Walk In Radio Episode 27

Jeff and Eric talk about highway rest stops for 26 straight minutes. It's funny, just listen.

A One Woman Review of Duets

The other night, I watched the new singing competition show Duets. Honestly, I was expecting a serialized version of the first time Gwyneth Paltrow insisted we take her seriously as a singer. It’s been over a decade and I still haven’t given up hope.

The show opened with a flashy opening number by the four celeb judges: Kelly Clarkson, John Legend, Jennifer Nettles, and Robin Thicke. As the four sang a rousing song asking if we the audience would allow them to entertain us, two thoughts occurred to me. First, where is the dancing monkey and elephant on a unicycle? That’s instant entertainment.

But also, that these are probably four of the most agreeable people in the music idustry: Kelly Clarkson and Jennifer Nettles are both from the South and have that Southern twang to prove it; John Legend was home-schooled by his seamstress mother in Ohio; and Robin Thicke is half-Canadian (need I say more?). Basically, these are the nicest kids in town. I’ve never watched American Idol or The Voice, but I’m pretty sure that the talent of the contestants is only barely equal in importance to the inter-judge sniping. Simon and Paula? Adam Levine and Christina Aguilera? That gets the ratings and sells the tabloids.

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The Facebook Generation

As a novice teacher, nothing is more unsettling than being friended on Facebook by a bunch of your 10-year-old students. Actually, that’s not true. Being confronted by said children the next day at school demanding to know why you’re dissing them by not accepting the Facebook request, is a tad more awkward.

Now, I’m only 24 and I consider myself to be fairly “with it.” (Crap I think I just proved myself wrong by using that phrase.) However, the more time I spent with these students, the more I realize that the notion of childhood is drastically different than it was 10 years ago. “How so?” you might ask. Example number one:

(REAL conversation)

Me: When I was in 5^th grade, we didn’t have cell phones or Facebook. Even gaming consoles were different, I got my Nintendo 64 when I was in 4^th grade and that was a big deal.

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DVR and the Death of Traditional Television

The invention of the DVR has really screwed up television.

Not to be an old man here, but back in the day, the way I discovered new shows was usually through, what people in the business call, a “lead-in.”  See a lead-in is when a popular show that draws millions of viewers leads into a show that the network would like the masses to get behind.  The lead-in boosts ratings of everything around it.  It’s like the cleanup hitter of television.

But, with the invention of the DVR, lead-ins are meaningless.  I rarely ever watch a show at its regularly scheduled time.  I record and then watch at my own convenience. The show I’m watching never leads me into anything because it’s recorded and when the shows over, I move onto something else.

Because of this, I miss out on a lot of great shows.

Like a little sitcom on ABC called Happy Endings.

I’ve recently picked up on the show through hearing about it on the blogosphere.  I’m sure Happy Endings has a great lead-in on whatever night of the week it’s on TV, but I would never know.

You know why I would never know?  Because I DVR everything and I never watch commercials.  If networks are promoting their shows, I’m not aware of it.  I find out about new shows or season premiers through the internet, not the lead-ins or the promos. 

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Walk In Radio Episode 26

Eric and Jeff discuss "sell outs", slim fit tee shirts, and Steven Hawking's voice.