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Camp: noun 1. An entertainment style characterized by intentional self-ridicule

“A part of the anti-academic defense of popular culture in the 1960s, camp came to popularity in the 1980s with the widespread adoption of Postmodern views on art and culture.” If you need to be all snotty about it.

Up until this week, I would have said ten times out of ten that Joss Whedon is the undisputed king of camp, and I would have gladly thrown down against anyone who suggested otherwise. The creator of Buffy, Angel, and Firefly and Academy-Award nominated screenwriter of many films you actually have seen, Whedon combines action and comedy in an intensely silly satire of modern society with the grace of a ninja-ballerina (which we have not yet run across but which we would very much like to discover). But this season, while Whedon fans patiently and forcibly await the premiere of Buffy spinoff Ripper, Whedon has competition.

Or, as Whedon would be more likely to see it, a compatriot, an accomplice, a brother-in-arms, a fellow camp-meister. And this new TV campioneer is none other than Generation X’s beloved wise-cracking creator and star of Clerks, Kevin Smith. Also the genius (if that’s the right word) behind Mallrats, Dogma, and my personal favorite Chasing Amy, or as I like to call it The Birth of Jason Lee, Smith has a new project: Reaper on some channel called the CW. No idea what that’s all about, but if they unexpectedly come up with another show on this level I’ll be looking into it.

It’s hard to say what the best thing about Reaper is. It might be the premise: Home-Depot-ish employee Sam Oliver discovers his parents sold his soul to the Satan before he was born. It might be the camp-factor: Sam has to use a rechargeable Dust Devil dustbuster to collect the first soul. Personally, I think the best move was the casting: at least two fantastic comedic talents I’ve never heard of and Ray Wise in a role even more suited to him than Leland Palmer.* I’m guessing you will be hearing more at least about Tyler Labine, who plays possibly the best wingman since Smith himself.

Not that Smith needs our help, but judging from the lack of buzz reaching our curious little ears, this show might need a little help from the net. So treat your TIVo or Other Generic DVR that doesn’t begin to understand your television viewing needs but whatreyagonnado you can’t get service where you live not that you’re pissed off about that or anything… what was I… oh right - give your TIVo (!) a treat and check this sweet little campy nugget out on Tuesday nights.

Visit cwtv.com/shows/reaper

* If you didn’t need to look up the Leland Palmer reference, our message board was made for you.

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Although Anne Hathaway, star of Miramax’s Becoming Jane, Disney’s The Princess Diaries, and Fox’s The Devil Wears Prada (plot synopysis = empty), could give lessons in social climbing, modesty and discriminating taste in men are not among her list of dubious talents. The actress, known to refer to her pre-famous self in the third person, has been involved with Italian real estate developer and apparent high-class snake oil salesman Rafaello Follieri since the spring of 2004. An article in Harper’s Bazaar last year found Anne illustrating the awkward disclosure of T.M.I. when she referred to Follieri’s charity work as an “aphrodisiac”.

However, an article in today’s Wall Street Journal provides a somewhat, let us say, alternative view of Mr. Charity-work himself. Co-authored by John Emshwiller, the journalist who outed the ENRON scandle, today’s article takes a fascinating look at Follieri’s close personal and business ties with Clinton aide Douglas Band and more than one misappropriations scandal. Using his foundation’s humanitarian ties with ex-President Clinton to grease the wheels, Follieri has apparently been soliciting investments from everywhere from Middle-East oil shieks to Mexican business tycoons in order to buy up properties from the Catholic church, which he claims to have Vatican ties with, all around the world - and funding a highly lavish personal lifestyle for himself and, one presumes, Ms. Hathaway.

Mr. Follieri moved his business operation into leased office space on Park Avenue. He employed Filipino nuns as receptionists and installed a small altar in one room, according to people who visited the office. He began renting an “extremely costly” penthouse, complete with a staff that included an executive chef, the Yucaipa lawsuit says. Although it was supposed to be for the joint venture, Mr. Follieri moved his personal effects there and appeared to take up residence, the suit says. A spokesman for Mr. Follieri says the Italian’s residence in the $40,000-a-month penthouse “has nothing to do with Yucaipa.”

Now Follieri is being sued by many of those investors for failing to deliver on promises that allowed him access to their enormous wealth for business transactions. Whether Ms. Hathway, who is on the board of Follieri’s charitable foundation, will continue to find Follieri an irresistible studmuffin if he is found guilty of embezzlement and/or loses his investment “charm” remains to be seen. In the meantime, she probably shouldn’t quit her day job of portraying humbly admirable women from modest beginnings on the big screen. Turns out she’s a better actress than we thought.

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There are a number of things about this world that are just straight up bass-ackwards, and chances are we’ll never fix all of them. Unless you’re an indestructible cheerleader (a little love for you Heroes fans) trying to save the whole world is setting yourself up for disappointment and what psychologists refer to as “compassion fatigue” - an emotional burn-out that can leave you feeling both empty and powerless.

But the answer is not to stop trying. We need to re-define our goals as humanitarians. So instead of trying to save the world, think of compassionate aid this way - each new day is a new opportunity for us, both individually and as a society, to make the world around us a little bit more like we think it should be.

There’s a story about a woman walking on a beach at low tide the day after a large storm has passed. Stranded on the beach after the storm are thousands of starfish, as far as they eye can see in both directions. The woman is picking up the starfish one by one, and throwing them back into their ocean habitat. A man walks by and notices what the woman is doing, and he cannot help but pause to ask her:
“Why do you trouble to throw the starfish back? There are thousands of them, as you can see; you cannot possibly make a difference.”
The woman simply smiled at him, picked up another starfish, and tossed it back to the sea. When she saw the confused look on the man’s face, she replied to him:
“I made a difference to that one.”

You can make a difference. Go to our new permanent page Save A Starfish to learn more.

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