An interesting article about Pauline Kael, Will Smith, and how pop culture became the only culture.

Kael assumed she was safe to defend the choices of mass audiences because the old standards of taste would always be there. They were, after all, built into the culture. But those standards were swiftly eroding. Schrader argued that she and her admirers won the battle but lost the war. Acceptable taste became mass-audience taste, box-office receipts the ultimate measure of a film's worth, sometimes the only measure. Traditional, well-written movies without violence or special effects were pushed to the margins. "It was fun watching the applecart being upset," Schrader said, "but now where do we go for apples?"

Kael assumed she was safe to defend the choices of mass audiences because the old standards of taste would always be there.

I don't remember her being a populist so much as appreciating good genre work and not dismissing it out of hand. She didn't even like Raiders of the Lost Ark, and she certainly loved certain high mandarin art films. (She disliked slow quiet filmmakers like Ozu and Bresson, but loved sensationalists like Fellini and Kurowasawa.)

I've been known to laugh at Family Guy, but I always feel kinda dirty about it. TV Heresy: It's totally time to cancel "The Simpsons". Makes me sad to say so because I used to love it so much. But things end, and it's a shadow of its former...everything.

but loved sensationalists like Fellini and Kurowasawa

Kurosawa yes, but she had little-to-no use for Fellini from La Dolce Vita onward (IOW, pretty much what we think of when we think of Fellini).

from La Dolce Vita onward (IOW, pretty much what we think of when we think of Fellini).

La Strada is pre-La Dolce. And that's pretty definitive Fellini for me.

La Strada is pre-La Dolce. And that's pretty definitive Fellini for me.

So is I Vitteloni (also pre-La Dolce), but neither really gets into the freak-show, stream of consciousness surrealism that pretty much became Fellini's signature (despite La Strada's circus milieu).

Since we're on the subject, do you want to rate your favorite Fellini parodies?

I'd rate the Gilda Radner one on SNL at the top. (Which has the "sad clown of life" line.)

But there's a good one on Northern Exposure too, and considering that it's down to a couple of "Ciao" I also love the Spike and Dru homage.

Can you think of any others? I guess all of Stardust Memories counts.

The end of the series run of The Newsroom.

as much as I like the actor, casting Nestor Carbonell as the Mayor was a mistake. There is just no way to make casting Batmanuel in a Batman movie not funny.

Heh. You're not wrong. (Er, not that I've seen TDK yet, and by the way, I'm BLIND with jealousy of you right now.)

TV heresy-related: I love Family Guy. I should find it puerile and ridiculous, but I love it.

She would have made a good Jane in Coupling.

More TV heresy: British Jane? I LOATHE HER. Every moment she's on screen I want to rip my eyeballs out and shove them in my ears.

British Patrick? Not, in any way, attractive. It must be a British thing.

British Patrick? Not, in any way, attractive. It must be a British thing.

American Patrick = much better looking.

British Jeff still = The Hot One.