January 17, 2008 · 8:33 pm

Cultural Learnings Celebrates its First Anniversary

One year ago today, I started Cultural Learnings.

This sounds really startling when I say it aloud, but over the past month or so I’ve come to terms with the fact that I’ve been doing this for an entire year. I really wish that this was falling during a less busy time of the year, because as it is I feel like I am doing this post a disservice. I should have spent a week on a retrospective post like the one I did for my three-month anniversary, before my blog became focused closer on television.

But unfortunately, a combination of work and illness has meant that all we’re getting today is a solemn and humble thank you, and a promise that at some point in time I will reward you with some sort of prize for your continued readership. But, for now, let’s settle with this.

Thank you for reading, commenting, emailing, subscribing, questioning, enjoying, criticizing, and inspiring for an entire year. If you had told me one year ago that my blog would win 2nd place in a contest held by the Nielsen Company, I would have guffawed. I loved TV, no question, but blogging about it had never been something I had really considered.

What I enjoy the most about blogging is not that people are reading my opinions, as if I require the validation of a readership. Rather, I have been inspired that people have cared about what I’ve written and have added their own opinions. My experience working with fans of Jericho hasn’t been rewarding in the sense of statistics or prestige, but rather in establishing relationships with people as fascinated by television as I am. Being able to feed and observe your passion has been an experience I did not expect to have, and something I enjoy immensely.

So, with one year behind us, it’s time to look forward to the next year (And there WILL be another year and more). I want to continue to offer content you enjoy, content I enjoy, and content which engages important issues. The Writers’ Strike is only one part of the television story – I am excited for the return of Lost and Battlestar Galactica, and of course the long anticipated return of Jericho, I could finally start blogging about Project Runway (It’ll be late, stupid Canadian broadcasting rights), and I’ll be back on the reality bandwagon with the February premiere of Survivor: Fans vs. Favourites.

Thank you to anyone who contributed to my 200,000+ Page Views, and I hope that you will continue to 200,000 more.

Keep on watchin’,

Myles

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January 16, 2008 · 11:13 am

Cultural Listening: The Watchers Podcast

This will be a brief post only due to a bit of a time crunch, but on Monday evening I was the honoured guest of Dave, Devindra and Adam on The Watchers Podcast. While the podcast is mostly focused on film, something more universal for the three normal contributors, my inclusion brought out a bit more TV discussion of shows like 30 Rock and Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles…well, it would have if my microphone wasn’t a “JWin” and as a result much of it has been (rightly) cut out. However, some of it remains, so if you desire to hear my terrible for vocal recordings voice, feel free to listen!

The Watchers: Episode 2

Includes discussions of the Writers’ Strike, Fight Club: The Musical, Sunshine, Stephen Chow, and more!

More importantly, however, the three of them provide a fascinating discussion of all things film and entertainment in general – I ended up having to sit out some of their discussions simply because I haven’t seen the films they mentioned and want to without them spoiling it. It’s a great way for me to be guilted into watching films I haven’t really gotten to over time, so it’s definitely something I’ll keep listening to even if I am unable to make it back onto the podcast due to my mic situation.

But, in the meantime, head over to The Watchers, subscribe, and enjoy some fantastic podcasting. I might be back with thoughts on American Idol tonight, but more than likely will simply be back tomorrow with an announcement of sorts. Stay tuned!

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January 15, 2008 · 1:20 pm

Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles – “Gnothi Seauton”

“Gnothi Seauton”

January 14th, 2007

Last night, I was (attempting) to take part in a podcast which I will have more on sometime today or tomorrow. Due to some microphone issues, chances are that my contributions will be limited – plus, to play the excuse game before it even releases, I’m sure my current cold did nothing to help me in this account. But, regardless, one of the topics I was meant to discuss was Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles.

With eighteen million viewers, the highest demo premiere in three years, and a viewer consensus of “Well, that was less wretched than I predicted!”, last night’s second episode had a lot to live up to. In terms of ratings, the series held onto better numbers than expected, dropping considerably but not dramatically from its inflated premiere numbers (PIFeedback). But the real question is on a creative front: could the breakneck pace of the pilot develop into a sustainable drama series?

After last night’s episode, and despite my reservations, I think it will. At the very least, it’s preferable to the glut of reality (Or the proposed season of 24), and is a breath of air that seems more fresh than it may actually be.

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January 15, 2008 · 8:30 am

This Ain’t Pandora’s Box – The (Non-)Impact of the Jericho Screener Leak

Have you ever felt that your nose was just a faucet that wouldn’t shut off? It’s a bizarre and rather grotesque image, but “snot faucet” most aptly describes my weekend experience. It was unpleasant, sure, but by the end of the weekend it was mostly gone. There are some leaks, however, that are somewhat more volatile – these are the leaks that are, for better or for worse, not gone by the end of the weekend.

I speak, of course (As if a runny nose opening could lead to anything else), about the fact that the three-episode Jericho screen sent to critics over the past few weeks has become available online through less than legal means. Now, I’ve written on this subject in the past in terms of pilots, and I want to focus on one of the things I emphasized in that instance:

“On the one hand, uptight network executives are probably concerned that their premiere ratings might go down as people watch the show ahead of time, or that bad buzz will take down the series before it can even get started. To those executives I make the following case: premiere ratings don’t matter, and the audience watching these shows online will not penetrate the casual mass of fans who make Two and a Half Men a comedy sensation. What you want to be doing is creating a fan base, something that this actually helps far more than it hurts.”

While I still believe everything I wrote there, the situation gets trickier in the case of Jericho. With Jericho, the premiere ratings do matter, as returning to middling returns will all but sink the show’s chances of gaining a season three if the initial cancellation hasn’t already done so. And Jericho already has a fan base of internet fans, they worked tirelessly to save the show back in June. So the problems facing a new show aren’t quite the same as the problems facing Jericho’s second season, and thus there is some concern that this could sink the show’s chances.

And I’m here to tell you that the answer to that concern?

“Eh, not really.”

And here’s why.

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January 15, 2008 · 1:25 am

Brothers & Sisters: “The Feast of Epiphany”

“The Feast of Epiphany”

January 13th, 2007 

In my current insomnia, brought on by a mutating cold that just won’t go away without a fight, I figured I’d take the time to comment on last night’s episode of Brothers & Sisters. The danger of this January strike situation is that some shows are returning with almost no notice – in the case of this series, I had completely forgotten it was scheduled to return. The show’s general success in the ratings demonstrates that viewers certainly didn’t tune out, but the fact remains that this one flew a little under the radar.

The whole point of the episode, of course, was that things can only fly under the radar for so long before they will blow up in your face. The episode dealt with the aftermath of McAllister’s war heroism being called into question, and then the whole slew of other underlying secrets and lies floating around. It also opened the door for an incestual potential relationship to lose its taboo, while also giving me false hope that we’d be saying goodbye to one of our regular characters. It was a busy, and ultimately fulfilling, hour of television.

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January 14, 2008 · 1:45 pm

The “Winners” and “Losers” of the 2008 Golden Globes Awards

Last night, the 2008 Golden Globes were a ludicrous and fascinating experiment of NBC’s incompetence (Sepinwall tears them a new one here) and a sense that what we were watching was memorable not due to any of the winners but rather because it was just difficult to watch. I tried to LiveBlog it, which was a horrible mistake in every possible way, but it did get me thinking about something.

You see, usually we consider the concepts of Winners and Losers in terms of who won awards, but that really isn’t the question here. The real concern is that by not airing the awards, some of the Golden Globes buzz which could benefit these performers in their future award races or in their future ratings/DVD sales. The lack of hoopla actually hurt some of the winners, dampening the effect of what would have been an entertaining surprise victory.

So let’s look at a bit of an unconventional concept of “winners” and “Losers” after last night’s intriguing events.

Winner – 30 Rock

Yes, it lost Best Comedy Series. And yes, it also ludicrously lost Best Actor in a Comedy Series when David Duchovony beat Alec Baldwin. But Tina Fey’s victory shows that an American-made, New York shot comedy series with little to no connection to the international markets (Although Interrogation Bear might differ) is capable of winning even when it’s not Alec Baldwin, which may end up as all of the respect that the HFPA has to give.

Loser – Mad Men

I would have paid money to see the stunned reaction of the partying attendees to Jon Hamm’s win as Best Actor in a Drama Series, but instead we got Billy Bush’s quip about how it was humorous for an actor to have the name “Hamm.” The impact was entirely gone – it was a great endnote for critics and those who enjoy fine television, but the general population will easily shrug off both Hamm’s win and the series’ eventual triumph in Best Drama Series. Still, this is a qualified sense of loser – it’s a winner in my mind, certainly.

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January 13, 2008 · 10:47 pm

The Amazing Race – Season 12, Episode 10 – And Then There was Three…

“Sorry, guys, ‘I’m not happy to see you’”

January 13th, 2008

There’s no suspense in the opening this week: Phil flat out tells us that someone is going to be eliminated tonight. It’s time to narrow us down to the final three, and there’s no team with an easy ride – Ron and Chris have been working well as of late, but they still have their issues. However, it becomes clear early on that the real battle is between the slow, the bickering and the disadvantaged.

Donald will invariably hold back Nicholas, although the team has persevered through worse. Nathan and Jennifer are fine under normal circumstances, but the least bit of pressure destroys their relationship. And TK & Rachel have a Speed Bump standing in their way, along with a three hour disadvantage. Who will fall behind? Who will live to see next week’s finale? Read on to find out.

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January 13, 2008 · 10:02 pm

And the Winner is…The 2008 Golden Globe Awards LiveBlog

9:00pm: Welcome to the “Golden Globes Winners Special,” which is just a terrible name for this thing. Also of note: someone from NBC is in Nova Scotia (I, for the record, am also in Nova Scotia), which means that nominee Ellen Page is most certainly winning this evening. That’s good to know.

9:01pm: A seriously melodramatic opening here which leads to…the tackiest set ever with Access Hollywood setpieces. That’s…ugly.

9:03pm: It’s now time for analysis straight from the morning talk shows, as the cast of Access Hollywood begin with the nominees for Best Supporting Actress. And, wow, these graphics are awful. It’s Blanchett, Roberts, Ronan (Atonement), Ryan, Swinton – it’s Ryan or Blanchett in this case, methinks.

And the winner is…Cate Blanchett for I’m Not There, a strong precursor for her when she struggled in the critics’ prizes.

9:04pm: Billy Bush just totally said that Cate Blanchett can’t win for playing a man – this commentary is ridiculous. And now Television Supporting Actor, which gets no time for me to write down each candidate. And the winner is…

Jeremy Piven for Entourage? Frak, people, stop giving him awards: I love Piven, I really do, but this is getting ridiculous. Dillon is more noteworthy, and for that matter so is Ted Danson. People need to stop doing it, immediately.

9:06pm: Oh wow, I can’t type this fast: Lead Actress – Drama. Arquette, Close, Driver, Falco, Field, Hunter, Sedgwick. Who’s going to take this one home: it’s Glenn Close for Damages, which is somewhat surprising in a tough category. And we get more commentary regarding these people, which is really offputting…yet fascinating.

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January 13, 2008 · 12:55 pm

The 2008 Golden Globe Awards – TV (Comedy) and Film Predictions

At 9pm EST this evening, viewers across America will tune into NBC (Or E!, or TV Guide Channel) and enjoy the coverage of the 2008 Golden Globe Awards News Conference. Yesterday I covered the TV Drama side of things, and this afternoon I’ve got the Comedy and Film awards. I’ll be posting live from the press conference (aka Live from the TV Lounge where I’ll be watching the press conference) this evening, along with my thoughts on The Amazing Race. I’ll probably post tomorrow night about Sarah Connor Chronicles, which debuts post-Football tonight on FOX – you can read my thoughts on the pilot from August here, and I’ll have my thoughts on tomorrow’s second episode in its regular slot (Mondays at 9) sometime over the next couple of days.

Comedy Series

  • Californication
  • Entourage
  • Extras
  • 30 Rock [Myles Choice / Predicted Winner]
  • Pushing Daisies

There are some occasions where the Golden Globes’ focus on newness cannot possibly overcome the power of a sophomore series just getting its due. Considering that 30 Rock was left out last year in favor of Ugly Betty, now is the time for the Globes to honour its growing success and hilarity. Out of the two new series in the category, I’d say Pushing Daisies would have the advantage, and obviously it would also be a deserving winner. Still, I think that Tina Fey and Co. have this one, although this is in no way a definitive prediction.

Best Actor in a Comedy Series

  • Alec Baldwin, [30 Rock] [Myles’ Choice / Predicted Winner]
  • Steve Carell, [The Office]
  • David Duchovny, [Californication]
  • Ricky Gervais, [Extras]
  • Lee Pace, [Pushing Daisies]

He’s certainly the best actor in the category, even amongst a fairly decent crowd, but history is against Alec Baldwin picking up this trophy again – the Globes don’t tend to like repeat winners. In terms of other options, Duchovony has a certain mystique about him and Pace is starring in the “it” show of the moment. However, let’s not leave out Carell, who still does great work on The Office, and Gervais DID win the Emmy. I think it’s the gluttony of other options which convinces me that we can forget tradition – Baldwin is too great on 30 Rock, and too big a star, to lose this award.

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January 12, 2008 · 3:50 pm

The 2008 Golden Globe Awards – TV Predictions – Drama

I watched Friday Night Lights last evening, but I felt too ill to really put my thoughts onto paper. Suffice to say that I agree with Sepinwall in that any show in its right mind would not put Tim Riggins’ fingerprints on a gun and have him steal a load of cash just after it got dragged down from a frustrating murder storyline. The rest of the episode I think I enjoyed more than Alan did, but on the whole it feels like we’re going in circles. And, in the preview for next week, did they seriously show Tim Riggins going after LYLA again? That just feels unnecessary.

But, either way, let’s settle into the big TV story this weekend: The now truncated and airing on multiple stations Golden Globes: News Conference Edition. It’s been a wild ride of sorts, and now comes word that the press conference won’t be picketed as it will be aired on multiple networks and not just on NBC. Variety has the full (And ludicrously complicated) story, but the end result is the same: TV personalities will be announcing the winners in an hour-long block at 9pm EST tomorrow. This should be an interesting experience, but since stars will be able to attend (due to the lack of pickets) there might be some excitement. I’ll look at drama nominees today, and comedy tomorrow. And maybe some film predictions – I’m weak like that.

Drama Series

  • Big Love
  • Damages [Predicted Winner]
  • Grey’s Anatomy
  • House
  • Mad Men [Myles’ Choice]
  • The Tudors

It’s the biggest TV award of the evening, really, and it’s one that is kind of tough to decide. The two network series are more or less out of contention, their popularity being their only saving grace in an environment that likes new series. Big Love and The Tudors are just not quite unique enough to stand out, and Damages is buzzworthy due to strong performances and a compelling narrative. It also has the most nominations out of any show, although an upset is always possible. Meanwhile, what is lacks in star power Mad Men makes up with quality and a strong awards push – it’s both my choice and a potential spoiler.

Best Actor in a Drama Series

  • Michael C. Hall [Dexter] [Predicted Winner / Myles’ Choice]
  • Jon Hamm [Mad Men]
  • Hugh Laurie [House]
  • Jonathan Rhys-Meyers [The Tudors]
  • Bill Paxton [Big Love]

This is a category that comes down to two people, really, with Jon Hamm just being too much of an unknown to really break through against two heavyweights. Hugh Laurie has won the award already, while Hall has been criminally unrepresented for his fantastic work on Dexter. It is my hope, and my prediction, that this is rectified by the HFPA, and hopefully it can wake up Emmy to his genius. Seriously, Emmys, James Spader? However, you just watch: the Globe will go to Bill Paxton, who isn’t wholly undeserving but still, just to spite me.

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