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Police State Egypt
Politics / Egypt Aug 17, 2013 - 10:21 AM GMT
By: Stephen_Lendman
Bloody Wednesday revealed state-sponsored police state harshness. Egypt exhibits classic characteristics.
Wikipedia calls a police state one "in which the government exercises rigid and repressive controls over the social, economic, and political life of the population."
"A police state typically exhibits elements of totalitarianism and social control, and there is usually little or no distinction between the law and the exercise of political power by the executive."
Merrian-Webster's definition is "a political unit characterized by repressive governmental control of political, economic, and social life usually by an arbitrary exercise of power by police and especially secret police in place of regular operation of administrative and judicial organs of the government according to publicly known legal procedures."
The Oxford dictionary calls it "a totalitarian state controlled by a political police force that secretly supervises the citizens' activities."
Junta power rules Egypt. Interim civilian officials front for Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) control. Generals have final say.
On Tuesday, SCAF General Abdul-Fattah el-Sisi appointed 25 provincial governors. Nineteen are generals: 17 from the military, two from police.
Two civilian governors were Mubarak loyalists. Cairo's Governor Galal Mostafa Saed was a senior Mubarak official.
According to one observer, Sisi's employing classic Mubarak tactics. He's using governorships "to cultivate loyalty of top officers while extending the grip of his police state."
Egypt's interim government remains defiant. Prime Minister Hazem Beblawi called crackdowns essential. "Egypt cannot move forward, especially economically, in the absence of security," he said.
Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim lied saying protesters "threatened national security, incited violence, and torture and killed people."
Egypt's Revolutionary Socialists called bloody Wednesday "part of a plan to liquidate the Egyptian revolution and restore the military-police state of the Mubarak regime."
Western criticism lacked credibility. It fell woefully short of what's needed. On the one hand, Obama rebuked Egypt's leaders. He cancelled upcoming joint Bright Star military exercises. Doing so changes nothing.
State Department spokeswoman Jennifer Psaki said:
"I don't think anyone in the government thinks that simply the cancellation of Bright Star is going to change actions on the ground."
Business as usual continues. Obama spoke publicly. He ignored questions from reporters. His audio statement wasn't initially televised. Video was later released.
"America cannot determine the future of Egypt," he said. "That's a task for the Egyptian people. We don't take sides with any particular party of political figure."
Obama supports repressive junta rule. He said nothing about canceling or suspending military aid. It continues despite US laws requiring suspension to governments ruled coup d'etat authority.
According to Psaki:
"Given the depths of a partnership with Egypt, our national security interests in this part of the world, our belief, also, that engagement can support a transition back to a democratically elected civilian government, we have sustained that commitment."
She called post-Morsi violence "a rocky road back to democracy." Former Secretary of State Codoleezza Rice once called democracy "messy." America's version is none at all.
It's verboten. Washington tolerates none abroad or at home. Rule of law principles don't matter. Human and civil rights are nonstarters.
Might is right reflects policy. Advancing America's imperium matters most. Unchallenged global dominance is top priority. Tyranny's a small price to pay.
Thursday clashes followed Egypt's bloody Wednesday. Morsi supporters attacked government buildings. Giza's governor's office was torched. Police stations were targeted in half a dozen or more cities.
Health Ministry officials confirmed over 600 deaths. According to Muslim Brotherhood (MB) spokesman Gehad El-Haddad, it's at least eightfold higher. Things are "beyond control," he said.
"The real danger comes when groups of people, angry by the loss of loved ones, start mobilizing on the ground."
Many thousands were injured. Scores of arrests were made. MB officials are top targets. Those still free went underground.
According to AP, "Egyptian authorities on Thursday authorized police to use deadly force to protect themselves and key state institutions from attacks, after presumed supporters of the deposed Islamist president torched two local government buildings near the capital in the latest of a series of apparent reprisals to follow a bloody crackdown on their protest camps."
Egypt's Interior Ministry issued a statement saying:
It instructed "all forces to use live ammunition to confront any assaults on institutions or the forces."
SCAF pledged to confront "terrorist actions and sabotage." Appointed cabinet members said "(t)hese actions are carried out as part of a criminal plan that clearly aims at toppling down the state."
MB's Ikhwanweb said "militias" attacked thousands marching peacefully in Giza.
Morsi's Freedom and Justice Party executive board member Amr Darrag headlined his article "Egypt's Blood, America's Complicity."
"How do you reconcile with people who are prepared to kill you, and how do you stop them from killing again," he asked?
One Egyptian poll shows "69 percent of the country opposed the coup," he said.
"Worse, shocking and irresponsible rhetoric from the State Department in Washington and from other Western diplomats - calling on the Brotherhood and demonstrators to 'renounce' or 'avoid' violence (even when also condemning the state's violence) - has given the junta cover to perpetrate heinous crimes in the name of 'confronting' violence."
"The protest sites have been teeming with foreign correspondents for the last several weeks, and there has not been a shred of evidence suggesting the presence of weapons, or of violence initiated by protesters."
Hooliganism's state-sponsored. Governments commonly use provocateurs. Peaceful protests are infiltrated.
Vandalism, sabotage and violence follow. Demonstrators are wrongfully blamed. Propaganda points fingers the wrong way. Security forces take full advantage.
Darrag said "hard facts" must be acknowledged. What's ongoing pits "those those who envision a democratic, pluralistic Egypt (against others) support(ing) a militarized state in which government is imposed on the people by force."
SCAF's coup "sent Egypt back into the dark ages of dictatorship." It's reflected in total media control, attacks on peaceful protesters and journalists, and imprisoning opposition officials unjustifiably.
Sisi pledged to uphold constitutional rule, said Darrag. He betrayed the oath he took. He actively seeks foreign help. He wants coup authority legitimized.
America agreed to junta transition. No one knowing Egypt believed ousting Morsi would happen without Washington's OK. The die was cast.
Coup steps were underway. Obama officials approved them. Morsi aides said he was the last to know his days were numbered.
In mid-June, they saw imminent trouble. Sisi warned of a growing "split in society." Divisions between Morsi and opponents compels the military "to intervene," he said.
Morsi didn't expect a coup. Steps to remove him were underway. Cooler heads called doing so "a longterm disaster."
Egyptians and others throughout the Arab world would "lose faith in democracy." An uncontrollable "explosion in the streets" would follow. Events followed predictions.
Egypt's at a crossroads. "There is only one way forward," said Darrag. Legitimate governance "must be restored." It's essential for national reconciliation.
The alternative is continued "bloodshed and chaos." Junta leaders sell "torture, repression and stagnation. We are not buying." Nor should anyone.
On Thursday, Security Council members met in emergency session. They did so behind closed doors. No formal statement was issued.
Members acted woefully short of what's needed. Fingers weren't pointed the right way. Punitive measures weren't imposed.
Council president Maria Perceval said:
"The members, first of all, expressed their sympathy to the victims and regretted the loss of lives."
"The view of Council members is that it is important to end violence in Egypt, that the parties exercise maximum restraint, and there was a common desire on the need to stop violence and to advance national reconciliation."
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon acted as expected. He's a longtime imperial tool. He stopped short of condemning coup d'etat authority.
He failed to denounce state-sponsored violence. He called on all sides to show restraint. He urged Egyptians to "work together for peaceful restoration of constitutional order."
Human rights chief Navi Pillay was no better. Her comments replicated Ban's.
She "appeal(ed) to all sides to engage in urgent dialogue to avoid further violence and hate speech, with the aim of restoring constitutional order through free and democratic elections."
She stopped short of demanding reinstatement of Egypt's legitimate government. She ignored Morsi's ouster. So did Ban.
She called bloody Wednesday tragic. She failed to hold junta leaders fully responsible.
Expect lots more violence ahead. Lethal force is authorized. Police states operate that way.
By Stephen Lendman
http://sjlendman.blogspot.com
His new book is titled "How Wall Street Fleeces America: Privatized Banking, Government Collusion and Class War"
http://www.claritypress.com/Lendman.html
Stephen Lendman is a Research Associate of the Centre for Research on Globalization. He lives in Chicago and can be reached in Chicago at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
Also visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to The Global Research News Hour on RepublicBroadcasting.org Monday through Friday at 10AM US Central time for cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on world and national topics. All programs are archived for easy listening. © 2012 Copyright Stephen Lendman - All Rights Reserved Disclaimer: The above is a matter of opinion provided for general information purposes only and is not intended as investment advice. Information and analysis above are derived from sources and utilising methods believed to be reliable, but we cannot accept responsibility for any losses you may incur as a result of this analysis. Individuals should consult with their personal financial advisors.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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One of the greatest Doctors in our community.
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Dr. Kleyner was easy to talk to, thorough and addressed my issue quickly and answered my questions clearly. It was a little annoying to have to redo patient info after inputting it all in ZocDoc, but alas, guess that happens sometimes. I'm glad I found a female podiatrist in my neighborhood.
The office seems very state of the art.


The scale of SXSW is immense. There seems to be a hundred talks or events happening at any one time varying from insights from Sandy Carter, VP of Amazon Web Services, on A.I to dystopian Black Mirror-esque speculative design exploring the consequences of misuse and abuse of technology and everything in between.
Languages from every corner of the world can be heard in Austin right now. Austin is buzzing and so am I.
Highlights so far include a talk by architect Alison Killing sharing her work 'Migration Trail' – journalism and storytelling of displaced Libyan migrants told through a medium inspired by google maps and messenger.
Nike's VP of Creative Concepts, Tinker Hatfield provided a glimpse into his mind and his design process. Tinker shared the story and inspiration behind the seminal 'Air Max' with original sketches and drawings and the building that inspired the shoe.He divulged his reckless attitude, openly admitted he's not a perfectionist and is willing to get fired for a good idea he's passionate about.
However, the magic of this talk was in the crowd – his fans. The anticipation in the queue, the cheers, the frenzy generated from a signed giveaway and the contagious excitement when Tinker shared a sneak peek of a new product. Brands should watch and learn.
My favourite talk so far was by Diego Prilusky, head of Intel Studios, which genuinely felt like an evolution for cinematography and storytelling.
Diego shared his work on volumetric video – a paradigm shift from pixels to voxels, (think the Matrix bullet time but for an entire shoot).
Diego reshot Grease's iconic "You're the One That I Want" with the original directors, only this time there was no frame, no foreground, no background – the talent had no cameras to work to. Everything was captured from every angle simultaneously.
The result is volumetric video which has the ability to place the camera anywhere, at any time. The content looked like a weird mashup between a video game and film, scrubbing through the footage and panning around in 3D.
Naturally, this technology is scalable to VR, AR, MR however I'm more interested in the opportunities for new forms of storytelling – – spacial stories told from multiple perspectives and narratives, inviting user interaction and exploration.
The list of highlights could easily be longer. I've only been here a few days and have been lucky enough to attend talks on playable cities, explored a virtual cinema, tried new and weird products and stumbled on inspiring talks and ideas far removed from technology and innovation.


text:
Q: Multiple background image tilt dividers for sections my first question here, but looooong time reader and eater.
So here's what I'm trying to achieve for a client that really wants it. Website example
I have no problems doing the tilt dividers, but I need to remove the area "behind" the background image that I have made the tilts etc on. So the section seamlessly go in to each other (like the image).
Here's my dev enviroment
http://celina.wonderbird.se/
This is just 30 mins of work so far. But as you see, I would like the dividers to be like that (or similar), but then the background image of the next section to be in the "white" areas of the section previous to it.
Any theories ?
//Christian

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


FARMINGTON, Utah, Jan. 10, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Vista Outdoor Inc. ("Vista Outdoor") (NYSE: VSTO), will showcase its 2017 new product line-up at this year's Shooting, Hunting, and Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show on January 17-20 at the Sands Expo Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Attendees are invited to visit booth #14551 to learn about Vista Outdoor and its iconic hunting and shooting sports brands, including Savage, Federal Premium, CCI, Bushnell, Primos, BLACKHAWK!, RCBS, Hoppe's, and Champion.
This year, Vista Outdoor is featuring a new, innovative display area located near its stage, where attendees can quickly find highlighted new products launching in 2017. All of these products will also be found in the various lanes throughout the booth along with other products in the brand line-up.
Visitors to the booth will also have the opportunity to meet some of the most famous names in the industry during the many brand ambassador demonstrations and discussions hosted by Vista Outdoor brands. For a full list of all celebrity appearances at the Vista Outdoor booth, please go to the "celebrity appearances" page under the "attendees" tab on the official show site (http://www.shotshow.org/) and search for booth #14551.


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The Complete Maus: A Survivor's Tale
THE DEFINITIVE EDITION: The Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novel acclaimed as "the most affecting and successful narrative ever done about the Holocaust" (Wall Street Journal) and "the first masterpiece in comic book history" (The New Yorker).
A brutally moving work of art--widely hailed as the greatest graphic novel ever written--Maus recounts the chilling experiences of the author's father during the Holocaust, with Jews drawn as wide-eyed mice and Nazis as menacing cats.
Maus is a haunting tale within a tale, weaving the author's account of his tortured relationship with his aging father into an astonishing retelling of one of history's most unspeakable tragedies. It is an unforgettable story of survival and a disarming look at the legacy of trauma.
Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: Pantheon Books
Review Citations: Booklist 02/01/2003 pg. 968


Whatever the occasion - a gift voucher for Cucina Di Vincenzo is the perfect way to spoil someone special!
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Extreme tornado outbreaks have become more common, says study
Last updated Mar 3, 2016
Credit: John Allen/International Research Institute for Climate and Society
Most death and destruction inflicted by tornadoes in North America occurs during outbreaks–large-scale weather events that can last one to three days and span huge regions. The largest ever recorded happened in 2011. It spawned 363 tornadoes across the United States and Canada, killing more than 350 people and causing $11 billion in damage.
Now, a new study shows that the average number of tornadoes in these outbreaks has risen since 1954, and that the chance of extreme outbreaks –tornado factories like the one in 2011–has also increased.
The study's authors said they do not know what is driving the changes. "The science is still open," said lead author Michael Tippett, a climate and weather researcher at Columbia University's School of Applied Science and Engineering and Columbia's Data Science Institute. "It could be global warming, but our usual tools, the observational record and computer models, are not up to the task of answering this question yet." Tippett points out that many scientists expect the frequency of atmospheric conditions favorable to tornadoes to increase in a warmer climate–but even today, the right conditions don't guarantee a tornado will occur. In any case, he said, "When it comes to tornadoes, almost everything terrible that happens, happens in outbreaks. If outbreaks contain more tornadoes on average, then the likelihood they'll cause damage somewhere increases."
The results are expected to help insurance and reinsurance companies better understand the risks posed by outbreaks, which can also generate damaging hail and straight-line winds. Over the last 10 years, the industry has covered an average of $12.5 billion in insured losses each year, according to Willis Re, a global reinsurance advisor that helped sponsor the research. The article appears this week in the journal Nature Communications.
Every year, North America sees dozens of tornado outbreaks. Some are small and may give rise to only a few twisters; others, such as the so-called "super outbreaks" of 1974 and 2011, can generate hundreds. In the simplest terms, the intensity of each tornado is ranked on a zero-to-five scale, with other descriptive terms thrown in. The lower gradations cause only light damage, while the top ones, like a twister that tore through Joplin, Missouri, in 2011 can tear the bark off trees, rip houses from their foundations, and turn cars into missiles.
For this study, the authors calculated the mean number of tornadoes per outbreak for each year as well as the variance, or scatter, around this mean. They found that while the total number of tornadoes rated F/EF1 and higher each year hasn't increased, the average number per outbreak has, rising from about 10 to about 15 since the 1950s.
The study was coauthored by Joel Cohen, director of the Laboratory of Populations, which is based jointly at Rockefeller University and Columbia's Earth Institute. Cohen called the results "truly remarkable."
"The analysis showed that as the mean number of tornadoes per outbreak rose, the variance around that mean rose four times faster. While the mean rose by a factor of 1.5 over the last 60 years, the variance rose by a factor of more than 5, or 1.5 x 1.5 x 1.5 x 1.5. This kind of relationship between variance and mean has a name in statistics: Taylor's power law of scaling.
"We have seen [Taylor's power law] in the distribution of stars in a galaxy, in death rates in countries, the population density of Norway, securities trading, oak trees in New York and many other cases," Cohen says. "But this is the first time anyone has shown that it applies to scaling in tornado statistics."
The exponent in Taylor's law number–in this case, the exponent was 4– can be a measure of clustering, Cohen says. If there's no clustering–if tornadoes occur just randomly–then Taylor's law has an exponent of 1. If there's clustering, then it's greater than 1. "In most ecological applications, the Taylor exponent seldom exceeds 2. To have an exponent of 4 is truly exceptional. It means that when it rains, it really, really, really pours," says Cohen.
Extreme outbreaks have become more frequent because of two factors, Tippett said. First, the average number of tornadoes per outbreak has gone up; second, the rapidly increasing variance, or variability, means that numbers well above the average are more common.
Tippett was concerned that the findings could be artifacts of tornado observational data, which are based on eyewitness accounts and known to have problems with consistency and accuracy. To get around this, he re-ran his calculations after substituting the historical tornado data with environmental proxies for tornado occurrence and number of tornadoes per occurrence. These provide an independent–albeit imperfect–measure of tornado activity. The results were very nearly identical.
As for whether the climate is the cause, Tippett said, "The scientific community has thought a great deal about how the frequency of future weather and climate extremes may change in a warming climate. The simplest change to understand is a shift of the entire distribution, but increases in variability, or variance, are possible as well. With tornadoes, we're seeing both of those mechanisms at play."
"This paper helps begin to answer one of the fundamental questions to which I'd like to know the answer," says Harold Brooks of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Severe Storms Laboratory. "If tornadoes are being concentrated into more big days, what effect does that have on their impacts compared to when they were less concentrated?"
"The findings are very relevant to insurance companies that are writing business in multiple states, especially in the Midwest," says Prasad Gunturi, senior vice president at Willis Re, who leads the company's catastrophe model research and evaluation activities for North America. "Overall growth in the economy means more buildings and infrastructure are in harm's way," said Gunturi. "When you combine this increased exposure because outbreaks are generating more tornadoes across state lines and the outbreaks could be getting more extreme in general, it means more loss to the economy and to insurance portfolios."
Insurance companies have contracts with reinsurance companies, and these contracts look similar to the ones people have for home and car insurance, though for much higher amounts. The new results will help companies ensure that contracts are written at an appropriate level and that the risks posed by outbreaks are better characterized, said Brooks.
"One big question raised by this work, and one we're working on now, is what in the climate system has been behind this increase in outbreak severity," said Tippett.
This research was also supported by grants from Columbia's Research Initiatives for Science and Engineering, the Office of Naval Research, NOAA's Climate Program Office and the U.S. National Science Foundation.
The paper, "Tornado outbreak variability follows Taylor's power law of fluctuation scaling and increases dramatically with severity," is available from the authors.
Scientist contacts:
Michael Tippett 212-851-5936 [email protected]
Joel Cohen 212-327-8883 [email protected]
More information: Kevin Krajick, Senior editor, science news, The Earth Institute [email protected] 212-854-9729
The Earth Institute, Columbia University mobilizes the sciences, education and public policy to achieve a sustainable earth. http://www.earth.columbia.edu.
Kevin Krajick
@earthinstitute
http://www.earth.columbia.edu
Common blood test could predict risk of 2nd stroke
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06. Big Bang & JYJ – Day By Day Lie… Get Out!
hi there i would like to download this album but the download link says the file has been removed is there any other way to download it?
There are mini links under the songs, I'm afraid you'll have to download them individually since there are no available album downloads, not even from the original mixer.
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Lost: Season One Revisited May 5, 2009
Filed under: Hulu,Lost,Television — Emily @ 7:54 am
Tags: Fantasy, Lost, Science Fiction, Scifi, Television
Plane crash. Mysterious island. Smoke monster. Life. Death. Survival.
That's what season one of Lost boils down to. I've been loving the show so much this season that I decided to rewatch from the beginning. So over the past two weeks, I made my way through all 24 episodes of season one. If only there were eight more episodes this season – I'm sad that there are only two left! Season one was far less complicated than this season has been. There was only one known camp of people on the island – our Oceanic Flight 815 survivors – plus that crazy lady Rousseau and creepy Ethan. Time travel hadn't even crossed most fans' minds yet, the Others were only mentioned in passing, and the fateful connections among the survivors had only been hinted at. All the elements I just listed have become integral to the show over the past two seasons, so in their absence, what was season one all about? Well, the characters. To borrow from Rodgers and Hammerstein, "Getting to know you, getting to know all about you." So what were our favorite (and not so favorite) characters all about in the beginning of this fantastic show?
Jack – Jack had a lot of screen time, and more flashbacks than anyone else, as far as I can tell, with Kate running a close second. (I always find myself feeling disappointed when I learn that it's a Kate or Jack episode, even though some of those are really good.) We learned about Jack's troubled relationship with his father, about his hero complex (which led him to marry the girl he managed to "fix" after her car accident), and about his refusal to accept failure as an option.
Kate – We quickly learned that Kate was being transported by a U.S. marshall and that she had been a fugitive. We had to wait awhile longer to learn exactly why she was in trouble with the law. The writers portrayed Kate as someone who fears commitment, preferring a nomadic existence over settling down and dealing with sometimes difficult circumstances (she wandered back and forth between the beach and the caves, and flirted with both Jack and Sawyer). She also appeared somewhat devious and untrustworthy, traits that the writers have put on the back burner since season one. You'd hardly know now that she was a fugitive and a murderer.
Sawyer – He has probably changed more than any other character on the show. The first several episodes he was the stereotypical bad boy, hoarding food, stealing stuff off of dead bodies, and using his stash as bargaining tools to get more things that he wanted. But before long, we saw the softer side of Sawyer, and he has continued to transform over the past five seasons. He was plagued by guilt over becoming a con man, when his original goal had simply been to exact revenge on the con man who destroyed his family. The episode in which Kate discovered and read the letter he had written to Mr. Sawyer was heartbreaking. Once we learned why Sawyer was the way he was, we cared much more about him. One of the stand-out moments of the entire series for me is from the episode"Exodus: Part I," where Sawyer finally tells Jack about his encounter with his dad in Sydney. That's the moment that Sawyer really started to become a good guy. He had nothing to gain from telling Jack that his father was proud of him and loved him, but he did it anyway. In addition to giving us insight into both characters, and developing their relationship into something more than a rivalry, it was simply a very well done, powerful scene.
Locke – I think Locke has the best back story on the show. We had to wait so long to find out the whole story! His first flashback episode revealed that he had been paralyzed before the plane crashed, which explained why he was so excited about being there. The contrast between his job at a box company and his adventureous spirit on the island was so drastic. It was as if the island not only took away his physical paralysis, but also his emotional/psychological paralysis. On the island, his tendency to be passive and ineffective was replaced by an almost super human ability to solve any problem, hunt any animal, and face any fear. He was also kooky sometimes, with all his talk about "the island will tell us what to do" and "it's a sacrifice that the island demands." In season two the writers would develop Locke as a man of faith even more, in contrast to Jack's man of science. The back story about his father conning him into giving him a kidney was so horrible (horrible for him, but fascinating to watch). No wonder this man has issues.
Sun – It's weird how mysterious the writers made Sun and Jin out to be in the early episodes. I guess that's how the others would have perceived them, since they couldn't communicate with them. What a surprising twist it was that she could speak near perfect English! Sun and Jin's imperfect, yet loving relationship was one of my favorite things about season one. Seeing the flashbacks about their courtship, followed by the struggles that came along with Jin's job for her father, and finally their separation and reunion on the island, were all so emotionally engaging.
Jin – Like Sawyer, Jin has come a long way since the first season. In the beginning, he came across as a stern, insensitive man who ruled over Sun with an iron fist. Over time, though, the experiences on the island softened him, and he loosened up a lot. The episode where he pummels Michael over the misunderstanding about the watch was effective in revealing what made him tick (pun intended – sorry). We've had to wonder about his fate several times over the seasons, and the first time came in the season one finale, when he went overboard from the raft during our survivors' first encounter with the creepy Others. Thank goodness he is still with us, not to mention speaking perfect English now!
Charlie – Of all the people who have died or disappeared, it is saddest to see Charlie, knowing what eventually happens to him. He was so laid back and fun loving, a breath of fresh air in a group of so many Debbie Downers. It was hard to watch him go through the ups and downs of his heroin addiction, but was sweet to see his relationship with Claire and Aaron develop. He always tried his hardest to protect them, but didn't always succeed. One of the most heart wrenching scenes of the series was when Jack and Kate discovered Charlie hanging from a tree, and it seemed that all efforts to revive him would fail. We really thought he was dead that time, and just when we were starting to mourn the loss of this great character, Jack beat on his chest one more time, and with a great gasp, Charlie breathed again! Those pesky writers, playing with our emotions!
Hurley – I was surprised during my rewatch that Hurley only had one flashback episode in season one. In that episode, we learned that he won the lottery using numbers that he heard a guy repeat over and over again at the mental institution he stayed in for awhile. We didn't know why he was there, though. Hurley was mostly comic relief, and still is, but his discman also provided a great soundtrack during most of the first season. I guess ipods weren't popular yet.
Sayid – Sayid's season one flashback episodes weren't my favorite, even though I really like his character. I always had trouble believing that he would be attracted to, much less get involved with, Shannon, especially since at the time of the plane crash he was so focused on reunited with his true love, Nadia. The writers played up the tortured soul angle in season one. Here was a man who strived to do what was right and good, and to play by the rules, but whose training as an interrogation specialist would lead him down dark paths from time to time. I am still hoping Sayid can have something go his way before the show ends, because so far he always seems to get the bad end of the deal.
Claire – Claire was a sweet character – probably the only female character that I would describe as such. Here she was, a young woman, on the brink of becoming a mom to a baby she was about to give up for adoption, and now she was stuck on an island, with a recovering heroin addict as her new closest friend, and with plenty of time to sit and ponder the warnings that the psychic gave her that it was imperative that only she raise her child. I miss her presence on the show now (although I'm sure she will resurface at some point), because I think her kind, softer personality would balance out some of the more abrasive, dominating female personalities that still remain.
Michael and Walt – I haven't missed these two very much, but their season one back story was sad. I felt sorry for Michael, over how Walt's mom manipulated him into giving up his parental rights. It was ridiculous how controlling she was, and I couldn't understand why she wouldn't want Walt to know his father. We got some hints that Walt had some psychic abilities, and Michael's temper led to some run-ins between him and other survivors. It was sad to see these two again, knowing what Michael was willing to do later on to get his son back.
Shannon and Boone – I'll lump these two together, since that's what the writers always did with their flashback episodes. They always kind of grossed me out. Boone was in love with his step sister, and Shannon used this to her advantage time and time again. Neither of them was as annoying after they developed a healthy distance from each other, when Shannon started hanging out with Sayid and Boone became Locke's apprentice. As much as these characters didn't interest me, Boone's death was so tragic and sudden, that those episodes left their mark. Watching them for a second time, they were just as devastating. I always liked Shannon more after Boone died.
Rose – As held true in the following seasons, Rose only made an appearance a handful of times in season one. This has always been a frustrating aspect of the show, but I always enjoy seeing her. In the early episodes, we thought she was in denial about Bernard's fate. Surely he died in the crash! But then we started getting clues that maybe he and some others in the tail section had managed to survive, clues that turned into huge revelations in season two. We didn't have a Rose-centric episode until season two, so we didn't know much about her until then. But one particular episode, Rose reached out to Charlie, who was hurting over his failure to protect Claire from Ethan. This came across as a "pay it forward" gesture, since Jack had approached her in a similar way shortly after the plane crash.
Wow. There are a lot of characters on this show! Thank goodness the writers chose to devote individual episodes to developing each person, rather than try to cram information about everyone into every episode. That would have gotten way out of hand. Like I said before, the primary focus of the first season was on developing the characters' back stories and their role on the island. But we did get a taste of the island mythology that we know and love. It's hard to believe that we didn't meet Ben until well into season two, and that Juliet and Richard didn't appear until season three. It was a totally different show back in season one!
The Mythology
The Smoke Monster – I had forgotten that Rousseau referred to it as the island's "security system" later in the season. Thinking of it as something designed to patrol the island takes away some of the creepiness of it, but there's still something unsettling about the humming, clicking, and crashing noises that it makes.
The Black Rock – This ship supplied the gang with the dynamite they needed to blow open the Hatch. But it also suggested that it wasn't a coincidence that planes were crashing on the island. First this slave ship wrecked there, then Rousseau's crew met the same fate, and finally Flight 815 crashed on the beach. Something must have been drawing these vessels to the island. We would get confirmation of this in season two.
Strange Visions – Our first hint that this island was inhabited by a supernatural force is when Jack's father (who was supposed to be dead and in a coffin) started appearing and leading him into the jungle. By the way, I'm not clear on one thing. When Jack discovered his father's coffin at the caves, his body wasn't in it. Are we to believe that he actually came back to life, or was the absence of his body just meant to frustrate Jack – since if his father's body had been in there, he could have shrugged off his visions as just "seeing things"? The next time I recall someone having a vision is when Shannon saw Walt appear in the jungle, shaking, wet, and telling her to be quiet, when the audience knew that he had just been taken by the Others from the raft. As I recall, I think that vision foreshadowed Shannon's tragic fate in season two.
The Others – We had no clue that these people had an organized civilization with book clubs, full kitchens, and indoor plumbing! Our first glimpse of them was via Ethan, when we learned that he wasn't on the flight manifest, and he tried to abduct pregnant Claire (presumably because he wanted the baby). And then came the big introduction to the Others, in the season finale: "the thing is, we're gonna have to take the boy." What?! That has to be the most famous line from this show. I was so creeped out the first time I heard it. One moment Walt, Michael, Sawyer, and Jin were celebrating, thinking they had been rescued, and the next, they were encountering these strange people, dressed in tattered clothing, and speaking so matter-of-factly about abducting a child. At the time we also associated them with the plume of black smoke. They seemed very primitive, violent, and super creepy! And they always went around whispering in the jungle.
The Hatch – For most of the season, the hatch was little more than a mysterious door in the ground. The only question we had was what, or who, is in there?! We had to wait an entire summer break to find out, but it was totally worth the wait. (The opening of season two is the best opening sequence of the series!) Our heads were spinning as season one came to a close, with Locke staring down into the freshly opened hatch. Were the Others down there? Was there really a reason that it didn't have a door on the outside? Would it provide safety or danger? By climbing into the hatch, Kate, Locke, and Jack ushered the show into its first of many shifts in direction.
Glimpses of things to come – In the episode "The Numbers," Sawyer was reading Madeline L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time, which is a book about travel through time and space. I had forgotten about this little hint of things to come, if I ever noticed it in the first place. Another major clue came when Boone made contact with someone on the Nigerian plane's communication system just before it fell down the cliff. When he said "We're survivors of Oceanic Flight 815," the voice on the other end answered, "We're survivors of Oceanic Flight 815." Between that exchange, Rose's belief that Bernard was alive, and Jack's airport bar encounter with Ana Lucia, we had some pretty big indications that there were other survivors on the island.
"Pilot" – I was blown away by the pilot the first time, and I've enjoyed it just as much every time I've watched it. I'd never seen anything like it on tv, and its recurring use of flashbacks added so much insight into the characters. We didn't have any idea where the show was going, and it's hard to believe it has taken us so far now (Dharma Initiative? 1970s?…)
"All the Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues" – Jack's daddy issues made for good tv in this episode. He sets out with a search party looking for Charlies and Claire, who had been abducted by Ethan. Jack's discovery of Charlie's seemingly lifeless body, and his subsequent refusal to give up on saving Charlie, is brutal to watch. (At least it ended well.) Meanwhile, we were also introduced to the hatch.
"Do No Harm" – This episode, where Boone dies and Aaron is born, is one of the best of season one in terms of drama and emotion. It still made me cry all this time later. The contrast between Boone's life draining away, and Claire's struggle to give birth to Aaron, followed by the celebration of the survivors over Aaron's arrival, while in the background Jack broke the bad news to Shannon that Boone had died, was all so well done and moving.
"Exodus" – The season finale brought us full circle, showing us flashbacks of all the survivors on the fateful day they boarded Flight 815. The plot also progressed quickly, as one group set sail on the raft in hope of rescue, while another group sought a place to hide from the Others, and while Locke and his gang worked to finally open the hatch. The only unnecessary part of this episode was Dr. Arzt's ramblings about dynamite, followed by his explosive death, and Hurley's off the cuff remark to Jack, "You have some Arzt on you." I suppose this was all meant to provide comic relief, but I found it distracting from the otherwise intense happenings.
It was hard to compose all my thoughts on season one into one post. Did I skip over any of your favorite moments or forget to mention a key character or plot point?
Best Scifi/Fantasy TV Series on Hulu January 27, 2009
Filed under: Battlestar Galactica,Buffy the Vampire Slayer,Fringe,Hulu,Hulu Awards,Television — Emily @ 4:55 pm
Tags: Angel, Battlestar Galactica, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly, Fringe, Hulu, Hulu Awards, Joss Whedon, Science Fiction, Television
A vampire with a soul turns private investigator to make amends for his past evil deeds… A fleet of humans search for a home and form shaky alliances with the Cylons who were once their sworn enemy… A cheerleader turned vampire slayer saves the world time and again with help from her enthusiastic gang of Scoobies… A ragtag band of space cowboys stays one step ahead of the Alliance while also welcoming others who are on the run into their family… An FBI agent, a genius, and a mad scientist work together to investigate strange occurrences with the ultimate goal of unraveling the mystery of The Pattern.
Angel, Battlestar Galactica, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly, and Fringe. These are the nominees for Best Scifi/Fantasy TV Series on Hulu. For me, choosing one of these shows as the proposed winner is a nearly impossible task. I've seen every episode of these shows at least once (and have seen many episodes of Buffy and Angel multiple times), and consider myself a loyal fan of Angel, Battlestar Galactica, and Buffy. While I enjoyed Firefly, I never became attached to it in the same way as Joss Whedon's previous shows, yet there's no denying that it was a unique and well-executed concept. And Fringe is my favorite new show this year. It is consistently fascinating and entertaining. All five of these nominees are worthy of winning in this category. Deciding on one will require me to break it down a bit:
Angel – My favorite things about this Buffy spin-off were its fantastical story arcs and the evolution of its characters. Cordelia, once a shallow actress wannabe, transformed into a warrior of the people and, literally, a higher being. Wesley went from being a prissy bookworm to a smooth talking, motorcycle riding, James Bond type of hero. (I miss him most of all.) All the main characters faced great crises at some point, and things were rarely resolved in a nice and neat way. (I still am deeply saddened when I think about Fred's horrible fate, and the way it affected all of her friends.) As for the story arcs, one of the best ones was at the end of season two when the gang found themselves in Lorne's home world of Pylea. I loved everything about these episodes, from Angel's true demon appearance being unleashed, to the Pyleans calling humans "cows" and enslaving them. Angel was one of those rare shows that got better with age. The final season was my favorite one. It was sad to see it go when it was at the top of its game.
Battlestar Galactica – I love the scifi aspects of this epic show, but it is the human drama that makes it truly memorable. President Roslin was thrust into the role of leader of the human race, fresh off of the news that she was battling cancer. Admiral Adama struggles to maintain his military authority while also trying to make up for lost time with his son Lee. Gaius Baltar may be insane, he may be brilliant, or he may be somewhere in between, but he is definitely guilt-ridden over his part in the near-extinction of the human race. Every character has a well-developed personality and believable struggles. And no one can say that the story is predictable or formulaic. So much has happened, and there's so much time between seasons, that I feel like I need a refresher course just to keep up with the mythology. Once the series comes to an end, I plan to rewatch it from start to finish, in a relatively short amount of time, so that I can fully appreciate the connections and the ongoing trials and triumphs of the characters. I should also mention that the special effects are always impressive – this is an important aspect to a scifi/fantasy show.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer – This is a show that grew on me over time. My initial impression of it didn't amount to much more than a "those demon costumes look silly and fake." Of course, I came in late in the game – in the middle of season five. Once I started from the beginning (which was easy to do when FX was showing two episodes a day), I quickly grew to appreciate the fast-paced dialogue, the unusual happenings on the Hellmouth, and the way that the show combined fantasy with real life issues. The show had its ups and downs over the years (Once More with Feeling and the season with Glory = up, Slayers in Training and the Adam story arc = down), but once I got to know the characters, it didn't really matter where they went or what they did. I was happy to be along for the ride.
Firefly – A Western in space. As far as I know, this idea had never been made into a tv show before this little scifi western that could came alone. Well, it only kind of could, since it didn't last a full season on Fox. But it has had a healthy and successful afterlife on DVD. Like all of Joss Whedon's shows, this one features distinctive characters that we either love, or hate to love. There was fearless Mal, loyal Zoe, comical Wash, opportunistic Jayne, enigmatic River, etc. In addition to the crew's ongoing run-ins with The Alliance, Whedon created another truly frightening enemy in the Reavers, a group of cannibalistic nomads that wander the outer reaches of space. This show barely had time to get its footing before it was canceled, but it managed to create a loyal (and well-deserved) following in that time.
Fringe – I started singing this show's praises right after the pilot aired. It's smartly written, well-acted, has interesting special effects, and seems to have unlimited possibilities with where the story could go. I actually like Joshua Jackson more in his role as Peter Bishop than I liked him as Pacey on Dawson's Creek (pause for the customary "gasp!" from all the Joey/Pacey 'shippers). Lance Reddick is appropriately mysterious as Agent Broyles, Anna Torv plays Olivia Dunham as a determined but slightly stressed young agent, and the rest of the cast rounds out very well. John Noble is the stand-out as Walter Bishop. He has so many great moments on the show, and I love his basement lab at Harvard, complete with a dairy cow and plenty of gadgets and gizmos. The search for The Pattern is a mythology-in-the-making worthy of the X-Files, and perhaps we will even receive more answers than the X-Files ever gave us. I hope this show is given at least a few seasons to take us to new places.
So now comes the hard part. Separating the great from the… great:
I will eliminate Fringe first, because with as new as it is, it hasn't had a chance to prove that it is as deserving of the award as some of the heavyweights in this category.
For a similar reason, I will take Firefly out of consideration, because it's hard to value one season of it as much as the many seasons of Angel, Buffy, or BSG.
This is where it gets really hard. I have trouble deciding whether I liked Buffy or Angel better, but in the end I guess I would go with Buffy – if I had to choose one or the other. Angel was a great show, but when I go back and watch it now, it doesn't feel like as much of a classic as Buffy still does.
So, that leaves me with two super worthy contenders: Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Battlestar Galactica. I am leaning toward Battlestar Galactica, as its production values are slicker (I'm sure it has a bigger budget), and it tackles slightly more grandiose themes concerning the human condition, questions of what makes life worth living, etc. (Buffy held its own in the thematic arena, though, but on a smaller scale.)
As of this moment, I stand ready to cast my vote for Battlestar Galactica as the best Scifi/Fantasy tv show on Hulu. If you believe one of the other four nominees is more deserving, please make an argument on its behalf. I just may change my mind!
Cast your vote for Best Scifi/Fantasy TV Series in the Hulu Awards.
Ten Reasons to Love Dr. Horrible December 18, 2008
Filed under: Hulu,Hulu Awards — Emily @ 4:48 pm
Tags: Dr. Horrible, Hulu, Hulu Awards, Joss Whedon, Nathan Fillion, Neil Patrick Harris
I recently watched Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog for the first time. Now I'm wondering why I waited so long! Here are ten reasons to love this surprisingly good, wildly popular, web original. It is in the running for the Hulu Award for Best Web Original, so if you agree with my assessment of Dr. Horrible, go to The Hulu Review and vote for it! I've done my best to write a spoiler-free analysis, so it should be safe for Dr. Horrible newcomers to proceed.
The Title – I would have loved to be in the brainstorming session in which Whedon and his team tried to come up with an appropriate name for this odd, genre-defying show. They could have gone with something standard like "Dr. Horrible vs. Captain Hammer." Or something epic sounding like Dr. Horrible: Evil Mastermind. I think their ultimate choice was brilliant! When you first hear the name "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog," you're not sure what to make of it. In fact, after watching it, I'm still not sure what to make of it, but it certainly has a nice ring to it. This title is befitting of a show that is both offbeat and epic in scope.
Joss Whedon as writer, director, and producer – Has he ever gone wrong? I've loved just about everything he's ever worked on (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Firefly… even the 1992 Buffy movie with Kristy Swanson!). I know some people don't like his writing style, particularly the clever, fast-paced, often sarcastic dialogue, but that is one of my favorite things about his shows. There's certainly a lot of sarcasm and low key humor in Dr. Horrible. Thanks for another little gem to hold us over until Dollhouse premieres, Joss!
Neil Patrick Harris – He has come so far since Doogie! I love him as Barney on How I Met Your Mother, and now he has won me over once again, this time as a lovesick, self-doubting, evil genius wannabe. He plays the dual role of Billy/Dr. Horrible with gusto! I couldn't imagine anyone else playing it as well as he does. Some of my favorite moments are these: when he "just so happens" to have two ice creams at the laundromat ("what a crazy, random happenstance!") and proceeds to have a shy and awkward conversation with Penny, when he appears very haggard and explains to viewers on his video blog that his heist didn't go exactly as planned, and when he finally has enough of Captain Hammer and angrily plots his revenge during the song "Brand New Day."
Nathan Fillion – Fillion was perfect for the role of the completely self-centered, grand-standing, not-so-golden-hearted super hero. He is quite the go-to for Whedon, now having appeared in three very different roles in the Whedonverse: loyal captain Mal on Firefly, evil preacher Caleb on Buffy, and now, the arrogant and comical hero. I loved his grandiose entrance with the song "A Man's Gotta Do," along with every Captain Hammer moment after that. Captain Hammer standing on top of a moving van, his hair blowing in the wind. Captain Hammer saying egotistical things to the media. Captain Hammer stating the obvious to Dr. Horrible.
The Supporting Cast – Felicia Day deserves a mention here for her turn as Penny. She plays the idealistic, soft spoken, and often clueless optimist very well. I must say, though, that I was slightly annoyed by her sing-song, airy vocals on her songs. But, I suppose that was in keeping with the character. My favorite supporting character was Moist, played by Simon Helberg of "The Big Bang Theory." What a hilarious character! An evil henchman whose only "superpower" is the ability to produce lots of sweat. "Do you need anything moistened?" I loved how Helberg plays Moist as a very low key guy. Also worth mentioning are the Bad Horse Chorus and the members of the Evil League of Evil. Neither of these groups had much dialogue or screen time, but they are further proof of the unending creative juices in Whedon's mind.
Dr. Horrible's lair and gadgets – These aspects of the show are very reminiscent of Buffy's evil trio – Jonathan, Andrew, and Warren. Those guys were much more geeky and wimpy than the typical super villains, but they had a pretty impressive basement lair, and lots of interesting gadgets and gizmos. Same here, as Dr. Horrible, a.k.a. Billy, is more lovable than loathesome, so we find ourselves wanting him to succeed in his dastardly deeds, which involve a freeze ray and other mad scientist type gadgets. The scenes in his "evil" den/lab give us a different perspective on Dr. Horrible. Plus, they are just really fun.
Captain Hammer's speech – "Home is where the heart is, so your real home's in your chest." That's just one of the absurd lines delivered by Captain Hammer during his speech at the dedication of the new homeless shelter. The song is called "Everyone's a Hero," and includes some other memorable lines: "Everyone's a hero in their own way, you and you and mostly me and you," "Don't worry if it's hard, If you're not a friggin' 'tard you will prevail," etc…
Penny and Billy's duet – One of the earliest songs is also one of my favorites. In "My Eyes," Penny and Billy (Dr. Horrible) sing a surprisingly beautiful duet, and the editing is well done to show the contrast and commonalities in their respective, overlapping lyrics. While Billy sings "I cannot believe my eyes / How the world's filled with filth and lies / But it's plain to see / Evil inside of me is on the rise," Penny sings quite the opposite about the same situations: "I cannot believe my eyes / Is the world finally growing wise / 'Cause it seems to me / Some kind of harmony / Is on the rise." The music, the lyrics, and the performances come together to make this one of the most memorable moments of Dr. Horrible.
The Mix – Like every other Joss Whedon show, Dr. Horrible is an odd mix of comedy, tragedy, the mundane, and the grandiose. In this case, we have a guy falling in love with a girl at a laundromat while at the same time trying to prove himself worthy to join the Evil League of Evil. Buffy the Vampire Slayer (the show) was, in my opinion, Whedon's finest achievement. It dealt with serious themes while also entertaining us with action, suspense, horror, and comedy. Dr. Horrible gives us a small dose of the same thing. While on its surface this web original is more about quirky characters and silly songs, it also deals with love, loss, and ambition. I love this about it.
The Songs – The music, the lyrics, and the performances are all top notch. If you are looking for trained voices, you'll be disappointed. Like the Buffy episode "Once More, with Feeling," most of the performers here lack impressive voices (Neil Patrick Harris is the best). That doesn't matter, though, because part of the point is for these characters to seem pretty average, in the case of Penny and Billy, and buffoonish, in the case of Captain Hammer. Their singing voices match their characters well. The witty lyrics are perhaps the best thing about the whole show, but the music isn't too shabby either. From the upbeat piano chords in "My Freeze Ray," to the edgy sound of "Brand New Day," to the mockingly regal trumpets of "Everyone's a Hero," the music constantly readjusts the tone and keeps viewers wondering what will happen next.
If you haven't seen Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, I encourage you to take 45 minutes of your time to do so. You won't regret it!
Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog – View the entire 45 minute extravaganza on Hulu.
The Hulu Review: Best Web Original – Vote for Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog in the Hulu Awards!
Dr. Horrible Liner Notes – A good place to go to read the song lyrics
Reality Bites: The Worst of Reality TV December 9, 2008
Filed under: Hulu,Hulu Awards,Television — Emily @ 12:52 pm
Tags: Hulu, Hulu Awards, Reality TV, Television
The general consensus is that reality tv is the lowest form of television entertainment. But it is also true that there are some shows that redeem the genre (The Amazing Race, Biggest Loser, So You Think You Can Dance, etc.). What about the other end of the spectrum? When it comes to the lowest of the low, which reality shows stand at the bottom of the pit?
Before I answer that question, I will divide the worst of reality into three categories:
The Premise – Some shows are bad from the moment the idea is born in the creator's mind. The premise is simply too ridiculous or pointless to merit any attention, and the show thus sucks valuable brain cells out of its viewers.
The Ethical/Moral Dilemma – Some shows just seem plain wrong. Maybe I don't agree with what it stands for, or what it puts its contestants or cast through. Maybe it shows the worst sides of humanity. Maybe I think it sends the wrong kind of message to impressionable viewers. These are all reasons that this type of show shouldn't remain on the air.
The Pseudo-Celebrity – These shows are the ones that make me roll my eyes, and since there seems to always be a new "celebrity driven" reality show, I do a lot of eye rolling. Whether it's a last ditch act of desperation to save a faltering career, or a ploy for attention from those riding on the coattails of their more famous family members, these shows have no redeeming value. Whatever happened to the value of privacy? And why should we encourage these people to continue their shenanigans? They need to go home, behind closed doors, and work out their issues.
Now that I've laid out the categories of bad reality, I'll move on to the contenders for Worst Reality Show. My choices were limited to the shows available to watch on Hulu. (This is one of the latest categories in the Hulu Awards.) I've whittled a list of more than 100 choices down to ten. I'll list them below according to category:
The Premise
Hole in the Wall – Maybe this idea could work as part of a more elaborate obstacle course game show. But as a stand-alone concept? Absurd! Not to mention, it humiliates the contestants. If I had to see the promo one more time of that obese woman shouting out in disbelief as the skinny person cut-out moved quickly towards her… This has to be the worst reality show concept ever.
The Real Housewives of Orange County/Atlanta/New York City (take your pick) – Why should we care what a bunch of materialistic, self-involved women spend their time doing? These shows are extremely staged and completely lacking in any worthwhile plot. Total waste of time.
America's Got Talent – I wasn't really sure which category to put this one in. It's not really that a talent show is a bad idea. I (mostly) enjoy American Idol, and I grew up watching the original Star Search. The problems with America's Got Talent began when the judges and host were selected. I can't stand to watch this show because of its cheesy, manipulative tone, and its judges who seem to think they are uber-important. I can't stand to listen to or even watch Sharon Osbourne, David Hasselhoff, and Piers Morgan as they react to the performers and offer their "critiques." Jerry Springer, as the host, is equally annoying. So the casting of the judges/host, along with the shabby production values (mainly the editing and camera work), make this a big loser in my opinion.
The Ethical/Moral Dilemma
Temptation Island – In our culture, people generally believe that it is a good thing to be committed to your significant other, and that you should avoid temptation. So then, why does this show encourage people to cheat, and turn the "will they/won't they" into entertainment for the masses? This show is wrong in so many ways.
The Girls Next Door – According to the summary on Hulu, this show "takes viewers beyond the gates of the world-famous Playboy Mansion and into the lives of Hugh Hefner's girlfriends, Holly, Bridget and Kendra. Through the eyes of these gorgeous gals, you'll see this fantasy land come to life like never before." Okay, so this show is voyeuristic, giving viewers an inside look at an exotic fantasy land. And it condones Hugh Hefner's polygamous lifestyle. Most people would agree that this is not a healthy form of relationship, and I also think that this show and the Playboy culture it portrays are demeaning to women. Some people would probably tell me to loosen up, but I don't think a show like this adds anything positive to our society. I should add that I also find The Bachelor/Bachelorette series offensive, in the way they turn selecting a partner into something akin to a meat market.
Battle of the Bods – Hulu describes this as "a steamy reality show in which five sexy girls rank themselves in order of attractiveness and try to match the rankings of a panel of male judges, for a cash prize." I don't think I can imagine a more horrid premise. Strange, then, that this isn't too dissimilar to the concept of beauty pageants, which I'm also not a fan of. Battle of the Bods is another show that objectifies women. In this case, these women knew what they were getting themselves into, but that doesn't mean we as viewers should encourage them to continue in their current mindset. Rather than starring in a show that has them competing to be the sexiest, they should be guests on a talk show that has them delving into their issues of self image, self worth, etc. I just don't know what would drive someone to participate in something like this. How much money is it really worth?
The Moment of Truth – This show "puts contestants to the test – the lie detector test – to reveal whether or not they are willing to tell the truth for a chance to win half a million dollars." That description alone doesn't sound too bad; it's the way that Fox produces the show, and the content of the questions, that makes this an awful show. Some things just shouldn't be played out on national television. These people need to air their dirty laundry in their own homes, not in the living rooms of strangers.
The Pseudo-Celebrity
Denise Richards: It's Complicated – I could have chosen any number of "celebreality" shows for this space, but I went with Denise Richards because this show really seems to have no point. Plus, if Denise was tired of the paparazzi following her around, why willingly let a camera crew have full access to her and her children? She can claim it's to "set the record straight," but all I see is someone who is seeking attention in the wrong places.
Living Lohan – Where does E! come up with the ideas for their shows, and who continues to watch them all, thus encouraging the production of more pointless celebrity reality shows? This show is one of the lowest of this lowest form of "entertainment." It follows the adventures of Dina and Ali Lohan, mom and sister to Lindsay, as they try to become superstars in their own right. So, not only are they not really celebrities, but they are trying to "break into the biz" just like thousands of other people. Is the fact that they have a famous family member really enough reason that they should get their own show, when so many others are going through just the same process?
Rob & Amber: Against the Odds – I have never been fond of Rob and Amber using their Survivor super-couple status to prolong their 15 minutes of fame. After their (admittedly) impressive win on Survivor: Marquesas, the parade of reality appearances began: The Amazing Race, Survivor – All Stars, The Amazing Race – All Stars, Rob and Amber Get Married, and finally, this poker-themed show that had Rob being tutored by professional player Daniel Negreanu on his quest to become a professional player. It's not surprising that Against the Odds ended abruptly when Rob and Amber got the more lucrative opportunity to appear on The Amazing Race: All Stars. I was over Rob and Amber about halfway through their first season of Survivor, so I have become increasingly annoyed by each of their subsequent reality appearances.
So there you have it – my picks for the top ten worst reality shows (on Hulu). Which of these would you pick as the very worst? Or maybe the top three worst? I need help choosing a "winner"!
Worst Reality Show – This post on The Hulu Review gives the full list of shows eligible for the Hulu Award for Worst Reality Show. See if I missed any other worthy contenders, and place your own vote in the comments section.
My Proposed Nominees for Best Reality TV – For a more positive take on reality tv, check out the shows I nominated for the Best of Reality categories for the Hulu Awards.
Sorting the Lentils of Reality TV – My definition of "good" reality tv
Hulu's Comedic Shorts are Short on Funny November 23, 2008
Filed under: Hulu,Hulu Awards — Emily @ 11:40 am
Tags: Comedy, Hulu, Hulu Awards
Recently I discovered some great dramatic shorts on Hulu, so I was looking forward to reviewing the potential nominees for one of this week's Hulu Awards categories, Best Comedic Short. I figured that if many of the dramatic shorts were well done and entertaining, then surely the comedic shorts would be equally so. Unfortunately, I had more difficulty finding the good amidst a sea of mediocrity.
My problem with these comedic shorts is that most of them weren't funny. Some of them were quirky and creative, like Music For One Apartment And Six Drummers (but there was nothing amusing about that one), or bizarre like Stricteternum (the little girl with the eyes painted on her eyelids was just plain creepy!), but it was difficult to find humor in many of these shorts. Nevertheless, I managed to choose four proposed nominees. I encourage you to check them out on Hulu to see whether or not you agree with me, or if you think I overlooked any other award-worthy shorts.
My Proposed Nominees for Best Comedic Short on Hulu:
Laid Off – Very low key, dark humor. This short had the highest production values of the potential nominees, so in terms of quality, it had to be on my short list. I didn't laugh much, but I was mildly amused by the main character's monotone overview of his life after death. The group session of the departed was the funniest part.
Bjorn: Hurdles of Bureaucracy – Unlike most of the comedic shorts on Hulu, this one actually made me laugh out loud. It points out the ridiculous hurdles to getting a passport. Of course, in the U.S. you could never renew a passport in a matter of hours. The only drawback was misspelled or otherwise incorrect subtitles, which I found distracting. Such simple and glaring errors take away credibility from a movie.
How to Cope with Rejection – For some reason, ninjas always make me laugh. (Ever seen askaninja.com?) I liked the low key, melancholy humor of this short. The music worked well to reinforce the tone.
Walking on the Wild Side – This one was strange, but it made me laugh out loud several times from the awkwardness of the situation. The actors were perfectly cast for their roles and did a great job. Sidenote: until my brother and his wife traveled to Amsterdam recently, I didn't know that in countries where prostitution is legal, it is common for "working girls" to advertise themselves inside what is similar to storefront displays. Window shopping for a hooker. Weird. Anyway, that context makes this short make more sense.
You can view all four of these comedic shorts, plus any of the other contenders in this category, in Hulu's Movieola Shorts: Comedy section.
A Recipe for Comedic Success
Hulu Awards: Best Comedic Short – Go to this page on The Hulu Review to cast your vote for Best Comedic Short.
The Top Five TV Comedies on Hulu November 20, 2008
Filed under: Buffy the Vampire Slayer,Hulu,Hulu Awards,Television — Emily @ 8:28 am
Tags: 30 Rock, Arrested Development, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Comedy, Family Guy, Hulu, Hulu Awards, Television, The Office
I've already discussed an expanded definition of "comedy" and have established what characteristics, in my opinion, a comedy must exhibit to be considered great. Now it is time for me to unveil my proposed nominees for Best TV Comedy on Hulu. So, without further adieu…
Arrested Development – This is my top, top pick. Everything about this little show is greatness. It's a travesty that it did so poorly in the ratings, but at least it garnered all the critical praise that it deserved. And we have a movie based on the series to look forward to. Given all the attention this show deserves, it is terrific that the entire series is available to watch on Hulu, plus hundreds of clips of classic Bluth dysfunction. What makes this show perhaps the best comedy to ever grace the small screen? Hmmm… let me count the ways. Insanely funny characters. Ridiculously spot-on actors. Perfectly timed voice-over narration. Wacky serialized storylines. Buster's hook hand. Gob's endless attempts at magic tricks gone wrong. George-Michael's name. George Michael's awkward infatuation with his cousin. Maebe's career as a movie producer. Tobias' wearing of jean shorts under his other clothes. Michael's level-headedness amidst the madness of his family. I could go on and on. I spent almost as much time rewinding episodes of this show as I did watching it, because I was constantly laughing and would have to go back to see what I had missed. The jokes come fast and furious from the opening narration to the ending faux preview of the next episode. In every way, this show is pure comic genius.
30 Rock – Nothing came close to the tone and style of humor of Arrested Development until Tina Fey left Saturday Night Live and started a quirky little show called 30 Rock. 30 Rock displays the same irreverence for anyone and anything, so you never know who the joke will be on from week to week. While Arrested Development revolves around a dysfunctional family, 30 Rock focuses on a similarly dysfunctional cast and crew of a variety show, TGS with Tracy Jordan. It is interested to me that the show was initially marketed as a Tracy Jordan vehicle, because his character is marginal to me at this point. In the first season, there were also differing opinions about whether Jane Krakowski's character added or detracted from the show. Now in its third season, these problems have been ironed out, and the result has been a consistently clever and funny show. The show's strengths (and funniest aspects) include the interaction between Jack and Liz, Liz always babysitting the cast and staff, Tracy always coming up with a new scheme with Dot Com and Grizz, and the brilliant roles created for the guest stars. On this show, celebrity guest stars aren't just a gimmick. They actually work within the context of the show. My favorite is, without a doubt, Will Arnett as Jack's (Alec Baldwin) professional nemesis. Edie Falco was also perfect as Jack's liberal Democrat lover (he's a staunch Republican), and more recently, Jennifer Aniston played the part of Liz and Jenna's crazy friend in very believable and entertaining fashion. One final attribute that makes 30 Rock one of a kind in the current television landscape: it pokes fun at anyone and anything in politics, entertainment, etc. All the other current sitcoms, that I know of, stay firmly entrenched in their fictional worlds, but 30 Rock draws limitless rich material from our culture, whether it's Oprah's Favorite Things or NBC's "Go Green" week.
The Office – I have always enjoyed the mockumentary (i.e. Best in Show, A Mighty Wind, Drop Dead Gorgeous), so I was thrilled when the genre made its way into the tv comedy landscape. I actually prefer the American version over the original one. I guess I've never been a fan of dry British humor. The Office is a show that thrives on the adventures of its characters: Michael's quest for a healthy relationship, Angela's manipulation of fiance Andy in the midst of her continued relationship with Dwight, Jim and Pam's long distance engagement, etc. Most of us know people like Stanley, Phyllis, Kelly, and the rest. Sure, they are exaggerated versions of stereotypical co-workers, but there is still a lot of truth to be found. In this case, where there is familiarity, there is humor. The show's format also adds to its entertainment value. We, the viewers, get extra insight into the situations when the characters talk on camera, and we "get it" when one of them raises their eyebrows or sneaks a smile at the camera over something that happens in the office. So while this show isn't as smart and quick with the jokes as my previous two nominees, there is still an endless supply of laugh-inducing material.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer – Some people may argue that this show isn't a comedy – that it should be categorized solely as horror/fantasy. I disagree! During the years it aired, I'd argue that Buffy was consistently funnier than most of the half hour comedies most people were turning to for laughs. Joss Whedon is a terrific writer and director, and he kept the witty banter going for seven seasons. Some stand out comedic episodes: "Band Candy," in which the grown ups reverted to their teenage persona after eating some drug-laced candy bars; the fantastic musical episode "Once More, with Feeling," which had everyone singing and dancing about things like dry cleaning and parking tickets; and "Tabula Rasa," in which Willow's memory spell goes awry, making everyone forget who they are (Buffy thinks her name is Joan, Spike thinks Giles is his dad, Xander and Willow think they are dating, etc.). All three of these episodes are on my list of the Best of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Family Guy – Unlike the other shows on this list, which I've seen every episode of and count among my all time favorites, I have only seen a few episodes of this animated comedy. So why is it worthy of this final nomination spot? Quite simply, it is hilarious. Sure, it is unabashedly irreverent, and it features some potentially highly offensive scenes, but the cleverness of its dialog and its pop culture/political/social satire more than make up for it. I recall some brilliant Broadway-style musical numbers in one episode I watched. More recently, I was introduced to the way Stewie says "Cool Whip," and it proves that something as simple as that can be very funny on this show.
My Top Ten Favorite All-Time TV Shows
Click here to view the full list of TV Comedy nominees, and to cast your vote, at The Hulu Review.
A Recipe for Comedic Success November 19, 2008
Tags: 30 Rock, Arrested Development, Comedy, Hulu, Hulu Awards, Seinfeld, Television, The Office
Comedy. Funny awkward? Funny ha ha? Funny bizarre? Funny means different things to different people, and so there are many varieties of comedy in today's entertainment world. Before I list my picks for Best Comedy TV Show on Hulu, let's take a look at the dictionary definition of comedy, followed by characteristics that I look for in a successful comedy.
From dictionary.com:
Comedy aims at entertaining by the fidelity with which it presents life as we know it; farce at raising laughter by the outrageous absurdity of the situation or characters exhibited; extravaganza at diverting by its fantastic nature; burlesque at tickling the fancy of the audience by caricaturing plays or actors with whose style it is familiar. Generalized sense of "quality of being amusing" dates from 1877. Comedian "comic actor" is 1601; meaning "professional entertainer who tells jokes, etc." is 1898
That definition covers the main characteristics of comedy, which leads me to a few points I'd like to make:
The term "comedy" originally referred to plays that had happy endings, as opposed to the tragedy. Now we use the term "comedy" to apply to stand-up routines, movies, tv shows, etc. There are, of course, many categories of comedy now: dark/black, romantic, satire, parody, slapstick, deadpan, tragicomedy, lowbrow, highbrow, etc.
Bottom line: Comedy is intended to be funny, whether it be in a dark, sarcastic, ridiculous, or generally amusing sense.
For something to be funny, there must be some thematic elements the audience can relate to – Dysfunctional family relationships, awkward interaction with coworkers, meddling in-laws, etc.
Comedic actors exhibit certain traits that make them funny: physical comedy (i.e. Kramer bursting through Jerry's door, or Elaine shoving someone while proclaiming "Get out!", on Seinfeld), deadpan delivery of lines (i.e. Bob Newhart, Ray Romano), intonation of voice (Jerry Seinfeld's incredulous, high-pitched yelling, Matthew Perry's overemphasis of "be" on Friends – "Could this be any more awkward?"), subtle changes in expression (Jim's glances at the camera on The Office), etc.
Of course, the actors would be limited in their ability to entertain were it not for the writers. Comedic writers have a knack for writing clever, humorous dialog and scenarios. Who knew that losing a car in a parking garage could be so funny – until Seinfeld's writers created an entire episode about it. Or that a single phrase could become a source of endless hilarity – until "serenity now" (Seinfeld) and "the rural juror" (30 Rock) and others came along? Other times it's more about witty, fast-paced scripts, as with the dialog and accompanying narration by Ron Howard on Arrested Development ("Now the story of a wealthy family who lost everything and the one son who had no choice but to keep them all together. It's Arrested Development.")
Aside from the acting and writing, audiences connect with comedies because they allow us to escape (doesn't everyone wish they lived carefree lives in a fantastic New York apartment like the characters on Friends? Or wouldn't you love to live in a world where you used a supernatural ability to solve a crime and then sit down to eat some delicious pie, like on Pushing Daisies?) or they focus on situations that we find familiar. Though in real life these situations may be less than enjoyable, a comedy can turn them upside down to find the light-hearted, amusing, whimsical, warped, or ridiculous underbelly. Waiting for a table at a Chinese restaurant for what seems like an eternity. A husband refusing to unpack his suitcase, which remains sitting at the foot of the stairs while spouses' pride gets in the way. An inept boss who means well but only creates awkward situations.
Two characteristics of comedies that I value most are running gags and inside jokes. If a show possesses these traits, it is evidence that the writers value their loyal audience, and want to provide them with "easter eggs." For example, on a Halloween-themed episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Xander was transformed into a soldier, and from that point on throughout the show's run, he would occasionally draw from his knowledge of combat and weaponry, a holdover from his short stint as an army man. This inside joke was rewarding for viewers, and it also fit well with Xander's character development on the show, as he always felt out of place on the team of gifted and talented Scoobies. At least he always had his soldier knowledge to fall back on. As for running gags, perhaps the best current example is Barney and Marshall's slap bet on How I Met Your Mother. How many slaps are left now – is it two or three? 30 Rock and Arrested Development probably have more inside jokes than any other shows, and usually they involve the shows taking aim at their respective networks. 30 Rock, in particular, doesn't hold back in turning NBC into a running joke, whether its highlighting the network's head-spinning organizational structure, or taking reality shows to the limit with "MILF Island."
Those last two characteristics, running gags and inside jokes, are high on my list of necessary ingredients for an award-worthy comedy. They are evidence that the show runners have carefully planned and written the show. Other important ingredients include smart writing, outstanding acting, memorable characters, and, simplest of all – something that makes me laugh. The more, the better! There's nothing worse than sitting through a sitcom and not laughing once. What's the point? Another trait that puts a comedy low on my list includes relying on lowbrow humor or sexual innuendo for most of its laughs. There are a lot of funnier things to focus on, but often it seems like shows take the gross out and/or sex joke route because they are the easy way out.
So, now that I've laid out my idea of what is required to have a successful, classic, hilarious comedy, I will review the nominees for this category of the Hulu Awards (Best TV Comedy Show), and then announce and defend my proposed nominees. Stay tuned.
Click here to view the list of and cast your vote for the proposed nominees for Best TV Comedy Show.
Click here to view all the categories currently open for voting in The Hulu Awards.


text:
Home Security Crime Naira Marley to Know fate on evidence against him, 13 may
EFCC
Arts, Culture & Tourism
Naira Marley to Know fate on evidence against him, 13 may
Justice I. Nicholas Oweibo of the Federal High Court, Ikoyi, Lagos state yesterday, adjourned till 13 May 2020, for ruling on the admissibility of documents brought before the court in evidence against Azeez Fashola, a.k.a Naira Marley and for continuation of the entertainer's trial for his alleged involvement in credit card fraud.
Naira Marley is standing trial on an 11-count charge of conspiracy and credit card fraud, preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC).
At the resumed sitting today, 28 February 2020, the prosecution through its second prosecution witness (PW2), Augustine Anosike, an investigator and forensic expert with the EFCC, sought to tender in evidence a compact disc (CD) containing information, analysis and extractions from the defendant's phone.
During his evidence at the previous sitting, Anosike had told the court that the forensic analysis that was carried out on Naira Marley's iPhone revealed some shocking evidence against him which were extracted and burnt into a CD, alongside some documents that were printed out.
Prosecution counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo presented the documents before the court and urged the court to admit them in evidence.
The defence counsel, Olalekan Ojo (SAN), however, opposed the admissibility of the documents on the grounds that the CD does not have the proper authentication required by law, and therefore improperly obtained, as contained in the Cyber Crime Prohibition and Prevention Act, 2015.
Ojo also argued that there may have been interferences while the documents were being produced at the forensic lab of the (EFCC). He finally submitted that the CD does not bear any name, title, department, but a signature which can't be authenticated.
He urged the court to dismiss the admissibility of the documents.
In his response, Oyedepo said that there was no contravention of Section 39 of Cyber Crime Prohibition and Prevention Act, 2015 as claimed by the defence counsel, as what was sought to be tendered is the forensic content of the defendant's iPhone that was already admitted in evidence. He added that the extractions before the court are materially relevant to the charge.
He also submitted that the desirability to admit the document overrides its non-desirability because there was substantial compliance with the stationary requirement to admit them.
Oyedepo further told the court that there was no break in the chain of management of the exhibit and therefore prayed the court to admit the documents.
Justice Oweibo adjourned the matter to May 13, 14 and 15 for ruling and continuation of trial.
admissibility
Azeez Fashola
continuation
evidence against
Federal High Court
Justice I. Nicholas Oweibo
l 13 May 2020
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Just going to make the good ol' "Maybe I'm In" post…I have loads of work the weekend of Ludum Dare, so I may just join the jam instead of the compo (which would be a first!) and not live stream anything. Good luck to all!
I'm in once again, however I will unfortunately be unable to stream any of my game development this time around due to a strange work schedule that weekend. That also means I will have minimal time to create a game, but I should be able to pull off something again! Since I will not be streaming I will be doing a timelapse as well as constant twitter updates @CodeNMore!
I'll be using my regular tools, likely Java with Eclipse, Paint.NET, BFXR, and who knows what else. Maybe I'll switch on over to Love2D and try that out for a change and learning experience!
Music: TBD; or an autotracker in the worst case!
I will, as always, be streaming at www.twitch.tv/codenmore – last year's stream was my most successful stream yet, and it was tons of fun!
Trying completely new things in past LD's had me learn a ton, but produced some not-so-good games along the way, and it feels really nice to finally present a polished game for this LD. It was also shocking that I finished 2 hours before the end of the compo, which has never happened! For all that joined me at my live stream, thank you all so much and the game would not be what it is without you!
Check out SAUCER and PLAY IT here!
I also have a full TIMELAPSE of the development process HERE!
So, day one ended, and this is what I have completed in about 12 hours of working time – so far I am much more on track than previous LD's. I have a decent idea, my art skills are not that bad this time around!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And not too many problems yet! Now, just abducting some humans and cows for fun.
Most LDs I have used either new tools, coding styles, try completely new things, etc., and while I learn a TON doing that, I really need to focus on making a complete, simple game this time around, instead of a partially incomplete game!
Finally, I will (if my schedule stays clear) be live-streaming at twitch.tv/codenmore !
I will be live at http://www.twtich.tv/codenmore!
No matter what happens, I always have fun!
Well, I wasted the first 15 hours of the Ludum Dare with an attempt at one game idea, but it quickly showed to be 1) a bad idea and 2) a huge bug I encountered prevented me from wanting to continue – I would wasted lots of time on the simplest bug ever! After being fed up with this, I switched from Java into Dartlang. I just started playing around with Dartlang a few weeks ago, and never made anything with it. I thought "why not take a much simpler idea and just learn some Dartlang while trying to make it?" And that is what I did. I learned a LOT about the Dart language, but in the end the game wasn't that good.
PARTICLE EFFECTS I've always heard many game programmers say "I LOVE making particle emitters," so I thought I'd finally make one. I'm now in LOVE with particle emitters – even the super basic one I made for this game! They're awesome!
Long story short: I'm not proud of the game I made, but I learned a lot about a new language (Dart) during the past 48 hours! I know the game isn't terrific, but I learned.
If you want to, you can check out Block Brigade and play it HERE!
After a pretty sweet idea for a platformer, a huge bug in the game (that could definitely be fixed if I spent TIME on it, which I don't have) prevented me from continuing it. I will continue a new game/idea (I still have to come up with) in the Dart language. I hope I can get this done…UGH!
I usually have a stable idea at least 3 hours into the compo, but this time I just have a huge list of ideas with nothing I really want to do. After sleeping over it I think I generated a fairly decent idea, though! So the first 3 hours I spent getting base code down and A PARTICLE ENGINE! I've never done particle engines before, and now I see why people say they are so fun LETS GET WORKIGN!
I'll be livestreaming on hitbox.tv/codenmore ! Come watch!
I hope I'll have enough time! Have a good game jam everyone!
Spaceway Transportation Incorporated is a transportation company devoted to transporting aliens safely and happily from planet to planet. But, as a Spaceway pilot, you must be aware of flying objects and enemy ships that don't want you near their planets.
Spaceway Transportation has gotten some feedback already – saying it was too difficult. What's wrong with super difficult games?!? I can understand the level generation system at times can glitch and spawn an almost impossible object, of course, but the game is supposed to be difficult! Anyways, to the post-mortem now.
I completed the game and *almost* everything I wanted to. I even had time to implement an unplanned endless mode. For writing a random interval-based level generation system in 48 hours, it turned out good (despite some impossible random things that happen once in a while).
The control system is great, and my OOP skills have grown very much. More importantly, it is FUN (to me, at the very least)!
The theme. Really the only way for this game to fit the theme is if you play the Campaign mode and follow the story, so I wish I could have implemented the theme a bit more, but it still works.
GRAYSCALE – some people seem to like the grayscale graphics, but I don't really like them. I couldn't change them, though, because I settled on a grayscale software-rendering engine, written during the 48-hours. Either way, the graphics still look kind of neat (for my art skills, of course).
A lot could have been done better in this game. The theme could have been implemented a bit more, and I wish I had time to REALLY tweak the level generation system.
I finished a game, it is fun, difficult, and looks pretty good! Play it now!
I programmed from 10AM – 9PM straight today. It was worth it. The game turned out very good, despite my decision of having grayscale graphics. It surprisingly still looks pretty good, though! The GUI looks pretty neat too, and the campaign and endless modes are working perfectly. Wow, that was a long weekend. Check out the game: http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-30/?action=preview&uid=33942 works on the browser and on desktop, for any OS! It was a great learning experience, once again!
The first 24 hours of LD has come to an end, and my progress is right where it should be. The random side-scrolling level generation (that I designed myself in under a few hours) is working amazingly! The basic enemy system is in, now I really need to work on the "story-line" aspect of the game – and REALLY focus on the art. Hopefully things stay smooth for the rest of the compo, but you never know.