Category Archives: Movies & TV

Last of the Re-Runs

Posted on by Unsigned Podcast

I don’t know about you but I am pretty much sick of the reruns on TV. I think it is ridiculous that I pay a huge cable bill – about $200 per month to Comcast for cable and internet – and there is not one damn thing that I want to watch on TV. How many channels are there now? Three hundred cable channels with TV shows? How many movie channels? And then there are the music channels, On Demand, Sports, etc. I don’t even know how many total channels but the numbers on the remote go way up over 1,200. And there are re-runs and the same old, same old crap movies.

Thankfully, some of the shows I like are having their premiere TV series shows next week. The one I am looking forward to the most is the new season of Sons of Anarchy. I am curious to see how the story line develops. I know that the writer, Kurt Sutter, had no idea he would be writing this series for 5 seasons when he started this. It was actually obvious last season that he was burned out on his original storyline and was just grasping at straws to give us something that made any sense at all, as long as people were getting shot and stabbed and beat up – he didn’t care of it made any sense any more.

There will be a handful of new shows coming out over the next couple of weeks that looks interesting from the previews they have been running. Nothing particularly comes to mind, but I will have to start paying attention and write out  a calendar of show premieres that I want to watch so I don’t inadvertently make plans on a special premiere night and miss one.

Even so, I don’t like much of network TV anymore. The cable channels are putting out the best new shows. I’m looking forward to SOA, Person of Interest, and then a long wait for the next season of Games of Thrones. Anything after those three shows are really just mind gravy for me.

Good New Show – Inside Man

Posted on by Unsigned Podcast

There have been a lot of changes at CNN over the past month of two and several new cable TV shows that are pretty interesting. I watched the new “Inside Man” on CNN that comes on Sunday nights and found it pretty interesting. The show’s topics are timely and relevant and although I don’t always agree with the viewpoint they present, I like the information that they researched.

The first show was about medical marijuana, the second show was about guns, and the show tonight is about illegal immigrants. All of those subjects are controversial and have pending legislation at both state and federal levels.

There are other good shows that come on Sunday nights, so I might have to look into getting a DVR or some way to record the conflicting shows for watching later. I would like to only spend one hour per night watching TV rather than four hours on Sunday night and then nothing on Monday or Tuesday nights.

Food Dressers and Artists

Posted on by Unsigned Podcast

Every time I watch a commercial on TV that features close up shots of food, I appreciate how hard someone had to work to make that food look so stunningly delicious. It is very hard to photograph food and give it dimension, to put light on just the right spots, and to have it stay fresh under very hot photography lights.

Tonight I watched a commercial for IHOP and those shots of pancakes have me drooling. I wish there was a 24 hour IHOP someplace near my house, because I would seriously grab my car keys and go out for a stack of pancakes and have a late night breakfast right now. The photography is excellent, showing the pancakes light and fluffy, with a light steam rising, and them bouncing back just right when being cut with a fork. Notice that they used a fork – not a knife – because the pancakes and THAT soft. I am really craving the pancakes tonight, but that’s not going to happen. Maybe this weekend . . .

How It’s Made TV Series

Posted on by Unsigned Podcast

This morning I discovered the Science Channel on cable TV and watched several shows in the “How It’s Made” series. The episode I watched was number 3 in the 14th season. I know this because the info button on my remote control displays the title of the show plus the series and episode number, one or two of the headliner actors and a sentence or two describing the plot or storyline.

My point in noting this is season 14 is that this is the first time I have ever heard of this show at all, so where have I been for the other 13 seasons? Under a rock? How can I find all the seasons and episodes that I missed?

The episode I just watched showed how western saddles are made. This was totally fascinating to see all the different steps involved and the craftsmanship that a saddle requires. Overall, one saddles takes about a dozen different artisans to put it together, with great care to detail, and it takes a full 40 hours to make one. Yes, saddles are expensive, but now I appreciate all the work and talent that goes into making one and I don’t begrudge them the sale price one bit!

Other episodes showed how barber poles are made, how Oreo cookies are baked, how walnuts are harvested and shelled, and what goes into making golf clubs. All of these segments are totally engrossing and I cannot tear myself away from watching. Evidently there is a new show every Thursday night on this channel. This is going to give me something to look forward to watching on Thursdays.

Lazy Sunday and a Quarter Moon

Posted on by Unsigned Podcast

This morning I slept in and missed all the good TV shows. There is a wonderful show early on Sunday morning on CBS, in a magazine format with interesting stories and some great photography at the end of each show – usually of a nature scene or wildlife of some kind. The stories are short, informative and entertaining. I do regret missing that this morning, but I think I needed the couple of extra hours to recharge my batteries after such a hectic week last week.

Yesterday I really pushed it and got all the errands run and everything done that I could possibly take care of so I don’t have to do much today. I cut the grass, cleaned out the car, and even made a trip to the landfill to get rid of a batch of recyclables that have been accumulating in the garage.

This morning I think I will read the Sunday newspaper, spend some time with my dogs out in the backyard, and fix a big dinner so I have lots of leftovers for next week’s lunches. Maybe a roast beef with mashed potatoes and a big batch of buttermilk biscuits – that is sounding really good and I bought all the fixings yesterday while at Kroger getting my week’s groceries.

That’s my plan. What are you doing today?