I'm sure it's done intentionally, most likely through a computer technique called digital color grading. There was a great featurette about it on one of the LOTR DVD's...watch it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4zRMLbZZxw. After I saw how it was used in LOTR, I now notice it everywhere.

My guess is that they introduce a lot of blues into the spectrum and back off on other colors, in order to give everything a cold, sterile feel (and to ramp up the drama, and to make House look even more sallow). It also makes lighthearted scenes more noticeable by comparison when they restore some natural color.

I just noticed this when I was catching up and it seems more pronounced than it used to be. I thought it was deliberate dealing with wilsons cancer/series end thing. Did you notice it on previous seasons or just the end of this one?

I do not regularly watch this show but have viewed a few episodes. What sticks out in my memory is that the real story is in the dialog and faces of the actors as they interact in the course of the plot, not so much the scenes, which are often the confines of the medical facility itself - sterile and controlled.

I searched to see if there were any notes indicating that the color palette was controlled in any way to keep the focus more on the persons and less on the environment, but did not find it.

Any new television set will have different color settings to choose from with some standard choices of color emphasis. Mine has category choices under a menu for Video Settings for Movie, Sports, Game, Enhanced, and Other. You can fine tune the settings for specific categories and so could play with the settings for Saturation, Hue, Contrast, etc. to come up with the ideal "House" color settings and leave that under one category. That way you could select the alternate palette when you go to watch that particular program.

You really need to hunt around in the control menus to find out all of the various ways you can enhance your viewing experience with your new screen in your particular room and lighting conditions.

It's a Staff Recommendation.

I would assume either it's a pic (ie not to be missed) or it could be one of the events that cast or crew will be in attendance (some siff stuff has q&a sessions with those involved). In general stars are good things, signifiers of better than average, but if the movie has a star beside a certain time but not others I'd go with the latter guess.

It could also mean that it was local, but why care what it means, it's singled out with a positive, so just take a chance and see it. That's the whole point of siff to ignore the fact that we have decent weather and gamble on a movie. If you hate it you're out a bit of cash and a few hours of sunshine, it's not like you're choosing a dentist, you're choosing a few hours of escapism

If it sounds like something you'd like see it, if its not up your alley skip it and don't stress about the star.

She's the sister of Faye Dunaway and Diana Rigg. Where did you find the photo? Or is this just a quiz you created to taunt us?

You got me. My husband can't figure it out either. Looks like Anita Page and Maureen O'Hara put together!?!

I realize it's far too late to help you for last week, but I hear Lobby Bar does a good one. I haven't been but it's hosted by Lily Armani and she's usually very funny.

The festival free catalogue is already out if you want to get a jump start (and individual tickets are now on sale). You can pick them up at any Starbucks or many other locations throughout town. We have the films arranged by "Pathways" to make the process easier to navigate, so you can browse by kind of movie rather than a big list of just titles. Pathways are also pretty self explanatory "Make Me Laugh", "Give Me Drama!", "Thrill Me", "Show Me the World", etc.

Also, it is actually really easy to get tickets to most shows - just buy a ticket on line or at our box office. Often times tickets are still available day of show, and we publish a handy list on our site each day of any films that are on waitlist (usually the big weekend films, galas, and ones with a lot of local connections). With our main venues this year being the 3 screens at the Uptown, as well as the Egyptian and 2 screens at the Harvard Exit - it's easier than ever to see multiple films in a day as well (and don't forget our satellite festival screenings in Renton, Everett, and Kirkland, too).

If there are any specific types of movies you like, let me know and I'll recommend some titles for you.

Have you missed seeing a tired and grumpy Emmett host an open mic? Tonight is your chance with "Triumph and Tragedy" the Crescent Lounge Stand-up Open Mic at 7:00 (6:30 sign up), you can wash the bad taste out of your mouth at Jai Thai's Punchline Tuesday that starts at 9:00.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Triumph-and-Tragedy-the-Crescent-Lounge-Stand-up-Open-Mic/186853614689345

Accepting friend invitations and the resultant emails from people you don't know is a sort of simple IQ test. It has the following answers:

1. No thanks (pass test)
2. Sounds good (fail test)

It is possible to un-friend people. Sort of a second chance at the test.

The show never explicitly says why, and neither do any of the Star Trek sites I checked. Other people who asked this same question are treated to a rehash of the events without an explanation, typically siting the observation O'Brien made about it in DS9's "Trials and Tribblations."

The best explanation I could find was a musing on moviemistakes.com. I can't vouch for the accuracy, but I think it's pretty plausible.

When ST:TNG went into production, television had changed drastically from the time the original series aired in the 1960s. Not only were special effects far more advanced, but editing, camera angles, set design, lighting, color schemes, types of film used, and so on, were all very different. It was likely a decision of what looked best from an artistic-design point-of-view to give the series a fresh, updated look as well as to reflect how much Star Fleet had changed since Captain James T. Kirk's time. Red is also a very prominent color, and it draws the viewer's eye to it, and to the character wearing it. Therefore, that became the command color.

Memory Alpha's also a great resource for most ST questions. Here's a nice timeline of uniform colors:
http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Starfleet_uniform

Me, I like the late 90's uniform design, the ones they had in First Contact and the last season of DS9.

Bits and bytes have to be paid somehow. What, you want his virtual children to starve?

mmmmm....not really a reason, but it's mentioned:

The Starfleet officers and crewmembers seen in The Next Generation wear a jumpsuit with a Starfleet communicator badge (or 'commbadge' as it was sometimes called) on the left chest and rank insignia on the right side of the collar. The uniforms' sleeves and abdominal area are colored to indicate the individual's branch, with red indicating command and helm; gold for engineering, security, and operations; and blue for science and medical (TNG: "Encounter at Farpoint"). The division colors for command and operations switched from those used in Enterprise and TOS as Benjamin Sisko tells Julian Bashir in the DS9 episode: "Trials and Tribble-ations".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starfleet_uniforms

Trials and Tribble-ations is totally worth a re-watching :)

While I don't generally enjoy the Bellevue patrons, Lincoln Square cinema across from Bellevue Square is amazingly nice. Gorgeous big comfy pleather seats (hell, might even be REAL leather). Ample leg room. Great sound, and good raking/seat placement. I've worked several events here, and I'm always impressed. If it were on my side of the water, I could see myself visiting more often. The staff tends to be pretty nice, too.

There's validated parking in the garage (bring your ticket with you, and you just punch it yourself in the machine on the manager's desk/in the lobby after your film). Know that it is an INSANELY designed parking garage...kind of nightmare if it's busy. Signage is plentiful but not always helpful, and often arrows are very small.

And, you could get soup dumplings at Din Tai Fung downstairs (they're in the same building). http://www.yelp.com/biz/din-tai-fung-bellevue

I love the Landmark theaters with all of my cinephile heart. They aren't the most "plush" upscale experience and they don't have all of the uber sorround sound stuff, but I absolutely love being in these old movie palaces. My favorite theatre might be 7 Gables in the U District. It has this beautiful Regency Hollywood lobby and chandeliers within the theatre. I'm picky about movies I spend my money to see, but on bad days I'm willing to see anything just to be in that building.
When it comes to films that are out, we do find ourselves in the inberween season (between oscar bait and blockbusters) but one film I can recommend that is out now is Jiro Dreams of Sushi at the Egyptian in Capitol Hill (another beautiful historic movie palace.) it is a documentary about the world's most famous sushi chef. I found it sweet, thoughtful, and funny at times. The Artist is still showing at Harvard Exit (another very sweet old Landmark Theater) and in my opinion, it is not only one of the best films in decades but should be seen on the big screen. The Exit's ambiance only adds to the charm and delight of the film. But, if you are into loudness, special effects, or chick flicks, (hate documentaries and silent films) ignore all of the advice above. I dont want to come off as a snob, but I also don't want you to be bored or not have an enjoyable experience at the cinema. :)

I highly recommend Cinebarre theater in Mountlake Terrace. http://cinebarre.com/locations/seattle-wa

Here's the positives:
Food and drinks (alcoholic even) during the movie.
Lots of legroom -- every other row of seats has been taken out and replaced with a long table. That's not a good description, but trust me, it's comfortable. Comfortable seats, with adjustable armrests.
The theater is strictly adults only -- age 21+. That means no kids texting and talking during the movie (which was my last experience in an AMC theater). They're also serious about keeping it quiet during the movie -- they WILL kick out disruptive people.
Regular priced movie tickets. Other similar "dinner/drink" theaters charge a premium ticket price (I've heard upwards of $30). They also have $5 Tuesdays, but those nights are pretty packed, so I wouldn't recommend that if you want a less crowded theater.
I also love that they support indie and upcoming artists. If you arrive early, they show shorts from film students and independent filmmakers, instead of a bunch of commercials like most theaters.

The negatives:
The lights are not turned all the way down during the movie (it's dim, but not dark). That's because the servers need to be able to see.
Related: there are severs who will walk by/in front of you during the movie They duck down and try to be unobtrusive, but I have some friends who find this very distracting. I don't mind it.
The food is not great. It's standard bar food fare and prices But it is pretty cool to eat pizza or burgers and drink a beer or glass of wine during a movie.

I don't feel like I go out to a lot of movies anymore either, but when I do I only go here now.

Too late for the premiere, I know, but the Summit Public House (Summit and Mercer) replayed it on Monday night at 9 and said they would be doing this for the rest of the episodes this spring (DVRing it on Sunday and showing it on Monday). So at least you have an option for next week....

Pictures. Video and pictures. It didn't happen unless we call can see it later.

Strictly speaking, on legal terms, any bar or public venue that shows HBO content is risking HUGE legal action against them. Getting HBO service includes customer agreement to not use or display the content in public settings or businesses.

I ran into the same problems trying to find a bar who would play True Blood.

I don't know of any bars hosting showings (but that would be really, really awesome). However, if you are willing to go the less-than-legal route websites such as sidereel.com and watchseries.eu usually have stream links for episodes the next day. Just be sure to run your virus updates regularly and you'll be fine... until the next version of SOPA is passed.

Well, I'm pushing 1000 years old and still move my Gallifreyian booty on the dance floor.

But I'm worried that you are pushing 40 and are worried about what other people think. That has me concerned; I mean you should have let that go during your 20's.

You can get into trouble with clothing though. Dress appropriately for your body type: if your chunky no one wants to see you at a club in a super tight tee shirt or tank top no matter how cool it is.

I can't comment at all about clubbing. But dressing nice/up would add the look of confidence. Which is always a good signal to put out there, in any situation.

Though, as to put out the "work hard play hard" vibe instead of the "desperately trying to hold onto my youth" vibe, a bit of gentlemanly class wouldn't hurt.

'Cause every girl crazy 'bout a sharp dressed man

Every episode of SNL is on Netflix streaming (and maybe Hulu Plus?) so you could track it down there since you know exactly what episode it's in.

I think you're only as old as you feel.
If you're acting desperate, then you are "that guy".
But if you're enjoying yourself and not being a pest, who cares. Relax. Enjoy the company and let the evening happen.

I don't know about clubbing, I don't "club" but I do go out for beers with a group of buddies from time to time. Our crew ranges in age from 22 to 55, and nobody looks askance at us. I think part of the trick is to go out with friends.

You're more likely to look like a creeper if you're flying solo and you're the only one in the room who can rent a car without paying the underage fee. Find a group of friends to go out with, and don't worry about what other people think. Haters gonna hate.