Hulu Heroes
A few months ago, the brilliance at NBC/Universal officially ended their contract with iTunes after Apple refused to raise the price of a download to $4.99 per episode (NBC still claims, by the way, that there is no profit to give to the writers). They vowed to create their own video service that would compete, and they did. It’s called Hulu, and is in private beta testing right now. As far as I know, if you go to hulu.com you might still be able to get an invitation code to use the service before it’s “officially released.”
I signed up early and have been playing around with it… I wouldn’t call it anything like iTunes, but I see how it might steal away some customers. A lot of entire shows are available for free, right on the site, and not just ones from NBC. Fox, and a few other cable networks, are on there as well. And you can’t download them or otherwise take them with you (yet), but the quality is 10x better than anything you’d find on YouTube and it even (surprisingly) lets you embed the video files into your own site, like I’m about to do.
What’s even cooler, is that it lets you embed specific clips of the episodes.
Like so (don’t watch if you haven’t yet seen the last episode of Heroes):
That’s the last part of the finale of Heroes, which I finally watched yesterday. I think, based on the un-Heroes-like editing and Lifetime style montage, that that’s the part of the episode that was re-edited to serve as the finale because of the WGA strike.
I have to say, as bored as I was with the first half of the season (like I said here), the second half picked up. (Technically, I guess I should be using the term “volume” instead of “season,” since season two might still continue after the strike is over.) All of the reasons I was losing interest were eventually addressed by the series creator so things are turning around, I think.
The one remaining gripe I have with the show is that there seems to be little lasting consequences. With the exception of a few very minor characters, there have been no real deaths on the show. Don’t get me wrong — death just for death’s sake isn’t required — but people get shot, fall from buildings, even explode in a nuclear blast, and are able to just walk away from it twenty minutes later after some dramatic music.
I had tears in my eyes (shut up) when Claire’s dad, Noah, died. There is some good development! I thought. Noah was a great character… we thought he may be evil during season one, and, I guess he kind of was. But all he ever really wanted to do was protect Claire and his family, and seeing Claire’s reaction to him being shot point blank in the face was a very powerful scene. Claire vowing to avenge his death and bring down the company — whatever it takes — was a pretty good direction for her character to go. I was excited to see where things were going to go next after the death of such a pivotal character, and then… the last ten seconds of the episode was him hooked up to an IV being fed his daughter’s indestructo-blood, miraculously healing, and then sitting upright whispering profanities.
Sylar is another one! He should have been killed off at the end of season one! Except the camera pans down after all the action to see a trail of blood leading into a sewer. His character hasn’t really made me hate him like a good villain should, but he might be off too a good start after killing Maya. No, wait, he didn’t kill her. She was miraculously healed, too. There I was, thinking they might actually kill off one of the least liked characters in order to help Sylar’s development along. Heh.
Actually, this “no death” thing isn’t entirely accurate. DL died in a flashback showing what happened between season one and two, which actually was pretty heroic and for once made the title “Heroes” seem to fit the show.
So, although Nathan is shot by an unknown assassin, the drama and suspense of that scene just wasn’t there since there’s a pretty good chance he’ll be healed soon anyway.
Although, I was pumped that he was going to say, “I have the ability to fly,” which would have (hopefully) added a whole new layer to the show: the public calling him a lunatic until he actually flew away, at which point this whole “mutant phenomenon” would be made public, X-Men style.
Oh! And my prediction about Adam was right on! The speculation out there was that he could either travel through time or has lived 400 years. It’s very cool that he actually lived 400 years. Imagine being born in the year 1600 and realizing you’d never die, meeting someone who claimed to be from the future, and then, 340 years later, you actually meet them at the point of time they came from originally. Trippy!
Speaking of trippy: Later, I’ll get into my theory about how Hiro must be a space/time anchor since he apparently can’t travel through time and come back to his point of origin seconds later… in other words, when he spends 6 months in the past, he’s gone for 6 months in real-time. ::thinks:: Hmmm, yeah. Later.
Here’s another clip from Hulu, having nothing to do with Heroes:
Keep in mind that as of right now, the studio is the only one making money off of this thing. They sell ad time to companies who slap their logo all over the video and play commercials in the middle of episodes and, well, that’s the whole reason the WGA is on strike — to get some of that action. Right now, writers, actors, directors, editors, staff, etc., are paid nothing when you watch their work on Hulu.com. Since it’s in Beta and I’m able to give feedback on how to improve the service my main complaint is going to be that the writers aren’t getting a cut of the profits and if they don’t I’m not going to use the service after it’s officially released. Take that, evil studio heads! That’ll learn you!
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Chappelle’s Show Classics #1
The day after Thanksgiving this year I went shopping with Katy and her mom and one of the stores we went to was Target, who had the entire series of The Chappelle Show for only $30. It’s one of the few shows of it’s kind that was actually appreciated while still on the air, and abruptly canceled (by Dave) before it’s time.
Anyway, I thought I’d post a sketch or two. I’m not sure if it’s illegal–see, the studios are saying they don’t make any money from online video anyway. That’s why, they say, there is simply no money to give to the striking writers. So if nobody is making money by posting things online, why would they come after me for posting the videos online, right? Nobody’s losing anything. In fact, all I’m doing is promoting the show and their channel, which is what they’re telling the writers internet video is for–promotional use.
So, if you like what you see, buy stuff for Comedy Central! Like pencils, so they can draft a fair contract for the writers.
It’s a sketch that never made it to air… hence no laugh track. Provide your own.
“Maximize Me”
Get the Flash Player to see this player.
Waaaaait a minute, waitaminute, waitaminute.
This is something I just realized: since when are direct competitors cooperating when it comes to how much they pay their employees? Holy frakkin crap, that just sounds inherently evil.
Imagine Ford, GM, Chrysler, etc, teaming up to decide how much they want to pay their employees! Or Kroger, Walmart, and Meijer having meetings to discuss how much they’re going to pay their grocery baggers! What if the University of Michigan, Michigan State, Washtenaw Community College, and every school in the state met to decide on a fixed wage for their media support staff (that’s me)?
Isn’t that illegal?
It sure sounds illegal.
If NBC wants to pay their writers 100% more than what they’re getting now, can’t they do that? From the sounds of things, the answer is no, because all the other studio heads would have to agree. That makes no sense. If NBC wanted to dominate in ratings for the next 10 years, all they’d have to do is make a deal with the striking writers. Talent would flock to them. Ratings would soar, they’d get tons of ad revenue, and everyone would get rich.
Why aren’t they??
Am I missing something?
I can’t figure this one out. No comic today because I’m lost in my thoughts–what are yours?
*****
Off-topic: Lost, Season 3 DVDs are out today. My mom hinted she got them for me for Christmas, so if that’s the case, my 2 week vacation coming up will be filled with sugar plums, dancing fairies, and tons of Lost.
More evidence that BSG is the shit and you should watch it.
If I were to let you borrow the Season 1 DVDs and you gave them an honest watch, turned around and gave them back and said, “Nah, I don’t really want to keep watching,” I will give you $100.Okay, not really. But the fact remains: if you are missing this show, you are missing a quality story. It was the name that originally held me back until I found out what it meant.
Steven King’s Top 5 TV shows of 2007 as told to Entertainment Weekly:
5.) Friday Night Lights. I’ll admit I am curious about this show, because one time on Friday night I was flipping through the channels and was caught by a show that looked awesome (visually), had solid characters and seemed to have believable dialog (something a lot of potentially good shows are ruined by). Only later I noticed I was watching a sports show. I might give this another shot soon.
4.) Dexter. Also another one I feel I should try. Considering re-starting my Netflix to get the DVDs.
3.) Battlestar Galactica. Steven says: “It sagged in the middle, but picked up at the end. The best of Battlestar are the tough-as-nails women. Call them Space Grrls.”
2.) Damages. Never heard of this one.
1.) Lost. Steven says: “Still the best. I re-watched the entire third season to make sure, and–yes–still the best. Heroes just doesn’t have it’s mythic grandeur. People are reaching for the stars here. And maybe beyond. Really, there’s never been anything like it.”
Speaking of Lost, I can’t believe I haven’t mentioned this yet. Verizon has released a few of the “missing pieces” of episodes. I think they’re just deleted scenes from certain episodes but they are still pretty cool. They could have been released during the summer when I was really missing Lost, but what can I do? The latest one, “Operation Sleeper,” is the best one and explains what exactly Juliet was talking about when she asked Jack “should we tell her?” after Kate confronted them about her mistrust toward Juliet. As an audience, we went, “Jack knows?” Yes, Jack knows.
Speaking of good, believable dialog: “Thank you, please let me finish.”
(Side note: the writers are still not being paid for such dialog.)
*****
The comic of the day is the first time Superman found he was not only invulnerable on the oustide, but on the inside as well.
Second-side-side note: does anybody besides Crystal enjoy the comics? If not, that’s okay, I’ll post them for her benefit. Just asking. I feel like maybe people don’t know how to read comics so that’s why nobody other than her has really said anything. I, too, had trouble following comics (when I was a wee-lad) and it was, ironically, my dad who gave the best, most obvious advice: “Read it like a book–left to right, top to bottom. Go with the flow of art and text.”
(click to enlarge)
Supa-Hiros!
I’ve given up on Heroes a few times this season. But, Katy still turns it on and I inevitably find myself on the couch at least half-paying attention. Last season was only eh, but it had some promise so I had high hopes for this season. But it failed miserably. I stuck with it because the promise was still there, I think.
As the ratings slip and the spin-off gets canceled, it was nice to read that the show’s creator, Tim Kring, knows that his show is broken. In an article in Entertainment Weekly titled “Tim Kring to Fans: I’m Super Sorry,” he listed a few ways he’s going to be fixing the show. Among his plans: pick up the pace. Nothing is happening. Hiro is in Japan this week. Oh, but, wasn’t he in Japan 4 weeks ago? And look, he’s still in Japan next week.
Luckily, that’s another aspect Tim Kring admits was a mistake: Hiro was in Japan way too long. Wrap that shit up. (However, the ending of the Nov. 5th episode, when his childhood hero Takezo Kensai ended up being ~SPOILER ALERT~ the elusive and mysterious head of “the Company,” Adam… now, that was good shit.)
Also, he says he wants more “world saving” (which I agree… I mean, the show is titled Heroes). He also wants to undo the “newbies,” such as Alejandro and Maya (where are they, anyway?) and stop relying on the “young love” of Claire/West and Hiro/Japanese Princess.
All good stuff, and things I’ve been thinking in the back of my mind all along. What’s more: I’d start to make the super-powers a public phenomenon, something that is recognized by the media. Season 2 should focus on where these powers are coming from and the potential threat to humanity. Also, more should be at risk. I can’t help but feel like I’m watching a soap opera half the time.
They could take an idea from Lost in regards to Alejandro and Maya, at least: when Niki and Paolo were the two new hated characters in Season 3 of Lost, the writers gave them their own kick ass episode where they were killed at the end, showing just what they were up to behind the scenes the entire run of the show up until that point. Unfortunately, Heroes doesn’t have that kind of ability because everything was done in secret (even the huge nuclear explosion over New York that nobody seemed to notice.)
*****
Interesting: the elusive/mystery character in Heroes is “Adam.” The elusive/mystery character in Lost is “Jacob.” My name is Adam Jacob Czarnecki. And when the Battlestar Galactica finally makes it to Earth in Season Four, they’ll meet another elusive character known only as The Czar. Little do you know I’m behind all of this.
And little do you know I’m lying about Battlestar Galactica, but since Jeff, Logan, and Tom are the only ones who watch it besides me, I’m not worried because I know they’ll go with it.
*****
I am thinking about launching a new web site called LOLslaughter. You know LOLcats? Well I thought I might be able to get some kind of social activism thing going with that concept. It’s not really meant to be funny, but, I’m not really sure what it’s meant to be. Opinions, please. In the mean time, if you have any pictures of animal slaughter, send them to me. (BTW, don’t click on that link if you’re upset by animals being killed so you can eat ‘em up!)
Bye for now, suckers! Watch out for the Batman. Just because Superman is dead doesn’t mean Metropolis is up for grabs! (click to enlarge)
Worser Stuff: Conspiracies, Writers Srikes, and Flash
Wow, lots of stuff I wanna talk about. I’d write about each subject individually and give each one the attention and patience it deserves but the fact is I don’t have that patience.
So, here we go:
TOPIC 1: Conspiracy, Theories, and Stuff Adam Believes
Props to my friend Chrissa who posted some compelling videos on her blog:
Is it alarming? Does it scare you? Or are you just laughing? I’m kind of stretched between all three. A few things I believe:
1.) Any kind of world government will never last. One thing I learned in my higher education days was that to have any form of unity, you must be united against (or at least in contrast to) something else. Example: something is white only because there is black. So, unless we make contact with a bunch of other alien civilizations the way the old world made contact with all the other countries on the planet, we aren’t uniting against anybody. And if we do, it will fundamentally fail, civil wars will break out, and “territories” will divide upon themselves naturally. Kind of like how monopolies get broken up into smaller entities.
2.) “Wacko” theories aside, Bush is up to something. You can google this for more info, but I recently read an article about how the administration just passed a directive allowing the president the authority to suspend the constitution. Yup, that’s right. Bush can say, “hey, let’s, uh, get rid of that pesky constitution.” It’s called National Security Presidential Directive 51, or NSPD-51 for those in the know. So, in theory, Bush could totally declare an emergency (or fabricate one) and suspend the 2008 elections, and it would “technically” be 100% legal. Does that scare you?
3.) The North American Union sounds incredible feasible, but I won’t believe the media covers it up. In today’s world of independent “bloggers” and Bill Maher-types, there are just too many voices and I refuse to believe something like this would be voluntarily silenced by everybody. However, the Project for a New American Century was just as eerie, but the only way I know about that is a professor at college whom everyone deemed a “conspiracy theorist.” The thing is, that thing exists.
4.) The do-ability of implanting everyone on Earth with a microchip is small. I could see everyone in a developed country like America getting a chip. But what about the babies born outside the all watchful eye? We forget that half of this planet is home to undeveloped civilizations, where things we take for granted aren’t even heard of. There’s no way “they” could get to everybody.
Thoughts?
Dave, what do you think? Dave, why have we not seen each other except for 2 times since July?
TOPIC 2: The Writers Strike
The bottom line here is the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) vs the Writers Guild of America (WGA). The writers want a little more money for their work, or, more specifically, residuals each time their work airs for future financial security. Naturally, that money has to come from somewhere, and that place is naturally from the people in charge, who also happen to be the people making the decision: the AMPTP (otherwise known as “the suits”).
Far be it from me to form opinions on something I really don’t know if I know much about, but, it seems to me like the AMPTP has more to lose in the long run if they don’t give the writers what they want. Let’s say they drag this thing out and refuse any more money for the writers, thereby keeping the money they have. Sure, they make out great now. But in nine months when no new shows are on, or, worse case scenario, LOST gets pushed back until 2009 (a real threat), nobody will be watching. No viewers = no draw for advertisers = no money for anyone, not even the suits.
Simple logic, right? I think so, anyway. I don’t get it.
The following paragraph is an excerpt from an article about the strike and how it effects Lost:
If the strike extends into the new year, there is a slight chance ABC may opt to hold the eight completed episodes until 2009 (that’s not a typo). Under that scenario, Lost would have 24 original episodes (eight from this season, 16 from next) that could run uninterrupted from January until May — much like a certain Fox drama that features a ticking clock. Says Lost cocreator Carlton Cuse, “Damon (Lindelof) and my concern about running the episodes we will have made is that it will feel a little like reading half a Harry Potter novel, then having to put it down. There is a mini cliff-hanger at the end of Episode 8, but it’s like the end of an exciting book chapter; it’s not the end of the novel. Damon and I didn’t write [the ending of Episode 8] differently [with the looming strike in mind]. We wrote it to be the ending of Episode 8.”
If you want to help, drop the suits a line here and tell them what’s up.
The human attention span is a feeble thing. Putting a 13 week hiatus in the middle of Lost’s third season almost killed it. Having an 18 month break will be the equivalent of it getting canceled. We’ve waited 3 years for some kind of payoff and if it gets canceled, well, I can’t see any writer devoting their talent to a medium that doesn’t take them seriously. The end result = no good progrums on the TV. End of TV, beginning of… new TV? No more scheduled programs, just on-demand.
WORSER CARE SCENARIO: They hire new writers. That would be like attempting to switch bus drivers doing 80 down the highway.
Thoughts?
TOPIC 3: Flash
I attended a Flash class today. U of M (my employer) offers classes on various pieces of software for employees. So I got to leave for a few hours today and learn the basics of Flash. The end result? I made a video. How sweet.
Bye for now, suckers!
