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September 15, 2003

My personal hell...

I know that I should not approach the subject of a critique with preconceived notions, but I can't help it. No one can. I sat down to watch K Street on HBO last night fully conscious of the fact that I was put off, before seeing the first moment, by the continued blurring of the line between politics and entertainment. I had this blog entry written in my head; I was planning to say something about the line being erased not blurred.

But then something amazing happened: I discovered my personal hell--you know, that thing that you'll be forced to endure for all eternity. Well, my personal hell will involve watching K Street non-stop. I'd rather roast in fire and brimstone.

This show is so bad it is unwatchable. But, because it so closely connects with the subject of this blog and my academic work, I have no choice but to watch it. I'm in for 12 weeks of hell. I refuse to abandon all hope; perhaps HBO will cancel it.

Tom Shales' review dances around this stinker by suggesting it appeals to a small audience. Yeah, of masochists.

Okay, so why don't I like it beyond the whole line blurring thing. Let me count the ways: 1) Poor production values; the jerky camera work and grainy pictures are simply annoying. Plus this technique is over-done. 2) The dialog is insipid. Apparently the show is lightly scripted, and so it creates an eloquent argument for employing competent scriptwriters. Nothing worth listening to or caring about comes out of these characters' mouths. 3) Plot? Puh-leeze. This is post-modernism. There are no plots, just reactions to stimuli. 4) The characters that play themselves would be better served being played by professional actors. The only one who came off looking good was Howard Dean--I suspect largely because he thought this was a good way to get popular publicity. He was having fun. Hey, look Ma! I'm on a TV show! 5) Who was that nitwit interviewing for a job with the firm? Couldn't Carville and Matalin see he was a raving lunatic? You don't hire people like that. You politely escort them from the building and hope they don't return with firearms.

I could go on. If I did, you might actually be tempted to watch. I would advise against it unless the errors of your ways in this life have dictated K Street as your personal hell.

UPDATE (11:00 a.m.): Hmmmm...can't look away, huh...you rubber-necker? Okay, here's some more commentary for you from: Howard Kurtz and The New York Times.

Posted by acline at September 15, 2003 10:39 AM | | Spotlight