SEE THIS MOVIE!

This weekend I FINALLY had the opportunity to see the critically acclaimed documentary, "Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work," which follows the once revolutionary and always iconic comedienne through a year of her roller coaster career, when it seems to have come to a tragically discouraging low point. I went into this expecting big things, and my expectations were met and even surpassed.

Most people of my generation regard Rivers as a mere caricature that is the constant source of parody and endless mockery. A plastic surgery cautionary tale and a red carpet gadfly. What the documentary illustrates is how she's aware of, okay with and participates in that the parody is for the benefit of her career, and the alternative to it, is not having a career at all. And one thing Rivers is not okay with, is abandoning the pursuit of artistic relevance. Her place on the comedic hierarchy is one that has shifted drastically and is fascinating to see chronicled in a documentary, as it is also fascinating to see the psychological results that that shifting can have on a real individual in relentless pursuit of their passion.

Piece of Work also shows how the purpose of comedians in society is to fill that role, making things that could be construed as tragic as humorous and more bearable. The difference between Rivers and many comedians though, is her level of credibility amongst the general public has suffered because of her ability to manipulate her image and turn it into shtick.

Part of this is obviously because she is a woman, and female comedians are certainly coming from a disadvantaged position as they're limited by the bounds of societal propriety about what they can joke about and how they're allowed to perform their funny. But Joan has defied those confines throughout her entire career making her presence as a pop cultural feminist justified, relevant and productive.

I don't just want to gush here about how much I love her and what she's done for women in comedy and how her resilience is so fairly portrayed in this film without indulgent glorification or the public's oversimplification of her, BUT, I will say that if you haven't heard of this movie watch the trailer here and go see it because you won't regret it!

Saturday Morning Cartoons: Susie Carmichael

I'm constantly nostalgic for Saturday Morning Cartoons as an institution. I'm not around kids who would engage in such a Saturday morning activity anymore so I don't even know if TV milestones from my youth such as TGIF or One Saturday Morning even have any cultural relevance anymore. Regardless, I've decided to turn said nostalgia into a weekly segment deconstructing cartoon characters from my childhood each Saturday morning to take care of that jones and to revisit fond figures from years past.

Who better to start with than feminist of color and egalitarian Susie Carmichael?






Susie Carmichael played a pivotal role in the Nickelodeon series Rugrats, which originally aired from 1991-1994. Susie's introduction came in 1993 and she served as a foil character to the relentlessly tyrannical and manipulative Angelica. Angelica and Susie were older than the babies and were able to articulate themselves to the adults. However unlike Angelica, Susie used her postion of privilege in a kind and inclusive way, always looking out for the well-being of the babies and for the completion of whatever task was at hand.

Susie was the only primary character of color on the show, and was the youngest of four children in the Carmichael family. Her father was a head writer of one of the babies' favorite television programs, "Dummi Bears," and her mother was represented as having filled multiple career roles, including chef, pilot, and doctor. Perhaps this caree range is far-fetched, but it is still depicting women as beng capable of succeeding in male dominated work spheres. So it makes sense that Susie would have such an empowered and inclusive perspective and approach on life.

Thinking back Susie is the only black cartoon character I can really remember from my own childhood. Since then there have been more animated representations of African Americans in both a mixed race and predominantly black environments (The Proud Family, Little Bill, Vince of Recess) but it's interesting to think of Susie as one of the premiere representations that American youth had exposure to through cartoons. Especially in light of Disney introducing its FIRST black princess in their upcoming "The Princess and the Frog."

The issue of progress aside, speaking from strictly an exposure standpoint, Susie Carmichael's influence and relevance seems to have been before its time, in a good way.