Party of One: Unpopular TV Opinions

[Kel Varnsen]

My UO? I hate those little "local colour pieces" on the news. Some guy goes out and finds some random weirdness to film and gets people to comment on it. The problem is that the random weirdness is rarely that interesting and the people commenting just say nice things about it to get on TV. Stop wasting my time and find something actually interesting. I'm sure with a little more effort they could. We have two local news channels that have two randomly boring guys doing this and I can't switch the channel fast enough. I don't care why there is an ugly sweater on the telephone pole.

My UO is that local news (at least where I live) is generally terrible. There is a local 6 o'clock newscast here that runs an hour. And I swear if you took out every story about how people in the city are responding to the weather (which frequently becomes an actual story not just a forecast), gas prices, how people are responding to what the local sports teams are doing and what is trending on twitter, and you could easily make it a 30 minute show most nights.

[amensisterfriend]

I actually like Elisabeth Rohm, who used to be routinely mocked as one of the worst actresses on TV. Her character Kate was one of my favorite things about the first season of Angel. And while rewatching Law and Order reruns, I'm always surprised by how much more I enjoy her acting than I had recalled. There's just something about her demeanor that really works for me and makes her characters feel 'real.' 

[ribboninthesky1]

I tend to agree. When the new Harry Potter books came out, I went on a total media diet. You could be reading a blog about knitting and some jack-a-lope would post "XXX DIES!""". On the radio, some DJ would opine on the latest twist. On TV, there would be a news bulletin about upset Potter fans because of Y.

 

I didn't want to get spoiled, so no media until I read the book myself.  If I don't want to get spoiled, it is up to me. Expecting to go days without hearing somebody chatting about it at the water cooller or discussing it on social media is like yelling at the rain to stop.

 

When I refer to social media, I refer to the world wide web, and more explicitly, the subgenre that covers entertainment.  TV and radio are different animals to me because it's a lot more difficult to see it (as in spoilers) coming unless you're prompted on it.  I mean, there are some who complain about spoilers on shows they don't even watch.  I can't.    

[Minneapple]

I gotta get this off my chest: I cannot stand Olicity. Forget Laurel, this is the thing that has ruined Arrow for me. In season one Arrow was a fun superhero show, and Felicity, Oliver and Diggle were a great team working together. I wish they had kept Felicity as the quirky fun IT girl instead of making her into a boring retread romantic interest for Oliver. That ruined the Arrowcave trio. And as the writers fully went in on the will they/won't they/yes they will/OH NO THEY CAN'T BECAUSE DANGER/but maybe now they will nonsense, they doubly ruined Felicity. Now she's stuck with an extra stupid and boring love interest who has been written solely as Obstacle No. 75 between Felicity and Oliver. And as soon as the boring as hell Brandon Routh leaves for the poorly conceived spinoff, and Felicity realizes that Yes, She And Ollie Can Have A Life Together, they'll have to find a new lameass excuse for Felicity and Oliver to not be together, and my head will hurt even more. And then the whole series will be about Why Felicity And Oliver Can Or Can't Be Together And Why They Are Doomed If They Are Or Aren't Together, and why should I be surprised since it's already encroached that territory.

 

Thank you all for listening to my rant. Now back to the Arrow forum and reading about how much Katie Cassidy sucks. Excuse me.

Edited April 1, 2015 by Minneapple

[LydiaMoon1]

My Arrow UO is that the only people on the show who can act are the guy that plays Diggle and Felicity's mother.  Everyone else is an embarrassment to the craft.

[Princess Sparkle]

I gotta get this off my chest: I cannot stand Olicity. Forget Laurel, this is the thing that has ruined Arrow for me. In season one Arrow was a fun superhero show, and Felicity, Oliver and Diggle were a great team working together. I wish they had kept Felicity as the quirky fun IT girl instead of making her into a boring retread romantic interest for Oliver. That ruined the Arrowcave trio. And as the writers fully went in on the will they/won't they/yes they will/OH NO THEY CAN'T BECAUSE DANGER/but maybe now they will nonsense, they doubly ruined Felicity. Now she's stuck with an extra stupid and boring love interest who has been written solely as Obstacle No. 75 between Felicity and Oliver. And as soon as the boring as hell Brandon Routh leaves for the poorly conceived spinoff, and Felicity realizes that Yes, She And Ollie Can Have A Life Together, they'll have to find a new lameass excuse for Felicity and Oliver to not be together, and my head will hurt even more. And then the whole series will be about Why Felicity And Oliver Can Or Can't Be Together And Why They Are Doomed If They Are Or Aren't Together, and why should I be surprised since it's already encroached that territory.

 

Thank you all for listening to my rant. Now back to the Arrow forum and reading about how much Katie Cassidy sucks. Excuse me.

I will go one step further - I just can't stand Felicity period.  She was fine in small doses in the first season, but she has been draining on me after they expanded her role.  The last straw was an interview where the actress and producer stated "Felicity is just not the type of girl you'd expect three men to fall in love with."  Oh really?  This smart, insanely beautiful woman ISNT someone who would have three men falling all over her?  Get the fuck out of here with that.  

[amensisterfriend]

My Arrow UO is that the only people on the show who can act are the guy that plays Diggle and Felicity's mother.  Everyone else is an embarrassment to the craft.

 

Amen! 

 

Honestly, I think nearly everything about Arrow is awful. The acting, the writing, the characterization, etc. My major UO is that Katie Cassidy/Laurel is among the least of that show's myriad flaws and annoyances, not the one bad thing about an otherwise stellar show that she's so often depicted to be. 

Edited April 1, 2015 by amensisterfriend

[Anna Yolei]

I "get" the Shonda Rhines hate to a point. Personally I love that she writes empowered women. There are far too few of them on TV. My issue is with the soapy nature of the empowerment. Her shows tend to be Prine Time soaps and those don't appeal to everyone. I am actual getting tired of them myself but that doesn't mean I don't appriate strong female characters who lead the cast and aren't just the supporting role. As for Ryan Murphy I never understood the hate. As far as I am concerned he has one terrible horrible show under his belt and that is Glee. To base your entire opinion of him off that seems silly to me. American Horror Story is mostly fantastic. The Normal Heart was great and I believe I enjoyed Nip/Tuck.

The Glee thing has been hashed out to death, so I won't go over that...but to say the show was a shadow of its former self by the end is an undeserved compliment. But I'll say than many of the signiture ticks that drive people nuts were also present in Popular and The New Normal...both of which were understandably canceled early on before they became glorious trainwrecks.

[Anna Yolei]

My UO is that local news (at least where I live) is generally terrible. There is a local 6 o'clock newscast here that runs an hour. And I swear if you took out every story about how people in the city are responding to the weather (which frequently becomes an actual story not just a forecast), gas prices, how people are responding to what the local sports teams are doing and what is trending on twitter, and you could easily make it a 30 minute show most nights.

Now that you've mentioned it, what's the purpose of the weather section of the news when over 90 percent of the population has phones that automatically download this info?

That said, seeing SoCal getting laughed at during the Great Cold Breeze of 2013 in compilations of the local news media? Comedy fucking gold.

[ParadoxLost]

Now that you've mentioned it, what's the purpose of the weather section of the news when over 90 percent of the population has phones that automatically download this info?

That said, seeing SoCal getting laughed at during the Great Cold Breeze of 2013 in compilations of the local news media? Comedy fucking gold.

 

The best thing about local news is when they get any unusual weather and mobilize to preempt everything because they are just that bored normally.  What I especially like is that they name everything and then expect viewers to recall which snow storm they are talking about going back several years.  Now let's compare Snowmageddon to Snowpocalypse, both had two inches of snow but one had traffic.

[Sandman87]

My UO is that local news (at least where I live) is generally terrible. There is a local 6 o'clock newscast here that runs an hour. And I swear if you took out every story about how people in the city are responding to the weather (which frequently becomes an actual story not just a forecast), gas prices, how people are responding to what the local sports teams are doing and what is trending on twitter, and you could easily make it a 30 minute show most nights.

Same here, plus if you took out the duplication of the exact same stories from the national newscast, you could cut another 15 minutes. It's not like there's nothing local that they could cover (stuff that I have to read the local paper to find out about), they just don't.

[janie jones]

And then they'll be like, "Visit our Facebook page for more info."  Then why am I watching the news?

[junemeatcleaver]

I've come to the conclusion that the local news is corrupt.  There's a lot of shit that happens around where I live they could investigate or blow the lid off of and they don't.  Because why do some investigative reporting on the mayor's office or the local cult when the weatherman can act goofy for ten minutes?

[Moose135]

Because why do some investigative reporting on the mayor's office or the local cult when the weatherman can act goofy for ten minutes?

 

Because most viewers will tune out 15 seconds into that investigative report, while most will stay and watch the goofy weatherman.  Ever since news became a line-item on a corporate financial spreadsheet, rather than a public service specifically protected by the Constitution, it's all about ratings, not doing the public good.

[proserpina65]

Now that you've mentioned it, what's the purpose of the weather section of the news when over 90 percent of the population has phones that automatically download this info?

 

It's for those 10% of us who don't have phones which do that and who still get our local weather from tv.  (I'm not going to bother to fire up the computer at 6 in the morning to see what clothes to wear on any given day, not when I can just switch on the tv for 5 minutes.)  Although why local newscasts find it necessary to show the same weather segment so many times in one show, well that's a whole 'nuther question.

Edited April 2, 2015 by proserpina65

[merylinkid]

 

Although why local newscasts find it necessary to show the same weather segment so many times in one show, well that's a whole 'nuther question.

 

SO people don't have to sit through the whole broadcast to see the weather.   They can turn on the tv on the 8s or whatever see what the weather is for the day, get dressed for it and go about their business.

[proserpina65]

SO people don't have to sit through the whole broadcast to see the weather.   They can turn on the tv on the 8s or whatever see what the weather is for the day, get dressed for it and go about their business.

You know, right after I typed that, THIS answer dawned on me.  Which is stupid of me, really, because that is exactly what I do in the morning.  D'oh!

[Kel Varnsen]

SO people don't have to sit through the whole broadcast to see the weather.   They can turn on the tv on the 8s or whatever see what the weather is for the day, get dressed for it and go about their business.

I don't even mind the actual weather forecasts. But it is the stupid weather becomes the news stories that drive me insane. I swear they show up every couple of nights, whenever there is: a big snowfall, freezing rain, an unseasonably warm winter day, a really cold winter day, a windy rainy day and they act like this is the first time this kind of weather has ever happened.  They give you the how the city reacted, then show some stock footage, then talk to some people on the street, then they give you the spiel about for continuing coverage check out our website (even though they just told you everything you could possibly need to know). Like I said the only thing that bugs me more is news coverage of gas price changes.

[FormerMod-a1]

I agree about that.  I live in MN and it never ceases to amaze how much normal weather is over broadcast.  Look!  It's snowing...  in MN...  in January!  All the networks send out multiple reporters to stand at various places across the metro.  "Chip here in Richfield, we've got about 3 inches of snow on the ground and flurries in the sky" - "Jane here in St Paul.  There is no snow yet but I can see it coming our way."   Now, truly extreme weather, or unseasonal weather, sure, but snow in winter?  rain in spring?  Why?

[Kel Varnsen]

I agree about that.  I live in MN and it never ceases to amaze how much normal weather is over broadcast.  Look!  It's snowing...  in MN...  in January!  All the networks send out multiple reporters to stand at various places across the metro.  "Chip here in Richfield, we've got about 3 inches of snow on the ground and flurries in the sky" - "Jane here in St Paul.  There is no snow yet but I can see it coming our way."   Now, truly extreme weather, or unseasonal weather, sure, but snow in winter?  rain in spring?  Why?

I live in Ottawa, Canada and we probably get similar weather in the winter. What is crazy is how much of the reports in stories like those could be just stock footage. In extreme winter weather which we get every year, you always have the guy from the city talking about how salt trucks/plows are out, the public health reminder talking about how you should dress accordingly, the note from the airport about how you should check your flight status, and the police person talking about the number of accidents and how you should use extra caution. Then of course the guy outside the studio building asking people if they were ready for the snow, or what they think about it.

[allyw]

I've only seen Newsroom from Aaron Sorkin and the female characters were some of the worst I've ever seen. And the writing for the show was downright terrible even though I shared some of the viewpoints. Also Shonda Rhimes may not be the best writer but she has no problem writing for women of color and I'd take that over Sorkin and all other writers who act like they don't exist or should just be the best friend of a white character to be only brought out when said character needs someone to talk to.

[ganesh]

I actually have to give a plug for news on the radio. I listen to the local CBS newstation and they actually do investigative stories. There was a church that were spraying the homeless with water to keep them away (short version) and they cracked it, and the church backed down by the end of the day the story broke. 

 

They do well with regular traffic too. 

[Gudzilla]

Reading some of these comments I don't know if I'm lucky or unlucky that my local news is 85% murder/crime 15% weather 5% sports and other subjects.

[LeeLeePanda]

I agree about that.  I live in MN and it never ceases to amaze how much normal weather is over broadcast.  Look!  It's snowing...  in MN...  in January!  All the networks send out multiple reporters to stand at various places across the metro.  "Chip here in Richfield, we've got about 3 inches of snow on the ground and flurries in the sky" - "Jane here in St Paul.  There is no snow yet but I can see it coming our way."   Now, truly extreme weather, or unseasonal weather, sure, but snow in winter?  rain in spring?  Why?

Fellow Minnesotan here, and I don't even bother with the weather forecast anymore. It's cold, colder, or frigid during the winter; why bother?

[UYI]

Since the new Fuller House show on Netflix has just been announced, I want to address a possible UO that some might not recognize regarding Mary-Kate abnd Ashley Olsen.

 

I know that some have criticized them in the past about not being as involved with Full House reunion interviews/specials, and claim that they are being snobby or ungrateful to how they began their careers.

 

Not me.

 

I don't know how many people realize this, but Full House was their very first audition--at NINE MONTHS OLD. Needless to say, they won the part of Michelle. Unlike a lot of other child stars who at least either have some memory of life before getting into show business or life after it in anonymity, Mary-Kate and Ashley have literally NO memories that involve not being famous. Not just because of Full House, but the countless direct-to-video movies they did afterwards, too. They were before Lizzie McGuire and Hannah Montana, and even more importantly, they were twins, which made them an even bigger brand. I know they've had a few issues since they became adults, but compared to other child stars, they've actually turned out a LOT better than they could have. But even in these last few years, where the publicity has died down, they're not acting anymore, and they probably have more privacy than they have had their whole lives (especially since they're not on social media), there will never be a time where they are NOT famous. Yes, they are financially set for life, but what about everything they could have had when they were growing up? 

 

This may not even be a UO now at all, but there are several times where I've seen people talk about how ungrateful they seem when they don't reunite with the Full House cast for an interview, and all I can think is, "They gave up their childhoods for a sitcom, and then for 18 billion direct-to-video movies afterwards. The least you can give them in return is their privacy as adults." At this point, they have MORE than earned it.

 

I understand an adult actor being perceived as ungrateful for not coming back for something like this that made them famous, or even some child stars in some cases, but in this case? No. It's too unique.

 

I grew up as a huge fan of theirs and it would be great if they made a guest appearance of some sort, but I understand if they don't even want to do that, either.

 

**deep breath** Okay, I'm done.

[selkie]

I've come to the conclusion that the local news is corrupt.  There's a lot of shit that happens around where I live they could investigate or blow the lid off of and they don't.  Because why do some investigative reporting on the mayor's office or the local cult when the weatherman can act goofy for ten minutes?

 

Often local corruption involves people or companies that may be actual paid advertisers for the local news, and the tv station doesn't want to lose revenue.

 

I live in hurricane alley (the Florida Panhandle), and am enough of a weather geek that I actually don't mind when the local weather forecasters show their inner weather geeks too and are allowed to go off on a brief tangent about how, even though the UKMET model blew it for  where Hurricane Julio would pass in relation to Bermuda, it remains their favorite hurricane forecasting model, even more than the FSU Supernensemble model.

[jhlipton]

Getting back to spoilers, here's an article on the subject: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/22/netflix-spoliers_n_5860282.html

 

The title is misleading since the article states that many people like spoilers and don't see them as ruining a show.

 

I watched The Sixth Sense twice -- the first time I was unspoiled (obviously not the second!).  The first time I was more into the story, the second time I was more into craft.  I think the same is probably true of Fight Club.  But knowing that Rosebud is a sled (too soon?) wouldn't spoil Citizen Kane, since Rosebud is an obvious McGuffin.

Edited April 3, 2015 by jhlipton

[Janet Snakehole]

People are mad that the Olsens may not show up? They want Michelle back? I think Michelle is the most annoying kid on just about any tv show. More so because of the writing, I really don't have anything against the Olsens.

[UYI]

I think there are a lot of people who sometimes see them as ungrateful to what made them famous. I might agree with them if what made them famous wasn't a show they landed at nine months old and sacrificed a normal childhood for, or even a childhood most child stars could relate to.

 

Michelle was from the ninth circle of Hell and now that I'm older I recognize her and hate her for the snot-nosed brat that she was. That said, her pencil bed was the bomb. 

[Minneapple]

I actually hated Stephanie more than Michelle.

 

The Olsens didn't have a choice the last time around, and now they do. So if they don't want anything to do with the revival, more power to 'em.

[proserpina65]

Getting back to spoilers, here's an article on the subject: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/22/netflix-spoliers_n_5860282.html

 

The title is misleading since the article states that many people like spoilers and don't see them as ruining a show.

 

I watched The Sixth Sense twice -- the first time I was unspoiled (obviously not the second!).  The first time I was more into the story, the second time I was more into craft.  I think the same is probably true of Fight Club.  But knowing that Rosebud is a sled (too soon?) wouldn't spoil Citizen Kane, since Rosebud is an obvious McGuffin.

Sometimes it makes a difference for me; other times, not.  I just want the choice of whether or not to be spoiled whenever possible.  I don't hate on those who couldn't care less about spoilers, and I'm not asking for some super-human efforts, just using a little common courtesy when talking about currently running tv shows.  I always try to extend that same courtesy to others.  If someone accidently spoils something, well that happens, no harm, no foul.  It's the people who seemed to delight in deliberately ruining surprise/shocking developments for those who are trying to stay unspoiled who bug me.  And let me be clear: no one here seems to do that, for which I am very grateful.  You all are a very courteous, respectful and fun crowd.  I'm referring to a few obnoxious individuals on a now-defunct website who all but drove me away from certain segments of the GOT boards with their oh-so-coy/arch spoilers.  (And I'm a Bookwalker, so already spoilt but I hated seeing it done to those who hadn't read the books.)  But I'll shut up about it now, I promise.

Edited April 3, 2015 by proserpina65

[jhlipton]

It's the people who seemed to delight in deliberately ruining surprise/shocking developments for those who are trying to stay unspoiled who bug me.

 

I saw the first Alien movie with someone like that.  Obnoxious twerp who delighted in spoiling every surprise.  Guh.

[kassygreene]

There is a sub-category of spoilers which is the spoiler that isn't correct because the person doing the spoiling isn't capable of understanding what she just watched, let alone recapping it.  

 

Back in the day when The X-Files moved to Sundays, and therefore the download to affiliates occurred on Sunday morning, and people who had those huge satellite dishes could tap the signal and watch it early, there was such a person who diligently posted to at least one of the XF mailing lists the episode "recap".  She did this without spoiler warnings, which was bad enough.  BUT she also consistently got everything wrong, so if you had been spoiled and watched anyway, instead of enjoying the episode you (ok, I) kept looking for the spoiled bits.  

 

If you have to spoil something because it was just ZOMG great, please spoil it accurately!

[ganesh]

There was a you tube video a while back with the actors from Galactica, Firefly, etc., that said what spoilers were and when you can say something.

[Shannon L.]

 

My Arrow UO is that the only people on the show who can act are the guy that plays Diggle and Felicity's mother.  Everyone else is an embarrassment to the craft.

Eh.  I'm not all that critical of acting unless the show/movie is winning multiple Emmy's/Oscars.  I think they're just fine for what it is.  If it were sweeping Emmy awards, I'd probably raise an eyebrow. For now,  I find it a lot of fun*. Besides, I have yet to hear anything bad about Stephen Amell** and his FB page and Twitter feed are so much fun and inoffensive, that I'm kind of embarrassingly hooked on him right now (and if there's anything ugly out there, I don't want to hear it.  I like being blissfully unaware of what's going on in Hollywood.).  I've also watched videos of him working out and practicing all of that parkour stuff he does and the fact that he can do that kind of work makes me appreciate his role even more.  Also, there's his work with fund raising for cancer research  and the fact that he was kind enough to send a video message to a young fan as a birthday surprise, displaying his fan art that he gets every week, etc.....yeah, I'm a bit infatuated.

 

The last straw was an interview where the actress and producer stated "Felicity is just not the type of girl you'd expect three men to fall in love with."  Oh really?  This smart, insanely beautiful woman ISNT someone who would have three men falling all over her?  Get the fuck out of here with that.

 

This doesn't make me like her any less, but it was a stupid comment.  The girl is gorgeous and her character (don't know about her as a person) is witty and smart.  After just a couple of episodes, my husband said "I think I love her" to which I responded, "get in line"  :)

 

*I should probably mention, that we're only part way through season 2.  I may change my mind by mid way through season 3.  We'll see. 

**I should also say that I'm fine with Stephen when he's playing Ollie.  When he puts on the suit, it goes down a notch.

Edited April 3, 2015 by Shannon L.

[ganesh]

I liked the Vice season of Archer better than the current season. I'd rather see a show go off in a new direction and have it not quite work than the same thing over and over.

[kiddo82]

I've only seen first six seasons of Dexter so I'm not sure if the final two ever satisfy this for me but I never bought into Dexter's whole "dark passenger" explanation. (I actually downloaded season 7 about a year ago. I'll get around to it one of these days.). Anywho, if his bloodlust is as bad as the show wants us to believe wouldn't he have gone bonkers by now and just started offing randoms? Or just being a hell of a lot less patient with the whole process? He has shown restraint. I know. I know. "The code" was put in place to placate his urges with decreased risk for getting caught but it seems as if he gets more out of the vigilante justice aspect of it than the actual kill. I see the dark passenger as an excuse for his actions rather than just calling a spade a spade, which, for me would be admitting "I can control myself, I just don't want to." I'd buy it more if he did identify as a vigilante instead of some insatiable monster because that's not what's coming through for me.

For the record, I enjoy the show, I just don't see eye to eye with the mission statement. And UO in a UO, I thought season 6 was unfairly maligned.

And relating this to the ongoing spoiler topic going on, I was accidentally spoiled for the end of season 4. (Again, a banner headline on an internet homepage). While I was still anxious to see how it played out, it certainly lacked the shock factor.

Edited April 4, 2015 by kiddo82

[ChaseMCP]

My favorite Law and Order in the series is the original, no question. And it actually disappoints me that Law and Order: SVU is considered the favorite since the leads are so self-righteous. Sure, Jack McCoy may have been self-righteous too, but he had other characters who called him out on it (like Adam, or Jamie) which is why I'm ok with it being part of his character. Rey Curtis was self-righteous, but Lennie and Anita would sometimes take him down a notch. I rarely (if ever) see anyone do that on SVU so it's not seen as much of a flaw there as it is on the original.

I have absolutely no interest in any of Shonda Rhimes' shows. I think it's great that she writes for women, and I like Viola Davis so I'm glad more people are interested in her now, but all of her shows are too dramatic for my taste.

I like mini-series and wish there were more that aired on tv.

Also, I hate Michael Scott. Absolutely hate him. Was one of then reasons I stopped watching The Office, I love Steve Carell and that's one of the only things that made me tolerate him. I can't stand characters that make me cringe. I remember that episode where Phyllis made him something for Yankee Swap (a boring gift, but still) and he spent extra money for his gift, so he pouts and is awful to Phyllis, and I just...ugh.

Edited April 4, 2015 by ChaseMCP

[ganesh]

Part of the buy in into Dexter is that you accept he is a mentally strong individual that can stick to the code. He has had slip ups on the show. I could deal with it until the ridiculous last season.

[magicdog]

As for Ryan Murphy I never understood the hate.

 

I never understood the love.

 

I've come to the conclusion that the local news is corrupt.  There's a lot of shit that happens around where I live they could investigate or blow the lid off of and they don't.  Because why do some investigative reporting on the mayor's office or the local cult when the weatherman can act goofy for ten minutes?

 

 

Your local news on average is programmed by producers and assignment editors who are barely out of college and only know what they know.  They often get their news from the internet (especially HuffPo and similar sites) or the latest viral video (many don't seem that familiar with the world beyond their lifetimes - you wouldn't believe how many blank stares I'd received when I brought up that we should have a mention in the newscast for the anniversary of Pearl Harbor or the JFK assassination! ). 

 

Often local corruption involves people or companies that may be actual paid advertisers for the local news, and the tv station doesn't want to lose revenue.

 

 

Partially true.  It also has to do with risking access to their favorite people.  Anchors, reporters, etc. frequently participate in various charities and attend a lot of chi chi events so they want to keep that going.   This happens even at the big news houses;  CNN famously looked the other way when Saddam Hussein was torturing people in Iraq (among other things), since the management wanted to keep their access  (and privileges therein) to him.  Other times it's purely bias.  Ever notice how rarely the WH Press Corps asks a tough question? 

 

As for TV weather, I agree that some folks find it easier to get their WX and traffic as they're getting ready to leave for work, although I live in a climate that rarely changes (as Minnesota is frigid in the winter, LV is triple digits from end of May through first week of September)  and is sunny over 300 days out of the year.  The only time WX becomes huge news here is if it rains or the occasional snowfall (which has happened now and then at certain elevations. 

[AstaCharles]

I like the Odd Couple. It's not the greatest sitcom , but it's growing on me.

[Anna Yolei]

Since the new Fuller House

*obligatory grumble at yet another unnecessary franchise reboot--I mean, who remembers the non-Michelle parts?*

Sorry....

I know that some have criticized them in the past about not being as involved with Full House reunion interviews/specials, and claim that they are being snobby or ungrateful to how they began their careers.

Not me.

I don't know how many people realize this, but Full House was their very first audition--at NINE MONTHS OLD. Needless to say, they won the part of Michelle. Unlike a lot of other child stars who at least either have some memory of life before getting into show business or life after it in anonymity, Mary-Kate and Ashley have literally NO memories that involve not being famous. Not just because of Full House, but the countless direct-to-video movies they did afterwards, too. They were before Lizzie McGuire and Hannah Montana, and even more importantly, they were twins, which made them an even bigger brand. I know they've had a few issues since they became adults, but compared to other child stars, they've actually turned out a LOT better than they could have. But even in these last few years, where the publicity has died down, they're not acting anymore, and they probably have more privacy than they have had their whole lives (especially since they're not on social media), there will never be a time where they are NOT famous. Yes, they are financially set for life, but what about everything they could have had when they were growing up?

This may not even be a UO now at all, but there are several times where I've seen people talk about how ungrateful they seem when they don't reunite with the Full House cast for an interview, and all I can think is, "They gave up their childhoods for a sitcom, and then for 18 billion direct-to-video movies afterwards. The least you can give them in return is their privacy as adults." At this point, they have MORE than earned it.

I understand an adult actor being perceived as ungrateful for not coming back for something like this that made them famous, or even some child stars in some cases, but in this case? No. It's too unique.

I grew up as a huge fan of theirs and it would be great if they made a guest appearance of some sort, but I understand if they don't even want to do that, either.

**deep breath** Okay, I'm done.

Definitely agree here. They had no say over their fame, AT ALL. They were babies.

[meep.meep]

My favorite Law and Order in the series is the original, no question. And it actually disappoints me that Law and Order: SVU is considered the favorite since the leads are so self-righteous. Sure, Jack McCoy may have been self-righteous too, but he had other characters who called him out on it (like Adam, or Jamie) which is why I'm ok with it being part of his character. Rey Curtis was self-righteous, but Lennie and Anita would sometimes take him down a notch. I rarely (if ever) see anyone do that on SVU so it's not seen as much of a flaw there as it is on the original.

How do you feel about the actual original L&O? With Michael Moriarity, George Dzundza, Chris Noth? Jack McCoy is a replacement character.

[ChaseMCP]

How do you feel about the actual original L&O? With Michael Moriarity, George Dzundza, Chris Noth? Jack McCoy is a replacement character.

l

Jack and Lennie are my favorites, but I do enjoy those episodes too. I just usually hear more about people commenting on Jack being self-righteous (which is true, but not nearly as bad as Bensen and Stabler). Logan actually reminds me of Stabler a bit - with the hot temper and all. But at least when Logan went too far (punching the politician) he faced the consequence for it. The thing I always liked about the original, no matter which characters were on it, was that it was about the case versus the drama around the characters. I just watched Briscoe's last episode and he just...leaves. No sudden death or shooting or what not, just leaves like in real life. I enjoy certain characters more on that show, but as a whole I'll pretty much watch the show no matter who is on.

[Anna Yolei]

I liked the Vice season of Archer better than the current season. I'd rather see a show go off in a new direction and have it not quite work than the same thing over and over.

For what it's worth, I thought the last five episodes of season six made up for the rest of the lackluster ones.

But, yeah. I enjoyed the Vice season more. If TPTB wanna go that route again, I'm game for it.

[kassygreene]

I remember the night that season 6 of Law & Order premiered (after Noth's departure/firing at the end of season 5 - "COP POPS POL" was the headline).  It was a Wednesday, I was living on the West Coast, and thanks to timezones and the Law & Order Channel's (known today as A&E) schedule, I watched what I seem to remember was the first broadcast episode of season 1 in the hour before the premiere of season 6...  So the wide shot in season 1 was Dzudenda, Noth, Moriarty, and Brooks, and then an hour later I'm watching Orbach, Bratt, Waterson, & Hennessey.  Very freaky.

 

Er, UO?  I didn't hate Bratt.  Didn't love his character, but that happens.

[Sandman]

I think Jon Hamm is an exceedingly limited actor who landed the role of a lifetime with Don Draper.

Edited April 5, 2015 by Sandman

[ChromaKelly]

I can't stand Chris Meloni and he ruins everything he's in. I don't like him when he's trying to be funny either. It comes off as hi I'm Chris Meloni serious actor but look I'm on Sesame Street isn't that awesome?

[ToxicUnicorn]

My favorite Law and Order in the series is the original, no question. And it actually disappoints me that Law and Order: SVU is considered the favorite

Me too!  The original L&O had something special ... something about the cast and the chemistry and the way it was matter of fact and pseudo-realistic.  It seemed much more like the old NYPD Blue and Hill Street Blues shows, which I loved.

 

SVU, by comparison, looks glossy and shallow, the leads don't have half the charisma that the L&O crew did.  It's like comparing a regular printed book with a graphic novel, or something... it's personal taste, but I will never choose a graphic novel.  Not to mention, the subject material of SVU is too grim for me.

 

Back to tv weather and news - one pet peeve of mine is when they tease the news program with, "Find out what the temperature is going to be tomorrow.  WIll it be hot?"  Drives me nuts.  I understand how to formulate a question about the weather, you doofus.  It's not like you have now made it suspenseful for me.  I change the channel automatically, in favor for a channel that says, "We're in for a heat wave this week, tune in at 10 for more details."  That sounds more like honest reporting to me.  It's not as though the first channel got an exclusive interview with the sun, for goodness' sakes.  Calm down and get your reporters to do some investigative journalism instead, news station promotion people.

Edited April 5, 2015 by ToxicUnicorn

[Sandman]

You've got to admit, Chris Meloni has done pretty well for a guy who only has that one facial expression.