Category Archives: Television

The shows that entertain and cause me to go crazy.

Community, Technology, Television

Oh TiVo, how you’ve failed me, but that’s okay.

my_tivo_failed_me

Oh TiVo, how you’ve failed me…

I’ve been a pretty loyal TiVo customer for over 10 years. I originally got a Direct TV TiVo back in 2003-ish days, then later got a Series 3 TiVo HD in 2008 when I got married. My wife also became a big fan of TiVo, and we ended up being filmed for some commercials for TiVo in 2009 (just talking about different features. The videos were originally used internally and on YouTube).

When TiVo decided to release a new “Series 4” box, the TiVo Premiere (aka “The One Box”), we were asked again to see if we would be able to help out and do another shoot. Working with the same group as before (and the ever awesome, Shanan Carney), we had to go back through or own wardrobe to find what we wore as it was sort of a “continuation” shoot with some of the same families. We got to know
about the great new features of the TiVo Premiere, and how they were really looking for it to be an all-in-one box for consuming media.

As a thanks and a great parting gift from Shanan as she left TiVo, she was able to get us participants a TiVo Premiere with the coveted Lifetime Subscription service (a $499.99 value in just the subscription). We used this TiVo as we moved into our new place, and it’s been a staple of our TV watching lives most evenings.

Fast forward 3 years, and it appears that the hard drive on this little guy went out.
Continue reading Oh TiVo, how you’ve failed me, but that’s okay. →

Music, Television

Friday Music Confessional: I’m a GLEEk!

glee-1.jpg

I have to admit it. I’m a GLEEk (a fan of the show GLEE on Fox).

Yes, it’s a show about high school Glee clubs.

Yes, I probably did make fun of those same kids back in High School.

Yes, I bought the first season on DVD for my wife for Christmas, but secretly wanted it myself. (Whoops! Hope she doesn’t read this…)

My first time my wife and I watched GLEE, we actually weren’t impressed. We were hearing great things about the show, and caught the second or third episode of Season 1, but was severely disappointed. In the episode, it had the Spanish teacher and Glee coach, Will Schuster starting some boy band with the other male teachers of the school. It didn’t have much of the students singing that episode, and I distinctly remember the “Bad Boy Teachers” singing Color Me Badd’s “I Wanna Sex You Up”… (horrible memory, please delete this from my brain).

It left such a bad impression that we held off for a couple of weeks, thinking our friends who told us this show was great were all insane. We gave it another chance when it returned from their mid-season break and loved it.

As a musician and singer, I appreciate good music in any form. The GLEE writers are taking already great songs, and performing them in fresh way that makes it impressive. Sure, they use the same formula for songs and highlighting certain singers (and they’ve also made fun of that on the show), but it works.

Love it? Hate it? Let me know in the comments below.