Long Straight Highway (redux) » TV

Rat Bark…Howard Dean Scream

grandlarsony — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 17:22:20 +0000

Watching MSNBC this morning, I stumbled across a good debate on the TARP money, and the banks that got some of it and the banks that went under and the CEOs answering questions before Congress this morning. On one side was the guy who says the banks should be able to give bonuses because they are entities that need to make money and offer incentives to their good employees. On the other side was the guy who says that’s all fine, but it’s not right to privatize gains and nationalize losses. It was a good debate because there was some yelling back and forth, some good points made on both sides, and they seemed to be enjoying themselves without talking over each other. The facilitator was pushed to the background because the debate didn’t need additional questions, it just had the natural give and take of a good point/counterpoint. I sat back and enjoyed what TV is usually missing–an in-depth discussion that goes beyond the talking points. Suddenly the facilitator gives a little throat-clearing attempt to break into the debate. “Alright guys, we have to keep an eye on the hearings in Congress.” OK, that’s fine, let’s hear from some of the CEOs. A good followup to what the debate was all about…

Facilitator: “Now, let’s go to the news desk and hear the latest on the mother of the octuplets.”

BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

And as I scurried from the couch, screaming in my best Dean-like fashion, changing the channel as fast as I could, I realized there were probably a lot more people who were scurrying just as fast toward their TVs to hear the latest octuplet news.

Sometimes I wish the terrorists would win.

Slam dunk

houlios — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 13:41:11 +0000

Well, I have just come across some information that pretty much guarantees the pilot episode of “A Game of Thrones” will get picked up for at least a full first season. The producers of the pilot are posting on the Westeros message boards and they have just revealed that the pilot’s final line of dialogue before the credits roll will be:

“The things I do for love.”

If you’ve read the book and that doesn’t give you chills I don’t believe you’ve actually read the book.

There is also lots of talk about casting and shooting locations, which sound like they will be in northern England for the most part.

Supernatural

houlios — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 20:18:34 +0000

One of my favorite guilty pleasures is back on the air with new episodes tonight – Supernatural. It’s cheesy and occasionally stupid but pretty damn fun and sometimes even a bit scary.

It’s the story of Sam and Dean Winchester, two brothers who travel across American back roads in Dean’s ’67 Chevy Impala blasting classic rock, killing demons and sending vengeful spirits to their eternal rest. Their mother was killed by a demon when they were kids and their father became a “Hunter.” Eventually, the boys take up their father’s mission as their own.

It sometimes has a Scooby-Do “monster of the week” structure to it, but the sets are top notch American gothic, and the special effects are good for a television show. There is also an ongoing plot centered around a war between demons that has spilled over to the “real” world and the Winchester family’s connections to that conflict.

All in all, I’d say if you like Kansas’ “Carry On Wayward Son,” sawed-off shotguns loaded with rock-salt and demon armies, you might want to check it out.

This montage gives you a good feel for the show, I think: