The simple answer to this is yes — J.J. Abrams is absolutely the man for this job. The real question might be, “Is it possible for ANYONE to make the ‘Star Wars’ movie fans demand?”. George Lucas tried and failed to recapture the magic he created back in 1977, 1980 and 1983 with “A New Hope”, “The Empire Strikes Back” and “Return of the Jedi”. In fact he failed on such an epic level that some fans would rather just have 1999-2005 completely erased from memories. Continue reading Is J.J. Abrams the right choice to take over the ‘Star Wars’ reigns?
Category Archives: Blog
Is This The End for Fringe?
You probably know how I feel already. Fringe is arguably one of the best shows on TV. Based on the low ratings and the fact that it’s on FOX Friday nights, you probably didn’t even realize it was still on. The show is everything The X-Files was in its prime and everything it should have and could have been the other five seasons. But like I said, nobody is watching– at least not enough people.
For those of you who don’t know, Fringe is about a covert government agency investigating bizarre cases involving “fringe” science. It is steep right now in a twisted plot involving traveling between alternate universes. It stars Joshua Jackson, Anna Torv and John Noble.
The show returns after its winter break on Friday January 13th, 2012 but according to Fox entertainment president Kevin Reilly, this could be the beginning of the end for the sci-fi freak show. At a recent press tour, Reilly said, “Fringe has been a point of pride. I share the passion for the show the fans have. I love that Fox, after letting down genre fans over the years [came through with Fringe]. I love that fans stuck with it after it moved to Friday. It has vastly improved our Friday night. The hesitation in my voice is that it’s an expensive show. We lose a lot of money on the show. But with that rating on that night it’s almost impossible for us to make money on it. We’re not in the business of losing money. We need to figure out if there’s a [deal with studio Warner Bros. that] will make sense or will this be it.”
Now there is some good news and some bad news there. Clearly the network digs the show but how much longer will they allow episodes to be produced if the show is in fact losing as much money as it appears to be? It’s not all doom and gloom. It is quite possible there could be a turnaround in ratings this spring.
If you’re not watching Fringe, it’s time to tune in– yeah, maybe you’ve missed a lot and you might be a little confused, but hey– I watch it every week and I’m confused most of the time. That is absolutely what I love about it.
Learning to Cope: One Writer’s Experience with Depression
Hey everyone, if you follow my Kansas City Examiner.com TV articles, you may have seen my recent articles that followed the death of Kansas City meteorologist Don Harman. While I didn’t know Don personally, he, along with the Fox 4 Morning News Team have been a part of my life for years. I’m not alone in this thought. Check Fox 4’s Facebook Fan page and you will see an amazing showing of support after Harman’s death.
You see, on November 29, 2011, Don Harman committed suicide.
I wrote a very personal column over the weekend and I want to continue to spread my message. Depression is nothing to be ashamed of. In fact, the only real shame is when depression is ignored. I myself have fought depression for as long as I can remember, going back to my childhood. Sometimes it’s very difficult for people to understand. Friends and family may look at a situation and think: ‘what are you so depressed about?’ but most often it’s never just one thing. It can be a collective of a lot of things or even nothing at all.
My Examiner column received a lot of attention on my Facebook page. It’s amazing how many people recognize something in themselves when they see someone put everything out there for the public to see. I don’t mind sharing my experiences.
From Examiner.com:
Hey Kansas City. Today I want to talk about a subject that may not be a lot of fun to talk about but it is very important and for me it is something that hits very close to home– depression and suicide.
This week, we were all shocked by the death of Kansas City meteorologist Don Harman. Don had been part of the Fox 4 KC Morning News team since 1999. His wacky antics and genuine sense of humor were a huge reason people tuned in to make the Fox morning news team a consistent leader in TV ratings. Don was very involved within the community and loved working with children.
He also suffered from depression…. (read more at Examiner.com)
Please feel free to share your thoughts with comments below or on the article page. If you suffer from depression or suicidal thoughts please seek help either from a friend, a family member if not a trained professional.
- 1-800-WARM EAR or 913-281-2251
- 1-800-SUICIDE
For more information, please contact Mental Health America at 913-281-2221
You can also follow me on Twitter @tbenglish and @badkarmafilms; on my KC Examiner Facebook page.