Showing posts with label television. Show all posts
Showing posts with label television. Show all posts

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Turtle's Tips: Bizarre web show

Remember way back when the television writers' strike was going on? We were all lamenting our lack of continuous, fresh media content to digest. Many of us went to the web, where original video content was flowing on a daily basis. A new media era was proclaimed. Television was dead.

Then the strike ended. The networks got their shows back up and running. People returned to the comfort of Two and a Half Men and whatnot.

I'm here to tell you there are still good web series out there. Principally hosted by Blip.tv.

A show that is way under-appreciated is Motherhoodlum. Now in its second season, Motherhoodlum tells the tales of Emily, a pretentious performance artist coping with unexpected parenting and the relationship with her fiance, Marty the accountant. They conceived after their first date.

The main characters are pretty screwed up, but everyone else they encounter are more wacky. There's the sex-and-relationship guru, who sneaks out early as he makes the couple do a relaxation exercise. There's the sought after nanny, who is the one doing the interview, not Emily. There's Emily's desperate sister, who is upset at Emily for discovering her boyfriend is just a con artist using kids as props to score with other women at the playground. Emily has her own problems. She's a compulsive liar and has been kicked out of 5, no 6, different mommy groups.

Here's the most recent episode. It's six minutes long. If you want to start from the beginning of the series, check out the archives. Warning: This episode, as well as many others, feature frank talk about sex and a fair amount of strong language.

A Womb Of One’s Own

A Womb Of One's Own


Motherhoodlum is hosted by Offsprung.com, a wonderful parent community that proclaimes "Your life didn't end when theirs began." It was started by writer and occasional Salon contributor Neal Pollock and also hosts Open Salon's Heather Ryan AKA Terrible Mother.


Turtle's Tips is a semi-regular feature on which I shine the light on some little known art, movie, show, music, food, or anything else under the sun. It's a showcase of what I like.

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Even more poo

With the yogurt and poo stuff and the fact that I have to collect a poo sample from my 4 year old for the doctor, I got poo on the mind. Here's one more video. It has a song!



This will be the last mention of poop here for a while. I promise.

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Studio apartment in south Minneapolis

Need a place to live? This upstairs apartment is accessible by ladder and close to a major bus line. It may not have a lot of room, but it is Dish Network TV ready!


Friday, April 4, 2008

No more weather!

As part of a wave of staff cuts at CBS-owned stations across the country, weather forecaster personality Paul Douglas from the Twin Cities' WCCO has been let go.

I've never been a big Paul Douglas fan--I want the science and facts behind the weather, not the poetry--it strikes me as an odd move. I imagine that Douglas himself drives a portion of the audience to WCCO. He probably costs them a lot of money and I'm sure the network has looked at their market research closely. Still, it's strange. I know they still will have weather, as they have weather forecasters who are paid less than Douglas.

My preferred weather forecaster is Keith Marler on the Fox 9 morning show. He's upbeat, but gets to the point. I like that.

Thursday, March 6, 2008

The Bicyclist is back!

Season 2 of The Bicyclist is back! I guess it must be warm enough in Portland for them to be filming. In Minnesota, it's still snow-covered and under 10 degrees.

This is a great internet-only series. You may have to watch a handful of Season 1 episodes to get the full appreciation for it.

Tuesday, November 6, 2007

Disturbing television

From VH1 comes a one-hour documentary about 6 year-olds in beauty pageants. Great. It's sad enough that these events take place at all. But VH1 is jumping in to broadcast girls competing to look like spooky, tarted-up dolls to the masses.

I have not seen the show and don't plan to. So, I can't really comment on the content. Needless to say, labeling a six year-old girl as "the Flirt" doesn't bode well. Who are these people who feel comfortable tartin- up kindergarteners?

(Thanks to Feministing.com for highlighting this sad show.)

little beauties: ultimate kiddie queen showdown




Directly from the VH1 website:
Move over Miss America! The Little Beauties are coming to town! They're gorgeous, they're talented, they're six-years old and with the helping hand of eager moms, determined pageant coaches, fabulous spray tan artists and "flipper" (fake teeth) makers, not to mention a couple of Pixie Sticks for energy, these girls are taking the stage at pageants all over the Southeast U.S for the chance to win cash prizes and crowns!

Little Beauties: Ultimate Kiddie Queen Showdown is a one-hour documentary special that will take a light-hearted look into the wonderful world of children's beauty pageants through the eyes of four, precocious six-year old girls. This documentary reveals the humor and love behind an American tradition; the always colorful characters on the pageant circuit; and the "sparkle" it takes to win a crown.

What We Will See:

  • The girls preparing for and competing in two of the biggest pageant on the circuit
  • Interviews with girls, mothers, a coach, pageant directors, spray tanner and "flipper" (fake teeth) maker,
  • Narration by "The Voice of Pageants" himself, the fabulous Mr. Tim
  • Glamorous crowning ceremonies
  • Practice sessions at home and with the indomitable Miss Nikki, one of the best coaches on the pageant circuit
  • The girls at home/at school in their normal environments, with family and friends, participating in extracurricular/sports activities
  • Spray tanning sessions
  • "Flipper" (fake teeth) fittings

    Who We Will Meet:
  • Joanna, 6 years old - The Reigning Champ
  • Aleena, 6 years old - The Flirt
  • Kynnedy, 6 years old - The Diva
  • Jordan, 6 years old - The Longshot
  • Terry - Aleena's mom / Spray tan artist
  • Kim - Kynnedy's mom
  • Eddie - Kynnedy's dad
  • Charlene - Jordan's mom
  • Laurie - Joanna's Mom
  • Mr. Tim - Narrator / Pageant emcee
  • Miss Nikki - Pageant coach
  • Michael Booth - Director, America's Fabulous Faces
  • Carol Stephens - Director, International Total Miss
  • Ray Smith - Pageant judge / entertainer

  •