Monday, August 15, 2011
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Friday, November 5, 2010
Picking Up a Couple of Things
I've got better things to do with my life than to write this. I think I've established that with my absence over the last millenia.
But a couple of notes before I leave.
1. Dexter Season 5 - My verdict? ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. 10/10. Julia Stiles is back. Go watch it!
2. This means Mad Men is officially demoted (oh come on, you couldn't have possibly believed that it could've prevailed over Dexter's follow up from the very terrific Season 4!). It's season 4, and Draper's still an idiot. I get why Season 1 and 2 shook the earth and the sea. I think the primetime emmy for Season 3 and 4? It's questionable.
The only reason that's keeping me from tossing this into the bin would be Christina Hendricks.
At the risk of sounding repetitive, I have better things to do, and I shall do them now. If you have nothing better to read than this. I feel sorry for you.
But a couple of notes before I leave.
1. Dexter Season 5 - My verdict? ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. 10/10. Julia Stiles is back. Go watch it!
2. This means Mad Men is officially demoted (oh come on, you couldn't have possibly believed that it could've prevailed over Dexter's follow up from the very terrific Season 4!). It's season 4, and Draper's still an idiot. I get why Season 1 and 2 shook the earth and the sea. I think the primetime emmy for Season 3 and 4? It's questionable.
The only reason that's keeping me from tossing this into the bin would be Christina Hendricks.
At the risk of sounding repetitive, I have better things to do, and I shall do them now. If you have nothing better to read than this. I feel sorry for you.
Monday, September 6, 2010
Root for the Underdog
I'm getting pretty impressed at Kelly Rowland's efforts to step out of tuneless and screechy Beyonce's shadow.
Rowland's got a more than decent voice, and she should take every opportunity to kick the rear end of a overhyped, overrated female artiste who spouts rubbish like 'sweet dreams' (that one just about topped her list of tuneless, senseless of hits, eh? How do you guys actually take it? And why does she still get number 1 hits out of these substandard pieces, and how does she even get nominated - let's not even start on her WINNING these grammys - for an endless list of music awards? I DON'T GET IT? I DON'T!)
I think that Rowland has just about hit her stride at this point in her career, and her decision to join forces with French genius David Guetta was the most strategic move ever. I'm serious. It's as smart as Google's move to acquire Youtube (or more recently, Intel's deal to acqurie Macafee. - Ah, I applaud myself for my constant efforts to sound like some tech geek.
She's become edgier, sexier, and has demonstrated the full range of her vocal chops. Check it out.
Her breakout and maiden hit from the Guetta-Rowland franchise. "When Love Takes Over" took the world by storm. And by surprise. Her vocals were almost unrecognisable. Partly because when she was part of the group that gave her her start - Destiny's Child -, only Ms B was allowed to hit the high notes. Come to think of it, that woman's starting to sound like some sort of tyrant/dictator.
"Commander" was a great follow-up. Very upbeat, and very welcome in the clubs that first made "When Love Takes Over" such a sleeper hit. A product of the same mould, but if anything was different, it was the fact that it was even edgier than the first. A step in the right direction, I say.
Unfortunately, Rowland's not anywhere near as huge as Beyonce, but I'm just glad at least one of Destiny's other children has got the goods and the guts to compete with that terror. I'm rooting for the underdog.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Ode to Kara DioGuardi
No matter what her critics say, she was one of the most qualified people to have taken a judging seat on American Idol.
Well, why would I speak out on behalf of a woman who contributed to the mess that was known as American Idol season 9? - 'cause no matter how much of a mess it was, she was the only one who made a commendable effort towards salvaging that train wreck.
I must say that I didn't start out liking her. Neither did American viewers, it seemed. She came in with her great credentials, but didn't really wow us at the judging table. Not the way she was expected to, anyway. Sure, she made a few blunders - labelling 'Cryin' as "early Aerosmith", or her ridiculous use of the word 'artistry' (WHAT THE HELL DOES THAT MEAN ANYWAY???!!!). At times I thought she was just throwing big words around hoping that people would assume her to be the expert judge offering credible critique.
Come season 9 - SHE IMPROVED. A LOT. Which is why I'll be sorry to see her go. Sure, 'No Boundaries' was not one of her masterpieces. But we easily forget that she created a huge number of hits which WERE masterpieces (What has Randy, Paula or even Simon written so far anyway? Which of them can even hold a tune? [I won't even start on Degeneres]). The most impressive thing of all was that she could sing her own masterpieces - the woman has terrific pipes.
So if we took a step back to review her career as judge on American Idol, we can actually see that she was the most qualified of the judges. Seriously. She could sing (American Idol is the search for an amazing singer), she could write. Good pieces of music (therefore, she's more likely than not to spot a musical genius. After all, they say that it takes one to know one, right?)
The only problem was that she came on board at the wrong time. She came into American Idol when the ratings were falling at a record-breaking rate - which drew a lot of attention to the judges' calibre (everyone was looking for someone to blame, and they were the very highly paid judges who had the next highest profiles [next to the Idol winners themselves]). It didn't help that she had a rough start on that programme.
But since she cleaned up her act, and actually unveiled her true potential in her second season, I forgive her. And I'm a little sad to see her go.
Which is why it's terribly annoying that FOX is giving her such crappy treatment. In the midst of searching for the next batch of superstar judges to fill the 3 vacant seats they have on the judging panel, they did not even let DioGuardi know whether she was dropped or not. Based on the fact that she had a contract that required annual renewal, silence from her employers most definitely meant that an unequivocal dismissal was inevitable. To add insult to injury, FOX made this announcement via email to Entertainment Today at 8.11pm, Friday before Labour Day. As Michael Slezak put it, "the media-cycle equivalent of attempting to chop down a tree in the forest when no one is there to hear it fall". Mind you, this is after Idol made it public that Steve Tyler struck a deal to serve as a judge in the next season. One would think that she deserved to leave the show with some form of dignity, after all the work that she's done for that dying franchise.
One thing is for sure though - she sure as hell deserves to stay, certainly more than Mr Jackson does.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Balance of Power - Australian Edition
The Greens Party struck a deal with Labour. I'm not thrilled. Not thrilled at all.
For 3 main reasons:
1. Gillard's government could not garner the support of the majority in Parliament. Her government has clearly lost the confidence of the electorate. The last comment wasn't fair, really. She did not even gain electoral legitimacy for a rise into power, and she still hasn't. Being in her position (knifing Rudd and all), she needed to command an overwhelming amount of votes. She didn't. She failed. She does not have the public's blessing to form a legitimate Australian government. It's as simple as that.
2. The Conservatives seem to be fighting harder for the right to form a government. It seems that they're hungry for the people's approval, which is precisely what we want our governments to do. The electorate deserves a government that is more willing to carry out the will of the people. Why do I say that the Conservatives want it more? It's clear from what they're bringing to the table at this point (which includes):
- to get rid of the mining profits tax
- to put carbon trading plans into place
- to executing the $38 billion broadband project (which would single-handedly lessen Telstra's monopolistic grip on the market)
3. Gillard dumped her election promise to deliver a citizens assembly to debate a carbon price - sure that was a surefire talkfest that would have most certainly come to jacksquat. But it just shows what wishy-washy policies the ALP has and will probably come up with in the future.
In my view, their proposed policies cover the concern that Labour addressed by striking a deal with the Greens party - tackling climate change. The only plus that can be seen here would be the condition the Greens have set: that the Labour government conduct a referendum on constitutional recognition of indigenous people. An issue that should have been addressed lifetimes ago.
I am still of the opinion that Labour's effort so far just isn't good enough. They messed up. They have to go. Greens or no Greens.
Labour and Conservative are neck to neck now, with the exact same number of seats. Come on, independents. Show them that they can't get away with this, and that they can't elect a Prime Minister who belonged in the former government. The government which was publicly labelled as a failure. Gillard carries the faults of the Rudd administration on her shoulders. She should have bowed out to ensure that the Labour party had a clean slate, and a better fighting chance in the past elections.
It's still too early to say yet. She may still win. The balance of power lie in the hands of the 4 independents. I'm begging that they choose the ruling-party-to-be wisely.
For 3 main reasons:
1. Gillard's government could not garner the support of the majority in Parliament. Her government has clearly lost the confidence of the electorate. The last comment wasn't fair, really. She did not even gain electoral legitimacy for a rise into power, and she still hasn't. Being in her position (knifing Rudd and all), she needed to command an overwhelming amount of votes. She didn't. She failed. She does not have the public's blessing to form a legitimate Australian government. It's as simple as that.
2. The Conservatives seem to be fighting harder for the right to form a government. It seems that they're hungry for the people's approval, which is precisely what we want our governments to do. The electorate deserves a government that is more willing to carry out the will of the people. Why do I say that the Conservatives want it more? It's clear from what they're bringing to the table at this point (which includes):
- to get rid of the mining profits tax
- to put carbon trading plans into place
- to executing the $38 billion broadband project (which would single-handedly lessen Telstra's monopolistic grip on the market)
3. Gillard dumped her election promise to deliver a citizens assembly to debate a carbon price - sure that was a surefire talkfest that would have most certainly come to jacksquat. But it just shows what wishy-washy policies the ALP has and will probably come up with in the future.
In my view, their proposed policies cover the concern that Labour addressed by striking a deal with the Greens party - tackling climate change. The only plus that can be seen here would be the condition the Greens have set: that the Labour government conduct a referendum on constitutional recognition of indigenous people. An issue that should have been addressed lifetimes ago.
I am still of the opinion that Labour's effort so far just isn't good enough. They messed up. They have to go. Greens or no Greens.
Labour and Conservative are neck to neck now, with the exact same number of seats. Come on, independents. Show them that they can't get away with this, and that they can't elect a Prime Minister who belonged in the former government. The government which was publicly labelled as a failure. Gillard carries the faults of the Rudd administration on her shoulders. She should have bowed out to ensure that the Labour party had a clean slate, and a better fighting chance in the past elections.
It's still too early to say yet. She may still win. The balance of power lie in the hands of the 4 independents. I'm begging that they choose the ruling-party-to-be wisely.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Of Hung Parliaments and Television/Silver Screen Updates (With a touch more of Television. Not a touch. A LOT more of Television) =)
We have hung parliaments in 2 major democratic countries now. If anything, that translates into democratic regimes being made even more democratic.
I believe that we should be much less shocked by these election outcomes, that we should embrace it even. It is a welcomed change, and since we vote in the interest of preserving democracy (or at least most of us do), we shouldn't give anyone any more power than they need. The best case scenario is when no one has any sort of veto power. That is the only effective way that everyone can keep an effective system of checks and balances on everyone.
It's a simple concept, isn't it?
As for the recent Australian situation. I think the nation has voted well. The Labour party needed to be disciplined, and they were - by being made to lose the overall majority in the most recent elections. Perhaps they'll think twice before letting their internal disputes take the priority over the welfare of their citizens aka the public display of Rudd's fall. It is only understandable that the people wish to see these internal disputes resolved internally. Tax payers don't want to know that there's trouble a-brewing. We want to see solutions before we even hear of any problems.
We don't want to see irregularities, and unproductive politics - kicking people out of their elected office, and the bloody power struggles that come with it. We want to see peace, and they have the responsibility to act like they're working together cohesively and efficiently.
Get your act together, and maybe we'll consider giving you another shot at holding the majority in Parliament in the next election.
We may not like the opposition, but if you misbehave like this, we have no choice but to remove the real power from your grasp. That's fair, I say.
As for television - my next passion (next to pontificating about things I believe are serious and important, but are rarely so according to the general populous), I bear good news.
FX's Damages has been SAVED. DirecTV and Sony are going to collaborate ala-Friday Night Lights to breathe new life into a ratings-deprived but critically acclaimed series. Down side? It's reduced to a renewal of 2 10-episode seasons. But that's hardly bad news, considering the fact that most Damages junkies like myself were prepared for the worst, aka, PREMATURE AND UNJUSTIFIABLE CANCELLATION. So everyone, please brace yourself for 2 more seasons of Glenn Close's and Rose Byrne's Emmy-worthy goodness! This writer is happy, for now.
Less happiness is going to ensue from here on out. I've officially lost my interest in HBO's True Blood. They're trying to jumpstart the quality of writing, which took an unfortunate turn to the sleepy, draggy quality it had in Season 2. They hadn't stirred from that drunken stupor by episode 3 or 4 this season, and I made the very reasonable judgment call to drop it off my TV viewing list. I've got limited time to spend on TV, and if Alan Ball can't make it work (I'm saying it Tim Gunn style!), he's got to forgive me for cutting it from my favourites list. Yes, True Blood, you'll never be as evilly awful as Twilight, but you're not much better either. Into the wastepaper basket you go.
Speaking of Twilight, the makers of comedies like Epic Movie came up with the ingenious idea of making Vampires Suck, (check out the trailer)
It looked amazingly promising, considering how Edward-the-perpetually-constipated-Cullen just BEGS to be ridiculed.
Verdict? IT WASN'T. The only funny bits in the movie were used up in the trailer, so don't expect any mind-exploding fun or humour in this project. What a disgusting waste of potential. I'm disappointed. While Epic Movie was baaaaaaaad, I expected them NOT to botch up Vampires Suck. And knowing how HARD it is to botch up such a stupid teeny bopper's vampire story franchise, I can't help but say to the producers - YOU suck.
Now that my sporadic vampire hate-fest speech has ended, we shall move on to happier things - such as the return of the brilliant Caroline Dhavernas to Prime Time American Television!!!
One must say, the very well loved Wonderfalls alumnus has chosen a very explosively promising project to attach herself to - "Off the Map" - A brand new Shonda Rhimes medical series!! You know what this means, right? Even if it turns out to be absolute trash (read: Private Practice) ABC wouldn't dare to pull the plug on this show without first giving it a few seasons worth of airtime, in case Shonda gets awfully upset, and brings Grey's Anatomy to the competitors. (So Wonderfalls and Dhavernas fans, worry not that this would become another Wonderfalls tragedy. I still stand by my opinion that Wonderfalls should not have been made to face cancellation so many years ago. It shouldnt' have been cancelled for 10 years, actually. If people have any reason at all to keep Smallville *enunciated with a tone dripping with venom* on television till NOW, they sure as hell could have kept Wonderfalls around. There, I've said it. My hysterical rant ends. For now.)
Anyway, why would they be so stupid as to offend Rhimes, who is probably the only medical drama queen who seems to be the only one in the industry able to churn out something for the medical drama slots that doesn't reek of bad, ugly, or boring?
Oh, all these up-and-coming dramas aren't really going to mean much - until they get you hooked on them. So I'll just end on a mental note I've meant to make with regards to an existing series that I'm already in a committed relationship with:-
I CAN'T FREAKING WAIT FOR SEASON 5 OF SHOWTIME's DEXTER!!! (I'm hearing good things, such as the fact that the talented Julia Stiles is joining the cast in the new season. HOW COOL IS THAT. Looking at the trailer (below), I'll list my observations here (Warning: Spoilers to people who have not watched Season 1 -4):
1. This is most likely the season where Dexter reveals his true self to Deb
2. Quinn's looking a little hollow/anorexic. As in he took on a drug-addiction skinny. Don't know if that's a character development, or the actor having trouble managing his fame and his growing salary.
3. I'm still so very, very sad over Rita's death. Absolutely devastated. But I must acknowledge that without that crucial development in the plot, Season 4 wouldn't have been as mind-blowingly excellent as it turned out to be. Which means I wouldn't anticipate Season 5 as fervently as I am right now.
Let me reiterate: I CAN'T WAIT FOR SEASON FIVE!!!! Special mention: Michael C Hall, thank God you survived the Hodgkin's Lymphoma scare. I, and all other Dexter fans (I'm sure) wish you a speedy recovery.
Dexter Season 5 Trailer (Comic Con)
Uploaded by HatakTRAILERS. - Classic TV and last night's shows, online.
And on a random note, I'm thinking to myself - I can distract myself with 'Repo Men' in the meantime.
Jude Law's clearly balding, so he has to take on meatier roles now to be taken seriously. Then again, this action/sci-fi movie can hardly be taken seriously. But it's serious cast-wise though. Liev Schriber, and Oscar Winner Forest Whitaker? Man, what's there not to like? I'm running to the nearest cinema the next time I have a free moment. It'll probably be one of those underwhelming summer blockbuster productions, but I'm willing to give it a shot (it's not as if the movies that are hitting the theatres right now are anything to shout about anyway? We're going through a post-'Inception' drought, as expected).
Till next time, choke over the never-ending trailer videos I've chalked up for your viewing pleasure! *beams*
I believe that we should be much less shocked by these election outcomes, that we should embrace it even. It is a welcomed change, and since we vote in the interest of preserving democracy (or at least most of us do), we shouldn't give anyone any more power than they need. The best case scenario is when no one has any sort of veto power. That is the only effective way that everyone can keep an effective system of checks and balances on everyone.
It's a simple concept, isn't it?
As for the recent Australian situation. I think the nation has voted well. The Labour party needed to be disciplined, and they were - by being made to lose the overall majority in the most recent elections. Perhaps they'll think twice before letting their internal disputes take the priority over the welfare of their citizens aka the public display of Rudd's fall. It is only understandable that the people wish to see these internal disputes resolved internally. Tax payers don't want to know that there's trouble a-brewing. We want to see solutions before we even hear of any problems.
We don't want to see irregularities, and unproductive politics - kicking people out of their elected office, and the bloody power struggles that come with it. We want to see peace, and they have the responsibility to act like they're working together cohesively and efficiently.
Get your act together, and maybe we'll consider giving you another shot at holding the majority in Parliament in the next election.
We may not like the opposition, but if you misbehave like this, we have no choice but to remove the real power from your grasp. That's fair, I say.
As for television - my next passion (next to pontificating about things I believe are serious and important, but are rarely so according to the general populous), I bear good news.
FX's Damages has been SAVED. DirecTV and Sony are going to collaborate ala-Friday Night Lights to breathe new life into a ratings-deprived but critically acclaimed series. Down side? It's reduced to a renewal of 2 10-episode seasons. But that's hardly bad news, considering the fact that most Damages junkies like myself were prepared for the worst, aka, PREMATURE AND UNJUSTIFIABLE CANCELLATION. So everyone, please brace yourself for 2 more seasons of Glenn Close's and Rose Byrne's Emmy-worthy goodness! This writer is happy, for now.
Less happiness is going to ensue from here on out. I've officially lost my interest in HBO's True Blood. They're trying to jumpstart the quality of writing, which took an unfortunate turn to the sleepy, draggy quality it had in Season 2. They hadn't stirred from that drunken stupor by episode 3 or 4 this season, and I made the very reasonable judgment call to drop it off my TV viewing list. I've got limited time to spend on TV, and if Alan Ball can't make it work (I'm saying it Tim Gunn style!), he's got to forgive me for cutting it from my favourites list. Yes, True Blood, you'll never be as evilly awful as Twilight, but you're not much better either. Into the wastepaper basket you go.
Speaking of Twilight, the makers of comedies like Epic Movie came up with the ingenious idea of making Vampires Suck, (check out the trailer)
It looked amazingly promising, considering how Edward-the-perpetually-constipated-Cullen just BEGS to be ridiculed.
Verdict? IT WASN'T. The only funny bits in the movie were used up in the trailer, so don't expect any mind-exploding fun or humour in this project. What a disgusting waste of potential. I'm disappointed. While Epic Movie was baaaaaaaad, I expected them NOT to botch up Vampires Suck. And knowing how HARD it is to botch up such a stupid teeny bopper's vampire story franchise, I can't help but say to the producers - YOU suck.
Now that my sporadic vampire hate-fest speech has ended, we shall move on to happier things - such as the return of the brilliant Caroline Dhavernas to Prime Time American Television!!!
One must say, the very well loved Wonderfalls alumnus has chosen a very explosively promising project to attach herself to - "Off the Map" - A brand new Shonda Rhimes medical series!! You know what this means, right? Even if it turns out to be absolute trash (read: Private Practice) ABC wouldn't dare to pull the plug on this show without first giving it a few seasons worth of airtime, in case Shonda gets awfully upset, and brings Grey's Anatomy to the competitors. (So Wonderfalls and Dhavernas fans, worry not that this would become another Wonderfalls tragedy. I still stand by my opinion that Wonderfalls should not have been made to face cancellation so many years ago. It shouldnt' have been cancelled for 10 years, actually. If people have any reason at all to keep Smallville *enunciated with a tone dripping with venom* on television till NOW, they sure as hell could have kept Wonderfalls around. There, I've said it. My hysterical rant ends. For now.)
Anyway, why would they be so stupid as to offend Rhimes, who is probably the only medical drama queen who seems to be the only one in the industry able to churn out something for the medical drama slots that doesn't reek of bad, ugly, or boring?
Oh, all these up-and-coming dramas aren't really going to mean much - until they get you hooked on them. So I'll just end on a mental note I've meant to make with regards to an existing series that I'm already in a committed relationship with:-
I CAN'T FREAKING WAIT FOR SEASON 5 OF SHOWTIME's DEXTER!!! (I'm hearing good things, such as the fact that the talented Julia Stiles is joining the cast in the new season. HOW COOL IS THAT. Looking at the trailer (below), I'll list my observations here (Warning: Spoilers to people who have not watched Season 1 -4):
1. This is most likely the season where Dexter reveals his true self to Deb
2. Quinn's looking a little hollow/anorexic. As in he took on a drug-addiction skinny. Don't know if that's a character development, or the actor having trouble managing his fame and his growing salary.
3. I'm still so very, very sad over Rita's death. Absolutely devastated. But I must acknowledge that without that crucial development in the plot, Season 4 wouldn't have been as mind-blowingly excellent as it turned out to be. Which means I wouldn't anticipate Season 5 as fervently as I am right now.
Let me reiterate: I CAN'T WAIT FOR SEASON FIVE!!!! Special mention: Michael C Hall, thank God you survived the Hodgkin's Lymphoma scare. I, and all other Dexter fans (I'm sure) wish you a speedy recovery.
Dexter Season 5 Trailer (Comic Con)
Uploaded by HatakTRAILERS. - Classic TV and last night's shows, online.
And on a random note, I'm thinking to myself - I can distract myself with 'Repo Men' in the meantime.
Jude Law's clearly balding, so he has to take on meatier roles now to be taken seriously. Then again, this action/sci-fi movie can hardly be taken seriously. But it's serious cast-wise though. Liev Schriber, and Oscar Winner Forest Whitaker? Man, what's there not to like? I'm running to the nearest cinema the next time I have a free moment. It'll probably be one of those underwhelming summer blockbuster productions, but I'm willing to give it a shot (it's not as if the movies that are hitting the theatres right now are anything to shout about anyway? We're going through a post-'Inception' drought, as expected).
Till next time, choke over the never-ending trailer videos I've chalked up for your viewing pleasure! *beams*
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