GOODBYE TO SID'S FAVORITE
click on photo
Where's the remote?
2. JudithAtHome - 6/1/2001 6:05:29 PM
Okay, fellow couch potatoes...here we go. Let's talk TV.
Anything that shows up on the small screen is fair game...HBO, NBC, FOX...local cable access, whatever. This is the place to talk about Tony Soprano, Christopher Lowell, Daphne Moon, and even Martha Stewart.
So what did you watch last night?
3. JudithAtHome - 6/1/2001 6:06:23 PM
The remote is under the TV Guide over there on the floor...as usual.
4. RosettaStone - 6/1/2001 6:08:10 PM
We just got digital cable. One month free experiment. Has 165 channels, 20 music ones. Potential for 700.
Good on-screen teaching lessons to navigate.
We always get cable for the summer and drop it in the winter because of school.
5. labwabbit - 6/1/2001 6:09:21 PM
So what did you watch last night?
The borealis.
(Ok...I'm sorry...that was on the big screen :>)
6. JudithAtHome - 6/1/2001 6:12:11 PM
Heads up for what should be a good 2 hours on AMC tonight at 7pm CDT: Marilyn Monroe: The Final Days with 37 minutes of footage not previously seen from her last, unfinished movie.
7. JudithAtHome - 6/1/2001 6:12:51 PM
Lab:
I've seen that one before...a rerun, right?
8. glendajean - 6/1/2001 6:14:17 PM
I've seen that footage from her last movie before. There was a special on Fox or some other channel a few years ago. She was fired from the movie and they put Lee Remmick in as her replacement.
9. JudithAtHome - 6/1/2001 6:17:03 PM
GJ:
I've seen some of the clips for tonights show and she looks positively gorgeous. Her face looks very thin and so does her body; I'm guessing she was on speed for much of the time before being cast...
10. labwabbit - 6/1/2001 6:19:14 PM
I've seen that one before...a rerun, right?
Well, I guess....but somehow I always seem to forget how the previous viewing ends. (I guess one of those selective-memory things...heh-heh)
11. JJBiener - 6/1/2001 6:19:59 PM
Why is there suddenly this resurgence of interest in Marilyn Monroe?
12. JudithAtHome - 6/1/2001 6:21:16 PM
JJ:
I don't know but I'm glad the show is on tonight because, unlike you, I don't have a gig.
13. glendajean - 6/1/2001 6:21:30 PM
She was actually naked in one scene, where she is swimming in the backyard pool. The movie was about a woman who disappears and her husbands thinks she is dead so he remarries or is about to remarry. But wife #1 (Monroe) returns to muck things up.
It's a very early 60s commedy, with elaborate studio sets of the house and backyard.
14. labwabbit - 6/1/2001 6:22:05 PM
My favorite channels:
#! The Weather Channel...(with the sound turned off)
#2 The Learning C
#3 ESPN/NESN
15. labwabbit - 6/1/2001 6:23:45 PM
Is an early 60(s) commedy, similar to today's comedy?
16. JudithAtHome - 6/1/2001 6:28:16 PM
Is an early 60(s) commedy, similar to today's comedy?
No, it's not...
17. labwabbit - 6/1/2001 6:30:20 PM
Sorry Judith.
I'm not much of a TV/Movie gazer...so,
Good Luck in your new thread adventures.
18. labwabbit - 6/1/2001 6:32:11 PM
Oh,
Then the extra 'm' must have signified marilyn monroe?
Ok..ok...I'm leaving...
x
19. arkymalarky - 6/1/2001 6:32:32 PM
Cool digs, Judith! It may just tip me into the satellite world. I'll have to see how my summer shapes up, but if it gets as hot as it's been getting in July and August, it may be time.
20. JudithAtHome - 6/1/2001 6:34:15 PM
Thanks, Lab...I'm sure what you watch at night is far more enriching that what I watch, even if you can never remember the ending.
Come back and read us sometime; you don't have to watch TV to enjoy it.
21. JudithAtHome - 6/1/2001 6:35:41 PM
Hey, Arky...I'll get you hooked on The Sopranos yet!
22. JJBiener - 6/1/2001 6:37:14 PM
Judith - You are always welcome at our gigs. It is only a short 14 hour drive for you. If you start at 7:00 am you should be in town right around show time tomorrow.
23. JudithAtHome - 6/1/2001 6:39:24 PM
Thanks, JJ...my car goes fast enough, might be able to make it in time for dinner before the show.
24. JudithAtHome - 6/1/2001 7:17:39 PM
I've linked in a site that does recaps of TV shows which are quite good. It's called MightyBigTV...
25. Fielding - 6/1/2001 8:12:57 PM
Judith:
To get your fledgeling thread off with a bang, why not take a Mote Poll on the greatest TV shows of all time. There are probably 1,000 different ways to do this. One would be for everyone to e-mail you (or someone else) their top ten. Another would be to use an automated form the way CalGal did for the Oscar contest.
I'm sure that The Sopranos would probably do better than it should, because it is so immediate, but the results would be very interesting.
26. JudithAtHome - 6/1/2001 10:13:16 PM
Fielding:
That sounds like a great idea but I have very few skills at the computer and certainly not the sort to set up a poll like the Oscar contest...I'm doing good to link to the butter bar!
However, if everyone would like to post their Top 5 list, we could certainly argue the pros and cons of each persons choice.
I'll give it some thought and list my 5 tomorrow. Feel free to start tonight with yours, though...
27. Indiana Jones - 6/1/2001 10:18:47 PM
No particular order (though I think Andy Griffith is probably number 1): Andy Griffith, The Honeymooners, All in the Family, Sixty Minutes, Perry Mason.
They're not necessarily my favorites, but shows I think were significant for one reason or the other.
Honorable mentions: M*A*S*H* (which I never liked) and Barney Miller, Twilight Zone.
28. CalGal - 6/1/2001 10:43:47 PM
There's really no way to rank all tv shows, since dramas date and the best comedies do not. The mid-90s crop of dramas may age fairly well--Law & Order will be in syndication for eternity, reruns of ER, NYPD Blue and Homicide are still watchable (although whether they will be in five more years is debatable). While I doubt that The Sopranos will be old hat, you never know--it's hard to believe now that LA Law and Hill Street Blues once ruled the airwaves, and shows any older than that are downright laughable (SWAT, anyone?).
The best sitcoms are eternal.
I have to go with The Dick Van Dyke Show as the finest sitcom ever made. Unlike I Love Lucy and The Honeymooners, both of which were funny at the time but date so much as to negate much of the value, this prototypical workplace comedy is ageless.
Second place I have always given to The Mary Tyler Moore Show for similar reasons. MTM was astonishingly consistent, and went out on a high note.
The next three places on my list will probably go to Frasier, Cheers, and Seinfeld, all of which are superlative. But I have to see how they age for a bit longer. Frasier went on for a year or so too long, Cheers was never as consistent as I would have liked, and Seinfeld was just too cruel for me sometimes. But they are all excellent shows.
I never watch The Simpsons or South Park, but I suspect they rank up there as well.
Special mention to I Love Lucy and The Honeymooners. I don't really enjoy either show all that much, but they were groundbreaking, and Lucy, in particular, set the standard for sublime physical comedy.
Honorable mention to WKRP In Cincinnati, which may not have been consistent but it hasn't dated a bit and two of its episodes are among the funniest in TV history.
29. arkymalarky - 6/2/2001 1:19:15 AM
I still love The Honeymooners, and of the recent ones, Seinfeld was far and away my favorite.
When I think of WKRP I think of hair, so that dates it in my mind when the show enters it, but the guy with thick black hair was from Malvern, AR. Jerry VanDyke lived there too, btw (he's in Benton AR now, I believe), and I think one of the funniest fairly recent sitcoms was Coach. I have laughed till I cried at several episodes; two that stand out are when VanDyke (forget his character name) made a big grape juice stain on Christine's white carpet and he and Coach tried first to clean it, and when that made it worse to hide it, and the one where coach threw something out a high-rise apartment window and some rich bitch's poodle jumped out after it. Then there was the one where Dauber accidently got the engagement ring Coach was going to give to Christine and gave it to his girlfriend because both gift boxes looked alike.
30. arkymalarky - 6/2/2001 1:19:40 AM
"ones" being sitcoms.
31. CalGal - 6/2/2001 1:21:58 AM
Oh, Coach was very funny sometimes. The one where he was cooling or heating his sperm so that she could get pregnant and it involved water and he was on tv and a leak happened--well, it sounds stupid now. But I laughed at the time.
32. arkymalarky - 6/2/2001 1:24:55 AM
That's the way with a lot of episodes in that show, imo because they were such great comic actors. Or when he bought the "murder house" without consulting Christine.
33. arkymalarky - 6/2/2001 1:26:29 AM
The one I can rarely get people to agree with me on, and we've talked about it before, is Gilligan's Island. I had a coach pal once who was a big fan of GI.
34. Shannon - 6/2/2001 1:27:53 AM
Coach had some good moments. I loved WKRP.
I recently saw a Seinfeld I'd never seen. I missed the beginning, too. But it was something with this guy who stole a statue from Jerry's apartment. Saw the Chinese restaurant one recently too; that's one of my favorites.
35. arkymalarky - 6/2/2001 1:37:25 AM
The Chinese restaurant one is so realistic it's almost painful to watch. I'm one of those type people who can't stand to be hungry.
36. CalGal - 6/2/2001 1:38:47 AM
The Chinese restaurant was the first one I ever saw, and though it was funny, it was too anxiety provoking to really enjoy. My favorite is the second (and third) eps I ever saw, the Keith Hernandez expectoration mystery.
WKRP had a superb ensemble cast, most of whom never appeared to such advantage again. (the DJs were the exception). The Thanksgiving episode is priceless and purely standalone to boot.
37. arkymalarky - 6/2/2001 1:44:07 AM
Bob laughs and enjoys stuff, but he's not one of those hysterical laughers, except for one time in the twenty years I've known him, when we watched the episode of Mama's Family where they were on Family Feud. I've never seen Bob laugh so hysterically--rolling on the couch holding his stomach, with tears down his cheeks--before or since.
38. Shannon - 6/2/2001 1:48:44 AM
Arky, I also can't stand to be hungry. I get really cranky. So nobody else can stand my being hungry either. Mike, OTOH, could go forever without eating.
39. arkymalarky - 6/2/2001 2:00:26 AM
Oooh, we're so alike. We live in the country, so when we go to town and it's time to eat Bob knows to make a beeline for the nearest food place or suffer until we get to one. He's always asking me why I don't keep snacks in the car, but that would be too practical.
40. Shannon - 6/2/2001 2:06:40 AM
Yes, Mike has learned to feed me at regular intervals.
41. Toenails - 6/2/2001 8:51:59 AM
Twilight Zone...only 45-year-old reruns I'll still watch.
Mary Tyler Moore Show...great cast, great situations.
Seinfeld...The critics had to tell<\i> me that it was cruel and that the characters were mean-spirited. I just thought it was funny.
SportsNight...Too verbose sometimes, but a little gem that should have stayed around longer.
Cheers...Just the best-cast running comedy of all time.
42. Toenails - 6/2/2001 8:53:17 AM
...did that fix it?
43. Indiana Jones - 6/2/2001 9:24:52 AM
1. At one time with cable, I could watch two straight hours--four episodes--of Andy Griffith reruns every weekday. Now with just the four networks and PBS I can still see it and have never known it not to be available on local TV in my life. I didn't and don't make a point of watching it, but from that much exposure I'm pretty sure I've seen most all episodes just by osmosis. One friend of mine has taped every episode and still watches it "live" when the opportunity arises.
Although most of the color episodes suck, Don Knotts created a character for the ages, Mayberry is the quintessential smalltown America, and the young Opie Taylor (before he started looking like Richie Cunningham) was the best long-running performance by a child I've ever seen.
44. Indiana Jones - 6/2/2001 9:28:48 AM
2. The Honeymooners as an icon needs no defense by me, but what I personally liked is the tension between the Kramdens' love and Ralph's stupidity/explosiveness. It never got too syrupy or too mean (a quality The Simpsons imitated with Homer for a long time, until he went totally off the deep end a few seasons ago).
45. Indiana Jones - 6/2/2001 9:36:10 AM
3. All in the Family was a landmark show and did for the family sitcom what NYPD Blue did for police procedurals.
4. Sixty Minutes. So often imitated and a show that had much more impact than pure entertainment.
5. Perry Mason may not be the creator of its genre (I'm not that familiar with TV history), but IMO it holds up well and at least created a formula and spawned imitators. Though I haven't seen an episode in years, I'd choose to watch it or a Columbo rerun over most anything else in the way of crime drama. (Yes, the contemporary shows are more realistic, but their characters don't interest me the way those two guys did.)
46. Indiana Jones - 6/2/2001 9:39:03 AM
M*A*S*H--didn't like it, but I seem to be about the only person who didn't.
Barney Miller--Probably over-rated this because of a screen-writing class I took used it as the prototypical example of how a sitcom should work.
Twilight Zone--Another oldie that holds up and seems to have influenced just about everyone in its genre.
47. Indiana Jones - 6/2/2001 9:49:37 AM
My personal favorites would be Andy Griffith, The Honeymooners, Twilight Zone, Perry Mason, Columbo, The Simpsons, Star Trek (original), and...
Dark Shadows.
When I was a kid, I also liked Kolchak: The Nightstalker, but doubt it would hold up very well nowadays and haven't seen an episode since its original airing.
48. PsychProf - 6/2/2001 11:15:33 AM
Judith...congrats on your thread. I still watch my fav-all-time, Northern Exposure
49. JudithAtHome - 6/2/2001 11:21:39 AM
I guess I should change this poll to 5 in Drama and 5 in Comedy...because that's how I'm going to list mine and they are not in order of preference but roughly, by date.
A. Medic ...early 50s show with Richard Boone which told realistic stories of hospital life; precursor to all the medical shows to come.
B. Twilight Zone ...needs no justification.
C. East Side/West Side ...gritty drama starring George C. Scott and Cicely Tyson as overtaxed social workers; first attempt to present drama of city life realistically.
D. Hill St. Blues ...from the jumpy, dark camera movements to the intense situations, a landmark show which influenced much to come.
E. The Sopranos ...something new and different, from the unexpected storylines to the way they use music as editorial comment, this one will be a watermark show.
50. JudithAtHome - 6/2/2001 11:27:59 AM
The comedies were harder for me so I tried to stick to what I thought were "the firsts" in their age...
A. Your Show of Shows ...with Sid Caesar and Imogene Coca; live, hysterical, set the standard for ensemble shows.
B. I Love Lucy ...what can I say? Nothing that the work doesn't say better.
C. Honeymooners ...see (B) above.
D. All In The Family ...at the time, a new look at comedy.
E. Seinfeld ...just too good to miss; a classic.
51. JudithAtHome - 6/2/2001 11:29:36 AM
Thanks, PP, and thanks for providing me with a link to A&E to put on the butter bar!
52. CalGal - 6/2/2001 11:58:12 AM
Incidentally, Imogene Coca died today, at 92.
53. JudithAtHome - 6/2/2001 11:59:30 AM
I thought she died last year...guess she was only sick then.
Sad...she was so very funny.
54. Indiana Jones - 6/2/2001 12:01:36 PM
Judith: Another link for the bar...
Jumping the Shark
55. PsychProf - 6/2/2001 12:02:29 PM
GOODBYE TO SID'S FAVORITE
click on photo
56. JudithAtHome - 6/2/2001 12:09:18 PM
Thanks, IJ...I love that site.
57. JudithAtHome - 6/2/2001 2:35:21 PM
I just went to MightyBigTV and decided to read their front page synopsis of The Sopranos ...was stunned to see them referring to JackieJr with a nickname I gave him over on TT...the PooAss.
I guess it's a natural progression after his ill-fated Scrabble game with Meadow but it was still a shock to see it there.
58. Stumbo - 6/2/2001 4:21:18 PM
Comedy:
Yes, Minister
Taxi
Mary Tyler Moore Show
Newhart
Family Ties
Honorable mention: Fernwood 2-Nite
Best current: Malcolm In the Middle
59. Stumbo - 6/2/2001 4:23:49 PM
IJ: I don't much care for M*A*S*H, either.
60. CalGal - 6/2/2001 4:34:43 PM
Taxi and Newhart are both great. I can't stand M*A*S*H; it didn't age well at all. The only episodes that hold up are the dramatic ones--with Edward Herrmann's episode the only one that is still really affecting.
I just realized I have forgotten the Star Trek series. Not many of the original series still hold up, but ten of them do and that's quite an achievement. TNG and Deep Space Nine both will probably be in syndication for a long time--I don't think the same is true as Voyager.
61. ButterfieldSwire - 6/2/2001 6:16:09 PM
The Rockford Files and Hawaii-Five-0 are cop shows that are still entertaining.
62. CalGal - 6/2/2001 6:28:30 PM
I can't stand Hawaii Five-O. Minor nit: the Rockford Files is a private eye show, not a cop show. As I typed that, I realized that the private eye show seems to have run its course. When was the last one--Magnum PI? Or am I missing something more recent?
James Garner is one of the most likeable and enduring TV and movie star in history, so you'll never hear me naysay the guy. I haven't watched his show in a long time, but while it was fun to watch none of it ever stuck with me. But that may be why it's still fun to watch. I'll have to check it out.
63. racehorse - 6/2/2001 8:50:04 PM
Remington Steele holds up pretty well...but the shoulder pads are a scream!
64. wech10 - 6/2/2001 9:10:02 PM
Here are my personal favorites (in no particular order):
1. Seinfeld - classics (and I didn't think they were particularly mean - just weird. (not that there's anything wrong with that!)
2. Sopranos - unlike anything I have ever watched and hits on many levels.
3. I Love Lucy - I know what ep it is by the first words out of their mouth. As a kid I used to watch this ALL THE TIME. Loved it. Yes, it's dated but still funny (IMO)
4. Cheers - both casts (Diane and Kirstie Alley character). Classics as well.
5. Friends - I just enjoy it. :) It's a guilty pleasure.
As an aside, I never did like M*A*S*H. (Can't STAND Alan Alda - hate him hate him hate him!!)
65. joezan - 6/2/2001 9:50:53 PM
Last time I regularly watched any TV show was...
...I can't remember - maybe Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman. I really liked MH, MH, and wish I could find reruns. I don't believe it's been in reruns for at least the past 10 years, but I could be wrong
That said, my favorites are (in no particular order):
The Naked City
The Millionaire
The Odd Couple
All In The Family
Happy Days (1st season)
66. JudithAtHome - 6/2/2001 10:32:47 PM
I adored Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman because it got away with soooo much; I can remember entire scenes where very risqué things were being said if you listened between the lines.
One in particular was when Mary was dissatisfied with her husbands performance in bed and at breakfast, she was trying to talk him into trying a breakfast bar and he was resisting because it was something new...she kept saying "You don't have to actually eat it, just nibble it a little...it would make me so happy if you would just nibble it a little..."
There were tons of things like that...just hysterical and Louise Lassar was so deadpan in her delivery that you couldn't be sure you were really hearing what you were hearing. Either that or the drugs were very good back then...
67. JudithAtHome - 6/2/2001 10:33:59 PM
Wech10, welcome to the Mote...
68. JudithAtHome - 6/2/2001 10:39:27 PM
Okay, one last post and then I'm outta here:
Somewhere on my list of faves I need to put Soap and Masterpiece Theatre .
69. joezan - 6/2/2001 10:41:08 PM
Judith:
I remember thinking while watching that show that everyone on it must be on valium. That, and the absence of a laugh track, were imo the two biggest factors in the general weirdness of the show.
...well, those -and the totally screwy plot lines.
I can't for the life of me figure out why it's not still in reruns.
70. JudithAtHome - 6/3/2001 11:26:41 AM
Tonight on HBO a new series starts to help fill the gap left by the hiatus of The Sopranos . It's called Six Feet Under and is written by Allan Ball, who brought us American Beauty .
Also tonight is the premiere of Sex and the City on HBO.
On PBS at 7pm CDT the Tony Awards will present the first 10 awards (including direction, choreography, and costume design) and move over to CBS at 8pm CDT for the remainder of the show. Tomorrow, the discussion of the Tonys, winners and losers, will take place in the Arts & Music thread.
71. JudithAtHome - 6/3/2001 11:32:19 AM
As if we weren't already torn about what to watch, A&E has The Impressionists on Biography tonight at 8pm CDT. It's a 2 hour show and will include stories about, among others, Monet, Renoir, and Pissaro.
72. TabouliJones - 6/3/2001 1:00:19 PM
Shows I currently cannot get enough of:
1. Friends -- mostly because Joey makes me bust a gut laughing in every episode.
2. That 70s Show --all of the actors but one (Laura Preopon) are extremely funny and the writing is top notch.
3. News Radio -- its all around goofiness is charming and good to wind down to before going to bed (it reruns at 11:30 in my part of the world)
Honourable Mention: Two Guys and a Girl -- just kidding Judith, although I do find it entertaining at times and still lust for Traylor Howard.
Last but not least: I may start taping a television show for the first time in my life. Northern Exposure is shown in reruns in the morning just before I head off to work. I turn it on, watch ten minutes and then have to trek to the office. I haven't seen a whole episode yet, but what I've seen has me craving more.
73. JudithAtHome - 6/3/2001 1:09:51 PM
all of the actors but one (Laura Preopon)
If this is the redhead, I agree...she has an exceedingly flat delivery that ruins her good lines and makes the rest seem cringe-worthy.
I was so happy to see Two Guys And a Girl end, FINALLY.
I think you'd be very pleased with the results of taping Northern Exposure , at least the first few years.
74. TabouliJones - 6/3/2001 1:26:43 PM
Yeah, Prepon is the redhead. Although she is pretty to look at, her delivery is, as you said, consistently flat. You can also see the wheels turning in her head as she tries to pull off a funny moment. Al of the other actors, otoh, are among the best comedic talents on t.v. right now.
I will probably begin taping Northern exposure or start going to work late (now there is an idea).
R.I.P. Two Guys and a Girl
Oh yeah, that show you are always advertising -- Third Watch ?? -- is it the one that features a redheaded woman cop and her sort of goombah partner? I caught a couple of decent episodes last year, but never seem to catch it any more.
75. JudithAtHome - 6/3/2001 1:37:45 PM
Yes, that's the one...it's been renewed for next year and after basketball tournaments, will be shown in reruns through the summer. Try to catch it on Monday nights...it's worth the wait.
76. TabouliJones - 6/3/2001 1:40:39 PM
Will do. Thanks.
77. JudithAtHome - 6/4/2001 10:24:28 AM
Last night, I thought Sex and the City would have done better showing only the second episode; the first one was a little thin. I know it was meant to "set the tone" for the coming season...getting older, finding happiness, yada yada yada...but it just fell flat with me.
The new HBO series Six Feet Under , on the other hand, was like a rich dessert and I think it will definitely find a following. It was about growing up, too...very cleverly done.
78. glendajean - 6/4/2001 11:02:13 AM
Tabouli -- NE is an excellent show. You should tape them because it helps to understand the characters later as odd facts and stories are mined again later.
79. msgreer - 6/4/2001 11:06:03 AM
Judith
I agree with you on Sex in the City. But wasn't that a pleasant surprise, Six Feet Under. I thought the character development was excellent.
Growing up indeed. It is well worth the watch.
80. JudithAtHome - 6/4/2001 11:11:53 AM
Well, to keep the topic of Sex and the City spectacularly shallow, what did you think of Carries clothes last night? The Merry Widow underwear on the outside? The knee-high argyle socks with shorts and high heels?
Keoni looked up just as Margaret Cho was gushing "No one spells Fashion more than YOU, Carrie!" and he burst out laughing.
81. janjon - 6/4/2001 11:14:47 AM
Six Feet Undeer has possibilities, but I wonder if the interactions in that disfunctional family will become shrill and utterly predictable quickly. The only one I was really intrigued with was the second son (whose name I already forget). Obviously that guy is a time bomb. I especially liked the scene where some young ninnie is going on and on about the funeral at hand and then he perceives that she is giving him the real scoop about himself. The little screams were perfect. I also thought his final "I need" was a right on correct way to end the episode. The ad spoofs fell a bit flat, for me. I also liked the way the father was used. Each of the encounters with other members of the family seemed quite natural with no hint of surprise that someone who is now dead was there talking to them, etc. Nice way of projecting internalized thinking.
In sum - some nice touches, certainly a different setting if not exactly wildly imaginative new premises (disfunctional families abound on t.v.). So, will we really care about this crew?
82. msgreer - 6/4/2001 11:15:45 AM
Judith
I wasn't bolted over with sjp's clothes last night. Of course I loved her as the writer I am not a model. Thought she looked fantastic. I remember last season..there was hardly a thing sjp
put on I did not want to add to my closet. I'm going to give the series more time. "Carrie" will be wearing those drop dead thousand dollar outfits again. Now, Kim Catrell..she looked stunning.
83. JudithAtHome - 6/4/2001 11:27:11 AM
janjon:
I'm hoping they do a number on the funeral industry...not the family owned place but by bringing in the blonde guy in the navy overcoat who was trying to strike before the old man was cold and buy up yet another family owned business and turn it into McFunerals-R-Us...this is a black comedy waiting to happen.
The writer who originated this show wrote only the first episode so I'm hoping it won't become mired in Dysfunction Junction totally. I think it has room to grow.
I'm amazed at the emotion the stay-at-home son was able to covey with no dialogue whatsoever...he is so tightly wound. You are right...the screams were perfect. Made you wonder how many he'd supressed over the years.
84. janjon - 6/4/2001 11:32:11 AM
I am not terribly unhappy to learn that Ball isn't writing all of the episodes. I thought American Beauty was a bit precious in many ways.
85. Cellar Door - 6/4/2001 1:10:11 PM
He's overseeing all the writing on the show. It's his show in every way. I interviewed him on Friday, and he tellsme that Rachel Griffith's character is going to play a major role in the series. She has a family with "issues" that will contrast with the Fisher's. He also says religion will figure in the plots as well. It's not going to be a one-joke show about death.
86. janjon - 6/4/2001 1:17:11 PM
I must admit that I don't know who Rachel Griffith is. I had assumed she played the mother. Was she, instead, the older son's playmate-soon-to-be-girlfriend? Certainly there were more than just passing references to her own disfunctional family, including a scene with that creepy brother.
87. JudithAtHome - 6/4/2001 1:21:22 PM
She was in....help me here, I can't recall the title...the movie about the cello player who went nuts. She played the sister.
88. janjon - 6/4/2001 1:23:49 PM
Oh, the one about Jacqueline DuPre.
So, she's the girlfriend.
89. Cellar Door - 6/4/2001 1:31:08 PM
Right.
90. JudithAtHome - 6/4/2001 1:32:35 PM
Hillary and Jackie ...yes, she plays the girlfriend in this one and the Hillary in the movie.
Strange how much like the mother she looks in this show, though...Keoni was driven nuts by it last night.
91. janjon - 6/4/2001 1:40:31 PM
Glad to hear that she'll be a central figure. She was terrific. As well as nice to look at.
92. JudithAtHome - 6/4/2001 1:48:38 PM
I liked her hair...it has that clean and easy way about it that doesn't scream "look at my wonderful hair".
93. ChristiPeters - 6/4/2001 2:26:17 PM
Wow. Stop paying attention for a few days and see what happens - a TV thread is started.
I only have one comment at the moment -
YAAAA!
&:o)
94. janjon - 6/4/2001 4:03:42 PM
I see it has been noted that the inimitable Imogene Coca died.
I urge everyone to get their hands on the anthology of Your Show of Shows that came out on video about 10 years ago. Caesar, Coca, Reiner and Morris did stuff that is without parallel. All this in an era when they couldn't touch sex or a lot of stuff we take for granted in our comedy-with-a-sting today.
95. JudithAtHome - 6/4/2001 4:08:35 PM
Janjon:
I listed Your Show of Shows as one of my all time favorite comedy shows; my parents were huge fans and I think we saw every show.
Just read in the paper that HBO ordered a second season of Six Feet Under ...evidently they have faith in it. Not misplaced at all, in my opinion.
96. janjon - 6/4/2001 4:13:15 PM
well, I just read the review of it in Slate. (I had shied away from doing so before watching the show since I don't like knowing a lot about what to expect.) Certainly that reviewer said he was hooked by the sixth episode.
I take heart from the fact that they aren't just going to focus on the characters we've met to date. I mean - how much can there be between Nate and Claire? Even Nate and David (having read the review I now know/remember that character's name)? Actually, quite a lot there.
The mother also promises to be interesting. Certainly there seemed to be a lot of VERY "motherly" attention going on on her part vis-a-vis Nate. When is the last time incest or at least incestual feelings have been up front on tv?
97. JudithAtHome - 6/4/2001 4:15:56 PM
Maybe that's why Nate has been away so long...
I had to laugh when she said she'd been seeing a hairdresser...hard to believe one would've let that hair go. I mean, it's crying out for a decent cut...
98. janjon - 6/4/2001 4:21:01 PM
The guy who plays Nate looked somewhat familiar. Who is he and what has he done?
While the guy who played David looked totally new to me. I thought he did a terrific job. As did the woman/girl who played Claire. (Whomever she may be.)
99. JudithAtHome - 6/4/2001 4:29:05 PM
Nate is Peter Krause and he played Casey on Sports Night and Lauren Ambrose plays Claire...she was in an episode of Law and Order and other TV stuff and in movies, too.
You can go to the HBO link and click on the show title...they have all the cast listed there.
100. CalGal - 6/4/2001 4:41:18 PM
Lauren Ambrose has been in at least two L&Os--she played the sister of the abusive son who killed his dad, and the mentally handicapped girl who was raped by three or four boys in high school but said she consented.
101. glendajean - 6/4/2001 5:25:48 PM
Rachel Griffiths is an Australian actress. In addition to Jackie and Hilary, she played in the movie Cosi
102. JudithAtHome - 6/4/2001 5:29:58 PM
...and Muriels Wedding.
103. Toenails - 6/4/2001 5:50:27 PM
Rachel Griffiths is extremely sexy.
I thought the show was promising, although (as someone's aready observed) the "commercial announcements" were strained and unamusing.
I must admit, though, that I momentarily forgot I was on HBO and when one of the "commercials" came on, I sprang up for a trip to the kitchen for a nacho reload.
104. JudithAtHome - 6/4/2001 5:54:21 PM
I liked the "ads" but think they will get old if they continue throughout the entire series...maybe they were just gags for the opener.
105. JudithAtHome - 6/4/2001 6:00:10 PM
Tonight A&E is rerunning The Impressionists on Biography from 7pm to 9pm CDT.
At the same time, HBO is rerunning Conspiracy and at 9pm on HBO Plus, they are rerunning last nights line up. So if you missed Sex and the City or Six Feet Under , you can catch them tonight.
And I have to mention a rerun close to my heart: at 9pm on NBC, Third Watch starts its repeat season. Good time to check out this excellent series.
106. glendajean - 6/5/2001 11:54:02 AM
After a quick fast-forward to re-watch Tony highlights, we watched Sex in the City and Six Feet Under last night.
I wasn't as disappointed with the first episode of SITC as Judith. In fact, I liked it. The whole purpose of the show on the surface is their quest for relationships. That they are finding this with each other is obvious but not so much to them. Nice to see their flaws and frailties.
SFU is creepy, and I don't mean the funeral home part of it. One unlovely family (although Keith, the policeman and love interest of best little boy in the world second son is quite handsome). Mom is particularly unpleasant although her children vie for the description. Dad's ghost pops up, left over from the tv show Providence, I suppose. The best character was Enrico (sp?) or Federico, the artist undertaker.
107. JudithAtHome - 6/5/2001 12:02:55 PM
I liked the entusiastic Fredrico, especially at the viewing when he recalled one the mourners relatives as one of his..."I reattached her ear! Great job!"
108. glendajean - 6/5/2001 12:57:14 PM
I don't know who the actor is, but he reminds me of the actor who plays the intern in ER with the Italian name. They have a very similar style.
Anyway, Fredrico was the highlight for me. I would much rather hear his view of the story than the members of the Fisher family.
109. glendajean - 6/5/2001 12:57:56 PM
Not be too cranky, I also hated the funeral supply faux advertisements.
110. JudithAtHome - 6/5/2001 1:06:15 PM
Most people did...I thought they were very funny.
111. JudithAtHome - 6/5/2001 1:08:39 PM
I watched most of The Impressionists on A&E last night and it was wonderfully done...you honestly got a feeling of knowing them and understanding their relationships to one another was made easier when they were all presented as a group and interlocked, so to speak.
I highly recommend this program.
112. JudithAtHome - 6/5/2001 2:53:20 PM
There is an excellent movie on AMC tonight at 7pm CDT: Shadow of a Doubt with Teresa Wright and Joseph Cotten...it's a Hitchcock and was made in 1943...very, very good. Cotten is evil.
113. LimeGirl - 6/5/2001 3:29:41 PM
I watched Two Guys and a Girl at the gym the other night. I was so confused. All the guys looked alike, and there seemed to be more than two of them, which really had me mixed up when I thought there was just two. I could not figure out which girls went with which guys. It was hopeless.
114. JudithAtHome - 6/5/2001 3:40:12 PM
Lime Girl:
Just live as though you were never faced with this problem...as though you never even saw the show. Erase it completely from your memory banks.
It's been cancelled and you will never have to think of it again...
115. CalGal - 6/5/2001 3:47:37 PM
Teresa Wright is a terrific actress; I've always liked her casual humor. Even though I hated the movie, it was nice to see her again in that dreadful Grisham flick with Matt Damon.
116. JudithAtHome - 6/5/2001 5:32:06 PM
Glendajean:
This is just for you:
I just saw an ad for a local radio station called Wild 100 and guess whose mug was bopping up and down and mouthing "WILD!!"? Colby!!
117. LimeGirl - 6/5/2001 6:01:35 PM
I really wish they'd turn on better TV at the gym. I was highly annoyed when I went in and all 4 TVs had sports on, even CNN was doing a sports show. The part that bothered me the most is that two of the TVs were showing the same game. Sunday I got to see Larry King's memorable moments with Bob Jones.
118. CalGal - 6/5/2001 6:07:34 PM
I hate that, too. I think I'd leave the gym if Larry King were on.
The little gym in my apartment complex gets a great deal of use--in fact the only "neighbors" I know are the ones I run into there. We are all pretty much in agreement about what shows are okay to watch if there's more than one person around.
119. JudithAtHome - 6/5/2001 6:07:59 PM
It's bad enough to have to endure the gym...you should at least have some good TV!
120. CalGal - 6/5/2001 6:19:44 PM
Judith,
If you log onto the maintenance tool, you'll see some TV conversatioins you might want to have. Some of them aren't updated as much as they could be, but you migth want to know abou them.
121. JudithAtHome - 6/5/2001 6:23:07 PM
I didn't see any conversations...where exactly are they?
122. CalGal - 6/5/2001 6:27:47 PM
Log into the maintenance tool, then go to Thread Services. Select Maintain Conversations, and then select the Movies thread. You should be able to tell by the names.
123. JudithAtHome - 6/5/2001 6:35:21 PM
Cool...thanks! I'll check them out more thoroughly tomorrow but I saw a couple that looked great. Well, they all looked good...you know what I mean.
124. CalGal - 6/5/2001 6:43:25 PM
The West Wing and Soprano ones aren't up to date, but you can add to them easily--it's not limited to the host of the thread.
125. JudithAtHome - 6/5/2001 7:01:31 PM
I don't know if it is running nationwide but tonight on PBS at 9pm CDT in North Texas at least, Frontline: Blackout is on...
Rolling blackouts. Skyrocketing utility bills. Californiaís power disaster has made "energy" a front-burner issue for everyone, with many observers predicting the crisis will spread east this summer. "Frontline" and the "New York Times" join forces to investigate the story behind the California energy crisis.
This may even be a rerun but I thought I'd mention it, anyhow...
126. Frankster - 6/5/2001 7:31:44 PM
Judith,
I don't think it's a rerun. I was also going to mention it, but I thought PBS was strictly local when it came to the programing times and days.
127. JudithAtHome - 6/5/2001 7:35:40 PM
Hi Franque!
I'm glad you mentioned the local angle...I forgot to mention that the link to PBS in the butter bar is for my area...don't know why it came up that way but I guess they aim to please and do it automatically.
128. Frankster - 6/5/2001 7:54:15 PM
Judith,
I believe it's also on at 9:00 pm also here in the (b)est coast. I certainly plan to watch it.
There's an e-mail heading your way in a sec, by the way.
129. CalGal - 6/5/2001 10:28:01 PM
Thanks to both of you for the headsup.
130. JudithAtHome - 6/6/2001 3:29:58 PM
Heads up for those who have TCM on cable...alas, not I...from 7pm to 11:30pm CDT, they are running The Sorrow and The Pity . This is a documentary made for French television and directed by Marcel Ophuls. He uses interviews and clips from French and German newsreels to shed light on the Nazi occupation of France.
Meanwhile, on PBS: Battlefield covers the battle of Normandy. D-Day, in other words.
And on NBC, another battle of sorts: NBA Basketball starts Game 1 of the championship series with the 76ers and the Lakers in Los Angeles.
131. christipeters - 6/6/2001 3:40:58 PM
Thanks for the heads-up Judith. I watched most of, but not all, of Frontline last night.
I think I'll record The Sorrow and The Pity as I usually go to bed at 9:30pm.
132. christipeters - 6/6/2001 3:44:24 PM
I really enjoy the fantasy TV shows - good escapist fun. So, we've been watching Buffy, Angel, and Charmed, among others.
I am very puzzled, however, about what's up with Charmed. I recently read that Shannon Doherty was feuding with Alysa Milano and has quit the show. So why the hell did they kill off the other sister in the season finale and how the hell are they going to handle it in the Fall?
Does anyone here have any ideas?
133. JudithAtHome - 6/6/2001 3:47:48 PM
I don't watch it so know nothing about the show at all except I did hear about the one quiting. Maybe they are going to start fresh with a whole new cast?
134. Frankster - 6/6/2001 3:53:08 PM
I saw Buffy for the first time while I was in France one evening, and to my surprise, actually enjoyed it.
By the way, the Frontline show is on this Thursday out here.
Shit. Back to work. :(
135. LimeGirl - 6/6/2001 3:59:37 PM
I love Buffy and Angel too. I still feel somewhat traumatized whenever I think about the last episode of Buffy! I think Angel got really good this season -- they have such great supporting characters on the show, and Fred, the girl who they rescued, is evidently going to be a regular next season, which makes us happy, because we thought she was great!
We were really confused by the end of Charmed too. My guess is that they will have Shannon sacrifice her life somehow to save the sister who died. My husband noticed a woman in the news scenes in the season finale who he recognized from sci-fi series, and thought that she might be the replacement for Shannon.
136. JudithAtHome - 6/6/2001 5:03:54 PM
This looks like a good documentary coming up on Court TV next Monday:
The Secret History of Rock and Roll with Gene Simmons of KISS as host.
137. JudithAtHome - 6/6/2001 5:07:38 PM
Shoot...I posted instead of previewing. Here's more:
It may not come as big news, but the music business is full of graft. At least that's what Gene Simmons, the bass player of the famous makeup-wearing group KISS, says.
And Simmons ought to know. He and his band have managed to persevere for 28 years, through every new form of music. "The music industry is very bizarre," says Simmons.
"About the only thing I can liken it to is the Wild West, because this brand-new music that was created - in a sort of quintessential American fashion, of the people, for the people and by the people - was really created by a shady element of society. They were guys that were involved in jukeboxes and so on," says Simmons. "So the talent that initially came off the streets started to rub shoulders very early on with the wrong elements."
This article will probably only be available for a day...
138. christipeters - 6/6/2001 6:24:45 PM
Lime Girl - I didn't watch Buffy when it first came out because I wasn't too impressed by the movie (seemed like it was put together just to provide jobs for actor's kids) and thought the subject matter sounded dumb. Then I stopped and watched it one night when I was bored and flipping channels. I was immediately hooked. It is imo an extremely well-written show. I just wish I could get my hands on tapes of the first 2 seasons.
I never understood the ooohhing and aaaahing about David B as Angel on Buffy as I am not attracted to inarticulate, beady-eyed, beetle-browed guys. However, even though I find neither the character nor the actor sexy, I still love Angel the show.
139. Frankster - 6/6/2001 7:29:42 PM
My job hours won't allow me to watch any show with any semblance of consistency, so it wasn't so much the teen cheesecake that initially turned me off shows such as Buffy, the Vampire Slayeras that of the subtext involved in these shows. Apparently there is a little more to the show than initially meets the eye, and I might be a bit too far behind to catch up now. :-(
...It did asist in killing one evening in Paris, though. :-)
140. JudithAtHome - 6/6/2001 7:42:23 PM
I keep hearing how clever and interesting it is but I just don't see it...I tried to watch it for three weeks running and I must not get it. Not a remote possibility as I'm not too fond of fantasy stuff...
141. JudithAtHome - 6/6/2001 7:44:15 PM
Or, as the old line is paraphrased, it isn't Buffy; it's me.
142. Shannon - 6/6/2001 11:10:21 PM
I haven't watched Days of Our Lives in years (not that it matters; that show never changes), but this was a hoot:
Coma studies and jungle madness
143. LimeGirl - 6/7/2001 12:10:23 AM
I didn't watch it until I started dating my husband, and he'd tape it and we'd watch it after I got off work, and I got hooked! I don't like sci-fi stuff much, but I do better with the vamps/witches type of stuff. Fewer weird costumes and headpieces, maybe? Although they do have some pretty crazy looking demons.
144. MsIvoryTower - 6/7/2001 8:50:15 AM
Is anyone watching Farscape? My clone and I enjoy this show very much. Cool sci-fi.
Also I caught the movie for the new series Witchblade as well. This too, looks to be interesting if they can stay away from getting to mystical and weird with the occult stuff.
145. JudithAtHome - 6/7/2001 9:47:45 AM
Our friend, who is too macho to admit he can't operate the VCR, will cancel plans for dinner in order to see Farscape . He was insistant that we watch it, too, and we did for about 3 weeks but then forgot it on the fouth week and just never seemed to get back to it. I liked some of it but not enough to seek it out.
Too bad Jamie (our friend) isn't on the Mote...he could discuss it in depth!
146. JudithAtHome - 6/7/2001 9:48:26 AM
fourth week....
147. ChristiPeters - 6/7/2001 10:24:37 AM
MsIt - I enjoy Farscape. Invisible Man is fun, too. I also catch The Outer Limits as part of the sci-fi channel's Friday night line-up. On Saturday's about the only time I turn on the TV is for SG-1 in the afternoon.
148. JudithAtHome - 6/7/2001 11:31:07 AM
John Spencer is on The View right now discussing his alcoholism...classy guy. He said he will definitely be back as Chief of Staff to the President on the West Wing next season.
149. glendajean - 6/7/2001 11:38:15 AM
Next year will be the last year for Rosie O'Donnell's tv show.
Best outlet on tv for showcasing Broadway musicals and cute actors/musicians.
150. CalGal - 6/7/2001 11:48:28 AM
GJ--Did you read the TNR article about how television does a disservie to the Tonys? What did you think?
151. glendajean - 6/7/2001 11:52:55 AM
No, I haven't read the article, but I will now. Thanks for the tip!
152. glendajean - 6/7/2001 12:09:34 PM
Here's the link to the article.
Yikes. Typical TNR story. Suddenly the damn Tony awards show is responsible for national opinion of all theater, but the experience of live theater can't be reproduced on television, and it's all so terribly awful. Reminds me of a story they did on Vincent Canby many years ago. He couldn't just be an awful movie reviewer, but he was responsible for the end of western civilization as we know it.
That said, I agree that the straight play excerpts were jarring and mostly unintelligible. I had the same reaction to "Proof" and "King Hedley II."
CBS has threatened to kill the Tonys for years. Rosie saved it a couple of years ago by promoting it for weeks on her tv show.
Award shows by their very nature are a mess.
153. JudithAtHome - 6/7/2001 12:20:54 PM
That article seems to give no credit to the intelligence of the viewers at home who realize "the Tonys" is a TV show and plays are not. No one expects clips from plays and musicals to realistically portray the live event just as no one expects clips from Oscar nominated movies to convey the full impact of a theater experience.
154. JudithAtHome - 6/7/2001 10:46:35 PM
There is a great new show at 9:30pm CDT on CNN called Greenfield At Large and I tried to link to it but couldn't get it to work. Will try again tomorrow...Al Franken was the guest tonight and it was really good...
Greenfield At Large
(Cool...it worked!)
155. RosettaStone - 6/7/2001 10:56:22 PM
The fact that the host of this thread wasn't watching the MTV Movie Award program says a whole lot about the generational gap between mote's gray posters and the TTers we need to attract.
Of course the program will be rebroadcast five more times in the next two weeks, so she still has a chance to comment.
156. JudithAtHome - 6/7/2001 10:57:59 PM
Don't hold your breath.
157. Stumbo - 6/8/2001 12:40:36 AM
"There is a great new show at 9:30pm CDT on CNN called Greenfield At Large..."
So great it was worth cancelling The Spin Room for?
158. Stumbo - 6/8/2001 12:45:30 AM
Best TV talk-show pairings in recent memory:
1) Conan O'Brien & Bob Costas
2) Bill Press & Tucker Carlson
3) Regis Philbin & any random chick off the street
159. CalGal - 6/8/2001 12:47:20 AM
I was surprised they cancelled The Spin Room, since it seemed to be popular. I found it a bit precious, but fun. I haven't seen Greenfield at Large yet, but I have high hopes. Greenfield's a good guy.
160. Stumbo - 6/8/2001 12:58:22 AM
He's OK, but the final product is nowhere near the caliber of what it replaced.
161. CalGal - 6/8/2001 1:05:23 AM
Was there a reason given for the cancellation?
162. Stumbo - 6/8/2001 1:17:00 AM
I don't recall one. It was merely, "well, the Spin Room has closed, but you can still catch Bill and Tucker on Crossfire..."
Throughout the last episode, there was no indication that it would be the last. The guest (I don't remember who it was) was told, "We'd love to see you here again," etc.
163. CalGal - 6/8/2001 1:23:17 AM
Yes, I remember Wolf saying it was closed; I hadn't watched the last night. I just wondered if any reason had been given in the news.
I know that CNN is worried a lot about ratings; that's why Greta got her own show, and I imagine the Take Five show is to get the younger audience (it is also nice to see a lot of color on that show, for a change). But I got the impression that Spin Room was doing well. I was certainly more likely to watch it nightly than I was Greta's show, which wasn't as good as I'd hoped. Spin Room was, as I said, more than a bit precious, but it still got funny on occasion, particularly when they worked with the guest.
164. Stumbo - 6/8/2001 1:33:49 AM
Maybe some suit realized that many or most American advertisers don't care very much about the ratings in Canada.
165. RosettaStone - 6/8/2001 7:51:36 AM
The reason?
Obvious. Terrible ratings. Other than Larry King, CNN is being creamed by Fox in the evenings.
166. JudithAtHome - 6/8/2001 10:34:09 AM
So great it was worth cancelling The Spin Room for?
Not by a long shot or not yet, anyhow. I hadn't realized this show was taking the place of Spin Room ....
167. glendajean - 6/8/2001 11:13:00 AM
The Advocate reported that Queer As Folk is the most watched program on Showtime. The network has ordered 20 more episodes for next year.
168. JudithAtHome - 6/8/2001 11:24:22 AM
I wish my cable company would offer Showtime on it's own and not as some package with expensive add ons...
169. glendajean - 6/8/2001 11:32:18 AM
They just finished a run of Further Tales of the City, the third installment of Armistead Maupin's serialized novels.
Olympia Dukakis and Laura Linney returned (they've been in all 3). The actor who played Michael "Mouse" Toliver in the second series returned. And Billy Campbell returned as Dr. Fielding, Mouse's lover.
The third series ended with Mouse claiming Fielding has a hickey on his neck -- it's the purple lesion of karposa.
The first three novels were basically sunny and cheerful, the last three became increasingly darker. Of course, they are set in San Francisco during the beginning of the AIDS epidemic.
PBS produced the first "Tales" along with co-producer BBC. Showtime took over. They are all lovingly produced.
170. MsIvoryTower - 6/8/2001 11:33:03 AM
Judith, Christi
re:Farscape
I like the anti-hero Crighton, he's refreshingly endearing in his lack of self-reflection and willingness to try any bad idea out.
I don't watch the vampire stuff, I find it too angst ridden for me. When a show starts getting full of the drama queen syndrome, like the disease of the week thing, I get bored.
That's my biggest fear with The West Wing; they're starting to go down that road too much for my tastes.
Glenda
I happened to catch Rosie talking about her decision to leave the show. She says it's family related. I think it's a good move for her, she needs to get back some edge by being on the comedy circuit again.
171. JudithAtHome - 6/8/2001 11:40:18 AM
I don't mean to pry but what does everyone pay for cable? (well...I guess I do mean to pry....) We get all the little funk channels and HBO for $47.08 a month. We really only got cable because of HBO and the fact our reception on regular TV is so awful we were going blind trying to watch network and local.
172. RosettaStone - 6/8/2001 11:49:07 AM
Bad sign.
TT has been down for 48+ hours, and where are the 17 new recruits that Judithepromoter pitched?
173. JudithAtHome - 6/8/2001 11:50:43 AM
Rosetta:
If you'd like to talk about TV, you are welcome to do so. If you want to talk about new rectuits, please go to the Suggestions thread.
174. CalGal - 6/8/2001 11:56:38 AM
I had basic cable and four premium channels (hbo, showtime, encore,and starz) for 53/month. I then switched to digital and got a zillion channels for about 69/month. I think the rates have gone up, or maybe it's just taxes. My bill is about $75 or so.
175. RosettaStone - 6/8/2001 11:58:22 AM
I bring it up here because I assume "the 17" are people you know from your exposure to TT Television folder.
Of course, maybe they had problems getting your e-mail(s).
176. janjon - 6/8/2001 12:01:04 PM
We now have digital, HBO and about 200 other channels (including some "premium" that we don't need but they come with the package, but not Showtime) for $31 a month.
I know that that is a negotiated rate with Time Warner for our entire building, but it can't be that much cheaper than the going rate.
177. janjon - 6/8/2001 12:02:15 PM
Stone - although this is the equivalent of trying to punch a hole in water, try if you can to stop being an asshole.
Your juvenile demeanor and tactics are as much of a turnoff for this place as almost - almost - anything else.
178. CalGal - 6/8/2001 12:07:35 PM
Jan,
31/month? In New York City? That seems astonishingly cheap. Are NY cable prices that low?
179. JudithAtHome - 6/8/2001 12:09:37 PM
Thanks...I think I'll call and see if the rates have changed recently; I don't think the "whole" package was all that much more than what we have now. Plus, my attitude about paying for cable has changed considerably...ha!
180. JudithAtHome - 6/8/2001 12:26:24 PM
Here's PBS news that will make people who don't like football happy:
PBS Alters Fall Primetime Lineup
Calling it its first major prime-time restructuring in more than a quarter-century, PBS announced a new fall lineup Thursday that will add two new weekly series and shift old favorites.
Won't seem like Sunday night anymore.
181. janjon - 6/8/2001 12:26:26 PM
judith - I think below $40 a month for service including HBO is the norm here, with building-wide discount deals also quite common.
I offer no praise to the cable companies for their good-hearted sense of community. It no doubt relates to rates imposed on them by the City as a price for getting the franchises.
182. Frankster - 6/8/2001 3:33:02 PM
Judith,
Basic cable service is around $20.00 down here. I pay about $37.00 a month sans any premium channels. I believe it's about $60.00 with four premium channels ( I haven't priced it lately ).
Mysteriously,the cable bills of all the cable companies down here have steadily risen with the advent of the Telecommunications bill of 1996. You know, the one which was suppose to be good for the consumer ? ... When have I heard that before ?
... I don't know if other parts of the country get these commercials, but down here we are inundated from time to time with one from the cable industry reminding viewers about the limitations satelite dishes have, so basically, that these dishes aren't all they are cracked up to be.
What they don't mention of course, is how the cable industry lobbied for these restrictions on satelite dishes in the first place. Oops.
183. Erinyes - 6/8/2001 11:07:14 PM
Hello! This is my first Mote post.
Lots of good shows mentioned already. I started reading here a few days ago and started a top 5 list, but that moment seems to have gone by.
Currently the only show I watch with any regularity is 7th Heaven reruns with my 6-yr-old son. We wind down with that just before bedtime. It is fodder for a lot of serious, and sometimes hilarious, conversations while driving in the car a few days later.
I'd like to watch more Malcolm in the Middle, but it's at an inconvenient time.
Also, I'd like to see reruns of Laugh In some time, to see if they are as funny as I remember. My favorite part was the end, where they popped out of the little cubby doors with their one-liners.
Didn't have TV for quite a long time, so I'm happy with catching up on reruns of lots of shows - Seinfeld, Friends, etc. Married With Children is too mean-spirited and predictable for me, but I remember people talking highly of it when it was on.
Ordered The Sopranos' first season from the library since you all raved about it here.
184. joezan - 6/8/2001 11:22:21 PM
Erinyes:
Welcome!
The Sopranos is indeed an excellent show -especially the first season.
...and I can guarantee you - if you watch it with your 6 y.o. son, one episode will be fodder for more serious conversations than you could ever hope for. And you won't have to wait till you're in your car a few days later, either ( -;
185. CalGal - 6/8/2001 11:39:13 PM
Hi, Erin. I wouldn't watch it with your son; it's definitely too violent. But I suspect Joe was kidding. The first season of the Sopranos is excellent; I found the second year far less compelling, with the third year back on form.
I keep on wanting to watch MitM, but never remember to. It gets great reviews from some of my favorite critics.
Nick at Nite had Laughin reruns for a while, and parts of it stood up well, most didn't.
186. Erinyes - 6/8/2001 11:43:10 PM
Hmm, joezan, I wasn't planning on watching it with my son. But I suspect you were kidding.
187. joezan - 6/8/2001 11:45:17 PM
Well, yes.
In other words, Seventh Heaven, it ain't.
188. Erinyes - 6/8/2001 11:48:38 PM
CalGal, I suppose the political jokes would really date Laugh In. Maybe if I really get into TV I will succumb to cable.
And please, it's Erinyes. I think you are being welcoming, but it makes me furious to be called Erin.
189. CalGal - 6/8/2001 11:50:52 PM
I usually cut all monikers short (as do most people); I thought your moniker was Erin-yes. Sorry.
190. joezan - 6/8/2001 11:54:32 PM
...uh oh.
191. Erinyes - 6/9/2001 12:02:26 AM
What's everyone's favorite Seinfeld episode? I know the Chinese restaurant was mentioned.
For me, it's probably George's "Shrinkage? Did you tell her about shrinkage?"
And then Elaine walking off, saying, "I don't know how you guys walk around with those things."
Kramer's golf ball and George rescuing the whale was funny, too, but Elaine's line has made it into our family joke annals, something I say to my husband when he's being goofy.
192. CalGal - 6/9/2001 12:05:32 AM
I like the one with the Pez and George wanting the upper hand. "I need more hand!"
Then at the end: "You can't dump me! I have hand!"
"And you're gonna need it, pal!"
193. Cellar Door - 6/9/2001 12:06:51 AM
My favorite is the John Cheever letters.
194. JudithAtHome - 6/9/2001 8:41:03 AM
Erinyes, welcome to the Mote and to the TV thread...and please, post your list of Favorites...in this thread, it's never too late to talk about good TV.
Or bad TV, even.
195. RosettaStone - 6/9/2001 10:26:57 AM
I loved the Soup Nazi episodes. Or, at least I did the first two times around.
196. LimeGirl - 6/9/2001 10:57:25 AM
I really like Malcom in the Middle. They do such a good job of making all the characters non-perfect, but you sympathize with all of them.
197. JudithAtHome - 6/9/2001 11:26:57 AM
I think the kid playing Malcom is really good in the show and wonder how they will handle it as his voice changes more...I like Dewey, too.
Some of the things they do are a little broad but I like the premise that this NOT The Donna Reed Show .
198. JudithAtHome - 6/9/2001 11:27:50 AM
Not sure if I turned off the toys...
199. MsIvoryTower - 6/9/2001 11:33:44 AM
Has anyone seen Grounded for Life?
Pitiful. The teenage girl runs circles around the parents, who are reluctant adults at best.
200. MsIvoryTower - 6/9/2001 11:34:42 AM
And if that's what my daughter is going to be doing in the next several years, I'm taking refuge in the nearest asylum.
201. MsIvoryTower - 6/9/2001 11:35:11 AM
....really just joking.
202. JudithAtHome - 6/9/2001 11:46:57 AM
MsIT:
I watched an episode of it and the parents were trying, unsuccessfully, to deal with the fact the daughter had discovered she was born before the wedding of her parents. The feeling I was left with was, it's trying to out-Rosanne Rosanne ...
203. MsIvoryTower - 6/9/2001 12:23:33 PM
Did you get a Rosanne feel to it? I've only watched a few episodes, and have given up on that as well, but I don't associate the parenting in this show with that in Rosanne.
The feel of this show is that the parents aren't done with being free spirits, with being considered young and hip, and can barely see themselves as adults. I really can't stand these sorts of shows where the teenagers are supposed to be so much smarter than their parents, and lead them around by a nose ring.
However, I imagine they are wildly popular with the acne crowd.
204. CalGal - 6/9/2001 12:40:10 PM
I actually thought Roseanne was a good TV show until the last couple years. It handled all sorts of abuse and parenting issues very well.
205. JudithAtHome - 6/9/2001 1:07:21 PM
I liked Rosanne , too...my comment was in reference to the smart mouthed kids and the way the parents were more or less smart mouthing, also...when Roseanne was first on, it was unusual for a kid to talk back to a parent or for a parent to do the same to the kids...we'd just come off the seasons of the ever wise and all knowing Cosbys . The kids were very precocious and cute and always kowtowed to the mom amd dad whereas on Roseanne, everyone was a wiseass. The values Roseanne and Dan had were just as valid as Cosby but were presented in a more down-to-earth way.
I hated when Roseanne went downhill the last 2 years...wish they had quit while they were on top. The shows with Dan and his father were really good, as were the ones with Roseanne and her mom. The entire cast was great, although I wasn't that crazy about either of the Beckys.
206. arkymalarky - 6/9/2001 1:48:14 PM
I liked Roseanne too, and while the kids were smartasses like their parents, the parents still parented them. My dad's favorite scene in that show was when they were rooting for their son in a spelling bee as though they were at a football game and the parents behind them said something in disapproval, and they turned around and said something like "It may be spelling, but it's all we've got!"
I haven't seen "Grounded for Life."
What falls in people's categories of most annoying sitcoms ever created (that lasted several seasons)?
Three's Company and Laverne and Shirley pop into mind for me.
207. JudithAtHome - 6/9/2001 1:55:35 PM
I couldn't stand The PJs . Of course, it didn't run for a long time but I just loathed it.
208. arkymalarky - 6/9/2001 2:24:27 PM
Was that a cutsey-bootsey family that ran on the Disney Channel for a while after it was cancelled, with a single mom and a passle of diabetic-coma-inducing kids?
209. JudithAtHome - 6/9/2001 2:26:33 PM
Here is a taste of Tom Shales' review of Six Feet Under ...I'll be linking his regular column on the butter bar later.
Brenda, with whom Nate had sex at the airport, is played with a fetching unpredictability by Rachel Griffiths. In later episodes we meet her cuckoo parents and her seductive brother Billy, played by Jeremy Sisto, most conspicuously last seen in the title role of last year's CBS miniseries "Jesus."
Sisto clearly has a gift for playing mercurial, mesmerizing characters, the kind of fellow you'd follow --almost anywhere.
Those last two sentences seem really clever....
210. JudithAtHome - 6/9/2001 2:27:58 PM
Arky:
No, it was a claymation series produced by Eddie Murphy about the projects which ran on Fox.
211. arkymalarky - 6/9/2001 2:39:13 PM
Oh, then nevermind. I wonder what that idiotic show I'm thinking of was? It's one of those I never meant to catch and always seemed to get a view of on rare occasions of channel-surfing at my parents' house. It was "The Somethings-that-starts-with-a-P," I think.
212. arkymalarky - 6/9/2001 2:41:24 PM
No, it was the Torkelson's, I'm pretty sure. I must really despise the thing since I've only seen a handful of five minute snippets of it.
213. JudithAtHome - 6/9/2001 2:59:02 PM
Another show that griped me and of which I have spoken at length... Two Guys And A Girl ...and used to be A Pizza Place added to it. It went on season after season and I can't see how it lasted more that 3 episodes.
I've never known anyone who watched it, not a single soul.
214. LimeGirl - 6/9/2001 3:10:35 PM
Grounded for Life is annoying. It seems like in every episode that the parents are trying to convince the kids that they should be obeyed, and far too concerned about if the kids like them or not. They need to get some spine.
I do like the grandpa, though.
215. Erinyes - 6/9/2001 6:45:11 PM
Must have missed the Pez episode of Seinfeld John Cheever letters rings a dim bell - what was the plot on that? I'll look for both of those. Oh, and I'd forgotten the Soup Nazi!
Judith, I will work on my list.
LimeGirl, since you watch Malcolm - what is up with the military ROTC guys? Is that one of the sons? That's the only part I don't get, and I didn't watch the series from the start and often only catch snippets, so it's a little mysterious to me.
Oh, I liked Roseanne, too, but they've taken it away. I came in watching the last episodes first, then they started over because all of the kids were suddenly 5 years younger. Some of the later ones were good - when Melissa went to college and Roseanne was glad of her daughter's success but had the feeling of being left behind, for instance.
I think I'll avoid that Grounded for Life. The ads didn't look too appealing and from all your comments here, it won't be any loss.
arkymalarky, ditto on Laverne and Three's Company. Married w/ Children annoys me that way, too, and some of the 3rd Rock from the Sun episodes would be in there. Although I did like Jane Curtin when she did SNL. What was that series where the one guy said "Dy-no-mite!" all the time? That got annoying.
Beastmaster and Xena are very bad acting. I guess I like the costumes. Can't explain my watching them any other way. We usually have Home Improvement on while I'm making dinner. I like the Wilson the best.
King of the Hill is sometimes a hoot.
216. CalGal - 6/9/2001 6:48:48 PM
Good Times is Dynomite (JJ Walker).
I agree with Laverne and Three's Company; even worse than that was What's Happening, except the little sister was a deadpan gem.
But lots of those 70s and 80s "family" shows were horrible.
217. JudithAtHome - 6/9/2001 6:54:30 PM
Erinyes:
I like King of the Hill because I'm from Texas and it is so very true to life for an animated series...all the references to Tom Landry and the Cowboys definitely ring true.
218. Shannon - 6/9/2001 6:58:01 PM
I can't remember Seinfeld the Pez episode either, although it sounds familiar.
The John Cheever letters story was that Susan's father's cabin burned down--Kramer's cigar was at fault. The only thing salvaged was his box of love letters from John Cheever.
219. JudithAtHome - 6/9/2001 7:02:21 PM
Jerry was at a piano concert and took out his Donald Duck Pex dispenser and began to play with it on his knee...Elaine and he began to laugh and their laughter interrupted the concert...I think the pianist was dating George, can't recall all of it.
220. arkymalarky - 6/9/2001 7:31:59 PM
I liked the Seinfeld episode when Elaine and her date were at the movies and Jerry and his (later turned out to be a flake--go figure) date were there and they'd never met and ended up in stalls next to eachother in the bathroom and Jerry's girlfriend wouldn't even give Elaine a "ply" of toilet paper.
"You mean you can't even spare a square?"
I'd forgotten about that deadpan kid on "What's Happening" but her face pops right up, now that you mention it. I wonder if she'd come out of a catatonic stupor long enough to read her lines and then get sent back to wherever she came from after each episode, or what.
221. Shannon - 6/9/2001 7:43:34 PM
I don't think I've seen the Pez episode. Weird.
Who's the unintelligible guy on King of the Hill? My old office building had a security guard that sounded just like him. I remember a friend of mine met me in the lobby for lunch, and when we walked out of the building, she said "Those people were speaking English, but I couldn't understand a word they said."
222. Erinyes - 6/9/2001 8:54:52 PM
Haha, and later Elaine running out of the coffee shop restroom later with all those TP rolls.
Shannon - right, right, now I remember the Cheever letters.
Boomhauer is the guy who's almost unintelligible. About every other word is dang. He actually spoke an entire paragraph in the episode that flashed back to where Hank, Dale, and Bill accidentally drove Boomhauer's beloved hotrod into the quarry. Those guys drawn as teens were incredibly funny. Afros! In Texas! On rednecks!
The first episode I caught of King of the Hill had Hank lost in a Home Depot-like place, dealing with a spaced-out teen employee, trying to find some little part. You're right, Judith, it is so true to life and it makes fun of all those little annoyances.
Oh, and we're getting my husband a charcoal grill for Father's Day, which reminds me of the very funny scenes where Peggy and Bobby take a liking to charcoal-grilled burgers and go to great pains to hide their propane betrayal from Hank.
223. LimeGirl - 6/9/2001 11:14:23 PM
Erinyes, yes, the oldest son has been sent away to military school. There are some great scenes when he calls home, and the interactions between him and his brothers/parents from school.
One of my favorites is when he tries to come home on his birthday, because at the school, all the guys shave your head completely bald on your birthday. They say no, and then they get tickets to a concert that night, so feel guilty about not letting him come home. So they sent him a happy birthday bouquet to the school.
224. JudithAtHome - 6/10/2001 11:29:33 AM
This is a new show coming to ABC this week....it looks as though it is aptly named, anyhow.
The Beast
Jackson Burns is an iconoclastic media mogul who has built a 24-hour broadcast news organization like no other.
Jackson's (Frank Langella) unique team of reporters not only cover the stories but are covered as part of the story. Cameras in the halls, in their cars, and behind closed doors document the inner workings of World News Service (WNS) - a.k.a. The Beast - and the images captured are broadcast live to the world via the Internet.
Also starring are Peter Riegert and Jason Gedrick...both of whom are excellent actors, as is Langella. This might be good or it might be a case of a great cast stuck inside a bad script. We'll see....
225. CalGal - 6/10/2001 11:54:24 AM
Yes, the concert pianist dated George; Jerry and Elaine were at the concert and Elaine laughed at the Pez dispenser. The pianist became obsessed at finding out who laughed, because she hadn't played as well since.
All of this tied in with an intervention they were doing for an addicted friend, when Elaine met a guy who was telling her a funny story and the concert pianist recognized the laugh, becomes furious, and dumps George.
Of course the intervention goes badly until the addicts spots the Pez dispenser and bursts into tears at a memory from a happy childhood and, in an effort to recover that wonderful time, agrees to go to a treatment center.
226. Toenails - 6/10/2001 12:57:49 PM
I have studiously avoided all the "survivor" and most of the more uncivilized quiz shows like
"Weakest Link" but I did see a few minutes of what evidently was a jock-celebrity edition of Link the other day. Bob Costas was kicking ass, answering all his questions correctly, while most of the other contestants didn't have the first notion of the answer to anything.
So round one ended and the contestants promptly
voted Costas out of the game as the "weakest link! I guess they didn't like him because he was the smart kid. Jeez, I knew I wouldn't like this show, but it was even stupider than I'd assumed!
The weakest links are obviously the viewers.
227. JudithAtHome - 6/10/2001 1:05:48 PM
Well, that might be what is interesting to the viewers...I've watched a few episodes of this show and think it's fascinating that the people who think they are smart invariably vote off the one person who can run up the amout of money by answering correctly more of the questions.
I can see if it is down to three contestants and one thinks they wil be beaten by the smarter person but they vote off the smarter person way early in the game...stupid stategy.
Of course, it's easy to make fun of these shows but they provide entertainment for people who might otherwise be running the streets passing out phamplets warning of dire things to come.
228. Uzmakk - 6/10/2001 6:17:11 PM
Oh, Quite so. Fineman(sp? the physicist said that what people really like to do is talk about things that no one knows any thing about.)
230. JudithAtHome - 6/10/2001 6:51:09 PM
Or talk about things no one is interested in but themselves...or just talk about things to hear themselves talk.
231. Uzmakk - 6/10/2001 7:09:26 PM
Yes, except when a physicist talks he is talking about something about which he knows.
232. Shannon - 6/10/2001 10:41:59 PM
The only episode of Weakest Link I ever saw was the special Survivor episode. They voted Rich off first. I didn't realize that was a typical pattern.
I watched a few minutes of the 2nd Survivor now and then at the Y. Never saw any of the first one.
I have a weird sentimental fondness for Price is Right.
233. Toenails - 6/11/2001 8:58:39 AM
Now that Tim McVeigh is dead and gone, please, God, make the cable news networks and the other "journalists" stop interviewing, ad nauseam, the survivors and survivors' family members about how they all "feel" about it, and whether it's brought them "closure" etc. etc. etc.
I'm sure that (most) of these people mean well, but I'd have much more respect for their dignity and humanity if they'd go off with their families and friends and mourn (or not) as they see fit, without their feeling any obligation to tell MSNBC about it.
234. JudithAtHome - 6/11/2001 9:12:51 AM
The second episode of Six Feet Under was really good...we learned more about all the characters and some of the humor seemed more macabre. We also learned more about dead bodies...
235. janjon - 6/11/2001 9:58:03 AM
Yes, the second episode was good. I still have the feeling that it is all a pastiche, though, and that if it weren't for the novelty of the funeral home context (and all the numbing stuff we are learning) that it wouldn't be nearly as interesting. The acting remains uniformly good, though. I still find David the most interesting character, although the Rachel Griffiths character shows real promise.
236. JudithAtHome - 6/11/2001 10:13:14 AM
The Griffiths character name is Brenda...last night was the first time I'd heard it used. That tatoo gave me all sorts of weird ideas.
I thought the dead dad aspect was fine last night, not too intrusive at all. And the scene at the end, on the bus, was very moving. David will continue to discover things he never knew about how his Dad felt about him, as with the ex-fiancee telling him his father "knew". David really is the most complex and most interesting character.
237. CharlieL - 6/11/2001 1:14:33 PM
I've never been able to watch a complete episode (actually, more like about a minute and a half) of "Seinfeld." It never spoke to me at all. However, I did like Larry David's HBO show "Curb Your Enthusiasm.
238. glendajean - 6/11/2001 5:02:05 PM
For Judith:
Survivor's Keith Getting Cooking Show
239. PsychProf - 6/11/2001 5:05:43 PM
I like Eleanor on The Practice...
240. JudithAtHome - 6/11/2001 6:42:03 PM
So do I, PP....
GJ:
Thanks so much for the article on Keith; I loved the final paragraph.
241. CalGal - 6/11/2001 6:49:38 PM
Commercials: am I the only person who chuckles at those damn Holiday Inn ads? The heroic deeds get better all the time.
242. JudithAtHome - 6/11/2001 6:54:29 PM
There are some commercials that I just love...the Budget Rent-a-Car ads are the best!
What is the latest Holiday Inn ad? I like the nuclear lab one...
243. CalGal - 6/11/2001 6:58:26 PM
That's it! That's the one that really gets me, because he really does look like he's on the team, until the end when he bites his sprinkled donut. I also like the one about the virus. The shark one isn't as good. But it's just the sublime confidence of the actors as they say, "Oh, I'm just with the tour group." or "Oh, I'm not actually a 'doctor'" (and the quotes with his fingers, like it's a minor technicality). Just cracks me up.
I've said before I do like the cruel ones for that retirement company, too. "Grandma!"
244. JudithAtHome - 6/11/2001 7:08:07 PM
Oh, is that the one where they ship grans in the luggage?
245. JudithAtHome - 6/11/2001 7:17:48 PM
Tonight on HBO is the premiere of Long Nights Journey Into Day about the aftermath of apartheid in South Africa.
On NBC, the premiere of Fear Factor , a new reality show which looks like a grown-up version of Jackass . It's hosted by Joe Rogan...the repairman from News Radio .
246. CalGal - 6/11/2001 7:19:27 PM
Yep. "Are you all right?" "Yes, just a little dizzy. Where's George?"
But that's just one of a sequence--it is my favorite, but all of them are brutal. "Yes! We MUST do THIS aGAIN real SOON!" and then they check the couch.
247. JudithAtHome - 6/11/2001 7:22:05 PM
I like the one with the reincarnated husband/monkey approaching the lady on the park bench and giving her the money he's collected that day in his little cup...
248. CalGal - 6/11/2001 7:23:43 PM
hahahahah! I keep on forgetting that one. "Wear the red dress."
249. JudithAtHome - 6/11/2001 8:02:57 PM
There is an interesting 20/20 on tonight, right now where I live....religious addiction; kids printing fake money on their computers; and some sports guy who's now dead...interviwed before he died.
250. Cellar Door - 6/11/2001 8:25:51 PM
A& E "Biography" tonight at 8 P.M.: Robert Reed.
(featuring Cellar Door)
251. CharlieL - 6/12/2001 9:44:33 AM
"some sports guy who's now dead...interviwed before he died."
I saw the interview they did with him after he died... There wasn't much substance there at all. pretty one-sided, if you ask me.
252. JudithAtHome - 6/12/2001 9:46:01 AM
Exactly...
(you are so quick, Charlie...nothing gets by you)
253. JudithAtHome - 6/12/2001 10:04:50 AM
I know the name "Regis" falls on ears as nails on a chalkboard but today, it's well worth it to watch for the Gipsey Kings...first time I saw them was in Germany and they are still great.
254. CharlieL - 6/12/2001 10:36:49 AM
Gipsy Kings are an incredible band. I saw another band this weekend at the Potomac Celtic Festival who are amazing! They're from Madrid via Asturies, the Celtic region of Northwest Spain. They are called Brenga Astur (The soul of Asturies). I was completely knocked out by this band, and we had to follow one of their performances on Sunday. If they ever come to your area (and they are planning a tour of the US), GO SEE THEM!
255. JudithAtHome - 6/12/2001 10:40:30 AM
Charlie, I will on your recommendation alone...anyone who likes the Gipsy Kings is a good guide in my opinion.
You should post about Brenga Astur in Arts&Music, too...
256. CharlieL - 6/12/2001 11:24:28 AM
There was another Asturian band there as well, and these guys were great also, called Llan de Cubel (pronounced "yan de coo-bell") Their sound was more traditional than Brenga Astur's.
257. grannypatsy - 6/12/2001 4:59:26 PM
Note to Cellar: Cafght your bit. You were adorable.
258. don s. - 6/12/2001 5:38:57 PM
Ain't he always?
259. JudithAtHome - 6/12/2001 6:44:36 PM
Tonight on CBS is AFIs 100 Years...100 Thrills with Harrison Ford as host; show reveals American Film Institutes list of the 100 most thrilling movies. Starts at 7pm CDT.
Over on TNT, the begining of the series Witchblade at 8pm CDT.
And on cable, MAX (is that Cinemax?) at 7pm CDT is Stanley Kubrick: A Life In Pictures followed by Eyes Wide Shut .
260. Frankster - 6/12/2001 6:54:44 PM
Hey, Judith!
Just in here for a second, but I love the starlette on Witchblade. Yancy Butler is a doll.
By the way, my latest love is Sally Kellermen(sp?). I saw her recently on some program and she is still hot. She looks the same today as she did in an old Outer Limits episode of almost 40 years ago ... Her neck and hands are a different matter, but oh, that face and voice. How does she stay looking so young ? (g)
Back to gardening and more laundry.
261. JudithAtHome - 6/12/2001 7:07:06 PM
She's obviously made a pact with the Devil...or her plastic surgeon.
262. Frankster - 6/12/2001 7:22:56 PM
Judith,
I saw her in a clip on Jack Nicholson's career a couple of nights ago, where in the scene she is tied to a bed while Jack beats the shit out of her.
...Just the thought of her resisting, with those big strong beautiful blonde legs kicking in the air made for at least a few fantasies. Sally, Sally, Sally!
Yep, we should have a discussion sometime on who we consider to be the most notable actress over 50 with the best skin peel.
263. CharlieL - 6/12/2001 7:35:38 PM
If you mean skin that looks like an orange peel, that would be Mary Tyler Moore. I saw her when she testified before the Senate a few years ago, and she has these bizarre little micro-wrinkles.
264. Frankster - 6/12/2001 7:41:28 PM
Hey, Chuck! How ya doing ?
Mary Tyler Moore looks like crumbled aluminum foil -- the shiny side of it.
Some can hide it very well, others like her can't.
( I hate talking about her. She has always been one of my faves )
265. LimeGirl - 6/12/2001 7:46:15 PM
Shannen Doherty's replacement has been picked:
Rose McGowen
266. Cellar Door - 6/12/2001 7:59:45 PM
Merci grannypatsy and don!
They've finally learned how to light me properly.
267. CharlieL - 6/12/2001 8:05:18 PM
"They've finally learned how to light me properly."
I hope they put you out afterward. They should always keep extinguishers where they try to light people. It's only common sense...
Hi, Frank! I'm doing well, and keeping busy between work and the new band. Are you planning any more trips East?
268. CharlieL - 6/12/2001 8:07:35 PM
Patsy, I hope you're still wearing your hat when you travel!
269. grannypatsy - 6/12/2001 8:44:16 PM
Chalie. I would if I were travelling, I wear my gardening hat(s) often.
270. CalGal - 6/12/2001 10:29:12 PM
Add the new Motorola ad to my favorites.
"You gotta get that convertible off your mind, man."
271. JudithAtHome - 6/12/2001 11:10:11 PM
I caught some of that AFI 100 Movies thing...at least, it was on the last hour I've been posting. It looked like the ads during it were geared to movies; one for Mountain Dew was based on that Tiger/Dragon movie and another for Moviefone.com was like The Shining with "moviefone.com" written all over the wall backwards. Those were the only two I saw but I'm sure there were more.
272. Frankster - 6/12/2001 11:57:22 PM
Charlie,
I've got two trips tentatively planned this year, and no, none includes a trip back east this time. But, I'm going to try to make it there next year, though. I would love to get together with all of you once more.
( Besides, I've got to kick the Deev's ass on the dance floor. Hee-hee )
273. JudithAtHome - 6/13/2001 2:27:18 PM
Here's the biggie for tonight: ABCs The Beast.
A hard sell in a world of soft comedies and startlingly similar "reality" shows. Will there be an audience for a hip, adrenaline-fueled trip to the dark side of the news world sandwiched in between huggy-feely ABC fare like My Wife and Kids, Millionaire and What About Joan?
It starts at 10pm EDT; 9pm CDT.
274. Frankster - 6/13/2001 2:36:03 PM
Judith,
I saw part of the 100 AFI thang last night. Its stoccato pace turned me off quickly. It was akin to viewing 100 delicious entrees for a few minutes without possessing a spoon.
275. JudithAtHome - 6/13/2001 2:38:37 PM
I only had it on as background, myself. I think it might have been better had they opted for the top 25 and gone with 2 hours on those.
276. MsIvoryTower - 6/13/2001 6:48:38 PM
I caught Witchblade last night. I'm hopeful after watching the first episode, a nice blend of pseudo mysticism doused with plausible explanations.
Let's hope they don't get too melodramatic.
And for those who missed the truly fabulous sci-fi remake of Dune it's airing again this week. Last night was the first episode, and the remainder will play over the next few nights.
If you have sci-fi it's worth catching.
277. JudithAtHome - 6/13/2001 6:58:24 PM
I found out last night that my little Barbie cable company is going to be gobbled up by Charter, the behemoth here in North Texas.
Fine with me...maybe now I'll get Iron Chef!
278. Erinyes - 6/14/2001 12:27:18 AM
Strange coincidence: earlier today, in another discussion, bubbaette explained the meaning of a "twirly." A twirly is having one's head flushed in a toilet.
Tonight on 7th Heaven, Mary gave a guy a twirly. I was very surprised that I had a word for this. "Twirly!" I shouted. My son is now mightily impressed by that word.
Thanks, bubbaette, for the timely vocabulary expansion.
279. JJBiener - 6/14/2001 12:52:53 AM
Erinyes - When I was in college that was called a swirly.
280. JJBiener - 6/14/2001 12:55:30 AM
Judith - My cable company was originally TCI. It is now AT&T. Soon it will be Charter. I still can't get Iron Chef. The only time I get to watch it is when I am out of town and the hotel gets the Food channel. I did see it over the weekend when we were in Columbia, MO. The were cooking with peaches. Very interesting.
281. CharlieL - 6/14/2001 8:53:13 AM
What is "Iron Chef?" Does the guy clean and press the food after cooking it?
282. Toenails - 6/14/2001 9:11:49 AM
Boy, The Beast turned out to be a turkey!
283. arkymalarky - 6/14/2001 9:43:19 AM
I couldn't get past the bad acting and ridiculous dialogue enough to even absorb the plot.
284. JudithAtHome - 6/14/2001 9:50:51 AM
Man, am I ever with you both on that one...I had such high hopes after reading some of the reviews. For one thing, I turned to Keoni after yet another close up of that Ally McBeal-like clone as she tried to show emotion...pick one...by opening her mouth and closing it repeatedly like an oxygen starved fish and I said "She IS the weakest link."
This show has an interesting premise but the only thing I enjoyed in it was the assistant to the egotist...she had some good lines..."Get [the fish with curls] a car!" "It's running..."
285. arkymalarky - 6/14/2001 9:55:52 AM
The idiot male anchorman was a prime example of a subject that's come up recently. A friend of mine expresses it, "Just shut up and let me look at you."
286. JudithAtHome - 6/14/2001 10:01:24 AM
There were too many closeups and too much "look at us? aren't we hip?" things for me. And who couldn't see the HUGE cluehammer in the ending with the bomber right in their midst looking at a picture of himself? Duh...."oh look, Fred...there's the guy who likes to blow up TV stations!" "Daym, Martha, you are RIGHT! and he's in a.....TV STATION!"
287. arkymalarky - 6/14/2001 10:05:56 AM
I didn't get nearly enough exposure to get to that part. I heard good-looking/idiot male say something about someone blaming the media for all the world's ills and making them a target, then flipping the bird at him--what a brave and bold act (retch), and then saw the woman (you describe her well--someone needed to throw her back in the water) talking to some sort of prisoner with this pained look on her face. It was too lame to even be funny. If I want to look at bad acting and dialogue with a stupid plot to boot just for a laugh, I'll watch soaps.
288. MsIvoryTower - 6/14/2001 11:04:11 AM
I knew that show would be bad. I just had a feeling.
Meanwhile, Dune was simply terrific.
289. JudithAtHome - 6/14/2001 11:57:41 AM
Terriffic if you like Sc-Fi, which I don't so I missed it. I've seen the movie of it, though, and was underwhelmed.
I was afriad this Beast thing would be awful because it was shelved for a year while the network put on other things just as bad. If it wastoo bad to sit out some of the filler they've used in the past year, it must've been really baaaaad...and it certianly WAS, Ollie!
290. JudithAtHome - 6/14/2001 11:58:08 AM
afraid...
291. glendajean - 6/14/2001 12:02:59 PM
Queer As Folk has moved on past the original British series. This past week, it styled itself more as a gay Sex in the City. Particularly funny was the scenes around Emmett (Celler's rage, Peter Paige?), who meets a boy at a crowded disco. The audience sound is silenced, the two are spotlighted, and suddenly we're hearing music from West Side Story when Tony and Maria met at the dance.
They do the dance (snaps included). Throughout the night, we come back to them in their little drama of dreaming about their life together. By the end of the evening, they've broken up over another person. Every divorce/break-up cliche in the book is pulled out. Emmett says, "I've given you the best minutes of my life."
292. JudithAtHome - 6/14/2001 12:10:27 PM
Gosh, I wish I could get that here...I love cleverly done shows; even small cleverly done sections of shows make my day!
293. DJ JOE INC - 6/14/2001 12:24:06 PM
Did anyone catch PI last night- the Republican pundit said that global warming was just another media created boogieman like the Y2K scare- very scary stuff.The PI of the last 2 weeks was the episode with Al Franken and Alec Baldwin.
294. glendajean - 6/14/2001 12:27:16 PM
What's PI?
295. JudithAtHome - 6/14/2001 12:27:26 PM
DJ JOE:
Hey, I just welcomed you over in Arts & Music...it's me, Judith Spencer. I have last nights show on tape but will not get to watch it til after lunch...
How are you doing? You can post about pI here all you want.
296. MsIvoryTower - 6/14/2001 12:27:49 PM
Judith
The movie Dune is inferior, I think, to sci-fi's remake of it, although I liked Kyle McSomething, and the woman who played Jessica, better in old movie then in this remake. Otherwise, this one is better.
297. JudithAtHome - 6/14/2001 12:28:02 PM
GJ:
Politically Incorrect
298. DJ JOE INC - 6/14/2001 12:28:59 PM
Politically Incorrect- an imperfect show on ABC hosted by Bill Mahrer.
On a totally different topic I was on national TV on Monday- I went to the Raw taping in Richmond and got a little camera time- like 3 seconds.
299. glendajean - 6/14/2001 12:29:12 PM
Kyle McSomething now play's Charlotte's impotent blue blood husband on Sex in the City.
300. JudithAtHome - 6/14/2001 12:29:20 PM
MsIT:
We'll check it out, then...Keoni likes sci-fi more than I do; in fact, he liked the movie version.
301. JudithAtHome - 6/14/2001 12:30:11 PM
Joe...Congrats!
302. DJ JOE INC - 6/14/2001 12:34:50 PM
Have yet to check out the Sci-fi version of Dune- it is on my list of things to rent. I enjoyed Lynch's version- "I will KILL him". I even found and purchased the Sting action figure from the movie at a flea market.
303. JudithAtHome - 6/14/2001 3:55:04 PM
Tonight on some of your local PBS stations (but not on mine, unfortunately) at 10pm EDT/9pm CDT:
Great Performances: Swingin' With Duke
Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Jazz Orchestra pay tribute to the crown prince of jazz.
304. JudithAtHome - 6/14/2001 3:58:18 PM
I see that on F/X, at 9pm CDT they are doing something called Sexy Commercials and on the History Channel they are doing Love and Sex in the Hebrew Bible at 8pm CDT which sounds like a crossover show if ever there was one.
305. marjoribanks - 6/14/2001 3:58:41 PM
I used to like PI, but I've discovered that Maher is far too ignorant, when it comes down to it, to properly sustain or develop conversation. I do appreciate the guests, though, there have been some good ones and some good mixes.
But Maher... unfortunately he's an idiot and a lazy, smug, idiot at that.
306. PsychProf - 6/14/2001 4:00:59 PM
Must be a treat to see Banks watch TV...
307. JudithAtHome - 6/14/2001 4:05:45 PM
I can tolerate lazy, smug idiots pretty well (really) so I just watch it for the conversation and don't get too exercised over his dumb remarks.
308. marjoribanks - 6/14/2001 4:15:38 PM
Well, he doesn't have the capability to do much more than react semi-emotionally even on the issues he cares about.
Like, for instance, now he's big on being an environmentalist and criticizing Bush for his actions. But the fucker hasn't spent the time necessary to have any facts on hand, or even to coherently state a workable position. He's the same on most issues, I find. Thus, he winds up being unable to get the most out of the majority of his guests or to generate any meaningful discussion even when there are worthwhile people sitting next to him.
Plus, the fucker is so smug. Like he's an intellectual, and a crusader for free speech, and so so brave. I've seen him ride that high horse a few too many times to not be thoroughly irritated.
---
Prof, my wife often ceases watching the screen and watches me instead when I get fuming at PI. She claims it's more entertaining.
309. JudithAtHome - 6/14/2001 4:18:45 PM
He's a comedian, not a Rhodes Scholar...
310. marjoribanks - 6/14/2001 4:22:47 PM
He doesn't think so. Listen to him in interviews, he thinks he's a thinker and political commentator.
311. JudithAtHome - 6/14/2001 4:25:49 PM
Well, I think I'm humorous and beautiful but that doesn't make it so now does it?
312. DJ JOE INC - 6/14/2001 4:28:09 PM
The quality of the show depends on the guests and the topics of the day- Bill Mahrer is tolerable to me- but that is just my humble opinon. I wish that either Dennis Miller or Al Franken hosted a show like PI- or even Jon Stewart.
313. christipeters - 6/14/2001 4:32:10 PM
The book Dune was good enough for me to reread a few times. (although the sequels got progressively worse, imo)
The movie Dune was total dreck, if you ask me.
The mini-series Dune is pretty darn good.
314. marjoribanks - 6/14/2001 4:33:09 PM
I like that last suggestion. Jon Stewart would be great. He's both a lot funnier and a lot smarter than Maher. Dennis Miller would also be great. Franken, I also find smug and overrated and whiny to boot.
Stewart's stock has gone up greatly with me since he took over the News show. It's always first-rate when I check it out.
315. JudithAtHome - 6/14/2001 4:33:21 PM
Tonight he's having Mark Cuban on...I love that guy; he's like a neighbor, living in Dallas as he does. He's always on our local news.
316. DJ JOE INC - 6/14/2001 4:36:00 PM
Mark Cuban reminds me of this guy I used to know- he always had ideas to make money but he never had any- of course Cuban is rich- but he reminds me of so many infomercial pitchmen- of course I envy his position as an owner of an NBA team.
317. marjoribanks - 6/14/2001 4:38:39 PM
Cuban is entertaining but his "regular guy" act is a bit strained. Watch today's show, I bet 'beer' is among his first 25 words.
318. JudithAtHome - 6/14/2001 4:39:41 PM
Yes, he reminds me of one of those guys, too...but he loves people, you can just tell, and is delightfully off beat. And he doesn't mind sharing his money, either. He gives a lot to charity and to the fans of the Mavericks, too. And I like someone who is that enthuiastic about his work!
319. DJ JOE INC - 6/14/2001 4:45:59 PM
I would be enthuiastic if my job were "rebel" owner of an NBA team.
320. arkymalarky - 6/14/2001 4:53:09 PM
I like Al Franken, and he's more knowledgeable than Maher. I kind of agree with Marj about Maher, but it doesn't keep me from liking the show on the nights I stay up for it. Maher tends to spout off as though his simple insight and rationality are enough to carry any assertion he makes, but he keeps discussion rolling and at a certain pitch, which his style promotes.
321. LimeGirl - 6/14/2001 5:00:56 PM
I really like Jon Stewart. He sort of seems to be not completely with it, but then the times when he's been gone, and the other guys host the show, you can see how together his not-together act is!
322. JudithAtHome - 6/14/2001 5:03:11 PM
Jon Stewart is a brilliant man, both in his craft and in his mind...I wish we had Comdey Central but maybe soon...
He is so quick witted, it is amazing to me.
323. DJ JOE INC - 6/14/2001 5:03:41 PM
Steve Carell is my favorite guy on the Daily Show.I even burned "Slimmin' Down With Steve" to CD- it is only 16 seconds long so the joke works perfectly.
324. christipeters - 6/14/2001 5:04:56 PM
Judith - You are humorous and beautiful.
325. JudithAtHome - 6/14/2001 5:27:52 PM
Oh, Christi...thanks! You're so nice to say that...;-)
326. Frankster - 6/14/2001 6:32:28 PM
He's a comedian, not a Rhodes Scholar...
Exactly. Let's not forget the show's premise, which is to make light of supposedly "substantive" issues, and not so much the depth of the host's facts or depth of research. The show's "unedited feel", as PI fan Prince said of it two weeks ago on Jay Leno, is what makes it so appealing. It also reveals a side of artists that one rarely gets to see. As far as his smugness goes, he's still a few notches below that of George Will's league.
My favorite guests are Alec Baldwin, Al Franken and Ron Silver. Here are some "Hollywood Liberals" who don't play footsies with the Conservatives that Maher has on his panel.
... I get worked up watching the O'Reilly Factor. What a charlatan. Here's a fucker who is nothing more than another GOP mouthpiece hiding under that convenient "independent" label. My guess is he gets his ratings by aligning himself with the little guy by utilizing the same old tired refrains about being overtaxed, a big intrusive government, and potshots at either Clinton, Jesse Jackson or any Democrat or Liberal in his sights ... If only the world's problems were that easy to resolve as this clown makes them out to be.
I thought The Daily Showwas better off with Greg Kinnear at the helm, and not his replacement, Jon Steward. I like Steward. In fact, a better fit would be for Steward to take Kinnear's place on the Late Show, and for Kinnear to return to his former chair on The Daily Show.His CBS show doesn't do anything for me.
327. DJ JOE INC - 6/15/2001 4:13:33 AM
While Greg Kinear did Talk Soup on E and Later on NBC before moving to film I think you are referring to Craig Kilborn who was the first host of the Daily Show and now has a 12:35 chatfest on the eye network.
I am a huge Prince fan and I watched his Leno interview- I have it on tape(somewhere)- neat to know he watches PI between namechanges.
The dogdays of summerprogramming are upon us- as a person who takes his vactions in the fall-summer television is a cruel mix of re-runs and baseball(I love the national pasttime-lifelong O's fan)- this summer reality TV fights the allure of skincancer and bikini's- CBS brings us Big Brother 2- beyond all reason- well there was an attempted revolution I watched the first Big Brother and MTV brings us Real World NYC2K1 and WWF TOugh Enough.I really should read more- my mind is rapidly becoming oatmeal.
328. Toenails - 6/15/2001 7:41:45 AM
DJ JOE: As another lifelong O's fan, I am pleased to have them to watch during the long, uneventful no TV season.
By why, I ask you, would any cable network with a neat name like "Home Team Sports" allow that name to be absorbed and lost to "Comcast Sportsnet"?
Next thing, Camden Yards will be renamed for some damned Corporation. That's when me 'n the Orioles part ways, after 50 years!
329. CharlieL - 6/15/2001 8:40:53 AM
IMO, there is no one on TV today with less talent than Craig Kilborn, and that includes TV commercial extras.
330. JudithAtHome - 6/15/2001 8:44:31 AM
Oh well, he's tall...
331. DJ JOE INC - 6/15/2001 9:59:41 AM
I actually strated to enjoy him on the Daily Show- but his CBS program is unwatchable- fortunately Conan is still funny- although I miss Andy Ritcher.
Although Babe Ruth was a flawed individual I had hoped they would name the new stadium after him- Camden Yards is ok- or least better then The Taco Bell Ball Park or the Esskay arena.
332. CalGal - 6/15/2001 10:06:23 AM
Did anyone read the TNR piece on Chris Matthews and O'Reilly?
But there's something odd about the Matthews-O'Reilly worldview: For them, the term "working class"--the group both men consider their primary constituency--is defined not by income but by cultural values such as hard work, devotion to family, and respect for authority and tradition. And these value questions do explain a lot about American politics: why Bill and Hillary Clinton aroused so much hostility, why Al Gore fared poorly among blue-collar men, why Americans resented welfare. What they don't explain is why Democrats ever win. If working-class Americans have distinct cultural preferences that lean to the right, they also have distinct economic preferences that lean to the left. And it's these working-class economic interests that Matthews and O'Reilly--despite their in-your-face populism--generally ignore.
I thought it was an interesting take on them both, and Frank's post made me think of it.
333. Toenails - 6/15/2001 10:24:21 AM
Media commentators advocating conservative positions are 'way more irritating, to me, than conservative politicians advocating their positions.
It would be nice if every opinion-monger on television were required to publish a little FoxBox over his/her head when pontificating, citing their respective ADA and ACA ratings for objectivity.
One could then instantly discount, as appropriate, the "wisdom" of their remarks.
334. Frankster - 6/15/2001 10:49:13 AM
DJJoe,
Yes, you're correct (post 327). I meant Kilborn in place of Kinnear in my earlier posting. Thanks for the correction.
Toenails -That would be neat, wouldn't it ?
Last night on the O'Reilly Factor, one of his segments had to do with his thesis that the press and comedians are being too hard on Dubya. What ?! This from a "journalist" who spends just about every one of his shows bashing the Clintons in one form or another. Dubya hasn't received one-tenth what Clinton endured out of the gate ... When was the last time this "fair and balanced" clown took umbrage at what was being said about a Democrat or Liberal ? Talk about the pot calling the kettle black !?
335. DJ JOE INC - 6/15/2001 11:08:50 AM
Honestly I can not watch the political debate shows- except Politically Incorrect- maybe I am shallow - maybe I am disrespectful of the system but I like humor thrown into my political intake.That being said Saturday Night Live has a great parody of Hardball.I am also a fan of the Daily Show on Comedy Central. Of all the political roundtable shows that only one I can stomach with any irregularity is the ABC Sunday morning show with Sam,George and Cokie- and that shwo would be improved if they rode donkeys while discussing the news.
336. CalGal - 6/15/2001 11:17:05 AM
I like all the talking head shows on CNN, ABC, NBC, PBS, and CBS--well, I don't like that irritating women's show on PBS, but except for that. They're all worth watching.
I watch Geraldo and Hardball as often as I can stand it, usually for humor. I can't watch O'Reilly, for the most part, but the other Fox show is kind of fun--the two doofers? Hannity and Colmes, or something.
337. Frankster - 6/15/2001 11:37:05 AM
Although I never knew when the damn show was on, I miss Bill Buckley's Firing Line on PBS. Substantive topics and articulate/eloquent panelists were par for the course ... I don't understand why someone else didn't continue it ? Soul Traindidn't stop production when Don Corneleus left the helm, did it ? (g)
338. rubberducky - 6/15/2001 12:35:23 PM
Frankster:
why watch a show you hate starring a guy you despise? surely there are other things on...
339. Frankster - 6/15/2001 12:44:43 PM
Rubberducky,
Heck, I don't know. Maybe I just get a kick out of watching a bullshit artist at work. This guy's a genius at slippery-slopes, red herrings, and strawmen to the enth degree on a nightly basis. I just can't believe that there are that many people watching this guy for his "truthseeking journalism".
340. JudithAtHome - 6/15/2001 12:44:46 PM
I'm like CalGal in that I love those political shows, too...I watch 'em all except for the ones on MSNBC; I don't get that channel here. I like the CNN political shows best...Howard Kurtz, Wolf Blitzer, that crowd. I used to like Tim Russert but he is too full of himself now. But not half as full of himself as Tony Snow...what an inflated balloonhead that guy has!
341. JudithAtHome - 6/15/2001 12:49:12 PM
I remember Bill O'Reilly from his years on schlock tabloid TV...Inside Edition or Extra! whichever one he graced. He did such serious news pieces.
Please...he's just a National Enquirer guy trying to play a serious journalist. He can't overcome that "ripped from the headlines/interview with the headless babys mom" gleam in his eye.
342. Frankster - 6/15/2001 12:53:10 PM
Judith,
There is no bigger ballonhead than Bill O'Reilly. This huckster never misses an opportunity to promote his ratings, and how his show is slaughtering the competition, or shamelessly plugging his book.
I still like Tim Russert, and I must add that I still enjoy Geraldo's laid back style.
So shoot me, huh ?(g)
343. DJ JOE INC - 6/15/2001 2:19:15 PM
My favorite roundtable discussion show is The Sports Reporters on ESPN on Sundays at 10 a.m.- hosted by Dick Schapp and featuring Mitch Albom,Tony Kornheiser,Mike Lupica and others- the show provides intelligent analysis of sports.
344. Toenails - 6/15/2001 2:37:51 PM
I could go with Cokie, George, and even Sam, but when they put that insufferable George Will on, ychhhhhhhttttt!
345. CalGal - 6/15/2001 2:43:40 PM
I miss whatshisname, Bill Cristol? Why did they kick him off?
346. Toenails - 6/15/2001 2:46:35 PM
Kristol. Yeah, he's the liberals' favorite conservative. 'Doesn't bite, sounds sensible.
347. JudithAtHome - 6/15/2001 6:17:15 PM
Heads up for any who watch HBOs Six Feet Under; it is being moved up 30 minutes starting this Sunday, starting right after Sex In The City. So, that means Arliss will be shown after SFU.
348. Cellar Door - 6/17/2001 10:26:01 AM
The NYT discovers Gay TV -- with some help from CD.
349. JudithAtHome - 6/17/2001 2:38:31 PM
Bill Kristol was on Meet The Press this morning; I think he's what might be called a sewmi-regular on their discussion panel.
350. Cellar Door - 6/17/2001 4:10:22 PM
I'm going to be on MSNBC tomorow to discuss "Gay Hollywood."
The limo is picking me up at 8:15 to drive me to Burbank. They're going to have me on live for the 12/12:30 P.M. New York broadcast. So that means 9 a.m. west coast time.
(Check your local listings everyone.)
There's going to be a Gay Hollywood special on MSNBC tomorrow night, and I think I'm on that too as they filmed me at Howard Bragman's class for it last year.
351. JJBiener - 6/17/2001 4:21:34 PM
I used to be addicted to those political shows. Last year's election cured me of that addiction. I haven't seen one of those shows in months.
352. msgreer - 6/18/2001 1:23:02 AM
I'm with you, JJ. I have found there is life after
politics.
353. Toenails - 6/18/2001 6:54:37 AM
I take a back seat to no one when it comes to cynicism about politics and politicians. I shake my head sometimes in wonderment when I think of how naive I was, 'way back in the '60s, when I went to Washington, hoping to make a difference.
How much more realistic and knowing I am now.
But then, I say to myself, "Wait a minute. You
went to Washington to make a difference...and you did make a difference. There are things you can actually point to that are better now, because of things you did, or at least participated in doing."
So, yeah, politicians are bad news, etc. etc....but I'm glad that each new generation thinks it can make a difference.
Because it actually can.
354. DJ JOE INC - 6/18/2001 9:38:55 AM
Does anyone watch Dennis MIller's show on HBO- I have been a fan of his since he was on SNL- next weekend his guest is Andy Dick.This week his guest was Alan Ball- pretty good episode.
355. JudithAtHome - 6/18/2001 9:47:12 AM
If you have missed an episode of Six Feet Under and want to start watching it, HBO will be running the first 4 episodes in sequence starting at 7pm EDT on Saturday June 30th.
356. JudithAtHome - 6/18/2001 9:48:09 AM
Joe...I usually watch Dennis Miller but have missed the last few weeks.
357. glendajean - 6/18/2001 12:03:56 PM
Cellar, I saw your extensive quotes late last night when I finally got a chance to thread the Sunday NY Times. Congrats!
Damn it, I am enjoying watching Six Feet Under. Last night's episode had a scene where the daughter comes down to breakfast happy and in love. We get a snippet of Ann Miller-like 42nd Street production with the girl now in a sequin gown, and her mother and brother doing back-up.
358. LimeGirl - 6/18/2001 1:32:19 PM
I watched the first part of Dennis Miller this weekend. Then I fell asleep, and had strange Dennis Miller-induced half-dreams for a while.
I hadn't seen the show before, but it was good. I was too tired, though!
359. rubberducky - 6/18/2001 1:55:31 PM
from the it-might-be-cool department:
Hanna-Barbera updates cartoons for adults:
Starting Sept. 2, the Cartoon Network will unveil "Adult Swim," a late-night block of animated programming aimed at adults, which will bring old characters back to life and show now-grown cartoon fans what they could never find out on Saturday mornings.
Most of the characters will be brought back as guest stars on Harvey Birdman, a courtroom drama that revives the little-known Hanna-Barbera superhero Birdman and casts him as a lawyer. His courtroom opponents will be the evil Reducto and his arch-nemesis Vulturro, as a blue-blooded but sleazy attorney.
In one episode, Shaggy is driving the Mystery Machine when he's pulled over for "possession" — although it's never made explicit what he's accused of possessing. Another proposed plotline sees Yogi Bear's pal Boo Boo facing charges of being the Una Boo Boo, who sends corporate heads picnic baskets packed with bombs.
And in what is slated to be the pilot, world-renowned Dr. Benton Quest and his frequent companion, former government agent Bannon, fight over who gets custody of Johnny Quest. Although it's not spelled out, the implication is that Race and Dr. Quest are more than just friends.
...
Besides Harvey Birdman and Space Ghost, other Adult Swim shows will include Home Movies, an original series about a socially outcast third grader; Sealab 2021, starring Erik Estrada in a kitschy take on an old Hanna-Barbera undersea series; Aqua Teen Hunger Force, about crime-fighting food; and Leave It to Brak, in which the screechy-voiced Space Ghost regular tries his hand at a sitcom.
The shows will be prefaced with warnings of adult content and will be rated TV-PG or TV-14.
time to reeve up the VCR
360. JudithAtHome - 6/19/2001 11:33:15 AM
Last night I watched PBS...they did a great history of Queen Victoria; two hours of really interesting stuff and the second episode will be next Monday night.
361. don s. - 6/19/2001 11:43:52 AM
“time to reeve up the VCR”
What's that? Do you sit in front of it in a wheelchair?
362. rubberducky - 6/19/2001 11:47:57 AM
no, but i suspect i will when i get to be your age
363. don s. - 6/19/2001 11:49:28 AM
Maybe you'll learn to spell by then, too.
And you had the nerve to flame Bubbaette for her typo in the Inferno. Tsk.
364. rubberducky - 6/19/2001 11:52:04 AM
maybe i will, donny, but i doubt it. i want to master capital letters first.
i'll have to start collecting flannel now to have enough to match your wardrobe, that much is certain.
365. Laura C - 6/19/2001 11:54:16 AM
Hey, Cartoon Network did more with Space Ghost than I would have deemed possible. I'll give Adult Swim a try.
366. don s. - 6/19/2001 11:58:03 AM
“i’ll have to start collecting flannel now to have enough to match your wardrobe, that much is certain.”
Well, it’s enough that I’m still your role model.
But … flannel? No taffeta?
367. rubberducky - 6/19/2001 12:05:04 PM
we all have our quirks, donny.
besides, i'm sure i've got enough shiny clothes now.
(sorry, J@H, for the thread-drift)
368. Indiana Jones - 6/19/2001 12:34:07 PM
Finally saw the first four episodes of The Sopranos from NetFlix. Wow!
Everyone else already knows what a good show this is--the writing is superb--so I won't belabor it and repeat what others have said and likely said better.
As good TV as I've seen, though I'm skeptical that a mob show can maintain this quality because of the high octane necessary to the form (i.e., people being killed off, for starters). Already, I think 2, 3, and 4 each dropped slightly from its predecessor IMO.
369. JudithAtHome - 6/19/2001 3:55:24 PM
Taken as a whole, though, The Sopranos is an excellent series and the few low points don't detract from it at all...some think the second season was inferior to the first but overall, I don't agree. It's so far above regular TV that it could bomb every other episode and it would STILL wipe the floor with most series television.
370. Indiana Jones - 6/20/2001 10:12:43 AM
Judith: What do you think are the low points?
I agree about how far it is above regular TV.
371. JudithAtHome - 6/20/2001 10:53:56 AM
IJ:
I think the storyline concerning Tonys sister is one low point...they don't seem to know what to do with her. And I can't exactly pinpoint other "low" points except to say during one or two episodes, my mind wandered and I caught myself not paying attention as closely as I usually did. It happened so rarely that I was taken by complete surprise when it did and that might account for my haziness on exactly what caused it.
Over all, I think the series is a 12 on a scale of 1 to 10.
372. glendajean - 6/20/2001 10:57:00 AM
I didn't start watching until this year, when I watched the entire season. I am anxious to watch the first two.
I tried watching in the first season -- I think it was an episode where they beat the hell out of somebody on a college campus. I just couldn't watch it anymore. As Cal or somebody pointed out this year, the violence didn't come outmuch until the middle of the season in an episode with a stripper, a rape, and some execution killings.
373. glendajean - 6/20/2001 10:57:33 AM
The second paragraph was in reference to this past season.
374. JudithAtHome - 6/20/2001 11:05:16 AM
Maybe I'm jaded but the violence doesn't bother me so much...I detatch from the actual violence by comparing how realistically they portray the blood. The rape, however, bothered me as did the stripper incident...the "sounds" in both those got to me.
375. glendajean - 6/20/2001 11:11:51 AM
I used to watch Oz which certainly has more violence. The context for O is much more obvious than Sopranos where the characters move back forth from being gangsters to trying to be regular fellows.
Both series capture animal like anger in people, better than any show I've seen before.
376. Indiana Jones - 6/20/2001 11:13:19 AM
gj: I was so sort of fearful of that (the violence would increase). Too bad because it doesn't need to.
377. JudithAtHome - 6/20/2001 11:15:53 AM
IJ:
It's really not that bad...it's not like they spend 3/4s of the show on violence. It's just a very small portion of the show, truthfully .
378. glendajean - 6/20/2001 11:15:59 AM
It comes and goes ... and in fact, the story is often not about the violence but about the lives of the people who do the violence. Very good stuff.
379. glendajean - 6/20/2001 11:16:36 AM
oops -- x-post, Judith. Sorry.
380. CalGal - 6/20/2001 11:22:46 AM
Indy,
There's a conversation somewhere about the first year of the Sopranos--you can get to it in the maintenance thread.
I thought the first year was brilliant, the second year was a definite falloff for me, the third year was almost a match for the first. Tony's sister was introduced in the second season, and the combination of the sister and the mother's nagging, no matter how well done, is seventh circle of hell quality. They dropped Junior, for the most part, and did a serious number on Melfi. I stopped watching that season completely and never heard anything that interested me in checking it out again.
Third season, Janice is gone almost completely, Junior comes back, and Melfi is a shrink instead of an incipient alky. Much better.
381. CalGal - 6/20/2001 11:23:47 AM
The violence isn't nearly as difficult to tolerate as Janice, particularly when she's with her boyfriend Richie.
382. Indiana Jones - 6/20/2001 11:39:37 AM
The "so" in 376 was inadvertent. I don't particularly like graphic violence, but I didn't mean to make my statement about it that strong. However, I don't often watch TV by myself, and I've found that other people do get upset by graphic violence and sex. Makes it harder to recommend the show, too.
Structurally, the Melfi situation so far (first four episodes) has reminded me of Jessica Lange in All That Jazz: achieving male character suffering midlife crisis and health problems confides in objective, above-it-all woman (who he finds sexually attractive), while his real difficulty is his personal life and fear of death. Melfi even talks like Jessica Lange did. (Elizabeth Ashley's role was somewhat similar in Vampire's Kiss, but Melfi is much more like Jessica Lange's portrayal.)
Hmm, Cal's comments make me wonder if I should skip the second season, because it's going to take me so long to wade through all the episodes anyway.
383. JudithAtHome - 6/20/2001 11:43:19 AM
IJ:
I wouldn't skip the second season if I were you...with all due respect to Cal, I thought the second season was very good and it has many things in it that surface as plot points later, if I recall correctly.
384. CalGal - 6/20/2001 12:36:30 PM
There's no need to skip the second season--although my opinion that it was far weaker was by no means unique. If you find yourself bored or annoyed by it, I'd say you could skip it without much hassle. I didn't notice any plot points that were critical.
The main objection I had is that it was unpleasant. I literally could not tolerate spending a moment more with Janice, Richie, or Livia. In fact, watching Tony's stress levels rise as they ruthlessly used him was just getting me ill. So it was more emotional than anything--as I said, no matter how good it was, I have better things to do than watch people like this.
385. JudithAtHome - 6/21/2001 9:46:42 AM
Last night, I watched the PBS special on The Fillmore ...I tuned in because I thought it was going to be about Fillmore West and the glory days of rock and roll but it turned out to be about the AREA and was a really interesting program about an area of San Francisco I was totally unfamiliar with. It was a fantastic 2 hours, believe me.
I also watch Paul Reubans new reality/game show/comedy called You Don't Know Jack. ABC ran 2 episodes last night; I liked his little dog.
386. JudithAtHome - 6/21/2001 9:47:24 AM
(My apologies to PeeWee for misspelling his name.)
387. arkymalarky - 6/21/2001 9:56:33 AM
I thought it was funny, too. I loved the 2 million dollar question. It might get old if they do it every time, though.
388. JudithAtHome - 6/21/2001 10:02:18 AM
I just love that guy and wish him well...yeah, the show will proabaly get old fast but it was pretty funny in a juvenile sort of way. He reminded me a lot of Soupy Sales, getting away with that toilet humor in primetime.
"My staff calls me a delightful nickname that starts with Bas and ends with Tard."
389. glendajean - 6/21/2001 10:28:30 AM
I watched the P.O.V. documentary on PBS about gay people and the Boy Scouts.
The documentary profiled two Eagle Scouts who were kicked out for being gay, Tim Curran who sued and lost over 10 years ago, and James Dale, who won in the New Jersey Supreme Court, but lost in a 5-4 U.S. Supreme Court decision. (Actually, the Dale case was to prevent the Boy Scouts from using public facilities because they discriminate. The first case may have been to allow Curran membership, but I don't know the specifics).
But mostly it profiled a 12 year old boy in Petaluma, CA, another Eagle Scout, who started the "Scouting for All" movement to change the boy scouts.
One of the more interesting fellows was a guy who had been involved in scouting for over 50 years, a married heterosexual, who was kicked out of scouting for participating in "Scouting for All." OTH, the boy who started the movement did receive his Eagle Scout award -- he started doing this when he was one step away from getting his Eagle Scout.
According to the documentary one in five American boys participate in BSA at some point.
390. Toenails - 6/21/2001 12:41:05 PM
I was a boy scout in about 1948, and despite my youth, I was worldly enough to recognize that it was at least highly likely that about half of the six or eight scout leaders with whom I came into contact were gay.
'Can't prove it, obviously, and nobody made any passes at me or any other kid that I know about, but the indications were there.
Ten years later, I was in the U.S. Army and there wasn't any shortage of gays there, either--including career enlisted types.
All this gay-banning is such a joke.
391. DJ JOE INC - 6/21/2001 7:05:37 PM
I do not think that You Don't Know Jack is gonna last- I thought it was terrible.SNL Does better gameshow parodies,Regis is a better host and the best way to experience the game itself is on a computer or Playstation.
392. arkymalarky - 6/21/2001 11:03:32 PM
In AR they had a rather publicized case of a BS leader who was a child molester, but at least he wasn't a homosexual.
393. JudithAtHome - 6/21/2001 11:04:11 PM
Arky:
You've got mail.
394. arkymalarky - 6/21/2001 11:04:17 PM
Carrol O'Connor died today. Surprised me.
395. arkymalarky - 6/21/2001 11:04:52 PM
Ooh, cool! I'll check.
396. DJ JOE INC - 6/22/2001 4:18:29 AM
Carrol O'Connor died today-
this sux the positive momentum from my day- All in the Family had a huge impact on me- it was the first show that really engaged me- while the show was entertainment it also had the ability to make one think- not just about race and such- but also on how to treat and not treat your loved ones- the relationship between Archie and Edith was so complex and beautiful and frustrating- Caroll O'Connor gave the Archie Bunker character a heart and made us care about a man who was a racist tyrant- it even gave us insight to the tumult that created such tunnelvision- All in The Fanily was an important part of my life and I wish that more television(and movies) aspired to level of creativity and insight that All in The Family consistently delivered.
397. arkymalarky - 6/22/2001 11:53:01 AM
I agree, DJ, and for people like me it helped me realize that my older relatives weren't that unique and I loved them dearly. They were good people with large blind spots who would never be intentionally cruel to anyone, but whose entire world view and perspective of life came from their own narrow raising and experiences--even the ones who fought in "The Big One, Double-U Double-U Two."
398. Frankster - 6/23/2001 2:39:22 PM
I have no ideal if there is a life here-after, but if there is one, may I inhabit it with the likes of Steven Frost, Greg Proops, Brad Sherwood, Tony Slatery(?), Ryan Styles, and Colin Mochrie.
I laughed so hard this morning watching the original British Whose Line Is It Anyway? that I almost cut myself shaving. Who knows what the neighbors must have thought of my outbursts. God, these guys are talented and funny! Does anyone know if the show is still being produced in England ? Clive Anderson, the host of the show, is also levels above Drew Carey.
How I still regret missing Robin Williams on the American version early this year.
Shit, off to work!
399. JudithAtHome - 6/23/2001 2:41:01 PM
The Robin Williams episode was wonderful.
400. joezan - 6/24/2001 12:45:10 AM
Yesterday I listened to a radio interview with Bob Crane's (Colonel Hogan) son, and MAN!, was Crane warped!
The son painted dad as a genuine naife - a true innocent who just honestly had no idea that everyone didn't regularly attend orgies (and tape them), and view the results with whoever happened to be over visiting.
Two examples really stuck out:
In the first story, he tells of the time their neighbors, the Astins (John and Patty Duke) came over with their son, Sean, who was about the same age. The son takes Sean in his room to show him some porno, while Bob takes the Astins downstairs, and puts on a reel that "just happens" to include some home-made porno of Crane doing the nasty with some girl.
After Hogan's Heroes, Crane's prospects petered out, until he got a big break with Disney. According to the son, he was very excited about it. The Disney rep comes over to the Crane house to talk contract, and Bob takes the guy downstairs, and throws on a porno tape.
...End of Disney contract.
Anyway, the son has collected all of Dad's pornos, and is showing them on his website (bobcrane.com, I think), because "Dad would've wanted it".
Uh-huh.
401. HollyW - 6/24/2001 12:51:43 AM
I haven't watched Who's Line Is It, Anyway? in quite some time, but when the Drew Carey one came out, we'd race through our duties to watch it at work, and would be laughing so hard we'd be crying. And I agree, the British version is even funnier. Isn't it edited, though?
Have we discussed Sherry Stringfield's return to ER next season? I am--as my grandmother would have said--tickled pink about it.
402. Erinys - 6/24/2001 1:20:22 AM
Which character does she play, HollyW? I started watching ER perhaps a month before this season's finale, and got interested in it. Now I'll have to see what happens to the murderous doctor.
Made it through the last 3 shows of Sopranos' first season. The finale tape came first from the library - and they've just sent a card that the middle ones are waiting for me. So, I will watch that exactly backwards.
And I say "made it through" because for some reason, it was hard for me to watch and I did it in 1/2-hour doses. I like the songs they play that 'go' with the action. I was happy to see the library also had a soundtrack CD from the series; it's irritating that it's not like a movie with credits at the end, and I want to know who does some of those songs so the CD will tell me.
All I can remember just now is the scene where Carmella tells off the priest. Very good, that one. (whiff of sexuality and the little clues that she was getting jealous of her widowed friend giving the priest the watch - well, that's the breaks for watching it out of order)
Can't stand that little twit nephew, and oh! the mom. She is a good actress, because I absolutely want to slap her.
Thank you, thank you, for mentioning the host's name of You Don't Know Jack. It was bugging me that I couldn't place PeeWee.
403. Erinys - 6/24/2001 1:24:18 AM
joezan, that is so odd about Hogan, and his son being the keeper of the 'light'.
All in the Family. I remember reading somewhere that it had the first instance of a toilet being flushed on TV. Really, what a thing to notice. It was so much more than that!
404. HollyW - 6/24/2001 1:27:30 AM
Erinys,
Sherry Stringfield is from way back. She was on the first three seasons of ER--she left around '97, I'd say. She was Dr. Susan Lewis. Dr. Greene was in love with her. She moved to Phoenix to be closer to her family.
It could be very interesting.
405. CalGal - 6/24/2001 1:37:29 AM
I never liked her much; but the way they wrote her off the show really, really sucked. The whole long, dragged out, will they or won't they with Mark was just absurd.
Also, the reason they used to write her out was just...humiliating. After all her sister did to her, and took back the baby, she then decides to go out and live near her? Keerist.
406. HollyW - 6/24/2001 2:06:57 AM
At first I didn't like her, but she grew on me. I agree that she was written out very weakly. It didn't make any sense that "there's nothing for me here in Chicago".
But the last episode she was in was a good one, I thought. Lydia's "wedding", remember?
407. CalGal - 6/24/2001 1:42:09 PM
Lydia's wedding was good, but the farewell between the two sucked. ER has always written people out badly. Margulies was okay, Clooney's was terrible (and I liked his character a lot). The intern who was killed--Kelly Martin's character--had the best exit on the show, I thought.
408. LimeGirl - 6/24/2001 2:57:07 PM
We like Who's line too. Wayne is my favorite, though, and the older ones seem a little less without him there.
409. Frankster - 6/24/2001 3:07:10 PM
Which one is Wayne ?
410. HollyW - 6/24/2001 3:51:53 PM
Lydia's wedding was good, but the farewell between the two sucked.
Well, Greene running for the train and almost not making it brought out the romantic sod in me. When Lewis said, "I love you too--bye" I was annoyed, though. Her delivery was abysmal, not to mention that just being really shitty.
Wayne is the black guy.
411. CalGal - 6/24/2001 3:58:42 PM
I like both the Brit and American versions of the show, although there's never been a decent woman on the American show. Josie, or whatever, is good on the British show.
412. JudithAtHome - 6/24/2001 4:10:48 PM
On Wednesday and Thursday of this week, PBS will be running Gormenghast , a truly intriguing miniseries, from the looks of the link.
413. MsIvoryTower - 6/24/2001 7:22:06 PM
Cal
That's Josie Lawrence, who played one of the lead roles in Enchanted April, and was marvelous.
My daughter and I watch the british version of Who's Line Is It Anyway all the time on Comedy Central, and we infinitely prefer it to the Drew Carey version.
414. CalGal - 6/24/2001 7:29:51 PM
My lord, you're right. That is her! I never tied the two together before now. Thanks for letting me know.
415. Erinys - 6/24/2001 7:55:01 PM
Prunesquallor? Fuchsia? Steerpike?
Certainly has interesting names.
416. JudithAtHome - 6/24/2001 8:10:14 PM
I thought so, too...have you seen any of the ads for it? It looks as interesting as the names...
417. Frankster - 6/24/2001 8:32:11 PM
Yikes ? How could I leave out Josie Lawrence ?! Yes, she's very good on that show.
My daughter and I watch the british version of Who's Line Is It Anyway all the time on Comedy Central, and we infinitely prefer it to the Drew Carey version.
I tried watching the Drew Carey version, but I found it to be akin to a bad cover version of a classic song. The only one Carey show I really wanted to watch was the one with Robin Williams ( A natural for such a show ) on it, and like an idiot, I forgot to watch that night. The British version is far better imo. :-(
418. Toenails - 6/25/2001 8:46:40 AM
I've seen both versions of "Whose Line" and agree, in general, that the Brit show is marginally better, week in and week out.
But those who find Drew Carey's version to be notably less entertaining are, I believe, just expressing the usual Yank inferiority complex. The participants on it are quite talented.
419. JudithAtHome - 6/25/2001 9:38:12 AM
Since I only get to see the American version, I can't compare the 2 shows but I agree with Toe...the people on that show are a talented bunch and it's far more enjoyable to me than many sit-coms that get massive network build-up.
420. JudithAtHome - 6/25/2001 11:36:59 AM
Nice use of a dead guy in Six Feet Under last night...
421. janjon - 6/25/2001 11:55:51 AM
Six Feet Under is beginning to develop some nice nuances. I guess that is partly because we are now familiar with the fundamentals of most of the major characters and can now see some incremental developments. At least for the Fisher family itself - there is obviously much more flushing out to do concerning Nate's girlfriend. And, we've not even met her family yet, except for that ten second preview of the obviously disturbed brother.
I like the show.
422. JudithAtHome - 6/25/2001 12:01:56 PM
I can't wait for next week when Brendas parents make an appearence...
423. janjon - 6/25/2001 12:08:42 PM
they do? I had read early on that they would end up being a 'prominent' part of the show. And, I'll miss the next couple of weeks. Oh well. There will be reruns, I am sure.
424. JudithAtHome - 6/25/2001 12:11:43 PM
Yes, they were in the ads for next week, briefly. The mother, Joanna Cassidy, drew my attention because I've always loved her so I completely zoned out on who was playing the father. Keoni recognized him but can't recall his name or any single thing he's been in...I think he's just teasing me and really has no clue who it is.
425. Frankster - 6/25/2001 5:43:06 PM
Since I only get to see the American version, I can't compare the 2 shows but I agree with Toe...the people on that show are a talented bunch and it's far more enjoyable to me than many sit-coms that get massive network build-up.
Judith -- I can tape some show for you if you like ? The British version is levels above the Drew Carey ripoff. Give me a month.
Speaking of TV, more precisely, TV commercials, my two favs at the moment are:
The hip Mitsubitzi Eclipse commercial which has all of the actors seated in their Eclipses moving to the sounds ( The African-American driver moves the best imo ). She's my dance soulmate! :-)
The TGIF Dan Patrick commercial, where Dan Patrick mousses(sp?) a seven year old autograph seeker's hair with barbeque sauce. Funny stuff!
426. JudithAtHome - 6/25/2001 5:46:11 PM
Franque:
You and Keoni are "commercial" soul mates! He loves that Eclipse ad, too...he stops what he's doing when he hears that music.
I'd love a tape of that BBC show but please don't put yourself out over it...
427. Frankster - 6/25/2001 5:51:05 PM
I'd love a tape of that BBC show but please don't put yourself out over it...
It's no biggie.
It's not the music that appeals to me so much, as it is the way they girate in their seats. The female driver I described above moves as yours truly would move on the dance floor ... after a few libations, of course.
428. JudithAtHome - 6/25/2001 5:53:01 PM
I think the last girl, the one who moves her head and says "Wind it up, baby" is the best looking.
429. JudithAtHome - 6/25/2001 5:53:23 PM
She looks the most loaded, too....ha!
430. glendajean - 6/25/2001 5:57:31 PM
Sherry Stringfield is returning to ER? I loved her character and rued the day she left. She and Kerry Weaver really got into it.
431. Frankster - 6/25/2001 6:04:10 PM
Judith - Yes, she does.
They play that commercial a lot out here, but it must have taken me 10 viewings of it before I realized it was a car commercial, and another 10 before I realized which make of car they were hustling.
... Sometimes a commercial can have a certain appeal about it, which totally trumps the product it's trying to push.
( I think I'm going to look for a monitor sometime today. The blue hue I am experiencing for the last few days, and at the moment, just isn't cutting it with me ... I don't need to spending this kind of money now as you know. It might affect my summer plans. :-( )
432. Frankster - 6/25/2001 6:06:09 PM
am experiencing = have been experiencing ...
433. CalGal - 6/25/2001 6:35:25 PM
I think the American show is fine, particularly the guy who was on the Brit show (and is also on Carey's show) and the balding guy. The black guy is decent except in musical improv, where he shines. The other alternators are of varying quality.
I agree that the Brit show usually comes up with four solids, as opposed to one potentially weak alternate. But other than that, I think they're both a lot of fun.
My favorites are "Party Guests" and the one where they get the very, very weird looking object to improvise with.
434. CalGal - 6/25/2001 6:35:53 PM
Ryan. That's the name, right, of the guy who was on the Brit show and on Carey's show?
435. LimeGirl - 6/25/2001 7:42:14 PM
Ryan is the tall one who does the great animal impressions, and Colin is the balding one. I think they were both on the Britian version.
436. JudithAtHome - 6/25/2001 8:13:14 PM
Ryan Stiles is the one from the Careys sit-com; is that who you mean?
437. Frankster - 6/25/2001 8:45:07 PM
Judith,
Yes. One in the same. The line-up I posted in post 398, including Josie Lawrence, who I inadvertently dissed the first time around, was basically the line-up for the original British version of the show for its last two years of production ( 1997-98 ). With the exception of Stephen Frost, I don't know how the rest of them kept it together while doing a skit. Frost would burst out in laughter right in the middle of a skit, which made him not only quite endearing, but made it outright funnier in itself as a result of it.
And, unlike Carey, the host, Clive Anderson, was at times a show in himself. A ton more clever and wittier than Carey.
I'm going to tape and send it to you for you to judge for yourself, okay ?
438. Toenails - 6/26/2001 9:06:47 AM
...it must have taken me 10 viewings of it before I realized it was a car commercial, and another 10 before I realized which make of car they were hustling.
... Sometimes a commercial can have a certain appeal about it, which totally trumps the product it's trying to push.
It's worse than that. Not only do you miss what company is being pushed, on closer analysis, one realizes that no feature of the car itself is being pushed. You learn only that the vehicle has a battery capable of running a radio or CD player (probably manufactured by someone else).
It's just supposed to make you feel good about the car's manufacturer, I guess. Wow, we've come a long way from the stomach-diagrams for Bromo-Seltzer!
439. Toenails - 6/26/2001 9:13:03 AM
My nominee for best series of entertaining, generally pleasing commercial messages is Volkswagen of America. They've had a string of real winners going back as far as I can remember.
Some of the best? The "starlight" one for the Cabriole (spel?); the two guys with the smelly chair; the couple in New Orleans with the windshield wipers harmonizing with everything.
...And the recent Bug commercial featuring the acqueduct-shaped Beetle is short, simple, and priceless.
440. glendajean - 6/26/2001 10:21:00 AM
Queer as Folk ended its season Sunday night. Muddled stories. Emmet's lover skipped out out of drug rehap. Michael decided not to go to Portland with his rich chiropracter lover. Brian turned 30 and practiced scarfing or sex while strangling.
Six Feet Under -- I am liking this series more every week. They're using different directors/writers, and the tools they can use vary each week. The schtick this past week was a Hispanic gang member's ghost who watches his body being sewn up and prepared, giving Daniel, the gay son, lessons on how to not to be the "bitch."
441. JudithAtHome - 6/26/2001 9:53:37 PM
My brain is slowly turning to mush while I watch MTVs Real World Casting Call....
But I gleaned some info today about one of the cast members on Six Feet Under : the actress who plays the dowdy mom once played a very stylish and rich dominatrix on an episode of Law&Order
442. MsIvoryTower - 6/26/2001 10:08:27 PM
Okay, I think I'm hooked on Witchblade.
I'd call it lowbrow entertainment pulp fiction with nothing but mystery, cool fight scenes, and making little sense. But I wanna be Pezz. I think she's ultra cool.
443. HollyW - 6/26/2001 10:26:29 PM
Speaking of commercials...
My latest favorite (from last year--I don't get to much TV these days) is the one for Budget RentACar with the aromatherapy candles. I bust a gut every single time.
Even sitting here, thinking about it, I'm tittering.
444. CalGal - 6/26/2001 10:36:26 PM
I don't know that I've seen that, I'll have to look for it.
Motorola might be on tough times lately, but their intelligent machines college commercial slays me.
445. arkymalarky - 6/26/2001 10:37:46 PM
I cracked up at one Geiko commercial that Mose just told me about...what was it.
I just asked her.
It was the collect call from Bob Hadababyitsaboy.
446. MsIvoryTower - 6/26/2001 10:41:48 PM
I'd put the Eclipse commercial at the top of my list, I think it's the music, which reaches some elemental need to move.
I also like the new VW commercials with the clueless guy discussing the wonders of the arch.
And I'm smitten with the gecko in the geiko commercials. Cute bugger.
447. CalGal - 6/26/2001 10:50:37 PM
No, the gecko gives me the creeps. I have a whole different voice in mind when I think of a gecko--they're such adorable lizards.
Watching A&E's Law & Order; it's the one where John Bedford Lloyd plays the shrink who ignores the fact that one of the patients on his experimental treatment was not responding. Patient goes nuts and kills someone. So you watch the show, knowing they're going to nail the bastard on faking the progress reports. Which he did.
But at the end, it turns out that the kid wasn't responding because the good doctor had missed a brain tumor on his initial PET(?) scan. It would have been curable then, now it's terminal.
Gut punch. Very good episode. I miss L&O's best; thank goodness for reruns.
448. Frankster - 6/26/2001 11:11:11 PM
One of my all time favorite commercials has to be the one from Levis(?) a few years ago, which had a young 20 something couple enter one of those cage elevators simultaneously. As the elevator starts to decend, the young man cops a discreet lenghthy look at this attractive young woman and what follows is a montage of this young man's fantasies with her. His mind's rushed fantasy takes us through initial dates, marriage, a child's delivery, and the obligatory white picket fence with this young woman. The elevator stops at a floor and she gets off. Back to reality. End of fantasy.
... It definitely connected with moi.
... That commercial would certainly tie in with the theme of,Survival of the Prettiest,which was aired last night on the Discovery Channel out here.
Another all time fav was the Michelob one of about 12 years ago which had Frank Sinatra crooning to some incredibly attractive women in evening wear seated around a bar to the tune of Just The Way You Look Tonight.
449. MsIvoryTower - 6/26/2001 11:33:34 PM
Cal
I like the voice of the gecko, nothing creepy about it to me.
Frank
We have a radio commercial for Michelob that has a guy going into a bar for one. The bartender tells him that he just put them on ice and it'll be another 25 minutes or so before they're cold. Did he want another brand? Guy says no, he'll wait, and then commences to ask the bartender every 30 seconds or so whether they're cold yet.
"Are they ready yet?"
"Ah, no, I just put them on ice, it's only been a few minutes..."
and so on.
Just like the kid in the car that keeps asking "are we there yet?".
It tickles my funny bone.
450. JudithAtHome - 6/26/2001 11:35:35 PM
I love the little geckos voice; my fave is the one where he's in a towel.
451. JudithAtHome - 6/26/2001 11:36:33 PM
And the earlier one where he was at the lawyers wanting a name change. "Komodo Dragon; that will do."
452. Frankster - 6/26/2001 11:40:53 PM
Msit,
Sounds funny. I guess he hasn't been weaned yet, huh ? ;-)
Hmmmmm, which one is the gecko one everyone is talking about ? I guess I haven't been paying much attention.
453. Toenails - 6/27/2001 9:34:47 AM
It's possible that Geico doesn't market insurance actively in the entire country. It seems to be largely a middle-Atlantic regional operation.
If I'm right about that, maybe they don't run their commercials much on a nationwide basis.
454. JudithAtHome - 6/27/2001 9:48:16 AM
I think you may be right.....except Cal did say she had seen one, I think. Yes, she did because she said she didn't care for the gecko.
455. Toenails - 6/27/2001 9:59:22 AM
Unless a sponsor buys time on cable, I'll probably never see his ad. During Rerun season I never watch network television except for a half-hour a day for "Jeopardy!".
If I wasn't a baseball-and-Tiger fan, there'd be nothing to watch whatsoever except for Sunday night on HBO.
456. JudithAtHome - 6/27/2001 10:02:43 AM
I watch Jeopardy every day, too. We get two episodes a day! A whole hour of Alex...
457. DJ JOE INC - 6/27/2001 11:17:46 AM
Current favorite commercials- the friendly bear in the TicTac add- and the bad fruit ad for some fruit drink-Snapple I think.
Tonight should be a fun night of comedy- Jimminy Glick's second episode is on tonight followed by the consistently funny Daily Show and Arsenio Hall willbe on PI.
458. rubberducky - 6/27/2001 11:18:57 AM
i heard on the radio today that Star Trek: Voyager's 7of9 will be on Boston Public next season.
will she be as sexy without the Borg implants? i doubt it.
459. LimeGirl - 6/27/2001 11:19:46 AM
Tons of Geico commercials out here in the NW.
460. MsIvoryTower - 6/27/2001 11:25:36 AM
DJ
I really love The Daily Show, it's consistently hilarious.
I'm not sure about Jimmy Glick, although the hype surrounding it has had it's own standing in the humor ranks. We'll see what the next few episodes bring from Martin Short.
The funniest line from the premiere episode was the one Glick gave back to Moyer when Moyer said he always thought Glick was gay.
"Isn't that interesting coming from a 44 year old bachelor male."
461. OhioSTOPAS - 6/27/2001 8:15:02 PM
I recommend "You Don't Know Jack!" (It's on in 15 minutes in East, maybe Central too.)
462. CalGal - 6/27/2001 10:05:21 PM
Yeah, Geico is out here.
463. JudithAtHome - 6/27/2001 10:06:47 PM
I really liked "Jack" last week; missed it tonight, though.
464. MsIvoryTower - 6/27/2001 11:47:48 PM
Ha, I just saw another commercial I really like. It's for Cheer. Has the mother sorting what is asuredly her son's college wear with all sorts of risque and silly prints and sayings. She looks at each one as if it is a strange being from another planet, and then decides not to add the Cheer detergent after reading that it preserves clothes on the label.
Not one word does she speak, but her eyes and facial expressions say a million words, and they're all hysterical.
465. CalGal - 6/28/2001 12:02:00 AM
hahahaha. That sounds like one to check up on.
This has been a great year for commercials, really. I thought the dotcom dieout would hurt quality, but not yet.
But the best commercials I've seen lately are on the basic cable channels--CNN, A&E, etc.
466. Toenails - 6/28/2001 7:45:12 AM
The new Coors commercials are really weak.
When you try for humor and miss, somebody on the staff ought to speak up and say so, before a half-dozen versions of a stupid idea are loosed on the public.
467. Toenails - 6/28/2001 8:47:18 AM
Anyone who's not a sports fan is missing out on some of the best "commercials" going anywhere--ESPN's long-running series of promos for the cable network.
The latest one--where one of the ESPN regulars gets "sent down" to the minors (a high school broadcast over the intercom)--is a good example of the consistently Grade-A breed.
468. MsIvoryTower - 6/28/2001 8:53:44 AM
Toenails
Speaking of sports commercials, the PGA commercials are among the best around, as well as some of the golf equipment ones. My favorites are the ones with the guys all geared out, standing there swinging time after time, only to have the ball sit there, or go into the bushes, or into the water, or sandtraps.
I so relate.
There's one for the PGA that has me on the floor every time. Els and Garcia are teamed up with to amateurs. Els tells his partner to go first. The guy says' "Okay, I'll try." Then stands there swinging and swinging without hitting the damn ball. Els and Garcia are in shock, Els says after the 6th swing or so, "Oh my goodness".
Finally, the guy hits the ball, but zings it into a woman standing about 8 feet away. Garcia's expression at that moment is priceless.
I'm usually in hysterics by that time.
469. Toenails - 6/28/2001 10:24:39 AM
I like the one where the two golf pros are on the massage tables, feeling sorry for themselves because they have to play a tournament in Fiji.
470. CalGal - 6/28/2001 10:49:24 AM
ESPN's long-running series of promos for the cable network.
Oh. There's nothing better. I wish they'd release them on tape or DVD.
The hostility between the anchors and the field reporters.
The search for Ohbermann's replacement ("Any public speaking experience?" Bill Bradley: "Well, I was the keynote speaker at the Dem National Convention." "No, something important.")
The "game" review in the locker room. ("I never hit my stride tonight, the early mike problems distracted me...")
Ack, what are some of the others?
471. CalGal - 6/28/2001 10:50:17 AM
I haven't seen the golf ones. What channels?
472. JudithAtHome - 6/28/2001 10:51:29 AM
Any channel running a golf tournament...
473. CalGal - 6/28/2001 10:52:59 AM
Leaves me out, then.
TV Guide often does "50 best" or "100 best" of this or that. Their one on commercials was very good, but I still can't believe the little pup on TB won.
474. JudithAtHome - 6/28/2001 1:49:12 PM
Has anyone else reacted with a big groan to the singing Levi belly buttons? Creeps me out.
475. glendajean - 6/28/2001 2:50:41 PM
I haven't seen it, but the idea of it is creepy.
476. JudithAtHome - 6/28/2001 2:54:19 PM
So is the execution...all you see are these tanned, toned girls walking around with really low riding Levi jeans on and nothing but their bare midriffs showing...then their belly buttons begin to move and sing "I'm Coming Up; I Want The World To Know...."
477. glendajean - 6/28/2001 2:55:34 PM
Yuck.
I suppose we soon see other singing orifices (other than the mouth).
478. JudithAtHome - 6/28/2001 3:00:30 PM
I can wait for the obvious one we're both thinking right now...
479. glendajean - 6/28/2001 3:01:36 PM
I think I saw it in a movie once, Patient Zero.
480. JudithAtHome - 6/28/2001 3:05:16 PM
One car ad that I like, for I don't know which behemoth SUV, has a rainy road with a horde of black horses galloping down it, behind an SUV, and as they catch up to the vehicle and begin to pass it, they are suddenly SUVs themselves...the horses are beautiful and powerful and look more fabulous than any car ever could...
481. Frankster - 6/28/2001 3:41:05 PM
I can wait for the obvious one we're both thinking right now...
Oh, which obvious one ? (g)
482. CalGal - 6/28/2001 6:48:19 PM
My favorite TV critic is Tim Goodman who, on top of his daily columns has a recurring piece called "Everything we know we learned from television: ", a series of random thoughts from the week of TV. Samples:
Hey, this revolution in children's programming is great news for parents, but now it's gone too far. They're profitable little suckers, and that's probably why Nickelodeon has pushed ever deeper into prime time, airing kids' shows as late 8:30 p.m. beginning next Monday. That's 30 minutes less of Nick at Nite and, if that impacts "Mannix" in any way, we're going to hold someone accountable.
He always ends it with High Fives, and I thought this week's was appropos:
"1. Great commercials, like that one where the Muppets are singing, or that one where the gruff guys are singing to the motorcycle in the window. So maybe we're not paying close attention, but still. "
483. CalGal - 6/28/2001 6:50:23 PM
Whoops, I meant to include two samples, to justify the plural:
We've changed our tune about summer TV programming. It's not a hellhole of useless, tossed-off series and reruns. No, it's a brilliant time to avoid your family.
Little Billy asks you something that annoying children ask and, before he can finish, you wave an ice-cold beer at him and say, "Shhhh. I'm watching 'Fear Factor.' Go call yourself Cathy21 in some chat room and get back to me before bedtime."
484. JudithAtHome - 6/28/2001 8:23:00 PM
Heads up for Politically Incorrect tonight:
My man, Joe Queenan, is scheduled to appear in all his sarcastic glory.
485. JudithAtHome - 6/29/2001 11:47:50 AM
Glendajean:
Survivor star Colby will be in Fort Worth this weekend making an appearence at a sporting goods store...you can "come enjoy a meet, greet and autograph session with this popular 'Survivor'" according to the quarter page ad.
Thought you might enjoy that.....
486. glendajean - 6/29/2001 12:40:05 PM
Judith -- I am sure it wouldn't be the same as seeing him on TV out in the outback. Still, as long as they have air conditioning, it would be worth seeing.
487. Greystoke - 6/30/2001 12:24:10 AM
Hey, what about the "Hard Lemonade" commercials where the construction worker falls and gets a piece of rebar stuck through his chest. Rather than going to the hospital they go to the bar for a hard lemonade. And the janitor who feeds a fish to the Killer Whale at Sea World and loses his hand. He goes for a hard lemonade, too.
488. CalGal - 6/30/2001 12:28:46 AM
I miss you, Grey. You should frequent other threads more often.
489. glendajean - 7/2/2001 11:28:22 AM
An item. This perhaps belongs on the sex thread. When the American version of Queer as Folk debuted, there was some talk about the first episode covering sexual practices not known before on American television. Last night Sex in the City did the heterosexual version.
Last week's episode of Six Feet Under was my favorite of the year. The ghost/body of one of the mortuary's clients, this one a Latino gang member, interacts with the super-controlled and closeted Daniel, giving him advice on how not to be the bitch.
In last night's episode, directed by Kathy Bates, btw, a dead female porn star, tried to give the boy similar advice. It didn't work as well. Wasn't nearly as funny or interesting.
490. JudithAtHome - 7/2/2001 12:48:09 PM
GJ:
I liked last nights show, though, for the introduction of new characters and the glimpse we got of Brendas upbringing...explains a lot, huh?
I thought the dead porn queens comments to David were gratuitous and should've ended up on the cutting room floor. But her funeral was really funny.
Brenda, her brother and their tatoos gave me a real Angelina Jolie moment...creepy.
491. glendajean - 7/2/2001 1:00:25 PM
I had the same reaction about the manic brother. I wasn't looking forward to meeting him. The parents are also scary.
I wonder how long Brenda can continue the tightrope of being mysterious and crazy?
492. JudithAtHome - 7/2/2001 1:24:29 PM
I don't know...she's doing a pretty good job of both, though.
493. thoughtful - 7/2/2001 3:29:42 PM
Want to see commercials? Check out ad critic.com
494. JudithAtHome - 7/2/2001 3:42:15 PM
Thanks, thoughtful...that's an interesting site! I've linked it on the right.
495. msgreer - 7/2/2001 3:54:59 PM
Judith
So you're a PI person too. I'm a fan of Jon Stewart myself.
496. JudithAtHome - 7/2/2001 4:00:34 PM
I love Jon Stewart but unfortunately, don't get Comedy Central here.
497. msgreer - 7/2/2001 4:16:22 PM
Judith
You do get email don't you?
498. JudithAtHome - 7/2/2001 4:16:57 PM
Occassionally....:-)
499. msgreer - 7/2/2001 4:17:53 PM
(g)
500. JudithAtHome - 7/3/2001 9:58:06 AM
Just thought I'd mention (for Rosetta) MTVs 10th edition of The Real World starts tonight at 9pm CDT. This year, they're going back to where it all started: New York City.
I watched the casting special (being rerun at 7pm) and feel very secure in predicting Coral will be the Bitch Du Jour...that is one opinionated lady and she has stated she doesn't mind getting in anyones face who dares to cross her. Got into 2 or 3 confrontations on the casting special alone.
501. JudithAtHome - 7/3/2001 10:04:58 AM
I wanted to mention a car ad that is really great; it's for Chevrolet and has a really twangy country/western guy singing "Hello Baby"...nothing but happy dogs running to meet their "persons" at thr driveway, jumping excitedly up and down at the open car window. This is taken from real life, regardless of the car one drives...a dog greeting a human after a long day at work is a glorious sight.
502. RosettaStone - 7/3/2001 10:14:30 AM
I'm not a fan of MTV's The Real World, Judith.
However, their movie awards shows are a blast. So clearly tacky. Refreshing, actually.
503. iiibbb - 7/4/2001 12:41:54 AM
Message # 493 that site was featured recently in the exploring the internet thread Message # 310 in thread 107
504. iiibbb - 7/4/2001 11:47:05 PM
Tonights episode of Junkyard Wars featured the so-called "World Championship". Featuring the British Champs vs. the American Champs. They built car crushing machines, and I must say it was the best epsode yet (barring the idiot American host... I swear the Brit's cast them to make them feel better about calling Americans stupid). It was exciting because both machines worked very well, and it went right to the last.
spoiler
505. glendajean - 7/5/2001 12:43:17 PM
Like Father like Son?
Actor who plays Tony Soprano's son is arrested for robbery and drugs (story in this NY Times link.
506. JudithAtHome - 7/5/2001 12:50:13 PM
Yes, I think if Iler is in real trouble, we will see Anthony Jr. has been shipped off to that military academy after all. Without visits home for the holidays.
I know kids are sometimes stupid but this was ultra stupid.
507. thoughtful - 7/5/2001 1:43:06 PM
J@h, in #501, I know the commercial you speak of and I hate it....all I can think of is those dog nails scratching up the owners' paint on their cars...and the sound of fingernails scraping on a chalk board! Have a dog greet someone, wonderful, but don't destroy the paint!
508. JudithAtHome - 7/5/2001 1:56:52 PM
Well, I'm more inclined to view the dogs happiness as something pleasing rather than dwell on the paint job of a car I'm not too impressed with, anyhow.
But then, I'm the one who sees the area on our back door and on the front room windowseat sill which are both scratched from Klaus' nails as endearing rather than as candidates for repainting. In fact, one guy who gave us an estimate one installing new windows in our house last year pointedly said of the windowseat sill, "I'll have that looking like new!" and when I said I didn't want it painted over at all, he was astonished and said "You're kidding!" The job went to the other guy...the one who said, "You see it as a memory of this dog, don't you?"
509. JudithAtHome - 7/5/2001 1:58:04 PM
Although I will admit, I did give passing thought to the paint jobs in the commercial when I first saw it...
510. thoughtful - 7/5/2001 2:14:28 PM
Maybe instead they should run the ad for Maaco!
511. CalGal - 7/5/2001 2:17:22 PM
I'm bummed about Iler. I really was impressed with him that time on Larry King--thought he seemed like a smart kid. Oh, well.
512. JudithAtHome - 7/5/2001 2:17:48 PM
That would be a great TeamUp ad arc...another: Pizza Hut and Tums.
513. JudithAtHome - 7/5/2001 2:19:00 PM
Instead, he sounds now like just another smartass kid...
514. thoughtful - 7/5/2001 2:19:37 PM
If you haven't checked out the top 100 in adcritic, you might want to...I love #38 & #62. There were some more, but they're no longer in the top 100.
515. JudithAtHome - 7/5/2001 2:25:15 PM
I love #62, also...
516. msgreer - 7/5/2001 6:45:54 PM
ABC 10EDT "Women and Cigarettes" Why are women are dying in higher rates than men from second hand smoke as well as smoking themselves.
517. JudithAtHome - 7/5/2001 8:23:00 PM
Here's a story from Slate that has an interesting insight into the creative types writing the series we watch on TV every Wednesday night during the season:
West Wing Web Wars
518. labwabbit - 7/6/2001 4:49:37 PM
I wrote a novel this year called, 'Shop Girl,' and several
producers came to me and wanted to turn it into a movie.
And I said, 'If you think you're going to take this book and
change it around, and Hollywoodize it and change the ending,
that's going to cost you.
- Steve Martin
519. JudithAtHome - 7/7/2001 11:05:37 AM
Every Saturday morning from 10am to 11 am CDT there is a travel show on CNN which gives great views of the places they visit and good tips on where to stay and what to see...today, they are doing Paris. Sigh.....
520. iiibbb - 7/7/2001 10:57:02 PM
Dirty Trick number 657,243c
Press the thumbs up button 3 times for all the shopping networks on someones Tivo(tm)
Dirty Trick number 657,243d
Press the thumbs up button 3 times for shows containing the owner's phobias
521. JudithAtHome - 7/8/2001 11:06:46 AM
And now for something completely different:
Uncle Junior Sings...but not to the Feds!
Dominic Chianese, who plays Uncle Junior on The Sopranos, wants you to know that really was him singing at the end of this season's finale.
Now he's come out with a CD titled Hits.
Before anyone thinks he should check into the Witless Protection Program, consider this: Music has been his lifelong love. His first role a half-century ago was in a Gilbert and Sullivan musical. He served as master of ceremonies at an influential folk club in the '60s, he taught himself the guitar - and he has a decent voice.
522. JudithAtHome - 7/8/2001 11:25:34 AM
HBO Special tomorrow night:
Paragraph 175
Albrecht Becker, his voice faint at times, cracking at others, is speaking of his first romantic affair. He was 18, his lover 45. They stayed together for 10 years, though he stops short of calling it romantic bliss.
Becker, now well into his 80s, was a motion-picture art director residing in Hamburg in Nazi Germany - and he was openly gay. He admitted as much to police when they hauled him away to jail, beating him to a pulp along the way.
Upon his release, Becker found he could no longer live comfortably in the village where he grew up since all the men had left to join the army. So he enlisted, too.
Photos of Becker's lovers are scattered about in Paragraph 175, a provocative documentary airing at 7 p.m. Monday on HBO that boldly reveals a seldom-told story of the Holocaust -one that has long been kept neatly out of sight.
523. Toenails - 7/8/2001 11:05:50 PM
"Six Feet Under" has got me under its spell. Quirky, absorbing, never dull. The casting is near-perfect, right down to the minor characters.
Where have the writers that HBO commissions been all these years, while I was trying to find something to watch on one of the networks?
524. JudithAtHome - 7/9/2001 11:26:00 AM
I agree with you 100% on Six Feet Under , Toe....last nights episode was really good and the "customer" story arc was riveting. Mr. Jones had a command of the screen seldom seen on TV.
525. jexster - 7/9/2001 12:45:16 PM
"Citizen Baines" this fall on CBS sounds like a 6 week run disaster but I am having fun ribbing my good buddy and son of the Senator I used to work for. This show is SCARY real in resemblance which of course is purely coincidental.
More
526. JudithAtHome - 7/9/2001 12:50:07 PM
Jex:
Great cast and producer, anyhow...it looks better than much of what gets renewed on Network TV...just so long as Cromwell doesn't become a pudgy private investigator with a wise-cracking ethnic partner.
527. glendajean - 7/9/2001 6:55:36 PM
I agree about Six Feet Under. Last night was a good episode.
Thanks for the heads up about Paragraph 175, Judith. I will tape it tonight.
528. JudithAtHome - 7/9/2001 6:57:45 PM
I am going to watch it as it airs...I've been looking forward to it all weekend; I know it's a grim subject to look forward to but still....
HBO didn't give it a lot of advance publicity.
529. JudithAtHome - 7/9/2001 9:21:22 PM
For anyone who will be getting a later showing on HBO of Paragraph 175 , I highly recommend you watch this show...it is riveting and the interviews with these people will leave you aching in a special place in your heart.
530. JudithAtHome - 7/10/2001 3:23:35 PM
For anyone with an interest in these things, Larry King is interviewing Susan Smiths husband tonight.
531. CalGal - 7/10/2001 4:10:56 PM
It's not an HBO special, it's a documentary that was released in theaters. It is very good.
532. CalGal - 7/10/2001 4:16:00 PM
Incidentally, Becker was the least appealing of the 6 men. "Why'd you join the Nazis?" "Because that was where the men were." So he spent the war taking pictures of nude soldiers.
That's what makes the documentary so good, though, is the range of experiences and personalities among the men. They were all such charmers in their own way, and told their stories well.
533. JudithAtHome - 7/10/2001 5:29:58 PM
I'm glad to hear it had theatrical release...I figured out that it wasn't an HBO special when it ran on the America Undercover series.
As to Becker, the narrator also mentioned Becker had forgone sex while in the military. I rather liked him but then, I liked them all...it was a very moving commentary on something I was unfamiliar with and I thought the filmmaker did a wonderful job.
534. CalGal - 7/10/2001 5:37:38 PM
The one that broke my heart was Heinz P, who wouldn't use his last name (because he hadn't ever come out). He never told anyone what happened until now, he said. Not his mother? No. He might have told his father, but he died before he got out of prison. Why not his mother? Well, she was trying to be compassionate. Besides, he didn't think he could have talked about it with her. Then he said, again "But I wish I could have talked about it with my father" and started to cry.
It's funny how people say they didn't know about this (not just you, it was mentioned in most of the reviews). I could swear Mel Brooks version of "To Be or Not To Be" covered it; I've certainly known about it since then, if not earlier. It seems to me it has been referenced in more than one movie over the years.
535. CalGal - 7/10/2001 5:41:01 PM
It was produced by Epstein and Friedman, who also made The Celluloid Closet and Common Threads. One of them also made The Times of Harvey Milk; I forget which.
536. JudithAtHome - 7/10/2001 5:42:00 PM
I knew about pink triangles and the persecution of homosexuals...what I meant about being unfamiliar was I hadn't heard anyone speak to it...not like the Jews, etc. who survived the camps. In all the stuff I've read and all the interviews I've seen, I don't think they addressed this particular aspect.
It was shocking to me that the the law didn't come off the books until the late 60s...
537. CalGal - 7/10/2001 5:44:37 PM
Well, there really weren't all that many people talk about it. Of the 15,000 men that were imprisoned or sent to camps for homosexuality, only 4000 of them survived to 1945. They had the highest death rate of any non-Jewish victims. The Nuremburg trials managed to ignore homosexuals completely.
Only 10 still survive.
538. glendajean - 7/10/2001 6:09:58 PM
From the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum Website essay on Nazi treatmetn of gay men:
Between 1933 and 1945 the police arrested an estimated 100,000 men as homosexuals. Most of the 50,000 men sentenced by the courts spent time in regular prisons, and between 5,000 and 15,000 were interned in concentration camps
# # #
...There are no known statistics for the number of homosexuals who died in the camps.
The museum has had a gay and lesbian component since shortly after it opened. They have all kinds of information about gay men and lesbians under the Third Reich.
539. CalGal - 7/10/2001 6:29:08 PM
Oh, that's right, I was working off memory (I looked it up last night), and forgot that there was one number for imprisonment (half) and another for camps.
The stats I was looking at said 4000 survived--although I'm certain your cite is more solid. let me see if I can find where I was reading.
540. CalGal - 7/10/2001 6:33:12 PM
Here it is, from the Times review:
According to the filmmakers, who drew upon German records and were assisted by Klaus Muller, a German historian and the project director for Western Europe for the United States Holocaust Museum, about 100,000 men were arrested for homosexuality between 1933, when Hitler assumed power, and 1945, when World War II ended. About half were sentenced to prison; 10,000 to 15,000 were sent to concentration camps, and by the end of the war, only about 4,000 of those in the camps had survived. Of the eight known to be alive, six appear in "Paragraph 175."
But I've also seen a reference saying there were 10 survivors, and another that said 12.
Still, it's pretty small.
541. Toenails - 7/11/2001 8:21:11 AM
MSNBC is the suckiest cable news channel going.
I watch Imus there on weekday mornings, and then (just as the network intends) I frequently leave the TV on MSNBC for an hour or two afterward, out of inertia.
Back when Monica was doing her thing, it was Monica's Sins, Nothing But, Constantly.
Right now it's wall-to-wall Condit-bashing, and sensationalized speculations about the possible future developments in the missing-girl case. (The remaining two minutes per hour are dedicated to the kid whose arm was bitten off by a shark in Florida.)
Sure, these things are news, but they're not the only news going. But they're all you'll hear on MSNBC right now.
Last night's ABC news covered international events, medical features, and a good cross-section of general news. 'Got more out of that half-hour than umpteen hours of MSNBC. Who's in charge? Do they really want to be the National Enquirer of the airwaves?
Is this really the way to catch CNN? (Not that CNN is without sin in this subject area.)
542. rubberducky - 7/11/2001 10:29:57 AM
checking in from the good-christ-i-hope-it-doesn't-suck corner of TV:
In a preview of the new fall show Enterprise (which dispenses with the Star Trek name in the title altogether), Bakula tells Entertainment Tonight, "I am the first captain of the first starship to go out into space. This is 150 years from today. This is 2151, 100 years before Kirk and Spock. So we are the first. We've just figured out how to use the propulsion system and we are going out in warp speed for the first time."
...
Although the show is set before the original, low-budgeted 1960s series, with its foam-and-cardboard sets, it will be a challenge to make the ship look less advanced than the creaky crate Kirk commanded, acknowledges Bakula, who says that they ended up with a "submarine type of feel" to the new set.
eh, here's hoping - i'm willing to give it a shot.
543. JudithAtHome - 7/11/2001 11:52:01 AM
Sounds like an interesting challenge...I can't wait to see the uniforms, myself.
544. glendajean - 7/11/2001 11:56:52 AM
The New York Times tv column this morning reported that Big Brother 2 has ratings in the toilet. Last year, it started off better because of Survivor as a lead-in.
The first years cast all wanted to be loved. This year's is more conniving, more buff, and more ... soap operaish.
There's a straight guy named Will, quite handsome, who is a doctor and a lawyer, and a lady killer. He plucks his eyebrows and got everybody to do a full day fast (just as a joke and to see how to manipulate the group). Fun guy.
545. JudithAtHome - 7/11/2001 12:00:18 PM
I'm watching some of BB2 on tape but am not getting addicted to it, by any means...the novelty of "firsts" has definitely worn off for me. The people over in TT have looked up Wills standing in the AMA and believe him to be a liar...
546. glendajean - 7/11/2001 12:32:47 PM
and believe him to be a liar...
That's probably a good call, Judith. He's very young, handsome, a doctor and a lawyer? And on a voyeuristic game show?
I wonder if CBS are doing meanie ringers to make it more interesting.
547. JudithAtHome - 7/11/2001 12:39:40 PM
I don't know but this one actually IS more interesting...which isn't saying much, I know. I watched the first one because the thread on TT was so much fun to participate in but this one is drawing mostly negativity and really nasty comments on all the participants. There's not as much "lightness" on the thread this time around...no one called Jordans strip club to see if she was really a dancer or a hooker instead, for instance.
548. rubberducky - 7/12/2001 10:05:04 AM
Violence Spurs "Big Brother" Ejection:
Just a week into Big Brother 2's nearly three-month run, the network has booted one of the contestants, after he allegedly pulled a knife on one of his roommates and threatened another.
Justin, the tough-talking 26-year-old bartender from New Jersey, was kicked out of the house Wednesday morning by producers after he put a knife to the throat of Krista, the 28-year-old divorced mom from Louisiana.
The incident happened during a night of boozing among some of the houseguests, according to network sources who saw the incident. Justin and Krista had been talking and kissing, when he suddenly reached into the kitchen drawer, pulled out a long knife and held it to her throat.
"Wait hang on, I'm gonna slash your throat," he reportedly told her. "Would you get mad if I killed you?"
Krista apparently didn't take him too seriously, responding: "No. But I want some water."
...
Justin is currently staying at a nearby hotel and will discuss the incident with host Julie Chen on Thursday's live broadcast. Network sources say it still hasn't been decided whether the knife scene will be shown.
don't know if they'll show it? of course they should. hell, it's the only way it'd even bother to figure out when it comes on.
549. Indiana Jones - 7/12/2001 10:22:41 AM
Network sources say it still hasn't been decided whether the knife scene will be shown.
They have to test it with a focus group first.
If only he had actually killed her! Just think of the ratings then!
550. JudithAtHome - 7/12/2001 11:25:31 AM
I'd be willing to bet they show it, unless of course, it looks less like a threat and more like a joke.
551. JudithAtHome - 7/12/2001 11:54:41 AM
Click here for an article on the Emmy Award Nominations
The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences announced its nominations for the 53rd Emmy Awards, and HBO's "The Sopranos" whacked the competition, picking up 22 nominations including one for best drama.
NBC's "The West Wing" was second, with 18 nominations. It was also nominated for best drama, along with "ER," "Law & Order" and "The Practice."
The nominees for best comedy were "Everybody Loves Raymond," "Frasier," "Malcolm in the Middle," "Sex and the City," and last year's winner, "Will & Grace."
"Survivor" is nominated in the new reality programming category.
Sounds almost like last year....
552. CalGal - 7/13/2001 12:02:14 AM
I dunno, there were a fair amount of differences in comparison to previous years. The nomination and voting changes they made two years ago really did seem to pay off.
553. fuzzbox - 7/13/2001 7:08:41 AM
So their gonna tease this thing with the knife -- in which the girl felt no intimidation or threat at all -- a little more? Still haven't decided? Bwah! ha ha... heh... is everybody ready for a let down?
Never watched a minute of this show. It sounds like a complete rip-off of TRW... which got boring after about a season and a half... back in what? the 80s?
Now, though I have a strong suspicion* that it is as staged as Springer ever was, Spy TV is pretty good in comparison with the show it ripped-off. GODDAMN! Could Candid Camera be any lamer?
*Okay so we have a woman who is fooled into mistaking that Leno-quality (read:really cheap) imitator of Bill for Bill... duh, okay! Is anybody that fucking stupid? honestly?
554. fuzzbox - 7/13/2001 7:10:20 AM
'they're'!'they're'!'they're'!
doggone these uneditable posts! (And I had just learnt to preview, I thought :(
555. JudithAtHome - 7/13/2001 10:01:50 AM
I think there are aspects of staging to BB2 but these people are so coniviving, I don't think they need many hints.
556. JudithAtHome - 7/13/2001 4:20:17 PM
Don't know why I'm bothering as no one is really watching this show and certainly no one from here is but I thought this was a good article on The Disaster That Is Big Brother II
It's too early to tell if producer Arnold Shapiro--an Academy Award winner for the documentary "Scared Straight!"--will succeed in rescuing "Big Brother" from the bottom of the "reality TV" ratings barrel. But even if you're not watching, you're probably still going to be hearing about it around the water cooler and in the news.
"Big Brother 2" will be as notorious as CBS' mega-hit "Survivor" is popular. Indeed, Shapiro has already secured a dubious position for "Big Brother 2" in entertainment history. Whether he does so as a hero or a goat remains to be seen. In ruthlessly casting the show with sexy, competitive contestants, Shapiro may have done too good a job and bitten off more than he can chew.
557. Toenails - 7/13/2001 5:20:40 PM
Judith:
The "bottom of the reality TV barrel" is something of a redundancy, since everything in the barrel seems to be clinging tightly to the bottom.
558. JudithAtHome - 7/13/2001 5:30:14 PM
Toe:
No kidding...I wonder what would constitute a "good" reality program or is that an oxymoron?
559. Cellar Door - 7/13/2001 6:23:14 PM
I thought Jerry Springer was the bottom of the barrel.
Evidently that barrel's a lot deeper than I thought.
560. Cellar Door - 7/13/2001 6:24:06 PM
The real bottom is the "All-Chandra, All-the-time" News.
561. JudithAtHome - 7/15/2001 5:05:40 PM
Tonight on TNT, the world premirere of The Mists of Avalon
Academy Award® winner Anjelica Huston, Emmy Award® winner Julianna Margulies and Academy Award® nominee Joan Allen star in the Turner Network Television (TNT) Original miniseries THE MISTS OF AVALON, a magical new twist on the timeless legend of King Arthur, based on the best-selling book of the same name. Samantha Mathis, Caroline Goodall, Edward Atterton, Michael Vartan and Hans Matheson also star in the four-hour miniseries, which premieres on TNT on Sunday, July 15, at 8 p.m. and concludes on Monday, July 16, at 8 p.m.
562. PsychProf - 7/15/2001 5:10:23 PM
I love TV...bottom, top, all...I should make it a point to watch more.
563. JudithAtHome - 7/15/2001 5:34:34 PM
Oh I don't know...it takes up a lot of time and some of what passes for quality is crap and though it can be entertaining and enlightening, it can also be boring and worthless. You can get a lot from TV but you can also see much that is nothing but pap.
Come to think of it, it's not all that different from movies, novels, newspapers and magazines.....and here.
564. PsychProf - 7/15/2001 8:16:44 PM
Judith...no sarcasm intended in the post...I enjoy TV. Period. I find it interesting how much of our lives is influenced by this medium.
565. JudithAtHome - 7/15/2001 10:42:24 PM
I didn't think you meant it sarcasticly; neither did I.
At times I find it interesting that we've been influenced so much by TV but at others, I find it appalling...meaning we're not always influenced by the best parts of it.
But I suppose everyone has different ideas about what is good in TV and what is not. For instance, I never saw the appeal of The Simpsons but I've seen the way it has influenced a lot of kids I know and it's not something I think they necessarily benefitted from but they might disagree. :-)
566. rubberducky - 7/16/2001 11:32:45 AM
the discovery channel had an interesting show last night on North American dinosaurs and how they evolved. catch it in reruns if you can.
it tied into Jurassic Park III so it should be as hard to catch as the reruns of Real World on MTV
567. glendajean - 7/16/2001 11:50:09 AM
The NY Times reported this morning that the guy they booted off Big Brother has had a series of arrests for assault. Oops.
Sex in the City plows ahead at slowing building stories for its characters, with the exception of Samantha, who is what she is, without reference to past or present. This season is the one where they need each other, but they're getting older, and their lives may divert a bit. Charlotte, particularly, is becoming one of the women the others would never want to be. Last night, she was described as a lighting dimmer expert. She is remodeling her and her husband's apartment.
Carrie's relation ship with "Chris in the Morning" is more complicated than her flings with Big, and more life-like. She is terribly spoiled and he should dump her.
I find Miranda the more interesting character. She is more every-person, smart, not as attractive, and despite her toughness, more vulnerable in a human way.
Six Feet Under is still rocking along in an interesting way. Another good epidsode last night. Peter Krause is starting to shine more as an actor.
568. janjon - 7/16/2001 12:26:16 PM
Happened to watch both Sex and the City (for the first time in a while) and Six Feet Under last night.
I find SatC to be very one-note. Even with a hiatus of many episodes, almost everything was predictable. And, as amusing as all of the sex scenes featuring Samantha and this or that pliable pretzel of the moment are, they ultimately are boring.
Six Feet Under is enhanced immeasurably if not saved by the fact that the acting is almost uniformly excellent. I loved the expressions on the daughter's face as she was being told that her mother's once and again lover was coming to dinner. And, even though David's character frequently is like a prune due to all of his hangups and conflicts, he pulls it off quite well.
Also, although quite adult, for a HBO production remarkably lacking in total nudity. Am I wrong in thinking that last night's episode was the first one in which even as much as a bare derriere shot (one of the soldiers in the "home video" that opened the show) was presented?
At any rate, I'm hooked on it. Will gladly skip future SitCs though.
569. JudithAtHome - 7/16/2001 12:31:56 PM
janjon:
I agree with you on Sex and the City; about the only reason I check it out is to see what creepy garb Carrie wears.
Six Feet Under is such an enjoyable show; I haven't been disappointed by a single episode. As to the nudity, I think there may have been one scene where Nate was bare for a second or two, getting out of Brendas bed.
570. janjon - 7/16/2001 12:35:15 PM
I am told by my wife that Carrie's garb (in particular) as well as some of the stuff worn by the Miranda character - are "definitely of the moment for a certain New York type". NOT her, I might add with relief.
571. JudithAtHome - 7/16/2001 12:39:17 PM
GJ:
I am slowly growing bored with SatC because it is soooo repetitive with Carrie and Samantha; even the involvement with another woman was still nothing really new for Samantha...she just uses people as temporary dildoes. Even her approach to grief was somehow tied to sex...
And Carrie, in any other age, would be called a slut. Period. Everytime I see "Chris" with her, I silently scream "Run, run for your life!!"
I notice next week, Big has once again met someone else...guess how Carrie will react? "Oh, I still want Big!"
572. JudithAtHome - 7/16/2001 12:40:36 PM
I would think many of Carries get ups would be very popular with bag ladies, if no one else.
Mirandas clothes at least look realistic.
573. janjon - 7/16/2001 12:44:05 PM
Oh, you can see lots of Carrie wannabe types around town. Frequently at so-called fashionable restaurants, where the food is at best mediocre but with prices trop cher. And, where everyone engages in people-watching, with more than not unaware than many of the people they are gazing at are from New Jersey or Long Island (south shore).
We live in a particularly trendy part of town so we get a lot of that bilge.
574. JudithAtHome - 7/16/2001 12:47:01 PM
We live in a particularly trendy part of town so we get a lot of that bilge.
That's our favorite guilty pleasure..people watching. And playing fashion police.
575. aytchman - 7/16/2001 4:20:02 PM
Does anybody watch Gilmore Girls, possibly the best-written show on the demographically-obsessed WB?
576. CalGal - 7/16/2001 4:24:22 PM
I keep forgetting to check it out, along with Malcolm in the Middle. My favorite TV critic, Tim Goodman, loves the GGs. Who is in it?
577. aytchman - 7/16/2001 4:27:17 PM
Probably nobody you ever heard of although you may recognize a couple of them. Lauren Graham is the star.
The repartee is superb, if a little too quick and smart sometimes.
578. CalGal - 7/16/2001 4:59:01 PM
Just looked them all up in IMDB--I know Lauren Graham, first saw her in the L&O threepart in LA. Scott Patterson I know from Little Big League (had to watch it with Spawn) and of course I love Edward Herrmann.
579. CalGal - 7/16/2001 5:00:00 PM
William Daniels is not running for re-election as president of SAG--his term was, apparently, tempestuous.
So it's Rhoda running against Half Pint.
580. glendajean - 7/17/2001 10:48:34 AM
I finally watched Paragraph 175 last night, the HBO documentary about gays and lesbians in Nazi Germany.
I was particularly taken with the old gentleman who talked about his mother. He was in jail for over 8 years because he was gay, and when he returned home, she never mentioned it once.
581. CalGal - 7/17/2001 10:57:53 AM
I just adored him. He's the one I was talking about earlier--he started to cry when he said that he thought his father would have mentioned it, but he had died.
582. JudithAtHome - 7/17/2001 3:54:08 PM
Isn't he the same one who mentioned the "singing forest"? Heinz, who lives part of the year in Spain...
583. CalGal - 7/17/2001 4:18:12 PM
It was Heinz Dormer, who spent time in jail after the war as well for Paragraph 175 "violations". He was much frailer than Heinz F., who was well preserved and really the most handsome of the group. I thought that GJ was talking about Heinz F, who is the only one I heard saying that he never discussed it with his mother. Maybe Heinz Dormer said it as well.
584. CalGal - 7/17/2001 4:22:00 PM
Ah, here is the official site.
It was Heinz F who was in concentration camp for 8 years and never discussed it with his mother. Heinz Dormer was the one who spent time in jail after the war, but he then lived with his father.
585. JudithAtHome - 7/17/2001 4:27:39 PM
All I recall is he was sitting on a balcony or porch looking out over the mountains and the graphic said he split his time between his homes in Germany and Spain; I thought it was Heinz F. because I fleetingly thought the people on the Costa Brava would now recognize him after this show.
586. JudithAtHome - 7/17/2001 4:29:18 PM
Yeah...the frailer Heinz talked about the singing forest...You thought he'd lost his train of thought and then he repeated the phrase.
587. CalGal - 7/17/2001 4:31:53 PM
It was Heinz Dormer who talking of the "singing forest", though.
588. CalGal - 7/17/2001 4:32:48 PM
Right. The frailer Heinz was the younger of the two. The last person to speak in the movie was Heinz F.
589. JudithAtHome - 7/17/2001 4:47:28 PM
Great news...there will be a Fifth Season of The Sopranos. Let's hope the quality continues...
HBO has made "The Sopranos" creator David Chase an offer he couldn't refuse: a $20 million deal for a fifth season of the mob hit, it was reported last night.
Although Chase had said he wanted to quit television and move into feature films after four seasons, he decided to take the fifth after all, following weeks of negotiations.
The deal, twice what he got for the fourth season of the drama, includes a $10 million advance on profits that HBO will earn from selling videotapes and discs of the show, The Wall Street Journal said.
The extra episodes, which cost $2 million a pop to make, should help the producers strike a lucrative syndication deal and keep "Sopranos" addicts on the HBO subscription rolls.
590. glendajean - 7/17/2001 4:50:54 PM
We haven't seen the 4th season, yet, right?
591. janjon - 7/17/2001 4:52:01 PM
Anybody got any idea what kind of deal Gandolfino has? Falco? I suspect that they all were tied in to set-in-advance terms for the four or five years they committed to. If so, I hope that HBO/the producers/whomever have renegotiated them to give them all an appropriate piece of the pie.
592. JudithAtHome - 7/17/2001 5:00:14 PM
No, we havwen't seen the fourth season.
They are going to rerun the series starting in August from Episode 1, Season 1...straight through to May 2002.
593. JudithAtHome - 7/17/2001 5:01:19 PM
I hope they get good deals, too...they certainly deserve them.
594. glendajean - 7/18/2001 2:25:14 PM
Into the second year of reality game shows, the Big Brother 2 group are divided into two groups: The Chilltowns and the Real People. Everybody thought Nicole the newly wed personal chef from Atlanta was dead meat, but instead she and the other "regular" people left out of the buff and tough and cool Chilltown crowd got revenge and kicked out Cheryl, the popular and sexy mom.
If last year was about tender feelings and being friends, this year is about soap opera, lying, infiltrating, and back-stabbing. It's strategy to the nth degree. Of course, they are forgetting that everybody forms a jury at the end. They're having too much fun getting revenge and taking out the other side to think about the long term.
595. JudithAtHome - 7/18/2001 2:28:52 PM
Yes, tomorrow night may see the end of the only adult in the group...Kent is going down, I fear.
596. glendajean - 7/18/2001 2:34:28 PM
I am not a big fan of Kent's, but I am not a fan of any of them.
I'd vote out Kent, Blunky, Autumn, Cheryl, everybody in Chilltown, Nicole. That leaves Monica, Hardy and the Louisiana chick.
597. JudithAtHome - 7/18/2001 2:43:47 PM
The La. chick, Krista, would be high on my list of who should go first, along with the Brats...Will, Shannon, and Mike. I could live with Hardy, Monica, and Nicole being the final 3 with Hardy or Monica winning.
598. DJ JOE INC - 7/18/2001 3:29:15 PM
As I have said in other forums- Krista is my least favorite hamster/rat
599. JudithAtHome - 7/18/2001 6:31:41 PM
The people on TT have some posters there who are watching the Internet feeds to Big Brother and they are telling us what is going on...seems Krista mentioned she wanted her family to send a banner plane over the house and tell her the truth. They did. She is upset now that she knows Chilltown is using her and lying to her...
Smart this chick is not....
600. JudithAtHome - 7/19/2001 8:40:39 AM
On PBS last night, we watched Secrets of the Mummies and it was fascinating...there is another one on tonight.
We also watched THIS and it was a wonderful overview of the history of that time.
The Roman Empire in the First Century
Millions of people — both famous and uncelebrated — played parts in the astonishing resonance of Rome. But above them all was Caesar Augustus. Raised amid civil war, Augustus came to personify the people he led. He was contradictory: at once capable of brutal violence and tender compassion. He was influential: Augustus forged the image of Roman grandeur that endures to this day. And he was enormously popular. But those that crossed Augustus often faced dire consequences: his rivals Marc Antony and Cleopatra; the love poet, Ovid; even his own daughter, Julia. The story of Augustan Rome is the story of greatness at a price.
In the year 14 AD, Augustus died and the Empire stood at a crossroads. Would Rome continue on the course set by its first emperor... or return to chaos? A reluctant new emperor quickly inhabited the imperial palace, and quickly confronted mutiny and intrigue. At first, Tiberius struggled to live up to his predecessor. But he soon abandoned the effort. Tiberius' ultimate decline from ascetic ruler to reclusive despot ushered in one of the most notorious rulers of the ancient world — Caligula. As fear and conspiracy descended on Rome, crisis roiled the provinces. In Judaea, a charismatic leader named Jesus challenged the religious and political establishment. The local furor barely touched Rome, but the legacy of Jesus would one day engulf the Empire itself.
601. Frankster - 7/20/2001 12:50:01 PM
Judith,
I was drifting in and out of sleep last night, but the Discovery Channel, or maybe it was TLC, had some interesting programs on the ancient world last night. A bit rushed and compressed for my liking, yet still worth watching. Frescos, tombs, artifacts, etc., were par for the course on these shows last night; Just another poignant clash of the ancient world revealing lost secrets as they are discovered by modern developers clearing old lots for newer development.
...or was it just workmen doing some work on Zsa Zsa Gabor's place ? (g) How old is that woman ?
602. JudithAtHome - 7/22/2001 2:46:23 PM
Next on The Downer Channel
Tuesday, 7:30pm, NBC
Episode #1
Through a fast-paced mix of comedy sketches and interviews with real people, "The Downer Channel" takes a humorous, half-hour look at the lighter side of life's everyday hassles. Boasting an all-star group of executive producers, including Steve Martin ("L.A. Story"), Robert Morton ("Late Night with David Letterman"), Steve O'Donnell ("The Man Show"), Joan Stein ("Crazy in Love"), and the team of Marcy Carsey, Tom Werner and Caryn Mandabach (NBC's "3rd Rock from the Sun," "That '70s Show"), the new series offers viewers a new take on relatable subjects.
The common thread throughout all the segments in "The Downer Channel" is the cast of four, who not only handle the sketch work but the reality segments as well. They include Jeff B. Davis ("Whose Line Is It Anyway?"); Wanda Sykes ("The Chris Rock Show"); Lance Krall and Mary Lynn Rajskub ("The Larry Sanders Show"). "The Downer Channel" is produced by the Martin/Stein Company in association with Carsey-Werner-Mandabach. Michael Halperin ("RKO 281") is the creator. Tim Hamilton ("Shrink") directs.
603. ycmeehan - 7/22/2001 4:02:38 PM
Here Lies Hollywood: Falling for 'Six Feet Under'
Hi, Judith. What do you think of this critique of the show? It won't stop me from enjoying it.
604. JudithAtHome - 7/22/2001 4:15:57 PM
YC:
I was just discussing this on TT with someone and he wrote a very insightful comment on the lady who wrote that article.
But your point about Lesser is valid, in that there is a certain strain of critic that will puff crap week in and week out, but who will pull out the critical heavy weaponry when something above average comes along, just to set themselves apart from, and above, the hoi polloi they not too secretly disdain. Camille Paglia is a perfect specimen. See her idiotic review of the The Sopranos in Salon if you missed it.
I had stated that Lesser sounded as though she had a grudge against Alan Ball (creator of SFU) because she might have recognized herself in his movie American Beauty.
605. Toenails - 7/23/2001 6:30:16 AM
Wendy Lesser?
Windy More-er would be more like it.
She forgot to mention that SFU also borrows, in its opening credits, heavily from the old PBS Brit re-runs of a detective series (featuring gravestones and Halloween-like howls--remember?).
So, if there's nothing new under the sun, why not try six feet under the sun?
It's a goodie, and it'll bury its critics.
606. rubberducky - 7/23/2001 9:38:42 AM
so... are there any of the 'reality tv' people going to watch the equivalent of Clue on FOX? Murder in Small Town X might be worth checking out. i don't like these shows, but might give this one a chance.
607. JudithAtHome - 7/23/2001 11:09:52 AM
Murder In Small Town X starts Tuesday...
Since nothing is on opposite it, I'll check it out, too, Ducks.
Try The Downer Channel on NBC right before it...looks like NBCs idea of a "wacky" show.
608. glendajean - 7/23/2001 11:20:08 AM
My partner had told me that there was an article in NY Times Sunday that praised "Sex" and dissed "Six Feet."
I glanced at the link above, and I have to disagree. There is a slick quirkiness about these characters, but they are presented interestingly enough, and contrary to Lesser's point, often do react to death. The death of the father, for example, continues to reverberate through the family as they try out different roles and tackle past hurts and fears. That the oldest son misses his father, refers to him often, and discovers how little he knew his dad reflects that this death has consequences.
As far as Ally McBeal is concerned, I don't see much comparison. The quaintly oddball characters on "Six Feet" wouldn't last through one silly court case on Ally, which lives for the sexy and the beautiful.
609. glendajean - 7/23/2001 11:21:28 AM
As far as "Sex" is concerned, I think it is becoming one of those series that should hang it up. They obviously recognize that they've got to do something different with these characters, but so far, Charlotte is becoming a Stepford Wife and Carrie is one spoiled wacko.
610. JudithAtHome - 7/23/2001 11:58:45 AM
Yes, I'm thinking SATC has jumped the shark...
611. JudithAtHome - 7/24/2001 8:57:55 AM
I know most people here would never watch Big Brother but tonight might be interesting if the producers are brave enough to show what everyone watching the Internet feeds have seen...one of the people up for eviction used the toothbrush of the guy who nominated her to clean the toilet; she's threatened to "out" him on live TV tonight even though he's not gay; she's going to accuse him of making death threats against her...this lady is a classic narcissist, textbook definition.
612. glendajean - 7/24/2001 10:05:57 AM
That Shannon is nuts.
613. JudithAtHome - 7/24/2001 10:11:38 AM
She's going to try and get Hardy thrown out for the "threat" which was "...you don't know what might happen out there after you leave, Shannon."
She has more to fear from America than from Hardy...she has, shall we say, shown her ass in public, big time.
614. glendajean - 7/24/2001 10:14:24 AM
Her friend Will is not much better. It's hard to believe that they are like that "in real life." I keep thinking we will find out that they are actors paid to spice up the show.
615. JudithAtHome - 7/24/2001 10:23:10 AM
I fully believe they are real; I don't think they could sustain that facadé 24/7 if there weren't a lot of real emotion there. They are really scary, and Mike is, too.
I feel for the parents of these three...they must be so embarrassed.
616. mgleason - 7/24/2001 10:26:37 AM
I don't know what I'll do when Fall arrives, because all I've been doing for months is watching movies. It's easy for me to get out of the weekly habit; I'm nothing if not fickle, and I deeply resent structuring my time. Quite the dilemma!
617. JudithAtHome - 7/24/2001 10:43:34 AM
Get TIVO!
618. CalGal - 7/24/2001 12:45:09 PM
Does anyone here watch Malcolm in the Middle? Spawn is a huge fan and his recaps are amusing. I keep forgetting to watch it.
619. glendajean - 7/24/2001 12:50:01 PM
Actually I watched it last night. TIVO had recorded it. It's funny, but not something I like to watch a lot.
620. mgleason - 7/24/2001 12:55:49 PM
Eddie watches while on KP; he's a big fan.
I just realized that I almost never watch any sitcoms any more, except for the show with Dyan Cannon, which holds a strange fascination for me, and the Saturday night line-up of British imports on our local PBS station.
Sitcoms have to be very, very good or very, very bad for me to take an interest, apparently.
621. CalGal - 7/24/2001 12:58:48 PM
I don't watch sitcoms anymore, either--I think the last one I watched regularly was the Friends' year when Joey found out about Monica and Chandler. It's all gone downhill from there, and until the reality TV craze passes, I don't think there will be very many good new shows. Too expensive.
622. rubberducky - 7/24/2001 1:00:20 PM
CG:
i watch MitM when i watch the rest of the rest of the FOX sunday night lineup - which is about 3 of 4 weeks when new and 2 of 4 during the reruns.
i just love the mom - best TV mom in years and the dad is just behind her.
623. glendajean - 7/24/2001 2:27:40 PM
The actress who plays Malcolm's mom is married in real life to the actor who plays Josh Lymon on West Wing.
624. JudithAtHome - 7/24/2001 2:50:21 PM
That seems like a strange pairing, to me.
625. glendajean - 7/25/2001 10:12:32 AM
Judith, your reports on Shannon's putting Hardy's toothbrush in the toilet bowl were correct. It would be a killer for the house, but they ought to kick out Will and make Shannon wail for another week.
626. rubberducky - 7/25/2001 10:24:55 AM
watched the first 5 minutes of Murder In Small Town X
boring. even the 'murder' was boring.
627. iiibbb - 7/25/2001 12:19:36 PM
I have to say... I saw a gatorade commertial last night that I thought was pretty good.
It starts off talking about how water is important... that it sustains life yadda yadda...
Then the punchline "Why only sustain life... when you can kick ass!?"
628. glendajean - 7/25/2001 12:20:31 PM
Ducky - I watched about ten minutes. I agree. Very contrived and silly.
629. CalGal - 7/25/2001 12:22:27 PM
iii,
Hey, I haven't seen that one yet.
630. glendajean - 7/25/2001 12:32:11 PM
Commercials I hate: All American Express ads about people losing their money on vacation. I particularly loathe them in the morning. They make me tense.
A recent commercial about a bus driver with an upset stomach. I don't remember the product, but it was particularly unsettling.
631. iiibbb - 7/25/2001 12:40:29 PM
I always hated that Mercedes commertial where these well-to-do people are driving down some mountain highway with the classic cliff on the side. The ad is bragging how the car has all these features to improve comfort and handling... and then talks about the safety features that if you're in an accident you'll be fine.
Then they come around the bend and some car and truck lose control and this Mercedes swerves to miss both vehicles. They proudly state that it's best safety feature is that it keeps you out of them...
...and the Mercedes driver keeps on driving... never mind the people in the car and truck who almost went off a cliff.
I noticed that after a few months they dubbed in "Let's see if they're all right" and the brake lights would come on.
632. Frankster - 7/25/2001 1:48:53 PM
Re: Gatorade. The best thing after a hard workout isn't Gatorade, but nature's good ol' water.
Anyway, that's what I remember from a sports nutrition course I took in college. Replenishing electrolytes ( sucrose, glucose, fructose, et all ) within an hour after a workout, is in a sense, overkill; it's like inserting more coins in a payphone than are needed...After all, where did cavemen buy Gatorade after chasing wild women or wild boars all day ? ;-)
Glenda,
I too hate that frantic commercial, but you gotta admit, it does sell peace of mind. I bet that commercial brings in a fortune for AE.
iiibbb,
There is no way that "well to do" parties driving Mercedes Benzs can develope reflexes like that living in gated communities. No way! ;-)
...Unless of course, they have hired Jackie Stewart to chauffeur them around country roads.
One series of commercials I couldn't stand were the ones from Lucent Technologies. You know, the plain ones which would type out some text on the screen amidst the sound of a keyboard clacking away and dubbed to a voice of some moron who sounded as if he had not had any sleep ? I wanted to go through the screen and shoot the fucker. Geez, I couldn't stand those damn commercials ! Arrrrggghh!
I don't really hate this commercial, but the Mitsubitsi Montero one just doesn't do what their Eclipse one does. The Eclipse one, which we talked about upthread, grabs one's attention. It has "soul". The Montero one crashes with a big thud.
633. iiibbb - 7/25/2001 2:09:33 PM
It's true that within an hour you are unlikely to need those electrolytes. However, as a forester, I work outside a lot... and I can guarantee you that after 6-8 hours in tough heat, gatorade is important.
I do tend to water it down a little bit. I don't like full strength. I prefer it at about 1/2 to 2/3rds strength.
634. iiibbb - 7/25/2001 2:11:20 PM
It's good if you're cramping up too.
635. Toenails - 7/25/2001 2:39:26 PM
'Saw a great (probably foreign) commercial on one of those "best commercials" shows.
'Guy is walking around the house, oiling everything that squeaks with the Product (evidently a lubricant of some sort). On the way upstairs he lubricates a door and eliminates a pesky squeak...but when he reachs the bedroom door, he hears an insistent and familiarly paced
squeaking coming from inside that strongly suggests his wife has started without him.
636. Frankster - 7/25/2001 2:48:15 PM
Toenails,
Sounds hysterical!
iiibbb,
What I don't like about the Gatorade commercials is that they usually show some sweat drenched athlete downing a bottle during a workout. It's a bit disingenous, but then again, it's a commercial.
You're right about the cramping though.
637. iiibbb - 7/25/2001 2:54:05 PM
Well... let's just say I'm glad gatorade is on the market. I drink it alot when I'm in the woods and have found that I feel much better at the end of the day than when I drink water only.
I do drink it diluted. I think that even after 8 hrs you probably only need a liter or less to replenish what you lost. I usually drink 2-3 liters just in the hours I'm in the woods, and pre-hydrate with 1/2 to 1 liter.
638. iiibbb - 7/25/2001 2:55:10 PM
a liter or less of gatorade that is... I drink 2 1/2 to 4 liters of fluids during my workday... and that's when I'm aclimatized.
639. iiibbb - 7/25/2001 3:00:13 PM
Comertials rarely appeal to what you actually need. How many people need all the computing power most companies offer us on the TV? Who _really_ needs 4WD? People overestimate 4WD's capability.
Ad's are always going to be pushing a certain image... and one that will appeal to the largest market. So while a lot of top athletes might need gatorade (they workout probably 4-6 hrs a day or more)... the average joe doesn't... but it's the image.
Gatorade probably does enhance performance somewhat in most cases... put the difference is probably so marginal as to be insignificant for most people.
640. LimeGirl - 7/25/2001 5:08:52 PM
I love Malcom in the Middle. This past Sunday's episode was particularly great. Francis, the oldest boy, was home from miltary school, and his mom insisted he fix the roof. He refuses, and decides that he's going to go stay with a friend of his, who lives in an extra-nasty basement.
Also, Reese, the dumb one of the boys, is about to get put into the remedial classes, so Malcom has to tutor Reese so that he won't. As it turns out, Reese's teacher is out to get him, and even after an elaborate plan to have Malcom take Reese's test succeeds, he still fails the test. Meanwhile, Francis is becoming more and more miserable not being at home.
It all comes together when the teacher comes over to the house to get the parents to sign the papers, and it comes out that Malcom took the test. Mom is furious that the teacher gave Malcom an F, and realizes that he is out to get Reese. The teacher tries to say that they'll just forget about everything, but Lois, the mom, is not having any of that. She goes into a long rant about how she'd sell Malcom down the river to help Reese, because Malcom will always be okay, etc.
The teacher doesn't believe a parent would do that to their child. Right at that moment, Francis smacks himself against the window, outside in the pouring rain, and says, "Please mom, let me in." Suddenly, the teacher believes it a bit more.
Best line of the episode: Lois, when Malcom and Reese are out of their room and not studying, "I don't see a mom here. I just see a warden with two prisoners who are out of their cell."
641. CalGal - 7/25/2001 5:12:49 PM
That's one of the episodes that Spawn described to me. It sounds very funny.
The other one I couldn't quite track but it had to do with bowling and bedtimes.
642. LimeGirl - 7/25/2001 5:19:05 PM
Ha! That one was really good too. It kept switching back and forth between what happened if the mom took the boys bowling, and if the dad took the boys bowling.
When mom takes them bowling, she sits with them and embarasses them in front of all their friends. Malcom can't manage to throw a gutter ball, and she insists that he use a small ball with a girl's name on it, and eventually put the bumpers in the aisle, and then he still didn't knock any pins over.
When dad takes them bowling, he goes and bowls at the other end of the place, and is on his way to a perfect game. He creates an elaborate ritual for each time he rolls the ball, including taking a drink, wiggling backwards, and zipping up his pants. On his last roll on his way to a perfect game, Malcom (who was back there to make out with a girl) falls through the pin placement area and knocks down all the pins, so his perfect game doesn't count.
When mom stays home with Dewey, he goes to bed, and she's onto his every attempt to escape. When dad stays home, he asks to get read to, dad falls asleep, and he orders pizza, and gives the delivery guy 2 credit cards.
643. iiibbb - 7/25/2001 5:21:14 PM
MintheM is one of the best shows on TV right now.
I rented "My Dog Skip" because it was that actor and it was tagged in our video store as a comedy. It _was not_ a comedy. It was an ok family movie, but when you're expecting funny, it's a disappointment.
644. Frankster - 7/26/2001 12:04:44 AM
I'm going to miss A.J. Benza's Mysteries and Scandalson the "E" channel I just saw him cover the mystery/bio of Amelia Earhart's disappearance in all of 22 minutes.
And some of you would rather watch the reality based programs that are on. Sheesh. ;-)
645. Toenails - 7/26/2001 8:45:38 AM
"My Dog Skip" was an adventure in exaggeration--the book even more than the movie! But don't let this little story put you off from reading one of the most entertaining autobiographies ever written (by the same author as Skip): "North Toward Home" by Willy Morris.
646. iiibbb - 7/26/2001 8:52:36 AM
I didn't not enjoy the story... it was mis-labeled and I was expecting something completely different.
I would have enjoyed watching it with my nephew... but not with a friend.
647. iiibbb - 7/26/2001 9:08:23 AM
648. JudithAtHome - 7/26/2001 7:19:23 PM
In 45 minutes, America...or at least those who are watching the show...will see Shannon ousted as one third of Chilltown from the Big Brother house.
I wonder if Vegas is giving odds on her or Will?
649. JudithAtHome - 7/27/2001 11:34:22 AM
Shannon got 6 votes out of 6 and left "on her own terms"...yeah, right.
650. glendajean - 7/27/2001 12:20:30 PM
Will or Mike are next. Kent ought to nominate both of them ala Hardy's choice.
651. JudithAtHome - 7/27/2001 1:20:02 PM
I fear Kent has some payback in mind and will nominate Krista along with one of the Chillers.
652. glendajean - 7/27/2001 2:12:22 PM
hardy will talk him out of it. Besides, I thought you were ready to x Krista a few weeks ago.
653. JudithAtHome - 7/27/2001 5:11:28 PM
GJ:
I'm not overly fond of a lady who will drink a full bottle of Nyquil on national TV to cop a buzz....no.
654. glendajean - 7/27/2001 6:27:37 PM
ha, ha, ha ... I didn't see that.
655. JudithAtHome - 7/27/2001 6:34:33 PM
I doubt you will...the internet feeds are full of stuff like that; as bad as you think these people are from what you see on the show, they are 100 times worse from what is shown on the feeds.
I read all about on the BB thread on Table Talk.
656. JudithAtHome - 7/27/2001 8:57:37 PM
Glendajean:
The nominartions are: (in white font)
Mike and Krista
It will be announced on the show tomorrow night so I didn't want to "ruin" it for anyone...
657. CalGal - 7/27/2001 10:37:05 PM
Does anyone else watch Jeff Greenfield? Why does CNN only give their talk shows half an hour, when all the shouting shows get the full 60?
658. Absensia - 7/27/2001 10:40:28 PM
Cal, I'm watching now...and every time I hear the "shouting shows" I ask myself the same thing. Grrrr.
659. CalGal - 7/27/2001 10:46:46 PM
Well, I often watch the shouting shows, although sometimes they give me a headache. But they are often willing to speculate--and sometimes correctly--more than the respectable shows.
Greenfield and his visitors just talk, but I always want more time.
660. Absensia - 7/27/2001 10:52:06 PM
I can't stand to watch or hear Cross Fire, but the others can be okay but they do produce headaches. Wonder if it's because of the hour they are on.
The good 30 min shows are just over too soon....I agree, I want to hear more. I think I'll go find something to read. El Kiddo was supposed to call as soon as he got into town....but nada!
661. CalGal - 7/27/2001 11:03:05 PM
Crossfire is the worst of both--only 30 minutes and the shouting. Bleah.
662. Shannon - 7/29/2001 2:07:19 AM
Saw a really funny commercial for Six Flags this week. A little kid wakes up, with the time on the clock about 5:15. He jumps out of bed, grabs his backpack, and runs down the dark hall, banging on every door as he runs by. Then he's in the car, and he opens the backpack, which contains Six Flag tickets. He looks at the clock, and it's five-twenty-something. He starts blowing the horn.
Very cute.
I decided on vacation that I want cable again.
663. concerned - 7/29/2001 4:36:20 AM
I thought, since I now have a great room worthy of the name, that now'd be a good time to build a HT sound system from scratch (more bang for the buck, so to speak). So, I thought I'd start by making the subwoofers from hell. I've ordered, and received most of (UPS has misdelivered two) 16 auto sound competition style 12" subwoofer drivers. These are the kind with the fat roll surround where the cone moves about 1 1/2 inches back and forth. Each of them can move more than a liter of air, and I'll be putting 8 into each of two sealed end-table style cabinets. (I've also ordered six 4' x 8' sheets of 3/4 inch baltic fir plywood to make all the boxes for the subs and surround speakers.) Then, I'll have to build or acquire a subwoofer crossover. My target response is to have then eq'd to be 3db down at about 16 hz and about 70 hz with 12db and 18db/octave acoustical rolloffs at the low and high end respectively. With this many drivers I'll need a massive amount of power, so I am bidding on Hafler DH500 amps at Ebay, each of which is capable of 1200 watts bridged into the 6 ohm load that each woofer system will represent. At a winning bid price averaging maybe $250 apiece for these venerable but hi quality amps, they're a steal, IMO.
Next, I'll start on the four surround speakers, which will be column types maybe 4 ft high. I already have all the drivers: JBL 2206J woofers (two per speaker) and 2420 compression drivers that I'll cross over at perhaps 600 hz. I'm not sure if I'll try to get ahold of a couple more Hafler DH500 amps to drive these or use something a bit more mild. Then, I'll need to get a Dolby AC3/DTS decoder/amplifier with digital and analog inputs and remote control. I'm interested in suggestions there, if somebody is using something like that in their setup.
664. concerned - 7/29/2001 4:47:08 AM
Since I had 400 amp service installed when the house was built and only need about 250 for the heat pump and all (ComEd offered me the choice of 200 or 400 at the same price when the house was built and 200 wasn't really enough), it should be no big problem to run up to four 15 amp circuits to the HT room, if needed.
665. concerned - 7/29/2001 4:59:42 AM
I have an older ProScan 60" rear projection TV which has been going strong for about six years now and has a great looking picture (it even has a built in line doubler so you don't see the raster scan lines, which is still rare in under $5000 sets). I should probably get a new screen cover for it, though, since there's a couple of minor scratches it has obtained through moving and little kids whacking the screen which are occasionally visible with a very light screen being displayed. It's not HDTV, but it still has just about the best NTSC projection picture I've seen except for the newest very top end sets.
666. JudithAtHome - 7/30/2001 11:32:39 AM
Las night, Six Feet Under continued to amaze...a very good episode and one in which people had to face their recent pasts and deal with them. Anyone else watch last night?
667. JudithAtHome - 7/30/2001 11:33:32 AM
Las=last
668. CalGal - 7/30/2001 11:39:14 AM
My TV seems a bit dark. It's only a year old; I'm wondering if I should call Panasonic on it.
669. glendajean - 7/30/2001 12:13:59 PM
Judith -- I watched it.
Not often you see a commercial for club drugs. Stiff gay son takes it and learns to boogey. Mom unknowingly takes it and has a relevatory dream while also unbeknownst to her, makes wild passionate love with Ed Begley, Jr.
Isn't the actor who plays Rachel Griffith's manic brother the same actor who played in the movie with Laura Linney and Matthew Broderick from last year? He's quite scary.
In a soap operish fan kind of response, I'm glad that the gay son may get back to gether with his hunky exe (as opposed to the club drug by the same name that I can't spell).
670. JudithAtHome - 7/30/2001 12:28:43 PM
What did you think about Claire and Gabe? I thought it was heartbreaking to see how everyone ignored his grief; the end with Claire comforting him brought tears to my eyes...can you imagine the guilt he must've felt? When the step-dad kicked him and beat him, it seemed almost as though he welcomed it because it made him "feel". That part of the story...Gabe and the reaction to him after the shooting...just broke my heart.
The thing with the Xtasy just seemed silly to me. I was more interested in Davids reaction to Keith and Claires to Gabe and Nates to the step-dad and Brendas brother to Nate and the mothers to dead dad.
671. JudithAtHome - 7/30/2001 12:31:38 PM
The guy you are thinking of in You Can Count On Me is Mark Ruffalo...this weird brother is Jeremy Sisto. But he is indeed scary.
672. glendajean - 7/30/2001 12:36:15 PM
Judith -- if all this is leading up to a world of answered questions (David becomes more human, Gabe becomes more sensitive, Nate discovers how to be a caring understaker), then I think the show will be short-lived.
It's not that I want all bad things to happen to these characters, but their lives are so untidy and fraught will "issues" that I think it would be cheap to solve them all so neatly.
We continue to see more sides of Claire's character. And I am amazed at how fast David has come out to his brother and sister.
673. glendajean - 7/30/2001 12:36:47 PM
Man, they are quite similar (and creepy).
674. Cellar Door - 7/30/2001 12:40:42 PM
675. JudithAtHome - 7/30/2001 12:42:52 PM
I don't think they are going to resolve anything with a quick wrap up of answered questions...I just liked the way they did things last night.
I'm sure Claire is going to be dumped by Gabe and Nate and Brenda are going to continue to be creeped by Billy...next week we find out more creepy stuff about HIM...and Brendas parents are enough for an entire series on their own. The mom is branching out in her lovelife and is in for some shocks via the Russian, whom I suspect is married. And David is no where near back with Keith...plus they may throw us a curve with him picking something up from his casual daliance with Square Dance Guy.
I'm definitely not expecting this show to mellow.
676. glendajean - 7/30/2001 12:42:58 PM
Thanks, Cellar. I see the difference now.
I think Sisto is probably creepier.
677. glendajean - 7/30/2001 12:44:32 PM
Good points, Judith. I agree. It's quite an interesting show.
Sometime in August, HBO will start the Sopranos replay.
678. JudithAtHome - 7/30/2001 12:45:09 PM
August 12, to be exact!
679. Toenails - 7/30/2001 1:44:21 PM
I like the fact that, thru all their troubles, Nate and Brenda stay pretty solidly in their groove.
I wonder, though, if the show isn't getting a little anti-gay? The club scenes were pretty off-putting (more like nauseating), and I liked the show better when it was depicting the gay characters more sympathetically.
'Not looking for PC here, just characters staying in character. I thought David was a pretty (pardon the expression) "straight" guy early-on. Now he's taking drugs and hanging out with promiscuous losers.
Everybody else stays in character, why can't he?
680. JudithAtHome - 7/30/2001 2:10:08 PM
Because he is trying to explore his life...why shouldn't he?
681. PsychProf - 7/30/2001 2:21:03 PM
click on photo 
682. glendajean - 7/30/2001 2:30:44 PM
When my partner and I were watching Six Feet last night,we both laughed at the gay club scene because it seemed like Six Feet Under meets Queer As Folk.
David is dating a young guy. They go to a dance club. David partakes of drugs and dancing. It didn't seem that unbelievable to me. As Judith said, he's trying out different experiences. If he were straight, he could have gone to a singles bar of some kind and had similar experiences.
683. JudithAtHome - 7/30/2001 2:41:48 PM
Thanks, PP...I'm looking forward to that one!
684. glendajean - 7/30/2001 2:44:55 PM
The AP is reporting that Eriq La Salle is checking out of "ER."
He's only going to stay for one more season. After next year, only Noah Wylie and Sherry Stringfield (who has been away for a few years) will be left of the original cast.
685. JudithAtHome - 7/30/2001 2:51:37 PM
I just couldn't get into ER at all...must be a failure in me, seeing how popular it is with everyone. But the few times I tried to watch, I just could not get interested. And this year, I wouldn't have tried because I might've accidently stumbled across Sally Field...shudder!
686. JudithAtHome - 7/30/2001 5:49:36 PM
Tonight on our PBS station is a documentary about Flea Markets...it's by the same guy who did the Ice Cream one and the Hot Dogs one. I plan to watch it to see if there are any good buys, though what good they would do me, I don't know.
687. JudithAtHome - 8/1/2001 10:54:44 AM
Last night PBS did another hour in it's series Secrets of the Dead and this one was about syphilis in the Old World and in the New...they've found skeletons which pre-date Columbus' voyage to the New World and may prove that the disease was in the Old World before being brought back by his sailors.
It was fascinating and made doubly interesting by the narration of the scrumptious Liev Schreiber. Not sure I could take all that descriptive prose from just anyone...
688. AceofSpades - 8/1/2001 11:56:25 AM
TV BIG: I WAS ‘CRACK' SCREENWRITER
By MICHAEL STARR
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SOBER:
Aaron Sorkin (left), with lawyer Steve Sitkoff, tells TV Guide he's been drug-free since his April bust.
- Associated Press
August 1, 2001 -- Troubled "West Wing" honcho Aaron Sorkin, nabbed on drug charges in April, says he was often high on crack when he wrote the 1995 movie "The American President."
"I was smoking crack cocaine every day" while writing the movie, Sorkin tells TV Guide in an interview appearing in the magazine's upcoming issue.
Sorkin says that while living at the Four Seasons Hotel in Los Angeles, he would write a few pages of the movie a day, while he was sober - then put the Do Not Disturb sign on his door and get high on crack.
"That is why it took me three years to write the script," he says.
Sorkin also tells TV Guide about his April 15 arrest at Burbank Airport for carrying cocaine, marijuana and hallucinogenic mushrooms while boarding a flight for Las Vegas.
"I had just been to the wrap party [for the previous "West Wing" season] the night before. It was a stupid way of celebrating that the pressure was off," he says.
Sorkin, who spent time at the Hazelden Institute in 1995 trying to kick his free-base habit, claims to have smoked crack cocaine "fewer than five times" over the past two years.
Hee, hee. Who'd have guessed?
By the way, is anyone watching Big Brother 2? Yeah, I know the first one sucked ass. But the second one has alliances, baby.
689. JudithAtHome - 8/2/2001 1:30:57 PM
I'm watching it...can't get enough of that asshole Mike and the Cajun queen, Krista.
690. glendajean - 8/2/2001 2:22:24 PM
I think Mike is going down this week.
691. JudithAtHome - 8/2/2001 2:41:39 PM
Yes, he is...I'd faint if Nyquilla left tonight. She has some definite problems with alcohol but he has worse ones waiting for him outside. He probably doesn't have a job any longer...and he may be wanted by the police for admitting on camera that he once falsely posed as a representative of Special Olympics...he kept the $2,500 plus he collected for them. What a sleaze that jerk is...
692. AceofSpades - 8/2/2001 2:43:54 PM
JAH:
Mike "Boogie" sucks my frigging ass. I fucking HATE, HATE, HATE that wannabe wigger douchebag.
I thought Will was the sort of guy I would like, but then, he says that Mike Boogie is his "best friend" (after only two weeks, mind you) and he shaves his entire body.
Eh. I'm rooting for The Bitch, Niccole.
693. glendajean - 8/2/2001 2:45:10 PM
I thought he owned a restaurant/bar in Beverly Hills.
At one point, he commented about how he was going to roll over Hardy and show him the difference between one who owns a bar and one who merely works at a bar.
694. glendajean - 8/2/2001 2:47:36 PM
I am mellowing to Nicole, who frankly comes in a a long distance behind the true bitch of the series, Shannon.
Will is seriously odd, a supposed medical doctor with a law degree. The plucking of the eyebrows and shaving seems extreme (but then if I had to see hairy Bunky without a shirt I might resort to compulsive hair pulling, too).
695. JudithAtHome - 8/2/2001 2:51:03 PM
He's a partner in it but "people who know" say his partner is threatening to shove him out because he's giving the place a bad name with all his stupid actions on screen. Also, there may be a problem with the liquor permit...those people at TT are lethal! They looked up the liquor permit and it was listed wrong, with his former name and incorrect date. Plus he has a record and may not be able to even GET a permit.
Because of him, people are inundating a board at some local paper with bad reviews for the restaurant and have even picketed in front of the place.
696. glendajean - 8/2/2001 2:54:30 PM
Judith -- I read an article somewhere that Mike was arrested for taking pictures on the set of some movie at an L.A. studio.
697. JudithAtHome - 8/2/2001 2:55:02 PM
GJ:
That's just the tip of the iceberg....
698. glendajean - 8/2/2001 2:57:43 PM
Judith -- people who picket a restaurant over a Big Brother 2 character are sadly lacking in the have-a-life department.
699. AceofSpades - 8/2/2001 8:43:57 PM
'That's My Bush!' Bites the Dust
President Bush is doing far better than his doppelganger on Comedy Central. The sitcom "That's My Bush!" has been canceled after a mere eight episodes, the Associated Press reported today.
700. JudithAtHome - 8/3/2001 11:35:54 AM
GJ:
I think Monica will vote how Hardy says and Bunky told him he would, too...but Bunky said it before he knew Kent was likely to be nominated. I think Bunkys plan was let Hardy know he would vote with him so Hardy wouldn't nominate Bunky.
701. rubberducky - 8/6/2001 8:41:26 AM
from an Infobeat 'newsletter' i somehow get:
TV Guide OnLine--George W. Bush may have scored his biggest victory since stealing the White House from Al Gore. Comedy Central has cancelled Trey Parker and Matt Stone's low-rated first family satire That's My Bush! after just eight episodes. However, Dubya isn't out of the woods yet: The South Park creators told The Associated Press that the short-lived comedy is headed for the big screen. The duo currently are working on a script - tentatively titled George W. Bush and the Secret of the Glass Tiger - which finds Mr. President foiling a Chinese invasion of America.
the show wasn't about Bush, and that was probably the problem.
702. glendajean - 8/6/2001 2:17:17 PM
PBS ran a two hour documentary on the recording of the musical The Producers cast album.
Now that I think about it, there wasn't much to the documentary (except for people like me). Mel Brooks set up each song, and then we saw Nathan Lane, Matthew Broderick and cast record the music. I've listened to the cd enough to know the songs. And for me, it was pure bliss.
I bet it was hard for the singers to do this material the first few times without laughing. Brooks continues to laugh at each joke the way a parent would smile at a child's achievement.
703. CalGal - 8/6/2001 9:26:44 PM
Ratings Plunge for Network Reruns
It may sound banal, but this is apparently the TV story of the summer. Reruns are a fundamental part of TV's economic model, particularly for the hour long dramas like ER, L&O, West Wing, and so on. The fact that most quality shows have been "serialized" for some time now is starting to have a real impact--that's the only reason they can figure as to why L&O's repeat ratings have only dropped 2% (it's the only one of the major shows that is independent).
I thought this statement was interesting:
"The audience has caught on," said Alan Wurztel, the president of research for NBC. "They know the season ends in May. And they know there are alternatives to watching repeats in the summer."
It's true--the push towards May and cliffhanger endings got more and more attention each year. Now everyone knows that once June starts, tain't no more original TV.
Some of the options:
704. Toenails - 8/6/2001 11:15:59 PM
..."they know there are alternatives to watching repeats in the summer."
Really? Like what? Quiz shows? "Reality" shows? Not for me, thanks.
If it weren't for the movie channels and my love of baseball, I'd turn the set off at the end of the season and leave it off until September (or, nowadays, October-November) when the new series finally start again.
705. CalGal - 8/6/2001 11:37:18 PM
Not for me, thanks.
Cable, movies, and of course nothing at all.
706. CalGal - 8/6/2001 11:37:47 PM
whoops, meant to quote "Like what?" Don't know what I was thinking.
707. DocBrown - 8/7/2001 11:28:42 AM
So, how many have been blown away by the third season of Battlebots?
This season the robots are much better than before. They hardly ever just stop working in the middle of a battle, and when they attack they do a lot more damage than in previous seasons.
Two weeks ago the fight between newcomer Little Sister and defending champ Biohazard was very memorable. Both are well constructed, dangerous bots. Little Sister had the more offensive weapon, pitting a big chomping/lifting jaw against Biohazard's articulated lifting arm. The fight was close, but in the end Biohazard eeked out a clear victory.
New episode tonight on Comedy Central, the leader in robotic sports.
708. CalGal - 8/7/2001 11:36:28 AM
I swear I'm going to try and remember this time. Hiya, Doc!
709. DocBrown - 8/7/2001 1:12:29 PM
Hiya, CalGal!
New Battlebots started three weeks ago. New Junkyard Wars start on September 12.
Junkyard Wars is nominated for an Emmy! It is in the "Reality" against Survivor, et. al.. It sure would stir up America if little old Junkyard Wars beats the creature that ate Prime Time. I wonder what Cathy Rogers will wear on Emmy night? Welding goggles?
710. JudithAtHome - 8/7/2001 1:19:39 PM
They could send one of the robots to accept the award.
711. DocBrown - 8/7/2001 1:54:13 PM
Judith: Wrong show. Cathy Rogers hosts/produces the show where teams have ten hours to build a (submarine, steam car, airplane, catapult, etc.) out of scraps in a junkyard. They might send a junkyard dog.
As far as I know, Battlebots has not been nominated for an Emmy. But it would be funny to see a robot armed with chain saws and hydraulic chompers go up on stage to accept an award. I'd even plan my evening around seeing that.
712. JudithAtHome - 8/7/2001 2:04:39 PM
Oh, I know which show you meant...I just call them robots because you see them being put together by people who later make them work. Silly, I know...but what I envisioned was a little elegant "thing" scurrying out on tiny wheels with an up-raised piece of chrome plated "palm" in which the award was balanced.
713. Toenails - 8/7/2001 6:02:42 PM
If they can't get Billy Crystal, I'd like to see a robot MC for the Emmys.
714. JudithAtHome - 8/7/2001 6:03:52 PM
CP Three O...and R2D2 as co-host.
Crash Test Dummies could hand out the awards.
715. JudithAtHome - 8/7/2001 11:38:55 PM
I forgot to mention how much I liked Sunday nights episode of Six Feet Under because I didn't watch it til yesterday afternoon. I loved the expressions of Gabe, the young man whose little brother died last week. I am afraid we won't be seeing much more of Gabe, however...it's looking as though he may be committing suicide next episode.
716. JudithAtHome - 8/7/2001 11:58:49 PM
Tonight I watched an interesting show on PBS:
Robert Mirbal -Music From A Painted Cave
Native American flutist Robert Mirabal performs his own powerful, evocative music that is, at once, both ancient and modern. His melodies spring from the lively and haunting chants of his Native American ancestors, but are spun and painted with a contemporary brush. Nationally known drumming legend, Ken Arnoff, friend and one of Mirabal's influences, is a guest musician. The costumes, dancing and chanting add a spectacular and colorful visual look to accompany the music.
The guy is very nice looking and I enjoyed his playing and singing very much...it was sort of Riverdance-ish.
717. glendajean - 8/8/2001 12:01:31 PM
Judith -- I didn't watch Six Feet Under till Tuesday night (I taped it).
I had to watch a couple of times the musical number with Michael C. Hall (David) as he was daydreaming while vacuuming the rug. Kathy Bates directed that episode.
I think Gabe is a goner, too. Funniest exit line was Illeana Douglas' character saying "This is the most depressing funeral home that I've worked in."
718. JudithAtHome - 8/8/2001 12:05:54 PM
Loved the daydreams David was having...lack of "action" stirs his creative side a lot, huh?
719. glendajean - 8/8/2001 12:10:04 PM
At least it gives Hall the opportunity to show off his musical theater roots.
720. JudithAtHome - 8/8/2001 12:20:24 PM
Was he in Rent?
721. glendajean - 8/8/2001 12:24:39 PM
Cabaret revival on Broadway.
722. janjon - 8/8/2001 4:05:06 PM
If you boil Six Feet Under down, in many ways it could be characterized as not much more than a kinky soap opera with a novel setting. There are more dysfunctional characters than most shows can manage in several seasons.
But, it all somehow works and certainly retains interest - far beyond just wondering what "shocking" new bit of dysfunction will be forthcoming. The level of the acting helps immeasurably of course, as does the writing. And, I thought that Kathy Bates did a terrific job of directing the last episode. Finally, whoever had the genius to cast Ileana Douglas as that more than just flaky character was indeed a genius. I was very pleased to see that she was going to be on the show from the opening credits and did she deliver.
I find all of the various plot lines to be quite interesting, with one exception - the mother is still a big bore. It will be interesting to see what they do with the fact that she now knows that David is gay, however.
723. Toenails - 8/8/2001 4:08:07 PM
I withdraw my criticism of the penultimate Six Feet episode, wherein David was going wild in a nightclub.
I should have been able to foresee that all that was merely a preamble to his reunion with Mr. Protect and Serve.
I'm already dreading the announcement that there are only X more episodes of Feet left before the inevitable long hiatus.
724. JudithAtHome - 8/8/2001 4:10:14 PM
You should be....only 3 to go, I think. Last two will run back to back on one night.
725. Toenails - 8/8/2001 4:12:39 PM
Hmmm. I disagree with the mother-is-a-bore opinion (although others here have echoed your view).
I'm kinda dazed, though, at seeing her (old) boyfriend playing that middle-aged role. Jeez, I remember when his father was middle-aged!
726. JudithAtHome - 8/8/2001 4:18:51 PM
I liked her revelation in the bathroom when the Russian woman confronted her...
727. janjon - 8/8/2001 4:32:44 PM
didn't faze me much.
728. JudithAtHome - 8/8/2001 4:43:05 PM
Of course it didn't...you don't like her.
Did you ever see the actress who plays the mom in anyhting else, like the role of the upper crust socialite dominatrix on an episode of Law&Order? Might give you a better appreciation of the job she's doing here....
729. janjon - 8/8/2001 4:47:36 PM
well, I appreciate the fact that she's the most repressed of the whole group, in some ways. (the most obviously while quietly repressed.) (Although, she did have a thingie going with the Begley character before the husband got whacked by the bus.) I also expect that, as time goes by, she'll be opened up - so to speak.
I just don't like her character right now. No aspersions on the acting being done.
No - never have seen her. To my knowledge, at least.
But then, I had never seen any of them except for Rachel Griffiths whom I had seen but didn't remember I had. (In the movie about Jacqueline de Prey.)
730. Toenails - 8/9/2001 10:12:00 AM
I could watch an hour of Rachel Griffiths just writing a letter or buttering toast.
731. JudithAtHome - 8/9/2001 10:51:05 AM
Maybe 15 minutes of both....an hour is a bit too much unless she's doing quirky things along with it. Eating toast, licking her lips, looking for marmalade in the fridge, chewing on a pen...looking sly.
732. Toenails - 8/9/2001 5:38:44 PM
Judith, stop talkin' dirty.
733. JudithAtHome - 8/10/2001 2:56:04 PM
Speaking of which, mark your calendars!
Sandra Bernhard Experience
734. JudithAtHome - 8/10/2001 3:05:28 PM
This weekend is a biggie for HBO...Saturday night is Dinner With Friends at 9pm EST. This is the movie about two couples whose friendship is threatened when one couple faces divorce. It stars Dennis Quaid, Andie McDowell, Greg Kinnear, and Tony Collette.
Then, on Sunday at 8pm EST, episode 1 of the first season of The Sopranos followed by the season finale of Sex and the City at 9pm EST. At 9:30pm EST, another great and quirky episode of Six Feet Under .
735. glendajean - 8/10/2001 4:35:04 PM
Judith -- Anita Gates, the NY Times TV Critic, loved Dinner With Friends.
BTW, let it be noted that Miranda on Sex is pregnant after one "mercy" liaison with her bartender exe Steve during his treatment for testicular cancer. And Charlotte, after overcoming her husband's (Kyle MacLachlan)impotence, cannot have children.
John Corbett's Aidan has much better chemistry with Carrie than Big, although she and Big deserve each other. I think that I just like John Corbett from Northern Exposure days.
736. janjon - 8/10/2001 4:42:59 PM
I've watched SITC intermittently. But when Carrie asked Corbett's character (Aiden, eh) to swear to something by touching a Chanel skirt, that was when I decided to turn the damned set off for a few minutes until SFU started.
What a self-absorbed load those SITC characters are.
OTOH, there is a restaurant near us which packs in the type - night after night after night. I'm sort of glad that the food there is both expensive AND mediocre.
737. Toenails - 8/10/2001 4:52:26 PM
HBO's done some great things with movies, miniseries, and continuing series like The Sopranos and Six Feet Under.
But they've also produced some perfectly awful stuff. That sports-agent show is the silliest thing going (and I'm a sports fan); the network's features and "exposes" on matters sexual are so slimy and sleazy that even I (with a HIGH tolerance for nudity and sexual themes) find them unwatchable.
And although there seems to be a lot of budget for making top-drawer movies and series shows, the run-of-the-mine movies shown over a typical month are 85% pure low-budget trash. HBO has a heavy bias in favor of running and re-running the (evidently) cheapest-to-show crap movies, instead of providing a decent exposure to the better films that, although occasionally available on HBO, are mostly left unshown--presumably because they're more expensive.
738. glendajean - 8/10/2001 4:58:09 PM
I almost always watch HBO for their original series or movies rather than for regular movies.
Netflix is still my main movie source.
739. JudithAtHome - 8/13/2001 10:34:14 AM
Last night was the first episode of the reruns of the first season of The Sopranos . Great to see where it all started...the kids look the most different and Christopher looks more youthful or not so jaded, maybe.
740. glendajean - 8/13/2001 5:27:21 PM
Judith, I thought the same thing about Christopher until I saw him take out the Czech kid in the back of the head.
Since I didn't watch the first two seasons, I am anxious to catch up.
Six Feet Under is setting David up to be HIV positive next season. He had unprotected sex with a hustler in Las Vegas, and I cannot imagine them not using that story line.
The crazy brother is turning very scary. Federico is back. It was a nice touch, seeing him grieve over the little baby that he is preparing for burial. Normally, he is delighted at the artistic side of his work.
Sex in the City is finished until January when 6 more episodes are shown. The season was truncated due to fears about the writers strike that never took place.
741. Ms. No - 8/13/2001 5:32:09 PM
Glendajean,
Is there any word on when Six Feet Under might turn up on video or DVD? I only saw part of one episode, but a good friend of mine who is a long time Sopranos and Sex in the City fan says that this is his favorite show by far---that it pretty much just knocks the crap out of anything else on TV right now.
I don't have HBO so I don't get this but I'd very much like to watch the entire season so I'm hoping for a video release soon.
742. janjon - 8/13/2001 5:33:18 PM
The crazy brother is turning very scary indeed. That is an understatement.
I hope you aren't right about David and HIV positive. But, you probably are.
And, last night's SITC didn't seem like a season finale. Now I understand why.
743. janjon - 8/13/2001 5:34:17 PM
Ms. No - you can count on it, I'm sure. Too much money would be lost if they didn't release it on tape or DVD.
744. janjon - 8/13/2001 5:36:21 PM
Does anyone know whether the actor who plays David is in fact gay?
745. JudithAtHome - 8/13/2001 5:36:47 PM
I'm glad SATC is on a break if only so I don't have to see Carrie in another ass ruffle skirt...
746. glendajean - 8/13/2001 5:37:59 PM
Dr No,
I haven't heard anything about DVD or video release, but I am sure they will at some point. They will also probably rerun the entire series at some point before next year. Maybe some kind friend will tape it for you. There is a story in this morning's NY Times about Sex and what a big moneymaker it is for HBO, supposedly more than Sopranos It's in the business section.
Janjon,
All hell breaks loose regularly on that crazy little dysfunctional family. But at least the mother can breath deeply and make a lovely floral arrangement.
747. glendajean - 8/13/2001 5:41:46 PM
I haven't heard anything about Michael C. Hall (David) being gay. Certainly the Advocate hasn't put anything in about it and they tend to do that. Maybe Cellar, our informed source on these matters, has knowledge of this.
748. janjon - 8/13/2001 5:41:54 PM
she has good aim with a hose, too.
749. CalGal - 8/13/2001 5:54:35 PM
HBO's original movies are excellent--this year more so than in a long time. Haven't caught Dinner with Friends yet; the LA Times said that Kinnear in particular was terrific. I like Kinnear a great deal; Sidney Pollack was wise to start him on an acting career.
Until I got digital cable and multiple HBO/Showtime/Encore/Cinemax channels, I never thought premium channels were worth it--you could never find anything worth watching on HBO prime, it seemed. But with digital cable I can truly say it is rare that I can't find a movie worth watching.
750. glendajean - 8/13/2001 5:57:01 PM
I haven't watched that many HBO original movies, but Wit and the one about the Wallensee Conference were excellent.
751. Ms. No - 8/13/2001 5:57:04 PM
The actor who plays the gay brother on 6FU is not gay. It came up in an interview recently with the straight brother or friend or something. The interviewer flat out asked if the actor playing David is in fact gay and the answer is "No."
This distresses me----not that he is or isn't gay but that the interviewer felt it appropriate to ask a third party AND that the third party felt it was an appropriate question to answer.
I'd bet money that if he was playing a straight character his fellow cast members wouldn't be volunteering that he's gay.
Double standards and nosiness for nosiness' sake irritate me.
752. Ms. No - 8/13/2001 5:57:47 PM
Is Carrie the tall kind of plain one with the red hair?
753. glendajean - 8/13/2001 6:02:54 PM
Dr. No,
That's Miranda. Carrie is played by Sarah Jessica Parker --skinny, with long curly blonde hair.
It doesn't bother me that people might be interested if he is gay or not in real life. He does a good job of portraying his character, and frankly it must be something people are interested in or Janjon wouldn't have asked it here. I've wondered myself. People don't ask straight people if they're straight because it isn't as interesting. In time, as more and more and more actors play gay roles, it will matter less if they are gay or straight.
754. janjon - 8/13/2001 6:03:11 PM
well, I asked because it seems to me that he is doing a terrific job of portraying someone who is obviously a very repressed individual but who is slowly coming to grips with who he is. Granted, not in a straight line - far from it. Witness the lunacy of having unprotected sex in a public place with a hustler in Las Vegas.
Seems to me his now former boyfriend, Keith, is being too harsh on him, but what do I know.
755. glendajean - 8/13/2001 6:05:16 PM
Keith is madly in love with David. He came all the way to Vegas to bail him out of jail. His harshness is "tough love."
Looks like mom is about to confront David about being gay.
756. glendajean - 8/13/2001 6:06:18 PM
Back to Sex. Miranda is played by Cythia Nixon, a New York stage actress. That character is my favorite on that show.
757. JudithAtHome - 8/13/2001 6:09:07 PM
Keiths tough love is hard for us to take because we like David but I think it is the right direction for the character to go.
758. janjon - 8/13/2001 6:10:03 PM
well, to me the harshness came from thinking that what Keith should be doing is being with David and insisting that he go see a therapist, etc., so as to better be happy with himself. I don't see that the end result necessarily be any worse for David rather than making him go through all those hoops by himself.
But, that wouldn't make for interesting tv.
759. JudithAtHome - 8/13/2001 6:10:37 PM
I thought Samantha looked fabulous in that last bar scene, though...she can pull that dramatic look off much better than anything the bag lady Carrie can put together.
760. glendajean - 8/13/2001 6:11:49 PM
The character David is wound so tight that I am surprised he has travelled as far as he has. When Keith said he needed to get some help, I had to laugh. Lord knows, Keith knew how nutty David was.
761. Toenails - 8/13/2001 6:12:20 PM
I think a real gay actor would catch a lot of hell for playing this part because, to my mind at least, it's a pretty negative portrayal of gay life.
Maybe it'll change over time (the early episodes were much more positive) but for the past several weeks, life for David has been miserable.
762. Toenails - 8/13/2001 6:13:40 PM
Did anyone else notice that the song over the closing credits of Dinner with Friends was sung by none other than Dennis Quaid?
And not at all badly.
763. glendajean - 8/13/2001 6:14:01 PM
Judith -- I like that Samantha can match her latest boss ball for ball, so to speak. It was a nice touch that she got Aidan to get Carrie a ring more to her liking. But for the life of me, I can't figure out why one ring was better than the other.
Best moments in last night's first Sopranos was watching Tony open up to Melfi. That and seeing Carmela go outside with an assault gun.
764. janjon - 8/13/2001 6:15:50 PM
funny, my reaction is just the opposite. Granted, life for David has become increasingly one of more turmoil. But, he's out there and he's more or less public. A long way from the plug up his ass church deacon. But, a long way yet to go.
765. Ms. No - 8/13/2001 6:25:47 PM
GJ, Janjon,
Sorry, I wasn't clear. I'm not bothered that people are curious----I find it interesting, too. I was bothered that the interviewer asked someone besides the actor himself and I have lingering angst over the fact that it's not a big deal to reveal that someone is straight but we're not yet to the point societally where we react the same way as when a third party "outs" someone gay or lesbian.
I'm not at all perturbed by people being curious---as both of you mentioned it's an difficult acting challenge aside from any prurient interest the public might have in the mundane sexuality of the actor concerned.
766. JudithAtHome - 8/13/2001 6:35:56 PM
It hardly matters what people answer, anyhow...some will believe a person is gay because they play the part so convincingly, anyhow.
767. DJ JOE INC - 8/14/2001 2:25:23 PM
Gonna post this in both music and here- Bravo is having a great series on the evolution of pop music in the 20the century- it is hosted by Lyle Lovett and features vintage performances and interviews with several music legends- it is on tonight at 7 p.m. eastern time on Bravo.Tonight's episode chronicles the British Invasion of the 60's.
768. JudithAtHome - 8/14/2001 2:34:09 PM
Thanks for the heads up, DJJ.
769. christipeters - 8/15/2001 1:58:27 PM
Did anyone else watch the premier of Dead Last on the WB last night?
fwiw, I liked it. I'm not sure where they will go with it though.
770. JudithAtHome - 8/15/2001 2:15:22 PM
What was it, Christi?
771. christipeters - 8/15/2001 2:36:41 PM
The main characters are 3 members of a band, two guys and a girl. The band is at the traveling around from one small bar gig to another level. In the opening segment, the bar has electrical problems. One of the guys in the band tries to fix it, falls, floor gives way, falls to next floor which also gives way, ends up in sandy-floored basement. While he's laying there stunned, the camera shows something bright and shiny whirling it's way from under the sand to the surface. Guy sees it as he's getting up and takes it with him.
Later on, as they are all in their crappy van, he shows it to the rest of them. It's old. It has writing on it in various languages. One of them recognizes the writing as Latin and reads it aloud. Mistake. Bright flash of light, flames, weird barrier, outside of van scorched, after which all 3 of them can now see ghosts.
There were several little subplots, some quirkiness, some getting to know the personalities of the band members, some funny bits on their reactions, etc. The bottom line show premise is that they cannot lose or give away or sell the amulet. They are stuck with it until they are dead. Not only do they see the ghosts, but the ghosts they see won't quit bothering them until they help the ghost with whatever unfinished business is keeping them here.
Like I said, I don't know where they will go with it. The first episode was well-written, imo, but I don't know if it can be sustained. I think it may get old, BTDT, before the first season is over. I expect I'll watch it for awhile and see.
772. christipeters - 8/15/2001 2:39:52 PM
I like quirky, no-connection-to-reality shows.
I like SG-1, Andromeda, The Chronicle, Buffy, Angel, all the Star Treks, Charmed, The Invisble Man, Farscape, Outer Limits - stuff like that.
I became a fan of sci-fi, written or on big or little screen before the age of 10. I added enjoying fantasy before I was 20.
773. rubberducky - 8/15/2001 4:06:58 PM
hey, don't let the door hit you in the Jackass on the way out!
The show's star, Johnny Knoxville, whose real name is P.J. Clapp, called it quits late last week for a career in movies. The last original episode of "Jackass" aired Sunday night.
"We told [MTV] we would do specials down the road," Knoxville told the Knoxville News-Sentinel. "But this is enough. We have done enough."
MTV will continue to air repeats of the 24 episodes of "Jackass" that were made - but will edit out questionable content, Knoxville said.
"The most objectionable things will be taken out," he said. "All the funny things will be gone."
...
Knoxville said he wanted to quit while the show was still special.
um, too late there, bud.
774. JudithAtHome - 8/15/2001 4:12:23 PM
What are they going to show, with the objectionable parts edited out? The opening and closing credits?
775. rubberducky - 8/15/2001 4:16:49 PM
same ole ass, just a lil less jacky
776. Phoenix Rising - 8/16/2001 9:18:33 AM
Well, Judith. You asked for it. So, here I am, an invited guest at chez Home. I am confident you will be ever so gracious when I pee on the rug.
So here's what I have been watching and not:
Never caught "Jackass" but I am a faithful watcher of "Undressed". Such marvelous writing. What wonderful acting. Oh, and the fabulous direction. Did I mention the top-notch production values? Finest thing ever aired on MTV. Oh, and cute boys running around in boxer shorts and kissing each other. (sigh) Well, that's just gravy, isn't it?
So all of the things that "Undressed" is, including marginally sexy, "Queer as Folk" the ugly American version is not. Of course fags and straight women just adore it making it a Showtime hit. I warned people not to do that, but would they listen? No. So now Showtime has allowed Cowlip to unleash "Leap Years" on us. Shouldn't Showtime be paying us to watch this crap?
777. Phoenix Rising - 8/16/2001 9:19:52 AM
Oh my GOD!!!! They killed Buffy.
778. Phoenix Rising - 8/16/2001 9:23:21 AM
Which brings us to "Jonathon Creek" on BBC America. The only thing on two hundred channels worth watching while waiting for an "Angel" re-run. How about that Lyndsey. Yowser!
Well. That's about it. Pathetic, huh?
779. JudithAtHome - 8/16/2001 10:30:19 AM
Hey, Phoenix, welcome to my corner!
I've seen scraps of Undressed but never stuck around long enough to see it all, probably because I'm usually ready for bed by the time it comes on.
I don't get Showtime so miss all the Queer as Folk hoorah...but I think of the people here who watch it, most agreed with you that the BBC production was better.
And I never got into the Buffy/Angel thing but that is like saying I don't like broccoli while serving as President of the USA and there are legions of fans out there who will brand me as a clueless drone now....but I'm glad you're here because you can discuss these shows with all the Moties who love the Buffster.
780. Phoenix Rising - 8/16/2001 11:10:02 AM
Sorry I couldn't make a better debut in your thread, Judith. It's just that there isn't much on TV these days worth commenting on.
You are not missing anything on "Undressed". I only watch it because it makes be feel like a pedophile, you know kinda warm and fuzzy.....
I only watched the tail end of Buffy and I only watch Angel in re-runs. I know enough about both to know that the WB has the best writers in television and wins no Emmys. Go figure.
I also sporadically watched "Roswell" this year. Let's see....I leaned that alien sex lasts for hours. The male orgasm takes 15 minutes or so.....the female becomes instantly pregnant and gestation lasts a month or so. Zounds!
I recently switched to satellite. The good news is I still get WB, however, there is no UPN in my future. So no Buffy or Roswell for me this fall.
The even better news is I get HBO again. Still can't get into "The Sapranos" but I am back groovin' with "Sex and the City" and "Oz". Wow, Sarah Jessica Parker no longer looks like a skank. And Double Wow, Kim Cattrall is HOT HOT HOT. There are brief moments I wished I were straight.
I watched the premier of "Going to Califorina". I was too young for "Route 66", but for some damn reason I feel really really nostalgic for it.
781. glendajean - 8/16/2001 11:27:40 AM
I taped a documentary on PBS last week about Phillip Johnson, the architect.
It was done in 1996, and focuses on his private estate in Connecticut, where he has been building various pavillions over the past 50 years. Instead of one big house, he has designed and built fragments in different places in the landscape. Sacrificing practicality to the playfulness of his design problems, the buildings include the famous glass house, a mostly walled guest house, an art gallery, a study, a ghost house (a structure built in chain link fence, giving it a gray spirit like appearance amid the green woods), a Pavillion (stark white modernist columns, roof and floor extended out over a pond), and a climbing tower.
The documentary is shot as if it were a video diary, allowing Johnson to be both tour guide and commentator. We also track the construction of what he said would probably be his last structure, a wavy sculptural space that will become the visitor's center to his estate after he dies. Looking very Gehryesque (sculptor Frank Stella co-designed it with them), Johnson talks about architecture being freed from the straight line.
I liked the glass house the best. He talks about lying in the bed seeing the moon flood through the space. He said he built the guest house so that he could "ball." "You can't do that in a glass house," he said.
782. CharlieL - 8/16/2001 12:03:53 PM
"Oh my GOD!!!! They killed Buffy."
"The bastards!"
783. JudithAtHome - 8/16/2001 12:04:27 PM
We've seen a piece on the glass house...Keoni immediately wanted one. All the charm of the outdoors but protected from the insects he so deathly fears.
784. glendajean - 8/16/2001 12:16:43 PM
Judith -- Johnson calls the surrounding countryside "expensive wallpaper."
He said that living there was like camping out in the woods, but you can sit in your birthday suit and not worry about the insects.
There is no clutter in his glass house. A dining table, a simple kitchen with all the appliances and cabinets below the counter, one cylinder that is a fireplace on one side and a bathroom on the other, a bed and few Barcelona chairs.
785. JudithAtHome - 8/16/2001 12:59:55 PM
Too neat for me...I need organized mayhem where I live!
786. JudithAtHome - 8/16/2001 4:17:05 PM
I just love these guys!
787. glendajean - 8/16/2001 4:48:03 PM
Any speculations on whether Krista or Monica will be leaving the BB house tonight?
They led us to believe Saturday that it would be Monica. They pushed the Krista is out line on Tuesday.
Which will it be?
788. JudithAtHome - 8/16/2001 4:48:45 PM
Krista...definitely.
789. glendajean - 8/16/2001 4:50:13 PM
That's who I would vote for. She turned out to be quite the crafty one, but I think it finally caught up with her.
790. JudithAtHome - 8/16/2001 4:54:12 PM
You should hear the pity party she is throwing for herself today...just pathetic. I'm so imdebted to those brave souls who are watching the internet feeds and posting it all word for word.
Just as she has done in the past when trapped in a sticky situation, she's falling back on how much she's let her "dorter" down and how little she makes at the diner...no tombstone for her mamas grave and how her brother killed her papa...she's a C/W ballad just waiting for a chorus.
791. JudithAtHome - 8/16/2001 4:54:37 PM
indebted....
792. Jenerator - 8/16/2001 4:56:31 PM
Glenda,
Phillip is the architect behind the new Cathedral of Hope in Dallas, the largest gay church in America. He also built Schuller's Crystal Cathedral.
793. glendajean - 8/16/2001 5:09:00 PM
Jen -- yes, I know.
In Texas, he also designed that incredibly tall glass building next to the Galleria in Houston. And he was one of the co-designers of the Rothko Chapel in Houston. Didn't he also design Thanksgiving Square (or whatever it is called) in Dallas?
794. glendajean - 8/16/2001 5:17:17 PM
Of course, he has done a jillion buildings all over, but I was trying to pick out ones you may have seen in Texas. I think there is another big building of his in Dallas, too. Maybe the Trammel Crow building?
795. JudithAtHome - 8/16/2001 5:18:59 PM
Did he do the Oriental museum for Trammel Crow? Or is it in the Trammel Crow building? Over by the DMOA?
796. glendajean - 8/16/2001 5:47:25 PM
Judith -- I have a vague idea that it was the building by the Museum of Art. But I may be wrong.
797. Frankster - 8/17/2001 12:01:31 PM
How depressing, and what a way to start the day. A little while ago I was watching Edward Hermman narrate a show on the History Channel titled "America's Most Endangered". The show, as its title suggests, deals with historic sites around this great country of ours threatened by either urban sprawl, shortsighted money grubbing developers, bad planning, decay and so forth. I only caught the last 15 minutes of it, but what they showed was incredibly disturbing.
What moron would want to erect a Walmart or large scale power plant next to the former home of FDR in the pristine and bucolic Hudson River Valley ? What insanity possesses idiots to want to raze the historic buildings in the Three Rivers area of Pittsburg for new developement ? The architecture of some of those buildings is priceless. Which of these fucked in the head millionaires can't step back and see what they are doing to Nantuckett ? I am so pissed at the fact that the almighty dollar continues to reign over the preservation of our history and these moronic planners and developers don't see that. No one out there feels the urgency to preserve the Wheeler(?) School in Oklahoma as it literally falls apart ?
sigh How incredibly disturbing.
I'm glad I only caught a few minutes of it. Okay, I'm through ranting.
798. JudithAtHome - 8/17/2001 12:08:31 PM
Good rant and I agree wholeheartedly...we've seen many of the historic homes here razed for parking lots and they did that to a wonderful librabry, too.
Luckily, our downtown area is being saved with developement of the older buildings into offices and apartments.
799. Frankster - 8/17/2001 12:31:30 PM
Judith, I wanted to throw my alarm clock at the screen. The buildings they want to raze in Pittsburg is almost a sacriligious act in nature. What the fuck are these clowns thinking ?
... I still remember the old Firestone building Keoni pointed out to me on the way from the airport.
800. AytchMan - 8/17/2001 2:57:24 PM
Anybody watching that Murder in a Small Town deal?
What's the verdict --good, bad, ugly?
Seems fairly interesting but I think they're in that no-man's-land of reality TV -- too fast-paced to really consider the clues and try to figure out the killer but not enough action to hold an audience with the attention span of a three-year-old.
801. JudithAtHome - 8/17/2001 3:00:30 PM
That's about how I watched the first 15 minutes, H-man...like a three year old and then I moved on to the shiny bright thing over there on the other side of the coffee table.
802. OhioSTOPAS - 8/17/2001 3:09:15 PM
Aytch: My wife and I have been watching "Murder . . ." The "team of investigators" is pretty hokey, but we enjoy murder mysteries and I think we'll stay with it.
We're hoping this will turn out to be a "fair play" mystery that gives the attentive viewer the sport of trying to figure out the solution. (But more likely is that after weeks of extraneous and irrelevant detail the clue that makes the killer's identity obvious will be provided in the last episode.)
803. AytchMan - 8/17/2001 3:28:37 PM
ohio--
Yeah, I'm afraid you're right -- we'll have no chance to solve it until the last fifteen minutes.
They're close to a good idea but I think they need to move one way or the other. Either an action-oriented show with fewer clues or one where the clues really matter. It's obvious that the script is driving in certain directions (even if we don't know what they are).
804. glendajean - 8/17/2001 4:01:21 PM
They kicked Krista out. Is the winner going to be Nicole or Hardy? Could be interesting if Bunky or Monica get H-O-H.
Poor Bunky. I think he is having a very public nervous breakdown. CBS ought to pull him out on grounds of increasing insanity.
805. JudithAtHome - 8/17/2001 4:09:34 PM
I don't know who will win in a Nicole/Hardy final but Nicole versus anyone else, anyone else, including Will, will win.
806. JudithAtHome - 8/17/2001 4:10:10 PM
And if it is Bunky in the final, he will win with all the votes.
807. AytchMan - 8/17/2001 4:21:11 PM
judith--
Are you guys watching Big Brother 2? Has it improved a lot from its dreadful predecessor?
808. JudithAtHome - 8/17/2001 4:33:04 PM
H...
I think it has if only because these guys are not meek and mild at all...they are ALL snakes.
809. AytchMan - 8/17/2001 4:38:10 PM
I've seen a very little bit of it. The show seems slightly improved from before but I just can't get excited about all of the soul-baring (both fake and real).
Any other decent reality shows?
810. JudithAtHome - 8/17/2001 4:41:26 PM
I'm waiting for one called "Lost" and maybe that one where the teams of two try to go around the world or something...it has older people and gay people and married people and jerky people, all teamed up in teams of two. I can see lots of anguish for the mother/daughter team and the two gay guys. Also, the engaged couple.
811. JudithAtHome - 8/19/2001 3:24:13 PM
Don't forget:
Tonight is the 2 hour season finale of Six Feet Under on HBO...8pm-10pm CST.
812. Toenails - 8/19/2001 11:17:56 PM
Six Feet Under is ahh...over. For the season.
Great show; super show....But is there a contest between Feet and The Sopranos to see which cast can say "fucking" more frequently in 60 minutes?
I am pleased that actors are permitted to say "fucking" (at least on cable). I think that a "fucking" here and a "fucking" there adds an element of realism to dialogue.
But there is too fucking much repetition of "fucking" on these shows. It fucking loses its fucking impact after a fucking while.
813. JudithAtHome - 8/20/2001 10:25:16 AM
I don't think David will be saying it as much in future episodes; last night, he was more or less in the throes of a "fucking" epiphany.
814. glendajean - 8/20/2001 11:00:16 AM
Random notes on Six Feet Under
Doesn't it seem like Nate's girlfriend didn't tell anybody that her brother was going to cut her tatoo off of her back? Talk about motivation for making an appointment for tatoo removal, I would try to do that before he checks out of the hospital.
David did have a fucking epiphany. Poor Clare. Her boyfriend is so dumb, it's hard to believe that she would fall for him.
Ed Begley, Jr. is out. Or is he? His character didn't like that mom was so cool about his dropping her. And now she is back with the Russian.
Nate has a brain condition. And David is still pining for Keith, who has replaced him.
I was afraid for a moment we were going to have a Alan Ball moment, like American Beauty, where Nate was at the funeral home and Rico's family was celebrating the new baby's christening, and he saw all the people he loved. That's about the same moment in AB when Spacey was killed. I figured we were in for a stroke right about then.
815. JudithAtHome - 8/20/2001 11:43:32 AM
I have a feeling they ended the last episode like they did because they weren't sure, at the time they wrote and filmed the whole thing, that they would have more than one season.
Which makes it all the more likely that the stroke...and fade to the light...for Nate would happen. Ball showed great restraint.
816. glendajean - 8/20/2001 11:45:43 AM
Excellent point, dear Judith.
817. TheWizardOfWhimsy - 8/20/2001 12:03:41 PM
What about psychic tattoos? Can they be removed? 
818. JudithAtHome - 8/20/2001 12:21:35 PM
Oh man, I hope the posting speed in this thread kicks up.
(GW wouldn't last long enough in Oz to garner all those tattoos, Wiz...)
819. TheWizardOfWhimsy - 8/20/2001 12:54:39 PM
Posting speed? What's that Judith?
I've enjoyed 6FU. I was particularly touched by the daughter's encounters with everyone. I love the feigned cynicism that disguises her sweetness so effectively.
820. JudithAtHome - 8/20/2001 1:09:36 PM
Wiz:
I was being sarcastic...meaning that pic of GW will be on the screen for quite awhile because not many posts appear in this thread from week to week.
So you are now required to post here at least a few times a week to help it advance up and off the screen so I won't have to see it...ha!
If this means you have to tune into something like Big Brother, well, so be it. Just keep in mind, it's all for ART! :-)
821. Frankster - 8/20/2001 1:17:53 PM
( Hmmmmmmm, let's see, how do I keep this on topic ?)
Judith -- Have you seen the latest Fox offering on Wednesday nights titled, My Hellashish Journey To The Malls Of San Diego In Search Of A Certain Style Sandal/Shoe. ;-)
( Okay, I think you get the drift ... I can't find that style anywhere -- ANYWHERE! I guess I'm going to have to wait until I return to Fort Worth, huh ?)
Okay. Breakfast awaits.
822. janjon - 8/20/2001 1:28:03 PM
Thank you, Judith. Your musings that the SFU episodes filmed last night must have been put in the can before they knew there would be a second season helps explain why there seem to be so many "resolutions" (Billy sees the light, David finds the way to ultimate happiness, Mom finds grit and a settled personal life, etc.) (although, granted, there certainly were enough loose ends and even new developments, like Nate's health issues, left to drive that series for a long time.)
I especially liked the opening with the tough lady/chain funeral home employee. The red herring with the escargot was fun and well done. I laughed loudly when the golf ball found its inadvertent target.
I agree with WoW, incidentally. Claire has become an increasingly appealing character.
823. JudithAtHome - 8/20/2001 1:32:58 PM
I love Claire the best of all the characters, maybe because she is more full of possibilities and maybe just because the actress is so exceptional.
824. TheWizardOfWhimsy - 8/20/2001 1:46:06 PM
Oh I understand now -- if you had said posting rate, I might have understood -- my mind went to a timing thing.
BTW, I read somewhere that the set for filming OZ was moved to a new place -- somewhere in Jersey, I think.
Not to name-drop, but my wife was talking to Wally Lamb (the author of She Came Undone) at a party yesterday. He's been teaching writing in our state's womens' prison. He went there to give a brief talk and was so taken with the inmates' questions and personal stories that he decided to come back because they were "so there!"
While talking to my wife, Wally asked what she thought of our present Governor, because she works with him occasionally and he boasts about being "The Arts Governor of the USA."
The Gov was trying to jujitsu Wally's fame into some political capital for himself (of course) and invited him to share the dais in some upcomming photo ops regarding the state arts commission.
My wife clued him in and and Wally mentioned that the inmates weren't impressed with the Gov either, after coming to speak to them at the prison.
They all decried: "Once a batterer -- ALWAYS a batterer!"
[The Gov had his police records "misplaced" by his friendly local chief of police when he first ran for the office. It seems that the Gov's first wife couldn't prove her allegations of wife-beating in their divorce settlement for some unknown reason.]
Wally has finished the screenplay for the movie version of S.C.U., btw.
(I hope this helps -- I hate long posts!)
825. TheWizardOfWhimsy - 8/20/2001 1:47:11 PM
My last post was for J@H.
826. JudithAtHome - 8/20/2001 1:57:16 PM
That's the ticket, Wiz...and very interesting. And it is on topic in this thread because Wally Lambs book was a recommendation by Oprah one month and as everyone knows, Oprah is TV.
827. Phoenix Rising - 8/20/2001 2:42:07 PM
I really really want to like "Six Feet Under". But a lead character has a car wreck and a brain tumor all in the same episode. They should retitle this as "Six Feet Under All My Children's Days of Our Lives As the World Is Turning."
I give them snaps for tackling the issue of death and dying in America, but for the most part they pretty it up. (Cool corpses, however.) To sum up, "Make the Best of Every Day because...." Well, we are the fucking world and things go better with Pepsi too.
Snaps for tackling the issues of faith. Good intentions, poor execution. I mean could they have made it more black and white? Could they have been more preachy about it? Could they have made the bigot any more overt? No. No. No. and No.
Same for the gay funeral. Television and the movies do gay people a disservice by making our enemies seem so cartoonish. I mean those people with the signs at the funeral might as well have had all of their teeth missing and have been smoking corncob pipes. Oh, wait, they were.
As for the issue of mental illness, this show gets a big fat zero. I don't think they have come anywhere close to portraying this issue as it should be.
828. janjon - 8/20/2001 2:45:01 PM
apt commments. The runon about the soap operas is hilarious.
still an entertaining show, though.
which says both a lot about the acting and the competition.
829. JudithAtHome - 8/20/2001 2:55:21 PM
Good lord, this is television...I don't want to see mental health issues tackled with Geraldo Rivera going undercover to a real mental institution and I don't want everything deadly serious all the time, either.
And what makes you think anyone would tune into a show lke that? I happen to like this show a lot but as with everything we see, there could certainly be room for improvement. However, I've seen people be institutionalized and trust me, it's dramatic but hardly entertainling.
This show is better than almost anything on network TV and it's certainly more worth my time than Diagnosis Murder or some schlock like that...
830. Phoenix Rising - 8/20/2001 3:14:30 PM
So realistic corpses are O.K. but a realistic treatment of mental illness is not? The only thing missing from the corpses is the smell of formaldehyde.
Yes, in the dead of summer, it is the best thing on TV. Even counting everything, it is better than 90% of what is on TV. That just makes me see the potential and yearn for more.
There are many many flashes of brilliance in this show. But they need to tone down the bathos and melodrama. There are just too many shortcuts being taken by the writers.
And yes, Geraldo should be committed. But that is just my personal opinion.
831. JudithAtHome - 8/20/2001 3:41:48 PM
I wouldn't know if the corpses look real or not; I never look at real ones.
There will be a new series starting soon called "The Mind of the Married Man" and I think from the ads it looks awful. I don't think I'll be able to watch it because the woman playing the wife makes my skin crawl...and not in a good way.
832. janjon - 8/20/2001 3:44:46 PM
Back to Six Feet Under. Anyone else notice that in the photo of Nate and Brenda nude in bed that Nate's head was turned away so that you only saw the back of his head?
I suspect Peter Krause has a no nudity clause in his contract.
833. christipeters - 8/20/2001 3:50:17 PM
Phoenix (#777) - It's ok. In the JossVerse, dead isn't permanent. I believe they're going to take the majority of this season to bring Buffy back, though.
834. christipeters - 8/20/2001 3:53:16 PM
Judith - Its ok - you don't get Buffy. I don't get the "reality" shows. Ain't it great that there are shows for lots of different tastes.
835. JudithAtHome - 8/20/2001 4:00:43 PM
Christi:
I get Buffy; I just don't like the show.
And yes, it's wonderful there are shows for every taste; I just wish there more catering to mine!
836. JudithAtHome - 8/20/2001 4:01:22 PM
there WERE more...
837. Phoenix Rising - 8/20/2001 4:05:57 PM
There is a "good" way to make one's skin crawl???
Trust, me, Judith, the corpses look real. They just don't smell real. At least not on my TV.
Didn't see Nate's face. Too busy looking at his .....
Although, I am not one of those foamy at the mouth Buffy fans, I do think the emotions expressed on "The Body" and subsequent episodes were a lot more realistic (read better) than almost all similar portrayals on TV.
Unfortunately, I am now Buffyless because I gleefully told ATT Broadband to stuff it. I went satellite. I will greatly miss PBS also. I will start catching Buffy reruns on FX. Don't they start soon?
838. christipeters - 8/20/2001 4:33:36 PM
Judith - In the context I was using, get=like. So you don't like Buffy, I don't like Survivor, Real World, et al
839. christipeters - 8/20/2001 4:34:53 PM
Phoenix - So you don't get any UPN stations on your satellite?
840. JudithAtHome - 8/20/2001 4:35:34 PM
No, he doesn't LIKE them. :-)
841. christipeters - 8/20/2001 4:36:42 PM
Got me!
That's what I get for having a 13 yr old as my main source of non-work-related conversation.
842. Phoenix Rising - 8/20/2001 4:45:41 PM
No UPN. I do get (but do not necessarily like) WB. And prior to the upcoming season, what would I have missed?? ST Voyager or some such? Puhleeze. So UPN can't *make* good TV and decided to *buy* it instead. So I see that not only Buffy, but Roswell is moving. Oh well.
My ATT signal was awful. It was like it was being transmitted from Max's home planet. After the third time of being on hold for 45 minutes or longer I reached my limit. I will never ever subscribe to ATT again.
Alas, this comes at a small sacrifice. So, I will content myself with Angel and the slim hope that Jack will get himself laid down by the creek.
Plus I have a sneaking suspicion that WB will continue to seek out the best writers in the land and will continue to kick UPN's Star Trek ass, as well as CBS,NBC,and ABC. Fox is another matter entirely.
843. christipeters - 8/20/2001 5:36:32 PM
I'll admit that, aside from Star Trek, I haven't seen much on UPN that I want to watch. However, I'll watch Buffy. Joss and the same writers will be putting it on. Supposedly, Joss has two seasons (including the one coming up) planned out. I understand the budget at UPN may be more pinched than at WB, so the quality of the special effects may suffer. Still, I'm willing to give it a look and see if I like it when the new season starts.
I'll still watch Angel and Charmed, as well as The Gilmore Girls on WB. I liked Dead Last and will watch to see if it continues well or peters out as I suspect it will. WB has us for 7th Heaven, too, because my daughter likes it.
844. rubberducky - 8/21/2001 9:48:52 AM
what about Enterprise? looks like a cool concept and i hope they don't mess it up. if done right, this could be the next Next Generation
845. christipeters - 8/21/2001 10:23:21 AM
I am definitely looking forward to Enterprise. I have enjoyed all the Star Trek series and hope to enjoy this one as well. I also hope they don't mess it up.
846. Phoenix Rising - 8/22/2001 9:17:12 AM
So with Enterprise, Buffy and Roswell, UPN now has what? Potentially three good shows.
I caught "Dead Last" last night. It's got potential. I was really surprised they didn't take more advantage of the concept of the main characters caught in situations where they were saying things to the ghosts that are invisible to all the other people.
Well, actually, that is the central concept of the show that they either poorly executed or misexecuted. Still, WB is at least trying to put something good on the air.
I did like the video tape of the movie that was a bomb. No really. It was a BOMB!
847. JudithAtHome - 8/22/2001 9:24:01 AM
There's all sorts of potential for a plot point like that...
848. glendajean - 8/23/2001 12:32:48 PM
BB2 is winding down. This is the point where there are only a few left(5).
Four of them would sell their soul in a minute to win (as it probably should be on such a program). The other, Monica, is both funny and a walking time bomb of rage.
The one up-side left to this program? Beautiful Hardy who hardly wears clothing. I think Bunky will either be a stronger person or have a nervous breakdown. I am not sure which, all though signs of his cracking up continue. Nicole is a tough cookie. Very tough. And a much better operator than I imagined at the beginning. Will is Will, a supposed doctor who went to law school, loves to show that he has no love for his family or friends, except for Shannon (who is already ousted) and a very unlovable Mike Boogie (also ousted).
If his is ousted this next week, we'll lose the one good commentator about the others. Will is also obsessive about his "personal asthetics," which means he never misses an opportunity to look at himself in the mirror.
Not an ugly man, but if this were a movie, he would be played by John Malkovich with hair.
849. JudithAtHome - 8/23/2001 12:39:48 PM
I think Will is asthetically more pleasing than Hardy, myself. Even with all that hair...I'd kill to have half as much hair as Will!
Hardy is too egotistical to be believed. But he's not open about it like Will is.
I think Hardy will nominate Bunky and Monica...Nicole made a remark last night or on Tuesday about how nice it would be with just the 3 guys and her..."as it should be", she beamed. She is definitely the Queen Bee and loves her little drones. Monica is toast...
850. glendajean - 8/23/2001 12:49:39 PM
Judith -- I think you are right about Monica. That scenario would leave voting to Nicole and Will. If they split, Hardy would get to choose (as HOH).
Yes, Hardy is egotistical, but who isn't in that house? Except maybe Bunky, who is egotistical in a reverse sense (I'm so weak, I'm so in need of affirmation). Hardy is probably more intelligent in a native sense, than I give him credit. At first glance, he has a dumb blond quality about him.
But from a looking stand point, I'll take him over Will.
851. JudithAtHome - 8/23/2001 1:10:54 PM
Well, he dyed his hair yesterday so he's a dumb brunette now...ha!
Hardy is not generous at all...after the contest, when Bunky went into the HOH room to congratulate Hardy even further, Bunky was saying he was glad he, Bunky, hadn't been totally humiliated by the times and of course, he was trying to get Hardy to agree...the times were much closer than anyone would've thought...but all Hardy could do was say something about how he wished his brother hadn't sent that picture. He wouldn't give Bunky that small concession of admitting Bunky had posted a good time, too.
852. glendajean - 8/23/2001 2:03:27 PM
Judith -- I agree, Hardy is extremely selfish. But when I was watching that, I thought about how Bunky pushes so hard for affirmation, and that he probably does it so much, that Hardy was tired of dealing with it.
And remember, Bunky has been telling Will that he thought Hardy had to go next. In that house, there are few secrets.
853. glendajean - 8/23/2001 2:05:38 PM
And then there is Will, who not only says ingratiating things to the other person (e.g., telling Monica that whatever she said was the most intelligent thing he had heard in his entire time in the household), but then mocks the fact that he did so when he's in the diary room.
My Hardy like is just for his looks.
854. JudithAtHome - 8/23/2001 2:10:45 PM
I know Will is a bounder but he's so honest about it to us that I just can't help chuckling at him.
Far better than that shrew Nicole who sheds faux tears for everyone she votes out.
855. glendajean - 8/23/2001 2:14:33 PM
Well, she may win the game. As I said up thread, most of them would sell anything at this point, and have no souls to sell.
But that is what the game is about. Any pretense of having values or not selling out were left on the outside.
856. glendajean - 8/23/2001 2:15:35 PM
One thing about Nicole. She does let people know when she is angry (and I gather she is angry a lot). I gather she's a pretty good cook, and she cleans. I am amazed at how she has managed to be good friends with so many of them. She's quite crafty.
857. JudithAtHome - 8/23/2001 2:36:31 PM
Not as crafty as she thinks...she and Hardy have made enemies with their noms. I doubt kicking Will out will endear them to Chilltown...all the winner needs is 5 votes. Nicole won't get Mike, Shannon, Autumn, Kent, or Krista. And I doubt she will get Sheryl, either.
858. glendajean - 8/23/2001 3:26:50 PM
Depends on who Nicole is up against. If, for some reason, Bunky survives to the end, she would lose all the votes you said. OTH, if she is up against Hardy, then she might.
Do you think Will can survive past this week?
859. JudithAtHome - 8/23/2001 3:41:00 PM
Yes, because Hardy and Nicole love Will. And they unwisely think everyone hates Will.
860. JudithAtHome - 8/24/2001 12:37:33 PM
Tonight, the best bet for the Networks is on CBS:
Breaking the News
861. glendajean - 8/24/2001 12:38:29 PM
Thanks for the heads up, Judith. I'll try to tape it.
862. JudithAtHome - 8/24/2001 12:39:41 PM
Jeez, I'm half out of it on sinus meds; that was supposed to be a preview post. Here's the rest:
Mel Gibson narrates as Walter Cronkite, Dan Rather, Mike Wallace, Peter Jennings, Tom Brokaw, Barbara Walters and many other top names in television news shed their usual on-air poise and objectivity to reveal the stories behind the history-making news events of the past four decades.
863. JudithAtHome - 8/24/2001 12:40:56 PM
GJ:
My local TV writer did a great review of it; I love those types of shows, where you can recall where you were when the clips come on...
864. thoughtful - 8/27/2001 10:28:44 AM
I fell asleep, but tried to stay up to watch Faces with John Cleese...lots of interesting facts there.
865. JudithAtHome - 8/27/2001 11:08:30 AM
Did Elizabeth Hurley play a fairy tale person during that? I flipped past her doing something weird...and realized she is strange looking.
866. thoughtful - 8/27/2001 11:35:10 AM
I missed that part...there was alot I missed as I did fall asleep, but it was neat nonetheless. Check out http://www.tlc.com where they have related articles to it including the "golden proportion" of 1 to 1.618 which describes much of the human body and how things grow. Also a doc used that golden formula to devise a mask for a "perfect" face and then placed it up against many peoples faces including tom cruz and models and such and they have more nearly perfect faces. Doc is a plastic surgeon who is seeking ways to quantify beauty. Other work he's done suggests that symmetry is critical and that these elements of beauty are nearly universal regardless of the beholders age or cultural background.
867. JudithAtHome - 8/27/2001 1:32:13 PM
Last night we watched CNN Presents: Behind the Veil and it was fascinating...hidden camera stuff of Afghanistan and the Taliban.
868. thoughtful - 8/27/2001 1:54:04 PM
ew....chilling. I'm a little too empathetic to watch those things.
869. JudithAtHome - 8/27/2001 1:59:18 PM
It was fascinating...but very disturbing. They showed pictures of Afghan women sitting in the street with obviously ill children laying beside them. They have to beg for money.
When I lived in Germany and would go to the larger cities, we'd see Indian women doing this with very sick children. It would make me so angry to see them exposing the children like that but after seeing the show last night, I understand a little more that it is the only way they understand.
870. thoughtful - 8/27/2001 2:02:01 PM
more scary to me is what I read about the society there and the need for doctors....women are not allowed to be educated so they can't become doctors, but male doctors are not allowed to touch women so they can't doctor them. So essentially medical care for women has come to a halt.
871. JudithAtHome - 8/27/2001 2:12:03 PM
Yes, they showed one of the womens "hospitals" and it was repulsive...vetenarnian clinics here are better equipped and cleaner than what passes for health care there.
872. thoughtful - 8/27/2001 2:14:37 PM
I don't understand that whole thinking....maybe if it was just strangers you could ignore the impossible position women are in, but these men also have mothers and sisters and daughters....are the taliban leaders so immune to their fate?
873. Absensia - 8/27/2001 2:22:38 PM
I saw the program too...frightening, scary and sad. The Taliban is in so much favor there (not by all though) because they claim only they are the true Islamic way. Poverty and illiteracy serves to keep them in power. It seems they believe that things go that way because ultimately, it is up to Allah...other Muslim countries are not like this and seem to be becoming more and more liberal. Sadly, so much harm has been done because of politics.
874. JudithAtHome - 8/27/2001 2:27:59 PM
...and religion.
875. Absensia - 8/27/2001 2:33:24 PM
Judith,
Exactly...and it's been going on for centuries, regardless of the country or the religion.
876. jexster - 8/27/2001 9:18:14 PM
Coming this Fall to CBS - The Agency!!!!
Thrill-a-minute feature-film director Wolfgang Petersen (In the Line of Fire; The Perfect Storm) makes his foray into series television as the executive producer of THE AGENCY, a look at the high-stakes inner workings of the CIA and the ways in which its cases and investigations are handled.
Gil Bellows (Ally McBeal) stars as undercover--and overworked--operative Matt Callan, who in the pilot sets out to recruit a Middle Eastern diplomat who has invaluable information about an impending terrorist bombing. Callan's efforts, like those of everyone working for the agency, are informed and guided by intelligence and antiterrorist operatives. But how is the information passed on? Which secrets daily put Callan's life, and the integrity of the CIA, in jeopardy? And which ones threaten our government?
As directed by Mikael Salomon (acclaimed photographer of The Abyss and director of last year's series pilot for THE FUGITIVE) THE AGENCY details the secrets of this very secret government bureau.
877. JudithAtHome - 8/28/2001 9:47:50 AM
Thanks, jexster...I am leery of the cast in this show; they are almost all second tier and known more for lightweight parts but maybe the gravitas of "CIA" will lend them some heft. Hope so...
878. glendajean - 8/28/2001 10:35:37 AM
I finally watched the HBO movie (Home for Dinner?) with Andie MacDowell, Toni Collette, Dennis Quaid and Greg Kinnear.
While I am quite patient for a play, when it is filmed I get antsy. And I think that the little devices used in a movie to make it go quicker only add to my antsiness. In this case, lots of piano music to tell me that this ia a sad or poignant moment.
Still, a good ensemble of actors about yuppies/boomers from hell who discover relationships can have chinks, and life has a middle and an end.
Quaid and MacDowell play food writers and there is a lot of conversation about food, and scenes of cooking food.
Unlike Babette's Feast, or Big Night, wasn't that central to the story other than to show how absorbed they were in their neat perfect lives in houses that must cost jillions of dollars. Still, I went to bed hungry watching it.
879. JudithAtHome - 8/28/2001 10:44:25 AM
Dinner With Friends , GJ.
Last night we watched Michael Apteds 42 Up , the sixth chapter in his series which started with 7 Up . It follows the lives of a group of British school children from ages 7 to 42 and reports on their lives. I just loved this series and was so glad to see the chapter last night. I missed some in the middle years.
880. glendajean - 8/28/2001 3:26:08 PM
I would like to see them concentrated, so that one gets the whole picture in a few days time.
Did any of them sing, Regrets, I have a few ...?
881. JudithAtHome - 8/28/2001 3:31:02 PM
Actually, a couple of them declined to be interviewed, two of the upper class boys who graduated from Oxford. Snots, both of them.
One guy was really a sad case but in the past 7 years, he turned his life around and went from living in a isolated area of Scotland as a quasi homeless person with mental problems to running for and winning a seat on the city council of a London suburb.
I'd like to see an "UP" marathon, too. Great idea to see them all together.
882. jexster - 8/28/2001 9:43:55 PM
Judge Judy, Ruler of the Free World
I watch her religiously. Call nostalgia for litigation and ball busters in black robes.
A plaintiff appeared on today's show with a claim that the defendant had dinged his car with her groceries. The dinger's defense was one of necessity and self-defense for she feared that the plaintiff, being a notorious druggie, was about to savage her. When he refused Judy's offer that he take a drug test to prove his assertion that he was as pure as the driven "snow", Jude threw the slimeball out of court.
The plaintiff's post-judgment comments inspired:
Dear Kathryn:
Thank you for your fax of Friday August 24th setting forth xxxx's latest settlement offer. Having reviewed the matter at some length with yyyy and zzzz, I can report that my clients believe that your client has mad cow disease and should be in a psycho ward.
Sincerely
883. JudithAtHome - 8/28/2001 11:03:23 PM
I love Judge Judy...bitch extrodinaire!
884. CharlieL - 8/29/2001 7:59:12 AM
I hate Judge Judy with a passion.
885. Toenails - 8/29/2001 11:08:28 AM
I guess being a lawyer can atrophy one's sense of humor, but I think all the "Judge" shows do a disservice by trivializing the judicial process.
Judge Judy and the others of her ilk who have been "real" judges in their other lives, are the worst offenders, because they are in a position to know better.
Chewing out undereducated slobs on the basis of grossly inadequate data makes me wince, instead of evoking laughter.
Spend 15 minutes, anytime, watching Court TV and you'll see that trials are usually tedious, stultifying and focused (when they're focused at all) on establishing bits and pieces of distantly related evidentiary material for the hoped-for consideration of a judge or jury.
These little whip-'em-out 5-minute imitation dramas, featuring the same trailer trash that populates the daytime talk shows, are only useful from a sociological perspective.
Do they have similar programs in Europe or Japan? ..Or is the education level sufficiently high elsewhere that they would too-soon run short of contestants?
886. glendajean - 8/29/2001 11:20:05 AM
Toenails -- Andy Warhol's 15 minutes of fame dictum should be appended. It is down to 3 minutes and it possibly includes one's most embarrasing, personal and emotional details.
Perhaps whatever it is that draws people to these programs is akin to watching the circus in Roman times. We like bloodshed in all its metaphorical possibilities.
887. glendajean - 8/29/2001 11:20:39 AM
And amended...not appended. sorry
888. CalGal - 8/29/2001 6:08:22 PM
The Dalai Lama of children's television has taped his last show--There Goes the Neighborhood
889. Indiana Jones - 8/29/2001 6:11:30 PM
I saw that a couple of days ago and forgot to mention it. Was like a punch to the gut.
More intimations of mortality.
890. CalGal - 8/29/2001 6:16:29 PM
He was never part of my childhood; I don't remember watching any "children's programming" except cartoons and Romper Room. By the time I was old enough to be aware of him, I was ten and found him silly. It wasn't until Spawn discovered him that I re-evaluated him as a parent and realized how terrific he is.
891. Toenails - 8/29/2001 6:21:29 PM
I was already a long-time parent when he was first doing his thing. I was enthralled by the gentleness of his approach. I suspect that, for many young children, it was the only non-strident thing they ever found to watch on television.
892. CalGal - 8/29/2001 6:23:21 PM
He never talked down to kids. He talks like that to everyone. He explains values beautifully, and yet somehow never manages to moralize or judge. Quite a trick.
893. Erinys - 8/29/2001 6:25:27 PM
What? No more factory tours?
894. JudithAtHome - 8/30/2001 10:55:55 AM
Tonight is a live telecast of Big Brother...we get to see who gets voted out and leaves the house: the adorable and decent Bunky or the embodiment of evil, Will.
My bet is Bunky gets the ax and I'm almost relieved to see him escape the horrible atmosphere in that pithole. Last night, everyone got drunk and tried to get Bunky to drink, even though he never does...they acted like idiots, egging each other on to flash people and pee outdoors. That might have been funny for frat age kids but these guys are all in their 30s or older. Really stupid people tricks...
I musy admit, since Bunky seems likely to exit tonight, I'm hoping Will wins the entire thing...he has played a masterful game, lying to everyones face and admitting it to them yet they chose to believe his lies. People that stupid deserve to lose.
895. JudithAtHome - 8/31/2001 10:32:35 AM
Bunky is in the arms of his husband Greg, even as I type these words.
896. glendajean - 8/31/2001 10:36:58 AM
Judith -- I've come over to your side on BB2.
1) Bunky cleaned up his act in the last couple of weeks. He was a lot less whiney and stood up for himself more. Good for him. I loved it that CBS put "Bunky's Husband" under the title for his partner Greg.
2) Gosh, Nicole cries every time she knifes somebody. And her need to boss and control is incredible. She was like that at the beginning of the show, and is reverting back to it.
3) If you hear who wins the h-o-h contest, let me know. I don't want to wait till Tuesday.
4) The only chance of busting Nicole-Hardy is for Will or Monica to win H-O-H. Then nominate Nicole & Hardy. At this point, either one of them would probably not win an election against either Monica or Will.
897. JudithAtHome - 8/31/2001 10:42:51 AM
GJ:
I'll white it out but I don't think it's much of a secret...and you and I are the only ones here who care! But just in case:
Monica won HOH!!
898. glendajean - 8/31/2001 10:48:26 AM
Thank you!!!
899. glendajean - 8/31/2001 10:49:16 AM
Call me hypocrite. I hate extra exclamation points. Sorry about that.
900. glendajean - 8/31/2001 10:49:41 AM
Judith -- can you white out what happened?
901. JudithAtHome - 8/31/2001 11:09:10 AM
Sure...(can you believe you once had to walk me through linking?ha!)
The contest was outside on a huge waterbed and they had to place their keys in the nominating box and keep one hand on the key at all times. Will started right in talking about how much he had to pee...Nicole was very upset because someone sent a banner earlier saying her husband saw her do something sexual in the hot tub to Will the night before...anyhow, Will finally peed his pants and then he took his shoe lace and tied his hand to his key. Nicole and Monica peed, also, and at about hour three, Nicole grabbed for the sheet which Will had pulled off her and her hand slipped off the key...Will immediately shouted out that her hand left the key and she was buzzed out. Then Hardy came out with a third offer (two previous ones)...a mystery envelope and Will took it so Monica was HOH! The "mystery" was a giant sized jar of peanut butter..Will was philosophical about it and said he'd donate it to Bunkys charity auction.
Nicole is blaming everyone for her rotten luck; she is a total bitch on wheels.
I read all this on TT and on the Atlantic.
902. glendajean - 8/31/2001 11:19:35 AM
Ooh, thanks.
903. CalGal - 8/31/2001 11:21:34 AM
GJ,
I've read that Kinnear in particular is very good in Dinner...yes, no?
904. JudithAtHome - 8/31/2001 11:23:49 AM
News from Page Six, NY Post:
UNCLE Junior's singing career just got whacked. "Sopranos" star Dominic Chianese was set to perform at the House of Blues in Denver next month, but pressure from Italian-American groups who don't like the HBO show led to gig getting cancelled. "It pains me to do this," a House of Blues rep told the Denver Post, "but if people are that offended, then forget it." The rep says he's received dozens of e-mails from "Sopranos"-haters. HBO and the producers are being sued in Chicago by Italian-American groups over an obscure "individual dignity" law.
Bummer for Uncle Jun...
905. glendajean - 8/31/2001 11:31:35 AM
Cal -- yes, but I think he is a decent actor. He is sort of like Michael Murphy, the slightly pompous guy who cannot understand that people aren't buying his rationalizations.
In this movie/play (and the play is very evident despite the format), Kinnear starts out looking like a jerk. And then over time, we begin to think that maybe it is the happily married couple, McDowell and Quaid, who are the jerks. Or at least the misguided ones. Very yuppie/baby boomer story.
When Quaid refers to his wife becoming pre-menopausal, he says it as if it were a great tragedy.
The Alan Alda movie "Four Seasons" touched on this subject of divorce among friends as a way to challenge or effect so-called stable relationships. Woody Allen brings it up from time to time in his New York domestic comedies.
906. glendajean - 8/31/2001 11:34:29 AM
Are most Italian Americans upset by the Sopranos? I mean, besides the organizations raising Cain?
I don't see how stopping Uncle Junior from singing would help their cause any.
It's funny, but I think of S as more a look at one part of New Jersey, than just an Italian thing. The episode last week was between Tony and a local Hasidic hotel owner. (from the first season).
907. JudithAtHome - 8/31/2001 11:40:20 AM
I saw a discussion on PBS with a group of Italian Americans and the panel was split on the subject. I thought the ones who weren't upset had the best arguments but then, I support that slant so maybe the others had valid ones, too.
I agree with you; it's not just about Italians.
908. CalGal - 8/31/2001 11:42:03 AM
I thought the Four Seasons movie was pretty shitty, though, in making Sandy Dennis loopy and the friends just meeeean for not liking the new blonde wife.
I think Kinnear is a very good actor; I was just wondering if he was good in the movie.
909. glendajean - 8/31/2001 11:50:08 AM
Cal -- most of the acting challenge was on McDowell and Quaid. He plays smarmy characters quite well, and it is more of a stretch for him to play the regular guy. I thought his performance was ok, but uneven.
I say that because about half the time I thought about Quaid as opposed to his character. Not always a good sign.
910. JudithAtHome - 8/31/2001 11:53:40 AM
Well, Four Seasons was pretty realistic in the friends not liking the new wife, I thought. That happens more times than not...
911. CalGal - 8/31/2001 11:58:17 AM
Four Seasons' position was that the friends were just rotten and opposed to change in not liking the new wife. The "old" wife disappears from the picture because, after all, they can't be friends with both.
It's probably quite realistic, but I dislike pictures with an agenda--in this case "oh, come on, he's still the same guy! Love him, love his bimbo."
GJ,
I'll have to check it out.
912. glendajean - 8/31/2001 12:19:44 PM
I thought FS was funny when it came out. It may seem more dated now. I haven't seen it in years.
I thought it was about how lives get intertwined and the effects that change creates on others.
I can still remember Sandy Dennis' expression as she talked about the vegetables that she was photographing. I always thought her husband was a jerk.
913. CalGal - 8/31/2001 12:25:28 PM
It was somewhat funny; it was the underlying philosophy I thought was ick.
I interrupt this program for a rant--I am sick of CNN interrupting their news and analysis shows for "breaking news" that is some infantile little local story.
914. JudithAtHome - 9/3/2001 6:43:45 PM
This sounds like an interesting two hours on PBS tonight at 7pm CST:
School:The Story of American Public Education
915. glendajean - 9/4/2001 2:51:19 PM
I saw a reference to it this morning on the Today Show. Looked good.
BTW, Judith, any updates on BB2?
916. JudithAtHome - 9/4/2001 2:58:23 PM
The Survivor people were surprise guests overnight. No big eruptions. Do you know who HOH is for this week?
917. JudithAtHome - 9/4/2001 2:59:51 PM
Well, duh...of course you do since I told you last week!
918. glendajean - 9/4/2001 3:07:01 PM
Good bet I would forget, but I didn't.
919. JudithAtHome - 9/4/2001 3:15:36 PM
So the show is on tonight, tomorrow night, and Thursday night...which is the eviction night, I think.
920. JudithAtHome - 9/4/2001 3:18:21 PM
THIS is the show I'm waiting for:
LOST!
It's on NBC and starts tomorrow night at 7pmCST.
921. JudithAtHome - 9/4/2001 6:27:24 PM
Here's another reality show starting tomorrow night:
The Amazing Race
i On September 5, 2001, 11 Teams of two people, each with a pre-existing relationship, will set out on THE AMAZING RACE around the world. They'll never know where they're going next or what they'll have to do once there. Each pair's relationship will be forever impacted by their experience in this once-in-a-lifetime adventure.
This one's on CBS.
922. JudithAtHome - 9/4/2001 6:28:08 PM
Sorry 'bout that little Italic flub; forgot where I was!
923. Toenails - 9/4/2001 10:03:35 PM
Thanks for the tip on "School". That was worth watching and I'd have missed it if you hadn't flagged it.
924. JudithAtHome - 9/4/2001 10:16:42 PM
You didn't happen to see the one late the other night on POV from 1968, did you? It was about a high school in the northeast somewhere, and just an excellent program. I didn't catch it til about 3 minutes before it came on or I'd have mentioned it here.
925. Absensia - 9/4/2001 10:24:18 PM
The US Open coverage has been very good, IMO. It's shown during the day on CBS and at night on USA. A couple of the commentators drive me crazy, but that's not new. At least I can watch it live without having to subscribe to HBO.
926. joezan - 9/4/2001 10:38:34 PM
I'm pretty sensitive to the way Italians are portrayed on TV and in movies. I love most of the mob flicks - Godfather, Goodfellas, etc., but hate the way the mob life is glorified in them.
To me, The Sopranos is different because it shows the wise guys - in a mostly comical way - for the weaselly, schleppy, self-important, bloated, stupid-assed guido peons they are.
And Tony's life is nothing like, say, Michael Corleone's. He can't solve every problem that arises by ordering a hit.
You watch The Godfather, you wanna be a gangster. You watch The Sopranos, and even getting to hang out in a titty bar half the day seems inadequate compensation for all the crap you have to put up with, imo.
927. JudithAtHome - 9/5/2001 9:43:29 AM
Just wanted to mention a program on PBS tonight and I'm promoting it because it contains a look at my favorite museum, the Kimbell.
Sister Wendys American Collection
928. Absensia - 9/5/2001 9:58:41 AM
Thanks Judith,
I've been reading about Sister Wendy and this sounds like a great way to find out more.
929. glendajean - 9/5/2001 11:00:07 AM
Back to BB2.
Nicole looked like a lost character from a community theater production of "Sweeney Todd," with her racoon eyed mascara.
She kicks out people she likes. She continued to protect Will while threatening him. And then she wonders what others might be practicing "strategies?"
As far as her and her husband, I think if he did rent the banner and fly it over the compound to "send her a message," then they are really, truly weird.
Survivor rejects are in the house.
930. JudithAtHome - 9/5/2001 11:40:01 AM
I'm surprised Will hasn't lost it and slapped her silly...I would have, right after she flipped that light on and yelled at me for the second time that night.
931. Indiana Jones - 9/5/2001 11:42:42 AM
Even getting to hang out in a titty bar half the day seems inadequate compensation for all the crap you have to put up with, imo.
It's also funny that they're so blase about the whole thing. If you hang out in a titty bar all the time, it just becomes grey noise.
932. JudithAtHome - 9/5/2001 11:45:23 AM
Like working in a chocolate factory...
933. Phoenix Rising - 9/5/2001 3:19:43 PM
Last time I was in a titty bar, I had to ask my friend, "Are those real?"
To which he responded, "If you have to ask, they aren't"
Much different at *my* favorite all-nude strip club. The boys can't fake it. Sometimes I am still tempted to marvel that that can't be real.
But it is.
Although, men are getting pec implants nowadays....
934. JudithAtHome - 9/5/2001 3:32:21 PM
Well, like with Coke, I prefer the Real Thing.
935. Phoenix Rising - 9/5/2001 3:40:15 PM
I was going to say....who doesn't. But then how to explain a booming business in breast augmentation?
There may also be a booming business in penile implants, but that isn't a matter of size....is it?
Obviously, I haven't been watching TV for two weeks as I have nothing to talk about except silicone.
Buffy begins September 24th weeknights at 7pm Eastern on FX.
936. JudithAtHome - 9/5/2001 3:43:53 PM
Be sure you check in here to talk about Buffy because I think there are others who watch it, too.
937. Phoenix Rising - 9/5/2001 3:51:02 PM
Will do.
"Son of the Beach" was pretty funny last night. The Island of Dr. Cabernet. The J.Peterman guy from Seinfeld played Dr. Cabernet. A subplot consisted of the Mayor's son taking over beach patrol in Notch's absence (He was stranded on the island with BJ.). Very funny TV, if you like entire scenes composed of nothing but double entrendres.
Missed "Dead Last" in favor of "The Mummy" (the Brenden Fraser one) on Starz.
So, anyone know if they are going to rerun "Six Feet Under"? I would like to see all the episodes that I missed.
938. OhioSTOPAS - 9/5/2001 4:10:28 PM
FYI, the new reality/contest show "The Amazing Race" got a very enthusiastic review in USA Today today. ("USA Today today? That CAN'T be right.) The reviewer liked the game and the contestants.
"Lost", on the other hand, was panned.
Now I'm curious to watch them both to see if each is as good or bad as it's supposed to be.
939. JudithAtHome - 9/5/2001 4:14:08 PM
OHIO:
Same with my local reviewer today...he panned Lost and liked the quickness of Amazing Race. I'm going to watch both, also...tonight, anyhow.
940. OhioSTOPAS - 9/5/2001 5:31:32 PM
Judith: Did you watch Fox's "Murder . . ." show? I stuck with it to the end and overall it wasn't bad. (It was better than it's most analogous reality/contest show competitor, "The Mole", although that's not saying much.)
But apparently "Murder" was a ratings dud, so the concept is not likely to be repeated.
941. JudithAtHome - 9/5/2001 5:37:53 PM
I didn't like The Mole or Murder...X...for some reason, they are redoing Mole; soon, too.
There are too many "reality" shows out there now...they are cheap to make and look it.
942. OhioSTOPAS - 9/5/2001 5:51:43 PM
Pretty soon EVERYONE will have been in a "reality" show - and then what will the networks do?
943. CalGal - 9/6/2001 4:04:36 AM
Don't know if anyone is watching Biography this week, but they are focusing on older TV shows. Last night was Happy Days; tonight is Laverne and Shirley--the two shows spent a number of years at at the top of the ratings. L&S got a 55 share regularly, which is incredible to consider.
In my tweens at the time, I watched Happy Days for three or four years. I saw the Mork from Ork episode, but had checked out long before the series became the first to officially "jump the shark". Never cared much for Laverne and Shirley, but in retrospect it has held up much better. I don't ever manage to watch an entire show, but Lenny and Squiggy are damn funny in small doses ("Hello!"), and some of the physical slapstick is very good. Happy Days hasn't held up well at all (except for the Mork episode, of course). It makes sense in retrospect; the talent on and behind L&S was considerable.
One thing I'll give Garry Marshall credit for--he runs a pretty honest ship. Happy Days was known at the time as a very happy and contented TV "family"; Laverne & Shirley cast and writer fights were constantly in the news. 25 years later, it turns out that all the stories were true--L&S was apparently a production nightmare and they were bemused by the peaceful cheerfulness of the Stepford Sister.
But then, Happy Days was a family, with all of the serious production and writing talent behind the camera. The four L&S stars were all writers who were considerably more demanding.
Interesting to register that Michael McKean created two pop culture icons. Not a bad gig, if you can get it.
944. EricCartman - 9/6/2001 4:38:51 AM
Cal:
Have you seen McKean's character on Jiminy Glick, the bandleader? (Sorry if this is like a waaaay old question.)
945. Indiana Jones - 9/6/2001 9:32:00 AM
I haven't seen Happy Days or L&S in I don't know how long...not even a smidgin. I remember seeing a clip of the Fonz on something a few years ago, though, and thinking "Man, that's bad."
If you ever thought Henry Winkler(!) was cool, then you have to excuse the Power Rangers now.
946. JudithAtHome - 9/6/2001 9:59:25 AM
Did anyone watch either Lost or The Amazing Race last night? I thought the lost people were more interesting than the racing people...and the lost show seemed more likely to portray the foreign aspects of place and people much more seriously; the racing show was very hectic and fast paced and hardly slowed down long enough to enjoy the scenery much less have a bonafide interchange with the locals.
The Racers seemed much more xenophobic than the Lost souls, too.
947. rubberducky - 9/6/2001 10:01:35 AM
CG's 'jump the shark' reference and a great site, too
948. Cellar Door - 9/6/2001 10:03:39 AM
I watched some of "The Amazing Race." The gay couple is hilarious.
Ddidn't watch Anne Heche. I'll wait until her next re-invention.
949. JudithAtHome - 9/6/2001 10:04:45 AM
Cellar:
Team Guido! Yea!
I'm Heched out, myself...
950. JudithAtHome - 9/6/2001 10:05:43 AM
Ducks...
Jumping the Shark is linked at the right. Great site, indeed.
951. Cellar Door - 9/6/2001 10:06:52 AM
Wait a minute, I've got it!
In six months or less, Heche dumps Colley because "I've fallen in love with Mariah Carey."
952. rubberducky - 9/6/2001 10:08:46 AM
i just feel sorry for Ellen in all of this. that wacked out Heche has got to be a hurtful blow to her.
but, Anne got what she wanted. she got her name and face out there. she was a nobody before Ellen and i hope she returns to that status quickly.
953. JudithAtHome - 9/6/2001 10:10:31 AM
I think she already has...seen any of her movie trailers lately?
954. rubberducky - 9/6/2001 10:10:47 AM
oh - didn't notice it J@H
955. rubberducky - 9/6/2001 10:12:02 AM
well, the lastest round of her bullshit is due to her trying to see her lame ass book
she claims to have been insane all during the 3 year relationship.
956. rubberducky - 9/6/2001 10:12:16 AM
see = sell
957. JudithAtHome - 9/6/2001 10:20:39 AM
I hate her voice; I couldn't watch the ads for 20/20, much less the show.
I wonder what Barbara is going to do next week, with Mariah committed again.
958. JudithAtHome - 9/6/2001 10:25:42 AM
Tonight is the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards
Go, Fatboy Slim and Weapon of Choice!!
959. Toenails - 9/6/2001 10:26:28 AM
I think Barbara should interview Connie Chung next.
960. JudithAtHome - 9/6/2001 10:28:27 AM
Oh, that would be great...she could ask Connie over and over why she stole the Condit interview out from under her.
961. CalGal - 9/10/2001 12:46:27 PM
Did anyone watch Band of Brothers?
962. judithathome - 9/10/2001 12:47:08 PM
Yep...impressive, wasn't it?
963. Francis Urquhart - 9/10/2001 12:55:44 PM
It was excellent. Schwimmer was very good as the martinet Sobel. I read a poor review by Tom Shales, but Shales' understanding of television and his disassociation with good programming has almost become Buchwaldian.
964. CalGal - 9/10/2001 12:58:39 PM
Yes, I've become disappointed with Shales, too. No reviews have been completely poor, but the ones that mark it down seem completely unfamiliar with the book. Most of the complaints revolve around the first episode, but I thought they did a great job with it.
The performances have been superb. I've recognized more faces than I expected to.
965. judithathome - 9/10/2001 12:59:18 PM
I think Schwimmer is something of an ass but I was really impressed with his ability to play one so convinvingly.
966. judithathome - 9/10/2001 12:59:38 PM
And so convincingly, too.
967. CalGal - 9/10/2001 1:06:09 PM
I had read half the book some time ago--Spawn had read the entire thing. I finished it up last night; thus far they have been very accurate.
I had forgotten how horrified I was when I read the book at realizing that the planes just didn't fly over and drop them, no problem. I don't know why I expected it, but it seemed somehow unfair. One should either be an infantryman of some sort or die in a plane crash. Having to risk both is overkill.
968. mgleason - 9/10/2001 1:07:05 PM
I can't believe Edgar, the giant bug from MIB, is going to star in the new L&O. I'm completely freaked out.
969. CalGal - 9/10/2001 1:09:06 PM
Vince Donofrio? I keep on thinking that Orson Welles has sold out.
970. mgleason - 9/10/2001 1:12:30 PM
Ha! He's a scary guy, Vince.
971. judithathome - 9/10/2001 1:12:48 PM
Keoni calls him the bug guy...
972. christipeters - 9/10/2001 1:25:32 PM
Judith - Your wish is my command
973. Ms. No - 9/10/2001 2:43:53 PM
D'Onofrio has really come a long way from Mystic Pizza.
He was also the skewered serial killer in The Cell.
974. CalGal - 9/10/2001 2:45:42 PM
Oh, that's right--he was Lilly what's her name's guy, yes?
975. Ms. No - 9/10/2001 2:55:00 PM
Lili Taylor, yep. I think she's so cool.
976. PsychProf - 9/10/2001 2:59:19 PM
Good friend of mine was in Mystic Pizza...he was the bald head(back view) at the counter in the opening scene.
977. PsychProf - 9/10/2001 3:02:23 PM
Speaking of Movies, Ms PP was in "The Group"(filmed in part at Connecticut College, New London CT)...she portayed a bustling and, IMHO, beautiful college student seen during the intro...
978. Ms. No - 9/10/2001 3:02:40 PM
A shining performance!
979. Ms. No - 9/10/2001 3:03:55 PM
dang! you were too fast for me 978 was to 976.
I'm sure Mrs. Prof was wonderful as well, but I have no puns for her.
980. CalGal - 9/10/2001 3:05:37 PM
Back to Band of Brothers: the cinematography was simply stunning. I'm sure the plane crashes were CGI, but given that it would have been impossible to do otherwise, I'll take it. But the colors were wonderful throughout.
981. christipeters - 9/10/2001 3:07:31 PM
y'know, whenever I've considered getting HBO, I've looked at the movies listed in the tv guide, and said "nah!"
i'm thinking it's time to consider HBO for the HBO series and specials.
982. judithathome - 9/10/2001 3:12:56 PM
It's well worth it, Christi.
I saw the special "Making of..." about the series and the things they did were amazing. If you see it listed, watch it; really good behind the scenes presentation.
983. CalGal - 9/10/2001 3:15:39 PM
That's actually why most people get HBO these days--it is also why they are spending so much money on BoB. I read an article recently that says they are planning on going head to head with the networks from here on in.
I find that it is worth paying a bit more for digital cable--in my area, it's only about $15/more than standard cable with three premiums, and you get some 40 extra premium channels. I found I rarely watched HBO for the movies when I just had the one HBO, but with four, there is quite often something I like. I also like the menu telling me what's on.
984. judithathome - 9/10/2001 3:18:24 PM
For anyone who watches OZ I wonder if they thought the same thing I did upon seeing Kirk Avecedo...some things an actor does just stick in your mind.
985. christipeters - 9/10/2001 3:22:21 PM
having a Densa moment here - what's BoB?
986. CalGal - 9/10/2001 3:24:09 PM
I don't recognize him from OZ; he was in an L&O I saw--as was Guamare, or whatever.
Buck was the guy who got Borged in First Contact. Michael Cudlitz was the poet in Grosse Pointe Blank.
987. CalGal - 9/10/2001 3:24:29 PM
Band of Brothers, the HBO series.
988. christipeters - 9/10/2001 3:31:59 PM
DUH! (Christi slaps her forehead)
Yep, that was a true Densa moment I was having
Thanks CalGal
I'm not sure I want to see BoB. I think I've had all the war shows/movies I can take in one lifetime.
989. CalGal - 9/10/2001 3:37:22 PM
It's definitely of the Saving Private Ryan sort--brutal and realistic. But it's very good and, for that matter, a true story. I often feel like the least I can do (and it is the very least) is to watch the good stuff that does its best to show what it was "really like". Obviously, no film can ever really show what it was like, but at least by getting more realistic, it can reset the limits of my ability to imagine it.
990. judithathome - 9/10/2001 3:39:07 PM
This is a prime show, Christi...it is not your run of the mill war movie, believe me.
Avecedo was one of the Spanish gang members and he was put in solitary for slicing up the priest, I think...anyhow, he's been in solitary a looooong time.
991. judithathome - 9/10/2001 3:40:25 PM
It's really something to watch it with someone who has seen combat...Keoni was hugely impressed with it's authenticity.
992. judithathome - 9/12/2001 9:33:59 AM
I saw a crawl at the bottom of the screen early this morning that said the Latin Grammys have been canceled and the Emmys have been postponed.
993. glendajean - 9/12/2001 11:09:31 AM
Can you imagine those people inside the Big Brother 2 house? WWIII is starting and and they don't know about it.
Surely they will tell them.
994. judithathome - 9/12/2001 11:58:53 AM
I don't think they will....they said 2 planes had hit the WTC and that was all they told them; late yesterday they were still telling them they had no more info! They DID tell Monica her family was okay.
I wrote a letter on the feedback portion of the CBS homepage chastizing them for continuing the game and keeping the HGs as "virtual prisoners" and threatened to start a boycott of CBS if they don't stop the game.
995. glendajean - 9/12/2001 12:05:16 PM
I wish they would quit repeating playing the same image of the first tower collapsing. As horrific as it was, it isn't more complelling by repetition of showing it. In fact, repetition dulls the impact of what is horrible, unexplainable, a great catastrophe. This is not a special effects in a movie or the sport of imploding an unused building marked for demolition.
996. judithathome - 9/12/2001 12:14:38 PM
I think the media will soon be coming under fire for their coverage...they will go overboard as they usually do. For now, we're still in shock and seeing it repeated isn't helping but I guess they don't know what else to do.
I think there are only 3 people in this country who haven't seen it yet...
997. CalGal - 9/12/2001 6:56:43 PM
998. judithathome - 9/12/2001 7:02:02 PM
Nice article...I only disagree with the praise for Paula Zahn, who seemed like an idiot early on; one of the men she was interviewing flat out said he didn't understand a thing she was asking.
999. CalGal - 9/12/2001 7:04:51 PM
I haven't made up my mind on Zahn but I did think she fit in well with CNN.
1000. CalGal - 9/12/2001 7:05:57 PM
hey?
1001. judithathome - 9/12/2001 7:06:47 PM
Yeah, that tiger stripped hair fits in very well.
1002. judithathome - 9/12/2001 7:25:39 PM
Here is CBS News page with many good video and audio links.
This is the page for FOX News.
1003. Erin R. - 9/12/2001 7:28:52 PM
I have found the media remarkably restrained, particularly it its treatment of the suspects nationalities.
1004. judithathome - 9/12/2001 7:30:10 PM
Peter Jennings and ABC can be found here.
And if you can abide Tom Brokaw, you'll find NBC here.
1005. judithathome - 9/12/2001 7:32:27 PM
But my fave is John King at CNN. And Aaron Brown, of course.
1006. Absensia - 9/12/2001 7:38:26 PM
Thanks Judith,
Aaron Brown is from here...worked for the local NBC affiliate for some time.
The media has been under a lot strain, reporters at least, but I am sure they will come under fire soon. I want news, but the constant repeats of the towers being hit, Bush going to the Pentagon, et al, are getting tiring.
The local stations are running feeds from the nationals, but are running local information at the bottom of the screen. Sure makes it all more real, here on the West Coast.
1007. Absensia - 9/12/2001 7:39:14 PM
Hey!! Good for you, Cal!
1008. judithathome - 9/16/2001 10:14:01 PM
If anyone watched Band of Brothers tonight and didn't cry, I can't see how you managed it.
1009. judithathome - 9/17/2001 10:32:36 AM
It seems so frivilous to mention this but on Big Brother, the producers allowed the three remaining contestants to think they had appeared on a live broadcast Saturday night. They did the final third of the HOH competition and Nicole won...she voted Monica out and now she and Will are the final two.
At least Monica has the advantage now of being able to learn her cousin is still missing in the WTC collapse...the complete story of which she had been kept in the dark about until Saturdays "show".
1010. CalGal - 9/17/2001 1:25:01 PM
I enjoyed it tremendously (BoB), but didn't see it as particularly tearjerking. Reaffirming, in a way. Certainly rewarding.
Thus far they aren't inventing much; almost all of the incidents are in the book.
1011. judithathome - 9/17/2001 1:27:04 PM
I thought the actor playing Blithe, the soldier with hysterical blindness, did a masterful job and to me, at least, his story arc was very moving.
1012. CalGal - 9/17/2001 1:31:11 PM
Oh, it was moving. I just didn't think it was particularly cry-worthy. He triumphed, after all.
1013. judithathome - 9/17/2001 1:35:15 PM
Yeah....I guess ending up a vegetable, never recovering, and dying soon thereafter just left me a little sad.
1014. CalGal - 9/17/2001 1:46:42 PM
I don't know that he ended up as a vegetable; is that the norm for being shot in the neck? The book doesn't ever say what happened to him or how he died.
He could have just let people assume he was still blind and gone home, but he didn't want to let people down. He was terrified, but with Winters' help he stood up and fought, to the point of killing someone who was threatening the tanks. He was able to take the Edelweiss from the dead soldier, affirming to himself that he, too, was a real soldier. He volunteered for the mission, and was hit by a sniper, not due to panic or mistakes on his part.
He could have been shot and killed without any of the intermediate events. That would have been a tragedy. Any death is sad, but I think a story of a boy who manages to overcome his own demons on the way to that death is, ultimately, a triumphant one.
1015. judithathome - 9/17/2001 1:50:55 PM
The book doesn't ever say what happened to him or how he died.
The show did...it was printed at the end.
Of course, all the things you said are true. We just see the ending differently.
1016. Absensia - 9/17/2001 1:52:16 PM
Any one have any comments on the medias' coverage of all this now that it's day 6?
1017. judithathome - 9/17/2001 1:55:27 PM
I think they are doing a good job. I get upset by some of it but that's a weakness in me, not the media.
1018. judithathome - 9/17/2001 1:57:19 PM
Colin Powell, just now, was answering a question and the journalist interrupted him and he said "Hold on, hold on......pushy pushy!" and then laughed and everyone else did, too. It was a very neat moment.
1019. CalGal - 9/17/2001 1:57:57 PM
The show did...it was printed at the end.
No, it doesn't. It says he died of his wounds four years later. Your assumption that he became a vegetable is unfounded; I was saying that the book provided no additional information, thus wondering how it was you decided his fate for him.
As for how you see the ending, I guess you will decide which deaths you'll get upset about and which ones you'll think are copacetic? I'm not sure how to "see the ending" other than that he was one of hundreds of thousands who died. It's the journey that the story was addressed, not the destination.
1020. CalGal - 9/17/2001 1:58:49 PM
It borders on the narcissistic, and the emphasis on religion is starting to annoy me. But both qualities are American, anyway.
1021. Absensia - 9/17/2001 2:03:28 PM
I saw Powell's press conference. There was some humor. I am fed up at the constant coverage, but then remind myself I could change channels or just shut the damn thing off.
Cal, I agree. I get very annoyed at God is envoked in every other breath. Seems to me "God," with all the names that are used around the world,
is not too involved. But then, "he" has to be busy working on sports, so all those baseball runs and touchdowns will be scored and the players can thank "him" for singling them out.
1022. judithathome - 9/17/2001 2:04:03 PM
It said he never recovered from his wounds, Cal. I am probably wrong but I got the feeling from the way he lay there seeing nothing but the clouds he was staring at in the beginning of the show that he was in a condition of deep trauma from which he never recovered...and then, after four years, he died.
You have given a very plausible ending to the story of Blithe; he DID triumph, after all. But I read something into it that seems plausible, too. We can both be right.
1023. CalGal - 9/17/2001 2:07:45 PM
Judith--I don't think there's anything implausible about thinking he ended up as a vegetable; I just hadn't seen anything to suggest it, including the source material. I don't know that people just die of trauma. I was actually curious as to how he died, after having lived that long.
I gave no account of the "ending" of Blithe at all. I only interpreted the story they told. I agree that someone could look at the same story and see it is nilhism, a depressing statement on the futility of personal growth in a wartime environment.
1024. judithathome - 9/17/2001 2:27:32 PM
I agree that someone could look at the same story and see it is nilhism, a depressing statement on the futility of personal growth in a wartime environment.
Maybe they could; I wouldn't know. That is in no way how I saw it.
I am assuming he died of his wounds, like the afterward stated, rather than trauma.
1025. CalGal - 9/17/2001 2:32:21 PM
I just wondered where you got the "vegetable" part from, but it sounds as if you just assumed it.
1026. judithathome - 9/17/2001 2:37:47 PM
Yes, that is exactly what I did.
I assumed the man was a vegetable after seeing him laying there with glazed eyes staring into an imaginary sky and with his buddies in the next bunks making remarks about "what happened to him" and the nurse pulling the privacy curtain around him. Those are the things I based my feeling that he was, an unfortunate term, I'll admit, a vegetable. I should retract that choice of words and say, a wounded patient in deep trauma.
I didn't happen to see a man who was laying there going over his personal growth as a soldier, sorry.
1027. CalGal - 9/17/2001 2:45:57 PM
Oh, I didn't either. And I didn't mean anything bad about you assuming he was a vegetable; it's just that the first time I thought you had heard some dialog that I didn't.
Also, you misstate. I am not saying that it was some sort of "personal growth" story, nor am I implying that he was pleased with the developments. The ending is irrelevant--he might have died right then, hit between the eyes. I think the issue is what we take from the story--if anything. I took from it the small satisfaction that a terrified kid was able to feel like something other than a failure.
1028. judithathome - 9/17/2001 2:48:59 PM
I got that, too. But the reason I was upset by him getting shot when he did was because he had so little time to be that kid.
1029. judithathome - 9/17/2001 2:51:29 PM
And I might add, it was all the more upseting sfter hearing the "you must be dead to do this job right" speech from Lt. Spiers. Blithe obviously was at last doing the job right without the deadness and wham, he's rendered incapable of contining.
1030. judithathome - 9/17/2001 2:52:23 PM
continuing, I meant.
1031. Phoenix Rising - 9/17/2001 3:30:18 PM
Who has profited the most from last week's events?
A. Osama bin Laden
B. Gary Condit
C. the sharks
1032. PsychProf - 9/17/2001 3:31:47 PM
Good one.
1033. Phoenix Rising - 9/17/2001 3:34:40 PM
Because there are only two correct answers to the question above, I am now firmly convinced that most of the time CNN, FoxSpews, et. al. should run a simple graphic 24/7 that says,
"There is currently no news worth the attention of the entire nation."
....and play classical music.
Then when something worth the national attention does happen, they can do what they have recently been doing.
Then we will all be spared the "news" that they manufacture during "normal" times.
1034. OhioSTOPAS - 9/17/2001 3:36:45 PM
D. New York City commercial property landlords (that is, those whose property wasn't destroyed)
1035. Phoenix Rising - 9/17/2001 3:38:50 PM
Good Lord, Ohio. You are more cynical than me.
A feat I previously thought impossible.
1036. CalGal - 9/17/2001 3:39:16 PM
Heh.
I think the analysis shows are usually interesting; I would like far more of them and far less of the tedious "nothing new to report so I'll repeat what I just told you three minutes ago" segments.
1037. OhioSTOPAS - 9/17/2001 3:41:35 PM
Just pointing out an obvious financial fact, Phoenix.
You want cynical?
E. George W. Bush
1038. CalGal - 9/17/2001 3:42:14 PM
That was who I thought of, instantly. Best thing that ever happened to the guy.
1039. Phoenix Rising - 9/17/2001 3:47:35 PM
Well, my point was particular to the news media. I too would like to see more news (political and otherwise) analysis on these networks. If we had that, the American public might better understand the connections between terrorism, the MidEast, and oil. And heaven forbid be able to tell the difference between Afghanistan and India (as the trigger-happy guy in Arizona evidently did not).
Instead we get hours on end about Condit's sex life and before that Jon Benet Ramsey and before that....ad nauseum.
I'm sick of it.
1040. Phoenix Rising - 9/17/2001 8:14:07 PM
News Flash!!!!!!
"Entertainment Tonight" just reported that the Miss America pageant was being conducted under heightened security.
If ever an American institution cried out to have a highjacked airliner crashed into it.....
Wait. Is it too early for that type of joke?
Wait. Was that *really* a joke?
1041. arkymalarky - 9/17/2001 9:34:32 PM
The network news has redeemed itself in my eyes over this (haven't watched Fox or CNN, though I keep up with the CNN website). I haven't felt a hint of cynicism, or above-it-allness, or ennui, or begun in the least to tire of coverage.
What has struck me more than anything is that I don't think I've ever seen so much heartfelt grief pouring from Americans--people wracked with sobs, even as they pause between digging out bodies or helping the injured, or as they try to relate to the rest of us the dearness and special qualities of their friends and loved ones. It really brings to the world the enormity and unspeakable tragedy of what happened. My heart has ached for them, one and all, as I know has any human heart with any feelings in it at all.
I don't think coverage has been maudlin or overdone, but more tasteful and touching than I ever would have imagined. In a week of reporting there are going to be screw ups and faux paus, but they've been at a minimum that I've seen, especially considering how tirelessly everyone's worked, and they reflect an image of this country and NYC that is inspirational and unifying.
1042. arkymalarky - 9/17/2001 9:42:23 PM
I was also glad to see Bush visit a mosque today and to hear strong language from the government against the type of stupidity perpetrated by some vicious idiots on fellow Americans.
1043. AceofSpades - 9/17/2001 11:43:16 PM
WATCH DAVID LETTERMAN TONIGHT, ESPECIALLY FIRST TEN MINUTES.
PUT IT ON NOW IF ON EAST COAST (BUT GOOD PART IS OVER).
1044. AceofSpades - 9/17/2001 11:44:07 PM
Pretty riveting television. No jokes, just a tearful address to the country.
1045. AceofSpades - 9/17/2001 11:47:01 PM
Letterman was shaking, fighting off tears to get words out.
It's just odd. He didn't say anything unexpected -- though he did say the expected pretty well-- but it was very strange to see the late-night jokester just talk without a script and without jokes. And the emotion of it was palpable.
1046. CalGal - 9/18/2001 2:44:37 AM
I am so glad you gave a heads up on that; I wouldn't have wanted to miss it. It was terrific.
1047. Absensia - 9/18/2001 3:02:28 AM
Yes it was, and still is. I am so touched by the feelings Dan Rather is showing as well. Thanks, Ace.
1048. rubberducky - 9/18/2001 9:20:48 AM
The decision to delay the 53rd annual Primetime Emmy Awards for three weeks — from Sept. 16 to Oct. 7 — marks a first in Emmy history: Never before has a news event delayed TV's biggest night. But clearly, never before has there been a news event quite like last Tuesday's deadly terrorist attacks in New York and Washington D.C.
"In the past, TV academy leaders always decided, in the great Hollywood tradition, to go on with the show no matter what happened — even in 1980 when no stars showed up because of an actors' strike," notes award show expert Tom O'Neil, author of The Emmys and host of showbiz-awards website GoldDerby.com. "But this year Emmy leaders were afraid that it might look heartless of Hollywood to carry on with a posh party for itself and bestow gold trophies for best comedy actor and actress at a time of national mourning."
1049. Phoenix Rising - 9/18/2001 10:19:42 AM
"But this year Emmy leaders were afraid that it might look heartless of Hollywood to carry on with a posh party for itself and bestow gold trophies for best comedy actor and actress at a time of national mourning."
Too late. Those bastards became heartless in about season #3 of Buffy.
1050. CalGal - 9/18/2001 11:46:44 AM
If they want to show respect, it'd be nice if you could tell from NBC's website that they lost one of the best writers and producers of the last 20 years.
1051. glendajean - 9/19/2001 12:53:28 PM
BB2 finishes up on Thursday. It's now to the control freak Nicole and the dastardly self absorbed Will.
My money is on Will winning it.
He'll get the votes of:
Shannon
Boogie
Monica
The Louisiana chick
Nicole is guranteed:
Hardy
She has a shot at:
Bunky (who I think will vote for Will)
Kent
Amber
I have no clue how the first woman who got kicked out will vote.
Am I missing anybody?
1052. judithathome - 9/19/2001 1:22:03 PM
Autumn may vote for Nicole but Sheryl (first to go) will vote for Will. Kent will vote for Will. Bunky will vote for Will.
I can't wait.
1053. Phoenix Rising - 9/19/2001 1:45:54 PM
I'm no Tom DeLay, but by my count that's a foregone conclusion if you are right, Judith. Where is the suspense?
I never watched this one, btw.
How is Julie Chen's career going?
1054. judithathome - 9/19/2001 2:39:27 PM
Not how but where...in the toilet.
1055. glendajean - 9/19/2001 2:42:28 PM
Judith, as I said, I think Bunky will go for Will. I am unsure about Kent. He thinks they're all freaks. And I have no way to figure out Sharon. Nicole beat her out, but Boogie put her up for nomination. She has disclosed that she has breast cancer, diagnosed after she left the house.
Based on the first Survivor, and now this, up front conniving probably works better than I am so sorry that I am stabbing you in the back -- sob, sob -- conniving.
1056. Phoenix Rising - 9/19/2001 4:43:27 PM
If only.....
BB3 - They put Arafat, Sharon, and the other leaders of countries currently in conflict with each other into a house. George II will play the role of Julie Chen.
They backstab. They connive. They snuggle. (shudder)
Much catharsis ensues.
1057. judithathome - 9/19/2001 8:13:30 PM
I've been rather lax in posting "heads up"s lately but most people probably aren't too interested in TV except for the news, anyhow.
However, tonight on AMC at 9:30pm CST they are running On The Waterfront and we all know what that means....it "coulda been ah contendah!"
1058. Phoenix Rising - 9/19/2001 9:02:34 PM
Well, Judith, Americans have been watching more TV than ever. So keep those heads-up coming.
In fact heartless capitalism has already reared its ugly head. I just saw a commercial for Robert Redford's new movie on (of all places) CNN.` It's (the commerical and CNN) all about flag-waving. Lord knows what the movie is about.
Not much later: a commercial for EnerX (some sort of viagra wannabe.) Testosterone everyone!!!
Making money off of the tragedy of the WTC, although capitalistic, seems somehow un-American.
At least to me.
1059. christipeters - 9/20/2001 10:27:11 AM
Did anyone watch the premier of Wolf Lake last night?
I did and I haven't decided whether or not I like it yet. That's an odd feeling. I'm used to having a more definite opinion - liked-it, hated-it, take-or-leave-it, boring....
So, I guess I'll watch it again next week and see if I can make up my mind.
1060. Toenails - 9/20/2001 12:03:48 PM
Making money off of the tragedy of the WTC, although capitalistic, seems somehow un-American.
You're kidding, right?
1061. judithathome - 9/20/2001 1:25:05 PM
I liked Wolf Lake enough to watch it a few more times, depending on what's opposite it. Might be a tape-and-watch-later type show...but it had enough Twin Peaks-ishness in it to pique my interest.
Toe:
I think he was indeed kidding.
1062. Absensia - 9/20/2001 1:30:52 PM
I can't believe what I'm NOT seeing. Buy now I thought the tv shopping channels would be selling bin Laden tee shirts with the caption "Have you seen me?" not to mention all sorts of other things I've seen from e-mails: The Bald Eagle with a tear in it's eye, etc.
1063. Absensia - 9/20/2001 1:31:43 PM
and, Hey Judith! How are you?
1064. Phoenix Rising - 9/20/2001 2:11:12 PM
"Wolf Lake"
One word.
Borrrrrring.
Indeed, I was kidding. War profiteering is as American as the Rockefellers. It's just unseemly.
1065. judithathome - 9/20/2001 2:11:29 PM
I'm fine but there is a storm kicking up here so I may not be around for long, til it passes.
1066. seadate - 9/20/2001 2:17:46 PM
I hope I didn't miss you there, LS.
1067. judithathome - 9/20/2001 2:29:52 PM
Hey, BB!! Howzit!!
1068. judithathome - 9/20/2001 6:19:12 PM
Tonight, if you want to watch a little something before the President speaks to the country at 8pm CST, watch the first half of Catch 22 on AMC...starts at 7pmCST.
And at 9pmCST, for those seven fans of the show left watching, Big Brother is live with their final episode, where we get to watch Will win half a million and Nicole melt into a puddle of goo.
1069. arkymalarky - 9/20/2001 11:34:38 PM
Well, I've taken the plunge. I'm getting a satellite dish with two receivers and 150 channels. No HBO or Showtime. I can't see it being worth it as much as we're gone.
1070. seadate - 9/21/2001 7:51:25 AM
How much couch time warrants 150 channels, sweetums?
1071. judithathome - 9/21/2001 8:40:44 AM
More than you care to invest, hon....
1072. Phoenix Rising - 9/21/2001 9:54:22 AM
Unfortunately, arky, out of those 150 channels, there are about 20 worth watching.
1. History Channel
2. History International
3. FX
4. Discovery Channel
5. CNN
6. FoxSpews
7. BBC America
8. AMC
9. TBS
10. WGN
11. .....
Jesus. I can't even make it to 20 without the premium channels.
1073. Phoenix Rising - 9/21/2001 9:55:47 AM
11. Animal Planet
12. SciFi
13. MTV (Spyder Games and Undressed only)
14. Comedy Central
15. ....
Hmmmmmm
1074. Phoenix Rising - 9/21/2001 9:56:53 AM
15. the Cartoon channels, but only if you have children underfeet, which I don't.
1075. rubberducky - 9/21/2001 10:00:42 AM
you must be joking, PR
any adult can enjoy The Powerpuff Girls or Samurai Jack, or hell, even the old Looney Tunes reruns are good for a laugh every now and again.
get with the times!
1076. Phoenix Rising - 9/21/2001 10:08:16 AM
Matter of attention span, ducks.
Mine is just too short. That's why I like MTV's "soaps". You only have to wait 2 minutes before some hot guy strips off his shirt. Better than porn.
I notice, by the way, you did not contribute to my list.
1077. rubberducky - 9/21/2001 10:17:08 AM
ah - good point, PR.
as for your list, hell, you listed about 10 stations more than i watch already.
one possible entry is is this weird 'christian' channel i get that always seems to have this trailer trash, pink haired bitch on it crying more than tammy faye ever did -- that is always good for a laugh and a nice remembrance of how happy i am that i 'kicked the habit' of organized religion. you may’ve seen it; it’s the one with the phone number to give money that never leaves the bottom right hand corner – but then, what good is a 'christian' channel without pleas for cash?
1078. Phoenix Rising - 9/21/2001 10:21:04 AM
I know exactly the channel you are talking about. That hair is facinating. Best drag queen on TV. I just didn't recommend it because it is not for the faint of heart.
1079. judithathome - 9/21/2001 10:21:15 AM
Guys, please help me! The Mote keeps sending me back to post #1 and the only two threads I can access to the end have been this one and Explore the Internet...I need to get into Technical but it won't go to the end, no matter what I try. Does anyone know why I keep getting sent back to post #1?
1080. rubberducky - 9/21/2001 10:24:19 AM
hmm, no. delete your cookie and re-login, J@H.
PR: you are right of course, you were going more for a general purpose or family friendly list which that sort of channel is never for, imho.
1081. seadate - 9/21/2001 10:57:05 AM
Please don't be so free with your opinion, Ducky. Deletion of one's cookie is a serious matter.
1082. judithathome - 9/21/2001 11:00:17 AM
I have stated elsewhere that the only way I know to delete cookies is to eat them...and they are not on my diet nor in my house so I reset the posts per page and all is fine with my world now.
Except I now crave Milano Mints.
1083. seadate - 9/21/2001 11:01:50 AM
haha
1084. Phoenix Rising - 9/21/2001 11:06:18 AM
I am noticing how many commercials have the NYC skyline as a backdrop.
They make me sad.
I think I will go try to stir up some trouble in the movies thread.
1085. judithathome - 9/21/2001 11:47:43 AM
WEll, Evil Dr. Will won the money last night just as I predicted he would.
I should go into the Handicapping Reality TV Outcomes business.
1086. glendajean - 9/21/2001 11:53:58 AM
You were right, Judith, although wrong on some of the specifics.
Bunky (whose vote was eliminated) voted for Nicole.
Kent looked pretty disgusted with the whole group.
And Mike Boogie is one infuriating jerk. I hope he and Krista have a long and weird life together.
1087. judithathome - 9/21/2001 11:57:47 AM
I realized Bunky wasn't going to vote for Will when I heard his question about charity and Wills answer...which is exactly why Will answered the way he did. He had everyones number in that place and he used that knowledge to choose Bunky as his cancelation vote. You may not like Will but he is one smart cookie.
1088. glendajean - 9/21/2001 12:02:37 PM
Oh, very smart. And perhaps a bit nutty.
The only good thing that I can say about Hardy is that I liked he was often half naked and liked to disply his quite beautiful body. As long as he wasn't talking, he was fun to watch.
For some reason, Boogie pushes my buttons. And Nicole deserved losing. The ones who voted for her should have all cried, said they wanted to vomit, and for love a husband or friend, had to stab her in the back.
1089. judithathome - 9/21/2001 12:48:32 PM
There is a link somewhere to Wills admission of what he was up to from day one...he and his brother planned it all and it was a brilliant strategy.
I hope they use their powers for godd from now on...scary duo.
1090. judithathome - 9/21/2001 12:48:58 PM
good, I mean.
1091. judithathome - 9/21/2001 4:03:52 PM
I'm sure everyone is aware that all the networks are going to be combining efforts tonight in a telethon for the victims of 9/11...
1092. arkymalarky - 9/21/2001 6:01:52 PM
Sea,
I don't know, but when the time changes and the weather gets colder I hope plenty. I think I'm going to like TCM, H&G, TVLand, and a few others in addition to Phoenix's list.
1093. glendajean - 9/21/2001 6:06:44 PM
And Bravo. It's not as good as it used to be, but occasionally there is something worth watching on it.
I have a friend who says that the couple on Trinity Broadcasting Network are aliens who used to watch Jim and Tammy Faye and thought that was a way to take over the world. But they haven't gotten it exactly right. Hence the pink wig and the leisure suit.
1094. judithathome - 9/21/2001 6:24:56 PM
And the bordello set design...
1095. Toenails - 9/21/2001 11:08:42 PM
The telethon was beautifully produced, considering its complexity and the several locales from which performers were seen and heard.
I held up OK thru all the talented-but-nameless performers, only about half of whom I could identify. ...But when Paul Simon came out and sang "Bridge Over Troubled Water," I lost it.
A worthwhile labor of love. I only wish they'd seen fit to flash the names of the performers (and groups) on the screen, for those of us who are not up-to-the-minute in the world of pop music.
1096. christipeters - 9/21/2001 11:36:04 PM
Judith -
I enjoyed the telethon. I also didn't make it through tearless, but that's ok.
I broke down at America the Beautiful, but then I've been breaking down at that song since 1978. That's when we sang it in church choir on base in Germany while they showed a slideshow of beautiful places in the US. It was my first XMas outside the US. Hell, it was my first XMas not at home with my family.
Back to the telethon, I liked the stories in-betweeen the performances as well as the performances themselves.
1097. judithathome - 9/22/2001 9:01:15 AM
I didn't watch the entire thing but I agree with Toes...didn't know a lot of those people performing.
1098. judithathome - 9/22/2001 10:24:51 AM
Things are sort of back to normal on the late night circuit:
Laughing Through the Tears
1099. judithathome - 9/22/2001 12:41:32 PM
Tonight on A&E: Midsomer Murders
1100. Absensia - 9/22/2001 2:12:06 PM
Meee too, and those I did recognize, for the most part looked sooo old. How did they age to much when I didn't? It was a nice gesture...and what were the chances anyone calling in got to talk to any of the celebs manning the phones? They all looked so happy...must have been calls from home or people contributing BIG bucks.
1101. AuNaturel - 9/22/2001 6:39:24 PM
The only part I saw was Tom Petty and then Billy Joel. Petty looked ancient and lacked energy. Joel sang some song I barely recognized and didn't really enjoy.
I wanted to grab them all by their necks and shake them until they did a rousing round of Kum ba ya.
On a good note, all over LA billboards have suddenly sprouted up, all red with a pair of a woman's eyes and the caption "Buffy Lives". There may yet be happiness on television this October.
1102. Toenails - 9/22/2001 7:13:49 PM
Billy Joel has never been a favorite of mine, but I thought he was pretty good last night. And the guy on the sax... Man!
I wondered how many of the "groups" were really groups, and how many were pickup bands, but if the people with Billy Joel weren't hia regulars, they certainly demonstrated some musicianship.
1103. Absensia - 9/23/2001 2:46:32 PM
Is anyone watching the prayer service at Yankee stadium going on right now? So far, it's very good.
1104. joezan - 9/23/2001 10:17:49 PM
Calvin Butts was awesome.
1105. Absensia - 9/23/2001 10:31:20 PM
True, very true. Whole thing choked me up.
1106. Toenails - 9/23/2001 11:04:33 PM
What a pleasure, for the first time in six months, to have to decide, among competing programs on the tube, which one to watch.
'Finally recorded the two-hour comedy nostalgia show while watching the two-hour season premiere of The Practice. Band of Brothers? No problem, it'll be on every few minutes throughout the week.
1107. judithathome - 9/24/2001 10:30:55 AM
I went with Band of Brothers and watched the last hour of The Practice...I knew in about 3 minutes what was going on, anyhow. I had decided last season that this show had jumped the shark and nothing I saw last night convinced me otherwise.
However, it was a nice little portrait of a politician. heh...
1108. glendajean - 9/24/2001 10:48:54 AM
I watched the NYC prayer service yesterday from Yankee Stadium -- actually I watched parts of it in between running a couple of errands.
I couldn't believe how shaken I was when the Irish tenor started singing. I've heard the trio sing that song before, but it really got to me.
1109. PsychProf - 9/24/2001 10:51:51 AM
During the "Tribute to Heros" broadcast, Neil Young accompanied a singer whom I am unable to identify...can anyone help me out, or give me the title of the song?
1110. glendajean - 9/24/2001 10:54:55 AM
He was singing "Imagine" by John Lennon. I am unsure about who accompanied him since there was no identification.
With the straw hat, he looked like Dwight Yoakum playing a piano and singing like Neil Young, so I assume that was Neil young.
1111. PsychProf - 9/24/2001 10:58:35 AM
GJ..no...this person had a "cowboy" hat on, and performed a tune that had lyrics as in "I wish for you today"...sang in the second half of the broadcast.
1112. glendajean - 9/24/2001 10:59:39 AM
That was "Imagine" by John Lennon.
1113. glendajean - 9/24/2001 11:00:28 AM
And Dwight Yoakum has a signture straw cowboy hat. Young was wearing a similar one when he sang Lennon's song.
1114. PsychProf - 9/24/2001 11:04:50 AM
GJ..hahaha...I seem to be confusing you. Young was in the background for this singer. "Imagine" was done earlier.
1115. PsychProf - 9/24/2001 11:09:06 AM
Wabbit sez it was Eddie Vedder...does anyone know the song?
1116. glendajean - 9/24/2001 11:13:46 AM
I am easily confused, Prof. Sorry.
I am afraid I didn't recognize most of the singers.
1117. wabbit - 9/24/2001 11:17:49 AM
Just found this, MSNBC has a page with images of all the performers and the names of the songs they sang.
1118. PsychProf - 9/24/2001 11:21:25 AM
Eddie and Neil... 
1119. Toenails - 9/24/2001 11:56:32 AM
wabbit...thanks for the ID on all the performers. I gather the idea was that they were doing a selfless bit for charity and not self-promotion, but not knowing who was who kind of irritated me.
All I ever knew about Neil Young was that Lynard Skinard didn't like him (evidently, Young said something derogatory, years ago, about the Old South), and insulted him in "Sweet Home Alabama". 'Thought he was pretty good.
1120. judithathome - 9/24/2001 12:16:48 PM
Well, if he ever goes broke, he's got that homeless look down pat.
1121. labwabbit - 9/24/2001 12:22:24 PM
#1119
"Southern Man better keep your head,
Don' forget what your good book said,
Southern change gonna' come at last...
Now your crosses are burnin' fast..
Southern man..
I heard screamin'
And bullwhips crackin'
How long, how long?
1122. Toenails - 9/24/2001 12:28:00 PM
Yeah...I remember "Southern Man" now.
S'funny about "Sweet Home Alabama". The lyric may suck wind, but it's a great tune--almost an anthem.
It's like "Dixie"...you don't have to be With the Program to like the song.
1123. labwabbit - 9/24/2001 12:45:04 PM
"Well, if he ever goes broke, he's got that homeless look down pat."
...better to burn out than to fade away.
Now we all have seen what the needle and the damage done looks like.
1124. judithathome - 9/24/2001 12:54:31 PM
...better to burn out than to fade away.
Don't tell that to old soldiers.
1125. labwabbit - 9/24/2001 1:00:05 PM
...yes...
TELL that particularly to old soldiers.
1126. labwabbit - 9/24/2001 1:01:48 PM
Life can not be worth living, if the only thing you are doing is just trying to stay alive.
[day 9]
1127. judithathome - 9/24/2001 5:27:40 PM
Okay, tonight is the premiere of The Ellen Show on CBS at 8:30pm CST.
At 9pm on NBC, we get to see how well Jill Hennessy makes the transfer from Law&Order to the starring role in Crossing Jordan. This show will going up against the season premiere of Family Law on CBS.
Personally, I think the best bet is on PBS at 8pm CST with the long awaited Evolution.
1128. Toenails - 9/24/2001 5:32:43 PM
Have seen a couple of reviewers who've panned Crossing Jordan...but, surprisingly, Tom Shales likes it.
He's usually pretty reliable. If Shales says it's trash, it's trash. If he likes it, it's only sometimes trash.
1129. Property of Jesus - 9/24/2001 5:38:25 PM
Tom Shales, a short, fat, gay glade himself, likes "Ellen moves to the suburbs" because of the homosexual angle.
Life Partners, etal.
1130. judithathome - 9/24/2001 5:45:38 PM
I don't know if he's a gay "glade" or not but my local TV critic said The Ellen Show goes too far to other extreme and doesn't confront her lesbianism at all and thus makes the show nothing but a lame sit-com that isn't very interesting at all or funny, either.
1131. Property of Jesus - 9/24/2001 5:57:42 PM
Yes, we all want to know about her lesbianism.
Funny, funny stuff, that is...
1132. judithathome - 9/24/2001 6:19:13 PM
No, most people don't want to know...most people allow others to have private lives.
1133. arkymalarky - 9/24/2001 9:29:54 PM
Shallow observation:
Eddie Vedder is fine.
1134. Phoenix Rising - 9/25/2001 8:58:29 AM
The gay glade is in the copse of gay trees just beyond the gay meadow. Dummies.
I wanted to watch "Evolution" on PBS and even got out my old antenna, unhooked the satellite and fucked around with it forever. Then got a very blurry picture of "Antiques Roadshow" GPTV and even worse reception of "This Old House" on PBA.
Adventures in the Telecommunications Act of 1999. Thank you Congress, you fucking whores and sluts, who totally rolled over for the Cable industry and left us viewers with Hobbsian choices.
1135. ozink - 9/25/2001 9:33:37 AM
I don't usually watch comedy shows, but I did watch most of Ellen and it was okay. I'm willing to give it a few weeks because of Ellen and Cloris Leachman. Plus I thought the cotton candy man scene was funny. We'll see.
1136. Property of Jesus - 9/25/2001 9:41:40 AM
"Evolution" was excellent. I sorta identify with Darwin.
1137. judithathome - 9/25/2001 11:16:20 AM
Crossing Jordan didn't do much for me at all...the only crossing I intend to do is off my list of shows to watch again.
1138. seadate - 9/25/2001 11:29:07 AM
I watched more of weakest link last night than I've bothered to endure previously. It was funny watching that Brit bitch pit the Brady Bunch against themselves.
1139. judithathome - 9/25/2001 11:32:43 AM
I love seeing how dumb these celebrities really are...I think the general dumbness of Americans on this show is what makes the "Brit bitch" so smug.
1140. seadate - 9/25/2001 11:40:59 AM
Nah, I think she's just smug. She was mean to Cindy for heaven's sake.
1141. glendajean - 9/25/2001 11:47:45 AM
Did Marsha win?
1142. judithathome - 9/25/2001 11:48:21 AM
See, I didn't even know who those people were because I never watched the Brady show...I knew Florence Henderson and which one played Marcia and the older guy but the rest were a blur to me.
1143. judithathome - 9/25/2001 11:49:13 AM
No, they kicked her out midway...
1144. seadate - 9/25/2001 11:50:21 AM
Nope. The middle boy ... forgot his name. Let's see .... 2nd place - Cindy, 3rd - Mom, 4th - Marsha, 5th - Bobby (I think - he looks different now).
1145. seadate - 9/25/2001 11:51:22 AM
Not that I ever watched the show.
1146. judithathome - 9/25/2001 12:12:43 PM
TeeHee....
1147. seadate - 9/25/2001 12:17:06 PM
My tastes in leisure time activities and my lust for Marsha have matured.
1148. judithathome - 9/25/2001 2:11:35 PM
Tonight is the premiere episode of Philly on ABC at 9pm CST. This is not about recipes using cream cheese but about Kim Delaney getting her own series...
1149. judithathome - 9/25/2001 2:14:03 PM
Over on NBC, a show that just may be about recipes, Emeril and an hour long season premiere of Frasier.
1150. OhioSTOPAS - 9/25/2001 4:30:33 PM
You can't say TV doesn't offer choices.
If at 10:00 tonight I want to watch an hour-long legal drama starring a good-looking actress who used to be on "NYPD Blue", I can take my pick.
1151. judithathome - 9/25/2001 4:32:09 PM
Great observation, Ohio...you can also flip over to CNNs Headline News and catch another one.
1152. OhioSTOPAS - 9/25/2001 4:35:40 PM
Ha! That's right!
Of course, CNN isn't fiction (although some wingnuts might disagree).
1153. Toenails - 9/26/2001 8:12:11 AM
Minority view: The critics I read beforehand didn't think much of "Philly," but I kinda liked the series opener last night.
Maybe it tries too hard to be gritty, but that beats the pablum being served opposite on Judging Amy.
Did anyone else notice that the leading character's law office is evidently the same one used (years ago!) by Mariel Hemingway in "Civil Wars"?...The only thing missing was Debi Mazar behind the receptionist's desk.
1154. ozink - 9/26/2001 4:49:28 PM
I liked "The Guardian" and it has an authentic Pittsburgh look to it. Although I read they just did the outdoor shots for the first episode. Local critic didn't care for the main character, but I liked it and will continue watching it.
1155. ozink - 9/26/2001 4:49:56 PM
I liked "The Guardian" and it has an authentic Pittsburgh look to it. Although I read they just did the outdoor shots for the first episode. Local critic didn't care for the main character, but I liked it and will continue watching it.
1156. ozink - 9/26/2001 4:50:38 PM
Hmm, guess I liked it double.
1157. rubberducky - 9/27/2001 10:26:37 AM
Enterprise on UPN last night was very good. much better than i thought it'd be. you should catch the opener if they rerun it. This could be my favorite series since ST:NG if they keep the quality of this up.
1158. christipeters - 9/27/2001 10:54:43 AM
AAAAARRRRGGGHHHHH!!!!
I can't believe I MISSED Enterprise!
*sigh*
Oh well, it's only TV.
1159. rubberducky - 9/27/2001 11:01:18 AM
yes, but good TV for a change, heh
1160. Toenails - 9/27/2001 11:42:51 AM
Enterprise wasn't half bad, but I kept switching back to Evolution on PBS during the commercials, and found myself missing more and more of the Space Opera in favor of Darwin & Company.
If only they could make education that interesting in the schools.
1161. judithathome - 9/27/2001 12:13:50 PM
I have to run errands for a couple of hours but wanted to ask if anyone sat through Philly the other night? I did and was surprised...it wasn't as bad as I'd feared.
Kim Delaney is the weakest link, however.
1162. AytchMan - 9/27/2001 12:34:16 PM
Back from bolstering the Northern Alliance...
I also watched Philly. I was all prepared to drop the anvil on it at the first commercial but saw Bochco's name on the credits and held off.
I'd give it a C+. As with most of Bochco's stuff, it'll take a couple of weeks to spin up to speed. Then, we'll see.
Delaney was decent. Delaney's future partner is trying too hard although the boink scene with the prosecutor was funny.
Kyle Secor (the detective/hit man) is getting around these days. What other new show was he just on?
1163. Indiana Jones - 9/27/2001 12:38:36 PM
Good to see you, Aytch.
Were you bolstering the Northern Alliance with VCRs, DVD players, and satellite hookups?
1164. AytchMan - 9/27/2001 12:44:54 PM
Hey, Indy--
Nah, I've been teaching them how to convert soy extract into 120mm artillery shells. I've loaded up on soy futures since the recent market bath. If this pans out...
1165. AytchMan - 9/27/2001 12:59:56 PM
In case anyone hasn't heard (and on the off chance that anyone cares), Professor Lowbrow wishes to report that the location for Survivor 4 has been moved from Jordan to Tahiti.
1166. Phoenix Rising - 9/27/2001 1:44:57 PM
They should move it to Afghanistan. I would love to see what the Taliban would do with someone like Jerri.
I watched "Enterprise" and then the segment of "Evolution" on sex.
Yes, I now get UPN. All the TV experts in here just let me wallow in my ignorance. It took the guy at Radio Shack to point out to me that my dish receiver has a little jack on the back where I plug in my antenna. Then I just hit the "tv" button on my sattelite remote. Voila!
Anyway, "Enterprise" was pretty good. However, I had to cringe all through the "gel scene". Could it have been any more tastelessly exploitive? Hell, why not have them strip down completely? I think America is ready for soft core porn.
Also the cute beagle puppy does not bode well...
Whatever. Woo Hoo! I can get Buffy!
1167. Toenails - 9/27/2001 2:01:10 PM
Kim Delaney is the weakest link, however.
...Maybe so, Jude, but as long as "Philly" continues to feature the retreating form of Kim striding away in high heels and miniskirt, I think I'll keep tuning in.
1168. rubberducky - 9/27/2001 2:12:38 PM
what's wrong with the beagle? Data had a cat
1169. judithathome - 9/27/2001 2:59:36 PM
Toe...you don't think her legs are too skinny? I thought so but then, I always liked her in tailored pants on NYPD...
Hman, Kyle Secor was the baddie on Crossing Jordan this week...
1170. judithathome - 9/27/2001 6:06:30 PM
New tonight on CBS is The Agency which I just cannot imagine is going to be anything but laughable.
Given that the stars come from such heavyweights as Ally MacBeal, Diagnosis: Murder, Apples Way, and thirtysomething, I'm not expecting full gravitas.
1171. judithathome - 9/27/2001 6:09:17 PM
On NBC, it's the full-funny-before-Friday or something with premieres of Friends, Will & Grace, Just Shoot Me and a new show called Inside Schwartz.
1172. Toenails - 9/27/2001 6:33:52 PM
Doesn't it seem that there is an increasing number of retread performers on network television dramas and comedies?
I know it's never been unusual for an actor eventually to appear on a second, or even a third, series as a regular, but my impression is that in these times, you need a scorecard to keep up with who's who...and where who is now.
Now I look at even the most obscure 4th banana on a new show and say, "now, lemme see, she was on...what was it? ...Maybe that Revlon commercial? Or was it Hallmark Hall of Fame?"
1173. judithathome - 9/27/2001 6:43:51 PM
Boy, you aren't kidding...I chalk it up to the movie industry. They are making far more juvenile movies and there's just no where for these people over a certain age to go.
1174. Toenails - 9/27/2001 6:56:29 PM
Toe...you don't think her [Kim Delaney's] legs are too skinny?
...In the immortal words of (the evidently equally immortal) Bob Hope, "She's got just the kind of legs I like -- one on each side."
1175. mgleason - 9/27/2001 7:42:57 PM
RD,
I enjoyed Enterprise, too. Those Squigglies (I forget what they're called) made thoroughly good bad guys, but the interior of the ship wasn't cheesy enough. I'm a traditionalist!
Christi,
I think they're re-running the first episode a few times before the next one.
1176. rubberducky - 9/28/2001 9:21:26 AM
MG:
Ripley and i were thinking that what will happen is this 'hive' of ships that was seen in the opener could be the beginnings of the Borg. which would be too cool for school if that's what they are doing, no?
1177. Phoenix Rising - 9/28/2001 5:31:17 PM
"what's wrong with the beagle? Data had a cat"
Where cute puppies boldly go, cute kids are soon to follow. We are talking ST Next Generation cute.
"but the interior of the ship wasn't cheesy enough. I'm a traditionalist!"
Yea, but the exterior looks like a '57 Chevy which is pretty cool.
1178. judithathome - 9/28/2001 5:34:23 PM
So is anyone going to watch the trash offering from Fox tonight?
Pasadena ...it's being hailed as the next Dallas. Damning with distinct praise, to be sure.
1179. mgleason - 9/28/2001 6:58:00 PM
Great minds, RD. Your Uncle Eddie made the same observation.
No Fox for us; we're on an SF kick this weekend, J: Blade Runner, Stargate, and The Fifth Element.
1180. Toenails - 9/29/2001 7:41:46 AM
I thought Thieves was kind of silly, although some might like the nonstop action.
'Sorry now that I didn't watch the season opener of the other thing--the Italian Girl in Colletch.
Once and Again was, once again, nuanced and quite believable. And once again, I thanked my lucky stars I've only had one marriage, one set of kids, etc. etc.
1181. OhioSTOPAS - 9/29/2001 8:56:41 AM
I saw most of "Thieves" and liked it (it is a silly premise though, isn't it?). John Stamos was very good as a fast-talking thief and con man, even though his resemblance to George Clooney in "Out of Sight" was distracting. Melissa George, as his all-business, ass-kicking partner, was very good also (not that this dirty old man would care if she wasn't). Not a show worth staying home for, but worth watching if you are.
1182. judithathome - 9/29/2001 10:45:26 AM
Don't know who watches Politically Incorrect but here is an interesting take on the recent brouhaha concerning Bill Mahers remarks on 17 September.
1183. OhioSTOPAS - 9/29/2001 10:54:33 AM
The criticism of Maher is hypocritical because no one complained when conservative pundits called our conduct of the Kosovo/Serbia conflict "cowardly" (for several examples, see www.dailyhowler.com, Sept. 22 "edition").
1184. judithathome - 9/29/2001 10:55:30 AM
Well, I think free speech is becoming costly these days, Ohio.
1185. judithathome - 9/29/2001 11:52:37 AM
Tonight is the season opener of Saturday Night Live; it will be interesting to see how they handle the loss of half their material.
1186. judithathome - 10/1/2001 12:53:30 PM
I didn't think SNL was very funny, frankly.
Watched Law & Order: Criminal Intent and thought Vincent D'Onofrio MADE the show; talented lad, that.
1188. Toenails - 10/1/2001 1:05:59 PM
I wish I'd tried Law and Order III. It couldn't have been worse than the foolishness on ABC--Wonder Woman meets MOSE (Master Oriental Spyguy from Evil) and triumphs, following unscheduled orthodontia.
When you know in your heart, that no spy, anywhere, anytime, anysex, in all of Human History, has ever done anything remotely similar to that depicted, it's safe to say they've gone too far.
1189. christipeters - 10/1/2001 1:08:02 PM
mgleason - Yep! I caught Enterprise this weekend. I liked it a lot. I think I will be watching a lot of TV this season. Some of the shows I like are on at the same time - thank goodness for VCRs!
1190. mgleason - 10/1/2001 1:13:38 PM
Well, I've now watched four new dramas (not counting Enterprise): Crossing Jordan, The Agency, L & O: Criminal Intent, and UC: Undercover.
I liked Jordan, probably because of my penchant for Quincy, but while it has potential, the writers have a long way to go if it's going to be a contender.
The Agency did a good job of portraying the naïveté with which our intelligence services seem to view the rest of the world, but the sub-plot involving the deceased brother of one of the agents doesn't bode well. I hope it doesn't turn into a Fugitive/X-Files.
D'Onofrio wins the James T. Kirk Overacting Award for the week, basically playing Edgar from MIB as a xenobiologist studying the alien Terrans. Courtney B. Vance deserves a bigger role, but they'll have to rein in D'Onofrio.
UC is shaping up to be another Wiseguy. BTDT.
1191. Toenails - 10/1/2001 1:16:58 PM
And as for "Max Bicker," I give him just one more week to cease and desist the nonstop, one-note paeon to petulance, directed as it is toward any and every biped with whom the insufferable lead character interacts.
One week to develop some complexity and nuance in Max's character, before I hit the "off" button forever.
1192. judithathome - 10/1/2001 1:25:46 PM
Maria, I liked D'Onofrio last night...agree about Vance, however.
Toe:
I knew from the ads that Alias was gonna blow.
1193. mgleason - 10/1/2001 1:33:28 PM
J, I like D'Onofrio, and think he's a gifted actor, but he's not an unselfish one. He threw off the internal balance of the show, and I don't see Dick Wolf putting up with that for too long.
1194. judithathome - 10/1/2001 1:42:21 PM
I must be dense because I didn't see that aspect of it.
1195. mgleason - 10/1/2001 1:57:58 PM
Hey, can I help it if you have a thing for extraterrestrial cucarachas? ;-)
1196. judithathome - 10/1/2001 1:59:53 PM
Heh...my husband still refers to him as the "bug guy".
Did you recognize the female lead?
1197. mgleason - 10/1/2001 2:03:21 PM
She was in Oz, right? What's with the bad hair, btw?
1198. judithathome - 10/1/2001 2:06:55 PM
Must run in the family...she's married to Terry Kinney, also of Oz. (I like the way you do BOLD; think I'll steal it!)
1199. janjon - 10/1/2001 2:13:12 PM
Happened to watch the newest Law and Order spin-off last night. Ultimately, this show will be a bore, unless they quickly come up with ways to make it more of a cat and mouse game between the criminal and the D'onofrio character. As it was, you got a bit of his being very smart and observant (picking up on the girl's twitching her nose when 'giving it up' - yeah, right) and then in a monologue spelling out in detail what was motivating the bad guy. All of this interspersed with the second cop (the woman) playing dumb and dumber. "Gee - should I really have seen that?"
The plot had a couple of novel twists (well, novel for me - but I don't really watch much t.v., let alone cop shows). But, maybe the twist of planting the thought that the girl's boyfried had AIDS because he'd been bonking another of the bad guys isn't a twist these days.
I like d'Onofrio, but....
1200. judithathome - 10/1/2001 2:15:57 PM
picking up on the girl's twitching her nose when 'giving it up' - yeah, right)
Not to be picky but it was the girl sucking her finger which he identified as her "tell"...but he called it her "blink".
1201. janjon - 10/1/2001 2:19:14 PM
sucking her finger? how sexy.
yccch.
at any rate, the thing will probably persevere because (a) NBC has a deal with Dick Wolf whereby it must persevere) and (b) it is probably not any worse than most of the other crap out there.
1202. Toenails - 10/1/2001 5:09:09 PM
I was loath to go for the new L&O because I thought last year's L&O "SUV" (as my spouse calls it) was sleazy and simplistic and only a distant, somewhat embarassing relative of the original show. The third version sounds, actually, more promising than the second, but I wasted my time on Spurious instead. (Or was that Alias?)
1203. judithathome - 10/1/2001 5:18:22 PM
Give the L&O franchise entry a try next week, Toe...it's better than SUV...I call it that, too.
1204. Toenails - 10/1/2001 5:27:12 PM
Anybody else keeping up with Band of Brothers? It's not bad, but I'm a little disappointed in it so far, as it seems to be mostly strung-together battlefield skirmishes with not-a-whole-lotta character development in between.
I get it that the one captain, there, is a prince among men, but at least to date, there's not much goin' on, there.
Some guys have shot particular Germans and felt bad about it afterward. The Germans, though, stayed just as dead.
'Good enough to keep watching, but it ain't exactly high art.
1205. judithathome - 10/1/2001 6:16:00 PM
It may not be high art but if you'd gone to visit the museum at Bastogne with your dad who'd fought there, you'd think it was pretty special, Toe.
1206. Toenails - 10/1/2001 8:28:06 PM
My dad was in the Air Transport Command -- Egypt, Turkey and Iran. There used to be a little ditty in the ATC's honor:
Take that star out of the window, Mother
Your son's in the Air Transport Command
Not exactly Bastogne, there.
1207. judithathome - 10/1/2001 9:29:12 PM
As far as I'm concerned, anyone who served and returned is a hero.
1208. Phoenix Rising - 10/2/2001 9:02:27 AM
I am finding "Band of Brothers" remarkably balanced and restrained. Something I thought not possible from Speilberg and Hanks.
Some of the gore is just too much and after awhile too gratuitous for even me. But again, I think they are taking a very balanced approach. I think it comes through loud and clear that these are just average guys who would rather be doing just about anything else but who rose to heroism because the occasion called for it.
For one, I am glad that the producers/directors/actors have not taken the easy outs. This could have so easily degenerated into the schlocky melodrama that was "Saving Private Ryan".
It may still. But I can't wait to see the next episode which will evidently focus on what happened at Bastogne.
1209. Phoenix Rising - 10/2/2001 9:06:30 AM
"Angel" is off to a rocking start. But am I the only one who was gleeful when Cordy broke out in boils? I love when bad things happen to snotty little girls.
The scene between the Hellfire Demon and Angel epitomized what makes this show so excellent. It is all about the dialog and the writing.
1210. Toenails - 10/2/2001 9:32:17 AM
I'd appreciate an Adult Guide to the teen-witch/vampire/horror/sci-fi genre on TV. I've never dedicated so much as a half hour to any of these shows (except for an ancient interest in the original version of Star Trek). I am gradually groking that a few of these series may actually be worth a look -- but I don't want to waste time on all of them.
Which ones have Redeeming Social Value? Good acting? (Or is that too much to ask?) Never mind recommending the Alyssa Milano thingie--I can tell from 500 miles away that I wouldn't like that one.
1211. mgleason - 10/2/2001 9:40:31 AM
Watched Crossing Jordan again. More cool autopsy stuff, less personal life, dammit!
1212. Toenails - 10/2/2001 9:47:54 AM
If Jordan's gonna exhibit her navel every week, she'd better start working out more. 'Little flabby, there, for a 30-something.
Still, if she wants me, she can have me.
1213. Phoenix Rising - 10/2/2001 10:03:54 AM
nails: If it is hot alien sex you are after, you can't beat "Roswell".
If you just want snappy oneliners and some cool dialog, then either "Angel" or "Buffy".
The rest is second rate. or third rate. or worse.
1214. Toenails - 10/2/2001 10:35:23 AM
Thanks, Phoen. I'll check them out and report back. Is Buffy the one that's changed networks? Do you know if they've retained the same writers?
You seem to know me pretty well. "Roswell" probably is the most likely to appeal to me. (I actually lived in New Mexico back in those times...but I never saw any aliens. ...except a few illegals from Mexico.
1215. Phoenix Rising - 10/2/2001 10:51:44 AM
Buffy is on UPN tonight at 8:00 pm EST. A two hour opening episode. Here is Joyce Millman's synopsis from "Salon":
"Buffy the Vampire Slayer (8 p.m., UPN) begins its new season on its new network with a two-hour episode. Willow and Tara have moved into the Summers' house and are taking care of Dawn; Xander and Anya have a secret; Willow has retooled
the Buffybot to masquerade as the Slayer; Giles is feeling guilty and useless; Spike is overprotective of "Little Bit"; Willow is
planning a dangerous resurrection spell and Buffy is rotting in her grave. And that's just the first hour.
To bring you up to speed:
Willow and Tara are lesbian witches who are increasingly powerful.
Dawn (aka The Key)is Buffy's little sister and is really a supernatural being who can open the portal to the demon dimensions.
Xander and Anya are bf/gf and Anya is an ex-demon.
Giles is Buffy's Watcher
Spike is an evil vampire who had a chip put into his head. Now he just wants to be bad.
Buffy is the Slayer and she is now dead.
The Buffybot is a robot that looks like Buffy that Spike had made as part of his unrequited love for Buffy.....
Actually, none of it makes sense. But the writers (who are all back) are spot-on in skewering all of the really silly things about American culture.
1216. Toenails - 10/2/2001 10:56:04 AM
'Sounds as if it's gonna be a challenge to catch up.
1217. Phoenix Rising - 10/2/2001 11:11:03 AM
Not really. But if you want to, catch Buffy reruns on FX at 7:00 pm M-F. Tonight's episode is "Angel" which is the pivitol episode where Buffy and Angel fall in love and Angel reveals to Buffy that he is really a vampire.
I didn't really start watching Buffy until the latter half of last season (Season 5) and I caught on pretty quick to what was going on. And that was the middle of the whole Ben is Glory, Glory is Ben thing. Very confusing, at first.
1218. judithathome - 10/2/2001 11:12:22 AM
I'm going to link this discussion to the front page; maybe we'll draw in some Buffy fans.
1219. PsychProf - 10/2/2001 11:42:15 AM
If able, I enjoy Practice reruns on FX.
1220. judithathome - 10/2/2001 11:43:48 AM
I'd rather watch the reruns of the earlier shows than last years episodes...I think the quality of that show plummeted in the last year.
1221. Toenails - 10/2/2001 11:51:10 AM
Despite being a lawyer, I am generally not at all hypercritical of the scripts employed in lawyer or cop shows. Tolerance is high, skepticism low.
But The Practice breaks so many rules, so thoroughly makes a hash of legal principles, legal ethics, legal anything, that my tolerance is broken, my limits reached and breached.
'Kinda like Eugene, though. When they use him (and they never use him enough) the show takes on a tiny mote of gravitas.
1222. judithathome - 10/2/2001 11:55:45 AM
I love Eugene...
Yes, I nearly had a cow on the season opener when the lady being questioned repeated what she had heard while listening at a closed door...why wasn't that hearsay or whatever it's called? On Law & Order that would've brought an objection!:-)
1223. Ms. No - 10/2/2001 12:10:06 PM
My roommate called me into the living room last week and told me to sit down because she had some very. bad. news.
very bad news, indeed.
It seems that despite living in the heart of the world's television and film capital and despite having DirectTV which provides something like 980 channels worth of stuff I generally don't want to see and despite the fact that it's a major network channel
WE DON'T GET UPN!!!!!
We now must trek to the dreaded Valley every Tuesday night to get our dose of Buffy. This may prove to be the most valuable aspect of my roommate's fiance: his TV gets UPN.
1224. Ms. No - 10/2/2001 12:14:11 PM
Hey Phoenix,
When did Angel premiere? last week or before that? I caught it for the first time this season last night and had a couple of disappointments. First off was that Fred has joined the cast apparently permanently. She has the potential to really bug me. I'm reserving judgement on her for a bit.
What I'm incensed about is that freakin' Darla is still around. Can we please oh please oh please just slaughter that vicious bitch? I thought we were well and truly rid of her last season----the entire cast hates her, the crew hates her, I hate her. What more is needed?
1225. Phoenix Rising - 10/2/2001 12:17:51 PM
No: I discovered that there is an antenna jack on the back of every satellite dish receiver. Get an antenna at Radio Shack. The good ones sell for less than $20 or $30 but you can get even cheaper ones.
Plug the coaxial cable from the antenna into the back of the receiver, hit the "TV" button on the satellite remote, and adjust the rabit ears for reception.
I find that the reception is pretty good and now easily switch to regular over-the-airwaves TV to get my fix of UPN and PBS.
1226. Ms. No - 10/2/2001 12:20:20 PM
Oh, very cool! Thanks for the tip!
1227. Ms. No - 10/2/2001 12:23:09 PM
Wait, I'm plugging the antenna into the back of the receiver box on top of the television, right? Not plugging the antenna into the back of the satellite dish itself.
1228. Absensia - 10/2/2001 12:49:50 PM
This is a great site...you think of a tv show or movie and the site tries to guess the one you've chosen. Check it out
1229. PsychProf - 10/2/2001 1:26:24 PM
Abs...very interesting. The site was able to correctly indentify "Northern Exposure"....
1230. Absensia - 10/2/2001 1:27:38 PM
Well, PP, once it knew it was you, it knew you had to be thinking of Northern Exposure. Hahaha
1231. Phoenix Rising - 10/2/2001 1:31:58 PM
No: I discovered that there is an antenna jack on the back of every satellite dish receiver. Get an antenna at Radio Shack. The good ones sell for less than $20 or $30 but you can get even cheaper ones.
Plug the coaxial cable from the antenna into the back of the receiver, hit the "TV" button on the satellite remote, and adjust the rabit ears for reception.
I find that the reception is pretty good and now easily switch to regular over-the-airwaves TV to get my fix of UPN and PBS.
1232. Toenails - 10/2/2001 1:35:19 PM
I tried "Naked City" and it couldn't find the answer, but it's possible some of my answers to the site's questions might have been incorrect.
1233. Absensia - 10/2/2001 1:38:16 PM
Hmm, I don't know enough about "Naked City" to try.
1234. Phoenix Rising - 10/2/2001 1:45:38 PM
What's with the double posting????
No: Yes, plug the antenna into the back of the receiver box which sits in some proximity to your television. Not necessary to climb onto the roof to reach the dish itself.
"Angel" premiered last week on 9/24/2001. Darla showed up only at the very end of the episode. The very last shot was of her getting up from a barstool and turning profile to show that she had a bun in the oven. Last night's episode did not really add to that except to imply that Angel is the daddy.
The real estate attorney from W&H showed up briefly last week too threatening to forclose on the Smuckbait Arms.
The thrust of the story was Angel killed a female vamp that wore a heart shaped locket. Turns out she and her bf were from Angel and Darla's past and Angel pissed off the bf really bad by killing the girl. Seeking revenge, the boyfriend vamp went and had a surgury whereby he sacrificed his heart in exchange for being temporarily invincible. Stakes, sunlight, fire couldn't touch him. However, the invincibility was only temporary and he redied in the end.
It was a so-so opening. Last night's really rocked.
1235. Ms. No - 10/2/2001 1:48:29 PM
Yeah, I don't know if I answered all the questions correctly, but apparently the movie I was thinking of---The Emerald Forrest has only been guessed 4 times anyway.
1236. don s. - 10/2/2001 2:07:39 PM
For some reason I was able to catch the premiere of "Crossing Jordan." Obviously an attempt to catch the "CSI" wave be replacing Quincy with a sassy, hot chick. When the contrivance became more and more obvious, the whole enterprise seemed bankrupt. I doubt I'll bother with this in the future.
Caught the premiere of "Angel" but missed last night's (?) installment. This show is growing on me.
"The Weakest Link" is fast becoming a favorite. The show last night was funny, but the one with Bradys was great. Christopher Knight ("Peter") was burly and sexy, god help me. On the other hand, there were no studs among last night's sitcom has-beens.
Watched the repeat of "Enterprise." My attention started to wane once I got a good look at the new ship. Yes, the "gel" scene was fairly blatant. And I, too, would love to see that puppy eaten by some kind of enormous interstellar microbe or something.
Otherwise, my TV has been tuned to baseball.
1237. Phoenix Rising - 10/2/2001 2:11:27 PM
ha ha ha!
That site is much fun. If you answer "No" to every question, it starts getting frustrated with you and starts asking questions such as:
"Are you in a mental institution?"
"Are you just hitting "no" over and over again for the fun of it?"
I answered "No" to the last one to. The questions go to infinity as nearly as I can tell.
1238. don s. - 10/2/2001 2:11:53 PM
smacks forehead
Almost forgot: the best thing I've seen recently was the final two installments of Ric Burns' New York City documentary. Jeez, didn't they play the first five chapters, like, two years ago?
mgleason, I was thinking of you and The Power Broker the whole time.
1239. don s. - 10/2/2001 2:12:31 PM
Phoenix, quit taunting the website.
1240. don s. - 10/2/2001 2:13:36 PM
BTW, it took 17 questions to guess "Fawlty Towers." I may have thrown it off by my assessment that Torquay didn't qualify as a "city."
1241. Ms. No - 10/2/2001 2:15:06 PM
At least the Crossing Jordan chick doesn't resemble a comotose Grouper-fish unlike the blonde on Profiler.
Not that I'll be watching either show.
I can fill you in about last night's Angel if you want. Looks like there'll be a recurring character from it who poses a threat to all things Angelic even if we don't know what that threat is yet.....unless it's death by pouting and glaring. The new guy is quite a looker.
1242. Ms. No - 10/2/2001 2:16:22 PM
How many times have you gotten the question:
Is sunlight dangerous to you?
1243. Phoenix Rising - 10/2/2001 2:16:45 PM
The same thing happens when you answer "Yes" to every question, except there is an end...
"is your mom the lead role?"
"Does God heal?"
"I guess that you are thinking of you were pressing "yes" just for fun! Am I right?"
If you answer "Yes", game over.
1244. don s. - 10/2/2001 2:19:34 PM
Ms. No
If it wouldn't be too much trouble, I would appreciate an "Angel" recap. Thanks!
1245. Phoenix Rising - 10/2/2001 2:20:00 PM
"The new guy is quite a looker."
Indeed, he is. He looked so yummy all naked and crispy!
I no longer miss Lyndsey.
1246. don s. - 10/2/2001 2:24:21 PM
Guess the movie/tv show, second round:
It wasn't easy, but I won this time. You are player number 2 to have chosen Queen Margot. Queen Margot was a tough one, but I've had a lot of practice. Thanks for giving me something to do. Please visit again soon.
1247. mgleason - 10/2/2001 2:25:25 PM
Well, it didn't guess Black Sunday.
1248. mgleason - 10/2/2001 2:27:21 PM
It did ask a very strange question out of the blue, however: Does it involve fishing and midgets? which I read as: Does it involve fisting and midgets? Not that I can think of any movie involving either option, of course.
1249. Ms. No - 10/2/2001 2:30:26 PM
ROTFLMAO!!!!
Good Lord, Maria, I don't think even our company archives have anything like that!
1250. Phoenix Rising - 10/2/2001 2:30:27 PM
The porn version of "Austin Powers, The Spy Who Shagged me" perhaps....
1251. Absensia - 10/2/2001 2:34:02 PM
(Wondering if you REALLY typed in Black Sunday
1252. mgleason - 10/2/2001 2:34:03 PM
I did laugh maniacally at the question, Ms. No.
Good answer, Phoenix Rising. I was thinking of a remake of Freaks.
1253. mgleason - 10/2/2001 2:35:26 PM
Oooh, Absensia! I watched it just yesterday, evil one.
1254. Absensia - 10/2/2001 2:37:06 PM
(Smirk)
1255. Phoenix Rising - 10/2/2001 2:41:42 PM
Ha Ha Ha Ha!
Well, there you have it, I was wrong again. I was positive that you were thinking of Ma Vie en Rose! But you are far too clever for a puny computer like me. Now you can go and tell everyone while I sit here and try to put the pieces of my crumbled existence back together. You can help me with one thing, though. If you tell me the name you were thinking of, and give me a good yes/no question, then I will be able to guess it right next time. Wouldn't that be nice? But please, try to pick a general question that would be answered "yes" for some TV Show or Movie names and "no" for some others.
The question I gave it was "Is the movie set in Australia?"
1256. Phoenix Rising - 10/2/2001 2:53:11 PM
Then the sucker goes and cheats!
"I notice that what looks like your entry Head On appears 3 times in my database and has been guessed a total of 3 times.
This is what's already in my database:
Howdy Doody Time
HOOTENANNY
Head On
And this is how you answered my questions:
Are you thinking of a TV show? No!
Are there any robots? No!
Were there aliens? No!
Does it involve the military? No!
Does it involve sports? No!
Do kids tell campfire stories? No!
Are you thinking of a comedy? No!
Are you thinking of a Western? No!
Does you main character have an abusive husband? No!
Is the main character gay? Yes!
is the innocent man accused of murder? No!
Does the movie feature a drag queen? Yes!
Does the main character have problems with his mother? No!
Are all of the characters in the movie gay males? No!
Was the movie set in Georgia? No!
Is it in English? Yes!
Is Tori Spelling in this movie? No!
Is the movie about glam rock in the 1970s? No!
is the main character a pot smoking professor who is helping one of his students? No!
is it a musical? No!
Was the movie based on an urban legend? No!
is one of the characters' nicknames butterfly? No!
Is it an Andy Warhol movie? No!
Does the movie involve hatred toward gays? No!
Does it have the christian hore? No!
Does it have a horny monkey with no genitalia in it? No!
Is the main character an overzealous feminist? No!
is it a porno? No!
Is Mandy Moore a snobby popular girl in it? No!
Does it involve a bank robbery? No!
does hilary swank pretend to be a boy in this movie? No!
Head On
1257. Phoenix Rising - 10/2/2001 2:55:19 PM
"If you are still certain that you answered the questions correctly, please go ahead and enter your question. Otherwise, I guess that I won after all!
Note: If you add something stupid to our database, we will first erase the entry and then ban you from playing again. No one wants that."
Ari had problems with his father, but not really with his mother.
I have no idea who Mandy Moore is, but there wasn't a snobby popular girl in "Head On"
What is a christian hore???????
Maybe that's where I went wrong.
1258. Ms. No - 10/2/2001 2:57:47 PM
Here ya' go, don: 1259. Ms. No - 10/2/2001 2:57:55 PM Angel wins and takes the mystery guy out of the Demon Demension. He agrees to hand the guy over only if W&H get their hacker to undo Cordie's wounds. They do so. Angel turns over the pouting, glaring mystery guy and then before all the W&H baddies can leave Angel chucks a length of girding-iron through the window of the limousine and spears the hacker right through his pulsing blue brain. Cordy is safe and we're ready for episodes with the new mystery guy.
ANGEL Episode 10/01/01 "That Vision Thing"
(much better without the titles if you ask me)
SPOILERS
So you may or may not know that Cordelia's visions have been getting progressively stronger and taking more out of her. In this epsiode, however, her visions are giving her physical wounds. She has a vision about a beast with five claws and ends up with her skin layed open. She has a vision about a cankerous slime-monster and her skin bubbles up in reaction to the slime. She has a vision about a hell-fire and her skin crisps up with 3rd degree burns. Additionally as the gang responds to the "call" of each vision they're picking up different magical items.
Angle enlists the aid of our Demon Karaoke Psychic to sort of "trace the call" she's getting from the Powers that Be when the visions hit. Turns out they're not from the PTB at all but are from a psychic "hacker" employed by Wolfram & Hart.
Angel immediately pays a midnight visit to the offices of W&H's resident bitch and turns over the magic items in an attempt to have her call of her psychic hacker. She informs Angle that she has a little job which he must perform: he has to go into the demon demension and retrieve a man imprisoned there.
Angel goes to the DD where he meets Skip the Demon who is the jailor of this mystery man. Angel and Skip chat find it unfortunate that although they both work for the PTB they must fight over this prisoner and then proceed to beat the crap out of each other.
(cont)
The cliffhanger takes us to a cave where some kind of swami is throwing bones to see the future. Darla shows up and tries to get him to tell her how she can possibly be pregnant and what is she pregnant with. The swami tries and fails to discern what her baby is so Darla decides that she must make a visit to "Go see the Daddy" which we are all led to believe is Angel.
End of episode.
Frankly, I'll be disappointed if it turns out to be Angel's kid since vampires are sterile. It's that whole being dead thing that gets in the way of their sperm count. However, Darla was human for most of last season and she was living with Lindsey and he did have a major thing for her so maybe that's what happened.
1260. Ms. No - 10/2/2001 2:58:15 PM
Whew. Sorry for the long white post.
1261. judithathome - 10/2/2001 3:00:42 PM
I'm going to link this game to the butter bar on the right...
1262. Ms. No - 10/2/2001 3:01:08 PM
I stumped it with The Serpent and the Rainbow which only one other person had ever tried to get it to guess. It did guess with that person so I must've answered something wrong, but I gave it the question "Does it star Bill Pullman" since I figured that was more general than "Does it have a voodoo priest" or "Does the hero get cozy in a coffin with a big hairy spider".
1263. mgleason - 10/2/2001 3:04:00 PM
It's not doing well with The Crossing Guard, so I expect the fisting question any time now.
1264. judithathome - 10/2/2001 3:14:39 PM
I beat it with Happy, Texas.
1265. mgleason - 10/2/2001 3:22:30 PM
Heh! Are you trying to trick me?
1266. Phoenix Rising - 10/2/2001 3:24:59 PM
I beat it with "Those Who Love Me Can Take the Train."
It thought I was thinking "Trick". Yea, there are two movies that have a lot in common!
1267. judithathome - 10/2/2001 3:25:22 PM
Does it involve a parakeet with its head chopped off?
1268. PsychProf - 10/2/2001 3:29:23 PM
I'M KEEPIN AN EYE ON YA HOMIE 
1269. Ms. No - 10/2/2001 3:29:25 PM
That could be Fabulous, yes?
1270. PsychProf - 10/2/2001 3:33:41 PM
NO, NO
1271. Ms. No - 10/2/2001 3:37:13 PM
How do you know, Fartsworth? I'll be PP didn't let you see that part of the movie just in case it upset you too much.
1272. Phoenix Rising - 10/2/2001 3:37:40 PM
This is too easy. I beat it with "Beau Travail" and I even answered that yes, it is a love story after about a hundred questions.
1273. don s. - 10/2/2001 3:41:00 PM
I beat it with "Nostalghia," though it did guess "Stalker," which is a different Tarkovsky film.
1274. judithathome - 10/2/2001 3:41:33 PM
This game is infuriating...I went all the way through it and it answered incorrectly and my question at the end was "way too long"!
1275. Ms. No - 10/2/2001 3:41:57 PM
I wonder if it does foreign films.
hmmmm....let's see if I can stump it
1276. judithathome - 10/2/2001 3:43:03 PM
"Beau Travail"
Sounds pretty foreign to me....
1277. don s. - 10/2/2001 3:43:39 PM
Ms. No, thanks for the recap!
1278. PsychProf - 10/2/2001 3:44:59 PM
Neat program...I wonder how difficult it is to design it.
1279. don s. - 10/2/2001 3:45:37 PM
I've tried nothing but foreign films, and so far it's guessed one, missed one and missed a third one that I'll have to call a draw since I may have answered a question incorrectly: it thought that "The Wicker Man" was "The Graduate"!
1280. Phoenix Rising - 10/2/2001 3:46:05 PM
I beg your pardon! "Beau Travail" is in the universal language of love. Besides, it is mostly a silent film.
1281. Ms. No - 10/2/2001 3:49:15 PM
Well, certainly not with Betty Blue.
1282. Ms. No - 10/2/2001 3:50:31 PM
Don,
Quite welcome. I couldn't get it to guess The Changeling so maybe 70's horror/suspense films aren't its forte?
1283. mgleason - 10/2/2001 3:50:40 PM
Does it have a talking parrot?
1284. Phoenix Rising - 10/2/2001 3:57:31 PM
"Does it have violent gorillas?"
I think the program designers may be spelling challenged. I was going down the "does it involve the military?" line of questioning for "Beau Travail" when I ran into that one.
Violent gorillas? Definitely not.
Violent guerrillas? Maybe so.
1285. arkymalarky - 10/2/2001 3:59:10 PM
We interrupt your regularly scheduled Moting to announce:
I HAVE 150 CHANNELS!!!
All those wasted years I could have been channel surfing. Only now do I really understand what quality living can be!
See y'all after the Munsters is over!
1286. Phoenix Rising - 10/2/2001 4:00:38 PM
TVLAND claims another victim.
1287. judithathome - 10/2/2001 4:06:53 PM
"The Wicker Man" was "The Graduate"!
You must have answered one or two questions really wrong, Don!
1288. don s. - 10/2/2001 4:11:03 PM
Wow. It guessed "Batman" for "I, Claudius."
It's now obvious that this whole site somehow knits together questions that were submitted by users based on wrong guesses. And some of the submitted questions (like the illiterate one that PhoenixRising quotes) are pretty spotty. The multitudinosity of authorship would also explain the questions that are posed as if the user is the movie or TV show (e.g., "Is sunlight dangerous for you?" is obviously an attempt to suss out a vampire movie).
1289. Phoenix Rising - 10/2/2001 4:13:06 PM
"Well, I win this round. You are player number 14 to pick Dragnet, and what a clever choice it was! You almost had me for a while, but you let your guard down. Don't worry, it happens to all of
us sooner or later. Please play again, and next time I'll be ready for you, Dragnet."
But only because I answered that yes it is based in a police station, which is technically not correct.
1290. don s. - 10/2/2001 4:17:07 PM
judith ... it's possible. It's been a long time since I've seen "The Wicker Man." (However, I plan to pick up the recently released DVD....)
1291. judithathome - 10/2/2001 4:25:31 PM
Don...that movie scared me to death!
1292. Ms. No - 10/2/2001 4:39:33 PM
I'll never forget it simply because KurtMondaugen describes it as the movie "Where Brit Ekland grunts her slot on a doorknob."
man, I miss Mondaugen.
1293. don s. - 10/2/2001 4:43:39 PM
I've spotted KurtM around the TT Movies Refuge @ worldcrossing.
1294. Phoenix Rising - 10/2/2001 4:48:39 PM
Sorry, but I don't know how to link here.
From the online AJC:
By STEVE MURRAY
Atlanta Journal-Constitution Staff Writer
The time has come to out myself: I'm a total freak for "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." Go ahead, send me e-mails. I'm used to the blank stares and barely suppressed smirks when people learn my not-so-secret vice. Hey, I feel sorry for 'em. They've been missing out on one of TV's best series.
Tonight, "Buffy" returns with a two-hour season starter on a new network, UPN. The episode is an ambitious bridge from last year's cataclysmic plotting, which had Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) gain a kid sister (sort of), lose her mother and earn the amorous attention of snarky vampire Spike (James Marsters). Oh yeah, she also sacrificed her own life, thoroughly earning the epitaph on her tombstone: "She Saved the World a Lot."
At tonight's start, Buffy is still dead, her robot duplicate is on the fritz, monsters on motorcycles are torching Sunnydale, and witch-in-training Willow (Alyson Hannigan) is getting a little too good at spellcasting. Even so, the reliably self-absorbed demon-turned-human Anya (Emma Caulfield) thinks that now is just the right time to tell the Scooby Gang about her engagement to Xander (Nicholas Brendon).
In other words, it's business as usual in a series that has demonstrated a breathtaking ability to balance scary and satire, switching tonal gears in seconds. Long before "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," "Dark Angel" and the latest variant, "Alias," "Buffy" popularized kick-butt girl-power. But it's far more than an action show.
(Continued)
1295. Phoenix Rising - 10/2/2001 4:49:04 PM
In the past two seasons, the series has generated one of television's creepiest hours ("Hush") and one of its most emotionally shattering ("The Body," centering on the death of Buffy's mom). And since its March 1997 debut, it's earned exactly one major Emmy nomination (and no win), for creator Joss Whedon's writing.
That's all I need to know about how out-of-touch those voters are.
In the same way that the "Star Trek" series have wrapped cultural analysis within the science fiction genre, "Buffy" gets good mileage from its supernatural trappings. Its mix of teen angst and magic have let it touch on such serious issues as loss, bereavement and sexuality, including the sensitive treatment of Willow's romance with shy classmate Tara (Amber Benson).
Tonight's episode ups the ante as Sunnydale becomes a much more volatile place. The unsettling, ambivalent expression in Buffy's eyes in its final scene suggests that nothing will ever be the same. But from episode to episode, it never was. That's what makes the series so addictive. It can grow up and be silly at the same time, mixing the playful and the profound.
In short, it's a kick but also has (sorry) bite. Or, as the verbally haywire BuffyBot says tonight, "That'll put marzipan in your pie plate, bingo!"
1296. Phoenix Rising - 10/2/2001 4:53:03 PM
I think BuffyBot may have been watching Jack Nicholson in "Batman".
1297. Ms. No - 10/2/2001 5:14:37 PM
Thanks for the article. I freakin' love that show.
I am now calling friends to find a place to watch it tonight since the roommie's fiance is having a theater rehearsal at his apartment tonight so we can't watch there.
1298. Webfeet - 10/2/2001 5:23:20 PM
At the risk of getting egged by you prime time fans-- what you really should have watched was Ric Burns' documentary 'New York' on PBS last night.
The sight of the twin towers looming over the Manhattan skyline gives the series a tragic edge, tying the events of September 11th eerily into the script, even though it was completed well in advance. It's magic and haunting, a masterful, and unforgettable tribute. At times it almost sounded like a brilliant eulogy, but I may be projecting.
Well, back to buffy the vampire slayer!
1299. judithathome - 10/2/2001 5:32:47 PM
Webbie:
I am going to tape the entire series when they rerun it; I have a "thing" about getting them all together when PBS does one of these series like this. I've done Civil War and Jazz and I always do Masterpiece Theatre the same way.
1300. Toenails - 10/2/2001 11:37:47 PM
The Philly Frenetic was at it again tonight. Jeez, I retired to get away from all that angst, overbooked schedules, bad judges and ugly clients.
'Makes me weary, just sittin' and watchin'. (And was anybody surprised when Wifey Client got waxed at the end?
1301. concerned - 10/2/2001 11:58:07 PM
Re. 1300 -
What kind of toenails are you: little piggies or kosher?
1302. don s. - 10/3/2001 12:37:16 AM
???
Uh-oh, it must be happy hour at Chez TommyD.
1303. concerned - 10/3/2001 12:51:38 AM
Re. 1302 -
Here's dons, the foot fungus.
1304. don s. - 10/3/2001 1:03:35 AM
Don't forget to pitch the empties in the recycle bin, T.D.
1305. concerned - 10/3/2001 1:17:31 AM
Why don't you post some more pictures of your buddies?
1306. judithathome - 10/3/2001 9:54:40 AM
Hey, guys...all flirting should go to the Sex thread.
1307. mgleason - 10/3/2001 10:01:42 AM
New York is outstanding, but I'm a sucker for its history.
One good thing about the dearth of good network shows is that I have more time to spend with the treasures from my local video store's huge PBS collection.
1308. judithathome - 10/3/2001 10:10:46 AM
Okay, Philly is off my list; the only reason I gave it another chance was because I was interested in Phil Marr...kept expecting him to break into his UPS man routine.
We watched Scrubs and enjoyed a few cheap laughs...
I don't think I've ever seen such a lean and fruitless season of new shows.
1309. Toenails - 10/3/2001 10:16:41 AM
1310. Toenails - 10/3/2001 10:17:37 AM 1311. judithathome - 10/3/2001 10:32:34 AM I liked the change in the Doc who suddenly turned into Satan. 1312. glendajean - 10/3/2001 11:07:51 AM Scrubs appears to be in the line of that old HBO series where the punch lines were illustrated by movie clips. Narration is big now -- they use it alot in S and in the Sisters sitcom. 1313. judithathome - 10/3/2001 12:18:56 PM I tried to watch Bob Patterson 1314. Toenails - 10/3/2001 12:34:21 PM 1315. judithathome - 10/3/2001 12:39:48 PM Oh, I definitely like it...didn't at first, last year, but I've warmed to it. 1316. Toenails - 10/3/2001 12:42:15 PM 1317. Ms. No - 10/3/2001 12:48:46 PM Favorite line from Buffy last night. 1318. Toenails - 10/3/2001 1:35:22 PM 1319. Phoenix Rising - 10/3/2001 1:44:25 PM That was the *only* line from Buffy last night worth remembering. 1320. judithathome - 10/3/2001 1:54:32 PM Well, be careful who you throw that word at...Wallis Simpson was very wrong: you CAN be too thin! 1321. AuNaturel - 10/3/2001 2:03:50 PM Buffy is back, but it looks like they need to work on it a bit. I didn't care for the biker bit. I couldn't figure out why there wasn't gunfire all over the place, only once the distant wail of a police siren. Not to mention all the privately held guns. 1322. Ms. No - 10/3/2001 2:04:37 PM Yeah, I can't say that last night's premeire did much for me either. It didn't help that we were watching it through snow trying to effect the perfect squint to make the images resolve. 1323. Ms. No - 10/3/2001 2:07:32 PM I know that Anthony Stewart Head is going back to the UK so that he can be with his family more often (he's been on the show for, what? five years? Why didn't he bring them out?) but my roommate said she thought the BBC was going to launch "The Watcher" with him heading up that cast. 1324. janjon - 10/3/2001 3:45:15 PM not knocking the show, since I have never seen it. 1325. Ms. No - 10/3/2001 4:01:06 PM Janjon, 1326. judithathome - 10/3/2001 4:02:10 PM It IS rather funny, isn't it? "Of all the vampires and all the evil in the world today, you have to walk into..." 1327. Toenails - 10/3/2001 4:11:52 PM If you think all this talk of vampires sounds strange to the uninitiated --try reading the exchanges here about the various "survivor" participants, if you're not a fan of that particular array of weirdos. 1328. judithathome - 10/3/2001 4:21:22 PM Oh yeah...thanks for reminding me. How about I make a SubThread discussion for the next Survivor show which starts with a special introducing the contestants this week, I do believe? 1329. Phoenix Rising - 10/3/2001 4:24:16 PM M.No, you are dead-on about Spike. Since when did he become such a wuss? In the last big fight scene, he did more cowering than fighting. His only cool moment (in an entire 2 hours) was when he casually lit the cigarette while Giles was in dire distress. That and the "cuppa tea..." line. 1330. judithathome - 10/3/2001 4:26:21 PM Well, if I do this, I'll need to know HOW to do it....MsNO...Help! 1331. Phoenix Rising - 10/3/2001 4:28:13 PM I must, however, in all fairness note that UPN has bellied up to the bar when it comes to hot lesbian sex.... 1332. Ms. No - 10/3/2001 5:35:29 PM Phoenix, 1333. judithathome - 10/3/2001 5:45:55 PM Now that I think about it, maybe we should wait on the sub thread until we see if there is any interest in Survivor: Africa here at all...I hear people are tired of reality TV these days. 1334. Toenails - 10/3/2001 8:23:49 PM 1335. Phoenix Rising - 10/4/2001 7:56:03 AM I have a feeling that "Survivor: Africa" is going to be rather pale compared to "Survivor: Afghanistan" which should be up and running soon 24/7 on CNN. 1336. uzmakk - 10/4/2001 8:30:36 AM I like the Dell computer commercials with the kid in them. 1337. uzmakk - 10/4/2001 8:40:48 AM btw, judith, the only reason that you would recommend Lapsang Souchong tea unsweetened and uncreamed is because you have never tried it that way.. 1338. mgleason - 10/4/2001 9:02:50 AM If last night's West Wing was the product of a clean and sober Aaron Sorkin, then it's obvious he needs the occasional toot. I knew from the title, Isaac and Ishmael, that it would be heavy-handed, but I didn't expect to be bludgeoned with a cast iron skillet by the staffers in the Mess. How much more interesting it would have been to follow the reactions of the cast to a perceived threat, where they actually had to take action instead of moralize. Ah, well, talk is, as they say, exceedingly cheap. (Including this, of course.) 1339. Toenails - 10/4/2001 10:14:30 AM Yes, West Wing is sanctimonious to the point of absurdity. Time to retitle it Left Wing. (I'm a lefty myself, but not in the mood for pablum at the moment.) 1340. judithathome - 10/4/2001 11:05:03 AM btw, judith, the only reason that you would recommend Lapsang Souchong tea unsweetened and uncreamed is because you have never tried it that way.. 1341. judithathome - 10/4/2001 11:06:54 AM We taped West Wing and will be watching it tonight; I thought at the time they mentioned doing this special "prequel" to the premiere show that it was a mistake. 1342. glendajean - 10/4/2001 11:16:44 AM judith -- we taped it, too. I'll probably watch it tonight. 1343. thoughtful - 10/4/2001 1:25:49 PM The worst part was watching Katie interview a critic about the show on the Today show this a.m. The critic said it was overdone and he felt like he was being treated like the high schoolers in the show...Katie, in her usual objective manner "asked" questions like, "But didn't you think the show handled this very difficult topic well?" "Don't you agree that the show raised a lot of good questions?" Of course the fact that NBC aired the show and pays her salary has nothing to do with the fact that she countered every negative remark by the critic with a positive one of her own. 1344. thoughtful - 10/4/2001 1:27:18 PM I started watching and taped the rest of "Inside the Actors Studio" on Bravo with Jack Lemmon...what an actor! 1345. uzmakk - 10/4/2001 1:28:26 PM Generally speaking, so do I Judith, but cream and sugar makes a surprizing confection in this case. My whiskey I like watered. Straight, the flavor is too compact and I have trouble differentiating things. I like my molecules well spread. 1346. judithathome - 10/4/2001 1:34:52 PM I like sipping whiskey and don't drink much of it, anyhow...in concoctions or on the rocks or watered, I tend to drink more so I just sip it straight. Like cognac or brandy... 1347. judithathome - 10/4/2001 1:35:30 PM I will try the tea with C&S, just to be fair. 1348. Ms. No - 10/4/2001 1:39:50 PM Phoenix, 1349. PsychProf - 10/4/2001 3:08:47 PM James Van Der Beek is a family friend and his series "Dawson's Creek", debuts for the season on 1350. uzmakk - 10/4/2001 4:07:29 PM Judith: 1351. Phoenix Rising - 10/4/2001 4:22:56 PM Judith: As the hostess with the mostess, you should not be encouraging off-topic nonsense, that alone participate in it. 1352. judithathome - 10/4/2001 5:33:01 PM As the hostess with the mostess, you should not be encouraging off-topic nonsense, that alone participate in it. 1353. arkymalarky - 10/4/2001 6:53:51 PM Bob and I watched our first movie together on the new satellite. It was so romantic. The movie wasn't great, but interesting and somewhat odd at points--"Teaching Ms Tingle." Kind of like the high school students' version of "Nine to Five." 1354. judithathome - 10/4/2001 7:03:30 PM I'm so glad we've finally lured in to our web, Arky! 1355. mgleason - 10/4/2001 7:12:15 PM Tonight I give The Agency one more shot. I am not sanguine. 1356. judithathome - 10/4/2001 7:14:28 PM We're going to watch tapes from last night...WW and L&O. 1357. Toenails - 10/5/2001 9:18:27 AM 1358. Toenails - 10/5/2001 9:24:01 AM 1359. judithathome - 10/5/2001 10:45:45 AM I agree...I am weary of all this tiptoeing around and now they are using the attacks as an excuse for promiscuous sex. What next? Bad hair day because of the attacks? 1360. Toenails - 10/5/2001 10:45:48 AM If you're like me, what the critics say about a debuting television show is pretty -- well -- critical. I may give a show they've panned a brief look, but frequently I'll trust my favorite critics when they tell me that New Show X really sucks wind. 1361. judithathome - 10/5/2001 10:48:33 AM I watched the second episode last night after enjoying the first last week...evidently I forgot to mention it last week so I guess it didn't bowl me over but I like the commentary from the sports guys and the lead guy who plays Schwartz is pretty good. 1362. judithathome - 10/5/2001 10:49:28 AM I think Scrubs is about the only sure fire new sit-com, though. 1363. Phoenix Rising - 10/5/2001 10:53:27 AM dear Judith: 1364. judithathome - 10/5/2001 11:28:01 AM Phoenix: 1365. PsychProf - 10/5/2001 11:30:32 AM Phoenix...word has it that Jack gets his share off screen. 1366. mgleason - 10/5/2001 11:30:41 AM I liked the second episode of The Agency better than the first. I'm keeping a wary eye on the 'your brother didn't have to die' stuff, but so far it doesn't seem to be turning into a big distraction. 1367. judithathome - 10/5/2001 11:50:57 AM 'your brother didn't have to die' 1368. mgleason - 10/5/2001 11:56:35 AM Yep. I'm leery of a Fugitive/X-Files/Wiseguy effect. 1369. christipeters - 10/5/2001 12:29:01 PM I think part of the new Buffy season will deal with her trauma over waking up in her coffin. I predict Dawn will turn into rebellious get-into-trouble teenager providing complications. Remember, she started out last season as a typical pain-in-the-ass little sister. I also predict that Willow will be having problems from getting a little too cocky with the magic. 1370. christipeters - 10/5/2001 12:31:28 PM LD and I are addicted enough to Buffy that we will be taping it next week while we are gone. 1371. mgleason - 10/5/2001 12:55:06 PM Have a fantastic time, Christi. I can't think of anyone who deserves it more. 1372. judithathome - 10/5/2001 1:01:20 PM Okay, so tell me: who is staying home on Saturday night to watch UC: Undercover? Or at the very least, taping it? 1373. mgleason - 10/5/2001 1:13:30 PM I watched it last week, but I won't be here tomorrow, so we'll be taping it. I want to see the guy from The Mummy! 1374. mgleason - 10/5/2001 1:17:50 PM Hey, wait, that looks like the episode I saw last Sunday. What gives? 1375. Ms. No - 10/5/2001 2:58:00 PM Christi - Have a great trip!!! 1376. judithathome - 10/5/2001 3:02:11 PM Maria...I missed it already? Shoot. 1377. mgleason - 10/5/2001 3:04:36 PM From the link, it looks like they're re-running last Sunday's episode, J. I know I saw it on Sunday night. 1378. judithathome - 10/5/2001 3:06:59 PM Maybe the link is old....was it good enough to bother with? See, I don't think I'd like Alias but this one looked good to me. 1379. mgleason - 10/5/2001 3:13:12 PM It was OK, a little over-the-top Wiseguyish for my taste, but I'm going to watch it again to catch The Mummy guy. 1380. Absensia - 10/5/2001 3:22:10 PM Judith, 1381. judithathome - 10/5/2001 3:23:15 PM Sure...where is it?:-) 1382. judithathome - 10/5/2001 3:59:51 PM Right now, it's on the butter bar! 1383. Toenails - 10/5/2001 5:05:01 PM 1384. judithathome - 10/5/2001 5:07:34 PM No problem...I have mastered linking! 1385. AytchMan - 10/5/2001 5:19:36 PM The congenitally-dedicated Professor Lowbrow shall conduct the Third Annual (Sort Of) Survivor Pool (Groan) in the near future. 1386. Absensia - 10/5/2001 8:14:03 PM Thanks Judith. I didn't know where it was. Ms. G mentioned it, and I knew anything had to be better than tv. guide. 1387. judithathome - 10/7/2001 9:36:25 AM I watched UC: Undercover and was so disappointed. One of the things I was most curious about was Oded Fehr or whatever his name is...unfortunately, I was in the kitchen for about the first 4 minutes of the show and missed him altogether, if indeed he was even ON the show. It is a two parter which finishes up tonight and I frankly don't give a hoot...Oded or not. 1388. judithathome - 10/7/2001 9:37:47 AM than were used... 1389. AuNaturel - 10/7/2001 2:11:33 PM I just couldn't get frightened by Glory. I couldn't take her seriously. Maybe if she'd worn less clothing.... 1390. AuNaturel - 10/7/2001 2:12:29 PM I just couldn't get frightened by Glory. I couldn't take her seriously. Maybe if she'd worn less clothing.... 1391. AuNaturel - 10/7/2001 2:14:03 PM oops... 1392. Toenails - 10/8/2001 6:46:15 AM 1393. judithathome - 10/8/2001 8:59:05 AM Amazing that they were all shot inside an enormous airplane hanger. 1394. Toenails - 10/8/2001 10:24:03 AM 1395. judithathome - 10/8/2001 10:32:22 AM Well, sorry, but how did you think they maintained all that snow and bitter cold without the cameras freezing up? It didn't bother me to know at all...I was just amazed at how authentic they made it look. 1396. judithathome - 10/8/2001 10:33:26 AM And speaking of which, the detail on this show is phenomenal...the dried blood on the nurses fingers was extremely realistic looking. 1397. Absensia - 10/8/2001 10:35:58 AM Errr, thanks. And here I was, just thinking about breakfast. ; 0 1398. judithathome - 10/8/2001 10:41:46 AM It's called the special effects diet, Abs. 1399. Toenails - 10/8/2001 10:54:55 AM ...the dried blood on the nurses fingers was extremely realistic looking. 1400. judithathome - 10/8/2001 11:00:38 AM Toe, I don't think it was real blood. 1401. Absensia - 10/8/2001 11:05:52 AM Special effects diet? Hey, it works for me!! 1402. judithathome - 10/8/2001 11:14:25 AM The most special effect is how slim you look after only a week on the diet! 1403. judithathome - 10/8/2001 7:46:51 PM Worth mentioning tonight on A&E.... 100 Center St. at 8pm CST. 1404. Absensia - 10/8/2001 7:53:55 PM Thanks, re the diet...*preening* and for the A&E notice. I will check it out. 1405. HollyW - 10/8/2001 9:29:14 PM "In a heartfelt tribute to New York's firefighters, EMS and police, Third Watch breaks format in an unforgettable new episode. Don't miss this powerful premiere on October 15th at a special, earlier time 1406. Toenails - 10/8/2001 11:30:05 PM 1407. judithathome - 10/9/2001 10:03:48 AM It was on last season and did a great job 75% of the time. Last night was one of the better episodes and I suspect it was indeed due to Sidney Lumet being both writer and director. 1408. Ms. No - 10/9/2001 12:44:59 PM What was up with that Angel epsisode???? 1409. Ms. No - 10/9/2001 12:47:12 PM Oh, and what could have been a nice little tribute to Men In Black was handled so badly it just looked like a special effect thrown in to take our minds off how bad the script was. 1410. don s. - 10/9/2001 2:05:24 PM Umm, I was frustrated, too. What happened to all of those juicy plot points from last week? Darla? Mystery man? 1411. Ms. No - 10/9/2001 2:27:48 PM Yes, exactly. I'm fond of the stand alone episodes----Hush was perhaps the finest of all of them----but early in the season they really could have done better to keep going with the larger plots. 1412. Phoenix Rising - 10/9/2001 2:39:05 PM Well, count me in. "Angel" was definitely off to a great start, then fizzled like a placebo in a Viagra clinical trial. 1413. Ms. No - 10/9/2001 3:00:25 PM Phoenix, 1414. Absensia - 10/9/2001 3:13:58 PM Ohhhh, let me know when the shower scene is broadcast!! 1415. Phoenix Rising - 10/9/2001 3:26:46 PM Well, I never equated that perfect moment of happiness with an orgasm. But then, that's just me. 1416. Ms. No - 10/9/2001 3:34:33 PM Phoenix, 1417. Ms. No - 10/9/2001 3:37:57 PM Explainse - the language of exposition 1418. Phoenix Rising - 10/9/2001 3:49:52 PM hmmmmmmm. A constant rock-hard erection and no desire to use it? 1419. judithathome - 10/10/2001 10:32:30 AM Not that anyone cares anymore but Emmys May Be Broadcast From Military Base 1420. Phoenix Rising - 10/10/2001 10:33:21 AM "Buffy" - eh. 1421. Phoenix Rising - 10/10/2001 10:34:52 AM Get back to us, Judith, when the Emmys pulls its head out of its collective ass and starts at least giving nominations to the stuff that deserves it. 1422. judithathome - 10/10/2001 10:35:56 AM If I wait that long, I may never post again. 1423. Phoenix Rising - 10/10/2001 11:00:40 AM In fairness to "Buffy", the scene between Buffy and Spike was great. Well written and well acted. However, it just seems strange sitting there all by itself. 1424. Phoenix Rising - 10/10/2001 11:03:25 AM Oh, and post away O Homey One. So, the Emmys will be putting on a fashion show at a military base. I wonder who will be wearing see-through camoflage? 1425. rubberducky - 10/10/2001 11:03:46 AM nice twist, but a lame episode 1426. rubberducky - 10/10/2001 11:04:17 AM Buffy, that is -- natch 1427. judithathome - 10/10/2001 11:06:33 AM I flipped over to that scene and I still just don't get it...that cadaverous blonde guy just sat there. Is that the "well acted" part? I admit Buffy did well; I guess unless you know all the back story and have seen these people grow as actors, it's easier to be less than impressed. 1428. Phoenix Rising - 10/10/2001 11:16:46 AM Well, the backstory is simply: 1429. judithathome - 10/10/2001 11:19:28 AM I'm not as concerned for Spikes fangs as for his hipbones...they must be lethal. Has he always been that emaciated? 1430. Phoenix Rising - 10/10/2001 11:23:38 AM He's a vampire that depends on the dumpster at the Sunnydale blood bank. I guess emaciated would come with that territory. 1431. judithathome - 10/10/2001 11:27:38 AM Maybe he joind the Actors Studio... 1432. judithathome - 10/10/2001 2:03:10 PM 1433. judithathome - 10/11/2001 11:49:12 AM So, did anyone else resent the way West Wing tried to be Memento last night? 1434. bubbaette - 10/11/2001 12:03:51 PM Does the new Survivor start tonight? 1435. judithathome - 10/11/2001 12:06:28 PM Yes, it starts tonight and I think people will tune in in droves for some mindless, escapist entertainment. I think I'm suffering from Grief Burnout, myself...I'm sure I'll be branded as pinko commie scum for saying so, though. 1436. rubberducky - 10/11/2001 12:14:44 PM i'd only watch it for the 23 y/o hottie 1437. judithathome - 10/11/2001 12:20:46 PM Do you mean the Dallas bartender? 1438. judithathome - 10/11/2001 12:21:52 PM Or the other bartender? He IS a cutie! 1439. rubberducky - 10/11/2001 12:22:47 PM either one, but i was talking about the 'str8' one 1440. judithathome - 10/11/2001 12:41:59 PM Silas...yeah, he's the one! 1441. Toenails - 10/11/2001 12:43:19 PM West Wing's time-shifts and scene-shifts last night had me so confused that I thought I had fallen asleep and awakened in a failed Fellini. Still, when it all wound down, it turned out that it didn't matter a whit in what sequence all that came before was supposed to have been perceived. 1442. judithathome - 10/11/2001 12:50:12 PM I was somewhat disappointed in the show last night. I don't care who is made to look like a screw-up, I just want a tad of coherence in the show and that didn't happen last night. 1443. janjon - 10/11/2001 1:25:25 PM West Wing was too cute for words last night. precious is another word that comes to mind. pretentious is another. All that repeated silliness about getting a poll out on the ground. All the little tidbits for the various characters. Almost like seeing a pilot, instead of a show in its third year. 1444. janjon - 10/11/2001 1:26:33 PM ugh. throw for through. one again too many. 1445. don s. - 10/11/2001 1:35:19 PM So, did anyone else resent the way West Wing tried to be Memento last night? 1446. rubberducky - 10/11/2001 1:38:17 PM yes, but Slaughterhouse 3 did it best and years earlier 1447. judithathome - 10/11/2001 1:39:20 PM Well, Mr. Picky, not everyone remembers Slaughterhouse 5 and you knew what I meant, anyhow...it's only TV, after all, not high art. 1448. don s. - 10/11/2001 1:46:18 PM Sorry, judith. Didn't mean to get your dander up. Though I guess it's incredibly easy to do around here. 1449. judithathome - 10/11/2001 1:57:06 PM I never know when to use those little ;-)s around here, either...hate to risk further ridicule. I'd rather use one of :-) than a (g) myself because they mean the same thing and both are rather cheap, anyhow, but some think there is less dignity in a ;-) than a letter surrounded by ( ). 1450. AytchMan - 10/12/2001 3:01:18 AM Survivor returns. Yeow. 1451. AytchMan - 10/12/2001 3:08:35 AM We'll start the Third Annual (Sort Of) Survivor Pool (Groan) after the fourth show (12 contestants left) if anyone lives that long. 1452. rubberducky - 10/12/2001 9:32:49 AM what, no thread? 1453. rubberducky - 10/12/2001 10:16:19 AM and the 2nd show bits the dust: 1454. judithathome - 10/12/2001 10:36:15 AM I don't know how anyone could be surprised about that show being cancelled...despite the fact that Joan Cusack has a fan base and is a beloved actress in Hollywood, she was dreadful in this show 75% of the time. It was also totally unbelievable...the lead guy was not very comically inclined and really adorably cute but he never fit in with the gawky, quirky Joan. 1455. glendajean - 10/12/2001 11:21:46 AM aytchman -- I had the same reaction about starting a fire. I would think somebody would have practiced their skills at this by now before they got to the location. And yes, it was dumb to start the fire at one spot then run over to another where the kindling is located. 1456. judithathome - 10/12/2001 12:10:57 PM The animal and native shots are really outstanding, though. That shot of the cheetah just "chillin'" while they all raced around trying to make fire was really great! 1457. bubbaette - 10/12/2001 3:16:02 PM I'd expected the cherry and bean-eatin guy to get the ax first, but it made sense to get rid of the bean-eatin postal worker who passed out at the first challenge. 1458. Phoenix Rising - 10/12/2001 3:19:15 PM I didn't watch any TV last night. 1459. Property of Jesus - 10/12/2001 3:29:32 PM Felix ille tamen corvo quoque rarior albo. 1460. rubberducky - 10/12/2001 3:32:29 PM well, in most any break down when it's me against others, i'd go after the postal workers first ... 1461. Phoenix Rising - 10/12/2001 3:57:29 PM No way, no how, PoJ. 1462. judithathome - 10/12/2001 3:59:13 PM intersection of Ceder Springs and Oak Lawn. 1463. Absensia - 10/12/2001 4:23:17 PM No, Judith, he's not trolling, he is a troll. Like the ones under the bridge in "Billy Goat's Gruff," just trying to stir up trouble. 1464. AytchMan - 10/12/2001 5:24:30 PM glenda-- 1465. bubbaette - 10/12/2001 5:28:59 PM If I were engaged in the game, I'd read up on everything I could get my hands on about survival skills, native foodstuffs, H20 purification, animals indiginous to the region, etc. 1466. judithathome - 10/12/2001 5:34:35 PM No kidding, and bring chapstick as my luxury item! 1467. Absensia - 10/12/2001 5:36:13 PM I've never seen this show. What can they bring with them? 1468. judithathome - 10/12/2001 5:39:28 PM Clothes and not much else...supposed to be allowed one luxury item but Goat Farmer Tom decided that meant a racoons penis. What can you say after that? 1469. wabbit - 10/12/2001 5:42:24 PM ...oosik... 1470. don s. - 10/12/2001 5:42:55 PM What can you say after that? 1471. Absensia - 10/12/2001 5:43:38 PM Er, Goat farmer Tom? Okay, what network, what time, and I assume it's on Thursdays? 1472. don s. - 10/12/2001 5:43:52 PM wabbit, there's such a thing as too many memories. 1473. wabbit - 10/12/2001 5:45:01 PM Ah, don s, I can't tell you how pleased I am that someone else remembered! 1474. AytchMan - 10/12/2001 5:47:27 PM I think they have to submit a list of five candidate luxury items. I'm not sure whether the producers pick one from the list or just approve the items and let the player choose. 1475. Absensia - 10/12/2001 5:50:04 PM It's on Thursday? And one of the networks, not HBO? 1476. AytchMan - 10/12/2001 5:55:57 PM Thursdays on CBS at 8e/7c. 1477. judithathome - 10/12/2001 6:00:05 PM Oh boy...we've snared Abs over to the dark side! 1478. glendajean - 10/12/2001 6:21:39 PM I remember when Judith didn't have cable. (speaking of crossing over to the dark side) 1479. Absensia - 10/12/2001 6:24:09 PM Woo hoo..thursdays at 8...pacific time too. 1480. bubbaette - 10/12/2001 9:14:48 PM I don't much like Goat Farmer Tom who strikes me as a loud-mouthed red-necked bigoted yahoo. Of course he'd have to be from Virginia. Rudy from the first show and Marily Mad Dog on the second show were also from Virginia. I protest the way Survivor is sterotyping Virginians through their contestant selections. 1481. judithathome - 10/13/2001 10:31:14 AM Meanwhile, we get Colby abd Brandon... 1482. judithathome - 10/14/2001 1:26:49 PM Did anyone watch HBOs Shot In The Heart last night? I smooth forgot it was on.... 1483. Property of Jesus - 10/14/2001 1:39:05 PM Anyone going to watch the new "Gilligan's Island" TV movie tonight? Got a great review in the Wall Street Journal. 1484. arkymalarky - 10/14/2001 1:41:46 PM Ever the GI fan, I'll be there with bells on. 1485. judithathome - 10/14/2001 1:45:31 PM Arky...I know you're kidding but if not, I beg you to reconsider and watch band of Brothers. 1486. Property of Jesus - 10/14/2001 1:46:07 PM I was always a big fan of Mrs. Howe. 1487. Property of Jesus - 10/14/2001 1:48:58 PM What an outragious thing to do, judy. Especially to make arky feel guilty about watching Gilligans'. 1488. Property of Jesus - 10/14/2001 2:06:33 PM Surviving Gilligan's Island: The Incredibly True Story of the Longest Three-Hour Tour in History 1489. arkymalarky - 10/14/2001 2:50:01 PM I don't have any of the premium channels, Judith. We're still not home enough to make them worth paying for, except maybe Starz, which does seem to have a lot of good movies. 1490. Property of Jesus - 10/14/2001 2:59:04 PM Of course the TV show did, but not the tonight's excellent special. 1491. judithathome - 10/14/2001 3:03:05 PM Arky: 1492. Property of Jesus - 10/14/2001 3:13:42 PM Good decision, moderator. Arky is write the analysis of the program and I will read it. 1493. Property of Jesus - 10/14/2001 3:16:08 PM Has anyone read the Bob Denver auto bio? Or, seen him in dinner theatre recently. 1494. Property of Jesus - 10/14/2001 3:19:20 PM Actually, the more I think about it the more I see Gilligan's Island as being an early Survivor. Interestingly, both are CBS programs. 1495. CalGal - 10/14/2001 3:23:33 PM Reading back on the West Wing comments, I thank Toe for mentioning the "let's have the chick fuck up again" aspect. Although one would think that the press would realize that she wasn't speaking for the President, but herself. So shouldn't the fuckup be that she would be so insensitive, not that the president thought any such nonsense? 1496. CalGal - 10/14/2001 3:27:10 PM Is anyone still watching Band of Brothers? The second and third episodes have been the strongest thus far, but all of them have been solid, if not as gripping as I expected. 1497. Erin R. - 10/14/2001 3:32:03 PM I don't have cable here, but I'm sure they will rerun, so I'll have to catch the episodes later. I think I've seen three episodes. Anyone else dead? 1498. CalGal - 10/14/2001 3:40:59 PM None of the major characters are dead. Tonight's episode is going to be grueling, though (I've read the book). 1499. judithathome - 10/14/2001 3:43:43 PM I don't understand why it was even commented on, inaccurately or not 1500. Erin R. - 10/14/2001 3:44:55 PM I kept waiting for them to bump off the redhead, or that good-looking dark-haired guy who killed all those German POWs in the second episode. And what a surprise to see David Schwimmer (I think that's the actor's name) come back! 1501. CalGal - 10/14/2001 3:54:38 PM Judith--well, as you were told at the time, it was not even remotely like the movie. A bit like asking folks if a comedy of manners reminded people of an SNL episode. 1502. Erin R. - 10/14/2001 4:05:11 PM He is the Lt. His hair is red, is it not? 1503. Erin R. - 10/14/2001 4:05:56 PM You seem to have a better eye for Star Trek trivia that I do. 1504. Erin R. - 10/14/2001 4:08:16 PM Hey, is anyone watching the new L&O? I like it, but I'm trying to figure out how so many people from Oz wind up on L&O. 1505. CalGal - 10/14/2001 4:10:46 PM Oh, you mean Winters? He's not a lieutenant anymore. He's fine. And Winters wasn't in Star Trek: First Contact, it was the Buck Compton character. (He was the guy who got Borged when theyh were trying to free the saucer). 1506. judithathome - 10/14/2001 4:14:21 PM People that were in the old episodes of L&O show up not only on OZ but on The Sopranos , too. Great pool of actors in the New York area. 1507. Erin R. - 10/14/2001 4:14:45 PM OK, I'm thinking of the guy who everyone thought was a Quaker in the first couple of episodes. Why isn't he a Lt. anymore? 1508. judithathome - 10/14/2001 4:16:53 PM Erin, do you mean Law & Order: Criminal Intent with Vincent D'Onofrio? I like the first episode and was so mad that I missed the second one last week...thought it came on at 9pm instead of at 8pm. I'm taping the episode tonight. 1509. Erin R. - 10/14/2001 4:16:58 PM I keep seeing the female partner on the new L&O as the baby-killer on Oz. 1510. judithathome - 10/14/2001 4:17:42 PM He received a field promotion. 1511. Erin R. - 10/14/2001 4:20:01 PM To what? 1512. judithathome - 10/14/2001 4:31:14 PM Captain. 1513. Property of Jesus - 10/14/2001 4:32:36 PM Didn't see SNL last night. Considering the 3rd floor at 30 Rock is dark, did they do any bioterror jokes? 1514. CalGal - 10/14/2001 4:36:47 PM Is he only Captain thus far? I think both Winters and Nixon are moving up the ranks quickly. 1515. Erin R. - 10/14/2001 4:38:51 PM I didn't see all of SNL, but Drew Barrymore referenced recent events, including the anthrax scare at NBC, in her monologue. 1516. arkymalarky - 10/14/2001 5:37:22 PM Omigosh! I have Gilligan's Island homework! 1517. Property of Jesus - 10/14/2001 7:34:36 PM Even as a kid I knew Mrs. Howe was a fox. The trophy wife. 1518. arkymalarky - 10/14/2001 8:23:31 PM That sounds enough like a "date" to sort of give me the creeps. 1519. Property of Jesus - 10/14/2001 8:27:46 PM Don't threaten me, Arky. 1520. arkymalarky - 10/14/2001 8:30:18 PM Hey, the threat came from your end--saying you were going to "watch" GI with me. I insist you tape it and watch it later. I would, but my VCR is broken. 1521. Property of Jesus - 10/14/2001 8:39:55 PM We're all watching for your review, Arky. While watching the TV movie, please remember: 1522. Frankster - 10/14/2001 8:41:53 PM God, Arky. This is scary. I too loved Gilligan's IslandAND I also liked The Carpenters. I plan to watch the CBS special on that three hour tour myself tonight. :-) 1523. Property of Jesus - 10/14/2001 8:43:57 PM Everyone is watching Gilligan's Island tonight, Frank, except you-know-who, who still has flashbacks of Normandy days with all those soldiers. 1524. arkymalarky - 10/14/2001 8:45:17 PM Man, if ever someone needed to take his own advice..... 1525. arkymalarky - 10/14/2001 8:45:58 PM All right, Frank! This is turning into a GI PARTY!!! 1526. arkymalarky - 10/14/2001 8:46:45 PM Continuing my thoughts in 1524, 1527. arkymalarky - 10/14/2001 8:49:44 PM Y'know, Frank, I'm kind of glad you showed up to be a chaperone for Rose and me. 1528. Frankster - 10/14/2001 8:54:41 PM Arky, 1529. Property of Jesus - 10/14/2001 10:24:05 PM What TV Guide did to Maryanne was just terrible. That hit home. 1530. arkymalarky - 10/14/2001 10:30:43 PM Boy, evidently Ginger stepped on some toes in her tenure on the show. 1531. CalGal - 10/14/2001 10:35:02 PM Band of Brothers was superb tonight, I thought. And Erin is right, Speirs is hot. Hubba, hubba. 1532. Frankster - 10/14/2001 10:36:19 PM You guys are ruining it for me. It's still an 1533. Frankster - 10/14/2001 10:37:27 PM Oh my God! JD Drew has just tied the game! 1534. arkymalarky - 10/14/2001 10:39:10 PM We'll post in code forthwith. 1535. arkymalarky - 10/14/2001 11:31:51 PM I missed the very end of what Ginger is doing now. What'd it say? Man, they raked her pretty bad, I thought. 1536. arkymalarky - 10/14/2001 11:53:15 PM I can't believe I got left holding the bag in an online date watching Gilligan's Island, with Rose, no less. I think I'm going to soak my head and go to bed. 1537. arkymalarky - 10/14/2001 11:55:39 PM I'll bet the rat fell asleep on the couch before it was even over. 1538. mgleason - 10/15/2001 1:14:57 AM As predicted by Eddie, Edgar's alien charms have won me over on Criminal Intent. Each week reveals yet another area of expertise. When are his co-workers going to catch on? 1539. Property of Jesus - 10/15/2001 8:38:43 AM the rat 1540. Toenails - 10/15/2001 8:54:38 AM Tom Shales on "Alias": 1541. judithathome - 10/15/2001 9:12:10 AM I thought Band of Brothers started slowly and was uneven in the first half but by the end, it had redeemed itself. The ending in the church was a masterful way to show who was lost from the company where we might have been unfamiliar with the character names; putting faces to those names was a big help. 1542. Toenails - 10/15/2001 11:35:10 AM 1543. judithathome - 10/15/2001 11:38:06 AM I never saw that film but was very satisfied with the technique as used last night. 1544. Toenails - 10/15/2001 11:39:58 AM 1545. glendajean - 10/15/2001 1:02:57 PM Toe -- I liked Places in the Heart. It was shot in Waxahatchie, Texas (just south of Dallas), where cotton was grown in the black dirt of that part of central Texas that goes down to Waco, where I was raised. 1546. Toenails - 10/15/2001 1:11:29 PM 1547. glendajean - 10/15/2001 2:23:21 PM Lord knows I've tried to forget. 1548. AytchMan - 10/15/2001 4:56:10 PM Austin is indeed delightful. However, no one must move here. Crime is rampant, there's no water, shootouts featuring automatic weapons are common, and everybody is ugly, unfriendly and a communist. 1549. CalGal - 10/15/2001 4:58:43 PM Besides, they don't have any snow. You wouldn't like it at all; it's temperate and warm all year round, no weeks of icy cold when you need to know the optimal temperature for snow figure formation. 1550. janjon - 10/15/2001 5:01:25 PM I knew Austin was an o.k. town even 10 or so years ago when I noticed that a lot of street corners had vending machines selling The New York Times. I assumed that it was the "college town" aspect, but it had to be more than that. 1551. CalGal - 10/15/2001 5:02:37 PM Re: BoB, I thought the Places of the Heart deal was a bit hackneyed; the rest of the episode was superb. Wahlberg really did a good job, and Matthew Settle is a hottie. I know, I've said that before. But good things bear repeating. 1552. arkymalarky - 10/15/2001 7:06:40 PM Rose, 1553. Frankster - 10/15/2001 7:41:00 PM Arky, 1554. Frankster - 10/15/2001 7:42:31 PM They're celebrating in Seattle! 1555. arkymalarky - 10/15/2001 8:15:29 PM Man, I'm glad the only other human in the Mote who watched the show besides Rose and me came through. Thanks Frank! 1556. HollyW - 10/16/2001 12:16:23 AM Third Watch is a frequently overlooked show that just managed to squeak its way into a third season, and I cannot imagine why. It is a show that "has heart", not in the treacly, lowest-common-denominator way something like Touched by An Angel has "heart", but with compassion, grace, and intelligence. 1557. CalGal - 10/16/2001 12:21:02 AM Hey, Holly! 1558. HollyW - 10/16/2001 12:24:00 AM 9 this season, it had been 10. 1559. HollyW - 10/16/2001 12:31:10 AM And hi, Cal. It's good to see you again. 1560. Toenails - 10/16/2001 6:26:22 AM 1561. rubberducky - 10/16/2001 8:47:37 AM Afghan TV Guide 1562. judithathome - 10/16/2001 9:47:17 AM Thanks so much, Holly...I know there are at least two solid fans of Third Watch out there. You did a great job of promoting the show... 1563. Property of Jesus - 10/16/2001 10:20:52 AM Arky: Please follow the script. I'm being ostracized, not banned, from mote. 1564. Phoenix Rising - 10/16/2001 2:48:37 PM Hey! What you do with an ostrich in the privacy of your own home is your business. I would prefer not to hear about it. 1565. Phoenix Rising - 10/16/2001 2:52:30 PM "Angel" was at its best last night. The part where the old man in Angel's body mistakes what Cordy is saying is lol funny. That followed by the old man in Angel's body (OMiAB) thinking Wesley is Fred. Very funny. 1567. Phoenix Rising - 10/16/2001 2:54:39 PM And that's a good thing, right? 1568. Property of Jesus - 10/16/2001 2:57:20 PM Notice how Judith removed the post that Phoenix Rising was responding too. 1569. judithathome - 10/16/2001 2:57:25 PM I moved post 1566 to the Inferno for containing personal information and for being off topic. 1570. judithathome - 10/16/2001 3:15:38 PM Tonight on PBS: Scientific American Frontiers with Pet Tech being the focus. 1571. judithathome - 10/16/2001 3:20:53 PM I just linked in UPN on the butter bar for the Buffy fans... 1572. Phoenix Rising - 10/16/2001 4:35:00 PM I noticed that and now #1567 is totally out of context and makes it look like I am talking to myself. 1573. judithathome - 10/16/2001 4:40:33 PM Phoenix...I'm sorry if you are upset. If you'd write me at the address listed above, I'll be happy to explain. 1574. Phoenix Rising - 10/16/2001 4:53:44 PM Oh, no explination necessary. 1575. Phoenix Rising - 10/16/2001 4:56:20 PM I have read mostly bad reviews of "Smallville" but I will watch it anyway because of all those damn billboards that show the rather hunkilicious Mr. Kent ripping his shirt off. 1576. judithathome - 10/16/2001 4:58:04 PM as thread host I would think you could be a little more thick skinned. 1577. judithathome - 10/16/2001 4:59:09 PM At first, I thought Smallville was going to be one of those Incredible Shrinking Man type shows and I was looking forward to it. 1578. Property of Jesus - 10/16/2001 4:59:21 PM Phoenix: Judy thinks the FBI is keeping track of her, reading her posts. 1579. judithathome - 10/16/2001 5:00:23 PM Rosetta: 1580. Property of Jesus - 10/16/2001 5:42:32 PM No problem, as long as your consistent. 1581. Property of Jesus - 10/16/2001 5:42:48 PM you're 1582. arkymalarky - 10/16/2001 7:52:46 PM Arky: Please follow the script. I'm being ostracized, not banned, from mote. 1583. Phoenix Rising - 10/17/2001 9:20:04 AM aaargh! What happened on "Roswell"? Did Max strip to his boxer shorts again? 1584. rubberducky - 10/17/2001 9:54:20 AM PR: 1585. Phoenix Rising - 10/17/2001 10:07:48 AM I know. Thats what 3 or 4 in a row? Somehow, I am beginning to think they should have left sleeping dogs lie. The new season of "Buffy" especially suffers in comparison to the reruns on FX. 1586. Cellar Door - 10/17/2001 1:14:19 PM 1587. Phoenix Rising - 10/17/2001 1:56:54 PM Who is that handsome man behind the 35mm? 1588. Cellar Door - 10/17/2001 2:04:14 PM Actually I was pointing it at the TV screen that you see in the shot. I should have held it a tad lower. 1589. Phoenix Rising - 10/17/2001 2:28:22 PM Wow! So you were taking a picture of yourself on a monitor while you were being recorded on that monitor? 1590. Cellar Door - 10/17/2001 2:29:18 PM Maybe on an adjoining monitor! 1591. Phoenix Rising - 10/17/2001 2:41:08 PM lol. I suppose that would qualify as safe sex. 1592. Cellar Door - 10/17/2001 2:43:06 PM Forewarned is forearmed! 1593. CalGal - 10/18/2001 1:00:55 AM It is getting to the point that I simply cannot tolerate West Wing. 1594. mgleason - 10/18/2001 1:26:03 AM I knew we were in a bad way when Eddie began to exhort Stockard Channing to leave the President for Ron Silver. 1595. CalGal - 10/18/2001 1:30:41 AM hahahahah. 1596. mgleason - 10/18/2001 1:39:33 AM I know. They're all refugees from the Home for the Terminally Self-Important, especially Leo. I wish CJ would quit, and leave those fuckers to stumble around on their own. Then they could blame one another when things go wrong. 1597. CalGal - 10/18/2001 1:42:10 AM What I'm amazed at is that none of them, self-important arrogant asses one and all, had the balls to tell off the President for not apologizing. No, then they're shy little kids, afraid to get Daddy mad. 1598. mgleason - 10/18/2001 1:43:54 AM No, they just pout instead, the passive-aggressive little weenies. 1599. CalGal - 10/18/2001 2:04:36 AM But who was the bald guy? Appealing, if not totally cute, and very nice delivery. 1600. mgleason - 10/18/2001 2:08:09 AM I liked him, too, but don't know who he is. 1601. Toenails - 10/18/2001 9:16:22 AM 1602. judithathome - 10/18/2001 9:18:59 AM I think the bald guy is Eric Handler...he was on It's Like....You Know last year. 1603. CalGal - 10/19/2001 1:00:16 AM Toe, 1604. CalGal - 10/19/2001 1:01:31 AM Judith, you mean Evan Handler and yes, that's it. Thanks. 1605. Absensia - 10/19/2001 3:00:00 AM Okay. I watched Survivor tonight. It sure gives an all new meaning to "bloody mary." So, the losing team has to vote someone off but the winning team doesn't? I missed the earlier shows. What did Clarence do that was so bad? I missed the first half of the show due to the baseball game. That was a waste of time. 1606. Phoenix Rising - 10/19/2001 7:48:31 AM Clarence copped an extra cherry from the can being passed around. Then he opened a can of beans and ate from it without consulting the others. 1607. Toenails - 10/19/2001 8:35:50 AM I missed the first half of the show due to the baseball game. That was a waste of time. 1608. judithathome - 10/19/2001 9:02:15 AM Yes, it is indeed insipid but it's frequently entertaining and sometimes boring but you could say the same about baseball...luckily more people are hooked on baseball than on Survivor or in the future, you might be saying they've been playing Survivor for the last 125 years. 1609. rubberducky - 10/19/2001 9:07:39 AM i never heard but did the live action show The Tick make it on FOX? 1610. rubberducky - 10/19/2001 9:09:58 AM ah - nevermind, the website says Nov 8th 1611. bubbaette - 10/19/2001 9:31:14 AM I also fear that Clarence's main offense is his race. That's not to discount his having eaten some of the food without consulting or sharing with the others. However, he's a strong fellow and has that going for him. 1612. judithathome - 10/19/2001 10:07:36 AM bubbaette: 1613. judithathome - 10/19/2001 10:46:08 AM I didn't know Richard Schiff of West Wing was married to Sheila Kelley...I think she was a model at one time, beautiful lady. Anyhow, she is in the upcoming movie Dancing At The Blue Iguana playing a stripper. Odd couple, for sure. I mean, he is just so Toby-ish in real life...pegged him for a different type. 1614. glendajean - 10/19/2001 10:50:40 AM Two reasons for watching Survivor this year: 1615. judithathome - 10/19/2001 10:54:16 AM Yes, they are definitely the eye candy...I think Silas is the smarter of the two, though. 1616. glendajean - 10/19/2001 10:56:08 AM Judith -- yes, Clarence is a looker, too. 1617. glendajean - 10/19/2001 10:59:16 AM Biggest shock was hearing one of young women say that she realized for the first time that this wasn't a camping trip but a cut-throat competition. 1618. Absensia - 10/19/2001 11:09:20 AM Thanks for the information about survivor. It seemed that the votes against Clarence were racist, especially the guy who said he could forgive but not forget. I'd want to get rid of him in a minute since he's double dealing as far as I can see. 1619. Absensia - 10/19/2001 11:10:50 AM The Great Race sounds funny. I'll have to watch it. 1620. judithathome - 10/19/2001 11:13:09 AM We call them Team Greedo...they are really not worried about presenting a negative impression, are they? I think are totally unaware of how revolting they seem...the fact they think everyone is focusing on them and not the race is proof of how they lack self awareness...half the time they are on camera, they are commenting on where the other teams are, how close they are, where they are going...it would be comical if I didn't despise them so much. 1621. judithathome - 10/19/2001 11:16:38 AM It seemed that the votes against Clarence were racist, 1622. glendajean - 10/19/2001 11:21:14 AM Judith -- his comment about how women feel was particularly telling, given that he had elbowed the mom. 1623. judithathome - 10/19/2001 11:24:37 AM Oh yes, and as one of the Frat boys said, why didn't he elbow one of the guys? No, this grown man, who deliberately stalked the group through the airport and blocked their way, chose the oldest woman in the group to shove. 1624. judithathome - 10/19/2001 2:38:32 PM Anyone watch CSI last night? Sometimes the information on that show is engrossing and sometimes, it is just gross. Liquid Man, a case in point in the latter sense. 1625. mgleason - 10/19/2001 2:47:30 PM I love CSI! It's my favorite network show. 1626. glendajean - 10/19/2001 3:17:11 PM I watched a PBS documentary last night about the Cliburn piano competition in Fort Worth, Texas. Very interesting. And a chance to sneak a peek at Bass Hall. 1627. judithathome - 10/19/2001 3:21:33 PM It's a fabulous place, GJ...we were there Monday night! 1628. aytchman - 10/19/2001 4:11:25 PM The Survivor plot congeals. 1629. judithathome - 10/19/2001 4:22:41 PM Those slackers last night, led by Brandon the Human Whine, just made me snort in laughter. 1630. aytchman - 10/19/2001 4:23:59 PM He's history. A question of when, not if. 1631. judithathome - 10/19/2001 4:25:54 PM Soon, I hope. 1632. aytchman - 10/19/2001 4:29:13 PM Brandon is with the other tribe, the one with eight (Sambuca or something). He's part of the Clueless Three who will be picked off, one by one, by the Strong Five, led by Frank (for now). 1633. judithathome - 10/19/2001 4:33:59 PM Yes, unfortunately, I think both teams are going to pick off the women first, including the Fearsome Foursome of Frank, Carl, Linda, and whoever the fourth one is...some woman. I think they will go after the young ones first and then turn on the older ones. But Brandon will go before the older dames, hopefully. 1634. janjon - 10/19/2001 4:35:27 PM I've said this before, but you all really have no idea how hilarious it is to read all of the above when you haven't got a clue as to what is going on or who is who. 1635. judithathome - 10/19/2001 4:37:55 PM Well, keep coming here for chuckles and guffaws...it can only get worse. 1636. aytchman - 10/19/2001 4:40:42 PM Brandon is with the other tribe, the one with eight (Sambuca or something). He's part of the Clueless Three who will be picked off, one by one, by the Strong Five, led by Frank (for now). 1637. aytchman - 10/19/2001 4:41:48 PM doh 1638. janjon - 10/19/2001 4:42:30 PM 1636 is a classic in terms of what I mean. 1639. aytchman - 10/19/2001 4:44:57 PM janjon-- 1640. janjon - 10/19/2001 4:48:25 PM I saw a promo last night for something called the Weakest Link, which is going to have a show involving celebrities like Tonya Harding, Kato Kailon (sic) and a couple of others I didn't recognize. 1641. aytchman - 10/19/2001 4:53:26 PM Yeah, Survivor was actually imported (read: stolen) from a popular Dutch (I think) TV show a couple of years ago. 1642. Toenails - 10/19/2001 8:21:37 PM ...And when you don't measure up to Survivor, you 'some kinda midget, boy. 1643. Shannon - 10/20/2001 9:41:48 AM I've given up the fight. We're getting cable today. 1644. CalGal - 10/20/2001 11:28:09 AM Digital? 1645. Shannon - 10/20/2001 1:39:16 PM No, not that advanced. I don't like TV that much. 1646. CalGal - 10/20/2001 1:45:32 PM Sigh. 1647. CalGal - 10/20/2001 2:43:21 PM Excellent review of the schlocky WW "terrorism" episode 1648. AytchMan - 10/20/2001 6:11:22 PM That pretty much captures it. I give Sorkin high marks for trying, particularly on short notice (about two weeks). Unfortunately, the result was, as the review points out, an even preachier show than normal. I can barely watch it anymore as it is. 1649. CalGal - 10/20/2001 6:15:52 PM Don't know if you saw my bitching about it, but I completely agree. The season opener demonstrates that all the characters have turned into narcissistic whiners. I did like Silver and the bald guy, could everyone else be kicked off the show and give it to them? 1650. CalGal - 10/20/2001 6:23:30 PM I miss good TV. I was watching an older L&O last night and realized that what is missing is the spark. It was that episode with Michael Zaslow (died later of ALS) as the real estate speculator who was serving time for embezzlement and fraud and was then tried for having supposedly bribed one of his frustrated investors to kill a lawyer who was trying to blackmail him. 1651. Toenails - 10/22/2001 1:40:28 AM 1652. don s. - 10/22/2001 1:53:34 AM Yes. Nine years of "Seinfeld" notwithstanding. 1653. judithathome - 10/22/2001 10:38:19 AM I'm probably the only person here who watched UC: Undercover last night but I'm glad I did; Ving Rhames was excellent and over the top as a small time drug lord trying to go big time...he was very entertaining. 1654. Phoenix Rising - 10/22/2001 11:23:11 AM This week's Band of Brotheres was a bit of a letdown after the two previous excellent weeks in particular and the previous 7 excellent weeks in general. It seemed like filler. Of course after D-Day and Bastogne, a segment about digging in and waiting would seem anticlimatic. 1655. Toenails - 10/22/2001 11:49:44 AM 1656. Toenails - 10/22/2001 11:54:40 AM 1657. christipeters - 10/22/2001 11:54:56 AM LD and I had a movie night last night. First we watched Liar, Liar because LD is a fan of that movie. Then we saw the first part of Victoria and Albert on A&E. 1658. judithathome - 10/22/2001 12:04:12 PM Tonight is the first time Masterpiece Theatre will be on in its new time slot: Mondays fron 8pm to 10 pm CST. 1659. HollyW - 10/22/2001 12:15:27 PM Judith, how could you? Third Watch starts at 9. 1660. labwabbit - 10/22/2001 12:19:11 PM Re: Concert for NY 1661. judithathome - 10/22/2001 12:23:08 PM Well, I'm taping Masterpiece Theatre, Holly...you know me better than that! 1662. mgleason - 10/23/2001 1:03:24 AM The Cazalets was very nicely done, but I'm a sucker for England between the wars. It's a good adaptation, faithful to the books, but not slavishly so. 1663. rubberducky - 10/23/2001 8:58:17 AM better Buffy may be on the way, but we'll have to wait and see 1664. rubberducky - 10/23/2001 9:00:17 AM btw, that hottie = Marc Blucas 1665. judithathome - 10/23/2001 10:50:12 AM Another excellent episode from Third Watch last night. 1666. Cellar Door - 10/23/2001 8:20:12 PM Just in from being shot for "Biography: River Phoenix." It'll run on A&E in the early Springs. Glad that I was able to "take the high road" in discussing his iconography as well as his personal magic. The drugs pretty much speak for themselves. 1667. rubberducky - 10/24/2001 9:05:36 AM as i said before, better Buffy may be on the way, but it certainly wasn't there last night 1668. christipeters - 10/24/2001 10:23:16 AM You know, as tired as I was (already) of "Buffy deals with Real Life", I thought that having her problems solved by Giles handing her a big fat check was a real letdown. They could have run it maybe one more episode and actually gotten her a job she could handle. Then we could have a few job vs Slayer roesponsibilities angles. 1669. christipeters - 10/24/2001 10:26:16 AM I always thought that Buffy was nuts to prefer Angel over Riley. Of course, I've never considered DB to be a hottie, not going in for the beady-eyed, beetle-browed look, myself. I also don't get the legions who swoon over James Marsters - he's too short and skinny for me, and that was true even before he acquired his current emaciated state. 1670. judithathome - 10/24/2001 10:57:41 AM Look, I only checked in to the Buffy show during commercials on whatever I was watching last night but what I saw just sucked. Those 3 guys in the van? Can you say X-Files? And the whatever he was with the red body and gossamer wings? That and the poker game were directly lifted from an episode of whatever that show was with Lance Henrickson playing a character named Frank Black. 1671. judithathome - 10/24/2001 10:58:08 AM I don't think...not thin. 1672. mgleason - 10/24/2001 11:01:19 AM I thought you were channelling Ricky Ricardo. 1673. judithathome - 10/24/2001 11:02:20 AM Millennium was the show with Frank Black. 1674. judithathome - 10/24/2001 11:03:04 AM I thought you were channelling Ricky Ricardo. 1675. rubberducky - 10/24/2001 11:08:06 AM the show was Millennium, J@H and you're right - i thought the same thing 1676. judithathome - 10/24/2001 11:14:41 AM I loved it...didn't miss one episode. But you are right; the first season was definitely the best. 1677. rubberducky - 10/24/2001 11:19:48 AM hmm 1678. mgleason - 10/24/2001 11:20:48 AM I'm impressed by the loyalty and devotion some shows garner. I'm so fickle that I'll stop watching perfectly good shows for no reason at all, let alone ones that disappoint. 1679. judithathome - 10/24/2001 11:24:56 AM I'll stop once they "jump the shark" for me...that might be sooner than for the public in general, like with The Practice...I dropped it last year after it began to grate on me but obviously some people are still watching it since it came up as ABCs #1 show recently. But I do have loyalty to shows, not as many as I used to be loyal to but a few. 1680. don s. - 10/24/2001 12:28:57 PM I thought last night's Buffy was really entertaining. A real pick-me-up after the previous "expositional" outings. 1681. HollyW - 10/24/2001 11:40:00 PM I thought Frank Black was the leader of the late lamented band the Pixies. 1682. Toenails - 10/25/2001 7:01:32 AM I agree that, so far at least, Third Watch has handled the WTC incidents well enough. 1683. rubberducky - 10/25/2001 9:03:46 AM Enterprise continues to impress. they are taking their time developing their new universe and the characters in them, which is a good thing. ST:TNG did too many individual character episodes in the first season for my tastes. 1684. judithathome - 10/25/2001 10:19:03 AM they're excited to meet new aliens and land on new planets. 1685. rubberducky - 10/25/2001 10:29:26 AM well, yes, J@H, but to be fair they've only landed on one or two thus far. 1686. judithathome - 10/25/2001 10:31:52 AM I know they have but it was just funny to me that both have resembled Earth so closely...I think it might be a nod to the primative aspects of the original show. 1687. HollyW - 10/25/2001 11:27:43 AM So soon after the actual events, it strikes me as grotesque and as a project doomed to fail. 1688. CalGal - 10/25/2001 11:29:42 AM I can never remember when Enterprise is on, Ducky. I enjoyed the pilot. 1689. rubberducky - 10/25/2001 11:31:46 AM 8PM Eastern, Wednesdays, UPN, CG 1690. CalGal - 10/25/2001 11:33:58 AM Oh, that's perfect. Right before the ever-improving West Wing. (not) 1691. judithathome - 10/25/2001 12:18:12 PM There were some good laughs last night in West Wing none of which I recall right now but I even liked Donna in one scene with Ainsley. 1692. CalGal - 10/25/2001 12:21:34 PM I liked the date scene, although I missed the first fifteen minutes so I can't tell what coin dropped and why for the guy. But that's Sorkin dialogue at its best, before you get fed up with it. 1693. judithathome - 10/25/2001 12:29:36 PM The pens were a sore point with him because he couldn't find a good pen and he'd always been able to find one before; Charlie pointed out they needed a new secretary and the Pres got all huffy...then Charlie told him Mrs. L had always slipped a pen into his pocket. I think it was a way to make him realize it was time to move on or a dramatic bridge for that...either that, or it was a way to point out how he was oblivious to all that goes on around him, which I doubt. 1694. judithathome - 10/25/2001 12:30:53 PM Did you see that part? They were in her desk and I guess she had always ordered these special pens for him... 1695. CalGal - 10/25/2001 12:38:24 PM Oh, I heard the part where he was talking to Charlie about pens, but missed Charlie's response. That makes sense. 1696. Ms. No - 10/25/2001 12:47:43 PM I agree that so far this season Buffy is pretty lame and I'm still hating Fred on Angel. 1697. rubberducky - 10/25/2001 12:50:16 PM i didn't, was the boy as hot as he is in the ads? 1698. Ms. No - 10/25/2001 4:10:27 PM Yep, he's pretty damn hot. He's so pretty it almost hurts. 1699. mgleason - 10/25/2001 4:47:51 PM Enterprise is my favorite show of the season, RD. It has that excitement and joy of exploration that its brethren seemed to lose. I really think that the writers are drawing inspiration from the Golden Age of SF. 1700. Phoenix Rising - 10/25/2001 4:51:57 PM 2nd ep of Smallville not as good as first. Not enough Lex Luthor. Way Way Way too much Lana Lang. 1701. Phoenix Rising - 10/25/2001 4:55:17 PM Oh, and Supe has a dream where he is flying and he wakes up floating above his bed. 1702. Cellar Door - 10/25/2001 6:11:10 PM I've got some very sad news. Lance Loud (of An American Family fame) is dying. 1703. judithathome - 10/25/2001 6:17:58 PM That's so sad, Cellar...please keep us posted on this. He was like a TV icon at one time. A first, anyhow. 1704. Ms. No - 10/25/2001 6:51:49 PM Phoenix, 1705. Ms. No - 10/25/2001 6:53:09 PM And where the hell did Giles get any money? He was running the Magic Shop because he got fired from his Watcher position and he needed to work to support himself. If he had a big ol' chunk of change he could just give away why did he have to go to work at the Shop? 1706. Cellar Door - 10/25/2001 7:02:44 PM 1707. AytchMan - 10/26/2001 4:23:14 PM Survivor: 1708. judithathome - 10/26/2001 4:36:00 PM If Frank and Linda can last til the merge, however, or if even one of them can, they can get revenge by joining the other "ole fogeys" and getting rid of all the youngsters. 1709. judithathome - 10/26/2001 4:37:17 PM But I'm sure the Clueless Four will take them out and find themselves shot in the foot quite nicely. Somehow, I just don't think Brandon will be able to haul that water... 1710. CalGal - 10/26/2001 4:38:19 PM May I just say how absolutely lovely it is to have MacNeil back, even if temporarily? 1711. AytchMan - 10/26/2001 4:41:25 PM I hope so. I don't acually like them all that much but they're preferable to the lethargic Gen X'ers. However, I can't see any way for them to survive unless their team wins each Immunity Challenge. 1712. AytchMan - 10/26/2001 4:42:20 PM 1711 was to 1708. 1713. AytchMan - 10/26/2001 4:43:41 PM cg-- 1714. AytchMan - 10/26/2001 4:45:22 PM judith-- 1715. CalGal - 10/26/2001 4:51:55 PM Aytch, 1716. christipeters - 10/26/2001 5:07:28 PM One Smallville plotpoint Phoenix forgot to mention - Superhunk figures out in this episode that it's the green glowing fragments of the meteor that make him weak. Not named "kryptonite" yet of course. 1717. christipeters - 10/26/2001 5:09:04 PM I like Fred in Angel. 1718. christipeters - 10/26/2001 5:09:49 PM That kid in Superman really is nice eye candy. I think he'll look even better when he finishes growing up. 1719. Jenerator - 10/26/2001 5:14:08 PM Maria Skeletor Shriver is on Oprah... 1720. christipeters - 10/26/2001 5:17:40 PM eeeeww! I canNOT watch that woman. She is just too darn cadaver-like. You've named her just right. 1721. Jenerator - 10/26/2001 5:29:34 PM Joan Rivers was on the catwalk at the Oscars a few years ago, when Skeletor walked by. Joan said, "You look lovely tonght Maria, what are you wearing?" Maria rolled her eyes with a disgusted look and said, "Clothes, what does it look like??" 1722. CalGal - 10/26/2001 5:32:29 PM An excellent one, if you ask me. I personally think it would be terrific if everyone answered Joan that way, because then her moronic show would disappear off the face of the earth, and fashion fans everywhere could rend their clothes in misery. 1723. Jenerator - 10/26/2001 5:43:30 PM Why respond to sugar with salt? 1724. judithathome - 10/27/2001 12:33:16 AM What a depressing thing on Entertainment Tonight just now...Leonard Nimoy was an alkie. Drinking all day and sometimes passing out at noon...say it isn't so, Spock! 1725. christipeters - 10/27/2001 9:54:26 AM Oh, what a shame, if true! 1726. Absensia - 10/27/2001 10:11:15 AM Well, that does explain his ears! 1727. judithathome - 10/27/2001 10:29:44 AM When everyone else was swooning over Kirk, I much much preferred Spock. 1728. Phoenix Rising - 10/29/2001 9:14:24 AM Sadly Band of Brothers should have called it quits at Episode 8. Like the war itself, everything is anticlimatic after the Battle of the Bulge in the European theater. Three hours of anticlimax is proving to be too much. 1729. judithathome - 10/29/2001 10:06:25 AM Well, I liked it...only paused to wonder where they find all these emaciated men to play the parts in the prison scenes. Sadly, I came to the conclusion some of them might have AIDS. I guess the wonders of make-up never cease, also. 1730. CalGal - 10/29/2001 12:32:18 PM Why on earth shouldn't the Americans have looted? 1731. Toenails - 10/29/2001 12:38:39 PM 1732. grannypatsy - 10/29/2001 5:23:28 PM Mostly lurk but Judith at Home left a disgusting message,I am sure that most of the concentration camp footage was from stock. Geez, Judith you got a thing about aids? I am posting about Band of Brothers, of course. 1733. CalGal - 10/29/2001 5:48:22 PM I actually was surprised by that too, but not offended. Just seemed like an inaccurate speculation. Anyone who was at that state of AIDS is unlikely to want to play a concentration camp victim. 1734. Phoenix Rising - 10/29/2001 5:49:13 PM The concentration camp footage was not from stock. Some of it may have been CGI enhanced, but I am not certain of that. I am certain it was 100% original. 1735. judithathome - 10/29/2001 6:24:27 PM Good lord, I left no disgusting message. You people seem intent on taking some of my postings totally inaccurately. 1736. CalGal - 10/29/2001 6:30:49 PM Judith, I didn't say anything remotely insulting to you here, and I frankly don't give a damn if you don't want me to talk to you. Try thinking about what you say and being willing to back it up. That, more than anything, will result in your being happier. In the meantime, quit your damn whining and imagining insults where none exist. I just thought your notion that they were AIDs patients was bizarre. We film holocaust scenes fairly often here and abroad, you know? 1737. judithathome - 10/29/2001 6:36:04 PM and I frankly don't give a damn if you don't want me to talk to you. 1738. Ms. No - 10/29/2001 6:40:08 PM CG, 1739. Toenails - 10/29/2001 6:43:51 PM 1740. Phoenix Rising - 10/30/2001 11:06:24 AM Well, I rewatched BoB last night. I could not definitely dicern any CGI, but that may have been because it was so good. Instead, I think they used a lot of those custom made rubber/foam dummys (Like the cadavers in Six Feet Under) The most obvious example was the prisoner who was carrying a body that was so emaciated it could not have possibly have been a real human being. Such a person would be in a hospital and not on a movie set. 1741. Phoenix Rising - 10/31/2001 9:18:06 AM Can I just say that Carisma Carpenter rocks! 1742. rubberducky - 10/31/2001 9:29:25 AM i agree that last night's Buffy was better than anything since the season opener, which is sad, imo. i'm sure i'll cringe next week with the musical, although Ripley is looking forward to it. 1743. mgleason - 10/31/2001 9:39:56 AM Last night's Nova featured David Reimer, born as Bruce, turned into Brenda as a result of a botched circumcision, who rejected his gender assignment at age fourteen. We talked about this in the Parenting thread a few months back, but seeing him tell his story was heart-wrenching. 1744. Phoenix Rising - 10/31/2001 9:41:23 AM I missed last week's Enterprise because I just can't stand sitting at home three nights in a row watching the boob tube. So I went out with me mates. 1745. rubberducky - 10/31/2001 9:45:15 AM tape it, that's what i do 1746. Phoenix Rising - 10/31/2001 10:08:00 AM Great advice, ducks, but in spite of my persona which exhudes erudite sophistication 1747. rubberducky - 10/31/2001 10:10:09 AM well, if you wait to leave at 8 and hit record on your way out, then there's no problem, heh 1748. Phoenix Rising - 10/31/2001 10:23:59 AM Sorry, must be drunk and home in bed by 10:00. Therefore, I have to start at 6:30. Face it, I am hopeless. 1749. Phoenix Rising - 10/31/2001 10:26:03 AM And I just noticed that the "(g)" didn't show up in #1746 like it was supposed to. I used the wrong brackets. 1750. rubberducky - 10/31/2001 10:37:14 AM not any more than usual, natch 1751. Phoenix Rising - 10/31/2001 10:38:42 AM bitch! 1752. rubberducky - 10/31/2001 10:43:34 AM that's what he said 1753. Phoenix Rising - 10/31/2001 11:01:47 AM Gee, ducks. I feel my inner Drama Queen struggling to the surface. Heaven knows we need another one around here. Ace was such an amateur. But who knew PP had it in him? 1754. rubberducky - 10/31/2001 11:11:19 AM heh. 1755. Phoenix Rising - 10/31/2001 11:19:59 AM You're right. 1756. CalGal - 10/31/2001 3:58:14 PM I'm going to try and remember Enterprise this week. 1757. Phoenix Rising - 10/31/2001 4:48:49 PM Agree on the musical score, particulary the way it was used as bookends. Too much like the schlocky opening and closing of Saving Private Ryan. Silence thoughout would have been much better and more respectful. 1758. CalGal - 10/31/2001 4:52:52 PM Nixon wasn't drowning himself in drink. He's an alcoholic. I know this from the book, but I thought the show has made it extremely clear as well. High functioning alkie, of course. I very much approve of the lack of moralizing about it. 1759. CalGal - 10/31/2001 4:53:56 PM I should say that he's an alcoholic before he starts training, of course, not that he became an alcoholic during the war. You see Winters asking him in the first episode how he's going to keep supplied in Germany. 1760. Toenails - 10/31/2001 5:29:22 PM 1761. CalGal - 10/31/2001 5:41:03 PM I thought Gettysburg was almost identical to Killer Angels. In this case, the book and the adaptation focus on different things. It's interesting to see how something that got a sentence in the book got an episode in the movie, and so on. 1762. CalGal - 10/31/2001 10:48:17 PM Hey, I just noticed something weird. Webster spoke German last week, but he forgot it all this week. 1763. Francis Urquhart - 11/1/2001 10:37:12 AM I am up to date on Band of Brothers (I have taped it). I found the last two episodes the strongest, and the entire production has been top notch. I look forward to having the tapes to send to others. I feel the series is not only one of the best things I've ever watched in terms of taste, restraint, and historical accuracy, but has also been spiritually and morally edifying, an inspirational work of art. Unlike Saving Private Ryan, which often traded Spielbergian simplicity/snappy patter for awe-inspiring visuals, Band of Brothers trades nothing (and I think Saving Private Ryan is a wonderful film). Both works should be mandatory in any high school age 20th century American history course. 1764. christipeters - 11/1/2001 1:11:22 PM I taped Buffy on Tuesday and LD and I just watched it last night. LD was appalled at Dawn's behavior and very vocal about it. So that sparked a good mother-daughter conversation. 1765. CalGal - 11/1/2001 1:24:19 PM Ducky, I saw Enterprise and it was great fun. I was pleasantly surprised by the ending. 1766. CalGal - 11/2/2001 1:45:52 AM Excellent review of Friends 1767. rubberducky - 11/2/2001 9:17:54 AM CG: i've taped this week's Enterprise, but haven't gotten to watch it yet 1768. Frankster - 11/2/2001 2:18:52 PM I'm shocked! Shocked, I tell ya! Geraldo Rivera is leaving his cushy nightly little desk job to become a war "correspondent" for [gulp!] Fox News, and all of y'all missed it. 1769. CalGal - 11/2/2001 3:21:18 PM No, shit. Seriously? 1770. Cellar Door - 11/2/2001 3:24:30 PM Yep. 1771. CalGal - 11/2/2001 3:27:23 PM God, what a drag. I love his cheesy talk show. 1772. CalGal - 11/5/2001 2:23:12 AM Third time's the charm. Really solid Emmy show--that's twice now I thought they did a better job than the Oscars. De Generes had more than a few genuinely funny moments and, given the pressure, deserved the standing ovation. 1773. glendajean - 11/5/2001 9:17:51 AM I am not a DeGeneris fan, but I thought she did an ok job, too. I am not sure why they are still doing the Paula Poundstone let's go back stage and interview seat warmer routines though. 1774. Toenails - 11/5/2001 9:25:25 AM 1775. Toenails - 11/5/2001 9:31:11 AM Emmy? I think Wit should be up for an Oscar! 1776. glendajean - 11/5/2001 9:31:59 AM There was a little history there, too. Steve Martin was Anne Heche's boyfriend before she dated Ellen. 1777. Toenails - 11/5/2001 10:01:29 AM I wouldn't want that on my resume! 1778. Toenails - 11/5/2001 10:04:32 AM Steve Martin was Anne Heche's boyfriend before she dated Ellen. 1779. Cellar Door - 11/5/2001 10:17:17 AM Ellen was great. The show provided a much needed reminder of why everyone wanted her on TV to start with -- she's funny. LOVED the line that nothing could piss the Taliban off more than a gay woman in a suit surrounded by Jews. 1780. Toenails - 11/5/2001 1:26:42 PM 1781. CalGal - 11/5/2001 1:30:21 PM Hayes won last year, didn't he? And MacNicols has been around forever. Besides, the few times I've watched McBeal he's one of the few bearable things on it. 1782. Cellar Door - 11/5/2001 1:36:18 PM Here are the movie credits for Scotch, Todd Holland's boyfriend who he gave a big on-camera smooch to last night before going up to get his Emmy for directing Malcolm in the Middle. He then thanked Scotch from the stage and they cut to a reaction shot of him in the audience -- just the way they did to Jane Kazmarek when her hubby won for The West Wing. 1783. CalGal - 11/6/2001 12:45:39 AM Did anyone watch Uprising? 1784. mgleason - 11/6/2001 1:17:29 AM No, but I taped it. What did you think of it? 1785. CalGal - 11/6/2001 1:24:01 AM I heard of it, but 20 years ago I was in college and working and saw very little TV. This is quite good. It has the definite feel of network television, but they didn't stint on the violence. 1786. mgleason - 11/6/2001 1:33:23 AM I'm looking forward to seeing it, probably over the weekend. I wanted to see it without a break. 1787. CalGal - 11/6/2001 1:45:22 AM One serious complaint--it was clearly made with no thought for commercial breaks. Sounds great--except it is cut badly, sometimes mid-speech. I'm not taping it (my VCR isn't set up yet) but that should be fixable. It will be much better on DVD. 1788. christipeters - 11/7/2001 2:44:39 PM Hey, did anyone here record Buffy the Vampire Slayer last night? I did, but something went wrong and it cut off before the ending. WAIL!! 1789. Phoenix Rising - 11/7/2001 3:03:24 PM I did not expect much from the musical Buffy. I was very impressed with how well done it was and particularly how well the singing advanced the plot. 1790. rubberducky - 11/7/2001 3:06:22 PM i watched it and, surprisingly, found it to be the best episode since the season opener. very funny and the fact the characters 'get' that it is stupid and not common to break into song and dance was a very welcome twist. 1791. rubberducky - 11/7/2001 3:07:49 PM wouldn't that by Spiffy, PR? 1792. christipeters - 11/7/2001 3:44:11 PM rubberducky - Yes, puhleeeese! email me at christipeters@hotmail.com and I'll give you my mailing address. 1793. Phoenix Rising - 11/7/2001 3:46:23 PM You say Spiffy. I say Spuffy. 1794. Cellar Door - 11/7/2001 6:33:07 PM I loved it. 1795. rubberducky - 11/8/2001 9:24:58 AM first weak episode of Enterprise last night. liked the set up and the conflict with the Vulcans, but it was pretty boring overall. 1796. glendajean - 11/8/2001 9:56:17 AM West Wing toots on along. 1797. CalGal - 11/8/2001 11:12:24 AM It is utterly disgusting. Poor widdle Donna, she lies under oath and runs to big brother Josh to fix it. 1798. glendajean - 11/8/2001 11:17:01 AM That's my point. It would have been more interesting to not bring Josh in for the rescue. The real life Donnas don't get to do that. It was interesting that she had this romantic relationship with the Republican (that Ainsley set up her with). 1799. CalGal - 11/8/2001 11:26:34 AM I was just venting. Because while you're right that it could have been more interesting, the sexist shit made it bad no matter what. 1800. glendajean - 11/8/2001 11:39:47 AM Well, yes, I belived that she could have lied about it like that. Is anybody really prepared for these kind of hearings? Maybe she had goofy stuff about Josh in it. Or the cute lawyer. (which, it turns out, she did). 1801. CalGal - 11/8/2001 11:43:32 AM Gerald McRaney. I like the veep. More veep. 1802. glendajean - 11/8/2001 11:46:42 AM No, he was in Caddyshack. I was referring to "Danny," the Washington Post reporter from the first two seasons. I haven't seen him this season. 1803. CalGal - 11/8/2001 11:49:08 AM Oh! I see. Really? I like O'Keefe much more, as well as his character. But Elliot was fine, too. Yeah, he hasn't been around for a while. 1804. glendajean - 11/8/2001 4:53:54 PM Tom Shales likes The Tick. 1805. bubbaette - 11/9/2001 8:45:50 AM Good shake-up on Survivor last night. Had to feel a bit sorry for Tom, Kelly and Lex walking into that snakepit unawares. I was pleased to see Silas get the boot. 1806. rubberducky - 11/9/2001 8:49:08 AM well, unsurprisingly, The Tick sucked really badly. i laughed about 2-3 times. 1807. Jenerator - 11/9/2001 1:03:39 PM Cellar, 1808. AytchMan - 11/9/2001 3:44:26 PM Survivor rumbles along. 1809. AytchMan - 11/9/2001 3:53:30 PM judith-- 1810. rubberducky - 11/9/2001 4:04:47 PM A-Man: what do you mean 'team switch'? 1811. OhioSTOPAS - 11/9/2001 4:12:43 PM AytchMan: Isn't "Survivor" already filmed and concluded? So the team switch couldn't be in response to lackluster ratings. 1812. AytchMan - 11/9/2001 4:18:01 PM The producers directed each team (six members remaining on each) to supply three members for, ostensibly, some kind of reward challenge. After the teams selected the threesomes, they met at the original drop-off point (a couple of miles or so from the camps). Then, Jeff the host dropped the bombshell -- each threesome had been traded to the other team. 1813. AytchMan - 11/9/2001 4:19:47 PM ohio-- 1814. OhioSTOPAS - 11/9/2001 4:22:54 PM AytchMan - You make another silly mistake like that, and you'll get your name changed to DubyaMan! 1815. AytchMan - 11/9/2001 4:29:03 PM ohio-- 1816. rubberducky - 11/9/2001 4:35:23 PM A-Man, you know, you have to be careful around those near Who Wants to be a Millionaire? contestants 1817. OhioSTOPAS - 11/9/2001 4:54:35 PM I'm not a "near contestant", I'm a FAILED contestant. 1818. AytchMan - 11/9/2001 5:02:40 PM The Survivor Pool needs you, then. 1819. EricCartman - 11/9/2001 5:06:39 PM Until EricCartman went on "Win Ben Stein's Money", I held the record for most questions answered correctly by a Motie on a game show. (Zero) 1820. Jenerator - 11/9/2001 5:07:41 PM [Did you males out there hear that Victoria's Secret will be broadcasting it's runway show of teddies, nighties and panty sets? Plus, three of the models will be on Who Wants to be a Millionaire. Yes, all of this on Walt Disney's ABC.] 1821. glendajean - 11/9/2001 5:11:07 PM Yawn. 1822. AytchMan - 11/9/2001 5:11:37 PM cartman-- 1823. EricCartman - 11/9/2001 5:26:45 PM H-Man: 1824. AytchMan - 11/9/2001 5:34:34 PM cart-- 1825. Toenails - 11/9/2001 5:36:03 PM 1826. Toenails - 11/9/2001 5:37:52 PM 1827. judithathome - 11/10/2001 9:18:22 AM H-man: 1828. judithathome - 11/10/2001 9:23:58 AM I just read back and am so distressed to learn Lex and Tom are on the other team now...nooooooo!!! 1829. ButterfieldSwire - 11/10/2001 5:36:44 PM Did "The Fugitive" turn out to be a winner ratings wise. I cant see much network television because of my job, but I like that show. 1830. judithathome - 11/10/2001 5:42:01 PM You should've been here last year when Frankster was trying to get all of us to watch it; he loved that show but I think maybe he and you were the only two watching it nationwide. Sadly, it was not renewed for this year. 1831. CalGal - 11/10/2001 5:52:47 PM I like Tim Daly; he's another guy who seems made for TV. The Fugitive might not have lasted, but he's been in three TV projects in the last five or more years that were well worth watching: the TV movie on Waco, the HBO thing on Dan White, and From the Earth to the Moon. 1832. AytchMan - 11/10/2001 6:35:03 PM Okay, it's official: we'll start the Third Annual (Sort Of) Survivor Pool after next week's show. Then, all entries must be posted before the start of the following show. 1833. AytchMan - 11/10/2001 6:40:32 PM ...is coalescing... 1834. judithathome - 11/11/2001 1:34:39 PM Gwyneth Paltrow was really good on SNL last night...very funny as a member of a grrl group, Geminis Twin. Too funny! 1835. judithathome - 11/11/2001 3:59:03 PM Heads up for tonights HBO special We Stand Alone Together 1836. Erin R. - 11/11/2001 9:23:22 PM X-Files season premier is on now. Look closely at the baby to see if it looks like Mulder. 1837. Cygnus X-1 - 11/11/2001 10:31:36 PM Nice how they handled Mulder's "disappearance". I guess when faced with 4th and long, you punt. 1838. rubberducky - 11/12/2001 9:36:29 AM yeah - it's time for X-Files to be put to pasture. last night's show sucked and was boring. and what the hell was Lucy Lawless doing? what a waste of a guest spot. 1839. rubberducky - 11/12/2001 9:45:33 AM is anyone else going to watch the return of Absolutely Fabulous tonight? i hope the magic isn't gone. 1840. judithathome - 11/12/2001 12:14:26 PM I would love to watch it but our cable company doesn't offer Comedy Central or whatever station it's running on...I've heard such good stuff about the show and guess I will eventually break down and buy the tapes. 1841. Ms. No - 11/12/2001 2:02:45 PM Judith, 1842. Ms. No - 11/12/2001 2:02:56 PM cont. 1843. Ms. No - 11/12/2001 2:04:03 PM toys? 1844. Ms. No - 11/12/2001 2:04:15 PM whew! 1845. rubberducky - 11/12/2001 2:48:41 PM Ms No: yes, the Anya and Zander duet had Ripley and i rolling as well. 1846. AytchMan - 11/12/2001 4:31:47 PM Anybody watch Saving Private Ryan last night? Powerful imagery even on television. 1847. Absensia - 11/12/2001 4:38:36 PM No way would I miss watching ABFAB...anyone know what time it's on? I was wondering just the other day when it would appear. Thanks for pointing it out, Ducky! 1848. rubberducky - 11/12/2001 4:38:50 PM saw the movie and really was moved by it, A-Man. but, i said now and say again, it's a movie i will watch once and once only. i have zero desire to see it again -- ever. 1849. rubberducky - 11/12/2001 4:40:51 PM sure thing Abs! it comes on tonight at 8 EST. there's also a special hosted by one of the stars How to Be Absolutely Fabulous that i've already seen at 7:30 EST that had some funny bits and outtakes. 1850. Absensia - 11/12/2001 4:43:16 PM Thanks Ducks! I'm really looking forward to it. 1851. CalGal - 11/12/2001 4:46:33 PM I thought the opening scenes of SPR were incredibly powerful, but the rest of the movie was undone by a dreadful script. Cast did the best they could, under the circumstances, particularly Sizemore, Pepper, and Hanks. 1852. AytchMan - 11/12/2001 4:47:08 PM rd-- 1853. rubberducky - 11/12/2001 4:50:38 PM not really graphic, but more of the physical involvement i had with it. 1854. AytchMan - 11/12/2001 4:52:13 PM cg-- 1855. CalGal - 11/12/2001 4:54:32 PM BoB is excellent and worth watching. I'd rather rewatch that series than SPR. The dialog was wincingly awful, which isn't generally true of any Spielberg movie. I also found the notion of sending 8 men back to get one quite offensive, so I wasn't emotionally hooked in. The scene with the mother gets me every time I see it, even in clips, but I hear that is ripped off from another film? Can't remember which, but it is French. 1856. AytchMan - 11/12/2001 4:55:02 PM rd-- 1857. judithathome - 11/12/2001 5:41:08 PM It's ripped off from Claude Lelouches Bolero . 1858. rubberducky - 11/13/2001 11:27:07 AM AbFab was pretty good last night. my only problem with the show continues to be when they talk too fast in that British accent, i can't understand a word of the dialogue. 1859. Absensia - 11/13/2001 3:35:30 PM I agree, Ducks...it was good though. Hopefully we'll get used to the dialogue. I'd forgotten how fab the clothes are. 1860. rubberducky - 11/13/2001 3:41:10 PM best line: 1861. judithathome - 11/13/2001 6:52:23 PM Tonight is the Frasier-a-thon, 2 entire hours of him on NBC. 1862. AytchMan - 11/16/2001 2:21:15 AM Survivor. 1863. Phoenix Rising - 11/16/2001 8:55:28 AM Lex, Ethan, Kim J. and Frank. Lex to win. 1864. bubbaette - 11/16/2001 9:48:31 AM My picks for final four: 1865. judithathome - 11/16/2001 1:04:19 PM Lex, Teresa, Frank, and Kelly with Lex to win. 1866. PelleNilsson - 11/16/2001 1:32:00 PM Techman 1867. AytchMan - 11/16/2001 3:42:31 PM OK, the Survivor Pool is off to a good start. Well, at least it's off. 1868. AytchMan - 11/16/2001 3:45:57 PM pelle-- 1869. CalGal - 11/16/2001 3:47:20 PM Yes, that's what I'm waiting for. 1870. AytchMan - 11/16/2001 4:01:30 PM Correction -- Phoenix has Kim Johnson into the final four. There are two Kim's. 1871. rubberducky - 11/16/2001 4:04:55 PM as always, i need the tip sheet to make my (incorrect) predictions 1872. AytchMan - 11/16/2001 4:21:38 PM Professor Lowbrow's Official Survivor Scratch Sheet 1873. glendajean - 11/16/2001 4:26:31 PM I have only watched a couple of Survivor episodes this time around, and then not all the way through. 1874. judithathome - 11/16/2001 4:29:20 PM GJ: 1875. glendajean - 11/16/2001 4:35:59 PM Judith -- I only watch the race show on CBS. The dumb girl talked her mom into cheating. If they had played it without giving up, they would have been the evil Team Guido. But noooooo.... 1876. judithathome - 11/16/2001 4:39:06 PM Thnat's the one I meant...they were so stupid!! And on the interview on the Early Show, she was STILL in denial...said her mother was really flaking out by then. Yeah, right, your mother, who was suggesting you give up looking for the car and take the bus! What a twit that girl is... 1877. AytchMan - 11/16/2001 5:39:33 PM Does anybody know how much the also-rans earn on Survivor? First place is a mil, second place $100K. What's twelfth place get? Five grand or so? 1878. judithathome - 11/16/2001 5:42:38 PM Amoebic dysentary. 1879. judithathome - 11/17/2001 1:31:38 PM Evidently HBO is taking us from the sublime to the ridiculous...Sunday night, instead of watching Band of Brothers as we've been doing throughout its run, we'll have in its place Britney Spears: Live From Las Vegas. 1880. judithathome - 11/18/2001 11:38:07 PM Tonight on UC: Undercover two members of Band of Brothers appeared as crooked cops...Lipton and Buck. It was disconcerting to see them as bad guys. 1881. mgleason - 11/18/2001 11:46:20 PM I've dropped UC from my schedule, along with Crossing Jordan. That leaves me with Enterprise, Criminal Intent, and 24 for the new season. 1882. rubberducky - 11/19/2001 12:38:10 PM MG: start watching The Family Guy on FOX Thursday nights. a very funny cartoon that is as irreverent as The Simpsons was when it debuted. 1883. judithathome - 11/19/2001 1:47:42 PM I love the dog and the baby on Family Guy. 1884. AytchMan - 11/19/2001 1:57:43 PM The Survivor Pool deadline is Thursday, 6pm Central Texas US of A Time, not Wednesday as previously stated. The show airs Thursday. 1885. CalGal - 11/19/2001 2:01:37 PM Ethan, Tom, Kim 1886. AytchMan - 11/19/2001 2:13:31 PM cal-- 1887. CalGal - 11/19/2001 2:16:35 PM Well, I just realized I meant Kelly instead of Kim. 1888. AytchMan - 11/19/2001 2:21:17 PM Well done. Bonne chance. 1889. PelleNilsson - 11/19/2001 2:26:20 PM OK here is my winning entry: 1890. AytchMan - 11/19/2001 2:55:45 PM Thanks Pelle-- 1891. AytchMan - 11/19/2001 3:00:57 PM Professor Lowbrow's predictions-- 1892. rubberducky - 11/19/2001 3:25:25 PM trying to continue my streak for being completely wrong for a 3rd time, here are my predictions: 1893. janjon - 11/19/2001 3:26:52 PM eeny, meeny, miney and moe. 1894. janjon - 11/19/2001 3:27:12 PM losers, all. 1895. rubberducky - 11/19/2001 3:29:51 PM well, thank you for playing 1896. janjon - 11/19/2001 3:32:04 PM um, I can see where my 1894 could be misconstrued. I wasn't casting aspirsions on anyone here. 1897. AytchMan - 11/19/2001 3:32:41 PM janjon-- 1898. janjon - 11/19/2001 3:38:16 PM aytch . Absolutely no problem at all. My eeney etc. was supposed to be a joke, feeble as it was, and the losers was attached to that. Nothing else. 1899. janjon - 11/19/2001 3:39:20 PM besides, it was worth a chuckle or two to see that the Swede conjured up a guess. And here I thought he spent all of his free time stirring up pots of fermenting fish. 1900. AytchMan - 11/19/2001 3:59:01 PM janjon-- 1901. Phoenix Rising - 11/19/2001 3:59:33 PM Losers all, indeed. 1902. CalGal - 11/19/2001 4:02:03 PM People said that about Puck, too. Go figure. 1903. AytchMan - 11/19/2001 4:03:13 PM I'll take that bet. Say, 100 bucks? 1904. HollyW - 11/19/2001 10:55:21 PM Judith! I missed Third Watch, and the babysitter forgot to tape it ! Heeeeelp! What happened? 1905. janjon - 11/20/2001 10:48:53 AM Aytchman - 1906. Phoenix Rising - 11/20/2001 10:58:59 AM Ha Ha. Just kidding. 1907. Phoenix Rising - 11/20/2001 11:02:22 AM Actually, come to think of it, Season 3 was the best for one reason only. David Boreanaz spent the entire season without a shirt and in chains. 1908. glendajean - 11/20/2001 11:35:25 AM People said that about Puck, too 1909. CalGal - 11/20/2001 1:46:54 PM Yeah, he's a grass stain on the celebrity landscape. You know the sort. He was next on Bonnie Blake's list if Bobby hadn't come through. 1910. judithathome - 11/20/2001 4:04:28 PM Holly: 1911. judithathome - 11/20/2001 4:42:40 PM I just ordered Digital Cable and now will have 200 more channels that I don't have time to watch...I'm guessing we will get a dish before all this is over.... 1912. HollyW - 11/21/2001 11:05:47 AM Thanks, Judith. 1913. judithathome - 11/21/2001 11:08:23 AM Well, don't envy ME...I have to get digital but can't get expanded Basic in this area so all the above post is nil except for having to get digital in order to get HBO...and paying more for it . 1914. rubberducky - 11/21/2001 11:21:25 AM well, you'll finally be able to catch The Daily Show! 1915. judithathome - 11/21/2001 11:29:43 AM Not if it's on Comedy Central or whatever it is...we aren't getting Expanded Basic because it's not offered in my area...yet. 1916. rubberducky - 11/21/2001 11:32:44 AM whoops - misread your 1913, J@H 1917. AytchMan - 11/21/2001 11:35:48 AM Latest Survivor Pool Entries: 1918. joezan - 11/21/2001 9:43:33 PM Hey - Bernie Mac is actually a pretty funny show. I may even watch it fairly regularly. 1919. judithathome - 11/25/2001 1:10:09 PM Tonight the second season of The Sopranos begins in re-runs and afterward, Sex and The City comes off hiatus or re-begins, whatever it's called...re-starts the 2001 season. 1920. judithathome - 11/26/2001 5:08:50 PM Tonight is the Star Trek Weakest Link and Shatners shameless fame-seeking persona ought to ensure a pretty funny show. I like him so much better these days than when he was chewing the scenery on that ship... 1921. AytchMan - 11/27/2001 12:20:14 AM Survivor. 1922. judithathome - 11/27/2001 9:14:38 AM Last night the Treksters broke a record for most prize money gathered...LeVar Burton and the holographic doctor from Voyager were the finalists and LeVar won $167,000 for his charity. That was one smart group of people....well, except for Shatner. 1923. rubberducky - 11/27/2001 9:45:17 AM i missed Shatner, was he one of the 1st to go? 1924. judithathome - 11/27/2001 9:59:52 AM Second or third, I think...should've gone first. Really stupid. 1925. Indiana Jones - 11/27/2001 12:28:38 PM I'm watching the second season of the Sopranos and just finished the D girl episode. I have a pretty good idea what it means, but what precisely does it ("D girl") mean? 1926. bubbaette - 11/27/2001 12:43:04 PM I missed Survivor last week -- so it was Clarence's time to go, huh? Any particular reason or just his day in the barrel? 1927. Indiana Jones - 11/27/2001 12:48:03 PM Last week just happens to be the only one of this season I've seen. 1928. judithathome - 11/27/2001 12:49:24 PM IJ: 1929. judithathome - 11/27/2001 12:50:13 PM x-post with IJ. 1930. PelleNilsson - 11/27/2001 12:52:38 PM So we are all agreed to declare my man Clarence the moral winner? 1931. rubberducky - 11/27/2001 12:55:03 PM ah - not having watched the show, i just guessed it was due to his resultant wind from that can of beans he stole and ate -- that can be dangerous around an open fire like that! 1932. bubbaette - 11/27/2001 12:55:05 PM Clarence is a fine lookin fella. Moral winner -- I don't think so -- I don't think the show has any moral winners. Frankly, if deserving to go is an issue then the whiney lazy Gen X'ers Brandon and Kelly should get the boot. 1933. judithathome - 11/27/2001 12:56:11 PM I'm with Bubbaette on that last post. 1934. Indiana Jones - 11/27/2001 12:56:43 PM My last post sounded surreal, but I guess if you see just a chunk of the show, that's what you get. 1935. Indiana Jones - 11/27/2001 12:58:59 PM Judith: It's the episode where Chris hooks up with a redhead from Hollywood. At the end when she ditches him he calls her a D girl (which is also the episode's name). 1936. bubbaette - 11/27/2001 1:01:37 PM GI Joe must be Frank. Did he betray the promise of a written contract? 1937. judithathome - 11/27/2001 1:01:45 PM Development girl...that;s what he meant and he meant it as a real put down. 1938. bubbaette - 11/27/2001 1:03:12 PM CAN see through that kind of shit, I mean. 1939. judithathome - 11/27/2001 1:03:42 PM Well, Bubbaette, Frank is so inept at social skills, I think he was genuine in saying that. Some have said he did that to judge everyones reaction but I don't think he is swift enough to think of that. 1940. bubbaette - 11/27/2001 1:08:02 PM Gotta say that I'd much rather be stuck in desert with Frank than with Brandon. 1941. Indiana Jones - 11/27/2001 1:10:28 PM Thanks, Judith. 1942. Indiana Jones - 11/27/2001 1:11:05 PM Addendum: He just seems to be one of those people who takes everything very seriously. 1943. judithathome - 11/27/2001 1:15:01 PM He definitely does take everything seriously. He seems just a few degrees west of Ted Kascynski or however you spell it...very inward looking. 1944. Phoenix Rising - 11/27/2001 2:47:06 PM Actually, if I were stranded in Africa, I would like to have Brandon around. 1945. rubberducky - 11/27/2001 2:53:26 PM Brandon's kinda scrawny tho, not enough meat on him. 1946. judithathome - 11/27/2001 2:56:20 PM ...or Tom. 1947. bubbaette - 11/27/2001 3:14:08 PM But you can expect Silas or Tom to put up a bit of a fight. But if your looking at the ease of dispatch, one of the younger gals might be your choice --say Brandon's friend Kelly. Still plenty of good eating, not as much fat as Tom, and none of that funky testosterone taste. 1948. Phoenix Rising - 11/27/2001 3:15:23 PM Well, that would involve having a guilty conscience over the taking of another human life. Brandon is an alien as nearly as I can tell, and therefore, fair game (so to speak). 1949. judithathome - 11/27/2001 3:17:27 PM You make an excellent point, Phoenix....you can tell by his eyes. 1950. rubberducky - 11/27/2001 3:17:34 PM plus, you could keep the Chapstick 1951. AytchMan - 11/28/2001 12:43:56 AM Projected Survivor Point Totals: 1952. Phoenix Rising - 11/28/2001 9:49:01 AM Jayzus. Buffy has gone all dark. Issues of addiction and mutually abusive relationships? 1953. Phoenix Rising - 11/28/2001 9:50:24 AM I predict this will not end well for Spike. He will not be in next season's opening credits. 1954. rubberducky - 11/28/2001 10:09:45 AM a good episode last night tho. i'm starting to hope Buffy will hump a non-living dead person next; for, you know, a change. 1955. judithathome - 11/28/2001 10:49:08 AM he looked emaciated last night - not attractive. 1956. rubberducky - 11/28/2001 10:52:45 AM it isn't so obvious to me with the shirt on. 1957. Frankster - 11/28/2001 11:02:54 AM Does anyone know when Twenty-Four is repeated ? I missed it last night, and I believe FX repeats the show a day or two later. 1958. Frankster - 11/28/2001 11:03:44 AM What a bum, huh ? 1959. rubberducky - 11/28/2001 11:07:12 AM FOX repeated the opener the following Friday but i don't think they will do that again 1960. judithathome - 11/28/2001 11:07:40 AM It's repeated on Fox on Friday nights...wait, I'll check for sure. 1961. Frankster - 11/28/2001 11:09:40 AM Thanks, Judith and Ducks. I'll look around and see what I can find. 1962. Phoenix Rising - 11/28/2001 11:10:59 AM You must have blinked as Spike was sitting nude on the bed. He looked quite hunkilicious. And well muscled. 1963. judithathome - 11/28/2001 11:11:51 AM Frank...go to the butter bar on this page and hit FOX; hit 24 and skip the intro; keep watching the center of the screen where 24 pops up and it will fade into the list of repeat dates. 1964. Frankster - 11/28/2001 11:14:04 AM Thanks, Judith. 1965. judithathome - 11/28/2001 11:14:35 AM Ducks...actually, they have repeated every episode thus far on Friday nights but this week, they are running The Sound of Music . (Blech!) 1966. Frankster - 11/28/2001 11:55:14 AM My first anchor crush. 1967. judithathome - 11/29/2001 11:03:37 AM Here is a "Best Bets" piece about tonights line up: 1968. rubberducky - 11/30/2001 1:47:34 PM good news for Joe & Frank: 1969. judithathome - 11/30/2001 2:03:45 PM Hahaha...well, I must admit, I'm watching 24 with more intensity than Pasadena. I think that's a great idea, to continue to run the show twice a week. 1970. AytchMan - 11/30/2001 5:14:29 PM Last night's Survivor was a recap so an update is neither required nor available. 1971. mgleason - 11/30/2001 5:18:21 PM I like 24, but Eddie thinks that it's because I'm pining for Donald Sutherland. 1972. judithathome - 12/1/2001 10:40:35 AM MG: 1973. judithathome - 12/3/2001 5:36:18 PM Tonight the cast of Third Watch will appear as contestants on The Weakest Link which runs right before the show. This episode of TW is a continuation of last week where the death of an alleged rapist was the final scene. A few suspects but of course, we're supposed to think it's the cop. 1974. judithathome - 12/4/2001 9:14:43 AM I know this is next to hopeless but did anyone out there happen to tape Third Watch last night? We have a Motester whose babysitter forgot to tape it and she would be ever so grateful if you would share your tape with her...if I get a positive response, I will send along her e-mail. 1975. HollyW - 12/4/2001 4:58:19 PM Thank you, Judith...there is still a tear in my eye over missing it. 1976. HollyW - 12/4/2001 4:59:40 PM msratchedrn@hotmail.com! Let's make it known, haha. 1977. judithathome - 12/4/2001 5:01:04 PM Holly, I waited to see if maybe you could find a tape before discussing last nights show. It was so very good! 1978. HollyW - 12/4/2001 10:55:03 PM Clearly I need to get a grip and learn how to set the VCR. 1979. AytchMan - 12/6/2001 11:56:59 PM Survivor: 1980. AytchMan - 12/7/2001 12:03:20 AM Oddly enough, I'm still enjoying the show. But, with all the switching around of teams, it's harder to track what's going on with the alliances. Thus, it's hard to get much feel for who's likely to stay or go. The more random the departures seem, the less fun the show is to watch. Seems like a rock and a hard place for the producers. 1981. bubbaette - 12/7/2001 8:59:30 AM Naw -- that's not the angular blonde chick I was talking about -- I mean the older dessicated blonde with short hair. Though I'm probably wrong about her. 1982. judithathome - 12/7/2001 9:10:33 AM Yes, I am sorry I didn't put Ethan in my final four and I certainly wouldn't be sorry if he won. I just don't have any feeling for any of these people. 1983. Phoenix Rising - 12/7/2001 10:59:02 AM What a poophead Lex has turned out to be. 1984. glendajean - 12/7/2001 11:01:29 AM I still cherish the moment showed a couple of weeks ago during the catch-up segment that showed Ethan and Silas hugging. 1985. AytchMan - 12/7/2001 5:06:35 PM Lex has, indeed, turned out to be a disappointment. I become more and more convinced that the producers pore over the psychological tests to find less well-adjusted people. More drama, more hair-pulling. 1986. CalGal - 12/8/2001 12:11:27 AM The Day Reagan Was Shot is getting decent to excellent reviews. It's a re-enactment, using audio tapes, I think. Dreyfus plays Haig, Colm Feore plays Weinberger, Richard Crenna and Holland Taylor play Ronny and Nancy, and that's a pretty impressive cast, B-list in renown, not talent. Might be interesting. Showtime on Sunday, I think. 1987. judithathome - 12/8/2001 12:18:22 AM Thanks for the heads up, Cal...it IS on Sunday at 9:00pm EST. 1988. judithathome - 12/9/2001 6:38:28 PM Tonight on the Discovery channel, Walking With Prehistoric Beasts coming up at 7pm EST. 1989. judithathome - 12/10/2001 10:17:11 AM Last night The Practice had two thought provoking story lines which complimented each other...one was about an Arab American being held by the FBI without being able to talk to counsel or his family...it was very effective until we learned that this man had waived attorney privilege and was voluntarily being held in order to help the FBI. The writers take was to infer he was doing this in order to prove he was a good American, that he was afraid not to...giving up his rights in order to be a good citizen. 1990. rubberducky - 12/10/2001 10:23:43 AM J@H: 1991. judithathome - 12/10/2001 10:44:50 AM We watched the first hour and loved it but had to tape the last 2 hours because I'm making a Soprano tape and it conflicted with that. 1992. Phoenix Rising - 12/10/2001 11:15:03 AM I had Friday afternoon off and totally by accident I caught a segment of the local CBS affiliate's noon "news" show. The local anchor was doing a live interview with Kelly of Survivor. 1993. judithathome - 12/10/2001 12:25:25 PM Even in real life, people sometimes edit themselves to seem more like what they think others want to see. So it's no big surprise that a show meant to entertain does this...seriously, did anyone actually believe Colby was such a generous natured soul? 1994. Phoenix Rising - 12/10/2001 2:26:57 PM Even in real life, people sometimes edit themselves to seem more like what they think others want to see 1995. judithathome - 12/10/2001 2:32:32 PM Exactly...and it really should be: Short, fat male: paunchy and bald, haven't worked out since '78; into videos games and day old pizza from the box. Will take anything moving. Smoker, IV drug user; willing to supply the smack a plus. 1996. rubberducky - 12/10/2001 3:50:47 PM you haven't even met PR, J@H! 1997. judithathome - 12/10/2001 4:36:17 PM Oh, I hadn't realized he was using his OWN ad! 1998. Phoenix Rising - 12/10/2001 4:42:10 PM Judy only has the smack part wrong. I have my own continuous supply of high quality horse and do not seek same in a partner. 1999. judithathome - 12/10/2001 4:47:52 PM Hahaha! I don't think I read enough of those ads... 2000. ycmeehan - 12/10/2001 4:50:00 PM Hello, Judith 2001. ycmeehan - 12/10/2001 4:50:42 PM Got it! 2002. judithathome - 12/10/2001 4:58:59 PM Hey, congratulations, YC! I didn't even notice it looming there! 2003. ycmeehan - 12/10/2001 5:05:10 PM Answer in The cafe. 2004. judithathome - 12/12/2001 11:28:04 AM A two day interval between posts; we're either not watching TV or not admitting that we do. 2005. arkymalarky - 12/12/2001 6:06:10 PM In my quest to learn Spanish I've been watching Spanish-language soaps. I must say, they're as easy to keep up with without understanding much of the language at all as English-language ones. 2006. judithathome - 12/12/2001 6:09:31 PM When our friends from Athens visit, we always watch them! I love the new Taco Bueno ads which parody the soaps, too! 2007. Absensia - 12/12/2001 6:42:57 PM Geez Ark, any excuse to watch soaps! 2008. judithathome - 12/14/2001 8:41:09 AM Bye bye Brandon! 2009. AytchMan - 12/15/2001 1:57:13 AM Another emimnently satisfying departure. Brandon hits the dusty trail. Best of all, no Motie bet the lunch pail on him. Seven players left. 2010. judithathome - 12/17/2001 11:03:25 AM This one is for Rubberducky: 2011. glendajean - 12/17/2001 11:32:12 AM Hey, Judith. Am catching up on my tapings of things that showed last week. 2012. judithathome - 12/17/2001 12:21:11 PM Yes, I was glad they didn't win. At first, I was all for them winning but after awhile, they started to grate on me. 2013. glendajean - 12/17/2001 1:45:39 PM If they play their cards right, they ought to get a little extra earnings for their troubles, enough to put away for schooling. 2014. judithathome - 12/17/2001 2:06:51 PM Yes, lots of comment elsewhere about how the route Frank insisted on might have worked in heavy traffic times but since it was 6am, the lawyers had no problems with the route they chose and Franks route actually took longer. 2015. rubberducky - 12/17/2001 3:03:45 PM J@H: 2016. bubbaette - 12/17/2001 8:09:20 PM aytchman 2017. OhioSTOPAS - 12/17/2001 8:41:35 PM My wife and I enjoyed Amazing Race. I thought it was poetic justice that the L.A. lawyers won the race to Queens by letting the cab driver drive instead of instructing him at every turn like know-it-all Frank did. Felt sorry for Margarita, though - we adored her. We liked Team Guido until they pulled that stunt at the airport - then they became the team to root against. 2018. glendajean - 12/18/2001 9:56:01 AM Rosie O'Donnell had the top three from the Amazing Race on her show. 2019. judithathome - 12/19/2001 10:44:03 AM If there is anyone out there watching 24 last night was a superb episode! 2020. judithathome - 12/20/2001 11:48:31 AM Here are the Golden Globe nominations: 2021. judithathome - 12/20/2001 11:56:23 AM (con't) 2022. judithathome - 12/21/2001 10:28:01 AM Frank is now out of africa.... 2023. glendajean - 12/21/2001 10:29:12 AM Was he the fat guy from Virginia? 2024. bubbaette - 12/21/2001 10:29:43 AM Yup -- my predictions have bitten the dust. 2025. judithathome - 12/21/2001 10:35:43 AM No, Frank was the thin guy who was so dour. Tom is the formerly fat guy from Virgina. 2026. bubbaette - 12/21/2001 11:07:59 AM Tom's still got a little wiggle on the waistline. 2027. judithathome - 12/21/2001 11:10:47 AM Yes, but I'd be willing to bet he's dropped 50 pounds...the Richard Hatch Syndrome. 2028. Cellar Door - 12/21/2001 1:50:53 PM 2029. marjoribanks - 12/21/2001 1:58:06 PM Geraldo's "war coverage" is such a mindblowing travesty that it is staggering. I flip around the channels during the 10 o'clock news and he's often on the UPN station's hour. You cannot watch one full minute without catching either a lie or a distortion or a display of staggering ignorance. All wrapped up in the most ludicrous half-macho self-aggrandizement. It's a frigging train wreck, is what Geraldo does Afghanistan is. 2030. webfeet - 12/21/2001 2:07:39 PM I thought I was the only one who caught Geraldo on UPN. Once he had two northern alliance soldiers standing behind him on the top of some mountain and was trying to talk like a warrior. We were fascinated, mostly because he sounded so ridiculous, saying things like 'Enemies of our enemies are our friends' with his Rolex gleaming in the winter sunlight. It was total parody. 2031. CalGal - 12/21/2001 2:11:34 PM And I miss his CNBC show, so it's a complete loss. 2032. OhioSTOPAS - 12/21/2001 6:58:14 PM ". . . trying to talk like a warrior . . . with his Rolex gleaming in the winter sunlight . . ." 2033. OhioSTOPAS - 12/21/2001 7:07:19 PM Message # 2020: "24" and "Alias" nominated for best series? I've watched them both and liked them, but how do you award "best series" on the basis of a show's first 5 or 6 episodes? 2034. jexster - 12/21/2001 10:57:12 PM Does Donald Rumsfeld remind anyone else of Leo McGarry, Chief of Staff to the REAL President of the US, Jed Bartlett? 2035. judithathome - 12/21/2001 11:05:28 PM Nope, he reminds me of Darryl Hammond on SNL. 2036. AytchMan - 12/22/2001 1:50:14 AM Survivor. Let's get this over with. 2037. AytchMan - 12/22/2001 1:53:08 AM And, yet, I still like the show. I just don't like this pod of contestants much. 2038. judithathome - 12/22/2001 8:54:40 AM I think those with Ethan to win are going to get a big push at the end...he's looking good for the win. I think it will be Ethan or Tom. 2039. Frankster - 12/25/2001 12:26:46 AM I missed the last "24" episode (the fifth hour) last Tuesday, and like an idiot missed the first two-thirds of last night's repeat of that show on the FX network, so ... 2040. OhioSTOPAS - 12/25/2001 8:22:45 AM Merry Christmas, Frank! 2041. Cellar Door - 12/25/2001 10:49:17 AM Lance Loud R.I.P. 2042. Frankster - 12/26/2001 12:48:57 AM Thanks, Ohio! 2043. judithathome - 12/26/2001 6:29:13 PM Tonight at 8pmCST on UPN: 2044. AytchMan - 12/28/2001 10:07:20 PM Survivor. 2045. Cellar Door - 12/29/2001 1:13:26 AM I have disconnected my cable. 2046. arkymalarky - 12/29/2001 1:27:38 PM Why, CD? 2047. judithathome - 12/29/2001 1:36:57 PM Maybe he's made a New Years resolution not to waste time on frivilous stuff.... 2048. judithathome - 12/29/2001 1:37:50 PM How about you, Arky? Are you enjoying your dish? 2049. arkymalarky - 12/29/2001 1:46:33 PM It may be my frame of mind right now, but actually, I haven't gotten a whole lot out of it. Maybe later I'll be more into tv, but it's nice to have when I do want to watch something. Right now I enjoy a little bit of several channels--Spanish-language channels, some of the H&G stuff, some biography and history programs, VH1, and occasionally a movie. CNN is handy when news breaks out, but is much less interesting than I thought it would be. For one thing, I didn't realize everything's repeated so much. 2050. arkymalarky - 12/29/2001 1:47:32 PM Not on CNN, btw, but on channels in general. They show the same movies and programs over and over. 2051. arkymalarky - 12/29/2001 1:50:11 PM One thing to appreciate is that if I hadn't had a dish I wouldn't have learned about Bubba Sparxxx. I'm so proud that one of ours has broken into the rap world. He looks like an FFA reject, but he's doing his small part to make romance with pigs a respectable diversion. 2052. judithathome - 12/29/2001 1:52:57 PM I'll have to tackle this later...tho it sounds fascinating beyond belief! We're off to gather goodies from the store. 2053. jexster - 12/31/2001 9:40:32 PM Tommorrow is little screen trauma day in the Bay Area, and kind of an interesting economics case involving TV markets. 2054. jexster - 12/31/2001 9:49:04 PM What's interesting to me about this is that it shows you how the "free" market values or more properly fails to fairly value local TV franchises ie any local TV station is only worth the value of its affiliation license which in this case was 500 million bucks or was it? 2055. jexster - 12/31/2001 9:53:03 PM When I lived in NY, I liked WNBC; Washington WRC; LA KNBC and if NBC had divested instead of acquired in those markets, the same thing would have happened and I'd have been pissed too. 2056. CalGal - 12/31/2001 10:00:01 PM Jex, I forgot you live around here. Isn't that weird? KRON has been Channel 4 forever. I think it cuts over tonight with Leno. 2057. jexster - 12/31/2001 10:00:08 PM and all of this kinda sorta relates to the Cllr/arky et al discussion above... 2058. Cellar Door - 12/31/2001 10:03:07 PM We're watching the NHK New Year's Show from Japan. A truly grandiose pop music blowout that ALL Japan was watching when the year turned 12 hours ago. 2059. CalGal - 12/31/2001 10:07:15 PM That reminds me, did any of you see the Showtime movie, "The Day that Reagan Was Shot"? 2060. jexster - 12/31/2001 10:13:48 PM Yea I suppose there is some value Cal to South Bay viewers who are really getting the shaft because all the major stations are North Bay. But if the market is supposedly so damned efficient (which of course its not never has been never will be neither free nor efficient, advertising revenues/viewership market should have dealt with the demographic change).... 2061. jexster - 12/31/2001 10:15:17 PM Well Clldr..so much for your new years resolution TV for video only eh? 2062. CalGal - 12/31/2001 10:19:04 PM Jex, 2063. jexster - 1/1/2002 2:17:31 PM Well, I dunno either and that is the interesting thing...bein a news nut with local political interests I wish we had even better news...we deserve DC quality local news..not KNTV... 2064. judithathome - 1/1/2002 9:01:18 PM A&E is doing what looks like a very good rendition of The Magnificent Ambersons on January 13th. 2065. wonkers2 - 1/1/2002 9:06:49 PM Anybody tried a Tivo? Are they worth the money? Our kids ordered us one for Christmas. 2066. Absensia - 1/1/2002 9:09:14 PM Tivo? 2067. wonkers2 - 1/1/2002 9:13:35 PM It's a device that allows you to automatically record your favorite TV shows and watch them without having to endure the commercials. There is a monthly charge. That's all I know. Our kids said it's the greatest since sliced bread. I'm skeptical. 2068. judithathome - 1/1/2002 9:15:54 PM Check with Glendajean, wonkers...I think it IS rather a good thing to have. 2069. judithathome - 1/2/2002 12:38:43 PM Here's some new programming from A&E. 2070. slackjaw - 1/3/2002 9:25:45 PM well Jex you flatter me, but the answers to policy & social science questions seem so obvious & come so naturally to you, I can only hope that one day I have your grasp! 2071. jexster - 1/3/2002 9:40:53 PM aww shuckx 2072. CalGal - 1/4/2002 11:45:00 AM I've been at home the last two weeks and very much enjoyed Murder One reruns on A&E. I had seen the very last episode by accident on first run back in the mid-90s, and thought it looked interesting. 2073. judithathome - 1/4/2002 12:22:13 PM Daniel Benzali is being added to the cast of The Agency...why, I don't know because no one is watching that show. 2074. CalGal - 1/4/2002 12:31:01 PM They changed a lot in the second year; made it a much more traditional show. 2075. judithathome - 1/4/2002 12:34:03 PM Wasn't Fay her character on Hill Street Blues? Her real name is Barbara Bosun or Bossun. 2076. CalGal - 1/4/2002 12:39:13 PM That's it . Barbara Bosson. Yes, Fay was her name when she played Frank's irritating wife. 2077. bubbaette - 1/4/2002 1:10:53 PM So T-Bird bit the dust last night. It looks increasingly like the final 3 will be Tom, Lex, and Ethan. 2078. judithathome - 1/4/2002 1:13:54 PM I'm hoping Lex goes to the final two and loses to either Tom or Ethan...he will implode! 2079. bubbaette - 1/4/2002 1:15:39 PM Yep, he certainly has shown himself to have a short fuse while being long on hyperbole. He's going to cut Tom's heart out, indeed. 2080. judithathome - 1/4/2002 1:20:03 PM When we first laid out our picks in H-mans list, I thought Lex was a good choice to win; practically an hour after the deadline, I began to see how screwed I was. He is a loon... 2081. AytchMan - 1/4/2002 6:26:09 PM Survivor. 2082. CalGal - 1/4/2002 6:32:04 PM Aytch, 2083. judithathome - 1/4/2002 9:50:28 PM Don't be coy, Cal...of course you're doing well. You'll probably win, too, because it's likely Ethan will win over Lex. The only thing that could screw us all is if Tom wins, which is very likely to happen. 2084. judithathome - 1/4/2002 9:54:09 PM It just occurred to me that you may not know how well you're really doing...ha! 2085. CalGal - 1/4/2002 10:32:25 PM I really didn't know. That's neat. 2086. glendajean - 1/7/2002 10:29:25 AM Who knew Sunday nights would become the one night to watch television. 2087. glendajean - 1/7/2002 10:29:37 AM Sopramos HBO continues the second season (for those few of us who missed the first two and are enjoying catching up before season number four starts). Last night was wonderful. Chris' dream for Hollywood and Pussey's betrayal of the Sopranos made up the two story lines. It was all about temptation. Chris learns that he cannot escape his world, and the temptation to do so hints that Hollywood can be just as mean if not as brutal. Pussey has to wear a wire to his godson's (Tony Jr) confirmation and reception. He actually provides comforting advice to the kid. And then we find Pussey sitting in a bathroom, crying his heart out while the party goes on, and we see the feds (looking perplexed) listening in to a sobbing man. 2088. glendajean - 1/7/2002 10:33:36 AM The best line from Sopranos episode last night was from Carmella, who learns that her son was smoking pot in the basement during his confirmation party: 2089. rubberducky - 1/7/2002 10:44:24 AM rubberducky ... [1 point locked/3 possible -- DOA, cannot win] 2090. rubberducky - 1/7/2002 10:45:13 AM Hal Sparks, the stragiht former host of "Talk Soup," has become quite experienced at being nude and kissing men on tv. 2091. Phoenix Rising - 1/7/2002 10:46:23 AM Sundays indeed are must see t.v. However, I watch Fox (Futurama, King of the Hill, Simpsons and Malcolm in the Middle) before switching over to HBO at 9. I am glad to see someone agrees with me on QaF. Except it is so bad, I can't bring myself to watch it sound on or off. 2092. Phoenix Rising - 1/7/2002 11:19:27 AM Here is how I will get all 5 of my Survivor points: 2093. judithathome - 1/7/2002 12:11:34 PM Sounds good but Lex will more than likely melt into a puddle once he hears the words "Tom" or "Ethan" as the winner and be unable to cut anyones throat. The only throat he will likely cut will be his own...by winning so many competitions, he set up a huge amount of resentment or should have, anyhow. With this group, they will probably consider him "best" at playing the game and give him the money, anyhow. 2094. AytchMan - 1/8/2002 6:32:57 PM cal- 2095. CalGal - 1/8/2002 6:36:36 PM Hey. Neat. You must have described the people better this time. Or maybe my dumb luck got smarter. 2096. AytchMan - 1/8/2002 7:04:44 PM cal-- 2097. Phoenix Rising - 1/10/2002 9:43:54 AM From today's NY Times on the Web (registration required): 2098. judithathome - 1/10/2002 9:54:30 AM Yep, anytime they can make a buck, they will become enthusiastic. But who cares...if they create the channel, anyhow? That is a great idea! 2099. Phoenix Rising - 1/10/2002 9:58:29 AM Part of this has to do with the fact that Queer as Folk is Showtime's highest rated show. By their own estimates, twice as many people watch it as any other prime time show in Showtime's lineup. The executives have been paying attention. 2100. Phoenix Rising - 1/10/2002 10:00:17 AM I envision a channel of reruns of QaF and Undressed...with commercials. 2101. glendajean - 1/10/2002 10:39:18 AM As usual, though, there is no accounting for the taste of the American public. 2102. judithathome - 1/10/2002 10:55:02 AM I think they are going to be astonished at how many subscriptions they receive. 2103. CalGal - 1/10/2002 11:00:05 AM It woudln't just be gay tv, I imagine. I'd sign up for the movies alone, but only if they promised to show movies uninterrupted. 2104. CalGal - 1/10/2002 11:01:14 AM It woudln't just be gay tv, I imagine. 2105. glendajean - 1/10/2002 11:05:26 AM They'll probably show Ellen Show and Will & Grace reruns, too. 2106. glendajean - 1/10/2002 11:06:38 AM I've hated some of the gay comedy programs on the Comedy Channel. The humor is forced, silly and forgetful. 2107. judithathome - 1/10/2002 11:43:01 AM Oh THIS looks like a winner...not. 2108. Phoenix Rising - 1/10/2002 2:22:32 PM I laughed at the author's description of QaF as "realistic." 2109. judithathome - 1/10/2002 10:07:01 PM Survivor is over and (white font) 2110. judithathome - 1/11/2002 9:49:28 AM Oh well, I guess I could've gone without the white... 2111. CalGal - 1/11/2002 10:02:48 AM Yay! 2112. glendajean - 1/11/2002 10:06:20 AM Here's a New York Observer essay on the late Lance Loud, a star of the 1973 PBS documentary about his family. 2113. rubberducky - 1/11/2002 10:32:45 AM not that this is news, but Friends is REALLY going downhill. last night's show sucked. Joey and Rachael? jesus, how lame. any fucking combo i suppose, the same old shit. i hope the plug is finally plugged at the end of this season. i was listening to the local dj describe Mathew Perry as 'bloated as the corpse in the first season of Twin Peaks' and thought that an apt description. these people are getting way too old for this type of show. 2114. glendajean - 1/11/2002 11:20:16 AM Well, they certainly aren't 20 somethings anymore. They've aged. Even in tvland, bodies change. Sitcoms are a cage, a walled in universe (see Pleasantville. This is the last permutation of friendship left. Joey and Phoebe would be too weird -- just think of the children. 2115. judithathome - 1/11/2002 11:23:57 AM I thought last might's Survivor was a bore...the lady who got to choose the #2 for the final coasted into that spot with luck and a good memory about where spider tatoos were. I'm glad Ethan won but he is a deadly bore. A hot looking one, but a bore, anyhow. 2116. glendajean - 1/11/2002 11:25:25 AM I'm just glad Frank and Lex were left behind. 2117. judithathome - 1/11/2002 11:30:00 AM I am looking forward to the LOCATION of the next show and the fact they will have no fire, no food, no water...nothing...and will actually have to survive. This last show was the ultimate in nothing going on... 2118. Phoenix Rising - 1/11/2002 11:32:23 AM Brandon made a total ass of himself on national tv. 2119. judithathome - 1/11/2002 11:40:31 AM Lex would've won at least one more over by his glib answers...and Teresa wouldn't have voted for Kim on a bet because she tried to get the dumb idiot to join up with the women and vote off the guys but KimJ preferred to glide in with the guys. 2120. AytchMan - 1/12/2002 6:32:04 PM Survivor Snoozes Across The Finish Line. 2121. AytchMan - 1/12/2002 6:47:51 PM It's hard to talk about trends based on three Survivors but it seems that a new dominant strategy may be emerging: The Nice Guy. 2122. AytchMan - 1/12/2002 6:56:40 PM Cal-- 2123. CalGal - 1/12/2002 7:04:28 PM Prof, 2124. AytchMan - 1/12/2002 7:27:13 PM It's not such a sacrifice. I still think it's a good show. If only the producers would stop trying so hard by focussing on the whiners and misfits. They've got everything they need -- exotic locations, real hardship and danger, and strategies and alliances. 2125. judithathome - 1/12/2002 10:03:12 PM Just don't buy Enron stock with it... 2126. robertjayb - 1/12/2002 10:52:45 PM Our very own Cellar Door gets a mention in Maureen Dowd's New York Times column... 2127. judithathome - 1/12/2002 11:01:32 PM Cool! 2128. CalGal - 1/12/2002 11:03:37 PM Wow. And we knew him when! 2129. Cellar Door - 1/12/2002 11:41:59 PM FABULOUS!!! 2130. Property of Jesus - 1/13/2002 3:30:31 AM As if, the great Andrew Sullivan cares if you're mentioned in the second to last graf of MoDowd rant. 2131. Property of Jesus - 1/13/2002 3:35:20 AM CD--If they let you in, you should participate in Dowd's forum at the NYTimes. It's in the OPINION folder under her name. 2132. Property of Jesus - 1/13/2002 3:37:19 AM sells 2133. Cellar Door - 1/13/2002 10:36:23 AM Thanks for the info, Props. I'll check Dowd's forum out. 2134. judithathome - 1/13/2002 3:35:25 PM Tonight is A&Es production of The Magnificent Ambersons. Previews show a very luxurious film with undertones not attempted in Orson Welles film of the same name. 2135. judithathome - 1/13/2002 3:39:46 PM Here is a cleverly named review of a Ken Burns PBS offering later in the week, Twain Spotting. 2136. judithathome - 1/14/2002 3:49:38 PM Tonight on TNT at 8pm CST Monday Night Mayhem with John Turturro as Howard Cosell. 2137. glendajean - 1/14/2002 4:29:41 PM I taped the Magnificent Ambersons last night and look forward to seeing it later this week. Supposedly they used 90-95% of Welles script & ideas. It was directed by the Mexican director of Like Water For Chocolate and I think there was a bit of a row between Madeline Stowe and him. He emphasized an Oeidepal relationship between the mother and the son, particularly in a kiss that lingers and she thought it was over the top. 2138. judithathome - 1/14/2002 4:53:23 PM GJ: 2139. judithathome - 1/15/2002 11:02:02 AM I'm sure I was the only person on the Mote watching Monday Night Mayhem last night on TNT but I will gleefully tell you, it was fantastic...bad wigs and hairpieces but other than that, a fun little movie. The choices for music alone made it outstanding and there were old TV ads, football clips, snappy patter and a great impersonation of Howard Cosell by John Turturro. 2140. CalGal - 1/15/2002 11:06:45 AM I watched it; it was fun--and largely accurate. Roone Arledge really did change TV sports. 2141. judithathome - 1/15/2002 11:44:36 AM It wasn't until the credits were running that I remembered Nick was John Turturros brother. I mean, I know he is but just didn't associate the relationship while the movie was running. 2142. Phoenix Rising - 1/15/2002 2:15:58 PM Today's Salon interviews Kirk Acevedo, Dean Winters and Harold Perrineau about OZ 2143. glendajean - 1/16/2002 12:46:12 PM I watched part one of Ken Burn's documentary on Mark Twain (PBS) last night. 2144. judithathome - 1/16/2002 1:12:14 PM We saw Hal Holbrook as Mark Twain and it was fantastic. 2145. glendajean - 1/16/2002 1:36:58 PM Judith -- I either saw him do this when I was in college, or watched it on television way back then. I cannot remember Yikes. His voice is perfectly fit for Twain's prose. 2146. judithathome - 1/16/2002 1:47:04 PM I don't think it will spoil anything for you and it is only an observation...but I'd like to hear your thoughts on the points I raised after you watch it, especially on the costuming: 2147. Julius Caesar - 1/17/2002 1:44:54 PM Ha ha ha ha ha 2148. glendajean - 1/17/2002 1:53:24 PM I read somewhere that there will be competing SC television series. Anybody heard of the other one? 2149. rubberducky - 1/17/2002 1:55:04 PM X-Files finally is put to rest: 2150. Julius Caesar - 1/17/2002 1:56:13 PM Linda Purl portrays spirited Sarah Novelli who, though she is now married to a Supreme Court Justice (Joe Mantegna), still wants to keep her independence -- and her career as a real estate agent. 2151. glendajean - 1/17/2002 1:59:01 PM Julius -- I thought that line was pretty funny. I know that I aspire to be independent and a real estate agent in real life, regardless of whatever job my partner gets. Don't we all? 2152. glendajean - 1/18/2002 10:35:49 AM Here's a Slate article on programming a gay television channel along with a close-up on an existing Canadian gay channel. 2153. Cellar Door - 1/18/2002 10:39:36 AM "Slate" appears blithely unaware of John Greyson,the writer-director of Urinal. 2154. Frankster - 1/19/2002 3:14:26 PM Judith, Ohio, or anyone else riveted to "24", 2155. judithathome - 1/19/2002 3:20:54 PM Nina and Goateed Guy (who discovered Jamie was the mole and handcuffed her to a table out of coamera range) got Jamie to call Gaines and tell him Jack had been compromised....for some reason, Gaines decided to spare them and use Jack again later... 2156. judithathome - 1/19/2002 3:21:58 PM camera range...sheesh! 2157. Cellar Door - 1/20/2002 1:45:34 AM 2158. judithathome - 1/22/2002 12:06:21 PM For a good overview of an on-gong tragedy in a country you may not know much about, watch Nightline all this week for Heart of Darkness: Tragedy In The Congo This was shot and scheduled to run the week of 9/11. 2159. Cellar Door - 1/24/2002 11:06:53 AM 2160. judithathome - 1/24/2002 1:43:11 PM Last night we watched a two hour PBS Great Performances presentation of Fosse and it was fantastic. If you like the art of dance, and if this is rerun where you are, be sure to catch it because it is an excellent tribute to the man who changed the face of Broadway choreography forever. 2161. jexster - 1/25/2002 8:50:07 PM Move over ER....Daniel What's-his-name from that lawyer show What's-its-name stars on The Agency which I saw for the first time last night. 2162. Cellar Door - 1/25/2002 8:51:53 PM I'm going to the memorial for Lance that's going to be held tomorrow at 2 PM at the Chateau Marmont. 2163. Cellar Door - 1/26/2002 8:51:46 PM Well I'm just in from Lance Loud's memorial, and as with all the really good one you keep expecting the dear departed to show up. Lance would have loved it. He would also have been amazed. 2164. judithathome - 1/26/2002 10:38:20 PM Thanks for sharing that, Cellar...do you think they might rerun An American Family now with the end being that part of it? 2165. Cellar Door - 1/26/2002 11:01:24 PM Yes. 2166. glendajean - 1/28/2002 11:12:11 AM Thanks for the reporting, Cellar. 2167. glendajean - 1/28/2002 11:12:24 AM The line producer wants to be the producer. The producer is an affable red-head who is in over his head. The director of photography wants to do art films and has a very passive aggressive approach to getting his way that includes shaking a camera to keep an editor from using a shot that he deems not good enough. He also probably intentionally left out of the picture a stunt man shooting out of a burning house. The first assistant director is one angry, five steps ahead of everbody kind of guy, perfect for his job, and actually the one person who appears to have a passion for making the movie within the limitations set. And that is the key here. There are limitations. Unseen are the video people capturing this story. One wonders if there was some jealousy on the part of the film people that Miramax, the funder of all this, was spending more on the tv side than the movie side. Finaly, back at the ranch is the executive producer, a fun guy, 30 something, who may really know something about putting together movies, but who definitely wants to sound tough and smart. He often narrates the problems of his crew shooting this little movie in Chicago. He is in LA. He even tells us how he anticipated major mistakes. But of course, nobody has any effect on anything. Lots of handwringing, though. The move has taken on a life of its own. And like a murder mystery party where all the attendees have motives, the main question appears to be is somebody going to kill this project? Loads more fun for viewers than for the participants, I would imagine. 2168. CalGal - 1/28/2002 11:18:34 AM Did anyone watch American Experience last night, on the history of Miss America? 2169. glendajean - 1/28/2002 12:16:51 PM My partner loves to watch Miss A. I'm surprised he didn't catch it. 2170. glendajean - 1/28/2002 12:18:57 PM I have seen the Follies documentary many times before. No bonus materials, but heck, the main item is fine enough. 2171. CalGal - 1/28/2002 12:21:42 PM My lord, I never thought that would be on DVD! Is it at Netflix? 2172. glendajean - 1/28/2002 12:26:09 PM Ours came from Amazon.com. Enjoy! I thought of you when I was watching it. 2173. Cellar Door - 1/28/2002 1:09:00 PM Stritch is a National Treasure. 2174. jexster - 1/28/2002 1:18:21 PM We all know that last night's NBC show "The Bush White House: Inside The Real West Wing" wasn't real. As Tom Brokaw conceded in the program's opening, "The President and his staff surely made some plans with our cameras in mind." Even Karen Hughes admitted as much when she told The New York Times that after her staff "realized there wasn't an education component" in the president's day, they belatedly scheduled an education briefing. But rather than decry NBC's puff-job, we should see it as an opportunity--to decipher just what kind of messages the Bushies are primed to push these days. 2175. glendajean - 1/28/2002 1:21:18 PM Cellar -- she is. Her one woman show at the Public is moving to Broadway in February for a limited run. 2176. Cellar Door - 1/29/2002 10:16:56 AM I saw Barbara Cook stop the show in Plain and Fancy,a wonderful musical from the 1955 season about a pair of city folk who come to the Pennysylvania Dutch country to live on a farm they've inherited. Albert Hague who wrote the music (Arnold Horwitt) did the lyrics) passed away recently. He's best remembered(if at all) as a character actor, but the song "Young and Foolish" from this score is a semi-standard. Cook played an Amish girl who dreams of going off to the big city. It wasn't a lead role -- a bit like Adoo Annie in "Oklahoma!" -- but she was just sensational. Incredibly funny. 2177. glendajean - 1/29/2002 10:40:40 AM Like Stritch, Cook is a recovering alcoholic. She also has struggled with her weight (she's about twice the size of her engenue days). 2178. glendajean - 1/29/2002 10:43:31 AM To keep this conversation linked to this thread, "Sixty Minutes" did a nice piece by Mike Wallace on Cook recently. 2179. glendajean - 1/29/2002 10:48:00 AM Both Cook and Stritch have benefitted from the band of gay men "who saw everything in New York and man couldn't afford it." 2180. judithathome - 1/29/2002 11:43:47 AM I saw that 60 Minutes piece, GJ...she looks and sounds amazing for her age, that's for sure. 2181. Cellar Door - 1/29/2002 11:45:41 AM I saw the original production of Follies twice! 2182. glendajean - 1/29/2002 12:04:12 PM I envy your seeing it, Cellar. I missed the New Jersey Performing Arts Center production and the recent Broadway revival. I probably will never see it performed. 2183. rubberducky - 1/29/2002 1:51:15 PM strong episode of Enterprise last week with the beginnings of the Federation's Prime Directive. i hope they revisit this planet (or the aliens there) in a couple years to see what the ramifications of Captain Archer's decision will be. 2184. Cellar Door - 1/29/2002 5:23:26 PM 2187. arkymalarky - 1/29/2002 6:27:41 PM ? 2188. arkymalarky - 1/29/2002 6:29:52 PM Anyway, to repeat my '86, Extra gum has the greatest commercial airing now. Nilsson's "Everybody's Talkin' at Me" is playing in the background, harking to the image of Dustin Hoffman on the bus in "Midnight Cowboy," as a woman is shown enduring various co-passengers on a bus trip. The characters are great and the commercial is a riot. 2189. Cellar Door - 1/29/2002 7:22:21 PM 2190. rubberducky - 1/30/2002 9:42:48 AM Arky: 2191. judithathome - 1/30/2002 9:54:26 AM I love that blonde in them...in the muddy dog one, when she looks at the camera and says "EX-cel-lent!" 2192. rubberducky - 1/30/2002 10:02:22 AM it's the 'how do you feel?' .... frown 2193. Frankster - 1/30/2002 11:13:59 AM Arky, 2194. judithathome - 1/30/2002 11:18:30 AM No, something just as frightening but much less interesting was on instead: Bush's State of the Union address. 2195. Frankster - 1/30/2002 11:24:19 AM Judith, 2196. judithathome - 1/30/2002 11:47:59 AM Franque...don't even think about it; we have plenty of room. And if you insist on fleas, I'll see if Kalus cn pick some up... 2197. arkymalarky - 1/30/2002 6:02:25 PM Frank, 2198. arkymalarky - 1/30/2002 6:03:41 PM RD, 2199. rubberducky - 1/31/2002 9:45:40 AM then see it now 2200. CalGal - 1/31/2002 2:28:05 PM My current favorite commercial is for Special K, or something like that. 2201. arkymalarky - 1/31/2002 6:03:46 PM Another commercial that gets my attention is Dell. The "Dude" gets on my nerves and tickles me too, but the kicker is the one with that couch. I swear, they got it out of the dump Bob and I put it in. It was our first couch, a hand-me-down from his parents--same color and everything. 2202. judithathome - 1/31/2002 6:25:23 PM That Dell guy will end up in a sit-com soon, I'm sure. 2203. arkymalarky - 1/31/2002 7:14:45 PM That reminds me, that my grandmother had a black panther just like the one sitting on the Bunkers' tv. We have it now. 2204. Frankster - 2/1/2002 1:40:28 AM Arky, 2205. arkymalarky - 2/1/2002 7:53:04 PM I did like my Dell at school that I had before I left and came back. I discovered the hard way the little known rule of employment--move your meat, lose your neat computer. 2206. PincherMartin - 2/2/2002 8:48:16 PM I just came across this Washington post article on Greta Van Susteren's new look. It's scary how different she appears after supposedly a little plastic surgery. It's a little sad too because part of her appeal was that she looked tough and unglamourous in an industry that favored either the sweet kewpie doll look or the royal ice queen look. 2207. CalGal - 2/2/2002 8:54:37 PM That is sad. I always thought she was considered attractive already. 2208. PincherMartin - 2/2/2002 9:03:11 PM I suppose you could say she was attractive, in a way. Certainly, she was different. I also thought she was self-confident enough not to go for a makeover of this sort. 2209. judithathome - 2/2/2002 11:07:47 PM She looks like Vanna White now. 2210. Cellar Door - 2/2/2002 11:17:39 PM OOoooooo -- what a little plastic surgery can dooooooo! 2211. Cellar Door - 2/2/2002 11:22:17 PM A cyber-pal just e-mailed me this re Sully and Snitch on C-Span: 2212. joezan - 2/2/2002 11:26:52 PM My guess is she got a good look at her competition at her new job. 2213. joezan - 2/2/2002 11:29:04 PM Uh - that'd be Greta, not Sully. 2214. Cellar Door - 2/2/2002 11:34:24 PM Even with his Lewinsky-sized neck? 2215. joezan - 2/2/2002 11:36:00 PM Even when he skips shaving, Cellar. 2216. Cellar Door - 2/2/2002 11:43:42 PM Not thinking of swithcing teams, are you joe? 2217. arkymalarky - 2/3/2002 9:55:12 PM I wasn't sure whether to post this here, but Bob and I had our first satellite marital crisis yesterday. He has his receiver in his room downstairs and I have mine that I share with Mose (who's never home) up here. When I'm downstairs lounging on the couch in his room I make suggestions about what's on, and will be so bold as to use the remote if he's not using it. Upstairs he's generally welcome to be the flipper, as long as he keeps his mitts off of the computer. 2218. arkymalarky - 2/3/2002 9:56:07 PM Here's an idea of how bad it got, btw. We actually sat in our living room, which has no television, and listened to music and talked for over an hour. I don't know how long this can go on. 2219. belle - 2/3/2002 10:07:46 PM I can relate, we had no televsion for almost a month, before we got our satellite set up. It was real tough actually having real conversations. 2220. arkymalarky - 2/3/2002 10:25:18 PM One thing we've done is to keep a tv in each individual's room as opposed to any room we share. It works for us, since Bob's tastes are just not as sophisticated and diverse as mine. The problem arises when I try to expand his horizons while we're watching "his" tv. ;-) 2221. arkymalarky - 2/3/2002 10:27:45 PM This past week on three different shows there were references to three different places around here that we're very familiar with. That's highly unusual, considering where we live. 2222. judithathome - 2/4/2002 9:24:34 AM Okay, everyone knows I'm easy so I'll just admit it: my favorite ad last night from the SuperBowl was the Clydesdale's visit to Ground Zero. 2223. OhioSTOPAS - 2/4/2002 9:42:14 AM I didn't see every commercial, but the funniest one I saw was the mini-fridge battlebot. 2224. judithathome - 2/4/2002 9:45:27 AM That one was great! 2225. rubberducky - 2/4/2002 10:10:25 AM i didn't see that many, but was disappointed in the ones i did catch. 2226. judithathome - 2/4/2002 10:21:44 AM What were they selling? It was AT&Ts mlife series but other than the fact AT&T has lousy service getting you hooked up and leaving you "wireless", I just don't get what they meant. 2227. judithathome - 2/4/2002 10:22:52 AM You can go to MSNBCs business page and see clips of the top ads...some were pretty neat! 2228. wonkers2 - 2/5/2002 4:46:16 PM This morning I watched a bizarre and disgusting HBO documentary on a Miss America-like beauty and talent competition for what appeared to be 4 year old girls. They were dressed, coifed and made up like adults, and the parents and handlers were as obnoxious as hockey or socker parents. It reminded me of the Australian movie "Strictly Ballroom" but the competitors here were under five, not adults. The prizes looked like cheap bowling trophies and the winners were handed wads of hundred dollar bills. I wonder what the little tykes will grow up to be, Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders, topless dancers, bar waitresses or worse? American values at their worst! 2229. CalGal - 2/5/2002 4:50:03 PM I didn't like the Clydesdale ad. The effort was good, but why horses? 2230. judithathome - 2/5/2002 4:56:36 PM The pidgeon one? Was that the one they called Falconer? The falcon retrieving the beer? And the bra? I like that one, too. 2231. CalGal - 2/5/2002 5:04:49 PM Yes, the falcon. That was funny. 2232. judithathome - 2/5/2002 5:10:29 PM I didn't think it was silly...I thought it was nice but then, I get choked up by sentimental ads. One year they showed a Clydesdale colt and that choked me up, too. 2233. judithathome - 2/5/2002 5:19:32 PM It occurred to me that the horses bowed because they weren't wearing caps they could doff.;-) 2234. arkymalarky - 2/5/2002 6:36:02 PM Wonk, 2235. Frankster - 2/5/2002 7:04:39 PM One more on the halftime entertainment: 2236. Cellar Door - 2/5/2002 7:06:32 PM I trust you're all planning to watch the documentary about William Haines tonight on AMC. 2237. CalGal - 2/5/2002 7:09:38 PM Frank--I saw that panel, too, and the comment has been made by others. Very ick, all the screaming. 2238. Frankster - 2/5/2002 7:11:43 PM Cal, 2239. Frankster - 2/5/2002 7:12:41 PM Who came up with THAT... 2240. CalGal - 2/5/2002 7:16:47 PM Well, I think the idea was well-intended. But the audience should have shut the fuck up. And they should have given some thought to the likely outcome and maybe figured out a way to get the preferred response. 2241. Frankster - 2/6/2002 10:02:32 AM Cal, 2242. judithathome - 2/6/2002 10:12:48 AM I haven't watched it yet but will do so as soon as I get back from the clinic with Klaus and will post the anser here... 2243. Frankster - 2/6/2002 10:22:26 AM Post the answer too, okay ? ( Smarta-a-a-s-s-s-s ) 2244. Frankster - 2/6/2002 10:23:43 AM I'm just playing with you, Judith. I'm in this unsual giggly mood at the moment. :) 2245. judithathome - 2/6/2002 10:35:05 AM Well, my spelling is the least of my deficincies, it would appear... 2246. arkymalarky - 2/6/2002 12:33:08 PM Frank, 2247. judithathome - 2/6/2002 1:48:16 PM Franque... 2248. rubberducky - 2/7/2002 9:54:23 AM Matt Damon on Will & Grace tonight. hope it doesn't suck! 2249. judithathome - 2/7/2002 9:58:45 AM There's an hysterical line in the ads where Matt tells Jack about his "boyfriend"...have you seen it, Ducks? 2250. rubberducky - 2/7/2002 10:37:17 AM yeah - that's why i hope it's good, J@H. the last few this season have been pretty shitty. 2251. CalGal - 2/7/2002 11:03:53 AM The previews look great. 2252. rubberducky - 2/7/2002 11:10:09 AM hehehe 2253. CalGal - 2/8/2002 12:37:35 AM Ducky--so what did you think? 2254. rubberducky - 2/8/2002 9:34:10 AM CG: definitely one of the best episodes of the season. Damon was great and looked the best he has in a year or so! really good stuff, what'd you think? 2255. judithathome - 2/8/2002 9:42:32 AM I loved it...Hayes played really well off Damon and I agree, he looked great. 2256. rubberducky - 2/8/2002 9:44:24 AM not at all, J@H. i should have asked a more open ended question. 2257. judithathome - 2/8/2002 10:08:09 AM Yes, and she must have invested in a super Wonder bra because she is the most flat chested person in the cast....including the guys. She looked great, tho. 2258. glendajean - 2/8/2002 11:46:08 AM Karen is always calling Grace flat chested. 2259. CalGal - 2/8/2002 11:48:05 AM I thought the subplot was pretty funny, too, although I don't watch the show often enough to understand what was going on. 2260. theDiva - 2/8/2002 11:50:40 AM Great ep, and I now have a mad crush on Matt Damon, daggone it! 2261. Cellar Door - 2/8/2002 12:05:07 PM 2262. glendajean - 2/8/2002 12:06:17 PM Michael Douglas and Glenn Close have signed up to do future episodes. 2263. glendajean - 2/8/2002 12:07:31 PM Cellar -- I taped the AMC doc on Billy Haines. I've only watched half of it but I assume you MUST be on it somewhere. 2264. theDiva - 2/8/2002 12:08:09 PM Cellar 2265. rubberducky - 2/8/2002 12:17:14 PM CG: 2266. OhioSTOPAS - 2/8/2002 12:27:14 PM I liked his greeting to Karen: "I recognized the smell of gin and regret." 2267. judithathome - 2/8/2002 1:41:10 PM That's Leslie Jordan...I've met him and even had pizza with him. He comes to Fort Worth about once a year to star in plays for this theatre we support and he is the nicest thing. He has been in all the plays written by Del Shores, a Texas playwright. 2268. glendajean - 2/8/2002 1:47:47 PM He has a role on Boston Public, too. 2269. arkymalarky - 2/8/2002 5:24:39 PM Man, I do rub elbows with quality around here. 2270. Absensia - 2/8/2002 8:06:48 PM I'm looking forward to the Olympics and live coverage. No, not NBC but CBC. I live near the Canadian border (2 hours) and my standard cable picks up the CBC station out of Vancouver. It is so much better than hoping NBC will show an event, and know it's delayed. 2271. glendajean - 2/8/2002 8:36:35 PM There is no greater over-the-top kitsch than an opening ceremony of the olympics. I am psyched! 2272. Absensia - 2/8/2002 10:01:06 PM Me too..not sure why...but makes me excited to see all this stuff, even curling. Canadian coverage is great, up close and personal...my the team from Norway has some cute guys. The commentators are giving out good info about most athletes. 2273. Absensia - 2/8/2002 10:02:20 PM and so far...NO commericals. 2274. hollyw - 2/8/2002 10:39:00 PM Oooo, I totally forgot about the Olympics. I think I'll watch some of it this year. What the hell, I watched the Superbowl, and who'd've thought that would ever happen. 2275. Absensia - 2/8/2002 10:42:02 PM It's great...the Native American Welcome was amazing. 2276. glendajean - 2/9/2002 11:10:32 AM Poor Jim McKay. His performance last night as a "on-loan" commentator to NBC from ABC was sad, sort of like Bette Davis in her last appearance as a presenter at the Academy Awards. He seemed shaken, unsure, rattled, out of place. Not a good use for him. 2277. CalGal - 2/9/2002 11:15:08 AM I had my comments in Sports--there are some in Politics. We gotta get organized. (g) 2278. judithathome - 2/9/2002 11:17:38 AM As I mentioned in the Sports Thread, my favorite parts were the native Americans and the puppets...those puppets were just amazing and very beautiful, not the kistchy type but noble and realistic. I loved the wild horses though they weren't on as long as I'd have liked. 2279. glendajean - 2/9/2002 11:20:32 AM He just seemed rattled. I haven't seem in a while and it was jarring. I think its great that he will be doing work for NBC. But get him in a more comfortable setting. 2280. judithathome - 2/9/2002 11:22:00 AM GJ: 2281. glendajean - 2/9/2002 11:22:08 AM Yes, the "Lion King" inspired puppets were excellent. It's nice to see low tech craft dazzle with such great effect. 2282. judithathome - 2/9/2002 11:24:32 AM Keoni LOVED the Norway opening, too..it is the standard by which he rates every opening ceremony. 2283. glendajean - 2/9/2002 11:27:35 AM He had such difficulty that I think Bob and Katie were told to ignore him. He just never found his rhythm. 2284. CalGal - 2/9/2002 11:33:30 AM Well, remember that McKay was never color commentary. He was Bob Costas before Bob was. Running the show as opposed to throwing in a comment every so often is a different skill to master. 2285. judithathome - 2/9/2002 11:37:53 AM Could be...I just loathe Bob Costas so much, I'd rather blame him. 2286. Shannon - 2/9/2002 10:11:44 PM I just watched Will & Grace--had it taped. Very funny. We'll have to watch it again later, because DH fell asleep (got up at 2am today to go into work). 2287. judithathome - 2/10/2002 10:51:44 PM Glendajean: 2288. glendajean - 2/11/2002 9:16:53 AM It is a dilemma, dear Judith. We'll TIVO one and watch the other. Our neighbors were going to put together a "Hot Dog" dinner party, but it fell apart. 2289. glendajean - 2/11/2002 9:39:17 AM END OF SEASON SHOWS: 2290. glendajean - 2/11/2002 9:47:16 AM Project Greenlight -- Matt Damon and Ben Affleck play movie god by picking an unproved talent to write and direct a movie. Miramax funds the movie and also produces a television show for HBO that gives us a "Real World" look at the whole process. 2291. judithathome - 2/11/2002 11:00:25 AM Since Affleck is allegedly sober now, they probably won't do another. 2292. christipeters - 2/11/2002 11:17:38 AM ER is SO durn soap-opera-y now. 2293. glendajean - 2/12/2002 9:45:26 AM I watched the working group and the terrier group from the Westminister Dog Show on USA Network last night. The Scotty came in 4th in the terrier group. 2294. rubberducky - 2/12/2002 10:12:30 AM 2295. CalGal - 2/12/2002 10:27:15 AM I am a terrible chauvinist, but I love the California commercial. 2296. judithathome - 2/12/2002 11:22:24 AM What is it? 2297. CalGal - 2/12/2002 11:32:18 AM It's the California commercial--you know, the ones for a state or area sponsored by tourism boards or the state? 2298. judithathome - 2/12/2002 11:39:39 AM We haven't gotten it here...all we see are the Oklahoma, New York, Hawaii, and Arkansas ones. I'll watch the cable stations for it, though...those Tourist Board ads are usually great! 2299. judithathome - 2/12/2002 11:40:25 AM OklahoMa... 2301. CalGal - 2/12/2002 12:05:31 PM I really liked the Pennsylvania ones from a year or so ago, with Tom Ridge. Don't remember the Oklahoma ones. The New York ones post 9/11 are outstanding, but then they are getting a huge amount of volunteer effort from major names in show biz. 2302. Phoenix Rising - 2/12/2002 12:28:17 PM Ronald Reagan and Bonzo? 2303. CalGal - 2/12/2002 12:59:40 PM Christi--I quit watching ER years ago, but I hear there is some sort of trauma with Mark and Elizabeth? 2304. Shannon - 2/12/2002 3:46:54 PM ER: Mark's daughter, Rachel, had some X in her backpack, and Mark and Elizabeth's baby got into it. Elizabeth was none too fond of Rachel anyway. 2305. judithathome - 2/13/2002 10:33:17 AM I can't believe that poufy poodle won the Westminster Best In Show....the Corgi had it all over that little poser. 2306. Phoenix Rising - 2/13/2002 10:49:13 AM Ha Ha. You are right. Much as they hype this beauty contest where a "real" dog doesn't stand a chance, I still enjoyed it. Unsentimental me even fell for the "halftime" salute to the rescue dogs. 2307. judithathome - 2/13/2002 11:15:46 AM It is toatally unreal that the Herding group has been shafted all these years by the types of dogs that are high-strung, bred to look like freaks, and so specialized they have to warn people off of owning them unless they are childless..because they are high-strung...live in a special place...because they require so much work...or have a lot of disposable income...because they are prone to illnesses and need constant professional grooming. 2308. Phoenix Rising - 2/13/2002 11:32:45 AM 1999 Papillon 2309. glendajean - 2/13/2002 11:37:36 AM Alfred Gingold has been posting dispatches on Westminister in Slate. 2310. Phoenix Rising - 2/13/2002 11:40:27 AM In other TV news, 2311. glendajean - 2/13/2002 11:40:39 AM You're right about Fred Williard's performance. Joe opened up on Monday night talking about the Super Bowl, the World Series and who was New England at Westminister. He had a long rant about the Scotties being from Scotsdale, AZ. The movie had him nailed. 2312. judithathome - 2/13/2002 11:48:31 AM And he kept mispronouncing the Italian breed as Spumoni.... 2313. Phoenix Rising - 2/13/2002 11:51:11 AM I read those dispatches. Very insightful and funny. This especially: 2314. Phoenix Rising - 2/13/2002 12:06:24 PM BTW: I think Micheal Alvear has put his finger on one of the biggest problems with the American version of Queer as Folk. 2315. rubberducky - 2/13/2002 1:40:09 PM last night's Buffy was lame but cool all in one. i am getting ready to turn that dumb ass little sister to the Sisters of No Mercy ® for Auto-Slap ™. i'm really starting to hate that bitch. 2316. judithathome - 2/19/2002 6:57:41 PM For anyone who watches NYPDBlue, it is on one hour later this evening. 2318. Absensia - 2/20/2002 5:10:58 PM The only thing I've seen on tv is the Olympics. Is there anything else on? 2319. judithathome - 2/20/2002 5:13:50 PM Must be...I haven't seen any of the Olympics except fast forwarding through my tapes of them looking for figure skating and I've watched TV quite a bit. 2320. Frankster - 2/22/2002 4:41:45 AM The California tourist commercial that Judith and Cal were talking about upstream is really a cool one, but I can't for the life of me figure out why they only seem to show it here -- in California! They're preaching to the choir by only showing it here. Maybe they show it somewhere there, but I didn't see it while in Fort Worth. Go figure ? 2321. Shannon - 2/22/2002 8:59:47 AM I think lots of the tourism folks are doing heavy promos to local/regional audiences, figuring people don't want to fly. We've gotten a good many LA commercials lately, as well as Alabama. I've seen a few Arkansas ones too. 2322. CalGal - 2/22/2002 10:22:45 AM Frank, Shannon has it exactly. The California ad is for Californians. Which makes sense. That ad is a Valentine to God's country. 2323. glendajean - 2/22/2002 10:51:47 AM Another reason tourism people play ads for their local folks is to make them salesmen for the state or region. If you have pride in your area, and know something about what a visitor can do or experience in your area, you will be an asset to the Tourism Board's efforts. A huge amount of American travel is to visit families or friends. Once they come to your house, you are the best rep the Tourism folk have to get those visitors out the door to attractions. 2324. CalGal - 2/22/2002 12:49:58 PM Hey, Indiana has....corn? 2325. judithathome - 2/22/2002 12:52:15 PM Is there any way you can link to it? Sounds impressive. 2326. CalGal - 2/22/2002 1:01:52 PM I'll see if I can find it, but understand that you might not think of it as all that impressive. It is a paean to California, and reinforces all we know of ourselves. Which probably means it is insufferable to the rest of the world. 2327. Shannon - 2/22/2002 1:03:55 PM Well, y'all can be a tad insufferable, 'tis true. Of course, so can Texans :-) 2328. TheWizardOfWhimsy - 2/22/2002 2:15:10 PM 2329. judithathome - 2/22/2002 2:32:03 PM He was so much more than Inspector Morse...but had he only been that, it would've been enough for me. 2330. CalGal - 2/22/2002 2:34:32 PM Well, we were just talking about this commercial at work, so we recreated it from memory, although I think I'm missing a few. Can't find the media online anywhere. 2331. glendajean - 2/22/2002 2:59:49 PM I started watching the HBO series OZ at either the end of the first season or during the second season. Then somehow I quit watching it. 2332. CalGal - 2/22/2002 3:09:40 PM There are some terrific actors in it. I can't watch Oz; it's too violent. But whenever I click by it for a few minutes, it is clear that it is well acted and written. 2333. judithathome - 2/22/2002 3:11:25 PM Is this the rerun of last season or have I missed an entire season of OZ by thinking they were the reruns? 2334. glendajean - 2/22/2002 3:47:27 PM Judith -- I thought this was the season for this year, but it could be re-runs. 2335. judithathome - 2/22/2002 3:49:32 PM Kirk Avecedo 2336. Erin R. - 2/22/2002 3:51:56 PM My husband and I watch Oz--there are a couple of L&O and one Homicide actor on the show. 2337. CalGal - 2/22/2002 3:54:33 PM Who's the Homicide actor? A regular? 2338. judithathome - 2/22/2002 3:59:01 PM I can't believe this...I've missed the entire season by thinking it was last season in reruns. 2339. CalGal - 2/22/2002 4:02:16 PM They'll show it again. 2340. judithathome - 2/22/2002 4:05:59 PM Yes, I saw that advertised...I'd all but forgotten about it. Of course, I was rather busy graduating high school at the time. 2341. glendajean - 2/22/2002 4:09:56 PM I would rather see irritating specials on sad subjects that I didn't live through, although I was a fairly young tyke in 1961. I couldn't bare to watch another story on Dan Hanson, the speed skater, for example (if that is his name). His story was weepy and dramatic enough in life without going back through it again. 2342. Erin R. - 2/22/2002 5:20:06 PM Damn, who was that guy from Homicide? He was a dough-faced guy, nice looking, always talking too much. Sandy hair. 2343. Erin R. - 2/22/2002 5:49:45 PM 2344. glendajean - 2/25/2002 10:22:49 AM The figure skating story on Dateline last night turned out to have little to do with the team that died in the plane crash and a lot more about Peggy Fleming and Dorothy Hamill's own stories, particularly about their mothers and the roles they played in getting them to the Olympic gold medal stand. 2345. Phoenix Rising - 2/25/2002 10:36:27 AM Some minor corrections on Oz. 2346. rubberducky - 2/25/2002 10:37:54 AM just thought you Sex and the City watchers (if there are any) would be thrilled to know that it has been confirmed that Britney Spears will be on as one of the gal's sex-crazed-but-claiming-to-be-a-virgin-niece (oddly appropriate, i think) in the new season. 2347. Phoenix Rising - 2/25/2002 10:39:17 AM God, I hope Miranda bitch slaps that little slut/"virgin". 2348. glendajean - 2/25/2002 10:50:38 AM Phoenix -- thanks for the clarifications. I've taped the finale but haven't seen it yet. 2349. Cellar Door - 2/25/2002 10:52:16 AM And I hope she goes after her with THIS 2350. Phoenix Rising - 2/25/2002 11:14:01 AM glenda: You will be resisting the urge to fast forward to the Major Dickage, I presume. :) 2351. judithathome - 2/25/2002 11:25:02 AM I am so out of it....someone, please, if they start reruns of OZ, let me know! I guess we haven't been watching ANY HBO or I'd have been more aware. 2352. Erin R. - 2/25/2002 11:29:17 AM There will be tons of Oz reruns. 2353. glendajean - 2/25/2002 11:31:33 AM Phoenix -- I don't find Oz very erotic. It's a very well produced nightmare. 2354. judithathome - 2/25/2002 11:45:36 AM Erin, my problem is not the number of reruns but knowing when they are on! ;-) 2356. judithathome - 2/26/2002 12:34:16 PM Last night I watched an asinine program on plastic surgery...on MTV. 2357. arkymalarky - 2/26/2002 6:57:22 PM MTV is a total TV wasteland, best I can tell. I know Daria is supposed to be good, but I never see it. 2358. judithathome - 2/26/2002 6:59:13 PM Those people who were having plastic surgery were a total waste, that's for sure. Very pathetic. 2359. judithathome - 2/26/2002 8:06:57 PM Tonight is the latest attempt at a Seinfeld knock off...Julia Louis-Dryfus hopes we'll be Wayching Ellie...in real time, no less. 2360. judithathome - 2/26/2002 8:07:25 PM toys... 2361. Cellar Door - 2/27/2002 12:00:12 AM I saw it. It's not at all bad. 2362. judithathome - 2/27/2002 9:43:16 AM No, it certainly wasn't. I thought it was pretty good. She looks fantastic, by the way. 2363. rubberducky - 2/27/2002 9:48:41 AM Buffy was great last night and Riley was delicious! hope he comes back soon and without that bitch (and his shirt) 2364. glendajean - 2/27/2002 10:01:51 AM I taped Ellie ... will watch tonight. 2365. glendajean - 2/27/2002 10:02:48 AM I was so jazzed to see Six Feet Under promos on the Today Show this morning. 2366. judithathome - 2/27/2002 10:24:35 AM I hope I don't forget it Sunday! 2367. Phoenix Rising - 2/27/2002 2:38:59 PM So, have you seen the Visa Check Card commercial with Kevin Bacon? 2368. rubberducky - 2/27/2002 2:43:15 PM i haven't, no. is it based on the whole 7 degrees thing? 2369. CalGal - 2/27/2002 2:46:31 PM Yeah. It's been around since the superbowl, I think. I like the priest at the end. 2370. Erin R. - 2/27/2002 2:50:19 PM Yes, that was funny. 2371. Snowowl - 2/27/2002 3:12:06 PM I saw the first episode of Six Feet Under last night, and I didn't like it. I found it long and dull. Since it seems to be popular amongst some of you I presume it improves. 2372. judithathome - 2/27/2002 3:14:12 PM Well, I'm not one to ask since I liked it from the get-go. I think it's very imaginative and a good hour's worth of entertainment. 2373. glendajean - 2/27/2002 5:29:54 PM I didn't have a very good reaction to the first episode, Snowowl, but I got hooked on it. It has a very different rhythm, but once you get into it, it is quite interesting. 2374. Erin R. - 2/28/2002 10:09:54 AM Great L&O episode last night. 2375. judithathome - 2/28/2002 10:14:16 AM Yep...I liked the way they used the information on the information guy... 2376. Erin R. - 2/28/2002 10:30:47 AM In some ways, the show seemed to have a rather jaundiced view of 30-something IT executives. The dynamic really struck me when I saw it. 2377. judithathome - 2/28/2002 10:32:26 AM In their ham-handed way, they were trying to let people know that the Internet can be a scary place. 2378. Erin R. - 2/28/2002 10:34:39 AM I was thinking the more subtle point of the show was safety vs. privacy. 2379. judithathome - 2/28/2002 10:40:00 AM Well, yes...but that's sort of what I meant by scary...depending on what you put out there, it's scary what all can be retrieved. I don't think there is any expectation of real privacy any longer. 2380. Erin R. - 2/28/2002 10:43:02 AM I like how they drew parallels between personal safety and the government's ability to find terrorists, which I took as the bigger point. 2381. judithathome - 2/28/2002 10:49:04 AM Yes, and then you watch the news and see people with the ACLU harping about profiling by race and nationality which makes me think the government's ability may be thwarted at every turn in that quest to find terrorists while hackers who wish to stalk people in chat rooms are able to roam almost free. 2382. Erin R. - 2/28/2002 10:53:27 AM Yes, I saw that news report too. I thought the ACLU woman had a really good point. If I were OBL, I'd be recruiting in sub-Saharan Africa right about now. 2383. judithathome - 2/28/2002 10:57:48 AM If he's alive, he probably is... 2384. judithathome - 2/28/2002 12:07:55 PM Hard to believe but tonight is the first episode of the new Survivor on CBS at 7pm CST. This one is back to the beach in the Marquesas; the scenery should be spectacular. 2385. Erin R. - 2/28/2002 12:16:31 PM I have not been able to get into that show. 2386. judithathome - 2/28/2002 12:20:22 PM I like it...well, like is strong word. It's fun to see manufactured crises and to watch people try to outsmart one another. I know it's all a sham but it's better than PAX network. 2387. rubberducky - 2/28/2002 3:41:50 PM just when you think TV can't get any better... 2388. AytchMan - 2/28/2002 3:51:35 PM I've lost track of time. I didn't realize it's already April 1st. 2389. Phoenix Rising - 2/28/2002 3:52:37 PM The Survivor 4 cast is up on CBS' web site. 2390. judithathome - 2/28/2002 3:53:41 PM Paula won't risk that new nose on something like that. 2391. rubberducky - 2/28/2002 3:57:41 PM Aytch: i wish i could make something like that up 2392. judithathome - 2/28/2002 4:27:57 PM What is so appalling to me is that Dick Clark is behind it...he must be laughing all the way to the bank, though. 2393. arkymalarky - 2/28/2002 7:20:00 PM I think 2387 is going to make me hurl. 2394. judithathome - 3/1/2002 2:51:44 PM Wow, I guess Survivor really grabbed an audience last night! 2395. AytchMan - 3/1/2002 3:07:15 PM j-- 2396. judithathome - 3/1/2002 3:11:43 PM Are you going to do the contest...would love to see it again if you're interested! 2397. AytchMan - 3/1/2002 3:17:10 PM I wasn't planning to. I don't think there's enough interest but I also won't be around much. 2398. judithathome - 3/1/2002 3:20:51 PM Well, thanks for doing so in the past...I really appreciated it. 2399. AytchMan - 3/1/2002 3:25:52 PM Welcome. 2400. christipeters - 3/1/2002 3:27:54 PM OK, I'm going to write Joss a strongly worded letter. Buffy's life is totally and completely sucking in all ways. Watching the show isn't fun anymore - it's depressing. Real life is depressing enough. I don't need to get depressed by my TV shows, too. 2401. judithathome - 3/1/2002 3:29:09 PM He seems very grounded, from what little we've seen and read about him. I like Hunter's chances, too, because I know he's had survival training, being a former AF pilot. 2402. AytchMan - 3/1/2002 3:44:05 PM I'm not so sure about Hunter's chances. He's able and likable but those 'can-do' guys get frustrated very quickly with the slackers and torque people off. A la Frank and a couple others. 2403. judithathome - 3/1/2002 3:48:52 PM But Hunter seemed to have better people skills than Frank and the others...like Richard Hatch, he seemed to be able to take criticism in stride and laugh along with it, adapting to the reactions around him. I think he'll make it fairly far... 2404. AytchMan - 3/1/2002 3:54:32 PM I also think he'll do well but I wouldn't put him in the Finals. Not that it's comparable but the only other service guy went out very early (Kel?). 2405. AytchMan - 3/1/2002 3:55:52 PM Maybe I should said the only other obvious service guy. 2406. judithathome - 3/1/2002 3:58:31 PM Yeah, didn't think you meant Rudy. Ha! 2407. CalGal - 3/1/2002 4:36:44 PM I know I saw this discussed somewhere, but I hadn't seen a link: 2408. AytchMan - 3/1/2002 9:35:41 PM I've heard various expert predictions ranging from "a 20% chance" to "practically a done deal". 2409. CalGal - 3/1/2002 9:37:07 PM I would have thought CNN would pick it up in a heartbeat, but that was before they cancelled (sniff) Jeff Greenfield. 2410. AytchMan - 3/1/2002 9:48:20 PM Except that CNN is in the same mad rush for the kids' eyeballs. That whole redesign (roundly panned, btw) was targeted, directly and precisely, at your 19-year-old nephew. 2411. Property of Jesus - 3/3/2002 6:18:39 AM Happily, FOX NEWS is doing well with younger people. Maybe because it's fair and balanced. 2412. Cellar Door - 3/3/2002 9:51:22 AM Faux News is "doing well" in the same way that freeway chases constitute "programming." 2413. Cellar Door - 3/3/2002 9:52:13 AM Gospel music's roots are distinctly American. 2414. judithathome - 3/3/2002 10:21:43 AM I just hope Bush can stay awake in this cultural salute...he seems to have a hard time showing interest in anything besides sports, looking bored in the Kennedy Center's salute to the Arts and, come to think of it, during some of the cutaways to his box at the opening ceremonies of the Olympics, before he joined the atheletes in the crowd. 2415. joezan - 3/3/2002 10:41:25 AM Bad news for gentlemen who prefer blondes. 2416. judithathome - 3/3/2002 10:44:48 AM I can't believe Paula would rish that nose job for this...she obviously has a fall back plastic surgeon in her pocket. 2417. judithathome - 3/3/2002 10:46:40 AM Hey, Monica doesn't need to pull stunts like this to get press...she's on Larry King and The View! No level too low for these networks to sink...and I don't just mean FOX. 2418. judithathome - 3/3/2002 10:47:43 AM rish is of course RISK in the Paula Jones comment...and no, I am not sipping wine this early. 2419. jexster - 3/3/2002 5:31:40 PM 2420. Property of Jesus - 3/3/2002 8:13:20 PM Peggy Noonan on why she loves THE WEST WING 2421. wonkers2 - 3/3/2002 8:16:32 PM I bet Tonya'll deck Paula in about ten seconds. 2422. joezan - 3/3/2002 11:27:12 PM Tonya decks her boyfriends, ferpetesake. 2423. judithathome - 3/4/2002 11:40:44 AM Just saw an ad for a new series...oh yes, certainly I will believe Sally Field as a Supreme Court Justice. 2424. Phoenix Rising - 3/4/2002 4:09:21 PM They smoke crack. 2425. judithathome - 3/4/2002 4:13:45 PM They must expect us to do so, too... 2426. Phoenix Rising - 3/4/2002 4:15:10 PM Six Feet Under is off to a good start. More extascy in the aspirin bottle. I would have thought David would have thrown that out. 2427. judithathome - 3/4/2002 4:21:24 PM She's gotten used to being unsatisfied... 2428. TheWizardOfWhimsy - 3/4/2002 4:34:50 PM Ha! 2429. Phoenix Rising - 3/4/2002 4:58:20 PM Yes, Tripp and Starr come off looking like flat out manipulators and in Starr's case, an outright liar. The news media and pundit class comes off looking like what they are: vultures gleefully leering at the carrion that is the misery of unfortunate individuals traped in the rapacious claws of the infotainment industry. 2430. judithathome - 3/4/2002 5:03:04 PM No "possibly" about it...she is so mired in her rigid views, she cannot see anything else. 2432. Erin R. - 3/4/2002 9:03:04 PM Ah, so this is where the Monica conversation is! 2433. wonkers2 - 3/4/2002 9:05:27 PM Clinton's a rogue, but not a despicable rogue. 2434. Erin R. - 3/4/2002 9:37:48 PM Clinton is better at lying about sex than your average bear. 2435. TheWizardOfWhimsy - 3/4/2002 11:08:25 PM He's had to be! 2436. glendajean - 3/5/2002 11:06:12 AM I missed the opening of the Monica HBO documentary, but thought it was done in a style that she didn't deserve. I still think she hasn't a clue what happened. Everybody talks about her low self-esteem, but it seems to me she has quite a bit of moxie and with her remarkable ability to bend presidents and networks to her bidding. 2437. Erin R. - 3/5/2002 11:10:25 AM I think Monica has wrapped her brain around perhaps one tenth of what actually happened. She was clueless for the most part when the scandal broke, she seems to remain clueless about the impact of her actions. 2438. CalGal - 3/5/2002 11:47:47 AM I couldn't bring myself to watch it, but I read a review somewhere that mentioned how clearly one fact came through: Monica was bound and determined to protect the president at every turn. This unfortunate little truth made a hash out of all Starr's plans. 2439. glendajean - 3/5/2002 11:54:49 AM Six Feet Under 2440. TabouliJones - 3/7/2002 3:25:42 PM I don't know if anyone out there gets a CBC feed, but tonight at 8:00 pm (EST) the CBC is airing a show that many (and I think Diva, in particular)may be interested in watching. It is an episode entitled Buried Treasures on the new CBC show Opening Night. Below is a description from the Globe and Mail. 2441. CalGal - 3/7/2002 3:33:28 PM Wow, I hope it appears on PBS some day. Hiya, TJ. 2442. TabouliJones - 3/7/2002 3:49:15 PM Hey Cal, 2443. CalGal - 3/7/2002 3:50:43 PM Why temperamental? Has it been reading articles about its demise? 2444. TabouliJones - 3/7/2002 3:57:59 PM That, and it is getting back at me for the porn and Robert Altman binge I have subjected it to in recent weeks. Kidding . . . maybe. 2445. CalGal - 3/7/2002 3:58:21 PM I haven't been commenting much on West Wing; it's third year is particularly weak on plot. 2446. CalGal - 3/7/2002 3:59:00 PM Robert Altman? Serves you right, then. 2447. glendajean - 3/7/2002 4:13:47 PM Cal -- I missed most of last night's episode, only seeing the women in the West Sitting Hall drinking wine, the scene you referred to. When they went downstairs, there was the big thing with O, Canada. It didn't make much sense. 2448. judithathome - 3/7/2002 4:20:13 PM Mary Louise Parker 2449. AytchMan - 3/7/2002 4:35:25 PM glenda-- 2450. judithathome - 3/7/2002 4:39:03 PM ...and stupid. 2451. glendajean - 3/8/2002 9:48:05 AM Thanks. Mary Louise Parker. I've always liked her. She has a detachment about her that I've always found interesting. I think I first saw her in "Longtime Companion." 2452. judithathome - 3/8/2002 12:44:46 PM That girl was amazing in American Gothic...everytime we see her, Keoni says "Someone's at the doh-ar". That series was so good and it was such a surprise to see it came from the mind of Shaun Cassidy. 2453. rubberducky - 3/8/2002 1:43:59 PM GJ: 2454. CalGal - 3/8/2002 1:50:10 PM Leap of Faith got at least one good review. If you're talking about the blonde guy, he is cute. I've liked the guy playing her fiancee for a while, now. He was the one pretending to be gay on that episode of Spin City, but he started life in spooky killer roles, including at least two stalker psychos on Law & Order. 2455. glendajean - 3/8/2002 1:56:08 PM I only watched the first episode. I think he is quite sexy. But the show overall seemed like a remake of "Friends" except not as funny or interesting. Jill Clayburgh played the mom. Haven't see her in a long time. 2456. LohrM - 3/9/2002 3:27:03 PM I *loved* "American Gothic"... 2457. judithathome - 3/9/2002 3:29:15 PM I'm amazed to find a fellow American Gothic fan...thought I was the only one who watched it. I became a fan of Gary Cole in that series; never thought much of him prior to that role. 2458. CalGal - 3/9/2002 3:34:28 PM Lucas Black was just in that All The Pretty Horses movie--not that I watched it, but I was flipping by and heard that voice. 2459. judithathome - 3/9/2002 3:42:16 PM True, while he was still a little...or relatively little...kid, he got roles but I wasn't aware he'd done much after growing up a bit. 2460. arkymalarky - 3/9/2002 9:47:55 PM I love HGTV. 2461. Shannon - 3/10/2002 12:25:19 AM So who watched the hay on Trading Spaces? 2462. arkymalarky - 3/10/2002 12:47:06 AM I haven't watched that show yet, but several people around here are addicted to it. 2463. judithathome - 3/10/2002 12:57:50 AM I think I'd have to kill that decorator...not only the hay on the walls but that PeptoBismal pink ceiling... 2464. Absensia - 3/10/2002 1:33:28 AM That's flamingo pink! 2465. judithathome - 3/10/2002 1:35:59 AM Not this pink...it was too ugly to be Flamingo. 2466. Shannon - 3/10/2002 8:37:20 AM Yeah, that wasn't flamingo. 2467. judithathome - 3/10/2002 10:01:14 AM I missed the first 25 minutes but can't wait to see it in rerun this week. 2468. Absensia - 3/10/2002 2:13:53 PM email working? 2469. judithathome - 3/10/2002 2:14:33 PM Yep. 2470. Absensia - 3/10/2002 2:17:03 PM oh..sent 3 or 4 yesterday. Nevermind. 2471. judithathome - 3/10/2002 2:24:32 PM I sent you a couple of highly intelligent and humorous responses...I thought you were being sarcastic! ;-) 2472. Shannon - 3/10/2002 9:00:19 PM It's definitely worth watching again. When they first tell Hildi that the kids will eat the straw, she said "Well, they'll have to be told not to." 2473. OhioSTOPAS - 3/10/2002 10:30:59 PM "9/11" is an amazing film of an awful tragedy. 2474. Shannon - 3/10/2002 10:37:17 PM I'm taping that now. Will watch later tonight if the kids fall asleep soon. 2475. wonkers2 - 3/10/2002 11:14:56 PM Our Comcast cable is screwed up so we didn't watch The Sopranos tonight. But after all this time I get a feeling of something akin to disgust with myself for enjoying watching such a bunch of evil and sick characters, sympathizing with them one minute and the next watching them shoot somebody full of holes. Anybody else feel that way? 2476. judithathome - 3/10/2002 11:19:26 PM Nope...I like it for what it is, escapist entertainment of a very high quality. 2477. judithathome - 3/11/2002 12:21:38 PM Tonight at 9pm CST: CBS is running the opening leg of The Amazing Race. It's the best of the reality shows and moves along really quickly. Plus there are fantastic locations in different parts of the world... 2478. glendajean - 3/11/2002 12:35:38 PM Wonkers2 -- I couldn't watch the Sopranos the first couple of seasons. It was too violent. How can one like these people... 2479. CalGal - 3/11/2002 1:26:40 PM Did anyone watch the documentary on CBS? 2480. CalGal - 3/11/2002 1:27:16 PM On the Sopranos: I think the first season is brilliant, the third close to it. I find the second completely unwatchable. 2481. judithathome - 3/11/2002 1:52:54 PM I watched Six Feet Under and it was brilliantly directed by Kathy Bates. The last scene, with the two brothers, was so much more dramatic because we couldn't really hear what they were saying but we knew...the camera pulled slowly back and it was very riveting to not hear but know... 2482. jexster - 3/11/2002 1:54:46 PM I really don't like Six Feet Under...I went to sleep.. 2483. AytchMan - 3/11/2002 4:15:28 PM I was planning to avoid the 9/11 documentary but stumbled into it. And I was transfixed by it. A brilliant effort. 2484. glendajean - 3/11/2002 4:40:34 PM This weekend, I watched the HBO program, The Laramie Project, a fictional documentary about Matthew Sheppard's death in Wyoming a couple of years ago. 2485. judithathome - 3/12/2002 9:14:10 AM The Amazing Race started off with a bang and made the point that even the best laid plans can go awry...those whom you think might be marked for certain exile may catch the eye of fate and live to race another day! 2486. glendajean - 3/12/2002 9:46:54 AM I watched it, Judith. Does the brother-sister team seem a bit odd to you? 2487. judithathome - 3/12/2002 9:56:04 AM Keoni likes the brother/sister team to go pretty far and for some reason, he likes the sister/sister team...I disagree on the sister/sister. I think he's basing his picks on the fact he and his sibs get along so well...but he's only glancing up from the computer; not really into it. 2488. Cellar Door - 3/12/2002 1:54:34 PM CNN is dropping by in about 15 minutes to interview me about Rosie. 2489. rubberducky - 3/12/2002 2:06:05 PM do keep us updated! 2490. Cellar Door - 3/12/2002 4:19:47 PM It went quite nicely. Ann McDermott interviewed me. It will be running on Paula Zahn's show, probably on Thursday. 2491. glendajean - 3/12/2002 4:22:40 PM I am glad she is open and out at last. 2492. arkymalarky - 3/12/2002 7:44:41 PM Cool CD. I saw you on tv a few weeks ago and it was weird--like, I know that guy--yet I've never met you in person. 2493. Cellar Door - 3/13/2002 1:35:14 AM Richard Goldstein on the Matthew Shepard TV movies. 2494. wonkers2 - 3/13/2002 8:49:04 AM Don't miss Tonya Harding vs. Paula Jones in the boxing match of the century tonight at 9 on Fox! 2495. vw - 3/13/2002 8:54:23 AM I would rather chew glass than watch that ... what a farce. 2496. theDiva - 3/13/2002 8:55:42 AM Also on the bill: Vanilla Ice vs. someone whose name I didn't recognize, and Danny Bonaduce vs. Barry Williams. 2497. CalGal - 3/13/2002 8:58:58 AM So much for all those pompous conservative pundits who declared irony dead post 9/11. 2498. theDiva - 3/13/2002 9:02:30 AM hyuk 2499. rubberducky - 3/13/2002 2:10:08 PM is anyone else watching the Osbournes on MTV? last night's repeat was the first Ripley and i had seen and we haven't laughed that much at a 'sitcom' in a long time. it had us howling at how out of his head Ozzy is and what a fucked up house of loons his family is. 2500. CalGal - 3/13/2002 3:16:49 PM I heard it was pretty funny. 2501. rubberducky - 3/13/2002 3:22:49 PM very funny, CG. watching Ozzy get pissed over his wife's 5 dogs pissing and shitting all over the house was very entertaining i don't mind saying. 2502. arkymalarky - 3/13/2002 6:36:45 PM I figured it'd be his wife getting pissed over Ozzy pissing and shitting all over the house. 2503. arkymalarky - 3/13/2002 11:17:49 PM All right, y'all get over here and confess-- 2504. rubberducky - 3/14/2002 9:58:02 AM she did. Howard Stern was talking about it this morning. 2505. judithathome - 3/14/2002 10:02:05 AM Oh, like I'd believe something Howard said about another loud mouthed publicity hungry radio jock! 2506. glendajean - 3/14/2002 3:30:13 PM I watched the Amazing Race again last night. The two grandmothers are fun, particularly the spry one who probably talked her friend into doing it. it's fun to watch her be excited by life. 2507. judithathome - 3/14/2002 3:33:42 PM GJ, did you watch Survivor last night? 2508. glendajean - 3/14/2002 3:35:50 PM No, I haven't watched any episdoes of the latest Survivor series. 2509. wonkers2 - 3/14/2002 4:36:54 PM I confess. I watched it. There was never any doubt about the winner from the first bell. Tonya knocked Paula down several times and pummelled her at will until in the third round, Paula gave up and began to turn her back on Tonya and try to run away. The ref finally stopped the farce a little more than half way through the third round and awarded the fight to Tonya on a TKO. I wonder how much they paid them? 2510. arkymalarky - 3/14/2002 5:59:54 PM Dang. Maybe I should've watched it. 2511. Cellar Door - 3/14/2002 7:00:59 PM 2512. Cellar Door - 3/14/2002 7:01:41 PM 2513. judithathome - 3/14/2002 7:11:41 PM Lookin' good, CD! 2514. Cellar Door - 3/14/2002 7:18:34 PM Merci! 2515. Absensia - 3/14/2002 7:19:38 PM Hmmm, handsome even. 2516. glendajean - 3/15/2002 2:24:48 PM Quie handsome, dear Cellar. 2517. Cellar Door - 3/17/2002 11:21:00 AM Did anybody watch SNL last night? I missed it but heard that Sir Ian rocked the house with his Maggie Smith impersonation. 2518. judithathome - 3/17/2002 11:28:26 AM He also rocked Jimmy Fallon's world! 2519. joezan - 3/17/2002 2:58:20 PM Anyone catch The Osbornes last night on MTV? 2520. wonkers2 - 3/17/2002 3:14:14 PM 2521. glendajean - 3/18/2002 10:32:52 AM I wished I had seen SNL. 2522. Cellar Door - 3/18/2002 10:50:14 AM They worked on it quite awhile and it went through many changes before it took its final shape. I'm sorry they didn't have more about his interior design work. 2523. glendajean - 3/18/2002 11:07:48 AM I didn't realize he was connected to the late Ted Graber, the Reagan's decorator who stayed in the White House with his partner many nights during there first year or so in office. He redecorated the private quarters (2nd & 3rd floor) of the WH. 2524. rubberducky - 3/19/2002 1:59:52 PM Britney update: 2525. PelleNilsson - 3/19/2002 2:21:49 PM Britney was in Stockholm yesterday. Apparently she turned out not to be the nervous wreck she's supposed to be after having been urinated on by her ex-boyfriend and whatnot. 2526. CalGal - 3/19/2002 2:26:19 PM I saw the 9/11 documentary. Not particularly good as a film and very schmaltzy. But the inexperienced cameraman (who was only out that day with the firefighters to get some practice filming) operated incredibly well under pressure, and as a result we have a history of the firefighters' actions that day. Amazing stuff. 2527. glendajean - 3/19/2002 2:27:13 PM The NSYNC boy peed on Britney? 2528. PelleNilsson - 3/19/2002 2:44:22 PM glenda 2529. glendajean - 3/19/2002 2:52:07 PM Pelle -- she's from Louisiana, which is not far from East Texas. In that part of the world, (parts of L & ET) among some people, there are a lot more people than variant DNA. They interbreed and the result is sometimes Forrest Gump and sometimes Britney Spears. 2530. PelleNilsson - 3/19/2002 2:59:48 PM I prefer to think of Britney as a typical product of America. 2531. glendajean - 3/19/2002 3:02:37 PM That's ok. When I was a kid, we thought all Swedes were either oversexed airline stewards named Elke or terribly depressed matrons named Liv. 2532. rubberducky - 3/19/2002 3:05:57 PM you mean they aren't? 2533. PelleNilsson - 3/19/2002 3:08:49 PM Hahaha! 2534. judithathome - 3/19/2002 3:09:57 PM It only takes a few.... 2535. PelleNilsson - 3/19/2002 3:19:41 PM You would have to go to Helsinki to find a plethora of Livs, But, OK, some of them have drifted over here. 2536. Cellar Door - 3/19/2002 5:38:32 PM Just looked at a tape of the River Phoenix "Biography" that A&E ran a few nights back. They used my photos in a montage at the start of second segment. They didn't use the interview they did with me. I'm not surprised because they had a much better one with Matt Ebert (who talked about River using heroin) and the footage he shot of River talking with Mike Parker at Gus' house . 2537. arkymalarky - 3/19/2002 8:47:21 PM Britney Spears is coming to Little Rock again. Last time there were tons of complaints about her poor lip synching, and I'm wondering if she'll sell out this time. Mose was rabidly hostile toward her, going so far as to write a scathing satirical song to one of her tunes. She seems to bring it out in folks somehow--that or lust, anyway. Maybe both for some people. 2538. arkymalarky - 3/19/2002 8:49:39 PM She is an idiot, apparently. I happened to see one line of an interview on tv that slipped in while I was diving for the remote where she described her movie as just an adventure about girl friends who are trying to find "theirselves." Ugh. 2539. judithathome - 3/20/2002 11:21:47 AM She also said "Me and Justin didn't break up" on Deborah Norville's little show and DN came back from commercial break with a correction: "It's Justin and I, Justin and I didn't break up!!" 2540. judithathome - 3/20/2002 11:24:52 AM Anyone watch Andy Richters new show last night? I did and liked it a lot...Julia L-D can kiss her show goodbye; the Seinfeld curse nailed her coffin shut with the debut of Andy's show last night. Even if it doesn't maintain last night's humor, it's still better than Julia's. 2541. jexster - 3/25/2002 10:48:56 AM Every year and the current more than the last I watch the post-Oscar news and say to myself "Damn am I glad I didn't watch" 2542. judithathome - 3/25/2002 10:50:34 AM I watched it and wasn't too thrilled by it but it's like the World Series or the Super Bowl...ya' gotta watch it, even if it's bad. 2543. CalGal - 3/25/2002 2:13:40 PM Has anyone been watching the Louis Rukeyser soap opera? And on public television, too! 2544. Erin R. - 3/25/2002 2:31:17 PM I heard about it this morning on NPR. It's funny. 2545. rubberducky - 3/27/2002 9:18:01 AM Sex and the City to End in 2004 2546. judithathome - 3/27/2002 9:19:42 AM Maybe she should marry a Broadway star and become a fashion maven at awards shows... 2547. rubberducky - 3/27/2002 9:20:46 AM nah, not with a face like that ... who'd believe it? 2548. Toenails - 3/27/2002 4:05:00 PM Sally Field's new show (the second failed effort this season to depict Supreme Court justices dramatically) is gonna be gone in sixty seconds. 2549. judithathome - 3/27/2002 4:08:11 PM Well, anyone who would buy Sally Field as a Supreme Court judge couldn't be very in touch with reality to start with...it's laughable. 2550. AytchMan - 3/27/2002 4:34:18 PM Both of those SC shows come under the category of What Were They Thinking? 2551. Toenails - 3/27/2002 6:02:33 PM I don't see anything inherently wrong with either Garner or Fields as Justices. 2552. arkymalarky - 3/27/2002 7:25:40 PM It may be posted elsewhere, but Milton Berle died. 2553. CalGal - 3/27/2002 7:55:11 PM 2554. Cellar Door - 3/27/2002 9:06:14 PM "Success is just one long street fight." 2555. hollyw - 3/29/2002 11:08:40 PM I don't think anyone here watches ER, but this was suddenly on my mind today--why do they have Abby sucking down the beers and sipping glasses of wine with all her wits about her while last season she was in AA for crying out loud? 2556. CalGal - 3/29/2002 11:17:36 PM I quit watching ER years ago, but I think Abby has always had a problem, and not all addicts go from 0 to 60 when they start using again, do they? At least my dad doesn't. 2557. hollyw - 3/29/2002 11:26:19 PM No, that's why I'm hoping they are just being subtle. Subtlety is not ER's trademark these days, though, so I worry. 2558. CalGal - 3/29/2002 11:31:00 PM Back when I was still watching, I could never figure out if they were deliberately creating Carter as a charmer who has always had it easy and didn't realize how little he had in the way of moral backbone until he started punting his principles when pressured. Or if it was just plot exigencies that created that interesting contradiction. He's a good actor and one who is really made for the intimacies of episodic TV. I don't know that he'll ever have much of a film career. 2559. CalGal - 3/29/2002 11:33:56 PM Back when I was still watching, I could never figure out if they were deliberately creating Carter as a charmer who has always had it easy and didn't realize how little he had in the way of moral backbone until he started punting his principles when pressured. Or if it was just plot exigencies that created that interesting contradiction. He's a good actor and one who is really made for the intimacies of episodic TV. I don't know that he'll ever have much of a film career. 2560. CalGal - 3/29/2002 11:34:05 PM Back when I was still watching, I could never figure out if they were deliberately creating Carter as a charmer who has always had it easy and didn't realize how little he had in the way of moral backbone until he started punting his principles when pressured. Or if it was just plot exigencies that created that interesting contradiction. He's a good actor and one who is really made for the intimacies of episodic TV. I don't know that he'll ever have much of a film career. 2561. CalGal - 3/29/2002 11:36:00 PM I figure everyone knows I didn't plan on posting that three times, right? Don't know what happened. I even refreshed to see if it had posted. 2562. hollyw - 3/29/2002 11:38:25 PM And I'll agree three times...I can;t see him on the big screen, but I do want to see Donnie Darko. Bit roles he could carry. 2563. Shannon - 3/30/2002 12:18:47 AM I think they're being subtle, holly. When she first drank again, they had her hesitate--when the battered wife neighbor gave it to her. 2564. CalGal - 3/30/2002 1:57:26 AM Did anyone watch West Wing the other night? I haven't enjoyed the show as much in a while now, but if you need someone to show up and establish a fully-fleshed out character in just a few minutes, Laura Dern's your go-to girl. Not an original storyline, but beautifully done. 2565. ElliottRW - 3/30/2002 11:56:39 AM I watched the West Wing. I thought "LemonLyman.com" was eerily Mote-like. 2566. CalGal - 3/30/2002 12:00:46 PM 2567. Toenails - 3/31/2002 7:04:35 AM I agree that the Mote is far more civilized than many (most?) other online forums. 2568. judithathome - 3/31/2002 8:59:15 AM With the exception of the Politics folder, I feel the forum at the Atlantic is very civilized...maybe because it is rather a new group still. 2569. arkymalarky - 3/31/2002 1:35:10 PM I don't know what I want. Certainly not breakfast banter about coffee and children. I don't think I'm looking for bland, always-agreeable exchanges. 2570. arkymalarky - 3/31/2002 1:39:52 PM As far as the edge that's always here, I see what you're saying, and I think the reason may be that most of the same core of people have been here so long. Some people just get under eachother's skin and neither party intends on going anywhere else, so it puts a little tension in the air. It will probably never really go away. 2571. wonkers2 - 3/31/2002 2:14:58 PM On this subject, what happened to mariagleason? Hasn't she been around because she was offended by the tone of the debate over child abuse in the church? Religion is not a subject I often bring up with friends outside the Mote. One of the good things about this kind of forum is that you can say exactly what you believe about most any particular subject without worrying about being subject to bodily mayhem! I try to confine my comments to the subject rather than the other person. But sometimes the dialog seems to degenerate gradually until it becomes unpleasant. That I don't enjoy. 2572. judithathome - 3/31/2002 2:15:49 PM Coming tomorrow night on Masterpiece Theatre: 2573. judithathome - 3/31/2002 2:16:30 PM (cont'd) 2574. Snowowl - 3/31/2002 2:18:25 PM Wonkers, I think Maria was about to embark on some travelling, which may be why she's not around at present. 2575. judithathome - 3/31/2002 2:23:26 PM Yes, I thought she was going to Europe with her cousin or something...the one who prays over her. ;-) 2576. wonkers2 - 3/31/2002 2:53:29 PM Good! I hope she returns to the Mote soon. 2577. Shannon - 3/31/2002 4:20:13 PM I hope the cousin doesn't drive her too nuts. Or that she has good stories for us in any case. 2578. rubberducky - 4/3/2002 10:39:27 AM caught my first Six Feet Under and thought it a really good show. too bad that i'm now switching cable companies and HBO is no longer included in the basic service. 2579. theDiva - 4/3/2002 10:48:17 AM Has Samurai Jack been discussed here at all? I finally watched an episode last night, after much prodding from Gracie, who is an avid fan. What a gorgeous piece of work that show is. Truly amazing. 2580. rubberducky - 4/3/2002 11:09:39 AM not sure if it's been discussed, diva, but Ripley and i love the show. very nice to look at and consistently entertaining. 2581. CalGal - 4/3/2002 11:10:38 AM What is Samurai Jack? What channel? 2582. theDiva - 4/3/2002 11:14:21 AM Ducky 2583. theDiva - 4/3/2002 11:15:33 AM I wonder whether this will work for you, Cal. 2584. theDiva - 4/3/2002 11:16:03 AM nertz. 2585. rubberducky - 4/3/2002 2:28:31 PM Diva: it is great animation mainly for its beautiful simplicity. 2586. rubberducky - 4/3/2002 4:22:23 PM 2587. AytchMan - 4/3/2002 4:45:56 PM rd-- 2588. Erinys - 4/4/2002 1:17:57 AM If you had only an hour to watch TV what would you chose? 2589. rubberducky - 4/4/2002 8:56:21 AM Futurama & The Simpsons 2590. judithathome - 4/4/2002 1:56:52 PM Here's music to my ears: 2591. CalGal - 4/5/2002 3:45:15 PM Shackleton Expedition on A&E 2592. CalGal - 4/5/2002 3:48:46 PM Hey, did anyone watch WW on Wednesday? Another case where the execution was outstanding, even if I found Donna's endless cavilling irritating. 2593. judithathome - 4/5/2002 3:48:56 PM This is running at a time when IMAX threatres all over the country have shows about Shackleton running, too...nice tie-in. And the IMAX here is in the Museum of Science and History and they have quite a nice little companion exhibit going on, too. 2594. judithathome - 4/5/2002 3:50:45 PM IMAX theatres...and my last post was in response to Cal's link to A&E. 2595. CalGal - 4/5/2002 11:40:47 PM Hey, EW agrees with me about the veep! 2596. OhioSTOPAS - 4/6/2002 6:42:45 AM Yeah, but when I look at Matheson I still see Otter from "Animal House". And I just can't buy the idea of a partying frat boy with no other qualifications holding an important national office. 2597. arkymalarky - 4/6/2002 7:54:41 AM Hahaha. Crazy and unrealistic notion, isn't it? Why can't tv shows stay more within the realm of believability? 2598. CalGal - 4/6/2002 12:16:46 PM Hey, he was Jonny Quest! Sure, he had a few difficulties in his twenties, but the potential was there from the start. 2599. CalGal - 4/6/2002 12:18:06 PM Besides, Sheen was a ruthless uncaring murderer as a teen. And he got to be President. 2600. Shannon - 4/7/2002 7:47:46 PM Interesting article on Trading Spaces 2601. CalGal - 4/7/2002 7:51:37 PM Is that the show where they do each others house? 2602. Shannon - 4/7/2002 7:54:43 PM Yep. Odd thing for him to like, but I'm happy that he likes anything I want to watch. 2603. CalGal - 4/7/2002 7:59:01 PM Is he feeling better? 2604. Shannon - 4/7/2002 8:05:02 PM Yeah, it was just a 24-hour thing. Very odd. He was all sluggish and quiet all day Thursday. Then Friday morning he woke up before 6, chattering away. Came traipsing into our room, full of questions. 2605. CalGal - 4/7/2002 8:14:17 PM Don't forget to check out Shackleton tonight, although this is primarily the setup episode. Still, I've read a number of good reviews. 2606. judithathome - 4/8/2002 9:21:27 AM Shannon, tell your son I met Vern and Gen on Saturday...Vern looks younger than on TV and Gen is a large and healthy girl...beautiful, and her green eyes are stunning. 2607. rubberducky - 4/8/2002 9:24:49 AM in the no kidding dept: 2608. judithathome - 4/8/2002 9:28:57 AM It evidently gets the President of this country talking...into the telephone to invite Ozzy to dinner at the White House. That story made the rounds last week and I'm sure it's a hoax but if it were true, it wouldn't surprise me in the least. 2609. rubberducky - 4/8/2002 10:07:06 AM according to this morning's radio, he's going to have dinner with the Prez, but Bush didn't invite him. i forget who did, but it wasn't directly. 2610. judithathome - 4/8/2002 10:13:38 AM It's ludicrous to me that he's dining with the Prez but I guess it shouldn't be... 2611. rubberducky - 4/8/2002 10:17:22 AM ok, it was Greta Van Susteren 2612. judithathome - 4/8/2002 10:19:54 AM Ha! This will be excellent PR for Ozzy's show... 2613. arkymalarky - 4/8/2002 5:42:57 PM It is funny, though. Who'd have thought Ozzy Ozburn could be a sort of endearing dad? 2614. arkymalarky - 4/8/2002 5:43:46 PM On another subject, Bro emailed me and told me to catch Michael J. Fox on Larry King. 2615. arkymalarky - 4/8/2002 9:36:50 PM Where's all the laughter over '13? 2616. Frankster - 4/10/2002 3:39:46 PM Judith, Ohio, 2617. judithathome - 4/10/2002 3:52:36 PM Franque, this is TV...the Senator's career may not be over; he may become a Supreme Court Justice. 2618. rubberducky - 4/10/2002 3:55:31 PM last night's The Osbournes was funny as hell. great stuff - catch it in reruns as that's pretty easy to do. 2619. TabouliJones - 4/10/2002 3:58:23 PM Anyone out there watch Denis Leary's sitcom The Job or the Fox cartoon Family Guy? I have been trying to cut back on my sitcom watching, but every week I make an effort to see these two fabulous shows. 2620. Frankster - 4/10/2002 4:00:25 PM So, who thinks the guy driving Jack around is a mole ? 2621. judithathome - 4/10/2002 4:00:29 PM It is...you'll be able to catch up pretty quickly. 2622. judithathome - 4/10/2002 4:01:33 PM Yeah, that daughter is one clueless kiddo but then, it doesn't surprise me...kids that age think they know everything. 2623. TabouliJones - 4/10/2002 4:04:44 PM The baby, Stewie, always makes me think of our own Pseudoerasmus. 2624. judithathome - 4/10/2002 4:07:06 PM Andy's show comes on right before 24...same network. 2625. Frankster - 4/10/2002 4:09:24 PM I've always wanted to watch the Leary show, but I have trouble remembering when to set the VCR for "24". 2626. Frankster - 4/10/2002 4:12:26 PM Judith, 2627. rubberducky - 4/10/2002 4:23:16 PM TJ: 2628. judithathome - 4/10/2002 4:29:34 PM when X-Files goes away. 2629. TabouliJones - 4/10/2002 4:34:32 PM ducky, 2630. AytchMan - 4/10/2002 5:20:14 PM Tonight at 8 central, PBS is showing part 2 of Commanding Heights. It's a detailed review of the battle between Lib and Con economic theory throughout the 20th century. Even-handed and excellent. Highly recommended. It's either two or three hours. 2631. judithathome - 4/10/2002 5:30:45 PM Here's a link to it, Atych: 2632. rubberducky - 4/12/2002 9:26:23 AM Re: Message # 2629, TabouliJones. 2633. TabouliJones - 4/12/2002 3:59:34 PM ducky, 2634. rubberducky - 4/12/2002 4:05:21 PM bwahahahaha! 2635. judithathome - 4/12/2002 4:15:02 PM As a good host should always do, I went into the belly of the beast...the message boards on the Family Guy site...and this is the best I could do: 2636. TabouliJones - 4/12/2002 4:53:11 PM Judith, 2637. rubberducky - 4/15/2002 12:48:31 PM this is my main beef with FOX. 2638. TabouliJones - 4/15/2002 3:00:04 PM Some clarification would be welcome from Fox. Clearly confusion abounds about the future of both shows. The cynical part of me assumes that Fox is avoiding clarification so that they can use the missives (e-mails, petitions, chat line diatrides)from angry fans as a ploy to convince advertisers that these shows have a fan base worth marketing to. 2639. rubberducky - 4/15/2002 3:13:49 PM yeah, TJ. i remain convinced that the sole reason Futurama doesn't have the fan following that The Simpsons has is due completely to it being preempted all the damn time by football. the only time it's on consistently is during the spring and summer - no wonder no one watches it! 2640. rubberducky - 4/16/2002 9:04:55 AM Ellen still trying to get on TV: 2641. arkymalarky - 4/16/2002 10:49:18 AM Robert Urich died. 2642. CalGal - 4/16/2002 1:04:22 PM I first knew him as the second cutest guy on S.W.A.T. 2643. lizzard - 4/16/2002 2:39:19 PM In my early teen years, I loved Spenser for Hire. 2644. CalGal - 4/16/2002 2:41:55 PM I never got into that show, but I remember watching a rerun once and thinking how totally cool Avery Brooks was as a badass. He just never quite sold me as Captain Sisko, but he owned the room as, what was his name, Hawk? 2645. lizzard - 4/16/2002 3:29:00 PM That's right -- Hawk. I loved the locations and Spenser just seemed like the perfect guy (kicks bad-guy ass and drives a mustang but also knows how to cook and is sweet to his girlfriend! Also, I just saw the dates that show ran and it was more like my LATE teen years. Some part of my brain still thinks I'm under 30. 2646. CalGal - 4/16/2002 3:37:41 PM I am forty. Today. So shut up. 2647. rubberducky - 4/16/2002 3:48:27 PM hehehehehehe 2648. lizzard - 4/16/2002 3:57:03 PM DOH! Well, happy birthday! 2649. arkymalarky - 4/16/2002 4:12:34 PM Happy birthday, Cal. 40 didn't bother me nearly as much as 30. 2650. glendajean - 4/16/2002 4:34:07 PM I said it in the Mote, but when one is 40, it deserves mention more than once. Happy birthday, Cal. 2651. glendajean - 4/16/2002 4:34:51 PM toys 2652. glendajean - 4/16/2002 4:35:12 PM toys 2653. CalGal - 4/16/2002 4:39:54 PM Urich was the brother who got killed, wasn't he? Burt Campbell's son? That was the mystery of the first year. 2654. AytchMan - 4/16/2002 5:25:45 PM happy birthday. You'll positively yearn for 40. Just you wait. 2655. fiddlercrab - 4/17/2002 1:29:02 AM Fifty is fifty times worse, but don't ask me how I know. :) 2656. Toenails - 4/17/2002 7:43:33 AM All this talk about reaching 40 and 50 reminds me that I am now eligible to apply for Social Security, my 65th being less than 90 days away. 2657. Frankster - 4/17/2002 8:43:28 AM Like casting Pauly Shore as -- oh --Charlemagne. 2658. TabouliJones - 4/18/2002 1:06:24 PM ABC aired two episodes of the Job last night, both of which I think were new. The first was about the male detectives in Leary's precinct dealing with rumours about the sexuality of one of their co-workers. The second had Leary indulging in various shenanigans while on a vacation to the beach with his mistress, the incredibly hot babe who played the older sister on The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. Both episodes were hilarious. 2659. rubberducky - 4/18/2002 1:07:10 PM Buh-Bye Ally 2660. rubberducky - 4/18/2002 1:09:02 PM gawdammit! TJ, that is awful news 2661. TabouliJones - 4/18/2002 1:21:34 PM Yeah, it really sucks. I think some new episodes will be aired in the summer and then it is adios to the Griffins. 2662. rubberducky - 4/18/2002 1:22:19 PM fuckin' fucked fucks 2663. CalGal - 4/18/2002 1:27:19 PM Good lord, I thought you two were mourning Ally. 2664. TabouliJones - 4/18/2002 1:29:23 PM wouldn't mourn Ally, but I do hope that miscreant Fish returns to t.v. sometime soon. 2665. judithathome - 4/18/2002 5:28:03 PM Watch this at your own risk: 2666. seadate - 4/18/2002 8:03:54 PM ick .... funny that there are beef eaters who can't stand the idea of eating sushi. 2667. seadate - 4/18/2002 8:06:03 PM Howzit goin' Judy? I'm actually gonna hang out and watch TV tonight. 2668. judithathome - 4/20/2002 10:53:06 AM Tonight on SNL, Alec Baldwin hosts...he is usually pretty good, especially in drag. 2669. Property of Jesus - 4/20/2002 3:15:53 PM Jeez, Judy, I thought you were going to give us a two-week break. I was so looking forward to it, too. 2670. glendajean - 4/23/2002 5:12:19 PM I watched a little of The Bachelor last night on ABC. I was aghast. What kind of people would put themselves through this. Then I thought, what kind of people watch this program. 2671. judithathome - 4/24/2002 10:50:46 AM For anyone who enjoyed 1900 House, there is a new series starting on PBS called FRONTIER HOUSE...sounds interesting, to say the least. 2672. CalGal - 4/25/2002 2:03:03 AM Wow, that was one of the best L&Os in a while. I think they've put together two or three of the best episodes this year in any series. 2673. Toenails - 4/25/2002 8:28:45 AM Haven't seen much (any?) discussion of the new-this-year series Philly here. It ain't bad at all. 2674. CalGal - 4/25/2002 2:31:53 PM You know, I just started watching it last week. I agree it isn't bad. I particularly like the prosecutor. 2675. TabouliJones - 4/26/2002 9:19:12 AM This week's episode of The Job was (once again) wonderful. Also, caught the latest installment of Andy Richter's new show, which keeps getting stronger with each new episode. This week's episode had me laughing out loud. I was worried that this show was going to be a flop, but I now anticipate a quality series, assuming, of course, that it doesn't get cancelled like every other sitcom that gains my interest these days. 2676. judithathome - 4/26/2002 9:43:19 AM I love Andy's show...it's very inventive and I'm worried about cancelation, too...I call it the Judith Curse and the bad thing is, it's not limited to sit-coms. 2677. TabouliJones - 4/26/2002 9:57:00 AM Oddly, the inventiveness of Richter's show at first had me worried that cleverness would rule out over good solid jokes and that the show would become bogged down in its quirky narrative style. Thankfully, I was wrong. Jokes abound. The characters are shaping nicely and the innovative narrative style brings a quirky rhythm and tone to the show that grows increasingly more appealing. 2678. judithathome - 4/26/2002 10:00:53 AM ACK!!! I'd forgotten that little lapse of yours! 2679. Toenails - 4/26/2002 8:29:09 PM It's incredible how much the network audience has been fragmented over the past decade. New (if not better) networks have been added, and the hundreds of cable/satellite channels further divide us. 2680. CalGal - 4/26/2002 8:46:07 PM The cancellation rate of new shows is abysmal. I read that ABC would cancel all its new shows (including Philly) if it could. 2681. judithathome - 4/28/2002 11:10:17 AM Tomorrow night at 8pm CST on ABC is the Gilda Radner biopic Gilda Radner: It's Always Something starring Jamie Gertz. 2682. judithathome - 4/29/2002 10:01:59 AM Did anyone watch that America Undercover piece last night on HBO called Small Town Ecstasy? It was very depressing but we were all riveted by it. 2683. rubberducky - 4/29/2002 10:18:24 AM last week's episode of The X-Files was pretty damn good. i can't believe they killed off the Lone Gunmen!!! wasn't sure how they'd tie up the plot lines, but i guess you consider theirs pretty much tied at this point. 2684. glendajean - 4/29/2002 11:29:20 AM SLIGHT SPOILERS IN THIS: 2685. Property of Jesus - 4/29/2002 12:41:40 PM 2686. glendajean - 5/3/2002 12:58:20 PM I finished watching the PBS series, The Frontier House, where in the spring of 2001 three American families moved to the Montana wilderness for 5 months and lived as if it were 1883. 2687. glendajean - 5/3/2002 12:58:31 PM The Tennessee boy was in some ways, along with his parents, a great narrator. In the middle of the series, he lost one of his hens because she quit laying eggs. The rule was, if there are no eggs, the chicken was to be killed and eaten. At the end, his pet hog called Jo-Jo, was killed and roasted for the big celebration or country fair. Despite his mother's efforts to explain the harshness and necessity of eating farm animals for survival, he wasn't buying it. I think he will be in therapy someday. 2688. AytchMan - 5/3/2002 3:21:43 PM g-- 2689. CalGal - 5/3/2002 3:27:23 PM I wanted to slap the Clunes so badly I got a headache. 2690. AytchMan - 5/3/2002 3:37:57 PM Emotionally, the entire Clune family was unprepared for the experience. After I saw their new mansion at the very end, I understood why. And it really angered me that the father (Gordon) invariably looked for the artful but illegal shortcut. 2691. CalGal - 5/3/2002 3:42:17 PM I didn't watch the whole thing, and didn't realize that the Thunes were rich until someone mentioned it. Odd, because they came off so terribly white trash. 2692. glendajean - 5/3/2002 4:02:40 PM The rich whiners were from California. The other family was from Tennessee. Both whined to some extent, often about each other. I found the Tennessee parents to be more interesting even as their relationship was breaking up. They took the project more seriously and tried to adapt to it. 2693. judithathome - 5/3/2002 4:11:36 PM We're going to try and watch it over the weekend...I'll see if I can spot the white trash off the bat. 2694. CalGal - 5/3/2002 4:24:26 PM The rich whiners were from California. 2695. glendajean - 5/3/2002 6:02:52 PM The family in 1900 House was in someways more earnest. But in it and in here, the men and kids all got something great out of it. One gets the feeling that the women had more mixed feelings about it, and that they were more exhausted by the constant need to cook and clean. 2696. judithathome - 5/6/2002 3:20:38 PM Only three episodes left in this season of Six Feet Under! 2697. rubberducky - 5/8/2002 9:29:37 AM Excellent Buffy last night! lots going on after a semi-dull season. anyone catch it? i hate to give away the ending(s) - next week's finale looks like it will kick major ass! 2698. judithathome - 5/8/2002 9:32:04 AM Ozzy has signed for another season at $20 mil.... 2699. rubberducky - 5/8/2002 9:34:52 AM worth every penny (of their money)! 2700. glendajean - 5/8/2002 12:53:43 PM I heard the Osbournes only got $200,000 for the first season. They do deserve the higher income given how hot the show is now. I doubt if this show has legs longer than another year. How much can one take of Ozzy mumbling indecipherable words in between beeps? I like Ozzy and the mom, but the children are tiring. 2701. glendajean - 5/8/2002 1:07:23 PM Over in the Cafe a few days ago, we had a small conversation about Steve leaving the Nickolodean series Blues Clues 2702. CalGal - 5/8/2002 1:54:47 PM GJ, that is a great piece. Thanks for linking it in. 2703. christipeters - 5/8/2002 3:34:53 PM (I was going to post this Tuesday morning, but didn’t get the chance) 2704. CalGal - 5/8/2002 3:35:52 PM Which one is Seventh HEaven? 2705. rubberducky - 5/8/2002 3:36:06 PM is Anakin still doing this show or was he written out? 2706. christipeters - 5/8/2002 3:36:16 PM rubberducky - glad to hear about Buffy. We recorded it, but haven't watched it yet. We'll probably watch it tonight. 2707. rubberducky - 5/8/2002 3:37:50 PM well, i probably wasn't clear: 2708. rubberducky - 5/8/2002 3:39:12 PM CP: 2709. christipeters - 5/8/2002 5:12:54 PM CalGal - Seventh Heaven is the show about The Camdens a minister and his family - seven kids. Dad=Eric, Mom=Annie, Kids= Matt, Mary, Lucy, Simon, Ruthie, twin boys (I can't remember their names, currently toddler aged). It is very very sappy. 2710. arkymalarky - 5/8/2002 6:12:54 PM CMT is showing reruns of the Glen Campbell Hour. It's dated but fun and most of the music still sounds great. 2711. Shannon - 5/8/2002 6:24:50 PM "I am the guy who was formerly the freaky little man-child on that Nickelodeon show, and I’m proud of it," he said. "If they are not comfortable with that, then I’m not comfortable with them." 2712. christipeters - 5/9/2002 2:16:18 AM ruberducky - We watched our Buffy tape tonight. Excellent episode, we're definitely blown away and I totally agree with you about the Finale. 2713. glendajean - 5/9/2002 10:52:02 AM For the first time, I really feel let down by The Amazing Race. That is, I don't like any of the three couples in the final round. A pox on all of them. 2714. judithathome - 5/9/2002 12:14:16 PM The countryside was spectacular, wasn't it? 2715. glendajean - 5/9/2002 12:31:55 PM Judith -- they were certainly the most entertaining, and yes, the most fun to get to know. 2716. judithathome - 5/9/2002 1:14:13 PM Oh yeah, they definitely do...I got a creepy feeling as he pulled her overalls off after the three wheeler run that it wasn't the first time he'd done that! 2717. OhioSTOPAS - 5/9/2002 1:52:15 PM I never thought I'd look at a pretty blonde and think, "Damn, I'd like to be HER brother!" 2718. OhioSTOPAS - 5/9/2002 1:53:50 PM You might as well change my name to WestVirginiaSTOPAS . . . 2719. rubberducky - 5/9/2002 2:22:06 PM you'll always be Cletus to me... 2720. OhioSTOPAS - 5/9/2002 2:25:40 PM Hey! 2721. judithathome - 5/10/2002 10:36:46 AM Just when you thought FOX couldn't get more sleazy, tonight at 7pm CST we have The Search For A Playboy Centerfold: The Girl Next Door 2722. rubberducky - 5/10/2002 10:39:58 AM i can't believe that Will & Grace is going the baby route! 2723. glendajean - 5/10/2002 10:42:34 AM Hooyboy. They're going to be picked by HH, too. 2724. judithathome - 5/10/2002 11:18:13 AM Will & Grace will go the way of Mad About You and other shows which think a pregnancy and a baby is a good idea. That's fine with me...I'm looking forward to the spin-off with Jack and Karen! 2725. judithathome - 5/10/2002 11:19:17 AM GJ, I am so disappointed in the ending of TAR...don't like any of the remaining teams and don't care who wins. 2726. judithathome - 5/11/2002 12:16:25 PM For all Woody Allen fans: 2727. Cellar Door - 5/13/2002 9:26:56 AM Are you ready for your Gay Makeover? 2728. rubberducky - 5/13/2002 9:33:13 AM last night’s X-Files was hit and miss all in one episode. it was nice to see them attempt to recapture the old magic before next week's final curtain, but they didn't. the show just didn't click like it should have. 2729. CalGal - 5/13/2002 10:03:54 AM Will and Grace are having a baby? That's weird. 2730. judithathome - 5/13/2002 11:13:14 AM We watch it. It's rather amazing...(I hate to say it...after 9/11.) Amazing that they show cops in a bad, albeit ambiguous, light. 2731. CalGal - 5/13/2002 2:51:43 PM Not so much a bad light as ambiguous (last night's ep, I mean). If he was a bad guy, then it was okay to plant the gun. A good guy, they immediately fix it. Either it's all bad, or you figure ends justify the means, and all of it is ambiguous. 2732. judithathome - 5/13/2002 2:55:26 PM Have you been watching it all along? 2733. CalGal - 5/13/2002 3:09:04 PM Nope. Just happened to have it on last night and had read some good reviews. 2734. judithathome - 5/13/2002 3:14:50 PM We usually catch it on Sunday reruns because I keep forgetting it on Tuesdays. It's a fairly interesting show, delving into the two sides of Mackey's personality...he's done some pretty "bad" stuff throughout the show, like killing a fellow cop point blank and stealing heroin. 2735. judithathome - 5/13/2002 3:15:16 PM it's on, rather. 2736. CalGal - 5/13/2002 5:07:56 PM I'm getting pretty desperate for TV shows if I'm watching FX. Is it on Fox on Tuesdays? 2737. judithathome - 5/13/2002 5:11:55 PM It's on FX on Tuesdays...at 9 CST, whatever that works out to in PST. 2738. glendajean - 5/14/2002 2:44:17 PM We are now in season finale territory. In the old days most shows on nighttime tv were independent of previous episodes, with the exception of new characters brought in mid-season or after the initial season. 2739. CalGal - 5/14/2002 2:59:23 PM I've given up on so much TV it's depressing. I'm watching more CNN, Fox, and PBS than God ever intended for any one civilized person. I should start watching my Netflix queue instead. 2740. CalGal - 5/14/2002 3:19:53 PM ABC to end Politically Incorrect 2741. AytchMan - 5/14/2002 4:44:27 PM Has anyone actually seen anything in HDTV (not a demo in a store)? What's the current quality? 2742. zojak quafeth - 5/14/2002 4:50:40 PM A friend of mine got a huge HDTV set as a gift from a company he represents. 2743. CalGal - 5/14/2002 4:55:00 PM MsNo just mentioned what seemed to be HDTV in Movies. I'm not ready to pay, and I already have 3 large tvs. Maybe when I'm done with grad school. 2744. glendajean - 5/14/2002 5:22:30 PM One of the DC network affiliates is supposed to be broadcasting in HDTV as a test. 2745. arkymalarky - 5/14/2002 6:36:44 PM My mother loves Everybody Loves Raymond. I haven't caught more than a few minutes of it. 2746. CalGal - 5/14/2002 8:25:27 PM Anchor Steam 2747. judithathome - 5/14/2002 9:26:45 PM WHY THE EVENING NEWS IS WORSE THAN "O'REILLY 2748. judithathome - 5/14/2002 9:27:08 PM toys 2749. judithathome - 5/14/2002 9:27:58 PM 2750. Shannon - 5/14/2002 9:50:52 PM I like Everybody Loves Raymond. It's one of the few things we watch regularly. I'm still hopelessly hooked on ER, and usually watch Friends and Will and Grace, in part because ER has me thinking of TV on Thursdays. But babies are not good for sitcoms. So... 2751. judithathome - 5/14/2002 10:02:52 PM Well, if next week on 24 is as good as this week, it will be a killer finale. 2752. rubberducky - 5/15/2002 9:09:41 AM speaking of killer finales, Buffy rocked again last night! Dark Willow is out kicking ass and getting her revenge. more of the much promised death has delivered and Willow is out for more. in the 2 hour finale next week, we'll see Willow vs. Buffy. that should be awesome! 2753. Phoenix Rising - 5/15/2002 9:24:31 AM USE THE FORCE, WILLOW, USE THE FORCE! 2754. rubberducky - 5/15/2002 9:28:11 AM she is ... and that's the main source of drama 2755. rubberducky - 5/15/2002 9:35:16 AM NBC announces its lineup 2756. Phoenix Rising - 5/15/2002 9:37:29 AM I know. Buffy is having a kick-ass season finish. Overall, this season is the most unsuccessful of all. It was very uneven because it was so dark. Which made the comedy fall a little flat more often than not. 2757. rubberducky - 5/15/2002 9:46:54 AM i'm pretty sure Xander will make it to the next season. i read an interview with him and he says the next will most likely be the last. which, is probably a good thing. 2758. judithathome - 5/15/2002 10:28:11 AM ``Boomtown,'' an ensemble drama from director Jon Avnet that tells the story of Los Angeles through the eyes of ``flawed heroes'' such as cops, paramedics, reporters and city officials. The latter's cast includes Donnie Wahlberg, Mykelti Williamson, Neal McDonough and Jason Gedrick 2759. Toenails - 5/15/2002 11:48:09 AM They've cancelled "Philly". 2760. CalGal - 5/15/2002 1:34:05 PM I told you they would. But I'm kind of bummed; I'd just started watching it and liked it. 2761. AytchMan - 5/15/2002 5:38:06 PM Philly was decent but unremarkable. I think part of what killed it was the unfathomable network strategy of skipping weeks and moving shows around in the schedule. Never really had a chance. 2762. judithathome - 5/15/2002 5:57:49 PM I think what killed it was the mediocre Kim Delaney. 2763. CalGal - 5/15/2002 6:19:58 PM I definitely liked the DA a lot more. 2764. judithathome - 5/15/2002 6:27:22 PM Was that the dark haired guy? The prosecutor named Loomis? 2765. CalGal - 5/15/2002 6:53:23 PM Yes, him. I only saw two shows, but in both I thought he came off rather well. 2766. judithathome - 5/15/2002 7:08:39 PM Me, too... 2767. judithathome - 5/15/2002 11:13:57 PM The last 2 hours of the Amazing Race were fantastic; this show is so much better than other reality shows, it's almost criminal. And there WILL be an Amazing Race III so Glendajean, we can celebrate another season of kick-ass programing! 2768. OhioSTOPAS - 5/16/2002 6:47:00 AM That WAS good, wasn't it? It couldn't have been scripted better. 2769. OhioSTOPAS - 5/16/2002 6:48:00 AM What I meant to say is if it were scripted it couldn't have been better. 2770. glendajean - 5/16/2002 10:55:31 AM The last two hours was fun, but frankly, I only wanted to make sure that Will didn't win. Other than that, who cared about the other teams (dumb Boston boys or incestuous-like Texas brother & sister). 2771. judithathome - 5/16/2002 11:02:58 AM Yeah, it's not as much fun if you only have people to root against rather than for... 2772. glendajean - 5/17/2002 10:19:43 AM I briefly caught the opening of Rosie yesterday where she had the two losing teams (she made Will stay seated in the audience after giving him a copy of Ms. Manners' book). 2773. judithathome - 5/17/2002 11:50:40 AM I know they probably aren't Jolies but darn, they aren't doing much to dispell that idea, are they? 2774. TabouliJones - 5/17/2002 12:02:11 PM I didn't catch it, but the season finale of Friends apparently involved a bizarre twist featuring a classic Joey reaction shot. I may check in next year. 2775. judithathome - 5/17/2002 12:05:03 PM Please try to...I think it might not be so great. Those reunion shows are either grotesque or sad or both. The ravages of time and all... 2776. glendajean - 5/17/2002 12:12:53 PM From last night's show: 2777. TabouliJones - 5/17/2002 12:13:56 PM I will attempt to catch the M*A*S*H reunion. 2778. judithathome - 5/17/2002 12:57:35 PM Tabouli, I meant try to find something better to do! ;-) 2779. TabouliJones - 5/17/2002 1:02:05 PM "Tabouli, I meant try to find something better to do!" 2780. rubberducky - 5/17/2002 1:03:15 PM didn't Joey already propose to her? 2781. rubberducky - 5/17/2002 2:28:17 PM FOX's schedule: 2782. christipeters - 5/17/2002 2:33:25 PM NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! 2783. rubberducky - 5/17/2002 2:34:53 PM hehehehe 2784. christipeters - 5/17/2002 2:39:21 PM Yep. 2785. christipeters - 5/17/2002 2:40:52 PM um, that should be "...really in an insane..." 2786. TabouliJones - 5/17/2002 2:43:54 PM The axing of Family Guy is depressing. I am going to have a couple of roofie colodas and see if I can get over the cancellation. 2787. judithathome - 5/19/2002 5:13:06 PM Tonight after Six Feet Under there's a documentary about two bothers running a cemetary in real life...it's called The Young and the Dead 2788. Erin R. - 5/20/2002 10:35:48 AM Did anyone in here see the X-Files last night? 2789. rubberducky - 5/20/2002 10:44:15 AM i did. and thought the show went out on a whimper, which is depressing. 2790. CalGal - 5/20/2002 10:46:38 AM Has anyone seen the HBO movie Path to War? Don't miss it if you haven't. Also The Gathering Storm, about Churchill before WWII, is good stuff. 2791. Erin R. - 5/20/2002 11:09:05 AM The X-Files was stupid and depressing. 2792. CalGal - 5/20/2002 11:18:54 AM I think it is on Tuesday. Quite apart from some impressive performances, it's very informative. At least to this Vietnam era novice. 2793. glendajean - 5/20/2002 11:35:12 AM I've watched part of the HBO documentary on the Hollywood cemetary. 2794. Jamie R - 5/20/2002 11:55:52 AM X-Files finale: thrill to the endless exposition! 2795. Absensia - 5/20/2002 12:12:47 PM X-Files....since I didn't get into it until lately, I can, not sure if I will, watch the reruns, but the end was anti-climatical in more ways than one. And there was no excitement and "wimper" is right. 2796. Ms. No - 5/20/2002 12:18:21 PM Okay, I couldn't even watch it last night. What's the main jist of what happened? 2797. Ms. No - 5/20/2002 12:19:03 PM And whatever happened to the baby? 2798. judithathome - 5/20/2002 12:19:10 PM Last night Survivor ended with Vecepia winning it all...she said God assured she would win but I thought it was more that she ended up with the irritating little Neleh in the final two. 2799. rubberducky - 5/20/2002 12:21:58 PM X-Files was one of the first drama series that i followed from week to week. but, it needed putting down since, yeah, the movie. here's hoping Chris Carter is right when he says that the next movie will be accessible to all. 2800. Cellar Door - 5/20/2002 12:26:10 PM I missed that show, glendajean, but the dead are a growth industry here in L.A. Where would "E!" be without dead ovie stars? 2801. Absensia - 5/20/2002 12:30:20 PM Ms No...mulder got convicted and sentenced to die by leathal injection...he escaped, with a litle help from his friends...rather than getting off the continent as warned, he and she went to find the TRUTH. After a lot of "leathal weapon" like shots, they escape and end up in Rosewell, NM, in a motel...just your normal angst ridden happy couple fading into the future. 2802. Absensia - 5/20/2002 12:31:59 PM Their baby was put up for secret adoption so his identity would be unknow from others and he would be safe....but there were flash backs of the little tyke moving things with his mind, etc...it might be obvious to most adoptive parents. 2803. rubberducky - 5/20/2002 12:32:15 PM Okay, I couldn't even watch it last night. What's the main jist of what happened? 2804. glendajean - 5/20/2002 12:43:06 PM Cellar -- no, I read the book several years ago. You must see this doc, though. 2805. Ms. No - 5/20/2002 1:03:55 PM Thanks Abs & Ducky 2806. rubberducky - 5/20/2002 1:08:14 PM Heresy! 2807. judithathome - 5/20/2002 3:13:44 PM GJ, that info on Jules Roth was interesting and I agree, the stuff about Eaton, the founder of Forest Lawn, was neat...is that place a hoot or what? 2808. rubberducky - 5/21/2002 9:17:08 AM the 2 hour series finale of Buffy is tonight at 8 EST. you have been warned! 2809. judithathome - 5/21/2002 9:19:58 AM The 2 hour season finale of NYPDBlue is on tonight at 8pm CST and so is the season finale of 24...you will be torn! 2810. rubberducky - 5/21/2002 9:21:39 AM there will be other programming on? 2811. judithathome - 5/21/2002 9:37:06 AM Yes, you'd think they'd know better! 2812. rubberducky - 5/21/2002 9:40:43 AM yes, you would! 2813. Jamie R - 5/21/2002 11:17:24 AM I gave in to the dark side last night and watched a little bit of Fear Factor for the first time. The stunt involved swimming in an alligator tank to retrieve these poles at the bottom. One of the five women chickened out, the others all made it. 2814. arkymalarky - 5/21/2002 6:46:00 PM How many people have been killed in that show? 2815. judithathome - 5/21/2002 6:47:32 PM Hey, just the person I tried to call a few minutes ago!! 2816. arkymalarky - 5/21/2002 6:56:15 PM Oh, really? Mose must be on the phone. I'll holler back or email. 2817. OhioSTOPAS - 5/21/2002 10:28:52 PM West Coasters, I recommend the "24" finale tonight. The most intense episode of a great show. 2818. christipeters - 5/21/2002 11:48:45 PM "So Buffy can get what she deserves" 2819. judithathome - 5/22/2002 8:44:18 AM I'm wondering if it can possibly top the finale of 24? 2820. rubberducky - 5/22/2002 8:49:11 AM CP: 2821. glendajean - 5/22/2002 11:18:34 AM Today is Rosie O'Donnell's last live program for her talk show. Over the past several months, she has been recording extra shows as well that will be mixed in with re-runs during the summer. In September, Caroline Rhea will take over as host. 2822. glendajean - 5/22/2002 11:20:12 AM I was at a restaurant the other night and the family across the aisle from us asked the waitress to hurry and bring the bill because their children (8-10 yrs old) were in a hurry to get home and see Fear Factor. The mom and dad looked like they wanted to see it, too. 2823. Daniel Sickles - 5/22/2002 12:05:37 PM Path to War 2824. CalGal - 5/22/2002 12:12:40 PM I enjoyed it. I thought Gambon was far better than you did, and I thought Baldwin proved that he's the US version of Cary Elwes. Sutherland had an interesting take on Clifford. 2825. judithathome - 5/22/2002 1:56:06 PM Last year I saw a play called "I Hear The Rolling Thunder" and the man playing Johnson was a Texan so when he ordered more troops or made pronouncements, he really sounded like Johnson...the play covered the same events as this show but did in under two hours and at the end, you really had a feeling for the man and what he had achieved...and what he hadn't. 2826. Max Macks - 5/22/2002 1:59:54 PM Hi judith@home . just saw another familiar 2827. judithathome - 5/22/2002 2:04:36 PM Hey, Max! I no longer use that e-mail address you have for me. 2828. glendajean - 5/22/2002 2:22:39 PM Judith -- when I was a kid, I was crushed to hear John Wayne's pronunciation of the Brazos River in some movie. 2829. Phoenix Rising - 5/22/2002 3:55:59 PM I thought Path to War was just so-so. Although I don't think it is as nearly as bad as Mr. Sickles makes it out to be. I think part of the problem is that it is really hard to get a sense of that very turbulent time in even 3 hours. There was just too much going on. And in place this film definitely emphasized the wrong things. 2830. Phoenix Rising - 5/22/2002 4:04:29 PM "restore me to my former self" 2831. rubberducky - 5/22/2002 4:11:17 PM yeah, i hope they do an episode centered on Anya next season, i like her too. 2832. Erin R. - 5/22/2002 4:27:05 PM NYPD Blue last night was...great. 2833. Phoenix Rising - 5/22/2002 4:46:10 PM I will throw a brick at my T.V. if Willow and Xander hook up. 2834. CalGal - 5/23/2002 10:16:42 AM Wow, weakass West Wing year, ending with a gratuitous killing. 2835. judithathome - 5/23/2002 10:18:26 AM My theory is, Harmon was just too cute and cuddly and he was a threat to Rob and Bradley. 2836. CalGal - 5/23/2002 10:35:49 AM Harmon is one of those people who is just a master of the TV medium. He's very enjoyable to watch. 2837. rubberducky - 5/23/2002 10:50:52 AM taped Enterprise last night, will watch it tonight. 2838. judithathome - 5/23/2002 11:05:28 AM I did catch it the first time around and I suspect they aren't showing it again because of possible plot holes concerning who turned out to be the mole. 2839. KuligintheHooligan - 5/26/2002 11:26:07 AM Namibian TV is usually behind the eight ball so to speak, so some series come to us quite late. One my wife and I enjoy now is "The Fugitive" with Tim Daly. I'm wondering when it was on TV in the States (we are seeing the first season's episodes)? Was it popular in the States, cancelled quickly, etc.? 2840. betty - 5/26/2002 11:34:17 AM Last night I saw the most peculiar and really, profane thing I have ever seen on Television on the Lawrence Welk Show (I can't turn away from the Lawrence Welk Show when they show it on PBS, it's just fascinating in some anthropological way). a little girl, about 11-13 I would guess, is singing "I Want to be Loved by You" to and with "big tiny" or who ever that fat pianist Welk had in the 50's was. It was completely unnerving and finally I had to turn the television off because it was getting me so upset. It was gross and creepy...perhaps it is just my genX cynicism but eeeew! 2841. judithathome - 5/26/2002 2:57:54 PM Kuligan: 2842. KuligintheHooligan - 5/26/2002 3:48:26 PM judith, thanks for the update. My wife and I enjoy it quite a bit. Of course, when there is only one tv station to choose from, and rarely any American programming, you get starved for some decent shows! 2843. Cellar Door - 5/26/2002 4:00:50 PM 2844. cartmhan - 5/26/2002 9:54:12 PM My television viewing lately has been of the following: 2845. Toenails - 5/27/2002 9:13:00 AM HBO's presentation last night of pictures from September 11 was moving and skillfully done. 2846. CalGal - 5/27/2002 10:59:51 AM I watched it. I found it even more depressing given how thoroughly we all have returned to our previous see no evil hear no evil. It seems luck alone will determine whether or not it happens again. 2847. judithathome - 5/27/2002 11:50:08 AM I agree...I think we know we can't depend on competency, if even such as that were possible. 2848. Toenails - 5/27/2002 3:40:44 PM I don't expect the kind of commando-style blanket nationwide coverage that would prevent another successful attack. Such a defense isn't even possible. 2849. HollyW - 5/27/2002 8:05:06 PM I don't have HBO, so I couldn't watch it, but a coworker taped it and is going to make a copy for me. 2850. judithathome - 5/28/2002 3:04:04 PM It's official: in 2004, Tom Brokaw is stepping down and his replacement will be Bryan Williams. 2851. CalGal - 5/28/2002 3:06:11 PM Ha. That serious talk with CBS got NBC nervous. Still, two years away? Poor Bryan. 2852. judithathome - 5/28/2002 3:08:47 PM Yeah..that's a long time to cool your heels. 2853. wabbit - 5/28/2002 3:15:01 PM HBO's program about 9/11 is being rerun tonight. 2854. judithathome - 5/29/2002 9:39:52 AM Tonight Peter Jennings is doing an hour long look at precription drugs. It's called Bitter Medicene and will air at 9pm CST. 2855. CalGal - 5/29/2002 9:43:15 AM I watched the HBO special again last night, and realized that technically and structurally, it wasn't very good. 2856. jexster - 5/29/2002 9:57:41 AM I sort of gave up on network TV until the Survivor crazs passes but The Guardian, the dark Angel Nick Fallin - Mimbo as Seinfeld would have put it.... 2857. judithathome - 5/30/2002 10:04:12 AM I don't know how many watched the Jennings special last night but there were some stunning stats in it...like 80% of the "new" drugs released last year fall into the catagory of no better or effective than existing drugs and that the two biggest sellers of all drugs...Celebrex and Vioxx...fall into that catagory. They are no more effective than cheaper drugs used for the same purpose. 2858. glendajean - 5/30/2002 10:54:07 AM I thought the HBO special was well done, elegaic without too much excess. The visual compilations were powerful, and well synced to the music. There wasn't much need for narration. 2859. DocBrown - 5/31/2002 10:20:46 AM We're haivng a [i]Red Dwarf[/i] party in Cleveland tonight. The silly British sitcom will be on a big theater screen. Email me for directions. 2860. DocBrown - 5/31/2002 10:21:32 AM Sorry. UBB-html goofup. Fingers still asleep. 2861. judithathome - 5/31/2002 10:26:11 AM You are proving that old joke about your fair city to be false... 2862. DocBrown - 5/31/2002 10:57:55 AM Thanks Judith! That's a very nice compliment! 2863. judithathome - 5/31/2002 11:03:04 AM It might help if I could type better.... 2864. judithathome - 5/31/2002 12:19:26 PM I don't know if all cable companies supply the TV land channel but if you have it and were a fan, they are starting reruns of Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman and Fernwood 2night at 11pm CST tonight. 2865. judithathome - 5/31/2002 12:20:24 PM That's TV Land or TVland, not sure which. 2866. glendajean - 5/31/2002 2:15:32 PM I wish they'd run the other Lear soap, the one where the genders change roles. The guy from WKRP in Cinncinatti was one of the stars. 2867. judithathome - 5/31/2002 2:24:05 PM Do you mean Soap? 2868. glendajean - 5/31/2002 2:24:39 PM Cellar -- excellent link on Alan Ball. I am a fan of the program. 2869. CalGal - 5/31/2002 2:24:50 PM Genders change roles? Which guy in WKRP? Tim Reid, Howard Hesseman, Gary Travers? 2870. glendajean - 5/31/2002 2:28:57 PM No, not soap. This was before soap. It was either concurrent with Mary Hartman or right after it. I was referring to the young guy who played the program director. Gary Travers? I am pretty sure his name was Gary. I saw him recently in a gawd-awful production of Best Little Whorehouse in Texas with Ann-Margaret. 2871. judithathome - 5/31/2002 2:31:38 PM Filthy Rich? 2872. judithathome - 5/31/2002 2:32:54 PM Gary Sandy.... 2873. glendajean - 5/31/2002 2:38:47 PM All the women were bosses and the men were secretaries or stayed home and took care of the house. It was a daily soap that ran at night after the last newscast. I think it must have been around for at least several months. 2874. judithathome - 5/31/2002 2:42:48 PM I checked IMDB and they only show Hartman and Fernwood in that same time period...not other series TV til All in the Family. 2875. DocBrown - 5/31/2002 2:52:06 PM Glendajean, The show you're thinking of was called All That Glitters. 2876. glendajean - 5/31/2002 3:21:34 PM Thanks, Doc. That was it. This was back in the 70s. 2877. jexster - 6/1/2002 7:48:36 PM JAH... 2878. judithathome - 6/4/2002 1:51:00 PM Tonight is a two hour running of The Mole on ABC. The first hour is episode 3 and is a rerun; ABC shelved the series after this episode and has rerun it to catch people up to speed on it because the second hour is a new one. This series has great locations and really interesting conniving and trickery in it; it's a better quality reality show. 2879. rubberducky - 6/5/2002 9:57:40 AM rumor is that FOX will release the first season of 24 on DVD in October. good idea, since they aren't going to be rerunning it on TV. 2880. judithathome - 6/5/2002 10:46:37 AM Maybe it will come with commentary to smooth out some of the obvious plot holes. 2881. jexster - 6/6/2002 1:00:26 PM On Showtime 2882. jexster - 6/6/2002 1:01:58 PM What in the hell happened to NBC programming? 2883. judithathome - 6/6/2002 1:04:48 PM They probably have a lot of stock in HBO... 2884. godlessclif - 6/8/2002 4:11:44 AM Even the Law&Order team is fielding a reality show. The reason is simple as explained by the producers of "The Real World" for MTV. You have no writers to pay, You have no actors or directors to pay. All you have to do is hire cameramen to shoot the stuff and edit the stuff. Thye are even cheaper to amke than game shows. It is crap TV and is the network wave of the future. In the Darwinian world of Network TV it is not survival of the fittest, it is survival of the cheapest. The Networks have begun to bottom feed off Cable. Pretty soon they will be re-running HBO original series like Six Feet Under and edited for TV, cast off Showtime product like Lolita or Stargate SG-1 with the sex scenes edited out on the Networks. That and Regis Philbin. I have even seen infomercials like Wayne Dyer show up on public TV. 2885. jexster - 6/9/2002 11:54:09 PM One of the best if not THE best war documentary I've ever seen now airing on History Channel. 2886. TheWizardOfWhimsy - 6/10/2002 12:26:12 AM Heads Up Department: 2887. judithathome - 6/11/2002 9:33:27 AM I really like the black captain or whatever grade he is...he was a drug addicted undercover cop in the HBO series OZ. 2888. judithathome - 6/11/2002 9:38:06 AM Narcotics Lieutenant Cedric Daniels played by 2889. iiibbb - 6/11/2002 10:55:58 AM How not to get your ass kicked by the police 2890. jexster - 6/11/2002 2:50:51 PM Poltical DocuDrama on Showtime... 2891. rubberducky - 6/12/2002 9:13:59 AM Ripley and i are both hoping that USA's The Dead Zone turns out to be good, sounds and looks like it will be. 2892. Ms. No - 6/12/2002 1:19:06 PM To All Hosts: 2893. glendajean - 6/12/2002 3:16:21 PM After taping several episodes of Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman being run on TVLAND on weekends and finally watching them: 2894. judithathome - 6/13/2002 5:54:26 PM If anyone is interested in catching an episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, tonight would be a good night to do so. It's an episode called You've Got Male and it's intriguing plus it speaks to society's fascination with being on-line, perhaps too much at times. 2895. iiibbb - 6/14/2002 12:17:13 AM Do they use a blacklight to solve the crime? 2896. judithathome - 6/14/2002 10:22:43 AM Sometimes. They spray that stuff that highlights the presence of blood under blacklight. That rarely "solves" the crime but it helps. ;-) 2897. arkymalarky - 6/14/2002 11:04:38 PM After over twenty years of knowing him I've learned a disturbing fact about Bob since we got satellite. One of us doesn't have a sense of humor. He thinks this new Fox comedy Son of the Beach is hilarious. 2898. judithathome - 6/17/2002 2:26:17 PM Tonight on A&E is Michael Apted's Married In America 2899. zojak quafeth - 6/18/2002 8:52:20 AM Question. DVD players. Finally thinking about getting one. I've found a couple of decent sites that talk about them in general, but was wondering if anyone can point me to a good consumer-oriented site so I can better edumacate myself about them. 2900. Phoenix Rising - 6/18/2002 11:32:03 AM Y'all have to help me by telling me which of us is humor-deficient. If this is funny stuff, then I'm way out of touch. 2901. judithathome - 6/18/2002 11:33:39 AM Zojak, ask this question in Movies...Cal is great source of info on DVD players and is always trying to get people interested in buying them...she can help you out! 2902. zojak quafeth - 6/18/2002 11:38:32 AM Good idea. thanks. 2903. judithathome - 6/18/2002 2:57:19 PM So did anyone watch Married In America last night? They introduced six couples and will show the other three on Thursday night when they rerun the first six. 2904. glendajean - 6/18/2002 3:20:48 PM I saw Apted on the Today Show this week, and he said that he had an idea who wouldn't make it (according to Couric, national average says that 4 of his couples won't stay together), but he said he was trying to have an open mind about it and not judge. 2905. CalGal - 6/18/2002 3:57:24 PM You mean he's not going to track them if they divorce? 2906. glendajean - 6/18/2002 4:21:37 PM I don't know, Cal. I didn't watch the program. I just caught a part of the Today show interview while I was getting ready for work. 2907. Max Macks - 6/18/2002 8:34:09 PM JAH , what was the name of the TV Mystery night show 2908. grannypatsy - 6/18/2002 9:04:24 PM Max, The detective is Inspector Morse. The show always sign off with morse code. Are you the Max who planned atrip tp New Mexico? If so, did you go? 2909. jexster - 6/19/2002 1:31:04 AM Network TV is truly in the shitter. 2910. jexster - 6/19/2002 1:36:28 AM Thank God for CBS and the sexiest man on the planet...love those puppy dog eyes! 2911. judithathome - 6/19/2002 9:24:56 AM That guy looks like Troy Aikman with brains. 2912. Max Macks - 6/19/2002 1:11:51 PM grannypatsy . 2913. judithathome - 6/19/2002 1:18:09 PM Max, the shows on A&E and PBS are titled by episode with ..an Inspector Morse Mystery after the individual titles or maybe before...I'm not sure. 2914. dbltyme - 6/21/2002 1:32:13 AM PBS, tonight 9PM, expanded on the Enron saga. In confirming what has been a continuous call to resign since appointment, SEC's Harvey Pitt was the accounting industry's go-to-guy against ANY and all regulation by Congress. Pitt was the lead bulldog fighting regulating accountant's dual money makers of audit/consulting. Funny how money and politics change the tune of some; the three who took the most accounting industry $$$ are Chris Dodd, Tauzin, and say-it-aint-so-Joe Lieberman. Dodd and Billy Tauzin wouldn't give an interview, but led the way on the Hill against stock option regulation that would have protected the little guy in the long run. Interesting letter from Ken Lay to SEC Levitt at PBS.org. When will some of the Enron crowd be indicted? 2915. Erinys - 6/21/2002 1:50:27 AM I was wondering that too, it seems a bit bass-ackwards to go after the accountants first. 2916. msivorytower - 6/21/2002 8:07:59 AM Jex 2917. dbltyme - 6/21/2002 8:09:32 PM Erinys - Yes, it was an excellent follow-up to their original work. If you have the time, stop by the PBS site and read a couple of the interviews done in 2001 with the main players. 2918. dbltyme - 6/21/2002 8:35:50 PM For Max 2919. msivorytower - 6/22/2002 9:44:46 AM dbltyme 2920. judithathome - 6/22/2002 10:00:04 AM MsIT....how old does one have to be to qualify for a Homestead exemption? I know my dad had one on this house but when we got it, they canceled it until we reached a certain age. 2921. msivorytower - 6/22/2002 10:44:08 AM Judith 2922. judithathome - 6/22/2002 10:50:34 AM Okay, that must have been it...after I posted that question, I looked through my file and noticed the "only" exemption I now get is the Homestead! 2923. dbltyme - 6/22/2002 3:40:34 PM MsITowers - I still maintain our justice dept. has fumbled the Enron ball badly. My reference of sealing/confiscation was unrelated to their bankruptcy; within weeks of that filing, though, DoJ's ears did go up when the millions were paid out to retain "valuable" employees. Putting the prosecutorial focus on Andersen only served to allow Enron exec's to dispose to their heart's content. The crimes were originally Enron's, the fact that Andersen made a conscious decision to look the other way because Enron had become their cash cow cannot negate those original crimes. One figure comes to mind, though; Andersen's Enron team brought in an additional $29 million in consulting fees from Enron in 2001. No wonder they didn't want the SEC to outlaw audit accountants from consulting for the same client. 2924. judithathome - 6/23/2002 3:26:37 PM Tonight on Turner Classic Movies (TCM) at 7pm CST is My Voyage to Italy, a documentary by Martin Scorsese in which he shows exerpts from thirty pre-1961 classic Italian films and explains their historical significance and how each influenced his work. 2925. judithathome - 6/24/2002 7:46:57 AM I hope someone watched the Scorsese thing last night because it was fantastic. If you missed it, try to catch it if they run it again. Very well done and a great little taste of Italian NeoRealism. 2926. judithathome - 6/25/2002 9:22:56 AM Good HBO series: 2927. rubberducky - 6/25/2002 2:57:09 PM 2928. CalGal - 6/25/2002 3:00:11 PM Interesting. 2929. judithathome - 6/25/2002 3:21:55 PM I need to catch it in rerun for the last hour. Though I suspect the films in that last hour won't have such an impact on me as the first ones did...that German one with the kid jumping to his death was very jarring. 2930. DocBrown - 6/26/2002 10:55:11 PM Wow! 2931. rubberducky - 7/2/2002 12:02:41 PM MSNBC loses its Keyes 2932. theDiva - 7/2/2002 12:06:33 PM ducky 2933. rubberducky - 7/2/2002 1:25:51 PM no, never heard of it. can you fill me in? 2934. theDiva - 7/2/2002 1:32:26 PM Hysterically funny and satirical cartoon, broadcast on Nickelodeon Friday nights at 9:30. 2935. rubberducky - 7/2/2002 1:39:05 PM hahaha, no i haven't seen it or heard of it. the only Nick show i watch when i find it is the ever-delightful always funny Spongebob Squarepants. have you seen it? 2936. theDiva - 7/2/2002 1:43:52 PM absolutely! We sing the theme song on the way to school.... 2937. cartmhan - 7/8/2002 2:04:17 AM The Daria marathon on Noggin this last week is pretty good, but the intermission sequences promoting upcoming series are getting very irritating. Right now on Noggin is a Daria movie made two years ago. Granted, its a cartoon, but its still one of the best things MTV has aired or produced in recent years. However, there have been some editing on some of the episodes. 2938. cartmhan - 7/8/2002 2:15:22 AM Speaking of cable and sports: NASCAR and InDemand television have been offering the NASCAR In CAR Pay Per View series for a very expensive price of $99 for half a season. Okay....whats the catch, you may ask me. For one thing, I have been told by some subscribers that the PQ isnt that good and it goes in and out. Not good for a half season package. Also, you only get a choice of 5-6 drivers. 2939. judithathome - 7/10/2002 10:27:09 AM Not that anyone will watch but the reality show Big Brother III starts tonight on CBS. 2940. msivorytower - 7/10/2002 9:07:57 PM Judith 2941. judithathome - 7/10/2002 9:21:13 PM I'll tape it this weekend...thanks! 2942. judithathome - 7/10/2002 9:22:25 PM (because I watch The Wire at that time.) 2943. jexster - 7/11/2002 3:05:45 AM Adam Arken was bitchin as SuperShrink to the REAL Prez of the US in tonite's episode... 2944. rubberducky - 7/11/2002 9:20:44 AM The Dead Zone will be moving over to the Sci-fi channel as well. not sure if it will continue on USA past the current season or not. 2945. judithathome - 7/13/2002 10:19:58 AM Last night we watched Monk with Tony Shaloub...very good but rather on the light side. He plays a detective who has obsessive/compulsive disease and bumbles his way through a case while trying to avoid touching anything or by straightening things like DANGER signs out on the street. 2946. glendajean - 7/15/2002 12:16:51 PM I am sorry I missed Monk. I did see the Robin Williams live special on HBO last night. There was a couple of riffs that were incredibly funny. He goes on and on and then it finally kicks in. 2947. msivorytower - 7/16/2002 10:49:02 PM Judith, GJ 2948. judithathome - 7/17/2002 8:35:44 AM MsIT: 2949. msivorytower - 7/17/2002 10:43:03 AM Judith 2950. judithathome - 7/17/2002 12:08:48 PM One that I really liked is The Merry War. IMDB shows that he was born in Swaziland. Weird.... 2951. judithathome - 7/19/2002 9:24:01 AM If anyone is watching the Ozzy Ozbourne, you know the heart of that family is Sharon, Ozzy's wife. Here is a heartbreaking story about her recent bout with colon cancer...actually, it's more of a life affirming story...she is one fine and brave lady. 2952. judithathome - 7/19/2002 9:25:14 AM ...the Ozzy Osbourne show. Duh. 2953. judithathome - 7/19/2002 9:28:22 AM Here's a little tidbit about Sharon's plans from People Magazine: 2954. judithathome - 7/21/2002 12:14:56 PM I feel like I'm the sound of one hand clapping here... 2955. glendajean - 7/22/2002 10:41:16 AM I watched the opening night of SATC last night. More peons to New York, more of the same conundrums for each of the ladies except Miranda (Cynthia Nixon). She has a baby and isn't coping well. Also no Aiden, and I guess no Mr. Big. 2956. rubberducky - 7/24/2002 10:02:54 AM NBC is way too Lowe 2957. judithathome - 7/24/2002 10:34:43 AM I don't think he'll be missed much...get some cutie with snappy patter in there and he'll be just like David Caruso. Out of sight, out of mind..until he realizes he made a huge mistake in leaving and comes back looking for a third rate sit-com or one season loser about an idealistic cop. 2958. rubberducky - 7/24/2002 10:56:56 AM the thing with Lowe, though, is that he's stayed busy over the years. been in plenty of movies and the like. i suspect that'll continue for him. 2959. Frankster - 7/24/2002 11:25:25 AM Sheesh, $75,000 an episode ? How can one live on a paltry a little over a million and a half per season ?! 2960. msivorytower - 7/24/2002 11:29:22 AM Judith 2961. judithathome - 7/24/2002 11:57:19 AM MsIT: 2962. msivorytower - 7/24/2002 12:08:59 PM Judith 2963. judithathome - 7/24/2002 12:11:42 PM Maybe I can catch them in rerun....he is really fantastic. I loved him in Gosford Park though could've used a little more screen time for him. 2964. CalGal - 7/24/2002 2:12:28 PM I disagree that Lowe won't be missed. I think he's one of the more consistently interesting characters. But then the show has declined tremendously. 2965. judithathome - 7/29/2002 4:35:40 PM Sorry, I couldn't resist this. We were talking about how ludicrous it was of ABC exectutives to schedule the new series Push Nevada on Thursdays against both Will & Grace and CSI and someone called the execs deranged monkeys. (This is at the Atlantic) The following is from a poster named Elvis Bus: 2966. judithathome - 7/29/2002 6:15:23 PM Here's a response from Katy, who made the original remark: 2967. judithathome - 7/29/2002 6:16:53 PM And a followup by Elvis: 2968. judithathome - 7/29/2002 6:18:16 PM Okay, okay...I only did this because it's summer reruns and no one was posting, anyhow. Ducky, if you want, you can suspend me for frivolity. 2969. rubberducky - 7/31/2002 3:33:41 PM jesus, but this kind of crap is getting 'real' tired 2970. TabouliJones - 7/31/2002 3:36:54 PM Worse, all the good sitcoms from last year have been cancelled: 2971. betty - 7/31/2002 3:42:21 PM Family Guy is gone?????? 2972. rubberducky - 7/31/2002 3:42:31 PM yeah, it's getting to where i watch an hour of TV a couple times a week these days (mostly Buffy, Enterprise, Will & Grace, & Friends). 2973. rubberducky - 7/31/2002 3:43:14 PM yeah, betty, it is. don't look for FOX to announce it, but don't expect it to show up this fall either. 2974. betty - 7/31/2002 3:46:31 PM But, but...it was funnier than the Simpsons had been for the last few years. I mean how can you cancel a show that has a dog getting knocked up by Ted Turner? 2975. judithathome - 7/31/2002 3:53:12 PM I'm looking forward to Push, Nevada but I'd feel better if Ben Affleck weren't involved. Though it probably wouldn't have gotten on without him.... 2976. rubberducky - 7/31/2002 3:58:54 PM what's it about, J@H? 2977. judithathome - 7/31/2002 4:34:47 PM It has a real Twin Peaks feel to it and is interactive...it's a series with clues imbedded that you can look up on the internet and call on the phone and maybe win the million dollars the main character is searching for in this bizarre town called Push, Nevada while bad guys and good girls are chasing him and trying to solve the mystery of where the money is... 2978. judithathome - 7/31/2002 4:36:14 PM 2979. rubberducky - 8/1/2002 10:11:41 AM and the cash in begins 2980. rubberducky - 8/1/2002 10:13:45 AM J@H: it's too bad about the timeslot or i'd watch it. maybe they'll move it around. 2981. judithathome - 8/1/2002 10:26:59 AM I don't think so...they have already stated they don't expect it to place even third for the night and are going to leave it there to develop it's own audience. 2982. TabouliJones - 8/6/2002 11:13:29 AM Losing it in Canada, an update on the life and career of Michael Moriarty, the troubled actor best known for his portrayal of ADA Ben Stone on Law and Order. (Note, the above is a temporary link.) 2983. rubberducky - 8/7/2002 2:00:14 PM i am SURE we have no soap watchers here, but RIP Josh Ryan Evans 2984. jexster - 8/7/2002 5:49:27 PM The Case Against Jed Bartlet 2985. jexster - 8/7/2002 5:51:19 PM MS is a progressive and incurable disease of the central nervous system. It has the potential to cause not only fatigue and physical impairment but cognitive decline and severe depression. It's certainly possible that someone with MS could be a good president, but there's no question that such a person should not conceal the fact from the voters. From FDR's failing health and Yalta to Ronald Reagan's mental decline during his second term, concealed illness in the White House has done more harm to the Republic than the sex lives of all the presidents combined. 2986. jexster - 8/7/2002 5:52:17 PM 2987. judithathome - 8/7/2002 8:22:14 PM Ironically, his character, Timmy the living doll, died on the soap on Monday 2988. judithathome - 8/9/2002 9:50:46 AM ABC, which origianlly passed on this series and sent it to USA network where it could be roundly ignored on Friday nights, has decided to pick up Tony Shaloub's Monk and run it on Tuesday nights...so we can now ignore it on a major network, too. 2989. rubberducky - 8/9/2002 9:52:13 AM that's good news. glad to see he'll fail on not just one, but 2 networks. 2990. msivorytower - 8/11/2002 9:46:50 AM Hey 2991. judithathome - 8/11/2002 9:59:05 AM I'll catch them then...thanks for the heads up! 2992. Indiana Jones - 8/11/2002 10:09:29 AM This would actually be a good link in a "Media" thread: 2993. rubberducky - 8/12/2002 4:19:21 PM oh NO! 2994. patsy rolph - 8/14/2002 4:37:43 AM I agree with MsIT; Monk is pretty good abd there's not much else to watch this summer. I note several trailers for new Doctor shows next season. How many nedical series do we need? 2995. arkymalarky - 8/14/2002 6:18:51 PM Any good sitcoms anybody's watching? When I was sick in Colorado and in the cabin watching TV while Bob was socializing around the neighborhood, I caught one--I think it was "King of Queens"--where a man and his wife live with her dad (forget his name, but he played Castanza's dad on Seinfeld and was part of that comedy team with Ann Meara (?) long ago). The episode I saw was when he returned from the hospital and they decided to borrow a friend's baby monitor to keep an eye on him in his room and the friend still had the screen at home and he and two other friends got enthralled with this guy's daily activities. 2996. judithathome - 8/14/2002 6:35:48 PM The one with Jerry Stiller (KOQ) has been on for awhile...renewed a couple of seasons, I think. 2997. judithathome - 8/14/2002 6:36:18 PM But I think you must be smelling a number coming up, right? 2998. betty - 8/14/2002 6:44:26 PM . 2999. betty - 8/14/2002 6:44:58 PM anybody? 3000. betty - 8/14/2002 6:45:13 PM fine! 3001. magoseph - 8/14/2002 6:49:45 PM Good for you. How are you? 3002. magoseph - 8/14/2002 6:50:33 PM Now where is our host? Actually, where is everbody? 3003. magoseph - 8/14/2002 6:51:18 PM E v e r y b o dy 3004. Cellar Door - 8/14/2002 7:05:09 PM Hello. 3005. magoseph - 8/14/2002 7:11:42 PM Hello, Cellar. Are the Moties on the other side, you think? 3006. arkymalarky - 8/14/2002 9:18:34 PM You rats. 3007. judithathome - 8/14/2002 10:17:12 PM Most action this place has seen in ages. 3008. rubberducky - 8/15/2002 8:48:32 AM the only funny show i've seen lately is The Rerun Show on NBC and rerun Friday nights on VH1 of all channels. in each 30 minute show, they take two old sitcoms and rework them using the dialogue from a 'classic' show. the funniest one was Dif'ernt Strokes / Partridge Family (which featured Danny Bonaducie (?) walking on his knees and sporting a wig of his 10 year old hair). the show is surreal and bizarre, but just enough laugh out loud moments that make it worth watching. catch it while you can, because this is one of those shows that come and go quickly. 3009. magoseph - 8/15/2002 9:07:07 AM Judith, did your cable TV go out? Ours (Times Warner), always does during storms. When it came to make a decision between DSL and Road Runner, I chose DSL, because the telephone and the electricity rarely go out during snow and thunder storms. 3010. judithathome - 8/15/2002 9:20:35 AM No, my cable TV stayed on...it rarely goes out unless they work on the lines. 3011. rubberducky - 8/15/2002 9:34:32 AM magoseph: i'm not going anywhere anytime soon! there's just not been as much to discuss, certainly about TV. hopefully, when the new season starts up, there will be. 3012. judithathome - 8/15/2002 9:58:16 AM Starting September 1 on A&E, reruns of Third Watch, the best little unseen series in the history of TV...okay, that might be stretching it but even so, it is a fantastic show and little seen by most viewers. 3013. judithathome - 8/15/2002 9:59:30 AM Gosh, I must need more coffee! I meant to link the show like this: 3014. TabouliJones - 8/15/2002 10:12:50 AM The only funny show I've seen lately is The Trailer Park Boys, which is shot on the cheap and airs on the cable channel Showtime in Canada. It is shot pseudo-documentary style and follows Julian and Ricky between prison stints, as they live scam people, drink, smoke dope and live their white trash lives on a trailer park in Halifax. All of the characters are offbeat and speak in a natural sounding Halifax patois, which means there's a lot of "frig offs" and "fuck offs" and "fuck'n" used indiscriminately emphasis and punctuation. 3015. TabouliJones - 8/15/2002 10:14:22 AM Some sample dialogue from The Trailer Park Boys 3016. TabouliJones - 8/15/2002 10:16:14 AM One more sample of dialogue: 3017. rubberducky - 8/15/2002 10:16:17 AM from the no kidding department: 3018. TabouliJones - 8/15/2002 10:23:04 AM Ah the key 18-34 demographic. I have a few more years left to have the media and world of commerce cater to whatever assinine product that may appeal to me. 3019. rubberducky - 8/15/2002 10:26:57 AM 2 big things they like to see, is my guess 3020. rubberducky - 8/15/2002 10:39:54 AM more bad news... 3021. TabouliJones - 8/15/2002 11:10:54 AM Basically, my thinking is -- the network gods hate me. Except for That 70s Show, and new program that I have really liked in the last few years has been cancelled. Some examples: The Family Guy, Undeclared, Stark Raving Mad, and the The Job. And don't get me started on what the network gods did to the original, wonderfully sardonic, John Laroquette Show a few years back. They are all bastards running t.v., bastards I tell you. 3022. TabouliJones - 8/15/2002 11:13:08 AM make that "any new program" not "and new program." 3023. judithathome - 8/15/2002 2:52:58 PM Arky, you may have to force yourself to watch Survivor 5 this fall...one of your fellow Arkies will be a contestant. She grew up in Ozark, Arkansas and lives there now after moving around the state a bit. 3024. PelleNilsson - 8/15/2002 3:57:47 PM Why does "Ozark" give me bad vibes? I honestly don't know. 3025. rubberducky - 8/15/2002 4:09:35 PM 3026. judithathome - 8/15/2002 4:11:15 PM Maybe this will ease your mind...it's a little more cultural. 3027. magoseph - 8/15/2002 4:48:52 PM Forsyte Saga, really? I saw a couple of times the English series. 3028. msivorytower - 8/20/2002 10:40:45 PM I just want to say I closeted myself into the house this weekend to watch the PGA Championship, only to be disgusted to see Beem take the cup. I hate it when these mediocre golfers come out of no where to win the big majors. At least if Lenord had won he would have been a worthy holder. 3029. judithathome - 8/20/2002 11:26:53 PM MsIT: 3030. rubberducky - 8/21/2002 9:53:40 AM 3031. judithathome - 8/21/2002 10:22:32 AM No, it's not...anyone can find dirt on these guys if there is dirt there. You can find out anything. 3032. rubberducky - 8/21/2002 10:40:27 AM i haven't watched either BB or Survivor since the first show of the respective first season, J@H 3033. judithathome - 8/21/2002 10:43:29 AM Well, you haven't missed much. 3034. rubberducky - 8/21/2002 10:47:20 AM speaking of Buffy, it starts soon! it's gonna be the last season, which sucks. unless the spin her sister off into a show which would most likely be pretty damn lame. 3035. msivorytower - 8/21/2002 2:33:02 PM Judith, 3036. judithathome - 8/21/2002 5:14:29 PM Yeah, I decided to let someone else try their hand...new blood, so to speak. 3037. Dr.XavierTColtrane - 9/3/2002 10:18:59 AM Has Jerry Lewis's head exploded yet or were his physicans able to lance it in time? 3038. judithathome - 9/3/2002 10:23:07 AM He's ill and on medication that causes the swelling and weight gain. Much as I detest the man, I won't make fun of him now. 3039. Dr.XavierTColtrane - 9/3/2002 10:25:44 AM Perhaps later then. 3040. Property of Jesus - 9/4/2002 3:05:29 PM Carl Limbacher of NewsMax.com will appear on Bill O'Reilly's top-rated O'Reilly Factor tonight to discuss the new NewsMax book, Catastrophe, which he co-authored with NewsMax.com editor Chris Ruddy. 3041. Property of Jesus - 9/4/2002 3:20:11 PM Nobody Cared: Bill Clinton can't get out of his own way. Booked, with some breathless fanfare, to appear on Larry King Live last night with Bob Dole to announce a multimillion dollar super fund to college educate the "Children of 9/11" or some such, his casual comments got the headlines. He's not going to do a TV show. He's got to go to India. He's letting his wife handle the politics in the family (yeah, right - tell that to Andy Cuomo) and he was "obsessed" with Osama bin Laden....or was it Osama's camel? We dozed off. There is something about seeing a former president in that venue that doesn't make one swell with pride. 3042. Dr.XavierTColtrane - 9/5/2002 12:33:01 PM This Property has been condemned. 3043. judithathome - 9/5/2002 1:35:44 PM There is something about seeing a former president in that venue that doesn't make one swell with pride. 3044. glendajean - 9/5/2002 5:37:54 PM Judith -- I caught moments of American Idol this week, in between US Open. I am not saying anything except that I wasn't doing the clicking. 3045. judithathome - 9/5/2002 6:21:15 PM Roddy was my pick to win until this week. He was absolutely disgusting in his abuse of Amy...they only showed a tenth of it on the show; on the live feeds, he was much more brutal and I loathe him for it. You may not like Amy but he pulled the equivalent of kicking an ailing puppy across the yard, in my estimation. 3046. glendajean - 9/6/2002 3:48:14 PM Judith -- I didn't know that about him. I think the mental health level of these folk suffer the longer they are in the "house." No, he shouldn't have been that way to her (as you describe). Marcellus was pretty mean to her, too, wasn't he? 3047. judithathome - 9/6/2002 4:06:10 PM Jason, the kid from Alabama, requested the sound track from Moulin Rouge and the Best of Barry Manilow for his Head of Household goodie basket. Sweet and naive, you betcha! 3048. Dr.XavierTColtrane - 9/6/2002 6:43:58 PM 3049. glendajean - 9/9/2002 10:38:22 AM I saw the last episode of Sex in the City. Carrie and Charlotte have new boy friends, Amanda appears to be settling for her old one (and the father of her baby) and Samantha, the most confident of the quartet, actually appears to be the most unsettled. 3050. dr.xaviertcoltrane - 9/9/2002 1:22:28 PM http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/people_jerry_lewis 3051. rubberducky - 9/9/2002 2:16:04 PM never much cared for this show myself, but... 3052. rubberducky - 9/10/2002 1:46:47 PM good news / bad news in its truest form: 3053. renie - 9/13/2002 6:53:05 AM Hi, y'all! I think this is the first time I've posted in "The Little Screen". 3054. judithathome - 9/13/2002 8:36:07 AM Macellus is definitely the anti-Roddy. How anyone can be so arrogant as to think they don't need to use the Veto to save themselves in that nest of vipers deserves to be dumped with his tears streaming and his little Gnome weeping, too! 3055. rubberducky - 9/13/2002 4:10:35 PM everyone needs to tune in (or tape) the Bruce Campbell starring Terminal Invasion in which aliens who look like humans attack a small rural airport! it is this Saturday at 9 PM EST on Sci-Fi. 3056. renie - 9/13/2002 6:37:18 PM I liked Marcellus until he started slicing and dicing poor Gerry. Gerry may not have been one of the "young and beautiful" people but Marc and all of the women were like attack dogs where Gerry was concerned. 3057. judithathome - 9/13/2002 6:39:08 PM Well, Marcy got his last night. Pride definitely DO goeth before a fall! 3058. renie - 9/13/2002 6:41:21 PM I wondr what A&E and PBS have planned for this year besides FS? I'll look forward to watching that..thanks for the heads up. 3059. judithathome - 9/13/2002 6:43:49 PM Tonight A&E is running Hoffa with Jack Nicholson. 3060. patsy rolph - 9/13/2002 7:30:13 PM Seriously bad timing snd/or thank god for vvrs. 3061. judithathome - 9/13/2002 10:03:32 PM Patsy: 3062. judithathome - 9/14/2002 10:10:15 AM Only one more day and THE SOPRANOS premiere hits the screen and saves us from further summer doldrums! 3063. rubberducky - 9/17/2002 3:14:33 PM from E!: 3064. renie - 9/19/2002 3:16:33 AM John Corbett...is that the guy who was on Northern Exposure? The radio broadcaster? 3065. judithathome - 9/19/2002 11:17:21 AM Yes, that's the guy. He's grown up quite nicely. Except for a year where he was a little...zaftig. 3066. glendajean - 9/23/2002 2:13:40 PM I saw My Big Fat Greek Wedding this weekend, and am glad Corbett's career has continued from his NE days. For a long time, he was the voice of Ford commercials, too. 3067. rubberducky - 9/23/2002 3:06:04 PM did you know CBS wants to turn Wedding into a series? 3068. arkymalarky - 9/23/2002 4:26:54 PM I'm wondering when they're going to pick the family for that Beverly Hillbillies reality show. Arkansas has been cringing in fear that an Arky family will be chosen. 3069. Ms. No - 9/23/2002 4:35:37 PM Aw, come on, some things are too real even for reality TV, Arx. 3070. arkymalarky - 9/23/2002 4:39:55 PM Hahaha. I've thought about submitting a few names for them to check out, but I don't want to make waves around here. 3071. Ms. No - 9/25/2002 3:34:49 PM Did anyone tune into the premiere of the new Joss Wheadon project Firefly 3072. rubberducky - 9/25/2002 3:59:04 PM some people discussed it on CG's site. i missed it myself, but will try and catch it this Friday. 3073. Ms. No - 9/25/2002 4:00:49 PM 3074. Ms. No - 9/25/2002 4:03:32 PM Thanks for catching me, Ducks. 3075. rubberducky - 9/25/2002 4:05:48 PM pretty good. detest the new Scoobies. the action was too lite and repetitive. 3076. Ms. No - 9/25/2002 5:12:10 PM I detest Glory the Goddess Bimbo from Hell from two seasons ago. She's a fucking God, why does she talk like a Valley Girl? I was not amused. She'd have all the moments of not understanding the modern world and then she'd pop off with some trendy Val-Gal banter and make my teeth itch. 3077. rubberducky - 9/26/2002 10:04:57 AM heh 3078. judithathome - 10/3/2002 12:26:29 PM Did anyone watch the premiere of The Amazing Race last night? We went out to dinner with friends and I graciously gave over the VCR to the taping of West Wing for Keoni because he has been so patient with me watching Sirvivor and Big Brother this year. I hated to miss the opening episode of this show but figured it was more important to keep peace here at home. 3079. OhioSTOPAS - 10/3/2002 12:44:49 PM Judith - I watched "Amazing Race" and it looks like it's going to be another good season. There are no new wrinkles, so you'll be able to pick it up in week 2 without missing anything. 3080. judithathome - 10/3/2002 12:47:37 PM Thanks...I'm glad it's just the first week I missed...once I get into it, Keoni will have to fend for himself with WW. And he can't set the VCR so he's very nice to me. ;-) 3081. OhioSTOPAS - 10/3/2002 12:50:51 PM "he can't set the VCR" 3082. judithathome - 10/3/2002 1:05:29 PM Yeah...I feel like "Behold the Power of Cheese!" everytime we have to tape something! 3083. glendajean - 10/7/2002 12:07:03 PM Judith -- I think AR will continue to be my favorite reality show. Didn't you think those boy models came across as "without a clue"? 3084. msivorytower - 10/12/2002 10:23:06 AM These are my addictions this season: 3085. wabbit - 10/12/2002 9:17:58 PM Hey MsIT! 3086. msivorytower - 10/13/2002 8:27:03 AM Hey Wabbit! 3087. judithathome - 10/16/2002 2:01:23 PM I like the new series Boomtown on Sunday nights...it's very unusual and credits the viewer with having enough intelligence to figure out things on their own. 3088. arkymalarky - 10/16/2002 7:05:24 PM Arts and Letters Daily is going kaput, so I've been browsing through their archives the last few days and read a funny one about the Oxygen cable channel in an online publication--Women's Quarterly, I think. Has anyone watched any of that channel? I can't get it, but the commercials alone were annoying enough to send me diving for the remote every time they came on. 3089. Frankster - 10/16/2002 8:30:32 PM "24" begins on the 29th -- Don't miss an episode! 3090. judithathome - 10/16/2002 8:45:24 PM I think you can catch up...everyone who watces it loves it. I never started, myself. 3091. judithathome - 10/16/2002 8:45:48 PM watches...jeez. 3092. judithathome - 10/25/2002 11:22:48 AM Well, the skate-boarding doofus Robb was kicked off the island last night. Too long in coming for me...he would've been under the surf very quickly had I been there. 3093. glendajean - 10/25/2002 12:06:16 PM Judith -- I only watched the first couple of episodes. Did the cute dental student from Dallas get the axe? 3094. judithathome - 10/28/2002 6:45:28 AM GJ, just saw this and yes, the cute dental student got the ax rather early...he turned into a surly megalomaniac who refused to help build the shelter and who then refused to sleep in it with the others. I think he eventually slept under it, literally. He and one of the women were quite antisocial and both were voted off. 3095. glendajean - 10/28/2002 10:36:43 AM I never want to be on a reality show, but the only time I get any kind of possible urge to do so is when I watch Amazing Race and they are in Portugal or New Zealand. 3096. jexster - 10/29/2002 7:31:45 PM No Blood for Hollywood 3097. HollyW - 10/29/2002 9:44:44 PM Judith--did you see Third Watch yesterday? What a great episode, beautifully crafted. I was afraid that the show was going for Big Drama and ditching the more character-based approach this season, but I'm pleased to see that is not entirely true. 3098. judithathome - 10/30/2002 9:05:48 AM I agree, Holly...I think the "bigger than ever" episodes are for the crowd used to seeing that sort of stuff on the big screen. It must be working a bit, though, because ratings are up. 3099. jexster - 11/10/2002 1:32:23 PM 3100. Cellar Door - 11/10/2002 2:01:09 PM In love, jex? 3101. glendajean - 11/11/2002 11:30:35 AM Sopranos Spoiler alert -- if you didn't see last night's episode, avoid. 3102. judithathome - 11/27/2002 10:34:19 AM Ealphie not only bitch slapped the girl, he kicked her to death. 3103. judithathome - 11/27/2002 10:34:57 AM Oh well...you know I meant RALPHIE. 3104. judithathome - 11/30/2002 9:35:17 AM If you missed the National Dog Show on Thanksgiving Day with commentary by John O'Hurley (Mr. Peterman from Friends)you missed a golden opportunity to hear what we all think while seeing some of those weird breeds scamper across the ring. He made remarks like "Well, that dog looks just like a sheep! I think a little sheep just wandered into the ring!" and things like that...it was delightful. 3105. OhioSTOPAS - 11/30/2002 10:18:35 AM As a judge lifted a sheepdog's hair to look at its face, O'Hurley said something like "If you find only one eye, you've got the wrong end." 3106. wonkers2 - 11/30/2002 10:30:59 AM Judith sounds like "Best in Show" one of the funniest movies I've seen in a while. 3107. wonkers2 - 11/30/2002 10:35:58 AM I agree with Glenda. The Sopranos has gotten hard to take. Too much gore and too little humor. The Larry David show is my current favorite. I think its called "Curb Your Enthusiasm." Larry is the funniest thing currently on television. He plays himself, a George Costanza-like character he patterned after himself when writing the Seinfeld show. 3108. bobbie - 12/1/2002 9:13:53 AM I still look forward to the Sopranos each week and will miss it when the season is over. I live in New Jersey now so that may have something to do with it. We haven't seen much of Meadow lately though. 3109. judithathome - 12/8/2002 12:41:51 PM I'd just like to mention a great little show...Robbery Homicide Division. CBS has moved it to Saturdays for the last two weeks but it is definitely worth following to whatever night they move it to...Tom Sizemore is wonderful as the police lieutenant who isn't Superman; he fails occasionally (sometimes spectacularly) and that is refreshing. 3110. judithathome - 12/10/2002 5:27:14 PM If this doesn't look like a frivilous pursuit, I don't know what does: 3111. arkymalarky - 12/10/2002 7:53:34 PM "You too can look--and have a life--like Michael Jackson!" 3112. Edmund Dantes - 12/14/2002 11:32:27 PM Future standup comic and perennial image remaker Al "Lonesome" Gore will be appearong in Saturday Night Live in just five minutes. No word on whether he'll be promoting his new self-help video (with wife Tubber) "Joined at the Gonads: Tips for Politically Correct Sex." 3113. Cellar Door - 12/15/2002 2:08:08 PM President Gore was a scream. 3114. Cellar Door - 12/15/2002 2:15:00 PM 3115. wabbit - 12/20/2002 7:03:31 PM 3116. seadate - 12/20/2002 9:03:50 PM And how 'bout that camo kilt on the left. 3117. judithathome - 12/20/2002 9:26:30 PM Patrick had great legs! 3118. seadate - 12/20/2002 9:30:44 PM Is that her name? 3119. wabbit - 12/20/2002 11:16:51 PM Noooo, camo-kilt on the far left is Morgan. 3120. RickNelson - 12/21/2002 8:22:58 AM Cute kid wabbit, 3121. Cellar Door - 12/23/2002 7:56:08 PM Not to Be Missed! 3122. wonkers2 - 12/26/2002 6:15:05 PM Our kids gave us a Tivo for Christmas and, once we learn how to work it, it seems like it'll be a pretty worthwhile gadget. Cuts down the movie viewing time on channels like Bravo with commercials. 3123. jexster - 1/3/2003 4:57:10 PM 3124. judithathome - 1/7/2003 11:38:55 AM If you missed the documentary on Lance Loud last night on PBS, be sure to catch it in rerun or when it runs in your area. It was a moving story of unvarnished courage and grace. 3125. thoughtful - 1/7/2003 12:02:42 PM I don't watch a lot of broadcast TV and was unaware of how horrible these reality tv shows have gotten until I saw this. 3126. thoughtful - 1/7/2003 12:04:01 PM Now the latter case, the woman signed a couple of releases and of course could've just said no, but the former case, the man was unaware. I just hope he doesn't suffer long term issues as a result of exposure to x-rays intended for objects not people. 3127. judithathome - 1/7/2003 12:06:06 PM Like sterility. 3128. thoughtful - 1/7/2003 1:02:31 PM I hate to sound like a prude, but I find that kind of stuff just awful and stupid, and I worry about what it breeds in the people who consume that material on a regular basis. 3129. judithathome - 1/7/2003 1:16:51 PM I worry about what it breeds in the people who consume that material on a regular basis. 3130. thoughtful - 1/7/2003 4:07:21 PM If that's all it were where they only risk hurting themselves is one thing. 3131. judithathome - 1/7/2003 4:13:13 PM Oh I think that is a given despite all the assurances that violent video games don't cause kids to become more violent. It's called ROTE, people...you learn a task by doing it over and over again. 3132. thoughtful - 1/7/2003 4:16:28 PM Perhaps we are already paying the price...war with iraq anyone? 3133. arkymalarky - 1/7/2003 5:39:52 PM That sniper teen supposedly got a lot of "practice" on a video game. 3134. Macnas - 1/8/2003 10:13:03 AM Thats kind of interesting. 3135. judithathome - 1/8/2003 11:04:51 AM While I dont believe that any kid or adult for that matter can be trained to kill via exposure to a video game, 3136. thoughtful - 1/8/2003 12:05:49 PM The military and others also use "video games" known as flight simulators to train pilots on flying planes. 3137. Macnas - 1/8/2003 12:31:26 PM I can only comment with regard to my own children of coarse, and really, to deny them acces to video games is only going to lead to resentment and feelings of inadequacy when they compare with thier peers. 3138. jexster - 1/12/2003 7:24:23 PM Recommended - Charles Starky's "Henry VIII" 3139. Cellar Door - 1/20/2003 12:37:16 PM 3140. Macnas - 1/24/2003 7:05:07 AM The Office gets emphatic thumbs-up from US critics 3141. wabbit - 1/30/2003 12:32:54 AM Macnas, it might be on PBS in a year or two, unless some studio picks it up for dumbing-down, in which case it won't be here until after its Americanized version has had a shot at success. I liked Fawlty Towers, what a cast of characters. 3142. wabbit - 1/30/2003 12:46:03 AM In line with concerned's Message # 903 in thread 138 about Extreme Makeover: 3143. seadate - 1/30/2003 1:03:03 AM Macnas wrote: I'm sure there are a lot here that spent thier youth, as I did, hunting with the family shotgun or .22, yet for the most part, have never felt the need to go out and murder people. 3144. Macnas - 1/30/2003 3:23:55 AM Wabbit, if the "americanised" version of Fawlty Towers is anything to go by, it won't. God what an awful show, I must admit I could only sit through one episode, but it was very poor I must say. A kind of well intentioned cross between "Newhart" and "Becker" that came over as obvious and heavy handed. 3145. judithathome - 1/30/2003 9:24:26 AM Well, call me warped but I love reality TV...my favorites are The Amazing Race and The Mole both of which involve travel to exotic places and complicated things for people to do in order to beat out others in games of skill and mental challanges. Both are highly entertaining and not the snarky, sexy, baser instinct type show many of the others are.... 3146. wonkers2 - 1/30/2003 9:41:48 AM My Guilty Pleasures here 3147. judithathome - 1/30/2003 10:12:42 AM Hahaha! 3148. Macnas - 1/30/2003 10:18:15 AM Ah the NewYorker, God bless 'em. 3149. wabbit - 1/30/2003 10:50:23 AM Judith, nobody is calling you warped, I'm the one in the minority. I've heard about The Mole, wasn't that one started in Europe, too? 3150. judithathome - 1/30/2003 1:15:45 PM Ha! People who sit at the computer all day being witty on forums! I'm sure that would just fascinate people beyonf belief. 3151. wabbit - 1/30/2003 3:02:00 PM Ooh, I forgot about webcams! People put their lives up on the internet for others to see. Actually, I like tuning in to the Times Square webcams from time to time, and the Rockefeller Center cam was nice to see at Christmas. Then there are the various animalcams, like PufferCam. 3152. judithathome - 1/30/2003 3:14:21 PM They have one sort of like that already...it's called "I'm A Celebrity!! Get Me Outta Here!" and one of the....ahem...celebrities is Melissa Rivers. 3153. wabbit - 1/30/2003 4:42:17 PM I am so out of the loop, I had never even heard of that one. Unfortunately, I do know who Melissa Rivers is, though I do not understand her fashionista status. 3154. judithathome - 1/30/2003 4:45:31 PM I think her mom threatened all sorts of people that she would come to their homes and stay if they didn't make Melissa a fashionista. 3155. wabbit - 1/30/2003 4:58:11 PM And that gives us another possibility for a reality tv show -- "You Get Joan". Each loser has to have Joan Rivers as a houseguest for varying lengths of time, depending on when you drop out of the game. Now that is a contest people would kill to win! 3156. judithathome - 1/30/2003 5:09:55 PM Ha! 3157. concerned - 1/30/2003 5:25:03 PM The emcee from 'The Weakest Link' could fill in for Joan Rivers, too? 3158. judithathome - 1/30/2003 5:26:07 PM No...she has a sense of humor about herself. 3159. Ulgine Barrows - 1/31/2003 10:26:34 PM I used to test flight simulators in a past life. They weren't that violent, really. The height of violence at the time was a big graphic of Kohmeni flipping the bird and really fake-looking blood dripping down the screen when a pilot screwed up. I suppose techonolgy has progressed to include day scenes now. In my day, they could only do nighttime because of processor speed and graphics resolutions. Big point: only adults played. 3160. Ulgine Barrows - 1/31/2003 10:35:41 PM I am warming up to this thread, I am bumping hips with Judith, if it's a movie I watched on cable, I guess I post it here? As opposed to movies, current? 3161. Ulgine Barrows - 1/31/2003 10:39:02 PM Hysterical Blindness 3162. judithathome - 2/1/2003 9:54:10 AM I liked this movie and it is about the only thing I've liked Uma Thurman in...she always seems to be "acting" in other movies; to me, anyhow. She was dead on as Debby and I thought Gena Rowlands and Ben Gazzara were really good in it, too. So many times, romance between older people is played for laughs; even though this ended badly, it was done in a respectful way and Rowlands came away with her dignity intact. 3163. Ulgine Barrows - 2/4/2003 4:09:51 AM mmm, I like looking at Uma, I'll have to think of some specifics, but yes, she really did some acting in that Hysterical Blindness movie. First comes to mind is the one with Travolta, making Batman dance, that wasn't acting, it was horsing around like any of us could do....Pulp Fiction, that was it. 3164. Macnas - 2/4/2003 6:17:55 AM Last nights viewing, from the comfort of a comfy settle in my local, Scrubs, followed by The Office, next up Jackass (call me immature, those fellows make me laugh) and finished up with our own Podge and Rodge, which has to be seen to be believed. Telly doesnt get much better. 3165. judithathome - 2/4/2003 7:25:31 AM Sounds like a great line-up...Podge &Rodge sounds intriguing, just from the title alone! 3166. judithathome - 2/4/2003 7:31:48 AM Ulgine, you haven't lived til you've seen Hildi's "Magenta, Taupe" room in which she drapes the entire room in swaths of...you guessed it, magenta and taupe nylon jersey from a central point on the ceiling down to the base boards. It looks like a hellish circus tent. 3167. jexster - 2/10/2003 4:23:18 PM I LOVE the return of Dragnet...very clever screenwriting 3168. arkymalarky - 2/10/2003 6:08:07 PM I saw The Office the other night on BBC America. I didn't get it. They were having some trivia competition. Part of it may be that it's hard for me to hear what they're saying, they talk so low. 3169. jexster - 2/10/2003 8:01:46 PM Not to mention they speak a foreign language 3170. theDiva - 2/11/2003 12:01:40 PM Copied from Arts & Music: 3171. judithathome - 2/11/2003 12:13:49 PM The Dell guy will have the charges dropped if he promises the judge he will stay out of trouble for the next year...pot trouble, I suppose they mean. 3172. arkymalarky - 2/11/2003 5:21:24 PM But he'll lose that style that's made him so much money. 3173. robertjayb - 2/11/2003 5:40:21 PM He could rehabilitate himself as an anti-weed spokesman by using the line of Zonker Harris when Zonker was busted for posession of a seed: "It may or may not be wrong, but it sure is illegal." 3174. arkymalarky - 2/11/2003 5:42:55 PM That seems to apply to more and more activities these days. 3175. Macnas - 2/13/2003 8:58:49 AM Arky 3176. arkymalarky - 2/13/2003 6:09:08 PM Oh. We Arkies are a slap-stick sort of bunch. That's why we love Monty Python. Low key flies under our radar (or over our heads?). 3177. Trouble - 2/14/2003 10:46:37 AM Hub Brown says the terror warning on his TV screen is essentially useless to him as a citizen. "So why are CNN, Fox and MSNBC so insistent on telling you the threat level whenever you look at the television screen? Because they are so deathly afraid of being the last ones to inform you of anything." The journalism prof and ex-TV reporter adds: "What's troubling about all this is not just the mindless way the cable news networks will now do just about anything to get ratings -- you could fill up a book on that subject. It's that in their headlong rush to keep your attention, they uncritically pass this government information on to you, abdicating their role as watchdog." 3178. judithathome - 2/14/2003 1:07:03 PM Last night, the latest edition of Survivor started and this year, the location is in the Amazon. Nice twist on the teams: it's the men versus the women. Good start to what looks like a shoo-in for the men but guess what? The men were beat in the immunity challange buy the women. 3179. judithathome - 2/14/2003 1:07:29 PM buy=by...funny slip. 3180. arkymalarky - 2/14/2003 9:45:55 PM I watched a little of The Office again last night and it was funnier, except the overhead projections of pictures for people to puzzle through as a group hit a little close to home. Many a teacher inservice hour has been wasted in AR with that kind of drivel. I could hear them better, for one thing. I literally could hardly catch even a third of what was said without really straining on the first episode I watched. 3181. judithathome - 2/15/2003 9:11:50 AM Do you have closed captioning on your TV? Maybe that would help...hit mute and see what happens next time. 3182. arkymalarky - 2/15/2003 11:28:12 AM Good idea. I don't know if I have it or not, but I'll try that next time. 3183. Macnas - 2/17/2003 11:42:14 AM Arky 3184. judithathome - 2/17/2003 12:28:56 PM Ken Burns. 3185. Macnas - 2/17/2003 12:40:03 PM Thats the feller. 3186. arkymalarky - 2/17/2003 8:45:48 PM As a school teacher I do about a week's worth of "inservice" a year, and they're trying to add more, actually reducing the number of student days. It's mind-numbingly dull and rarely ever useful and I can work myself into a lather just thinking about how much idiots get paid to make me miserable. If that were a routine part of my job or if I were on the delivering end I'd go ape. On second thought, if I were on the delivering end I'd be doing great things subliminally for my own amusement. 3187. arkymalarky - 2/17/2003 8:51:09 PM Ooh. I've got to share one from this fall. This very nice, well-meaning lady--and not out of touch if you talk with her directly--handed us all a bunch of cards with pieces of a variety of versions of "Little Red Ridinghood" on them. We were supposed to sort and combine them into a story, in groups, of course. I hate group activities, even with friends, as all my colleagues are. After 30 minutes of wrangling (the elementary teachers were going at it long after the high school bunch had dumped the cards in a pile and begun yacking) she informs us of what the high school teachers had figured out twenty-eight minutes before--the cards didn't make a complete story. The point of the activity was to show us what happens when our school curriculum isn't properly aligned. 3188. glendajean - 2/18/2003 1:17:25 PM Am I the only person in America who didn't care about the Millionaire and his girl friend, or who didn't delight in picking a favorite Michael Jackson feature on how many times he has had plastic surgery, emphasizing again just how weird he is? 3189. judithathome - 2/18/2003 1:23:25 PM No, you're probably not but you are among maybe 4 people here on the Mote who watches any TV at all. ;-) 3190. wabbit - 2/18/2003 2:06:30 PM I managed to watch CSI Miami last night. Can't say I watched the millionaire guy or any of the Michael Jackson shows (and what the hell is up with that anyway?). 3191. judithathome - 2/18/2003 2:19:23 PM I loathe the man and that is why I don't watch CSI: Miami. 3192. glendajean - 2/18/2003 2:24:21 PM I am not a CSI fan. The guy who is the star of the original series cannot act. 3193. judithathome - 2/18/2003 2:33:24 PM Have to disagree about William Peterson...he is what makes CSI: Las Vegas interesting. I think he's head and shoulders above that prima donna Caruso. 3194. wabbit - 2/18/2003 2:39:36 PM I don't mind Peterson, and at least he doesn't ACT, ala Caruso. CSI-Miami should have kept Delaney and gotten rid of Caruso. 3195. judithathome - 2/18/2003 3:06:00 PM It's on Sunday nights at 8pm CST on NBC...but it won't be on for the next two weeks due to specials. 3196. wabbit - 2/18/2003 3:08:03 PM Oh god, please, not more Michael Jackson ... 3197. judithathome - 2/18/2003 3:14:48 PM No, at least one of those is some made for TV movie about murdered brides. 3198. Cellar Door - 2/21/2003 3:27:53 PM 3199. Ulgine Barrows - 2/21/2003 10:25:10 PM Oh, that was Hildi with the flowers in the bathroom? I don't have all the Trading Spaces names straight, but I recognize their faces. I must be watching the best-of reruns or something, because I've not seen bathroom flowers gal since that episode. That doesn't stop me from desperately wanting to see the "Magenta, Taupe" room and the circus swaths, and Doug's Train Room, however. Sort of like lessons in not what to do, some of those. 3200. Ulgine Barrows - 2/21/2003 10:35:13 PM OOOpsie, I typed that wrong. She picked Ryan. 3201. Ulgine Barrows - 2/21/2003 10:37:25 PM rher=there, judith winky 3202. OhioSTOPAS - 3/4/2003 8:58:59 PM Does anybody here watch "American Idol"? 3203. judithathome - 3/5/2003 9:44:21 AM No, tell them to vote for Clay! 3204. judithathome - 3/5/2003 9:50:18 AM Actually, I think you ought to make a recording on your answer machine telling them they have misdialed and if they want their favorites to get their vote, to dial more carefully. (and to consider voting for Clay!) 3205. magoseph - 3/5/2003 10:46:55 AM What do you think, Judith, is Nate Fisher going to be in the next episodes? 3206. judithathome - 3/5/2003 10:54:22 AM Yes, but it may only be in his dreams. 3207. magoseph - 3/5/2003 10:56:38 AM You mean only in this episode, seeing his dreams? 3208. judithathome - 3/5/2003 11:06:23 AM No, I think a lot of the season will be this way and then we'll see him in his reality. And then he may die. 3209. magoseph - 3/5/2003 11:11:13 AM I am dense. Are you telling me that we will see only his dreams, no real events? Or will we see what is happening while being temporarily restrained? 3210. judithathome - 3/5/2003 11:19:00 AM I'm saying what we are seeing with him in the scenes is a manifestation of what is going on in his mind, not reality. He is in a wheelchair in reality. What we see with Claire or David or Ruth, if it doesn't involve Nate, is reality. Soon we'll see one of his deja vu experiences and it will be him in his wheelchair and then we'll get it...it's not deja vu, it's reality. 3211. magoseph - 3/5/2003 11:29:07 AM Oh, dear, that may be too much for me! I did like "Tween Peaks", so on second thoughts, I just have to get into the show more attentively. I'll have you to explain it to me all along, if you don't mind, that is. 3212. OhioSTOPAS - 3/5/2003 10:11:11 PM Judith (Message # 3204): Do you think Simon would do a recording for my answering machine? He'd know what to say to these ignorami. 3213. ladeevah - 3/6/2003 2:57:55 PM > Do you think Simon would do a recording for my answering machine? 3214. arkymalarky - 3/6/2003 6:03:24 PM Hello Ladeevah! 3215. rubberducky - 3/11/2003 1:30:41 PM seeing as how i am a shitty host here, i am giving up the thread here so that it can be merged into the movies thread. i expect a RIP here sometime and then this thread'll get archived. 3216. RickNelson - 3/11/2003 6:02:41 PM why are you a shitty host? 3217. judithathome - 3/11/2003 6:39:11 PM I don't think he was being a cynic; I think he was being funny...he joked before taking over the thread that it would probably die after Rosetta made a caustic remark that if you wanted a thread to die, give it to Rubberducky. Of course, nothing Rosetta ever said was truthful and he was wrong about that. 3218. rubberducky - 3/12/2003 8:30:35 AM Rick: 3219. Macnas - 3/12/2003 9:03:41 AM Enterprise, I have'nt seen an episode yet, mainly due to my dislike of Scott Bakula. 3220. alistairConnor - 3/12/2003 9:07:10 AM I watch even less tv than you Duck... and nobody here would recognise the names of the shows... 3221. rubberducky - 3/12/2003 9:48:47 AM Macnas: it is so-so. it is *heavy* on the drama. supposedly, the writers are going to get back to what made ST exciting and interesting in the first place -action and a little mystery. we'll see (or, i will, heh) 3222. alistairConnor - 3/12/2003 10:13:07 AM Are You Being Served : I remember that! which proves that it must date from ... the early eighties... or even earlier. Old age setting in. 3223. wabbit - 3/12/2003 10:23:02 AM Me too, Alistair, I remember watching Are You Being Served in the mid-eighties. That and Fawlty Towers. 3224. Macnas - 3/12/2003 11:31:32 AM Oh it was earlier alistair. 3225. Ms. No - 3/12/2003 12:28:24 PM Ducks, 3226. rubberducky - 3/12/2003 12:42:57 PM yeah, it sucks royally that Buffy is ending. especially since i just got into it over the last couple seasons. 3227. Ms. No - 3/12/2003 12:47:36 PM Yeah, I think Faith could be an incredibly rich character --- particularly now that she's got some remorse. She's almost like a re-ensouled vamp herself which would make for some great conflict. 3228. downtown LB - 3/12/2003 12:49:30 PM any "24" junkies in here? 3229. rubberducky - 3/12/2003 12:49:46 PM Willow shows up to drag Faith to Sunnydale to put the whoopin' down on the First... 3230. rubberducky - 3/12/2003 12:53:12 PM never watched 24, but i've been thinking of putting the first season in my NetFlix queue. i'll probably do that after i get through Six Feet Under & Oz 3231. judithathome - 3/12/2003 1:17:10 PM I love 24 and am really ticked that it won't be on for two more weeks thanks to that hapless American Idol twitfest. 3232. Ms. No - 3/12/2003 1:26:28 PM Ducky, 3233. Ms. No - 3/12/2003 1:28:11 PM Juditha, you're installed as co-host over at the combined Movies & TV. 3234. judithathome - 3/12/2003 1:39:23 PM That sounds fine...I'm for starting the new one with a bit of film talk and we can just finish this discussion here...once it stops for a couple of hours, I'll open a new topic in the new thread. Put up a rip RIP now if you want. 3235. judithathome - 3/12/2003 1:42:17 PM Well, I see that's already been done...you can retire this thread whenever you want. Sometimes it goes for weeks with no posts so a day or two will be more than enough, I think. The Mote | Mote Archive
'Think I'm gonna like
Well-cast show, too. Everybody looked the part. And the nurse's nickname for the new doc ("Bambi") was perfect.
But your assessment of the season-as-a-whole is spot-on: It is one.
That was supposed to be:
"`Think I'm gonna like Scrubs.
Something went terribly wrong.
The show had some seriousness, too...always good in a comedy; it sort of brings you back from the "hysteria" edge.
last night and only lasted til the first commercial...going up against Frasier ought to nail the coffin lid for that mess.
Bob Patterson doesn't look promising, it's true, but "Bob's" appearance this week on HBO's "Curb Your Enthusiasm" with Larry David was excellent.
Incidentally, "Curb Your Enthusiasm" is really off-the-wall. You may like it, or hate it, but it's worth a look.
What I don't care for is the one about the married man...I cannot abide that wife. I hate her accent, her looks, her smugness...just can't abide the show due to my loathing of her.
Only saw the "Married Man" thing for about 15 minutes, but you're right, it looks lame. A throwback, it appears, to HBO's early show-your-tits stuff, back in the early 90s.
Giles grouses about the length of time it took Spike to come to his aid against a vamp and Spike replies:
"What? Did your whole life pass before your eyes? Cuppa tea, cuppa tea, almost got shagged, cuppa tea?"
I guess you had to have been there.
I resolved, with Phoenix, yesterday to give Buffy a look, but 'didn't get it done last night. Maybe next time.
What a letdown. It was essentially a two-hour anticlimax. Where to begin?
Spike is nothing but a babysitter. Yet he was in a big fight scene. Who was home sitting the baby? I mean Buffy has never been strong on logic, but that one was glaring.
Who is suddenly doing the makeup and lighting? At various times, particularly at the airport, Willow , Tara and Anya all looked like they were in their late thirties. And Spike either looked oily or waxy.
The destruction of the Buffybot was pretty cool. The motorcycle demons were just O.K.
Schlocky. Smaltzy. Where the grief in "The Body" seemed real, here it just seemed forced. The writers really milked it dry and then some. Blurgh!
And I have one word for Nicholas Brendon: DIET.
I was flipping through a few shows last night and stopped, aghast, at Dyan Cannon on Sisters...her face seemed to be melting. And Joan Cusack looks like a rail....Here's Joan or what is left of her, anyhow.
"Biker takeover" plots only work in small isloated towns in the 50s anyhow.
Losing Giles will be a major blow. I've got to believe that Buffy's dad will return and become a major player, otherwise there will be no "father figure". Unfortunately they'll probably overdo the "human" aspect of the reunion right away rather than easing into it as a long running subplot.
Daddy's "girlfriend" is probably the same age as Buffy. Maybe a Cordelia type?
FX is running old Buffies now. It's really interesting to see how the cast has aged.
What I want to know is why, if Spike is such a magnificent vampire----he used to be second only to Angel----he fights like a sissy. I mean, Angel can take on five demons at once and kick all their asses. Spike gets thrown around like a little girl and is barely more help than Zander in most of the recent fights.
I think it would help if Nicholas Brendan would donate about 15 pounds to James Marsters. Spike is a hottie but he's too skinny.
The whole cast seems to have aged over the summer with the exception of Buffy and Dawn, but then, they're the babies of the cast at 23 and 15.
I agree that the demons were pretty lame and most of the emotional torment in this episode was just manufactured. What I found most moving was the unease engendered in everyone by the Buffy-bot. I also felt sorry for the B-bot because she was necessary to them but really not a part. Of course, that's been the tragedy of all the girl robots since they were first introduced. They feel as they are programmed to feel while the humans around them are fickle.
okay, that is begining to dig waaaaay too deep in light of last night's debacle. Suffice it to say that I agree with you but I also got a chuckle from Zander inadvertantly calling himself a Manwich and the Buffy-bot's
"That'll put marzipan in your pie-plate. Bingo!"
I dunno. That seems like a very weak move to me.
But, having not seen it and therefore not having a clue (oh how I leave myself open and what confidence in myself that reflects), can you all appreciate how bizarre and downright funny this discussion about vampires and fighting demons and all that jazz is?
carry on.
Yes, even as I was writing I realized how strange it would seem to the uninitiated. I'm not even that fanatic a follower----I watch the show every week almost without fail when the new episodes are on, but I don't collect memorobilia or visit fan-sites or anything.
Oh wait...that's not quite it.
Anyone object to that, since many don't care to watch these types of show? I can't imagine why but.....
He also looked gaunt (yes, there is such a thing as too thin) and oily and waxy.
I disagree that any father figure is needed. It's long past time that Buffy and mates grew up.
What is more needed is a credible love interest for Buffy. And I don't mean Spike. Of course, how do the writers top Angel? Tough one.
Maybe Buffy has finally jumped the shark.
or at least hot lesbian kissing and snuggling.
We're in agreement again on the no more Obi-Wan figures. The whole point of last season was that eventually you MUST grow up and no you CAN'T always depend on the adults.
I never liked Riley that much. He was just too....white-bread. I also wasn't fond of the whole "Initiative" plot-line to begin with. Lame duck all the way around.
Buffy and Spike really can't get together because without the chip Spike wouldn't find it so easy to be a nice guy. I just ache for the dude (in more ways than one) but I don't see how they could ever get around the fact that he's supposedly got no soul and is only tame because of that chip in his head.
Kudos on the lesbian kiss and snuggle. It was something that WB was brave about saying but not that brave about showing until the last episodes of last season. Besides, the WB only likes for cute girls to strip, not plain skinny red-heads and dumpy, doe-eyed blondes ---reinforcing yet again that guys don't find "real" lesbians all that hot. (g)
At the moment, at least, calling it "reality" seems downright offensive.
Ms.N,
Yes, indeed, that was the whole point of last season. I am glad Giles is gone. It was getting a little uncomfortable and weird for him to always be hangin' with the 20 somethings.
I am also getting tired of Buffy as pretend-Mom. Although they somewhat missed a great opportunity where Buffybot accompanied Dawn to her first day of school. It started out great, but fizzled. I mean, what teenager doesn't feel like their parents are aliens or demons or....robots?
There are some real plot problems because of how last season ended.
Is Dawn now just a human teenage girl? If so, she just becomes an appendage, unless she finds the love of her young life, much to the disapproval of Big Sis.
Yes, Riley was too White-bread, just proving my point of what a hard act Angel is to follow. Riley did grow on me, particulary when he started hanging out at the vamp dive.
Doesn't a Slayer still need a Watcher? With Giles abdicating, maybe some cool new Watcher can come to town to take Buffy to the next level.
'First time a show jumped the shark before its season even began. How do you go forward with such a show in the face of real world events? No way, Jose.
Another victim of the terrorists.
I will admit to that, Uz, but I don't care for sugar and cream in my coffee or in my tea, either. I like things straight up, including whiskey.
Yeah, Dawn is going to get mighty annoying mighty quick especially if they use her as the "idiot button". You know, she's the moron they all protect from the information so she can't help but do stupid things that endanger them all. And you're right about Buffy-As-Mom being tedious.
Yes again on the Riley in the vamp camp thing. That was the only time I liked him either. He got more butch once he had something of a dark side.
I'm wondering who/what will emerge as the main baddy this season. So far I don't think there are any real prospects. The end of each season has managed to destroy the major baddy----The Master, Spike&Drusilla, the Mayor, Mr. Trick, Glory (can I just say again how much I loathed that girl?).
I don't know that Buffy needs a beau. The relentless coupling on the show has been a bit tedious in the past. I mean, look at the difference between the dynamic on Buffy when EVERYBODY had a boy/girl friend and the dynamic on Angel where nobody does.
Oct 10. Although the show claims to have a Cape Cod setting, it is acually filmed in Wilmington NC. James is a great kid/young man, always has been so.
click on photo 
You must be generous with the sugar. A bit more than you think would be just right. After all, we are talking about sweetening smoke.
Says he who has never been off-topic in his life. :)
Ms.N
You may have a point. Angel certainly doesn't have the stock coupling of other TV fare and is the better for it. And Angel already has no shortage of bad-asses in the works. Fire-boy and Lila would be enough for most shows. I think it is also possible that the tumescence in Darla's tummy could turn out to be demon spawn of the best kind.
But Buffy was always at its best when there was some unrequited love thing goin on. Early on when Willow pined for Xander and Xander pined for Buffy. When Angel and Buffy were hooked up and just about everyone except Willow disapproved. Willow and Oz. Mis-matched love affairs always seemed to be at the heart of the matter.
PP: Please pass on to Mr. Van der Beek that there is a large segment of the population that would love to see Jack get laid. Failing that, then its about time for some hot lesbian sex down by the Creek. Failing that, Dawson needs to quit moping and get a life.
"Varsity Blues" is a great flick, otoh.
Hey Phoenix, I didn't sign on here to be the topic police...Uz and I aren't hurting anything by discussing tea...it's that time if day, after all.
You can talk about anything off topic if you want to...I'm cool with it!
Speaking of off-topic, how 'bout them Giants?
Alex Trebek broke into a broadcast of Jeopardy! yesterday with an apology for the fact that, earlier in the program, there had been a bare, neutral mention, in one of the questions, of American Airlines. The show was recorded, Alex explained, long before the 9/11 tragedy.
This carries sensitivity to an extreme heretofore never approached in Modern Times.
Was it news to anyone that these shows are "prerecorded" (interesting word, that) eons before they are broadcast?
So if you've avoided Inside Schwartz because the critics told you it was really, really bad, maybe you should give it a look for yourself.
Don't get me wrong, it's not going to make you forget Frazier or Seinfeld, and it probably won't get through a single season.
But it isn't nearly as bad as they said it was going to be, and there were some good, laugh-out-loud lines in the episode I saw this week.
Try it, you may like it.
Cool you may be. Now let's work on your ability to recognize what was intended to be humorous.
"Says he who has never been off-topic in his life. :)" to which I add :) :0 :)
I think I am on record here and elsewhere as detesting the thread police.
Having said that, I did not watch any tv or movies last night.
Go Braves!
Get with it, dude...I knew exactly what you were saying. I was just letting you know you'd never be "dismissed" from here by the "topic patrol". Hey, I may be getting older but I can still lay claim to a memory! ("One more off topic post and you are being moved to the Inferno!")
Didn't they do this very well already on Wiseguy?
I agree that a new big bad and possibly love interests are needed. I will miss Giles because I like looking at ASH, but also agree that plot-wise it makes sense for him to leave now.
I wonder what would happen if Oz came back. There's bad-ass witch Willow with both of the loves of her life in town. hmmmmmmm....
Buffy
Angel
Charmed
7th Heaven
Enterprise
SG-1
Andromeda
and ER
TTFN - See y'all when we get back!
Phoenix (and Christi when she gets back),
Yeah, the love troubles on Buffy have always been a good part of the show----who didn't sob her eyes out when Buffy killed Angel? I just wonder what they're going to do about it all. I mean, who in the world is man enough for Buffy?
Every week I look to see if Amber Benson's name will appear in the credits so that I can be sure she hasn't been bumped off yet. Notice that this is her third season and she still isn't in the regular credits.
I'd be really surprised if Oz came back. Seth Green seems to be doing quite well with his film career so if he came back at all it wouldn't be for anything more than a guest spot---and that's already been done.
I wonder which show got "ownership" of characters like Drusilla and Faith. I know there can't be crossovers between the two shows now that they're on separate networks, but they have a lot of shared history and if one of the shows has to cut that out it empties a big cache of potential plot paths.
Phoenix is right about Angel having all the good baddies right now. There are four to choose from apart from the regular tide of demon rabble. Maybe there are just too many good-guys on Buffy.
Maybe Willow will go power-mad or sell her soul to the Devil or something. Not that I want Willow to be bad, but it would certainly thin the ranks of nice-ness and cause a big conflict.
I'm still irritated about the addition of Fred to the Angel cast.
TOO MANY PLAYERS!!!
I like that Mummy guy, too....and John Seda.
I can almost guarantee it will be cancled, though...the Sedacurse.
I just looked on Yahoo's TV listings, and they're re-running last Sunday's Criminal Intent and UC on Saturday night, with new episodes on Sunday.
Could you, would you put Yahoo's TV listing on the butterscotch bar? The TVguide site freezes my system. Thanks.
That's very handy, Jude. Thanks.
Watch this space.
[Don't stare at it, just keep an eye on it. From time to time. Better yet, put a trusted colleague on it.]
The last fourth of this show was evidently shot by Sam Peckinpah from the grave...more bullets were expended in slow motion that were used by the NRA during hunting season the past two years. And who didn't see this cliff hanger coming besides the character of John Seda? Very lame...this show has been compared to Wiseguy and as a fan of that show, I resent the comparison. This is very unwiseguy.
It is a lot of fun to be able to see SMG them and SMG now. A lot of physical maturing there, no more baby fat. Season before last she was almost anorexic.
It is a lot of fun to be able to see SMG them and SMG now. A lot of physical maturing there, no more baby fat. Season before last she was almost anorexic.
Last night's Band of Brothers episode was a lot more impressive than what has come before.
And the bitter cold of Bastogne came right through.
I actually had to close the windows in the house and turn on the furnace--first time this year. (Well, maybe that was coincidence, but those scenes could produce some shivers!)
Aww! I don't wanna hear stuff like that!
It was all part of a The Making of... show that ran prior to the premiere of the series. I guess you realize all those wounds were not real, right?;-)
...Probably because it was, well, dried blood. 'First rule of special effects is, if you can be real, don't bother just making it look real.
8/7pm." ...just passing on the NBC promo...and if any show could pull this off, it would be Third Watch. If you haven't tried it yet, give it a go.
That 100 Center Street thing wasn't half bad.
What's the story? First-run show with good production values and decent actors, on A&E? What happened, was the director blacklisted?
I thought the scene in the....hmmmmmm, what is that place called? The meditation scene....was superbly done; my husband was working on the computer and that scene drew his attention so thoroughly he watched the rest of the show.
First off, I want to know if it was just me and my roommate or whether the episode really was hard to hear and understand.
Secondly I want to know who let that script through. The premise was great but could we possibly have had a little less posturing and a little more explanation? Too many loose ends and incongruities. It's as if nobody was paying any attention to the script at all. The direction was pretty lousy too. "Hmmm.....we've got no script so everybody just grimace and emote like hell."
What exactly WAS the Miami-dude running from? I was wondering why he just stood there and let Lorne talk and then I realized it was because Lorne wasn't really going to tell us anything.
Bad, bad, stupid, bad bit with the three sorceresses. Horrid cut in the bar when Gunn is menacing Miami-guy with the shotgun and then apparently shoots the whispering demon instead. No sense to be made about that scene anyway with Miami and the demon both talking over one another about equally repulsive things.
Fred is still an annoying character and what the hell happened to Angel's car? Why in the world did Fred and Cordy and Wesley get into a taxi and leave Angel to walk home?
I'm really pissed off because this could have been an excellent episode. As I said, great idea but lousy execution. I hope this isn't going to be a habit.
The three witches was the only thing the whole hour that showed any wit. mmmmmmmmAAAAAAnnnnnGel!
And Cordelia: Eww!
Best episode yet on "Band of Brothers". The actor who played Eugene was just incredible. I continue to be amazed at how well balanced this show is. Nothing is overplayed. Even when it would be so easy to do so.
Yes, that bit was quite funny, but totally incongruous to the rest of the episode. Besides, how exactly is Angel supposed to make good on his promise since the writers have managed to equate a really good orgasm with perfect happiness which consequently will loose Angel his soul. Or maybe they're now willing to allow that there's more to perfect happiness than a really good orgasm so Angel can relieve some of his broodiness with a nice, long shower......which of course should be broadcast for posterity. ;->
More troubling is I have never heard an explanation of how the plumbing works for a vampire. Which may be why Cordelia was so grossed out when she thought about it.
I find it a bit too overwhelming and uncontrollable a state of being to equate it with happiness either....although I'm happy when I'm having them frequently. Not quite the same thing, though, you're right.
Well, if you believe Anne Rice they have constant, rock-hard erections but no desire to use them. Come to think of it, she never explainse the physiognomy of it, either.
'Sensia,
Will do! I'll send a rabid fan letter immediately letting them know what they must do to appease us....since they'll never bring Doyle back from the dead.
No wonder Angel is so damn moody.
And I am happy that you are frequently happy.
Frequently. heh
So let me get this straight: there is like a really harsh price to pay for bringing back the dead, but not really, cause it just dissapates after awhile, but not really, cause all you got to do is condense it out of the mist then chop its head off.
eh.
Goddammmmmmmmn!! That Max is HOT!
"Roswell" is making the better transition to UPN, so far.
Presumably resurrected Buffy remembers how Spike tried to save Dawn. So now Buffy has no animosity toward Spike. Further, he is now her only confidant.
So she tells all the Scoobys that she was in Hell and she thinks it is just peaches that they brought her back from indescribable torment. But she tells Spike she was really in Heaven and has been ripped from it and is now enduring Hell on Earth.
oh, and, pssst, Spike, Don't tell anyone!
But the Buffistas are so loyal in their fandom, I expect to be drawn and quartered after the above paragraph!
1. Spike evil nemesis of Buffy.
2. Spike gets caught by the government and has a chip put in his head.
3. Spike still evil but defanged.
4. Spike, having nothing better to do, falls in love with Buffy.
5. Buffy spurns Spike cause he's well.....EVIL.
6. Spike selflessly almost kills himself to save Buffy's little sister.
7. Spike even further defanged....evidently.
And, Judith, you may have hit the nail on the head. Spike has little to do except look at Buffy longingly.
But no, James Marsters (aka Spike) was a real hottie in Seasons 4 and 5. He has definitely lost some weight...or something.
I wonder how that show will fare in light of the real life Survivor going on in the middle east.
I plan to tune in if, for no better reason, to give Mike yet another reason to question my sanity and good taste.
not that i will, but man, it's tempting
In fact, the whole shebang, it turned out, didn't matter at all. And since Calgal ain't here to complain about how, once again, the female cast members were made out as the biggest screw-ups and prat-fallers, I'll lodge the complaint on her behalf.
Still, I'll be tuning in again next week.
I like Anna Deveare Smith as the CIA chief, though.
And, while on the topic, I again made the mistake of watching Law and Order again. I am so sick of the profound little plot movers the two chief ladies through out (Diane Wiest in particular must just look in the mirror and say its for the money, its for the money). But, especially sick of Sam Waterston's angry demeanor.
Cathy Moriarty was terrific, though. Until the end. Notice how they then had her dress in an overly stylish (supposedly) and garish outfit, as opposed to the tasteful stuff before.
No more for that one.
so it goes.
Well, aside from the fact that the fractured timeline wasn't anything like Memento and that the device certainly didn't originate with that movie (a funnier reference would have been Slaughterhouse 5), I liked it.
Go figure...
Rather a non-descript group so far but, one supposes, that will change. They continue to amaze with their ignorance. Why doesn't any group ever realize that starting a fire by rubbing sticks is about the hardest way there is? Even Professor Lowbrow -- the quintessential urban kid -- knows that.
Then they use the magnifying glass to start a fire while they're building it. Isn't it a little easier if it's all in one place? Oy. There'll be heavy casualties on this one.
If Judith wins again, there's gonna be trouble. Yet another task for the new Office Of Homeland Security.
ABC announced a major revamp of its Tuesday night lineup, pulling the plug on Joan Cusack's What About Joan and bringing back NYPD Blue.
Joan, a midseason replacement show last season, has become the second casualty of the fall season. CBS axed Danny earlier this week.
...
The shakeup boils down to a simple numbers game. Traditionally, Tuesday nights have been to ABC what Thursdays are to NBC--a ratings juggernaut. ABC had dominated the day for years, thanks to hits like Roseanne and Home Improvement. But this year ABC's Nielsens are in the tank--the network finished third behind NBC and CBS last week.
Despite the drastic overhaul, ABC might have some even bigger changes ahead. Faced with a dwindling advertising market, the network is toying with scrapping its Saturday night programming altogether, according to a report this week in the Los Angeles Times.
i personally find that the less ABC programming there is, the better.
Sure, things happen that way in real life but not in SitComWorld.
I read a book through most of this week's show. It is all blurring together.
Obviously fire imagery is very important to the art design team. We continue to get large fire urns and towers with helicopter shots from the sky.
Mike, after ranking on me for watching the trash, stayed up for most of the show.
First I was Shanghaied
Then I got Kabuled.
Hey, Phoenix. Are you interested in taking over the MOVIES thread?
Call me irresponsible.
Brandon looks awfully familiar. It was New Year's eve, 1998 in Dallas. I was in hanging out near the intersection of Ceder Springs and Oak Lawn.
Ha! I'll just bet you were!
Don't mind POJ...he's just trolling.
I cannot understand why these people are so dreadfully unprepared. Everybody knows that the prize money is substantial and, more importantly, the contest is actually dangerous. But they seem to just show up and then start thinking.
Odd considering that 51,000(!) people tried out for it. Of course, armed with the psych test results, the producers may be deliberately picking a less battle-ready crowd.
How about: "Don't bogart the raccoon penis!"
If I was the racoon I'd be pissed.
On Survivor 2, Colby was talking with the producer about his list and mentioned that he wanted to bring a Texas flag. The producer said to forget submitting a list, just bring the flag.
Have a good weekend!
With your Dad, if possible.
I bet you're not into the program because of the lack of a laugh track.
I must say, though, I'm not kidding. I've always loved Gilligan's Island, and wanted to collect all the old series on videotape. A coach friend of mine got me the first few episodes, and Mom taped a few for me a long time ago, but I've lost them.
Remember, I like the Carpenters. It's not that much of a stretch to being a GI fan! ;-)
And GI doesn't have a laugh track? What kind of bubble are you living in, PJ?
BTW, who was your favorite islander? I bet it was the professor.
I'm going to charge you with coming back at the first opportunity and reporting on the show...I want names of who played who and comparisons to the original characters. And I want to know what you thought of the dramatic tension between Mary Ann and Ginger vis a vis the costuming difficulties.
Jag is another wonderful program. This week they're doing a program on a woman officer caught in an embassy under attack by Arab hotheads.
The episode was a bit cutesy, but certainly superior to the dreck that Sorkin served up the week before, which was an offense that the network should have stopped him from serving up.
And there was nothing even remotely Memento-like about the episode. Flashback to present and back again is very common; I don't understand why it was even commented on, inaccurately or not.
The L&O episode that Janjon mentioned was decent, but while the series remains consistent, it has not managed to rekindle the spark that it used to have.
Probably because the technique reminded me of the movie and because I mentioned it. I didn't expect anyone to agree with me...no big deal, really.
Erin--redhead? The guy who was in the Star Trek movie (Buck Compton)? Lieutenant? And yeah, Speirs is goodlooking. He comes back in a big way this week, I think.
SNL had a funny segment lampooning the L&O overexposure. It was called L&O: Parking Violation.
Anthrax yukyuks can be real killers.
The acting is very solid, Nixon and Winters, again, being top rank.
The L&O parody was last week.
PJ,
The professor was cute, but my favorite was the skipper. Don't know how he can be duplicated.
I'll watch it with you, arky, while "veteran" judy relives her HBO experiences in World War II.
The way FBI-phobia Judy and I fight over you must make you blush.
1. Do more than exist, live.
2. Do more than touch, feel.
3. Do more than look, observe.
4. Do more than read, absorb.
5. Do more than hear, listen.
6. Do more than listen, understand.
7. Do more than think, ponder.
8. Do more than talk, say something.
Geez, that was hard to admit.
Especially #8.
Believe it or not, I'm at work at the moment and have to get back to the grind in a few minutes, but I couldn't help noticing the GIsmack going on in here, so I dropped in.
That, and to welcome both Cellar and Cal back.
I still think GIhad something to offer everyone. :-)
hour-and-a-half away from being shown out here on the best coast.
Any real surprises in it yet ? That is, did Gilligan ever do Ginger as I believe he claimed to have done ?
... Lucky guy that Gilligan
That Arizona/St Louis game is a nailbiter I tell ya.
That is, did Gilligan ever do Ginger as I believe he claimed to have done ?
Hahaha! Really? Yep, she pissed off the wrong folks when she was on the show.
Frank, be sure to update me on what happened to Ginger.
Nite all!
UC was 100 times better without Grant Snow's faded prettiness. The Mummy guy is just the ticket!
In other news, I have decided to brave scorn and ridicule to announce that I can't wait for the Facts of Life reunion movie next month. That creepy Jo won't be there, which is a Good Thing.
??? We were putting little kids to bed, who watched it with us--and they had lots of intelligent questions about why CBS would drop the series after its third season (even though it was #1 in its timeslot)
The suits at the network blamed the cancelation on keeping GUNSMOKE in the prime-time lineup but it was more than that. William Paley, the owner of CBS, couldn't take the criticism he was getting from his NYC-highbrow friends who would make fun of GI at his cocktail parties.
Damn the audience. Big mistake for Viacom, then the syndicator of CBS product and now the owner of the network, because you need five seasons of a comedy to make it profitable. (although certainly GI is the exception to the rule)
And Ginger, who was "the movie star", wanted out and badmouthed the show whenever she had the chance. Her agent had told her she would be the star of "Gilligan's Island," which is why she signed on. And she hated the fact she had to share the stage with the other six.
But they got her good last night for her cattiness and that attitude.
At first glance, "Alias" appears to be unadulterated garbage. But then you start noticing all the adulterations.
It was done far more effectively in the flawed-but-great-old film, "Places in the Heart."
Remember the final scene, in church? They scan the audience, which included both black and white people from the town. I remember momentarily thinking, "Yeah, right, like they'd have an integrated church in that place."
That was before I realized it was an idealized vision, and that it featured several people who'd died as a result of racial violence earlier in the story.
You didn't shed a tear on that one, you needed to check for a pulse.
Yes, Band seems to be getting better every week.
A lot of my relatives picked cotton during the depression, and it was a major crop in that area for many years. As a child, in the late 50s and early 60s, I remember seeing people in the fields with long bags trailing them as they picked cotton.
I know the Waco area. 'Spent 18 months at Ft. Hood back in the olden days. The only thing I liked about that central quarter of the State of Texas was Austin. It was a great, GREAT town, even 'way back then.
Waco, though, was pretty forgettable.
Actually it is not a bad place to be from, but I don't want to live there again. Killeen-Copperas Cove is the pits, one long strip of used car dealers and strip joints.
And yes, Austin is delightful. I lived there for 10 years.
Do not move here.
Some of the most extraordinary things in that episode are entirely true. Nixon did indeed get the 30 day pass and give it to Winters as a way of getting rid of a useless lieutenant. Speirs did make that run. Toye did say "Jesus, what do you have to do to get killed around here?", and Guarnere joked that he'd get back to the States first, even with his leg blown off. The dud shell and the cigarette smoking--also true, although it wasn't Luz with Lipton, but some other guy.
Winters wasn't called back by Sink, though. He realized all by himself that he couldn't go out there and rescue E Company and turned to Speirs. They just threw in Sink's shouting to make the dilemma clear.
Hurry and tell me before you do something to get yourself banned, what's Ginger doing now? Is she in hiding?
According to the show last night, she lives in New York and volunteers time to an organization that teaches children how to read.
I guess after the way the show portrayed her ( Did you notice it was produced by none other than Dawn Wells ? ) last night, they had to end it with her not coming off as a complete bitch.
By the way, it was Bob Denver's book which had the references to a liason with the sultry "Movie Star" Ginger Grant...That Gilligan wasn't such a doofus after all, huh ?
Sorry I didn't respond earlier.
It looks like it will be Seattle facing the winner of the A's/Yankees game. One out to go.
The show is about NYC firefighters, paramedics, and street cops. It is shot in NYC, and cops, firefighters, and paramedics in the city consult for the show. The season premiere, which was tonight, was not a Third Watch episode but a collage of interviews with these people and others who were at the WTC on 9/11. It was very simple, free of dramatic footage, and deeply affecting, without bringing on the flag-waving or children's choir singing that seems to be all over the place these days. There was probably no other way to start off the season, as 9/11 so directly affected all those involved with the show. One of the actresses, who plays one of the cops, is married to an NYC firefighter, even.
Next week is the real season premiere, which is supposed to be a two-parter that addresses 9/10 and then the week after 9/11. It seems rather obscene to have the WTC horror roled into prime-time television, but I'm positive Third Watch will do it in a way that will pay homage to those who were lost in the line of duty and not cheapen it. If you've never seen Third Watch, give it a go.
I can never get into Third Watch. But I'll try to watch it--is it 10 or 9?
If you tried it first season, I can see why, it was a tad unfocussed (one s or two in that, please?). It is a much stronger show now. I think all of the characters are interesting, odd for a show with 9 leads.
Yeah, Cal. ('You going to tell us what happened? ...Did the kidnappers just get exasperated and let you go?)
MONDAYS:
8:00 - "Husseinfeld"
8:30 -"Mad About Everything"
9:00 - "Osama In The Middle"
9:30 - "The Brian Benben Bin Laden Show"
10:00 - "Allah McBeal"
TUESDAYS:
8:00 -"Wheel of Torture"
8:30 - "Who Wants to be a Terrorist"
9:00 - "Children Are Forbidden From Saying The Darndest Things"
9:30 - "Afghanistan's Wackiest Public Execution Bloopers"
10:00 - "Buffy The Yankee Imperialist Dog Slayer"
WEDNESDAYS:
8:00 - "Dharma & Mohammed"
8:30 -"That Taliban Show"
9:00 - "Two Guys, a Girl, and a Pita"
9:30 - "Just Shoot Everyone"
10:00 - "Veilwatch"
THURSDAYS:
8:00 - "Survivor - Afghanistan!"
8:30 - "Touched by an Infidel"
9:00 - "Veronica's Closet-Full of Long, Black, Shapeless Dresses"
9:30 - "My Two Baghdads"
10:00 - "Diagnosis: Heresy"
FRIDAYS:
8:00 - "Judge Laden"
8:30 - "Afganistan's Funniest Surveillance Tapes"
9:00 - "What Law & Order?"
9:30 - "Achmeds Creek"
10:00 - "No-witness News"
Not to mention OMiAB getting it on with Lila.
Just all around cool fun at the Smuckbait Arms.
I just hate those pesky thread police. A pox on your hard drive.
Rosie's post contained no personal information that I could discern. And if it did, why was it just moved rather than deleted?
Nor was it anymore off-topic than you or I have both been rather recently.
I understand your dislike for the poster, but, as thread host I would think you could be a little more thick skinned.
I don't care if it is awful, just as long as there is plenty of shirt ripping
offness.
Trust me, I have been plenty thick skinned in the last few days.
You're welcome to post here about TV. Other things will be moved.
That's one of the big problems here.
That's for now.
But if you're being ostracized, then ignore this post.
I instead watched "Smallville". It was better than I was expecting, which isn't saying much. I think there is some potential. That's quite enough of the love affair between Clark and whats-her-name. What a drip.
And who knew that Supe and Lex Luthor had a thing for each other when they were younger? Some hot man on man action with mouth to mouth and everything. In case you missed it.
That crucifixion stuff was just a little too creepy if you ask me. Although Clark did look quite stunning in his boxers. I suppose I could take offense at the use of something resembling what happened to Matthew Shepard for cheap entertainment. And the use of the subtext, for that matter. Clark is "different" if you know what I mean. But I forgive all because of the way he looked in his boxers.
At least the scenery (I am assuming it was filmed in the Central Valley) looked a lot more like Kansas than the scenery in "Roswell" which looks nothing like Southeastern New Mexico.
i was tempted to watch Smallville for the hottie with the shirt rippage, but decided to play my GameBoy Advance instead.
anyhoo, Buffy sucked, again, last night.
Somehow, 16 year olds struggling with life issues and growing up and fighting vampires is a lot more compelling than 20 somethings trying to figure out how to pay the cable bill.
The three geeks was kinda cute. I recognized Jonathon from the first season and the guy who built the Buffybot, but am unfamiliar with the third one who had the speech impediment. I missed most of Seasons 2 and 3 and the second half of Season 4.
But all in all, LAME-O.
And what is he pointing that camera at? Did Tommy and Kyle Bradford have another wrestling match?
Inquiring minds want to know!
In addition to being somewhat convoluted, that leaves precious little room for nude wrestling matches.
Chuck H. was in town at the end of Sept. We had a nice time.
He is evidently headed your way in early Nov. for a visit. Seems he and Matt McL have struck up a bicoastal.....friendship. Watch out for the boy and make sure he has plenty of condoms and lube.
Isn't Chuck a darling?
How can a writer self-aware enough to slam his alter-egos with the same charges the show gets(smug, arrogant, "don't you lecture me!") still put together a smug, arrogant, and unbearably self-satisfied episode?
On the plus side, chick from Spin City had some nice bits, Ron Silver is always fun, and what is the bald guy's name? I like him a lot.
And Leo. Someone has to slap Leo.
Sure, West Wing is self-important, self-aware, self-absorbed, and generally guilty as charged.
Still, as long as it riles folks up this way, my guess is that the WW-haters will keep tuning in, out of morbid fascination if nothing else.
To me, having all the main characters see everything in the world, however important, thru the prism of their own egos is the ultimate realism.
We all do that. We just don't often see it being done on TV.
having all the main characters see everything in the world, however important, thru the prism of their own egos is the ultimate realism.
That is so completely true. It's all I could think of when I was watching Channing and Sheen. The President has MS, there are problems in Haiti, he's lied to the American people, he's potentially hurt the party, but hey--the really bad news is his wife is cranky.
Of course, his main offence is that he is black. Ironic considering the setting.
Maybe, but it's also a non sequitur. They've been playing baseball games by the thousands since 1876 and there has yet to be one played that is more insipid than Survivor.
Last night Michael was in high dudgeon over how I could watch this shit -- me, and educated woman, as he put it. I had to point out that he watches golf on t.v. -- an activity with all the excitement and intrigue of watching paint dry.
Does he fall asleep watching golf like Keoni does?
Silas and Ethan
Although Clarence has a magnificent body...
I am not sure either S or E has any intelligence, but I bet the producers hope that Silas keeps his shirt off and stays in Africa for several weeks.
Where has she been the last couple of years?
People are plunging into alliances.
On another reality game show, the gay couple, Team Guido, on the CBS show The Great Race, are a piece of work. They are obnoxious, catty, lie like all get out, and uniformly hated by the other teams. The worst was when they blocked a passageway in order to keep 4 teams from getting on an earlier flight. That they do this in front of a camera and then act as if it were not true to even themselves makes me wonder if they have any self awareness at all.
And when this show first started, I was betting on them and pullling for them; not anymore. That lame "now we know how women feel" and "we felt threatened" crap cured me for all time of any shred of support I felt for them.
See, I think that old guy, Tom, is not as dumb as he acts and I don't think the votes were racist at all. He got everyone to vote for the weakest ones and then, because he knew the other votes covered the evictee, he voted for Clarence so that later in the game, if there is a tie between anyone and Clarence, Clarence will have the tie-breaking votes.
Before I forget, a plug for next week's Masterpiece Theatre, which is an adaptation of Elizabeth Jane Howard's Cazalet Chronicles, the saga of an English family just prior to and during WWII. Good stuff.
Seems like the Boran tribe (the one with six left) is doomed. They seem weaker, less organized and terminally conflicted. Everybody hates Clarence for sneaking food twice -- a major transgression given the Malnutrition Olympics they'll face later on. If Tom (?), the tubby Southerner, is not heartily disliked already, it won't be long.
And, yes, as gj points out, several of the contestants are still clueless that the name of the show is Survivor, not Club Mombasa. Jeez.
Depending on what happens in the next two weeks, I'm really impressed with Carl the dentist thus far.
(Somehow the idea of you tuning in is just not something I can envision....)
I can imagine. It probably sounds like As The Serengeti Turns.
You should really check it out once though. It's a good show. Survivor remains the best of the reality games by virtue of its production values -- the locations, photography and music. Plus, of course, the basic premise.
If that is the competition for the Survivor, it is bound to be better.
Was Survivor the first one of this breed, set on some South Pacific island?
Natcherly, when the first show went through the roof (during the August doldrums, no less), everybody piled on with the clones. Nothing has yet measured up.
Worth a read.
A lot of pundits have wasted a lot of breath lately wondering if, in the new America after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, irony is dead. Maybe, maybe not. But one thing is for sure. After "Isaac and Ishmael," Wednesday night's special, terrorism-themed episode of "The West Wing" — earnest in its tone, admirable in its charitable intent and God-awful in its condescending pedantry — if irony had been dead, it has by now clawed itself out of its coffin and is roaming the moonlit countryside looking for revenge.
Of course, earnestness has reigned for two years running in the fictional administration of Josiah Bartlet. So it was unsurprising, if a little disappointing, to see the show's creator/writer, Aaron Sorkin, taking the grave events he was inspired by as license to ratchet up the show's already problematic preachiness to levels you couldn't reach with a 50-foot pulpit.
But it also points out that even though it was bad:
But most important is that it was attempted at all. Whatever the deficiencies of the script, the very idea of interrupting a serial drama and using its characters in a one-time-only "play" — for this cause or even a lesser one — is the kind of fresh, quick-response thinking most of TV could use. At the least, it should serve as an example to other creative artists, who've thrown up the white flag, refusing to deal creatively at all with a time that demands their talents, pleading the irrelevance of art at a time like this — which is an insult to their art and their audience.
See? Even the description is more interesting than any TV show on recently! But Zaslow was simply splendid--funny, charming, venal, and ridiculously likeable.
"You are here because you have a problem. I am listening to you because I have a problem."
"You've been laundering the embezzled money!"
"Yes, that's my problem. You, on the other hand, have a murderer and no motive. I could provide a motive by maybe remembering that Curran called me up the night of the murder in a rage about Kopinski (the dead lawyer) and I told him that he wasn't only swindling him, but blackmailing me! When Curran found out that Kopinski knew where the money was and was swindling him on top of that, he said he was going to see him immediately. See? Motive."
"What? Are you saying you told him about Kopinski so that he would kill him?"
"Heavens to Betsy! What a dreadful idea."
Sigh. Thank god for reruns.
If you haven't seen "Curb Your Enthusiasm" on HBO, do yourself a favor and tune in.
This is a really funny show. Larry David has a comic style that is entirely original.
Of course, coming right after such an excellent episode of Band of Brothers , a show with an over-the-top drug pusher was a bit jarring.
I have not read the book, but I just find it incredible that Winters could get away with defying a direct order and do so when that defiance was pretty common knowledge.
And nothing to this point prepared us to view Sink as a martinet or worse. I just found it unconvincing that he would needlessly put men at risk for no good reason. His only reason being bragging rights?
Don't get me wrong. This was still the best thing on TV all weekend. The only thing worth watching.
The idea wasn't, I think, that Sink was a martinet. It was more a matter of the Top Levels lacking sensitivity to the degree of pressure that had been placed on the enlisted ranks already. What Winters did was mediate. There was little danger that anyone would report him for it. Who would? Even the brand-new West Pointer got the point. (Sorry.)
'Struck me as a realistic sequence of events.
So much (relatively) good TV on the networks on Sunday night that I've developed the habit of waiting until midnight to watch Band of Brothers as a repeat broadcast, and then, at 1 a.m., catching Curb Your Enthusiasm, also as a same-night rurun.
Not recommended for working stiffs, but for us retired types, hey, who gives a damn what time it is when we go to bed?
Part One of The Cazalets starts this evening.
Richard Gere...isn't he just a F-in peach?
Executive producer Marti Noxon tells TV Guide Online that the series soon will get an infusion of fresh blood.
For starters, former General Hospital ingenue Amber Tamblyn guest-stars in the Oct. 30 installment as Janice, a saucy classmate of the Slayer's kid sister, Dawn. "The episode revolves around Dawn and Janice and the misadventure that they get into," Noxon reveals. "It's a Buffy Halloween extravaganza!"
Given that Noxon and co. plan to expand Dawn's circle of friends, Tamblyn's stint may well extend beyond the haunted holiday season. Exploring Dawn's world, says Noxon, "gives us an opportunity to do some of the stuff that we didn't get to with Sarah Michelle Gellar when Buffy was in high school."
Next up, Broadway biggie Hinton Battle — a Tony winner for Sophisticated Ladies and The Tap Dance — has been drafted to appear in the eagerly anticipated all-musical Buffy (airing Nov. 6). "He's playing a demon," Noxon confides.
Finally, years after her cheerleading enchantress character was turned into a rodent, Elizabeth Anne Allen is being given some more face time. "Amy the rat is coming back," Noxon admits, "as a person."
Alas, other former favorites are less likely to drop in. Now that Buffy again has a pulse, a visit with the heartthrob who always made it race — Riley — is a no-brainer. However, sighs Noxon, "that's a big, big maybe. It depends on if Marc Blucas is available. He's turning into a big, fancy movie guy.
let me say, if they get me a steady viewing of that hottie, i'll love Buffy fereva
(long regretful sigh)
Alas poor River!
And the Big Bad theme this season is a lame "Revenge of the Nerds" takeoff?!?! Say it isn't so!
Finally, someone PLEASE take James and Sarah somewhere and FEED them!! They look horribly thin.
The girl playing Buffy seems to be mainlining thorazine. I know how it is when you really love a show and suggest people waych it only to have them tune in to the one dog of a show all season but I don't thin, after several dips on more than one night, this is a show for me.
I often do...
damn, but that show was great in it's first season too. 
Your pic didn't come up for me.
well, it's from tripod, they may not allow linking of pics
but, it's just the 'infinity' snake that was a symbol of the show.
Third Watch was a tad slow. That could have been on purpose, September 10th being a mundane day like every other day and likely our last one of those for a long, long time. Most of the characters were delightful, though, in how they interacted with each other. This is a cast with a lot of chemistry.
The last scene, with the fire engine stacked with firefighters rushing to the WTC, a calm blue sky above, was poignant in that the camera trained on downtown with the Empire State Building in the foreground but no smoke and no WTC behind it. I wasn't completely sure that the shot would've included the WTC anyway, but my husband swore it would have, because it was similar to many shots he's seen over the weeks of the NYC cityscape.
Subtle, but poignant. Very like this show to use such a light but effective hand. I'm looking forward to next week.
Still, I remain of the view that it is far too soon to fictionalize these events, however deftly done by whatever talented writer or director.
Five years from now, it'll be OK. So soon after the actual events, it strikes me as grotesque and as a project doomed to fail. Dramatic productions that try to depict the events truthfully are redundancies; those that expand on the truth or embellish it in any way are insulting to the too-recently witnessed reality.
they are doing the explorer role just right. they're excited to meet new aliens and land on new planets.
the alien doctor is probably my favorite character with the Vulcan and the captain both coming in close. Bakula is turning to be a very, very wise choice as captain.
But strange how most of those new planets look exactly like Earth!
Toe:
I think Third Watch will do a commendable job of presenting the events in a perspective we can appreciate and not cringe over...they have always been exceptionally respectful of their subject and I see no reason to think they will be any different in this regard.
also, next week ANDORIANS!
I agree, Toe, but did you see the "episode" a couple weeks ago, the interviews with the NYFD? A lot of those people (all, I think) work on the show, and Molly Price is married to a NYC firefighter. That puts a different spin on things, as the show itself was not off in LAla removed from actual events.
And there is no way this show couldn't, somehow, address 9/11.
really worth a look
So CJ manipulated events in some way? And Platt points out that making her more comfortable isn't the same as being what's best for her. I doubt that will come back to haunt her, which is too bad.
What was the deal with the pens? Mrs. Lanningham always had the pens for him?
Anybody catch Smallville Tuesday night? I saw the premiere and thought it was pretty good. It's much darker than I would've imagined. I didn't catch the second episode because I was out and it looks like the tape didn't work either so I'm trying to catch a copy of it somewhere.
Supe saves Lana's boyfriend when a local bugboy (and childhood friend of Supe) trys to kill him (the boyfriend). Bugboy has the hots for Lana. He kills his mom, kidnaps Lana and almost mates with her. Supe to the rescue of Lana who bugboy has cacooned in a treehouse. Bugboy and Supe duke it out in an abandoned factory that was hit by a meteor. The factory is of course loaded with chunks of Kryptonite. But wouldn't you know it, there is a big lead thingy just where it needs to be.
As for Buffy and Angel, at least Buffy has her sense of humor back. But the trio of nerds is just ludicrous.
I am sick sick sick of Fred too. This ep was all about her and it did me in. Worst ep of the season so far.
And what is with the tearful goodbuys when no one actually leaves? First Giles and then Fred. It is lazy writing if you ask me. They can do a whole 10 minute scene where one cast member hugs all the other cast members one at a time. No actual dialog or lines needed.
Freaks him out.
I was at a press screening today at the L.A. County Museum (they're showing some Warhol films next week) and when it was over Ian Burnie of the film department came downstairs and told us that Lance had left a message on his answering machine that he'd just played back. He's in a hospice somewhere in L.A. and wanted to get ahold of a tape of two of the films in the Italian series that the museum is showing. "Nobody ever told me over the phone that they were dying before," Ian said.
Lance has been HIV+ and extremely ill for a number of years now, but it looks like this is it.
I'll post further details as they become available.
Thanks for the update. I didn't watch Angel this week because I thought it was a re-run-----they didn't show any previews after last week's episode. Now I'm glad I missed it. Can they please just kill Fred off already? Or where the heck is her family and the rest of her life? She was only gone for 5 years. It's not like she was in a time warp for generations or anything. Hell, her co-workers still remember her.
If they can kill off a really cool character like Doyle then they can certainly get rid of an annoying freak like Fred. (Okay, so Glenn Quinn had a drug problem, but he was still an awesome character)
Glad to hear Buffy's getting her sense of humor back, but I was distressed to read that they're going to be broadening the Dawn angle by bringing in her circle of friends. There are too many characters that don't serve enough different purposes. I totally agree with you about the challenges that could have been brought up if Buffy actually had to juggle a job.
Now, she doesn't work and she doesn't go to school and she has no life except for moping around and worrying about Dawn.
Hell, Anya and Zander are the only two characters gainfully employed----I assume Zander still has his construction job. Willow and Tara do nothing to maintain their lifestyle. Are they going back to University?
These people have no lives anymore. Whassup with that?
arrrrg. I'm really getting irritated.
Evythang went out the window last night at the Tribal Council (including my predictions). Amazingly enough, Carl lost the Stupidity Shootout to Lindsey. Even though Lindsey missed more than she got right. Why these folks don't absolutely memorize the survival guide escapes me.
Thus, the Strong Five suddenly become the Roadkill Three while the Clueless Three graduate to the Still-Clueless-But-Blundering-To-Victory Four.
Unbelievable.
Are you talking about MacNeil as in MacNeil/Lehrer? If so, he was excellent in the report I saw about the Canadian reaction to 9/11.
Brandon reminds of Dirk from Survivor 1 in that he could well starve to death.
Yes, he was excellent in that segment, but he's been on for a long time--Lehrer brought him back in the early days after the attack. It was that interchange between the two of them that really brought it home how great it was to have him back.
And I speak as someone who loves the Lehrer Newshour and didn't think it suffered noticeably in quality after he left. It's just yummy whipped cream on top of Sachertorte, or something.
But then I was one of the ones that wanted Riley to stay in Buffy when everyone else wanted to get rid of him much sooner than they did.
Nice attitude.
I remember when I never missed an episode (or a rerun) of the original Star Trek. When everyone else was swooning over Kirk, I much much preferred Spock.
Oh me, too, Christi...I guess we were both drawn to the bad boys, huh? ;-)
Why do we fight?
The program is still balanced. It did not shy away from the fact that as with every other conquering army in history, the Americans had their share of looters and rapists.
So, I guess some of them did it for the spoils of war.
Sadly, I think why we do it is so that some of us can remain free to sell those newly minted silver medallions on TV. Never mind the suffering and death. Does anyone know where that $25 "donation" goes?
I didn't like the girl in the red coat the first time. Last night's hommage to Spielberg grated. The programmers who find themselves tasked with dipicting the horrors of the Holocaust should sometimes just walk away.
Haven't seen this episode yet. Overall, it isn't as good as From the Earth to the Moon, but it's still enjoyable and informative. Hanks' kiddo did fine last week.
I watched the episode but missed the red coat.
Not surprising. I didn't notice it the first time around, either. I guess I have a symbolism deficiency.
Next week, they'll visit the women's camp. I understand they've lined up Maria Shriver and Calista Flockhart for that episode.
Judith's observation was accurate. I had some of the same thoughts while watching it. I would only have added that some of the actors may have had other health problems that could have caused their emaciated condition. Cancer comes to mind. I doubt Judith has a thing about AIDS.
The smartass cinematic reference in the program was far more offensive than Judith's astute observation.
I most assuredly do not have a "thing" about AIDS and I don't think I need defend myself over an innocent observation. Had you seen the show, you'd have noticed it wasn't stock footage at all.
CalGal, I said this in another thread but I really do wish you would either try to meet me halfway about getting along better or just ignore my posts. I personally think it would be better for the forum if we tried to tolerate one another but it's up to you. I'm willing to try and I would hope you'd be, too.
Thanks, Phoenix, for showing up to participate in this thread; I'll be gone for the next 10 days and would appreciate it, should you happen to drop by, if you would check in and see how things are going.
I didn't ask you not to talk to me; I suggested YOU might be happier if you ignored my posts since they seem to irritate you so very much.
I guess I got my answer, however.
While you may ignore Judith's attempt to end the antagonism between you in some other thread, this is a thread that she hosts. As the host she has the authority to set the tone here. If you feel that you cannot abide by that then you should not post here.
I've always wondered why the two of you are so frequently at odds. You're both pillars here and it really doesn't make a lot of sense to be carping all the time. 'Bad for the digestion.
I mean, can't we all just...get along?
Mostly, I think they used a lot of makeup and some very artful camera angles. The most obvious example was when they showed the contents of the boxcar from the inside looking out. Upon close observation I think I saw only one real human being who was not all that skeletal, but he was artfully positioned with with a bunch of props arranged around him to make it look like a pile of bodies.
As for Judith's observation, I do not find it at all bizarre. Hollywood and the film industry have been heavily impacted by AIDS. A professional actor who had fairly advanced AIDS would probably be grateful for the work.
Not only was she great in Monday night's Angel, but I am now seeing all the episodes from Season 2 of Buffy where she was just about the best thing ever, even surpassing Buffy with kick-ass attitude and snappy comebacks.
That said, Monday's Angel was something of a disappointment. All that buildup for fireboy and it turns out he gets offed rather effortlessly . And it didn't even take Angel to do it. So much for him being the Big Bad. Fred is a much better character when she isn't whining and is kicking ass.
Buffy was again so-so, improving slightly. I for one am not particularly looking forward to Buffy The Musical next week. I would not be watching this if there were anything opposite. Anya was pretty funny "playing" an angel (the Charlie kind). The Willow thing is the only tension producing thing in the program.
Then at 9:00 Eastern I continue to miss Roswell in hopes of some shirt rippage on Smallville. Alas, none this week. Plus, everyone in this small Kansas town seems to be developing some sort of super power. This program is walking up to the edge of being a Buffy ripoff. MORE LEX! I hope a meteor hits Lana.
tonight, though, should be a very good Enterprise
The Nova site and John Colapinto's book, As Nature Made Him: The Boy Who Was Raised as a Girl, are worth examining.
Plan to again tonight. However, I may start going out on Tuesdays next week. But then the problem is there is nothing on after Enterprise. I've given SU2 a shot, but ugh. That crap is almost unwatchable even with a gorgeous hunk in the leading role.
or, watch Frasier afterwards
Plus I would need to record both Buffy on FX which comes in through the satellite receiver and Enterprise which I pick up off the antenna.
I suppose I could train the dog to hit the right button on the satellite remote at the right time. He is very smart.
....or stubborn.
nah.
Anyway, I saw a documentary about the person featured in the Nova program that mgleason linked. I am pretty certain that the documentary which I saw maybe 2 years ago is not the same thing that is being shown on Nova. But it is definitely about the same person.
The more one reads about this issue of gender (actual gender)the more one realizes how stupid it is to force human beings into a simplistic dichotomy of male/female. There is a spectrum of inbetween and it is a lot more common to be inbetween than previously thought.
By extension forcing a dichotomy of gender identification is even more stupid. By further extension trying to force some sort of sexual morality as ordained by God is stupid to the point of ridiculous.
Just in case anyone thinks I am conceited.
well, anyone posting since the olden Fray days has had it in 'em at one point or another, believe you me
But you are still a bitch!
With that, I make a dramatic exit in a snit.
(Actually, I need to do some productive work this week. It is after all, Wednesday.)
Saw Band of Brothers. Could have done without the musical score. I don't think the actors had AIDS or any other disease; they were just skinny guys. Lots of them around. The guy who played the explainer was very, very good in a brief part.
What made the episode was Livingston's performance. He has been terrific throughout, but I was glad to see him take center for a while.
And so what that it was Beethoven and not Mozart. One was German and the other Austrian. If memory serves, the Austrians were pretty closely allied with the Germans and didn't put up too much of a protest when it came to operating concentration camps.
As for Captain Nixon coming to center stage, it did not work as well for me. Although drowning himself in drink may be understandable, it is not particularly admirable.
That said, BoB is still the best thing on TV, currently.
Do you think someone who hasn't read the book would find it absorbing after having watched the television adaptation?
Often the book is far superior to the film. "The Killer Angels" comes to mind.
So you wouldn't be reading them to compare, or anything like that. I have been impressed with the faithfulness to the facts--they haven't even combined that many characters. Which would account for one of the main complaints about the adaptation, of course--that you can't keep everyone straight.
LD missed it, but I caught the way Buffy keeps throwing stuff in Giles' lap to take care of. It's pretty obvious that is what they'll use to explain Giles leaving. That Buffy will never learn to fully stand on her own and assume responsibility for herself and Dawn if Giles is there to lean on, so Giles leaves.
sniff
I'll miss Giles and his doing a spin-off short series in England does me no damn good if they don't show it here.
Band of Brothers--I think Episode 3, on Private Bly, inadvertently set my arc expectations early. It was so good and so moving that I was then a tad less interested in the more prosaic episodes that followed. Even though they were all very good in and of themselves. But the last three have built up nicely, from the shelling in Bastogne, to Lieutenant Jones and the raid(s), to the work camp discovery.
Spawn was at his dad's for the work camp episode, and I was out with a friend. He called me up nearly in tears, telling me that Nixon's wife was divorcing him, taking his kid and the dog, and that they had to put the concentration camp people back in. He was perturbed that someone could go away for three years and fight for the country and give up a chance to go home and do great work--and still be demoted and have his wife leave him. I wish I could have told him it was unusual. At least I could tell him the camp victims had to go back for their own good.
I jumped off the bandwagon a year or two ago, but this just nails the show at its best and worst. Worth a read if you ever watched.
... Well, if the shoe fits.
He'll be the epitome of that Doonesbury character.
Ain't no way, no how, that West Wing was better than the Sopranos--even given the Emmy review method (each show picks out three eps). I think the review method is what caused a few of the upsets--Whitford almost certainly won for his PTSD episode, and while I don't watch Ally or Raymond, it is likely that MacNicol, Roberts, and Heaton won for killer single eps. Nice to see McCormack win.
At a certain point, I think the Emmys should spin off their movie section entirely; the quality of the nominees should shame Hollywood. Wit and Conspiracy seemed to split the movie awards in a most satisfactory way--although Branagh did his ex one better by winning his acting category. Francis, you were wrong about Thompson having it locked up, but then she lost to another big star in a big movie, Judy Davis.
They probably got killed in the ratings, but it was a good show.
In other news: Band of Brothers wrap up was very satisfying, although I still find that score unnecessary.
I am delighted that Allison Janney won and I wish that Sean P. Hayes had beat Peter MacNichol. ER was shut out.
Mostly, I thought there were several fine actors nominated for excellent performances.
DeGeneris is the best MC this side of Crystal. I fell out when she did the awestruck bit with
Steve Martin, pretending that she thought he was her comic hero -- Leslie Nielsen.
Then again, if that doesn't prove that size doesn't matter, I don't know what does!
Curb Your Enthusiasm was impossibly funny again last night! The troubles Larry gets into make you squirm uncomfortably -- while laughing out loud. There ought to be a word for that kind of humor.
Squaffing?
It is the one episode thing that does it--MacNicol must have had a terrific one. Ditto Roberts.
I forgot to say that Martin was brilliant in running up there to accept Judy Davis' award, after some 10 no shows.
Scotch has done a lot of theater in L.A., and has quite a good singing voice.
Did you ever see the other TV dramatization of the Warsaw uprising called The Wall? I saw it about 20 years ago, and thought it very good.
I had only vaguely heard of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising; I did some queries and found pictures. It seems very accurate.
I know what you mean about the feel of network TV; I recently saw QB VII, which I hadn't seen since it was first broadcast, and while its provenance was obvious, I was surprised at how well it had held up. It had a definite '70s feel, but that was appropriate because that was its present day.
If someone can send me a tape, I promise to return it!
However, it is still untapeworthy. So, sorry.
And now Spike and Buffy in love. Puleeze. I guess now that we know vampires have a sperm count (From this week's Angel), what's to stop Buffy and Spike from having a baby? They can call it Spuffy.
CP, i have it on tape, actually, since Ripey was at work. well, all but the first few minutes (and boy did i hear about that!). i can send it to ya if'n ya want.
I got the beginning, so between your copy and mine, there's the whole show. So, if you want, I can make two full copies - one for you and one for me.
Let's just call the whole thing off.
It was without a doubt the funniest episode of the season, yet. I was disappointed with how easily the demon was dispatched. It was like, "nevermind".
Best musical since Trois Places Pour le 26th
There's a wonderful Charles Walters musical short from the 194o's called Spreading the Jam that TCM plays occasionally. It's in the same style.
tonight, i'll be taping Family Guy & The Tick while i watch NBC. dont really have high hopes for The Tick, but what the hell, better enjoy it while it's on because i doubt it'll last a season.
The strong suit for last week's episode was the layering: everything took place between a state dinner, the death of American students in Israel, a presidential veto and a proposed counter-veto.
The characters are still unctious and more prone than ever to show how impressive they are, not unlike DC at times, a town of Type-A overachievers.
Every now and then Sorkin creates an interesting side story that crosses the lines of what we come to expect. This week, Donna, Josh's assistant, has to go before a House panel to testify under oath. The head lawyer is a cute guy that she has slept with a couple of episodes ago. The whole tension of Democrat/Republican, WhiteHouse/Congress bi-polar characters was brought into focus by the lawyer seeing that she had a diary while he was looking for his boxer shorts. She lies under oath, saying she didn't have a diary.
This is an interesting situation, threatening, with no real safe exit out. Sorkin cut it all off with a safe ending by the end of the program. I wonder if we will see the cute lawyer again.
The whole thing made me ill. I agree that the way you described it would have been interesting, but can you honestly think that a person who made it that far up the secretary food chain would lie about having a diary? It would have worked if she was a lesser known staffer.
A lot of people have been speculating that Donna will get to be the President's new secretary. Not with that on her record. I don't think so.
And the fact that she got caught and there might not be a clean way out would have been a strong story line. (we both agree on this, I think).
But Josh coming in and making a dead man's conversation (dead men don't talk) with the cute lawyer ended all this complication. And that doesn't happen in sweet ole DC.
This, I thought, was more interesting than Leo McGarry's long conversation with Delta Burke's husband (Gerald Rainey?). Or CJ's interactions with the detached new reporter (bring back the thirtysomething guy). Or the VP's conversation with the President.
Michael O'Keefe wasn't in 30 something, was he? I like him a lot, though, ever since The Great Santini.
Anyway, the Donna thing was unforgiveable.
Ducky, I was at my niece's birthday party last night so missed Enterprise.
sigh, too bad - it really coulda been something.
meanwhile, Family Guy was hysterical, but not quite as funny as it used to be. still, one of the best 'sitcoms' on TV.
You Don't Know Dick is on the Sundance Channel.
I think the team switch was a good and necessary idea. The alliance-making has been increasing -- no surprise there --and they needed to shake it up.
My only question is whether it was planned for this episode from the start or whether it suddenly dawned on them because the ratings are down.
Regardless, it's a good idea.
I'm prepared to open the switchboards for the Third Annual (Sort Of) Survivor Pool. The question is how many Motrons are interested.
Since there seems not to be a great outpouring of interest this time around, I think we should start it next week when the show has reached Ten Little Coconuts.
Much mental chaos ensued. All the alliances went down the tubes. People started crying. Great fun.
Doh. Of course, you're right.
Get ready to make the change. I'll be calculating the odds on the pool weekly.
Until EricCartman went on "Win Ben Stein's Money", I held the record for most questions answered correctly by a Motie on a game show. (Zero)
Damn straight, and I still have the year's supply of Turtle Wax to prove it.
As a successful game show professional (not to mention a fierce critic of Survivor), you won't be eligible for the Grand Prize in the Survivor Pool. However, we'll be pleased to accept an honorary entry from you when the contest begins.
When they put those assholes out in the Colombian jungle (or better yet, drop 'em smack in the middle of Afghanistan), then I'll care enough to watch.
It's the sole good thing to come from 9/11 thus far --"reality TV", an oxymoron right up there with "military intelligence" and "jumbo shrimp", seems to be on the ropes already.
Give Americans credit -- it only took them a year-and-a-half to realize that watching ordinary people in contrived situations doing stupid shit is about as interesting as watching flies fuck, and about as real as Jenna Jameson's tits. It's for people who haven't got the balls to watch either Faces of Death or Junk in the Trunk Part 4.
As for my honorary pick, I pick either Bunky or Don Rumsfeld. Better yet, let's make it Jimmy Kimmel.
Actually, Americans were pretty savvy about most of the reality shows, staying away in droves from the beginning.
As the best of the lot, Survivor will likely survive a while longer. Although, it's ratings are not what they once were.
It probably would have taken an extra six months, Eric, but for the reality TV of 9/11.
Two critics I respect said The Tick was a winner. Maybe, but I was pretty underwhelmed with the opener. Maybe I had just been oversold.
But my wife thought it was just terminally weird, so, probably, we've seen the last of it already.
I leave it to you to decide when to start the Survivor pool. I missed this weeks show due to travel so I'm not up to speed on what is going on...sounds really interesting, though. I remember all the speculation the first year about what a move like this one would've done to the dynamic of the game; guess we get to find out now!
Even now, a full and complete set of rules are coalescing from the ether. Disclosure approaches.
As usual, mass firings will follow.
I had actually written off this show given how stupid it had gotten (e.g. the seaon finale), but since it seemed to have settled down on two new characters I thought I'd give it a shot again. I don't think I like how they've jumped back into the government conspiracy thing again. Aren't there any more cool things to write about? Look at Scooby Doo. There were plenty of episodes written and none of them were about government conspiracies. Come on! Where's the Bigfoot episode? How about the X-Files investigates "The Creeper"?
Oh, definitely rent the AbFab videos. Occasionally they'll have a clunker of a show, but overall I think they're hysterical.
Re: Buffy - The Musical
SPOILERS AHEAD
Missed it the night it was on but got hold of a video tape and quite enjoyed it. Lotsa larfs---espicially Anya with the whole "bunnies" thing. They've only got three cast memebers who can sing well--Giles, Anya & Tara, but I thought everyone did a creditable job and I'm very impressed with Josh Wheedon once again.
I love that the damage done wasn't so much what the demon did but what the spell forced everyone to reveal about themselves. The number between Anya and Zander "I'll Never Tell" had us rolling.
The big events for this of course are Tara finding out that Willow's been enchanting her mind literally. The acknowledgement that Giles must go in order for Buffy and the Scoobies to grow up is also important. Sarah Michelle Gellar was pushing two years ago for Buffy and Spike to get together and I think there's potential for some really good plot with this. Remember, Spike loves Buffy and by extension Dawn, but he's still evil. The only reason he isn't killing people is because of the chip in his head. Yes, he's developing a bit of a conscience, but it's against his nature to have one. I think there could be some really cool conflict to come out of this.
cont.
Nice to see Willow take it in the gut over her spell. I hope that's not the end of her getting too big for her britches, but the look on her face when she realizes that she didn't save Buffy from Hell but actually ripped her out of Heaven and doomed her to suffering, torment and pain on Earth was quite good.
Amber Benson (Tara) has never been added to the credits as a full cast member----she's always an afterthought----so I don't know if she'll leave the show or not. I'd like to see her as a character separate from "Willow's Girlfriend", but I'll just sit tight and see what they do.
I've never wanted to see it again. Did you watch BoB, Aytch?
Too graphic?
it is hard to explain, but i've never felt so physically exhausted after leaving a movie in all my life.
The action parts were certainly the strongest part of the movie but I'd rate the rest as adequate rather than dreadful. Spielberg has always struggled with exposition (Schindler's List notwithstanding).
I've seen one episode of BOB and liked it a lot.
I understand. SPR is perhaps the only movie I cannot watch with anybody else. It's very demanding.
Patsy Stone: "Can you see if I am smiling?"
Eddy: "No"
Patsy Stone: "Money well spent"
And on Fox, Keifer Sutherlands second episode of 24 which is a pretty good little show.
On ABC, NYPD Blue.
Buffy is also on...I'm thinking Tuesday is swiftly becoming Must Tape Something TV.
Finally, they unloaded Lindsey the Whiner. And with that, Professor Lowbrow will now open the switchboards for the Third (And Possibly Final) Annual (Sort Of) Survivor Pool.
To enter, submit your four choices for The Fab Final Four PLUS the ultimate winner. Post them here for all to see. Example: Binky, Muffy, Tiffany and Latrelle with Latrelle to win.
Your entry must be posted by 6pm Central Standard Don't Mess With Texas Time next Wednesday. In case of a tie, the earliest entry wins.
For the benefit of The Elite who deign not to watch the show, I'll post a brief handicapper's rundown shortly. Think of the satisfaction of blasting through to victory with a purely random entry.
All decisions of the laughably self-important Professor Lowbrow with regard to everything shall be final, binding, arbitrary and possibly logical.
Frank, that curly headed guy, that skinny angular blonde chick, Lex.
Frank to win.
What does "shortly" mean? I want to be in on this and beat the shit out of the damn Murricans. (Because I'm an oppressed poor European with legitimate grievancies).
The early entries:
Phoenix -- Lex, Ethan, Kim and Frank with Lex to win.
Bubbaette -- as best Professor Lowbrow can figure, this entry translates to Frank, Ethan [that curly headed guy], Kelly [that skinny angular blonde chick] and Lex with Frank to win. If this is not correct, bubs, please advise. Otherwise, you may become the Grand Prize.
Judith -- Lex, Teresa, Frank, and Kelly with Lex to win.
I'm rooting for ya. The Tip Sheet looms in your future, mere minutes away...
The 10 remaining contestants (in no particular order):
Frank -- the militaristic hunter, barking orders and not suffering fools gladly. Smart but over the top. Lousy at the archery challenge (!).
Clarence -- the buff black dude, off to a bad start caught cherrynapping but learning to be a team player. Athletic.
Ethan -- the curly-headed pro soccer player. Hung in the background at first, now plotting furiously.
Teresa -- reminiscent of Stacey The Wallflower from Survivor 1, that is, leaving no discernible trace on our collective consciousness. Good initial teambuilding, screwed by the team switch.
Brandon -- one of the two remaining sensitive flowers, now understands the word 'strategy' and trying to make up for lost time. Hopeless camper.
Kim Johnson -- the older, retired teacher. Likeable and smart but useless athletically.
Kim Powers -- the other sensitive flower from Team Lethargic (along with Brandon and the dearly departed Lindsey). Cute (don't laugh, this is worth something). A freelance marketeer (figures).
Lex --the heavily-tattooed Keith Richard clone. Nevertheless, a useful team player.
Tom -- the good ole Southern fat guy. Outspoken but a team player. Bonus note: A Richard Hatch clone (the winner from Survivor 1) but exactly the opposite.
Kelly -- the angular blond chick. Behavior research grad. Cute, good early strategy shot to hell by the team switch.
As always, past performance does not guarantee future results.
I'm only involved in watching "Great Race."
Silas was great eye candy. Ethan is kind of cute. Silas is out. I don't know the names of any of the others.
Have you seen this weeks episode of Amazing Race? If so, wasn't it amazing?
We need four "finalists" plus a winner.
Kelly, Tom, Ethan, Clarence
Ethan to win.
Ethan, Lex, Clarence, Teresa with Clarence to win.
(Counting on the PC factor to work in my favour.)
Survivor Pool Entries to date:
phoenix -- Lex, Ethan, Kim and Frank with Lex to win.
bubbaette -- Frank, Ethan, Kelly and Lex with Frank to win.
judith -- Lex, Teresa, Frank, and Kelly with Lex to win.
calgal -- Kelly, Tom, Ethan and Clarence with Ethan to win.
pelle -- Ethan, Lex, Clarence and Teresa with Clarence to win.
Lex, Frank, Ethan and Kim Powers (!) with Ethan to win.
Kelly, Kim Powers, Frank & Ethan with Ethan as the winner
What seems to be the problem?
I'll slink away quietly.
No probs. If you don't like the show, why not submit a purely random entry? Think of the bragging rights, think of the utter humiliation that would devolve upon those who actually watch the show, think of the book and movie rights...
Here is a prediction you can all take to the bank. Nine out of ten of the instant celebrities created by shows like Survivor will end up as homeless drunks and drug addicts on the streets of our cities.
I just visited your Third Watch thread at The Atlantic. I suppose I should just go ahead and sign on.
Couldn't say whether I like the show or not. Never seen it. In any of its incarnations.
Angel has hit its stride. We now know how vampires give birth. Yuck. The new season of Buffy is also settling in to something consistently good.
I have just about completed seeing all of season 3 of Buffy on FX. This pretty much catches me up since I saw most of season 4 and almost all of season 5. And now have seen all of seasons 1 and 2.
Of the 5 complete seasons, 3 was the best. Although the "Prom" episode was way over the top and tried way too hard to wring an emotional response, season 3 contained the best Buffy episodes ever. "Homecoming" being the absolute best with "The Wish" a close second. Also loved "Lover's Walk". Now I understand Spike much better.
Like the Mayor, I can now pretty much check off one of my life's goals. I have seen all of Buffy. Now I can go back to going out to happy hour with my friends feeling culturally complete.
(sigh)
Whatever happened to Puck? Is he still around?
Faith had her surgery and it went fine, no further involvement. Great interaction with her and the hubby, who finally reacted in a more realistic way.
Main story was Doc and his dreams deferred...he went through a regular day saving people and making a difference but still felt as though he'd lost out on what he really wanted to be...a fighter pilot. Kim finally admitted she had tried to kill herself...
Be sure to catch it next week: Faith and Bosco oppose each other over a case in court!
After tomorrow, however, I will be able to watch the BBC and IMC and more HBO than I knew existed...
Since staying with my friend in L.A. who has all the trappings, I dream of digital cable and a DVD player.
phoenix -- Lex, Ethan, Kim and Frank with Lex to win.
bubbaette -- Frank, Ethan, Kelly and Lex with Frank to win.
judith -- Lex, Teresa, Frank, and Kelly with Lex to win.
calgal -- Kelly, Tom, Ethan and Clarence with Ethan to win.
pelle -- Ethan, Lex, Clarence and Teresa with Clarence to win.
aytchman -- Lex, Frank, Ethan and Kim Powers with Ethan to win.
rubberducky -- Kelly, Kim Powers, Frank an Ethan with Ethan to win.
Deadline is Thursday, 6pm Central. Non-believers are particularly invited to enter.
Just returned from Thanksgiving holiday to learn that Clarence has purchased the big one. I'll post the odds tomorrow. Sorry, Pelle.
He had a really drawn out immunity challenge with one of the women. I don't know their names, but she's a leathery southerner like the one who won it last year. The fat good old boy who ought to be wearing overalls kept groping her around the campfire.
Anyway, she won the challenge on a "rock scissors paper" tiebreaker because the two of them were getting exhausted, after singing "Tomorrow" from Annie, which in my book should be worth a couple of votes next round.
The impression I got was those who voted against him mostly feared his physical skills.
Which episode did you watch? I don't recall "D girl".
Bubbaette:
Clarence did extremely well in the immunity phase; stood six hours with his arm raised in the air and only lost because he did Rock, Sissors, Paper with Teresa to break the tie, his idea, by the way. She won but I think seeing him persevere for such a long time scared the rest into deciding he was a threat.
The other thing I remember was some guy who looked like a GI Joe doll brought to life (the old one-foot kind) imitating an elephant for about 10 minutes. Then they're all playing this fun game around the campfire of "I never." Everyone else is saying things like, "I never had sex on a train."
GI Joe says, "I never betrayed the promise of a handshake."
Oooo-kayyyyyy.
I figure it has something to do with Hollywood's A list, B list, etc., but maybe there's a more specific definition. She was really furious when he said it.
I hate it when the contestants get so phoney baloney -- like that bozo who proposed to his girlfriend over the Internet on the last go round. It was calculated and played to the cameras, forgetting that the cameras aren't the ones with the power in this game and his compadres can't see through that kind of shit.
Does this violate the principles of Irkheartism? I said "shit" after all.
I think Judith is right, bubba. It was more socially inept than anything.
Once I got to the point of starvation, I would strangle, gut, cook and eat him with nary a moral equivocation.
not like, say, Silas who was plenty meaty - it appeared
phoenix -- Lex, Ethan, Kim and Frank with Lex to win. [0.67 points]
bubbaette -- Frank, Ethan, Kelly and Lex with Frank to win. [0.67]
judith -- Lex, Teresa, Frank, and Kelly with Lex to win. [0.67]
calgal -- Kelly, Tom, Ethan and Clarence with Ethan to win. [0.55]
pelle -- Ethan, Lex, Clarence and Teresa with Clarence to win. [0.33 but still conscious]
aytchman -- Lex, Frank, Ethan and Kim Powers with Ethan to win. [0.67]
rubberducky -- Kelly, Kim Powers, Frank and Ethan with Ethan to win. [0.67]
All calculations have been certified by some of the finest minds in Professor Lowbrow's spacious apartment.
Ah, for the good ol' days when Buffy just wanted to join the cheerleading squad and Willow was just lookin' for some good kissage.
i hope Spike does stick around, just with his shirt on - he looked emaciated last night - not attractive.
He's looked that way to me for a year....
...I'm too lazy to look on the net for it, and I can't seem to find the Sunday paper's TV Week.
I tried to copy and paste but was unable to get it to work. There are 3 repeats and instead of Friday on FOX, it will be Sunday night, December 7th.
...Why didn't I just do that ?
La-a-a-a-a-a-z-z-y. (g)
They canceled Pasadena and run repeats of 24 instead....
She's interviewing two sex doctors who are sisters ( Bermen sisters ) at this moment and it's driving me nuts. :-)
...They just got done talking about a Sex in The Cityepisode involving women ejaculation, or "squirters".
Thursday Night Line Up
Despite a lackluster beginning, Fox isn't quite ready to call it a day on 24.
i included that last sentence for you, J@H!
The network announced Wednesday that it's picking up both the real-time thriller and its promising new comedy The Bernie Mac Show for full seasons.
Ordering the "back nine" episodes of Bernie Mac was a no-brainer. Since its premiere on November 14, the Original King of Comedy's family series has averaged a healthy 10.8 million viewers--Fox's best numbers in the time slot since the Party of Five days--and the show has finished in second place behind only The West Wing on Wednesdays at 9 p.m.
But 24 posed a more difficult decision. The series, starring Kiefer Sutherland, received mounds of media (and network) hype for its groundbreaking format, in which the action takes place in real time over the course of just one day. Time, however, hasn't been on the show's side, as it stumbled in a tough 9 p.m. Tuesday slot and averaged a disappointing 9.5 million viewers.
But the series did show some gains in its fourth airing Tuesday, and Fox also has benefited from rerunning the series on Friday nights (the second run pushes 24's average cumulative weekly audience to 18.8 million). The twice-a-week scheme will continue through the end of next month, and execs say they're thinking about whether to keep doing it all season. (Hey, it's either that or Pasadena, right?)
This notice required by the Office of Homeland Security.
Keoni and I were talking the other night and noting that poor little Keifer will never have the voice his papa has....I never mind watching the Volvo ads because his dulcet tones are so distinctive.
I'll wait a day more...I really wish you could be assured of seeing the episode.
I guess there is always the summer...and a synopsis won't ruin it for me, really, because it is such a well-acted and well-produced show that I will get just as much pleasure out of seeing it in July as I would've Monday.
Thanks for waiting, though, that's kind of you (sniff sniff).
Angular Blond Chick, we hardly knew ya. With the departure of Kelly, we've reached the half-way point -- and not a moment too soon judging by the frenzied outpouring of commentary commemorating the milestone.
Projected Survivor Point Totals:
phoenix -- Lex, Ethan, Kim Johnson and Frank with Lex to win. [0.75 points]
bubbaette -- Frank, Ethan, kelly and Lex with Frank to win. [0.62]
judith -- Lex, Teresa, Frank, and kelly with Lex to win. [0.62]
calgal -- kelly, Tom, Ethan and clarence with Ethan to win. [0.50]
pelle -- Ethan, Lex, clarence and Teresa with clarence to win. [0.38]
aytchman -- Lex, Frank, Ethan and Kim Powers with Ethan to win. [0.75]
rubberducky -- kelly, Kim Powers, Frank and Ethan with Ethan to win. [0.62]
Please mail all suggestions and corrections to The Taliban Survivor Command Center. Incidentally, the same scoring applies as before: one point for each of the Final Four and two points for the big winner.
Lex went down in my estimation last night -- the way he overreacted about Theresa's vote against him. Ethan is a cutey pie and I enjoyed the segment on village shopping.
I like Tom for his bumbling but he has some rather unpleasant attitudes although who really cares? He will probably be kicked off next week because it looks as though he's developed a pretty bad infection on his neck and the generous people of the savanna will do it for "his own good, because he needs medical attention" or some such self-serving rot.
And I am immediately reporting Brandon to GLAAD. He is defaming gay people the world over. Fucking two-faced brown noser.
I might feel differently if he had his nose up Ethan's ass instead of Lex's.
I'm also glad I picked Ethan. At the beginning, I thought a pro soccer player would likely be a prima donna but he's looking pretty decent as of now. As for the rest of 'em...
The second story was rather preachy about the way lawyers can lose sight of the job they are supposed to do...Eugene was defending a client he didn't want to defend in a case he couldn't win so he played the race card. Helen became a mongoose to his cobra (to borrow a reference I saw in the Civil Liberties thread!) and both lost sight of their sworn duties. It ended with the judge and both attorneys being lectured by the foreman of the jury...the jury which refused to deliver a verdict because they were disgusted by the actions of the court.
Ripley and i stumbled upon Walking With Prehistoric Beasts last night and enjoyed it. well done show and the animation was pretty cool for a TV show.
I thought it was extremely well done! Got upset at the ants, though.:-(
I was sort of amazed that Kelly admitted to basically lying to get on the show. She basically said that in the interviews for Survivor, she played up what she thought were very negative personality traits in order to get noticed by the producers.
Jeff Stark writing in Salon caught on earlier than I did:
"Then, as the seasons went on, we continued to write about "Survivor," and we realized that we were no longer writing about real people --not even real people on television. We were writing about the edited version of people who were acting like facsimiles of the edited versions of real people who they saw on television."
I think that about sums it up.
Kelly also said that Ethan is painfully shy even though he is not being portrayed that way.
GWM, hugely hung, handsome, cut, killer abs. ISO similar, 18-20. Into movies, tv, long walks and romantic dinners. No fats or fems. Drug users prone to hallucinations a plus.
On topic: I always made a distinction between editing and lying. And is lying in order to get into the "cast" of Survivor the same as "padding" a resume? Or is it just demonstrating the range of your acting skills?
Off topic and apropo of nothing, Margaret Cho has a hilarious bit in her new show Notorious C.H.O. about how gay personal ads are so much better than straight personals. Something along the lines of:
Straight: DPWM seeking fine lady of like mind for romantic evenings. Me: youthful fiftyish, tall, distinguished and trim. You: 25-35, attractive and healthy. Non smoking a must.
Gay: WANTED: ASS BANDIT!!! Must be hot, horny and hung. Saddle up, pardner, and ride my hungry ass until my brains fall out. Into fisting a plus.
Margaret's point is that the one is not only a lie, but boring. The other, truthful and to the point.
Are you on Christmas break?
Just a little heads up here:
The final epidsode of The Amazing Race which usually runs on Wednesday nights is being aired on ABC Thursday night after Survivor.
TAR was a very enjoyable show, much more so than Survivor or any of the other reality shows. But it never got the viewing audience it deserved. Oh well...those of us who watched and enjoyed it had a good time and saw many exotic locales and fascinating cultural customs. Not bad at all for TV.
I watched ABFAB Monday night. Next week is the last episode of the new series. This series is hard to follow, choppy and not as funny as previous ones, IMO. Then, they are funny previous episodes from older series right afterwards. That really bumfuzzles my mind.
Projected Survivor Point Totals:
phoenix -- Lex, Ethan, Kim Johnson and Frank with Lex to win. [0.86 points]
bubbaette -- Frank, Ethan, kelly and Lex with Frank to win. [0.71]
judith -- Lex, Teresa, Frank, and kelly with Lex to win. [0.71]
calgal -- kelly, Tom, Ethan and clarence with Ethan to win. [0.56]
pelle -- Ethan, Lex, clarence and Teresa with clarence to win. [0.42]
aytchman -- Lex, Frank, Ethan and Kim Powers with Ethan to win. [0.86]
rubberducky -- kelly, Kim Powers, Frank and Ethan with Ethan to win. [0.71]
All calculations are guaranteed to be not way off.
Philosphy Prof Turns 'Toon Raider
For 12 seasons, "The Simpsons" has used religious subjects for laughs and has sometimes been called sacrilegious for its jabs at clergy and the faithful.
I thought the Great Race ended fine. It was perfect justice that Team Guido had to find out in Alaska that they had lost to the lawyers.
Another contrived reality game show, but one of the better ones, imo.
I had hoped Frank and Margarita would win because she tried so hard to make it work...and they were hoping to win for their daughters education, which I guess any parent would say they were hoping for...and I figure the two lawyers didn't need the money that much.
The boys probably didn't need the money, although we know little about their personal lives. I don't remember them being the focus much. I don't think they were as negative about Frank and Margarita as the married couple was about them. Very ironic that they lost in their own neighborhood.
now that's a class worth taking! last night's episode, coincidentally enough, dealt with religion when Lisa converted to Buddhism. pretty good show, that one.
as was last night's X-Files with the guy who could control bugs. much better than last week's which had a good premise but a total cop out at the end. lame!
I finally caught the name of the angular dessicated blonde chick that I thought might make the final four -- Kim is her name, though I didn't catch her last name. She's the one with short blonde hair and the leather-like skin. That's who I meant -- not Kelly.
I was glad to see Brandon get the heave-ho.
According to the CBS website, there will be another Amazing Race. Looking forward to it - it's definitely the best "contest" show to date.
The pretty-boy lawyer went to Harvard Law School, works on corporate contracts, and is also a model. His best friend went to Regent University Law School in Virginia Beach (Pat Robertson's school). He does trademarks and patents.
Rosie gave them and Frank and Margarita a week together in Hawaii. She gave Team Guido a trip to Aspen Gay Ski Week in Colorado.
Series, Drama: 24, Alias, C.S.I.: Crime Scene Investigation, Six Feet Under, The Sopranos, The West Wing
Best Actress, Drama: Lorraine Bracco, The Sopranos; Amy Brenneman, Judging Amy; Edie Falco The Sopranos; Jennifer Garner, Alias; Lauren Graham, Gilmore Girls; Marg Helgenberger, C.S.I.: Crime Scene Investigation; Sela Ward, Once and Again
Best Actor, Drama: Simon Baker, The Guardian; James Gandolfini, The Sopranos; Peter Krause, Six Feet Under; Martin Sheen, The West Wing; Keifer Sutherland, 24
Series, Musical/Comedy: Ally McBeal, Frasier, Friends, Sex and the City, Will & Grace
Best Actress, Musical/Comedy: Calista Flockhart, Ally McBeal; Jane Kaczmarek, Malcolm in the Middle; Heather Locklear, Spin City; Debra Messing, Will & Grace; Sarah Jessica Parker, Sex and the City
Best Actor, Musical/Comedy: Tom Cavanagh, Ed; Kelsey Grammer, Frasier; Eric McCormack, Will & Grace; Frankie Muniz, Malcolm in the Middle; Charlie Sheen, Spin City
Miniseries/TV Movie: Anne Frank, Band of Brothers, Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows, Wit
Best Actress, Miniseries/TV Movie: Judy Davis, Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows; Bridget Fonda, No Ordinary Baby; Hannah Taylor Gordon, Anne Frank; Julianna Margulies, The Mists of Avalon; Leelee Sobieski, Uprising; Emma Thompson, Wit
Best Actor, Miniseries/TV Movie: Kenneth Branagh, Conspiracy; James Franco, James Dean; Ben Kingsley, Anne Frank; Damien Lewis, Band of Brothers; Barry Pepper, 61*
Best Supporting Actress, Series, Miniseries or TV Movie: Jennifer Aniston, Friends; Tammy Blanchard, Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows; Rachel Griffiths, Six Feet Under; Allison Janney, The West Wing; Megan Mullally, Will & Grace
Best Supporting Actor, Series, Miniseries or TV Movie: John Corbett, Sex and the City; Sean Hayes, Will & Grace; Ron Livingston, Band of Brothers; Stanley Tucci, Conspiracy; Bradley Whitford, The West Wing
Some strange match-ups in some of those catagories...
Hahaha! I've GOTTA see this.
Again with the eminently satisfying departures. Hey Frank, don't let the acacia thorns hit you on the way out. Six contestants left. Heavy casualties among the local pundits.
Projected Survivor Point Totals:
phoenix -- Lex, Ethan, Kim Johnson and frank with Lex to win. [0.83 points]
bubbaette -- frank, Ethan, kelly and Lex with frank to win. [0.33]
judith -- Lex, Teresa, frank, and kelly with Lex to win. [0.67]
calgal -- kelly, Tom, Ethan and clarence with Ethan to win. [0.67]
pelle -- Ethan, Lex, clarence and Teresa with clarence to win. [0.50]
aytchman -- Lex, frank, Ethan and Kim Powers with Ethan to win. [0.83]
rubberducky -- kelly, Kim Powers, frank and Ethan with Ethan to win. [0.67]
Questions:
Was the senator's son involved deeper than the senator had originally known ?
The show ended with Kieffer's wife receiving a cellular phone call on the ID of the "John Doe" corpse Kieffer wanted identified, which was identified as Allen York. Who was Allen York ? Was he the true father of the young woman in the hospital ?
This thing is getting wickedly ugly, but I'm hooked. :-)
I'm hooked on "24" too (and have all episodes on tape, if you - or any other Motie - would like a tape).
Answers (in white font) to your questions:
Senator's son: The son did kill his sister's rapist, and the Senator's political advisor covered it up. The whole family knew this, except for the Senator.
Allen York: Yes, the dead body in the trunk is Allen York, the real father of Kim's friend. The person we've known as Allen York throughout is an imposter. (It seems to me the bad guys are going to an unrealistic amount of trouble to sidetrack Jack!)
I knew him and worked alongside him and he was a truly fabulous guy. He will be sorely -- by those still alive to recall those times.
I know where and who to come to in case I miss any other episodes. :-)
I never trusted "Allen York". He just didn't act like a father to me from the getgo.
IRON CHEF USA from Las Vegas. Probably not as good as the original but...
Kim Powers, buh-bye. Down to the Fab Final Four Plus One. Lex is listing heavily to starboard, sinking under the weight of his tattoos but everybody else is looking fairly strong.
Projected Survivor Point Totals:
phoenix -- Lex, Ethan, Kim Johnson and frank with Lex to win. [1.00 points]
bubbaette -- frank, Ethan, kelly and Lex with frank to win. [0.40]
judith -- Lex, Teresa, frank, and kelly with Lex to win. [0.80]
calgal -- kelly, Tom, Ethan and clarence with Ethan to win. [0.80]
pelle -- Ethan, Lex, clarence and Teresa with clarence to win. [0.60]
aytchman -- Lex, frank, Ethan and kim powers with Ethan to win. [0.80]
rubberducky -- kelly, kim powers, frank and Ethan with Ethan to win. [0.60]
From now on the TV will be used only for showing videos.
Now that I have all the extra channels, I'm not watching any more than I did before I had all those choices.
KRON, an NBC affiliate for 52 years, will no longer carry NBC programs. NBC bought a San Jose station, one of those but for cable we don't do squat and we're junk anyway numbers, a WB affliated station. KRON is currently the number 1 station in the Bay Area both for NBC network programming and local news (which here as in other areas I am familiar with is as much a function of local production as it is network progamming). KNTV the new NBC acquisition had junk for local programming of course and is now trying to hire some second tier talent from major stations to beef up its programming. KRON will for now be keeping its local news people. It will add news shows but otherwise will be offering stuff like Judge Judy and two hours of Frasier reruns!
KRON's owner would not move off of its asking price of 750 million. NBC bought the San Jose station for 257 million. KRON is paying a premium price for its local news operation given the fact that no body is going to watch its syndicated shit.
And if this is the case, are we seeing a trend of acquisition of the lowest common denominator TV stations at a bargain basement price (plus of course the cost of lost ad revenue due to junk news operation, no name ID, viewership disruption and the eventual outlay of bucks to beef up local programming components)?
NBC has over 200 affiliates. It only owns:
WVTM - Birmingham
KXAS - Dallas
WMAQ -Chicago
WCMH - Columbus
WVIT - Hartford
KNBC - Los Angeles
WTVJ - Miami
WNBC - New York
WCAU - Philadelphia
WJAR - Providence
WNCN - Raleigh
KNSD - San Diego
WRC - Washington
KNTV - San Jose
I for one don't give a shit whether NBC is or is not making out well on this deal or who owns what. What I care about and what most consumers care about is the total package offered on a favorite station. We lose. NBC wins???
God bless America.
It seems that we the consumer are in effect financing NBC's financial finagle by getting a less satisfactory product for such time as it takes KNTV to become a real TV station.
Cable and satellite were touted as boons for the TV consumer -more variety, more competition, better product....
Of course that isn't the case now is it! Repeats, bad and old movies, WB and Fox and Paramount, QVC..fucking Emeril Le Gas Bag on the Food Channel..who watches this shit!
Outside of CNN, the History Channel, and ESPN, which I appreciate, I am paying 40 bucks a month for basic cable just to get reception which would otherwise be problematic because of these damned hills.
Without getting into politics, what did you think?
I just think all these deregulated, new technology market gimmicks are really rip offs when you get down to it or more precisely as the markets concentrate, deconcentrate, and reconcentrate the only losers are the consumers
No, I'm not really looking forward to it. I don't like Channel 11 news--but then I rarely watch local news. I can't figure for the life of me why KRON let it happen.
The way I see the economics, KRON/Young Broadcasting took the position that the value of a franchise lay more in local programming than NBC did...if I were more of an economist, if I were Pufessa Slack...I would understand all :)
It's a good show. Minimal amount of soap opera, a lot of the issues a bit different than normal. Stanley Tucci is particularly good.
I thought Murder One was excellent the first year...after Benzali left and LaPaglia took over, I lost interest.
Benzali is good. I also love his secretary. The whole cast is good--most of them haven't done much since, but they are competent and don't overplay.
Bochco's wife plays the DA very well; I can't remember her name, Fay?
T-Bird is taillights. Lex, Ethan, KJ and Tom eye each other ever more warily.
Projected Survivor Point Totals:
phoenix --Lex, Ethan, Kim Johnson and frank with Lex to win. [3 points locked/5 possible -- it's yours to lose, you're leading the pack...right now]
bubbaette --frank, Ethan, kelly and Lex with frank to win. [2 points locked/2 points possible -- thanks for playin']
judith -- Lex, teresa, frank, and kelly with Lex to win. [1 points locked/3 possible -- in the ICU but still breathing]
calgal -- kelly, Tom, Ethan and clarence with Ethan to win. [2 points locked/4 possible -- tied up with aytchman no matter what]
pelle --Ethan, Lex, clarence and teresa with clarence to win. [2 points and out -- nice work for somebody who doesn't/can't watch the show]
aytchman -- Lex, frank, Ethan and kim powers with Ethan to win. [2 points locked/4 possible --c'mon, buddy, Professor Lowbrow is rooting for ya]
rubberducky -- kelly, kim powers, frank and Ethan with Ethan to win. [1 point locked/3 possible --DOA, cannot win]
All calculations will be certified when you get a real job.
I don't watch the show either. I so thoroughly don't watch the show that I don't know what locked and possible means. I think I am doing well, though? If not as well as Phoenix.
Last night saw the return of HBO's Sex in the City, Oz and Showtime's Queer as Folk
I know that I thought the first half of this year's SITC was too whiney. But after watching re-runs and last nights second half opener (it was delayed because of the possible writers strike) I realize how much I like these actresses in general, and how grateful I am that John Corbett is acting somewhere. He was Chris in the morning on "Northern Exposure" and here he plays Aidan, a furniture making bar owner with a dog, and Carrie's fiance. Such a character could easily be like the guy and a dog character from the coffee commercials of a decade or two ago, a modified Marlboro Man, sensitive, who likes to walk with his dog through meadows, over mountain ranges, and enjoys it all with a sip of coffee as the sun sets. Corbett is just plain likable. Even though like all male characters on this show, his story is mostly off-screen, he manages to quickly create his character. He has a bit of glee and pouting that is just the right mix.
Oz If ever one needs a reminder of what hell is like, or a middle class person's idea of it, then have that person watch this show. Well acted (its the farm team for the Law and Order shows) and ultimately very sad.
Queer As Folk -- Bad to watch this show after seeing any of the above. Ham fisted, this soap acts as if we were in the 70s-80s. Of course, in the 70s-80s, gay men had Dynasty.
Problems are solved instantly, and even if a successfully developed story occurs over more than one episode, it is often solved or ended with huge holes in the story line. Like Ricky Martin videos, best seen with the volume turned off. Interesting point -- Hal Sparks, the stragiht former host of "Talk Soup," has become quite experienced at being nude and kissing men on tv.
Is it too much to ask that you be a fucking Catholic for 15 minutes of your life?
well, it's nice to see some traditions are never broken.
Who knew Sunday nights would become the one night to watch television.
i did, except on FOX
hmm, the only reason to watch that show. well, that and the young hottie who sleeps with the older guy.
I was watching Sopranos reruns while Fox was doing reruns or football. I think the writing is first rate, I have just never been able to fully buy into the whole premise. But I won't miss OZ which has an even more outlandish premise and many of the same flaws as QaF. So go figure. Six Feet Under reruns are also a must see on HBO.
First, the boys kick off Kim J.
Then Lex in his scheming ways realizes that it is much harder to find Big Tom's throat. He allies with Ethan and they kick off Tom.
The Jury of the Damned vote for Ethan over Lex.
Lex produces a sharp knife and slits Ethan's throat. Ethan bleeds to death on national t.v.
Jeff Probst invokes the little known Survivor rule that a dead person is disqualified. He declares Lex the winner by default.
The fact that a murder occured gets little notice in the press other than to remark on what a marveleous idea for boosting sagging ratings.
re Survivor -- "Locked" means you have definitely scored those points -- 1 each for two people in the Fab Final Four. You can score an additional two points if your guy wins the Large Enchilada.
I'm in the exact same position; we'll both end up with the same points whatever happens since we're tied and have both picked Ethan to win.
I'm sure that's it.
MTV and Showtime Plan Cable Channel for Gay viewers
The still unnamed channel would be offered to cable system operators as a pay channel like HBO or Showtime — only much less costly at $5 or $6 a month — but it would also include advertising. MTV Networks and Showtime have conducted extensive
audience testing and concluded that there is, as one Showtime executive put it, "near unanimous enthusiasm from gay viewers" for the concept.
Executives from the two Viacom divisions said they had research that said gay viewers occupied about 6.5 percent of television households. Those numbers are a rather rough estimate, however, because all measurements of the gay population involve some guesswork about numbers of people who have not openly declared themselves to be gay. Ms. Frank said, "The numbers are a bit all over the place."
The estimates are similarly uncertain for the amount of disposable income controlled by gay Americans. Mark Greenberg, the executive vice president for business development at Showtime, cited research showing that gay Americans have as much as $350 billion a year in spending power. But that figure, which has been cited in other research surveys, is generally regarded as an extremely broad calculation.
What is not in dispute is that gay adults are an increasingly attractive audience for many advertisers, both because of their relatively high spending and because they are often in the vanguard of certain cultural trends. "Over the past 10 years," Mr. Farber said, "gays have been a driving force in pop culture."
It's about time.
As usual, though, there is no accounting for the taste of the American public.
But I will pony up my $5 as a political statement.
To put it another way, nudity and sex sells.
I laughed at the author's description of QaF as "realistic."
I am glad they are doing it and I will subscribe. I hope they show movies as part of their line-up.
Gay people, I mean, not gay tv.
THE CHAIR
"This innovative new series offers the ultimate test in self-control. We'll attach a player to a heart rate monitor and ask him general interest questions. If he can answer correctly without his base heart rate exceeding a pre-determined range, he'll win big money and stay in the game. If he loses his cool and his heart races, his winnings slowly disappear. His time in the chair will end when he answers a question incorrectly, or he blows his winnings.
Up to eight contestants per episode will be eligible to take a turn in the hot seat."
What they fail to mention is John McEnroe with hair plugs is the host. He is as animated as a tennis racket.
We know one thing for sure. The author has never been to a gay bar in Pittsburgh.
ETHAN WINS!! Congratulations, Cal and H Man and whoever else won
Ethan won last night! Congratulations to Cal, H-Man and all the others who picked the lucky guy.
Where's my money?
Was it an interesting finale; did anyone get mean or threaten to change sides?
I actually enjoyed last night. There was a sweetness between the two. And frankly, while I can easily put up with almost anything Phoebe does, I long tired of Monica's prickliness and brittle character. Anything that keeps her off screen is fine with me.
NBC is treating this as the last season, with lots of summing up. I don't think there is an expectation that it will continue. Interestingly, the ratings have been pretty good. Didn't they do well against Survivor or was that last season.
Some day, when he is older and wiser, he will probably die of embarrassment...or suicide.
Also, Kelly and Ethan had a lot of sexual tension going on there. I am guessing she made a play for him and he rejected her.
By picking Ethan, Kim J. assured her own loss. But it is hard to say if the result would have been different if she had picked Lex.
Tom, Ethan and Brandon would have voted for Lex. Only one other vote was needed.
Kelly was the only sure vote for Kim J.
Ethan walks off with the prize, Kim Johnson a close second. Glad that's over.
Heartiest Congratulations to CalGal, co-winner with Professor Lowbrow's humble sidekick.
Final Scores:
phoenix -- Lex, Ethan, Kim Johnson and frank with lex to win. [3 points]
bubbaette -- frank, Ethan, kelly and Lex with frank to win. [2 points]
judith -- Lex, teresa, frank, and kelly with Lex to win. [1 point, it's about time]
calgal -- kelly, Tom, Ethan and clarence with Ethan to win. [4 points]
pelle -- Ethan, Lex, clarence and teresa with clarence to win. [2 points]
aytchman -- Lex, frank, Ethan and kim powers with Ethan to win. [4 points]
rubberducky -- kelly, kim powers, frank and Ethan with Ethan to win. [3 points]
Since the conniving and unappealing Richard Hatch won the first one, all of the final two's have been nice folks -- Tina and Colby, Ethan and Kim J.
And, just as satisfying, all of the jerks and whiners have lost out.
Your Bragging Rights are available to you now. Judith, our previous winner, is in possession of the huge, 24-karat gold trophy. Contact her about delivery. Your cash winnings will be held here in Austin until you are old enough to assume full and mature responsibility for such a substantial sum.
I hereby sign over all Rights and cash winnings to your humble sidekick. He actually watched the show, and such sacrifices must be rewarded.
Anyway, thanks for the grand gesture. I can put your $2500 share to good use.
I can see the steam rising from Sully's neck from here!
Did like the item that lesbians and homosexual males don't get along. Makes them sound almost human.
It gets four to six hundred posts a day, some of them quite good.
Congratulations, and I hope it sell you some books.
BTW, this might get Ace, Fielding, JonJan and Niner interested in mote (again). CalGal should email them.
Starts at 7pm CST.
Ken Burns traffics in myth and symbol as much as he does in history, and so it seems only right that after tackling the Civil War, baseball and jazz he would take on Mark Twain.
The guys from Oz who is on Law and Order SUV (or whatever) is returning to Oz next week.
Six Feet Under returns March 3 on HBO.
I like Ambersons and after you've seen it, I will post something I wrote earlier today on another forum about certain aspects of it.
If you enjoyed Monday Night Football back when it first started and if you get a chance to see this movie when it is rerun, do it...it will take you back to fun times.
It is pretty good, but the last question is hilarious:
On a scale of one to 10, how do you rate your chances of lasting in a place like Oz for one year?
Winters: Zero.
Perrineau: I'd have to go with the old zero, too.
Acevedo: I would have to say a "1" just because I think I'd be someone's cupcake.
Amen, little cupcake!
The critics haven't been very kind about Burns and his stylized bios, but I have to say that I enjoyed watching it. Interestingly, they got Hal Holbrook to talk about Twain rather than to be Twain's voice. In a short documentary about making the documentary that followed, Burns collaborator said that Holbrook already has his Twain, and they were creating their Twain. By not using Holbrook as Twain, they could interview him for his insight into the man.
The best parts were readings of Twain's work that followed brief set-ups of his life during the writing.
I have also watched the opening party scene of A&E's Magnificent Ambersons. I watched the Wells version about a year or so ago, and I tracked in memory Joseph Cotton's performance while watching the new version.
Please go ahead and post your comments. I will finish watching the movie, but still want to go ahead and read your thoughts. Don't worry about spoiling it for me.
I enjoyed Ambersons for more than the people in it, whom I didn't care for except Jennifer Tilly, Gretchen Moll, the fat uncle, and Babe's dad...James Cromewell, who was superb. This was a very mannered presentation...the acting style was based on the original movie and the people all "acted" exactly as described in the Tarkington novel. For instance, when Morgan was talking in the study, he gestured wildly with his cigar for emphasis; it was an awkward rendition by the actor playing him because he seemed unnatural doing that but the director evidently instructed him to do it.
I was fascinated that throughout the entire film, the women all wore black. Of course, that was understandable during times of mourning but this went on over a period of years...even in flashback to when Georgie was a baby, snotty pre-schooler, and on throughout all the years afterward. When the Lucy (Moll) character was with her girlfriends, all of them wore black...it was a costuming choice which really bothered me. All the clothes were either black or white but mostly black.
I also was intrigued by the inventive cinematography...it absolutely was beautifully filmed.
Not everyones cup of tea but I enjoyed it.
The Second Funniest Thing I've Read this Year
The truth is out there, and the truth hurts: After nine seasons of sniffing out conspiracies, Fox's The X-Files is packing it in at the end of this season.
Creator Chris Carter told reporters Wednesday that it was time for the long-running series to end, and the series finale will air in May.
"It's the ninth inning. We wanted to go out on top," he told Daily Variety. "We wanted to go out as a strong show."
Strong, of course, is all relative: The series has tumbled in the ratings this season, with fans grousing that recent episodes aren't living up to the days of David Duchovny. The X-Files has averaged 8.7 million viewers in its Sunday timeslot, and with costs reaching $4 million per episode, there had already been talk that 20th Century Fox Television was going to end the show's run this year.
Both Carter and star Gillian Anderson have previously voiced their exhaustion with the series, with the actress saying last summer that this would be her last season as Dana Scully so she can focus on being a mom and pursue other projects (she's already adapting the novel Speed of Light for her directorial debut).
Carter, meanwhile, said he wants to end the series with a proper farewell, including a clip show and--for the love of all things holy--some answers.
i hope there are answers, but somehow i think that's what the movie will be for. it is kinda laughable to see what the show has degenerated into - to call it 'a strong show' is a slap in the face to what came before it.
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.
I love that one.
I missed the part on why Keiffer's wife and daughter were spared at the last second. What happened ?
Watch it and note the statistics being quoted. It will blow your mind.
He's a scary bad dude....my kind of lawyer, and my kind of CIA director!
It was all around the pool at the Chateau Marmont. Several hundred people were there, including all of his family. John Cameron Mitchell came (I told him that if Lance had had children he would have loved having him for a son), China Kong (Donald Cammell's widow), Van Dyke Parks, Mary Woronov, Chris Green, Richard Glatzer, Taylor Negron, Marc Christian (!!!!), and a host of others.
Pat didn't speak, but Bill Loud did. He told a wonderful story of how one day when Lance was about 12 he was applying for a loan at a bank downtown.And right when he was sitting down talking to the bank manager,lance came marching down the street with three of his girlfriends ("they were girls and they were friends, but not -- you know -- girlfriends") He was wearing a velour cape and they were dressed in military outfits, and they were all singing "Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree" in a tribute to the Andrews Sisters. "Is that your kid?" the bank guy asked. Bill said yes -- and got the loan.
Danny Fields (producer/seducer/60's scenemaker) said that episode two of "American Family" where Pat comes to New York to visit Lance was "Really a re-make of 'Auntie Mame.' Only in this version Lance was Mame and Pat was the young Patrick Dennis.")
Lovely memories from ex-boyfriend Gregory Poe and ol' High School pal Kristian Hoffman.
Alan and Susan Raymond filmed it all -- thus ending "An American Family" at last.
Rufus Wainwright sang "Foolish Love" -- the first song on his first album. He said that when he played it for Lance and Lance told him he loved it he knew he was on the right track. Then his mother Kate McGaragalll dueted with him on "Montecito"
And at the last he sang "Over the Rainbow."
Gonna go cry now.
The Raymonds were there filming when Lance died.
Project Greenlight -- Years ago, John Bloom (he also created Joe Bob Briggs, the zany drive-in movie critic) wrote excellent movie reviews for the Dallas Times Herald. He quit, he wrote, because he got to know too much about how movies were made. Knowing about the internal politics and mechanics and economics of moviemaking overshadowed the magic of watching movies.
Although Matt Damon and Ben Affleck said they wanted to encourage filmakers who would never get a chance in Hollywood, their reality show on HBO is much less about one guy's lucky chance to make his personal movie dream come true than a cautionary tale on how the sausage of movies are made.
The director, Pete Jones, doesn't have a clue about making movies. He knows his story. He sold his story to the jury picking the winner of the contest. He will "go to the mat" for all kinds of elements in his movie, regardless of cost or difficulty. He has no sense of compromise or even creativity in rearranging details to create the same effect. His script is his bible, and not one setting should be changed.
One of the joys of living in this new century is experiencing the freedom of entertainment and information choices formerly not so easily available.
That's a ponderous way of saying that mail brought to our household this past week DVDs of D.A. Pennerbaker (sp?)'s documentary on making the cast album of Stephen Sondheim's musical Company in 1970, and the BBC documentary of the 1985 concert version of Follies.
Cal has talked about the Company documentary before, and this was my first chance to see it. It was a tradition that cast albums for Broadway shows were made on the first Sunday a week after the opening. The filmmaker put 16 hour lights up all over the Manhattan recording studio, and put three cameras in the control room and the studio, all hand-held, to capture making the album.
The actual making of the album took longer than expected, stretching out to 5:30 the next morning. Excellent music. Fun to see it made. Sondheim, director Hal Prince, and record producer Tom Z. Shepard all look very serious in their artiste dress of the period. Who knew that the timid waitress in the tv show Alice sang I'm not getting married today, or that Dean Jones, star of Disney movies, was a fetchingly handsome man and great singer to boot. He appeared much more complicated among what Elaine Stritch described on the bonus commentary as "old Theatre people, highly emotional and passionate." Stritch put off Ladies Who Lunch until the final part of the recording. She didn't want the rest of the cast there. Several takes later she didn't get a version that anybody liked. Now we know about her demon fears and drinking problem. Two days later she nails it.
Filmed 15 years after the Company recording session, we get to see the late Lee Remmick strut and sing along with George Hearn, Mandy Potemkin, Comden and Green, Carol Burnett and especially Stritch again and the wonderful lovely Barbara Cook.
And I've been looking for the Follies to rerun--now I won't have to.
So what was the script supposed to tell us?
Cheney's ALIVE!
I am a great fan of her and of Cook, too. Alas, I've never seen Cook perform live.
I also saw her in her one non-musical, Jules Feiffer's "Little Murders." She was great in that too, but at the time she did it all sorts of personal problems led her to drop ot of show business. It's amazing to think that at herage she's still flourishin.There's a rave review of her show in the current "New York Observer."
She went through a rough period in the 60s when she no longer could get Broadway roles. Then in the 70s, she started a very successful solo career singing in concerts and cabarets. She does a regular stint at the Cafe Carlyle during Bobby Short's hiatus.
Anthony Tommasini (sp), the chief music critic for the NY Times recently did a piece on Cook and how at her age continues to sing with such a clear natural sound. She has lost some of her upper register, but to listen to her current recordings belies her age -- she is in her 70s.
In the BBC documentary on the 1985 "Follies" documentary, Cook talks about working with a group of actors/singers after being solo for so many years. When she sings her duet with George Hearn and her solo "I think about you", you want to cry.
As well as on her Dottie Fields cd, where she gives a wonderful rendition of that great co-dependent song, "Make the man love you" as well as "Sunny Side of the Street."
It was a culture from the 60s to the 80s that had a strong appreciation for beauty and emotion, and that was not afraid to be different from popular culture. Garland's 1961 or 62 Carnegie Hall concert was filled with that audience. Cook did a similar break-out concert there in 70. In watching the 1985 documentary, you know that Tully Hall at Lincoln Center is filled with the same. A late friend of my partner told him once that he tried so desparately to get "Follies" tickets in 85, even walking through the plaza at Lincoln Center to see if somebody might die holding up a pair of tickets.
Last night we watched Othello on Masterpiece Theatre, which I cannot get used to seeing on Monday nights. Eamonn Walker played the lead role magnificently and the entire production was superb...updated to modern day England. If it is rerun later in the season, be sure to catch it; Walker is the actor who played Said in HBOs Oz.
It's the greatest musical I've ever seen, and the only one that scared me.
The Winter Garden was awash in middle-aged Jewish couples and gay men of all ages. The show first appeared to be a nostalgic tribute to the great stars of the past and the era they came from. Dorothy Collins, Alexis Smith, Gene Nelson, and Yvonne DeCarlo all carried a special aura with them. And then there were the featured players: Mary McCarty (who did the "Who's That Woman?" number, my favorite in the show), Fifi D'Orsay, and an amazing woman named Ethel Shutta (who nailed "Broadway Baby" until Stritch got ahold of it.)
It was all delightful. Then the show got down to business -- which was telling us that our romantic drsmas were false, our self-image was a fantasy, and that we're all going to die.
Curtain.
The audience staggered out as if it had been present at its own funeral. And in a way that's exactly what the show was like. Neither the concert version, nor the recent revival, ever quite captured what Hal Prince and Michael Bennett first engineered.
I'll never forget the opening as long as I live. An empty stage of stygian darkness, then a crackling noise and a flahs of elctric light -- as if an accident had just happened and the theater were about to blow up. Then a dim light came on as the opening waltz began to play and a very tall showgirl turned with Robert Wilson-like slowness into the light as dancing ghosts assembled around her --moving to and fro across the stage.
The Kennedy Center this summer will produce several Sondheim musicals. I am hoping that I will at least get to see Company.
on another note, a new Buffy tonight should start the season on a slightly darker note, which is desperately needed IMHO. all of the Buffys in February are new, IIRC.
with all due respect, the Orbit commercials are a scream! the one with the muddy dog being a particular favorite.
'how does your mouth feel?' ..... Big Smile and the TING of her teeth that gets me every time
I think the best commercial going now is the one with the young couple shopping for a wedding ring set at a jewelry counter. The groom-to-be begins to get caught up in another beautiful young woman nearby, who appears to also be attempting to get his attention. This easily distracts him from the business at hand, as the jewelry salesman can be heard showcasing and pitching single digit karat rings to the excited, but oblivious bride-to-be. The scene breaks momentarily, but returns to find the groom-to-be presumingly now in hot water over his "infidelity", as the jewelry salesman can now be heard describing a lot bigger, more expensive diamonds. Funny bit this commercial, as it once again demonstrates that a company need not spend tons of money to produce something clever or amusing.
As with most catchy, clever commercials however, I can't for the life of me remember what the hell this commercial was pitching. :(
... By the way, was "24" on last night, anyone ?
Yeah, I figured such. And, yes, it was frightening.
By the way, I haven't checked for flight prices yet, but it looks like I'll be receiving a little more in my tax refund than I had expected. I should be able to make it in mid Febuary if it's still on.
... I still feel like I'm putting you guys out. Are you sure there isn't some little fleabag motel nearby ? If not a fleabag one, I can still get a good price at the Marriott ya know.
What we don't have yet is anyone definitely saying they are coming. I'm sure Arky & Bob won't know very far in advance and Seadate said he would be here if he's back on land...I think Christi is a go but haven't heard from anyone else yet.
Bob loves that commercial.
I've never seen the Orbit commercials. I'm definitely not getting enough mileage out of my satellite.
(you'll need RealPlayer)
"I diet...but only in moderation."
"Sports? Yes, I play fantasy football."
"I'd like to run a marathon, but it's very....long."
Can't say the same for your old couch, Arky.
RD,
I heard the jingle, but didn't see the video part. Guess I'll have to download RP8 or watch more tv. Which would be easier? Hmmm.
I meant to mention that series of commercials also, but sans any compliments to accompany any of them. I can't stand that obnoxious little idiot! If there's ever been a candidate for a blueberry pie in the face ( add Bill O'Reilly while I'm on this little rant ), it's that little punk.
Sorry, Dell, but even if I were a PC person, and came to find out that Dell computers were the greatest things since slice bread, I'd immediately jump ship to Gateway, Sony or any other make based solely on how much that little clown's commercials gets on my nerves ... I can't help but wonder whether the ad agency that came up with this idiot was trying to somehow duplicate the success of that one(?) year old Ameritrade commercial, which featured a skinny carefree long haired pale kid of about the same age goofing around the office ( it began with the kid at the photocopier copying his face, for example ), and is asked by one of his superiors to teach him the ropes of on-line trading on Ameritrade. That one worked.
... By the way, if I'm remember correctly, the guy he assists buys shares of K-Mart. Hee-hee-hee!
... Almost as obnoxious as the current crop of Dell commercials, was another one from them of a couple of years ago, which featured none other than a pompous Micheal Dell himself looking directly into the camera self-ascribing to the world of his status as an innovator. " I am an innovator ..."
... Sorry. Didn't mean to get on a Dell kick here.
"Well, a friend showed up at my door, insisting we watch. My main impression was that Andrew spent most his time sneering and Christopher spent his time trying not to laugh.
Andrew talked pathetically about life in what he called "the valley of anger." Many gay people hate him for being a conservative "man of faith"
while the far right reviles him for being gay. His difficulty, he said, living in this valley and remaining "true to myself." I almost fell out of my chair when he said that. True to which self on which day?
Something parenthetical I noticed -- he is beginning to acquire the look of late-stage AIDS of people who have done heavy doses of HGH and such. I know he says that his health is good, but I'll betcha anything he's doing growth
hormone."
In short, stick fork in him. . .
I mean, really - at CNN she was kinda good looking.
(Although he does put a few of the CNN babes to shame).
Well, I discovered last night that my "remote domination" was really getting to him, and it has about led to a divorce of our television viewing, after only about four months or so of wedded bliss. I think he's being stingy, but he says I'm being a remote control freak. Irreconcilable differences, I'm afraid.
Before we got satellite a few months ago we hardly watched tv, since we live in the country and get only two channels without an outside antenna.
I thought the Quizznos ads were good, too...unexpected gruesome comedy, especially the one with the mini-guillotine.
the one i remember was the pics of everyone's bellybuttons and then the woman giving (painful by the looks of it) childbirth; cutting to the doctor reaching for the umbilical cord cutter and then the 'you were meant to be wireless' logo for a cell company.
that was amusing as i had no idea what they were selling up 'til the end.
The votes on the ads came in--Bud Light got four out of five. Satin sheets won, the one with the pidgeon (which was hysterical) came in second.
Schwab's very funny Hank Aaron/Barry Bonds commercial came in fourth.
Why horses?...because the Clydesdales are the logo of the company, I would imagine.
But it was silly, the horses bowing. I like the idea of Bud truckdrivers.
Of course, it was also rather crass, using 9/11 to sell beer but I liked it, anyhow.
You ought to be saddled with putting on one of those jobbers in a small Arkansas town. It ain't pretty. It's one of my "never again" moments.
I must say that I have to agree with a panel I saw yesterday on MSNBC commenting on the commercials and halftime entertainment, in that they didn't understand the juxtaposition of the festivity of fans cheering a popular band, while the names of the victims were being scrolled as a backdrop.
...maybe a better move would have been to scroll the victims' names as the presidents were reciting Lincoln. I certainly wouldn't do it to the music of U2
Yeah. Go figure ? Who came up with, unless the song itself had some relevance to it all ?
The audience on the field -- realtively young audience it seemed -- probably got to caught up in the event, as well as what seems to be growing sense among many of "tribute fatigue".
Anyone,
I stepped away from "24" for a sec last night and came back to find the senator's wife talking to a bunch of suits amongst expensive looking wood paneled walls. Who were they ?
I hope the prognosis on Klaus is good, by the way ?
I'll be okay with some sleep.
I'm glad you reminded me I taped the damned thing. I'd smooth forgotten it. ;-)
Judith asked me to let you know her internet connection is down and if someone else doesn't know the answer to post, I'm sure she'll get it in here eventually.
I think those guys in the room were the heavy investors in Palmer's campaign, riven that one called him later and said he would no longer give him money or be connected in any way to his campaign...and the guy she was calling was his former "dirty tricks" guy. I guess he still IS his dirty tricks guy.
"I'm allergic to smoke and I've been living in a committed relationship with my highschool boyfriend."
"What's his name?"
(I realize you were asking Cal but I thought I'd butt in...)
didn't you love the 'seduction' by Grace? haha
I thought the interactions with Jack were classic.
My funniest W&G scenes are:
1) When Jack dates the Starbucks counter guy and is on a caffeine buzz from hell
2) When Jack thinks Cher is a drag queen and he gives her instructions on how to "do Cher."
"Shouldn't you be in your tree, baking cookies?"
Last week, Rosie O'Donnell played the mother of Jack's child (he once donated to a sperm bank and the kid tracked him down -- the child plays a re-occurring role). The mother tells Jack she doesn't know how to tell her child that she too is gay.
Probably close to real life. Time this past week said that Rosie talks some about her relationship with women in an upcoming book. She is ending her tv show in May.
showoff.
the short guy is a 'bitch rival' of Karen's who seems to come once a season or so.
the last one he was in Karen and he played pool for Karen's maid - very funny.
Last one he was in was Sordid Lives...he brought in tons of money for the theatre. He is well loved in this town!
One drawback is I know I'll see more curling than I really need to see. The Canadian commentators are pleasant, try to leave the competitors with good feelings regardless of how they placed.
I liked the people bringing in the Olympic flag. That was fun.
The cauldron is glass so that you can see more of the flame. If you notice, there is some kind of constant liquid washing the sides. I assume that keeps the carbon off of the glass.
I thought McKay was okay. He's 80, after all.
I'll check your comments out there. I couldn't watch one of those programs ever year, but every two seems about right. My all time favorite Winter Olympics opening ceremony was in Norway with the children coming out of the ground.
I think Katie and whoever that was with her...was it Bob Costas? I missed the very first of the show...were not very inclusive of Jim and he sounded every one of his many years.
What are you going to do tomorrow night when the Westminster Kennel Club Show is on opposite the Olympics? Lucky you with Tivo!
We're watching the dog show and taping the Olympics because I'm only interested in the figure skating and will fast forward to it...they are showing it in such choppy bits, it's driving me wild.
NBC is putting "extreme sport" edge on its coverage of the Olympics in an attempt to build a younger, hip audience.
Sex and the City -- The threat of the writers strike gave us six epidsodes cut off from the rest of this season's episodes. Last night was the final in this mini-season.
On the whole, it was much more character driven. We didn't just learn about sex. We learned something about the city and its inhabitants. Our girls are taking on story lines.
Miranda had her baby boy. Carrie has lost both Aidan and Big (he's off to Napa, but one bets he'll be back). Charlotte is divorced and alone in her big (really big) apartment. Samantha had a lesbian relationship in the first half and a hetero relationship in this half. Relationships are hard on Samantha, but discovering that she might want to be one seems to be harder. As Carrie narrates, she doesn't wear them well.
Last week, we ended the filming process. We hardly ever saw the actors, but got a on the ground look at the technical people and the decision processing in shooting a movie.
Lot of back-stabbing, second guessing and overall flawed decision-making -- at least that's what the tv show gives us.
In last night's final epidsode, the editing process is a blur. Chris Moore, our YODA in theis series, tells us that this process will be brutal, but we see little to illustrate that. We see alot more of Sundance Film Festival where the movie was premiered.
The movie audience claims that there was a movie there. I like Aidan Quinn and Bonnie Hunt (who were the adult leads in this children story set in the 70s).
One figures that Affleck and Damon will pick somebody who doesn't say the words "over my dead body" at the drop of a hat if and when they do another round of this show.
(just had to grumble that somewhere)
Then it was upstairs to watch the Olympian drama around the Canadians and the Russians - collisions, questionable judging, nosiy crowd.
Judge not lest ye be judged.
everyone can groan in unison now, please.
Television's most popular show, the NBC comedy "Friends," is coming back for a ninth and final season.
The six actors who star in the show, NBC, Warner Brothers Television and Bright/Kauffman/Crane Productions signed a deal Monday to wrap up the series with a final, 24-episode season starting in the fall.
Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox Arguette, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry and David Schwimmer will all be paid $1 million per episode for the final season, according to sources close to the negotiations who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
The Oklahona "Native America" one last year was really outstanding.
This is the first California one I remember seeing, probably because we really need the money. But it's an excellent commercial, I think, showcasing all of the state really well--the food, the activities, the sports, the hedonism. Also has two movie stars used to excellent effect. If you think about it, you might be able to guess who they are.
Oh, and his tumor is coming back.
But if this were really a fair competition and not an exercise in favoritism by a bunch of snobby insiders, there would be no way to explain that a member of the Hearding Group has won Best in Show exactly once in 126 years.
I thought the German Shepard was a particularly beautiful animal. Such an animal is very appealing. But just then, my own mutt farted and I remembered why I love him so much:
He hogs the bed. He snores. He farts.
He loves me.
Who needs a man?
The Herders, meanwhile, are hard working and full of heart...need two squares a day and a warm place to rest their weary little bones.
I'm sick of these pampered little puff balls winning all the trophies.
2000 Bichon
2001 Minature Poodle.
Yep, definitely a trend of puff balls.
This year, I actually paid attention to Joe Garage I found it hysterical and an affirmation of the great performance that Fred Willard gave in Best in Show although I was not particularly enamored with that movie.
Joe is such a parody to begin with, Willard really pulled an amazing feat by doing a dead on parody of the parody.
I also liked the feature piece on Wegman and his Weimariners. Some of them are becoming quite aged and it was touching. I have a feeling many of the dogs actually seen at Westminster are actually traded like so many rare baseball cards.
I agree that there is a slant toward the cute and exotic. I didn't watch last night, but I didn't want to see the English dog that won the terrier group to win as predicted.
A great dog is a mutt with some poodle in it. Poodles are smart animals. But I can hardly look at them with their poofy regulation haircuts. It's so "Court of Louis XIV."
Buffy continues to be strange.
Collegues at work tell me I missed a kick-ass Roswell because I switched to the dog show.
I endured Queer as Folk in order to catch a glimpse of Queer Duck. The latter is inspired but only about 5 minutes long. So, I can't say it was worth it because of the 45 minute trade-off. QD episodes follow QaF only on Tuesday nights.
I can't really download QD at work and don't want to at home because of my slow old computer. But those that want to, can evidently download all episodes from the Show.com site.
While breeding dogs for specific (working) purposes is ancient, dog shows are a relatively recent phenomenon. There were no recorded breed standards, no clear sense of how a specific type of dog should look, until the mid-19th century, when purebreds became fashionable. Victorians began the practice of highly selective breeding, sometimes mating members of the same family (line breeding) to heighten specific characteristics, whether they were functional or not. A doggie elite was created. My dog is better than your dog not because it's better at herding sheep or catching mice, but because it's got a longer neck or a tail that curls just so. If this sounds like the extension of the class system to another species, it is. Of course, there can be a genetic price to pay for that lustrous fur or well-shaped head. Irish setters have beautiful coats, but they are also, according to veterinarian Michael W. Fox, "so dumb they get lost on the end of their leash." It's not surprising, is it? After all, centuries of breeding between the best families in Britain and Europe and what do you get? The royals.
The other is, of course, the character of Debbie. One minute she is a PFLAG waving mom/sister spouting unconditional love for her little family and the next minute she is a bigoted judgemental bitch.
If this were real life, she would long ago have been put on medication.
the demon trapped in the body of the blonde continues to be my favorite character and a perfect foil for Xander. i hear she may wig out by the end of the season. that'd make for some good TV, imho.
Saw 24 and NYPDBlue last night and they were both first run.
Nicholson punctuates it perfectly!
Of course, some regions need this kind of personal salesmanship more than others (Think Indiana).
If you have pride in your area, and know something about what a visitor can do or experience in your area, you will be an asset to the Tourism Board's efforts.
There's truth to that, and this ad does the job. It is tailor made to get us Californians teary-eyed and proud.
Kudos to Davis, someone I normally am not fond of. He wanted a commercial to kick off the campaign and rejected the first ones as utter trash. A new advertising company was given about a week to come up with this one.
But I think anyone who knows California well would agree that it definitely caught the upside. 
Old, tan, fit surfer dude at the beach:
We're Californians.
Goofy snowboarder with a mohawk (apparently the world cup champion):
We fly.
(and he goes zipping off a cliff into the air)
Asian American loaded down with Nieman Marcus bags, crossing the street:
We shop.
Clint Eastwood, finishing a swing on Pebble Beach:
We drive.
Woman in a spare, elegant restaurant (either woman or the guy behind her is famous restauranteur), eating a gorgeous dessert:
We have dessert.
Woman wrapped in a towel, getting a massage:
We indulge.
Cute little girl on a cable car, looking very serious and very intense:
We stargaze.
African American woman sitting on her car out by the Golden Gate Bridge:
We believe...We believe in nirvana.
Woman hanging from what is probably Half Dome:
We ROCK! (and her voice echoes)
Asian American trooper, standing by Hollywood sign:
We have our own motto.
Shot of Michael Eisner and a girl with a Disneyland teeshirt, acking their way down Thunder Mountain.
Woman on jeep again:
So get out there.
Trooper:
Get out there.
Clint:
Get out there.
Woman in towel:
Because all work and no play...
Jack Nicholson, center court at a Lakers game:
Makes Jack a dull boy.
Shot of surfer dude walking with his board on the beach at sunset
This year, I've most of it. The season finale is this Sunday night.
From the beginning, I find it a gripping drama. Watching it is not easy, and the stories or performances linger around long after the program is over.
For those who don't know, it is about a mythical US state prison, particularly about two units, Oz and Emerald City. Oz is experimental, EC is more traditional.
The series is more operatic than most of the serial or continuing drams on television, the crimes and violence more brutal, the seeming lack of hope a constant theme. Last week's episode was about "good intentions leading to the road to hell." It played out attempts in Oz to help a kid who was being sexually molested. Those efforts led to the kid's death.
Grand evil is gripping. These murderers and oddballs, thrown into together plot and carryout massive acts of revenge and manipulation against each other and against the prison staff. Societal ideas of rules and fairness do not exist.
Somewhat relieving the tension is a sidebar (or side prison cell) where the narrator of the series, a paralegic convict, talks out the theme of the week, using demonstrating metaphors that seemingly have no relation to the serie's setting. Two weeks ago, the out-of-the story segments was basically a rock musical, with characters from the story singing out songs that loosely and comically related to the main stories.
Great cast on OZ. It is a farm team for actors on the Law and Order shows. Many of the actors I only know by sight, from this program, but they are really quite good.
J.K. Simmons, the guy who is the shrink on L&O and was also Benny in Guys and Dolls, plays a vicious white supremacist or something. That's versatility. B.D Wong and Rita Moreno are in it too, right? Maybe musical stars make good prison gangs and guards.
It has a few guys who showed up in Band of Brothers, too. Kirk someone, who played Joe Toye.
Cal -- re: White Supremist. His character is Hank, and he is also a nasty rapist of young prisoners. The irony of this past week's kid who died was that he and his buddy were in prison for raping a girl they knew after a party where they were all drunk.
I thought it was funny that that guy got kicked out of the Brotherhood for having a piece of a black person's gums transplanted onto his.
BTW, this Sunday there will be a no doubt irritating special on a sad subject--the death of the entire US skating team in a 1961 plane crash.
I'll be SURE to catch OZ in rerun this summer...god, what a duh on me.
Because of the Olympics, we have TIVOed all of the HBO shows and have either watched them in the morning or before the Olympics start.
We got word from DISH this week that our east coast/west coast network channels are going away. Normally this happens when a local station complains. But evidently, in solidarity with their broadcast brethren, the big NYC/LA stations, all owned by the networks, are kicking people off the list who aren't in their region.
While I don't really care if the Long Island Expressway is backed up (I've never been one to watch local news), I will miss getting two shots a night at the network schedule, particularly if I want to tape something while watching a program on a competing network at the same time. Damn the National Association of Broadcasters.
I had completely forgotten about Fleming's television specials. And did not know that pert Dorothy H. felt she has had a bit of a hard life. Towards the end of the piece, she said that spends two hours a day on the ice, putting on whatever music strikes her fancy, and skating becomes her therapy.
Favorite moments from last night's closing program:
N'SYNC's glee club version of the National Athem -- clear, not so bombastic, and promoting the lyrics
Fascinating Rhythm segment with the jazz singer (who I didn't know) and Kurt Browning
Harry Connick, Jr. and Hamill, Over the Rainbow
and perhaps the best part, the children singing Happy Trails.
Oz is short for Oswald State Correctional Facility and is the prison itself, not an experimental unit in the prison. Emerald City or Em City is the experimental unit within Oz. The traditional unit is "Unit B" There also seems to be a "Unit C" in addition to Death row. All of the prisoners are in one of these units. Beecher, Riley, et. al. are in Em City. Schillinger and his gang are in Unit B. Keller is now on Death Row.
Vern Schillinger is the white supremicist. Hank was his son that was murdered in Florida by the Sicillians at Beecher's request. Andrew was Vern's other son that Beecher also got killed, but inadvertantly.
Last night was indeed the season finale. Sorry you missed it, Judith. Chris Maloni got buck naked for Sister Pete....and us. But Six Feet Under starts a new season next Sunday, March 3rd.
but, no this isn't Jumping the Shark ... really. it isn't.
honest.
And I agree about Miranda v. Britney
Can't wait for Six Feet Under.
The Practice last night was stupid and terrible. Probably one of the stupidest shows ever.
Judith -- I also can't wait for SFU.
Thanks god I was able to wipe it from my mind by later watching Kingsley Amis' Lucky Jim on Masterpiece Theatre, which I still can't get used to being on Monday nights. It was delightful; in the vein of the Bertie Wooster pieces by Wodehouse.
7:30pm CST, NBC
I finally watched the last episode of The Sopranos, season two, where Pussy gets it. The talking fish scene was pretty funny.
Having watched season 3 first, where Carmella is having major guilt for the family business, I now see why she feels so culpable. I was amazed how quickly she dropped her anger over the Russian when she got the mink coat.
The who interplay between reality and Tony's food poisoning dreams was entertaining.
It is a funny commercial, but anyone not familiar with the premise will be totally baffled.
The Hank Aaron/Barry Bonds Schwab commercial is awesome.
The DA's final remark about giving up one or the other and losing both was a moot point, in my opinion. We've already lost privacy and I don't know about you but I don't feel all that safe, over-all. Fox is planning a new reality TV series, Celebrity Boxing, which is scheduled to debut as a Dick Clark-produced special on March 13, with bad-girl figure skater Tonya Harding and Long Island Lolita Amy Fisher duking it out. Newsday reported today (Thursday) that a future match will pit Darva Conger against Paula Jones. Fox exec Mike Darnell told the newspaper that Clark "loves the idea," adding, "He thinks it's funny and clever, and that's all our attitude. No one's going to get hurt."
- from IMDb.com's news section
For us gay boys:
John 36 and single. Has been very active in AIDS fundraising.
Gabriel 23 and single is also a possibility. He was "a chauffer for an elderly gentleman" and has taught ballroom dancing.
Definitely not gay but good eye candy are Sean, Rob and Hunter.
So with 5 out of 12 being easy on my eyes, I should be entertained for at least 5 weeks.
here's the (temp) link
The scenery is wonderful...
I watched it. It looks a bit more promising than the last one.
I was also very pleased to see Peter depart and take his smirk with him.
As always, the production values are excellent.
Did you think that judge sounded just like Jimmy Carter? I did!
You're probably right, though...seems like no one watches it but Glendajean, Bubbaette, me, and you. It tells you something when the winners from last year never even watched the show! ;-)
I liked the judge even though I didn't see much of him. He could have been one of my Final Four picks.
ER is way way too soap-opera-ish and too predictable. We know Mark is leaving the show, so we know now they are going to kill him off. Too too cheap. First they pull the brain tumor thing and we think "oh, ok, so they are going to kill him off" - how boring. Then they pull the miracle of medicine bit and looks like he'll survive after all and think "cool! maybe they'll do something different." But NOOOooo, now it looks like they'll kill him off after all.
It's a good thing I just bought a DVD player. I think I'll skip the TV shows and have fun with my new toy instead.
Oh, I think Ducks and Phoenix watch, too...sorry, guys, didn't mean to slight you in any way.
The judge, Pascal, is a former service guy, too.
Koppel Is the Odd Man Out as ABC Woos Letterman
Koppel and Maher, that is.
Mr. Letterman was described as being highly sensitive to the issues surrounding any change in the status of "Nightline."
Before he would even consider an offer from ABC, he had to be convinced that ABC intended to move "Nightline" from the 11.35 p.m. slot regardless of whether Mr. Letterman agreed to join ABC, executives close to Mr. Letterman said.
ABC, spurred by its Disney parent, is apparently frantic about dumping Nightline's age 30-50 skew in favor of Letterman's beefy 18-34 demographic. You know, the I've-got-plastic-and-I'm-not-afraid-to-use-it crowd.
I can't believe Nightline will disappear. Somebody will want it; perhaps the Sun City, Florida cable feed.
It's the most breathtakingly cluttered presentation I've ever seen. Perfect for Gameboy addicts.
*
Smart move on the part of PAX Network and the President Looking for Peace to team up to produce a WHITE HOUSE SALUTE TO GOSPEL.
Bush #43 may not be America's first Black president, but he's the president that Black Americans have learned to love and respect.
"Gospel music's roots are distinctly American..."
These are songs created by slaves.
I'm sure it's only because he's working so hard every day.
LOS ANGELES — Amy Fisher is out and Paula Jones is in as Tonya Harding's Celebrity Boxing opponent, Fox announced Saturday.
Myself, I can't wait till they find another "celeb" in Monica's weight class.
If she loses to anyone under 200 pounds, you can bet your behind it's fixed.
And that would be truly sad.
Where do they get these ideas?
Monica in Black and White makes Monica look pretty sympathetic so it is hard to figure out Fenton Bailey's and Randy Barbato's assertion that Monica did not like the results. That girl should thank her lucky stars for the results.
In the despicabity department, Monica doesn't even register on the meter compared to Tripp, Starr and Clinton.
It was interesting to find out about the collusion between Tripp and Starr. They both are far more culpable than the other two . . .and truly deserve cosmic bad Karma, imo.
Ann Coulter looked especially hysterical. I think that woman is possibly insane.
I thought she came across pretty poised, actually, despite the crying interludes.
Linda Tripp is a cow.
[And I think Clinton is despicable because of the resident twit in the Oval Office that we must all live with, now.]
Tripp came off sounding fairly evil. The pictures of her matched with audio of her phone counseling were chilling. The phone call tapes were the most interesting part. We only got to see a part of her cute son's face, obscured by by Linda "I am America" Tripp.
And Clinton came off the worst, sacrificing his administration and his party for nookie with Monica.
Finally, it returned. The story was almost non-existent, catching us back up to speed after the long hiatus. Peter Krause's character has an ADM (tumor?) in his head, his girl friend is depressed, his brother is desparately seeking love and/or sex while his ex is having the time of his life with his new partner. The morose daughter is wising up to her not long for this world boyfriend (according to her dead father who still pops up from time to time), and mom is nutty as ever, trying to be a p-flag mom.
"The musical special Buried Treasures (CBC, 8 p.m.) is a collection of rare, taped performances by some brilliant black American vocalists, each at the top of their form. It's unique because the clips come from CBC variety specials of the fifties and sixties.
The history behind the clips, told in brief snippets by the host, Canadian chanteuse Molly Johnson, is that work was hard to come by for these performers back in the late fifties. Racism was still a fact of life in the United States. Their albums were labelled "race records," and marketed as such. To its immeasurable credit, the CBC regularly hired them for their variety shows and even their own specials.
Fortunately, someone at CBC also had the foresight to save the original film and there are some wondrous moments therein. We get to see Duke Ellington perform a medley of hits; Cab Calloway mugs it up with Minnie the Moocher, and Billy Eckstine -- known in the fifties as the "Sepia Sinatra" -- does a definitive, heart-wrenching version of September Song.
There are a few moments that tell of the racially restrictive times. In a 1959 clip, Sammy Davis Jr. does a lively song-and-dance routine, all the while flipping around placards with blowups of his album covers. Although Sammy was already selling loads of records, he was rarely on television. The CBC showcase was, in fact, his first TV special.
There's also a segment from a 1961 special with Nat King Cole -- possibly the smoothest man who ever lived -- in which he sings Stay with Love, while strolling through a cocktail party with a dozen or so guests. There isn't a black face in the bunch."
For some reason, I doubt the episode will reach PBS. For whatever reason, the CBC often fails to repackage its archival footage for wider audiences. If I am able to coaxe my suddenly temperamental VCR into recording the episode, I will send you a copy.
That said, while I found the President Needs a Shrink storyline unbelievable at best, I thought the actors did an outstanding job with the interpersonal dynamics. The entire story line--from that piece through the next two episodes (one with Arkin as shrink, one with the chess sets)--was completely goofy and brilliantly performed. The scene between Toby and the Pres that kicked it off was particularly perfect.
Last night's episode was back to the same old, same old. But Sorkin, as always, annoys me even more when he shows flashes of brilliance. Abby is being consoled by Amy and CJ for losing her license--oh, don't worry, you've done wonderful things for the country, you have a husband, you have a family. Bleah.
Then Abby says, ferociously and earnestly, "But I'm a doctor."
Donna says, shrugging, "Oh, for God's sake. You were a doctor when you wrote those phony prescriptions, too." And then freezes.
See, why can't there be more moments like that? If he's smart enough to catch the bullshit behind the noble pieties, why does he waste so much time on them?
Property of Jesus somewhere linked to a Free Republic posting of a Peggy Noonan article saying she liked the show (and admitting that Sorkin is her friend and that she is paid to advise).
I love the actress who is playing Josh's girlfriend, Mary Louise ?. Name escapes me.
Donna was a Canadian citizen for about 45 minutes. Don't ask, it's much too convoluted.
Ok, I won't ask.
Will & Grace wasn't very funny last night.
For what it's worth: Sean Hayes was in a movie, Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss, a few years ago. His love interest in that movie has surfaced in the new series Leap of Faith.
I really thought that kid, Lucas Black, would go places after that but I guess he lost that particular little boy charm after he grew up...don't they all?
he's cute, but not cute enough to make me watch that dumb looking show.
FX runs two "Buffy" episodes every morning at 6 and 7. I've finally become a Buffy fan... I sit there drinking coffee before leaving to go teach and lust over Willow.
And right after American Gothic he was simply brilliant in Slingblade.
Makes me appreciate my living room, I tell ya.
I loved the whole conversation she had with the homeowners about kids. This woman clearly has never MET a toddler.
Then I watched the opening of this past season where the FBI tried to bug Tony's house. It was so compelling that I ended up watching all season and then caught the reruns of the first two seasons.
Tony and his friends are bottom-feeders. I am not sympathetic enough with them to feel sorry if bad things happen to them. They deserve any punishment or evil that comes their way. But it is fascinating storytelling.
But maybe that's because it follows the Sopranos....
I never laughed so hard over a funeral ...
"Whaddaya gonna do"
"At least she didn't suffer"
The most wrenching part was not watching the towers collapse. It was watching the lengthy sequence in Tower 1 (the second one to collapse) knowing the men were 20 minutes from oblivion.
I was set to like this program, having seen The Trials of Oscar Wilde in New York a few years ago, a production done by the same creative group.
Also, I am a big fan of Anna Deavere Smith and her two plays about riots in Crown Heights and in Los Angeles using a similar technique as the Laramie Project creative team.
Smith's plays are powerful because we get the idea that she wants to listen to people express whatever pops into their head while they talk to her. She crosses lines of ethnicity and class, recreating the taped words from her interviews, and then reliving these real life characters. Her goal is less or more than what words are uttered. It's as if she humanizes the disparate people caught in a very real and fractured place.
What the LP does differently is that the interviewers are also recreated as characters. And their point of view, no matter how noble, becomes more paramount than capturing the voices. To put it another way, they come across as if they are stacking the deck of the story. The story is as much about them as the people of Laramie interviewed. We filter all of this through them. And in the long run, who cares what people from New York think about people from Laramie? Put in that context, it's as if the New Yorkers are out visiting aliens or exotic animals in the zoo. They either escaped to Manhattan or never leave it. They ought to get out more.
NBC is doing another made for tv movie about Matthew Shepard as well. His terrible death and the great horror it created was a powerful news story. I am not convinced that fiction captures adequately what happened.
(I'll try henceforth to use as many cliches as possible in each post about this show.)
Looks like this is going to be another fun season. I wonder if the grandmothers are going to be up for it.
I also finally watched this week's episode of Six Feet Under. I agree with you. The ending was very good. That show has got me hooked.
There IS something odd about the brother/sister team...that remark of hers about "I took time to look at it!" and that little glint in her eye when she said it...like she's out to one up him but in a stealthy way.
However, the team that seems doomed to me is the sister/sister one...poor blondie, stating to the camera that she is doing this to prove to the family that she can do it. Not a good sign. Big time resentment and rivalry there.
This morning's NYT points out that "In the new rules of celebrity, has-beens qualify." Other examples: Amy Fisher (Paula was a last minute replacement for Amy whose parole board nixed her participation, Diving Brown, the prostitute arrested with Hugh Grant, Donato Dalrymple, the man who fished Elian Gonzalez out of the sea, Kato Kaelin, Darva Conger and of course Monica La Winsky.
At the weigh-in Paula said she would wear protective gear to protect her new nose.
Only in America!
I think I'd also like to see anyone vs. Diana Ross.
now, this is must see TV
who watched the celebrity match?
And more importantly, who won?
Bob said it was done two weeks ago, which I didn't realize, but Mom called me trying to get me to bet with her on a winner. I asked her if she'd lost her marbles. Surely Tonya Harding won.
Ice got pounded by Todd Bridges (the older brother from Diff'rent Strokes) and Bonaduce was supposedly a little too proud to beat Williams.
;-)
Tonight is Rosie O'Donnell's "I am gay" deal with Diane Sawyer on ABC. Actually, it's her defense of gay adoptions. Here is a Drudge Report item about it.
I watched the first half of ABC's program last night on gay adoption, and fell asleep during the second half.
I am glad Rosie is out, and I am glad she is supporting gay parents. Good for her.
I am also glad the story of those two men are being told. There probably hasn't been that much support for them in Florida, one of three states that bans gay adoption.
This is basically The Louds, but in Ozzy Osborne's Beverly Hills mansion.
Very hard to describe. I was doing my best to hate the show, but it was just so dang funny, seeing Ozzy - The Blizzard of Oz...Mr. Ultimate Rock God - in his true life role as utterly defeated breadwinner in a home where the wife, kids, and managerie of animals literally just shit all over him.
Last night's show centered on said managerie - God knows how many dogs and a couple of cats, that go around the house doing exactly what they want - climbing on tables, eating off of everyone's plates, and shitting and pissing all over the place - especially the bulldog. Every few minutes, it seems, Ozzie is finding another load or puddle, throwing his hands up and muttering about "these f---in' dogs..." (everyone -including the two teenaged kids - uses the f-word in every sentence). They also spend most of the day cleaning up shit and piss off of antique rugs, and trying to hide furniture the dogs have ripped to shreds. In one memorable scene, the camera settles on the bulldog, from behind, as he nonchalantly stops his stroll through the dining room and drops a big ol' steaming load right on the floor.
Towards the end of the show, the wife (who is a total fruitcake) decides to call in an animal shrink to work with the dogs on their nasty habits.
Just as she's leaving after having worked with the dogs all day, with some apparent success, she praises the bulldog for controlling himself all day, and he responds by pissing on the antique rug in the entrance foyer.
I did finally watch a recording of the Billy Haines documentary and have now seen Cellar on tv. Smart, handsome commentator!
The documentary was fine and could have easily, for me, ditched the simulated dialogue and artsy recreations of Haines and his partner dancing.
The problem with the haines story as a whole is that it's being used to plug into the Recieved Wisdom that "if they find out you're gay you lose your career." Billy Haines career as an actor was coming to end in the 30's. Evenif he had been straight it would have been over after Way Out West. Luckily he had his interior decorating work to fall back on --resulting in a career that gave him more money and prestige than he could ever dream of having as an actor.
SEX AND THE CITY lead star SARAH JESSICA PARKER personally vetoed singer BRITNEY SPEARS' planned appearance on the hit TV show.
eh, see, i woulda just said the bitch can't act...
Parker, 36, "threw a fit", according to American magazine US WEEKLY, after learning of the plan to feature the curvy 20-year-old in an episode of the saucy American show - fearing she'd be upstaged by the fledgling actress.
"I worked too damned hard to get this show to where it is today, and I'll be damned if I'm going to be upstaged by a MOUSEKETEER," a source claims Parker ranted, referring to Britney's previous TV experience as a youngster on THE MICKEY MOUSE CLUB show.
The source goes onto claim, "When it was announced Britney would appear on the show, Sarah felt it was nothing but a casting gimmick.
"And she wasn't happy that a 20-year-old would make 36-year-old Sarah look like a much older woman."
(And why would I even ask such a question?)
Just for you I dived into the gutter press. I mis-stated. She was peed on by someone, not necessarily her ex.
Memorable statements in Stockholm:
-- No, no, no silicon, I just grew bigger.
-- I can do everything. Having that insight it is difficult to decide what to do.
(But there are no Swedes called Elke and hardly any called Liv)
Powerful stuff.
World Entertainment News Network--SARAH JESSICA PARKER has shocked fans of her hit comedy SEX AND THE CITY with the revelation it will end in two years.
The pretty blonde, who plays sex columnist CARRIE BRADSHAW in the HOME BOX OFFICE (HBO) show, says the show does not have longevity.
But Sarah, wants to make sure Carrie finds peace in her turbulent love-life before the program's demise, saying, "I want Carrie to be content, but I don't really know what contentment would mean for her."
Strange how many successful (however unfaithful to reality) lawyer (and trial judge) shows there have been over the years, but nobody can do one about appellate judges.
Could it be that the subject matter is just a little bit over the heads of Hollywood writers?
Naw. Couldn't be that!
Neither James Garner nor Sally Fields is believable as an SC judge. On top of that, for dramatic impact, the SC is arguably the most faceless institution in America. Critically important yes, dramatic no.
But the writing, on both shows, smells to heaven. Especially the Garner show. Jesus! It's the legal equivalent of the mock-medical dialogue on Joey's soap opera on "Friends."
Are the writers just idiots or are they far more subtle than I give them credit for?
I'll keep watching until Noah Wyle leaves. He's not George Clooney, but he does do something to me. And Maura Tierney is just great.
He owns? runs? a small theater group in LA, I heard a while back.
And we've seen her drink 3 times now, at least. We don't see other characters drink that much. I don't think at all that they're just "forgetting" about AA.
One of the very first online forums I ever found was on the TV show Law & Order. Once you see what those fan sites are like, places like the Mote seem downright respectable.
Still, there's a certain subtle aggression afoot here that doesn't always sit well. Put-down artists and one-upersons abound. Maybe this is considered fun by some (and maybe I think it's fun, too, the times that I adopt the aggressor role) but it erodes the spirit over the long haul.
I don't know what I want. Certainly not breakfast banter about coffee and children. I don't think I'm looking for bland, always-agreeable exchanges.
Even so, the little edge that's always in here wears on me, and I find myself staying away for longer and longer periods.
INSERT CLEVER PUT-DOWN RESPONSE HERE.
Here at the Mote, just like at family reunions, old resentments and differences sometimes suface which make it uncomfortable. But as with any family, you try to make allowances; difficult to do at times but not impossible. And if it becomes impossible to do after a time, you stop attending the reunions altogether.
How about intelligent and informed adult dialog? It's how I determine who I'll spend leisure time with irl. There's still enough of that to keep me here, along with the ease and simplicity of navigation which I prefer to most other sites.
I think online forums naturally attract at least a few people who are more interested in drawing the focus toward them than in serious and intellectually enriching discussion, and they tend to suck a lot of energy if other participants allow it. I've never seen a site that didn't have at least a few who were that way. The Fray/Mote always seemed to deal with them fairly well as a whole, with occasional emotional group fits that tended to have beginnings and ends, on rare occasions culminating in the removal of one obvious problem.
The group fits do get tiresome, though, I agree, and usually cost good participants, at least temporarily, every time they occur. Most folks just have better things to do and to read.
The Way We Live Now
Airing Mondays, April 1 - April 22, 2002, on PBS
A delicious dollop of Trollope, The Way We Live Now is luscious, dynamic and intoxicating. -- The Guardian
In 1872 novelist Anthony Trollope returned to England from abroad and was appalled by the greed loose in the land. His scolding rebuke was his longest and arguably best novel, The Way We Live Now, now adapted by celebrated screenwriter Andrew Davies (Othello, Wives and Daughters, Bridget Jones's Diary). The miniseries features a towering performance by David Suchet (Poirot) as shady financier Augustus Melmotte, who lures prominent citizens and politicians into a colossal get-rich-quick scheme.
Also starring are Matthew Macfadyen (Wuthering Heights) as cad-about-town Sir Felix Carbury; Paloma Baeza (Anna Karenina, Far From the Madding Crowd) as his beautiful and levelheaded sister, Hetta; and Cheryl Campbell (The Mill on the Floss) as their widowed mother, Lady Carbury, who makes ends meet by writing historical potboilers with titles like Criminal Queens: Powerful Women as the Playthings of Love.
(cont'd)
Melmotte's manic daughter, Marie (Shirley Henderson, Bridget Jones's Diary) develops a pathological passion for Felix. Deeply in debt to an unscrupulous gambling partner, he is far less interested in matrimony than in money. The Carburys' country-squire cousin Roger (Douglas Hodge, Middlemarch) is infatuated with Hetta and wants to marry her. Her other suitor, earnest engineer Paul Montague (Cillian Murphy) is Melmotte's hapless partner.
And pistol-packing Southern belle Winifred Hurtle (Miranda Otto, What Lies Beneath), Paul's jilted American fiancée, is said to have shot a man in Oregon and seems ready to repeat the act in London.
This being Trollope, the story is peppered with a galaxy of other cads, aristocrats, suitors, bigwigs, blowhards and ne'er-do-wells.
Screenwriter Andrew Davies was pleasantly surprised at the book's topicality: "It's so dark and so modern in its tone, and centered around a city scam that reminds one of the dot-com collapse or the recent Enron scandal. And in the middle is this huge monster, Melmotte, sitting like a fat spider, drawing all the other characters into his great scheme.
sigh, so typical.
but, worth watching if you do subscribe to HBO.
I was absolutely floored by the visuals. It's art...animation in its purest form. Gorgeous.
Cal
On the Cartoon network, I believe new eps are broadcast Fridays at 7. The rerun I watched last night was at 7 or 8 (time tends to blur these days.) Let me see if I can find a link. 
Samurai Jack clip
hope we didn't have any Once And Again fans here: ABC's "Once and Again" has one of the most devoted audiences on television. Unfortunately for them, however, their numbers aren't large enough to keep the show alive.
The network announced Thursday that "Once and Again" would end its three-year run with a series finale Monday, April 15.
"We're sad about it, and we wished it had performed better," co-creator Marshall Herskovitz tells Zap2it. "But I certainly don't ascribe any malice to ABC."
Though the show - which stars Sela Ward and Billy Campbell as a couple dealing with the everyday obstacles of their blended family - has been widely praised by critics and earned both Emmy and Golden Globe nominations (Ward has won one of each), it never found a permanent home on ABC's schedule. The network shuffled it around to seven different timeslots in its three seasons, finally placing it at 10 p.m. Mondays midway through this season.
As a result of the frequent moves, "Once and Again" had trouble finding an audience beyond its loyal core fans. Ratings for the show have improved somewhat since it moved to Monday from Friday nights, but it still averages only about 6.5 million viewers a week. It's the lowest-rated drama on ABC's schedule.
NEW YORK (AP) - Veteran talk-show host Phil Donahue is returning to television with a nightly topical program on MSNBC, which hopes his hiring adds a spark of interest to a struggling network.
Terms of the deal, signed early Wednesday, were not immediately disclosed. Donahue's show is expected to launch sometime this summer.
...
His MSNBC show will air at 8 p.m. ET on weeknights, pitting him against Fox News Channel's powerhouse, "The O'Reilly Factor," and a new show on CNN led by Connie Chung, which is supposed to debut in late spring or early summer.
Donahue will interview newsmakers, reporters and analysts on the topics of the day. Unlike his syndicated talk show, he will not have a studio audience.
He's a political liberal who supported Ralph Nader in the 2000 presidential election, and his leanings represent a clear counter-programming strategy to Fox's Bill O'Reilly, whose show is particularly popular among conservatives.
...
To make room for Donahue, MSNBC is moving its nightly news hour with Brian Williams up to 7 p.m. ET. "Hardball" with Chris Matthews will air at 9 p.m. and be shown exclusively on MSNBC and no longer on CNBC.
Two other shows will be pushed back an hour: Ashleigh Banfield's news report will be at 10 p.m. ET and Alan Keyes' talk show, which has done poorly since its debut this winter, will be at 11 p.m. ET.
I really enjoyed the first half-dozen Once and Again shows. The ensemble cast was excellent, the characters plausible and well-developed and the plots decent. Then it degenerated into sappy self-absorption. Pity.
you?
Bryant Gumbel To Quit Morning Show
After five years with CBS, the last two-and-one-half years as anchor of THE EARLY SHOW, Bryant Gumbel has decided to resign from his position. Gumbel said, "After more than 17 years of hosting a morning news program, I feel it's time for me to move on and do something else with my life."
Gumbel will work with CBS News management to determine the timing of his departure from the morning program. As the host of more morning network news broadcasts than anyone in television history, Gumbel has covered virtually all of the major national and international news events of our time and reported from all corners of the globe, including Europe, China, Japan, Australia, Russia, Cuba, the Middle East, South America and sub-Saharan Africa.
I have very high hopes for this.
I can't see how they could seriously have considered booting the veep off the ticket, or how they would have neglected to tell the President--or, for that matter, how it was that Leo wasn't shocked to hear that the veep was an alkie two years ago, but suddenly is compelled to tell him that he must tell the President. Unless it was to invent a reason to drop him?
"I must drop the veep because we can't have a cripple and an addict on the same ticket."
But I love the veep, and Matheson sold the whole scenario as well as it could be done.
Which, by the way, thanks for linking.
My 5YO is totally hooked on that show, now. Yay!
That's early for him to be up, but he slept a lot Thursday. Slept through Trading Spaces even, which he was very upset about later.
The more I think of it, the more I'm amused at the thought of this little guy getting hooked on interior designing. As Ozzy Osbourne sees it, he's "The Prince of (bleeping) Darkness," always on the lookout for "evil - more evil." But viewers of MTV's breakout hit "The Osbournes" know that the former Black Sabbath frontman has far more in common with Homer Simpson than he does with his supposed master, Satan.
Over the past five weeks, fans of the sitcom-cum-reality-show have been treated to a blizzard of oddities, as the 53-year-old metalhead does battle with incontinent pets, unstable backstage chairs and a foulmouthed family that refuses to respect anything he says.
On Tuesday, the show drew 5 million viewers, a modest number for network television but enough to make it the biggest ratings success in MTV's 24-year run. It's become a show that gets people talking about each episode.
Will they be serving bats? If the Commander in Chief breaks bread with Ozzy Osbourne next month, relax; George W. Bush is not a closet metalhead, nor is it a sign of the coming apocalypse.
The unlikely meeting would happen at the annual White House Correspondents Association dinner, where the godfather of heavy metal and his wife, Sharon, will be the guests of TV news anchor Greta Van Susteren and Fox News Channel, according to a network spokesperson. Guests are invited by members of the association to sit at their respective tables, and the Osbournes accepted FNC's offer earlier this week.
Now in its 88th year, the White House Correspondents Association dinner is a goodwill gesture between the White House and the journalists who cover it. President George W. Bush is scheduled to attend this year's event, which will take place May 4 at the Washington Hilton in the nation's capital.
I was watching this weekend and they were setting up for his tour with a Christmas theme and had an appropriately wicked looking Santa and Ozzy was supposed to come on stage on a sleigh. As they were looking things over he seemed to love all the pyro stuff, just like a kid, but took exception to the bubbles. He said something like "I'm supposed to be the f*ng prince of darkness, and there are bubbles?"
OK, well maybe I have an odd sense of humor compared to the rest of the Mote. Joe said he liked it, though.
I don't remember what initially drew me to watch "24", but let me tell you, it hasn't disappointed ( Maybe I've underestimated the power of trailers ?) so far. The best way to describe this series would probably be to call it a cross twixt Le Femme Nikita, sans the sexual tension and international scope, and the Commando Cody serials of the 1940s. Does every show end with a great hook or what ?!
The part that threw me last night for a loop was the surgeon's friend. Since when do surgeons hang out with guys that carry pieces ? What did I miss there ?
If that isn't enough, Dennis Hopper comes aboard the show next week. Ay caramba !!!
... The senator's career is over, by the way.
That surgeon's friend was a useless bodyguard...
So, who thinks the guy driving Jack around is a mole?
sunday night's The X-Files was just too stupid to be on the air. thank god there's only 9 new shows left. this needs to be put down. the numerology aspect of the killings was fine but the goofy cabaña music and Burt frickin' Reynolds were just ruining what little the show has left.
I have been tempted to watch 24, as the ads for it make it look exciting, but I am unsure if it is possible to enjoy it without having watched the first episodes.
Hmmmmm. Yeah, it kinda makes one wonder whether Jack's first run-in with him was just there to throw us off ... Ooooooh, I'm loving it!
... By the way, the daughter gets the "dipshit of the year" award for returning to that one guy.
I watched Leary's show a few times and liked it a lot; very witty. My faves on that cartoon are the baby and the dog.
Maybe I will check out 24 next week; though I think it might conflict with Andy Richter's new sitcom, which looks promising. Oh yeah, another great sitcom is Undeclared, from the guy who brought the world Freaks and Geeks.
Stewie really IS like PE, now you mention it!
And, it's very easy to get caught up with "24", so start watching it NEXT WEEK !!!
I missed your quip on the fact that it is after all, TV.
The senator will get elected, and his wife will eventually run for congress. Hee-hee!
i've raved about the Family Guy before. it is one of the best animated shows ever. i hope FOX moves it to Sunday night to fill out their animation Sunday night when X-Files goes away.
Which can't be soon enough for me!
I will take Family Guy any night of the week. I am just happy that Fox seems to have finally settled on one regular night to show it. For awhile it was difficult to keep track of the show, because its time slot seemed to be moving around all of the time.
I agree, it is one of the best animated shows ever. In fact, it is one of the best new shows to come out in recent years. The show never ceases to make me laugh my ass off. I am always left wondering how the hell the writer's go from A to B at any given moment in the show; especially in terms of pop culture references.
My favourite episodes so far:
1) Brian the dog becoming a coke addict.
2) Brian and Stewie trekking overseas.
3) Peter becoming a piano whiz, but only when loaded.
Hilarious all.
Commanding Heights
speaking of favorite episodes, did you see the finale to the series the first time it was cancelled? there was a nuclear war and various characters were really screwed over. the guy in the wheelchair was bonded to the ground and the black and white friends were melded into a single being. the characters take off and try to found a new civilization in which Peter is the President.
absolutely hilarious.
No I didn't catch that episode, but it sounds hilarious. Someone at work told me that he thinks that Fox has cancelled Family Guy yet again. I couldn't find any confirmation on the net, although (admittedly) I didn't do an extensive search. If the show has been cancelled that is sad news, indeed.
. . . Hey muscley armed paper boy . . .
can't you come to the basement?...
"could you please direct us to the news article that substantiates your claim that Family Guy has been officially cancelled and that UPN is interested? we have had many people show up here spreading all kinds of ridiculous lies and rumors about Family Guy, and I have seen nothing in the trades about FG's cancellation."
That was dated 15 March.
I checked a bunch of tv and family guy related sites and there seems to be abundant confusion about the status of the Family Guy. Here is hoping that the rumours of cancellation are just that: rumours.
Cheers all, and have a good weekend.
Family Guy was cancelled several times with no real notice and is only still on the air because of fans.
it seems the same may happen to another stellar show of FOX's -Futurama has been rumored to be on the chopping block. but no one has said a peep - not even a muttering that it could be in trouble.
most irritating.
My main beef with Fox and the networks in general, is the annoying tendency to fuss with the scheduling of new shows. They keep moving many of the better new shows to different time slots, which is annoying and often causes me to miss shows that I had hoped to check out. Lesbian actress ELLEN DEGENERES has signed up to host her own daytime TV talk show.
somehow, i don't see her sitcom as a problem.
However, the star has been told her contract will only run for as long as her sit-com, THE ELLEN SHOW, remains off-air.
Ellen's new program will be an hour long, and is being produced by the same team behind THE ROSIE O'DONNELL SHOW.
TELEPICTURES President JIM PARATORE says, "Ellen's name came up when she did some guest work on Rosie's show.
"She was natural and funny. It was something we were thinking about, and something she was thinking about independently."
The deal for the talk show, expected to be launched in Autumn 2003, depends on the future of DeGeneres' prime-time sit-com, which is currently suspended, but a final decision on the show's future is expected in mid-May.
Obit
He had a much longer career than the cutest guy.
Have you seen the Joe Mantegna version on A&E?
I haven't see the A&E version...will have to check it out. I'm fairly new to cable. Resisted for a long time on the theory that I had so many other, better things to do. Realized that sometimes, I don't.
I forgot that Ulrich was in Soap. What was his character?
I believe I'm in the last grouping of people eligible to apply for benefits at 65 years even. You younger folks are not eligible until you become 65 2/3 (and, probably, it'll get worse).
...And Joe Mantegna as Spenser was as awful a piece of miscasting as I've ever seen. I'm a dedicated reader of the Spenser series (potboilers, sure, but good potboilers), and he just isn't the guy! 'Like casting Pauly Shore as -- oh -- Charlemagne.
LOL!!!
... Pauly Shore couldn't cut it as the second coming of Gilligan... what's the man good for ? He certainly isn't funny.
I was saddened to hear of Urich's death. I liked 'Spenser For Hire'.
... Last week I found out that one of my favorite TV characters from the series Combat shot himself two years ago. How come I didn't hear about it ? RIP Ric Jason, er, LT. Hanley that is.
Lastly, I think that it is true that Fox has once again cancelled The Family Guy.
Incidentally, I got the confirmation from an article posted on the MSN homepage this week regarding the fate of various t.v. shows.
The article suggested that Futurama may be on the bubble but did not elaborate.
A guy I work with said that the general scuttlebut on the sites he visits is that a full season's worth of Futurama episodes are already in the can and will be aired next year. But, no new Futurama episodes will be made unless Fox orders new episodes, which will only happen if there is significant improvement in the shows ratings.
FRONTLINE: Modern Meat
In the last few decades, American meat production has become a highly mechanized and centralized industry, bringing about significant changes not only in the way meat is produced but also in the way Americans eat. These changes have forced the U.S. Department of Agriculture to institute a new meat inspection process, which gives greater control to the powerful meat industry. This spring, FRONTLINE investigates the modern meat industry and the safety of our current meat supply.
Thursday, April 18, 9:00pm CST
Tomorrow night on A&E, at 8pm CST: another Nero Wolfe episode in the series with Timothy Hutton. I didn't care for it after watching a couple of episodes but others don't share my opinion...I've seen raves for it on other sites and I think here, too.
"As I was saying when I was so rudely interrupted..."
Oops.
As Voltaire probably didn't say, once is scientific inquiry, twice is peversion.
For those who look for something new during rerun season, this one is recommended.
As for the Judith curse, I know one show you are probably thinking of -- namely, Third Watch, which is apparently on the bubble. Too bad. It seemed like a good show, although I only caught one or two episodes.
As for the Jones curse, let's see: Action, Undeclared, The Family Guy and Stark Raving Mad are shows that I truly enjoyed and which were unceremoniously cancelled after a short run. Oh well, I guess it is my tv-commeuppance for supporting Two Guys and a Girl for three seasons.
I watch more TV than I should, but I've never so much as seen a fragment of any of the shows listed in TabouliJones' paragraph, above. (No reflection on his (her?) taste is intended--for all I know, they're all great shows; but I've seen none of them.) Presumably, something else appealed to me more at the time these shows were on.
Several other shows that I know I would like are running opposite productions that I watch with regularity -- so I only catch those in the re-run season.
It's amazing that any new show manages to find an audience!
It was the story of a dad who, at turning 40, decided he hadn't lived enough and started doing ecstasy at raves in and around his small northern California town...and then he turned his kids on to it. They were 13, 15, and 18.
If it's run again, watch it...
last night's was okay. kinda stupid and made no sense at the end. i hope the last 3 are better at making some sort of sense. i don't have high hopes for the next one where friggin' Dogget's son's murderer is found (like i care), but it's nice to see them at least try to resolve some of this shit.
Homer as the Hulk was pretty funny last night. Stan Lee's appearance was just great! loved him poking fun at himself like that.
Last season, Six Feet Under was so full of odd characters living in and among a small family owned funeral home that plot didn't matter much. Between dysfunctional characters that would have been the envy of Dickens, and the mechanics of the mortuary, who cared if any of it made sense.
This year, the characters are much more familiar, and it is trickier to keep things compelling without adding aliens from other planets, tragic brain tumors, complete character flip-flops and previously unknown evil twins coming back to haunt the good twin that we have come to know and love.
In other words, we're moving into soap opera country, an occupational hazard for any continuing story program. I was getting disappointed with the first few episodes. Things were getting too tidy. The gay son got his old lover, the cop, back. He is getting more comfortable at being gay. The older son is becoming a hip funeral director, straight shooting, and philosophical. The mother has a Russian boy friend. The daughter dumped her bad drug taking, convenience store robbing, toe fetishist, suicidal boy friend.
Rachel Griffith's manic brother went away to the hospital. And she and Peter Krause are getting married, each in love with the other, cynical about relationships, and seemingly compatable.
Now hell is breaking loose again. The dead father is returning. The crazy brother is back, and hanging with the teenager. The Russian boyfriend is in trouble with the Slavic mafia. Griffith is flirting with being a prostitue as part of her research on a steamy novel that she is writing. And Krause has a weird brain problem along with a crazy frumpy female veegan roomate (Lili Taylor) from his past who is pregnant with his child -- up with organ music.
In the way that Vanity Fair is like People magazine -- a higher class of cheesey gossip, SFU is a higher class of Pine Valley.
Much of the story is about modern folk trying to adapt to the harsher world of the 19th century. They never completely leave the 21st century behind (they wear period clothes with an immodesty that wouldn't have been accepted in 1883), and yet, there was a powerful change in them over time. By the time they left, they all reacted emotionally to leaving their log cabins and the wilderness.
The children (from two of the families -- the third was a newly wed couple) were incredibly articulate and fairly guileless for youngsters and young teens. At the end, when they returned to the modern world, they found themselves bored. "How many times can you go to the mall," one of them said.
The kid's mom was incredibly organized, and unfortunately judgemental. She was quite close to her children, but not to her husband. And they weren't his kids, either. In the end, they separated.
The young married couple were quite delightful. The third family, wealthy Californians, started out being whiners, but they too ended up experiencing big changes.
I think a lesson is that in a modern, urban world, we lose touch with slower time, physical work, and an association between work and home. That wasn't a "purer" time, and living the life of a homesteader on the Montana frontier (with a survival ratio of only one out of every three famlies making it)had a lot of drawbacks. It's a utopian fantasy to think one can live completely in the time of another era. But it was a very interesting experience to watch, and much more relatable to life than one finds in the flashier Survivor series on CBS.
I watched the entire series and found it fascinating. How anyone could volunteer for the project and be surprised at the brutal workload utterly escapes me.
The whiners (the Clunes) did reduce the whining over time but it lasted to the end. I heard the father use the word 'unfair' repeatedly. They couldn't even accept the experts' assessment at the end. They would surely have perished over the winter.
An excellent, well-produced show.
Of course, they were....southern.
Neither of the families were was angst free as the newlyweds.
Overall, the kids were great. They were less wore down by the baggage that the adults appeared to carry around.
Did you watch 1900 House, GJ? If so, how does this one compare?
They were from southern California, dear. I was making a (small) joke.
Some living history programs reenacting other time periods now assign roles regardless of gender so that men and women can experience the different roles from that time period.
Ozzy was also good. a great wrap up for the season (hopefully, there will be at least another season). the retrospective Ozzy provides and the humorous clips blended perfectly together.
Here's a spiffy story about him in the current New York Observer.
Some random cites:
1)"He’s teamed with freaky alt-rockers the Flaming Lips to produce a lush, orchestral series of tracks he calls Songs for Dust Mites, and is shopping the material to independent labels."
2) "Did Mr. Burns ever get fan mail from lonely women?
"Absolutely," he said, noting that Blue’s Clues Steve also had a gay following."
3) "Mr. Burns said that throughout Blue’s Clues, he felt a particular pressure to keep his personal life clean. He’d go to clubs now and again, but said he skipped a lot of friends’ bachelor parties. 'There was definitely a point in my life where I was like, I can’t be here with this beer,’ he said.
'I will tell one story that I haven’t told anyone,' Mr. Burns said. 'I once received a ticket for urinating in public.'"
"He gets cargo pants!" Mr. Burns cried. "And cool shirts! He’s all hip and cool! It’s not fair."
We watch Seventh Heaven because LD likes it. It’s always sickly sappily sentimental preachy and somewhat stupid, imo. We knew from the previews that Monday’s episode was going to be even more unbearably saccharine than usual. In fact, LD decided not to watch it after the first 5 minutes.
However, in the same way some people watch train wrecks, I just sat there in morbid fascination through the whole thing. My take is that if they were going to be over-the-top preachy sickly sappily sentimental, I might have forgiven them if the episode had been decently written and coherent. It wasn’t. Also, whoever decided to have Ruthie (the demon child from hell) do a music video, should be drawn and quartered and then hung.
this show = Seventh Heaven
Anakin = Hayden Christensen
let me know what you think re: Buffy! i think you'll be blown away...
rubberducky - I don't remember seeing Hayden Christensen on Seventh Heaven. He wasn't one of the main characters and I don't watch it closely enough to remember all the various boyfriends Mary and Lucy have had. Anyway, if he was on the show, he isn't on now.
I loved that. Thanks, gj.
Danny and Oswald, the type-B gay friends, ambled through this entire race. It caught up with them last night. They're out.
Now we have a young preppie brother and sister couple of from Texas that seems like their relationship borders a bit too familiar for siblings, a divorced man and woman who whine and argue, and two not very bright guys from Boston.
Last night, the entire episode was set in New Zealand. I thought of Snowowl and her lovely garden.
I, too, don't care who wins now...I loved Danny and Oswald and am so disappointed they lost but I think they had the best time and are the most grounded of all of them. They are the two I'd rather go to dinner with....
I also liked the grandmothers, too.
Does the brother-sister couple seem as weird to you as they do to me? I think we're talking Angelina Josie & brother territory.
I didn't give you permission to post my picture!
Thread host! Thread host!
of all the shows that should have been safe from it!
arrrgghhh!!
Danny and Oswald were on Rosie O'Donnell yesterday. She always has the losers on her show each week, and she gives each a vacation.
Her gift to this couple from Amazing Race is a shopping trip on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills. They were ecstatic. Their only regret about the race was that they didn't get to shop more.
They said that they assumed each leg was their last and decided to enjoy the places the race took them as much as possible.
TCM is running his early stuff all night long, with Bananas first followed by Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Sex... and then Sleeper and finally, Love and Death.
and, as i've said before, i dislike Scully jumping into Mulder's vacant shoes only to have Doggit jump into hers.
nice to see Bud Bundy working again, however.
Has anyone seen The Shield?
Either way, it was definitely interesting. Still a tad simplistic, but given the approach of the show, a good first start.
Since Hill Street Blues, dramas and comedies now build on previous stories. And we are all awash in finales.
The cute, dark teacher in Boston Public got the Noah Wylie/ER stab treatment last night. We know from previews for next week's finale that he is still alive, but God, will he make it? David Kelly often pulls continuing characters off of a show (he got rid of two teachers the first season rather quickly, and a couple of students have died as well).
Friends has embraced the continuing story more than any other sitcom. Now we're getting to the birth of Rachel's baby.
My favorite new (to me) tv show this season has been Everybody Loves Raymond. I have ignored this show previously, but it can be very funny. It is character driven, similar to Frasier, and is an interesting little morality play about family dynamics.
The other show that I liked a lot this year (and it grew on me) was Ellie. I understand it is now on hiatus, and that's too bad. I think if it had enough time to develop, it could be quite good. And the tall English guy in the band is very sexy.
WW was weak. Law and Order, surprisingly, picked up a bit. The one with William Atherton a couple weeks ago was outstanding. The CI version isn't bad in small doses, particularly D'onofrio.
I've given up on all comedies except I just started watching Will and Grace--and now that I hear they'll get pregnant, ferget it. Quit on Friends two years ago. I may have to start on Everybody Loves Raymond. I need to check out the Andy Richter show, which is supposed to be good.
I've seen things on it. The issue as I understand it is that there is as yet no agreed upon format for high definition as there are apparently several ways to get there.
As a result, there's not a lot of programming out there.
My wife and I went over to his house and watched something broadcast on cable that was HDTV. It was nice and sharp, but was it several thousand dollars better than my 27" non hdtv set?
I don't think so. Not yet anyway.
Good TNR piece on the network evening news. How is it that so much talent can combine to produce nothing but 22 minutes of dreck?
It's not...nothing could be.
toys
oh, and i detest Everybody Loves Raymond. i think it's completely unwatchable. First out of the starting blocks among the major television networks this week, NBC on Monday unveiled its fall schedule to advertisers, adding five new series, ditching the weak-kneed ``Weakest Link'' and promoting ``Scrubs'' to its Thursday lineup.
One show's promotion, of course, means a demotion for another, and ``Just Shoot Me'' got bumped from Thursdays to Tuesdays. Besides ``Weakest Link,'' a pink slip went to ``Three Sisters'' and the heavily hyped midseason comedy ``Watching Ellie,'' starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus. (Apparently, the ``Seinfeld'' curse is real.)
Also officially canceled were three series that came and went quickly during the season: ``UC: Undercover,'' ``Emeril'' and ``Inside Schwartz.''
Having Willow go over to the dark side is an interesting twist. Even more dramatic than when Faith went bad. Not as dramatic as when Angel went bad. And Buffy sure did seem to be longing for heaven when she was on the ground after being shot.
Might be interesting if Willow accidently kills Xander while going after Warren. Then it will be a three way ass kicking between Willow, Buffy and Anya. All die. Show's over. Dawn and Spike just can't carry this thing by themselves.
i hope they are setting this up so that next season sees Buffy going up against Willow and Spike. that would make for an interesting final season, imo.
Though this sounds interesting, it has the kiss of death on it from the casting of Gedrick...he has been the angel of death for more good shows than any other actor. (I said GOOD shows.)
Boo, Hiss!
I wish Fox and the other "B" networks would pick up more of these good shows that the so-called major networks drop too soon. (I still miss "Sportsnight.")
Running through San Francisco was fun. (Gasp, Gasp).
The Texas sibs talked about how much they love each other. They are sharing a room together in LA.
Tonight. There is a M*A*S*H cast-reunion that I may watch if I can't find anything better to do on a Friday night.
So, what DID happen on Friends? I quit watching when Rachel got pregnant.
Rachel had a baby girl. They're naming it Emma. Ross and she kept saying alternately that they had no reason to marry, yet secretly each considered it.
Their timing, of course, is off. And in the last scene, Joey is proposing to a distraught Rachel while Ross has just gotten the courage up to go ask her to marry him.
As for the Friends finale. Apparently Ross intended to ask Rachel to marry him, but there was some sort of Three's Company twist, resulting in Joey accidentally asking for Rachel's hand in marriage and Rachel saying -- Yes!
Sounds goofy enough to draw me in for next season.
See, that description of the fianle for Friends makes me want to see it LESS.
What about Grace and Will? Did they come to their senses and realize that a baby hasn't helped a show since Lucy and Desi had little Rickey?
Damn my reading comprehension is lacking at times.
I will attempt to find something better to do than watch the M*A*S*H reunion, but fear that I may have jinxed my evening already. Considering sinking ships are hitting way too close to home these days, the fourth-place network has dumped "King of the World" James Cameron's sci-fi series Dark Angel after two seasons and completely reshuffled its lineup for fall.
...
Gone from the schedule are Titus, That '80s Show and Greg the Bunny. Coming back for round two is 24 (exactly how, we'll find out later) and Andy Richter Controls the Universe, which made the cut for a midseason return.
from the blurb, Firefly sounded watchable - that's about it.
no Family Guy, though, and that sucks major ass.
Willow can't be irredeemably on the Dark Side!
Willow can't be killed!!
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!
(can you tell Willow is my favorite character on Buffy?)
wouldn't be killer if Willow v Buffy lasts into the underlying theme of next season?
PS finally get around to watching your tape of Tuesday's show, eh?
You know they will leave the conflict hanging in the season finale just to make us all eager to see the season opener.
I wonder when they will feed back in the Buffy's really in and insane asylum and this is all a psychotic fantasy theme. They've dropped a tease a couple of times since that episode. That had all better turn out to be settled once and for all to be a Demon trick. Otherwise, it will be a worse rip-off than the Dallas it-was-all-a-dream season.
Otoh, the return of Andy Richter's show is a good thing.
I meant to watch Path to War. I assume it will be on a few more times, so maybe I can catch it this week.
Where's Evelyn Waugh when you need him. I had to keep reminding myself that these guys are real and what they are saying and doing wasn't scripted.
It also made me think that if I ever visit LA, I have to go to that cemetary and Forest Lawn.
Cellar -- what's the scoop on these cemetary boys?
Whew, awful.
Still, I was weirdly sad to see it go. The few happy memories I have of my (long defunct) marriage involve sitting on the couch eating ice cream and watching Season 3 together. I thought that that season was consistently the best tv I'd ever seen.
But I hated the movie and it was all downhill from there. The finale was just a (really) terrible final nail in the coffin.
Still, sad to see it go.
Does Mulder get aquitted or do they just leave it hanging so that they can make movies?
It was an interesting season this time...evidently God had a favorite because there were about four players who were sure he was on their side. All four lied and back-stabbed their way through the game and for that, God awarded them Saturn Vues. In the color of their choice...
Have you seen the film version of The Loved One ? Quite an amazing collaboration between Isherwood, Terry Southern, Tony Richardson, and truly inspired cast.
Mulder finally killed the hunter/killer alien hybrid (supposedly) that's been the bane of the show, he goes on trial and Skinner tries to prove aliens do exist. he does badly. at the end, Scully and Mulder are on the run from the law after Mulder's convicted and busted out by the Scooby gang
Does Mulder get acquitted or do they just leave it hanging so that they can make movies?
see above
And whatever happened to the baby?
She gave it up an episode or two ago to an anonymous couple for its own protection.
Without getting libelous, the guy Tyler who bought the Hollywood cemetary is so wonderfully creepy, almost evil like in his slickness. And if he isn't a gay boy, my radar is kaput.
Admirably, he saved the cemetary from disrepair. But now he and his team "create" memories. They produce A&E bios for people so that the newly dead can tell their story beyond their grave. They are working on a "memory" collector, some kind of digital recording of the person's life attached to their eyeglasses, that will be stored at the cemetary as part of their record.
Meanwhile, a short description of the founder of the Hollywood cemetary (who was evil) and a blurb on Forest Lawn convinced me that I had to visit these cemetaries.
Glad I read a book instead.
"What is something that is always in the forest?" "Birds!" "...and so there is always a canary singing in front of the chapel in the woods..." Yes, an electric canary!! How apt...a fake bird.
curious....
The strange thing about the show was the utter disconnect between the fear the women felt and the obviously minimal risk they faced. I really want to know what they did to these alligators, because it was clear that the last thing on their mind was taking a bite out of a diver. They were drugged or fed or trained or something. They spent much of the event floating in a corner opposite the diver, staring at something offscreen.
Anyway, it was not exactly an elevating experience so I don't think I'll make it a habit. The host has a lot of charm, though.
When I first read that, I thought you were joking that the only person killed on that show was someone you just tried to call. Can you tell it's the last week of school?
I think if people aren't in any real danger of getting killed or hurt it's not much fun to just watch them act like idiots. I can get enough of that anywhere. But I haven't seen it, so I can't really say.
(ya really gotta be careful of the language you use in contracts, ya know)
I only have one more thing to say - the Buffy finale was AWESOME
Buffy had a great payoff! nice to see everything come together in 2 hours of solid, very solid entertainment.
here's hoping they live up to their word and next season is a little more light hearted.
Rosie had a stream of consciousness show Monday where she talked about the series while getting ready for a show last week. It was a nice summary of her program and her own ups and downs in life.
I'll miss her show. She constantly had cute guys and musical numbers from Broadway shows. She is in someways a child, and her program was full of her childish obsessions and delights.
HBO does great historical movies. This is not one of them. Overlong at almost 3 hours, with the same scene again and again, John Frankenheimer's film tries to capture how policymakers got sucked into the quagmire that was Vietnam. Instead, the discussions are bland and overgeneralized, and Lyndon Johnson, as played by a sputtering Michael Gambon, comes off as a barely intelligent bobble-head doll. Every scene, someone says "We'll need more men" or "We'll need more money" or "We'll have to do this or that" and everytime, Gambon freaks out and goes "Whaaaaaaaat???!!!!!!"
Save for a priceless scene with Gambon and Gary Sinise (reprising his role as the oily George Wallace), we don't get a sense of Johnson's political gifts, and at no time is he portrayed as savvy or astute. Yes, he was a man of excess and yes, he was crude, but Gambon's portrayal bordered on Jim Varney.
The dialogue was also very pat, and in a film that has a lot of talking, the character actors (and there are loads) offer no nuance. Save for Alec Baldwin as McNamara, every one is stock, and Baldwin stays pat a good portion of the film as well.
It is so simplistic as to be ahistorical and chooses to end on what the war did to Johnson. Sicne he is portrayed as a lout and a dork, it is very hard to care.
Vietnam is great history, but this is a tedious portrayal.
For a different view, see Tom Shales
It could be that I wasn't as informed about the period as you were, because I found the debates fascinating. They knew it wouldn't work, early on, and kept on going. The dynamics of the decision making was interesting.
I didn't think it was outstanding, but it was definitely worth watching.
There were some factual errors in this show which irritated me no end...because they could've easily been corrected. They mispronounced some Texas city names and mangled others; it's a small thing but those add up. And I'm sure every Texan watching was sniggering over it.
name, thot I'd say HI.
I stopped wathing TV after the Selection
of last Dec 2000
If you want the new one, it's
judithathome@lycos.com
The Good:
The portrayal (apparently historically accurate) of Johnson struggling in the shadow of the Kennedys and resenting them and obsessing about it.
Alec Baldwin doing a not totally embarrassing job of portraying McNamara. He has done so many embarrassing performances lately.
Lady Bird. I thought the actress who played her did a wonderful job. There just wasn't enough of her.
In general the BIG hair on the women.
Donald Sutherland. Although he over exaggerated Clifford's southern accent.
The Bad:
Way too much emphasis was given to the effect the self-immolating man had on McNamara. I thought it was cheesily done.
The aforementioned look of dumbfounded disbelief on Gambon's face every time someone told him it would take more money and men.
"give Buffy what she deserves"
I guess Spike never watched a rerun of I Dream of Jeanie
It was, indeed, a kick ass Buffy finale. Bad Willow makes such a good Big Bad, (not only here but in "The Wish" and "Dopplegangland") that it is really too bad they made her good again.
But finally, Dawn is going to quit being a whiney little brat and start kicking some ass. That is so overdue.
And Finally, Buffy is going to quit mooning about leaving heaven and start living in the world again. Also long over due.
And Finally, I really like Anya. She has become too cool for school.
you think Willow & Xander will hook up?
But the Spike-Anya thing which at first seemed super weird may turn into something I would enjoy watching. Sort of a reprise of the comedy duo of Spike - Harmony, except, Anya has a brain.
I watched Enterprise for the first time since the season opening this week. Not bad.
meanwhile, hope you caught 24 the first time around...
In an odd bit of counter-intuitive programming, the Fox Network has announced it will not be airing reruns of it’s biggest hit of the season, 24.
...
According to Fox officials, their hope is to instill in viewers that 24 is a special mini-series like event.
The second “day” in the show’s storytelling begins next fall.
I believe The Fugitive ran for two seasons...or a season and a half maybe. It was on a couple of seasons ago and never hit it very big with the audience, thought I think that might have been because of the scheduling for it and having it moved back and forth several times in the line-up.
Of the posters here, Frankster was it's biggest fan. He really loved the show and was very disappointed when it was finally canceled.
1)Are You Being Served? The series is still funny after all these years.
2)South Park--My feelings on this series is that it isnt as funny as it used to be. Its time to pull the plug on this show, IMHO.
3)Price Is Right--I always catch the show whenever I have free time on my hands. I prefer the shows when Johnny Olsen on, though.
Many people, I imagine, will deliberately avoid it, but I found it worthy of full attention and more than a few tears.
The music -- mostly Barber's Adagio and excerpts from Copland -- was familiar and traditional, but entirely appropriate to the subject matter.
The whole thing made me feel angry and helpless and frustrated all over again. But I'm not sorry I watched.
I only hope that the ensuing investigation of who was responsible can be competently carried out, and that we promptly thereafter obliterate the national capital of whichever bastard nation is shown to have paid the terrorists' bills.
I didn't get burnt out on visual images of 9/11 the way a lot of people did. On 9/13, we all hit the road to North Carolina for a wedding and didn't get home until ten days later. A little TV in the hotel room of an evening is all we did. We listened to the radio.
The last 30 minutes were self-congratulatory hooha about New York volunteers and the thanks to the rescue workers.
eeeeeeeeee
I suppose drug takers will react in two ways: scoffingly discount the report because Jennings is a liberal leaning Bush basher or ignore it altogether because they were watching the Miss Universe folderol. Russia won and the lovely lady did it in an evening gown that looked like a casually draped sheet after a shower...she is very beautiful but I doubt she knows what NATO is.
I guess there is a third way people might react about the Jennings report: mad as hell but wondering what they can do about it. That's how I feel.
Judith -- I think the allergy drugs have also been over-hyped. I think the key lesson is buyer beware. The consumer has to be responsible for learning & managing illness. And like other things that I should manage better, but don't, I am not that good at it.
Where deos the time go?
Cleveland
It's obviously where the parties go!
(You are using the wrong brackets...you need these < >)
Seriously, I would love to hang out in Cleveland if I could attend a few of your parties. And I could return the favor by inviting you to some of ours...mostly food and drink types though we've been known to dance at a few, too!
This Bud's for you...or is it "Bubba's"
I din know nutin bout no hayte crayhm or nutin so ayh dun din payh no tenshun to dat Christyun idayntuhtay stuff
Shuriff of Jasper Texus
HBO Special Hate.com
Following The Mole will be what ABC describes as a different type of reality show, Boston 24/7 about real people who work in the city...public defenders, paramedics, police, etc.
I will miss the first episode, however, because at the same time on F/X the season finale of The Shield will be running and I wouldn't miss that for anything. Gritty police drama unlike anything else of its ilk on TV today...this series is habit-forming!
Fidel
They're following up Fear Factor with yet another show of same type that I won't watch....
I think its a conspiracy to get people to sign up for premium cable.
War of the Century
Enuf of Steven Ambrose, Tom Brokaw's "Greatest Generation...etc...
The REAL WWII the Great Patriotic War, superbly covered...great footage, Russian archival info, great interviews (even with one Wehrmacht staff officer who signed the Commissar Order).
Don't pass up a view of "The Wire" on HBO, 10 PM Sundays.
Homicide: Life on the Street meets The Black Sopranos.
It's great drama about the verities and conflicts of the human dilemma.
Lance Reddick...may as well give him a boost!
Morons from Outerspace
For TD, what with his mounting concerns over Chicom plans to conquer Mars, this is a must see.
anyone else looking for it this weekend?
I regret to inform you that the privelege of changing thread titles at will is now revoked until further notice. Most of you this will not affect at all so I apologize for the interruption to your thread.
at the time this show ran, (a parody of television soap operas, but one that was also a satire of popular culture and a compilation of all the subjects banned for television), it was the oddest thing. There was no laugh track and the acting and production had a very rough look to it.
In some ways, it was television eating up itself. Mary was a housewife in a factory town, and in between life's problems she worried about waxy build-up and instant coffee crystals.
Her Fernwood had a lot of unglamerous folk, but it also had a sexy Mary Kay Place as Mary's neighbor, Loretta, a hopeful country western singer, as well as Mary's impotent husband Tom, her flasher grandfather, and a lovely curly haired blond police sergeant named Foley.
CBS commissioned the series, but passed on putting it on the air. Norman Lear went to late night syndication on what was then canned "independent" or non-network stations. It lasted for two years.
On looking at it again, the edge is gone, and it instead provides the small pleasure of looking back at what feels like a lost decade, one that celebrated breaking away from the times and mores of the years before it.
Y'all have to help me by telling me which of us is humor-deficient. If this is funny stuff, then I'm way out of touch. Thank goodness we have two receivers.
Maybe it's me, because come to think of it, Mose thought Meet the Parents was a riot and I wondered why they didn't just off Stiller at the beginning of the movie and put all of us out of his misery.
Apted introduces nine couples and will revisit them every two years for ten years. He is the director who gave us the fascinating series called "7 Up" in which he followed children for many years and made films about them every seven years...14 Up, 21 Up, etc. I think he's at 42 Up now.
Otherwise I'm likely to blow a couple of grand on something with lots of bells and whisltes only to later find out that the $300 model is better quality with features I actually need.
Thanks.
Get your DNA checked immediately, arky. You seem to be missing your humor gene.
Granted, Son of the Beach isn't for everyone, but it is good clean fun. Granted, it is mostly humor aimed at 14 year olds, but I love the way the actors take it all in stride and deliver the grossest double entendres with a feeling of innocense. The show spoofs all the T&A (male and female) that other TV fare delivers ad neauseum. The season opener spoofs all the "reality" shows we have been inundated with lately. "Penetration Island" looks to be a dead-on satire of Survivor and its ilk.
I don't know what gave the director the idea these six couples might last 2 years, much less the ten that are planned. Maybe one or two will but there were signs that a few of these folks won't even make their one year anniversary, much less their tenth.
on PBS , where the detective lived in Oxford,England and was named Morse?
Tonite's premier on ABC....
BARF
HOUSTON MEDICAL
Episode #101.
Cameras document the lives of doctors, nurses and patients at the Memorial Hermann Hospital.
Tonight's episode follows the real life story of a woman with brain tumors another whose fingers were choppped off in hay bailer or some damned thing
Next week, a man chokes to death a mess o brisket
Tune in.
Well I know that detective was called Morse
and knew that his first name was never mentioned
and saw that he died recently
but can you tell me the NAME of the show?
Yes I am the Max who did go to Albuquerue
but never learned how to spell its name!
and Sante Fe. and Las Vegas, N.M.
Do you live in New Mexico, granny?
Like this:
Murder in the Quad: An Inspector Morse Mystery
or this:
Inspector Morse: Murder in the Quad
Too bad I missed it; sounds like it was interesteding.
You've picked my favorite show of last season, and the hottest leading man to surface last year. My daughter and I take turns saying "there's my man!". We think he's a total hunk, and she (my daughter) gets a kick out of seeing me get all hot and bothered over him....star struck is what we are! Hahahaha
Erinys
It's probably easier to go after the accountants first because they have a professional code of conduct that provides a basis for prosecution. Unfortunately, both directors and officers of corporations are very hard to prosecute for such actions as those engaged in by Enron. That's partly why only a very few who rode the savings and loan crash of the late 80's were ever caught and prosecuted for ethical and criminal business activities. The protections are high and the standards by which they are judged very vague.
I personally doubt any of the top Enron officers and directors will ever be held accountable
Ms.ivorytower - I still look for a cogent explanation as to why no accounts were sealed December 6, 2001, when the bankruptcy was filed. No assets were seized, giving all of them ample access for transfer, disposal and obfuscation. Enron execs have enjoyed a "pass", sinking multi-millions into the old "primary residence" clause protected by Texas statute.
Remembering John Thaw
British actor John Thaw died on February 21 at age 60, only a few months after going public with his battle against cancer. A former stage star, Thaw acquired an international following as grumpy, opera-loving detective Inspector Morse. The 33 episodes of the series have aired in 200 countries. "John's death will leave a hole in millions of lives," mourned Clive Jones, the chief executive of the British company which produced "Inspector Morse." "He was one of the great actors of his generation...universally the viewers' choice."
Colin Dexter, author of the "Inspector Morse" novels which formed the basis for the series, paid tribute to his friend on British television Friday. "He loved work, he didn't mind how many takes there were, he was a perfectionist, he was a person who was prepared to do anything to make sure that the television was as it should be. That is how I will remember him: giving 100 percent." Thaw leaves his wife, actress Sheila Hancock, and three daughters.
I'm not sure on bankruptcy procedures, but I don't think sealing records and accounts is part of the standard procedure. Furthermore, when the initial filing took place the full extent of the Enron transgressions had not been uncovered. Much as everyone is now in the mood to act first and worry about legal rights later, there are limits on what can be done and when during a bankruptcy, which, by the way is a civil proceeding, not a criminal one.
As to our famous "homestead" rules, yes, they can be easily manipulated because they are based on acreage not monetary value. This allows even multimillionares to obtain homestead exemptions if they meet the basic size and occupancy requirements. What can I say? It's Texas.
Huh? I would guess either 18 or 21. Can't be older than that because one can legally write a will in Texas at age 18, and if you die and have a spouse, they qualify for the exemption.
If you were cancelled because of some age issue, that might involve the elderly tax exemption, which is different than the homestead exemption.
I wonder if I can qualify for the "acting like an age-ed person because of early onset of senility" exemption? ;-)
The Wire Joel, a charismatic 19-year-old Filipino-American from Walnut, California, is among the young adults who come out to their families in the documentary "True Life: I'm Coming Out," premiering on MTV Thursday, June 27 from 10 to 11 p.m. ET. Whether you're 14 or 40, you'll be impressed by the kids featured and the stories told in this film -- produced and directed by Lucia Engstrom.
weird idea for a TV show, but should have lots of drama...
As you might expect, the subjects are plain scared of how their respective families will react to the news that they are gay. "I am the only son in the family, and they have huge expectations for me: a big house, wife, two kids, you know, and I'm not going to have that," Joel says. "I'm not going to have a wife."
Joel has known he was gay for years, but he tried to cover, asking a girl out after rumors started circulating about his sexuality at school. Now sans girlfriend, Joel -- whose bedroom walls are adorned with posters of Brad Pitt -- is ready to be honest with his family.
Judith, I watched quite a bit of that Scorsese documentary. It was very interesting.
Who would have believed it? The Pit Crew defeated the Turbines in the remote controlled car jousting challenge. I never dreamed that piece of junk station wagon would last five minutes!
Sorry if I spoiled it for anyone. The Junkyard Wars Championship just ended, and I the results were pretty cool. It's the only reality show I'd consider for my own lovely face. If you've never seen TLC's Junikyard Wars, you've really missed out. MSNBC has canceled the 5-month old ALAN KEYES IS MAKING SENSE. The final show aired Thursday night, as Keyes refused to move his show from its 10 pm ET slot to afternoons after the network continued to receive low ratings in that timeslot. "It wasn't showing any growth," said a MSNBC spokesperson. Newcomer Ashley Banfield will take over the slot on July 15. Until then, long form documentaries will run.
do you and ripley watch Invader Zim?
"Focuses on a paranoid alien who believes he is at the forefront of a sinister plan of galactic conquest."
I've only seen one episode, but am treated to long sections of dialogue, in character, by Gracie as I drive her to school.
"I must compliment you on your exceptional taste in choosing me as your LOVE PIG!"
"I regret to inform you that the school is allowing you to observe Valentine's Day this year. You may now hand out your meat slabs."
Classroom teacher's name is Miss Bitters....
etc etc.
whoooooo lives inna pineapple under the sea?
SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS!
absorbent and yellow and porous is he....
now, we just have to make sure Daisy doesn't get wind of these shows...they might, er, skew her outlook on life. :-)
One regret I have in my downgrade from DirecTV to Digital Cable (besides not having access to lots of sports games from the sports packages. You name it, I bought it!) is DirecTivo. If you dont know what I am referring to, DirecTivo is the Tivo PVR, but its designed for the DirecTV system. I have to admit: I was spoiled big time with the system. All I did was tell it what to record and it saved the shows on to the machine's hard drive. The drawback? Well....if you dont like spending $9.95-$12.95 for a PVR per month, then youd better pass.
I had to cancel satellite because of the way I was treated by Pegasus. Its funny though: I have about the same channels as satellite (without the sports packages) and I really dont miss it very much.
National Geographic Channel was added to my cable system a week ago. This is one reason why to get cable or satellite. Dish Network was the sole satellite system not to provide NGC. However, they have announced that they will add the channel on July 12th.
The last time I saw a PPV sports package priced big was the 1992 Summer Olympics. Ahhhh..yes....the "Triplecast". I was one of the 32,000 people who bought into the PPV. It was pretty good, if you didnt want any commercials or 'Dick Enberg's Moments'. However, I hated the way NBC did the PPV. I wanted to watch my fave tennis player Arantxa Santchez Vacario play and I did get to watch it: only for 6 minutes. NBC broke away so they could bring me a tennis match with a USA player instead.
Have you caught The Dead Zone? It's a new series on USA, Sunday nights, and stars Anthony Michael Hall (of Sixteen Candles fame). I've watched the last two episodes, which have been really taut and compelling. Hall is also terrific as the lead.
Check it out.
Paraphrase:
Pres tries hard to avoid connection with snide remarks about 375 hourly rate
"Look you can dick around all you like. Its fine by me. Shortly a tidy sum will move from your pocket to mine. Suits me just fine"
"That Lincoln bedroom. So much to live up to isn't it. Lincoln did what he thought was right and damn near lost half the country. You worry so about trade figures and GNP and hell you wouldn't do what you thought was right if you could lose Michigan."
After two hour double session Arken calls a halt
Bartlett: I don't think you realize who you are working for here. You leave when I say you can leave.
Arken:" No. You need assistance. You can use me or no but I tell you one thing. Outside of your family and most intimate personal friends I am the only person on the planet who doesn't give a damn who you are"
A so-so Columbo-esque piece of fluffery but Shaloub makes it worth your time.
He trashed the French, Canada, California, Texas, George Bush, Michael Jackson, Arab terrorists, the Olympics and Oresta, the fat substitute in potato chips.
I caught Monk and was amused by the character he will be playing in the series. I don't think anyone quite like it has been the focus of a program, and clearly the writers are not simply using his phobias soley for the laughs. I hope the series turns out to be good.
Did anyone, by chance, see the british production of The Scarlett Pimpernel on Bravo Sunday night? Really excellent and apparently it will be a series of movies since a new one was advertised for next week. The Pimpernel is played by Richard Grant, who is really a joy to watch. Of course, you have to like period pieces.
If you like Richard E. Grant, catch him in an excellent little movie called Withnail and I, if you haven't already. It is hysterical but serious in places, too...thoroughly enjoyable. It was my first exposure to Grant and such a memorable one...I've never forgotten him.
He is unforgettable (and damn sexy, IMO). I've seen him in other works, although for the life of me I can't remember where. My memory is particularly bad right now for anything not related to the bar.
Heavy Mettle Mom
She plans to allow MTV to film her cancer treatment when shooting begins in L.A. in a few weeks. "People will see me having chemo," she says. "It'll be interesting." Particularly for fellow chemo patients. "We need to get a different vibe going," she says of the treatment facility. "I think I'll bring some music, introduce myself, maybe we can sing some songs and cheer the place up."
As I said, a brave lady.
Tonight on HBO:
Another episode of The Wire at 9pm CST and the premiere of the fifth season of Sex And The City at 8pm CST. NEW YORK (AP) - Rob Lowe plans to leave NBC's "The West Wing" because of a salary dispute, according to published reports Wednesday.
will this hurt or help the show? i don't watch it, but maybe new blood will help
The actor made the decision to leave after finding out that Martin Sheen received a raise that nearly triples his pay to $300,000 an episode, Variety and the New York Post reported, citing anonymous sources.
NBC and Warner Brothers, the show's producer, did not immediately return phone messages left Wednesday by The Associated Press.
Lowe has made about $75,000 an episode since the Emmy-winning series began in 1999. The other supporting players - Allison Janney, Richard Schiff, John Spencer and Bradley Whitford -banded together last year and negotiated a raise to about $70,000 per show in a deal that keeps them on through the seventh season.
The nerve of those executives, huh ?
Did you catch The Scarlett Pimpernel Sunday night? I believe I am in love with Richard Grant.
Next Sunday is another two hour movie. I wonder if the BBC is just producing a new series as two hour movies for this? And I forgot to tape the damn thing for the last two times, so I must remember to do so this week.
Try to watch it, you won't be disappointed.
Are these new episodes? I saw some last year and liked them but they conflict with something we watch on HBO at the same time this year. Maybe it's just me but I can't tape and watch something else at the same time with this digital cable box and we only have the premium channels on one TV.
I've always like Richeard E. Grant...too witty!
I just checked on IMDB and saw that these are episodic movies. The ones I saw over the last two weeks appear to be new chapters. I never even knew about the ones shown before. These new movies take place after Margurette's death.
Grant's wit is in full force as the Pimpernel. Some of his looks alone are priceless.
I think the show is correct in deciding that the center is the president and the rest revolve around him. And they can't afford to lose Sheen, once they make that call. But it's too bad they couldn't have just given Lowe some face-saving money.
Deranged Monkeys Decry Insult
UGANDA (AP) - Reeling from an insult hurled at them today, deranged Monkeys went on the offensive against comparisons to ABC Programming Executives.
"Look, we may hurl our feces at each other, and we may eat the bugs on each others backs, hell, I've even been known to write some annual Reports for ENRON, but this has gone too far. Comparisons to the ABC programmers is slander in the worst sort and we're thinking of suing the Entire Warren family to get our good name back." Said Ot-geet, spokesman for the deranged monkeys.
"It's not about the money, it's about respect for all deranged monkeys out there."
Peter Tork, Davey Jones, and Michael Nesmith were unavailable for comment.
Seattle (AP) – Katy Warren today issued an apologetic retraction of her inflammatory statement comparing ABC Programming Executives to deranged monkeys.
“I don’t know what I was thinking,” Warren shakily admitted in a hastily called news conference, “my comments were incredibly ill-advised, and completely unfair to deranged monkeys. Some of my best friends are deranged monkeys, and I realize now what a towering insult I leveled at them and their families by my thoughtlessness."
Warren went on to praise the deranged monkey community for their clever reinterpretations of Shakespeare's 'Hamlet' and their work on the recent series of 1-800-CALL-ATT commercials starring Carrot Top.
Warren concluded, "I deeply regret any aspersions I may have cast on the deranged monkey community, and would like to clarify that ABC executives are actually more like rabid hyenas, but without the judgment and sense of humor."
Al Sharpton on the Attack Again
New York (AP) - Fresh from his news conference with Michael Jackson, the Rev. Al Sharpton came to the defense of "his brothers, the rabid hyenas".
"Everyone knows Disney has always used Rabid Hyenas as a code word for the African-American. That's why they used Whoopi Goldberg as the voice of them in The Lion King. Now they're trying to blame the ABC Fall Schedule on us. Well, we will not take the blame for this travesty! This is all the fault of that lobotomized coke-head, Michael Eisener."
George W. Bush immediately.....
Fox is cornering the market on teen-pop wannabes, Lifetime has snagged the real Erin Brockovich and ABC is letting The Bachelor invade its family channel--all part of the latest pile of reality programming to hit the small screen.
christ, you know it's bad when Lifetime of all channeles gets into this.
...
Hot off the success of its British star-making import American Idol, [FOX] has picked up the rights to Star Chamber--a sort-of sequel to Idol that features the behind-the-scenes making of a pop star.
Execs for Endemol Entertainment (the folks behind such gems as Big Brother and Fear Factor) describe Star Chamber as "the reality version of Fame," in which viewers are shown what it takes to turn a regular Joe into a star, Variety reports.
Fox is also picking up two other Endemol creations--the relationship series All You Need Is Love and the endurance game show Exhausted. Love is said to be a mix of different relationship shows (like Temptation Island), while Exhausted will feature sleep-deprived contestants competing in various contests.
Over on ABC, execs are finding a new way to grab more attention for its midseason reality hit The Bachelor. Sister channel ABC Family is planning to create a six-part, behind-the-scenes edition of the cheesy series airing August 11-16.
The Job (gone)
Family Guy (gone)
Undeclared (gone, I think, but surely going)
what?????
No, you are a liar.
trying to look forward to (and not get my hopes up about) some new shows such as Joss's Firefly and the comicbook inspired Birds of Prey. that's about it. how depressing. anything catch your eye yet?
bastards.
this is piss off betty day. this is even worse than knowing that wonkers (or anybody for that matter) thinks that Penelope Cruz is hot.
I am devestated.
NEW YORK (AP) - The Fox broadcasting network and Fox News Channel said Wednesday they won't accept advertising for their Sept. 11 coverage marking the one-year anniversary of the terrorist attacks.
The decision is expected to cost the two networks a combined $5 million.
"Maybe it's because I live in Park Slope (Brooklyn), but the more I thought about it, the more I thought it was not the right thing to do to solicit advertising," said Paul Rittenberg, head of sales for Fox News Channel.
Most of Sept. 11 on Fox News Channel will be filled with programming commemorating the events a year earlier. Fox's broadcast network plans a two-hour prime-time special that night.
...
Fox's competitors say they are still seeking both advertisers or sponsors who will underwrite the cost of coverage that day, and suggest Fox is simply giving up early.
"They may say, 'Fox can't find someone to sponsor it,'" Rittenberg said. "Ask them who they're going to find."
None of the networks have publicly announced advertisers or sponsors, although some are privately confident there will be some.
I don't plan on watching it live because I'm a fan of CSI but I'm going to tape it.
Josh Ryan Evans, 20-year old, 3 foot-2 inch actor on NBC's soap PASSIONS, died Monday as a result of an existing heart condition. Ironically, his character, Timmy the living doll, died on the soap on Monday. NBC released a statement saying, "We are deeply saddened by the sudden and tragic loss of Josh Ryan Evans. He was a truly unique talent with a remarkable spirit. He will be sorely missed by his PASSIONS family and by all of us at NBC."
Source: TV Guide
smart or not, Bartlet is unbelievably smug. This is the kind of boss who returns from India with chess sets for his senior staff -- and then insists on beating each of them while lecturing on strategy. He is the kind of social boor who invites a radio columnist to the White House, then tongue-lashes her publicly (making use of his show-off "erudition" all the while). He is the kind of snob who sends his young African-American aide out to buy him a new carving knife, then with mock humility presents the orphaned young man with his own knife in exchange -- cast for the Bartlet family by Paul Revere himself.
Hoying for President 2004
Talk about timing....
I like Monk and have been dutifully watching it on USA. They have been running it several times a week (twice on Friday nights and at least one other timeslot during the week), so I've been able to keep up with all the episodes.
I read that ABC was picking up the series for re-runs of the originals, which remain on USA during the original timeslot. Apparently the trade entails USA only showing the episodes once per week during the period it will run on ABC. It's supposed to be a short term thing.
Btw Judith, if you missed the second series of The Scarlet Pimpernel movies, they are being shown together again on September 1 (or 2, the first Sunday) starting at 1pm on Bravo. I really loved these and highly recommend them if you liked the first series (which I actually bought on DVD).
I think I'm totally hooked.
We've been watching Monk, too and like it a lot...Shaloub is very good at playing a compulsive; wonder if he's had more than a working relationship to that sort of thing? ;-)
Heartfelt Advice, Hefty Fees.
In the last year or so, dozens of celebrities, from Ms. Bacall to Kathleen Turner to Rob Lowe, have been paid hefty fees to appear on television talk shows and morning news programs and to disclose intimate details of ailments that afflict them or people close to them. Often, they mention brand-name drugs without disclosing their financial ties to the medicine's maker
Don't make any wedding plans for The Bachelor star Alex Michel and his handpicked intended, Amanda Marsh -- it appears their made-for-TV romance is kaput.
"I'm sure that ring is going back," Marsh tells the Aug. 17 issue of TV Guide. "I was obviously not a priority of his, so he was not going to be a priority of mine.
"I'm not trusting him."
ABC's highly rated The Bachelor reality show ended last April with Michel refusing to give an engagement ring to Marsh after choosing her over 24 other women.
Instead, Michel asked Marsh to move to Los Angeles so they could get to know each other better and take it from there.
But Marsh, who never did relocate full time to L.A., tells TV Guide that she soon discovered Michel had other things on his mind. For instance, he said he was "too busy" to pick her up at the L.A. airport when she returned from visiting her parents in Kansas.
And that happened more than once.
Marsh also discovered that Michel had showbiz aspirations -- something he had denied soon after the show ended last April.
What she and the other 24 Bachelor contestants didn't know at the time was that Michel had already quit his job in San Francisco.
Although Marsh says she and Michel speak every day, she had no idea that he recently did some voice-over narration for a cable special on "The Bachelor."
"Why wouldn't he tell me that?" she says. "I guess I really don't know him well at all."
When asked if someone can find true love on television, she quickly answered, "No."
Another I caught (on the same channel--the only one we could get) was about a youngish married couple with a baby and she met another mom at some gathering and arranged for them to have dinner with this other couple. The cutest line in it was when the guy's complaining that his wife roped him into this social event he was dreading and he turned and asked his friend/neighbor why he never got into those situations, and he said, "Because I married a woman who's surly and unsociable." That absolutely cracked me up.
Parts of both shows were hilarious when I watched them, but I didn't know if it was because I was so sick or if they were really that funny. After Phoenix informed me that Son of the Beach really is the cutting edge of comedy, I'm guessing it's my skewed perception and neither show will make it. Both were on CBS, btw.
I don't recognize the other one...
I was saving that for later. I figured after so long in the '90s surely no one would sail in and grab it before I could eat supper and piddle around the house for a while.
I was bumped off by storms...they were brutal; twice lightning and thunder went off at the exact same moment and it felt like it was right over the house. I knew this was going to be bad because about an hour before, I started to get a severe sinus headache. Barometric pressure changes will do that to ya'.
And to make this on topic, I saw that once on a TV show.
Hey, Ducky, I thought you went to Europe. Everyone I know around here is over there or else where, except me who should be over there or somewhere but not here right now, if that is clear to you. Nice to read you, thought, where you belong. :)
I have DSL, too, and it hasn't gone out at all...well, maybe once when they installing more lines, for about half a day.
Third Watch
The latest season is all about Julian and Ricky's retirement plan: Freedom 35 -- which, basically, involves processing ass loads of Hash.
The show is an acquired taste, but I think it is fuck'n hilarious.
bubbles: i want my kitty.
ricky: frig off bubbles, you gave me the cat.
bubbles: i didn't say you could keep him, and i don't want him livin' in a fuckin' car.
ricky: bubbles, you got tons of cats let me keep him.
bubbles: he was a loaner. i loaned him to ya.
ricky: well, i need him. look at my weed plants. one of them's dead.
bubbles: i don't give a flyin' fuck. i didn't i...i never said you could keep him.
ricky: what the hell are ya doin' wakin' me up so early?
bubbles: no cat of mine's gonna live in a car.
[julian comes to investigate]
julian: would both of you guys shut up.
bubbles: ricky won'y gimme my kitty. ricky give'im his cat.
ricky: it's my cat now he gave it to me.
julian: i don't care. give him his cat.
ricky: well, see that? ya know why that plant's dead? 'cause a squirrel peed in it. that's why i need the cat. it protects my weed plants.
[julian sips some rum and coke]
ricky: i got four plants left guys. it's all i got left of my life, please let me have one cat to protect my plants.
bubbles: here's what i know ricky. if ya love something, let it go. if it comes back to you, ya own it. if it doesn't, ya don't own it. and if it doesn't, you're an asshole, just like you.
ricky: you guys rollin' there? well guys...i've matured. ya know i'm learnin' a lot more, feelin' pretty smart actually, and i'm not swearin' nearly as much as i used to, only get drunk on weekends now, and i'm growin' dope so...the whole documentary thing for me's been pretty good. tomorrow i get married so...life doesn't get much better than this for ricky. just wish julian would stop actin' like a dick. it's pissin' me off.
[julian lounging on his couch]
answering machine: next message. lucy: hey julian it's lucy. um...sorry to bother you but um...ricky, ya know he has done nothing for the wedding, nothing and it's tomorrow. we don't have a priest, we don't have a place, and i mean um...at the very least we should have some food...there is no food at all. ya know i want it to be nice and everything...i don't know what to do, like if you don't call me back i think i'm just gonna have to cancel the whole...
[julian picks up phone]
julian: lucy...yeah no...lucy calm down alright? i was in the shower...n...i've got everything taken care of...yes...everything's taken care of...alright...alright i promise...okay...bye bye. fuck.
lucy: ya know tomorrow's my big day and i shouldn't have to worry about anything else. julian's gonna take care of it all so now i just have to focus on my stag-ette.
trinity: a man's coming to our place tonight to dance with his bum out.
[lucy and trinity in lucy's livingroom blowing up balloons]
lucy: we're gonna have a few drinks, some special entertainer is gonna come over and dance for us and there's gonna be a little partying. just for the girls y'know what i'm sayin'?
MORE than a million and a quarter viewers took a pass on Week 2 of "The Anna Nicole Show" as ratings fell 25 percent from the show's premiere a week earlier.
Sunday night's episode of Anna Nicole Smith's controversial new reality sitcom scored a 3.02 household rating, according to national Nielsen numbers released yesterday - down from 4.1 on Aug. 4, when the series the premiered to record viewership and scathing reviews.
The numbers translate to 7.6 million viewers for Episode 1 and just under 6.4 million for Episode 2, according to E! Entertainment Television, which is airing the series on Sundays at 10 p.m., with repeats throughout the week.
Smith is the plus-sized former stripper and Playboy model who married an 86-year-old Texas oil billionaire, Howard Marshall, and has been battling with his sons for control of his estate.
On the show's most recent episode, Anna Nicole was seen taking an urn of Marshall's ashes on a "tour" of her new home. She also paid a visit to a Hollywood lingerie store and engaged in a profanity-laden shouting match with her personal assistant.
Despite the drop-off in viewers, E! executives say they're still happy with their new reality show.
And while overall viewership fell week to week, the number of younger viewers actually increased - from a 3.5 rating in the 18-34 age group in Week 1 to a 3.7 in Week 2.
uhhhmmmmmm. Nuts and gum
There's something this representative of the key demographic, along with one Mr. Homer Simpson, would like to see.
Comedy Central has pulled the plug on Win Ben Stein's Money, the sardonic, Emmy winning, brain-teasing show featuring the quizzing antics of the former Ferris Bueller teacher and trusty sidekicks like Jimmy Kimmel.
they keep crap like Beat the Geeks on the air, but take off one of the two quality shows (the steadily declining The Daily Show being the second) they produce? that's a crime.
Network spokesman Steve Albani told the New York Post the reason behind the axing is, well, money and ratings. Or a lack thereof. "Since 1996, Win Ben Stein's Money has played a large role in the success of the network both from a branding and rating standpoint," said Albani. "However, the series has lost momentum over the course of the year and as a result this last batch of original episodes will be the last of the series."
In fact, one source close to the show told the Post that production on the show halted when the ratings for the new episodes were about the same as repeats.Cable channel FX has announced that on midnight September 1 they will air a 24-hour marathon of Fox's critically-acclaimed show 24. The show will end at midnight on September 2. The entire first season will be released on DVD on September 17.
good promotion, imo.
Forsyte Saga
A new 8-hr remake of Forsyte Saga runs this Oct on PBS. According to the current issue of Vanity Fair:
"The production values are peerless, fitting for a story that goes right to the twist in Victorian society -- its sensual materialism and reach for beauty so at odds with stern moral (and legal) accounting...
The music rises to a Brideshead Revisted level of sustained concentration. And the acting. With talent such as Corin Redgrave, Rupert Graves and Amanda Root, family scenes are thickets of quickening virtuosity, eyes and ears missing nothing. Gina McKee (the crippled wife in Notting Hill) steps out of a Pre-Raphaelite painting to play the elusive Irene, a woman who "never belonged to her surroundings." And as the wife of possessive Soames Forsyte, she has pound sterling to play against...
If there is a villain in the story it is Soames. But played by Damian Lewis (Band of Brothers) he is impossible to hate. In this unlovable man we feel the ache of a poet, a poet who has no words. The power he brings to the final minutes of this amazing series is a breakthrough of blossoming -- a masterpiece.
Now, why don't I have my Vanity Fair yet? I couldn't have missed this review in the last one, or could I? I must check now.
Anyway, probably no one cares here, but then no one cares about golf at this site, so I might as well post where I like about this.
And it was on TV after all....
My husband is a golf fanatic...read of his weekend exploits in the Inferno, I think...or the Cafe. 'SURVIVOR 5" contestant Brian Heidik shouldn't be shy about disrobing on camera - since he's worn his birthday suit in porn movies such as "The Virgins of Sherwood Forest" and "The Pleasure Zone."
Court TV's The Smoking Gun has unearthed Heidik's x-rated romps, and has even linked to photos showing Heidik "in action" in movies like "Sinful Obsession" and "Passion Cove 2" (thesmokinggun.com).
...
The Smoking Gun says it's easy to spot Heidik in the movies, since he sports a tattoo of a tiger on his arm - the same tiger tattoo that can be seen in his promotional photos for "Survivor 5."
"CBS was definitely well aware of this," a CBS spokeswoman said yesterday. "Ultimately, it's up to each 'Survivor' contestant as to what they want revealed in their biographies.
This contestant appearing on Big Brother right now is so naive he actually thought there weren't cameras on them in the dark and he was amazed to learn from another contestant that the internet is watching 24/7 on a quad screen. He was shocked, shocked I tell you!
Ducky, have you seen any of that show? I'd be interested in what you think of Roddy. The writer. I get a ping off him, for some reason.
They're hardly as gripping as Buffy. Although the current BB cast has a couple of blood suckers. Ha!
Can't find your significant others' discussion of the championship...
And I see you no longer host this thread...
Well, it wasn't Keoni's take on the championship but his experience over the weekend of hitting someone with an errant ball and it ending up costing him $289.45 for the guy to get stitches. I can't remember where I posted it but Al D assured me Keoni got off cheaply.
Limbacher will discuss the book's explosive revelation that former President Clinton passed up a golden opportunity to extradite Osama bin Laden in 1996 - and Clinton can be heard admitting to this shocking failure on an exclusive audio tape in the possession of NewsMax.com.
Funny, that's what I think when I see the current one on TV mouthing verbs like "crawfished" and "weedle".
I hate the wobbly pop style, ala Whitney Houston or Celine D. on one end, and the boy groups on the other, where each note is punched, rolled around and then passed to the audience, then picked back up again. The two finalists, at least, didn't do as much of that. The others were full of it.
I've been guilty of watching Big Brother, too.
They make out Roddy to be such a devil, but I can't see where his actions or any more scheming than anybody else. Marcellus is crazy, imo.
They certainly portray her as being alcoholic.
I cannot say that I am fond of any of them. The kid from Alabama is cute and kind of sweet and very naive. It's probably not true, but my hunch is that he is a bit of closet case, and this experience is a chance to break out of the world he knew in Alabama. Danielle is quite entertaining, and slickly manipulative. Gosh, she is working hard for that money. Marcellus is one I don't like much, although he amuses me from time to time with his reactions to things. Lisa, the bartender, is a non-entity. I don't have much feel for her. I missed the first few weeks so I missed how they introduced themselves to each other. 
If this series started out with the premise that these women are old friends, this season ends where those still watching it see them that way. We know their tics and follies quite well. With only a cameo by Mr. Big, the stories tipped back to the women.
Last night's side story had Nathan Lane play a well-known caberet singer (think Michael Feinstein playing Liza Minelli) who announces he is marrying a divorced philanthropist. It was a send-up of Minelli's marriage to whom many people assume is a gay man this past year.
Which, if so, would be a repeat of her mother's marriage to her father.
The Sci-Fi Channel's FARSCAPE has been cancelled. The sci-fi series whose production has been pretty much a permanent fixture of FOX Studios in Sydney for the past few years is no longer. Executive Producer David Kemper relayed the sad news Friday in an online chat: "We are two days away from shooting the last scenes of season 4. As you know, Sci Fi has picked us up for 4th and 5th seasons. However, as with everything done at a corporate level, there was an out clause built into Sci Fi's pickup schedule. As of yesterday, we were informed -- after massive efforts by everyone at Henson and working on the show -- most importantly Brian Henson and the 3 gentlemen here that Sci Fi was not going to exercise it's option to pick up the 5th season of Farscape. The rumors that everyone has been calling me about are sadly very sadly true. Tuesday will be the last time Ben dons the uniform of Commander John Crichton". The final 11 episodes of Season 4 will air beginning in January.
The Cartoon Network has bought the cable-TV rights to the 72 half-hour reruns of Fox's SF animated series Futurama, Variety reported. Cartoon will schedule Futurama somewhere in its weekly Adult Swim block, from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. on Sundays, starting in January 2003, the trade paper reported.
A Sunday-night success on the Fox Network since it debuted in March 1999, Futurama has slipped in the ratings in the last year or so, the trade paper reported. Fox hasn't made it official, but the show is unlikely to come back after it burns off its final original 16 or so episodes during the upcoming 2002-'03 season, where it's scheduled on Sundays at 7 p.m., the trade paper added.
Roddy panicked and over-played his hand. He played the game better than anyone up to then. No one put the pieces together as to his methods until about the last week before he left.
I am soooo hooked on that show..call me a lowlife..it's true! They are like a science project.
I hope Amy is bounced out next. I'd hate to see her win...they might as well send the check directly to the liquor store. Any of the otehr three would put it to good use.
They'd better hope they never get old.
Can you tell I'm over 55, fat, and have calluses on my feet? LOL Still have good hair tho...
As for laundry in the sink, heck...don't they wash the sink anyway? There's no difference between dirty dishes and a teeshirt. Ya gotta CLEAN THE SINK!
Rubberducky, I'm sending my daughter the info ref the survivor porn guy..she'll crack up over that!
I have been weaiting eagerly fpr about a year for
Forsythe Sage to be released in th US. I had also decided to try a cruise on one of them there giant hotel ships. I sail from SAn Diego for Hawaii on Otober 6.Geesh.
Friends have promised to tape the first three episodes so I
giess I'll sirvive.
Here's wishing you the best trip to Hawaii! You will not believe the how good that place smells...it is what paradise must have been like.
ALOHA!! Reports say FX has decided not to order any more episodes of Howard Stern's sun 'n' sand sitcom after a raunchy three-season run.
But reports also say Stern and producers are looking for a new taker for their Baywatch parody.
...
The last new episode--the concluding segment of a three-part season finale--will air on the cable network on October 1, according to Daily Variety.
In a twist for the TV biz, the trade paper says ratings are not the reason FX wants to put Beach in dry dock. Indeed, the number of eyeballs watching the well-endowed sitcom has remained steady. An average of 963,000 viewers tuned in to each episode in 2000, compared to an average of 983,000 viewers in 2002.
According to Variety, FX, the Fox-owned cable outlet once best known for airing Beverly Hills, 90210 reruns, wants to rid itself of Beach in order to "move its brand in a different direction."
FX is strutting its stuff after seeing its freshman cop series, The Shield, earn an Emmy nomination for star Michael Chiklis. The network is also developing a new sitcom, Lucky, for non-flabby Sex and the City alum John Corbett.
This weekend had two of the minor gay holidays, Miss America and The Emmys. While not to be confused with the Oscars and Halloween, they merited a look. Although I only watched bits of it, I think MA continues to live on long past its life. The talent was atrocious, including the new MA who sang from Bizet's Carmen. The continued clumsey attempts to add excitement to the evening. Does anybody really care who wins? Wayne Brady wasn't very good, either.
Conan was a decent Emmys host. I fell asleep during the last hour, (and I really didn't care who did win), but it looked like a fun night for the participants. I wish they would ban thanks of lists to names irrelevant to 99% of the viewing audience. Outside of a wife, parent or loved one, who cares about agents, lawyers and publicists?
I taped Sopranos for viewing tonight or tomorrow.
ugh
did you see Buffy last night?
Not picking up one's toys is also not good.
Yes, I saw Buffy. Looks promising. I had a verrrrry bad couple of moments in the last two minutes of the show when it looked like two characters I LOATHE would be coming back. I'm pretty sure that's not the case however.
The new principal is very interesting and Buffy on campus is cool. I'm not so sure I like the idea of a "New Scoobies" forming, but I may just have to get over that.
How 'bout you?
the snappy banter, new location, and the nice set up of the coming season made me like it overall.
who do you loathe and why?
Besides they cooked ass but good and if just anyone can come back then I'm pissed.
Also hate Warren and the Geek-Squad. I understand the joke and can even appreciate it for that, but they bugged me and he's likewise cooked. Skinned and flambe'd to be exact so he's not allowed to come back either.
I'm only slightly less intolerant of the evil Robot from the Army-Boys season(s). That was NOT one of my more favorite plot developments and Riley always bugged me.
I did like seeing The Master, Drusilla and The Mayor, however. I would've loved to have seen Mister Trick but I suppose he didn't make a big enough impression on the series to be brought back for a cameo. Darla would've been fine too but she's more of an Angel baddy than a Buffy baddy so it's no big deal one way or the other.
oh my gawd I know too much about this show.
sick. sick. sick.
see, i've only recently gotten into this show, and mostly because of Ripley. i've seen season one (DVD) and sporadic episodes leading up to the last season, so i only know second hand who these people are.
Ha! Like you, I am the only one in the household who can set our VCR, which gives me great power.
Last night's Sopranos was excellent. I particularly enjoyed the scene where Sal and Christopher visit the hitmen in Rhode Island. There was a lovely surrealness about it.
John, the underboss for Carmine, stole the show. Far from glorifying Mafia life, David Chase shows again and again how nuts these people are. They are like a dog that has the potential to be crazed.
The tie back to Tony and Carmela was interesting, too, as well as her attraction for the pony-tailed guy.
Monday
CSI: Miami
Tuesday
The Guardian
Wednesday
West Wing
Thursday
CSI
Without A Trace
Friday
The Dead Zone
Monk
Saturday
Nothing
Sunday
Alias
This is the first time in decades that I would watch something on TV almost every night of the week.
I have a similar schedule, at least on Sunday (add Sex and the City, when I can catch it), Monday, Wednesday and Thursday. The two CSI shows are the ones I really enjoy, and Alias is fun. I cannot abide any of the "reality" shows and am amazed at my brother's devotion to Survivor. That could just be my own inability to sit still for more than a few minutes, but my tv habits have always been suspect. My mother tells me I never watched much tv as a child other than the Bugs Bunny/Roadrunner hour, which I credit for my enjoyment of opera. I did like some tv commercials, she says. And I have fond teenage memories of Creature Double-Feature. Otherwise, the only thing I miss is The Simpsons, which was the best written show on tv for years. I can't even claim to have the patience for most of the Discovery/PBS/History Channel stuff, except for the occasional paleontology show.
I agree on the two CSI shows; the best on TV this year. I was devoted to Survivor for several of the contests, but this year the people are uninteresting to me. I think I'm past the age where watching whining 20 somethings is in the least bit entertaining anymore.
Have you watched The Guardian? I became engrossed in the show early last year, and now I'm quite attached to it. The most interesting character is the lead's father, played by Dabney Coleman. At the beginning of last season he came across as cold, distant and a complete dickhead. Gradually over the year, however, his character was revealed as quite the opposite, and this year continues the unveiling of his true self. Anyway, the show is interesting, and provides some of the best eye candy in the form of the lead (Simon Baker) on TV.
Sorry to say, I never did get into the Simpsons.
...I don't know how they're going to top last year's run ?
Is it too late to get into "Alias". I didn't see it last year, so will I be out of the loop ?
Can't wait for "24"!
My partner continues to watch Amazing Race and I sort of zone in and out while reading. I realized that that show gets me stressed. The best part is seeing the international settings.
Makes me wonder if he only came on the show to get a free trip to Thailand. Not a bad idea, really, come on the show, act like an ass, get voted off and let the show pay for your 8 week stay in an exotic locale.
Of course, flying down a bungee chord off of a cliff or gulping down bugs in an Asian eatery quickly remind me that, no, I wouldn't want to do that.
I guess it should come as now surpise, but HBO is running a thriller about a reporter (Michael Keaton) who, according to what I could make out from the ultra fast trailer, is out interview Saddam when he gets caught behind the bomb line in GWI.
From what I could tell Bush will not appreciate the message but the plot is wholly secondary to The Plot which is this made for cable flick wouldn't have been possible without the Great War Frenzy 2002.
I can't see them making any episodes of the type they did in season two, though--it does seem to be more about car crashes, shoot outs, and big dangerous fires now. Pretty soon every character will have clung-to-life-by-a-thread at least once.
Still a great show, though.
Who knows, if enough people get hooked, maybe Molly Price will finally get that well-deserved Emmy nomination.
I thought this week's show was very well done and once again, showcased so well in the side story lines the main thrust of the subject...how man relates to woman. In the case of Boscoe, very superfically and through his own ego; in Fred's case, as an equal and with admiration and love and total trust; and with Sully, in a confusing and heartbreaking mixture of both...realizing too late what he had and realizing also that his own ego had prevented the trust of love. 
Tony finally did it. He keeps knocking off the baddest guys in his world. He didn't mean to do it. He's trying to be a good family man. He loves animals, for gosh sakes.
Maybe it was the love of animals that set him off. Maybe it was because Ralphie, who figured out that Tony had stolen his girlfriend, decided to get back at Tony by having an arsonist burn down the barn, thus leading to the death of their race horce that Tony loved and admired.
R got a fairly undramatic death. He and T rolled around. T did it with his own hands.
The clean-up, on the other hand, didn't go so easily. It's more understandable why Christopher uses drugs. It's probably easier in the long run to chop up dead bodies when you have drugs to obliterate your mind when you are by yourself.
Anyway, Ralphie, the guy who bitch slapped the poor stripper last season, is not longer around. His torso was sunk in a river or ocean, his head and hands are in a landfill.
I know the Mote is not overflowing with watchers of television but it is ludricrous to think NO ONE is watching the tube.
Surely someone out there, besides Glendajean, Jex, and yours truly is glancing at the television screen once in awhile.
ABC's Extreme Makeover
Three people, Stacey, Stephanie and Luke, were chosen from among thousands of applicants across the country to have their dreams come true — to change their looks in an effort to lead better lives. Through the skills of a group of doctors, a plastic surgeon, an eye surgeon and a cosmetic dentist, along with a dream team of hair and makeup artists, stylists and personal trainers, Extreme Makeover will transform this trio's lives and ultimately redirect their destinies.
An attitude adjustment might work better in an effort to "lead better lives".
Especially for his Trent Lott imitation. 
Does anyone else ever watch TechTV? I know it's owned by a former Microsoft devil, but it has some fairly fun shows, and frankly, any show that has a co-host with the balls to wear a kilt regularly (that would be Patrick, third from the left, brown kilt) is fine by me. 
I like her attitude.
Look closely and you might spot Cellar at the memorial.
That's where I got these pics of --
Alan Raymond
John Cameron Mitchell
Bill Loud
Kevin Loud
and
Danny Fields
A new version of "Candid Camera," which appears on the Pax network, was responsible for injuring Mr. Zelnick at an airport in Bullhead City, Ariz., in the summer of 2001.
Mr. Zelnick, 35, a personal fitness trainer from Palm Springs, Calif., said he felt coerced into lying on the conveyor belt.
"My first reaction was that it had to be a joke," he said. "I asked if it was `Candid Camera.' "
Peter Funt, the show's host, was wearing the uniform of an airport security guard. He assured Mr. Zelnick that the request was serious.
"You can't joke about these things in an airport," said Mr. Funt, whose father, Allen Funt, created the original show.
Mr. Funt did not let Mr. Zelnick in on the joke until he emerged bruised, bloody and screaming in pain.
and this:
Ms. Mouser, a 29-year-old saleswoman, said she suffered severe pain and lasting injury after being hung for 40 minutes with her back bent unnaturally in a harness.
She and another woman were competing for $100,000 in the final event of the pilot, held at an Indian reservation. The woman who lasted longest was to win the money.
The show added an element of emotional tension, too. Mr. Russell, a 33-year-old film director, held the line that kept Ms. Mouser suspended, making him responsible for her agony.
When she was eventually lowered, screaming, she was injected with morphine, placed on a backboard and driven to a hospital more than an hour away.
Just like the video game "Grand Theft Auto" came up at lunch today and one fellow was explaining how you got points by beating people up in their cars and stealing the cars. If you lost energy you could get it back by doing a hooker in a car and got bonus points if you then ran her over or beat her to death. I'm sorry, but not only is that not my idea of fun, but I'm sure it delivers a message in some way to children that stealing, beating people, indiscriminate sex and killing women is ok. If not, at the very least it raises their tolerance of violence to an unhealthy degree. Not surprisingly, it's one of the top selling games.
They sign up for shows like Jackass.
My fear is that, by inuring large portions of the population to violence in virtual reality, we will increase the incidence of violence in reality.
Kids are learning very poor conflict resolution skills with these games and there will eventually be a price to pay for that.
While I dont believe that any kid or adult for that matter can be trained to kill via exposure to a video game, there is the possibility of developing a lack of regard/understanding of the consequences of what happens when you pull a trigger on someone or something.
I'm sure there are a lot here that spent thier youth, as I did, hunting with the family shotgun or .22, yet for the most part, have never felt the need to go out and murder people.
Possibly not but the military uses them to train people to do so...we know a Special Forces guy and he said they used violent games to train on.
I still think exposure to violence in games, over and over, can't help but warp a kid's early learning. In impulse control alone, it has to make a difference.
Not to mention the fact that the hours spent in front of the tv/video game are hours not spent playing with and interacting with others including things like the conflict resolution skills you mentioned. (Not to mention things like creative play which seem to be completely off the radar screen.)
We make sure they have a mix of everything, and it does work. I totally agree with the importance of creative play and interaction. My daughter appreciates her video game time, and also manages to produce a seemingly unending stream of cards, pictures and mini-story books from her bedroom. Thank you Crayola.
A Monty Pythonesque, tongue-in-chunnel look at the Great Monarch on the History Channel tells the story of the Henry using modern TV film for props...
Recounting the Treaty of the Field of the Cloth of Gold, he takes the Chunnel train to Calais...
"The treaty was signed near the entrance to the Chunnel. The French, thrilled to put their troubles with Henry behind them, erected a statue of him about here. But unlike us, having a sense of history, they erected a larger statue of Francis over there."
To illustrate the population differences, he cuts a wheel of brie!
24/01/2003 - 10:55:35 am
The Office has received rave reviews from critics after its first airing on US television.
The comedy won instant comparisons with 'Britcom' classic Fawlty Towers, following its debut on the BBC America cable channel on Thursday night.
The San Francisco Chronicle called it "comedy gold" and "the funniest thing you are likely to see all year".
Its critic Tim Goodman added: "If you think that statement is a bit outlandish, try this: It's also funnier than anything you saw last year."
But he warned against remaking the show in an American context, an idea already being considered.
--------------------------------------------------
I hope some of you get to see this show, its really as good as the review says.
America's Reality-TV Addiction
Reality TV is hooking an über-demographic beyond Madison Avenue's wildest dreams: It includes both NPR listeners and NRA members, Prada PhDs and Blatz-swillers in Wranglers, greeters at Wal-Mart and professionals who can decipher Alan Greenspan-speak. This wide viewer pool -- and the endless post-show analysis that goes on at dinner parties, in green rooms, at the office (Will Joe Millionaire really dupe his paramours into believing he's a rich guy living in a $1.7 million dollar spread? Did Trista on Bachelorette lie about her age?) -- is vaulting the shows into Nielsen-record territory. Last month, Fox's American Idol posted the highest ratings of any show besides sports in the network's history. In essence, this may as well be network crack: Reality TV is fast, cheap, and totally addictive.
It seems to be getting uncool to say this, but I must be missing a voyeur gene, as I have only managed to get through part of one episode of the original Survivor. I just don't understand the appeal of "reality tv". I'll think I'll stick with Alias and CSI.
As is generally the case, I expect, with those who were raised hunting with their Dad.
Wabbit, I agree with you. If I'm going to watch TV, I'd much prefer an escape to some conjured up "reality". If that's reality, then Picasso made his name doing portraits.
However, I will watch a couple of those, too. ;-)
The New Yorker is on to something. NPR had a segment on Talk of the Nation yesterday afternoon about Reality TV (link is to a Real Audio file). If you could come up with your own reality tv show, what would it be?
Actually, I'd like to give people a set amount of money and have them shop all over the world for tasteful gifts to give people back home. Oh wait...that's what vacations are for!
How about this for a Survivor show..."Survivor Felon". Round up twenty or so people like Lyle Montgomery, drop them off on a very remote island somewhere near Antartica with a quart of water, a pack of matches and a dull knife, and see who survives for a month or so. There could even be a partner show, "Who Cares Who Survives?"!
That little boy is adorable...what an asshat Lyle is!
God knows, I'd do anything to avoid that fate and that is just about the only scenario I can imagine. Because the girl dresses like a skank. Or rather, a skankista.
My husband plays some gory online game, I think it is Unreal Tournament? When he gets killed, a little red blot shows on the floor, and the game insults him and tells him he was killed by Alarik or whoever. And then he gets back up and starts shooting. I hate it that my son watches this. I don't think he understands, despite my lectures, and I'm sure they're that, lectures.
Cellar, thanks for the link on Tivo gaydar, I enjoyed it.
Macnas, I will have to look for The Office, I liked your send-up.
Actually, I wouldn't mind meeting Joan Rivers. She's damned funny at times. I have all sorts of questions for that lady. Sign me up for "You Get Joan".
I came in at the middle of this movie, the description said something about 3 women try to find love and stability in New Jersey. I almost turned it off because of Juliette Lewis, I can't stand that woman's cheekbones married to those lips & chin. But anyhoo.
imdb says "Two New Jersey girls search for love and meaning", I can only surmise the wonderful Gena Rowlands doesn't count cuz she's got some miles on her. I bet a man runs imdb, same man that makes grocery shopping aisles not equal to '2x plus leeway' for maneuvering a shopping cart. But anyhoo.
This is a downer of a movie even for me. Husband and I argue about movies like this whenever the opportunity arises, he wants life to imitate art but I think art imitates life. So is he a pessimist, or am I? He loathed Sweet Hereafter because lawyers do that, they chase ambulances, and I suppose in his pretty world there wouldn't be any lawyers at all. But anyhoo.
The last scene is the only saving grace of this movie:
Debby is dancing, dancing, a song comes on the jukebox in this dive bar that she frequents, it's time to dance. She makes an ass of herself dancing and trying to grab onto this guy she fancies. She gets a glimmer of self-esteem and asks to be treated right. Total humiliation ensues. She asks Bobby the bartender, "What's wrong with me?"
Bobby considers, "Maybe you don't see things too clearly."
I cried. But anyhoo.
I thought the show ended differently, however, with the two girls sitting out front of the house watching Julliette's daughter dance to Girls Just Want To Have Fun and spraying everyone with the water hose. But the scene you described was very, very touching and was certainly the point of the entire film.
Loved, loved the scene where Gena Rowlands got the call that her guy had heart attack, very well done, the ditzoid daughter Uma standing around not knowing who to hug and Gena so pissed off at fate, unapproachable.
And I must say, I have gotten into Trading Spaces since we signed up for cable, and it was a while back, but those bozos stapling flowers all over the bathroom should be stopped. I haven't read back so I don't know if this has been discussed, but I cracked up the other day when my friend's 10-yr-old objected loudly to that episode.
Yeah, I'd want to dust that. Not.
And Doug's Train Room...but I agree, Hildi should have been institutionalized over that flower bathroom. The thought of all those staples rusting is enough; the dusty silk flowers is just icing on the insane cake.
6868. Trouble - 2/10/03 11:00:29 AM
...........In the news,
Benjamin Curtis, the 22-year old actor who portrays the Dell Guy in those bothersome computer commercials, was arrested late last night (2/9) on a marijuana possession charge, The Smoking Gun has learned. According to cops, Curtis was holding a "small bag of marijuana" when he was popped on Manhattan's Lower East Side (at Ludlow and Rivington for you Gothamites). Curtis is currently being held in Central Booking and is scheduled to be arraigned later today in Manhattan Criminal Court. Curtis, who lives in lower Manhattan, was charged with criminal possession of marijuana, a misdemeanor. Bonnie Shumofsky, the actor's agent, said...
and
6870. Trouble - 2/11/03 10:51:08 AM
Just days after he made headlines for not getting on the air sooner when the space shuttle Columbia broke apart, Brown's online biography at CNN.com was updated to note that "he helped anchor and lead the reporting effort on the coverage."
Trouble is, Brown wasn't on the air until 36 hours after the disaster, while the other network news anchors all made it on the air much sooner. As the various stories go, Brown, playing golf the day of the disaster, either didn't want to come in or couldn't.
But by late yesterday — and after a call from The News — Brown's online bio was updated to read that he worked "the aftermath of the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster."
"We changed it to better reflect the time that Aaron was on the air," a CNN spokeswoman said yesterday.
Richard Huff
The premise is that the Office is one of those fly-on-the-wall documetaries that are all the rage now. Hence the low tones and shaky camera work. However, If you don't find it funny, all that means squat.
I suppose that some humour just does'nt travel well.
I'm glad, both that you found it funny and that some of it was so familiar. That I think, was one of the main reasons why it was so popular here. Anyone who has worked in a similar environment as that portrayed in The Office will squirm when they see some of the all too familiar bullshit that they themselves have sat through and participated in.
I'm seriously considering buying the DVD edition of the Civil War documentary that was ran here only last year, by yer man whats his name, Ken something or other. But I have'nt been able to find it in the right format yet.
I'll try to catch the show some more. I don't watch much tv, but I think if I see it more I'll get used to the low voices and I'll probably understand it better, and if not I'll use the close-caption option if I have it.
Two minutes stating that in the beginning and sending us home almost half an hour earlier would have been a much more productive way to spend time. If that's how these people do it when they're in the classroom, no wonder our math scores are in the toilet.
I watched a tape of the weekly Cirque de Soleil reality show from Bravo, where they describe how they build a new show.
Does anyone really like David Caruso? Can he act? imo, he is the weakest part of the show. One of the strengths of the original CSI (and of Law and Order, I think) is that we know so little about the individual characters; the show stays focused on the work, leaving the personal info to be parceled out in dribs and drabs. CSI Miami is too-much-Caruso, too-much-of-the-time.
Do you ever watch the L&O series Criminal Intent with Vincent D'Onofrio? Now THAT is an excellent show with a lead character who is fascinating, to say the least.
I read recently somewhere that Kim Delaney (sp? -- chick who used to be on NYPD as Smits girlfriend) left CSI Miami over differences with Caruso.
BBC America has a British series about a police team that takes over cold cases. I watched an episode this weekend. It was interesting.
I've never seen L&O CI, when is it on?
I'll remind you when it's due back on...it's my fave of all the L&O franchise.
arkymalarky 3172, "But he'll lose that style that's made him so much money."
I am dying here.... I can't believe that came out of your keyboard. I am snorking up the exclamation key, that is too funny.
glendajean, I have watched teasers about that Cirque de Soleil reality show. I adore that troupe. But I keep missing the shows. Did you watch? Was it better not to know the magician's hand? They are timeless performers, I don't know that reality about them is what I'd want to see, anyway. I don't want the magic to wane.
So, a friend called me and started talking about The Bachelorette finale. I started watching it, to my husband's disgust, and my own as well. Then I got pissed she picked Charlie over Ryan. So I guess it was well done, in that I had an opinion at all. I have not watched much reality TV.
Oh, and what is that nasty commercial about Bob and the viagra wanna-be where Bob smiles the fake smile and leaves his swim shorts in the pool where they are all dressed up in pseudo barbeque pool party 50s-60s outfits? I started laughing hysterically and husband threw his socks at the TV.
What an earth-shattering mistake. Not really, but as I got sucked into the finale, I felt like I had a bet riding that I couldn't afford to miss.
Husband was so skeptical of it all - 'this is reality TV' he asked? They get driven on limos to dates and followed around by video cameras, and have to ASK to be alone, and rher are rose-petaled avenues to their decisions?
Well, I should be so lucky. It was someone's reality.
We have the good luck to have a phone number that is identical (except, of course, for the toll-free prefix) of one of the phone numbers viewers call to vote for contestants. At about 8:45 every Tuesday, morons (I assume local morons, who didn't dial the prefix) call and call until I get fed up (it doesn't take long) and take the phone off the hook.
Whaddya think? Should I sue the bastards?
Wasn't that interesting? I think he survived the surgery but with the impairment shown in the scenes with David trying to teach him to speak. His mind is still working but motor skills are not...so what we are seeing are his dreams.
This is all my opinion only...I'm basing this on the fact Nate is very un-Nate like in what we've seen so far. This could be explained by the fact he survived a terrible surgery with everything intact except his personality but it could also be him dreaming/imagining everything going on.
"Hello, this is Simon Cowell on behalf of OhioSTOPAS. If you don't stop trying to vote for your American Idol selection here, I'll go on live TV and mock you mercilessly. Now, go away, and try to dial the RIGHT number this time, you idiot."
I need a message to stop those spam messages I'm getting on my answering machine. I'm sure they're recordings, though.
if you have other desires wrt the thread, please address the moderators in the Suggestions thread. thanks.
I cannot recall cynicism like this before rubberducky?
What happened?
People get busy in RL and don't have time for all the things they used to do. Simple as that, probably.
Ducks was a great host and was appreciated; it's not his fault that many here don't watch TV or if they do, don't talk about it all that much.
I was mostly joking. but, i haven't been around much mostly due to work reasons.
and J@H is right, i was making a little bit of fun of RoseyTinTinTrouble
the only tv i really watch is Buffy, Enterprise, and the FOX animated shows on Sunday night. which, really isn't all that exciting. rolling the 2 threads together will probably help traffic to the topics.
Is it any good? a mate said it was more in line with the drama orientated science fiction of the original, but then he is a trekophile, and gobbles up anything to do with it.
How come I've got time for the internet?
Well, I can't watch TV at work.
(can you tell I'm on a salary these days?)
Good to see your name in print, anyway.
aC: thanks, nice to have a minute. salary does suck, but it beats having to plead for OT to afford things... i'm sure i wouldn't know what shows you watch. i'm only somewhat familiar with a couple of Brit shows: Are You Being Served, Queer As Folk & Absolutely Fabulous. ever watch those?
Are you preparing to mourn the Series Finale of Buffy this month? You know it's going away, right?
My roommate is working background on Angel today--- the only other show I watch. I'm disappointed that Buffy is ending, but glad that I'll be cutting my TV watching in half. Once Angel goes I'll be TV-free entirely.
however, we've gotten all of the DVD seasons thus far, so i'm getting caught up.
as for Angel, i'm watching now for Faith and then Willow, but i don't follow it all that much. may start picking up the DVDs after Buffy is done.
a Faith spin-off would've rocked, but that's not gonna happen now, dangnabbit
Willow's going to show up on Angel? That would be very cool. I wonder how they put that through the networks. She's engaged to marry Alexis Denisoff (Wesley) and since the expansion of his character maybe he's got some pull there. I noticed that they both have special billing now on their respective shows.
Well, Faith certainly has the darkness of nature to accept the demon-side of the Slayer that Buffy rejected. Wonder how they're going to play that, though? Will Buffy decide to retire because she'll feel she's failed? Hard to sell that when the series up to now has valued purity of purpose and making the choice for light and right even when it's hard.
On the other hand, rejecting her own darkness has been a big issue for Buffy. Not because she necessarily thinks any hint of evil is unacceptable -- look who she keeps closest to her -- but she finds it unacceptable in herself and that's a pride issue. I can see how it would conform to the series philosophy for Buffy to fail or resign because her own pride got in the way of doing her job.
Tough call. I'm fully confident that whatever they do I'll be fine with. That's an incredible rarity. I told you I got to see a panel discussion with Joss Whedon and Marti Noxon and most of the cast of Buffy sans SMG herself? Very, very cool. The cast is representative of much of their audience. I think I've said this before that it was strange hearing them talk because we couldn't remember if they first appealed to us because they spoke like us or if maybe we'd adopted their speech patterns. Either way it was satisfying to find such an affinity.
Is it time to RIP this thread and move some posts for continuity of this discussion or do we want to play it out here and move later?
Your call either way. I'm going to post in Suggestions about the merger and I'll put an RIP tag up here but leave it running for a few days.
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