Posts filed under 'television'
We all love a good TV show, even Lateline’s Leigh Sales. So tonight when I saw that there was an interview on Lateline with Mad Men creator and producer Matthew Weiner (rhymes with diner), I almost jumped out of my seat. I know, Lateline right… I didn’t think so either!
In the interview Weiner discusses the 1950s and 60s, American culture, Tony Soprano, social subversion, sexism, the medium that is the television series and the dynamics between his “unknown” actors. Really interesting stuff.
If you missed out, you can catch up on ABC’s iView or check the Lateline site for today’s program (Friday 6th November).
6th November 2009
Simon
Really, I don’t have to tell you why. But I’ll give you a couple of reasons anyway. We’ve got Foxtel at work, which I watch on average once a week during a lunch break. Amongst a multitude of terrible American reality/drama/docos as well as the occasional bit of good comedy, there isn’t much on. And when there is, it sucks. For example, the other week when the Superbowl was on, the standard Foxtel package could only provide a 4:3 ratio and pretty low-quality standard definition. So we switched over to Ten HD: widescreen and high-def… and free. So now that Ten have started showing the NBA a couple of times a week (the screenshots are from the tuner on my computer) — and, with the announcement of their sports channel to officially arrive in late March — I can’t see why you’d fork out even $40 a month, let alone more for HD. Of course you need an HD tuner. But for around $100 for a one-off, it’s not bad.
Since ABC and SBS have three channels — including local, HD and ABC2/SBS News — and the Ten network has now at least three channels, let’s hope the others follow suit with new content. Of course, 7 and 9 each have a single HD channel and there is some controversy over ONE HD being a sports-only channel. But we’ll see what happens. I mean, I was going to name this post, Why TV sucks, but hopefully that’s about to change… and I didn’t even mention DVDs, web videos or torrents (whoops!). I’m just sick of (and confused by) those vague Freeview ads. By the looks of things, so are Kobe and LeBron.
15th February 2009
Simon
A brilliant resource for all things title sequencing:
All the classics are there, plus a few others. My favourite title sequence is pictured above. Found via New Work
8th July 2008
Simon
It’s the thirtieth of December (Merry Xmas by the way!) and there’s a lot that’s been happening in the news — Kevin Rudd has begun his leadership by focussing on improving education and the environment, David Hicks has been released, Pakistani politician Benazir Bhutto was recently assassinated and Australia is thumping developing nations in the cricket and the Hopman Cup — and yet all I can think about is the upcoming final season of the Baltimore, Maryland, USA-based HBO drama, The Wire. I suppose it’s been a year since a friend of mine (whose blog is now representin’ on the right of screen) introduced me to this TV series, and I haven’t looked back. In fact, if you’ve seen a better drama series — to quote a Tom Waits song — I swear to God you’d have to tell a lie.
BALTIMORE, Md.–
Crime is up.
The drug trade rules still rules the corners.
The next election consumes every politician.
And McNulty is drinking again.
A new day is not dawning.
So what’s it all about? Well, if you haven’t seen the first four seasons, you’ll just have to catch up. But, Season 5 is about the media, or to be more precise, the newspaper. And from what creator/producer David Simon and others had to say in The Last Word, this season raises issues about the media’s effect on society, the use of fear and fabrication in reporting, the diminishing voice of independent reporting with news conglomerates, the changing sources of news today with the development of the internet as well as the ‘real story’ on the streets. Plus all your favourites are back: McNulty, Bubs, Omar, Marlo et al. Man I can’t wait!
On a different note, enjoy your New Years Eve if you’re reading this before the new year. I’m heading up north to see the fireworks. Catch!
30th December 2007
Simon
[WARNING: The Following contains blatant advertising. But you're used to that... what, with the whole Simantic Mac Blog thing, right?]
Anyway, a couple of the guys who work in the same room I do created an awesome new Screening Room (the trailers section of the Madman site) which was officially launched yesterday. The Screening Room now has much higher resolution clips that download super quick. Check it out! It’s better than fried chicken… well, maybe not fried chicken, but it sure beats YouTube.
18th September 2007
Simon
No, I’m not upset with Diddy, José González or Diplo as the title may suggest, not even Rod Stewart. But I’m sure you understand the phrase, even if you haven’t heard the Machine Gun Fellatio song.
It might be that person on the bus in high school you hated, playing Korn so loud that even the passengers in the back four rows were likely to suffer severe long-term hearing loss. It might have been Triple M, playing Stairway and the Chili Peppers’ Otherside over and over and over like a monkey with a miniature symbol (before the days of their Nickelback and Gwen Stefani staple of course). Perhaps it’s all those arseholes who bought ‘your’ ticket to Tool or Bloc Party in the 30 minutes, only to sell it to a richer kid on eBay. Maybe it’s the crowd of knob-ends at the Big Day Out, pushing you while you’re trying to enjoy your favourite band. Maybe it’s the awkwardness of the pub rock band who has replaced the regular Bon Jovi [s]hit Living on a Prayer with your beloved Nine Inch Nails’ Closer. Maybe it’s just Kingsmill and his love of Ghostface Killah or Steve Jobs’ ability to get Wynton Marsalis or Kanye on stage when he wants. Or maybe it’s just that that stupid writer in the Green Guide and her parents now love Family Guy more than you do.
Not to say that I’m not guilty of it too. I’m sure that I’m guilty of having ’stolen’ a love of a band or a TV show from friends or family without their wholehearted approval. But it’s good to know that you’re not the only one who — given the chance — would still hang out with the Chili Peppers, even though their gigs are the Visa-sponsored ‘corporate events’ that Kiedis said he hated.
But to quote Colin Farrell’s line in Scrubs, “life’s too short to hold a grudge”. Because at the end of the day (insert some other cliché if you like), if you don’t like someone sharing the same interest you do, then you’ve probably underestimated them. If you think that a band has simply ’sold out’ when in fact they’re still doing the same thing just with a greater audience, maybe you’ve sold your taste. After all, it’s good to know that the love of your favourite creative types flows both ways, both at home and abroad.
I think Triple J director Richard Kingsmill said it best a couple of years ago when (despite the fact that he was) talking about Missy Higgins. Even though she’s been over-exposed on all the other stations, does that make less of her? Because when it comes down to it, it’s just about good music.
This post is dedicated to Chris. I won’t tell anyone else about The Wire 
22nd March 2007
Simon
