The View From Drew

Joel McHale puts things in perspective when it comes to the whole media explosion over the death of Michael Jackson.

 Dollhouse gets a second season! - http://www.sliceofscifi.com/2009/05/16/dollhouse-renewed/

I know most people here aren't impressed with the show.  I like it.  I think I get it and I hope my faith pays off for me and for Fox when the second season comes along.  Fox was impressed by Whedon's pitch for the second season and by the DVR numbers to give it another chance.  They also don't have a strong season of new series, so they need to build on anything that has some potential.  With that thinking though, I'm surprised they didn't renew Sarah Conner as from what I can see, that had more of a fanbase than Dollhouse has.  I didn't watch it as I got bored after the sixth episode, but I hear more about it than Dollhouse.

We'll see.  I'm just a happy camper though this morning.

 Sci-Fi Channel gets rebranded as SyFy.  Yeesh.

Wait for the end, you'll be crying.

Thanks torebellibrarian  for posting this.  If I can find the other very funny bit from the episode, I'll post it.  You all should really watch The Soup though.  Must see television every week.  Sue and I tried the sports version, whose name escapes me at the moment, but didn't like it.  We're giving another week or two to its fashion and gossip version, The Dish on the Style network.




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Thank also to popfiend for the Christmas gift of the Quark DVD set.  Fridays, starting in Febrary, will  include an episode.

popfiend got me the two disk "best of" set for Christmas.  This was a fixture of New York television through most of the 70's and the early part of the 80's.  Carole Demas and Paula Janis sang songs, told jokes and stories, and interacted with Sherlock the Squirrel (and later Flapper Bird) in this locally produced program that at times rivalled Sesame Street for ratings.  I loved it and continued to catch repeats even as I got older.  As I've been watching the DVD, I thought I'd jot down a few thoughts.

Sherlock the Squirrel was made from a bath mat and now as I watch it, I can see it.

There wasn't remote mics in those days, so you can see the audio wire going up Carole's pants, which was often a problem when she had to move fast, like when she was dragged off by a giant dog.

The pet segments were cool.

The chuckle patch jokes were pretty bad, but as a kid I thought they were funny.
What has eight legs and can't walk? Two chairs.
What weighs two tons and wears peace beeds? A Hippy-potamus.

Storybox - Once again the illusion is shattered thanks to DVD. You can clearly see the strings opening the box that you couldn't see on a grainy television set in the seventies.

I don't remember Flapper as a character, but Sue was telling me how he was her favorite on the show. The second DVD, which features the later episodes, has Flapper's first appearance.

Mikey loves this show, but we can't get past the first two episodes. That's all he wants to watch.

 So, jafinnola just realized why we like Star Trek so much.  I pointed out to her that we watched it as kids for the near naked ladies, but we watch it now for the social commentary.  Her reply was, "Yeah, like you read Playboy for the articles."

There's articles?  I'll have to check that out.

In addition to what I am currently watching on my network, the following changes and additions will be made.

Sunday - Six Million Dollar Man (season two continues, moves from Fridays), Father Ted (series three) 

Monday - Babylon 5 (season five premiere + In the Beginning movie), Danger Mouse (series five), Coupling (series four), My Hero (series two)


Wednesday - Star Trek: Voyager (season one - yep, trying it again.  If I could find the good in Babylon 5, anything's possible.)


Thursday - Black Adder (series two); Ashes to Ashes (series one)

Friday - The IT Crowd (series one), Sliders (season two)

Saturday - Doctor Who (season ten), The Avengers (Emma Peel color episodes), Primeval (season two),  

I give you Eliza Dushku...No, I don't!  She's all mine! 

I want to state that I don't watch The Sarah Silverman Show.  I did watch the first season, but stopped after that.  I wanted to like it as I like her, but I found it unfunny.  Anyway, the doctor_who  community had a posting of this, so I share.  Last night's episode featured the obsession of one of the character's with a television show called Doctor Lazar Rage.  The title character in the spoof was played by Eccleston.  This is a behind the scenes video

Poll #1300589 Who is the Real Gene Hunt?
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All

Who is the best Gene Hunt?

Philip Glenister


Colm Meaney


Harvey Keitel

In thinking about the new Trek trailer, I started thinking about one of my favorite original series episodes, "Assignment: Earth", the episode that was meant to be a pilot for a new series featuring the character of Gary Seven.  As a teen, I plotted out several story ideas for a series with, of all people, Rick Springfield, as the new Gary Seven.  I saw Gary Seven being any person, ala the Doctor.  And in putting my series idea together, I had the opening credits in my head with the theme being "The Brazilian" by Genesis, which is one of my favorite all-time instrumental songs.

For a fan group who are translating The Transformers cartoon.  The details are here - http://www.adaptationsgj.net/AuditionsHMUFP.html - good luck!

Everyone's so busy deriding Knight Rider instead of having fun with it, that most missed geek boy as Jack Harkness and a brief discussion of Jack's sexuality.  Series producer Gary Thompson has been quoted as saying he's a big Doctor Who fan.  Please ignore the commercial spot.  It was the only posting of the scene on You Tube.

Remember when you had fun watching television?

Spaceballs: The Animated Series - marathon of episodes this afternoon on G4.

Now, this is how you bring back an iconic TV show!  Is this going to be looked up and spoken of with shows such as LA Law or Hill Street Blues?  No.  But I think it may have more staying power, provided the American public wants a cheesy show with a developing mythology.  Gary Scott Thompson said he went back to the first season of the original show to see what worked and what didn't.

Smart man.  Not only is it the best season, but just actually acknowledging the old series, rather than completely ignoring it as the failed Bionic Woman did last season, has helped to bring a buzz to the show.

In doing this, Thompson captured the best elements, added things he was familiar with, and remembered that his audience is now in the 21st century.

80's nod - The car chases are there.  The turbo boost is there.  (Although this one is weak.  Frankly, the idea of KITT being able to leap out of an area he's boxed in to, doesn't work for me.  The CGI was too obvious.)  

Thomson nod - Car chases are more in the vein of his The Fast and the Furious movies.

21st century nod - mythology (Mike has a mysterious past - yes, not original, but it does bring you in - and they need to do something to protect the Foundation.  It's a cool idea, but there is one flaw in the plan.) and sharp dialogue.  The banter between the "pit crew" members, tech-head Billy and linguist Zoe, is the best of all.

And the theme song is there!  It's the updated version from the movie, but we actually get a complete theme song with desert scenes of KITT, ala the 80's show.




This show is pure cheese, but good cheese.  And remember, the cheese stands alone.

I sat before each episode of Bionic Woman last year hoping and praying that it might find its footing and its audience because as you know, I had high hope for this show.  If Knight Rider can crank out fun like this every week, I'll be along for the ride.

Most On Demand systems have the pilot episode available to view for free.  You can also watch the episode at Hulu.com.

October 14th - The Magic Garden comes to DVD!

So Eddie sits next to me tonight as I'm watching Lost in Space.  It's the episode, "All That Glitters", a first season episode where Doctor Smith gains the ability to turn anything he touches to pure platinum.  Eddie's watched a few moments of the show with me in the past few weeks, but he usually walks off.  He had asked me were there color episodes as the first season is black and white and I think it puts him off.  Tonight though he sat through the rest of the episode.  He then asked if he could watch the next episode there and then and I told him that I only watch one episode a week.  He couldn't understand why I did it as I had the DVD.  I explained that when I was a kid, we didn't have recording devices for programs and you watched it when it aired.  If you missed it, hopefully you could catch it during a summer repeat (which is what I'm doing now.  Yes, I'm so lame I schedule my summer repeats too.) or if a local station picked it up years later you'd watch it then.  That made watching shows special.  Eddie doesn't think anything of watching six episodes of Spongebob Squarepants in a row.  To me, watching that much of any show in one sitting takes away from what makes it special.  I read how people plow through DVD sets of a show and I don't get the appeal for that. Then again, most people don't get the appeal of the way I do it.  I'm more for the nostagia of the old days of television.  So, I told him he'd have to wait until next week and we'd watch it together.  Who knows, maybe this will lead to a weekly ritual, something he can look forward to like I did when I was a kid.

The Price is Right is coming out as a Wii game next month! The only disappointing thing is that it looks like Any Number will not be one of the games you can play.

And by the end of the day, TV Show King will be mine.

Loves me the game shows.