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Post by Desert Dweller on Jul 26, 2024 2:02:58 GMT -5
The Olympics start tomorrow. I am tentatively giving NBC's coverage on Peacock a try. They will have total event coverage streaming on Peacock. They say they are also airing the big events live on NBC, and aren't withholding them for their primetime coverage. They are still going to do their terrible primetime coverage, where they chop everything up, and package it with athlete sob stories and fluffy profiles that are about their personality rather than their athletic achievements. And I'm sure it will be nearly 100% American focused. That shit sucks. Why do they think anyone wants that?
My mom who doesn't even watch a lot of sports told me tonight that she's going to try to watch the live event coverage, and will avoid the primetime coverage because she doesn't like all the focus on their personalities, and would rather just watch the competition.
A 76 year old woman with little interest in sports is saying this. Who is the audience for this primetime garbage they've had for decades now?
Anyway, I don't have a cable/satellite subscription, so I won't be able to check NBC's over-the-air coverage. I am just hoping that the event coverage on Peacock will be okay. I know it will be live events, but what I am afraid of is that it will be America-focus overload. This will really hurt the coverage in specifically Men's Gymnastics, where the USA team is behind a lot of other countries. They have a shot to win the bronze medal now that Russia is banned. But the best competitors in Men's Gymnastics are all coming from other countries. Those are the people I want to watch compete. I sincerely hope this will not be American-focused.
I still haven't forgiven NBC for their horrifically bad coverage of Men's Gymnastics in 2016. I had to use a VPN to watch the replay stream from the BBC. My God, NBC's treatment of this was shockingly, embarrassingly bad. It was "America has no contender here, so we'll show the token American in a couple events, and then just show you the actual leaders on the final event." And this was one of the most riveting All-Around finals in a long time, and Kohei Uchimura is the greatest male gymnast ever.
What NBC did in 2016 would be like some non-USA broadcast now in 2024 ignoring Simone Biles. And I'm not joking about that comparison. Think about that.
Anyway, the Opening Ceremony streams here at 10:30am tomorrow, so I'll try to put it on at work. I expect this to be a nightmare of "rah-rah America!", and I may have to find the BBC replay over the weekend. But, here's hoping it will be better than I expect.
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Post by Prole Hole on Jul 26, 2024 2:24:45 GMT -5
If it helps any, it's not terribly good. Well, not after the first two episodes anyway, it's mostly quite dull. If you like the original film, there's none of the scrappy, can-do feeling to it that makes many of Gilliam's films an interesting proposition. And if you don't know the original film but want something fun and funny and exciting then it's not that either. Lisa Kudrow is utterly wasted in it (but still great) and the kid that plays Kevin is channelling serious nerd energy which, obviously, is also great and I love. The rest is just nothing. Not funny, not bad, not good, not interesting, not... anything. It's very Taika Waititi, which in terms of TV I intensely dislike - it's unbearably smug and self-important and not nearly as funny as it thinks it is - but also very much Not My Thing. Basically, it's just a mess. But not in the fun way. Thank you for your input, which I know I can trust. I thought I wouldn't like it from the get-go, but I'm glad to have that feeling validated - OG Time Bandits forever. Word. Also, thank you for saying you trust my input, that's very sweet and on a grey, damp Friday has made me smile and rather made my morning!
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Post by Desert Dweller on Jul 26, 2024 15:47:10 GMT -5
Result: Nope, the NBC coverage is typically terrible. Utter garbage. I'm not sure why I expected something different. It's a major cultural event, celebrating French culture and history. Who should we get? NBC: Peyton Manning and Kelly Clarkson! That will do, right?
Opening few minutes, NBC: "Normally we'd give you trivia about the countries or athletes, but since there are multiple countries on a boat, we won't have time! Just enjoy looking at the athletes!"
Also NBC: Several minutes of inane pointless chatter, and then minutes of silence. Hey, Simone Biles is great, right?
At one time a tiny African country goes by, Kelly Clarkson: "Wow, it's like a geography lesson. I'm just learning about some countries now!"
Super, congrats on your lack of preparation!
Lady Gaga performs. NBC apparently has no ability to find the title or composer of a song. Sit there for 5 minutes without identifying the song/composer, or why this would be performed. I know this stuff isn't announced ahead of time, but like... the internet exists, right?
They don't identify any of the classical music being played, or bother to educate people on WHY that would be playing in Paris.
NBC: "Here's a pianist playing Ravel". Super. Who is the world class pianist? Who was Ravel? What piece is this? (It's "Jeux d'eau", and if you know French you know why they should have mentioned what that piece is.) Why is he playing this? It's like the music is some background elevator music instead of being featured for it's cultural significance. (The pianist is Alexandre Kantorow.)
This isn't obscure music. They played an extended section of Berlioz's "Symphony Fantastique" and NBC had no comment about that at all. Literally sat there in silence for several minutes when it started. They played Saint-Saens "Danse Macabre". At one point, Debussy's "Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune" played. That is one of the most influential pieces of music of all time. No identification on screen for any of this.
NBC on Lady Gaga: "Wow, they did that with no rehearsal". Internet: Here's paparazzi phots of Lady Gaga's Olympics rehearsal.
No one at NBC can identify Gojira.
Opera singer follows Gojira - they don't identify her either. She's singing an aria from "Carmen", an opera by French composer Bizet. All of this goes unidentified by NBC. It's CARMEN! AND NBC either can't identify it, or somehow doesn't think naming the piece is important. (The singer was Marina Viotti.)
I don't think they identified the song Aya Nakamura performed, either. Did they really think these identifiers of what you were hearing was irrelevant?
Opera singer performs the French anthem: NBC cannot identify her. I can: Axelle Saint-Cirel
NBC on the Louvre: "There's a lot of famous paintings there. But everyone goes to see one." Kelly Clarkson: "I think I see some of these works of art are in the Seine." Uh huh. Want to identify those, or explain why they are culturally significant? No? Okay.
Seriously, every single cultural reference went by with no comment by NBC's crew.
Again, I know the organizers don't release enough information ahead of time. But you are a news/sports organization. You have the capability of flashing new information on screen. Especially these freaking monumentally famous classical pieces should have been identified. My god, is there no one in your studio who can recognize "Symphony Fantastique"?
Edited to add: NBC's crew wasn't identifying any of the literature or film references either. And they can't identify the "masked individual" holding the torch as a character from "Assassins Creed". So, it is a total failure in cultural references.
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Post by Desert Dweller on Jul 26, 2024 16:48:53 GMT -5
And stupid NBC/Peacock has ads in their coverage.
One of which is a Nike ad, with athletes taking about how selfish they are, how they have no respect for others, no compassion for others and want to take what belongs to other people. This is apparently celebrating athletic competition.
And this is set to Beethoven's 9th Symphony. Which is a call for universal brotherhood.
I believe this now concludes today's edition of "DesertDweller complains about media usages of classical music".
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Post by songstarliner on Jul 26, 2024 20:10:19 GMT -5
All I want to know is when the break dancing competition begins*.
*Women August 9, Men August 10, but who will be judging??
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Post by Desert Dweller on Jul 26, 2024 21:31:12 GMT -5
My apologies, in the replay I heard that Kelly Clarkson did actually identify the singer of the French anthem: Axelle Saint-Cirel
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Post by Desert Dweller on Jul 26, 2024 21:51:05 GMT -5
All I want to know is when the break dancing competition begins*. *Women August 9, Men August 10, but who will be judging??
The Olympics haven't released the names of the judges, according to the YouTube vids of some breakers. They seem to think they are protecting them until the competition starts.
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Post by Roy Batty's Pet Dove on Jul 29, 2024 0:41:00 GMT -5
And stupid NBC/Peacock has ads in their coverage. One of which is a Nike ad, with athletes taking about how selfish they are, how they have no respect for others, no compassion for others and want to take what belongs to other people. This is apparently celebrating athletic competition. And this is set to Beethoven's 9th Symphony. Which is a call for universal brotherhood. I believe this now concludes today's edition of "DesertDweller complains about media usages of classical music". This has nothing to do with classical music, but have you seen the Google AI commercial about the father encouraging his young daughter’s interest in running, and then getting Google’s AI to write a letter to an Olympic sprinter as if his daughter were the author? Why would this be a sweet, heartwarming moment? The daughter did not write this sprinter a letter, and the fact that AI can supposedly produce a plausible simulacrum of such a letter does not imbue the situation with the sweetness that you would associate with a little kid writing a letter to a famous person they look up to. It’s wild how even in the advertising, AI seems like an utterly depressing gimmick.
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Post by Desert Dweller on Jul 29, 2024 0:49:24 GMT -5
This has nothing to do with classical music, but have you seen the Google AI commercial about the father encouraging his young daughter’s interest in running, and then getting Google’s AI to write a letter to an Olympic sprinter as if his daughter were the author? Why would this be a sweet, heartwarming moment? The daughter did not write this sprinter a letter, and the fact that AI can supposedly produce a plausible simulacrum of such a letter does not imbue the situation with the sweetness that you would associate with a little kid writing a letter to a famous person they look up to. It’s wild how even in the advertising, AI seems like an utterly depressing gimmick.
Yes, I've seen it. My only thought while watching that is, "Why can't this girl write her own fan letter?" Like, if you look at what the AI came up with, there's nothing there that a kid couldn't write. And why would you even want a computer to write a fan letter for you? Wouldn't you want that to be personal?
I don't understand this. What a freaking dumb use of AI.
But that Nike ad is still way, way, way worse. What a disgusting message to spread. It is an insult to sports and the Olympic spirit.
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Post by liebkartoffel on Jul 29, 2024 7:31:46 GMT -5
And stupid NBC/Peacock has ads in their coverage. One of which is a Nike ad, with athletes taking about how selfish they are, how they have no respect for others, no compassion for others and want to take what belongs to other people. This is apparently celebrating athletic competition. And this is set to Beethoven's 9th Symphony. Which is a call for universal brotherhood. I believe this now concludes today's edition of "DesertDweller complains about media usages of classical music". This has nothing to do with classical music, but have you seen the Google AI commercial about the father encouraging his young daughter’s interest in running, and then getting Google’s AI to write a letter to an Olympic sprinter as if his daughter were the author? Why would this be a sweet, heartwarming moment? The daughter did not write this sprinter a letter, and the fact that AI can supposedly produce a plausible simulacrum of such a letter does not imbue the situation with the sweetness that you would associate with a little kid writing a letter to a famous person they look up to. It’s wild how even in the advertising, AI seems like an utterly depressing gimmick. Ah, but the AI merely provides a "first draft to get her started." *wink wink* I'm sure the daughter will take another pass and punch it up a bit and that editing process will be sweet and heartwarming somehow. Aw, she replaced "I think" with "I believe"! Adorable! ETA: They could have at least asked the AI to, e.g., summarize a list of the athlete's accomplishments over the years which the daughter could've referred to in her own letter. But I do like how the "just write the fucking letter approach" unwittingly reveals techbros' values and priorities. "Ugh, who wants to spend all that thought and time and effort and courtesy and kindness in connecting with another human being? Let us handle that boring and unimportant stuff. It's the thought that counts, right? That's something you normies say, we're pretty sure."
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LazBro
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Post by LazBro on Jul 29, 2024 8:07:16 GMT -5
ChatGPT and other AI assisted writing tools are the best thing to ever happen to my clients. We design and build their websites, but they're required to provide at least the first pass on their site's content, which we either clean up or, depending on budget, just go with. When we discuss this process now, most of our clients come out and say they plan to just use ChatGPT for whatever we aim to collect. It's always really obvious, too, because you only have a to read 2-3 marketing blurbs or blog posts written by AI to acclimate to their cadence.
(I know this isn't about TV, but it seemed germane to the immediate discussion.)
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Post by Pedantic Editor Type on Jul 29, 2024 8:19:12 GMT -5
ChatGPT and other AI assisted writing tools are the best thing to ever happen to my clients. We design and build their websites, but they're required to provide at least the first pass on their site's content, which we either clean up or, depending on budget, just go with. When we discuss this process now, most of our clients come out and say they plan to just use ChatGPT for whatever we aim to collect. It's always really obvious, too, because you only have a to read 2-3 marketing blurbs or blog posts written by AI to acclimate to their cadence.
(I know this isn't about TV, but it seemed germane to the immediate discussion.)
As a writer I HATE ChatGPT, and it isn't really AI at all (it's a large language learning model that's basically glorified autopredict) but at least this is a reasonable use case, I guess. Even though it would be far better to have a writer or two on staff to get at what they really want and make it customized and personalized. I really hate the commercial being referenced, because as pointed out - any celeb/athlete/etc would rather have a letter straight from a 6-year-old's heart than one dad input into some AI program.
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Post by chalkdevil 😈 on Jul 29, 2024 9:16:08 GMT -5
ChatGPT and other AI assisted writing tools are the best thing to ever happen to my clients. We design and build their websites, but they're required to provide at least the first pass on their site's content, which we either clean up or, depending on budget, just go with. When we discuss this process now, most of our clients come out and say they plan to just use ChatGPT for whatever we aim to collect. It's always really obvious, too, because you only have a to read 2-3 marketing blurbs or blog posts written by AI to acclimate to their cadence.
(I know this isn't about TV, but it seemed germane to the immediate discussion.)
As a writer I HATE ChatGPT, and it isn't really AI at all (it's a large language learning model that's basically glorified autopredict) but at least this is a reasonable use case, I guess. Even though it would be far better to have a writer or two on staff to get at what they really want and make it customized and personalized. I really hate the commercial being referenced, because as pointed out - any celeb/athlete/etc would rather have a letter straight from a 6-year-old's heart than one dad input into some AI program. I feel like the appropriate end to this ad would be to have a response email show up minutes later, as an obviously AI generated auto response. That way you can have 2 computers talking to each other without any of that pesky human interaction.
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Post by MrsLangdonAlger on Jul 29, 2024 9:56:52 GMT -5
Re: AI
I make extra money doing surveys on sites like Prolific and CloudConnect, and I'd say about 75% of all surveys nowadays are about the use of AI. Lots of "would you like AI to replace your doctor? Your mother? Your best friend? Your spouse? If you're some weirdo who doesn't want AI for everything, WHY NOT?!" It's absolutely ridiculous.
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moimoi
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Post by moimoi on Jul 29, 2024 20:02:19 GMT -5
So I'm watching Crime Scene Kitchen on Hulu, a show I only learned about when Joel McHale plugged all his projects on Conan O'Brien's podcast. If I recall, Conan teased him about taking so many jobs, but as I watch this, I'm thinking I prefer my celebrities to follow the Japanese/English model of really earning their fame by constantly hosting stuff and appearing on network panel shows, rather than just slapping their name on some 'brand' and selling shit no one needs.
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Post by songstarliner on Jul 29, 2024 21:52:23 GMT -5
HotD let's goooo! So many dragons.
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Floyd D Barber
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Post by Floyd D Barber on Jul 29, 2024 23:58:38 GMT -5
The Decameron It's somewhere between "Flesh and Blood" and "The Masque of the Red Death", but a comedy. I am about halfway through the series. A group of assholes take refuge in a villa during the Black Plague of 1348. Hijinx ensue. The writing is superb. The cast is outstanding and the dialog is top notch. Tony Hale completely disappears into his character. Great show. Pity it didn't get to be shown during the pandemic. We sort of deserved it.
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LazBro
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Post by LazBro on Jul 30, 2024 8:26:19 GMT -5
Some quick hits.
Cobra Kai (S6, Pt 1) Still probably my favorite show in current production (well, that's a hard battle with Shoresy). Every interminable wait between seasons I have doubts. Surely this time they'll have lost the spark. Plus, all these kids playing high schoolers must be in their mid-30's by now. But then the season comes, and they win me back immediately. It's still funny, it's got heart for days, the fights are a blast, the villains are over the top, Johnny Lawrence is ... still Johnny Lawrence. It is such a fun show. The sixth and final season is being split into THREE parts of five episodes each. I can't wait for part 2 come November.
SurrealEstate (S1, E1-9) As expected, this one has grown on us. It's tremendously silly, and I have some frustrations with the character choices early on - like lots of shows, characters are way more negative and hostile at the beginning before softening up - but again it's fun, and I find myself getting caught up in some of the spooky stories. Really enjoyed the house that reverted all of the team to their sixteen year-old selves. Like all Syfy shows, the more conceptual and less "CGI" the threat, the better.
Will Trent (S1, E1-10)
I have a persistent craving for procedural or "case of the week" shows. I like serialized programs, too, but there's something so relaxing and warm blanket-y about knowing what you're going to get. Problem is, as reported in this space before, the Mrs. and I mega-binged all of our favorites over the last couple years. Back to back we watched: House, Psych, Elementary, Castle, Leverage, and I feel like at least one more, but I'm not remembering it at the moment. Would Will Trent be "one of those?" ... Yeah, it kinda is. It scratches the itch just enough that I want to keep going, but it has plenty of room for improvement. A major issue is the decision for every episode to have two cases: Will Trent and his partner in the GBI (Georgia Bureau of Investigation) work the episode's main case, while Will's on again-off again girlfriend and former foster sister, an Atlanta PD homicide detective, works the B case with her partner. The characters intermingle, but the cases usually don't. This makes the case work, the actual procedural part of this procedural, feel very surface-level. There's not enough time to dig into one crime. Further, the show is struggling to define the characters beyond their traumatic pasts (and goddamn, I do mean traumatic). Will is frequently described as the best, which is why the chief gives him some leeway, but the show isn't doing a great job of showing why he is. Will doesn't have a gimmick. He's not a Sherlock or Sean Spencer with preternaturally advanced skills of observation, he doesn't have unique insight into the criminal mind like a Richard Castle, and he makes mistakes so it's not a competency porn angle either. He's just the main character, because he is. Despite all that I do like it, it's hitting the procedural notes, and I look forward to a stronger season 2.
Scavengers Reign (S1, E1-2)
Based on recommendations from this thread. This is very much my shit. A beautiful and frightening realization of a truly alien world. A world that is not intentionally hostile, but is simply one where humans are not meant to be. Scavengers Reign is using the medium of animation to its fullest potential, unfettered by the limitation of reality to let visual imagination run free. Only a couple episodes in here, and I am hoping that more story, more motivation beyond pure survival, is introduced as we get further along. Hard to get a read on the Mrs. She says she likes it, but my instincts are saying otherwise. But again, only two episodes so far.
Lower Decks (S3, -E5) Was shocked to realize last night that we're over halfway through this, and that's including the upcoming fifth and final season. With so many shows on our docket, we jump around a lot night to night, but we pretty much always make time for an episode of this one. We love it. Fast-paced, really funny, and since about midway through season 2, it really does feel like, "That was just an episode of Star Trek that happened to be funny." Great characters, good writing, some dark mysteries on the edges. And of course, bringing in the original talent to voice their roles, even if just for one episode, never won't be hype.
Schitt's Creek (S3, -E4) A strong recommendation for anyone looking for a comfy, mostly feel good comedy a la Parks and Rec. The Rose family are eccentric, and sheltered, but the joke is on them and the show is never mean. It was inevitably headed this way, but that didn't make it any less powerful in the season 2 finale when Johnny Rose stood up to his old rich friends in defense of Roland, the trashy mayor of Schiit's Creek that he kind of can't stand but recognizes that for all his annoyances, he's the one who is there for him. Absolutely every performance in this show is pitch perfect.
Delicious in Dungeon (S1, E7) Based on recommendations from this thread or maybe the anime thread. I'm a huge fan of the anime Food Wars!, and this is kinda that, except all the food is made of monsters killed in an old school D&D style dungeon. I'm loving how this show combines the presentation of a food anime, with the gorgeous food stills and explanations of elaborate preparations, with really classic dungeon crawling tropes. The characters have obvious classes, there's traps, traditional encounters, each floor having its own biome, mimics, a dark wizard / lich type thing at the bottom. It's maybe a bit repetitive. Like, I'm pretty bored of Marcille and Chilchuck being grossed out by the idea of the food only to end up enjoying it. I get it, guys, we don't need to play out this exact scene in every episode. But then, it's a food anime, so maybe we do.
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Invisible Goat
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Post by Invisible Goat on Jul 30, 2024 8:38:18 GMT -5
HotD let's goooo! So many dragons. My only quibble is it was obvious who the new riders would be because they only introduced us to 2 of them. Should have had a red herring redshirt to get burned. That said it was still an incredibly effective and visceral sequence. The dragons look sooo good too. That final shot oh man.
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Post by liebkartoffel on Jul 30, 2024 11:13:36 GMT -5
So I'm watching Crime Scene Kitchen on Hulu, a show I only learned about when Joel McHale plugged all his projects on Conan O'Brien's podcast. If I recall, Conan teased him about taking so many jobs, but as I watch this, I'm thinking I prefer my celebrities to follow the Japanese/English model of really earning their fame by constantly hosting stuff and appearing on network panel shows, rather than just slapping their name on some 'brand' and selling shit no one needs. I love Crime Scene Kitchen, but I don't think it would be watchable without McHale's snarky detachment.
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Floyd D Barber
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Post by Floyd D Barber on Jul 30, 2024 14:30:52 GMT -5
So I'm watching Crime Scene Kitchen on Hulu, a show I only learned about when Joel McHale plugged all his projects on Conan O'Brien's podcast. If I recall, Conan teased him about taking so many jobs, but as I watch this, I'm thinking I prefer my celebrities to follow the Japanese/English model of really earning their fame by constantly hosting stuff and appearing on network panel shows, rather than just slapping their name on some 'brand' and selling shit no one needs. I love Crime Scene Kitchen, but I don't think it would be watchable without McHale's snarky detachment. I first read this as "Crime Scene Kitten" and thought "Finally something to fill the void left when 'Kitty and Bunny' ended it's run!" I'm so disappointed.
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moimoi
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Post by moimoi on Jul 30, 2024 17:08:10 GMT -5
So I'm watching Crime Scene Kitchen on Hulu, a show I only learned about when Joel McHale plugged all his projects on Conan O'Brien's podcast. If I recall, Conan teased him about taking so many jobs, but as I watch this, I'm thinking I prefer my celebrities to follow the Japanese/English model of really earning their fame by constantly hosting stuff and appearing on network panel shows, rather than just slapping their name on some 'brand' and selling shit no one needs. I love Crime Scene Kitchen, but I don't think it would be watchable without McHale's snarky detachment. I like the fact that it looks genuinely hard. Like, some of the clues are red herrings!
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Floyd D Barber
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Post by Floyd D Barber on Jul 30, 2024 17:39:01 GMT -5
I love Crime Scene Kitchen, but I don't think it would be watchable without McHale's snarky detachment. I like the fact that it looks genuinely hard. Like, some of the clues are red herrings! I haven't watched this show but if it's a cooking show I hope this means that sometimes they actually have to prepare and serve red herrings.
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Post by Celebith on Jul 30, 2024 23:19:35 GMT -5
Long read by the 'contrarian speaker' at "Project Voice, a major gathering for software developers, venture capitalists, and entrepreneurs in conversational AI." The author writes about her experience using AI assistants as a CSR for a rental agency, but focuses on interactions and demos at the conference. Towards the end, she writes Many of the company reps, I noticed, seemed weary, even bored, as if they had no choice but to toil away on these technologies. Their indolent cadences, their rehearsed lines, the way a self-aware, sardonic remark would slip out before they fell back to the techno-optimist script — all this suggested that they viewed their work as nonnegotiable, a cliché of futurity they were required to design.The people she talks with seem generally excited but willfully ignorant about the deeper implications of their work.
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Post by liebkartoffel on Jul 31, 2024 16:02:39 GMT -5
I love Crime Scene Kitchen, but I don't think it would be watchable without McHale's snarky detachment. I like the fact that it looks genuinely hard. Like, some of the clues are red herrings! Season 1 is fun because they're still calibrating the difficulty in real time and the contestants are still trying to figure out what the hell they're supposed to do. The contestants are a little more savvy in the second season, but the producers will still throw in wacky bullshit like "ah, you might have thought you were supposed to use cinnamon, but if you check the label against the date circled on the calendar you'll see that the cinnamon expired one day prior to the bake!" I also love how they maintain the fiction that the judges are personally responsible for the "crime scenes," as if the night before Curtis Stone was splashing yuzu juice around the sink and dusting the cutting boards with powdered sugar while cackling with glee and whispering "let's see you solve this devious little puzzle, foolish bakers!" The aspect of the premise that just never sits right is the fact that the contestants are judged more or less exclusively on their ability to guess the dish, no matter how mediocre the results. They'll rely on quality as a tie breaker or for edge cases, but if you turn out a truly terrible batch of kouign-amanns and everybody else incorrectly guessed cream puffs then you're golden. It would be great to see a min/max team of like a professional escape room architect and a cookbook archivist who always guess correctly while producing barely edible dishes.
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Post by Desert Dweller on Jul 31, 2024 16:32:29 GMT -5
NBC's Broadcast coverage of gymnastics is beyond abysmal. However, thank you NBC for putting the Olympic World broadcast live stream on Peacock. That one is great. I am incredibly grateful that NBC makes this available.
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Post by Celebith on Aug 1, 2024 0:55:14 GMT -5
Korea took Gold and Silver for Women's 10m Air Pistol and it's fun to see the online chatter about Kim Yeji, the woman who silvered. "The first-time Olympian took to the range at the Chateauroux Shooting Centre looking like an ultra-contemporary, sportswear-wearing sci-fi assassin"
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Hippo
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Post by Hippo on Aug 1, 2024 1:31:18 GMT -5
Unrelated but as.com is such a shitty site demanding I pay them to not have them take my data, fuck that site and anyone else trying that shit.
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Post by liebkartoffel on Aug 3, 2024 10:56:52 GMT -5
Been watching through My Adventures with Superman with C and we've both been loving it. I had long since given up on getting her into the old DCAU shows but it turns she is more than down for an anime-inspired romantic comedy version of Superman (which really shouldn't have been a surprise). It's fun, funny, and plays around with lore enough to keep fans of previous Superman iterations on their toes.
I also watched the first episode of Batman: Caped Crusader and mostly found it...unsettling in ways I can't quite articulate. Aesthetically, it looks so much like The Animated Series that it just ends up underscoring all the ways in which it isn't. (E.g., Bruce Wayne's weird dead eyes). I've also realized that I'm just not as interested in a Batman completely grounded in the 1940s-esque setting. Sure, BTAS had lots of tommyguns and art deco architecture, but it also had freeze-rays, a jet-powered batmobile, and giant supercomputers with flickering green screens. It was a setting that could accommodate more wacky superhero shenanigans while still feeling grounded and noir-ish as needed. Caped Crusader, by contrast, feels more claustrophobic. The Batcave scenes are just Batman and Alfred standing in a medium-sized dark room with a map. More "realistic," sure, but also...sad? You're much more aware of how fucking weird it would be if a dude in a felt bat costume just wandered into a 40s gangster movie. I don't know. Like I said, hard to articulate.
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Post by songstarliner on Aug 4, 2024 21:53:10 GMT -5
Currently rewatching Six Feet Under (thank you pantsgoblin) and it's just as sweet and sad and funny as I remembered.
Season one main characters ranking:
- The Fisher House: gorgeous, aptly old-fashioned and realistically lived-in
- Nathaniel Fisher: loveable cranky old ghost
- Ruth Fisher: everyone's mom with a secret wild side, but still fiercely moral and loyal. Also hilarious
- Nate Fisher: ohh, my heart
- David Fisher: kind of broken but coming into his own. He and Keith are my favorite couple. And again, hilarious
- Claire Fisher: beautiful, beautiful girl, so vulnerable under that armor
- Brenda Chenowith: BOOOOOO, although I confess this ranking may be based on her behavior in later seasons. Still, boo I say
I feel a bit bad not listing Federico here, but where would I place him? Between Claire and Brenda? He's too good for that. Billy, Keith, Nikolai, Hiram, Gabe, Bernard and Margaret Chenowith?! All amazing.
Looking forward to season two - things are gonna get juicy.
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