Flipping over to Conan tonight I forgot that this month was when he changed over to HD. It really didn't impact me, since all I possess is a 1996 Samsung 27" tube (NOT HD, in case you had to ask,) but I noticed that instead of pan-and-scamming it, like they've done with Leno, Conan is letterboxed.
(I'm assuming this isn't just for tonight. I can't imagine it is.)
The weird thing is that it doesn't quite translate to 16:9, which is usually 1.77:1 or 1.85:1. Measuring the screen (since it looked off to me,) it came out at about 1.57:1, so I wonder if NBC is still clipping just a bit or if my eyes (and tape measure) deceive me.
Anway, this is awesome. NBC promised (as Fox has) that all primetime shows will be in HD by the end of 2005, and with both Conan and The Office being not only shot in HD but transmitted in full those stuck with SD might actually be able to see the entire picture sooner rather than later.
I took a tour of the NBC Studios back in 2000, and when we were in the Dateline and Conan studios, we couldn't help but notice that most of the 'wood' panelling was actually fake. The guide told us that they were already planning massive renovations on all the studios since the cheap stuff would be really obvious once everyone switched over to HDTV. Judging from tonight's Conan episode, they got that work done in time.
Funniest part was the zoom-in on Conan's weirdly mottled hands. Man, that guy has ugly skin.
So there I am, in Sri Lanka, formerly Ceylon, at about 3 o'clock in the morning, looking for one thousand brown M&Ms to fill a brandy glass, or Ozzy wouldn't go on stage that night. So, Jeff Beck pops his head 'round the door, and mentions there's a little sweets shop on the edge of town. So - we go. And - it's closed. So there's me, and Keith Moon, and David Crosby, breaking into that little sweets shop, eh. Well, instead of a guard dog, they've got this bloody great big Bengal tiger. I managed to take out the tiger with a can of mace, but the shopkeeper and his son... that's a different story altogether. I had to beat them to death with their own shoes. Nasty business, really, but sure enough I got the M&Ms, and Ozzy went on stage and did a great show.--- Del Preston
Originally posted by JSTI tuned in after the monologue. Did the band get a new bass player?
Their usual bass player is out sick, so they have someone sitting in.
"Now that you've built up the courage to get into the gym, let me give you five reasons why you should put in the time to train with consistency: 1. Increased strength 2. Improved self-confidence 3. Injury prevention 4. Self-discipline 5. Sex (Trust me, you'll have a better shot with the ladies if you're in shape.)" -- Making the Game, pp. 14 - 15
Well, I'm the vocal minority, then. Spider-Man 3 made me retroactively hate the other two. I want the Raimi Spider-Man franchise killed with fire. Bring on the reboot.