Category Archives: tv
TV: The Generation Maker
My parents (AND THOSE BEFORE THEM) lived in a time where things were still “mysterious.” By that, I mean they couldn’t GOOGLE the mysterious and exciting sounding Bedazzeler and become instantly downhearted like my generation can. Their information came from books, magazines, newspapers, and TV. If it wasn’t on TV, many current topics weren’t heard about until the newspaper came out or someone said something about it a few days after. HOW BORING!!!
However, they saw epic things on TV for the 1st time! The moon landing, JFK’s assination, Jack Ruby shooting Lee Harvey, the 1st color TV, Fred meeting Ether, the Vietnam war, and so on and so on…
My generation has seen some doozies as well! Here is a list of some of the most amazing things that I have seen on TV so far in this life! ( in no particular order)
- Challenger Exploding
- Pres. Obama’s election
- 9/11
- Bill Clinton denying Monica’s BJ/Cigar Disappearing Act
- Red Sox winning the World Series
- Berlin Wall coming down
- Iran/Contra Hearings—> Ollie North’s Talk Show
- Boy George on the A-Team
- Pres. George Bush Jr. sitting perfectly still when informed about 9/11
- Video games go from Pong to PS3/XBox
- Saturday Morning Cartoons
- Michael Jackson’s hair catching on fire
- Will Ferrel on SNL
- Geraldo opening Al Capone’s Vault LIVE
- Madonna kissing Britney Spears
- MTV’s 1st 5 minutes of air time or “back when they played videos”
- Shrinky Dinks ( I still don’t know what those are)
- Jim Baker, Tammy Faye, and Jessica Hahn
- International Space Station
- “2 girls 1 cup” (*NOTE* If you don’t know what this is..DO NOT look it up. You have been warned.)
I can only wait with breathless anticipation over what is to come in the next few years.
The Tao of Russell
Few things make me as upset as seeing someone who “deserves” to win lose through no fault or mistake of their own. I am speaking in general terms of the results of Survivor: Heroes vs. Villians, a reality show on CBS. Russell Hantz, an oil company owner from Dayton, TX is arguably the greatest manipulator the show has ever seen. Like him or not- he plays the game within the rules and does what he needs to to accomplish his goals. He is the most hated player the show has ever seen, BY THE OTHER PLAYERS, which has cost him winning either of the two seasons he as been on. However it is also worth noting that he as won the “FAN FAVORITE” $100,000 award, which is voted on by the viewers, both times he has competed and reached the finale. What this shows me is that the people Russell manipulated and used to his own ends-WITHIN THE BOUNDARIES OF THE RULES- can never win because the other contestants can not look past their own disdain and anger toward him to see that he truly deserves to win based the thousands
Russell’s play and 2 second place finishes have made me realize something that I really think is important. In my mind he deserved to win, when looked at from a “game” perspective…however, he made people upset and made their lives miserable on his way to reaching the finale. That part of the “game” is not accounted for by Russell and ends up what eventually costs him the million dollars, because the people he moves like pawns and manipulates are the very ones that decide to give him the million dollars or not and they can not and will not over look his brashness, rudeness, and hubris and acknowledge his superior game play and manipulation techniques.
THAT IS THE LESSON DEAR FRIENDS
The Tao of Russell states: No matter your level of accomplishment, no matter your level of success, no matter your level of pride – when looked at and judged by other people, they will remember how you treated them and those around them proving that emotion will always out weigh logic in personal decisions.
Great post from http://wonkette.com
Fox News Needs To Mind Its Own Business
Hmm… how many hours are in the day, again? Whatever that number is plus two more hours, daily. We know that puberty is hard for you, Fox News, so feel free to pass on any more questions. YOU’RE NORMAL. IT’S A NATURAL PROCESS. [Buzzfeed via Fox News-loving operative “Ryan M.”]
Read more at Wonkette: http://wonkette.com/414008/fox-news-needs-to-mind-its-own-business#ixzz0hBG2eTOq
The Funniest Thing You Have Never Read
After all TV shows’ credits there are logos and things called vanity cards that are made by production companies that we rarely pay any attention to…if we see them at all. There is one you need to see…trust me on this…YOU REALLY NEED TO READ THIS.
In case you missed it
Here is a link to the entire transcription of the State of the Union Address:
Before you post anything on Facebook, Twitter, or any other site where you can type something and other people can read it OR talk about it openly in public-READ IT FOR YOUR SELF. Read the rest of this entry
…and the award for “Best Article Title This Morning” goes to…
Ho Sit Down: Bristol Palin Preaching Abstinence Now
Bristol Palin’s new goal is to not have any more pre-marital sex. Bristol took the Chasity oath on the Oprah Show Friday and says other women should do the same.
Sarah Palin’s daughter Bristol who has been raising her son Tripp by herself says she is vowing not to make the same mistake twice. Oprah asked Bristol if she thought she was setting herself up for failure, and Bristol replied no.
Sorry Bristol we don’t believe you, you need more people. SMH.
Follow @bossip on Twitter Right Now!!!
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When I saw this I had to show you, beloved reader. After seeing it, I had one huge question running through my mind:
Why take the “Chasity Oath” on Oprah’s show?
Shouldn’t that be a personal real moment for a person that normally wouldn’t be shared with a gazillion other strangers? I think its hilarious that Oprah asked if she really thought that a “Chasity Oath” was an obtainable goal. Does Bristol really think that we, the uncaring public, think she is a whore? I personally don’t think about her at all.
...children second.
Well, there is some good news. The Palin camp has finally figured out a way to make the “return to decency” plausible. Publicly embarrass the child who had sex before the church said it was o.k. and make her swear on TV to never do it again. Nothing says “Good Parenting” like public displays of shame masked by public decrees of “I’m Sorry” for the world to see. I can’t help but feel that Palin’s “handlers” advised the Gov., Presidential VP Candidate, Fox News contributor to use the girl as a pawn to win back some of the puritanical outliers in the right by having her make a decree of celibacy on national TV.
Well done Sarah, well done!
Full article bossip found here.
Pseudo-Reality Shows?
“Pseudo-Reality Show” is a term that I have had to create to class a television show that pretends to be a documentary of some sort as the vehicle that allows the camera to capture the “goings on” in the show itself. This hybrid docu-sitcom thing has made me realize something. I believe that that the veil should not be broken if you need believability in your show. “The Veil” that I am referring to is the barrier that allows the viewer to remain INVISIBLE and UNABLE to interact with the show itself. These newer shows not only pierce said veil they erase the damned thing all together when they have Big Brother diary like sessions that expound on actions and the hilarity of the show. Another thing that these Pseudo-Reality Shows do is look at the camera in a “Did you see that?” kind of way OR a “I am so embarassed” kind of way. Both of wich are very effective in getting me to “share” in the moment. It is a cheap way to get me to like/empathize with the character. If you don’t know what I mean, here is a senario:
(Fade In From Commercial)
(Lead in Music Fades out)
CHARACTER 1 is discussing a topic with CHARACTER 2.
CHARACTER 2 says something that stuns CHARACTER 1.
CHARACTER 2 walks away.
CHARACTER 1 look into camera and blinks.
That’s it.
Did you notice that there is no dialogue in the above example? “Why?” You ask. YOU DON’T NEED IT! The blink by CHARACTER1 and the direct acknowledgment with the look into the camera that YOU experienced that with CHARACTER 1 is all you and the show need to make you, the viewer, relate to the CHARACTER and thereby making you like it.
This seemingly innocent device of making the viewer a cast member does not work on shows where the writing and acting can carry the weight of the plot while building attachment from the audience. LOST will never have a character look into the camera and shrug as a means to say “Hey you in TV LAND, That was zany right?”
New shows to watch that are good who fit into the Pseudo-Reality Category:
Community
Modern Family
Parks and Recreation
Watch em and see what ya think about them looking at you like you are there. I find it great when its done well (MODERN FAMILY) comical when its used as sparingly (COMMUNITY) and annoying when its done every 5 minutes to drive home a lame joke (PARKS AND RECREATION).
I am sure there are more than these 3, but you get the point.
You make the call!
My Food Network Wish
If I were granted some wishes from a genie in a bottle one would be to have dinner with 6 Food Network chefs. Not because of their cooking style or food of choice, but because they look and appear on TV to be cool. So, here are my top 6 Food Network chefs that I want to have dinner with. (In no particular order.)
Alton Brown: Host of Good Eats and all around smart cookie. I think this man is hilarious and wicked smart. I would expect him to say things like, “You know pomegranates were once used for arthritus medicine because of their molypeptidal antioxidant qualities.” (or something like that) He is cool plain and simple.
Michael Symon: Iron Chef America icon. He wasn’t chosen, he earned his way to Iron Chefdom! I named my dog Symon after this man. Humorous and always polite, I think he and I could talk about “guy” stuff like why Van Halen was better with David Lee Roth and just hot Nigella Lawson really is.
Guy Fieri: Host of Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives, He and I would just eat things while not caring that we had food on our faces. He bleaches his hair…I will let that pass because he KNOWS where some good grub lives and isn’t afraid to eat it. After eating we would cruise in the ’65 and pimp our way on down the road listening to AC/DC or Jimmy Buffet.
Ted Allen: the host of CHOPPED is hands down one of the funn
iest and arguably the smartest man on FN.(NOTE: It’s between Ted and Alton for the Food Geek Crown.) As the host of Chopped he tells punks that don’t include one of the ingredients “Sorry, you don’t get ten thousand dollars and you aren’t the Chopped champion.” He and I would talk about how good a gin and tonic is in the summertime and why Guy Fieri needs to wear long pants in the kitchen.
The Neelys: Hosts of Down Home with the Neelys
I love these people. Being from Memphis, they are in the same geographic mindset I am
in. We could talk about Channel 5 news, why the pyramid was a bad idea, and “the spice fairy.” If you have never seen their show, it is the most sexually charged chemistry between a married couple in a kitchen EVER. She will say things like “Rub that meat big daddy!” and it not be too sexual for TV…but you know what she means. He says things to her like “You know I am gonna whip this merangue up, Momma!” It is kinky bedroom talk in the kitchen. AWESOME!
NOTE: If you watch FN, you may notice that they put star anise in everything now days. Don’t do it. Trust me.
I was corrected by the wife after posting on 2 points:
1) Star anise is “UMAMI” enhancing (I still feel it doesn’t go in EVERYTHING)
2) Nigella Lawson is not a “beauty for the ages” but she is “incredibly sexy.” My wife is so right, esp. about Nigella. <growl>
“By the People: The Election of Barak Obama”
I am watching this documentary about the election of Pres. Obama and all I can think of is how “political” he looks. As much as I like the man- he looks like a politician. That is unsettling to me. The screen is showing David Poluffe talking about how little sleep they have going into the Iowa primary while Wolf Blitzer and his expert discuss the ” Viability” of the candidates. There is a baby toting mom searching the caucus for Obama supporters as Obama’s Iowa victory is announced. At the after party Tommy Vietor shrugs and says, “Who knew?” I think he should have. After the volunteer cries to his mom on the phone about how happy he is that his work for all these weeks is not in vain, Obama is shown on a private jet flying away from Iowa to focus on New Hampshire. It looks like he is saying “Thanks…See ya.” I love watching Chuck Todd and Chris Matthews discuss the emerging political scene with questions firing back and forth at each other. Ryan Lizza from the New York Post spouts stats like he is reading a text book. When Axelrod and Gibbs broke the news to Obama that he did not win the New Hampshire primary he looked at them and said, “This is going to take a while, isn’t it?” That question led to his realization that American politics is a corn maze that sometimes has no end. I think Obama knows now that you have to be a politician, you have to take certain steps, you have to pay the pipers and the gate keepers and yes President Obama…It is going to take a while for any change to happen.
sometimes right - sometimes not - always correct 