TV This Week: Miss USA, Crossing Borders Pilot

The summer TV doldrums are in full swing already for broadcast TV. On just two nights this week, there are shows that I'm kind of interested in. The Miss USA competition is tonight and next Sunday night is the Pilot of Crossing Borders. Not much else worth noting besides the usual Mad Men. I saw the first two hours of The Killing and I wasn't that impressed. So . . . I'm looking for shows to binge on via DVD or streaming.

These are the TV shows I plan on watching this week. Most of them I will watch by DVR or OnDemand. All times ET.

 

Sunday

The 2013 Miss USA Competition. NBC, 9:00pm.
One representative from each of the 50 states, including the District of Columbia, head to Las Vegas for an opportunity to be crowned as the successor of 2012 Miss USA; contestants are judged in swimsuit, evening gown and interview. 2 hrs.

The Killing, Head Shots. AMC, 9:00pm.
As the task force goes to extreme lengths in order to further an investigation, Detective Linden and Holder are brought back together during their search for "the voice"; Seward is offered incentive to follow the established rules.

Mad Men, The Quality of Mercy. AMC, 10:00pm.
Tensions quickly mount at Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce as the partners of the agency debate about a new campaign being developed for an important client; Don decides to get away from the chaos of the agency by taking a day off.

 

Monday

Warehouse 13, What Matters Most. Syfy, 10:00pm.
United States Secret Service Agents Myka Bering and Pete Lattimer must figure out what's going on at a high-class and swanky gated community where residents are being affected by a mysterious and versatile supernatural artifact.

Mistresses, Breaking and Entering. ABC, 10:00pm.
Savi and Dominic are struggling as their professional and personal lives continue to clash; Joss' has a new boss and he has decided that she needs a seemingly impossible assignment; Karen continues to deal with the Grey family and their disfunctions.

 

Tuesday

 

 

 

Wednesday

 

 

 

Thursday

 

 

 

Friday

 

 

 

Saturday

 

 

 

Sunday

Crossing Borders, Pilot. NBC, 9:00pm.
Former NYPD detective Carl Hickman became a recluse until he receives an offer from his friend Detective Major Louis Daniel to join a team of unique specialists to help track down a serial killer crossing various international borders undetected. 2 hrs.

The Killing, Scared and Running. AMC, 9:00pm.
Sarah and Holder do everything they can in order to find a victim on the run in order to ensure that no one else finds them first; Ray Seward begrudgingly takes in an unexpected visitor and he does very little to be a warm and welcoming host.

Mad Men, In Care Of. AMC, 10:00pm.
With all the troubles that Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce has had to overcome, Don begins to feel overwhelmed while dealing with a very serious problem of his own which leads to the agency partner desperately searching for a solution.

 

Graphic Credit: TVTW Icon made from WikiMedia.org free software, you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation.

 

 

New DVD Releases This Week: House of Cards, The Newsroom, Oz: The Great and Powerful, more!

Have you got the Summer TV Blues? If so then there's plenty to watch with this week's DVD releases, including two TV shows. The first seasons of House of Cards and The Newsroom re out this week, both got good reviews if I remember correctly. The most recent season of Burn Notice also is available this week. The big movie release is Oz: The Great and Powerful.

These are some of the new DVDs released this week, the ones I find interesting or of note.

 

Tuesday June 11, 2013

Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters, R      Amazon
Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters is a 2013 American-German action-horror dark fantasy film with black comedy elements, co-written and directed by Norwegian filmmaker Tommy Wirkola and filmed in 3D. It is a continuation to the German folk fairy tale Hänsel and Gretel, which was recorded by the Brothers Grimm and published in 1812. The film stars Jeremy Renner and Gemma Arterton in the title roles of a brother-and-sister duo of professional witch hunters. Famke Janssen stars as the deadly leader of a coven of evil witches that they seek out to destroy.

 

House of Cards: The Complete First Season, Not Rated      Amazon
House of Cards is an American political drama series developed and produced by Beau Willimon. It is an adaptation of a previous BBC miniseries of the same name which is based on the novel by Michael Dobbs. The entire first season premiered on February 1, 2013, on the streaming service Netflix. A second season of 13 episodes is currently in production. Set in present day Washington, D.C., House of Cards is the story of Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey), a Democrat from South Carolina's 5th congressional district and the House Majority Whip, who after getting passed over for appointment to Secretary of State, decides to exact his revenge on those who betrayed him. The series also stars Robin Wright, Kate Mara, and Corey Stoll in lead roles.

 

Killing Lincoln, Not Rated      Amazon
Killing Lincoln is an American television film inspired by the 2011 novel of the same title by Bill O'Reilly. The two-hour political docudrama was originally broadcast on National Geographic Channel on February 17, 2013. Narrated and hosted by American actor Tom Hanks, the film stars Billy Campbell as United States President Abraham Lincoln and Jesse Johnson as John Wilkes Booth. It was written and executive produced by Erik Jendresen (Band of Brothers), directed by Adrian Moat (Gettysburg), produced by Chris Cowen, Mark Herzog, Ridley Scott, Tony Scott, Mary Lisio, David Zucker, and Terri Weinberg.

 

The Newsroom: The Complete First Season, Not Rated      Amazon
The Newsroom is an American television political drama series created and principally written by Aaron Sorkin that premiered on HBO on June 24, 2012. The series chronicles the behind-the-scenes events at the fictional Atlantis Cable News (ACN) channel. It features an ensemble cast including Jeff Daniels as anchor Will McAvoy, who, together with his staff set out to put on a news show "in the face of corporate and commercial obstacles and their own personal entanglements." Other cast members include Emily Mortimer, John Gallagher, Jr., Alison Pill, Thomas Sadoski, Dev Patel, Olivia Munn, and Sam Waterston.

 

Oz: The Great and Powerful, PG      Amazon
Oz the Great and Powerful is a 2013 American fantasy adventure film directed by Sam Raimi, produced by Joe Roth, and written by David Lindsay-Abaire and Mitchell Kapner. The film stars James Franco as Oscar Diggs, Mila Kunis as Theodora, Rachel Weisz as Evanora, and Michelle Williams as Glinda. The film is based on L. Frank Baum's Oz novels, and also pays homage to the 1939 MGM film, The Wizard of Oz. Set 20 years before the events of the books, Oz the Great and Powerful focuses on Oscar Diggs, who arrives in the Land of Oz and encounters three witches: Theodora, Evanora and Glinda. Oscar is then enlisted to restore order in Oz, while struggling to resolve conflicts with the witches and himself.

 

Snitch, PG-13      Amazon
John Matthews (Dwayne Johnson), owner of a construction company, receives a call from his ex-wife Sylvie Collins. His estranged son Jason (Rafi Gavron) is being charged for distribution of narcotics; while Jason is not actually a dealer, his friend set him up in a sting operation to reduce his own sentence after being caught. Jason's charges carry a minimum of 10 years in prison. John feels responsible because he was not there for his son, and he becomes desperate as he realizes that Jason may be killed before he finishes his prison sentence.

 

Burn Notice: Season Six, PG-13      Amazon
There's trouble in paradise for former CIA operative Michael Westen and his cohorts, and the streets of Miami are hotter - and deadlier - than ever before in the action-packed, adrenaline-charged sixth season of Burn Notice! In hot pursuit of his old nemesis, Michael must take down Anson Fullerton and find a way to free Fiona from prison, where she is being targeted by a murderous foe. Michael goes full force to save Fiona as he takes on cold-blooded assassins, diabolical drug cartels, uneasy alliances, and explosive danger at every turn, until an unthinkable tragedy leaves him reeling and rocks his team to the very core.

 

 

Note: this blog post contains affiliate links.

Graphic Credit: DVD Icon made from WikiMedia.org free software, you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation.

 

 

TV This Week: Tonys, Warehouse 13

The Tony Awards are tonight and next Sunday night is the Miss USA pageant. Also it looks like Warehouse 13 is back with new episodes. The Killing and Mad Men continue with new episodes.

These are the TV shows I plan on watching this week. Most of them I will watch by DVR or OnDemand. All times ET.

 

Sunday

The 67^th Annual Tony Awards. CBS, 8:00pm.
Broadway's biggest stars gather at Radio City Music Hall in New York City as the American Theatre Wing takes time to honor the best performances and productions of the year with awards for acting, musical score, dance choreography and more. The Host is Neil Patrick Harris. 3 hrs.

The Killing, Seventeen. AMC, 9:00pm.
Sarah decides to join the task force in order to carry out her own plans; Holder manages to form an acquaintance with a street informant in the Jungle; the hatred between two long-time rivals is fueled as Seward willingly raises the tension.

Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown, Congo. CNN, 9:00pm.
Anthony Bourdain is excited about going to Congo because it is the setting for one of his favorite books, Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness, which became the basis for one of his favorite films, Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now.

Mad Men, Favors. AMC, 10:00pm.
Betty begins to prepare for her daughter's future which means looking into Sally's various options; Peggy finds that her home life is beginning to be more troublesome than her hectic career, so she does what she can to address her issues at home.

 

Monday

Warehouse 13, Runaway. Syfy, 10:00pm.
Agents Pete Lattimer, Myka Bering, along with Steve Jinks, must partner with a United States Marshal in order to track down two fugitives that escaped from an Arkansas State Prison as the result of a strange volcanic event.

Mistresses, The Morning After. ABC, 10:00pm.
Savi is looking for advice about her night with Dominic and while Karen tells her to wait before telling Harry, April seems to have a completely different reaction; April investigates claims that her husband led another life; Joss finds a new friend.

 

Tuesday

 

 

 

Wednesday

 

 

 

Thursday

 

 

 

Friday

 

 

 

Saturday

 

 

 

Sunday

The 2013 Miss USA Competition. NBC, 9:00pm.
One representative from each of the 50 states, including the District of Columbia, head to Las Vegas for an opportunity to be crowned as the successor of 2012 Miss USA; contestants are judged in swimsuit, evening gown and interview. 2 hrs.

The Killing, Head Shots. AMC, 9:00pm.
As the task force goes to extreme lengths in order to further an investigation, Detective Linden and Holder are brought back together during their search for "the voice"; Seward is offered incentive to follow the established rules.

Mad Men, The Quality of Mercy. AMC, 10:00pm.
Tensions quickly mount at Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce as the partners of the agency debate about a new campaign being developed for an important client; Don decides to get away from the chaos of the agency by taking a day off.

 

Graphic Credit: TVTW Icon made from WikiMedia.org free software, you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation.

 

 

New DVD Releases This Week: A Good Day to Die Hard, Identity Thief, more!

Of this week's new releases, I kind of want to see A Good Day to Die Hard and Identity Thief.

These are some of the new DVDs released this week, the ones I find interesting or of note.

 

Tuesday June 4, 2013

A Good Day to Die Hard, R      Amazon
Bruce Willis reprises the lead role of John McClane, who travels to Russia to help his estranged son, Jack (Jai Courtney), out of prison, but is soon caught in the crossfire of a terrorist plot.

Identity Thief, R      Amazon
Sandy Patterson (Jason Bateman) gets a call from a woman saying someone attempted to steal his identity. She tells him about an identity protection service and asks him for his name, date of birth, and social security number. Little does he know that his identity is actually about to be stolen. We meet Diana (Melissa McCarthy), printing out credit cards with Sandy's money and going out to a bar, buying drinks for everybody.

Escape from Planet Earth, PG      Amazon
Escape from Planet Earth is a 2013 Canadian 3D computer animated family film produced by Rainmaker Entertainment, and directed by Cal Brunker. It stars the voices of Brendan Fraser, Rob Corddry, Jessica Alba, Sarah Jessica Parker, William Shatner, Kaitlin Olson, and James Gandolfini.

Warm Bodies, PG-13      Amazon
Warm Bodies is a 2013 American paranormal romantic zombie comedy film based on Isaac Marion's novel of the same name. Directed and written by Jonathan Levine, the film stars Nicholas Hoult, Teresa Palmer and Analeigh Tipton. The film focuses on the development of the relationship between Julie, a young woman, and "R", a zombie, and how their eventual romance develops throughout. The film is noted for displaying human characteristics in zombie characters, and for being told from a zombie's perspective.

 

 

Note: this blog post contains affiliate links.

Graphic Credit: DVD Icon made from WikiMedia.org free software, you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation.

 

 

TV This Week: The Killing, Mad Men, Mistresses, Revolution

By the calendar it may not be quite summer yet but it is in full swing on television, most shows are into repeats already. The Killing is a summer show that is starting a new season tonight and I've heard good things about it. The Pilot of Mistresses premieres this week, it sounds cheesy but maybe it's a fine cheese. Also Mad Men still has some new episodes for us. Finally this week Revolution airs its season finale.

These are the TV shows I plan on watching this week. Most of them I will watch by DVR or OnDemand. All times ET.

 

Sunday

The Killing, The Jungle; That You Fear the Most. AMC, 8:00pm.
Detective Sarah Linden desperately tries to keep her past mistakes from tormenting her life; Holder finds himself struggling with a new assignment given to him; a prisoner manages to show his true colors while in prison. 2 hrs.

Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown, Peru. CNN, 9:00pm.
Anthony and fellow chef Eric Ripert go looking for a particular variety of wild cocoa that is only found in a remote part of the Andes, experiencing the pre-Colombian lifestyles of the rural areas as well as the modernity of Lima, the capital city.

Mad Men, A Tale of Two Cities. AMC, 10:00pm.
In order to ensure that Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce continues to grow, everyone at the agency comes together to hold on to a client that is questioning their ties with the company; Joan tries to compose herself after being caught off guard.

 

Monday

Revolution, The Dark Tower. NBC, 10:00pm.
* * * Season Finale * * * Miles' leadership ability and character are put to the ultimate test as his feelings for Rachel and Nora are brought in to play while the Rebels begin their invasion of the Tower, putting everybody involved in to life-threatening danger.

Mistresses, Pilot. ABC, 10:00pm.
Troubled by the frustrations of trying to get pregnant with Harry, Savi finds herself attracted to Dominic; April has been getting prank calls ever since her husband's life insurance check came in; Karen is in an affair with a married patient.

 

Tuesday

 

 

 

Wednesday

 

 

 

Thursday

 

 

 

Friday

 

 

 

Saturday

Jason and the Argonauts, 1963 moviie, 2 hrs. Antenna TV, 8:00pm.
A legendary hero from ancient Greece enlists a band of warriors to sail to the ends of the Earth on a quest for the sacred Golden Fleece, and along the way, they battle monsters, greed, a bronze giant and a treacherous army of skeletons.
Stars: Todd Armstrong, Honor Blackman, Gary Raymond, Laurence Naismith, Niall McGinnis, and Nancy Kovack.

 

Sunday

The 67th Annual Tony Awards. CBS, 8:00pm.
Broadway's biggest stars gather at Radio City Music Hall in New York City as the American Theatre Wing takes time to honor the best performances and productions of the year with awards for acting, musical score, dance choreography and more. The Host is Neil Patrick Harris. 3 hrs.

The Killing, Seventeen. AMC, 9:00pm.
Sarah decides to join the task force in order to carry out her own plans; Holder manages to form an acquaintance with a street informant in the Jungle; the hatred between two long-time rivals is fueled as Seward willingly raises the tension.

Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown, Congo. CNN, 9:00pm.
Anthony Bourdain is excited about going to Congo because it is the setting for one of his favorite books, Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness, which became the basis for one of his favorite films, Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now.

Mad Men, Favors. AMC, 10:00pm.
Betty begins to prepare for her daughter's future which means looking into Sally's various options; Peggy finds that her home life is beginning to be more troublesome than her hectic career, so she does what she can to address her issues at home.

 

Graphic Credit: TVTW Icon made from WikiMedia.org free software, you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation.

 

 

New DVD Releas This Week: The Numbers Station

As I expected, there aren't many good DVD releases this week. I'm not even sure that The Numbers Station was ever released in movie theaters.

These are some of the new DVDs released this week, the ones I find interesting or of note.

 

Tuesday May 28, 2013

The Numbers Station, R      Amazon
British-American action thriller film, starring John Cusack and Malin Åkerman, about a disgraced CIA black ops agent assigned to protect the code operator at a secret American numbers station somewhere in the British countryside.

 

 

Note: this blog post contains affiliate links.

Graphic Credit: DVD Icon made from WikiMedia.org free software, you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation.

 

 

Memorial Day Weekend Cook-Out Vines

My friend Myles (@MylesGRyan) hosted a little get together yesterday. He also has a new iPhone and is getting into Vine so here are a few short videos he took.

This one shows the usual suspects. Look fast, I'm in the yellow shirt.

 

 

What's a cook-out without some grillin'?

 

 

The gang again, Steve is still a little camera shy and I'm a bit cold.

 

 

Speaking of cold, it got a lot colder after the sun went down so we started a fire.

 

 

TV This Week: Doctor Who Revisited; Body of Proof series finale

After your day at the beach or cook-out Sunday night Memorial Day weekend watch Doctor Who Revisited. Later in the week PBS has a few interesting shows, one is about the Boston Bombing.

These are the TV shows I plan on watching this week. Most of them I will watch by DVR or OnDemand. All times ET.

 

Sunday

Doctor Who Revisited, The Fifth Doctor. BBC America, 8:00pm.
A detailed look is taken at earlier seasons of the iconic television show Doctor Who, a phenomenon that is still popular after 50 years, featuring The Fifth Doctor, played by Peter Davison, and his foes, the Cybermen and Master. 3 hrs.

Mad Men, The Better Half. AMC, 10:00pm.
Roger continues to have the same dream every night and becomes concerned about the repetition; Joan takes some time off from the agency in order to enjoy the beach, which results in an interesting outing for the beautiful Ms. Harris.

 

Monday

Revolution, City of Men. NBC, 10:00pm.
Miles, Charlie, Nora and Aaron finally discover a way to enter the Tower, which pits Miles against Monroe once again in a battle that proves to be deadlier than their first encounter; Tom and Jason Neville find themselves shut out of the Tower.

 

Tuesday

Constitution USA with Peter Sagal, Built to last. PBS, 9:00pm.
Host Peter Sagal visits Iceland to examine the country's decision to create a new constitution that was inspired by the Constitution of the United States, and later, he looks into why the U.S. Constitution has lasted over 225 years.

FrontLine, Outlawed in Pakistan. PBS, 10:00pm.
A young female rape victim's five-year struggle through Pakistan's broken justice system is chronicled, examining her courage to come forward, the alleged rapists' attempts to clear their names, and society's beliefs about victims of rape.

Body of Proof, Daddy Issues. ABC, 10:00pm.
* * * Series Finale * * * Megan brings Tommy along for her father's exhumation, but instead of answering questions about his suicide, it seems to just make more; Megan's mother suggests looking into her husband's patient files that may hold connections to his death.

 

Wednesday

Nova, Manhunt - Boston Bombers. ABC, 9:00pm.
The investigation and manhunt following the deadly Boston Marathon bombings on April 15 are chronicled, examining the roles of various innovative technologies, including bomb chemistry analysis and traditional detective work.

 

Thursday

 

 

 

Friday

 

 

 

Saturday

 

 

 

Sunday

The Killing. AMC, 8:00pm.
Detective Sarah Linden desperately tries to keep her past mistakes from tormenting her life; Holder finds himself struggling with a new assignment given to him; a prisoner manages to show his true colors while in prison. 2 hrs.

Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown, Peru. CNN, 9:00pm.
Anthony and fellow chef Eric Ripert go looking for a particular variety of wild cocoa that is only found in a remote part of the Andes, experiencing the pre-Colombian lifestyles of the rural areas as well as the modernity of Lima, the capital city.

 

Graphic Credit: TVTW Icon made from WikiMedia.org free software, you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation.

 

 

I thought Zebra made good pens

I used to think Zebra made nice, high quality pens. I used several different models of them for a number of years, but have been using a Parker most recently. I carry a small tablet around to catch ideas and such so a few months ago I purchased an Zebra compact telescoping pen.

I'm sorry I bought the pen. For one thing it's disposable, you cannot replace the ink. And second the thing broke less then three months after I started using it!

So it's back to my stainless steel Parker Jotter for daily carry.