Why is CBS's Smith so fun?

The premise of Smith is completely ridiculous: A family man (Ray Liotta) is actually a master thief, who travels around the country pulling off grand heists. He has a team of specialists who assist him, and none are redeeming characters. So, we are supposed to root for a guy who deceives his wife and son, is a mercenary, and is a man who witnesses the death of a team member and walks away with no remorse? On paper, this all seems a tad unpleasant, doesn't it? Well, somehow, it's not. With Smith, CBS has created one of the most entertaining and gleefully evil shows televison has seen in a long time.

Smith is a derivative of the type of cinema currently embodied by the works of Tarantino. Hardened anti-heroes who do bad things, yet still remain in the viewer's good graces. Like characters on “The Sopranos”, we would not be friends with these people in real life. We wouldn't like them and, in all likelihood, we'd be scared of them. However, in the context of their own, specific universe, we can root for them and become caught up in their plight. Why? I don't think it's over-simplifying it to say that it's just entertaining. Smith focuses on Bobby Steven's team pulling off high-stakes robberies. As long as these robberies are exciting (which they have been so far) the viewers will be tuning in.

Viewers can forgive a lot when it comes to their protagonists. People identify with flawed characters because they themselves are flawed. When Simon Baker's character on Smith mercilessly guns down two thugs, simply because they kicked him off their private beach, we identify with him. We don't agree with harshness of his reaction and would never consider doing what he did (I don't own a sniper rifle, anyway) but we respect that he stood up for himself and would like to believe that we'd stand for oursleves in the same situation. Anti-heroes take reality and accentuate to a degree that the layman will never know.

Smith is good only because it's characters are the bad people they are. I've heard complaints that the characters on Smith are so totally unredeemable that they just can't watch Smith. Well, how would the show work if Ray Liotta played Bobby Stevens as a nice, warm-hearted, respectful, stand-up guy? It would seem wildly improbable for a guy like that to be involved in the world of high-stakes robberies. Of course, this seems obvious, but it's a key issue to ponder over when discussing the premise of any show. When creating a TV show, you typically begin with the premise. I'm sure that was the genesis of Smith. Creator Jon Wells probably thought, “Hmm, you know what'd be cool? If there was a show where a team of thieves pulled off a different heist every week.” From there, what kind of a main character do you create? There aren't a lot of options. Sticking to take-no-prisoners bad ass is usually the best choice.

Smith is still early in it's run and it could easily drop off in quality as the season goes along. I hope not, because CBS has created a show that is fun, full of action and uncompromising in it's vision.

-Oscar Dahl, BuddyTV Senior Writer

So, if you want to find out more information about Smith or especially about Smith TV Show, please visit this link BuddyTV Television

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Curb The TV Habit In 3 Easy Steps
So you're not quite ready to throw the TV away, but you're limiting the time spent viewing television in your home? Here are some easy tips that have worked for me.

1) Identify when and why you watch and change your habits

Do you usually turn the tube on when you get home from work? Why? Do you turn it on in the late afternoon when the kids get home? Why?

Sometimes the TV goes on when we're tired or bored. If you're tired, you either need to: get more sleep or get more exercise. So instead of automatically flipping on the television, why not go for a 10 minute walk to refresh yourself? Or, take a nap!

If you're turning on the TV to "zone out" and decompress after a busy day, try developing a new, healthier habit.

Some examples:

Brew a nice cup of hot tea and drink it slowly.
Write in a journal.
Put your feet up on the couch and listen to music.
Do crossword puzzles (a recent study showed that people who do crosswords on a regular basis are less likely to get Alzheimer's disease.)

2) Make TV watching inconvenient.

A TV does not belong in the bedroom! Keeping one there is bad for a marriage and bad for your love life! It also contributes to insomnia. Put the television in an inconvenient place like the basement. Unplug it. Cover it with a blanket.

3) Give up cable.

I decided a long time ago that I would never have cable. I can think of about a thousand other ways to spend $50 a month (Starbucks, anyone?) plus my husband would probably spend all his time watching the Discovery channel instead of talking to me!

If you live in a semi-rural area, you might not even get any channels if you cancel your cable service. But that would be a good thing if you're trying to limit TV! You can use the TV as a "movie machine" and rent DVDs so that you can at least control the content better.

Here's to turning off the TV and turning on life!

InsteadofTV.com is a valuable resource for families wanting to kick the TV habit. Sign up for your free "101 Things To Do Instead of TV" at www.InsteadofTV.com

The Untimely Death of Music Videos On TV
In 1986 music was forever changed with the debut of MTV. In the twenty years
since, music videos have become a way for the artists to express themselves
visually. When music videos first came out, it was mostly just the musician or
band playing the song--today music videos are more akin to mini movies featuring famous actors and actresses. The very
first music video played on MTV was “Video Killed the Radio Star” by the Buggles,
and in a sense it was true. Most bands have a music video before the ink has
even dried on the recording contract. MTV may have been the first music videos
channel, but definitely not the last. There are now several channels that show
music videos like MTV, VH1, GAC and Fuse TV just to name a few.

MTV now offers 4 different music video channels--MTV, MTV2, MTV hits, and MTVu.
MTV also has its own awards show just for music videos. VH1 caters to adult
contemporary music videos, GAC is the MTV for country music videos. Fuse TV is a
relatively new channel and focuses more on rock and metal music videos. The
newest kid on the block is The Tube Music Network, it features mostly mainstream
rock and indie rock videos. It is a throwback to the early days of MTV, a video
channel that actually plays music videos.

One of the most notorious musicians known for her controversial music videos is
Madonna. Madonna’s video for “Like a Prayer” in the late 80’s caused an uproar
with the Christian community over the depiction of an African-American Jesus who
kisses Madonna and featured Madonna dancing in front of a field of burning
crosses. Her music video of “Justify my Love” in the early 90’s was so
controversial that MTV banned the music video from the lineup. Perhaps the most
controversial genre of music videos currently are the rap and hip-hop music
videos, which typically feature scantily clad women, sexual situations,
violence, and drugs. It seems as though musicians are constantly competing for
the most extreme of music videos, whether it is sexual content, special effects,
obscurity or violence there are always music videos who push the envelope just a
little bit further.

John Fair is a noted producer and author. He resides in the United States and contributes to www.CampusRights.net

The best of the best I have ever watched
Watching DVDs is one of my most favorite past times. It relieves my stress, brings me to a lighter mood and can even ease the problems I have. Three of the best stories from the past that really catch my attention and even touch my heart are The Six Million Dollar Man, Married with Children and Voltron the Defender of the Universe. These three have different themes, each of this DVDs have its own original stories that could give impact to your lives and make you learn things, no matter how simple or complex it may seem. The Six Million Dollar Man DVD focuses on the story of Colonel Steve Austin. As he was testing an aircraft, he crashes and got badly injured. He is an astronaut and test pilot. OSI, a covert government agency is willing to help him and pay for all the expenses for his prosthetics. He lost his legs, eye and arm. The new prosthetics which is made of Bionics will make him faster, better and stronger. But in return OSI want him to become their cover agent. Married with Children focuses on the life of Al Bundy who is a former High school player, who is now a salesman. Peggy his wife always terrified and nag him. They have two children namely Kelly who is gorgeous and attractive and Bud their son who is not so popular but indeed very smart. Voltron the Defender of the Universe focuses on the legend of Voltron. He was a mighty robot, who is loved by good and feared by evil. Peace invaded the galaxy and as well as the planet earth. An alliance was formed at Earth, The Galaxy Alliance. You can get original copies of these DVDs and other stories from the past at TvDvdPlanet. In addition, you can expect high quality products from them with a 100% guarantee. Affordable prices of these DVDs await you.

Donna Dyan Dayrit is a member of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Specialists for TvDvdPlanet www.tvdvdplanet.com