gedblog

We’ve taken our first steps into a larger world with episode IV of Sci-Fi Cast. Our weekly podcast discussing season 4 of Battlestar Galactica and all things geek, has made the jump (sorry, had to do it) to Apple’s iTunes. You can now subscribe to the show by visiting the podcast section of iTunes.

This week’s episode is sadly missing Krystyn, but we have high hopes she’ll join us for episode V next week. In the meantime, Jen, Dave and I theorize about the internal temperature of Colonial garbage scows, what makes for the perfect BSG episode (according to Jen, it’s all about the act-ion!) and how bad it would suck to have Admiral Adama disappointed in you.

The usual spoiler warning applies, so don’t listen if you’ve not watched “Escape Velocity” yet. It’s kinda like opening your eyes at the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark. If you do, and you’ve not watched BSG episode 4 yet, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life. Well, maybe not that long.

Download or listen to Sci-Fi Cast Episode 4 (21 min) here.

PS – On a personal note, I promise never to download a show from my TiVO while using Skype ever again, which is what I was doing during this episode. If you ever want to sound like you’re speaking through a piece of digital cheesecloth, then this technique works great, otherwise ABORT! ABORT!

Just finished watching our favorite local talk radio hosts, Brad Krantz and Britt Whitmire make a brief appearance on the national broadcast of FOX News. They spoke about North Carolina’s role in the upcoming election and responded to questions about their listener’s views on the controversial GOP ad currently running in the state.

I think they did a pretty good job for not being allowed to expound on their thoughts for more than a few sentences and represented North Carolina extremely well. Brad’s point about how NC has changed since the days of Jessie Helms is well taken and with all eyes turning to our state in the next two weeks, hopefully the media will continue to portray North Carolinians as the intelligent, modern people they are. One small note to Britt: Don’t let top billing from the clueless FOX host go to your head

Caught this guy coming out of my front porch drain pipe the other day. I swear on the Internet this image hasn’t been altered in any way. I saw him going in and out of the pipe which sits on my front lawn and I grabbed my camera. On one of his exits he seemed to know I was watching and posed for me. At least now I know why my gutters are all backed up…

UPDATE: I submitted the little guy to icanhascheezburger.com. Head on over and vote for him before he gets his friends to clog up your drains too!

Looks like Sci-Fi Cast is now officially a podcast, I mean we’re at episode three right? How many more do we have to do before I consider this a real “gig”? This week’s episode catches us up with events in the season 4 BSG episode “The Ties That Bind” including how the Sci-Fi channel apparently lets 3rd graders edit next week’s previews, Captain Ahab, I mean Starbuck and why Futurama just might be the greatest show in the history of television. Sadly we were missing Krystyn Heide this week (something about having an actual life, I dunno) but Jen Segrest, Dave Caolo and I did our best to be sufficiently geeky to take up the slack.

A bit of a warning, this episode is full of fracking spoilers for BSG’s 3rd episode, so don’t listen if you’ve not watched “The Ties That Bind” yet. Don’t say we didn’t warn you, because once you listen, you can’t un-listen!

Download or listen to Sci-Fi Cast Episode 3 here.

So today is the big day in the Keystone state. They’ll be much analysis and endless talk about what the candidates could have done better, but at the end of the day I say Hillary will win PA, as she has always been predicted to do. Although Barack has made impressive in-roads in the state, it won’t be enough for an upset. Of course, he doesn’t need an upset, he just needs to hold her win to the lower double digits. And so I’m guessing when all is said and done, Clinton will win Pennsylvania by 13%. It would be awesome if he could hold her to single digits, but I’m not going to get my hopes up.

In the end, none of this matters because she’ll still be behind in pledged delegates, popular votes, states won and funds raised. She’s already lost, she just hasn’t admitted it yet.

UPDATE: Close! When the dust settled Clinton won the state by 10%. She only netted only 9 – 12 delegates though and cut Obama’s popular vote lead by about 150K. It’s been said before, but I’ll say it again: She. Can’t. Win. Enough with the drama, vote Obama.

Admit it. There have been times when you’ve tuned into an episode of a particularly bad television show for no other reason than, shall we say, the “eye candy”. Maybe you even tuned in for an entire season or more just to catch a glimpse of that certain actor or actress that made your heart go pitter patter. Thanks to yet another exchange between Twitter friends on this very subject, I’m happy to present a list of what I’m calling my top five “TV Turd Blossoms”. Even though the shows that starred them were veritable train wrecks, they all made us think twice about changing the channel, which I think, was the entire point of casting them. Read on and feel free to add your own turd blossoms in the comments below.

• • •

Christina Applegate
Married With Children

Fox’s anti-Cosby series about the dysfunctional Bundy family was notable for several reasons. Unlike anything that had come before, Married reveled in endless lowbrow humor and sexual innuendo. It played shamelessly to the studio audience, at times almost making them a full fledged cast member. The show’s humor never really appealed to me, but thanks to Christina Applegate’s Kelly Bundy, I somehow managed to tune in for more than a few episodes. Christina’s obvious sex appeal, combined with her sly performance as the ultimate “dumb blonde” had millions of viewers wishing she was the girl who lived next door.

• • •

Heather Thomas
The Fall Guy

I think it’s safe to say that Heather Thomas was the “hood ornament” on The Fall Guy’s 4×4 big rig. The show centered around stuntman by day, bounty hunter by night, Colt Severs played by Lee Majors, and was known for pedestrian plots, glorified stunt work and Hollywood glam. You only had to watch the opening credits of The Fall Guy to get a pretty good idea why Heather Thomas was cast in the forgettable role of Jodie Banks. Typical dialog for Heather included such award winning lines as “Watch out Colt, he’s got a gun!” and “I hate you Howie!”. Never-the-less, Heather’s California good looks, along with sales of one of the most successful posters of the 80’s, help keep The Fall Guy breaking through windows and catching crooks for five full seasons.

• • •

Donna Dixon
Bosom Buddies

Back before Tom Hanks was the Oscar-winning, world famous actor and producer he is today, he starred in a little sitcom (yes, that is Hanks singing the Billy Joel title track in the opening credits) about two guys pretending to be women in order to get an apartment in Manhattan. Although I was only 11 at the time, I remember the show not for the forced jokes about men in drag, or even Peter Scolari’s impressive juggling skills. Nope, the thing I remember most about Bosom Buddies was Sonny Lumet, played to Marilyn Monroe-esque proportions by Donna Dixon. Unbeknownst to me, Dixon’s Sonny provided the visual counterbalance for audience members uncomfortable with watching two men parading around in makeup for laughs. And although the writers took full advantage of Dixon’s sex appeal, Bosom Buddies just wasn’t funny enough to last beyond 2 seasons.

• • •

Jeri Ryan
Star Trek Voyager

By the third season of Star Trek Voyager, UPN’s flagship show was starting to limp along on impulse power. The powers that be decided to axe Kes, played by Jennifer Lein, in favor of another character that has since become synonymous with TV eye candy. From the moment she first stepped onto the cargo bay in her infamous catsuit, it was clear Jeri Ryan’s portrayal of Seven of Nine would blast Voyager back into warp speed. The move was decried by critics and even some cast members as blatantly sexist and an attempt to lure the young male demographic back into the Trek universe. Evidently the ploy worked as Voyager’s ratings picked up, complex stories began centering on Seven’s character and to her credit, Ryan strove to make the part her own. While Voyager is considered by many to be one of the weakest in the Trek franchise, it’s a testament to Ryan that the series’ best dramatic moments often came from the Borg once seen only as a bombshell.

• • •

Lynda Carter
Wonder Woman

Perhaps no other role on television epitomizes the idea of a TV turd blossom as that of Lynda Carter’s Wonder Woman. When the show’s producers cast Carter in the title role, she had little more than a 1972 Miss World title and $25 dollars to her name. Despite some of the cheesiest plots, villains and sets this side of Paradise Island, Carter’s warmth and enthusiasm for the part always shone through. When Wonder Woman moved from a World War II to modern day setting on a completely different network, Carter took the change in stride and did her best to make the show successful. To this day, not many people can remember the stories of Wonder Woman, but everyone knows who played her. Carter’s beauty may have lassoed the viewers, but it was her ability to rise above the awful material that turned her into one of the most beloved heroines in TV history.

Don’t forget to Digg It!

Last night’s New Rules from Bill Maher were spot on. Bill managed to put into words exactly how I feel about the political climate in this country and the coming election. He spoke about Obama’s supposed “bittergate slip” (which the majority of PA’ers evidently don’t have a problem with) and elitism. Here are some of the best bits:

“So let’s separate the bitter from the idiots. If you think the Democrats are going to take away your bible, you’re an idiot. If you think they’re going to take away your guns, you’re an armed idiot. And if you think they’re going to take away your gun and give it to a Mexican to kill your god, you’re Bill O’Reilly.”

and

“So let’s focus on the thing… that the people who claim to be the non-elitists are the ones who constantly shift tax burden from the people who fire you, to you. John McCain voted to repeal the estate tax. Voted against the minimum wage. Has no health care plan and is fine with keeping the working class in Iraq for a hundred years, but he’s a real “man of the people”. And the President went to Harvard and Yale and inherited your country from his dad, but he’s not an elitist because he can neither read nor write.

What does it take to label someone elitist these days anyway? They wear shoes? They all buy their groceries at the gas station? Their dog has a name and their truck doesn’t?

You know who’s bitter in America? I am. Because shit-kickers voted twice for a retarded guy they wanted to have a beer with and everybody else had to suffer the consequences!”

While I was busy watching the Red Sox vs. Yankees tonight, the world kept turning and evidently things happened. Here’s some stuff I missed while I was watching the slugfest in New York:

The Democratic Debate – Evidently ABC gave new meaning to the term “pointless”. Moderators spent most of their time talking about “Bittergate”, sniper fire, Reverend Wright and get this, flag pins. Some of the comments on the ABC website, courtesy of The Huffington Post are just brutal. Good to know the MSM is still doing their usual bang-up job.

The Indy IV Backlash Has Begun – Apparently the folks at CHUD think they know for a fact that the new Indy movie will suck. Why? Because its final running time is clocking in at 140 minutes. I mean who’d want to sit in a theater and watch Harrison Ford play one of the most beloved screen heroes of all time for THAT long? And before you get that puss on your face, this isn’t a podcast, it’s a feature film. I figured the movie would suffer from overly high expectations, but to pan it just because it’s 13 minutes longer than The Last Crusade is plain stupid.

Full of Hot Air – The next time George W. Bush announces an “important” speech from the rose garden about one of the most pressing challenges facing this nation, maybe he’ll actually want to take action instead of offering more bloviating. The press made a huge deal about how the Bush Administration was about to do an about face regarding climate change today, and all we got was vague notions of future shifts in potential policy. It’s unsurprising that Bush is doing whatever he can to try and rescue his legacy before he leaves office, but I expected more than the typical Bush bait and switch.

Knowing Is Half the Battle – First there was Snake Eyes, and now there is Scarlett. I’ll hand it to the people behind the PR for the new G.I. Joe movie, they sure know how to put lipstick on a pig tease! This movie just keeps getting better and better. I have a feeling that when picts of the Baroness hit the web, I’ll probably blow a gasket. Yo Joe!

First there was Cooking Mama, and then my friend Dave Miller blogged about the upcoming Iron Chef game for the Nintendo Wii and DS. Now the genre comes to full circle thanks to the controversial but always entertaining Gordon Ramsay. His hit show Hell’s Kitchen, is being transformed into a digital arena where wannabe chefs can hone their culinary skills or face ultimate humiliation in the comfort of their own homes. According to the Hell’s Kitchen website, the game includes “Career Mode” and “Arcade Mode”, kitchen and dining room challenges and even includes recipes you can try at home! I fancy myself an amateur chef and I have to say the game seems to capture the manic feel of the TV show without all the hassle of actually becoming a reality TV contestant. If you’ve always wanted to feel Gordon’s wrath after ruining his famous risotto for the 10th time (as I have), then this is the game for you.

A video preview of the game includes a virtual Gordon complete with his famous potty mouth, digital Jean Philipe and much more. Although the release date has not been published, thankfully the HK site reports the game will be available for both the PC and Macintosh operating systems. From the looks of the screen shots and the illustrated nature of the settings, the graphics seems to be a cut above most games of this type. Hopefully game play will be interactive, fun and challenging enough to keep players chopping, sauteing, and plating for days. If you’re interested, there is a sign-up available that will keep you posted about the game and when we can expect it to hit shelves. In the meantime, sharpen your knives and harden your ego, because apparently virtual Gordon, like his namesake, takes no prisoners!

Well, we’ve done it again. Blogger buddies Dave Caolo, Jen Segrest and myself were joined by the insightful Krystyn Heide to discuss reaction to episode 4.2 of Battlestar Galactica and the results were a full on geek fest. Topics of discussion this time range from Buffy and Babylon 5 all the way to The Next Generation, Evangelion and lobotomizing those poor little Cylon raiders. Episode 2 of Sci-Fi Cast clocks in at 23 minutes and is available as an enhanced podcast for your listening pleasure.

Of course I’d be remiss if I didn’t tell you that the podcast contains spoilers for the first two episodes of Battlestar Galactica’s fourth season. If you don’t want to ruin your viewing experience, best to hold off listening until you’ve caught up. We hope you’ll join us for our ongoing geeky trek throughout this season of Galactica. Enjoy!

Download or listen to episode 2 here.