Another one joins the iTunes Bandwagon

Showtime programs are now available on iTunes. It's pretty cool that not only are cable networks now going the way of subscription services online...but that it is a premium cable network to make the first deal.

Now I can finally see what Weeds is all about without having to subscribe to Showtime...or get TiVo. I hope this works out for them.

But this has bigger implications. Now that ABC and Showtime both have deals with iTunes, isn't it safe to say that wherever Arrested Development ends up, it could be available online? I'm salivating already at the prospect....but would Fox own the rights to Seasons 1-3? probably...sigh.

On that note, check this space for an Arrested fare-thee-well tomorrow.

Thoughts on 24

I'll try and bit more logical in this post, as my HDTV theory ran into some deserved ridiculing.

But before I write the longer 24 roundup with Mike Zordan, which you can read over at TTO tomorrow, along with all our other roundups, here are a couple of quick rants.

1) John McCain is an absolute sellout and hypocrite. Politically, the guy manages to get shit done. While dealing with political policy, he seems to stand on principle. I applaud him for standing up to our President on issues regarding prisoner torture. I also appreciate his willingness to work with Democrats...you'd think they have cooties or something. BUT...what the hell is with his 24 cameo?!?!

Supposedly, the senator is a big fan of the show and was visiting, and they offered him a walk-on role. Thanks to Mike for placing the cameo at 12:32 ( in show time) during the show.

So here's my beef. I give you a quote from McCain's own website. It is an "op-ed" he wrote with Sen. Joe Lieberman in 1999 [emphasis added]:

..neither the executives nor the lobbyists sent in their place have had any genuine response to the growing chorus of concerns about the harmful influence of the entertainment media's romanticized and sanitized vision of violence, about its part in the toxic mix that is turning too many of our kids into killers.

I disagree that the media portrayal of violence has increased violence among children, but I can respect the opinion of those that do. But not if they go appear on a show that offers a very very unsanitary version of violence. Three characters died on last night's episode of 24: One by suicide, two by guns. One was a coldblooded murder by a terrorist who promised to spare his victim's life only minutes earlier. And that was on the low end of body counts in a 24 episode. You should have seen the season premiere.

How can McCain issue screeds against the violent media, then appear on their shows? Can anyone defend this hypocrisy?

2) Whew...that first one was a long rant. Second point deals with my concerns for the rest of the season. It was revealed in the show that the strike on America is a second resort for Terrorist Ivan. His first goal was to attack "tyrranical" Russia. But now, he's content to just wing it and attack the U.S.? This doesn't strike me as a credible plotline to extend over a season. People who are desperate make mistakes...this isn't a criminal genius here...its a spurned terrorist who's anxious to revenge Walt Cummings' idiocy. There's no anti-U.S. modus operandi...Im just not feeling the Terrorist Ivan plotline.

Short thoughts on the Super Bowl

So it has been way too long since my last post here, but with a monumental event such as the Super Bowl, there's no better excuse to not post now.

I won't dwell on the commercials too much, since its becoming rather cliche to do so, but I can't avoid talking about them either. My vote for Best Ad goes to the caveman/FedEx...and while it piggybacks off of Geico's success with Neanderthals, it was still really funny. The best exchange: "But FedEx hasn't even been invented yet!/Not my Problem!" The ESPN Cellular ads were rather awesome as well, with a good pace and momentum. Worst: and this one seems to be the conventional wisdom across all pundits..the Jay Mohr/Diet Pepsi bits. Just totally not interesting.

But I guess I'll tackle my least favorite subject: the ratings. As both Anthony Resnick over at TTO and Lisa DeMoraes in today's WaPo have noted, the ratings for Super Bowl XL is up 5% from last year, and the highest since 1996.

I am both surprised and not-at-all surprised by these numbers. Surprised because of the boring matchup and poorly-played game. There was a distinctive lack-of-hype in the two weeks prior to the SuperBowl, so to see it garner such high ratings confuses me. Especially since the past 2 games have been definite nailbiters.

But I am also not-at-all surprised because ratings do not make any sense. Ever. For all the big events, Super Bowl and Oscar, especially...the ratings have been declining for all sorts of reasons. Now all of the sudden, the BIG GAME EVENT is back? WTF?

I'll put forward one possible reason for the uptick in ratings: The Big-Screen HD-TV. Football is more fun to watch in HD...especially with the monster-sized television. With more HDTVs out there...maybe more people are willing to watch.

What are your guesses as to why the ratings are up?

One other note...Grey's Anatomy had the highest ratings for an entertainment show since the series finale of Friends. And ABC barely promoted it...at least in comparison to FOX's ubiquitous promos for "HIS FATHER IS THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY!" or "YOU'RE RISKING THE PATIENT'S LIFE!" Watching the SB, you would have thought that Lost was on after the game.

Bizarre.