Welcome to English as a Second Language Podcast, number 650, Buying TV Programs and Movies.
This is English as a Second Language Podcast, episode 650.
I'm your host, Dr Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development in beautiful Los Angeles, California.
Our website is eslpod.com.
Go there to download a learning guide for this episode.
That will help you improve your English faster and make you a happier human being.
This episode is a dialogue between Cameron and James.
It's all about buying TV programs and movies to watch at home.
Let's get started.
What did you get for Christmas?
I got a box set of my favorite TV show of all time, The McHugh Files.
It contains all five seasons of the show, deleted scenes and outtakes.
I can't wait to watch it all.
Didn't you see the entire series when it was shown on TV?
I just don't see why people spend good money buying shows they've already seen.
Hey, wait a second.
Didn't you run out and buy the Podinator trilogy box set when it went on sale last month?
Uh, yeah, but that's different.
Those are movies, not TV shows.
The Podinator box set had the director's cut and commentary, not to mention never-before-released scenes.
Hadn't you seen all three movies when they were shown in the theaters?
Yes, but... And don't you own all three movies on video already?
Well, maybe I do, but... Then I don't see why you needed to buy the box set.
I think it's best that you give it to me.
Touché.
Cameron begins by asking James, what did you get for Christmas?
What gifts, what presents did you get for Christmas?
James says, I got a box set of my favorite TV show of all time, The McCue Files.
A box set is a group of related CDs, compact discs DVDs videotapes, books or some other material, usually a video or a print material, that is sold together.
For example, you might want to see all three of the Godfather movies from the early 70s.
The Godfather 2, the Godfather 3.
Well, you can buy a box set of those three movies.
They come together.
In DVD form in a little box that often contains other information about whatever it is that you're buying.
James got a box set of his favorite TV show of all time.
The expression of all time means... the same as ever throughout the existence of something.
If you say this is the best book of all time, you mean there has never been a better book than this one.
James says that the box set contains all five seasons of the show. deleted scenes and outtakes.
The verb to contain means to have, to include as part of something.
My book contains a lot of violence.
It has a lot of violence in it.
Contain has a couple of different meanings, and those can be found in our learning guide.
James says that the box set contains all five seasons of the show, of the TV program.
A season when we are talking about a television program is the group of programs that are shown, usually in a period of six to eight months.
In the united states typically, most of the new tv shows begin in september and then during the summer They don't have the show on the air, that is, you can't watch it on television, or you can only watch old episodes.
And then they start a new season in the fall, in September, the following year.
Well, this show, the McHugh Files, has five seasons.
The box set also contains deleted scenes and outtakes.
When you buy a DVD, for example, of a TV program or a movie, often they will include on the DVD things that were not part of the original movie or the original television show.
Something that is deleted is something that is removed.
So deleted scenes are parts of the story that were taken out for the final version, for what you saw on TV.
But when you buy the box set, you get to see some of these scenes, some of these parts of the TV show or movie that
No one else has seen, well, no one else who has not bought the box set.
An outtake O-U-T-T-A-K-E.
One word is a small section of a movie that is usually removed Because there was a problem with it.
Often there's a mistake.
In many box set DVDs, you'll find outtakes from a movie that are funny.
When the actors or actresses make a mistake, that's typically what outtakes are.
James says that he can't wait to watch it all, watch all of it. the programs in this TV series.
Cameron says James said I did, but the bonus features make it a must-have for a big fan like me, something that is a bonus.
B-O-N-U-S is something that is extra.
A feature, in this case, is just a characteristic of something, some part of something.
So a bonus feature are things that you get extra when you buy the DVD box set.
A must-have is something that you want and feel that you absolutely need to have.
James says that getting the box set with the bonus features is a must-have for a big fan.
That is someone who likes this TV series a lot like me.
Cameron says The expression to spend good money is an informal one that's used to show your disapproval how you don't like the way someone is choosing to spend their money.
You think it's on unimportant or unnecessary things.
Some people might say, you shouldn't spend good money on buying a fancy car.
All you need is something that will take you from here to there.
That would be an example of using this expression, to spend good money.
I, for example, will not spend good money on some expensive shampoo since I don't really need it.
Cameron doesn't think James should spend good money on buying television shows, DVDs of shows he's already seen.
James says, hey, wait a second.
Didn't you run out and buy the Podinator trilogy box set when it went on sale last month?
Wait a second means hold on, stop.
Don't go any farther.
James asks Cameron, Didn't you run out and buy, meaning you were very excited and so you went to the store immediately, as soon as it was available, to buy it.
Didn't you run out and buy the Podinator Trilogy box set?
A trilogy, T-R-I-L-O-G-Y, is a group of three related books or movies, typically.
The Lord of the Rings was a trilogy.
The Godfather series was a trilogy, and so forth.
Cameron says, oh yeah, but that's different.
Those are movies, not TV shows.
The Podinator box set had the director's cut and commentary, not to mention never-before-released scenes.
When you buy a movie on DVD, sometimes they will include a special version of the movie called the director's cut.
The director is the person who is in charge of the movie when it is being filmed.
Often the director takes things out of the movie and in order to be able to sell it to the movie companies, the movie studios, when they have a chance to sell the DVD, then the director will often put in that original cut, that is, that original version of the movie.
Often movies will have commentary.
That is, there'll be the director, maybe the producer, possibly the lead actor talking through the movie, giving you descriptions of what was happening or giving you the story behind this particular part of the movie.
And when you buy a DVD with commentary you can turn the commentary on so that you can hear them talking literally over the movie.
Never before released means that it has not been shown to anyone until now.
It's sort of like deleted scenes.
Release has a couple of different meanings, however.
Take a look at the learning guide for some additional explanations.
James says hadn't you seen all three movies when they were shown in the theaters?
In the movie theater?
Cameron says, yes, but... And don't you own all three movies on video already?
That is, Cameron already has copies of this movie, perhaps on an old video cassette tape.
Cameron says well, maybe I do.
But James continues then I don't see why you needed to buy the box set.
He's joking, of course.
James is saying.
Cameron of course realizes that James is criticizing her for the same reason that she criticized him.
So the last scene, word of the dialogue is touché.
Touché T-O-U-C-H-E with an accent over.
It is a French word that in English we use to show that you agree with what another person has said and and that there's something somewhat funny about it.
We're acknowledging that the other person said something that was true and that perhaps we didn't realize until they said it.
For example, someone could say to you if you are trying to save money, why don't you stop buying so many expensive books, books that cost a lot of money?
About saving money.
And you would say, ah, touche.
In other words, you are accepting in a sense this criticism, this observation, that about something that is somewhat funny, something that perhaps shows that you didn't think about the situation as completely as you should have.
Now let's listen to the dialogue, this time at a normal speed.
What did you get for Christmas?
I got a box set of my favorite TV show of all time, The McHugh Files.
It contains all five seasons of the show, deleted scenes, and outtakes.
I can't wait to watch it all.
Didn't you see the entire series when it was shown on TV?
I did, but the bonus features make it a must-have for a big fan like me.
I just don't see why people spend good money buying shows they've already seen.
Hey, wait a second.
Didn't you run out and buy the Podinator trilogy box set when it went on sale last month?
Uh, yeah, but that's different.
Those are movies, not TV shows.
The Podinator box set had the director's cut and commentary, not to mention never-before-released scenes.
Hadn't you seen all three movies when they were shown in the theaters?
Yes, but... And don't you own all three movies on video already?
Well, maybe I do, but...
Then I don't see why you needed to buy the box set.
I think it's best that you give it to me.
Touche.
Who is the greatest podcast script writer of all time?
I think you know the answer.
Dr. Lucy Say.
Thank you, Lucy.
From Los Angeles, California, I'm Jeff McQuillan.
Thank you for listening.
Come back and listen to us again on ESL Podcast.
English as a Second Language Podcast is written and produced by Dr Lucy Say, hosted by Dr Jeff McQuillan.
Copyright 2011 by the Center for Educational Development.
