Bene Ensemble performing a a series of works that examined the intersection of Politics and Music. It was an interesting attempt to combine music and poetry in the same space. The concert was dynamic because of the various interactions with lighting, and the different placements of the various poets and musicians. The event started with a poem, and then musicians would play a piece that was supposedly related or applied to the poem that was just read. It was interesting seeing what pieces the musicians and poets thought went together.
My favorite piece that was performed was called Bang a garbage can loudly tonight. The poem was read very monotonous, but it added ot the effect. The poem discusses some of the problems with the world today and it focuses on Occupy Wall Street. The poem says that the world allowed the one percent to make decisions for the ninety nine. After the poem, the musicians played a piece that was filled with various types of drums. It was a clear connection between the written wrod and the music. The poem was my favorite, and so I enjoyed hearing the representation in music. It made me imagine someone banging on a garbage can.
This event is different from the previous two concerts I attended in Lefrak Hall. The first was the concert we attended as a class, and as we all remember, there was one soloist accompanied by an orchestra. The second event I attended was a much smaller concert, and the performers were not from the college, but rather a troupe that was brought in (there is a post from a few weeks ago that goes more into detail about the second performance). This was was much more aesthetically appealing because of the different positions of the performers. It was more engaging to the audience to have the lights switch on the stage. I enjoyed the contrast between the different performances.
Does Technology Ruin Art?
Technology is reaching unprecedented heights in the 21st century. Software, hardware, and a lot of creativity allows users of all ages to turn themselves into overnight superstars and online celebrities. As society keeps advancing, a question that has often plagued audiences of modern visual art now arises in areas such as music, film, and media production. If everyone is able to produce art on their Mac at their kitchen table, who’s to say what’s considered art and what is not? If everyone can be their own producer, publisher, and marketing team, is anyone’s talent truly unique? The online documentary series MADE HERE explores this very question.
Supported by a 2009 Rockefeller Cultural Innovation Fund award, MADE HERE is an online project which focuses on performing artists based in New York City. In a series of intimate interviews, artists share their opinions, ideas, and passions with online viewers. The project includes short episodes covering topics such as activism, identity, and creativity in the art world. In the technology issue, featured artists express how “new technologies are enabling an exciting freedom to create and disseminate work on their terms for new audiences.”
As theater artist Jess Barbagallo says, “With the internet, everyone can be a Renaissance man.” If you have an idea for a TV show, go ahead and cheaply produce it, then upload it to YouTube. Millions of hits will plunge you into the growing world of fame. Speaking of YouTube hits, Improv Everywhere founder Charlie Todd remarks that these days, “Someone in a suit in a corner office doesn’t have to approve of what you do in order for it to be seen by billions of people.” The internet is the fastest and most effective way to reach masses of people, for free. Paul D. Miller, also known as DJ Spooky is well aware that most of his listeners have not seen or heard him play live at all. His fame is generated from online downloads and mixes. Miller and his team even deserted their physical office on 14th Street, since they were primarily emailing back and forth to communicate, something which can be done at home. Musician, Composer, and Multimedia Artist Vernon Reid concludes, “Ten years ago there wasn’t Myspace, there wasn’t Twitter, there wasn’t Facebook…and the next ten years are gonna be unimaginable.” So what do you think? If these days everyone can produce art from their living rooms, is anyone truly an innovator? And who gets to make this decision? The amount of YouTube hits?
The episode can be viewed here.
Queens’ Jewel
After last week’s wonderful impromptu musical performance, courtesy of Antonio Hart, I was inspired to find out who exactly this Aaron Copeland person was. After all, it seems he was worthy of having one of the greatest aspects of Queens College named for him, right?
Turns out, Aaron Copeland and I share a litvishe (intermittent Scottish roots included!) background. Unfortunately that’s pretty much where the similarities end.
Born in Brooklyn at the turn of the century, Mr. Copeland expressed amazing musical skill from a very young age. He composed his first opera scenario called Zenatello, which included seven bars of music, at age eleven. And that was just the beginning of a long and illustrious career as one of America’s greatest modern orchestral composers.
Copeland is perhaps most famous for his originality in film scores. In 1949 he won an Academy Award for the Heiress film score. While most composers at the time adhered to the constraints of post-romantic pieces, Copeland proved to be an effortless iconoclast, and ever a crowd pleaser.
Later in life, Copeland’s career developed, and he became quite a successful conductor, until, in 1990, he died of Alzheimer disease.
Naked Truth: New Sitcoms Are Reruns
In this NY Times article, Neil Genzlinger expresses his frustration over the new sitcoms popping up on television these days: There’s nothing new about them! All of the ideas these shows are exploring are not funny. Why? We’ve heard the jokes already. Gerzlinger calls this phenomenon the “End of Comedy”, or at least novelty. He breaks up the humor explored in these shows into five categories:
1. GUESS WHAT? WE HAVE GENITALS- The subtleties previously needed to “mention” these subjects on television are no longer necessary; words previously considered obscene are mentioned numerously throughout modern sitcoms for shock value, yet they yield very little comedic value.
2. TECHNOLOGY EXISTS TO MAKE US LOOK STUPID- This comedic topic has been used and reused for the past sixty years. Trite? Yea, it is. If Giligan’s Island did it, it’s already been done.
3. PARENTS+KIDS=WAR – “What in 1958 occupied 25 minutes is now condensed into 15 seconds. Television’s parent-child war, once full of intricate battle plans and troop movements, has degenerated into a snarky guerrilla contest made of quick, largely mirthless strikes.”
4: EEK, A BABY- I can’t remember a sitcom over the past two decades that hasn’t had an episode or two (or more!) that focused on the difficulties of being a new parent. Yet this is still being used as ideas for shows, evident in the creation of the new sitcom “Up All Night”.
5: CLODS IN THE WORKPLACE- Useless bosses, selfish coworkers, unfair compensation, unhappiness with an occupation. Done, done, and done. Sexual inequality in the workplace has been so “thoroughly strip-mined” that today a sitcom only has to make a passing reference to it.
Do these themes look familiar? They should, because since the advent of T.V., these have been recurring topics of comedy. And to be quite frank, they’ve gotten old. Even the idea of reusing topics of comedy is an old one. Look at Don Giovanni- the sexuality and even the innuendoes used (pillars as phallic symbols) throughout the play certainly do not feel two hundred years old. The Bald Soprano is still funny for modern audiences as well, and as mentioned in class, the effect the theater of the absurd has had on comedies such as Seinfeld is quite apparent. “If sitcoms are merely rehashing the same five categories of jokes, they’re also just shuffling the same handful of situations. Family with precocious kids. Workplace full of kooks. The young and hip being young and hip. You might think that the been-there-done-that thing isn’t an issue for viewers in a younger demographic, but thanks to Nick at Nite and such, it is; they too have seen all those shows we cranky geezers grew up on.”
