Jonathan Ames And His Perseco At the WGA Awards

As the awards season grinds on, the Writers Guild presented their awards for scribes working in film/TV over the weekend at BB Kings on 42nd Street.  But unlike most of these shows, the WGA Awards was a fun and boozy affair, most evident in the unusual presentation of an award by Jonathan Ames, the creator of HBO's recently cancelled show BORED TO DEATH.

I've been a fan of Ames work for years, particularly his novel THE EXTRA MAN, and this show about a detective who advertises on Craigslist was a shaggy dog of a show set and shot in Brooklyn.  For three sublimy silly seasons, Jason Schwartzman played "Jonathan Ames" as he rambled about the city with Ted Danson (playing his stoner/mentor) getting into all sorts of trouble.

Anyway, Ames got on stage to present the award to longform drama (formerly known at TV Movie) and instead gave a stemwinder of a speech on topics ranging from the failure of his own show to effeminate audience members, all of it fueled by the wonders of perseco.  You certainly won't find this sort of drunken improv at the Oscars or even the somewhat looser Globes. But you will definitely find it when a bunch of writers in New York City get together and start drinking heavily!

NetPix: Bored To Death, Season 1

I haven't had a good NetPix in a while as I haven't really seen any good movies on DVD.  I've been mainly watching a lot of TV in my queue.  But a newish show that I recently saw was last year's freshman season of "Bored To Death".  This HBO series starring Jason Schwartzman, Zach Galifanakis and Ted Danson, is one of the funniest shows I've seen in quite a while.  It's unique brand humor treads that fine line between the sublime and ridiculous, like the original "Seinfeld" did though in a much more subdued manner.

The series is centered around a Brooklyn writer named "Jonathan Ames" (who also happens to be the real-life scribe behind the show) who becomes an amateur detective after placing an ad on Craigslist.  It's a simple setup for some complicated story lines which often lead to hilarious shenanigans.  My favorite episode was one in which Jonathan attempts to retrieve a married man's sex tape and enlists his friends for a long, loopy night of adventure in New Jersey. Ted Danson, playing a magazine editor who is a bit of a senior stoner, is fantastic as he yearns for adventure after tiring of his wealthy, A-list, Manhattanite existence.  It seems that he, more than Jonathan, is the one who is bored to death.

Another charm of the series is its mixture of real-life and fiction, especially when it comes to the Ames character.  Jonathan is very much a TV doppelganger for the author's publicly stated interests and obsessions, such as boxing, Brooklyn and beer (or wine or vodka).  There is even an interesting collaboration with Zach's character, who is a graphic artist, which mirrors Ames' work with Dean Haspiel on their incredible graphic novel "The Alcoholic".  The show's focus on Brooklyn is unique as well, with a number of famous (Brighton Beach) and not so famous (Prisoner's Monument) local spots showing up and looking gorgeous.  The show is a true love letter to the BK and all it's quirky charms.

Season 2 just finished its first run on HBO recently.  It almost makes me want to get cable so I can watch it on-demand.  Almost.  I am dying (ha) to see what happens to this happy gang in the next go-round.