Category: Television

  • Where are the Mavericks on TV?

    It’s time for game what, five? Were it not for the kindness of my wife’s coworker, I wouldn’t have seen a single game of this series against Phoenix. Some of us aren’t rich. Some of us don’t blow money on cable when we can’t even buy ourselves new clothes. And yet the Mavericks somehow manage to play exclusively on TNT for this entire series. Can someone explain this to me? I am a huge fan… no… a HUGE FAN. But I don’t get to watch them play unless I can find someone to mooch off of.

    Where’ s the reward for a season of faithful support? Where’s the evidence of city-wide camaraderie? But NOooo… only cool people with cable tv, tickets to the game, or money to go to a sports bar get to watch the Dallas Mavericks’ first real chance at an NBA title. All I have to say is: if it’s over and we lose in this round, I’ll be angry that I didn’t get to support my team during the best part of their playoffs. If they win this series and move on to play Miami or Detroit, the games better be on local channels.

    What am I thinking? Of course they’ll be on local channels! The Eastern Conference Finals have been on local channels most of the time! Only poor Western Conference schmos like me get placed on the short bus to watch the rest of the world having fun without us. Mark Cuban, if you’re listening (or reading), you suck! Get this fixed asap! I want my Mavs, and I want them on UPN 21 or ABC or whoever will play the freakin’ games on regular stations. I’ll watch the game on the Spanish channels if I have to. I just want gametime coverage. So be it.


  • House versus God

    This week’s episode of House MD pitted Dr. House against God or, to be more precise, the idea that God speaks and interacts with people. It is a topic very near and dear to my heart, and kept me on pins and needles, waiting to see how they would make the Christian look. As expected, the Christian is discounted as a liar and a fake. The Christian is Boyd, a fifteen year old boy who hears from God and heals people by laying his hands on them.

    During the middle of a church service (did anyone else notice how ugly and backwoods most of the church members looked?), Boyd’s hands clench, he doubles over, and falls down. His father rushes him to the hospital. House’s staff diagnose the boy with Tubular Sclerosis. Several small tumors in his brain are credited with causing the symptoms mistaken for spirituality. Chase is the only one on House’s staff who thinks there is even the slightest possibility that the boy isn’t lying or delusional. But it is House himself who throws a childish tantrum when the boy’s revelations from God continually hit the mark.

    The final straw is when Boyd lays his hands on a female cancer patient in the hospital, tells her that God has heard every prayer, and claims that she is healed. House goes on the warpath to prove that the woman isn’t healed in order to discredit the teenage faith healer. Funny what can set him off into such an angry mood, isn’t it? Though the plots for this show are decidedly secular, the writers leave room in this episode for at least the unlikely possibility that God speaks to people. Of course, this is as far as they are willing to go. So we are left with a non-committal declaration by Dr. Wilson, who tells House that a belief isn’t disproved simply because a person cannot live up to it. I am left wondering if this is a positive statement or not.

    The boy has a virus that attacks cancer cells, which he manages to spread to the girl he had laid hands on in the hospital. She had experienced at least brief remission due to the virus she had caught from the believer. Note the comment made about the chances of the boy having just the right virus to attack just the right type of cancer cells. The odds were ridiculously small. House finds it difficult to believe that God would use one disease or illness to deal with another. The boy responds by saying that God does not violate the laws of His universe – that it is not so strange that He would use various existing biological elements to carry out what otherwise would be impossible. It is an interesting thought.

    I read something similar in The Elijah Task by John and Paula Sandford. In discussing the miraculous/supernatural, the Sandfords state their personal belief that God does not violate the natural laws He created. To violate something good and pure could be equated to fraud or violating the innocence of a child – unthinkable. God loves everything He created. Regardless of the fine details which we struggle in vain to understand, I can see how the supernatural is only supernatural in that God acted in a natural way which we cannot presently understand. We did not write the laws of nature. We do not fully understand them all, either. Imagine: not too long ago, we thought that the molecule was the smallest measurable unit. Then came the atom, with protons, electrons, and neutrons. Then came quarks. Scientists may have found something even smaller by now.

    One thing we have learned is that everything, including solids, liquids, and gases, is made up of energy. If even the most solid looking surface known to man is truly made up of energy, moving mountains isn’t such a stretch of the imagination. We see the manifestation of a LOT of energy particles, but to move any amount of already moving parts from one place to another is not really so unthinkable if one only knows how. Food for thought…


  • CSI: Culture’s Sadistic Infection

    Call it what you will, tv show creators are constantly stretching the boundaries of what society will accept and even enjoy. Some of you are thinking that this is going to be a moral rant, which it is, but it’s more than that. It’s an evaluation of pop culture’s obvious decline.

    Producers have at least some idea of what the people want. They know that shows challenging the intellect are doomed to flop, so they stick with what sells: sensationalism. I’m referring to that which is sensational, makes you blink or catch your breath, entices you, scares you, and so on. Today’s programs feed off of your emotions, off of your desires. The problem is that desire is fickle. It’s not an objective, logical, or intelligent thing. No, far from it.

    What was surprising and scary and sensational and provocative yesterday is less surprising today. People absorb all these images, sounds, stories, and ideas and they want to be thrilled again and again. That’s what it is. One way or another, people want to be thrilled. But you do the same thing over and over, and they’re not thrilled anymore. They’ve seen and heard and felt that before too many times. You’ve gotta push further to keep it on the edge, to show them what they haven’t seen before, to thrill them with something new.

    So you’ve got 3 CSIs, NCIS, House MD, The Badge, Criminal Minds, Crossing Jordan, South Beach, Desperate Housewives, Without a Trace, Ghost Whisperer, Bones, Boston Legal, and other shows i don’t even know about. Every single show i just mentioned has pushed the boundaries of blood and gore, sexual content, graphic violence, brutality, and provocative language.

    Look at the number of shows that picture corpses entrails. Look at the anatomically correct body parts strewn across floors and tables. Watch the crime reenactments where you can see people brutally beaten or attacked. Look at how dark and realistic the meth labs, the prostitutes, and the criminal world is portrayed. Look at what it takes to make a show successful today…

    This is our popular culture. Statistics show that we are barely in the top 20 most intelligent nations. I believe it. We don’t even stop to think about what we’re pushing ourselves towards. We have the choice of what to do with our time. i remember a time when people didn’t need to be accessible by phone, fax, or email 24/7.

    Here’s a homework assignment for all you youngsters (you qualify if you figured out how to get here):

    Watch a few different shows from 5 years ago. Then watch a few from 10 years ago. Then 15. Then 20. Know what you’ll notice? More dialogue, more wit, somewhat fewer cliches, and practically no brutal violence or visible sexual content.

    Am i a 60s buff with a chip on his shoulder? Hardly. Pop culture has been transformed from sugar-coated daydreams to dysfunctional family to sadistic, brutal fantasy.

    Does that sound like the progress of an ever-evolving society to you? Sounds to me like a country that missed the reality bus and wandered into hell.


  • 4 8 15 16 23 42 and the Dharma Initiative

    the numbers… the damn numbers! what do they mean?

    i thought i was on to something. i added all the numbers together and found that the total is 108. 108 is the total number of minutes they are allotted before they must reset the timer. the fact that the numbers which reset the clock happen to add up to the time allotted on the clock isn’t coincidence. but what does it mean?

    then i thought, there are enough numbers here to be a telephone number! i ran to the computer and searched for a 418 area code, thinking that maybe they had to continually redial an isp. this is extremely unlikely, since the the only places with a city code of 481 are in Uganda: Masaka and Kalisizo. not likely candidates. not to mention the fact that there would be no isp when this originated, right?!?!? Then again, the computer they use wouldn’t have been invented yet, right? at its very oldest, the computer used to reset the timer is circa 1980s, and the numbers have been around longer than that, right?!?!?!

    i read someone’s comment elsewhere that the number 108 relates to the amount of time it takes a satellite to circle the earth. i don’t think 108 minutes is accurate – the satellite would have to be moving faster than anything we know of. still, i hadn’t thought of the satellite angle. if there is some correlation, it could be that satellites are watching the island and the computer is meant to recalibrate or switch from one satellite to the next for best connection and angle.

    Heather had the idea to look up dharma in the dictionary for some insight. the Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia says:

    dharma (där′ mÉ™) – In Hinduism, dharma is the doctrine of the religious and moral rights and duties of each individual; it generally refers to religious duty, but may also mean social order, right conduct, or simply virtue. Sacred law is the codification of dharma, and Hinduism itself is also called Sanatana Dharma [the eternal dharma]. In Buddhism, dharma has two distinct meanings: it refers to religious truth, namely Buddhist teaching as the highest truth; it is also used as a technical term to denote a constituent element of experience, or any existing thing or phenomenon.

    dictionary.com says this: dharma (n) : basic principles of the cosmos; also: an ancient sage in Hindu mythology worshipped as a god by some lower castes; dhar·ma
    n. Hinduism & Buddhism. The principle or law that orders the universe. Individual conduct in conformity with this principle. The essential function or nature of a thing. Hinduism. Individual obligation with respect to caste, social custom, civil law, and sacred law. Buddhism. the body of teachings expounded by the Buddha. Knowledge of or duty to undertake conduct set forth by the Buddha as a way to enlightenment. One of the basic, minute elements from which all things are made.

    certain parts seemed potentially relevant to the LOST hatch. of course, the preview made it look like they were going to find another hatch or man-made structure in next week’s episode. that will inevitably complicate things.

    i think the phrase “Dharma Initiative” deserves some toying with. there are multiple definitions for Dharma and for initiative. at first glance i can imagine multiple ways to understand the phrase.

    dictionary.com says this about “initiative” = in·i·tia·tive (n) – The power or ability to begin or to follow through energetically with a plan or task; enterprise and determination. A beginning or introductory step; an opening move: took the initiative in trying to solve the problem. The power or right to introduce a new legislative measure. The right and procedure by which citizens can propose a law by petition and ensure its submission to the electorate.

    so, based on the given definitions and uses for “initiative”, is the Dharma initiative an introductory series of steps taken to cause a desired result? is it an independent action without outside influence, control, or suggestion? or is it a procedure enabling a specified number of voters by petition to propose a law and secure its submission to the electorate or legislature for approval?

    the third may seem unlikely, but if you’re looking for the right to change the law, who knows? maybe somebody out there is willing to use human guinea pigs to show evidence why some law or understanding of law should be changed?

    food for thought.


  • LOST Again

    There are too many plotlines to keep up with. I cannot follow on a linear path, yet the details are soaking in.

    I’ve finally finished watching all of season one on dvd. Things I’ve learned about LOST since my last update:

    1. Things happen to animals that Walt sees pictures or drawings of.
    2. The Spanish comic book Walt was reading belonged to Hurley before the crash.
    3. The Others were specifically after Walt at the end of Season One – not just any child or any boy.
    4. If you believe the obvious, Walt has access to a computer by which he communicated with his dad, Michael.
    5. Locke could turn out to be a total loon. He believed the island was giving him clues on what to do next, but he might be losing his edge on sanity or faith because he’s been doing nothing new for a while.
    6. John Locke was an English philosopher. I’d read his treatise on Human Understanding if I had the time, just to see if the writers of LOST drew anything out of his writings which would clarify some of the mystery.
    7. Walt shakes Jack’s or Locke’s hand in Season One and immediately warns him not to open it (the hatch). He displays what would appear to be some kind of psychic or prophetic ability. What exactly is the danger, though? Why does he say not to open it? What will happen because they did?

    The Numbers – Hurley won the lottery with the numbers. He heard the numbers from a supposed crazy man in an institution. The crazy man served in the military with another guy in the Pacific. They monitored the air waves. Usually, all they heard was static, but one day, they heard a voice, repeating those numbers. We discover that 16 years ago, Rousseau found a transmitter on the island that was playing voice which repeated those numbers over and over and over. Rousseau recorded a new message in French over the previous one, and set it on a continual loop. This is the distress call Sayid picked up after the Oceanic flight crashed. The numbers were found on the outside of the hatch, and they are the numbers someone has been entering into the computer system below for years. So the numbers are at quite old if men serving in the military decades ago heard the transmission. Why were the numbers on the outside of the hatch? The hatch had no handle or way to open from the outside. It would stand to reason that no one on the outside was intended to have anything to do with it. If that is the case, it is either a serial number, a combination to some kind of lock, a warning of some kind, or something else I haven’t thought of.

    John Locke will either figure it out or be responsible for more deaths. That is one of the only opinions I will voice right now. Will Michael find Walt? Why did the Others stop Jack from pursuing Michael, but we see no evidence that they stopped Michael from looking for Walt?

    Is Libby really an Other?


  • LOST on ABC: Filling in the Gaps

    Walt on LOST

    it’s amazing what you can learn by watching the entire season one on dvd. i’d missed more than i could have imagined. I just learned about Walt – how he makes things happen when he reads or sees pictures of things. This new knowledge changes all my theories completely.

    i feel like cinderella late for the ball. most of you LOST fanatics have watched every episode religiously. anything i might say will seem old hat to you… good thing i don’t care.

    i was watching the episode where Walt is attacked by a polar bear. his dad and Locke save him. Walt saw the polar bear in the comic book his father burned. in the flashback, Walt saw the bird that crashed into the glass door in his school book.

    so did he see something that caused the plane crash? is Walt the cause of everything bizarre and strange?

    my wife threw this out for a possibility: someone is drawing children with “special” abilities to the island for study or some other purpose. a psychic tricked the pregnant woman (Claire) into taking the flight because it was absolutely imperative that she raise the child and protect the child. this could mean that her child has special abilities too which would be treated as a sideshow freak if not raise by his mother. or it could have nothing to do Claire and only be about getting the child onto the island.

    back to Walt. i wonder if the other comic book frames we were allowed to see were clues. we not only saw the polar bear; we also saw an alien strapped to some kind of table in a scientific or medical lab. and then we saw a picture of an alien spaceship with what appeared to be a metropolitan city at the top of its dome. the comic book was a spanish version of the Green Lantern and Flash.

    maybe if i read that comic book i could predict certain other aspects of the future of LOST. Then again, the comic was burned and Walt could look at other pictures (like the ones his dad drew for him) and cause entirely different things to happen. we’ll see.

    i haven’t made it through the first season. i have a few episodes left.

    bear with me. for those of you who could care less about LOST… what’s wrong with you?


  • American Idol: Can Simon Cowell Really Judge Talent?

    Simon Cowell can't stand the sound

    Against my better judgment (and sense of self respect), I found myself watching the first two days of American Idol. It’s a contagious disease. Actually, it’s not that bad until you get down to the last 10 or so contestants and the majority of them don’t have the look or attitude to make it in the music industry.

    Which brings me to my point. It’s obviously Simon’s show. Of course it’s literally his, but he also commands the screen with his presence and opinions.

    I’ve been watching Simon as he watches and listens to the contestants. He has such black or white opinions most of the time, and he seems to form most of his judgments within the first 2 seconds of the song. To form an opinion that quickly, he’s obviously trying to weed out as many people as possible who obviously don’t have the look of a star and probably couldn’t be prettied up to fake it.

    Let’s face it – Simon Cowell is a superficial guy. Whether that’s his real personality or a character he plays for this show is beside the point. All I know of him is what he presents to the world on American Idol. Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson (I had to look his name up) are mostly window dressing. They’re Simon’s little assistants – they’re the Ed McMahon and Paul Shaffer of American Idol.

    Anyway, my point about Simon is that I question his ability to judge musical talent. I question his ability to judge potential star power and presence. He’s probably nixed some top notch talent because they didn’t fit what is likely his Elton John ideal.

    Here’s what I propose: If they decide to create another season of American Idol, they need to add some mystery into the mix. Let Ryan Seacrest select at least one professional singer per year and toss him or her into the mix as a sleeper. For the first guy, I would pick the lead singer of Our Lady Peace – Raine Maida (he may technically be a Canadian, but he’s a great singer from a great band who probably wouldn’t be a dead giveaway if he stood before the judges). Seacrest would keep it a secret from Simon and the other judges. He could tell us about the star outside the judging room while we wait to see the performance and hear the verdict. We could get classic comments and reactions from superstars after the performance and judges decision. Some famous singers would probably get pretty hacked off at Simon for being such an ass.

    My guess is that Simon would probably tell some very successful singers that they don’t have what it takes to become the next American Idol, which of course is nothing compared to being the real success they already are.

    The show would continue or increase its current popularity. People are obsessed with stars. Throw in a real star posing as an everyday person, show them before, during, and after their audition. Get the judges reaction after they’ve been told that they just critiqued a superstar. It’s brilliant.

    Of course, you’d have to disguise many of the singers who aren’t a part of bands (Mariah Carey, Seal, Elton John, Josh Groban types) because they don’t blend in with a group of musicians. But take just about any lead singer of a band/group and I’d be willing to bet that he or she could get past all three judges unrecognized.

    It’s a great idea, anyway. The only flaw is that after the judges are told that a star performed unnoticed, they’d be studying all the following performers to discern if each was a star. That would make it harder to maintain. The element of surprise is what would make it so cool. Maybe you bring five to ten different artists to the initial tryouts and video the whole thing and don’t announce anything to the judges until the last couple weeks of the season. That would be just one more thing to add to the end of season build-up.

    Those are my thoughts. Some lead singers and artists I’d like to see sing in disguise are The Cranberries, Our Lady Peace, Evanescence, Weezer, Green Day, Pearl Jam (though Eddie Vedder is probably too old), Coldplay, Counting Crows (probably too old again), Natalie Merchant, Dido, Emiliana Torrini, The Fray, James Blunt, Sade, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and that chick from Mono.