Tuesday, October 30, 2007

MASH

Okay. Remember this game? Mansion, Apartment, Shack House.
Awesome. Used to play it for ages in class (and in the hallways), with random names - often celebrities - and even though we really didn't care what the results were. And we knew how it worked, but were surprised anyway!

Well, I found it randomly online. Today's options are confusing though... Were there always more than one result?
Still, apparently I'm going to be news or sports producer, drive a Versa or a motorcycle that is blue, green or yellow. Live in an mansion, shack or house in Tampa, Montreal, or Finland... See why this is confusing?

Then there's another site that randomizes the results. They tell me I'll be a news producer, drive a Versa, marry Ryan and live in Montreal. Somehow, I don't expect that to happen!

Get me a pen and paper. I'm doing this the old fashioned way!

TV Thoughts

Yesterday's Heroes was many ways of awesome. But first off, I need to point out that while Zachary Quinto could pull off a convincing Spock, he reminds me more of Christopher Higgins, of Montreal Canadiens fame.

Next, Heroes came to Montreal!!!!! Sure, it was sort of an obvious assumption based on the previous show (and the promos!), but it was really cool when it finally happened. Too bad the outdoor scene lasted all of 20 seconds, and I missed part of it. I wonder who that Adam guy is, and if they'll actually film in Montreal. So far, I haven't heard that they have...

I really like the split in Maya and Alejandro's characters, and the Claire storyline is getting more... dangerous, shall we say?
As for point two of awesomeness... The Ukrainian guy was in Red October. I know, I know... it's sort of geeky, but that's what I love about Heroes! They take all our secret geek fantasies and put them into one beautifully packaged show.

On to a different kind of TV...

Our first newscast is now on YouTube, courtesy of Elias Makos.
It was Group 3's first newscast, and my first Assignment Editor position of the term/year. I also did a reporting stint and a one-on-one interview with Mike Boone. I'd love to get feedback on anything from flow to visuals, to specific comments about reports...

Bonus incentive? The chimps!!!

Stay tuned...

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

On Price

As posted on HabsInsideOut.com midway through the 3rd period of the Montreal @ Pittsburgh hockey game on October 11, 2007:

Do you see the circle of protection around Price? The Habs are playing better because they want to support their goalie, who is young and new to the game. They don't want to make him look bad. They don't want to look bad and as if they're depending on him. They probably don't want to depend on him because they don't totally trust him yet.
Unfortunately, this lack of trust makes them a better team. When Ds (and forwards) play in front of a seasoned goalie, they tend to abandon him more often. They think he can handle it.

After Price has proven his worth in a few games, the D is not going to be as tight. There will be more mistakes, that's for sure. But it'll also give Price some room to breathe and do his thing. Less screens, less activity in front of the net, less "not his fault" goals.

Just my 2(or 3 or 4 or 5) cents.

Random thought: if they eliminate the penny, will our opinions be worth 5 cents instead of 2?

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Just thought you'd like to know.

Wednesday, October 03, 2007

Pushing what?

Ok, so the opening sequence of Pushing Daisies was very poorly CG'd. I thought the plot was that the guy could bring people back to life but if he touches them again, they die. I didn't really get the 1 minute thing... And then I got distracted by a phone call and switched to the hockey game.

I guess I will be downloading tonight ;)

Tuesday, October 02, 2007

Ah, Tuesday!

First off, can I just say... Cameron looks really weird with blond hair.

Good. Now that that's over, let us rejoice over the blessing that is House. What would Tuesdays be without our daily dose of the over competent and overly arrogant doctor?

Today's episode had a lot of guest actors... Kal Penn, and that actress that looks a lot like the girl from the Bourne series but whose name I don't know. Too bad IMDB isn't helping right now.

The case itself was very interesting, especially the description of the problem: "Hearing with your eyes". How crazy does that sound? I don't even understand how that works. Is it like echolocation except your eyes have different colours for elevations and distances and the like? Because that's definitely what they made it to look like. Too bad I can't remember the name of the genetic disease... I would totally look it up.

As usual, great production... and House's hallucinations are just hilarious. Not a lot of Cutty in this episode, but still enough for us to understand that House knows her, and is actually, well... In this episode, he was actually really nice to her. Doing things for her own good, and truly understanding what is important to her. Hmmm... a softer House? Maybe a sign of things to come with that plot development.

Because there were so many actors/actresses in this show, some of them get lost, and it feels sort of crowded for a while... like having too many voices in your brain (You hear them too, right?)

But, /me loves because, well, I need my weekly dose of House.

As for NCIS, I love love love the ending. The Jeanne issue was present throughout the episode, but it was not apparent, in that it was not the main storyline, just something to bug Tony with. Still, when he was making his calls, he was defending himself, not trying to elucidate more information.

And is it just me, or did the son seem really young? Like, 17 or 19 at the most? The girl looked way older, at least in her mid twenties. It's a sad story really, but it's a good one. It's a tough one to tell too, because of all these recent child abduction cases. Also, it reminds me of the Lindbergh case, but that's probably because I've been studying too much ;)

The letter from Jeanne was what made the episode amazing. You saw the duality between family and business all through the episode. In fact, I'd say it was this week's underlying theme. What to do when those two sides compete, and, let's face it, they will always compete, no matter how separate we try to keep them. And while it was obvious that Tony would choose his jobs over the girl, it seemed like a really heart wrenching decision, and one that will probably change him forever. I do doubt that the girl won't come back though... I'm sure we haven't seen the last of her, even if she just comes looking for her dad.

A loose end, by the way, I'm surprised they didn't tie up, although it's probably for future use.

Last but not least, can you imagine that I've know my cousin since we were born (same year, same city, different hospital, and 8 days apart), and yet I never knew she was a hockey fan? A huge hockey fan? How random (and totally awesomely cool!!!!) is that?!

Ah, coincidences everywhere...

Monday fun

As usual, Monday was Heroes night. And though I was exhausted, you just can't miss Heroes. You just can't! Unless you have a really good excuse, and I didn't.

So I exercised to Chuck (fun!), and while the exercise was mostly rewarding, Chuck was just good. Actually, that's not true. The episode as a whole was lotsa fun, and it was interesting to see the characters develop in their interactions with each other. The whole Casey vs. Sarah thing worked well, but it'll get old really quickly, so I hope they find a new gimmick for next week.

The thing that really brought the episode down was (SPOILERS!!!!!!!!!!!!) Chuck landing the helicopter. I mean, seriously? Just because you played a flight simulator game? Pfft. I've spoken to plenty of pilots who've said that it's nothing like a game. PLUS, a helicopter is one of the toughest vehicles to master. Furthermore, the rotors don't randomly just turn off. Once you hit the ground, there's a bunch of stuff you have to do. And helicopters land vertically, not horizontally. Aaaand, when he was battling with the doc in the helicopter at the beginning of this absurd plot twist, the helicopter appeared to be going in circles. Too bad the pilot was dead and wasn't putting any pressure on the joystick (or whatever it's called).

Anyway. The ending was disappointing and waaaay too obvious. It would have been cooler for him to flash of a memory of how to land a helicopter.

Next, Heroes! It was really good. I can't believe she cut off her toe. Seriously!! I love how it grew back though, that was wicked! Hiro was stellar, as usual, and I was really impressed by Mohinder's French! It was actually really good!

The Haitian... well, I didn't realize he was the same guy as the kid from the comics. THAT was a revelation. Or at least, I THINK that's what they revealed. It was sort of ambiguous; maybe they want to keep us wondering.
I love that Bennet and Mohinder are working together, and that the Haitian is back and better than ever. And he's speaking ;)

That's enough Heroes gushing... on to Journeyman, which I thought really improved this week! It built on the setup from last episode, and inserted some comic relief moments... The plane being turned back? awesome. The no fly list? Absolutely fantastic. lol.
A lot of good character development, but I think we need to see more about his work as a journalist, and a bit more of his kid. I had totally forgotten they even HAD one. Inserting a line like, "I guess we can call the babysitter off" would help.

Journeyman's still not on my "Must Watch" list, but it will always be on. It's just a matter of whether I mind skipping a few minutes to go to the washroom.