Best show on television.

[Shockeye]

Then again, I'm considered old, I guess. When installing a wireless network for my buddy last night, I was teasing his kid because she had no internet the night before (she's 14 or so). I got into the "back in my day, we didn't have no internet, youngin!" But I lost her with "Then again, I did run a BBS out of my bedroom..." Kids, no respect, I tell ya.

I'm always amazed when "young people" come into the store and marvel at a rotary telephone.

Kids these days have it too easy.

[Signe]

Yes, because sticking your finger in a hole and turning it in a circle was, like, hard. 

You know?

[Paelos]

Yes, because sticking your finger in a hole and turning it in a circle was, like, hard. 

You know?

If that wasn't meant to be sexual, that's unfortunate.

If it was...HAWT!

[Sky]

I'm always amazed when "young people" come into the store and marvel at a rotary telephone.

Actually, I can remember having an old wall-mounted phone with the horn-shaped speaker and seperate earpiece with the crank and party line with single operator. I'm not that old, just that redneck.

[Yegolev]

I'm not that old, just that redneck.

I'm totally on your johnboat.  Grew up with a rotary phone, dad too cheap to pay extra for touch tone... once it came out, hehe.  It's not that a rotary is hard, but would require godlike patience from today's kids.

I don't remember Remote Control because there is still no cable access at the house I grew up in.

[Bunk]

A yes, good old stone age memories. My childhood included:

 - a rotary phone
 - a Heathkit TV, no remote
 - an 8 track and a phonograph
 - leaded gas
 - cars without back seat seatbelts
 - fur as a status symbol
 - calculators and watches with red led numbers
 - Intellevision and the C64 ($800 at the time)
 - the introduction of the Microwave and the the VCR (Beta even)
 - the belief that gaybashing was normal and ok
 - shag carpet

I don't really miss much of that.

[Signe]

Yes, because sticking your finger in a hole and turning it in a circle was, like, hard. 

You know?

If that wasn't meant to be sexual, that's unfortunate.

If it was...HAWT!

It wasn't, you pervy little monkey.

Dammit.

Go to your room. 

Don't ever come out.

[Ironwood]

That's back when Adam Sandler and Colin Quinn were funny.

Exactly!

Also, Kari Wuhrer was smokin' hot.

She still is really.

I may remember her from such films as 'Thinner' and '8 Legged Freaks'.  Hmmmmmmmm

[Sky]

I don't remember Remote Control because there is still no cable access at the house I grew up in.

I saw it at a friend's house. I didn't have cable when I lived with my family - ever. Mom still doesn't have it. I only got cable a couple years ago, in fact. And I only watch a half dozen channels, mostly high-def programming (lots of good music and nature/science stuff).

[Yegolev]

I don't remember Remote Control because there is still no cable access at the house I grew up in.

I saw it at a friend's house. I didn't have cable when I lived with my family - ever. Mom still doesn't have it. I only got cable a couple years ago, in fact. And I only watch a half dozen channels, mostly high-def programming (lots of good music and nature/science stuff).

"TiVo Makes TV Tolerable!"

My list today: Cinematech, Venture Bros., Robot Chicken, Family Guy, Chappelle, Champloo.  The only one I go out of my way to watch is Cinematech.  Ooops, and Battlestar Galactica returns tonight.  I think?

[Paelos]

Yes, because sticking your finger in a hole and turning it in a circle was, like, hard. 

You know?

If that wasn't meant to be sexual, that's unfortunate.

If it was...HAWT!

It wasn't, you pervy little monkey.

Dammit.

Go to your room. 

Don't ever come out.

 

[Shockeye]

Carpenter, Guttenberg on Mission to 'Mars'

(Thursday, July 14 03:35 PM)

LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) With seven years of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel" under her belt, Charisma Carpenter knows from cult TV. So it seems somewhat natural that she would pop up on "Veronica Mars.

Carpenter, last seen in several episodes of "Charmed," will have a recurring part on the UPN show's second season. The series has also signed up '80s movie star Steve Guttenberg ("Police Academy," "Three Men and a Baby") for a recurring role, echoing somewhat the casting of Harry Hamlin last season.

Both will appear in "Veronica's" second-season premiere this fall; Carpenter has signed for a minimum of six episodes, and Guttenberg will appear in at least seven shows.
Carpenter will play Kendall Casablancas, the trophy-wife stepmother to Dick (Ryan Hansen) and Cassidy "Beaver" Casablancas (Kyle Gallner) -- two of Veronica's (Kristen Bell) tormentors at Neptune High. The Casablancas boys also held a key to untangling the mystery of what Veronica believed was her rape the previous year.

Carpenter is the second former "Buffy" regular to appear on the show, following Alyson Hannigan, who appeared as Logan's (Jason Dohring) older sister last season. Her other recent credits include a stint on "Miss Match" and the ABC Family movie "See Jane Date."

Guttenberg, meanwhile, will play Woody Goodman, the owner of a big-league baseball team and a candidate for mayor of Neptune. His daughter, a new student at Neptune High, will also be a character, although the role hasn't been cast yet.

In addition to the "Police Academy" movies and "Three Men and a Baby," Guttenberg also starred in the classic "Diner" and "Cocoon." Last year he starred in the Hallmark Channel holiday film "Single Santa Seeks Mrs. Claus," and he'll appear in NBC's remake of "The Poseidon Adventure" in 2006.

[Shockeye]

Voyage to Sci Fi worlds less than stellar

By John Ruch
Friday, July 15, 2005 - Updated: 10:03 AM EST

Getting rid of Richard Dean Anderson is always an improvement, but this is ridiculous.

     Almost totally absent its founding star, the reformulated sci-fi warhorse ``Stargate SG-1'' is now a far more entertaining show than the deservedly praised ``Battlestar Galactica,'' as both premiere tonight.

     And that's not the only role reversal on Sci Fi's mismatched but successful Sci Fi Friday lineup. The third show of the night, ``Stargate Atlantis,'' no longer is the more imaginative spinoff of ``SG-1.'' It's now the grade-Z space shoot-'em-up that ``SG-1'' had become after seven seasons or so.

     Never very good to begin with and aging rapidly in its ninth season, ``SG-1'' has wisely recast several roles and returned to its roots in ``Xena''-style campy action. The season opens with a deliciously silly story about Merlin and aliens, and only gets wackier from there, a perfect fit with the show's amiable goofiness.

     The talentless and grating Anderson as space soldier Jack O'Neill is reduced to ``special appearance by'' status. What a relief.
     He's replaced by Ben Browder of``Farscape'' fame. That may be salt in the wound to fans of ``Farscape,'' a far superior show that Sci Fi canceled in favor of dreck like, well, ``SG-1.'' But it proves to be a fair trade: Browder is blander than Anderson, but also way less annoying.

     Where the show takes away fan favorites like Anderson, it replaces them with satisfying new elements - like a British dominatrix played by another ``Farscape'' actor, Claudia Black.

     Black's treasure-hunting Tomb Raider character Vala appeared briefly last season and has a bigger role early this season, briefly replacing series regular Amanda Tapping. Black adds great campiness, and, of course, geek sex appeal. Sci Fi could probably score the same ratings by simply airing a still photo of her for an hour.

     Series regulars Michael Shanks as Daniel Jackson and Christopher Judge as Teal'c - always somewhat drowned out by Anderson's less-interesting character - become even more prominent, and the likes of Beau Bridges and Louis Gossett Jr. join the cast.

Plus, a new alien race is introduced to further the series' mythos, and there are new worlds to explore - even if they all still look like Vancouver.

     Change is good for this creaky old chestnut, and if it hasn't gotten any smarter, at least it's a lot more entertaining.

     The same cannot be said for ``Atlantis,'' which debuted last year as an aquatic antidote to ``SG-1'' 's witless war movie approach. The cure is now worse than the disease.

     The season premiere is ugly, stupid and dull, an endless stream of techno-babble about failing shields and the like. A 10-year-old with a toy ray gun could improvise a more gripping story.

     The sets look like a lumberyard warehouse and the dreadlocked villains' makeup makes John Travolta's infamous ``Battlefield Earth'' 'do seem respectable.

     The big twist this time is that heroic Lt. Ford (Rainbow Sun Francks) becomes villainous. Do not wait for the commercial break to go to the fridge during this one.

     It also adds a cast member: Mitch Pileggi, who played Skinner in ``The X-Files.'' He sits in a chair and barks orders, just one more way in which this show is too much Capt. Kirk, too little Mr. Spock.

     And that awful pink alien puppet still gets major screen time. A few more episodes like this, and a watery grave awaits ``Atlantis.''

    ``Battlestar Galactica'' also begins its second season, and also does so with a predictable, cliche-ridden war story.

     The difference is, that's an atypical disappointment from a series that has proven to be one of the greatest sci-fi offerings ever.

     Unlike the ``Stargates,'' it remains a serious show, and deserves faith in its quality. It's never been a series that could be judged solely on one episode.

     But this is certainly a flat beginning, appropriately titled ``Scattered,'' with its multiple plotlines stretched awfully thin.

     The gravitas and unique special effects remain remarkable. But that makes plot devices like a good computer fighting a bad computer all the more glaringly stupid. ``Battlestar'' was ``reimagined'' to get rid of cliches like that.

``Battlestar'' has set a very high standard not only for itself but for all of sci-fi. We'll see if it's able to live up to its reputation for a second season.

     ``Stargate SG-1.'' Season premiere tonight at 8 on Sci Fi Channel. Three stars (out of four).

      ``Stargate Atlantis.'' Season premiere tonight at 9 on Sci Fi Channel. One star.

     ``Battlestar Galactica.'' Season premiere tonight at 10 on Sci Fi Channel. Two stars.

[Sky]

Wow. The Boston Herald must be hurting for competent critics. That was nigh incoherent and not really at all what I got from any of the series, all of which I watch. Ah, well, critics aren't anything but meaningless lamprey, anyway.

"TiVo Makes TV Tolerable!"

Unless you have a mother*(&*ing time warner DVR. You guys want to bitch about some shitty QA...imagine a hard disk that you MUST NOT FILL UP or it breaks the unit. I wasn't told that (actually Raph told me, but nobody from TW), it's not documented in any literature I received...and now I must face at least a half hour of my time wasted in a call queue...it's been busted for two weeks now, I have no patience to be treated like shit by customer service. If it wasn't such a nice service, I'd just drop my box off and tell them to stuff it.

Really thinking about moving to a dish, was hoping to buy my house first. But I really, really dislike the way Time Warner conducts itself.

[WayAbvPar]

That is what you get for going offbrand. TiVo 4 life!  :-D

Speaking of TiVo, I finally watched this week's Rescue Me. God I love that show. The whole 'cwot' v 'twunt' debate was hysterical. I am constantly amazed at the fine line they walk.

[Bunk]

I'm just going to say that I'm glad I still have 2.5 seasons worth of Farscape to go in my dvd list. You could reuinte the entire cast on SG1 ad I still don't think I'd watch that dreck.  Even if they do film it here.

Though it might mean stumbling across Claudia Black some time.... Nothing wrong with that.

[Johny Cee]

I'm just going to say that I'm glad I still have 2.5 seasons worth of Farscape to go in my dvd list. You could reuinte the entire cast on SG1 ad I still don't think I'd watch that dreck.  Even if they do film it here.

Though it might mean stumbling across Claudia Black some time.... Nothing wrong with that.

The new dvd editions of Farscape are cheap cheap cheap.  Eight episodes for $20-30.

I liked Season 1 of BSG,  and am quite curious about Browder/Black on Stargate.  Though I can't say I've seen much of the last couple seasons of the show.

I'm starting to get psyched up for Rome this fall.

[Otis]

Wow. The Boston Herald must be hurting for competent critics.

Yeah, that Boston Herald article took me a bit by surprise; every other review of BSG's season two premiere has been overly positive. Maybe this guy just needed a nap.

[Yegolev]

Unless you have a mother*(&*ing time warner DVR.

I have DirecTV (and you know they move your service for free when you move, giving you a new dish and all) and was finally able to get a HD DVR a few weeks ago.  I didn't do a lot of research but the only one I knew of was the 1st-party unit.  Seems like the DTV version isn't as full-featured as some other types, but not having a HD one would have been asinine.  Really, I don't need a LAN connection in the TiVo since I am not a Hong Kong Ebayer.  I also don't find myself at work in a panic because I might miss a TV show, so I don't need the web programming thingy.  Being able to slo-mo the trailer for The Longest Yard when Courtney was bouncing towards the screen was, by itself, worth $680.

[Abagadro]

Claudia Black's cleavage is being featured quite prominanly in the first ep of SG-1. Plus she's wearing a corsett and dog collar!

[Roac]

Yeah, sack the critic.  BSG was stellar.  The geek in me actually likes the techno-nonsense from Atlantis, and the lack of it is one of the things I've disliked about BSG.  I can respect that though, because it's not where they're trying to go with the series, and I think they should stick with it.  They do very well as a drama, and should stick with it.  Looks like they are. 

I think SG-1's plot was a bit mixed.  IMO, they should've picked a smaller 'adventure', and focused more on character development.  They started down that road with the re-constitution of the team, but it came off weak, and got lost with their underground gig.  I'm glad that Richard Anderson is gone, and his replacement is alright.  My biggest dislike is leaving the primary cast in limbo.  It was ok.

Atlantis was good, but not great.  I *like* the change in direction in Ford's character.  Don't see how he can be anything but a supreme nuisance to the Wraith now.  I do think the strength of the show isn't in space battles, and am a bit hesitant about having the Daetelus show up, but I'm looking forward to it.  Besides, a big fight scene every so often is cool, here it fits into the plot, and this was the season premiere.  Cool light show, too. 

[raydeen]

Jack Bauer bitches!!!


And that critic is a numbnut. SCI-FI owns Friday nights. Actually havent seen last nights BSG yet. We taped it and opted to watch Monk instead.

[Xanthippe]

Best scene in TV ever - last week's Rescue Me re: Twunt/Cwat

I haven't watched what used to be called the big 3 for a few years (ABC/CBS/NBC).  It's been almost all HBO lately but now this little FX channel is kicking ass.  The Shield is wonderful.  Rescue Me is wonderful.  Haven't seen Nip/Tuck but plan on renting season 1.  Missed Lost, but it comes out on DVD in September (besides, it's a big 3 show - how can it be any good?)

Anything else I should be watching? (Other than HBO and FX I mean).

[Obligatory offput-ter: I refuse to watch Spurlock's show.  It's bullshit through and through.  I don't need to watch an opinion piece put forth as a documentary, tyvm.]

[AOFanboi]

(besides, it's a big 3 show - how can it be any good?)

"Scrubs" is on NBC, so good shows can exist on the Big Three. Of course, comedy is different from drama.

[Lum]

Well, a lot of the BSG opener was, well, er, opener. Still, it had its moments. The Tigh/Adama flashbacks were good. The scene with Tigh and Boomer was great. And, of course, the line of the show (spoiler removed).

Still, the best moment in the season will come near the end; according to the sypnoses, the Battlestar Pegasus is returning, but with Michelle Forbes in the Lloyd Bridges role. Ouch.

[Abagadro]

Ou est mui macho?

[Murgos]

(besides, it's a big 3 show - how can it be any good?)

"Scrubs" is on NBC, so good shows can exist on the Big Three. Of course, comedy is different from drama.

Watch Green Wing on BBCA instead.  5 times funnier and it's the same show.

[Shockeye]

(besides, it's a big 3 show - how can it be any good?)

"Scrubs" is on NBC, so good shows can exist on the Big Three. Of course, comedy is different from drama.

Watch Green Wing on BBCA instead.  5 times funnier and it's the same show.

Not funnier. Not even close. Scrubs is many times better. 

One simple reason: Rowdy.

[Signe]

I enjoy them both.  They are just as nice as each other.  Sort of like Shockeye and S-Child.

[schild]

S-who?

[Signe]

Hyphenated names are classy.  I was only trying to help.

[HaemishM]

[Obligatory offput-ter: I refuse to watch Spurlock's show.  It's bullshit through and through.  I don't need to watch an opinion piece put forth as a documentary, tyvm.]

Here's the thing about the show. All his biases are right there for you to see, if you just use your brain. He's not speaking deeply, he's not getting into a lot of minuatiae on the subject, and it's pretty damn obvious where his opinions lie. There are some interesting stories despite the biases, just like Super Size Me. If you take it as the gospel, unaltered and uncommented on truth, you are no better than the Dittoheads who listen to Rush Limbaugh as if he was dispending fish and loaves from a pocketbook, or the twats who think Michael Moore is the ultimate in truisms. Of course, I'm also of the opinion that "objective documentary" isn't possible, simply by the nature of what you choose to document and what you choose not to document.

No story is the whole truth, but the 30 Days bit can at least give you a start to find your own truths. Also, Lost is like no other Big 3 show, other than maybe Alias (which I've never watched). It's just that good.
The BSG opener was decent but unspectacular. I may have been too distracted or tired to fully comprehend it, and thus my memory of it is faulty. It was still better than most TV on.

[Sky]

Bullshit! >> 30 Days.

[Xanthippe]

Yes, but there's bias and there's bias.  I don't need to be preached at by Morgan Spurlock - particularly when I really don't share much of his worldview at all.  I'd rather watch the documentaries on Nova or Nature, where the bias is far less noticible and not the focus of the show.  Setting out to convince people to believe a certain way despite evidence that things may really not be that way at all is not an attractive option for me.  It's deceptive.  No thanks.

When will l be able to download TV shows I've missed and watch them on my PC?  I missed BSG - is the one on tonight the first one?  Going to set up the TiVo now so I don't miss more.

[Obligatory TiVo push:  best home appliance since the pc.  And TiVo, not just some dvr.  TiVo does it right. They need to interface with iTunes though.  I want to play my music lists on my TV sometimes.  TiVo music interface is almost useless.]

Started watching Nip/Tuck off the dvd for season 1.  Uneven, but compelling.  Can't watch the icky surgery scenes but the soapy body rubbing scenes make up for it.  Hate all of the characters so far.  Dickman who can't keep it in his pants and Pussyman who can't take it out, and we're supposed to believe that they are best friends for 20 years?  Please.  And enough with the teenager-as-psychologist-grandfather crap.  Huff did that - parents act stupid, kid straightens them out.  As if.  Of course, the parents are so dumb that my cat could give them advice.  Incongruous plot turns and unbelievable dialogue hurts this show badly.  (Rescue Me shows that incongrous plot turns can work if done well, but Nip/Tuck doesn't do them well.)

Am I going to rent the rest of season 1?  You betcha.  Am I going to watch season 2?  Not sure.  The Shield is great.  Rescue Me is great.  Nip/Tuck is .... about on par with Desperate Housewives for me.   Flawed.  Could be great but isn't.

[Paelos]

I've heard the MLB games are good. That's about all I watch. The rest of TV can go straight to Hell since I really just can't put up with the programming selection anymore.

I also watch Simpson's reruns, Family Guy, and the occasional smattering of Comedy Central.