Friday, October 9, 2020

fall 2018 TV season (Part 2)

Sept. 26, 2020 Fall 2018 TV season (Part 2): I am excited for some of the Fall 2020 TV shows.  I have to mitigate my excitement by writing about my old pilots I watched.

Magnum P.I: 

"An ex-Navy SEAL returns from Afghanistan and uses his military skills to become a private investigator in Hawaii."

Pros:

1. There is a good opening of an astronaut skydiving.  Magnum has to save a family.  There is a car chase in the forest and the military is chasing the good guys and shooting at them,

The good guys are flying above in the helicopter.  There is a huge explosion.

2. The cast:

Jay Hernandez as Thomas Magnum.  He is solid in this role.  I have seen him here and there for years ever since he was on the TNBC sitcom Hang Time.  This was from 1995-2000.  I remember watching the show when I was in jr. high school like 1997-2000.

Did you know Anthony Anderson was on that sitcom too?  I remember him in that now.  

Perditta Weeks is the British woman Juliett who is the caretaker of the estate.  She shows her intelligence and fighting skills.

Zachary Knighton as Rick and Stephen Hill as TC who are Magnum's friends round out the cast.

3. Ethnic diversity.

4. They shoot in Hawaii and the place is beautiful with the beaches and oceans.  They also drive cool cars.

5. The action with the shootouts, car chases, and fight scenes.

There was a scene where Magnum jumps on the helicopter from his car.

6. The writing is good with one of their friends getting kidnapped.  There is drama, conflict and tension.

I was surprised a few times.  Spoiler alert:

I was surprised that Juliette can fight.

I was surprised that the friend who was kidnapped dies.

Cons: None.

Comparisons:

A character dies and the lead character avenges his or her death: This happens a lot in action TV shows and movies like the movie The Rhythm Section

My opinion: The pilot was good and then I never watched it again.  I also noticed that they played a commercial to travel to Hawaii.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7942796/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_3

New Amsterdam: 

"A new medical director breaks the rules to heal the system at America's oldest public hospital."

Pros:

1. The lead character Dr. Max Goodwin (Ryan Eggold) is very likeable, inspirational, and he wants to change the hospital and help people.  He is kind of funny.  He has worked a lot from The Blacklist, and The Blacklist: Redemption.

Max's sister died in the hospital.

Tyler Labine as Dr. Iggy Frome, a psychologist.  He is a Canadian actor from the teen sitcom Breaker High.

2. Ethnic diversity.

4. There is good writing with a teen girl Gemma who moves from foster home to foster home.  Iggy finds her a home by giving Gemma's foster mom's daughter, Gemma's journal.  The journal has lots written about the foster mom.

Iggy: What do you want to happen?

My opinion: I like that line.

A Liberia teen boy is infected with something and is put into quarantine.

I learned about medicine.

5. There was good dialogue like Dr. Floyd Reynolds (Jocko Sims) why he decided to stop dating this woman because she's white.  He is black and he goes on about saying:

Floyd: I imagine marrying a black woman and having black kids.  When my mom and sisters seeing some black sports star marrying a white woman, they feel betrayed.

This is about race and it was controversial.

My opinion: 

Pro: This is his decision on who he wants to date, marry, and have kids with.

Con: So you're going to stop dating a woman who you like, and she likes you, and you get along because of something she can't control like her race? 

I disagree with his choice, but that's his life.

My opinion: The pilot was good, and then I never watched it again.  I don't really like medical dramas.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7817340/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0

I Feel Bad:

"Perfect mom, wife, daughter, friend, and boss Emet is learning to be OK with being imperfect."

Pros:

1. The lead actress Sarayu Blue as Emet is good as she deals with:

-being a good parent

-dealing with her conservative East Indian parents

-being the only woman in a male workplace

Paul Adelstein plays her husband David.  He was on Prison Break season 1.

Madhur Jaffrey and Brian George as Emet's conservative East Indian parents are funny.

The male co-workers are kind of funny.

2. The writing was light, fun, and funny.  It wasn't offensive.

3. Ethnic diversity.

Cons: None.

My opinion: The pilot was average and then I never watched it again.  The show got cancelled after one season.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7979042/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1

Sept. 27, 2020 Legacies: I watched The Vampire Diaries.  They had the spin-off The Originals, but I never got to watch it because it was on the CW and I didn't have that channel at the time.  Now there is another spin-off:

"Hope Mikaelson, a tribrid daughter of a Vampire/Werewolf hybrid, makes her way in the world."

Pros:

1. This a good show idea of a supernatural boarding school for vampires and werewolves.

2. The cast:

The principal Alaric (Matthew Davis) from the original show is on.

Alaric's daughters Lizzie (Jenny Boyd) and Josie (Kaylee Bryant).

Danielle Rose Russell as Hope.

3. The dialogue was kind of expository, but I thought it was fine.

4. There are good special effects like a werewolf transforming.

5. Ethnic diversity.

Cons: None.

Comparisons:

A school for people with special powers: X-Men and Harry Potter

My opinion: The pilot was average and then I never watched it again.  I didn't really like it.  I felt like I was too old for it.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8103070/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0

Channel Zero: Dream Door: Channel Zero is a horror anthology series.  I saw seasons 1 and 2.  This is season 4.  Each season has 6 episodes and it covers 1 story.

Pros:

1. There is a good show idea where a newlywed couple find this mysterious door in their basement.  There's a mystery as they try to open it and where it leads to.

2. The cast:

Maria Sten as Jill.

Brandon Scott as Jill's husband Tom.

Steven Robertson as the next door neighbor Ian.

Troy James as Pretzel Jack.

3. The writing was good with a lot of drama, conflict, and tension.  This was about Jill and Brandon's marriage.

This was also about Jill and her dad leaving her to be with another family.

Ian and who he really is and why and how he knows Jill.

4. This is very scary.  In the pilot there was a scary and violent ending.

5. Ethnic diversity.

Cons: None.

Comparsions: 

A psychopath gets close to a common person: This has been done in a lot of TV and movies.  More specifically TV movies.

A character who has an imagination that becomes real:

Frankenstein

The Velveteen Rabbit: This is a children's book about a toy rabbit that is loved so much, he becomes real.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Velveteen_Rabbit

My opinion: I like the series.  I don't have a favorite season/ story.  I'm not really a fan of horror, but there is good writing here.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4820370/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4820370/episodes?season=4&ref_=tt_eps_sn_4

Oct. 9, 2020 Fall 2020 TV season: Due to the COVID- 19 pandemic, there aren't as many TV shows this fall.  In the fall, I usually check out 10-12 pilots (mainly dramas).  This fall, there are 4 dramas.


NEXT: I saw the pilot.  This was smart and well-written.  However, there wasn't a lot of action like fight scenes.  I will record the series and watch it all in a week.   (There are 10 eps).



Devils: The pilot was average.  This wasn't an action- drama.  I will record the series and maybe watch it all in a week.  (There are 10 eps).

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7939218/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_2

Departure: The pilot was average.  This wasn't an action- drama.  I will record the series and watch it all in a week. (There are 6 eps).

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9252156/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0

Big Sky: This show will come out in Nov.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11794642/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1

Returning shows: Also there aren't as many returning TV shows this fall.  

LA's Finest: This was on CTV last fall.  The 2nd season comes out on CTV on Sun. Oct. 18.  I find this show to be average.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7555294/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0

This is Us: 

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5555260/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0

A Million Little Things:

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7608248/episodes?season=3&ref_=tt_eps_sn_3


This week's theme is about TV:

"The Doctor is in, but his companion is out" (Dr. Who)/ "Orphan Black tries to end smartly"

http://badcb.blogspot.com/2017/06/tv-articles-dr-who-post.html

"Heartland's stars happy their show is 'comfort food'"/ "Canadian creators say business brisk in the streaming area"

http://badcb.blogspot.com/2019/12/tv-articles-heartland.html


My week: 

Oct. 3, 2020 Autumn: 2 days ago, the weather was warm enough for me to sit outside for 2 hrs.

Today I also sat outside for 2hrs with my tablet.

In the mornings, I usually exercise by walking in my front and back yards for 15 min. while listening to these life/ business coaches' videos on Facebook.  In the afternoon, I then walk another 15 min.

Las Vegas trip plan: Yesterday I did some research on this.  I put in 3 hrs.  I will show you my research on my blog posts.  I have always wanted to go there since like 2006 (when I was 20 yrs old).  This place seems fun.  In 2018, I started to work on getting my passport.  I did a little research like how much it would cost by calling a travel company.

In 2019, I got my passport.  However, last year and this year I didn't do any research.  In 2019, I was busy looking for a job, applying for jobs, etc.  The main goal was to get a job.

In 2020, I was mainly looking for a work from home job.

My boss's Las Vegas trip: Last year, and coincidentally when my 2nd restaurant job closed for a week for maintenance, my boss went to Las Vegas.  The maintenance was given a week notice.  She planned her vacation way before that.  She told me all about the shopping and stores she went to. 


Kadidja Yansane: The free online event series is called "Manifest Clients Now: Amplify your Confidence and Get Fully Booked in Any Economy": I signed up for this free online event series.  If you go to my Facebook page, I'm always posting self- development videos from life and business coaches.  I signed up for this because of Jen Mazer.  

Over the weekend, I binge- listened to most of these videos.  Here's a sample:


“Manifesting Made Easy”


Jen Mazer is the “Queen of Manifestation.” She’s always been able to dream up outrageous adventures and actually live them out—from rubbing elbows at a small private cocktail party hosted by Martin Scorsese, to living rent-free in the East Village of Manhattan for 10 years, to paying off over $38,000 of debt in less than a year, having her artwork published in the New York Times, traveling the world, meeting the man of her dreams (a successful rock star), giving birth at home to a beautiful 8 year old daughter, with a little boy on the way.

Jen is a sought-after transformational speaker and coach. She teaches people how to manifest their biggest dreams while making an impact on the world. She is known for her signature Manifestation Masters Program and Private Success Coaching.

Free Gift: Manifestation Meditation


Oct. 8, 2020 "CBC to lay off dozens of journalists and management across multiple divisions":

CBC is planning to shed more than 60 jobs across multiple divisions, including its news division, the National Post has learned.

In an email sent to staff, Barb Williams, the executive vice-president of CBC English Services, said 40 employees affiliated with the Canadian Media Guild in five locations across the country will be let go, with most of them in Toronto.

Williams said in her note to staff the CBC faces a $21 million deficit each fiscal year, and the current environment necessitated “adjustments to our business and in turn, those adjustments will have an impact on our workforce.”

CBC said the cuts were not related to the pandemic, although it has exacerbated the financial pressures of declining advertising and subscription revenues for the public broadcaster and other media organizations.

According to its financial statements, the crown corporation received more than $1.2 billion from the federal government in funding in 2019 and employed some 7,400 people across its divisions.



My opinion: I'm posting this because it's about Canadian TV production which I'm interested in.  There are lots of negative comments criticizing the CBC.


Netflix Canada increase prices:

TORONTO -- Netflix Canada is increasing some of its prices again.

The streaming giant says the basic plan for subscribers remains unchanged at $9.99 a month, but the standard monthly plan is going up by one dollar to $14.99, and the premium by two dollars to $18.99.




Oct. 9, 2020 Former prime minister Stephen Harper's eldest son working for Premier Jason Kenney:

EDMONTON — Former prime minister Stephen Harper’s eldest son is following in his father’s footsteps by getting involved in politics.

Ben Harper, who is 24, has landed a job as an aide in Alberta Premier Jason Kenney’s office.

Harper has been working at the legislature since June, bouncing around several ministries.

But now the government’s official staff directory says he is a policy advisor in the office of the premier.

Kenney was a cabinet minister in Stephen Harper’s Conservative government.

The former prime minister is in Calgary, where he runs a business consultancy company. (660 News)

https://nationalpost.com/pmn/news-pmn/canada-news-pmn/former-prime-minister-stephen-harpers-eldest-son-working-for-premier-jason-kenney

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