Posts By Dan Whelan
0 We’ve Opened Our Hearts to YouTube
First off, I’m going for the royal ‘we’ with the headline. Adam has been on-board since Buffering came to be. I recall discussions as we began put the show together, and I was incredibly stubborn about keeping YouTube out of our scope due to the large majority of crap, cat videos, and crappy cat videos, but I have learned.
Yes, the crap is still there, but there are legitimate production values driven toward YouTube viewers, and I’m here to provide those I have binged upon, thus far. In a way, I hope this becomes a discussion vector where you can also provide additional insight, but I’ll get the ball rolling.
And before I start my list, I thought it’d be worth-while to provide you with my context of “production value”, in terms of YouTube videos. I’m referring to the videos with sets and filming locations, with audio editors and camera operators. No videos filmed by someone talking to their webcam in their rumpus room. There are a number of artists on YouTube that produce said ‘living room’ style clips, but there is a burst of QUALITY videos that have hit the scene, and are freakin’ FREE, that you should check out. Seriously.
To start, I’ll mention a YouTube program that has made its way on to the podcast many a time: Nerdist presents All-Star Celebrity Bowling. It’s fun to mention this program specifically, as AMC is looking to produce the show on the real-deal televisions (read about it here). To me, this show (as well as the next program on my list) is fun and interesting because it holds a similar charm to those celebrity poker programs of the early 2000’s. It didn’t read like a reality show, where there’s unnecessary drama that is produced, but, instead, just one liners from every participant for the entire game. Picture that same vibe, but in a bowling alley predominantly populated by comics. It’s comedian Chris Hardwick, plus two to three of his Nerdist compatriots, paired up against movers and shakers in the entertainment biz, be thay celebrity chefs, or the casts and show runners, respectively, of “The Walking Dead” and “Mad Men”. The over-arching concept for the show is that one to two thousand bucks are on the line, where the challenging team will receive $1k (for a charity) from Nerdist if said challengers are defeated, but that same challenging team will win two grand for their charity if they win the match. It’s fun to see who is good, it’s hilarious to see recognizable figures bowl worse than you, and it’s all for a good cause. Win-Win … win. Check it out.
My next program follows that ‘celebrity acting candidly during a relatable activity’ flow, but uproots the venue from the bowling alley to the fictitious basement/game room of Wil Wheaton. That’s right. I’m talking about TableTop, produced by Geek & Sundry (Felicia Day’s channel). My friends and I are getting back into board games, with a lot of credit going to this program. Buffering guest Connor Boran was my infection vector to Ticket to Ride and Elder Sign, as well as to TableTop. Since watching (and repetitively re-watching) each episode, I have purchased two games featured on the program (Dixit & Small World [for the iPad]), which gives a bit of credibility to the level of quality when it comes to featured games, and the variety of guests gives it a hearty re-watch value. It’s a mess of Wheaton’s friends from the worlds of Internet video, TV, movies, music, and nerdery. And don’t worry if you don’t know how the games work. Time is dedicated in each episode to give the gist of the rules. Definitely check it out.
To change gears, my next YouTube feature is a scripted comedy program, produced by Cracked. Yes, the magazine that runs in the same circles as MAD. But before you shun me and skip this paragraph, they’ve really stepped up their game to become a near-‘CollegeHumor.com at its peak’ site. Nerdy, funny, and in snippets rather than long-format. After Hours is a four-character adaptation on the “Star Wars/Contractor” conversation from “Clerks”, if that off-beat approach comparing pop culture to reality was applied to additional nerdy topics, such as the Sexism in Star Wars, why Indiana Jones Sucked at his Job, why “Back To The Future” is a REALLY creepy movie, and more. The four characters impart a number of viewpoints on each topic upon viewers (like how I learned that “Sex in the City” is the “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” for women), combined with somewhat stereotypical mannerisms relating to said character (jock, nerd, screwball, and “the girl”). That last part sounds like it’s a slam against the show’s approach, but it really does work. The quirks aren’t heavy-handed, and balance well as breathers between each argument. Check it out.
Finally, we end our tour with a bit o’ music. It’s A.V. Club’s Undercover Project, the two-year-old YouTube program that features musicians stopping by The Onion‘s Chicago offices to perform in a small circular room in the A.V. Club department. The catch is that they are playing covers of songs suggested by A.V Club readers, so, through this program, you’ll see The Polyphonic Spree playing Neil Young’s “Heart of Gold”, They Might Be Giants playing Chumbawamba’s “Tubthumper”, and Young the Giant playing R. Kelly’s “Ignition (Remix)” and so many more. I’ve found it to be somewhat hit and miss, as you’ll see when you check out GWAR’s cover of Kansas’s “Carry On My Wayward Son”. There are also plenty of reinterpretations when it comes to executing some of the songs, so it’s good to watch videos with a grain of salt, as you may go in expecting a perfect rendition of a familiar/favorite song and walk away crushed. But, it’s still definitely worth your time. Check it out.
I’ll continue to search for quality programming within the muck of YouTube, and I’ll report back with more in the future.
0 Episode 76 – Emily Dyess & Ali Fisher
Adam returns to the studio after his motorcycle trip to join Dan, Emily Dyess (@dyesem01) and Ali Fisher for a new episode. They discuss Netflix’s Facebook integration, new Netflix programming, and play a round of “Movie Bluff”.
Taped at The Wheels Brewing Co Studio, Minneapolis, MN on March 20, 2013.
Check out photos and this week’s bonus tracks by clicking here.
Click here to listen: Episode 76 – 03/20/13 feat. Emily Dyess & Ali Fisher
0 Episode 75 – Nick Fugate & Joel Vollmer
After a week off, Dan and Guest Host James Wheeler are joined by Nick Fugate (@NickFugate) and Joel Vollmer (@JoelAVollmer) in the studio to discuss lots of comic book related streaming stuff, and play a round of “Movie Bluff”.
Taped at The Wheels Brewing Co Studio, Minneapolis, MN on March 12, 2013.
Check out photos and this week’s bonus tracks by clicking here.
Click here to listen: Episode 75 – 03/12/13 feat. Nick Fugate & Joel Vollmer
0 Episode 74 – 02/27/13 feat. Katie Best & Steve “Frank” Frankenfield
This week, Dan and Adam are joined by Steve “Frank” Frankenfield (@SGFrankie) and Katie Best (@BestBug) in the studio to occasionally give honorable mention to streaming content while running many a tangent.
Taped at The Wheels Brewing Co Studio, Minneapolis, MN on February 27, 2013.
Check out photos and this week’s bonus tracks by clicking here.
Click here to listen: Episode 74 – 02/27/13 feat. Katie Best & Steve “Frank” Frankenfield
0 Episode 73 – 02/20/13 feat. Mai Preble & Jen Wenmark
As it’s Jen’s first time joining Dan and Adam in the Wheels Brewing Co. studio, they discuss recently viewed and listened stuff with Mai. Then they just bounce around on to a mess of really unrelated tangents, but have fun doing it. Then they play a reasonably long round of “Movie Bluff”.
Taped at The Wheels Brewing Co Studio, Minneapolis, MN on February 20, 2013.
Check out photos and this week’s bonus tracks by clicking here.
Click here to listen: Episode 73 – 02/20/13 feat. Mai Preble & Jen Wenmark
0 Episode 72 – 02/13/13 feat. Maggie “Gooey” Whelan & Tom “Wheels” Whelan
Wheels and Gooey return to the studio to join Dan and Adam for another goofy episode! They discuss Wheels’ experience with “House of Cards”, Gooey’s questions about the existence of the Internet, and more! They also try to play a round of Movie Bluff, but opt instead for the Band Name Alphabet game.
Taped at The Wheels Brewing Co Studio, Minneapolis, MN on February 13, 2013.
Check out photos and this week’s bonus tracks by clicking here.
Click here to listen: Episode 72 – 02/13/13 feat. Maggie “Gooey” Whelan & Tom “Wheels” Whelan
0 Episode 71 – 02/06/13 feat. Dan Skaarup & Matt Walstead
Dan and Matt join Dan and Adam in the Wheels Brewing Co Studio for lots of news and tangents for this episode of the Buffering Podcast! They discuss “House of Cards” and future original content on Netflix, Hulu and Amazon, plus, they talk about “Sound City”, what they’re watching/listening to on Nerdist. From there, they play a great round of “Movie Bluff”.
Taped at The Wheels Brewing Co Studio, Minneapolis, MN on February 6, 2013.
Check out photos and this week’s bonus tracks by clicking here.
Click here to listen: Episode 71 – 02/06/13 feat. Dan Skaarup & Matt Walstead
2 “House of Cards” – First Steps
Despite the availability of the new Netflix original series’ 13 chapters, I’m going into this with just a toe in the water to start: exposure to just the first 50+ minute episode, and hesitation from even glancing at episode summaries so not to alter my perspective, reactions and expectations.
(And I will try my damnedest to refrain from making card-related puns, but no promises)
“House of Cards” is Netflix’s second bout in the original, big-name, episodic entertainment arena, but you probably know about the background by now, especially if you’re reading this, so we can skip THAT battleground and dive right into the show. Plus, with all of the announcements and news surrounding more green-lighted original streaming shows coming out daily, we’ll tackle that luchador soon.
It’s a good show. I probably should rephrase that as “It was a good episode”, as no series is given the free pass from putting a bullet in its foot in the initial, but it was enjoyable. Even coming from a short-attention-spaned, would-rather-watch-nostalgic-childhood-programming 20-something, there were enough moving parts to keep me interested … but it’s not without its bumps.
To launch us into the fray, I really enjoy the style of HoC. When the initial trailers/previews came out, I wasn’t sure if what I was seeing, which included a lot of on-screen narration and fourth-wall breaks by Kevin Spacey, was original promo material, or actual content, and I’m happy to say it is a reoccurring device in the show. A lot of people aren’t a fan of programming that tells a story, rather than just showing them, but it is incredibly effective for HoC to introduce a lot of characters and ideas without starting at character development square one. It also doesn’t feel like a spoon-feeding of facts and details, due to Spacey’s genuine delivery, as if he’s narrating for himself in the anticipation of the onset of Alzheimer’s, or something of the like. It feels like he’s addressing someone on his level when it occurs. Spacey’s character’s dry wit also seeps in from time to time to lighten transitions between overlapping plot points, and draws a nice sweet to sour line drawn from the tenser material.
The pacing is also well-managed, while David Fincher sits at the Directing (Chapters 1 & 2, exclusively) and Executive Producing helms of the program. Minimalistic lulls in the perpetuation of Spacey’s drive to achieve allows for fast-paced exchanges and hand-offs. Think of it like the pacing of Fincher’s action movies, but without the action bit. “Fight Club” meets “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” with a dash of “Our Town” (if “Our Town” was the epicenter of the free world). You won’t be able to multi-task stream to this one.
I also believe that casting choices have been strong so far, regardless of role size, but leads Spacey and Robin Wright are definitely the break-aways on this one. The pair (playing husband and wife) starts strong and does not dial it down. Even one-on-one scenes have a certain cadence and tone that remains consistent throughout, creating silhouettes of very, very aggressive characters. Kate Mara joins the first chapter as a hungry reporter in D.C. looking for some sort of angle to lift her above council meeting articles, and does a great job as a neutral underdog character, but I may have ruined a bit of the series for myself by reading on IMDB.com that she only appears in two episodes*, despite my enjoyment over the dynamic of her character’s interactions with Spacey. Her capacity for an outsider status with insider know-how makes her the easiest to root for in my opinion (but that perspective is clouded by a journalism minor) since her actions are, in all rights, legal. Either way, Mara is great with Spacey, Wright is great with Spacey, and Spacey is … great.
The issue that I do have from the get-go is that there are a few lesser plot points that have the potential to grow as the game goes forward, but are hard to stomach in round one. For example, the storyline featuring an irresponsible Representative brought into Spacey’s fold, played by Corey Stoll, carried a lot of sex and scandal (yes, in the first episode) but it came off as somewhat unnecessary. It was an attempt to provide background for the character to depict where his morals lie, but they almost served more as commercial breaks for me. The character is effectively portrayed as smarmy, but, until he gains relevance within the series (many a seemingly unneeded scene from his introduction) there’s little put forth to get me to care. Had there not been a number of exchanges about his character to reveal a larger part of the whole in the future, I would rule him out, but I’ll give him a stay of execution … for now.
The show is pretty, smart, funny, deep, interesting, timely, and such and so on to include a long string of compliments. I do think it’s worth your time to investigate. Political-drama fan or not, it’s worth an hour. From here on out, I’m left with an interest and inclination to continue down the rabbit hole, but not so gripping that I was able to sit down and power this out instead. I wouldn’t say, “Sign up for Netflix in order to get access for ‘House of Cards’ exclusively”, but I am willing to wholeheartedly endorse it.
*Author’s note: I am incredibly happy to say that IMDB.com was not factual at all based on what I have seen, having viewed additional chapters in the series. I cannot say why IMDB is inaccurate at this point, but I blame that on the fact that this is a new playing field for IMDB. (Of course I wrote this after watching Chapter 2. It even sounds like a politician’s statement. Rest assured that if you enjoyed Kate Mara in Chapter 1, you will get more soon)
0 Episode Announcement
0 Episode 70 – 01/29/13 feat. Dave Wheeler & James Wheeler
Dave and James joined Dan and Adam in the Wheels Brewing Co Studio for another edition of “The Wheeler-Whelan Flour Hour with that man they call Adam”. They discussed Dave’s move to LA, and how that will affect his streaming media consumption, and James chipped in many a suggestion as to what he should watch while on the coast. It’s another tangent-heavy episode, thanks to the Wheeler boys, but the show wraps up with another great round of “Movie Bluff”.
Taped at The Wheels Brewing Co Studio, Minneapolis, MN on January 29, 2013.
Check out photos and this week’s bonus tracks by clicking here.
Click here to listen: Episode 70 – 01/29/13 feat. Dave Wheeler & James Wheeler
The Buffering Podcast 