Tag: Television

Google Wave “killer app”

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I don’t want to come down too hard on Google Wave. It’s in alpha release, and the biggest problem with it is that people don’t have accounts. Nevertheless, I haven’t really been checking it because after a flurry of sandbox-like posts, there wasn’t much activity.

I decided to start a Wave with my LOST watching buddies, all of whom are all around the country, and it’s been working out so far. My plan is to set up a wave for every episode this season. My friends on the East coast can use it like a chat room while watching it live, and I can check it after I watch the episode and participate in the post-mortem, even if nobody is still online.

Google Wave "killer app"

Matthew EilarLeave a comment

I don’t want to come down too hard on Google Wave. It’s in alpha release, and the biggest problem with it is that people don’t have accounts. Nevertheless, I haven’t really been checking it because after a flurry of sandbox-like posts, there wasn’t much activity.
I decided to start a Wave with my LOST watching buddies, all of whom are all around the country, and it’s been working out so far. My plan is to set up a wave for every episode this season. My friends on the East coast can use it like a chat room while watching it live, and I can check it after I watch the episode and participate in the post-mortem, even if nobody is still online.

LOST Season Begins

Matthew EilarLeave a comment

“What’s amazing is how fickle your political affiliation… I’m a lifelong Democrat, but when I heard they were considering February 2, I was like, ‘That motherf–ker!'” – Damon Lindelof at LOST press tour, via Sepinwall.

The LOST season premiere is scheduled for February 2, which means that this is the beginning of LOST-crazy season for me. All winter I’ve tried to keep it as far away from my thoughts, but now that rumors are flying around, producers are giving interviews, and promos are beginning to show, I’ll be growing more and more obsessed with the show until the final episode of the season (and, this time, the series). It’s super lame and probably unhealthy, but I live for the new episodes on Wednesdays; I feel much more alive and goal-oriented during LOST season. It actually helps me concentrate on school.

New shows on my radar

Matthew Eilar1 Comment

1. Breaking Bad

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This is a new show starring Malcolm in the Middle‘s Brian Cranston as Walter White, a high school chemistry teacher with lung cancer, a teenager with cerebral palsy and a wife with a kid in the oven that decides to use his considerable skills with chemicals to make really pure meth. It’s kind of a dark cross between Weeds and American Beauty. I have to stress that it’s very dark. After the second episode, I questioned whether I could handle the other five episodes (there have only been seven episodes so far). On a more meta level, it’s really nice to see AMC taking a risk with a new show after the success of Mad Men. They really have high quality shows coming out of their channel. It’s also nice that they are trying something that is not ripping off or trying to emulate the success of Mad Men.

It is also nice to see a cable company trying a more British approach to shows. Instead of creating a good show then flogging it to death, they seem more willing to create shows with a constrained, almost telenovela-esque arc.

2. Top Chef

I won’t even put a picture. I know how late I am to the party on this one. I’ll only say that I used to be a fan of Hell’s Kitchen, but now can never go back.

3. Summer Heights High

Summer Heights High is a really funny show out of Austrailia which has been around for a while (it has finished its second first season) but has only popped up on my radar now. It is written by and starring Chris Lilley as three characters in a suburban Austrailian public school. Chris Lilley is kind of an Austrailian Ricky Gervais, and it really got me thinking about whether we have an American equivalent. Steve Carrell is doing the same schtick with The Office, but that’s based on a British TV concept. I’d love to hear any ideas in the comments.