When I woke up this morning, I did it with a sense of optimism, because a black cloud had dissipated from over me from the last few days. Sunday night, I had a major row with my roommate of the last sixteen months, and friend for longer. Not to get too into something that has been thankfully resolved as of Thursday, but I overstepped my bounds and betrayed my friend's trust, and to see him visibly hurt was an eye-opener for me. I never knew I was capable of inflicting grief on another because I'd always prided myself in being the good guy, the buddy -- the calming, cheerful influence. Sometimes you need something bad to happen to bring the good out a situation. After potentially years of taking it for granted that I was the go-to person for my loved ones in being the "Mr. Nice Guy," I was brought back down to Earth, and I have rededicated myself to being a positive influence to those closest to me.
This made Friday morning all the more surreal when I turned on the morning news when getting ready for work and found out that two entertainment legends passed away. The Man in Black, Johnny Cash, is finally at peace after lengthy bouts with illness, along with mourning the recent passing of his beloved wife and soul mate, June Carter Cash. There was sadness and disappointment on my part with the news of Cash's death, but absolute shock and disbelief with the news of TV icon John Ritter's death due to a sudden heart ailment. Ritter was working on his show,
8 Simple Rules, a comeback of sorts in that it put him back in the foreground of ABC comedy.
I've always been quite aware of Johnny Cash, though I readily admit that I didn't really follow country music with true affection for the first twenty years of my life. That being said, I always acknowledged his status as a pillar of country music as well as rock & roll. There is absolutely no contesting the man's incalculable contribution to both genres. I enjoyed seeing Cash experience a renaissance in the last ten years with his collaborations with one of my personal gods, producer Rick Rubin. As big of a Quentin Tarantino fan as I am (can't wait for
Kill Bill!!), the soundtrack to
Jackie Brown stuck with me long after seeing the movie the day it came out. It was Cash's contribution,
Tennessee Stud, that made me realize what a bada$$ this guy was. What sealed the deal after that was hearing a song that made me use the word "haunting" for probably the first time:
Delia's Gone. To me, that sad song is one of the most beautiful works ever. If you e>><<<
As a 31-year-old, I was in the right place at the right time twenty years ago in contributing to the success, as a loyal viewer, of the ABC sitcom
Three's Company. Looking back, I don't think the then-risqué humor did a whole lot for me, but I loved the broad physical comedy of John Ritter, and I always was at the edge of my seat to see how he was going to get out of his weekly predicament. What made Ritter even more special was that he was capable of a whole lot more. He was as reliable with dramatic material as he was the goofy stuff. One of the only full episodes I ever watched of
Buffy the Vampire Slayer was one where he guest appeared in a classic part as an evil android dating Buffy's single mother. Ritter brought a perfect mix of humor and menace to this character, and critics to this day hail it as one of the show's best episodes. From everything I ever saw of John Ritter, he came across as a truly good person as well as one of America's genuine talents.
We are a bit poorer today with this sad news, but heaven is surely a whole lot richer.
Kind of funny how this sobering news came about today, September 12, 2003, when yesterday was a day of reflection on the worst tragedy to happen to this country in the last 100 years. I don't think today is any less important than yesterday if you asked anyone who was directly affected my the terrorist attacks of 9/11/01, but I suppose an anniversary like yesterday's gives everyone an opportunity to extend their prayers and heartfelt wishes to those in need. While those whom we have lost will never be forgotten, those still with us here need to know that the American people will stand by your side until the end. You are loved, and certainly not alone.
Yesterday, with all the grim content that was prominent in the news, one confirmed report cut through the haze for DC Comics fans everywhere who have been burned for the last few years with crap films and false starts on new franchise concepts. There was great reason to believe, a few months ago, that Warner Brothers' studio was finally ready to get serious with their attempt to revive the Batman movie franchise. This was because they hired Christopher Nolan to direct their next film. Nolan had established an impassioned following with his 2001 release
Memento, and solidified his reputation with the exceptional
Insomnia. There was little to no reason to believe that Nolan was going to run the Dark Knight legend into the ground as Joel Schumacher did with the help of Arnold Schwarzenegger and George Clooney back in 1997. But Bat-fans breathed a collective sigh of relief when the studio signed on British actor Christian Bale to play Bruce Wayne and his winged alter eg>>>>>>>><<<<<<<
This morning, I also ran across a piece in SuperheroHype.com - THE source of comic book entertainment news - that television's WB network is developing a series on
The Flash for the 2004 season. Knowing that DC always has had the AOL Time Warner clout behind them, I think TV is a good way to use DC characters. It's obviously worked for
Smallville, though I pray that anything they have planned for a Superman movie doesn't undo the good of this excellent show.
Birds of Prey was a miss, but you'd like to think that some lessons were learned if some people over at WB want to keep their jobs. Apparently the premise for the Flash series will abide by
Smallville's "no flights-no tights" policy, but it's supposed to feature a lot of time travel, and reflect heavily on the legacy of the Scarlet Speedster. Despite a description of the premise that failed to mention any Flash-related minutiae, we'll probably find out plenty in the next few months if DC fans have a new reason to cheer.
Could 2004 be our big year to holler a sweet, sweet noise?? I don't know about you, but despite some admitted sadness, right now, with a nod to Johnny Cash, I feel better all over.
