Directed by James Burrows. With Eric McCormack, Debra Messing, Megan Mullally, Sean Hayes. A baby shower makes Grace and Will question their life choices; Karen and Jack find a way to combine child labor with musical theater.
Watches
Playlist of watched movies, television shows, online videos, and other visual-based events
📺 “60 Minutes” The Real Power of Google, The Theranos deception, The Spotted Pig | CBS
How did Google get so big; then, the Theranos deception; and, Mario Batali and the Spotted Pig
📺 "The Good Doctor" Islands: Part Two | ABC
Directed by Cherie Nowlan. With Freddie Highmore, Nicholas Gonzalez, Antonia Thomas, Chuku Modu. The twins suffer complications from their surgery forcing the team at San Jose Boneventure Hospital to make a life-changing decision. Meanwhile, Dr. Shaun Murphy returns to the hospital after his trip with Lea and decides he needs a more permanent change and gives Dr. Aaron Glassman his two weeks' notice.
I’m finding it harder and harder to want to keep up with this series. I like many of the actors, but the ones I like the best are seemingly given the least screen time. The characters here just aren’t as solid as those from previous series like House, and the “cases” aren’t really interesting or dramatic enough to bother with. Rejoining conjoined twins just after separating them? Really?!
It took me 3 tries to finally make it through this episode.
📺 “Madam Secretary” Thin Ice | CBS
Directed by Félix Enríquez Alcalá. With Téa Leoni, Tim Daly, Keith Carradine, Patina Miller. While the Secretary attends a summit intended to resolve territorial claims on the North Pole, an activist group detonates a bomb, and Russia is behind it. Henry helps a student through a hard decision.
📺 “Madam Secretary” Night Watch | CBS
Directed by Rob J. Greenlea. With Téa Leoni, Tim Daly, Keith Carradine, Patina Miller. Elizabeth and the cabinet must brace for fallout after President Dalton announces a retaliatory nuclear strike on a nation that has launched missiles at the US.
Interesting subject matter that doesn’t directly impinge on current administration policy, except it subtly does…
I pray for the deep state.
I pray for the deep state.
📺 “Modern Family” Clash of Swords | ABC
Directed by James Alan Hensz. With Ed O'Neill, Sofía Vergara, Julie Bowen, Ty Burrell. In the Season 9 finale, Mitchell sneaks out to "Hero-Con" with fanboy Phil, dressed as their favorite characters from the show "Clash of Swords." It's great until Phil commits the ultimate fan faux pas. In a clash of another kind, Gloria's dinosaur party for Joe is ruined when her nemesis, Dr. Donna Duncan, upstages her with a far bigger and better party right next door.
📺 Wintergatan – Marble Machine (music instrument using 2000 marbles) | YouTube
Marble Machine built and composed by Martin Molin
Video filmed and edited by Hannes Knutsson
Costume designed by Angelique Nagtegaal
📺 Royal wedding: Prince Harry, Meghan Markle marry at Windsor Castle | CBS
Prince Charles walked Meghan Markle down the aisle for the American actress to take vows of marriage with Prince Harry
I taped this last night and am watching all six hours (sans advertising) this afternoon.
CBS coverage was alright despite the fact that they seemed to be getting information either wrong or fixing it after the fact. It makes me wonder if the royal press office was releasing details contemporaneously? In particular they really botched the coverage of the designer of the dress.
I would have appreciated more details on the royals and the culture aspect rather than the heavy emphasis on American-based actors. I think I learned more in the Lifetime-esque movies I saw last weekend than I did in the huge amount of fill time CBS seemed to waste here. They did a vaguely decent job of situating the action at least. Another missing piece here was some reasonable chemistry among the primary team that seemed to be lacking in the reportage–they spent just a bit too much time speaking over each other than I would expect on this level of coverage.
I would have appreciated one or two different key images in the chyron as the same engagement image for 3 hours did seem a bit much.
I did love the fact that 2 billion people were able to see some merging of cultures that wouldn’t otherwise be seen in decades or centuries past. The fact that MLK was quoted in a British wedding was fantastic.
📺 “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” Iran Deal | HBO
With Alivia Clark, David Kaye, Thomas Kopache, John Oliver. 'Iran Deal' is the worst deal of all time in Donald Trump's Eyes. But John Oliver Explains Why It Is Better Than No Deal. Because this deal strictly forbade Iran to develop any sort of nuclear weapons. And all of their declared nuclear sites have close monitoring, as well as any suspected site could be monitored within 24 days of the request. The sad part is, top advisers of Trump administration are also against the deal. That is why John prepared a new ad with catheter cowboy to explain the matter to Trump and scheduled it on his favorite Sean Hannity's show.
This would be funny if it weren’t so painfully true. The idea of placing ads on Hannity is pretty intriguing though.
📺 “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” Corporate Taxes | HBO
Directed by Paul Pennolino. With David Kaye, John Oliver. John Oliver talks about the Corporate Taxes. He gives examples of how big corporation always tries to evade taxes. They are using the loop holes in American tax system. He also expressed his doubts about the promises were made by the new tax plan. He used the unfruitful past experience of tax holiday to support his claim.
📺 "Madam Secretary" Protocol | CBS
Directed by Charlotte Brändström. With Téa Leoni, Tim Daly, Keith Carradine, Patina Miller. When terrorists threaten to cause a flood in the Middle East that could kill millions of people, Elizabeth's hopes of getting a neighboring country to close the dam fade after the government suddenly goes dark during a coup. Also, Stevie is tasked with finding Russell an activity that will help manage his stress.
📺 Cobra Kai Ep 1 – “Ace Degenerate” – The Karate Kid Saga Continues | YouTube
Thirty years after the events of the 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament, Johnny Lawrence’s life has taken a rocky turn as he tries to forget a past that constantly haunts him. He seeks redemption by reopening the infamous Cobra Kai karate dojo. But the LaRusso-Lawrence rivalry of yesteryear is reignited when their lives become intertwined with the next generation of “karate kids.”
I half expected Daniel to be more of a bad guy here as they redeemed Johnny, but it’s actually working out better than I would have anticipated. They do a reasonable job of making the viewer sympathetic to Johnny and his mission. I’ll give this a shot.
📺 "Land of the Lost" The Sleestak God, Season 1, Episode 2 | NBC
Directed by Dennis Steinmetz. With Wesley Eure, Kathy Coleman, Dave Greenwood, Bill Laimbeer. While searching the Lost City, Will and Holly are captured by lizard-men which are known as Sleestak.
Someone asked me why Lost in Space ended up in their Netflix queue as recommendation because they had watched The West Wing but they confused it with Land of the Lost. Somehow I got sucked into watching this old episode which reminded me of my childhood. It is truly dreadful. The plot, dialogue, and acting are atrocious, but somehow the nostalgia sucks me in. Stuck in this new place and they don’t find it interesting that there’s a sign written in English saying “Beware of Sleestak”?!
Hearing Cha-ka pronounce Sleestack sounds to me more like “Slease attack-a”. I wonder if it was a political statement of some sort (but not really)?
📺 Ballpark BBQ, Season 5 Episode 10 | Food Network
Host Geoffrey Zakarian and judges Daphne Oz and Marcus Samuelsson throw the cooks and cons a curve ball in round one by tasking them with fusing corn and hot dogs. After one contestant strikes out, the remaining contestants continue to round two in hopes of making their best dish incorporating barbecue.
📺 "Black-ish" Dream Home | ABC
Directed by E. Langston Craig. With Anthony Anderson, Tracee Ellis Ross, Marcus Scribner, Miles Brown.
Thank goodness the show seems to have come back after a few awful/painful episodes. I watch this for the comedy and social satire, not for the poignancy and pain the producers think they’re entitled to play around with for the sake of character. They almost lost me.