agent_0042

This is Agent0042's TV.com blog, or really, my place for essays, updates on my guides, and anything else I can think of. If you're actually taking the time to read it, thanks! (Since I'm not always all that great about reading everyone else's.) Oh, and about the screen-name -- the "42" is the only part that matters to me.

Tuesday, Aug 18, 2009

"A Plague on Humanity"

I haven't blogged since the big blog problem we had a while back. it seems that everything is all sorted out now, so I thought I'd just pop in with a quick quote from a book that I'm currently reading and enjoying-- Cat in a Topaz Tango: A Midnight Louie Mystery, by Carole Nelson Douglas and Midnight Louie. The quote is from Midnight Louie, who is a feline P.I. who "writes" part of the story--

"I cannot tell you how sick, ticked, and piqued I am about cell phones. These miserable little devices are like a medieval infestation of rats. They breed everywhere. People are entirely at their beck and call, and run shrieking to cuddle them every time they squeal. And they have a thousand annoying voices, some famous. This fad to have unique 'ring tones' is a plague on humanity. Anyone with sensitive hearing is assaulted daily, and also left out of the loop watching folks speak loudly as they wander down the street. Time was, people behaved that way, they were put in custody 'for observation.'"

That is all for now. More detailed blog entry coming soon.

Category: Editorial

Posted by agent_0042, 8:29pm

1 Comment | Post a Comment

Saturday, Jun 27, 2009

Big TV.com FIxes Plus Finally in the Fast Lane

Today, TV.com made some excellent and long overdue fixes to its submission interface and other aspects of the site. These are really great changes and hopefully a sign that the site is moving in the right direction. Let's break them down one by one:

Level 1 Users May Not Submit: I know some people aren't happy about this because they feel it's going to lead to an increase in junk submissions. But let's look at what we had before-- anyone whose level was 1 was bounced to the homepage! No error message, nothing explaining that you must be at least Level 2 to submit, just the homepage. Some of these people would come over to Technical or General Support to complain, but I get the feeling many others simply got disgusted and left the site. I'll take the new way, thanks.

Submission History Restored: How lame was it that you could only see a single page of your submission history? Very lame. Full submission history is now back in play. Check your status for any submission, sort by show or person and view any submissions made all the way back to the start of the site TV.com. Fantastic.

Checkboxes for the Import Feature (Cast/Crew): The previous Import feature was cumbersome and terrible. Now you can just use checkboxes instead of having to click and scroll, click and scroll, click and scroll. A breath of fresh air.

Emblems Restored: i don't really care too much about emblems, but it's nice to see the emblem wonkiness finally taken care of.

Trusted User Granting Restored: Editors can now once again assign Trusted Users. Very glad to see this back.

For those that don't already know, I recently got a brand-new computer system not long after I got my new monitor. This is one fantastic system. It's an HP Pavilion desktop, model #a6700y. It's a quadcore AMD Phenom 9150e at 1.80 GHz. Operating system is 64-bit Windows Vista Home Premium SP3 (yeah, I know, but I really don't mind Vista too much) and it has 4 GB of memory and approximately 500 MB hard drive space.

Its Windows Experience Index rating is 3.0 out of 5.9. I know that doesn't sound like much, but the Index score rates to the lowest of all of the individual scores. Let's take a look at each of those. Processor (calculations per second) is a 5.8 out of 5.9. Memory (RAM) is a 5.9. Graphics (Desktop performance for Windows Aero) is a 3.9. Gaming graphics (3D business and gaming graphics performance) is the 3.0. And finally, Primary hard disk (Disk data transfer rate) is 5.9. So, really, the scores are generally pretty top-flight, it's just the graphics that drag it down, and I didn't buy it to be a gaming machine. I get quite enough of gaming from my Playstation 2, thank you very much. The display adapter is an NVIDIA GeForce 6150SE nForce 430. I've heard that's on the lower end, but I can always upgrade it if needed.

The new computer is great. It's really quite a nice difference not having to deal with slowness while running multiple applications, or sitting for long waits, or dealing with instability in general.

Finally, some big news! I'm finally making the switch to high-speed Internet Service. I've ordered ZoomTown DSL from Cincinnati Bell. No more tiresome waits for pages to load or having to block slow-loading content or content just not loading at all. With DSL, my high speed, high power experience is finally complete. My DSL modem is on the way and the estimated delivery date is July 7 (though hopefully sooner.) And then, it's sayonara to slow dial-up! I had a bit of a problem-- I was going to order the slower "Lite" DSL for $20 a month, but when I went to the page to order, it insisted on doing a "bundle" with phone service, even though that wasn't what it said in the advertising and on the original page. I thought about pressing the issue, but decided to just go ahead and go with the $30 high-speed. It's over 5 times faster than the "lite" version, so that's really a much better deal. It'll set me back a bit, but I'll make do, and the higher speed might just help with making some money, as I'm getting pretty good at eBay.

Oh, and I've updated my profile and picture here at TV.com. Check it out if you have a moment.

Posted by agent_0042, 8:56pm

1 Comment | Post a Comment

Tuesday, Jun 16, 2009

More TV Than I Can Shake a Stick At, Plus Is TV.com Being Supplanted by Wikis?

More TV Than I Can Shake a Stick At

Well, a couple of days ago I made the "switch," as such, to digital TV. I purchased a converter box and an antenna and now have them set up and working. Those that have read my blog before may be asking, "Agent George, why would you need that? You have satellite TV." Well, yes, but those who are reading that have satellite know what you get with as far as locals-- the basic set of locals for your market and that's it. Digital subnetworks? Fuggedaboutit. With my new setup, I can now get five different PBS channels and two different versions of most other local stations. I also get a station devoted mostly to playing the weather, though they also air sports and other special programming. In particular, they air the televised baseball games of the local minor league team,the Dayton Dragons and baseball is the only sport I care even remotely about watching.

Of course, my having done this may beg another question-- if I have this, then how about I stop paying the satellite company for locals now? An interesting idea, but if I were to do that, then I could no longer record the new episodes of any of my favorite major network shows such as Medium or 24 onto my DVR. So it looks like I'm stuck paying for now.

Has TV.com Been Supplanted by Wikis?

No, I'm not talking about Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia that any moron with a mouse can vandalize. I'm talking about Wiki communities, particularly those on Wikia.com, devoted to one subject. When TV.com first came out as TV Tome, it was new and revolutionary. Never before had there been a model quite like it on the Internet. The Editor system, in particular, was sheer genius. However, I'm beginning to think that TV.com is slowly being supplanted by Wiki communities. For example, let's say I want to know about Tony Almeida. I can go to http://24.wikia.com and type in Tony Almeida in their search and bam! -- I can find out the entire history of character Tony Almeida on 24. Can I do that on TV.com? No, since despite multiple requests, TV.com does not have character guides. Here's another one. Suppose I want to know about how to get 24 on DVD. I can click on the 24 media link on the main page for that Wiki and find out all about DVDs and other media. Can I do that on TV.com? No, because TV.com doesn't have DVD guides. Some other great Wikis include the Muppet Wiki (where you can find more information than you could ever want on shows such as Muppet Babies, Sesame Street, Bear in the Big Blue House and others) , Wookiepedia (the Star Wars Wiki) and the Final Fantasy Wiki. And yesterday, a new Wiki, the PB&J Otter Wiki was started. Within minutes, I began adding info -- screenshots, character info, song pages-- none of which you could ever do on TV.com

Of course, you can link to pages on TV.com from Wikis, though you can't ever link back, thanks to TV.com's asinine "no linking to outside sites" policy. Is it time to maybe just let TV.com do what it wants and become a video portal? Well, maybe, but I love TV.com and will continue to submit for such great shows as The Amazing Race, Hell's Kitchen and PB&J Otter. But I will also be spending my time at Wiki communities.

Category: TV

Posted by agent_0042, 5:53pm

6 Comments | Post a Comment

My Recent Reviews

agent_0042 has written 8 reviews.

Danny Elfman

Agree (0)

Disagree (0)

Danny Elfman is an astounding composer who has been in the business since the late 70s. He has worked for major films, television shows and video games. His music spans everything from "The Nightmare Before Christmas" to the show "Desperate Housewives."

I know Elfman best for four of his scores -- "Men in Black," Charlotte's Web," the music for the "Spiderman" films and "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory."

"Men in Black" is a film that's dear to me and the score does a lot to enhance it. It gets you from the beginning to end, drawing you into the intrigue of the film, as well as its more tender moments, and never lets go. I love the opening theme in particular.

"Charlotte's Web" (the live-action version) is a probably underrated film once again featuring a great soundtrack. As you certainly know if you've seen it, or read the books, there was a series of words that was used to describe to describe the pig character - "Radiant," "Humble," "Terrific," "Some Pig." Imagine trying to convey the essence of these in two-three minute music pieces -- yet this was exactly what Elfman did with his score. He also did a great job with the "Main Theme," as well as the vocal piece "Ordinary Miracle."

I don't normally watch "superhero" films, but I've made an exception for the "Spiderman" series. These films have a lot of action, and the soundtracks have a bit more rock than I would prefer, but Elfman did an excellent job on the whole.

Finally, there's "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory." This film was a real head-trip, and Elfman's music was just the style for it. By far the best track was "Veruca Salt." Very psychedelic, fun to listen too --- "Aw aw, aw aw aw! Veruca Salt, the little brute / Has just gone down the garbage chute / And she will meet as she descends / A rather different set of friends!" And what's more is that these words are Roald Dahl's work, yet Elfman managed to set just the right music to them.

Generally, if it's music, and it's Elfman, it's worth your time. Anything his work is featured in is generally enhanced by his musical genius.

[-] Minimize Review

Report Abuse

Posted mar 20, 2008 5:05 am pt

Tony Jay

Agree (0)

Disagree (0)

Tony Jay, unfortunately, passed away in August 2006, but he has left behind a series of performances that will be enjoyed by audiences for ages to come. The quality of his voice assured him various villainous roles, both on-screen and in animation, but he was a multi-talented performer who could embrace a variety of roles.

I first became aware of Jay through "Miss Spider's Sunny Patch Friends" (and the film from which it was launched, "Miss Spider's Sunny Patch Kids," based upon the events of the book by the same name) in his role as the seemingly-villainous Spiderus. In the film, Spiderus is first portrayed as a villain, who will seemingly stop at nothing to steal Miss Spider from her new husband, Holley. "What does she see in him?" he wonders. Miss Spider, however, shows him that even he can find love, showing him that he knows its true when he feels "butterflies" for a charming spidress named Spindella. I was really impressed with the development of this character throughout the series. He learned compassion, he learned to relax and be friends with others, and, perhaps most interestingly of all, he became a father to three young spiderlings. Along the way was Jay, in a role truly suited to his talents. He even got to sing! I don't know yet who, if anyone, will take over the role. The Spiderus character was not featured in the most recent of the show's specials, "The Prince, the Princess and the Bee," though I know not if this was because Jay was unavailable due to his health, or he simply wasn't scripted into it.

The other main role I know Jay from is his work on the TV series "Beauty and the Beast," which I have recently had the pleasure of enjoying on DVD. He played a truly villainous character, Paracelsus, who comes into direct conflict with the show's two main characters, Vincent (the "Beast") and Catherine. Not only that, but Jay was also one of the voices in the Disney film version of "Beauty and the Beast," which I adore. In fact, I'm not certain, but I think he may be the only actor to have that distinction (to have been on both the TV series and the Disney film.)

Jay also voiced characters on several other series that I enjoy, or did enjoy, including "Reboot" and "Darkwing Duck." He even did the "Star Trek" thing, appearing in an episode of "Star Trek: The Next Generation." I admire his industry, talent, and innovation.

Replacement? Nobody can truly replace him, though I think Alan Rickman (the actor who plays the seemingly-sinister Snape in the "Harry Potter" films) has a similar quality of voice and might not be a bad choice. Others have suggested Peter O'Toole, most recently the voice of the critic Anton Ego in the film "Ratatouille." Well, whoever replaces his voice in those cases where it needs replacing, let's not forget Tony Jay.

[-] Minimize Review

Report Abuse

Posted jan 22, 2008 2:56 am pt

Men In Black

Agree (4)

Disagree (0)

Classic Sci-Fi Comedy to Watch Again and Again Edit

When trying to think of a teaser for this, any of a number of lines came to mind. "Take ten minutes on a stairmaster!" "Ah, I'd have thrown him back!" "Something's peeking, Kay!" It's lines like these that make this movie an enjoyable experience, a flick that one wants to see again and again.

In Men in Black, a seemingly ordinary police officer, Edward Jacobs, finds that that the world he's always known is not so ordinary. After tracking down a fast-moving and very odd suspect, he catches the eye of a secret organization known as the MIB - Men In Black, who, after putting him through a test, offers him membership in their organization, under the condition that he sever all contact with everyone he's ever known and become anonymous, "recognizable only as deja vu, and dismissed just as quickly." James Edwards accepts and, now known as "Jay," he finds everything he knew about the universe turned upside-down, although some things that seemed confusing before now make perfect sense.

The conflict comes when a member of an alien species known as "Bugs" comes down to Earth, takes over the body of a human and starts wreaking havoc. The next thing Agent Jay knows, he must use his wit, humor and "skills" to save an entire galaxy or the Earth will be destroyed. Worse, as the rookie on the job, he finds himself straddled with cute nicknames like "kid" and "tiger" and a dinky energy weapon that packs more power than he ever could have thought possible.

This movie is at times as philosophical as it humorous. While the mood is generally light, it also gets one thinking about deep questions such as "What is our real place in the universe?" "Are things really as they seem?" and "Unlimited technology from the whole universe and we cruise around in a Ford P.O.S.?!" (Just kidding!) It also makes one think about their place in life and what it is to consider the things that are really important.

To really get into the movie, be sure to check out the special edition DVD. You'll find commentary that gives even more insight into what the staff and cast behind the show was thinking. You'll find concept art, movie photos and extended scenes and that's only the tip of the iceberg. And for fun, you'll find Will Smith's awesome "Men in Black" music video and DVD-ROM games. Finally, if you liked the movie, the story doesn't end here. Check out the sequel Men in Black 2 to see more of the story.

[-] Minimize Review

Report Abuse

Posted dec 31, 2006 1:51 am pt

Zathura

Agree (1)

Disagree (2)

My first ever free preview!

Zathura --- a space adventure.

My space adventure began with a pass for a free preview screening of the movie given away at, of all places, the library where I work. Since I'd never been to a movie sneak-preview before, I got there pretty early. As it turns out, I needn't have worried, the theater was only about half full ---- probably because it was a Monday night. I've also been doing some checking around and apparently there have been quite a few free previews of this. The free preview had some nice side benefits --- only two trailers to wait through before the start of the movie and none of the stuff at the beginning with ads or messages to turn off your cell phones or buy stuff from the concessions or anything.

Okay, on with the movie review.

Zathura, the movie version, is the story of two boys, Danny and Walter, who live in something of a broken family.They split time living with their mother and father. Walter is rather older than Danny and is in that phase where he pretty much thinks there's nothing less cool than to hang out with or play with his younger brother. The two fight pretty constantly and when one of their fights disrupts their father's work, he's forced to leave for a bit to go out and make a copy from a backup. While he's gone, Danny does something to anger Walter and then runs off and hides inside a dumbwaiter (a sort of cargo elevator). Walter finds him and sends him plummeting to the basement. At first, Danny is scared, but then he discovers a neat board game, Zathura. He takes it upstairs and tries to show it to Walter, but Walter dismisses it as an old, boring game and goes back to what he was doing --- watching TV. Danny decides to go ahead with the game. He turns a key, hits a button and out pops a card. Since he can't read, he shows it to Walter, who reads out "Meteor Shower: Take Evasive Action." Suddenly, things become very real for both Danny and Walter as a real meteor shower hits their home. They soon discover that the only way out of their predicament is to keep playing the game --- but it's up in the air whether they can survive long enough, or even stop fighting long enough, to continue.

"Zathura" is loaded with special effects, suspense and excitement. But it's also tempered with humor, a strong story, and a strong musical score. The acting is also quite good. The boy playing Danny is a relative newcomer, but he's a cute little kid and reminds me of some past child stars. I wouldn't be surprised to see him as a hot up-and-coming young talent.

If you were lucky enough to get one of these free preview passes, then I hope you enjoyed the film as much as I did. If not, and you haven't already seen it, it's on DVD now with some cool special features.

[-] Minimize Review

Report Abuse

Posted dec 31, 2006 1:48 am pt

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Agree (3)

Disagree (1)

"Goblet of Fire" --- Strong Film, Very Dark at Times Those who haven't read the books should be able to follow the film as long as they pay careful attention.

WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS FOR ALL WHO EITHER HAVEN'T READ THE BOOK OR SEEN THE MOVIE.

"Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" is the fourth installment in the seventh-part series. It still features most of the cast from the first three movies, including Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter, Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley and Emma Watson and Hermione Granger. Mike Newell took the head for directing this time and Patrick Doyle provided the music, rather than John Williams of "Star Wars" fame.

The U.S. Edition of the "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" book is 754 pages long, which translates into an audiobook with a total 20 hour, 30 minute running time. With this huge length, the question on many peoples' minds is --- were they able to successfully convert this into a film of approximately 2 and 1/2 hours? Overall, I'd say the answer is a resounding yes. The film features exactly those moments that are essential to the plot, plus a few nice bonuses as well to help to appease those that would otherwise be upset about too many cuts. The film looks and sounds excellent and the writing, acting and directing are superb. The tasks look great and while they're all changed or shortened from their original book versions, they're excellent fun. The Yule Ball is largely intact, including the tension between Ron and Hermione. As for the tension between Harry and Ron before the first task, it's even ratcheted up a bit --- with Ron telling Harry to "p*** off" and even an insinuation that Ron is behind the Potter Stinks, Support Cedric Diggory --- The Real Hogwarts Champion buttons that nearly everyone seems to be wearing. And, yes, Ralph Fiennes is truly terrifying as the darkest wizard of all times --- Lord Voldemort. You'll feel a thrill of dread as he revels in the pleasure he takes from Harry's pain as he touches his scar and feel Harry's terror as he battles for his life.

Some notes on the changes and cuts --- one of the most major changes was the presence of Barty Crouch Jr. in the scenes with Voldemort and Wormtail. I found this an interesting choice and they worked it nicely into the film without hurting the plot any. Another nice change was having Neville provide Harry with the gillyweed he needs to breathe underwater. This is especially notable because in the book, the fake Mad Eye Moody makes such a point of the fact that Harry's pride and independence kept him from asking Neville for help.

Some great scenes that weren't cut from the movie --- Malfoy is turned into a ferret (although this scene was altered somewhat), Harry talks with Sirius in the Gryffindor common room fire and Myrtle helps (and pesters) Harry in his bath.

There were only a few changes and cuts that I was unhappy about. During the Quidditch World Cup, they showed almost no actual Quidditch play at all. While I understand that they have to keep things moving, this loss still hurts. Another thing I think really should have been included was Mad Eye Moody placing the Imperius curse upon Harry and then Harry later resisting it when Lord Voldemort uses it on him (which Voldemort doesn't in the movie.) One other complaint is that they should have researched certain pronunciations better --- akk-i-o for "accio" and Bo-bat-ons for "Beauxbatons" was just wrong.

Finally, I'll touch on the music --- a compelling mix of traditional instrumental themes and fun vocal pieces this time around. "The Quidditch World Cup" contains Irish themes as well as chanting that fully evoke the passion of this great event. The "Hogwarts March" is a nice fun theme. "Neville's Waltz" has a very classical feeling to it, but is also used for great humor in the film. My favorite vocal piece is "Magic Works," a sort of ballad that plays during the closing credits.

A few critics have complained that those who haven't read the books won't be able to follow along, but I don't think so. Sure, there are a few things that may be confusing, but as long as you keep your eyes and ears open, you should have no problems. And if you still have any questions afterward, you can always search the Internet or ask a friend.

Whether you've read the books or not, see "Goblet of Fire," likely the best film of 2005, today.

[-] Minimize Review

Report Abuse

Posted dec 31, 2006 1:41 am pt

All My Reviews (8) »

My Ratings

1.	Ratatouille
2.	Serenity
3.	Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
4.	Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
5.	Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
6.	Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
7.	Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
8.	Cinderella II: Dreams Come True
9.	Cinderella
10.	The Little Mermaid

All My Ratings »

agent_0042
Level: 3 (12%)
Rank: Oompa-loompa
Forum Posts: 368
Messages Read: 414

Lists

My favorite movies

Franklin and the Green Knight: The Movie

Charlotte's Web

Happy Feet

Dr. Dolittle

Men In Black

Men in Black II

Far Far Away Idol

Shrek

Shrek 2

Shrek the Third

All my favorite movies | All my lists

Friends

My Friends

-Kerberos-

offline
1happydaddy56

offline
24chevyfan

offline
ajdontcare

offline
ajena

offline
alibozo

offline

See all Friends (68)

Tracked Blogs

jekyll
Yo, Taxi!
Nov 7, 2009 | 1 comment

danbambridge
Money For Nothing
Nov 6, 2009 | 7 comments

amazing_race
Level 29: Volgar The Enforcer
Nov 1, 2009 | 2 comments

PintheDog
Strength is not Maria and Tiffany's Strong Suit in the Netherlands!
Nov 1, 2009 | 2 comments

markdoublea84
I'm Behooked on Bejeweled!
Oct 28, 2009 | 0 comments

gabfan31
The beauty of Sedona
Oct 24, 2009 | 3 comments

phf3947
I didn't approve that!
Oct 24, 2009 | 11 comments

mstheresa1969
Update on last blog
Oct 7, 2009 | 3 comments

potshop69
Wow...its been a while!
Sep 13, 2009 | 1 comment

nilla_chelle01
Bug fixes/updates of Interest
Sep 11, 2009 | 14 comments

Numb3rsfan1
Eight years on......
Sep 10, 2009 | 4 comments

Brunete20
Lots of retirements to come
Aug 31, 2009 | 5 comments

MovieTome User Profile - agent_0042

agent_0042

My Recent Reviews

My Ratings

Lists

Friends

Tracked Blogs

Sections

Now Playing

Coming Soon

MovieTome

MovieTome User Profile - agent_0042