The Sub.Standard

In Plain Sight

July 17 . 2008 – 10.39 am

We’re about halfway through the summer, but the regular fall TV season probably won’t be starting for real for a couple of months (only CBS has announced its premiere schedule as far as I can tell).  So, how should your TiVo busy until then?  I’ll give you a few suggestions over the next week or so.

…Click to continue reading “In Plain Sight”

By may the pop be with you | Posted in Reviews, TV | Comments (0)

American Idol recap 4/15: Idol gets Mariah Carey-ed away

April 15 . 2008 – 10.21 pm

Mariah Carey-ed away. See what I did there?

Mariah CareyI have to admit, I went into tonight’s Top 7 Mariah Carey-infused episode fully expecting a suckfest. We’ve had some great examples this season of how bad things can go when song choices don’t work out, and I have always found Mariah to be a little too cliche for my (distinguished, I don’t care if I DO like Rock of Love a little too much) tastes. But thanks to some pretty-dang-solid performances, it was a good night, and definitely interesting. Here’s how it wizent dizown:

First off, David Archuletta again makes a curious song selection. It’s “When You Believe,” which is off of the (actually pretty outstanding) Prince of Egypt soundtrack. Lil’ Archuletta again goes with a religious theme, which is sure to fuel the “David Archuletta is a Christian” rumors (there’s also a “David Archuletta is a Mormon” rumor, although I haven’t seen any actual evidence to confirm either of those, although he IS from Utah…).

…Click to continue reading “American Idol recap 4/15: Idol gets Mariah Carey-ed away”

By i got your pop right here | Posted in Music, TV | Comments (4)

This Week In Jesus: American Idol worship edition

April 11 . 2008 – 12.10 pm

The biggest story by far for Jesus watchers this week comes to us from American Idol’s “Idol Gives Back” show, which aired Wednesday evening. Aside from the fact that they stole the church’s long-forgotten idea of taking care of orphans and widows (well, I can’t say they stole it, since the church threw that idea away long ago) by raising millions of dollars for needy children, the real story for TWIJers came in the very last performance, in the waning moments of the show. [At this point, I am NOT going to mention that my Tivo didn’t actually catch the performance since the show ran late and it came on after 9 pm at which time my infallible Tivaliscious friend switched to the show I had set to record at 9…I’m not going to mention it because my relationship with my Tivo is pretty important to me and I would never do anything to hurt it…I heart you, Tivo!]What happened in the last few minutes of the telecast was a simple little performance that was almost unexplainable from a conceptual standpoint.

…Click to continue reading “This Week In Jesus: American Idol worship edition”

By i got your pop right here | Posted in Movies, Music, TV, This Week In Jesus | Comments (0)

Cable Shows Appearing on Networks Part 2: Monk & Psych

April 3 . 2008 – 7.20 pm

USA Network has an interesting history.  I remember watching Calliope, a show that featured some priceless British cartoons.  It’s always featured some sports like golf, tennis, and even the old North American Soccer League.  What it did not feature until a few years ago is original programming.  Its first two hit original programs, Monk and Psych are now coming to NBC, its parent network, on April 6.  According to NBC’s website, they will probably run every Sunday night in April so you should be able to get a good look.

…Click to continue reading “Cable Shows Appearing on Networks Part 2: Monk & Psych”

By may the pop be with you | Posted in Reviews, TV | Comments (1)

3/19 Top Chef Results: teeny weeny blini blunder

March 20 . 2008 – 9.13 am

Like all reality show competitions, Top Chef always struggles in the first few weeks to get us to care about any of the contestants and this season is no exception, so when moderately-annoying Valerie got the axe, no one cared much. Here’s how it went down:

Wylie Dufresne was the guest judge, which felt promising for the few contestants (most notably this year’s resident mohawk - Richard) who practice the dark culinary art of molecular gastronomy. Dufresne is a Chicago local known for crazy stunts like printing his menus on edible paper with edible ink.

The quickfire challenge was at a farmer’s market, which was interesting…sort of. Contestants were allowed to purchase a total of five ingredients (not including oil, salt, pepper, and sugar). The second they announced the challenge, I thought, “There’s going to be at least ONE person that does not stick to the five.” Sure enough, Andrew forgets that balsamic counts as an ingredient. What a boob (and NOT in a good way).

…Click to continue reading “3/19 Top Chef Results: teeny weeny blini blunder”

By i got your pop right here | Posted in TV | Comments (0)