Back in the Day...

During the Christmas season, I tend to think about family, traditions, and history as I celebrate this wonderful holiday.  As I reflected, I realized that there are many TV shows that I watched when I was younger that sparked my interest for television.  The list goes on and on for the various shows on PBS, Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, and Disney Channel. I would just like a moment to travel down memory lane and bring up some of my favorites that bring me joy when I look back on them.

Let me start with one way back in my memory. One that is and was an ultimate classic and will always be remembered as one of the best. Yes I think I know what you mean. The letter of the day is S... it's Sesame Street! This show had great characters, good lessons, cute songs, and above all else it was one of the first shows (other than Teletubbies) that I watched. Was this the show that made me lot TV so much? My fondest memory of this show consists of my mother and I sitting and watching in our living room. My mom drinking coffee and reading the newspaper as I watched Elmo sing to his fish and the cookie monster rave about cookies. I must admit that I also watched Barney on these mornings, but now that I look back on it that show is way too creepy for me to talk about.

I can mention one classic without talking about an even bigger one that has served as the childhood favorite generation through generation.  You know and love this talking dog and his "meddling" group of kids, yes it's Scooby-Doo. This show is the definition of my childhood television watching. I. Was. Obsessed. I watched it practically everyday, attained numerous videos of episodes and movies, and even had a stuffed pillow that I slept with every night. I'm not sure what drew me to this show. Was it the mysteries? The characters? The talking dog himself? I don't think I even knew back when I was watching it. It was just something that was entertaining and I loved. There wasn't any question to it's quality or content, it was purely something I just loved.

Speaking of beloved pillows, my second (actually third if you count the reindeer I also slept with) nighttime stuffed friend Patrick, was also a part of a show that exists in the childhood show hall of fame.  I think Spongebob Squarepants was one of the first shows I watched that was more comedy based, and I might have even been a catalyst into my comedy interest. Whether it was the Spongebob and Patrick comedy duo, Squidward being annoyed, Sandy singing about Texas, or Mr. Krabs addiction to money, this show is a masterpiece. It has to go down as one of the best animated shows ever.  It was so creative, innovative, funny, cute, stupid, and just everything that I loved about childhood is incorporated in their short episodes. One in particular that I loved was called "Band Geeks." Every morning before school I would watch the show, but I would only get to see the first in the two episode half hour.  Unfortunately "Band Geeks" was in the second half so I would end up begging my mom the let me stay and watch it almost every time it was shown.  Most of the time, even though it would make her late for work, she would let me watch it. Now with the internet I can just look it up on Youtube. Does this make me sad? A little bit. It doesn't really make it special anymore.  But the internet will always have it's pros and cons. Here's a clip if you've never seen it:

There are so many more shows that I watched; Power Rangers, Big Comfy Couch, Out of the Box, All That, The Amanda Show, Rocket Power, Drake & Josh,  the list goes on. I miss the days of watching these kind of shows. So innocent and fun in their own way.

There are also ones that are just fun to look back on. I watched these shows but I didn't really like them that much, and after searching the web for ones I did watch a lot, these brought back a lot of memories as well. Shows like The Fairly Odd Parents, Danny Phantom, Jimmy Neutron, As Told by Ginger, The Wild Thornberrys, Rugrats, That's So Raven, and so many more! Sometimes you just have to look back and think how awesome it was to be a kid.

My Weekly Wonders: Glee

Did the title make you cringe? If so I'm not sure whether I should make an effort to make you read this or warn you to not.... either way I will talk about why I like (maybe love) the show Glee.  Have I lost my credibility yet?

If you've never seen Glee, here's what it's all about. (If you've never heard of it, come out of your cave and join modern society please!) The show is based on a show choir or "glee club" at a high school.  That's pretty much it. With a mix of high school drama and awesome musical numbers, this show has climbed it's way to the top and in it's current season it's falling right back down.  Why is this happening? Let's first begin with why it was popular in the first place.

First, the show is funny.  With the one-liner insults that Jane Lynch spews out her mouth added to a fully comedy capable of the cast, the show gets some good humor cred.

Second, they can sign and dance, and ALSO act! No joke, they really can.  I mean how many times have they been nominated for Emmys and Golden Globes?  And how awesome are they in those musical numbers? They are so talented! Here's a clip, it's not the coolest one, but it's hard to find one with good quality and I also really like Adele...

Lastly, the writing up until this season has been really good.  They've always been able to keep it fresh and exciting and not too over the top (for the most part).  The drama has just gone to far recently.  Honestly they are just running out of high school stereotypes. What? They use stereotypes? With the pregnant cheerleader, football player who gets made fun of when he joins glee club, a gay teenager that gets bullied, a teenage girl goes through a rebellious stage, the Asian kid who's really smart but wants to be a dancer but his father won't approve... it's getting old! Oh, but don't worry, they mix it up with stories of a lesbian teenager struggling to come out to her parents and a foreign exchange student who is struggling to fit in. No Glee, you need to lay off the drama! You are considered a comedy after all! I know this post is supposed (suppost... ha!) to be supporting the show and trying to get people to watch, but this season has been ridiculous. 

That is why it was only after one of it's most reason episodes that I decided to make this post.  After a long line of episodes that were pretty disappointing, hope came in "Hold on to Sixteen." In a little bit cheesy way, their glee club wins sectionals and everyone joins together happily once again (a group of members split off to form their own glee club earlier in the season).  I know this doesn't sound like much of a fix, what really got me was how much it resembled the old glee episodes.  The one's that people weren't to admit they watched.  I want that to come back so bad! It probably won't. I think Glee was just a passing fad.  But there's always hope...

Why Do We Love Reality Television?

Last week in my post Why TV? Why Now? I touched on my hatred love guilty-pleasure that reality television is, and briefly mentioned the sadness it sometimes brings me when I think of how popular it actually is. But before I go off on a tangent, judging anyone one who's found pleasure in this television franchise, I must admit that I too find myself watching it.  I know shocking right? A teenage girl interested in reality? Shut up. In fact I think my favorite indulgence would be Celebrity Apprentice.  I'm not proud of it, but it's something that has become sort of a tradition for my household. Sunday nights my family gathers in the living room, cuddled up on our comfy couch and recliners next to a burning fireplace. We don't really care who wins exactly, but instead we watch to laugh at the celebrities and witness the drama that ensues.  So it's here that I find myself wanting to judge, but I will first take a step back to try to figure out why we love this garbage masterpiece phenomenom that is reality television.

To figure this question out, I looked to my best friend Google.  I found lot's of really interesting information such as in the article Why America Loves Reality TV. It touches on the fact that a lot of people watch just to be able to talk about it with coworkers and friends. This makes sense to me, I think it is nice to have something in common to talk about with people, and when it's something that doesn't take too long to discuss, it's a great conversation starter.

But this doesn't explain the whole audience. Not everyone is talking about their obsession with the X Factor are they? And how did it become popular in that group of friends anyway? There must be another reason. Well, as I read on I found that the competition is what really drives us to watch.  Watching an ordinary American succeed and become some sort of "celebrity" is exciting! We like to root for them, and watch in anticipation for the results.  We like to think that one day we could be in that position and have some sort of "celebrity" status.  This rings true for me as well. When watching these shows I am always picturing myself competing, wondering how well I would do.  Whenever I catch the show Wipeout on TV I'm always telling people how much I want to go on that show. They then proceed to think I'm crazy because every contestant on that show literally looks like they are going to get a concussion from all the falling and running into things that they go through. But I keep telling myself that I could win it. That I'm better at jumping across huge bouncy balls than all those other people.  Whether that's true or not, I think a lot of us can say that it's easy to picture yourself in the same situation as the players of the show.

So is the mystery of reality show obsession solved? No. Why are shows like Celebrity Apprentice and Dancing with the Stars popular? Well, one could argue that we root for celebrities just like we do any other contestant. Okay, but why do we like non-competition reality shows such as Jersey Shore and 16 and Pregnant? With that I must come up with my own perspective because I can't find an article to explain it for me.  Honestly I think there is one reason why we like these shows, we like to see a glimpse into someone else's life.  Really though, why else would we watch some middle-aged ladies bicker at each other on those "Real Housewives" shows? One, we like to watch the drama. It's exciting to the majority of us. And two, because we get to see into a life that is both interesting and different from our own. Similar to my post last week about why we watch TV  in general, we like to picture ourselves in a different life. Whether it's in the glamorous Orange County or as a 16 year old dealing with a pregnancy, the aspect of reality is appealing.

The Final Countdown

The moment we've all been waiting for is here. Okay... the moment I have been waiting for. Jimmy Fallon is finally hosting Saturday Night Live! After working on the show for 6 years then moving on to his Late Night show, he's finally back! 

Tomorrow night, Fallon will take the prestigious monologue stage for the first time as a host.  Why am I so excited? There are many reasons. First of all, he deserves it. For working on a show that is still fairly new and coming out with material that is original and hilarious at the same time is a hard feat.  But of course with Fallon's natural comedic personality and the combined effort of him and his staff, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon has been doing really well. So well, I have a feeling it will surpass ol' Leno some day. That's just my opinion...

Why else am I ecstatic for this SNL episode? As I mentioned, Fallon is a natural performer.  The fact that his show has been doing well and he hasn't hosted yet blows my mind.  But he's also one of the few "TV personalities" that is legitimate.  His kindness and social ability is not fake like other Late Night hosts. I mean, I know I've never met him, but I've seen countless interviews where guests have raved about how genuinely nice he is.  They are not lying. There is just something about him that is so likable, and when you mix that with hilarious comedy, you get a person very fit to host SNL and get spotlight for his show.

Fallon is also a good writer.  The last few episodes of SNL have been fairly good, but I'm hoping Jimmy can bump it up for an awesome Christmas show. Whether it's his goofy songs sang with a guitar, or his uncanny impersonations, he will definetly be able to spice up the show.  Here is a clip to get us all psyched up for the tomorrow night show, and also a clip of a song I know you are all singing in you heads right now...

Political Ad Season

Ah television. The repetitive, monotonous, aggravatingly annoying way for political campaigns to slap us in the face with vicious comments directed at other political campaigns.  Why? This whole "He did this, he said that" thing dates back to elections in the 1800's! That's right, it was called mudslinging and was used as a tactic to make the other candidate look bad.  In those times the parties were federalists and democratic-republicans, but the idea was the same.  It was a way to advance in the polls. After the Civil War, it continued with the phrase "waving the bloody shirt" which was a tactic used by republicans make the democrats look bad by bringing up how they caused the Civil War and how horrible that was.

And now today, the never ending commercials that parade our television screens. It just makes me want to scream! Why ruin something so wonderful with your vile comments about the other candidates? Oh that right. It's because you can't win any other way.  But it something ALL candidates do.  So it's not like I can just vote for the one that doesn't do it.  Well, I can't vote anyway, but you get the idea.

These ads are so cutthroat. Like in this one, the clip of Obama was taken completely out of a context. He was actually saying what shouldn't happen at the end when he says something about "if we keep talking about the economy we'll lose". But here it is...

With these horrible ads comes a price.  We get to make fun of them. Whether it's SNL, or just sitting around a fire watching the GOP debate with my family and laughing at their awkward responses, those commercials justifies it.  You're going to annoy me constantly with your dramatic music set to you fake smiling and shaking hands with strangers? Fine. But I WILL make fun of you.  Not in person obviously, I'll probably never meet you.

So, watch out GOP candidates.  No one likes your commercials. You will get made fun of.  That's life when you publicly run for an office, especially for president of the United States.

My Weekly Wonders: 30 Rock

This week's "Weekly Wonder" is brought to you by my desperate anticipation for 30 Rock to begin. Due to Tina Fey's pregnancy, one of my favorite shows has yet to premiere it's sixth season! If you've never seen 30 Rock, you've at least heard about all the hype the show gets.  No? Do you you not watch television? No? Then why are you reading this blog....

Anyway, 30 Rock, for those who are unfortunate enough to not have seen it, is a show about a comedy writer who works for an SNL-esque show called TGS.  Played by Tina Fey, Liz Lemon has a lot difficulties in her life. Shes middle aged, single, and has a very conflicted life of work and a non-existent social life.  But Lemon doesn't go on without any back-up. She has a "mentor" Jack Donaghy, played by Alec Baldwin, who is some head honcho guy at NBC and has taken a liking to Liz.  Lemon also has a best friend who is a self-centered actress for the show Liz writes for. Jenna, played by Jane Krakowski, is joined by another actor, Tracy Jordan who is played by Tracy  Morgan.  There are also other writers, mostly men, who are often seen on the show.  But my favorite character on 30 Rock would have to be Kenneth, played by Jack McBrayer.  His character is lovable and hilarious at the same time. He's a page at the 30 Rock building, and is super dedicated to his job. Throw in a Georgian accent with a twist of a soft slightly high-pitched voice, and out comes Kenneth Parcell, constantly surprising the other characters with his genuine kindness and dedication to his job.

30 Rock has won soooo many Emmy's. But why? Why is it so good? It's hard to explain.  First of all, Fey is the main creator and writer of the show.  If you've read Bossypants (which you should) or watched Mean Girls or have even seen her on SNL, she's really funny. Not only is she a really great actress, but her comedic writing is brilliant.  Not to mention, she also got the one and only Alec Baldwin to contribute is comedic genius.  In that of itself is a recipe for success.

I think why I love the show so much is just because I love the writing so much.  Fey's character is so relatable and hilarious at the same time.  I love her quirky attributes such as her strange eating habits.  She almost reminds me of an extreme version of myself.  Almost as if someone I dread to become if I don't get life straightened out. Not that Liz Lemon's life is totally horrible.  She had a really great job and really great friends.  She may have a few crisis here and there, but she manages... for the most part. She manages in a way that fits her lifestyle. For example, Liz singing at her ex's wedding to postpone Jack telling his girlfriend the news that he had been dating someone else while dating her:

In summary, 30 Rock is really great show that I am so excited to see start again. If you haven't seen it, life I always say on these posts, check it out! It could be your next favorite show.

Why TV? Why Now?

Why do I love television so much? This is a question I think everyone who watches TV as much as I do should contemplate. What is driving force behind this obsession? The honest answer is, I really don't know. I think their are a lot of factors that play into it. The three main ones that I'd like to discuss might be obvious to some, but it's interesting to reflect on why I waste so much time on this. These categories include entertainment, interest, and analysis. Sound nerdy yet? Oh you just wait...

Entertainment. The obvious factor into why most people in the world watch television. Whether it's a trashy reality show, cough Jersey Shore cough, or an intense thriller like Dexter, television is so entertaining. But why? Why is it that we as humans can spend hours on end sitting with our jaws agape at the wonders that TV brings us? Well, let me first ask you why does comedy entertain us? It makes us laugh. Why does exciting thrillers entertain us? It excites our minds, makes the adrenaline pump. Why do dramas entertain us? We can emotionally connect with the characters.  There are so many factors into one show. With all of this in mind, plus add in a plot, actors, music, scenery, editing, and viola! You have a show that interests millions around the world.  How do reality shows factor in? That confuses me too. Is it the fact that we can root for some, and laugh at others? I think so. Want me to get deeper? Too bad.

Next we have interest. Similar to entertainment, but more centered on an interest in the programming, not just to sit and watch like a mindless drone.  This is just my perspective, but I think we get interested in shows because we can picture ourselves in that different life. It's as if we can get out of our own heads, our own lives, for a few hours and watch someone else's.  I mean, why else would we care so much? We wouldn't. When the main character is amidst some sort of conflict we care. Do we want them to get fired from their job, get divorced, or fight with their kids? No, because we see ourselves in that situation, and we don't want these things to happen to us.

Lastly is that factor of analysis. Obviously something that used less in some, and more on others.  But the general idea of this is much farther on the spectrum of dedicated television watching.  Our culture is not just about watching something, it's also about judging it. Why do you think there are so many different critics and ratings out there.  We feed off of others feedback, and reflect on our own.  Television is a great way to express this. It's something that a lot of people watch, and so it's easy to analyze and discuss.  Though this could fall under the category of interest, due to the fact that your interest drives you to the point of analyzing it, I think it can still be considered separate. There are times when someone tells you to watch favorite show of theirs. Do watch it because you're interested? Maybe. But you also want to judge for yourself.  Make your own decisions. And if you like it as well, then you start to watch based more in interest and entertainment.

In conclusion, television is one of the few things that all over the world people are interested in for very similar reasons. Due to genuine intrigue, plus the factors of amusement and the need for analysis in society, television can reach so many people and connect in ways that other forms of technology and entertainment cannot.

My Weekly Wonders: Psych

I contemplated which TV show I would use for this week's weekly wonder. Over break I watched a lot of shows that I would gladly talk about, but there is one in particular that I think is worth mentioning. I think I've biefly mentioned Psych on this blog. It's a show on USA that I love watching and actually has a pretty large fan base. It's probably the most famous show on the network, and is definitely the longest running.
 
So what is Psych all about? How is it doing so well? It's based around a fake psychic, Shawn Spencer, who uses his keen detective skills that his father drilled into him as a child, and works for the Santa Barbara police department.  From there, comedy takes over. His wild psychic visions and one-liners galore make the show goofy but witty at the same time. I think that's why I enjoy it so much.

He has a best friend, Gus, who accompanies him on all the cases, and for the most part keeps him in line. There's also the two main detectives that they work with, Lassiter or "Lassie" and Julia or "Jules."  Also, as the seasons have progressed Shawn's father has become more involved. As an ex-cop, Shawn's dad (who I never can remember that name of because we only here him called "dad" or Mr. Spencer) has a role of making sure Shawn doesn't get himself into trouble. He is also kind of like a coordinator (hired last season) for Shawn and Gus at the police station. He decides whether the duo can work on a case or not.

This is kind of important because only his dad and Gus know that Shawn isn't really psychic. Yes, that's right. Everyone else in the department and in the community for that matter thinks he really is psychic. It's actually pretty believable. Shawn will fake a "vision" and say something that everyone else totally did not see coming. It's pretty much how the show works. And a majority of the time it's right. So over the years the station has gradually believed him, even the chief.  There is one conflict with this ultimate secret that Shawn is keeping... Julia is dating him. How hard would it to keep this big secret from your own girlfriend, who works with you!? I think pretty hard. Especially when in the beginning of this season, Shawn was accused of not being psychic and had to go under the lie detector.  But, of course, after all the suspension he *spoiler* knew how to lie under one.  Another trick from the policeman father. 

In summary, Psych may not be some fancy NBC comedy with emmy nominations left and right, but it's still really funny and actually has a good mystery/story. It's kind of like a modern Monk, minus the obsessive compulsive disorder and plus the fake psychic-ness... you get the idea. Interested in watching it? It's on at 9pm on Wednesdays on the wonderful channel USA. Check it out sometime!

Digital Shorts and Beyond!

The Lonely Island, or "the dudes" as they call themselves, started off making small internet videos in college, before YouTube was ever a thing. They had been good friends since junior high and were always making each other laugh. It was a rough start for this comedy trio. They created a pilot for FOX called Awesometown that was rejected, and later pitched it to MTV who also rejected it. Speaking of trial and errors, after they got a job at SNL they also made a movie called Hot Rod that did not do very well. But I guess they had to start somewhere! Oh and I was going to post the Awesometown theme song, you know thinking it would be fine... Check it out on YouTube, it's not too appropriate for school.

It was after the three landed a writing job at the MTV awards that they finally caught a break. The host that year was Jimmy Fallon, who previously worked on Saturday Night Live. You probably see where I'm going here, Fallon thought the dudes had great talent and recommended them to Lorne Michael, the producer of SNL. With Fallon's reccomendation, a packet of sample writing sent in, and an audition from Andy, the Lonely Island began their mark on the famed comedy show. They began creating digital shorts, small videos that were previously taped and aired in the middle of the Saturday show. These became viral gold, mostly because of their short length and comedy ingenuity. Their first viral hit was "Lazy Sunday" and later came an even bigger hit that won them an Emmy. Because this is a school blog I'll just mention that it was something in a box.

As they began to make more and more of these shorts, more and more of them became music videos. It seemed as if they were more than just a comedy group, but what they call a "fake rap" group. After creating more songs that didn't air on SNL, compiling them with ones that did, they created their first comedy album called Incredibad. Last May they made another ablum called Turtleneck and Chain.

I'm not sure why I like them so much. The music is often obscene, but that's what makes them so likeable. They just do what is funny to them. They don't really care what other people think. If you've never seen a digital short or heard one of their songs, I would suggest checking out SNL someday. It's a really great show with really funny material. With the Lonely Island mixed in their, I think it will always have innovation and creativeness.

Lawsuit, Like a Boss

Back in the day, when YouTube was just arising, and internet was becoming a new place to express yourself, a group of three college kids emerged.  As they studied in college, they made small videos that they posted online. Little did they know this phenomenon of getting famous through the internet would surely enable them to thrive in the entertainment business.

Most people do not know too much about this group, but instead know the names of some of their famous videos including "I'm On a Boat" and others that aren't very suitable for a blog for school.  Are you starting to recall who I'm talking about? Yes, it's the Lonely Island. This group is made up of Andy Samberg, Akiva Shaeffer, and Jorma Taccone.  They all work at Saturday Night Live, mainly working on their famous "Digital Shorts." Andy is also an actor on the show, and is arguably the most famous of the three.

They also make a lot of music/music videos on the show.  And put out two albums, "Incredibad" and "Turtleneck and Chain", that include many of these songs.  I love these albums, and I listen to them all the time.  Recently when I heard that they were being sued, it shocked me enough that I decided to blog about it.  Apparently some people that make beats for song said that the group used some in their songs such as "Like a Boss" and "Shy Ronnie" without giving credit.  But the story makes it sound as if it wasn't even their fault. The article I read on prefixmag.com explained that these beat makers made some sort of deal that they signed but never got any money from it.  I don't know what other people think of this, but to me that sounds pretty shady. I may be a bit biased because of love them so much, but it seems as if The Lonely Island just got caught up in a misunderstanding of some kind.  Okay, so they did have something to gain from this misunderstanding, but they just don't seem like the type to be ripping people off.

I found out about this news a couple weeks ago, and was going to blog about it then. But I then found out that  I didn't have to blog for the next two weeks. So here I am, bringing up old news. Instead of discussing more in depth about this somewhat of a scandal that really didn't turn up to be anything to serious, I will talk about The Lonely Island a bit more and why exactly I like them so much. I know this is a blog about television, and this trio is more involved with music and the internet, but because Saturday Night Live is such a big part of how they get their work out to their audience, I think it is fitting. More about the group is continued in the next post.