On Demand Weekly

Media savant T Tara Turk goes deep inside cable TV to reveal Video On Demand's Hidden Gems so even the busiest of our readers can get the most out of On Demand TV. Tell Tara what VOD shows you think deserves her attention.

HOTEL IMPOSSIBLE (VOD Hidden Gem)

By T. Tara Turk

While the Food Network Channel is gaining so much popularity that they need two channels (yes, THAT’S what the Cooking Channel is...Food Network Jr.), the world of renovation doesn’t seem to have the same clear path that food does. Normally you’d think a show about hotel business revamping would go maybe on HGTV but Hotel Impossible is held up at the Travel Channel which makes a little bit of sense if you connect the travel and leisure dots.

Much like "Restaurant Impossible" where British chef and TV host Robert Irvine goes to revamp failing restaurants or Gordon Ramsey for "Kitchen Nightmares," hospitality vet Anthony Melchiorri goes in search of failing hotels across the country and helps them revamp and renovate to at least passable standards. In fact, I’m going to go out on a limb and say this show is the same exact show as Restaurant Impossible except for the business and Melchiorri is shorter and bald to Irvine’s taller and bald. And Melchiorri has no accent.

There’s nothing wrong with the sameness of the shows. In fact the Impossible brand seems to be in dire need when it comes to hospitality. A few of the hotels that Melchiorri visits are in such denial and disrepair that it’s surprising to see anybody staying in them. At worst case they look like the photos of pissed former guests on TripAdvisor.com - nasty tubs, fallling cielings, dirty rooms, hair in the beds...you know, common sense things.

Media savant T Tara Turk goes deep inside cable TV to reveal Video On Demand's Hidden Gems so even the busiest of our readers can get the most out of On Demand TV. Tell Tara what VOD shows you think deserves her attention.

Direct TV Everywhere?

By T. Tara Turk

As one who has gone through a gamut of cable operators, Direct TV, so far, has been the most popular in our household due to, well, football. In fact, that was the only reason we chose Direct TV as the horror stories from cable operators seem to be similar no matter what provider you choose. But the joys are coming, people! First we got HBO GO which allows you, as an HBO subscriber, to watch premium shows and movies from HBO on your computer or tablet, some with even extra content. The quality is solid and the content is readily available after the first showing.

So after experiencing that joyous online revelation, imagine the jumps my heart did when I found out Direct TV was going to offer Direct TV Everywhere, a platform seemingly able to offer your programs to your computer, phone or tablet. I already made a list of the things I was going to watch on my lunch hour or waiting in line at the grocery story. There was Investigation Discovery’s “Behind These Mansion Walls” about murder and rich people, catching up on HGTV’s “Design Star” and Food Network’s “Next Food Network Star” and a few episodes of TV One’s “Unsung.” I was like a kid at Christmas with the Sears Christmas catalog!

And then I went to the website.