Fictional Celebrities

Do you ever watch a show and can’t help but notice that the celebrity in the episode is completely made up? It can seem a strange phenomenon that they can’t just use a real celebrity who is okay with this portrayal of themselves. But at the same time, it makes sense that there are just famous people that can be made up instead of real celebrities trying to fit whatever role needs to be filled in whatever plot of whatever episode is made. It can seem odd to have a “celebrity” on a show be someone that doesn’t exist in reality. But it probably works better than not.

When Television Wouldn’t Touch Abortion with a 4 Foot Coat Hanger

This will be the very last time I ever cover the topic of abortion in this blog of mine about TV. While there are plenty of other topics relating to abortion to blog about, I have created a blog about covering the topic of abortion and don’t want to cover it anymore here after this post is published.

 

https://fadamsecretaryblog.blogspot.com/

 

You can see how hard television leaned into the pro-choice topic nowadays even if you don’t watch the news at all. But this wasn’t always the case. At one point, television wouldn’t touch the abortion topic as it was too controversial. And it never would have covered it in a positive light.

 

One of the first shows to cover abortion was The Defenders. Don’t confuse this with the show starring Jerry O’Conner from more recently. There were no advertisers for this episode. But that wasn’t the end of it by a long shot.

 

It wasn’t until much later that Law & Order covered abortion in one of their earlier episodes. This show was nearly cancelled as a result. But the showrunner, Dick Wolf, was able to fix the issues elsewhere with the show by adding two major main female characters which helped make the show run for 20 seasons until its run was eventually surpassed by its spin-off.

 

Eventually, normalizing abortion became normal for TV shows. A topic that was once considered taboo became a topic that “had to be covered” for whatever dumb reason society will give you. And it didn’t even used to be that characters even got abortions. They were okay living with the consequences of their poor decisions. But now it is so normal that people don’t even question it. They depict scenes of it onscreen, such as in Scandal. And this is after a Family Guy episode wasn’t allowed to air because the network saw it as too controversial.

 

Sometimes television can change for the better. And sometimes it changes for the worst. I wish that this was never something accepted as right or covered so much by television. After the Dobbs decision put a wise end to this, television became even more outspoken in favor of abortion. It is sad that this is the world that we live in. And for more thoughts on abortion, they will be covered in the above mentioned blog and never again in this one.

They’re Not an Original Series, CW

I cannot tell if the CW is being misleading or just straight up lying to people. But they keep promoting their many foreign imports as an original CW series. That’s not the case at all. Why would they do that? I can’t understand how this is allowed. It didn’t originate on the CW. It shouldn’t be promoted as an original CW show. They have had plenty of shows that they could air as original. But they don’t seem to be doing any original shows anymore. Still, they shouldn’t be promoting a foreign import as an original series when it clearly isn’t!

The My Pillow Boycott: 2023

If you read this blog last year, then you’d know that I posted about a boycott of TV shows that promote My Pillow. It doesn’t yet seem that he is able to advertise during primetime on network television. But it could yet happen. I don’t see why someone who promotes election conspiracy theories should have anyone advertising his business. And while there are plenty of sedition caucus donors, none of them have the problem of being a dishonest business like this one.

 

In addition to what I am already boycotting (Jimmy Kimmel Live, The Late Late Show with James Corden, He Haw, one of my news sources, and The Andy Griffith Show), the new additions to the list are radio station 103.9 and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

 

I’ll admit that I haven’t always been good at boycotting all of these shows. I watched Jimmy Kimmel Live twice since my boycott of him started. One was because he was interviewing James Corden who was also on the boycott list by then. He had earlier interviewed Mike Lindell, the owner of My Pillow, which was notable to me for Mike actually making a good point: that Jimmy promotes his company.

 

I had returned to James Corden for an interview with Bill Clinton then returned to his final primetime special and true final show in its regular timeslot. It was hard to give up The Late Show and I haven’t always been as good with that, but often do have him gone from my viewing habits. And the news source is something I’m better at giving up now.

 

How it could still affect my blogs is unknown. I do know that when I did the first post on this, I didn’t know if I would be doing a blog called Fadam Secretary blog, but that did wind up happening. I did it a lot more when my blogs were on hiatus and now it is on hiatus until I need it again. But it can be helpful. For instance, if I give up my Elementary blog due to the boycott, it would lead to the only instance of me doing a Eadam Secretary blog on the locked in dates that I was to do the random updates of my Elementary blog only when I’m done with those random updates.

 

I would also do new blogs like that since it would be a good place to put the political updates of The Good Wife and Good Fight blogs if those blogs were to end. While the Madam Secretary blog would return if it were to be done with the updates (something that could also happen if one of the blog posts wind up deleted by the powers that be since that could happen since they inexplicitly put a warning on one of the posts without telling me what community standard I violated since I would want to just edit out whatever the offending part of it is and I would stop updating that blog in protest of them not telling me what I did wrong or giving me a chance to fix it), it would have to wait until new blogs are done and they would in this order now: Nadam*, Gadam, Oadam, Hadam, Padam, Iadam, Qadam, Jadam, Radam, Kadam, Sadam, Ladam, Tadam, and only then would Madam come back.

 

*I am editing out the Secretary blog part of all of these for simplicity’s sake

 

I would only post more about what happens in each blog if they really were to end as a result of the boycott. I could come back to them. I do know that with any of them in the cast update phase, I would not do anything relating to one blog or franchise in another should it have wound up in that updates. This would mean that a boycott of, say, CSI: Miami would mean that I wouldn’t add any new people from that show in my Elementary blog. It would also mean that the only people that I could save and move to another blog would be those who happened to have the same projects as people in the other blog already have (if that makes sense).

 

While I will talk about this more in my CSI: Vegas blog when and if it fully updated, in the event that I shared something on facebook from one of the late night talk show hosts that I have mentioned, I will be replacing facebook things that I did post, even though I won’t be deleting the old things that I have posted. (Right now, only Dilbert and Chris Cuomo get deleted and replaced, although I’m not sure if I ever shared the first one and the second one may already have been.) Basically, Jimmy Kimmel things will be replaced by Jimmy Fallon, James Corden with both Craig Ferguson and Jordan Klepper, and Stephen Colbert with both David Letterman and Jimmy Fallon.

 

I can’t think of anything else to mention in this blog post about the boycott I do of TV shows that promote My Pillow. I know that I did this blog post early relative to what I could have done, but I might not be able to do that many posts of this blog in the future and I can only guarantee one more one here this year on the last Sunday of this month. Thus, I wanted to get it done while I knew that I still could do it so this post is done now.

Saturdays in Primetime Version 8

I can’t believe that I’m as tired as I am and writing this post for the future when I’ll be unable to do what I normally would do. But I got this done for better or worse and am now hoping to relax some while also getting what else I need to get done outside of blogging.

 

Great Chocolate Showdown: Status- Currently on the CW at 8/7 Central on Thursdays. Why I’ve seen it- I tend to watch a new CW show at least once. Noteworthiness- This is a Canadian show airing here in the US. Description- Various contestants compete in a food competition where they deal with different chocolate creations. Pros- The food is always interesting and not just the same old thing over and over again. Cons- Its biggest flaw is that not all of the contestants get their food eaten during the first round which doesn’t seem fair. Note to Parents- There is nothing wrong that I can think about this outside of maybe LGBT contestants. I don’t find that wrong, by the way. I only mention that in case someone else finds it wrong. Recommendation- This might be good if you aren’t busy with other things. My Viewing Habits- I haven’t seen every episode, but have liked it since the first one. Prediction- I am pretty sure that it will keep airing in both countries. Reception: great. Grade: B.

 

Recipe for Disaster: Status- Currently on the CW at 9/8 Central with an additional episode right after that half an hour later. Description- Three teams of people compete in a cooking competition with various problems of weirdness happening while they do this. Pros- It is different than some simple cooking shows are. Cons- It is as dumb as you’d expect just given the promos of it. Nothing good or interesting happens in the show. Note to Parents- I can’t think of any flaws with this show in terms of whether or not a kid can watch it or not. Recommendation- Avoid watching at all costs. This should be an easy thing to do. My Viewing Habits- I watched one random episode of it and won’t see it again. Prediction- I don’t expect it to last, even if they had nothing else to air. Reception: I couldn’t find this in either of the two places that I normally check, which is a first. Grade: F. New review

2023 Summer Shows Part 2

With today being the best and only certain time for me to write this post, then I might as well get it done despite never having much time for anything and yet still bringing these blogs back because I have to do with my OCD instead of doing more sensible things at times. Anyways, here’s the other part of the summer reviews of shows this year.

 

Stars on Mars: Show Description- Celebrities compete in a Mars simulation. Behind the Scenes- There are a lot of famous people on this. My Thoughts- Personally, I couldn’t even bring myself to watch this show until after Lance Armstrong was gone from it. The show’s name may be an outright lie, but it does work in some ways. I hate that so many people just straight up quit over and over again. But it is good enough in the long run. I give it three out of five stars. Long Term Prospects- I don’t think that this will last unless the writer’s strike still hasn’t been resolved by next summer. Where to Find- On FOX at 8/7 Central on Mondays

 

Run the Burbs: Show Description- This focuses on a family in the suburbs. Behind the Scenes- This is a foreign show airing on the CW. My Thoughts- It was dumb and didn’t seem all the well acted. I give it two out of five stars. Long Term Prospects- It probably won’t last here, although it might last in the country it started in. Where to Find- On the CW at 8:30/7:30 Central on Mondays

 

Children Ruin Everything: Show Description- Parents have issues with the immaturity of their kids and yet want another want. Behind the Scenes- Blah, blah, blah, foreign show on the CW, blah, blah, blah. My Thoughts- It isn’t good. The title alone is problematic. And it is hard to think of any redeeming value that it has in the long run. I give it one out of five stars. Long Term Prospects- This won’t last at all. Where to Find- On the CW at 9/8 Central on Wednesdays

 

Son of a Critch: Show Description- A boy describes his life at his new school and growing up in general. Behind the Scenes- This is yet another foreign show that airs on the CW and also based on the life of its creator. My Thoughts- The show is so unfunny that while trying to watch its second episode, I just had to turn it off and watch something else instead. While parts of it are decent enough, you can get much better things from shows like it like The Goldbergs. I give it one out of five stars. Long Term Prospects- I have no idea if it will last here or not. I’d say maybe, but only because the CW has jack shit to air nowadays. Where to Find- On the CW at 8/7 Central on Wednesdays

 

Down to Earth with Zac Efron: Show Description- A documentary, Zac Efron explores some places on earth to help us understand it better. Behind the Scenes- This aired on streaming before it was on the CW very briefly. My Thoughts- It was a good show while it briefly lasted. I give it four out of five stars. Long Term Prospects- It has been cancelled already due to low ratings, but if more of it airs on Netflix, where it first aired, remains to be seen. Where to Find-Not on the schedule

 

Fantastic Friends: Show Description- A documentary, we see twin brothers and their on screen sister who played characters in the Harry Potter universe explore some of the earth. Behind the Scenes- Bonnie Wright, James Phelps, and Oliver Phelps all appear together as the fantastic friends. They played the roles in the Weasleys: Ginny, Fred, and George. My Thoughts- It is a wonderful and fun documentary that would be worth watching if it were still on. I give this four out of five stars. Long Term Prospects- It has already been cancelled and I don’t know if more of it will see the light of day on steaming if it hasn’t already. I put it as likely, but uncertain. Where to Find- Not on the schedule

 

Fight to Survive: Show Description- A group of survivalists, known for appearing in other reality shows like Naked and Afraid, Survivor, and other shows, compete to survive in Fiji against each other to see if they will share the same resources and work together or turn against each other. Behind the Scenes- This is a Roku show that is also airing on the CW. My Thoughts- Parts of this are predictable, but it is different and interesting enough. I give this three out of five stars. Long Term Prospects- I have no idea if it will last or not or if it will air on the CW if it does last. It might depend on just how much the CW scraps the bottom of the barrel as it has been since Nexstar bought it and if they make do with other things instead. Where to Find- On the CW at 8/7 Central on Thursdays

 

Recipe for Disaster: Show Description- Three teams of people compete in a cooking competition with various problems of weirdness happening while they do this. Behind the Scenes- Hey, look at that garbage can! My Thoughts- It is as dumb as you’d expect just given the promos of it. I give this one out of five stars. Long Term Prospects- I don’t expect it to last, even if they had nothing else to air. Where to Find- On the CW at 9/8 Central on Saturdays

 

While I could do much more with the returning show section like I normally do, I am just going to include just the shows that I feel like doing newish reviews of. Thus, I won’t have to do too much more beyond what you have already seen so far.

 

Bump: Status- Currently on the CW at 9:30/8:30 Central on Mondays. Why I’ve seen it- I tend to watch every new CW show at least once. Noteworthiness- This is a show from Australia that is airing in the US. It is only half an hour so I’m unsure if this is supposed to be a comedy or a drama that’s shorter. I see it as more of a drama than a comedy. Description- A teenager who didn’t know she was pregnant winds up dealing with a lot of family drama beyond just being a new mom while still in high school. Pros- Parts of this seem interesting and worth seeing what happens. It can spark interesting conversations with family if you watch it with them. Cons- Parts of this seem dumb or otherwise not work such as the extent of some of the drama going on at once. Note to Parents- While a lot of this can be bad for kids, with teens, it might be worth watching if you are willing to have serious conversations about what goes on in the show. Recommendation- It is a wonderful show that I recommend. My Viewing Habits- I have seen what has worked out of this, but not all of it. Prediction- This has already had a lot of seasons beyond what we have seen so far in the US and a spin-off that might air here at some point in time. I would say that given CW’s status, it is almost certain that we will see these seasons when they air here. Reception: good. Grade: B-. New review

 

HouseBroken: Status- Currently on FOX at 9/8 Central on Sundays. Why I’ve seen it- I tend to watch a new FOX show at least once. Description- Some pets have adventures. Pros- It is different than the usual adult comedy in enough ways. Cons- This show was dumb and didn’t have much to it. Note to Parents- This airs with a content adversary warning so that’s all that you really need to know about that in the end. Recommendation- Don’t waste your time with it. My Viewing Habits- I watched one episode of this and won’t watch it again. Prediction- This might keep lasting, but I have no idea if it has good odds in the long run since it keeps airing in the dead of summer instead of the main season. I think that it is still likely to last for now. Reception: mixed. Grade: F. New review

Watching Less TV (and Being Okay with it)

So much crazy shit has happened in my life. And the past TV season has had all sorts of weird things going on too. Even just today, I had all sorts of weird things going on. Now if you want to know what all has happened in my life and this season that I’ll talk about in this blog, be sure to keep on reading this post. If you want to know what happened that caused the blogs to go on hiatus, read this post.

 

http://adamdeckercsicyber.blogspot.com/2023/07/tech-explaining-blogging-hiatus.html

 

This post should have up yesterday based on the rule that I have about it, but I decided that it would also work now without messing too much up. Or, I could have cheated and posted it when it was supposed to be up and not when it was. But I tend to avoid that, so I did. My mom had to go to a hospital a way away. She’s fine now. But she was the main reason why I couldn’t watch or record as much TV this season. She wasn’t the only reason.

 

There was also a missing remote causing a TV to not really turn on and be an inconvenience at one point with a backup until the main one was found. There was a TV tuner that stopped working until I found a new one. And there are a lot more problems with the receptions of channels, specifically FOX, that makes it impossible for me to see shows since they won’t come in. I can’t even find a show to watch at some times since I like to watch all of primetime during the main season and not just the few things that I would stick with.

 

And you know what? I’m completely fine with missing a lot of TV. It may seem odd. But since I know that I’m a TV junkie, I also know that good things to do at times is to detox from my addition. That’s why I got rid of new blog posts for a while with one that I still haven’t gone back to yet.

 

You see, even when you have legit OCD like I do and not just a certain way of doing things, you can still come to what I call an oh, well phenomenon. Basically, if despite all of your hard work trying to get something done that needs to be done that day that you couldn’t get done, how do you feel inside? Do you feel messed up? Do you feel like you can’t take it anymore? Actually, what I feel is a lack of caring, an oh, well. Oh, well. I couldn’t get that done. That’s not too bad at all, really. I don’t know why I had cared so much and maybe won’t obsess with things too much.