Category: TV

WWE Programming Now Available on Hulu Plus

WWE and Hulu have teamed up…wait, the WWE doesn’t give a crap about tag-teams anymore so I’ll have to rephrase that. WWE programming is now available on Hulu Plus. According to the press release, subscribers will be able to watch “all WWE TV programming” the day after it airs. Hulu Plus costs $7.99 a month and is available on a number of devices, including PCs, tablets, smartphones, and videogame consoles.

For wrestling fans that want to cut the cable cord, WWE programming on Hulu Plus could be a fantastic deal. It allows these fans to watch shows like Raw and SmackDown without having to pay for cable-television service that includes hundreds of channels they’ll never watch. It will be interesting to see if this deal will change WWE’s strategy with YouTube. The company has been serving up clips of its shows a few days after they air on television. I’m sure the company will continue to post clips, but I wonder if they’ll be as extensive or if the delays will be longer. Hulu Plus allows viewers to watch the shows in their entirety, but some people will be satisfied with what WWE’s YouTube channel offers.

I could see using the service when I travel internationally. The combination of Hulu Plus and a VPN service would allow me to watch Monday Night Raw anywhere in the world. For some WWE fans, this could be the only (legal) way to enjoy these shows in a timely manner.

Any of you intrigued by WWE programming on Hulu Plus?

K-Town, Britney Spears, and Gangnam Style

I love the video above of Britney Spears learning the “Gangnam Style” dance from Psy. It’s awesome on multiple levels. First of all, it’s fun watching her learn how to do this ridiculous dance that’s sweeping the nation (this decade’s “Macarena”?). Secondly, I’m quite pleased with the MILF she has transformed into. Watching her go from teen sensation to troubled youth to MILF has been a wonderful journey.

All of that aside, this “Gangnam Style” thing is troubling. As a resident of Los Angeles Koreatown, I feel bad for the Korean-American population. There are many people that will think of Psy’s stupid song-and-dance when they think of Koreans. There are many that will think that Korean-American youths are like the idiots on K-Town (season finale below). I’m guilty of the same thing. I have nice and normal friends that live on the Jersey Shore, but when I visit them, part of me thinks that every other person in town is a moron like The Situation or Snooki. Sadly, some people will think that Koreatown is full of miscreants like the ones in K-Town and people walking down the street doing the “Gangnam Style” dance.

Reality television and stupid music, killing the world one neighborhood at a time. *sigh*

Geoff Johns Writing Arrow Episode, More Trailers

Here’s a bunch of assorted news on Arrow, CW’s upcoming series about DC Universe bow-slinger Green Arrow. Comic-book fans will be pleased to learn that Geoff Johns, one of the most consistently great writers of the last decade, will be penning an episode of the show. On a recent post on DC’s blog Johns is quoted as saying, “I’m thrilled to be writing this episode of Arrow, and while I can’t give too much away, I think comic fans are going to like what we have in store for them — keep an eye out for the Huntress.”

CW has also released some new trailers for the show. The first one is pretty sweet. It makes Oliver Queen look like a modern-day warrior (as opposed to a guy with outmoded weapons and an Errol Flynn fascination).

The next one is…not so good. It’s cheesy and more along the lines of what I expect from The CW.

Hopefully the show’s tone is more like the first trailer and the second is something that’s being used to attract the frau.

Anyway, let me know what you think of the two Arrow clips. Are you excited that Geoff Johns will be writing an episode of the show?

American Idol 2013 Judges Finalized

The judges for the next season of American Idol have been finalized! Providing insights, entertainment, and (hopefully) insanity in 2013 will be Mariah Carey, Keith Urban, Nicki Minaj, and Randy Jackson. With the show’s popularity waning, the producers decided to spruce things up with a new set of judges. (Though they couldn’t get rid of Randy Jackson. He must have naked photos of Nigel Lythgoe.)

AI was never able to replicate the drug-addled wonderfulness of Paul Abdul, who left the show in 2009. There’s an extremely high chance that the duo of Carey and Minaj will make the show more insane than it has ever been. The potential for awkward awesomeness is off the charts!

Check out the photo of the new judges below and let me know what you think of the American Idol 2013 team (please!).

Source

Coffee Talk #517: Confusing Moments in Pro-Wrestling History

Today’s column was inspired by a chat I was having with RPadholic Tokz_21 on the RPad.TV Google+ Messenger group. On last night’s WWE Monday Night Raw, wrestling legend Jerry Lawler suffered a heart attack on air. It’s sad and I hope everyone sends positive vibes to Jerry, hoping for a speedy recovery. Now to be completely honest, initially I wasn’t sure if it was real or if it was an angle. Pro-wrestling can be funny that way. The writers have no boundaries and have crossed several lines over the years. Would an angle involving Lawler’s age (he was in the ring that night too) be out of the realm of possibility? Of course not. Sadly, the heart attack was real, but the whole thing had me thinking about times when I wasn’t sure what was real and what wasn’t in pro-wrestling…

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, wishing that Andy Murray becomes a one-hit wonder, Emma Watson searches leading to computer viruses, or iPhone 5 fever, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Today’s column was inspired by a chat I was having with RPadholic Tokz_21 on the RPad.TV Google+ Messenger group. On last night’s WWE Monday Night Raw, wrestling legend Jerry Lawler suffered a heart attack on air. It’s sad and I hope everyone sends positive vibes to Jerry, hoping for a speedy recovery. Now to be completely honest, initially I wasn’t sure if it was real or if it was an angle. Pro-wrestling can be funny that way. The writers have no boundaries and have crossed several lines over the years. Would an angle involving Lawler’s age (he was in the ring that night too) be out of the realm of possibility? Of course not. Sadly, the heart attack was real, but the whole thing had me thinking about times when I wasn’t sure what was real and what wasn’t in pro-wrestling.

When Owen Heart died due to a harness mishap during the Over the Edge PPV, I initially thought it was an angle. He was playing The Blue Blazer, a masked idiot that thought he was a superhero. He was actually supposed to have a botched fall to the ring, keeping with his character. Sadly, the harness released him too soon and he suffered a tragic fall. I distinctly remember watching the PPV at my friend Justin’s place and arguing that it was a work. It wasn’t until the cameras completely pulled to the crowd that I was aware that something very bad and very real happened.

On a lighter note, a pair of WCW angles vexed me for a long time. The first involved Brian Pillman. In an “I Respect You” match against Kevin Sullivan, Pillman suddenly bailed with the words, “I respect you, booker man!” I knew that Sullivan was a WCW booker, but this was something that was never said on air. Pillman was fired and that’s where things got cloudy. Did he really get fired or was it part of a storyline? Former WCW exec Eric Bischoff said it was part of an angle and that Pillman was supposed to develop his “Loose Cannon” character in ECW before returning to WCW. Pillman said that he wanted to get fired and had no intention of going back to WCW. He ended up going to ECW and eventually brought the “Loose Cannon” persona to WWE.

Kevin Sullivan was involved in an angle with his wife, Nancy Sullivan, and Chris Benoit. The story was that Benoit, who was feuding with Sullivan on TV, took things too far by stealing his wife. Sullivan booked it so that Nancy and Chris traveled together, ate together on the road, and stayed in the same hotels. Art imitated life, with Nancy and Chris actually falling in love and eventually getting married. For a long time, I thought it was just an elaborate angle. It wasn’t until kayfabe went out of style that I realized, “Oh…that really happened.”

Anyway, those are some wrestling moments where I wasn’t sure what was real and what wasn’t. I’d love to hear about some angles that you weren’t sure about. Please share some stories in the comments section!

Nike Designer Darrin Crescenzi’s Game of Thrones Logos

Nike designer Darrin Crescenzi is a big Game of Thrones mark. He’s so much of a fanboy that he created a series of A Song of Ice and Fire icons. They’re pretty awesome. I could totally see a pair of basketball sneakers with a Lannister logo or hoodie with a Stark dire wolf patch. Here’s what Crescenzi had to say about turning Westeros houses into brands:

These brands become such a key part of the reading experience. Night’s Watch black might as well be Tiffany blue or UPS brown or T-Mobile pink.

I never thought of the project as a series of logos; The approach was much more that of creating an icon set. All I wanted to do was give them a sort of unexpected and unified visual language.

Be sure to hit up the source to see more of Crescenzi’s Game of Thrones icons. Very cool stuff!

Source
(Thanks for the link Koh!)

Amazon Adds Epix to Prime Instant Video

Amazon has announced that it has inked a deal with Epix to more than double the amount of choices on Prime Instant Video. The streaming-video service is part of Amazon Prime, which gives customers free two-day shipping and reduced rates on express shipping. The videos are available for viewing on PCs, videogame consoles, mobile phones, and tablets. Epix’s studio partners include Paramount Pictures, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, and Lionsgate. Confirmed additions include The Avengers, The Hunger Games, and Transformers Dark of the Moon. Here’s a clip from the press release:

This agreement between Amazon and EPIX will add new releases such as The Avengers, Iron Man 2, The Hunger Games, Transformers Dark of the Moon, Thor and Rango as well as popular favorites such as Kick Ass, Paranormal Activity 2, True Grit, The Lincoln Lawyer, and Justin Bieber Never Say Never. EPIX also brings original programming including comedy specials and concerts such as Kevin Smith: Burn in Hell and Usher: Live from London.

It’s awesome to see Amazon beefing up the content for Prime Instant Video. I’ve been a Prime member since the program’s inception, which was before streaming movies and television were offered, so the video content was always the cherry on top of the sweet shipping savings. The video component of Prime started off as lame sauce, but now it’s a viable alternative to streaming competitors Hulu and Netflix.

How do you feel about these additions to Prime Instant Video? Are you more likely to subscribe to Prime

What I Learned From HBO’s The Newsroom

Season one of The Newsroom ended last night and I was left satisfied with Aaron Sorkin’s HBO show. Many critics have slammed the show, while many viewers praised it to the heavens. Both sides have their points, but funnily enough those points are being taken to extremes in a way that’s reminiscent of the political climate the show is supposed to be a commentary on. Anyway, here are some random thoughts on The Newsroom. If you’ve watched the show, I’d love to hear your take too.

I Love Sorkin’s Writing: Yes, I know his characters speak in an unrealistic way, but I’m just a fan of condensed dialogue with wit and heart. I love that style and Sorkin is arguably the most commercially successful writer that employs it. It’s the same reason I love Kevin Smith’s writing. To me, they’re two sides of the same coin. One side is unapologetically liberal, while the other is stoned and lewd, but they’re both witty and have heart. You know, I wish I had a coin like that.

Lisa Munn Was Good: While it’s still unbelievable that she’s an economics godess with dual-wielding PhDs, I came to enjoy Olivia Munn’s character. Her awkward charm grew on me. She was fun. Don’t get me wrong — I will still exploit her for traffic and am not a fan of her as a person, but I completely admit that I came to enjoy her performance as Sloan Sabbith.

Sorkin’s Women Are Silly But the Men Are Sillier: I actually argued this a bit with a friend last night. He, and many others, feels that Sorkin writes female characters that are flawed and idiotic. I feel that most of the characters on the show are flawed and idiotic. The women are just honest about it, while the men cover it up with bullsh*t. For all of Will’s bravado and gruffness, he’s a romantic softie that’s overly sensitive. Don comes off as a dick, but he’s also insecure and sensitive. If anything, I preferred that the women were being real. Heart on sleeve baby!!! (You have to picture me saying that the way Chris Jericho says, “Come on baby!!!”)

Retroscopic News is Easy: Many fans of the show point to it as a sterling example of everything that’s wrong with news reporting in America today. There’s a point to that, for sure, but The Newsroom makes reporting the news “right” seem much easier than it actually is. While the fictitious News Night has its share of struggles, there are times when they look like the most brilliant newsmen and newswomen that ever existed. It’s easy to like like a genius on a fictional show that uses last year’s news as plot devices. Anyone can look good through the retroscope. Doing it in real-time is a whole other matter. Some people forget this this is fiction. It’s like when all the kids in the neighborhood saw Gleaming the Cube and became experts on skateboarding. Really, it’s exactly like that.

The Show is Extremely Left Wing: I’m honestly shocked by Newsroom fans that think the show is anything but ultra-liberal. They point to Will’s character being a republican that’s dissatisfied with the tea party and trying to restore balance to The Force the GOP. Uh-huh. I have zero problems with a fictional show being ultra-liberal or ultra-conservative, but let’s not pretend The Newsroom is something it’s not. Sorkin is on the extreme left, but his writing has charmed (fooled?) some people into thinking this show is only slightly left because the protagonist is a conservative. That’s just nonsense. It’s like believing Fox News or MSNBC reports the “proper” version of the news. That kind of stuff can be dangerous, especially in an election year.

Season Two Will Kick Ass: Now that the actors have had a season to get into their characters, I’m sure they’ll be even better in season two. More importantly, the show will have the benefit of an election to cover. It’s similar to how The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, and Saturday Night Live are at their best running up to an election. I can’t wait to see how Sorkin’s team covers the 2012 election through the retroscope. It’ll be fun, witty, and full of heart.

Also, I hope Jim and Maggie stop being weenies and finally get together. Yes, I love to the soap-opera aspects of The Newsroom too.