This is for one of those days where low-key/down tempo is what the mood calls for. So turn off your lights (& light some candles if you like...me, I'm more of a lava lamp person), & just chill out from the day.
It is no secret that I have many issues with iTunes and their iPod shuffle. A blog post all in itself for sure. However, every once in awhile the tracks that surface from the pool of 650 - 725 (limited to an 8GB phone unfortunately) are in sync w/ what I want/need to hear. This happened to me on 12-10-10. All but 5 tracks are essentially my porch smoking, bus riding, & walking soundtrack from the 10th. ...& of those 5 exceptions, 2 were from the 9th.
What I am truly excited about this particular compilation is all albums included were acquired w/n the last 2 weeks. Thanks to the SPL, I pick up 13-18 new albums a week. Not to mention, Amazon.com's MP3 store has dozens of free samplers from dozens of labels. Between those 2 sources, there has been plenty of new music to explore. Exploring that culminated into an incredible mix of music on the 10th.
Just so you're warned, some songs contain words which people who don't live in the real world might find offensive. So if you don't like cuss'n, then don't listen.
Been thinking and talking about doing this for awhile now, and finally got around to publishing the first ever Casual Rants music compilation podcast. It isn't completed...yet. Still have yet to hunt down and gather the cover art for each track. Nevermind that I have said cover art on itunes, but can't figure out how to access it...yet.
Like the title says, this is a collection of great songs from some of my favorite bands. It is actually part 1. I want to maintain a compilation format, so am limiting myself to the 1.2 hour length available on a CD-R. Initial cut of this almost doubled the time limit. Soooo, part 2 is on its way! Only real changes I made is Johnny Cash's version of Hurt closes this installment, & I added a couple of recent discoveries who are blowing my mind to the second installment.
Part 3 wraps up the work week in style. A lot of my favorite shows are air on these days. To be honest, I can't really say anything more that won't be repeated below. So let us just get to it...
THURSDAY
The most competitive day ratings-wise. It is good to see a growing presence of genre shows. If people on average watch TV on Thursdays, why not offer an alternative to the long shark jumped CSI and more sitcoms than you can shake a stick at? A couple of networks have done just that. You can count on me to be sitting on my couch w/ beer & remote in hand watching them. Read on...
I love this trailer on so many levels. I love this show. After the absolutely cruel cliffhanger that closed last season, I have been counting the days until the 3rd season premiere.
If you can get past the CW-ized social event of the week. If you can get past the obviously influenced by Twilight design & look. Then you will discover an amazing TV show. Based on a books series of the same name, the Vampire Diaries is riveting (for a lack of a better word). Well written, well acted, & overall well executed.
There have been many incarnations of Nikita in both film and TV. CW's version, however, breaks from the traditional portrayal of the character & story. That has really peaked my interest. Nikita is promising to be one bad ass & thrilling ride. Can't wait to check it out.
FRIDAYS
I told myself I wouldn't mention anything about Sy-Fy channel airing WWE Smackdown on Fridays. So I am not going to point out that they are preempting 12+ years of their anchor programming night (Sci-Fridays) for wresting?! WTF!
Zod made a great villain last season. He was intelligent, well thought out, & brilliantly portrayed. There were actually times you doubted he was a villain at all, so well written the character was. How do you top Zod for Smallville's final season? With Darkseid of course. Can't wait to see how they portray him.
Except for a fan shot clip from SDCC, new footage for Supernatural's 6th season is impossible to find. Considering that there is a new creative team overseeing the show, this means the new season is either really, really good, or horrible. Also considering the new show runners have been on staff since season's 1 &/or 2, I'm banking on really, really good.
Define irony. Irony is when a network (NBC) cancels a show (Medium), that show is picked up by another network (CBS), & 3 years later becomes the sole survivor of CBS' Friday night line up. If you haven't had the opportunity, I highly recommend you check Medium out. It is a great mix of drama, suspense (I'm talking the sit at the edge of your seat kind), & surreality. NBC was stupid for letting this one go...then again, w/ the whole Conan/Leno debacle, NBC has proven they're not the brightest light bulb on the network chandelier.
Between CBS moving Medium to 8pm, & Fox (a network who has it out for me) moving Human Target to Fridays, I am not 100% I'll be able to catch this one this year. Though miraculously renewed, & CW being great about airing reruns of their shows, I might prioritized Human Target over Smallville. Haven't decided for sure yet. Probably won't decide until premiere in October. I like them both.
It looks funny, but not in a formulated Major Network sitcom sort of way. Very curious.
Friday Honorable Mention
Who Do You Think You Are? (Premieres ?, NBC): NBC's hour long infomercial for ancestry.com is going to return at some point (no premiere date listed, so this might actually be a mid-season show). On one hand, I find it boring, then on the other, it does appeal to one's sense of finding their own identity.
Links to the shows web pages are the title. Part 4 should be up w/n a week.
The 'ol DVR ain't slowing down as Part 2 of the Fall 2010 Season highlights continues with Tuesday & Wednesday. In some ways, this fall is proving to be the most frustrating. We can only record 2 shows at a time. Both Tuesday and Wednesday have more than 2 shows airing during the same time slot (which wouldn't be a problem if the Major Networks were willing to air encores late at night instead of infomercials), forcing the decision of which not to record.
TUESDAYS
Think I can safely call Tuesdays guilty pleasure day. Read on.
Have you watched that trailer yet? You should. If you have not yet checked out this Stargate incarnation, you are missing a truly great show. I've said it before, don't think of it as a another installment of the Stargate franchise, for SG-U is so much more. It is a really great, intense, well written drama that just happens to have a Stargate in it. SG-U is my most anticipated returning show this season.
I like this show. It is a good tongue-in-cheek companion to the more serious Stargate. Their take on the monsters is really creative, and the powers that be behind it know how to weave an interesting fable.
I consider it a failure on my part for not getting into this show until its 3rd season. The very concept itself says it is bad ass. I like my TV bad ass.
I am approaching this one with caution...aka, trying not to get my hopes up. Despite of the obvious Fantastic Four origin rip off, the comic geek in me is absolutely giddy about the concept. However it is on ABC, so my fear is it will be ABC-ized. Hopefully, the network will allow the writers to take it in the direction it needs to go for it realize its potential. Either/or, I'm going to be there on premiere night.
Lauren Graham always gets me watching the most compromising guilty pleasures. I am a big fan of hers. To give this show credit, the writers do a great job in balancing all the characters and storylines. Not to mention, Craig T Nelson's character is dead ringer of my Grandpa (only it was the Korean War as opposed to the Vietnam War...d'OH, just aged myself).
Tuesday Honorable Mentions
Glee (Premieres 9/21, Fox): There is too much going on in the same time slot, so going to have to wait until the reruns to catch this quirky guilty pleasure. Yes, I know, I am a bad Gleek.
Biggest Loser (Premieres 9/21, NBC): Is it just me, or does the Biggest Loser operate like a cult. They isolate the contestants, break them down, and fill them full of their over-the-top preachy rhetoric as they built them back up. My wife, however, loves this show, so I gotta take one for the team...a heavy price to pay so I can record my Friday shows.
WEDNESDAYS
Though there really isn't that much worth watching on this day, it just so happens all but one occupy the same timeslot.
I was originally going to pass on this one. Seemed like yet another case-of-the-week procedural. Then I read the write up in TV Guide Magazine, and changed my mind. It is a case-of-the-week procedural, but the characters are interesting and have great back stories.
Survivor got the shaft for not being nominated for an Emmy. Both seasons last year were some of the best of the show's entire run. Hoping that this is the case this year. Though why CBS is moving their 10 year Thursday night anchor to Wednesdays is beyond me...now convinced that network execs are all on crack.
Wednesday Honorable Mention
Hell's Kitchen (Premieres 9/22, Fox): Fox hates me. Really, they do. Why else would they move Hell's Kitchen (yet again) to Wednesdays. I just love it when Gorden Ramsey gets so worked up he literally spits on the contestants. Hoping they're encoring this one, 'cuz spitting or no, I ain't going to miss my Survivor.
Links to the show on their respective networks websites are the show's title. Part 3: Thursday Friday should be up in 2 - 3 days. Stay Tuned!
September brings many things. That serene silence which can only mean the kids are back in school. Street gutters are clogged w/ the colorful leaves of fall. Cable Networks relinquish the airwaves giving the Major Networks the chance to ruin great concepts. Yes, my friends, Fall Premieres are just around the corner, and the DVR is aching to capture what I hope will be some excellent new & returning shows.
Like last year, here is the list of shows in the 'ol DVR's crosshairs. Unlike last year, I included a trailer or preview instead of a picture. Taking a Don't take my word for it, see for yourself approach this year. Also different, I'm going to split out the blog into 4 separate installments (previously one mammoth entry), each consisting of 1-2 days. This should make things easier on you, the reader...not to mention on me, the writer.
As sad as I am to see True Blood's season end, I know Broadwalk Empire will right on it's heels. The more footage I see of this show, the more excited I get. Prohibition is a fascinating era in our history, & it looks like the show runners are not hesitating about getting knee deep into it. And it stars that "funny looking" guy from Fargo; Steve Buscemi is a longtime favorite actor of mine. Boardwalk Empire is the premiere I am most looking forward to.
Finally! A TV show about Zombies. Based on the Image Comic book, this series is written, directed, & executive produced for television by Frank Darabont. You might know him from these little flicks he did, The Shawshank Redemption & The Green Mile. Love that they're premiering a zombie TV show on Halloween.
Though I have only seen one episode, I have heard enough from reliable sources (aka: friends) that this is a kickass show. So much so, that I've had the 1st 4 seasons DVDs are near/at the top of my "to buy list". The biggest hurdle of me not catching Dexter is the lack of a Showtime subscription. Through with Dish Network's autopay promotion, I'll be able to get a free 3 month trial subscription to Showtime, & catch the 5th season. Judging from the above trailer, it looks like it is going to be pretty intense too.
Sunday Honorable Mentions Amazing Race (Premieres 9/26, CBS): Phil and the Travelocity Gnome are back to greet stressed out/cranky world travelers at the Rest Stop. I do get a kick out of this reality alternative show. There is a reason it is a staple in the Emmy nominations.
Undercover Boss (Premieres 9/26, CBS): It is good to know that CEOs really, honestly care, and are willing to give us average joes the time of day. Sarcasm aside, this is my wife's pick. She loves this show. One thing I will give it, they have perfected the emotional heart tugs. Though there is a underlying propaganda factor to this, the companies represented in this do get some brilliant publicity.
MONDAYS
Between returning show schedule changes & more new shows than you can shake a stick at, long gone are the days there's nothing worth watching on Mondays.
Why more Nielsens don't watch Chuck is beyond me. The drama is intense. The comedy is hilarious. The action is badass. It is rare that a show can have you laughing out loud & sitting at the edge of your seat in a single episode. I highly recommend you check out Chuck, if you haven't already.
The preview says it all. All I can add is: Finally.
House is a cleverly disguised serial drama. If you go back to the first season, the characters are distinctly different to who they will be when the 7th premieres. Just be sure to set your DVRs to finish a couple minutes late, Fox is notorious about running their higher rating shows over into the next hour.
Everything about The Event comes screams it is a great concept. If done right, it could prove to be amazing TV. I have high hopes for this one. My biggest fear is NBC will "water" it down, so it can't take the risks it needs to take to be the successful show I know it can be.
A true stand out amongst the procedurals. Castle won't hesitate to make fun of anything, including Nathan Fillon's Firefly days. Mix satire with the perfectly executed sexual tension between Castle and Beckett, you have the workings of an entertaining hour.
If you could judge a show by the caliber of its cast, then Hawii Five-0 is going to rock. If you can judge a show by the extended preview, then Hawii Five-0 is not only going to rock, but will be badass. I am totally excited about this one, and fully admit to having impossibly high expectations. I hope hope hope it won't become a case of the week procedural, but then again it is on CBS, a network that doesn't stray too far from their formula. Either/or, Hawaii Five-0 is the 2nd most anticipated new show (next to Boardwalk Empire) I am looking most looking forward to.
Links to the show's respective network webpage are the titles. That's it for Part 1. Part 2 - Tuesday Wednesday will be uploaded w/n the next 2-3 days. Stay tuned!
First is a preview of Fall programs I'll be capturing on my DVR. Unlike previous entries, think I'll be breaking them down to 2-3 day installments (ie: Monday-Tuesday, Wednesday-Thursday, Friday-Sunday). Whenever possible, will include the trailer. There's some really interesting shows coming out, and I can't wait to see them.
The second is I've been compiling compilations (iTunes calls them "playlists") of my music. Having an iPhone has really reconnected me with my music collection over the past couple of months. I'll be publishing them here as soon as I figure out how, and I find a good online streaming player. Over the past couple of months, I have completed 6 compilations (15 tracks each), and am currently working on an additional 2. So there is plenty of great music for you all.
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