Pop Culture and Predictive Programming: A Trip Down the Rabbit Hole

Today I stumbled across this clip from an old G.I. Joe cartoon:





and was amused by it's odd criticism of paper currency, and the economic themes present, especially for a children's program.  Now G.I. Joe was certainly a jingoistic/militaristic show in Reagan's decade of the 80's, but I never really considered the themes explored to be out of the ordinary until I stumbled across this article that looks at several weird plots by Cobra (the Joe's main bad guys):

How the Animated Series G.I. Joe Predicted Today’s Illuminati Agenda

This article introduced me to the notion of 'Predictive Programming' which is:

a technique based on planting ideas and concepts in the brains of viewers in order to make them seem normal and easily accepted when they actually happen

Interesting.  I Googled the term and was immediately dragged down Alice's rabbit hole into a conspiracy Wonderland.

The idea is that Predictive Programming has been inserted into television, movies and music videos, sometimes decades in advance, to prepare we, the people, for the ultimate results of the Illuminati's dire plots.  Here is another article concerning predictive programming, and YouTube is littered with video examples from all sorts of sources.

For example, during the Pro Wrestling boom of the 1980s Hulk Hogan and the 'Macho Man' Randy Savage united as a tag-team named the Mega Powers.  For a high profile match they were set to battle an evil tag-team comprised of The Big Boss Man and Hakeem the African Dream. The name of that tag team? The Twin Towers.  Now in fine wrestling tradition lots of interviews were given by the Mega Powers about how they were going to 'bring down' the Twin Towers, how the Towers would be 'demolished,' and how the Twin Towers team had committed a 'terrorist attack' on Savage and his lovely associate Miss Elizabeth.  Even stranger, Hogan and Savage would later join another wrestling stable, this time in the 1990s, called the New World Order.  The term 'New World Order' is a favorite of conspiracy theorists and researchers. It is used frequently in 9-11 conspiracy theories concerning that event being carried out, not by Islamic terrorists, but by Illuminized elites. Here's a video hitting the high points:

I will admit it's weird when it's all put together like that, but the context of history can make all sorts connections and coincidences into seeming conspiracies especially when you go looking for them. I'm a big fan of conspiracy theories, and I find them a window into an alternate reality (a Wonderland, if you will) that can make you wonder what the hell is really going on.

Do I believe that the Illuminati conspired to destroy the WTC and announced it via the WWF in the mid 80s or that G.I. Joe was predicting hordes of mind controlled celebrities?  Not really, but it's entertaining to take a trip down the rabbit hole and visit Wonderland once in a while. And it'll probably have me looking at my favorite TV shows from a different perspective for a few weeks.

Discordian Quote Comix: Quote 00008

Memories and Thoughts as the VHS Format Turns 33!

Today the VHS format turned 33! I was only four years old when VHS was introduced to the world in 1977. We wouldn't have one for about five more years, but I remember when we first got a VHS VCR in my house, we hooked it up and one of my sisters had rented an American Werewolf in London.

It must have been 1982,  I was only 9 at the time, but I remember watching that movie with my family, all the nudity, and violence intact from the theatrical release.  I was used to watching movies that had been cut to pieces, edited for content and length and appearing on network television.  We did not have cable so we had to drive 20 miles from Selden to Oberlin, Kansas to rent movies.  I don't remember too many of the films we rented, but I recall seeing Trading Places, one or two of the Friday the 13th films, and 16 Candles.  I specifically remember watching the George Romero/Stephen King comedy-horror masterpiece, Creepshow while a friend was over for a sleepover, and that we stayed up pretty much most of the night scared out of our young minds!

We didn't rent a whole lot in those days due to the distance involved in obtaining and returning videos, but mostly used the VCR for it's most revolutionary aspect, time shifting television, and allowing us to record one channel while watching another.  It's sometimes difficult to remember what a life-changing concept this was in the 1980s given the current age of DVRs and streaming web video.

As the youngest child of four it became very apparent that this was a tool designed for me.  I was often low man on the totem pole when it came to choosing viewing material, so the VCR guaranteed I'd never miss Automan, Misfits of Science, or Manimal, shows that my Knots Landing, Dallas loving sisters despised.

Once we moved to Oberlin in 1986 I had my first crack at Cable TV, and the VHS once again proved to be a world changer for me.  For whatever reason when we got cable we were not given a cable box for the channels beyond 13, but I quickly discovered the tuner in our VCR went up to 188, so all those upper tier channels became available.  I found the Discovery Channel (16) and Nickelodeon (33, I think).  Nickelodeon at the time featured the awesome, You Can't Do That on Television (check out the Pythonesque intro), Mr. Wizards World, and the surreal animated French adventure show Spartakus and the Sun Beneath the Sea. I wish they'd release that one in an English language DVD set, but alas, no.  Check out the awesome opening credits:

Check out some Spartakus episodes HERE!

I also remember using the VCR to record NBC's Friday Night Videos, and Night Flight on USA Network. We didn't have MTV in my home town (not even on the upper channels) so those two shows were my only real outlet to view music videos. Here's some Night Flight video about the movie Krull if you've forgotten this awesome 80s show:



Night Flight featured all kinds of video weirdness aside from music, and was my first exposure to the Church of the Subgenius.

I used the VCR to sample and save all kinds of shows and movies and I still have a collection of movies on tape, as well as three working VHS players (one is a DVD combo).  Somewhere in my stacks of old tapes I still have the pilot episode of Twin Peaks from the night it premiered, commercials and all.

VHS tape is truly a buyers market these days.  Thrift stores often have movies on videocassette for as little as $1 each, not just junk either, but major releases.  There is also a lot of stuff that was released on VHS that hasn't made the jump to DVD, so visit those thrift stores.  You can probably pick up a standard definition TV and VCR while you're there.

Last year the awesome website/podcast The Retroist did a great show on the VCR. You can listen to that show HERE.

Happy Birthday VHS, I'll never forget you!

Cafe Press Fan Portal: Schoolhouse Rock!

Occasionally Cafe Press, home of Otter Disaster Designs, partners with certain media outlets to create fan portals allowing Cafe Press Shop owners to create designs based on existing media properties. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that a fan portal had been opened featuring the much beloved Schoolhouse Rock!

I put together this design based on my all time favorite School House Rock! song, No More Kings:

Purchase Here!


Here's the song and video:


I also did this design for another personal Schoolhouse Rock! favorite, Interjections!:

Purchase Here!


Here's the song and video:

The T-Shirts of The Big Bang Theory

As a guy who digs t-shirts so much I started to design my own, I'm a big fan of the geeky shirts worn by Sheldon and Leonard on the CBS comedy 'The Big Bang Theory'.  I'm not the only one.  The folks over at Sheldonshirts.com have catalogued and located many of the shirts worn by the guys on the show.  They've even determined which shirts are no longer available, and tracked down several of Howard's belt buckles.  I myself have Leonard's Cassette tee! :

A-Team Trailer and an Alternate

Well, the A-Team Trailer has been available here and there today:

If that one gets taken down, which seems likely, check out this fake trailer from 2007.  I kind of like the idea of them keeping the team as Vietnam veterans, acting as aging Soldiers of Fortune.  Morgan Freeman as B.A. seems oddly inspired:

The A-Team trailer | Movies & TV | SPIKE.com

Quark on DVD

I posted about the sci-fi comedy Quark, last year about this time, and now it's coming out on DVD. Matthew will be thrilled...

Good News: Spaced on DVD

14 episodes (the complete series) of the totally awesome British comedy Spaced, are finally going to be released on DVD.

Speculation is that this is being done in advance an (ill-advised, in my opinion) American remake ala The Office.

If you liked Shaun of the Dead or Hot Fuzz, then Spaced will be right up your alley.

I can't wait.

Otter Disaster #5: NFL or LSH?

I changed my Blogger template to accomodate the full Bitstrip/Image as opposed to the embedded player. I just think comics should be seen in context with all the panels in their proper place...

Vampire Boogie: Angel Gets Down and Funky

Posted for Mrs. Disaster who really loves her some Angel:

Prepare to Laugh: a List of the 50 Greatest Comedy Sketches of All Time

Nerve.com and IFC have compiled a list of the 50 Greatest Comedy Sketches of All Time Lists like this are always subjective, there are Carol Burnett sketches I prefer over 'Went With the Wind'(#22)for instance, but all in all a good sampling of great sketches.

'$240 Worth of Pudding'(#47) was a source of much joy for me and friend Lee during our college years. I could often be heard saying, ". . .and I'm Barry, Sagittarius."

Nostalgiavision! Recalling 2 Different Sketch Comedy Shows

For some reason today I thought of 2 different sketch comedy shows separated by nearly a decade (in my life).

The first was Almost Live! which was produced by KING-TV in Seattle Washington from 1984-1999. I watched it on Comedy Central where it aired from 92 to 93. I think it may have aired in syndication as well, but the Wikipedia article does not mention the show ever being syndicated.

Almost Live! had many memorable recurring characters and sketches including Bill Nye as Speed Walker, a super-hero who speed walks, but does not run, to fight crime.

I also fondly remember the Lame List, which featured Seattle area rockers, including members of Soundgarden, telling us What's Weak This Week.

Mind Your Manners with Billy Quan was a really funny Kung Fu parody. Remember kids, "Be Like Billy!"

But the sketch that summed up Almost Live! most for me was the High Five'n White Guys:


The other sketch comedy show, I recalled today was Turkey Television, which aired almost a decade earlier than the Almost Live! episodes I watched in college. It was on Nickelodeon for one season in 1985-86. I had hoped to find a treasure trove of Turkey TV sketches on Youtube, but I was only able to dig up the opens:



I fondly remember watching Turkey Televison along with the much beloved You Can't Do That On Televison when I would get home from school. This show was on during my 7th grade year, which coincided with the first time in my life I had Cable TV.

Here is the IMDB entry.

Here are a few screen captures.

New Fall Shows: Cavemen

I finally watched one of the DVR'd episodes of ABC's Cavemen the night before last.

It was truly awful. I gave several segments the 'ol :30 second skip just to ease the pain. Not funny. Not at all. The commercials on which the show is based showed the Cavemen being discriminated against, and that was where a lot of the humor of those spots emerged.

The show has one caveman character(Joel) who has a good job as a middle manager type in an IKEA type store, and a really hot girlfriend. He actually convinces his boss to hire Nick, another caveman, to come work at the store when a couple of employees are fired for having intimate relations in the store. Nick gets himself fired for gross incompetence(with unknown assistance from Joel). Not thick-skulled caveman incompetence, but arrogant a-hole incompetence. Once fired Nick cries discrimination and tries to sue, but the true reason for his termination

Battlestar Galactica: Season 4 is Coming Soon!

Galactica's final season is almost here.
Check out the awesome Sci-Fi Channel teaser:



I'm really looking forward to this and hope that the creators can pull off a satisfying conclusion to a really great series.

New Fall Shows: Chuck

Mrs. Disaster and I watched the first two episodes of NBC's Chuck yesterday. You can catch both eps online here.

Once again Mrs. Disaster was sold quicker than I was. Perhaps I've become jaded after numerous disappointments over the years, but I really need a show to prove itself to me these days. The wife thought it was charming, but she has a certain affinity for geeks(see her pop culture/gardening/metal/politics blogger husband).

The show was pretty funny, and the concept has legs. The lovable loser element, mixed with the super spy genre works well here. Chuck as a character(portrayed by Zachary Levi), is likable, and it's easy to root for him. The supporting cast is fun too, and any show with Adam Baldwin (as the murder minded John Casey) earns cool points in my book. Yvonne Strzechowski as the mysterious female lead/love interest, Sarah, hasn't completely sold me yet, but I don' hate her either. Joshua Gomez plays Chuck's sidekick, Morgan. He's playing an archetype, the even nerdier sidekick to a nerd, and reminds me a bit of the type of characters portrayed by Seth Green. That's not necessarily a bad thing though.

The Disaster family will definitely be catching episode 3(or at least DVRing it) on Monday. Jury still out, but looking pretty good.

New Fall Shows: Pushing Daisies

I watched the premier episode of ABC's Pushing Daisies. I liked it, I guess, Mrs. Disaster was a bigger fan. It immediately reminded me of a Tim Burton movie, with the fairy tale narration, supersaturated colors, and of course the grim premise of a man who can bring the dead back to life.

The cast was fine and the writing was sharp and funny. I'm not sure what bothered me about it. Perhaps I'm not sure if the concept can stay interesting over multiple episodes, it almost seems like a better idea for a feature film.

I'll definitely watch again to see if I am right or wrong about the longevity of the show's premise.

No Series Record yet. The jury is still out on this one for me.

New Fall Shows: Geeks Abound

Well, I've had the DVR working overtime to catch as many new shows as I can. This post from a couple weeks back listed some shows I'd read about and was eagerly anticipating.

I have the first 2 episodes of Chuck on the DVR, but have yet to watch. I'll file a report as soon as I watch. Same goes for Bionic Woman (2nd episode airs tonight).

I apparently missed the first episode of Fox's Back To You, and DVR'd the second. It doesn't really matter though, because I doubt I'll watch this show again. Aside from a pretty funny gag about a series of unfortunate goldfish, most of the jokes were pretty flat, and Kelsey Grammar and Patricia Heaton have no real chemistry.

Aliens In America earned a Series Record on the DVR with it's pilot episode last night. I was truly impressed. I have a soft spot for underdog geek stories (I still mourn the loss of Freaks and Geeks), and this one is no exception. If subsequent episodes of this show hold up to the promise of the first episode this could become my favorite new show of the year.

Pushing Daisies premieres tonight, and I'm hoping to catch it as it airs(what a novel concept).

DVR'd Cavemen last night(in the 'to be watched' pile), and caught the pilot episode of Carpoolers. It was a decent single camera comedy with an ensemble cast, and nowhere near as bad as some reviews I've read(unless future episodes begin to suck out loud). Sliders' Jerry O'Connell is probably the show's weakest link among a pretty decent cast. T.J. Miller as Marmaduke Brooker(a character as big and dumb as his name implies)brought a smile to my face every time he lumbered across the screen.

Another show that is not as bad as some have reported is CBS' Big Bang Theory. I read one review calling this the worst new fall show, but it it leaps and bounds more entertaining than Back to You. Not a great sitcom, by any stretch, but it has it's strengths. Jim Parsons as the socially inept and hyper nerdy Sheldon is simply a blast. We're talking Kramer/Fonz level scene stealing here. If the show survives expect big things from Parsons. Johnny Galecki is not as enjoyable as Leonard, and the show's would-be romantic lead. Parson's geekiness is effortless on the part of the actor, while Galecki's performance seems forced. The rest of the cast is OK. We'll see if this one holds up over the season.

CW's Reaper has also earned a Series Record after it's second episode last night.

Miscellaneous Debris: Part 8 - TV Notes

Via Tvtattle.com

Sci Fi Channel's wonderfully quirky Eureka has been picked up for a third season. Season 2 is just winding down. The first season was a little uneven at times, but this season has been great. The writers seem to have grasped all the characters and how they interact so that the show feels more natural. The show has been consistently funny, and the season long story arc has been told within the episodes, but hasn't overridden the stand alone stories of each episode. Glad to hear it will be back for another season.

If you watch NBC's the Office, like I know I do, then you've seen Creed Bratton who also used to be in 60s rock act the Grass Roots. The Scranton Times-Tribune has a nice profile of the actor and how he got involved with the Office.

Finally in some really good casting news, Cynthia Watros will be returning in some flashback episodes of Lost this season. I've been a fan of Cynthia's since she played the rather psychotic Annie Dutton on the CBS soap opera Guiding Light(I worked afternoons at a CBS affiliate and watched the show daily). She was great on Titus, and appeared regularly on the Drew Carey Show for a while. I felt the death of her character, Libby on Lost left a lot of unanswered questions about her relationship with Hurley. Hopefully her episodes this season will fill in some of the blanks.

New Fall Shows: Reaper

I have all of the shows from this post that have premiered sitting on my DVR. I have yet to get to any of them (see previous post).

One new show that I did catch is the CW's Reaper. It's high concept(what if your parents sold your soul to the devil and now you have to work for him) with a pretty good cast, and solid writing(at least for the pilot) Ray Wise is delightfully evil as 'the Devil' and has the oily presence necessary to portray the Prince of Darkness. Zambonis will never be the same for me.

I DVR'd the pilot episode and I thought it was great. Mrs. Disaster enjoyed it a great deal as well. I'll definitely be watching this, and I recommend it to fans of Buffy/Angel.

Here is CW's 5 minute trailer for the show:


The Andi character was apparently recast with actress Missy Peregrym (the illusion caster from last season's Heroes) as a different girl appears in the role in the trailer. That happens sometimes I guess. . .

Coming Soon: Lot's of New Shows that Will Be Cancelled Just As You Fall In Love With Them

The New Fall Season is nearly upon us once again. This used to be one of the high points of my year. I'd go out and buy the Fall TV Preview Issue of TV Guide, and survey the exciting new shows coming to my favorite networks.

This excitement has been diminished over recent years as Mid-Season Replacements, Late Premiers, Summer Series, Reality Shows, and various Game/Talent shows have peppered themselves all over the TV landscape along with myriad basic and premium cable series, that only run 10-13 episodes per season. Seasons don't mean what they used to.

Nonetheless, the OFFICIAL Fall TV Season is imminent, and I'm mildly excited about it. I haven't really heard buzz for any show that just demands that I check it out, but I'm sure(armed with my DVR) that I'll be sampling the numerous offerings.

Reading through TeeVee.net's list of premieres, I'm interested in:

Chuck, about a geek who gets involved in the spy game

Back to You, about Kelsey Grammar as a news anchor returning to his old station
(working in television, I have a weakness for tv shows about tv shows)

Bionic Woman, an update of the late 70s Lindsay Wagner vehicle, now starring Michelle Ryan & Katee Sackhoff(of Battlestar Galactica) Sounds like this show will have a government conspiracy undercurrent, which has become a really tired element to most current science fiction shows.

Aliens in America, about a Pakistani foreign exchange student.

Pushing Daisies, about a kid who can return the dead to life with a single touch.

Maybe I'll do some mini-reviews/commentary on these shows once they've aired.

In the 'I want to watch for the trainwreck factor' is ABC's Cavemen show, based on a mildly amusing series of Geico insurance commercials. I can't imagine how this show, allegedly about race, won't be a disaster, but I want to see just how big the crash will be. I predict it will be cancelled in five episodes or less.

For all your indispensable TV news and commentary check out TeeVee.net and tvtattle.com. Both are required reading a couple of times a week, especially during the new tv season.