Following the digital transition, officials in Utah are apparently worried that people might use their old, useless tvs for shootin' practice. So worried in fact, that they've issued a directive that people, you know, NOT do that:
With the recent switch to all digital television, there are plenty of TVs collecting dust. The BLM warns that electronic devices like TVs, computer monitors and even cell phones potentially toxic elements. If they're not disposed of properly, the devices pose a threat to the environment. Officials say it can cost up to seven-grand to clean-up a shot-up TV set.
Seriously? Seven grand to clean up a TV? I'm clearly in the wrong industry. In lieu of this, I'm officially announcing the closing of bambat so that I can head West and earn my fortune as a TV cleaner-upper. Wish me luck, loyal readers, I leave this land a mere boy but when I return.. I shall be a man.
Alternatively, just stop shooting your TVs, Cleetus.
You know its a slow boring Monday when bambat covers something related to ABC Family, but here we are. I'm sure I wouldn't be the only heterosexual male to admit that "10 Things I Hate About You" was a pretty decent movie, as far as rom-com Shakespeare adaptations starring Julia Stiles go. But at no point during the watching of that movie did I ever think "gee, this would be even better if you stretched it out over 20ish episodes and put it on ABC Family." Apparently I should have been more forceful, since they've gone ahead and done just that, remaking 10 Things I Hate About You as a TV series (for tweens). The trailer:
Wow, so its the exact same plot as the movie only with less attractive women. Isn't the token black chick the same token black chick who tried to ruin the Season Two of Heroes? My favorite part is that its the same dad from the movie, as if he had nothing better to do ten years later. And the artsy kid in the hat is back. That's nice...
The trailer I posted also featured some dialogue between the older sister and her lone boyfriend. This is what they had:
Artsy misunderstood girl: Why are people scared of you? Artsy misunderstood guy: Why are people scared of you?
The end of this exchange is actually:
Artsy misunderstood girl: People are not scared of me. Artsy misunderstood guy: That's why I find you interesting.
No joke. It's in this trailer (if you can stomach another). If you're still at all interested after reading all that, it premieres July 7th. Heaven help you.
Considering that it aired in the Summer.. On a Friday night.. And that it was a sci-fi show.. And that it had already been canceled prior to airing.. I don't know whether anyone should be surprised that essentially no one tuned in to FOX on Friday to watch the "pilot" of Virtuality. The latest opus from Ronald D. Moore, genius behind Battlestar Galactica, was a ratings dud. The grim stats:
The two-hour premiere of Ron Moore's sci-fi pilot drew only 1.8 million viewers and received a 0.5 adult demo rating -- tying ABC's "The Goode Family" as the lowest-rated program on a major broadcast network Friday night and putting Fox into fourth place for the evening.
It's a shame you had better things to do America, because I watched it and it was fantastic. No surprise there. Of course, the bittersweet thing is that it left me wanting so much more. More than I will never receive because you, America, would rather watch terrible television or go out and have lives on a Friday night. If you'd like to watch the pilot anyway, it's on Hulu. Maybe if enough people watch it there, it'll get picked up somewhere. I'm not holding my breath. I'll never understand why they didn't just air this on Sci-Fi. Screw you, America.
Picking up where Ed McMahon and Farrah Fawcett left off in the trend of "People whose deaths you care less about than Michael Jackson", TV pitch man Billy Mays was found dead in his home this morning. According to FOX News:
Mays was found unresponsive by his wife inside his Tampa, Fla., home at 7:45 a.m. on Sunday, according to the Tampa Police Department.
Police said there were no signs of forced entry to Mays' residence and foul play is not suspected. Authorities said an autopsy should be complete by Monday afternoon.
In a disturbing twist, he'd left the TV on the night before and ended up (not) waking up to his own infomercial. I hate when that happens. I never liked when news sites report dead people as being "found". That doesn't sound like it takes any effort at all. And who's really looking for dead people? I prefer when corpses are discovered. That makes it more exciting, like there's a bit of adventure involved, possibly a rag tag group of kids or minorities.
Show: Dexter Network: Showtime Still on Air: Yes Seasons: Three (Fourth premiers in September) Episodes I got through: All of them Rating: 5/5
What I Loved: It would seem incredibly lazy to just put "everything", but that would accurately sum it up. I've already made my feelings for this show pretty clear on this blog since my Emmy picks nominated not only the show but Michael C. Hall as well. I don't know how I missed it for its first three seasons. Oh wait, no Showtime On Demand. Well, I've corrected that mistake now and I suggest you do the same. This show is delightfully humorous, witty, creepy, and most importantly downright entertaining. Rooting for a serial killer is oddly cathartic in a way which makes me kind of worried for my friends and family. But just like Dexter, if I ever snap and go on a killing spree, it will only be for great justice. Probably. Oh, and if you spotted the nerdy reference in the last sentence, you are officially invited to my next Lord of the Rings marathon. BYOL (longbottom leaf).
What I Hated: Not much. Well, I guess I have to find something, so I'll say that some of the other cast beyond Hall are kind of weak. I'm not especially fond of the actress who plays his sister (otherwise known as his wife in real life). Although I may be alone in that since she just won a Saturn Award. For what that's worth. Really, there's not much to complain about here, the show is awesome. I gave it five out of five, see. Watch it.
The Verdict: It's nice to finally do a Summer of Couch write-up on a show I was actually able to stomach. A welcome relief after sitting through the last two. Dexter has been officially added to my regular docket of shows for the Fall (and consequently will receive preferential coverage here, of course). Look forward to my next review, which will probably be back to me hating things. Because that's what I do.
As you might have predicted, every single channel on television is planning to air a tribute tonight to Michael Jackson, who died yesterday (you might have heard):
ABC, CBS and NBC are reworking their primetime lineups tonight to make room for coverage of the singer and the passing of actress Farrah Fawcett.
ABC News plans two hours devoted to Jackson and Fawcett. The network has announced a special "20/20" called "The Life and Death of Michael Jackson" at 9 p.m. with Barbara Walters and Martin Bashir anchoring. Bashir came to the network after his 2003 documentary "Living With Michael Jackson" scored a large audience for the network. At 10 p.m., ABC's previously planned special "Farrah Fawcett: Her Life, Her Loves, Her Legacy" will air. Additional reporting will continue on “Nightline,” at 11:35 p.m., ET.
NBC News plans a two-hour episode of "Dateline" starting at 9 p.m. devoted to Jackson and Fawcett. NBC News' Ann Curry and Meredith Vieira will anchor the tribute. On Friday, NBC plans to rebroadcast "Farrah's Story," a two-hour documentary about Farrah Fawcett's battle with cancer.
CBS News currently plans a one-hour news special at 10 p.m., also titled "The Life and Death of Michael Jackson."
First of all, we can drop the pretense that anyone cares about Farrah Fawcett at this point. She didn't even get her own death post. Second, I can't believe that ABC missed the opportunity to title their special "Easy as 123". These sorts of oversights wouldn't happen if I was in charge of television. In addition to the above, FOX will be re-airing the episode of American Idol where people sang Michael Jackson songs. You can decide for yourself whether to enjoy the irony of the death of the King of Pop being honored by the vehicle thats making pop irrelevant one screaming tween at a time.
I'm glad the networks have given this a tv angle so we can cover it here (not that we wouldn't have anyway), but let's not dilude ourselves into thinking this is about anything other than cashing in for them. If you don't believe me, stay tuned for my post about which special got the best ratings.
There are a lot of reasons to get excited for HBO's new original series Bored to Death. The biggest is the cast. Jason Schwartzman plays an alcoholic writer who moonlights as a private detective. Zach Galifianakis, coming off the red hot (and highly recommended by me) film The Hangover plays his comic book writer friend. Kristen Wiig and the adorable Parker Posey represent the womenfolk. And Ted Danson rounds out the ensemble. The trailer looks a little quirky, too. But who am I kidding, I'd watch these guys in anything. Look out for it this fall. And look out in general so you don't fall. That's just good advice.
Today, as you may have read everywhere, or, if you're like me, heard shouted around the office, Michael Jackson died. No word on whether this post by Brett had anything to do with it. Now obviously, this isn't really a time for jokes, so instead I have a poem I'd like to share.
God told him "Don't you ever come around here. Don't wanna see your face. You better disappear." The fire left Jackson's eyes. God's words were really clear. Now, don't be a macho man. Be tough. Do what you can. I mean, no one wants to be defeated, but sometimes your fight just isn't funky strong enough.
Phew. That was emotional. Thanks for indulging me, guys. RIP Wacko Jacko.
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