What is the last Television series you watched?

[publicist 4,650]

Alex, did you cry the day Heath Ledger died? Or do you know a grown male who did? I don't.

I know the smell of stink and that bit of writing stunk.

[A24 5,156]

Alex, did you cry the day Heath Ledger died? Or do you know a grown male who did? I don't.

I can't believe you took the 'crying' literally. Did I notice the mass hysteria over Heath Ledger's death? My god, yes! Did you? Apparently not.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 12,388]

He died for our sins!

[publicist 4,650]

Alex, did you cry the day Heath Ledger died? Or do you know a grown male who did? I don't.

I can't believe you took the 'crying' literally. Did I notice the mass hysteria over Heath Ledger's death? My god, yes! Did you? Apparently not.

You are actually able to process the difference between a media frenzy and real people behaviour, right? So answer my initial question: who of your friends, acquaintances and neighbors entered into mass hysteria because Heath Ledger died?

[A24 5,156]

People came to me, because they knew I was into movies and said: "Have you heard?!! Heath Ledger is dead! I can't believe it! He was the new Marlon Brando!!!" To which I constantly replied ..."Heath who?" I honestly didn't know who he was but other people read the newspaper and copied its headline.

[Wojo 2,458]

I cried when Patrick Swayze and Dale Earnhardt died, but not Heath Ledger. Drugs are bad, mmkay?

[publicist 4,650]

Yeah, but they didn't lose sleep over it or freaked out in front of their office, like the aforementioned character did. It just doesn't work that way. And it certainly didn't in 1968, a world in which MAD MEN tells us that a young agency executive with only $-signs and personal wealth in his eyes for five seasons suddenly turns into a civil rights-activist in full angry Harry Belafonte-mode. It's just bullshit- and it's a kind of bullshit i don't tolerate in series which gets flooded with Emmys and so on.

This is, btw, not the only time they pull stunts like that - mostly when they try to drag then-current events into the show and then don't have set up a good storyline to go with it.

[Brónach 1,330]

This is, btw, not the only time they pull stunts like that - mostly when they try to drag then-current events into the show and then don't have set up a good storyline to go with it.

Well that'd be just lazy. But I can't really comment on this case.

I started to see the first episode of Human Planet. It starts... with two Galician dudes picking barnacles which I found amusing. Then it went onto whale hunting in Indonesia, a point at I got annoyed at the artificial overplayed drama using narration and music. And the whale hunting. The music sounded interesting to my ears, though.

So I tuned out I saw some older Doctor Who instead.

[A24 5,156]

Yeah, but they didn't lose sleep over it or freaked out in front of their office, like the aforementioned character did. It just doesn't work that way. And it certainly didn't in 1968, a world in which MAD MEN tells us that a young agency executive with only $-signs and personal wealth in his eyes for five seasons suddenly turns into a civil rights-activist in full angry Harry Belafonte-mode. It's just bullshit- and it's a kind of bullshit i don't tolerate in series which gets flooded with Emmys and so on.

This is, btw, not the only time they pull stunts like that - mostly when they try to drag then-current events into the show and then don't have set up a good storyline to go with it.

Maybe Pete's reasons for getting angry with Harry was not the death of MLK but Harry himself. I hear Harry was pretty crude. Need to see the episode to see how it's put together and if it's out of character, like you say it is. But like I said, sometimes people do or say things out of character, especially in the aftermath of a dramatic event. And it's not because Pete works for an ad agency that he has no moral righteousness at all. Harry, no. Pete, yes. BTW, I never heard you say something about this show, let alone something positive. Do you even like Mad Men? I don't have that impression.

Alex

[Jay 46,244]

Well people it's upfronts week, which means each day this week a different network will be announcing which shows are renewed, which are canceled, what new shows are premiering this fall, and at what day and time everything will air. Fox went today, here is a report on what they announced:

http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2013/05/13/fox-announces-primetime-slate-for-2013-2014-season-254005/20130513fox01/

My comments:

-My GF will be glad to see New Girl, Mindy Project, Bones, and Glee are coming back

-I had no idea Seth MacFarlane had another live action show in the works (his last one, The Winner, epic failed). I wonder if it's gonna be any good

-Andy Samberg starring in a new sitcom? Wow!

-Sleepy Hollow sounds dumb, Almost Human might be good. I wonder who's scoring them?

Trailers for all these new shows:

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXd9aCB0yKuh3ktAb2svuA0Ve_R0o7-pq

[JoeinAR 1,957]

IT HAPPENED. IT REALLY HAPPENED.

They've promised it. They've teased it. They Even named the show about it.

Even àfter saying I didn't give a damn it turned out I really did give a damn.

And tonight it gave us this perfect little moment, a pair of boots, a guitar, and a yellow umbrella.

It's finally happening for Ted. She is cute.

[Naïve Old Fart 13,025]

This is, btw, not the only time they pull stunts like that - mostly when they try to drag then-current events into the show and then don't have set up a good storyline to go with it.

Well that'd be just lazy. But I can't really comment on this case.

I started to see the first episode of Human Planet. It starts... with two Galician dudes picking barnacles which I found amusing. Then it went onto whale hunting in Indonesia, a point at I got annoyed at the artificial overplayed drama using narration and music. And the whale hunting. The music sounded interesting to my ears, though.

So I tuned out I saw some older Doctor Who instead.

Way to go, Chaac! Which DWs did you watch?

[publicist 4,650]

BTW, I never heard you say something about this show, let alone something positive. Do you even like Mad Men? I don't have that impression.

Alex

Of course i said something positive...mainly about Seasons 1 and 2. Since then, the usual melodramatic cliches took over and some of the more subtle comments on american society viewed through the advertising business looking glass are wholly substituted by IMHO rather crude small-town-theatre dramatizations like the King one (they did that better with the slow burn of student clubs and weed smoking in the earlier episodes).

The late 60's are a fascinating time, especially in USA, with all the hard fights between political and business forces which resulted i. e. in the killings of King and Kennedy. It is an ideal playground for showing how all these huge ideological conflicts affect the business, but they hardly seem to acknowledge any change since the early 60's - which may very well be the case but then they don't even make a case out of THAT. All in all, i kind of watch the show because i know the characters by now (and would watch an offspring only with the Sterling character any time) but it's become more of a regular series á la REVENGE and Co. by now.

[Jay 46,244]

Alright, ABC has given their upfront presentation!

http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2013/05/14/abc-unveils-2013-14-primetime-schedule-790004/20130514abc02/

Let's see

-Glad The Neighbors got renewed! It really found its groove quickly and became a fun show, plus Season 1 ended on a cliffhanger

-Modern Family and OUAT are the only other ABC shows I watch that got renewed. I'm sad Don't Trust the Bitch In Apartment 23 is truly dead!

-Marcy will be glad Castle and Grey's are coming back, even though she says the latter needs to end and has gone on too long

-Of the new shows, the one starring 2 guys from Battlestar Galactica seems interesting I guess. At least, it's good to see them getting work

-Why are they having a show called "Once Upon A Time In Wonderland" when they already have a show called "Once Upon A Time"??

-Not surprised "How To Live With Your Parents (For The Rest Of Your Life") wasn't renewed. It's not that good.

Previews of all their new shows!

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDe0CguuqcMAYHBX5KE_-mGwoTYxrpxCJ

[BloodBoal 8,711]

[Jay 46,244]

It's not a spinoff though, just from the same creators.

[BloodBoal 8,711]

[Jay 46,244]

Aha, you're right, it is a spinoff!

Barbara Hershey's Cora will also appear, as executive producer Adam Horowitz recently admitted, "We can’t imagine visiting that time in Wonderland and not seeing Cora as the Queen of Hearts." John Lithgow will lend his voice to the White Rabbit.

Horowitz and fellow EP Eddy Kitsis promised that they have no plans to recast Sebastian Stan's fan-favorite Mad Hatter, telling The Huffington Post and other reporters during a recent roundtable interview, "If Sebastian has a week [between other commitments], we’ll take it ... [but] he could be free when 'Wonderland' wraps. We’d love to have him back."

They also shared a little more context for the series. "'Wonderland' takes place post-curse, so the pilot of 'Wonderland' actually starts when magic comes and the wraith happens, and then it runs concurrent," Kitsis told reporters. "So we are in Wonderland post-Queen of Hearts. And just like we saw in the Enchanted Forest, we saw pockets that were saved.”

Fans might also get to see Rose McGowan reprise her role as Young Cora, as Kitsis admitted, "I still feel there are more Cora stories to be told, both young and old ... Even though she is dead, she is very much alive in our hearts."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/10/once-wonderland-spinoff-abc_n_3241283.html

My bad!

[A24 5,156]

BTW, I never heard you say something about this show, let alone something positive. Do you even like Mad Men? I don't have that impression.

Alex

Of course i said something positive...mainly about Seasons 1 and 2. Since then, the usual melodramatic cliches took over and some of the more subtle comments on american society viewed through the advertising business looking glass are wholly substituted by IMHO rather crude small-town-theatre dramatizations like the King one (they did that better with the slow burn of student clubs and weed smoking in the earlier episodes).

The late 60's are a fascinating time, especially in USA, with all the hard fights between political and business forces which resulted i. e. in the killings of King and Kennedy. It is an ideal playground for showing how all these huge ideological conflicts affect the business, but they hardly seem to acknowledge any change since the early 60's - which may very well be the case but then they don't even make a case out of THAT. All in all, i kind of watch the show because i know the characters by now (and would watch an offspring only with the Sterling character any time) but it's become more of a regular series á la REVENGE and Co. by now.

IMO, Mad Men makes other shows look more melodramatic. I did notice it became somewhat more emotional in tone (mostly due to more music) with season 5 but I still wouldn't call it 'melodramatic'. It's still covers a lot of ground of the human condition and it does it mostly through shedding a light on the small things in life. No other TV show gives me that or at least not as subtle as Mad Men. It's the reason why one can't explain this show to someone who doesn't know it. One has to see and experience it. I still get a lot out of it.

BTW, I think season 2 was my least favorite season because of all the flashbacks, a dramatic device of which I'm not a fan of.

Alex

[Jay 46,244]

OK now CBS has delivered their upfronts

http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2013/05/15/cbs-announces-2013-2014-primetime-schedule-659502/20130515cbs01/

Let's see...

-Bye bye Rules of Engagement. I never saw you once, or know anybody who did

-Yay for 2 Broke girls, the only CBS show I watch besides How I Met Your Mother (which should have ended this season)

-Marcy will be happy to see The Mentalist is coming back

-A new comedy starring Robin Williams and Sarah Michelle Gellar? Wow!

-Their other new comedies star Will Arnett, Beau Bridges, JB Smoove, Anna Faris, Allison Janney, Tony Shalhoub, Kal Penn, and Jerry O'Connell? That's a lot of talent!

[Jay 46,244]

Well I somehow missed that NBC also gave their upfront presentation, on Monday!! Let's see...

-YAY Community and Parks and Rec got renewed!
-No sadness that Whitney got cancelled. That show was pretty bad. But Chris D'Elia lives on in a new Bill Lawrence produced sitcom!

-I wonder if the new Dracula show will be good. Why are there so many vampire, zombie, and fairy tale creature shows on TV? Are they STILL *that* popular!?

Trailers for all the new shows:

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLRUSbbQynOdFCMFrOP_2AGzusJcF2jdRx

[JoeinAR 1,957]

the guy playing Dracula looks to fey to be playing the Prince of Darkness. Looks like he'd rather be out clubbing with the bois than stalking women.

[Jay 46,244]

haha, definitely

~~~

Once Upon A Time In Wonderland will indeed crossover with Once Upon A Time; The pilot will open in Storybrooke

http://insidetv.ew.com/2013/05/15/once-upon-a-time-cross-wonderland/

[JoeinAR 1,957]

Jason, what did you think about How I Met Your Mother's season finale the other night?

[Jay 46,244]

Haven't seen it yet

[Wojo 2,458]

She's cute. Looks like she could be Alison Hannigan's little sister.

[JoeinAR 1,957]

She's cute. Looks like she could be Alison Hannigan's little sister.

how funny you say that, it's exactly what David said to me.

[Wojo 2,458]

Dave's got a good eye.

[Quintus 6,499]

Jason, what did you think about How I Met Your Mother's season finale the other night?

That's the show that's on before Big Bang here. We always skip it. Can't be doing with the cheesy American and the moral of the story is... narration and Doogie Howser looks wrong in a suit, and old.

[Wojo 2,458]

Doogie Howser playing all the ladies just makes me sad.

[Quintus 6,499]

Yeah, that's another improbability.

[JoeinAR 1,957]

Jason, what did you think about How I Met Your Mother's season finale the other night?

That's the show that's on before Big Bang here. We always skip it. Can't be doing with the cheesy American and the moral of the story is... narration and Doogie Howser looks wrong in a suit, and old.

I've never seen it ever do a moral of the story. And I've been watching for 8 years. Ted's narration is often annoying, but it's filled with clues. And Neil in suits is awesome especially since he thinks of his suits as his children, I love that he a whore on the show, or was.

[KK 3,313]

Jason, what did you think about How I Met Your Mother's season finale the other night?

I liked it, if only for the fact that we finally got to see the damn mother. I was thinking she was never real at some point....

[Quintus 6,499]

I'm completely up to date with Breaking Bad now. That cliffhanger was probably the best I've ever known in tv, but it was cruel as hell on the year on year fans! Now I'm counting the days with the rest of you.

[crocodile 9,724]

Oh yes.

Karol

[Wojo 2,458]

BB can take its time. I'm only as far as the three day cook marathon in the middle of nowhere. Long way to go.

[A24 5,156]

Luck (HBO): I want more!

$$

8/10

Alex

[Quintus 6,499]

I watched the pilot of Top of the Lake, from Jane Campion. Hmm, absolutely STUNNING on the eye and intriguing. I'll watch another, in the hope of consistency. Definitely a slow burner.

[Matt C 605]

I have TNT's Perception on tap for the next few days. I've caught a few S1 episodes on TNT, but never had the time to keep up with it.

[Koray Savas 2,260]

Watched the first couple episodes of Alias. I might seriously get into it once I'm done with Fringe.

[Jay 46,244]

Alias is much better than Fringe. Though it peaks early.

[Quintus 6,499]

Three episodes into Top of the Lake, and I'm finding the atmosphere of the thing to be a major standout. I never expected to be reminded of Twin Peaks, but this idyllic town in the middle of nowhere too has quite the seedy underbelly, a strange eeriness beginning to creep into its world. Mad Men's Peggy is a very good lead in this. Apparently the ending is extremely satisfying, and I'm building up to it quite eagerly now.

[A24 5,156]

Alias is strangely watchable due to the many twists and turns in the stories. It's a nice 7/10 series, the enjoyable but nothing great category.

Alex

[JoeinAR 1,957]

The series finale of Criminal Minds will go down as one of the most shocking endings in TV history. All the characters were killed off in the finale scene as they all drank the extascy/meth(dr death) laced wine and started bleeding out their eyes. Shocking.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 12,388]

Luck (HBO): I want more!

$$

8/10

Alex

Who is she? Tell me everything!!!

[A24 5,156]

Hmm, I don't know, Steef, usually that sorta information doesn't come cheap.

Well, okay, but only because it was your birthday:

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1617964/

Alex

[filmmusic 3,270]

I'm just watching Glee.

Started it from an episode of Season 2 and on..

Wow, it has fantastic songs and arrangements!

Especially the Broadway/symphonic ones!!

I'm surprised that they didn't release a movie of it!

[Quintus 6,499]

-999,999

[JoeinAR 1,957]

I'm just watching Glee.

Started it from an episode of Season 2 and on..

Wow, it has fantastic songs and arrangements!

Especially the Broadway/symphonic ones!!

I'm surprised that they didn't release a movie of it!

because it's a currently running tv show????

[filmmusic 3,270]

I'm just watching Glee.

Started it from an episode of Season 2 and on..

Wow, it has fantastic songs and arrangements!

Especially the Broadway/symphonic ones!!

I'm surprised that they didn't release a movie of it!

because it's a currently running tv show????

oh, right, I had never thought of that..

I just discovered the show, and it my mind it passed like an old show..

But I think I'd love to see a 2,5 hour movie version of it (like Sex and the City) which will kind of revive the old Broadway musical type of films I love.

I hope they'll think of it!

(the only character and storyline I don't like at all is Sue's.)

By the way, I didn't understand Quint's post..

(will be watching now last episode of season 2)