The Swamp

brian wrote:I really like it so far except for Diane Kruger's character and for most of the reasons you mention. It beggars belief (even with a benefactor/mentor with semi-questionable motives like Ted Levine's character) that someone with her personal attributes would rise to such a promotion position in a very large city's police department no less.

AFFIRMATIVE!

rass wrote:Those are more fun when I'm actually watching the show you rip apart.

In case you're wondering, it's not worth trying to catch up on the show just to re-read that post.

DSafetyGuy wrote:

rass wrote:Those are more fun when I'm actually watching the show you rip apart.

In case you're wondering, it's not worth trying to catch up on the show just to re-read that post.

OK, then I think you really need to catch up on season 3 of The Killing.

AB_skin_test wrote:

brian wrote:I really like it so far except for Diane Kruger's character and for most of the reasons you mention. It beggars belief (even with a benefactor/mentor with semi-questionable motives like Ted Levine's character) that someone with her personal attributes would rise to such a promotion position in a very large city's police department no less.

AFFIRMATIVE!

I agree. Her character isn't solid but the show overall is very good.

The Bridge also gets major points for having Ryan Bingham do the opening theme/song.

rass wrote:

DSafetyGuy wrote:

rass wrote:Those are more fun when I'm actually watching the show you rip apart.

In case you're wondering, it's not worth trying to catch up on the show just to re-read that post.

OK, then I think you really need to catch up on season 3 of The Killing.

I actually read the reviews for the first couple episodes of this season at the A/V Club. Still not buying it.

brian wrote:The Bridge also gets major points for having Ryan Bingham do the opening theme/song.

Si.

We were able to get about halfway through the first epsiode before the kiddo intervened and we haven't gone back to finish it yet. Not a good sign, but I do love me some FX dramas so I imagine I'll at least catch myself up at some point.

Bensell wrote:

AB_skin_test wrote:

brian wrote:I really like it so far except for Diane Kruger's character and for most of the reasons you mention. It beggars belief (even with a benefactor/mentor with semi-questionable motives like Ted Levine's character) that someone with her personal attributes would rise to such a promotion position in a very large city's police department no less.

AFFIRMATIVE!

I agree. Her character isn't solid but the show overall is very good.

I'm with these guys. This is one of those shows where it is best enjoyed if you don't think about it too closely.

So, Morgan Freeman shot Brad Pitt to keep Brad Pitt from shooting Kevin Spacey because Gwyneth Paltrow's head ended up in a water tank, then Morgan Freeman shot Kevin Spacey.

Does that make the mustachioed detective John C. McGinley and Ted Levine is R. Lee Ermey?

DSafetyGuy wrote:So, Morgan Freeman shot Brad Pitt to keep Brad Pitt from shooting Kevin Spacey because Gwyneth Paltrow's head ended up in a water tank, then Morgan Freeman shot Kevin Spacey.

Does that make the mustachioed detective John C. McGinley and Ted Levine is R. Lee Ermey?

Is this in some kind of different language?

AB_skin_test wrote:

DSafetyGuy wrote:So, Morgan Freeman shot Brad Pitt to keep Brad Pitt from shooting Kevin Spacey because Gwyneth Paltrow's head ended up in a water tank, then Morgan Freeman shot Kevin Spacey.

Does that make the mustachioed detective John C. McGinley and Ted Levine is R. Lee Ermey?

Is this in some kind of different language?

I translated this week's episode of "The Bridge" to the end of the movie "Seven."

You guys who aren't thinking too much about the show might actually be enjoying it.

does anyone watch the Danish show Borgen ? About a female PM. Pretty good and it's fascinating to watch the small differences between politicians here and there.

The final episode of Dexter is the cherry on top of the shit sundae this entire season has been.

Good fucking riddance.

When Adventure Time premiered, I absolutely loved it. Sweet-hearted yet insane, it had the potential to be an all-time great animated series.

Now it often seems to be a drug-induced pile of self indulgence. Nothing wrong with drug-induced animation, but when an eleven minute episode grates as badly as many of the newer episodes do, it is time to say goodbye.

On a cheerier note - The Regular Show is usually very funny.

The first time I watched Adventure Time, I thought, 'these kids take different drugs than I grew up taking.

My life is a two man bike, and I want you in the rear

I also can't stop grinning every time I think about Swanson figuring out where Leslie sent him. That was the feel good end credits segment of the year!

I warned you about this. Standard birth control methods aren’t usually effective against a Swanson

This is my giggle feel good moment of the week.

Pruitt wrote:When Adventure Time premiered, I absolutely loved it. Sweet-hearted yet insane, it had the potential to be an all-time great animated series.

Now it often seems to be a drug-induced pile of self indulgence. Nothing wrong with drug-induced animation, but when an eleven minute episode grates as badly as many of the newer episodes do, it is time to say goodbye.

On a cheerier note - The Regular Show is usually very funny.

Thought it was a kid's show, until I watched it with my kids.

SNL Girls parody, with Tina Fey.

That Girls parody is fantastic. The Hannah impersonation is spot on, and Fey is great as the immigrant.

govmentchedda wrote:That Girls parody is fantastic. The Hannah impersonation is spot on, and Fey is great as the immigrant.

"My ex-boyfriend is an internet millionaire."

"My ex-boyfriend is buried in shallow grave."

Hilarious. Considering how weak most of that episode was, I get the feeling that Tina Fey helped write the Girls parody.

And by the way, Girls may be the most irritating show I have ever seen.

brian wrote:So my Jeopardy audition is tomorrow. Wish me luck. Thinking about having a few beers at lunch tomorrow to be loose and conversational. It works for Captain Karl, so it can't fail me.

New Online test scheduled for the first week of January. Register here.

Rush2112 wrote:

brian wrote:So my Jeopardy audition is tomorrow. Wish me luck. Thinking about having a few beers at lunch tomorrow to be loose and conversational. It works for Captain Karl, so it can't fail me.

New Online test scheduled for the first week of January. Register here.

Step One to making a dream come true.

Obviously still haven't gotten the call yet. Beginning to think it isn't going to happen. Though I am on the contestant list until June 2014, so who knows?

Community is back. And Mike Ermantraut is back from Belize.

howard wrote:Community is back. And Mike Ermantraut is back from Belize.

Both very good episodes, with that craziness/weirdness that was missing with Harmon gone.

Rush2112 wrote:

howard wrote:Community is back. And Mike Ermantraut is back from Belize.

Both very good episodes, with that craziness/weirdness that was missing with Harmon gone.

Yeah, it's definitely back to a level where I feel like half of the references go over my head. What was up with the song in French at the end of the second episode?

Loved Abed's Nic Cage breakdown, though.


Four days until Justified returns.

Just did the online Jeopardy test.

Pretty happy with how it went.

Now for twelve months of nail biting.

Pruitt wrote:Just did the online Jeopardy test.

Pretty happy with how it went.

Now for twelve months of nail biting.

Nope. If they call you for an in-person audition it'll be sometime in spring.

Downton Abbey is the PBS/Highbrow version of Melrose Place.

But dammit I love the Butler's voice. He should be a stadium announcer or something.

brian wrote:

Pruitt wrote:Just did the online Jeopardy test.

Pretty happy with how it went.

Now for twelve months of nail biting.

Nope. If they call you for an in-person audition it'll be sometime in spring.

Test starts in 8 minutes. Wife isn't home, so I am really hoping the punk kids stay in bed. My son is really excited about the test, as he like watching Jeopardy. He thinks Alex is hysterical. When he was 3, he even answered a question correctly before me or the contestants. Something to do with a color name in Spanish. I forget which way the translation went, but the little bugger beat me to it. Anywho, here goes nothing!


ETA: The kids were good, my answers on the other hand... I know I missed at least 5. I got off to a great start, I know I got all of the first 12 or so right, then they threw in art and literature at me. Just a crap shoot on those. The last question was great.

Category: Double "L" Words

This hairstyle is described as business in the front, party in the back.

I had to think about that one for a moment or three. One of the tricky defaults of the way brains can be wired is that upon hearing/reading "hairstyles", one immediately starts processing it as "female hairstyles". At least in my case where there is no such thing as a hairstyle beyond going to a barber with about $15 in my pocket.

Scottie wrote:I had to think about that one for a moment or three. One of the tricky defaults of the way brains can be wired is that upon hearing/reading "hairstyles", one immediately starts processing it as "female hairstyles". At least in my case where there is no such thing as a hairstyle beyond going to a barber with about $15 in my pocket.

Yeah, the only thing I have ever said is "trim the top". Or bouffant, depending on my mood. Silvio Dante is my hair mentor. I had a friend in HS who was mullet obsessed and fond of the phrase "10% business, 90% party." He got me into the early internet site Mullets Galore. Hours of entertainment.

Scottie wrote:I had to think about that one for a moment or three. One of the tricky defaults of the way brains can be wired is that upon hearing/reading "hairstyles", one immediately starts processing it as "female hairstyles". At least in my case where there is no such thing as a hairstyle beyond going to a barber with about $15 in my pocket.

Once every three weeks with my own clippers, no guard. Best gift ever.

Questions and answers from last nights Jeopardy! test.

I think I got 38 right. I choked on several that I knew but didn't come up with on time. I doubt that is enough to qualify. Brian?

Of course the Sports question had to be about a college bowl game. Stupid poetic justice.

40, but no time constraints.

The Sybian wrote:Questions and answers from last nights Jeopardy! test.

I think I got 38 right. I choked on several that I knew but didn't come up with on time. I doubt that is enough to qualify. Brian?

Of course the Sports question had to be about a college bowl game. Stupid poetic justice.

It was asked what the cutoff is when we were there for the audition, but they wouldn't say. I've seen online that supposedly it takes 35 to have a chance to go to the next level so you might be OK. However they did say that they only randomly select a very small fraction of the people who pass the online test to do an in-person audition. (One other tip is that if you have the resources (financial and time for travel) to do so you should always pick Los Angeles as your preferred audition city since they (not surprisingly) do the most auditions there.

I just reviewed my test from Tuesday and I got either 41 or 42.

Somewhere my grade 13 English prof is scowling down on me for missing "Richard the 3rd."

And leaving Jeopardy aside...

I stumbled upon a really bizarre English show called Mrs. Brown's Boys. A man dressed as a crude working class Irish matriarch running a household full of stereotyped characters (all her kids are over 35). Set up like a standard three camera sitcom yet a lot of the laughs come from seeing the lead actor break the fourth wall.

Crude and occasionally moronic, but God help me, it makes me laugh.

So I tell myself that the dumber elements of the show prove that it's a satire of standard sitcoms and not just an indication that the show is, in fact, dumb.