I watch too much TV. Actually, I listen to it in the background more than I watch. If I decide to like a series, it’s cancelled immediately. Helps me to not watch more than I already do. Here are some TV musings:
Shows on “regular” pay TV:
My Name Is Earl. I just love this program. All of it. Every character. Chasquido. Snap.
CBS Sunday Morning. I had a serious ‘crush’ on Charles Kuralt. Charles Osgood is not bad, either. I just wish they would spend WAY more time on the closing segment.
Keith Olberman Countdown. News. A real jounalist, with a sense of righteous indignation, and humor. And he loves baseball.
Amy Goodman Democracy Now. News. A real journalist, with a sense of righteous indignation. She is on Access television here in Tucson.
PBS. All of it. All the time. This is our public broadcast channel. Smart, thoughtful.
Myth Busters. Discovery Channel http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MythBusters
Good Eats. Alton Brown, The Food Channel. Funny, scientific, yummy. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_Eats http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alton_Brown
Heroes. Save the Cheerleader, save the World
Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations. He eats “nasty bits” of animals from every corner of the globe, drinks to excess, smokes, and I love his show. http://www.anthonybourdain.com/
Jon Stewart, The Daily Show My girlfriend says he looks just like her second husband. She has only been married once. He is brilliant. How does he do it. He is too smart, and witty, and gracious, and then throw in funny…
Shows on “pay through the nose, and add an arm and a leg” TV, (HBO):
Deadwood. Calamity Jane’s character added a colorful word to our household vocabulary. When it was time for this program to come on, my husband and I would turn to one another and say “C–k-Su–r!”, and run to turn on the show. We are easily entertained. We felt that this program did a great, albeit, disturbing job at likely authenticity. If I had to live like that, in a wool suit, I would shoot people, too. And curse. And drink whiskey. And then shoot some more.
Sopranos. I started watching this because of my Jersey ‘roots’. I actually found it authentic, to a point. The opening credits music does the “goose bumps” thing to me. http://www.alabama3.co.uk/ The “Drive Safely” oil storage tank was located down the highway from where I lived. I drove those roads as a teenager. I was Exit 12 on the Turnpike. The “water” you see is not water. The church is immense, and doesn’t show how big, in the credits. The tunnel was creepy to drive through going to NY or leaving. Didn’t matter. http://www.sopranosuessightings.com/openingcredits.htm Great beginning, great show, terrible ending. I got it, but didn’t like it.
6 Feet Under. I didn’t want to like this series. But I kept returning to it. And I think it had the world’s best tie-it-all-together ending ever created in the history of TV.
I have been watching John from Cincinnati. I am liking it, a bunch. Same writer as Deadwood. Milch. They said c–ks–k-r in the last episode, and my husband and I just roared laughing, and poking each others arm…like Beevis and Butthead. Hope it stays a good show.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_from_Cincinnati
Update on John From Cincinnati: 7.6.07, I am totally hooked. “I don’ t know, Butchie, instead.”
8.1.07 , My husband said, “I want Sunday to hurry up and get here. I have to know what’s going to happen next.”
Specials: George Carlin, any time
TV I used to love , but they cancelled it:
Pee Wee’s Playhouse http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pee_Wee%27s_Playhouse
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Reubens
Max Headroom http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Headroom_%28character%29
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Talking_Headroom_Show