Simpsons Crack on (M)Apple

I was only a matter of time...say, where can I get one of those myCubes?

ANTM 11 Winner - McKey???

What?? Look, I understand that the show needed to branch out, and they have been as evidenced by the last few seasons' (er, cycles') winners. We got a second-chance underdog. We got a Latina. We got a plus-size model. One of this season's (er, cycle's) contestants was a trans-gender woman, who I thought was a shoe in.

No, this season they gave it to the clumsy "linebacker type" with a grin so wide and pointy it would make the Joker cringe.

She did improve the most, I suppose. And she didn't totally blow the commercial challenge. Why do I watch this so intently again?

Scarlet - the "new TV series"

This morning I see an ad for a new TV series called "Scarlet" that apparently premiered last night. The show looked interesting enough and I went over to the DVR and searched for it to record an episode...but it was nowhere to be found.

So I went to the site, scarletseries.tv, and saw the trailer, interviews, and even a behind the scenes vignette. Nowhere, however, was there a mention of a channel. I was quickly losing interest (and some patience) and after a quick search to see if anyone saw it and found it worth watching I discovered the horrible truth:

The "hit new TV series" referred to was not a show at all, but rather a new line of televisions by LG.

It's just an ad campaign, and I fell for it, hook, line, and sinker. The news section of the site gives the (very biased) story of the "premiere". My favorite line was "To Win the Game, We Have to Change the Rules"...their way of rationalizing this scam.

The fact that I saw the ad on a podcast for the Onion News Network should have been the first clue. That it was voiced-over by that guy with the deep, melodramatic voice should have been another. Hopefully, at least for my own ego, I wasn't the only one who got duped.

Oh, and by the way, even though this fraud may have gone according to plan, I think the overall idea may backfire. I'm not sure playing someone for a fool will generate sales. As of know, I know I'll certainly never buy one of these things.

Um, not that I was played for a fool or anything....

Huckabee's Long Lost Brother

There's always been something sort of familiar about Mike Huckabee since his big win in Iowa...something I could never quite put my finger on. While watching the debates last night, though, it hit me. Good ol' Huck bears a striking resemblance to the misguided fictional President Charles Logan from 24 (played by Gregory Itzin...and I'm not the only one who thinks so.

1 vs. 100: Rollin' with Saget

I was flipping around the TV last night and it wasn't long before I found myself watching the end of one of the newer prime-time game shows: "1 vs. 100". Yup, the show where lucky contestants try to outlast the 100-person "mob" in answering random trivia questions correctly. Last night was "Battle of the Sexes" night, and the contestant chosen to represent men everywhere in a test of wits with 100 women was young Jason Luna, who surprised us all by correctly answering a question the remaining 18 people in the mob got wrong and winning the elusive million dollar prize. It was definitely the best (and only) 5 minutes of the show I've seen.

The B-list celebrity host for this "Deal or no Deal" cousin is Bob Saget, star of " America's Funniest Home Videos " and " Full House " (though his role in " Half Baked " shattered that goofy fun-loving image of him to me forever). His site features this rap song that you listen to for a while and then realize it's about him. You read correctly, Bob Saget has a song written about (for?) him, and he's in the video too. This one was too funny not to embed...

Happy New Year 2008!

Wuhoo!!!! Damn, Dick Clark doesn't sound too good these days, but it was sorta nice to see him there in (or around) Times Square.

Here's to hoping 2008 will bring us new adventures, amazing stories, and more wonderful events and celebrations.

A Super Bowl, an NBA Championship and, oh, I dunno, a World Series wouldn't hurt either...
 

50 Top 10 Lists of 2007

Well, it's New Year's Eve, and what could be more appropriate for this time of reflection than a top 10 of 2007 lists?

How about 50 of them.

TIME recently posted their "50 Top 10 Lists of 2007" complete with pictures, text blurbs, and lots of video clips, a testament to the popularity of online communities like YouTube and Google Video.

There are lots of topics to go through and you may find yourself spending entirely too much time going through and reliving such instant classics like Miss South Carolina Teen USA's countless references to "the Iraq" and the Rosie O'Donnell vs. Elisabeth Hasselbeck heated verbal catfight on "The View". My hands down favorite list was the "Top 10 Viral Videos", though the clip that I just had to embed in this post comes from the sports moments list. It's the last play of a Division 3 football game that's...well, just see for yourself (just make sure you have at least a minute to watch the one play:

Happy Birthday Mr. Mack

It's uncanny how much you live up to your last name (and just how appropriate your choice of IM icon is). Happy birthday bud...

3 Points on the Patriots

Point One:

The Patriots game against the Giants this Saturday night can now be watched by more than just people in the Boston market (no, not the restaurant chain) and subscribers to the NFL Network, as originally slated. In what will be an unprecedented simulcast, the game will now also be broadcast by CBS and NBC.

"It'll be like the State of the Union address, you can flip to every channel and see it." -Bill Belichick

I'm sure of two things: the people over at ABC must be fuming unless they've already received some kind of compensation for no longer having the exclusive rights to the local market, and that we'll be seeing p-l-e-n-t-y of NFL Network ads and general hype during the game. Believe me when I say that all of those records, starters playing or sitting, even the score in the game will at (most) times be playing second fiddle to NFL propaganda.

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Point Two:

It's good to finally see at least one Patriot break away from this "our only goal is to win the Super Bowl" mantra and tell it like it is. Tom Brady laid it out in a locker room interview the day after Christmas:

"We've got a lot of records at stake, the most important one being the 16-0...I hope we achieve that. It would be a great feat for the team. We'd go down as the only team to be 16-0, so that's the goal I've got in mind." -Tom Brady

Though I'm sure winning the Super Bowl is still the supreme goal, it's nice to see a little honesty from the players (if only one so far publicly). Here's a thought: if realizing what they are on the verge of as a team is sinking in, what about all those other records, particularly the individual ones?

What will happen if the Patriots score three defensive touchdowns in the first quarter and essentially lock up the game by the half? Will Brady, Moss et.al. come back to take the field for the third quarter, risking potential injury? What if the team they are facing has already (and most likely will have) pulled their starters? How important are those records, even if only secretly to the individuals themselves?

I know this: we care. We want to see all those records broken. We want to see it happen, no matter what it takes, because we know these types of seasons and these types of chances don't come by everyday. So, Coach, give them a chance to do it, even if it's in the second half.

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Point Three:

What is it that is making the Patriots so hated outside of the New England bubble? ESPN Page 2 ran a story yesterday that asked readers if the Patriots could go down as the most hated team in history (they had a poll too, if you're interested). Sports Illustrated's cover this week features a Photoshopped Bill Belichick grimacing in a Santa Suit...not exactly the picture of a person beloved.

"Being associated with Santa Claus...there is a lot worse, so I'll take it...When you're a kid, sometimes you dreamed of being on the cover of Sports Illustrated, but that's not the [cover] I pictured." -Bill Belichick

Is it jealousy? Spite perhaps? It's no secret that right now Boston is the place to be a sports fan, what with the World Champion Red Sox, the undefeated Patriots, and the NBA-best Celtics, etc. It's simple: the Patriots (and Boston sports in general) are no longer the underdogs, and subsequently it is no longer hip for peripheral sports fans (if you can call them that) to root for them. Instead, the American way dictates the common moron to shout "down with the victors" and mock guys like Belichick and Brady.

I can't wait for Saturday.

Futurama Anime - DeviantArt

In my meandering across the web for yesterday's post about Futurama, I came across lots of images and stills from the series. I also came across some original artwork, like the image above by "Satomi-Chan", that portrayed the show's characters as if they were anime. I was particularly impressed with the less-bubbly work of "spacecoyote", and her vision of the Futurama world (and also the Simpsons world), as seen below. Both galleries, hosted at deviantart.com, are definitely worth checking out.


 

Futurama is Back!

I just finished watching "Futurama: Bender's Big Score", and it was like seeing an old, witty, yet still very adolescent friend.

You read correctly; "Futurama", quite possibly the most underrated of all the modern cartoon series, is back after being canned four years ago ending with a shortened fourth season. Apparently the execs at FOX had only so much time for a sci-fi cartoon with esoteric references, math-based humor, and an alcoholic robot with more one-liners than Rodney Dangerfield in his prime (who I'm pretty sure makes a virtual "head-in-a-jar" cameo in the series).

There will also apparently be a fifth season, interestingly slated to be first released as DVDs and then shown on Comedy Central. FOX's decision to give the go ahead was due in no small part, I'm sure, to the show's massive fan base and it's success while being rerun on AdultSwim (it ate up half the space on my DVR, at least).

Wired has been running some great articles revolving around "Futurama" and video games. Video games, you say? Yes, and the first is a review of the quintessential episode "Raiders of the Lost Arcade", a must-see for anyone who ever played an Atari.

I need some Slurm...

UPDATE 12.23.07
Oh, and as for a movie rating for "Futurama: Bender's Big Score"...
3 and a half starts, so there.

Carl from ATHF Hates the Red Sox

I found this on BostonDirtDogs and couldn't resist:

Survivor Denise: Janitor, No Class

Denise Martin told us all a tale during the "Survivor: China" finale that not only gave rise to a collective sob of compassion from the audience akin to what one might hear after seeing an impoverished child in a CCF commercial for the first time, but also a check for $50,000 from producer Mark Burnett. It seems, however, that she stretched the truth in places and skipped the truth altogether in the rest. Her nonchalant recitation of how the powers that be in the cafeteria hierarchy wouldn't let her keep her job as a lunchlady because she was "too popular" turns out to be more of a fictitious appeal to the masses than an actual lunchpail sob story.

According to Nancy Lane, the Superintendent of Douglas Public Schools, Martin was promoted to janitor, and given almost a $10/hr. pay raise along with it, in March of this year, before she even tried out for the Survivor. This, to be sure, is not what Martin wanted us to believe during that reunion show.

"They did explain to me today that reality doesn't necessarily mean factual" -Nancy Lane, Douglas Public Schools

Martin appeared on The Early Show this morning and admitted that the implication she made about being demoted because of her appearance on Survivor was false. She also said that she tried to get her old job back but the position had already been filled. Also, when the question of whether or not Martin would still accept the $50,000 was proposed, she gave the impression that she would, if it was still being offered.

In the words of my friend Bugman, "Another classy Masshole."

Thanks, Denise. You do us proud.
 

The Flaw in Reality TV

Last night Todd Herzog was announced as the winner of Survivor: China, and once again the Achilles' heel of reality television shows was exposed: they lose steam as time progresses and the finales totally or mostly suck.

Last night was a case of mostly sucking, as is the Survivor way. All we care about is when the jury gets their chance to congratulate, question, and chew out the remaining survivors....the other 2.5 hours you can fast forward through and not really miss a thing. Though it sounds like a waste of time (and it is), it's more than other reality shows can say for themselves. At least Probst used to jump out of airplanes and parachute into a live studio audience to deliver the results...

Go ahead. Pick a show. "Big Brother"? "Flavor of Love"? "The Bachelor"? "The Amazing Race", maybe? I defy you to come up with a show that has an exciting finale.

At least the next Survivor looks to be like an "All-Stars 2"...kinda. Rupert and Yul would be a good team up.
 

American Gladiators 2008

I have a confession to make. I plan to set my DVR to record the new 2008 version of American Gladiators when it starts in January. I was a fan of the original show in the 80's, and for some reason (maybe that I have extra space on the DVR) I think I might be a fan today.

In honor of that classic and perhaps too short-lived series, I found this clip on YouTube. It's the intro for the first season of the show, though the audio is a little off. All your old favorites are there, from Nitro, Turbo and Zap to Sabre, Blaze and Lace.

The new series will be hosted by Hulk Hogan and Laila Ali. I can't wait for their banter...oh, and the gladiatorial games, of course.

Deal or No Deal

I couldn't help myself. After a couple of very tough days at work, I went through my "to be looked at later" bookmark folder and found this at (where else) WidgetBox.

I kid you not, I've played exactly once and, yes, I picked the million dollar case, and had a string of "no deals" to win it...

...in virtual world anyway.
 

The Day Before Thanksgiving

I was originally going to post about a study that came out recently claiming the "Internet could run out of capacity in two years", then thought about ranting on about how the recently released first two seasons of Sesame Street DVDs are labeled adult-only...I even thought about writing up a review for another disappointing movie TLM and I saw this week called "In the Land of Women". Then the magnitude of today happened and I realized:

I hate the day before Thanksgiving.

I'm not sure if it's a consequence of getting older, and it certainly has nothing to do with what the holiday is supposed to represent. It's everything else about it that makes me crazy. The people in the stores, the pressure to plan out tomorrow making sure to be as inclusive of everyone as you can, and of course then there's the actual family members. As far as I can tell, any plans you make with them prior to the day before Thanksgiving should always be disregarded; they always seem to change at the last minute.

Ah, how I miss the days of my childhood, never having to worry about where or when I had to be somewhere for a family event.

Damn adulthood...
 

12 Best Fall TV Shows - Part 2

Twelve Shows of Christmas This Fall

Part 2 of 2...otherwise known as the top half. Before we continue: Number 6 is a tie. Ok, so some may think a tie in a top 10 list (or 12, whatever) is cheating, but when coming up with the shows I wanted to include, I could only trim it down to 13...and since it's my blog I say ties are allowed.

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6a. House

House features perhaps the most sarcastic character in the history of television, rivaled by only the likes of Archie Bunker. This season there's a slew of new characters in the form of candidates to fill the now-empty House assistant positions (Kumar!). The writers were smart to find ways to keep Omar Epps et. al. in the show while still introducing some much needed new blood into the mix. The most interesting part is that these new characters are systematically being "rejected" as the season moves on...sort of like a reality show.

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6b. Survivor:China

Speaking of reality shows, no one does it better than the original: Survivor. This year they're in China, and so far it's a great season, full of controversy, drama, innovative challenges, new twists, and plenty of both characters we love and characters we love to hate. James looks unstoppable, albeit unintelligible, so much so that at times the producers give us subtitles. One weird name is gone (Chicken) and the other is becoming a favorite (Frosti). Peih-Gee and Courtney need to go home soon. Denise, the "school lunch lady" from Revere who happens to have a black belt in karate and loves throwing axes and knives, is my current favorite to win.

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5. 30 Rock

Any show that is crazy enough to include Tracy Morgan signing "Werewolf Bar Mitzvah", in HD no less, seems sketchy (sorry for the pun), but throw in some witty situations, a ton of one-liners, big name guest stars, Kenneth the Page, and Alec Baldwin (in perhaps his best role ever), and you have a quality show worth catching every week. Only downside for me: 30 Rock is just 30 min. long.

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4. Ugly Betty

This one is 90% about the characters and 10% about the storylines, but that's fine when you have characters like Henry, Justin, Amanda, Marc, and of course the show's namesake, Betty. Oh, and as TLM may excitedly point out, Posh Spice is guest starring next episode. All of the people you see on the show epitomize some specific aspect of people's personalities in an extreme way, yet we find ourselves able to relate to them all at one point or another - something I think to be maybe the strongest part of the show. On a side note, I'm glad they finally ended Hilda's mourning over the loss of Justin's father (some pretty sad moments in there).

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3. How I Met Your Mother

This show is funny, funny, funny, and gets my vote for "most underrated show on television". Every once in a while I'll throw out something I heard Barney or Ted say on a recent episode and three different people within earshot will turn around and smirk knowingly. Every episode makes me laugh and I don't even care anymore who Ted eventually has kids with (ala the show's title).

So suit up and watch this show, because the viewing experience is.....wait for it.....legendary.

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2. Heroes

The only reason this isn't tops on my list is because it got beaten out by a show everyone I know watches, and that's it. I've been hooked on Heroes since episode 1, and I can't think of any show ever that has a storyline as amorphous almost to the point of being too convoluted yet compelling enough to not lose its viewers. I watch this one as close to broadcast time as I can.

[DISCLAIMER: GEEK ALERT] I subscribe to a podcast about it.

This season Hiro is off fixing history in feudal Japan (he just got back), there is a mysterious villain killing off what is turning out to be a previous generation of heroes (Takezo Kensei / Adam, anyone?), and once again an ominous future is spelled out via a trip to the future by Peter - I think the stat was 93% of the world's population dies. Of course, we were introduced to several new characters, and as of yet no one has been killed off. If you've never seen an episode, it's worth starting at the beginning...of season 1.

And now...the best fall TV show is:

[drumroll please]

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1. The Office

This may not be a surprise for many, as it's one of the most popular shows around. As I mentioned in the Heroes blurb, everyone I know watches this, and if you work in an office environment I'm sure you're used to the water-cooler Michael Scott impersonations. This show has become so popular there was even a convention" this year in Scranton, PA (yup, the town agreed to it).

[DISCLAIMER: GEEK ALERT #2] I thought for a moment of tricking TLM into a "vacation" to Pennsylvania around the same time. Then I remembered about the real world.

This year we've seen, among other things, the irrigation room at Schrute Farm, Ryan's promotion and launch of a new website for the company, and Andy's problem with nipple chafing when running (byugh). Will Pam and Jim continue to be an item or will Roy come back? Will Dwight and Angela get back together? Can Darryl reign in Kelly? Can Kelly not annoy the hell out of anyone she's dating? Will Toby (the HR guy) ever find love at all?

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In review:

1. The Office
2. Heroes
3. How I Met Your Mother
4. Ugly Betty
5. 30 Rock
6. House / Survivor
7. Chuck
8. Gossip Girl
9. Journeyman
10. My Name Is Earl
11. The Sarah Silverman Program
12. Bionic Woman

So there you have it. NBC takes the cake broadcasting 7 out of the 13 shows mentioned, followed by CBS (2), ABC (1), FOX (1), the CW (1) and Comedy Central (1).

Which shows do you think got snubbed? America's Next Top Model? CSI? Bridezillas? Biggest Loser? The Hills, perhaps? Comment away...
 

12 Best Fall TV Shows - Part 1

Halloween's behind us, and to many people (and department stores) this means turning our sights towards Christmas. Since my sights are usually turned towards the TV watching shows on the DVR, I give you my:

Twelve Shows of Christmas This Fall

Please note that this list includes only shows that are on right now (else 24 and Lost would both have gotten the nod for sure).

12. Bionic Woman

I had higher hopes for this one. I was bored with the plot by the second episode, but for some reason I find myself not missing an episode...eventually. Must be the dialogue...

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11. The Sarah Silverman Program

TLM has no time for this show, but I think it's brash and borderline vulgar humor is hilarious. Then again, I also watch a lot of cartoons, and not the Saturday morning variety. We're talkin' Family Guy, American Dad, Metalocalypse, and Frisky Dingo, to name a few. Silverman is right up my alley.

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10. My Name is Earl

Ah, Earl. This year he's in the joint doing time for a crime he didn't commit. Ah, but what better forum in which to continue turning people's lives around in the name of karma? This show came close to not making the list as the novelty had all but worn off, but once Randy became a prison guard...well, I was hooked again.

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9. Journeyman

This show was a surprise. I find it both engaging and interesting, and am glad the producers didn't ruin the story with bad or overwhelming special effects. Though each episode is essentially self-contained, the writers do a good job of keeping those other storylines moving along each week.

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8. Gossip Girl

Ok, ok, so this show is meant for teenagers...TLM loves it and got me hooked. It's my guilty pleasure; I just can't wait to see what drama will unfold each week as the fantastically rich kids mingle with the rich-enough-to-attend-the-same-private-school kids. Too unrealistic? The suspension of disbelief occurs right away as each episode is narrated by "Gossip Girl", who seems to have spies and hidden cameras everywhere, not to mention lots of free time.

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7. Chuck

This is my winner for the "way better than I expected it to be" show. The basic plot is fun, the characters aren't shallow, and the cast includes Adam Baldwin, the Baldwin who isn't a Baldwin brother! Even the other nerds in the "Nerd Herd" (loosely based on the "Geek Squad", perhaps?) have depth, oh, and I think one of the geekier-looking actors went to my high school. I see this series continuing several more seasons before becoming stale....of course now that I wrote that it won't make it past episode 10.

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Looking at the list, it seems that NBC is heavily represented in this half. Check in tomorrow to see who made the top six.
 

Ortiz and Urlacher commercial

I've seen this one a few times, the novelty hasn't worn off yet, and it still makes me laugh. Ortiz's performance is not as award winning as in the "Wall-ee, wall-ee" commercial, but it's still funny.