While many of my friends went wild over Buffy The Vampire Slayer,
I was largely out of step. That range of horror/monster movies
doesn't do anything for me, and the tv shows don't do much either.
I'd seen the movie, Buffy The Vampire
Slayer, which was okay but not enticing enough to check out the
tv show. So I waited until the DVDs were out, and have been watching
them in sequence, with commentaries and extras. This is the way to
go.
I'm currently in the middle of the fourth season. Various of my
friends, especially the rabid Buffy fans, kindly did not spoil any of
the plot and character development, so I won't either. I'll just say
that the best episodes were in the second and third season. If you
want to find out what the excitement is all about but don't want to
watch seven seasons worth of CDs, start with the second disc of the
second season and go through to the end of the third. I may change
my mind after seeing the rest of the shows, but for the moment I'll
stick with this recommendation.
The Munsters was a pop
culture tv show airing 1964-1966, in a country still reeling from the
dumbed-down-media effects of the McCarthy Era; in that
scared-of-telling-real-stories time when tv execs didn't understand
the technical sophistication of a post-Sputnik America and turned
down Star Trek to air Lost In Space. In the genre, it's generally
considered secondary to The Addams Family, and I agree. Still, it
was fun (if you're nine), visually gothic and full of broad humor. I
remember the show fondly. It had everything a kid could ask for:
Monsters, a loving family, weird relatives, a school that didn't
understand the kids and strange neighbors.
As may be apparent, I'm not as much of a Buffy fan as some. I can
see why people like it, but it doesn't appeal to me... and I didn't
like High School either. In searching around for a analogies, I
realized that Buffy wasn't The X-Files with teenage angst (though I'm
not a big fan of The X-Files either), it's The Munsters with better
dialog and worse lighting. For myself, I came up with the following
chart. My Buffy friends looked askance at the comparisons, but I
offer them here.
Buffy (through three and a half
seasons) vs. Munsters (complete two seasons)
Michael Moore: An Awesome First Night for "Sicko" (michaelmoore.com)
There's a moment in "Sicko" when the former British MP, Tony Benn, says, "If we have the money to kill people (with war), we've got the money to help people." That line always gets the loudest applause in the theater. It is estimated that, before Bush's War is over, we will have spent two trillion dollars on it. Let me say this: I NEVER want to hear again from ANY politician that we "don't have the money" to fix our schools, to take care of the poor, to provide health care for every American. Clearly, the money IS there when we want to illegally invade another country and then prolong a disastrous occupation.
America's real first family (advocate.com)
This July, the lovable yellow clan hits the big screen in The Simpsons Movie. Will Doig looks at how the cartoon has led the way for our acceptance in American culture-and taught us tolerance in the process.
CBS opens the night with a RERUN'Old Christine', followed by another RERUN'Old Christine', then a RERUN'2½ Men', followed by a RERUN'How I Met Your Mother', then a RERUN'CSI: The 2nd One'.
On a RERUNDave (from 5/17/07) are Kid Scientists, Luke Wilson, Rufus Wainwright, and a Top Ten List presented by Homer Simpson.
Scheduled on a FRESHCraig are Sinead O'Connor and Dr. Kevin Fitzgerald.
NBC begins the night with a FRESH'Real Wedding Crashers', followed by a FRESH'Age Of Love', then 'Dateline'.
On a RERUNLeno (from 4/27/07) are Conan O'Brien, Venus Ramey, and Kings of Leon.
On a RERUNConan (from 4/30/07) are Dana Carvey, Jasper Redd, and Arctic Monkeys.
On a RERUNCarson Daly (from 4/26/07) are The cast of Human Giant and Aaron Lewis.
ABC starts the night with a RERUN'Wife Swap', followed by a FRESH'Extreme Makeover', then a RERUN'Supernanny'.
On a RERUNJimmy Kimmel (from 5/23/07) are Ashley Judd, Matthew Bomer, and the Bravery.
The CW offers a RERUN'Everybody Hates Chris', followed by a RERUN'All Of Us', then a RERUN'Girlfriends', followed by a RERUN'The Game'.
Faux has a RERUN'Hell's Kitchen', followed by a FRESH'Hell's Kitchen'.
MY fills the night with a FRESH'IFL Battleground'.
A&E has 'CSI: The 2nd One', another 'CSI; The 2nd One', 'The Sopranos', and more 'The Sopranos'.
AMC offers the movie 'Batman', followed by the movie 'The Quick And The Dead', then the movie 'Guns For San Sebastian'.
BBC -
[12:00 PM] Daily Cooks! - Episode 21;
[12:30 PM] Rick Stein's Food Heroes - Episode 11;
[1:00 PM] The Naked Chef - Ep 6 Picnic on the Pier;
[1:30 PM] Masterchef Goes Large - Episode 6;
[2:00 PM] The Weakest Link - Episode 3;
[3:00 PM] How Clean Is Your House? - Episode 3;
[3:30 PM] How Clean Is Your House? - Episode 4;
[4:00 PM] Changing Rooms - Ep. 8 Stoke Newington;
[4:30 PM] Changing Rooms - Ep. 9 Inverness;
[5:00 PM] Whose Line Is It Anyway? - Episode 2;
[5:30 PM] Whose Line Is It Anyway? - Episode 3;
[6:00 PM My Family - Ep. 13 Breakable;
[6:30 PM] My Family - Ep. 1 Absent Vixen;
[7:00 PM] BBC World News - BBC World News;
[7:30 PM] How Clean Is Your House? - Episode 14;
[8:00 PM] Murphy's Law - Kiss and Tell;
[10:00 PM] Hollyoaks - Episode 20;
[10:30 PM] Hollyoaks - Episode 21;
[11:00 PM] Murphy's Law - Kiss and Tell;
[1:00 AM] Hollyoaks - Episode 20;
[1:30 AM] Hollyoaks - Episode 21;
[2:00 AM] The Weakest Link - Episode 4;
[3:00 AM] Changing Rooms - Ep. 8 Stoke Newington;
[3:30 AM] Changing Rooms - Ep. 9 Inverness;
[4:00 AM] Bargain Hunt - Ep. 5 Newark;
[4:30 AM] Bargain Hunt - Ep. 6 Malvern;
[5:00 AM] Cash in the Attic - Ep. 14 Davies;
[5:30 AM] Cash in the Attic - Ep. 15 Mitchell;
[6:00 AM] BBC World News - BBC World News. (ALL TIMES EDT)
Bravo has 'Inside The Actors Studio', 'Top Chef', 'Hey Paula', another 'Hey Paula', and 'Last Comic Standing'.
Comedy Central has 'Scrubs', another 'Scrubs', an old 'Jon Stewart', an old 'Colbert Report', 'Mind Of Mencia', 'South Park', 'Scrubs', and another 'Scrubs'.
On a RERUNJon Stewart (from 6/19/07) are Brian Williams.
On a RERUNColbert Report (from 6/19/07) are Harriet the Eagle with handler Marybeth Garrigan, and Anne-Marie Slaughter.
FX has the movie 'The Girl Next Door', followed by the movie 'The Animal', then 'That 70s Show'.
History has 'Modern Marvels', 'Star Wars: The Legacy Revealed', and 'Star Trek: Beyond The Final Frontier'.
IFC -
[06:10 AM] Tom Dowd and the Language of Music;
[07:45 AM] Shattered Glass;
[09:20 AM] We Married Margo;
[10:50 AM] Tom Dowd and the Language of Music;
[12:25 PM] Shattered Glass;
[02:05 PM] We Married Margo;
[03:35 PM] Face;
[05:25 PM] Shattered Glass;
[07:00 PM] Life Tastes Good;
[08:30 PM] Media Lab Shorts Uploaded;
[09:00 PM] Ridicule;
[10:45 PM] Dirty Pretty Things;
[12:30 AM] The Henry Rollins Show #312: Tim Roth/Robyn Hitchcock;
[01:00 AM] Ridicule;
[02:45 AM] Dirty Pretty Things;
[04:25 AM] All About My Mother. (ALL TIMES EDT)
Sundance -
[05:00 AM] A Life Without Pain;
[06:00 AM] The Alcohol Years;
[07:00 AM] Coney Island Baby;
[09:00 AM] Sophie Scholl - The Final Days;
[11:00 AM] Hoop Dreams;
[02:00 PM] The Guggenheim and the Baroness;
[03:00 PM] The Alcohol Years;
[04:00 PM] The Nomi Song;
[06:00 PM] Another Road Home (Director's Cut);
[07:00 PM] Control Room;
[09:00 PM] Stagedoor;
[10:00 PM] Hoop Dreams;
[01:00 AM] Wishing Stairs;
[03:00 AM] Whatever Happened to Harold Smith?;
[05:00 AM] Diary of a Porn Virgin. (ALL TIMES EDT)
Singer Elton John performs during the 'Concert for Diana' in London July 1, 2007. An international lineup of pop stars paid tribute to Princess Diana on Sunday at a memorial concert watched by her sons Princes William and Harry and a crowd of 60,000 at London's Wembley Stadium.
Photo by Stephen Hird
Nancy Wilson is hardly the retiring type, even though she is trying to spend more time with her grandchildren these days.
Last year, the singer retired from touring, but she continues to record - her last album "Turned to Blue" won the Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Album earlier this year - and perform selected concert dates.
On Friday night, she found herself sharing the Carnegie Hall stage with many old friends - including three of the top vocalists on the current jazz scene, Nnenna Freelon, Dianne Reeves and Kurt Elling, as well as guest musicians such as violinist Regina Carter - for a concert called "Nancy Wilson's Swinging 70th Birthday Party," a highlight of this year's JVC Jazz Festival.
Pianist Herbie Hancock completely reharmonized Cole Porter's romantic ballad "I Love You" in honor of Wilson. Then he made a little history of his own by playing accompanist to Wilson for the first time as she sang the ballad "Old Folks" - a sentimental reflection on respect for one's elders and their memories - from her latest Grammy-winning CD.
Ricky Gervais performs during a star-studded pop concert in memory of Diana, Princess of Wales at Wembley Stadium in London, Sunday July 1, 2007. More than 63,000 people are at the multi-million pound London stadium on what would have been the Princess's 46th birthday.
Photo by Stephen Hird
Admirers of author Jack Kerouac celebrated the 50th anniversary of "On the Road" with a marathon reading of the novel.
Fans and some close friends of the late author took turns reading his most famous novel aloud at Naropa University in Boulder on Saturday. About 150 people listened to the cover-to-cover reading, which took 12 hours and kicked off the university's inaugural Kerouac Festival.
One of the most popular books ever written by an American, "On the Road" tells the story of Kerouac and a friend he calls Dean Moriarity as they travel the country, including a visit to Denver that the city celebrates with a tour that traces his steps.
Barbra Streisand has played her first concert in Germany, winning an enthusiastic welcome from some 18,000 fans in Berlin and praising the capital's beauty.
Saturday night's appearance at Berlin's open-air Waldbuehne was part of a European tour that also has taken her to Zurich, Switzerland, and to France for the first time.
She told the audience "I can't believe it took me so long to come here."
Streisand said she definitely got a taste of Berlin, saying "this city is filled with culture, beauty - and desserts."
Former Hollywood madam Heidi Fleiss is diversifying, airing her Dirty Laundry in Nevada as she makes plans for a legal brothel for women.
Dirty Laundry is a 24-hour, coin-operated laundry - 13 washers and 14 dryers - the one-time leader of a high-priced ring of call girls to the stars is opening at a shopping centre in Pahrump, west of Las Vegas.
Fleiss, who has become an avid collector of parrots and macaws since moving to Pahrump, said she decided to open the laundromat after the death of one of her pets, a macaw named Dalton.
Customers enter a 7-Eleven 'Kwik-E-Mart' in Dallas, Sunday, July 1, 2007. Over the weekend, 7-Eleven Inc. turned a dozen stores into Kwik-E-Marts, the fictional convenience stores of 'The Simpsons' fame, in the latest example of marketers making life imitate art. The store sells items that until now existed only on television: Buzz Cola, KrustyO's cereal and Squishees, the slushy drink knockoff of Slurpees.
Photo by Ron Heflin
Lieutenant Walter Haut was the public relations officer at the base in 1947 and was the man who issued the original and subsequent press releases after the crash on the orders of the base commander, Colonel William Blanchard.
Haut died last year but left a sworn affidavit to be opened only after his death.
Last week, the text was released and asserts that the weather balloon claim was a cover story and that the real object had been recovered by the military and stored in a hangar.
Haut's affidavit talks about a high-level meeting he attended with base commander Col William Blanchard and the Commander of the Eighth Army Air Force, General Roger Ramey.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Media By Numbers LLC. Final figures will be released Monday.
1. "Ratatouille," $47.2 million.
2. "Live Free or Die Hard," $33.15 million.
3. "Evan Almighty," $15.1 million.
4. "1408," $10.6 million.
5. "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer," $9 million.
6. "Knocked Up," $7.4 million.
7. "Ocean's Thirteen," $6.05 million.
8. "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End," $5 million.
9. "Sicko," $4.5 million.
10. "Evening," $3.5 million.
The tomb of China's first emperor, guarded for more than 2,000 years by 8,000 terracotta warriors and horses, has yielded up another archaeological secret.
After five years of research, archaeologists have confirmed that a 30-meter-high building is buried in the vast mausoleum of Emperor Qinshihuang near the former capital, Xian, in the northwestern province of Shaanxi, Xinhua news agency said on Sunday.
Archaeologists have been using remote sensing technology since 2002 to study the internal structure of the unexcavated mausoleum.
They concluded that the building, buried above the main tomb, had four surrounding stair-like walls with nine steps each, Xinhua said.
A participant checks his robot before a match at the Robo-One Special Cup, soccer tournament of remote-controlled biped ambulation robot, in Tokyo, July 1, 2007.
Photo by Kim Kyung-Hoon
The remains of a dodo found in a cave beneath bamboo and tea plantations in Mauritius offer the best chance yet to learn about the extinct flightless bird, a scientist said on Friday.
The discovery was made earlier this month in the Mauritian highlands but the location was kept secret until the recovery of the skeleton, nicknamed "Fred", was completed on Friday. Four men guarded the site overnight.
Julian Hume, a palaeontologist at London's Natural History Museum, told Reuters the remains were likely to yield excellent DNA and other vital clues, because they were found intact, in isolation, and in a cave.
It the first discovery of dodo remains away from the coastal regions, suggesting that the bird, extinct since the 17th century, lived all over the Indian Ocean island, he said.
A Gay Pride parader smiles while marching in Bogota, Sunday, July 1, 2007. Thousands of people paraded Sunday through the streets of Colombia's capital asking for a law that grants social security and matrimonial rights for gay couples.
Photo by William Fernando Martinez
The state of Melaka is upset that scientists have named a new bat-borne virus after it, news reports said Sunday.
Australian and Malaysian scientists announced last week they had discovered a new virus likely carried by bats that can cause respiratory illness in humans.
They called it the Melaka virus, using the name of the southern state where it was isolated in early 2006 in a human patient.
Chief Minister Ali Rustam said Saturday the state does not want to be associated with the virus and called the name choice "an insult" to Melaka, which is a popular tourist destination because of its historical sites.
A cheese carver has accomplished a task that's a real "Muenster" - or make that a "monster" - in size. Troy Landwehr used his carving tools to turn a 700-pound block of Land O' Lakes cheddar into a replica of Mount Rushmore.
The cheese carver and winemaker was commissioned by Cheez-It snack crackers to make the monumental carving.
He's heading to New York City in coming days to appear on TV and promote the work on Times Square.
The carving eventually will end up in Oklahoma and be cut into cubes to become a snack itself.
A photo provided by the Zoo Safari and Hollywoodpark Stukenbrock shows the zebra and horse crossbreed 'Eclyse' during its presentation to the public in Schloss Holte, Germany, on Wednesday, June 27, 2007. The father of 'Eclyse' is a horse from Italy, where the crossbreed filly was born in 2006, her mother is a zebra from the Safari park.
Photo by Udo Richter
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