The Sopranos (Season 4) DVD Review

Along with Sex And The City, the HBO original series The Sopranos took the world by storm in the late-1990s with its cutting edge drama and acerbic wit. A cross between The Godfather and the traditional nuclear sitcom family, the show provided a unique experience for a niche audience that quickly developed into a barrage of dedicated fans. Nominated for countless Emmy's, and winner of at least four in every one of its seasons except Season 2 (in which it carried home one), The Sopranos has cemented itself as one of the elite shows in television history

Golden Globe performer James Gandolfini plays the title role of Tony Soprano, a middle-aged father of two, loving husband, and successful businessman. But contrary to a typical sitcom, Tony finds himself irritated by his kids Anthony and Meadow (Robert Iler and Jamie Lynn Sigler), he cheats on his wife Carmela (Edie Falco), and the business organization responsible for his success is the mafia (of which he is the local boss). All the confusion in Tony's life leads to massive amounts of stress, prompting him to regularly visit a therapist, Dr. Jennifer Melfi (Lorraine Bracco) - one of the few outsiders he trusts. Following a classic prime time soap opera format, quite similar to the hit TV show Dallas, The Sopranos provides audiences with a glimpse into the life and times of a mafia boss, where we find out that being a mob kingpin isn't the glamour life often portrayed in the Movies

The Sopranos (Season 4) DVD offers a number of hilarious episodes including the season premiere For All Debts Public and Private in which Tony and Carmela deal with the strain on their household finances in the midst of a recession, and Adrianna brings a friend of great interest to the Soprano family dinner. Meanwhile, Tony creates a speci al bond with Christopher when he gives his blessing for Christopher to avenge his father's murder Other notable episodes from Season 4 include No Show in which Meadow has a fallout with Tony and Carmela when she decides to drop out of college and travel the European continent, and Pie-O-My in which Tony develops a deep interest in Ralphie's new race horse, prompting him to spend more time away from home than Carmela likes

Below is a list of episodes included on The Sopranos (Season 4) DVD:

Episode 40 (For All Debts Public and Private) Air Date: 09-15-2002
Episode 41 (No Show) Air Date: 09-22-2002
Episode 42 (Christopher) Air Date: 09-29-2002
Episode 43 (The Weight) Air Date: 10-06-2002
Episode 44 (Pie-O-My) Air Date: 10-13-2002
Episode 45 (Everybody Hurts) Air Date: 10-20-2002
Episode 46 (Watching Too Much Television) Air Date: 10-27-2002
Episode 47 (Mergers & Acquisitions) Air Date: 11-03-2002
Episode 48 (Whoever Did This) Air Dat e: 11-10-2002
Episode 49 (The Strong, Silent Type) Air Date: 11-17-2002
Episode 50 (Calling All Cars) Air Date: 11-24-2002
Episode 51 (Eloise) Air Date: 12-01-2002
Episode 52 (Whitecaps) Air Date: 12-08-2002

About the Author

Britt Gillette is author of The DVD Report, a blog where you can find more reviews like this one of The Sopranos (Season 4) DVD.

Author:: Britt Gillette
Keywords:: the sopranos season 4 dvd review
Post by History of the Computer | Computer safety tips

The Very First Television Shows

The first television sets were part electrical and part mechanical, consisting of spinning discs that replicated the action of a larger spinning disc in the studio. The first moving images - of a ventriloquist's dummy - were transmitted by Scot John Logie Baird in 1925.

In 1927 the first Tv show was aired. It was a demonstration by Bell Telephone Labs and AT&T with contributions from various executives of these companies and a speech by the secretary of commerce, Herbert Hoover.

This was followed by many ad-hoc broadcasts from Whippany, N. J. These were experiments and were picked up by just one Tv set - at Bell Laboratories, New York City. These broadcasts consisted of images transmitted using radio waves and sound transmitted via cable. They were not entertainment shows - just a few engineers and scientists testing out the new medium.

The first shows that aired to the public were those of WRGB (known officially as W2XB but popularly known as WGY's Television). Broadcasts were beamed locally to Schenectady, N.Y. This happened to be the home town of television (and radio) pioneer Ernst Alexanderson. Schenectady was also the home of just four television receivers. The early WRGB broadcasts usually consisted of a person sitting in a chair not doing very much except the odd hand or face movement or a drag on a cigarette. In fact, watching people smoke cigarettes seems to have been the main feature of early Tv test transmissions!

The first sch eduled Tv shows, and from what I can make out, the world's first regular Tv shows were farming and weather bulletins aired twice a day, 3 days per week on WRGB. These broadcasts were simply extensions of the output of radio station WGY. The first remote location broadcast, or outside broadcast, took place in 1928, once again by WRGB. The subject of this broadcast was Governor Al Smith's acceptance speech of the Democratic nomination for office President of the United States. Due to inclement weather, the ceremony was switched from outside to an indoor location and the short notice didn't allow enough time to test the lighting and equipment. Hence the resu lting live pictures were of poor quality. Meanwhile, in Wheaton, Maryland, Charles Jenkins' W3XK transmitter started tests followed by regular programs in July 1928.

These broadcasts were never really meant or designed for wide public consumption, however, some enthusiasts managed to build crude receivers and got to enjoy the output. Charles Jenkins' estimated that W3XK had an audience of 20,000.

Many incorrectly quote the BBC's The Man with the Flower in his Mouth from 1930 as being the first broadcast play, but it was actually The Queen's Messenger, written by J. Harley Manners and directed by Mortimer Stewart. This was aired on WRGB in 1928.

It must be noted that in those early days television screens were about 3 inches by 3 inches. So small, in fact, that most output consisted of a person's upper body. Radio with pictures is what it was called, and that was not far off! The images consisted of varying shades of pink or brown, depending on the illuminat ion used. The presenters and performers would often need to wear dark lipstick and green makeup so that their features would not be bleached in the extremely bright studio lights. True color television came later. The spinning discs were eventually replaced by all-electric systems. All Tv shows, including dramas, were live to air - there was no videotape or digital recording in those days!

These pioneering broadcasts were effectively experiments (and were licensed as such by the federal government). Most viewers were either wealthy and curious or were hobbyists. It is unlikely that television had any real worth as an entertainment or information medium in these early days. The extent to which television could expand and could be networked was severely hampered by a lack of a national standard for telecasting. There were also many technical difficulties not least with the revolving disc system. It wasn't until the forties when these issues had been ironed out that Tv took off in earnest.

The rest, as they say, is history, but a very rich history indeed. Have a look at bygoneTv.com and you see what I mean.

Vernon Stent is the marketing consultant to http://www.bygoneTv.com, specializing in old Tv shows.

Author:: Vernon Stent
Keywords:: old Tv shows
Post by History of the Computer | Computer safety tips

Satellite Television in an Apartment The Curious How To

Satellite T.V. is becoming one of the hardest competitors to digital cable. There are many advantages over cable that Satellite can offer such as lower prices and less taxes but still producing the same digital picture you have come to appreciate. Satellite Television comes in all sorts of packages including digital recording recievers to High Definition. The major problem facing Satellite lovers is that many apartment complexes do not allow the equipment to be mounted on the building in any way. Well, there is a solution.

If you would like to be able to have the convenience of Satellite Tv in your home yet your landlord says, no mounting there is a way. First of all you need a permission slip from your landlord to Install the satelite system , even if you aren't going to mount it. This keeps you safe from getting evicted. Assure your landlord that you won't be mounting on the complex.

Next, you'll want to stop by your local utility store and buy these three items; a bucket, a four to eight foot metal pipe and some cement. Now these items should run fairly cheap so it won't hurt the budget too bad. Why buy all this miscellaneous junk? Well, you will be building a mount that can be buried in the ground or stay above the ground that the satelite Dish can be mounted to. After this, it gets pretty simple. Mix your cement with water (as indicated on the directions.) Add the cement to your bucket. You'll need to position the metal pip in the bucket so that it sticks straight up in the cement. You may have to use some sort of supports to keep the pipe completely verticle. Now, let it dry. Depending on your mixture, the cement may take a day or two to dry.

Now, you may have now what looks like a heavy bucket with a pole sticking out of the top. Good, t hat is exactly what you want. Now, contact your local Satellite Tv company and tell them your situation. You may have two options, you could either have them Install the Dish (recommended) or you can do it yourself. If you decide to do it yourself you'll need two more items; mounting brackets and a Satellite compass to measure the angle of the satelite Dish. This however may be more unecessary work than what you may have originally intended. It may be best to let the proffessionals take it from here. What they will do is mount the Dish to the pole and run a cable in to your home through the smallest entry point possible.

This is just an alternative means to standard home mounting that allows others to be able to watch satelite Tv as where they could not before. However, it is always best to contact your landlord ahead of time to make sure everything is o.k. and they do not have any better options for you.

Satelite TV

Satelite TV

Satelite TV Res ources

Author:: Gage Killian
Keywords:: Satellite,Tv,Dish,Television,Network,Install,Installation,Definition,High,
Post by History of the Computer | Computer safety tips

Television: Where Are All the Good Sitcoms?

Drama, Drama, Drama, that is pretty much the only thing that is broadcast on Television, along with reality Television shows. A s more of those types of Television shows come along, less Sitcoms are show. In the eighties and nineties Sitcoms where all the rage with many Sitcoms running from 6 to 10 years. Shows like Growing Pains, Family Matters, Full House and The Fresh Prince of Bel Air were high in the ratings and shows that people would go to school or work ta lking about the next day.

Currently Dramas like The O.C., 24, CSI, and Prison Break, and reality shows like Survivor and The Apprentice are the show that are discusses in school and at work. Sitcoms are no longer a hot topic. The main reason for that may be writers block. A lot of Sitcoms that have come on in the last few years have been very predictable. It seems to be difficult to put a new spin on a sitcom. Proof of that can be seen in the numerous failed spin-offs of popular shows like Seinfeld and Friends, as well as the failed That 80s Show.

With the lack of unique idea and creativity presented in Sitcoms, reality and Drama show will continue to dominate primetime Television spots.

Andre Bias is the owner of http://www.kidfriendlyentertainment.com, and online source for top notch DVDs for children 10 years old and younger. He is also the owner of the websites http://www.pokergreed.com and http://www.mustseeauctions.com

Author:: Andre Bias
Keywords:: Tv, Television, reality shows, Drama, Apprentice, Sitcoms
Post by History of the Computer | Computer safety tips

Jim Henson Meets The Swarm: A Review of "Bats"

I'll admit it right off the bat (no pun intended). I'm a complete devotee of this subgenre of movie -- the nature-gone-awry, killer insect/bird/bat movie. I think I've seen just about every movie the genre has to offer, from the classic, THEM through to the newer models such as Arachnophobia. Unfortunately, BATS ranks up there with the worst the genre has to offer.

This is undoubtedly a very formulaic genre, with a traditional set of constants. First, there are the creatures. The creatures, in their own way, are usually victims as well, having been turned into killing machines by some outside force, be it natural, or -- more often -- manmade. Over the years, these movie creature mutations have been blamed on atomic bombs, nuclear leaks, heinous pesticides, and genetic engineering, to mention a few. That brings us to the second part of the equation -- the mad scientist. There is usually somebody behind the mayhem -- maybe the government, the scientific community, or p ossibly, a large, money-grubbing corporation. Finally, there is the nest -- larger, scarier, more incredible (and far more difficult to eradicate) than anyone could have imagined.

BATS takes the idea of formula to a new level. Everything in this movie has been done before -- often many times. There was not a single original idea in this movie, not a single original piece of plotting, not a single worthwhile special effect. Not even the ending was original. After you see it, rent the 1970's film, The Killer Bees: Terror from the Sky (title may be inexact). You'll see what I mean.

Okay, so it was a Grade B movie. There's nothing wrong with Grade B Movies. A lower budget shouldn't mean a lower level of creativity. Everything in this movie was predictable and hokey -- from the Bats' lair to the Bats'-eye-view camera angles (which were nothing if not distracting). In fact, what particularly distracted me was the scene when Bats are attacking the town. Every bat you se e flying is small, the size of normal Bats, but when the camera focuses on a particular attack-in-progress, inevitably, the bat is huge.

The acting in the movie was terrible. My first clue should have been seeing Lou Diamond Phillips at the top of the credits. I can't look at him without hearkening back to his 1990 disaster The First Power which probably tops the list of the worst Movies I've ever seen. Dina Meyer as the zoologist was passable, but one person's acting is lost in the panoply of bad acting that made up BATS. I must say, however, that I can't blame it all on the acting. An actor can only do so much with dialogue that lacks the pacing and sound of truth.

The effects in this movie were downright laughable. The Bats themselves looked more like pug-nosed gargoyles, and the biggest mistake was the many close-up shots. When the camera panned back to show the swarm of Bats from a distance, racing across the night sky, almost blocking out the moon, it was c reepy. When the camera pulled in close to show them crawling toward hapless victims, it was pitiful. This would have been Jim Henson's nightmare.

Honestly, the one highlight in this movie was Leon, who played Jimmy, assistant to the zoologist. His comic timing broke up the tedium of this plot, and I found myself laughing out loud at his humor. This is hardly enough to make BATS a worthwhile viewing experience, I'm afraid.

If you want some good, creepy fun in this particular genre, don't give up after seeing BATS. I would recommend Kingdom of the Spiders, which is wonderfully fresh and has one of the best endings of any movie I've ever seen. Try The Swarm or Arachnophobia. If you're after something more campy, try Tremors. Tremors was a very funny movie, very campy, but creative and entertaining nevertheless.

After watching a movie like this, you should feel your skin crawl. The only reason my skin crawled after watching BATS was thinking of the time I waste d. All in all, BATS was for the birds

Lisa is an author on http://www.Writing.Com/ which is a site for Creative Writing.

Author:: Lisa Koosis
Keywords:: Bats,Horror,science fiction,Animals,Movies,lou diamond phillips,Thriller,Video
Post by History of the Computer | Computer safety tips

Walk the Line Movie Review

A real legend is...well, the stuff of legends. But much harder to reproduce on film, because of the depths of human expression that tend to get lost in the business of making it on time, on budget, and on a subject the public will buy. Which means 2005's Walk The Line is that rarest of movies, one that dug deep into the story, put it up as it really unfolded, and managed to bag actors that could carry it off.

Walk The Line is the hard fighting/drinking/loving story of country icon, Johnny Cash and his love affair with wife June Carter. It lays the foundation for the movie's focus, and Cash's real life, by detailing his boyhood in Arkansas, the early death of a brother, and impulsive first marriage that ended in disaster. All of that contributes to the way Cash's life was already drifting when he sang for Sam Phillips of Sun Records, where he brushed shoulders with another newcomer, Elvis Presley. Chastised for offering a hymn, Joaquin Phoenix rips off a version of Fo lsom Prison Blues that snags him the prized contract, and sets his foot on a path that will lead him to depths he never dreamed of, and the woman who would pull him out of then, June Carter.

Both Phoenix, and Reese Witherspoon who plays June Carter, did their own vocals, which added immeasurably to the reality of their performances. Witherspoon at times was perhaps a tad too ebullient, but also managed to reach inside herself to pull out both the feminine side of Carter, and her fury at Cash's moral and physical deterioration as their relationship progressed from an initial backstage meeting to the final, enduring chapter written at the Folsom Prison concert.

Not strictly a love story, Walk the Line is nonetheless a sometimes moving, infuriating, and emotionally charged tale of two people both struggling towards the same goal- to be with each other.

Director: James Mangold
Producers: Alan C. Blomquist, James Keach, Cathy Konrad
Starring: Joaquin Pho enix, Reese Witherspoon, Ginnifer Goodwin, Robert Patrick, Ginnifer Goodwina

Alice Flegel is a self-confessed movie fanatic that reveals exactly which movies are living up to they hype and which are better left for the DVD. Check out her DVD and movie reviews before you lay down cold-hard cash at the movie theatre or video store. Already seen this movie? Visit the website to write your own walk the line movie review

Author:: Alice Flegel
Keywords:: article submission, Articles, Writers, Writing, Publishing, Ezine, Email marketing, Email newsletter, Email
Post by History of the Computer | Computer safety tips

Why Desperate Housewives + Sex in the City= Edutainment TV Today

I considered softening that title with a question mark, but in my mind it's not much of a question. First, let's establish just what I mean by edutainment.

Edutainment leisure programs that educate as well entertain.

Let's take a brief look at why I've singled out these two programs. I turned on the TV a couple of days ago and saw a promo for another channel that will bringing Sex in the City beyond the realm of HBO. I paused to think about how many women I'd heard use a character on the show as some frame of reference. The show has taken on viral proportions in syndication and that made me wonder if a similar fate awaited the newly touted Desperate Housewives.

Remember that book that was born from that now infamous catch phrase, ...just not into you that has become a part of the American lexicon? Isn't that evidence that the show is teaching whether the people involved in creating it want it to or not. Sure some could argue the value of that particular lesson, but why doesn't anyone ask this one....

What kind of person doesn't know this as they're fast approaching 40 years of age?

I mean, how many years of dating, being Dumped, sleeping around, and generally degrading yourself does it take to get that? I was trying to school my friends on that kind of stuff when I was 14 years old (and I have the letters to prove it).

I think there's a huge problem if a television show, rather than your life is educating you about how not to be a fool. The scores of women who reportedly wrote into the show inspiring the writing of the book mentioned previously are proof of the point I'm making here.

What you do is either taking you closer to or further away from what you really desire.

The problem, as I see it, i s with the miseducation that occurs even more frequently as women look to these kind of shows to understand themselves or their lives. Prompted by a client who swore by the show, I did watch the final episode. Who thought that having the man you Love finally presenting you with his real first name was indicative of a happy ending?

Now Desperate Housewives offers married, and often middle aged women, the same buffet served on a different table. The meal still stinks. Perhaps the designer fashions and parade of beautiful people are supposed to distract from the ugliness of the stories?

Why are there so many wedding magazines, television shows, books and websites while at the same time it's considered passe to end a movie with a wedding? How did this notion of right person for now morph into the notion marriage?

In my conversations with women I am surprised by how many religously watch week after week until the characters become the friends that understand their deepest and darkest secrets or inspire them to make secret fantasies reality.

Am I the only one struck by the lack of depth of this kind of characterization of women's lives? Why are so many people relating to these lost to themselves, materialistic, shallow people that television art has breathed life into?

Better yet, if you're one of those people, do you aspire to fill yourselves on a rehashed meal that someone has scooped off the floor or does that variety of edutainment inspire you to be more...to be better, not just on the surface but in the quality of person that you are inside. Or perhaps you just want validation that you're not as messed up as you fear?

The life you move through each day is the result of what's going inside, whether you admit it or not. Even if your secrets are well kept, you know what they are, you live every day fearing everyone else will know too. That is a point that goes right to the heart of what real self esteem is based on or why it is severely lacking.

So much emphasis is placed on how things appear that I fear no one cares anymore about what a thing, or a person, actually IS. What I see in magazines, commercials, and TV shows doesn't resemble anything I'd classify as beautiful....It is mostly empty and pushing the same old misogynistic images of women that mainstream Media has always hyped (with few exceptions).

As a woman I know we tend to define ourselves by our closest relationships. But what happens when you avoid facing your true motivations for creating the life/relationships you have?

I guess if there's any value, besides to the advertisers for whom the show was really created, it'd be that it could prompt viewer (loyal or otherwise) to ask themselves this questio n.....

What unmet needs are being denied that drive someone to become their own worst enemy?
And more importanly---

What's it going to take to change that?

Yvette Dubel is the founder of Enhancement Consulting. If she had to select one speciality it would be relationships. She is the creator of Clear Strategy and Clarity, software products that assist users in making better relationship decisions:http://www.enhancementconsulting.net/simpleplan.html As a business consultant she helps clients maximize relationshps with CRM strategies to drive profits.

Author:: Yvette Dubel
Keywords:: relationship advice, Sex, Media, Society, Dumped, Love, Desperate, personal coaching
Post by History of the Computer | Computer safety tips