As I was checking out Point Pleasant...

... a new TV show on Fox about a teenage girl who's supposedly the Anti-Christ (or something), a realization dawned on me...

I'm sick of watching teens on television.

Now, I have nothing against teens in real life. Used to be one myself. Not that long ago (cough). The problem is, every show on TV these days has to have teen characters because the networks have this ridiculous notion that the youthful demographic (sought after by advertisers) can only identify with people their age.

That moronic assumption has ruined many shows in the past, including 24, which insisted on Jack's teenage daughter, Kim, being in every episode even though there was logically no reason for her to be around. Again, the assumption was that if they got rid of her character, teens wouldn't watch the show, which is nonsense. If you talk to most people, of any age or ethnicity, their favorite character on that show was Sherry Palmer, the scheming 40-something African American ex-wife of the President of the United States. (Which brings me to another mistaken assumption... that viewers are only interested in watching people of their own race.)

Well, you get the idea. When I was 12 and reading Batman comics, my favorite character was not the 12-year-old Robin... it was the 29-year-old Bruce Wayne. I wanted to be Batman. I didn't want to be Robin, despite (or maybe because of?) the fact that he was my own age.

A lot of people, myself included, watch TV to escape. We don't necessarily want to be the person that most closely resembles us. Sometimes, we want to be somebody else entirely.

What do you think? I'd love to hear your opinion on this... especially if you're a teen.

Another work in progress...

This one's called "Mother Nature". Technically an outtake from The Hungry Ghost CD, as I wrote it a couple of years ago. I then put it on the shelf and never really finished the recording, but recent tragic events reminded me of the song and I felt compelled to dig it up.

Have a listen and let me know what you think.

Animal Sixth Sense

According to Reuters and London Evening Standard, amidst the destruction and tragic loss of life caused by the Indian Ocean tsunami, get this - no dead animals were found.

That is amazing, but not at all surprising. I always feel a certain disgust whenever I hear someone use the term 'dumb animal', because I believe animals are far more intelligent than humans. So what if they can't talk to us? That says more about us than them. Speech is a dreadfully limited method of communication, anyway. Perhaps they do talk to us... and we just don't know how to listen.

I do believe humans have the potential to develop the ability to sense danger the way animals do. Unfortunately, we've let that potential go to waste... but that's a rant for another time.