Turkey day is TV day

I haven’t spent Thanksgiving in this country in a while, let alone in front of a TV, but I think it could very well be the greatest day to watch TV in the entire year. I’ve already taken in some of the Band of Brothers marathon, Super Troopers, National Lampoon’s Vacation and Casino Royale with Daniel Craig (as part of the James Bond marathon), not to mention that Bloodsport was airing on Versus of all places. I’m not sure what network/cable TV execs have in mind for Christmas but they’ll have to do better than the annual 24-hour “A Christmas Story” marathon. Sorry Ralphie!

Is it the way he fights everyday?

Being a Detroit Lions fan has been pretty rough for the last decade or two.  They’ve gone through more busts than Hugh Hefner and endured the first ever perfect winless season in NFL history.  Last year, the Lions got the No. 1 draft pick thanks to their ineptitude and selected strong-armed quarterback Matthew Stafford.  Although they’re still losing, he’s shown glimpses of his potential as a franchise quarterback this season.  It seems he’s finally arrived after his 5-touchdown performance against the Cleveland Browns, especially because he threw the game winning touchdown on the last play of the game with a separated left shoulder.  In celebration of his landmark performance, this little video heralds Stafford’s maturation into a man, or “The Man” in Detroit.

The only reason this video is being highlighted is for its excellent soundtrack (DVDA’s “Now You’re a Man” from Trey Parker’s and Matt Stone’s cult classic Orgazmo).  Otherwise, this video is eerily stalkerish.

Men being men

Here’s a nice little surprise of the fall TV season.  FX’s The League is named in reference to a fantasy football league involving a group of Chicago-area men.  One would expect the humor to be based heavily around fantasy football, given the title and advertising.  Thankfully it is not, otherwise this show would’ve gotten old real fast.

The League is more about a bunch of men in a fantasy football league acting very crude and inappropriate whenever they get together, whether it’s at a 5-year-old’s birthday party or for Sunday dinner.  There’s still football talk (I’d say it’s a 70-30 split between “good clean fun” and football jokes), but I think that’s the least interesting part of the whole show.

Normally, I’d say a show like The League has limited appeal, but being on FX is exactly the right place for it.  On cable, it can push the limits of humor and good taste (like its network brethren It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia) without striving for mainstream appeal.  That doesn’t mean it’s safe from cancellation, but I will be keeping an eye on it as long as it lasts.

Here’s some clips for your perusal.

Ignorance is bliss

I thought it was strawberry soft serve or frozen yogurt.  Not quite.  I’m going to cry now.

Wow, just…wow

It’s like I’m watching Slap Shot.  Except it’s on grass and all three Hanson brothers rolled into a ball and got a sex change!

No Widmore, No Problem

Every week I tune into FlashForward and by the end of the episode I just shrug, hoping the next episode something actually happens.  The show’s been moving at a glacial pace, uncovering random clues while people babble about their futures or lack thereof.  I was ready to give up on FlashForward, but it’s regained my attention.  In what’s been the best episode so far, this week showed that everyone’s starting to go crazy about their flash forwards and they’re finally doing something about it.  I’m not going to get into spoilers but this episode seems to be the game-changer, as people are literally messing with fate now.  Hopefully, the pace picks up and the writers take advantage of the momentum.  I don’t think I can take another couple weeks of nothing, or of Dominic Monaghan acting douchey.

Feel the EXCITE

Nintendo has brought a lot of its classic games to the Wii, via re-release on the Virtual Console or through brand new efforts made specifically for the Wii.  Now they’ve given Excitebike the special treatment, releasing Excitebike: World Rally on Nov. 9, 2009 (next week!) for download on the Wii Shop Channel.

The fact that this game exists is a surprise.  I’m curious to see how the update turns out.  It apparently plays the same but it has some motion control thrown in too.  What I’m most excited about is the online multiplayer where you can play against friends or random opponents.  The biggest gripe I had about the original was the inability to play against anyone else.  The 2-player option simply consisted of taking turns and seeing who posted the best track times.  Just by the video alone, Excitebike: World Rally has the potential to be just as frantic and fun as Mario Kart.