Mad Men Musings…

Just watched the finale of Season 2 last night…here it goes.

• Loved Peggy’s exchange with Pete as he breaks down…the development of her confidence throughout the show is incredible to watch.
• Donald Draper is just the most fascinating character on television…he is constantly running away from his life to feel free…he does all the things most of us only think and dream about doing even though we know it isn’t right.
• Betty’s sadness over other the notion that she has missed out on her chance to be a model is a tremendously subtle expression of wondering what might have been if…?
• I’m interested to see what happens with Joan over the next season…you can’t help but root that she will stand up for herself and not allow herself to governed by the unofficial “rules” of the office…maybe Peggy can stir that up in Season 3?
• The merger seems to be killing the creative aspect of the Sterling-Cooper, but I think this is a good thing, because the relationships of the characters are much more interesting than their work.

Anyone else ready for season 3?

Olympic Fever

I started out interested in the Beijing Olympics primarily for cultural/political angle just to see what happened…leading up to the games, it felt more like an experiment than a competition.  But over the past 2 days, I can’t pull myself away from the TV.  I’m hooked…I’m even watching synchronized diving.  So anyway, the Olympics are tremendous, the opening ceremonies made Vegas appear dim in comparison, and I can’t wait to see what happens next!

Favorite random moment so far:  Bob Costas using the phrase “talking trash” on the air to describe the boasting of the French 4X100 relay team.

Runner Up:  The commentators cynical discussion of the actual age of the Chinese team during the women’s gymnastics competition.

I will have a write up in not so long about the Canada Mission Trip!  It was great!!!

I need to get back in the habit of writing.

The Hidden Power of Electronic Culture

Back in the Fall I attended the National Youth Worker’s Convention hosted by Youth Specialties in San Diego.  Great event as always with multitudes of worship, resources, and speakers.  Every year before I leave I buy 5 or 6 cds from sessions that I did not have the chance to attend for one reason or another.  Guided by the recommendation of a friend, I grabbed a presentation by Shane Hipps on the power of electronic culture.  I was leery at first (because haven’t we heard the anti-media message from Christians before), but eventually submitted to peer pressure and proceeded towards the checkout.

I listened to it on the short 2 and half hour drive home from San Diego and then again the following week in the office.  I was ecstatic to find a different message relating to media that made incredible sense. 

After another 3 or 4 months, I broke down and bought the book.  17 days later, the book was finished.   Now 2 months upon completion, I am finally writing a review.  Proceed if you dare.

Shane Hipps is a pastor in Phoenix.  He looks like a pastor, entitles books like a pastor, and probably even smells like a pastor (I have no evidence or source for the last statement).  The only problem here is that he doesn’t write or speak like a pastor.  He sounds like an expert on media theory and doesn’t build his premises with theology as the sole foundation.  This all makes sense when you learn that before communicating the gospel his main goal in life was communicating the awesomeness of Porsche’s cars as strategic planner for an advertising firm.

In his attempt to explain the powers that media possesses, he has a few simple statements that seem to guide us through this maze of information.  Concepts like “the message is the medium” and “instead of asking ‘what does this do?’ we would be better served to ask ‘what does this mean?’” are revisited often.  He also frequently references Marshall McLuhan and relies heavily upon his set of questions dubbed the Laws of Media:

• What does the medium extend?
• What does the medium make obsolete?
• What does the medium reverse into?
• What does the medium retrieve?

He does a terrific job explaining the complexities of media and communication theories.  One section I found particularly interesting was his comparing and contrasting of the communication forms of the printed word and images and their connection to shift from post-modernity into this realm in which we are going.  I really appreciated the time he took to explain the impact of different media types on culture and the church.  For me, it really helps me gain a better understanding of the big picture.  (I can’t stand it when authors assert a point and give no reason assuming you know it…if I knew it, I would NOT be reading what you wrote!)

Another area that piqued my interest is where he writes about not being mastered by mediums of media.  In our media saturated lives sometimes we lose perspective of what we are actually doing and become enslaved to various mediums in our behaviors without giving much thought as to what simple task is being accomplished by the said medium.  Hipps suggests that our understanding of the impacts of the media we use is vital to our relationship with Christ as our focus remains fixed on the cross and not on specific mediums (ie. projection screen, sound systems, videos, bulletins, etc.)

I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in understanding the impacts of media both subconsciously and the greater cultural climate.  It’s well-written and relatively easy to follow considering the content.  For me this book really helped me to identify the implications of different media forms that are present in my life.  Good read.  Definitely worth 17 days of your reading time.

10 Favorite Folks in the Motion Picture Industry

This is an odd segment for me, a person who regularly mocks and pesters my wife when she watches E! and reads People Magazine.  Even though I’m not into all the fashion and gossip news that keeps our TMZ culture afloat, there are people in Hollywood that I very much enjoy being entertained by.  So here goes my list as we delve into another segment of “10’s”.

1.  George Clooney - My likeness (you may even call it a man-crush) for this guy is beyond any other.  I love almost all his movies.  He always seems to pick interesting roles in well-produced movies (no one does this better).  His greatness goes beyond the bigscreen as he just seems like a great person to be around.  As the ultimate host in Hollywood, he’s the epitome of a guy’s guy that you wouldn’t be embarrassed to bring around.  On top of all that, no one else seems to be having more fun.  Favorite movie: Out of Sight

2.  Matt Damon – From the moment I first watched Good Will Hunting (still a fascinating movie over a decade later), I hope this guy would become who he is today – who’s that?  He, much like Clooney, does a great job at picking movies that are well-written, interesting, and most importantly avoid wussification…so many actors started off great and then lost their edge in exchange for winning the hearts of young girls (see Matthew McConaughey, Tom Cruise, etc.).  Favorite movie: Rounders

3.  Brad Pitt- His name doesn’t make me want to see a movie (like the guys above), but he has played so many diverse roles it’s difficult not to recognize the man’s skill.  Beyond that, the man is so good looking even the most stubborn of men couldn’t disagree.  His choice in roles has improved greatly in the last 10 years and it has lended me the ability to slowly dismantle every arguement that ever existed against him.  Favorite movie: Fight Club.

4.  Edward Norton – Speaking of Fight Club, this guy is just an incredible actor.  Most of his roles feature characters of incredble depth and intense conflict.  Although he lacks exceptional good looks, it is rare that that I find myself not engrossed in the storylines of his roles.  Favorite movie: American History X

5.  Tina Fey – Her greatest strength is her writing.  Mean Girls is hilarious and I find myself watching it every time I come across it on TV.  Her intelligence and wit combined with her underplayed attractiveness make her not only entertaining, but also help you take her seriously…it’s always about the writing with her.  Her comedy writing skills have landed her on top of all the other women Hollywood has to offer.  Favorite movie (show): 30 Rock

6.  Jack NIcholson – Perhaps the greatest actor and without question the premiere womanizer of Tinseltown of our generation.  I’ll admit he has mailed in way too many of his roles over the past 10 years, but he’s still intriguingly entertaining just being Jack.  His name commands you to pay attention to the movie.  Favorite movie: A Few Good Men

7.  Will Smith- Watching this guy just makes me feel good about life.  He’s funny, good looking, and seems like he would make a fine family friend.  Even in his most wussifying role, Hitch, he’s terrific…my wife and I love the movie!  Besides being funny and possessing the ability to (kinda) rap, he is incredible at playing roles to perfection.  Favorite movie: The Pursuit of Happyness

8.  Leonardo DiCaprio- He started out soft as a teen bop cover boy proclaiming he was “king of the world”.  After so many great performances in movies worthy of male viewership, how could you exclude him from any top 10 list of this nature.  He has gone from being the punch line in the locker room to the guy living the bachelor’s dream (he must be hoping to top Clooney one day).  Favorite movie: The Departed

9.  Morgan Freeman – He just picks great roles and is the prototypical wise old sage on the silverscreen.  There’s not much to say other than I love his acting. Favorite movie: The Shawshank Redemption

10.  Owen Wilson – Of the newbies to the “Hollywood Elite” (Vince Vaughn, Ben Stiller, Will Ferrell, etc.), Owen is the only one that I can take seriously…the others guys are too concerned with being the “(fill in the blank)” guy.  Maybe he will turn out to be the biggest train wreck of all these guys, but as of now he can be humorous, but not to the point where it marks his identity.  Favorite movie: Wedding Crashers

 

Mad Men

Towards the end of last fall, I began to hear some noise about a new series on AMC of all places.  I was unaware they played anything other than movies on American MOVIE Classics.  It wasn’t long before the writers’ strike began and we were left with nothing to watch in our nightly tube time.  As the 2nd (and hopefully not final) season of Friday Night Lights was finishing up, I noticed that AMC was rerunning the first season of Mad Men.  I promptly set my DVR (a wonderful invention) and hoped I wouldn’t be disappointed.

Well, after watching the first season…I wasn’t.

It started out slow, but builds its characters nicely as we learn of their deeper complexities as the season moves forward.  The slow and sometimes boring plot lines are overcome by the immense effort the writers have put into character development. Nearly all the characters are uncovered by the camera lens for who they really are – good, bad, and ugly.  In same way that the series is premised on the attaining of the “American Dream” in 1960 while showing the dark spots (alcoholism, broken marriages, long commutes, and mindless sexual escapades, etc.)

The most interesting characters of the show are Donald Draper (creative director and eventual junior partner) and Peggy Olsen (Draper’s secretary and eventual copywriter).  Both are driven for success and ascending the corporate ladder, but their differences end there.  Draper is married with 2 children, but spends little time with his family and is troubled by his own mysterious and shameful past that he keeps from everyone.  Peggy is the “new girl”, but also possesses considerable talent and wants to have a career as opposed to finding a husband like many of the other secretaries in the office.

This is a fascinating timepiece show of the quickly evolving time of 1960 Madison Avenue, New York (especially for those who didn’t live during that time).  The acting is pretty well done for a television series, but the writing is superb!  Matthew Weiner, who also wrote for The Sopranos for 7 years, has created a masterful series that entertains, but also causes the viewer to discern the value of the luxuries afforded by career success against the sacrifice of relationships and an emotionally healthy family life.  Do yourself a favor and commit the first 5 episodes.  After that it’s up to you to decide where to block out the time to watch the rest of the first season of Mad Men.

Good Riddance Writer’s Strike

It’s been over 2 months since the writer’s strike ceased, but it really hasn’t felt any different in my life until the last 8 days beginning with the season premiere of 30 Rock and The Office. 

30 Rock came back in fantastic form with the quick-witted humor that has made it one of the best comedies on TV.  After last week’s debacle with MILF Island, I was rolling on the floor with Jack convincing Tracy to become the celebrity spokesperson for the GOP.  His final commercial encouraging black voter to not vote is hilarious.  “…in the time you saved not voting, you could play 3 games of pool, 3 GAMES!!!”  Of all the comedies on the tube, I don’t think any have a more creative group of writers that take such consistent risks.

The Office started off last week with the greatest train wreck of a dinner party in television history.  You know they must have been thinking about that plot for months.  The highlight was Michael yelling “that’s a $200 dollar HDTV” after Jan threw a Dundee threw the screen.  This week’s highlight was Michael and Dwight visiting the random grave singing “American Pie” into the night.

“Yeah” for the writers!

Missing Chris Farley

As a pre-pubescent adolescent 7th grader behind the curve socially, I noticed my peers would make comments about “a van down by the river” and “that’s gonna leave a mark” followed by contagious laughter.  I quickly allocated all of my resource to finding out what the commotion was all about.  After a few weeks of religiously watching Saturday Night Live and half a dozen viewings of Tommy Boy later, I was in the loop.  Not only were my brainwaves malfunctioning from overexposure to a television screen, but I was now a life-long fan of Chris Farley.

I reminisce on such hilarity because I found Black Sheep playing and couldn’t tear myself away to get to bed at a decent hour.  This should be no surprise as this has become a regular habit of mine.  The comedic impact and longevity of Chris Farley is only matched by the greatest comedians in modern cinema.  He is one of only a few people that make me laugh every time I see them.  Whether it was an outtake, interview, sketch, or feature film, I was chuckling, smirking, and occasionally laughing uncontrollably.  What made him even greater was not just his ability to take over a scene, but how he made everyone alongside him funnier (think David Spade).

I arrived at school prepared to take my last final before Christmas break of my freshman year of high school and noticed that the conversations among students seemed to lack the content of geometry and physics as would be expected and replaced by the news that Chris Farley had died from a drug overdose.  None of us knew him, but we all understood that we were losing an icon of our generation.

It’s been over 10 years since his death and the comedic world hasn’t been the same since.  I sometimes wonder what he would have done if there was some intervention.  I wonder how he would have made us laugh and bring more joy to the viewing public.  These remain some of the things that we will never know, but his impact remains today.  With a new generation of people discovering his genius, the laughs continue as his timeless performances.  And for me, I’m just thankful I was there to see his short amazing run as the funniest man on earth.

Being “Authentic”

Last fall I was watching TV one evening and came across a show on Travel Channel called No Reservations featuring an older gentlemen (Anthony Bourdain) that simply went to different corners of the globe, ate interesting food, and drank like a coed on spring break while sharing his life narrative.  Fast forward 6 months and I often find myself perusing the TV guide hoping for an episode in the coming hours.  I love watching as he explores cities in ways that normal travel periodicals ignore.  But the real star of the show is the host himself.  His happy-go-lucky, tell-it-like-it-is attitude is always in plain view.  Best of all, he talks to the camera like it’s a good friend enjoying another round of drinks and reminiscing on old memories.

The authenticity and “real”ness that Bourdain brings to No Reservations is the same that is desired in youth ministers.  Everybody wants someone who is like-able, relevant, “cool”, honest, genuine, real, and authentic.  After serving in youth ministry positions for almost 4 years, I’m not fully convinced that authenticity is really as desired as much as liked for the way it reads on a job description.

Authenticity means telling the truth and being who I am.  This is in no way acceptable in the church as I have discovered when it comes staffing.  If it did, my resume would include the following:

• Loves Jesus
• Eats unhealthy
• Loves sports
• Drinks beer
• Enjoys cigars
• Occasionally lazy
• Can be quite critical
• At times selfish
• Loves most people with the exception of Christians who are always “great and happy”

If I actually put included this information on my resume, I would probably wouldn’t have to worry about a second interview.  But in the “Church, Inc.” culture that exists in many of our congregations, being anything less of Jesus makes you unqualified. 

The Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod (of which I am a member) has a wonderful system for connecting church workers with congregations.  It is dubbed “the call process” and is exactly what it sounds like.  We believe that God calls individual church workers to a specific place for a specific time to do what they were created for in that time.  In many days past before transportation was so efficient, interviews were rarely conducted.  The search team would simply pray over the list of names they had been given by the governing church body and issue a call to ministry for the person as they were led by the Holy Spirit.  That’s it!  They prayed, listened, and followed God.

I sometimes wonder if we have become so interconnected and overloaded with information that we are no longer sensitive to the nudgings of the Holy Spirit in our calling of church workers.  In the search for the “right person” for the job, many search committees ask too much of candidate and too little of God.  And the same is true for many church workers.  In the search for the “right job” we ask too many questions about buildings, budgets, and bodies and too little of our God.  Too often both congregations and church workers are seeking something that has relatively nothing to do with God.

There’s a great saying in the LCMS that “the person does not seek the call, the call seeks the person”.  There is great beauty to this statement that suggests that we are to be authentically about God above all things.  In the discussion of interviewing I often hear comments like “they sound like a great candidate” or “they have great references”.  I can’t wait for someone to say “they don’t sound like they walk with God” or “I didn’t sense the presence of the Holy Spirit in their life”!  Not that those should become the new interview buzz-phrases, but that we would be at the very least authentic to the heart of God that judges the heart rather than appearance.

From church workers, we need to be honest about our own lives.  We aren’t perfect and are fools to try and convince anyone otherwise.  Most of us can’t stand when people gesture and position themselves to appear “great” and “happy” when we are looking.  Why should we expect a different response of anyone else?  Above any of this, we need to seek God’s desire and call for our life.

Churches need to stop looking for the perfect fit or skill set in their workers.  They need to seek the counsel of the Lord.  They need to stop exhausting themselves trying to offer every program that might appeal to everyone without taking into account who is in their midst.  Churches need to understand who they are and what God has called them to do (here’s a hint: it’s not everything the big church down the street is doing).

I think we can learn some things from Mr. Bourdain (other than how to chain-smoke and do jager bombs).  This show successfully appeals to a specific audience because it understands its identity and keeps it at the forefront of production.  We (church workers and churches) are about Christ the risen savior and we are at our best when He remains our focus.

Mr. Clemens Goes To Washington…

In the fall of 2005 on a weekday evening, I was alone in my apartment jumping up and down while screaming in jubilee as my beloved Houston Astros won the National League pennant for the first time in history.  I’ve invested a lot in this team over the years.  I had all the team set of Topps 1988 campaign.  I was there when Craig Biggio was a rookie and when we traded for some third-baseman named Bagwell.  I remember my last game in the Astrodome when Biggio hit a home run into the section on my left to beat the Braves 2-1.  I’ve been to countless games at Enron Field/Astros Field/Minute Maid Park.  And in this single moment for the first time in my life could utter the words, “We’re going to the World Series!”

Everything went in the Astros favor that year.  The hitting was timely and the pitching was lights out.  The hometown heroes tandem of Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte were leading the team they watched growing up towards a season to remember.  They ran out of gas in the World Series against a White Sox team that was just a tad better in every area of the game.

But it wasn’t just the success on the field that made the season memorable.  I jumped at the opportunity to go to any game and marked my calendar for the days Clemens was pitching.  Baseball is great to watch, but it’s incredible to watch someone like Clemens pitch.  He is so dominate and imposing that it changes the way you watch the game.  When he’s on the mound, you pay careful attention to every pitch and soak in the buzz that takes over the atmosphere.

While he was playing for the Astros, I always avoided the “steroids” question.  It was just one of those topics that had no beneficial outcome regardless of the answer.  His legendary rise in his latter years was a query that was better left unresolved. 

When the Mitchell Report was released in December, it unveiled what seemed to be an endless list of players involved with steroids, but the only one that really mattered was Roger Clemens.  There was no bigger name and no one with more evidence to his wrongdoing than the Spring Woods High School legend.  Coincidentally, he was also the player with the most to lose.

In the past few days, Clemens and his former trainer, Brian McNamee, have appeared before the members of Congress to decipher who is telling the truth.  There have been some moments that seem far-fetched for even the best writers.  From what I’ve heard and seen, they both look like liars to me.  I don’t believe everything that McNamee says and I don’t believe anything Clemens professes in that room.

There are numerous folks out there forming opinions about Clemens based solely on this aspect of his career.  While it surely should not be dismissed, there is much more to the guy.  Maybe he wouldn’t have been such a dominant pitcher had he not used steroids, but it wouldn’t have changed the heart that exists in that man.  He’s always involved in his community and alma mater.  He has charities, drive, and the money to support both.  He loves teaching the game to younger kids and being the guy around the clubhouse that helps mold the younger guys in the game.

All things considered, I don’t blame him for taking “steroids”.  Had I been in his position as a flamed-out phenom, I would have done whatever it took to succeed.  In a period of the game where there was no ruling or legitimate testing for HGH, the choice is easy.  HGH is used in multiple professions, but sports are the only ones that we seem to care about much. 

These are some humbling days for the Clemens household, but they will come to an end.  Eventually, people will forgive his iniquities and allow him to move on from his current status.  He has obviously made some poor decisions, but count me in the camp that doesn’t condone, but understands.

10’s

We here at daedal jocosity (and when I say we, I mean I) are installing a new segment to this blog that will simply be know as “10’s”.  These will be an ongoing piece that will surface every so often to reflect on the best, worst, ugliest, funniest, loveliest, holiest, craziest…or anything else with an “est” suffix.

So without further ado, I present the innagural “10’s” which will focus on the 10 best Super Bowl commercials of my current memory at the time of “publish”.

1.  Tabasco Mosquito – My favorite Super Bowl commercial of all-time meets all the criteria necessary in an excellent commercial.  It’s suble, yet funny with an element of conceivable truth and above all simple.  The unexpected expolosion of the mosquito is forever ingrained in my memory.

2.   McDonald’s Jordan vs. Bird – The cameras were rolling for the greatest game of H-O-R-S-E ever played as Michael Jordan and Larry Bird square off for a Big Mac.  As absurd as it is, I remember thinking “I bet they could make those shots if they tried”.  Just awesome.

3.  Budwieser Frogs – “Bud” “Weissss” “Errrrr”.  My friends and I used these words in our conversation for at least 2 years after it aired.  The commerical bohemoth was at it best with 3 beer-obsessed frogs.

4.  Snicker Kiss - Albeit contreversial at the time, my favorite part wasn’t the kiss, but the reaction afterwards of “Quick!  Do something manly!”

5.  Office Linebacker – The visualization of how you would love to deal with employees who repeatedly mess up.

6.  Fed Ex Caveman – Very creative, very funny.  I love the final scene where he kicks the small dino and gets crushed by the foot of another.

7.  Pepsi Cindy Crawford – As a young adolescent boy, this was the best you could ask for in 1992.

8.  Monster.com When I Grow Up – Features kids saying things such as “…I want to be a yes-man”, “…claw my way up middle managment”, and “…be forced into early retirement”.  Monster could not have made a better first commercial.

9.  EDS Herding Cats – This was a great metaphor for the product EDS was selling and it was hilarious hearing about the family of cat herders.

10.  Outpost.com Wolves – There was a series of odd comercials they put out, but this was the best.  My favorite part was the man sitting in the chair at the end saying, “That’s good stuff!” 

I’m going to insert a #11 with my favorite commercial from this year’s Super Bowl…I present Bud Light featuring Jackie Moon.