Wires and Lights in a Box

“This instrument can teach, it can illuminate; yes, and it can even inspire. But it can do so only to the extent that humans are determined to use it to those ends. Otherwise it is merely wires and lights in a box. There is a great and perhaps decisive battle to be fought against ignorance, intolerance and indifference. This weapon of television could be useful.” - Edward R. Murrow

Television. Sometimes, it's beautiful. Sometimes, it sucks. And sometimes, it's so unnecessarily mind boggling that we can't figure out which of the aforementioned categories it fits into. It can be funny, sad, stupid, infuriating, or visually confusing. But no matter which of these it is, television is entertaining.

But who am I? That's one secret I'll never tell. Just kidding. I'm Mel Johnson. After graduating with a BFA in Screenwriting from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, I had the pleasure of working on two ridiculous comedy shows for MTV. I've written three feature length screenplays, three television show pilots, various spec scripts, 30+ sketches, and a book of vignettes about the terrors of my elementary school years. I have brown hair. I own a cat. I love Philadelphia.

You may never have given this any thought, but television is the Greatest American Literary Medium. In a society where we no longer read books (I myself use them as decoration on the coffee table or to entertain myself by the toilet), all we have is the visual frenzy created by film and television. And as a society, we're all right with that.

I love tv, but I also love movies. Good movies, bad movies, and everything in between. I like to share my opinions on these things, and I'll do so in this little journal. So, welcome, friendly reader!

There's more where that came from.
-Meljo