Mar. 16, 2018 Fall 2016 TV season dramas: I'm writing about this because I have been mainly watching 5 or 6 TV shows a week. I feel like writing about TV.
MacGyver: This show came on Fri. night before the other reboot Hawaii Five-O.
Pros:
1. It was a good start where MacGyver has to enter a high class party. He has to break into a place at party which has been done in lots of TV and movies, but with variations.
2. The viewers do learn some dancing.
3. Justin Hires was in it as a friend. He was in the Rush Hour TV show that came out in summer 2016. I saw the pilot to that show and never watched it again. Hires was good as Carter on that show.
Sandrine Holt was in it as the boss. She was in the show Fear the Walking Dead.
4. Good action sequences.
5. Interesting case where they have to find a bio-weapon.
Cons:
1. These are mild cons. Cliches like something happens in the first scene, and then "3 months later." Well if the writers want to move the story forward that way, they can.
Also a character thought to be dead is really alive.
My opinion: It was average. I watched the pilot and then I never watched it again.
May 25, 2018 Designated Survivor:
"A low-level Cabinet member becomes President of the United States after a catastrophic attack kills everyone above him in the line of succession."
Pros:
1. Good writing. There is lots of drama, conflict, and tension.
2. Good acting from all the actors.
Kiefer Sutherland- from 24.
Maggie Q- from Nikita.
Kal Penn- from Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle.
3. It's a very creative and original idea to have someone forced to become the President.
Cons: None.
My opinion: It was a good pilot. I watched the 2nd episode to make sure if I really wanted to watch the series. I decided not to.
It wasn't like an action- drama like Blindspot and Quantico.
It was more like political drama like The West Wing and Madame Secretary.
As of today, ABC cancelled it after 2 seasons. I'm a little surprised because it's really good. Unless they move to another network.
Lethal Weapon:
"A slightly unhinged cop is partnered with a veteran detective trying to maintain a low stress level in his life."
Pros:
1. There is good action with car chases and shoot outs. The first scene was a bank robbery with hostages.
2. The actors are good Damon Wayans and Clayne Crawford playing the cops.
Jordana Brewster (from the Fast and Furious movies).
3. Dialogue:
The therapist Maureen: What you don't talk about, can't hurt.
I should put that in my inspirational quotes.
4. There is drama, conflict, and tension. The pilot did have a good mystery.
Cons:
1. This is a mild cliché. A suicide or accident is really a murder.
2. The veteran detective wants to maintain a low stress level life, then he shouldn't be a cop. That's a very stressful job.
I work at a restaurant and it can be stressful and busy, but when you're a cop, it can get dangerous.
My opinion: The pilot was average. It was fun to watch, but I never watched it again.
Jun. 6, 2018 Bull:
"BULL stars Michael Weatherly as Dr. Jason Bull in a drama inspired by the early career of Dr. Phil McGraw, the founder of one of the most prolific trial consulting firms of all time. Brilliant, brash and charming, Dr. Bull is the ultimate puppet master as he combines psychology, human intuition and high-tech data to learn what makes jurors, attorneys, witnesses and the accused tick."
Pros:
1. Michael Weatherly is an average actor. He was on Dark Angel. I know he was on NCIS for years, but I never watched it. All the others were average.
2. I do like the character Bull of how he is able to read people and know what they're thinking. I'll add him to the characters like Sherlock in Elementary, and Patrick Jane in The Mentalist.
3. Dialogue:
Bull: Give yourself what you wish you could get from somebody else.
I should put that in my inspirational quotes.
4. There is good writing. There is drama, conflict, and tension as they solve a case on who is the murderer.
Cons:
Non.
My opinion: It's average. I don't really watch law shows. I watched the pilot and then I never watched it again.
Jun. 7, 2018 Star:
"A trio of women form a musical group in Atlanta."
Pros:
1. The music was good. If you like pop, R&B, and dance music. They can sing. I mean the women Star (Jude Demorest), Simone (Brittany O' Grady), and Alexandra (Ryan Destiny).
2. The cast is good with the trio of women, Queen Latifah, Benjamin Bratt, and Lenny Kravitz.
3. The characters are mainly average. I don't like or dislike them. Star is a strong and likeable character. She does defend her sister when she was being attacked earlier in the episode.
4. Good ethnic diversity and a transgender character.
Cons: None.
My opinion: I watched the pilot and then I never watched it again. I would like this show more if I was in my teens and early 20s. My friend and co-worker Ch likes it. She also likes all the other music shows like:
Glee- I saw the first season and some of the 2nd season and then quit.
Instant Star- I mainly saw the last 2 seasons.
Nashville- I never watched it.
Tin Star: It's kind of funny. I was talking to my boss Ca and she said that she saw this show called Star.
Me: You mean the show about that teen girl who wants to be a singer?
Then Ca had to look it up and she was really talking about Tin Star.
Jun. 28, 2018 Peak TV: There are so many shows on so many platforms from networks and streaming like Netflix and Amazon.
I was going through my notes. I have been watching about 20 pilots a year since 2016. Before it was about 15 pilots. I don't have Netflix. I have Telus and network TV.
Mid- season (Jan and Feb.): A few pilots.
Spring season (Mar. and Apr.): A few pilots.
Summer season (May and June): A few pilots.
Fall season: 10-12 pilots.
I always check out pilots, but that doesn't mean I pick up all the shows and watch them regularly. As you can see the above, I didn't pick them up.
My week:
Jun. 21, 2018 Koko the gorilla died: I remember watching the PBS TV show Reading Rainbow about Ko Ko. I saw Ko Ko communicate with sign language and play with a kitten. She acted so much like a human.
I read this in the National Post in the Edmonton Journal. There was a longer article in the paper than the website.
"Springer's not eternal": Today I found this article by David Bauder in the Edmonton Journal. Jerry Springer is finally ending his show after 27 yrs. The CW said it bought the show on syndication.
I never really liked this show. I was 16 yrs old and I watched some episodes when the teachers went on strike in Feb. 2002. I didn't like how people were arguing and nothing gets resolved.
At least with Maury Povich, people are arguing about who the father is. After some arguing, they do a paternity test to prove who the father is. The argument gets resolved.
Jun. 25, 2018 "Sprout pencil keeps growing": Today I found this article by Rita DeMontis in the Edmonton Journal. I went to the website:
There are three things about sprout that characterize the Sprout team. First up, we believe in sustainability. Secondly, we want more people to care about our natural world. And thirdly, we see our humble Sprout pencil as a simple and fun way to make this happen.
By planting a Sprout pencil instead of just throwing it out, you can make sustainability visible to others. And inspire them to make small changes in their daily life. This is the idea behind the Sprout pencil. And it’s struck a chord as Sprout pencils are now available in over 60 countries around the world.
See the full range of original Sprout pencils – non-toxic and sustainably sourced and produced.
Jun. 26, 2018 The Crossing: I finished watching the 1st season in 2 weeks. There are 11 eps:
"Refugees from a war-torn country 180 years in the future start showing up in the present to seek asylum in an American town."
My opinion: It was an average show. It reminds me of the present time where lots of immigrants are arriving to Canada and the US for asylum from war.
Dorinku: My brother told me he ate at this place. He said: "It wasn't worth it." I guess food was too expensive.
Jun. 27, 2018 Scotch and Soda: This men and women's clothing store closed down at WEM.
Pizza place: I got a call from them about 2 weeks ago. The guy said to do an interview on Fri. and I said I had to work. We were to reschedule. I called back a few times on different days and he never called back. The place hasn't opened yet.
"Three-minute slip highlights Japan's overtime obsession": Today I found this article by Makiko Inoue in the Globe and Mail:
For the want of a bento box, a Japanese worker who habitually left his desk three minutes before his official lunch break has been docked half a day’s pay.
The transgression prompted senior officials at the city waterworks department in Kobe to hold a news conference offering a public apology for the worker’s conduct.
“It’s deeply regrettable that this misconduct took place. We’re sorry,” a bureau official said, as all the officials bowed deeply.
The unidentified 64-year-old employee was fined thousands of yen and reprimanded after an investigation found that he had left the office to order a bento box before his lunch break on 26 occasions over seven months, an official said.
My opinion: The bosses did apologize about it.
