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Articles: television

Page 1 | Page 2 | ... | Page 4

New CBS Show Scorpion Riddled with Errors
Tuesday, 2014 September 23 - 1:12 pm
I could swear I saw promotional materials for CBS's new tech-y series "Scorpion" promising that the show would feature technically accurate hacking techniques based on real-life stories.

That went out the window in the show's first few minutes. If you plan on watching the show and you don't want spoilers, then stop reading here. But trust me, you probably don't want to watch this show... so read on for just a couple dozen of the hundreds of plot holes and implausible elements to this show.

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Posted by Ken in: television

Thoughts on Breaking Bad
Tuesday, 2013 October 1 - 9:32 am
I don't think it's hyperbole to say that "Breaking Bad" was the best TV show I've ever seen.

SPOILER ALERT:
If you haven't watched the show and don't want spoilers, stop reading now.

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Posted by Ken in: television

Viacom Signs Deal with Amazon Prime
Tuesday, 2013 June 4 - 12:38 pm
I've always told my friends that if Comedy Central and ESPN were available over the Internet instead of exclusively on cable, that would be enough for me to ditch my cable subscription and "cut the cord".

I think we're getting there.

Viacom and Amazon today announced that a number of shows from Comedy Central (and Nickelodeon) will now be available on Amazon Prime. It strikes me that Amazon and Netflix have become the pioneer "networks" on a new broadcast medium: the Internet. Existing content providers will have to evolve to compete, just as the broadcast networks had to become cable networks in order to survive thirty years ago.

My prediction is that some time in the next couple of years, the ABC/Disney/ESPN empire will either partner with one of these outlets or create their own paid streaming service. CBS will follow next; NBC (owned by Comcast) and all the Time Warner-owned stations will come around last. Then we'll finally have an open television market where the cable companies don't have a stranglehold on the terms of distribution, and content providers can negotiate subscription prices directly with consumers. This is how a free market is supposed to work; what we have now is effectively a monopoly.

The rub, of course, is that cable companies are also Internet service providers, and may respond to this threat by jacking up Internet rates or metering the bandwidth available for competing video services. So the other part of the equation is that we need a more competitive Internet market, or municipal Internet providers.

Of course, stupid states like my own (North Carolina) have legislation to prohibit municipal Internet providers... in order to protect the anti-competitive market that exists today. Sigh. Can you imagine if Time Warner were your electricity provider? If they could, they'd charge you extra for electricity being used for your computer, if they knew you were using it to watch YouTube.
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Posted by Ken in: techwatchtelevision

How to Audition for American Idol
Thursday, 2011 July 28 - 10:29 pm
KaitlynThis is my beautiful, smart, funny, and talented cousin Kaitlyn. We're actually first cousins, though separated by two marriages and twenty years in age.

Kaitlyn went to school with last year's American Idol winner, Scotty McCreery. After seeing Scotty win, she decided she wanted to have a go at Idol herself. So, I promised I would take her to audition this year.

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Posted by Ken in: lifemusictelevision

Well Hello Blog
Monday, 2011 February 7 - 8:54 pm
What has it been, a month? Hmm, Kato No Blogging Month... Kanoblomo?

So yeah, I've been slack. My normal sources of material are dry: college football season is over; I'm not watching American Idol this year, what with Simon Cowell being gone and all; and the frozen lunch experiment is over (though I have eaten a few new ones lately; I'll post reviews of those soon). Still, there are still things going on, and I don't want this blog to go dormant. So:

In Apple news, Verizon has rapidly sold out of their initial stock of iPhones. Some surveys have suggested that up to half of Verizon's Android customers are considering switching to the iPhone. Now we'll really see what happens when there's a level playing field.

In more Apple wannabe news, there are dozens of tablets lining up to be the #1 imitator of the iPad. Seriously, doesn't anyone have an original idea any more? And here's the thing: either the tablets are significantly more expensive than the iPad ($800 for the upcoming Motorola Xoom), or they're smaller (7" screens). The brilliant thing about Apple's product lineup lately is that they've secured the best prices on components, and other manufacturers simply can't compete.

Pundits think that Google is going to follow in Microsoft's footsteps and chase Apple out of the mobile computing market, but don't forget that Microsoft had IBM as a hardware partner in the early going. Google is relying on Samsung, Motorola, and HTC. Things are not the same here. And anyway, by the time tablet manufacturers have caught up to the iPad, Apple will already have moved on to its next big thing.

I did think the Xoom SuperBowl commercial was clever, even though Motorola was setting up a straw man. It's not like Apple has really taken over the world... they've just taken over the people who have taste.

Speaking of SuperBowl commercials, I liked the Volkswagen Darth Vader, the Faith Hill "Your Rack is Unreal", and the BridgeStone "Reply to All". The Coke and the Pepsi commercials were cute. There were a lot of losers, though: the Chatter.com commercials didn't work at all. The GoDaddy commercials were lousy. And the GroupOn Tibet commercial with Timothy Hutton? Tasteless.

I give Chrysler props for their edgy pro-Detroit Chrysler Eminem commercial. But people know that Chrysler is essentially owned by Fiat now, right?

Anyway... sorry for the long absence. More blog posts will be forthcoming in the next few days.

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Posted by Ken in: commentarytechwatchtelevision

American Idol Week 11: Finale
Tuesday, 2010 May 25 - 9:11 pm
It's the final competition, between Lee and Crystal. They each sing their favorite song from the season, then one chosen by the producer, then the always-bad pre-written single that the winner will record.

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Posted by Ken in: musictelevision

The LOST Finale
Tuesday, 2010 May 25 - 10:22 am
If you haven't watched it yet, don't click through... there are spoilers within.

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Posted by Ken in: television

American Idol Week 10: Top 3
Tuesday, 2010 May 18 - 8:56 pm
Michael went home last week, as expected. Tonight: two songs from each contestant, one of their own choosing and one judges' choice.

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Posted by Ken in: musictelevision

American Idol Week 9: Top 4
Tuesday, 2010 May 11 - 8:56 pm
Aaron finally went home last week. Tonight: Jamie Foxx mentors the singers through movie songs. Also: duets.

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Posted by Ken in: musictelevision

American Idol Week 7: Top 6
Tuesday, 2010 April 27 - 9:41 pm
It's Shania Twain week. Woo, uh, hoo. Tim finally went out last week. As it turns out, Tim had been the longest-running "VoteForTheWorst.com" contestant in history.

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Posted by Ken in: musictelevision

American Idol Week 6: Top 7
Tuesday, 2010 April 20 - 9:02 pm
Andrew and Katie went out last week. This week is "inspirational songs" week, ugh. Alicia Keys is the mentor. Tomorrow Bill Gates is supposed to make some kind of surprise appearance for Idol Gives Back.

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Posted by Ken in: musictelevision

American Idol Week 5: Top 9 Again
Tuesday, 2010 April 13 - 9:45 pm
Michael was the bottom vote-getter last week, but was saved by the judges. This week: Elvis. Adam Lambert is the mentor. The cast of "Glee" is in the audience.

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Posted by Ken in: musictelevision

American Idol Week 4: Top 9
Tuesday, 2010 April 6 - 9:55 pm
Didi went out last week. This week: Lennon and McCartney.

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Posted by Ken in: musictelevision

American Idol Week 3: Top 10
Wednesday, 2010 March 31 - 1:20 am
As predicted, Paige went out last week. No surprise. This week: Usher, mentoring for soul and R&B week.

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Posted by Ken in: musictelevision

American Idol Week 2: Top 11
Tuesday, 2010 March 23 - 10:14 pm
The theme is Billboard #1 Hits. Miley Cyrus is the mentor tonight. Huh. It's hard to imagine an adult taking advice from a 17-year-old kid who uses AutoTune when she performs, but whatever.

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Posted by Ken in: musictelevision

American Idol Week 1: Top 12
Tuesday, 2010 March 16 - 10:53 pm
It's Rolling Stones night.

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Posted by Ken in: musictelevision

It's That Time Again
Monday, 2010 March 15 - 11:03 pm
Well. You know the drill. American Idol is back, and I have to blog about it. I think this year I'll skip trying to give them scores and keep running averages and all that... that got to be too much of a hassle.

We're at the top 12, so here's my prediction on how each of the contestants will finish.

12. Tim Urban. It's easy to see why he didn't make the original cut. He's completely out of his element. He's got the Brady Bunch boy-next-door look, but his vocals are weak and he looks like a lost puppy on stage. He won't last long.

11. Katie Stevens. She has a lot of trouble staying on pitch, and she lacks confidence on stage. When the judges say she doesn't know what kind of singer she is, what they really mean is that she lacks credibility as an artist.

10. Paige Miles. Her biggest problem is a lack of charisma. Much like Katie, she seems nervous on stage and that hurts her vocals; it all seems like karaoke with her.

9. Aaron Kelly. He actually deserves to leave sooner than Katie, but he's what I call "grandma-friendly": young and harmless-looking. That's a big draw for the Idol demographic, so he'll stay around longer than he should.

8. Lacey Brown. I actually really want to like her, but I find it hard to. It seems like she's trying too hard to please the judges instead of expressing herself as an artist. In other words, it comes off a little phony. Last week's performance was good, but she's going to have to really work to draw people in.

7. Andrew Garcia. Andrew would have been a shoo-in for the top 3 if he could have kept doing things like his Paula Abdul cover. But as the judges said, he seems to have peaked too soon, and he's starting to seem like a one-trick pony. He has potential, but he's going to need to find a new gimmick.

6. Didi Benami. You know, she's pretty and she's likable, but her vocals aren't great. She's had several uneven performances. I think she's got the potential to improve, but I haven't been wowed so far. I think she'll hang around for a while based on her likability, but I can't see her winning.

5. Michael Lynch. Okay, his rendition of "This Woman's Work" was crazy good, and he's definitely an interesting character. I'm just not totally convinced he can keep things interesting from week to week. He's talented and likable, but I fear we'll get bored with him at some point.

4. Crystal Bowersox. She's unquestionably talented, but you get the feeling that she's just performing exactly what she's performed in coffee houses for the last ten years. She's all but admitted that she's selling out for the money. She carries an attitude that she's too good for this show, and I think that'll cost her eventually.

3. Casey James. Let's face it: he's here based on his looks. But he's inoffensive and he's not a bad singer. He'll coast through a long way before the voters eventually realize there's not much substance behind the face.

2. Siobhan Magnus. Yep, she's weird. It's almost like she's got Asperger's syndrome or something; she's seems so disconnected. But I think she clearly has the best voice out of everyone, and she deserves to be recognized for that.

1. Lee Dewyze. You might be thinking, "Wha?" He's not very flashy or memorable. But he sounds exactly like the kind of guys you hear on the radio nowadays. He's current and consistent; you won't hear him butchering some 1940s standard. It's his mainstream appeal that makes him the favorite right now.

Now, that isn't how I want things to play out. I'd love to see Lacey take a chance and end up flooring everyone with some breakout performance. I'd love to see Andrew find a new gimmick. It'd be great if Siobhan seemed more in touch with reality. And it'd be fantastic if Michael wowed us week after week with alternative music. But it's mainstream America that decides these things, and there's a limit as to how far contestants can stray from the tried and true formulas.

Top 12 competition starts tomorrow.
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Posted by Ken in: musictelevision

My New Theory About "Lost"
Wednesday, 2010 February 17 - 2:57 pm
I hope all the "Lost" fans out there are enjoying this season as much as I am. I'm formulating a new theory about what's going on. For those of you who aren't caught up to last night's episode, don't click through; there might be some spoilers.

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Posted by Ken in: television

Sing Off
Friday, 2009 December 18 - 2:31 pm
So, is anyone else watching "Sing Off" on NBC? It's like "Glee" meets "American Idol". In fact, it's so obviously a mash-up of those two shows, it almost makes you pity poor NBC for not having the ability to come up with any new ideas. Next year on NBC: We put eight high school glee clubs on a deserted island, where they must sing and dance for food and firewood! We'll call it "Lord of the Dance (and the Flies), Plus Eight". (Kate Gosselin hosts.)

I mean, "Sing Off" even features Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger playing the role of bubble-headed blabberer (a role made famous, of course, by Paula Abdul). And there's Boyz II Men's Shawn Stockman, who gleefully throws around terms like "pitchy" and "make it your own" so often that you keep expecting him to call someone "dawg" at any minute. They've got an awkwardly metro host in Nick Lachey. If they'd only found a crotchety Brit to be the third judge instead of Ben Folds, they'd have duplicated the Idol formula precisely.

Oh, and did I mention that one of the groups sang an a capella version of "Don't Stop Believing"? They might as well have been wearing "Glee" t-shirts.

Now, all that being said, we're fans of the show. The groups are sincere, and the performances are fun to watch. We like the Beelzebubs, a bunch of college guys from Tufts, who seem to be the most inventive group of the contestants.

NBC is slamming through the competition quickly (three two-hour episodes, and a finale next week), making this seem like more of a trial balloon than an ongoing series. I'm hoping that if they do decide to make this a recurring show, we'll get to see more of the early auditions and the elimination process.
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Posted by Ken in: musictelevision

Television Upgrade
Monday, 2009 November 23 - 4:37 pm
Well, I've bit the bullet, and decided not to wait for a Black Friday deal: I'm finally ditching my old behemoth rear-projection TV for an LCD flat panel model. (Amy will be enormously pleased to recover some square footage in our living room.) Sony has a promotion going on right now: discounted TVs along with a free Playstation 3. I'm not terribly interested in having another game console to suck down my time and money, but the PS3 is one of the best Blu-Ray players available, so it's worth it just for that.

Nice things about the new TV, as compared to my old one:
  • Won't suffer from color convergence drift (color fuzzing that results from the color beams being misaligned, requiring periodic refocusing)
  • Won't have odd red lines (Trinitron artifacts?) crossing the screen (this developed after a power surge; the lines makes Amy think of the stripes you see in salmon meat)
  • Better viewing angles (rear projection really had a problem with this)
  • HDMI inputs and digital audio output, for better integration with my home theater
  • Occupies ten times less floor space

The only bad thing I can think of is that it doesn't have the picture-by-picture mode that my old TV has, which is far superior to the picture-in-picture mode that the cable box provides.

The TV should arrive in less than a week. Whee, reckless consumerism! I mean... whee, doing my part to stimulate the economy!

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Posted by Ken in: techwatchtelevision

Television: The Prisoner
Monday, 2009 November 16 - 11:22 pm
Today was part 2 of 3 of AMC's remake of "The Prisoner". Thus far, it is as I feared: it doesn't live up to the original.

Perhaps they're deliberately not trying to recapture the same feel as the original show, and I can appreciate the desire to make something novel. But I greatly prefer Patrick McGoohan's clever subversiveness to Jim Caviezel's outright rebellion. And you know, a disjointed plot is not the same as a mysterious plot.

In this version, there's just no subtlety. Instead of mind games, there are psychotropic drugs and coercion. I keep waiting for the shocking plot twist that doesn't come. Maybe they're just setting up for one big surprise? There's one episode left tomorrow... we'll see.

And OH! I almost forgot... how could you have The Prisoner without the Village font, the beautiful Albertus derivative that was ubiquitous in the original show? In this version, we get... Avant Garde Gothic Bold and Optima Bold Italic? Really?
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Posted by Ken in: television

Fall TV
Friday, 2009 November 13 - 12:43 pm
Well, being at home sick does mean I get to catch up with all my TV shows on the DVR. Here's what I'm watching this season...

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Posted by Ken in: television

Ellen Degeneres!
Wednesday, 2009 September 9 - 11:00 pm
Apparently, Ellen Degeneres is going to be the new American Idol judge. That is FANTASTIC. Even though she doesn't have any kind of musical background (aside from her penchant for singing Salt 'n' Pepa songs on her talk show every now and then), she'll surely be at least as good a singing judge as Paula ever was. And unlike Kara, she's enough of a celebrity heavyweight to provide a counterpunch to Simon. Best of all, now the show will be intentionally funny, not "oh my God she's so drunk" funny.
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Posted by Ken in: television

Paula Abdul gone from Idol?
Tuesday, 2009 July 21 - 9:59 am
Ooh, an off-season Idol post. Sorry, non-Idol fans.

Paula Abdul hasn't yet renewed her contract with "American Idol" for next year, leading to speculation that she might be gone from the show. Paula fans have responded with a Twitter and email campaign to keep her on the show.

I had a suspicion that Kara DioGuardi was brought in as a potential replacement for Paula. For me, Paula doesn't add a lot of value as a judge; it's not useful to the contestants if all your comments are always positive. Also, she seemed drunk most of the time. However, I'm not sure the Kara experiment is working out all that well, either. I think she and Simon genuinely dislike each other.

For this year, anyway, I suspect Paula will be back. This is all probably just an attempt by Paula's agents to get a fatter contract, what with Ryan Seacrest just signing a $15 million deal.
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Posted by Ken in: television

Sarah Palin says Letterman owes women an apology
Friday, 2009 June 12 - 12:17 pm
In case you hadn't heard the furor about David Letterman and Sarah Palin, the gist of it is that Letterman made a joke about stripper-chasing baseball player Alex Rodriguez having sex with Palin's daughter. The reference was clearly about Bristol, Palin's teenage daughter who was infamously pregnant during last year's elections. But Palin took the reference to be about her fourteen-year-old daughter Willow, who was traveling with her at the time.

So, Sarah Palin was outraged. OUTRAGED! And now she's demanding that Letterman apologize to all women.

Ms. Palin: David Letterman is a comedian who makes cheap jokes at the expense of public figures. You are a public figure, and you seemed to have no qualms about prominently featuring your visibly-pregnant daughter Bristol during your campaign. So Letterman has every right to ridicule you both. Was the joke in poor taste? Perhaps, as are many jokes that are made in late night TV. Does Letterman need to apologize to all women for this? No.

The person who needs to apologize to all women, Ms. Palin, is you. You've spent your life advancing yourself on your looks and your folksy charm instead of intelligence and actual qualifications, and that's precisely the opposite of what feminism is about. You are not the standard bearer for women's rights. The only women you seem to defend are yourself and those in your own family. Did you defend Hillary Clinton when she felt attacked by the media? No. Did you defend rape victims in Wasilla when you required them to purchase their own rape kits? No.

No, you're just using any opportunity you can to stay in the media spotlight during the long run-up to the 2012 elections. If you don't think that's utterly transparent to everyone in the country, then you're even dumber than you look.
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Posted by Ken in: politicstelevision

American Idol Finale: The Gokey Factor
Wednesday, 2009 May 20 - 10:16 pm
Well, I can't say I'm totally surprised by the result of Idol tonight... no doubt, Gokey fans voted in droves for Kris. It's more of an anti-Adam vote than a pro-Kris vote. Still, I have to give credit to Kris; I didn't even think he'd make the top ten, and he flew under the radar the whole way and ended up winning. Good for him.

I still think Allison has the biggest commercial potential.

Contestants aside, I was blown away by the geezer star lineup for the finale episode. Kiss, Queen, and Santana on the same stage? Lionel Ritchie and Rod Stewart, still alive? Cyndi Lauper and Queen Latifa? Wow.
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Posted by Ken in: television

American Idol 2009 Week 11: Top 2
Tuesday, 2009 May 19 - 10:37 pm
Danny went home last week. It's Kris and Adam, in perhaps the most lopsided matchup in Idol history. If Kris wins this, it'll be a huge upset.

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Posted by Ken in: television

American Idol 2009 Week 10: Top 3
Tuesday, 2009 May 12 - 8:23 pm
Allison went home last week, boo. Also, Simon Cowell publicly predicted that Adam would win it all. This week, with three guys left: the judges pick one song, the contestants pick one.

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Posted by Ken in: television

American Idol 2009 Week 9: Top 4
Tuesday, 2009 May 5 - 8:06 pm
Matt finally went home last week. This week: rock songs... as solos and as duets... with Slash as a mentor. Ooookay.

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Posted by Ken in: television

American Idol 2009 Week 8: Top 5
Tuesday, 2009 April 28 - 9:21 pm
Lil and Anoop went home last week. Matt, unfortunately, survived. Lil blames the judges for biasing America against her. Surrrrre.

This week: Rat Pack standards.

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Posted by Ken in: television

American Idol 2009 Week 7: Top 7 Again
Tuesday, 2009 April 21 - 7:59 pm
Matt should have gone home last week, but the judges saved him... what a waste. This week: disco week, and two people will go home tomorrow.

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Posted by Ken in: television

American Idol 2009 Week 6: Top 7
Tuesday, 2009 April 14 - 8:07 pm
Scott finally went home last week. This week: songs from movies... with Quentin Tarantino as the mentor. Awesome. Blessed is he who, in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through the valley of the darkness.

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Posted by Ken in: television

American Idol 2009 Week 5: Top 8
Tuesday, 2009 April 7 - 8:15 pm
Megan went home last night. Not a surprise, but kind of a shame; she at least was unique.

Tonight: songs from the year the contestants were born.

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Posted by Ken in: television

American Idol 2009 Week 4 Performances
Tuesday, 2009 March 31 - 8:45 pm
Michael went home last week. Matt was in the bottom three, interestingly; maybe the country finds him as goofy as I do. Scott was in the bottom three also; his days are numbered.

This week's theme is the oh-so-specific "Any Popular Song on iTunes" night.

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Posted by Ken in: television

American Idol 2009 Week 3 Performances
Wednesday, 2009 March 25 - 9:19 pm
Alexis Grace went home after her "forgettable" performance last week. This week: Motown. Will anyone be able to make anything sound current?


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Posted by Ken in: television

American Idol 2009 Week 2 Performances
Tuesday, 2009 March 17 - 10:13 pm
Jasmine Murray and Jorge Nuñez were kicked out last week. This week: country week, UGH. Simon and I both just are thrilled about this.


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Posted by Ken in: television

American Idol 2009 Week 1 Performances
Tuesday, 2009 March 10 - 9:08 pm
Michael Jackson week. Really. It's like they want everyone to fail.

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Posted by Ken in: television

American Idol 2009 Finals Week 1
Tuesday, 2009 March 10 - 6:40 pm
Okay, it's that time again: time to start writing American Idol posts that nobody really cares to read... but whatevah, I do what I want. Actually, if you are gonna read one AI post from me this year, this is the one, because I actually put some effort into it.

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Posted by Ken in: television

Still... Old Friend
Sunday, 2009 February 22 - 1:35 pm
"Kirk... you're still alive, my old friend?"

Yeah, it's been what, two weeks since I've posted anything? You can blame the idiots who call themselves engineers the job for which I'm very thankful in these depressed economic times. Work has been keeping me busy, because I've discovered that hey! lots of people don't care about writing good software, and it's up to me to clean up the mess they've left behind.

But enough about work. After all, it's American Idol season, also known as "the season when nobody wants to read my blog", because all I do is post meaningless reviews of semi-talented music performances by aspiring Kelly Clarkson wannabes. But whatevah, I do what I want.

The Idol blogs won't begin in earnest for a couple of weeks, but I do have a few thoughts about last week's performances. The format this year is interesting: we now start with 36 for the live voting, and whittle down to 12 over three weeks. Each week, only three of twelve contestants automatically move forward; after the country picks its nine finalists, the judges will throw in three wild-card entries as well. It seems like a good system; we'll weed out the poor performers more quickly, while the judges can rescue anyone who's a victim of wacky voting.

So Amy and I were pleased to see Danny Gokey and Alexis Grace move on, as they were the only ones who showed any talent in week 1. Country singer Michael Sarver also made it, but he's gonna have to show a lot more personality and versatility if he hopes to compete. I think Robert Downey Jr. would play Danny in the movie version of this year's show... I can't quite put my finger on who Alexis looks like. A blonder, cuter Molly Ringwald, maybe?

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Posted by Ken in: lifetelevision

Television: Chuck, Heroes New Season
Tuesday, 2009 February 3 - 11:24 am
Is it just me, or did the season premiere of "Chuck" kind of suck? The 3-D gimmick was uninspiring, and the plot seemed just phoned-in. The drama of Chuck's angst lacked any kind of depth or subtlety; the nerdity of the Buy More staff sunk to the level of mere buffoonery. This has been one of my favorite shows for the last few years, so it was disappointing.

"Heroes", on the other hand, looks to be improving after a couple of disappointing seasons. One of my main complaints of the past seasons was how all the heroes, despite running into each other all the time, never seemed to think about cooperating with each other. They might actually fix that this season.

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Posted by Ken in: television

I Don't Want to Sound Rude
Wednesday, 2009 January 7 - 9:01 pm
This is by far my favorite sketch from "Man Stroke Woman". This got pulled off of YouTube for copyright reasons and hasn't been available on the BBC web site, but I finally found it on MySpace. (Facebook readers and RSS readers, click the link or go to realkato.com if the video doesn't embed.)

Man Stroke Woman - Bloody Communal Leaving Cards!



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Posted by Ken in: funnyhahatelevision

New Zealand Anti-Drinking Ad 3
Monday, 2008 August 18 - 8:57 am
And, one more.

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Posted by Ken in: interestingtelevision

New Zealand Anti-Drinking Ad 2
Monday, 2008 August 18 - 8:56 am
Here's another one.


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Posted by Ken in: interestingtelevision

New Zealand Anti-Drinking Ad
Monday, 2008 August 18 - 8:52 am
I found the anti-drinking advertisement on YouTube. I had a few details wrong, but I had the gist of it. Here it is.

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Posted by Ken in: interestingtelevision

The Middleman Premieres!
Tuesday, 2008 June 17 - 9:36 am
Did you catch it? Javi's new show "The Middleman" premiered last night on ABC Family. It's also available on iTunes... it was free for a while, but now it's the standard $1.99.

It's interesting because if you know Javi, you can almost hear him talking in the dialog. The show is very Javi-esque, which is a great thing for a number of reasons: it's witty and full of pop culture references, and it pays great respect to its comic book roots.

I did like Natalie Morales as the appropriately cynical Wendy Watson. And Matt Keeslar does a fine job playing the straight-laced Middleman. But I think it'll take them a few episodes to find their legs in the characters. As someone who's seen a lot of Javi's work, I can tell you that it takes a certain mindset to understand the psychology of Javi's characters, and to express that correctly as an actor. Every now and then they'll be given a line with a complex socio-political-philosophical statement in it, and they'll have to work to wrap their minds and their tongues around the dialogue. But I'm sure they'll be get it.

The best part of the episode was catching this poster in the background:

javi middleman

Rock on, Javi.
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Posted by Ken in: television

American Idol 2008 Week 14: Finale
Wednesday, 2008 May 21 - 6:55 pm
So here it is, the final competition. It almost doesn't matter how they sing any more; it's really down to popularity. So even before watching them, I predict David Archuleta will win, even though David Cook deserves it more.

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Posted by Ken in: television

That's What She Said
Tuesday, 2008 May 20 - 3:59 pm
I've had some pretty good "that's what she said" interjections over the last, oh, twenty years or so. So as you can imagine, I get a lot of enjoyment watching "The Office". Someone who's just as off-kilter as I am has compiled a collection.

Enjoy. (That's what she said.)
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Posted by Ken in: funnyhahatelevision

Important Announcement
Tuesday, 2008 May 20 - 8:08 am
"The Middleman" premieres June 16th on ABC Family.



That is all.
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Posted by Ken in: television

American Idol 2008 Week 13: Top 3
Tuesday, 2008 May 13 - 8:03 pm
Jason went out last week. This week: judges' choice, producers' choice, and contestants' choice.

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Posted by Ken in: television

American Idol 2008 Week 12: Top 4
Tuesday, 2008 May 6 - 8:02 pm
Brooke went out in tears last week. This week: rock and roll hall of fame songs... that's right, more golden oldies.

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Posted by Ken in: television


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