Vaughn Chronicles

Before diving into The Tudors, then Californication I never really had much interest for anything Showtime. Possibly because I wasn’t subscribed to it, I only had HBO and Starz. Now that my parents changed providers to Verizon with their beautiful FiOS TV package, they opted for Showtime. Naturally, I threw my hands up in protest, because HBO is god in my book. So imagine my surprise when I decided to actually check out something Showtime offered. First up, was The Tudors.

The Tudors: Season One (A-)

I’ve always been a complete sucker for anything medieval, so I had my hopes up for The Tudors, and thankfully, it didn’t let me down. Basically The Tudors is about the reign of King Henry VIII, and his quest for anything that pleases him, much to the discomfort of everyone around him. Jonathan Rhys Meyers does a very good job at Henry VIII, he is a very cocky king, yet seems innocent at heart. He means well, but can never seem to do right. He is surrounded by people only looking out for themselves, ill-advising him to their advantage. Season 1 is mostly about Henry falling for one of the Queen’s maidens Anne Boleyn, and attempting to secure her as the Queen, claiming the marriage was never in good faith, and the fact that the Queen as unsuccessfully given Henry a Son. Maria Doyle Kennedy plays the Queen superbly, a pure example of the people’s Queen. Throughout the entire series, I couldn’t help but feel her pain, as her love for the King is pushed aside for a younger, “prettier” woman.

Full with deceit, betrayal and good old burning of the wicked, The Tudors is a overall great show, it has some quirks here and there, but they are so minor in my eyes that they aren’t worth mentioning.

Californication: Season One (A)

Californication to me is a smart, dirty, fun, sexy and a very enjoyable comedy. It’s about Hank Moody (David Duchovny), a troubled novelist whose move out to L.A. and a bad case of writer’s block severely complicate the relationship with once girlfriend Karen (Natascha McElhone – The Truman Show, Ronin) and daughter Becca (Madeleine Martin). I loved every single character in Californication; I can honestly say that, some more than others though. Besides Hank’s quick, without missing a beat come-backs, Becca is probably my favourite. She’s a 12 year old rock star wannabee, but quite possibly the smartest 12 year old character I’ve seen in a long time, in terms of being in touch with her feelings, being her Father’s voice, his conscience when he can’t find it himself. Again, as with The Tudors, you really feel for the characters. You feel Hanks pain, and his struggle, you feel Karen wanting to get back with him, but she’s just not sure if its the right thing, and you feel Becca’s longing hope that it all actually happens. The show also has a modern day answer to Lolita, which actually makes me want to jump into the show, and bitch slap the daughter of Karen’s new boyfriend, Mia (Madeline Zima - The Nanny).

The main reason that kept me from slapping the + to the A for its rating, is in the early episodes, like the first 3-4, Californication borderlines on a soft-core porn. I don’t mind watching a show where characters do what humans naturally do, and I know Hank is fucked up in his own way, but seriously, to me it shows a lack of writing ability. The last episode might throw some people off, because it makes you wonder if it actually happened, or if Hank was just day-dreaming as usual. I highly recommend this show to anyone, as long as you aren’t a super mega conservative.

~Vaughn

Being home has given me an opportunity to actually get in on some good shows, but since my parents reluctantly refuse to buy HBO (I can’t complain, not my house), I can’t watch the ones I want to catch up on. Therefore, I am forced to deal with it, and try to broaden my outlook on HBO being the God of TV. Franky, I really don’t want to, but it couldn’t hurt right?

I’m currently halfway through The Tudors, via Verizon FiOS, which is by far, the best service in the county in my opinion, and thats really all that matters here :). I like the series, but I am going to wait until I finish it to hold all judgment. Theres a couple more I would like to check out, Californication being one of them. Not sure what its about, but it has David Duchovny, and thats all the reason I need to watch it. Oh, plus its about a writer struggling with some shit. I like to watch those sort of things, makes me feel warm inside. You’d think since I’m trying to get into writing, I would steer clear of stuff like that, wierd.

There is The L Word, and as somewhat intriguing as that show may be to watch, it annoys the hell out of me. Some guys would call me gay for that, but if I wanted to watch two chicks “make love”, why watch it on Showtime, for the story… lol? The L Word is mostly a R rated Lifetime show, in which I have a feeling mostly women watch, straight women. If that is in fact, true, what does that mean really???

Oh yeah, my question was answered on yesterday’s Cinematical writing column - The Write Stuff.. The Question was referring to the current Writers Strike. Below is the question, and answer by Cinematical’s Patrick Walsh.

Chris Vaughn asks…

Didn’t one of the major studios or networks sue YouTube for having their content illegally for millions? That says Internet content IS worth something. Yet they claim the internet is too young or the methods are too young.

The net is over a decade old, and the methods are over 5. How much more time do the suits need?!

Yup. Fox sued YouTube over leaked Fox programs. Viacom sued YouTube for a billion dollars. NBC made demands for YouTube to take down Saturday Night Live clips and eventually joined Viacom’s battle. I don’t think many could argue that the networks and studios know full well that there is loads of money to be made from the net, regardless of how they spin it.

As minuscule as it was, it was really awesome of Pat to answer my question, Thanks!

~Vaughn