Thought I’d go with a simple question today: What’s your favorite blog?
I’d say the one I follow most closely is www.newsfromme.com. The guy who writes it covers everything, from government to musicals to comic books to TV to CVS.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
The Neeew Fall Schedule:
It’s official – all the shows, new and old, have been slotted for the fall. Check it out.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Today's Question: Cancelled
So, the big five are putting out their list of what they're keeping and what they're killing this year.
I only lost one favorite show this year - "Dollhouse." "Never heard of it," you say? Yeah, that's why it was cancelled way back in the fall - with the final episodes running in January. It's all but forgotten now.
If you like smart sci-fi, I highly recommend picking up the first season on DVD.
How about you? What show are you sad to say bye-bye to this year?
I only lost one favorite show this year - "Dollhouse." "Never heard of it," you say? Yeah, that's why it was cancelled way back in the fall - with the final episodes running in January. It's all but forgotten now.
If you like smart sci-fi, I highly recommend picking up the first season on DVD.
How about you? What show are you sad to say bye-bye to this year?
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Today’s Question: Until the Bitter End
So, they finally cancelled “Heroes,” after one good season and three seasons that were, to critics and fans alike, something of a disappointment.
Strangely, I remember how I got into the show surprisingly well. I missed the premiere due to VCR problems, and was going to give the show a pass until the DVD came out.
Thursday of that week, I picked up an installed my very first DVR box. On Friday, they showed the first episode again on the Sci-Fi channel. I recorded that episode. Then I recorded the second episode.
I watched the first episode, and was thinking I might give up on the show, and then arrived at the last shot: The brother who doesn’t believe in super-powers flies.
I was in. Despite the late hour, I had to watch the second episode. Had to know what came next.
Of course, at the end of the second episode, they blew up New York.
I don’t know that the show ever got quite that awesome again, but there were a few great episodes in that first season: “Company Man” springs to mind, and the episode where they jumped five years in the future.
And even as the show lost viewers, and went downhill in quality, I stuck with it to the very last episode, and I even felt that old sense of “I wonder what comes next…” as the final episode unspooled.
(As an aside, if you were ever a fan of the show, I highly recommend the collected comics. There were some great stories in there.)
In many ways, I’m glad the show is over and I don’t have to tune in each week and feel underwhelmed yet again. But I still sort of want to know what would have happened next…
So how about you? What show did you stick with long after it stopped being all that enjoyable?
Strangely, I remember how I got into the show surprisingly well. I missed the premiere due to VCR problems, and was going to give the show a pass until the DVD came out.
Thursday of that week, I picked up an installed my very first DVR box. On Friday, they showed the first episode again on the Sci-Fi channel. I recorded that episode. Then I recorded the second episode.
I watched the first episode, and was thinking I might give up on the show, and then arrived at the last shot: The brother who doesn’t believe in super-powers flies.
I was in. Despite the late hour, I had to watch the second episode. Had to know what came next.
Of course, at the end of the second episode, they blew up New York.
I don’t know that the show ever got quite that awesome again, but there were a few great episodes in that first season: “Company Man” springs to mind, and the episode where they jumped five years in the future.
And even as the show lost viewers, and went downhill in quality, I stuck with it to the very last episode, and I even felt that old sense of “I wonder what comes next…” as the final episode unspooled.
(As an aside, if you were ever a fan of the show, I highly recommend the collected comics. There were some great stories in there.)
In many ways, I’m glad the show is over and I don’t have to tune in each week and feel underwhelmed yet again. But I still sort of want to know what would have happened next…
So how about you? What show did you stick with long after it stopped being all that enjoyable?
Monday, May 17, 2010
Today’s Question: Guilty Pleasures
Thinking about finales the other day reminded me of one of the most surprising. “Degrassi Junior High” ended with the school burning down.
Of course, the next year, everyone was back for “Degrassi High,” but I’m not sure people knew that at the time.
I started watching “Degrassi” a few years ago when the series was released on DVD, and review after review said, essentially, “This show is great, and still holds up.”
Does it? I think so, if you grew up in the 80s. My spouse and I flew through all five seasons of the show, and then decided, hey, why not see what’s up with the NEW show, “Degrassi: The Next Generation?”
The answer is, it starts out pretty well, dealing with the problems kids today face in pretty honest terms. Then, somewhere around year six, it got a liiittle more soap-opera-like, because frankly they were out of terrible things that could happen to teens.
But I (and my spouse) continue to watch it because we enjoy the characters.
So: What’s your guilty TV pleasure?
Of course, the next year, everyone was back for “Degrassi High,” but I’m not sure people knew that at the time.
I started watching “Degrassi” a few years ago when the series was released on DVD, and review after review said, essentially, “This show is great, and still holds up.”
Does it? I think so, if you grew up in the 80s. My spouse and I flew through all five seasons of the show, and then decided, hey, why not see what’s up with the NEW show, “Degrassi: The Next Generation?”
The answer is, it starts out pretty well, dealing with the problems kids today face in pretty honest terms. Then, somewhere around year six, it got a liiittle more soap-opera-like, because frankly they were out of terrible things that could happen to teens.
But I (and my spouse) continue to watch it because we enjoy the characters.
So: What’s your guilty TV pleasure?
Friday, May 14, 2010
Today’s Question: This Year’s Endings
It’s been a week of finale talks around here, so I thought I’d close out the theme today.
Saw the “Supernatural” finale last night. Liked it. Liked it a lot. But when it came to the end, I had to wonder if this was the finale they planned when they knew the show was ending, or if they changed it in any way to deal with the fact that there will be another season.
Either way, I enjoyed it greatly.
So today’s question: What’s your favorite season finale this year? (I realize some shows haven’t ended yet. Feel free to offer speculation.)
Saw the “Supernatural” finale last night. Liked it. Liked it a lot. But when it came to the end, I had to wonder if this was the finale they planned when they knew the show was ending, or if they changed it in any way to deal with the fact that there will be another season.
Either way, I enjoyed it greatly.
So today’s question: What’s your favorite season finale this year? (I realize some shows haven’t ended yet. Feel free to offer speculation.)
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Today's Question: Bing
I can still remember the first time I heard someone use the word Google as a verb on a TV show. It was “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” and Willow mentioned it – the idea of Googling someone.
Not long after, I started hearing people use the word Google as the default search engine word – as in, “Today, I auo-Googled my name, and learned that…”
But I’ve noticed, lately, that the word Google is being replaced by the word Bing. Oddly enough, it was also on a vampire-related show – “The Vampire Diaries.” One character said, to another, “Did you Bing him?”
I’ve used Bing a few times, but I have to confess that general laziness has kept me from using it all that often. I have a Google search bar on my web browser.
So I put it to you – what do you think of Bing? And I’m also curious – what do you think of their advertising? Has it convinced you to try it?
Not long after, I started hearing people use the word Google as the default search engine word – as in, “Today, I auo-Googled my name, and learned that…”
But I’ve noticed, lately, that the word Google is being replaced by the word Bing. Oddly enough, it was also on a vampire-related show – “The Vampire Diaries.” One character said, to another, “Did you Bing him?”
I’ve used Bing a few times, but I have to confess that general laziness has kept me from using it all that often. I have a Google search bar on my web browser.
So I put it to you – what do you think of Bing? And I’m also curious – what do you think of their advertising? Has it convinced you to try it?
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
A Bunch of Men Caught in a Bad Romance
What can I say? It’s sweeping the Internet, and it’s a lot of fun to boot:
Today’s Question: Best TV Series Finale
The other day, we did a discussion of the best ending to a TV series season.
So today, in light of the last few episodes of a lot of well-loved shows (most notably, “Lost”) what is your favorite end-of-TV-series episode, ever?
Offhand, I can think of two: I think that “Buffy, the Vampire Slayer” ended very, very strongly, though I wish the final episode could have been two hours long to hit a few more emotional moments.
But what an ending: The Big Bad is defeated, the town is in a hole, and there’s still work to do. Just a great ending.
(Honorable Mention: The end of “Newhart” was pure genius.)
So today, in light of the last few episodes of a lot of well-loved shows (most notably, “Lost”) what is your favorite end-of-TV-series episode, ever?
Offhand, I can think of two: I think that “Buffy, the Vampire Slayer” ended very, very strongly, though I wish the final episode could have been two hours long to hit a few more emotional moments.
But what an ending: The Big Bad is defeated, the town is in a hole, and there’s still work to do. Just a great ending.
(Honorable Mention: The end of “Newhart” was pure genius.)
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Setting Your Facebook Privacy with Al Franken
He’s a well-known funnyman, a winning politician, and now, he tells you how to protect your privacy on Facebook.
No, I am not jesting.
No, I am not jesting.
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