A Painted Television? Why Not!

A while ago I decided that I wanted to paint my T.V., because I have this unfortunate habit of not leaving things as they are. My first step (about four months ago) was to tape up the TV with painter's tape. I have no artistic talent when it comes to painting so I usually just stick finger painting or abstract art becuase it sounds legit.

Before

I used basic acrylic paints and did multiple layers. Originally I had wanted to paint in bright or neon colours, but I never really thought about it before I started paint and didn't feel like heading out to the store. It looked like a retro 70s pattern before I took the tape off.

And volia!!

the left side

the top

the right side

If you look closely, you can see that a lot of the edges aren't straight, that some painted seeped underneath. Also, I used this really ugly neon orange that looked horrendous, so I painted grey over it. But the original orange is still visible. I'm happy with the way it turned out though. I'm probably going to seal it with a spray to make it glossy and clean the edges up, but it looks pretty good to me :)

New Doctor Who and Torchwood: Miracle Day

I was completely unaware that series 6.5 of Doctor Who was starting today until I saw an ad this morning on YouTube and THANK GOD I DID!!!!! I don't know why they stopped showing it earlier in the year but I'm glad it was only a few months and not a year or something. This new one is a very good episode and next weeks looks completely scary - like I'm going to have to watch it in the daylight. :O

Anyways, my goodness am I confused. I don't really want to spoil it for any one who hasn't seen it yet but I do have some questions, so nevertheless, here is the spoiler alert.

!!!!!!SPOILER (-ish) ALERT!!!!!!!

Can someone please explain the whole River Song is Amy's daughter grew up with her and was named after herself? I mean I think I get it but some other point of views would be nice. And I am curious about River and the Doctor's crossing path. Is the eye patch lady with the Silence because she isn't nearly as frightening as the alien creature who erases your memory? And was Hitler even relevant to the story because last time I checked he was still in the closet...

Torchwood Time!

I love me some Captain Jack

I don't like Rex. I don't know if anyone has been watching the new season but Rex is a jerk, in the most toned down terms. I haven't really cared much for this season because I find it too American and not British/Welsh enough for me. The concept of nobody dying and Captain Jack becoming mortal is a fantastic storyline, but the plot and script aren't really the best. There was so much potential but just never got there. 

Some of my biggest quams with this current series are:

• the blatant use of the Torchwood name: last time I checked, this was supposed to be a "secret" organization. But no, not this time. And it's really quite frustrating.
• Rex: his character is an asshole, if you pardon my language, but the previously used term of jerk wasn't quite strong enough. There is no need for him to be so mean because he is on the good side, if you will, and is "member" of Torchwood. Torchwood aren't assholes - or at least they have some heartfelt back story and a sense of sympathy.
• the other girl whose name escapes me at the moment. Oh I remember - Esther! Yeah, she's lame. And can't keep her freaking mouth shut!!!! Sorry. I just get very wound up about shows. Unwilling emotional investment and such.
• CIA involvement: AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! AMERICANS!!!!! NO MORE AMERICANS!!!!!!
• Not enough aliens: I know, I know - doesn't really fit into the concept but I could do with bizarre faces and creepy supernatural-like stuff

I hope that if they do continue the series, they hitchhike it back to Cardiff and bring me some accents.

P.S. I just did number 7 on my eyes again from my realizations list. It hurts :`(

The Yard (TV)

There is this HBO Canada show that I heard about around a month ago called The Yard. 

From the website: The six-part half-hour miniseries starring kids but aimed at adults takes a new approach to the mafia mentality by bringing the mean streets to the schoolyard with the kids running the show. Mourners of the late, great Sopranos will meet a new kind of mob as two rival schoolyard gangs struggle for supremacy. Their world is also being captured by an unseen Documentarian, voiced by Paul Gross (one of the miniseries’ executive producers), providing both “behind-the-scenes” footage and interviews with the kids intercut with the main drama. 

So far, I've watched the first five episodes and I must say, this is an awesome show!! It is funny, insightful and reminds me a lot of my days in elementary school. The cleverness of the writing and plot is great, as is the filming. I sat and watched the first five episodes in one day and need to watch the last one now. Sadly, if got taken off YouTube (for copyright reasons, naturally) so I'll have to watch it on TV before I lose my HBO Canada. If your sensitive to children swearing then it's not for you/go back to school and listen to how children speak. But besides that, I highly recommend it!

The trailer:

The Yard - Smuggling:

On another note, sorry about no posts for a while. I had a bit of a blogger's block and I was busy and without my laptop for the last few days. Hope your summer is going well :)

What did I learn from Disney? How to lie.

Something that has always pissed me off about Disney is the lying. The constant, non-stop lying that various characters on multiple TV shows do. And the reasons for their untruthful demeanor are always really, really, REALLY stupid, as are the consequences and the lessons "learned".

Take Hannah Montana for example. That show basically consists of Miley Stewart telling an unnecessary lie, getting into a foolish situation, lying some more, getting caught, telling the truth and supposedly learning her lesson while getting some lame-ass punishment. What really irks me is that she NEVER LEARNS!!! (She is extremely frustrating). 

aggravating...

Picture this: California. Mid 2000s. Your 15 year old daughter is upset that you won't let her go to a concert in another state because you are unable/unwilling to take her yourself. So she calls her "aunt" lies to her, lies to you, buys plane tickets and hops on a plane to travel across the country. You find out what she's doing and manage to get on the same flight as her. When you confront her mid-flight, she says sorry while you admit it's all your fault because you don't want your baby girl to grow up and y'all hug it out. And that's that.

AHHHH!!!! NOOO!!!!!! If I was ever to do something so stupid, my parents would probably burn my passport, put me on a no-fly list and lock me in the house till I turned 30. Confessions and hugs don't solve problems nor do they gain people's trust. I understand that it is a children's show and lots of stuff is just for comedic effect, but every once in a while, the truth is nice. It's sort of like "The Boy Who Cried Wolf" situation. If you constantly lie, people will find you unreliable and untrustworthy.

But lying is commonplace on Disney and this same format can be found everywhere on shows like Cory in the House, Wizards of Waverly Place, Pair of Kings, I'm in the Band, The Suite Life on Deck, etc. (I watch a lot of Disney...). I feel like they teach children that lying constantly and without reason is okay. But in reality, it will really screw you over. They need to write cleverer shows with problems that arise out of more varied situations. Unfortunately, I don't think that will happen because why would they change a money-making formula?

Thoughts?

- Turtles

p.s. 5 points if you found my Golden Girls reference :D

I ♥ Television (part 2)

Favourite Children's Show (part 2)

I realized I missed some big ones for this category. 

- Kim Possible - I have seen every episode at least twice. Oh, and the Naked Mole Rap is awesome :)

- Lizzie McGuire - This show was one of my faves, following the lives of Miranda, Lizzie and Gordo as they go through middle school. The movie was great as well.
- Class of 3000 - A short lived animated series by Andre 3000 from Outkast, about kids at a music school. The music is FANTASTIC.
- The Weekenders -  A Disney show about four friends in Bahia Bay and their lives. Hilarious for an animated show, with an awesome theme song.

  

Favourite Talk Show

I don't watch talk shows really because I think interviews are awkward, and I tend to avoid awkward things.
- Rick Mercer Report - not too sure if this would really qualify as a talk show, but he does interviews, mostly while doing random and very cool things
- The Ellen Degeneres Show - who doesn't watch this? 

Favourite Drama/Action

- The Good Wife - Best drama of the year. Hands down.
- NCIS - Drama? I don't know, but I've seen almost every single episode. Here's a blog about it.
- Hawaii Five-O - Crime? In Hawaii? Bring it!
- Bones - After about 6 seasons, Brennan, a forensic anthropologist, and Booth, and FBI agent, need to hurry up and get the hell together.
- Body of Proof - This only started a few weeks ago but I love it! It's about a neurosurgeon who can no longer perform surgeries so she becomes a medical examiner.
 

Shows I need to finish

- Hellcats - a show about cheerleaders featuring Ashley Tisdale and Aly Michalka
- The Mentalist - a "physic" helps the police solve crime
- Lie To Me - A man who is extremely good at scientifically telling if people are lying or not, helps the FBI and various clients solve their problems, with the help of his team. 

Yeah, Wipeout's awesome.

Favourite Reality Shows

I don't necessarily watch these on a regular basis because I know what happens if I miss them, but they're good shows. Although there are waaayyy too many ANTMs and I've stopped watching them.

- Big Brother
- The Amazing Race
- The Celebrity Apprentice
- America's Next Top Model
- Wipeout and Wipeout Canada

 Favourite Canceled Shows

- Hidden Palms - this was on a few years ago, but I was pissed when they canceled it mid-season.
- Kings - beautifully made show that was apparently to expense to continue, and was canceled before they finished the season!

  

Favourite Informational Shows

Things that show on the Discovery Channel, History Channel, TVO, things like that

- Mythbusters
- Underworld Histories
- Ultimate Engineering
- Mega Structures - If you're going to watch any, watch the one on the Petronas Towers. Those Malaysians are crazy good.

 Favourite Music Related Shows

How many shows can really fit into this category...

- Glee

Favourite Mini-Series

- Alice (Sy-Fy) - based on Alice in Wonderland
- Tin Man (SyFy) - Based on the Wizard of Oz, with Zooey Deschanel as Dorothy
- Sherlock (BBC) - I was soooo pissed when I discovered there were only 3 episodes. But they are continuing it, thank goodness!!

Well that's it.

♥ Turtles 

I ♥ Television (part 1)

I am currently working on a post about the federal debates that happened last week, but for now, TELEVISION!! Because that's all I have been doing: watching television, surfing the net, drinking my food and complaining about the pain in my mouth. I really should be studying for my Spanish exam in two days, but why would I when television is so much more interesting :) So here are some of my faves in various interchangeable categories.

Favourite Canadian Show

Canada has produced some awesome shows over the years. These ones are the ones I like that I can remember. 

 

- Republic of Doyle - about a private investigator in Newfoundland. Very good.  
- InSecurity - A comedy about a fictional gov't agency
- Radio Free Roscoe - fantastically fantastic pre-teen/teen drama set in Manitoba that went on for 2 seasons
- Corner Gas - Probably the most known Canadian comedy show about a gas station in Saskatchewan
- Little Mosque on  the Prairie - what it sounds like
- 18 to Life - the lives of two 18 year olds who get married

Favourite British Show

Not like I watch a lot of them... 

- Doctor Who (of course!) - new season starts Saturday!! (click here for trailer)

- Misfits - pure awesomeness!

Favourite Comedy/Sit-Com

- Psych - funniness involving a "physic" detective and his best friend in Southern California
- Community - Probably the funniest/strangest thing on T.V. now
- The Big Bang Theory

Favourite Off Air Show

- Star Trek (TNG, DS9 and Voyager)- I love me some Star Trek. The new movie was great too.

Favourite 80s Show

- Golden Girls - I  watched every single episode in the fall on YouTube and am re-watching them now on television. Those girls are hilarious. Who knew old age could be so fun!

Favourite 90s Show

- The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air - Will Smith = ♥
- Saved by the Bell

Favourite Sci-Fi Show

- Being Human (U.S.) - I plan to watch the original British version about this ghost, vampire and werewolf, once I finish this season.
- Torchwood - The move to America better not ruin this show!!  After 3 seasons of awesome British-ness, I have expectations!!

AGENT P!!! (Phineas and Ferb)

Favourite Children's Show

- The Imagination Movers - Fantastic show involving music and Brainstorming!
- Arthur - a classic of course
- Phineas and Ferb - if you have not seen this, shame on you!! It's the best animated Disney show in a LONG time. It is great for literally alllll ages, with some catchy musical numbers
- Life with Derek - a Canadian show about a blended family  
- Wingin' It - Another Canadian show involving a high school student and his guardian angel 

 As you can probably tell, I watch too many shows… Any recommendations for a new Sci-Fi show? I'm think Battlestar Galactica or one of the Star Gates, but I'm not sure…. 

♥ Turtles

The 14th of February

Well it's Valentine's Day. Yea! I guess. I've never really been into it. But I do like the chocolate and candy, naturally. I had a container of conversation hearts, which led to make this little 6 second video. The song is Valentine by Kina Grannis. She's awesome.

My friend Rae made an interesting video about the history of Valentine's Day: check it out! :) 

In other news, the Grammy's were yesterday. And I actually stayed up, neglected my work and watched the whole thing :O. I'm not much for award shows because I have a dislike for speeches (the mute button and my self are close personal friends). 

  But I was surprised at two the winners: Esperanza Spalding (YouTube) for Best New Artist and The Arcade Fire for Album of the Year. I'd never heard of Spalding so I googled/wikied/YouTubed her and she's pretty awesome. Very deserving. 

And of course, the Arcade Fire are proud Canadians, so it's all good. I only know one song by them, Rebellion (Lies). <-♥ They seemed shocked, as did Barbra Streisand, who read out the award. Montreal was mentioned about 4 times in their speech - woot woot for Canada!!

Some good performances were by Miranda Lambert, Dr Dre + Rihanna + Eninem + Skylar Grey, B.O.B. + Bruno Mars + Janelle Monae, Mumford and Sons and the Avett Brothers.

Now, for some outrageousness...

 Yeah, she showed up on the Red Carpet in this egg and was "born" on stage as she emerged to perform her song "Born This Way". Ridiculous, but not as crazy as the meat dress...

 

Of course Ms. Nicki Minaj would show up looking like this with her signature pink lipstick and a Bride of Frankenstein wig. 

Oh, and J. Biebs had ninja drummers (though you can't see the drums here because they're in stealth mode)

 

Cee-lo was channeling some major Elton John and I was scared Gwen would fall off the piano o_O.  Those were like 5 inch heels! As my friend so awesomely put it : 

"I think he had a little brawl with Big Bird before he showed up to the Grammy's. Judging by his outfit, Big Bird won".

Anywho, 

♥ Turtles

photos from Yahoo and ABC Action