“If you say so,” said the lady in charge of taking song choices for the karaoke at a local bar. She was the gatekeeper, in charge of making weird faces when would-be karaoke singers chose the wrong song to sing to a mix of older regulars and younger hipsters. (more…)
I grew up watching random television shows, each of which I now have to assume were written halfheartedly and without much thought. A far cry from today’s offerings – instead of Friday Night Lights, Mad Men and Parenthood, I watched Saved By the Bell, Mork and Mindy and Get Smart. As a kid who enjoyed the arts more than most, I found myself fully invested in these fictional characters, identifying with Screech’s unwise obsession with Lisa Turtle, Mork’s struggle to fit in with those around him and Maxwell Smart’s bumbling attempts to save face in light of his own personal missteps. These were more than just sitcom characters: they were role models. (more…)
