New feature! I thought that I'd try to consolidate some of little annoyances into one weekly post instead of agonizing over whether they were, separately, bloggable. These are not earth-shaking issues, just relatively minor annoyances. They don't even qualify for an f-bomb, so (probably) no current events--and, yes, I'm taking bets on how long that will last.
Dammit #1:
San Jose Mercury News: Citing the drop in readership and ad revenue, the San Jose Mercury News has decided to stop publishing Perspective, the Sunday op-ed section. They will keep the two page spread in the daily paper that includes about five short columns plus 8-10 letters from readers. None of whom, apparently, read the Sunday section. To boost revenue, the Merc is expanding the the Tech section from a weekly to a daily. So get your geek on!
I know that some consider the age of the printed word to have passed, but I'm not one of those people. While I do read several newspapers online whenever I get the chance, I love the morning ritual of coffee and the paper then breakfast, and the fact that Hannah and Charlotte also like to "read" the paper with breakfast. (And that's just the newspaper--for me, the smell of a new, freshly printed book ranks up there with the smell of chocolate chip cookies, hot from the oven.)
God help us if Macy's ever goes out of business; their incessant sales must be responsible for more than half of the ad revenue in the Mercury News and who knows how many other papers.
Dammit #2:
The Washington Post does not deliver to my area.
Dammit #3:
Studio 60 is still being canceled. I know I've whined about this before, but NBC is in the process of burning off the final episodes, which just further rams home the point that they no longer have the guts to give a scripted show a chance. Especially when they can use the time slot for another piece of "Realicrap TV." The final shows are on Thursday nights now; you can also watch them online.
Dammit #4:
Possibly to mess with those of us who prefer TiVo to sitting through commercials, NBC and other stations are screwing with the scheduled start and end times of some shows. Not all the time, but enough to make you miss the final minutes of certain shows. Time changes are often noted in the schedules posted online.
Dammit #5:
The Series 3 TiVo-HD runs about $800 from TiVo, though you can get it from Costco for $600. Which means we'll be waiting a while before upgrading. Read Thomas's posts on the Direct TV DVR and you'll know why we're going back to TiVo--eventually.
I guess that's enough for one week. And look, Ma! No politics!
Showing posts with label Studio 60. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Studio 60. Show all posts
Monday, June 18, 2007
Thursday, April 05, 2007
I Think I Hate NBC . . .
For years, it seemed that most of my favorite shows were on NBC. The shows were smarter. The writing seemed to be crisper. The acting was generally better. Even the production values were better. But the peacock seems to have lost its way. So here are a few reasons I am coming to rue my love affair with NBC, as well as a few that keep me hanging on. Let's just go through the weekly schedule, saving the bright spots for last. (NOTE: I started this post awhile ago, so the lineup may have changed.)
Monday:
1) Studio 60 (follow the link and you'll see they've already buried it)--The smartest, best written show on network TV--went on hiatus while NBC introduced us to The Black Donnellys--which is now being cancelled. Even though it had been expected for months, I was so annoyed about Studio 60 being put on the shelf that I can't bring myself to be interested in The Black Donnellys. Someone let me know if it's actually worth watching. Today, I hear that Studio 60 will not be returning. Not to NBC anyway. Maybe someone else will pick it up?
2) Deal or No Deal--I sort of like Howie Mandel, but not enough to make this "must see TV." It was fun for about 5 minutes and then it just got old. And more of a bad thing does not a good thing make.
3) Replacing Studio 60: Thank God You're Here, which NBC says "showcases the improvisational skills of a group of four brave actors each week, as they walk into a live sketch without a script, their only armor and unforeseen and unexplained wardrobe change." One assumes that hilarity ensues, mostly because NBC assures us that it is, indeed, hilarious. And it opens with back to back episodes!
Tuesday:
1) Dateline NBC--This show could have been so much better. An entire hour when they could talk about something that matters and instead they have a creepy guy luring more creepy guys in so they can get an arrest--and hopefully a confession!--on camera. They tell themselves that they are ding a public service, but hows about we let the police do they job?
Of course, that's not all Dateline does; lately they've also treated us to: "The Battle for Anna Nicole Smith's body"! (Our local NBC station carried the funeral live--the genesis for this post.); "Are We Hung Up On Celebs in Free Fall?" (who do they mean by "we?"); How clean/safe are your schools/restaurants/ grocery stores/fast food chains . . .
Wednesday:
Surprise! I actually have nothing bad to say about Wednesday. I stopped being a regular viewer of Crossing Jordon when they went all supernatural a few seasons ago, but I've caught snippets since then and don't detest it.
Thursday:
Love most of this (see below) so hopefully there will be at least one night they won't mess up.
Friday:
Sweet mother of god. 1 vs 100 AND Identity in the same night? Oh wait--they've moved them around again. It's just Identity. And Raines. I like Jeff Goldblum, but I don't know. I just not buying him as a homicide detective. Or as a star of the small screen, for that matter. Some people seem to have been made for TV and some for the silver screen. Jeff Goldblum=Movies. David Carouso=TV.
Thank god for TiVo, Center Ice and House.
Monday:
1) Studio 60 (follow the link and you'll see they've already buried it)--The smartest, best written show on network TV--went on hiatus while NBC introduced us to The Black Donnellys--which is now being cancelled. Even though it had been expected for months, I was so annoyed about Studio 60 being put on the shelf that I can't bring myself to be interested in The Black Donnellys. Someone let me know if it's actually worth watching. Today, I hear that Studio 60 will not be returning. Not to NBC anyway. Maybe someone else will pick it up?
2) Deal or No Deal--I sort of like Howie Mandel, but not enough to make this "must see TV." It was fun for about 5 minutes and then it just got old. And more of a bad thing does not a good thing make.
3) Replacing Studio 60: Thank God You're Here, which NBC says "showcases the improvisational skills of a group of four brave actors each week, as they walk into a live sketch without a script, their only armor and unforeseen and unexplained wardrobe change." One assumes that hilarity ensues, mostly because NBC assures us that it is, indeed, hilarious. And it opens with back to back episodes!
Tuesday:
1) Dateline NBC--This show could have been so much better. An entire hour when they could talk about something that matters and instead they have a creepy guy luring more creepy guys in so they can get an arrest--and hopefully a confession!--on camera. They tell themselves that they are ding a public service, but hows about we let the police do they job?
Of course, that's not all Dateline does; lately they've also treated us to: "The Battle for Anna Nicole Smith's body"! (Our local NBC station carried the funeral live--the genesis for this post.); "Are We Hung Up On Celebs in Free Fall?" (who do they mean by "we?"); How clean/safe are your schools/restaurants/ grocery stores/fast food chains . . .
Wednesday:
Surprise! I actually have nothing bad to say about Wednesday. I stopped being a regular viewer of Crossing Jordon when they went all supernatural a few seasons ago, but I've caught snippets since then and don't detest it.
Thursday:
Love most of this (see below) so hopefully there will be at least one night they won't mess up.
Friday:
Sweet mother of god. 1 vs 100 AND Identity in the same night? Oh wait--they've moved them around again. It's just Identity. And Raines. I like Jeff Goldblum, but I don't know. I just not buying him as a homicide detective. Or as a star of the small screen, for that matter. Some people seem to have been made for TV and some for the silver screen. Jeff Goldblum=Movies. David Carouso=TV.
Thank god for TiVo, Center Ice and House.
Thursday, January 18, 2007
The Studio 60--SNL Connection
I've noticed, as I'm sure many others have, that Saturday Night Live is having a much better season. I don't think it's a coincidence that this occurred at the same time Studio 60 came on the air. It's my firm belief that Aaron Sorkin was not only able to create a fabulous show, but that he also was able to bring the level of creativity at SNL up a notch. OK, several notches. Many, many . . . but you get the idea.
Studio 60 has been off the air for a couple of weeks. SNL has not been as funny; last week's episode was a return to the painful, with a few exceptions. (Jake Gyllenhaal looking surprisingly good in drag and "Did you see what I just did? I Dog Whispered you" are two I can remember off the top of my head.)
Coincidence? I think not.
Studio 60 has been off the air for a couple of weeks. SNL has not been as funny; last week's episode was a return to the painful, with a few exceptions. (Jake Gyllenhaal looking surprisingly good in drag and "Did you see what I just did? I Dog Whispered you" are two I can remember off the top of my head.)
Coincidence? I think not.