Category: Television

TiVo Being Funny

I’ve mentioned before how desperate our TiVo is to recommend its paltry selection of over the air broadcast to us. The other day, I saw Jen delete a bunch of Hogan’s Heros from TiVo’s recommendations.

Uh. I kinda wanted to….oh, forget it.

Then tonight, going through the Now Playing, 3 of the Scrubs recordings were in fact – Hogan’s Heros.

Ha.

TiVo really wants us to watch Hogan’s Heros and is masking it as Scrubs. Funny.

Or maybe, like the recent Amazing Race problems – the broadcaster is just screwing with the schedules.

I like the former option better.

Tina Fey Had the Best Job in New York

TiVo grabbed the premiere of 30 Rock for us. Comparing it against Studio 60 is like comparing the past 15 years of Saturday Night Live against anything funny.

Tin Fey’s work on Weekend Update was a small glimmer of hope in Lorne Michael’s otherwise deserted, stale series. Like the paper the next morning, the only thing going for Saturday Night Live these days is its comfortableness. While I assumed 30 Rock would bring out a new enthusiasm and funny from the recent SNL alum – it was more like all the cut skits too awful to record.

At least Studio 60 has Alan Sorkin’s writing team – even if it’s more West Wing-y when I’d prefer it to be more SportsNight-y.

Amazing Race Season 10 – Episode 3 & 4

CBS and TiVo have been fighting the past few Sunday nights – CBS has been throwing off the start time of the Amazing Race by 15 to 30 minutes, and TiVo – hasn’t been able to figure it out.

Since we only watch AR via TiVo. We’ve been missing the back half of each AR. Not cool. Completely blowing my enthusiasm for CBS, Amazing Race, and TiVo.

Blah.

Amazing Race Season 10 – Episode 2

Outer Mongolia.

It’s a threat in my mind. Somehow worse than Siberia. A place where you “get sent”. A bit of romance there if only for the seemingly still nomadic lifestyle. Until the rain storm, seemed like a nice, quiet vacation spot. Like northern Wisconsin in autumn. Remote.

If only I had a hand-cranked Russian jeep growing up.

I’d stick with the packing up of the nomadic tent over attempting to guide a aboriginal bull. Figuring out the knot and getting a camel to stand up sound easier than keeping helmets and water within grasp.

The TiVo gets eliminated this week for not recording the Roadblock and the elimination.

    Garrick’s Favorites:

  • Peter and Sarah
  • Tyler and James
  • Duke and Lauren

On a side note, I don’t think I’m the only one confusing Studio 60 and 30 Rock. As much as I prefer Aaron Sorkin productions, I keep thinking there’s another pair of hobbits lurking.

Amazing Race Season 10 – Episode 1

If having racers rappel up the Great Wall of China on the first leg is any indication, the Amazing Race is on an upswing. The lame events, purposeless pitstops, and music-video editing might be a thing of the past – much like the awful Family Edition.

Despite my continual confusion between the cheerleaders and the beauty queens (half way through Return of the King I asked, “Are two sets of hobbits in the Lord of the Rings?”) the character and distinction between the rest of the teams was nicely accomplished.

I thought the introduction of Peter and Sarah did a great job of laying out both their strength (experienced tri-atheletes) and their weakness (3 legs between them). With Tyler and James a second – ex-addicts turned male models. The rest of the introductions felt like cheap match-making reads;

Likes: travel, a million dollars
Dislikes: the other teams

How un-Amazing.

The introductions not-withstanding, this feels like the most diverse groups of racers yet, devout Muslim team, Indian-American married team, black single moms, and rural Kentuckians! . That said, the stereotypes are still there; a gay couple, white chicks, brothers, a dating couple where he’s probably gay, parent and child, moms. Again, hopefully, the show will transcend the stereotypes.

Oh, and Lindsey – I’d eat the eyeballs.

    Garrick’s Favorites:

  • Peter and Sarah
  • Tyler and James
  • Duke and Lauren

To make it interesting, I say Rob and Kimberly are Philiminated in the 4th show.

Tivo HD vs Apple iTV

Jen and I talked about Baby Tivo recently. It’s a paltry 40gig, single-tuner. But, sans-cable, it serves us well.

Today, Apple announced their iTV, shipping sometime next year. Priced at $300, plays HD video, HDMI ports, wifi, Front Row (or something like it), everything you’d expect (maybe a DVD drive?).

Then later today, I received an email from TiVo announcing their HD Tivo Series3. 300 hours, dual tuner, THX-certified, all the TiVo goodness – $800+ monthly service plan.

Uhhhh. Hmmmmm.

I agree with Kottke. It doesn’t add up. Especially since I know some early adopters who were less than thrilled.

TiVo’s great – but only because there’s no alternative worth talking about. Apple just might make this interesting. For a difference of $500 bucks, I’m cool with watching this play out.

To Fox’s House Producers: Limp Not The Problem

The short write up on Fox’s House in the Fall TV Preview issue of Entertainment Weekly reports the producers are asking what happens if House doesn’t have his limp anymore.

That’s easy. There’s no show. Poof.

I said this a year ago on the subject:

“House is a great character because of the contrast of this most obvious weakness and his bitter, curt, authority.”

Without the limp, House is just an ass, and frankly the Cameron/House romance story line is already lame.

If House is going to be “fixed”, let me know which episode so I can cancel the Tivo’s Season Pass.

Thanks.

Update: 5 Sept. – Caught the season premier tonight. So, now that House’s leg is better, his staff and colleagues are crippling him. Uh. It was better the other way around. Before, his pain killer addiction was an on-going joke, a little something happening in the background. Now, if that’s his only flaw – it’s just sad. If this continues, it’ll be Gray’s Anatomy but for guys. Where the show’s namesake is the most boring, static character on camera. Ugh.

The Serenity of Affligem

If I haven’t praised the beer buyer at St. Anthony Village Liquors before – well, it’s about time. I picked up a sixer of Affligem. A tasty, tasty Belgian Abbey Blond tracing it’s history back to 1074 (900 years older than me, that’s a beer!) and for the last half-dozen years been half-owned by Heineken.

I picked it up on a fluke and have been very pleased. The first sip of the first bottle, took me all the way back to the simplicity of the Reinheitsgebot. (Despite it perhaps not being compliant – I haven’t investigate throughly). It’s yeasty and complex without being overwhelming (like say a Westmalle). A beer, that like a good dog, sits patiently at your side.

Anyway, it’s proved a wonderful companion both for late evening programming and watching Joss Whedon’s Firefly off the Netflix. Firefly is pretty well written, the Victorian-esque language is quite enjoyable and the sci in the sci-fi is kept to a minimum (enough to remind you, not enough to be tech-y). After scratching my head a bit through Serenity, and deja vu-ing through Disc 1 of the series, disc 2 is entertaining and surprising.

The All Commercial Television Channel is Nearly Here

A decade ago, I had this vision of a television channel – MTV for commercials. Above is the logo I drew up for it. Commercials would be presented in a structured way – by theme, brand history, actor, etc. In other words, the ads themselves would be the program.

Fast-forward to today, and I think we’re nearly there. Sure, there’s no Ad-J navigating us through the ads, but the volume of commercial advertisements on over-the-air TV, radio, even cable stations is there. The regularly scheduled program is arguably the theme tying the commercials together for 30 or 60 minute intervals.

Next step is to drop the program all together. All ads – continuously 24/7.

In fact, that’s where I see over-the-air broadcasts going in 5 years after today’s broadcasters deem their FCC licenses worthless and migrate distribution 100% online.

Flipping through the channels, you’ll see no big brands, all small, local businesses; used car dealers, family-owned restaurants, nail salons, etc. Just like those weird direct-mail coupon books.

LATER: 30 January 2007
It’s telling that the most stable, high-def segments picked up by our over-the-air HD TV antenna are the commercials.

ELSEWHERE:
16 April 2007

“What I think would be a great feature would be a dedicated part of TiVo’s menu (under ‘Now playing’?) that’s just ads. TiVo has a recommendation engine – let me rate the ads” – Rick Klau

Tivo Time Travel to Late 80’s Videoblogs

Some how, early last month, Tivo found a Saturday Night Live from 1989 and obediently recorded it.

Dana Carvey, Dennis Miller (does the map behind him remind you of Rocketboom?), Al Franken’s one-man mobile uplink (early video-blogger?). This is the SNL I caught on satellite TV working late as a farmhand.

Low budget effects, talent cracking themselves up, it all felt very videobloggy. Coincidence?

Doubtful.

Lots of jokes about George Bush (Senior) – the jokes are still funny. In sad, cynical, ‘things have gotten worse’ kinda way.

As and added bonus, 10,000 Maniacs – for Jen, I preferred Edie Brickell and the New Bohemians.