FADED GLORY

I watched a special tonight about SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE, another documentary talking about how great the show was, is and always will be. It’s about the 2^nd or 3^rd special celebrating the show and its longevity this year. There were a few things that surprised me about the show that I don’t think they intended.

The first was noticing the absolute change of the show from the beginnings (which I am old enough to remember, the show starting in my late teens) to now. It made me think of the advent of punk music. First there was rock n’ roll and it got so overproduced and slick that it made the ground fertile for punk music, a no nonsense balls to the wall head on rock sound. But punk faded and straight forward rock n’ roll was the result, moving to hair bands and then more straight forward rock n’ roll. SNL is just like this.

When it began it was that answer to overproduced comedic television. The year before in 1974 we had HAPPY DAYS, LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE, THE BOB NEWHART SHOW, THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW and CHICO AND THE MAN. There wasn’t much counter culture on display. That made the ground fertile for the “take on the establishment” first year of SNL. For five years that was the case. And then the original cast and Lorne Michael, the producer left. The next group that came in were terrible. They didn’t learn from the first five years and instead did jokes that revolved around sex and drugs and weren’t funny. Think Beavis and Butthead but less funny. Two standouts, Eddie Murphy and Joe Piscopo survived those years and were brought in with the next group.

This group did much better, sparking a resurgence in the show. The performers brought some great characters. They also included the great Phil Hartman who was to carry the show for years until his untimely death. Then it was so so only to rise from the ashes once more. The rises and falls continued though and the show began to really go downhill in the past few years. Yes, there are standouts in the group (Go Kenan Thompson!) but on the whole no one current strikes me as star material.

That’s another thing that made SNL fade from the rebel show it once was to a more mainstream vehicle. The casts were always less about a team effort that made a funny show and became more of a launch pad for actors who wanted to become movie stars. Some were funny enough to make the transition smoothly but again, the actual show stopped being a reflection and parody of our culture and became more mainstream.

In talking with people I continue to be surprised by the number of people who don’t watch it, the majority of those being young people. While they still bring on musical guests that a young crowd would want to listen to, for the most part young people that I’ve talked to don’t watch with any regularity, some of them not even aware of the show except for the name. Rather than being a groundbreaking show it’s become a nostalgia act. But they don’t even know it.

The cast members still think they’re relevant. They pat themselves on the back for the political humor they toss out, claiming to be unbiased but always leaning left. The crowd loves that but then again this is a New York crowd. When you’re preaching to the choir and they sing with you, you think you’ve reached the masses. In truth, you’re only reaching the same people week after week. You’re missing the forest for the trees.

The program talked about how perfect the show is for the modern age, the age of the internet. I have to agree. I find when I watch the show now I’m lucky to find a 5 minute segment that makes me laugh. When you take that 5 minute segment and put it online anyone who clicks gets to see the one good skit of the entire hour long show. The other 55 minutes aren’t worth the time. It’s almost as if the show has become a parody of the show it once was. Which is sad.

Like the conditions that gave rise to punk music, the show has lost its edge. The qualities that made it subversive when it began are long gone. Rather than the punk rock edge the show has turned into that overproduced slick sound that made punk necessary to clear the palette. Where the original shows were the Clash the new shows are late Fleetwood Mac.

While congratulating themselves for doing such a great job perhaps the show needs to step back and take an actual look at itself. Stop telling yourself how good and relevant your show is. It needs to realize it’s no longer funny. It needs to realize that there is a vast world out there beyond the sidewalks of New York, a world that could care less what plays as funny in New York and wants something, hungers for something, that’s fresh and funny. A total overhaul is needed. That or it needs to end painlessly rather than hang on until the audience consists of so few people it’s not worth doing. SNL as it is today has left the ground wide open for a new program to come along and do it the way they once did. As a fan of long ago, I find that sad.

SEARS DEPENDABILITY?

So as I sit here waiting for Sears to answer my phone call while on hold for (checking clock on cell phone) over 30 minutes I thought it might be good time spent to talk about how Sears is handling my warranty issue. My hopes is that in so doing and in posting it here to be read that you might discover just how “good” their warranty is and how poorly Sears deals with said warranties.

A few years back we needed a new water heater and decided to change over to an electric water heater. Shopping around we decided to go with Sears for this new water heater thinking they were a reputable dealer and would offer the best warranty around. So we purchased the water heater there and had them install it using their people. My thought process on this was that in using the people they approved of it would eliminate any problems down the road should they occur not to mention the fact that I felt these people should be more familiar with the product since they were Sears approved. The date of the installation for this water heater was 10-17-13. I know this for a fact because we’ve always marked the date the water heater was installed on the water heater itself.

Well after this past year this water heater ended up leaking. So much so that it had a cloudy substance running down the side and the door over the reset button eventually rusted. I couldn’t find the warranty/booklet that came with the water heater so put off calling them once I noticed the problem. I finally did find the book and called the number to tell them that I was having this problem with the water heater. For the past few months the heat wouldn’t stay on and the only way to have hot water was to push the reset button daily. They said they would send someone out to look at it and scheduled that appointment I think for 2 weeks later (which was yesterday, July 29^th).

An automated call told me several days prior that I was the first call of the day and that someone would be here by 10 that morning. I got things ready and noticed I had missed a call the day before. This one told me that someone would be at my home between 8AM and Noon. If I was the first call I thought I’d better make sure I was dressed and ready by 8. Around 10 I got a call from the guy telling me he’d be there in about a half hour. 45 minutes later he showed.

He looked at the water heater and told me that yes indeed I had a leak.  He had also told me on the phone that while my water heater was still under warranty for parts that there would be a labor fee if they were to replace the water heater. I said yes, I understood that. After he looked at the water heater and determined that a replacement was needed he began typing information into his portable computer. He then called it in to make sure things were set and while on the phone he said “Oh, I didn’t know that. I haven’t had to call one of these replacements in in a while.” He then told me that they wanted pictures to document the condition of the water heater now. He also told me that my warranty wouldn’t be valid any longer because in looking at it it appeared that the water heater had a leak at the fitting on top and that caused the problem. I responded well the fitting and the rest was done by a Sears installer not by me. He said he understood and that if I wanted I could dispute this with Sears as he we just a person they sent out to check things. He gave me a card with a number to call.

I understood that this wasn’t his issue and figured I would call the next day. My intended argument was that Sears’ installer was the one who put the water heater in so I should not be held accountable for the water heater not being installed correctly. I had never seen water squirting from the fitting or even seen it dripping from it. I wondered if they felt that the owner of one of their water heaters was responsible for checking every fitting on it every few weeks just to make sure that they had done the job of installing it correctly. That seems like a bit much to expect when on my end I expected the water heater to be installed properly from the get go.

So I called them. As I sit here some 49 minutes after this call began you can imagine my frustration. I’m on hold and started typing this piece up after 4 games of solitaire (Pyramid if you’d like to know what game). The first person I talked to had no clue what was going on. I told him what happened yesterday and he asked if I wanted to have someone come out again to check the water heater. I said no, that has already been done and the guy said it needed replaced. He asked me if I wanted to schedule them to install a new one. I said no, I am calling because the guy yesterday told me to do so if I disputed the fact that they now claimed I was not under warranty. He put me on hold. He came back and said that I was no longer under warranty. I said why not? He said hold on. He came back and said I was no longer under warranty. I said look, the guy told me that yesterday I’m calling to dispute it like he told me to, did you look at the report he sent in? He said hold on. He came back and said it showed I wasn’t under warranty. I said look, I’m pulling out the warranty/booklet; it says here that I have a six year warranty on the water heater; it was install in 2013, therefore it should still be under warranty; why are you telling me it is not under warranty. He said hold on. He came back and told me he was going to transfer me to someone else and asked if I had a pencil just in case I got disconnected. I said I did, wrote down the number and he transferred me. That was nearly 50 minutes ago.

I’m wondering if this automated message is for real. Every 15 or so seconds while bad music plays non-stop a voice comes on and says “We appreciate your waiting” or “All employees are busy helping other customers, please wait for assistance”. Really? After (looking at clock) 56 minutes you think I’m really still patient? You think I honestly believe you want to help me after talking to someone who had no clue what he was doing before you set me off to wait for an hour? I’m starting to think that there is no real help line, that this was set up to make people go crazy waiting until they finally gave in and hung up. Unfortunately I’m kind of stubborn and the odds of me hanging up are slim.

I’ve just plugged my phone in to make sure that it has a decent charge in it. I’ve been on hold long enough that the picture telling me how much power my cell has dropped enough to be noticeable. As I sit here I’m thinking that if minimum wage were actually the $15 some want it to be I have already been on here enough to earn $15 and I may end up in the $30 realm before this phone call finishes.

So I finally got through to their water heater department! Went through the whole thing again. I’m told sorry, but there’s nothing they can do, since the fitting apparently leaked I’m out of luck. I said even though it was installed by YOUR Sears approved people using fittings that you apparently approved? She tells me that since I didn’t buy an extended contract the installation contract only covers the first year. I said so if they install something incorrectly and it doesn’t show up until after 12 months I’m screwed and she tells me yes. I said I never saw any water squirting out or collecting on top, how would I know if the fitting wasn’t working? She said she couldn’t answer that question. I said are you telling me that when Sears installs something I’m required to go in and check it every week to make sure that the fitting still works? She says she has no way of answering that question. I said if you don’t cover the things that you sell and install why would I ever want to buy from Sears again? She basically tells me it’s up to me that there is still nothing they can do, they won’t replace the water heater. I said is there someone I can talk to to appeal this decision? She tells me she can give me the number for customer complaints. I ask will they be able to reverse this decision? She says no but they might be able to do something for me. I thank her, take the number and get off the phone ready to call this new number. Time on the phone, 1 hours and 38 minutes.

So I call the next number. Fortunately they aren’t near as busy as the original people I talked and waited on for that first hour and a half. I get someone and once more give them my information to pull up the report and explain my problem. She agrees that I shouldn’t have to check the fittings Sears installed every week. I ask if Sears approved people install a water heater and nothing happens from that installation during the first year but on month 13 it does, that means that Sears won’t take responsibility for that? Apparently that’s their policy. I tell her like the last person, if you won’t back up the product you sell or the people you hire to install it then what reason would I have to want to purchase something from Sears ever again? She told me that was my choice. She checks to see if there is anything she can do and comes back to tell me that the best they can do is give me 10% off of a new water heater. I said why would I want to purchase a Sears water heater that they won’t back up if there is a problem with it? She says she understand but if I would like she’ll make a note that we talked and set the 10% deal in the notations. I said even though your people installed your product with your approved fittings that all didn’t work you still can’t replace the water heater. The answer is no. I said just to clarify if I purchase a new water heater from Sears the only way I can insure that the water heater is covered is if I have someone come out to check it periodically to make sure the fittings and the rest are all in working condition. She says yes I could purchase a maintenance contract. I say so what you’re telling me is that I have to spend more money with Sears just to make sure that the product I purchased from Sears continues to work properly, that basically this is a way for them to make more money? She says well to make sure there are no problems it pays to have someone check it every so often but that it’s not a way for them to make more money.  

Total time spent with Sears today just to find out they won’t cover their products unless you purchase a separate contract to make sure that any wrongdoing on their part is covered longer than 12 months that has them come back periodically to check the work that should have been done properly the first time? 2 hours and 4 minutes. Somehow I’m not real crazy about purchasing anything from Sears again in the near future.

A LITTLE KINDNESS

I was watching a new trailer for the upcoming movie MAD MAX: FURY ROAD. In the newest one, they harken back to the original films that were made well over 30 years ago. Let me say up front that this made me feel old since it doesn’t seem at all like it was 30 years since I watched the first MAD MAX movie unfold on the screen before me. And yet it has been that long.

As I watched the trailer which offers bits and pieces of the original three films, I saw a young actor there that none of us had ever heard of prior to these films. His name was Mel Gibson. As I watched it made me think back about the ups and downs of his career and how Hollywood has treated him over the years, especially in recent years.

When Gibson first showed up on the big screen in MAD MAX who knew how big he was going to become. That first film was a small independent one that had a tiny budget when it came to Hollywood films. I doubt it could have been made here but Australian film production was just beginning to be noticed at the time. Suddenly we had this heart throb from down under being not just accepted in the American market but overwhelmingly so. And yet his career didn’t skyrocket with that first film but more so after the second.

In the ten years following MAD MAX: THE ROAD WARRIOR Gibson starred in a number of films that cemented him in mega-star status both in popularity and acting accomplishments. His movies included YEAR OF LIVING DANGEROUSLY, THE BOUNTY, THE RIVER, MAD MAX BEYOND THUNDERDOME, LETHAL WEAPON 1 & 2, BIRD ON A WIRE and AIR AMERICA. Go past that ten year period and I have little doubt that most of you will find a favorite among films he starred in like CONSPIRACY THEORY, MAVERICK, MAN WITHOUT A FACE, FOREVER YOUNG, RANSOM, BRAVEHEART, PAYBACK, THE PATRIOT, WHAT WOMEN WANT and WE WERE SOLDIERS. As I was trying to point out, he made a ton of movies, a ton of money and became a celebrity we all loved. Even as a director he made a name for himself by directing the films BRAVEHEART and the hugely successful PASSION OF THE CHRIST.

And that last movie was where things changed. Gibson was suddenly outed. He admitted to being a Christian in a business where doing so was tantamount to letting people know you are a conservative. For in this land of make believe where everyone makes commercials promoting diversity, in a business where everyone talks about how we should accept people for who and how they are, in a city where the highest standard you can achieve is simply talking about how we should all accept one another warts and all…you find the most unaccepting, judgmental, hateful and discriminatory group in the world. Because while they talk about accepting everyone, they only do so if you cow tow to their beliefs and ideas. If you steer away from them openly, then you get slammed with every tool they can muster.

Gibson’s problems began when he made a few derogatory comments about gays in a Spanish newspaper. He didn’t apologize for them but later was part of a celebration of GLAAD on the set of CONSPIRACY THEORY and also said that the comments made were under the spell of vodka. He also had alcohol problems that led to anti-Semitic comments he made as well as drunk driving problems. One divorce down and another on the way was fueled by a rant he left on his soon to be ex’s voice mail. Let’s just say that Gibson’s drinking got in the way of his public perception. And no one in Hollywood would come to his defense because, well, he also had admitted that he was a Christian and was considered an ultraconservative. So while numerous celebs can waltz in and out of rehab for the use of hard core drugs like heroin and get support from fellow actors, Gibson was pretty much thrown to the wolves.

It got worse when he made PASSION OF THE CHRIST. Here again, it was one thing to be a Christian but another to make note of it openly. The studios that had reaped huge profits from Gibson’s work in the past passed on his newest endeavor. He ended up funding most of the movie with his own money. They all thought it would be a tremendous flop, laughing while it was being made. And then Gibson had the audacity to have a huge success on his hands with the film. It did tremendous business. It did over $600 million at the box office worldwide. Studios were stunned.

And Mel Gibson was still not getting much support from the industry that he had been a part of for over 40 years.

That’s beginning to turn around a little these days. While he found himself starring as the bad guy in MACHETE KILLS Gibson also made two great films as an actor that didn’t get much promotion called THE BEAVER and GET THE GRINGO. I highly recommend seeking them both out, in particular GRINGO. He also got to star as the bad guy in the latest EXPENDABLES film. It would have been noticeable to leave him out since the franchise brings back the hugest action box office stars of the 70s-90s.

Which brings me to why I started thinking about Gibson and this whole things of movie stars from our recent past. While I watch a parade of forgettable faces come and go every year now, none of them have the aspects of what was once considered a star. They all seem interchangeable to me these days. If you don’t believe me then try to find one that an impersonator could do these days. Most are still doing Schwarzenegger or Stallone. Where are those stand out stars?

While I enjoy going to the movies still I miss those days when you had a favorite actor who stood out above the crowd. Mel Gibson was one of those. To this day I like to pull out his movies and watch them once more, enjoying them as much now as I did then. With the new Mad Max film coming out and watching that new trailer, it made me want to go back and revisit the world of Mad Max from the start as much as it made me want to see this new version. For a movie that is over 35 years old that says something. The same is true for the actor that starred in it. As I saw that first glimpse of Gibson from all those years ago I felt a wave of nostalgia that made me want to go back and watch other films I’d enjoyed from the past he and I shared in those theaters long ago, he on the screen and me sitting there watching.

I thought of other great actors and actresses that I’d enjoyed back then as well. And while there is and always will be a new movie that I want to see at a theater nearby, I will continue watching those movies that I loved way back as well. While Hollywood may have forgotten Mel Gibson and ignores him and the movies he now makes, I’ll always be there watching the new with the old. I’m just hoping I’m not along in that group.

Here is that new trailer. See if it doesn’t make you think back as well.