I'll bet at least 95% of all visitors to this blog are packing more inches than I am. The largest television in my house right now is 27". It's a Sony Trinitron and it's been my primary TV for over seven years.
At the time, 27 inches seemed like a decent enough size, and I'm not complaining, but I now realize that everyone I know has a television with a larger screen. Both brothers, my mom, my friends, they all own televisions bigger than my 27" Sony.
Is there anyone out there who's beat by my 27 incher?
Readers of the blog will know how much I enjoy Flight of the Conchords. It was actually my third favourite show of 2007. I can't wait for season two, but in the meantime, I have this new video to tide me over.
I remember when Saturday Night Live was funny. Guys like Adam Sandler, David Spade, Phil Hartman, Mike Myers, Norm Macdonald, Chris Farley and Dana Carvey were always good for a few laughs on a Saturday night. Then, when those guys moved on, there were funny dudes like Darrell Hammond, Cheri Oteri, Jim Breuer, Colin Quinn, Tracy Morgan and Will Ferrell. Take my word for it, SNL could be comedic.
I read a couple of items online about a pasting Hillary Clinton got on the SNL opening skit last night, and I just got around to checking it out. In the Hillary ~ Obama battle, I'm an Obama supporter, but that doesn't mean I enjoyed Amy Poehler's "Message to America".
I just didn't find it the least bit funny. Does anyone find this funny?
YouTube user Retrontario frequently uploads fantastic retro-Toronto-centric gems. These clips never fail to bring back a ton of memories for me, so I feature them from time to time.
When John Mahjor passed away last year, I issued a Toronto Rocks host clarification. Major was the host of Toronto Rocks, but I could only find a YouTube clip featuring Brad Giffen, who eventually took over for Mahjor.
Thanks to Retrontario, I now have a sweet City-TV Toronto Rocks promo from 1984.
YouTube user Retrontario, formerly known as WNED17, frequently uploads fantastic retro-Toronto-centric gems. These clips never fail to bring back a ton of memories for me, so I feature them from time to time.
In this age of 24 hour broadcasting stations, the television station sign-off has gone the way of the do-do bird. When I was growing up, most stations signed off for the night with contact and technical information about the station, followed by the national anthem and then either static or a test pattern.
I love this Global Television Network sign-off from 1984. It's chock full of detail about their C-III-TV transmitters and it opens with a nice SkyDome-less shot of the CN Tower.
I've never owned a television with Picture in Picture capability. I've always thought PiP would be awesome for sporting events. You could have one hockey game in he corner while you watched another, or you could have the Jays game in the corner while you watched the Raps.
PiP sort of blew up in the 90s when everyone seemed to be buying new televisions with this technology. When I bought my 27" Sony Trinitron about eight years ago, it didn't have PiP, but I figured my next decent tv would have it. Here I am in 2008 and I'm still PiP-less. I'm also PVR-less and HDTV-less.
The stories I'll have for my grandkids about what we had to endure back in the day...
YouTube user WNED17 recently uploaded some fantastic retro-Toronto-centric gems. These clips have brought back a tonne of memories for me, so I'm going to feature them one by one over the next few weeks.
I subscribe to The Movie Network (TMN). If you want to see movies and series from HBO and Showtime, you really don't have any other option. Here in Canada, we can't legally subscribe to HBO and such American premium stations, so it's TMN or nothing.
Here's a quick history of pay tv in Canada... It started with First Choice which debuted in 1983. First Choice went head to head with Superchannel in those early years until they realized they had to unite or die. First Choice-Superchannel, which would eventually rebrand itself as The Movie Network, was born.
Here's the intro that ran before First Choice-Superchannel R rate features.
YouTube user WNED17 recently uploaded some fantastic retro-Toronto-centric gems. These clips have brought back a tonne of memories for me, so I'm going to feature them one by one over the next few weeks.
Admittedly, I don't spend much time watching A-Channel. To be honest, I don't think I've watched more than a minute of A-Channel. A-Channel will always be CKVR to me.
CKVR, a CBC affiliate when I was growing up, broadcasts out of Barrie. When that CBC affiliation ended in 1995, CKVR was re-branded The New VR, and it stayed The New VR for a decade, even as jerks like me ridiculed them for it.
As silly as it was for a network to call itself The New VR after ten years, that name was a helluva lot better than A-Channel. I find myself wondering what was wrong with good ol' CKVR. Then again, I haven't watched since I got my fill of "Leave It To Beaver" re-runs in the late 80s.
YouTube user WNED17 recently uploaded some fantastic retro-Toronto-centric gems. These clips have brought back a tonne of memories for me, so I'm going to feature them one by one over the next few weeks.
Yes, I understand that as I get older it's only natural I'm going to be less targeted by this station, but I like to think that even 18-year old Toronto Mike would hate today's MuchMusic. This is a station that used to play music videos. A lot of what they played was top-40, but there were specialty shows where you could catch great rap videos, hard rock videos, indie videos, etc.
Today, every time I flip by MuchMusic it's a reality show, or syndicated reruns like The O.C. There are no videos, no interesting content, no compelling discussions, no smartness or even edginess.
Here's an ad for MuchMusic from the days when not everybody got it with their cable packages. You might call this, the good ol' days.
At 11:43pm, during the ABC telecast of the Academy Awards on WKBW, background audio from the news studio accidentally aired for a few moments before returning to network sound. The management of WKBW apologizes for the inappropriate language during the Oscars
Now, the video itself. It's quite awesome, isn't it?
"A guy with no expression who keeps blowing up everything" as a descriptor for No Country for Old Men is the best I've heard since this exchange between Jerry and George in Seinfeld regarding Titanic.
George: I saw "Titanic". So that old woman, she's just a liar, right?
YouTube user WNED17 recently uploaded some fantastic retro-Toronto-centric gems. These clips have brought back a tonne of memories for me, so I'm going to feature them one by one over the next few weeks.
For most of my adult life, Fox has been my home on Sunday nights. Anchored by The Simpsons, there have been other shows I've enjoyed, from Arrested Development to Family Guy.
As a kid in the early and mid-80s, CBC was my home on Sunday nights. It was Disney at 6pm and then Fraggle Rock. And yes, I even watched The Beachcombers. That rascally old Relic!
Here's Bruno Gerussi introducing the CBC Sunday night lineup in 1983.
I've corresponded with Mr. WNED17 via email, and he's become a regular witness to these entries in which I re-purpose his content. His name is Ed and he's got 1000s of old Beta tapes he's combing through, but he's struggling with the YouTube upload times. I've requested some more 80s Toronto sports clips and he's promised me some 1983 City TV sports coverage action.
I got an email this morning from Mark Hebscher. Hebsy, along with Jim Tatti, hosted Sportsline on Global TV every weeknight at 11:30 from 1985 untill Hebscher left in 1995. I was a Sportsline fanatic.
In the late 80s and early 90s, Sportsline was like no other sports highlight show on television. First and foremost, it was funny. They didn't take sports too seriously and they had fun presenting the highlights. The Hebsy Awards were always a treat.
My brothers and I used to watch Sportsline together and that's where we caught up on what was happening in the NHL, MLB, NFL, NBA or whatever. There was no World Wide Web to tap into, there was no Sportsnet or The Score, and TSN's Sportsdesk just wasn't as much fun as Hebsy and Tatti. When Hebscher left in 1995, I too said goodbye. Last year, Global axed the entire sports department, including Jim Tatti.
If you're in your 30s and you grew up in the GTA loving sports, you were likely as big a fan of this show as I was. I miss it.
YouTube user WNED17 recently uploaded some fantastic retro-Toronto-centric gems. These clips have brought back a tonne of memories for me, so I'm going to feature them one by one over the next few weeks.
I know there are people in this country who hate the CBC. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation is a crown corporation, so it's constantly criticized for its apparent left-wing bias and an easy target. I, however, have always loved the CBC.
From the 1991 Broadcasting Act, "the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, as the national public broadcaster, should provide radio and television services incorporating a wide range of programming that informs, enlightens and entertains". I believe it does a great job of doing all three. I could live on the documentaries CBC Newsworld provides and I never enjoy a Leafs game as much when it's not Hockey Night in Canada. I'm glad the CBC exists.
In the 80s, the CBC logo was this funky exploding pizza-like thing, and I miss it. Here is that great CBC indentifier from 1982.
And, since it's the Mother Corp we're talking about, here's a French version.
I've been getting hits today from people Googling Grammys Recap. This 2004 entry is #17 for that search. This year, I didn't watch a minute of the Grammys and nor did I feel the urge to tune in.
I hear Amy Winehouse did alright for her hit single "Rehab", which is a pretty great tune. I didn't hear much else and, for the first time in forever, I didn't even bother to read a list of winners. I just can't scrounge up the energy to care.
Television got jealous of music after I posted my ten favourite songs of 2007 and demanded fair treatment. I didn't want any trouble and caved immediately.
Here are my ten favourite television shows in 2007. These are shows that aired new episodes during the 2007 calendar year, so shows like "Arrested Development" I revisited in DVD were ineligible.
10. Rescue Me
I watched this show for years until a series of weak episodes caused me to bail. Then, I caught a good episode and came back for the season finale which I thoroughly enjoyed. It was pretty much guaranteed to make this list because I only watched about 12 series all year.
9. Family Guy
Can I lump "Family Guy" in with "American Dad"? This show is good for shits and giggles, and that's not a bad thing.
8. Dexter
Season two of "Dexter" was pretty interesting. I don't know how long this series will go before it gets repetitive, but I hope it has at least two more seasons in it.
7. 30 Rock
I didn't watch a minute of this show during its first season and then I caught a rerun during the summer. I liked what I saw and came back for more. Now I'm a big fan.
6. The Simpsons
Me and the kids appointment view this show every Sunday night. I've been doing that for a couple of decades. You knew this was going to show up on this list somewhere.
5. The Office
"The Office" is my favourite network series. It's plain fun. I still can't believe the Yanks took a brilliant BBC show and made it better.
4. This American Life
There were only six episodes of this documentary series but each one touched me in a profound way. There is no series on television as thought provoking and interesting as this one.
3. Flight of the Conchords
Pure hilarity. It's not only completely hilarious, but the music is great too. Bonus!
There was something about the dynamic of this season that slayed me. Larry and the Blacks was a perfect blend and Leon stole the show. Get in that ass, Larry!
I just watched my first episode of Peter Puck. They just ran it on LeafsTV during the first intermission of tonights Leafs game in Tampa Bay. I remember hearing about Peter Puck as a kid, and I had a Peter Puck colouring book, but I had never caught his little educational series that I recall.
Tonight Peter Puck taught us about icing and offsides. These were created for NBC in the 70s to teach Americans about NHL hockey, but they're great for kids. I can't wait for the next episode.
I remember Kellie Pickler from American Idol, and she didn't come across as the sharpest knife in the drawer, but I assumed she was playing dumb. After watching this clip of her on some game show, I'm sure it's no act.
She sincerely thought Europe was a country and clearly never heard of the country we call Hungary. I went to my five year old son's parent-teacher interview tonight and I saw the work he's doing on geography. He already knows Europe isn't a country.
The other day I caught a public service announcement on television for the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board. If you've seen this spot, you haven't forgotten. It's the most disturbing ad I've ever seen.
As freaked out as it made me, I can vouch for its effectiveness. I'm now scared to boil eggs for fear I could slip into the boiling water. I won't even consider making tea.
I loved "The Friendly Giant". It was a childhood staple, along with "Polka Dot Door", "The Electric Company", "Jeremy", "Sesame Street" and "Mr. Dressup". Rusty and Jerome were like childhood friends.
Rusty and Jerome appeared in a satirical skit last month during the Gemini Awards broadcast from Regina on October 28th and now the family of Bob Homme is pissed. Homme's son Richard and daughter Ann picked up the puppets Tuesday from a display at the public broadcaster's downtown Toronto headquarters that also included The Friendly Giant's tunic, boots, castle set and mini furniture.
I found the offending skit on YouTube and it's great. It's just good to see some old friends, ya know? Yes, the CBC should have got permission before using Rusty and Jerome but their appearance stole the show. Watch the skit below.
Now Rusty, here's one little chair for you, and a bigger chair for Jerome to curl up in, and for the Homme family who can't handle a harmless joke, a rocking chair in the middle.
My favourite news story of the day comes out of Los Angeles. The Red Hot Chili Peppers have sued Showtime Networks over the name of the television series "Californication," which is also the name of the band's 1999 album and a single on it.
I've written quite a bit about this David Duchovny show we get on TMN. It's a love/hate thing in that I love to hate it. I caught every episode and tore it to shreds with running commentary that my wife will confirm was funnier than the show.
When I first learnt they were calling the show "Californication", I thought it was an homage to the Red Hot Chili Peppers and I didn't think it infringed on copyright. I also noted a character was named Dani California, so they didn't try very hard to hide the name's inspiration. I hit Wikipedia to find out if RHCP invented this term, and there I learnt "Californication is a portmanteau of California and fornication, written about in Time on August 21, 1972 and seen on bumper stickers in the U.S. states of Colorado, Oregon and Idaho."
I can see why RHCP are pissed. If a show is going to bum your name, you want it to be a great deal better than this one.
Earlier this week, I toasted "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and shared one of my favourite exchanges from this season, Get In That Ass, Larry. I've just watched the season finale, and damn, that was awesome.
I'm issuing a very serious spoiler alert here. If you haven't seen the season final of "Curb Your Enthusiasm", and you plan to, don't watch this clip. It's the final two minutes and there's a rather significant twisty turn.
We've all played the desert island game. If you're going to a desert island, which ten CDs would you bring? If you were going to a desert island, and could only bring one food, which food would you bring? Heck, I think I've written a desert island entry or two over the years.
I was just thinking about which show I'd choose if I could only watch one show's new episodes while on a desert island. Got that? The show has to be active and while on this desert island I'll be somehow receiving the new episodes. Which show would I choose?
I'd choose "Curb Your Enthusiasm". While on this desert island, I'm going to want to laugh, and no show makes me life like Larry David's CYE. This season, Larry has adopted the Black family, and it's been damn funny.
I wanted to share a clip from season six, and there are plenty of great ones to choose from, but I wanted one with Leon Black, played by J.B. Smoove. This clip, entitled Get In That Ass, Larry, is NSFW. If you want to keep your job, wait until you get home or put on the headphones.
Yesterday, Taryn went to some renovation showcase thing for charity. At one of the homes she met Sandra Rinomato, host of HGTV's "Property Virgins". Both my mom and my wife love this show, and because it usually features Toronto neighbourhoods, I've caught my fair share of episodes.
If you haven't seen it, here's a typical episode of "Property Virgins".
A young, sporty, childless couple wants to by a home
This couple wants a home with space to store their biking, camping, skiing and kayaking gear
Starting in a lovely High Park neighbourhood, this couple points out their ideal home to Sandra
Sandra learns this couple can't afford more than $350,000 and asks them to guess what this High Park home will go for
The couple guesses way low and seems surprised to learn their dream house will sell for approximately $750,000
Sandra takes the couple to Mimico where they might actually find a home for $350,000
Some of the details may change, but that's every episode of "Property Virgins" in a nutshell.
I haven't been keeping up with "Weeds". I've also dropped "Rescue Me" and rarely catch "The Office". My non-sports television these days is primarily focused on programs I can access via Rogers On Demand.
Rogers On Demand, channel 308 at my house, comes with TMN and is how I watch "Curb Your Enthusiasm", "Dexter" and "Tell Me You Love Me". It's also how I catch movies, because it's so damn convenient. The movie starts when I'm ready to watch and I can pause, rewind and all of that good stuff. I'm aware of the PVR option, but I'm hesitant to increase my cable bill any further. Rogers On Demand is currently my television life blood.
Unfortunately, every once in a while, Rogers On Demand goes AWOL. That's what's happening right now. When I visit channel 308, it tells me to "please wait..." and then states it's "unable to contact Rogers On Demand17". Did it try Rogers On Demand 1-16 first?
I'm precisely the kind of guy who would love a PVR. When I'm ready, I want to be able to watch my Sunday night cartoons, "The Office", "30 Rock" or whatever. Until I take the plunge, 308 will have to do.
Maybe it will actually start working again soon...
I used to do this little feature about shows I used to watch. One show I used to watch is "The Wonder Years".
Here's the closing scene from the series finale. The music you hear is from The Natural, and it never fails to get me all emotional. What man can resist the music from The Natural?
I liked the fact Kevin and Winnie didn't end up together but I always hated the four words that were only written to make you all misty eyed. It's so manipulative, but effective. Randy Newman's score from The Natural is bellowing and Daniel Stern says "when dad passed away".
When I named a recent entry I'm Telling You For The Last Time, it was a subtle tribute to Jerry Seinfeld. Jerry named his 1998 HBO special "I'm Telling You for the Last Time".
I still enjoy watching Seinfeld reruns when I stumble upon them. I can rarely stomach anything a second time, so the fact I can watch Seinfeld episodes over and over again is something special. I can really only do this with a handful of shows.
HH shared this earlier today and it's quite funny. If you ask me, Larry's been going through the motions for years. It's about time someone called him on it.
For years, Friday nights at my house meant Oz. I'm not talking about the Wizard of Oz with Dorothy and the gang, I'm talking about the HBO series that aired from 1997 until 2003. I loved that show, and every time I'm reminded of it, I get bummed that it's no longer airing.
I'm constantly reminded of Oz because so many of the actors I knew from Emerald City appear in shows today. The Law & Order series are littered with them, I see a couple on Dexter and Lost and Dean Winters seems to show up here and there.
I don't know Lori, but she seems to have me all figured out. She likes it when I delve into the dusty corners of my 33 year old mind to come up with old shows I remember. That stuff really appeals to Ontarians born in the mid-70s, I've noticed.
Lori sent me a YouTube video and asked if I remembered the show. Unfortunately, I remember it all too well. In fact, I've seen several episodes of "Out Of This World" and would get that damn theme song stuck in my head on a continuous loop.
Out Of This World was just about as bad as a sitcom can get. The principle character was half alien which gave her the ability to freeze time, Zack Morris style. When everyone was frozen, Evie could still chat with her alien father, Troy Garland of Anterias, who was voiced by none other than Burt Reynolds.
The effects were cheesy, the plot was hokey and the show ran at strange times. I think it ran Saturday or Sunday afternoons on CFMT here in Toronto, but I could be mistaken. Here's that catchy reworking of Bing Crosby's "Swinging on a Star".
This is a neat little clip from Real Time with Bill Maher. What I find fascinating is that there's this group of people out there who believe so strongly that 9/11 was staged they're willing to protest.
Of course, there are Holocaust deniers and people who think the moon landing was staged, so maybe it's not that surprising.
I'm pretty much done with Rescue Me, the drama starring Denis Leary that airs here on Showcase. I've watched it since the beginning but this season seems so uninspired and boring I don't feel like watching anymore. That's it for me, I'm done.
Meanwhile, in other television news, I caught the last 15 minutes of Californication last night while I was flipping around. You may recall I decided I was done with this new David Duchovny vehicle. Well, for 15 minutes last night, I liked what I saw. Maybe it was the new Foo Fighters track they used so excellently, but I may give Californication another shot. Maybe...
And finally, a couple of shows I've previously enjoyed are starting up again this week. Tomorrow night Showcase is airing the new season of Weeds and Thursday night The Comedy Network is airing The Sarah Silverman Program. For those of you keeping track at home, here are the shows I'm currently following.
I recently read about a supposed gunfight at the tv ratings corral. It's a war of words between Canada's private TV networks, CTV and Global. Each is making grandiose claims about how they've got all the important eyeballs as they chase the mega advertising bucks.
CTV and Global are going at it hard with the American produced shows they've each purchased. CTV has Grey's Anatomy, Global has 24, CTV has Desperate Housewives, Global has Prison Break, CTV has American Idol, Global has Survivor. The Canadian networks only seem to get ratings when they air shows they've bought from American networks. There are very few exceptions.
Yes, I know Corner Gas airs on CTV, but can you name another Canadian show on either network in Prime Time, excluding the infotainment shlop and Canadian Idol-like remakes? CBC is pushing Little Mosque on the Prairie, but it's getting stomped by CTV's Private Practice and Global's Back To You, a couple of American shows imported to attract eyeballs and eat our young.
CTV and Global can brag about their success, it's just too bad they can't brag about their successful Canadian programs. We're good at a lot of things in this country, but producing a successful sitcom or drama isn't one of them.
The New York Times blog today tells me media buyers pay an average of $419,000 to place an ad on "Grey’s Anatomy," making it the most expensive fall show on network television. This kind of crap fascinates me.
Next is "Sunday Night Football" ($358,000), "The Simpsons" ($315,000), "Heroes" ($296,000), and "Desperate Housewives" ($270,000). Note how "The Simpsons" continues to print money even though many shows attract more eyeballs these days.
News magazine shows are the least expensive, so if you're going to start a new show you're far better off with McDreamy than McFadden. If you got that weak ass joke, you truly are a news magazine show junkie.
I've covered the whole Leno vs. Letterman thing. As I so delicately stated, anyone who prefers Leno to Letterman is the soulless spawn of Satan himself.
Case in point, check out this interview Dave conducts with Paris Hilton. Can you imagine Leno doing anything as interesting?
I watched another episode of Californication last night. That's five episodes and I don't think I actually like this show. I think I'm watching because I think it should be better than it is.
For starters, it stars Fox Mulder. That was enough to get me to watch the pilot. I like David Duchovny, but this Hank Moody character he's playing is just over the top. It's as if the writers took every "cool guy" cliche in the books and slapped them upon his persona. A tortured writer who beds beautiful babes, Moody is James Dean, Steve McQueen and The Fonz all rolled into one. It's enough to make you sick.
Then, there's this stupid subplot with his agent who has this secret dominatrix thing going with his hot secretary and a wife who demands a threesome with him and that same smokin' assistant. Please. I could write that, but nobody would tune in because everything is so overblown. There's no subtlety at all. Even the pig teacher flaunts his interest in teens and snorting coke like he's begging for a visit from the coppers. Californication isn't particularly smart, funny or interesting and the presence of Duchovny shouldn't have tided me over five episodes.
Tell Me You Love Me is far more interesting. If you're looking for a new TMN show to test drive, try that one... if you can handle the sausage.
Yesterday I wrote about the Family Guy Star Wars spoof I enjoyed so much. If you can get to these before the Fox lawyers do, you can watch that episode right here in five parts.
I enjoy my Sunday night cartoons. Last night, both kids joined me for the Simpsons premiere and then three year old Michelle went to bed. James, however, had caught several promos for The Family Guy Star Wars spoof and as a life long fan of Star Wars, he was hooked.
Actually, we were hooked. I don't know if this makes me a bad dad, but five year old James was allowed to stay up until 10pm to see the ending. This was our Roots!
He loved the scenes of Stewie as Darth Vader and was too young to realize how creepy Obi Wan Kenobi was, so it was ideal for both of us. Although I'll always be partial to the episode with Norm McDonald playing the Grim Reaper, the Family Guy Star Wars spoof might be my favourite episode ever.
I don't know who or what a Sherri Shepherd is, but I respect her Aristotlean opinion that the earth may be as flat as a pancake. She's as ignorant as Jimmy's crazy friend who says it's wrong to eat meat, but she's entitled to be as loony as she wants to be.
And here she is now, unable to conclude whether the earth is flat or spherical. We'll tag this sucker "retro ignorance".
You know that Good Housekeeping seal of approval? I look at HBO as such a seal. If a television show belongs to HBO, I'll give it a good shot because it's highly likely I'm not just going to enjoy the show but I'm going to love it.
This year alone I've enjoyed the following HBO series: The Sopranos, John From Cincinnati, Flight of the Conchords and Curb Your Enthusiasm. And yes, I realize I'd love Entourage and I'm missing out, but I'm thinking at some point someone will lend me the complete DVD set and I'll catch it from the beginning.
The new season of Curb Your Enthusiasm just kicked off last week and episode one was hilarious. The David's have adopted a less privileged family who lost their home in a Katrina-like disaster, and hilarity is sure to ensue. I love this show.
Yesterday night, Taryn and I watched the pilot of a new HBO series, "Tell Me You Love Me". It had that HBO seal of approval, so I didn't hesitate to give it an hour of my life. We both enjoyed it, and will be checking out episode two this week, but there was something different about this show... Hmmm, what was it? What was I sure to take note of? Oh yeah, "Tell Me You Love Me" is super graphic.
I'm used to HBO shows with nudity, "Dream On" was good for a few flashes a week, but "Tell Me You Love Me" kicks it up a notch. We're talking full frontal nudity and sex that can't possibly be simulated. There's a little too much sausage for my liking, and graphic acts to completion, if you catch my drift, but the wonderful scenes with Sonya Walger and Michelle Borth made it all worth while.
"Tell Me You Love Me" is worth checking out, just make sure the kids are locked away. And prepare yourself for a little more skin than Tony used to see at the Bada-Bing.
Tonight's the 24th annual MTV Video Music Awards and us crazy canucks can watch it live on CTV at 9pm. For years this was my favourite music awards show of them all. The best artists were always on the bill and the coolest videos for great songs often took home an award or two. Then, I got old.
Today it's for the kids, all about the Justin Timberlakes and Beyonces, but there are still great moments tucked in amidst the crud, like Sarah Silverman's Paris diss last year.
This year I'll be watching for a performances from the Foo Fighters featuring Queens Of The Stone Age member's Josh Homme and Troy Van Leeuwen and System Of A Down's Serj Tankian. That, and some comeback thingy by the Brit. Hey, I'm only human.
The people who market The Office seem to get it. They know how to please their target audience, and that's with little tid bit videos on YouTube.
There's nothing ground breaking in this promo, but it's still fun to hear from the characters and get a little bonus insight into where they're at. And hey, it's got me talking about the new season. As I said, these guys know their market.
Today I thought about someone I hadn't thought of in years. I thought about Elwy Yost.
Elwy Yost hosted Magic Shadows and Saturday Night at the Movies on TVOntario for most of my life. He focused on classic films, and I was too young to appreciate it, but he was a regular face I'd see as I surfed channels. He was always there, hosting these shows from 1974 to 1999, and he always seemed to love what he did.
Wikipedia tells me he's retired and living in West Vancouver, British Columbia. I'll bet he's seated in a comfy chair right now, enjoying a movie.
This past week I checked out a couple of new television series. I sampled the first two episodes of Californication, starring David Duchovny, and the pilot of Saving Grace, starring Holly Hunter.
Californication reminded me of Dream On, an HBO series I used to watch. Californication is actually a Showtime series, but it's still a dude who easily scores with ultra hot babes who always end up showing us the goods. Dream On was a comedy while Californication is sort of a dark comedy with dramatic aspirations. I watched the first two episodes and I'll be back for the third. It's even got geek appeal with Duchovny's character getting paid to blog.
I hated Saving Grace. I hated everything about it. It aired on Showcase last night and I expected a great deal better. It's awfully contrived with a boring as all hell subplot and a corny Touched By An Angel premise. The best part of Saving Grace was the theme music by Everlast. I'd avoid this one like the plague and wait for the far better Dexter to start up its second season.
And while we're discussing television, we finally get the new season of Rescue Me tonight at 10p on Showcase. As Red would say, dont'cha dare miss it.
Brace yourselves, I'm about to reveal something pretty shocking. I have never found "Royal Canadian Air Farce" funny.
Is that wrong? Does that somehow make me a bad Canadian? "Royal Canadian Air Farce" has been on for over a decade and I've caught bits and pieces here and there but I've never laughed. Not once. I just don't find it particularly funny.
One minute of "The Kids in the Hall" contains more pure hilarity than an entire season of "Royal Canadian Air Farce". Does anyone out there actually enjoy RCAF?
When John From Cincinnati got canned earlier this week, I shared the opening credits of that show because it featured a very cool tune by Joe Strummer and The Mescaleros. That got me thinking about television theme songs that are too cool to be confined to the small screen and are good enough to stand alone.
Sometimes a song is a created for a tv show and sometimes it's simply licensed, as is the case with most of the songs below. However you slice it, here are my favourite television theme songs.
Von Bondies' "C'mon C'mon" from Rescue Me
Joe Cocker's "A Little Help From My Friends" from The Wonder Years
Foo Fighters' "Next Year" from Ed
Waylon Jennings' "Good Ol' Boys" from The Dukes of Hazzard
Steve Carlisle's "WKRP in Cincinnati" from WKRP in Cincinnati
Joe Strummer and The Mescaleros' "Johnny Appleseed" from John From Cincinnati
John Sebastian's "Welcome Back" from Welcome Back, Kotter
Alabama 3's "Woke Up This Morning" from The Sopranos
Gary Portnoy's "Everybody Knows Your Name" from Cheers
Joey Scarbury's "Believe It Or Not" from The Greatest American Hero
An honourable mention goes to the three Who songs used for various CSI shows. The Who songs are great but having not seen a minute of the shows that use them, I felt weird putting them on this list. All ten shows above are actually shows I watched and enjoyed.
One of the best things about John From Cincinnati was the opening credits. It was cool grainy surfer imagery with Joe Strummer and The Mescaleros' "Johnny Appleseed" playing overtop. I had never heard "Johnny Appleseed" before but I'm now a big fan.
Apparently, I was the only one watching John From Cincinnati. I knew early on the ratings were poor, so I was prepared for what happened this week. HBO has cancelled John From Cincinnati.
Without a doubt, it was out there. Some weeks I didn't know what the hell was going on, but I knew I liked it. I haven't seen the final episode yet, but I'm certain it won't explain everything so I'm destined to live out life never knowing what was up with John.
For the most part, TV sucks. I'm so tired of the Law & Orders and typical dramas and sitcoms. Right now I'm only following two series: John From Cincinnati and Flight of the Conchords.
There are, however, a few other series I follow that will be airing new episodes soon. Weeds, a Showtime series, is airing new episodes in the USA next week. Showcase, which carries the show on this side of the border, will start season three in the fall.
Another US cable series I follow is Rescue Me, which started airing season four a couple of months ago. Showcase will air these new episodes in the fall as well. Why Showcase chooses to make us wait is beyond me, but I'm sure there's a method to their madness.
I was asleep at the switch. How else can I explain the fact I'm only discovering the Flight of the Conchords now. This HBO series featuring New Zealand's Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement first hit TMN over a month ago but I only watched the pilot on Friday. Five episodes later, I'm in love.
It's bloody brilliant. Frighteningly witty and chock full of exceptionally hilarious songs covering a wide variety of genres. It's dryer than a show like Curb Your Enthusiasm, and you have to get used to the accents, but it's one of those shows you just don't want to end. At a half hour, if feels way too short and you're left wanting a whole lot more.
Here's a song from the pilot. If you get TMN, or have a friend who gets TMN, there are seven episodes sitting at channel 308 waiting to be watched or recorded or whatever. Don't miss this series.
The songs really need to be viewed as part of the episode to be fully appreciated, but that's not going to stop me from sharing one more. This one appeared in the 4th episode, "Yoko".
And, because I can't help myself, this song killed me. It's from the 3rd episode and features Hiphopopotamus vs. Rhymenoceros.
That's all... for now. Watch the damn show. There's nothing remotely as funny on tv right now, trust me.
If you're my age, you likely remember Tom Snyder as host of The Late Late Show. David Letterman hand picked his idol Snyder to follow him at 12:35 am.
Before all that, Snyder hosted Tomorrow with Tom Snyder and had some neat interviews, like this one with The Clash in 1981. I'll miss that Snyder laugh.
Another gem is this interview with Howard Stern in 1991.
In the absence of The Sopranos, I was looking for a new drama to sink my eyeballs into, so we decided to try John From Cincinnati.
John From Cincinnati was created by David Milch and Kem Nunn. Milch created the very cool Deadwood, and John From Cincinnati is equally compelling. It's hard to describe, but it sticks to you and draws you in.
I read a negative review in the New Yorker before watching the pilot, so I was ready to ditch it. It has such a weird feel to it I kept coming back for more. I'm five episodes in and digging it, but I keep reading about poor ratings and I fear HBO may pull the plug before I see this through.
After Cheers on Thursday nights it was time for Night Court. I actually preferred Night Court to Cheers, but that's mainly because of Dan Fielding.
Night Court was supposed to be about Harry Anderson, but it ended up being about John Larroquette's character. Dan Fielding was "a sex-obsessed narcissistic prosecutor who would do anything to get a woman to sleep with him". Who wouldn't love a character like that?
Here's an intro from the first season, before the cast evolved to include the lovely Markie Post.
Yes, I watched Who's the Boss. After Daisy Duke I think Samantha Micelli was my next crush.
This was a show that hinged on one, simple premise. Tony and Angela had the hots for each other but they could never act on it. Once they did, the show would be ruined. I believe in later seasons they did hook up, but I can't say I was watching at that point. This was one long pre-kiss moment stretched out over several seasons.
Pam and Jim from The Office are sort of our modern day, hipper Tony and Angela. They've kissed, but the timing has never been right. When Tony and Angela started dating, it killed Who's the Boss, and if Pam and Jim start dating, I fear the same, although The Office has far more going for it than this one note.
Here's the Who's the Boss intro with yet another catchy as all hell theme song.
As a kid, I was enamoured with a little cartoon called The Transformers. You may have heard a thing or two about this franchise. I followed the battle between the Autobots and Decepticons closely, cheering on Optimus Prime and the good guys and taking note of their need for reinforcements from Cybertron.
I also had a few Transformers of my very own, including Optimus Prime. I often felt sorry for the Gobots, who seemed to arrive a couple of years ahead of The Transformers, but all's fair in love and Megatron.
Here's the intro with that amazing theme song. You know the words, it's okay to sing along. Don't forget to change your voice for the robotic part.
Edna Garrett left Diff'rent Strokes to become a housemother to seven young girls at the Eastland Academy in Peekskill, New York. The rest, is Facts of Life history.
One of those seven girls was Molly Ringwald, but after season one, they trimmed the roster down to Natialie, Blair and Tootie and introduced a new girl, the street wise Jo. Here's the opening from that initial season.
Edna Garrett couldn't stick with one career. She went from Drummond housekeeper to Eastland Academy housemother to owner of Edna's Edibles and then Over Our Heads. Along the way, some guy named George Clooney joined the cast to give the girls something to look at. Here's an intro featuring Mr. Clooney.
Mindy Cohn's voice is in our house a lot these days. She's the voice of Velma on the new Scooby-Doo DVDs my kids devour like candy.
Next to The Beachcombers, Danger Bay was CanCon at its finest. Doc worked at The Vancouver Aquarium and he and his kids were always saving the world from one ecological disaster or another.
I wonder what has become of Christopher Crabb. Ocean Hellman was a cutie, where's she at these days? Danger Bay was most definitely a Donnelly Rhodes vehicle, and he made it sing. Cue the opening theme song!
I was a pre-teen when Pee Wee's Playhouse started airing, but I was instantly drawn to this show. It was supposedly aimed at kids, but there was a hilarious subtext to it all that slayed me. I watched Pee Wee's Playhouse every Saturday, waiting for the secret word, awaiting visits from Miss Yvonne, Cowboy Curtis, Reba the Mail Lady and The King of Cartoons.
Those characters were played by some big time talent. Laurence Fishburne was Cowboy Curtis, Phil Hartman was Captain Carl and S. Epatha Merkerson was Reba the Mail Lady.
When Paul Reubens was arrested for indecent exposure in a movie theatre in 1991, this show quickly bit the dust. It's a damn shame because it was totally quirky, irreverent and smart, with eye candy that would give your retinas cavities. Here's the awesome introduction. Yes, that's Cyndi Lauper doing the singing.
Probably my favourite television show as a young dude was The Dukes of Hazzard. Daisy was my first crush, and I thought Bo and Luke Duke were the coolest. And as cars go, there was no cooler a car than the General Lee. Here's a great montage of General Lee action set to Johnny Cash's sweet, sweet voice.
Remember when Uncle Jesse lost his sight and there was a chance he'd never see again? They removed his blindfold and there was that moment of sadness when it appeared he hadn't regained his vision. Then, the sly fox asked for an apple on that table across the room. Uncle Jesse could see!
And of course, The Dukes of Hazzard was blessed with a tremendous theme song sung by Waylon Jennings. Just'a good ol' boys...
I watched this show every Saturday morning growing up. Zack was a cool cat and it was a light and fluffy half hour. At least it was light and fluffy until Jessie Spano started doing drugs. No, it wasn't smack, it was the dreaded caffeine pills.
My favourite episode was probably the documentary style ep featuring The Zack Attack. Who will ever forget their big hit, Friends Forever?
And of course, the series had a memorable opening theme song and we all know the words by heart.
I loved Diff'rent Strokes. Us kids looked up to Gary Coleman. Not literally, we were all taller than the little dude, but he was a mentor of sorts. Who wasn't upset when Mr. Drummond was told he couldn't BBQ on the balcony? Who didn't fear for Arnold Jackson when he was alone with that pedophile? And when Mrs. Garrett left to run an all girls school, who didn't tag along for the fun?
Here's your CanCon connection. Alan Thicke co-wrote the catchy theme song.
Family Ties was a key part of the NBC Thursday night lineup, and can't miss television for a period in the 80s. It launched the career of Michael J. Fox but in our house the focus was on Meredith Baxter-Birney who many thought looked like my mom.
My favourite episode of all time was "My Name is Alex" which was a rather trippy two parter revolving around the death of Alex' friend. Here's the heavy conclusion of that episode, which actually holds up really well.
I loved WKRP in Cincinnati. It was a great collection of characters and it made radio seem so cool. I frequently recall moments from those four seasons and smile.
If anyone has the closing theme song in MP3 form, throw it my way. Here's the extended opening theme from season one, my all-time favourite.
Update: Here's the gibberish driven closing theme song. Awesome.
For no other reason other than I feel like it, I'm going to start sharing the opening theme songs from shows I used to watch. This will likely be a little heavy on nostalgia and therefore full of 80s sitcoms.
We'll start with Growing Pains, a show I used to watch. It starred Canadian Alan Thicke and Jesus freak Kirk Cameron. It's still one helluva good theme song.
It's funny, but I find I drop at least one Degrassi Junior High reference every week. Lately, it's been a great deal more frequent with thoughts of purchasing a Joey Jerimiah hat and changing the name of our ball team to The Zit Remedy. Then, there was my retelling of near fight over Shane. Degrassi Junior High remains a key part of my day to day thoughts and speech.
I've written about Degrassi before. I loved that damn show. The principle characters were my age so we sort of went through primary school together. When they went to Degrassi High, I went to Michael Power. I rooted for Joey, watched Wheels self destruct, saw Snake deal with his gay brother and Spike get knocked up by the aforementioned Shane. These were my peeps, and I miss them.
I had found peace with The Sopranos finale. I had closure. Tony and his family would live on without me, and I was okay with that. Now, I'm wondering if Tony in fact perished in the finale.
Web sites like this are popping up all over the place. There's a growing belief that it wasn't the lady Tony saw before it all went black, but the beast who would take his life. Many suspect it was the guy wearing the "Members Only" jacket. He went in the bathroom before Meadow entered, and we all know what happens when shifty looking characters come out of the bathroom. The biggest clue, in my opinion, is the flashback to Tony's discussion with Bobby Bacala. "You probably don't even hear it when it happens," Bobby said.
I don't think TV is evil. That doesn't mean we let James park himself in front of the boob tube for hours at a time, but I'm very cool with him watching a little tv at night before bedtime.
I've been working with James to get him into shows I can watch with him. I simply can't do the Treehouse thing anymore, and James is five now and ready for older fare. Teletoon is our saving grace in this regard and there is where we found a show that keeps us both riveted.
It's called The Ripping Friends, and I instantly recognized the animation as that of John Kricfalusi, creator of my old favourite Ren and Stimpy. The next thing I noticed was that the voice of Crag belongs to none other than Mark Dailey of Citytv. When I watched Porky's on Citytv in the late 80s, it was Mark Dailey who narrated the bumpers and reminded me I was watching late great movies on Citytv. It's a local production, even the new generation Degrassi girl Miriam McDonald does voices.
The Ripping Friends give James and I a chance to chill together before bedtime and I have only John K. to thank.
I'll bet at least 95% of all visitors to this blog are packing more inches than I am. The largest television in my house right now is 27". It's a Sony Trinitron and it's been my primary TV for over seven years.
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Readers of the blog will know how much I enjoy Flight of the Conchords. It was actually 
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I've never owned a television with Picture in Picture capability. I've always thought PiP would be awesome for sporting events. You could have one hockey game in he corner while you watched another, or you could have the Jays game in the corner while you watched the Raps.
Speaking 
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I've been getting hits today from people Googling Grammys Recap. 
I just watched my first episode of Peter Puck. They just ran it on LeafsTV during the first intermission of tonights Leafs game in Tampa Bay. I remember hearing about Peter Puck as a kid, and I had a Peter Puck colouring book, but I had never caught his little educational series that I recall.
I remember Kellie Pickler from American Idol, and she didn't come across as the sharpest knife in the drawer, but I assumed she was playing dumb. After watching this clip of her on some game show, I'm sure it's no act.
My favourite news story of the day comes out of Los Angeles. The Red Hot Chili Peppers have sued Showtime Networks over the name of the television series "Californication," which is also the name of the band's 1999 album and a single on it.
Yesterday, Taryn went to some renovation showcase thing for charity. At one of the homes she met Sandra Rinomato, host of HGTV's "Property Virgins". Both my mom and my wife love this show, and because it usually features Toronto neighbourhoods, I've caught my fair share of episodes.
Yesterday I wrote 
I don't know who or what a Sherri Shepherd is, but I respect her Aristotlean opinion that the earth may be as flat as a pancake. She's as ignorant as Jimmy's crazy friend who says it's wrong to eat meat, but she's entitled to be as loony as she wants to be.
Tonight's the 24th annual MTV Video Music Awards and us crazy canucks can watch it live on CTV at 9pm. For years this was my favourite music awards show of them all. The best artists were always on the bill and the coolest videos for great songs often took home an award or two. Then, I got old.
Today I thought about someone I hadn't thought of in years. I thought about Elwy Yost.
When John From Cincinnati got canned earlier this week, 
I had found