/sarcasm

Just saw a promo for a "new" sitcom from ABC. About these two guys who masquerade as women to get jobs. Now when Tom Hanks and Peter Scolari did it under the name "Bosom Buddies" they masqueraded as women to get housing.
Never mind, the desired ends are different, I guess it was a totally different idea.

Cue the feminist movement.

Oh, the whole thing was pre-dated by "Some Like It Hot".

There are no more original ideas. Only novel applications. (Sciences like astrophysics are exempt from this.)

Hasn't everything been recycled since The Honeymooners and I Love Lucy? What is new about that?

"No more original ideas", "everything has been recycled", wow you two could get jobs in film and television.

Well, guess what... there will always be new ideas.
They just don't bother to find them, or find people who can find them, because of attitudes just like that.

That's why every movie you go see is a huge pile of crap.
They don't even try. Why should they?
They have people convinced there is nothing new, and you people just keep watching.

Way to be part of the problem.

Oh wait I love this part. Let me just make certain I get this right.

Hollywood does not make original pieces, and I am part of the problem? It is not my job to make new things, it is not my job to do anything but either watch or not watch what they put out and you are telling me I am part of the problem?

What do you suggest I do to not be part of the problem? OUR having an attitude like that does not help or hurt them in one way or the other. If we had jobs in the industry perhaps but all we can do is not watch what is on. Those of you who watch what is offered willingly are "part of the problem" and I can see that point.

But your high horse (at least one end of it) attitude about us being part of the problem is not in proportion to our ability to affect change.

What makes you say "you people just keep watching"? What nonsense. Don't tell me I am part of a problem when I am not. Make presumptions and proclomations about YOURSELF and leave others to figure it out on their own.

I remember bosom buddies
I also like "Some like it Hot." I got to see it one as a double feature with "Double indemnity."

This reminds me of a conversation I had while working at a movie theater about the difference between "Archetypal" and "Stereotypical" or hackneyed.

I see lots of great movies, even thought the ideas for them aren't perfectly original. Originality isn't a requirement of (or a guarantee for) a good movie. Just like "the trick" doesn't define how effective a piece of magic is; it's a function of the execution - the performer's persona, consistency, relationship with the audience, etc. West Side Story is in no way diminished by the fact that, "Two young people are in love, but their friends/family will do anything to keep them apart" was done hundreds of years previously, in Romeo and Juliet (and, I'm sure, well before that in work that Shakespeare was familiar with). If everyone hear made a list of his or her 10 favorite movies, you wouldn't see too many that would be fairly thought of as "original.". I think Shawahank is still IMDB's #1. Was Stephen King really the first guy to come up with "innocent man busts out of prison"?

Family Guy (or The Simpsons) is a raunchy Flintstones. The Flintstones were a clean Honeymooners. That doesn't bother me.
The only time I get annoyed is when those who make a show or movie claim they want to do something original and then don't.

I actually enjoy a new inturpretation of things. True Grit is a fine example. The first movie was not totally in line with the book and John Wayne imagined the charecter of Rooster one way and Jeff Bridges another.

I enjoy seeing different versions of "caper" films such as Sneakers, or Oceans Eleven or The Italian Job.

Cowboys and Indians is always fun for me to watch.

Watching an "original" idea may not be all it is cracked up to be. Watching another re imagine an old idea is however fun in my opinion and I do not consider myself "part of the problem" for thinking so.

Yeah, I don't see the problem with reusing a premise. Where they go with the premise, and the cast, will decide whether it is a good show or not. Bosom Buddies is a sitcom from 30 years ago. The world has changed a lot since then. Lots of room for new twists on the old premise.

Thanks Randi. Seriously, I just said there's nothing original, not that it was a bad thing. As I pointed out, the applications are different. Characters in books have been going on The Hero's Journey since before Odysseus. That didn't stop Huck Finn from being a great book. Magicians use the same basic sleights with minor modifications for most of their tricks, and all illusions are based on just a handful of basic concepts. Still, people manage to come up with new effects and routines all the time. It's when people get lazy and don't even bother to try a different angle that it starts to become ponderous and boring.

Anyone here enjoying the BBC show Mongrels?

What I miss is the original cast of the brilliant American comedy The Office with the guy from the Daily Show. I am so glad we kept that idea to ourselves. winky-face.

I don't watch that much current TV. When I do see a show or movie that is predictable or straight from the Hollywood cookie cutter I feel like I was cheated out of my time. I do have a few series I watch on ITunes (Babylon 5, Deadwood, and The Shield) which I have watched about 100 times.

The last time I went to the movies was 1989. Early in the 90's I cancelled the premium channels. Now about all I can stand is the history channel, and the travel channel.

Ha! Light the fuse and run away!

Settle down everyone.

It was me just saying "you" "we", me included, are all the part of the problem.
We are getting exactly what we want.

It's because, people put out a show and they don't even try.
Why? Because it doesn't matter if it's good any more.

They'll put this out, people will go onto a forum, and talk about it.
Even though they are talking about how unoriginal it is.
Then you'll always have that person say, "There isn't anything new any more."
Then someone says "There is original stuff we just let them get away with garbage."

Just this time the word "you" was used instead of "we"... maybe on purpose... maybe.

It has come down to where it doesn't matter if it's good or not, just put it out there.
It goes for movies, television, retail stores, even magic.

WE... just let it happen. Because it's really what we want.
IF we didn't, we wouldn't be here trying to communicate with people we really don't know or could care less about.

I do watch the History channel, but I have noticed a lot less history these days. The logging/trucking/auction/pawnshop shows are entertaining but I have to strain to find the historical connection.

In the immortal words of Bruce Springstein

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5scpDev1qps

I was worried that CSI was going to become Dexter, but then Fishburn left so they dodged that one. It's actually getting pretty good again with Danson.