Minarvia's GameSpot Friend's Blog Posts

Angus_Mac writes: If the camera adds ten pounds, the hi-def camera adds ten years.

Sat, 19 Dec 2009 18:10:06 -0800

Long time no blog. I admit I've been pouring most of my online energy playing slot machine and virtual pet games, but it's been a lot of fun connecting with my old buddies and meeting some new folks to swap virtual toys. Looking back at my old blogs here, I sure do miss writing about television and chatting here.

I remember some years ago, they had played the Star Wars Episode 2 movie on one of the first digital projector runs in the country. I remarked to my buddy that we were so close to the screen, that you could see the pixel lines. He then moved back a bunch of rows to watch the rest of the movie.

Fast forward to this year, where we finally went and gone hi-def with a new console. I found it interesting that the 37-inch ones cost as much as the 40-inch ones, as it's considered an unusual size, but the 37 is good for our furniture limitations. The weight is much lighter than the old CRTs, and it's supposedly Energy Star, although I feel like it's a bigger heater than the old one. My dad convinced us to get the 1080p option, which I hear isn't necessary for that size but still nice to have.

After bumping up the cable bill again, I finally got to enjoy hi-def service, and wow, so here's what I've been missing the past few years:

The most impressive show so far is CSI: Miami. They had some outdoor scene and it felt like I was there. The vibrant colors and hi-tech lab stuff were a nice touch, and doesn't have as much Dark and Gloomy like the other CSIs.

The local newscasters' coffee mugs on their anchor desk. One of them has both a Starbucks cup of the day AND a mug, like, what, you can't have just one? Or maybe it has some water or some secret teeth whitener?

Crazy detail on the sports channels. Can't wait for the bowl games, sports playoffs, and Olympics. Too bad there aren't that many teams I care about.

Catching part of the Lord of the Rings weekend makes me want to get a Blu-ray ASAP. Of course that means more upgrading, so maybe not. Celtic Women on the PBS promos looked pretty darn good too.

Meredith Vieira's makeup job during closeups on The Today Show. I knew coming in that Jay Leno puts on a lot of makeup, but at that hi-def resolution, you can see any of that clearly, and wrinkles. Julianne Moore's hair looked great on all her guest spots on the talk shows, but I feel for the regular people on the news that don't have the opportunity to be made up like that. There was one part recently where the detail was so good you could read Meredith's news card. But the people are still crowded up in the center of the screen when it comes to positioning people in those shows; guess they don't want to lose the cable-clinging standard def crowd.

House decorating makeover shows. Looks good for Clean House to get more messiness on the screen, but when the extra space is just used to show more wall space of a hallway or a tiny bedroom, I feel rather sad about wanting to buy a place.

CN HD and Disney XD HD is a waste. Some shows took advantage of the extra space, but what's the point of putting Phineas and Ferb or any cartoon where I could draw outlines of the characters myself?

In the anime world, which isn't hi-def yet, I've been watching The Wallflower, which is quite funny given the number of folks I know who love all that New Moon stuff. I also got to see some of One Piece without the 4Kids editing, and there are plenty of others in the queue for the rest of the year.

Needless to say this has increased my television watching dramatically. I found myself watching the series finale episodes of Monk, more CSIs this month than the rest of this past year, and even that AMC remake of The Prisoner, which features Jesus and Gandalf stuck in some town trying to mess with each other, and more WTF moments than Lost. Fear big white balls and mysterious holes.

Question: What shows do you enjoy on hi-def or movies that you would automatically upgrade in your collections?

Read and Post Comments (There are currently 4 other comments) | Get the full article at GameSpot

"Angus_Mac writes: If the camera adds ten pounds, the hi-def camera adds ten years." was posted by Angus_Mac on Sat, 19 Dec 2009 18:10:06 -0800

studog2961 writes: You!! Off my planet!!

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 14:30:18 -0800

Hello fellow Tv.commers, how are you all doing today? Honestly is it very cold outside here and is really starting to 'feel' like Christmas. All we need is some snow and we are set!! Not that I want the snow but ya know what I mean.

So it is that time of year when we already have enough going on, and articles like this one remind me of the pile of work on my desk. Backed up as usual on my books I really need to get motivated, but I want to get my Christmas shopping done first.

Speaking of Christmas, the tree is up...house is decorated...and shopping is about 50% complete. Several things arrived today via FedEx while others arrived at the gates of hell using the site to store option. The less time I spend in there the happier I will be.

We have had to involve the local police in a few matters around the liquor store. We had a shoplifter, with some help we got her identified. Found out that she was also wanted by Walmart for shoplifting there. We also have a rash of kids (college and local) that think it is cool to try to buy using a fake ID. Well my motto is: you fake it, I take it!! So this year we have turned several over to the police. It would be really nice if they would actually do something about them.

Ok guys I am gonna jet, I have lots to do. Enjoy!!

Later Taters!!

Stu...

Read and Post Comments (There are currently 8 other comments) | Get the full article at GameSpot

"studog2961 writes: You!! Off my planet!!" was posted by studog2961 on Thu, 03 Dec 2009 14:30:18 -0800

sesho2022 writes: Happy Belated Thanksgiving

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 06:11:55 -0800

Sorry folks. I was busy traveling yesterday. Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving yesterday and had a feast.

I made homemade cranberry sauce, which was a big hit. I took the recipe off a sugar box and used half the amount of sugar. It was so sweet that I can't imagine using any more. Do the people who write the recipes even taste the results?

Read and Post Comments (There are currently 8 other comments) | Get the full article at GameSpot

"sesho2022 writes: Happy Belated Thanksgiving" was posted by sesho2022 on Fri, 27 Nov 2009 06:11:55 -0800

laurameyer writes: Hill harper chat

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 12:12:50 -0800

For non us users here is a link to the chat so you can read it.

http://www.tv.com/story/18880.html?tag=main;announcements

Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot

"laurameyer writes: Hill harper chat" was posted by laurameyer on Thu, 12 Nov 2009 12:12:50 -0800

GripNRip73 writes: Dragon Age: Origins

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 20:44:10 -0800

Such an awesome game thus far, I have already played it for almost 7 hours and covered about 11% of the world map. I am doing a bit of grinding, if you will, making sure I can kill everything I can in the area before moving on and making sure that I have farmed all the treasure there is to farm out.

I am playing a Rogue Elf, now its back to the grind....LOL

Laters.

Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot

"GripNRip73 writes: Dragon Age: Origins" was posted by GripNRip73 on Sun, 08 Nov 2009 20:44:10 -0800

aplourey writes: Old Days

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 04:38:39 -0700

It's weird.

I don't know why I'm blogging about it.

But I miss when I was active in TV.com.

Like, a new blog each week, a few probably.

A couple of editorships every week or fortnight

Tracking people, haven't done that in ages.

Being apart of a few forums.

Commenting on people's blogs.

And, the most important one, knowing a lot of the more active people on here.

Now, I only know a few people.

It kinda sucks to not be as involved in the site like I used to be

---

Anyone else want to be more active in the site again?

Read and Post Comments (There are currently 16 other comments) | Get the full article at GameSpot

"aplourey writes: Old Days" was posted by aplourey on Thu, 20 Aug 2009 04:38:39 -0700

FriendBear writes: I'm back!!!

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 22:30:30 -0700

Oh wow, its been craaazy time. Got a new computer, lost internet connection for a while. Then get super busy and have little time to even go online, then finally decide to move home which took forever to get ready to sell, and then pack. But here I am, in a new home, new state and everythings pretty much new.

Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot

"FriendBear writes: I'm back!!!" was posted by FriendBear on Tue, 16 Jun 2009 22:30:30 -0700

alexlips writes: Week 22 (24th-30th May): The Week That Was in TV

Sat, 30 May 2009 22:56:01 -0700

The last week of May was a very interesting one in Aussie TV. TV network giants Seven & Nine, who are always dominant of the industry, were given a little bit of a wake up call by the other, much smaller networks, Ten, SBS & ABC. It's also become very apparent this year that local Aussie shows are winning the ratings over the US mega-hits for the first time ever.

Seven won the week in ratings again with a 27.5% share. Followed by Nine (25.7%), Ten (24.2%), ABC (17.5%) & SBS (5.2%).

Top Shows This Week:
1. Seven News Sunday - Seven
2. Masterchef Challenge - Ten
3. Nine News - Nine
4. Talkin' 'Bout Your Generation - Ten
5. Seven News - Seven
6. Spicks & Specks - ABC
7. NCIS - Ten
8. The Chasers War on Everything - ABC
9. Thank God You're Here - Seven
10. Merlin - Ten

If you compare this week with week 22 in the TV calendar 3 years ago in 2006, 6 out of the top 10 shows of the week were international, including Lost, Desperate Housewives, Greys Anatomy, CSI & House. In 2009, its rare to have more than 1 international show making the list! Anyone have an idea as to why the change over the years?

- Former AFL Footy Show host Eddie McGuire has been asked by the nine network to return, claming it would boost ever-falling ratings.

- 24 star Kiefer Sutherland insists that he does not think that he is 'the real Jack Bauer' after a head-butting incident on the Jimmy Fallon Show.

- The Steven Spielberg / Tom Hanks upcoming mini-seires The Pacific is due to air in 2010 & big international markets in countries like the UK, Germany, Canada & France have already bought the rights to air i. The Pacific is a follow up of the sucessfull mini-series Band of Brothers and will follow the stories of the allies battle's in the Pacific theatre of WWII.

- The Australian Communications & Media Authority announced that Channel Nine has topped the commerical free-to-air broadcasters in delivering locally-produced adverts in 2008. Aussie networks are required to screen locally-made ads for at least 80% of their ads that show between 6am & midnight.

- CANCELLED: My Name is Earl.

- ABC has bought an assortment of content from BBC including the third series of Robin Hood as well as Life, Yellowstone, Nature's Great Events, Human Journey, Later...with Jools Holland & Being Erica.

Read and Post Comments (There are currently 2 other comments) | Get the full article at GameSpot

"alexlips writes: Week 22 (24th-30th May): The Week That Was in TV" was posted by alexlips on Sat, 30 May 2009 22:56:01 -0700

PsychoPerson writes: After Almost a Year

Fri, 20 Mar 2009 21:20:09 -0700

It has been a full fledge 10 months since the last time I've been on Tv.com. By god, how much has changed. As I look through my friends list, I see a resonable amount of people gone, less reviews and blogs, and apparently some people have stop tracking me. Who's to blame? I'd un-track myself for not being on for 10 damn months. My Mailbox is considerably empty. It makes sence due to the fact that yet again, I haven't been on in almost a year.

Although, a small amount of things stay the same. I still see there are people who are continuing their conquest of reviews, and writting storeis of their days. Good for you. Although, im nothing more then a coffee stain on the table for you guys, since you guys probably found more social friends to be intact with. I don't plan on coming back here to Tv.com though. Things just haven't been the same, and I don't feel like it's worth it.

Alittle about me: For those of you who are intrested or bored or whatever. I'm in High School now, I'm a sophmore at Deer Valley High School. Life has been really sweet with all the progress I've made. I plan to go to track sometime, and my experience of art is still about the same. Im slowly reaching my goals.

So... enoguh about me. How are you doing?

Read and Post Comments (There are currently 6 other comments) | Get the full article at GameSpot

"PsychoPerson writes: After Almost a Year" was posted by PsychoPerson on Fri, 20 Mar 2009 21:20:09 -0700

kool56dude writes: Ramblings that probably no one will hear!

Sat, 07 Feb 2009 19:37:56 -0800

No one is probably going to read this but i just like to talk about my life and my hand written diary was recently discovered by my mother (although this is not going to be as detailed as my diary), still my mother will not read this, so.

Read and Post Comments (There are currently 5 other comments) | Get the full article at GameSpot

"kool56dude writes: Ramblings that probably no one will hear!" was posted by kool56dude on Sat, 07 Feb 2009 19:37:56 -0800

ascaffo writes: Clear and Present Danger

Tue, 03 Feb 2009 15:23:41 -0800

I couldn't help it; I had to do another review blog. People, there is hope for Heroes. I was so surprised that I had to write a review for it. I know some of you have stopped watching, so I thought I'd include it here so you can take a little look-see.

Redemption may be a word that has recently been associated with Jack Bauer of 24, but I am going to use the word in relation to the Volume 4 opener, Clear and Present Danger. Although Heroes has a loyal fan base (myself included), it has steadily been losing viewers since its sophomore season. The reasons are many and varied. I have found myself frustrated many times. But, what's a girl to do- Heroes has all of the elements of good story telling.

If I were to name a theme for Clear and Present Danger, I have to say its, division. Of course, we've seen that several times throughout the series. Heroes always seems to come down to where a character draws a line. The case can be made for a theme of brother against brother. And it would be a good case, but this episode was larger in scope. The question is, should these power wielders be allowed to roam the Earth, or are they a danger to us all? Nathan and Peter clearly have opposing points of view.

The episode quickly heats up with intensity. We see early on where things are going. Nathan has an agenda and he is moving a fast pace to see it through. He is committed to his cause. Unfortunately for him, others are equally as committed to their own cause.

Our heroes are trying their hand at being normal in this episode. It makes sense that they would try to find a way to lead somewhat ordinary lives. To blend in. To be happy. Claire looks at colleges. Peter tries to return to work, and Matt attempts to do things the old-fashioned way.

On the other hand, Hiro is embracing Ando's newfound abilities. He sees the potential for a great superhero in Ando. Hiro displays the enthusiasm for life that we have come to loved him for. My favorite part of the episode is that we see a new side of Ando.

The intensity continued throughout the episode. There was a clear plot line that left me cheering for our heroes. Peter was not whiny. Claire was not annoying. And Sylar, well, I am still not sure how I feel about Sylar. The writers have done a great job giving Sylar depth. There is emotion in that boy. In his quest for answers, he leaves a heck of a wake. The warning: "Do not get in my way."

So, back to where I began. With this step Heroes has begun to redeem itself. The question is, will it be enough? I know that I will be sticking around to find out.

Read and Post Comments (There are currently 23 other comments) | Get the full article at GameSpot

"ascaffo writes: Clear and Present Danger" was posted by ascaffo on Tue, 03 Feb 2009 15:23:41 -0800

Babygirl135 writes: I'm Back!!!

Wed, 07 Jan 2009 04:07:30 -0800

Oh my God, I can't believe it's been 5 months since my last blog. But college has been killing me for the last few months (and is probably gonna keep me occupied until the end of March). But luckily I could take some time of during the holidays so I'd be able to do some catching up.

After getting over the shock of being confronted with this new design I decided to come back here and start getting involved again. Unfortunately I had to give up my editorships for Face the Nation , Late Edition , The Situation Room , This Week , Timewatch and Washington Week . So if anybody has a heart for news/documentary shows and a little free time please adopt them. They are really great shows and need a little bit of attention.

Since the new fall season started I've been watching this new show The Mentalist with the absolutely amazing Simon Baker. I'm totally loving it and hope that this show sticks around for a little while.

In other tv news: I started watching the first three seasons of 24. I wanted to see what all this buzz is about this show and I have to say I can't really understand that. I'm still on the fence with this show. But we will see what happens in the new season ... the preview looks totally interesting. So I'll be definitely watching.

So what else happened??? Oh yeah, how can I forget. Postseason started in the NFL and I didn't know if I should cry or be happy. On Saturday the Indianapolis Colts lost at the San Diego Chargers (sooo sad) and on Sunday the Philadelphia Eagles won at the Minnesota Vikings (yippeee). But the hard part is still to come. Next weekend the Eagles have to play the New York Giants. As a die hard fan of both teams I'm totally torn and don't which team to root for.

So I guess this sums it up for my first blog. Let me know what happened here over the last months and how you guys are doing.

Read and Post Comments (There are currently 6 other comments) | Get the full article at GameSpot

"Babygirl135 writes: I'm Back!!!" was posted by Babygirl135 on Wed, 07 Jan 2009 04:07:30 -0800

Dark_Eagle80 writes: Happy Holidays!!!

Thu, 25 Dec 2008 19:44:19 -0800

Aloha!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE!

Have a safe Holiday Season and New Year!

Read and Post Comments (There are currently 7 other comments) | Get the full article at GameSpot

"Dark_Eagle80 writes: Happy Holidays!!!" was posted by Dark_Eagle80 on Thu, 25 Dec 2008 19:44:19 -0800

mattpitt1991 writes: Spotlight, Etc.!

Wed, 10 Dec 2008 10:30:37 -0800

Hey guys. I know it's been a very long time (is this how I always start my blogs now?), but I thought that the fact I'm in the TV.com Spotlight this week is reason enough to do it.

I'm actually posting this from Movietome - for some reason I'm unable to access TV.com or Gamespot today. This has happened a lot recently - being able to visit the site one day, and then not for the next couple of days. It's no big problem as long as I get through my submissions.

So for that reason, I'm not certain I'm in the spotlight, but I've been assured by Islander it's true! I guess I should say thanks to the "random" choosing machine that selected me...

Um, also I'd like to make (another) apology for being absent from forums and blogs. Obviously with limited access and none of my favourite shows on at the moment, I've not really been around. Still, two of my shows will be back soon, so I'll be on here a lot more.

TV-wise, there's not much on at the moment. What I've caught of The Sarah Jane Adventures has been quite good - I missed the finale on Monday (that is, if they did show it on the CBBC channel), but it'll be repeated this Monday. It was nice to see the return of Ms. Wormwood, the Sontarans, and of course, the Brigadier in the first part.

Desperate Housewives is quite good, as well. Setting the fifth series five years in the future wasn't a bad move as it's allowed the introduction of a lot of new situations. Dave (Edie's husband) is really mystifying, and can I ask - am I the only one who seems to be uninterested in all of Susan's storylines? I'm not at all bothered about her and Jackson.

As mentioned, two of my shows are returning early next year - Primeval and, of course, Waterloo Road. I don't know much about the third series of Primeval, but there's been a Waterloo Road press release for the first episode of Series Four (which airs on January 7th). For those who care (anyone?), both Rachel and Davina (one who was crushed by a collapsed roof, and the other who had smoke inhalation) were said to have died, but it turned out neither have! That's really good news, especially with Davina, who is one of my favourites. And it'll be the first time one of Tom's girlfriends hasn't died! Both Lorna and Izzie died in the second series...

Um, Richard would never forgive me for not using my new-found spotlight fame to advertise our animation, Doreen and Maureen. After we finished the first series, I promised there would be a further series, however, we agreed only to do one final episode, which we released a couple of weeks ago. It's called "Black Wedding", and whilst it may not make complete sense if you've not seen the other episodes, it's still pretty funny. It continues from the cliffhanger at the end of "Emo Grunts", and has some nice twists. Check it out here (and definitely watch after the credits):

http://www.freewebs.com/doreen-and-maureen2/finalepisode.htm/

I think that's about it for today. I hope you guys are all okay, and I'll try to keep this up a little more regularly.

(Can't see my TV.com level or percentage...is it Level 32 or 33...? And it's around 58%, right? I don't know, I'm just guessing...)

Read and Post Comments (There are currently 12 other comments) | Get the full article at GameSpot

"mattpitt1991 writes: Spotlight, Etc.!" was posted by mattpitt1991 on Wed, 10 Dec 2008 10:30:37 -0800

PikeBishop writes: I miss all of you, my friends here.....

Mon, 08 Dec 2008 21:41:21 -0800

...And I hate the new tv.com.

So where are all the changes we were promised. We still have this hideously colored layout and I can only see four friend's blog updates at a time. I Miss the old days when we could quickly glance and see ten of our friend's updates, at a time.

Sad to say, I don't navigate as much here anymore. Too much effort I guess. Just wanted to let you all know that I miss you and hope you are all well.

PIKE

Read and Post Comments (There are currently 9 other comments) | Get the full article at GameSpot

"PikeBishop writes: I miss all of you, my friends here....." was posted by PikeBishop on Mon, 08 Dec 2008 21:41:21 -0800

Finalsequel writes: RIP Pushing Daisies

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 09:40:12 -0800

I can't believe the news today... ABC cancels Pushing Daisies

Well, my day is just ruined! Might as well crawl back in the bed! Okay, maybe not. The cancellation of Pushing Daisies doesn't comes as a HUGE shock, considering all of the reports here and on other websites about how bad the ratings where. This was my main concern with the show last year. Pushing Daisies is a complete 180 from what is on TV these days. And while we Americans might vote for a canidate who seems to love the word change, we don't like change when it comes to our entertainment. I guess in the end the change that Pushing Daisies offered wasn't what people were looking for or liked.

According to the article Bryan Fuller is trying to negotiate with DC to print comics that would tie up the storylines, becuase apperantely the season ends on a cliffhanger. I don't read comics and it might be leaping into a whole new sphere of geekdom, I would buy those just to see how the Piemaker and Chuck end up.

The article also mentions that ABC has cancelled Eli Stone and Dirty Sexy Money. I was never a fan of Eli Stone. I did watch the pilot, however that was becuase I like George Micaheal's song, "Faith". Dirty Sexy Money was a show I tried to get into last year and this year, but with its huge cast and coming in late, it was hard to understand everyone's history and what they currently where doing.

Read and Post Comments (There are currently 5 other comments) | Get the full article at GameSpot

"Finalsequel writes: RIP Pushing Daisies" was posted by Finalsequel on Fri, 21 Nov 2008 09:40:12 -0800

geogo3r writes: Now Playing Fallout 3 and Far Cry 2 (Mostly FC2)

Sat, 01 Nov 2008 10:37:30 -0700

I love both games but Fallout 3 keeps freezing D: it sucks sooo bad.

Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot

"geogo3r writes: Now Playing Fallout 3 and Far Cry 2 (Mostly FC2)" was posted by geogo3r on Sat, 01 Nov 2008 10:37:30 -0700