Recently in TV Category

We’ve been catching an ad for a new show called In Plain Sight on the USA Network. Its website has the ad and the show has a prominent spot on the network's main page. We started seeing this ad in January and have been looking for the show on TiVo ever since. It looks like fun. They offered us no date or time for the premier ... until yesterday. My DVR has about two weeks of programming available for us to see. It's nowhere to be found because this show premiers in June. Six months of buildup? That show better work.

I’m really not much of a basketball fan but this first weekend, particularly the first two days of March Madness, are about as exciting as anything in sports. Live underdogs abound.

The Eagle That is Forgotten. Just lovely. Thanks, Marie.

Quote of the Day

Sleep softly … eagle forgotten … under the stone
Time has its way with you there, and the clay has its own

Vachel Lindsay, The Eagle That Is Forgotten

Blog of the day via Marie is here.

Quote from said blog: "The Vachel Lindsay Home State Historic Site, administered by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, is the birthplace and longtime residence of poet, author and artist Nicholas Vachel Lindsay, 1879 - 1931."

Happy Mardi Gras

For those going, be safe.

I’ve been delaying writing about Chuck since it premiered mainly because I didn't think it would last. My friend, Cullen, did it a few months ago but he doesn't have the power I have when it comes to the networks canceling shows that I like. Ask Firefly, Sports Night, and The Black Donnellys. 60-minute sitcoms are rare these days. High-quality 60-minute sitcoms are almost non-existent. Moonlighting was the last show to try. Zachary Levi, who plays the title character, comes to Chuck mostly unknown much like Bruce Willis came to Moonlighting. The show revolves around his character and the writers have done a marvelous job of informing the audience about who he is and why he does what he does. If this show survives, it will be because of him. I hope it does. Chuck is the best show on network television right now. It is funny and warm and worth your time. It's on NBC and you can watch back episodes online if you like but I suspect reruns are forthcoming soon if the writer's strike doesn't end.

I’ll not be in the Mardi Gras crowds in New Orleans today. Haven’t done that in many years. Mardi Gras has become just a day off for me. Some garden work was planned but a backache is putting that on hold until the weekend.

Quote of the Day

This show is victory.

Cullen, Half a Pica Distance

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "When we came up with the name for the character, there were no other "Chucks" out there; it felt like an everyman name and Chuck is an everyman and that kind of character is ubiquitious in the culture now so that's reflective of that and probably why you're seeing a lot of "Chucks.""

This is a temporary url. CrabAppleLane Blog will be at http://www.crabapplelane.net/roblog as soon as I can make the transition.

I watched Fox's K-Ville last night. I may give it one more go but I already have issues with it. I may be overly sensitive to its premise. Ostensibly, it is supposed to be a series about the post-Katrina New Orleans Police Department. One of the stars plays a cop who drinks on duty in public and tortures witnesses/suspects. He lives in New Orleans and is rebuilding his home in the 9th ward. His partner abandoned him during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and now wants forgiveness and his job/life back. The other star plays a former criminal, with just small stuff like armed robbery on his sheet, who is now the drinking-on-duty cop's new partner. He told everyone he was from Cincinnati but it turns out he's really from New Orleans East. If you can get past that good bit of ridiculousness, there's still more. The first episode dealt with a force unknown keeping the violent crime rate up and in the news so that former residents wouldn't want to come back and rebuild. The force unknown is advancing that agenda by buying up the properties of those fearful residents. As entertainment, the first installment was a little too melodramatic to suit me but that was just one show. Maybe the next one will be better. For what it's worth, there really isn't that much intrigue in New Orleans. Most, probably 95%, of the violent crime in New Orleans and most major cities is drug-related, turf-related because of the drugs, or retaliation having to do with the drug-related and turf-related. If it was supposed to be a snapshot into New Orleans culture, the first episode failed miserably. I like seeing some of the familiar landmarks, though.

Quote of the Day

And, of course, there is a visit to a voodoo shop.

Dave Walker, The Times Picayune

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "I went to the cashier. "Whoa! You got a lotta tuna, buster!" Yes. Yes, I do. I felt the tremors coming. I was actually buying close to three hundred dollars of canned tuna. For my parents, who live by themselves in Idaho, and who I guess are joining a militia."

I watched Dark Shadows as a kid. I only remember a handful of the characters. Barnabus Collins and Quentin come to mind. Seeing an episode as an adult many years after it first aired dimmed my fascination somewhat. It was campy and more than a little dreadful. A movie might be fun, though. Charlotte gets my vote as casting director.

Congratulations to Nightfly and Ladybug.

30 days until football season ...

Quote of the Day

City nights
Summer breeze make you feel all right
Neon lights
Shining brightly make your brain ignite

Aldo Nova, Fantasy

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "If you're really desperate to make people think you're rich, you can now buy fake ATM receipts that suggest wealth."

I watched the critically-acclaimed Northfork the other night. For me, movies don’t have to be too neat. They don’t have to explain everything. They can be offbeat and quirky. In fact, I usually like offbeat and quirky. Unfortunately, I could not connect with this one. There were some funny moments but some of it really put me off. The acting and the cinematography was flawless and the Montana scenery was just simply magnificent. I put this one in the artsy fartsy column and don't mind that it sailed over my head. If I missed something, it will just have to stay missed. I suppose my movie tastes aren't as eclectic as I thought.

Having watched Serenity a few weeks ago, I decided to see what the fuss of the original Firefly series was about. Joss Whedon is the creator and driving force behind it. He also created Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Unfortunately, he and Fox had a classic artist vs bean counter battle and that was its undoing. Firefly is being broadcast by Universal HD in high-definition on Saturday nights. What must have been the pilot was aired last night and I recorded it. After one episode, I can say with certainty that I'm hooked on this adventure. The series is sort of a sci-fi western and it looks great in HD. The movie left the western part out of it. This is super entertainment and petty Fox blew it big time when they canceled it before it had a chance to gain a wider audience.

The lawn mower was long, long overdue for an oil change. I couldn't find the tool I thought I needed to unscrew the drain plug. After a futile 30-minute search, I decided to dump all of my tools out onto my garage floor and put them back in some organized manner. That took another hour in the sweltering Bush heat and humidity. I removed some of the duplicates, that were bought when I couldn't find the originals, because I found the originals this time and I threw some junk away but I never did find the tool I was looking for. On the bright side, I finally remembered which tool I did need and it was easier to find now that the tools are a little more organized. No need to wonder what happened to the other one. I'll find it after I buy a duplicate.

I offer one from the backyard and one from the front this CrabAppleLane Sunday.

CrabAppleLane Crepe Myrtles - July 29, 2007

CrabAppleLane Backyard - July 29, 2007

Quote of the Day

This country is divided into two types of people. Ford People and Chevy People.

Marvin, Northfork

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "Whedonesque: Joss The Way We Like It. The Joss Whedon weblog"

About today's QOTD: It's from the last song on the last episode of Six Feet Under. I've been thinking about it the last few days because of the raves Journey's Don't Stop Believing received as the last song from the last episode of The Sopranos. They're both great songs. As for endings, there is no comparison. Six Feet Under got it right. The Sopranos didn't.

I’m looking for guest blogger volunteers for the week of July 9-14, 2007. If you’ve never blogged before, here’s your chance to see what it is all about. If you use different blogging software, here’s your chance to see what the latest Movable Type version does. If you already blog, here’s a chance to do something different and shamelessly plug your own blog to maybe some different readers. If you’re interested, leave a comment. I’ll be around to lend technical support for anyone who wants or needs it.

65 days until football season ...

Quote of the Day

Help, I have done it again
I have been here many times before
Hurt myself again today
And, the worst part is there's no-one else to blame

Sia, Breathe Me

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "What do you get when you put 100 bloggers in a room full of free food?"

If you haven't watched The Sopranos this week but intend to, go away now and come back after you've seen it. Well, The Sopranos is over unless there is a movie in the works. I kinda doubt that. If there really were two other endings shot, I think I would have preferred one of them ... EITHER ONE. First off, they got some very unlikely help from Phil's crew and the FBI. I found that a little pleasing and displeasing at the same time. I liked that they got him but I don't think it would have been that easy. Throughout the show, Tony and Paulie showed up at the usual places where Phil's people would have been looking for them. Nothing happened but the tension was mounting. Finally, creator/producer/director/writer David Chase tantalized us with tension in a diner building up to a big ending in the final scenes and then pulled the rug out from under us. I feel cheated. There are some who are saying this was an appropriate way to end, that this is Tony Soprano's life and always has been. He has so many enemies that every opening door is a threat. Maybe so but we deserved a conclusion. We deserved answers, not questions. I'm disappointed.

87 days until football season ...

Quote of the Day

After eight years and six seasons, HBO's landmark Mob saga The Sopranos didn't so much end as stop.

Robert Bianco, USA TODAY

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "Alan Sepinwall writes that series creator David Chase threw one final curveball at his audience that fit perfectly with everything done on this show before."

I wonder how The Sopranos will end. No spoiler alerts necessary today. I have no inside information, no special insight, no connection to the actors. It's been a good series and Sunday's episode has me worrying about a gangster/murderer more than I normally would. It doesn't look good for Tony and his New Jersey crew. Phil and the New York crew seem to have the upper hand. I wonder what happens now that everyone is in hiding. Who will find who first? Can't wait.

93 days until football season ...

Quote of the Day

Sometimes people come up to say, "I remember you from when I was small". That's when it hurts.

Mark Blumenthal, Operations Manager - Coney Island Amusement Park

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "The schedule is tough. They have road games at Indy and at Chicago. They play the Seahawks and improved 49ers. However, I like the direction the Saints are headed."

We watched the series finale of Gilmore Girls last night. We’ve been big fans of the show for some years but I think it was time for it to end. It was running out of steam quickly. Spoiler Alert: The last show and pretty much the whole final season wasn’t as memorable as the first few. That's not a knock because the bar was set pretty high by those great seasons. They tidied up a few things but left some uncertainty, too. The last shot had the camera draw back from Luke's Diner's picture window with Lorelei and Rory talking at a table inside. That's the show's signature shot and was quite appropriate. The way things were left was more bittersweet than happily ever after and I think that was also quite appropriate. They had a great run.

Quote of the Day

Lorelei,
Wanta make a Maury sandwich?

Babette, Gilmore Girls

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "“Announcing the final season of ‘Gilmore Girls’ is truly a sad moment for everyone at The CW and Warner Bros. Television. This series helped define a network and created a fantastic, storybook world featuring some of television’s most memorable, lovable characters."

The camera-shy Indigo Buntings are still around but they never quite accept me in their presence like the regular CrabAppleLane birds do. There were about an equal number of Buntings and Cardinals on the ground and feeders yesterday afternoon. Along with the Tufted Titmice (Titmouses?), Chickadees, Chipping Sparrows, Mourning Doves, and Red-Bellied Woodpeckers, there were 40-50 birds in view at all times through my back windows. It was a spectacular site. Would someday like to figure out how to photograph it.

If you haven’t seen last night’s episode of The Sopranos but intend to, skip over the next paragraph and the QOTD..

Spoiler alert: The last thing I expected in this final season was for Johnny Sack to die a quiet death in prison. These last two episodes are very strange. Last week, it was all Bobby and Janice. This week, there was no Bobby and Janice. And who's Doc Santoro?

Quote of the Day

You're my cousin, and I love you, Carmela, but I don't like what you're inferring here, either with the movie or how I treated Adriana.

Christopher Moltisanti, The Sopranos

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "It's time to state the obvious--The Food & Drug Administration (FDA) is chock full of a bunch of blithering idiots!"