A thoughtful piece that reminds us winning isn’t always about winning.
Well worth a read.
Friday, February 26, 2010
The Criterion Collection is On Hulu
If you’re a film fan you know Criterion finds the greatest movies ever made, makes them look as good as they can, and releases them into the world.
Well now, you can watch (some of) them for free. (With more to come.)
Come on now, it’s Friday! You weren’t going to get anything done today anyway, right?
Well now, you can watch (some of) them for free. (With more to come.)
Come on now, it’s Friday! You weren’t going to get anything done today anyway, right?
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Play That Web Site
Just imagine that your favorite web site was a piece of music. What would it sound like?
Now you can find out.
Be sure to use this information only for good.
Now you can find out.
Be sure to use this information only for good.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
What I Learned from The Dog Whisperer: Maxwell, Brooklyn, and Tipper
Generally when I talk about “The Dog Whisperer,” I like to do a little summary of the episode, but I’m going to let the last be first, and give you:
Cesar Millan’s 6 Step Plan for Walking Your Dog
Take a deep breath.
Stay calm.
Set the pace.
Pick up speed.
Face your obstacles.
Get in the zone.
So if you always wanted to know that, there you are.
As for the rest of the episode, it could probably have been called: Dogs Get Excited, So You Shouldn’t.
The quick version goes like this:
We’ve got three dogs, and three different owners. The dogs are Maxwell, Brooklyn, and Tipper.
As usual, Cesar put them all through their paces, and as Cesar says at the head of each episode: “I train people.”
In this case, that’s really all he did. Faced with three dogs who get excited too easily, and sometimes get aggressive when they get excited, Cesar trained the owners to calm down. Which made the dogs calm down.
(Cesar even said as much in the episode. When one owner said she was learning to calm her dog, Cesar replied, “No, we learned how to calm YOU down.”)
Though the “Coming up next” always tries to make the episode look like it’s going to turn into a blood-fest, all in all this was a calm episode about calming people down.
The money quote though, came from the second family. When watching the show, she always said to herself: “It’s obvious. What are people thinking?” She then apologized to everyone who has ever been on the program.
I suspect just about everyone on the show feels the same way.
Cesar Millan’s 6 Step Plan for Walking Your Dog
Take a deep breath.
Stay calm.
Set the pace.
Pick up speed.
Face your obstacles.
Get in the zone.
So if you always wanted to know that, there you are.
As for the rest of the episode, it could probably have been called: Dogs Get Excited, So You Shouldn’t.
The quick version goes like this:
We’ve got three dogs, and three different owners. The dogs are Maxwell, Brooklyn, and Tipper.
As usual, Cesar put them all through their paces, and as Cesar says at the head of each episode: “I train people.”
In this case, that’s really all he did. Faced with three dogs who get excited too easily, and sometimes get aggressive when they get excited, Cesar trained the owners to calm down. Which made the dogs calm down.
(Cesar even said as much in the episode. When one owner said she was learning to calm her dog, Cesar replied, “No, we learned how to calm YOU down.”)
Though the “Coming up next” always tries to make the episode look like it’s going to turn into a blood-fest, all in all this was a calm episode about calming people down.
The money quote though, came from the second family. When watching the show, she always said to herself: “It’s obvious. What are people thinking?” She then apologized to everyone who has ever been on the program.
I suspect just about everyone on the show feels the same way.
Hurry, Hurry, Hurry!
This month’s contests are almost over – and there are four chances to win!
First, you can get an iPod nano:
Do you have a Web site, blog, online game, podcast, or app you’re aching to tell the world about? Is there a TV show or celebrity you think our readers should see? Let us know!
If we use your discovery in print, we’ll send you an iPod nano!
Just fill out the survey at the link below for a chance to share your very favorite site or show – and get a nano to boot:
delight! Survey
Second, you can win $250:
First, read the online version of delight! magazine. Then, click the link below to take a short survey. You could win a $250 gift card.
$250 Shopping Spree Gift Card
Filling out this short surveys not only gives you a chance to win, it gives us a chance to learn what kind of TV shows and Web sites you love – and helps us to plan future issues around reader favorites.
Finally, you can Watch and Win – and you have two chances to do so!
Watch a little TV and win a lot of cash with our Watch and Win contest. To enter: click here.
Then watch a short video clip, and click “Enter Now.”
Good luck!
First, you can get an iPod nano:
Do you have a Web site, blog, online game, podcast, or app you’re aching to tell the world about? Is there a TV show or celebrity you think our readers should see? Let us know!
If we use your discovery in print, we’ll send you an iPod nano!
Just fill out the survey at the link below for a chance to share your very favorite site or show – and get a nano to boot:
delight! Survey
Second, you can win $250:
First, read the online version of delight! magazine. Then, click the link below to take a short survey. You could win a $250 gift card.
$250 Shopping Spree Gift Card
Filling out this short surveys not only gives you a chance to win, it gives us a chance to learn what kind of TV shows and Web sites you love – and helps us to plan future issues around reader favorites.
Finally, you can Watch and Win – and you have two chances to do so!
Watch a little TV and win a lot of cash with our Watch and Win contest. To enter: click here.
Then watch a short video clip, and click “Enter Now.”
Good luck!
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Damages Season 3, Episode 5
As usual, a note or three.
I really wish that FX would start putting Damages back up on Hulu. Although FX runs the show a bunch of times each week, I can’t help but thinking that if people could catch up with this season, they might want to follow along.
Especially since there aren’t a whole lot of ties to previous seasons – or at least not ones you can’t work out pretty easily.
Does anyone else think that trying to guess who-dun-what is probably impossible with this show? By which I mean, if you start at the beginning of the season, first episode, and go, “I think this person did it?” there’s no way you know yet? Possibly because the bad guy has yet to be revealed?
This episode got me thinking, what with the fact that we’re still meeting new characters at this late hour.
As it is, I make in-episode guesses from time to time, and I’m wrong just about the same amount that I’m right. Which makes for good TV, in my estimation.
Episode 5
We’ve got a dream sequence beginning. Dead Uncle Pete wishes Patty a happy birthday, and shows her the gift she got. It’s a pony.
Ellen is also there, warning her that a pony is a big responsibility. She also says Patty can keep her, but Patty has to wash her feet first. Patty’s feet are covering in blood.
Patty wakes up. Credits!
And now we’re at Tobin’s graveside. The only people who are there are his wife, his two kids, and his lawyer.
Tobin’s daughter, Carol, gives a long speech about how Tobin wasn’t greedy or evil. His investors were, and they deserve to be underground, not him.
Ellen and Gates meet with Tom and Patty. They make plans to depose Danielle.
Joe and Winstone talk. Joe presents Tobin’s envelope to Winstone. It was to be given to Patty, and in it is a letter apologizing to Patty, and telling her where to find the hidden money. Tobin didn’t want to taint Joe.
Winstone reveals to Joe that Tobin told him he was going to kill himself.
The letter to Patty mentions a name: Stewart. Joe wants to meet him.
Ellen and Gates determine that they need to talk to Danielle before Patty and Tom do.
Patty and Tom determine they need to talk to Danielle before Gates and Ellen do.
Patty also wonders why Tom hasn’t hired a new associated to replace Ellen yet. He says he’s working on it. He can only think of one good candidate: Alex Benjamin.
Five Months Later: The detective and Patty talk about what happened to Tom.
Just Before That: We see Tom try to pull himself out of his apartment, only to be pulled back in.
Now! Tom brings in Alex for an interview. He gives her the same speech he gave Ellen, down to the word. He gets ready to set her up for an interview, and she says she’ll miss her own sister’s wedding for the interview.
(Can I just say, I really miss moments like this, which require knowledge of all that came before to really get them? I love that kind of stuff, and I wish this season had more of it.)
Patty attempts to see Danielle, and Gates drops by to let Patty know that Gates and his people now have sole access.
Gates and Ellen meet with Danielle. They give her 48 hours to help them. If she does, they’ll give her immunity.
Joe meets with his mom and sister. He tells them dad killed himself. He shows them the potion Tobin did it with.
Joe tells Carol that they have to stop blaming other people: Tobin did this to himself.
Winstone meets with a lady of the evening. He tells her that his “father” died.
Ellen goes to work. Someone is waiting for her in the conference room. It’s Josh! The reporter! He’s working at a paper in New York.
He wants to know about the Tobin case. Also, he wants an anonymous source at the DA’s office.
Tobin’s family goes through Tobin’s apartment. Patty is selling it so the money can go to the people who got ripped off, so the family gets one last quick look to see if there’s anything that belongs to them. Anything worth more than twenty bucks goes to auction.
Winstone gets a phone call. Carol says she can’t handle it and leaves.
Tobin’s wife wants the pictures. And also something else, but they’re told they’ll have to bid on it for the auction.
The Future: Tom, who is limping, walks to a pay phone and makes a call. He tells someone he loves them. There’s blood on his shirt.
Now: Tom and Patty talk about Tobin’s will. An earlier draft had a blind trust set up. They decide to call Tobin’s wife.
One of Stewart’s associates meets with Joe and Winstone. Apparently, they can’t get the money. It has something to do with Danielle. Until Danielle is dealt with, there’s no money.
Joe says he’ll take care of Danielle.
Patty meets with Alex. She says she’ll check Alex’s references and get back to her.
Joe meets with Danielle. Gates subpoenaed her. Joe hands her a statement – he says they just have to stick to the same story. He also says that now that his dad is dead, he can take away everything Danielle has.
Alex meets with Ellen. It was Patty’s suggestion. Alex loves Ellen’s bag that she got from Patty.
Ellen tells Alex that once Alex signs on with Patty, Patty will own her.
Patty and Tobin’s wife meet in the cemetery. Patty got her the objects she wanted. She tells Patty that Tobin killed himself, and that she’s worried about Carol. Patty says she wants the truth about Danielle and Thanksgiving.
Story time: Tobin needs his heart pills, and calls Danielle. And more: Danielle brings the pills, and… It turns out Danielle and Tobin had a child.
It seems Tobin tried to get Danielle out of the country, because he knew that Danielle would tear his family apart.
Later, Ellen and Josh are in bed. At her place. Josh asks why she got out from under Patty.
Ellen decides to do some baking.
Danielle gets a call from Patty. Patty tells Danielle not to give a fake story to the DA’s office. Patty just wants Danielle to plead the fifth, and Patty will take care of Danielle and her daughter.
And so, Danielle refuses to say anything. She does indeed take the fifth.
Patty get a package. Birthday cupcakes from Ellen.
Carol goes to see Danielle. She wants to know what things were like for Danielle and Joe. And Danielle and her dad. Carol wants to know if Tobin took care of Danielle.
She goes with, “It’s complicated.” Then she asks Carol to leave.
Five Months Later: Tom is wrapped in a blanket and thrown in a Dumpster.
Now: Patty asks Tom to go see Danielle, make sure she’s still on board.
Tobin’s wife goes to see Danielle’s daughter.
Tom goes to see Danielle. Danielle is dead.
Carol throws something into the river. Probably the potion she killed Danielle with.
Patty, up late at night, eats one of Ellen’s cupcakes. No, wait. Dream again.
I really wish that FX would start putting Damages back up on Hulu. Although FX runs the show a bunch of times each week, I can’t help but thinking that if people could catch up with this season, they might want to follow along.
Especially since there aren’t a whole lot of ties to previous seasons – or at least not ones you can’t work out pretty easily.
Does anyone else think that trying to guess who-dun-what is probably impossible with this show? By which I mean, if you start at the beginning of the season, first episode, and go, “I think this person did it?” there’s no way you know yet? Possibly because the bad guy has yet to be revealed?
This episode got me thinking, what with the fact that we’re still meeting new characters at this late hour.
As it is, I make in-episode guesses from time to time, and I’m wrong just about the same amount that I’m right. Which makes for good TV, in my estimation.
Episode 5
We’ve got a dream sequence beginning. Dead Uncle Pete wishes Patty a happy birthday, and shows her the gift she got. It’s a pony.
Ellen is also there, warning her that a pony is a big responsibility. She also says Patty can keep her, but Patty has to wash her feet first. Patty’s feet are covering in blood.
Patty wakes up. Credits!
And now we’re at Tobin’s graveside. The only people who are there are his wife, his two kids, and his lawyer.
Tobin’s daughter, Carol, gives a long speech about how Tobin wasn’t greedy or evil. His investors were, and they deserve to be underground, not him.
Ellen and Gates meet with Tom and Patty. They make plans to depose Danielle.
Joe and Winstone talk. Joe presents Tobin’s envelope to Winstone. It was to be given to Patty, and in it is a letter apologizing to Patty, and telling her where to find the hidden money. Tobin didn’t want to taint Joe.
Winstone reveals to Joe that Tobin told him he was going to kill himself.
The letter to Patty mentions a name: Stewart. Joe wants to meet him.
Ellen and Gates determine that they need to talk to Danielle before Patty and Tom do.
Patty and Tom determine they need to talk to Danielle before Gates and Ellen do.
Patty also wonders why Tom hasn’t hired a new associated to replace Ellen yet. He says he’s working on it. He can only think of one good candidate: Alex Benjamin.
Five Months Later: The detective and Patty talk about what happened to Tom.
Just Before That: We see Tom try to pull himself out of his apartment, only to be pulled back in.
Now! Tom brings in Alex for an interview. He gives her the same speech he gave Ellen, down to the word. He gets ready to set her up for an interview, and she says she’ll miss her own sister’s wedding for the interview.
(Can I just say, I really miss moments like this, which require knowledge of all that came before to really get them? I love that kind of stuff, and I wish this season had more of it.)
Patty attempts to see Danielle, and Gates drops by to let Patty know that Gates and his people now have sole access.
Gates and Ellen meet with Danielle. They give her 48 hours to help them. If she does, they’ll give her immunity.
Joe meets with his mom and sister. He tells them dad killed himself. He shows them the potion Tobin did it with.
Joe tells Carol that they have to stop blaming other people: Tobin did this to himself.
Winstone meets with a lady of the evening. He tells her that his “father” died.
Ellen goes to work. Someone is waiting for her in the conference room. It’s Josh! The reporter! He’s working at a paper in New York.
He wants to know about the Tobin case. Also, he wants an anonymous source at the DA’s office.
Tobin’s family goes through Tobin’s apartment. Patty is selling it so the money can go to the people who got ripped off, so the family gets one last quick look to see if there’s anything that belongs to them. Anything worth more than twenty bucks goes to auction.
Winstone gets a phone call. Carol says she can’t handle it and leaves.
Tobin’s wife wants the pictures. And also something else, but they’re told they’ll have to bid on it for the auction.
The Future: Tom, who is limping, walks to a pay phone and makes a call. He tells someone he loves them. There’s blood on his shirt.
Now: Tom and Patty talk about Tobin’s will. An earlier draft had a blind trust set up. They decide to call Tobin’s wife.
One of Stewart’s associates meets with Joe and Winstone. Apparently, they can’t get the money. It has something to do with Danielle. Until Danielle is dealt with, there’s no money.
Joe says he’ll take care of Danielle.
Patty meets with Alex. She says she’ll check Alex’s references and get back to her.
Joe meets with Danielle. Gates subpoenaed her. Joe hands her a statement – he says they just have to stick to the same story. He also says that now that his dad is dead, he can take away everything Danielle has.
Alex meets with Ellen. It was Patty’s suggestion. Alex loves Ellen’s bag that she got from Patty.
Ellen tells Alex that once Alex signs on with Patty, Patty will own her.
Patty and Tobin’s wife meet in the cemetery. Patty got her the objects she wanted. She tells Patty that Tobin killed himself, and that she’s worried about Carol. Patty says she wants the truth about Danielle and Thanksgiving.
Story time: Tobin needs his heart pills, and calls Danielle. And more: Danielle brings the pills, and… It turns out Danielle and Tobin had a child.
It seems Tobin tried to get Danielle out of the country, because he knew that Danielle would tear his family apart.
Later, Ellen and Josh are in bed. At her place. Josh asks why she got out from under Patty.
Ellen decides to do some baking.
Danielle gets a call from Patty. Patty tells Danielle not to give a fake story to the DA’s office. Patty just wants Danielle to plead the fifth, and Patty will take care of Danielle and her daughter.
And so, Danielle refuses to say anything. She does indeed take the fifth.
Patty get a package. Birthday cupcakes from Ellen.
Carol goes to see Danielle. She wants to know what things were like for Danielle and Joe. And Danielle and her dad. Carol wants to know if Tobin took care of Danielle.
She goes with, “It’s complicated.” Then she asks Carol to leave.
Five Months Later: Tom is wrapped in a blanket and thrown in a Dumpster.
Now: Patty asks Tom to go see Danielle, make sure she’s still on board.
Tobin’s wife goes to see Danielle’s daughter.
Tom goes to see Danielle. Danielle is dead.
Carol throws something into the river. Probably the potion she killed Danielle with.
Patty, up late at night, eats one of Ellen’s cupcakes. No, wait. Dream again.
So, You Finished Your Comedy Screenplay
But you have no connections, don’t know anyone who knows anyone, and aren’t sure how to find an agent?
Never fear: Lionsgate is looking for a comedy.
Hurry up – they’re only accepting pitches through March 8th…
Never fear: Lionsgate is looking for a comedy.
Hurry up – they’re only accepting pitches through March 8th…
Monday, February 22, 2010
Cold Case: Metamorphosis
Because people are busy, and I know that we live in a DVR culture, I try to keep these write-ups somewhat spoiler-free, so I won’t tell you just who was in cahoots with whom. But even if you figure out this week’s villain, I have my doubts that you’ll figure out the why, until you get to the big reveal.
I will say this: If you’ve ever seen the movie “Clue” on video, there’s a good chance you remember the “ultimate” ending – the one where we learn that someone is undercover.
That person, when asked who’s responsible for all the murders, declares, “They all did it!”
And we’ve got a case like that here, too.
This is not to say that everyone in this episode is on the take, but after the shrunken mystery of last week, it was nice to get a few more suspects thrown into the mix, just because it keeps things a little more interesting.
There was another nice touch this week that I also enjoyed – the person who brought in the case, a self-professed psychic, had a nice moment where she reassured Scotty that his mom was going to be okay… and that he might not be.
There were, of course, your usual twists and turns besides that, and as I was watching I couldn’t help but think of the recent New York Times bestseller, “Water for Elephants.” If you enjoyed this peek under the big top at all, I highly recommend the book – from which they probably pulled the circus term: First of May.
(The First of May is when most circuses start their season – hence, “Novice Performer.”)
What else was good? Well, the surprisingly quick wrap-up to the Moe storyline caught me by surprise, but I felt it was logical and fair. Since no one on Lilly’s team was going to be doing the investigating, it’s doubtful that the show could have pulled too much drama out of the murder without either making Lilly into a character you probably didn’t like, grounding her character totally, or putting to little mention of the ongoing investigation into every episode that you’d half-forget about it.
I think that if “Cold Case” got another season, they could do something really interesting with it, but with a limited number of episodes to wrap things up, there just isn’t time.
And finally, I don’t think I can bring my thoughts to a close without mentioning the fact that they used a whole bunch of music by The Doors in this particular ‘sode. I thought it accomplished three things very nicely. 1) It put you right into the 70s, and held you there, hard, during the circus scenes. More than anything else, it gave you an era. 2) The show’s use of “People are Strange” was nothing short of eerie. I’m sure that was the point. And 3) It kept the show away from circus music which, by definition, doesn’t really make you think murder.
All in all, a solid week. What say you?
I will say this: If you’ve ever seen the movie “Clue” on video, there’s a good chance you remember the “ultimate” ending – the one where we learn that someone is undercover.
That person, when asked who’s responsible for all the murders, declares, “They all did it!”
And we’ve got a case like that here, too.
This is not to say that everyone in this episode is on the take, but after the shrunken mystery of last week, it was nice to get a few more suspects thrown into the mix, just because it keeps things a little more interesting.
There was another nice touch this week that I also enjoyed – the person who brought in the case, a self-professed psychic, had a nice moment where she reassured Scotty that his mom was going to be okay… and that he might not be.
There were, of course, your usual twists and turns besides that, and as I was watching I couldn’t help but think of the recent New York Times bestseller, “Water for Elephants.” If you enjoyed this peek under the big top at all, I highly recommend the book – from which they probably pulled the circus term: First of May.
(The First of May is when most circuses start their season – hence, “Novice Performer.”)
What else was good? Well, the surprisingly quick wrap-up to the Moe storyline caught me by surprise, but I felt it was logical and fair. Since no one on Lilly’s team was going to be doing the investigating, it’s doubtful that the show could have pulled too much drama out of the murder without either making Lilly into a character you probably didn’t like, grounding her character totally, or putting to little mention of the ongoing investigation into every episode that you’d half-forget about it.
I think that if “Cold Case” got another season, they could do something really interesting with it, but with a limited number of episodes to wrap things up, there just isn’t time.
And finally, I don’t think I can bring my thoughts to a close without mentioning the fact that they used a whole bunch of music by The Doors in this particular ‘sode. I thought it accomplished three things very nicely. 1) It put you right into the 70s, and held you there, hard, during the circus scenes. More than anything else, it gave you an era. 2) The show’s use of “People are Strange” was nothing short of eerie. I’m sure that was the point. And 3) It kept the show away from circus music which, by definition, doesn’t really make you think murder.
All in all, a solid week. What say you?
Well Done, Daddy
If you watch “The Dog Whisperer” at all, chances are good that you already know who Daddy is.
If not, the short version is: Daddy is Cesar Millan’s right-hand dog.
And what a dog he was.
I say was because Daddy recently passed away at sixteen years of age – an impressive number for a pit bull.
delight! related the story of Daddy in our online extension this month. If you want to know a little more about him, I highly suggest checking his story out here.
Cesar memorializes his good friend and partner here.
And you can find Daddy’s Facebook fan page here.
If not, the short version is: Daddy is Cesar Millan’s right-hand dog.
And what a dog he was.
I say was because Daddy recently passed away at sixteen years of age – an impressive number for a pit bull.
delight! related the story of Daddy in our online extension this month. If you want to know a little more about him, I highly suggest checking his story out here.
Cesar memorializes his good friend and partner here.
And you can find Daddy’s Facebook fan page here.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Because You Want to Know (Curling Edition)
USA tells you just what’s up with those Curler’s pants:
Talk of Vancouver: Crazy curling pants of Norway draw notice
And hey! The games are half-over. What have you been enjoying so far?
Talk of Vancouver: Crazy curling pants of Norway draw notice
And hey! The games are half-over. What have you been enjoying so far?
How to Be Lucky
In general, I prefer to link to things that are more fun than thoughtful.
But this is both. It’s an article that tells you, in three simple steps, how to be more lucky:
Be Lucky: It’s an Easy Skill to Learn
Interestingly, the idea reminded me quite a bit of the book (and movie) “Yes Man.”
What do you think? And for that matter, did you ever try something like this? Because I’m thinking I just might…
But this is both. It’s an article that tells you, in three simple steps, how to be more lucky:
Be Lucky: It’s an Easy Skill to Learn
Interestingly, the idea reminded me quite a bit of the book (and movie) “Yes Man.”
What do you think? And for that matter, did you ever try something like this? Because I’m thinking I just might…
Thursday, February 18, 2010
The Very Best of the Winter Olympics
Well, okay, that title isn’t 100% accurate. But if you find yourself too busy, I don’t know, working at work to see everything you want to see, you can find a lot of it on NBCOlympics.com.
Including this list of their most popular videos. If you’re looking for something because you heard it was awesome, chances are good you’ll find it there.
Including this list of their most popular videos. If you’re looking for something because you heard it was awesome, chances are good you’ll find it there.
T-Shirt War
Watch this video before it becomes the next big thing. Then you can say that you saw it first:
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
What I Learned From: The Dog Whisperer: Kobe, Banjo, and Kisses
For the last couple of weeks, I’ve been checking out Cesar Millan as he tackled some larger issues. Raising dogs from puppies. Dealing with dogs that were, in his estimation, on the verge of killing other dogs.
This week gave us something a little different – a grab bag of doggie problems that weren’t really related. To wit:
Banjo: A former animal vaccine tester, Banjo was afraid of humans and refused to go near anyone. Even his owners.
Kobe: Was blinded in one eye due to a terrible accident with another dog. Hated other dogs ever since, and then got dangerous around people.
Kisses: A teeny little dog that liked to be in control. Also, she liked to tinkle on the floor when a certain friend came by.
Since all of these issues don’t center around a recognizable theme, the lessons to take away from the episode are a little more wide-ranging than usual.
Except, of course, for the always familiar: Calm. Assertive.
But there were a couple of interesting lessons along the way:
Kobe: Kobe’s main issue was acting out against other dogs, which spread to people. To fix this, Cesar had the family practice how to introduce people and other dogs into Kobe’s territory.
This all happened very, very quickly. And the issue seemed to stem much more from the people being cowed by Kobe, than by any real problems with Kobe’s aggression.
Banjo: Due to the fact that Banjo was afraid of humans, Cesar worked on building up Banjo’s confidence. His breed makes him want to hunt for raccoons, so they got some urine and had Banjo look for it. And rather than patting Banjo on the head, he encouraged the owners to touch the underside of his head, lifting the dog’s head up.
Kisses: Kisses was aggressive and easily excited into piddling on the floor. So Kisses’s master had to learn how to discipline the dog, instead of punishing the dog.
Watching “The Dog Whisperer,” I have to admit the thing that I find the most interesting about the show is just how well EVERY dog reacts to Cesar. Though I haven’t seen every episode, without fail the dog who attacks other dogs, or acts aggressive against humans, invariably takes to Cesar like a duck to water.
Whether Cesar really knows what he’s doing, or whether Cesar is just like those moms who can put ANY baby to sleep, no matter how cranky, it’s amazing to watch.
I’d say the big lesson of the show was, as always, Calm/Assertive. Show the dog you’re the leader, and they will follow.
This week gave us something a little different – a grab bag of doggie problems that weren’t really related. To wit:
Banjo: A former animal vaccine tester, Banjo was afraid of humans and refused to go near anyone. Even his owners.
Kobe: Was blinded in one eye due to a terrible accident with another dog. Hated other dogs ever since, and then got dangerous around people.
Kisses: A teeny little dog that liked to be in control. Also, she liked to tinkle on the floor when a certain friend came by.
Since all of these issues don’t center around a recognizable theme, the lessons to take away from the episode are a little more wide-ranging than usual.
Except, of course, for the always familiar: Calm. Assertive.
But there were a couple of interesting lessons along the way:
Kobe: Kobe’s main issue was acting out against other dogs, which spread to people. To fix this, Cesar had the family practice how to introduce people and other dogs into Kobe’s territory.
This all happened very, very quickly. And the issue seemed to stem much more from the people being cowed by Kobe, than by any real problems with Kobe’s aggression.
Banjo: Due to the fact that Banjo was afraid of humans, Cesar worked on building up Banjo’s confidence. His breed makes him want to hunt for raccoons, so they got some urine and had Banjo look for it. And rather than patting Banjo on the head, he encouraged the owners to touch the underside of his head, lifting the dog’s head up.
Kisses: Kisses was aggressive and easily excited into piddling on the floor. So Kisses’s master had to learn how to discipline the dog, instead of punishing the dog.
Watching “The Dog Whisperer,” I have to admit the thing that I find the most interesting about the show is just how well EVERY dog reacts to Cesar. Though I haven’t seen every episode, without fail the dog who attacks other dogs, or acts aggressive against humans, invariably takes to Cesar like a duck to water.
Whether Cesar really knows what he’s doing, or whether Cesar is just like those moms who can put ANY baby to sleep, no matter how cranky, it’s amazing to watch.
I’d say the big lesson of the show was, as always, Calm/Assertive. Show the dog you’re the leader, and they will follow.
Win a Free nano!
Do you have a Web site, blog, online game, podcast, or app you’re aching to tell the world about? Is there a TV show or celebrity you think our readers should see? Let us know!
If we use your discovery in print, we’ll send you an iPod nano!
Just fill out the survey at the link below for a chance to share your very favorite site or show – and get a nano to boot:
delight! Survey
If we use your discovery in print, we’ll send you an iPod nano!
Just fill out the survey at the link below for a chance to share your very favorite site or show – and get a nano to boot:
delight! Survey
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Damages Season 3, Episode 4
You know, it just occurred to me that Danielle’s name may just be an inside, just-for-the-writer’s joke about Danielle travelling (or rather, not travelling) tonight on a plane.
And one other thought: With this episode, we’re just about a third of the way through what will probably be the final season of the show. What’re your thoughts? Liking it? Hoping it goes another season? Just hoping this one has a solid ending?
Episode 4
Damages Season 3, Ep 4 at The Onion AV Club
In our opening moments, we get a shot of Danielle lying in her hospital bed. We then move to Patty and Tom, who talk about her status: In another 15 minutes, she would have been dead, the cops believe that Joe was taking her to the hospital, and she won’t be able to talk to Patty and Tom for a week.
Which is too late.
Five Months Later: The detectives talk about the fact that Tom drowned. Patty doesn’t know that Tom is dead, even though it was his car that hit her car. So they decide to tell her Tom is dead.
Now: Ellen is at work. Patty walks through, and she asks a co-worker why Patty is there. The co-worker fills her in.
Patty talks to Ellen’s boss. She wants a week to use Danielle against Tobin. She gets a day to talk to Tobin about Danielle.
Winstone talks to Joe in a park. He reminds Joe that Tobin is getting sentenced this week. Then he’s going to prison and never coming out again. Joe doesn’t want to talk to Tobin, even though Tobin wants to talk to Joe. Joe confirms that the money is still coming at a later time, and says he doesn’t need anything else from Tobin.
Winstone also asks if Joe needs to get back into rehab. Joe says he’s fine.
Ellen talks to her sister, Carrie, about the check Ellen wrote her. She cancelled it. She confronts Carrie about the drugs, and Carrie says they must belong to her ex. Carrie gets mad and leaves.
Tobin, the doctor, and Winstone talk. The doc says Danielle is going to be fine, then leaves. Tobin asks if Joe is drinking again, and Winstone avoids the topic. Tobin thinks they need to make alternate arrangements.
Winstone talks to a woman about Joe, and how he used to vanish for weeks during his drinking days. The woman says her people will follow Joe, and gives Winstone an untraceable cell phone to call her in the future.
Michael and Patty meet for lunch. She wanted him to know about the divorce. He already knew, Phil told him. Phil helped him get a job, working in stocks, on an entry level. Patty is quite clearly shocked, though she plays it close to the vest.
Michael also says that he and Jill are over now. Michael pays the bill.
Five Months Later: The detective tells Patty that Tom is dead. She wants to know what happened. So does the detective. She says the last time she talked to Tom, something was “wrong.”
Now: Winstone tells Tobin that Patty wants to talk to him. He also tells Tobin there’s “no real news” on Joe. Tobin decides to talk to Patty, just to get another day of freedom.
At Michael’s apartment, we learn that everything Michael told Patty was a lie. He has no job, he’s trying to paint, Jill is supporting them, and she’s pregnant.
Ellen’s boss tells Ellen that he wants her to sit in on the Tobin interview. Ellen says okay.
Joe talks to his wife, and tells her about Danielle. He says “there’s a way out of this.”
Joe has dinner with his wife. He tells her Joe is drinking again. She says he started drinking because of Tobin not paying attention to him.
Joe talks to his son, Kevin. They talk Tobin.
The dudes spying on Joe report to Winstone that Joe hasn’t been drinking.
Ellen and Ellen’s boss, Gates, go to Tobin’s interview. With Patty, and Tom, and Tobin. Tobin says he called Danielle on Thanksgiving night. He says Danielle was a pathetic old man’s indiscretion.
He tells a story wherein he calls Danielle on Thanksgiving to tell her to bring his heart pills.
He also says he tried to ship her out of the country to avoid bringing any more shame to his family.
Patty pokes and prods with mean words to find out where the hidden money is. Tobin says there is none. Then the interview ends.
Gates and Ellen talk. Ellen knows Patty was looking for a weak link, and that Danielle is it. She tells Gates to let Patty take the lead, because Patty will get something out of Danielle.
Joe’s stalkers call Winstone and say Joe is in the city and drinking. Winstone tells Tobin. Tobin says, “I’ve made my decision.”
Five Months Later: The detective grills Patty about Tom and the Tobin case. She relates a harried phone conversation she had with him.
After the talk with Patty, Tom answers a knock at his door. We don’t get to see who’s there.
Now: Tobin calls Patty at home. And he tells her that Joe didn’t want to see him on his last night of freedom. And some other things, though it doesn’t appear to be important.
In the city, Joe walks down the street and buys some booze in a liquor store.
Winstone also walks down a street, then sees himself on a display of TVs in a window. He looks at himself. He makes faces at himself.
A man follows Joe. Joe sees a couple of newspapers with his dad on the cover. He pours his booze into the street, and throws the bottle in the trash.
The stalker calls Winstone and says Joe might be turning over a new leaf.
Tobin’s doctor comes to visit him. Tobin says he’s ready. The doctor hands him something.
Tobin puts a few drops of something into his tea. He pulls out a manila envelope and sets it on the desk. He drinks the tea.
Ellen goes to see Patty at her apartment. They talk about each other’s families. Viciously. Ellen asks about the Tobin case.
Patty says she just wants Ellen’s company. Ellen needs to “let go of work.”
At his home, Tobin is dead. Joe picks up the manila envelope, and pulls something out of it.
Five Months Later: The detective tells Patty to stay available for the next few days. She says that Tom was like family.
At some point around the same time frame: Patty has a phone call where she says, “I told you to stop!”
And one other thought: With this episode, we’re just about a third of the way through what will probably be the final season of the show. What’re your thoughts? Liking it? Hoping it goes another season? Just hoping this one has a solid ending?
Episode 4
Damages Season 3, Ep 4 at The Onion AV Club
In our opening moments, we get a shot of Danielle lying in her hospital bed. We then move to Patty and Tom, who talk about her status: In another 15 minutes, she would have been dead, the cops believe that Joe was taking her to the hospital, and she won’t be able to talk to Patty and Tom for a week.
Which is too late.
Five Months Later: The detectives talk about the fact that Tom drowned. Patty doesn’t know that Tom is dead, even though it was his car that hit her car. So they decide to tell her Tom is dead.
Now: Ellen is at work. Patty walks through, and she asks a co-worker why Patty is there. The co-worker fills her in.
Patty talks to Ellen’s boss. She wants a week to use Danielle against Tobin. She gets a day to talk to Tobin about Danielle.
Winstone talks to Joe in a park. He reminds Joe that Tobin is getting sentenced this week. Then he’s going to prison and never coming out again. Joe doesn’t want to talk to Tobin, even though Tobin wants to talk to Joe. Joe confirms that the money is still coming at a later time, and says he doesn’t need anything else from Tobin.
Winstone also asks if Joe needs to get back into rehab. Joe says he’s fine.
Ellen talks to her sister, Carrie, about the check Ellen wrote her. She cancelled it. She confronts Carrie about the drugs, and Carrie says they must belong to her ex. Carrie gets mad and leaves.
Tobin, the doctor, and Winstone talk. The doc says Danielle is going to be fine, then leaves. Tobin asks if Joe is drinking again, and Winstone avoids the topic. Tobin thinks they need to make alternate arrangements.
Winstone talks to a woman about Joe, and how he used to vanish for weeks during his drinking days. The woman says her people will follow Joe, and gives Winstone an untraceable cell phone to call her in the future.
Michael and Patty meet for lunch. She wanted him to know about the divorce. He already knew, Phil told him. Phil helped him get a job, working in stocks, on an entry level. Patty is quite clearly shocked, though she plays it close to the vest.
Michael also says that he and Jill are over now. Michael pays the bill.
Five Months Later: The detective tells Patty that Tom is dead. She wants to know what happened. So does the detective. She says the last time she talked to Tom, something was “wrong.”
Now: Winstone tells Tobin that Patty wants to talk to him. He also tells Tobin there’s “no real news” on Joe. Tobin decides to talk to Patty, just to get another day of freedom.
At Michael’s apartment, we learn that everything Michael told Patty was a lie. He has no job, he’s trying to paint, Jill is supporting them, and she’s pregnant.
Ellen’s boss tells Ellen that he wants her to sit in on the Tobin interview. Ellen says okay.
Joe talks to his wife, and tells her about Danielle. He says “there’s a way out of this.”
Joe has dinner with his wife. He tells her Joe is drinking again. She says he started drinking because of Tobin not paying attention to him.
Joe talks to his son, Kevin. They talk Tobin.
The dudes spying on Joe report to Winstone that Joe hasn’t been drinking.
Ellen and Ellen’s boss, Gates, go to Tobin’s interview. With Patty, and Tom, and Tobin. Tobin says he called Danielle on Thanksgiving night. He says Danielle was a pathetic old man’s indiscretion.
He tells a story wherein he calls Danielle on Thanksgiving to tell her to bring his heart pills.
He also says he tried to ship her out of the country to avoid bringing any more shame to his family.
Patty pokes and prods with mean words to find out where the hidden money is. Tobin says there is none. Then the interview ends.
Gates and Ellen talk. Ellen knows Patty was looking for a weak link, and that Danielle is it. She tells Gates to let Patty take the lead, because Patty will get something out of Danielle.
Joe’s stalkers call Winstone and say Joe is in the city and drinking. Winstone tells Tobin. Tobin says, “I’ve made my decision.”
Five Months Later: The detective grills Patty about Tom and the Tobin case. She relates a harried phone conversation she had with him.
After the talk with Patty, Tom answers a knock at his door. We don’t get to see who’s there.
Now: Tobin calls Patty at home. And he tells her that Joe didn’t want to see him on his last night of freedom. And some other things, though it doesn’t appear to be important.
In the city, Joe walks down the street and buys some booze in a liquor store.
Winstone also walks down a street, then sees himself on a display of TVs in a window. He looks at himself. He makes faces at himself.
A man follows Joe. Joe sees a couple of newspapers with his dad on the cover. He pours his booze into the street, and throws the bottle in the trash.
The stalker calls Winstone and says Joe might be turning over a new leaf.
Tobin’s doctor comes to visit him. Tobin says he’s ready. The doctor hands him something.
Tobin puts a few drops of something into his tea. He pulls out a manila envelope and sets it on the desk. He drinks the tea.
Ellen goes to see Patty at her apartment. They talk about each other’s families. Viciously. Ellen asks about the Tobin case.
Patty says she just wants Ellen’s company. Ellen needs to “let go of work.”
At his home, Tobin is dead. Joe picks up the manila envelope, and pulls something out of it.
Five Months Later: The detective tells Patty to stay available for the next few days. She says that Tom was like family.
At some point around the same time frame: Patty has a phone call where she says, “I told you to stop!”
Because You’ve Always Felt You had the Great American [Blank] Inside You…
If you’ve always wanted to write a movie, or a play, or a comic book, but didn’t want to put a bunch of money into special writing software… you’ll love this place:
Celtx
What is it? Well, they call it an all-in-one media pre-production system, but really, it’s a place to start writing down those ideas you’ve always had.
So hit Download, grab yourself a copy, and streeetch out that imagination of yours.
Celtx
What is it? Well, they call it an all-in-one media pre-production system, but really, it’s a place to start writing down those ideas you’ve always had.
So hit Download, grab yourself a copy, and streeetch out that imagination of yours.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Cold Case: Bombers
I had two strong thoughts about “Bombers” in general, outside of the plot.
Well, okay, I had three.
First: Wow, was this ever a continuity-heavy episode. For a show that really allows you to catch it from week to week without too much digging into the past, present, and future of the show, this one had an impressive number of plotlines that didn’t rotate around the center mystery. For the first time, I had to scramble around online, looking for information about the other characters.
I’m not saying it’s a bad thing. I love continuity, and adore characters that grow and change. But after two episodes of A plot and minor B plot, this episode just had a lot going on.
Including, as it turns out, the implication that that the main character on “Cold Case” might have done something very, very bad.
Second: I’d love to sit in the writer’s room at the start of each season of “Case,” as they struggle to come up with ideas that haven’t been done before. At first blush, the idea of graffiti tagging seems like a bit of a reach, but it was such an interesting choice for a story universe that I kind of wished it had been a two-parter.
Third: I can’t tell you how happy I was to see Rick Gonzalez taking the role of Tut. If you’ve never seen him before, he did hilarious work as the character of Ben on the TV show “Reaper.” To my mind, “Reaper” was a show that never quite found its footing, but Rick made the show worth watching most of the time.
As for this episode? Well, with all the subplots going on at once, it almost felt a little short to me. The last couple of episodes, we’ve had… what, four or five suspects? This time, we wound up with three, and I honestly felt like it could have used at least one extra twist.
(I think this is mostly because the killer just seemed way, way too obvious to me. And since I’m generally bad at sussing out mysteries, I figured it had to be really easy for other people. Your mileage may vary.)
I will say, however, that I’m very interested to see where the subplots end up. There are at least two major subplots to resolve before the end of the season, and I’m terribly curious to see where they both go. And perhaps the most important thing this week wasn’t “Whodunnit?” but, “I bet you’re going to come back to find out what the implications of that final short are.”
Well, okay, I had three.
First: Wow, was this ever a continuity-heavy episode. For a show that really allows you to catch it from week to week without too much digging into the past, present, and future of the show, this one had an impressive number of plotlines that didn’t rotate around the center mystery. For the first time, I had to scramble around online, looking for information about the other characters.
I’m not saying it’s a bad thing. I love continuity, and adore characters that grow and change. But after two episodes of A plot and minor B plot, this episode just had a lot going on.
Including, as it turns out, the implication that that the main character on “Cold Case” might have done something very, very bad.
Second: I’d love to sit in the writer’s room at the start of each season of “Case,” as they struggle to come up with ideas that haven’t been done before. At first blush, the idea of graffiti tagging seems like a bit of a reach, but it was such an interesting choice for a story universe that I kind of wished it had been a two-parter.
Third: I can’t tell you how happy I was to see Rick Gonzalez taking the role of Tut. If you’ve never seen him before, he did hilarious work as the character of Ben on the TV show “Reaper.” To my mind, “Reaper” was a show that never quite found its footing, but Rick made the show worth watching most of the time.
As for this episode? Well, with all the subplots going on at once, it almost felt a little short to me. The last couple of episodes, we’ve had… what, four or five suspects? This time, we wound up with three, and I honestly felt like it could have used at least one extra twist.
(I think this is mostly because the killer just seemed way, way too obvious to me. And since I’m generally bad at sussing out mysteries, I figured it had to be really easy for other people. Your mileage may vary.)
I will say, however, that I’m very interested to see where the subplots end up. There are at least two major subplots to resolve before the end of the season, and I’m terribly curious to see where they both go. And perhaps the most important thing this week wasn’t “Whodunnit?” but, “I bet you’re going to come back to find out what the implications of that final short are.”
For When You’re Tired of the Internet
Had your fill of the ‘net? Ready to call it a day on the World Wide Web?
Prepared to exit the Information Superhighway?
Click here!
And Stay UnConnected.
Prepared to exit the Information Superhighway?
Click here!
And Stay UnConnected.
Friday, February 12, 2010
Follow the Olympic Torch
It’s just a click away: The Torch
And don’t forget to check out the opening ceremonies on NBCOlympics.com.
And don’t forget to check out the opening ceremonies on NBCOlympics.com.
Impress Your Valentine’s Day Date
Check out the fascinating origins of Valentine’s Day and its many accoutrements… including those little hearts with the sayings on them. (Did you know you can submit phrases for those things? And that they’ve been around since Lincoln was president?)
Who Knew: Valentine’s Day
Online Bonus: More Valentine’s Day!
Who Knew: Valentine’s Day
Online Bonus: More Valentine’s Day!
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Celebrity Replay: Summer Glau
On the delight! web site, we keep a complete collection of our celebrity interviews online and available for perusal in our Celebrity Replay section.
In this wonderful little slice of history, Summer Glau has just wrapped up the first season of her Terminator TV show, and she talks about creating her character and what it takes to take on a movie franchise on the small screen.
Summer Glau in delight!
It’s a nice look at the work she’s done outside the worlds created by Joss Whedon – if you’re a fan of her work, you’ll definitely find it worth a look.
In this wonderful little slice of history, Summer Glau has just wrapped up the first season of her Terminator TV show, and she talks about creating her character and what it takes to take on a movie franchise on the small screen.
Summer Glau in delight!
It’s a nice look at the work she’s done outside the worlds created by Joss Whedon – if you’re a fan of her work, you’ll definitely find it worth a look.
You Wanna?
Without a doubt, SoYouWanna.com is one of my very favorite Web sites.
Why?
A quick story.
In 2002, I was planning on traveling to Australia to see the first movie I wrote projected on the big screen with the director, producer, and some of the stars.
The only problem was, I didn’t know anyone who had ever flown to Australia. So I booked my ticket, a couple of months went by, and then I found this site, which includes:
So You Wanna Plan a Trip to Australia?
(Note: The page I used back in the day now links to an ehow.com article. What can I say? Things change on the Internet.)
At any rate, I read through every page, and I discovered, to my shock, that a trip to Australia requires special paperwork. Paperwork I had not filed.
So I found the paperwork, filled it out, and had a safe and happy and uninterrupted flight.
Since then, I’ve gone back in search of information on cheap flights, used cars, and even learned a thing or two about becoming a paparazzi.
If you’re looking for interesting information, or just plain love to learn things, this site will keep you busy for weeks.
Why?
A quick story.
In 2002, I was planning on traveling to Australia to see the first movie I wrote projected on the big screen with the director, producer, and some of the stars.
The only problem was, I didn’t know anyone who had ever flown to Australia. So I booked my ticket, a couple of months went by, and then I found this site, which includes:
So You Wanna Plan a Trip to Australia?
(Note: The page I used back in the day now links to an ehow.com article. What can I say? Things change on the Internet.)
At any rate, I read through every page, and I discovered, to my shock, that a trip to Australia requires special paperwork. Paperwork I had not filed.
So I found the paperwork, filled it out, and had a safe and happy and uninterrupted flight.
Since then, I’ve gone back in search of information on cheap flights, used cars, and even learned a thing or two about becoming a paparazzi.
If you’re looking for interesting information, or just plain love to learn things, this site will keep you busy for weeks.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Where’s Cesar?
Can’t get enough Cesar Millan? Hop online and learn more about Cesar, his work, and his foundation:
Cesar’s Facebook Page: Info about Cesar, and daily thoughts on dogs.
Cesar’s Twitter: Daily thoughts on dogs.
Cesar’s UK Tour: Cesar is headed to the land of fish and chips… and dogs.
Daddy’s Facebook Page: Become a fan of Daddy, Cesar’s number one pup. Read his story online at delight!
The Cesar and Ilusion Millan Foundation: Their mission - To create and deliver community humane education programs and promote animal welfare by supporting the rescue, rehabilitation, and rehoming of abused and abandoned dogs.
Cesar’s Way – A Web site that covers just about everything Cesar, including this list of Frequently Asked Questions. (On being bitten: “It comes with the job!”)
Cesar’s YouTube Channel: Snippets of episodes of The Dog Whisperer – and more!
The Dog Whisperer on the National Geographic Site
Cesar’s Facebook Page: Info about Cesar, and daily thoughts on dogs.
Cesar’s Twitter: Daily thoughts on dogs.
Cesar’s UK Tour: Cesar is headed to the land of fish and chips… and dogs.
Daddy’s Facebook Page: Become a fan of Daddy, Cesar’s number one pup. Read his story online at delight!
The Cesar and Ilusion Millan Foundation: Their mission - To create and deliver community humane education programs and promote animal welfare by supporting the rescue, rehabilitation, and rehoming of abused and abandoned dogs.
Cesar’s Way – A Web site that covers just about everything Cesar, including this list of Frequently Asked Questions. (On being bitten: “It comes with the job!”)
Cesar’s YouTube Channel: Snippets of episodes of The Dog Whisperer – and more!
The Dog Whisperer on the National Geographic Site
Get Yourself $250
How? Easy!
First, read the online version of delight! magazine. Then, click the link below to take a short survey. You could win a $250 gift card.
$250 Shopping Spree Gift Card
Filling out this short surveys not only gives you a chance to win, it gives us a chance to learn what kind of TV shows and Web sites you love – and helps us to plan future issues around reader favorites.
First, read the online version of delight! magazine. Then, click the link below to take a short survey. You could win a $250 gift card.
$250 Shopping Spree Gift Card
Filling out this short surveys not only gives you a chance to win, it gives us a chance to learn what kind of TV shows and Web sites you love – and helps us to plan future issues around reader favorites.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Damages Season 3, Episode 3
Before we get into what’s happening this week with Patty and Crew, let’s talk a little bit about the show itself.
It’s the ratings. They aren’t good.
At this point, I’m not sure if anything can be done about that, and more to the point, I’m not sure that FX is going to try. If you look around, you’ll see that while Season 1 of Damages is on Hulu, season 2 isn’t. The DVD set of season 2 came out a mere week before the new series hit, which probably wasn’t enough time for the curious to catch up and follow along.
And then there’s a slight feeling of, “We have to let people on the bus!” with this season.
One of the things I really loved about season 2 was its sense of scope. It had a big story going on, yes, but it also carried the story of season 1 with it, along with all the shading and surprises and things that still needed to be revealed.
The only problem was, it wasn’t a good on-ramp for people who didn’t already know the show.
And so the ratings slipped, and I’m guessing someone, somewhere, said, “We need to right this ship!”
Which leads us to season 3. A season that mostly just forgets about everything that came before. Yeah, we’ve got the divorce story as a carryover from last season, but it doesn’t really require any prior knowledge to understand what happened. Phil cheated, and now they’re in court.
There’s still quite a bit of season left to go, so things might yet change… but I kind of doubt it. So for better or worse, we’ve got Ellen and Patty in different offices, and maybe a little something with Tom.
I’m not saying I’m not liking it. I am. But I miss all that could have been. Especially the Wes angle. Something really interesting could have happened there…
(Please, leave a comment if you’ve got thoughts of your own. I’d love to hear ‘em.)
Episode 3
Season 3, Episode Three on The Onion AV Club
We pick right up from last week, with Joe hitting Danielle. He goes to call 911, only a driver shows up to take Danielle to the airport. International flight. Joe explains that the flight was “for him” and that someone was supposed to cancel it.
The driver leaves, Joe opts NOT to call 911, and takes the body into the house.
Credits!
Patty and Tom talk about trying to find Danielle before she leaves the country.
Ellen tells a coworker that she’s having dinner with her parents, her sister, and her new niece. But not her sister’s husband.
Winstone goes on a date with Tobin’s wife’s hairdresser. First, he’s concerned that the flight getting Danielle out of the country has been delayed. Then he gets a call from Joe.
Ellen and Patty bump into each other outside of Ellen’s work. Patty thanks Ellen for the name. Ellen says she has to get to her dinner.
Tom calls his wife and says he’s sorry he’s running late for dinner/telling his in-laws they lost all their money. He’s trying to track down Danielle.
At Danielle’s house, Danielle wakes up. She’s not dead. She asks what time it is. Joe asks if she has someplace to be. Winstone shows up, and he and Joe decide to send Danielle out of the country.
Patty talks to Ellen’s boss, and gives him Danielle’s name. He says he can’t detain her without cause.
At Ellen’s dinner, Ellen holds her niece. Ellen’s sister asks about Wes. They broke up “a few months back.”
Turns out Ellen’s sister’s husband isn’t there because he’s “bowling.”
Tom and Patty talk about the fact that they still haven’t found Danielle.
Danielle, Winstone and Joe talk about the whole “leaving the country” thing. She says she needs a doctor. If he says she’s all right, she’ll leave.
Joe goes out to his car and has some booze. So he gets to see Tom come up to Danielle’s door, knock, and then go hunting around the outside of the house looking for her. Tom spots a broken taillight on Joe’s car, and goes to write down the license plate number.
An elderly neighbor asks if Tom needs help, and confirms that Danielle lives in the house.
Tom calls Patty and leaves a message that he can’t find Danielle, and he heads to his dinner.
And then here comes the elderly neighbor. Turns out he’s the doctor who is going to check out Danielle.
The doctor says she probably has a concussion, and possibly a broken rib. The doctor says she can fly, unless she slurs her speech or gets more nauseous.
Patty brings in her bald-headed dude.
Patty calls Winstone and says she knows about Danielle. Patty threatens to release information about Danielle to the press.
Elsewhere in the house, Danielle calls “someone” on the phone and leaves a message.
At the DA’s office, the guy who interviewed Danielle about the Tobin case now has a voice mail.
At Ellen’s dinner, her sister is crying and mom is comforting while Ellen dries the dishes.
Joe and Danielle talk. She was actually seeing Joe at one point. A year before Joe went to rehab, Danielle started an affair with Tobin. There’s more talk, but it’s deliberately vague.
Winstone goes to see Patty. She hands him a press release. He says he doesn’t know who Danielle is. They verbally spar.
Joe calls the doctor. Her nose is bleeding and she’s slurring her words. The doctor tells Joe that if Danielle gets on a plane, she’ll die.
Danielle’s phone rings. It’s Chris, from the DA’s office. Joe hangs up.
Ellen’s boss is not pleased.
Danielle asks what the doctor said, and Joe says it’s nothing to worry about.
Tom finally gets to dinner with his in-laws and wife. He looks at the water glasses, and goes to make a call. He remembers he saw a water glass, and realizes that Danielle and Company were still in the house.
Ellen asks her sister what’s going on with her husband. He left her, three weeks earlier, and she’s getting money from mom and dad. And also, she’s moving back in with mom and dad. Dad doesn’t know yet.
Ellen’s sister asks Ellen to stay, so they can tell dad together.
Joe drives Danielle to the airport. She’s having some serious mental slips.
Tom tells his in-laws what happened to all their money.
At Ellen’s parent’s house, Ellen’s sister gets chewed out by dad for being a slob. Ellen decides to stay the night.
Joe calls Winstone and says he’s ten minutes from the airport.
Patty calls Ellen’s boss and says they have cause to arrest Joe and Danielle. He’s driving with a broken taillight.
A cop pulls Joe over. Joe said he was going to the hospital. The cop calls for an ambulance.
Patty goes to the airport and talks to Winstone. Winstone says he doesn’t know who Danielle is. Patty says that she now knows for sure that Winstone is helping Tobin hide something.
Ellen heads upstairs to locate something to sleep in, and discovers a crack pipe. And crack. She goes back downstairs, where everyone is watching home movies.
Ellen calls Patty and asks if Patty found her witness.
Hey! No flashbacks or flash-forwards! Interesting.
It’s the ratings. They aren’t good.
At this point, I’m not sure if anything can be done about that, and more to the point, I’m not sure that FX is going to try. If you look around, you’ll see that while Season 1 of Damages is on Hulu, season 2 isn’t. The DVD set of season 2 came out a mere week before the new series hit, which probably wasn’t enough time for the curious to catch up and follow along.
And then there’s a slight feeling of, “We have to let people on the bus!” with this season.
One of the things I really loved about season 2 was its sense of scope. It had a big story going on, yes, but it also carried the story of season 1 with it, along with all the shading and surprises and things that still needed to be revealed.
The only problem was, it wasn’t a good on-ramp for people who didn’t already know the show.
And so the ratings slipped, and I’m guessing someone, somewhere, said, “We need to right this ship!”
Which leads us to season 3. A season that mostly just forgets about everything that came before. Yeah, we’ve got the divorce story as a carryover from last season, but it doesn’t really require any prior knowledge to understand what happened. Phil cheated, and now they’re in court.
There’s still quite a bit of season left to go, so things might yet change… but I kind of doubt it. So for better or worse, we’ve got Ellen and Patty in different offices, and maybe a little something with Tom.
I’m not saying I’m not liking it. I am. But I miss all that could have been. Especially the Wes angle. Something really interesting could have happened there…
(Please, leave a comment if you’ve got thoughts of your own. I’d love to hear ‘em.)
Episode 3
Season 3, Episode Three on The Onion AV Club
We pick right up from last week, with Joe hitting Danielle. He goes to call 911, only a driver shows up to take Danielle to the airport. International flight. Joe explains that the flight was “for him” and that someone was supposed to cancel it.
The driver leaves, Joe opts NOT to call 911, and takes the body into the house.
Credits!
Patty and Tom talk about trying to find Danielle before she leaves the country.
Ellen tells a coworker that she’s having dinner with her parents, her sister, and her new niece. But not her sister’s husband.
Winstone goes on a date with Tobin’s wife’s hairdresser. First, he’s concerned that the flight getting Danielle out of the country has been delayed. Then he gets a call from Joe.
Ellen and Patty bump into each other outside of Ellen’s work. Patty thanks Ellen for the name. Ellen says she has to get to her dinner.
Tom calls his wife and says he’s sorry he’s running late for dinner/telling his in-laws they lost all their money. He’s trying to track down Danielle.
At Danielle’s house, Danielle wakes up. She’s not dead. She asks what time it is. Joe asks if she has someplace to be. Winstone shows up, and he and Joe decide to send Danielle out of the country.
Patty talks to Ellen’s boss, and gives him Danielle’s name. He says he can’t detain her without cause.
At Ellen’s dinner, Ellen holds her niece. Ellen’s sister asks about Wes. They broke up “a few months back.”
Turns out Ellen’s sister’s husband isn’t there because he’s “bowling.”
Tom and Patty talk about the fact that they still haven’t found Danielle.
Danielle, Winstone and Joe talk about the whole “leaving the country” thing. She says she needs a doctor. If he says she’s all right, she’ll leave.
Joe goes out to his car and has some booze. So he gets to see Tom come up to Danielle’s door, knock, and then go hunting around the outside of the house looking for her. Tom spots a broken taillight on Joe’s car, and goes to write down the license plate number.
An elderly neighbor asks if Tom needs help, and confirms that Danielle lives in the house.
Tom calls Patty and leaves a message that he can’t find Danielle, and he heads to his dinner.
And then here comes the elderly neighbor. Turns out he’s the doctor who is going to check out Danielle.
The doctor says she probably has a concussion, and possibly a broken rib. The doctor says she can fly, unless she slurs her speech or gets more nauseous.
Patty brings in her bald-headed dude.
Patty calls Winstone and says she knows about Danielle. Patty threatens to release information about Danielle to the press.
Elsewhere in the house, Danielle calls “someone” on the phone and leaves a message.
At the DA’s office, the guy who interviewed Danielle about the Tobin case now has a voice mail.
At Ellen’s dinner, her sister is crying and mom is comforting while Ellen dries the dishes.
Joe and Danielle talk. She was actually seeing Joe at one point. A year before Joe went to rehab, Danielle started an affair with Tobin. There’s more talk, but it’s deliberately vague.
Winstone goes to see Patty. She hands him a press release. He says he doesn’t know who Danielle is. They verbally spar.
Joe calls the doctor. Her nose is bleeding and she’s slurring her words. The doctor tells Joe that if Danielle gets on a plane, she’ll die.
Danielle’s phone rings. It’s Chris, from the DA’s office. Joe hangs up.
Ellen’s boss is not pleased.
Danielle asks what the doctor said, and Joe says it’s nothing to worry about.
Tom finally gets to dinner with his in-laws and wife. He looks at the water glasses, and goes to make a call. He remembers he saw a water glass, and realizes that Danielle and Company were still in the house.
Ellen asks her sister what’s going on with her husband. He left her, three weeks earlier, and she’s getting money from mom and dad. And also, she’s moving back in with mom and dad. Dad doesn’t know yet.
Ellen’s sister asks Ellen to stay, so they can tell dad together.
Joe drives Danielle to the airport. She’s having some serious mental slips.
Tom tells his in-laws what happened to all their money.
At Ellen’s parent’s house, Ellen’s sister gets chewed out by dad for being a slob. Ellen decides to stay the night.
Joe calls Winstone and says he’s ten minutes from the airport.
Patty calls Ellen’s boss and says they have cause to arrest Joe and Danielle. He’s driving with a broken taillight.
A cop pulls Joe over. Joe said he was going to the hospital. The cop calls for an ambulance.
Patty goes to the airport and talks to Winstone. Winstone says he doesn’t know who Danielle is. Patty says that she now knows for sure that Winstone is helping Tobin hide something.
Ellen heads upstairs to locate something to sleep in, and discovers a crack pipe. And crack. She goes back downstairs, where everyone is watching home movies.
Ellen calls Patty and asks if Patty found her witness.
Hey! No flashbacks or flash-forwards! Interesting.
You’re Doing It All Wrong! Making Mashed Potatoes
The more time I spend at CHOW, the more I kind of love the place.
Here’s one in a series of You’re Doing It All Wrong! This one shows you how to make perfect mashed potatoes:
Here’s one in a series of You’re Doing It All Wrong! This one shows you how to make perfect mashed potatoes:
Monday, February 8, 2010
The Dog Whisperer: Emily and Nicky
One of the great things about shows on channels like National Geographic is that they know when they have a hit, and they run with it.
Currently on Friday nights, they’re running up to two hours worth of “The Dog Whisperer,” and they’ve even gone so far as to stick two early half-hour episodes together to make a full hour.
In this case, the episode(s) in question followed two different dogs, Emily and Nicky, who both showed aggression towards other dogs. Both were also in Millan’s “Red Zone,” – which is the point at which a dog “wants to kill another dog.”
I can see why these two stories were put together thematically, as they both emphasized some of the same lessons, came to some of the same conclusions, and followed similar story arcs. To wit.
First, we met the dogs. Both were aggressive towards other dogs, and in the Red Zone.
In both cases, Millan suggested a stay at his dog psychology center, in order to integrate the dogs with other dogs.
In both cases, things seemed pretty much okay when Millan was walking the dogs around, but they tended to fall apart when the original owners took hold of the dog’s leash.
And finally, after their stay, both dogs seemed much less aggressive, and the owners had a tearful moment as their dog came back.
But here’s what I learned:
Owners need to remember to be calm and assertive.
Dogs, in their turn, must learn to be calm and submissive.
Owners, in general, need to make sure their dog learns to integrate with other dogs as soon as possible.
What have you learned from The Dog Whisperer?
Currently on Friday nights, they’re running up to two hours worth of “The Dog Whisperer,” and they’ve even gone so far as to stick two early half-hour episodes together to make a full hour.
In this case, the episode(s) in question followed two different dogs, Emily and Nicky, who both showed aggression towards other dogs. Both were also in Millan’s “Red Zone,” – which is the point at which a dog “wants to kill another dog.”
I can see why these two stories were put together thematically, as they both emphasized some of the same lessons, came to some of the same conclusions, and followed similar story arcs. To wit.
First, we met the dogs. Both were aggressive towards other dogs, and in the Red Zone.
In both cases, Millan suggested a stay at his dog psychology center, in order to integrate the dogs with other dogs.
In both cases, things seemed pretty much okay when Millan was walking the dogs around, but they tended to fall apart when the original owners took hold of the dog’s leash.
And finally, after their stay, both dogs seemed much less aggressive, and the owners had a tearful moment as their dog came back.
But here’s what I learned:
Owners need to remember to be calm and assertive.
Dogs, in their turn, must learn to be calm and submissive.
Owners, in general, need to make sure their dog learns to integrate with other dogs as soon as possible.
What have you learned from The Dog Whisperer?
Friday, February 5, 2010
Game: Square Meal
Find it at: http://www.nitrome.com/games/squaremeal/
You’ll love this game if: You always loved Pac-Man, but felt it needed a few more action options.
Distraction time: An hour or three.
Getting started: Click “Play.” Then click the 1P Game option. Grab fruit, pick up blocks, throw blocks at the monsters, eat the monsters. Simple!
Why it’s worth sharing: Silly, easy to play, and fun for the whole family.
You’ll love this game if: You always loved Pac-Man, but felt it needed a few more action options.
Distraction time: An hour or three.
Getting started: Click “Play.” Then click the 1P Game option. Grab fruit, pick up blocks, throw blocks at the monsters, eat the monsters. Simple!
Why it’s worth sharing: Silly, easy to play, and fun for the whole family.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Our 2010 Olympicks – and More!
If you haven’t taken a look at our 2010 Olympics coverage yet, you should check it out. In print and in our electronic edition, we’ve got coverage on Short Track Speed Skating and the Biathlon. Haven’t heard of them before?
Trust me, you’ll want to take a look.
Also in the magazine, we’ve got a taste of Vancouver, host of the 2010 Games.
Online, we’ve got a bonus feature: Skeleton. What is it? Take a click and find out.
And as long as you’re clicking around, take a look at a few other Olympics Web sites.
Start out with NBCOlympics.com, where they’ll tell you which channels to check out to see your favorite events. And trust me, you’ll want to bookmark that one… a lot of the events end up online.
Want some more information from the city that’s giving you the games? Take a look at Vancouver2010.com.
And to wrap up for today, practice your home-team rooting by yelling USA! USA! And click on over to TeamUSA.org.
Trust me, you’ll want to take a look.
Also in the magazine, we’ve got a taste of Vancouver, host of the 2010 Games.
Online, we’ve got a bonus feature: Skeleton. What is it? Take a click and find out.
And as long as you’re clicking around, take a look at a few other Olympics Web sites.
Start out with NBCOlympics.com, where they’ll tell you which channels to check out to see your favorite events. And trust me, you’ll want to bookmark that one… a lot of the events end up online.
Want some more information from the city that’s giving you the games? Take a look at Vancouver2010.com.
And to wrap up for today, practice your home-team rooting by yelling USA! USA! And click on over to TeamUSA.org.
What’s the Difference Between Catsup, Ketchup, and Catchup?
Admit it, you’ve always wanted to know.
You can find the answer to this and other nagging questions on CHOW, the site for people who love food. (Which is everyone, when you think about it.)
You can find the answer to this and other nagging questions on CHOW, the site for people who love food. (Which is everyone, when you think about it.)
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Damages Season 3, Episode 2
I have to say, I’m getting the feeling they decided to clean a few slates on this season. We’re into the second episode already, and with 2/13 of the season wrapped up, it seems obvious that they’re just going to let a lot of the storylines from last season vanish, never to return.
To wit: There’s been some mention of the people from the last case, but unlike Arthur in season 2, we’re not seeing any of those characters come back.
Also, with two episodes down, there’s been no reference to Wes, to reference to tracking down who killed David, and even Michael appears to be gone, with little chance he’ll return.
I get that having all those stories carry into this season makes it tough to pull in new viewers, but at the moment, I feel like I’m watching a show that used to juggle seven balls at once suddenly decide to juggle just one ball, and it isn’t as impressive.
Episode 2
Episode 2 on The Onion AV Club
As we begin, Joe is talking to Tobin, his dad, about the fact that the money is out there. “Enough for generations,” is what Tobin says. Joe says he could tell Patty about it and clear his name. Tobin says that Joe will have to choose between family or Patty.
Patty calls the cell phone that the Homeless Guy picked up. Patty gives Homeless Guy her name.
Six Months Later: The Detective talks to the Homeless Guy. He asks HG if he knows Tom, and presents him with a picture of the dead Tom.
Credits!
Now! Patty and Phil and their lawyers negotiate the terms of their divorce. Patty wants the apartment. Patty is harsh with Phil, and says she has nothing to hide. Phil says he wishes he could ask Ray about that. Negotiations break down.
Tom says he found someone who is willing to talk – the homeless guy.
Joe talks to Winstone. Winstone says he didn’t know about the money. And that Tobin is going to jail. Joe says he’s going to tell the truth, and get the money back for the investors. Then he gets a phone call from his wife. His apartment was just seized.
Tom takes the Homeless Guy to find out where HG got the cell phone. HG takes Tom to his special Dumpster, where he says he finds a lot of great stuff. It’s the same place they’re going to find Tom’s body, in about six months.
HG shows Tom some other stuff, and Tom tries to buy some boots. HG says he wants Tom’s watch.
At Ellen’s work, one of her co-workers hits on Ellen.
Joe meets with his wife. It seems they have 24 hours to get out of the apartment. She wants to take their kid to see her family, and get him out of the chaos.
Six Months Later: Homeless Guy looks at the picture of Tom, and says he was a good guy, and that they “helped” each other. HG is wearing Tom’s watch.
The Present! Patty and Tom talk. The boots belonged to Tobin. They were custom-made. Tobin also ordered a bunch of women’s clothing for someone with the initials D.M.M. That’s not his wife.
Later, Patty attempts to feed her dog, but the dog won’t eat.
Phil comes to visit Patty, and they talk about the dog. And a little about the apartment. But mostly about how the dog is depressed. Patty asks Phil to take care of the dog.
Elsewhere, Joe meets with a nice black man. It seems that Joe is in AA. He’s been missing meetings. After some vague discussion, the nice man tells Joe that if his family is the most important thing to Joe, then Joe should take care of them.
Tom meets with a guy named Roger. He asks about the initials D.M.M. Roger looks uncomfortable, and hands Tom a folder. Tom looks at it, and then tells Roger not to tell Patty about it.
It seems bad.
Six Months Later: The detectives talk about Tom being dead.
Now! Patty meets with Joe. Joe is angry that Patty has seized his home. Patty reminds him that the apartment was bought with dirty money. Joe offers information, but he wants his assets unfrozen.
Patty says she’s not here to make a deal.
Tom and Patty meet. Tom says that D.M.M. doesn’t mean anything that he can see.
Six Months Later: The detective presents Homeless Guy with Ellen’s “new” purse. And Ellen’s driver’s license. HG says they should be looking for Ellen. She and Tom had “a thing going on.”
Now! Tom and Ellen meet for coffee. He wants help with the Tobin case. Ellen says she can’t. Tom gives Ellen the D.M.M. initials. And says he’s not just asking as a friend.
Phil and his girlfriend play with the dog. She thinks Phil should demand the dog.
Joe and Tobin talk. Joe says he wants the money. He says from today on, Joe and Tobin don’t talk any more until the money is available. Joe also admits that he gave Patty the phone number.
Ellen meets with the flirty guy, and asks for help with the initials.
Six Months Later: Ellen finds out from Flirty Friend that Tom is dead.
Now: Patty brings Tom an envelope from the DA. They’ve got a name. Danielle.
Tom and Patty and Joe meet, and ask if Joe knows who Danielle is. Joe says: Nope.
Later that night, Ellen and Tom meet. They talk about the “file” Tom had earlier. Tom says Patty will pull him from the case.
Tom goes to his wife: They’ve lost everything. They were invested in Tobin, through a feeder company. So was pretty much Tom’s entire family.
Six Months Later: Ellen goes to see Tom’s wife. Ellen asks, “Who else knew about Tom and me?”
Now! Phil brings the dog back to Patty. Patty found some liquor they were saving for when Michael got into college. They debate what to do with it.
Joe talks to Tobin again, about Danielle. Joe wants to know where Danielle is. Danielle is staying at Joe’s sister’s old place. And she knows “nothing” about the money.
Tobin talks to Winstone. Tobin wants Danielle out of the country.
Phil and Patty drink. And argue. And flirt a little bit. Phil says Patty can have the apartment. And he wants one more thing: Another shot with Patty. Patty says she doesn’t need or want Phil any more.
Joe does some drinking and goes to see Danielle. He wants to know what happened. Danielle threatens to call the police, and Joe leaves. Did I mention he’s been drinking?
Patty and Tom talk: Danielle got an expedited passport. They need to get her soon.
Back at Danielle’s house, Joe gets ready to drive away. Danielle sees that her cat has escaped and runs out to get it. Joe puts the car in reverse, hits the gas, and smacks into Danielle. He gets out of his car and looks at her.
Six Months Later: The detective meets with Homeless Guy. Tom has three wounds. No word on the weapon yet. But none of the wounds were fatal. Tom drowned.
To wit: There’s been some mention of the people from the last case, but unlike Arthur in season 2, we’re not seeing any of those characters come back.
Also, with two episodes down, there’s been no reference to Wes, to reference to tracking down who killed David, and even Michael appears to be gone, with little chance he’ll return.
I get that having all those stories carry into this season makes it tough to pull in new viewers, but at the moment, I feel like I’m watching a show that used to juggle seven balls at once suddenly decide to juggle just one ball, and it isn’t as impressive.
Episode 2
Episode 2 on The Onion AV Club
As we begin, Joe is talking to Tobin, his dad, about the fact that the money is out there. “Enough for generations,” is what Tobin says. Joe says he could tell Patty about it and clear his name. Tobin says that Joe will have to choose between family or Patty.
Patty calls the cell phone that the Homeless Guy picked up. Patty gives Homeless Guy her name.
Six Months Later: The Detective talks to the Homeless Guy. He asks HG if he knows Tom, and presents him with a picture of the dead Tom.
Credits!
Now! Patty and Phil and their lawyers negotiate the terms of their divorce. Patty wants the apartment. Patty is harsh with Phil, and says she has nothing to hide. Phil says he wishes he could ask Ray about that. Negotiations break down.
Tom says he found someone who is willing to talk – the homeless guy.
Joe talks to Winstone. Winstone says he didn’t know about the money. And that Tobin is going to jail. Joe says he’s going to tell the truth, and get the money back for the investors. Then he gets a phone call from his wife. His apartment was just seized.
Tom takes the Homeless Guy to find out where HG got the cell phone. HG takes Tom to his special Dumpster, where he says he finds a lot of great stuff. It’s the same place they’re going to find Tom’s body, in about six months.
HG shows Tom some other stuff, and Tom tries to buy some boots. HG says he wants Tom’s watch.
At Ellen’s work, one of her co-workers hits on Ellen.
Joe meets with his wife. It seems they have 24 hours to get out of the apartment. She wants to take their kid to see her family, and get him out of the chaos.
Six Months Later: Homeless Guy looks at the picture of Tom, and says he was a good guy, and that they “helped” each other. HG is wearing Tom’s watch.
The Present! Patty and Tom talk. The boots belonged to Tobin. They were custom-made. Tobin also ordered a bunch of women’s clothing for someone with the initials D.M.M. That’s not his wife.
Later, Patty attempts to feed her dog, but the dog won’t eat.
Phil comes to visit Patty, and they talk about the dog. And a little about the apartment. But mostly about how the dog is depressed. Patty asks Phil to take care of the dog.
Elsewhere, Joe meets with a nice black man. It seems that Joe is in AA. He’s been missing meetings. After some vague discussion, the nice man tells Joe that if his family is the most important thing to Joe, then Joe should take care of them.
Tom meets with a guy named Roger. He asks about the initials D.M.M. Roger looks uncomfortable, and hands Tom a folder. Tom looks at it, and then tells Roger not to tell Patty about it.
It seems bad.
Six Months Later: The detectives talk about Tom being dead.
Now! Patty meets with Joe. Joe is angry that Patty has seized his home. Patty reminds him that the apartment was bought with dirty money. Joe offers information, but he wants his assets unfrozen.
Patty says she’s not here to make a deal.
Tom and Patty meet. Tom says that D.M.M. doesn’t mean anything that he can see.
Six Months Later: The detective presents Homeless Guy with Ellen’s “new” purse. And Ellen’s driver’s license. HG says they should be looking for Ellen. She and Tom had “a thing going on.”
Now! Tom and Ellen meet for coffee. He wants help with the Tobin case. Ellen says she can’t. Tom gives Ellen the D.M.M. initials. And says he’s not just asking as a friend.
Phil and his girlfriend play with the dog. She thinks Phil should demand the dog.
Joe and Tobin talk. Joe says he wants the money. He says from today on, Joe and Tobin don’t talk any more until the money is available. Joe also admits that he gave Patty the phone number.
Ellen meets with the flirty guy, and asks for help with the initials.
Six Months Later: Ellen finds out from Flirty Friend that Tom is dead.
Now: Patty brings Tom an envelope from the DA. They’ve got a name. Danielle.
Tom and Patty and Joe meet, and ask if Joe knows who Danielle is. Joe says: Nope.
Later that night, Ellen and Tom meet. They talk about the “file” Tom had earlier. Tom says Patty will pull him from the case.
Tom goes to his wife: They’ve lost everything. They were invested in Tobin, through a feeder company. So was pretty much Tom’s entire family.
Six Months Later: Ellen goes to see Tom’s wife. Ellen asks, “Who else knew about Tom and me?”
Now! Phil brings the dog back to Patty. Patty found some liquor they were saving for when Michael got into college. They debate what to do with it.
Joe talks to Tobin again, about Danielle. Joe wants to know where Danielle is. Danielle is staying at Joe’s sister’s old place. And she knows “nothing” about the money.
Tobin talks to Winstone. Tobin wants Danielle out of the country.
Phil and Patty drink. And argue. And flirt a little bit. Phil says Patty can have the apartment. And he wants one more thing: Another shot with Patty. Patty says she doesn’t need or want Phil any more.
Joe does some drinking and goes to see Danielle. He wants to know what happened. Danielle threatens to call the police, and Joe leaves. Did I mention he’s been drinking?
Patty and Tom talk: Danielle got an expedited passport. They need to get her soon.
Back at Danielle’s house, Joe gets ready to drive away. Danielle sees that her cat has escaped and runs out to get it. Joe puts the car in reverse, hits the gas, and smacks into Danielle. He gets out of his car and looks at her.
Six Months Later: The detective meets with Homeless Guy. Tom has three wounds. No word on the weapon yet. But none of the wounds were fatal. Tom drowned.
February Watch and Win Giveaway!
Watch a little TV and win a lot of cash with our Watch and Win content. To enter: click here
Then watch a short video clip, and click “Enter Now.” There are two chances to win! Enter now.
Then watch a short video clip, and click “Enter Now.” There are two chances to win! Enter now.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Happy “Lost” Day!
Kind of ironic that the final season of “Lost” begins during a month where a day frequently goes missing?
Since delight! magazine’s heading reads “Show & Sites Worth Sharing,” how can we not take a moment to acknowledge “Lost,” a show that encourages people to dive deep into it’s mythology?
So here are a few links that fans might have missed:
First, ABC’s Lost page. You might know it’s there already, but you might not know everything that’s available. Did you know there are full episodes available online? Why not have a little marathon of ‘sodes while waiting for the show to start tonight?
Second, a very long interview with the show’s producers.
Third, the 815 crash in real time. Where everyone was in the moments the flight was going down. It’s presented “24” style, so you don’t miss a single second.
Enjoy!
Since delight! magazine’s heading reads “Show & Sites Worth Sharing,” how can we not take a moment to acknowledge “Lost,” a show that encourages people to dive deep into it’s mythology?
So here are a few links that fans might have missed:
First, ABC’s Lost page. You might know it’s there already, but you might not know everything that’s available. Did you know there are full episodes available online? Why not have a little marathon of ‘sodes while waiting for the show to start tonight?
Second, a very long interview with the show’s producers.
Third, the 815 crash in real time. Where everyone was in the moments the flight was going down. It’s presented “24” style, so you don’t miss a single second.
Enjoy!
Monday, February 1, 2010
The Dog Whisperer: How to Raise the Perfect Dog
“How to Raise a Perfect Dog,” was, in my estimation, an interesting glimpse into Cesar Millan’s head.
(Also, I assume you knew that the title of the episode is also the title of his new book?)
I don’t know that it’s worth going into detail on the “plot” of the show, but even as a long-time dog owner (I literally had one in my home since the day I was born) I did learn a few things I thought were interesting.
In the episode, Millan is raising four puppies – a process that took several months to shoot, I’m sure, but which goes by in the usual Dog Whisperer hour. During that hour, I discovered:
When choosing puppies, Millan kept emphasizing that he wanted to select dogs with “medium energy,” as opposed to the most high-energy members of each litter. I must admit, after all of the “problem dogs” he’s worked with, this kind of felt like he was cheating a bit. Instead of proving how easily he can “fix” a tricky dog, he started with a major advantage.
Millan is very big on spaying and neutering, to the point where he got one of dogs fixed on the show. He stated he did it before doggy adolescence set it, which cuts down on bad behaviors and aggression. Which, again, felt like cheating.
The big lesson to take away from the episode was this: Give yourself every advantage when it comes to raising a dog.
Cesar Millan is very, very, very good at handling dogs. And yet, he still chooses to make the dog-raising process as easy as possible for himself.
If Millan, who knows so much more about dogs than I do, thinks it’s best to get a medium-energy dog, and get it fixed, who am I to argue?
And what say you, Millan-followers? What’s the most valuable thing you’ve learned from Millan?
(Also, I assume you knew that the title of the episode is also the title of his new book?)
I don’t know that it’s worth going into detail on the “plot” of the show, but even as a long-time dog owner (I literally had one in my home since the day I was born) I did learn a few things I thought were interesting.
In the episode, Millan is raising four puppies – a process that took several months to shoot, I’m sure, but which goes by in the usual Dog Whisperer hour. During that hour, I discovered:
When choosing puppies, Millan kept emphasizing that he wanted to select dogs with “medium energy,” as opposed to the most high-energy members of each litter. I must admit, after all of the “problem dogs” he’s worked with, this kind of felt like he was cheating a bit. Instead of proving how easily he can “fix” a tricky dog, he started with a major advantage.
Millan is very big on spaying and neutering, to the point where he got one of dogs fixed on the show. He stated he did it before doggy adolescence set it, which cuts down on bad behaviors and aggression. Which, again, felt like cheating.
The big lesson to take away from the episode was this: Give yourself every advantage when it comes to raising a dog.
Cesar Millan is very, very, very good at handling dogs. And yet, he still chooses to make the dog-raising process as easy as possible for himself.
If Millan, who knows so much more about dogs than I do, thinks it’s best to get a medium-energy dog, and get it fixed, who am I to argue?
And what say you, Millan-followers? What’s the most valuable thing you’ve learned from Millan?
Welcome to February!
Greetings to all our online (and offline) delight! fans! Be sure to check out our February issue, which covers:
The Upcoming Olympics
Ceasar Milan
Little-Known Facts About Valentine’s Day (Honestly now, haven’t you always wanted to know the story behind those little candy hearts?)
And of course, more shows and sites worth sharing.
The Upcoming Olympics
Ceasar Milan
Little-Known Facts About Valentine’s Day (Honestly now, haven’t you always wanted to know the story behind those little candy hearts?)
And of course, more shows and sites worth sharing.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
