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All that I desire to point out is the general principle that Life imitates Art far more than Art imitates Life.-Oscar Wilde
Feeling nostalgic, I set out to find a little slice of my childhood—the cartoons I used to watch, the theme songs I’d never forget. As I searched, I was reminded more and more of all TV shows I used to watch, grinned at the memories they brought up, and even felt a little tearful at a time in the world we’d never get back. Things just seemed so much simpler back then.
As more familiar shows began popping up in related videos, I decided, why stop at cartoons? And so began my search for all TV shows I remember watching (that I could actually find the credits for anyway). I couldn’t believe how many shows I’d actually forgotten about that, cue the theme song, brought about a laugh of surprise, followed instantly by the sudden need to go watch again.
Thus, I present to you, a life in TV opening credits! Some shows I only caught in reruns, some of them are just a hazy half-remembered memory, but all of them have brought me to where I am today. So thank you creative minds of the past, present, and future! You have inspired me more than you will ever know!
Jem
My Little Pony-Original
Rainbow Bright
Strawberry Shortcake
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
He-Man and She-Ra (I remember them, had their action figures, but I don't remember the openings to the TV shows very well)
In three days, the people of TV will get together to congratulate each other on their awesomeness of making it through a Writers’ Strike shortened season. But a look at the list of nominees makes me think, wait a second, there’s some good people missing here…
Sure, we all have our favorites who we just “know” should have made it not only through to the nominees, but all the way to win right? Sure, maybe somewhere deep down we secretly know that, okay maybe they weren’t the best…but still…Haha
But in all seriousness, I do think there were some very good actors and actresses who were overlooked this year.
First off, let’s talk about Henry Ian Cusick, otherwise known as Desmond on Lost. Does anyone else think that he did an awesome job this year? I mean, seriously, I became a huge Desmond fan this year, and The Constant was a very complicated, very well acted episode. I’m so glad he and Penny finally found each other!
While I’m on the subject of Lost, how about Yunjin Kim and Daniel Dae Kim playing married couple Sun and Jin Kwon? I do believe their storyline was the one that made me cry the most this last year. So very sweet, and when Sun’s screaming at the end of the season when the boat blows up? I was screaming and crying just as hard! Jin’s death was just wrong! I mean seriously, he was SO CLOSE! I--Ahem, yes, well, you can see how I feel about that one…
Moving on, let’s talk a little bit about the boys of Supernatural. Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles have portrayed the Winchester brothers Sam and Dean better than any two actors I’ve ever seen play brothers. Their chemistry is amazing and don’t let the fact that this show is on the CW make you believe this is anywhere close to fluff acting. These guys are not mere eye candy people, they can seriously ACT! The depth of emotion they can play is amazing. They make me laugh, they make me cry, they make scream at the TV when anyone messes with my Winchesters! Oh yeah, and the Impala? Awesome.
If there was an award for best ensemble cast, I would have to give it to the cast of Bones. This is one show where I actually love all the characters. And that doesn’t happen to me often! David Boreanaz and Emily Deschanel have great chemistry, and the writing on this show is fantastic. Finally a crime-fighting show that actually has fully well-rounded characters that I can care about! It’s not all about the cool CSI effects, it’s about real people, witty banter, and chemistry. And I’m not talkin’ just the scientific kind.
And then there's Heroes. Granted it's definitely an ensemble cast, but if I had to pick only one person it would definitely be Masi Oka playing Hiro Nakamura. What can I say? I love the guy. His character is the one person who selflessly just wants to save the world.
On the comedy side, Zachary Levi is great in Chuck. His work as the Buy More Nerd Hearder turned secret spy computer is sweet, and funny, and the chemistry between Chuck and Casey, and Chuck and Morgan is fantastic. Maybe it’s just the geek in me, but I love these guys! And I love how the show is both a spoof and a spy show in and of itself.
David Duchovny. ‘nuff said. Oh wait, you need more? Okay, how about his work as Hank Moody, a character that we all should hate, but we can’t help but love. Honestly, I don’t think I’d like Californication if anyone else was playing Hank. David’s honest vulnerability and well-known fantastic dark wit makes Hank a guy we can all love despite his many flaws.
Finally, let’s talk about Moonlight. I know you guys know I still have a serious problem with CBS for cancelling the only vampire show I’ve ever loved (and I do mean LOVED!) Alex O'Loughlin was brilliant in this show as vampire/private investigator Mick St. John. The way he portrayed Mick, strong yet vulnerable, gave the guy an intensity and wonderful heart. Jason Dohring as witty and lovable Josef, Mick’s 400 year old best friend was great. These guys had a friendship that could rival the best of them. I so wish Moonlight would have been given another chance. With all the vampire hype this year (Twilight anyone? Tru Blood?) I bet CBS is wishing they hadn’t staked and burned our beloved Mick St. John now, huh?
Okay, well, there’s my two cents. I’m not saying that the people who were nominated didn’t deserve it, I’m just saying that it would be nice to see some of these people who’ve worked so hard for some many years on some great shows get the recognition they deserve.
So how about you guys? Who would you add to the list?
The list of every event and guest is super long, so I tried to catch all the tvchitchat-related events to post them here for your scheduling pleasure. So here we go...
Friday (“Star Wars Day”)
4:30-5:30 Bones— Join the entire cast (David Boreanaz, Emily Deschanel, Michaela Conlin, Tamara Taylor, John Francis Daley) and creators Hart Hanson and Barry Josephson for an hour of behind-the-scenes secrets and the chance to ask them everything you always wanted to know about the hit Fox drama. Ballroom 20
Categories: Horror and Suspense | Television
6:30-7:30 The Write Stuff: Working in Genre Television— Get the inside scoop on how to break in, break out, and deal with some incredibly stupid network notes. A panel of genre luminaries share their war stories and passion for genre storytelling with you in this once-in-a-lifetime summit of super sci-fi scribes who've turned their dreams into drama, including Javier Grillo-Marxuach (The Middleman), David Simkins (Warehouse 13, Dresden Files), Steve Kriozere (V.I.P, Sliders, Dead & Deader), Steve Melching (The Clone Wars, The Batman), Ashley Miller (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles), Matthew Federman (Jericho, E-Ring), Harry Werksman & Gabrille Stanton (Moonlight), and moderator Mark A. Altman (Geek Monthly). Room 5AB
Categories: Science Fiction & Fantasy | Television | Writers & Writing
Saturday
10:45-11:45 Heroes: Exclusive First Look at “Villains” and Q&A with the Entire Cast, Tim Kring, and Tim Sale— Heroes chronicles the lives of ordinary people who discover they possess extraordinary abilities. Watch an exclusive first look at “Chapter 3: Villains.” Moderated by co-executive producer/comic book writer Jeph Loeb, participating in a Q&A session with creator Tim Kring, comic book artist Tim Sale (Batman: The Long Halloween), and the cast: Jack Coleman (H.R.G.), Greg Grunberg (Matt Parkman), Ali Larter (Niki Sanders), James Kyson Lee (Ando Masahashi), Masi Oka (Hiro Nakamura), Hayden Panettiere (Claire Bennet), Adrian Pasdar (Nathan Petrelli), Zachary Quinto (Sylar), Sendhil Ramamurthy (Mohinder Suresh), Dania Ramirez (Maya Herrera), Cristine Rose (Angela Petrelli), and Milo Ventimiglia (Peter Petrelli). Hall H
Categories: Comic Books | Superheroes | Television
12:00-1:00 Lost— If the most recent season finale was any indication of things to come, you will not want to miss this panel. Co-creator/executive producer Damon Lindelof and executive producer Carlton Cuse will discuss season 4 of Lost, leading up to the season finale. They will answer your questions and maybe even offer up some surprises of their own. Hall H
Categories: Science Fiction & Fantasy | Television
3:15-4:15 Pushing Daisies Screening and Q&A— The cast and producers of the Golden Globe Award-nominated Pushing Daisies return to Comic-Con for a special screening of exclusive clips from the acclaimed show’s upcoming season, highlights from the first season and a Q&A with fans. Stars Lee Pace (The Fall), Anna Friel (Land of the Lost), Chi McBride (Boston Public), Ellen Greene (Little Shop of Horrors), Swoosie Kurtz (Superman Doomsday), and Kristin Chenoweth (The West Wing) join executive producer/creator Bryan Fuller (Heroes) and executive producers Dan Jinks (American Beauty) and Peter Ocko (Dead Like Me) for the session, to be moderated by special guest and executive producer Barry Sonnenfeld (Men in Black). From Living Dead Guy Productions, The Jinks/Cohen Company in association with Warner Bros. Television, Pushing Daisies airs Wednesdays at 8:00 PM on the ABC Television Network. Room 6A
Categories: Science Fiction & Fantasy | Television
3:30-4:30 Chuck Screening and Q&A— Chuck executive producer Josh Schwartz (Gossip Girl), co-creator Chris Fedak, and stars Zachary Levi (Less Than Perfect), Yvonne Strahovski (Gone), Joshua Gomez (Invasion), Sarah Lancaster (Everwood), Ryan McPartlin (Super Capers), and Adam Baldwin (Serenity) return to Comic-Con for a Q&A to discuss the People’s Choice Award–nominated action-comedy, and to screen an exclusive series highlight reel debuting new footage from the upcoming second season. Produced by College Hill Pictures, Wonderland Sound and Vision in association with Warner Bros. Television, Chuck airs Mondays at 8:00 PM on NBC. Ballroom 20
Categories: Humor & Satire | Television
4:00-5:00 Devil’s Due Presents: Milo Ventimiglia— Meet Heroes star Milo Ventimiglia and his Divide Pictures partner Russ Cundiff as they unveil pages from their new DDP series Rest. Writer Mark Powers joins them alongside a panel of DDP creators with big news about Devil’s Due’s expanding library of titles including Zen: Intergalactic Ninja, Spooks: Omega Team, and more. Room 7AB
Categories: Comic Books | Superheroes
4:00-5:00 Lost Podcast with Jay and Jack— Jay Glatfelter and Jack Glatfelter have one of the oldest and biggest podcasts dedicated to ABC'S Lost with The Lost Podcast. Learn about the huge, dedicated online community for TV's most mind twisting drama. Join Jay and Jack for this special interview and Q&A session! Room 24A
Categories: Fandom | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Television
6:30-7:30 WildStorm Brewing— Get the inside scoop on what’s coming up from DC’s wildest imprint from VP Hank Kanalz, superstar artist Jim Lee, editorial director Christos Gage (WildCats: World’s End), and creators Neil Googe (WildCats: World’s End), Wes Craig (Wildstorm Revelations), Brian Denham (X-Files), Joshua Ortega (Gears of War), and Jason Craig (Freddy vs. Jason vs. Ash). Find out about WildStorm’s newest creator-driven books, plus the latest on The Authority, WildCats, Stormwatch, Gen 13, The Lost Boys, X-Files, J. J. Abram’s Fringe, and much, much more! Room 8
Categories: Comic Books | Comic-Con Special Guest Spotlights & Appearances | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Superheroes | Television
7:15-8:15 MythBusters Q&A and Sneak Preview— Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage of MythBusters talk about their offbeat Discovery Channel series that uses science to determine the truth behind urban legends. With backgrounds in animatronics, robotics, model building, and prototyping, Adam and Jamie will answer questions about the 300 myths they’ve busted to date, show untelevised clips from their most explosive myths, and feature a Comic-Con exclusive sneak peek at the upcoming NASA moon landing hoax episode. Room 6B
Categories: Nighttime Programming | Television
Sunday (“Is Kids Day!”)
10:30-11:30 Muggles, Wizards, and Fans in the World of Harry Potter— Panel members Erin Pyne (author of A Fandom of Magical Proportions), Sue Upton (senior editor of www.the-leaky-cauldron.organd co-host of Pottercast), Melissa Anelli (author of Harry: A History), and Heidi Tandy (webmaster, Fiction Alley) will have wands at ready as they discuss what makes Harry Potter fans so different from members of other fandoms. How has the HP fandom affected the development of the books and movies? Moderated by notorious Muggle Eric Bowling. Room 2
Categories: Fandom | Movies | Science Fiction & Fantasy
11:15-12:15 Supernatural Screening and Q&A— Supernatural stars Jensen Ackles (Smallville) and Jared Padalecki (House of Wax)—along with creator/executive producer Eric Kripke (Boogeyman), co-executive producers Ben Edlund (Angel) and Peter Johnson (Supernatural: Origins comic book series), and supervising producer Sera Gamble (Eyes)—present exclusive sneak peek footage from the highly anticipated fourth season premiere of this thrill-ride series, answer questions, and show a portion of the special features from the upcoming third season DVD release. Produced by Wonderland Sound and Vision in association with Warner Bros. Television, Supernatural airs Thursdays at 9:00 PM ET/PT on The CW. Room 6CDEF
Categories: Horror and Suspense | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Television