The Weekly Poll
Results
The 'Guilty TV Pleasures' Edition...
Are there any TV programs that you secretly feel sheepish about watching regularly, but do so anyway because you REALLY like them? C'mon now, fess up! I will!
I double-dog dare ya, haha!
The Vidiot was appropriately first and said...
"24"
I know, I know, it's true propaganda crap. But we get a serious laugh out of it. It's so outrageous. It's like the screaming drag queen of TV shows.
(Oddly enough, I've never seen '24'. Just not interested, I guess. I do enjoy reading Bartcop's occasional comments on the show, however.)
Sylvia gets right into the spirit of things with...
I have to confess: I love MXC on the Spike network. It is a hilarious show that rips on a real Japanese reality challenge show. Teams from a particular business or industry compete at silly challenges like having to run into a wall with three painted doors on it--one has a net, two are solid--or rock hop across a dirty moat. Two Americans overdub the original Japanese commentary with fake info about contestants and awful puns. E.g., on an episode where a team of "sanitation specialists" was competing, the announcers stated that a certain contestant was the editor of "Leach Field & Stream." It's juvenile, lowbrow, has gross-out humor--and it's side -splittingly funny.
(Thanks, Sylvia! You are absolutely correct! It is a hoot! I highly recommend it for its absurdity)
MD mystifies me by choosing...
CBS Sunday Morning. Yes, I actually get up at 7AM every Sunday to watch the best magazine style news show on the air. Broad range of topics and correspondents with off-beat humor. Covers an amazing amount of stories everyone else misses. Absolutely mandatory cross section of the news, lucid and enlightening. I'm astonished it's still on the air.
(MD, I'm confused... How can feel ya feel badly about watching a truly great program? I enjoy the nature segments at the end. I wish they were longer. I always turn the sound up to listen to the birds and the wind. Charles Osgood is the best at what he does...)
Joe has quite a list and no remorse...
There are a lot of programs some folks consider weird that I watch, but I don't feel bad about it. I like the quirky programs that don't fit the "norm." I watched Life and really liked it, but it's been canceled. I watched My Name Is Earl and really liked it, but it's been canceled. I watched Reaper and really liked it, but it's been canceled. I watch The Unusuals and I really like it, but it's being canceled. I've always liked the odd shows, my absolute, all time favorite was Northern Exposure.
My list goes on; I like The Closer, Monk, Psych, Leverage, 30 Rock, Burn Notice, and True Blood. I also liked Babylon 5 (way back when) and Battle Star Galactica (the modern version)
(Northern Exposure was a favorite of mine, too, Joe. It reminded me of the time I lived in Maine and I could identify with the rustic experiences of the characters. Particularly regarding moose. They'd show up in the most unlikely of places, I'm tellin' ya, and always cause a stir. Had a BIG bull walk through the middle of my campsite on the Appalachian Trail just south of Mount Katahdin early one evening sending us scampering about and cowering behind trees. He acted like, 'Ho-hum, humans'. Then on up the trail he strolled. Mr. Moose does what he wants to, and that's a fact!)
SallyP(al), a PBS maven, bares her soul here with...
Yes (hold your snortle here) I am a BIG fan of the TV show, "American Idol." When the show debuted, I was working in a huge, "Phonebank" and although I had another position than the majority of kids (average age 25 years old) I loved the energy they contributed to the office and always enjoyed interacting with them. Well, that year, AI was all that everyone talked about, including my own kids. I didn't think it would be my cup of tea, but I will admit it, I was sucked right in! Now, nine seasons later, the grandkids and I argue and predict away at who (in our opinions) are the winners and/or losers. And, after nine seasons, I have decided that while PBS is my regular fare, I can't think of another show on network TV that can entertain the whole family and one that we can watch together. Oh, yes - pretty soon we will be watching, "America's Got Talent," but that's the only exception.... Hoping you will go somewhat easy on me this week. PS: I forgot, I also follow, "Dancing With The Stars..." Go ahead, knock yourself out, B2BB... I know you are going to pluck my bones here. :!
(Ah, Pally! Not at all! We all have our secret plebian tastes, dontcha know? I damn sure do. Good on you fer playing along)
Well, all righty then, Poll-fans... I hereby confess that I love, The Price is Right... Yes, I do... And I make no apologies for it... I watch it whenever I can. What a celebration of American consumerism and diversity! Just plain folks of all hues, ages and appearances from all over this great land given the opportunity to grab that golden ring on national TV. And I really like it when they have Canadian contestants cuz they act just like we do, haha, over the prospect of winning A NEW CAR!... I was bummed when Bob Barker retired, but Drew Carey has grown into the roll. He has continued Barker's efforts to make everyone feel special, comfortable and appreciated. Particularly the elderly. So, I say... Come on Down!
Thanks to all responders, as always... Yer the Best!
BadToTheBoneBob
New Question
The 'Reality... What a Concept' Edition
Do you watch 'Reality' TV programs?
A.) Yes! I love(d) ______ and never miss(ed) an episode. If'n ya don't like that, Go Suck an Egg, ya snobby Nova luvin' elitist, you...
B.) No! They're the ultimate examples of the "vast intellectual wasteland" that TV programming has become (other than, My Mother the Car, that is) and those that do are First Class Rubes and should be shamed accordingly...
C.) I invoke my rights under the 5th Amendment (hand me the TV Guide, would ya?)
Okay, Okay... There're shades of gray to be considered here, I'll admit... Feel free to eelishly slither betwixt the choices, if'n ya must, to make a reply yer com-FORT-able with... Jeesh! You'd think I was asking about Supreme Court nominees, or sumpthin'...
Send your response to
Recommended Reading
from Bruce
PAUL CONSTANT: Conspicuous Consumption (thestranger.com)
How I Became the Sort of Person Who Can Eat 23 Spring Rolls in Two Minutes.
Dear Lucy (guardian.co.uk)
Lending books to friends is best avoided, advises Lucy Mangan.
JAMIN BROPHY-WARREN: Do the Sims Dream of Electric Sheep? (wsj.com)
In the newest version of the long-running franchise, designer Rod Humble aims to get into the Sims' heads.
WILL FRIEDWALD: Tatum's Art Changed Jazz (wsj.com)
Tatum is unchallenged as far as sheer musical density is concerned: He played so many notes in a given performance that just counting them would be difficult, and actually transcribing one of his solos would be next to impossible.
JIM FUSILLI: Steve Martin Takes the Banjo Seriously (wsj.com)
On stage at the Rubin Museum of Art here Wednesday night, the comedian, writer and musician Steve Martin demonstrated once again what is so clear on his new album, "The Crow-New Songs for the Five-String Banjo" (Rounder): He's written some beautifully bittersweet songs for banjo, an instrument he's played diligently, if not professionally, since his teen years.
Still smelling the glove (guardian.co.uk)
25 years on, Spinal Tap are back on the road. Alexis Petridis talks to the heroes of the greatest rock satire in cinema history.
Ed Potton: "Guest list: Marisa Tomei, star of The Wrestler" (timesonline.co.uk)
"Good morning," says Marisa Tomei, star of The Wrestler and My Cousin Vinny, down the line from her New York breakfast table. There's warmth in her Brooklyn vowels, but also steel, a note of warning that seems to be saying, "I'll be polite, and attempt to answer your questions, however silly they may be. But anyone who messes with me gets both barrels."
Scott Mendelson: Review of "Up" (huffingtonpost.com)
Up is a wonderfully touching, openly dark, and surprisingly surreal adventure story. To call the picture 'sentimental' would be an understatement, as it is often an ode to sentimentality. ... It is a beautiful tale, gloriously told with rich and vivid characters, eye-popping visual splendor and it acknowledges the complete despairs and utter joys of life in one fell swoop. Grade: A+
Valerie Grove: Juliet Stevenson on Duet for One (timesonline.co.uk)
She's wary of the stage these days, but the actress is giving the performance of a lifetime.
Jim Halterman: Going Mental for Marisa (advocate.com)
In Fox's new drama Mental, Marisa Ramirez plays a lesbian doctor trying to keep the peace and navigate a long-distance relationship in a hospital full of patients gone mad.
said:
From The Creator of 'Avery Ant'
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
What was May Gray is now June Gloom.
The hotmail addy is still fuct.
Moves Up 1 Week
Emmys
The Emmys are getting punted to a new date by National Football League games.
CBS said Monday that the TV awards ceremony is being kicked up a week, to Sept. 13, because of an NFL doubleheader on the originally scheduled date, Sept. 20.
The network said the ceremony's original date was set before the NFL released its 2009 TV schedule.
Nominations for the 61st annual prime-time Emmys will be announced July 16.
Emmys
What To Do In LA
Esotouric Tours
Richard Schave's wife, Kim Cooper, began putting together an L.A. crime noir blog three years ago, focusing on the year 1947. From the Black Dahlia murder to the rubout of Bugsy Siegel, there was no lack of subject matter.
Soon Cooper had a loyal following. And when readers wanted to see the crime sites she was writing about, it seemed only natural to rent a bus and take them there.
Three years later, Esotouric offers about a dozen different year-round tours. There's a tour that covers the favorite haunts of Skid Row poet laureate Charles Bukowski and another that takes you down the streets that inspired musician Tom Waits. The sites that shaped the works of classic L.A. noir writers John Fante ("Ask the Dust") and James M. Cain ("Double Indemnity") also are included. The great L.A. crime novelist James Ellroy has even climbed aboard the bus himself a couple times to show riders the places that inspired works like "L.A. Confidential" and "The Big Nowhere."
Esotouric Tours
Walking Tours of Film and TV Locations
"Made in NY"
Visitors to the Big Apple will be able to scope out some of the city's famous sites that have been featured in films and television shows with free podcasts unveiled by the city on Monday.
Listeners to the walking tours will be guided to the firehouse featured in the popular 1984 film "Ghost Busters" and the bar where the Cosmopolitan cocktail was created.
The walking tours called, "Made in NY: Walking Tours of Film and TV Locations," will also feature street locations from films such as Woody Allen's 1977 hit, "Annie Hall," and movies such as "Kramer vs. Kramer, "Sophie's Choice," and "Green Card."
Other sites featured in the podcasts are from the TV series "Spin City" and "30 Rock." The podcasts are available through www.nyc.gov/film . Other New York areas will be featured in future podcasts, officials said.
"Made in NY"
Conservatorship
Peter Falk
A judge placed former "Columbo" star's Peter Falk in a conservatorship Monday to ensure his daughter could occasionally visit the ailing 81-year-old actor.
Falk's wife of more than 30 years, Shera, will remain in control of his personal care and affairs. Falk has advanced dementia, likely from Alzheimer's disease, one of his doctors testified Monday.
Catherine Falk petitioned in December to take over her father's affairs despite a sometimes contentious relationship with Falk and his wife. By court order, she will be allowed a 30-minute visit with her father every other month.
Falk's condition virtually ensures he will not remember the meetings, his doctor said.
Peter Falk
Sues Copycat Author
J.D. Salinger
Author J.D. Salinger has sued an anonymous author whose new book has been described as a sequel to Salinger's famous book, "The Catcher in the Rye."
Lawyers for Salinger filed the lawsuit in federal court in Manhattan on Monday.
The lawsuit seeks to force a recall of what it says is a copycat book titled "60 Years Later" by a "John Doe" author writing under the name "John David California." It also seeks unspecified damages.
The lawsuit said the right to create a sequel to "The Catcher in the Rye" or to use the character "Holden Caufield" belongs only to Salinger. The lawsuit says Salinger has "decidedly chosen not to exercise that right."
J.D. Salinger
The Roadie Says...
Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix's former roadie James '"Tappy" Wright has claimed that the late guitar legend was murdered by his manager, Michael Jeffrey.
In his new book Rock Roadie, Wright claims that Jeffrey told him he plied Hendrix with pills and alcohol in order to kill him and claim on the guitarist's life insurance.
Jeffrey allegedly made the confession to Wright in 1971, two years before he was killed in a plane crash.
Jeffrey is quoted by Wright as telling him: "I was in London the night of Jimi's death and together with some old friends.. we went 'round to Monika's hotel room, got a handful of pills and stuffed them into his mouth...then poured a few bottles of red wine deep into his windpipe."
Jimi Hendrix
Fairytale Wedding, Nightmare Honeymoon
Manohara Odelia Pinot
A teenage US-Indonesian model has returned to her family in Indonesia with tales of abuse, rape and torture at the hands of a Malaysian prince, after her dramatic escape with the help of Singapore police.
Manohara Odelia Pinot, 17, told reporters she was treated like a sex slave after her marriage to Tengku Temenggong Mohammad Fakhry, the prince of Malaysia's Kelantan state, last year.
Her mother, Daisy Fajarina, said she would press charges against the 31-year-old prince, and blamed the Malaysian and Indonesian governments for trying to cover up the alleged abuse.
"The things I've been afraid of were revealed to be true. Manohara has suffered physical abuse. She's got several razor cuts on her chest," Fajarina told AFP on Monday.
Manohara Odelia Pinot
Comeback Denied
Dudu Topaz
He was mad as hell and he wasn't going to take it any more.
So, police said on Monday, an entertainer who used to be Israel's most popular television star hired thugs to beat up two TV network executives and an agent who shot down his pitch for a comeback.
Dudu Topaz, 62, was arrested on Sunday on suspicion that he arranged assaults that left two men and a woman bruised and battered. His lawyer denied the allegations, in a case drawing banner, front-page headlines in Israeli newspapers.
Topaz used to be known as the "TV ratings king" in Israel. He lost his prime time slot five years ago when his network decided to drop his show.
Dudu Topaz
1st Wedding Held
Casa di Giulietta
An Italian soccer player is the first person to marry under the balcony where, legend has it, Romeo wooed Juliet.
Verona Mayor Flavio Tosi conducted Monday's wedding between Luca Ceccarelli, who plays for Hellas Verona, and his Juliet - girlfriend Irene Lanforti - in the 14th-century Casa di Giulietta, or House of Juliet.
The idea is part of a campaign by Verona, where William Shakespeare set his tale of star-crossed lovers, to foster its image as a romantic city.
The House of Juliet is one of the top tourist spots in a city that draws about 1.2 million visitors annually. The building belonged to the Cappello family, traditionally identified with the Capulets, leading to the folklore that the model for Shakespeare's fictional character once lived there.
Casa di Giulietta
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