ADW
art department whenever October 2013
Walk into a bar Super Fan tv fall comedy bloody good PLus: five things best theme songs the case for glee
mini boArD
D
r A e rh
t r yA
oVe
b
“St. Anthony’s not listening; 90% of the class is Jewish” -Jennifer
“Whoa Pete, that’s a deep V going on there” -Sterling
“I just said woo the Tuna” -luis. Colin finds a photo that echos my sentiments exactly.
“Who eats a hotdog at 11:00 a.m.” -Sterling
“Real dancers never wear jeans” -brookelyn Bill Simmons tweets about the return of the Dubbs (I’m sure he means the Golden State Warriors, but whatever it made me chuckle when I saw that tweet)
“I’m a sensitive badass” -Katie l.
“My lips aren’t in shape” -ian
“You’re from Long Island, roots don’t faze you” -Katie
“Like Belichek on a cold December morning” -luis Brett White says whats on the mind of fanboys worldwide.
s c i om r
c rne co todaY feels our theme—TV and costumes. They also represent some great theme songs: the Flintstones, cHiPs, laverne & Shirley, a-team, and Baywatch.
the boob tube I’m very happy to present to you the television issue of the Dubbs. (It’s been a while since the last issue, but we are going to try to end the year strong and make up for that.) We all spend a ton of time in front of the moving picture box, whether it’s in the living room or bedroom or a bar or even on that extra screen at work. In fact, some folks’ whole week revolves around what they have to watch (either live or off DVR). Personally, my television tastes are varied. I tend to like a little bit of everything. HBO is my favorite network as Game of Thrones, Veep and Newsroom are amongst my favorite scripted things to watch. But I spend just as much time watching sports, currently devoting my entire Sunday to as many football games as possible. (Yes, I have the Sunday Ticket, the YES Network, and now the Lakers’ channel.) My television viewing doesn’t end there, though. I also love Project Runway and Glee. Both shows make me legitamately happy for different reasons. And then let’s not forget cartoons. I love the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Doc McStuffins and anything on DC Nation. In short, I love it all. The television issue isn’t just my chance to list what I love—though you will find plenty of lists and commentary from me throughout the issue—this theme was a chance for other contributors to jump in. Mike comes to us with a sizable piece on a lost television classic (and one of my favorite sitcoms), Cheers. Most people I work with have no idea of the brillance of Cheers. That’s not surprising to me, as it’s been off the air for nearly 20 years. I can’t implore you enough to get Sam, Diane,
Rebecca and Woody into your life. Read Mike’s piece for a more compelling argument. We also have a piece from a first-time Dubbs contributor, Katie Santino, on the state of TV Fall Comedy. While I disagree on New Girl (I think it’s been terrible, and hate Nick and Jess together), I’m sure you’ll enjoy her thoughts on Fall’s funniest shows. On a different note, Madeline helps us close out October with costumes. She followed cosplayers Queen Riot and Stella Chuu as they suited up and attended New York Comic Con, getting an inside look at how some people celebrate their fandom. Not to overreach on our comeback issue, we cut two stories that might one day make it online as bonus content. Now, here is a picture of my children celebrating their fandom: Chewbacca Bird and Yoda Bird from Star Wars Angry Birds.
TEEn TiTans go! For the TV issue of the Dubbs I thought I would forego singing the praises of an actual comic book to let you know about my favorite comic-inspired show on TV, Teen Titans Go! The level of absurdity and hilarity are unmatched on this Cartoon Network show. I went from not wanting my boys to watch this show (I wanted them to watch the more serious Titans cartoon that ran from ’04-’07) to DVR-ing and keeping every episode. This show is ridiculously fun to watch. Give it a peek, you won’t be disappointed.
TV fall comedy or
ef s a c
e e Gl
the
Enough complaing about Glee. I might be too big of a fan to be objective, but I don’t understand why this show is so complained about. While the plots have started to go completely off the rails, Santana’s voice has only gotten better. And isn’t that why we’re watching this show? For the amazing cover versions the cast sings when they suddenly burst into song? If only everyday life really did erupt in perfectly produced and engineered songs... Glee had a concert movie! Did Cop Rock sell albums? Did you ever say, “I like the Viva Laughlin version better”? Smash wasn’t going to Broadway for real. But now Rachel is in Funny Girl because people went crazy wanting to see Lea Michele (Rachel) in the real life (but never fully revived) Funny Girl. So let’s tone down the complaints and enjoy Glee while we still have it. Recent rumors are that Season 6 will be the show’s last. Hopefully that doesn’t mean the end for musical TV. —LV
It’s the most wonderful time of the year, Fall comedy TV is back!! It was a long Summer with no Schmidt, Mindy, or my fav Barney, but they are back! I did have to have a good cry when Happy Endings was cancelled last season. Come on, ABC, you let The Neighbors get a second season and who knows how many seasons of the The Middle, but you cut one of the best shows to hit the small screen? I mean let’s be honest: who is watching those other shows? I have unfortunately watched both… That’s 60 minutes I will never get back. But I digress. Fall 2013 Comedy is in full swing and here are my thoughts on some of the new/ old/running-to-the-finish line shows. How I Met Your Mother: The Final Season Let me preface by saying this has
been one of my favorite shows since discovering re-runs three years ago and proceding to watch the entire series (at the time) on Netflix in a month. This season has been not as great as I had expected, stealing the movie concept of Due Date, Barney and Robin’s beingrelated scare, and dangling the mom in front of us on Episode 1 only to completely drop the story in Episode 2. (When do we see them actually meet?!?!?!) Crossing my fingers for a better Monday and rest of the season. Mom Is Anna Farris old enough to have a
15-year-old? How does she afford that house on a part-time waitress’s salary? Who thought Anna Farris was a good choice for a TV comedy? She’s good for one thing, doing those terrible spoof movies and playing a crazy way over-thetop role. Aside from those lingering questions, the show did not entice me to watch past the first episode. Dads Really Seth McFarlane? Really?
Brooklyn-Nine-Nine I was actually really
excited for this show—Andy Samberg was great in I Love You, Man and the ads made me laugh. The show is entertaining, obviously extremely unrealistic, but I do like how they try to incorporate real police work. It’s like a cops version of Scrubs (loves loves loves). New Girl Who’s that girl? Who’s that
girl? It’s KATIE… I mean Jess. Yeah, so I love Jess and want to be her, who doesn’t? She’s quirky and adorable, what’s not to love. Nick and Jess are finally together, I’ve only been waiting for this since Season 1. Schmidt lost both Elizabeth and Cece, but for how long? So far I have been liking this season. Week 3’s episode was a little too emotionally driven for me, but they pulled it together at the end with Jess and Nick saving the day. I hope to see more Winston and Ferguson this season; they seem like a cute couple. Plus Winston makes me literally lol. The Mindy Project I am sooo happy to see Max (Happy Endings) back on TV. He may have a different name, but anyone who has watched both shows knows it’s Max. Now to find a new home for the rest of that great cast. It took three episodes but Mindy finally looks normal. That “pixie” wig was just plain awful. Because I follow Mindy on Instagram, I know we have not seen the last of Casey, but I am excited for her terrible dating experiences to start and hope her and Castellano do not get together any time soon. I know it will eventually happen, but for now I just want to see Mindy date random guest stars.
It may be too early to judge any of these shows, but I am pumped for this comedy TV season to unfold. Happy TV watching friends. —Katie S.
Where have the
Theme
songs gone?
Kristin Bauer van Straten drew crowds for her roles on both True Blood and Once Upon a Time.
bloody good Walking into the Javits Center, the cosplayer I was with asked me if there was anything in particular that I just had to see. And I couldn’t really think of anything. I was there to get pictures and cover the convention. This wasn’t about what I liked. But to be game, I said, “The True Blood girls are doing a panel. I would love to see that.” I did not expect to be there. But, after paying attention to the NYCC app alert on my phone and being nice to the girls at the door, I found myself sitting in the panel room, geeking out at every comment from Lauren Bowles and Kristin Bauer. —Madeline Madeline’s favorite Questions and Answers for “Pam”
What book was Eric reading on the mountain at the end of last season? Book? All I heard about was his penis. Will Pam save him? I like to think that we’ll spend a season hiding out in furs and drinking in underground bars. What was the most memorable scene you filmed? Season 4 we filmed Pam’s backstory. [Pam decides she’d rather be a vampire than a whore, but Eric refuses to turn her. She slits her wrists. The way the scene aired, she is crying as she steps into view from the hallway, blood running down her arms.] They have to hook me up to all these prosthetics, and the tubes run down my back, and there are these guys lying the floor, pumping as hard as they can to get the blood going. I get to a place where I’m crying, and they call action, and I’m crying, they’re pumping, I take a step, and they call, “Cut. It’s not flowing.” So we reset. And I get back to crying. And they’re pumping. And I take a step. “Cut. There’s a problem.” There was a hole in one of the tubes. That day did not go at all how I had dreamed it would go. What happened to the Pam and Tara love story? I don’t know. What’s with Hep-V? No one ever dies. There are too many stories going. This
will bring it back to being a smalltown soap opera. What was the hardest scene you’ve filmed? Alex and I kept asking the writers to not have Eric release Pam. They said if he didn’t, then Pam would know when Eric was in trouble. Alex said, “Eric was burning at the fucking stake last season, and Pam didn’t show up.” But they went ahead and made Eric release Pam. Who’s the least like their character? [Lauren, who had been doing an amazing job of managing the discussion, jumped in to say that Kristin is nothing like Pam.] Ryan Kwanten, who plays Jason, is the most well-read, thoughtful Australian gentleman. How did you come up with Pam? One time, [the actor who plays Russell Edgington] told me where all of his choices came from, like how he was turned before written language, which is why he needs Talbot with him all the time—to read for him. It was all incredibly deep and thought out. And I was like, “I was given a script and told to come to the studio to read. And I tried to be as dry and mean as I could because I really wanted to be on HBO.” adw
One of the unsung heroes of episodic television is the theme song. It can totally capture the essence of a series either verbally (Cheers, Greatest American Hero) or instrumentally (Twin Peaks, I Love Lucy). I’ve put together a list of what I think are the greatest television theme songs of all-time. —LV 1. I love lucy This song actually
contains lyrics (which Ricky lovingly sang to Lucy) but they went with just the musical riff for the iconic intro. 2. Cheers No opening song better
matched the tone of a show... ever! 3. Mash While the song is the same as the movie, it still sets the emotional bar for this series. 4. Twin peaks Angelo Badalamenti’s piece perfectly sets the table for David Lynch’s trippy drama. 5. x-files Amazing instrumental opening which sets off an alien vibe without going to campy. 6. dallas I was always a sucker for
this opening (especially the flyover of the original Cowboys stadium). 7. greatest american hero
“Believe it or not I’m walking on air.” Great lyrics which put us right into the mind set of the title character. 8. batman Tongue in cheek with
campy pop art visuals and animation. You know exactly what to expect from this Adam West vehicle. 9. what’s happening Henry Mancini composed theme is near perfection. 10. the jeffersons They’re moving
on up... Great lyric, fun show. honorable mention: the fall guy goodtimes buffy the vampire slayer Sopranos Game of thrones
An Accountant, A Mailman, and A Graduate Student
Walk Into A Bar
For those living in a sad, miserable bubble and have never experienced the pure delectation of Cheers, Mike Posillico suggests you sit down, pour yourself a cold one, and watch the 100+ hours that Netflix has graciously streamed for your viewing pleasure. If one was to watch non-stop it could be done in just under a normal workweek. Personally, I suggest the five days between Christmas and New Year’s Eve. I’ve done it, and it’s a wonderful way to relax, unwind and view 275 hilarious episodes of America’s greatest sitcom (prior to Seinfeld and not counting The Honeymooners). from conception to execution
To begin, let’s talk a bit about the origins of Cheers. Cheers was created by James Burrows, who directed the lion’s share of the episodes, and the brothers Glen Charles and Les Charles. Glen and Les, had previous success with another classic television show you might know, Taxi, which helped spawn the careers of Danny Devito, Tony Danza and the legendary late Andy Kaufman. Building off this success, they opted to create a new series situated within an environment more conducive than a seedy fleet garage in late 1970s Manhattan. An atmosphere where the amount of possibilities for guest stars and scenarios would be endless, as anyone, regardless of their socioeconomic status could walk into Cheers and immediately interact with the regular cast as equals. Cheers was shot before a live studio audience, which provided the on-site laughs (no “canned laughter” was ever used), and utilized a multi-camera set up, which gave the characters the freedom to move about freely throughout any area of the set, which they were typically encouraged to do by Burrows as he
disliked static shots. The series was shot entirely on film, a process that was rare for the 1980s during the height of video production and I feel gave it a warmth typically reserved for Norman Rockwell paintings. Cheers ran for eleven seasons and was NBC’s top earner, allowing the network to dominate prime time within its Thursday night lineup of “Must See TV.” Now we’re done with the history lesson and you’re all officially smarter! Feels pretty good, don’t it?! the characters
Cheers, predominantly follows the life and times of Sam “Mayday” Malone, an ex-Red Sox relief pitcher, recovering alcoholic, chronic womanizer, and owner of Cheers, a Boston bar established in the late 1800s. (Throughout the series he loses ownership of the bar and regains it on more than one occasion.) The
endearing ensemble cast also features Coach Ernie Pantusso, the
bewildered bartender and Sam’s former Red Sox pitching coach famous for leaning head-first into fast balls in order to get himself on base; Diane Chambers, the down-on-her-luck intellectual working as a cocktail waitress after her fiancé abandons her; Carla Tortelli, the acerbic long-time barmaid and constant source of negativity; Cliff Clavin, the know-it-all postal worker, barfly and momma’s boy; Norm Peterson, an out-of-work accountant and Cheers’ most loyal customer, spending 364 days a year at the bar (Cheers is closed Christmas day); Frasier Crane, a psychiatrist with issues that tend to surpass most of his patients; Rebecca Howe, a conceited, yet extremely insecure gold digger in the throws of a mid-life crisis; and finally Woody Boyd, a naïve farm boy from Indiana hired to replace Coach behind the bar after his untimely passing. For the sake of time, I’m going to gloss over the comings and goings of romance contained within the series, which is prevalent in almost every sitcom scenario. People fall in love, they fall out of love, they fall back into it again, and we’ve seen that before… And we’ll see it again. It needs not be repeated here. But, out of respect for Cheers I will quickly break it down: Sam loves Diane, Diane hates Sam, Diane loves Sam, Sam hates Diane, Diane and Sam finally love each other at the same time, Sam and Diane break up, Sam
and Diane get back together, they break up again, Diane leaves town (a.k.a. the show), Rebecca takes her place, a back and forth sexual tension goes on as a sidebar for a few years between her and Sam until finally Rebecca marries a plumber. The end. PHEW! Don’t get me wrong, romance is as important to television as it is to life, but within Cheers, the friendship between the patrons is the real love story. Nearly every episode took place within the confines of the bar where the characters were obviously much closer to their co-workers and friends than to whatever families or loved ones they were neglecting in the outside world. The regulars would rather live life inside the security of this tavern than anywhere else, and despite multiple delusions of grandeur by nearly every character, at the end of the day they would usually wind up back exactly where they started: serving drinks, shining bar stools with their butts and lamenting about “what ifs” and “what might have beens.” In an early episode, “Where There’s a Will…,” a dying man wants to leave $100,000 to the gang at Cheers, but everybody fights over how much money each person will get, ultimately resulting in zero dollars for the bunch. This type of deviant behavior was commonplace throughout the 11-year run. cheers’ biggest Rival
For seven consecutive years Cheers featured an annual episode known as, “Bar Wars” in which Cheers would square off with their rival pub Gary’s Olde Town Tavern in a battle of practical jokes, although “practical” is not really the right word since most of shenanigans would often cost insane amounts of money including thousands in damages. Sam even once manically remarked that he took out a loan he would be “paying off for ten years” just to cover the cost of a single prank. These episodes were personal favorites of mine because the jokes were wall to wall and the antics ran the spectrum from infantile to gross criminal negligence. The final “Bar Wars” episode culminated with the demolition of Gary’s Olde Town Tavern, after the Cheers squad, with the help of a two-bit con man known as Harry The Hat, hoodwinked Gary into leveling his own bar under the pretext that a land developer wished to pay him $1 million for the pleasure. This would be the only time in Cheers history that the crew from Cheers would be victorious against the superior wit of Gary and his hoards from Gary’s Olde Town Tavern.
wisecracker sits at the same stool every day and has done so for longer than any of the patrons or staff can remember. His tab goes back so far that at one point he was referred to as, “that skinny guy at the end of the bar.” In one episode it’s discovered that Norm’s barstool has literally put a crack in the foundation of Cheers from over use. In another, Norm goes into hyperventilation when he discovers a man sitting at his place while waiting for a table at the upscale restaurant known as Melville’s, to open up. Norm even once exclaims that, if there’s a heaven, he doesn’t want to go there unless his bar stool is waiting for him and that even God had better not be on it. It is only fitting that at the series end, over 80 million viewers watched, as Norm was the last customer to walk out of Cheers before the show went off the air forever. 84.4 million viewers
To this day that number is still untouched by any other television show with the exception of M.A.S.H., whose finale clocked in at 125 million viewers. Cheers spoke to Americans in a way that no other show had at the time. Cheers wasn’t known for tackling issues head-on, such as war, homosexuality, alcoholism, recession, etc… Rather it focused on bringing everyone together with the simple intention of delivering these opinions comedically through characters you felt you knew as well as they knew themselves. The stars of Cheers were not only a family to themselves, but to the audience watching at home. And like a family, they didn’t always get along or agree upon the issues of the day, and rarely, if ever, did they come to a
Cheers spoke to Americans in a way that no other show had at the time.
cheers’ most devoted patron
Of all the characters, Norm Peterson’s loyalty to Cheers is hands down the most sincere and his love for the bar eclipses that of even Sam, the owner. Norm, the bulbous beer-drinking
solution that pleased everyone. Also, like any family they didn’t want anyone screwing with their own, which would result in the group banding together against a common enemy, e.g., Gary’s Old Town Tavern, but they had absolutely no qualms about screwing with each other. This familiarity is what kept Americans coming back to Cheers 11 years straight. One final note
The Cheers opening song, “Where Everybody Knows Your Name,” is one of the most well-known theme songs in television history. As a brash young upstart, I once attempted to convince the prom committee of my high school to use it as the closing number, but when put to a vote a vast majority of the student body decided that Ricky Martin’s, “Livin’ la Vida Loca” would be a better representation of Long Island life circa 1999. I suppose, there’s no accounting for taste… I will leave you with these departing words: The only thing better than watching Cheers for the first time is watching it for the second. Salute! adw
10 Reasons Why The Layout of Cheers Was The Best 1. no windows As a
basement bar, there would be no gorgeous weather to interrupt your drunkenness. Whether it’s cloudy or sunny, whether we’re in or out of the money, don’t matter! 2. Piano in the Corner
What is better than the sweet sounds of piano over the tinkling ice in your glass? NOTHING. 3. Separate Pool Room
Billiards in the back equals seedy deals and gambling hidden from prying eyes, which in turn equals excitement! 4. 360 Bar The bartenders
can never have their backs to everyone at once and that means better service folks. 5. Seating Options Bar stools, tables, chairs, window seats and benches. Hell, there’s probably a few beanbags hidden someplace as well. 6. Melville’s So you’re tying one on when you feel a little rumble in your tummy? No problem. Just ascend the stairwell in the back and head on up to Melville’s for a lovely seafood dinner. 7. Darts So you suck at pool? Give darts a try, loser! 8. Juke Box So, you can’t play piano? Well, pick out a song from the juke baby! 9. Sam’s Office The man
shattered Wilt Chamberlain’s record in there… ’Nuff said. 10. Nameless Beer Tired of
these tap houses with 85 different draughts to choose from? Me too! Let’s take it back to the days of McSorley’s Old Ale House and shorten the decision to simply beer. There’s only one at Cheers and Norm Peterson swears by it.
super fan You might think you are such a maven, wearing your heart on your sleeve and willing to defend your favorite character in public, But would you dress like the character and stop every three feet to take pictures with total strangers? Madeline shadowed two cosplayers to learn more about just what it takes to be a hero.
Friday 8:26 a.m. It’s time to start layering—two bras, two
black stockings, and lots of white face paint. For Friday, Ashley Riot, who has a table in Artist Alley, will play Mad Moxxi from Borderlands 2—purple Moxxi, not red Moxxi.
8:54 a.m
Between layers, Ashley gives herself a tattoo like Moxxi’s.
This is Ashley’s second Moxxi costume. She made the red version, wore it, sold it, and then decided she wanted to be Moxxi again. The details are supposed to mimic the cartoony style of the video game.
10:07 a.m
On top of creating a realistic and lasting effect with the makeup, Ashley also learned to never show her teeth in pictures where her face is painted white.
10:43 a.m. “Can I take your picture?” and “She’s the Mad Hatter?” immediately pop out of people’s mouths.
12:09 p.m. Within a few hours, Ashley will
start to lose her voice from answering so many questions about both of her portfolios—cosplay and illustrations.
saturday 7:12 a.m. Shortly after getting
home from a night of judging costumes for an after party, Stella Chuu prepares to return to the convention. As an actual burlesque dancer, Stella couldn’t miss the opportunity to create a burlesque-inspired costume. A real though not so popular character, Batwoman drew attention in September when her creative team suddenly quit, citing D.C.’s refusal to allow the character to marry her life partner.
7:51 a.m
This Batwoman does put on her white face before the rest of her costume.
8:07 a.m
A million little pins and hooks stop the costume from coming off in a flash.
8:23 a.m
Stella considers forms of protection.
8:40 a.m Not even at the train yet, she is stopped for pictures. Might as well stop for breakfast. 8:57 a.m. Burlesque Batwoman keeps watch over the city‌
9:23 a.m. Subway riders are treated to reverse burlesque
as Stella re-fastens the costume. 10:08 a.m. With a cape and some heels, the look
is finished.
10:14 a.m
Photographers are already waiting at the Vampy Bit Me booth.
10:21 a.m Rather
than shoot on the convention floor, photographers are constantly luring the cosplayers outside.
10:27 a.m
Guys working construction in this area of the Javits Center are treated to scenes like this all day long.
10:44 a.m. Stella returns to greet a dozen fans.
11:37 a.m. Fans snap pics of Vampy Bit Me and Ani-Mia with Stella at the booth
11:50 a.m
Stella fuels up before signing prints with Ani-Mia.
11:52 a.m
You can’t walk away empty handed when two of them are talking you into buying a print.
2:26 p.m
Amie Lynn takes Stella’s spot at the table so she can walk the floor—and meet the real Batwoman.
2:59 p.m. In the span of 30 minutes, Stella has given an interview, networked, posed for pictures, and seen the Scarlet Witch and
Breckin Meyer. Stan Lee even made a cameo.
3:06 p.m.
Stella stops to look at action figures before hitting the Main Entrance. 3:20 p.m.
Batman advises how to make it to Artist Alley in one piece.
3:43 p.m. Ashley Riot continues to work on commissioned pieces.
3:44 p.m. However, she is no longer speaking.
4:07 p.m. With the
garter belt and sequins covered, no one wants a photo. It’s a quick trip back to the booth. 4:26 p.m. Vampy Bit Me, Ani-Mia, Stella Chuu, and Amie Lynn, pose as nerds. For nerds. Fans. They pose for fans.
5:05 p.m. One more cosplay shoot before
calling it a day. (Prints by AshB are available on stellachuu.storenvy.com.) 5:58 p.m. Stella is ready to head over to a
hotel incognito and meet a sculptor interested in making Stella Chuu figures.
five things the random things on madeline’s mind as related to tv censorship
To start, I am completely disturbed by daytime cable. If we can show women being raped and murdered at all hours of the day, how was masterbation deemed unacceptable on Reign (CW’s take on Game of Thrones)? HIMYM
Oh, HIMYM... You’re just not yourself this season. The structure is all wrong. I’m tired of these problems. Why can’t Ted and his future wife have just had an amazing meeting that went on for 22 episodes? What a flat note to end on. Baseball
Boston won, and I was like, “Oh. So that’s over.” There was something super lackluster about a season where LV can’t brag for 160 games. revenge
I had no idea how happy it would make me to hear Nolan say, “Let’s never say the words ‘Carrion’ or ‘Initiative’ again.” Or something like that. Whatever he said to set up the old low-tech neighbor vs. neighbor story. Plus, Emily’s going to die. Love it. NOVA
Really, anything PBS plays after Bob the Builder ends at 2 p.m. My favorites are by far are “The Illusion of Time” and a Hurricane Sandy documentary. I forget what nerdy thing I confirmed for the pin guy at NYCC check-in, but he gave me two pins, and I was basically done. Fan moment? Check.