#10 years since I watched cable tv rom coms over and over and over

[wolfiemcwolferson]

there’s a little discord cat emoji here

[blogger360ncislarules]

In 2008, a comedy about the behind-the-scenes of the TV industry, Back To You, co-created/executive produced by Steve Levitan, was canceled by Fox, the broadcast network then-aligned with Levitan’s longtime studio home, 20th Television. Shortly thereafter, another comedy co-created/executive produced by Levitan, Modern Family, was sold to a rival network, ABC, where it went to series and became an instant hit.

In 2023, a comedy about the behind-the-scenes of the TV industry, Reboot, created by Levitan, was canceled by Hulu, the streamer aligned with his studio 20th TV. Shortly thereafter, another comedy, Erin Foster’s Nobody Wants This, which Levitan executive produces, sold to a rival streamer, Netflix, where it went to series and became an instant hit.

In both cases, Levitan had been vocal in his displeasure over the cancellations, directing it at the network/platform: More bluntly about Back To You, “I have sworn off the Fox network. I’m done,” and more subtle about Reboot, “Haven’t seen it? Check us out on Hulu if you can find it.”

The parallels are not lost on industry observers as Nobody Wants This, in which Levitan doesn’t have a hands-on creative involvement, shot to No. 1 on Netflix’s weekly Top 10 for English series last week in a strong start that has earned the comedy a quick Season 2 renewal.

Meanwhile, another 20th Television series, CBS‘ Tracker, came back strong Sunday with 8.3 million Live+Same Day linear viewers for its Season 2 premiere, ranking as the No. 1 entertainment program of the week across broadcast and cable in total viewers.

Given Netflix’s reach, this means that 20th TV likely had the most watched streaming and linear original series in the U.S. over two consecutive weeks — and neither of them is on a Disney network or platform.

That would be almost unthinkable just a couple of years ago when Disney was largely walled off from the rest of the marketplace. It harkens to the time when 20th TV’s predecessor, 20th Century Fox Television, had a top series on every network: The Practice on ABC, This Is Us on NBC, How I Met Your Mother on CBS and a slew of hits on sibling Fox including 24, Glee, Empire and The Simpsons.

In its current incarnation, 20th Television also produces hits for its own platforms, including 9-1-1 and freshman Doctor Odyssey for ABC, Only Murders In the Building for Hulu and Percy Jackson for Disney+. (It is in the process of absorbing sibling ABC Signature, home of ABC standouts Grey’s Anatomy and newbie High Potential.)

But, under Karey Burke, 20th TV has branched out, allowing top talent to take projects out if they don’t sell within Disney, much like Universal Television let Dick Wolf take FBI to CBS having already filled two nights on NBC with the Chicago and Law & Order series.

That is what happened with both Nobody Wants This, starring Kristen Bell and Adam Brody, and Tracker, headlined by Justin Hartley. While Modern Family was not taken to Fox in 2008, Nobody Wants This, created and executive produced by Foster, was pitched to Hulu and got a pass, I hear. It went to Netflix which has carved out a rom-com niche with series like Emily In Paris. The streamer evolved the project, originally titled Shiksa, into the show that has been #1 or #2 for three straight weeks after some behind-the-scenes changes under Foster.

That also was the case with Tracker, which was shopped to ABC before being taken in by CBS, ordered to pilot, then series and given a post-Super Bowl launch pad.

The expansion is part of the loosening up of self-imposed restrictions since Bob Iger returned as Disney CEO and signaled right away that the company would be licensing more film and TV content to rivals.

While it’s still hard for canceled series to leave the ecosystem (I hear there was interest from Netflix in FX’s Dave), Disney recently licensed to Netflix for a limited time marquee library titles such as Prison Break, which has been a mainstay on the streamer’s Top 10 for the past month and a half, Lost and This Is Us, in exchange for getting to share Grey’s Anatomy on Hulu.

That was accompanied by Netflix’s pickup of Nobody Wants This, the first 20th TV original series on the streamer since the studio was acquired by Disney.

In a TV world left divided by the streaming wars into media companies focused on building their SVOD platforms like Disney, WBD and Paramount, and arms dealers like Sony, 20th TV is among those trying to be both.

[sleepykittypaws]

Best and Worst of 2018

Well, it’s hard to believe another holiday season has come and gone. It feels like just yesterday (a.k.a. September) when I was filled with such hope and excitement for the ever-growing crop of holiday entertainment headed our way. With 83 original made-for-TV movies debuting on network/cable + Netflix/Hulu alone, I barely scratched the viewing surface, even while mostly watching new holiday content nightly from November through Christmas. For instance, this is the first year I didn’t get to a single ION or UP offering. Heck, I didn’t even get through all of Lifetime’s offerings, which I mostly really enjoyed, let alone do more than dip my toe into Hallmark’s daunting 38 new movies. But, of the more than 34 new movies and specials I did sample this season, here are my best and worst…

Best Made-for-TV Holiday Movie of 2018

Early on it became pretty clear that Hallmark’s ever-more homogenized offerings were unlikely to produce my seasonal favorite. Now, it’s possible I just missed that gem that was gonna win me over, since I stopped watching Hallmark altogether at some point, but for the second year in a row, it was Lifetime that offered up my favorite of the season, with one of their acquired titles, Every Other Holiday.

Every Other had both rom and (some) com, but wasn’t your standard made-for-TV Christmas fare. It was clearly just as low budget, but it was a lot more realistic and well-acted than average. It wasn’t light, fizzy fun, and it even had a strong faith element, which is usually not my favorite, but it was so well done, it was impossible not to like. 

The story of a an estranged family fulfilling their children’s wish of spending Christmas together with extended family, instead of only sharing “every other holiday” with each parent, was well-written, holiday-centric and ultimately touching. I just loved it, and really hope it becomes available on DVD or digital.

Hitting a completely different note, I also really liked the cheese-tastic Lifetime original A Very Nutty Christmas, starring Melissa Joan Hart, who is, for me, the Queen of Made-for-TV Christmas movies. Not only did she star in the classic Holiday in Handcuffs, this is her second-straight, sweet, funny Lifetime joint, after last year’s a A Very Merry Toy Store, and I hope she continues to make more. (Hart’s company also produced both Nutty and Toy Store.)

This story of a nutcracker come to life, and the baker who falls in love with him, was super silly Christmas fun, with all the elements of the classic ballet transposed onto a small town bakery in the lead up to the holiday. The cast was outstanding, and quite funny, and it was the perfect amount of crazy Christmas fun, that really hit my holiday movie sweet spot.

Honorable mentions also go to the quite funny The Truth About Christmas (Freeform) and wacky The Princess Switch (Netflix), both of which were light, fun holiday larks that I absolutely enjoyed.

My 2018 Made-for-TV Top 10

Every Other Holiday (Lifetime)

A Very Nutty Christmas (Lifetime)

The Truth About Christmas (Freeform)

The Princess Switch (Netflix)

The Christmas Chronicles (Netflix)

Christmas Lost and Found (Lifetime)

The Christmas Contract (Lifetime)

Poinsettias for Christmas (Lifetime)

A Christmas in Tennessee (Lifetime)

Return to Christmas Creek (Hallmark Movies and Mysteries)

Honestly, Return only made the cut because it was best of a bad batch I watched from Hallmark, and there were probably plenty I rated two paws that I actually enjoyed more. 

Clearly, I am hoping Lifetime stays in the Christmas movie fight, as I strongly feel they’re out Hallmark-ing Hallmark, on every level. Lifetime is bringing the cute Christmas romance, but also offering up greater diversity, better casts (with a heavy lean towards late ’80s/early ’90s nostalgia), and scripts that nail the formula, without seeming formulaic and boring. Family friendly and sweet doesn’t have to also equal absolutely boring and bland, and Lifetime is proving that year over year.

Best Theatrical Holiday Movie of 2018

This category is a bit of a cheat, since I didn’t actually go to the movies this Christmas season, but thanks to some quick video turn arounds, I was able to see some of the stuff that debuted, albeit in one case only briefly, in theaters this year.

My favorite is the not-exactly-Christmas, but very snowy and fun, Smallfoot. I did not expect to enjoy this Channing Tatum-voiced Yeti movie nearly as much as I did. It was smart, funny and great fun for the whole family. Much more savvy and sweet than expected, this story of a Yeti tribe who live isolated above the clouds for their own protection, find their belief in a series of wacky explanations is challenged when one of them sees the mythical “smallfoot,” a.k.a. a human being.

My other, much more holiday-centric pick, is Elliot: The Littlest Reindeer, which enjoyed a brief theatrical release before jumping directly to digital. This long-delayed movie about a miniature horse who wants to be one of Santa’s reindeer, boasts a talented voice cast and a charming story that went in ways I definitely didn’t expect. The animation isn’t totally up to par, but our entire family enjoyed this original take on Santa and his magic, and I definitely see us re-watching it in future seasons.

And, honestly, The Christmas Chronicles probably belongs in this list, rather than made-for-TV, since the Netflix original had a much more big screen budget. Kurt Russell’s cool Santa will be watched more than once in many households, and I can definitely see it becoming a bit of a Christmas classic over time.

Best Holiday Special of 2018

Disney Channel’s reboot of the classic Ducktales offered up its first Christmas special in 2018, and it was a doozy. Ducktales Last Christmas! got multiple watches in our household this season. 

This full-of-callbacks half hour managed to bring in Mickey’s Christmas Carol and Dr. Who, with a large nod to David Tennant, current voice of Scrooge McDuck, and a host of other meta-jokes that make it well worth watching more than once. 

The tale of Scrooge visiting great Christmas parties across time with a little help from these, “three ghosts he met once when they meant to visit another Scrooge,” was great, classic animation that was a just a ton of fun to watch, and I think I liked it even better the second time around. 

Honorable mentions go to NBC’s A Legendary Christmas with John and Chrissy, who’s throwback quirky style put a huge smile on my face, and Netflix, for finally blessing us with Great British Baking Show: Holidays.

Best New-to-Me Holiday Discovery of 2018

The 2017 theatrical The Man Who Invented Christmas was, I believe, considered a box office flop, but this somewhat ahistorical tale of how Dickens created his legendary A Christmas Carol was great holiday fun, with Dan Stevens ably channeling the Victorian-era author. I’m not sure it’s funny or schmaltzy enough to become a Christmas classic in the It’s a Wonderful Life or A Christmas Story vein, but I have no doubt it will become much better known as more people get a chance to experience it.

I also want to offer up two honorable mentions for made-for-TV movies of yore I saw for the first time this season, including the delightful 2013 Hallmark movie, Window Wonderland, which earned a spot on my all-time-favorites list and definitely made me wish Hallmark still made smartly written and less formulaic movies like this. 

I also really liked Melissa Joan Hart’s 2014, The Santa Con, which she directed herself and was her first holiday pairing with Barry Watson, also her co-star in A Very Nutty Christmas. Con was another definitely different movie not afraid to buck the formula, which I really enjoyed.

But it wasn’t all Christmas Eve snow and candy canes this season so on to what I didn’t like…

Worst Made-for-TV Holiday Movie of 2018

I was deeply torn between two Hallmark movies I spent the entire runtime hating more and more as the movie went on: Christmas in Evergreen: Letters to Santa and Mingle all the Way. Both contained actresses I’ve really enjoyed in other Hallmark projects, Ashley Williams and Jen Lilley, respectively, and in the case of Evergreen, the 2017 original actually made my best-of list last season.

Both were less “movies” than a checklist of Hallmark plot points so grimly adhered to and executed that you could almost see the script writer’s notes 

decorate Christmas tree ✔️

make gingerbread house ✔️

have snowball fight ✔️

save business ✔️

kiss under soap bubble snow ✔️

The End ✔️

These are the exact sort of competently produced (they look just fine), content-free, promo-filled (everything in the picture above, with the sole exception of actress Jill Wagner, can be purchased at a Hallmark store near you) faux-festive slogs that I find mind-numbing, and not in a good way. 

I totally want silly, cheesy and cozy in my Christmas fare. But I do not care for churned out, near-identical schlock. Basically, there’s good cheese, and there’s bad, and Hallmark’s brand this season seemed to be entirely of the “cheez” variety, a.k.a. we-can’t-legally-call-it-cheese-because-it-contains-no-dairy. 

Slick, but joy-free is how I sum up Hallmark’s 2018 slate. Don’t get me wrong, I know I’m in the minority here, as their ratings are going up and up and up. I fully expect to see even less interesting movies, and more of ’em, in 2019. I’m just not sure I’ll be bothering to watch.

Not that there weren’t bad fare to be found beyond Hallmark’s borders… 

Lifetime’s A Twist of Christmas was a boring promo for the weirdest product ever: an Oreo music box. Still baffled how they didn’t make the “twist” title into an Oreo pun, and I think its lack made me dislike the movie even more.

Freeform’s No Sleep ’Til Christmas had so much potential, but got so many things wrong, it kind of infuriated me more than any other movie this season, simply because it was so close to being really good. (I had a somewhat similar take on A Shoe Addict’s Christmas, but that one wasn’t tone deaf like No Sleep, just boring.)

And, lastly, if I’d been able to make it all the way through the execrable Life-Size 2: A Christmas Eve, I’m pretty confident it would have topped my worst-of picks by a mile. This utterly unwatchable sequel to the quite charming 2000 Wonderful World of Disney film was an epic fail on every level. Not festive, incredibly dumb and not even accidentally funny. All in all, this wildly hyped outing was a disaster of Holiday Joy (my most-hated of 2016) proportions, but with a much bigger budget.

Worst Holiday Special of 2018

Nailed It! is a show that a lot of people, including my 11-year-old son, really enjoy, but I find tedious and kind of disgusting. Nailed It! Holiday! was my first, and frankly, last, experience with the show, and all I can really say is that it is very, very much Not. My. Thing.

Worst New-to-Me Holiday Discovery of 2018

For the second year in a row, Trolls figure into the worst category of my list, this time via this new-to-me 1981 HBO special, The Trolls and the Christmas Express, that I picked to show my kiddos.

Wow, this Canadian-made animated special was a slog. Not terribly festive, it makes Santa’s elves into idiots, and the entire premise of wearing out the reindeer seems … dumb. I mean, aren’t they magic? Do magic reindeer get tired? 

We try to watch a Christmas special every night between Thanksgiving and Christmas—kind of a TV advent calendar—and this was my YouTube pick, as I wanted to watch something we hadn’t seen before. Big mistake. Huge. My kids (justifiably) didn’t let me make a pick again all season.

So, that’s a wrap on Christmas TV 2018. I’ll be back with renewed hope and festive fantasies of TV movie greatness in 2019, mostly because, with each year, there is fresh hope that this time will, for sure, actually be the Best Christmas Ever. 😂

[weekendwarriorblog]

Weekend Warrior Home Edition – April 3, 2020 – Slay the Dragon, Tape and More

Well, things sure have gone to hell since I last wrote this weekly column that I’ve now been doing in some form or another at one place or other for over nineteen years! For the first time in those 19 years and probably a good 80 or 90 years before that, there were no movies in theaters. In fact, there were no movie theaters. Because of this, the last two weekends have been the first in history with ZERO BOX OFFICE. It’s kind of tough to write a column about the box office and theatrical releases when there are none, n’est ce pas?

So I’m going to try to evolve for the time being, and we’ll see how that goes. I’m not too thrilled about having to watch movies as screeners, let alone writing about movies that will probably never get a theatrical release, but I’ll try to make the best of it. (Oh, and Disney’s Onward, which opened in theaters less than a month ago will be available ON DISNEY+* tomorrow.) (*corrected)

This week’s “Featured Movie” that you absolutely must see, especially if you’re reading this from one of the “red states” and feel like government just isn’t doing things the way you’d like them to do, is Barak Goodman and Chris Durrance’s political documentary SLAY THE DRAGON (Magnolia).  It covers how gerrymandering is being used in census years (like this one) to maintain a Republican majority in local and state government.  Goodman’s doc begins in Michael Moore territory of Flint, Michigan and shows how gerrymandering was used to create a Republican majority that led to the town getting water from the nearby Flint River which contaminated the pipes and leaked lead into the system.

The film does a good job explaining gerrymandering in an easy to understand way by following a few specific cases of people fighting against the policies.  Counties and voting districts in different states aren’t just a straight grid on a map. Instead, the districts are drawn up to cause an unfair advantage to a party. This was especially true of the REDMAP program instituted in 2008 by the GOP after Barack Obama was elected President to make sure Republicans could dominate Congress as well as politics on a state level.  

Much of the film deals with Katie Fahey’s group Citizens United that has decided to take on the politicians with its grassroots campaign to allow the people’s voices and votes to start counting. (One of the programs that grew out of REDMAPping was that thousands of voters were not able to vote since a few states passed a law that ID was required to vote, thereby keeping black and brown voters from the polls.)

Yes, it’s a rather complicated situation but it’s one that people in the primarily liberal states like New York, California and others really need to know about, since it’s why we have a reality TV host as our President right now as well as why we have a Republican Senate that just prevented him from being impeached. All of the bigger politics goes back to the individual state politics and how gerrymandering and REDMAP unfairly sways the vote against those who win on the state level in census years (essentially every ten years including 2020). Originally, this was going to get a theatrical release in March but now it will only be available on digital and On Demand, so you can find out how to see it on the official site.

I also want to give a little extra attention to Deborah Kampmeier’s TAPE (Full Moon Films), which skipped its theatrical release instead to do an interesting “virtual theatrical run,” playing every night On Demand via CrowdCast. It’s available every night at 7pm eastern followed by discussions with the filmmakers and then will be on Digital and VOD on April 10. Again, these are changing times, but this is a haunting and powerful thriller based on true events, starring Anarosa Mudd as a woman trying to catch a sleezy casting agent (Tarek Bishara) who is preying on actresses and one in particular, played by Isabelle Fuhrman (Orphan). Both of their performances are pretty amazing, Mudd playing a shaven-head whistleblower and Fuhrman playing an ambitious young actress who think she’s finally gotten her much-needed break, but finding out there’s a lot darker side to the business than she expected. While a lot of people have raved about The Assistant as a response to #MeToo, this is a much starker and direct look at the abuse of power to take advantage of young women. The movie is not going to be for everybody, because it takes some time before you realize what Mudd’s character (who could just as easily be Rose MacGowan) is up to, but the way how things play out in the film makes it unforgettable. It’s a fantastic new movie from Kampmeier, who famously had an underage Dakota Fanning have a rape scene in her earlier movie, Hounddog.

A movie that was released last week that I didn’t get to write about (but it’s still available On Demand and Digitally, as many movies currently are) is Lorcan Finnegan’s VIVARIUM (Saban Films), starring Jesse Eisenberg and Imogen Poots. It’s a virtual two-hander in which they play a couple who look at a house in a suburban housing complex where every house looks the same. They soon learn that they can’t escape and things get weirder and weirder from there. I can’t say I loved the movie, because it just got weirder and weirder, almost to a fault at times.

Polish filmmaker Malgorzata Szumowska’s THE OTHER LAMB (IFC Midnight) is another movie about a religious cult, this one a group of women that live in a remote forest commune led by a man they call “Shepherd” (played by Michiel Huisman from Game of Thrones and The Haunting of Hill House). It follows a teenager named Selah (Raffey Cassidy) who begins to question her existence when she starts having nightmarish visions. This was okay, but I really have hit my limit in terms of movies about religious cults. They’ve just been overdone.

Mike Doyle’s rom-com ALMOST LOVE (Vertical) is about a group of middle-aged friends trying to navigate love and relationships with a cast that includes Scott Evans, Kate Walsh, Patricia Clarkson, Augustus Prew and more. Some of the characters are having marital issues, others are dating or getting into early feelings of possible love. It’s a nice distraction from all the serious stuff going on in the world today.

A great music doc now On Demand, digital and other formats (Blu-ray/DVD) is Brent Wilson’s STREETLIGHT HARMONIES (Gravitas), which takes a look at the early doo-wop vocal groups of the ‘50s and ‘60s that predated and formed the basis for Rock & Roll, Rhythm & Blues and other music genres as we know them today. It deals with acts like The Drifters, Little Antony and the Imperials, The Platters, and Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers. It includes interviews with some of the more recent acts influenced by it including En Vogue and N’Sync as well as Brians Wilson and McKnight. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this despite doo-wop not being my preferred music style. (For the sake of transparency, I helped out with a little bit of publicity on this film.)

Also, Olivier Meyrou’s fly-on-the-wall doc Celebration (1091) is a movie that was commissioned by Yves Saint Laurent’s former lover and business partner, Pierre Bergé, more than ten years ago but was shelved for being too revealing. It was filmed over the course of three years where Laurent was at his most frail and mostly separated from the world as we get a look inside one of the last great haute couture houses. It’s now available On Demand and digitally.

Jon Abrahams directs and co-stars in Clover (Freestyle Digital Media) opposite the great Mark Webber, playing bumbling Irish twins trying to pay off their father’s debt to local mob boss Tony Davolo, played by Chazz Palminteri. Things get more complicated when a teen girl named Clover (Nicole Elizabeth Berger) shows up and the brothers need to protect her from Tony’s “hit-women.” Looks like a fun dark comedy.

Unfortunately, Saban Films didn’t offer advance review screeners of the action sequel, Rogue Warrior: The Hunt (Saban Films), directed by Mike Gunther, but it stars Will Yun Lee.  I’m not sure if this is a sequel to 2017’s Rogue Warrior: The Hunt, but I haven’t seen that either. It involves the leader of an elite team of soldiers being captured by terrorists, so his team needs rescue him. Oh, and Stephen Lang (Avatar, Don’t Breathe) is in it, too.

STREAMING AND CABLE

This week’s Netflix offerings include the streaming network’s latest true-crime documentary series, HOW TO FIX A DRUG SCANDAL, directed by Erin Lee Carr (Dirty Money), which covers the 2013 case of Sonja Farak, a crime drug lab specialist who was arrested for tampering with evidence but also accused of using the drugs she was supposed to be testing.  (It’s on the service as of this writing.)

Stuber and Good director Michael Dowse helms the action-comedy COFFEE & KAREEM, starring Ed Helms as police officer James Coffee, who begins dating Taraji P. Henson’s Vanessa Manning while her 12-year-old son Kareem (Terrence Little Gardenhigh) plots their break-up. Kareem hires criminal fugitives to kill Coffee but instead ends up getting his whole family targeted, so the two must team up. Also starring Betty Gilpin, RonReaco Lee, Andrew Bachelor and David Alan Grier.

Also on Friday, Disney Plus will stream two Disneynature docs, Dolphin Reef and Elephant, in honor of Earth Day taking place later this month. Previously, one or both of these movies might have been released theatrically but hey, earth is going to hell right now.

Now playing on Hulu is the latest installment of Blumhouse’s “Into the Dark,” Alejandro Brugué’s Pooka Lives, which ties in with “Pooka Day” (no idea what that is) but apparently, Pooka is a fictional creature like “Slender Man” that was created on Creepypasta  by a group of friends that goes viral but then manifests into creatures that become real. It stars fan faves Felicia Day, Will Wheaton, Rachel Bloom and more.

Next week, more movies not in theaters!

By the way, if you read this week’s column and have read this far down, feel free to drop me some thoughts at Edward dot Douglas at Gmail dot Com or send me a note on Twitter. I love hearing from readers!

[afcon2019-blog]

How To Select Components To Build a Powerful Home Entertainment Hub/PC

Finding the Processor:

Browse around the Intel web site to understand what's present. It's always best to check so as to avoid obsolescence in a short time. Regarding every 18 months, Intel introduces a new generation of processor chips. You always get much better performance at about the same price of the last generation of processors. A processor selection tool along with specifications on their processors can be found on the Intel website. You may will not need the top of the line of the current generation with regard to normal household computing. For this application, I'm going for the 2ndGeneration Intel Core i5 2500k. This has built-in Intel HD images, so with the correct motherboard, you will not have to spend extra money to buy a separate graphics card. Intel's Boxed processors usually come having an appropriate heat sink which cools the processor, however always check the specifications to make sure. For cooler and more silent operation, you may want to choose a retail heat sink, but just do this if you are confident about choosing one. The key specs will also be available when you source the component (at Newegg. com, in this case). When choosing a motherboard, you will need to realize and match the processor socket (LGA1155, in this case) and the supported memory type (DDR3-1066/1333, in this case). They are important for fit and function. Choosing a motherboard: I'm a big enthusiast of Intel's products because of the high reliability over the years. Therefore naturally, I'm choosing an Intel manufactured motherboard. Desktop computer board DH67BL Media Series was chosen. Again, take a look at Intel's website for details. It supports the LGA1155 socket, DDR3-1066/1333 memory and has both HDMI and DVI connections. Other important specifications on the motherboard you will need to recognize: Number of memory slots: 4x240 pin. You will need to know this particular, along with the memory standard (DDR3), when selecting memory. Storage space devices supported: 3x SATA 3Gb/s and 2x SATA 6Gb/s. This determines the supported hard drives and BD-ROM. SATA 6Gb/s is the new standard but is in reverse compatible with SATA 3Gb/s. LAN speed: 10/100/1000 Mbps. This particular determines your maximum Ethernet connection speed in a " cable " network. Form Factor: Micro ATX (9. 6" by 9. 6"). This is the physical size of the board and it is important when choosing a case. The smaller Micro ATX boards will certainly fit in most Media Center style cases while the bigger ATX form factor may not. Choosing Memory: As mentioned above, we need DDR3-1066 or DDR3-1333 240 pin memory modules to become compatible with the processor and the motherboard. We choose two times of the Kingston 4GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Desktop Memory Model KVR1333D3N9/4G for a great total of 8GB. Memory prices vary a lot, plus they are cheap as of this writing, so take advantage of the price. The panel can accommodate up to 4 modules, but 2x4GB is sufficient for our applications. Choosing the Hard Drive(s): Hard drive prices possess almost tripled during October and November of year 2011 due to component shortage as a result of the weather in Thailand. Costs are expected to remain high for a couple of quarters. Previously, since hard disk drives were really cheap, the system here was built with a pair of hard drives. The first one is a 320GB drive used to load the very operating system and any other programs to be used on the system. The 2nd 2TB drive is dedicated for Recorded TV and may hold about 300 hours of HDTV. In general, the greater Read/Write heads you have, the better the performance. I recently turned to Western digital green or blue hard drives simply because I got one on sale and found it to be vastly quieter than the Seagate I was accustomed to. The key specifications of the turns that affect fit and function are the SATA speed and also the physical size. SATA 6Gb/s describes the data transfer pace and is the new standard for desktop computing. The selected motherboard supports two SATA 6Gb/s, so be sure to link these to the 6Gb connections on the motherboard for greatest performance. The physical size of the drive is recognized as 3. 5" internal drive. This specification is essential when selecting your computer case. The selected case holds a couple 3. 5" internal drives. Selecting an optical generate (Blu-ray/CD/DVD ROM): Today's optical drives are typically SATA 3Gb/s transfer speeds. Physical size for desktop computers is actually described as 5. 25" internal drive, and they fit into an instance which has an external 5. 25" drive bay. The case specifies the main bay as external because it gives you access to open the drive tray. Additional software like Power DVD is needed to play Blu-ray disc. Some drives come bundled with this particular software. I have found that most internet stores are vague regarding whether the software is included or not. The Samsung included in the desk above, came with software. TV Tuner cards: I have not one but two "AVerMedia AVerTVHD Duet - PCTV Tuner (A188 -- White Box) - OEM" in my system. The main thing you should know is the interface type, which is PCI-Express x1 interface. It was described in article 2 . The selected Intel motherboard fits two such expansion slots. This set up gives 4 available tuners for simultaneous recording or watching 1 channel while recording three others. Selecting a computer situation: To have your Afcon 2019 look like another piece of sound equipment, you will need to select a case from the HTPC/Media Center group. To avoid the hassle of having to select a power supply to fit the situation, I chose a case with a built in 500W power supply. "APEVIA Dark SECC Steel / Aluminum X-MASTER-BK/500 ATX Media Center or HTPC Case". It's important to make sure you have an adequate wattage power. Because we are not using any add-in graphics credit cards, 350W to 500W will typically be more than sufficient. Feel free to select a case that's more esthetically pleasing for you. It's also important to make sure that your selected motherboard fits into the case. The actual Micro- ATX motherboard will fit into most cases. We are utilizing two 3. 5" hard drives and a 5. 25" Bluray player, so the case must have at least two 3. 5" drive bays and one 5. 25 external drive bay. Something that bugs me when buying a case is that the fan kind or fan noise is hardly ever specified. You don't understand what you are going to get until you put it together. Fortunately, fans are inexpensive and you can replace them if the noise level is too high for you personally. Fan noise is dependent on the design, rotating speed, in addition to air flow. The lower the stated noise level in dBA, the actual quieter it should be. A variable speed fan will manage the speed base on the temperature inside the case, so it will simply rotate as fast is it needs to, keeping noise down. Wireless keyboard and Wireless remote: I particularly such as the "nMEDIAPC HTPCKB-B Black 2 . 4GHz RF Wireless Efficient Keyboard with Track Ball & Remote Combo Set" because a track ball mouse is built into the PC handheld remote control. This makes for easy operation of the media player. We hardly ever use the keyboard, but when I do, the built in monitor ball mouse also comes in handy. No surface is required to run the mouse. Choosing the operating system: Windows 7 home premium and above includes Windows Media center which manages your tuner cards plus recorded TV. I chose Windows 7 Professional because it enables you to use Remote Desktop to remotely log into the PERSONAL COMPUTER. This way, using my laptop, I log into the press PC to do more demanding tasks. Note that the selected Home windows 7 OS is the OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) edition. Amongst other things, this means that there is no technical software support provided by Microsoft, but it's a lot cheaper. I never have the necessity to call Microsoft for technical support. If there is a problem, chances are that another person would have already found it so do a Google search. Placing it all together: As mentioned earlier, this article is mainly about choosing components to make your Media PC. Your components guide will guide you through the steps required to assemble the different elements. If you need additional help, you can do a simple Google search on 'how to build my own PC. ' Don't forget to connect the front screen switches and jacks. Once everything is connected you might be now ready to turn on your new PC. If everything will go well, you will see a boot up screen once you turn on the ability. Refer to the motherboard manual to make BIOS settings changes if needed. The default settings should work lacking any changes, but it's always a good idea to read this section of the particular manual to see what's available. The next step would be to insert typically the Windows DVD and follow the installation instructions. Be sure to be connected in to your network and have an internet connection. Windows set up will take about an hour. When prompted, select to download and install home windows updates automatically. Updates will probably take another hour, based on how many they are. Firmware and Driver updates: These up-dates are usually provided to fix bugs and improve device performance. In most cases, the system should work properly without these updates, but if you are experiencing functionality problems, it's always a good idea to check the manufacturer's website and install available updates. For Intel motherboards, Intel device drivers are available on Intel's download website for Network connections (LAN), Graphics, Chipset, and Sound devices.

[what-is-sibling-test]

So how is everything going on the shows ratings front? Do we need to step it up?

Okay, but we could definitely use a boost. The premiere was down a tenth of a point in adults 18-49 (the group coveted among advertisers) from the season one finale which is not bad. Especially considering that all tv across the board is noticeably down from last year, including live events like the NFL and The Voice which were previously bucking the trend. 

Let’s look at the ratings (viewers in millions):

2.01 “The War To End All Wars”

same day - 0.8 adults 18-49; 2.97 total viewers

live+7 - 1.4 adults 18-49; 5.41 total viewers

2.02 “The Darlington 500”

same day - 0.7 adults 18-49; 2.85 total viewers

live+7 - tba

During the season two premiere, Timeless retained all the adults 18-49 from its lead-in American Ninja Warrior. Unfortunately, the second episode dropped a tenth in adults 18-49 despite having a better lead-in with Genius Junior. A slight drop from the premiere is not unusual but it will be interesting to see where the show levels out. With the third episode featuring the glamour and romance of old Hollywood, it’s fun familiar themes may be draw to the new or casual viewer. (I’ve described the musical rom-com summary to people who don’t yet watch the show and there’s been a universal ‘ooohhh that sounds fun!/maybe I should watch it’ response.)

However, the big test will be how will the show fair the two-week mini-hiatus? On Easter Sunday, NBC is airing Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert with John Legend. Which means Timeless’s fourth episode won’t air until April 8.

My ratings bible, TV by the Numbers, has Timeless as a toss-up for renewal. It still continues to be firmly in the middle. As part of the deal Sony made to bring back the show, they gave part of their ownership of the show to NBC. On the back end, networks are trying to vertically align themselves. Often keeping their shows with bad ratings on the air because they can make good money selling them later overseas or via streaming. It’s why NBC’s Taken was initially chosen over Timeless to return. Taken’s season two is currently bringing in half the ratings of Timeless’s season two. Even being on Fridays, that’s terrible. Another thing that is likely in Timeless’s favor is the short 10 episode season. It makes it less expense and easier to fit into the schedule where they need it.

Things you can do:

Watch Live! (especially if you have cable or you’re a Nielsen family–you know who you are–since they can track those stats)

Watch on your DVR with all the ads!

Watch on NBC.com with all the ads! (Intl *cough*hola vpn*cough*)

Watch on Netflix and Viaplay internationally! If Netflix is the only place you get Timeless, season two episodes are available in many countries shortly after they air in the USA. We have the Philippines confirmed. Please let us know if S2 is airing in your country. Also, in the Nordic countries, Timeless will start airing S2 April 4 on Viaplay.

Buy Season 2 digital pass on iTunes, Amazon and Vudu!

Tweet! Spead the love.

→ Where To Watch Timeless Worldwide Master List

from 'RittenhouseTL' for all things Timeless http://ift.tt/2FORodf via Istudy world

[sleepykittypaws]

Best and Worst of 2019

With Christmas content increasing exponentially year over year (e.g. 84 new made-for-TV movies on cable/Netflix in 2018 vs 121 this season), it seems like we’ll never run out of holiday viewing to rate and review.

2019 saw a staggering 171 new movies debut on broadcast, cable, streaming or VOD, with 15-20 more theatrical releases, plus dozens of series and specials. There were so many new movie options this season, I kept a real-time ranking, for the first time ever.

All told, well more than 350 new holiday-themed viewing options aired in 2019, with no end to the escalation in sight. No one could possibly even begin to tackle them all, but of the 50-plus new, or new-to-me, things I watched this season (starting, for the first time, way back in October), here’s what I felt made for the best and worst holiday viewing in 2019…

Best Made-for-TV Holiday Movie of 2019

This category was basically a dead heat between the well-made, and heart-tugging, Holiday for Heroes on Hallmark Movies and Mysteries, the only Hallmark movie this season I can say I really enjoyed, and the Hilarie Burton vehicle A Christmas Wish, on Lifetime. In the end, I had more fun watching the latter, so I’m giving Wish the slight edge, but Heroes, as manipulative and predictable as it was, did make me cry at least three times, so it’s hard to quantify.

The dark horse here is Greyson Family Christmas from Bounce TV, a network I never even knew existed before watching this. Greyson was smart and sweet, and though I know it probably had half the budget of even a Hallmark or Lifetime cheapie, it was very well done, with a great cast. A sequel may be in the works, according to producers, so 🤞.

Lastly, whatever Lifetime does next season, they need to keep Emily Moss Wilson happy, because she produced my two favorite movies on the net, directing and co-writing both Wish and Christmas in Louisiana.

Top 10 made-for-TV Christmas Movies of 2019

A Christmas Wish, Lifetime

Holiday for Heroes, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries

Greyson Family Christmas, Bounce TV

Christmas in Louisiana, Lifetime

Ghosting: The Spirit of Christmas, Freeform

Christmas Belles, BET

Holiday in the Wild, Netflix

Turkey Drop, Freeform

Twas the Chaos Before Christmas, BET

Sweet Mountain Christmas, Lifetime

Between Hallmark and Lifetime I managed to watch 14 of their 70 (!!) movies, 4 of which (3 Lifetime, 1 Hallmark) made my top 10. There was a much better return-on-investment for Freeform and BET, who produced only 3 and 4 new movies, respectively, but both had 2 that I felt ranked in that top group. Bounce only had 2 total, with 1 showing up here. 

All of that to say…Quantity often seems to come at the expense of quality, and I’m not talking about financial investment, since the budget for Bounce and BET movies is probably half that of Hallmark’s average, if not less. But regardless of overall budget, it seems the more movies a network makes, the less attention—in production, editing, script development, etc.—each can receive. I may have liked more on Lifetime (though I also watched more there), but I definitely think the toll of the numbers increase is showing on both Hallmark and Lifetime. 

One area where Lifetime, and every other channel for that matter, absolutely outshines Hallmark, is in diversity, both in front of and behind the camera. 

Best Theatrical Holiday Movie of 2019

The gorgeous 2D animation of the destined-to-be-a-classic Klaus just edges out the big-budget, superhero with holiday heart, action movie Shazam! at the top of my list, but there were more great, theatrical-quality Christmas movies out there to enjoy than ever before.

For instance, the West Viriginia-set indie, Feast of the Seven Fishes, was a made-on-a-shoestring, holiday delight, which will definitely get repeat viewings for us.

Klaus, Shazam! and Fishes were my three favorite, new holiday movies of the year, of any genre.  

Top 5 Theatrical Holiday Movies of 2019

Klaus, theatrical/Netflix

Shazam!, theatrical

Feast of the Seven Fishes, limited theatrical/VOD

Noelle, Disney+

Let It Snow, Netflix

And that list doesn’t even touch on movies that weren’t specifically Christmas-themed, but either prominently featured the holiday in key moments (what I call “stealth” Christmas movies), for example Hustlers, or that weren’t about Christmas, but had a holiday-appropriate, snowy vibe, like Disney+’s extraordinary adventure film Togo, or DreamWorks’ Abominable. All three of which would have ranked quite highly had I considered them.

Best Holiday Special of 2019

One in four Brits watched the Gavin & Stacey Christmas Special on Christmas Day. That the latest chapter in the classic series, which last aired a decade ago, felt like such a seamless continuation of the story and characters after so long, is impressive, as was the actors’ ability to recapture that Barry Island vibe without missing a beat.

Though the rest of the series is also available on Hulu and Amazon Prime for Americans, it was Britbox that made this available to U.S. viewers the same day as in the U.K. Watching it inspired me to go back and binge the entire series, and I have to say I think it was even better the second time around. Watching the original series finale and then the 2019 special just minutes apart, I couldn’t help but notice how seamlessly the continuity held up. And, having recently seen the whole thing again, meant I picked up on some inside jokes and Easter Eggs in the special I’d missed the first time ‘round. I truly hope this isn’t the last we see of the Shipman-West and Jenkins-Smith families, but, if is the end, it were “lush,” as Stacey would say.

Honorable mention in this category goes to Netflix’s A Family Reunion Christmas. Wasn’t sure what to expect, having never seen the series it’s based on, but this was a a cute, kid-friendly lark my whole family enjoyed. Not to mention showing off how much more comedy Tia Mowry-Hardrict is capable of than she's allowed to show in her Lifetime and Hallmark Christmas movies.

A late breaking addition to this category is Dolly Parton’s Heartstrings: Two Doors Down. It’s not so much what you’d call “good,” per se, but it is the cheese-y, feel-good, Queer-centric holiday romance featuring Dolly Parton singing Auld Lange Syne I think we all needed. 

Best Holiday Series of 2019

Even though though Fox seemed to have no faith in The Moodys (Christmas), burning it off over three non-consecutive  nights, I really enjoyed this American remake of the Austrian original, A Moody Christmas. (Update: Folks at Fox are at least teasing the idea of renewal.)

Fox marketing for this was so convoluted they couldn’t even seem to settle on a name. Was it The Moodys? Or The Moodys Christmas? Don’t ask the network, because they’re definitely not sure, even just based on their own graphics.

Despite all that, Dennis Leary and Elizabeth Perkins were awesome as the parents, and we laughed a lot at this series that also had plenty of heart. The action did feel rushed in a way the original, set over years, not days, did not, but both series are well worth watching, and you can find both seasons of the Oz original on Acorn.

Best Holiday Reality Series of 2019

Yep, there’s now so much holiday TV, that we have not only a “best series” category, but also a “best reality series” category. It’s bonkers! 

A word that also aptly describes Freeform’s deceptively simple Wrap Battle, a gift-wrapping reality show. Yeah, you not only heard that premise correctly, but it actually ended up being good. Plot twist! 

Fresh, fun and inventive, Wrap Battle had enough snark to be snappy, but not so much that it felt un-festive. Exquisitely cast—why, I ask the universe, isn’t Carson Kressley hosting absolutely everything?—this even inspired my 12-year-old to up his own gift-wrapping game. We were opening pleated and fanned presents all of December 25.

Best New-to-Me Holiday Discovery of 2019

I didn’t get to Lifetime’s 2018 acquisition, Christmas Perfection, now available on Hulu, last season, but if I had it would have easily challenged for, and likely even won, my best-of-2018. (Coincidentally, my selected favorite, Every Other Holiday, was another movie acquired by Lifetime. Whoever was picking these last year, really deserves a raise.)

Perfection’s story of a Christmas junkie transported into her idyll Christmas village was smartly written and great at poking holiday movie tropes, while still being an absolute delight of a Christmas movie in and of itself. So much more fun than this year’s A Christmas Movie Christmas.

Honorable mention in this category goes to the sweet, gentle 2018 animated feature, Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch, which our entire family enjoyed on Christmas Eve. It’s a very different take than the 1966 special, with the Grinch more misunderstood than truly misanthrope, but it’s one of those sure to grow in popularity in coming seasons.

I also finally watched the 2011, Hallmark favorite-of-many Trading Christmas, and while it won’t enter my personal pantheon of made-for-TV favorites, it certainly highlights how different Hallmark has become in recent years. This G-rated movie actually allowed adults to act like, well, adults, which sounds basic, but is a pretty dramatic difference from what we see on the network today.

Best Holiday Network of 2019

If I could only have access to one content creator for the holiday season—my Desert Island Network—I’d have to pick Netflix, which has a large variety of both originals and classics, and is making some of the most interesting and high quality Christmas content out there. One of things I think is so smart about Netflix’s holiday strategy, is not only are they working to make something to please all types of Christmas fans (cheesy rom-coms, YA, animation, reality, sitcoms and serious foreign fare), but they also continue to release non-holiday stuff throughout November and December. Netflix, unlike others, seems to get that variety really is the spice of life. 

And, the streamer isn’t stopping anytime soon. Netflix already has a full slate of 2020 holiday delights lined up.

An honorable mention goes to Amazon Prime, which has limited original holiday options, but a deep, deep bench of classics, often not available anywhere else, which keep expanding each year. I wish some of these more esoteric options were easier to find on the Prime service, but if you’re willing to dig, there’s more available to watch then you’d find time for in 10 holidays. 

Well, that’s it for the season’s superlatives, now on to my more Grinch-worthy gripes…

Worst Made-for-TV Holiday Movie of 2019

Rarely have two such talented and sparkly actors, including personal favorite Ashley Williams, come together to make something as dull and nonsensical as Hallmark Movies & Mysteries' Holiday Hearts. Even by Hallmark standards this was poorly plotted, badly decorated and with a set-up so stupid even preschoolers were rolling their eyes. Not to mention product placement so glaring, the Balsam Hill boxes were probably higher on the call sheet than poor Paul Campbell.

Not that the awfulness was confined to Hallmark. Netflix produced a real dud with Holiday Rush, made doubly disappointing because everyone involved—Romany Malco, Darlene Love, Deon Cole—are usually very good, plus this was the streamer’s first Black holiday film. Unfortunate failure, to say the least.

Only movies I actually watched all the way through are eligible for this “honor,” so we won’t even discuss the half dozen Hallmark and Lifetime titles I bailed on at the 15 or 20 minute mark, or knew not to even try to watch, but suffice to say it’s clear that the answer to the annual question of if we actually need 121 new Christmas romances a season is a resounding, ‘NO!’

Worst Theatrical Holiday Movie of 2019

If you’d told me in August that I’d be naming Last Christmas as my least-favorite theatrical holiday film of the season, I’d have called you a liar.

As it goes, I didn’t hate this Emilia Clarke-Henry Golding romance, and even  rated theatrical-ish movies Christmas Survival (Released in UK theaters last year as Surviving Christmas with the Relatives) and The Turkey Bowl (day and date limited theatrical and VOD release), well behind Last Christmas, but there was unquestionably no movie I was more disappointed in.

And, while it’s quite possible I could soften on this one with repeat holiday viewings (something that has certainly occurred before), there was no film I was more looking forward to more in 2019, yet I left feeling flat and spent the next few days mentally re-editing Last Christmas to make it all I think it could have been. 

I still adore these actors, particularly Golding and Emma Thompson, as well as director Paul Feig…Just really wish this had been the new holiday classic I’d hoped for, and still feel like it could have been. Last Christmas had all the elements right there, it just didn’t deploy them well. At all. 

Worst Holiday Special of 2019

Sadly, Jordan Peele’s Twilight Zone reboot has had more lows than highs, despite big budgets and great casts, but the Christmas-themed episode, A Traveler, released in April, is a shadow of the far-superior The Monsters are Due on Maple Street it attempts to invoke, making it my least favorite of the season.

That is, if you don’t count the BBC’s A Berry Royal Christmas which is dead boring and utterly unnecessary in every sense—but, since it isn’t yet technically available in the U.S. (though it’s very easy to find, in full, online), I didn’t think it should count. (That’s also why I didn’t officially review it; Though, if I had, it would have received no paws.)

Lastly, if I could have watched more than 10 minutes of the deeply uninteresting, somewhat unsettling and unrelentingly gaudy, Holiday with the Houghs, on NBC, it probably would have danced away with this category. (TL; DR: I disliked it a lot.)

Worst Holiday Series of 2019

I was really looking forward to Netflix’s Merry Happy Whatever. It had a great cast—I’m particularly partial to Dennis Quaid—and I’ve long loved the idea of a holiday-themed sitcom. But, even though it covered much of the same dysfunctional family ground as my favorite this season, The Moodys Christmas, Merry Happy never stopped feeling forced and lifeless. 

A big factor in that was the overwhelming, and never-not-intrusive, laugh track, which ruined whatever slight charm the series might have otherwise offered. The writing also really let down these talented actors, as the jokes were as pained as the canned laughter that followed them.

Worst Holiday Reality Series of 2019

Nickelodon’s Top Elf had the potential to be a holiday-themed Making It for the younger set, but just fell short on every level. Poorly executed and badly cast, this one was a DOA dud.

Speaking of Making It…NBC’s decision to burn off their second season of this charming crafting competition and call it holiday programming really seemed to sell short not only the series as a whole, but the concept, which would have been perfectly poised to pull off a season of holiday-themed challenges, a la ABC’s The Great American Baking Show: Holiday Edition, now in its 5th season. No idea why NBC can’t make something this delightful a ratings hit, but suspect it’s much more about the network, than the series itself.

Worst New-to-Me Holiday Discovery of 2019

I actually didn’t endure much awful content from yesteryear this season, perhaps because I didn’t find myself with much time to watch content past, thanks to so much new fare on offer.

But I can’t say I much enjoyed the 2006 BBC three-episode, holiday-themed series, The Worst Week of My Life Christmas (2006)—available, along with the show’s two other, non-holiday seasons, on Acorn. The first episode is kind of fun, but the the main character quickly runs the joke of his horrifically bad luck into the ground. His choices are never-not infuriating, plus he has so few redeeming personal qualities it’s hard to imagine why anyone would put up him for an instant, let alone a lifetime. 

The comedy is broad and slapstick and I quickly grew exhausted with both the character and the premise. Hate that Alison Steadman, so lively and fun on Gavin & Stacey, is stuck being the hapless, uptight matriarch here.

Worst Holiday Network of 2019

What’s the flip side of a Desert Island Network? A Demented Island Network, perhaps? Whatever you call it, the one channel I’d hate to be stuck with for the holiday season is now, hands down, the Hallmark Channel. Not only do I seemingly enjoy their new offerings less each year, the utter sameness of the content would drive me batty if I had to watch it non-stop. 

Every new offering on these channels I once really loved now seems so bland, boring and utterly the same I could easily have missed everything they offered in 2019 and been fine with it. It hasn’t always been this way, as there’s been plenty on Hallmark I’ve loved in the past, but the network’s tastes and mine have been diverging for a while now. And that’s without even discussing the channel’s ever more cringe-worthy and backwards politics. 

So, that wraps it up. Congratulations to us all on surviving another holiday viewing season. It sure doesn’t look like 2020 is likely to slow down when it comes to Christmas content, so we’ll see how much longer I can try to keep up, as I’ve been considering at least taking a few steps back from this hobby that’s somehow morphed into an unpaid side job.

 Whatever the New Year brings, here are cheers to you and yours in 2020.