Change Your Image
safenoe
Daria
Parker Lewis Can't Lose
Community
M*A*S*H
Degrassi Junior High
Turning Point with David Jeremiah
Facing the Canon (interview series with J John)
Degrassi High
Charles Stanley
21 Jump Street (the ones when Johnny Depp was still invested in the series)
As Time Goes By
Monk
Duckman
New Tricks
Inspector Lynley
Touch of Frost
Midsomer Murders
Shakespeare and Hathaway
The Coroner
Signed, Sealed, Delivered
Diagnosis Murder
The Simpsons (the first 10 seasons)
Rosemary and Thyme
DCI Banks
Vera
Lewis
Tales of the Unexpected
Tales from the Darkside (but only the opening theme)
Bergerac
Backup (an underrated British police drama)
Saturday Night Live
Ratings
Most Recently Rated
Reviews
Death in Paradise: An Artistic Murder (2014)
Just a gigolo
Steven Cole plays an "escort" (or gigolo to put it more bluntly) Carlton Paris, who is the victim in this episode, An Artistic Murder. Anyway, I've been reflecting on Death in Paradise recently, as I became a fan when it debuted over a decade ago with Ben Miller stamped his persona as the DI Richard Poole, against whom all future DIs would be measured against whether you like it or not init. Anyway, I would love to have learned more about the social lives of Humphrey Goodman's team, like what were their hobbies, did they enjoy being indoors or outdoors. Still, An Artistic Murder is worth watching.
Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place: Two Guys, a Girl and Someone Better (1998)
Missing Bill and Mr Bauer
I became a fan of Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place (although with the Oxford comma it would be Two Guys, a Girl, and a Pizza Place) in the first season because of the presence of Julius Carry as Bill and David Odgen Stiers as the eccentric Mr Bauer. Sadly, this episode, the season two opener, no longer has the two characters and unfortunately there's no explanation for their absence (although you see in the background of the pizza place a character who looks like Bill managing the place albeit with no speaking lines). Anyway, Ryan Reynolds has gone onto bigger things by being a co-owner of a British soccer club.
Death in Paradise: The Wrong Man (2014)
Guest starring Peter Davison
I've enjoyed watching Death in Paradise since it debuted over a decade ago, and I've been reflecting on the early episodes and reflecting on the line of DIs who have graced Saint Marie. Anyway, here Humphrey Goodman is settling in as the new DI following the untimely and unexpected death of Richard Poole (Ben Miller) in the previous episode. Peter Davison, who I remember from his role as a general practitioner in A Very Peculiar Practice, guest stars as a screenwriter who endures a lot of grief from the actors who think they know better. Anyway, an enjoyable episode which debuted a decade ago.
Macy Gray: I Try (1999)
I try
I still remember how captivated I was by I Try when it was released all those years ago, in 1999, so that's a quarter-of-a-century ago init, and the song, performed by Macy Gray, endures for sure. I Try was composed by Macy Gray, Jeremy Ruzumna, Jinsoo Lim and David Wilder, with Macy Gray as the lyricist. Anyway, the video takes us through New York City, and I would have loved to have seen the behind-the-scenes of this video that has a surreal feel to it, being filed as we approached the millennium. Anyway, do yourself a favor and make sure to watch the video for I Try because it means so much.
The 1% Club (2022)
This ain't 3 by 3
When I watched the Inside No. 9 episode 3 by 3, I thought you know what, the 3 by 3 quiz show is so convincing with Lee Mack even though he's playing a host of a fictional quiz show. Anyway, here Lee Mack hosts The 1% Club, and I'm actually quite enjoying it trying to answer the questions and all init. Patton Oswalt is the host of the 1% Club here, but maybe Patton and Lee can swap spots, with Lee hosting here and Patton hosting in England.
Probably I get a bit mixed up by the passes and money going back into the pot and all, but I guess for me it's just trying to answer the questions all the way to the end init.
Hot Chocolate: Every 1's a Winner (1977)
Hot Chocolate
I'm motivated to post an imdb user review for this Hot Chocolate classic hit after watching the song being performed in the British cozy murder mystery, The Good Ship Murder. Every 1's a Winner was performed by Jack Grayling (played by Shayne Ward) in the episode At Sea at the end of the episode. This song was apt in a way because the episode was about a very high-stakes poker match where lots of shenanigans occur and Jack, who used to be a police officer, had to solve the murder where you had a winner and some sore losers init. Anyway, it's hard to believe Every 1's a Winner was released nearly 50 years ago.
The Brady Bunch Variety Hour (1976)
It is what it is
The Brady Bunch Variety Hour is what it is, kind of like the much-maligned Star Wars Christmas special, but it's what the Brady fans supposedly wanted after The Brady Bunch was unceremoniously axed after five seasons. I remember seeing the first two or so episodes, and being a youngster at the time, I lapped it up, although there was no internet for me to find out why Jan Brady didn't look like Eve Plumb, but anyway I learned that Kathy Hilton almost ended up winning the part. Anyway, maybe Friends can have a Friends Variety Hour to give a nod to the effort of The Brady Bunch to keep fans entertained.
Poirot: The Dream (1989)
Pie time
I'm very much enjoying catching up with Poirot, especially the early seasons, and these are the ones I like where you have the whole Scooby gang (Poirot, Japp, Hastings, Lemon) intact, unlike the later seasons where Japp, Hastings and Lemon were discarded until sanity prevailed and they returned for the final season. Anyway, here Benedict Farley, a pie king, is very unsettled because he things someone is going to bump him off, and guess what, it happens init. So Poirot has to solve the murder with the help of the Scooby gang. Anyway, I feel for Miss Lemon, who had to use a defective typewriter.
Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place: Two Guys, a Girl and a Landlord (1998)
Final episode featuring David Odgen Stiers and Julius Carry
I became a fan of Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place (although with the Oxford comma it would be Two Guys, a Girl, and a Pizza Place) in the first season because of the presence of Julius Carry as Bill and David Odgen Stiers as Mr Bauer. Sadly, this episode, the season one finale, was the final appearance of Carry an Odgen Stiers and their respective characters (although in season two you see in the background of the pizza place a character who looks like Bill managing the place albeit with no speaking lines). Anyway, I did watch some episodes of season back back then in the hope the two actors would return, but sadly not to be. Anyway, Ryan Reynolds has gone onto bigger things by being a co-owner of a British soccer club.
The Good Ship Murder: At Sea (2023)
Poker face
Despite the cruelly unjustified drubbing that Gogglebox UK gave to the first episode of The Good Ship Murder (particularly the scene where Jack sings Daydream Believer at the end), I'm actually enjoying watching The Good Ship Murder (which is filed on the MSC Virtuosa). I know this sounds unfashionable to say, but in this crazy, cynical and chaotic world I really don't want to wind down in the front of the TV watching some Scandinavian noirish crime drama that takes grittiness to the next level. Anyway, At Sea features a very high stakes poker match, and it's exclusive, with it being closed off to the regular passengers. So all the action takes place on board the ship. We get more progress on the Jack and Kate relationship, but we'll see how that unfolds.
The Police: Roxanne (Version 2) (1978)
Community
The Police's Roxanne was used to sublime effect in the Community episode Remedial Chaos Theory over 30 years later after its release. The video is memorable, and it's great to see the song used over 30 years later for such a memorable episode, and which introduced The Police to a new generation of fans, who could easily relate Roxanne to pop culture. The line "put on the red light" means so much in a number of ways, and was sung to great effect in Remedial Chaos Theory. The use of Roxanne took up much of the budget for this episode, but thankfully Dan Harmon stuck with it to give Roxanne that place in Community history.
Kate Bush: Wuthering Heights (Version 1) (1978)
Sublime
Version 2 of Kate Bush's Wuthering Heights is very iconic, but let's not forget version 1 which is filmed in a studio, with Kate Bush delightfully entertaining us wearing a white dress rather than a red one that was in version 2. Maybe that's to illustrate a contrast in style perhaps. It's hard to believe Wuthering Heights was released 46 years ago, and it's timeless and lives on from one generation to the next. Anyway, I became a fan of the song soon after it was released, with "bad dreams in the night" being part of the lexicon for those wondering about Heathcliff and everything surrounding that init.
Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist: Ben Treats (1997)
Julia and Jim guest star
Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Jim Gaffigan guest star in this season four opener of one of the best animated series from the 1990s, and maybe one of the best ever in my humble opinion. Anyway, Louis-Dreyfuss is the only lead member of the Seinfeld cast to appear in Dr Katz, Professional Therapist and her character consults with Dr Katz via the phone. Interestingly, in the previous episode, one of the guests was Lisa Kudrow, who was the only lead member of the Seinfeld cast to appear in Dr Katz, and her character consults with Dr Katz via the phone.
Anyway, Ben's instant scratch ticket win was hilarious, and we see Laura laughing at the dinner.
Poirot: How Does Your Garden Grow? (1991)
Lemon and the garden
How Does Your Garden Grow? Finally gives Miss Lemon (Pauline Moran) gets more screen time alongside Inspector Poirot, so that's one of the major treats from this episode from season three. It's only been in the past year or so that I've started catching up on Poirot, and it's certainly different in style to other British crime dramas. Here we get a cold war flavor (kind of a red herring but still), and the garden seeds got me thinking a bit what the solution was. Anyway, How Does Your Garden Grow? Isn't for anyone init, but certainly it's great to see Miss Lemon getting more screen time init right.
Seinfeld: The Nose Job (1991)
Frosty reception
Susan Diol, who played Beth Calavicci in the original Quantum Leap and in the continuation Quantum Leap, plays Audrey, who has issues with the size of her nose, which gets a rather frosty reception from her boyfriend George, Jerry and Kramer. Elaine's fine with the noise, but Kramer motivates Audrey to get a nose job.
Tawny Kitaen (who sadly passed away in 2021) played Isabel, Jerry's girlfriend. There were some good bits in this episode, but somehow the script kind of needed a bit more polishing, and the jacket sub-plot kind of went nowhere really. It's hard to believe Jerry Seinfeld is now 70 years old, and his movie Unfrosted has had mixed reviews.
Joni (1979)
Joni
I remember seeing Joni on video (VHS not beta) back in the 1980s during a home Bible study, and I hadn't heard of Joni Eareckson before (later she became Joni Eareckson Tada when she married Ken Tada in 1982). Joni (where Joni plays herself, except perhaps for the scene where her character makes the ill-fated dive in the river) details the story of Tada's rehabilitation, her finding God, being a witness for God, and depending upon God in all things in the face of adversity.
Cooper Huckabee plays Dick Filbert. Definitely the movie is worth watching even if you are not a Christian or are religious generally.
Law & Order: Balance of Power (2024)
Tony Goldwyn joins
It was the end of a distinguished era when Sam Waterson left Law and Order, and here we get Tony Goldwyn as the new District Attorney Nicholas Baxter, and he's an enigma, and he's not afraid to clean house soon after being sworn into office. We see one ADA walking out glumly with his box of belongings, and hopefully he managed to find meaningful work after being fire by Baxter. Anyway, I remember first seeing Goldwyn in Ghost in 1990, more than three decades ago, and Goldwyn hasn't really aged much at all! Anyway, the opening credits sees Price and Maraun walking at the front, with Baxter on the right half a step back.
Beat the Chasers: Episode #4.1 (2021)
An awkward ending
Here we are, the first episode of season four. Anyway, I enjoy watching Beat the Chasers, although there was a lot of online controversy about the way Brad kind of teased Robyn, who literally walked away with joy (understandably so) after winning 40,000 pounds. The online furor resulted because Robyn, because of health issues, had to remain seated during the contest, and Brad kind of thought Robyn had a Lazarus like moment when she got up init. Anyway, I think the biggest controversy of Beat the Chasers is that the first question some contestants receive in the cash builder are so incredibly difficult big time init.
Irene Cara: Flashdance... What a Feeling (1983)
What a feeling, 40 plus years on
Take your passion, and make it happen, is one of the famous lines from Flashdance...What a Feeling, and it was released at around the same as Footloose, and one similarity is the music video, because the Footloose music video (the one with Kenny Loggins) solely features clips from the movie. It's the same here with What a Feeling by Irene Cara, all clips from Flashdance. It would have been ideal if Cara and Jennifer Beals had appeared togather in the video. One sad fact I learned recently, is that Sunny Johnson, who played the ice-skater, tragically passed away one year after the movie was released.
The Simpsons: Homer Simpson, This Is Your Wife (2006)
Human action opening
Homer Simpson, This Is Your Wife debuted nearly 20 years ago, and whilst I'm not a huge fan of Ricky Gervais, I was quite interested to see the real-life humans opening sequence, which was developed by a British network, and the producers of The Simpsons decided to use it, and no doubt the English fans were rather chuffed at this honor. Anyway, the live opening sequence kind of lacked the X factor so really it was a carbon copy live human copy of the animated opening sequence, with nothing to really set it apart. It's kind of like when you have a cover version that doesn't have its own character init.
That Girl: Don't Just Do Something, Stand There (1966)
Groundbreaking
I used to watch some episodes of That Girl when home from school, and perhaps I didn't quite appreciate back then. Anyway, for some reason I thought I'd see if any of the episodes are on the internet, and thankfully they are. I saw Don't Just Do Something, Stand There (the first episode of That Girl) recently, and Marlo Thomas was superb in her role as Ann Marie, an aspiring actress who is discovered while working in a hole in the wall shop on lobby of I think a 32 storey building. Anyway, lots of fun here, with misunderstandings around. I also liked it at the end when Marlo Thomas appeared out of character to welcome viewers to the next episode. A nice touch, and perhaps the cast of Friends should have done that at the end of their first episode.
Garbage: Cherry Lips (2001)
Empowerment
Cherry Lips by Garbage was released 23 years ago, and I didn't know until today (thanks to the internet) that it was Garbage's first single released after the 9/11 attacks, and the message and influence of the song endures to this day with grit and determination, and it reminds me of the message of the song Sisters are doing it for themselves by the Eurythmics an Aretha Franklin with the ability to make things happen against the odds despite the odds. Anyway, the song has been appropriated by a large song team and a software company so definitely the song lives on in the corporate world init right.
M*A*S*H Matters: Radar's Magic Chiclet - MASH Matters #122 (2024)
One of the best podcasts
I don't listen to many podcasts but I'm a regular listener to M*A*S*H Matters, hosted by M*A*S*H superfan Ryan Patrick and Jeff Maxwell, famous for his role as Igor and Alan Alda's stand-in in M*A*S*H. We learn in this episode that during the run of M*A*S*H, Jeff was 6 feet 1 inch, exactly Alan Alda's height, hence his role as Alda's stand-in. Also, we learn about the availability of AfterMASH and whether it's available officially on DVD (it isn't unfortunately), and also we learn about Jeff's experiences working with Jackie Cooper, who directed a few episodes of M*A*S*H before he played Perry Mason in the Superman moves with Christopher Reeve.
BoDeans: Closer to Free (1996)
Party of Five
This brings back the memories of TV dramas from the 1990s, and I was a big fan of Party of Five when it debuted nearly 30 years ago, and the theme song was so much a part of the series. So here it's the BoDeans with Closer to Free, and to paraphrase Michael Caine, "I didn't know that", well I didn't know that Closer to Free was originally released in 1993 from their fifth studio album Go Slow Down, so I learn something knew every day init. Anyway, good to see the cast of Party of Five in the music video, just like the Friends cast (except Gunther) were in the I'll be there for you music video for Friends.
M*A*S*H Matters: Burying the Time Capsule with special guest Jay King - MASH Matters #121 (2024)
A question about the timing
As always, another superbly entertaining M*A*S*H Matters podcast from Ryan Patrick and Jeff Maxwell, and here they interview special effects technician Jay King (who has a distinguished record in TV and movie productions) primarily about his major role in the sage of the time capsule the M*A*S*H cast (well the main seven) furtively buried a real-life time capsule. That's part of M*A*S*H folklore, but one thing I didn't understand. Jay mentioned that the capsule was accidentally dug up by a maintenance worker around eight years after it originally was buried, but in all other accounts the capsule was found one week later. I wish Jeff and Ryan clarified this with Jay.