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New Year's Daze
What a mellow holiday season it has been. Me, word weary, burnt out and gearing up for a new year - television, resting up for the second half of the season. I'll leave the television blogging to the capable and impressive hands of Televisionary, Give Me My Remote . I've placed a self imposed vacation from blogging, bereft of ideas, sitting on the mid-season hiatus and routine fatigue. One thing that has kept me going is the fun I had at the amazing Aimee Mann Third Annual Christmas show back on December 18th at the Nokia theater in NYC. It was a cozy, tune filled evening, rocking with jokes and songs that included the melodic and humorous personalities of Mann, Nellie McKay, and Grant Lee Phillips. Comedian Paul K. Tompkins wove stand up and vaudevillian chuckles throughout this old timesy, radioshow-type show.
This isn't really television related; however, SNL's Fred Armisen performed some oddball characters on stage, and some familiar television faces, who could not attend in person, participated in a filmed version of the Aimee Mann version of Dicken's "A Christmas Carol", all placed in installments throughout the evening. Those on film were Mann's husband, singer songwriter Michael Penn as Marley, previously mentioned Paul K. Thomkins, host of VH1's "Best Week Ever", as the ghost of Christmas past, "The Office's" John Krasinski as The Ghost of Christmas Present, and actor, now comedic actor John C. Reilly as The Ghost of Christmas future. "Arrested Development's" Michael Cera (also Apatow new found icon) reluctantly played Tiny Tim with all the hatred and bitterness of a young Hollywood actor pissed at predictable stereotype casting. He's hellaciously funny.
The Christmas road show hitched their wagon up to the Tarrytown Music Hall the next night, which I had the luck to have bagged some great seats to re-live the fun in a more intimate venue, only to be kept home by a horrible winter storm - part of a treacherous new winter season - promising to be a real doozy with spring far off in the hazy future. However, in the meantime, I will look forward to Mann's next Christmas tour, but not before the buttery heat of wonderful summer befalls our weary, cracked skin and winter bones.
The film used throughout the show is up on YouTube. Here it is for all who did not see the performance...
Aimee Mann's Christmas Carol - Part 1
Part 2/12 - Casting Tiny Tim in Aimee's Christmas Carol
Now, back to my champagne...
SAG Award Nominations
The awards season continues to bust out at the seams with more nominations announced byanother organization that enjoys giving the creatives a good pat on the back. This time the beleaguered and almost fractured Screen Actor's Guild announced their favorite people for 2008.
Again, this is a TV centric site, so I'm posting the TV hopefuls.
And the nominees are:
PRIMETIME TELEVISION
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
RALPH FIENNES / Bernard Lafferty - "BERNARD AND DORIS" (HBO)
PAUL GIAMATTI / John Adams - "JOHN ADAMS" (HBO)
KEVIN SPACEY / Ron Klain - "RECOUNT" (HBO)
KIEFER SUTHERLAND / Jack Bauer - "24: REDEMPTION" (FOX)
TOM WILKINSON / Benjamin Franklin - "JOHN ADAMS" (HBO)
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
LAURA DERN / Katherine Harris - "RECOUNT" (HBO)
LAURA LINNEY / Abigail Adams - "JOHN ADAMS" (HBO)
SHIRLEY MacLAINE / Coco Chanel - "COCO CHANEL" (Lifetime)
PHYLICIA RASHAD / Lena Younger - "A RAISIN IN THE SUN" (ABC)
SUSAN SARANDON / Doris Duke - "BERNARD AND DORIS" (HBO)
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series
MICHAEL C. HALL / Dexter Morgan - "DEXTER" (Showtime)
JON HAMM / Don Draper - "MAD MEN" (AMC)
HUGH LAURIE / Gregory House - "HOUSE" (FOX)
WILLIAM SHATNER / Denny Crane - "BOSTON LEGAL" (ABC)
JAMES SPADER / Alan Shore - "BOSTON LEGAL" (ABC)
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series
SALLY FIELD / Nora Walker - "BROTHERS & SISTERS" (ABC)
MARISKA HARGITAY / Det. Olivia Benson - "LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT" (NBC)
HOLLY HUNTER / Grace Hanadarko - "SAVING GRACE" (TNT)
ELISABETH MOSS / Peggy Olson - "MAD MEN" (AMC)
KYRA SEDGWICK / Dep. Chief Brenda Johnson - "THE CLOSER" (TNT)
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series
ALEC BALDWIN / Jack Donaghy - "30 ROCK" (NBC)
STEVE CARELL / Michael Scott - "THE OFFICE" (NBC)
DAVID DUCHOVNY / Hank Moody - "CALIFORNICATION" (Showtime)
JEREMY PIVEN / Ari Gold - "ENTOURAGE" (HBO)
TONY SHALHOUB / Adrian Monk - "MONK" (USA)
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series
CHRISTINA APPLEGATE / Samantha Newly - "SAMANTHA WHO?" (ABC)
AMERICA FERRERA / Betty Suarez - "UGLY BETTY" (ABC)
TINA FEY / Liz Lemon - "30 ROCK" (NBC)
MARY-LOUISE PARKER / Nancy Botwin - "WEEDS" (Showtime)
TRACEY ULLMAN / Various Characters - "TRACEY ULLMAN'S STATE OF THE UNION" (Showtime)
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
BOSTON LEGAL (ABC)
DEXTER (Showtime)
HOUSE (Fox)
THE CLOSER (TNT)
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
30 ROCK (NBC)
DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES (ABC)
ENTOURAGE (HBO)
WEEDS (Showtime)
The 15th Annual SAG awards will air live on Sunday, January 25th on TBS.
SAG Strike Talk...
As an admirer of good acting, and an empathizer for those struggling actors who are not in the top 1% notables in the guild, I hope SAG gets a fair deal. However, with the economy as it is today, I fear now is not the time to strike. But that is not for me to decide, nor is it my business. I'd just hate to see colleagues out of work during this very difficult time.
SAG is splitting into various factions: West Coast versus East Coast, and actors who don't want a strike, and actors who do. Cries that AFTRA is trying to absorb SAG into one melting pot run rampant. It's all a mess. Here are the petitions on both sides.
Flight of the Conchords Season Two Premiere
The boys are back! Brett and Jemaine will grace our tired flatscreens with funny, goofy sexiness come January 18th when their offical season premiere airs on HBO, bringing some New Zealand love and Murray, Mel, Doug and Dave into the mix. For those who simply cannot wait (since thanks to last year's writer's strike, we've waited enough), the people of www.funnyordie.com have exclusives rights to sneak peak the first episode from December 17th through December 21st. This a sight for sore, network weary, stunt casting tired eyes. View entire episode below:
Season 2 Online Premiere - Flight of the Conchords (US Only) - watch more funny videos
"Flight of the Conchords" Season premiere will air Sunday, January 18th on HBO. (Go to www.hbo.com/conchords to visit the official site.),
Posted by TVBlogster at 7:07 AM 1 comment:
Prop 8: The Musical
This isn't specifically television related, but so many amazing stars of television and big screen participated in this hilarious tribute to Proposition 8, which was voted down in California this past election day. John C. Reilly and Jack Black put this mock community theater performance on for Funny Or Die. It's like "Where's Waldo". Can you spot the celeb? Funny. Thought provoking. I feel like I'm back in my high school drama club.
"Prop 8 - The Musical" starring Jack Black, John C. Reilly, and many more... by Jack Black
....And A Rant for Today...
Speaking of Jack Black, whom I love so very dearly since he's given me the most orgasmic laughs in my life: There is a rumor, now turned fact, that he will be guesting on the after Super Bowl episode of "The Office". He will be playing a character - not himself.
Now, I love me some Jack - but having a celeb of his fame on this show about simple, regular people is so against everything "The Office" is about that I'm - well - disappointed that they had to resort to stunt casting. It started off with a cast of unknowns, who are now as glamorized and established as the rest of them with the publicity machine turning up the heat, and the circle of friends getting sexier and exclusive. Sexy half nude pictures of Jenna, John dating a starlet like Emily Blount - we're losing them to the red carpets, sexy pictorial spreads, paparazzi snapshots and hushed rumors that are part of Hollywood fame. It was bound to happen. But now that the quality of "The Office" has decreased in the past two seasons, and the stock of it's cast members has increased, it feels as though a wonderful show is taking a hit thanks to the spoils of success. It's great that all is going well for them, but I feel the purity (and nothing is pure in L.A.) is going stale. It's the end of the innocence, so to speak.
Update: NBC has announced that Jack Black, Jessica Alba and Cloris Leachman will be guest starring in the stunt casted, star studded post Super Bowl one hour special of "The Office" on February 2nd. The big stars on board will be playing fictional characters in a bootleg movie the gang at Dunder Mifflin will be viewing. This definitely appears to be a clever move, but I'm still wary of how this will work out. Oh, "Office" - why are you forsaking me? Rick Porter of Zap2It knows of what I speak, in a recent blog that sings the blues over this latest stunt by NBC.
Labels: Jack Black, Prop 8, The Office
Monday Morning Hangover: Another SNL Controversy and Amy's Goodbye
Well, her return was a surprise and short lived. Amy Poehler, whose last show appeared to be one month ago when the birth of her son took her off the show, confirmed last Saturday this was indeed to be her last SNL. Surprising, since her reappearance the past two weeks, and the info that her NBC sitcom will most likely premiere next fall, sparked hope that she'd make it through the end of this season in my mind. Sadly that is not the case. Her announcement and goodbye was given on "Weekend Update", happily interrupted before she choked up and the tears flowed by Fred Armisend as New York Governor David Patterson, who wandered in from a previous "Update" bit where his blindness caused some funny yet awkward moments. More on that later. I'm sad to see our Amy go, but I look forward to the amazing comedy we're going to enjoy from her for years to come.
There were undoubedly the usual naysayers on this edition of SNL, not finding it funny, but I found the whole show hilarious. It's questionable whether Americans introduced to Laurie as Dr. House understand that sketch comedy is Hugh's specialty having been the second half of the Fry and Laurie comedy team years before.
Since this was the last show of the year, Christmas was in the air, and all sketches were tinged with the holiday spirit. One sketch had a family seated at dinner, yelling with pure annoyance and hatred, constantly telling one fed up family member who constantly stood to leave, "Judith...sit down!" before suddenly breaking into a sing a long of "Silent Night". A wedding sketch with Laurie as an bizarre family friend was chuckle worthy, and reminded me of Hugh's previous character incarnations on "A Bit of Fry and Laurie".
Seeing Maya Rudolph join Amy in "Bronx Beat" with their British butcher as the special guest, marveling at his "intellegent" accent was a great contribution from the old girls of SNL, both on the precipice of other things, doing these characters one last time.
Kanye West, who changed the usual backdrop of the SNL music stage into a Lite Bright electric video game as he bounced around with 80's shades singing into that microphone that distorts your voice like Cher's in "Believe". His performance was much better than I expected. I never expect much.
What I did expect was some backlash from Fred Armisen's portrayal of a bumbling blind Governor Patterson, who of course is not bumbling, but quite bright and aware of his world than this encarnation. As per Newsday, some New Yorkers felt that the sketch went "out of bounds", and perhaps it did. However, Patterson seems to be a man of good humor, and most likely can take such a dig. Yet, others strongly disagreed. The National Federation of the Blind of New York's president Carl Jacobsen stated the portrayal was a "cheap shot reaching for a cheap laugh at the expense of a whole class of people." He has a valid point, and it's a shame that SNL decided to chose Patterson's disability as the crux of the joke. But nothing is out of bounds with the show, seeing that the 2008 elections have placed it back on the map. I won't deny, I laughed the laugh of shame, shaking my head as Fred wandered back in shot, lamenting to myself through shameful giggles..."This is so bad...so bad they're doing this..."
Photos Courtesy of NBC Universal Media
Labels: Amy Poehler, House, Hugh Laurie, SNL
SNL: Guest Hose - Hugh Laurie
I feel like Hugh Laurie and I go way back. A fan since the mid-80's when he was well known in Britain as the second half of "A Bit Of Fry and Laurie", I've followed Hugh through stages of his career from television to film. He has made a mark in the USA for his portrayal of House in the series of the same name. Laurie has the sketch comedy chops, and his stint as guest host of SNL last year proved that he will join the special club of actor/comedians who work the live skit genre with great skill. Cameron Diaz, Justin Timberlack, Steve Martin, Alec Baldwin, to name a few, are part of that group. Laurie takes his place in the lineup of repeat hosts in tonight's second guesting job by Laurie. (I wish Stephen Fry was somewhere in the wings ready to join him, but I guess that's a Christmas wish I won't get this year.) Musical guest is Kanye West.
Labels: House, Hugh Laurie, SNL
The Office: Moroccan Christmas
"Angela is sleeping with Dwight!" And the crowd is stunned. Phyllis is about to pull off the party of the year with ethnic flair while inflicting punishment on Angela for all her sins. Meredith's hair flamed like a flambe while wallowing in the buzz of Absinthe, other booze and Splenda , and intervention by the highly unqualified Michael sets the tone for last night's Christmas installment of The Office, "Moroccan Christmas.
This episode may not have enticed "Office" fans who are in favor of light hearted comedy, but for those of us who were dismayed by the silliness and out of character behavior of last week's Chair-Copier competition, it was a welcomed change. Not all Christmases need to be happy and bright. Although it was disturbing to see Meredith screech like a caged animal at the mention of her being an alcoholic, and have a fighting match with Michael at the rehab center, the cringe worthiness was in line with Gervais' dark vision of the original British show. Seeing Meredith's hair on fire was starling. Viewing Dwight hock a highly coveted doll to desperate Dads was evil and funny. Jim punking Dwight in the cold open was predictable, and didn't have the same bite as past pranks, however, those who hated this episode seemed to have loved seeing the old Jim/Dwight interaction. Include me on loving anything that involves Jim having a go at Dwight, but this prank felt familiar. (In season two he moved Dwight's desk to the men's room, making up a classic Halpert joke that to this day doesn't not get old).
Michael is clueless as ever as he rounds up the crowd for an intervention. He is clearly out of his depth. After years of seeing Meredith get out of control with alcohol, ultimately effecting her behavior (belly dancing and whirling like a dervish in last night's fare, and let's not forget season two's Christmas Party episode when she flashed Michael her boobs) to the point where the rest of the crew admits to her that she has a problem. Sadly, she's in denial. Alcoholism isnt' funny. It wasn't shown as funny here. The point of the humor is on Michael, his need to help people using television and dramas as his point of reference. When he applies knowledge he gained from "Intervention" on A&E or any other show he may have viewed, he finds that he's jumped into the deep end. The laughs are on him, not Meredith's condition.
It's great to have Toby back. Poor sorry sad sack Toby tries to impress his daughter by buying the highly prized unicorn doll, only to find out that Dwight sold the last one to Darryl. Begging to buy it off him, he unknowingly purchases an African American version.
The piece de resistance of the episode was the Phyllis/Angela dynamic which has been brewing ever since last season's "Goodbye Toby" finale when Mrs. Vance walked in on Martin and Schrute getting to business behind a desk. She held that secret over Angela's head, taunting her during various party planning, making Angela a slave. Angela thought Phyllis was a push over, but she pushed the wrong button. When the truth was announced to the unsuspecting group it was a surprise. We knew Phyllis had some devlish ways, but never this. I loved it. Call me evil, but I did. After years of Angela's bible thumping, critical judgements, snickering name calling (whore, hussy, office mattress, "I've seen the way you look at him" to Pam) it was karma time for Ms. Martin. The ending was heart wrenching, disturbing. Andy emerging from the breakroom as everyone knows Angela is boinking Dwight but him is sad, eliciting great sympathy for the guy. The group looks at Angela like the hussy she is as tears well in her eyes. Poor Andy. Too bad, Angela. Phyllis' actions may have been over the top to some, but for me it was retribution toward a woman who has been unfaithful to her fiance, and cold as stone to others.
Overall, it was like a eating a rich dark chocolate bar. Delicious, bitter, yet pleasing to the palate. After my disappointment with last week, to which I was in the minority (I swear I feel like either fans are forgetting the main point of this show and the characters, or I'm watching a different show), it was a fascinating bit of strangeness that may not reach the same heights of episodes past, but was indeed memorable. Indeed, it was also a nice break from Jim and Pam, whose relationship is one for celebration, but has been fraught with brief moments of angst and over the top boldness of a new Pam Beesly, whose improvement in character has made her an entirely different person. She seemed more in character here, but her talking head with Jim was so silly. Why does she need to feel she knew about the love triangle? In the past, Pam would have been joking and in shock with Jim, making an incredulous remark - not feel the need to prove she was right. I don't know where the writers are going with her. Her new assertion doesn't mean that she always has to prove her righteousness. Also, Jim's comment to Andy about "taking requests" while he played the sitar was a bit harsh, albeit chuckle worthy. In hindsight, after Angela and Dwight were outed, it seems even more jerky. So, perhaps the writers are making them less than perfect. Who knows? I'm tired of the future Halperts, and pushing them in the background was a relief. The fact it was a nice break makes me sad. They were compelling characters whose development has been a mixture of confusion (Pam), and wasted opportunity for growth in Jim.
Although The Office will not have new episodes until January, they are currently filming shows that continue into the New Year, culminating in the highly tauted one hour special after the Super Bowl on Sunday, February 1st.
Here's a two minute replay:
Golden Globe Nominees Announced
The Hollywood Foreign Press came out with their annual Golden Globe nominees this morning. Although they say this is a barometer on who will be getting Emmy and Oscar nods in the next year, I think it's just a big fashion show for skeletons. They seem to be kind of a joke, but hey, we love the red carpet. Since last year was a bust due to the WGA strike (their nominations came out earlier this week, scroll down to view), this year's red carpet will be an opulent mess of dresses and bones trying to out do each other.
There's Angelina Jolie at left winning a statue. I don't know what she won it for, but I actually don't care. Look at that dress! It's sending radon fumes from my monitor into my brain. The glare...
This is a blog about television comedy, more precisely, television comedy I like, with the exception of certain dramas I adore as well as talkshows; however, there are so many other programs of note (i.e. John Adams, Recount) nominated, proving that good quality television out there, just not on the major four networks.
Television Nominations: (Copied and pasted from the Golden Globes Website. You think I'm going to type all this? I have a day job, and a meeting in fifteen minutes).
BEST TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA
Showtime/John Goldwyn Productions/The Colleton Company/Clyde Phillips Productions
Universal Media Studios in association with Heel and Toe Films, Shore Z Productions and Bad Hat Harry Productions
IN TREATMENT (HBO)
Sheleg, Closest to the Hole Productions in association with HBO Entertainment
Lionsgate Television
TRUE BLOOD (HBO)
Your Face Goes Here Productions in association with HBO Entertainment
16. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA
SALLY FIELD – BROTHERS AND SISTERS
MARISKA HARGITAY –LAW AND ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT
JANUARY JONES – MAD MEN
ANNA PAQUIN – TRUE BLOOD
KYRA SEDGWICK – THE CLOSER
17. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA
GABRIEL BYRNE – IN TREATMENT
MICHAEL C. HALL – DEXTER
JON HAMM – MAD MEN
HUGH LAURIE – HOUSE
JONATHAN RHYS MEYERS – THE TUDORS
18. BEST TELEVISION SERIES – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Universal Media Studios in association with Broadway Video and Little Stranger Inc.
CALIFORNICATION (SHOWTIME)
Showtime Presents in association with Aggressive Mediocrity, And Then...
Leverage and Closest to the Hole Productions in association with HBO Entertainment
Deedle Dee Productions, Reveille LLC, Universal Media Studios
19.BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES –COMEDY OR MUSICAL
CHRISTINA APPLEGATE – SAMANTHA WHO?
AMERICA FERRERA – UGLY BETTY
TINA FEY – 30 ROCK
DEBRA MESSING – THE STARTER WIFE
MARY-LOUISE PARKER – WEEDS
20. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
ALEC BALDWIN – 30 ROCK
STEVE CARELL – THE OFFICE
KEVIN CONNOLLY – ENTOURAGE
DAVID DUCHOVNY – CALIFORNICATION
TONY SHALHOUB – MONK
21. BEST MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
A RAISIN IN THE SUN (ABC)
BERNARD AND DORIS (HBO
Trigger Street Independent Productions in association with Little Bird and Chicago Films and HBO Films
CRANFORD (PBS)
A Co-Production of BBC and WGBH Boston.
JOHN ADAMS (HBO)
Playtone in association with HBO Films
RECOUNT (HBO)
Spring Creek/Mirage Productions in association with Trigger Street Productions, Everyman Pictures and HBO Films
22. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
JUDI DENCH – CRANFORD
CATHERINE KEENER – AN AMERICAN CRIME
LAURA LINNEY – JOHN ADAMS
SHIRLEY MACLAINE – COCO CHANEL
SUSAN SARANDON – BERNARD AND DORIS
23. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
RALPH FIENNES – BERNARD AND DORIS
PAUL GIAMATTI – JOHN ADAMS
KEVIN SPACEY – RECOUNT
KIEFER SUTHERLAND – 24: REDEMPTION
TOM WILKINSON – RECOUNT
24. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
EILEEN ATKINS – CRANFORD
LAURA DERN – RECOUNT
MELISSA GEORGE – IN TREATMENT
RACHEL GRIFFITHS – BROTHERS AND SISTERS
DIANNE WIEST – IN TREATMENT
25. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
NEIL PATRICK HARRIS – HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER
DENIS LEARY – RECOUNT
JEREMY PIVEN – ENTOURAGE
BLAIR UNDERWOOD – IN TREATMENT
TOM WILKINSON – JOHN ADAMS
WiFi from New York to Los Angeles are probably jammed with the calls to agents and publicists either thanking them or firing them, depending on whether or not your name was called.
It's also worth noting that the WGA announced their nominations a few days ago:
WGA TELEVISION NOMINEES
DRAMATIC SERIES
Dexter, Written by Scott Buck, Daniel Cerone, Charles H. Eglee, Adam E. Fierro, Lauren Gussis, Clyde Phillips, Scott Reynolds, Melissa Rosenberg, Tim Schlattmann; Showtime
Friday Night Lights, Written by Bridget Carpenter, Kerry Ehrin, Brent Fletcher, Jason Gavin, Carter Harris, Elizabeth Heldens, David Hudgins, Jason Katims, Patrick Massett, Aaron Rahsaan Thomas, John Zinman; NBC
Lost, Written by Carlton Cuse, Drew Goddard, Adam Horowitz, Christina M. Kim, Edward Kitsis, Damon L. Lindelof, Greggory Nations, Kyle Pennington, Elizabeth Sarnoff, Brian K. Vaughan; ABC
Mad Men, Written by Lisa Albert, Jane Anderson, Rick Cleveland, Kater Gordon, David Isaacs, Andre Jacquemetton, Maria Jacquemetton, Marti Noxon, Robin Veith, Matthew Weiner; AMC
The Wire, Written by Ed Burns, Chris Collins, David Mills, David Simon, William F. Zorzi, Richard Price, Dennis Lehane, George Pelecanos; HBO
30 Rock, Written by Jack Burditt, Kay Cannon, Robert Carlock, Tina Fey, Donald Glover, Andrew Guest, Matt Hubbard, Jon Pollack, John Riggi, Tami Sagher, Ron Weiner; NBC
Entourage, Written by Doug Ellin, Jeremy Miller, Ally Musika, Steve Pink, Rob Weiss; HBO
The Office, Written by Steve Carell, Jennifer Celotta, Greg Daniels, Lee Eisenberg, Anthony Farrell, Brent Forrester, Dan Goor, Charlie Grandy, Mindy Kaling, Ryan Koh, Lester Lewis, Paul Lieberstein, Warren Lieberstein, B.J. Novak, Michael Schur, Aaron Shure, Justin Spitzer, Gene Stupnitsky, Halsted Sullivan; NBC
The Simpsons, Written by J. Stewart Burns, Daniel Chun, Joel H. Cohen, Kevin Curran, John Frink, Tom Gammill, Stephanie Gillis, Dan Greaney, Reid Harrison, Al Jean, Billy Kimball, Tim Long, Ian Maxtone-Graham, Bill Odenkirk, Carolyn Omine, Don Payne, Michael Price, Max Pross, Mike Reiss, Mike Scully, Matt Selman, Matt Warburton, Jeff Westbrook, Marc Wilmore, William Wright; Fox
Weeds, Written by Roberto Benabib, Mark A. Burley, Ron Fitzgerald, David Holstein, Rolin Jones, Brendan Kelly, Jenji Kohan, Victoria Morrow, Matthew Salsberg; Showtime
Breaking Bad, Written by Vince Gilligan, Peter Gould, Patty Lin, George Mastras, J Roberts; AMC
Fringe, Written by JJ Abrams, Jason Cahill, Julia Cho, David H. Goodman, Felicia Henderson, Brad Caleb Kane, Alex Kurtzman, Darin Morgan, J.R. Orci, Roberto Orci, Jeff Pinkner, Zack Whedon; Fox
In Treatment, Written by Rodrigo Garcia, Bryan Goluboff, Davey Holmes, William Meritt Johnson, Amy Lippman, Sarah Treem; HBO
Life on Mars, Written by Josh Appelbaum, Andre Nemec, Scott Rosenberg, Becky Hartman Edwards, David Wilcox, Adele Lim, Bryan Oh, Tracy McMillan, Sonny Postiglione, Phil M. Rosenberg, Meredith Averill; ABC
True Blood, Written by Alan Ball, Brian Buckner, Raelle Tucker, Alexander Woo, Nancy Oliver, Chris Offutt; HBO
EPISODIC DRAMA - any length - one airing time
"Don't Ever Change" (House), Written by Doris Egan & Leonard Dick; Fox
"Double Booked" (Burn Notice), Written by Craig O'Neill & Jason Tracey; USA
"Gray Matter" (Breaking Bad), Written by Patty Lin; AMC
"Pilot" (Breaking Bad), Written by Vince Gilligan; AMC
"Pilot" (Eli Stone), Written by Greg Berlanti & Marc Guggenheim; ABC
"There's Something About Harry" (Dexter), Written by Scott Reynolds; Showtime
EPISODIC COMEDY - any length - one airing time
"Believe in the Stars" (30 Rock), Written by Robert Carlock; NBC
"Cooter" (30 Rock), Written by Tina Fey; NBC
"Crime Aid" (The Office), Written by Charlie Grandy; NBC
"Crush'd" (Ugly Betty), Written by Tracy Poust & Jon Kinnally; ABC
"Succession" (30 Rock), Written by Andrew Guest & John Riggi; NBC
"Vote for This and I Promise to Do Something Crazy at the Emmys" (My Name is Earl), Written by Greg Garcia; NBC
LONG FORM - ORIGINAL - over one hour - one or two parts, one or two airing times
An American Crime, Written by Tommy O'Haver & Irene Turner; Showtime
"Pilot" (Fringe), Written by JJ Abrams & Alex Kurtzman & Roberto Orci; Fox
Recount, Written by Danny Strong; HBO
LONG FORM - ADAPTATION - over one hour - one or two parts, one or two airing times
Generation Kill, "Episode 6," Teleplay by Ed Burns, Story by David Simon & Ed Burns, Based on the book by Evan Wright; "Episode 7," Teleplay by David Simon, Story by David Simon & Ed Burns, Based on the book by Evan Wright; HBO
John Adams, "Episode 1, Join or Die," Teleplay by Kirk Ellis, Based on the book by David McCullough; "Episode 2, Independence," Teleplay by Kirk Ellis, Based on the book by David McCullough; HBO
The Memory Keeper's Daughter, Teleplay by John Pielmeier, Based on the book by Kim Edwards; Lifetime
ANIMATION - any length - one airing time
"Apocalypse Cow" (The Simpsons), Written by Jeff Westbrook; Fox
"The Debarted" (The Simpsons), Written by Joel H. Cohen; Fox
"E Pluribus Wiggum" (The Simpsons), Written by Michael Price; Fox
"Homer and Lisa Exchange Cross Words" (The Simpsons), Written by Tim Long; Fox
"Life: A Loser's Manual" (King of the Hill), Written by Dan McGrath; Fox
"Strangeness on a Train" (King of the Hill), Written by Jim Dauterive; Fox
COMEDY/VARIETY - (INCLUDING TALK) SERIES
Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Writers Mike Sweeney, Chris Albers, Jose Arroyo, Dan Cronin, Kevin Dorff, Daniel J. Goor, Michael Gordon, Berkley Johnson, Brian Kiley, Michael Koman, Brian McCann, Guy Nicolucci, Conan O'Brien, Matt O'Brien, Robert Smigel, Brian Stack, Andrew Weinberg; NBC
Late Show with David Letterman, Head Writers Eric Stangel, Justin Stangel, Writers Michael Barrie, Jim Mulholland, Steve Young, Tom Ruprecht, Lee Ellenberg, Matt Roberts, Jeremy Weiner, Joe Grossman, Bill Scheft, Bob Borden, Frank Sebastiano, David Letterman; CBS
Real Time with Bill Maher, Writers Bill Maher, Billy Martin, Scott Carter, Adam Felber, Matt Gunn, Brian Jacobsmeyer, Jay Jaroch, Chris Kelly, Danny Vermont; HBO
Saturday Night Live, Head Writers Seth Meyers, Andrew Steele, Paula Pell, Writers Doug Abeles, James Anderson, Alex Baze, Jessica Conrad, James Downey, Charlie Grandy, Steve Higgins, Colin Jost, Erik Kenward, Rob Klein, John Lutz, Seth Meyers, Lorne Michaels, John Mulaney, Paula Pell, Simon Rich, Marika Sawyer, Akiva Schaffer, Robert Smigel, John Solomon, Emily Spivey, Andrew Steele, Kent Sublette, Jorma Taccone, Bryan Tucker, Additional Sketches by Robert Carlock; NBC
The Colbert Report, Head Writers Allison Silverman, Tom Purcell, Rich Dahm, Writers Michael Brumm, Stephen Colbert, Rob Dubbin, Glenn Eichler, Peter Groz, Peter Gwinn, Barry Julien, Laura Krafft, Jay Katsir, Frank Lesser, Meredith Scardino; Comedy Central
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Head Writer Steve Bodow, Writers Rory Albanese, Rachel Axler, Kevin Bleyer, Rich Blomquist, Tim Carvell, Wyatt Cenac, J.R. Havlan, DJ Javerbaum, Rob Kutner, Josh Lieb, Sam Means, John Oliver, Jason Ross, Jon Stewart; Comedy Central
COMEDY / VARIETY – MUSIC, AWARDS, TRIBUTES – SPECIALS
2008 Film Independent Spirit Awards, Written by Billy Kimball, Aaron Lee, Jennifer Celotta, Rainn Wilson; IFC/AMC
Jimmy Kimmel's Big Night of Stars, Written by Jimmy Kimmel, Gary Greenberg, Molly McNearney, Bryan Paulk, Ned Rice, Jon Bines, Will Burke, Rick Rosner, Jake Lentz, Sal Iacono, Tony Barbieri; ABC
DAYTIME SERIALS
As the World Turns, Written by Jean Passanante, Leah Laiman, Courtney Simon, Lisa Connor, David A. Levinson, Peter Brash, Richard Culliton, Susan Dansby, Cheryl Davis, Leslie Nipkow; CBS
One Life to Live, Written by Ron Carlivati, Carolyn Culliton, Elizabeth Page, Aida Croal, Shelly Altman, Janet Iacobuzio, Christopher Van Etten, Anna Theresa Cascio; ABC
CHILDREN'S EPISODIC & SPECIALS
"Elmo's Christmas Countdown" (Sesame Workshop), Written by Joey Mazzarino; ABC
"Spencer's 18th Birthday" (South of Nowhere), Written by Arika Lisanne Mittman; The "N"
"The Un-Party" (Imagination Movers), Written by Scott Gray; Disney Channel
CHILDRENS SCRIPT- LONG FORM OR SPECIAL
"Polar Bears" (The Naked Brothers Band), Written by Polly Draper; Nickelodeon
DOCUMENTARY - CURRENT EVENTS
"Bush's War: Part One" (Frontline), Written by Michael Kirk; PBS
Depression: Out of the Shadows, Written by Larkin McPhee; PBS
"Judgment Day: Intelligent Design on Trial" (NOVA), Written by Joseph McMaster; PBS
"Rules of Engagement" (Frontline), Written by Arun Rath; PBS
"The Medicated Child" (Frontline), Written by Marcela Gaviria; PBS
DOCUMENTARY - OTHER THAN CURRENT EVENTS
Andrew Jackson: Good, Evil & The Presidency, Written by Carl Byker; PBS
"Kit Carson" (American Experience), Written by Michelle Ferrari; PBS
"Secrets of the Parthenon" (NOVA), Written by Gary Glassman; PBS
The Jewish Americans, Episode Two: "The Best of Times, The Worst of Times (1924-1945)," Written by David Grubin; PBS
The Truth About Cancer, Written by Linda Garmon; PBS
NEWS - REGULARLY SCHEDULED, BULLETIN OR BREAKING REPORT
ABC Weekend News, Written by Joel Siegel, Karen Mooney, David Muir; ABC
"Up to the Minute" (CBS News), Written by Matt Nelko; CBS
NEWS - ANALYSIS, FEATURE, OR COMMENTARY
"Exonerated" (60 Minutes), Written by Tom Anderson and Jenny Dubin; CBS
"Show Me the Love: Amazing Pen Pal Connection" (Good Morning America), Written by Raquel Hecker; ABC
"The Warren Buffett Challenge: Are the Rich Taxed Enough?" (Good Morning America), Written by Lisa Ferri; ABC
"Yankee Stadium and the New Gilded Age" (Bill Moyers Journal), Writers Bill Moyers & Michael Winship; PBS
RADIO NOMINEES
Black History Month, Written by Anthony J. McHugh; CBS
NEWS - REGULARLY SCHEDULED OR BREAKING
Edmund Hillary Obituary, Written by Steven Gosset; CBS
Passages, Written by Gail Lee; CBS
Paul Harvey News, Written by Stu Chamberlain; ABC
The Passing of George Carlin, Written by Thomas A. Sabella; CBS
World News This Week, Written by Marianne J. Pryor; ABC
NEWS - ANALYSIS, FEATURE OR COMMENTARY
Katie Couric's Notebook, Written by Paul Farry; CBS
Our Fathers' Magic Carpet, Written by Mike Silverstein; ABC
The Happy Birthday Controversy, Written by Joel Siegel, John Cochran; ABC
Tributes, Written by Gail Lee; CBS
Labels: Golden Globes, WGA
Wednesday's Lament for Thursday
I've got to admit it. I'm not feeling it for "The Office" these days. It's like the light has been turned off. I'm no longer in love. This is actually a relief because my infatuation with this show has been tiring. It's just a television show, but the world of Dunder Mifflin drew me in like a vacuum. Their drudgery was my life. Jim was the guy that I always wanted to marry, and Pam was the girl I could understand, what with her lack of confidence, the kindness for others, the bite in her humor, and the pranks. The girl ruled.
However, characters are changing, the pacing is different, the fan boards are barking against people like me who think Ms. Beesly has become another person. Long time viewers are claiming this is the best season since season two, which dumbfounds me. It's been the opposite. The writers are suffering from fatigue and it feels like Ben Silverman is telling them to pump up the contrivance, pump up the silliness and pump up the volume of Pam's hair. "30 Rock" is now my drink of choice. No emotional attachment to characters, just plain zany fluff and fun with a dash of heart. But having said that, tomorrow is Thursday's hour of power comedy. Despite NBC's strange decision regarding Leno and the line up of daily talkshows, killing off hours of potential scripted television, "The Office" was the number one comedy of the week, gaining viewership and kicking butt in the 18-49 demographic. That's what matters. Not my bellyaching.
Tomorrow's episode of "The Office" is called Moroccan Christmas. As per the promos, Phyllis is decking the halls Moroccan style, testing Angela's patience as she ditches the tree and swipes baby Jesus into a drawer. Meredith suddenly combusts, her hair aflame. After all, what's Christmas without the annual Yule Meredith glowing by the tree?
"The Office: Moroccan Christmas" airs Thursday night on the beleagued and almost be-feathered NBC at 9pm EST/8pm CST.
"30 Rock's" episode on Thursday is "Christmas Special". Liz's parents decide to go to a couples-only retreat for Christmas, leaving her alone for the holidays. To fill the loneliness, our gal Lemon participates in a children's charity. Jack Donaghy, trying to get the hell away from his overbearing mother Colleen has his plans foiled....again! The cast of TGS change their Christmas plans to prepare a big Holiday Special.
The amazing, fabulous, perfectly cast Elaine Stritch makes her usual guest appearance as Jack Donaghy's mother - all vinegar and spice and everthing sarcastic. Oh, how I love this woman!
"30 Rock: Christmas Special" will air on Thursday at 9:30pm EST/8:30pm CST.
Ho...Ho...Ho....
(Photos courtesy of NBC Universal Media)
Posted by TVBlogster at 12:03 PM No comments:
NBC Gives Leno 10pm Timeslot
The New York Times is reporting NBC will announce on Tuesday that Jay Leno will be given the 10pm timeslot for a new show. This was announced after comments by Jeff Zucker at a UBS conference indicated the network was considering cutting prime time programming by several hours a week.
This move will prevent Leno from leaving the peacock network for a competitor (ABC was a contender), and provide a standard pre-affiliate news lead in. This should make the O&O stations happy. Stripping a first run talk show in prime time's 10pm slot, usually occupied by drama or reality, with a host of Leno's stature, is a first. (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/09/business/media/09leno.html?_r=1&hp.)
Labels: Jay Leno, NBC, The Tonight Show
Jimmy Fallon Gearing Up for "Late Night"
When Jimmy Fallon was announced as the "Late Night" successor to Conan O'Brien earlier this year, eyebrows furrowed and a chorus of "Huh?" spread out across the land like wild fire. His name had been bandied about as a possible replacement for O'Brien, but once it was confirmed, there were cries of despair. Was he up to the task? Would he be talkshow host material? Would viewers who found him annoying be won over?
It also confirmed what was now the inevitable to "Late Night" fans - especially those of us who dwell in New York: Conan is leaving us for Hollywood. The east coast boy is going out west, replacing Jay Leno, the top rated host of the top rated "Tonight Show". It was painful. Maybe I'm just jealous. I wish Executive Producer Jeff Ross would remember me from all those years ago at Broadway Video, hire me, and take me along. But either way, it's going to be hard to see Conan replaced by anyone, much less Fallon.
I'd like to see what Jimmy can do. Expectations on his debut are fraught with doubt, but that's nothing new. When Conan was announced as Letterman's replacement back in 1993, he was a total unknown entity. A comedy writer for the Simpsons and SNL, he would occasionally appear as a background character on the Saturday show. His first few years of hosting "Late Night" were a constant wait and see experiment. O'Brien's toe touched the line of failure many times, with one sharp move surely to send him over the edge into cancelation; yet, as cooler heads prevailed, allowing his style and humor to take root and build a following, he claimed his stake in the talk show landscape. A whole generation of college students and comedy fans grew up laughing with O'Brien despite his rough start. So, you never know what time and patience by the network and fans will bring to Fallon.
The dye is already cast: Fallon is behind the scenes ramping up for his new hosting duties, which will begin on NBC March 2nd. NBC .com will be getting him started with a video blog starting tonight at 12:30am, (www.latenightwithjimmyfallon.com). It will provide a behind the scenes look into the new Late Night, providing Fallon with a virtual introduction process, giving viewers a taste of his style, and what to expect. He does have some big shoes to fill, but he has to start somewhere. I'm kind of rooting for Jimmy, but I'm really going to miss Conan. Badly. It won't be the same without him on "Late Night", and seeing him on "The Tonight Show" won't make that any better.
Posted by TVBlogster at 11:12 AM No comments:
Labels: Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, NBC
SNL: Guest Host - John Malkovich and Poehler Surprise
Tonight's Live with guest host John Malkovich and musical guest T.I. Malkovich is currently starring in "The Changeling".
Update: I will admit that whenever SNL is on, depending on the host, I watch the first fifteen minutes, then start to wander around the room while it glows in the background. I surf the internet, create a new playlist on iTunes and start figuring out how long I'm going to stay up. Yes, I have no life.
Last Saturday's SNL was no different. I remember Malkovich reading "T'was The Night Before Christmas" to kids, and recall a somewhat funny sketch about twin brothers freaking out over getting a calculator for Christmas. But the main event was the return of Amy Poehler. It's not clear if she will return for limited appearances, but who cares? There she was as Hillary Clinton, in all her wigged out, jaw clenching glory. Viewing her back in the Weekend Update seat was a sight for sore eyes. It will be sad to finally see her go. If that was her final appearance, then I'm glad it's on NBC.com to savor.
Labels: Amy Poehler, SNL
"30 Rock: Reunion"
"Suck on it you whittling iHop monkies! Lemon Out!"
If Pam Beesly's bitchiness has emerged from the depth of her passive aggressive soul, then I'm pleased to celebrate the evil bitchery that is Liz Lemon. This is bitchery I can believe in because Liz is me, and I am Liz, and I can relate to pouring on the vinegar just to get by. Last night's episode entitled "Reunion" hit the spot with some good time memories for Liz that aren't quite as she remembers them. Also, Don Geiss wakes up from his coma to name himself the CEO of GE forever, and Jack tries to skulk away to Florida to wallow in a bevy of babes, only to end up in snowy White Haven, PA with Liz, back home for her twenty year high school reunion. "I want to go to there" has already been heavily quoted by the watercoolers of blogs alike, but I have to add it here. Yes. I want to go to there too. This show will never not rock.
It appears that not only was Liz a big time, overweight geek (as expressed by Jack above) with braces and a short hair perm, but she was a snarky aggressor who frightened all the popular kids with cutting remarks and giant sized insults that cut them so bad, they needed therapy. Svelte, sassy successful Liz sashayed her way into the party like she was walking onto a yacht (as the song goes), thinking she's the bomb, only to realize the stares and glares are of hatred. Jack is mistaken for Larry Braverman, the popular cool kid from way back, and plays along, only to end up playing Seven Minutes in Heaven in a closet with Liz, ultimately saving her from being "Carrie-d", all ending up in a get-a-way when his pretend former girlfriend introduces him to "their son".
Back at the homestead, Kenneth is stealing laughs in the elevator from the real comedians. Since our favorite Page has apparently taken on the job of comedian, Jenna and Tracy switch jobs by giving tours and being Kenneth in all his southern baptist weirdo glory.
"30 Rock airs on NBC on Thursdays at 9:30am EST/8:30pm CST
Two Minute Replay:
"The Office: The Surplus": Team Copier!
Put me in, Coach Halpert and Coach Martinez. I am firmly a member of your team. There is nothing worse than having to make last minute copies for a meeting, only to have the dumb copier jam or ripple your paper. I can deal with a less than stellar chair as long as it holds me up, but if my boss asks ten minutes before a meeting with the board for twenty stapled copies, and the Canon in the print room spits out nothing in defiance, I'll take one of those crappy chairs Pam keeps bitching about and throw it out over eighth avenue, past the stunt climbers who scale the walls of my office building, straight onto the rooftop of Port Authority, and don't think I won't. Ok, maybe I wont. But I'll have the burning desire.
Fandom on the internet is exploding with gushing love for this episode. I was bothered by this one. In my view, last night's "The Surplus" was a weird and wooly offshoot of bizarre world that resembled its old self only in the office togetherness the copier-chair competition provided. There were lots of strange, over the top moments that felt like The Office; however, this show will always feel different to me. I guess that's the after effects of Jim and Pam's gloriously uniting. Or, perhaps it's just the writers, in their attempt to make Pam a new confident being in love with the man who gives her everything, are losing the concept of Pam's character, making her into a nagging, annoying anti-Pam.
Still there were some jolly times. With a $4,300 dollar surplus in the branch's budget, Michael announces the good news to the team at Dunder Mifflin that it's theirs for the spending. They immediately split up into two factions: Team Copier - which consists of Oscar and Jim, who has avoided asking Pam to make copies for him since they've started dating, so he's had to toil over the crappy, hungry piece of hulking crap that calls itself a copier; and Team Chair - headed up by...what's this? Pam not playing on the same side of the team with Jim? Jim is thankfully not too badly whipped, and holds his ground. The two separate factions kiss Michael's ass in ways close to prostitution in the minds of the DM drones, whose level of tolerance for Michael's thin skin and need for attention is ultra low to begin with. Pam leads the comfy chair people, the team who needs to sink their butts into lumbar support while they answer phones, do crosswords and play Solitaire. She butters up Michael with a girly sexyness she never would have used back in the day since it humiliated her- a trait in which she held our sympathy and admiration. Kiss that Pam goodbye. I guess her sex appeal is the reward for "Fanciness". Jim and Oscar make Michael feel like 'da man' by taking him out for lunch where Italian deserts are brought back as a Halpert peace offering to the viperess Ms. Beesly, who dumps it in a trash can. Ef you, Pam. Hey, Halpert, does Team Copier sell tee shirts?
Meanwhile in the land of Schrute, Angela and Andy visit Dwight's sprawling beet farm to plan their wedding. It's the same story. Dwight is as proud as a rooster, clucking around his own farm, knowing that he still holds Angela since he's still doing her behind Andy's back. Andy – that sweet bozo face, that guileless, prone to anger man – is clueless. It's to a point where I actually hate Dwight and Angela. There is no compassion culled for these two as Dwight snickers behind Andy's back while Angela sneaks over to the Schrute barn for sex at night. But I digress. The sneaky wedding by Dwight, which ran Angela firmly into the arms of Andy in broad office daylight, was way too over the top for my taste. The best part of the whole scenario was the German Amish Reverend. He was cute, and so "There Will Be Blood-ish" with his puritan aura.
Michael was on his game. Can Carell do no wrong? What about that ass dance out the door? The need to ask Hank the security guard for his opinion, only to throw him out when he took his sweet time to figure things out? All were joyfully funny. Oscar is gaining new ground as a prominent player in this show, and I love it. He adds rational thought to Michael's childish view with exasperation and subtle humor. May Oscar find that man of his dreams. He was too good for Gil.
Ok, back to Pam. Can someone please let me know what happened to her? She left for New York back in September (or in Dunder Mifflin world - July), and this other person who calls herself Pam came back and became a thoroughly annoying bitch.
This isn't Pam. I'm sorry fan sites who snark over fans like me who don't enjoy this new incarnation. This isn't the Pam I had hoped to see. I'm not a staunch feminist, but I found it distasteful for her to claim that "Since I've been here, I've had two engagement rings and only one chair", implying that she's bagged two men giving them the sexy frizzy haired, understated Pam charm, but can't get a damn new chair. So new sexy Beesly, fresh from the hot streets of NYC, juts out her boobage, jujjes up her hair and paints on the lipstick to use what the good Lord gave her to get her way. Wow. That was hilarious to everyone, I bet. Not to me. It negated all the pain Pam went through all those years of covering herself with cardigans and blouses, skirting old man glares from Creed, off color remarks from Michael and boob jokes, only to tart herself up to get her way…to get CHAIRS. The fact that it didn't specifically work was good comedy, but it came with a bad taste. Shouting for Michael to "show his ass" didn't ring true with me. I hear a chorus of "lighten ups" and eyerolls from the internet. But I don't care. But to quote the Pam I used to love, "I am what I am....that's Popeye".
The final scene worked for me. Not only was Jim's kiss extremely hot, it upped the ante, and Pam will enjoy a lovely afternoon trying to copy four collated stapled sets, which should take twenty seconds on a new copier, but will take her at least an hour on this useless husk of a machine. Enjoy your new chair, Pam!
Can someone explain how the chairs won out?
I love competition in sports, but my tolerance for competitive sitcom scenarios with known allies suddenly pitted against each other is really low. I'm even bothered during episodes of "I Love Lucy" when the Mertz's and the Ricardo's fight, so I'm pretty bad with going with the flow on this storyline.
Next week's episode is "Moroccan Christmas". Apparently Meredith's hair goes up in flames. Oh Jeebus have mercy on your birthday.
"The Office: Moroccan Christmas" airs on NBC Thursday December 11th at 9pm EST/8pm CST.
NBC Two Minute Replay:
Photos courtesy of www.such-a-dork.com. (Thank You!)
Labels: The Office
Spectacle: Elvis Costello With...
With the exception of "Later With Jools Holland" and the "Austin City Limits", music television with smart interview and performance is hard to come by these days. Elvis Costello, a legend in the world of post punk exploration, a chameleon in music style with a flair for humor and a gift for chat, has a been a ripe personality for the talk show picking. After being courted by various producers to head up his own talker, he's found his niche in "Spectacle: Elvis Costello With…" which premiered last night on The Sundance Channel with Sir Elton John as guest. It was a remarkable hour of in depth, honest discussion about the music that inspired both Sir Elton and Elvis alike, as well as the ways of the music industry, the power of image, the luck and the unsung heroes (such as Laura Nyro and David Ackles) who never reached the same height of fame, but were important influences to their own style. In this installment, Costello graciously lent his own common experiences with John for lively discussion with pitch perfect pacing and comfort in the role of interviewer. Indeed, Sir Elton, whose own gift of gab is legendary, was insightful, playful and meaningful. It's probably the best interview I've ever seen with him, and I attribute this to Costello's natural ability to drive good conversation. The intimate atmosphere between the talking heads and the audience is a pleasing concoction as well.
Musical performance and interview were interwoven throughout the hour with Costello sharing the stage with Sir John in a jam of various songs written by noteworthy personal influences. I presume Costello will join his musical guests in performance going forward.
Much like "Inside The Actor's Studio", Costello's new show is funny, riveting and definitely a must see, must DVR kind of show. It's interesting to note that "Spectacle" came to fruition thanks to David Furnish, Sir Elton's partner. He approached Costello with a Canadian producer who envisioned the perfect show for the singer's sensibilities and style. Elton also had an important role in championing the show, so producing him as first guest was a nice touch.
Other guests to grace Elvis' stage will be President Bill Clinton, Norah Jones, Rufus Wainwright, The Police to name just a few. The schedule of shows and guest can be found on www.elviscostello.com/splash/.
"Spectacle: Elvis Costello With…airs on the Sundance Channel on Wednesdays at 9:00pm EST.
Monday Morning Hangover: Another SNL Controversy a...
SNL: Guest Host - John Malkovich and Poehler Surpr...
T'was the Wednesday Before Thursday...
Flight of the Conchords Premiere to Stream Online
"Gavin and Stacy" and "The IT Crowd"
You Stay Classy, Local News...


text:
Tropical Depression NINE
ZCZC MIATCPAT4 ALL
Tropical Depression Nine Advisory Number   1
NWS National Hurricane Center Miami FL       AL092021
1100 AM EDT Thu Aug 26 2021
...TROPICAL DEPRESSION FORMS OVER THE WEST-CENTRAL CARIBBEAN SEA...
...TROPICAL STORM WARNINGS ISSUED FOR THE CAYMAN ISLANDS AND
PORTIONS OF WESTERN CUBA...
SUMMARY OF 1100 AM EDT...1500 UTC...INFORMATION
LOCATION...16.9N 79.2W
ABOUT 115 MI...180 KM SSW OF NEGRIL JAMAICA
ABOUT 210 MI...340 KM SE OF GRAND CAYMAN
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...35 MPH...55 KM/H
PRESENT MOVEMENT...NW OR 325 DEGREES AT 13 MPH...20 KM/H
MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...1005 MB...29.68 INCHES
CHANGES WITH THIS ADVISORY:
The government of the Cayman Islands has issued a Tropical Storm
Warning for the Cayman Islands, including Grand Cayman, Little
Cayman, and Cayman Brac.
The government of Cuba has issued a Tropical Storm Warning for the
Cuban provinces of Matanzas, Mayabeque, Havana, Artemisa, Pinar
del Rio, and the Isle of Youth.
SUMMARY OF WATCHES AND WARNINGS IN EFFECT:
A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for...
* Cayman Islands
* Cuban provinces of Matanzas, Mayabeque, Havana, Artemisa, Pinar
del Rio, and the Isle of Youth
A Tropical Storm Warning means that tropical storm conditions are
expected somewhere within the warning area within 36 hours.
Interests elsewhere in central and western Cuba, in the northern
Yucatan Peninsula, and along the northern U.S. Gulf coast should
monitor the progress of this system.
For storm information specific to your area, please monitor
products issued by your national meteorological service.
At 1100 AM EDT (1500 UTC), the center of Tropical Depression Nine
was located near latitude 16.9 North, longitude 79.2 West. The
depression is moving toward the northwest near 13 mph (20 km/h),
and this general motion should continue over the next few days.  On
the forecast track, the center of the depression will pass near
of over the Cayman Islands tonight, the Isle of Youth and Western
Cuba Friday, and move over the southeastern and central Gulf of
Mexico Friday night and Saturday.  The system is forecast to
approach the U.S. northern Gulf coast on Sunday.
Maximum sustained winds are near 35 mph (55 km/h) with higher gusts.
Steady strengthening is forecast during the next few days. The
depression is expected to become a tropical storm tonight, and
become a hurricane when it is near western Cuba or over the
southeastern Gulf of Mexico.  Additional strengthening is likely
over the Gulf of Mexico and the system could be near major
hurricane strength when it approaches the northern Gulf coast.
The estimated minimum central pressure is 1005 mb (29.68 inches).
Key messages for Tropical Depression Nine can be found in the
Tropical Cyclone Discussion under AWIPS header MIATCDAT4, WMO
header WTNT44 KNHC, and on the web at
hurricanes.gov/graphics_at4.shtml?key_messages.
STORM SURGE:  A dangerous storm surge will raise water levels by
as much as 2 to 4 feet above normal tide levels in areas of onshore
flow along the immediate coast of the Isle of Youth and near and to
the east of where the center crosses the coast of western Cuba.
Near the coast, the surge will be accompanied by large and
destructive waves.
WIND:  Tropical storm conditions are expected in the Cayman
Islands tonight, and are expected to reach the Isle of Youth and
portions of western Cuba in the warning area on Friday.
RAINFALL:  The depression is expected to produce total rainfall
accumulations of 6 to 10 inches with maximum totals of 15 inches
across Jamaica.  Rainfall totals of 8 to 12 inches with isolated
maximum amounts of 20 inches are expected across the Cayman
Islands, western Cuba, including the Isle of Youth and the northeast
portions of the Yucatan Peninsula.  These rainfall amounts may
produce life-threatening flash floods and mudslides.
Rainfall from this system is likely to begin impacting portions
of the central U.S. Gulf Coast by early Sunday.
SURF:  Swells generated by this system will begin affecting Jamaica,
the Cayman Islands and Cuba tonight and Friday. These swells are
Next intermediate advisory at 200 PM EDT.
Next complete advisory at 500 PM EDT.
Forecaster Brown

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
oral (8) + -
part (8) + -
cope (4) + -
jack (4) + -
father (2) + -
florri (2) + -
malan (2) + -
mr (2) + -
pearc (2) + -
reginald (2) + -
author (4) + -
calvinia (4) + -
church (4) + -
govern (4) + -
mission (4) + -
resist (4) + -
school (4) + -
peopl (x)
person (x)
Oral history interview with Jack Cope [Part 4 of 4]
Oral history, Authors, South African--Interviews, Government, Resistance to--South Africa, Cope, Jack, 1913-1991
This is a series of unrelated interviews from the period 1985-1990 with people involved in different spheres of political life in Africa, with particular reference to the politics of South Africa, Namibia, Kenya, Zambia and the Congo. Interviewees include, Jane Gool, Hassan Howa, Hosea Jaffe, I.B. Tabata, Jack Cope and Otillie Abrahams. Themes include: African National Congress (ANC) training camps, anti-discrimination in sport, life in exile in Botswana and Namibia, gender empowerment , the history of St. Francis, Langa in the Western Cape, Non-European Unity Movement (NUEM), political upheaval in Kenya, rural life and work and the South West African Peoples Organisation (SWAPO), Pin4.19b.mp3: Part 4 of 4 ; 37:23 min. ; interview 19 of 52
Oral history interview with Mrs Florrie Malan [Part 2 of 2]
Oral history, Calvinia (South Africa)--History, Calvinia (South Africa)--Social conditions, South African War, 1899-1902, Missions--South Africa--Calvinia, Church schools--South Africa--Calvinia,
These interviews present a discussion on missionary schooling in Calvinia, South Africa, the characters and their memories of the Anglo-Boer War. Themes include: Boers, the relationship between the British troops and the missionaries, the community of Calvinia, key figures such as Hugo Nieuwoudt, a Boer leader and Abraham Esau, memories of the Esau murder, National Party meeting, political tensions, racial aggression and tension and trade relations. Abraham Esau was a coloured blacksmith and leader from Calvinia. He was murdered by the Boers in 1901 as a result of his unfailing support for the British., Pol4.01b.mp3: Part 2 of 2 ; 23:02 min. ; interview 1 of 2
Oral history interview with Father Reginald Pearce [Part 2 of 2]
These interviews present a discussion on missionary schooling in Calvinia, South Africa, the characters and their memories of the Anglo-Boer War. Themes include: Boers, the relationship between the British troops and the missionaries, the community of Calvinia, key figures such as Hugo Nieuwoudt, a Boer leader and Abraham Esau, memories of the Esau murder, National Party meeting, political tensions, racial aggression and tension and trade relations. Abraham Esau was a coloured blacksmith and leader from Calvinia. He was murdered by the Boers in 1901 as a result of his unfailing support for the British., Pol4.01a.mp3: Part 1 of 2 ; 42:55 min. ; interview 1 of 2
This is a series of unrelated interviews from the period 1985-1990 with people involved in different spheres of political life in Africa, with particular reference to the politics of South Africa, Namibia, Kenya, Zambia and the Congo. Interviewees include, Jane Gool, Hassan Howa, Hosea Jaffe, I.B. Tabata, Jack Cope and Otillie Abrahams. Themes include: African National Congress (ANC) training camps, anti-discrimination in sport, life in exile in Botswana and Namibia, gender empowerment , the history of St. Francis, Langa in the Western Cape, Non-European Unity Movement (NUEM), political upheaval in Kenya, rural life and work and the South West African Peoples Organisation (SWAPO), Pin4.18a.mp3: Part 1 of 4 ; 47:48 min. ; interview 18 of 52


As a busy dental student and founder of her own non-profit, Kathryn Pawlak '09 seldom slows down — but she always makes time for Northwood. The Advancement Office caught up with Kathryn on a break from school to talk about dentistry, giving back, and life beyond Northwood.
Northwood's athletic prowess is well known on the slopes and ice, but what if your interests lie outside the school's traditional strengths? Sophomore Rachel Rosner and Freshman Ellie Colby suggest you forge your own path.
Students, faculty, and families decked the halls before leaving campus to celebrate the holidays. Lexi Hooper '20 and Aude-Marie Ackebo '18 sing for a jam-packed Northwood Living Room before the arrival of some very special guests.
Alumni, faculty, and families gathered at the Lotos Club in New York City in early December to kick off the holiday season, including alumni from the last decade featured above. The event is made possible by Trustee and host Charles Morgan '52 and his wife Elsbeth and has become a much anticipated annual tradition.
The Advancement Office sat down with Ms. Noël Carmichael, 9th grade English teacher and class dean to find out what prompted her move across the globe — and back again — and the things she loves to do both in the classroom and out.


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Throwback Reviews
Director Ranking
Hunter Friesen
"See How They Run" Review
"It's a whodunnit. You've seen one, you've seen them all."
These are some of the last words used by victim Leo Kopernick (Adrien Brody) to describe Agatha Christie's murder mystery, The Mousetrap. And after watching the film, See How They Run, I'd have to admit I share the same sentiment.
Mine and Kopernick feelings towards the genre seem to grow out of the common tiredness of it. Whether it be Rian Johnson's riff on it with his Knives Out films (which I greatly enjoyed the newest edition at this year's Toronto International Film Festival), or Kenneth Branagh's classical revivals of Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile (which I greatly despised), there seems to glut of whodunnits. And because I've seen one of them, I've essentially seen them all. And unfortunately for See How They Run, it has to take up the mantle as the runt of the litter, destined to be cast aside without anyone noticing, or caring.
Before his demise (I'm not spoiling anything, they reveal his death ten seconds into the trailer), Kopernick was witness to the 100th performance of The Mousetrap, which is still playing today on London's West End after nearly 28,000 performances. He's been brought in to mount a film adaptation of the play. That is unless he can get along with his writer (David Oyelowo), who insists on "elevating" the material above its genre clichés, and his producer (Reece Shearsmith), who is more busy having an affair with his assistant than managing the talent.
Once the deadly deed has been done, Scotland Yard's own Inspector Stoppard (Sam Rockwell) is brought in to solve the case. He's joined by the Constable Stalker (Saoirse Ronan), an eager rookie who's a little too ready to nab her first killer.
Writer Mark Chappell has assembled all the ingredients for a meta and wink-filled time as he stages a real murder mystery within a fictional version of a real murder-mystery production. Anyone who's seen their fill of community theater and Masterpiece productions will be able to pick on the jabs on well-worn genre tropes such as the butler playing a suspicious part and specific red herrings.
And director Tom George, making his feature film debut after several years working on assorted series on the BBC, tries his best to keep things moving at a breezy pace with intricate cross-cutting and split screens.
But even with all that's promised on the page and on the screen, there just always seems to be a disconnect that prevents it all from coming together. A joke may land with a thud, but it's followed by a great cutaway. Or a joke may be a slam dunk, but then the scene plays a little too long and the air is sucked out of the room. There's never really a moment where everything is flowing as harmoniously as it should.
The one thing that consistently stays above water is the cast, even if they aren't all served equally by Chappell (what's Ruth Wilson doing in such a nothing role?). Rockwell makes a half-attempt at pulling off an Inspector Clouseau impersonation. It's never fully explained why his character is so tired all the time, but Rockwell pulls it off well enough to just make it seem like it's just part of his personality. And Saoirse Ronan is an absolute comedy delight in every moment she is given. Still, at only age 28, she could be in for an all-time career if she keeps up this pace. Although they share no living scenes together, a The Grand Budapest Hotel reunion between her and Adrien Brody is a welcome one.
While it may never be as funny or good as it wants to be, there are still a few glimmers of playful genius within See How They Run. It's just a shame that Rian Johnson has fully harnessed that playfulness for his films, leaving not much room in the public's collective memory for this so-so affair.
"Theater Camp" Sundance Review
"Bad Behaviour" Sundance Review
"Infinity Pool" Review
© 2022 The Cinema Dispatch


My cardboard sign for day two.
In the end it went much more smoothly than I anticipated. I took off from Feldkirch, Austria on Saturday morning. My gear consisted of a backpack, a sports bag full of clothes and a cardboard sign with "Kiel" and a large smiley face on it. This is how it went down.
The driver was a friendly looking older woman who had stopped right by the side of the highway access ramp to let me in. She was only going to Bludenz, which was about 20 km away right by the German border. At this point I was just excited to get a ride so I gladly accepted. It was beginning to seem as if this hitchhiking thing was actually going to work.
The woman lived in Feldkirch and worked in the hospital there. She had family in Bludenz, and was now on the way there to help some relatives who were building a house. As there were no service stations on the highway close to the destination, I let her drop me off in the center of Bludenz. At the time I did not realize the gravity of my mistake.
I had read online that hitchhiking out of the center of a city can be problematic. This was quite obviously the case. Not many cars seemed to be on their way out of the center, let alone going a significant distance in the direction of Sweden. Not knowing what else to do I decided simply to walk north.
After about an hour's walk I reached a stretch of road that was under construction in such a way that the sidewalk was unusable. In other words, I would need to get a ride in order to continue on my path. People I had spoken to on the way had told me I would most likely need to get to Lindau, just across the German border, in order to get back onto the highway. I took out my paper and flip-board marker and made a new sign for Lindau.
It was only a few minutes before a guy about my age stopped to pick me up. He was not going to Lindau, but he told me he could drop me off at a truck station on the autobahn close to Lindau. This sounded perfect and so I happily agreed. He drove me for 5 or 10 minutes and we chatted the entire way. In the end he dropped me off at the aforementioned truck stop, which was on the autobahn right by the border to Germany. As he drove off I began asking the few truck drivers who were standing in groups swapping stories if they were traveling north.
Now, I don't speak much German, but I did understand enough to realize that all the drivers at this location had finished their routes for the day. It was Saturday and seemingly none of them were continuing through the weekend. I was stuck once again.
My next step? Attempting to hitchhike from the side of the highway. A good idea? No.
It only took about half an hour to realize that I was not going to get a ride this way. There was nowhere for cars to stop safely, even if they would have had time to read an react to my sign before they had driven by. Luckily I gave up before I managed to get run over or picked up by the police. At this time I was fighting an increasing feeling of doubt. I had been hitchhiking for close to 4 hours and had only managed to travel 50 kilometers. On top of that I had no clear plan as to where to go or what to try next.
That's when I spotted a narrow path leading into the forest by the side of the highway.
I approached the path and saw that there were houses only a couple hundred meters away on the far side of the trees lining the highway. With no other plan in mind, I decided to walk over to the small collection of houses. As I walked along the small road leading up to the buildings, backpack and duffel bag around my shoulders and cardboard sign in my hand, a small van slowed and stopped next to me. The driver was a middle-aged man with a worn tank top and tattoos covering his arms and shoulders. Next to him was a slightly younger woman seemingly with an equal affinity for body art.
The man asked me if I was looking for a place to get onto the highway. He explained that he had seen my sign and assumed I was lost. I told him I was looking for a highway access ramp to hitchhike from, and asked him if he knew where I should go. The man did in fact know a good place, but explained it would take around half an hour to get there. He began describing the route for me, but a minute or so in he seemed to realize that the explanation was getting to long and complicated. He offered to drive me there himself.
As soon as the man offered me a ride my mind did a split second assessment as to how trustworthy the couple seemed. There was no way to be sure of course, but they seemed genuinely nice. It only took me a second to thank the man and accept his offer, and so I got in the back seat of the van and we took off.
Five minutes later the couple dropped me off at a service station next to a highway access ramp. It seemed I had finally found a good place to hitch a ride. I gave a wave to the couple as they drove off and proceeded to strategize in my mind as to my next move. My two options were to hitchhike from the side of the access ramp with my sign and my thumb, or to approach customers at the service station and ask for a ride face-to-face. I decided to get lunch.
After grabbing a burger at the McDonald's across the street (wherever you are, aways a safe bet), I walked over to the service station and began approaching people as they stopped for gas. I was quickly surprised by how nice everyone was. Even though they routinely said no — They were either going the wrong direction or their cars were full; that figures! — people did not shun me as I was prepared they might. Most of them simply listened to me ask for a ride north, politely declined (with some reason or excuse) and wished me luck. Every now and again someone would simply fail to acknowledge my existence when I approached, but they were few and far between.
Despite people's unexpected positive attitude towards me, I was not able to get a ride in the hour and a half or so that I walked around speaking with people at this service station. My watch was showing half past two when I decided to change my tactics. I got my stuff and walked over to the side of the access ramp. It was time to try the more classic hitchhiking approach. Once again I held up my sign and stuck out my thumb.
I soon noticed that drivers seemed to enjoy the "Kiel" side of my cardboard sign (750 km) more than the "Frankfurt" side (300km). They didn't stop for either, but seeing some crazy kid trying to hitchhike right across Germany seemed to give people a good laugh, and that kept me smiling as well. That was a good thing, because it took another hour before a car finally slowed down and pulled up next to me.
It was a an old station wagon—not exactly run-down, but it had seen better years. In it was a southern-european looking man. He pulled down the passenger-side window and asked me in german if I needed a ride. I replied in english, asking where he was going. He explained to me in broken half-english, half-german that he was going to Hannover—roughly 700 km in the direction of Kiel. I was stunned. I couldn't believe my luck. I got in the car.
The man spoke very little english and my german is extremely limited, but we did find a way to communicate. As it turns out, the man was from Sicily but had lived in Hannover for 25 years. He worked at a car-repair shop with many of his colleagues being Spanish, and so he had picked up Spanish over the years. Now, I speak some Spanish, and whatever I don't know I can make up for with my Portuguese. This way we were able to have a conversation. I learned that the man had been to Sicily to visit his friends and family over the summer, and was now on his way back. His wife had also been down but had flown up a week earlier for work. Turns out he was a nice, social guy who was just happy to have someone to talk to during the last few hours of his drive home.
When we finally reached Hannover, it was around 8 pm and the sun was low in the sky. My kind driver dropped me off at the edge of the city, wished me luck with my continued travels, and drove off. It was now time to find a hostel.
I picked a direction and began walking. After only a couple hundred meters I came to a small café, which as it happens had a Portuguese theme. I walked in and asked the lady behind the counter if she knew where I could find a hostel... in Portuguese. She was surprised to say the least—I don't exactly look like I speak the language. After that she was more than willing to help. She called me a taxi and I used that to get to the nearest hostel.
There was a concert going on in the area that evening, which meant that all beds in the hostel were taken except for one. More luck it would seem. I went in, left my stuff, went in to town for a kebab, came back, and went to bed. It didn't take many seconds to get to sleep.
I began the second day of my trip with a tram ride out to the edge of Hannover. The hostel receptionist had given me a couple of tips as to where I could start my hitchhiking for the day, and I was trying to make it out to a gas station by one of the highways running through the outskirts of the city. The tram ride itself was uneventful except for a coordinated team of undercover ticket inspectors surrounding me with smug grins on their faces. They had undoubtedly seen my hitchhiker's cardboard sign and figured I wasn't the type to buy a tram ticket. When I pulled out my walled and produced the shiny piece of card—along with a grin of my own—they were shocked.
Once I reached the last stop, there was some walking to do before I got to the gas station. Around 20 minutes and one jumped fence later, I was at the station and speaking with drivers. The flow of cars was sparse though, and everyone I spoke to was heading into the city rather than passing through it. After about an hour and a half it became apparent that I would need to try another spot. The clerk in the station shop helped me figure out where I needed to go—a service station by the side of the autobahn just 10 minutes away by car. The problem was that the only good way of getting there was by driving. In the end the clerk had to call me a cab.
When I explained to the taxi driver where I wanted to go, he just stared at me. Then he burst out laughing. Turns out not too many fares ask to be driven from one service station to another for the sake of hitching a ride to the next country.
Well at the service station, my spirits were lifted considerably. There was a heavy stream of cars passing through the very large fueling area, with more cars parked by a roadside restaurant perhaps fifty meters away. Furthermore, looking at the registration plates I could see that around a third of the cars were Danish, and around one in ten were Swedish. People driving home after vacationing in the southern parts of Europe no doubt. Now all I had to do was bag me a ride.
Despite the very promising outlook, it took some time before I found the right car. I began by speaking to the drivers who were stopping for fuel. There were around 8 or 9 pumps, so I would talk to the drivers, wait five minutes to allow a new batch of cars to come in, talk to the new drivers, and so on. After about an hour of "no's" I decided to try another tactic and walked over to the parking lot next to the nearby restaurant. Unfortunately my collection of "no's" simply continued to grow.
As a side note, I should mention that the drivers were unexpectedly friendly here as well. Most of them simply explained that their cars were either full of people or full of packing. A quick look through the windows showed that they were in fact telling the truth. There were of course also many who were not going very far in the right direction. Seeing the number of Swedish and Danish cars at the gas station, I had decided that I would probably be able to hitch a ride to Denmark, if not all the way to Sweden.
At the far end of the parking lot, an access road led back onto the autobahn. As I approached I saw that two guys—slightly younger than me—were standing there trying to hitchhike as well. Speaking with them, it turned out that they were just trying to get to the next big city, a couple of hundred km away, and that this was also the first time they took a shot at hitchhiking. I told them I was hitchhiking to Sweden, and that I had been walking around speaking with drivers. Seemingly they had not thought of this option, and asked me if it was better than standing by the side of the road with your sign and thumb. Not wanting the competition, I told them it was probably about the same, and that I would let them keep their spot to themselves as they had gotten there first. I walked back to speak with more drivers, and they kept trying to stop cars by the access road. Suckers.
I got the impression that he wasn't as interested in my particular answers as in the way I gave them. At that point I didn't yet know that he was a defense lawyer, and that he was no doubt assessing my honesty and trustworthiness. When he was done asking questions he paused for a moment, with a scrutinizing look on his face. Then he suddenly relaxed and smiled. He asked the girl if she thought they should give me a ride. She shrugged—"Why not".
As we drove out from the service station, I could see the two guys I'd spoken to earlier were still in the same spot. Their tactics had evolved to taping their sign to the end of a long stick, which they waved in front of passing cars. Probably not the best way to get people's trust.
As it turns out, the man and girl were father and daughter, driving home from a vacation in their summer house in Italy. They ended up giving me a ride all the way to Sweden—a trip of around seven hours, including a ferry ride from Germany to Denmark. We spent most of the time talking, and I couldn't have asked for better "hosts". They took me as far as Landskrona, where I asked them to drop me off at a service station. At that point it was around 8pm and I was still two and a half hours from Gothenburg. I decided to try to get there before nightfall.
I had read that hitchhiking at night was a bad idea, but I figured that "night" was still a few hours away. I bought a coffee and a sandwich in the service station's shop, and sat down to make a new sign—the one with "Sweden" on it would mostly confuse people at this point.
Once I started asking around at the pumps it only took around 15 minutes before I found a ride. Most Swedes would have nothing to do with me—I guess we're a cold nation in more ways than one—but I found an extremely friendly Lithuanian man who agreed to take a slight detour through Gothenburg in order to drop me off. It turned out he was a medical doctor based in Denmark, now driving up to a town just north of Gothenburg in order to help out at an understaffed hospital. His sister was with him, but neither her English nor her Swedish were very good so she didn't say much. The man spoke the entire time however, which was nice as all I had to do was listen and give the occasional sign of agreement. He was speaking Danish with a Lithuanian accent so I understood almost nothing, but that was OK by me—I was pretty exhausted after the day.
He dropped me off at a bus station at the edge of Gothenburg. I thanked him and gave him a wave as he drove off. All that was left was a 10 minute bus ride to my apartment, which I hadn't seen in a year. Hitchhiking from Austria to Sweden in two days. I had made it.
I'd like to thank the community over at Hitchwiki, who I got most of my information from. If you ever decide to give hitchhiking a try, they're an amazing resource.


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Q: Check sql column that contain a comma separated string with words I try with FIND_IN_SET, LIKE %word% and other ways but without success..
Ok, now i have a table with column field_name and there is multiple results in..
There is inserted values like:
Internet
Security
Furnished and so on...

I try to check that my string is contain a words that pass in this columns above..
My string is: "Internet, Security" and i must check that this string is passing field_name column from above values.
Here is my code:
function check_osobenosti($value,$id_field) {
    global $dbh;
    //proceed
    $trim_v = trim($value);
    $query2 = $dbh->query("SELECT `field_name` FROM wpls_sw_field_lang  WHERE FIND_IN_SET('".$trim_v."',`field_name`) > 0  AND `field_id`='".(int)$id_field."'");
    if($query2->rowCount() > 0) {
        return 1;
    } else {
        return '';
    }
}

in $value im passing the string from above, which is:
"Internet, Security"
and i want to check that this string is contain in one of above fields..
I dont know how to do it, because im a newbie.

A: I would use IN() and parameterize the query:
function check_osobenosti(string $value, int $id_field) {
    global $dbh;

    // split $value into an array to pass when executing the prepared statement
    // splitting on ',' instead of ', ' so that it can handle either
    $toBind = explode(',', $value);
    $toBind = array_map('trim', $toBind);

    // build string of '?' placeholders for IN()
    $inPlaceholders = rtrim(str_repeat('?,', count($toBind)), ',');

    // add the $id_field to the array to be passed to execute
    $toBind[] = $id_field;

    // prepare the SQL statement
    $query = $dbh->prepare("SELECT COUNT(*) FROM wpls_sw_field_lang WHERE `field_name` IN ($inPlaceholders) AND `field_id` = ?");

    // execute the prepared statement
    $query->execute($toBind);

    if($query->fetchColumn() > 0) {
        return 1;
    } else {
        return '';
    }
}

I have changed the query to a COUNT(*) as you were not using the returned data, instead of counting the returned records. You should not use PDOStatement::rowCount() with SELECT statements:

For most databases, PDOStatement::rowCount() does not return the number of rows affected by a SELECT statement. Instead, use PDO::query() to issue a SELECT COUNT(*) statement with the same predicates as your intended SELECT statement, then use PDOStatement::fetchColumn() to retrieve the number of matching rows.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


When setting foot on campus as a student for the first time, it can be overwhelming. The first week or two is all about finding your classes, learning when the lines are shortest at the dining hall, and trying not to look like the token "lost freshman." But once you feel settled in, it's time to step out of our comfort zone and experience all that your college has to offer – starting with organizations.
A typical college campus will have a lot of organizations to choose from, so to narrow down your search, think about what you enjoyed doing in high school and try to find something similar. Many schools have club sports teams, which offer the chance to play competitively and to travel without the major commitment of playing varsity, as well as intramural leagues. If you were a dancer, singer or in theatre, you may find groups you can audition to join. I've never heard of a college without a student government, so if being President of your class for four years in high school kept you busy, seek out similar opportunities to get involved with on campus. Whatever it is that you liked to do in high school, chances are you will find something to suit your preferences at your college.
Some organizations are only found on college campuses, most specifically fraternities and sororities. Social sororities and fraternities can be great if you are looking to meet people, to participate in fundraisers and to give back to the surrounding community through service events. There are several other types of fraternities as well, including professional, honorary and service, many of which are co-ed. Before you form an opinion about the Greek life on your campus, head to information sessions for a few different types to get a better understanding of the organizations and the commitment involved in joining.
Can't find quite what you are looking for? Start your own club! You can make the meetings as often as you like and with the popularity of Facebook groups, it can be easy to find other people interested in joining. As the club grows, you can look into applying for funding from your student government to help with activities. I for one wish I had started up an Irish dance club in college so I could spread my love for the dance as well as keep up with my technique.
Let's face it: no one likes the feeling of rejection. It can be easy to walk away from something if it doesn't work out the first time around. If you are really interested in joining an organization, don't let one "no" stop you from pursuing it in the future. Chances are you were nervous during some part of the audition or recruitment process and it showed. Work on whatever skill you will need to nail it the next time and show up with the confidence you need to succeed. Those making the decision understand how hard it is to go through the process again and will admire your courage. And if for some reason it doesn't work out yet again (as it happened to me in college, so I am speaking from experience) realize it's their loss, not yours that your time and talents will end up in a different organization.


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Technical Advices
On-site supervision
The history and origins of HP hydraulique
From the forestry field to the acquisition of a technical mastery in the service of a real agility to overcome the challenges of the industry! It all starts with the forestry field. The need to maintain and sustain day-to-day machine operations in sometimes hostile environments. For 30 years, Mario Bousquet has been working to find clever ways to support his activities in the field. In 2009, an investment opportunity presented itself and Mario diversified his activities by acquiring the company HP Hydraulique. This banner founded in 2000 had obtained in 2003 a distribution right for the Bosch Rexroth brand for the Abitibi -Témiscamingue region and northern Quebec, making it the only authorized distributor in this territory.
In 2013, Frédérick Bousquet, Mario's son, joined HP Hydraulque as a manager. But before taking on this management position Frédérick experienced all facets of this industry! He gained solid experience with his father as a machine operator and mechanic, roles that exposed him to numerous problems in the field and revealed a natural ability and agility to quickly solve complex challenges from the operating site. Technical agility and acquisition of engineering and hydraulic skills! In parallel to his expertise acquired in jobs over the years, notably in assembly, drill repair, or in an engineering firm, Frédérick has developed his technical skills by pursuing a DEC in industrial maintenance and a BACC in mechanical engineering at the ETS in Montreal.
This wide variety of experiences and positions held in the industry and his training in engineering have given him a great understanding of the challenges of the industries and the reality of their operations. While Mario Bousquet maintained his activities in the forestry field, Frédérick, from his management position, continued to acquire expertise in hydraulics and engineering and was able to instill a vision in the company HP Hydraulique. At that time, the company had three employees. Frédérick's primary objective: how to implement the most agile solutions to the variety of problems his clients may encounter?
To achieve this vision, Frédérick recruited and mobilized a team of experts around common values and a requirement that goes through the continuous training of internal engineers and technicians. The number of employees has progressively doubled and, above all, the skills have been expanded to cover the widest variety of challenges. A technical mastery which, if it is put in the foreground, has served above all the objective and the concern of Frédérick and his teams: how to innovate in the capacity to best accompany its customers in their daily challenges and operational frameworks. These are the fundamental pillars in the operating mode of HP Hydraulique as we know it today! In 2015, a new division Forcetech Consultants is added and offers custom engineering and 3D scanning services. In 2018, Frédérick completed his vision and commitment and bought the company HP Hydraulique.
In 2021, work with experts will allow us to work on the company's strategic positioning in order to give it the means to pursue its mission despite markets that are experiencing major constraints in the supply of parts and resources. In 2022, HP Hydraulique brand identity will be redesigned to better reflect its vision and personality. Defining the company's next steps for growth and the tools to further increase its ability to respond with agility to the challenges faced by its customers. And more than ever, the continuation of a story that is written with professionalism, benevolence, respect and a smile. A team that is growing with the arrival of Justin Wood who, after five years with the company, becomes a full partner, bringing his technical expertise to business development and customer relations. More than ever, HP Hydraulique is a united and welded team to go through the next years and always better accompany you.
HP Hydraulique is a team that is mobilized and dedicated on a daily basis to bring quickly and efficiently the most adapted solutions to its customers. Being agile and innovative is part of our company's DNA. Of our founders. And this agility is the engine that fuels our passion to understand, develop and organize our ability to support you, our loyal industry partners, in your operational challenges. Because your challenges are our challenges! We look forward to working with you The HP Team
At HP Hydraulique, investing in a cause we believe in is very important and is part of our values. That's why since 2013, we have fostered three puppies from the Mira Foundation. The Mira Fondation is close to our hearts, and so is our love for dogs.
A career at HP Hydraulics
HP Hydraulics is above all, a team!
We look forward to meeting you, for one of our posted positions or for a spontaneous application.
Make a career with us
For any service request, fill out the form below.
Our team of experts will contact you to meet your needs.
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Sales and repair of hydraulic and pneumatic components – Distributor of Bosch Rexroth products in Abitibi-Témiscamingue and Northern Quebec (Ungava).
A team of engineers mobilized to support you in your repair needs, sale of hydraulic, pneumatic, electromechanical system components and engineering service.
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The PMCPOA Environmental Control Office is located in the Clubhouse Lobby adjacent the Business Office. The office can be reached by phone at (661) 242-3788.
EC Office Hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays. The EC staff is in the office Monday through Saturday from 8 to Noon and in the field in the afternoon. If you call when they are out, please leave a voicemail and they will contact you as soon as possible. You can also email the EC Officer at rsclark@pmcpoa.com.
Please click here to view the "Environmental Control Essentials for PMC Property Owners" pamphlet.
Pine Mountain Club is a private community governed by pre-established rules that include the Covenants, Codes & Restrictions (CC&Rs) and the Environmental Control Code. The main idea of these governing documents and the need for enforcing them comes from a desire to maintain the quality of the environment in which we live and the value of the properties in which we have all invested.
All property owners are given copies of these documents at close of escrow, but as they are long and few people read them in detail, there are packets available in the Business Office that give an overview of the requirements and the fees associated with improving property in PMC.
Following are some basic guidelines for building, improving and maintaining property in PMC.
Construction permits are necessary for any type of building, including new structures, additions and excavation. This permit is in addition to any permits required by Kern County. Plans, the application and fees are submitted to the EC office and must go through an approval process. Plans should include specific information about location, setbacks, grading plans, vegetation and tree removal, elevations, color scheme and proportions. Two sets of plans must be submitted seven working days before the EC committee meeting.
Tree cutting and pruning of branches over 4 inches in diameter is generally not allowed. The trees are part of what we love about our region and we try to keep as many of them as possible. If it is absolutely necessary to cut a tree for construction or other purposes, a permit is required. There is no fee for this permit but if you cut a tree without a permit, you may be fined.
Fences, walls and hedges are limited to a location and a height that does not obstruct the view from any other lot. Fences need to be constructed out of wood or wood-like materials and must be approved before erection.
A chart of approved exterior paint and trim colors is available in the EC office and on this site, and your choice must be submitted to the office for final approval before you begin painting. Any structures with non-approved colors will be subject to enforcement.
Signs, such as "For Sale" signs, are limited to size and style. For emergency purposes, each residence must have a street number that is visible from the street.
Propane tanks, trash containers and clotheslines are to be screened from public view with a structure that matches the home.
Garbage and food waste is to be kept in solid containers to prevent pillaging by wild animals, including coyotes, raccoons and bears. It is best to take trash to the Transfer Site immediately. Since we do not have weekly trash pick up in PMC, it is the responsibility of the residents to take their garbage to the Transfer Site. The Transfer Site accepts all types of recyclable materials and the revenue we make from recycling greatly offsets the cost of having this facility for local residents. Recyclables need to be separated into glass, plastic, paper, cardboard and green waste and deposited in the appropriate receptacles. We are not staffed to do this kind of separation for you, but the Transfer Site attendant can direct you if you have any questions.
Ashes can be dumped in the special containers marked "Ashes Only" at the Transfer Site. We are very fire hazard-conscious in this little valley and do everything possible to prevent the possibility of a fire.
Large items and construction waste need to be taken to the Lebec dump. There is a special site and collection time for toxic materials, batteries and old motor oil. Call (800) 552-5376 for more information.
It is important to remove dead trees and branches and brush from lots as they pose a fire hazard. If you are in need of assistance with this, call the EC office and the staff can direct you to one of many people offering brush removal services.
Click here to view the EC permit process.
Please click here to view information for renters.


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Five Thousand in Grants Available to Loudoun Nonprofits
Leesburg, Va. (Mar. 13, 2018) BENEFIT, Loudoun's unique coalition of local musicians and community leaders, kicks off its second year by announcing the availability of five grants each valued at $1,000. The money, raised during last fall's concert, is available to Loudoun nonprofits through a competitive and creative application process. Applications are due Thursday, April 12, 2018.
To qualify, applicants must be a 501 (c) 3 organization that provides services to Loudoun County residents. In addition to completing an online form, applicants must also submit a 30-second video that captures the essence of their mission and how they are making an impact in Loudoun. Grantees will be selected by a panel of BENEFIT volunteers, based on the content of the video, as well as the reach and impact of the nonprofit's mission. The videos will then be shared by BENEFIT throughout the year on its social media platforms, to raise awareness and support for the nonprofit's mission, and the greater mission of BENEFIT.
"The availability of these grants is a giant step forward for BENEFIT, toward the completion of one full cycle of our mission, which begins with our annual fundraising concert in September and ends with the awarding of grants to local nonprofits in May" says BENEFIT co-founder Ara Bagdasarian.
BENEFIT's other co-founder Amy Bobchek adds, "This is just the beginning. We foresee BENEFIT playing an enduring, impactful role in Loudoun's reconciliation of its shortfall in charitable giving. We know Loudouners have the compassion, and we know they have means. They just need the awareness and a little push."
Grant applications and further instructions for submitting videos at www.benefit.live.