It's done. JJ is leaving, and this will be Prentiss' last year.
The whole Prentiss issue made the new CBS commercial irritating in its irony. Why use Prentiss' image to represent Criminal Minds if you're plannig to reduce the number of episodes she'll appear in?
I don't know how things are done in Hollywood, but did it really take a petition to get producers to close out JJ's storyline? Were they really going to have the character disappear with little explanation? Were they really going to leave JJ's position (communication liaison, aka media wrangler) empty?
This clearly caught the actors off guard. They might've been told before the news got out, but the anger and frustration lead me to believe that at the very least, some common courtesy was violated. Actors (or writers or anyone else for that matter) shouldn't feel like they've been slapped in the face or stabbed in the back.
The effect on the rest of the cast cannot be underestimated. Part of the reason they appear to be a loving work-family on-screen is because they are a loving work-family off-screen. Yes, they're professionals. Yes, the show must go on. But it is often harder for those who remain than it is for those who leave.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
School's Out for Summer-An Edem Update
My first year of the MBA program is done; I have a year and half to go. I earned my first B (B+, actually) courtesy of Managerial Accounting. A hallelujah moment, as I got a solid C on the midterm.
My 'soft' class (i.e., no math) was Business Communications, a marketing course taught by a management professor. There was a lot of reading, but the professor chose books worth keeping. We had to do a Pecha Kucha style presentation - 3 slides, 1 minute per slide, the slides automatically advancing. The topic was "My Business Communication Culture", and I learned a lot about China, India, Mexico, Thailand, Iran....one guy even had a step-by-step diagram of the 'man-hug'. It was awesome.
Thus far, group work has been the bane of my MBA existence. But a friend pointed out that what I'm experiencing - throwing strangers together to complete a project in a month - is common in the real world. Unfortunately, I've been spoiled by my past experiences; we knew what we needed to do to make it happen. At school, half the battle is getting everyone close to the same page. It's probably the most valuable thing I'll learn in school.
My employer signed up with a wellness plan earlier this year. Through the plan, we're participating in a patriotic wellness challenge. We try to walk at least 2.5 miles a week, with a goal of walking 5 miles or more. They give us forgettable tidbits about the American Revolution and the War of 1812. So now I walk for 30 minutes at lunchtime (weather permitting). I plan to keep it up after the challenge ends. Though I'm not sure what to do when winter comes. Dark & cold is why I could never get into excercising in the first place.
The optometrist says my eyes are getting better, so I got a new pair of glasses. I opted for transition lenses; I thought they would do a good job of doubling as sunglasses on super sunny days. What I didn't realize is that they slightly darken (grayen?) in moderate sunlight. So on an overcast day, it's a little too dark.
Now, the lenses don't darken when you're driving. Refraction something something. But, depending on the time of day and the direction I'm driving, the sun shines through my driver's side window and darkens my lenses. Unevenly. The left lens gets really dark, while the right lens gets barely gray. A framed pirate patch, or A Clockwork Orange for everyday living. I wish I could take a picture of it, (if you thought driving while texting was fun, wait 'til you try driving and taking self-portraits!) but alas, I'm not reckless in that way.
To a restful summer,
My 'soft' class (i.e., no math) was Business Communications, a marketing course taught by a management professor. There was a lot of reading, but the professor chose books worth keeping. We had to do a Pecha Kucha style presentation - 3 slides, 1 minute per slide, the slides automatically advancing. The topic was "My Business Communication Culture", and I learned a lot about China, India, Mexico, Thailand, Iran....one guy even had a step-by-step diagram of the 'man-hug'. It was awesome.
Thus far, group work has been the bane of my MBA existence. But a friend pointed out that what I'm experiencing - throwing strangers together to complete a project in a month - is common in the real world. Unfortunately, I've been spoiled by my past experiences; we knew what we needed to do to make it happen. At school, half the battle is getting everyone close to the same page. It's probably the most valuable thing I'll learn in school.
My employer signed up with a wellness plan earlier this year. Through the plan, we're participating in a patriotic wellness challenge. We try to walk at least 2.5 miles a week, with a goal of walking 5 miles or more. They give us forgettable tidbits about the American Revolution and the War of 1812. So now I walk for 30 minutes at lunchtime (weather permitting). I plan to keep it up after the challenge ends. Though I'm not sure what to do when winter comes. Dark & cold is why I could never get into excercising in the first place.
The optometrist says my eyes are getting better, so I got a new pair of glasses. I opted for transition lenses; I thought they would do a good job of doubling as sunglasses on super sunny days. What I didn't realize is that they slightly darken (grayen?) in moderate sunlight. So on an overcast day, it's a little too dark.
Now, the lenses don't darken when you're driving. Refraction something something. But, depending on the time of day and the direction I'm driving, the sun shines through my driver's side window and darkens my lenses. Unevenly. The left lens gets really dark, while the right lens gets barely gray. A framed pirate patch, or A Clockwork Orange for everyday living. I wish I could take a picture of it, (if you thought driving while texting was fun, wait 'til you try driving and taking self-portraits!) but alas, I'm not reckless in that way.
To a restful summer,
Thursday, June 17, 2010
On Criminal Minds
While searching to find out what Wednesday night Criminal Minds episode would be airing, I learned that the contract for A.J. Cook (who plays JJ) would not be renewed, and that Paget Brewster's role would be reduced (she plays Prentiss) .
The first reports said it was for "financial reasons". An unfortunately logical but no less upsetting excuse. Then it was emphatically clarified to "creative reasons".
You want creativity? Have a few more episodes where no one is saved (e.g., A Shade of Gray or Tru Night); have a few more episodes where men are the victims; have Reid start dating; explore a possible relatioship between Morgan and Tamara Brown (and have him tell Garcia she was right); give Prentiss a shock to her self esteem (I know in the end she can handle it). But lose JJ? And 'replace' her with someone else? This is not Law & Order, this is not Monk. JJ is a pillar of the team, the Voice. You can freshen the series without main characters disappearing or (in Prentiss' case), fading.
Which leads us back to the initially reported reason. Money. We're all adults here. Why can't CBS just call it what it is?
The first reports said it was for "financial reasons". An unfortunately logical but no less upsetting excuse. Then it was emphatically clarified to "creative reasons".
You want creativity? Have a few more episodes where no one is saved (e.g., A Shade of Gray or Tru Night); have a few more episodes where men are the victims; have Reid start dating; explore a possible relatioship between Morgan and Tamara Brown (and have him tell Garcia she was right); give Prentiss a shock to her self esteem (I know in the end she can handle it). But lose JJ? And 'replace' her with someone else? This is not Law & Order, this is not Monk. JJ is a pillar of the team, the Voice. You can freshen the series without main characters disappearing or (in Prentiss' case), fading.
Which leads us back to the initially reported reason. Money. We're all adults here. Why can't CBS just call it what it is?
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