I had high hopes for you, Utopia. Maybe we all did—it is utopia, after all.
My television utopia is entertaining, slightly titillating without bordering on offensive or degrading, and definitely escapist fun. If I'm letting the dishes "soak" while I tune in, it needs to be really worth that hour I'm giving you while I should be filling out permission forms and making lunches.
Living with potentially six months of winter does make one search out a few laughs now and then. Though television's definition of funny is still largely situation comedy, this batch looks like it has the greatest potential for laughs:
With the turning of the leaves comes kids back at school, the slow cooker comes out…that groove in the couch starts to feel a bit groovier. Though seasonal TV is getting to be a strange idea in these days of binge-watching, there’s no denying that sweater weather is cozier with some brand new TV for indoor nights. Here are my picks out of the new Fall season to try, plus a few that look headed for Cancelled City:
I've been blogging here long enough now that I feel it's time to confess who I really am—a super-mega, ultra Ghostbusters fan.
Maybe it's because it's one of the first "adult" movies I was allowed to see, or the extra thrill of seeing it at home on the VCR my dad RENTED from the movie store so we could watch the wiggly, soundtrack-compromised rental VHS in all its glory...
The mouse is out of the bag and will be coming to your streaming console—Netflix announced that it will offer Disney content in Canada starting in 2015.
The jokes are written, the dresses chosen, the tuxes are...removed from their garment bags. The 66th Primetime Emmy Awards air Monday, August 25 (I always wonder if the Daytime Emmy folk just sit home in their sweatpants since their ceremony is long since done with).
On a scale of bodice laces ripped, I am popping all my grommets for the Canadian premiere of Outlander (starting on August 24, at 10:00 p.m. ET, on Showcase). The plot is a bit of a tough sell if you've never read the book series. I can remember my friend describing the first book, quite accurately, like so: "Well, there's this army nurse who reunites with her husband in Scotland after the war, but she falls through some stones and goes back in time and meets a dashing young Scottish warrior." It's a bit of "uh-huh, right..."
It’s that time—I find myself singing, “Back to school…back to school…” like Adam Sandler in Billy Madison.
While most parents can’t wait to get the kids out the door in September (until you remember you have to pack lunches…300 days of lunches!), the kids’ reactions can vary. I’ve got one school enthusiast and one who can be charitably described as indifferent.
Our sincere condolences to the family of Robin Williams, and to those who knew the actual man. Williams died on August 11th, apparently of suicide. He battled depression and addiction, but he also gave us indelible characters that are stitched into the very fabric of growing up for many of us.
There is really no better place to hide from the unrelenting heat of summer than the movie theatre. Popcorn in hand, dim lights, and a couple of hours of sheer escape (or weeping into your napkin, or laughing so hard you drop your gummy candy) has been a favourite mini vacation for millions—especially since air-conditioned theatres became a thing.
The whole family went to see a matinee of Disney’s Planes: Fire & Rescue. (In glorious 2D, because have you ever tried keeping the 3D glasses on a 3-year-old?) It was...OK. If you’re looking for an air-conditioned afternoon and a date with a big bag of popcorn, it will certainly do.
You’ve been to the beach, the library, ridden public transit for thrills (hey, what thrills a toddler and what thrills you are known to be vastly different things). Most of us will pack up, head out, and make the journey to the cabin, or Grandma’s, or Any Place Besides Home Because The Driving Is Only Really Good Here Three Months a Year.
Despite your best efforts to peel little faces away from blinking screens, you’ll eventually be away from home and hard-up for family-pleasing entertainment on a rainy night or the longest train ride ever.
It’s time for celebrating the best of television and the 2014 Emmy Nominations are out! Noticeably absent is most of network television. The big names, legendary performances, and indelible stories from cable channels and Netflix are not just leading the pack — they are the pack.
