Posts Tagged ‘tv’

It’s unusual for me to comment on a non-comedian’s death…

Posted: January 3, 2011 by datechguy in hobbies
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But I have to agree with hyacinth girl concerning Pete Postlethwaite:

Spielberg called him the best actor in the world, a statement I cannot dismiss as hyperbolic; he was an amazing actor. He was anyone, anything, any time — for someone with such a distinctive face, he had the uncanny ability to blend into and become a part of the fabric of any film he was part of, while never becoming invisible. He simply was whatever character he was cast as, and he never once seemed to be acting. You believed he was whomever he claimed to be, and he was riveting.

My primary memory of him is from the Sharpe Series as Sgt Obadiah Hakeswill. He was also excellent as a lawyer in Amistad and as George Merry in the best version of Treasure Island there ever was (with Charlton Heston as Long John Silver).

I do not ever remember him giving a bad performance and thanks to the miracle of video he will be enjoyed many generations after his death.

Thanks Pete, well done!

Consevatives and ratings, The Chicken and the egg

Posted: November 15, 2010 by datechguy in economy, oddities
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While everybody has been so fascinated by the rating for Sarah Palin’s new show (which broke all of TLC’s ratings records) I found the following story at the same site much more interesting.

According to months of data from leading media-research company Experian Simmons, viewers who vote Republican and identify themselves as conservative are more likely than Democrats to love the biggest hits on TV. Of the top 10 broadcast shows on TV in the spring, nine were ranked more favorably by viewers who identify themselves as Republican.

Even more funny is what the article says about shows democrats:

Dems are more likely to prefer modestly rated titles.

Like Mad Men.

The Emmy favorite has struggled to get a broad audience on AMC. It scores through the roof with Democrats (does anyone in Santa Monica or on Manhattan’s Upper West Side not watch it?), but it has one of the weakest scores among Republicans. The same is true for FX’s Damages, Showtime’s Dexter, HBO’s Entourage and AMC’s Breaking Bad.

And this quote made me laugh out loud:

That also goes for the soft-rated, critically beloved 30 Rock. Its score is highly polarized in favor of Democrats. The only show on NBC’s Thursday night comedy block that Republicans rate highly (slightly better than Democrats, even) is The Office … which happens to be the one bona fide hit in the bunch.

30 Rock is not a bona fide hit? You’d never know that from watching Morning Joe or MSNBC.

Let’s put it another way, if your desired audience is the critics rather than the general public, you are a likely a democrat.

This reminds me of the old Crime is down and prisons are full bit. Our friends on the left couldn’t figure out that crime was down because we were locking up criminals!

The point is that if you make shows that appeals to conservatives odds are you are going to have a hit because we are a center/right nation. If you decide to make a show that appeals to the MSNBC crowd, you will be the darling of Hollywood and the papers but don’t expect to get the same ad rates that NCIS and company manage.

Remember you can make a living with a niche market, you can’t win elections with one.

Doctor Who Marathon on BBC America NOW!

Posted: November 13, 2010 by datechguy in doctor who
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Starting at 6 a.m. this morning BBC America is once again having a marathon of Dr. Who.

They are advertising it as all of season five starting at 9 a.m. but they are actually starting with the last David Tennant Story The end of time to include the regeneration and the story behind it.

My review of the entire Series 5 starts with The Eleventh Hour and continues through The Beast Below, Victory of the Daleks, The Time of Angels, Flesh and Stone, The Vampires of Venice, Amy’s Choice, The Hungry Earth, Cold Blood, Vincent and the Doctor, The Lodger, The Pandorica Opens, and The Big Bang.

Of course if you want NEW stories there is always Big Finish as the Telegraph has reported:

The Tardis has landed in late-Sixties Soviet Russia. The Doctor and his companion are on the trail of an alien weapon that has fallen into the hands of the Soviets. They are in a speeding van being chased across a frozen lake. Just as they seem doomed the van is beamed aboard a space ship.

There is, however, no Matt Smith or Karen Gillan here. In fact, there is no frozen lake, no van and no spaceship, for I am in a recording studio and late-Eighties Dr Who Sylvester McCoy, and his companion Ace, played by Sophie Aldred, are conjuring the scene in a soundproofed booth.

Dr Who may have been successfully resurrected on television in 2005, but it had already reappeared six years earlier in the shape of audio plays released on CD, a format that has been thriving ever since. Big Finish Productions has created more than 180 plays featuring “classic doctors”, as the pre-2005 Doctors are known.

And if you want them in America you can get them mail order from Mike’s Comics along with figures, books and all the Doctor Who stuff you will ever want, just in time for Christmas!

“Shut up and sing” catches up to Andy Griffith

Posted: October 26, 2010 by datechguy in internet/free speech, opinion/news
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As he is won’t to do, Glenn Reynolds notes sales on Amazon and mentioned that the Andy Griffith show is discounted. To nobody’s surprise Glenn’s readers who have noticed Griffith’s shilling for Obamacare have been unimpressed.

Reader Jim Breed writes: “Does the Andy Griffith series have the episode where Andy approves as Dr. Obama gives Aunt Bea the blue pill?” Heh.

And reader Paul Beardsleee writes: “I always enjoy seeing your pointers to Amazon deals. I think I’ll pass on the Andy Griffith Show boxed set. Seeing ‘Sheriff Taylor’ shill for Obamacare makes me wonder whether Barney Fife needs to go all Serpico on his boss.”

Griffith’s fame comes from a time when there was less separation from the public image and the private beliefs of actors. Griffith make a famous video in favor of then candidate Obama with Henry Winkler and Ron Howard before the election and he donated his time to support Obamacare on the air.

Now the Andy Griffith was a pretty good show and at his age (84) I suspect he isn’t all that much worried about the bit of residuals those sales will bring, but I’ll wager a few other members of the cast and their descendents might not be so happy.

Update: Literally a bad link, was linked to the picture of a link, fixed, Thanks Dave

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