Category: tv

Close, But Not Quite

(I wrote this in the Frankfurt airport yesterday… just now getting around to posting it)\
You know, you’d think I’d remember how weird watching familiar TV shows in different languages is. But, I’m an idiot, so of course, it’s a shock every time. I didn’t want much TV this week, but when getting ready in the morning, or more often, when in the transition from “nerding out” to “good gravy, I’m exhausted and ready for sleeping, brain shut off now” and needing something to distract me from vertical text, mixed left to right and right to left text interspersed with vertical text and all the problems that poses for CSS (and the world in general – is it too late for Esperanto? And no, Richard, I’ll never join the Internationalization Working Group… one day was enough).\
Where was I, oh yeah, TV. In the hotel, they had a collection of stations:

  • a bunch of French channels
  • a station from Monaco in Italian
  • Eurosport – where all the commentary is English, but the ticker and commercials are German
  • BBC One – If you don’t know what the BBC is, umm, you need to get out more.
  • CNN International
  • Rei Uno – Italian
  • RTL – German
  • and Russian, Chinese and Arabic stations.\
    For some reason, I was drawn to Rei Uno because they had the Italian version of Big Brother, you know, Grande Fratello (it might have been Fratello Grande, I can’t remember – I’ve been up for a long time). It was funny as hell, really. I didn’t need to understand anything they said, the situation was easy to figure out. We’ve seen the situations all before, and there seems to be something about Italian TV that even if you turned off the sound, you could tell exactly what was going on.\
    And, the kings of reality TV, the British, have put together another absolute winner: Millionaire Mansion. You know those shows where people bring in old crap and some tweed-clad aristocrat tells them that it’s really a Victorian bowel de-obstructor and is worth, wait for it, eight thousand pounds!!! Hooray for worthless old crap that turns out to be treasure! The BBC has taken that rather stuffy premise (I watched it getting ready one morning, and wow, it is), and turned it into a reality game show!! I couldn’t turn it off… People off the street, in family teams, have to pick the most valuable item out of three, and then answer some really ridiculous pop culture questions in order to win a vacation in Barbados. Yeah, it’s just as good as it sounds.\
    It’s good to be heading home. As I’m writing this, I’m sitting in the business lounge in Frankfurt, catching up on TV from last week that I didn’t have time to watch (because I was pulled in by virile Italians trapped in a house crying and then confessing, and then making out).\
    More to come…
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Watch TV All The Time

No, really, I have a job and don’t watch TV all the time, but there are a few shows that are on too often that I wish I could spend more time watching. Some of these I’m sure you know, but there’s a new one in there.

  • The Daily Show: They’ve been on a roll the past couple months, and I feel bad when I miss an episode. But, four days a week is just too much for me to keep up with.
  • The Colbert Report: I’ve watched The Daily Show since the very beginning (you know, the Kilborn days), and I love it. But, I think Stephen Colbert’s show may be winning my heart. It’s the funniest thing on TV, and Stephen Colbert pulls off “arrogant jackass” better than the people he’s parodying. It’s perfect satire in a time when we sorely need it.
  • Pardon The Interruption: It’s on five times a week, which is way way too much. I love the banter between Tony and Mike, and I can’t help it but Tony’s bad jokes make me giggle. It’s a great way to catch up on sports without having to sit through the whole 90 minutes of SportsCenter (and there’s rarely anything about NASCAR or hockey, which makes me happy).
  • Brainiac: This is the new one. I just noticed it on G4 this weekend, and it’s hilarious. Think Top Gear for the Mr. Wizard crowd. It’s hosted by Top Gear‘s Richard Hammond, and it’s funny in a ridiculous British way. It’s got zany experiments and hot barely clothed British chicks playing with explosives. What’s not to like?\
    So, set your TiVo and prepare to waste a lot of time. I know I have.
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Jen’s new shows

Since Kevin did it, I will too.\
1. Prison Break– It’s an intense drama that is making me root for both convicted felons and the innocent underdog.\
2. Supernatural– Kind of like Charmed and Buffy, but without the preternatural abilities. Absolutely cheesy, but the boys are pretty.\
3. Commander-in-Chief– This reminds me of what The West Wing used to be like. It is full of ideals and hope that have no place in the real White House, I am afraid.\
4. Invasion– Thanks to Tivo, I can skip the part I don’t like (the sheriff who looks menacingly at everyone)

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New Television To Watch And Enjoy

The television season is now several weeks old, but I hadn’t caught up with enough new shows to make recommendations. Now, I have, and we have some winners!!! They are:

  1. Rome – It’s different, and aside from the sex, it’s not your typical HBO Sunday night. It’s political, familial, and conniving. Like other HBO shows, there really are no heroes, which is fine with me. Heroes always disappoint, while villains are at least entertaining. The acting is top notch, and it doesn’t really feel like I thought it would. It’s done for Antiquity what Deadwood did for the Old West – it’s put the life back in the statues, and isn’t afraid to treat the legends like real people. It’s definitely worth checking out, especially for Ray Stevenson’s portrayal of Titus Pullo, fatally flawed, goofy and vicious. He’s the antihero that all other antiheros aspire to be. And, lucky you, HBO is re-running the first 8 episodes this week.
  2. Threshold – I had low expectations for this show, and I’m not sure how far they can stretch the premise, but so far so good. This is sci-fi bubblegum, with just enough creep factor to keep me coming back. It’s a little like The 4400 but with some Andromeda Strain and X-Files thrown in. Good stuff, and the cast is great fun. It’s great to see Charles S. Dutton on TV again.
  3. Invasion – Kind of slow, and sometimes the acting isn’t great, but this one is interesting enough to put make TiVo keep recording it each week. The cast is pretty stock ensemble with very few recognizable names (unlike Threshold which screams indie movie fan as casting director). It is nice to see William Fichtner, but he’s really the only cast member I recognize from anything. If you like LOST but think it moves too fast, then Invasion may be for you.
  4. Extras – It’s by the guy who did The Office. If you like your comedy extremely painful, you’ll love this show.
  5. One Night Stand – It’s back!!! YAY!!!! I frigging love this show. A new comedian every week, and it’s only 30 minutes. Had a bad day? Watch Flight Of The Conchords and all your troubles are gone.\
    It’s not really a “new” show, but this season’s Amazing Race is so much better than I thought it would be. I was afraid they wouldn’t do anything with the families, and they haven’t left the country yet (crossing my fingers for this week), but it’s a lot of fun. It’s a good mix of in-laws, siblings, parents, teenagers, and kids… and they’re all a mess in some ways. It’s guilty, but it’s too much fun not to watch.\
    Set your TiVo’s now. You’ve been warned.
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I just can’t stop

From an article in the Toronto Star, Joss Whedon about Veronica Mars:\
“I was on fire. We had just watched the last five episodes in one day and I was just freaking out,” he says, wild-eyed. “I understand Buffy fans better watching that show and so does my wife. There’s so much pain and there’s so much humour and the stories are so tight and the characters are so well-drawn and you just. Care. So. Much. And to have all of that in one package is so rare. I was a junkie. I just had to share how cool it was. And I’ve realized if you do that, people notice. It’s nice. Somebody else will go, `I just love Veronica Mars.'”\
“When people said they’re calling this the next Buffy, for once I actually thought it was a compliment.”

Joss Whedon is Veronica fan too!

I have gone on and on about Veronica Mars all summer, trying to get more people to watch it. Well, I am in some fabulous company because Joss Whedon loves it too. Here is an excerpt, in which he calls it the Best. Show. Ever:\
bq. Joss Luvs Veronica.\
bq. I just finished a crazed Veronica Marsathon, and I can no longer restrain myself. Best. Show. Ever. Seriously, I’ve never gotten more wrapped up in a show I wasn’t making, and maybe even more than those. Crazy crisp dialogue. Incredibly tight plotting. Big emotion, I mean BIG, and charsimatic actors and I was just DYING from the mystery and the relationships … laugh all you want, I had to share this. These guys know what they’re doing on a level that intimidates me.\
This is what I have been saying too! And this from the man who created Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and Firefly, and is a god to many. So this is high praise indeed.\
Don’t you want to watch Veronica Mars and see what all the talk is about? Now is the time to tune in to Veronica Mars. These last episodes set up everything to come and answer everything from before. Tune in Wednesdays at 9pm on UPN or check local listings for a weekend rereun.

I’m a pimp

I finished the latest Harry Potter book and am sad to say that I was disappointed. I have no qualms about any of the plot points, so this isn’t bitterness talking. It just seems that the book is 3/4 filler of back story without any action or moving the story forward. Kev said that it is a “fourth act” book. While I think all Potter fans should read it, don’t expect too much from it.\
In other news, CBS has agreed to air four episodes of Veronica Mars!

  • Friday, July 29th (8:00pm to 10:00pm, two episodes)
  • Friday, August 5th (8:00pm, one episode)
  • Friday, August 12th (8:00pm, one episode)\
    (Normally the show is on UPN on Wednesdays at 9pm and rerun on the weekends)\
    Check it out!

Scientology

There has been a lot of talk lately about Scientology. Most of that is probably to do with Tom Cruise talking nonstop about it. Then of course the media had to make it an even bigger story by talking nonstop about Tom Cruise talking nonstop about it. What I don’t get is what is the big deal? The teachings of Scientology are a little odd, but frankly aren’t all religions? I don’t want anyone to start bashing Scientology, but I seriously don’t get why people are freaked out by it. Tom Cruise most definitely shouldn’t have called out Brooke Shields by name, in my opinion, but if he is against something like mood altering drugs, I have no problem with him speaking out. (And I am on some.) Other religions don’t belive in blood transfusions and some don’t believe in partaking in modern medicine at all. I know they are secretive about things, but again, so are many other religions. Is this “freak out” just because this is a 20th C religion? A lot of people call it a cult. Why is that? Again, wouldn’t most religions be considered cults then? So, if any of you know why the media is making such a big deal about this, I would love to hear it.\
P.S.- Watch Veronica Mars on Wednesdays at 9pm on UPN.

Too Busy To Think

There are so many things I want to say about India, but I’m back at work and have been thrown into a huge project with a tight deadline, and all thinking will have to wait.\
But, I have watched Veronica Mars and Jen was right about all of it. I’m sure she’ll post later and gloat. Oh, and I was wrong about who the murderer was – but so was Jen, so I don’t feel so bad.

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