Watching Sitcoms

Back to the Hulu Awards. I’m actually going to lump a few together here, cause I got these polls at least a couple of weeks ago and I’m worried the voting might already be over. I got sidetracked with NY Comic Con and then I couldn’t think about anything else.

I do hope these polls are still valid for all of you who like to vote. I believe there are at least two more out there and I should have those soon.

So here goes. The first poll is is for Best Movie Studio. (Funnily, when I first typed that title in, I typed Best Studio Movie. Hmmmmm. That could be another category some day.) The nominees for Best Movie Studio are 20th Century Fox, MGM, Pix and Universal. You have to remember that this is based on the content for each studio on Hulu, so its all subjective. Here’s the poll:

The next category is for Best Major Network. Again, be reminded that it’s all about Hulu content, so be sure to check it all out on there. The nominees are Fox and NBC. Here’s the poll:

Finally, we have Worst Movie, which is a pretty broad category, but here goes. The nominees are Jackass 2.0, National Lampoon’s Spring Break, Nutty Professor 2: The Klumps, Planet of the Apes, Starship Troopers and Xanadu.

If you ask me, all of these movies suck. So it’s hard to say which one is the worst of them all. I chose Jackass 2.0 just cause I really hate that kinda random stupidness. Here’s the poll:

Another Hulu Award poll.

There’s a little story I have to tell about the Hulu Awards. This week, because I’m so anxious that Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog wins the award for Best Web Original, I posted about it at Whedonesque. Well, apparently, this drew quite a few people over to The Hulu Review blog, all of them with very strong opinions. It lead to Matt, the Hulu Man, posting a blog explaining a lot of things. Now these were things I thought were obvious, but then one of my own friends asked a question that made me realize this wasn’t so.

Take the present category for instance, (more…)

Another category in the Hulu Awards is Best Video Game Coverage. Just one more example of something I know nothing about.

I mean, I know nothing about video game coverage and I know very little about video games. I’ve seen video games. But most of my experience with video games comes from when my nephews, now in their 30’s, played video games (or vineo games, as my one nephew inexplicably called them) as little boys. Oh, no mistake, they still spend a good portion of their time playing games - even though they are all grown up and married with children of their own - but I don’t see them playing. When they were little, I used to be the “rich” aunt (being still single and living at home) who bought them the things they wanted most for birthdays and Christmas. Often, this was some had to have and hard to find video game.

I imagine video games have come a long way since those far off days. Apparently, there are now programs that cover them. I’m not sure if this coverage is actual game reviews or if there are some sort of video game competition or playoffs that require covering. (I’m even a little unclear what I meant by that last sentence.) I know, I know, I usually watch the shows when I get to this point in the award process. But I just don’t wanna. So in order to make my choices, I’m relying entirely upon the comments and ratings of those who, one hopes, know more than I.

Nominees are Game Reviews, Gamespot and X Play.

Here’s the poll:

Now onto Best Action TV Series in the Hulu Awards. This is a great category, cause I actually have some interest in the shows. In case you haven’t guessed yet, I’m a fan of action and adventure and an unbelievably huge sci fi geek. But that’s beside the point.

So for the category of Best Action TV Series, the nominees are 24, Burn Notice, Chuck, Journeyman and Prison Break. I’m gonna jump right in here off the bat and say that Chuck is my fave of all these. I’ve never been a fan of 24, although I’ve watched the show on occasion, for some reason, I never got hooked. I’ve also watched Burn Notice, my sister really likes it, but it also didn’t hold my interest for more than an episode or two.

As for Journeyman, (more…)

More Hulu Awards. I know you all love these.

This time it’s Best Classic Movie and I have to say I don’t necessarily agree with the final nominees.  It just seems like there are a lot better movies out there, but what do I know. 

There are only four final nominees, and they are Night of the Living Dead, Pride of the Yankees, Some Like It Hot and Wuthering Heights.

I have seen all of these except for Pride of the Yankees.  The decision is kind of hard, since Wurthering Heights might be a classic, but it was so depressing, I wanted to kill myself afterwards.  It did, however, win the NYFCC Award for Best Film of the Year, and an Academy Award for Best Cinematography and it was nominated for a ton of Academy Awards.  But I don’t think too much else was going on in 1939.  (OK, I’m only kidding, I know both the Wizard of Oz and Gone with the Wind were that year, too, along with several other great movies.) 

As for Night of the Living Dead, (more…)

More Hulu Awards. In case you’ve forgotten, I’m on a panel, judging the many, many shows on Hulu in lots of different categories. So I’m posting some polls in my two blogs, this one and watchingcw.com, so that you can vote as well.

This category is for the Best Travel/Leisure Show. I’m not really a fan. And I’m not sure what makes “travel” and “leisure” belong to the same category. I mean, the terms aren’t synonomous at all. Actually, most of the traveling I’ve done is anything but leisurely. I usually come back from vacations needing to rest. But whatever.

So the nominees for Best Travel/Leisure Show are After Hours With Daniel, Any Given Latitude, Bikini Destinations, Destination Truth, The Rachel Zoe Project and Uncorked.

So, since I never watch these types of shows, I’d never seen any of these shows. Well, at least not until now. When first choosing shows in the category, I used my old trick of reviewing the the comments and scores that others had given the shows. But now we’re down to the final few and I think its necessary to take some action. So I check to see which shows may have received awards, and then I even watch a couple of them. They aren’t bad. But they still aren’t my favorite types of shows to watch.

But I’d say its at least worth your time to watch one ep of one show before you cast your vote. Or, you know, just choose one at random if you feel like it.

Here’s the poll:

These are more of those categories in the Hulu Awards that I know nothing about. It’s the Best Short Format Comedy Series, Best Short Format Series (non-comedy), Best Comedic Short, Best Dramatic Short. I’m not even exactly sure what makes Best Short Format Comedy Series different from the Best Comedic Short. But just as I write this, I realize that one is a series and the other must be just a one time thing. I get it now.

The way I made my picks in these categories was pretty much what I’ve done before when I have no idea. I read through the comments and check out the ratings. When it gets down to the last few, I also watch the shows. (And honestly, it wasn’t always easy.) Then I make my final picks. I don’t see any point in sharing what those picks are, since you may have more insight into the shows then I do.

Anyway, the nominees for Best Short Format Comedy Series are The All For Nots, Carpet Bros., Dorm Life, That Guy and The Writer’s Room.

Here’s the poll:

The nominees for Best Short Format Series (non-comedy) are 30 Days of Night: Dust to Dust, (more…)

Here’s one more Hulu Award category poll.  This one is for the Best Classic TV Show.  There were a lot of really good shows in this category, and they got wittled down to three really, really classic shows. 

The nominees are Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Bewitched and The Dick Van Dyke Show.  I’ve always had a soft spot for Bewitched, especially since they had the same stove I did, for many years.  A 1960’s Frigidaire Flair.  We only just got a new stove about a year ago.  Or maybe it was two years, but it was just recently.  But, in all honesty, I can’t call Bewitched “the best” show.  It was more campy than it was great television. But I still laugh when I see an ep.

Of course, everything Alfred Hitchcock did was amazing, but I don’t really remember watching Alfred Hitchcock presents, so I can’t say for certain if it was any good. I probably did watch it, I just don’t remember. And I’m pretty sure it must have been good.

That leaves us with The Dick Van Dyke Show. Talk about classic television, this one really fits the bill. I remember watching it, I remember loving it, and I think that it’s one of those shows that stands the test of time, even though its dated. I guess I mean that even though the clothes, the hair styles and the furniture date the sets, the show itself, the jokes and the lines, remain true.

So that’s the show that gets my vote. What do you think?

Here’s the poll:

Alright, I’m not even gonna pretend that I know anything at all about sports. Well, I do like to watch the occasional game of football, but other than that, I have no idea. So when we’ve now come to the Hulu Award for Best Sports Programming. I didn’t even realize that such a thing existed. Really.

Well, the nominees for Best Sports Programming are American Gladiators, Firsthand, NHL, Ninja Warrior and A Shot At Glory. I’ve never seen any of these shows. I have absolutely no clue which to choose.

I thought about trying to research them a little bit, like I do with other shows or movies, but I wasn’t even sure where to begin. Well, I knew where to begin, but I wasn’t really sure what would constitute good or bad, even if I did find out about them. I guess they must get awards, right? So I set about to find out.

The first show I tried to check out was American Gladiators. It turns out there are two shows with that name, one which aired from 1989 to 1996, and a new version with in 1990 and one which just aired this year. So then I went to Hulu to see which incarnation they were talking about. Turns out it was the first one, which makes sense. The show did win two Daytime Emmy awards, which probably means something in the world of sports shows.

Anyway, that’s how the story of me trying to determine which one of these shows deserves my vote for Best Sports Programming begins. The rest is no better. The bottom line is I have no idea.

Here is the poll:

Here we go with more Hulu Awards. This time, its for Best Family Movie. I like the movie categories, since I’ve generally seen all of the movies involved and its so much easier to make a decision about which ones I think deserve my vote.

The nominees for Best Family Movie are: Dragonheart, Jumanji and The Karate Kid.

In my opinion, those are all really good movies. Any one of them could be the best movie. So I had to do a little thinking, and just a little digging, to help make my decision. Here is how my thinking went.

Dragonheart is probably more of a niche movie, which might not appeal to a wide audience, but it was nominated for eight awards, including an Oscar for Visual Effects, and it won two awards, a Saturn for Best Fantasy Film and a Hollywood Digital Award to Scott Squires for visual effects. So maybe it’s not so niche-like after all.

Jumanji, which is honestly my favorite of the three, was nominated for eleven different awards/categories. It won a Saturn for both Best Special Effects and Best Supporting Actress (Bonnie Hunt). It also won a Young Artist Award for Best Family Feature. Actually, I thought Robin Williams and Kirsten Dunst should have won awards, too, but I didn’t check to see what movies they were up against that year.

As for The Karate Kid, it’s definitely a classic. It was nominated for five awards, including an Oscar and a Golden Globe, and it won two Young Artist Awards, for Best Family Motion Picture and Best Young Supporting Actress (Elisabeth Shue). (BTW, where is she these days? She was pretty up and coming in the 80’s.)

Anyway, so that gives you a little info to base your vote on. Mine went to Jumanji.

Here’s the poll:

Don’t forget to check out my other blog, at watchingcw.com for more Hulu Award polls.

So the next poll for the Hulu Awards is for Best Animated Short. I’ve never watched many of these types of shows, so this has been an interesting experience. It has given me a chance to watch lots of stuff that I would never have even thought about watching.

Obviously, I knew nothing about any of them. Which is why it was necessary to find some way of determining which one was good. When we had the original list of shows, it was much longer. I didn’t have time to sit and watch them all. So at that point, I looked through the comments and the ratings for each Animated Short on Hulu and based my nominations on those recommendations. But once we got down to these final nominations, I decided it was important to take the time to watch each one. They really aren’t too long. I think the longest was around 7 minutes. Some of them are quite clever, actually.

The nominees are Born To Be Alive, Carnivore Reflux, Far West, Metro and Nun Fight Club.

Everyone, of course, has different taste, so I won’t even tell you wich one I voted for. But before you vote in the poll, you should take the time to watch them as well. Here is a link to the Hulu Review where you can see these five shorts. You need to scroll down past the poll.

Or, you know, you can just vote for whichever one has the title you like best.

Here is the poll:

I’m not a fan of adult cartoon shows.

I’m not exactly certain why, but for some reason, I’ve always objected to the idea of taking something that should be for children and turning it into something that’s definitely not. Look, I’m the first to admit that cartoons, the old Saturday morning variety, you know, Looney Tunes and that sort of thing, can be very violent. But violence is different than sex. Um, how can I explain that better? See, in my opinion, anyway, violence is a more normal childish emotion. You see little kids, even tiny ones, pushing each other around, even getting into fights and hitting or biting each other. I’m not saying it’s good, I’m just saying its normal. I worked in a day care once, I’ve seen stuff. So, that all being said, violence is normal. Even at 2 years old. People are just naturally agressive. Maybe it’s some leftover survival instinct thing.

But sex is not normal for small children. So when you take something that is appealing to children, like cartoons, and turn it into something that is meant only for adults, you are teaching children about sexuality way too early. And then we wonder about the increase in teenage pregancy. Whatever. Maybe one thing has nothing to do with the other. But I’ve just never liked prime time adult cartoons.

So, here is the list for the Best Cartoon Series on the Hulu Awards: Family Guy, Futurama, King of the Hill, The Simpsons and Wallace and Grommit.

It’s difficult for me to make any kind of recommendation since I’ve only ever seen about three eps of King of the Hill and maybe that many of The Simpsons, and none of the others. But I guess I’d have to say that the award should rightfully go to The Simpsons, pretty much just cause of it’s longevity and universal appeal.

Here’s the poll for Best Cartoon Series:

As an FYI, if anyone is interested, I’ll also be putting some of these polls in my other blog, watchingcw. So go check them out.

The 80’s were my favorite time ever. If I could go back and just live those days over, I really might do it. I’m a fan of the music and the movies and even the amazing (and sometimes terrible) clothes and hair styles. I mean, like, totally. You know?

Here are the nominees for Best Show of the Eighties: Alf, The A Team, Benson, The Facts of Life and Married With Children. Once again there are more sitcoms than not in the picks.

First of all, let me say that I had no idea that Married With Children actually hails from the 80’s. I thought it was a lot more recent. But I looked it up. It was actually on from 1987 to 1997, which, in my opinion makes it more of a 90’s show. I never watched it cause I thought it was just too ghetto. If you know what I mean.

I actually have an Alf story. I never really liked the show, but did watch it and I can’t deny that it was iconic. It was on Monday nights - I believe - opposite MacGyver, which I really wanted to watch, but my mother insisted on Alf. Since my mother also worked very long days, she often fell asleep on the couch just moments into the show. I would try to sneakily change the channel, but that always caught her attention. So I was forced to sit and watch every ep, even the repeats, while she slept.

I did watch Facts of Life, although it wasn’t an absolute favorite, as well as The A-Team and Benson. I loved, loved, loved both shows. I just adored Murdoch on The A-Team- not Faceman, as could have been expected - and I remember touring the backlot at Universal and seeing their van. If I recall correctly, it was fairly close by to Tarzan’s “forest” and the Psycho house.

Benson was a complete family favorite and for years afterwards my mother would yell from the other room, “I can hear, you” in her best imitation of a Swedish accent. I have to say that if I’m voting for the Best of the 80’s, I’d go with Benson, cause I think appealed to a wider audience than any of the other shows listed.

Have fun voting:

Here’s another poll for the Hulu Awards. This one is for Best Show of the Seventies. That seems like a very broad term, since it can be a comedy, a drama or an action show, so it really matters what you like best. As it turns out, of the final five nominated shows, four are sitcoms.

Here are the nominees: Barney Miller, The Bob Newhart Show, Charlie’s Angels, I Dream of Jeannie and The Mary Tyler Moore Show. I have to honestly say that in the 70’s I religiously watched each and every one of these shows. I didn’t have much to do as a child. If I was picking which one I liked the very best, it would probably have to be Barney Miller. We still talk about things that happened in the different eps, even all this many years later. But if I’m being completely honest, I’d have to say that the award should probably go to The Bob Newhart Show or The Mary Tyler More Show, mostly because I think they more clearly reflect the spirit of that era. I mean, really, what would the 70’s have been without Bob Newhart or Mary Tyler Moore?

Of course, this isn’t me trying to discount I Dream of Jeannie or Charlie’s Angels, which were both really great shows in their own way. Jeannie was also very 70’s, but a little too tongue in cheek, if you ask me, to be the best show. It never expected to be taken seriously. As for Charlie’s Angels, it’s definitely an iconic show, but I’m not sure it could be considered the show of the decade, since it may not have appealed to a wide audience.

So here’s the poll: