From the Inside Out

Two months ago, I posted a blog about the most anticipated new Fall television series, and tonight’s post will revisit those shows to see if they stood up to all the hype. A few shows soared, but many flopped — some being cancelled after only 2-3 episodes. Read on to find out how your shows fared.

10. The Mentalist, a drama about a physic who uses his gifts to help solve crimes. While I haven’t seen it (this show was on my “pass” list), the Mentalist is pulling in good ratings. It averaged 14.9 million viewers and recently bested a Dancing With the Stars results show.

9. Opportunity Knocks, a new game show produced by Ashton Kutcher. It failed miserably. The show was pulled after just three episodes. I never saw a commercial for this show and have no idea when it aired. Maybe the show would have fared better if it had been promoted differently. Oh well, we’ll never know!

8. Life on Mars, an ABC remake of a popular British drama with the same name. The show got off to a good start with the premiere, but ratings were down 25% for the second episode. Some reviewers blame it on the Thursday night line-up in which it isn’t a good fit. Personally, I hope the ratings improve. I don’t think the ABC version is quite as good as the original, but it’s still a quality show that deserves a chance.

7. Easy Money, is a dramedy about a family that runs the modern legitimate version of a loan sharking operation. This show stopped production after a few episodes to “give the writers a chance to catch up.” I’m not sure what that means, but it doesn’t sound good. No worries for me, though, because I wasn’t watching it anyway.

6. True Blood, a new vampire show appearing on HBO. After a massive, multimillion-dollar marketing campaign, the premiere drew just 1.44 million viewers. That’s a disappointing number for HBO, but the cable network airs the show repeatedly and viewership increased for subsequent episodes. HBO is so confident in the numbers that they’ve already ordered a second season. I don’t subscribe to HBO and this show was on my “pass” list, so there’s no additional commentary from me on this one.

5. Sanctuary, a Sci-Fi show starring Amanda Tapping (of Stargate fame). The premiere brought the SciFi channel its highest ratings for original programming since Eureka premiered back in 2006, and subsequent episodes have continued to hold onto the audiences. For me, I’m lukewarm about this show. It hasn’t captured my attention yet.

4. Fringe, a JJ Abrams creation that pairs a female FBI agent with a nutcase scientist and his estranged son. The show premiered with decent ratings and jumped 59% with its second episode. Those numbers were good enough for Fox to pick it up for the full season. Fringe was listed as a “must see” on my first post. I have been watching it, and the show is growing on me, but I’m not hooked like I was with Lost.

3. Sons of Anarchy, a chrome hog drama about a motorcycle-riding, gun-running family syndicate. The series is the most successful new series on FX among 18-49 viewers since Rescue Me debuted in 2005. It has already secured a second season renewal. This show was on my “pass” list, but I gave it a “check out” rating for the guys. That means Gary checked it out. While he watched the show, I would distract myself by playing on the computer. It eventually caught my attention, and now it’s beginning to grow on me too.

2. Knight Rider, a remake of the popular 80s detective show that starred David Hasselhoff. This terrible remake had a sluggish start to its season, but NBC recently ordered four additional scripts. It hasn’t committed to a full season yet so the show may not make a full run. If it doesn’t, I won’t shed any tears. It’s a complete waste of an hour of your life.

1. 90210, is another remake that shouldn’t have been brought back from the dead in my opinion. I couldn’t watch it after the first couple of episodes. However, I guess the younger viewers don’t detest the bad acting and writing as much as I do because it’s gotten decent ratings (for CW), and the network has picked it up for a full season. In fact, 90210’s success has even got them considering a remake of Melrose Place. It’s too bad they can’t come up with an original show.

People are looking to escape everyday realities on Halloween this year according to the National Retail Federation. The average person plans to spend $66.54 on the holiday with total spending estimated to reach $5.77 billion. Approximately one third will be spent on costumes to celebrate the occasion.

The great thing about Halloween is that it provides the perfect excuse for kids and adults to become someone else for a few hours. It’s the only time they can dress up in ridiculous costumes and not have people stare at them like they are complete idiots.

What people may not realize is that their costumes reveal important things about them. Dr. Ron Schenk was quoted in a recent article in The Dallas Morning News, “Halloween gives a place for those parts of our psyche that don’t fit in. You can dress up as a princess and feel you are the center of the universe. If you’re scared, you can deal with your fear by dressing up as something dark and powerful. You can give your inner yearnings a place at the table, to acknowledge that that they are part of you.”

What does your costume say about you? Well, according to Halloween expert Suzanne Kelly:

• If you’re a Ghost, you’re either cheap, unoriginal, or lazy. If you think that you can throw an old white sheet over your head, cut slits for eyeholes and call it a costume, you’re sadly mistaken. You’re better off staying at home and saving people the tears your mind-numbing personality would cause them.
• If you’re a Pimp, you’re cashing in on the old trick-or-treating philosophy; the more houses you go to, the more candy you’ll get. A lesson just as important in your 20s as it was when you were 8-years-old.
• If you’re a Pirate, you are fun-loving and adventurous, you aren’t afraid to take risks. You aren’t easily influenced, especially when it comes to people’s opinions about others; you truly believe that there’s a hidden treasure buried within everyone. That, or you’re just lazy and are two years too late to the Captain Jack Sparrow trend.
• If you’re a Superhero, some may say you’re close-minded. But you’re actually just self-assured and strong-willed. You’re a loyal friend, someone who is always willing to go above and beyond for them. Because of this, you are someone that others look up to and seek comfort in. More importantly, you look good in spandex.
• If you’re a Celebrity, an air of arrogance surrounds you, and you have raised yourself to self-appointed VIP status. You often find yourself being the hub of gossip. Yes, that means people know you, but do they really like you? Think about that.
• If you’re a Witch, you aren’t afraid to tell people what you think, even if you make some enemies in the process. Those who know you well would say you have a spell-binding personality. (And if those people actually verbalized that joke, they should be shot.)
• If you’re a Angel…sorry, we’re not buying it. It’s going to take more than wings and a halo for you to seem innocent.
• If you’re a Devil, you are naughty by nature and don’t care who knows. It’s rare that you don’t get your way, and if you don’t, you aren’t afraid to use extreme measures. Be careful, it’s a tangled web you weave.
• If you’re a Nurse, you’re a people person who enjoys doing whatever it takes to make others around you feel comfortable. You jump at the chance to check someone’s vitals or give mouth-to-mouth. Just remember, you need to take care of yourself sometimes too.
• If you’re a Clown, your main concern is having fun, even at your own expense. You thrive on being the center of attention, and no doubt your antics will earn you that spot.

Regardless of what your costume says about you, this holiday is all about having fun. You are never too old to dress up, eat candy, and celebrate the coming of Fall. So get out there and have a good time on Friday.  And in case you need inspiration, here are a few costume pics from years past…enjoy!

Kevin Federline and bald Britney…yeah, I know it’s creepy!

Johnny Cash and the Scarecrow

Mulder and Scully

Ozzy and the Good Fairy

Al and Peg Bundy

Zorro and the Belly Dancer (wow, don’t we look young!)

Indiana Jones and Little Red Riding Hood

During the month of October we meet up with our friends and begin an annual pilgrimage to the local haunted houses. We kicked-off the fun this year with a visit to the haunts of Ft. Worth. These are without a doubt the best — and most consistently scary — haunted houses that we’ve found in the DFW area.

Hangman’s House of Horrors

Celebrating its 20th year, Hangman’s is the top charity-benefiting haunted house in the nation. To date, the house has entertained 484,000 victims and donated over $1.5 million to local charities. It’s a little pricey, but well worth the cost of admission. The main house takes about 30-45 minutes to traverse. It offers a variety of rooms, scares, twists, turns, and complicated mazes. There are three other attractions at Hangman’s — The Beast, Hillbilly Cafe, and 3-D funhouse. None of the attractions are worth the individual ticket prices, but if you get the combo ticket for $20, it’s a good deal.

One of the cool things they are doing this year is “flashlight night”. On Saturday, Nov. 1, you can travel through Hangman’s in complete darkness, armed with only one small flashlight per group. Yeah, really creeepy — and fun!

Hangman’s sets the right mood outside its haunted houses. There are live bands, karaoke, midway rides, concessions and more. If you want to visit a scary house with a fun environment, then this is the place for you.

Rating: A

Cutting Edge

The Cutting Edge was voted one of “America’s Best Haunted Attractions” and ranks #5 in the nation of “The 13 Best Haunts for Halloween.” The awards are well-deserved. It is THE BEST haunted house I’ve ever visited — and trust me, I’ve been through lots of them. Visit their website, and read the reviews. They are all true. The attention to detail, high quality special effects and scare factor are beyond compare.

Cutting Edge claims to be the world’s largest haunted house. It is located in a 235,000 square foot warehouse built in 1908. It was formerly a meat packing plant, and they make good use of the facility. From the minute you walk into the haunted house, all your senses are accosted. The hallways are dark, the noises (and cutting edge music) are extremely loud, and you never know when someone is going to jump out at you. Like Hangman’s, this haunted house offers a variety of well crafted rooms that are complete with twists, turns and mazes. They also offer a Cutting Edge version of the Blue Man group that plays extremely loud, but cool, percussion instruments. In the middle of the house is an attraction called “the pit”. It’s an extremely complex maze that’s pitch dark and impossible to escape. You are given a small glow stick before you enter and are instructed to find a door called “I want to live” before time runs out. I don’t think anyone ever finds it, but it’s fun anyway.

The only part of the haunted house that I don’t enjoy is the last room. It’s filled from top to bottom with bubbles (or soap suds). You can’t see anything except a huge wall of suds. You get completely wet, it’s unnerving, it’s claustrophobic, and you inhale the bubbles as you try to create a path through them. I did it once and will NEVER do it again. That’s not the kind of scare I’m looking for. Fortunately, they now give you an escape option before you get to the room.

Cutting Edge is expensive. Tickets are 26.50 (plus tax) per person, but you do get your money’s worth with this attraction. It takes more than an hour to tour the house, and you will get scared.

Another thing that’s scary is the line. This is a very popular haunted house, so it draws big crowds. We opted for the “speed pass” ticket. It’s $10 more than the standard ticket, but it allows you to go to the front of the line — no waiting!

If you can only visit one haunted house this year, this should be it.

Rating: A+

In case you were wondering why I didn’t post a blog last night, here’s the story.  I got bored so I decided to rip the Pirates of Patmos DVD and turn it into a short music video that follows the basic storyline.  I am by no means an expert in video editing, but I love playing around with it. 

In fact, I love it so much that I accidentally stayed up until 4 am working on it.  Hey, it’s not easy squeezing 2 hours of content into a 6 minute video!  Plus, it was already late when I started.

Here’s the completed video…check it out.

free video player & video platform - interactive video, online video solution: video player, video editor - kaltura
wordpress video - wordpress plugin for integrated video on video blogs, and video tools

Have you ever had one of those days where you just needed a good laugh?  Yeah, me too…enjoy!