I'm watching very little news and I think that's a wise thing. The one thing I have seen today with a quick run through the networks is men who have never studied medicine saying, in effect, "No, I'm not a doctor but since there are doctors in this world who disagree, my opinion is just as valid as theirs." I don't buy that and neither should anyone else with an I.Q. higher than their age.
I don't remember it being like this years ago, where people pushing some viewpoint would try so hard to diminish the view of experts. It's like they're saying that experts have an unfair advantage in an argument because they're experts and we need to remove that advantage.
I did watch Bill Maher and John Oliver…and I was going to type "who almost count as news" but I'm feeling Mr. Oliver is way past that. Great show. If you didn't catch it, at least watch this part of it online.
Bill Maher — working in his backyard without a live audience — reminded me of a young, beginning comedian I saw many years ago at the Improv. His name was Bill Maher and he showed much promise.
Unlike 80% of the newbies who traipsed across that stage, you could tell he was going places. But he had an annoying habit that made me recall something I once heard a seasoned comedy writer say to a new comic who didn't go on to be as successful as Bill Maher. He told the guy, "You have a choice. You can laugh at your jokes or we can laugh at your jokes but you can't have both."
Maher, who in those days performed like he'd studied Johnny Carson with a microscope, had one overriding trait that was not Johnny's It was this fake nervous laugh that accompanied almost every line. And he didn't even wait until the audience had not laughed to fill the void himself. Once he overcame that, he became one of the best stand-ups around. Even with intentionally-obvious canned laughter on his monologue Friday night, his "fills" were back…and the problem with doing that is that even as you do the joke, you're telling the listeners that you don't think it's all that funny.
I usually like a lot (never all) of what's on his shows, often for the interplay with the guests and Maher's own interplay with his studio audience. Minus those things, his show was awkward and flat…and I would guess they know that and are working on the problem now. It's tough, after inventing a successful format, to have to reinvent it on the fly.
Things are tolerable here in the Fortress. I've been writing and napping and eating when I feel like writing and napping and eating. Not that there aren't downsides to it — and there are some jobs where it's just not possible — but I like working at home.
I have everything I need here in ample supply and arranged for easy access. I don't have to drive anywhere and be concerned with the traffic getting home. If I hit a moment where it feels like it'll help me in a script, I can go stretch out on my bed or take a shower or in warmer times, go dive in the pool. And I can write at night and sleep during the day. As long as I get it done and someone somewhere is happy with it…
There's lots of speculation out there about how this Pandemic thing will change our lives and how things will be different when it's over. My theories are no more solid than anyone else's but mine do include a lot more people working at home, not because they have to but because they like it and their employers find it beneficial.