It’s been said many times, but MTV killed the music video. MTV had been the home of the “video star,” which according to the first music on MTV, killed the "radio star." In conclustion, MTV killed both the radio star and the video star. MTV is now based more in Reality Shows. Programs like Road Rules, The Real World, My Super Sweet 16, MTV Cribs, Pimp My Ride, The Hills, Laguna Beach, A Shot at Love With Tila Tequila, Jackass, True Life, Made, and Date My Mom (the list goes on.)
Moving on from that hyperlink festival, I'd like to look at VH1. As I was growing up, I considered VH1 to be the adult/middle-aged version of MTV. It had boring stuff and music on it that did not interest most children. The women on it were dressed in a less provocative manner, and the videos in general were smarter. I think the first music video I watched, in its entirety, on VH1 was "By The Way" by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. I was on a business trip/vacation with my Dad in Las Vegas. Weird how I just remembered that. Anyway, that video showed me alternative ways to enjoy music. At the time, I didn't drive, so I was always listening to my Dads' conservative talk radio shows. I had already tired of MTV (I only had a six month affair with TRL). VH1, in the long run, was more visually conservative while being more thought provoking. VH1 has become popular with a somewhat younger audience with the I Love The... programing. And by all means, VH1 is not perfect (I point to example A: Flavor of Love and example B: Hogan Knows Best) just that is a step up from MTV.
There is a third music channel, that I can't say I have ever really watched. I never really cared for this genre of music, I always considered it redneck, or involving missing love, prison, and truck driving (That is a quote from a comedian, but I can't recall who, and Google didn't find anything. I am just not that creative). Sorry, the channel is CMT: Country Music Television. I don't know anything about it that would not come from the Wikipedia article, so I will summarize: Owned by Viacom (same parent company as MTV), CMT is "an American country music-oriented cable television network. Programming includes music videos, taped concerts, movies, biographies of country music stars, and reality programs." There are reality shows similar to the ones found on MTV. Trick My Truck seems to the CMT solution to Pimp My Ride. There are other reality shows that put musicians in improbable situations. "CMT's current programming features country music-oriented shows (i.e. country music videos, taped concerts, etc.), country lifestyle-oriented shows, and old shows and movies that prominently feature country or Southern-rock music."
In my new apartment, I wanted to enjoy my living space. I ordered HDTV from Comcast. Well, in addition to HBO, Showtime, and Starz, I found some new HD programming. One of these was MHD - Music High Definition. This station is the freak love child of MTV, VH1, and CMT (and a distant cousin to MTV2). But wow, it seems to only have the good traits. It has a diverse range of programming (pop, alternative/adult, and indifferent country). The reality programming is music based. There are music videos, concerts, Story Tellers from VH1, MTV Uplugged and various music-related award shows (Not Grammy, more like MTV Music Awards). I wanted to sing the praise of a relatively new (Jan 2006) Network. The programming may not be original, but this is a fresh concept of re-mixing networks to bring a new idea (and new ad revenue.)
What other new programs, HD or otherwise have you recently discovered that made a change in your life? Any inspiring concepts? Does the Shawshank Redemption really do it for you?
......
Okay, my affair with TRL may have been a bit longer than six months.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Dr Horrible's Dark Tower
I just watched the conclusion of the three-part Joss Whedon webisode Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog and I can actually compare it to Stephen King's Dark Tower series, which I also concluded tonight.
The way both presentations end is very...not circumstantial, but lackluster...full circle (?) unsatisfying. That works. They both built up to a huge finish, and while the Dr. Horrible at least had a conclusion, not so much with the Tower.
I'm not going to spoil anything from the series that could be considered King's greatest achievement, his magnum opus..but I do recommend reading it, if you have like 4 months of free time. The series weaves a long tale between several other Stephen King books to create a larger universe...or universes turning on the same wheel (ka is the wheel of destiny). I grew very attached to the main characters and enjoyed their flaws very much. Dr Horrible's Sing Along Blog, on the other hand, moves too quickly for true character development. This is not Whedon's best creation. There are not references to other classical works. It might be better than Angel, but it is surely no Firefly (which is only one season long, so check that out over summer).
Major kudos to each of the artists for entertaining me for so long. I don't know how long that Dr Horrible link is going to work, so look on YouTube , maybe you can find something useful there.
"Long days and pleasant nights"
UPDATE: Dr. Horrible will be available on iTunes and DVDs with lots of special features. The Dark Tower series is available in bookstores now.
The way both presentations end is very...not circumstantial, but lackluster...full circle (?) unsatisfying. That works. They both built up to a huge finish, and while the Dr. Horrible at least had a conclusion, not so much with the Tower.
I'm not going to spoil anything from the series that could be considered King's greatest achievement, his magnum opus..but I do recommend reading it, if you have like 4 months of free time. The series weaves a long tale between several other Stephen King books to create a larger universe...or universes turning on the same wheel (ka is the wheel of destiny). I grew very attached to the main characters and enjoyed their flaws very much. Dr Horrible's Sing Along Blog, on the other hand, moves too quickly for true character development. This is not Whedon's best creation. There are not references to other classical works. It might be better than Angel, but it is surely no Firefly (which is only one season long, so check that out over summer).
Major kudos to each of the artists for entertaining me for so long. I don't know how long that Dr Horrible link is going to work, so look on YouTube , maybe you can find something useful there.
"Long days and pleasant nights"
UPDATE: Dr. Horrible will be available on iTunes and DVDs with lots of special features. The Dark Tower series is available in bookstores now.
Monday, July 14, 2008
This blog is closed captioned for the hearing impaired
I forgot that a blog is supposed to be a narrative of events, that happen in some sort of order. I pull crap like posting once a month. Posting Part 1 but where is Part 2? I stopped caring, so I thought that I would just stop writing. I don't have any readers anyway, so the only person I am letting down is myself. Which still sucks.
I recently started watching the show Californication on Showtime, stars David Duchovny and similar to Dexter (another Showtime show that I recently discovered) I see parts of myself in the characters. The main characters in these shows are heavily flawed, and I don't think that I know how to tell others of these same flaws that I see in myself. I am not a serial killer, or a novelist, nor do I live in the somewhat exotic locations of Miami or LA.
As far as my opinion on Turn It In: I don't like it. Thumbs Down. My intellectual property is mine to protect and store, and I don't want them to have any of it. As far as I know, everything I wrote was perfect and original and that's good for me. Kudos. Should I follow through and become a teacher, I will not use Turn It In. As a teacher, it is my responsibility to make sure my kids are doing the right thing. I will not be outsourcing my job.
This might be the second, but probably the third time I am going to try and redefine this blog. A Narrative (With Color Commentary). ... I am open to suggestions about how to do this, but I might force myself to sit down 1-2 times a week and just write something. Not a bitch and moan (at least not always), but I want to look at things I consider interesting.
See you next ___________________________________
(week)/(month)/(year)/(big news day)
I recently started watching the show Californication on Showtime, stars David Duchovny and similar to Dexter (another Showtime show that I recently discovered) I see parts of myself in the characters. The main characters in these shows are heavily flawed, and I don't think that I know how to tell others of these same flaws that I see in myself. I am not a serial killer, or a novelist, nor do I live in the somewhat exotic locations of Miami or LA.
As far as my opinion on Turn It In: I don't like it. Thumbs Down. My intellectual property is mine to protect and store, and I don't want them to have any of it. As far as I know, everything I wrote was perfect and original and that's good for me. Kudos. Should I follow through and become a teacher, I will not use Turn It In. As a teacher, it is my responsibility to make sure my kids are doing the right thing. I will not be outsourcing my job.
This might be the second, but probably the third time I am going to try and redefine this blog. A Narrative (With Color Commentary). ... I am open to suggestions about how to do this, but I might force myself to sit down 1-2 times a week and just write something. Not a bitch and moan (at least not always), but I want to look at things I consider interesting.
See you next ___________________________________
(week)/(month)/(year)/(big news day)
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