Goodbye “30 Rock,” Hello, “Girls!” And Why I Will Never Be A Literary Rogue.

“30 Rock” is over and this makes me quite sad. While it occasionally pissed me off, it made me laugh so much more and was such an underrated show. I do hope Tina Fey makes the most of her career now and does not do what Liz Lemon does, which is work on a really crappy sitcom. I know she has movies coming up, but I do hope she returns to TV with something whip-smart, not “30 Rock” again, but original and up to her talent. We have great expectations for you, Tina!

To make up for the lack in Thursday night TV, “Community” is back. I do think it will not be the same, just a sad copy of itself without it's original showrunner, Dan Harmon. I will still watch it, but with lowered expectations. But if Mr. Harmon and Ms. Fey collaborate on a creative baby, this would probably be the most hilarious, creative, and underrated show in TV history!

To fill the creative comedic hole left in Ms. Fey's absence, I have started watching HBO's “Girls.” Yes, that show, the one with the awkward sex scenes, but also the one that won the Golden Globe for best Comedy. I see more awards in Lena Dunham's future, because this show is audacious. I mean that in a good way for people watching the show and a bad way for the characters of this show. The things these characters do to each other is incredibly manipulative and mean, yet there are caring moments and real emotions. The audacity of this show is that it is so real. Still, you would not want your daughters to grow up to be these “Girls.” It was compared to “Sex and the City” when it began, but I would consider it to be the Anti-SOTC. If for any reason, it is because of Ms. Dunham's direct choice of some of the worst possible clothes for her body type. And because of that, I consider this show to be much funnier than SOTC.

I shared my love for this show on Facebook, and guess what, it was a FB ghost town of responses. NOBODY said anything about it, there were no likes, no responses. I think HBO is seeing that despite the Golden Globe win, not many people are watching this show. This is a shame, because it it really that good. I know I went off about manipulative people in my last blog. In real life, manipulative people are at the very least a nuisance, and at most ruin you career, etc. But in entertainment, without these scumbags, there would be very little drama. Would anyone watch any of those ridiculous “The Real Housewives of..... Wherever” if everyone was nice to each other and treated each other with respect? No frickin' way. By the way, I have to say that if you want a master's class in political manipulation then you have to watch Kevin Spacey in “House of Cards.”

So, it is the same with “Girls,” the show is lousy with manipulative people. Unless you don't think ignoring a man that your friend is interested in (and making sure she is not that interested as well) only to secretly seduce him into doing a surprise wedding three months later, is manipulative. Needless to say, the marriage did not last long.

It has not been made too big a deal, but there is some serious nepotism going on with this show.  I don't mind it since the show is so well done, and in a way I do think they make fun of this subject, just like anything else. These actresses are children of famous people in entertainment. Including one being David Mamet's daughter. I think he should be quite proud of his little girl, Zosia, since she is fantastically weird and hilarious on this show. As long as the children of the famous do good work, there really is not a problem there.

I have to say that Lena Dunham is not afraid to go there and beyond with this show, and that makes her, a comedic rogue. Hannah (Ms. Dunham's character) does cocaine to write a story for her big break. I am not saying Ms. Dunham has done cocaine, but is this what will do to get your foot in the door? If that is the case, I am rather sure that I will not be a literary comedic rogue.

In Andrew Shaffer's blog for the Huffington Post, he names a toolbox of what to do (mostly booze, drugs and bad behavior) in order to be a literary rogue. The four that I could realistically do would beer (which I do occasionally drink, but the calories...), exotic pets (who doesn't want a Komodo Dragon as a pet?), coffee (except I hate coffee, will have to make it up with lots of tea), and groupies (nah, I am an introvert!). Probably, the only way I could make it as a literary rogue is by not doing any of those requirements and still getting famous. It would be an uphill battle all the way. So I guess I will not be smuggling in that bottle of absinthe anytime soon. Nor will I be expecting fame anytime soon. I will leave that to the truly desperate who are crazy enough to want it that badly, like Hannah on “Girls.” Obviously, since I seem to do anti-PR, any success for me will be a strange coincidence. That is just fine with me. ;)

Also, have a Happy Valentines Day!

I Just LLLOOOVVVEEE Manipulative People!

Don't you? I know I just blew up your sarcasm detector but they make everyone's life worse by lying and manipulating the situation, basically doing anything to gain their advantage. I see it all the time. I try not to be manipulative because I have learned that honesty and patience works just as well for me. We all have to be this way from time to time, you know, little lies to not hurt a friends feelings, but there are some where it seems to be a calling.

I just finished the Patricia Cornwell book “Red Mist.” I like some of her writing, especially anything about forensics. But, there is a definite formula with her books and with this one there is about 1/6th of the book where Dr. Kay Scarpetta is musing that she does not like to be manipulated. Yeah, me neither, but you do not need to say it over and over. It was atrocious book padding but it certainly got me thinking about manipulative people. A few examples are: the overzealous and bureaucratic HOA manager, the neighbor who looks like a nice old lady but..., and a certain person who will not let the matter go when you tell them no, and then wants to analyze the previous conversation. That is just the tip of the iceberg.

I had an ex-boyfriend who said he drove better high than most people drove sober and would not wear a seat belt because it would wrinkle his clothes. Yeah, I should have kicked him to the curb long before I did, and I always wore my seatbelt with him and did not let him drive high, but I was in love. Love is a great emotion, when you are in love with someone reasonable. When they are selfish and manipulative, love is hell. When you break up with them, man, they will try any guilt-inducing thing in their play book. More hell.

I also have seen it in science. A great read about manipulation of data in science is “Intuition” by Allegra Goodman. Everyone wants a positive result to be real, and that is how the manipulators gain their advantage. They fake the result which makes the result not repeatable and holds science back.

Oh yeah, and in sports there are people like Lance Armstrong... Need I say more?

So, why would I put in that rather disgusting quote in the top of the blog? The image is from imgace.com. Because Hitler was just saying what a lot of people (especially in Washington) are doing. To quote a much better yet fictional person, Lisa Simpson said:

“The city of Washington was built on a stagnant swamp some 200 years ago,

and very little has changed.  It stank then, and it stinks now.”

That episode did end with a happy ending where the politicians actually did their jobs, but I feel that this statement is the most honest thing I have heard about D.C. It is both Democrat's and Republican's lying seems that is standard operating procedure. This is not exactly news. I say this because this Hitler meme was shared on Facebook recently. I am assuming it was shared to complain about our current President Obama. The funny thing is, I think the biggest lie said to the American people and the world in recent history was during the Bush Administration. You know what I am talking about: the billion dollar Iraq lie. So, the Hitler quote is gold for any and all politicians and manipulators. Any truthful person would go insane in D.C. Everyone does it, blames the other party and then acts all innocent when being called manipulative. Here is a prime example:

I am sorry but I think the Republicans are also (if not more) hysterical. Every one of these could be applied to the Conservative tactics or “faith,” whatever you want to call it. In fact this looks to me like a manipulation handbook for politics. The only pillar that is missing is Gerrymandering. Only this cartoonist is also trying to have a go at the Muslim faith. Creepy.

Political cartoons and satire can be used extremely well to make a point or they can do what that person did above. This is an opinion of mine, that the line can be very easily crossed from satire to manipulation. Please keep in mind that writing fiction is a “safe” form of lying. Still, like science, you have to be very careful in your work. I certainly try to be, perhaps that is why my next book is going to take five years to write. Well, that and the fact that I am lazy. At least I am being honest.