Can't Follow THE FOLLOWING

I had high hopes for this. Kevin Williamson created it. He also created DAWSON’S CREEK and wrote the movies TEACHING MISS TINGLE, SCREAM and THE FACULTY. He has a dark, sinister sensibility combined with a satiric pop culture sense.

THE FOLLOWING involves a brutal serial killer who has a cult that worships him and will do anything for him. The killer (an excellent James Purefoy) was caught by an FBI agent (an equally fine but grim Kevin Bacon) but not before the killer inflicted permanent damage on him causing him to wear a pacemaker. The FBI agent also started sleeping with the serial killer’s wife while he was in jail. So the killer understandably has a serious axe to grind. (I know, but I couldn’t resist!)

The killer breaks out of jail, killing a bunch of guards with gorey percision, kills the only victim of his who escaped his wrath, and is caught and returned to prison. His cult springs in to action and kidnaps his son. The Killer then escapes again and the cat and mouse game between he and the now ex-FBI agent is on. It’s all part of some master plan, which promises to thrill the killer and punish the FBI guy.

The show is incredibly bloody and violent but that’s not the frustrating part. In every episode at this point the killer’s plan is so far beyond the FBI’s pursuit that the whole enterprise is lopsided. Hero and opponent are not evenly matched so the level of suspense is reduced to almost nothing. A lot of slasher movies have this problem so we’re left with a bunch of brutal killings and repetitive story beats that stagnate the forward motion of the yarn. We have internalized the rhythm----killer kills a bunch of people in exploitative disgusting ways, the FBI arrives, the bad guy taunts and laughs at them, and then slips away. The Killer alludes to the fact that he’s writing some epic book and the ex-FBI guy plays a critical role. YAWN! This is long-form television that stretches its 100-minute movie premise way past the breaking point. Williamson should have realized this at the concept stage. This is a film story and not a series. Maybe he does know and was paid so much money that he doesn’t care.

In order to create a long form show that engages there must be a hero and villain who are evenly matched and each faces danger from the other. The audience should question who would actually come out on top. This creates suspense and makes the drama compelling. BREAKING BAD, GAME OF THRONES, and DEXTER do this very well. In some episodes the hero triumphs and in others the villain gets the upper hand. From week to week the audience doesn’t know how the story will turn out. While all this hide-and-seek is going on, the storytellers explore the inner life of the characters and slowly reveal their values that come into question the more they pursue their goals. Long-form television is very effective when the depth of the characters are expanded and allowed to impact the direction of the story.

A great symphony is comprised of many melodies, counter melodies, motifs and complex rhythms. THE FOLLOWING is stuck in one-note hell.

20 STEPS FROM STARDOM

This is one of the most amazing documentaries I've seen. It caressed my artistic heart . I haven't been so moved so much by a movie in years. The film delves into the craft of the back-up singer exploring this extraordinary art form through the eyes of those unsung folk that many people like me, who appreciate the talent and musicianship that goes into making iconicmusic, know about. So many other people just hear the song and enjoy it at that level and that's cool. I remember studying album credits so I could begin to associate names with performances. Darlene Love, leader of the ever present '60's group, The Blossoms, is considered to be Grand Diva of the art, according to the film. Phil Spector used her and the group to help define his "wall of sound" signature. But Darlene and the ladies weren't given the credit they deserved. In many cases, the Blossoms "ghosted" for other acts produced by Spector. But this didn't stop them from being in demand to sing on the biggest records made by the biggest stars of the time. The film also profiles the sassy Merry Clayton who became a legend overnight in the Rock World by singing on the Rolling Stones classic, "GIMME SHELTER." She was summoned in the middle of the night and came to the studio very pregnant wearing PJ's, a mink coat, and curlers underneath a Chanel scarf. Mick Jagger told her what he wanted and she proceeded to blow everyone away. Nowadays Lisa Fischer sings that part in concert with the Stones. Fischer is also explored in the film. Even though she won a Grammy for a major record, she seems to feel most comfortable singing behind the star. One remarkable sequence has Fischer singing her own harmonies and appearing beside herself as each part is stacked on. At 54, she's still got those adorable dimples and earthy, comforting sensuality---even without make-up. Sting calls her a "star" and I agree. There's another sequence where she talks about working with Luther Vandross and we see him working with her and others while giving very specific vocal direction. I've heard he was detailed oriented and this proves it. Incredible. Also we meet Claudia Lannear, Patti Austin, The Waters (Julia, Oren, and Maxine), Susaye Greene, Tata Vega and newcomer Judith Hill among others. A vocal music contractor has a bit where he says a modern producer told him they can save money by auto-tuning lead and back-up vocals. The contractor is perplexed and asks what auto-tuning is. The response: We manipulate the vocals so they are in tune. The vocal contractor responds--"Why don't you use people that can actually sing on key to begin with?" My sentiments exactly. The thing many folk failed to realize was the back-up singers is actually what gave so many songs their style and artistic glory. They sang the hooks we all remember. They provided counter melodies and signature improvs to make sure the record stuck to your soul. Auto-tuning doesn't do that.

COPPER SEASON 2

Just watched the second episode of COPPER of the 2nd season on BBC America. Love the show. Tom Fontana, the co-creator, is one of my favorite writers. (HOMICIDE: LIFE ON THE STREETS, SAINT ELSEWHERE, THE PHILANTHROPIST) This particular episode ended with very graphic, erotic, love scenes between the main cop, Kevin Corchoran,  a very troubled man with his emotionally damaged wife contrasted with the black doctor, headstrong, dignified but flawed Mathew Freeman and his troubled but evolving wife. We're rarely see black couples expressing love and passion on tv with it being so integral to the story line. While it was graphic (which I liked---the black folk were beautiful but very realistic looking) the scene had a very relevant emotional resonance to the story. It's a historical drama set in New York right after the Civil War. The black doctor, who is an unofficial corner, has just taken over a practice in the city and has just been insulted by a white patient after having treated the man. The doctor's wife, whose brothers were lynched by Irish thugs and is now working in a dress shop, has just met Frederick Douglass. She asks him advice on dealing with gaining her autonomy as a woman while dealing with feelings of anger about the death of her brothers. When the doctor and his wife come together they both attempt to comfort each other while expressing their anger and frustration through love-making. Great stuff! The best writing and acting these days is on television....mostly on cable.  Before I started watching this show, I assumed it was going to be a police procedural with more explicit sex and violence than you would see on regular television.  I was half right.  It is more explicit but the characters, themselves, are more challenging and brutally raw than network fare.  The story-telling is also more complex so the show is more adult in terms of sophisticated content like the best shows on HBO (like ROME and THE SOPRANOS).  The main characters of COPPER are very flawed and sometimes unlikeable in their actions but also fascinating to watch because you are never sure of what they will do next.  In the pilot from last year, Corchoran, his partner, McGuire and a couple of others chased down and killed some bandits who robbed a bank.  Just before the Uniforms arrived on the scene, the detectives helped themselves to some of the loot.  This would have never been done on "regular television."  It was shocking because I was raised on the straight-arrow cops of TV Land.  Kojak, though he speaks and acts with that Brooklyn-in-your-face style, wouldn't have laid a hand on the blood money.  He's tough but he's moral.  For the cops in the just post civil war New York, the lines are very blurred.  Killing a bad guy, taking some of his loot, screwing a hooker in a local brothel before clocking out is all in a day's work.  Wow!  These guys in COPPER seem a lot more grounded in the mean streets and gutters in real life than their mainstream network counter-parts.  Even though NYPD BLUE, HILL STREET BLUES, and my favorite, HOMICIDE had troubled guys dealing with angst, they were no where near as bold----not a regular cast member.  Regular tv is trying to be more edgy these days to compete with cable.  Some of it's good but there's a reason for pay tv.  There's a certain segment of the audience that likes a clear moral line residing in their heroes peppered with just a little angst.  Nothing wrong with that.  Just like there's part of the audience that loves the ambiguity of DEXTER even though many of them (in my humble opinion) miss the dark satiric point of it all.  It's also cool to like lighter, quirkier fare like USA's ROYAL PAINS, the slick BURN NOTICE, and the over the top PSYCH.  My hope is that we'll always have a variety of tones in programming and the band wagon trend won't ruin everything.