Favorite TV Shows of 2012-2013

Favorite TV Shows of 2012-2013

Dramas

• Southland (TNT)
• Justified (FX)
• Arrow (CW)
• Orphan Black (BBCA)
• The Americans (FX)
• Walking Dead (AMC)
• [Runner ups: Doctor Who, Copper, Elementry, Good Wife, Longmire, Dexter, Castle, Nashville]

Comedies

• New Girl (FOX)
• Archer (FX)
• HIMYM (CBS)
• Big Bang Theory (CBS)
• Louie (FX)
• Modern Family (ABC)
• [Runner ups: South Park, The League, Wilfred, Raising Hope]

Realty Show

• Shark Tank (ABC)

Late Night Talk Show

• Red Eye (FNC)

Podcast (substituting for TV consumption:

• Adam Carolla
• Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History
• Harmontown
• Nerdist

 

Also note this similar discussion here.

Time for a Theme Song for the “Financial Cliff”

My choice is “Ship of Fools” by World Party:

I’ve used it before.

Doctor Who/River Song – Note to Myself

Nobody else will care about this note. I just wanted to get this theory down. I am writing this with  the “Let’s Go Kill Hitler” episode being the last  have seen.

I don’t think we know the River Song story yet. We are being fooled. In the first River Song Episode (supposedly the oldest version of herself), she is an Archeologist. She is cool and calm for the most part.

There is no hint that she has been imprisoned and some sort of super-criminal for a super crime.

At the end of “Let’s Go Kill Hitler”, she goes off to become an archeologist.

Later episodes, in which we assumed were all younger versions, show her more wild and being some sort of super-criminal for a super crime.

I think that her death episodes in  “Silence in the Library“/”Forest of the Dead” is not really her death.

I think the episodes showing her as a special prisoner for being super-criminal for a super crime, come later.

We have not seen the death of River Song.

We do not know how her story plays out.

My Favorite TV Shows 2010-2011ish Season

The Top 2:

Doctor Who – The writing, the acting, and the music…the current season has me hooked fully.  Matt Smith  has turned out to be the best Doctor and the story lines have matured and modernized. This was my favorite show for the past season.

Louis – A comedy/drama unlike any show. Season Two this summer has gotten better with each episode. It is an amazing show.

…and the rest in no particular order…

Archer – A LOL Spy parody/celebration/throwback. Enjoy these clips!

How I Met Your Mother – Funny Sitcom with dramatic moments. Two more season to go.

Big Bang Theory – The season started weak as Sheldon and Friends, but it ended strong as an expanded ensemble comedy.

Outsourced – A fish-out-of-water sitcom as an American is transferred to India to take over his company’s newly outsourced call center. The show was sweet and funny. PC types called it racists…which says more about them then the show. It was not renewed after its one season.

Modern Family – A sitcom that seems traditional but is executed perfectly…perfectly amusing!

Wilfred – A failed suicidal man dealing with an early mid-life crisis has a dog come into his life that he can communicate with it. Or possibly a man in a dog suit. Or possible he is insane. Hilarity and drama commence.

Community – A sitcom based around a fun ensemble cast with lots (but not too much) pop culture references and meta-humor.

Men of  Certain Age – A comedy/drama about men just past their prime. Alas, it has since been cancelled.

Terriers – Low-rent private ivestiagtors…great acting and stories. Also cancelled (after just one season).

Detroit 1-8-7 – This standard homicide detective show was elevated by superior acting, stories and the shows look and feel. Also cancelled  (after just one season).

Justified – Season 2 of this modern western improved upon its great premier season.

The Good Wife – A lawyer based drama but with excellent execution, acting and story-lines. I watched the premier by accident and have been hooked since then,

Mentalist – It seems to be a traditional detective/crime show but is enhanced by the acting/antics/PoV of the main character.

Shark Tank – An entrepreneurship reality show of sorts.

Red Eye w/ Greg Gutfeld – My favorite late night show…though I like The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson as well.

Tekzilla – A technology news and demo show available on the web

The following are my top podcast choice. They are not TV shows, but I am using them to substitute for radio listening and TV viewing:

The Adam Carollo Podcast – Humor from Adam’s life and PoV on things.

Buzz Out Loud – A light hearted end-of-the day technology news roundup show

Hardcore History – The top – but infrequent – history podcast

The Nerdist – Pop Culture Humor from the Nerd/Geek PoV

50th Anniversary of DR Who is Coming up…

I’d like to see a 50th Anniversary episode that brings back the main living doctor-actors and perhaps others portraying the prior version faithfully.

I don’t want a big action adventure episode though. I want talking and story.

Make it be a TARDIS only episode. The Doctor is alone on the TARDIS for some reason. The TARDIS is dying (maybe). The Doctor is dying (maybe). He is alone…except for the voices and images of his past selves who proceeds to argue and discuss his predicament, his failings, and his companions. Maybe flash back to his youth, and his initial escape from Galifrey with Susan. I am thinking to a bit of Magnum PI episode that was done with the lead character trapped in the ocean with just his own thoughts and stuff for survival. The older doctor/actors can rely mostly on their voices, personality and expressions (use makeup and shadows).

Instead of TV or Talk Radio…

…I have been listening to more  Podcasts as I finish implementing my TV/Media viewing project.

I like to start my day with Adam Corolla Podcast followed by sampling of the Brent Winterble Podcasts. I like to end my day with BuzzOutLoud.

Adam Corolla Show

• Daily
• Humor / Pop Culture Personality Driven

Brett Winterble Show (was Covert Radio)

• Daily
• National Security and Homeland Security (mostly)
• I mostly ignore the non-security stuff

Buzz Out Loud

• Daily
• Technology and Pop Culture in a fun way

Security Now

• Weekly
• Computer Security related topics –  mostly consumer focused

Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History Show

• Periodic
• Fascinating Historical Themes and PoV

Dan Carlin’s Common Sense Show

• Periodic
• Political Theme’d Show

 

Stuff You Missed in History Class

• Periodic
• Interesting history/trivia in small bites

Pritzker Military Library Podcasts

• Periodic
• Military-related history book talks

The International Spy Museum SpyCast

• Periodic
• Espionage/Intelligence/Security-related history talks

EconTalk

• Periodic
• Economic Thinking presented in an accessible way

NPR Planet Money

• Periodic
• Economics and Finance presented in an accessible/fun way

On Point with Tom Ashbrook

• Daily
• Current Events and new non-fiction books mostly

I guess I am a Kevin Smith cultist. I enjoy the humour and talk of his Smodcast Network Podcast:

• SModcast
• Hollywood BabbleOn
• Plus One
• Jay and Silent Bob Get Old

 

 

For Joseph Fouche

Does Python have a counter?

 

via Slashdot

Doctor Who – No limit On Regenerations, Correct?

I know that the Doctor Who character and the Time Lord are limited to 12 regenerations.

Supposedly there is some big hubabub that the show mythology is dropping this.

Doesn’t anybody remember the “Trial of a Time Lord” season?

I commented on the TV Squad Link:

I hate to sound like a Dr Who geek…but I think the regeneration issue was sort of solved in the Colin Baker “Trial of a Time Lord” season. The ending made it appear that a future/alternate/not-so-nice version of the Doctor had tricked his current self and all of the time lords in to resetting his regenerations or lifting the limit completely without any of them knowing it. It was certainly an ambiguous ending to a season long story arc.

I don’t believe I am wrong on this. I remember watching the final “Trial” episode when it first aired in Madison and saying something like  “Aha…Doctor Who’s forever!”.

Also note: 20+ years later I think about and watch Dr. Who. I won’t be giving the suckfest that is Avatar more then a thought or two after today.

I don’t understand CA politics…

…but perhaps this sort of things will help Meg Whitman:

 

 

 

Music Break: “Jedward – Ice Ice baby featuring Vanilla Ice (Official Music Video)”

I Can’t get this U-2 song out of my head!

I have been playing “Original of Species” over and over on my iPod this morning. It is like I am hearing it for the first time. What a great song.

My Favorite TV Shows 2009-2010ish Season

I figured I should list these before the new season starts:

Glee – A weekly/quirky/musical!

Men of  Certain Age – A comedy/drama about men just past their prime

Justified – It is a Western…set in 2010. It is awesome!

Big Bang Theory – Traditional Sitcom but revolving around math/science geeks.

How I Met Your Mother – Funny Sitcom…the end of the show is near I fear.

Chuck – Spy-based action comedy – funny and quirky.

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia – The anti-Sitcom. The characters are not likable. They do bad things. There are no life lessons learned. Prepare to LOL 30 minutes at a time.

Rescue Me – A drama with comic moments.

The Colony – A reality show and human lab experiment about survival post-Apocalypse. A 2nd season is on now.

Surviving Disaster – It is “a simulation of real life disaster situations” – quite fun and informative.

Shark Tank – This is sort of a entrepreneurship reality show that I fond interesting.

Red Eye w/ Greg Gutfeld – MY favorite and only late night show!

I am a Gleek

“Without thinking too much about it, name the first five movies that come to mind”

The question came from Facebook.

My answer:

– Vertigo
– Casablanca
– Kick-Ass
– Big Trouble in Little China
– The Last Emporer

WTF Video [Not Safe For Work or Kids]

Update (better pic):

Ray Bradbury Pictures

Orig Picture:

Still has game?

This why I watch “Red Eye”

Watching V (spoilers)

Spoilers to follow…

Badger Pride: On Wisconsin (The Hip-Hop remix)

Music Break – The Violent Femmes cover Gnals Barkley’s Crazy!

Here is the Violent Femmes Version:

Here is the original:

Here is Gnals Barkley covering the Femmes:

RIP Jim Carroll

I just read Jim Carroll died on 9/11/2009.

RIP punk poet – this is for you my brother:

Digging Glee

I am really liking the new TV show Glee. The first episode blew me away.

The blog TV Squad had the idea to suggest 5 songs you’d like to see them cover. Well here are my choices (the first 5 that came to mind anyways):

– Rick Springfield’s Jesse’s Girl
– Bee Gee’s Lonely Days
– I will Survive (more Cake then Gloria Gaynor)
– Lily Allen’s Smile
– Bruce Cockburn’s Wondering Where the Lions Are

You tell him, Jack!

Thoughts on the upcoming Green Bay Packers Season

I usually don’t watch any pre-season games, but I will be watching tonight’s Packer games.

This is going to be a challenging season for the packers.

IMHO, there are three big issues for the packers:

1) Defense: How will the defense adjust to using primarily a 3-4? There is a lot of “fingertip feel” that the defense is going to have to build up and throughout the season to be successful since football is a game of seconds and inches.

2) Kicking: Will punting suck again? Will field-goal kicking be subpar? Punting and place kicking were so poor last season, it was like giving the other side an additional first down conversion each series. Also, do the packers have the capability top win games with last second field goals? It remains to be seen.

3) Quarterback: Aaron Rodgers proved he was smart enough and physical enough to be a starting pro football quarterback. He showed grace with the whole Favre distraction. What Rodgers did not show is if he is a clutch playmaker or not. The packer offense had a dearth of successful late game drives. It may have been do to a sum of factors. It maybe be that Rodgers doesn’t have “it”. We will know by the end of the season for sure, one way or another.

Les Paul, RIP

Goodbye to the Wizard from Waukesha:

From Guitar-Tech on Flickr

Happy Birthday Louis Armstrong!

Thanks for everything Pops!

Twitter, Damn you!

I’d like to micro-blog to Twitter about my frustration with Twitter down, but D’oh!!!!