pimblr.com

So now we know what’s coming back (Eli Stone, yay!) and what isn’t (Moonlight, boo!). And after glimpsing clips and snippets of the new stuff on most of the networks—sorry, NBC, I would have preferred to “experience” a taste of your new line-up instead of a carnival of empty hype—we’re even feeling a bit of buzz (welcome back, J.J. Abrams!) about the new season to come.
Looking back at a hectic week of TV, off and on screen, some reflections:
The Big Five networks are introducing a mere 16 new series collectively this fall: down significantly from the 20-something of a year ago and roughly half of what we used to see back when the networks were still serious about comedies. One upside: a lot less chaos and confusion, and the networks can focus their promotion on behalf of a handful of shows that might actually break out. Another upside: Fewer new shows means fewer freshman shows got canceled. Shows like Chuck, Life, Pushing Daisies, Dirty Sexy Money, Gossip Girl, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Samantha Who?, Eli Stone—all of which can be relaunched in the fall with as much fanfare as we used to see for brand-new shows.
The downside: With fewer new titles to sell and tease, there may be an overall lack of excitement when September rolls around. (Though not in my corner. I can’t wait for my sophomore faves to return, especially those cut short by the writers’ strike.)
So what stood out? J.J. Abrams’ Fringe on Fox, naturally. Looks slick and scary, and reminiscent of Lost, it begins with an airborne catastrophe (though ending far less happily). My main concern at this point, about this and Joss Whedon’s midseason Dollhouse, is that if the high-concept premise is too complicated to convey easily, it may have trouble breaking out beyond cult status. And with House as a mighty lead-in, Fringe may look like it’s not pulling its weight. But expectations are that it will open big (with a splashy two-hour premiere the week before Labor Day). I can’t wait.

seattlepi.nwsource.com

Indiana Jones: Cartoon character or the cool hero humanized? Just like James Bond before him, Indy is a clever mix of fiction and wish-fulfilment fantasy who appeals equally to men and women. What is it about the man with the whip and fedora that makes the heart-rate of both sexes soar?
The answer goes beyond the personal appeal of Harrison Ford. It reaches deep into the history of screen heroics.
Shortly after Time Magazine first hit the stands in 1923, it surveyed high school students and asked them to name their favourite movie star. The young women named heavy-lidded Rudolph Valentino as their object of desire. Young men chose the swashbuckling Douglas Fairbanks.
The results weren’t all that surprising to the nascent Hollywood establishment, which was just beginning to learn the relationship between genre and demographic appeal, but the data solidified certain ideas about what men and women look for in a leading character.
Also, because Fairbanks’ movies were beginning to outperform Valentino’s domestically and internationally - with Fairbanks’ The Thief of Baghdad becoming one of the first international box office hits - Hollywood began crafting an increasing number of male heroes in Fairbanks’ macho image instead of Valentino’s sultry, bordering-on-effeminate, esthetic.
Over the ensuing decades, the male hero only grew beefier, brawnier and manlier as the action-adventure genre became tailored to suit masculine sensibilities. Producers didn’t really even think of appealing to women older than 12 in the genre, and focused on attracting grown women to other genres instead - namely, melodramas and romantic comedies.
The trend continued right up until the 1960s, when ideas about gender stereotyping were suddenly questioned by the burgeoning feminist movement, and the masculine hero’s antiquated armour began to rust in an increasingly anti- war climate.
Hollywood answered with its most potent creation to date: James Bond. With the 1962 tagline for Dr. No describing Bond as “the most extraordinary gentleman spy in all fiction,” agent 007 was one of the first fictional heroes who successfully straddled the gender divide.

canada.com

April 21, 2008 - See Worthy Inc., distributor of SABLE WaterOptics, has reached a sponsorship agreement with Samantha McGlone. The 2006 Ironman 70.3 World Champion and 2007 Triathlete Magazine Triathlete of the Year, McGlone said, “I’ve had an opportunity to use just about every swim goggle available in the market place, and SABLE stands above the field. I’m delighted to be partnering with them.”
SABLE WaterOptics has received considerable attention over the last few months.
Barrie Shepley, who coached Canada to triathlon Gold in Sydney, calls SABLE “The best swim goggles in the business - hands down.”
Lou Tharpe, coach of the Army tri swim team at West Point calls SABLE the “Clear Overall Winner– the most comfortable and a streamlined leak-proof swim” in a 2007 NewYorkTimes goggle review.
Three-time Olympian and ten-time world record holder Gary Hall Sr. says, “I exclusively recommend SABLE Water Optics to anyone who seeks the best optical gear in the water.”
Sean Bechtel, winner of the Florida’s Great Escape Triathlon, 2008, says, “These are the only goggles I use. I never have leaking and the anti-fog is the best I’ve ever used.”
For more info, please check out www.sablewateroptics.com.

xtri.com