How much do they have???

So when I work with my blog I get some ads on my screen?  I found this on my blog preview.  How detailed is the file Staples has on me? This add is spot on to what I like? You really can do more with Staples.

This is Really COOL!! and just a little bit creepy.  Just thought I'd share. 

Why BBC is Kicking Our Entertainment Ass

My computer is back up and I can now sit at my desk and write in comfort.

I am writing up a review of the Netflix show House of Cards and I was thinking about something I touched on in that article.

Image from Superbwallpapers.com

American Television is backward in the way they put out entertainment. The model of 24 episodes a season is designed to get the most out of the advertising dollar. Long stores are harder to write for. You get a few episodes that are really just throwaway. A solid story arch really is only six to twelve episodes.

The BBC does it right, they have a story to tell, they tell it and they are done. You get more good stories told and less trash. Doctor Who is a great example of a wonderful story arc. All of the episodes had a nugget of the larger story. Sherlock has only three episodes and that creates a higher desire to see the episodes.

Image from Merchandise.The Doctor Who site

Torchwood is a show that starts in the BBC and we see what an Americanization can do to a 

show. Season one was 12 episodes, tight and spot on. Season two was 12 episodes not as tight but still good. Season 3 was a five-episode special. All of them filmed in BBC.

Now we see the same show now produced in the US using the 24 episode format. It was bad. Wow, it was really bad. We seem to have a mutant power to make shows suck.  The problem is that it was only a 12 episode story, but we had to fill it with 12 episodes of fluff that gave no forward motion to the story.

It really saddens me because it was such a good show. They are talking about doing a season five but really I am kind of burned out on the show because of how bad the fourth season US/BBC amalgam was.

With all of the other ways, we are getting the entertainment we have very few people who actually watch shows live. No one does that, they are trying to drive more people to watch the shows by hosting live-tweeting events to get people in front of the TV when it airs.

My advice – Shorter seasons, tighter stories. Your extras content should be driven to eth DVR or Web audience. There are far more people getting entertainment that way than live shows anymore. We don’t even have cable I get all my shows off Hulu, Netflix or the network web pages streaming to my Chromecast.

These kinds of goes along with my other observations on studios needing to modernize their thinking or they are going to be sucking wind like Sony pictures and Amazing Spiderman or the DC movie franchises. The future is now and if you don’t innovate how you get your entertainment out there you are going to get left in the dirt.

I can count on one hand the shows that are doing it right in the US. What shows are doing the storytelling write or wrong in the US?

The Last Night

After a month of posts, I can say I learned a lot. A few of my lessons are going to end up here. I am very thankful for Blogher for introducing me to the National Blog Posting Month. It was an incredible experience that helped me get into more of a rhythm of posting. 

Don't over think your blogging. I have had the IMHO blog for some time and have only used it for a few topics that I think that are blog worthy. Reall what I should be doing is blogging everything and only highlight the ones that I feel are special. 

Write everyday. Take the time to stop and think about your passions. I love movies and This month has helped me to reflect on some of the things that I really like about film. Even if you only post movie lines or rants about the way that the concession stand incorrectly butters your popcorn. (They should layer in the butter at intervals as they are filling the bag. ) keep writing. Write every day. Don't expect each post to be the next earth-shattering realization. Just put words on the paper. You do that daily, your over all skill will improve. 

You get a feeling of accomplishment with each post. That buzz you get for seeing your words in print is addicting. Then looking back at all of the posts can really do a number on your self-esteem. Don't worry about every little nuance in your post. A lot of what was holding me back was the details. Make your goal to feel that feeling at least once a day. 

Keep reading blogs. You'll get a taste of something real when you read a blog. You connect with someone you have never met on a personal level. It's like reading a diary that someone has been keeping. There is a voyeuristic quality to reading someone's thoughts.

I hope you have enjoyed my NaBloPoMo journey. Thanks for the read and the support. It will be odd blogging tomorrow only because I want to. 

I Am Just Going to Watch One More

I am reviewing Netflix movies for Web wombat, so I tried something new. I am going to look at the Netflix original series House of Cards. This was originally a BBC show so I am a fan of most of the shows from the UK.  I love stories from all over the world, but the UK seems to draw me more than other countries.  Even American Media. 

There are some really fascinating ideas went into the decision to make this series. See they use The hard data on what people are watching to make a choice on what to spend money on. After crunching the numbers they said people who watch House of Cards, the BBC Series also like Kevin Spacey and they also like David Fincher. Why not make a show that we can have on our streaming service, so we don't have to pay anyone else. 

 I wanted to just watch one episode a week, and then give a review on each, but Netflix has introduced me to this thing calls bing watching. I started with one and then...I had to watch another one...and another one...and then I ended up watching all of them.  So I am going to review the entire series. 

In was an interesting series, Not a thing like an American series. It was only 13 episodes not the 24 like a normal series. We Americans seem to want longer series that have several throw away episodes.  In the UK they seem to only have enough episodes to tell a good story. 

The other amazing thing about this series is how well it is written to lend itself to the binge-watching.  A few years ago my brother-in-law and I wanted to live Jack Bowers day. We took the first season of 24 and started each episode on the hour so we had 15 min breaks for bathroom and snack gathering. 

When we got to the end it was a chore, we had no connection to the characters. We also didn't get the shock of the hook at the end of the season. We concluded that as we didn't have time to let the episodes sink in we had no buy into the story. That is a good example of binge-watching not working because the story wasn't written to be seen that way.

House of cards is so engaging an like a visual Lay's potato chip, you can't have just one. after about four episodes I look up and it's 3:00 in the morning and I still feel like I can get another episode in before I get two hours of sleep. I can function on two hours, right?

I am really enjoying the Netflix coverage, I am now asking for your help, what movies should I watch next. I watch one a week and review it. what film should I watch I have no aversion to any film I will watch anything.