Blogcritics The critical lens on today's culture & entertainment
So, that's the golf idea. Simple. Compact. Easy. My version of a one-off. It was a three-off, but we'll call it a one-off anyway. I do, however, have a secondary idea to attach to the golf clubs. I do. And it's a doozy. A whopping, massive, huge, doozy. You're going to love it, I know you are. You want to know what it is, don't you?
Sunday, March 15:
8:00 – 9:00PM
Nature – “Kalahari: The Flooded Desert.” The astute among you will remember that several months ago the show aired “Kalahari: The Great Thirstland.” This week, “The Flooded Desert.” Next week, “Not a Desert at All.” The week after that, “The Kalahari is Dead.” And then, finally, “Long Live the Kalahari.” It’s really an in-depth look into the dynastical desert. I applaud you, Nature.
9:00 – 11:00PM
Masterpiece Classic – "David Copperfield (Part One)." You know where I'm going to go with this joke, I know where I'm going to go with this joke. I LOVE David Copperfield. I saw him once at the Lyric Opera House in Baltimore. He was unbelievable — kept me, and the rest of the audience, entranced the entire time… oh wait, this isn't that David Copperfield? See, you knew where I was going, didn't you?
Monday, March 16:
8:00 – 9:00PM
Antiques Roadshow “Honolulu (Hour Three)”. Here in hour three we get to see all those folks that didn’t arrive early enough at the show for them to be in hour one or hour two. That doesn’t mean they’re not as good as the other people, just that they’re slow.
9:00 – 10:00PM
American Experience – “The Alaska Pipeline”. Is Alaska still a part of this country? Isn’t it odd to go from a Hawaiian show to an Alaskan one? I’m American and don’t have any Alaskan pipeline experience, so maybe this whole thing isn’t quite as universal as they thought. Chew on that, PBS.
10:00 – 11:00PM
Betty Ford: The Real Deal. I kid you not, the copy I have here about this show states that the show profiles "her advocacy for equal rights and the substance addiction that led to the founding of the Betty Ford Center in California." Now read it again. See, the way I read it, it says that the show profiles her advocacy of substance abuse. That can't be what they mean.
Tuesday, March 17:
8:00 – 9:00PM
Nova – “The Great Inca Rebellion”. Some CSI-type folks down in a suburb of Lima, Peru excavated a cemetery. Apparently, some of the corpses there differed from some of the other corpses there. This may be the crucial forensic evidence needed to learn more about the Spanish conquest of Peru in 1532. I know, this totally sounds like a job for the History Detectives. Maybe it’s a special crossover episode.
9:00 – 10:00PM
Frontline – "Living Old." Did you know that back in 2006 those over 85 years old were the fastest growing segment of the population? I assume that the same is true today, even with the economic downturn and slashes to spending we're seeing. It wasn't always an easy place to be in 2006 and it certainly isn't today.
10:00 – 11:30PM
Independent Lens – “Arusi Persian Wedding.” Marjan Tehrani, an Iranian-American filmmaker has made a film here about her brother (also Iranian-American) returning to Iran during the U.S. invasion of Iraq. It can't have been an easy return, particularly at such a moment; watch and see what takes places.
Wednesday, March 18:
8:00 – 9:00PM
Journey to Planet Earth – “The State of the Planet's Oceans.” Matt Damon is returning as host in the episode which we learn what's going on with our planet's oceans. I'm betting that they won't be good. I see doom and gloom in our future. The world, as we know it, is surely about to end.
9:00 – 10:30PM
American Masters – "Carol Burnett: A Woman of Character." Did you know that Carol Burnett had a difficult childhood? Well, she did. I think, for some reason, a lot of comedians have a troubled past. Now, I don't, and I'm terribly funny, which is odd, but I'm not Carol Burnett funny; maybe that's the difference.
10:30 – 11:30PM
Pioneers of Primetime. Milton Berle. Red Skelton. Sid Caesar. Bob Hope. The list goes on, and on, and on, and on, and on. All those people and more will be here to recount what it was like to work on television back in the day… the early days. Listen. Watch. Learn a little about life way back when.
Thursday, March 19:
8:00 – 9:00PM
The This Old House Hour – Episode TBA. It’s This Old House and Ask This Old House. It’s like maintenance… for your home. Wait, no, that’s exactly what it is. That doesn’t mean it’s not awesome though. Seriously, The This Old House Hour is one of the finest home improvement hours on PBS. No joke.
9:00 – 10:00PM
Antiques Roadshow “Honolulu (Hour Three)”. Here in hour three we get to see all those folks that didn’t arrive early enough at the show for them to be in hour one or hour two. That doesn’t mean they’re not as good as the other people, just that they’re slow.
10:00 – 11:00PM
Pioneers of Primetime. Milton Berle. Red Skelton. Sid Caesar. Bob Hope. The list goes on, and on, and on, and on, and on. All those people and more will be here to recount what it was like to work on television back in the day… the early days. Listen. Watch. Learn a little about life way back when.
Friday, March 20:
8:00 – 8:30PM
Washington Week with Gwen Ifill and National Journal #4837. Another whole week has gone by and good old Gwen Ifill and National Journal are here to fill us in. For the record, I like to pretend the National Journal is a sidekick, like Robin to Batman, Starsky to Hutch, or chocolate sauce to chocolate ice cream.
8:30 – 9:00PM
NOW on PBS #512. It’s the Emmy award-winning weekly newsmagazine. It looks at issues facing our democracy. The show is hosted by David Brancaccio. And, even better, they still send me e-mails (I think that makes me cool and them nice). Thanks, Now, you guys are awesome!
9:00 – 10:00PM
Bill Moyers Journal #1249. It’s Bill Moyers. It’s his 1,249th journal (not really, but I’m not going to explain to you the way in which TV shows are numbered at this point in time, maybe later if you’re nice). He’s a good journalist so I assume this will be good journalism (at least the odds are it will).
10:00 – 11:00PM
History Detectives. This show may be the most fascinating show ever, it really may, but its title leave a lot to be desired. Seriously, aren't all historians more or less detectives? The title simply isn't descriptive or exciting enough. I much prefer a title like Josh Lasser, You’ve Been Hired as an Imagineer (and, just for the record, this is the same episode that airs earlier in the week).
Saturday, March 21:
9:00 – 10:00PM
Austin City Limits – "Ray Davies." Good old Ray is the "legendary" frontman for the Kinks. He's going to perform. He'll sing new stuff, he'll sing old stuff. He'll sing. For his supper – or at least that's what I hope.
Shall I give you a hint about this new idea, this new bit of genius, this blessed isle? Well, I will. This is a secondary idea to the golf club idea really only because of the hint; if not for the hint it really wouldn't be hugely golf related at all, it would be, but not hugely. So, your hint, your amuse-bouche, if you will. Well, here it is — bring your towel.
