I am admittedly very fond of lists so every once in a while I am going to throw out one of my top 10's. The first one being;
Top 10 T.V. Shows of all time:
Before I Begin let me just add that to me HBO changed TV forever and my list reflects that, but this is an organic list that can change at any time.
1. The Wire: Anyone who knows me and has spoke to me in the last 8 months knows all too well what I think about this show. I go on the record by saying it is better than anything ever on the big or small screen.
David Simon and Edward Burns have created the best written, most thought-provoking, best performed theatre since porn went to beta.
2. Seinfeld: One of three non HBO shows on this list. It's pretty generic but no show has had a bigger impact on the way I see the world. Seinfeld and David wrote some of the funniest episodes in TV history.
3. The Sopranos: To me this is the show that opened all the doors. The language, sexual content, violence and family all put into one show. It established the norm for what grit on the small screen is all about.
4. The Larry Sanders Show: Gary Shandling's talk show satire is genius. He introduced audiences to Jeremy Piven and Janeane Garofalo. As far as I am concerned Jeffrey Tambors Hank Kingsley and Rip Torn's Artie are the two funniest characters in TV history.
5. Deadwood: All I can say is; Cocksucker it is grueling and torturous and humorous and dramatic and sometimes I have no idea what's going on but I hang on every word.
6. The Shield: I have a soft spot for cops who dabble in the dirt, and Vic Mackey is the dirty cop's dirty cop.
7. Curb Your Enthusiasm: Larry David shows how hard it really is too be rich in California. This ad lib show has all the tools. David has perfected the lovable loser.
8. The X-files: It's cheesy but it was the show that taught us it's okay to have multiple story arcs. Yeah We are smart enough to keep up.
9. Star Trek Phenomenon: It gets the nod because as an MTV generation kid it was the mode for my imagination as a youngster with the original series and taught me what acceptance of difference in culture, race and ethnicity was all about in my teens. Roddenberry wrote a very sweet story about our potential, if we make it that far.
10. Entourage: Vince is the man. He is what we all want to be, so much fun to watch this Queens crew strut through LA bagging women and nabbing millions of dollars in the movie business. The best guilty pleasure ever.
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Back To Basics
The last post was just a small sample of some of the things I could talk about when in the mood, but I think tonight I want to get back to what I know best...sports.
What's really pissing me off is the NHLs inability to adapt the league as a fan-friendly entity.
Starting with the schedule which is an abomination.
For us Canadians it's important that every year we see every Canadian team, instead of the arrangement we have now where you see the other conference in your own building once every three years.
So when it comes time to vote on changing that rule, with a consistent voice of displeasure coming from most fans and most hockey writers, the league left it as is.
How do you expect to market a league when you have to see Minnesota 8 times, you play your division 32 times total, that's almost half the schedule.
Beyond that when my team, The Calgary Flames, are not playing I generally have to watch other division teams play each other and hope not for a winner or a loser but for the game to end in regulation not in overtime so they don't both get points.
It would be so much more fun if Montreal was in Edmonton and I could cheer for the Habs to beat the Oil. That's a hockey game that fans can get behind.
Instead the league can continue to stay on the Versus network.
A lot of people want to blame Gary Bettman but its the owners, each one only looks one foot in front of their own face, they never look at the big picture like the NFL or the NBA.
It is 30 separate entities still, after all the shit they have been through, instead of one tight unit looking for the best plan for the collective group, players included.
Notice how when the new Basketball didn't work out, David Stern swallowed his ego and admitted he made a bad call, or in the every least didn't get enough information before he made such a drastic decision.
So why can''t the owners of the league do the same thing. It's not like it's tough to spin, last year the schedule was done late because of the lockout, so there was reason to keep it more compact regionally, but with proper planning they could erect a schedule just like the NBA, like what they had pre-lockout.
The fact is they pretty much fixed the game on the ice by opening their minds too some new ideas, why can't they do that off the ice by marketing the best spectator sport on the planet.
What's really pissing me off is the NHLs inability to adapt the league as a fan-friendly entity.
Starting with the schedule which is an abomination.
For us Canadians it's important that every year we see every Canadian team, instead of the arrangement we have now where you see the other conference in your own building once every three years.
So when it comes time to vote on changing that rule, with a consistent voice of displeasure coming from most fans and most hockey writers, the league left it as is.
How do you expect to market a league when you have to see Minnesota 8 times, you play your division 32 times total, that's almost half the schedule.
Beyond that when my team, The Calgary Flames, are not playing I generally have to watch other division teams play each other and hope not for a winner or a loser but for the game to end in regulation not in overtime so they don't both get points.
It would be so much more fun if Montreal was in Edmonton and I could cheer for the Habs to beat the Oil. That's a hockey game that fans can get behind.
Instead the league can continue to stay on the Versus network.
A lot of people want to blame Gary Bettman but its the owners, each one only looks one foot in front of their own face, they never look at the big picture like the NFL or the NBA.
It is 30 separate entities still, after all the shit they have been through, instead of one tight unit looking for the best plan for the collective group, players included.
Notice how when the new Basketball didn't work out, David Stern swallowed his ego and admitted he made a bad call, or in the every least didn't get enough information before he made such a drastic decision.
So why can''t the owners of the league do the same thing. It's not like it's tough to spin, last year the schedule was done late because of the lockout, so there was reason to keep it more compact regionally, but with proper planning they could erect a schedule just like the NBA, like what they had pre-lockout.
The fact is they pretty much fixed the game on the ice by opening their minds too some new ideas, why can't they do that off the ice by marketing the best spectator sport on the planet.
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
The armageddon solution
Recently I started to wonder if we are truly at the end of civilization as we know it. It's kind of crazy to think about I know, it sounds like I should be checked out or checked in, but I find it troubling to believe we are going to thrive as a species under our current conditions.
I mean it could be argued the we are in the midst of a world war. There are powerful forces on different sides connected across continents. There are countless lives dying every day all over the place. we are destroying our environment, either by our actions or by coincidence with the evolution of the planet.
Either way weather has been weird, don't you think?
Most of the world is either impoverished or is on their way with credit.
To say the shit is fuct is an understatement.
It doesn't ease my mind that fundamentalist terrorist Orgs. are stockpiling weapons and breeding at a 4-1 rate.
We are in a war we don't want. Everyone I know wants to live in their houses, drive their 1.5 cars, raise their 1.3 kids, watch 24, eat, drink and fuck. They don't want to walk into a building strapped with ball-bearings and c4 plowing through civilians. However, there are people whom actually think that's the way to go.
I got to say I am concerned, now I am not going to be stepping on soap box and begging for change, I am prolly gonna try and enjoy the next 40 or 50 years of my life, but, people somebody has to do something, don't they?
Or will the American Empire fall to the Chinese with the help of the middle east, it's not like it looks good for us right now, we are outnumbered, outgunned and unwilling.
There is only one man who can lead us to a victory... two words... Jack Bauer. Dude will kill his best friend, probably his brother, if put in the position I think he would kill Sean Averys girlfriend.
Jack Bauer you are our only hope.
I mean if we don;t have a "Jack Bauer," what does our future really look like.
I asked my mother if at any time during the Kennedy assasination or the Vietnam war if there was ever as deep a sentiment that everything we have grown too know is on the decline?
After thinking about her answer for a few moments, she answered confidently with a "No."
I know what you are gonna say, he is nuts, he has too much time on his hands but I can't help but get this feeling that hate, frustration, anger and worst of all apathy have creeped in like the shadow of Sauraon, almost as if we are in sitting in the calm before the storm.
Let me put it another way, does it look like we are on our way to world peace, shit thisngs seemed tense during the cold war but now that war looks a celebrity boxing match.
I know I am cynical but I can;t stop thinking we can still hit rock bottom, what about you?
I mean it could be argued the we are in the midst of a world war. There are powerful forces on different sides connected across continents. There are countless lives dying every day all over the place. we are destroying our environment, either by our actions or by coincidence with the evolution of the planet.
Either way weather has been weird, don't you think?
Most of the world is either impoverished or is on their way with credit.
To say the shit is fuct is an understatement.
It doesn't ease my mind that fundamentalist terrorist Orgs. are stockpiling weapons and breeding at a 4-1 rate.
We are in a war we don't want. Everyone I know wants to live in their houses, drive their 1.5 cars, raise their 1.3 kids, watch 24, eat, drink and fuck. They don't want to walk into a building strapped with ball-bearings and c4 plowing through civilians. However, there are people whom actually think that's the way to go.
I got to say I am concerned, now I am not going to be stepping on soap box and begging for change, I am prolly gonna try and enjoy the next 40 or 50 years of my life, but, people somebody has to do something, don't they?
Or will the American Empire fall to the Chinese with the help of the middle east, it's not like it looks good for us right now, we are outnumbered, outgunned and unwilling.
There is only one man who can lead us to a victory... two words... Jack Bauer. Dude will kill his best friend, probably his brother, if put in the position I think he would kill Sean Averys girlfriend.
Jack Bauer you are our only hope.
I mean if we don;t have a "Jack Bauer," what does our future really look like.
I asked my mother if at any time during the Kennedy assasination or the Vietnam war if there was ever as deep a sentiment that everything we have grown too know is on the decline?
After thinking about her answer for a few moments, she answered confidently with a "No."
I know what you are gonna say, he is nuts, he has too much time on his hands but I can't help but get this feeling that hate, frustration, anger and worst of all apathy have creeped in like the shadow of Sauraon, almost as if we are in sitting in the calm before the storm.
Let me put it another way, does it look like we are on our way to world peace, shit thisngs seemed tense during the cold war but now that war looks a celebrity boxing match.
I know I am cynical but I can;t stop thinking we can still hit rock bottom, what about you?
Monday, January 22, 2007
This is the first of what I hope is many posts. It has been suggested to me by quite a number of people over the the last couple years that I should have my own blog. At the moment I have no structure, no routine for topics or form but I am hoping to just go on some rants that might lead to some sort of intelligent banter.
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