Kinda Want

Skins US vs UK: Part Two

I , unlike, so many fans of the UK original series was willing to give Brian Elsley the benefit of the doubt when I heard he was re-making SKINS for the U.S.  I’m not generally a fan of remakes but, in the case of SKINS, starting from the beginning was an unfortunate necessity for our prudish American minds.  Media outlets are already concerned about whether or not SKINS US can technically be considered child pornography (here and here).  Things kicked off when its was made aware that in the 3rd episode (airing January 31st) the character Chris Collins (UK version of Chris Miles) gets locked out of his house and runs down the street naked.  Parents Television Council came raining down on the show calling it the “most dangerous program that has ever been foisted on your children”. I wonder if we analyzed other American shows the way these people are shredding apart the morality of Skins how much content would be left.  If you’re less concerned about your teen watching a guy punch a girl in the face on reality TV but not watch some fake 17 year olds make out or have sex  on a scripted drama then  there may be something wrong here.   Snookie got punched in real life by a real person.  The Jersey Shore isn’t even listed on PTC site as a reviewed TV shows.

So kids. Fake tv sex=not okay. Real violence against women= eh.

I wanted to wait until I had gotten a few episodes in before passing judgment because Skins US is a strange case.  Anyone familiar with the UK version (read: watched all 4 series in a month like I did) can’t help but compare the two. Fresh off the heals of the last series 4 finale I can already tell there are a few major choices  MTV made that may have been the wrong one. Whats skins needed to do to win me over was come from left field, really blow my mind and prove it can stand on its own. I needed to see USA teens as complex human beings and not the lemming trash I currently think they are.  What did MTV do? Stole every god damn shot from the UK version they could.

The Chicago Code

Guys,  I didn’t think I’d be interested in watching a cop show that didn’t have an element of lady loving in there (even if  it’s just made up by me in subtext).

Exhibit A:

Exhibit B:

My criteria for loving a  tv show is it must include one or more of the following:

lesbians and/or subtext

spell casting

science fiction

vampires

mythology

british people

lauren graham

See? Cops not on the list.  Not even lady cops.

Last night, however, after watching the This Just Out interview with UH HUH HER about a million times and missing Alice.  Just alice. some of my favorite L Word people I decided to check out The Chicago Code.

Right off the bat, Shawn Ryan (creator of The Shield) made a great decision.  He cast J. Beals as Teresa Colvin, Chicago’s first female superintendent.

Beals is incredible as alpha dog.  It reminded me of all the great times we had with Bette.  JB is pretty much perfect at being fierce and vulnerable all at the same time which is enough to give you a fierce but vulnerable hard-on (?).

The basic premise is that Colvin, only six months in the role of superintendent, decides to take on the corruption in Chicago starting with Alderman Ronin Gibbons, the man who endorsed her position. The VO throughout threw me off a bit

See: Yelling to the Sky

Here here NOAH!

No, this is how you’re going to die

Some of the internet is all abuzz with this idea of the self-driving vehicles being researched by SARTRE, European Safe Road Trains for the Environment. The basic idea is that a lead truck will guide a string of idiots to slaughter wirelessly controlled cars down a highway.  The goal to improve safety on major highways, improve the environment (somehow) as well as allow the driver the opportunity to do something else during their commute.

Pros:

• Could actually improve safety on highways

Cons:

• Trusting some random stranger to lead your car safely down the road
• Do people really need that much opportunity to multi-task in the morning?
• Also, what freak of nature can read a newspaper in a moving car?

The hope is to have a real application of the software by 2020.  So that five year old kid of yours that you just gave your ipad to will be able to hack into you car and drive you off a cliff when you won’t let them stay out late.

YAY.

I’ll only get in if accidents can end in the following scenario:

British TV: Misfits

God bless Tameekatime for introducing me to, British series, Misfits.  Five twenty-somethings are doing community service when they’re all struck by lightning.  They soon start to realize they’ve each developed powers of some  kind.  Are they the only ones?

Once you get passed the whole getting struck by lightning silliness its a pretty good show.  Halfway through the first series and already addicted. It’s Heroes but without the pathetic brooding and sadness and the characters all provide some humor to a strange situation.

Skins: UK v.s US

Catching up on the UK version in time to catch the premiere of the US remake on January 17th.

 

 

Pretty sure this is the first time I’ll be intentionally watching MTV in about ten years. We’ll see how they do.

Want: Solar powered military tent

Inception in Real Time

Youtube user weikang cut the dream portions of inception together as they occur.

You suckas paid $12 to watch a 4 minute movie.  I once paid to go see A walk to Remember with my little sister. that movie?  not 4 minutes