Musings from a Black Woman: The first CW edition

I have lots to say about the CW. But today my issue is their view on women's sexuality.

Apparently the CW thinks it's fine to repeatedly portray their female characters as rape victims on Veronica Mars. But God forbid illogically-pregnant Lane on Gilmore Girls actually consider her reproductive rights not to have the baby that she and her husband obviously are not ready for. Lane has spent the last two episodes of Gilmore Girls freaking out about having a baby. She and Zack don't even have real jobs to support this child, much less the maturity or desire to have one at this point in their lives. If the writers have the temerity to get Lane pregnant after one terrible sexual enconter, they should have the guts to also let her explore her options.

Raping whory sorority girls on Veronica Mars? Super! Allowing women on Gilmore Girls who aren't ready to raise children make the informed choice not to have them? No way. If ladies are shown as having healthy sexual experience and allowed to make educated decisions about their own bodies, who knows what could happen?

The CW doesn't care about black people.

I first heard about this today on "Big Boy's Neighborhood's Liz Hernandez".

Sitcom Saga: No Finale For 'Girlfriends' and Litigation Looms, by Jawn Murray, BlackVoices.com.

. . . The CW had opted to cancel [Girlfriends] without fulfilling its remaining nine episodes.

Well I've now learned exclusively that The CW made the cast members an offer to return for a "retrospective" episode that would feature recaps of the previous shows and cast members reflecting on those shows.

The CW apparently only offered to pay the actors half of their episodic salary to shoot the makeshift finale, thus the stars collectively opted not to participate.

In addition, several people close to the show tell me that The CW refuses to honor the contracts of the principal cast members and does not intend to pay the actors for the nine episodes that will not be taped.

Now the show stars have hired a litigator who will file a joint lawsuit on behalf of the talent, suing the network for the money they are due.

"The network told them point blank, 'Sue us!' After using this show to help build its name, The CW has turned their back on them and disrespected them in the most horrible way," said someone associated with the show, who spoke under the condition of anonymity.

This is some nonsense. I don't even watch Girlfriends on The CW, because the show has gone downhill since Toni left, and Joan and William got together, then broke up. However, the show did bring over a solid audience base from UPN to this redheaded amalgamated stepchild of a network.

First Dawn Ostroff came for Everwood. Then she came for Gilmore Girls and Veronica Mars. Now Girlfriends is getting the Ostroff treatment. Shame on you, CW. Shame!

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This is sad for various reasons.

Diversity still an issue at TV networks, by Greg Braxton, Los Angeles Times.

Though minorities are featured in most of the 29 new series on the major networks, only five feature performers of color in central starring roles. While most of the shows have at least one regular minority cast member, the performers are mostly in support of the main white characters. Many shows with ensemble casts (ABC's "Dirty Sexy Money" and "Big Shots") feature predominantly white casts.

The CW remains the primary network venue for multiculturalism.

Groan.

Insert Pussycat Dolls/Veronica Mars cancellation/Gossip Girl/Hidden Palms/Chad Michael Murray joke here.

Another Joseph Gordon-Levitt post?

That's correct. Today I went to Mr. G-L's website, HITRECORD.org, and I found the above video. What happened to the hair? I liked the hair. Now he's looking like Heath Ledger. Spooky. I wonder if he has a baby, too, like Heath does. He could have a baby and not know about it. Like in that movie. You know the one.

Watching the video reminded me of the time when a couple of my friends showed me this video: Kristen Bell and Chris Lowell Candid Interview.



They found it fascinating and hilarious. I didn't think it was that funny, because I don't watch Veronica Mars. Similarly, people who aren't into Joseph Gordon-Levitt are probably like, "Who's that weird looking dude in the cape?"

Moving on, here's a clip from my new favorite comedy series, The Big Gay Sketch Show, which I discovered while perusing my ON DEMAND cable:

Must I give up The Office, too?

Or should I wait for Daily Show levels of offensiveness? FYI, Office writers, I haven't forgotten "A Benihana Christmas."

I've been reading the TWoP forums, and perusing the blogs on the interwebs. So far, most of the opinions about last night's Season 3 finale, "The Job," have been in the vein of, "I love The Office," "This is the best show ever!" and "Wow, I did not see that ending coming."

I didn't see the ending at all, because I went to sleep after Jim asked Pam on a date, but before the credits rolled. So I missed whatever Ryan said.

My problems with this episode were twofold.

1. It was too long. A lot of the scenes, especially the ones with Pam talking to the camera about how much she luvs Jim, were just filler. The show would have been more powerful in 22-minute form. Even in a Super sized form, it would have felt less drawn out than in those 44-minutes.

2. The writers are punishing the strongest woman on the show.

As erendiradali posted on the TWoP Office forums:

...There was way too much misgogyny [sic] in this episode--heck, in this season, what with having the strong, assertive role of Jan turn into a total psycho, self-destructive, semi-abusive fake-boobed weirdo. I am not sure if I will be watching next season because of this. Misgogyny [sic] is not funny. It's just pathetic.

How did Jan go from a competent executive to a raving loon in one season? I really don't get the transformation. Yes, Jan's meltdown in David's office was amusing, as were Karen's reactions to it. But the character assassination was revolting. The part that most disgusted me was Michael squeezing her new boobs in his office. And then the overall fact that she underwent an unnecessary surgical procedure to win back her lame boyfriend. A procedure that made her crazy from the painkillers. A procedure that probably eliminated any pleasure she used to get from her chest by deadening the nerves in that area. She got two bags of saline inserted into her chest in an attempt to please a man that was already dumber and less attractive than she was. Now she's supposedly going to be Michael's de-facto housewife? Does she have no marketable skills other than managing a failing paper supply company and having sex with Michael?

Yet another uppity career woman getting put in her place by a mostly male writing staff. It also exemplifies this problem, via Defamer: Hollywood Diversity Shocker: White Guys Still Doing All The Writing. Read the comments under the Defamer article for some bitter chuckles.

In other news, with Ryan finally escaping that dysfunctional relationship, I hope Kelly finds a new cute guy to date. Any suggestions for which actor should play her new beaten-down paramour? The CW has got a lot of people looking for work.

That network is such joke. Cancelling Veronica Mars, and renewing The Pussycat Dolls? That's a commitment to quality, Dawn Ostroff. Oh, and thanks for informing us that "nerds are really in right now, especially with the young set." I guess someone just got their Best Special Edition Ever! DVD of Napoleon Dynamite. Even the geezers at CBS are like, "Welcome to 2004, Dawn. At least we have actual kids in our programming. How old is Chad Michael Murray again?" Josh Schwartz better not ruin Gossip Girl. Ironically, the girl playing Jenny Humphrey, whose leading characteristic in the books is her topheaviness, has no boobs on the TV version. Weird.