Television programmes [2]

Oh yeah. Groovy baby!

bungobaggins wrote:Yeah I see the MTV logo and I don't even want to watch the video.

To be fair, it's not like Snooki makes a cameo appearance or anything. I think this is kinda uncharted waters for MTV. At least they seem to have given it a pretty decent budget. But I don't really hold out much hope, both because of what little I know of the source material and because it's such a blatant attempt at cashing in on GOT.

Meet The Magical Characters Of MTV’s New Series ‘The Shannara Chronicles’
Get to know everyone who is going from Terry Brooks' books to the small screen.

http://www.mtv.com/news/2125668/shannara-characters-roundup/

Its got John Rhys-Davies in it and the guy who played Azog.

Shannara? MTV? Wow.

I do feel the general view of fantasy as a genre you guys seem to share is a bit unfair. I do agree there is a lot of generic fantasy, and, yes, only the really good ones seem to make a real impression on me. But you could say that about just about anything. Good examples of fantasy shouldn't be marred by generic works in the same genre. By that standard you could decry the quality of any work of fiction simply by association. Has there been a general lack of originality in fantasy as a genre? Yes, certainly. Are there still great original fantasy works? Yes, certainly. So, don't dismiss the genre. Rather find the good original examples of it. That would be my suggestion anyway. Like George RR Martin, who's writing is both a distinct departure from the Tolkien tradition and, in my opinion, out of the ordinary good. Is Terry Brooks a good and original example of fantasy writing? Ah.. I don't know. Particularily with regards to originality his writing is said to be a bit derivative of Tolkien's. I think I read at least part of the Shannara series a long time ago. Not that I remember all that much of it. It didn't impress me in the way Wheel of Time did, certainly. But I think I remember it having a bit of a nerve. So, I'll keep an eye out for the tv adaptation. Although, MTV and all, I'm not sure I'll have all that high expectations. I'm not sure American networks and me share the same sensibilities when it comes to telling these kind of stories. I just hope they don't expect it to reach Game of Thrones levels of popularity, because those kind of expectations was kind of what spelled an end to the fantasy movie genre. These longer series might lend themselves better to television than movie adaptations though, so I'm certainly interested in seeing the result. And would be of other fantasy works being adapted.

Actually, I just got through seeing another fantasy television adaptation in Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, which I really enjoyed. Not that I'm sure I'm in love with all the storytelling decisions, but as fantasy goes it's something very different, and on the whole I found it really intriguing. I also really love the BBC doing something like this. They do seem to bring some different sensibilities, ways of looking at things, to the table when adapting fantasy. So, really enjoyed that.

I too really enjoyed Strange and Norell, I also loved Cromwell earlier this year- good examples of what the BBC can do.

Love the Muppets, hope this is good.

Since Disney bought the Muppets they've been flexing their muscles with outstanding music videos. My worry about the new office format is they are passing on their strongest suit.

Actually I think the office style is a good style for them to use and parody.
If you think about it the muppets was a forerunner for the Office- it was as much about the behind the scenes stuff at the theatre, Kermit desperately trying to put the show on without it all ending in disaster. It always had a strong element of fly on the wall to it.

Season 1 was really good, minus Martin Freeman's awful Minnesota accent. This looks promising. Only a few months away.

oh cool.

I haven't been following most of Stephen Colbert's web updates during the gap between The Colbert Report and The Late Show, so I didn't heard about this until just now, but apparently about two months ago he guest-hosted a public access program in Michigan and it's amazing. Especially the interview with Eminem.



He's still got it.

OOoh I was just looking for something entertaining to watch before bed!

I recently signed up for HBO Now. Been watching Last Week Tonight, and Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Last Week Tonight is great. Previously I could only get my mom's HBO GO to work on my phone since it doesn't get along with Linux (some sort of unsupported DRM software that also killed Amazon Instant Video), but since getting my new computer I've been watching a bit more. Still have that massive backlog of HBO dramas that I'll try to tackle one day too.

Larry David, co-creator of Seinfeld, in Curb Your Enthusiasm. The real life George Costanza.

Highly entertaining way to spend 45 minutes- 8 out of 10 cats does countdown- basically the UK's longest running quiz show gets mashed with a comedy panel show.
Oh and Rachel Riley

has anyone watched 'River' that new cop show thingie on UK tv? it looks bizarre but interesting.

Not even heard of that one- any idea what channels its on? I can go check out their player.

BBC One and Scandawegian actor Stellan Skarsgard. nice.

Its on the BBCiplayer for the next 26 days- episode 1 that is.

I watched it Figgy ! I liked it !

I've been watching The West Wing a bit lately, which I haven't in a long time.

I understand why people find scenes like that cathartic, but the idea that the President could or would ever say something like that is a big part of the reason why I think The West Wing should be classified primarily as a fantasy. Plus, once you've seen a couple Sorkin-tastic monologues like that, they start to blend together and feel a little masturbatory.