TV Archives - Page 30 of 41

Coffee Talk #298: Super Bowl XLV Halftime Show & Commercials

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, the food at Hooter’s, the hot waitress at Hooter’s that looked like Amy Smart, or your favorite Hooter’s sauce, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Now that Super Bowl XLV has come and gone, I wanted to discuss the most important aspects of the event: the halftime show and commercials! Most of my friends panned The Black Eyes Peas’ performance, making lots of Tron jokes, but I enjoyed it. Of course I’m biased because I want my fellow Filipino-American apl.de.ap to do well, but I genuinely liked the set. It was a nice mix of old and new hits. It was awesome that Slash emerged from hell to play “Sweet Child ‘O Mine” and that Usher descended from heaven to perform “Oh My Gosh”. I was disappointed that Justin Timberlake didn’t come out (from purgatory?) to sing the chorus to “Where is the Love?”, but overall I thought it was a fun halftime show that was visually unique.

As for the commercials, they were okay. For me, there were more misses than hits in 2011. Here are my three favorite spots. Coming in at #3 is this adorable VW Passat ad featuring an adorable baby Darth Vader.

At #2 is the Captain America commercial. I thought it was a great spot and was annoyed that my pal Cliffy B disagreed.

My favorite commercial was this House ad that parodied the classic Coca-Cola commercial starring Mean Joe Greene. I’ve included the original for reference.

Now it’s your turn! Please let me know what you thought of Super Bowl (not Superb Owl) XLV’s halftime show and share your favorite commercials.

Free Unlimited Streaming for Amazon Prime Customers?

Since 2010, it has been rumored that Amazon will offer free unlimited video streaming to its Amazon Prime customers. If you’re not familiar with Prime, it offers free two-day shipping and $3.99 next-day shipping on most Amazon purchases for an annual fee of $79. Recently, Engadget discovered some evidence that showed the rumor could pan out soon.

Netflix is, by far, the most popular video streaming service in America. Amazon could challenge Netflix in the streaming space with this rumored deal. It would be cheaper than a yearly Netflix subscription and users would get additional value from the shipping services. While Amazon would arguably lose money on the streaming service, the idea is that it would more than make up for it when customers purchase physical goods.

I’ve been an Amazon Prime customer since the program’s inception and I absolutely love it. That said, it also makes me spend more money than I probably should since I know that my items will arrive quickly and I want to maximize the value of my subscription. Since money is a bit tight, I’ve considered dropping Prime in 2011, but the prospect of free video streaming will probably make me hang onto the service.

For gamers, the choice is especially interesting. Amazon has several great deals on games and often ships new titles to Prime customers so that they arrive on launch day. However, Netflix is available on all three current-gen consoles. Amazon Video on Demand is available on TiVo, PC, certain Sony Bravia televisions, and select Panasonic Viera models. Though I suppose using an Xbox 360 as a Windows Media Extender would allow for console playback. The point being that Netflix has direct ways to watch content on consoles, while Amazon does not (yet).

I’d love to hear what you think of this rumor. Would you subscribe to Amazon Prime if it included unlimited video streaming? Also, thanks to RPadholic tokz_21 for reminding to write about this rumor.

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Has Sting Signed with the WWE for WrestleMania XXVII?

The NY Daily News has reported a rumor that Sting (Steve Borden) has signed a one-year contract with the WWE. The rumor coincides with WWE promos showing a mystery man that will make his debut on February 21, 2011. The dirt sheets have speculated that 2/21/11 will be the return of The Undertaker or Triple H, but Sting would be an interesting choice that makes a certain amount of sense.

Sting is one of the few NWA/WCW stars that has never wrestled for the WWE. This year’s WrestleMania takes place in Atlanta, GA — a huge WCW town. The WWE also owns the rights to Sting’s best matches. The speculation is that Sting will return for a brief program with The Undertaker, promote a best of Sting DVD, and be inducted into the WWE hall of fame.

I used to be a huge Sting mark back in the day. I loved the neon-wearing, rat-tail version of Sting. His matches with Ric Flair were outstanding. (Though to be fair, anyone could have an outstanding match with Flair in those days.) I never warmed up to the “Crow” version of Sting and the TNA version was a shell of his former self. While he’s definitely limited and not what he used to be, I believe that The Undertaker could help him pull off one more excellent match.

Although this rumor makes sense on paper, I’m going to wait for more information before I start buying into it. Part of it is that I would love for Sting to have one last run and would love for the WWE to roll out the red carpet for him. If I started believing the rumor and it didn’t pan out, I’d be disappointed. Part of it is that a lot of Sting’s recent work in TNA seemed sloppy — the result of a worker that’s unmotivated and disinterested. Perhaps a final run on the big stage combined with money from DVD sales will motivate Steve Borden to turn back the clock and become the Stinger of old.

What do you think of this rumor? Does the prospect of Sting in the WWE excite you? Have any of you seen his pre-Crow matches?

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WWE Royal Rumble Surprises (and Spoilers!)

WWE’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view event had some nice surprises. To briefly recap the PPV, World Heavyweight Champion Edge and WWE Champion The Miz retained their respective titles. Booker T and Diesel (Kevin Nash) surprised the crowd and received huge pops for their participation in the Royal Rumble match. When the dust cleared, Alberto Del Rio emerged as the winner of the Rumble.

It was nice to see Booker and Nash work for their old company, though I hope they’re done. Neither of them are what they used to be. I do think it’s hilarious that Nash dyed his hair to play the Diesel character again; Nash has repeatedly said that he wants to work as a “silver fox” character but Vince McMahon hates his gray hair. I love that WWE went with Del Rio as the winner. He’s relatively new, he does great work in the ring, he’s above average on the mic, and his personal ring announcer Ricardo Rodriguez makes me laugh.

Anyway, let me know what you made of Del Rio’s win and the Royal Rumble PPV (please).

Mark Zuckerberg vs. Jesse Eisenberg vs. Andy Samberg

Did you guys and gals catch Jesse Eisenberg’s monologue from Saturday Night Live? Well here it is! The Social Network star is interrupted by SNL’s Andy Samberg playing Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg. Meanwhile, the real Mark Zuckerberg is backstage and eventually makes his way on stage to join the two men that portray him. It’s cute and geeky. Check it out!

Coffee Talk #294: Celebs You Should Hate, But Actually Like

Confession: I like Ashton Kutcher. On paper, I should loathe him. Punk’d is retarded. A lot of his movies suck. And there was that stretch in the early 2000’s when he annoyingly went to every videogame party in Los Angeles…

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, Timmy Bradley’s disappointing victory, Ozzy Osbourne’s sudden illness, or last-minute international jobs, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Confession: I like Ashton Kutcher. On paper, I should loathe him. Punk’d is retarded. A lot of his movies suck. And there was that stretch in the early 2000’s when he annoyingly went to every videogame party in Los Angeles. (To be fair, it wasn’t just him. Every party had at least on person from That ’70s Show and American Pie.)

The truth is…I find him funny and charming in some of his movies. I’ve enjoyed listening to him talk about his politics (fiscally conservative, socially liberal). I like that he’s perceived as this idiot pretty boy, but is much smarter than he looks. I love that he was one of the first celebrities to use Twitter in a hardcore way. Although his restaurants — Dolce and Geisha House — draw a hipster crowd, they’re actually very good. The Demi Moore thing is pretty cool too.

Ah, I feel better now that I’ve come clean about all of that. Do you have any celebrities you like but, on paper, should hate? Whether they’re from movies, music, or TV, please share your celebrity confessions today!

Al Franken Fears Comcast/NBC Merger Will Stifle Netflix

The approved merger of Comcast and NBC Universal has all sorts of implications for the entertainment business. For those of you that use Netflix on your consoles, this could mean bye bye to all NBC Universal content. Senator Al Franken believes that’s the case. Check out this bit from Ars Technica:

When it comes to the Comcast merger, Franken was even more vocal. “As you probably know, I hate this merger,” he told the group. Not only will it raise prices on TV subscriptions, it will give the combined entity incredible power to stifle competition from online sources like Netflix.

“I’m hearing that Comcast is already preparing to pull NBC Universal’s programming from Netflix when it’s next up for review,” Franken said. The cable industry is worried about the threat from cheaper options like Netflix; “they aren’t stupid and they want to shut it down.”

Allowing mega-powers to merge is rarely a good thing for consumers. This looks like another case of lobbying money trumping what’s good for the consumer. In the immortal words of Han Solo, I have a bad feeling about this.

What do you think of the Comcast/NBC merger? Do you think it will impact your entertainment experiences? Is it Comcastic?

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What I Learned From American Idol Season 10 NJ Auditions

American Idol is back with new judges Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler (Aerosmith)! Gone are the awesome Simon Cowell, the useless Kara DioGuardi, and the ineffective Ellen DeGeneres. Adding continuity and stability are everyone’s favorite dog, Randy Jackson, and Ryan Seacrest, the hardest working man in Hollywood. So what did I learn from the season premiere of AI? Check it out.

– Jennifer Lopez wasn’t what I was expecting or hoping for. She’s supposed to be this raging-bitch diva…but she was the sweet one — almost Paula-like. Hopefully this will change. I need her to have a bad day so that she can take it out on the contestants and her fellow judges. That would be immensely entertaining. Sweet J.Lo is not doing it for me at all — far too normal and polite (so far).

– Steve Tyler wasn’t what I was expecting or hoping for either. I wanted him to be “the Paula” in terms of acting drugged out and making spacey comments. Instead, he came off as a stable dude that was reasonable and having fun on the show. What the hell?!?

– Randy is…Randy. Ryan is the object of lust for millions of American housewives and cougars. I wonder if that fact disturbs him….

– As for the contestants, Robbie Rosen shall henceforth be known as Crippy Boy. This kid’s sob story is that he was in a wheelchair at age five, but he appears to be fine now. After having homeless contestants and a blind guy, Crippy Boy’s sob story comes off as week. I hope America is tough on him.

– Ashley Sullivan believes that she can bring the Liza Minelli sound back to the mainstream. She deserves support just for thinking that’s a reasonable goal. I have to admit that living in a world driven by show tunes would be pretty amusing.

– There are 15-year olds now. The one that passed seems like an annoying 15-year old. Big surprise.

– The gag auditions included an 18-year old boyscout, a woman from the Ivory Coast with a thick accent that nearly overshadowed her horrid voice, and a Japanese dude that horribly sang a horrible Miley Cyrus song while busting out Michael Jackson dance moves. Personally, I would have given the Japanese cat a pass for ironically singing a song he didn’t like and performing a passable version of MJ’s signature steps.

– There were a few cute 16-year old contestants that made me feel dirty. Brielle Von Hugel was probably my favorite. She trotted out her father that battled throat cancer for her sob story. More importantly, she sounded like every girl I’ve ever met from Staten Island.

– Overall, the show was missing Simon’s snap, but the new judges did okay. I was also disappointed that the New Jersey auditions didn’t have more people the resembled Snooki or The Situation…though I suppose that’s more of a South Jersey thing.

Coffee Talk #287: Cutting the Cable Cord with Consoles

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, who should replace Regis Philbin, HP’s upcoming WebOS press event, or if Lance Armstrong is a cheater (or not), Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

“Cutting the cord” was a popular phrase among tech nerds in 2010. The practice of cancelling cable or satellite service and relying on streaming television will become even more popular in 2011. There are several reasons for this. A lot of people are still struggling financially and it’s cheaper to go with streaming. It’s fashionable among hipster douchebags to rely on modern services. And most importantly, streaming movies and TV shows has gotten really, really good.

A person can subscribe to Hulu Plus and Netflix, as well as rent movies on Vudu, for less than the cost of cable service with a premium channel. The offerings have gotten so good that many consumers are able to watch their favorite TV shows and new movies for a fantastic price. I’m super tempted to cut the cord, but that would leave me without live HBO boxing, live WWE Monday Night Raw, and original HBO shows (Entourage, Curb) when they premiere. Streaming services have gotten pretty excellent…but they’re not quite there yet for me. (To be completely honest, I might have to cut the cord whether I want to or not. Ha!)

How about you? Are any of you considering cutting the cord in 2011? Does the combination of Hulu Plus, Netflix, and Vudu provide you with enough entertainment? Why do cable companies suck so hard? Leave a comment and let me know (please)!

Mortal Kombat Getting 10 Web Episodes

Remember that really dark and really awesome Mortal Kombat movie trailer starring Jeri Ryan and Michael Jai White? The bad news is that it won’t be getting the full movie treatment. The good news is that it’ll be getting 10 online episodes. Here’s the scoop from Bloody Disgusting:

Director Kevin Tancharoen — who directed the awesome online short — will return behind the camera for a 10-episode web series dedicated to the popular video game. Penned by Tancharoen, Todd Helbing, and Aaron Helbing, star Michael Jai White leads the cast as “Major Jackson ‘Jax’ Briggs. Shooting will take place in Vancouver this coming February. Contested expected to be cast are: Shang Tsung, Liu Kang, Sub Zero, Durak, Kabal, Kitana/Mileena and of course Scorpion. No release date is planned, and there’s no word on that R-rated remake. The only plot details we could conjure up is that a few Earthlings will fight to save the planet from Shao Kahn and Shang Tsung, two Gods ruling over parallel universes, or something to that effect.

As I mentioned in June 2010, I have some issues with a few of the changes made to the characters. However, I love the overall tone of this Mortal Kombat. It’s dark and gritty…and doesn’t have Christopher Lambert’s stupid accent.

You guys and dolls looking forward to this one? Or would you have preferred a movie over an online show?

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