Help Save Fringe Tonight

1/27/2012

Support Fringe tonight on Twitter with #ObserveItLive, starting at 7pm Eastern and Pacific, and check-in to GetGlue with "Pea Coat." Leave a lot of comments. The goal is to get these trending. Go to FringeTelevision.com for more information.

Even if you haven't seen this incredible show yet, but you thought you might one day, don't let it go down without a fight. It needs at least five seasons to finish the story. We're up to episode 10 tonight, "Forced Perspective," so that means it's half over or just about.


If Fox and Warner can't come to an agreement, then there will not be enough time for a truly satisfying resolution. We've been assured the writers have an end game they can implement for the finale, but since the season so far has been spent in another timeline, and what seems like at least a few episodes more, I believe that sudden cancellation this far in will make the last few episodes feel forced and abrupt, contrary to everything the show has been.

Please help support Fringe, even if you may only one day a few years from now decide to watch out of boredom, because, I promise you, you will get hooked by the middle of the first season. Though the fan base is small, we're passionate for a reason. If you love drama, this has poignancy to spare and, like life, a lot of laughs. The characters are unforgettable and the actors have given many Emmy-worthy performances. The fact that it's also science fiction should matter only if you cannot stomach anything disturbing, because, while so much revolves around the science, the focus is family and stopping the madness. That's why we love it and why so many more should.

And for those of you who already get it, there is a wonderful recap/review of "Enemy of My Enemy" at MoreThanOneOfEverything.net.

If you just can't watch live, there's always your cable company's OnDemand channel, Fox.com, and Hulu. Episodes are available 8 days after original air date and you can watch the last four episodes. Haven't even started yet? Get season one on Netflix or Amazon.

Not Without the Piano Guys

1/22/2012

I liked Glee in the beginning, at certain moments even loved it, but now I have a "meh, I'll keep watching for new music" attitude about it. Good thing I did, because last week featured a song by David Guetta: "Without You." Searching for the song brought me to this.


The Piano Guys - performers Steven Sharp Nelson and Jon Schmidt, and production team members Paul Anderson, Tel Stewart, and Al Van Der Beek - are one of those discoveries that has me wondering how I lived without them and why they haven't yet infiltrated movies and TV. At first listen I was hooked. This usually happens a couple times per year or less, so it's a very special occurrence. The last I think was in December 2010 with Mumford and Sons. There's been new music I've loved since then, but for whatever reason I didn't follow up and check out more from those artists.

Steven and Jon, on the other hand, I cannot possibly forget. They seem personable and are undoubtedly passionate about the music in their beautifully shot videos, the joy of it written on their faces, their hearts completely invested. I wish they had some recognition beyond YouTube. Anyone who reads this and then listens to the music I hope would want the same and start sending suggestions to their favorite talk shows. I sent mine to Ellen.

Bonus Songs!

Not that I didn't love "Rolling in the Deep" before, but I want to hear Adele sing it backed by this wonderfully talented pair.


This one is a cover of Coldplay's "Paradise," a beautiful version sung in multiple languages. You can download it for free for a limited time. The link is at YouTube.


And I just realized that Steven (cello guy) reminds me of David Hewlett, so that's a plus. Hehe! It turs out someone at Cheezburger.com agrees with me on that.

Unmissable Movies ~ Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol

1/17/2012

I am so bad at remembering things, even when they're fresh in my mind. I would make a terrible reviewer, so what I write are not reviews but pleas - actually, think of them as demands - that you go to a movie, watch a TV show, or listen to a band. I strongly recommend not missing Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. If you have an IMAX near you, don't pass up the chance to see it with the loudest, clearest speakers on the largest, prettiest screen. I went last weekend with four other family members, all of whom didn't have particularly high expectations. We all left as enthusiastic fans with huge smiles on our faces.

I can't get into all the detail I would like since I've seen it only once and my mind is Swiss cheese (speaking of which, G4 has been playing Quantum Leap lately!), but I can certainly say it was incredibly entertaining and highly nerve-wracking. Any fan of thrilling action, awe-inspiring stunts, and terrific fun needs to see this movie. There were so many adrenaline filled scenes. The packed theater jumped in unison at a sudden collision, which was inevitable but perfectly executed at an unexpected point. We groaned at every bone-shattering leap, and Tom Cruise's heart in the throat moments on the side of the Burj Khalifa produced audible gasps.

Ghost Protocol was also a lot funnier than should be expected of a spy thriller, mostly courtesy of the effortlessly hilarious Simon Pegg with help from malfunctioning tech and Jeremy Renner as the new guy with a haunting secret. Tom Cruise doing his own stunts is sheer madness and oh so entertaining. And Paula Patton is a gorgeous ass-kicker. Each of these likeable main characters has chemistry with the others and an important part to play, and no one is indestructible or faultless. One of the best scenes early on involves a holographic screen, a device that projects sound, and a green field agent who almost blows it. This is a tremendously good time with a wonderful sense of humor. I just read a comment from someone who thinks it was unnecessary. I completely disagree. If a movie is too heavy there is nothing really to relate to, no one to identify with. Injecting humor into a serious situation will be more effective in getting me to care about what happens and gives the characters personality.

I always remembered the first Mission Impossible for giving me nightmares after killing Emilio Esteves in the elevator shaft. I saw the second movie maybe a few times, but only because I had nothing better to do. I don't think I ever even watched more than a few bits here and there of the third installment. But Ghost Protocol, with its ability to blend comedy into the action without making the characters ridiculous, I am proud to say I love. Congratulations are in order for Brad Bird (The Incredibles) and all the talent for catapulting MI4 into my favorite movies by the halfway mark. That doesn't often happen. I probably won't get to see it again before it's out of theaters, but I sure as hell want to.

Good Riddance, Fuckers!

1/11/2012

The people I assume shot and killed my cat, Onyx (the sweetest thing in my world, who would come to you when you cried) are moving! Finally! They'd recently moved in when it happened. They have two teenage boys. All other neighbors are older and I wouldn't expect them go around shooting pets with a pellet gun. All I can figure, since I never had the courage to ask, because I know what I would have done if one of them confessed, is that Onyx had been prowling around their rabbits, which they didn't keep very well-penned in. In fact, those rabbits got out three times just this summer and we helped chase them down and return them. They sure do like running...er, hopping away.

I always wanted to keep cats in, but my dad was (surely not anymore) one of those people who thought cats can take care of themselves. If any of your cats were street rescues then you know how hard it is to keep them from getting out. They'll always be at the door meowing at the top of their lungs and refusing to use the litter box; at least, all of mine did. Don't let them out without an enclosure. I read about cat fences before this incident, but I was too late to get one. I've had many pets over the years. Until March 29, 2010 I'd never been without one. Now I don't see how I could ever want a pet again that has such a short lifespan. Most of my pets ended up with some sort of disease that took them too soon.

Fringe On the Edge Yet Again

1/10/2012

For those who used to love Fringe and think it should be cancelled because this season hasn't gone the way you wanted it to, there have been only seven episodes. Hello, short attention span. How about you actually see where it's going before you give up on it? It's been serialized for quite a while, and the better, more emotional, and more engaging for it. This is a story that has to play out, and it's never ended up in a disappointing place. You can't expect every episode to be wrapped up in a neat little package. Have a little faith that the writers know what they're doing. If the show is forced to end unnaturally abruptly then no doubt we will all be disappointed in the end. And to those who never gave it a chance, my brothers being two of them, you missed and helped to kill an amazing show. You won't soon be forgiven.

I started a blog mainly because I wanted to write some thoughts about Fringe(and other things) and maybe convince a few people to try it. But anything with TV is a losing battle. Wonderful shows like Fringe struggle for years just to stay afloat while absolute crap and the supremely mediocre stay on the air indefinitely. No show should ever expect that any of the major networks is a good place to be. They seem to be perpetually clueless about scheduling and marketing. Or maybe it's laziness. This kind of news is just depressing and makes me much less enthusiastic about any new show. I think I might just stick to USA, FX, and HBO from now on.

Fox and the rest care only about making money with the least possible effort. That means scriptless reality and the like. Who would ever want a finely crafted, emotional story with humor and great characters when you can watch people sing, dance, or hurt themselves? Don't get me wrong. I've watched reality shows. I love So You Think You Can Dance and I was a fan of American Idol before it started to bore the pants off me, but that can't be all there is. And we need intelligent and exciting science fiction. Not everything can be a cop or lawyer show.

At least I can take comfort in the fact that us fans really love this beautiful piece of work even if no one else does...and the slim chance they get picked up by Syfy.

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