Television
Now, I’m not usually one to pay any attention to Soap Operas by my own volition, but it was impossible to not catch a few minutes of General Hospital during my childhood. I would come home from school and it would always be on the TV, my mother watching along. And, honestly, it was a nice little distraction. The melodrama, the hostage takings, the train crashes, the hotel fires, and just about everything in between; I can’t argue with this kind of insanity. Check out the Wikipedia link and have a good laugh as you delve into the sheer madness of it all.
However, within that link, there is an interesting little blurb that I want to highlight:
“In February 2007, General Hospital will embark on yet another ground-breaking storyline for Sweeps as the entire cast will once again find themselves in a central storyline as a hostage situation takes place at the Metro Court hotel. The storyline which is set to take place over the 16 episodes of Sweeps will be set in “real time” much like the Fox drama, 24. According to the scribes at GH, an explosion will be set off at the Metro Court hotel on Friday, January 26th and then the show will fade to black as viewers are taken 16 hours back in time. Each episode will then represent one hour of the events that lead up to the explosion at the Metro Court hotel.”
Now, when I read a story about this over at PopWatch, I was kind of intrigued by this crossover between my mother’s favourite soap opera and everyone’s favourite Jack Bauer Power Hour, but I’ve started to think about it a bit more. And, I think that it’s an interesting example of the further influence of “serialized” television and its quick demise earlier this season.
For, you see, this season alone has seen the deaths of Smith, Kidnapped, Vanished, Runaway, and even the yet to debut Traveler had its episode order cut from 13 to 8. And yet, here General Hospital is turning to a basic theme that 24 made famous. It was the rise of 24’s ratings, as well as the success of shows like Prison Break, that led networks to produce so many serial dramas, and they struggled to find an audience.
And yet, really, Soap Operas are a perfect example of how to make a serial drama work. They have a plot that strings throughout, but yet they have characters so typical, so defined, that you can figure things out quite quickly. If I have my TV turned onto CTV and General Hospital comes on, I might not have seen a second of it for weeks and yet I can pretty much figure out what’s going on because I know enough about the archetypes at play.
And really, that was what made the first season of Prison Break so watchable, not the bullshit conspiracy stuff. And that’s what made Desperate Housewives work, and not its dumb plots (Which dragged the 2nd season into the doldrums of television). Even 24’s plots can sometimes let it down, but we keep watching because we idolize Jack Bauer. Without a hook like this, no show survives.
As a result, as much as General Hospital claims they’re going into a “ground breaking” exercise, the plots will be just as thing and just as silly as before. And yet, really, that’s what the people want. Maybe networks should see this as an example for making compelling serialized television.
Cinema
Box Office Predictions
Movies Opening This Weekend
Epic Movie
Smokin’ Aces
Catch and Release
Blood & Chocolate
We’ve got a farcical comedy based on fantasy/adventure films ala “Date Movie,” a bounty hunter film starring Jeremy Piven (“Entourage”), Ryan Reynolds, Ben Affleck and…Alicia Keys? Okay. And then we have a Romantic comedy starring Jennifer Garner and…Kevin Smith? Sure thing. And then some crappy horror movie with one of the worst titles imaginable.
Holdovers from Last Week
Stomp the Yard
Night at the Museum
Each should drop a bit, and a few spots each with the new releases in play, but their holdovers have been solid recently.
Oscar Movers/Shakers
Dreamgirls
The Queen
Pan’s Labyrinth
The Departed
Despite a lack of a Best Picture nod, Dreamgirls is currently leading the American Box Office, and will perform well into the weekend. The Queen, sitting in 3rd, also continues to perform strongly with weekday audiences, and expands slightly further along with Babel (Which has a little less audience appeal). The Departed launches itself a 2nd time with a major influx of screens, and Pan’s Labyrinth continues to expand further in its initial run. I would hope that Children of Men would see an increase, but Editing/Cinematography nods only do so much for a film.
For my Box Office Predictions and Viewing Suggestions,
Myles’ Predictions
1. Epic Movie – $16.4 Million
2. Smokin’ Aces – $12.1 Million
3. Night At The Museum – $7.9 Million
4. Dreamgirls – $7.5 Million
5. Stomp the Yard – $7.2 Million
Myles’ Viewing Suggestions
Go see Children of Men or Pan’s Labyrinth. Trust me, or The Elder.
Cultural Learnings 