Forbidden Love's Fervent Kissing

The popular Turkish soap opera, “Aşk-ı Memnu” (Forbidden Love), adapted from a novel by renowned author Halit Ziya Uşaklıgil, appears to have come under the scrutiny of The Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK) for its scenes of graphic extra-marital sex.

Family and Women’s Affairs Minister Selma Aliye Kavaf stated that her objections centered around the show's erotic scenes, which she believes encourages young people to engage in sex at an early age and poses a threat to Turkish family values. RTUK has issued fines and punishments for the series due to its “fervent kissing” scenes and because it presents an extramarital affair as normal, damaging the public values. For the interesting debate on this issue click at the

Today's Zaman article here: http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/news-202138-101-do-tv-series-pose-a-threat-to-family-values.html

I remember this whole argument when Dallas first appeared so so many years ago.

Now the reruns look as tame as Popeye cartoons. And after all, what would soap operas be without a bit of "fervent" kissing? No smoking, no drinking and now no kissing. ( Maybe a peck on the cheek to Ayse Tezye will slip under the censors' radar.)

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The Prisoner

When I was a pre-teen, I used to stay up late on a Saturday night to watch the re-runs of an old British TV series called The Prisoner. Such a strange show and I am not sure how much I understood at the time. I just remember being fascinated by the show, its anti-establishment hero and the strangeness of The Village. It always came on at about 2 in the morning because, I suppose, station managers had no idea what to do with this series.

The Prisoner is a 17-episode British television series broadcast in the UK from 29 September 1967 to 1 February 1968.^[Starring and co-created by Patrick McGoohan, it combined spy fiction with elements of science fiction, allegory, and psychological drama.

The series follows a British former secret agent who is held prisoner in a mysterious seaside village where his captors try to find out why he abruptly resigned from his job. Although sold as a thriller in the mould of McGoohan's previous series, Danger Man (called Secret Agent in its U.S. release), the show's combination of 1960s countercultural themes and surreal setting had a far-reaching effect on science fiction/fantasy programming, and on popular culture in general. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Prisoner

Here is the famous introduction of the show. It really tells you everything you need to know about the show.

There has never been a show quite like The Prisoner and, as cliché as it sounds, it was far ahead of its time. Despite being aired forty years ago, this show still looks impressive and can hold its own against most TV shows today.

So, naturally, to fans of the original show, there is a lot of apprehension about the remake, scheduled to air next Sunday night on AMC.

Patrick MacGoohan possessed a certain charisma and intensity that would be a challenge for any actor to reproduce. (Jim Caviezel? I am prepared to be surprised but I'm afraid I am skeptical about that casting.)

It seems to be a no-win situation for AMC. You will have the purists screaming their heads off because it is so unlike the original. You will have the British screaming their heads off about it being too American, i.e. full of unnecessary explosions and common-denominator cliches. And you will have the people who have never even heard of the original show, screaming their heads off because it was so overly hyped.

Still, I am curious enough to watch it and I wish them the best of luck. http://www.amctv.com/originals/the-prisoner/about/

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Watching LOST with A very Late Arrival

The TV show, LOST, has been going on now for five and a half seasons now. Suffice to say, it is a very involved and complicated show. For the first three seasons, the writers have built question upon question and left the readers to speculate. Now the mysteries are unraveling and long-time viewers are getting their long awaited payoff. However, viewers joining the show late will obviously never catch up. Here is what it sounds like when a veteran LOST viewer sits down to watch an episode with a late arrival.

Now….Who's that?

Ben. Ben Linus.

Is he Lost too?

What? No. He is an Other, I think.

Another what?

An OTHER.

Oh. Is the guy with the beard another other?

No. That's Faraday'.. a physicist.

Who is Faraday?

He is one of the people that came on the ship.

A bad guy?

I am not sure. No, probably not.

And the woman with the white hair is...?

Faraday's mother.

Is Faraday's mother Another Other?

No. Maybe. Shhh.

What’s THAT mean?

Shhhh…

Okay So I Freaked..

I would like to be all New York about being here but last night, I confess I freaked out while watching Ugly Betty. I guess if you live – and I mean all your life- in NYC, you would never get excited when you see a familiar place on TV. I however am not used to it.  Here are some screen caps of a place I was at last week ( sans movie stars of course)

In the background, on the corner, you can see the place where I bought my glasses. In fact, I made a fool of myself there by stumbling on a rug and falling into the shop, proving how urgently I needed new glasses. (Also I was looking soooo unfashionable. How did I know that, if you wear glasses in New York, they should be very noticeable. My old ones, besides being scratched into milkiness, were just too subtle for New York.)

Like.. Oh My God!!! I even took a photo here. I was obviously about 4 months too late-(as usual.) No Ugly Betty when I was there but a few slightly delusional guys mumbling to themselves and some  totally unsophisticated out-of-towners posing in from of the fountain to tell the world..  “I was here!!!”  (Just like I am doing now!)

Who knows? Maybe I can get my mug on the show like Pee Wee Herman, trying to look “natural” in the background. Looking natural was never my strongest suit however. I would be giggling like a 11 year old girl and desperately NOT looking at the camera.