Maritimer00's profile on TV.com

Strawberry row rage.... by maritimer00

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 11:58:57 PDT

Hi, everybody...still warm and muggy down here...I saw an ad the other day for a plasma cool AC portable unit that looked nice...price tag not so much...

- Guide work continues....nearing the end of Season 17 of Lassie and 18 starts next week here on TV Land. From what I gather, 18 and 19 don't pop up too often in syndication so I'm curious what they'll be like. Other than that, doing the odd recap for shows (write during the week, post during weekend) and figuring out what to do on weekends guide wise.

- I've been reading the thread in the Editor's forum about why people aren't subbing/good editors and I'll be posting my own thoughts in a bit but here's one thing I'll say here: there are a few people here who think level of submitter quantifies the quality of a guide sub....and that's not the case always. When you get a sub from a mid 30's level submitter who doesn't know how to format a Quote properly, well, it makes you go hmmm....

- Now for the blog title....every summer, fresh strawberries are a fav thing to eat for many people with more than a few buying a flat of 12 quarts in a single trip to the grocery store. However, in Manitoba, CBC news recently noted that people almost got into fist fights at a Upick when a person started picking berries from a row that someone was also picking on. Now, this kind of thing sounds pretty extreme till I remembered in past years people waiting most of a day for a new shipment of locals to arrive at the local store...or how people chased down an acne faced employee to see if there were any more berries in the back...

That's about all...stay cool and such everybody....have a great week!

I miss my friend.

Hot...muggy...grumpy.... by maritimer00

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 16:00:55 PDT

Hi everybody!...well, the first real heat wave is in my area with the humidex approaching 40 Celsius....really makes nights tuff to sleep even with fans and A/C units working all arond the neighborhood...

- Guide work marches on...Lassie work is into season 17 though TV Land skipped quite a few eps to get there. BTW, season 17 was strange in that thru 16 seasons, Lassie always had a human owner (Jeff, Timmy, Forest Rangers...) but the 17th season had Lassie out on her own wandering from place to place much like Littlest Hobo...

- Did some more recaps for TDI,RRH, Odd Job Jack and King of Kensington. The NCAA guides were folded into one which means lots of work to do.....Beachcombers has been fun to do, one thing I've noticed is how many of the writers went on to do other West Coast filmed shows such as X-Files and others.

- Site wise, I hope the staff bring in this airdate fix soon where two airdates can be shown for an ep...given the growing number of Canadian/US joint productions, it'll solve some headaches...

-Oh, one more thing...Season 2 of Masters of Horror comes to DVD July 29 with the discs inside a skull....all things being equal, that is pretty cool and imaginative....

Well, that's about all....stay cool, everybody!

I miss my friend.

Oh, those muggy days of summer..... by maritimer00

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 11:09:11 PDT

I'd like to be under the sea
In an octopus' garden in the shade
He'd let us in, knows where we've been
In his octopus' garden in the shade

I'd ask my friends to come and see
An octopus' garden with me
I'd like to be under the sea
In an octopus' garden in the shade.

We would be warm below the storm
In our little hideaway beneath the waves
Resting our head on the sea bed
In an octopus' garden near a cave

We would sing and dance around
because we know we can't be found
I'd like to be under the sea
In an octopus' garden in the shade

We would shout and swim about
The coral that lies beneath the waves
(Lies beneath the ocean waves)
Oh what joy for every girl and boy
Knowing they're happy and they're safe
(Happy and they're safe)

We would be so happy you and me
No one there to tell us what to do
I'd like to be under the sea
In an octopus' garden with you.

- Octopus Garden - a nice little song that has been covered many times with the Beatles version perhaps the most famous.

- Speaking of musicians covering tunes, I see where Celine Dion's version of You Shook Me All Night Long was voted the worse cover of all time. Given the singing of AC/DC and how it contrasts with the diva's way, I shudder to think just how bad Dion's version was...

- Well, it's been muggy and somewhat warm round here...makes it hard for me as pain increases quite a bit in these conditions but I shall persevere....sorry if I haven't been quick responding to PM's or blopping..just a little out of focus...

- Guide wise, shifted recapping to a couple others shows like King of Kensington, Rocket Robin Hood and Little Mosque. One thing I've noticed with the latter is that the eps quickly transition a lot from scene to scene...tuffer to recap that way...

- The recent retirement by staff of guide collectors is a good thing...I have no problem with anybody amassing a large quantity of guides providing they make an effort to make them better. I've seen too many person guides that have an editor with no bio for the actor/actress in question...and heard of a few show editors who reject subs with no reason given. A shame staff has never brought a code of sorts that at least editors of shows with high traffic have to follow...

- That' about all...take care, everybody!

I miss my friend.

Reworking the way this currently works.... by maritimer00

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 10:38:52 PDT

- Hello, everybody!...kinda cool here now....all things being equal, I can live with this weather till, oh, September but everyone wants the heat and it's probably just weeks away...

- Some incidents round my area have cast a light on some bad teens.

1) When I got a haircut recently, my barber told me that the washrooms in the mall they are located in were blown up by two teens on a recent weekend to the tune of 25K damage. The mall has no security guards (too cheap) but does have visible surveillance cameras. The teens wore hoodies over their faces and moved in and out in a matter of minutes...nobody caught yet for this...

2) A couple of nights ago, four teens set fire to playground equipment at 1 am but were arrested same night thanks to a police dog brought in.

The YOA act in this country really needs to be overhauled....it protects the names of these "innocents" time and again. If I could change it, I'd make it like a "3 Strikes" law....if a youth is convicted of three offences that are deemed serious by the courts, their name gets published....no more whispering in the shadows or bad pups flaunting the fact they get away with a slap on the wrist for stuff that warrants stiff punishment. It's not much but it's a start, I think....

-On the TV side of life, I see where Fox is going to develop an American version of Little Mosque on the Prairie...I'm sure it'll start out similiar to the gentle Canadian comedy but let's not kid ourselves. This is FOX we're talking about...not exactly the home to sensitive/non exploitative programming...we shall see...

- Well, that's bout all..don't forget Jericho Season 2 comes out on DVD next week...I think the show is done for good this time so if you like the show, I'd pick it up!

Have a good weekend, everybody!

I miss my friend.

The heat is on...oh yeah...! by maritimer00

Sat, 07 Jun 2008 11:37:22 PDT

Hi everybody!...well, the first summer hot day fast approaches round here with highs tomorrow around 30 Celsius and the low near 20 plus humidity driving that even higher......on the good side, I bought a new fan before the forecast (one of those temp sensitive ones..) so I should be ok though sleeping might be a tad difficult.

- Working away on da guides...finished another season of recaps for Red Green, which means 6 of 15 are now fully recapped. I picked up a new guide this week - The Beachcombers, which ran for 19 seasons here in Canada. The guide itself is in horrible shape (I'll be asking staff to add 10 seasons to the available ones) but I'll work away at it...a shame none of the networks here show the early seasons and CBC refuses to put it on DVD...ah well...

- I see where Hockey Night In Canada is ditching its traditional opening theme starting next season. If you're a hockey fan or hockey widow in Canada, this is one theme that is known country wide...a shame the accountants at the CBC don't realize this...

- I have to wonder how toned down the movie scene will be over the next 4-5 months given the protracted writer's strike and such....I have hopes Watchmen will be as good as the phenomenal graphic novel by Alan Moore but I also have my doubts...

- Well, that's bout all...stay cool, everybody, and remember, fall is only 2 1/2 away....

I miss my friend.

Dreary days... by maritimer00

Sat, 31 May 2008 14:05:01 PDT

- Hi, everybody!....weather this weekend is wet and cool....considering June is bout here, I'd appreciate warm weather though humidity can stay away for the entire summer..

- Working on da guides....Red Green is nearly done for cast/crew and recaps are chugging along. Lassie nears Season 15 in cast/crew work. Season 15 is where Robert Bray left due to alcoholism and is replaced by a pair of actors. Oh, and I started working on a very neglected editorless guide this week...hopefully, it'll be up to par soon.....

- Watched Mission:Impossible Season 4 on DVD...to risk anger from Trekkies, I'll say this: Leonard Nimoy is a good guy but Martin Landau is the better actor by far and it shows when Nimoy replaced Landau in this season...

- I see where ABC is doing a show that shows Homeland Security in its efforts to make the US borders safe...it's based on an Aussie show of a similar nature, which preceded Canada's The Border. I'm sure it'll be promoted with tags like " fresh and original "...

- Well, that's bout all...Mannix comes out on DVD June 3 and Season 4 of Hawaii 5-0 June 10...oh, and fans of " stalled " series such as St. Elsewhere, Night Court, Hill Street Blues and so on might be in for good news as the shows are apparently being shopped around to released by other companies. Considering the quality of these shows, I hope so....

Take care, everybody!

I miss my friend.

Say good night, Mr. Martin by maritimer00

Sun, 25 May 2008 09:25:48 PDT

Hello, everybody!..after what seems like a lot of days of overcast, dreary weather, this big thing has appeared in the sky that looks like the sun...hope it stays around for a few days...

- Sorry if I haven't been blopping and such recently...I've been in a real deep funk recently and I tend to withdraw a bit when this mood hits me...

- It was sad news for me to read of Dick Martin's passing on Saturday. Laugh-In and The Smothers Brothers broke new ground for comedy series in their day and the way Rowan and Martin played off each other was something few entertainers could ever do...he will be missed.

- I see the staff are once again kicking the tires on unretiring editors. I'm a little puzzled as to why this is such an important issue now after years of the firm rules being in place. I'm just speculating here but could it be staff is dissatisfied with a few top show guides that have retired editors with current ones doing a below average job? If they do bring this idea into reality, I see nothing good coming out of it, frankly....

- Guide work marches on....Lassie was a double treat this week as Season 14 eps dealt with the forestry industry in the Northwest and how logs were brought down thru the Columbia basin...boring stuff for most of ya but I found it fascinating..

- Well, that's about all for today...oh, and I picked up the guide for Rent-a-Goalie this week...I'll nurse it back to health before Season 3 starts in the fall...

Take care, everybody!

I miss my friend.

A week of changes at the site.... by maritimer00

Fri, 16 May 2008 12:19:57 PDT

Hi, everybody....it's still creeping towards summer round here.....to use a turn of phrase, summer is acting like a kid sleeping in bed being coaxed by a parent to get up and go to school. The fun is seeing whether the kid goes to school or cuts and heads off to hang out at the mall...

- I see that editors now have the ability to sort cast for shows in order they want it displayed both at Show and Episode level (though latter is a bit clumsily done and hidden perhaps too discretely). Both very welcome developments...however, as is always the case here, they also pushed thru prog. code that has made the display of Teleplay/Story credits appear under Writer credits.....this results in an ugly mess (check Season 2 of my Lassie guide for an example).....two steps forward, one step back.....

- The BIG news is CBS buying CNET and what this will mean long term here and the sister sites. If I had to hazard a guess, here's my thoughts:

1) More ads, more VOD, the links to buy DVD's of shows will be brought up to snuff far better than they are currently.

2)MP3.com and Gamespot will get overhauls to improve revenue streams as well....

3) Movietome will either be scrapped altogether or made fully functional as a Movie site with more complete data and revenue streams to satisfy CBS accountants.

4) Technical staff will be held to a higher standard..you don't pay 1.8 Billion to see haphazard work.

5) For the average user here, there will be changes as well...maybe even an acknowledgement of users outside USA.

Over the next 6-12 months, I suspect we'll all see the changes...like em or not...

Well, that's bout all..lent my Space 1999 set to my brother in exchange for Mission Impossible: Season 4.....busy times these are..

Take care, everybody!..and to my fellow Canadians, enjoy the long weekend!

I miss my friend.

Stuff goes on, stuff goes off.... by maritimer00

Wed, 07 May 2008 14:22:56 PDT

- Hello, everybody!....it's starting to tease summer like weather round here finally. The flood thing is finally settling down and people are starting to move back home ( luckily, I don't live in the area affected but I do know people who were..nothing lost for them...). Two things came out of I thought interesting:

1) Provincial power company turned off power to homes in flooded areas but for the home owners to get it turned back on, they have to have a contractor inspect the house at their expense. Nice, huh?

2) Some home owners in Fredericton, who were warned in advance of the approaching flood, have claimed lost fridges, freezers and wedding photo albums.....now the first two, I can see, but how hard can it be to retrieve mementos from a basement given warning many hours in advance...

- Guide work continues...one thing about updating Lassie is that I've noticed the closing credits don't always match the ep in question. Whether they are lost to time or TV Land ( network here currently airing the eps) is lazy, who knows but it makes it hard confirming the cast/crew credits.

- Today has been a strange day round here..things are getting turned on and off with no notice whatsoever. Submissions..forums.....odd...not surprising given the way things go here but odd nevertheless.

- Oh, saw something funny today on the TV Land site...they mark notable things on it in a " this day in TV history " thing...apparently, this day, Shelly Long left Cheers for the movies where her big claim to fame is playing Carol Brady in the Brady Bunch movies. Hey, she did better than David Caruso, at least....

Take care, everybody!

I miss my friend.

Water, water everywhere.... by maritimer00

Thu, 01 May 2008 11:21:01 PDT

- Hello, everybody!...it's been wet and dreary round here the last few days except for first of the week, when I got my haircut. A haircut is usually a routine thing for most everybody but when my mobility and equilbrium is borderline wheelchair, it makes for an adventure..

- Well, the weather I just mentioned has turned the routine snow melt runoff into a fair bit of flooding in my provincial capital. The news people are all over it ( http://www.cbc.ca/canada/new-brunswick/story/2008/05/01/nb-flood.html ) but the locals aren't freaking out about it and good for them. Fredricton, btw, is basically one big hill with the flooding affecting the bottom part. They had a pic yesterday of someone using a tractor/snowblower attempting to remove the water with it.

- Guide work marches on....adding crew credits now for Lassie Season 13 which included the 7 part (!) Voyager arc. A lot of familiar faces popped up in the 60's eps....the type that you recognize but couldn't quite put a name to it.

- This season's Survivor is winding down and it has been nasty, brutal and one of the better ones in recent memory. It ends on May 11th to be followed by the debut of CBS newest reality series...Greatest American Dog (which sounds like Big Brother mixed with Westminster Dog Show)....the promos for it should be, ummm, interesting, I would think...

- Quiet around the site, isn't it?....sorta like the calm before a feature " the users asked for that is really exciting, etc...." gets introed...

- Well, that's about all...oh, and Space:1999 has been fun going thru. A couple of observations:

1) Season 1 had some great eps with Dragon's Domain arguably one of the top twenty sci-fi eps ever shown on television.

2) Season 2....well, I've read where Landau fought with the writers and Freiberger quite a bit over the scripts...I can see why...

Take care, everybody!

I miss my friend.