Just now ended the stream for my last Wednesday night show on Badlands (Wednesday afternoon for me, actually). The ostensible topic was speculation on who would be the next Pope, in particular focusing on Cardinal Pizzaballa, because he has a funny name. We talked at length about the 1968 movie The Shoes of the Fisherman starring Anthony Quinn, a papal conclave where an Russian cardinal, recently a political prisoner, is elected pope as a compromise in order to stop World War III. I showed the trailer at the beginning of the show. I say "we" talked about it because I did a lot of interaction with the audience chat this week, who know things about movies and actors, and also the history of modern Italy and the Papal States that came in handy.
The show will continue. Later in the week and later in the evening. I didn't think that was going to happen. When Jon pinged me on Telegram to ask if I'd give up my time slot on Wodensday night to some woman who is their hot new addition to the line-up (and also did a few other things simultaneously after ignoring me for two years), I figured I was being disinvited from his network. I didn't even care. I was just angry that he was doing it in a backhanded way because he was too much of a woosy to fire me. I demand to be treated as a professional, I ranted, stalking around the appartement for several days like William Holden in Network. If you're going to cancel me, do it to my g343mm face!
Turns out it was all a misunderstanding, I guess. Jon indeed offered me a new time slot, and let me pick wherever I wanted. There is an open slot on Freyasday evenings at 6 PM Pacific, the lead-in slot to Liberty Den, the original show of the network and still one of the flagship panel shows, which airs at 7:30. I wanted that slot and was sure Jon would think I was overreaching, since I have such lousy ratings. But he was fine. I joked about my apprehension in asking for it, and I think he was sincere in not having the slightest idea what I was talking about.
So I'll be a Freyasday night guy and serve up Liberty Den. What will I do with that timeslot? It seems like most of my audience in the chat will come with me. I will probably keep the same format and vibe for now. But I liked this movie chat. Tonights show was barely political at all. I mentioned the controversy over the movie Conclave, and controversies in the Church, but in a neutral way.
On Friday nights I may do more movie discussions. In fact I know I will. For one show I am thinking of doing a podcast on Birth of a Nation, because why not? There is no getting around that it is a landmark classic in the art the cinema. D.W. Griffith and Lilian Gish working as director/actress basically invented movie acting in that film. But suddenly it's no longer even Griffith's greatest film because of the subject matter? OK. But on my show I get to make the rules.
Here's the three-minute trailer to the movie I mentioned. Quinn is a great actor, but this is the worst Russian accent ever.
The biggest irony is that during the time I thought my show was getting canceled, I began to feel relieved and looked forward to it. Only the response of my audience to last week's show really convinced me to keep going. I really love the interaction with my regulars, who even gave me twenty bucks this week.
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