Television

by **jvcc** » Fri Jul 08, 2011 7:47 pm

My favorite comment about the UK Apprentice is from Reginald D. Hunter, who said that Lord Sugar sounds like the name of a pimp.

by **Dusk** » Fri Jul 15, 2011 8:43 am

Is a show such as The Apprentice, really that popular in the UK?
I watched an episode of the US one and was thoroughly insulted. I think that's the problem reality TV and I have, though. We have very different values.

I've been told by many a person to watch Game Of Thrones, so this I shall do.

by **ntw3001** » Fri Jul 15, 2011 8:53 am

I think it's been said that the UK version is somewhat less obnoxious than the US one. For one thing, it features Sir Alan Sugar rather than Donald Trump. That alone has to take it down by a few hundred thousand percent.

by **PonderThis** » Fri Jul 15, 2011 9:14 am

Dusk wrote:Is a show such as The Apprentice, really that popular in the UK?
I watched an episode of the US one and was thoroughly insulted. I think that's the problem reality TV and I have, though. We have very different values.

You and me both. Reality TV is all about conflict and hatefulness and people being outraged or having their feelings hurt. None of that appeals to me.

That's why I've lately gotten into SyFy's (yech I'm never going to get used to that spelling) Eureka and Warehouse 13. For the most part they're about people working together to solve problems. And when there's interpersonal conflict it's just normal human interaction that people work through. Contrast that with that reality TV crap where I want to solve people's problems by killing everyone involved.

by **Dusk** » Fri Jul 15, 2011 9:30 am

PonderThis wrote:That's why I've lately gotten into SyFy's (yech I'm never going to get used to that spelling) Eureka and Warehouse 13. For the most part they're about people working together to solve problems. And when there's interpersonal conflict it's just normal human interaction that people work through. Contrast that with that reality TV crap where I want to solve people's problems by killing everyone involved.

Hehehe Yeah, most reality shows just leave me outraged and depressed at how horrible a lot of average human beings are. I just about never watch TV nowadays.
I've heard good things about Eureka and have been meaning to watch Warehouse 13.

by **Binkatron5000** » Fri Jul 15, 2011 11:29 am

Dusk wrote:
PonderThis wrote:That's why I've lately gotten into SyFy's (yech I'm never going to get used to that spelling) Eureka and Warehouse 13. For the most part they're about people working together to solve problems. And when there's interpersonal conflict it's just normal human interaction that people work through. Contrast that with that reality TV crap where I want to solve people's problems by killing everyone involved.

Hehehe Yeah, most reality shows just leave me outraged and depressed at how horrible a lot of average human beings are. I just about never watch TV nowadays.
I've heard good things about Eureka and have been meaning to watch Warehouse 13.

Yessss Eureka is good fun. Geek Bonus: Felicia Day (swoon) and Wil Wheaton will be making appearances! Felicia this week, and for all I know Wil might have been on already (haven't been keeping up with it lately - cancelled TV services last month yayayay)
Also Castle has been quite enjoyable, mainly because I like Nathan Fillion's antics.

by **ntw3001** » Fri Jul 15, 2011 12:52 pm

Dusk wrote:
PonderThis wrote:That's why I've lately gotten into SyFy's (yech I'm never going to get used to that spelling) Eureka and Warehouse 13. For the most part they're about people working together to solve problems. And when there's interpersonal conflict it's just normal human interaction that people work through. Contrast that with that reality TV crap where I want to solve people's problems by killing everyone involved.

Hehehe Yeah, most reality shows just leave me outraged and depressed at how horrible a lot of average human beings are. I just about never watch TV nowadays.
I've heard good things about Eureka and have been meaning to watch Warehouse 13.

I don't think reality TV should be taken as a showcase for 'average human beings'. I think I could get onto Big Brother by charging into the room where they interview candidates and threatening everyone with a rake, then pretending to forget where I am and scrawling sums on the wall with a chunk of untreated chalk.

I liked the first UK series of Big Brother. They hadn't quite figured out the reality TV formula, and it was just a bunch of pretty normal people living in a big house. The least unobjectionable ones got kicked out in the first few weeks, and the final week left us with three people who got on pretty well living fairly comfortably in a big house. That's how I remember it anyway.

by **MysticalDescent** » Fri Jul 15, 2011 5:43 pm

I generally hate reality TV. Most of the time it appears to be stupid people being stupid and in some cases there's an audience who just whoop and applaud incessantly at nothing. The Apprentice doesn't really seem like reality TV over here, I don't know, it at least doesn't feel like reality TV when I watch it. I've only seen one episode of the US version and it seemed to have slipped into the standard reality TV format. Oh look, the manager of the winning team is in the boardroom casting judgement upon the losers, who will then have to spend the rest of the week sleeping outside. I couldn't see the attraction of that, it just smacked of executives trying to keep the show fresh by adding more human conflict and humiliation.

by **James** » Fri Jul 15, 2011 8:18 pm

I don't watch much reality TV at all, but I did catch part of an episode of The Apprentice the other week, and it included a slice of smug vapidity that made me smile:

"Lads' mags are about lads, yeah?"

How silly.

by **dhebert1** » Sat Jul 16, 2011 3:08 am

Hi there,

I'm a businessman and have a little time to watch TV. But whenever I've time of an hour or two, I'd like to watch business news, business channels and most favorite program of mine National Geographic. I never stick to the TV for hours and hours but watch some program which feeds my soul.

by **chrismachine** » Sat Jul 16, 2011 4:32 am

yay, new bot!

by **PonderThis** » Sat Jul 16, 2011 9:06 am

You know, if one of these spammers would actually draw a spamusement cartoon I'd let them stay.

by **Judas Maccabeus** » Sat Jul 16, 2011 9:58 am

Does this mean I can use "Re: Television" as a spam line now?

by **MysticalDescent** » Sat Jul 16, 2011 4:53 pm

PonderThis wrote:You know, if one of these spammers would actually draw a spamusement cartoon I'd let them stay.

Sounds like a CHALLENGE.

by **giantsfan97** » Sun Jul 17, 2011 5:52 pm

Dusk wrote:I've been told by many a person to watch Game Of Thrones, so this I shall do.

PUT DOWN WHATEVER YOU ARE DOING AND GO WATCH THIS SHOW

Ok but seriously it is really awesome. There is also lots of graphic nudity and violence.

by **James** » Sun Jul 17, 2011 6:00 pm

giantsfan97 wrote:Ok but seriously it is really awesome. There is also lots of graphic nudity and violence.

BUT WHO NEEDS A TV SHOW FOR THAT, RIGHT?

by **chrismachine** » Sun Jul 17, 2011 6:07 pm

A great big yes for the violence for most of us. It's a bit less satisfying to make your own I would imagine.

by **Skimba** » Mon Jul 18, 2011 10:17 am

chrismachine wrote:It's a bit less satisfying to make your own I would imagine.

Wha????

by **sum yun gai** » Mon Jul 18, 2011 10:12 pm

giantsfan97 wrote:
Dusk wrote:I've been told by many a person to watch Game Of Thrones, so this I shall do.

PUT DOWN WHATEVER YOU ARE DOING AND GO WATCH THIS SHOW

Ok but seriously it is really awesome. There is also lots of graphic nudity and violence.

haven't seen the series, but the books it was taken from can be pretty much described thusly. "lots of gratuitous nudity and violence"

by **jvcc** » Sat Nov 05, 2011 1:26 am

If you get Animal Planet, I strongly suggest that you watch My Extreme Animal Phobia. It features a patronizing and sadistic psychologist from Hoarders on A&E forcing people who are afraid of various insects and animals to confront their fears. This involves spending five days in a house where they put posters of the animals up in their rooms, have their room adorned with fake versions of the animal, keep an actual living animal in their room, touch the animal, and occasionally are swarmed by it. It's a smorgasbord of schadenfreude.

by **chrismachine** » Sat Nov 05, 2011 1:57 am

If, like hoarders, they leave it entirely unresolved and with little sign in most cases that these people won't die in filth and ruin the lives of their loved ones, these kinds of shows typify what I hate most about tv and movies: where people are set up to embarass or otherwise victimize themselves in a situation where everyone sees that this is going to be the case, and it seems that it should be obvious to everyone and yet the person does it anyway.

by **jvcc** » Sat Nov 05, 2011 3:28 am

They're usually quite hopeful at the end. If a person is, say, afraid of spiders and begin the episode unable to stand next to trees or corners where spiders might be lurking, by the end of the episode they can actually walk outside amongst plants and trees.

Relevant clip.

by **Nyperold** » Thu Dec 15, 2011 8:44 pm

One of the shows I've gotten DVDs for and gotten into while I was away is K-On!, about four girls in high school who join a music club that's about to be disbanded due to an utter lack of members, and form a band. And of course, since it exists, there are people who love it way to much, people who can't stand that it exists since it doesn't cater to their tastes, people who want to give a character babies, people who want a character to die for unspecified reasons, and everything in between. It does have a few varieties of moé, I guess, so if that would keep you from enjoying it, I suggest not watching.

by **MysticalDescent** » Tue Dec 20, 2011 7:28 pm

I watched Brian Cox's big programme the other night. It was basically supposed to be one big physics lecture in front of an audience of celebrities, who he occasionally dragged out to help him with stuff. I thought it was a bit disappointing really. I was watching with two people who'd already been taught what he was talking about and one who didn't know anything about physics but thought it might be interesting/entertaining. To be honest, it really wasn't and I'd say I've had all of the things that he covered taught to me far better than he managed. It was a shame really, I thought it was going to be quite entertaining.

by **slydon** » Sat Mar 03, 2012 1:30 pm

Rip Taylor as a pissed-off genie on the Aquabats

Who is online