Freebie

Free On iTunes - Stargate SG-1, Shear Genius, Happy Tree Friends

Friday, April 20th, 2007 at 5:55 PM - by

Like many people, I was mesmerized by the movie Stargate when it appeared on big screens around the country back in 1994. It linked many tales and fables, and even a smidgen of history, into a cohesive fiction that makes you stop and think, if even just for a moment.

What if the technology the Egyptians used to build the Great Pyramids was actually taught to them by extraterrestrials? And what if, somewhere buried in the shifting sands of the Eastern Sahara is a doorway to other worlds? What mysteries might we find? What treasures might we discover? What horrors awaits?

Hey! Sounds like a great plot for a TV series, doesn't it? The folks at MGM and Showtime (The premium cable channel) thought so, and they created Stargate SG-1 back in 1997. The show has been on the air for 10 seasons now, moving from Showtime to the SciFi Channel here in the U.S. where it has enjoyed a faithful following of fans.

I never got into Stargate SG-1 for some reason. Perhaps at various times when I could have watched I preferred spending time with the Star Trek franchise; Voyager and Enterprise were my favorite SciFi shows around 2000 - 2001 and I had little time to catch-up on the goings-on in SG-1.

Well, I guess it was my loss because SG-1 is in its final season. Of course there will be reruns aired forever, but there's something about watching episodes that are new.

Even so, whether you are a fan or someone, like me, with a cursory interest in SG-1, you'll likely enjoy Behind The Mythology of Stargate SG-1, one of this week's free download on the iTunes Store.

Behind The Mythology has interviews with the show's stars, producer Robert Cooper, and others and explores the ideology behind the series. It's actually very interesting. It makes me wish there actually was a stargate buried in the Sahara.

Moving on from good fiction to bad reality, another iTunes Store freebie this week is an episode of Shear Genius, a reality show that centers on competing hair stylists.

Umm...why?

Hairstylists? Are they going to create a reality show about manicurists as well?

Don't get me wrong, the jobs that people do can be interesting and all, and I'm not belittling stylists or manicurists -- they do make our world a better place. What bugs me is the length at which the creators of these shows will go to to find an audience.

If you are not a stylist, would you really care about a show based on competing stylists? How about competing fashion designers? Maybe competing corporate executives strikes your fancy.

It's all a load of horse hooey, if you ask me. Yeah, I could be putting on a snobbish air, but my snobbery is of the equal opportunity type; I don't like ANY reality shows.

I did give the free episode, First Cut, a watch (as required by my editor. Curse you Bryan!) and I'm happy to report that if you've watched one reality show, you've seen this one; they are all becoming formalistic. The only difference is that instead of designing clothes for rail-thin models or selling hotdogs on Walls Street, these people are creating hairstyles. At any rate these shows are hardly about the tasks, they're about the people in them, and the more friction there is between the contestants the better. Nothing says good TV watching like a hissy-fit between two prima donnas.

There is one thing I can say that is positive about these shows: The contestants are actually doing something. Be they garbage men, personal trainers, or starving artists, win or lose they have gotten up off the couch and stepped up to the plate for a turn at life, albeit a tightly controlled and highly televised version of life. Still, they've done it or are doing it and that is a good thing.

I say stop watching reality shows and go out and make your own reality. You'll find that it is far more interesting and satisfying because it is all about you and yours. And when you find that you have a few minutes to kill download and watch Shear Genius. Maybe it can give you a few pointers on really living. Maybe not.

Last, but certainly not least, I'd like to direct your attention to another freebie found on the iTunes Store, and other places around the Web; Happy Tree Friends.


Happy Tree Friends

My daughter introduced me to Happy Tree Friends a few years back and I can't say that I'm a huge fan, but I get the humor, and you might too.

Happy Tree Friends, as well as other cartoons with violence as the main theme, may be seen as a problem in our society, but I don't think so. The antics in Happy Tree Friends is so exaggerated that it cannot be interpreted as anything but humor. It may not be appropriate humor for some, however, but it is available, for free, on iTunes and from other places around the Web.

Other freebies at the iTunes Store (with direct links):

Vern Seward is a writer who currently lives in Orlando, FL. He's been a Mac fan since Atari Computers folded, but has worked with computers of nearly every type for 20 years.

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gslusher said:

member since 13 Nov 2002 with 2003 posts, unranked, send him a message or view his profile

Fri Apr 20, 2007 6:39 pm

Thanks for keeping track of these, Vern. I'm getting the Stargate freebie--I have all the previous 9 seasons of Stargate SG-1 (plus 2 of Stargate Atlantis, which will continue for a while) on commercial DVDs and have recorded Season 10 on my DVD-Recorder with a 160 GB HD.

I agree about the crop of reality shows. One major motivation for these has to be cost. They're not using professional actors, so they can get them at scale. Most have no sets to speak of--they're filmed like a news program. From the viewer's standpoint, they may be tapping into Andy Warhol's "15 minutes of fame" idea. Lord knows, that has motivated people to do all sorts of weird things. (If you think these shows are weird, catch some of the Japanese shows that are shown on Spike, etc, or the clips on YouTube.)

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A guest said: (hide)

Fri Apr 20, 2007 11:44 pm

Just because you didn't catch Stargate SG-1 on the first round, doesn't mean you can't in reruns. I think its one of those shows that doesn't pale over time.

I just got into Stargate SG-1 about seven months ago. I find how they wrap different cultures into common myths that cut across Greek, Egyptian, Chinese, Norse, Indian, English, and other societies and cultures is brilliant. The acting is better than average and the writing, especially in the first 3 years is close to excellent and innovative.

I think the interplay between the cast members is well done also. I liked it so much that I bought 4 seasons on DVD, after previewing them, thanks to BitTorrent downloads. After watching many of the behind the scenes extras on the DVD, I am impressed how they managed to produce the shows with a rather restricted budget.

Check it out Vern, I think its quality TV, even today.

ilene

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VSeward said:

member since 28 Jun 2001 with 971 posts, TMO Staff, send him a message or view his profile

Sat Apr 21, 2007 1:57 am

Quote
gslusher wrote:
I agree about the crop of reality shows. One major motivation for these has to be cost. They're not using professional actors, so they can get them at scale. Most have no sets to speak of--they're filmed like a news program. From the viewer's standpoint, they may be tapping into Andy Warhol's "15 minutes of fame" idea. Lord knows, that has motivated people to do all sorts of weird things. (If you think these shows are weird, catch some of the Japanese shows that are shown on Spike, etc, or the clips on YouTube.)

I almost wished they would turn into the Japanese shows, at least there is no pretense, just people trying to have a good time.

Ah well. I guess there's something for everyone.

Also, to the Guest: I do intend to go through SG-1. They have the discs at my local library. Thanks for the suggestion.

Vern Seward

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Rainy Day said:

member since 07 Jun 2005 with 607 posts, unranked, send him a message or view his profile

Sat Apr 21, 2007 3:46 am

Vern Seward wrote: “Well, I guess it was my loss because SG-1 is in its final season.”

Again? (This wasn’t the first time… and may not be the last.)

I have been watching SG on DVD’s from my library (just finished season 9). Rarely watched it when it aired originally because of poor reception. Am seriously thinking about buying all the DVD’s.

I think the series is better than the original movie. The first seven seasons are probably the best. Far better than Star Trek, IMO (particularly Voyager). Babylon 5 is also an excellent series, and also better than ST. Don’t get me wrong, i’ve seen every single ST episode ever aired, and all the movies. But these other series’ are simply better.

Anyhow, thanks for the heads-up!

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VSeward said:

member since 28 Jun 2001 with 971 posts, TMO Staff, send him a message or view his profile

Sat Apr 21, 2007 8:59 pm

Quote
Rainy Day wrote:
I think the series is better than the original movie. The first seven seasons are probably the best. Far better than Star Trek, IMO (particularly Voyager). Babylon 5 is also an excellent series, and also better than ST. Don’t get me wrong, i’ve seen every single ST episode ever aired, and all the movies. But these other series’ are simply better.

Anyhow, thanks for the heads-up!

I can't argue cuz I've not watched SG-1, but I find it hard to believe it's better than Star Trek in general. Perhaps the early episodes of Voyager, maybe, but certainly not TNG or Deep Space Nine. There are some episodes of DS9 that I still remember vividly today. I even enjoyed Enterprise when it was on.

I did watch Babylon 5 for a few seasons and enjoyed it. Lots of plots and twists. Good stuff. I got busy doing other things and left B5, catching an episode or two here and there.

I will check out SG-1. There really isn't any good SciFi on these days. Batlestar Galactica has a strong following, and from the few episodes I've seen it does look good, but I still have a hard time catching it, and since I wasn't with it from the beginning I always feel like I've missed too much to really get into it. Guess that's another one that I'll have to catch up on with library rentals.

Vern Seward

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A guest said: (hide)

Sun Apr 22, 2007 12:15 am

Well, it is all subjective, of course, and YMMV, etc. Personally, i liked TNG the best. Even better than TOS, even though i grew up watching TOS. And i certainly agree with you that DS9 did indeed have some very good episodes. And i too enjoyed Enterprise (it’s biggest problem, IMO, was that by the time it came around, the ST franchise had been so overdone and worn out that folks just lost interest). And although i never really enjoyed Voyager as much, it too had some very good episodes.

I can’t dispute that all of the ST series had some very good shows. But overall, i have to say that SG & B5 are better productions. Unlike ST, you really have to start at the beginning of each of these and work your way through, because they both have ongoing story arcs. ST has very little of that, especially between series, and many episodes in ST contradict each other (even within the same series).

The other thing is ST is more about technology. Hey, i love technology, but ST has too many episodes where problems are “solved” by some technological magic. That can be fun for a while, but eventually it gets boring. Especially since we’re talking about make-believe technology. Also, with ST, no matter what happens to a character – even if their DNA is radically altered and they start turning into a lemur – by the end of the episode somebody has waved the magic wand of (usually newly invented) technology and they are pretty much back to their old self. Too often it seems like a cheat. The best episodes of ST are those where technology is used more as a prop, not the basis of the story; where the human condition, and relationships, are explored much more fully. That is exactly where SG & B5 excel.

B5 absolutely has to be watched in chronological order. It was conceived as a five-year story. It’s like reading a book. You have to start at the beginning and read each chapter in order. If you don’t, it’s not really worth watching.

SG episodes stand on their own a little better, but you’ll enjoy it much more if you watch it in chronological order. With ST, with just a few exceptions, it almost doesn’t matter what episodes you see when.

The unfortunate thing about B5 was it was conceived as a five-year story, but around the middle of the fourth season the fifth season was cancelled. It was subsequently picked up by another network, but some damage had already been done. An effort was made to finish telling the story early, only to discover that wasn’t necessary. That affected the final product. In fact, the final episode of the fifth (final) season was actually filmed at the end of season four. Also, one of the stars left after season four because of a contract dispute, and so was replaced by a different character. It would have been more interesting, i suspect, if these influences hadn’t occurred. Nonetheless, it was an excellent story.

I am a fan of the original Galactica. I have seen the pilot to the new BG on DVD. I was prepared not to like it, given what i knew of the remake, like the changes to characters (e.g. Starbuck, Boomer, Col. Tigh, Baltar, Apollo, Adama, Cylons, et al.), but i have to say it looks promising. However it is too soon to really form an opinion.

Have fun with SG & B5. You’re in for a real treat. Just make sure to watch them in order. Enjoy!

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Rainy Day said:

member since 07 Jun 2005 with 607 posts, unranked, send him a message or view his profile

Sun Apr 22, 2007 12:18 am

Um, that was me above. Didn’t notice the system logged me out.

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DaiMac said:

member since 29 Jun 2001 with 952 posts, unranked, send him a message or view his profile

Sun Apr 22, 2007 3:13 am

I was gonna bite my tongue and not post on this topic and then someone had to go and say SG-1 is better than Voyager, wow I can't imagine that perspective...

Now, I'll freely admit that I haven't watched every season of SG-1, I've probably seen 10-15 episodes from start to finish and various isolated scenes from a host of others (TV turned to SCI-FI in anticipation of BSG or something else I want to watch), but I have never been impressed. I find the acting so-sor, the story ridiculously convoluted even beyond the wildest nightmares of DS9 season 6-7 (I liked those seasons but there is a ton of crazy nonsense thrown in with the good stuff), and the presentation generally flat. I've been watching old BSG on Ion, I was very young when I first watched the show and it doesn't quite live up to my memories of how awesome it was, and I find the acting way better on that show than anything I've seen in SG1. Now, is it horrible? No, its decent, and does most things (tech, special effects, aliens) decently, but its in no way exceptional. If you want to watch it, I'm with Vern, check it out at the library or try and hook up on the beginning of a rerun cycle on whatever channel you have that shows it, I think its not worth the money on iTunes (yes, I know the file discussed here is free, I just mean in general).

Now, I'm not going to waste a bunch of time elucidating why I think Voyager is awesome, and why Katherine Janeway is the most baddass ST captain in my eyes. I think if anything the way that show went is just a testament to how ridiculously screwed up Paramount and UPN are/were (I know its CW now..ugh), they took something with a great concept, plot and cast and nearly destroyed it with poor scheduling and inferior marketshare. If that show had premiered on Fox or ABC it might have run an additional year or two and the first 2 seasons would likely have been better (though it seems like all Trek series take 2 seasons to heat up, takes the cast/crew that long to find ways around the incompetence of Rick Berman and Brannon Bragga). I'm not any kind of trek fanatic either, Enterprise was horrible, TOS is good mainly because of the great Sci-Fi writers they got to contribute episode plots, and both DS9 and Voyager did take over 2 seasons to really get good (DS9 really doesn't start being good until middle of Season 4, Voyager sputters a bit at the beginning of season 4 then starts to get significantly better after that), and out of 10 movies only II, IV and VIII are even close to being really good, and all because of characters not among the casts of the original shows (Kahn, Probe/Whales-yes they are the best actors in ST IV-, and Borg Queen/Hippie Cochrane).

As to BSG, its what I would term a "medium" commitment serial drama, its not on the order of something like 24 that requires a real effort to watch every single episode in order at a timely rate, but there are a large number of ongoing plot points and threads in the air at any given time that may be more or less confusing if you don't watch fairly closely. It is a show I would greatly recommend off iTunes if you have either an AppleTV or some other Mac-to-TV bridge that lets you watch it on your TV, in fact in the case of Season 1 of BSG I've had problems even finding the DVD, I ended up buying it on iTunes because I wanted a good, high quality copy of the whole first season. Its also a show that isn't really afraid to take major risks or alientate segments of its fanbase in the interest of telling the tale it wants to tell how it wants to tell it (same boldness that was partially responsible for the dim view of Firefly by moron Fox executives). If I were to lodge a complaint about the show other than minor nitpicks it would be the totally cheezy promos Sci-Fi runs using really bad rock music, and the even more addled "polls" that they seem to run during every episode now. Just one more reason to just get it on iTunes and stop watching cable, IMO.

Oh and to show I'm willing to give things I initially thought weren't that great a chance, I was converted to a B5 fan finally last year after letting my impressions of the miniseries (didn't and still don't like it much) steer me away from it for years, by the unlikeliest of things: Strazynzki happens to be one of the best writers in comic books in addition to a visionary Television creator I highly recommend Midnight Sun, which is an amazing vision of good, evil and the human soul, as well as Rising Stars, a comic that doesn't end as majestically as it begins because of legal problems between Strazynski and the publisher but is still a great read. Anyway, the point is I was convinced to revisit and eventually purchase the bulk of B5 (I'm actually not done quite yet, still haven't watched the last 10 episodes or so), another show which, given a more understanding venue and more creative freedom, could have been even more than it was but still ended up being great.

Final note to Vern: I know comics are a bit off-topic, but I honestly think the best science fiction being produced today is written by Mr. Warren Ellis, if you're not already familiar with his work Transmetropolitan, Orbiter, Ministry of Space, Global Frequency and Ocean are all pretty darn good sci-fi, IMO.

I'm not sure what point I made in there, its quite late and I may not be fully sober

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