Armchair Commentary

Best DVDs of September: "Jon + Kate Plus Ei8ht, Seasons 1 & 2"

What it is: A couple (Jon & Kate Gosselin) dream of having kids, but can't, so they go through fertility treatments and have twin girls (Madelyn and Cara). Four years later, they decide they'd like to have one more child, and end up with sextuplets (Aaden, Collin, Leah, Hannah, Alexis, Joel). The show, airing on TLC, follows the daily trials of a couple attempting to get to know their kids as individuals, say off each other's nerves, and just get through breakfast.

Why it's Significant: Here's a reality series that doesn't follow a D-lister and isn't about vain fame-grubbers in each other's faces. The confessionals are honest, the dynamic is fascinating, and the kids are adorable. Moreover, it's a bare-it-all look at parenthood to the nth degree. Whether you're a parent or not, watching Jon & Kate Plus Ei8ht will probably make you feel a little less busy.

I found the show channel-surfing one day and ended up watch 3 hours of it in a row. Kate's OCD method of cleaning and organizing amid complete chaos (five loads of laundry a day, needing a neighbor to help fold the laundry and another to put the laundry away) is hilarious to watch. She and hubby Jon, an IT specialist, snap at each other like any married couple. The strollers they need just to get out of the house, plus the number of snacks, sippy cups, and jackets, may make your head spin at times.

Check out this video, in which Kate explains amount of cleaning that goes into one day at the Gosselin house. -- Ellen

Best DVDs of September 2008: "Sleeping Beauty" Blu-ray

What it is:   Heralded by audiences and critics alike, Sleeping Beauty was the final fairy tale to be produced by Walt Disney himself. When an enchanted kingdom and the most fair princess in the land fall prey to the ultimate mistress of evil, the fate of the empire rests in the hands of three small fairies and a courageous prince's magic kiss. Their quest is fraught with peril as the fellowship must battle the evil witch and a fire-breathing dragon if they are to set the Beauty free.

Why It's Significant: Experience this groundbreaking film restored beyond its original brilliance in the way Walt envisioned it -- pristine, utterly breathtaking, and in High-Definition! Ok, so maybe Walt didn't know about Blu-ray ;).This is one of Disney's first titles to feature  BD Live capabilties PLUS an extra bonus standard definition DVD that is included so you can watch this classic at home and in the mini-van. Disney is also releasing a two-disc platinum edition available on DVD. --Angela

P.S. Did you know Sleeping Beauty's name was Aurora? You can learn more fun princess trivia in our Princess Store.

David Duchovny: Bringing His Work Home With Him?

When I heard David Duchovny had checked himself into rehab for sex addiction, I thought it was a joke. Or a new episode of his TV series. I mean, this guy is the star of Showtime's Californication, after all. But no. Apparently, he is indeed seeking treatment for his problem, and asking for "respect and privacy" as he deals with the situation ('cause, you know, Hollywood is great for that). People.com helpfully points out that rumors of sex addiction have circled him for years (and been denied by him and his wife, Tea Leoni, since the '90s). OK, and am I the only one gets Clockwork Orange-style visions when considering what sex addiction rehab might entail? Good luck, David. Hope you like classical music. -- Stephanie Reid-Simons, Unbox TV Freak

Blu-ray and High-Def Audio

As an act of total misguided insubordination, I am going to be writing to you today about something a little different than what you may be used to here at Armchair: High Definition Audio. Amazon is leaving the door wide open on this one. Or maybe that's what they want. >:)

So, what is high-def audio? To put it plainly - superior audio content on a Blu-ray Disc, or other high-def mediums. Codecs are used as a way of compressing audio, which then is read, or decoded, by a Blu-ray player or a reciever.--Don't get squeamish! It is important to know a little bit about the technology if you want a complete high-def experience.--

A rundown of high-def audio codecs on Blu-ray. (taken from Blu-ray.com specs):
Dolby Digital Plus (DD+) - extension of Dolby Digital, 7.1-channel surround sound.
Dolby TrueHD - lossless encoding of up to 8 channels of audio. (optional)
DTS-HD High Resolution Audio - extension of DTS, 7.1-channel surround sound.
DTS-HD Master Audio - lossless encoding of up to 8 channels of audio.

Studios can choose to include these High-Def audio encodings on a Blu-ray disc, depending on the title.

So how do know if you're getting the best sound quality possible? Check the specs on your Blu-ray player. Does it support internal decoding for these codecs? If so, then all you need is an HDMI1.1+ receiver to output the high-def audio.

Depending on the specs of your receiver, you can also choose to decode audio through the receiver itself by bitstreaming from your player. You'll have to see what your receiver can then decode internally. Also, HDMI1.3a is a good bet if you choose this path.

Dolby True HD is supported on the PS3, the system widely considered to be the best bang for your buck. Though, if you really want to get serious, check out the Blu-ray.com player comparisons.

Here are some Blu-ray titles that take advantage of high-def audio:
Stomp the Yard - TrueHD
Shine a Light - TrueHD
ZZ Top: Live from Texas - DTS-HD
Heart: Alive in Seattle - DTS-HD

More HD goodness coming in the following weeks,

--Rich

Celebrity look-alike: Sarah Palin

Quick question: Which one of these women was selected today to be John McCain's vice-presidential running mate?

 

Answer: It's Alaska governor Sarah Palin in the middle, but she looks a lot like Tina Fey (right) to me, less like Megan Mullaly (left). --David

Celebrity Round-Up - Baby Madness!

Are the celebs scared that their gorgeous celeb kids will not have enough other gorgeous celeb kids to date and go to therapy with that they pressure the other celebs to continually keep expanding the insane celeb baby tribe or what? Seriously though, the baby fun continues in Hollywood – Matt Damon, Gwen & Gavin, Jason Lee, and even Ricky Martin all welcomed new babies. The best part of celeb-baby-madness is of course celeb-baby-naming-madness! The most talked about new celeb baby name of late is favorite cute-rocker couple Gwen & Gavin's son Zuma Nesta Rock Rossdale. Move over Kingston, your little brother just made your name look like the name Bob. However, I think that Jason Lee’s new yet-unnamed girl will likely give him a run for his money, considering that his son's name is Pilot Inspektor.

Speaking of "special" celeb baby names, there are some awesome ones out there. Instead of just listing my favorites, I started thinking - we all know these kids are going to end up in the entertainment world, so what is the first movie that comes to mind when you hear their name that they will most likely end up in a re-make of 20 yrs from now? Here's some of my guesses. I's a fun game to play…feel free to add to the list:

1. Famous Kid: Pilot Inspektor (ie. Best -"special" celeb baby name ever!)
Famous Parent: Jason Lee
Future Movie Re-Make: Inspector Gadget. (Obvious choice for a kid no doubt born with a trench-coat. I am keeping my fingers crossed that he names his new daughter Penny.)

2. Famous Kid: Kal-el.
Famous Parent: Nicolas Cage
Future Movie Re-Make: Superman Or Alien . (It’s a toss-up. Either of which would be a good fit, and now that I think about it, both would also be appropriate movies for little Suri Cruise to co-star in as well. Bonus.)

3. Famous Kid: Tu
Famous Parent: Rob Morrow (and yes that makes her name Tu Morrow)
Future Movie Re-Make: Annie (Um, how perfect would this be? Seriously, I hope she embraces this annoying song early on in life, and she might as well dye her hair red now. There will be no escaping this.)

 

4. Famous Kid(s): Hud and Spec Wildhorse (hard to choose between those "special" names, so have to include both.)
Famous Parents: John Mellencamp & Elaine Irwin
Future Movie Re-Make: Homeward Bound (likely the 4 billionth sequel by then) or The Lost Boys (quite opposites I know, but oddly those were the first two movies that came to mind).

5. Famous Kid: Banjo
Famous Parents: Rachel Griffiths & Andrew Taylor
Future Movie Re-Make: O Brother, Where Art Thou? (Okay so I admit I never saw this movie, but it looks like the kind of movie with a banjo in it, right?)

6. Famous Kid: Moxie CrimeFighter
Famous Parent: (Comedian/ Magician) Penn Jillette
Future Movie Re-Make: The Incredibles or Striptease . (Come on, I know I am not the only one thinking that the name sounds like a toss-up between a super hero and a stripper.)

 

7. Famous Kid: Audio Science
Famous Parent: Shannyn Sossamon
Future Movie Re-Make: Mr. Holland's Opus (Either that, or some movie about a cool Science teacher….but shockingly I can't think of one. Poor kid).

8. Famous Kid: Homer
Famous Parent: Richard Gere
Future Movie Re-Make: The Simpsons. (I know you are thinking something along the lines of The Odyssey, but come on, you name a kid Homer, you are so not getting the literary genius you had in mind. Sorry, Dick).

And since baby Zuma started the list, let's end with him. Apparently his name originates from a beach in Malibu where Gavin had an epiphany where he realized that he wanted to be a rock star. Or so the story goes. After reading that, I am now thinking this kid really lucked out. I mean his dad could have had his epiphany in the parking lot of a 7-11 or in an office cube like the rest of us, and who knows what his name would have been then. But anyway, epiphany at the beach means only one thing… I decree that little Zuma will for sure star in the future re-make of Clueless of course! You know that scene where Alicia Silverstone's character has an epiphany by the fountain that she is really in love with her ex-step brother Paul Rudd? Yup, that has Zuma's name written all over it.

 

So to Jen & Ben, Charlie & Denise (oops, sorry, I meant wife #3 Brooke), Ashlee & Pete, Brad & Angelina (seriously only a matter of time for another one for them) and all those other preggars celebs out there - I am counting on you to continue with this madness cause this is far too entertaining for me…  -- Lisanne

Create Your Own Nightmare Avatar

With the recent release of Disney's The Nightmare Before Christmas, they've created Dr. Finlestein's Lab where you can count down the days to Halloween (my favorite holiday) and create a cool avatar to impress your MySpace friends. Oh, and if you want to impress your actual friends, you should get yourself one of these limited-edition Jack Skellington busts (we sold out already but be sure to check back soon since we might be getting more). I know my co-workers are already plotting ways steal mine. --Angela

 

Only Bronze for The Office? That's Not Right ...

So you may have noticed a commercial or two during the course of the just-concluded Bejing Olympics. And some of the best ones promoted one of my favorite things: Fall TV!. Yes, I know the TV world is moving toward an on-demand/year-round schedule, but there's still something special about the onslaught of shows, like colorful leaves falling from a tree with roots made from coaxial cable. Wow, that little metaphor got weird. But not as weird as the news that the most recalled, most anticipated show among Olympics ad watchers was ... not The Office (third place), Not Heroes (second place), but Deal or No Deal. Sigh. What fall return are you looking forward to most? My list includes Heroes and The Office of course, but also Chuck, Sarah Connor, Lost, Grey's Anatomy, Kitchen Nightmares and 30 Rock. -- Stephanie Reid-Simons, Unbox TV Freak

The Last Season of Stargate Atlantis? Say it Ain't So!

What??? Just when I'm getting into Stargate Atlantis, just when the series has really come into its own, just a few weeks after I chatted with the cast about the show's future ... comes word that the current season will be its last (thanks to Gateworld, possibly the greatest fan site ever). Apparently the plan is to end this season with a cliffhanger in January, then resolve it with a movie, then (if all goes well) make more movies, a path familiar to fans of Stargate: SG-1, which just added a second movie to its legacy (the very enjoyable Continuum). Gateworld says Atlantis has lost some ground in "live" ratings, but is especially popular in the DVR realm (and it's one of Amazon's top episodic downloads). But don't think we'll be living in a world without a Stargate TV series (a fate too frightening to contemplate). A new Stargate series -- designed to appeal to an audience beyond the typical sci-fi crowd -- is in the works, and heck, maybe this means they'll be able to spend more money on it.

I'll end this post on an optimistic note, courtesy of cast member Chuck Campbell (via Gateworld, of course): "Hang in with us," he said. "This new series will be of the same caliber as the other two. These writers know what they are doing. They can write good television. You've been with us this long. Stay with us for the ninth inning. It'll be worth it. And thank you for the five years you've given us." -- Stephanie Reid-Simons, Unbox TV Freak

Summer TV: Go Ahead, Put Words in Their Mouths

I'll just come right out and admit it: I haven't watched "Wipeout." It's a big enough hit -- renewed for 2009! -- that I've seen snippets. I know it involves faceplants and muddy landings. But I've spent my summer TV hours with scripted series, especially The Closer (cable's top-rated summer show with an average of more than 7 million viewers a week), the sexy spy show Burn Notice, and a new one for me, Psych (now in its third laugh-out-loud season).

Scott Collins of the LA Times would say that I'm part of a trend, which I'm sure comes as a relief to TV writers -- and fans of quality TV. (I'm not going to say a script guarantees quality, but it can make the highs higher.)

Here's what has happened to TV viewing this summer: People who want reality shows have stuck with the broadcast networks. Viewers who prefer scripted series have migrated to the cable channels. And in terms of ratings, the once-vast gap between the two worlds is shrinking like never before. That's an oversimplification, but not by much. ... "I think network is going to take a page from the cablers and start developing scripted for summer as well," said Bonnie Hammer, who runs USA and Sci-Fi for NBC Universal. "I don't think they will be able to get along over the next several years without going toe to toe with us in the summer."

Lord knows I'm usually nowhere near the vicinity of "trendy," so I'll take it where I can get it. How 'bout you? Are you scripted, or are you reality? (Apparently, there's not a lot of crossover.) What are your top summer shows? -- Stephanie Reid-Simons, Unbox TV Freak