XBR update..

Much to my pleasant surprise, I called Circuit City’s extended service warranty line today, relayed the problem of the dead bulb in the Sony XBR1 and they are “sending one out, [I] should have it within 7 to 10 business days”… Yay…

I may still seek out a local bulb because a Wayne without his Sony is a sad and potentially hazardous puppy. Might actually *shudder* clean the house out of sheer boredom, and we wouldn’t want that..

My Sony XBR1 just bit the dust…

As if life wasn’t already difficult, the $250 bulb in my Sony XBR1 50″ TV just blew. Memorial Day night, while everyone’s closed, and no one in town could provide an instantly gratifying replacement.

It was purchased late June 2006 from Circuit City with the 3 year service plan, but given Circuit City’s own financial issues, I am hopeful, but not holding my breath for a resolution through their extended service plans department. Otherwise, I’m on the search for the cheapest (but most reputable) place to buy a XL-5100 replacement bulb (including the housing).

Being a holiday week, it will probably be, oh, I dunno, Monday or so before the house is alight with the sound of mind-numbing video noise again. Until then, Hulu and the video store, here I come.

Thank you Miss California…

Miss California, Carrie Prejean answers honestly, with villain Perez holding the microphone

I was sitting here paging through the news on the BBC RSS feed this morning as I’m prone to do, when I read about the politically correct “uproar” at the Miss USA Pageant.

BBC News here

Personally, the subject of gay marriage doesn’t bother me one way, or another.  I really don’t care what other people do, but I’m incredibly impressed with the answer given by Carrie Prejean (Miss California) in front of a liberal audience

Quote:

—

“I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman. No offense to anybody there. But that’s how I was raised and that’s how I think it should be,”

—

To this, the raging nutbag idiot Perez Hilton, stirred the proverbial pot by blogging about how Carrie is a “dumb B***H”, while Keith Lewis, co-director the Miss California competition, which Prejean won to make it into the Miss USA pageant ran out to grab his 15 minutes to express how “saddened” he was at her “offensive answer”.

This is just insane to me.  Carrie Prejean was verbally ambushed by the ever-offensive Hilton with a question that could not be answered without offending SOMEONE out there.  His intent, regardless of the outcome, was to stir the pot and gain publicity for himself.

Had she answered in favor of gay marriage, she would have both angered the majority of Americans (losing the pageant), but most of all, she would have betrayed her own conscience.

To that end, I would submit that Perez Hilton is the villain here, while I applaud Carrie for her willingness to stand up against the liberal political correctness and have conviction in her own beliefs.

I guess, in all that I just feel the need to say “Kudos and well done Carrie“.  While I may, or may not agree with what you said, I thank you for reminding us that there are people still out there who are unafraid of saying what they mean, regardless of the consequences..

Strangely, I have the feeling she’ll be quickly snapped up and employed somewhere in the journalism field, and I really wish her all the best.

I concede on the Buffy Paradox…

Having been raised in a world where Kristy Swanson WAS “Buffy”, and having been essentially forbidden to watch the like-titled TV series from the beginning when I was married, I never quite got into it, though I LOVE the spin-off series “Angel”.  Go figure…

So, finally, after hearing friends — like friend o’ the blog Kerri over at Shameless TV – rave about the show for years, I find myself openly receptive to starting at the first season with episode 1 to see what all the spaz is about…

Problem is, I don’t own season 1, and I’m not sure I’m interested in wasting $30 to grab season 1 on DVD, not yet knowing whether or not it’s a keeper for me.  So, that leaves me with the ubiquitous netflix, iTunes (ick), or finding a friend that may have it available.  That is, of course, unless you guys have a better idea?

Special Effects Master Stan Winston dies of cancer at 62

Stan Winston, the man synonymous with amazing special effects has left the building at age 62.

Over his long and illustrious career, Stan brought us some of the most memorable visuals to grace the silver screen, from Aliens, to the Terminator, to the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park.

My thoughts go out to his family and friends. As an avid movie buff, I can only say “Thank you Stan, your influence will be felt for generations. Your contributions never forgotten.“

CNN News report : click here

Stan Winston Studio

Californication : a chance to catch up..

I hate to sound like a commercial here guys, but with most shows in hiatus, I was very happy to find that Comcast’s “On Demand” has the full season of Californication, along with The Tudors and several other series in HD waiting for you to catch up, or to pick up the show if you’ve never seen them.  Ramping up to the season openers I guess.

Normally I hate reruns, but given the choice between reruns of crap TV shows and Californication, I’ll take the latter every single time.

American Television Rant

Well Bleep…

Just found out that CBS canceled two of my favorite shows yesterday. Shark (starring James Woods) and Moonlight…

http://hollywoodinsider.ew.com/2008/05/cbs-cancels-sha.html

Why is it that whenever Hollywood brings out a good show that appeals to more than the average “Wal-mart crowd”, it gets canned?

Seriously.. Any time the networks bring out a show that appeals to intelligent, witty people, it lasts about a season, but they keep green-lighting more and more shows that don’t actually require a brain to watch like “American iDull”, “Survivor”, “Dancing with the Stars”, etc.. Are Americans in general so dumb, dull, and lifeless that they have to watch “reality shows” as entertainment?

If that’s the case, why don’t more people watch soap operas for escapism?

I know most of you watch those shows. No personal insult is intended. I just hate brainless TV that tries to pass itself off as more. Especially if that show is supposed to reflect some sort of “social consciousness”.

It’s ok if you have a “Two and a Half Men” because there is NEVER any pretense as to whether or not it’s supposed to be funny but c’mon people…

Watching mop-headed teenagers pimp themselves weekly for the chance to be publicly humiliated by Simon Cowell or “fluffed” by Paula Abdul is not entertainment…

Well bleep…

Oh, and another thing

Another thing on the list of “shows I was never allowed to watch while married”, I’ve just fallen in love with the unfortunately short-lived 2002 TV series “FireFly“. I had of course seen the movie Serenity when it came out, but not having been allowed to watch the series, I found the movie to be “just another good movie”…

Then came the glorious moment when I stumbled across the first episode of Firefly a couple of weeks ago on UniversalHD. Since the 60″ Sony is still in my bed room (pending the final install of baseboards in the living room), words fail to describe the sheer joy and beauty of seeing it for the first time in 1080i from the beginning.

Now, if someone could just truly explain to me how shitty series like Andromeda survived more than one season while Firefly was canceled, I’d be most pleased… I know. Blame it on FOX like I can with “Above and Beyond”. Question is, why does FOX continue buy ground-breaking sci-fi series when it knows that it has zero idea what to do with them???

Why, oh Why couldn’t Sci-fi have picked Firefly up instead of (yuck) Stargate Atlantis or (barf) Cattlecar Galaxative ? Inquiring minds want to know.

Wayne

Californication, my newest little sin

Just a thanks to Showtime for their new series “Californication” starring David Duchovny. As a relatively recent divorcee myself, I think they got it right with Hank Moody, a self-described”one-hit wonder” writer who, after being transplanted from the east coast to “Hell-A” (Los Angeles) encounters writers block, has his domestic partner leave him, and begins “revenge f*cking” with every woman he encounters in the attempt to rediscover himself.

Not exactly what I did when it happened to me, but definitely the way I wish it had gone.

Salemspectator.com

As some of you may know, I am a not-so-closet junkie of the NBC Soap Opera Days of our Lives. This affliction started about 15 years ago now when I was laid up with a kidney infection and couch-ridden with only access to a remote control.

Searching around on the Internet, there are several Days-related sites but none of them seemed to offer the friendly feel that I was after. To that end, I built a new site dedicated to all things Days.

You can see it at http://www.salemspectator.com

Lemme know what you think.