Nuts and Veggies
by Scott Hardie on September 27, 2006
If you haven't heard, VeggieTales is coming to NBC. Without reference to God. And the creator feels duped. (link)
On the one hand, he signed the contract and should have read the fine print, in a manner of speaking. He should have asked whether his show would be subject to broadcast standards. On the other hand, I can see why it didn't occur to him: The series is so overtly Christian (and PTC president Bozell is right that it's the key to the series's success) that the man must have assumed NBC wouldn't court him if they didn't want God on the air. That's like a thoroughly obscene rapper being pursued by a record label and then discovering in the studio they want his rhymes rated PG.
Forgive my bemusement at PTC's outrage, since everything seems to cause them instant outrage, but this is bullshit coming from them:
"What struck me and continues to strike me is the inanity of ripping the heart and soul out of a successful product and not thinking that there will be consequences to it," said L. Brent Bozell, president of the Parents Television Council. "The series is successful because of its biblical world view, not in spite of it. That's the signature to `VeggieTales."'After all of the vitriolic attacks Bozell has made against R-rated programs on television and the adult content they contain that makes them successful – would anybody watch The Sopranos without violence or profanity? – it's hypocrisy for him to decry the removal of VeggieTales's most successful element. If he wants to condemn NBC for taking out God because it's God, then he should do so, not forge an argument that runs countrary to 90% of the arguments he usually makes.
Logical Operator
The creator of Funeratic, Scott Hardie, blogs about running this site, losing weight, and other passions including his wife Kelly, his friends, movies, gaming, and Florida. Read more »
Risky Games
Here's plugging two games that I've been enjoying lately: Dice Wars is a good little miniature online game for one person, playable in about 20 minutes and very satisfying for its size. The text below the game explains the rules, but suffice to say, it's basically Risk but built to be played rapidly thanks to some rule simplification and a very swift AI. (Thanks for suggesting it, Joandy!) Go »Heart Burn
The recurring pericarditis that I mentioned elsewhere is now believed by my primary-care doctor to be heartburn or possibly an ulcer. The latter explanation is possible I suppose, but I'm skeptical about the former since it feels less like an acidic burning than like a sharp localized lower-chest pain such as a knife wound or bullet wound. Either way, it still keeps occurring every few weeks, it still hurts like a son of a bitch and keeps me awake all night, and I'm way beyond sick of it happening. Go »Atkins
I'm now in my fourth week on the Atkins diet. I had planned to write about it at the start and maybe once each week, but I've been so busy... dieting. Go »The Honeymoon
After our wedding, it was time for Kelly and I to enjoy our honeymoon: Ten days in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and the coastline between them. We (really I, with Kelly's signoff) spent weeks researching and scheduling to pull it off, and the effort was definitely worth it, as we had ten days of bliss. We rode new rides at Disneyland, toured a movie studio and historic ship, saw whales and dolphins up close, ate lunch atop a mountain, hiked among the redwoods, explored Chinatown and Alcatraz, and along the way ate some amazing food. Go »Gossip Grrr
I didn't mean any harm by it. But I still transgressed against someone I don't even know. My department at work is somewhat isolated, so I don't really know other people in the company well. Go »
