Dirty Criminal Mind

I don't care for the show Criminal Minds. To me, it's just another generic crime drama with a group of eccentric intelligent people. That being said, I've heard of some issues that strifed on the set. Firings, particularly. And this has grown now into a lawsuit from California themselves in regards to Gregory St. Johns, who was a director of photography for it. California Department of Fair Employment is going after some producers, Disney, and CBS.

St. Johns, from what I gathered from articles, worked on the show for a very long time until being fired a couple years ago. What he would do is no doubt sexual harassment. And not going after women, mind you. Allegedly, he touched men inappropriately and a few other disgusting things. That alone should be enough to be considered very toxic. But how does this escalate into him staying for well over a decade? I'm assuming workplace harassment has become a bigger hot button topic throughout the world. Hollywood being a cesspool of liars and actual harassers.

With this a CBS thing, this network does not escape this sort of stuff or any real controversy. Les Moonves getting ousted in 2018. Charlie Rose and his issues. The difficulties of Mark Harmon on NCIS and other cast members not being comfortable around him. Criminal Minds was one of their biggest shows during its 15 years. Maybe people are opening up about what went down after its final episode aired in February. Having St. Johns on for that long. No one saying a damn thing if they wanted to keep their jobs. Until we hear more, this hurts the show tremendously from a post airing standpoint. If I'm Ion Television, I'd be removing it from its schedule and not airing it after a few years.

I hope this isn't a case of batting a blind eye because its men. If it is, then it shows the double standard of Hollywood. Unless you're someone like Terry Crews, how many will go out of their way to speak up about being harassed? Both sides can be victims. And if the alleged is true, a lot of people, mainly the producers, will probably not work in the industry again. Simply horrible. They could have done something, but didn't, and it made a show for actors to work on stressful.

The Real Space Jam

This is becoming a bit like the movie, but this isn't fictional, nor is it funny. The Oklahoma Thunder and Utah Jazz game was canned the night before and players and staff were quarantined. All because Rudy Gobert of the Jazz tested positive for the coronavirus. Whatever plans the NBA had in mind was gone and they have now suspended the season to figure out what to do and to have an idea on what can be salvaged in order to finish up the season.

Reports now are that Gobert mocked the coronavirus. He went on to touch various stuff in the locker room, including teammates belongings. And the news is that Donovan Mitchell has the virus. Whether he got himself or from Gobert, I don't know. But it's uncharted territory. Plans were made to not have fans in the arenas in some areas such as San Francisco with the Golden State Warriors. But it leads to a new situation that goes beyond the NBA.

What does the NHL do? The MLB when regular season play begins? And the NCAA? March Madness is one of the big money makers for college and brings tons of fans over. Rooting for the underdog is a huge incentive and loyal fans traveling to see their group try and hang with the best. The route of no fans in the games except essential staff families is happening. A few leagues like Ivy has canned their tournaments. I know kids want to win a championship, but at what cost? Until one of their own gets sick? I know the NCAA and CBS want to make millions, but they might need to take a loss if they postpone it or at worst, can the whole thing. Even a broadcaster can get sick.

With baseball, the only one that is affected for the moment is the Seattle Mariners. Where they'll start the season in two weeks, no one knows. Spring training field when they face the Texas Rangers? Or another stadium? I read that Globe Life Field will not be ready in time. I'm sure something will be found, but other teams could get affected. Same with the NHL. They could follow what the NBA is doing. They could and more than likely suspend the season today. This isn't to take lightly.

I know this blog is more about talking video games, sports, TV, film, and whatever is on my mind. But with this virus becoming more notable by the minute, I don't think there is much choice but to talk the coronavirus. It's already postponed a few movies. People stunned about Tom Hanks getting it. This is getting scary serious with all the stories and incidents over the last week or so. Classes getting cancelled for schools.The best you can do is always washing your hands and avoid contract with many things. If you are quarantined, you will have to explain to your employer.

This panic is far from over.

Book em! The Final Crimes

I've probably said it before on this blog before. I am not a huge fan of crime shows. Most of them feel generic, ultra serious, and repetitive. And one of the bigger names is the remake of Hawaii Five-O. A lot of people are feeling stunned that it's finishing up in a month. It gets good ratings, which is phenomenal for a Friday night program. Ten years in and still pulling viewers into the mystique of crime in the Aloha state.

So why is it ending? Possibly contracts, but reading that one of the big things is injuries to lead actor Alex O'Loughlin, who plays Steve McGarrett. It's part of being on an action show doing some of the stunts and choreographed action sequences. But there is a breaking point for some. Maybe it has reached the point where he can't keep doing the show. When you lose your main lead, no one would watch, even if some of the same actors were to come back. Fans need to understand that not everyone wants to come back to be on the same show for 15 plus years more or less.

Some actors do get tired of the role. What dramas don't lose actors? I'm willing to bet that a lot of dramas over the last 30 years have had changes in casting. Maybe O'Loughlin and Scott Caan felt like they contributed more than enough for a decade. But beyond actors, one aspect that can also turn viewers off is repetitive episodes if you don't have a hook like Hawaii for example as a location or a diverse group of characters. Eventually, you're scraping the bottom for episodes. Doesn't matter if you're inspired by real-life incidents.

Hopefully, fans understand that not everything lasts forever. You get anywhere from seven to ten or twelve seasons, that's good. Five-O has done ten, which is excellent for a remake considering the original ran for twelve. Not many programs get the same kind of luck they did. Embrace the show for what it did and don't feel bad about it getting canned. It had a strong run and won't get the CSI or NCIS treatment of overstaying its welcome.

Analyzing 17 Mil

Broadcasting has its perks. Cool things you can do, places you go to. See events unfold for a few hours. Sports brings out an energy to broadcasters. In only a few years, give credit to CBS man Tony Romo. It feels natural and the predictions are scary good and intelligent.

Is he worth 17 million a year? Absolutely not. He gets to stay with CBS for ten years. And we're not even sure if the network will still have football. (anything can happen, but I believe they will still have NFL rights) But its ridiculous to overpay. Playing devil's advocate, a network like ESPN would have swooped in and grabbed him in an attempt to make Monday night broadcasts look better, which haven't been up to par since 2017.

Some current players are bothered by that kind of pay. But do others really care? Not really. The average viewer may view an athlete's salary from a big contract as being huge overpay. And most broadcasters are content with what their salary is for calling games. Romo is a commodity because of his ability to be entertaining and thought provoking during an NFL game. Like a free agent, networks wanted him. And he continues to stay home with the network that has had him the last three seasons. But that doesn't justify the huge pay that most players don't make in a season.

I believe Romo will still be himself and still be excellent. Blame the networks for wanting him and his voice. Not his fault he is well regarded in a broadcasting booth.

Worst Super Bowl Ever: LIII

In the last 20 plus years of seeing or hearing about Super Bowls, I have seen bad ones. Tampa killing Oakland, Seattle harassing Denver. Probably a few others, too. But this one, Super Bowl LIII, has got to be the most boring and worst game I have ever seen. Even the Boston dick suckers will have to agree with that.

There's really no excuse for this shit show. As far as LA goes, the Rams are in the gist of getting use to playoff football. A healthier Todd Gurley and more experienced Jared Goff will make things better as I see this team coming back. Maybe not next year, but I think they will get their due. Running the ball better should be one of their priorities heading into next season. You can only do so much on defense without wearing out and it was noticeable. Certainly, the offense was getting better later on, but inexperience can hurt in many ways.

The fact that Tom Brady only mustered one decent drive says a lot about New England. Pure luck is what won him his sixth. One of the keys in my mind was Sony Michel running the ball. What he did was John Riggins and Terrell Davis type stuff for an entire playoff run. Starting the game with him running is also similar to Ottis Anderson back in Super Bowl XXV, a bit of a coincidence for Belichick's days with the New York Giants. The only worthwhile receiver was obviously Julian Edelman. But this doesn't guarantee him the Hall of Fame. Standards have changed and regardless of postseason heroics, his regular season stuff is not anything to smile about.

As far as calling the game, the refs did pretty well, which goes to discussion for the offseason. This Super Bowl will be another part of a very controversial dynasty in New England. This will be questioned for many years, regardless of cheating or not in previous years and all sorts of other things. The playoffs were marred with issues. Pass interference calls will be looked at deeply following the Rams Saints debacle. Rule changes could possibly be made regarding playoff overtime. I could see some other small stuff. Fans deserved a better game. A Rams-Chiefs, or Patriots-Saints, Chiefs-Saints game would have been ten to a hundred times better.

CBS tried the best they could with calling it and there wasn't much they could do, even with as great a commentator Tony Romo is so far in his young broadcasting career. Can't say much on commercials and the halftime show since I didn't watch them. Defense can be good to watch, but it wasn't the case for Super Bowl LIII. No, doubt, this has got to be worst Super Bowl I have ever watched. Three quarters worth of garbage and a mediocre fourth quarter. There's no defending this. This is worth making a podcast episode as well.

Moonves Ass Out Of CBS

Being in charge of a major network gives someone like Les Moonves a lot of important decisions to make. It also gives him access to potentially tons of funds and anything at his disposal. What wouldn't help were the stories of sexually harassing certain workers. With that, it's why he's been kicked out of the network recently by his own board.

So what does that mean, then? I see a lot of change coming to CBS as a whole. There might be stuff a new CEO might have different thoughts on compared to Moonves. It means that there could be other stories regarding other workers, something that has been shown in the firing of 60 Minutes producer Jeff Fager Either way, the network is in a huge bind and it's tough for the people who have worked their for years to have a question on why it happened and why he did this. Whatever they do, they better find their solutions.

In terms of Moonves, he may not ever work a job again. Not to mention a possible strained marriage with wife Julie Chen. Chen has worked with CBS in its news programs and the show Big Brother, but in recent years has done The Talk. That show I think is an excuse for her to still be on TV all the time. Despite my opinion, it can't be easy on her hearing all these allegations. A 14 year marriage with a son doesn't help either along with being outcast. I think she would bounce back with another job, but that stigma of being associated with a harasser may haunt her for the rest of her life.

When it's all said and done, CBS at some point will be completely different. The way they approach things, both with shows and their internal staff, will be the focal points in whatever their new CEO does. There is no redemption for Moonves. A dark cloud will be over his head until he is dead.