TV updates
I have been too busy to watch NBC's much hyped return of "Heroes" though I did tape the latest episode on Monday night. Last night the Alphabet delivered another great episode of Boston Legal. In the wake of the Don Imus controversy, it's refreshing to see David Kelly, who writes the show, doesn't shy away from having Denny Crane, expertly portrayed by Bill Shatner, continue to say what's on his mind, polictical correctness be damned.
In last night's episode for example, Denny interviews a possible new hire for the firm of Crane Pool & Schmidt and to the horror of the other partners, says the man would be a good fit because he "doesn't sound black." He then tries to redeem his faux pas by saying similar language has been used by President Bush and other politicos.
This of course leads to a discussion about what Denny can say and what he can't. Of course, everyone is shocked at his apparently racist remark, but to Denny, his statement isn't so much racist but based on his life experience. It's an interesting dialogue on white America's perceptions about racial speech. He says, "you mean to tell me if a man kidnaps you and makes a ransom call, when the police call and ask me to describe what he sounded like to me, I'm not allowed to say he sounded black?" He makes a good point.
Denny Crane isn't a bigot, he's a staunch Conservative Republican who is against gun control and liberals, and though his character may be a cartoon to some and he wouldn't necessarily be someone I would pal around with in real life, he makes for an excellent case study and for a compelling television character. His friendship with Allan Shore, played by a dashing and erudite James Spader is one of the most interesting aspects of the show. It makes for some truly memorable television and it often does a superb job of lampooning some of the more absurd aspects of contemporary society and current events on a weekly format.
Watch more of Denny courtesy of Youtube.com Denny Crane!
