Frank Oz is back as the voice of Yoda in Star Wars Rebels

Frank Oz is back as the voice of Yoda in Star Wars Rebels: "Path of the Jedi" airing Monday, January 4th at 9pm ET/PT on Disney XD.

Rebels takes place a few years before the original Star Wars film, A New Hope, while Yoda is in exile on Dagobah.

Here's a clip from the episode:

Mozart in the Jungle: Amazons new series is worth a look

The first season of Amazon's new series Mozart in the Jungle is available now. It was released in it's entirety. I've seen the first three episodes and I'm enjoying it very much. Interesting, funny, love the music. It shows the behind the scenes of the world of the symphony.

Favorite characters are Hailey, an oboist trying to make it in a very tough industry, Rodrigo who is what I expected, young, quirky and brilliant. People can say what they want about him but when it comes to music he is a genius. Also it's so great to see Bernadette Peters. I've loved her for years and she is wonderful in this.

The episodes are only about 25 minutes which I kind of like. I definitely recommend checking it out.

From Amazon:
A new Amazon Original Series: What happens behind the curtains at the symphony is just as captivating as what happens on stage. Created by Paul Weitz (About a Boy), Roman Coppola (The Darjeeling Limited), and Jason Schwartzman (Rushmore). Brash new maestro Rodrigo (Gael Garcia Bernal) is stirring things up, and young oboist Hailey (Lola Kirke) hopes for her big chance.

Sons of Anarchy - Jax's Legacy (the finale) SPOILERS

SPOILERS for the series finale of Sons of Anarchy. 









Jax left a legacy to his sons, by completely destroying everything good about himself. 

Does Mark Wahlberg deserve a Pardon for 1988 crime?

Mark Wahlberg served 45 days in jail in 1988 for beating up Vietnamese immigrant, Johnny Trinh. The actor has recently been trying to get a pardon and even his victim agrees that Wahlberg deserves one. Johnny Trinh, is now living in Texas and told Daily Mail that he had no idea who his assailant was until now.

"I've worked very hard to better myself as a person, and this was something that was put in front of me. Whether it happens or not, I will continue to work hard to be the best person I can be and be a role model and inspiration to kids growing up in areas like mine that don't have a real shot to succeed," - Wahlberg

A document was filed November 26th requesting the pardon. It states that in 1988, when Wahlberg was 16, he hit a man in the head with a wooden stick while trying to steal two cases of alcohol in front of a convenience store near his family's home in the Dorchester section of Boston.   Wahlberg says the pardon will help him with his youth programs. The charge prohibits him from becoming a probation officer.

“The more complex answer is that receiving a pardon would be a formal recognition that I am not the same person that I was on the night of April 8, 1988. It would be formal recognition that someone like me can receive official public redemption if he devotes himself to personal improvement and a life of good works,” Wahlberg wrote. 

But most people believe that it's because his record could prevent him from receiving a liquor license in California. That doesn't bode well for his restaurants Wahlburgers or Alma Nove expansions.

Does it matter if that's his main reason, as long as he's proven he's not the same person he was back then? It will be hard for him to get the governor of Massachusetts on board. There have been no pardons from the last two governors in that state and I'm not so sure the first one will be for Wahlberg.
 
Sources: wcvb, people.com, bostonmagazine.com

Star Wars Comic #1 is Best Selling Comic even before being released!

Star Wars #1 is the top-selling single-issue comic book of the last twenty years and it won't even be in stores until January 14, 2015.

Marvel has confirmed that the issue has more than one million sold to direct market. 

That news doesn't surprise me. What with the new movie coming out and simply the fact that it's Star Wars.


The series will take place between the events of Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back and feature all of the major characters from the films.

"I’m super thrilled, of course. I’ve been saying for a while that 2015 is gonna be a very good year to be writing Star Wars. This only proves it. Excitement is already building for the new film coming next December, and we’re just lucky we get to be the first big new Star Wars story coming right out of the gate. So yeah, I can’t wait for people to see what we’ve put together." - writer Jason Aaron

Preview & Trailer of the Doctor Who Christmas Special - Last Christmas

BBC also released the trailer for the special:

Click here to view on BBC page

Rizzoli & Isles renewed for Season 6!

It's official! Rizzoli & Isles will be back for a 6th season with 18 episodes. But first they need to finish season five! ;-)

New episodes of Rizzoli & Isles will begin in February with episode 5×12 “Burden of Proof.”

A high-profile prosecutor is being accused of murder, but Jane doesn’t think he was behind it. Meanwhile, Maura is facing meeting Jack’s daughter, and Angela gives her some insight in how to handle kids.
- inquisitr.com

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice SPOILERS - possible DEATHS

SPOILERS if true. Rumors of deaths, plus the time frame and location.

J.K. Rowling is adding to the Harry Potter saga beginning Dec. 12th

J.K. Rowling announced that she will release new segments within her existing Harry Potter saga starting December 12th. Fans will have to answer the rhyming riddles posted on Pottermore in order to receive the new writings.




 Here's the announcement on Pottermore Facebook:

Christmas is coming early to Pottermore. Starting Friday, December 12, we’ll be releasing a surprise for you every day on pottermore.com at 1pm GMT (8am EST).

With wonderful new writing by J.K. Rowling in Moments from 'Half-Blood Prince', shiny gold Galleons and even a new potion or two, make sure you don’t miss out – just visit pottermore.com and answer our rhyming riddles to unwrap a #PottermoreChristmas surprise every day.  -

Stephen King’s IT is coming to the big-screen

Stephen King’s horror novel It is coming to the big-screen. Produced by Dan Lin and directed by Cary Fukunaga. 

“The idea is to start official prep in March for a summer shoot,” said Lin. “Cary likes to develop things for a while, and we’ve been with this for about three or four years, so we’re super excited that he stayed with it. You guys are gonna be really excited.” Lin plans to split King’s novel into two movies. “The book is so epic that we couldn’t tell it all in one movie and service the characters with enough depth.” The first film will be a coming-of-age story about the children tormented by It. The second will see those same characters continue as adults. 

“The most important thing is that Stephen King gave us his blessing,” said Lin. “We didn’t want to make this unless he felt it was the right way to go, and when we sent him the script, the response that Cary got back was, ‘Go with God, please! This is the version the studio should make.’ So that was really gratifying.”



Source: Vulture

Terminator Genisys Trailer: It's Deja vu all over again

Benedict Cumberbatch will play Stephen Strange in Marvel's Doctor Strange.

Fan Art by Juan Hugo Martinez

 It's official, Marvel has confirmed that Benedict Cumberbatch will be Doctor Strange.

“Stephen Strange’s story requires an actor capable of great depth and sincerity,” said Producer Kevin Feige. “In 2016, Benedict will show audiences what makes Doctor Strange such a unique and compelling character.”

It will be directed by Scott Derrickson and written by Jon Spaihts.

After a car accident Doctor Stephen Strange discovers the hidden world of magic and alternate dimensions.

Terminator: Genisys Motion Poster [aka Teaser Trailer]

Make sure to check back for the Terminator: Genisys trailer on Thursday, December 4th, but for now, here’s what they're calling a motion poster:
 

Too many curses in Once Upon a Time? Jennifer Morrison says no.

What do think, has Once Upon A Time worn out the use of curses as a plotline? Jennifer Morrison doesn't think so. Do you agree?

Star Wars: The Force Awakens Official Teaser Trailer is here!

Right off the bat - It's the Millennium Falcon!! Woohoo!! Love it. Looks cool. Secondly, may I just say I love Benedict Cumberbatch... I do. So glad he's joined the Dark Side... or did he join the light? With that voice I say dark, but you never know.

And last but not least, what do you think about that light saber? What's the point of the two other ends? I'm not sure, but can't wait to find out.
So far it looks like Star Wars, and that's a really good sign. It says to me that J. J. Abrams hasn't strayed too far on the look and feel. (At least from what we can get from less than 2 minutes.)








Trailer breakdown

Star Wars: The Force Awakens Official TRAILER, SPOILERS & RUMORS

The official trailer for Star Wars: The Force Awakens will be in 30 theaters across the country this weekend! I've also got some spoiler info about the plot and that of another Star Wars sequel.


Here's the list of theaters for the weekend of Nov. 28-30th:

    Phoenix: Harkins Tempe Marketplace
    Los Angeles: AMC Century City and El Capitan
    Irvine, Calif.: Regal Spectrum Irvine 21
    San Francisco: AMC Meteron 16
    San Jose, Calif.: Cinemark Oakridge 20
    San Diego: Regal Mira Mesa 18
    Toronto: CPX Younge & Dundas
    Vancouver: CPX Riverport
    Denver: AMC Westminster 24
    Washington: AMC Tysons Corner 16
    Miami: Carmike Parisian 20
    Atlanta: Regal Atlantic Station
    Chicago: Regal City
    Boston: AMC Boston Commons 19
    Detroit: Cinemark Showcase 20
    Minneapolis: AMC Southdale
    Kansas City: AMC Studio 30
    New York City: AMC Lincoln Square 12 and Regal Union Square
    Cleveland: Cinemark 24
    Philadelphia: Regal Warrington 22
    Nashville: Carmike Thoroughbred 20
    Knoxville, Tenn.: Regal Pinnacle
    Dallas: Cinemark Plano 20
    Houston: Regal MARQ*E Stadium 23
    Austin: Alamo South Lamar
    Salt Lake City: Cinemark 24 WJ
    Seattle: Regal Thornton Place 14
    Milwaukee: Marcus Brookfield 16


Website: http://thoughtsfromatvgeek.com
Twitter: @kellyeneal
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reddit: one_eleven_productions

Week in review: Walking Dead, Sons Of Anarchy, OUAT, Gotham

Reviewing several shows from Nov. 16-23rd. The Walking Dead, Sons of Anarchy, Once Upon a Time, & Gotham.

Benedict Cumberbatch in The Imitation Game (OFFICIAL Trailer)

Benedict Cumberbatch plays famous mathematician and WWII code-breaker Alan Turing in 'The Imitation Game'. With Keira Knightley, Matthew Goode, Allen Leech. The movie opens Friday, Nov 21st.

The Walking Dead - Consumed - Emotionally delves deep but some contrived...

There's good and bad for me in this episode of The Walking Dead, "Consumed." Love Carol & Daryl but had a couple of issues with plot points.

Tig & Venus - Sons of Anarchy - Love story you don't see coming.

Tig & Venus had a fun, flirtatious relationship on Sons of Anarchy. In episode 7x10 "Faith and Despondency" that relationship moved to a deeper level. Beautiful scene. Wonderful actors.











More reviews at Thoughts from a TV Geek Videos

The Walking Dead - Self Help Review - Who was shocked? SPOILERS

On this episode of Thoughts from a TV Geek: The Walking Dead episode Self Help! Do you read the comics? Did you have any clue about Eugene?

More reviews at Thoughts from a TV Geek Videos

The Walking Dead - Slabtown Review - A Beth ep? Really? SPOILERS

On this episode of Thoughts from a TV Geek, let's discuss the Walking Dead episode Slabtown! Can the character of Beth carry a complete episode? What happened to Carol? So, now who do you think was with Daryl last episode? I give my thoughts on these questions and more. Join the discussion in the comments!







More reviews at Thoughts from a TV Geek Videos.

Wonder Woman movie plot revealed! Plus gets a possible trilogy SPOILERS

Picture posted by Redditor ak_ to r/funny,

We all heard about how Wonder Woman is getting her own movie starring Gal Gadot, right? Well now Bleeding Cool has revealed the plot. Looks like the movie will start on Paradise Island, where Wonder Woman is from. A man will come asking for help and Wonder Woman will go with him - back to 1920's America.

It looks like the entire first movie will be in that era, with second and third movies to take place in the 1940's and modern day (with the Justice League Of America) respectively.

This storyline goes back to the origins of Wonder Woman - being plunged into a world that doesn’t make sense to her at all since her world was built on strong women, equality, and justice. Not typical in the 1920's.

Note: The photo above was amusing since myself and everyone I know who also watched Xena: Warrior Princess in the 90's had the exact same reaction about the new costume.

Check out my video review:

VIDEO: Terminator Genisys - Remake? Say it isn't so! SPOILERS

Related: Matt Smith in new Terminator movie!

Mr. Ferrari & Mr. Tom Hanks

Because Tom Hanks rocks! Great story.

Post by Humans of New York.

VIDEO: Brotherhood - starring Jason Clarke, Jason Isaacs & Annabeth Gish

Check out my review of Brotherhood - an amazing television drama series that aired on Showtime from 2006-2009.

If you haven't seen it yet watch my review and then go check it out!!











More reviews at Thoughts from a TV Geek Videos.

VIDEO: Gracepoint & Broadchurch - Why remake the British show?

Episode one of my new review show - Thoughts From a TV Geek! Gracepoint is the American remake of British show Broadchurch. Why remake it? Why keep David Tennant in the same part? (Even though I love him, you have to admit it's strange.) These are my thoughts & opinions on the subject.



Comments are always welcome (on both here and YouTube) whether you agree or disagree!

SPOILERS: The Judge - Robert Downey Jr Q&A with law students

I'm looking forward to seeing this movie.


Warning: Major SPOILERS


Click here to go to the video.

Wanna watch me get schooled by @NorthwesternLaw? Check out the video here: http://t.co/rflYUH7sbk pic.twitter.com/jjNswjVoEB
— Robert Downey Jr (@RobertDowneyJr) October 7, 2014

"Expectations are resentments under construction" - Robert Downey Jr.

R2-D2 & C-3PO visit Sesame Street, 1979 pic.twitter.com/phvoCdWQFX
— History In Pictures (@HistoryInPics) October 6, 2014

Benedict Cumberbatch as Alan Turing in "The Imitation Game" - Official Teaser Trailer

The Imitation Game Stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Alan Turing and should be out in the U.S. Nov. 1st. 

It looks very good. I'm a fan of Cumberbatch and love these types of war movies. I'm looking forward to seeing it.

Alan Turing was a computer scientist and mathematician He is considered the father of artificial intelligence and he's the person who cracked the German Enigma code. (For a great movie about how we stole an Enigma machine check out U-571.)

The Imitation Game was Turing's name for what we now call a Turing Test, which is:

...a test to determine whether a computer can think... distinguishing “original” thought from sufficiently sophisticated “parroting.”

...if a computer acts, reacts, and interacts like a sentient being, then call it sentient. To avoid prejudicial rejection of evidence of machine intelligence, Turing suggested the “imitation game,” now known as the Turing test: a remote human interrogator, within a fixed time frame, must distinguish between a computer and a human subject based on their replies to various questions posed by the interrogator. By means of a series of such tests, a computer’s success at “thinking” can be measured by its probability of being misidentified as the human subject.

- www.britannica.com

PLOT REVEALED: The Avengers Sequel

This looks like it could be good. They're getting a couple of DC characters in the movie also. 

I still haven't seen the latest Captain America (It's the prequel along with Iron Man 3 and Thor 2.) I wasn't a fan of the first Captain America so I didn't bother to see the sequel. I liked Thor, Thor 2 was okay (I didn't get into it as much as I'd have liked,) and I loved Iron Man 3, probably more than 1 & 2.
 
How did I forget that Disney ALSO owns Marvel? Google's taking over the internet and Disney is taking over the movies!



Here's a few excerpts of what's to come.

Entertainment Weekly's latest issue has a huge 11-page spread on the "Avengers" sequel, revealing what to expect from possibly the biggest movie of 2015.
We find out a bit about how the Avengers team reassembles after the last film, what's going on with the additions of Elizabeth Olsen and Aaron Taylor-Johnson as new characters Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver, and how villain Ultron comes into play. 

After "Thor 2," "Iron Man 3," and "Captain America: The Winter Soldier," our superheroes are pretty much in retirement mode.
Thor has given up his right as the leader of Asgard, Captain America has gone off in a search of his friend Bucky, and Tony Stark rid of all his Iron Man suits.
According to EW, the Avengers team now wants someone — or something — else to take the lead when it comes to fighting off villains. 

Enter Ultron, a drone that was originally built by Hank Pym (the original Ant-Man) in the comics back in 1968. This time; however, he'll be built by Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) as a means of protection gone awry.

"The 'Avengers' sequel begins with Stark's latest plan to fix the world: Ultron will be an all-seeing, all-knowing captain of the Iron Legion, a planetary force of robotic beat cops that resemble blue-and-white versions of the Iron Man suit but have no human core ... If it all works out, the superheroes can just sit back. It does not work out.

"In a bid to give his creation a dose of humanity, Stark programs Ultron (James Spader) with elements of his own personality—which proves to be Mistake No. 1 ... It seems our new robot overlord is an absolutist with all of Stark's cynicism but none of his kindness."

Whedon says the Scarlet Witch will be able to "harness magic and telekinesis." She'll be able to get "inside your head and move objects." From the article, it also sounds like she's not completely in control of her psychic abilities.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/avengers-age-of-ultron-plot-2014-7#ixzz381DnT09K

VIDEO & PICS Matt Smith & Karen Gillan @ Wizard World Comic Con - Plus Whoopi!

This casually happened... Also there was nothing casual about me in this moment. pic.twitter.com/AskbAm3Yez
— Karen Gillan (@KarenGillan2) June 23, 2014

Costumes and sonics




What if Karen played the Doctor and Matt played the companion?




Their time in New York




Batman & The Riddler plus Karen's singing




Which character trait they would have liked to explore more




Source: bbcamerica.com

Bar loses liquor license over Bar Rescue episode

I know Bar Rescue is a reality show, and probably more staged then most reality shows, but bar owners should take a warning from O'Face Bar in Council Bluffs, IA. The bar faces closing after the city council denied them a renewal of their liquor license based on what they saw in the show and what kind of reputation the episode gave their city.

They're the first bar not to get a rescue from star John Taffer, and no wonder. In the episode that featured the bar there was physical abuse against employees and excessive drinking by owners and management. It was the worst dive bar I'd ever seen, and having been a professional musician and DJ for over 30 years I've seen my share of dive bars.

It's one thing to stage arguments and horrible employees to get the "drama" needed before getting your beautiful make-over, but it would seem O'Face went a bit too far. To top it off they didn't even get a makeover!

Below is the article about the liquor license refusal. A warning to bar owners wanting to be on Bar Rescue - don't over do the drama.

Bluffs council backs denial of liquor license renewal for watering hole featured on 'Bar Rescue'

Excerpts:

“I understand this is a reality show, but the depiction of this inaccuracy has caused irreparable harm to the city,” [Mayor Matt Walsh] told the owner, Matthew Overmyer.

“This sort of show concerns me that you would hold out this community in a false light,” [Council members Nate Watson] told Overmyer. “We all make mistakes, but we have to pay for them.”

JJ Abrams addresses Millennium Falcon leak!

Do you recognize what's in this picture?

Let the Wookie win!!

pic.twitter.com/wQYfaVtwFU
— Bad Robot (@bad_robot) June 4, 2014

Canceled shows I was watching

A lot of shows have been canceled this season. Several of them I was enjoying, others I totally get why they got the ax.

Sometimes I feel that shows aren't given enough time to grow. There are some decent concepts out there that maybe need the time to get past the first season growing pains.

	Almost Human: I liked this show. Yes, it was a formula cop show, but I liked the characters and futuristic setting.This is one that I wish got a second season to grow.
	Dracula: I love vampire movies and shows. My obssesion started back in the 70's with Dark Shadow. So I was very excited about Dracula. I did like it, but truth be told I get why it was canceled. I think the wireless electricity storyline was a tad much. They should have stuck with the story of a vampire in love with his reincarnated wife.
	Intelligence: Naturally, I only recently started watching this show to now find out it's been canceled. I really liked this one. Interesting story. I'm only on episode four but so far I'm enjoying it. I'll finish the season.
	Revolution: I only watched the first couple of episodes of this series. I couldn't get into it so I'm not surprised it's been canceled. It actually got a second season to grow and build. Obviously they needed more work.

Canceled shows I didn't watch:

(I almost started watching Believe and The Tomorrow People. Glad I didn't. Maybe I'll watch the first seasons on Netflix sometime. )

ABC
Trophy Wife
Mixology
The Neighbors
Super Fun Night
Suburgatory

CBS
Bad Teacher
The Crazy Ones
Hostages
Friends With Better Lives

The CW
Star-Crossed
The Tomorrow People
The Carrie Diaries

Fox
Enlisted
Rake
Dads
Surviving Jack

NBC
Community
Believe
Crisis
Growing Up Fisher

Matt Smith in new Terminator movie!

Matt Smith in Terminator? I'm not sure how I feel about the remaking of Terminator, however very cool that Matt has landed what is said to be a "major" role.

From Den of Geek:
According to Deadline, the Eleventh Doctor is joining the new Terminator trilogy that Deadline are describing as "a major role that will grow in the second and third films." In other words, he won't be cannon fodder.
 
The fifth Terminator film, alternately referred to as Terminator: Genesis and simply, Terminator, already includes Emilia Clarke (as Sarah Connor), Jason Clarke (as John Connor), Jai Courtney (as Kyle Reese), Day Okeniyi (as Danny Dyson) and an unknown gentleman named Arnold Schwarzenegger. That's an awful lot of potentially heroic types in this movie. Could Matt Smith be making the leap to villainy to distinguish himself from his time on Doctor Who?

We don't have a TARDIS, but we do have a Time Lord: we're pleased to welcome Matt Smith to the cast of #Terminator.
— Skydance Productions (@Skydance) May 2, 2014

Doctor Who Fan-Made Short Film - Stone

Another great fan-made short from John Smith.

Like horror? Like the Weeping Angels?

Don't blink!




Also check out WHOLOCK by John Smith

Commercial That Makes You Think - Starring Downton Abby's Michelle Dockery

The first time I saw this video I thought it was absolutely brilliant. It stars Michelle Dockery from Downton Abbey.

I don't want to give anything away so I'm not going to say anymore. Watch and see what you think. Feel free to comment below.

This is from the Changing Faces Campaign.

Doctor Who & Sherlock Crossover! Amazing fan-made short!

I love fan made videos. I've made plenty of my own. Most fan-made videos are music videos where you can tell a new story of the characters through the music. I'm not talking about slapping images together. It needs to make some sense, either matching lyrics or a new complete storyline. It takes some talent to make a good music video that matches picture with song in a way that tells a story.

What is more difficult is telling a new short story using only footage from a show(s) and making it look like it was filmed that way. The video below is one of the best I've seen. The time it must have taken to place two characters on two different shows together on screen and look almost seamless is astonishing.

WHOLOCK is a great short film by John Smith that every Whovian and Sherlock fan should watch. Even if you're not a fan, check it out for the fantastic effects. Then check out the breakdown for all the effects work done for the short. 

TableTop Season 3 Is A Go!

Most of you know I'm a huge fan of the YouTube show TableTop. They've had two great seasons and now they're going independent for season three. They needed $500,000 to make 15 episodes and they surpassed that goal! (See video below.) That may seem like a lot to some but this show is television broadcast quality for a fraction of what it costs for a half hour show on TV.

As Wil Wheaton explained:

I completely understand a sense of 'sticker shock' upon hearing that this YouTube show needs half a million dollars to produce fifteen episodes. This week, I'm doing an episode of The Big Bang Theory, When it's all finished and cut together, it'll be about 22 minutes (approximately the same length as the average episode of TableTop), and it'll cost several million dollars to produce. If you do a strict math problem, you'll see that we do fifteen (or 20 if/when we get there) episodes of TableTop - 33 minutes, at least, that's 660 minutes of TableTop - for less than the cost of a single 22 minute episode of network television.

The next goal is $750,000 to make 20 episodes. They have 28 days left and I would not be surprised if they get there. They have some great perks, even for people like me who can't afford to contribute a lot of money.

Check out the fundraiser here: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/tabletop-season-3-with-wil-wheaton


TableTop: https://www.youtube.com/user/geekandsundry

CGI has ruined careers!!!

By your command. pic.twitter.com/1O3VxJsnxS
— George Takei (@GeorgeTakei) April 4, 2014

Doctor Who: What 9th, 10th & 11th mean to us

Photo: randomologyofmoi

So true!

I LOVE Matt's Doctor but then I go back and watch David and boy I miss his Doctor. 

The 50th anniversary episode was, in my opinion the all time best Doctor Who episode.

Wil Wheaton responds to a little girl on how to deal with being called a nerd

Every child who is teased or bullied should watch this video. It's the best advice that any child could receive from someone who'd been there. Kudos to Wil Wheaton (Star Trek: The Next Generation) for giving such a wonderful response.

Never be ashamed of who you are or what you love.

British "Reality TV" competitors more humble than Americans

I watch a lot of UK shows and although I'm not a huge "reality" television fan I DO watch a lot of competition shows - mostly cooking. What I've noticed when comparing American shows to the UK shows is how humble the British are compared to Americans.

As an example, on Masterchef UK (a very different show over there by the way) you'll rarely ever hear a chef say that the judge is wrong. They take the criticism and learn from it. In the states you always hear things like "he (the judge) doesn't know what he's talking about," "I know mine was better," etc.

I was just watching Ink Master and one of the contestants says that "Oliver (one of the judges) doesn't know his ass from a hole in the ground." My first thought was, "If you don't have any respect for the judges why are you there?"

Is it just me?

Before anyone says it, I know that even the competition shows are "Reality" shows and that the producers control the editing and sometimes push for the negative comments. I get that. But the fact is if it didn't sell they wouldn't do it.

All I know is I'm grateful to be able to fast forward through competitors in the "house" bitching about the judges and each other. I'm also grateful to be able to get the British shows. I know I'm probably in the minority but I watch for the actual competition, not the drama.

And I do feel that a little humility goes a long way.

A friend told me the difference is that manners and decorum are lacking in the States. I tend to agree with her.

American Idol vs. The Voice - The quality of singers

I've been watching The Voice and American Idol for a few years now and I've notice one major difference in these two singing competitions – The quality of the singers. American Idol definitely loses in the overall quality of singers. 

I began watching American Idol once Simon Cowell left. That's not to say I never saw the show. I had family and friends into it and if I was at their house well lets just say “When in Rome...” I never enjoyed it because to me there was a lot of mediocre singers and a couple of really good singers. I remember saying to a friend of mine while watching back in 2008, “They're all singing out of tune. Are they really considered the best America has to offer?” I am a musician and working Wedding and Karaoke DJ, I hear all kinds of singers. There are singers in the clubs that would blow what American Idol considers the best out of the water. 

The Voice on the other hand is not interested in showcasing bad singers. You'll notice during the blind auditions no one sucks. Some are far better than others and some let their nerves get the best of them, but they are all very good singers. That's because The Voice singers are hand picked by producers for quality. They have some “open” auditions but most of the talent you see on the show producers have personally picked from YouTube, SoundCloud and other online sites, plus traveling to local clubs. Producers contact the artists to see if they'd like to audition – for the producers not the blind auditions on the show – and then hand pick who they put through to the blind auditions. 

It's similar for Idol, but only in the sense that the auditions are not just what you see on the show. The stadium full of people you see on TV is deceiving. They each have a number and it's a lottery drawing. If you're number is called you get to go audition for judges that are not celebrities. They decide who gets through to audition for the producers and then the producers make the final decision as to who goes in front of the celebrity judges. They purposely take bad singers who make good television. That's a huge difference from The Voice. If they don't call your number you go home without having sung a note. 

Now, mind you it's all reality TV and the producers for both shows will take lots of liberties. They're aloud. For both Idol and The Voice it is in the contracts that producers have the last say, even over the voting public. Now I know with Idol a major upset in the voting is great for television and they'll leave it be. However, they know who can ultimately sell albums and go on tour. That is after all the true name of the game - the recording company getting the best artist to promote and sell.

My advice to young people wanting to get on either show is don't go in looking for instant fame. That fame will fade by the time the next season begins. Can you name the top 10 from Season 12? How about 11? Season 10? Probably not. That doesn't mean those artists didn't “make it.” Most did. No they're not all on the level of Kelly Clarkson, but they have careers. If you research, the majority are still in music. Some are on Broadway, some have recording contracts, some are touring, and yes some are back making the rounds at the clubs. That's the nature of the business. So be an artist first. Work on your craft and always strive to improve. 

And for viewers, know that both shows are reality television so the way the show edits together is not necessarily how it was all done. That doesn't mean you can't enjoy it, but please, vote for actual talent over looks. Maybe the quality of American Idol will improve to the standard of The Voice if more people vote for actual talent.

Side note: I like the combination of Keith Urban, Jennifer Lopez and Harry Connick, Jr. on Idol. Harry and Keith bring to it the more technical criticisms  and advice which I believe these kids need to hear and learn from, and Jennifer tries to help them all through encouragement, pointing out the positive and letting them know when more is needed. It's interesting that since The Voice – who has coaches not judges – it seems like Idol judges have tried to be more like coaches and help these kids rather than judge them.

Sherlock: Fuck Moriarty 3 ways...

Okay, minds out of the gutter, it's not what you're thinking!!

Season 1 cliffhanger: Oh fuck, Moriarty!

Season 2 cliffhanger: Oh FUCK Moriarty

Season 3 cliffhanger: OH FUCK! MORIARTY???




Source: tardis-impala-2-2-1