Author: John Paulsen (Page 76 of 79)

TiVo trumps the networks

November 17, 2005 / John Paulsen

A couple of years ago, the pricks at NBC moved up the start time of “ER” to 9:59 (8:59 CT) causing TiVo subscribers who had “ER” and “CSI” on their season pass list to miss whatever show had a lower priority. Anyone who has tried to record both shows on the same TiVo knows what I’m talking about. The fix isn’t hard, but it’s not something I needed in my life.

Now, two years later, TiVo has finally provided Overlap Protection.

Get ’em both with Overlap Protection™: In the past, if two of your favorite shows overlapped by a minute or two, you could only record one or the other. Now, with Overlap Protection™, your TiVo® box can record both shows back-to-back by clipping just enough from the end of the first show or the beginning of the second show, based on which has the higher Season Pass priority in Season Pass Manager.

Maybe “pricks” is a harsh term for the fine folks over at NBC, but for the life of me, I can’t figure out why they would mess with the start times like this. Sure, they could be trying to increase carryover from the previous program, but I think ER has been the ratings leader on Thursday nights for NBC the last couple of years so that really doesn’t make sense. It’s just an inconvenience for the TiVo user.

Tonight, “Lost” was billed as an “extended episode.” I was expecting a 90-minute show and all I got was a measly four minutes. And I’m sure that this “extended episode” f’ed up more than a few recordings across the country.

It’s OK to kill people that are trying to kill you

November 15, 2005 / John Paulsen

Just watched this week’s “Prison Break,” and I have to say, Veronica Donovan may go down as the most inconsistently dumb TV character of the year. Last week, after creatively evading the feds’ wire tap, she logs on to her IM, giving away her location to Scary Bald Guy. This week, after being tied up by SBG, she manages to heat up her plastic restraints on the furnace, freeing herself in the process. She hits SBG with a chair and instead of killing him, she runs off to free her nephew and friend. Of course, when SBG wakes up, the chase continues. Here’s a rule that should be followed by TV characters henceforth: It’s OK to kill people that are trying to kill you. Even if they are unconscious, and you think they might kill you when they wake up. Just go ahead and finish them!

Prison Break, TV, TV Action, TV Dramas

For a psychic, she’s awfully dense

November 15, 2005 / John Paulsen

In last night’s “Medium,” super-psychic Allison Dubois has a dream about a girl in a sweatsuit, who will get knifed in her house by an unknown assailant. Then Allison enlists the help of Det. Scanlon to pay a visit to the guy who she suspects will do the crime. The guy sees Scanlon and runs into the street and gets hit by a car, ending up in the ICU. That night, Allison has a dream about the same girl, only this time she’s wearing normal clothes and talking about how “something bad happened” to a friend of hers and that she couldn’t make it to the gym. At the end of the dream, she still gets knifed in her home.

At this point in the show, I’m thinking the girl knows the suspect, but the suspect isn’t going to do the crime. Allison feels she has no way to track down the girl, even though the girl calls out her cat’s name a dozen times – can’t they search pet registration records for a name? Anyway, Allison feels so guilty about the guy in ICU that she goes to see him. Lo and behold, the girl from the dream is already there for a visit, wearing the same clothes from the second dream. Allison recognizes the girl but somehow fails to put it all together and lets the girl leave the hospital. It isn’t until a full minute later (when Det. Scanlan conveniently arrives) that she realizes that the girl will get stabbed tonight, and that they better get someone over to her place right quick.

Boy, Allison – you are dense.

TV, TV Dramas

“I did not know he existed until he didn’t.”

November 14, 2005 / John Paulsen

Caesar is starting to show his true colors. Seemingly honorable and evenhanded, he indirectly hires Titus to assassinate an enemy of his, ultimately forcing Lucius to save Titus from certain death in the Arena. I doubt Lucius will be able to go back to being a magistrate after his public display of affection for his friend, but anything can happen in Rome.

Things are also moving forward on the Brutus front. When graffiti depicting Brutus betraying Caesar appears throughout Rome, Caesar asks him to leave the city for a year to govern Macedonia. Brutus is insulted and vows to help Cassius do what is needed to remove Caesar from power. Anyone who paid attention in their high school English classes knows where this is heading.

Rome, TV, TV Action, TV Dramas

Hiding out? Stay off of IM

November 9, 2005 / John Paulsen

I just got over the fact that the Department of Corrections allows death row inmates to work unsupervised “PI” detail. Now “Prison Break” wants me to believe that an otherwise crafty Veronica is going to have her IM service up and running while she’s hiding out in a cabin in the woods. This is the same woman who had the foresight to give her nephew bogus directions (at the same time sending the correct directions via a text message) when she suspected that the Secret Service baddies were listening in on the conversation. Now she logs onto IM and gives away her location? Come on.