Site Reorganization / Slight Reorganization

I’m overdue for some housecleaning.

I originally began the Axis of Ego with the intention that I would be the primary contributor, but that others would generate content intermittently to supplement my work.  The idea was for me to create the lion’s share of the writing, but also to bring other folks into the fold.  Their purpose would be to provide voices different from my own while also usefully alleviating my personal workload during my busiest times of the year.  This would ensure that there would always be at least two or three new items on the site each week.

March 7th, 2012 marked the one-year anniversary of the last time someone other than myself wrote something for this site.

In fact, the subject of that article was a series of gift suggestions for a then-unborn child whose first birthday is (obviously) approaching rapidly.

I think my principle reason for trying to create a website that had multiple authors was my belief that such a site has more inherent credibility.  A sole author’s work is merely a blog, of which there are literally hundreds of millions across the internet.

Of course, this is just a blog, after all. I realized fairly early on that I would have to distinguish it from those millions of others with worthwhile content rather than with an attempt to dress up my blog as something resembling a poor broke man’s Huffington Post or Gawker (minus some of the snark or the lefty leanings).

I’ve realized over the course of the fourteen months of this site’s existence that it also functions as an online portfolio of my writing work.  Or, if you prefer, an endless audition directed at no one in particular.  There’s no reason not to take ownership of that.

The upshot of all this is that there will be a few cosmetic changes made to the Axis of Ego.  Those of you who merely frequent the front page and read the newest pieces probably won’t detect any difference whatsoever.

There still may be guest articles from time to time, but I have no plans to seek those out or ask for help.  I have more than enough good ideas (or at least “ideas”) to formulate content on a regular basis without any outside input, just as I’ve done for over a year now.

Thank you for your continued readership.  Feel free to follow me on Twitter.

Carry on.

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SitCombat: 3/8/12

Last week’s compliment of shows was one of the strongest since I’ve been running this little recurring feature.  The Office came in THIRD with a B-plus.  Archer put together probably one of its two best episodes of the season, yet still wound up bowing to an incredibly funny, Arrested-Development-caliber episode of 30 Rock.

Last week’s edition of the adventures of Liz Lemon and company was one of the better-written half-hours of television I’ve ever seen, and perhapsthe best I’ve seen recently.  But, with Archer and the Officeboth on something of a roll, will 30 Rock be able to hold off the challenges of the opposition and take a second consecutive win for the first time this season?  Or will the Office continue its strong finish to the year as we steamroll towards May?

This was SitCombat for March 8, 2012:
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Who Wore It Better? (Part Two)

Version 2.0.  Robble, robble:


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Who Wore It Better?

A valid question.


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Awkward Moments in Entertainment History: Rock Me Tonite

As our cultural integrity continues to buckle under the weight of exploitative “reality” programming and mindless pseudo-documentaries, it’s difficult to recall that MTV (f/k/a Music Television) was once the arbiter of success in the popular music industry.

It isn’t merely the case that heavy rotation on MTV could enhance an artist’s career (especially ones who were visually appealing).  MTV also had the ability to shine an unwelcome light on otherwise competent musicians who had faces made for radio.  One-time Academy Award-winner and five-time Grammy-winner Christopher Cross is the quintessential example of a previously successful performer whose career suddenly cooled off and eventually deteriorated into obscurity thanks to the new visual component of the business.

The formula that determined an act’s commercial and popular potential had always included a variable accounting for personal attractiveness or style.  That wasn’t a creation of cable television.  Rather, the world-changing innovation provided by MTV was to affix a massive multiplier to that variable.

In its early incarnation, MTV was an all-powerful prism in which career trajectories could be altered for ill or for good as they passed through the channel’s airwaves.

This is the story of one career that did both.

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SitCombat 3/1/12

The Office has hit an unexpected stride with a bifurcated workforce.  The NBC demographic powerhouse has won two consecutive weeks despite the fact that half of the employees of the titular place of business have been in Tallahassee.  The show even managed to assuage my fears of a turn for the soap-y by nailing an A-minus last week in an episode that incorporated a lot of personal relationship storylines.

Meanwhile, 30 Rock has been stumbling just a bit.  These certainly haven’t been bad shows by any means.  Just not good enough to topple Archer and the Office.  Even shows a half-notch below the lofty standards set by what has been the best comedy on television over the last five years still make for great TV more weeks than not.

Archer hasn’t won recently, but the wacky cartoon comedy always seems to be lurking. Will this be the week that ISIS gets back on top?  Let’s find out.  This was SitCombat for March 1, 2012:

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Time to Light the Fuse on this Rocket Ship

Today marks the final day of voting for Style Weekly‘s annual “Best Of” awards.  Style has introduced an award for Best Richmond-based Blog this year.  Actually, I’m not sure if this is the first year of the award.  But who cares?  I didn’t have a blog prior to last year.

Here’s the point: It takes all of two minutes to vote here, and you would be doing me a great favor (one I will never repay) by voting for the Axis of Ego.

Not from Richmond?  Even better.  Just skip through the nearly-innumerable categories until you get to Best Blog, which I believe is on page five.  Then vote for the Axis of Ego.  Never been to this blog before today?  No problem.  Just take my word for it.  Couldn’t be simpler.  Do it.  Make it happen.

Remember: Whether you’re genuine or insincere, your vote counts the same.

I can’t promise anything in return, except my pledge that we’ll share a laugh together in the near future when the very idea of me attempting to win a minor local honor inevitably becomes hilarious.

Every journey begins with a single step and/or online award.  This gold-plated bathtub isn’t going to fill itself with jewels.  Every vote brings me one step closer to my lifelong dream of acquiring the services of a henchman (or, preferably, henchmen).

Voting closes at midnight.  Get to it, people.

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Something I Don’t Miss

I’ve gotten a wonderful head start on becoming an old man who constantly reminisces about how much simpler, purer—and, in many cases, better—life used to be before the ubiquity of the internet made us all navel-gazing babies who expect everything short of a home-cooked meal to materialize instantaneously whenever we click on a link or shout something into our smartphones.

I’ve earned that.  But let the record reflect that there are things I do not miss about the latter portion of the twentieth century.

High on that list would be that vile species of creature known as the judgmental video store clerk.

For anyone reading this who happens to be under 20, video stores were physical locations in which customers would travel (often several miles!) in order to peruse a limited selection of films in the hopes that the movie the customer wanted to see happened to be available.  If the movie in question wasn’t there, the customer would often select a movie he didn’t want—you know, because he came all that way, after all.

This resulted in a lot of would-be viewers of, say, Pulp Fiction, settling in for an evening replete with Hudson Hawk.

But the convenience aspect of services like my beloved Netflix aren’t even the best part about the modern home movie-watching experience[1].
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SitCombat: 2/23/12

The Office turned in an outstanding episode with last week’s “Tallahassee,” topping solid efforts from 30 Rock and Archer in the process.  Will Jim, Dwight, and company be able to turn in another superior episode with the workforce divided?  Will Archer continue what looks to be its strongest season yet?  Will 30 Rock give Katrina Bowden more than one line?

(Yes.  Yes.  No.)

More questions will be answered in this—SitCombat for February 23, 2012:

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Injecting Unwanted Perspective

I do this sometimes.


Also: “Slamdunks?!?”

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