Let's start off with the bad of TV season, Heroes. The show used to be good. The first season was an original series that was dense plot wise but interesting to watch. The ending of the first season was a bit anticlimactic but it was somewhat satisfying. The second season devolved a bit-- it became repetitive and used the same characters to do what they've always done. And now the third season, they fell into a vat of crap.
In a show that is all about the battle between good and evil, very little of note actually happens. It is the only war in which no one ever dies. Even if you think they are dead, they aren't dead. Even if you see them killed, they aren't dead. It'd probably be easier to count the characters on the show that haven't been dead at one point or another (in the present or the various futures they've had) than count the ones who haven't died.
The show has jumped the shark (and this shark has the ability to shoot laser beams out of its head). Problem with the same old villains? We'll just switch the heroes and the villains instead of actually killing some characters off and think of new and exciting ones. Hard to deal with the fact that Peter should be invincible? We'll just take his powers away so he is weak and we can go through season 1 again where Peter gathers his powers (I guess the logic here being we should just relive the good season of the show). Hiro can time-travel and should be able to go anywhere in time and fix anything that pops up? We'll just make him so ridiculously stupid that ever time he tries to go through time and fix things he screws up and then decides to stop messing with time. It just goes on and on: Claire is indestructible but no one lets her do anything (and give her useless people to protect her). Ali Larter must have had a three year contract because even though her character died she had an identical twin (God forbid we get a new actress to play the part, and because it is the same actress we have to go through and explain why she looks exactly the same as another of the heroes... can you say needless exposition?)
There are so many characters running around that just seem pointless to the main plot (and I use the term plot loosely as so little has happened over the course of three seasons). If only the villains would man up and start taking some of them out things might get streamlined enough to get interesting again.
I used to look forward to watching this but it has just gotten so bad recently that the DVR has no room for it any more.
(As an aside, there was a nice goof in the last episode: When Hiro froze time in the first episode with the Daphne (the super speed girl), she lost her super speed but could still move at a normal pace. Last episode, he freezes time to go in the past and replace his sword and get fake blood to "kill" with Ando and this time Daphne is completely frozen. Consistency-- let's get some.)
Now to the good, True Blood. To be honest, I nearly gave up on this show a few minutes into it but I am glad I didn't (and not just because Anna Paquin gets naked). It is an atmospheric and campy vampire tale (while those don't sound like they'd go together, they do).
The show gives their version of the vampire mythology, straying here and their from the basics but not so much as to be distracting. In the show, the vampires have 'come out' after a synthetic blood, marketed as True Blood, was developed to allow the vampires to survive without feeding off of humans. Some vampires, like the main protagonist Bill Compton, tries to rejoin society. He meets a woman, Sookie, who can read people's thoughts and there is an attraction right away.
The show is set in the deep south, so you have the obvious racial parallels as the vampires are discriminated against by the humans. Are they justified in doing so? The vampires have fed off them in the past-- will they live peacefully on the new blood or will they keep to their old ways. In addition, there is plenty of sex and drug issues as well... not that any of this is surprising as the show is on HBO (if you are going to be on pay cable you might as well get everything in the show they won't let on the other networks, otherwise it is just a waste of time)
I don't want to give any major plot points away, but if you have HBO and you haven't given it a try, you should.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Sarah Palin on My9
Brenda Blackman had Sarah Palin in the studio for the only interview in the NYC area. It is an exclusive and one I'd bet any channel would like to have. Given that, I am not sure why the campaign chose to go on My9 rather than any of the bigger networks. It is almost two weeks to the election and the McCain campaign still seems reluctant to let Palin do any interview that a large number of people will actually see.
After watching the interview, I understand why (not that I didn't before, but I was assuming after a while she would get better at it... she hasn't-- practice has certainly not made perfect in her case.) Also, My9 was probably so happy to get the exclusive that they didn't want to be too hard on her lest they never get another interview. Brenda Blackman took it extremely easy on Palin, embarrassingly so. It ended up being not as much an interview as a commercial and yet Sarah Palin still came out looking bad in the end.
The first section lasted 50 seconds, all dealing with what is the hardest part about running for president. She plays this part for pity-- the hardest part is the toll on her family because it was a complete surprise that that would happen. Maybe the vetting by McCain was so circumstantial that she thought no one would probe very deeply. Hard hitting journalism. Hit those hot button topics.
Next, 13 seconds on how the McCain/Palin ticket would lower taxes, not taking more of what our small businesses and families earn and "redistributing it". Then, 20 seconds on the accomplishments of fundraising and crowds that Barack Obama has gotten over the past month. It is impressive, like his speech but it is nothing compared to "trustworthy and, umm, noteworthy also heroic deeds that John McCain is offering in terms of service to his country". In other words, don't forget that John McCain was a prisoner of war over thirty years ago as it is really germane to the topic at hand.
8 seconds on the fact that she doesn't care what the polls say (just like she doesn't care what questions are asked in a debate, or what science says about climate change, or that dinosaurs didn't live with people). The only polls that matters is the one on November 4th.
12 seconds on Colin Powell's endorsement of Barack Obama. She says it doesn't matter because it was "expected". Just like the current economic crisis doesn't matter because it was expected... oh wait, it still does matter doesn't it. Well, it also doesn't matter according to Gov. Palin because although the most famous, like-able, and marketable Republican military person is backing Barack Obama there are plenty of other Republican people that you've never heard of still supporting John McCain, so it is a wash.
16 seconds on her experience... frankly, the fact that she could fill that much is impressive. She has executive experience and apparently is a "regulator of oil and gas" (which sounds very much like that part of your resume that you pad with stuff you just make up: special skills-- can regulate oil and gas). Plus, she shares her vision with John McCain so who actually needs skill or knowledge. C'mon, they share a vision.
Then onto her SNL appearance that Brenda says "everyone is talking about". She fills 21 seconds on how fun it was and how nice everyone is and the fact that you need to have a sense of humor. So that is more time spent on SNL than on taxes, the economy, or any political topic that voters care about.
The last segment was on special needs children , where Brenda Blackman shared her story of her child with Lupus. Palin said that special needs children would be a priority. Her answer spanned 35 seconds and is reproduced here in its entirety:
"You know what we need to do is strengthen the Nation Institute of Health. We have not funded it to the degree it should be. we haven't prioritized so enough funds go there to strengthen that so that we can start finding some of these cures. We've been so reliant, appropriately, in a sense, on the private sector fundraising efforts, like you've been engaged in with Lupus, that's important too. But the federal government does play an appropriate role here in making sure that resources are prioritized appropriately so that NIH is strengthened and we can start doing even more for this research."
That is a classic Palin answer that rambles on and says absolutely nothing. Sure all politicians do that in a sense, but the good ones answer in a way that addresses part of the question and sounds satisfying. Palin's answer is a train wreck that fills time and makes her look stupid... and that she has a word of the day calendar and the words for the past two days were "appropriately" and "prioritize".
Here visit was "amazing", SNL was "awesome", and the set at My9, which is an issue that a lot of voters care about, is "very beautiful... just very sharp and classy". The interview was "so nice". Gee golly, this woman could be president dontcha know.
So totaling that up, she was in the studio for over an hour and they got just over 5 minutes good enough to put on the show. The segment itself was over 9 minutes long so it is pretty sad that you can barely fill half a segment devoted entirely to you. Brenda at one point described Sarah Palin as "gracious, forthcoming, and competent". Why they chose not to show any of those portions of the interview, I'll never know.
The interview only goes to show that, as Colin Powell says, she just isn't ready to be president. And My9 isn't ready to have a news program either.
After watching the interview, I understand why (not that I didn't before, but I was assuming after a while she would get better at it... she hasn't-- practice has certainly not made perfect in her case.) Also, My9 was probably so happy to get the exclusive that they didn't want to be too hard on her lest they never get another interview. Brenda Blackman took it extremely easy on Palin, embarrassingly so. It ended up being not as much an interview as a commercial and yet Sarah Palin still came out looking bad in the end.
The first section lasted 50 seconds, all dealing with what is the hardest part about running for president. She plays this part for pity-- the hardest part is the toll on her family because it was a complete surprise that that would happen. Maybe the vetting by McCain was so circumstantial that she thought no one would probe very deeply. Hard hitting journalism. Hit those hot button topics.
Next, 13 seconds on how the McCain/Palin ticket would lower taxes, not taking more of what our small businesses and families earn and "redistributing it". Then, 20 seconds on the accomplishments of fundraising and crowds that Barack Obama has gotten over the past month. It is impressive, like his speech but it is nothing compared to "trustworthy and, umm, noteworthy also heroic deeds that John McCain is offering in terms of service to his country". In other words, don't forget that John McCain was a prisoner of war over thirty years ago as it is really germane to the topic at hand.
8 seconds on the fact that she doesn't care what the polls say (just like she doesn't care what questions are asked in a debate, or what science says about climate change, or that dinosaurs didn't live with people). The only polls that matters is the one on November 4th.
12 seconds on Colin Powell's endorsement of Barack Obama. She says it doesn't matter because it was "expected". Just like the current economic crisis doesn't matter because it was expected... oh wait, it still does matter doesn't it. Well, it also doesn't matter according to Gov. Palin because although the most famous, like-able, and marketable Republican military person is backing Barack Obama there are plenty of other Republican people that you've never heard of still supporting John McCain, so it is a wash.
16 seconds on her experience... frankly, the fact that she could fill that much is impressive. She has executive experience and apparently is a "regulator of oil and gas" (which sounds very much like that part of your resume that you pad with stuff you just make up: special skills-- can regulate oil and gas). Plus, she shares her vision with John McCain so who actually needs skill or knowledge. C'mon, they share a vision.
Then onto her SNL appearance that Brenda says "everyone is talking about". She fills 21 seconds on how fun it was and how nice everyone is and the fact that you need to have a sense of humor. So that is more time spent on SNL than on taxes, the economy, or any political topic that voters care about.
The last segment was on special needs children , where Brenda Blackman shared her story of her child with Lupus. Palin said that special needs children would be a priority. Her answer spanned 35 seconds and is reproduced here in its entirety:
"You know what we need to do is strengthen the Nation Institute of Health. We have not funded it to the degree it should be. we haven't prioritized so enough funds go there to strengthen that so that we can start finding some of these cures. We've been so reliant, appropriately, in a sense, on the private sector fundraising efforts, like you've been engaged in with Lupus, that's important too. But the federal government does play an appropriate role here in making sure that resources are prioritized appropriately so that NIH is strengthened and we can start doing even more for this research."
That is a classic Palin answer that rambles on and says absolutely nothing. Sure all politicians do that in a sense, but the good ones answer in a way that addresses part of the question and sounds satisfying. Palin's answer is a train wreck that fills time and makes her look stupid... and that she has a word of the day calendar and the words for the past two days were "appropriately" and "prioritize".
Here visit was "amazing", SNL was "awesome", and the set at My9, which is an issue that a lot of voters care about, is "very beautiful... just very sharp and classy". The interview was "so nice". Gee golly, this woman could be president dontcha know.
So totaling that up, she was in the studio for over an hour and they got just over 5 minutes good enough to put on the show. The segment itself was over 9 minutes long so it is pretty sad that you can barely fill half a segment devoted entirely to you. Brenda at one point described Sarah Palin as "gracious, forthcoming, and competent". Why they chose not to show any of those portions of the interview, I'll never know.
The interview only goes to show that, as Colin Powell says, she just isn't ready to be president. And My9 isn't ready to have a news program either.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Julia Nunes: I Wrote These
I just received my signed copy of Julia Nunes' new CD, I Wrote These. If you aren't familiar with her you probably don't go onto YouTube too often and probably don't play the ukulele. She is closing in on 50,000 subscribers-- get with the program. Julia is a singer/songwriter who plays the guitar, ukulele, and melodica and does both originals and covers. This new album is all her original work because "otherwise the title would be lying".
Ms. Nunes has a raw voice and I mean that in a good way. It isn't overly trained but she is a naturally good singer (both singing the melodies and harmonizing with herself). The rawness in her voice allows her to bring emotion and nuance to her songs which otherwise is missing in a lot of music these days.
As good a singer she is, her biggest strength is in her writing though: both in her lyrics and well constructed melodies. The words and phrasings are clever and you'll be singing along with the songs once you know those words.
In addition to her musical talent, another great advantage Julia Nunes has is she is a real person. You can go on YouTube and watch her videos and you get much more than the music: you get a genuine and fun person. And it isn't just an act as I went to her concert here in NYC a few months ago and she was the same (and was nice enough to hang around after the show and sign autographs and talk... I was meaning to write about that concert but never got around to it, oh well).
You don't have to take my word for it though, go watch the videos for yourself.
On to the new CD, Here's the track list (all the songs that appear on YouTube are linked):
1. Maybe I will (NYC concert)
2. Into the Sunshine
3. First Impressions
4. Binoculars
5. Pen to Paper (NYC concert)
6. Short and Sweet
7. Welcome Vacation
8. You Were
9. Stairwell
10. Regrets
11. Odd
12. Sugar Coats
13. Roles Reversed
14. The Debt
Into the Sunshine makes its fourth appearance (the one YouTube video, two versions on her first CD, and now this one). This is her bread and butter song: its got a great melody and encourages singing along (especially during the 'bah bah bah' parts) and is her most marketable song. She used this to close her show in NYC (not counting the encore). Just before she played it she said she had one song left and someone yelled out "Into the Sunshine" to which she replied, "Well, of course."
Of the 4 versions out there, I don't think any of them really nailed it yet. All three version on the CD use a faster tempo than the YouTube version which I think is good, but the two on the first CD lack any harmonization (all the tracks on the first CD are very minimalist, just her and her guitar) which gives the song an unfinished sound even if it is just because I am used to the original version. The harmonies make a return (albeit in a modified form) in this new version but also added are a bass and drum track. The accompaniment muddles the music a bit and it takes away a bit of the fun, although I do like the harmonies making a return (but I prefer the original harmony lines). So to sum up: use the tempo from the CDs, the harmonization and arrangement from the original YouTube video. Still a catchy tune and obviously one of her favorites.
The only other negative I have about the YouTube songs is in reference to my favorite song, Regrets. It is a similar situation to Into the Sunshine, the new arrangement just doesn't work as much for me. The drum track is again too much, but even more importantly the song lacks some of the personal and emotional resonance the YouTube version has; it comes across as much more of a pop song. I still like it, but I prefer the original video. This is probably due to the fact that I've heard this song a lot and the changes here are very different and might take some getting used to (we'll see how I feel about it after I've heard it more).
All the other songs that were originally on YouTube are improved on this CD, especially Welcome Vacation. It wasn't my favorite of her songs online but this one is much improved. All these tracks stick much closer to the feeling of the videos (i.e. sans drums and bass) but with cleaner instrument lines (no missed chord in First Impressions anymore :) ) and higher quality recordings.
The new songs are all very good even on the first listen with the exception of Sugar Coats. I heard Maybe I Will and Paper and Pen at the NYC concert and both play as well live as on the CD (and the latter even has fun audience participation parts). Binoculars is a light-hearted song about voyeurism and is a fun tune. The Debt is a good tune and uses an interesting drum line, similar to this, that fits the song very well. You Were is my favorite of the new ones, a touching and well written song ("If I were god, I'd destroy all religion/ Abolish all the visions/and leave the world with love"). It is also the only song where the (actual) drums blend seamlessly into the song and adds something positive.
Sugar Coats sounds a bit out of place on this CD, perhaps because it is the only duet and co-written song. The tone is very different than the other songs and the guy who sings with her on the track is very nasal and sounds amateurish compared to Julia. I think the funny thing is Julia always jokes about people thinking she is, or at the very least sounds like, a boy so it might not have been the best idea to do a duet with a guy who sings in a higher register than you :).
Overall, the album is a great one and I'm glad I now have recordings of most of the originals that were on YouTube. This CD just confirms what I already thought, that Julia is best when she is stripped down... umm... that didn't come out quite right. I meant musically she is best when she strips the song to its basics and just lets it stand on its own.
I highly recommend I Wrote These, you should go and buy the CD (and while you are there buy her first album, Left Right Wrong, as well).
P.S. I was sad to see that "super old school Julia" (her song August) didn't make the CD, that along with Regrets are my favorites. I'm glad one of them made it though-- here's hoping it makes on the next album.
Ms. Nunes has a raw voice and I mean that in a good way. It isn't overly trained but she is a naturally good singer (both singing the melodies and harmonizing with herself). The rawness in her voice allows her to bring emotion and nuance to her songs which otherwise is missing in a lot of music these days.
As good a singer she is, her biggest strength is in her writing though: both in her lyrics and well constructed melodies. The words and phrasings are clever and you'll be singing along with the songs once you know those words.
In addition to her musical talent, another great advantage Julia Nunes has is she is a real person. You can go on YouTube and watch her videos and you get much more than the music: you get a genuine and fun person. And it isn't just an act as I went to her concert here in NYC a few months ago and she was the same (and was nice enough to hang around after the show and sign autographs and talk... I was meaning to write about that concert but never got around to it, oh well).
You don't have to take my word for it though, go watch the videos for yourself.
On to the new CD, Here's the track list (all the songs that appear on YouTube are linked):
1. Maybe I will (NYC concert)
2. Into the Sunshine
3. First Impressions
4. Binoculars
5. Pen to Paper (NYC concert)
6. Short and Sweet
7. Welcome Vacation
8. You Were
9. Stairwell
10. Regrets
11. Odd
12. Sugar Coats
13. Roles Reversed
14. The Debt
Into the Sunshine makes its fourth appearance (the one YouTube video, two versions on her first CD, and now this one). This is her bread and butter song: its got a great melody and encourages singing along (especially during the 'bah bah bah' parts) and is her most marketable song. She used this to close her show in NYC (not counting the encore). Just before she played it she said she had one song left and someone yelled out "Into the Sunshine" to which she replied, "Well, of course."
Of the 4 versions out there, I don't think any of them really nailed it yet. All three version on the CD use a faster tempo than the YouTube version which I think is good, but the two on the first CD lack any harmonization (all the tracks on the first CD are very minimalist, just her and her guitar) which gives the song an unfinished sound even if it is just because I am used to the original version. The harmonies make a return (albeit in a modified form) in this new version but also added are a bass and drum track. The accompaniment muddles the music a bit and it takes away a bit of the fun, although I do like the harmonies making a return (but I prefer the original harmony lines). So to sum up: use the tempo from the CDs, the harmonization and arrangement from the original YouTube video. Still a catchy tune and obviously one of her favorites.
The only other negative I have about the YouTube songs is in reference to my favorite song, Regrets. It is a similar situation to Into the Sunshine, the new arrangement just doesn't work as much for me. The drum track is again too much, but even more importantly the song lacks some of the personal and emotional resonance the YouTube version has; it comes across as much more of a pop song. I still like it, but I prefer the original video. This is probably due to the fact that I've heard this song a lot and the changes here are very different and might take some getting used to (we'll see how I feel about it after I've heard it more).
All the other songs that were originally on YouTube are improved on this CD, especially Welcome Vacation. It wasn't my favorite of her songs online but this one is much improved. All these tracks stick much closer to the feeling of the videos (i.e. sans drums and bass) but with cleaner instrument lines (no missed chord in First Impressions anymore :) ) and higher quality recordings.
The new songs are all very good even on the first listen with the exception of Sugar Coats. I heard Maybe I Will and Paper and Pen at the NYC concert and both play as well live as on the CD (and the latter even has fun audience participation parts). Binoculars is a light-hearted song about voyeurism and is a fun tune. The Debt is a good tune and uses an interesting drum line, similar to this, that fits the song very well. You Were is my favorite of the new ones, a touching and well written song ("If I were god, I'd destroy all religion/ Abolish all the visions/and leave the world with love"). It is also the only song where the (actual) drums blend seamlessly into the song and adds something positive.
Sugar Coats sounds a bit out of place on this CD, perhaps because it is the only duet and co-written song. The tone is very different than the other songs and the guy who sings with her on the track is very nasal and sounds amateurish compared to Julia. I think the funny thing is Julia always jokes about people thinking she is, or at the very least sounds like, a boy so it might not have been the best idea to do a duet with a guy who sings in a higher register than you :).
Overall, the album is a great one and I'm glad I now have recordings of most of the originals that were on YouTube. This CD just confirms what I already thought, that Julia is best when she is stripped down... umm... that didn't come out quite right. I meant musically she is best when she strips the song to its basics and just lets it stand on its own.
I highly recommend I Wrote These, you should go and buy the CD (and while you are there buy her first album, Left Right Wrong, as well).
P.S. I was sad to see that "super old school Julia" (her song August) didn't make the CD, that along with Regrets are my favorites. I'm glad one of them made it though-- here's hoping it makes on the next album.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
And the debates are over
It was the most interesting debate so far even if a lot of it was rehashed. I'm sure the McCain campaign was very happy the candidates were sitting this time so they wouldn't have to worry about McCain's aimless wandering that took place during the town hall debate. Although John McCain once again starts of a debate telling us someone is in the hospital, I guess at his age hospitals weigh heavily on his mind.
Overall, Obama won this one again making it a clean sweep (and it's not just me saying this nearly ever poll agrees-- CNN and CBS are the only polls I can find up right now).
The questions were varied and actually covered new ground and the moderator did a good job and got the candidates to actually address the questions (well, more so than usual anyway). Most of the answers were still the same old responses we've heard twice before but there was some new stuff that made the 90 minutes at least tolerable.
There were a few good lines during the night. McCain finally had a good line that someone other than himself laughed at (although he still had a few clunkers) when saying "I am not President Bush, If you want to run against president Bush, you should have ran 4 years ago". It was a good line and all the post-debate coverage focused on it however I feel Obama's line in response to McCain quoting ridiculous lines was better: "He must have been watching some ads of Senator McCain".
McCain once again looked angry and barely in control for portions of the debate and Obama kept cool and appeared presidential. Hopefully, the trends in the polls continue and we'll have a new direction to the country in three weeks (OK, the actual new direction wouldn't technically start until January but the hope would be there and isn't Obama all about hope?)
P.S. McCain kept talking about how Palin knows more about autism than most people and I am confused as to why he feels this is true. Last I knew her son had Down Syndrome which is completely independent of autism (you can have one and not the other or you can have both). You'd think he'd know the difference. He also noted that she would defend and help special needs families without mentioning the fact that she cut funding to them before.
Overall, Obama won this one again making it a clean sweep (and it's not just me saying this nearly ever poll agrees-- CNN and CBS are the only polls I can find up right now).
The questions were varied and actually covered new ground and the moderator did a good job and got the candidates to actually address the questions (well, more so than usual anyway). Most of the answers were still the same old responses we've heard twice before but there was some new stuff that made the 90 minutes at least tolerable.
There were a few good lines during the night. McCain finally had a good line that someone other than himself laughed at (although he still had a few clunkers) when saying "I am not President Bush, If you want to run against president Bush, you should have ran 4 years ago". It was a good line and all the post-debate coverage focused on it however I feel Obama's line in response to McCain quoting ridiculous lines was better: "He must have been watching some ads of Senator McCain".
McCain once again looked angry and barely in control for portions of the debate and Obama kept cool and appeared presidential. Hopefully, the trends in the polls continue and we'll have a new direction to the country in three weeks (OK, the actual new direction wouldn't technically start until January but the hope would be there and isn't Obama all about hope?)
P.S. McCain kept talking about how Palin knows more about autism than most people and I am confused as to why he feels this is true. Last I knew her son had Down Syndrome which is completely independent of autism (you can have one and not the other or you can have both). You'd think he'd know the difference. He also noted that she would defend and help special needs families without mentioning the fact that she cut funding to them before.
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