My kids are watching a Strawberry Shortcake video right now (old school, not the new ones). As the theme song was playing, a thought crossed my mind. I wonder what the people who wrote and performed that song are doing right now? I wonder if this was all that their life amounted to, writing the theme song to a Strawberry Shortcake movie. I wonder if the highest the performers climbed on the ladder of success was singing that theme song? As a poetic gesture, I would drown myself in a tub full of strawberry daquaries were I them.
(Theme songs starts at about 1:55)
Showing posts with label television. Show all posts
Showing posts with label television. Show all posts
Friday, February 25, 2011
Sunday, June 6, 2010
2012 - I watched it and they did it all wrong
I'm not usually a person to tell another person when they're doing their job wrong. Especially when said job is something I know very little about. But, everyone involved in the making of 2012 did it wrong. (Except maybe the actors because I can't ever call John Cusack wrong. swoon)*
SPOILER ALERT: The premises of the movie, for the one person who has not seen it, is that the world is supposed to do some sort of shift of the poles in 2012 but it actually starts two years early. This causes massive tsunamis, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. So we get to see a bunch of people try to get to China where they are building ships (they call them Ark1, Ark2 etc.) for a few select people and animals to try to survive until the waters recede and they can make a go at it. I lost count of the number of close calls there were with air planes taking off while the earth behind them disappeared. I mean, as far as action movies go, I say meh. I didn't expect any more from the guy who gave us Independence Day, though, so I wasn't disappointed.
The whole story that took place should have been told in twenty minutes to half an hour. The real story is not what happens when the earth crumbles, but what happens to the survivors.** These ships were mostly inhabited by rich people and politicians. The rich people and politicians no longer have power. If they want to survive, they would need to be knocked down a peg or two (or three or four). The world doesn't need rich people in a money-less society (I would argue that the world doesn't need rich people in general but there is some good done by the haves on behalf of the havenots, so I won't go there). The world doesn't need politics in a communal society. What they need are people who know how to build a hut. They need botanists, they need zoologists, they need doctors, they need weavers, they need engineers, they need plumbers. And they need people who will do what they're told. When was the last time the congenitally rich (Paris Hilton, anyone?) or a politician was willing to do what they were told? Wouldn't that be a fun story to watch?
The other thing they would need is children. Lots and lots and lots of children. They are the next generation and there wouldn't be a future at all without them. They would need a lot of people in their peak breeding age as well as a lot who have not yet reached it. This story didn't focus too much on the others on the boats so I have no idea if there were a lot of children and young adults on board, but wouldn't it be a fun story if they overlooked that?
When they considered who got to survive and who didn't, there was no clear cut criteria outlined for the viewer. The only thing we get to know is that people were mostly selected because of their position in life and if someone funded the project, they got to go no questions asked. I don't think this is entirely unfair (ugh, how capatilistic of me!) as the bulk of the Ark Project was funded with private money. If you want the money, you have to give the donor what he wants in this kind of situation. But, think about that for a moment.
Let's say Kevin and I are rich. Like Sheik kind of rich. We donate large sums of money to secure a place on the Ark. Fine. We benefit and so will thousands of others who get to go with us. But Kevin can't live without his meds. If he is not medicated, he will have seizures and that will cause the growth in his brain to bleed and that will kill him. It would not be a question of if but of when it would happen. Will they still let him on in lieu of someone who is more likely to survive? Who will supply his medication? Did they let diabetics on? Did they let people with mental disorders like bipolar on? Did they think about where people would get the meds they need once the world was in ruins? Wouldn't that make a fun story if they overlooked that?
Next time, I fully expect to be involved in the creative process when an apocalyptic movie is being made.***
_____________________________________________________________
*Sorry Kevin but you know how I feel about John Cusack.
**ABC passed on an opportunity to make the aftermath of 2012 into a TV show. I say boo on them. If the show Lost did so well for them, I can't see why this wouldn't work (although I do admit that I have never watched an episode of Lost so I could be way off the mark with that one). I could also see Matthew Fox as Jackson Curtis and he just may be looking for work. They don't even have to call it 2012. They could call it Aftermath. Please, ABC? Please? I'll bake you some cookies....
***One more thing they did wrong is they killed the floozy. The floozy must always be punished for being a floozy and must not be allowed to live. In this case she had a sugar daddy and was sleeping with the pilot, she must die. She was one of the nicest characters in the movie. Just once I would like to see the floozy live. Another rule I would break is comedy relief. It always comes before an intense scene. I want to put it after. Instead of Jackson backing into a Porsche and putting it into a newly formed crater and saying sorry to the owner before the intense drive through L.A., I would get them through L.A. without any comedic relief and then have a penguin randomly land inside the open door of the plane or something.
SPOILER ALERT: The premises of the movie, for the one person who has not seen it, is that the world is supposed to do some sort of shift of the poles in 2012 but it actually starts two years early. This causes massive tsunamis, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. So we get to see a bunch of people try to get to China where they are building ships (they call them Ark1, Ark2 etc.) for a few select people and animals to try to survive until the waters recede and they can make a go at it. I lost count of the number of close calls there were with air planes taking off while the earth behind them disappeared. I mean, as far as action movies go, I say meh. I didn't expect any more from the guy who gave us Independence Day, though, so I wasn't disappointed.
The whole story that took place should have been told in twenty minutes to half an hour. The real story is not what happens when the earth crumbles, but what happens to the survivors.** These ships were mostly inhabited by rich people and politicians. The rich people and politicians no longer have power. If they want to survive, they would need to be knocked down a peg or two (or three or four). The world doesn't need rich people in a money-less society (I would argue that the world doesn't need rich people in general but there is some good done by the haves on behalf of the havenots, so I won't go there). The world doesn't need politics in a communal society. What they need are people who know how to build a hut. They need botanists, they need zoologists, they need doctors, they need weavers, they need engineers, they need plumbers. And they need people who will do what they're told. When was the last time the congenitally rich (Paris Hilton, anyone?) or a politician was willing to do what they were told? Wouldn't that be a fun story to watch?
The other thing they would need is children. Lots and lots and lots of children. They are the next generation and there wouldn't be a future at all without them. They would need a lot of people in their peak breeding age as well as a lot who have not yet reached it. This story didn't focus too much on the others on the boats so I have no idea if there were a lot of children and young adults on board, but wouldn't it be a fun story if they overlooked that?
When they considered who got to survive and who didn't, there was no clear cut criteria outlined for the viewer. The only thing we get to know is that people were mostly selected because of their position in life and if someone funded the project, they got to go no questions asked. I don't think this is entirely unfair (ugh, how capatilistic of me!) as the bulk of the Ark Project was funded with private money. If you want the money, you have to give the donor what he wants in this kind of situation. But, think about that for a moment.
Let's say Kevin and I are rich. Like Sheik kind of rich. We donate large sums of money to secure a place on the Ark. Fine. We benefit and so will thousands of others who get to go with us. But Kevin can't live without his meds. If he is not medicated, he will have seizures and that will cause the growth in his brain to bleed and that will kill him. It would not be a question of if but of when it would happen. Will they still let him on in lieu of someone who is more likely to survive? Who will supply his medication? Did they let diabetics on? Did they let people with mental disorders like bipolar on? Did they think about where people would get the meds they need once the world was in ruins? Wouldn't that make a fun story if they overlooked that?
Next time, I fully expect to be involved in the creative process when an apocalyptic movie is being made.***
_____________________________________________________________
*Sorry Kevin but you know how I feel about John Cusack.
**ABC passed on an opportunity to make the aftermath of 2012 into a TV show. I say boo on them. If the show Lost did so well for them, I can't see why this wouldn't work (although I do admit that I have never watched an episode of Lost so I could be way off the mark with that one). I could also see Matthew Fox as Jackson Curtis and he just may be looking for work. They don't even have to call it 2012. They could call it Aftermath. Please, ABC? Please? I'll bake you some cookies....
***One more thing they did wrong is they killed the floozy. The floozy must always be punished for being a floozy and must not be allowed to live. In this case she had a sugar daddy and was sleeping with the pilot, she must die. She was one of the nicest characters in the movie. Just once I would like to see the floozy live. Another rule I would break is comedy relief. It always comes before an intense scene. I want to put it after. Instead of Jackson backing into a Porsche and putting it into a newly formed crater and saying sorry to the owner before the intense drive through L.A., I would get them through L.A. without any comedic relief and then have a penguin randomly land inside the open door of the plane or something.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Products I didn't know I needed (until I saw them on TV)
I'm cheating here a bit. I don't have cable and don't get to see infomercials so I didn't actually see these on TV. I was bored one day and decided to look up some infomercials. Thank goodness I did! What would my life be without....
Ped Egg
I have been filing the dead skin off of my feet after soaking them. The Ped Egg not only does the same thing but that clean up has me sold! Why file the mess into the tub and rinse it down the drain when you can contain it and then dump it? I sure do like looking at all of the filed off dead skin from my feet and I can't do that the way I currently take care of my feet. (Gross!)
Ear Lifts
Seriously people, if your earrings are that heavy just get new ones. They make some lovely light weight earrings nowadays.
Tater Mitts
I must have the IQ of a genius because I never have that kind of trouble peeling vegetables. The Tater Mitts have the added bonus of having the water running for every potato you peel. Silly me, I just wash them all after they're peeled in the name of water conservation. I now see the errors of my ways.
Big City Slider Station
I am feeling smarter with each infomercial I watch! Never have I had as much trouble making or cooking burgers as the people in this clip. What I'm wondering, though, is what happens to the grease from the meat? The burgers that come out in the commercial sure do look good, but even the leanest of meat has some fat in it.
Hoopnotica
I have boobs. I don't think I'll ever be able to Hoopnotica, as much as I would love to be the Hoopnotica Queen.
Topsy Turvy Tomato Tree
I hate tomatoes whether they are grown upside down or right side up. However, I grow tomatoes each year for my kids who love them. It has involved me digging two holes a few feet apart and planting two tomato plants. Somehow, my back is still intact. Weird. I am getting a Topsy Turvy (imitation, I'm sure) though, to try to grow some peppers without having to find a place to plant them.
And of course....
The Snuggie
I wonder how silly these actors feel while filming the commercial. Trouble with blankets? Really? Makes you wonder how they remember the process for breathing.
I love infomercials!
Ped Egg
I have been filing the dead skin off of my feet after soaking them. The Ped Egg not only does the same thing but that clean up has me sold! Why file the mess into the tub and rinse it down the drain when you can contain it and then dump it? I sure do like looking at all of the filed off dead skin from my feet and I can't do that the way I currently take care of my feet. (Gross!)
Ear Lifts
Seriously people, if your earrings are that heavy just get new ones. They make some lovely light weight earrings nowadays.
Tater Mitts
I must have the IQ of a genius because I never have that kind of trouble peeling vegetables. The Tater Mitts have the added bonus of having the water running for every potato you peel. Silly me, I just wash them all after they're peeled in the name of water conservation. I now see the errors of my ways.
Big City Slider Station
I am feeling smarter with each infomercial I watch! Never have I had as much trouble making or cooking burgers as the people in this clip. What I'm wondering, though, is what happens to the grease from the meat? The burgers that come out in the commercial sure do look good, but even the leanest of meat has some fat in it.
Hoopnotica
I have boobs. I don't think I'll ever be able to Hoopnotica, as much as I would love to be the Hoopnotica Queen.
Topsy Turvy Tomato Tree
I hate tomatoes whether they are grown upside down or right side up. However, I grow tomatoes each year for my kids who love them. It has involved me digging two holes a few feet apart and planting two tomato plants. Somehow, my back is still intact. Weird. I am getting a Topsy Turvy (imitation, I'm sure) though, to try to grow some peppers without having to find a place to plant them.
And of course....
The Snuggie
I wonder how silly these actors feel while filming the commercial. Trouble with blankets? Really? Makes you wonder how they remember the process for breathing.
I love infomercials!
Monday, November 2, 2009
Life After People - Humans vs. Nature
My exciting life involves going to Costco once a month to get some good bulk deals. I always buy myself a treat while there. Usually it's hot chocolate or raisin bread, but this week I saw the History Channel series "Life After People" for $20. For those who don't know, I don't have cable. My TV gets nothing but fuzz and so I generally am clueless as to what is available on TV to watch. I didn't know about this series, but when I read the back of the box I knew it was something I would enjoy, as would Kevin, Lilly and Madeleine. So, I bought it with high hopes.
After watching the first episode, I can say that I don't think I will be disappointed. Many of the points they make are very thought provoking. In the very first episode, they mentioned a vine in Texas that would take over if we were not here to keep it under control. This vine is not indigenous to Texas but was brought over from Japan to be used as feed for the livestock. This vine can grow up to one foot each day. They are having so much trouble keeping it controlled now, during people, that should we just disappear it isn't hard to speculate that the vine would become the dominant vegetation in Texas.
This got me to thinking about just how smart we humans think we are. We see something that looks like it could solve the problem of not being able to feed livestock and just bring it over without any thought. Instead of thinking that perhaps we as a species may not need to eat so much meat and thus reduce the need for so much livestock, we figure out ways to keep up with out lifestyle and pat ourselves on the back about just how smart we are to come up with it. But, now this vine is taking over. It is doing what it has been designed to do through how ever many millions of years of evolution. We humans consider ourselves an intelligent race, but one vine can bring down the destruction of what we build. Weeds and water destroy our roads and we keep patching them up. Humans are a mere blip on the evolutionary line while plants have been around for millions of years. Who are we to think that we can outsmart them?
The force of nature is one that humans can never compete with, it will always win. It may take years, decades, centuries or millenia but nature will win. We can wipe ourselves off the face of the planet through a nuclear war, and life will still go on on the planet.
There is a satellite orbiting the planet that contains the DNA sequences of Steven Hawking and a few other people of note*. The idea behind this is that should something happen to us, the DNA sequences of these people will help any alien civilizations to understand or even rebuild the human race. But, what this documentary shows is that this hypothetical alien civilization will need to find Earth fast because that satellite will enter the atmosphere and crash to the planet after we have been for for 150-300 years.
All of our best efforts to ensure our survival as a species cannot compete with the forces of nature. I say we embrace this fact! Know that the human race, when it dies, is gone. Know that we are doomed. Then we can stop looking at what we will do to ensure our survival and start looking at how we are living today. I would like to see the end of poverty and war more than I would like to know that when whatever is going to happen finally does happen humans will have left their mark.
________________________________________________
This somehow involved NC Soft. Their name and logo were on a piece of equipment during this segment. They currently have a new MMOGRP out called Aion. I have left World of Warcraft for Aion and I am never looking back. Check it out and join in the fun!
After watching the first episode, I can say that I don't think I will be disappointed. Many of the points they make are very thought provoking. In the very first episode, they mentioned a vine in Texas that would take over if we were not here to keep it under control. This vine is not indigenous to Texas but was brought over from Japan to be used as feed for the livestock. This vine can grow up to one foot each day. They are having so much trouble keeping it controlled now, during people, that should we just disappear it isn't hard to speculate that the vine would become the dominant vegetation in Texas.
This got me to thinking about just how smart we humans think we are. We see something that looks like it could solve the problem of not being able to feed livestock and just bring it over without any thought. Instead of thinking that perhaps we as a species may not need to eat so much meat and thus reduce the need for so much livestock, we figure out ways to keep up with out lifestyle and pat ourselves on the back about just how smart we are to come up with it. But, now this vine is taking over. It is doing what it has been designed to do through how ever many millions of years of evolution. We humans consider ourselves an intelligent race, but one vine can bring down the destruction of what we build. Weeds and water destroy our roads and we keep patching them up. Humans are a mere blip on the evolutionary line while plants have been around for millions of years. Who are we to think that we can outsmart them?
The force of nature is one that humans can never compete with, it will always win. It may take years, decades, centuries or millenia but nature will win. We can wipe ourselves off the face of the planet through a nuclear war, and life will still go on on the planet.
There is a satellite orbiting the planet that contains the DNA sequences of Steven Hawking and a few other people of note*. The idea behind this is that should something happen to us, the DNA sequences of these people will help any alien civilizations to understand or even rebuild the human race. But, what this documentary shows is that this hypothetical alien civilization will need to find Earth fast because that satellite will enter the atmosphere and crash to the planet after we have been for for 150-300 years.
All of our best efforts to ensure our survival as a species cannot compete with the forces of nature. I say we embrace this fact! Know that the human race, when it dies, is gone. Know that we are doomed. Then we can stop looking at what we will do to ensure our survival and start looking at how we are living today. I would like to see the end of poverty and war more than I would like to know that when whatever is going to happen finally does happen humans will have left their mark.
________________________________________________
This somehow involved NC Soft. Their name and logo were on a piece of equipment during this segment. They currently have a new MMOGRP out called Aion. I have left World of Warcraft for Aion and I am never looking back. Check it out and join in the fun!
Monday, October 5, 2009
Free Range Sesame Street!
I am wathcing Old School Sesame Street with Victoria and Rosemary. Yes, I ignored the warnings at the beginning of the disks about it not being appropriate for today's preschoolers. How Sesame Street can be inappropriate for preschoolers of any generation is beyond me, but yes there is a warning at the beginning of each episode.
So far, in this episode this is what I have seen:
____________________________________________________
Old school vs. new
I would rather my kids watch the outside of the box Sesame Street old school than the formulaic one that is currently offered on PBS. As my brilliant 19 year old nephew put it, old school Sesame Street taught kids how to think and now Sesame Street teaches kids what to think.
Do you remember the yo-yo man and the lost kid? What great advise yo-yo man gave to the boy! "You should figure it out yourself". Do you remember the kid buying a loaf of bread, a container of milk and a stick of butter? No need to write it down mommy! I can remember! Neither of those clips would be suitable for today's preschool children, according to so-called child experts. And why? Because those children were left to think for themselves.
What are some clips from new Sesame Street? Let's see, there's Jack Black and thefuzzy red incarnation of evil itself Elmo teaching about octagons. Then there's Neil Patrick Harris (love him!) singing about shoes. Where's the thinking involved in those? (And if anyone can show me a new Sesame Street clip that would make me jump for joy and change my stance, please point me to it! I will even make sure everyone who visits me here will see that I am wrong.)
How about the guest songs? Well, Feist visited Sesame Street and sang a redone version of her 1-2-3-4 song. But, way back in the day, Paul Simon visited Sesame Street and sang Me and Julio. Can you see the difference there? Which gives you a good feeling about the future generation? I weep for todays generation of children when the freedom to think for ones self is not considered appropriate for preschoolers.
_______________________________________________________
I would be remiss if I didn't include a rant about Elmo's world in here. My personal feeling about Elmo aside, I hate Elmo's world. A lot. Sure kids like it, but kids will watch a video consisting of fish swimming in an aquarium. And I would rather they did. At least fish are unpredictable. "Hey, I wonder where the orange one will swim next! Oh and look! The angel fish (just for you my friend Angel <3) swam in the same place three times and is now moving to a different area! What will happen next!" With Elmo's world, kids know exactly what will happen next. Right down to the words of the song he will sing at the end of the episode.
And just for fun, watch the clip of Elmo's song with Big Bird and Snuffy and put a sarcastic undertone on everything Big Bird and Snuffy sing and say. "To think, he wrote that himself" *roll eyes and snicker*
So far, in this episode this is what I have seen:
- Louise left his store in the care of a child around seven years of age while he left for five minutes to grab a cup of coffee. He asked her to answer the phone if it rang and tell the people he would be back in five minutes. This child is clearly not his.
- Small kids (some girls) running around without a shirt on.
- A group of children playing outside the buildings unsupervised and then joined by a man who has no children of his own.
- A child sitting alone on the stoop of his building.
- A boy around the age of 11 driving a cart of some kind (his job I assume) while a younger child sits on it.
- A young girl telling someone who is practically a stranger that she loves him and giving him a kiss. (The infamous A-B-C Cookie Monster clip.)
- Lots and lots of bellbottoms.
____________________________________________________
Old school vs. new
I would rather my kids watch the outside of the box Sesame Street old school than the formulaic one that is currently offered on PBS. As my brilliant 19 year old nephew put it, old school Sesame Street taught kids how to think and now Sesame Street teaches kids what to think.
Do you remember the yo-yo man and the lost kid? What great advise yo-yo man gave to the boy! "You should figure it out yourself". Do you remember the kid buying a loaf of bread, a container of milk and a stick of butter? No need to write it down mommy! I can remember! Neither of those clips would be suitable for today's preschool children, according to so-called child experts. And why? Because those children were left to think for themselves.
What are some clips from new Sesame Street? Let's see, there's Jack Black and the
How about the guest songs? Well, Feist visited Sesame Street and sang a redone version of her 1-2-3-4 song. But, way back in the day, Paul Simon visited Sesame Street and sang Me and Julio. Can you see the difference there? Which gives you a good feeling about the future generation? I weep for todays generation of children when the freedom to think for ones self is not considered appropriate for preschoolers.
_______________________________________________________
I would be remiss if I didn't include a rant about Elmo's world in here. My personal feeling about Elmo aside, I hate Elmo's world. A lot. Sure kids like it, but kids will watch a video consisting of fish swimming in an aquarium. And I would rather they did. At least fish are unpredictable. "Hey, I wonder where the orange one will swim next! Oh and look! The angel fish (just for you my friend Angel <3) swam in the same place three times and is now moving to a different area! What will happen next!" With Elmo's world, kids know exactly what will happen next. Right down to the words of the song he will sing at the end of the episode.
And just for fun, watch the clip of Elmo's song with Big Bird and Snuffy and put a sarcastic undertone on everything Big Bird and Snuffy sing and say. "To think, he wrote that himself" *roll eyes and snicker*
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