I have been bitching for a long time about the poor quality of the standard TV shows….most are mind numbing poppycock…..but is there a good reason for this sad showing for standard TV?
Television networks will draw hordes of advertisers to New York City this week for their annual bonanza of presentations and parties, a decades-old tradition known as the upfronts that is meant to dazzle marketers and loosen their purse strings.
New shows and top talent will be pitched from the stages of Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, followed by lavish evening affairs where marketers can eat lobster rolls and snag selfies with network stars. The fanfare will kick off weeks of negotiations, with networks aiming to get advertisers to commit to billions of dollars in spending for the year ahead.
Old age…it sucks…both for TV and for the general well being of us elderly….
Now that the royals are finally wed maybe we can return to some form of normalcy…..
Saturday and I have something “cool” to pass on…..
I have been a Dr. Who fan since the mid 70’s…..it is a Brit SciFi series about a time traveling alien that takes on all sorts of “bad guys” and he never dies he just re-generates into another person.
This season the 12th doctor will pass on into another character…….a couple of seasons ago the Dr’s arch enemy, The Master, morphed into a woman now he is known as The Mistress or “Missy”……
Then I told my daughter that the show was setting up the audience to the possibility of the Dr. morphing into a woman also…..and then……
British actress Jodie Whittaker was announced Sunday as the next star of the long-running science fiction series Doctor Who—the first woman to take a role that has been played by a dozen men over six decades. Whittaker, best known for playing the mother of a murdered boy in detective drama Broadchurch, will replace Scottish actor Peter Capaldi at the end of the year, the BBC says. Whittaker is the 13th official incarnation of the Doctor, a galaxy-hopping Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey who travels in the Tardis, a time machine shaped like an old-fashioned British police telephone booth. In a testament to the place Doctor Who holds in Britain’s cultural life, the revelation was made on live television after the Wimbledon men’s tennis final.
According to the AP, Doctor Who ran from 1963 to 1989, and was revived to acclaim in 2005. Its longevity is partly due to its flexible premise. The central character, known only as the Doctor, can travel across space and time and can regenerate into new bodies—allowing for endless recasting of the role. Speculation had been mounting that a woman would get the role, generating excitement from some fans and opposition from others who feel that the character has been established as male. Whittaker says that becoming the first female Doctor “feels completely overwhelming, as a feminist, as a woman, as an actor, as a human,” adding: “I want to tell the fans not to be scared by my gender. Because this is a really exciting time, and Doctor Who represents everything that’s exciting about change.”
Damn! It feels good to be right once in awhile, huh?
I am heading out into the garden….please everyone try to enjoy your day and be well and be safe.
I have been bored with the news and have decided to watch “The Americans”….a TV show set in the 1980’s and the work of Soviet spies to gleam intel out of the American citizens….
I bring this up because the news is starting to look like an episode of the Americans…..all the intrigue and role playing going on in DC these days….I mean according to the news reports it has been one attempt after another to involve Russia in the governing of the US……(I am not saying that all this “news” is true….just that it is just too unbelievable….)
I mean look at the news these days…..
Well as it turns out. not only did the retired Lt. General Mike Flynn tell the republican President Donald Trump transition team all about his work with foreign governments, before the president’s inauguration date, but it just so happens that he and/ or others made at least 18 contacts with Russian officials. And yet, he still became the president’s national security adviser. It has become obvious that the Vice President Mike Pense who was in charge of the vetting process failed to follow protocol.
Washington Post reported the Russia investigation was zeroing in on Jared Kushner. On Friday, the Post explained why that might be: Kushner reportedly proposed setting up a secret communications line between the Trump transition team and the Kremlin during a meeting with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak. The Post cites “US officials briefed on intelligence reports.” Kushner is said to have wanted a secure line and suggested using Russian diplomatic facilities in the US in order to avoid having communications monitored.
President Trump’s son-in-law and adviser reportedly made the pitch to Kislyak during a meeting in early December at Trump Tower that Michael Flynn also attended. Despite apparently being “taken aback” by Kushner’s proposal, Kislyak reported it to Moscow. Officials learned of it from intercepts of Russian communications. The White House has declined to comment on the report. Read the full Post story here.
There is more……
There is more news on the republican President Donald Trump’s senior advisor and son-in-law Jared Kushner’s contacts with Russian operatives. It is only after there are leaks and public disclosure that Jared Kushner has admitted to these meetings. Why the deception?
Any desire to want to give a family member, Jared Kushner the benefit of the doubt in the hopes that he was at least a modifying influence on the president, has been completely diminished.
President Trump had only kind words for Jared Kushner in a statement issued Sunday night: “Jared is doing a great job for the country. I have total confidence in him. He is respected by virtually everyone and is working on programs that will save our country billions of dollars. In addition to that, and perhaps more importantly, he is a very good person.” The New York Times paints a far less rosy picture of Kushner’s position in the White House in the wake of the news that Kushner allegedly tried to set up a secret communications line between the Kremlin and the Trump transition team. The latest:
Among the Times’ more damning lines: “In recent weeks, the Trump-Kushner relationship, the most stable partnership in an often unstable West Wing, is showing unmistakable signs of strain. … It has been duly noted in the White House that Mr. Trump … has increasingly included Mr. Kushner when he dresses down aides and officials, a rarity earlier in his administration.”
At the root of it: The Times reports things began to sour slightly after Trump fired FBI Director James Comey, a move Kushner pushed for, but says the president’s biggest bone to pick with Kushner relates to his sister, who was filmed trying to woo Chinese investment in a Kushner Companies condo project in Jersey City by trumpeting the availability of EB-5 visas.
What’s next: In a column for the Guardian, Walter Shapiro suggests “strain” with the president is nothing compared to what’s coming due to the FBI scrutiny the White House senior adviser is now under. Kushner’s “life in the coming months and maybe years will be a study in misery,” he writes. “He will probably spend more time with his personal lawyer … than with Ivanka or his children. Whether it is an appearance under oath on Capitol Hill or the inevitable FBI interview, every sentence Kushner utters will bring with it possible legal jeopardy.”
“Lay low”:NBC News quotes a source who says Kushner is being advised by other officials that he “lay low” for a while.
Poking at him: Democratic Rep. Ted Lieu of California has called for Kushner to be prosecuted over omissions on his security clearance form, reports the Hill, and he poked at Kushner in a Sunday tweet: “Dear Jared: I have been told that Siberia, Russia has lovely weather this time of the year. You can backpack and back-channel all you want.”
Others weigh in: Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly said Sunday he sees no “big issues” related to Kushner; former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper took an opposite stance.
Come on….even the dullest person can see that this stuff is writing itself……even if all this turns out to be some sort of hoax…..it still would make a great episode of the “Americans”.
All this is a bit humorous because if it were anyone but Trump those nut hugging supporters would be having a stroke over these incidents….and yet they see NOTHING out of the ordinary….that is what happens when they are being tea bagged by their leader.
If you are scratching your head then I suggest that you watch an episode of the “Americans” and you will see what I mean.
Back in the day the country tuned on their TV to watch the Gong Show with Gene-Gene the Dancing Machine and the Unknown Comic and the “sex” that was Jaye P. Morgan…..good times.
The Creator and host of the Gong Show, Chuck Barris, has died at age 87……
Chuck Barris, who tapped into Americans’ hunger to be on television by creating game shows such as “The Dating Game,” “The Newlywed Game” and his showcase for the acutely untalented, “The Gong Show,” died on Tuesday, media outlets reported.
Barris died of natural causes at age 87 in Palisades, New York, Variety.com said, citing his publicist.
Decades before television talent shows such as “American Idol” and “America’s Got Talent” came along, Barris was putting everyday people before the cameras in what was more of a reverse talent show with everyday people who did not mind exposing their vulnerabilities or answering embarrassing questions.
My second post for this Saturday…..(I know I am breaking tradition)
I do not normally give my critique of television programs….but what the Hell I needed something to write about today……
I do a lot of reading, researching and ranting and when I get bored I turn on the TV and stream something that appeals to me. Shows like Elementary, Black List, The Expanse and most recently Homeland…that Showtime series that is about terrorist attack on the US.
A little background….From a young age I was fascinated with spy novels James bond, Sam Durell and those of LeCarre…..then came my days in the military I was in military intelligence….(I know an oxymoron)…..that is where I got to be a good analyst…first in the field then as situation analyst once I left the military.
I really liked the research and then the formulation of a sitrep…..then I return to school and finished up my degree and from that day onward I have been researching and analyzing…..it is my life’s blood so to speak.
Back to Homeland……the premise is a good one…..my problem is the way the lead (Clare Danes) goes about her duties as a CIA analyst….her irrational techniques would not be condoned by the “company”….she blew at least 2 situations…..(that is so far I am only into Season Two)…..after her first irrational move she would have been jerked from the assignment and after the second she would be on the street. She is irresponsible, irrational and dangerous……she is out of control and would not be handling assets for the CIA…..all dangerous traits for a field agent running assets.
I understand the need for dramatics……but I feel that this subject needs realistic situations and not some hyped up crap for ratings. My problem is the continuity of the script…it kinda sucks.
But I am hooked and will probably keep watching the entire series….
My next show to stream will be…The Americans. Spies in the Cold War were cool.
The weekend begins and I shove away from the research and the ranting and enjoy some time to myself….
Please enjoy your weekend…..be well, be safe……chuq
So begins the first full weekend in a new year…..and it is colder than a well diggers ass in Idaho…..I will hunker down drink coffee and make home-made corn chowder (grandma’s recipe) and enjoy the time AFK (away from keyboard)……
My only post today will be about my fave subject….HISTORY.
All that know me know that I am history buff…..and for my readers a bit of a pain in the butt with all my historical perspectives……(tee hee). For sometime I have been bitching about the History Channel that airs very little history. Most Hitler stuff….I think most everyone knows what a dick he was and since we are in the middle of the 100 year anniversary of World War One it would make good sense to air some shows about that horrible war….inform the public that the world we know today started with that war.
But NO! We have new series on….you guessed….Adolf Hitler.
But instead they air shows about modern day dumpster divers, assholes that cut down old growth trees, trucks driving in Canada and other such “historic” happenings.
And then there is the Military Channel that was re-named the American Heroes Channel (AHC)…but yet they air shows about gangsters, outlaws, gunslingers, family feuds and the rest of the total bullshit from our history…..and even some….you guessed it….Hitler. Not a hero in the bunch.
Okay I have rattled on a bit much…the reason I am posting this is because it seems that a GOPer whom I have had NOTHING nice to say about agrees with my bitching about the History Channel…..
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) railed against the History Channel’s original programming, on Thursday, suggesting “if you don’t like history” you should watch one of the channel’s top rated shows, “Pawn Stars.”
A bit cooler weather and a joy to sit in the porch and watch the world go by…….weekends are my “down” time….time to enjoy my family and time to do something other than research……I smell coffee!
It is a Saturday morning and I am enjoying a cup of fine Colombian coffee……while I decide the direction of my day….let’s take a look, a tongue in cheek look, at the possibility of a Trump TV Network…..
I wrote a post awhile back about this possibility and……well Hell read it for yourself and save me the typing……
That done I saw an extension of this idea…..in the magazine GQ…..I do not read this rag because it is pretty much dedicated to the ego of men and their lifestyle choices….but the article I reference was pretty humorous…..
Try not to think of Election Day as the end of Donald Trump’s presidential fantasies. That’s so sad! Instead, think of it as the beginning of Trump TV! It’s gonna be the BEST (worst) network. Millions (hundreds) will watch it. Every cable provider (one in Montana) will carry it. Prepare your eyeballs for luxury with a sneak peek at what we assume will be the launch lineup for Trump TV.
If this were to become reality (pun not intended) then it could give new life to some of the wackos that are not so popular these days…..like Sarah Palin, the pedophile Ted Nugent, other such “stars”……and Glen Beck will pout.
Trump is always looking for ways to keep his mug i front of the American people and I cannot think of a better way to do so than a TV network……if so hp[efully he will be better at it than Palin who sucks on air.
Watch this spot for further developments……
Enough already…..go now enjoy the weekend and the cooler temps, my friends……
My last post of the day is a disturbing one, at least for me……
My daughter is a big fan of Cesar Millan, the Dog Whisperer, she enjoys watching him turn bad dogs into good dogs…..it is her little guilty pleasure…….so it was not nice of me to break the news of his investigation into his possible abuse of an animal……
A strange turn of events for the “Dog Whisperer”: Police say they’re investigating Cesar Millan for alleged animal cruelty after Millan’s Nat Geo Wild show Cesar 911 featured a dog attacking a pig during a training exercise. “There was a complaint that we received and we are investigating the matter,” an LA County Animal Control rep tells TheWrap. TMZ reports officials visited Millan’s Dog Psychology Center in Santa Clarita on Thursday night to check on the health of the pig after receiving “numerous complaints.” However, Millan was out of town on a business trip at the time, reports NBC Los Angeles. Officials say Millan was then given 24 hours to get in touch with investigators. It isn’t clear if he has now done so.
The episode showed a French bulldog/terrier mix named Simon, who had previously attacked its owner’s potbellied pigs, biting the ear of a pig when introduced to the animal. “It was really difficult to watch,” says a professional dog trainer. “It’s not the way to rehabilitate an animal that is fearful and aggressive to pigs.” A pair of Change.orgpetitions are calling for the show to be cancelled. Nat Geo Wild, however, says viewers “did not see or understand the full context of the encounter.” It adds “Cesar took precautions” and the pig “was tended to immediately afterward, healed quickly, and showed no lasting signs of distress.” A clip from the same episode shows Simon calmly interacting with the pig after the attack.
I am a dog lover…..and I do not believe this guy’s hype even before this incident…..if this is true then he needs to be charged and sent to a jury …..then call me for a punishment…..
A Sunday and what better day to write about the subject of ……..Morality?
Now here is a subject that I seldom, if ever, write about…..why? We humans all have a different idea and definition of what is moral and of morality. It is like religion….we could argue until the cows come home and never have a clear winner or loser in that debate.
But I decide to break my moratorium on this subject after something I read the other day…..after all it is the weekend I feel I need to write about something that is not my “norm”……..
I will admit it I do not watch much TV but I do enjoy HBO’s Game Of Thrones……I like all such programming about the Medieval times…..
That article that I spoke of earlier…….
Fans of HBO’s massively popular show Game of Thrones frequently get upset over the deaths of favorite characters, changes made to George R.R. Martin’s novels, and any scene featuring Bran. But enemies of the show have more grievous concerns, and they’re calling on the government for help. Yesterday, MuckRock published a number of complaints made to the FCC regarding Game of Thrones. Letter writers are mad about everything from “open homosexual perverted sex acts” onscreen to Comcast’s generally terrible service. But one fed-up American launched into a truly impressive rant against YouTube, Netflix sex, and nudity before calling on the FCC to join the fight of “emotionally mature” people and kill off Game of Thrones.
“Game of Thrones should not be allowed because of rape and child molestation,” this firebrand writes to the FCC. He or she goes on to state that no plot—no matter how complex—excuses the explicitness of the acts portrayed on the show. “It is not educational,” the complainer writes. “It is sensationalized cruelty.” Plus, the commercials for it are “misleading.” Finally, like the Night’s Watch turning to the Iron Throne for help, the letter writer begs the FCC to rally to his or her cause. “There are still people out there who are not warped and perverted. Please help US, not the shock jocks that are out to offend for fame and fortune.” Read the entire FCC complaint at MuckRock.
Okay I have a problem with people that think that they somehow hold the moral ground……I understand that some may not appreciate the theme of this show and keep that in mind….IT IS A SHOW! It is entertainment of which some may not like but that is not their place to tell me that I do not like it. I am weary of sanctimonious a/holes telling me what I must believe……I shall NEVER bow to that….PERIOD!
There is an easy fix if this show offends your sensibilities or your morals……Do Not Watch It!
And for Christ’s sake….get over yourself and leave the rest of us…….. ALONE!
Myself, like so many of my fellow bloggers, are always looking for something special to write about on our sites……me? I try to keep Americans up to speed on the Middle east and Central Asia…..especially sine we are still fighting our longest war ever and all the cash we have pissed away on situations that needed NO cash…….it is embarrassing that we piss away lives but the misuse of cash is just mind numbing……
You know kinda like $60 hammers and $200 Toilet seats and other worthless use of the American tax dollar….and when I thought I had heard it all I read a news article that just made all the disgust for contractors and the like…….
The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) has revealed another bizarre and ultimately fruitless US expenditure in Afghanistan.
This time it was the State Department, which spent $3.6 million on equipment to gift to Afghan TV stations to upgrade the quality of live sports broadcasts on television there.
A very ambitious chore…..but think about a couple of problems with this logic from the State Department…….Afghanistan has NO national sports teams that I am aware of at this time and at best 20% of the country actually has a TV in their homes…..so where was the need?
Typical American thinking…..give the Afghans stuff they do not need and probably thought very little of this “problem”……basically we are telling them what they want and need.
My next question is….who convinced the State Department that Afghanistan need this service? If it is a worthless program why do we keep funding these wastes of money? And since most of them are failures…..why is NO one responsible for pissing away money we do not have?
I bet we could have found a program in this country that needed that cash to fund it……whatcha think?
