So excited for this!!!! Nice to see an excellent show doing well.
That's all.
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Revenge: A Villain's Journey
Revenge
is one of the television shows that I am seriously enthralled with, and I never
use the word “enthrall.” This show
follows Amanda Clark (Emily VanCamp) who has changed her identity to Emily
Thorne so that she may exact revenge on the people that framed her deceased
father for backing a terrorist attack.
The family that Emily is targeting is the Grayson’s. The Grayson’s consist of Victoria
(Madeleine Stowe), Conrad (Henry Czerny), Daniel (Joshua Bowman), and Charlotte
(Christa B. Allen). Victoria and
Conrad were the heads of the household and Daniel and Charlotte are their
children. Victoria and Conrad were
the masterminds behind Emily’s father’s imprisonment, and so Emily spends her
time taking down the people who ruined her life. She also takes down those who aided the agenda of the
Grayson’s.
The
ensemble cast is amazing and the acting is campy but stellar. It is great to watch a show that is
almost like a film noir. It is
incredible to be so conflicted for characters, but love them all at the same
time. The show is suspenseful and
action packed. And the villains
are certainly revengeful. All of
the characters are all suspicious of each other. But a lot of the fighting
happens though the secret and brilliant moves that no one can see coming.
VanCamp is amazing as the lead and Stowe certainly is on the same level. VanCamp came from playing sweet and
lovable characters, and is now a powerful and kick-ass female lead, which is
very cool to see.
This
show follows Emily who we sympathize with, but the things that she does are
truly horrible. Although she never
intends to kill or injure anyone, she does intend to ruin their reputation and ruin
the rest of their life so that they are forced to live a life just as horrible
as how luxurious they lives they received after helping the Grayson’s. Emily is the hero of this story but her
actions do seem to be villainous.
It seems as though if Emily is a villain, she still follows the journey
that a hero is taken on.
When
Emily/Amanda finds out that everything she thought about her father being a
criminal is a lie, this jump-starts her journey where she can choose to forgive
and forget or she can avenge her father against his wishes. Of course she chooses revenge, which
changes her life forever. She
trains for several years in combat and computer hacking, and as she arrives in
the Hamptons she starts to take down the people who took down her father. Emily’s horrible actions are so extreme
that from an opposite point of view, it appears to be villainous. But as we go throughout the episodes,
we see how all of the characters act in villainous ways. And if everyone is a villain, is anyone
a villain? Emily knows that she
has taken the low road, which a hero usually does not do, but her path of
revenge may be her final obstacle before she can finally complete her hero’s
journey, she just might not see it yet.
Dance Moms: Stupid and unbelievable, but more real than you think
Reality
television fans will probably know about the monster show that is “Dance
Moms.” This show has already
gained a massive following and has given birth to a spin off series “Dance
Moms: Miami.” The fact that the
show promised attention seeking, middle life crises experiencing mothers was
certainly a draw for many people.
Some would compare this show to “Toddlers and Tiaras” but I would
disagree. As the children in
“Dance Moms” actually have talent.
The children have more talent and ability in their elbow than their moms
have in their entire body. The
moms are also loud and immature, where as the children calm and articulate. The
mothers are certainly the most ridiculous in their behavior, but after all, the
show is titled “Dance Moms.”
The
show does still bring the controversy and debate about the treatment of
children as students. Many debate that the dance teacher, Abby Lee Miller, is
to harsh and brutal in her methods of teaching, but as you see from the
children’s ability, it certainly pays off. The only major concern that I have with Abby is her interaction
with the children’s mothers. The moms
are always fighting and yelling and screaming, it seems. And it is never good for a child to
witness there parents fighting as it can be traumatizing for them. The mothers say however, they only want
the best for their daughters. I
see many of the mothers really aren’t the stage moms that people presume them
to be, but are certainly not good social role models for their children. Sometimes I feel as though every week,
I only check in to watch the show to make sure the children are still OK.
This
show really makes a point of promoting the children in a professional manner,
as some of them have stated that they want to become dancers for a career. Abby talks about, blatantly, that
everyone must make good impressions, because having a career in entertainment
means that you must learn to bridge with others, so you will be able to build
your reputation and have connections that might enable you to receive a
noteworthy position in a well-known dance company or dancing in Hollywood or on
Broadway. Abby often says on the
show that these girls are being judged, not just when they dance but when they
walk in to the building, whenever the judges first see them. Every single thing they do matters: how
they look, how they speak, and of course their dancing ability. It does seem as though this is a lot of
pressure to put on a child, but to be able to dance well, it takes many hours
and discipline. It might be a lot
of work for the girls but it does seem to be that all of the girls love to
dance, and are more concerned with the crazy and insane antics of their
mothers.
Once Upon A Time: Once Upon A Podcast
Podcasts
are a very large part of the television watching experience if you are one that
watches television as much as I do, which is a lot. One particular podcast that has been very influential for my
television show experience is the Once Upon A Time Podcast. This podcast has really united fans of
the television show “Once Upon A Time.”
For those who don’t know what a podcast is, it is basically like a radio
show but on the Internet. On each
episode they talk about each episode that has aired that week. To me “Once Upon A Time” is a fabulous
show but I didn’t really have a lot of people to talk too about it, so it was
great to discover this show on itunes.
The Show is hosted by a Colleen and Jeff and they are very knowledgeable
of the Grimm fairytales of which the TV show is based off of and they offer great
commentary and theories. I love
how fans can connect and discuss on the forums at the podcast website and also
during the live shows that are recorded weekly, fans are able to interact while
the podcast is being recorded, which enables the listeners to interact with
Jeff and Colleen.
There
are so many podcasts for so many different shows, bu they are not just limited
to television shows. There are
also many for books and movies and any kind of topic that can have a fandom. It is truly amazing the number of
different podcasts there are. The great thing about these podcasts are that
they create a sort of public sphere where fans can come together to meet other
people with the same interests.
Fans are enabled to progress their interest in the topic of the podcast
and talk about it in more depth. I
have taken so much more from the Once Upon A Time TV show than I could have if
I wasn’t a part of this podcast community. It is really amazing who you can meet through the podcasts and
what you can learn as well.
The
important of podcasts are that they can unite fans all over the world. It also is great use of the Internet to
promote the show or whatever the podcast is used to talk about. It is an incredible way to promote a
show because viewers/listeners don’t even have to read anything, they can just
listen to it when they are driving, running, or working. People don’t have to go that much out
of their way. Podcasts are
downloadable for free on the Internet and even on big sites like itunes. Podcast a big contributor to the Public
Sphere because a podcast can be about anything a person wants to talk
about. It can be about politics to
just talking about random things.
It is a great way to connect with others with the same interest and is
really a great way to learn more about your favorite television show.
Scandal: Gladiators in Suits
Scandal
is ABC’s newest and campiest drama.
I would compare Scandal with the likes of Revenge and The Good
Wife. The main character, portrayed
by Kerry Washington, is straightforward and confident, but still has her
weaknesses. She refers to her team
as gladiators in suits. In the first episode viewers are able to see Olivia
Pope (Washington) and her teamwork to protect reputations other than their
own. Olivia’s job is to
protect the secrets of her clients from being exposed. Although her clients are not always
moral, it seems as though Olivia can see the true character of that person and
will agree to sign them as a client.
Olivia is the one who is sought after, because she is the best at what
she does. But no one is really
sure what exactly it is that she does.
She is the combination of a publicist and a lawyer. In the first episode she states that
she tries to make it a point to never actually enter into a courtroom. She gets her clients free from any sort
of legal or publicity trouble that they are in before it makes head lines.
Scandal
is very exciting and suspenseful and every commercial break is time that you
are wishing that you could get back to the episode. This is a very good show to watch if you love crime drama
procedurals but you are a little sick of the time always spent in the
courtroom. This television takes
you on a rollercoaster mystery, where you must follow Olivia Pope’s team as
they race the clock to put together alibis or seek and hide the truth. Olivia has many connections that she
has made because of her stellar work. But one connection that she made in the
past may come back to haunt her for the entire season. She has many bridges that she has made
through her work, but her lack of bonds with true and loyal friends will
certainly bring the conflict. And
the friends that she does have, have secrets that could drag her down.
This
show is so relevant right now because every aspect of the world currently is
filled with scandals and secrets.
There are so many scandals every year that ruin hardworking individual’s
reputations. The question that
this show brings up is if the secrets that people keep make them who they
are. It is important to remember
because the Internet, news and rumors travel quickly and Olivia’s job is to
prevent the media wildfire that can stem from her clients secrets being
revealed. Without the Internet
news had a harder time getting around the country, but it was also harder to
obtain information as well.
Presently, news and information shoots across screens in a matter of
seconds and any little rumor true or false will be used and once it is put out
into the world it can never be taken back, but Pope might be able to take it
back. Olivia Pope will undoubtedly
prevent more scandals in future episodes, but will certainly make some of her
own.
Books or Movies that I would watch if they were adapted (well) into TV SHOWS:
Harry Potter
Lord of The Rings
The Hunger Games
Indiana Jones
Scream
The Magic Tree House
Malazan Book of the Fallen
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
The CW Slump
When people think of the CW they think of
melodramatic teen dramas that seeming plague teenagers ability to appreciate
quality television. The CW has
ratings that would make any advertiser run screaming the other way, but why
can’ the CW get decent ratings above 3 million. The highest ratings score for the dismal network average
around 2.3 to 2.5 in millions. In
comparison the Fox Network gets rating around 20 million. Most would say the CW gets these
depressingly low ratings because it’s programming is the worst. I used to agree but I have recently
changed my mind.
The CW is a new network and the ratings
that it gets are not related to the quality of the programming. The fact that
all of the other networks have been around for so long indicates that they have
been able to establish a larger audience.
The fact that it used to be the WB network with Warner Brothers an then
merged with CBS to become the CW probably did not help much. There was confusion
of the name of the network, which made the current shows lose viewers. Even
though I would’ve though that The CW’s affiliation with CBS would have helped,
it did not really have an effect. The
WB and changed to The CW and many did not make that connection and thought that
it was a whole new network.
All of the CW shows rating's would guarantee a cancellation if it were on any other network. So does this mean that The CW television shows stupid and
low quality? That is a matter of opinion. I don’t think that it can be
determined for sure, but many “elite” and “sophisticated” television viewers
would argue yes. The shows “The
Secret Circle” and “The Vampire Diaries” are looked at as only playing off of
the “Twilight” and “Harry Potter” type of hype that are presently around
teens. I do believe that this is
true, but I still think the creativity that goes behind each script uses just
as much originality and imagination as a CBS crime procedural or one of ABC’s
comedies. Whatever genre you think
is better depends on you’re interests.
Maybe you only like Comedies.
Maybe you only like Dramas.
Maybe even, you only like Reality Shows. Judging by what you like and dislike is not always an
accurate interpretation of is what is a high or low quality show. I know that some shows that I like are
not necessarily “quality” programming but that does not mean that I don’t think
that they are entertaining. You
have to be very careful about how you define a good and bad Television show, or
any aspect of entertainment, because at the end of the day it’s not supposed to
be anything else but entertainment.
And if people were to look closer at what The CW has to offer, I think
they would see some shows that they would find entertaining.
The CW is known for it's overly dramatic but always playing programing.
The Emmy Award winning “American Horror Story” is just as
ridiculous as “Supernatural.” Critically acclaimed show “The Walking Dead” have disturbingly melodramatic situations similar to that of the drama series “90210.” Don’t get me wrong, I love “American
Horror Story” and “The Walking Dead,” but the styles in television stories can
be similar in a lot of ways. The writing of The CW’s programming is often
looked at as being poorly written and overly dramatic; and people assume that
is the reason that the ratings are so low. “Pretty Little Liars,” the hit show of ABC Family is written
in the same style as many of The CW’s teen dramas. Clearly the writing quality or the premises of the shows are
what is bringing The CW Network down.
I believe that what is keeping The CW does, is promotion. Promotion and exposure are very
important for any Television network, because that is how it gains advertisers,
thus funding for there shows. The
CW seems to be realizing that extra advertisement is the best way to stay
alive. The have begun to gain fans
through Facebook and Internet competitions. Teenagers and early twenties is definitely the network’s
target demographic. Because the
younger generation is using all of these social networking sites and is so
exposed to Internet media and advertisement of all kinds, it makes sense that
they should use these tools as major efforts to increase their viewing
audience. Exposure and promotion
is The CW’s biggest problem that is causing it’s low ratings, not the quality
of it’s shows. It is on the right
track by using the Internet to draw in it’s target demographic to get the
ratings it wants.
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