To those of you SASers that celebrate it. For those of you outside the USA, have a good thursday!!
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Lame discussions and poorly constructed theories about the hit ABC series "Lost." Call the TLI Ham Fat Line: (206) 426-3238
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107 comments:
I'm thankful that my family is healthy and don't live in a box.
I'm thankful that my mom is cooking an entire dinner herself and I don't have to transport one single dish to her house. Her dressing is ok. I'd give anything to have some of my late grandmother's dressing right about now.
I'm thankful for the blogspot.
I'm thankful that those guys who thought we were too wild and crazy a couple of centuries ago found themselves somewhere to live.
I'm also thankful that one person took me up on the Gn'R album so I didn't feel like a complete tool.
There's a KABLAMO next if anyone fancies it.
Happy Thanksgiving, Americans!
The fact that it's just Thursday here is still all good.
From the dead thread:
Bolt in 3-D was very good. The opening action sequence was much better than the one in QofS. The 3-D was definitely worth the extra cost and the annoyance of the glasses. They did a super job of it. I'd highly recommend it, especially if you need to take a kid to the movies.
Holli
Happy thanksgiving blogspot!!!
My nephews' interweb show is up with a new episode.
Tha Office
Happy Thanksgiving, blogspot
Thablamo!
Seriously, though... anyone know how to solder a lead back onto an electro-acoustic bass EQ board???
ummmm...no, sorry Alirio.
So, does anyone use eBay, or kujiji to sell stuff? Which is better?
I've sold via craigslist as it costs nothing. Best to reach local buyers. Trying to sell my Bills tickets via eBay. Costs money and no one wants them.
I've bought via Kijiji before, don't know if they charge for listing. I always thought it was like craigslist.
Alirio, I can't eve get the battery out of my electro acoustic bass, so it'll likely just leak in there and become a fizzy lump.
Hmmm "fizzy lump" sounds like a great name for a Canadian cocktail I shall invent.
I'll be back!
"Blogger Alirio said...
Seriously, though... anyone know how to solder a lead back onto an electro-acoustic bass EQ board???
"
do i know how? sort of. could i? oh hell no.
if you have some soldering supplies and feel adventurous (and like you could afford to buy a new electro-acoustic bass EQ board if you farked up), youtube has some videos on proper soldering.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dkragEKSKI
but maybe you want to find a friend who has soldered electronics before...
p.s. thanksgiving kicks ass.
interview with Bruce Campbell where he fails to mention Alirio.
when does My Name is Bruce come out on DVD?
IDK, but I ran across a torrent while I was searching for Slumdog Millionaire. Chose to dl The House Bunny instead for some crazy reason.
Alirio,, 1 word. "Flux." Happy Thanksgiving to all my fellow US Americans.
I am thankful that I have a job (for now) to go to today considering my employer, a large worldwide financial company, recently announced 53,000 job cuts and was given a $20 billion bail out by the government this week.
-LT Smash
one thing that sucks about going somewhere else for thanksgiving dinner, you don't end up with a week's worth of leftovers. argh!
any new LOST news or anything? anyone eat any Dharma Canned Cranberry Sauce Substitute or anything?
they didn't send you home with parting gifts Palmer? that's not right.
uh, in LOST news i just pre-ordered my season 4 DVD set, doing my part to make black friday a success and boost consumer confidence.
I have no Thanksgiving leftovers either. They were left at the in-laws and we're going to eat them again on Sunday. Blurgh as they represent my in-laws traditions/favorites not mine. I've already warned Hubby I'm making my favorites for New Years, along with black eyed peas for good luck.
The only LOST-iness I have is this excellent blogpost by Bigmouth about the Island being unstuck in time and needing a constant.
Has anyone re-watched Season 4 yet? There's something about the concept that is weighing on me. I think it's the fact that a)so many people die and b) there's more answers than questions at least IMHO. I'm afraid rewatching isn't going to be as enjoyable as watching was.
But there is one question in particular I have about S4. I still don't get why Miles was part of the freighter group, unless it turns out that he is indeed Pierre Chang's son. He didn't seem that interested in 815 when it was found; the news story was merely on the radio when he goes to the grandma's house. I can see Widmore wanting to get rid of the other 3 who were interested in the flight and Island, but why Miles?
Holli
The crickets told me to say:
Kablamo!
Holli
Yikes. 2 people shot and killed at a Toys R Us in California. Not to make light of the situation, but Black Friday is officially scary.
my guess is that the preponderance of sales on black friday only aggravated the pre-existing douchebaggery of the assailants.
that said, maybe voluntarily toning down on the "you must get there immediately and fight others for bargains" aspect of the sales might help.
wassup, blogspot?
oh. or mentioning that you can usually get the same sales on the website. at 11 am. while you're still in your pajamas.
that could help too.
I've always said Toys R Us is a very scary place.
Holli
Yeah, it sure seems that there are a lot more black friday deals on the interweb this year compared to years past. It's probably a good thing I don't have too much money to spend right now, as I'd likely buy myself way too many dvd's.
After finishing up Homicide the other day, I watched the entire only season of Freaks & Geeks in two days. That was a really good show. I saw a couple ep's when it was on. But man, what a shame a quality show like that couldn't find a place on television. Nice to know that smart, well written, original shows failed to find audiences 10 years ago as well.
Speaking of quality shows that bit the dust before their time. I'm now going to finally give Firefly a try.
2 ppl died at Toys R Us? I also heard some poor cashier got trampled at Walmart. What??
I understand saving a few bucks but, seroiusly?? I usually don't buy things from US stores online because they tack on an extra $50-75 for shipping across the border. (Thanks UPS). However, the black friday sales may just be worth it.
Did anyone find any good deals?
From work, I have purchased this, this, and this. I still need to pick up this.
chirp.
i've been in a Fallout 3 coma. what'd i miss in real life? anything good?
added LOST season 4 on blu-ray to my christmas list. here's hoping that santa brings it. or at least gift cards/returnables so that i can pick up the season 4 set on my own.
anyone else checked out amazon lately? season three of the office (americano) for $14. not bad.
i forfeit my manhood:Bruce Lee plays ping pong
at least he plays Ping Pong with Nunchaku.
/like Michelangelo would
//cowabunga, dude.
I've finally discovered the following YouTube option:
"I have a fast connection. Always play higher-quality video when it's available."
And am consequently happier than Happy Arnold, the inventor of happiness.
Except that it doesn't really work, so now I feel like David Ian Sapoinment, the inventor of disappointment.
star trek nerds (and semi-nerds), www.dunselreport.com is a fantastic parody of the Drudge Report.
Attn: Ralph & anyone else who loves Danny Elfman's scores - Stage and Screen Online has an hour long interview with the man. i'm downloading now.
http://www.stageandscreenonline.com/downloads/danny_elfman.html
It should be entertaining. I remember being really amused when I saw Oingo Boingo in concert because I really didn't expect Elfman to have that California valley accent.
Finished Firefly & watched Serenity. Pretty good. I can see why people were so disappointed when it was canceled. I gotta admit, I wasn't that crazy about it the first few eps. But the more I watched it, the more I liked it.
Ok, need a new series to start. Seeing as current television is horrific and of little interest. I find I also really enjoy watching a series from start to finish in short order. With quality shows, the narrative flows so much better. And you get so much more out of the series.
Oh, and yeah. Fox has got to be the worst network ever. I was reading up on Firefly and apparently Fox played the ep's out of order, including not playing the introductory 2 hour pilot first. Not only was the ep where they introduced all the characters and set up the story not shown first, it was aired 11th in order. Wow, just wow. Why even put the show on the air if you're never going to give it a chance? My hate for the networks grows every day. And Fox has got to lead the pack. At least they still have Hole in the Wall.
Jordan, I hear there's been a change in leadership since the Firefly debacle. Still, I don't know why Joss Whedon would trust the network again.
I recommend The West Wing.
Cat video of the day.
So it's December! Crap! I guess the very good news there is that this month will fly leaving us only weeks until LOST returns.
Jordan, I felt the same way about Firefly. It took me a couple of episodes, then I started really enjoying the characters and would have enjoyed more. Have you watched Dexter? Season 1 of Dexter in particular is excellent. I liked Season 2 as well though not quite as much.
Has anyone watched Dead Like Me? It's on the Netflix instant queue. I'm 3 episodes in and not loving it so I'm wondering if it improves.
Holli
He's not shirtless but here's first image of Taylor Kitsch as Gambit.
Present idea for Ralph?
From what I have read about Whedon's new show Dollhouse, it's going through the same stuff with Fox as it did with Firefly. I guess they didn't like the pilot. They thought it was too confusing and wanted more action.
I also have Dead Like Me in my instant queue, but haven't started watching it yet.
-LT Smash
anyone else enjoying the Plaxico Burress stuff as much as i am?
dont keep your loaded unregistered handgun with a round in the chamber and the safety off in your sweatpants while out at a club.
you make millions of dollars and you're out on the town wearing sweatpants?!
- if you didn't like the first few episodes of Dead Like Me then it probably won't grow on you. It's pretty consistent. I really liked the sarcastic delivery by the girl that plays George and liked the show. I've been waiting patiently for the Dead Like Me direct-to-DVD movie which features our friend Desmond but it's release keeps getting pushed back.
- Show recommendations:
* The Prisoner - For a long time it was my favorite TV show ever made. Trippy 60's sci-fi and social commentary. Patrick McGoohan is a cool bastard.
* Appatow shows: Freaks & Geeks and Undeclared, fun sitcoms about angsty teens whose characters have more developed arcs than uusal
* Spaced - the Simon Pegg/Edgar Wright series with a geeky, sarcastic sensibility
* Veronica Mars - the first 2 seasons have a good balance between episodic Kristin Bell is sassy.
* City of Men - a really underrated series about two kids growing up in Brazil from the team behind City of God. Everyone is alwasys turned off because it feels the same as City Of God but more innocent. Over the course of the series the protagonists literally grow-up on screen and the show touches a lot of heavy subjects.
* Extras - The Ricky Gervais show looks really formulaic and sitcom-y from afar but it's actually laugh-out-loud funny. Gervais' co-star Ashley Jensen has impeccable comic timing. Sort of similar to Curb Your Enthusiasm.
* Venture Bros. - Looks like a one-joke cartoon sending up Johnny Quest and you might expect the dumb, non-sequitor humor of Sealab, but the plots and characters are actually pretty complex.
* any HBO drama you missed: Sopranos, Deadwood, Carnivale, Band Of Brothers, Six Feet Under... I haven't seen Big Love or Rome yet
- Plaxico Burress is from my hometown of Norfolk, Virginia. He was a good football player but i guess we're lucky he left the Steelers.
It took me fully six episodes of Firefly to really get into it (although I'm sure I would now enjoy those early shows on a rewatch), which is perfectly reasonable. Networks don't seem to realise that people don't immediately fall in love with a show's complete character set, frame of mind and plot developments after just one episode.
Though I did like Firefly, I still don't think Serenity is quite as good as everyone else seems to think. It's all right and that, but... I dunno.
I still can't get over the Reapers being a direct steal from Ghosts of Mars without anyone at all making the slightest fuss about it.
I just found out that Hubby shares a birthday with Dr. Richard "Eyeliner" Alpert (or that guy that plays him.) What do you think his significant Other got him for the occasion?
Holli
If Heroes would actually kill Claire tonight, I'd consider watching again.
Holli
/Hope I didn't spoil anyone; I saw it on a commercial
Happy Holidays, Everyone!
Brand new to this blogspot.
I just found the "Lost Iniative".
Love it! Can't wait for the next installment!I'm thankful for such a fun loving community to be a part of.
If you have a myspace page, befriend me at:
http://www.myspace.com/live_laugh_love_today
Thanks!
That's nice - some positivity. A heck of a lot nicer than people just showing up and asking why there aren't any podcasts at the moment.
Greetings, Lostaholic!
who are you losers and what do you doing talking when there aren't even lost on the air? you even make podcasts even more?
Touché
Does that mean we can expect a podcast soon, anon?
Holli, Heroes doesn't have the balls to kill off anyone.
Andrew, I've found you in the past to have very good taste. So I'm going to comment on your recommendations.
* The Prisoner *
This one has me interested. I've had somebody else tell me this is good as well. And I think Palmer is a fan too, right?
* Appatow shows: Freaks & Geeks and Undeclared *
Agreed. Both good shows. I just watched F&G the other day. I liked it a lot better than Undeclared, which was good too. F&G was just a much better show, more well-rounded, and at times had a lot of heart.
* Spaced *
I actually have this one in my magic box waiting for me. Just waiting to be in the right mood.
* Veronica Mars *
I don't know why it is exactly. But CW shows have a certain sheen to them that entirely turns me off. (*cough* Supernatural *cough*) It's a combination of the juvenile gloss and crappy production values. Maybe also the fact that every show on that network has the most obnoxious teen targeted advertising.
* City of Men *
This one has my interest. What exactly is the connection to City of God, if any? I love that movie.
* Extras *
Agree. This one is great. I had serious reservations going in. Wondering if Gervais could do it again. A lot of people have a tough time recreating the magic the 2nd time around. But this one worked. I agree on the girl who played Maggie. She was excellent, and almost pretty much made the show IMO.
* Venture Bros *
Ok, this is one I'm curious about. I've heard positive things. Yet the time or two that I've stopped and watched it on tv, I simply didn't get it. Anything you can compare it to?
* any HBO drama you missed *
I'm for sure going to continue Six Feet Under. I watched the first season and really liked it. The Sopranos and The Wire are classics, of course. I've heard good things about Rome. Didn't like Carnival or Big Love. Deadwood, I liked, but I've never seen the 3rd season. When I found out that Milch gave up on the series, it really turned me off from wanting to see season 3. Because I was told that it doesn't end with much resolution and wasn't intended as a series finale. Is this a stupid reason not to watch it?
Also Andrew, I was looking back at an old thread on the forum. And you included Batman: The Animated Series on your list of top tv shows. Is this something worth revisiting? Or was it just good during it's time? I remember seeing a few eps here and there years ago. But not much more. I recently revisited the old X-Men animated series, and found it to not hold up too well compared to my childhood memories.
Here are a few of the other shows I have on hand. Any comments anybody?
Action!
Burn Notice
Dexter
Generation Kill
Life on Mars UK
Mad Men
The IT Crowd
The Shield
Twin Peaks
Jordan, you are an ass. I can't believe you haven't seen the Shield. Watch Mad Men. Watch Life on Mars (UK). Skip the IT Crowd. I'm watching Spaced right now.
What can I name a show about vampires?
"What can I name a show about vampires?"
call it "Suckahs!"
dont steal my instant ratings hit idea of teenage doctor lawyer vampire crime scene investigators in love. i'm gunna be rich.
what's the phone number for the CW?
never saw The Prisoner but always wanted to.
Mad Men is good.
Burn Notice is the return of 80s tv. it's like the A-Team meets MacGyver with Bruce Campbell thrown in. except that it's good instead of 80s schlock. Bruce is awesome. main character is pretty good. female characters are all atrocious though.
uh oh. out of time. 5 o clock rolled around and its time to get the hell out of here.
That sounds like ratings gold Palmer. And the sad thing is I'm serious.
I read somewhere that David E. Kelley is going to do a show for one of the networks that is about a father-daughter lawyer team. How awesome is that going to be?!
Prisoner and Twin Peaks - both excellent if you want an attack of the strange.
Vampire episode?
Fangtastic Voyage
Twi-Shite
Bloodcast
Exsanguination Exchange
Haemotherapy
I Can't Stand the Vein
Pundead
Where's Herlihy at, lately?
- All of the directors and writers of City Of God worked on the City Of Men TV series. The thing that throws most people is that it is a TV series, which means less violence, nudity, language... and the protagonists are kids which means that they struggle with kid problems (school, other kids, girls, parents...) but they are growing up in the Favela and interract with the gangs. Sometimes i'm afraid that i've built it up too much in my head because I'm constantly trying to sell people on it. I only watched the series once, and sometimes it had a kind of PBS vibe to it, but i remember being really impressed in the end.
- Batman: The Animated Series. A lot has to do with the format. It was a saturday morning cartoon but the art direction is beautiful. The art-deco stylization was a great fit for the character and the simplification of shapes allowed them to do more with fluidity of action, shot composition and lighting, than most shows (see: the wooden, garrishly-colored X-Men cartoon). The first couple of seasons also featured really complex one-and-done stories that played out like the great episodes of the Twilight Zone or Alfred Hitchcock Presents, and were certainly above and beyond the call of the kiddie faire standard. There's no great arc to the show, just Batman beating the baddies, but it was a brilliantly executed show.
- Deadwood - i guess skipping season 3 probably makes sense. I wasn't really bothered by the ending because i never really had the impression that the show was building to anything. I just liked spending time with the characters and the fun use of language. But the show may have been dragging ass a little at the end.
- Venture Bros. - The show got really continuity heavy this last season and wouldn't make a lick of sense to anybody that hadn't seen everything before. I didn't like it as much. Also, the show creators started really going headlong and specific with some geeky references, particularly the Marvel Comics universe. i think you'd have to start at the beginning if you were going to try it out. Comparatively, the closest thing i can think of is The Tick Animated Series, but maybe a little Futurama.
- You didn't like The IT Crowd Stephanie? i haven't been able to see it yet, but there seemed to be a lot of buzz for it.
- Show about vampires hmmm:
* Liquid Diet
* Poor Reflection
* Sleep The Day Away
* Dirt Nap
* Damned Hungry
and i want in on the ground floor of the teenage doctor lawyer vampire crime scene investigators in love show. as long as it's a reality series.
- LOST!
"Poor Reflection" is very funny.
Interesting you should say "in on the ground floor" when I'm used to Americans not saying "ground floor" at all. It's one of those transatlantic differences that I have no idea is widely known of (unlike color/colour)
"Where's Herlihy at, lately?"
Yeah, where's Ally as well?
...and McFur--still on a high from the Phillies winning the world series?
Ally has, if not promised, at least heavily implied that she may make an After Hours appearance.
Young Ryan must be on one of those kids' adventure holidays I've heard so much about, archery, kayaking and abseiling deep in the Welsh mountains.
Don't give the teachers a hard time, young fella me lad.
Ally and McFur got grown up jobs. Hence the blogspot exodus. Herlihy? Couldn't say. Maybe he's been watching Twilight over and over. I kid, I kid. lol.
Don't you need to get a grown up job, Jordan? Or a job in general?
"i know the evidence says he's the killer but he needs this transplant or i'll never be able to prosecute him in time to break up Michelle's wedding... now, get me some blood for the transfusion. and another pack of blood to keep my strength up... i've got to bike home by dawn or my dad will totally ground me."
re: the ground floor
sorry to break it to you but we say "ground floor." admittedly, you may be used to us not saying it because there are entire conversations where we dont reference any floors whatsoever.
first floor and ground floor are usually interchangeable with the floor above the ground floor being the second floor. is that where you get the idea that we dont say "ground floor?" you guys dont do that too?
B:TAS is fantastic. although there is a noticeable change to the Superman:TAS/JL/JLU drawing style after a few seasons. it's still a fun batman cartoon but i missed the artwork from those first few seasons. i think they (a factory full of korean animators, prolly) actually drew/painted onto black paper to achieve the look.
some of the stories are pretty great. and The Mask of The Phantasm movie was awesome. and Mark Hamil may be my favorite Joker. sorry, TDKers.
PS3ers, Uncharted 2 teaser trailer! i'll find a link and post it on the BBS.
p.s. KABLAMO!!!
Oh. hello.
I've not been anywhere really. I had a massive essay to hand in about 12 hours ago... so i was "concentrating" on that. IE. watching really shit movies and only doing a bit of work at a time. Finally watched Juno though. One of my all time favourite movies now though. amazing.
I've not seen Twilight... it's not out over here. I don't really see the intrigue.
Oh. True Blood is quite good though. Bit of nudity... but it's good. Would be much better to watch in one go..
oh. and i've not been on an adventure trip in about 10 years. i got locked out of a tent... someone mistook the noises i made for a cow giving birth and i slept on a cargo net. i also tripped up a teacher in a pothole. it was fun times.
first floor and ground floor are usually interchangeable with the floor above the ground floor being the second floor. is that where you get the idea that we dont say "ground floor?" you guys dont do that too?"first floor and ground floor are usually interchangeable with the floor above the ground floor being the second floor. is that where you get the idea that we dont say "ground floor?" you guys dont do that too?"
That is correct. Euros are wacky that way. What we call the 2nd floor, they call the 1st. Really makes it confusing when walking up to the 6th floor (5th floor for us) in a dingy old youth hostel at 2 in the morning.
Spoilers on the splog. oh yeah.
Hello BlogSpot!
The boy is singing himself to sleep... Petit Papa Noël is today's Christmas song of choice.
I've always enjoyed TV shows that demanded great attention to detail ever since I watched Twin Peaks for the first time...
LOST is the first show since Twin Peaks to have me on the edge of my seat trying to spot that little snippet of information that would give me another piece to the puzzle.
I thought Heroes would offer that too... Will wait until the Summer before watching season 3.
I LOVED Six Feet Under and then gave up on it right before the final season... strange, but I guess too many people I knew were into it at that point and I never got around to it... if we had NetFlix in Canada I'd stick it in my que...
Clear your calendar for Dec. 17th.
Holli
holli, that is awesome.
jordan, did you ever check out The 4400? it's not award winning stuff but it's like Heroes except good. also it's scifi instead of comic book.
also, Megalyn Echikunwoke doesn't hurt any.
One quick thing about Supernatural and then I'll shut up about it for a while...
Dean gets it on with Megalyn Echikunwoke in season one.
soundtrack fans, don't let me forget about this.
150 minutes of Shirley Walker's work on Batman: The Animated Series on two CDs. ok, there's some Elfman too. i just wonder what the price will look like on that puppy.
have no fear, after-hours ally is here! LOL
i've been busy with the new job, by the time i get home i'm way too tired to get online. i'm sure i'll be on all the time when Lost comes back on, which will be soon according to ABC and their numerous ads.
for those of you wondering, i'm on week 4 of the pole dancing. last week was the first time we ever got to wear the stripper heels, i seemed to manage better than i thought i would, there was only one girl that busted her ass as soon as we started walking. one thing i've noticed after a couple of weeks is that my arms are getting stronger, i guess i'll need the extra strength for level 2 which starts in january when we start doing upside down stuff.
i started watching Mad Men recently, I'm about to start disc 2 of season 1. So far so good, if anyone hasn't seen it, watch it!
alright i thought i'd stop by and say hi. going to bed now.
night night!
Ally! Good to see you. Don't bust your ass.
I was unnecessarily amused by Herlihy saying the following two statements:
1:I've not seen Twilight... it's not out over here.
2: True Blood is quite good though.
What channel are you watching True Blood on, then ;)
Jordan got what I meant about floors. Come into a building here, go up a flight of stairs and - voila! - you're on the first floor. I wasn't getting into rightness or otherwise. I was just interested.
If the TLI girls want to have another trivia podcast, there are 50 Season 4 Trivia questions ready and waiting here.
Holli
season one of mad men is only $17 on blu-ray at amazon.
just saying.
I was unnecessarily amused by Herlihy saying the following two statements:
1:I've not seen Twilight... it's not out over here.
2: True Blood is quite good though.
What channel are you watching True Blood on, then ;)
I did mean to say that i've seen some previews and that it doesn't appeal to me... I won't be going to see it.
Oh. True Blood. Er... It's on that channel... that channel on that uk channel... er... isn't it?
Bugger... Busted.
It's on Mystical 1: the Magic Channel.
I think Twilight missed your demographic by just a few years, Ryan.
Well. It's the same way as i watch Lost... It's not my fault. I have to watch these things on this method. Otherwise i don't have a chance to see them!
Also. It makes me sad that I'm not in the same demographic that teen movies are aimed at anymore... :/
Don't be upset, because NOW you get a chance to look at the films that are aimed at that market and sneer at both them AND the teenagers who apparently want to see them.
But... But... I still want to see teen-aimed films. Like when i found out about the Mean Girls sequel, i got all excited. I still want to see all the Bring It On sequels as well.
I'm still a 14 year old at heart.
Bad news for smart people who watch TV.
Seems to me the real future of TV is what we find on the non-broadcast networks. USA, FX, HBO, AMC, TNT are all finding enough of an audience to make excellent shows and are far-sighted enough to realize that DVD sales and internet advertising are a huge part of the financial equation when making entertainment products. The heads of the broadcast networks are apparently on the same private planes as the automakers, and like that Big 3 are likely to be left in the dust.
Holli
Question -- where can I get inexpensive 6 ft. HDMI cables?
Holli
Do y'all remember that Simpsons episode where Homer got the crayon removed from his nose and got smart only to have it replaced and became dumb again? That's what Holli's article reminds me of. It's funny. I possess average intelligence. Why are so many more people stupider than me?
holli,
monoprice.com is pretty cheap if you don't mind a user unfriendly site.
jordan might have an idea. and maybe MB or Trevor too. let's just say don't spend the $100 at Best Buy if you don't have to. a lot of places have 'em for around $20 or so.
I would also recommend monoprice.com. I used them to get some AV and network cables a few months back and spent a fraction of what I would have elsewhere. They did give me a wrong length cable, so I sent them an email about it. Within an hour I got a email with an apology and an email that a new shipment was coming with the correct cable. No questions asked and I got to keep the wrong cable.
Also, HDMI is used for a digital signal. So either the HDMI cable works or it doesn't (as per Leo Laport). Unless you plan on using a cable in a run of more than 20 feet or so, you don't need to break the bank.
i like that Tim Kring is somehow the voice of authority on how people should be making television shows in the future.
They should get Richard Kelly, the brilliant mind behind Donnie Darko and then Southland Tales, to tell us what people want at the box office.
Kim, thanks for the review.
BTW, new Confessions is out. This Podcast Sucks.
Always good to go with the suck pun.
Also: "the brilliant mind behind Donnie Darko"
Uh-oh. Someone said "Brilliant Mind". That means I'm gonna have to link to THIS.
It is the law of Chris.
Palmer and Brennan both gave good hdmi advice. Monoprice is a good site. And yes, there is zero reason at all to spend the ridiculous amounts electronics stores charge for hdmi cable. Just because they call them "monster cable" and paint the end pieces gold doesn't make them worth an extra $90. Like Brennan said, if you are going a really long distance, you might want a higher quality cable. But otherwise, it's no different than a normal coaxial cable. You wouldn't pay $75 for a fancy special gold "monster" coax cable, would you?
And Holli, why must you further enrage me about the idiocracy known as the major tv networks? It's really funny, I was talking with Tdot Kim just the other day about this EXACT same topic. I was commenting on Kring's stupid comments about serialized television. My point was that while he is an idiot for acting like the authority, and while it is not an excuse for his show going downhill as he thinks it is, he does unfortunately have a point. To get the point, and the point of the article Holli linked to, all you have to do is look at tv ratings on a nightly basis. Serialized shows don't get good ratings. Self contained, one ep shows do. Why? Same reason people watch Two & a Half Men. Because they are stupid. Yeah, not everybody is able to keep up with the week to week nature of serialized shows. But that's not an excuse. The fact is people don't want to use their brains when they plop down infront of the tv at night. They want to sit down, watch their simplistic show, have it resolved in an hour, and that be that. If a show makes the brain amp up to level beyond that, abort! Abort! My main point when talking with Kimberley the other day was that I almost expect that in a few years, that there will be no quality serialized scripted shows on any of the main networks. They will only be on basic cable and hbo & showtime. For two reasons. One, the networks won't want anything besides reality shows, dance competitions, and mindless self contained procedurals. And two, the smart minds behind the creative & intelligent episodic shows will not bother. Why go to NBC or Fox, only to get canned 5 eps in & have the network change your vision, when you can go to FX or HBO instead? I can see this becoming a very realistic enventuality. At least we have the cable networks now. If not for them, smart tv would die off quicker than a good show on Fox.
I actually know a television writer who, a couple of years back now, told me that the model at least in the UK (but presumably echoing a number of different nation's approaches) is being geared towards shorter episodes which can be downloaded and watched on portable devices and (and this is the kicker) in ANY order. Story arcs, character development - all gone. To be replaced by character archetypes and situations which are either so simple they pretty much explain themselves to the viewer, or week by week exposition to explain the show YET AGAIN.
Seriously folks. If you haven't seen the movie Idiocracy, go watch it. Cuz it's our future. And It's coming a lot sooner than 500 years.
Agreed Jordan. If I were a Damon Lindeloff type I'd never waste my time an an ABC again. But even the smaller networks aren't perfect. ABC Family hasn't re-upped The Middleman -- yet. It's far from a perfect show, but it really grew on me and was a great example of a 12 episode season that works. Not as great an example as Damages or Mad Men, but certainly in the running with a Burn Notice or Psych or Monk.
Holli
You know, I think it comes down to most people are just too busy to care as much as we do about tv. Most of my friends spend all their free time at the ball park.
What really angers me about all of this, is that it goes against EVERYTHING I like in tv shows. An interesting over-arching plot line is the #1 thing I look for when finding a good tv show to watch. And basically, the networks and show-runners are saying, "It doesn't work anymore. So we're not going to bother."
These quotes from that article are really troubling. It's one thing when it's know-nothing network heads. But when the show creators are resigned to the the fact, it's just depressing.
JJ Abrams:
Abrams explained to USA Today that Fringe is a reaction to complaints about his other shows: “So many people would say to me, ‘I was watching Lost or Alias, but I missed a couple of episodes and I couldn’t keep up and get back into it.’
Joss Whedon:
In 2009 he’ll return to TV with Dollhouse, but he wrote on his fan site whedonesque.com that the network asked him to “make the episodes more stand-alone, stop talking about relationships and cut to the chase.”
Josh Friedman (Terminator):
“In the middle of the season when the ratings dipped, we were doing some heavily serialized mythology episodes. This year, we’re trying to tell slightly less ambitious stories.”
So there you have it. Straight from the show-runner's mouths. Keep it simple, cut to the chase, and tell less ambitious stories. Gotta love it.
All the quotes are depressing as hell. But the JJ Abrams one bothers me the most. We live in an age when anyone can watch just about any network show online whenever they want. Not to mention something called dvr's! Why now is this suddenly a problem? Like I said, I watch TV shows to get sucked in to a larger whole. It's like if you are a fan of movies, and somebody says, "People nowadays are finding movies to be too long and confusing. We need to cut them in half and try telling less story. Stop trying to convey emotion and character development. Just show the action & tell the viewers what happens in the end."
Friedman may say that but his show is really still hanging onto ongoing plot strands more than anything else I'm seeing at the moment - there are far fewer whizz-bang moments in the series than his statement may suggest.
The most recent episode looks like a standalone, but if you don't know Cameron is a Terminator you'd at least be a little lost, and there's a whole B story that you'd be completely lost on if you didn't know John's story or the character of Riley. That said, it is one of the most standalone of the season - the rest of the lot still deriving from elements laid down in season 1: The Turk, Cromartie etc.
Not to change the subject everybody, but I thought you might find this interesting. If you're not into spoilers, you may want to abstain...especially the third clip!
Season 5 goodness
password is Qilak
Enjoy!
If there is a positive at all in any of this, the only one I can think of is that it's a good thing that the Lost guy's made their deal with ABC to end the series. If they didn't have the 2 years and we're out assurance, just think what would happen to the show. Self contained eps about island hijinks and monsters of the week. Yikes.
I know there are people on here who like Fringe. And I don't mean to demean your show, it's a perfect example of my point. Lost is what I view as good, intelligent, gripping tv. Fringe is whatever. Monster of the week, set up a premise, rinse and repeat. I hear all the time that House is really great. But I could care less about seeing a snarky doctor go through the same motions time and again, just with a different case and patient. Not to say that you can't have some good shows. But if the old school of thought gave us Lost, and the new school gives us Fringe. That's not a good progression to me.
Chris, I have noticed that the last few ep's of Terminator have indeed felt more stand alone. Yes, they haven't entirely abandoned the mythology of the school that has been set up. But there definitely has been a lot more resolution, and a lot less cliffhanger elements at the end of the ep's. A lot more "Phew. Glad we got out of that scrape," type endings.
there's a place for serial and for standalone.
standalone can be good cuz you can jump in at any point, go along for the ride as long as you like, and then get off whenever you're ready while serial requires more dedication but being there from the beginning and taking it all the way to completion can be a rewarding experience.
that's what she said.
KABLAM...
oooooooooooooooo!
Yeah P, Stand alone's can be ok. They have there place. It's just annoying as shit when it's forced down your throat beacuse people are too stupid for anything else.
Well there's at least a little good news on the TV front. Nathan Fillion's new show Castle is going to air Mondays at 10/9 Central which means it is up against CSI Miami which means I can easily watch or record Castle.
The announcement I read says a show called The Unusuals will follow LOST and goes on to say that is good for it. I don't know why the TV Critic says that since everything that airs after LOST dies because the people who watch LOST get on the internet and don't hang around to keep watching ABC.
Holli
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