Sunday, December 30, 2018

Cardinal TV show/ Phone it Forward/ Happy Holidays!

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Nov. 23, 2018 Cardinal: This pilot came out in Jan. 2017 so it's mid-season 2017.  It is based on a book series by Giles Blunt.  The first season is 6 episodes based on one book called Forty Words for Sorrow.  I have never read or heard of the books before until this show came out.  If you go on Wikipedia, there is more detail.

Pros:

1. There is a good opening with finding a dead body in the snow.

2. The lead character John Cardinal (Billy Campbell) is good as the detective.  It turns out he was on the show Helix.  I saw the first 2 eps and then I never watched it again.  I don't remember him at all.

His new partner Lise Delorme (Karine Vanasse) is good.

Good acting.

3. There is good ethnic diversity.

4. The police captain is a woman.

5. Good writing.  There is lots of drama, conflict, and tension as they investigate the murder.  Also a new victim is kidnapped.

Delorme is investigating Cardinal.


Cons: None.


Well this is a mild con.  Spoiler alert: In the season 2 finale, Cardinal's wife dies.  It then reminds me of this article in the Edmonton Journal called "Disposable women."  It mentions about lead character's wives dying in TV shows like Designated Survivor and Blue Bloods.


When a character dies, it does add more drama, conflict, and tension as the characters all deal with it.  However, it seems like it's a woman who often dies.


The wife Catherine was a supporting character and she didn't really add much to the show.


However, it was a reversal in Shades of Blue.  Spoiler alert: The lead character's boyfriend dies.


Comparisons: 


A woman or a woman of color, or a man of color is the police captain: It was done on:

Castle
Rush Hour TV series (I only saw the pilot) 
The movie Dredd (2012)
Blindspot
The Rookie
Forever


https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5583512/?ref_=nv_sr_2

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cardinal_(TV_series)

My opinion: I really liked it.  I saw the whole first season and the second season.  You should check out the pilot.

Nov. 24, 2018 Bellevue: This pilot came out in Feb. 2017 on CBC.


"Thrilling and eerie, Bellevue is a mystery set in a small blue-collar town with a lot of 'good people' who 'live right' and take it upon themselves to make sure the neighbors do too. Driving the series is Detective Annie Ryder (Anna Paquin), a cop whose intense and brazen personality has always been at odds with her hometown. When a teen goes missing, Annie dives in to unravel the disappearance that suggests foul play, despite finding herself in a difficult position as she must cast suspicion on people she has known all her life. As the case pulls her further away from her family, she is also confronted by a mysterious person from her past with disturbing answers and a terrifying need to get inside her head."


Pros:


1. The opening was good with Annie (Anna Paquin) acting drunk and getting into a fight with a guy.  Then they go to a motel room and do drugs.  The cops then bust in and arrest the guy.  It's revealed that she's a cop.


Annie: At least I got the supplier's name.


2. The cast.  You got Anna Paquin (X-Men) and then you got Shawn Doyle (Big Love) as the captain.


3. There is good writing.  There is lots of drama, conflict, and tension of a missing teen Jesse.  He is a boy and dressing up like a girl, so transgender.


They really set the small town.


Cons: None.


My opinion: The pilot was average and then I never watched it again.  It got cancelled after one season.


https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6082618/?ref_=rvi_tt


Dec. 1, 2018 Pure: This show came out in Jan. 2017 on CBC.

"PURE tells the story of Noah Funk, a newly-elected Mennonite pastor, who is determined to rid his community of drug traffickers by betraying a fellow Mennonite to the police. But instead of solving the problem, Noah's actions trigger an ultimatum from mob leader Eli Voss: in order to protect his family, he must get involved in the illegal operation. Noah decides that if he must work for the mob, he will secretly gather enough evidence to dismantle the organization. Noah finds his beliefs and principles challenged every step of the way. Struggling to save his soul and complete his mission, Noah receives help from an unlikely source: his high school nemesis, local cop Bronco Novak. With his law-enforcement career hanging by a thread, Bronco sees the case as his ticket to redemption."


Pros:

1. It had a good opening with a car filled with a family.  Another car comes and hits it and the car flips.  A 10 yr old boy Ezekiel runs out.  The bad guys are to look for him.

2. The writing is good, because it's from the creator of The Listener, Michael Amo.  I loved The Listener.  

3. There is an interesting storyline where a Mennonite pastor has to take down drug traffickers.  There is lots of drama, conflict, and tension.

"If you want to kill all the rats, you have to find their nest first.  Then let the poison do it's work.

4. The cast:

Ryan Robbins plays the pastor Noah Funk, and is good in it.

AJ Buckley (CSI: NY) plays the cop Novak.  Good.

Gord Rand plays Abel, Noah's brother and drug addict.  Good.

Peter Outerbridge plays bad guy Eli.  Good.

Rosie Perez plays the cop Phoebe.  Good.

The below are average:


Alex Paxton-Beesley plays the mom Anna.

Dylan Everett (from Degrassi) plays the teen son Isaac.

Jessica Clement plays the teen daughter Tina. 

Felix Beiger plays Ezekiel. 

Cons: This is a mild con.  Alex Paxton- Beesley plays a mom to two teens in high school.  That would make her in her 40s.  She wears a bonnet and her hair up.

Then I see her on Cardinal season 2 and she plays a woman in her 20s.  I looked her up and she's 32.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_Paxton-Beesley


Comparisons: 



A woman or a woman of color, or a man of color is the police captain: The chief is played by a black woman Lanette Ware.



My opinion: It was average.  There are 6 episodes in the first season.  I was kind of ambivalent if the show got a 2nd season.  Now that it has, I will probably watch it.


The series premiere was watched by 858,000 Canadian viewers.[7] On April 12, 2017, the show was picked up by Hulu in the United States.[8] WGN America acquired the US television rights to the series in August 2017.[9] Initially, Pure was not renewed for a second season.[10][11] However, in April 2018, the show was picked up for a second season by the CBC, Hulu, Super Channel and WGN America due out in 2019.[12] 



Motive: This show came out in 2013, but I never saw the pilot.  However, I decided to check out the episode called "The Score" because Tahmoh Penikett was in it.  He was from the TV show Dollhouse and guest-stars in TV shows I watch like Arrow and Castle.

"The killer: Hank Novak, the owner/manager of the Chieftain, a financially troubled live music venue/bar in Squamish. The victim: Vince Hutton, an ex-con just released from twenty years behind bars for drug smuggling, Hank's old friend from high school, and most recently the Chieftain's doorman. Vince's dead body is found outside in a remote area of Squamish, he killed by blunt force trauma to the head, the murder weapon some unknown metal object of a small roundish nature. The detectives know that Vince was killed elsewhere by the lack of blood at the crime scene.

 From Vince's new girlfriend, the detectives also know that Vince recently came into some money, more than a doorman would make, and in the process, in an unfortunate way for Angie, stumble upon another active investigation on the movement of stolen counterfeit goods. The person under investigation in that case, Levi Foster, becomes a primary suspect as Vince's murderer. But to discover the true motive for the murder, they will have to look at Hank's daughter, Sadie Novak, who has just been accepted to college in Chicago. Through the investigation, Angie, Paula and Brian all deal with an aspect of their respective love lives, Brian's which indirectly involves Oscar out of circumstance."

Huggo
Spoiler alert: Vince (Tahmoh Penikett) is eating at a restaurant.  He sits outside so he can see all these trucks go by and arrive with the shipment.

The bad guy boss Levi Foster sees that boxes are missing and it's like $300,000.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5149048/?ref_=ttep_ep4

My week:

Dec. 23, 2018 Work: It was steady.

Ch- it turns out she is still working here.  I must have missed her name on the schedule.

Ge- she worked here for like 2 yrs.  Then she quit and now she's rehired. 

Dec. 24, 2018 Happy Harbor Comics stays open:




Holiday season 2018:

1. Family: My parents are traveling since beginning of Nov.

My sister finally moved out of the house, and she occasionally visits.

It's mainly my grandma, brother and I.

2. We never exchange presents.  We save lots of time, effort, and money.  There aren't any decorations.  We won't be having a Christmas dinner.  It will be a regular dinner.

Job search: I have been constantly looking for a job and applying to places on the internet and in-person.  The holiday season kind of affects some places I apply to.

I applied to stores for the holiday seasons because they're hiring.  I didn't apply or have to wait to apply after the holiday season is over because the offices are closed.

I applied to offices, but will have to wait because the interviews will be held later.

The week of Dec. 16-22, 2018: I went to 3 interviews.

1. Appointment setter/ telemarketer- I didn't get hired.
2. Asian restaurant.
3. Food counter attendant at a bake shop.

Facebook networking: 

W (from Professional Writing in college): She told me to apply to the Rec Room.  I then applied on the internet and in-person. 

Dec. 25, 2018 Quantum Success book: This is a free book you can get, but you have to pay for shipping.  It's a self- help book.

https://christywhitman.clickfunnels.com/step-120307172

Jacob clothing at Costco: The Jacob clothing store closed down in 2014, but they do sell some of their clothes at Costco.

https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/how-costco-s-halo-is-keeping-the-jacob-clothing-brand-alive-1.1107767

Writing about TV shows and movies: It's the usual time of the year like end of Aug. and end of Dec. where there aren't many TV shows to watch.  I then fill the time by writing about TV shows and movies reviews so it's like I'm re-watching it. 

Dec. 26, 2018 Phone it Forward: 

Phone it Forward is a CNIB program that gives smartphones to people with sight loss who need them.

https://www.phoneitforward.ca/

Dec. 29, 2018 School serves free organic meals: I found this on Facebook.  It was on Jennifer Riley, an Evolutionary coach:


When schools in California’s Sausalito Marin City District return to session this August, they will be the first in the nation to serve their students 100 percent organic meals, sustainably sourced and free of genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

More than 500 students at Bayside MLK Jr. Academy in Marin City and Willow Creek Academy in Sausalito will eat fresh, local food year-round, thanks to a partnership with the Conscious Kitchen, a project of the environmental education nonprofit Turning Green.

The organization says meals will be accompanied by nutrition and gardening education. The Conscious Kitchen previously served 156 students at Bayside MLK Jr. Academy, where it first tested the program starting in August 2013. Over the course of two years, the founders said, disciplinary cases decreased and attendance increased.




Dec. 27, 2018 Cleaning: I washed the living room and kitchen windows and blinds for an hr.  P washed the kitchen cabinets.  My grandma told us to clean them.

Passed out resumes: In the afternoon, I went and passed out resumes to some places I never applied to before.

Dec. 28, 2018 Comark: I was looking for a job and learned that this company owns Cleo, Ricki's and Bootlegger.

http://www.comark.ca/divisions.htm

Charmed: I was watching the reboot this week.  I watched 6 episodes this week.  I have now seen it all.  I find this show to be average at best, and mediocre at worst.

The highlight of the week:

HER music: I was reading about this R&B singer in the Edmonton Journal.  I then checked out her music on Sound Cloud.  It's really good.  It's slow and calming music.

https://everythingrevealed.her-official.com/

Yuna: She reminds me of the artist Yuna.  Here is the song "Crush" feat. Usher:

https://soundcloud.com/yunazarai/crush

Circus du Soleil show Amaluna: This was back in Dec. 2014.  I got to watch the last 50 min. of this show on this channel.  I was so happy: "I get to watch this show and I don't have to pay $100 for a ticket to see it live."

I pay for TV and internet, but it's at a discount if I get to see this show.  I then see that the whole show is on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRq2SsgWDYk

Midnight, Texas: This show had their season 2 finale.  I missed their first 2 eps of this season because I didn't know they were airing it this fall.  I find this show to be average and fun.  I really like the season 2 finale, because there were a couple of twists and surprises that I didn't see coming. 

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5464086/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Burden of Truth: Their 2nd season is coming out on Wed. Jan. 9, 2019 on CBC.  This is a solid and average show.  Here is the description of the season 2 premiere:

"Joanna Chang is assigned a case of a brilliant young Internet privacy activist who will turn everything in her new life upside down. Meanwhile, back in Millwood, Billy Crawford is dealing with the aftermath of the Matheson Steel lawsuit."

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6987476/?ref_=nv_sr_1



Sunday, November 25, 2018

Trial and Error/ Letterkenny/ 24: Legacy

Oct. 20, 2018 Trail and Error: 

"A spoof of crime documentaries about the arrest and trial of a beloved poetry professor from a small town in South Carolina, who is accused of brutally murdering his wife, and the young Northeastern lawyer hired to defend him."

Pros:

1. The cast:

John Lithgow (3rd Rock from the Sun) as the lead Larry who is really dumb and may have murdered his wife.

Nicholas D'Agosto who plays Josh, the lawyer hired to defend him.

Sherri Shepherd who plays Anne and has all these variety of disorders like not knowing people's faces called facial amnesia.

Anne: I don't recognize my husband.  It's like sleeping with a different man every night. 

Carol (Jayma Mays from Glee) plays the prosecutor.

2. It was light, fun, and funny.

Cons: None.

Comparisons:

Black woman judge: Have you noticed this before?  The judge is often played by a black woman.  I have written about this before on my blog.

My opinion: I watched the first 2 eps because they aired back-to-back.  It was fun and all, but I never watched it again.  It got a 2nd season and it aired in the summer.  Then it got cancelled.


https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5511512/

https://showsnob.com/2018/08/07/trial-error-canceled-nbc/

Powerless:

"Follow the staff of an insurance company, specialising in products to protect defenseless bystanders from the collateral damage of Superheroes and Supervillains."

Pros:

1. The cast:

Vanessa Hudgens (High School Musical) is the lead Emily who starts her new job at the insurance company.

Danny Pudi (Community) is a worker there.

Alan Tudyk (Dollhouse) is the boss.

2. The dialogue:

Dad: What you do in your own quiet way, can change people's lives for the better.

My opinion: I'm going to put that in my inspirational quotes.

Emily: To get the best out of people, you need to get to know them on a personal level.

My opinion: That seems like job advice for a manager on how to motivate workers.

3. It was realistic.  Emily is a woman in her late 20s and she got this supervisor job at this big company.  I thought it wasn't realistic because if you were to get that kind of job at this big company, you have to be in your late 30s.  You have to have years of experience.

It was realistic, when the workers tell her why she got hired (spoiler alert):

She was the 5th new boss that year. 

Cons:

1. They live in Charm City.  I don't like how TV shows have names with City at the end.

Starling City- on Arrow.

Central City- on The Flash.

National City- on Supergirl.

My opinion: I watched the pilot and then I never watched it again.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5083928/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1

Nov. 3, 2018 Letterkenny: The show came out in 2016, but it was on Crave.  Then in mid-season 2017, CTV aired the pilot.

"Quick-witted fast-paced snappy comedy about hillbilly hicks getting by in a small town."

Pros:

1. It's a Canadian show that is going very well.

Cons:

1. It was offensive.  There was a lot of profanity.  When I saw the promos, I was under the impression that it was going to be like Corner Gas about a small town of fun and funny characters. 

2. I didn't find it funny.

3. I didn't really like the characters.

My opinion: I saw the pilot and then I never watched it again.


https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4647692/?ref_=nv_sr_3


24: Legacy: I never watched the original 24.  I was a teen back then.  This reboot listed the original star Kiefer Sutherland as an exec producer.

"A military hero who returns to the U.S. with a whole lot of trouble following him back. With nowhere else to turn, the man asks CTU to help him save his life while also stopping one of the largest-scale terror attacks on American soil."

Pros:

1. It had a good opening with a house that's trashed and a guy tortured.  The bad guys want something.

Then it shows Carter (Corey Hawkins) coming home and how he was a soldier in the Counter Terrorism Unit.

2. Good ethnic diversity.

3. Good action with fight scenes and shoot outs.

4. There is lots of drama, conflict, and tension to stop a terrorist attack. 

Cons: None.

My opinion: The pilot was average and then I never watched it again.  I like FBI and action shows, but I didn't really connect with the show.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5345490/?ref_=nv_sr_1


The Blacklist: Redemption: I saw The Blacklist pilot when it first came out.  It was good, but then I never watched it again.  Here is the spinoff: 

"Covert operative Tom Keen joins forces with Susan "Scottie" Hargrave, the brilliant and cunning chief of a covert mercenary organization that solves problems that are too dangerous for the government."

Pros:

1. There is a good opening where they are on a plane a bad guy is being tortured.  There is good action here and a surprise.

2. The cast: Ryan Eggold plays Tom Keen from the original show.

Famke Janssen (X-Men) plays Scottie.

Terry O'Quinn (Alias) plays Howard.

3. Good ethnic diversity.

4. There is a good action with the fight scenes.  They go on a mission like a black- tie event and it's just like Alias among other shows.

Cons: None.

My opinion: The pilot was average and then I never watched it again.  I like action shows, but this didn't stand out.



https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5592230/?ref_=nv_sr_2

My week:



Nov. 17, 2018 "Stay of execution": Today I found this article by Grant Robertson in the Globe and Mail.  It's about monkeys who lived in research labs.  They then retire into this other facility because they are healthy and don't need to be euthanized.  When I was reading it, I see how the monkeys are so much like humans and not just in physical shape, but in mental and emotional behavior.

It's a very good read.

Sun. Nov. 18, 2018 Work: On Sun. Nov. 11, 2018, it was busy at the restaurant.  There were 30 customers.  My co-workers W and Ca told me I needed to calm down.

Today, there were 14 customers.  I was calm today and I pointed it out to my co-workers.

Mon. Nov. 19, 2018 Crazy day: I woke up early today though I worked late last night.  I just woke up.  Yesterday I was emailing back and forth with this woman to get info and set up an interview.  I went to the interview today.  I thought I could wait at this bus stop, but there was a sign to wait at another.  I walked a block to it.  Then a guy there said I had to wait at another.

I then got on the LRT to get there.  I was going to be late so I called her and she said it was fine.  The interview was 30 min. long with some deep questions:

How do you deal with rejection?

How do you keep smiling after a hard day?

Find an item on your person and sell it to me.

It was a sales job.  The whole time I'm reading the newspaper on the commute.  I also recycled some pens at Staples because it was close by.

New Age social event: I attended this event.  It was New Age and out of the box.  It was average.

Nov. 20, 2018 Syncrude thermos: My dad had this old metal Syncrude thermos and I was using it since 2015.  Then the plastic lid broke and I taped it up.  However, it still kind of leaks.  I might as well recycle it.  I had it for 4 yrs.



PennyDrops: "PennyDrops is a student-run non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of financial education in Canada. Our mission is to ensure that all Canadian students have the knowledge and confidence to make informed financial decisions post-graduation. With the financial backing of BMO, PennyDrops is paving the way to financial freedom for students coast-to- coast."


Scotiabank Giller Prize: I watched the award show of the best book.  

Spoiler alert: The winner was Esi Edugyan for her book Washington Black.

The host was Rick Mercer and it was mainly light and fun jokes like: "We held the award show in Toronto, because Calgary voted against it."

Calgary voted against the 2026 Olympics being hosted in their city.  I would say that's good because they would be going into debt hosting it.


Nov. 21, 2018: Today I was at home looking for and applying for jobs on the internet.

Nov. 22, 2018: Today I went out and passed my resumes to restaurants in the morning.

Job search complaints: I was thinking about that TV show Dollhouse.

Boyd: You can't always predict or control the consequences.

I mentioned this before about how the Dollar Tree at Jasper Gates closed down.  I passed my resume there in 2017.

The Dollarama on Stony Plain Rd closed down too.  There was a fire at the Chinese restaurant that was right by them, and this Halal place that got burned down too.  The Dollarama looked stable, but it was torn down.

I passed my resume to that Dollarama in 2017.  I guess I'm complaining because I got never got a callback from them and now I won't.

I was also at the HSBC building/ City Centre.  I had mentioned that I passed my resumes to the Mucho Burrito, Subway, and Starbucks there.  I see that they closed down the Second Cup right by it.  I applied to all those places in 2017.

I can't predict or control who is going to call me or hire me.  I can pass my resumes and apply to as many places as possible.

West Ed mall: 

King Tut's store closed down.  It opened last year.  I passed my resume there.

My Pet store closed down.  I didn't apply there.

Penguins fan gets kidney:

For 31-year-old hockey fan Kelly Sowatsky, the sign that she brought to a Pittsburgh Penguins game in April was a chance to save her life. In need of a kidney and with her health declining, the hockey community came through for her.


The large piece of Bristol board that she brought to the game had a simple message: ‘Calling all hockey fans. I need a kidney! Gratefully yours, Kelly.’

Jeff Lynd, who, like Kelly, is a teacher and Penguins fan, reached out via Facebook and offered to donate his kidney to her, someone he had never met.
“I saw desperation and, you know, I saw courage,” he told Good Morning America while holding the sign that changed both of their lives. “I had this feeling that it was just something that I had to do.”
The two met, it was confirmed that they were, in fact, a match and the successful transplant occurred two weeks ago.
It was a common love of the sport and some social media magic that connected the two of them. Now, Kelly and Jeff will be linked by more than just their love of the Penguins for the rest of their lives.

Nov. 23, 2018 The highlight of the week: 

Job interviews: I went to 3 interviews.  The first was a sales job that I didn't get hired at.  I went to a restaurant interview, and I don't know if I got hired there.  The cook was really nice and gave me a few of these deep fried cheese sticks when I came in.

I went to a sales interview today.  I don't want to work there.