tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post1444883509117473..comments2024-03-28T10:18:00.370-05:00Comments on Gentlemen of Leisure: Last Week in TV #1Austin Gortonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14281239771248780430noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-9055577786006805812012-10-08T15:04:20.993-05:002012-10-08T15:04:20.993-05:00@Blam: Heck, I watch two other hour-long shows in ...@Blam: <i>Heck, I watch two other hour-long shows in the Monday 10 p.m. slot alone</i><br /><br />I also watch <i>Castle</i>, though I'm woefully behind on it as I tend to let more procedural stuff lapse. <i>Hawaii 5-0</i> was a guilty pleasure watch for a while, but I gave up on it before the end of the first season. Mrs. Teebore stuck it out a bit longer, I think, but ultimately bailed too. <br /><br /><i>"If Bill Clinton pulls his earlobe twice and says 'Magnolia' I'm supposed to kill George Stephanopoulos" cracked me up.</i><br /><br />Ah, yeah, I loved that one. I'm a sucker for good Clinton-era insider humor like that. Austin Gortonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14281239771248780430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-19325496173337614762012-10-06T00:00:03.413-05:002012-10-06T00:00:03.413-05:00@Anonymous: psychokinetic constructs
I like the ...<br>@Anonymous: <i>psychokinetic constructs</i><br /><br /> I like the way you think.<br /><br />What's so funny about this is that <i>usually</i> in musicals the suspension of disbelief is that it's the music itself that swells up out of nowhere. Viewers take it in stride (or don't, the humbug ones) that everyone suddenly knows the right lines to sing in harmony and the right dance steps to make the fantasia come about. In <i>Glee</i>, contrariwise, very often the songs are actually being sung in-story, albeit in a more — sometimes, to me, abrasively more — polished fashion, and instead of the music coming impossibly from nowhere it's coming impossibly from <i>somewhere</i>, from musicians who aren't "really" there.<br /><br />Me: <i>I can also see this being one of the first series to slip if/when the season becomes too demanding, however.</i><br /><br />@Teebore: <i>Assuming it even lasts, of course.</i><br /><br />I don't think <i>Revolution</i> will have to last long for me to make a tough decision, though. Heck, I watch two other hour-long shows in the Monday 10 p.m. slot alone, <i>Castle</i> and <i>Hawaii Five-0</i>, both somewhat guilty pleasures but neither one a show that I want to just drop.<br /><br />@Teebore: <i>I had the same thought but, not being much of a Streisand fan, just figured there was a version she did that everyone loved and I was ignorant of.</i><br /><br />Had she just said "<i>as</i> popularized by one Miss Barbra Streisand," it probably would've been fine. I'm all for different arrangements, which can not only breathe new life into a classic but reveal hidden depths to songs that as originally recorded didn't seem like hot stuff — not that the Streisand version of "New York State of Mind" took unusual liberties. <i>Glee</i> does plenty of renditions that are drawn from cover versions of songs rather than the (sometimes equally-well-known or better-known, sometimes lesser-known) original arrangements, which is fine, but however piercingly haunting the take on "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" from Julie Taymor's <i>Across the Universe</i> is, which Kurt sang some time back, <i>it's still a Lennon/McCartney Beatles song</i>. Don't mind me, though... I'm still bitter that people think of "The Man Who Sold the World" as a Nirvana song.<br /><br />@Teebore: <i>So quote away!</i><br /><br />"If Bill Clinton pulls his earlobe twice and says 'Magnolia' I'm supposed to kill George Stephanopoulos" cracked me up.<br /><br>Blamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07342343767763035991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-42275163939927976632012-09-24T16:45:59.532-05:002012-09-24T16:45:59.532-05:00@Blam: I can also see this being one of the first...@Blam: <i> I can also see this being one of the first series to slip if/when the season becomes too demanding, however.</i><br /><br />Assuming it even lasts, of course. It had big premiere numbers, but so did <i>V</i> and <i>Flashforward</i>.<br /><br /><i>Elizabeth Mitchell is definitely not dead — unless IMDB and Wikipedia just haven't been updated yet.</i><br /><br />Haha, touche. :) <br /><br /><i>I see your uncertainty and raise you conviction that I myself </i>don't<i> have that patience or inclination</i><br /><br />Well, I haven't made the time to watch another episode yet, so I may have given up already as well. <br /><br /><i>I'm really sorry that </i>Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip <i>didn't work out</i><br /><br />Me too. It was deeply flawed and had plenty of issues, but there was some really good stuff in there as well, and I really liked Perry's character. <br /><br /><i>I have a feeling that Matthew Perry's best chance at a significant next project would be to come aboard an extant series in a major recurring role</i><br /><br />You could well be right, and I wouldn't mind seeing that. <br /><br /><i>Will there ever be a modicum of plot consistency to such details?</i><br /><br />Oh, that one I can answer. No. ;)<br /><br /><i>Even if Barbra turned out a well-known rendition, and frankly I've never heard it, I don't think that you can say a cover of an already hit song is what "popularized" that song.</i><br /><br />I had the same thought but, not being much of a Streisand fan, just figured there was a version she did that everyone loved and I was ignorant of. Good to know I wasn't off base in my confusion. <br /><br /><i>I must say that Amy Poehler looks way better with her hair falling more naturally like it is at the start of the episode</i><br /><br />Agreed. <br /><br />And for what it's worth, I too am glad you convinced me to continue covering this show (as well as <i>Community</i>), even though most of what I say for both boils down to "it's really, really, really...good."<br /><br /><i>I don't know if you saw </i>Weekend Update Thursday<i>, mostly just okay</i><br /><br />I did, but didn't have the time to write about it, nor enough to say about it to compel me to make the time to write about. My take on it was pretty much the same as yours: okay, with the Carville appearance (always a delight) the highlight. <br /><br />So quote away! <br /><br />@Anonymous: <i>I decided during the season two finale that whenever extra singers, dancers, musicians or sets appear on Glee they're psychokinetic constructs. </i><br /><br />My take has always been that they get ported in from the same dimension from which Hank Pym's mass comes and goes when he shrinks/grows as Ant-Man/Giant-Man. <br /><br />Austin Gortonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14281239771248780430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-81544280325180746142012-09-24T15:45:50.966-05:002012-09-24T15:45:50.966-05:00@Blam: Annnnnnnd 10 minutes into the new season we...@Blam: <i>Annnnnnnd 10 minutes into the new season we get our first impossible appearance of a full string section behind a scrim in the auditorium sing-off. Welcome back, Glee!</i><br /><br />Speaking of shows that have no regard for the laws of physics...<br /><br />I decided during the season two finale that whenever extra singers, dancers, musicians or sets appear on Glee they're psychokinetic constructs.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-11767845396089730712012-09-22T08:56:12.245-05:002012-09-22T08:56:12.245-05:00Parks and Recreation: Ms. Knope Goes to Washington...<br><b><i>Parks and Recreation</i>: Ms. Knope Goes to Washington</b><br /><br />I agree with you all around — <i>and</i> I'm still grateful for you being one of the primary boosters of this show amongst my TV-discussion pals, <i>and</i> I'm glad that I helped convince you to cover it here even if you never have much more to say than "All the characters are acting delightfully in character. Here are some quotes."<br /><br />On another note, at the risk of sounding purely superficial, I must say that Amy Poehler looks <i>way</i> better with her hair falling more naturally like it is at the start of the episode than severely parted and nearly plastered to her forehead as it usually is.<br /><br />The best lines you didn't run:<br /><br />Leslie: "Ben and I both did some amazing things today. <i>He</i> scored a victory for the Congressional campaign he's working on, and <i>I</i> was mistaken for <i>Beverly D'Angelo</i> by a <i>Japanese tourist</i>."<br /><br />Leslie: "It's like C-SPAN and Neiman Marcus had kids or something."<br /><br />Andy: "Oh, look, a handgun! I call it!" And everything else he said.<br /><br />Ron: Everything <i>he</i> said. As usual.<br /><br /><b><i>Saturday Night Live</i>: Seth McFarlane & Frank Ocean</b><br /><br />I agree on most of what you wrote here, from Jay Pharaoh as Obama to your most and least favorite sketches. <br /><br />At this point I think that I've seen/heard more of Seth McFarlane as himself than I have voice-only on his Fox animated sitcoms that I don't watch.<br /><br />I don't know if you saw <i>Weekend Update Thursday</i>, mostly just okay, but it did have Bill Hader reprising his James Carville — which, although not the best iteration ever (that's probably the "raised by snakes" one, where it really came into its own), did have at least one hilarious line I'll hold off on quoting just in case.<br /><br>Blamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07342343767763035991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-49759070955686437502012-09-22T08:52:35.226-05:002012-09-22T08:52:35.226-05:00Glee: The New Rachel
Annnnnnnd 10 minutes into th...<br><b><i>Glee</i>: The New Rachel</b><br /><br /><i>Annnnnnnd</i> 10 minutes into the new season we get our first impossible appearance of a full string section behind a scrim in the auditorium sing-off. Welcome back, <i>Glee</i>!<br /><br /><i>Don't they have like a twelve member requirement?</i><br /><br />I wrote that almost verbatim. Such a big deal was made about the competition requirement in the past. That, and Mr. Schuester's (<i>grr...</i> that spelling) previous welcoming open-door policy, are the only reason Sugar's there. How could they possibly only accept one new person? Did everybody outright suck or have Jake's bad attitude? Will there ever be a modicum of plot consistency to such details?<br /><br /><i>"Cassandra July" totally sounds like a Bond villain's name.</i><br /><br />I'd like it a lot more, in an obviously pretentious way, if it didn't sound so much like Miranda July (the adopted name of writer/actor/director/<i>etc.</i> filmmaker of <i>Me and You and Everyone We Know</i>). Ryan Murphy presumably lifted the soundalike name from her the way he annoying did the name of rival vocal-group coach Dustin Goolsby from that of Obama economic adviser Austan Goolsbee.<br /><br /><i>The fact that Puck has a secret half brother who wants to be in the glee club is ridiculously soapy. It's also perfectly fitting for</i> Glee.<br /><br />So it is.<br /><br />My favorite lines:<br /><br />Sue: "Porcelain? This is my daughter Robin. I've loved the name ever since I was a little girl. It recalls hope, and springtime, and my favorite dead Bee Gee."<br /><br />Brittany: "I had a song in my heart, Blaine Warbler, and you killed it. Now I have a <i>dead</i> song in my heart. And pretty soon the corpse of my dead heart-song is going to start to smell."<br /><br />My WTF moment:<br /><br />"...I'll be singing 'New York State of Mind', written by Billy Joel, popularized by one Miss Barbra Streisand." <br /><br />Huh what now?!?!? Even if Barbra turned out a well-known rendition, and frankly I've never heard it, I don't think that you can say a cover of an already hit song is what "popularized" that song.<br /><br />I have to say that both the scenes in NYC and the scenes back at McKinley without the graduates, as well as the toggling between them, felt weird — like some strange reunion movie, or <i>AfterGlee</i>. Given that I've stuck with the show this long, and that this strange bifurcated attempt at evolution does hold some promise, I'm not just walking away, but I hope I shake the feeling that this is some weird spin-off.<br /><br>Blamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07342343767763035991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-71305194063580299662012-09-22T08:51:58.359-05:002012-09-22T08:51:58.359-05:00The New Normal: Pilot
I don't know if I have ...<br><b><i>The New Normal</i>: Pilot</b><br /><br /><i>I don't know if I have the patience or inclination to commit time to two such Ryan Murphy shows</i><br /><br />I see your uncertainty and raise you conviction that I myself <i>don't</i> have that patience or inclination, so despite suspecting that I'd really get a kick out of Ellen Barkin's role I just passed altogether.<br /><br /><b><i>Go On</i>: There's No 'Ryan' in Team</b><br /><br />Hey, NBC! I thought I'd at least seen the pilot of this series, during your Olympics preview of it, but it turns out that all I saw were teases of your Olympics preview of it during the Olympics. <br /><br />This falls into the category of something I'll definitely go back and check out if it starts turning into a widely (or even narrowly) acclaimed masterpiece, but I just don't want another middling wry comedy infused with pathos in my schedule, even one starring Matthew Perry, and not because I feel burnt from watching several episodes of <i>Mr. Sunshine</i>. <br /><br />I'm really sorry that <i>Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip</i> didn't work out, even though I'm at least theoretically one of the reasons why, having fallen behind on it early on and figuring I'd catch up later only to do so on the burnt-off final episodes. Assuming <i>Go On</i> doesn't in fact go on, which it well might, I have a feeling that Matthew Perry's best chance at a significant next project would be to come aboard an extant series in a major recurring role (although I hate his smarmy character on <i>The Good Wife</i>; I'm supposed to, yes, but he's just too galling in his mind games).<br /><br>Blamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07342343767763035991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-28995394022727123602012-09-22T08:42:12.325-05:002012-09-22T08:42:12.325-05:00Revolution: Pilot
I was bound to tune in because ...<br><b><i>Revolution</i>: Pilot</b><br /><br />I was bound to tune in because of its pedigree — creator Eric Kripke's name, most of all, even though he's by far the least big sell next to J.J. Abrams and Jon Favreau; one day you <i>will</i> watch <i>Supernatural</i> — but the premise and promo reel had me worried. Lo and behold, while it's cautiously promising it just feels like such a "TV show" in the pejorative sense (much as I hate to wave about an entire medium, especially one whose best work I respect immensely, as a pejorative). I'll keep watching in the short term because there's enough interesting stuff going on; I can also see this being one of the first series to slip if/when the season becomes too demanding, however.<br /><br /><i>Charlie is pretty bland</i><br /><br />True enough, yet I like her enough as a POV character so far too; bland though she may yet be, I didn't find that translating to the single-dimension nature some of the other characters had. My fear is that other characters, or really other <i>actors</i>, are going to grate on me.<br /><br /><i>I hope the show continues to periodically flashback to the immediate aftermath of the blackout; I find the details of how society reacted to that more intriguing than the details of how it functions fifteen years later.</i><br /><br />Me too. Also, I really want — to echo (in advance, my time-frame) the comments I've now read — even the barest lip service to how <i>everything</i> mechanical stopped functioning and electricity doesn't seem to be able to be generated from <i>any</i> source (except the magic thumb-drive power source). We have to see reference to past attempts to harness solar power or get turbines going from water wheels or windmills or, hell, <i>hand cranks</i>, at least enough that it's acceptable handwaving without making us think too hard about how no explanation is <i>really</i> going to work.<br /><br /><i>I assume that Elizabeth Mitchell either isn't dead or will be featured heavily in flashbacks</i><br /><br />Elizabeth Mitchell is definitely not dead — unless IMDB and Wikipedia just haven't been updated yet. <br /><br />Okay, I apologize for the mordant "humor"; I'm tired. Yeah, I suspect that both parents will be figuring into things somewhat prominently if only via flashbacks.<br /><br>Blamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07342343767763035991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-62213870362801845822012-09-21T15:20:25.043-05:002012-09-21T15:20:25.043-05:00Or, in other words, it would pretty much be a Stea...<i>Or, in other words, it would pretty much be a Steampunk world, which would make this Sarah's favorite show EVER! </i><br /><br />Exactly!<br /><br />I think i'm just extra picky about it because i've read most of the Dies the Fire series, where they lose all technology. But in that they make it clear that physics has changed. Fires don't burn the same way, and gun powder is no longer explosive. <br /><br />I have issues when they say batteries don't work because, what kind of batteries are we talking about? Because i'm pretty sure i can power a lightbulb with a potatoe. <br /><br />So in order for me to push all these issues i have with the science aside, i'm going to need some awesome plot and character action for me to say "listen, i don't care about the science." Like with Lost. I didn't care about how questions weren't answered, because by that point i was in it for the characters.<br />Where it's at now, isn't enough. But i'm definitely willing to give it a lengthy fair shot. Because again, i'm pro pocy.Sarah Ahiershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02795455714801965956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-73725911773311201872012-09-21T15:00:04.310-05:002012-09-21T15:00:04.310-05:00@Anonymous: Which is fine by me so long as they...@Anonymous: <i>Which is fine by me so long as they're internally consistent (whatever laws of physics that broke stay broken and such).</i><br /><br />Agreed. I don't care what laws of physics they break, so long as they're consistent within the context of their universe. Austin Gortonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14281239771248780430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-14317010517191150282012-09-21T14:20:39.280-05:002012-09-21T14:20:39.280-05:00Regarding the physics of Revolution the creators h...Regarding the physics of <i>Revolution</i> the creators have just flat-out admitted that it makes absolutely no sense and that they don't really care that it makes no sense. Which is fine by me so long as they're internally consistent (whatever laws of physics that broke stay broken and such).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-53173946526117658592012-09-21T11:51:02.651-05:002012-09-21T11:51:02.651-05:00I suppose I should clarify my take on "what&#...I suppose I should clarify my take on "what's happening" in the show. I think what happened is no electricity works. Basically, the movement of electrons through conductors either doesn't have the same effect or doesn't happen at all. That means batteries wouldn't work as well as turbines in power plants and anything else that creates electricity. Also...there should be no lightning.<br /><br />Now WHY that happened? Who knows? And really, I would think there would be more disastrous consequences to electrons not functioning the same way besides me not be able to get to porn sites on my laptop...but I'm no physicist...Dr. Bitzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13568570859981368717noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-76737361453124094832012-09-21T10:28:34.707-05:002012-09-21T10:28:34.707-05:00@Phantomas: One option for Walking Dead is to buy ...@Phantomas: <i>One option for Walking Dead is to buy the season on iTunes.</i><br /><br />That's definitely being considered. The only downside is we'd have to watch it huddled around the iPad, at which point it loses some of its luster (particularly if I'm paying tens of dollars for it). We'll see. I'm still (perhaps foolishly) hoping Dish and AMC work something out. <br /><br /><i>Like, if firearms work, why don't engines work? You don't need electricity to get in a tank, or a steam engine and drive around the country. </i><br /><br />Yeah, there's definitely some questions about just what the blackout did - they mentioned batteries not working (which would kill cars and junk, even if you had access to gasoline), so it's more than just "no more electricity" in terms of lights and fridges and stuff, but clearly "power" is still around, in that arrows can be fired, screws screwed, wheels turning, etc. <br /><br />For now, I'm willing to give the show a mulligan on some of that - it's only the first episode, and (hopefully) they should make more clear what works and what doesn't (and why) in the weeks ahead. <br /><br />The things I'm most tempted to call BS on in terms of the guns is A. Where did anyone even find old timey flintlock rifles that worked and B. Why aren't more of the milita guys, at least, still using more modern guns? I mean, I get that lead balls are easier to manufacture than M-16 bullets, and that machine parts could break down over time with no good way to mass produce replacements, but I'd think just 15 years out there'd still be some modern shotguns and junk still around (like the pistol Giancarlo Espisito had). <br /><br />Then again, maybe we'll see some of the militia using that kind of stuff in later episodes, but my "A" point still stands...<br /><br /><i>And also, why is their doctor some hedge witch instead of, oh i dunno, an actual doctor?</i><br /><br />The impression I got was less that she was a hedge witch and more that, in the absence of easy access to a wide range of modern medicines, she's learned/knew more natural healing methods based on plants and junk they can grow. I mean, the idea of treating an asthma attack with herbs or whatever exists today, and there's people who willing choose that method over the traditional inhaler.<br /><br /><i>Also, their clothing is way too nice and clean.</i><br /><br />Oh, everyone (their clothes and their bodies) was way too clean, but that's a pretty common problem in Hollywood (even <i>Walking Dead</i>, which is pretty good about that stuff, biffs it sometimes), so I tend to be able to just look past it, or else I wouldn't be able to enjoy much of what's on TV, at least genre-wise. <br /><br /><i>If they can keep it going like this, i can see my rage fading.</i><br /><br />Ditto. <br /><br />@Dr. Bitz: <i>Basically, MODERN technology would be gone, but some industrial revolution technology would work. </i><br /><br />Or, in other words, it would pretty much be a Steampunk world, which would make this Sarah's favorite show EVER! Austin Gortonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14281239771248780430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-20101359303844192052012-09-21T10:14:59.793-05:002012-09-21T10:14:59.793-05:00@Sarah: To be fair, most engines in modern vehicle...@Sarah: To be fair, most engines in modern vehicles use a spark plug to get things started. But that doesn't mean steam engines or coal engines could be used. So you'd think at least some older trains or boats could be used.<br /><br />Basically, MODERN technology would be gone, but some industrial revolution technology would work.Dr. Bitzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13568570859981368717noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-65353575277353063752012-09-21T09:55:06.207-05:002012-09-21T09:55:06.207-05:00We had mixed feelings about Revolution. On one han...We had mixed feelings about Revolution. On one hand, we love the apocalypse and will keep watching, but on the other hand, i'm already pissed about the science. Like, if firearms work, why don't engines work? You don't need electricity to get in a tank, or a steam engine and drive around the country. And also, why is their doctor some hedge witch instead of, oh i dunno, an actual doctor? Like it's only been 16 years and surgery was invented long before electricty. Also, their clothing is way too nice and clean. Charlie was wearing some sort of stylish pleather jacket that looked like it had never seen a slight breeze. So, once again, the lack of science pissed me off in something. Surprise.<br /><br />Glee was good. Well, good for Glee. If they can keep it going like this, i can see my rage fading.Sarah Ahiershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02795455714801965956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-5578139949131842122012-09-21T09:22:32.615-05:002012-09-21T09:22:32.615-05:00One option for Walking Dead is to buy the season o...One option for Walking Dead is to buy the season on iTunes. That's what I did last year when we got rid of our cable. The obvious downside being that you have to pay for TV when you are already paying for your satellite. On the other hand this way you can go back and re-watch episodes if you want and if you were going to buy the season on DVD you don't have to now. Just a thought.Phantomashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05551460006238624083noreply@blogger.com