Category Archives:

TV/Movies

Edges and corners

2008-06-13

I know, the design that the ZDF is using for time and score display during football broadcasts isn’t new – if I remember correctly, they introduced it for the World Cup 2006 –, but I got to get that off my chest now:

I don’t mind rounding sharp corners to get a more pleasing look, but I think especially this shape with the overtime is rather dilettantish and unaesthetic:

ZDF display

In the top left corner, the right angle is rounded with a small radius, on the right hand side there’s a large curve with a slanted edge, and the overtime has simply one corner cut off. I really think they could have made that in a more consistent way; I somehow don’t understand who could have come up with this combination and actually get it on air… or what do you think?

Do you like this design?

View Results

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PS: Congratulations to Austria for tying the score, but you’re gonna lose on Monday! :mrgreen:

The ultimate violence movie for Easter!

2008-03-23

Before we get down to business, a quick poll about “brutal TV” – the “Die hard” series, “King Kong” etc. on private TV stations – at easter, about which politicians and bishops feel like having to medde with again, because “the private media are not considerate of the religious feelings of the majority of our citizens” (translated quote from Günther Oettinger (CDU), minister-president) – it’s new to me that there’s an obligation to tune in to these channels, as it’s new that someone like Oettinger knows so well about the citizens’ feelings…:

Action movies at Easter

  • I'm NOT Christian and I DON'T CARE about these movies at Easter (44%, 7 Votes)
  • I'm NOT Christian and I LIKE these movies at Easter (38%, 6 Votes)
  • I'm Christian and I DON'T CARE about these movies at Easter (13%, 2 Votes)
  • I'm NOT Christian and I DISLIKE these movies at Easter (6%, 1 Votes)
  • I'm Christian and I LIKE these movies at Easter (0%, 0 Votes)
  • I'm Christian and I DISLIKE these movies at Easter (0%, 0 Votes)

Votes total: 16

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And here’s the movie, found at Scary Alice:

“The Next Uri Geller” 2008 for statistics lovers

2008-03-14

This is about a show from the first German season of “The Next Uri Geller” from early 2008. You can also:
» Show all my reports from the first season.
» Show everything about the second season 2009.
» Show really all articles about Uri Geller.

A few small, somewhat useless diagrams about this mixture of mental-magic entertainment arts, brainwashing of the people by claims of “real powers”, and boredom… :mrgreen:

Ratings

Updated diagram with world final’s ratings (#9) after the German final (#8):

ratings

Overtime

How many overtime minutes did the shows have (compared to the original announcements, not the teletext/EPG data)?

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“The next Uri Geller 2008 – The world’s best mentalists” – opinion, tricks, explanations

2008-03-04

This is about a show from the first German season of “The Next Uri Geller” from early 2008. You can also:
» Show all my reports from the first season.
» Show everything about the second season 2009.
» Show really all articles about Uri Geller.

:arrow: General reading tips (German): GWUP info page; and the blog with explanations and discussion already during the shows: The contestants’ tricks, explained in an easy way. English: CSI (ex-CSICOP).

The ninth show from March 4 – the international competition

bent As if the shows in various countries had not been enough, this time we are presented with a selection of international winners or runners-up and a for once funny comedian – unfortunately, the celebrities are not that international.

The contestants, next to Vincent Raven, winner of the German show, are Angela Funovits who reached second place in the USA show “Phenomenon” (which had only 5 episondes, by the way) – what happened to the winner, Mike Super? –, Lior Suchard, Israel’s winner („The Successor“), Aaron Crow, “gloomy star” from “De nieuwe Uri Geller”, the show from the Netherlands, and as “surprise guest of the evening” Morta Deller, known from Schmidt & Pocher – well, that really is a surprise that Geller lets Oliver Pocher appear here. Ratings, that’s what counts – and something which may be intentionally funny. :)

From the preview on prosieben.de (my translation):

Raven father Vincent Raven demands: “I want to fight the best of the best!”

Even if he didn’t want to, he had to, since this was planned long ago…

“All four belong to the best of their craft. But this time, they must push the envelope to earn the title ‘World’s Best Mentalist’”, mystifier legend Uri Geller said. “During this unique live show, not the slightest glich must happen.”

Oh, bad prospective for our raven daddy. ;)

The show begins

“The most unusual international contest in television history” begins. Lots of cheering and standing ovations, especially for the old spoon fiddler – the audience might have been ordered to do so; but many arguably won’t need that order, sadly.

Uri is overwhelmed by the success and tells about poor little children who shout “achat shtaim shalosh” when they see him on the street. The “poor” didn’t come from him, of course, but from me. And Geller wants to sharpen the viewers’ intuition – you can win some money, too.

Celebrity guests

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