TV | Cavalcade of Awesome

Archive for the TV Category

TV Technology to Prevent Skipping Commercials? Yes.

Posted in technology, TV with tags technology, TV on May 4, 2006 by Paxton

”TV

I was checking some tech/entertainment news this morning and this article caused me to do a spit take all over myself and my computer. After wiping up Full Throttle energy drink from my pants and in my cubicle, and then apologizing to the people around me, I got back to reading the article. Apparently, Royal Phillips Company, also known as Phillips and one of the world’s leading electronics companies, has developed, and is trying to patent, a technology that would freeze the TV channel when commercials are airing. This technology would reside either on the TV itself or in a set-top cable box and would force TV viewers to watch commercials.

Being a TiVo owner, I have come to loathe commercials like poison. It’s so nice to be able to flip the fast forward button twice and get right back to the show. After having done this for so long, the idea of being forced to watch commercials causes my banana and breakfast bar to make a return visit to my esophagus. Every once in a while, my wife and I will watch a show live and have to sit through commercials. It’s like water torture. Not only are most commercials extremely irritating with fast-cut MTV editing, they are broadcast at least one and a half times louder than the show you are watching. I do admit that there are some commercials I enjoy watching. The Geico commercials are funny with the gecko and his limey accent. I also enjoy the Burger King big-buckin’ chicken commercial. Bud Light will always come up with some genius spots also (to check out the latest funny Bud Light commercials go here).

This technology, however maddening or close to patent it is, could never survive real life testing. Consumer corporations like Sony and JVC may buy it and put it in their TVs, Motorola and Texas Instruments may buy it and put it in their cable boxes. This is a technology you know the networks and ad executives can get behind. And all of this can be implemented inside your hardware and not turned on. As a matter of fact, this technology could be bundled with a larger service pack and the cable companies told they need it on their boxes to be able to capture the satellite signals. It will then sit there until one of the companies gets the testicular fortitude to turn it on for a test audience. The minute Joe Six-Pack can’t change the channel during commercials, he’ll flood the cable company with calls thinking his box is broken or malfunctioning. The cable company may or may not know what is going on. The technology will then be turned off and labeled a glitch in the system. That’s how, in all likely-hood it should play out.

At least I hope so, because if I’m forced to watch commercials, the next logical step is staking out a small place of business and taking a hostage. You can see me on the news, while being forced to watch the commercials.

Technorati Tags – Technology Television Commercials

NBC Cancels Heist

Posted in reviews, TV, TV shows with tags Heist, TV shows on April 24, 2006 by Paxton

Heist

NBC decides to cancel the struggling show after 5 episodes. I wrote a review of Heist’s pilot here. While I was initially put off by the ‘trying to hard to be clever’ dialogue, I gave the show a chance because it showed potential. In the last few episodes I had started warming up to the characters and wanted to see them succeed. You learn why Mickey wants to rob the jewelry stores, James’ troubles at home and you want to see Lola naked…wait, was that out loud?

Anyway, NBC apparently had no confidence in the show because they moved it opposite Lost and American Idol, pretty much killing any chance it had for survival. I am sad to see it go. I did TiVo the show and watched it on Sundays. The show was no Bones or 24, but it kept me coming back. I hope they dump the whole series to DVD and release it because it doesn’t sound like NBC will air anymore episodes at all. Very sad.

In memorium, let’s have one more longing look at Marika Dominczyk who played smokin’ hot Lola on the show:

Lola

Technorati Tags – TV Shows Heist Marika Dominczyk

Movie Review: Inside Man; Heist TV Show & Ocean’s 13

Posted in movies, reviews, TV, TV shows with tags Heist, movie reviews, movies, TV shows on March 28, 2006 by Paxton

For the wife’s birthday, went to see Inside Man with Clive Owen, Denzel Washington and Jodi Foster. As you can tell from my earlier post about heist movies, I LOVE this sub-genre. Heist movies, for the most part are so much fun. I love seeing new entries. I was underwhelmed recently by the movie Firewall with Harrison Ford. A limp, home/invasion, bank heist movie that really went nowhere for me. Paul Bettany as the robber was the only thing to save the movie. Harrison Ford continues on his rapid decent into mediocrity. But I digress. Inside Man is everything I ever wanted. Cool, smart mastermind, clever plan and interesting backstory. There is a lot going on, but it’s unbelievable how Clive Owen’s character is one step ahead of the police. The backstory and the ending are very cool and interesting also.

The performances also add to the wonderful script. Clive Owen is perfect as Dalton, the mastermind behind the bank robbery. He continues to impress me with his roles. Jodie Foster is great as usual with the hauty, smugness of her character Madeline, someone used to getting things done…discreetly. Denzel disappoints a little bit, but I fully confess to not really being a fan of him anyway. His character complements Owens’ Dalton nicely.

I was very suprised this is a Spke Lee movie. There’s lots of smart humor and really good action in this script. The ads and trailers I’ve seen do not play up the fact that he directed it, nor does it seem like his usual fair (of which I am also not really a fan). If this is how Spike can perform when not preaching about the ghetto, then consider me interested from now on. This movie had me entertained and out-guessed from the beginning and I applaud Spike and the other actors for finally putting a good movie out in a so far slow movie season.

Speaking of the heist sub-genre of movies, Steph and I watched the TV show Heist on NBC Sunday night (I had TiVo’d it. It actually aired last Wednesday).

It wasn’t bad. It had elements of Ocean’s 11 mixed with Out of Sight. Some of the dialogue I thought was trying too hard. The two main characters, Mickey and James, are having a discussion and they talk about topics no one on Earth would have regular conversations about like Mother Teresa and famous historical dates. For me, it was trying a tad too hard to be smart. You can have witty banter without having the characters off-handedly discuss the content of Mother Teresa’s letters and the date of the last Mongol invasion. Unnecessary.

Other than that, the show was very slick and executed itself very well. The heist in this episode was just the initial job to raise some money for the big heist to be executed later. After this first heist, I am definately interested in how they pull off the next heist.

Reading reviews of this show, I saw some online criticism that the heist depicted in the episode would have had to have too many things go right to realistically pull off. I say, if you watch and enjoy heist movies, you have to realize going in that timing and execution is everything. Of course everything has to happen with an insane, supernatural sense of execution and timing, otherwise it would be boring. But that’s just me.

I was not a fan of the lead, Dougray Scott, going into this (he was originally cast to play Wolverine in X-men but had to decline when filming on Mission Impossible II ran long), but he performs admirably here. As does the rest of his team. Check out pics from this series here.
The female member of the heist team, Lola, is HOOOOOOOOOT. I’ll definately tune in (with my TiVo at least) next Wednesday to see where this goes.

I’m in a heist state of mind, so, here is some news about Ocean’s 13. Filming starts by the end of the year and all the boys are back. The girls, however, will not be returning. I say yeah! for no Julia Roberts, but NO! for Catherine Zeta-Jones. Oh well. This is one of my favorite franchises so I’ll be there regardless.