TV

    With the exception of Lost, I'd have to say that Top Gear is my favorite series on television right now. Top Gear doesn't sound like anything special at first, I mean, it's a car show hosted by some old British dudes. Nothing exciting about that... Except that's not the whole story. Somehow the BBC managed to get the perfect cast of commentators to host this show. James May, who is the newest member of the cast (even though he's been on the show nearly ten years), is your stereotypical British gentleman. Richard Hammond, the young guy who gets crapped on because he is short. And then there is Jeremy Clarkson, the real star of the show. Clarkson is tall, loud, opinionated... almost sounds like an American, doesn't he?

    Or should I say, Vice President. John McCain's recent announcement that he had chosen Sarah Palin to be his running mate got me thinking about another Palin, Michael Palin. Best known for his work with Monty Python, Palin is a British comedian and television personality. Of course, as a Brit, Palin isn't eligible to legally be the U.S. president; but let's suspend that fact for a brief bit of speculation. First though, pontificate with me if you will... how awesome would it be to have a president that has literally travelled around the world numerous times (both ways too, from Pole-to-Pole and Around the World in 80 Days-style)? Not only that but he's wicked funny and he'd totally have the support of stoners and nerds because he tends to throw out quotes from old Python movies. Truly a uniter...

    Unless you're Amish or a foreigner (or in the band Foreigner) you probably know who Andy Rooney is. Andy Rooney is the crotchety old guy who complains about stuff for two minutes at the end of every episode of 60 minutes. He's like a hundred and fifty years old which, I guess, is why he only has to work for two minutes a week. Anyways, if you like listening to old guys complain about stuff that most people don't have any problem with (ie. computers, cell phones, kids, lawns, or kids on lawns) then you probably enjoy Andy's weekly gripes. For me, I prefer the Andy Rooney Game method of receiving my Andy Rooney content.

    David Lynch makes some of the most fun films out there. Lynch's films are fun in a different way than most of the 'mainstream' movies that come out. Sure, everyone likes Will Ferrell, his movies are funny and you can be sure to have a good time watching one, but they don't really ask anything of you. Well, other than to laugh at childish shit. I don't mean any ill will on Will Ferrell, I like his movies they are just throw aways that I enjoy watching once or twice and then I'm done with it. David Lynch's films are different (not that anyone would argue they were similar...) in the sense that there are so many layers of crazy in them that it takes several viewings to even make the most basic sense of the main plot point. What's more is that there are all of the little bits of side story that all film makers put in to enrich a film. If you look at Twin Peaks alone there are hundreds of tangents in the series that are still keeping people guessing after nearly twenty years.

Corey often gets on my case about not contributing enough, when often times, I have an idea for a story and begin brainstorming it, just so that I can log in one day and he's already written it. Such is the case here with The History Channel. While I may not have all the fancy "paragraphs" and "headers" and fancy "proper spelling and grammar" that Corey has, I still feel like I have a point to make. And while I was originally going to just post a reply in Corey's thread, I decided my perspective was at least different enough to warrant a different entry. And I checked the Official Blackenheimer rule book, and it doesn't say anything about reruns.

    The History Channel, the one place you can go one cable to see some grainy old footage of Nazis getting shot at. At least that's how it used to be... Over the past few years it seems like the History Channel is pulling an MTV and not airing the type of programming that the channel was named for... Think of the Weather Channel airing a reality show about weathermen. The History Channel has been doing this crap for a while now. I remember in the late nineties when they would rerun old episodes of "In Search of" with Leonard Nemoy. This was a campy faux-investigative report show about supernatural crap like the Lock Ness Monster. I didn't mind this too much because there were still plenty of shows about actual historical events. Well, things have changed quite a bit in the last ten years.

    With about six months until the beginning of season five of Lost there is no point in getting worked up too much about the coming season just yet. However, yesterday was the annual Lost panel at the San Diego Comic-Con. These panels have become some of my most anticipated summer events over the past couple of years. This year was no different. Season four of Lost was my favorite season yet, and Lost itself is absolutely the best scripted show on television. My only complaint with the show is that the hiatus is so long. The eight month hiatus allows for cool alternate reality games like the Find 815 and the Lost Experience web programs that gave some awesome side stories to fans. A new alternate reality game began this summer with the reorganization of the Dharma Initiative.

    It's like Twin Peaks but with Legos, get it? You might appreciate this embedded clip if you enjoyed the David Lynch masterpiece, Twin Peaks. All the regulars are here: Special Agent Dale Cooper, the Arm, Bob, Leland, and even Laura Palmer wrapped in plastic. The Twin Peaks series ran about thirty episodes long, not counting the Fire Walk with Me movie. So how do you boil down a 35 hour long series into a two and a half minute long clip? See for yourself. The main plot is intact and there are a few inside jokes as well. This just goes to show that everything is made better by adding Legos.

   "There was a fish... in the percolator..."