November 23, 2008
last days of our lives?
Then, I found out that the Days producers have reacted to the abbreviated contract renewal with some major changes. They fired John and Marlena. Can you believe this? Days without John and Marlena? They are the center of the universe that is Days of Our Lives. They are an institution. I haven't watched the show in 10 years, and I know this is still the case. Those two have seen it all...death, rebirth, evil twins, kidnappings, marriage, divorce, priesthood, infidelity, satan, possession, plane crashes, 80s hair. Deidre Hall (Marlena) has been on the show since 1976, and Drake Hogestyn (John) has been on since 1986. (Incidentally, Deidre and Drake are much cooler soap names than John and Marlena).
Apparently, they're using these 18 months to try to update the show and appeal to a new generation - perhaps younger characters and more relevant plotlines...like Marlena's daughter's Facebook page will be possessed by the devil rather than her actual body (much scarier).
Truth be told, I'll never be an avid Days viewer again, but it's sort of comforting knowing it's there. Like, if I'm ever home sick, and I flip on the TV at 1:00, there's John and Marlena. And it takes about 15 minutes to be caught up on the entire plot. It's just nice to know it's there. I have a feeling this is the beginning of the end for Days. After all, like sand through the hour glass...
November 21, 2008
tragic news
I'm stepping up on my soapbox for this one. Whether you watched them (or enjoyed them), these shows presented a creativity in scripted television that we haven't seen in quite some time. ABC made the bold step of straying from the norm with Pushing Daisies set in a semi-fantasy world and tackling major current issues with Eli Stone in a way that didn't hit you over the head with a moral imperative. There was enough of hope and humanity mixed into both shows to make you realize that television doesn't always have to be about a twisted murder mystery and winning a million dollars. Without getting into a deeper sociological analysis, which I am certainly not qualified to do, I'm left wondering: what does this say about the audience?
November 20, 2008
single ladies
November 18, 2008
this is concerning
By James Hibberd, Reuters
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – An extensive new research study has found that unhappy people watch more TV while those consider themselves happy spend more time reading and socializing.
The University of Maryland analyzed 34 years of data collected from more than 45,000 participants and found that watching TV might make you feel good in the short term but is more likely to lead to overall unhappiness.
"The pattern for daily TV use is particularly dramatic, with 'not happy' people estimating over 30 percent more TV hours per day than 'very happy' people," the study says. "Television viewing is a pleasurable enough activity with no lasting benefit, and it pushes aside time spent in other activities -- ones that might be less immediately pleasurable, but that would provide long-term benefits in one's condition. In other words, TV does cause people to be less happy."
The study, published in the December issue of Social Indicators Research, analyzed data from thousands of people who recorded their daily activities in diaries over the course of several decades. Researchers found that activities such as sex, reading and socializing correlated with the highest levels of overall happiness.
Watching TV, on the other hand, was the only activity that had a direct correlation with unhappiness.
"TV is not judgmental nor difficult, so people with few social skills or resources for other activities can engage in it," says the study. "Furthermore, chronic unhappiness can be socially and personally debilitating and can interfere with work and most social and personal activities, but even the unhappiest people can click a remote and be passively entertained by a TV. In other words, the causal order is reversed for people who watch television; unhappiness leads to television viewing."
Unhappily married couples also watch more TV: "(Happily married couples) engage in 30 percent more sex, and they attend religious services more and read newspapers on more days," reports the study. "While those not happy with their marriages watch more TV."
Yet there may be good news here for broadcasters. Commenting on the study, co-author John P. Robinson said the worsening economy could boost TV viewing.
"Through good and bad economic times, our diary studies, have consistently found that work is the major activity correlate of higher TV viewing hours," Robinson says. "As people have progressively more time on their hands, viewing hours increase."
Concludes the study: "These points have parallels with addiction; since addictive activities produce momentary pleasure but long-term misery and regret. People most vulnerable to addiction tend to be socially or personally disadvantaged, with TV becoming an opiate."
November 17, 2008
abc, we need to talk
ABC is taking a few chances midseason, and I take issue with a few of them.
The following is a special message to ABC
Dear ABC,
This is why we're in a fight:
- You left Pushing Daisies and Dirty Sexy Money in purgatory. No slot in the midseason line-up, but no cancellation. Answers please.
- You keep bringing The Bachelor back. They never get married.
- According to Jim, seriously?
- Denny is back on Grey's for FIVE episodes. FIVE. He is dead. Leave it alone.
- I'm hearing rumors of a new comedy called Cougar Town staring Courtney Cox. This does not bode well.
- Two new midseason reality shows literally frighten me:
1. Border Security USA: behind the scenes at the government's fight against terrorism. Shot on location throughout the US, the series will focus on the efforts of border protection agencies to halt illegal smuggling and immigration
2. True Beauty: Executive producers Tyra Banks and Ashton Kutcher re-define the concept of beauty. Vanessa Minnillo, Cheryl Tiegs and Nolé Marin will judge six stunning females and four handsome males who will live together in a Los Angeles mansion as they undergo a series of challenges to determine who is truly the most beautiful.
- You're keeping Eli Stone afloat.
- Lost
- You switched Private Practice to Thursdays after Grey's. The only place viewers can tolerate it.
- You have two promising new midseason shows:
1. The Unusuals: Ensemble dramedy about oddball NYPD characters, including Amber Tamblyn, written by Noah Hawley, who writes for Bones.
2. Castle: Centers around a horror novelist who helps solve crimes with NYPD
I'm still unclear on my feelings about the adoption of Scrubs from NBC for what will probably be one final season. Why did you do this? Why do you confuse me so?
Your friend,Maura
November 14, 2008
tgif top 10
Top 10 Narrated Shows
- The Wonder Years
- Arrested Development
- Sex & the City
- Desperate Housewives
- Pushing Daisies
- Dexter
- Scrubs
- How I Met Your Mother
- My Name Is Earl
- Grey's Anatomy
Honorable mention goes to Gossip Girl and Veronica Mars, which are/were both narrated by the fabulous Kristen Bell.
November 13, 2008
mad cancellations
In other cancellation news, NBC served up the axe to Lipstick Jungle and My Own Worst Enemy (Christian Slater's drama). I never got into Enemy, but I will admit to developing a slightly embarassing weakness for Jungle. I blame Andrew McCarthy. I never got over Pretty in Pink, but really, who has?
November 10, 2008
police report
November 7, 2008
tgif top 10 (warning: super long)
Woman in Bar: You've been a... what do you call it?
2. "Two Cathedrals" (Season 2) I almost cry even thinking about this one. Dear Mrs. Landingham's funeral, just after President Bartlet's MS has gone public, and he is deciding whether to run for re-election. The final scene where Bartlet, alone in the cathedral, curses in Latin and stomps a cigarette is perfection.
Mrs. Landingham: You know, if you don't want to run again, I respect that. But if you don't run because you think it's going to be too hard or you think you're going to lose well, God, Jed, I don't even wanna know you.
3. "He Shall From Time to Time" (Season 1) Another drama-filled episode when Bartlet delivers his first State of the Union, collapses because of his MS, and Leo publicly admits to having an alcohol problem. Toby shines in this episode when he convinces the President to scratch the line that says "The era of big government is over" even though it tested well.
Toby: I want to change the sentiment. We're running away from ourselves...We have to say what we feel, that government no matter what it's failures in the past and in times to come for that matter, government can be a place where people come together and where no one gets left behind. No one gets left behind. An instrument of good. I have no trouble understanding why the line tested well, Josh, but I don't think that means we should say it. I think that means we should change it."4. "Election Day" (Season 7) This episode broke everyone's heart when Leo, played by the great John Mahoney, dies on the campaign trail.
(Josh gazes at a picture of Leo after learning of the Santos victory.)
Josh: Thanks, boss.
5. "In Excelsis Deo" (Season 1) I consider this Toby's best episode (just learned that he won the Emmy for it). Near Christmas, a homeless Vietnam vet is found dead near the memorial wearing a coat that Toby gave to Good Will. Toby tries to arrange a proper funeral for him, and we learn that Mrs. Landingham lost two sons in Vietnam, after they were drafted out of medical school. She joins Toby at the funeral.
Bartlet: Toby, If we start pulling strings like this don't you think every homeless vet is going to start crawling out of the woodwork?
Toby: I can only hope so, sir.
6. "Impact Winter" (Season 6) We were all worrying at this point without Aaron Sorkin, but this episode was one of the great ones leading up to the election story in the final season. An asteroid may be headed for Earth, Bartlet has become temporarily paralyzed by MS, Josh is acting as Chief of Staff, and Donna is forced to quit without telling him because he's so busy.
Bartlet (about to be carried down the stairs): I'm just saying, you drop me, that's a moment that follows you the rest of your life.
7. "Celestial Navigation" (Season 1) Josh is a guest lecturer at a university where he tells a story of the previous day when he failed miserably filling in as press secretary for CJ. Also, Sam and Toby drive to Connecticut to bail out the presumed Supreme Court nominee, who has been wrongly detained for drunk driving. Some of the best scenes are Charlie trying to wake the President up - he is not a morning person.
Bartlet: You told the press I have a secret plan to fight inflation?
Josh: No, I did not. Let me be absolutely clear I DID NOT do that. Except yes, I did that.
8. "Holy Night" (Season 4) Will officially moves into the West Wing and suffers some hazing. This is a Christmas episode, where Toby's estranged father shows up for forgiveness. And it's one of my favorite CJ/Danny episodes - Danny, dressed as Santa, smooches her.
Toby: Why do you sit in the lobby instead of my office?
Will: The Holy Line of Demarcation. (indicates the floor) Right there. It's where the West Wing starts and I won't go past it.
Toby: I wasn't listening to anything you just said.
Will: I said the Holy Line Of Demarcation...
Toby: It's because I didn't care
9. "Arctic Radar" (Season 4) This is just a silly episode with some of my favorite Josh/Donna moments. Donna asks Josh to find out of Jack Reese likes her and is horrified by the anecdotes he shares with Jack. Sam heads to California to begin his campaign (cue failed spin-off plans).
Donna: You have to talk to him again.Josh: Why?
Donna: Cuz now he's gonna think I'm flaky.
Josh: Maybe but he's not gonna care.
Donna: Why not?
Josh: Guys'll go out with anyone.
10. "Twenty-Five" (Season 4) One of the more suspenseful episodes, this marked the end of the Aaron Sorkin years. Zoey has just been abducted and we see some of the best Jed/Abby scenes. Bartlet decides to step down from the Presidency temporarily leaving a scary Republican Speaker of the House in charge. Toby's twins are born, and he wonders if he's capable of being a loving dad.
Will (on Bartlet): I think it’s a fairly stunning act of patriotism and a fairly ordinary act of fatherhood.
Toby (to his newborn son): I don't want to alarm you or anything, but I'm Dad. And for you, son, for you, this will be the last time I pass the buck, but I think it should be clear from the get-go that it was Mom who named you Huckleberry. I guess she was feeling like life doesn't present enough challenges to overcome on its own.
November 5, 2008
November 4, 2008
news alert: dr. hahn is dunzo
As a long time Grey's fan, I know the show is struggling, but this story arc has been very well-written. They were treating a gay relationship just like a straight one. No big scandal or political statement, just two people trying to figure out if they're attracted to one another. Sure, Callie going to Mark for pointers about "undiscovered territory" was a little much, but the fact is, this was much more mild then many of the sexual themes that we've seen on this show. Alex McSlutty and Mark McSteamy are allowed to sleep around with every nurse and intern in the hospital, but a lesbian relationship is giving the network "cold feet"? Disappointing.
Dr. Hahn's last episode is actually this Thursday. They're not even writing her out - they just cut the character (proves this wasn't a plot-driven decision). After she gave this amazing monologue last week:
November 3, 2008
what is a nielsen family and why won’t they adopt me?
Let’s be honest, no fool is reading this blog right now. It’s the day before one of the most emotional and contentious elections in history. You’re glued to any and all of the 24-hour news networks obsessively checking projections and early exit polls.
But if you have landed here, then you must be looking for a breather. A little break from the insanity to avoid hair loss and cardiac arrest. So, let’s talk about a completely different kind of poll number: a Nielsen Rating. Exciting, right?
I realized that I have no idea where TV ratings come from. I have a vague idea of what Nielsen Ratings are, but don’t these only measure families and/or households that have been designated “Nielsen families”? Who chooses these families? How nuclear are we talking? How do we know the numbers aren’t skewed? I don’t own a home and move every 1.5 to 2 years. How do I know the Nielsen people haven’t been looking all over for me? What does that mean for the accurate measurement of my demographic?
I realize that this system has been well respected and relied upon for decades by some of the most savvy business professionals in the country – TV and ad execs. There must be a reason for that. So, I consulted a trusty source* for some research.
Here what I found out:
- Nielsen Media Research is an independent firm that operates in over 100 countries and was founded in 1923
- Ratings are gathered by one of two ways: 1) Self-reporting Diaries, where viewers of various demographics are asked to keep a written record of his or her viewing habits, generally for a week, in exchange for being advanced a nominal amount (up to $30 in the United States) – PICK ME! PICK ME! 2) Set Meters, which are small devices connected to televisions in selected homes.
- In 2005, Nielsen began measuring the usage of digital video recordings (TiVo, DVR) and initial results indicate that time-shifted viewing will have a significant impact on television ratings, but networks are not yet figuring these new results into their ad rates at the resistance of advertisers because no one watches ads on recorded programs.
I did find some criticism of the rating system:
- Since viewers are aware of being part of the Nielsen sample, it can lead to bias in recording and viewing habits. Isn’t this psychology 101? But it is interesting in this case because, compared to the set meter, self-reporting diaries are more likely to report news programming and popular prime time programming and less likely to report daytime and late night viewing. People don’t want to admit watching General Hospital and Carson Daly!
- Another criticism of the measuring system itself is that it is not random in the statistical sense of the word. Only a small fraction of the population is selected and only those that actually accept are used as the sample size.
Nielsen is supposedly making improvements to the ratings system by finding ways to include "group" viewing settings like college dormitories, sports bars, airport lounges, etc. which are not traditionally measured. They are also incorporating an Internet ratings measurement system that will allow them to collect demographics on YouTube, iTunes, and network site viewings.
We're going to be seeing a lot of major decisions about network line-ups in the coming weeks. For all of the fan outrage that comes out of show cancellations, it's pretty amazing that there is basically one system of measurement upon which all decisions are made. With the transition to all digitial broadcasting in 2009, will it be possible to just collect anonynmous tally of all televisions tuned into a program? Is that an invasion of privacy?
There's an interesting site that tracks a "cancellation index." Check it out. I'm not sure if that was of interest to anyone but me. You can now go back to CNN.
*wikipedia