The Simpsons Are Now Available

Posted by admin on May 17, 2012 in TV Shows | 0 comments

Almost every season of the Simpsons is now available on DVD with many also available on Blu Ray too. Being a cartoon show, the Simpsons doesn’t look as outdated as other shows from the time. If you would like to pick up a new TV to watch it on, or a brand new DVD or Blu Ray player then check out Big Brown Box for the best deals.

The Simpsons has been the one of the top shows for the last 20 years. The show began on December 17 1989 and since then there has been 506 episodes and over 20 seasons. It is the longest running American sitcom. The Simpsons has only had 1 movie, conveniently named “The Simpsons Movie” which grossed over $500 million.

I have no doubt in my mind that The Simpsons is one of the best cartoons shows ever and was the best show in the 1990s. It was the decade of classic Simpsons episodes, where week in and week out, every episode seemed to get better and better. From season 1 to season 9 is explained as the golden age of Simpsons episodes and contain all of the most memorable moments.

The Simpsons became so successful because it was one of the first cartoon comedies to push the boundaries of what is a normal cartoon show. You could say that it inspired such shows as South Park, Family Guy and American Dad that are now popular today. They were able to make jokes that appealed to both adults and children alike, which allows for loads of watch throughs to pick up on those jokes you may of missed out on.

I think my favourite episode from the Simpsons over the last 20 years would have to be Marge and the Monorail which aired in 1993 and was in the classic 4th season. This is a classic Simpsons episode in which a conman, Lyle Lanley, sells the town of Springfield a dodgy monorail idea. The town agrees on the idea mostly because “We’re twice as smart as the people of Shelbyville.” The breaks on the monorail fail and it’s up to Homer Simpson to save the day by chucking a huge anchor around the Lard Lad Donut Shop. This is a great episode because it’s full of great jokes and a quality storyline to boot. The song is pretty damn catchy too! “Monorail, Monorail, Monrailllllll! Mono…DOH”

There are so many more classic episodes, I could easily do a top 10 list, even a top 20 list. But that is something for when more time comes available!

How Technology Has Shaped More Stars

Posted by admin on May 15, 2012 in Celebrity | 0 comments

Technology has been rocking the music industry for the last 15 years. Declining album sales and an increase in peer-to-peer file sharing have completely changed the way in which record companies can make money and develop new artists. With the recent appearance of .mp3 files, it is easier than ever for fans to get music without paying for it.

People can practically get anything they want for free on the internet, whether it’s music, movies, or even video games. Record companies are scrambling to protect their copyrighted material from internet users, and trying to figure out how to make money when technological advances are hurting sales. It is even more difficult for new artists that don’t already have a huge fan base. Artists like the Black Eyed Peas and Britney Spears already have a large audience that will support them, but less popular artists haven’t been so lucky.

Even with these apparent disadvantages, some aspiring musicians have decided to use technology and social networking to their advantage. People are more connected than ever, and new artists are figuring out ways to thrive in these changing times. They are emerging and gaining popularity through social media and word of mouth, rather than putting out an album right away or immediately touring the country and hoping for the best like artists from previous generations.

Austin Mahone, a 16 year old singer that became Youtube famous in 2011 by posting videos online of himself singing, just released his debut album in April 2012. He had a million views on most of his videos before he had even performed at a real concert. By posting videos of himself on Youtube, he was able to get people to share them on Facebook and other social media sites, causing a snowball effect of views and popularity until he finally released an album to the public. Even though record sales are lower than they have ever been, people still buy .mp3 files from Amazon or iTunes. People also purchase merchandise and ringtones of Austin Mahone the musician which brings in a good amount of money that would have been made touring by older musicians.

Other artists have become famous in the same way that Austin Mahone did, including Justin Bieber and Cody Simpson. Anybody can spend $500 and turn their bedroom into a full home studio, which would have cost thousands of dollars just 20 years ago. Austin Mahone became a Youtube sensation by putting his songs online and letting the swarm of internet users do the rest. With a full album released and almost a million Twitter followers, it seems that Mahone may have actually found a way to use technology as an advantage in the music industry after all.

Peggy Squires is a writer for Keek.com and is a big fan of Austin Mahone. Follow her on Twitter to stay up-to-date on the latest news.

L.A. Law– One of the Good Old Legal Dramas

Posted by Guest on May 3, 2012 in Featured, TV Shows | 0 comments

Older TV viewers can definitely attest to the statement that L.A. Law is one of the best legal dramas ever created on television. L.A. law ran for eight seasons from September 16, 1986 to May 19, 1994 on NBC.  The drama series was created by Steven Bochco and Terry Louise Fisher. It contained Bochco’s trademark s such as social drama, a huge number of parallel storylines and good humor as well.

Critics claimed that the series depicted the cultural and social ideologies of the eighties and early nineties. A plethora of pressing issues during that time such as racism, abortion, sexual harassment, AIDS, homophobia and domestic violence were featured on the show. L.A. Law also showed the social tensions between affluent senior lawyers and their juniors. Widely popular with critics and audiences, L.A. Law was able to bag 15 Emmy awards in its entire airing. Four of these were the Outstanding Drama Series awards.

The television series is well-known for its perfect combination of drama and humor in just one episode. Also, sexual indulgences of almost all the characters have become fodder for the episodes of the show. L.A. Law tied itself to the events that transpired in 1992 during the riots in Los Angeles. The riots took place when 4 white policemen were acquitted for beating an African-American motorist, Rodney King, which was clearly shown on the leaked videotape. One of the show’s scenes was reminiscent of the Reginald Denny incident. Stuart Markowitz, a tax attorney was struck on the head by one of the rioters and ends up sustaining serious head injuries which led to a string of problems for him and his wife in the next few episodes.

Just like any other dramas, L.A. Law was not safe from controversies. In the episode “He’s a Crowd”, Abby Perkins, a female lawyer had an on-screen romantic kiss with another female lawyer, C.J. Lamb who was openly bisexual. This particular episode has stirred some issues at a time when homosexuality and homophobia were still highly-debated.

Aside from the Emmy awards, some of the show’s actors like Jimmy Smits and Larry Drake have received Emmys for their performances. In the 1988-1989 season, nine of the show’s cast members were nominated for Emmys. Michael Tucker was nominated for Lead Actor while Susan Dey and Jill Eikenberry were nominated for Lead Actress award. Amanda Plummer, Michele Greene and Susan Ruttan were listed for the Supporting Actress. Richard Dysart and Jimmy Smits were nominated for Supporting Actor but it was Larry Drake who won the award. The series also won a Latino Image Award.

Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Episodes That You Should Not Miss

Posted by Guest on Apr 19, 2012 in Featured, TV Shows | 0 comments

Sarah Michelle Gellar was catapulted to stardom when she played the title role in the hit American TV series “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”. Buffy, belonging to the line of young women known as “Vampire Slayers” or “Slayers” was chosen by fate to fight against demons, vampires and other evil forces. She is aided by a Watcher who teaches, trains and guides her. The television show was created by writer-director Joss Whedon under Mutant enemy Productions in 1997. It was originally aired on WB Television Network.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer had received popular and critical acclaim and had been able to reach around four to six million viewers on its original airing. The series was nominated for Golden Globe and Emmy awards and has bagged a total of 3 Emmys. If you want to relive the exciting episodes of this TV series, watch out for these episodes that you should not miss.

1. Faith and Buffy Switch Bodies - This is a hilarious episode from season 4 where Faith in Buffy’s body was trying to get used to being “Buffy”. The actresses did an amazing job here.
2. Double Xander - Xander split into two, with one possessing all the bad qualities while the other has all the good qualities.
3. The Body - This one was the episode where Joyce died. It was considered as the most realistic portrayal of death on television.
4. Buffy kills Angel - The finale episode from season two contains a lot of heart-breaking moments especially when Buffy finally told her mother the truth. Great fight scenes were also carried out by Angel and Buffy. She has to stab Angel even if she realized that he was back and it was too late.
5. Buffy versus Dracula - Spike and Anya displayed funny and different reactions when they have learned that Dracula is in town.
6. Tabula Rasa - The Scoobies (Buffy’s circle of friends) tried to piece together who they really were. Willow realized that she is somewhat “gay” while Giles and Anya tackled their soon-to-be-married relationship. Spike was figuring out if he was a good vampire with a soul and the heart to help the needy.
7. Angel kills Miss Calendar - The episode started with Angel hunting Jenny down. Giles found Jenny’s body and reported it to Willow and Buffy.
8. Buffy dies again - This final episode of the fifth season was nominated for the Emmys. Buffy realized that she has to give up her life to save the universe and her sister Dawn. She threw herself into a portal. Buffy’s mother has cancer and she eventually died.

Fun Facts About the X-Files: What You Should Know About The Show

Posted by Guest on Apr 5, 2012 in Featured, TV Shows | 0 comments

If you are fond of watching science fiction, you will definitely love The X-Files, an American sic-fi television series which was created by Chris Carter. The show was aired from September 10, 1993 until May 19, 2002 on Fox network. It was a part of The X-Files franchise and became a huge hit with its cool characters and catchy slogans like “The Truth is Out There”, “Trust No One”, and “I Want to Believe”. The show tackled public mistrust on large institutions and governments as well as spirituality and conspiracy theories.

To make things more interesting, here are some fun bits about the well-loved television series that every viewer must know.

• Senator Richard Matheson was named after Richard Matheson, an author who inspired Koclhak: The Night Stalker was the show that inspired Carter to come up with the concept of ‘The X-Files’ tv show.
• 1013 recurs in the show because Carter’s production company was named “Ten Thirteen” after his birthday October 13, 1956. Also, the numbers 1121 often appear on the series because it is the birthday of Carter’s wife Dori.
• The character played by Cary Lewes, Brad Follmer, was named after Chris Carter’s writing assistant.
• Anne Simon, the show’s science consultant, is a virologist at the University of Massachusetts who wrote a non-fiction book entitled, “The Real Science Behind the X-Files: Microbes, Meteorites and Mutants” in 1999.
• “The Truth is Out There”, the line at the end of the opening credits of the show ranked #9 in the list of TV Guide’s “TV’s 20 Top Catchphrases” in August 21-27, 2005 issue.
• David Duchovny and the character that he played in The X-Files Fox Mulder have the same middle name—William.
• Gillian Anderson (who played Dana Scully), William B. Davis (the Cigarette Smoking Man) and David Duchovny (who portrayed Fox Mulder) were the only actors to appear in the first and last episodes of the series.
• Cigarette Smoking Man was never given a name until the later part of the series. He was called the “Cancerman” in a few of the early episodes.
• The Lone Gunmen became very popular characters that they were given their own spin-off show with the title bearing their name.
• Nicholas Lea (who portrayed Alex Krycek, a traitorous agent), did his entire stunt work.
• Mark Snow, a composer, accidentally rested an elbow on the keyboard with the echo function on, and he liked the sound produced that he wrote the show’s theme around it. That was the famous echoing chord from The X-Files’ theme music.
• William B. Davis who played the Cigarette Smoking Man is a non-smoker so the cigarettes he used in his scenes were herbal.

Some Of The Most Memorable Moments of the Original Beverly Hills 90210

Posted by Guest on Mar 22, 2012 in Featured, TV Shows | 0 comments

Who could ever forget the phenomenal success of the American drama series “Beverly Hills 90210”? This show which was produced by spelling Television aired from the 4th of October in 1990 until the 17th of May in 2000 on Fox. It was then aired on different networks all around the world.

Beverly Hills 90210 is about the lives of a group of teens living in the star-studded upscale community of Beverly Hills in California. The series’ original premise was based on the culture shock and adjustments of the Walsh Twins  Brandon (portrayed by Jason Priestley) and Brenda (played by Shannen Doherty) when their family moved from Minneapolis, Minnesota to the Californian neighborhood.

The show tackled numerous issues such as romantic relationships, friendship, date rape, gay rights, drug abuse, domestic violence, teenage suicide, AIDS, teenage pregnancy, abortion, bulimia and anti-Semitism. Avid fans of Beverly Hills 90210 highlight some of the show’s most unforgettable moments such as the following:

1. Brandon was drugged by his girlfriend Emily Valentine - The male Walsh dated a string of gorgeous girls in the series but his most memorable lady love was a bad girl named Emily who drugged him with Ecstasy. After that incident, Brandon realized that Emily may not be the right one for him.
2. Brenda lost her virginity - During the Spring Dance, Brenda and Dylan McKay (played by Luke Perry) were in a Bel Age Hotel room going all the way while Kelly Taylor (played by Jennie Garth), Brenda’s best friend, was being crowned as the “Spring Queen”.
3. Donna Martin graduated after a bevy of issues - Because of her “drunken” behavior, Donna (portrayed by Tori Spelling) the school principal Mrs. Teasley said that she is ineligible to graduate. Donna’s friends managed to stage a protest against the decision. “Donna Martin graduates” became a classic 90210 line.
4. Dylan ended his relationship with Brenda and chooses Kelly - Dylan told Brenda about his new girlfriend, Kelly which brought Brenda to tears. Kelly revealed that while her best friend was away in Paris, she and Dylan snuck around all summer. Brenda was outraged and told her ex- boyfriend and ex- best friend not to talk to her again.
5. Dylan and Brandon gave Kelly an ultimatum - Brandon gave an engagement ring to Kelly while Dylan offered a trip around the world, but the lady decided to put an end to her love triangle by making a choice—choosing neither one of them and choosing herself instead.
6. Toni, Dylan’s wife was murdered - Antonia “Toni” Marchette, played by Rebecca Gayheart in the series, was shot to death by a gunman hired by her father to supposedly kill Dylan, her husband. This was one of the most heartbreaking moments in the entire Beverly Hills 90210 series.

The Best Dawson’s Creek Episodes

Posted by Guest on Mar 8, 2012 in Featured, TV Shows | 0 comments

During the late 1990s, teenagers got hooked watching WB’s Dawson’s Creek, an American teen drama TV series, which was created by Kevin Williamson and was produced by Sony Pictures Television. It was first aired on the 20th of January in 1998. The show was set on Capeside, Massachusetts and Boston, Massachusetts, a fictional town.

Dawson’s Creek is about the lives of a close-knit teenage group through high school and college. The TV series was phenomenally popular that it paved the way for the lead starts to gain stardom and the show became the trademark for The WB.

Those who have been able to watch the show’s different seasons most probably have their favorite episodes. To reminisce those good old days of Dawson’s Creek, here is a compilation of some of the series’ best episodes from various seasons.

1. Junior Prom - Jack was denied tickets to the Junior Prom because he is gay. Dawson set up an alternative prom at Leery’s Fresh Fish to woo Joey away from Pacey by bringing her as his date. Joey and Pacey had the chance to dance and Dawson was outraged.
2. The death of Albert Brooks - Mr. Brooks befriends Dawson after the latter wrecks his boat from saving Jen and Pacey. Dawson discovers that Mr. Brooks was a popular movie director way back. Brooks has cancer and decided to die with dignity by taking a handful of pills.
3. Dawson’s father dies - Mitch Leery, Dawson’s dad passed away because of someone who fell asleep while driving. Dawson ends up crying in his Jeep after he heard his dad’s voice on the answering machine.
4. Joey visits her father - After Bessie’s persuasion, Joey went to prison to visit their father. Dawson went with her and they spent the night in a motel where he confessed his romantic feelings for Joey.
5. All Good Things Must Come to an End - At season 6, the gang returns to Capeside after five years. They held a reunion and relived their lives as individuals and as a group. Each character took a different path in life and they all became successful in their chosen careers. As they were looking forward to Gail’s wedding, Jen collapsed and was rushed to the hospital. Jen was dying and the gang only discovered this a little too late. She died and Dawson picked up Pacey. This episode was the most memorable for many avid viewers because it was highly emotional.