Fall TV Report - Part II

In a previous post we took a look at some of the new shows in the fall lineup. Now it's time to take a look at returning shows - at least the two that we watch regularly.

First we consider Smallville. In its seventh season, this is a show that has seen some change over the years. Clark (Tom Welling) is without either of his parents as Martha Kent (Annette O'Toole) was elected to the U.S. Senate last season has left Clark to run the family farm. O'Toole was a strong cast member who hasn't really been replaced. Overall the show has been steady if not showing a slight decline. I wondered how they would continue to have good material once Clark and Co. graduated from high school (end of season 4). I'm afraid that the well might be about to dry up.

The mainstay of our TV watching, however, is Heroes. Yes, you do have to get past the fact that the basic premise of the show comes from evolution. This would be a point to emphasize if watching with your children (which we do not). Once get past that fact, this is an incredible show. You may have read in various places that the show was experiencing a sophomore slump; however, I would disagree with these assertions. While it was disappointing that none of the characters that died at the end of last season actually stayed dead, the story has been compelling. Much like the first season it has taken a number of episodes to see how everything ties together. One thing I could do without is the Maya and Alejandro storyline; however, I'm sure that their purpose will become clear as the plot unfolds. The main draw of the show for me, though, is that the characters face difficult decisions. Sometimes they make bad choices and have to life with the consequences. Sometimes it is hard to tell the true motives of a character or where the line between the good guys and bad guys is. In other words it is a show that makes you think. So much of what is on these days is mindless drivel (read reality TV and/or terrible "game" shows). If you haven't been watching, it will be a chore to catch up at this point. I just checked, and only about half of the episodes are available online. It is worth the investment if you can get up to speed.

So there you have it. TV Guide, Entertainment Weekly, etc. can rest assured that we don't watch enough TV for Philip's Corner to become a threat to their loyal readers. However we will check in on these shows again later to see how they are doing. It will be interesting to see of the Writer's Guild strike has an impact on any of them.

Until next time...
PH

Cowboys/Redskins - 11/18/2007

My Dad took me to the Cowboys/Redskins game on Sunday (thanks, Dad!), and wow, did we have a good game to watch. In the slideshow below, you will see some pictures that I snapped with the camera on my phone. They're not bad at full size.

Here are some additional observations about the game experience.

The weather was almost perfect. Actually, the weather was perfect. The air just doesn't circulate in Texas Stadium.

We had some Redskins fans near us. This was no longer the case once the score reached 28-16.

After the sun went down, you could see a lot of flashes all around the stadium as people were taking pictures. It was like being on the inside of a giant Christmas tree that has chaser lights.

I guess the Redskins didn't get the memo about this receiver on the Cowboys roster who's pretty good. His name is T.O., and he was good for 8 catches, 173 yards, and 4 touchdowns. Ouch!

The perspective from the end zone is actually pretty good. You can see the play as either the quarterback or the safeties would (although a bit farther removed). One thing that is true regardless of where you sit is that you don't have the TV camera to find the ball for you. At times I would lock in on a particular player (usually Chris Cooley because he regularly smoked Roy Williams) and miss where the ball was.

My voice is still a few notches lower than normal from all of the yelling. Oh well. That's a small price to pay.

As promised, here is the slide show. Click on any picture to see it full sized.



Until next time...
PH

Fall TV Report - Part I

This is probably a bit of a stretch given that we don't watch a ton of TV to begin with, but I thought it might be fun to check in on how some of the new shows are doing.

Let's start with a new show Journeyman. We tried this one for a couple of weeks, but it is too similar to Quantum Leap. Granted there are not a lot of truly original ideas out there anymore. However if you are going to rehash something it should at least be good. The lead actor plays out his role in a rather dull and boring way. Thumbs down, and don't expect it to last the full year.

There is a good example of a retread show in Bionic Woman. Michelle Ryan is great is the 21st century version of Jamie Sommers. This is a show that has an edge to it (at least for NBC), and it also helps to have Crossing Jordan vet Miguel Ferrer on board. His Dr. Macy persona translates very well as Jonas Bledsoe head of the Burket Group - a black ops super secret security force. It is a well balanced show with promise to have a second season.

Following Bionic Woman on Wednesdays is Life. Of the new shows that we watch, this is the closest to original that we've got. Here we follow the, ahem, life, of Charlie Crews - a detective wrongfully imprisoned for a murder that he did not commit. While behind bars, he turned to Zen to help him through the hard times (Philip's Corner is not endorsing such action), and it gives Charlie a quirky, comical twist. On one episode, he lays out over a hundred photos on the floor, and he says, "It's all here - except for what isn't." Trust me; print doesn't do justice to the line. In addition to a weekly case that Crews and his partner Dani Reese work, there is an ongoing storyline that has Crews trying to solve the mystery of who really committed the crime he was convicted of and how he wound up on the hook for it. It is a similar concept to what The Pretender had where Jarod solving a problem of the week with the backdrop of searching for his family. Of the three new shows we are watching, this is the top of the class.

Coming up: we'll see how our returning favorites are doing.

Until next time...
PH

What ever happened to Dan Patrick?

I used to be a huge fan of Dan Patrick back when I was in college. Sports Center with him and Keith Olbermann was a stop down on a nightly basis. Of course Olbermann became disillusioned with success and left "The Big Show" not long after I graduated (1997 for those keeping score at home). Patrick stuck around and went on to have a successful radio show with ESPN for a number of years; however, he hung it up with ESPN altogether earlier this year. Now he has an independent radio show that in addition to an internet stream will air from 9:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m. on Dallas' own Sports Radio 1310 The Ticket. The Ticket had Patrick on this morning to promo the show that starts airing on Monday.

Until next time...
PH

I hate the labels

What? I think that you are going to be with me on this one. Do any of you have a CD and/or DVD case that is nice and sticky? You know what I'm talking about. Those nice "security" labels across the top CDs and on all three edges of DVDs leave a sticky mess! Removing one completely is almost impossible, and I am left wondering what purpose these serve. It is almost like we have to pass a test to see how badly we want to listen to a new CD or watch a new DVD. The shrink wrap should be enough. Can you easily open even the shrink wrap without scissors or a knife? Once you get over that hurdle, your reward is the super glue laden label. That residue almost turns your case into fly paper only it attracts dirt, lint, and hair. While the label does usually have some sort of identifying information on it, there has to be a better way. Anyone with me?

Until next time...
PH

Enjoying the little things

In today's hustle and bustle life, it is easy to overlook the little things that bring pleasure. I noticed one of these yesterday, and I thought I'd post a list of a few that I could think of.

1. I was driving home from the gym yesterday with the window down, and the cool breeze was just about perfect.
2. Last winter I went to the gym on a chilly evening. When I arrived they gave me a towel that was fresh out of the dryer. When I put it around my neck, the warm feeling was very comforting.
3. Many of the recent days have had almost perfect weather. It's hard to beat a cool afternoon when the warmth of the sun feels just right.
4. If you like coffee, take a bite of dark chocolate and follow it up with a sip of rich coffee.
5. Or follow it up with a sip of bold red wine.
6. Can you beat the smell of a home cooked meal after a long day at work?
7. I barely get in the door of an evening before Kassie is there to greet me.
8. Sometimes it is just nice to finally lay down in bed after a demanding day.

I'm sure that you can think of your own list, and this is far from exhaustive for me. It's just some of the things that come to mind.

Until next time...
PH

Family Portraits

We went to have our family portraits made after dinner yesterday. This has to be one of the hardest things for which to find balance between cost and quality. A few years ago we tried to go to Target, but the proofs were about the worst that we had ever seen so it turned out to be waste of time. Last night we tried out luck with JC Penney. We actually had our engagement portraits done their, and we had an expectation that we would again get reasonable quality for a reasonable price.

Well, it didn't quite turn out that way. The photographer was nice enough, and the process itself was as about as enjoyable as this sort of thing can be. However we only had two good takes out of the 19 that we muddled through. So that's what we ordered from.

It was disappointing because portraits have changed a lot in recent years. The entire shoot was very casual, and a number of the shots were ones that you would never select. We had four where - by design - no one was looking at the camera. Does anyone ever buy these? Other shots had problems with smiles, hair, or clothing that rendered them useless.

I don't want this to come off as a slam our photographer. He was only eighteen, and he was running the studio by himself. All things considered he did a reasonable job. My beef is with the portrait studio for doing business this way. It seems like there has to be a better way, but who wants to pay for Olan Mills? It seems that you do get what you pay for, but there has to be balance between what we experienced and the high end. Very frustrating.

Until next time...
PH