The Hamelin brothers getting fourth and fifth in short track was one of the first times I was actually mad that a Korean won. Usually if Korea wins, I am all for it. I have pride for my motherland. Koreans are just as crazy for their sports athletes, and that sense of pride is perfectly captured by this quote from a member of the South Korean Olympic committee. I did not edit this quote and I just love the abrupt transition at the end:
“I think the whole nation is in front of the television,” said John Moon, chief of staff of the South Korean Olympic Committee. “Kim Yu-na is the country’s special sister. Every athlete is important, but her medal is more important than the others. She is beautiful. She’s our pride. I think the Koreans will have a lot of drinks.”
BTW if anyone knows where I can get that Team Korea jacket that Yuna was sporting let me know. Not in her size though. Please, I know you may think it, but I am not that slender.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Olympic Sized Recap...
Of the Olympics!
I don't really know how to feel today since it is the first time in almost three weeks that I don't have some sort of Olympic-oriented goal. My wife wonders why I couldn't put the energy I spent towards the Vancouver games in some other capacity. I wonder too. I think I feel a little bit of sadness knowing that Vancouver will never see something like this ever again. I also know that I am proud of our city, prouder of our country, and am reaffirmed about how sports can play an essential part of connecting all of us in the community.
As if there are not enough reviews and recollections of these Games, I thought I would offer up my thoughts from a non-media perspective. What better way to serve up recollections with a Victory Ceremony web-style:
Fourth place finishes:
1) Cancelling tickets at Cypress. We can truck tons of snow from Manning, but we can't figure out some way to seat the general admission holders? One friend of mine was essentially robbed of Maelle Ricker's gold medal performance, since his tickets were no longer valid. Couldn't we have brought up all the Bouncy Castles from the Lower Mainland and provided that as the general admission area?
2) Long line-ups into essentially 3-D commercials. If I hadn't seen most of the pavilions before the crowds really got going, I cringe to think of how angry I might have been.
Bell Cube: Just TVs and Bell phones.
Samsung Pavilion: More of the same.
BC Pavilion: A 5 minute 3-D video of BC that would have made James Cameron chortle.
I did like the Royal Mint but deductions for waiting for FIVE hours to see the medals. Also deductions for the 1.5 hour wait into Coca-Cola House. The Bay Olympic Superstore: 1 hour wait
A lot of waiting. But really in retrospect, I only have myself to blame because I was the idiot that decided to wait in all the lines.
3) Cringe-worthy planning during the Opening and Closing Ceremonies. Russia's 5 minute bit in the Closings was better than almost anything Vanoc did. Except for KD Lang. That ice rink in Sochi by the water... that was crazy.
4) Juh nuh parles frankcaahs trez bien. Furlong's French. Nuff said.
5) Jamie Campbell's spotty play by play in a lot of sports he clearly knows nothing about. Did anyone see his first day calling snowboard half-pipe? The first rider took a jump and he yelled "WOAH" or something to that effect and then after two more yells you could clearly tell he thought he was witnessing the second coming of Shaun White. I believe someone told him what he saw wasn't that great, because he was real quiet for the rest of the day. Stick to calling a good game in baseball with the Blue Jays. Now don't get me wrong, he did bring a good amount of enthusiasm to his calls Re: Bilodeau, but he could have used some more experience with the Cypress events.
6) "I Believe" song by Nikki-whatever-her-name-is. Thanks for shoving this sappy song down our throats CTV. Some mornings I tried to rip my own larynx out because I would spontaneously start singing it.
Bronze Finish:
1) CTV for a decent job their first time through. Hearing Chris Cuthbert announce hockey was a trip back to the 80s when he used to do the Edmonton Oiler games for CBC. Cuthbert was excellent. Rod Black, figure skating calls were professional and polished. Vic Router was solid in curling. Brian Williams was great. Bob Costas on NBC is the man. Liz Manley needs work.
2) Streets of Vancouver: Robson and Granville area, the first weekend. The first weekend was busy and a little bit more family-friendly. This past weekend was an excuse by many to get really drunk. Well, at least everyone was friendly.
3) The Canada Line: I used to get angry on my morning commute into school, because of all the Cambie Street closures. After using the Canada Line on numerous occasions, it is nice to see at least one tangible legacy from these Games. Deductions for only having TWO ticket kiosks at most of the stations.
4) Own the Podium: We were all so quick to write off this program after that Sucky Saturday and Sunday. It is quite apparent to all that without this funding our gold medal haul would never have happened. At least we were not Russia, projecting 30 medals and leaving with fifteen. Heads are rolling in Russia.
Let's just hope that the Canadian men's hockey team follows the lead of Clara Hughes, Bilodeau, Heil, and others and donates that money back to the community. Does Luongo need another $25,000?
5) Ice Dance Pairs: The fact that I actually enjoyed Moir and Virtue's gold performance... I don't want to say anything more.
6) Mary Cirillo's great little features on NBC. The one focused on Joe Juneau's contributions working with First Nations children through hockey was so good that it made me reassess what I thought about Joe Juneau (sort of soft player with good passing skills). IF only all of use could be a little like Joe.
Silver medal:
1) Canada's short track team: Some of the most exciting races during the Olympics. I am still lamenting the fact that I sold those tickets thus missing out on two golds and one bronze awarded to Canada. But I couldn't miss Canada men's semi-finals hockey, right? Right? (as you sit there shaking your head)
2) The volunteers of Vanoc: The legion of blue made all of us proud. I was awestruck by the amount of hours these people put in during the games. 10-12 hours a day and never once did I run into a surly blue Smurf.
3) My Shaw PVR expander: My brother-in-law showed me his just as the Games started. 1 terabyte of storage finally allows me to record tons of show in HD. Without it, I wouldn't have been able to record the Olympics everyday on both CTV and NBC. Deductions for bumping up the price this week ($199 from $150). For $150 it was definitely worth it and now I can record the entire season of LOST to rewatch in the summer.
4) The Polish women's speed skating team for winning bronze after being ranked the worst country in that event. Their reaction was just pure emotion and they looked like they had won gold. Plus bonus points for beating USA.
5) The rise of curling. Had Cheryl Bernard won gold, she would have been drowning in a sea of endorsements. The men of America loved her and it is weird to see how the media called her the Curling Cougar or the Curlgar. She should have taken care of business in that 10th end. Who would have thought the men of Wall Street would become obsessed with the sport. Pretty cool to think if you join the Vancouver league that you get to play in that Olympic building. Way to go Kevin Martin, who waited 8 years for his redemption.
6) The waitress at Metropole, where we watched the gold hockey game, for finding my favourite scarf and holding it for me. I think Vancouver was the nicest place to be in the last two weeks. I haven't felt this energy and enthusiasm ever in this town.
Gold Medal:
1) Attending Canada-Russia hockey game: I cannot properly describe what it felt like with all those goals scored in the first period. The elation that jumped out of me with each goal, matched by the frenzy of those in the crowd... awesome. I bear-hugged my wife seven times and at one point, she asked "Could you please stop screaming into my ear?"
2) Attending Russia-Czech hockey game: I took my dad with me to this game. I realized how selfish of a son I had been, since I hadn't taken my dad to a hockey game in a loooong time. This was a very enjoyable moment of the Games that encapsulated spending time with family and friends. My parents stayed over the night of Yuna Kim's skate. We went with my sister and her friends downtown the past Friday to enjoy Blue Rodeo. Bumping into friends on Robson. Getting to see a curling match with my friends. Watching copious amounts of hockey with my friends. Cheering madly and jumping up and down for joy with my friends when Sid the Kid scored that overtime winner... these Olympics were all about spending time and sharing small little moments with the people you love.
3) Watching Wilco on the first Friday with my lovely wife at LiveCity Yaletown was such a great night. The fireworks show at Yaletown was thrilling and almost better than the summer fireworks because the explosions were so close.
4) The overtime goal. Pure happiness which brought me back to my more youthful days when I watched Lemieux's goal in the 87 Canada Cup. Pretty cool to think of a generation of kids will forever remember this moment. Undescribable is the only way to explain this moment in time.
5) I have to mention another Canadian athletic performance, but how do you pick between Rochette, Bilodeau, Montgomery, Ricker, McIvor, Martin etc?
I guess the fact that I just wrote their last names and you knew who I was talking about says enough of the impression these Games made on us. I am going to wimp out and give the gold to Team Canada.
6) Friday night, Slovakia vs Canada, at Metropole in Gastown, the game finishes. I decide to start belting out O Canada with my buddy. Our group joins in and then the music cuts out and all you can hear is the entire bar singing the anthem. With goosebumps on my arms, I thought, "I love this country." Spontaneous outbursts of the anthem played out all over this country. Heck, my wife and I stood every time a gold medal was given out on TV. All of you experienced the group anthem singing at some time, somewhere this week. I know you did. And we can all agree that for two weeks, our country had one voice.
Beauty.
I don't really know how to feel today since it is the first time in almost three weeks that I don't have some sort of Olympic-oriented goal. My wife wonders why I couldn't put the energy I spent towards the Vancouver games in some other capacity. I wonder too. I think I feel a little bit of sadness knowing that Vancouver will never see something like this ever again. I also know that I am proud of our city, prouder of our country, and am reaffirmed about how sports can play an essential part of connecting all of us in the community.
As if there are not enough reviews and recollections of these Games, I thought I would offer up my thoughts from a non-media perspective. What better way to serve up recollections with a Victory Ceremony web-style:
Fourth place finishes:
1) Cancelling tickets at Cypress. We can truck tons of snow from Manning, but we can't figure out some way to seat the general admission holders? One friend of mine was essentially robbed of Maelle Ricker's gold medal performance, since his tickets were no longer valid. Couldn't we have brought up all the Bouncy Castles from the Lower Mainland and provided that as the general admission area?
2) Long line-ups into essentially 3-D commercials. If I hadn't seen most of the pavilions before the crowds really got going, I cringe to think of how angry I might have been.
Bell Cube: Just TVs and Bell phones.
Samsung Pavilion: More of the same.
BC Pavilion: A 5 minute 3-D video of BC that would have made James Cameron chortle.
I did like the Royal Mint but deductions for waiting for FIVE hours to see the medals. Also deductions for the 1.5 hour wait into Coca-Cola House. The Bay Olympic Superstore: 1 hour wait
A lot of waiting. But really in retrospect, I only have myself to blame because I was the idiot that decided to wait in all the lines.
3) Cringe-worthy planning during the Opening and Closing Ceremonies. Russia's 5 minute bit in the Closings was better than almost anything Vanoc did. Except for KD Lang. That ice rink in Sochi by the water... that was crazy.
4) Juh nuh parles frankcaahs trez bien. Furlong's French. Nuff said.
5) Jamie Campbell's spotty play by play in a lot of sports he clearly knows nothing about. Did anyone see his first day calling snowboard half-pipe? The first rider took a jump and he yelled "WOAH" or something to that effect and then after two more yells you could clearly tell he thought he was witnessing the second coming of Shaun White. I believe someone told him what he saw wasn't that great, because he was real quiet for the rest of the day. Stick to calling a good game in baseball with the Blue Jays. Now don't get me wrong, he did bring a good amount of enthusiasm to his calls Re: Bilodeau, but he could have used some more experience with the Cypress events.
6) "I Believe" song by Nikki-whatever-her-name-is. Thanks for shoving this sappy song down our throats CTV. Some mornings I tried to rip my own larynx out because I would spontaneously start singing it.
Bronze Finish:
1) CTV for a decent job their first time through. Hearing Chris Cuthbert announce hockey was a trip back to the 80s when he used to do the Edmonton Oiler games for CBC. Cuthbert was excellent. Rod Black, figure skating calls were professional and polished. Vic Router was solid in curling. Brian Williams was great. Bob Costas on NBC is the man. Liz Manley needs work.
2) Streets of Vancouver: Robson and Granville area, the first weekend. The first weekend was busy and a little bit more family-friendly. This past weekend was an excuse by many to get really drunk. Well, at least everyone was friendly.
3) The Canada Line: I used to get angry on my morning commute into school, because of all the Cambie Street closures. After using the Canada Line on numerous occasions, it is nice to see at least one tangible legacy from these Games. Deductions for only having TWO ticket kiosks at most of the stations.
4) Own the Podium: We were all so quick to write off this program after that Sucky Saturday and Sunday. It is quite apparent to all that without this funding our gold medal haul would never have happened. At least we were not Russia, projecting 30 medals and leaving with fifteen. Heads are rolling in Russia.
Let's just hope that the Canadian men's hockey team follows the lead of Clara Hughes, Bilodeau, Heil, and others and donates that money back to the community. Does Luongo need another $25,000?
5) Ice Dance Pairs: The fact that I actually enjoyed Moir and Virtue's gold performance... I don't want to say anything more.
6) Mary Cirillo's great little features on NBC. The one focused on Joe Juneau's contributions working with First Nations children through hockey was so good that it made me reassess what I thought about Joe Juneau (sort of soft player with good passing skills). IF only all of use could be a little like Joe.
Silver medal:
1) Canada's short track team: Some of the most exciting races during the Olympics. I am still lamenting the fact that I sold those tickets thus missing out on two golds and one bronze awarded to Canada. But I couldn't miss Canada men's semi-finals hockey, right? Right? (as you sit there shaking your head)
2) The volunteers of Vanoc: The legion of blue made all of us proud. I was awestruck by the amount of hours these people put in during the games. 10-12 hours a day and never once did I run into a surly blue Smurf.
3) My Shaw PVR expander: My brother-in-law showed me his just as the Games started. 1 terabyte of storage finally allows me to record tons of show in HD. Without it, I wouldn't have been able to record the Olympics everyday on both CTV and NBC. Deductions for bumping up the price this week ($199 from $150). For $150 it was definitely worth it and now I can record the entire season of LOST to rewatch in the summer.
4) The Polish women's speed skating team for winning bronze after being ranked the worst country in that event. Their reaction was just pure emotion and they looked like they had won gold. Plus bonus points for beating USA.
5) The rise of curling. Had Cheryl Bernard won gold, she would have been drowning in a sea of endorsements. The men of America loved her and it is weird to see how the media called her the Curling Cougar or the Curlgar. She should have taken care of business in that 10th end. Who would have thought the men of Wall Street would become obsessed with the sport. Pretty cool to think if you join the Vancouver league that you get to play in that Olympic building. Way to go Kevin Martin, who waited 8 years for his redemption.
6) The waitress at Metropole, where we watched the gold hockey game, for finding my favourite scarf and holding it for me. I think Vancouver was the nicest place to be in the last two weeks. I haven't felt this energy and enthusiasm ever in this town.
Gold Medal:
1) Attending Canada-Russia hockey game: I cannot properly describe what it felt like with all those goals scored in the first period. The elation that jumped out of me with each goal, matched by the frenzy of those in the crowd... awesome. I bear-hugged my wife seven times and at one point, she asked "Could you please stop screaming into my ear?"
2) Attending Russia-Czech hockey game: I took my dad with me to this game. I realized how selfish of a son I had been, since I hadn't taken my dad to a hockey game in a loooong time. This was a very enjoyable moment of the Games that encapsulated spending time with family and friends. My parents stayed over the night of Yuna Kim's skate. We went with my sister and her friends downtown the past Friday to enjoy Blue Rodeo. Bumping into friends on Robson. Getting to see a curling match with my friends. Watching copious amounts of hockey with my friends. Cheering madly and jumping up and down for joy with my friends when Sid the Kid scored that overtime winner... these Olympics were all about spending time and sharing small little moments with the people you love.
3) Watching Wilco on the first Friday with my lovely wife at LiveCity Yaletown was such a great night. The fireworks show at Yaletown was thrilling and almost better than the summer fireworks because the explosions were so close.
4) The overtime goal. Pure happiness which brought me back to my more youthful days when I watched Lemieux's goal in the 87 Canada Cup. Pretty cool to think of a generation of kids will forever remember this moment. Undescribable is the only way to explain this moment in time.
5) I have to mention another Canadian athletic performance, but how do you pick between Rochette, Bilodeau, Montgomery, Ricker, McIvor, Martin etc?
I guess the fact that I just wrote their last names and you knew who I was talking about says enough of the impression these Games made on us. I am going to wimp out and give the gold to Team Canada.
6) Friday night, Slovakia vs Canada, at Metropole in Gastown, the game finishes. I decide to start belting out O Canada with my buddy. Our group joins in and then the music cuts out and all you can hear is the entire bar singing the anthem. With goosebumps on my arms, I thought, "I love this country." Spontaneous outbursts of the anthem played out all over this country. Heck, my wife and I stood every time a gold medal was given out on TV. All of you experienced the group anthem singing at some time, somewhere this week. I know you did. And we can all agree that for two weeks, our country had one voice.
Beauty.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Saturday, December 5, 2009
The Golden Age of TV Comedy? And other thoughts of the 2009 Television Season
I usually share this story with my students to ask why it is we sometimes decide to stick with something that is difficult and other times we quit so quickly. I remember my first time snowboarding up at Blackcomb. The conditions were quite icy that day and the first hour was enjoyable trying to put together consecutive turns. Then as the day progressed, and my butt cheeks were repeatedly hammered like Eric Lindros' head hit by Scott Stevens, I realized that this snowboarding thing was no longer enjoyable. Getting down the hill was slow going, because my body refused to make any turns as it knew that pain was surely to follow.
Those of you who have snowboarded understand that the most difficult thing to do for beginners is to traverse over flat terrain. Downhill slopes, you let gravity do the work. Flat terrain means the boarder has to hold continual edges. This balancing act is difficult and if you bail, you have now lost all speed which means you have to start walking. Blackcomb is not a place for beginners, if the snow conditions aren't good at lower elevations, because up high, the "beginner green" runs are all-the-aforementioned-flat traverses. Now, why not take the quickest way down the mountain, the "blue" or "black diamond" runs? The problem is most of those runs are super steep and full of moguls* (why don't they just call them "bumps"?). At the end of the day, I found myself way too high up on Blackcomb, needing to meet family and friends at the bottom, and doing the math in my head that extrapolated my current rate of descent versus the distance I was at, which led me to the answer of 2 hours. This amount of time was also not factoring in the decrease in courage over time with the inversely proportional amount of bruising on my buttocks. As I sat there wondering how if I could ride my snowboard like a toboggan (I tried--it is difficult with moguls and you tend to start cruising out of control towards the edges of the hill or into the trees), a snow patrol guy came chugging along in his snowmobile.
*Wikipedia tells me that "The term mogul is probably of German dialect; akin to German dialect (Viennese) mugl, small hill." Again, I would have gone just with "bumps". But what do I know, I was formerly an ESL student. For one week. Even though I was born in Canada.
It was at this moment, I realized that I may have a future in acting. Of course, I am still awaiting my big break. I mustered up the saddest, most pitiful face ever that clearly shouted out to him, "Please sir, help me out" without losing any shred of machismo I had left at that moment. My WTF (Why the Face... for those of you who enjoy "Modern Family") must have appealed to his intrinsic nature of goodness, irregardless of the fact that his daily job was helping people out in distress. He slowed down and asked me if I was hurt. I told him no, but I needed to meet people down at the bottom at the mountain and I feared that at the rate at which I was going, that reunion would unlikely happen within that day. The kind man said I can give you a lift and we will strap your board in. My face lit up like my Korean friends on one glass of wine and was so appreciative of this rescue (ignore the fact that I was not injured). Quite honestly, as we zipped down the mountain on the snowmobile (can I say skidoo?) that was the funniest part of my snowboarding day. And the message to all you hitchhikers... work on your facial expressions.
Now what is the long preamble getting to? You would think after that terrible day of snowboarding--the negative experience of falling on ice in cold weather, the feeling of frustration in not being able to get your body in sync with the board, and the humbling experience of having a snow patrol bail out a grown adult--you would think this particular day would have effectively snuffed out my snowboarding career. Yet, there I was, weeks later, out on Cypress Mountain, to do something that I should have hated so much. This desire to be back on the hill meant that I felt some sort of need to try again. I can't explain it, but there was something about snowboarding I liked despite my first experience. Somehow I knew, that persevering through these initial forays (my second time was still all about falls and spills on the hills) would payoff for that one time down the road where I would be whooshing down a steep incline, floating on top of a soft-cushion of powder, filled with an exhilaration of freedom, all the while grinning from ear to ear due to the overwhelming feeling of excitement. Somehow I was willing to stick with snowboarding, because of that momentary feeling when I would link two turns together as a beginner and that told me that "Hey, this is something that I will like."
Isn't that the way it is with all aspects of life? Why do certain things that are tough cause us to quit initially, while other more difficult things cause us to power through? What motivates or appeals to each of our personalities? What is it about a certain television show that allows us to be more forgiving in the beginning and more willing to give one show a chance over another?
Case in point for the 2009 season. I couldn't stomach more than two episodes of "V". I am sure that it may turn around, but I wasn't willing to wait through all of it and see. Yet, I gave Flashforward about five episodes to win me over (it didn't... that is a show that I call a try-hard.) People are rarely willing to give "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" a shot, because of its preposterous name and the possible lingering negative effects of the movie that came out before it (starring Luke Perry of the original 90210 for those younguns out there reading). Somehow, I decided to give the series a shot recently on DVD and had a difficult time handling the cheesiness of special effects and the uneven tone they were trying to establish in the first half of season 1. And I hate saying this now, but if someone were to stick with the show through all the seasons (seven seasons worth) I think most people would be surprised at the depth and maturity of the issues that are tackled along with the breadth and scope of the characters that get the viewer involved and all of this from a show called "Buffy". My wife, certainly not a sci-fi/fantasy fan, mentioned the other day, that she thinks it is the best show she has ever seen, which I was shocked at. She almost gave up on it during season 1 and only at my insistence was she willing to give the show a try. And she was rewarded with a show with clever writing, great humour, and some romantic sappiness thrown in every now and then. I even remember my wife saying that the show was like Twilight, except I had to remind her that Buffy came before Twilight.
I find that comedy shows are the type of shows that you really need to give a chance. Often networks pull the plug on these types of shows, which is unfair as the writers and those involved are trying to carefully nail their vision of what they want to pull off weekly. To beat a dead horse further, my snowboarding story perfectly sums up what I go through with some comedies. A show like "Parks & Recreation" was not so great in its first season. It was actually all over the place and I wasn't sure it was creating likable characters. I also felt like it was forcing situations in the hopes that these over-the-top moments of absurdity would be viewed as hilarious. I almost gave up on the series, but there was something about it that I could not explain, something that made me willing to watch. As this 2009 fall season has passed, I found that "Parks & Recreation" as one of the comedies that I actually wanted to see the most on Thursdays, a night of packed comedies. I am glad that I stuck with the show, because there have been some glorious highlights thus far (Louis CK, Greg Pikitis-vandalizing teen, Chris, Ron). I am glad that I stuck with the uneven "Community" for brilliant episodes like "Debate 109" I could do without Ken Jeong at times (a try-hard), but the rest of the cast have really come into there own (plus I have a small crush on Alison Brie). A character like Abed, who I thought was just too kooky, is now in the perfect wheelhouse of funny supporting character. I never would have thought that "Community" and "Parks & Rec" would sometimes bring more laughs than "The Office" or "30 Rock". Funnily enough, the first seasons of Office and 30 Rock were not very strong either.
This all brings me to my main point (I like that I took 10,000 words to get to the crux of my thesis. My English teacher would have had a heart attack at my thesis inversion.)
Are we in the midst of a Golden Age of TV Comedy? I really believe we are for sitcoms. The laugh track comedy has gone by the wayside, the traditional format has been replaced by varying degrees of a mockumentary feel, and the settings have become zany. In essence, a lot of the filmed comedy approaches the ridiculous scenarios of an early Simpsons episode, yet the characters can still connect in serious ways. I could write forever about all the comedies out there I enjoy, but I don't have the time nor the energy to do so. However, I will write out a list of comedies that are currently running and I challenge those of you out there to think of a time that produced a slew of well-crafted shows like we have today. Of course, there are many of you out there, who haven't given any of these shows a chance. You really should try to watch some of these with the recognition that you have to be patient and allow for repeated viewings in order for the payoff later down the road. Sure, the hill may be a bit bumpy at first, but later on when you are smiling and laughing your way through the subsequent episodes you will be glad you got on(snow)board.
BTW these are my opinions and I could not have possible watched all the comedies that exist out there. I will list shows that are currently running (thus missing out on the brilliance of "Arrested Development").
ABC:
Modern Family: Ed O'Neal (Married with Children fame) has never been so effective. Manny, the chubby Colombian kid, makes me laugh every time.
CBS:
The Big Bang Theory: I didn't think I could like something that the guy from "Two and Half Men" created. But this show, really hit its stride last season and now Sheldon and Penny have some of the best chemistry out there.
How I Met Your Mother: This just in. This show is... wait for it... awesome.
NBC:
30 Rock: Uneven this season, but still has great moments like this "What everyone looks like on High Def" bit (sorry about the poor video clip, but it was the best I could dig up... the Baldwin part at the end is awesome.)
The Office: They managed to marry off two characters, yet still maintain a level of comedy week in and week out.
Community
Parks and Recreation
I guess "Chuck" may be deemed as a comedy.
HBO:
Curb Your Enthusiasm: This season's Seinfeld reunion was fantastic. More Jerry and more Funkhouser please.
Weeds: Haven't seen it. Want to see it.
Entourage: This show can no longer be considered funny. I don't know why I included it. Maybe because I wrote HBO.
FOX:
I don't watch these shows anymore, but the entire Sunday night of animation is devoted to comedy. Simpsons, Family Guy, etc etc
CW:
90210: Oh wait, it's a drama? My bad.
And then of course, people may mention Scrubs, SNL, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and a whole host of others.
Next up?
If I ever decide to write again, I will try for:
My Decade of Favourites for:
Movies
Music
TV
Video Games
Technology
However, I am making you think I will write something soon, which I will not.
Those of you who have snowboarded understand that the most difficult thing to do for beginners is to traverse over flat terrain. Downhill slopes, you let gravity do the work. Flat terrain means the boarder has to hold continual edges. This balancing act is difficult and if you bail, you have now lost all speed which means you have to start walking. Blackcomb is not a place for beginners, if the snow conditions aren't good at lower elevations, because up high, the "beginner green" runs are all-the-aforementioned-flat traverses. Now, why not take the quickest way down the mountain, the "blue" or "black diamond" runs? The problem is most of those runs are super steep and full of moguls* (why don't they just call them "bumps"?). At the end of the day, I found myself way too high up on Blackcomb, needing to meet family and friends at the bottom, and doing the math in my head that extrapolated my current rate of descent versus the distance I was at, which led me to the answer of 2 hours. This amount of time was also not factoring in the decrease in courage over time with the inversely proportional amount of bruising on my buttocks. As I sat there wondering how if I could ride my snowboard like a toboggan (I tried--it is difficult with moguls and you tend to start cruising out of control towards the edges of the hill or into the trees), a snow patrol guy came chugging along in his snowmobile.
*Wikipedia tells me that "The term mogul is probably of German dialect; akin to German dialect (Viennese) mugl, small hill." Again, I would have gone just with "bumps". But what do I know, I was formerly an ESL student. For one week. Even though I was born in Canada.
It was at this moment, I realized that I may have a future in acting. Of course, I am still awaiting my big break. I mustered up the saddest, most pitiful face ever that clearly shouted out to him, "Please sir, help me out" without losing any shred of machismo I had left at that moment. My WTF (Why the Face... for those of you who enjoy "Modern Family") must have appealed to his intrinsic nature of goodness, irregardless of the fact that his daily job was helping people out in distress. He slowed down and asked me if I was hurt. I told him no, but I needed to meet people down at the bottom at the mountain and I feared that at the rate at which I was going, that reunion would unlikely happen within that day. The kind man said I can give you a lift and we will strap your board in. My face lit up like my Korean friends on one glass of wine and was so appreciative of this rescue (ignore the fact that I was not injured). Quite honestly, as we zipped down the mountain on the snowmobile (can I say skidoo?) that was the funniest part of my snowboarding day. And the message to all you hitchhikers... work on your facial expressions.
Now what is the long preamble getting to? You would think after that terrible day of snowboarding--the negative experience of falling on ice in cold weather, the feeling of frustration in not being able to get your body in sync with the board, and the humbling experience of having a snow patrol bail out a grown adult--you would think this particular day would have effectively snuffed out my snowboarding career. Yet, there I was, weeks later, out on Cypress Mountain, to do something that I should have hated so much. This desire to be back on the hill meant that I felt some sort of need to try again. I can't explain it, but there was something about snowboarding I liked despite my first experience. Somehow I knew, that persevering through these initial forays (my second time was still all about falls and spills on the hills) would payoff for that one time down the road where I would be whooshing down a steep incline, floating on top of a soft-cushion of powder, filled with an exhilaration of freedom, all the while grinning from ear to ear due to the overwhelming feeling of excitement. Somehow I was willing to stick with snowboarding, because of that momentary feeling when I would link two turns together as a beginner and that told me that "Hey, this is something that I will like."
Isn't that the way it is with all aspects of life? Why do certain things that are tough cause us to quit initially, while other more difficult things cause us to power through? What motivates or appeals to each of our personalities? What is it about a certain television show that allows us to be more forgiving in the beginning and more willing to give one show a chance over another?
Case in point for the 2009 season. I couldn't stomach more than two episodes of "V". I am sure that it may turn around, but I wasn't willing to wait through all of it and see. Yet, I gave Flashforward about five episodes to win me over (it didn't... that is a show that I call a try-hard.) People are rarely willing to give "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" a shot, because of its preposterous name and the possible lingering negative effects of the movie that came out before it (starring Luke Perry of the original 90210 for those younguns out there reading). Somehow, I decided to give the series a shot recently on DVD and had a difficult time handling the cheesiness of special effects and the uneven tone they were trying to establish in the first half of season 1. And I hate saying this now, but if someone were to stick with the show through all the seasons (seven seasons worth) I think most people would be surprised at the depth and maturity of the issues that are tackled along with the breadth and scope of the characters that get the viewer involved and all of this from a show called "Buffy". My wife, certainly not a sci-fi/fantasy fan, mentioned the other day, that she thinks it is the best show she has ever seen, which I was shocked at. She almost gave up on it during season 1 and only at my insistence was she willing to give the show a try. And she was rewarded with a show with clever writing, great humour, and some romantic sappiness thrown in every now and then. I even remember my wife saying that the show was like Twilight, except I had to remind her that Buffy came before Twilight.
I find that comedy shows are the type of shows that you really need to give a chance. Often networks pull the plug on these types of shows, which is unfair as the writers and those involved are trying to carefully nail their vision of what they want to pull off weekly. To beat a dead horse further, my snowboarding story perfectly sums up what I go through with some comedies. A show like "Parks & Recreation" was not so great in its first season. It was actually all over the place and I wasn't sure it was creating likable characters. I also felt like it was forcing situations in the hopes that these over-the-top moments of absurdity would be viewed as hilarious. I almost gave up on the series, but there was something about it that I could not explain, something that made me willing to watch. As this 2009 fall season has passed, I found that "Parks & Recreation" as one of the comedies that I actually wanted to see the most on Thursdays, a night of packed comedies. I am glad that I stuck with the show, because there have been some glorious highlights thus far (Louis CK, Greg Pikitis-vandalizing teen, Chris, Ron). I am glad that I stuck with the uneven "Community" for brilliant episodes like "Debate 109" I could do without Ken Jeong at times (a try-hard), but the rest of the cast have really come into there own (plus I have a small crush on Alison Brie). A character like Abed, who I thought was just too kooky, is now in the perfect wheelhouse of funny supporting character. I never would have thought that "Community" and "Parks & Rec" would sometimes bring more laughs than "The Office" or "30 Rock". Funnily enough, the first seasons of Office and 30 Rock were not very strong either.
This all brings me to my main point (I like that I took 10,000 words to get to the crux of my thesis. My English teacher would have had a heart attack at my thesis inversion.)
Are we in the midst of a Golden Age of TV Comedy? I really believe we are for sitcoms. The laugh track comedy has gone by the wayside, the traditional format has been replaced by varying degrees of a mockumentary feel, and the settings have become zany. In essence, a lot of the filmed comedy approaches the ridiculous scenarios of an early Simpsons episode, yet the characters can still connect in serious ways. I could write forever about all the comedies out there I enjoy, but I don't have the time nor the energy to do so. However, I will write out a list of comedies that are currently running and I challenge those of you out there to think of a time that produced a slew of well-crafted shows like we have today. Of course, there are many of you out there, who haven't given any of these shows a chance. You really should try to watch some of these with the recognition that you have to be patient and allow for repeated viewings in order for the payoff later down the road. Sure, the hill may be a bit bumpy at first, but later on when you are smiling and laughing your way through the subsequent episodes you will be glad you got on(snow)board.
BTW these are my opinions and I could not have possible watched all the comedies that exist out there. I will list shows that are currently running (thus missing out on the brilliance of "Arrested Development").
ABC:
Modern Family: Ed O'Neal (Married with Children fame) has never been so effective. Manny, the chubby Colombian kid, makes me laugh every time.
CBS:
The Big Bang Theory: I didn't think I could like something that the guy from "Two and Half Men" created. But this show, really hit its stride last season and now Sheldon and Penny have some of the best chemistry out there.
How I Met Your Mother: This just in. This show is... wait for it... awesome.
NBC:
30 Rock: Uneven this season, but still has great moments like this "What everyone looks like on High Def" bit (sorry about the poor video clip, but it was the best I could dig up... the Baldwin part at the end is awesome.)
The Office: They managed to marry off two characters, yet still maintain a level of comedy week in and week out.
Community
Parks and Recreation
I guess "Chuck" may be deemed as a comedy.
HBO:
Curb Your Enthusiasm: This season's Seinfeld reunion was fantastic. More Jerry and more Funkhouser please.
Weeds: Haven't seen it. Want to see it.
Entourage: This show can no longer be considered funny. I don't know why I included it. Maybe because I wrote HBO.
FOX:
I don't watch these shows anymore, but the entire Sunday night of animation is devoted to comedy. Simpsons, Family Guy, etc etc
CW:
90210: Oh wait, it's a drama? My bad.
And then of course, people may mention Scrubs, SNL, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and a whole host of others.
Next up?
If I ever decide to write again, I will try for:
My Decade of Favourites for:
Movies
Music
TV
Video Games
Technology
However, I am making you think I will write something soon, which I will not.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Jimmy Fallon doing a dead-on Neil Young seeing Fresh Prince of Bel Air theme song
Not the biggest Jimmy Fallon fan back when he was on SNL. That being said, I think this is one of the more amusing things I have ever seen him do (ugh, remember that Red Sox movie "Fever Pitch").
His Neil Young impersonation is perfect.
The fact that he is singing the theme song to Fresh Prince?
Even better.
Click here for link. Here.
His Neil Young impersonation is perfect.
The fact that he is singing the theme song to Fresh Prince?
Even better.
Click here for link. Here.
Monday, November 9, 2009
How to make Custom iPhone ringtones
For all you iPhone users check this site out for instructions to make custom iPhone ringtones from your pre-existing collection of mp3s:
http://www.ehow.com/how_2160460_custom-iphone-ringtones-free.html
Pretty easy to do and my favourite I made last night has to be the Simpsons theme song Cuban style.
Also, you could use your VoiceMemos app, which will sync with iTunes, find the "VoiceMemo" folder and follow the same instructions to create your own ringtone. Pretty creepy, but imagine having your phone recite any recorded message in your own voice.
http://www.ehow.com/how_2160460_custom-iphone-ringtones-free.html
Pretty easy to do and my favourite I made last night has to be the Simpsons theme song Cuban style.
Also, you could use your VoiceMemos app, which will sync with iTunes, find the "VoiceMemo" folder and follow the same instructions to create your own ringtone. Pretty creepy, but imagine having your phone recite any recorded message in your own voice.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
My farewell exam to my school
So, it has been awhile and I have been busy settling into the groove of a new job at Capilano University. What am I doing at that beautiful campus? Teaching Adult Basic Education. It was with a heavy heart that I left Byrne Creek Secondary where I enjoyed a fabulous four years of teaching. Here is the "letter" I wrote for the kiddies since I didn't get to say a proper good-bye because I made the switch in August.
Click the image to see the full-size.
Click the image to see the full-size.
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