Archive for October, 2008

Getting down to the wire on our country’s future

October 29, 2008 | Election 08, Politics

Only a few more days until the election.

It’s no secret where I fall on the political spectrum, but no matter who you intend to vote for this Tuesday, you have to appreciate this anecdote from mom blogger Goon Squad Sarah recounting how her daughter tells the difference between the two presidential candidates:

She pointed at the man on the left “This is Narack Ofama” (meh, close enough for a four year old) “and this is John McCain. You know how I can tell?”

I asked her how.

“They have different color hair.”

And don’t miss this week’s posts on BlogHer by Jill Biden and Michelle Obama.

Technorati Tags: presidential election

Posted by Susan Getgood @ 1:34 pm | 1 Comment

SciFi Snapshot: Stargate Atlantis, My Name is Bruce

October 28, 2008 | Science Fiction, TV/Film

Some random things.

First, Stargate Atlantis. Its last and not best season. I am amused that we’ve now seen three episodes in which Torri Higginson is featured, to varying degrees, in flashback sequences. First of course there was Ghost in the Machine, the episode in which they (sort of) wrapped up her storyline and for which she refused to return. Leaving the part of Elizabeth to be played by a robotic voice and Michelle Morgan, the actress who did such a nice job as FRAN last season.

Then Weir was used to establish backstory for the Daniel Jackson arc and again last Friday fairly extensively in Inquisition, an episode consisting mostly of flashbacks recounting the Atlantis team’s various crimes against the Pegasus galaxy.

How to have the actress on your show without actually having her on your show

Now SGA is not the best science fiction television ever. IMO opinion that honor is shared by Firefly, Farscape and Battlestar Galactica. But its first three seasons were pretty good. In large part because of the dynamics of the characters.

But the ratings weren’t there.

So, the producers decided to shake things up and kill off a couple fan favorites. replacing them with other characters who haven’t really gelled with the audience.

Simply put, they f***ed up their show. It’s had a few good moments since, but it’s not as consistently good as it was in the early years. Even if you don’t like the Stargate franchise, watch the Atlantis pilot Rising. It hooks you, and good.

The ratings got worse, not better, after the late season 3/early season 4 changes.

It just wasn’t as compelling without the dynamic between characters John Sheppard (played by Joe Flanigan) and Elizabeth Weir (Higginson). I like Amanda Tapping and Robert Picardo, the actors who successively have played the leader role, but the chemistry just isn’t the same. And not only due to the “shippy” elements of the John/Elizabeth relationship.

Even if you didn’t “ship” John and Elizabeth (and I do), the characters had a real partnership that anchored the show and couldn’t/didn’t transfer to the subsequent leader characters Carter and Woolsey.

What made the show special was gone. Not surprisingly, the show won’t be back for a 6th season.

And they keep bringing Weir/Higginson back in flashbacks.

Hhmm? Just a suggestion, but maybe the producers should try a little harder to get Higginson on board for the planned Stargate Atlantis telefilm next year. You know, give her a real story that either truly wraps up her character or brings the character back to life. Preferably the second in case there are future films.

Instead of just teasing the audience with a few flashbacks.

Topic two. The long awaited My Name Is Bruce premieres this weekend in Austin. Actor Bruce Campbell will be doing personal appearances across the country at showings of the film. November 7th is the Boston date. I was thinking about going but we will be in Vermont that weekend so I’ll have to wait for the DVD.

Finally. Farscape. It doesn’t get much better than this.

As I have Joss Whedon’s Firefly, I’ve watched this series at least a couple times through, and some episodes even more. If you’ve never watched, do yourself a favor. Skip the dreck that’s on most channels today, and rent or buy the DVDs.

Technorati Tags: Stargate Atlantis, My Name Is Bruce, Farscape

Posted by Susan Getgood @ 1:10 pm | Comments are off

One of those silly quizzes

October 26, 2008 | Memes

Which American accent do you have?

Neutral

You’re not Northern, Southern, or Western, you`re just plain -American-. Your national identity is more important than your local identity, because you don`t really have a local identity. You might be from the region in that map, which is defined by this kind of accent, but you could easily not be. Or maybe you just moved around a lot growing up.

Click Here to Take This Quiz
Brought to you by YouThink.com quizzes and personality tests.

Posted by Susan Getgood @ 12:16 pm | Comments are off

Election video round-up: Andy, Opie, the Fonz & Whazzup?

October 24, 2008 | Politics, TV/Film

Today two political videos for Barack Obama started making the rounds that deserve to be noticed. Not because they are necessarily the best or most compelling political videos to surface this year. There have been many worth watching, worth sharing, including pretty much every episode of The Daily Show and the Colbert Report, not to mention Tina Fey’s dead-on “Sarah Palin.” The best IMO is still Jon Stewart’s take on the GOP spin once Palin was selected.

Today’s videos are markable because they will spread far and fast at this critical juncture two weeks before the election. They will call on nostalgia. And they will remind voters of the economic and political uncertainties facing this nation.

Will that lead voters to mark the box or pull the lever (but please not to hang the chad) for Barack Obama? I hope so.

But no matter who you plan to vote for, please vote on November 4th.

And now for the videos. The first is from Funny or Die and features actor Ron Howard gleefully embarassing himself while embracing his past.

See more Ron Howard videos at Funny or Die

The second is an updated version of an old Budweiser commercial. It is not affiliated with Anheuser-Busch, but it does remind us of the essential issues in this campaign. Hat tip Todd Defren.