television » Absurd Intellectual

The 100 greatest TV show opening credit sequences

Posted by Grant Hamilton on 10 November 2011 Vintage/Retro

Nov 102011

The LA Times magazine is running a poll — but they’ve put some work into this one.

They’ve collected 50 (actually, it looks like 52) opening credit sequences from classic television shows between 1950-69. You can watch them all here. And then vote for your favourite.

But that’s not all — they did it again, another 50 (actually 52) for the years 1970-89. Watch all of those ones here! And again, vote for your favourite.

They cover the gamut — I found shows that I had long forgotten — from A to Z.

Well, from The A-Team to Zorro.

If you cannot play the video (I hand-coded the embed in HTML5), download it here.

If you cannot play the video, download it here.

He wears a Stetson now. Stetsons are cool.

Posted by Grant Hamilton on 3 April 2011 Modern Life

Apr 032011

I hope that this is the time that I actually get a chance to watch Doctor Who. All my previous efforts have kind of gone off the rails after an episode or three.

Starts this month!

What if Quentin Tarantino or Wes Anderson directed the Super Bowl?

Posted by Grant Hamilton on 5 February 2011 Modern Life

Feb 052011

Slate produced this funny video showing what it might be like if famous movie directors helmed the broadcast of the Super Bowl. But do you know who’s really behind the cameras at the big game?

It’s a guy named Rich Russo, and he’s making the split-second decisions that turn a football game into a television broadcast.

Men’s Journal has an interview with him.

Now this is a remote boat

Posted by Grant Hamilton on 1 February 2011 Modern Life

Feb 012011

The original “remote boat” only appeared in one episode of Season Two of Everybody Loves Raymond:

The Remote Boat is a gift that Robert gave Frank on his 65th birthday. It’s a way to carry your remotes with you wherever you sit in the room, or if you go to a different room.

The long rectangular compartment is for the TV Guide magazine, the two smaller square compartments are for the different remotes, and the larger compartment on the right is for your soda or beer.

But, it had an outsize influence on my psyche. I often joke about how we need a remote boat, so that we aren’t continually tearing cushions off of the couch to look for either the TV remote, the satellite remote, the surround sound remote, the DVD remote, or the Boxee remote.

Now, finally, I’ve happened across something that may usurp that remote boat with another.

An actual remote-controlled boat, outfitted with snacks and drinks:

Dear me, what a fantastic idea! And only $55:

Presenting the ultimate butler for your pool. Our motorized radio control drink float makes it fun and easy to serve guests snacks and drinks while they splash around and you stay nice and dry. Simply load it with up to five beverages, some munchies, and direct it to your swimming guests with the wireless remote. 100% safety tested. Requires one 9-volt, and six D-cell batteries, not included. So what are you waiting for? Take the boredom out of swimming and put that pool party into drive! Includes easy to clean snack bowl, cups not included. For pool use only.

Did you read that? It’s powered with six D-cell batteries. Now that’s torque! And it’s for pool use only! Listen, if you can afford a pool, you can’t afford to NOT have this.

Do you have a pool? I’m coming over.

Easy Does It, Ron.

Posted by T. Keith Edmunds on 16 January 2011 Everything Else, Vintage/Retro

Jan 162011

As something that will mean almost nothing to anyone who did not grow up or live for any period of time in southwestern Manitoba, local celebrity and longtime weatherman Ron Thompson passed away today.

I’m old enough to remember when we could only receive two television channels, one of which was CKX-TV out of Brandon. Although the station is now off the air, for many, many years it was the source for local news and weather. And no one did the weather like Ron.

As I said, CKX is no longer on the air, but with Ron’s passing, it truly feels like the end of an era.

Easy does it, Ron.

‘Alf’ blooper reel features swearing, racial slurs

Posted by Grant Hamilton on 21 December 2010 Vintage/Retro

Dec 212010

Astonishing. The puppeteer behind Alf (Paul Fusco) stays in character through the bloopers and is generally pretty funny and quick-witted.

Then, he drops the N-bomb.

Like, a bunch.

Some commenters on BadTVBlog say that he is probably riffing on a contemporary episode of L.A. Law, but it’s still pretty startling thing to hear.

Ah, Alf, I’ll never look at you the same way again. Also, you cannot eat my cat.

(via BadTVBlog)

Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency, the television show

Posted by Grant Hamilton on 9 December 2010 Modern Life

Dec 092010

I am thrilled to learn that the BBC is creating a TV show around the Douglas Adams character of Dirk Gently. After I whipped my way through Adams’ Hitchhiker’s Guide series in my youth, I craved more, so I picked up “Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency” and its sequel “Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul.” It’s been years since I read them, but I remember them being funny in Adams’ characteristic way, although different from the Hitchhiker’s Guide stuff.

I’m looking forward to the TV show!

(via Boing Boing)

Star Trek public access show from 1980s Winnipeg

Posted by Grant Hamilton on 5 December 2010 Vintage/Retro

Dec 052010

As the YouTube description says, “In 1980, the Star Trek Winnipeg organization produced their own public access show, discussing Star Trek and other science fiction.”

It’s like a pre-Internet vlog, discussing their fanzine and the other things that club does.

Part 2, Part 3

(via Tyler Shipley on Facebook)

The easy way to bring the Internet to your television

Posted by Grant Hamilton on 5 September 2010 Modern Life

Sep 052010

The future (our present) comes to ‘Mad Men’

Posted by Grant Hamilton on 1 September 2010 Modern Life, Photography, Vintage/Retro

Sep 012010

Going to admit it: I’m a bit of a Mad Men junkie. Amy and I are solid fans. I even bought a vintage suit and dressed up to have a party for the Season 4 premiere.

So I’m going to eat up the Rolling Stone story (even if they kind of botched the Photoshoppery on the cover). Best of all was flipping through the behind-the-scenes photos they have in their online slideshow. They’re printed in grainy black-and-white for a vintage feel, and they often just show “Oh, a Mad Men moment, but with cameras over their shoulders.”

But there are a couple of really fun anachronisms — like Ken Cosgrove and Harry Crane checking out a Mac laptop, above. I love the awed expression on actor Rich Sommer’s face. That’s precisely what Harry Crane would look like if a 2010 laptop suddenly appeared in his office.

Here’s another one, of Don Draper and his iPhone:

See the whole Rolling Stone slideshow here.

Firefly, meet the 80s

Posted by Grant Hamilton on 13 July 2010 Modern Life, Vintage/Retro

Jul 132010

This is great, and I love it:

Astute Firefly lovers will note that there is no love for Dr. Simon in the opening credits. That made me sad — very sad. Until, that is, I found out that’s because there is a spin-off show!

(from io9)

I, too, make a better reporter than I would a criminal

Posted by Grant Hamilton on 1 June 2010 Vintage/Retro

Jun 012010

I’ve had my share of embarrassing moments — some of them even as a reporter. Mostly, for me, it’s been when a long interview has droned on and on, and I’ve suddenly been caught daydreaming, unsure how the sentence just ended, with someone staring at me, expectantly waiting for an astute followup question.

Oh, there have been a few headline, um, foul-ups. But at least it’s never been like this:

Man, you have to feel for the guy. He’s really trying!

I like that he’s the one who posted this video, too.

A little bit Beachcombers

Posted by Grant Hamilton on 31 May 2010 Vintage/Retro

May 312010

Keeping in with the now-we’re-Canadian idea, here’s the opening credits from a Canuck television classic:

I remember being just the right age, when The Beachcombers were on, to not really get everything that happened in the plot, and also to be disappointed every time my favourite part of the credits wasn’t actually in the show.

Ahhh, Relic.

(thanks, Colin)

A rant about Lost’s unanswered questions

Posted by Amy Breen on 26 May 2010 Everything Else

May 262010

This past Sunday, Lost, my favourite show of all time, ended. And in true Lost form, in ended with more questions than answers.

The guy in the video is a little peeved at all the unanswered question, and he details some of those questions from the past six seasons. Some of his points are legit, like why is Aaron special and why could only Claire raise him, but others don’t really matter, or had answers that were hinted at (this guy probably could have benefited from visiting a message board or two).

I’m not so upset with the lack of answers though, because it leaves things open for debate. Because when we do get answers (what’s the whispers? Dead souls on the island) people cry “lame!”

The greatest hair in darts?

Posted by Grant Hamilton on 25 March 2010 Modern Life

Mar 252010

So I was at the gym earlier today, and they have TVs on the treadmills, but the TV on my treadmill had a very limited set of non-static channels, so I ended up watching professional darts.

I think darts is kind of where bowling was, maybe a decade ago, except crossed with poker. There are some big-money tournaments, and some large crowds, but the crowd I was watching seemed dominated by trashy-looking girls with gigantic plastic cups of beer.

And the darts players looked like they had stepped out of stereotypical central casting. Burly men with tattoos and greasy slicked-back hair dominated, and the open-chested bowling shirt seemed like it was a uniform.

Then, there was this guy: Simon Whitlock. His hair was so astonishing that I actually called Amy over from the stretching room to see it.

An Aussie, apparently Whitlock is a bit of a darts superstar. Here’s a video that recaps a recent, epic championship battle between him and Phil Taylor. Whitlock lost, but check out the hair (he’s the guy in the black and yellow):

See what I mean?

No disrespect intended, but it’s like darts is this sub-culture that is developing an odd fashion sense completely removed from the rest of the world.

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