A truly amazing moment of TV from Doctor Who
Okay, not only am I sharing this scene, but also I finally added the ability for me to embed Tiktoks. I don't expect to be sharing them frequently, but it is a bit enough thing in online culture, I need the ability to easily handle it.
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Mayim Bialik and Ken Jennings to be permanent Jeopardy Co-hosts - Surprising approximately no one
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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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Dick Cavett interviews Orson Welles (1970)
I greatly enjoyed this interview. The two of them have wonderful chemistry and a willingness to embrace each other's silliness at times.
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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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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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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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Soccer Broadcast Rights in the US
What an absolutely amazing time to be a soccer fan in the US. I just compiled the leagues and competitions which are broadcast by the major networks and this is what the landscape looks like:
ESPN+ / ESPN / ABC
- MLS
- USL
- EFL
- FA Cup
- Scottish Premiere League
- Bundesliga
- DFB-Pokal
- Eredivisie
- La Liga
- Chinese Super League
- Danish Superliga
- Allsvenskan
- A-league
- Indian Super League
NBC / Peacock
- Premiere League
Paramount+ / CBS
- UEFA Champions League
- Europa League
- NWSL
- Serie A
- Coppa Italia
- Argentina Primera Division
- Brasiliero
- Asian Football Confederation
FOX Sports
- MLS
- World Cup
- Concacaf
- Conmebol
- Liga MX (Tijuana, Monterrey, Santos)
- Canadian Premier League
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I have been rewatching The Knick, starring Clive Owen, and before rewatching it I would have told you watched Season 2, but would have been completely unable to tell you the core plot. Upon this rewatching it was confirmed that I watched it, but that my memories of the season were even more spotty with entire episodes and top plots completely forgotten.
Overall the show is... fine. I really enjoyed Clive Owen's performance, but the show is shockingly dark at times. If you enjoy history period pieces then you'll likely enjoy it, but if the first episode isn't immediately addictive to you - then you should abandon ship because it only gets harder from there.
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Resident Alien - 3/5 (based on 2 episodes)
Last night I checked out Alan Tudyk's new drama on Syfy. Alan plays an alien trying to blend in to humanity while he searches for his device which will destroy the human race after crash landing on the planet. I did just read that it has been renewed for a second season, so I am looking forward to watching more of the show and see where it goes.
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Jeopardy announces future guest hosts
Among the names is Dr. Oz. To say I am disappointed is an understatement.
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