ModestGeniusXL

The Year in Television

I had to struggle to find 15 shows that I watched semi-regularly this year.  Unfortunately, I just couldn't do it.  I had to fight to find even 13.  Even with DVRing, I didn't watch as much television as I had in previous years either. A smaller selection meant it would be a smaller countdown for the first time since I started doing this.  Oh well.

There was also another issue when it came to making this list.  Some of my favorites didn't get renewed and/or picked up so they didn't even have a chance to even make the cut.  Like rookie show "Franklin and Bash".  I just now noticed it never came back.  Or "Friday Night Lights" that has been gone for 2 years now.  So what we have left is the top 13 that did manage to capture my attention this year...

13.  Saturday Night Live
Kristen Wiig finally left the cast this year to no one's surprise.  All that did was leave them with a cast that's one less funny woman.  Many of the same men that have been carrying it for the past several years are still there.  Guys like Bill Hader, Seth Meyers, Jason Sudeikis and even Kenan Thompson.  The future is looking bleek as I don't see any up and coming talent in many of the younger cast members.  But then again, I've said that before about "SNL" and this show is in its 37th season.  As long as their alumni keep making guest appearances, they'll do alright.  And they always come back.

12.  American Horror Story: Asylum
The fact this this second season of "American Horror Story" is this far down on the list should tell you something.  Talk about a sophomore slump.  They fell off BIG time in trying to match the intensity they brought in their inaugural season.  They should consider themselves lucky they even made the countdown.  It was mainly due to a few good scenes here and there.  Unlike other "AHS"-followers, this seasongot off to a rocky start from the beginning with me.  I tried to give them time to improve to get even close to last year's show.  Never happened.

11.  Repo Games
I used to watch that show "Operation Repo" until it dawned on me that it was entirely fake.  It took me a couple of seasons to figure it out.  Yeah..I was slow.  I stumbled across this one accidentally one night while visiting my cousin's house.  I almost didn't give it a chance thinking it was like all the other fake repo shows out there.  But that game show part of it interested me.  Especially since it involved trivia.  And from what I've seen so far, it definitely appears to be one of the most genuine "reality" shows out there.  I wish they would show up at my place for a repo for that show. But ONLY if I can be on the show.  I'm not trying to get behind on my payments in the hopes that I may get 15 minutes of fame.

10.  How I Met Your Mother
This one has the unique distinction of making it on here thanks to both its current episodes and those already in syndication.  I would have never given this show a chance if it wasn't for E telling me to start watching the past seasons.  I have yet to come across a rerun that's not funny.  The same goes for the current season.  It's weird because I want them to hurry up and end the series so we can finally see who the heck the mother is, but it would be bitter sweet because then it would mean the series is over.  And how great is watching Neil Patrick Harris as Barney? 

9.  Catfish: The TV Show
Some of you may remember that I named "Catfish" the best movie of 2011.  It never dawned on me that it was the perfect concept for a television show.  For some reason, I didn't think they would be able to find enough people out there who are stupid enough to admit how gullible they are with their own online relationships.  How are you going to be talking to someone for a year and he/she NEVER sends you a current pic?  And they can't find a way to visit you even ONCE during that time?  If you EVER think there is anything pathetic at all about your life, just watch the people on this show and you'll be relieved.

8.  Parks and Recreation
I hate to say it but I think what really helped this show get a solid footing was Steve Carell leaving "The Office".  This show follows a much similar format complete with a well known name in the lead.  "The Office" has been floundering ever since theirs left.  "Parks and Rec" has rallied around theirs and improved their writing and storylines even more in the meantime.  I think the real reason this show always entertains me is it reminds me of smalltown living from back in my Norwalk days.  And I wouldn't doubt it one bit if the city government back then actually operated much in the same tomfoolery way that these folks do. 

7.  Happy Endings
I'm pretty sure when they first thought up "Happy Endings" that they were trying to pitch it as the anti-"Friends".  It wasn't just another show about a group of yuppie (do they still use that word?) friends clowning one another.  For one, this show actually has a Black actor as one of the leads.  Secondly, the writing is SO much better.  There are many an episode that I'm laughing so hard I'm missing jokes.  I have to keep rewinding to see what I missed.  I just have a strange feeling that they'll end up unceremoniously canceling this show.  They always seem to get the good ones.

6. Tosh.0
Tosh seems to have a lost a step since the little ruckus he unintentionally caused earlier in the year.  Apparently he made a rape joke at one of his shows that didn't go over too well.  But anyone that had seen his comedy knows that it's his style to offend.  He always goes close to crossing the line on his show.  And sometimes even crosses it.  So how is someone going to get upset at him for being himself?  Especially with him being a comedian?  Nevertheless, after that happened, it felt like he started pulling punches on the show.  It was still funny, just not as good as it had been in previous seasons.  He's slowly getting back to form though. 

5.  Modern Family
I thought Gloria (Sophia Vergera) getting pregnant would cause the show to lose a little something.  Not at all.  They're in the fourth season and showing no signs of letting up on the funny.  It's like every single character on the show gets better and better with each passing episode.  Even the adopted daughter Lily.  It's so hard to pick a favorite because any one episode there's a different character who steps up as the MVP.  The one that stands out clear as day though is the one when we discover Phil's book of "Phil's-osophy".  They seriously need to make an actual book of those.  I'd buy it in a second.

4.  Sons of Anarchy
One of these days I will go back and watch the first two seasons to see what I missed up to the point that I finally started watching.  Fortunately, it doesn't matter too much how long I wait because the show still holds up on its own without backtracking.  Maybe even better.  I'm going to forgive them of the horrible miscast of Harold Perrineau as a Black mafia boss.  Was anyone else not buying him in that role at all?  Everything else about the show was so strong that I was able to look past that.  Including one of the most epic death scenes I've seen in a drama in quite a while.  I'd be lying if I said that even I didn't get a little emotional when Opie bought it.  Yeah..maybe I should hurry up and get to watching those first two seasons.

3.  Glee
The thing with shows that focus on any type of school (junior high, high school, college, etc.) is eventually the kids have to grow up and move on.  Unless it's a cartoon where the likes of Bart and the kids of "South Park" stay in school forever.  But in real life, they have to graduate.  So when they started graduating the main characters off "Glee" I thought I would start losing interest.  But they did the smart thing of introducing younger characters early on to carry the torch for the ones that were leaving.  Plus, we still get to see our "Glee" favorites in their post-high school lives on the show.  They're giving us the best of both worlds.  More importantly, they finally found that right balance where they're not being too goofy OR too heavy.  But still...those kids can't stay attached to that high school forever.  Just ask "Friday Night Lights".  I give "Glee" one more season tops.  Until then, I appreciate all the joy they've brought to this former choir geek.

2.  The Walking Dead
So I've got some friends on The Book (and in real life) that denounce every thing this show and shows like it stand for.  Saying that one of the problems with today's society is we've embraced demonic entertainment that showcases the likes of vampires and werewolves and zombies.  Well I say lighten up.  It's just entertainment.  Watching it doesn't mean that I'm going to start worshipping Satan and/or demonic things.  And the funny thing is, I swear the folks that do this show must have heard the same type of gripings and reacted in their own way.  This second season has far and away been much more gorier and violent than the first season.  They're basically giving their haters even more reasons to criticize.  Meanwhile, us true horror fans are loving it. Oh..and the soap opera-like storyline that they have going on during all the bloody action is an extra bonus.

1.  Key and Peele
If you were ever (and still are) a fan of "The Chappelle Show" and haven't seen this show then I don't know what you could possibly be waiting on.  Ever since "The Chappelle Show" left the air there has been a huge void just waiting to be filled.  Still can't believe that it took this long for it to happen.   Maybe Comedy Central was just waiting for the right person (or in this case, people) to come along so they could make sure they got it absolutely right.  Well they flat out knocked it out the box with this new comedy.  These two cats have come up with one of the funniest skit shows to ever hit television.  I'm not going to go as far as to say that it's better than "Chappelle Show" but it's easily on par with it.  Let's just hope they don't quit once the show gets wildly popular and drop off the face of the earth like Dave did. 

 

The Year in Television

So what's going on with the show on the boob tube this year?  Where did that phrase even come from?  When you think about it it's probably more applicable in our day and age than whatever era it originated.  I'm sure we see a lot more racy things these days that would have never seen the light of day back then.

Anyway, I will have to admit that I wasn't overly impressed with a vast majority of what I did see on tv this past year.  It had nothing to do with the fact that I didn't get a chance to watch as much tv as I normally do.  Even when I dvr'ed I ended up being disappointed.  Like once reliable shows such as "The Office" falling off dramatically when Steve Carrell left.  However, I was still able to salvage a top 15 list from what I did watch...

15.  Parks and Recreation
I have to give them props for keeping Rob Lowe and the other dude in the show for this long and not losing anything.  In fact, it probably helped them.  But nothing close to the boost that their other storylines were giving them.  Marrying Andy and April produced pure comedy gold.  So did Tom's side gig of an entertainment company.  The show just kept surprising from a new angle every week.  If you haven't seen it yet then do so and TREAT YO' SELF!

14.  Community
If you watch Joel McHale's other show "The Soup" you caught how he kept mentioning in the last few episodes that NBC is putting "Community" on hiatus.  It makes no sense that a show this good has to go away while we have continue to be tortured with something like "Whitney".  I really wonder what goes thru tv execs heads sometimes.  At the very least they could have given us a show with just Abed and Troy to whet our appetite during the alleged hiatus

13.  Archer
I almost missed this show every Thursday because of a glitch with my dvr.  It kept wanting to not prioritize this and would instead re-record repeats of "The Soup".  Quickly solved that problem.  As far as cartoons go this is hands down the best one on tv at the moment.  For adult cartoons anyway.  "South Park" has fallen off a bit, and joints like "American Dad" and "Family Guy" aren't even in the same ballpark.  I'm going to need them to make longer seasons though. 

12.  Glee
Yes, the self-proclaimed Gleek and former Swing Choir member himself really does have this show down this far.  They brought it on themselves.  I said early on that they need to improve the music to get that show back to where it once was.  Well that and get away from the depressing storylines they were doing.  They slowly moved away from both of those issues but not far enough.  And if they were smart they would stop putting everybody and their mom in that school.  It's starting to get like the island on "Lost" where folks just keep popping up out of nowhere.

11.  Sons of Anarchy
I meant to watch this show from day one but missed out for some reason.  Then I thought I might as well not watch at all since I was three seasons behind.  But then I figured I've started mid-series with shows before so why not.  It worked out pretty good for a minute there.  It was quite the interesting season with Rockmond Dunbar on board.  Then they had to go and ruin it with that wack season finale.  The only reason I'll watch again next season is to see how they attempt to redeem themselves. 

10.  Harry's Law
They took a HUGE risk this season by getting rid of the brotha and the blonde girl on the show.  Especially with it being only the second season.  I guess they figure better to do it now than later when we get too attached to them.  The only reason it worked is because Kathy Bates still makes the show.  And for the longest time it was the closest thing I had to fill that "Boston Legal" void.  Until another show came along that we'll get too later.  If they ultimately get back to getting the community around the law office more involved with the episodes again then this show could yet move back up.

9.  Modern Family
These folks still remain my favorite non-dysfunctional family on television.  Makes no sense, right?  Well when you watch the show it really does.  They are normal people but they really aren't.  Most of what they do is always out of love for another.  It's just done in such an awkward manner sometimes that it's hard to tell.  Until the end of the episode.  And the journey they take us on to get there continues to be a hilarious one.

8.  Friday Night Lights
I was going to say that it's hard to believe that this show is now off the air, but it's really not.  Not when you consider that it was on NBC.  The same network where we now know they have a habit for axing good shows because they have no common sense.  I'm glad that FNL lasted as long as it did.  Considering the fact that it was based on a high school football team, it had probably run its course anyway.  I found myself watching the last season wanting to see more of the old familiar faces AND storylines.  So bravo to them for going out with a bang instead of hanging on too long.  But I'm still mad that they didn't bring Smash back for that series finale.

7.  Leverage
Speaking of FNL, it's still so good to see Voodoo (Alec Hardison) thriving in another role.  In fact, it seems like this role as Aldis was the one he was meant to play.  I have to be honest though...I keep waiting for that one episode where Eliot runs into the one cat that he can't take out within a couple of seconds.  Let's see him lose for once.  Let's see the team fail just one time.  And not on purpose either.  They almost make them all too perfect as anti-heroes.

6.  How I Met Your Mother
I altered my own rules for this countdown just for this one.  I know...big surprise that I'm not playing by my own rules, huh?  I'm watching this one in syndication and it's regular new shows.  The ones in syndication are by far away the best ones.  I'm able to see how much hilarity I missed out on when the show was fresher.  Still, the new episodes are no slouches either.  They aren't enough to be a top 10 show by themselves, but fortunately for them they don't have to worry about that problem

5.  Franklin and Bash
Remember when I was talking about that show I needed to fill the "Boston Legal" void?  Well hello "Franklin and Bash".  It doesn't even bother me that it's more than far-fetched that these two could operate as attorneys in the manner in which they do.  So what if it's almost like they run their practice not a whole lot different than a stereotypical college frathouse?  It's Zach Morris (yes, that will always be his name to me) and Breckin Meyer.  Do we really expect either of them to play any other type of role?

4.  The Walking Dead
Out of all the shows that I do watch where the season finales are crucial this is the only one that delivered.  Easily the best season finale I've seen in quite a while.  And that's saying a lot considering all of the writers from the first season were replaced.  Allegedly.  Unfortunately, there were a couple of episodes here and there that were hit and miss leading up to that season finale.  At least they righted that ship at the end.  Now I am once again looking forward to the next season which is just how it's supposed to be with a good drama.

3.  Happy Endings
I seriously can't get enough of this show.  As far as sitcoms go they seriously knocked it out of the park with this one.  You know how some shows will have that one quirky friend who's the constant on the show for an off the wall laugh?  Well they made the entire cast like that on this one.  Why didn't anyone ever think of that before?  Perhaps someone did but the writing wasn't near as clever. 

2.  American Horror Story
The ONLY reason this didn't take the top spot for best show of the year was because of that disappointing season finale.  The second to last show was actually better.  Maybe they should have ended it there.  It was bad enough that they were adding more and more ghosts to the house throughout the season.  I've already said I'm not a fan of that style which I now call "Lost-writing".  I'm going to forgive them for that though because the entire season was on point up until then.  Every show was a new twist better than the next.  Can't wait to see what next season with a new cast and location will bring.

1.  Tosh.0
I just checked last year's countdown to see if this one really did repeat.  It most certainly did.  That's a feat that hasn't been done on my lists since "Friday Night Lights" in its prime.  So Daniel Tosh should consider himself in some pretty elite company.  To be fair, this lofty ranking was helped in part by Tosh's stand-up I also saw this year.  You can appreciate his jokes an antics on the show even more when you see him uncensored.  The fact that he continues to push the boundaries every single show and doesn't care at all when he actually steps over them is what makes this show so funny in the first place.  But again...I'm going to need them to make longer seasons.  Lord knows there is plenty of internet fodder out there to keep this show busy for a while.

O the Randomness...

When we say we miss an artist that's passed (like MJ) is that really accurate?  I mean they are still around in their music and videos so what is there to miss?  It's not like any of us really knew them personally

They've really got "Fast and Furious 6" in the works??  Now that I think about it...I'm okay with that

I still have no idea what Kanye meant by he would have married Kate and Ashley if he was Chris Williams.  Who's Chris Williams??

Despite the fact that plenty of other folks have been bashing it, I'm rather fond of that ticker that The Book has recently added

Someone pointed out that only nosy people like it.  Well there you go!

If I see one more hip-hop artist/group trying to make a come-up in Des Moines...where's all the R&B local talent??

So I was watching the Patriots/Chiefs game on Monday Night Football and thought for a minute that Brady was scared of the Chiefs because of what they did to him last time they played.  Then he quickly got over it

Speaking of which, no I haven't intentionally been omitting my "Hail to the Chiefs" posts.  Let's face it..there just hasn't been a lot to talk about recently regarding their abysmal performances

Now my Cyclones on the other hand...MAD props to them for upsetting the #2 team in the country this past Friday night!  Still mad that I had tickets to the game and didn't go because I thought they would get blown out.  That's what I get

Never thought I would see the day when a Ford Taurus was considered a premium vehicle.  Next thing you know Taco Bell will be considered gourmet dining #obscureDemolitionManreference

I'm still baffled at why the window washers were cleaning the exterior windows at the office while it was raining outside

I don't think it was a coincidence that most of Marc Anthony's back-up dancers in his recent American Music Awards performance looked like J-Lo

The new Verizon phone has beats by Dre on it??  That's what's up.  Almost makes me want to switch to Verizon and get rid of my iPhone.  Yeah....right...

Can't believe Zombie Burger stopped selling onion rings.  What's a burger joint without onion rings??  Which reminds me...guess I better get that restaurant out there before I forget about that too

Watching those old shows like "The Big Valley" and "Bonanza" always cracks me up. Those cats are walking around dirty, dusty wild, wild west roads all day long and never have a speck of dirt or dust on their outfits

Everytime I look at Madden Football I laugh at how far video games have come since the days of M Network. How many remember that Atari gem?

Was that Amber Rose I just saw starring in a high-end alcohol commercial?

Read that MidAmerican Energy suggests keeping the thermostat at 60 degrees during the winter. I don't know about them but I like keeping warm during the winter

Saw photos of the new auditorium at my alma mater. WOW! Can't wait to see it in person. NHS has come a long way since "The Pajama Game" in the gymnasium

Dear Mickey Ds: It's probably not a good idea to have the hard of hearing employees taking orders

I wonder what the over/under is for number of food-related posts we'll see on The Book today.  Mine included

If they will gossip with you then best believe they will gossip about you

'Nuff said

 

 

Things to Be Grateful For

My Nightly Viewings

Thanks to my now sporadic posting it seems like it wasn't that long ago that I posted one of these Grateful entries.  Oh well.  It only seems fitting anyway since Thanksgiving is just around the corner.  O how I wish it would hurry up and get here.  Can't wait to see the family in Bloomington.  But I digress...

It's always difficult doing one of these tv postings because different shows air at different times of the year.  The summer showings are now over so we're into the fall line-up which is markedly different.  Plus, there's already been some casualties which included some shows I was starting to get into.  Well at least one anyway.  RIP "The Playboy Club".  Was pretty sure with its content that it was going to last much longer.  At least not a regular tv.  So here's the best of the rest of what I currently view...

15. Death Valley
Did it really take this long for someone to come up with the brilliant idea to cash in on the zombie craze as a comedy show?  I'm surprised the creators of "Shaun of the Dead" didn't try this.  Or maybe they did?  This show goes the extra step of incorporating werewolves and vampires too.  Complete with a task force assigned to keeping them all in place.  Plus, since it's MTV they don't hold back any gore.  And believe it or not, it really is a comedy

14. Parks and Recreation
This was originally much higher last season.  Thanks in large part to just the intro on that one episode where Ron Swanson (Nick Offerman) appeared to remove his own tooth.  That's how epic it was.  But that was last season.  It has fallen off a bit this year.  Not enough to leave my watched list though.  Bit players like Aziz Ansari keep me coming back for more

13. South Park
Hard to believe it's been on for 15 years now.  I still remember when there was a rumor that they were going off the air after their third season.  Glad that turned out to be false.  Cartman and the boys just never get old.  And the best thing with it being animated is that they never do have to age even though we do.  Yet they continue to keep their topics timely.  Is it too early to be cracking jokes on Penn State?  Not if you're South Park

12.  The Sing-Off
Like any talent show, this one can be really hit and miss from week to week.  The one group that shines one week may not be as good the next week.  However, there is always at least one standout performance.  And it's always acapella.  Their worst show is still better than any other "talent" show out there on their best day.  Plus, the Dartmouth Aires performance of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" was just flat out legendary

11. Grimm
The premise alone had me hooked.  So all those Grimm fairytales we heard as kids weren't actually fairytales but rather true stories?  The creatures in the stories really exist among us and the Grimm family has been around for centuries to keep them in line?  I can get with that.  Even if the special effects are a little shoddy.  I'm guessing they'll improve as the show goes on.   Or rather hoping

10. Glee
They're slowly starting to come around this season.  At least they've improved their musical selections from last year.  However, I'm not too fond of how they're putting everybody in the same school now.  Now not only is Blaine (Darren Criss) there but so is Vocal Adrenaline's teacher (Idina Menzel).  What are the odds?  Pretty soon Rachel's old boyfriend with the amazing voice will be there too.  Actually, I hope they find a way to get him on the show more.  He made every song better and the better the music is the better "Glee" is

9. Community
Never thought there would come a day that this would be on a top 10 list for me when fellow Thursday nite line-up show "The Office" would be totally missing.  But that was before Steve Carell left the show.  As expected, "The Office" hasn't been the same since and the other Thursday shows have thrived since then.  "Community" has been the biggest benefactor.  That's in spite of the fact that a very much past his prime and no longer funny Chevy Chase keeps weighting the show down.  As much as I appreciate all the great moments he gave us in the late 70s and early 80s, the show would be much better without him

8. The Walking Dead
Something just occurred to me while watching this show...in the apocalyptic zombie future eventually the survivors are going to run out of ammunition.  And it should be happening sooner than later because they'll also be running out of gas without fuel tankers to replenish gas stations.  I wish the show would have took us to that time period to see how these folks manage.  I'm good with where they are though.  Although I do want to see more zombies and less anguished pregnant survivors

7.  How I Met Your Mother
This one has a unique distinction.  It sits at this spot because not only are the new shows making me laugh but I'm still discovering old episodes in syndication which is running concurrently that also has me cracking up.  The best thing about the show is it's never one person carrying it.  They all have their moments where one is funnier than the next.  Make no mistake though it's Neil Patrick Harris that remains the shows highlight.  Well him and Jason Segel

 6.  Harry's Law
I think the last time I did a list like this when "Harry's Law" was also on that I mistakenly left it off.  I could go back and check but that's too much work.  At any rate, this show came along just in time to fill that void that "Boston Legal" left.  I'm not feeling it this season as much as last though.  I don't like that the brotha and the blond chick are off the show already and it's only the second season.  Also, there also seems to be less focus on the neighborhood where the law office is located which made for some great storylines during the first season.  We'll see how it pans out though

5. Sons of Anarchy
I told myself I was going to check out this series when it very first premiered a few years ago.  I spaced it off and didn't.  Next thing I knew they were a couple of seasons in so I decided not to worry about it.  Then I kept seeing the buzz on The Book which made me change my mind this season.  Didn't care if I was coming in midstream.  Turns out it didn't matter a whole lot.  As a matter of fact, I probably picked the best season to tune in since they have Rockmund Dunbar on board as the town sheriff now.  Plus, how can you go wrong when you have Hellboy (Ron Perlman) as the gang's leader?

4.  Modern Family
They haven't slowed up yet.  Thank goodness.  I love how they come on the perfect night of the week.  Wednesday night the work week is half over and you need a little something to get you through those last two business days.  Well then along comes the Dunphys and the Pritchetts.  And every single character on the show is guaranteed to come thru with the funny.  Even down to the kids.  It's rare that a show does that.  I sure hope they can keep it up

3.  Happy Endings
I think I just realized why I like this show so much.  It's because these group of friends all have the same type of sarcastic personality as me.  It would be like hanging out with a bunch of me's.  They are like a new and improved version of the whole "Friends" format.  On a somewhat related but not really note, I still can't believe that Damon Wayans is old enough to have a son that looks as old as he does.  I thought when Damon Jr. first started doing his thing that he'd be trying to rest on Pop's laurels but he's actually very funny in his own right 

2.  Tosh.0
They are seriously killing me with these little short seasons they do of this show.  It will be on for about five weeks of new episodes then it's on break.  The good thing about that is there are new episodes throughout the course of the year in every season.  The bad thing about that is it still feels like the new episodes are too far and far between.  I've had to mess around and watch MTV's knock-off show "Ridiculousness" to fill that void in the meantime.  Trust me...it doesn't come remotely close to the hilarity that John Tosh brings every episode on his show

1.  American Horror Story
Someone tried to tell me that this was only going to be a 5-part mini-series type thing?  Maybe they meant that this was supposed to be one season only.  I can see that since the family is already trying to get out of the house.  In the meantime, this show has proven to be ten times better than I ever thought it would be.  If it was an actual horror movie it would be one of the best ones I've seen in quite a while.  I thoroughly enjoy how each week gets more intense to than the next.  I really hope they don't end this at just one season.

 

 

 

 

 

Time for Some Random

So The Book has made some changes again which means people are complaining about it again.  As an FB friend pointed out, they do realize that their use of Facebook is completely voluntary AND free, right?

I could really use a manager and/or assistant for this XL-Images business.  But I love how business is getting to the point where that would even be a consideration 

I'm rather excited about the lights I just obtained that will now allow me to add light when shooting somewhere that needs a little extra boost.  Soon as I get a portable power source so I can shoot anywhere anytime then it will be even better

Speaking of which, the squatting pose that Lil Kim made famous ie NOT sexy. Whether shot from the front or back. It looks like you're trying to take a dump.  Please don't do it. And if you know someone that's thinking of doing it when taking pictures, please stop them

As long as we're on the subject of The Book, some folks should really learn to incorporate spellcheck before posting updates.  And misspelling words for the sake of trying to be cool is not cute.  It just makes you look stupid

Can we please get a shout out to my ISU Cyclones that are now 3-0?  WOO-HOO!  Have to celebrate now before they start getting into the heart of that Big 12 schedule where they have to face Texas AND Oklahoma this year

On the flipside, let's all offer our condolences to my Chiefs for the rest of this season.  They are currently the frontrunner for next year's Andrew Luck sweepstakes

Of course with the Chiefs luck, Luck will turn out to be first Ryan Leaf tragedy since Ryan Leaf.  Or since Jamarcus Russell

Had a very enlightening conversation with a fellow photog yesterday and received some excellent advice.  Have I mentioned before how great the photog community is here?

Scouted some locations downtown and found some I can't believe I had previously overlooked.  Can't wait to utilize some of them for shoots this weekend

This Troy Davis cat could really use Casey Anthony's attorney right about now

It's rather ironic that my digestive system doesn't want to cooperate whenever it comes to processing chicken.  Next thing you know I'll start having problems with watermelon

Totally spaced off that yesterday was National Talk Like a Pirate Day until it was almost too late.  I only got a chance to use one pirate phrase the whole day

Went back to Google Plus the other day to see if I was missing anything.  Nope

I tried to get into that "Beyond Scared Straight" marathon that was on but whenever they started doing their yelling I just kept envisioning that SNL skit with Keenan and I would start cracking up

I will always love me some Stevie Wonder, but why is he still holding on to the braids??

My favorite conversation from this week...
G:  I got an A+ on my Science test!
Me:  Great job, son!  I thought you didn't get letter grades yet though?
G:  We don't.  But I didn't miss any so that means I got an A+

'Nuff said.

 

O the Randomness

I would have forgotten the MTV Video Music Awards were on last night had I not seen several postings about it to remind me

I'm not going to make this all about that show though so as to bore those of you that could care less.  However, there are a few things I wanted to get off my chest about it...

Like is it just a man thing that I could really care less that Beyonce is pregnant? It's been the hottest news topic ever since she brought it up last night.  You'd be hard-pressed to find out how the folks are dealing with Hurricane Irene but I bet you don't have to look far to find news on Bey's pregnancy

This new song "Otis" by Jigga and Kanye...not feelin' it.  And I actually like both of them.  I just know they can both do better.  About the only thing the song is good for is to get the younger folks hip to the original track by Otis Redding so they can be schooled on how great he was

I could really go for some wings right about now.  It's been a while since I've had any.  And by "a while" I mean a couple of weeks

One thing good that did come out of that MTV award show was a commercial for their new show "Death Valley".  It looks HILARIOUS!  DVR was set for it before the commercial even ended

Some people were bothered by the fact that Britney Spears got a VMA Lifetime Achievement Award.  Why?  She has no vocal ability so videos were about the only thing she was good for

Turntable doesn't want to act right for me now. It's like it's trying to tell me that it doesn't want me to get addicted and it's staging its own intervention.  Whatever.  You don't know me like that, Turntable!

Had to go back to Cedar Rapids recently and realized that there really isn't much to miss about that place anymore.  Even that caramel apple shake at Kool Moo didn't taste as good as I remember it

You can feel the climate slowly started to shift towards fall as the temps cool off.  It's just a matter of time now before people start complaining that it's too cold

I was watching the show "Ancient Aliens" on the History Channel while editing my last photo gig and was amazed at how many folks from the olden days had stories of seeing alien being and/or spacecraft.  But then I wondered how many of them may have just been on something since drugs weren't illegal then

By the way, the shoot from that day was pretty dang amazing if I must say so myself.  I used one of my fave pics from the day as the photo for this entry to prove it

One of the biggest minuses with working from home is the hours I keep.  I tend to start early and end late.  That 14-hour work day that I put in on Thursday was a harsh reminder of that

I updated my profile on Model Mayhem but I'm still not completely convinced of the usefulness of that site.  I've been out there for several months now and have had exactly one person contact me via that site interested in doing a shoot

Hung on as long as I could but it looks like it's time to let the hair go and go back to the bald fade.  *talking to the hair follicles* You had a good ride, fellas

Dear Words With Friends:  "Jedi" is too a word.  Update your dictionary again

Neither of my sons like anything DC.  I don't get it.  I grew up on both Marvel AND DC

I know it's just preseason but I'm getting tired of seeing my Chiefs get their butts kicked

They're remaking "The Thing" AGAIN??  Why?  The one with Kurt Russell was already perfect

Glad to hear that Janet Jackson's show at the State Fair was a success.  That's a huge feather in the Fair's cap.  Don't know how they're going to top that now unless they manage to somehow wrangle U2

We all know of at least one person who alive today only because you did not want to go to prison

'Nuff said.

 

 

 

 

Things to Be Grateful For

Great commecials

Yeah I know it's old by now since it was one of the original Super Bowl spots from earlier this year, but it still cracks me up.  Sometimes it's just the little things like flashing back on commericals like these that helps get me thru the day...

Things to Be Grateful For

More Real Nielsens

You may have notice I've been straying from some of my weekly posts lately.  Not necessarily on purpose.  Just been busy.  Or maybe distracted.  So I guess you could almost consider the fact that I have a Grateful entry week as something to be grateful for in and of itself. 

Anyway, I was thinking the other day that it was time for a quick update on the shows I'm feeling as of late.  Had to do it now before the fall season gets underway and some of these go back into hiatus.  Which is also why the list is only 7 shows.  Not too much good viewing to pick from in the summer... 

7.  Louie
Thank you DVR.  I would have forgotten both the night and time this show came up were it not for my DVR recordings already set up in advance.  The more I watch this show the more I want to see this cat's stand-up live.  I suppose I better find a way to do it soon before his ticket prices start going thru the roof like Kevin Hart's did.

6.  Leverage
It is looking like they're off to a pretty rocky start so far this season.  Kicking off the season with an episode about hiking up a cold arse mountain did not help them at all.  The one thing they still have going for them is the cast.  As long as they have Voodoo on there (yes...dude will always be Voodoo to me.  Still haven't taken the time to learn his real name) they're alright with me

5.  Shark Tank
For some reason they only seem to be showing a new episode every couple of weeks.  In between that they're playing reruns.  Maybe they're trying to ration the new ones out slowly?  It's fine with me because I somehow missed a lot of the older episodes they're showing.  I love how some of these folks have some really awful ideas thinking they're going to get some money.  Those moments are like the audition rounds of "American Idol".  I'm still cracking up over the guy who tried to get money for a manual push lawn mower.

  4.  Friday Night Lights
It pains me to have this one down here this low.  They can take solace in the fact that for so long they were  constantly in the top three.  "FNL" was always one of the best consistent dramas on television.  I HATED that this was their final season.  What I hated even more was that Smash was the one character that didn't get to come back at all during that final season.  That cost them to fall down a slot or two in these rankings.  Yeah...I'm just a little petty that way.

3.  How I Met Your Mother
A while back when I did these rankings I put "King of Queens" on here even though it's been off the air for years.  It was because I was turned on to it by the the reruns I was seeing in syndication and was loving it.  The same thing happened with this show.  At least it's still on in real-time also.  But OMD  those reruns from the seasons that I missed are HILARIOUS!  So glad that E hipped me to this show.  It seems like every single episode is legend....wait for it...

2.  Tosh.0
It's really hard to go wrong when you have a show that specializes in showing all the idiocy that is out there on the internet.  But to add Daniel Tosh as the instigator is absolutely priceless.  He's one of the few people that can get away with saying pretty much anything.  I just wish the season wasn't so short.  I swear he just  started with new episodes then it's back on break again.  At least he's coming back in the fall so we won't have to wait that long for new episodes.  It's one of the few reasons I would want the fall to hurry up and get here.

1.  Franklin and Bash
I remember back in April when they were running promos for this show non-stop.  And it wasn't even slated to start for over a month.  But even then I knew it was destined for greatness.  Every role that Breckin Meyer does is always epic.  I was even more amazed at the chemistry he and Mark-Paul Gosselaar have as if they've known each other for years.  Plus, how can you go wrong with a show where one of the episodes features Tommy Chong as a judge in a case dealing with marijuana?  I've been looking for a show to fill that "Boston Legal" void and here it is.

 

 

...and Denim!

I absolutely LOVE this commercial.  I'm sure somewhere out there there is probably a school or two that acutally has/had a music teacher like this one.  They can't all be as cool as Mrs. Ward or Mr. Patton.  Still...this joint is epic!  I need to find this song and use it for one of my ringtones...

 

Thursday Throwback

Gilligan's Island

The passing of Sherwood Schwartz had me thinking about all the great shows he left us.  Okay...so there were honestly only two of them that I hold dear.  But those two were a couple of juggernauts.  Those two alone were enough.  "Brady Bunch" is easily the most popular of his creations to make it the MOST memorable.  Which is exactly why I chose to reflect on "Gilligan's Island".  To give it a little more shine that it would have otherwise not gotten.

My first memory of the show was watching it at Popoo and Grandma's house back in the day.  Teandra and I would spend just about every summer down there when we were shorties.  We would spend the better part of the day playing outside then come inside in the afternoon to watch some good ol' Channel 41.  This was one of the many shows that would grace their afternoon line-up. 

The one thing that I always recall the clearest was my pessimism with the believability of the show.  Not so much the most obvious thing that people always state.  You know what that is, right?  It was wondering how the Professor could make all those gadgets out of the most primitive items (like a car...remember that one??) but couldn't fix the hole in the boat.  No...for me I always questioned the feasibility of many of the things they had on that island.  Things like the aforementioned car.

However, it was those type of things that always made the Gilligan's Island such an awesome place.  They were living in these very basic huts but they made them look SO much tha bomb.  I swear that those huts were decked out better than my college dorm room.  I may have even traded one of those joints for my room when I was a shortie.  They just had them looking so homey.

Don't even get me started on the sex appeal factor of the show.  You know I'm talking about Ginger and Mary Ann.  Yes...I was only a prepubescent kid at the time, but that was also the time I was taking notice of girls.  And there was plenty to notice about both Ginger and Mary Ann.  Mary Ann was always the one I was more partial to.  Her down-to-earth style had much more of an allure than Ginger's over-the-top sensuality.  It also didn't hurt that Mary Ann claimed to be from Kansas.

When it was all said and done, it was the overall atmosphere that Schwartz had created with that show that made it so amazing.  These characters made it seem like living on a deserted island would be the ultimate life.  They made you wish you could also get stranded so you too could live in a primitive paradise of your own.  Or at the very least, it made you wish that you could visit their paradise if only to chill with them for a little bit.  Gilligan's Island was a utopia all its own and I still can't get enough of it.

Unfortunately, you'd be hard-pressed to find "Gilligan's Island" in syndication anywhere these days.  It seems networks are more willing to show reruns of shows that have only been off the air a few years (or in some cases not even off the air yet) rather than a classic like this one.  It's too bad too because it's been off the air so long that there's an entire generation that has never even heard of it.  I would have thought that Scwhartz's passing would have seen a renewed interest in it.  Nothing yet though.  I'm hopeful some station will still make it happen.  We could all use a 3-hour tour in our life.