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| Syd |
 Posted: Sat Sep 24, 2016 8:21 am |
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Site Admin
Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 12890
Location: Norman, Oklahoma
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Befade wrote: Syd....Who is Jack Ryan? |
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I had a love and my love was true but I lost my love to the yabba dabba doo, --The Flintstone Lament |
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| Befade |
| Posted: Mon Sep 26, 2016 2:53 pm |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 3784
Location: AZ
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| Thanks for enlightening me Syd......I've never read Clancy. |
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Lost in my own private I dunno. |
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| carrobin |
| Posted: Mon Sep 26, 2016 3:25 pm |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 7795
Location: NYC
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| I read "The Hunt for Red October" (I felt like I could build a submarine when I finished it) and saw "The Sum of All Fears" (Alan Bates was the Nazi villain), but never heard of "Debt of Honor." Maybe that's where Bin Laden got his ideas... |
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| bartist |
| Posted: Thu Sep 29, 2016 9:29 am |
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Joined: 27 Apr 2010
Posts: 6944
Location: Black Hills
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| Designated Survivor does have an amusing premise, in a "meta" sort of way - what if Jack Bauer was a low-profile cabinet member suddenly made President in a national emergency, following the wiping out of the government by terrorist bombing. What I saw last night made me wonder if the show can live up to its high potential to talk about how government works or doesn't work. |
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He was wise beyond his years, but only by a few days. |
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Fri Oct 07, 2016 6:12 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 20618
Location: New York City
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bartist wrote: Designated Survivor does have an amusing premise, in a "meta" sort of way - what if Jack Bauer was a low-profile cabinet member suddenly made President in a national emergency, following the wiping out of the government by terrorist bombing. What I saw last night made me wonder if the show can live up to its high potential to talk about how government works or doesn't work.
It's a great premise, but I fear it's going to go generic too soon. Kirkman (the Sutherland character) is turning into Mr. President rather than "average Joe in a weird situation," which would be more interesting to me.
Don't get the meta part. Kirkman is nothing like Jack Bauer. In fact, the difference between them makes me more respectful of Sutherland's talent than I've been since "Freeway." |
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| bartist |
| Posted: Tue Oct 18, 2016 10:40 am |
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Joined: 27 Apr 2010
Posts: 6944
Location: Black Hills
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Sorry so long to reply!
My post was so confusingly worded, as I only met "meta" in a joking way about the casting. I.e. Sutherland was so indelibly imprinted by the Jack Bauer role that having him play president after a terrorist attack seemed like "stunt casting." No, his character in DS is nothing like Bauer. And I agree I would watch again if it were more "Average Joe in a weird situation." As it is, I've been skipping. |
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He was wise beyond his years, but only by a few days. |
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| bartist |
| Posted: Tue Oct 18, 2016 10:49 am |
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Joined: 27 Apr 2010
Posts: 6944
Location: Black Hills
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| I'm not watching anything regularly, but "Timeless," the time travel repairing history damaged by terrorists show on NBC, is starting to suck me in. I thought Abigail Spencer was kind of unremarkable on Mad Men (where she played the elementary school teacher who was Don's love interest for part of a season), but she seems to be blossoming a bit here. After an uneven takeoff by the pilot (a metaphor enhanced by the plot involving the Hindenberg), they seem to be finding a decent formula for dropping the cast into various historical periods. Just watching for anachronisms in the sets and dialog is kinda fun! |
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He was wise beyond his years, but only by a few days. |
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| carrobin |
| Posted: Tue Oct 18, 2016 1:19 pm |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 7795
Location: NYC
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I caught the first "Timeless" and was intrigued enough to tune in for the second, but it didn't intrigue me as much, and didn't answer the questions I had about the plot of the first one. I might try it again...
Watching Stephen Colbert's chat with Obama last night--the pretense being that Colbert was interviewing him for a job--it struck me that Trump has very little, if any, sense of humor. Obama was playing along cheerfully with some scripted lines, enjoying himself. I can't imagine Trump in that situation, or making any kind of joke that isn't a crude comment on someone or something he doesn't like. (I know Trump hosted SNL once, but I don't remember anything about it--and I'm sure he didn't parody his own persona.) |
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| bartist |
| Posted: Mon Oct 24, 2016 10:41 am |
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Joined: 27 Apr 2010
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Location: Black Hills
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| Not sure why, but I couldn't stop laughing at the consummately silly sketch "The Haunted Elevator" on SNL. Didn't watch SNL last Saturday, but a friend sent me the youtube clip. I think this is a good example of how difficult it is to do, or explain, comedy. |
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He was wise beyond his years, but only by a few days. |
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| carrobin |
| Posted: Mon Oct 24, 2016 10:59 am |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 7795
Location: NYC
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After that sketch I thought, that was so stupid it was funny. Indeed, a difficult trick to pull off.
That was one of the best SNL shows yet (Trump has given them a great opening for every show lately, and this one kept things rolling). Tom Hanks seems to really enjoy himself in comedy sketches. |
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| bartist |
| Posted: Mon Oct 24, 2016 12:13 pm |
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Joined: 27 Apr 2010
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Location: Black Hills
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Someone told me recently they thought the writing was exceptionally good this year on SNL (I don't watch regularly, so wouldn't know) and I had to wonder if it was the writers or just the richness of material out there this year. We all do better when we are well nourished.
Yes, "so stupid it was funny" -- I found myself wondering if "73 floors of David Pumpkins" was going to become some kind of popular meme, a catchphrase that becomes a metaphor on the way our national media seize on brainless formulas and flog them to death. In this respect, I found it rather clever. |
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He was wise beyond his years, but only by a few days. |
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Wed Oct 26, 2016 2:44 pm |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 20618
Location: New York City
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| THe best series since Breaking Bad could not be more different from BB but had one of the best pilots in television history and has maintained a quality rarely seen on screen or stage or tube. It's called This Is Us, and its only flaw is that it's a wee bit sentimental, almost verging on the tearjerking, but the tears are earned. A great ensemble cast makes a nourishing meal out of every episode so far. It's about life, and does it ever rock. |
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| carrobin |
| Posted: Fri Oct 28, 2016 10:43 pm |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 7795
Location: NYC
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| This morning on the Today show, Al Roker and one of the women at the 9 a.m. table received David S. Pumpkins suits, after talking about how they were so hot for Halloween that most costume stores were sold out. Roker said "If it hadn't been Tom Hanks doing it, that would have been a lame sketch." So David S. Pumpkins really does seem to be a meme at the moment. |
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| carrobin |
| Posted: Tue Nov 01, 2016 10:26 pm |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 7795
Location: NYC
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| Watched "This Is Us" tonight (eschewing Rachel Maddow for a change), and I must admit, it's excellent. The characters are the most interesting people since "Person of Interest" (sorry about that). I thought it would be too family-drama corny for me, but I'm ready to tune in for the next experience. |
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Tue Nov 08, 2016 4:12 pm |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 20618
Location: New York City
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| carrobin--Hope you saw the pilot first. It's a mind-blower if you don't know the facts. |
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