Sunday, January 27, 2008
NOTHING'S ON
Dr. Lao recently told me a few months ago that he doesn't watch broadcast television; he buys DVD sets of the shows he's been hearing a lot about, and watches those. It's hit me like a flying brick this past month just how wise such a system is. Whenever the wife and I have the occasional calm evening, we usually spend it surfing through hundreds of cable channels, all of which present tedious, unentertaining crapola, laden with commercials, none of it worth watching. Honestly, the Discovery Science channel has become a contender, partly because of its hilarious infomercials. But more often than not, we just torture ourselves, clicking from one QVC to Big Brother 73 to the Animated Adventures of Ann Jillian, looking for some half-hour module of entertainment upon which we can rest our bruised attention spans.
So DVD boxed sets seem, more and more, like the way to go, but here's another dilemma; Madame Toner and I agree on a very limited range of shows: basically just The Sopranos and The Office. I wouldn't dare suggest to her that we share an evening with Battlestar Galactica; she's not a fan of the geek end of the spectrum, and considers Star Trek to be the reeking ass-end of the TV digestive tract. And I'm not the world's biggest I Love Lucy fan. So, what to watch. If only books were more passive and required less brainpower, I would read even more of those.
Dr. Lao recently told me a few months ago that he doesn't watch broadcast television; he buys DVD sets of the shows he's been hearing a lot about, and watches those. It's hit me like a flying brick this past month just how wise such a system is. Whenever the wife and I have the occasional calm evening, we usually spend it surfing through hundreds of cable channels, all of which present tedious, unentertaining crapola, laden with commercials, none of it worth watching. Honestly, the Discovery Science channel has become a contender, partly because of its hilarious infomercials. But more often than not, we just torture ourselves, clicking from one QVC to Big Brother 73 to the Animated Adventures of Ann Jillian, looking for some half-hour module of entertainment upon which we can rest our bruised attention spans.
So DVD boxed sets seem, more and more, like the way to go, but here's another dilemma; Madame Toner and I agree on a very limited range of shows: basically just The Sopranos and The Office. I wouldn't dare suggest to her that we share an evening with Battlestar Galactica; she's not a fan of the geek end of the spectrum, and considers Star Trek to be the reeking ass-end of the TV digestive tract. And I'm not the world's biggest I Love Lucy fan. So, what to watch. If only books were more passive and required less brainpower, I would read even more of those.
# posted by toner_low @ 9:40 AM 
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hey hector
missy & i used to have showtime for "weeds"--but we canceled showtime & decided to simply watch each season of "weeds" as they come out on DVD. so i recommend that show
also, i recommend "the wire"!! we still have hbo--basically for it & "curb your enthusiasm" (which i also recommend).
missy & i used to have showtime for "weeds"--but we canceled showtime & decided to simply watch each season of "weeds" as they come out on DVD. so i recommend that show
also, i recommend "the wire"!! we still have hbo--basically for it & "curb your enthusiasm" (which i also recommend).
# posted by 
: 11:05 AM
: 11:05 AM
For DVD entertainment that might satisfy both husband and wife, you might want to consider BBC shows. There are literally hundreds of BBC shows available on DVD, including "A Bit of Fry and Laurie", "The Office", "Upstairs, Downstairs", and John Thaw as Inspector Morse. You might also want to consider Showtime shows. I haven't had time to watch any, but my co-workers rave about "Dexter", "Weeds", and "The Tudors". There really is a plethora of DVD entertainment available, thus rendering cable TV virtually obsolete.
Three things...
1. The Dr. Lao site is back up and running. If you delve through a bit of the archive, you'll find explanations for the latter half of 2007 and unpopular movie reviews.
2. I'm sorry she has these feelings about Star Trek. You're a stout-hearted husband and I applaud you. Was she aware of how bad TV was when the show first aired? I ask rhetorically.
3. DEXTER is good, if she can stomach the gore. The same goes for ROME, the pop-up commentaries on which establish its thoughtful historicity. And few can find fault in the first seasons of CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM. There's also a complete TWIN PEAKS out there. I've just started that for the first time. I haven't warmed to it, but I'm not alienated from it, either. Which surprises me. If you haven't seen ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT, being able to watch it on DVD is perfect. The show's humor is wildly interdependent on preceding episodes, and I get more from it with each viewing. Penn & Teller's BULLSHIT is great, and when they've been wrong, they subsequently admit it, openly and with a dignified apology. You can now buy the complete DICK VAN DYKE SHOW. And ADDAMS FAMILY. All of BUFFALO BILL is available for a song. And I enjoy LOST and the Jeremy Brett SHERLOCK HOLMES. I'm also enjoying the first set of DINNER FOR FIVE. It's good to get 'em used off of Amazon. And if my mid-sized southern city has a used bookstore with cheap DVD sets, NYC *must* have one somewhere. It's a shame about GALACTICA. It has the most "crossover appeal" I've ever seen for an ostensibly "s/f" show. Good luck. It really is the way to go. Whenever I want to watch TV, I see nothing but great stuff. At worst, I prospect my way into interesting failures. (IT'S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA comes to mind... many friends love it, but I don't get it.)
1. The Dr. Lao site is back up and running. If you delve through a bit of the archive, you'll find explanations for the latter half of 2007 and unpopular movie reviews.
2. I'm sorry she has these feelings about Star Trek. You're a stout-hearted husband and I applaud you. Was she aware of how bad TV was when the show first aired? I ask rhetorically.
3. DEXTER is good, if she can stomach the gore. The same goes for ROME, the pop-up commentaries on which establish its thoughtful historicity. And few can find fault in the first seasons of CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM. There's also a complete TWIN PEAKS out there. I've just started that for the first time. I haven't warmed to it, but I'm not alienated from it, either. Which surprises me. If you haven't seen ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT, being able to watch it on DVD is perfect. The show's humor is wildly interdependent on preceding episodes, and I get more from it with each viewing. Penn & Teller's BULLSHIT is great, and when they've been wrong, they subsequently admit it, openly and with a dignified apology. You can now buy the complete DICK VAN DYKE SHOW. And ADDAMS FAMILY. All of BUFFALO BILL is available for a song. And I enjoy LOST and the Jeremy Brett SHERLOCK HOLMES. I'm also enjoying the first set of DINNER FOR FIVE. It's good to get 'em used off of Amazon. And if my mid-sized southern city has a used bookstore with cheap DVD sets, NYC *must* have one somewhere. It's a shame about GALACTICA. It has the most "crossover appeal" I've ever seen for an ostensibly "s/f" show. Good luck. It really is the way to go. Whenever I want to watch TV, I see nothing but great stuff. At worst, I prospect my way into interesting failures. (IT'S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA comes to mind... many friends love it, but I don't get it.)
i forgot to mention in my prev comment that "flight of the conchords" is one of the best comedy series i've ever seen (right up there w/ "arrested development", "30 rock" & "curb your enthusiasm"). definitely rent its 1st season!
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# posted by : 4:44 PM
: 4:44 PM << Home
