I'm watching the NBA Finals, which I utterly don't care about at all, but it's fun to watch while I catch up on my internet reading/sitting around.
What gets my goat is when the announcer in any sports game notices something good that a player does on the court/field and says, "That's what's called...great defense, posting up, using your head...etc."
I guess I find it awkward and somehow condescending, as if the player did it by accident and the announcer is there to tell him or her what that play actually accomplishes.
Showing posts with label television. Show all posts
Showing posts with label television. Show all posts
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Friday, February 6, 2009
Songs that Were Specifically Written to be Featured on Grey's Anatomy
In my incessant quest to make myself weep openly for no good reason, I have taken to watching reruns of Grey's Anatomy while working on the new draft of my thesis. The show stands up to scrutiny, at least the first season and a half...But oh, the music! The emo tunes!
So, we all remember The OC, a great prime-time teen soap that was basically an extended music video. Great show, featuring great diagetic and non-diagetic music of the highest quality, including the band of a family friend of mine, Ambulance LTD. In all seriousness, I learned about a lot of great bands from the OC, including The Walkmen, all introduced to me by sweet Seth Cohen, nerd-hipster extraordinaire.
In the wake of The OC, Shonda Rhimes' show Grey's Anatomy hit the air in 2005, and quickly became know for its trademark fun snark, raunchy and vaguely honest plotlines, and its great sound track. You automatically win my respect when you play Rilo Kiley in your show's pilot. Also, the amazing song inspired by Silence of the Lambs.
But quickly, too quickly, the music (which was, of course synergetically marketed by ABC) became overhwlemingly maudlin, and eventually kind of bad. In particular, I will point you to The Fray's "How to Save a Life." I am sure that this song was probably not actually written to be featured as someone so almost dies in surgery on Grey's Anatomy, but that is how it seems and it makes me nuts. Please. Gross. Stop.
Now, on the show it's one thing, but every once in a while I hear a Grey's song in the supermarket or the coffee shop. It makes me annoyed and sad, simultaneously. I wish these silly songs didn't exist. It's the opposite of a song that reminds you of a fun day, or a hilarious incident, like when my friend and I discovered a mix cd my brother had made for/about his high school girlfriend featuring "Don't Give Up" by the New Radicals, one of the most awesome/terrible songs ever. But every time I hear it, I laugh.
I cannot say the same about The Fray.
So, we all remember The OC, a great prime-time teen soap that was basically an extended music video. Great show, featuring great diagetic and non-diagetic music of the highest quality, including the band of a family friend of mine, Ambulance LTD. In all seriousness, I learned about a lot of great bands from the OC, including The Walkmen, all introduced to me by sweet Seth Cohen, nerd-hipster extraordinaire.
In the wake of The OC, Shonda Rhimes' show Grey's Anatomy hit the air in 2005, and quickly became know for its trademark fun snark, raunchy and vaguely honest plotlines, and its great sound track. You automatically win my respect when you play Rilo Kiley in your show's pilot. Also, the amazing song inspired by Silence of the Lambs.
But quickly, too quickly, the music (which was, of course synergetically marketed by ABC) became overhwlemingly maudlin, and eventually kind of bad. In particular, I will point you to The Fray's "How to Save a Life." I am sure that this song was probably not actually written to be featured as someone so almost dies in surgery on Grey's Anatomy, but that is how it seems and it makes me nuts. Please. Gross. Stop.
Now, on the show it's one thing, but every once in a while I hear a Grey's song in the supermarket or the coffee shop. It makes me annoyed and sad, simultaneously. I wish these silly songs didn't exist. It's the opposite of a song that reminds you of a fun day, or a hilarious incident, like when my friend and I discovered a mix cd my brother had made for/about his high school girlfriend featuring "Don't Give Up" by the New Radicals, one of the most awesome/terrible songs ever. But every time I hear it, I laugh.
I cannot say the same about The Fray.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
People Who Spoil TV Shows
I'm looking at you Time Out Chicago. Thanks for telling me who got kicked off Top Chef last night.
This is the age of DVRs. There's no such thing as appointment television anymore. The one show I care enough about to try to schedule my life around airs on Friday nights (because I'm a nerd), and since I like being married I usually have to wait until Saturday morning to watch. The rest of the shows aren't defining my schedule.
But here's the thing. Just because I didn't watch it last night doesn't mean I won't want to watch it sometime soon. Probably on the weekend when I have more free time. Or some night when I'm going to catch up on a bunch of television. And it's going to be really annoying if I already knows what happens.
There are some obvious boundaries here. I think it's probably fine for me to tell you that Jay wins the first season of Project Runway and that the second season of Lost begins with them finding that Desmond lives in the hatch. Those things happened a couple years ago. It's also ok for me to say that the rag tag fleet finds Earth, and it sucks. But within the first week of a television show airing it is simply inconsiderate to blurt out what happens without fair warning. Fair warning is easy "Hey, did you see Top Chef last night?!" replaces "Oh my god! I can't believe _____ got kicked off Top Chef last night!!" In print and on blogs a bold sentence declares: "spoiler warning: the following paragraph discusses last night's episode." That way when you inevitably give in and read ahead it's totally your own fault. You've been warned.
I'm also not going to tell you how The Murder of Roger Ackroyd ends, unless you ask. You know why? Because that book would stink if you knew the ending going in. Just read and enjoy. The long-term literary merit of reality television shows is much more dubious. However, the immediate entertainment value is similarly ruined if you tell me how it ends.
I just had the realization that most of this blog could be summed up in the following three words: DON'T BE RUDE.
This is the age of DVRs. There's no such thing as appointment television anymore. The one show I care enough about to try to schedule my life around airs on Friday nights (because I'm a nerd), and since I like being married I usually have to wait until Saturday morning to watch. The rest of the shows aren't defining my schedule.
But here's the thing. Just because I didn't watch it last night doesn't mean I won't want to watch it sometime soon. Probably on the weekend when I have more free time. Or some night when I'm going to catch up on a bunch of television. And it's going to be really annoying if I already knows what happens.
There are some obvious boundaries here. I think it's probably fine for me to tell you that Jay wins the first season of Project Runway and that the second season of Lost begins with them finding that Desmond lives in the hatch. Those things happened a couple years ago. It's also ok for me to say that the rag tag fleet finds Earth, and it sucks. But within the first week of a television show airing it is simply inconsiderate to blurt out what happens without fair warning. Fair warning is easy "Hey, did you see Top Chef last night?!" replaces "Oh my god! I can't believe _____ got kicked off Top Chef last night!!" In print and on blogs a bold sentence declares: "spoiler warning: the following paragraph discusses last night's episode." That way when you inevitably give in and read ahead it's totally your own fault. You've been warned.
I'm also not going to tell you how The Murder of Roger Ackroyd ends, unless you ask. You know why? Because that book would stink if you knew the ending going in. Just read and enjoy. The long-term literary merit of reality television shows is much more dubious. However, the immediate entertainment value is similarly ruined if you tell me how it ends.
I just had the realization that most of this blog could be summed up in the following three words: DON'T BE RUDE.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Guest Stars
Sometimes a TV show will hire a slew of guest stars because it is popular. This seems to be the case with 30 Rock this season. The show is far from jumping the shark, in my opinion, but here comes the parade of guest stars and well-known actors in bit parts--like when Donna Moss from The West Wing played Jack's fake ex-grlfriend at Liz Lemon's high school reunion. Way below her pay grade (which now apparently involves playing Scott Peterson's lady-friend in made for a TV movie).
The more fascinating and troubled version of the guest star problem occurs when a show has definitely outlived its welcome, and this is where my complaint resides. I watch a lot of TV, mainly because I find it soothing and the long story-lines are interesting. So, as I write my thesis, I have been re-watching Alias, the JJ Abrams show, which was my favorite TV show for several years when it was still on the air. Season 3 was tenuous at best. Season 4 is insane, and completely ludicrous, in part because Jennifer Garner was busy having Violet Affleck. So, I get home and put on an episode as I begin to write, and I recognize a voice. It's Omar from The Wire! Sweet! But then, all of a sudden, another guy from The Wire shows up. It's Spiros Vondopoulos. Sweet Jesus! But then the 'piece de resistance' comes as I am checking my Facebook and chatting with a middle school friend who has a baby. It's that voice...it's Adminral Cain from Battlestar Galactica. In one episode! One!
So basically, this is all too much for me. I have decided that rather than this being some kind of sign that I have somehow jumped the shark, and should stop watching television altogether, I've come to the conclusion that this means something else. Desperation is a powerful motivator. And I guess when the female star of a spy show can't do stuntd or be naked because she is carrying Ben Affleck's baby, it's as good a time as any to parade cable television's finest actors all over your network show.
The more fascinating and troubled version of the guest star problem occurs when a show has definitely outlived its welcome, and this is where my complaint resides. I watch a lot of TV, mainly because I find it soothing and the long story-lines are interesting. So, as I write my thesis, I have been re-watching Alias, the JJ Abrams show, which was my favorite TV show for several years when it was still on the air. Season 3 was tenuous at best. Season 4 is insane, and completely ludicrous, in part because Jennifer Garner was busy having Violet Affleck. So, I get home and put on an episode as I begin to write, and I recognize a voice. It's Omar from The Wire! Sweet! But then, all of a sudden, another guy from The Wire shows up. It's Spiros Vondopoulos. Sweet Jesus! But then the 'piece de resistance' comes as I am checking my Facebook and chatting with a middle school friend who has a baby. It's that voice...it's Adminral Cain from Battlestar Galactica. In one episode! One!
So basically, this is all too much for me. I have decided that rather than this being some kind of sign that I have somehow jumped the shark, and should stop watching television altogether, I've come to the conclusion that this means something else. Desperation is a powerful motivator. And I guess when the female star of a spy show can't do stuntd or be naked because she is carrying Ben Affleck's baby, it's as good a time as any to parade cable television's finest actors all over your network show.
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