End of 2010 Review – Television

I’ll give you my ten fave shows of the year, but first a look back at one classic show that came to an end in 

2010: Lost.

I actually came across the show by accident.  My sister asked for the first season on DVD for Christmas of 2005.  She said it was a really good show and she was liked JJ Abrams since she was an Alias fan.  I was living in Norman at the time and when I went back to my parents’ house in Lawton, I realized I left the DVD set in Norman.  So I had to buy another copy in Lawton and gave it to my sister.  Now I had never watched the show at all.  Through most of college I didn’t have cable TV either so I had heard of it but never really got the opportunity to see it.

So when I got back to Norman I had a decision to make: return the DVD set or see what all the fuss was about.  I decided to pop it open and watch, and from the get-go I knew I made the right decision.  Lost gave me what I wanted.  Cinematic epicness.  Mythical intrigue.  Conspiracy.  Comedic value.  And most of all a collection of rich characters that were so real and relatable.  I fell in love with the characters and I think that will live on longer than anything else in the series.

Many people found the ending controversial and without resolution of the many questions the show’s mythology posed.  I found the ending fitting.  As in life, not everything has an answer.  And in the end you aren’t going to remember whether or not you found out why the Others were living on the island or how Penny’s dad got all that money or many of the other petty little questions.  You are going to remember the people that surrounded you and that impacted your life.

So thanks Lost.  Thanks for 6 years (well for me 5 since I caught on to it about halfway through the 2^nd season) of television greatness.  We will miss you.

Now here are my ten picks as a MeatLife Fave (Scripted) TV Shows:

The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
In its 4^th season, it is still as funny as it began.  Nerd-comedy at its finest.

Blue Bloods (CBS)
If you like cop dramas, this show would interest you.  If you like family dramas, this would interest you.  Solid procedural in its first season that has a lot of potential.

Castle (ABC)
This is a great cop dramedy.  The show mixes buddy cop drama with sexual tension filled sitcom and has grown better with age in its 3^rd season.

Community (NBC)
This community college sitcom in its 2^nd season gives a great change of pace.  I enjoy the random, off the wall humor.

FlashForward (ABC)
I feel this show ended prematurely, but I can see why it was cancelled.  For the epic scale and cinema-like feel each episode, the production budget probably needed more than 5 million viewers an episode by the end of the series to support it.

Fringe (FOX)
Another great JJ Abrams initiated project in the middle of its third season.  Combines a decent procedural with a great larger story much in the same light as the X-Files once did.

How I Met Your Mother (CBS) 

Still funny and has really separated itself from the similar Friends.  Although you would think after six seasons we would have caught a glimpse of the mother by now.

Lost (ABC)
What else can I say?

Modern Family (ABC)
A fairly new take on the family sitcom.  Uses the en vogue documentary style filming popularized by The Office.  Very funny and will live well beyond its current 2^nd season.

Outsourced (NBC)
A TV adaptation of a feature film of the same name.  In its first season I think it’s actually funnier and more entertaining than the film.

One last thing, NBC seems to be a sinking network even with some of the quality comedies it is still producing.  One glaring thing was the late night drama, moving Jay Leno to primetime and then back to late night and essentially booting Conan O’Brien off of the Tonight Show shortly after he took it over.  Whoever thought Jay Leno would have a successful show at 9 PM (CST) 5 days a week really didn’t know what they were doing.  I’m glad Conan has a show now (even if it’s on TBS).  And although Jay was villianized in the situation, it wasn’t his fault his network is being mismanaged, so I have no hard feelings for Leno even though I am fond of Team CoCo.

May there be more entertaining quality scripted television in the coming year.  We’ll see what 2011 will bring soon enough!

themeatlife.blogspot.com

End of 2010 Review - Music

the Meat Life will take a look back on the year that was in Music, TV, Movies, Tech, and Sports.  We will start with Music.

For the most part since I’ve had kids I’ve been a bit behind on music.  Or at least I think I am.  Maybe I’m not as up with the times as I used to be, but looking at my playlists on my iTunes it looks like I’m doing pretty well for myself.

There have been some decent tunes this year, and I’ve got 50 of them that I think you guys shouldn’t miss out on.  From established artists like Kanye West and Paramore to internet sensation Antoine Dodson, I’ve got the list.  So after you take a look at this, fire up your iTunes and download the ones you don’t have.  And for those available, YouTube links for the music video or at least the song playing as a vid.  Enjoy!

Adam Lambert – “Whataya Want From Me”
Alicia Keys – “Try Sleeping With A Broken Heart”
Anberlin – “Impossible”
Antoine and Kelly Dodson and the Gregory Brothers – “Bed Intruder Song”
B.O.B. – “Airplanes (featuring Hayley Williams)”
Broken Bells – “The Ghost Inside”
Bruno Mars – “Just The Way You Are”
California Swag District – “Teach Me How To Dougie”
Cee Lo Green – “Fuck You”
Chris Brown – “I Love U (featuring Ester Dean)”
A Day to Remember – “Have Faith In Me”
DJ Khaled – “All I Do Is Win (featuring T-Pain, Ludacris, Rick Ross, and Snoop Dogg)”
Dorrough – “Get Big (featuring Nitti)”
Drake – “Find Your Love”
Edward Maya – “Stereo Love (featuring Vika Jigulina) ”
Eminem – “Love The Way You Lie (featuring Rihanna)”
Enrique Iglesias – “I Like It (featuring Pitbull)”
Far East Movement – “Like a G6 (featuring Dev and the Cataracs)”
Foo Fighters –“ Wheels”
Jamie Foxx – “Winner (featuring Justin Timberlake and T.I.)”
Janelle Monae – “Tightrope (featuring Big Boi)”
Jimmy Eat World – “Coffee and Cigarettes”
Justin Bieber – “Baby (featuring Ludacris)”
Kanye West – “Power”
Katy Perry – “California Gurls (featuring Snoop Dogg)”
Kings of Leon – “Radioactive”
Lady Antebellum – “Need You Now”
Lady Gaga – "Alejandro"
Lifehouse – “Halfway Gone”
The Limousines – “Internet Killed the Video Star”
Linkin Park – “The Catalyst”
Michael Buble – “Haven’t Met You Yet”
Miguel – “All I Want Is You (featuring J. Cole)”
Ne-Yo – “Beautiful Monster”
Neon Trees – “Animal”
Paramore – “The Only Exception”
Passion Pit – “Sleepyhead (Starsmith Remix featuring Ellie Goulding)”
Rob Thomas – “Someday”
Sean Kingston – “Letting Go (Dutty Love featuring Nicki Minaj)”
Selena Gomez & the Scene – “Naturally”
Snoop Dogg – “I Wanna Rock (G-Mix featuring Jay-Z)”
Stone Temple Pilots – “Between The Lines”
T.I. – “Got Your Back (featuring Keri Hilson)”
Taio Cruz – “Break Your Heart (featuring Ludacris)”
Three Days Grace – “The Good Life”
Train – “Hey, Soul Sister”
Usher – “DJ Got Us Falling In Love (featuring Pitbull)”
We The Kings – “We’ll Be A Dream (Demi Lovato)”
Young Money – “BedRock (featuring Lloyd, Lil Wayne, Jae Millz, Gudda Gudda, Nicki Minaj, and Tyga)”
30 Seconds To Mars – “Kings And Queens”

Next entry?  End of 2010 Review – Television

themeatlife.blogspot.com

Oklahoma vs Nebraska: The Lost Rivalry

Three weeks ago we saw a rather ceremonial end to an iconic rivalry.  When you think of all the top rivalries in college football, what comes to mind?  There are several that come to mind immediately.  Ohio State-Michigan.  Georgia-Florida.  Florida State-Miami.  Oklahoma-Texas.  Army-Navy.  Auburn-Alabama.  Rarely has a rivalry decided who will compete for a national title.  One rivalry that carried college football and had those title implications in the 1970s and 1980s was Oklahoma-Nebraska.

Back then, when you thought rivalry you would think the Battle of the Big Reds.  Before the prominence of ESPN, there was the Game of the Century and the origin of Sooner Magic.  There was an Orange Bowl rematch game and throwing oranges on the field.  What other rivalry would not only have the Game of the Century but the sequel as well.  If you would like a look at some of those special moments, Sooner Sports has a great section dedicated to the old rivalry.

But then something killed the rivalry.  Most point to the creation of the Big 12.  When creating the divisions, the separated the two schools.  And when setting the schedules, they decided to end the yearly matchup so they would be on two years and off two years.  This answer is too easy, though.  You have to look at the bigger picture.  What really killed this rivalry was mediocrity.

The Sooners were horrible in the 1990s.  Since Barry Switzer left the program in 1988, the Sooners only won one of those matchups before the creation of the Big 12 and none of the matchups before Bob Stoops arrived.  In 2000 and 2001, both teams were good and could have given us a preview of what was to come.  That was for naught…Nebraska fired Frank Solich in 2003 after a 9-3 season which lead to some horrid Bill Callahan coached teams.  Although Callahan did have the Huskers reach the Big 12 Championship game against Oklahoma, these two programs were clearly still on different tracks.

The rivalry showed promise last year with a defensive classic as Nebraska forced OU QB Landry Jones to throw 5 INTs in a 10-3 win for the Cornhuskers.  But it was too little too late.  The 1990s and 2000s killed this rivalry.  So this last matchup in the Big 12 Championship a few weeks ago was a window of what could have been under a Bo Pelini –Stoops matchup.  It was a great way to end the series.  The Huskers built a 17-0 lead in the first half.  Oklahoma then miraculously mounted a comeback, tying the game right before the half before a Nebraska field goal to end the half at 20-17.  The Sooner defense shut down Nebraska the entire second half and a pair of field goals gave the Sooners the win.

courtesy of Michael Mitra

So here’s goodbye to the lost rivalry.  I would say that we would miss it but we’ve been without it for most of the last twenty years.  May we have a reunion during the 50 year anniversary of the Game of the Century.  I hope the powers that be get that 2020-2021 series going.

So from a Sooner fan, goodbye Nebraska.

the Meat Life End of 2010 Review to come.

themeatlife.blogspot.com