The Loop

Lost: Jughead

I hate to add to the theories but...

Charles Widmore
Penny Widmore
Charlie Hume
+Time-Travel Island
= Charlie Hume becomes Charles Widmore

Sun has a kid, Aaron is a kid, Desmond has a kid.

Anyone remember an episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine called Children of Time where while crashing on an island a planet the crew gets stuck 200 years in the past and their descendants populate the world but as they escape they don't crash and the people on the planet disappear.

This show is giving me sleepless nights.

Watchout For The Pointy Crown

Hallmark: Hall of Fame: 235th Presentation


Loving Leah
A story of a woman who does two brothers and loses her religion. Granted when spun through Hallmark it is fantastically lovely.

Ignoring the movie which was presented with limited commercials.
Nearly every commercial was a Hallmark Card ad. The first was that of an illiterate who learns to read and then finally gets to know what his cards, he saved for years, actually said. My word this was heart breaking and touching.

Others included a loser giving the perfect wedding toast to his sister via a Hallmark card. A former student giving her retired professor a card and the knowledge he inspired her to become a teacher. People stuck in an elevator reading a birthday card and reminiscing. Plus stories of how the card writers began writing cards.

When you care enough to make someone else feel bad.

L'Hospital Rule

Show:	General Hospital		Grey's Anatomy
Name:	Nikolas Cassadine		Izzy Stevens
Love:	Dead wife		Dead soulmate
Problem:	Sees her ghost		Sees his ghost
Twist:	they can touch		they can touch
Reality:	Brain Tumor		Unknown sickness
Choice:	Cut it out lose ghost		Cure it and lose ghost
	Keep it die		Keep it get worse
Final:	Surgery/Drugs bye bye love		(Fill in yourself)
2nd Twist:	Mysterious new look-a-like		???

Walls in the Mall are Totally, Totally Tall

Image by calculat0r via FlickrSo something was on all today and I couldn't see any of my shows.

I can't say it was inspiring. It was kind of historic and long.

Out of all of the coverage ABC and NY1 was my choice. Later at night during on of the balls I think Beyonce kind of out shined everyone but I don't think it was intentional.


I did catch up on all my TiVo stuff and must say this season's Kyle XY is still good.

Canceled Too Soon?

Probably not but still look at these.

Scientists find new creatures of Australian deep

One of Australia's deepest residents a carnivorous sea squirt, or ascidian, standing half a meter tall on the seafloor on the Tasman Fracture Zone at a depth of 4006 metres

(AFP/HO/Ho)

Now a scene from the great but canceled show Surface.

The flower of the future.

This is How the Merger Should Work

When the the computers and televisions finish mating their offspring should have certain abilities based on my experience last night.

Watching The Fuse 20 a music video clip show hosted by Danielle Fishel. Not remembering much about Fishel after she left Boy Meets World I wanted to Google her, teehee.

Sure I had my laptop but it was distracting trying to watch TV and search for stuff. Then the shows theme was celebrities in music videos and each video made me want to check that celebrity to see what they're doing now like Christopher Walken from the FatBoy Slim video.

My TiVo already pauses live TV so why not open a window on the screen and allow me to do a search over the internet of that show.
Imagine if you will you're watching a show and can't remember where you've seen the actor who is not the star. During a commercial or pausing the TV you hit a "Query button", the screen splits and you see a search box. Intuitive typing brings a list of everything associated with what your watching. You start to type either the character or actors name and find it within a second and soon your online with all the normal results. Seeing clips from YouTube or interviews from a recent magazine article of the entire filmography at IMDB.

Doing this for every show, every commercial, and every live event should be the goal not a TV that can also be used as computer monitor. I need TV that helps me because let's face it my brain is crammed with so much stuff I need all my stuff to come with a drop down menu.

Plain not Plane

So I took trip to the city yesterday looking for some decent sneakers or join the 20th century with a simple cell phone. Didn't find either. Did find a nice belt(similar not exact) for under $20 at Macy's. I decided to take a picture of the Starbuck's in Macy's because all the cool bloggers are doing it.

This is a tiny spot inside a high traffic clothing store so it was interesting seeing a lady passed out in the corner. I did not have anything as I've been in more of a Dunkin' Donuts coffee mood for a while.

So why the plain old boring picture?
I always carry a camera for movie, TV, or other film projects going on or maybe a some beautiful scene of this fair city. Since I didn't have anything to shoot I decide might as well just take a picture of something.

Then I get home turn on the TV and see a plane in the river. Soon dozens of amazing photos are being sent all over the news. If it was slightly warmer I may have been in the area but it was cold and even if I were there I tend to react slowly when the temperature is 3 degrees below deadly.

Everyone survived as you heard by now and here is my favorite picture by a guy in the right place.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gregorylam/3200086900/sizes/l/

It took place right after the crash before the local ferries came to the rescue.

Documentaries Do Not Equal Reality Shows

One great example of how reality shows pale in comparison to real documentaries is one of my favorites Seven Up!, 7 plus Seven, 21 Up, 28, Up, 35 Up, 42 Up, and 49 Up. Played on PBS' long running POV.
Image via Wikipedia
This epic shows the lives of several 7 year olds from Great Britain 1964 and their views of the world. Every 7 years the camera invades their lives and we see how they changed. Some eventually refuse to participate while the rest go through ups and downs and face life as it comes.

49 Up is what TV was made for this documentary lasts 3 to 7 hours depending on the cut. The late nights allow us late sleepers a chance to peer into an entire lifetime of strangers without the exploitation and showmanship of network-reality.

After this they showed Following Sean a similar doc. about a guy following a hippie kid and what happened 40 years later.

I truly enjoy PBS and before cable it was 50% of my TV time. Still today the have reel TV which I watched Donnie Darko last week and some independent films. Still love the home fixing shows, animal shows, and science on TV(the only place it still exist).

I should really give up Engineering and start my own documentary company. Talk,talk,talk...

They filmed another movie in front of my building. I didn't even notice until they were almost gone.

Government Controlled TV

Image via WikipediaThe big deal that has been hitting the air waves is the switch from an analog signal to a digital signal. Television broadcast will no longer carry analogs making the antenna useless unless you have a converter box. Well guess what most people don't and now the Congress wants a delay.

A few problems surface.

1. Many people don't have cable but have new TVs that support digital and just don't realize it.
2. Not everyone cares about TV and will be fine if the TV goes dead.
3. Government aid has run out thanks to internet thieves getting $40 gift cards just for fun and not using them.

I'm all for the switch only because the delay is annoying.

Pros :

• Signal is usually clearer.
• More channels can come through.

Cons:

• When interference comes through it freezes both audio and visual.
• Weak signals don't come in at all.
• New towers means relocating existing antennae to catch the signal.
• TV is dying why bother.

I have a both cable and a converter box so I'm safe just in case cable is cut I still can get my fix of TV. I still own an old fashioned TV and have no plans to upgrade until the price drops to something decent.

Obama Interuptus
So my first full week off and I sit down to watch some morning TV and this guy keeps breaking in with not so Special Reports about his 23rd cabinet pick. Being from NY I want my "SPECIAL REPORTS" to be full of collapses, fires, or floods not some soon-to-be President and his hope for tomorrow. Where is Nader and his special reports?

Appallin' Palin
This chick got some nerve. Everything she criticized Hillary for doing she is doing now. Even after delaying an arrest of a known drug users, that she pals around with, she still is in the news with her backwards views. It has nothing to do with Rep or Dem she has no sense and reminds me of every reality show chick ever.

CES
Some tech show where 3D is being hyped.
While all the toys are cool the signal interference and government regulation will make the finally in-store product half as nice. Is the Government to blame? NO. These designs are never meant to work in the field, permanent BETA is a trick done by companies. Everyone stop with the -1 cm thick TVs and use that digital signal that is 300 times better than the internet and let me scroll the net/web with my TV and remote.


Oh yeah Grey's Anatomy was dumb I hope they're giving Izzie a brain tumor because everything else would kill the show.

The Future is Sad

Yes the second half of the season has begun and I'd rather be watching movies. Not that I'll stop watching my old shows just that I can't stay awake for them. Plus continuing with my Lifetime-fest I can now see the end of TV.

Stargate Atlantis: Vegas
This was an alternate reality episode with implications to the Stargate universe we are familiar with but my goodness it was slow paced and boring. Sure it was sad but I fell asleep through most of it. I'm not working or studying so this must be one dull episode. Next week is the "Series Finale", and by the quotes I mean going to DVD.

My Mom's New Boyfriend
Meg Ryan, Antonio Banderas, Colin Hanks, and Selma Blair along with other top celebs star in this movie so it must be a high budget theater flick.
No.
It was a straight to DVD release and ended up on Lifetime. The movie is about a mom who dates a thief. Of course twist and revelations abound but while cute I can't see how so many famous people ended up in this amateur flick. Yes I get these stars are no longer A-list but still this is barely a romantic-comedy.

Smother
Liv Tyler, Diane Keaton, and Dax Shepard in a almost unwatchable comedy about a wacky mom. I know this movie came out in September 2008 but where? I understand actors must continuing working if not they will be forgotton so I can forgive movies like these.
My issue is that this movie was highly promoted on Lifetime. Is this the future.

As DVDs soon go out to pasture then these embarassing movie and failed TV shows will end up either on some iTunes queue or directly sold to a TV station. When the merger of TV and the internet is complete then will each station just charge you to watch this crud. Hyping Liv Tyler in a movie then you pay $6.99 to be sorely disappointed.

Pushing Daisies is a good example. It is off ABC's schedule but there are 3 episodes left. What to do? The Disney empre wants to make a profit so they will likely release them on an Exclusive Full Season DVD with "Never Before Seen Episodes" then sell the show to Sci-Fi as they market the Never Seen on Cable label. Sure if there is enough fans or a hole in the upcoming ABC season then we'll see it on air.

With networks refusing to spend money on actual shows and the fad of reality shows fading fast then soon you'll see more low budget movies being used as filler.

Tonight Scrubs let's show some support.

Completely unrelated photo of the moon outside my window.

Marathon Man

Not the kind where you actually train for, compete with others, and run around until you puke.

New Years Eve and New Year's Day are good for watching a long marathon of stuff you've already seen or stuff you would never watch if it weren't in marathon form.

Twilight Zone is the typical choice but I'm over that. I started ( no judgments please) on Lifetime with their Top 8 of 2008 marathon, only one (?) other was doing the same. Then moved to the Planet of the Apes movies, and finally Bones.


Wisegal
Alyssa Milano plays some mobs guys girl who betrays him then wreaks havoc on some nice mob family. The story is told through the nerdy son's point of view which by his tone is some sort of criminal in the future. Granted I may have got the intent of the story wrong but that's the fun with Lifetime. Their story is rarely the whole story.

Queen Sized
Some fat chick, don't worry she gave us permission to call her that, gets to be prom queen.
The problem with this movie becomes clear when she talks to the only other fat person in school. Is it that she's alone? Nope. It's that she is as selfish as the skinny chicks. Still there is another problem that 60% of all American teens are overweight so in a school of 200, like hers, about 120 of these kids should be fat. Only two fatties in school today is ridiculous. A scene with her running with ten other girls should have 6 big girls and 4 thin ones.
She does nothing to change, uses excuses like it's hard to exercise, and tries to equate her discrimination with that of African-Americans struggles in the U.S.


Fab Five: The Texas Cheerleader Scandal
The story of mean girls or the story of the wimpiest town in America.
Girls make fun of others, get teachers fired, and beat up other cheerleaders. I'd like to point out the theme of laziness runs through all these movies. If anyone in the entire town would just knock one of these girls teeth out the story would have ended quickly. Based on several true stories.

7 Things to Do Before I'm 30
A depressed Lori Madison, played by Amber Benson, is a lucky girl who blames the world for being...um...I'm not sure why she was so depressed. She is funny, pretty, has a few men who want her, a great family, and lacks confidence. Before I have a chance to cry a river over her sad state she realizes what she has and gets married. Of course a woman's life is not complete without the marriage.

Encore 5 had all of the Planet of the Apes minus the Mark Wahlberg tragedy.
Lets sum them up.
Plant of the Apes: A future where apes rule because people got too lazy and let the apes take over. (Ignore the obvious undertones)
Beneath the Planet of the Apes: Crazy mutant men battle apes and then Moses blows the world up.
Escape from the Planet of the Apes: Three apes travel back in time to complete a time loop that will cause the future tragedy.
Conquest of the Planet of the Apes: Slave apes revolt.
Battle for the Planet of the Apes: I recorded this because I got sleepy, but I doubt anything profound will jump out.

Bones on TNT
I tend to watch the new episodes while eating at night and gets truely disgusted. Seeing this on a calm afternoon you can focus on the funny and continuing storylines. Unlike most detective shows this one has more personal stuff that recurs throughout the season.

Back in the day before seasonal DVDs this would be the only way to watch a whole bunch of shows in a row. It's good if you need to clean or organize to have it on in the background especially since radio today is crap.


One last thing was a photo I took of one subway stop. Soon we may have to pay $3.00 a fare for sub-par service, trust me it's not worth it. I appreciate the MTA's effort since I'm almost never late but the infrastucture is getting bad. Nearly every platform has dripping and leaking and wood covered temprary barriers as well as those annoy new bumpy yellow edges.