The Debut of the new Netflix Show: Fuller House

Breaking Routine

So we’re five days in to 2016 and I have moved away from blogging every single day. It’s kind of nice to not have to worry about writing a blog every day, or trying to come up with material. It’s kind of just a free flow of writing when I feel like it. My blogs also feel much more inspired, and not so forced. I also enjoy not having to put a “day #” before every blog.

The wife and I are sitting here watching The Little Couple on TLC. It’s one of the few shows on TLC that I can tolerate. Little People, Big World is pretty much the other. Maybe I have a thing for little people. On the other side of the spectrum are the two shows I absolutely despise. Kate Plus 8 and Long Island Medium. It’s not so much the shows themselves, but the two women stars of each shows. They drive me absolutely bonkers.

Tomorrow is my Friday, and I am looking forward to three days off. As I was letting out one of our dogs tonight, I noticed a car in the apartments next door, appearing to be leaving in a hurry. It also appeared like there was glass in the reflection of the headlights. I let our other dog out a short while later and there are three cop cars sitting there. I tell you what, moving out of this house has growing in to one of the bigger priorities.

We have never had issues with anybody in the apartment buildings, and from my experience, most have been nice, but I hate the fact that there are police cars there at least once a week. I just want to move to a bigger neighborhood that isn’t right next some junky looking apartment buildings. Hopefully that is something we will be able to move towards sometime in the near future, but right now I have to just deal with it.

It’s almost 11 p.m. and miraculously both kids are asleep so I think I’m going to crash myself. I feel like I have been going to bed way late the last few days, and I’m starting to feel it wearing on me. I also feel like I’ve been hitting the snooze button wan too much, I need to start getting up when my first alarm goes off, because I never feel more rested 20 or 30 minutes later, so I mine as well not cut it so close.

I hope you all have had a great Tuesday, and onwards to a good Wednesday. Goodnight all!

Day 207 – Must Watch Shows (My Top 5)

I don’t watch a ton of television, and have an even harder time investing in to an entire series. Most of what I watch on a regular basis is some form of sporting event, whether it be a St. Louis Blues game or WWE Raw, it’s normally not a series. After a brief conversation with my best bud Tippin about television series, I got to thinking about what my top television shows of all-time are. These shows are not necessarily in order, and as I type this out, I may think of others (see honorable mentions) but the shows below are ones you can invest your time in and really feel like you have been rewarded for it. I haven’t gone in to a ton of detail about the shows synopsis as you can click on the title links to check out their IMDB pages to see what the show premise is about.

Parenthood

Holy cow did this show catch me off guard, and I didn’t even pick up on it until the last few seasons. It is a series that follows the Braverman family and the trials and tribulations they have to endure. By the end of this series you either completely relate the characters to your own family, or you feel yourself that you are also a Braverman. I honestly don’t feel like there was a character in this series that I did not feel invested in. I have not felt as emotionally attached to a a group of characters than I did with the Braverman family. It’s a series that I am absolutely going to go back and watch from the beginning.

Boy Meets World

I grew up in the 90s which was a prime time for family sitcoms. ABC had almost an entire evening block on Friday nights dedicated to the genre which they called TGIF. If you grew up during this time then shows like Full House, Family Matters, and Step by Step probably ring a bell. Those shows were all pretty good, but the show that stood out the most to me, and still holds up to this day was Boy Meets World. The show followed essentially the coming of age of Cory Matthews as he went through middle school, high school and then college. I don’t know if the creators planned the show to go as long as it did, but it was amazing to see the show shift from just a silly show about a kid making it through puberty, to a show that actually tackled some somewhat serious issues, while still maintain it’s punch lines and a growing case of lovable characters.

Throughout the series you see the kids shift in personalities.Topanga goes from a weird hippie like girl to a popular “heart throb” and even Eric Matthews (Cory’s older brother) goes from hearth throb popular kid to an air head who provided much of the comic relief. The ultimate thing that pulled this one for me was the bond of friends, family and even the kids to their teacher Mr. Feeny. The show was probably one of the last remaining sitcoms from that era, and is one I have gone back and watched from the beginning and still feel my heart tug at the end. It was a show that is actually funnier when I watch it now, and one that balanced well the emotional challenges of growing up to the funny situations that keep you laughing.

Scrubs

I don’t know if I chose the show Scrubs because I was just talking about it, or if I feel like it is actually deserving, but this comes a bit from experience but also recommendation from my buddy Tippin. I haven’t even seen this whole series or much of it in order. Most of my experience with the show comes from reruns that aired daily on Comedy Central, but I honestly don’t really remember if I saw the final episode. This show always seemed really funny, but also had something that now reminds me of Parenthood and that is the perfect choice of music for certain situations. I didn’t pick up on this type of thing until having a discussion with it with Tippin on a shortly lived podcast thing we did, but he was exactly right. Scrubs does just as good a job of delivering an entertaining television show as it does to providing a pretty great soundtrack to fit exactly what the show is. This is one I am going to go back and start from the beginning, especially since it is on Netflix now. I think that’s saying something if I haven’t even seen the majority of the series, but still hold it in high regards.

Game of Thrones

Holy cow, this one is probably the most obvious, but it’s considered one of the best shows on television for a reason. If you read a synopsis of this show, you would probably think like I did, how am I going to keep up with all of these characters, but Game of Thrones makes it work. My absolutely favorite thing about Game of Thrones is the mentality that no character is safe. Characters you think are the stars of the show, sometimes don’t last through the season, and those you may think are just supporting roles, end up playing a pretty huge role. This show also follows an ongoing book series, which I have not read, but it’s a show that always seems to keep you on your feet, and will deliver an unexpected death or twist when you least expect it. If you have been able to avoid spoilers this far in, then it’s a great time to dive in. It is in-between seasons, and the next season won’t start until April so that gives you plenty of time to catch up on everything. I guarantee you, it is one of the best shows on television for a reason.

The Newsroom

This show only aired for 3 seasons, but they really did a great job with each one. What’s nice about the Newsroom is that it tackles real events, but with the benefit of hindsight. It follows a news team, and I really think the whole cast kills it on this show, especially Jeff Daniels who plays a pretty strong willed anchor. It was an awesome surprise to his character develop. This one may be more of a liking because I went to school for broadcasting and really appreciate watching some of the behind the scenes things regarding the news world. It’s a show that I think was too short, but I really enjoyed every aspect of the show, and the cast really meshes well. I think the character of Jim Harper was one of my favorites.

Honorable Mentions
– Californication
– Band of Brothers (Mini Series)
– Entourage

Day 29 – The Yo Gabba Gabba Legacy Continues

One of the few shows that my son would religiously watch when he was young was Yo Gabba Gabba. When it came on he would immediately put all of his focus on it, smile and jump around in his little jumparoo thing. My wife and I were curious what show our daughter Amelia would latch on to. She’s starting to get to the age where she is observing things and smiling and reacting. To our surprise, Amelia is acting almost the same way that Ricky did when he first started watching Yo Gabba Gabba, which is funny now because they will both sit down and enjoy it.

If you haven’t watched Yo Gabba Gabba before, then you would probably immediately think it’s pretty odd. Even as a parent who has seen probably every episode more than 4 or 5 times, it does sometimes seem strange, but after giving it a chance, I am really impressed by how many celebrities they have on the show. I would say it’s probably second in line behind Sesame Street in the amount of celebrities that partake in different segments of the show.

Another aspect that my wife and I really enjoy is the musical aspect. They have had bands like Jimmy Eat World and Weezer on the show doing original kids songs about bugs or dogs. It’s funny seeing some of these bands play along and participate and contribute to the show. The main staples of the show are DJ Lance Rock who hosts the show, Biz Markie that does “Biz’s Beat of the Day” and then Mark from Divo who will draw a picture on each episode. The show was created by the lead singer of the Aquabats, Christian Jacobs, who started the show after not seeing a lot of kids shows that feature quality music.

I’ve heard a lot of parents say they don’t want their kids watching the show, but honestly if you give it a chance, it is a really impressive show that can even be al little hip for parents. I’m curious to see what other shows Amelia starts getting in to, but I am glad to say she’s cool with Yo Gabba Gabba because i think it introduces a very basic level of music appreciation that other shows don’t necessarily do.

WBC 2.26 – A New Show To Watch

Since the latest season of Game of Thrones ended a last week, I’ve found myself looking for a new show to get in to. My time to just sit down and watch a ton of shows is non-existent, so to keep up with one MAYBE 2 shows would be a nice little perk to look forward to each week.

I haven’t ruled out the possibility of it being a show that is already a season or two in, but shows that have since gone off the air are kind of a turn off to me. I want to have that “new episode” feel when I am following a show. I don’t mind getting caught up, but if I know that the series is at my fingertips, I am less dedicated. If I know it comes on at “this time, on this day”, then I’m more than likely to get excited about it.

Now, here is where you guys come in. What shows are you currently watching right now? I have an interest in sci-fi and fantasy style shows, so something like Orange is the New Black just doesn’t seem to appeal to me right off the bat. I know the SyFy network have a few a shows like Defiance and Continuum that seem interesting, but I haven’t taken a chance.

So what shows have you been watching as of late? I’m open to any suggestions, but as I said above, I’d prefer to stick to something more along those lines. I just want to be excited about a new show. There are three things I watch on a regular basis; Game of Thrones, St. Louis Blues games and WWE Raw. That’s Monday, Sunday and then there’s the off-season. So I guess that leaves you Tuesday through Saturday for my show selection right? I kid, but I will take it.

Sometimes I do have the urge to want to go back and watch some of the shows people are in to like Dr. Who or The Walking Dead but I haven’t. I did start watching one episode of Dr. Who, but I think I only made it through half of the show. In terms of The Walking Dead I’m discovering I’m totally burnt out on the zombie thing. It seems like it has become such an over saturated genre. Not that there is anything wrong with it, it just seems like every thing is zombies these days. Maybe I’ll come around, but for now watching a zombie show just doesn’t sound appealing to me.

So share with me what you’re watching, and maybe I can get in to something new! I’d really appreciate it.

Reality Television, STOP! – WBC 36

I’m going to try my best and sound like a sensible television viewer here who isn’t just bashing reality television because it’s dumb, but that may be what it essentially turns in to. Now look, I know people like shows like Honey Boo Boo and Duck Dynasty. I’m fine with you enjoying your shows. What I am having a major issue with is that everything is turning in to reality TV. Maybe I wouldn’t have such a gripe about it if it were in fact real, but I can’t help but think every show is scripted or altered in some way.

A few weeks ago I was laying in bed, and we had Storage Wars on. For those who are not familiar with it, Storage Wars follows a select few individuals who bid on storage lockers that have been abandoned. The highest bidder gets the locker, and then gets to proceed to go through it. As always, they find this super rare crazy stuff in these lockers, that I sometimes feel just are way too unlikely to find on such a regular basis. I then can’t stop thinking about how these items are placed there, and that the creators are really just playing reality TV “God.”

Maybe these shows are authentic, and I know that if you did not spice up the show or script it somehow then it would be stale. It’s a business and they can’t make money if they don’t have viewers. What has finally driven me to a breaking point, is that channels like TLC which actually used to have some solid programming, has resorted to shows featuring Amish people, child pageants and Gypsies.

After being completely turned off by Storage Wars I decided to flip to something else. I saw a Stephen Hawkings show about the universe. They were talking about how space travel would work in the future and how difficult getting from one universe to another would be. It completely blew my mind and had me up until about 3 o’clock in the morning enthralled with some awesome science stuff. I realized that this is what I miss so much from channels like the History Channel, which rarely has any shows on about history that isn’t a reality show. I miss the days where they were discussing some old topic or people. It’s practically 75% Pawn Stars now.

I don’t know guys, I don’t want to feel like I’m above reality television, and there are probably a few out there I actually enjoy. Idiot Abroad is actually a pretty good one, but maybe I’m just being too critical about this stuff. I just miss some of the old programming that seemed more educational then entertaining. Maybe that’s why they weren’t kept around, they didn’t have ratings. I guess I’ll just have to find some quality television on Netflix of Hulu.

 

Soapbox Sunday Episode 4: Girl Meets World

G4TV Losing Hosts Kevin Pereira and Adam Sessler

I’ve been a fan of G4TV back to the good ol days when I would get out of high school and watch what was then called TechTV. You had the Screensavers, Call for Help, Arena and some other shows specifically geared towards the gamers and tech enthusiasts.

Over the years TechTV lost some of its key stars including Leo Laporte, Kevin Rose and Sara Lane as it transitioned into the new brand called G4TV. When that era launched there were a couple of faces that really represented the channel, Kevin Pereira (Host of Attack of the Show) and Adam Sessler (Host of X-Play). Just recently I found out that Adam Sessler left G4TV in late April and Kevin Pereira is leaving G4TV at the end of May. Though to most people this may have no effect on their daily lives, but being a fan video games, television production and comedy this was a bit of a bummer for me.

For starters, Adam Sessler, though at times slightly annoying with his jittery deliver and stuttering, definitely knew his stuff when it came to video games. I especially enjoyed watching the “Sessler’s Soapbox” segments. He had been covering video games on television for as long as I can remember, and him leaving G4TV I think is going to really lose one of their genuine gaming experts. Morgan Webb I’m kind of indifferent to. Not that she’s a bad host or doesn’t know video games, but she just never really clicked like Sessler did. Sure Sessler will be replaced and I’m sure some won’t know a difference, but there was a true passion for video games that Sessler showed and I felt it went a little deeper then just a casual gamer. I think his knowlege of the business was at a pretty high level as well. Again, those of you out there can easily debate this I’m sure, but for my personal opinion I really enjoyed what he brought to the game with video game journalism.

Kevin Pereira I think I was more disappointed with his future departure then Sessler and here’s why. Pereira not only brought a knowledge of gaming and gadgets, but he brought a sense of humor and sarcasm that made AOTS(Attack of the Show) such a blast to watch. It didn’t matter who was co-hosting, he managed to always make the show entertaining. I really liked how he went about doing his interviews during “The Loop” segments. These topics normally involved a little more serious and social levels.  Where X-Play I could probably still watch without Sessler, I really have a hard time being able to watch AOTS without Pereira. Again you don’t take anything away from other hosts, but he has been the face of that show since so early on. I know that even when somebody was filling in for him, it was harder to watch AOTS. He brought an awesome level of wittiness and off the cuff comments that had me laughing more times then not.

In a side note, I may be wrong on this, but I think Chris Hardwick has left G4TV as he is now doing a thing with the television show The Walking Dead as well as a successful podcast called The Nerdist. I think he’s even taking this into live shows.

G4TV is going to be a lot different after E3 comes to an end and Pereira leaves. It will be interesting to see what direction G4TV takes. There is more to this then just the two leaving. If you look at the programming lineup for G4TV, it is filled mainly with Cops and maybe some other random shows here and there, but 80% of it is the show Cops. I remember years ago when there were quality tech shows, even if they tended to be re-runs it’s still better than watching cops. I believe Pereira even made a reference to G4TV playing mostly Cops and Cheaters during the day, and that even has been speculated to one of the possibilities that Pereira was let go. Again that’s I’m sure just rumor, but knowing the television industry and how image focused they are, I wouldn’t be surprised.

Anyway if you are a fan of either or both Attack of the Show and X-Play how do you feel about Kevin Pereira leaving G4TV? Also, how do you feel the station will fair with the two of them gone? Leave me some comments and let me know, and if you want to discuss it more you can message me on Twitter @CBumeter.

Here a video from both hosts that I think were pretty cool.

“TGIF” Possibly Returning to ABC in 2012

When I was growing up, there were days of the week that had significant importance when it came to television. Monday night was WWF vs WCW in the “Monday Night Wars.” On Saturday, I would wake up early and watch Looney Tunes, Bobby’s World, Denver the Last Dinosaur and Camp Candy. Friday nights were no different. It was known for ABC’s “TGIF” (Thank God It’s Friday). Shows like Boy Meets World, Step-by-Step, Full House and Family Matters were all aired during this television slot. It was a different time than now, but recently there have been rumors that ABC/Disney may be attempting to bring back the beloved Friday night time slot.

The idea of bringing back TGIF concerns me more than it excites me. Here’s the thing. During the 80’s and 90’s television sitcoms were seen in a different light. The heart warming shows that brought families together were a welcome to kids and parents alike. They were corny shows, but they brushed the line enough to not fall into complete cheese. Nowadays, kids are so desensitized and knowledgeable about the adult world around them, that a show like Full House would more than likely never stand a chance with this generation’s tweens. They’re way too much Internet, and not enough television.

That comparison may sound insanely weird, but saying kids these days are at fault for spending more time on the Internet, than watching television is slightly misleading. Kids who are growing up now are raised by the Internet. Anything you want to find can be found there. When I was growing up, we didn’t have the Internet to turn to every five minutes. Granted as I got older into my high school days, it became more relevant. I just don’t think kids would sit down for two or three hours straight to watch something that was actually appropriate. Turn on a six hour Jersey Shore marathon and you may stand a fighting chance. Why is that? It’s pretty clear, shows like that bring out the train wreck of America. Not to say the stars of the shows are bad people, but it supplies a form of entertainment that consists of sex, bad language and sometimes a little violence.

If MTV was to say, we’re bringing back Saved by the Bell for new episodes airing before or after Jersey Shore then you can bet the television would be turned on mute up until or right after “Shore” was over.

So with that said, how does ABC/Disney hope to even have something they can call TGIF return and be successful. I think it’s a battle that is lost before it even starts. Again, you won’t have kids jumping to go see these family sitcoms of the 80’s and 90’s anymore. If there’s not some form of controversy around it, then it’s not going to hold the attention.

I would love to go back to a time when these shows aired. Heck, just dedicate a channel to sitcoms of the 80s or prefereably the 90s. Some people may say, well it’s just nostalgia and you wouldn’t really go back and re-watch those shows again. But in fact I would, and I have. Just a year ago I went through and watched every episode of Boy Meets World, from start to finish. It took me bout a month, but I loved it. The show was great. I could probably stand by that argument with Full House, Step-by-Step or Saved by the Bell. There was something entertaining and clean about those shows that just made watching television feel good.

ABC/Disney will need to bring back TGIF in a whole new light. Not in a way that catches my generation’s attention, but in a way that will catch the next generation’s. Sadly, the only way I see that happening is with a show like Teen Wolf or Secret Life. They’re edgy shows that focus on sex or violence or whatever. Not saying those shows are bad, but they’re a far cry from what my generation enjoyed.

This isn’t supposed to be a rant or anything about why my generation is this or that over the current generation. I don’t think that at all. It’s more of reminiscing on something that is rumored to be brought back, and how what TGIF was, is not what TGIF can be anymore. I wish it could be, but plain and simple, it can’t.