Category
TV
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05.05.08Consider his name cleared — mayyyyybe?
Though I have yet to see his appearance on today’s episode of Oprah (wherein he’ll be paraded in front of her adoring pre-screened-Tom-Cruise-let’s-not-talk-about-Scientology-audience), Tom Cruise is well on his way to clearing his name and washing his hands of this 3-year history weirdness — at least as far as Oprah’s concerned. Full disclosure, no doubt, Oprah’s smart to host Tom Cruise’s big old honest American comeback on her show, sure to be one of the highest rated ever. Last Friday’s was one of the few episodes of Oprah I’ve ever seen all the way through, and Tom Cruise, in a one-on-one from from his Colorado home, appeared calm, collected, and fully medicated. Aside from the obviousness that this highly-chroegraphed event featured a “pop-in” from Katie Holmes — OH, KATIE! I didn’t think I’d see you! // Nahh, just off to take the kids into town, because that’s how regular Tom and I are here in Telluride, just regular folks taking the Subaru to town — I was wishing I had one of those focus group dials with readings indicating “I Believe Tom right now!” or “Tom’s lying right now!” Fascinating television. Its affect on me? I’d still go see Top Gun II and Mission Impossible IV. But not that German movie.
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04.30.08Bad Ass Race
Anyone ever sit down and watch the entire Boston Marathon from beginning to end? (Well, have you watched the “FFW-commercials-recorded-version” from beginning to end?) It is FASCINATING guys. It might look boring, flipping through the channels, but it’s pretty bad ass. This year, 30 year-old Kenyan Robert Cheruiyot won the Boston Marathon for a record FOUR TIMES for someone under the age of 30. He ran 26.2 miles in 2 hours and 7 minutes. To put this in perspective, he RAN for TWO HOURS going 12.4 mph. That’s an average mile of just under 5 minutes. That is a BAD ASS THING TO DO guys. Drive your car 12.4 mph and imagine running that fast for 2 hours. Amazing to see this guy around mile 24, in the pack, after running nearly two hours, just kick it into fifth and smoke the other guys. Watch it next year, it’s in April and it’s the hardest marathon on the planet and probably one of the ultimate things to win and this guy’s won it four times already and always throws down the hammer and leaves everyone in the dust. Crazy.
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04.23.08Why is it SciFi Only That Gets Rebooted?
Bionic Woman, Battlestar Galactica, Knight Rider… tons of old shows getting “retooled” with a more “21st Century” appeal. (Read: The shows are getting hot chicks, and blowing shit up a little more than the 70s/80s version of the shows.) My big question - why is it only the SciFi shows? Why are they getting all the attention? There’s a lot of old material new writers can latch onto if they can’t come up with their own ideas. I mean, I know we just suffered through a torturous writer’s strike, and I’m glad I went without any new TV for months - so it only seems right that we go through and outline some shows that we would like to see rebooted!
- Facts of Life - 5 troubled girls living under one roof? C’mon. Greenlight it already.
- What’s Happening - Innercity youth trying to make it through their day, in a funny, hilarious way. ReRun would get t-shirts sold on Threadless.
- WKRP - With the way radio stations are going down the tubes to “no-DJ” formats - what if it was the final radio station with DJs trying to keep their jobs?
- Diff’rent Strokes - An old white guy adopting a couple black kids? It’s kind of like a “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” except with race relations. I think this is pretty much sold
Any others?
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04.10.08Tracy Ullman returns to confound me
Quick poll, has Tracy Ullman made anyone reading this laugh? Am I the only one that really doesn’t get it? You ever see a friend do a one-person-show full of characters that are really bad, and you feel sorry for them because they don’t know they’re way off? That’s how I feel when I watch Tracy’s cast of characters from her new show. I want to take her aside and break it to her that this is probably not going to work out, but of course, it’s working just fine, for somebody.
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04.04.08Can You Tell I’m Addicted to TV?
That seems to be all I’m talking about recently. I think it’s because I’m amazed by how wonderfully awesome it can be, and, conversely, how terribly painful it can be. One network can greenlight two shows in the same season that are polar opposites, ones that everyone in the room when having the meeting have to look each other in the eye and say, “We’re gonna greenlight this, and it’s gonna make us money.” And NOT bust up laughing? (ahem. My Dad is Better Than Your Dad, I’m looking at you).
So it’s not a secret I’m a fan of SciFi - and specifically Battlestar Galactica. It’s a great show that just happens to take place in space. And have a bunch of hot chicks. Seriously hot chicks. My favorite? Grace Park. So, I’m not gonna site and extol the values of why this show is so great. Instead, I’m gonna extol on Grace Park, and give you a gallery after the jump. So come on, fire up those FTL drives - and click on.
Oh yeah - it premieres tonight on SciFi - the 4th and Final season…
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04.02.08Overheard on The Sarah Silverman Program
“you know, being a cop, I’ve seen things that would make you crap a book on how to puke.”
-Jay Johnston in Episode 1Allright, so I’m a little behind, I’m just getting to The Sarah Silverman Program, but that line made me laugh really really hard.
Oh, and sorry about the picture, I couldn’t find any pictures of Jay Johnston
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03.31.08Are TV Shows on DVD Exposing the Holes of TV?
So we all went through this writer’s strike. Writers want more money, yadda-yadda-yadda. I get it, I support it. But while talking with Justin the other day, who only watches shows on DVD - he pointed out a lot of flaws in one of my on again-off again love affair TV Shows - Lost.
Personally, I love the show - even through all the twists and turns, and one would think that given a week (or longer) between episodes, you would pay attention to deficiencies within the show. Apparently, I get so wrapped up in the “bigger questions” from week to week, that the little ones squeak by without even an eyebrow raised. Stupid me? I guess I take partial blame for that one. But now, I’m beginning to notice it on TV Shows I watch on DVD. Currently, Weeds and Dexter. See some things I might’ve let slide if I’d been watching week after week and not day after day.
Now the big question is, am I a lazy watcher, or are there lazy writers, OR is TV on DVD a bad thing? Thoughts?
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03.31.08Hulu? Yes. Hulu.
I, for one, am always looking for fun video to watch while “pretending” to do work. Come on. Everyone reading this right now is in the exact same boat I am. Don’t lie. Now, last week, I was busted by my boss for watching video when I was supposed to be doing some SEO report. He started out angry - but when I told him I was watching the pilot episode of “The A-Team” - his attitude changed. REALLY changed. He sat down, and we had a bonding moment. It was like one of those out of “The Wonder Years” - complete with cheesy music and voiceover in my head talking about how, once boss-employee, we were now brothers, brought together by shared memories of our youth, igniting the fire of yesteryear that the dull blade of “age” had… YAWN.The point is - go visit hulu.com - it’s like YouTube - except no worries about having to rush to catch a full episode of Family Guy, The A-Team - or any one of a hundred other shows. It’s put out by the content providers themselves, and they are free.
You don’t even need an account. And for your viewing pleasure - I give you Part 1 of the pilot episode of “The A-Team.”
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03.27.08
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03.18.08Stephe Recommends…
Schadenfreude.net” />There is a drought of TV. Seriously, the amount of good shows, fun shows, shows that use the word “bollocks” is nearly non-existent. I don’t blame this on Producers, Writers or Strikes - I blame us, as consumers. We constantly pick the shitty shows to watch. This has forced me to expand my viewing habits. I’m going to do a weekly “Shows to Watch” - I’m gonna pick a show that you may have heard about - maybe even watched once - and try to argue WHY you should watch it. It’s my way to help spread the love.
This week - I dive into Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares, and not the one on FOX - that one sucks. I’m talking BBCAmerica baby!
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03.11.08Breaking News: Schad Signs on to WTTW TV Show
Schadenfreude is part of a brand new comedy pilot being produced at Channel 11, WTTW! The show is called “IL-Informed” and it is a comedy show that blends sketch with hosted material focusing on the region we live in. It is produced by members of “Chicago Tonight” and “Check Please!” We wrote the pilot episode and we are starring in it. Now do you want to come see us tape it in front of a live audience??????? It’s like watching “Wings” or “The Jamie Foxx Show” except we are in Chicago and it’s not 1993. The show is being taped over 3 days, March 24-26. It’s a Monday-Wednesday and it is during the day. 12pm-4:15pm to be exact. That’s how it works in TV. If you have the time/flexibility, come on out and be a part of this unique event. For tickets - 773-509-5494 or rtlguest [at] wttw [dot] com. Seriously, how often do you get to watch a TV show in Chicago where white trash don’t take off shirts?
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03.05.08Sarah Connor Chronicles: The Wrapup
Yeah. I totally miss “24.” It was the only show that I made an event out of catching every week. This is what FOX tells me I can watch instead. And I caught it every week. At least I think I did. I have to admit, while watching the Season Finale, when they ran through the “Previously….” I SWEAR there were a few scenes that I had never caught before. *SIGH* Anyways. To sum up the first season:
Jekyll/Hyde hottie Summer Glau plays a Babe-inator. Sent back to protect - yadda yadda yadda. They jump from 1996 to 2004. Another Terminator is after them. There’s a black FBI Agent who now believes Sarah. And Sarah has cancer. And 90210’s Brian Austin Green puts down the CDs and picks up a gun, and is John’s uncle.
Really - for a show built on the idea that the end of the world is right around the corner, there is VERY LITTLE drama.
If it comes back for Season 2 - do us both a favor, and skip it. Cool? Just look online for the pics of hot Summer Glau just so you don’t watch the episode and accidentally see a shot of her not so hot.
