Spamming...

Since this blog just got its first spam, I think that's a nudge for me to start posting again. Point taken.

And, to all spammers... please don't. Just don't. It's annoying and it's not going to make me use your widget. Ever.

Heroes

Alright, I suppose I should admit up front that I wasn't what one might call a religious viewer of Heroes last year. I watched the first four episodes and really enjoyed them, but then real life took over and it became too complicated a series to follow. It's the same problem I had with Lost last season. Since I really enjoyed the first episode this season, I suppose I'll have to catch up on Season 1 through the DVDs.

I watched the first episode with Seema, who as an avid viewer of Season 1, had to deal with my non-stop questions. Not that she actually answered any of them. But I'd paid enough attention to the various pop culture shows that discussed the show that I had a pretty good idea as to what was going on.

Heroes is, above all, a fun show. It's very reminiscent of (depending on your age) comic books or the old kiddie serials you used to be able to catch in movie theaters back in the 30s and 40s. The actors, for the most part are great, and due to its serial nature, the viewer gets a chance to really get to know the characters and to form an attachment to them. Like Lost (which, yes, I know did get better at the end of last season), Heroes ended the season with plenty of questions and while none were really answered with the first episode we got the sense of moving forward. And, we got the addition of David Anders (fka Sark from Alias)... In addition to Sark, we have the new friend of Claire's who can fly, the immigrants from South America, one of whom seems to have the ability to kill people, which does not mesh well for her religious upbringing. And, we have Hiro! Who remains as adorable as ever.

All, in all, I can't wait for episode 2.

Bleh...

Pardon me if I seem bitter during these posts, but I'm a Mets fan. I hope you understand.

And a new tv season begins...

I admit it. I was one of those crazy kids who didn't mind the end of the August. I liked September because I liked going back to school. What can I say? I liked the learning. And now that I'm no longer in school (though sometimes a PhD does sound nice), I look forward to September because that is when the new television series starts. And yes, in this age of 888 channels new programming can be found 52 weeks a year on cable, but there is definitely something special about broadcast series. It's not that the shows are all better, it's more that there's a history there.

Due to a friend staying with me, I was unable to watch much television over the past week, so I had a ton of shows queued up in my DVR. Due to the limitations on my Time Warner Scientific Atlanta DVR box, I was not able to cover everything in the first week, but I did what could.

This is what I watched over the last week (though really over the last few hours)...

Heroes
House
Ugly Betty
Journeyman
The Simpsons
Family Guy
K-Ville (episode 2)
Grey's Anatomy
Private Practice
Chuck
Big Shots
The Office
Without a Trace
Law & Order: SVU

Picture of the Day...

After I graduated from college, in lieu of traveling across Europe, I decided that what I really wanted to do was see America. So, I convinced my parents to let me drive across country as part of my plan to settle in Los Angeles. Here is just one image from that trek...




(c) Kerri L.Berney 2007

Copyright...

Please note that all photos on this page are (c) Kerri L. Berney 2007.

Summer on the TV

In the old days, television was for the most part done live. It's one of the reasons that there are so few remnants of the early days of tv. what we have nowadays from the late 1940s and early 50s exist as kinescopes which basically means they filmed the televison screen. It's why the quality is so bad. The stars of radio were slow to gravitate to television and when they did, it wasn't with any sense of regularity. so, a number of shows might share the same time slot.

By the mid 50s, there was definite sense of a schedule, but even that followed the calendar set years earlier in radio. The A star's show would be on for 39 weeks and they would take the summer's off and another show would air in that time slot.

In around 1952, smart producers like Desi Arnaz realized that when you film your show, you have access to it after the show airs. It's not ephemeral. Desi retained ownership of I Love Lucy and pretty much printed his own money by selling them as reruns.

This little history lesson isn't just to show off, but to show how everything is cyclical - especially in television.From the 1960s to the mid 1990s, things followed the same schedule. shows would air from the Fall to the Spring and reruns would take over the summer months. As the years went on, the amount of shows being produced dwindled from 39 to 33 to the high 20s today.

And yet in the world of cable and even sometimes on the broadcast networks, there are more and more shows premiering at "off-peak" times.

This year, Lifetime, TNT and USA networks seem to be the big winners in the summer tv season. Lifetime has already renewed their new drama Army Wives for a second season. And tonight, USA premieres a 5th season of Monk and a second season of my personal favorite, Psych.

Summer on the TV

In the old days, television was for the most part done live. It's one of the reasons that there are so few remnants of the early days of tv. what we have nowadays from the late 1940s and early 50s exist as kinescopes which basically means they filmed the televison screen. It's why the quality is so bad. The stars of radio were slow to gravitate to television and when they did, it wasn't with any sense of regularity. so, a number of shows might share the same time slot.

By the mid 50s, there was definite sense of a schedule, but even that followed the calendar set years earlier in radio. The A star's show would be on for 39 weeks and they would take the summer's off and another show would air in that time slot.

In around 1952, smart producers like Desi Arnaz realized that when you film your show, you have access to it after the show airs. It's not ephemeral. Desi retained ownership of I Love Lucy and pretty much printed his own money by selling them as reruns.

This little history lesson isn't just to show off, but to show how everything is cyclical - especially in television.From the 1960s to the mid 1990s, things followed the same schedule. shows would air from the Fall to the Spring and reruns would take over the summer months. As the years went on, the amount of shows being produced dwindled from 39 to 33 to the high 20s today.

And yet in the world of cable and even sometimes on the broadcast networks, there are more and more shows premiering at "off-peak" times.

This year, Lifetime, TNT and USA networks seem to be the big winners in the summer tv season. Lifetime has already renewed their new drama Army Wives for a second season. And tonight, USA premieres a 5th season of Monk and a second season of my personal favorite, Psych.

Picture of the Day...

I'm back from vacation in the lovely Bahamas. Had a wonderful time, thanks for asking.


(c) Kerri L. Berney 2007

From Strawberry Fields in Central Park...

Imagine


(c) Kerri L. Berney 2007

Finally, I can end my candlelight vigil...

Our long national nightmare is over... After 3 days (though she is getting credit for five), Paris Hilton is out of prison.

She is apparently getting out because of psychological issues she experienced in prison. I'm currently watching the press conference (on both CNN and MSNBC), and she actually gets credit for 5 days, as they include today (even though it was really early) and the day she went in (even though it was late). The reporters are not happy, it seems.

She is under house arrest for 40 days. A reporter just brought up a good question... When Martha Stewart was on house arrest, she was allowed to leave the house for business, but Paris Hilton's business is going to parties. So, will she be allowed to leave her house to go to parties? The spokesguy didn't know; it's apparently a question for the LA Sheriff's department.

And for some reason, I'm just speechless...

My, how MTV has fallen...

I freely admit that I have been out of the target MTV demographic for nearly a decade, but I still find myself watching the channel at work. We only get a dozen channels, and there are only so many times I can watch The Real Housewives of the OC on Bravo. This afternoon I watched almost two full episodes of My Super Sweet 16 and marvelled as to how much I loathed the protagonists. And then I felt bad because a) it's their birthday and b) they're 16. But then I stopped feeling bad because I'm pretty sure I would have loathed them even more when I was 16. Because, my G-d, have you seen that show? Anyway, since I do try to keep up with pop culture, I DVR'd the MTV Movie Awards, but... I haven't been able to bring myself to watch them yet. Instead, I'm reading the recap on TWOP. What do you think? Is that a sign as to how far MTV has fallen?

Old photos of February peace rally...

This is from February '07... Thank goodness I upgraded and got the 1 GB memory card, otherwise I would not have gotten quite so many pictures of quite so many signs...

DC peace rally
(c) Kerri L. Berney 2007

R.I.P. Steve Gilliard: 1966-2007

I never met Steve Gilliard, in fact I only heard of him a few years ago when I stumbled upon his blog, www.thenewsblog.net, but in a short time, I became a huge fan. He was a New Yorker, a liberal, a soccer aficianado and a die-hard fan of the New York Mets. Shortly after I first read him, he became a regular stop on my daily blog reading. Whenever I wanted a local perspective of a national issue, he was there. And of course, he was more than just a New York view on national issues. As a student of history, he could always be counted on to bring a new perspective on the history of the Middle East, historically, politically and militarily. I rarely commented on his blog, because either he or someone else would say what I wanted to say faster and more eloquently than I ever could. But, for the past three or four years, I was always there as a reader, often nodding my head in agreement to what I was reading.

And, as Steve would say... PUCK the Yankees (though he would have no trouble using the vernacular, as he was not afraid to mince words).


Steve, you will be missed, and I offer my most heartfelt sympathies to those friends and family (of which there are many), who knew and loved him.

Happy Memorial Day...

Let's take a moment to remember the men and women who have lost their lives protecting the USA, as well as those who are still in harms way (regardless of what we feel about the current administration who put them there, we all hope they come home quickly and safely).

Picture of the Day...

One of two lions that guards the New York City Public Library headquarters on 5th Avenue and 42nd Street.


One of two lions that guards the New York City Public Library headquarters on 5th Avenue and 42nd Street.
(c) Kerri L. Berney 2007

Picture of the Day...

And, we're back... No, not with a scintillating bit of commentary about the state of television today... Instead, I'm showing off a picture I took with my brand spanking new camera. It's of New York City (natch...)


(c) Kerri L. Berney 2007

Picture of the Day...

The day after the (hopefully) last snowstorm of the winter. Yes, this was the snowstorm that kept me visiting my dad down in Florida for the weekend. Instead, I saw Journey's End at the Belasco and then The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee at Circle in the Square. This picture was taken when I was killing some time before seeing Spelling Bee (which was a great show).

(c) Kerri L. Berney 2007

Great movie alert... Night of the Hunter (1955)

I just noticed that my DVR was recording one of my favorite movies of all times... Night of the Hunter (1955). If you haven't seen it, you should. It stars Robert Mitchum, silent film star Lillian Gish and Shelly Winters. The only film Charles Laughton directed, it was based on a story by James Agee. At it's core, it's a version of Little Red Robin Hood, with the wolf as a killer in preacher's clothing and Robin as two Depression era kids (John and Pearl). Mitchum is deliciously evil as the preacher who woos a killer's widow in order to get to the money he hid. When he realizes the woman doesn't know anything about the murder, he dispatches her and takes off after the kids who have seen his true colors and run for their lives. They end up at Lillian Gish's place (Rachel Cooper) and join her happy brood of unofficial foster kids. Where the Preacher sees a dark and vengeful G-d (Old Testament, if you will), the Widow Cooper sees a G-d of light and forgiveness (New Testament, anyone?). As in any movie with good and evil, the two sides meet in a showdown and one of them gets it in the end.

Several years ago, it was adapted into a stage musical. Oh, and if you are looking for this on television, make sure you are watching the 1955 version, and not the made for tv version from the early 90s. Trust me. It's a mistake I made once and will never make again.

In the 60 years since this film was released, there have been many homages to it, owing mostly to the love and hate tattoos on the Preacher's knuckles (Do the Right Thing and The Simpsons are among the most prominent).

Cool Quotes...

Ben Harper: I got tired of seein' children roamin' the woodlands without food, children roamin' the highways in this here Depression, children sleepin' in old abandoned car bodies in junk heaps. And I promised myself that I'd never see the day when my young-uns had want.

Rev. Powell: [when he notices John staring at the words "love" and "hate" tattooed across his knuckles] Ah, little lad, you're staring at my fingers. Would you like me to tell you the little story of right-hand/left-hand? The story of good and evil? H-A-T-E! It was with this left hand that old brother Cain struck the blow that laid his brother low. L-O-V-E! You see these fingers, dear hearts? These fingers has veins that run straight to the soul of man. The right hand, friends, the hand of love. Now watch, and I'll show you the story of life. Those fingers, dear hearts, is always a-warring and a-tugging, one agin t'other. Now watch 'em! Old brother left hand, left hand he's a fighting, and it looks like love's a goner. But wait a minute! Hot dog, love's a winning! Yessirree! It's love that's won, and old left hand hate is down for the count!"

Rachel Cooper: You know, when you're little, you have more endurance than God is ever to grant you again. Children are humanity's strongest. They abide.

Icey Spoon: [about the conjugal bed] When you've been married to a man for forty years you know all that don't amount to a hill of beans. I've been married to Walt that long and I swear in all that time I just lie there thinkin' about my canning.

Icey Spoon: [about sex in marriage] A woman's a fool to marry for that. That's somethin' for a man. The Good Lord never meant for a decent woman to want that. Not really want it. It's all just a fake and a pipe dream.

Jennifer Garner's bike...

Sure, she is no longer portraying Sidney Bristow on ABC's "Alias" (three of the best tv seasons ever, unfortunatel, it lasted five), but I like to think that she still owns this bicycle, given to her by creator, JJ Abrams. I took a friend to lunch on the Disney lot, when Alias was still in production, so we could try stalking any Alias castmembers, but it was Christmas-time so most shows were on hiatus and besides I'm sure I would have chickened out anyway.