The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Friday, September 5, 2014 -- 5
The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Friday, September 5, 2014- 5
TV NOTEBOOK
MUSIC COLUMN
In defense of cheap,
horrible headphones
HBO
Who needs shoulders?
Women shine in
'TV'9s, golden age
Emmys highlight zone), and those men died to "Girls" 's Lena Dunham didn't
elevate character development see their shows win series
female talent in for the women. Where so many awards, but their work is inspir-
series feature the opposite ing for women who hope to
Hollywood ("The Walking Dead," "Sons of create and write for their own
Anarchy"), you don't see those show someday (especially the
By CHLOE GILKE series being nominated. It's the woman writing this article).
Daily TV/Ne Media Editor shows that are brave enough to That's not to say that the
feature female leads in charge Emmy Awards were all about
In many respects, the 2014 of their careers and sexual- female empowerment. The
Emmy awards could've just ity, and know that viewers (and show featured an offensive,
as easily aired any other year. Emmy voters) of every gender botched attempt at poking fun
There's a certain timelessness to are likely to reward smart writ- at objectifying women. While
Supporting Actress in a Comedy ing, that take the gold. a chairman of the Television
winner Allison Janney calling Actresses aren't the only Academy spoke, Emmy-award-
writer/producer Chuck Lorre a ones reaping the benefits of a winning actress Sofia Vergara
"genius" or Jim Parsons taking feminist Emmys. Most years, a was put on top of a spinning
home a Lead Actor in a Comedy woman could only be guaran- platform, her body showcased
trophy. Any recap of the night's teed a trophy in acting catego- like a human trophy, silenced
events might as well be a reprint ries. In 2014, Gail Mancuso won while the man spoke. Vergara's
of the previous year's high- Directing in a Comedy Series heels tottered uncomfortably,
lights - a, charming late-night and Moira Walley Beckett and her protests and confusion
host made, jokes about actors'-. was honored for Writing in a were ignored while the chair-
salaries, Ricky Gervais did Drama Series and Sarah Silver- man delivered his speech. The
something ridiculous, "Modern man took Writing in a Variety audience laughed, but some-
Family" won every award. Tra- Special. With only six percent thing about using Vergara's
dition and expectation are usu- of top-grossing films direct- body, not her excellent comedic
ally the lifeblood of the Emmys, ed by a woman and only one timing or charm, as the butt of a
and that was mostly the case woman ever winning an Acad- joke is especially unsettling.
with this year's awards. emy Award (Kathryn Bigelow in Familiar favorites may have
Except for one enormous dif- 2009), Mancuso's award is also taken home many of the tro-
ference. As Julianna Margulies an enormous win for would-be phies, but beneath all that
so eloquently put it in her Lead female directors everywhere. "Breaking Bad" fervor, an
Actress in a Drama speech, it's Even if it's just a trophy award- undercurrent of female empow-
"a wonderful time for women ed during the middle hour of erment ran through the 2014
on television." Margulies isn't a Monday-night awards show, Emmys. Actresses, writers and
just speaking about her own a woman can work on -one of directors were all recognized
series, "The Good Wife," which the most successful comedies for their achievements, their
finished one of the strongest of this decade and receive rec- facility in taking home awards
seasons on television this year. ognition over her male coun- nearly equal to their male peers.
We're in the middle of a glori- terparts. Stephen Colbert It's an amazing feeling to watch
ous second-wave Golden Age apologized in his speech for an awards show and see other
of Television, but just a look at only employing one female creative women rewarded for
the Actress in a Drama Series writer, but the Emmys unapolo- their achievements, even as that
category proves how different getically rewarded other female boy in your class might hover
this round is from years past. writers for their excellent work. over you and your camera, not
The actresses nominated along- Moira Walley-Beckett perfectly trusting you with the lenses you
side Margulies, including Robin crafted the emotional devasta- know like your ABCs. It's a long
Wright on "House of Cards" and tion of "Breaking Bad" 's "Ozy- road to equal representation
Kerry Washington on "Scandal" mandias" episode, and Sarah film and TV industry, but see-
play driven and independent Silverman received a trophy for ing someone in a dress, tearful
women who hold their own writing her own stand-up spe- and clutching the trophy she
alongside their shows' male cial. Women also received rec- deserves, is a step in the right
stars. Three of the nominated ognition for being showrunners direction.
By ADAM THEISEN
Daily Music Columnist
Shopping in CVS a day before
moving back to Ann Arbor, I
knew there was one thingI didn't
have that I absolutely could not
return to campus without: a pair
of earbuds. I go through them like
students go through tissues in
winter, always getting the cheap-
est possible brand and then hoping
that for at least a few months they
can dealwith the wear and tear of
being stuffed into my pocket. I'm
wary of getting an expensive pair
because I don't trust that they can
deal with the abuse any more than
the cheap ones.
So last week, I got a simple
white pair ofearbuds with blue
accents around the tiny speakers
made by a company I didn't recog-
nize. I arrived home and plugged
them into my iPod, and immedi-
ately Iwas crestfallen. The sound
was awful, sounds-like-it's-com-
ing-through-drywall awful, like
Paul-McCartney-is-standing-at-
the-other-end-of-a-tunnel-yelling-
at-me-while-cars-are-going-by
awful.
Naturally, I was disappointed,
and mostly I just can't wait until
they break so I canjustify sud-
denly buying another pair, but at
the same time, while dealingwith
the horrendous audio quality, I
noticed something pretty cool: a
lot of the music I was hearing - if
it was from the right eraor genre
- sounded different, but in a way
that actually seemed to fit.
All songs have a home. Not
in the recording studio, where
they're justseparate instrumen-
tal and vocal tracks expertly put
together by a producer. And not
in an arenaor at a festival where
everyone, including the artist
present, has certain expectations
for how a song's going to be struc-
tured and how it sounds. No, there
are certain locations and situa-
tions - the kind of place where an
artist could've never consciously
intended his or her songs to be
heard - where a song justfeels
right. The setting where you hear a
songbecomes another instrument
in the mix, one that can make or
break your feelings towards it. It's
impos
you he
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Wh
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sible to predict, but when Stephen King has talked about
ar a song inthe right place, having an "idealreader"to imag-
solutely, without-a-doubt ine when one is writing. In King's
t. Like whenI first heard case; that ideal reader is his wife,
ep-voice hook of"Mercy" at whomhe strives to impress and
lume blasted out of a pass- whose feedback he values most.
. It all clicked. Since when an artist is creating
ien I was walking around things he or she has no ideaifthat
rbor and listening to older person on the receiving end of
who generally have a mys- his or her creation is going to be
haze surrounding their half-paying-attention in a mall,
- cult acts likeBig Star hearing it on full blast at a party or
ck Drake or poetslike Bob listening intently on headphones,
or Patti Smith - the ter- I think it's best to have an "ideal
ound wasn't really a bad listener." Even if this person is
I've never owned a cassette hypothetical, or will never read or
Valkman, but the vibe I got listen to or watch your art, the best
mething like that. It felt an artist can do is aimhigh and try
tely personal and it added to invite consumers and patrons
aura that the artists had to experience it in the most ideal
y cultivated. setting.
Lpoint being, if you're an . However, is ita fan's respon-
or really if you're just creat- sibility to try to only listen to
ything at all, you're never music in the way that the art-
o be able to control how ists intends? Of course not. My
ork is consumed and heard. crappy earbuds are certainly
not, in the opinion of most, the
best way toexperience music,
songs have a but hey, it lets me hear the
music in a way I'm not used
home. to and it leads to me thinking
about it differently. I feel like
the artists are more mysterious
and wise. Their records sound
or movie feels different in like unearthed secrets instead
asement versus adrive-in of commercial releases.
r, and your understanding How art surprises you in
;inia Woolf willlikely vary unexpected situations is an
ding on whether you read amazing thing. One night this
a quiet room, on abus, or summer Hall and Oates's "Rich
toilet. Even if you have a Girl" was playing while I was
foolproof albumthat you riding shotgun in a crowded
would be accepted well car. Even though all of us had
chere (Astral Weeks, any- been born at least 17 years after
everyone else probably dis- the song was released, and it's
withyou (what aboutGood by no means some staggering
.A.A.D City?). work of brilliance, we were all
f you're an artist, how do singing along. While Daryl Hall
dress this?Obviously, you and John Oates might've found
onceive of all the different this odd, or at least anachronis-
ons in which your music tic, I think they'd also be proud
be heard, but the idea of and happy. For two and a half
g an album that fits all sce- minutes, their little song came
is a pretty appealing one. out of nowhere and brought a
'en if you want to target a real connection - joy, even - to
i niche, you don't neces- a group of kids, and in accom-
need to alienate everything 'plishing this, itIranscended
rian Eno's <em>Music for both time and space.
its</em>, for example, still
all rightifyou'renotactu-
lding suitcases while stand-
a moving sidewalk.
Theisen is buying new
headphones. To pitch in, e-mail
ajtheisen@umich.edu.
Lessons from my dad
drama actresses had storylines
involving the death of a male
co-star (I won't say which ones,
because this is a spoiler-free
in charge of their own series.
"Orange Is the New Black" 's
Jenji Kohan and "Masters of
Sex" 's Michelle Ashford and
Read more TV on
--the filter
I spent most of my time last
winter break catching up on "The
Good Wife" with my parents.
I was pretty much as content
as you could ever hope to be
- indiffer-
ently bra-
less, eating
Christmas
cookies from
a Tupper-
ware
container,
watching,
mesmerized,
m as Alicia NATALIE
Florrick GADBOIS
(Julianna
Margulies,
in a role that
garnered her her third Emmy)
deftly navigated the terrifying
limbo of starting her own firm
and going up against a former
boss and lover. She was becoming
the boss-lady, and I was eating
it up.
Halfway through our
marathon, my dad - my kind,
wouldn't-hurt-a-fly, wears floral
shirts, cries during "The Phan-
tom of the Opera" dad - rolled
his eyes and said, "I don't like
Alicia anymore. She's so cold and
hard." He went on to say that she
had gotten mean when she broke
off from the firm - meaning that
her behavior now mirrored Will
and Diane's, rather than acting as
their moral compass.
This was a nuanced and
human character, growing into a
new, powerful role and shedding
her submissive past. She was the
ultimate female role model and
it dumbfounded me that anyone
could think otherwise. Sitting
there, cookie falling out of my
mouth and pajamas askew, all I
wanted to do was be Alicia; intel-
ligent and successful, willing to
strike out on her own and be a
little selfish to follow her dreams,
but stil
and co
I, of
tirade
strong
perpet
narrat
naive f
stand f
realize
is wha
in the;
The
in myl
resurf
Olivia
induce
whenI
marat
realize
a singl
when]
in Lov
domes
lyrics.
11 remain caring mother to try to.
mscientious boss. How was my Dad supposed
course, launched into a to understand the nuances of
about the biases against Alicia's shifting lifestyle when
women, against anyone nearly everything else'he saw
uating limiting or archaic told him the opposite - women
ives about women at my are mean when they are strong,
ather, who didn't under- best when they are motherly,
feminism because he didn't even better when they are only
he had to. (Sorry Dad, this used as histrionic or sexy props.
it you get with a daughter My dad can't know any better
#media.) until our culture knows a little
incident tumbled around bit better too.
head for months after, That's why Iam starting this
acing when I watched column. No, I don't have some
Pope crumble into a Fitz- misguided hope to impact all of
d mess on "Scandal." Or pop culture with my 600 words
I watched a James Bond every few weeks, butI do believe
hon with my cousins and that every voice of dissent against
d no one could remember a system that consistently deval-
e Bond girl's name. Or ues and misinterprets women
I fell in love with "Drunk and their needs matters. This col-
e" and guiltily ignored the umnwill try and shed some light
tic violence-tinged rap on misinformed narratives pres-
ent in the entertainment indus-
try. It also will praise people who
are doing it right - those who
little bit of are creating meaningful female
characters or challenging every-
dissent. day misogyny through their art,
just as "The Good Wife" does.
I'm not an expert - I quit my
women's studies minor out of
laziness and have a profound
my anger about the love of Disney Princess movies.
on began to ebb and the But that's why I want to write;
al, let's-plan-and-box- I don't want to disavow every-
hing-into-categories part thing that may perpetuate a lim-
mind took over (eagerly iting narrative of women - that
d my "Leslie Knope"), I would make watching, reading,
d blaming my father and or listening to nearly anything
d on the larger issues at popular impossible. But by call-
ly dad's reaction to "The ing out problems within even
Wife"'s progressive take great or progressive works of art,
working woman wasn't hopefully good, well-intentioned
arily his fault. I love that people like my dad can better
and Alicia Florrick specifi- understand the complex ways
ecause it does challenge so women are represented. That's
norms. "The Good Wife" my hope at least.
A
As n
situati
rations
everyt
of myr
termec
stoppe
focuse
play. M
GoodI
on the
necess
show,
cally, b
many;
is adri
movies
unders
people
ft in a sea of TV shows,
s, and songs that just don't
stand women - led by
who don't believe we need
NBc
Natalie is still watching 'The
Good Wife.' To help, e-mail
gadbnat@umich.edu.
My timeat the gym paid off.