It's September already, as hard to believe as it is. And I haven't done a darned thing to celebrate Labor Day.
In previous (married) years, my family would go to cookouts or attempt to reach the Jersey shore. We'd play miniature golf (yet another sport I suck at).
As a kid, I remember watching the Jerry Lewis Muscular Dystrophy Telethon over Labor Day weekend. I enjoyed seeing snippets of the era's Broadway shows. Less successful (boring) were the tug-at-heartstrings of everyday MS/MD sufferers. And Julius La Rosa (a 1950s has-been) would tally the pledges in the greater New York area versus the whole telethon's total.
I don't remember ever donating, but the heart-tugging was effective. Well, I was a kid.
STRIKE!
This year, 2023, continues to have a lengthy writer's strike, exacerbated by actors now walking the picket line. With the advent of artificial intelligence, maybe the Powers That Be think that AI will eliminate the need for writers. Is that why there's been no significant action?
Since I am Small Potatoes insofar as my writing goes, I am not part of any union. But I am affected by the strike. I miss seeing the results of TV comedy writers coming together to write scripts, jokes, etc. Shows like Late Night with Stephen Colbert just air reruns; I haven't watched more than two of them. Why bother? It's no longer a relevant show.
Other former favorites of mine include Saturday Night Live, The Daily Show and the two late night Jimmies. TV execs at Comedy Central did not appreciate the brilliant Samantha Bee; I wish some other network would bring her back. Women writers are historically underrated (by men, of course). Sam Bee and James Corden both ended their shows before the strike began. Guess James will do fine in his native England. Did Sam Bee go back to Canada? Our loss.
All the writers want is fair working hours for adequate pay with Paid Time Off commonly enjoyed by workers in other fields. Surely the networks that rely on staff writers all year could easily meet the reasonable demands of the union reps.
The resulting dearth of television programming clearly shows a lack of understanding of how unions represent the workers. Executives and fellow bigwigs who sit in their ivory towers just don't get it. Sure, the use of artificial intelligence (AI) can be used to emulate the writings of humans, but AI will always fall short. Nothing can compare to human ingenuity, humor, responses to topical events and the inventiveness of modern-day geniuses (Stephen King and Dean Koontz come to mind immediately).
Sadly, today my television viewing consists of network TV (HGTV), Norah O'Donnell and MSNBC to supply my craving for news. Jeopardy challenges my brain. On occasion, I watch PBS reruns and unscripted TV shows (The Amazing Race and Tough as Nails for starters).
Right now, the bulk of my television viewing is watching offerings through Netflix and Amazon Prime. There are many movies and serial shows that are queued up, but I tire of their lack of diversity. It has become so bad that I just finished watching Mystery Science Theater 3000. Strange that a show that celebrates the worst writing and acting in B (C and D) movies is somewhat satisfying. Now, at least now I understand the Boneheads in SNL's skit with Tom Hanks as David S. Pumpkin.
As a kid, the adults in my life referred to television as The Idiot Box. Truer words were never spoken . . .
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