Monday, May 13, 2002

Death Comes to Time

MOVED: Last December, I enthused about Nick's Friggin' Homepage, one cutie's website chock full of linky goodness. Nick's in a new place these days, and has made a rather appealing promise that may hasten my return to Los Angeles.

VAST WASTELAND: Someone is shopping a "half-hour reality make-over show" called "The Queer Eye for the Straight Guy". The premise is that some poor straight schlub gets redecorated by five representatives of the fabulous set, to wit:

The half-hour show assembles an elite team of professionals from the worlds of fashion, interior design, grooming, food and wine and culture and mercilessly throws them upon a straight male subject in need of a makeover. Combining the relevance and substance of Esquire Magazine with the wit and sarcasm of "Will & Grace," "The Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" is informative, entertaining and bitingly hip.

There are a few problems with this pitch, kids, not least of which is that using the word "wit" alongside "Will & Grade" should be a punishable offense. I really chuckled at the last line in the casting breakdown, though: "Queer yes, camp not necessarily: Professionals first, gay second. Not looking to fill stereotypes ...". "This," he said cynically, "I shall believe when I see." [hat tip to Matt Kingston]

DEATH COMES TO TIME: I was a huge Doctor Who fan for years, so much so that I'd spend Sunday nights sitting close to the TV, fiddling with the antenna, trying to pull in a snowy signal from a public television station broadcasting from 100 miles away. I joined a fan club. I went to conventions. You name it, I've been there, done that, got the scarf (and the frock coat and the fedora and a lot of badges). The obsession has faded for me, supplanted by a dozen other media fascinations and hobbies, but I was still saddened to hear of the recent death of John Nathan-Turner, the program's longest-serving producer, famed for his Hawaiian shirts and his jovial demeanor with fans.