magicdog
Member-
Posts
2.2k -
Joined
Content Type
Blogs
Gallery
Downloads
Discussion
Everything posted by magicdog
-
Now that Korra is done, there has been thought as to what will happen next. Ideally, it would be nice if Bryke could make another Avatar series, this time focusing on an Earth Avatar. However since Nick treated the last series rather horribly (not even airing most of the episodes on TV, and cutting the budget for the final book), it's likely one won't come on Nick, if at all. If Bryke were to get the green light (or perhaps commissioned a comic) what would the Earth Avatar be like? I'd like to think that we could go back to the past - perhaps to the last Earthbender in the cycle - prior to Avatar Kyoshi. I would think it would be a male who has been Avatar for a while (perhaps a decade or more) and is almost at the peak of their power. In this way, we'd see how the Avatar lived in the past, long before Aang, the respect and knowledge of an experienced Avatar who already is master of their powers and knows how to keep the balance. Since it's in the past, he'd have access to other past lives and we'd get a bit more info on other past Avatars. It would be long before 100 year war and each nation would still be as they were before the upheaval Fire Lord Sozin created. The series need not even last as long as Korra or the original series - perhaps another mini series lasting 15-20 episodes. If a series were to move forward, that means Korra would die and the new Avatar would be born in the new Earth [Republic]. That could be decades down the line and who knows what the future world would be like since Korra's time.
-
Well, I'm finally going to bite the bullet and get myself back into shape. I'm going with DDP Yoga. It seems good to use for any age or fitness level; if I can regain some flexibility as well as weight loss all the better. Before starting the routine though I have to learn the poses first (though I can go back to study them if I'm not doing them correctly). Has anyone else tried this one or know someone who has? I have seen great results on the DDP website (expected) and Youtube has plenty of vids (some on DDP channel, many others not) showing success with the program. The program also includes specific recommendations for changing eating habits (even showing what foods should be eaten with another - some combinations are not good), and recipes. I've made a few of the recipes and they're quite good.
-
Not a double post! Another accidental discovery: The Viscounts' instrumental of "Harlem Nocturne" It's so noir!
-
I've seen it twice this month - both on AMC! Odd TCM didn't air it. Holiday Inn also ran on AMC, preceding WC; I suppose it was to compare and contrast. There's very little to compare - except for the inn, two entertainers, and the events taking place in Vermont (or was Holiday Inn set in Connecticut?). I found White Christmas to be a significant improvement.
-
I was always dubious of the narrative given for this movie. I'd always thought Sony knew they had a turkey and they had to do something to cut their losses. It seems the claims of being hacked by North Korea are already crumbling. The hack was an inside job As for viewers: Audiences sing "God Bless America" at the theatres.
-
Sad song for me: "Roses Are Red" by Bobby Vinton. He sings about his long time sweetheart, only to lose her to another guy during a prolonged absence. When he meets up with her years later, he sees her with a daughter, and mentions sweetly how she looks a lot like her. All the while being an awful good sport about the whole thing. Sometimes I can't bear to hear the song all the way through! Silly song? There are a few - mostly old novelty hits of the 50s and 60s. "They're Coming To Take Me Away" by Napoleon XIV is good for a giggle, especially when referring to the woman who scorned him as a "mangy mutt"! There's also, "The Flying Saucer, Pt. 1" by Dickie Goodman and Bill Buchanan which could be seen as one of the first records to use the technique of sampling. One that I absolutely adore is "Shaving Cream" by Benny Bell. I heard it on the radio when I was in high school and thought it was just hilarious!
-
I loved the film ever since I caught it on cable many years ago. While I can't speak for all fans of the film, I like it because in a way I feel like Ralphie (and by default, Jean Shepard) and I are kindred spirits.. Even though we grew up in different generations, he described events in childhood many of us have been through at some point: bullies, dealing with little siblings, dreaming of that very special Christmas gift you were thrilled to get. Much of Ralphie's experiences mirrored my own to an extent - right down to some of the fantasies! My parents enjoyed it for the same reason - plus they were of Ralphie's generation and reminiced about "dampers", knob and tube wiring, listening to Little Orphan Annie on the radio (and the decoder rings!), and eating soap when a dirty word was uttered in Mother's presence. From a cinematic standpoint, it's a good film due to the casting, the period details (except for Raphie's mother's hairdo!), the humor and the pacing.
-
Oh my YES! The whole time I kept hearing about "princess room this" and "fairy tale that"; it was driving me buggy! Something tells me Miss "I want a 4000 sq ft house" doesn't wash her own floors either. To want a house that big, they must expect to have maid service make regular visits. Another annoyance for me was the references to "South Las Vegas". I live in LV, and the city is identified as East & West, and subdivided into Northwest, Southwest, Northeast, and Southeast. There is no "South Las Vegas" per se. Many parts of town are identified by neighborhoods. We have Summerlin, Centennial Hills, The Lakes, etc. The house located "in the north" most likely was in the "Summerlin" community.
-
She became a prostitute. It looked like a brothel had been raided in the scene we see her in. In the film's normal timeline, it was mentioned how Violet "loved all the boys" and was a notorious flirt who tried to land George at various times. She'd walk down the street wearing a sexy dress, and when George asked what she was wearing, she replied, "Oh this? This is something I wear when I don't care how I look like!".
-
Holiday Music: Christmas, Halloween, Hanukkah, and more!
magicdog replied to FormerMod-a1's topic in Music
One of my favorite Christmas songs (which is so good, I listen to it all year long) is God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen by The Barenaked Ladies. Their unique arrangement of the song turned an almost forgotten Christmas tune into a new standard. I also like a tune from the folk group, The Chad Mitchell Trio, who recorded "The Marvelous Toy" back in 1963. Best part is, you just can't figure out just what the toy is! -
The Bishop's Wife (1947), the film it's based on, IMO is far superior. Agreed. Although I wish Potter had received his comeuppence. I know SNL did a sketch back in the day (with Dana Carvey as George Bailey) , but I wish Capra had seen fit to use his original idea which was for Potter to have .
-
Beware! Unpopular opinions to follow: Sorry to be the party pooper but the finale left me angry! I hated seeing Kora and Asami go off together like that. I was hoping they wouldn't go there, but they did. It was out of left field and I found it to be pandering on the part of Bryke quite frankly. I didn't hope for either Korra or Asami to get back with Mako, but I didn't want this either. I was also disappointed with Kuvira giving up and willing to take her punishment. I would have wanted to see her defiant and angry to the bitter end! I wanted her to get taken down by the spirit vines (as previously speculated) or self destruct. I liked that Varrick and Zhu-Li finally got together - their relationship at least made sense. Bolin is legally able to conduct weddings now? Since when? Hiroshi Sato, we hardly knew ye! Too bad you didn't have more time with your daughter now that you've had three - four years of prison to realize what you'd lost. A new spirit portal? Whaaa? No, I'm not happy with that. Especially since the spirits showed no interest in protecting or helping our heroes. RC is good enough to grow your vines in, but not good enough to defend? I was also a bit disappointed with Prince Wu's conclusion; I thought it was good that he was improving as a person and potential leader (and he seems to have inherited his great grandfather's way with animals - loved his work with the badger moles!), but I hated that he was so quick to give up the throne. I would have liked to have seen him try to take the reins of the old kingdom and perhaps modify his role as a constitutional monarch rather than an absolute ruler. I do agree that I don't see many parallels between Kuvira and Korra other than their brash natures. Kuvira was willing to do what it took to take over the Earth Kingdom because she wanted power, and definitely would not have stopped with RC if she hadn't been defeated. She was williing to betray her adopted family/mentors (Su Yin's family), willing to kill her finace, subjugate her people, and destroy any city with her spirit weapon. Korra, while she was a hot headed kid who was all gung ho to be the Avatar and take the world by storm, at least wasn't out to harm people or sell them out to do it. I was also unhappy Korra never reconnected with her past selves. Secretly, I would have preferred to have seen her find a new way to do so. IMO, she screwed up the role of Avatars big time. Agreed. I wouldn't have minded if they had begun a romantic relationship when they were a bit older and their age difference would have been less jarring.
-
Sugarplums. They're not bad either! This. It's worse still when there is a bible or set of rules which out of desperation, are broken by TPTB. I think of Quantum Leap in which one of the rules was that Sam would never leap into somone famous (he ended up leaping into a young Elvis and Lee Harvey Oswald) or something preposterous (leaping into a chimp). There was a plan to leap Sam into a dog and an infant; luckily the show limped to an end before that happened.
-
I think it depends on the version. I hate Madonna's version of "Santa Baby" - Eartha Kitt's version from 1953 is the original and the best as far as I know. Try it . I love "I Saw Mommy..." by a variety of artists, but I'm weary of The Ronettes' version which seems to get the most airplay on our 24/7 Christmas stations. In fact, I don't like any Christmas song sung by them! Their version of "Frosty The Snowman" grates - especially when Ronnie Spector's accent takes over (FRAW-stee, duh snoo-MAN).
-
I finally got to see the ep for myself and it's definitely one of the weaker ones for several reasons. The producers' legal consultant obviously wasn't scrutinizing the script since, as previously mentioned, some legal jargon was misused (the civil trial, etc.). Someone should have caught that. As for Erin's case, I hope the writers plan to revisit it because it ended too abruptly. We needed to know what became of the brother. However I loved it when Erin let the girl have it about the jailbird lawyer myth. If she ends up in prison, the best she'll be able to do is clog the legal system with paperwork about how there's a lack of crunchy peanut butter in the commissary. Someone needed to yell at that girl, especially since she could have gone to her boss about the problem way before this. It also shows how slack Erin is about office security; her access card should NEVER have been accessible to anyone. It should have been on her person or locked in a drawer. Frank's problem I understood - It's a matter of pride. When bad things happen under his watch, it ultimately reflects on him as well of the department. The Commish is the top man in the NYPD. He has quite a burden since it's very easy for some group to get angry over an issue and accuse him of purposely ignoring them. Frank's been at the job long enough to still be in this way of thinking. It's also not unusual for similar situations for private citizens to hire private [armed] security. It shouldn't really have been an issue. Even the NYPD can't be there 24/7 and have plenty of other crimes to deal with. As the old saying goes, when seconds count, the police are minutes away. Ditto. I also loved how he wasn't intimidated by Baez's threats! Linda did the right thing. She may be married to a cop, but she's not one herself and confronting the guy directly would have only lead to trouble. Just because you have a gun [as a civilian] doesn't mean you should automatically draw it. Speaking of which - this storyline could have been dealt with better. A first time concealed gun owner would have been advised about holstering it. After buying the gun, the salesperson would have discussed with her some concealed holsters. A woman carrying a gun in her purse is never advised (and the image of such in this day and age is an insult) as she wouldn't have quick access to it. If anything, she'd have had a bra holster or a similar concealed holster. That was also weak. While it's true gun ownership isn't for everyone, they shouldn't have had Linda chicken out. If anything she could have asked her husband to help teach her how to use it or at least get lessons at an area shooting range. It's not uncommon for crazy things to go down in an ER, especially in NYC. Some patients are gangbangers and may still be armed with something that wasn't found on them when they were brought in. Other times someone just plain nuts could wander in and threaten the staff. Of course, it also depends on if the hospital considers itself a gun free zone or not - in which case the staffers are out of luck (short of armed security guards). I was also annoyed that Linda claimed Danny was "disrespecting" her. IMO, he wasn't.
-
No, it's NOT that bad. In fact, I don't understand why people act like it's Outer Mongolia either! It has lots of beautiful old neighborhoods, parks, family friendly.
-
Oops! Bloopers And Other Production Mistakes On TV Shows
magicdog replied to Sandman87's topic in Everything Else TV
Charmed is infamous for its bloopers and inconsistancies, especially in its first three seasons. Actors change places, objects switch from one hand to another, etc. This site has a list a mile long from the show's run. -
As a native NY'er myself, I chalk it up to his day to day life. His father and grandfather are/were police commissioners and are expected to enunciate and look and act professional especially when giving pressers. His sister and Jaime are/were lawyers so they tended to also ease up on the accents for public speaking. Danny worked in the trenches and chose to keep the accent (even though IRL, Wahlberg is a native of Boston and not NY). I liked Jennifer Esposito and really miss her since she left the series. I thought she was the perfect balance of NY/Italian-American/ and cop. She came off as very genuine to me. It's Danny's current partner, Baez I can't stand. I also loved Jaime's training officer played by Nicholas Turturro. Very authentic in every way. Being a Police Commissioner pays very well, so I don't doubt the nice house Frank and his dad live in. Danny's and Linda's house looks right for their middle class level. I don't remember where Jaime lives now - I remember he lived in a nice loft that belonged to his ex-fiancée for a while when she left the county but I don't know where he lives now. Erin was married to a shark so they would have had some money together and after the divorce, she probably got to keep their house. As someone who works in media and sees loads of pressers, the [police] are always speaking like this - it's rooted in how they write their reports. They have official jargon and it sometimes carried over into day to day speech.
-
While I do not approve of adults constantly made to look bad or outright stupid compared to their kids, I don't think that was it. Back then, kids automatically feared their parents' wrath and a lot of us growing up always thought Mom & Dad were going to "kill" us for some perceived screw up. Most times, it was never as bad as we thought it was. See I don't see it that way. HH didn't take place in a concentration camp anyway - it was a POW camp. While IRL, that wouldn't have been a picnic, this was a sitcom which aired only 20 years removed from WW2. Most viewers of the show in first run were likely vets of the war. They seemed to like it fine despite those times. Many of the actors from the show were Jewish and/or had real life run ins with the regime (Robert Clary lost almost his entire family in the Holocaust, John Banner had family in Austria who were at risk). Plus, the show was all about putting one over on the Nazis. Werner Klemperer famously said he insisted he'd play the role of a camp Commandant as long as it was agreed he'd NEVER win over Hogan. The only thing about the show that bugs me are the 60s hair and [women's] fashions when they should have had a more 40s feel. Not to mention I think every episode took place in the wintertime! There were always patches of snow on the ground!!
-
Either that or Austria during the Anschluss.
-
One thing I find interesting is how Pete & Jim were the face of the modern police and the ideal in everything from professional demeanor with the public to being trusted partners. On many sites discussing alleged abuse of authority, I often come across this image: .
-
Guilty Pleasures: Songs You're Ashamed Of Having On Your MP3 Player
magicdog replied to PrincessEnnui's topic in Music
Josie & The Pussycats - the original cartoon (1970). I found a CD collection of all the tunes from the show - love it! The Hardy Boys (1969) - their album is available on iTunes and it's actually better than some might think. Even the theme song is fun. Most impressive is that the live action counterparts used to record the album and play in the opening credits all had viable musical backgrounds. One guitarist, Reed Kailing eventually joined the Grass Roots, The girl was a former Playboy bunny but was also a trained jazz vocalist. The drummer was a popular session and touring musician for the biggest R&B/Soul acts of the day. The others were very skilled session musicians. "One In A Million" is one of my faves. I would also include HB's The Impossibles (1966) but they never released any vinyl and none of their songs were played completely in their shorts - but I do like what I can catch onscreen! If it ever gets released somewhere in complete versions, I'd be the first to buy a collection. -
Interesting that mother and daughter address one another as "Chief"!