John Williams at the Hollywood Bowl (Seth MacFarlane host) August 2014

[Muad'Dib 1,946]

Well, now this is interesting...

With his instantly recognizable scores, John Williams has redefined the art of film music. He makes audiences cheer, brings them to tears and keeps them on the edge of their seats. This year, the Maestro welcomes special guest Seth MacFarlane (Family Guy, Ted), pays tribute to some of the classic stars of Warner Bros. Pictures, and conducts selections from some of his beloved movie hits, including Jurassic Park and, of course, Star Wars! It's a Hollywood Bowl tradition not to be missed!

http://www.hollywoodbowl.com/tickets/john-williams-maestro-of-movies/2014-08-29

While I'm not exactly a fan of MacFarlane and his humour, I know he's a massive Williams geek and only good things can come out of this I believe. Color me excited!

[Marian Schedenig 10,165]

I like his humour - or at least I like Family Guy, and as far as I remember I think I liked his Oscar hosting, which is pretty much all I know by him. But he also seems to be a big fan of (and apparently very knowledgeable about) film music, AND he's one of the driving forces behind the new Cosmos series. If that turns out well, I have quite a bit of respect for him.

[Ludwig 1,179]

Lucky are the ones who live in L.A.!

[King Mark 3,834]

Maybe he's a JWfan member posting here and we don't know it...

[Muad'Dib 1,946]

You just gave yourself away, Mr. MacFarlane!

[scallenger 636]

OMG! That announcement also says he will be playing music from Jurassic Park!!! I am SO there!

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,949]

I like his humour - or at least I like Family Guy,

What i've seen of his humor, mostly Family Guy has all the subtlety of a brick. And isnt in the slightest way original. Just, louder, cruder.

It's just not clever at all.

[mstrox 7,221]

There was a time when I liked Family Guy - high school and some of college. I'm not sure if the show changed, or if I just changed (probably a little of the former and a lot of the latter), but I don't find it all too funny anymore. Much of the humor on that show has always been based, in some level, on racism, anti-semetism, misogyny, etc - so even in episodes that have several decent jokes that land, there are more jokes that fall flat, or occasionally make me angry. I'm much more partial to American Dad, which takes out most of the "randomness" and has actual stories and jokes, although that too is a bit wearying for me.

Due to fame and other pursuits, MacFarlane has little to do with any of "his" shows anymore, besides voicing the characters and story/script approval - so it's hard to blame any creative success or failure on him anyway at this point, besides problems with the basic template of the shows as created. I thought he did a decent enough job at the Oscars last year, and he always seems like an interesting enough person in interviews. He's always seemed like a decent advocate - or at least a fan - of film music, so this seems like a good fit.

[scallenger 636]

So who else is gonna go this year! I didn't get to meet anyone last year from here (I don't think anyone else but me got to go).

[Koray Savas 2,256]

Just the fact that his two feature films have scores by Walter Murphy and Joel McNeely say something about his taste in film music.

[King Mark 3,834]

I like Family Guy , not all of it works but random moments can be really hilarious. I don't like America Dad

[Once 916]

Is being a "special guest" the same as hosting?

[Koray Savas 2,256]

No. He'll probably make an introduction.

[Muad'Dib 1,946]

He'll do a special section I suppose, and without a doubt introduce the new SW music.

[nightscape94 967]

It's like his MacFarlane's career has been building toward this. The man loves Williams, and this is the cherry on top.

[Code 000. Destruct. 0. 4,261]

I think he's reasonably funny, but above all, he's a film music guy and a Sagan fan. Ok in my book.

[chuck 155]

Ted's hilarious.

[Not Mr. Big 4,818]

I thought Ted was decent (Mila Kunis brought the whole film down a notch) and Family Guy has it's moments.

[ymenard 60]

Hopefully they will do the live-to-screen "Indy's very first adventure", and have Seth sing along to it!!!

[Code 000. Destruct. 0. 4,261]

Haha!

[Miguel Andrade 1,527]

MacFarlane is quite a good singer, and my guess is that he will do some singing on a few Hollywood classic songs.

As for his humor... I really can't say I like Family Guy or American Dad, but enjoyed him at the Oscars.

[Incanus 5,858]

Hopefully they will do the live-to-screen "Indy's very first adventure", and have Seth sing along to it!!!

Him reprising the Peter Griffin singing the March of the Slave Children from ToD would be a welcome addition as well.

[Naïve Old Fart 11,667]

I'm really sorry, guys, but...who in the name of Sam Hill is Seth MacFarlane?

[Koray Savas 2,256]

The highest paid TV producer of all time.

[Wojo 2,458]

Seth MacFarlane is one of those annoying people in show business I wish would fall through a crack in reality.

[Quintus 5,721]

My Family Guy phase lasted all of about four months before its gimmick wore thin. I even bought a Stewie t-shirt. Now I haven't seen an episode in about five years.

[Koray Savas 2,256]

I love Family Guy, but it reached a point where the repeated jokes became annoying (rule of thirds, Seth) and FOX never kept a set schedule so I stopped watching. Haven't seen any new episodes in about 3 years.

[Muad'Dib 1,946]

I just remembered there was also this. Check out at 2:45 aprox...

[Jay 42,494]

FOX never kept a set schedule

Wrong. It's been on Sundays at 9pm for 9 straight years.

[Koray Savas 2,256]

Wrong, there were never consistently new episodes and whenever baseball season happens the shows get pushed around for months.

[Jay 42,494]

LOL wut? Do you not understand how network TV works? Every single show on every single network channel has new episodes mixed with repeats from September through May. Are you serious?

What does it matter when it airs, anyway? Don't you have a DVR?

[Koray Savas 2,256]

I stopped watching TV after LOST ended.

[Quintus 5,721]

That explains a lot.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,949]

LOL wut? Do you not understand how network TV works? Every single show on every single network channel has new episodes mixed with repeats from September through May.

Really? Why on earth would they do that?

[Code 000. Destruct. 0. 4,261]

I stopped watching TV after LOST ended.

Ha, so did I for the most part. Even Breaking Bad only brought me back for the last few episodes live rather than on Netflix. I do still watch Modern Family with regularity though.

[mstrox 7,221]

LOL wut? Do you not understand how network TV works? Every single show on every single network channel has new episodes mixed with repeats from September through May.

Really? Why on earth would they do that?

Because a modern network show has 20-24 episodes per season, and there are ~35 weeks from late September to mid May. There are breaks programmed to avoid holidays, to avoid big events (Super Bowl, Olympics, Oscars, NCAA finals, etc etc), or just to hit certain programmed dates like sweeps and prefered finale date.

Even non-network shows do it - I seem to remember a week off during the final brief "half season" of Breaking Bad, for instance.

Jason is right that Family Guy's airtime has been almost completely stable since they brought it back for "season 4" almost ten years ago. The problem with FOX is that they're big into sports, and sometimes football games or baseball games will push back the whole Sunday schedule - so that a normal schedule (8:00 Simpsons, 8:30 Bob's Burgers, 9:00 Family Guy, 9:30 American Dad) will end up starting (8:17, 8:47, 9:17, 9:47). It's a pain for both people who want to watch TV at a set time, and people who DVR shows to watch later (like we do). Thankfully, at least here, all major networks put every new episode of their shows "on demand" for free for at least a month.

[Jay 42,494]

I seem to remember a week off during the final brief "half season" of Breaking Bad, for instance.

Nope, there wasn't one. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Breaking_Bad_episodes#Part_2

[mstrox 7,221]

I seem to remember a week off during the final brief "half season" of Breaking Bad, for instance.

Nope, there wasn't one. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Breaking_Bad_episodes#Part_2

My bad - must be one of the other cable shows that we watch, like recent seasons of Walking Dead or Game of Thrones. Whatever it was, it struck us as weird at the time.

EDIT - It was last season of GoT

[Wojo 2,458]

I specifically gave up on Lost because I couldn't stand the mid-season breaks that saw new episodes replaced by reruns. No, I didn't follow an online schedule to plan my viewing habits around the airings, I just stopped watching.

[Jay 42,494]

EDIT - It was last season of GoT

Yea, HBO usually gives their shows a holiday weekend off. In GOT season 3's case, it was Memorial Day weekend they took off. It was right before the Red Wedding episode too!

[Koray Savas 2,256]

I specifically gave up on Lost because I couldn't stand the mid-season breaks that saw new episodes replaced by reruns. No, I didn't follow an online schedule to plan my viewing habits around the airings, I just stopped watching.

The only break LOST had was during Season 3 when it hit rock bottom and because of the writer's strike.

[Wojo 2,458]

That sounds about right, as that's the time I gave up on the show. As I've stated here many times, I do plan to reimmerse myself in the show from the beginning via Netflix with my girlfriend, who hasn't watched any of the show.

[Code 000. Destruct. 0. 4,261]

A good decision.

[Jay 42,494]

I specifically gave up on Lost because I couldn't stand the mid-season breaks that saw new episodes replaced by reruns. No, I didn't follow an online schedule to plan my viewing habits around the airings, I just stopped watching.

The only break LOST had was during Season 3 when it hit rock bottom and because of the writer's strike.

Wrong. Look at the airdates for seasons 1 and 2. New episodes mixed with repeats from September to May.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Lost_episodes

[Koray Savas 2,256]

What are you talking about?

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,949]

Why would a network mixed new episodes with old? Especially on a show with continuous story arcs, is doesnt make sense.

[BloodBoal 7,544]

[Wojo 2,458]

Well the decision cost me as a viewer, which in the grand things of scheme, didn't matter much.

[Koray Savas 2,256]

Why would a network mixed new episodes with old? Especially on a show with continuous story arcs, is doesnt make sense.

LOST never did that. There were times when they would fill a 2 hour block with a recap episode or something.

[Jay 42,494]

Why would a network mixed new episodes with old? Especially on a show with continuous story arcs, is doesnt make sense.

LOST never did that. There were times when they would fill a 2 hour block with a recap episode or something.

Wrong, LOST consistently did that throughout the first two seasons. Just look at the airdates in the wiki episode list I linked to. They'd have three weeks of new episodes, two weeks of reruns, two more new episodes, four weeks of reruns, etc. That's just how network tv works.