While watching ESPN....

Coming from the homeland of the advert-free BBC, I struggled to warm to the idea of my program being interrupted seemingly every 10 seconds to try and sell me something I was never going to buy. But the longer I've lived here, the more I've realized that commercials are actually often more interesting than the shows. And I'm not just talking about Superbowl adverts - adverts in general are just pretty awesome now. Yeah, you still get the occasional lame-sauce annoying one, but in general they are funny, sweet, and at the very least, brightly colored and short. That's more than I can say for TV in general :)

Over-Empowerment

It's Caucus time and thus I've been watching TV again. I have this one question that I hope won't offend anybody, but why are American Advertisements so weird? Maybe it's just me, but does anybody else think it's odd that you're supposed to watch an advertisement about a drug or medicine (that, by the way, you can't even just go to the store and buy!) and love it so much that you go and pester your doctor into prescribing it for you? Media, and especially the internet, puts information in the hands of the masses - information that was previously only in the hands of the experts. This, of course, can be extremely valuable because it empowers the ordinary people. No longer do we just have to accept what we hear on the news, or rely on expensive estate agents to sell our homes. But I think it's gone a little far when we can tell our doctors the right medicines to prescribe for us (especially when our information is based on what the people who will make money off the product tell you), and at that point we might as well not have doctors at all. And besides, when the majority of the advertisement is made up of someone speaking really fast about all the horrible things that might happen to you if you use the product.... I'm just not sold in any case.   

Content or Medium?

I watched TV for 4 hours on Tuesday! 4 whole hours of my life! I turned on the TV to watch the Republican Presidential Primary in Michigan, and I was kind of sucked in. Not only was it incredibly close as the votes came in, but there were plenty of speeches and panels to watch. So... here's where I come to the question. When we talked about books, we talked about how the content is more important than the medium (i.e. we shouldn't be okay with inappropriate books just because they are books). For me, I felt that the content of the Primary was valuable; I was getting involved in the elections (personally I feel like that is part of my civic duty) and learning about some of the most important issues. So is the fact that I was watching TV for that long bad? Would it have been different if I had been reading about the elections? Or is this just a question of excesses?

The funniest show on TV...

... is obviously Top Gear. But since a friend of mine introduced me and my husband to the Disney cartoon Phineas and Ferb, I have decided to put it on the list. I find it surprisingly amusing, which often makes me wonder of kids are enjoying it as much as I do. After all, some of the jokes seem kind of... adult. Not "adult" in the sense of being inappropriate, but its not an easy cheap laugh that I would expect from a kids show. Like when they play on grammar: "I, for one, am starting to get bored, and boredom is something of up with which I will not put!". Or how the best jokes require you to remember random scenes from previous episodes (I obviously won't give an example of this because... it just couldn't be appreciate out of context). Or how everything is so off the wall and unexpected - I mean, they have a pet platypus for goodness sake! You just have to experience it people. Or maybe I just have a childish sense of humor - I would accept this conclusion. 
But now it's time for a Phineas and Ferb Best Moments Tribute!

"Behold, the Melt-inator 6-5000! It has a melting capacity... of 7! That's on a scale from 1 to 5, so that's a big number." 

Isabella: Hey Phineas. 
Phineas: Hey Isabella. 
Isabella: Watcha doin'? 
Phineas: We're making S'Winter. 
Isabella: S'Winter? 
Ferb: It's a unique and logic defying amalgam of Winter and Summer.

Dr. Doofenshmirtz: Ah, Perry the Platypus, what an unexpected surprise... and by unexpected, I mean completely expected!

Linda: I see your point, Candace. No crazy person would scream at a post like that. I'll be in the dairy section if you want to come yell at some cheese or anything. 

Phineas: We're gonna need a blowtorch and some more peanut butter. 

Phineas [when he sees a satellite]: You know, if that thing falls to Earth, Candace is in charge.