Television

I LOVE/HATE Television. This is my first post that is truly a love/hate. In general, I am a big fan of TV. I spend way too many hours a day in front of its HD goodness. And there are several shows that I look forward to week after week. Between Modern Family, Parenthood, True Blood, Entourage, Hung, Lie To Me, House, and The Daily Show (to name a few) we keep DVR pretty busy.

This last season, we said a bitter sweat goodbye to two of our favorites. Of course Lost may have given us the biggest series finally of our generation and I feel they ended it about as well as any show like that could. The other major show that saw its end was 24. Jackie and I had watched every episode of both of these programs and enjoyed a satisfying ending to each (keep your eye open for a 24 movie in the near future).

So where is the Hate? Ever hear of a show called Flash Forward? Yeah, me too! It was my favorite new addition to the fall line up. It hooked me from the pilot and it gave me something to chew on each and every new episode. And then ... it was cancelled. What?! Do they realize that there are 3 CSIs, 2 NCISs, and 3 Law and Orders (they lost one this year but, don't worry, Law and Order: Los Angeles is on the way this fall). I get why it got the axe, viewership went down from 12.5 million at the premier to about 5 million by the finale. However, it carried that 5 million viewers for about half of the season. Mad Men, by the way, gets less than 2 million viewers an episode (more on that later). OK, I get it, Law and Order gets around 10 million an episode.

Here is what gets me wanting to throw the remote through the TV: When a show is based on mystery and unanswered questions, LET THEM END THE SHOW!!! There needs to be a law that if a network cancels a show, they must be allowed to tape at least one more episode to wrap up the storyline. When shows know that they are going off the air, you at least get something to keep fans happy. Just look at the series finales of Lost, Battlestar Galactica, Dollhouse, Alias, and The X-Files to name a few.

But for every Lost, there are 4 Flash Forwards (Invasion, Jericho, Heroes, Journeyman, Life, Kings, John Doe ...) So, I have a few suggestions to everyone. To the networks, give the shows a heads up. I get it if you have to cancel a show but let them know with enough time to tape a "wrap it up" episode. By burning the 5 million viewers still loyal to Flash Forward you are making us look elsewhere for our episodic entertainment. To the shows themselves, know when to say when. Lost wasn't canceled, it chose to end. The creators knew it couldn't go on forever and were able to give it the conclusion it deserved. More shows should take a hint from this type of forethought. I'm looking at you Dark Angel and The 4400. And to the viewers, it's time to check out what cable has to offer. As I said earlier, Mad Men survives on less than 2 million viewers an episode and will almost certainly be allowed to end on its own terms. My new obsession, Rubicon, is not for everyone but I feel comfortable devoting my time to it as I am sure AMC will let it run its course. Between Breaking Bad, Rescue Me, Mad Men, Sons of Anarchy, and everything on HBO and Showtime, there is tons of great programing out there on cable that probably won't get canceled before its time.

I leave you with this; Will "The Event" get cancelled before I find out what "the event" actually is? It is a good sign that they are pouring tons of advertising dollars into it but I do feel like I am asking for a mid-season rage fest when it goes on winter hiatus never to return. Only time and a devoted fan base of more than 8 million will tell.

La Jolla

This whole building (above) is the La Jolla Cove Suites

I LOVE La Jolla. If you are looking for a little vacation spot that makes it feel like the rest of the world has faded away, look no further. Specifically, I am talking about "The Cove" area of La Jolla. And specifically, I am talking about The La Jolla Cove Suites. Recently, we took a group vacation to this very spot and had an amazing time.

When I was a kid, my parents and I would vacation with some family friends and their two daughters. Often these family group trips would be to the La Jolla Cove and we would stay at the La Jolla Cove Suites. So now, all of us kids have kids of our own and we decided to take a big group trip with everyone. So, there were 4 grand parents, 5 parents, and 4 kids between us. The beach was the big draw, but the main street (just around the corner) has some great restaurants and a nice casual nightlife atmosphere. We spent 5 fun-filled days and 4 relaxing nights there.

On multiple occasions, members of the vacation party mentioned that it felt like Hawaii. I love to swim and snorkel and the Cove is a great place for both. My dad and I rented some snorkeling equipment on an exceptionally clear day and I saw some amazing things in that little cove. The Garibaldi is a bright orange fish that is actually California's state fish. And they were everywhere. Usually they are very territorial and stay in their own littler area, so you can understand my shock when I turned around to see 15 of them in about a 6 foot radius. Topping that, was my close encounter with a local sea lion. It actually circled me three times from about 8 feet away. That was exciting and a little scary as I didn't know if I had ventured into its territory or gotten near one of its kids or something.

Possibly most importantly, the vacation gave me a chance reconnect with my childhood friends and their kids. This also marked the first family vacation for me, Jackie, and Kyra. All in all, we had a great time relaxing, catching up and watching our kids making new memories right in front of our eyes. Well, it may be too early for Kyra to develop memories but she will enjoy the pictures when she gets older.

Summer Blockbusters

I LOVE Summer Blockbusters. I can't help it, I am a sucker for a big budget action flick. Every summer at about this time I get all jacked up about the months of big name movies that are about to hit the theaters. It is like every week is a new chance for an adrenaline filled joyride. During the summer, I will see almost anything that looks flashy and fun.

Some of my friends joke that I have no taste in movies. I disagree. I know when a movie is bad, it's just that sometimes, I like bad movies. To be clear, I have hated movies before, even action ones. Spiderman 3, for example, was inexcusably terrible. However, Daredevil, for example, was technically awful. But, I had a good time watching that bad movie. While Spiderman 3 was tired, overproduced, overcomplicated, and insulting to the audience with its plot and character development. Daredevil was simple, inventive (blind guy kicks ass by hear/seeing), and unencumbered by any hint of self-righteousness. It knew what it was; a cheesy, popcorn, comic book, action movie.

Now, my favorites are true masterpieces like The Dark Knight, Iron Man 1 (and to a lesser extent, 2), and The Matrix. And, while I am hoping for something great to emerge this summer, I will settle for a few fun date nights with my wife at the theater. Jackie, by the way, is a real trouper and goes with me to most of these potential suckfests. She even enjoys herself on occasion.

So, what am I looking forward to this season? Iron Man 2 set the bar fairly high, but there is definitely room for improvement. I have high hopes for the A-Team, The Last Airbender, Predators (Robert Rodriguez producing), and Inception. My guilty pleasures may be Prince of Persia, The Karate Kid (learning Kung Fu), Salt, and Jonah Hex.

My biggest problem is that I get too excited about movies too early. So, thank you JJ Abrams for the sneak peek at "Super 8", a movie that hasn't even started principal photography. But, the movie that I might be most excited about, won't come out for over 6 months. While technically not a "summer" blockbuster, I cannot wait for Tron Legacy. I remember watching Tron at a young age (it came out when I was 6 years old) and I hope that this sequel captures the same magic. Here is a look at both the trailer and the teaser. So, until December 17th, I will have to make due with my unflappable optimism for this year's Summer Blockbusters.

Leave a comment with the movie you are most looking forward to this season.

Modern Family

I LOVE Modern Family (and Arrested Development). I don't think that I will ever get over the loss of Arrested Development. Nothing will ever replace that show's genius. But, Modern Family is coming close. If you have seen it, you know what I am talking about and if you haven't seen it yet, do yourself a favor and Hulu and episode or two. Arrested Development's fatal flaw was that it was hard to jump into in the middle of the series. The relationships were so absurd that it was tough for new viewers to connect with the seemingly chaotic jumble of characters. Modern Family, on the other hand uses more stable family archetypes and is less dependent on inside jokes. Whereas I feel you MUST start watching Arrested Development from the beginning, you can jump into Modern Family at any time and be up to speed instantly.

The best part of Modern Family is that every character is perfect. I can't stop laughing at the precocious 11 year old professing his love to women twice his age (trust me it's adorable and not creepy) or at the well-intentioned dad who describes himself thusly, "I'm cool dad, that's my thang. I'm hip, I surf the web, I text. LOL: laugh out loud, OMG: oh my god, WTF: why the face?" Not to mention the BEST gay couple on television. On top of all of that, the show has heart and will surprise you with moments of sentimentality. Bottom line, it's a great show, tell a friend. Because if this show gets cancelled before its time, then ... well ... you will be reading about it in my HATE column.

Tipdawg? Blogs

So, here we go. I have decided to start writing a blog. Partially to get my ideas out there in the world. Partially to have something to do in all my spare time (I am being sarcastic). But, mainly, to show-up my friend Joe who hasn't updated his blog in 5 weeks. What will this blog be about? Well, I have opinions, they span a variety of issues, and some I feel passionately about. My feelings on these issues range from blind rage to irrational adoration. Thus, I have named this blog after my Love/Hate relationship with the world. Things I hate are more fun to write about, but I will try to mix in some posts on the things that I love.

To start this blog off on the right foot ...

I LOVE my family. My parents are the best parents on the planet. They gave me a solid upbringing and have continued to give me support while letting me live my life. I owe them the world. My wife is the love of my life, she is my rock and my best friend and I wouldn't be half the man I am without her. Last, but in no way least, is my daughter. She is the light of my life, the reason I rush home form work, and the thing I spend most of my time thinking about. At this point my wife reminds me that I also love my cats, which is true. At times this blog may get a little negative, but I want my family to know that I always love them.