Rotten to the core

When the trendthrift mobile chimes up with that unmistakable YES! POPULARITY! YOU HAVE A TEXT MESSAGE! claxon in the early hours of the morning, it can only mean one of two things. More often than not it’s a hot young thing making what I believe the kids of today term a booty call, while on other occasions, back in the real world, it’s a similarly sleep-deprived friend of trendthrift (friendthrift, if you will) asking if I want a few games of Pro Evolution Soccer on Xbox Live. I always do, so why he bothers to ask the question, I don’t know.

This morning’s 00:15 text message wasn’t either of these things. It wasn’t even anything as exciting as a family emergency. It was, in fact, a spam text from Apple, reading thusly: ‘Happy New year 2006’. Not only is it 20 days late, Jobs, but you haven’t even bothered to spend the requisite time on the message to ensure consistency in your capitalisation. Shoddy. If you think I’m buying a MacBook Pro from you now, you’re sorely misguided.

Save Our Bluths

While we’re on the subject of excellent TV, the long-term future of Arrested Development is even less clear following the news that Fox will be airing the final four episodes of the cut-down third season after all. They’ll be going out in a two-hour finale on February 10, which means they’ll be competing with the opening ceremony of the Olympics. Way to go Fox. Previous rumours had indicated that the show would be cancelled by Fox and swiftly picked up by either Showtime or ABC. Either could still happen, of course, but it’s unclear quite what Fox are playing at. Still, at least we’ll get to see the episodes. Here’s hoping there’s a future for the Bluths one way or another.

Why the best show on TV is dead to me

NB: This post will discuss plot strands from the seventh season of The West Wing, currently airing in the US. So, if you’re a fan of the show but haven’t seen the episodes not yet aired in the UK, please don’t read any further.

The West Wing, eh? Effortlessly the finest TV show of the past 10 years or so. OK, so the last couple of seasons have been a but up and down in the quality stakes, but the Aaron Sorkin years produced some of the finest moments trendthrift has ever been lucky enough to sit through. Many people I’ve recommended the show to in the past have been reluctant to give it a go because: a) It doesn’t feature any spooky desert islands; b) There’s very little in the way of dog/shotgun interaction (which, of course, is a fair point); and c) It’s all about politics. And politics is boooooooooooring.

Except, of course, The West Wing had much more going for it than a simple ‘White House staffers do dull work’ premise. It had the finest TV writer of our times, for a start. And as starts go, that’s not a bad one. Add a large, genuinely stunning cast, and you’re well on the way to something special. These guys nailed the dramatic storylines with aplomb, but the show, at that time, was also the funniest thing on TV. Heavy-hitting scenes were expertly interspersed with beautifully delivered comic relief. Again, it was all a testament to the genius of the show’s main writer.

Four seasons in, Sorkin left the show, along with long-time collaborator Thomas Schlamme. While it’s never been the same since, The West Wing has still managed to continue to be an enjoyable show with some memorable episodes — mainly thanks to the continued brilliance of the cast, even when working with inferior scripts. Now, though, I’ve had enough. And this is why:

Rocker Jon Bon Jovi is set to appear in the US television series The West Wing as a Democratic Party supporter.

Bon Jovi will reportedly play himself in the hit show and come out to show his support for Matt Santos, played by Jimmy Smits, a Democratic presidential candidate. He will go on to sing one of his new tunes – Welcome to Wherever You Are – in the episode airing in the US on March 26.

Jesus. The straw that broke the camel’s back, if you will. Jon Bon Jovi plugging his new single? On The West Wing? Well, suck me off sideways if that’s not a step too far.

This comes after the best character in the show, Toby Ziegler, was written out of proceedings in an insulting, unconvincing way. Fans of the show will also have heard by now that John Spencer, who played the White House Chief of Staff, died of a heart attack in December. He’ll be sadly missed by all, and The West Wing will miss the warmth and gravitas he brought to the role of Leo McGarry. That’s two of the most important characters gone in the space of a few weeks. And when the top notch cast are the only thing holding the show together in the absence of Sorkin’s sparkling dialogue, this is where is starts to fall apart.

Hell, even if those guys were still around: Jon Bon Jovi, ‘going on to sing one of his new tunes’? No thanks.

Promiscuous electrical equipment

The trendthrift stereo is an insatiable beast at the best of times, but just recently she’s turned into the most gluttonous little strumpet in town, demanding more and more new music with each passing day. As many times as I’ve tried, she just won’t be assauged. I’m past trying to reason with her; she’s got me exactly where she wants me.

As such, I trundled off to the Post Office this morning to pick up her latest feed (a six CD-shaped parcel won’t fit easily through the letterbox of trendthrift Towers, unfotunately). She’s currently chewing on In Case We Die from Architecture In Helsinki, but then there’s albums from Animal Collective, Bearsuit, Help She Can’t Swim, Laura Veirs and My Morning Jacket to follow once she’s tossed that aside.

It’s not as if she’s finished chomping on the stuff she got for Christmas, or indeed from the Album Club delivery from last Friday (although she is regularly filling the air with approving Clap Your Hands Say Yeah-scented burps, much to my embarrassment). Hopefully she’ll calm down a bit now and take stock of recent arrivals, but I can’t say I’m overly confident.

It it ain’t broke, don’t blog it

Get your beady arses over to BrokenTV, sharpish. I stumbled across this a while back and promptly forgot to bookmark it. Luckily for me (and you, fair reader), I’ve found it again. Site author Mark X has a way with words that makes trendthrift come over all giddy. In a good way. Not only that, but his opinions are 100% correct, 98.7% of the time. It’s been proven.

Truly a great read.