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Does anyone still remember a time when people predicted that you would be able to watch anything you wanted when ever you wanted? Any show on a whim? When we hit 1000+ channels people felt that was the way it was going to be, but it wasn’t. On-Demand costs money and there is a limit to the shows shown. iTunes wasn’t much better though had a lot more recent titles to choose from.
This year we had channels starting to ponder the iTunes model and they all started streaming most of their shows on the internet (a combination of pay-per-view and free content) though most of those streams were a bit choppy and interrupted by a ton of commercials.
Well, now we have reached a point where that any show on a whimis starting to look more like a reality- Enter Hulu. Read more »
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We all knew Bob Denver (Gilligan) was a stoner. Denver was arrested in 1998 for receiving some marijuana sent to him in a package through the mail. Originally he claimed that Dawn Wells (a.k.a. Mary-Ann) had sent it to him. He later recanted this statement and said that a crazy fan must have been the culprit. It looked like the real story would never come to light when Denver died in 2005.
That is until some news yesterday brought this story back to mind. Dawn Wells was arrested back in October (I am not sure why Associated Press picked this up yesterday*) for driving under the influence AND possession of marijuana.
Looks like the story of Mary Ann mailing Gilligan some pot might not be too far off. Wells “was sentenced Feb. 29 to five days in jail, fined $410.50 and placed on probation after pleading guilty to one count of reckless driving.” Apparently a friend testified that he had borrowed the car and left the drugs in there himself. Yeah, likely story.
*Possibly because Sherwood Schwartz just got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame last week
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Striking Law & Order writers are going to have a lot of headlines to rip from when they eventually return to work (assuming this strike does not mark the end of scripted television).
I came across this article in my favorite Reuters section, Oddly Enough. I could already see it forming as the plot of an episode. Of course, as I haven’t watched Law & Order recently, I saw it as Briscoe and Green kicking in the door.
Anyway, in a made just calling out for a television adaption, a high ranking mafia leader was arrested last week. Officers busted down the door of Sicilian mobster Michele Catalano as he was sitting watching television.
In the Law & Order adaption, you’ll be able to watch ADA Jack McCoy charge Catalano with various counts “of drug trafficking and extortion.” They’ll probably tack on a conspiracy charge to in the hopes of bringing down organized crime, because that’s how McCoy does it.
The best part of the story is, of course, left for the end. Before the police burst through his door, Catalano was sitting in his living room watching television. He was watching an Italian miniseries called Boss of Bosses about organized crime in Italy. Get this, he was watching the final episode “recounting the arrest in 1993 of real-life Cosa Nostra leader Salvatore “Toto” Riina, when he was detained.”
[Ed note: Art imitates life (episode about arrest) imitates art (of man watching show) imitates life (show is about similar arrest)].
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While Josh has kept himself busy posting up and down on the site I have had a more leisurely past few days, relaxing and enjoying the break from everything afforded by Thanksgiving. But now I am back and ready to get posting again.
First up today we have a little something for all of you creative gadget type folks out there. The Discovery channel is working on a show based on Rube Goldberg type inventions, setting up a team of artists, scientists, engineers, architects, designers and other like-minded folks to create Rube Goldberg-like contraptions to do “impossible challenges.” They are looking for folks between 25 and 3.
If you are interested in more information check out the casting call posted on the Make magazine forums.
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I am a sucker for nostalgia television.
Unfortunately I have found that a lot of the shows I loved as a kid just don’t live up to their hype. What never fails though are the opening credits of the shows. You remember those theme songs as if the shows just got canceled yesterday (or as if you watched them every single day during your formative years). Those opening notes put a smile on your face and have you fondly remembering your favorite show without having to see all the poor, poor acting or super cheap (or super-old) special effects.
Now you can watch the opening credits with all the theme song glory on YouTube. Rather then having to sort through all the shlock on YouTube to hunt down these gems, you can simply check them out on LuiscmkTv’s Video Page, where 100 different opening credits are posted. It’s an excellent way to waste a few hours and relive the television of your childhood.
