Marvel Cinematic Universe Watchalong

mcuphase1Last month, I got a crazy idea. It all started on the fourth of July. Two of my friends had a bunch of people over for a barbecue. There were burgers and brats from the grill, salads, fruit, and homemade meringues. A couple of episodes of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic were brought up so I watched my first-ever full episode of that followed by my second-ever episode. We had then settled into being inside people and wanted something else to watch. The most thematically-appropriate thing we could think of to watch was Captain America: The First Avenger because we are a bunch of nerds and it seemed patriotic enough. Continue reading

The 67th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards

emmys_2015_ad_f3_simp_hires2Almost a week later and I’m finally ready to talk about the Emmys. As much as I often roll my eyes at the Emmys, this year’s were pretty good. Most of the awards actually made sense and Andy Samberg seemed to really understand what was needed of him as a host. He was an excellent balance of being entertaining while also keeping the show moving along.

Part of the reason the show seemed to move along so quickly is that a large number of categories are announced at the Creative Arts Emmys eight days before the live ceremony. Notable wins there were guest actor and actress in a comedy, Bradley Whitford (Transparent) and Joan Cusack (Shameless), guest actor and actress in a drama, Reg E. Cathey (House of Cards) and Margo Martindale (The Americans), and Bessie for Outstanding Television Movie. Inside Amy Schumer won outstanding original music and lyrics for “Girl You Don’t Need No Makeup”, Jane Lynch won Outstanding Reality Host for Hollywood Game Night, and Late Night for John Oliver won for Best Interactive Programming. I hope that Oliver and company have a better chance at the bigger awards next year now that the voters are going to start finding shows that aren’t The Daily Show with Jon Stewart to give them to.
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Netflix is Trying to Kill Me

unbreakable-kimmy-schmidt-ban3I’m pretty sure that Netflix is trying to kill me. They’ve released four full seasons of TV shows that appeal to me in less than two months. They’re making my TV watching schedule next to impossible. I already barely have time for all of the broadcast and cable shows I want to watch. How am I supposed to squeeze in another 6 to 13 hours in a weekend?

The answer is, I haven’t been able to. Gone are the days of the first seasons of House of Cards and Orange is the New Black where I could start them on a Friday after work and finish them by Sunday afternoon. I require more sleep than I used to even a couple of years ago and I’m trying to be more convincing as a responsible adult. I’m still finishing the shows in less than a week after their initial release dates so that responsibility is very much a work in progress.
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The Wire Watchalong: Season 5, Episodes 1 and 2

thewireseason5Welcome to the Inanimate Blog watchalong for The Wire. Every week we’ll be watching two episodes and posting our thoughts. We’re not recapping each episode in detail; that’s what Wikipedia is for. This week is Season 5, Episodes 1 and 2.

S05E01

Emily: Chaos everywhere! It turns out that police officers really like when they get paid. Continue reading