No Info

Last Sunday (March 6), CNN planned to air a documentary on right-wing "InfoWars" radio host and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones.  I tuned in at the appointed time, only to find continuing news about the situation in Ukraine.  I looked on CNN's Facebook page to see when it would be rescheduled and failed to find even an acknowledgement of it.

I found out later what happened.  CNN decided not to air the documentary - but not because of the war in Ukraine.  It turned out that CNN did not postpone but canceled the Jones documentary at almost literally the last minute due to pressure from Jones' detractors.  It  seems that they had a problem - a big problem - with CNN giving Jones even more attention than he was already getting from the mainstream press.    

Personally, I think this was the wrong decision.  Jones is one of those obnoxious, toxic celebrities (like the previous White House occupant) who always find a way to get attention no matter how much you try to ignore them.  Take it from someone who tired to treat obnoxious, toxic people - celebrities or otherwise - like a bad headache by not thinking about them and hoping against hope that they would go away.  But Jones is also dangerous, thanks to his spewing of falsehoods and misinformation (again, like the previous White House occupant).  It would have behooved CNN to air the Jones documentary so those of us who are his detractors could see exactly what and whom we're up against.

You can expect to see far fewer CNN documentaries as the war in Europe drags on.  The second season of Stanley Tucci's Italy travelogue series has already been delayed until spring because of Ukraine, and, I'm not sure, but I think CNN pre-emptied a documentary about Anthony Bourdain for more war coverage.  CNN just realized it's the Cable News Network, not the Cable Documentary Network. 

Auto Show Blues - 2021 Edition

In New York City, Easter usually signals the arrival of the annual international auto show, as it has since 1987, when its organizers began holding it at the then-new Jacob Javits Convention Center on the west side of Manhattan.  But it was postponed, then canceled, for 2020 due to the COVID pandemic, and now it's being held in late August this year with the understanding that the pandemic won't end soon enough for staging it during Easter Week.  Heck, late August may be too soon.

At least there's a chance that the New York International Auto Show may be held this summer.  The Geneva show, usually held in March and canceled at the last minute for 2020, was canceled for 2021 as far back as this past June.  Going to a European auto show - nay, just going to Europe, period - has been on my bucket list, but it's become difficult if not impossible to hold an auto show anywhere on the planet when to do so would cause a lot of people to kick the bucket prematurely.  And I don't even expect to go to the auto show in New York this summer, either - mainly because the bus line to Manhattan that serves my town (which has no rail service) has shut down indefinitely and does not appear to have a plan to restart any time soon.     

It's gotten to the point where I don't really miss the auto show anymore.  Many of the brands that pulled out of the 2020 New York show even before the pandemic began will likely skip the 2021 event, assuming it takes place, and most of the cars I would see there are likely to be sport utility vehicles, so predominant are they in the U.S. motor vehicle market.  If I want to see the upcoming eighth-generation Golf GTI so badly, I can always see it at my VW dealer when I go back for maintenance on my Mark 6 Golf after the Mark 8 GTI's U.S. introduction.  The reasons for going to an auto show are few for me now, and those few reasons aren't worth it.  There is no reason for me to hang out at the Ford display at the auto show, for example, as there won't be a single sedan or hatchback to check out there.

So, it looks like my auto show going is over, and that will be the case even after the pandemic is over. 

Unless, of course, I make it to Geneva in 2022 or Munich in 2023.  Those exhibitions are still on for now, and I might make it overseas - at last - by then. But if all I'd see in New York are SUVs, then who cares about that?  

Epidemic

Coronavirus has infected over a thousand people in the United States.  The number may be even higher, as not enough people have been tested.  Switzerland has already banned large meetings through this coming Sunday, and it may be extended.  Meanwhile, Italy is closed.  There's a lockdown across the country lasting at least until Palm Sunday, April 5.  Don't be surprised if it gets extended to Ascension Thursday (May 21).

College classes are being held online at Ivy League universities and state schools, not just diploma mills.  It looks like the NCAA basketball tournament may be scaled back (well, there's a silver lining!).  And the stock market doesn't know where it's going.

I have a feeling that we can't hand-wash, elbow-bump, socially distance, and cancel our way out of this mess.

Oh yeah, Chinese President Xi Jinping says that the tide has turned in Wuhan and that the virus is receding, even as the rest of the Northern Hemisphere has to extend winter cabin fever through the rest of the year and into next winter to stave off a fever of a more literal and lethal sort while the Southern Hemisphere has to look forward to a disease-infested autumn.  Thanks for everything, Xi.  You're a guy. :-p 

The $#*! Hits The Fan

"$#*! My Dad Says," the first show to be built around a Twitter feed and the umpteenth show to be built around aged ham William Shatner, has been canceled by CBS. It was a rather thin premise - basing a show on commentary about a father's outrageous statements in 140 characters or less - and while the Twitter association got the series off to a strong start, it tumbled in the ratings when viewers decided that the humor was just as bland and predictable as, well, a Twitter feed. Or maybe they read "$#*! My Dad Says," the book.

CBS announces its 2011-12 fall lineup today (can you feel the excitement?), and here's what we already know: The Las Vegas law drama "The Defenders," which had nothing to do with the classic E.G. Marshall/Robert Reed series of the same name, is also gone. Apparently Jim Belushi as a lawyer - even a ribald Vegas mouthpiece - was too much of a stretch. "Mad Love," a Monday night sitcom that followed "How I Met Your Mother," is now following "$#*! My Dad Says" into oblivion despite good reviews. As "Better With You" and "Mr. Sunshine" proved over at ABC, riding on the coattails of a hit show doesn't guarantee ratings success.

"Two And a Half Men," of course, will definitely be back. The loss of Charlie Sheen may doom it to cancellation this time next year, but just remember, there have been numerous sitcoms - many of them better than "Two And a Half Men," of course - that have come and gone since September 2003, when "Two and a Half Men" premiered. So don't feel sorry for the show's creator, Chuck Lorre.

He's already got his syndication deals, dude.

TV Cancellations and New Shows

The season finale of the ABC sitcom "Better With You" seemed too final. Casey and Mia had their baby, a boy they named Charlie (despite originally agreeing on "Spencer" for a boy), they got married in the maternity ward just before little Charlie was born, and Mia's big sister Maddie told her boyfriend Ben that she too would like to become a mother someday. And Mia and Maddie's parents Joel and Vicky suddenly realized how much they loved each other. The finale tied up so many loose ends, it felt as if it was the very last episode of the series.

It was. "Better With You" was just canceled. So what? I only watched it because it filled the space between "The Middle" and Modern Family," two much better sitcoms. "Better With You" was a utility series with canned one-liners and a laugh track that was only mildly funny at best. I'm sorry Jennifer Finnigan is out of a job and Joanna Garcia Swisher will be spending more time at Yankee games watching her husband play ball than she planned to this summer, but I'm really not going to miss it.

But I appreciated Edward Hermann's guest appearance in the final episode as the judge that marries Mia and Casey. He can give a great performance reading from the phone book. The male leads in "Better With You," well . . ..

Staying with ABC for a moment . . . Matthew Perry's "Mr. Sunshine" has set, also having gotten canceled. I didn't see that coming. I thought it needed work, but I thought it had a good premise, and I thought there was plenty of opportunity for it to improve. I have since been led to understand that Perry is back in rehab. Also gone is "Detroit 1-8-7." Right, a crime show set in a devastated city. You can see stories like that on the evening news.

Also, "Off The Map" is off the air. Once again, ABC has proven to be as unable to have a successful series in the 10 PM Eastern hour on Wednesdays as Fox has been unwilling to program anything in the 10 PM Eastern hour on any day.

New ABC shows debuting in the fall include a "Charlie's Angels" remake and a fairy-tale themed show, "Once Upon a Time" starring "Big Love'"s Ginnifer Goodwin and "House"'s Jennifer Morrison, who's currently guest-appearing on CBS's "How I Met Your Mother." See, I told you Zoey wasn't Ted Mosby's future wife.

At NBC, the drama "The Event" proved to be a non-event, and it got axed. New this fall are "Prime Suspect," an adaptation of the British series starring Helen Mirren (the American version will star Maria Bello) and "Up All Night," yet another Christina Applegate sitcom. (Yawn.) The Peacock Network renewed "Parenthood," that's all you need to know. :-)

Five Fox shows, including the Jennifer Beals vehicle "Chicago Code," were canceled (pity, I like Jennifer Beals), which was considered a bloodbath because Fox broadcasts fewer shows overall than the other three networks. No Fox programming at 10 PM Eastern - I still don't get that.

CBS's plans are yet to be divulged. But this much I can report. First, the bad news: "Two And a Half Men" is not being canceled. Now, the worse news - noted non-actor Ashton Kutcher is replacing Charlie Sheen.

The good news? He's not replacing Sheen as Charlie Harper; he's going to play a new character. Sorry, that's the best I can say.