July 21, 2010

TV Goes On...Even if I Can't Write About It

So There has bee a lot of TV that I haven't written about. Guess I better get on that...NOW!

Here is a minicap (ooh, gotta add that to my glossary) of what has been happening on TV. Included in this minicap are:
Rescue Me
Hawthorne
White Collar
Psych
Hell's Kitchen
Futurama
Lie to Me
Warehouse 13
Covert Affairs
Rizolli & Isles
Memphis Beat
Tosh.0

Shows not part of this but GUARANTEED a show/episode review soon: True Blood and Dark Blue

>_< 2010 Kia Soul Hamster Commercial | Black Sheep Kia Hamsters Video

Until now I've posted the commercials I've liked...this is an example of a commercial I HATE!!!

I mean WTF? You may or may not remember how these commercials w/the hamsters started. All these hamsters were in their hamster wheels around the city...as if their wheels were "wheels", like cars. Then a Kia cruised up and yea a actual car is better than a hamster wheel, any car but Kia= hammster wheel. Shitty commercial too, but at least it made since. Now it seems they've decided to make these hamsters the new Kia mascot--BAD IDEA!!!

It is a bad commercial for several different reasons:

Even if you remember the first commercial [and statistically I have to say enough people don't because they don't care about TV that much] this one doesn't equate the car to the hamsters...at all. Some hamster a singing about cars...who cares? And to a lesser note they are now just making hamsters=people.
"The Choice Is Yours" by Black Sheep...ok, they were trying to make a real statement, and you pose your Kia car against a toaster-a washing machine-two guys running under a cardboard box? STUPID! Sure there a re a few hamster wheels lying around, but not predominately featured...
...what is featured? hamsters doing people things. Why? Why why why why why....

This makes me think too much, and hamsters don't make the car cool. "The Choise Is Yours" does not make the car cool. Comparing the car to random appliances does not make the car cool...What are you trying to sell this car as? Youthful? If this is what the youth likes then I'm scared for our youth!

Glossary of Terms

Ok, so I realized I haven't blogged in a few days and figured I'd let you all in on some of the words I may or may not write on here, of course fully expecting you to follow me. So her are some terms I've coined (that doesn't really take rocket science to figure out):

For Commercials:

Network Commercial - commercial that promotes the network (ex. Boom-De-Yadda Discovery Channel commercial)
Product Commercial - commercial that promotes a product [one that can be bought in a store](ex. Tostitos Salsa commercial)
Show Commercial - commercial that promotes a show (ex. House commercial)
Charity/PA Commercial - commercial that promotes a charity (ex. TRUTH commercials)

Some may argue that all commercials are all product commercials cause they are all selling us something whether its a new show or an organization, and I agree...but I think that is generalizing the commercial too much especially since they aim to target different areas of our thinking. Though of course Product Commercials still have further sub divisions.

For TV:

Comedy
Drama
Dramedy - This is a broad term that incorporates your comedic/dramas (Rescue Me), quirky/dramas (Nurse
   Jackie), serio/comedies (Glee) but what i'm excited about in this particular term is that more and more
   shows can consider themselves a part of this grey area category. Life is ALL dramatic or ALL comedic and
   shows that reflect life a definitely refreshing.
Sitcom - usually 30 mins, 4-camera show, though shows like 30 Rock and The Office are breaking the
   standard 4-camera sitcom formula.
Hour-Long - usually a drama but with shows like Weeds (which I would put in the dramedy category) are
   starting to change that formula.
Tear-Jerker - think Grey's Anatomy
Mini Series - John Adams, Rome
Webisode - often a little something extra from a show with its auxiliary characters
Episode
Season

For My Blog (I may make up several words while writing things here):

Minicap- It's like a recap but instead of just doing one show one episode a minicap will include several shows
   spanning several episodes.

I'll continually update this post as I write more and pontificate on what terms and phrases I use to describe what I see.

July 10, 2010

Sprint - HTC EVO™ 4G Firsts

I don't like Sprint...I'm a Verizon girl... but the praise for this commercial truly goes out to HTC. It has such a brilliant and simple concept. Evything gets updated. Good ideas come along in our lives and then they get built upon. The wheel becomes the car becomes the train. Flight starts small, them gets jummosized until we can take orbit. And starting with small little computer chips we've built ourselves a technological world that has put entertainment and communication at the tip of our fingers, culminating in The Evo. What I enjoy is that starting with the microchip we move to entertainment--both music and video--when the next dominoes are cassette tapes, a-tracks, vhs' and I'm pretty sure I saw a Beta tape, and then we get to the heart of the commercials with what cellphones were, what they've become and the next evolutionary step...The Evo. commercials like this make me want the product, which I'm pretty sure is the point so good job!

July 8, 2010

2010 Emmy Nommination...with a few notes ^_~

The 62nd Primetime Emmy Awards, hosted by Jimmy Fallon, airs Sunday, Aug. 29 at 8/7c.

They are here again! Emmy time! This looks like an exciting year in television. I feel like there may be things missing, but when you only have so many slots available to nominate people too you have to distill things down. I think these are great nominations (except SNL) and I can't wait to read what all the critics and reviewers have to say about what this spells out for TV.

One thing is clear though, the categories are so black and white that it is hard to route for certain choices...I'm talking about your dramedy here, your funny/dramatic or more commonly quirky/dramatic series. I'm looking at you Nurse Jackie...comedy? Eh... I do have some laugh out loud moments, but thats not what your content is about. But up against Dexter you stand NO chance. TV is getting complicated, which is beautiful and great and there should be more shows like that giving people like me headaches about the labels.

LOST...finale nom...doesn't deserve it I think. But what a beautiful series. Visually stunning shots and well as locales. Writing moving, composition...I want to make Micheal Giacchino compose a musical and then let me star in it, and he should win in his category Outstanding Music Composition For A Series (Original Dramatic Score). Anyway...

See the list of some of nominees below (for a full list go to Emmy website here or by clicking on the title):

Drama Series

Breaking Bad

Dexter

The Good Wife

Lost

Mad Men

True Blood

How are you supposed to choose? Breaking Bad, Dexter or Mad Men? I love LOST and TB (and don't watch The Good Wife) but it's a different game with those three. They appeal to the mind, to our deepest morals, show raw, deep, deranged emotion and giving it a sympathetic face....my hear goes pitter patter for this!

Comedy Series

30 Rock

Curb Your Enthusiasm

Glee

Modern Family

Nurse Jackie

The Office

Another genre where I only miss one show (I haven't gotten on board with Curb...yet) and the rest are great...but interesting choices. 30 Rock, Modern Family and The Office are true comedies, and both The Office and 30 Rock have won before (the shows in general, including actors) so i think it should go to Modern Family. But Nurse Jackie and Glee a GREAT shows...they just aren't quite "comedies". Glee almost should be categorized as Variety, Music or Comedy Series. Curb is good I hear...

Lead Actor in a Drama Series

HIM...that is all. Who else can so expertly make you feel how you feel about him...look at his character on paper...he is a PSYCHOPATH. By the literal definition of psychopath. No remorse for his deaths, he enjoys the struggle, he doesn't want to stop--which is kind of the ideas they've been playing with this last season...but he kills at least 13 people a season...1 an episode for 4 seasons...thats 52 people!!! And yet I feel so bad about his recent loss...Rita...

Lead Actress in a Drama Series

Not gonna lie, only watch two of these and between January Jones and Mariska Hargitay...

Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

Andre Braugher, Men of a Certain Age

Michael Emerson, Lost

Terry O'Quinn, Lost

Aaron Paul, Breaking Bad

Martin Short, Damages

John Slattery, Mad Men

OMG! Did you see this season of Breaking Bad? YES! HIM...beautiful work. And to think his character wasn't originally supposed to stick around. He MADE this season, Cranston was beautiful no doubt but Aaron was completely full in his performance.

Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

Understated performances, but quite captivating. And a little eerie at times.

Lead Actor in a Comedy Series

I don't think he will win, but I really enjoyed the closing of his chapter in my life. Monk was a quirky, brilliant, sad, brave person who was crazy. A lead character in the show was his shrink. It was a sweet send off with great laugh out loud moments.

Lead Actress in a Comedy Series

Toni Collette, The United States of Tara
Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie
Tina Fey, 30 Rock
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, The New Adventures of Old Christine
Lea Michele, Glee
Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation

I want one of the Modern Family ladies in this category... I don't watch united States of Tara, yet. Gimme a break I watch A LOT already (see Summer List 2010)

Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series

Ty Burrell, Modern Family
Chris Colfer, Glee
Jon Cryer, Two and a Half Men
Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Modern Family
Neil Patrick Harris, How I Met Your Mother
Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family

I'd be happy for any of these guys to win. It is a brilliant ensemble piece and they each deliver...but Ty Burrell has found his role. He is able to be goofy to appeal to his lanky/geeky looks and do physical comedy, a trick he is QUITE talented at. I mean Charlie Chaplin/Jim Carey physical gags that are visuals feasts. Almost lyrical...I hope he wins most.

Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series

I don't think this needs an explanation. ^_^

Reality-Competition Program

The Amazing Race

American Idol

Dancing with the Stars

Project Runway

Top Chef

Don't Care!

Reality Host

Tom Bergeron, Dancing with the Stars

Phil Keoghan, The Amazing Race

Heidi Klum, Project Runway

Jeff Probst, Survivor

Ryan Seacrest, American Idol

See Above!

Variety, Music or Comedy Series

The Colbert Report
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
Real Time with Bill Maher
Saturday Night Live
The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien

Really, just to stick it to the network for kicking him off too early. Although I believe if they can't find 5 good Variety, Music or Comedy Series shows then they should just put 4. Saturday Night Live has NO business being nominated for any awards. Sorry SNL, I just used to watch the good episodes you had...

Will post full list later...

NEW Old Spice Commercial - "Questions"

I just love these commercial. The ad is targeted towards men AND women. It's a men's product afterall, and yet by having an attractive man, whom men want to be and women want to be with, speaking to the women as if to say "hey girls, if a man is wearing this product he'll talk to you too...and look, he'll be awesome like me!" and of course every man wants to be that guy to get a girl...obviously he has no trouble with the ladies. Brilliant psychological ploy. AXE body products has a similar tactic to have girls influenced by using them to suggest they'll like the men better becaus e the man will be better. But these commercials are witty while those only have a superficial, erotic, blunt approach to the message.

The other two commercials that aired during the Super Bowl are below.

The Carell Corral - Stephen Colbert 7-7-2010

!!! This is priceless! Steve Carell is wonderful and their friendship shines through so hard!

Second video is the interview and they do old school "Even Stev/phen" which breaks down in tears and baby talk. Surprise visit from someone they BOTH know! His initials are JS...so good. This is just comedians with history doing their thing and for all the political stuff they do THESE moments are the good ones too. Not a boring nobody with a book, or a band I don't care for...just good COMEDY!

The Colbert Report

Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

The Carell Corral

www.colbertnation.com

Colbert Report Full Episodes

2010 Election

Fox News

TV Guide Q&A - Summer Edition!

BELOW is an article that is property of TV Guide and TV Guide Networks. I do not own any of their thoughts nor are any of my opinions part of their company policies. I just love TV Guide and the article was interesting.

Looks like I'm not the only one noticing the influx of summertime shows. Although it seems like the jury is out on ABC's summer season...and it doesn't look good. I reserve the right to hold off judgement until I can give proper attention to these new series, until then I'll ignore the bad reviews (I expected it from The Gates though...I mean, well I'll elaborate in my review of The Gates).

TNT's 100 Days of Drama hasn't gotten much buzz, but as Matt surmises it is similar to the CBS/USA Networks model...all dramas with heart about strong people dealing with tough situations. Enjoy the article with questions posed by the TV Guide redership.

Ask Matt: Summertime TV, Post-Damages Woe, and More!

Jul 5, 2010 07:00 AM ET
by Matt Roush

Piper Perabo, Covert Affairs (to left)

Question: While I applaud network TV for trying to tap into the summertime scripted market (a bastion for cable's success), I can't help but be pretty unimpressed thus far. ABC's efforts have been almost universally disappointing. Scoundrels is a disaster, The Gates is painfully derivative (and for a show about vampires, werewolves, witches and who knows what else, is inexplicably boring), and Rookie Blue is a rip-off ofGrey's Anatomy in just about every way (but, you know, with cops instead of surgeons). Based on the ratings for these shows (with the modest exception of Rookie Blue), it seems to me that ABC's foray into summertime has been a failure. Other networks are faring no better. Fox's new series The Good Guys really didn't appeal to me (even though my fidelity to Matt Nix made me really, really want to like it), and given its anemic viewership, I'm not the only one. Lie to Me seems to be one of the few that's doing reasonably well, but it developed a fan-base during the regular season, so I don't think it counts exactly.   That said, I'm wondering if you have any theories as to why basic cable networks like TNT, ABC Family (although I must say I disagree about Huge—I found it dour and charmless, much to my chagrin), FX and, most notably, USA have such a grasp on summertime scripted programming while the basic networks are foundering. What is it that cable is doing so right and the big four are doing so wrong?

I look at USA Network in particular and wonder if it's primarily an issue of branding. USA seems to have the best grasp on what it is as a network and has built a portfolio of shows that all seem to work together on a schedule (indeed, you'd be hard-pressed to find someone who watches one show on USA and doesn't watch at least two others). I do wish USA would branch out and make some riskier moves at times, but when looking at the success of their programming model, it's hard to argue. Indeed, USA's newest series, Covert Affairs, looks like it'll be yet another fun, light-hearted dramedy feather in USA's cap that will do very well (pairing it with White Collar was yet another strategic boon). That said, I'm more apprehensive about Covert Affairs than I have been about other USA series. I've never been much impressed by Piper Perabo and honestly don't think she can anchor a show. Have you seen the pilot? Does she pull it off? Or is it more like watching Perabo trying desperately to be Alias's Jennifer Garner and failing miserably? I'd love to hear your thoughts.—Lacy

Matt Roush: Let's start with USA. In some ways, I look at that network as the cable equivalent of CBS. It knows what works for its audience and its brand and it stays mostly on message. Which means a lot of sameness from show to show, with a few doing the job better than others. (I'm particularly fond of Burn Notice and White Collar right now, but can make the case for others, while finding few of them qualifying as actual can't-miss appointment TV). I too wish USA would try a bit harder to surprise us, but like you said (which also applies to CBS's schedule, excepting the standout rookie The Good Wife), why mess with success? Covert Affairs has the look of another winner. Not because it's great; it's a bit too cutesy for my taste—which applies to the lead performance and a few of the more whimsical subplots and characters—but as a harmless caper paired with White Collar's second season, if it doesn't click I'll be surprised. And I tend to enjoy USA's shows more once they get past setting up the premise in their overstuffed pilot episodes, so I'll keep an eye on that one.

While I more or less agree with you about the broadcast networks' mostly feeble attempts to try scripted shows in the summer—you left out NBC's burn-offs, which may be the worst of the bunch—I'm glad they're at least trying something other than mind-numbing reality in a few time slots. One of these days, I'm hoping we'll witness the next Northern Exposure and have something to celebrate. As I noted in a recent magazine review, the difference between network and cable in the summer is that many cable operations put their very best shows on during the summer, promoting the heck out of them. With the networks, that is certainly not the case. The most we can hope for (and rarely get) is something too offbeat to air during the regular season that can be nurtured during the off-season. Maybe next summer ...

Summer Seasons!!!

As my previous posts implies there is a LOT to watch this summer. The shows I listed are just the ones I am interested in but that by no means is representative of all the new shows that are available to watch this summer!

Do you remember five years ago or so when what we had available to us were reruns of our full season favorites and reality shows. Hell ten years ago before reality TV programming really was as big as it is now all we had were REALLY old reruns (hands up, who watched all the episodes of Gilligan's Island? *raises hand*). I'm not saying it was bad, after all Vicky...a show that was from the 80's, was one of the shows I would look forward to during the summers. But the lack of anything new and fresh made it so I had to venture outside, go play in the park, read a book...BORING things. But now...oh now look at this landscape.

You know who is to thank for this wonderful turnaround: cable. Now I haven't done all of my research but I'm pretty sure the paid networks got the ball rolling on not confining a shows' season to the fall/spring format. I'm talking HBO/Showtime...those big dogs. Then our basic cable networks stepped up and said, "Oh yea, we can provide quality entertainment to our viewers on a more regular basis" and they presented us with shows like Monk, Mad Men, Rescue Me, etc. We saw how that turned out for them: Tony Shalhoub has too many Emmy's to count on one hand by now I'm sure (ok, only 3, but that's more than you right?)

Then the golden light hit the big networks when ABC's Wipeout did sooooo well last summer. It really killed a lot of the competition. That and FOX's So You Think You can Dance; it was originally a normal mid-season replacement show that turned out high numbers in the ratings for FOX when they decided to put it on during the summer, so they made it a regular part of the summer season. And with these two (and a few others mind you) glaring examples of people still having TV sets during the summer, execs finally turned the light-bulbs on and said...summer season=good. ABC is literally calling their new shows airing this summer part of ABC's Summer Season. To which I say YAY!!!

Sure I still have to wait for new episodes of: Grey's Anatomy, Brother's & Sisters, House, Chuck, Medium, Parenthood, etc. And of course just because there is programming doesn't mean it's good (I could end up watching the first three episodes of The Gates and HATE IT). But now I don't have to go crazy waiting for those new things because I have a list of at least 30 shows which will be producing new episodes ALL SUMMER LONG!!! So thank you TV execs. You realize there are people like me out in the world, to whom TV is an important part of life, and have catered to us heavily....THANK YOU!