So I have a few TV tidbits on my mind. Let's dish.
My blog partner wrote about her odd fascination with Greek shortly after its premiere, but even with her ringing endorsement I didn't tune in. Teen (and 20-something) dramedies require you to know the characters. It is not easy to come in without backstory.
But I finally watched the popular ABC Family show last night with the help of my friend Annie who caught me up on backstory as needed. It also helped that I watch a lot of ABC Family and see the commercials 5 or 6 times a day.
My first impressions? This show doesn't get enough credit. It's by no means extremely innovative and there were some bizzare casting choices (Geico Guy as Mr. Cartwright?) but it is entertaining, witty and the actors look age appropriate. That's something few teen+ dramas can boast (cough, cough, Dawson's Creek, cough, cough).
Few shows portray college well. It's a fragile time with lots of juxtaposition. You want new friends but want to cling to your old ones, you want independence but it's hard to deny funds from mom and pop, etc. Everyone is seeking this "perfect college experience," but in most cases it doesn't exist, and if it does, it's impossible to define.
For some reason, TV writers and producers can't seem to wrap there heads around the complex combination of emotion, material goods, alcohol, friends and family. While Greek isn't perfect, it's one of the better portrayals of this sentiment.
I am a sucker for the Olympic Opening Ceremony. I like the pageantry, the culture, seeing all of the delegates in funny hats, the giant ribbons and scarves, the fireworks, the lights. It's like th best parts of holidays smashed together in a ball and then stretched out again like silly putty.
With the summer games just under a year away, I was contenet to suffer in silence, longing for the days of vividly colored performance art. But when I tried to tune into my daily Gilmore Girls rerun on ABC Family (I guess you're not alone EK), what did I discover? The Opening Ceremony of the 2007 Special Olympics. Color this the best day of my week!
The games are in Shanghai this year and the opening ceremonies are just as big a spectacle as the traditional ones, if not more. I've been watching for 34 minutes and I've already seen a giant gold dragon; Jackie Chan yelling " Niiiiiiiiii Haaaoooooooo" (Hellllllllloooooooooo) to the tens of thousands of people in attendance; Quincy Jones reading from a flash card 8 inches from his face; a woman rocking on a nylon boat held up by volunteers posing as wave; and a music video about all of the countries represented that looked like a Nike commercial.
But seriously, don't let my sarcasm fool you, this is one of the best Opening Ceremony's I've seen, and I'm not alone in this sentiment. I am truly excited about the rest of the competitions. This will tide me over until my TV returns to China next summer. This is going to be a tough act to follow.
There are a few cable stations that I try to avoid. I'm not big on Spike, not really emotionally in tune with Lifetime (however Oxygen has its wide array of acceptable programming...sort of), and I'm certainly not interested in the Sci-Fi channel. Among this list used to be ABC Family. I'm not 12, so that was obvious.
However, with the recent addition of "Greek" I've eased up and started tuning in. "Greek" is your typical sugar-coated show about college life, specifcally about Greek life on campus. It's funny to me though, because there's something different about Greek and I think it's in the relationships. The stereotyping makes me woozy and definitely makes the show a little more ridiculous, and a little less worth watching. But, for some reason, when it's on I watch it.
Here's why:
- there are a number of funny, subtle references that are appealing
- the characters, albeit a little melodramatic tend to be pretty realistic and funny
- the plot progresses
- the representation of greek life is very humorous, and even more so when realistic
- the music's really good
- there's a kid who plays a hardcore southern, religious type... that's always good for TV
- cappie's pretty hot and a good character
I'm sure the other half of this blog will consider resigning when she reads this, but I've got to admit, if you're interested in a little young adult love drama (shaking my head with each word), then check out Greek! Hey, the pilot's free on iTunes!
I like to catch episodes of Full House when I come home from work. I've seen all of the episodes at one time or another, but today I caught one that was so obscure and so, dare I say, inappropriate, that I needed to share it with the edubTV public.
