Games Done Quick Cancels Florida Event
Games Done Quick (GDQ) is one of the most popular streamed gaming events for charity. They canceled their Florida event over the state's anti-LGBTQ politics:
Games Done Quick, the organization that runs speedrunning marathons for charity, announced Wednesday that next year’s Awesome Games Done Quick will take place Jan. 8-15, 2023. But the wintertime event, previously scheduled to be held in Florida, will remain online-only, organizers say, citing that state’s approach to COVID-19 and “increased aggression” toward LGBTQ people.
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Rings of Power
I tweeted the following last night:
I am so excited to be back in Middle Earth and I am looking forward to this show. The first two episodes were great.
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The belief that Middle Earth is onlly populated by white characters is not only faulty, it misses the spirit of Tolkien entirely
This title is my modification on the article's subtitle section. It's an opinion piece which pushes back on the beliefs that Tolkien was racist and wanted only white characters.
Yet, there remains the idea that because Tolkien sought to create an English mythology that he intended Middle-earth to be comprised only of white people. This ignores the individuals of color who have populated England throughout its history, and that the first modern Britons had dark skin, based on DNA evidence taken from the Cheddar Man, a 10,000-year-old skeleton discovered in 1903.
And while there's no sense in speculating on the reactions of a dead man who could not possibly fathom the 21st century by the time of his death in 1973, Tolkien was notably anti-racist, even for the time period. Biographers have noted Tolkien was very much opposed to the Aryan ideology popularized by the Nazis, and of colonialism in South Africa. While there are those, as a number of Twitter accounts have to sought to remind me, who believe orcs are intended to be Tolkien's perspective on people of color, there's no evidence from Tolkien's writing or life to justify that (as opposed to, for instance, the wide array of evidence that speaks to the racism of his contemporary H.P. Lovecraft in both his writing and personal life).
But here's the thing: Even though Tolkien's early 20th century progressiveness was not analogous to the progressive attitudes of today, it has no bearing on an adaptation or extension of his works. Things change. The movies and television released in 1954, when The Fellowship of the Ring came out, obviously look very different in terms of casting choices than what we see today. As such, Rings of Power looks different from Peter Jackson's films from 20 years ago. Systems adapt, people formally denied opportunities to showcase their talent are afforded a spotlight in which they can and do earn it. Audiences of color, who have been asked to, and excelled at, empathizing with white people throughout the history of visual media, can wish to see themselves onscreen and see those wishes validated.
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What I'm Watching - Aug. 27
For All Mankind (2019)
AppleTV+ - I started this last week and burned through season 1. I'm in Season 2 but my viewing has slowed down. I'm enjoying the show, but I just haven't had the opportunity to continue bingeing it.
What We Do in the Shadows (2019)
FX - Currently my favorite sitcom. It's an amazing and amazingly smart for how stupid it is. Which is basically my perfect description for a comedy.
House of the Dragon (2022)
HBO - The new Game of Thrones show was always on my list to watch. I had a very turbulent relationship with the original show, but I'm watching this to see what different show runners do with it, and with the new story.
Welcome to Wrexham (2022)
Hulu - Just started it today and watched the first two episodes. It's an interesting look but so far I'm not hooked.
And, of course, the biggest show I'm looking forward to but which hasn't arrived yet: Rings of Power, which looks to be coming out Sept. 1 (Thursday.) Dear lord, please be good.
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For All Mankind (2019) - 5 of 5 Lunas
Just finished Season 1 of the show. When I tweeted that I was watching it, a friend of mine replied as follows:
Overall, I loved the first season. It wasn't perfect and I have my gripes, but I heartily recommend it to others to check it out.
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Streaming killed the TV star, as viewership share surpasses television for first time ever
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"Not everyone's thrilled about HBO Max and Discovery+ merging"
Big news today with the planned launch of a new system that combines HBO and Discovery streaming platforms.
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"Amazon is teaming up with Dude Perfect for alternate Thursday Night Football streams"
Reminds me of the Nickelodeon streams done for the last few seasons. NFL trying to pull in younger audiences.
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The Bear (2022) - 4/5 beef sandwiches
Starring Jeremy Allen White, who I know from the US adaptation of Shameless, The Bear is about a struggling Chicago restaurant. White, who plays Carmen Berzatto, a chef who trained and cooked for some of the best restaurants in the world - has come back to his family owned eatery to take it over after it was left to him by his brother. A brother, who we learn is a drug addict, and also who commit suicide.
The show is entertaining and also vexing. I really enjoyed its first season and was tempted to give it a full 5 out of 5, but it is unevenly paced and leaves you with some pretty big questions going into season 2 - the biggest of which is sure to be the entire premise of season 2.
I also need to shout out the performances of Ayo Edibiri, who plays Sydney, as well as Ebon Moss-Bachrach who plays Richie. I wasn't familiar with either of them, but I really appreciated their performances and seeing the evolution of their characters in this eight episode season.
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"ESPN Plus price is increasing from $6.99 per month to $9.99"
Anyone surprised by this has not been paying attention. ESPN+ has been rapidly expanding its offerings and it was without question they'd have to raise prices to cover it.
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My Thoughts on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Season 1
Spoilers: This will contain minor spoilers for the show, I believe none of them will ruin any of the show's story but your opinion may vary if you choose to watch.
I just finished watching the finale of Season 1 of Strange New Worlds and I am left feeling re-confirmed of something which I had realized midway through this first season: This is my favorite Star Trek show. It feels almost treasonous for me to admit this; having so deeply ingrained Patrick Stewart's Jean-Luc Picard as an embodiment of good and ethics during the afternoons watching The Next Generation in my formative years.
The premise of Strange New Worlds is clever. It plays on something that big Trek fans understand, but which can be invisible or glossed over for new fans. In The Original Series, the pilot episode featured a cast which looked markedly different from the cast they settled on for the series. Basically the only character from the Pilot which returned in the main series was Spock, who since went on to be one of the most recognizable characters in pop culture.
Strange New Worlds sets up with a premise that I had mistakenly believed was a spin on the en vogue "What If" format which we have seen in other shows and most recently in Marvel's playbook. I had thought this was meant to be what if Pike had fully captained the Enterprise instead of Kirk. My friends have since informed me that I misunderstood and that this show is instead meant to be a prequel to The Original Series, taking place ten years before.
In the show, Anson Mount reprises his role as Captain Pike, having initially played him as part of Star Trek: Discovery. He is one of the excellent members of the cast, but is far from the lone standout.
They carry forward a few key aspects of the crew from that early pilot episode: Spock is still here. Also Pike's "Number 1" is a woman, this time played by Rebecca Romijn. They expand the cast for much needed not-white-dude diversity. And they bring one other character from Kirk's cast in The Original Series: Nyota Uhura, though not in exactly the same role. She joins the crew as an ensign and is utilized in a quasi-mcguffin role as she works in various roles on the ship to learn how they function (and as a result, show her skills.)
I started watching the show initially out of casual interest, having found Discovery not quite to my taste I was hopeful for a new Trek to come to. And, at first, I wasn't sure what they were doing with this one.
There is a premise revealed in the early episodes that initially felt a bit too mystical but that they handled deftly through the season as the underlying plot device. They reveal that Captain Pike has seen a tragedy in his future, one where a number of others would be killed and he would badly injured. Its initial revelation is done almost in passing as a "here's my character quirk" but which, as the season goes on, moves more central.
The show delves into Star Trek lore and fleshes out a few things which have not been deeply known, often adding more body to things which could be seen purely as campy television from previous shows.
I truly am delighted by how much I loved the season. I haven't loved a Star Trek TV show like this in a long time. I enjoyed Lower Decks, but that is more as a sitcom than as a Star Trek show. I was disappointed and let down by Picard. Discovery wasn't my thing. So, being able to settle back into a Star Trek feels wonderful.
If you haven't checked out Strange New Worlds yet, please do, it is available on Paramount+. And for those of you loathe to commit to a new show without more coming, you can rest assured, they have already greenlit season 2. No word on release date, but I'm satisfied just knowing it's coming.
Edited - 1:47pm - Corrected a misunderstanding of mine in regards to the framing of the show and the details around Captain Pike's plot.
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Only Murders in the Building - Season 1 (2021)
My Rating: 4 out of 5 murders
I held off watching this, but have ended up bingeing it while my mother-in-law is here. Quite enjoyed the first season. Haven't jumped into season two yet.
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Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022)
My Rating: 3 out of 5 Lightsabers
I wanted to like the show a lot more than I did. I'm not hating anyone who loved it, to each our own. Overall I found it plodding and unremarkable. By far my favorite part of the show was Moses Ingraham.
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Amazon's Lord of the Rings show will be the most expensive season of TV ever produced, and it isn't close
That the total price tag for the first season of the show is estimated to come in at $450 million. (By comparison, a season of “Game of Thrones” was estimated to cost $90 million, or about $15 million an episode.) According to New Zealand publication Stuff, the amount was ascertained by the NZ$160 million tax credit the production will receive for filming in the country. To receive a tax credit of that amount, the budget is estimated to come in at just shy of half a billion American dollars.
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MLS inks a deal with AppleTV+ for broadcast rights
This article is from the focus of being a Sounders fan, but the deal looks to be very interesting. I think it's very interesting as far as partnerships. MLS definitely trends towards an audience that are somewhat better off financially, so I think it makes a lot of sense for Apple to lean into them for having a better overlap and a willingness to pay for the coverage.
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Got to give huge credit to Paramount+ for having my two current favorite streaming shows: The Offer and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.
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Paramount+'s new Star Trek Series: Strange New Worlds is Really Good
After my general disappointment in Picard I had been waiting to give this show a try, somewhat expecting to hate it. But I don't. I really really like it. Definitely worth the watch for any Star Trek fan.
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Ted Lasso to end after Season 3
Seeing discussion online that next season will be the show's last. I hate it, and I love it. I hate that the show is ending, but love that we're not going to see the show fade away and limp into the sunset.
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It is honestly shocking to me how ESPN+ has almost no algorithm in its offering of sports to viewers. I have never, in any way, desired to watch golf, and yet I have to wade through their streaming of it to get to the sports that I actually want to watch.
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The Flight Attendant
I finished season 2 of The Flight Attendant yesterday. Going into the series I had no real idea what it was about, I had heard something to do with the CIA - I think that was from a blurb on HBO Max. One day I put it on in the background and got sucked in.
It's not a John le Carre novel, but it does have intrigue. I figured out most of season 2 pretty early. But if you end up watching this for the spy/mystery, I think you'll be disappointed. It's much more about Cassie's (Kaley Cuoco) struggles with her alcoholism, mental health, dealing with trauma from an alcoholic father, as well as her own trauma caused on others.
Overall, the show is nothing mind blowing but I did find it interesting and a fine bit of media for when I'm working on other things and don't want to pay full attention. I give 3 out of 5 stars.
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My Philosophy on Entertainment Trailers
I constantly have friends who are befuddled why I stringently avoid most trailers. Trailers are, to me, a tool for a binary choice - Am I going to watch this thing or not? As soon as I have a decision (in either direction!) then the trailer becomes superfluous. And if my choice is "to watch" the thing the trailer is advertising, then the trailer is a potential risk for me.
If the trailer gives away too much plot, or sets my expectations wrong, etc. then it can harm my viewing of the media.
This post was inspired by everyone online talking about the new 'Obi-Wan Kenobi' trailer. And, look, without even seeing the trailer - I'm going to watch the show. I'm hyped already. So, I am not going out of my way to see the trailer. I'm expecting I'll see commercials and I won't be militant about avoiding stuff, but I am definitely not going to willfully watch anything for the show.
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The Problem with Jon Stewart
I forgot how much I needed Jon Stewart. For people of my generation, I can't overstate the importance of the Daily Show with Jon Stewart. It was a huge blow for my political education when he moved on from the show. I'm thrilled he's back producing content and talking about the dystopia around me.
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