Miniseries

A miniseries (also mini-series) is a television program that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes.

History

A miniseries is distinguished from an ongoing television series, which do not usually have a predetermined number of episodes and may continue for several years. Before the term was coined in the USA in the early 1970s, the ongoing episodic form was always called a "serial", just as a novel appearing in episodes in successive editions of magazines or newspapers is called a serial. In Britain, miniseries are often still referred to as serials.

Several commentators have offered more precise definitions of the term. In Halliwell's Television Companion, Leslie Halliwell and Philip Purser argue that miniseries tend to "appear in four to six episodes of various lengths", while Stuart Cunningham in Textual Innovation in the Australian Historical Mini-series defines a miniseries as, "a limited run program of more than two and less than the 13-part season or half season block associated with serial or series programming." Still, with the proliferation of the format in the 1980s and 90s, television films broadcast over even two or three nights were commonly referred to as miniseries.

Time (Pink Floyd song)

"Time" is the fourth track from the English progressive rock band Pink Floyd's 1973 album The Dark Side of the Moon, and the only song on the album credited to all four members of the band, though the lyrics were written by Roger Waters. It is the final Pink Floyd song credited to all four members and the last to feature Richard Wright on lead vocals until "Wearing the Inside Out" on The Division Bell. This song is about how time can slip by, but many people do not realise it until it is too late. Roger Waters got the idea when he realised he was no longer preparing for anything in life, but was right in the middle of it. He has described this realisation taking place at ages 28 and 29 in various interviews. It is noted for its long introductory passage of clocks chiming and alarms ringing, recorded as a quadrophonic test by Alan Parsons, not specifically for the album.

Composition

Time is in the key of F# minor. Each clock at the beginning of the song was recorded separately in an antiques store. This is followed by a two-minute passage dominated by Nick Mason's drum solo, with rototoms and backgrounded by a tick-tock sound created by Roger Waters picking two muted strings on his bass. With David Gilmour singing lead on the verses and with Richard Wright singing lead on the bridges and with female singers and Gilmour providing backup vocals, the song's lyrics deal with Roger Waters' realization that life was not about preparing yourself for what happens next, but about grabbing control of your own destiny.

Adventure Time

Adventure Time is an American animated television series created by Pendleton Ward for Cartoon Network. The series follows the adventures of a boy named Finn (voiced by Jeremy Shada) and his best friend and adoptive brother Jake (voiced by John DiMaggio)—a dog with the magical power to change shape and size at will. Finn and Jake live in the post-apocalyptic Land of Ooo. Throughout the show, they interact with the other main characters Princess Bubblegum (voiced by Hynden Walch), The Ice King (voiced by Tom Kenny), and Marceline the Vampire Queen (voiced by Olivia Olson). The series is based on a short produced for Nicktoons and Frederator Studios' animation incubator series Random! Cartoons. After the short became a viral hit on the Internet, Cartoon Network commissioned a full-length series that previewed on March 11, 2010, and officially premiered on April 5, 2010.

The series was inspired by the fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons and video games. It is produced using hand-drawn animation; episodes are created through the process of storyboarding and each episode takes roughly eight to nine months to complete. Multiple episodes are worked on concurrently. The Adventure Time cast record their lines in group recordings and the series regularly employs guest actors for minor and recurring characters. Each Adventure Time episode runs for about eleven minutes; pairs of episodes are often telecast to fill half-hour program slots. Six seasons of the program have been completed, the seventh is currently airing, and the show has been renewed for an eighth season. As of October 2015, a feature-length film is in pre-production.

Discovery Kids

Discovery Kids is a brand name owned by Discovery Communications. Starting as a television segment within the Discovery channel, which aired shows such as Mystery Hunters, the brand was expanded as a separate television channel. The brand was expanded into different areas since then. Most of the channels worldwide were either rebranded as or replaced by another, but the brand still exists as the website for children's activities and as the consumer products aimed at children.