The (dis)advantages of loving TV

Personally, I love TV. Now does that make me a bad person? I don't think so. There are so many well made shows out there right now that it's ridiculous and I'm sad I can't watch them all. Some of the ones that I make sure to watch every night though would be House (which just started, the premiere was only ehh for a premiere) Burn Notice, Psych, Covert Affairs (great new show 1st season just ended) and White Collar. There are many more shows which I love and would watch them all when they air if weren't for the fact that they're on at the same time as others!!!! It is these shows which I then turn to "other means" of accessing the next day such as Chuck, How I Met Your Mother, and one I want to check out is The Event. Now, that's a whole lot of shows and there are plenty more too because I really do love TV so I think that my knowledge on this topic is relevant.

TV has many ups and downs to it just like any good roller coaster. TV is a great source of entertainment and a stress reliever at the end of a long hard day at work or school. It allows you to kick back and relax which of course led to the TV dinners, one of the uglier sides of TV. TV, and the shows on it are becoming I suppose racier as time goes on with young impressionable minds watching all these shows. These kids, our future, our becoming so (I lack the knowledge of the right word here) that all this violence and sex and all these other supposed "bad" images are becoming like nothing and they just don't notice it or because they see it all the time on TV they don't think it's bad. We are losing our old values which we used to hold dear such as home cooked family meals will now involve Kids Cuisine in front of the TV (not me thanks to my parents) but overall as a society and generation we are becoming more (I NEED TO KNOW WHAT WORD THIS IS) but it's still up for debate whether that is a truly bad thing or not. TV also sucks because of commercials and ads (especially political adds, i hate them) but for me when i watch stuff on the air or via cable I just mute commercials and a lot of places have some sort of DVR or they will simply use "other methods" to watch their shows which leads to them being commercial free.

Overall, I think television is a positive force for the individual and a very weak negative force for society which equals a very weak positive force overall.

I Watch Too Much TV

I love TV. I watch it pretty much everyday. Most of the time I just sit down to watch something for a minute and end up watching it for an hour. My favorite television shows are LOST, How I Met Your Mother, Rules of Engagement, Heroes, Sports Nation, and Sports Center. That might seem like a long list, it took a lot of thought to narrow it down to that. I cant stand the show Glee because it ruins good songs. I also think that television can be both a positive form of entertainment and an annoying overload of advertisements. Luckily, DVR comes to the rescue so that we can watch TV without all those brainwashing ads. Also, watching TV, in no way, shape or form, makes anyone a bad person. Some people just might enjoy watching TV instead of doing other things. Some people like lay out at the pool all day instead of watching television. Does that make them bad people?

My opinions on TV

The average american watches 4 hours and 35 minutes of TV a day. I think this is more a result of leaving your tv on than actually watching it that long. This is what happens at my house. Someone will sit down and start watching something then get bored with it, leave, but not turn the TV off. Sharing the TV in the living room also means that I have to watch a lot of lame shows my sister likes. These include the Teen mom one, NCIS (which isn't that bad for a cop show), and for some reason she still watches kid's shows on Nickelodeon and Disney (shes 20 years old). I usually just go do something else when she puts those on.
TV shows i like are Family Guy, South Park, and ESPN shows like PTI. House and The Office are alright. Shows I hate are pretty much every reality show, bad comedies (the tyler perry shows) and I also hate some channels in general. These include the food channel, VH1, E, Animal Planet, and CMT among many others. I hate all of these because in my opinion they shouldn't exist. They also seem to have terrible programming.
I think that TV is crafted silliness that is funded by companies wanting to advertise to mass audiences. I do not disapprove of this becuase it makes TV cheaper and unless your completely gullible the advertisements shouldn't affect you. I do hate the advertisements though. Except during the Super Bowl, commercials are just so generic and annoying it almost ruins TV altogether.
P.S. Sorry im late Mr. Logsdon totally forgot it was due Saturday not Sunday.

The giggle, chuckle, and laugh

I consider myself a guy that likes a good chuckle, and cherishes those moments when you’re out of breath from extreme laughter. Comical T.V. feeds this hunger for a giggle, and especially serves as a stress reliever, or to get my mind off of something. Is it sad that I once in a while use the television to cope with the stress of homework and facilitate procrastination? Yes, it defiantly is, but it works so I’m going to remain tenacious in brain melting ways.
Right now you probably think I watch, an exorbitant amount of T.V. based on how the previous paragraph was phrased; but, that’s actually far from the truth. In a normal week, I probably watch four hours of T.V. The shows that make up the couple of hours spent are Psych, White Collar, and Tosh.0; two comedies and one drama. Oh and yes I will go far enough to say that Tosh.0 is one of the hilarious shows ever broadcasted on television. Often times T.V will give me aspirations to be just like the characters in the program; I want to be slick and witty like Neil Caphry , funny like Shaun Spencer, and B.A. like Jack Bauer…
So all aspects of T.V. to me are pretty much all positi… JOKE, there’s nothing that really grinds my gears more than commercials. All they are good for is going to get a bag of chips, getting a drink, pouring the drink into the cup, and taking both items back to where you were watching T.V in time for the show to start again. But what happens if you planned ahead and assembled you’re in-show meal before hand? Then, you get screwed over by the boredom and are forced to remain seated for the 3-4 minute brain washing session while attempting to make conversation.
DVR is pretty pro. T.V
I consider myself a guy that likes a good chuckle, and cherishes those moments when you’re out of breath from extreme laughter. Comical T.V. feeds this hunger for a giggle, and especially serves as a stress reliever, or to get my mind off of something. Is it sad that I once in a while use the television to cope with the stress of homework and facilitate procrastination? Yes, it defiantly is, but it works so I’m going to remain tenacious in brain melting ways.
Right now you probably think I watch, an exorbitant amount of T.V. based on how the previous paragraph was phrased; but, that’s actually far from the truth. In a normal week, I probably watch four hours of T.V. The shows that make up the couple of hours spent are Psych, White Collar, and Tosh.0; two comedies and one drama. Oh and yes I will go far enough to say that Tosh.0 is one of the hilarious shows ever broadcasted on television. Often times T.V will give me aspirations to be just like the characters in the program; I want to be slick and witty like Neil Caphry , funny like Shaun Spencer, and B.A. like Jack Bauer…
So all aspects of T.V. to me are pretty much all positi… JOKE, there’s nothing that really grinds my gears more than commercials. All they are good for is going to get a bag of chips, getting a drink, pouring the drink into the cup, and taking both items back to where you were watching T.V in time for the show to start again. But what happens if you planned ahead and assembled you’re in-show meal before hand? Then, you get screwed over by the boredom and are forced to remain seated for the 3-4 minute brain washing session while attempting to make conversation.
DVR is pretty pro.

Addicted to Trashy Shows.

I’m not a huge TV watcher. I have a few shows I try to watch religiously, but I’m never home to watch them live. I usually end up watching them on Hulu or DVR over the weekend, or whenever I have time. It’s not that I have anything against TV, it’s just I’m way to busy to actually sit down and watch it. My favorites include Rookie Blue, The Bachelor, Lie to Me, Glee, Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice, and Modern Family.

I don’t think TV is a horrible thing, but I definitely think it’s gotten a lot worse over the years, and that it’s unhealthy when people are addicted and watch it all the time. Most TV shows these days are trashy reality shows that all have the same storyline and idea. You would think none of them would be successful… WRONG. Many people become addicted to these stupid shows (myself included). It’s quite sad when you actually think about what you just spent 2 hours watching.

Television

In my opinion, TV is a great thing to wind my day down with, and it is also the delivery system for ads. But that isn't bad. Ads are everywhere, especially here in America. I'm currently listening to Pandora, and I have heard about 4 ads already. I do not believe that ads are bad. They are a integral part of the "American Experience", just like McDonalds, Wal-Mart, and baseball.

I love to watch TV right before I fall asleep. It helps to make me more tired, and helps me relax. Thursday nights used to be the best, with Parks & Recrections and Community. Both shows haven't gotten a new season yet, but the re-runs are still great to watch. Fridays are good for The Soup, and Cartoon Network has Adventure Time and Regular Show.

Television: the Good and the Bad

When it comes to television, I am rather selective in my choice of shows. As you can see from the previous post, i am HUGE fan of Grey's Anatomy. However, i have widened my range of television shows. For example, i also enjoy watching Glee, Burn Notice, House, Royal Pains, and Golden Girls. After watching hours of television, the question arises of how it has affected my life. Although television does not have a major effect, it has subtle effects on one's perspective. Ever since I watched my mom come to show and tell dressed in her fancy new scrubs, I knew i wanted to be a doctor. Not just any doctor though, but a surgeon. Now I am not saying watching every episode of Grey's Anatomy multiple times influenced my decision to attend medical school, but i do think it did motivate me to pursue this particular career path.

Another important observation is that accompanied with hours of television comes hours of commericals. Although i have outgrown these flashy adverstisements directed at little kids, they still have subliminal effects. For example, whenever i turn on the television, i immediatley feel a little hungry and almost reach out towards the table expecting a bowl of popcorn. Commercials associated with the food industry comprise the overwhelming majority of television advertisements and thus influence a large audience. This is evident through the growing fast food industry across the globe, increasing obesity rates in America especially.

Although television has its flaws, it has had a positive effect on the media industry as a whole. It has been transformed from a scientific discovery to a cutlural phenomenon that has swept across the world. I love television and hope it remains the famous American past-time it is today.

The Less, The Better

Ever since I was little, I've seen two sides on everything. My mom and dad are polar opposites and disagree on most issues considering my mom is a democrat and my dad's a republican. So naturally, my dad loves TV while my mom loathes it. Through elementary school I wasn't allowed to watch TV except on weekends, and sometimes not even then. The rule remained during middle school, but gradually developed into a process of waiting until my mom fell asleep and my dad covered me as we watched shows together. Now, my mom has given up, so me and my dad enjoy our television freely, with the occasional snide remarks from her. We love watching The Office and Modern Family, but even he refuses to watch Glee with me. But after all the years of anti-television discipline, I rarely watch it except for my few select shows. After sitting in front of the television, knowing I have other things to do, I feel like I've wasted my time. Sure, it's entertaining and even informational at times, but there are other ways to see news, learn things, and have fun without sitting on the couch. I don't consider television as a negative thing, but too much of anything becomes a bad thing.

Mathematical!

Without TV, there would be no Adventure Time. That is not the world I want to live in. Adventure Time is my current favorite show, with Penn and Teller: Bullshit! coming in second. Adventure Time is so math, and I love its humor. I can't help but laugh at pixies who threaten to destroy old ladies if one looked sad, or the subconscious of a dog telling him to wear a fancy hat instead of swimming across a river. But that's the only show I really watch on TV. My DVR may be full of it, but I use the internet to watch my true favorite shows that have been cancelled. Those favorites are Arrested Development and Freaks and Geeks. I still wonder why they don't dominate primetime, but I shouldn't complain. It's all there on the internet for free. And I can watch them at the same place because of my setup. And the best part? No ads.

I really don't think that advertisements are all that bad anyway, but this is coming from someone who constantly fast forwards through them or doesn't even experience them through the internet. Sure, they can be obnoxious, and at times depressing (animal shelter puppies), but you can do so much to get rid of them. The mute button used to be my favorite button just for that. Besides, ads are in more places than just TV.

That's like math, bro.

Tivo is my life.

Honestly, I love TV. I watch it everyday. I don't know what I would be able to do without a Tivo though. Almost all of the television shows I watch are recorded. This includes Leverage, Glee, and Psych: my three favorites. The only shows I ever watch live are Ellen and Phineas and Ferb. I like pretty much any show, but I hate Lawrence Welk. My dad watches it every Sunday at six without fail. For awhile it was amusing to watch creepy old men serenade women half their age in wonderfully tacky outfits, but now it is just plain boring. I know for a fact that I have seen every episode so I know that my dad has too, but I guess he loves it enough to watch reruns over and over and over.

I think television can be a terrible brainwashing tool if used improperly. The amount of TV kids watch should be limited and the shows they watch should be monitored. Also, I think commercials aimed towards children are inappropriate because they can't distinguish between show and advertisement. On the other hand, I don't think television in general is bad. I do watch TV every night, but it's usually with my parents. We always watch something recorded that we all like. If we didn't do this, I would probably just stay in my room all night reading or something. So I definitely don't think loving TV is a bad thing, as long as it doesn't become the focus of anyone's life.

Clear Eyes, Full Hearts, Cant Lose

I'll start out talking about my favorite shows. My absolute favorite show is Friday Night Lights. It's about a High School football team in Texas. It's loosely connected with the movie and book and I think it's the best thing on TV. I also really like Psych. I think I saw someone else post about Psych, but it's about a fake psychic who solves police cases. It's just a really funny show all around.

Those are definitely my two favorite shows, but I also like Food Network and ESPN. I only like ESPN during football and basketball season, though. There's always a period with just baseball and golf that I have trouble dealing with.

I don't really have any shows that I hate. If I don't like something, I won't watch it. I saw Glee once and really didn't like it, though.

I think that TV, in some cases can be very artful, but in most cases, it's just a distraction. You can almost always be doing something better with your time than watching TV. It's definitely nice to have something mindless that you can do to wind down, though.

We talked about advertising in class, and I know that I get influenced. I would like to think that it's more that I'm exposed to products that I might be interested in, and less that I'm subconsciously compelled to buy something that I don't want. I'm not sure.

This isn't really related, but I really like how you can change channels and figure out who watches what shows bases on what's being advertised, and at what times different products are being advertised. Like when G4 used to be on (I don't know why I don't get it anymore), the late night shows used to almost exclusively advertise online dating website for the lonely single men that watch shows about video games at 2 in the morning.

This is also very unrelated. But has anyone seen the new axe commercial where they're talking about washing balls? It's weird. Here it is.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtZKL74LgMg&feature=related

i LOVE my tv.

Is loving your TV a bad thing? My answer would be a big NO. I can't help how much I love all of my favorite shows: Gossip Girl, Mad Men, The Mentalist, Modern Family, House, 30 Rock, The Office, Glee, Secret Life, and oh so much more... So most of those shows are trashy I guess I'm just so curious to see what will happen next that I could care less. I find that I get so attached to the characters it's ridiculous. I will admit I am quite the weeper when it comes to sad endings and events in shows and movies. I even cried at the end of the last Gossip Girl season finale which made me feel slightly pathetic. Anyways, while some of it seems trashy a lot of it has its artistic forms and styles. For example, Glee isn't just a show with a bunch of people singing. There's a story line and many symbolic things takes place. In addition, the comedies I tune in for take a lot of wit and thinking; they aren't just mindless entertainment. There aren't really many shows I don't like, and I suppose that's because I just don't ever watch them.

Then there are the advertisements thrown in all over the place. I love that I get to avoid these commercials through my DVR. What an AMAZING invention! DVR is great and I love it and I can only guess that it has hurt the advertising industry quite a bit. Sure, there's advertising in the shows still, but not nearly as much as what I get to avoid with my DVR. A little bit more on the DVR thing. It's great, but now that I'm so used to it, it is pretty much torture to watch anything without it. The commercials drive me crazy now. Basically, I believe the TV is both a great use of expression and a way to advertise. However, I still love it.

No Shawn Spencer?!

What would you do if there were no Shawn Spencer and Burton Gustor to solve the murders? What would fuel our interest for action without Agent Gibbs and his group? Who would make our families feel normal without the Modern Family cast? TV, as with any thing, can be an amazing thing if you don't watch it excessively. It can be a way to relieve stress after a long day's work, or a way to just turn off your brain after it's been put into overdrive. Television, in the earlier days, when Seinfeld and Who's the Boss, and The Nanny came on offered one genre: Comedy. And with this, it made people laugh, it made people relax, it also offered a lot less commercial. Now days, with all the sound systems, and technologies, TV has resulted in companies paying millions of dollars to advertise in specific time slots, and more ads or being shown than the actual television show. It's become a way to sell a product rather than tell a story. Sometimes, ads or purposefully played louder than the actual show as well to make them seem clearer, or heard more. It's important to limit our kids to the exposure of television, but not to completely withdraw them from television. Even though kids may see one or two violent acts on TV, they aren't going to turn into serial killers or bullies. TV networks should work on limiting commercials if they want a greater number of viewers.

I'm not crazy about television, most of the time it's just my dad watching Walking with Dinosaurs or Nova. Yeah, the people who watch it 24/7 are going overboard, but having a few favorite shows is fine. My main problem with it is how the quality has declined over the years. The nineties had the BEST shows: Freaks and Geeks, My So Called Life, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Boy Meets World, Seinfeld, Friends, etc. They had better humor, less commercials, and better direction, with few exceptions; one of them being Lost.

Lost was a fabulous show. The organization and suspense was really cool and to have people's interest for six seasons is incredible. It's a show that makes you think and is way more intellectual than trash TV. Anyone who doesn't like Lost is very lame. Jersey Shore is also fab. This, on the other hand, is trash TV. But it's so entertaining that it's the price you have to pay. Emma Guida should consider joining the house.

I suppose we have a few good modern shows: The Office, which started off great but keeps getting worse, Flight of the Conchords- hilarious, 30 Rock. Then there are the modern disaster shows: all of Disney channel, the dozens of vampire shows, and Glee- for some reason I just can't stand Glee. Everyone else seems to love it.

Ads don't really bother me all that much, but, yeah, every five minutes is super annoying.

Televisione

Well first of all, I'm not a huge fan of TV. I think I used to like/watch it more, when I actually had time... Like, I remember asking my parents if I could watch Disney Channel for half an hour and getting super pumped if I could. Butttt I don't watch it a whole lot anymore.

Shows that I actually try to watch every week would be The Office (except that it's really been going downhill...), 30 Rock after it if I have time, and 24 when it was going on. There are other shows that I like, such as Community, Modern Family, and okay, it's really not a good show at all, but I got kind of engaged in the story line of Pretty Little Liars... and I'll sometimes DVR them or look them up on Hulu, but I generally don't take the time to watch them live.

Alright, onto shows I hate. I really don't feel that strongly about most shows, but there's this one little show that is completely stereotypical and derogatory.... it's name is Jersey Shore. WORST. SHOW. EVER. I mean come on, Snookie's not even Italian!!! Who wants to watch an hour of fake "Italians" run around with their big hair and fake tans?? If you're really interested in the Italian culture, then here's an idea - go to Italy! It's actually quite nice. And judging from experience, people there DON'T actually resemble those of Jersey Shore in any way, shape, or form. It's just been giving people a negative connotation of Italians, and you know what? I think I'm gonna go write them an angry letter after I finish this. But seriously, I don't know HOW MANY times I have been called a Guido or a Guidette in the past two years, or however long that monstrosity to human kind has been on air... it's just a very unfortunate coincidence that those two contextually offensive terms happen to sound so much like my last name. Which means LEADER anyways. NOT annoying-loud-unpleasant-greasy-"tan"-stupid hair and nickname-FAKE ITALIANS. And really, the second season is in Miami. If you're going through all this trouble to denigrate a group of people, you could at least do it consistently and not contradict, oh, I don't know, the name of your show.

Oops. I hope that rant semi-effectively responds to the assignment..

My Tele Classifications

I have three classifications for the shows I watch. Level 3 includes the rare thought "I have some extra time, I wonder what’s on/been recorded on TiVo..." This includes My Boys and Bones. I'm not going to wait for these to come on, but when I have some spare time, I don't mind laughing with PJ and the gang in My Boys and trying to solve a murder mystery (with very fake graphics-in my opinion) in Bones.

I have a higher appreciation for my Level 2 shows: Friends and Arrested Development. They’d be in Level 1 if they were still aired. Friends is, well, a classic. And Arrested Development, I think, is true comedy and an immediate mood booster; the characters are so likeable and distinct. It's a shame it's not on anymore...

Finally, Level 1: The Office and 30 Rock. The Office used to be my favorite TV show, but it’s really gone downhill since Jim and Pam's wedding. The past shows have been boring, anticlimactic, and worthy of nothing more than a chuckle. 30 Rock is now number 1. What's great is each episode is genuinely funny and it's not always a continuous story that drags on into multiple episodes. The show presents new, funny, and entertaining story lines each week.

Though I love my Level 1’s, I rarely stay up to watch them. The commercials are so annoying and not worth my time. So, I usually TiVo them, wake up early the next morning and watch them before school. That's a big hassle for a 20-minute show... Anyway, I'm more of a movie girl.

I Love DRAMA!!

TV is both as you say fundamentally insidious and a wonderful form of entertainment. Commercials provide an excellent source of mass media attention that only an idiot advertiser wouldn't take advantage of, but I don't believe it's as all powerful as it once was as the average person begins education into advertising techniques at the age of like 9 and it loses its power.TV is without a doubt wonderful entertainment, I love TV, however I don't get to watch it much due to the fact that I'm constantly doing something else, like typing up this assignment, walking my dogs, or hanging out with friends. Anywho, the point is that TV has both good and bad, in other words I have acknowledged a counter-argument *whpsh*.Now to the tofu and potatoes of this blog post: Law and Order: SVU, General Hospital, Vampire Diaries, JAG and of course GOSSIP GIRL! All chock full of drama, each and everyone perfection in box with sound and picture. As for hate... comedy on NBC, that's right Thompson I said it I hate the Office, 30 Rock, Parks and Recreation, and anything else they consider comedy. If I wanted my comedy itch scratched I'd go to ABC and watch Modern Family, Cougar Town, etc.The only shows I get to watch out of my favorites are Gossip Girl and Law and Order: SVU. I don't have it in me to TIVO all the General Hospitals when in school I just read the synopsis online during Latin 6th period to figure out who killed who, if Brenda and Sonny are actually going to get back together, and if James Franco will try and kill Jason. As for JAG, I own all ten seasons on DVD so I don't need to and Vampire Diaries I will begin to record when the season starts.

TV is just great. Without the telly, there would be no Shawn Spencer and Burton Guster. That would be a disaster. But really, I think television is a pretty good form of entertainment. Movies and television have become a big part of modern popular culture. Television is one of the most powerful news formats, advertising markets, and creative environments that we have today. Where would we be without television?

On the topic of TV being some sort of insidious tool that marketing reps use is, well, sort of ridiculous. Everyone needs to make a living. Some people make it in the advertising industry, where television is a very powerful resource to just ignore. If you're afraid that ads are having that much effect on you or whomever, turn the TV off. It's not a big deal. Ads are everywhere, the TV isn't some sort of odd exception.

I am in love with DVR from insight, because without DVR, I wouldn't even watch TV probably because the only shows that come on that I consider to be good are on at like ten o'clock at night. The only show that I really watch everyday would be Futurama, I think it is hilarious, especially Zoidberg, an alien doctor with no real degree and everyone hates. That combination is genius. Simpsons is also good, but I just have a better connection with Futurama, the humor relates to me better. I moderate myself of TV to about one or two episodes a day, mainly because I don't have the time, or I don't have cable, like at my dad's house. I was obsessed with Family Guy, but it got old fast. The humor became less stupid and started to become political. I'm more of a make fun of everything type person, and I didn't like how Family Guy became one sided, and that's when I saw that Futurama was coming out with new episodes. So that's mainly why I switched, but there are some other small reasons that aren't worth mentioning. I enjoy television, but I don't think I do as much as other people do, some people, like my step-dad watch a good four hours a day. I prefer to spend my time gaming for four hours. I think television has completely changed the way we live, whether that is a good thing or a bad thing, people have changed their lives around TV. It provides the news, entertainment, and information about almost anything. I generally think that television is a good thing in our society, but I think advertising is the downfall of it. People get brainwashed into thinking they need to buy or vote for something just because their TV says so. Although, it does let you know when new things come out, like Halo: Reach. So psyched! Sorry, got a little sidetracked, well basically Television is mostly good, but brainwashing advertisements are bad. I don't watch too much television in my opinion; I'm more of a gamer. I think that pretty much sums it up.

Edits

I would like to note that the first "i" in my last paragraph should be capitalized. Also, everyday, as seen in the paragraph above, should be one word, as opposed to two.

It was only after I posted this that I remembered that I could edit posts. Sorry...

The subtle joys of The idiots lanturn

First, off, I wanna let everyone know that the phrase "idiot's lantern" or "idiot box" originated in Britain shortly before world war two as a form of reverse snobbery. The general, working class British of the time felt great contempt for the mostly upper class people who owned televisions at the time. It was viewed as a base and vulgar form of entertainment. This opinion quickly went by the wayside, however, as the television gained enormous popularity in the decades following the second world war. Enough about random history though, on to the meat of the matter. The thing that I really love about television is that two minute block every approximately eight minutes (it varies from network to network) that is devoted purely to trying to convince/sell me something. That's right I'm talking about commercials. (no one ever accused me of being completely sane, did they? seriously though, if you know someone who considers me 100% completely and thoroughly sane, I advise you to contact the proper authorities at once.)I love commercials. They're fun. They are the most honest thing on T.V. They tell you the truth.(as they see it) No one else is going to tell me how much easier it is to scramble eggs with the Egg Wave's new auto whisk unless they do. How else is one expected to know that people have been scrambling eggs the wrong way for hundreds of years? As far as actual television programing goes, I have three preferences:

1)A major sports event-these always have the best commercials (eg: the Super Bowl)

2)Law & Order-One has no choice but to love the way the writers can turn a simple murder into an epic case about the inherent racism embedded in everyday American society.

3)Documentaries- This is usually where I learn all of the random crap that I know (like the history of the Television and the insulting phrases used to describe it)

The Pregnant Teenager Show

As my title indicates, I do indulge in a few television guilty pleasure shows. One of these would be The Secret Life of the American Teenager (or as my family and I like to call it, The Pregnant Teenager Show). I know how many haters of this show there are out there, but I just can't stop watching it. Maybe that should be a bad sign for me and tell me that television can be addictive...nah. I don't care if every third word is sex and if two of the characters are currently or have been pregnant, I like to watch it. I'm not even sure why, perhaps it is just so ridiculous to me that it is entertaining. Although when I really think about it, perhaps it even speaks some truths about "the secret life" of high schoolers all around me. Another show I follow is Make it or Break it, which is a drama about four elite gymnasts and the drama of their high-stress life. Basically I used to do gymnastics and I just live vicariously through that show. I do enjoy The Office although I didn't watch the most recent season. Also, I always enjoy me some Spongebob Sqaurepants.
I don't believe that television is "brainwashing" as some people claim. I do think that commercials can get a little ridiculous, but I hardly ever watch them. In addition, I don't believe that it is wise how most of America takes what they hear on television and especially the news to automatically be true, but I guess that's just lucky for those politician types. I do think that children need to be restricted in the time of television that they watch, especially young children. Children need contact with other kids and their parents to develop well, not just being plopped in front of a screen for 8 hours a day. I understand that there are "educational" shows out there that are supposedly good for kids to watch. However, when there is stuff out there like Teletubbies and The Wiggles....that's just scary, like nightmare scary. I was afraid of the Teletubbies when I was little because I thought they were aliens. And I don't know about you but if I was 5 years old I just don't want to watch 40 year old men sing to me about fruit salad, even a small child can see that something is just not right there. Personally, I just don't agree that some of these shows that are designed to be "developmentally stimulating" for little kids will ultimately have a good effect on them.

Gleek 4 lyf

I absolutely love love love Glee. Freshmen year, I stumbled upon Glee by mistake (I was actually turning to Fox to see if Family Guy was on.) From that moment forward, I've been a devoted fan. There's nothing about Glee that I don't love. The cast is truly amazing -- Lea Michele, Cory Monteith, Matthew Morrison, Jane Lynch etc., are absolutely FANTASTIC.
I don't just watch tv for pure entertainment, however. Every morning I start my day with LEX18 news at sunrise, and conclude with LEX18 at 5 and 6, and then watch MSNBC Nightly News. (I love Brian Williams, too!)
I feel like I could get shot for saying this, but I HATE The Office. Worst show in the history of television. Not funny, boring, stupid. I'll stop now.

I definitely feel that people can get a lot from television. Sure it's used to get messages across to the public (mostly through annoying political ads), but I'm fascinated by the convenience and effectiveness of TV.

Sitting downstairs is my lovely brand new 58 inch plasma screen TV... I think I'll go watch Ellen now.

ALSO, I can't believe I forgot this the first time around: I 'm obsessed with Jersey Shore. I watched all of season one, and season two is not disappointing. Vinny is my favorite-- he's absolutely adorable. GTL every day (*GTL: Gym, Tan, Laundry. Coined by Pauly D.)

Assignment: Maim your TV?

The Emmys' broadcast Sunday night marks the beginning of the new television season. That’s right, we’ve got our old favorites: Modern Family, House, Gossip Girl, The Office, Survivor, CSI, NCIS, The Mentalist, et.al., along with some new hopefuls: The Event, No Ordinary Family, Hawaii Five-O, and $#*! My Dad Says. So what are YOUR thoughts on the subject of TV? What shows do you love? What shows do you hate? Is TV a wonderful form of entertainment, social commentary, crafted silliness creating a diversion at the end of the day? Or is TV fundamentally something more insidious: the delivery system for advertising products to a mass audience? Can it be both? 

Take a look at some of these sites

http://www.csun.edu/science/health/docs/tv&health.html

http://www.turnoffyourtv.com/ check out the links at the bottom

 

I love me my TV—does that make me a bad person?

What are your thoughts?

This picture is just so great, I wish I could swap it with my first one

The harder you try to understand, the more confusing it gets

Hello, this is Max Dubocq, and I am not what most people call "normal". In fact, some people call me crazy. I take that as a compliment. I take it as those people think I'm a good actor. I may be a little insane, but aren't we all? I think acting out of my right mind is fun, and it is one of my favorite hobbies.

My other hobbies are probably a bit more what other people would call "normal" teenage guy stuff, like playing video games, or playing music. Call of Duty would have to be my favorite video game right now, I've put a good week of my life into that game, I guess you could say I'm addicted, but I think addiction isn't the same as a nasty habit. When I play video games, I become much more obnoxious than I normally am. (Hard to believe it could get any worse, right?) I like to scream my head off into my little headset at those six year old kids who, for some reason, have an extremely violent game and like to use four letter words. I feel like the parents shouldn't let them play this game online. There are people like me online.

When I'm not playing video games and I have time to myself, I like to play my guitar or bass. I play bass in a band called Bo-Bo with Wilson and we've been together for like three years. I just reread that and I want to clarify I do not swing that way, Wilson is pretty and all, but he's just not my type. Anyway, we play rock music and are working on an album or demo, I'm not sure what we are going to decide, but whatever it is, it's in progress and is starting to sound pretty good. We practice like twice a week and we've played at the school a couple of times. I enjoy playing and writing music, but the recording process is not very fun, I'm looking forward for this thing to be finished so I can get back to having fun with the band.

I'm much different at my house than at school and when I'm with my friends. I have three sisters, one of them is at college and out of the house, which made me the oldest kid in a sense, one little sister is thirteen and doesn't talk much, while my other little sister is four, and she likes to scream and fight. Last, but not least, is my little brother, who is a little over one. He started teething and likes to bite your legs if you put them on the coffee table to watch TV. A lot of the time I'm home, I spend time playing with the little kids, or hang out and watch TV with the older little sister.

Well that about sums it up about me, the site I like to visit would have to be http://unrelatedcaptions.com It's where I got the picture, most of them are really bad, but the good ones are just great. The website name is self explanatory, the captions have absolutely nothing to do with the picture. You keep trying to make connections between the two, but the harder you try to understand, the more confusing it gets. The caption of my picture is from Spongebob, which I like to watch with my four year old sister, and I'll admit it, I watch it alone sometimes.

583 words. I might have overdone it. Sorry about that.

I wumbo, you wumbo, he she we wumbo

Hola, me llamo Greg. Hi, my names Greg Denton 16, enrolled in Henry Clay High School and going to get my restricted license in September, tee hee.

Anyways, some goals of mine are to quite obviously finish high school but beyond that I really don't know what I want to do, I of course plan to go to some college or another which I'm not sure although for the past year I've been getting about an (e)mail a day from lots of various colleges a few of which have sounded interesting, this year I will probably start some college visits otherwise over the summer.

So I'm a pretty lazy person which tends to leads to low-homework scores but doesn't tend to affect test scores which normally helps bring up my grade but this year I have a goal to do all of my homework actually at home instead of the hour before it's due.

Over the summer there weren't really any "seminal experiences" for me but it was pretty fun, I did the bluegrass summer ultimate league which was fun. Over the summer I also bought pokemon Soul Silver and I know, pokemon, seriously? but I really don't care. It's a remake of one of the earlier games so instead of buying it for the "OMG THAT GAME LOOK'S SO AWESOME!" reason I bought it for the "ohhh yea pokemon" nostalgia reason.

So the picture is just cool and the website http://www.givesmehope.com/ is a pretty cool website based on the fml and mlia sites but as the title says it gives people hope.

Running as Fast as Kenyans

Hello, my name is James C. DeVisser. Hobbies include playing video games(especially Uncharted 2 and Red Dead Redemption) and reading(especially Warhammer 40k stuff). I procrastinate quite a bit, about everything. And hold that thought about me being your worst student. That is the main thing that i plan to improve upon from last year. Some personal goals include: graduating HC, going to college(and doing so successfully), and hopefully becoming either a armaments designer or something involving video games. Favorite color is red and favorite band is the Gorillaz. My personal experience would have to be going up to Michigan for the 4of July, and realizing that my Dad's side of the family is a lot more redneck than my Mom's side down here in Kentucky. Very strange, indeed. Favorite website has to be http://gameinformer.com/Default.aspx#

I'm Me

Wuddup! =) Sharing some tidbits about myselft wont be so tough so, here it goes. Hobbies first. I have a complete and utter obsesion for the game of golf; explaining why how it happened is actually quite difficult. The exitement, joy, and total frustration of the game of golf keeps on reeling me back everyday for more. People say, "oh your not a real athlete, you play golf," and they are so, completly correct. Thats why get my adrenaline kick during the winter playing hockey, and it is definatly a thrill fix.

Little known fact about myself is that since i was aout 9 ive been a aspiring numismatist. For everyone who dosent know what that word means, a coin collector. I havnt been doing much of that hobbie latly but the history that comes with collecting has always intrigued me. Hopefully posting this will give you a little more insight for you to who I am, but probaby not.

Does my Title count as seven words?

That is a picture of Top Thrill Dragsters at Cedar Point which is very easily the greatest thing i have ever done over summer or my life for that matter. It's a roller coaster that goes really fast. It seriously lasts like 20 seconds (17 according to wikipedia) it's so fast.
Currently my academic goals are to get through high school, get into a decent college (UK is my expectation), and then work for 20-30 years and retire. My complete averageness last year was mainly due to not doing homework and not studying. I plan to work a lot harder this year because everyone says colleges really look at your junior year not to mention like most academy students im taking 4 AP classes which looks to be slightly challenging. Getting better grades is easier said than done but its definately achievable if you work for it. 2! 1! 150 words!!!

My favorite website is http://www.pandora.com/#/ its free music, no complaints here.

The boring intricasies of my boring life.

(For those of you who cannot put two and two together and get anything but 47) This is William Fritz. I am (obviously) a Junior in the Liberal Arts Academy at Henry clay High School. (but I really hope you already knew that) Umm...yeah, that's it really. There isn't a whole lot of other salient information about me (except that I pride myself in my knowledge of history and of Pokemon [I have caught them all] that I have an irrational affinity for complex sentences, and I like to think that I have a repetitively redundant vocabulary) Lets see, what can I say about me...Oh I know, My favorite color is orange, (and green). My hobbies include (in order of importance) Sleep, food, video games (Especially the Pokemon and Monster Hunter series), riding my bicycle, walking my dog, and school. (mostly procrastinating about my homework) Other things about me include that I dislike traveling (particularly to Europe [and Especially to Italy]) and I get really fed up with people who know things that I don't. (you know who you are)

Finally, my favorite animal (not that anyone should really care) is a dog. (I like cats, but they hate me) Below (above actually) is a picture of my dog, Wolfgang(or Howard or Rabbit-Leader, depending on who you ask) Below that is a link to my favorite website.

http://www.serebii.net/index2.shtml

10 - 11 3.0 Language and Composition: Assignment: Well howdy pardner.

IGNOE THIS i'M TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW THIS WORKS10 - 11 3.0 Language and Composition: Assignment: Well howdy pardner.: "Share a bit about yourself. Here are some ideas to consider in your 150 word post. What are some of your (not your parents or your friends) ..."

So...

...I don't know where to start.

I'm Ryan. I like listening to music, eating Indian food, playing music, jogging on the beach in slow-motion, and being a bro.

One cool experience this summer for me was going up to New York. There's just so much stuff to do, it's great. Somewhere, a band is playing a show in New York. You can't be bored.

I also got to go to the Newport Folk Fest which was awesome. It's was good bands right after each other, all day long. It definitely encouraged me to think more about being a musician professionally. I just remember in the middle of the Avett Brothers set just thinking: "Yeah, that's what I want to do." Anything else would seem boring in comparison.

What I hope I do differently this year is not be so forgetful. I'm terrible at remembering to do things. I have the memory of a eighty year old man. I'll probably have to take up writing things on my arms.

Well, that's about it, yeah.


www.mylifeisbro.com

I'm the Enchanting Wizard of Rhythm

Hey, it's Wilson, although I'm called Quailson more often. And Big Q. And Jack Black. My personal goals this year, besides losing the Jack Black nickname, are to get much better grades and to procrastinate less in all aspects of life. I need to stop putting off writing and listening to music. I also need to stop putting off my schoolwork. This probably won't turn out too well because I occasionally wish that procrastination was a sport. I think I'm off to a good start, considering this is currently being written 6 hours before it is due.

I got my intermediate license this summer. It has and will continue to change my life greatly. I can now go get Bourbon N' Toulouse at anytime I want (within their hours), but I have to deal with crippling depression because I have to pay for my own gas. My gas guzzling car isn't helping that depression either, but blasting music keeps my mind off of it. My summer also consisted of listening to many new albums, watching many new movies, playing guitar, trying many new foods, and sleeping. They probably aren't life changing, but are equally influential.

My picture is the artwork for one of my favorite albums of all time. It is also where I got my title.

My favorite website is http://www.27bslash6.com/

I'm watching the Goonies right now

Hey, my name is Hunter Brashear. I'm just going to go by the questions in the prompt thing you posted.

I run track, so one of my personal goals is to go to and place at state this year. I run the 110 and 300 hurdles, and I have been since 6th grade. I would also love to get a 4.0 all the way through high school. I'll definitely need a lot of scholarship money, and that's going to help out a lot.

A problem I had last year is the fact that if I don't like a teacher, I won't do any work to get back at them. That doesn't really make any sense at all, but I do it a lot. If I can actually commit to making an effort throughout the year, I think I'll be good.

Over the summer, and over the last four summers, I have been going to Duke TiP. It's basically a sumer camp where you go take a condensed college course and live on a college campus for three weeks. It's by far the best experience of my life and I got to meet some of my best friends over my four years. I guess I didn't have a specific life changing experience, but I know that I would be a lot different if I didn't go to Duke.

The picture I posted is of me and my little brother Will. He's pretty much a man. He can do a pull up and he's two years old. He also plays with dumbbells, not toys.

I forgot to put on my favorite website. So I hope this will let me change it.

mylifeisbro.com

All You Need is Love

Hey, it's Jamie. I feel like this is my chance to be witty and clever, but unfortunately I was not born with the gift of wit. So I guess mine will just be straightforward. I like pasta, the color green, Spiderman, tiedye, Younglife, disney movies, Harry Potter, puppies, High School Musical, and spring time. I dislike, jello, science, flies, and american cheese.

The most exciting thing that happened this summer is that I got a puppy! His name is Freddy, and he is very adorable. He is my first dog and completely my responsibility. I have no siblings to split the feeding and walking with so literally I do it all, and I love every second of it. He is so sweet, and I just love him so much.

As for the future, I haven't really made up my mind about anything. Thinking about it stresses me out so I tend to avoid the topic, even when I'm with my college planner. This year, I want to get comfortable thinking about college and all of the change that comes along with it.

My favorite website is definitely www.stumbleupon.com . I love that you can personalize it, and it is the perfect procastination tool.

Everything rhymes with Jill

My name is Jill Marie Fraebel. I really like my middle name and when people call me Jill Marie as a double name, but unfortunately it's not really catching on.

After reading the others I feel the need to make this interesting. The most interesting thing about me is that I can put both of my feet behind my head. Another more annoying than interesting thing is that spell check always says my last name is spelled wrong and it is not. My main academic goal right now is to get into a good college, but I really don't know which one I like right now. Regardless of the college one goal for me is to in some way shape or form study photography in college because I am really interested in that. I am trying to do a bunch of extra curricular activities this year to look good for college applications. Last year I got extremely behind behind and confused in math class, it will not happen again. I'm awful in math but I will make a good grade in it this year. My short term goal is just to do all of my work and make all A's this year, without going crazy.

The photo to the left is one I took while hiking at the Red River Gorge this summer.

My summer was truly amazing this year and I did a variety of things but this asks to me to tell which of these experiences changed my life. That's an easy question for me, I went to Younglife camp in Virginia and it was so amazing. I did crazy, fun things I'll never forget and made a lot of new friends. I don't know if we're allowed to put more than one experience but I also went tubing and water skiing for the first time this summer.

www.pandora.com is my favorite website because it's free music and it helps me find new artists and songs that I like.

Picture. Again...

Okay, it didn't work last time either. Hopefully this will...

Picture!

Apparently this did not submit last time. If it did, ohhh well, it's on here twice!

Kelly, you gotta boyfraaaan??

First of all: this is Emma Guida, I think I might have accidentally set my display name as "Kelly, you gotta boyfraaan??" soooo, if you see that, it's actually me. Okay.

One of my short term goals is to go to Detroit which happens to hold the closest Italian consulate to me and obtain my dual citizenship with Italy there, by getting a passport picture taken!

And a long term goal would be to marry Daniel Radcliffe. Aka HARRY POTTER. I would like that to be a short term goal, or, you know, a plausible goal, butttt we're still just friends.

I went to Greece this summer, and I think that the whole experience was life changing, the best part was probably meeting all the amazing old people there, but I guess the beaches were kind of nice too. (They were sooo pretty and inviting).

Also, the reason this is being posted so late is because we're currently about halfway done with dinner. Started at 730. Multi course meal. Italian.

My favorite website (or at least one that I enjoy, because it is kind of difficult to pick a favorite) is possibly mugglenet.com. They have a countdown till the next Harry Potter movie. November 19th. Aaaaaahhhhh!!!!!!!!!

Website!

Sorry, forgot to add this in. One of my favorite websites is http://muffinfilms.com/index.htm (:

I prefer the title "Lifeguardian." Sounds much more important, don't ya think?

Hey Mr. Logsdon this is Mackenzie! This summer the experience that most changed my life was having my first job as a lifeguard. It doesn't sound like a difficult task to sit in a chair for hours, but when the temperature was over a 100 degrees and we ran out of water, it got pretty tough. One day, I was working hard to stay alert, when I glanced over and saw a small boy struggling to swim. I leaped down from my chair and jumped in to help him right as he slipped under the surface. I utlizied my hours of training to bring him safely to the edge of the pool, and help him get out and relax. His parents rushed over, and expressed overwhelming gratitude at how I fulfilled my duty. To my surprise, they happened to be the founders of Fazoli's and offered me a thousand dollars as a reward. As soon as they placed the check in my hand, I awoke with a start back in my lifeguard chair. In reality, the only thing I've saved this year was a mouse out of a gutter, and I didn't even need to give it mouth-to-mouse resuscitation.


Just by posting this a whole day ahead of time I'm already improving on my biggest struggle from last year: procrastination. Even though it's taken me an hour just to start. You would think that the hundreds of late nights doing homework would've taught me a lesson, but it wasn't until cramming for the AP tests when I realized it pays to get a head start. This year, being the hardest year of high school for me, I'm hoping to stay on top of all my school work and extracurriculars. My goal is to make National Merit on the PSAT and raise my SAT/ACT scores. I have my sights set high for college, and want to make sure I get to choose the best school for me, without acceptance being too much of an issue. As difficult as it will be, I'm looking forward to this year. I really like all of my classes so far, including yours, even if I do get a little hungry now and then.


http://www.grooveshark.com/

Mithra Muthukrishnan (last name pronounced the way its spelled)

My name is Mithra, M-I-T-H-R-A, not Mirth, not Murt, and not Mirtha. And if you call me anything other than Mithra on purpose I do get angry. Posting my post on this blog is a major accomplishment because the only thing with technology I know how to do is work Microsoft Word, and get onto Facebook and email, which leads me into my first goal, I want to be more accepting of technology, or at least be able to do more with it. I also want to get my permit before I turn 17, which is in about three months. Yes, I still haven’t gotten my permit. I hope to maintain good grades, not sleep as much; I slept quite a bit last year, which meant doing homework in other classes and at lunch. I want to get into an amazing medical college and become a great doctor, if I can make it past the ACT and SAT. This past summer I got the chance to go to UCLA and spend a week there with 400 other kids from around the world and listen to guest speakers of huge corporate and non- profit organizations which really impacted me, because I now plan to start my own non-profit. The picture is of my hands after six hours of sitting still to put the henna on and then another eight hours of waiting for it to dry and the dye to settle onto my skin. It was from my trip to India freshmen year. My favorite website would have to be www.google.com I really don’t use the Internet all that much.