Things 0f 2009

I will remember a lot from the year 2009.  I think one of the biggest things is the further development with the technology boom.  Think about technology now compared to 10 years ago.  I remembered in about 2003; I was excited about a new cell phone with a color screen!  That’s amazing to thing about, it only took about 6 years to go from a cell phone with a color screen; to a cell phone that tells you where a sushi restaurant is, watch movies and sporting events on your phone, send videos and pictures to friends, etc..  It is really crazy to be talking about technology in 2020.  What new stuff will there be that totally change the way we communicate?  What will video games be like?  The advancement of media and technology has changed more in the last 10 years than it has the last 100 years before that it seems like.  And the advancement will only increase dramatically, rather than decline.

            As for movies 2009, I’d say my favorite movie was I Love You, Man.  It was a funny comedy about two guys who fall into a “Bromance”(Very Touching).  I guess I didn’t really go to the movies that much in 2009; but I’d say my favorite movie I saw in the theater is Halloween 2.  The beginning was so intense, I love the way Rob Zombie makes movies.  Musically, I’d say that Blink 182 reuniting was my favorite memory.  They were my favorite band in middle school through high school, and after they broke up I thought I’d never be able to see them, but I was able to go see their Cincinnati show in the summer.

            I’m looking forward to see what happens in 2010, I hope there are a lot of good movies that will come out  It’s hard to believe that it is 2010, because I can remember it being 2000 like it was last year.

30 Rock-Secret Santa

The episode is centered around the Christmas gift exchange between employees at 30 Rock.  Liz and Jack don’t know what they should get each other, even though they’ve been co-workers for 4 years now.  The episode also spoofs modern social networking sites with YouFace.  YouFace is a FaceBook like site for working adults; and Lemon doesn’t know how to work any of, while the intern shows Jack around the site in about 10 seconds.  Jack is forced to set up a profile by the network execs at NBC, and little does he know Nancy Donovan, an old crush from his high school messages him.  Jack hasn’t seen Nancy in 25 years, so he’s anxious to see what she will be like.

Meanwhile, Kenneth is setting up the secret santa gift exchange.  The writers don’t want to do the gift exchange, and they fool Kenneth into believing that they are Verdukians.  Verdukians are a made up religion, and for some reason focus on eating meat.  Leave it to a group of TV writers to make up their own religion.  Jenna and Pete sing a duet together; and Pete sings off key on purpose to make Jenna feel better. 

Lemon first decides to get Jack a tie, however Jack knows what it is right away.  It is then that they decide to exchange gifts that don’t cost a thing, they vow to get each other creative gifts.  Jack goes out to eat with Nancy and they have a good time.  It is clear that Jack has a crush on Nancy, but Nancy is married, so it probably isn’t the best idea to get involved.  They next day, Jack gets Lemon her old high school playbill of the performance she was in, a bit of a sentimental gift.  He didn’t pay any money because he made Kenneth drive around Pennsylvania, and didn’t reimburse him for gas.  Nancy shows up at the office because her train was canceled.  Lemon called in a bomb threat to Penn Station, to reunite Nancy and Jack one more time; this time a kiss is given between the two.  Later on that day, police show up at the office and arrest the writers because they were suspected of the bomb threat.  Kenneth again has his faith in God and humanity, and the 30 Rock employees have a wonderful holidays.

30 Rock- The Problem Solvers

30 Rock season 4: episode; “The Problem Solvers”

The episode is centered around Jack and Liz’s business relationship.  While they are great friends and colleagues, they hit a snag in their business ties when they plan to launch the new show “Dealbreakers”.  Dealbreakers was something that Liz had wrote, and since she thinks Jack is low-bidding her on the new show; Tracy and Jenna give her advice and tell her to go elsewhere.  Meanwhile, a new actor is introduced to the Tracy Jordan show named Jack as well; but the original Jack changes his name to Danny.  Danny is Canadian and has trouble saying his “abouts” in the American accent.

      When Liz takes her business elsewhere; she meets with a young agent named Simon.  Simon originally was an agent for famous dogs, but has decided to take the next step and manage human beings and monkeys.  While Lemon is searching around for offers on Dealbreakers, she returns to the studio only to find that Jack is making the show anyway because NBC owns the rights to the show.  It is a situation that is complicated, and I think that it mirrors the actual television industry.

      Other things going on in the episode; Kenneth doesn’t like the new guy Danny because he does everything for himself and doesn’t let the assistant help him.  However it is Kenneth who makes Danny realize that he is a true actor because he is mean to the assistants.  Other little things I like was the “Sports Shouting” show because I watch a lot of sports TV and that is really what it is like.  I also liked the joke on Jenna signing a 10 year contract with the Japanese karaoke company. 

      In the end; Liz and Jack decide that it is best for them to do business together.  They are the best of friends, and they feel that they can accomplish a lot more if they work as a team because that is what they are comfortable with and used to.  Everyone watching the episode knew that they would end up together again, Jack and Liz are the main characters of the show; there’s no way they would’ve been apart for multiple episodes.

30 Rock- The Problem Solvers

TV Without Pity

TV without pity is a great website for any aspiring critic. I find it very informative because you are able to accurately keep up with what’s going on in the television and movie industry.  The coolest thing I found is TWOP’s top 20 movies of the decade.  There were a few curveballs in the top 20; I didn’t’ think Memento was worthy of the overall top spot.  I did agree with Kill Bill at number 2 and Casino Royale.   The most entertaining part of the website was TWOP’s favorite reality shows.  I think Reality shows are proof that mankind is declining, but there are some very entertaining reality shows, even thought they are very trashy.  The top reality show of all time?  My answer; Rock of Love with Bret Michaels.  It has everything a reality show could want; drama, suspense, and a whole lot of Bret!!   I can see why they chose Survivor as the number one reality show; because it really set the bar and changed how networks schedule shows.  They realized that it is a whole lot cheaper to pay every day normal joe’s; rather than pay a set of actors and a production team.  The most informative part of the site is the pages that are dedicated to up and coming shows, because it lets you know the plot synopsis, and gives you reviews of the new shows.  I like this site because it is run by bloggers that are truly into television.  TWOP is a place to go when you need more information about a certain show or television genre.  I would recommend this site because it is a very modern way to enjoy television.

30 Rock-Stone Mountain

The Halloween episode of 30 Rock was a very enjoyable one.  What I came away with it is Jack and Liz's search to find the "real America".  On their way to Georgia they have a conversation about how everyone from New York is a bunch of slobs and how things are different in the pure American countryside.  They seem to think that New Yorkers are stuck up and somewhat corrupted, and don't appreciate the simple things out of life.  Jack goes to the comedy club and finds a ventriloquist and his doll to appear on the Tracy Jordan show.  When Liz finally goes to the comedy club; she is heckled a lot by the doll.  Jack then stands up for her, and they then realize that no one is good and wholesome anymore.  I thought it was a good observation on the show, because it does seem that way nowadays no matter where you are from.  So, in a sense; the search for real America is wasted, because it doesn't exist anymore.  A  funny situation was Tracy trying not to die because of the rule of 3.  It is usually known that celebrities die in pairs of 3, so Tracy feels that he will be the third and final celebrity to go.  I liked the Jimmy Fallon cameo; I never thought I'd see him go after someone with an ax.  Meanwhile, the writers want to befriend Jenna so they'll be able to go to the Halloween party of gay guys; only because that is where the girls party at as well.  Kind of an ironic twist in itself; but that is what makes 30 Rock so funny.

Old Job; New Idea

The summer before my senior year of High School, I worked as a lifeguard at a local Country Club.  It was probably the most fun I’ve ever had on the job, plus you got 15 minute breaks every hour for doing absolutely nothing.  It was at this job that I met some friends, as we would just sit and talk in the break room about anything and everything.  It was during these talks that we had the great “CD’s or MP3’s” debate one day.  “CD’s will always be around, because that’s what people buy and it sells the most”, I remember saying.  My friend Charlie responded “Yeah, but I think things will change one day, nothing like that will last forever”.  At the time I thought he was crazy, because that’s how I thought the music business worked; everyone bought CDs.  At this time, I still hadn’t bought an Ipod (it was still the first generation) so I guess I was out of the technological loop.  After that summer I got my first Ipod; but I would still buy CDs and simply rip them to the Ipod, until Christmas rolled around.  I remember getting an Itunes gift card for 50 dollars, and using it all the day after.  I was blown away by how simple and convenient it was to just sit back and wait for the download, and after just a few minutes you were able to listen to the whole album.  I then realized that everyone wanted MP3’s for that very reason; convenience.  Slowly but surely, CD sales dropped and dropped while Itunes sales were at an all time high.  The music industry was changing, and I was blind to realize that fact.  It is kind of a weird story, but I think that is when it all changed for me.  In the last 10 years, the music industry has changed drastically, and big record companies are losing money all day, every day.  The internet has really changed the way people do everything, because it has brought convergence to everything.  Before; a person might have a TV, VCR, Radio, and Video Game system, but now a person has all of that in the palm of their hand.  All you need is internet access, and you can communicate with the world in an instant.  People are able to watch a full movie on their Iphones; instead of going to the movies.  A.O. Scott argues that this might not be the correct way to view a “film”, but in the end it is all about the business; and if people are paying to view it on their Iphones, I doubt the movie companies care one bit.  At the end of the article Scott quotes; “maybe cinema is dead, but it’s a wonderful afterlife”.  I feel that this is a true statement, because people seem to like getting their entertainment in the palm of their hand.  The movie theater has its benefits, however convenience and convergence seem to be major players in the future of media and entertainment

30 Rock Episode- Dec. 3

I am a first time watcher of 30 Rock.  I enjoyed the episode, but if I had to rate it; I would give it a 6 out of 10.  It is a good show, but some of the parts left me uninterested.  At the very end when Liz Lemon cries through her mouth, it just looked really weird and creepy.  The part I enjoyed the most is when she is seen through the HD cameras while rehearsing her shows.  That is probably a commentary by the actors themselves about how they look on an HD camera.  An HD camera is probably a TV actors worst friend.  I love the concept/setting of the show, as it is a show about making other television shows.  The Saturday Night Live connections are helpful for the show, because many viewers can relate to the actors they've seen before.  I noticed during the credits that Lorne Michaels is the executive producer, probably a reason why the show is so successful as the headliner show in NBC's Thursday night comedy line up.  I enjoyed Tracy Morgan's character and his sub-plot on the show.  Who else would have to win an EGOT to convince their wife to have a baby daughter; it just seems kind of ridiculous and off the wall, but funny at the same time because it is so ridiculous.  I think the show has so much success because the plot is able to maintain so many characters at once with each character having their own story.  It is probably to write the show from week to week because of this reason.  Thursday night was my first time seeing the show, but I will have to watch it again because I thought it was very entertaining and witty.