2014 Forceys

THE FORCEYS (Town and Country Resort and Convention Center)  This year's 9th Annual Forcey Awards took place on the last night of the 2014 Comic Con.  The new venue was more relaxed and the crew was enthusiastic.  We gathered with four other Strikeforce members represented and the return of Grace's friend who was impressed enough in 2013 to bring a boyfriend to the occasion this year.  We missed Cantankerous Chris this year and hope for his quick return to the fold.  The results were live tweeted to dozens of followers.  For those who somehow missed the overage - without further ado - your 2014 Forcey Award Winners . . . 

BEST MOVIE - Lego Movie.  This was a bit of an upset winner.  Previous years have leaned towards Superhero films (Iron Man, The Dark Knight, The Avengers) and more adult fare (Pan's Labyrinth, Let The Right One In).  For the first time, a truly all ages film won out over Captain America 2 and X-Men: Days of Future Past.

BEST COMIC - Sandman: Overture.  Previous winner Hawkeye made a solid run at a two year run.  But the return of Sandman claimed the top spot over up and comer, Saga.  The old comic reader vote wins out.

BEST MUSIC - St. Vincent - St. Vincent.  Last year, Daft Punk was the runaway winner.  This year there was almost a dead heat.  Beck and Jack White and Queens of the Stone Age split many of the votes.  But the best music of the year came out of the Dallas, Texas and the Polyphonic Spree.  Annie Clark has been around for years but really broke out with this album and was rewarded with a Forcey.

BEST OF TV - True Detective.  With multiple past winners returning including The Walking Dead and Breaking Bad, this category was taken by the only newcomer.  HBO brought a nontraditional story to air that really caught on.  Harrelson and McConaughey kicked ass as flawed cops.  A repeat of this magic seems unlikely.

BEST OF THE WEB - Netflix.  Only YouTube has won more than second time winner Netflix.  With the addition of quality direct-to-Netflix originals and a steady supply of binge worthy shows, this could be the start of a long run of victories for this voting block.

COOLEST ITEM OF THE YEAR - Legal Weed.  Beating out World Cup soccer, Marvel comics movies and even Pop Dolls it was the growing trend of legalized weed.  Keep the dream alive, fellas.

STRIKEFORCE HALL OF DOOM - the highest honor is also known as "The Kirby".  Last year we inducted a record six new honorees.  This year was a solid crop of 5 inductees.  Each very deserving of the honor.

John Williams. Composer.

Monty Python.  Comic troop.

Prince.  Musician.

Saturday Night Live.  TV show.

Star Trek.  Mega franchise.

Just missing the vote this year and hoping for further consideration - Bill Waterson, Clint Eastwood, Steve Ditko and Thelonious Monk.

THE KINNEY -  Edgar Wright Off of Ant Man.  The film didn't make it out in the wave of Marvel films that it should have and the man that could have balanced the humor and action was sent packing and/or quit.  Either way we wait another year and fear that the potentially fun character might be ruined.

BLAST FROM THE PAST - BEST REISSUE - Bone Artists Edition.  There is no arguing that this Mat Smith book is a modern classic.  Having read it in original issues it's funny to see it already winning as a Best Reissue but deserving.

The Forceys took place late in the drinking evening but there was still plenty of post-awards fun to be had.  Steve provided a nice mix of music to background some great conversation with old friends.

"And if the elevator tries to bring you down / Go crazy.  Punch a higher floor."  Stay hard.

sb

Sunday Morning Tuneage & Weekly TV (6/16/13)

Happy Father's Day to the dads out there that find time to read this.  I'll be leaving for Waco just after lunch to go have dinner with my Dad and the family.  Caleb gets to go back home with Grandma and Grandpa for a week of "camp" and hanging out.  It's my last week as a Follett employee at the UNT Bookstore and it will be slightly bittersweet.  That means, lots of goodbye parties and getting out to watch the NBA Finals and some Stanley Cup games.  Christian has been hitting a few football camps and he has a couple more coming up this week.  Still need to get in my workout and get some laundry folded.  Until then, I'm making my schedule for the rest of the week and listening to some tuneage . . .

SUNDAY MORNING TUNEAGE

PAUL SIMON - A MOST PECULIAR MAN.  This is from the 1966 album "Sounds Of Silence".  It's part of a duo of underplayed and awesome songs by Simon & Garfunkel - "Richard Cory" and this song.  This version comes off "The Paul Simon Songbook" - technically his first solo album released the year before.  But I didn't know this version apart from the "Sounds Of Silence" version before getting his box set a decade or so ago.  It's not the happiest of songs - this one, like a couple others, about suicide.  A very interesting song that fits the day.

PRINCE - RAINBOW CHILDREN.  Clocking in at over 10 minutes - this title track off the 2001 album of the same name wasn't one that caught me at the time of release.  But after 10 years or so, I finally got back into the album and it's brilliant.  It's typical later Prince concept album with a heavy jazz influence.  But it's more than that - this song has an early Funkadelic feel mixed with early 70s Miles Davis.  I'm sticking through the whole song and may have to go back through the whole album later today.

HUMAN LEAGUE - MIRROR MAN.  This is a fun 1983 song.  It's always been an interesting addition to Human League's song list.  It's quite different than the other synthpop they were releasing in this period.  It's very vocal heavy - the harmonies are Motown like at least in influence.  The confusing video has mainly Phillip Oakey staring into a mirror - I think he's dead but the band can see him??  Silly stuff.  And I don't really get the later rumors that this is about Adam Ant - I think that's wishful thinking.

SOMETHING RANDOM . . . Like I'm not going to read when I see that Loch Ness Monster is trending this week . . . and I'm a little weirded out by "eyeball licking trend" in Japan.

DEADLIGHTS OF 2013. . . unless I missed something in my news headline reading, there wasn't any death of note this week.  Could that be right?

QUICK LIST (a random, uninformed list off the top of Shawn's head)

BEST EGGS OF ALL-TIME

10.  EGG SALAD.  A very underrated sandwich item.  Great on two thick slices of bread.

9.  QUICHE.  It either reminds me of "Bone" or the B-52s song but it's actually quite tasty from time to time.

8.  SUNNY SIDE UP.  I think that only my Nana made these and they are great with just a piece of toast or with a side of fried potatoes.

7.  HARD BOILED EGGS.  Not really a big fan of them by themselves.  But make a salad and I'm going to start looking for some hard boiled eggs.  My other obsession with them?  Watching the way some people meticulously prepare them before eating.

6.  DEVILED EGGS.  Is this the only egg that uses curry powder?  It reminds me of the best parts of holidays.

5.  EGG DROP SOUP.  I didn't discover this egg soup until college.  Wonderful way to make an egg tasty.

4.  POACHED EGGS.  A great way to fix an egg but rarely done to perfection.  When done correctly on an English Muffin or with veggies or Hollandaise sauce, it can be a beautiful thing.

3.  SCRAMBLED EGGS.  The easiest way is usually the best.  But I need some bacon with them - preferably - or at least some bacon bits.  And pepper.  Always with the pepper, please.  Best use - the breakfast burrito.

2.  FRIED EGGS.  The most unhealthy of the eggs taste better the more fat you fry them in.  And throw in some bacon or sausage and it's almost perfect.  I don't make them very well and don't trust many others to make them like I like them so I rarely seem to have any.

1.  OMELET.  Fold up some eggs with some mushrooms and some salty meat.  Perfect.  With cheese or without.  It's perfect for a nice breakfast and it's perfect for a Sunday morning hangover.  

I don't eat them as much as I'd like.  I'm still stuck back in the days when they were terrible for your diet.  We ignored the protein and amino acid benefits.  But when I do - I love to see them prepared in interesting ways.  The worst preparations?  Boiled has never been a great method for me.  I know it's not much different than poaching or even in a soup, but there's something about boiled that leaves me cold.  Pickled eggs never seems safe or tasty.  I'm sure I'm leaving off something awesome but it's morning and I can smell the bacon just even talking about eggs.

NETFLIX PLAY NOW OF THE WEEK . . . TONIGHT YOU'RE MINE is a cleverly filmed and written film about a couple that are handcuffed together over five days at a music festival . . . HITLER'S CHILDREN is an interesting doc about the descendants of the most evil of the Nazis as they deal with their family history . . . THE GLADES is one of those shows that always tempted me and is available now.  It seemed like it's based on characters by Hiassen or Elmore Leonard.  Reminds me to keep begging Netflix to put JUSTIFIED up here to watch.

Shawn's fave movies according to FLICKCHART

#549 - Payback

#857 - Gattaca

#1389 - Pink Floyd The Wall

RANDOM PROJECT UPDATE -  The BATMAN project.  It seems like we abandoned this project for a long time.  But when most of our shows are over - it's been a good time to get back into the 1966 series.  We finished off a couple more Season One stories including the oft forgotten role by the beautiful Anne Baxter as Zelda the Great.  Then it was another solid Frank Gorshin run as the Riddler.  The 2nd episode includes the hilarious appearance of a fat, fake Batman in costume meeting up with Bruce Wayne.  And I heard the phrase "Holy atomic piles."   We're just starting up a rare Mad Hatter appearance next.

SHAWN'S TOP ALBUMS OF ALL-TIME (a tribute to the art of the album)

#32   Elton John - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973)

This double album is in the sweet spot of 1972-1974 for most of my favorite artists.  The double album has song after song that belongs on his greatest hits even if they never got the airplay.  In total over the two albums, there are 17 tracks that all shine in their own way.  It's like hanging with a friend who's playing just for you - showing off their talents on different styles.  There are ballads and straight up rock songs.  The lyrics are about love and death and just plain silly at times.  The album was written in record time over a few weeks and I wonder if that fun doesn't just shine through.  It starts with the touching "Funeral For A Friend / Love Lies Bleeding" and continues through to the heartfelt "Harmony" that ends it.  Most overlooked songs - "Sweet Painted Lady", "This Song Has No Title" and "Your Sister Can't Twist".

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

Sweet Painted Lady

I've Seen That Movie Too

Previous Rankings

#33 - Parliament - Mothership Connection (1975)

#34 - Beastie Boys - Paul's Boutique (1989

#35 - U2 - The Joshua Tree (1987)

#36 - Elton John - Captain Fantastic and Brown Dirt Cowboy (1975)

#37 - Nirvana - Nevermind (1991)

THIS WEEK IN TELEVISION

MONDAY

LOVE, MARILYN (HBO)  Summer means more documentaries on TV.  I have had an extra crush on her lately.  Famous current actors read from her diaries.

PUSH GIRLS (SUNDANCE)  This reality series about four women in wheelchairs seemed like a good idea last Summer.  It took off way more than I thought it would.  And now I'm even almost curious about it at the start of Season Two.  

TUESDAY

SEX: HOW IT WORKS (NAT GEO)  Seriously.  How.  More science and computer graphics than probably most people are looking for on the subject.  But curiosity knows no bounds.

BLOOD AND OIL (DISC)  Will there be milkshake drinking?   Also there's something very BREAKING AWAY about the family being named Cutters.

NBA FINALS: GAME SIX (ABC)  If there is any justice, this will be the crowning of the Spurs as champions.  I hope to be on whiskey number four by the time this game winds down.

WEDNESDAY
GHOST HUNTERS (SYFY)  A family in LIttle Rock thinks their bungalow might be haunted.  There are so many things wrong with that statement.  But generally, yes, your bungalow is haunted.

FUTURAMA (COMEDY)  The final season starts and even if last season was a little off - I'm onboard for one last ride.

THURSDAY
NBA FINALS: GAME SEVEN (ABC)  If things didn't work out on Tuesday, then I'll be somewhere for this tonight.  Maybe to the scene of the last victory.

UNTAMED YOUTH and THE BEAT GENERATION (TCM)  They aren't the best movies you've ever seen but these two starring Mamie Van Doren are as kitschy as come for 1957 and 1959.

FRIDAY
DINERS, DRIVE-INSAND DIVES (FOOD)  I love the Friday night marathons.  Tonight includes Duck pastrami and fresh Dungeness crab.

NETWORK (SUNDANCE)  Not enough people know about this film anymore.  Faye Dunaway is a revelation.  And of course, Peter Finch.  You owe it to yourself to watch it someday.

SATURDAY
STANLEY CUP FINALS: GAME FOUR (NBC)  Generally I think I'm for the Bruins.  But I don't have a dog in this fight.  After that 1st game - I'm hoping for seven overtime games.  

THE SEARCHERS (TCM)  John Ford was pretty prolific.  But you forget how beautiful his pictures are until you see this one after a few years away from it.  Awesome story.  One of Wayne's best performances.  But I like to just look at it now.

SUNDAY
COPPER (BBC)  So excited to see the return of this show.  It was pretty terrific last season.  But less interested in Donal Logue joining the cast.  Not that he's bad but this show was awesome with unknown actors.

TRUE BLOOD (HBO)  The new season starts and I have to confess that I'm still a few episodes behind of last season.  Oops.

MAD MEN (AMC)  The season comes to an end - rumors of a death abound.  This show just didn't seem to have the Sunday night juice of "Game Of Thrones" or "Walking Dead" and it doesn't seem to get the Twitter love afterwards as "Breaking Bad".  Anyone care still?

AND NOW A WORD FROM OUR SPONSOR . . .  Burger King word association.  I have this type of relationship with a few people myself . . .

I kept waiting for the fake logos to pop up on this Hands Free Whopper commercial.  But is it really produced by Burger King?  Do they actually have a sense of humor about themselves?

I know they are taking hell for it.  But I wouldn't mind eating some Carls Jr. with Kate's Uptons.

"You're a bluebird on the telegraph line

I hope you're happy now

Well if the wind of change comes down your way, girl

You'll make it back somehow."  - Elton John

Love lies bleeding.  Stay hard.

sb

Sunday Morning Tuneage & Weekly TV (1/20/13)

January -  you'd think it would get better.  But it just keeps going.  Maybe we're just biding our time to get to February.  The longest week of work is over.  The start of classes meant that I worked every day - Sunday through Saturday this past week and until 10pm or later everyone of those nights.  Hoping to avoid work today.  Wanted to go see a movie but not sure yet if that's going to happen.  I was able to fit in Caleb's basketball game yesterday - another victory for the team (25-4) makes us back to a respectable record of 2-2.  Hoping to catch up on some rest later today too.  I need to get back in the workout routine for the year.  Until I leave here in a few moments, I'm relaxing with my pets and the Sunday comics.  And listening to some tuneage to get myself motivated . . . 

SUNDAY MORNING TUNEAGE

FU-SCHNICKENS - RING THE ALARM.  This 1991 single was the first time I heard these boys from NYC.  It's got the reggae sample of the Tenor Saw song by the same name but it mixes in the super funky Brick song - "In The Hole".   I was lukewarm with their rap at first - I'd fully catch up with them by the time I heard "La Schmoove" with Phife.  Before 1991 ended I was a true Fuschnick.  Even after Shaq-Fu temporarily joined the group.  I appreciate this song and it's samples even more today.

THE HOLLIES - STOP IN THE NAME OF LOVE.   This cover version of the Supremes song was the last minor hit for The Hollies in late 1983.  It's a typical British cover of that era - it doesn't have that Motown soul.  But it still has that Hollies harmony that you recognize from the 1970s.  But by the early 1980s they were pretty middle of the road.  I've been listening to lots of Hollies lately and this is a safe little hit but not their best work.

BJORK - HYPERBALLAD.  This tune is from the excellent "Post" album and I'm thinking that at some point in Tuneage-land that it's come up before.  I have had lots of Bjork come up and I'm not sure how to make sure I don't do songs multiple times.  Nor do I really care because I usually have a different take on a song at different times in my life.  This is a song that I was really into for most of 1996 and 1997.  And then Bjork seemed to disappear from my CD playing for a number of years.  Luckily it was iTunes and loading all my old CDs that led me back to her.  It has a fun Gondry video but I'm into her lyrics lately.  I like that this seems to be about her in a long term relationship - that after a number of years she wake up before him, goes out and throws things off a cliff before realizing how much she loves him and going back to be in his arms.  It's a lovely image of relationships that have last a few years or more.

SOMETHING RANDOM . . .  I can't really bring myself to put this under the commercials - it uses Coca-Cola polar bears but it isn't really an advertisement.  And it is here because anything that Ridley Scott directs is something I need to share with the world.

DEADLIGHTS OF 2013 . . . Vivian Brown might be the most famous graduate of my High School in Mattawan, Michigan.  She and her twin sister, Marian, graduated in 1945 as Valedictorians and after attending Western Michigan became well known for their style on the Kalamazoo Mall.  After moving to San Francisco they became well known and recognized after a Reebok ad in 1988 and then a series of ads after that.  She passed away last week . . . You might not know the name Pauline Phillips (I didn't at first) but you might recognize her pen name of Abigail Van Buren as the columnist Dear Abby.  I was an Ann Landers (her identical twin - doesn't that short circuit your brain?) reader but always would peak in at Dear Abby . . . Conrad Bain is always gong to be remembered most as the dad on "Diff'rent Strokes" but his role on "Maude" is unforgettable for those that watched the show. . .     a couple baseball biggies passed at once this week - Stan Musial had the awesome nickname of "The Man" and played before my time.  The records speak for themselves - this guy was one of the greatest hitters of all-time and will always be associated with the St. Louis Cardinals for me.  Earl Weaver until 1986 I knew him only as the hotheaded manager of the Baltimore Orioles - always seeming to get kicked out of games and one of the best managers that they ever put a microphone on during a game in all those MLB All Star and World Series films that aired during rainouts.  His name was also part of one the earliest best baseball games - Earl Weaver Baseball.. . Robert Chew was a dude that most people probably don't know unless they watched "The Wire" - he was Proposition Joe.

QUICK LIST (a random, uninformed list off the top of Shawn's head)

BEST TEAS OF ALL-TIME

10.  CHAI TEA LATTE.  I'm new to this one but in a very short time - like a month - it's cracked the Top Ten.  Tasty.  Not just at Starbucks - you can get some at Kroger too.
9.  ARIZONA TEA ARNOLD PALMER.  Both the LIte and the Zero are tasty.  I feel like this is a Summer drink for me and just can't get in the mood for it in the Winter or Spring.  See you again in the hot drives home from work this Summer, my friend.
8.  HONEST TEA POMEGRANATE RED TEA w/GOJI BERRY.  I don't know what a goji berry is but this is one of the best teas out there - get it in the glass bottle and drink it very cold.
7.  PEACE TEA - PINK LEMONADE.  The nice touch on the Arnold Palmer actually might be the best version of it.  This is currently the workday ice tea of choice.  
6.  SNAPPLE PEACH TEA.  It's good in regular and diet flavors.  Great drink while driving around town or watching some TV at night. 
5.  MINT MEDLEY.  Best aftertaste of any tea ever.   I like to smell it for 30 minutes before drinking.
4.  CHAMOMILE.  It works.  Makes me feel more calm and settles my stomach better than most medicines.
3.  EARL GREY.  When I went to England in High School I had not had much tea that wasn't called Lipton.  And then every tea I had there seemed to be this flavor.  I fell in love then and I've loved it - especially for breakfast - ever since.
2.  GREEN TEA.  I feel like I was late to the Green Tea party but when I first started it was really hard to find and now it's practically everywhere.  It's good sweet and unsweet - warm and cold.  And I feel like I'm actually doing something healthy for myself while drinking it.  Green tea drinkers burn more calories per day than non-green drinkers.
1. CHICKEN EXPRESS SWEET TEA.  Not exactly getting any of the health benefits by drinking this tea.  I'm glad it's not in a can because I don't want to know the sugar content.  I've had it on my no-no list for a few months now while I try to get my weight down.  But once I reach a comfortable weight - I'll be back on the Sweet Tea bandwagon and this is the best I've ever had.  It took moving to Texas for me to learn the greatness of the sweet tea.

I've had to leave off nice teas like Oolong, Lemon, Mango and Herbal.  It's funny that I wasn't a fan of tea until my teens.  And even then it took the love of it by my Grandmother and my poor days in college to discover how much I enjoy it.  As a guy that likes iced tea with dinner - I've had some terrible ice teas while out for lunch or dinner - usually just bitter and old.  The worst brand of store bought tea is easily the SoBe brand - nothing to like there.  And the single worst tasting iced tea is the Lipton Brisk Lemon Ice Tea.

NETFLIX PLAY NOW OF THE WEEK . . .   I've been watching lots of Silent films recently and developed quite the crush on the woman in this documentary.  MARY PICKFORD: THE MUSE OF THE MOVIES looks to be a decent rundown of her life. . . a few other docs are here on a slow week - FOR LOVE OF LIBERTY is about African Americans and their service in all of our wars.  And DELTA BOYS is about Nigeria, their oil reserves and the militants trying to usurp the money and power from the government.  Told you it was a slow week.

Shawn's fave movies according to FLICKCHART

#7 - The Omen
#125 - Alien
#1061 - Dalek's Invasion Earth: 2150 A.D.

RANDOM PROJECT UPDATE -  The ELMORE LEONARD project.  The first book I finished this year was the Leonard - Valdez Is Coming.  I really ended up liking this simple, straight forward Western.  It's basically a little revenge story.  Not too much in plot - it could easily be an hour episode of a TV show.  I'm hoping to catch the film adaptation soon and I'm lining up another one of his Westerns to read next.  How about "Hombre'?  Anyone?

SHAWN'S TOP ALBUMS OF ALL-TIME (a tribute to the art of the album)

#52  Prince - Dirty MInd (1980)

This was Prince's 3rd album and it would still be another three years before he'd really enter my world in a big way.  I'd hear him on "Controversy" and then learn a lifetime of love for him starting with "1999".  At that time I went back to quickly purchase his past albums.  This one gets lots of teenager play - maybe partly because of the sexual lyrics.  But for me it's an important transition album in history - Prince incorporates sounds that will fill the post-disco era, shows off a transition from 1970s funk to 1980s funk and melds the upcoming New Wave sound into it all.  Already at a young age, the man is controlling everything - writing, producing and playing practically every instrument on the album.  And with songs like "Uptown" and "Gotta Broken Heart Again" he shows that it isn't all going to be about sex in his future.  This probably won't be the last Prince on this list (if you know me) but it's a great place to start if you aren't familiar with his music.


You won't find the Prince videos on YouTube - so here's the Cyndi Lauper cover of "When You Were Mine" (a fine cover).  Not many other good covers from this album.  Need a copy?

Previous Rankings

#53 - The Stooges - The Stooges (1969
)#54 - Steely Dan - Can't Buy A Thrill (1972)
#55 - The Doors - The Doors (1967)

#56 - Simon & Garfunkel - Bookends (1968)

#57 - REM - Automatic For The People (1992)

THIS WEEK IN TELEVISION

MONDAY

ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN (DISNEY XD)  The newest season starts with the in vogue Avengers joining the adventures including Hawkeye making his first appearance in this universe.

CASTLE (ABC)  Haven't got any pleasure from the past couple episodes.  Not compared to the previous seasons.  This one featuring the killing of the owner of "College Girls Gone Crazy" not only seems like last week's episode but like same story from three episodes last season.

HOARDERS (A&E)  Merlene was a famous model all set to inherit the Lear Jet fortune when she was suddenly divorced and now picks through other people's garbage.

TUESDAY

OUR AMERICA w/LISA LING (OWN)  After everyone discovered they have this channel last week for the Lance Armstrong interview - maybe they'll watch Lisa explore the underground "real versions of 'Shades Of Grey' ".

PARENTHOOD (NBC)  It was they first show to start the new season - right after the Olympics (remember those).  And after a season of tears - we get the early finale.  Kristina preps for more treatments and Sarah has to decide between the cute younger guy and the crotchety old man - we know how that usually ends.

WILD THINGS w/DOMINIC MONAGHAN (BBC)  From the folks in Britain who make the great documentaries is this new series from my acting crush Dominic "Not Penny's Boat" Monaghan.  Another series of the weird and freaky animals of the world - flesh-ripping ants???

WEDNESDAY
LIFE ON FIRE (PBS)  Documentary on the Nicaragua Masaya volcano - erupting frequently and yet people living near it and the jungle fighting to claim land back.

STREET EATS (TRAVEL)  Not sure if it's about food trucks or more likely just the vendors selling stuff that only seems like it would be eaten on a show like this.  And yet, I keep watching them.  This is a new one starting tonight.

THURSDAY
PARKS AND RECREATION (NBC)  Leslie gets April to take over a garbage route.  I'm all for more April and Leslie interactions.

ARCHER (FX)  That guy from that show I should be watching is on here tonight  - "Justified"'s Timothy Olyphant.

PROECT RUNWAY (LIFE)  For those that still care - I know a few of you - have fun now because Season 11 is starting.  Let the complaining begin.

FRIDAY
KITCHEN NIGHTMARES (FOX)  Why would you even invite Gordon over if your restaurant is called "Olde Hitching Post".  This won't go well.

DUCK DYNASTY and STORAGE WARS (A&E)  Without "Fringe" around - there isn't much left on tonight except to get down a bottle of whiskey and watch you some mindless TV.  Or there is GRAVITY FALLS on Disney if you don't know it already.

SATURDAY
ABOMINABLE SNOWMAN (SYFY)  Not exactly Dinocroc but this snowbound guy (or is it a lady?) has always been one of my favorites.

RIPPER STREET (BBC)  Still no one stepping up to read "From Hell" with me this year.  And BBC has a sense of decorum by airing FROM HELL just before tonight's episode.

U.S. FIGURE SKATING CHAMPIONSHIPS (NBC)  The afternoon is the Ice Dancing  - hoping to see Madison Hubble and Zach Donohue there.  Fingers crossed.

SUNDAY
GIRLS (HBO)  Haven't watched the 1st episode yet but I don't remember as many people jumping off a bandwagon since "Homeland" started this season.

DOCTOR WHO: THE DOCTORS REVISITED (BBC)  This little series starts tonight with the First Doctor.  I think people need more historical background to their Doctor watching - it didn't just start in the past few years.

But it's up against THE 39 STEPS and LADY VANISHES (TCM) as two of my most favorite Hitchcock films - they just show a talent for storytelling that is raw and exciting.

AND NOW A WORD FROM OUR SPONSOR . .  the longer version is above.  This shorter version is an actual commercial.  Many of you won't take time to watch a longer video with animated polar bears. This one will only take you just over 30 seconds. . . 

Speaking of bears.  This one just wandered onto the set of this ad.  And see what happened after that . . . 

Progressive insurance ads are usually fun but not necessarily clever or funny.  This illustrates that I think - i like it but is it funny?

"It doesn't matter what I do

I can't stop, ah, thinkin' about U

The little things U said . . . "  - Prince

Get it outta your head.  Stay hard.

sb