The Show Must Go On...

TV This Past Week

Sun, 02 Oct 2005 18:42:59 GMT

Thinking of what I watched last week in my guise of knee operation woes couch potato, I'd give the award for Most Different and Intriguing to the PBS two part documentary/biography Martin Scorsese's 'Bob Dylan: No Direction Home.' It evoked memories of the music and the times from deep within this Child of the 60s. The DVD is tied in with the PBS fundraiser (which is indeed worthy, I know)... but it makes it over $125, something I just can't justify in my budget right now. I'll probably eventually break down and at least buy the CD. For now, I dragged out my old vinyl and cranked up the turntable. The times, they are a'changing, but Dylan still rules the memories.

I also have the Most Stupid Advertisement award for a Suzuki SUV. The ad has a man parachuting from his house atop a mountain spike doohickey down to his SUV and then offroading it amongst the terrain. Um... how does he get back UP to his house? Stupid ad. Simply improbable and a silly idea.

Then there's the ad which has caught my attention the most. Perhaps it's the 60s (early 70s) thing with the music; maybe it's the DJ's silly wide open smile. I dunno. But the new White Castle ad has me hooked and I always have to peek. It's for a new Honey Chipolte Chicken Sandwich, although I myself prefer the sliders <grin>. The DJ takes one bite in a rather industrial club setting, then puts The Archies 'Sugar, Sugar' on the turntable. A thug looks at him menacingly, so he then puts on one of my teen favorites -- The Crazy World of Arthur Brown's 'Fire' ("Fire... I beg you burn..." Classic!). The thug pounds his fist and the DJ's reaction is priceless. So, it's to a mix of 'Fire' and 'Sugar, Sugar'. Maybe you have to be there, but I think the ad is cute. ;-)

Of course I'm watching 'Survivor: Guatemala' and 'Amazing Race 8' -- for expanded thoughts on them, check out my blogs -- Blogging 'Survivor: Guatemala' and The 'Amazing Race 8: Family Edition' Blog.

In the daytime TV arena -- I liked it better when 'Ellen' danced her way through the audience. Huh. I don't care so much for the new judge on the scene, Judge Alex. Can we say Judge Glut? Yep, we sure can. I accidentally hit both 'The Maury Show' and 'Jerry Springer' in my remote surfing. The more things change, the more they remain the same. Where the heck do all these women who fooled around with someone and the child may not be the husband's spawn come from? And, why the heck are they on national TV exposing their just plain ol' nasty selves? Yikes! Sheesh, if I had such a secret, a secret it would remain! And now Jerry is promoting his show as the World's Worst TV Show or something like that. I'm glad he takes pride in his work. Eep.

Back to primetime, 'LOST' is still my Wednesday night must see, although I didn't think this week's episode went too much of anywhere. It also jumped around a bit too much even for LOST. I'm still a LOST junkie, though.

Ah, this week Letterman is new again and I still have two more weeks (at least) before returning to work. My TV is my friend. :-)

'LOST' my 'Head Cases'

Sun, 25 Sep 2005 20:17:05 GMT

Ah, my TV Pick of the Week this past week was 'LOST' hands down. It went from quirky to outright odd with Desmond's appearance and the Mama Cass song 'You've Got to Make Your Own Kind of Music' wafting through the inner sanctum beneath the hatch. I've been asked if I blog 'LOST' but I can't see how I could ever do that! If I view an encore presentation, I get new things from the watching.

Alas, poor 'Head Cases' -- struck down on its second episode. I watched the first one and actually enjoyed it. However, against 'LOST' and another show... it couldn't even fit in my taping schedule. It's too bad as I like Adam Goldberg. :::sniffle:::

Breaking Hiatus to Celebrate!

Sun, 21 Aug 2005 01:52:36 GMT

This blog has been on hiatus while I concentrate on my other AOL Journals, mostly the'Big Brother 6' Live Feed Reports and More as it's way time consuming. I'll be picking up with this Journal once the 'Big Brother 6' season ends -- carryin on with Blog 'n Watch entries and other television "stuff."

Tomorrow is the second anniversary (birthday?) of AOL Journals. Woohoo! Time to party like it's um... two years of AOL Journals! Although the journals you see of mine aren't two years old, I had AOL Journals in my old AOL Volunteer Community Leader names ever since the product was released. Alas, the journals were deleted when I lost my HOST names. Sigh.

However, the 2 Years is enough to get me out of hiatus here and celebrate! :-)

Happy birthday, AOL Journals!

Straddling the Fence on New Shows...

Mon, 11 Jul 2005 14:51:19 GMT

Yep. I'm on the fence about two new shows, at least one of which I'm sure to watch at least once.

Show number one is The Law Firm -- an NBC reality series set to debut at 9 PM ET/PT on Thursday, July 28. Now, I'm a law/crime buff and a real fan of selected reality television programming. This one's a bit tricky for me on an ethical basis. It's real lawyers, real cases and a quarter million dollar prize. Twelve lawyers compete against each other with both jury and judge decisions. My dilemma is that I think court cases such as those for Judge Judy and Joe Brown (to name but a few) are minor civil cases, often almost frivolous ones at that. This new series seems to involve more heavy weight cases. Where do we draw the line at winning a TV show? Will or should prize monies affect the quality of a lawyer's case presentation? I don't know. This is the show I feel I must watch at least once.

Then there's Rock Star - INXS which makes its debut tonight at 9 PM ET/PT (in most viewing markets) on CBS. I'm in a quandary about this one. I find it sort of macabre that they are having a reality GAME show (which is what it is) to replace the lead singer in the group. While I liked some INXS songs, I wasn't an avid avid fan of the group. But, what made the group good was indeed the talents of the lead singer, Michael Hutchence whose memorial site built by his family and friends can be found here. In my own very personal opinion, I think the premise of the show cheapens his life caught short by suicide in 1997. I don't mind the idea of a rock star contest with the contestants living in the house much akin to 'Last Comic Standing.' It's just the almost tawdry game to replace someone who cannot be replaced that bothers me.

Your thoughts?

Tomorrow's Just a Day Away

Wed, 06 Jul 2005 16:34:40 GMT

The big premiere of 'Big Brother 6' is tomorrow! Woohoo! On my other blog, my latest entry is an exclusive interview with Jym Buss, the Supervising Producer - Competitions for the show. An interesting note, I'll be watching two solid hours of Jym's stuff as he worked in a similar role for the series 'The Cut.' That airs at 8 PM here and 'BB6' at 9 PM.

All after what's slated to be my first day back to work since dislocating my kneecap. I know I'll be ready to kick up my feet and watch some TV!

Reflections on a TV Week Gone By

Mon, 04 Jul 2005 03:39:59 GMT

I guess that was the week that was. Hmmm.... I was off from work all week with the knasty knee and... what was on? Nothing much! Argh!

Pardon my rant, but:

Okay. I had a whole week of weekdays off. What show do I like to watch if I'm home on a weekday morning? You got it -- 'Ellen.' What show was preempted for Wimbledon tennis almost every day this week in the NYC viewing area? You got it! 'Ellen'! Grr. Of course, once I saw the one show which seemed to air, it was a repeat and one of the few I've previously viewed. :::thumping head on keyboard because it feels good when I stop:::

Then I watched the 'Dancing With the Stars' show which is garnering all the hubbub. HUH? What's that all about? Where are the stars? Do I know these stars? Yeah, I recognize Elaine's boss from the 'Seinfeld' series. Oh, and was that Joey guy in a boy band maybe? I know it has an audience and more power to the folks who enjoy it. But I found the only time I was paying attention was when all the couples were waltzing. I wanted them to crash.

All right. My vicious evil ranting is over. I'm ready to mumble a bit now.

I wasn't as impressed with 'Fire Me Please' this week. Previous episodes gave me at least one hearty giggle. Nada this week. Not horrible, but no rating on the Giggle Meter at all. Not a great sign.

I also watched 'The Cut' although I was feeling too icky to do a Blog 'n Watch on it. Now, it's too bad Tommy got booted, but I can understand the reasoning behind the decision. He didn't work with the team and, as they say, there is no "I" in team. I was a bit amused at his reaction. All in all, it wasn't my favorite episode, but I was recovering from a knasty knee doc appointment where horrible ghastly stuff was done to my knee. So, it could have been my mindset.

It was surprising that the 'C.S.I.' repeat shown Thursday night was one I actually never saw before. Yay! Whoopee!

Well, after a basically dismal TV week, at least 'Letterman' was new shows all week. Phew! There is hope for us all!

Media Miscellany

Tue, 28 Jun 2005 15:02:37 GMT

In the news, AOL has an article about Corey Clark being arrested for battery which consisted of a food fight with his record producer in a restaurant. Well, there's the epitome of professionalism. Clark, of course, is the ex-'American Idol' contestant who claimed to have the hot and heavy affair with one of the show's judges, Paula Abdul.

I'm sitting here with the tail end of 'The Today Show' on in the background desperately hoping that 'Ellen' won't be displaced by Wimbledon tennis as it was yesterday. I really love that show. Since I work most weekdays (when I'm not home with a funky knee), I rarely catch the show. I know I could tape the shows, but I also know how many tapes I have laying about the apartment that I never seem to catch up with. Time will tell. I have nothing against tennis... even though in my present state it makes my knee scream just to watch them pivot on the court. I have a compromise. Show 'Ellen' in its entirety in its regular slot and pre-empt a soap opera instead! Yeah, that'll do it!

ARGH! ZAM, POW, TO THE MOON! Wimbledon, no 'Ellen'! Waaah!

:::channel surfing with remote::: Hmmm... 'Texas Justice.' Nah. ESPN has baseball commentary. Nah. 'Tony Danza.' -- now, I've never watched this before. Huh. I'm surprised. Tony just said 'non-sequitor' and used it correctly in a sentence. I didn't know he knew big words. Um... nah. Ohhh... CN8 has a thing about 'Men and Plastic Surgery'! Uhhh... nah. UPN9? No, I don't think I want to see whatever this is. Next! QVC- Now You're Cooking! Um... nope. 'Maury' on channel 11? Nuh-uh. Not into kidnap, torture and who's my baby's daddy today. Next! Ah! 'Casos de Familia'! Dang... it's a bit like a Latino Jerry Springer Show with a woman host. Carumba! Hmmm.... next! Now, I usually like PBS. Um... some kid's show... um, they're talking jumbalaya. Now I'm hungry, but not entertained. NEXT. Yikes. I just flipped through a good ten more stations... all commercials. No, I don't want to watch 'Morning Call' on CNBC. Waah...

Oh, 'Sesame Street' on the NJ PBS station! Um. No! Gee, how many ESPN stations do I need? Okay, now I've landed on A&E. Hmmm... I have no clue what it is and I don't want to start watching an overacted funeral. Next. ACK. CNN has the banner for the President's speech tonight. Argh. I don't want to miss 'Fire Me... Please' which is slated for tonight. Now they're talking about that second shark attack on a teen. Scary stuff. Next. BET? Bet not! I'm just not too into sexy frolicking at the moment. VH1... rats, I just caught the end of Gwen Stefani's "Holla Back Girl." I'm not a Gwen Stefani fan at all, but I love to watch that song performed with the marching band. So much for VH1 and my bad timing! Don't know what station this is, but I don't like reruns of 'The Nanny.' I didn't like the show the first time 'round. Next!

I'm skipping a lot of stations as I have no patience with commercials. Ohh... another station in Spanish. A drama about nuns. Huh. Next! Discovery Channel has a special on the history of shoes? Um... not sure I want to elevate myself to that. Give me sneakers! Next! Cartoon Network has a cartoon on. Imagine that. I like cartoons, but prefer classic ones. NEXT. 'Bring it On' and the 700 Club? Um, no, bring it off. Ohhh, AMC has a movie with a younger Robert Redford on. Cool. Oh, wait. It's almost over, I think. I believe it's 'Legal Eagles.' Oh, well... next! TNT has an old repeat of an 'E.R.' episode. I don't want to think doctors and surgery. NEXT.

:::tapping good foot::: Okay, CMTV has some foot-stompn' country music a'goin' on. The video production of whomever is a bit lacking, but the music is actually okay. Eh, though. NEXT. The Weather Channel and a tropical update. Um... no. Next. Ah, MegaMillions is up to 50 million. Not that I'll get out to buy a ticket, but I'll dream on it anyway. Oh, I don't think I WANT to watch 'The True Story of Alexander the Great' on the History Channel. Next. Aha, an advertisement for the Montreal Jazz Festival in French. Phew... at least I understand that language. The Spanish stations talk too fast -- if they slow down, I can get the gist of the conversation, but...! Hmmm... this is the BETJAZZ station. I like jazz. Um, but no... next!

Comedy Station? Nah, don't want to watch unfunny stand up while I sit today. Next. Hey, this should be good -- ETV! Hey! I have my OWN NETWORK! Okay, I don't. Hollywood gossip. Ummmm... no. Next. SPEED... um, no. HGTV? Nah. NIK? Nuh-uh. GOLF -- no way! Not fore me! YES? NO! (Yankees station)

Ack... maybe it's time to turn off the TV and turn on the stereo instead...

For 'Big Brother 6' Fans

Fri, 01 Jul 2005 15:35:00 GMT

For all the latest Internet rumors about the upcoming season, screen caps from Live Feeds and more, I created 'Big Brother 6' Live Feed Reports and More - a new AOL Journal specifically dedicated to the show. If you watch the show and plan to subscribe to the Live Feeds, I encourage you to please post reports there! Or screen caps! Or, anything 'Big Brother' even. :-)

I also created a new web page which sort of links all the stuff I do around AOL if you want to see what I'm up to -- Jackie's Stuff

Yesterday for 'The Birds' - on VHS

Sun, 26 Jun 2005 16:05:18 GMT

Well, one thing about being sort of confined to the apartment (recall kneecap dislocation) and, as Pink Floyd said, "Got thirteen channels of **** to choose from..." Since I have basic cable, I have even more. But yesterday, all the TV seemed a bit blah. I looked over my DVDs, then gazed over at my huge collection of movies in VHS format -- something I haven't really done in a while. Ah, time to revisit a few of them...

'The Birds' directed by Alfred Hitchcock was a perfect choice for the afternoon. I made a bag of microwave popcorn and grabbed a tasty cold beverage to settle into the movie that scared me so as a child back in 1963 when I saw it in a drive-in theater with my parents. Yeah, my parents weren't too protective of me. I recall seeing 'Psycho' in its original release when I was no more than five years old. I had nightmares for a while. Since I grew up only slightly twisted, I guess they did okay with me. As a small child I was mesmerized with Alfred Hitchcock movies and the 'Twilight Zone' and 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' television series, as well as black & white horror movies. I've always had a side of me drawn to the macabre. I don't think that's a bad thing at all. After all, I never shot a man in Reno just to watch him die. So, I guess I'm sort of kind of okay.

Now, the top photo is one of mine. This one obviously isn't! (If you click on it, you can get the URL of the site from whence it came.)

Back to 'The Birds' -- I don't believe I've watched this movie more than once after purchasing the VHS of it maybe ten years ago... maybe less... a long time ago. On yesterday's rewatch, I think the biggest impression I had from the film is the generational changes since it was made. I also picked up on a few great Hitchcock directorial aspects which were cool added touches. I knew the story inside and out, so I'm not going to delve too much into that. If you don't know the movie, go buy it.

A Hitchcock added bit I loved: When Melanie is driving the winding road up to Bodega Bay with the caged lovebirds in the car, there's an extended shot of the birds swaying in unison as the car goes into turns. :-)

A question I have: Why is Melanie constantly wearing a fur coat? I know it can get chilly in Northern California, but that's a bit too much. I can only assume the fur stood to represent her wealth and social status. But it seemed a little out of place to me.

Things which wouldn't work today: All the smoking, for sure. In the old Hitchcock movies, EVERYONE smokes... a lot. I remember those days, but it's still a cultural shock to trip back to the past. Another thing which wouldn't work is getting Mitch's sister's name from the Postmaster... or, as it was inevitably, from the teacher. Sheesh, if you poked around looking for a kid's name today all sorts of red flags would go up and the authorities would be notified on short order! Yet another thing which wouldn't work today is the fact that Melanie rented a boat without presenting any identification. Yeah, right... that would go down big today, huh?

Technical junk: When I first saw this movie in the 60s, it seemed very realistic. Now, after several years of CGI and advances in the industry, it's noticeably "fake" in the bird attacks. Even as the first crow and a few subsequent ones gather on the jungle gym outside the school, it's evident that they are not even sized correctly -- one crow does NOT take up that much room on a jungle gym! After there are many gathered, the size is much more in proportion. The attack scenes are also a bit schmaltzy. But, overall, it's still classic. So I won't whine. I'll just mention it.

Her car?: What was that? An MGB? A Triumph? I know I know the car and I'm just not placing it. Back when the movie first came out, my family had a Chevy wagon. We didn't have sports cars or convertibles. Well, we also didn't have pearl necklaces or fur coats, nor did my father wear a tie around the house.

Classic scenes: To me, there are some classic cinematic scenes in this movie which must be mentioned. These aren't in chronological order as they appeared in the movie, but in more of an order as to my own personal impressions. The phone booth scene where Melanie is trapped as the birds attack. Eek. When Lydia discovers the body of Dan Fawcett on the floor with his eyes pecked away. YIKES. The schoolchildren being attacked by the birds as they fled for safety. Eek. The birds circling over the town as the gasoline started fire burns. Uh-oh! Then, at the end... the thousands of birds just gathered ready for the next strike as Mitch, Kathy, Melanie and Lydia have to make their way through them. Of course, I should also mention Melanie's almost catatonic state after being attacked in the house. All in all, lots of classic terrifying scenes.

'The Birds' stars Tippi Hedren as Melanie, Rod Taylor as Mitch, Jessica Tandy as Lydia (Mitch's mother) and Suzanne Pleshette as the school teacher (ex-flame of Mitch's). It's well worth the watch, but then I'd recommend any Hitchcock movie. Hey, with my leg tied up like this, maybe I'll watch 'Rear Window' today!

TV, Television... and a bag of chips

Fri, 24 Jun 2005 14:30:03 GMT

I didn't write up my usual 'The Cut Blog 'n Watch' entry last night. So, if anyone out there was looking for it, I apologize. I watched the show and enjoyed it, but I've had a bit of an injury which was bothering me some last night and snatching my attention from writing a lot of anything. Don't ever dislocate your kneecap. It hurts like hell.

I loved the challenge in last night's 'The Cut.' The two teams had to recreate the original ambiance of The Cotton Club and Club 54, respectively. I thought they both did well, but agreed with Tommy Hilfiger that the Cotton Club was magnificent... though that's the team I liked least in the task. Or, to clarify that, the team whose members I like the least overall. Jeff has got to go. When is Jeff gonna go? I want Jeff to go far away and to make sure he takes his ridiculous hat with him!

Julia shocked me with her statements about gays. My gosh, I recall gay folks from back in the days when the closet was the lifestyle. Perhaps she leads a very sheltered life, but I have trouble believing anyone in this day and age doesn't know at least a few gay folks. Yikes. It perhaps isn't so bad that she may not know gay folks, but her personal bias and lack of tolerance came ringing through in tonight's show. By refusing to negotiate with someone because they're different than she is will be her death knell in the design business -- a business which is full of diversity.

I was stunned that Chris went. If only he had not been so adamant that it was his idea for Club 54 and all his research, then I think Tommy H. would have picked Julia instead. Argh.

Oh... and is Princess ever gonna learn to shut up?