Five Things

1.It might be time to start paying serious attention to Jake Gyllenhaal as a major Hollywood actor. The other night I watched a movie called LOVE & OTHER DRUGS, where he played a pharmaceutical rep, opposite Anne Hathaway, who played his love interest dealing with early Parkinson Disease. I will spare you the plot details. Hathaway was mediocre at best, what she always is, just a cute girl who misses the mark at every turn. But Jake, wow, he really was terrific, almost Cruise like in the role. The movie had 'another dumb romcom' written all over it, but Jake made all the difference. And a few years back, he was just as good, if not better than Ledger in BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN. This guy has a shot, I think, to be a serious heavyweight player. He’s got it all and he’s great on camera. He’s a lot like Ryan Gosling (LARS & THE REAL GIRL), another great actor. But we all know Gosling is more of a cult favorite, will never make mainstream breakthrough, but Gyllenhaal really can. Check him out if you haven’t already. I think he can win an Oscar. He’s movie star, plain and simple.

2.I may have this wrong, but is there another of these stupid, horrible, soul-eating reality shows that puts high-school-aged children in situations where they are being artificially bullied to see what they would do and what bystanders would do? And the parents are in on the setup? Is that really happening? Isn’t bullying an epidemical issue in schools across the country, leading in some cases to very serious consequences by the bullied? How is this mental abuse supposed to be entertaining in any way, shape, or form? If I have the details right on this, I am literally speechless . . .

3.. . . Speaking of reality TV, I saw a commercial the other night for some show called CELEBRITY APPRENTICE, and Gary Busey was about to fight Meatloaf, not the food, the singer. You know, 'Don’t be sad, Two out of three ain’t bad . . .' Anyway, I said to myself, 'Who in their right mind is still watching this garbage?' How many staged, scripted carnations of celebrities supposedly going loco have to be lazily rolled out before we have had enough? How long can this same thing be recycled for ratings? Guys, seeing Gary Busey ‘almost’ come to blows in a completely controlled/contrived situation is not that interesting anymore. He’s already been on 7 other reality shows, doing the same thing. I thought we hit the bottom of the barrel 5 years ago. It’s the same thing everywhere in the ‘Reality’ world. I can’t get through 5 minutes of IDOL anymore. Trying to watch 2 minutes of J-SHORE or KIM & KOURTNEY DO NEW YORK or KHLOE & LAMAR DO STUPID is akin to human torture. They are all fake, completely scripted/staged, and it’s the same thing over and over and over and . . . Is America really this stupid?!! MTV and E! are UNWATACHABLE! If this—any of this—actually entertains you, I hope Chris Farley comes back from the dead, reprises his role as Tommy Boy and hits you over the head with a tack hammer, because you are an . . . well, see Tommy Boy if you don't know the rest.

4.So let me get this straight: NYS is staring down the barrel of a 10-billion-dollar deficit, state workers are going to be ushered out at the tune of 9,800 layoffs, Medical/Health Care funding is going bye bye, education is getting $$$$$ crushed, and Sen. Chuck Schumer (whom I like a lot) is on a statewide campaign that has something to do with getting $$$$ for liquor/breweries? He even made a stop at Brown’s Brewery recently in regards to this quest. I admit I don’t know the details of the senator’s plan, but I must ask: Is this REALLY what we’re worried about right now? There is such a thing as perception, right? Forget health care and education, Schumer is trying to get Cuomo on board to find funding for the alcohol industry? Ummm, huh? I love the local bartender just as much as the next guy, and all his witty life-stores, but I rather put every ounce of energy into hospitals and children and the future. Money for breweries? Not even on the top 100 of my priorities as a New Yorker right now. Sorry.


5.OK, I have to admit it: Miley Cyrus was great on SNL last night. The sketches were all very funny, especially the ‘Other’ Black Eyed Peas skit, and she did just enough to get through the show, without a blunder or embarrassing overreach. I will say that the SNL cast gave her a lot of help, they all brought their A game last night, but still, she was good. The musical act: The Strokes, nonsense, but the show itself: Best of the 2010.11 season. I have a theory: I think guests with musical inclination somehow do better with the SNL concept than traditional actors. For instance Robert DeNiro was a grease fire on SNL but Justin Timberlake is considered one of the greatest emcees ever. But if you think about it, Timberlake never made a funny sketch, per say. That thing where he’s the singing egg isn’t funny at all, and the Gibb Brothers sketch is all Falloon. JT just sits there and says, 'No, no I don’t' every two minutes or so. He’s remembered for his SNL shorts, *&^% in a Box, etc. But isn’t that kind of like making a 'funny' music video? God knows he can do that. My point being, Cyrus didn’t do anything particularly funny or comically clever, she just did some singing and played back up/support in all the sketches. The episode was a winner, and I have to give Cyrus her respect. She knew her role and worked it.

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Brian Huba
3/5/11