NBC Cancels ’30 Rock’ and ‘Parks and Recreation’

In a surprisingly stupid move, even for NBC, 30 Rock and Parks and Recreation two of only a small handful of decent shows on NBC, will be canceled, allowed only a few episodes to “wrap things up.”  As DRM reader Kyle (aka Fireburt) points out: “did fox buy nbc when I had my back turned?”

Seriously…what are they thinking over there?  There was mention of “starting over”.  Well – when you’re a terrible network, and you have 3-4 decent shows, maybe you get rid of all the bad shows and replace THEM instead of the 3-4 good ones…I don’t know…I may have to start bashing NBC more than FOX…because this is just getting a bit silly…

 

http://www.opposingviews.com/i/entertainment/nbc-makes-drastic-call-veteran-comedies-30-rock-community-and-parks-recreation

Shows to fill your empty DVR.

Is your DVR currently well below half-capacity because all of your favorite shows are ending their seasons?  Never fear – there are plenty of other great shows either still showing new episodes, or just starting up.  Here are just a few options:

• Meat Men – A show about one of the country’s largest custom butcher operations.  The company is located in New York City – and, as with many of these “blue collar” reality TV shows, the cast’s big personalities play as much a part in the show as the job itself.  Not much arguing amongst the main cast, which is always a plus.  Food Network.
• The Next Food Network Star – This one is a bit of stretch, because it is kind of game-show-y, which I can’t stand.  However, now that Food Network is basically kicking out all of its real chefs in order to have more airtime for its annoying and LOUD personalities, anytime Alton Brown and Bobby Flay get more time on my TV is fine with me.  And, if Giada was just stop smiling like the Cheshire Cat all the time…she could be somewhat watchable, too.  Food Network.
• The Devil’s Ride – This starts in a few days, so I don’t know if it’s any good.  I can tell you that it looks like it may actually be a decently real representation of life in a 1% motorcycle club, which could be interesting.  Usually shows like this are just one-hour documentaries, so I’m curious to see how this does as a full-on series.  The Discovery Channel.
• Veep – After Elaine Benes, this is by far Julia Louis-Dreyfuss’ best role.  She can finally step out of that whole censoring bull-sh#* of network television, and step on to the any-language-goes stage of HBO.  I mean, let’s be honest, without the F-word, this show is a 2.5/5 at best.  With it?  We’re stepping into 4 territory…  HBO.
• Duck Dynasty – I talked about this one in an earlier post.  Guys from the swamps of Louisiana, millionaire owners of a duck-call business.  Very funny.  Watch it.  A&E.

Webisode Advertising Euthanizes Puppies

Very rarely am I on a “Webisode train” from the beginning.  Meaning…many of my favorite shows always seem to have short, 2-3 minute companion webisodes that may or may not tie into the actual program…but are usually funny, and worth watching.  My problem is, like most people, I only find out about these little nuggets when I’m bored, and somehow find myself perusing the show’s poorly designed, heavily-branded, network website.  So – I end up getting caught up.  I watch each episode that is currently available one right after the other.  Herein lies the problem:  network’s literally get high off of web advertising as if it were some sort of multi-colored, Pixar-developed, fashion drug.  (Do not fault me on my incorrect use of the word “literally” here.  I get on people all the time for using that incorrectly – so I’m allowed to fake use it incorrectly.  It’s kind of like when you make a really racist comment – but its okay, because you’re friends with a Puerto Rican guy that works at the grocery store.  Same kind of deal.)

So – to provide a more literal example:  I’m watching the webisode Happy Rides, which is the cleverly-named web series companion to Happy Endings on ABC.  There are currently six, 2-3 minute episodes.  Every single one of them begins with one of two versions of Subaru’s stupid “animate your first car story” commercial.  No, not 6 different versions, one for each…or even 4 different versions, so you only have two repeats.  2 versions.  Which means, every time I push play, I get to hear some absurdly un-funny story about how some girl used to drive a car that smelled like moth balls, or about some guy couldn’t get laid because his truck was so old.  Yeah – I’m sure that was the problem.  Maybe these commercials should be put on moth balls.  (That joke would have killed if I were telling this whole story at a bar, and you were all drunk.  Or passed out.)

So now, I have to add Subaru as a company that I can never do business with.  This is really becoming a difficult marketplace for me.  I can no longer do business with any jewelry store except for Rogers and Holland’s, my local Kia dealer – (well, any car dealership, I guess,) McDonald’s, Hardee’s, the Dairy Council, and JG Wentworth.

I guess what I’m saying is this:  I understand that in order for a network to show “free” video online you have to completely destroy your creative integrity – (Seriously…that’s what came of the writer’s strike.  That policy is what put an end to the whole thing.  It’s now in the by-laws.  Look it up.) – but can you at least ask the kiddies over at these advertising firms to write more than 2 versions of their 14 dollar commercials so that people don’t have to see them over and over and over and end up actually going BACK to doing work instead of surfing ABC’s class-project-produced website?  (Seriously…I can’t decide if I should be impressed that a 13-year old made such an elaborate website, or worried that something this bad could come from the mind of a, presumably, free-roaming adult.)

And, lastly, I apologize profusely for the liberal use of the term “webisode” in this article.  Like blog, metrosexual, foodie, mancave, space (instead of room.  It’s a room HGTV…just say ROOM,) and the term I could care less, “webisode” is one of the reasons why this country is failing.  There, I said it.  I know you were all thinking it.

So get out there and vote!

Episode 11: Show Notes

Here are the Show Notes for episode 11.
http://mwior.com/drm/drm_e11.mp3

That’s right – after nearly a year – we’re back in all our podcasting glory!  Enjoy, because who knows when episode 12 is going to appear!

Top Ten: Movie sequels

New Shows for 2012.

The Hunger Games discussed and discussed some more.

Upcoming Summer Films.

Title and Ending music from http://freemusicarchive.org.  Artist: Plushgoolash, Track: Big Gay Water Fight.  Album: Chin25: Soup Tennis.  

Gotye w/ Kimbra on SNL

In case you missed their performance, here’s Gotye and Kimbra performing Somebody That I Used to Know live on SNL.  This may be the first SNL musical performance that I’ve watched in…well….ever.  Maybe Paul Simon once.  Tori Amos?  Was she ever on SNL?  Someone look it up.

Shows You Should be Watching

Here is a list of TV shows that you should watching, if you aren’t already.  That is all.

• The Ricky Gervais Show – I am just about completely sick of Gervais in everything else he is currently doing.  I think he’s a terribly predictable host, and a mediocre comedian at best.  But this show, which is an animated re-telling of Gervais, Stephen Merchant, and Karl Pilkington’s podcast.  This thing is just too funny.  HBO.

• Frozen Planet – The next installment of the Planet series of mini-series from Discovery.  This edition is all about the cold weather locations throughout the world, and the animals that reside there.  As we’ve come to expect, brilliant storytelling and breathtaking photography.  And, this one is narrated by Alec Baldwin, to boot.  The Discovery Channel.

• Archer – Remember when Family Guy and The Simpsons used to be clever and funny?  Remember when South Park used to try and be funny without always trying to make you physically sick to your stomach?  Well, I do, and Archer is about the closest to the original “adult cartoons” as I can remember.  This is a very funny show, well worth the feeling you get being a 30 year old man watching cartoons.  FX.

• Life’s Too Short – Yet another show from the mind of Ricky Gervais that I’m recommending here – which surprises no one more than me, trust me.  This mockumentary follows Warwick Davis (a dwarf known for his roles in Star Wars, Leprechaun, and Harry Potter,) as he struggles being an out-of-work actor without much celebrity, (much to his chagrin.)  Definitely some uncomfortable moments, but not like the one long uncomfortable moment that Gervais’ other brainchild, The Office, has become the last few years.  HBO.

• Duck Dynasty –  Apparently the television writers’ convention this year must have talked about how this years’ big thing was “rednecks with money.”  There has been show after show this year about hill-jacks that somehow came into a $#&!-load of money.  After watching a bit of each of them – I’ve been avoiding them like the plague.  One, however, is much different.  It’s actually worth watching.  Duck Dynasty follows a family that has made billions designing, crafting, and selling high-end duck calls.  Yes, hilarity ensues.  A&E.

• How It’s Made – This show has been on for years, but it seems like not many know about it.  This show walks you through how everything from cars, to toothbrushes, to potato chips are made, step by step.  Very interesting, very informative, very entertaining.  Science Channel.

Review of the Hunger Games movie – Part II

This the second part of my review of The Hunger Games movie.  If you haven’t yet read Part I, check it out here:

If you’ve not read all three Hunger Game books, and/or watched the movie, do not read this post.  This is your one **Spoiler Alert**.  

Continuing where I left off in Part I:

Then there’s the the stylist team and Cinna. All of the sudden, Katniss is hugging Cinna like he’s her best friend. We saw him on the screen for maybe a minute before then? We had no indication that he was different. We had no reason to think that he was on her side. The stylists didn’t even get named… How is it going to matter to us when Cinna is taken later? Then, there’s Rue. When Rue dies in the book, it’s like a punch to the heart. When Rue dies in the movie, it’s like when Dobby dies in Harry Potter. Said, but forgettable. In the books…you knew she probably had to die…but maybe she wouldn’t… No reason for me to even go into the Reaping scene when Katniss volunteers for Prim…I felt so little emotion while watching that, that it was immediately forgettable.  So, as you can tell…there was very noticeable lack of emotional attachment. I felt 10% of the emotion that I felt in the book. And losing 90% of the emotion can’t be explained away by a lack of time… If this movie needed to be a two-parter, then so be it.

There are some things that I somewhat understand were changed due to time.  To me, the MockingJay pin Katniss wears was one of the biggest. In the book, she gets it from the Mayor’s daughter, Madge, who comes to visit her during the “visitation period” right after the reaping. It’s a really big deal, and referred to quite often as the books go on. In the movie, she gets it, rather un-ceremoniously, from Greasy Sae. The Hob in general was really underplayed.  In the movie, the only visitors Katniss gets are her mom/sister, and Gale. In the movie, we also see Madge and the baker. In the books, drinking water plays a major part in the Games. In the movie, they just didn’t really focus on it. The scenes where the forest is burning…the descriptions of her throat burning, and her lips cracking…nothing. This, again, was a time constraint issue, but man – those scenes were so hard-hitting.  The Games themselves were really shortened for time.  There is basically no character development at all of the other participants.  The same can be said about President Snow – but I’m not so sure how much of that was actually even done in book 1.  That may develop further into the series.

Katniss’ father, while excellently brought into play by the hallucination, was certainly missing.  There was much off-screen talk made about the “hunting jacket” that Katniss wore.  Costume designers talking about how they decided to just make it fit her perfectly, even though it was supposed to be her fathers.  Well, shoot, if you didn’t read the book – you would not have known where it came from anyway, so who cares how it fit?!

I guess what I’m getting at…is that it just felt watered-down and rushed.  I remember Kevin saying that he’s not sure how this movie won’t be rated “R”, and now I understand why…  As a movie, by itself, it was good.  If there was no book association, I’d give it a 3/5, and we’d move on.  Because, as a movie, it really doesn’t deserve much more or less than that.  It told a decent story – it had good acting – there was some emotion thrown in.  After reading the books, however, I can’t help but be disappointed.  Very disappointed.  The books were so great, they were so well-written, that nothing but perfection would do.  And, unfortunately, it’s hard to tell someone’s life perfectly in 2 and a half hours.  It’s funny – I’ve talked to many people who have watched this movie.  Those that never read the books, cried many times throughout the movie.  Those that had read the books, not once.  (And both sides had some habitual criers, I assure you…)  It’s almost like we had all braced ourselves to see the horror play itself out on the screen.  We all went in knowing that we will see some things that we can never un-see.  And, instead, we saw a watered-down movie that could have just as well been played by adult actors, instead of teenagers.  The roller-coaster just wasn’t in effect.  In fact, there just wasn’t much of a climax at all in the movie.  It just kind of…went until it ended.  They always say that you should leave the audience wanting more…well…unless that means wanting more so that the movie would be better…Mission Accomplished.

I give The Hunger Games movie a 2/5.  (Note: If this is ever released in a 4-hour director’s cut, a la Lord of the Rings, I may just have to write an addendum to this post.)