Happy Halloween, Mavericks!

Love,

the Palins

Why ‘Cash Cab’ is a Great TV Show

Megan and I watch the Discovery Channel quite a bit. It has some of our favorite shows: ‘MythBusters,’ ‘Dirty Jobs,’ ‘Planet Earth,’ and others. But perhaps the most ingenious show the Discovery Channel airs is the delightful ‘Cash Cab.’ The premise is simple: unsuspecting passengers get into a New York City taxicab only to discover that the ride to their destination is a TV game show. Correct answers to trivia questions add to a cash prize at the end of the trip, if you reach the destination without answering three questions incorrectly. With three incorrect answers, you have to leave the cab, even if your destination has not been reached. There are two ‘life-lines’ to help you along the way, a ‘mobile-shout-out,’ and a ‘street-shout-out’—you can call someone or ask someone on the street to help you out. Here are several reasons why I think ‘Cash Cab’ is a great TV show.    

1)    ‘Cash Cab’ is simple and low budget. It is just a cab, a camera and a host. The show is not trying to ‘wow’ you (think of ‘Deal Or No Deal’ with its flashy stage set up, slick host, and hoard of busty women). Rather, ‘Cash Cab’ has seized upon the essentials of a good game show and lets them carry the weight without fancy or distracting trappings. There is a sense of ‘bigness’ to the show, but this comes from its natural environment, NYC. ‘Cash Cab’ is not pre-occupied with itself, like so many other game shows. 

2)    ‘Cash Cab’ happens in the midst of everyday life. There is nothing phony or manufactured about it. It is genuine reality TV, as opposed to the many ridiculous shows that bear that title.  ‘Cash Cab’ takes a common, everyday activity—riding in a cab—and turns it into an exciting, suspenseful venture, while maintaining the everyday aspect of it. It does this by putting itself in the middle of the contingencies of NYC cab life and letting those contingencies determine the show. ‘Cash Cab’ enters into reality and adds a little spice, rather than trying to create a ‘reality.’ The problem with most ‘reality’ TV shows is that, in attempting to manufacture ‘reality,’ the end product is something manufactured, i.e., not ‘real’ (for the zenith of all attempts at manufacturing reality which end up with perfect non-reality, see ‘The Hills’).

3)    ‘Cash Cab’ thrives on surprise and contingency. The participants on the show are not pre-chosen, they are not prepped with wardrobe and make-up, they are literally right off the streets. There is no script for the show beyond the game and its rules. Each episode unfolds according to the personalities of the contestants, and in NYC, there is quite a range of personalities. All sorts of people get picked up by the Cash Cab: young people, old people, singles, families, couples, friends, shabby looking people, business looking people, shy people, boisterous people, and many more. The show presents a wonderful cross-section of NYC folk.

One of the most delightful aspects of the show is the moment when riders realize that their cab ride is going to be a TV game show. They get in the cab, tell the driver their destination, then the driver flips a switch which triggers colorful lights on the ceiling of the cab and a short clip of ‘surprise-music.’ Some people are startled, some are confused, some are delighted, and some have no discernable reaction. The few seconds between these reactions and the driver telling them that they are on a game show are always fun to watch.

4)    ‘Cash Cab’ is viewer friendly. Because the contestants are right off the streets, with no screening or preparation, the show is very accessible to the viewer. One can genuinely play along even if one is not a trivia expert. The questions are all ‘general-knowledge’ questions. This captures one of the essentials of a good game show: vicarious personal drama—the ability to enter into the contestants’ struggle to win.   

5)    ‘Cash Cab’ gives away cash. The winners walk away with cash in hand right then and there. As a viewer, you feel genuinely happy that these people got a free cab ride and some money. You get to see them enjoy their actual winnings. Other shows may give away more extravagant prizes, but you are often left wondering what other hoops they have to jump through actually to get their winnings. And how much of what they won on the show will they really get? But with ‘Cash Cab,’ there is no behind the scenes wheeling and dealing. What you win is what you get, right then and there.

6)    ‘Cash Cab’ has a great host. Ben Baily does a great job. A stand-up comedian, he has a fun personality and interacts with his diverse contestants well, including the kids that get into the cab. And now that ‘Cash Cab’ has become more popular, he assumes different cab driver personas when people initially get in his cab, to hide who he really is. Often his personas are funny. He then breaks this persona, which adds to the surprise of the show. This is another element of the ‘reality’ of the show. Ben has adapted his role in the show in reaction to how the show has been received out in the ‘real world.’

What else, what makes ‘Cash Cab’ a great show?   

The Greatest Movement Ever Written?

Mozart’s Symphony 41 is a triumph. Woody Allen once said that it proved the existence of God. Written three years before his death, basically in a state of poverty, it demonstrates why Mozart is one of the best and most daring musical minds ever to have lived. At the time of composition, summer 1788, Vienna had moved on from Mozart. Once the local celebrity, Mozart had become something of a bottomed-out has-been. New composers had grabbed the peoples’ interest, he was broke and in debt, and his newborn daughter had just died—not to mention that Austria was at war with Turkey. And yet, he writes Symphony 41. Karl Barth has written that Mozart has a place in church dogmatics because his music is a profound witness to the goodness of creation—to the ‘Yes’ of God spoken against the shadows of our existence. This witness is perhaps nowhere more clear than in Symphony 41.

Yet it is the last movement of the symphony, the Molto Allegro, where Mozart’s exuberant brilliance simply explodes into some of the best music ever written. There is a tautness and energy to this movement that is breathtaking. Here Mozart pushes the limits of where music had been, opening the door to Beethoven, yet achieving something that not even Beethoven would ever match. The entire movement is one grand fugue. Theme after theme is introduced, one upon the other, cascading into what seems a limitless rush of sound. And at the end of the movement, during the coda, all five (!) themes are brought together simultaneously to create a stunning passage in five-part counterpoint. Mozart pulls this off almost effortlessly, which is what makes it so remarkable. He had long wished to surpass Bach’s powers in fugal writing, which produced such brilliant two and three part fugues. Not to be outdone, Mozart delivers a five-part fugue.

Robert Jenson has written that, as triune, God is “a great fugue.” Going beyond Barth, we might say that Mozart witnesses not only to the goodness of creation, but to the liveliness of its Creator as well. For those with ears to hear…

I’m So Vain… I Probably Think This Post Is About Me

One of my best friends, Kathleen, got married this past weekend, and I was allowed to look hot, hot, hot for a night and forget about my woes.  So, in her honor (and in honor of the power of positive thinking…), I have completed her request to do this “A to Z of Me” thing she wanted me to do.  Um… enjoy?

A:  Attached or single? Married.  (Two years, one month, eighteen days… my math fizzles out after this).

B:  Best Friend? Jesus.  Nah, I wish.  But Rachel Hebert is about as close as you can get.

C:  Cake or pie? Yes.

D:  Day of Choice? Um, Day of Atonement?  Day of the Dead?  What kinda question is this?  Any day has the potential to be good.  Or terrible, no good, very bad.

E:  Essential Item? Clean underwear.  Or lip gloss.  These days I’m enjoying C.O. Bigelow’s Metha Lip Shine.  But I also like Smith’s Rosebud Salve.  I panic without handy lip gloss– I blame my sister.  She’s a fellow addict.

F:  Favorite color? I like sparkly silver.  But not to wear.  I like to wear red.

G: Gummy bears or worms? I’m not a fan of gummy-ness.  Peter really likes Sour Patch Kids.

H:  Hometown? Heaven?  I never know how to answer this.  I was born in Salt Lake City, Utah.  My parents now live in Arlington, Texas.  I graduated from high school in Irving, Texas and from college in Houston, Texas.  I consider Texas home.  But, I also lived in south Florida.  And Alabama.  And now, I live in Princeton, New Jersey.  Home is where the heart is your junk is.

I:  Favorite Indulgence? Laying on the couch, eating a pint of Ben&Jerry’s Half Baked Ice Cream, watching an entire season of Gilmore Girls.

J:  January or July? In Texas, January.  Here, July.  I don’t do too well with temperature extremes.

K:  Kids? I don’t know what this question is asking.  Do I like kids?  Do I know kids?  Do I want kids?  Do I have kids?  A few of my friends seem to be popping them out and living to tell about it, so I guess it might be worth a shot.  If it doesn’t work out, I’ll just ship ‘em off to Brangelina.

L: Life isn’t complete without? Death.  (I mean, think about it).

M:  Marriage date? Well, call me old fashioned, but my marriage date was the guy I was marrying.  I didn’t think it was appropriate to ask somebody else.

N:  Number of brothers and sisters? I have one older sister who taught me how to climb up stairs and how to shave my legs.  I now have, eh hem, an older sister-in-law and a new brother-in-law, a younger-than-me-but-older-than-Peter brother-in-law and another sister-in-law, a younger-brother-in-law, and a younger-sister-in-law.  What fun!

Here’s some of us: P&M, Matthew, Rebecca, David, and Hannah (Not pictured: Nicole, Elizabeth, and Ryan)

O: Oranges or apples? I’ve really started to like Granny Smith Apples.  Reds are still too mushy for me.  And oranges are too much work.

P:  Phobias? Aw, geez.  This could take a while.  I have some clinical anxiety problems– the list is extensive.  But, in the interest of keeping this light-hearted, I will confide that I used to be terrified of E.T. (the friendly alien) and totem poles as a little girl.  Also, tornadoes frightened me.  And those flying monkeys from The Wizard of Oz.  I also have a slight-or-not-so-slight fear of flying.  And I pass out around needles.  Do I need to go on?

Q:  Quotes? I’m a fan of “”.  Oh, do you mean quotations?  Well, in that case… My favorite pages of words can be found in Anne Lamott’s Traveling Mercies, pages 48-50.  Go read it yourself–I’m not going to infringe on Annie’s copyright.

R:  Reasons to smile? Right now?  My dog is rolling around on the rug in our living room in front of me, watching me anxiously for any sudden indication that a walk is imminent.  Which it is, but I can’t let him know.  Shhhhh….

S:  Season of choice? Up here, I really do love them all for different reasons.  Currently, I am looking forward to the leaves changing.  Each season has its own specialness.

T:  Tag five people? No.

U:  Unknown fact? About me?  Or about anything?  Because, if it’s the latter, then, um, I don’t know one.  HAHAHAHAHAHA.  About me?  Well, here’s one:  I try to write a song a week.  Keeps the creative juice a-flowin’.  Consequently, I have a host of really bad songs.  But, occasionally, I stumble upon a winner.

V:  Vegetable? I love vegetables, all kinds.  I really do.  These days, I’m really digging arugula.  But, nothing beats an avocado.

W:  Worst habit? I probably drink too much coffee.  And I don’t exercise like I should.  I need to get on that.

X:  Xray or Ultra-sound? What the hell?!  Um, Xylophone.

Y:  Your favorite food? I love that “Y” is Your favorite food, even though it has two words that begin in “F” that are really the point of the question.  To answer, I like so many foods.  Dark chocolate, guacamole, all kinds of cheeses, steak, French fries, raspberries…

Z:  Zodiac sign? Scorpio.  Be afraid.