Television thread

[HaemishM]

I've been Tivoing the sports since I got it. It makes sports so much better to watch. Skip commericals, skip huddles, skip the agonizing moments of crotch-scratching by the batters between pitches, skip halftime monkey spanking, skip timeouts, skip setting up free kicks, skip all the shit but what's important. It's a beautiful thing. I generally let the game get at least an hour or more before watching it, because I'm zipping through it without the huddles and such.

[WayAbvPar]

I don't mind TiVoing other sports, but I have to watch my football live. I have too many people I call during games (or who call me); I gotta be on the same page as they are.

[Bunk]

I love watching Hockey DVR'd, but its a nighmare around here avoiding spoilers. I recorded a Canucks game one night while at a class, kept the radio off all the way home, made only one stop - 7-11. I looked in, there were no customers, just the clerk, who was East Indian. As a general rule around here, most East Indians don't follow hockey. First thing out of the guys mouth - "So I hear the Canucks lost bad tonight, huh?"

I've taken to preemptively cutting cashiers off and warning them not to say anything. Especially in the cold beer stores.

[Merusk]

I just updated my home computer, something I swore I wouldn't do for video games anymore.  The reason?  To get a TV Card & XP Media Center edition.   Zomg I'm in love.  Now I wish I'd bought 2 cards so I could recod 24 AND Heroes since they're on at the same time. 

[Tale]

24 - Bad season so far. Weak plot and weak acting from a team that has previously delivered. Every item in the plot so far is a rehashed version of something they've done before. It's also sending out right-wing political vibes at a more alarming rate:

* China is evil.
* Terrorist attacks by Middle Eastern people are a constant threat in the USA.
* Guantanamo is full of terrorsts who must not be released.
* Most Middle Eastern people you meet turn out to be terrorists in the end.
* Certain kinds of presidents will negotiate with terrorists (black? democrat?)
* Racial concentration camps, while controversial, are a useful tool.
* Small, tactical nukes are a useful weapon.

And counter-terrorist units watch Fox News.

Prison Break - The first season was excellent. I watched most of the second season in one sitting and found it excellent too, then read that most people were disappointed. Now that it has resumed, I'm still a fan. It needs to end soon though.

[stray]

Rome -- First transitional/tying up loose ends episode, I guess.

The anticipation for Augustus Caesar is building up. Hope the new guy is just as good as the kid.

[Big Gulp]

Rome -- First transitional/tying up loose ends episode, I guess.

The anticipation for Augustus Caesar is building up. Hope the new guy is just as good as the kid.

Yeah, that was the first Rome episode I've seen that I felt was a little bit substandard.  It had some moments, but overall it just seemed to be a little lacking.

I hope they casted older Octavian right, but I have my doubts.  Max Pirkis completely sold me on his characterization, and I don't see anyone doing the work he's already done justice.  I actually pity the guy they hired as a replacement.  That's got to be like following Jimi Hendrix when you're a ukulele player.

[Triforcer]

24 - Bad season so far. Weak plot and weak acting from a team that has previously delivered. Every item in the plot so far is a rehashed version of something they've done before. It's also sending out right-wing political vibes at a more alarming rate:

Sorry, but I've always found this "24 is right-wing propaganda" to be complete bullshit.  I sit every week on the most liberal law school campus in the most liberal city in America watching 24 in a dorm with about a dozen very left-wing fellow fans.  Sorry to sirbruce this, but judging by your comments its almost like you've never seen the show before this season.   

* China is evil.

Jack killed their ambassador, remember?  And the U.S. government refused to hand him over.  Its also not a slanderous lie that China uses torture on dissidents.  The show shows about every episode that while China may torture, SO DO WE.   

* Terrorist attacks by Middle Eastern people are a constant threat in the USA.
* Guantanamo is full of terrorsts who must not be released.
* Most Middle Eastern people you meet turn out to be terrorists in the end.

Last season was about white Chechnyan terrorists, and a white president ordering terrorism and killing a successful and beloved former black President (using Graham, another white guy).  And do you recall the last time Muslims were used, when Audrey's sister and the Muslim guy were getting married?  Who turned out to be the terrorist then?  Do we really have to go back through every season and show all the non-Arabic villains?

* Certain kinds of presidents will negotiate with terrorists (black? democrat?)

See my last point.  Have you noticed that all the Republican presidents portrayed have pretty well been fuckups (keeler, logan?).  And remember the season where all of Palmer's white generals wanted to nuke the entire ME, but he believed Jack and averted thermonuclear war?  And who is the president's scheming, evil adviser now?  You are basically asserting that "showing weak black president" equals "showing a black president who isn't angelic and perfect in every way".  Remember that the man is in the shadow of his brother, and maybe was elevated to a position he wouldn't have reached otherwise. That's just realism, not racism.
[/quote]

* Racial concentration camps, while controversial, are a useful tool.

Are you joking?  The episodes so far have done everything but scream "THE GOVERNMENT IS EVIL AND FASCIST AND OUT OF CONTROL".  Do you remember the plot point where Waleed was beaten and thrown in there for no reason?  Can you really take dialogue like "Not a single Japanase interned was found to have been part of a plot against America"..."Not that we KNOW OF, Mr. President" as right-wing propaganda instead of ridiculing the right?  I can't believe anyone is that devoid of sarchas-dar. 

* Small, tactical nukes are a useful weapon.

I don't even know what you are trying to say here.  They weren't used by the U.S., they were used against us.  If anything, you should be criticizing the fact that they are shown to be effective, because that will give terrorists the idea. 

However, we do agree that as a show the season sucks this year.

[Tale]

Sorry, but I've always found this "24 is right-wing propaganda" to be complete bullshit.  I sit every week on the most liberal law school campus in the most liberal city in America watching 24 in a dorm with about a dozen very left-wing fellow fans.  Sorry to sirbruce this, but judging by your comments its almost like you've never seen the show before this season.   

I'm not going to debate political specifics with you. This is the television thread, all I was doing was posting my opinion of the TV show.

In answer to your presumption that I haven't watched 24 in the past, I've seen all of seasons 1, 2 and 5. I really enjoyed those. There was some right-wing propaganda in them, but nothing that really bothered me. But I just think series 6, apart from the weak plot and bad acting, is further weakened by going far further to the right than ever.

I presume you're aware that Joel Surnow (co-creator of 24) - described as "a right-wing fanatic" by Neal Gabler on Fox after having dinner with him - is currently wearing two production hats? One is 24, the other is a right-wing version of the Daily Show that he proposed and devised for Fox.

[HaemishM]

I finally finished watching The Lost Room on my Tivo and holy shit that was a good mini-series. There's talk about it being a pilot for a regular show, but the numbers were only so-so. I'm sure the Sci-Fi/USA execs will decide not to make it into a series but they should. That was fantastic.

[Sky]

I'm so ignoring that BSG thread over there. Season 3 in HD just started last saturday night.

[Margalis]

I sit every week on the most liberal law school campus in the most liberal city in America watching 24 in a dorm with about a dozen very left-wing fellow fans.

You go to Cornell University in Ithaca NY?

I've lived in Cambridge and Ithaca, it's no contest. Cambridge can't even sniff Ithaca. Ithaca has its own currency!

---

I've never understood anyone liking 24 in the first place, the show is just silly. The first season was a horrendous collection of cliches, predictable moments, Kim running out of the frying pan and into the fire over and over again...in my mind I group it with Lost as "shows that obviously suck but for whatever reason appeal to a huge number of people."

Edit: Funny link: http://www.freerepublic.com/~behindliberallines/

Is this serious or not? I have no idea, it is pretty hilariously stupid though. Oh no, solar panels! A school where each child gets individual attention! People not voting for the worst President in history! NOOOO! We Ithaca commies also brought you a coed University in 1865 - EVIL!

Not to make this too political (too late!) but it really scares me that places like Ithaca and Cambridge are considered super-liberal when they should be just slightly left of center. If you think Cambridge is some crazy beatnik liberal hangout go spend 5 minutes at the Plough and Stars or Cantab Lounge, it has plenty of crusty conservatives.

[Sky]

I'd move to Ithica. Close to home, nicer community than the dumpster thugs around here.

[HaemishM]

I've never understood anyone liking 24 in the first place, the show is just silly. The first season was a horrendous collection of cliches, predictable moments, Kim running out of the frying pan and into the fire over and over again...in my mind I group it with Lost as "shows that obviously suck but for whatever reason appeal to a huge number of people."

Meh, 24 was ok the first two seasons, but by the 3rd I felt like they were recycling everything from the past 2 seasons, just with new bad guys. I stopped watching. I'm still watching Lost and can't understand why people hate it so much.

Edit: Funny link: http://www.freerepublic.com/~behindliberallines/

Those cunts should avail themselves of some of that liberal commie edumacation. They misspelled gamut.

[Abagadro]

Last season was really good primarily due to the performances of Gregory Itzin and Jean Smart (plus some good William Devain schene chewing). So far this season sucks balls.

[Margalis]

This new Sarah Silverman show is terrible.

[tazelbain]

Terribly awesome.

[MrHat]

The 10 mins I watched were funny.  But then I passed out, so ymmv.

[Yegolev]

Doesn't anyone else use the DVR to make your own calls over the refs' halfassed drunken guesses?

I think we have managed to watch all of the Metalocalypse episodes.  I never thought that I would ever see my wife laugh at someone being horribly mutiliated.

[Triforcer]

24 picked it up a bit tonight.  Although everybody I watched with guessed the "who is the engineer" thing 10 minutes before it happened, the rest was fun.  The dad thing at the end surprised me, the Vice President looks appropriately evil, and the President gave an incredibly clunky speech that just screamed "Someone in the Cabinet ally with Lennox to shoot me pls".  Things are looking up. 

[Abagadro]

I wonder if EO 1066 was an intentional nod to EO 9066.

[HaemishM]

Doesn't anyone else use the DVR to make your own calls over the refs' halfassed drunken guesses?

Yes. Or just to get a replay before the official replays. And mostly, to fast forward through the endless replays shown when a challenge is made with idiotic voiceovers from the broadcastes.

[Sky]

Yeah, I use the DVR a lot watching football. We rewind a lot of plays and talk about what different players are doing, good moves by linemen, players out of position, etc. It's one of the coolest things evar imo.

[Yegolev]

We just need a teleprompter to go with it.  All the running up to the screen and pointing while trying to scream in the other person's ear just how blind they are is rather difficult.

[Sky]

Maybe a laser pointer...but we don't really yell at each other. We do rarely disagree...but with gigantovision, the plays are pretty obvious :P

[Polysorbate80]

We just need a teleprompter to go with it.  All the running up to the screen and pointing while trying to scream in the other person's ear just how blind they are is rather difficult.

You mean a Telestrator?  That's the tool for sketching on the screen.

A Teleprompter is used to display scripts for the dolts sitting in front of the camera.

[Yegolev]

Hmm yeah, that thing.  The thing where I can draw a big arrow at someone's foot and write OUT OF BOUNDS on the screen.  Bonus points for having an attached air horn.

[Tale]

24 picked it up a bit tonight.  Although everybody I watched with guessed the "who is the engineer" thing 10 minutes before it happened, the rest was fun.  The dad thing at the end surprised me, the Vice President looks appropriately evil, and the President gave an incredibly clunky speech that just screamed "Someone in the Cabinet ally with Lennox to shoot me pls".  Things are looking up. 

You and I seem to disagree on everything 24, but I can't understand why anyone could fail to call it drivel.

The scriptwriting was appalling. There were lines and lines of the campest, cheesiest, worst acted dialogue ever spoken in 24.

How could you not pick the dad thing when he murdered his own already-beaten guard? (Jack's mild reaction was lame)

I don't think the incredibly clunky presidential speech was anything but bad scriptwriting.

And the right-wing message was delivered again - the US uses chemical torture of terrorism suspects. In early 24s, Jack was pushing the envelope with his methods. Now, it's standard practice with a support team of torture experts and injections on hand.

[Abagadro]

Powers Booth's jaw clenching was indeed riveting though.

[Merusk]

You see what you want to see with 24, I suppose.   I don't see any right-wing messages, if anything I've been seeing a, "Look how bad it COULD get. We're not there yet, let's not let it get there, and stop all this fear-mongering in reality kplzthx" message.  Something much more moderate/ leftist thorugh the use of showing extreme-right politics 'in action' and how things still go to shit/ produce no results.

[WayAbvPar]

"Didn't Ben Franklin have syphilis?"

God The Office rules.

[Sky]

"Didn't Ben Franklin have syphilis?"

God The Office rules.

Yes. Yes it does. I like the american version even better than the UK version (and I liked that alot). Sometimes I wonder if they have a writer that works in our office.

"What up, spinstahs?"

[Tale]

if anything I've been seeing a, "Look how bad it COULD get. We're not there yet, let's not let it get there, and stop all this fear-mongering in reality kplzthx" message

As a series made by an ultra-conservative friend of Rush Limbaugh, I seriously doubt 24 is trying to say "stop all this fear-mongering in reality". I hope it's giving that message, but it's sure as hell not intended :)

[Abagadro]

Long ass article on the politics of 24 and its effects

[WayAbvPar]

The Office again-

Seeing Ryan bat the bouquet away from Kelly may be the funniest thing I have seen in ages.