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TV Babble - December 2006

All You Need Is LoVe - Cafepress.com

December 29th 2006 02:09
It's time again to look at another television related design from Cafepress.com. The site lets you place your own designs on a number of products, which you can either purchase yourself or sell to the world at large. It's an enjoyable way to earn a bit of cash and express yourself, so please click here if you're interested in learning more or joining.

This week's design is another of my own and is based on the show Veronica Mars, of which I'm a loyal devotee. .


All You Need Is LoVe


One of the most interesting and complex relationships on the show is that of Veronica Mars and Logan Echolls. They were once friends; brought together by their love of Lilly Kane. Her death tore them apart, although underneath their snarkiness lay a definite sense of attraction. Fans celebrated when the finally got together, only to experience the heartache of their tumultuous on-again, off again romance. It was the fans that coined the moniker LoVe, a slightly cheesy but apt amalgamation of the pair's name. I chose All You Need Is LoVe as the slogan because it works on two levels. Firstly, it represents what the shipper's desire - for Logan and Veronica to find happiness in each other's arms. Secondly, All You Need Is Love is the song that plays on Veronica’s music-box in the pilot episode. It's symbolic of Veronica's life - despite the attitude she takes and the way she acts, all she really wants is love; be it from her father, her best friend, or her boyfriend. And I really want that boyfriend to be Logan.


This design is available on a wide selection of products, including t-shirts, bags, magnets and stickers, so if you are interested please visit my store, Meme Me.
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Censoring Profanity

December 28th 2006 01:51
This post seems quite topical considering some of the issues being discussed within the Orble community as of late. Many television shows, particularly those of an improvised nature, are going to include some profanity. What I find intriguing is the decisions that networks make in choosing which words are inappropriate and should be bleeped.
Whose Line Is It Anyway? is strictly censored*

I first started pondering this issue after viewing a number of episodes of Whose Line Is It Anyway? (US), an improve comedy game show. What struck me as odd was which words were censored. Obviously, the occasional s- and f-words dropped were concealed, but so were much less offensive terms such as 'laid.' Granted, it does have a sexual connotation, but is it really distasteful enough to warrant suppression?

It then struck me that maybe this was a cultural issue. I believe that, in Australia, we are much more laid back when it comes to profanity. Take for example another improvised show, Thank God You’re Here. Its timeslot was actually earlier than the one in which Whose Line originally aired, yet the occasional bad language let loose by the contestants was very rarely censored. Then there is the case of Rove Live, in which American guests are frequently amazed that they are allowed to swear.

It seems that in the USA, even late-night cable television is not exempt from the bleep. The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, which airs on cable's Comedy Central, frequently features cursing, all of which is covered up. The version that is retransmitted on the Australian Comedy Channel retains the bleeping; however the global edition aired on the free-to-air SBS does not. While Australian subscription television does not have an equivalent of the Daily Show, local comedic programmes such as Stand Up Australia are completely uncensored.

As for the issue of censoring profanity, while I believe it is something that must be done to protect certain audiences, I don’t think we should go overboard. Australia does tend to be very relaxed about such things, and it really should stay that way. The level of profanity typically reflects the show - anyone easily offended is unlikely to be watching a programme such as Stand Up Australia anyway.

So, what are your thoughts? Is America’s censoring too rigid? Is Australia’s too relaxed? Where do we draw the line on what is profane?

*Screencap courtesy of Wikipedia, and used under Fair Dealing for identification and critical commentary
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Veronica Mars: One Angry Veronica

December 27th 2006 03:58
One Angry Veronica was another enjoyable episode of Veronica Mars. It had some great moments and intriguing revelations, but was poorly plotting and badly paced in places.

Veronica's (Kristen Bell) jury plotline was probably the weakest point of the episode. While I realise it was a homage to 12 Angry Men, the dissent in the jury just ended up being irritating. This was probably due to the fact that the characters were fairly one dimensional.
These scenes tended to drag and the pacing seemed off. They attempted to further the theme of the class war within Neptune, but failed to show anything we hadn't already seen. They also skirted the edges of legality, with the jury engaging acts it shouldn't be a part of, such as investigation.

As for Meg (Alona Tal), we now know why her bitchiness at the beginning of the season didn't seem in proportion with the situation. It was nice that Veronica and Meg had reconciliation before her death, and it will be interesting to see how Veronica goes about ensuring the safety of the child.
Meg and Veronica*
It was surprising that Veronica didn't ask her about the crash, although Veronica has been less than motivated in that investigation throughout the season, so it does gel with her actions up to now. I've read a lot of criticism about Veronica's disinterest in the crash, despite her involvement, but I think that it is a side effect from last year - her investigation landed her in a very dangerous situation with Aaron Echolls (Harry Hamlin), in which both she and Keith (Enrico Colantoni) could have died. I think she is reluctant to end up in a situation like that again, so she is trying not to get too involved.
Although it was stated that Meg's death was from natural causes, I don't think Meg's parents are beyond suspicion, considering what we know about them. As for why they would act now rather than when she was in the coma, the catalyst could have been her refusal to adopt the baby out. Meg's talk with Veronica indicated to me that she believed she was in some danger.

Duncan (Teddy Dunn) is still annoying, but thankfully there was not much of him in this episode. Veronica's continued forgiveness of his actions is still baffling to me, but I suppose she loves him for some inexplicable reason. I am questioning whether the contents of the letter were in fact a revelation for him, or whether it was simply a confirmation of something that he already suspected. His visits and dreams of Meg indicate that he had some knowledge of the situation.

On the whole, the tapes plotline was done fairly well. Deputy Leo's (Max Greenfield) actions do seem a tad idiotic - he must have known that he would get caught, and the amount of money he received from Logan won't go far in specialist schooling. Then again, we know Leo is a decent guy who likely has never done anything like that before, so his sloppiness and regret do fit with his character.
There was also a great scene between Keith and Sheriff Lamb (Michael Muhney). Lamb's smarminess and annoyance at Keith's presence was great, as was his working out.
Logan watching the tapes gives us another insight into Logan's tendency towards hurting himself. Jason Dohring did some stellar work in a scene that many others would have had difficulty with.

Last but not least, Wallace (Percy Daggs III) has returned. I would have cheered had I not had laryngitis. I applauded instead, so my family still thinks I'm strange.

Overall Rating

Veronica Mars returns next Friday on Network Ten at 10.45pm.

*Screencap courtesy of Wikipedia, and used under Fair Dealing for identification and commentary.
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The Panel's Christmas Wrap

December 23rd 2006 09:35
My apologies for the lack of posts over the last couple of days - illness has kept me away from the computer. This post is just to highlight the return of The Panel's Christmas Wrap, which will air at 8.30 December 25 on Network Ten. This special and the show that spawned it are another production of the Working Dog Team, whose most recent project is the runaway hit Thank God You're Here.
The Panel*

For those unfamiliar with The Panel, it was true to its name - a panel of five people discussing news and pop culture. While this doesn't sound particularly entertaining in theory, the amusing panellists certainly made the show worthwhile. The usual panel included Glenn Robbins, Rob Sitch, Tom Gleisner, Kate Langbroek and Santo Cilauro, while guests were a frequent addition to the table


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Christmas Episodes of TV Shows

December 20th 2006 01:20
As I've mentioned numerous times when writing about Jericho, I really dislike cheesiness in television writing. It is probably for this reason that I tend to have a particular aversion to Christmas episodes of television shows. For some reason, yuletide stories seem to abound with these themes, with 'the season to be jolly' seeming to correspond with 'the season to be corny.'

Don't get me wrong - I'm not some grinch, grinning maniacally and plotting the demise of Christmas. I do love the spirit of the time of year; the joy that should be at the heart of the celebrations. I just think overly-saccharine moments are a cop-out, when a show could be doing something much more ingenious. Hence, I do have some favourite Christmas episodes of TV shows, and the two I'm going to discuss today come from Futurama
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Veronica Mars: My Mother, The Fiend

December 19th 2006 00:10
My Mother, The Fiend was another enjoyable episode of Veronica Mars. While it had some great moments, it did lose points for occasionally lapsing into predictability.
Van Clemmons shows a sneakier side*

It was nice to have a mystery of the week that was a personal mission for Veronica (Kristen Bell), and it is completely understandable that she wanted to validate her mother. I was quite aghast that Van Clemmons (Duane Daniels) would put Veronica anywhere near permanent records, considering what a snoop she is. However, it turns out that Van Clemmons is a lot smarter than I gave him credit for. I really liked that for a change he manipulated Veronica, instead of the other way around. I did think that Veronica mistaking friend for fiend was rather obvious, but it does give us an insight into how Veronica sees her mother


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WWTDD? (What Would the Doctor Do?) - Cafepress.com

December 15th 2006 03:39
As any of you that own a television would have noticed, good programming is few and far between this summer. Anything worth watching is shoved to a terrible timeslot (Veronica Mars), and anything rating fairly well is inexplicably put on hiatus (So You Think You Can Dance). Because this drought has left me with fewer shows to recap I've decided to devote one day each week of summer highlighting a television related design from Cafepress.com.

For those of you unfamiliar with Cafepress, it is a site that lets you put designs onto a variety of products. I've been a member for a few months now, and it is really is fun way to express yourself and earn some extra cash. You can either sell your designs to the world at large or create and buy your own products, so please click here if you're interested in learning more or joining


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There's Something in My Eye - TV Moments That Have Made You Cry

December 14th 2006 01:59
I am not the type of person that bursts into tears at anything even vaguely sentimental. In fact, I tend to be a tad cynical towards soppy moments - I’m more likely to be cracking snarky jokes than reaching for the Kleenex. However, there are the occasional moments when TV truly touches my mocking heart; that melt the ice queen within.

I am slightly hesitant to admit this, but the one culprit that gets me every time is Luck of the Fryrish, from the third season of Futurama. Despite having seen the episode several times, it never fails to leave me a blubbering mess.
Fry (Billy West) in Luck of the Fryrish*

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Adherence to Reality in Television Shows: Occupations

December 12th 2006 04:33
As a continuation of this post, I thought I’d continue with different aspects of life and whether these are dealt with realistically on TV. Today’s topic deals with occupations and education.

“Oh, sure, like lawyers work in big skyscrapers and have secretaries.

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Veronica Mars: Ahoy, Mateys!

December 11th 2006 01:29
Ahoy, Mateys was another solid and entertaining episode of Veronica Mars. It was full to the brim, encompassing some very intense scenes and deepening the mystery.
Veronica in Duncan's Dream*

Duncan’s (Teddy Dunn) dreams of Meg (Alona Tal) were quite strange, always noting that he is the only one that can save her. Is this a manifestation of his guilt over the crash, or something else? The representation of Meg as pure and angelic and Veronica as mean and whorish is a tad disturbing. If this insight into Duncan’s unconscious is indicative of how he actually sees his current and former love, then it doesn’t bode well for Veronica and Duncan’s relationship


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Extending TV Shows with Online Content - Does it Interest You?

December 7th 2006 03:47
As a continuation of yesterday’s post, I’m curious about what people actually think about online content. I for one love coming online to discuss the latest episode of my favourite TV show. I enjoy reading recaps and discussion about the themes, events and revelations that are present within episodes.

However, when it comes to official online content, I am much less interested. Perhaps it is a side effect from living in Australia – being so far behind in our airings, one has to avoid television network sites due to the minefield of spoilers they contain. Furthermore, there is a seediness to the whole concept; a feeling that it’s nothing more than a revenue grab. While I understand those special effects don’t pay for themselves, I believe that fans should be treated with some respect


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Jericho's Online Presence - LIfe Imitates Art; the Rest of the World Doesn't Exist

December 6th 2006 02:16
There may be some of you out there aching for a Jericho fix, despite the show’s disappointing mid-season finale. CBS has answered the call by expanding the programme’s online presence to tide fans over until February. The site, www.whodroppedthebomb.com, contains information about the show and characters, community features and video.

However, the video content, which includes full episodes, commentary tracks and teasers for upcoming episodes, cannot be viewed outside of the US. While I understand this it is an issue of copyright, it makes much of the web content a complete waste of time to anyone living outside of America. When the show first premiered it was my understanding that the reason we were getting it at the same time as the States was due to the show’s online presence. Apparently this plan has been plagued with problems, not unlike the show’s plotlines, with planned webisodes having to be scrapped due to various legal issues


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Adherence to Reality in Television Shows

December 5th 2006 03:20
This post isn’t talking about reality television – which, as we all know, tends to have virtually no basis in what would happen in real life. Rather, I’d like to know your thoughts as to whether realism is a key ingredient in a good television show. In my view, reality in television encompasses a couple of elements.
Max (Jason Behr) says up with realism*

Firstly, it is the realism of the characters – whether they act as any normal person would, and whether their actions are consistent with their personality. An example of this problem that sticks with me is that of Roswell. At the beginning of the third season, the characters of Max and Liz had suddenly morphed into these supposedly rebellious teens, completely the opposite of what they had been in the previous seasons. Just like people, characters do change, but the process should be a natural evolution rather than a forced departure


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Veronica Mars: Nobody Puts Baby in a Corner

December 4th 2006 10:30
Nobody Puts Baby in a Corner was a weaker episode of Veronica Mars than those that had preceded it. However, it still incorporated some great and intriguing moments.
Veronica and Duncan*

The mystery of the week was fairly entertaining, albeit a little convoluted and far fetched, but it was nice to have a tie in with Meg (Alona Tal). Normal may be the watchword, but normalcy is something that 09er households seem to lack. In Green Eyed Monster, Meg’s sister said that her parents would pull the plug on her if they knew what was contained on the laptop, which I took as a figure of speech. However, after seeing this episode, those words take on a new and disturbing meaning


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Jericho: Vox Populi

December 1st 2006 04:20
It was my opinion that Jericho needed a great mid-season finale to ensure that viewers would return to the show next year. Whether or not that occurred is debatable. From what I’ve read, some people loved Vox Populi, but I personally was pretty underwhelmed.
Screencap from Jericho*

The writers decided to take the more predictable route of having Mitchell (Clayne Crawford) frame Jonah (James Remar) for Gracie’s (Beth Grant) death. This managed to elicit from me my best Leighton Hewitt impersonation, as I screamed ‘Come On!!!’ repeatedly at the screen. While this plotline was certainly unsurprising, it was fairly well executed – at least they delivered on the foreshadowing of the previous episodes


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