I can't believe it's the two-hundred-and-twenty-seventh episode of Bullet Sunday! That's like 60% of a full year's worth!
• Needle! Today is the 50th anniversary of the ground-breaking for Seattle's Space Needle. Originally created for the 1962 "Century 21 World's Fair," it quickly became a symbol of the city (if not the entire Pacific Northwest). What I love about the structure is that it doesn't look dated despite its classic 1960's styling. On top of that, it's a beautiful cornerstone of the Seattle skyline and a cool tourist attraction...
I've visited dozens of times, and the view from the top still takes my breath away. If you'd like to read more about the history of Seattle's landmark, there's a nice wrap-up at Wikipedia.
• Happy! What's kind of a mash-up between Friends and Coupling but somehow manages to be uniquely hilarious television in its own right? It's Happy Endings! I have to admit, I thought the whole "group-of-six-friends-half-girls-half-boys" sitcom concept had been played into the ground (usually to horrible effect). But I was dead wrong. Happy Endings is funny, funny, stuff. The premiere episode is available for FREE on iTunes and well-worth your time to check out...
• Proof? On the other end of the spectrum... the new television drama Body of Proof is just so bad. Dana Delany is great as a surgeon-turned-medical-examiner, but just about every other character on the show is total crap. The writing is so lame that it's almost comical. It's as if they set out to make everybody be intentionally annoying and unwatchable. I was hoping for another
• Collectorz. If you're a Macintosh whore who wants to enter your comic book collection in a computer database, you're pretty much screwed. Years ago I used a program called "ComicBase" which was originally created for Macs, but then they switched to Windows and dropped development for the Mac version (nice!). Over the years there's been a few new programs for Mac, but they haven't been very feature-rich. Enter "Comic Collector for Mac OS X" which is coming May 17th. It looks fairly complete and very affordable ($29.95 or $49.95 for a "pro" version)...
It pulls data and cover images off their web server, and allows for quick and easy barcode entry. In anticipation of its release, I've been using a trial membership for their companion "cloud" service: "Comic Book Collector Connect." It's a little cumbersome for adding comics, but still very cool. What's sweet about this company is that even if their OS X software sucks, I can still use the online Connect service to index my collection (unlimited access and database size for $19.95 a year!). If you're a fellow Mac whore with a comic book collection, check it out.
• AirPrint. One of the more serious omissions from iOS devices (iPhone, iPad, etc.) was printing. Apple finally addressed this a while back with a technology they call AirPrint. The problem is that this "feature" is half-baked at best. First you either have to buy an AirPrint-Enabled printer or find a 3rd party solution which makes your non-Airport printer be recognized by the iOS. And then the fun begins... figuring out which apps can actually print worth a crap. Most don't. Apple's "Photos" app, for example, doesn't allow you to fill the page with your photo when you print it. Instead, it prints a tiny image in the middle of the page. Other apps print okay, but the lack of control over orientation, scale, and placement is a serious detriment. Only apps which are specifically designed for printing (like Pages, Numbers, and Keynote) seem to produce expected results. This is kind of embarrassing for Apple. Usually they don't release something until it's polished and functional, and AirPrint isn't there yet. Still... it is a promising glimpse of the functionality that devices like these will need in a "post PC world."
Annnnnd... now it's time for the new Burn Notice movie... The Fall of Sam Axe! As a huge fan of Bruce Campbell, it's must-see TV.
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I’m the opposite, the jury is still out on Happy Endings for me… but I love Body of Proof!
Have you submitted yourself to drug testing?
Just kidding. I’m sure that “Happy Endings” is not going to be everybody’s cup of tea. The characters are not exactly likable in the way that they were in “Friends.” I find this refreshing, but I’m sure there’s a lot of people who won’t.
As for “Body of Proof”… have you submitted yourseld to drug testing?
🙂
Ok after watching the rest of the Happy Endings episodes that are out, I’m COMPLETELY hooked. You were right about this one, it’s a winner. LOVE the gay guy. He’s just so cool and not the stereotypical gay guy (JUST JACK) that they put in all the other shows.
I still like Body of Proof, although now that I’m on the Happy Endings train that may be a little more acceptable? 😛
I still remember the horror of the American Coupling attempt.
Ugh. Don’t remind me. Granted, I was such a huge fan of the original that there was no way the American version could live up to it… but I didn’t expect it to be complete shit.
Contrast that to the American version of “Being Human” (another British show I love to bits) where they are doing a really good job of interpreting the material. They stick to the generalities, but aren’t afraid to strike new ground (much like “The Office” remake), which is essential to doing it right. I don’t think “Coupling USA” got that message.
The Needle second picture looks like it was taken the day I was there with you!
Indeed it was! Not the best day weather-wise, but the clouds made for a great backdrop!
And that ever-so-famous Space Needle premiered for the 1962 World’s Fair — the very year I was born. The Needle and I share the same birth year.
Two famous landmarks in the same year!
I’ll have to give “Happy Endings” a try. I agree with “Body of Proof” – didn’t care for it much.
I hope you like it. I went into it with very low expectations, but ended up liking it so much that I think it holds up to even high expectations. 🙂
You are now the 4th person that’s recommended Happy Endings. Glad to know the premier episode is free on iTunes. I’m on it.
Seriously laugh-out-loud funny. I haven’t been this taken with a new show since “Raising Hope!”
I missed a Burn Notice movie? Shit.
Dana Delaney annoys me.
Reaction to “The Fall of Sam Axe” has been kind of mixed, but I loved it. All Bruce Campbell all the time, and the story was a good one. Lagged a bit in parts, but definitely must-see television if you’re a “Burn Notice” fan!
I like Dana Delany. She was awesome in “China Beach” and I like the risks she took in her career to keep things interesting (not everyone would have chosen “Exit to Eden!”). But, you’re not alone, as most women I know don’t like her much. 🙂
Katie and I are loving Happy Endings, too. We weren’t expecting much and it’s been laugh out loud hilarious. I just hope they can keep it up.
All 13 of the episodes have been shot, and it sounds like the scripts were great from the beginning, so I have high hopes too.
When I print a web page or e-mail from my iPhone, it looks great. Close enough to the desktop that it’s great.
I agree, the images are totally bizarro, I don’t know why we can’t scale them (other than Apple doesn’t want people to say they look crappy full page).
And I wish I could print while off-line (like on my MacBook) and when I get home, it sees the printer and prints for me 🙂
I think I remember you bought an HP printer… have you read up on Web Connection? You can assign your printer an email address and send documents to it from anywhere! Or… I think you can print them to the cloud and retrieve them when you get home. Or something like that. I don’t know much about it, but it might be worth looking in to!
I’ve been watching Body of Proof via the ABC Player on my iPad, usually at breakfast. Your disdain for it caused me to think about it and realize that it really doesn’t offer anything unique or compelling, so I’m dropping it. Thanks!
You’re welcome! One less thing to waste time on!
But, seriously, I was shocked at how much I disliked the show. The mysteries are pretty good, and Dana Delany is awesome as always, but the backup characters just annoy the crap out of me. Her ex-husband and daughter are the worst, and serve as nothing but a distraction from the story. The police detectives are just head-up-the-ass stupid in every scene. Her “partner” is about as useful as a doorstop. The morgue crew have -zero- chemistry with each other or anybody else. Seven-of-Nine isn’t bad, per se, but she always seems detached from the story in such a way that I spend most of the time wondering why she’s even there.
Contrast all that with “Castle” where every single character is not only integrated into the plot, but meshes perfectly with each other. Even Castle’s mother and daughter always seem to be an integral part of the stories! The back-up detectives are just as fun as the leads. Every guest-part has a reason to be there. They aren’t just shoehorning people in the plot in a misguided effort to make things interesting by sheer volume. Which is about all I see in “Body of Proof.”
FWIW, which is not much, the daughter was significantly better in the latest episode.
“Castle” is my other ABC Player show and it hurts my head to even consider comparing it with “Body of Proof”!
Oh, and if you have to wonder why Seven-of-Nine is there, then, um, we need to talk…. 🙂