Blogcritics The critical lens on today's culture & entertainment
So, we've discussed the placement of the Hitchhiker's ride, we've discussed the ride, and I think we've even discussed souvenirs. And, if by chance we didn't discuss the souvenirs, do you really need me to tell you that we'll be selling towels, lots and lots of towels? Imagine the number of towels we can sell on Towel Day, and yes, there is a Towel Day.
Sunday, August 9:
8:00 – 9:00PM
Nature – "Murder in the Troop.” The alpha male of one troop of baboons defeats the alpha male of another troop of baboons. This places twin baboons of the defeated leader into a precarious position. Really? We’re going to air this repeat? Really? This is the best we could come up with?
9:00 – 11:00PM
Through Deaf Eyes. How can eyes be deaf? I understand what they’re going for here, but I still disagree. Eyes see. Eyes never have the ability to hear, so therefore, technically all eyes are deaf. Yet, that is not the notion they are pushing for here and so I disagree completely with the tack they are taking.
Monday, August 10:
8:00 – 9:00PM
Antiques Roadshow – "Houston (Hour Three)". I'm not going to say the line. I'm just not going to say it. There may be "issues" with the antiques in Houston. There may be quibbles about their value. There maybe conundrums with what to do with the stuff. What there certainly will not be are problems. There will be no problems.
9:00 – 10:00PM
History Detectives. They’re back again! Those History Detectives are going to be puzzling out clues, working the scene of the crime, and hoping against hope to solve that greatest mystery of them all: how did Fred Flintstone manage to run fast enough that his big, heavy car started to move? Seriously now, that’s a question about history and one I feel ought to be answered sooner rather than later.
10:00 – 11:00PM
Documenting the Face of America: Roy Strykker and the FSA/OWI Photographers. Is it some sort of special photography week? Is there some photography holiday that I just didn't know about taking place? This is the second new photography-based show this week. Weird. Wild. Why not?
Tuesday, August 11:
8:00 – 9:00PM
Nova – "The Deadliest Plane Crash." Many a year ago, back in the days of Pan Am, a 747 hit another 747 in the Canary Islands. Only one of those planes was a Pan Am one, the other belonged to KLM. What happened? Where did it all go wrong? Watch this repeat and find out.
9:00 – 10:00PM
Nova scienceNOW – "Episode 304." ScienceNOW is the newest addition to the Nova family and is currently in its fourth season (this is a repeat). Episodes in this series look at a variety of topics over the course of a single episode instead of just one thing for the whole hour. Tonight one of the stories the show will air is all about leeches, you know, like the ones from Stand By Me.
10:00 – 11:30PM
P.O.V. – “Made in L.A.” Los Angeles, apparently, is the center of the country's apparel manufacturing. And, not surprisingly, a lot of the factories are sweatshop-esque. This week, the show takes a look at three Latina immigrants working in such places and how they struggle and cope and battle a major retailer.
Wednesday, August 12:
8:00 – 10:00PM
Live from Lincoln Center – "Joshua Bell and the Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra." Holy macaroni! Did you know that Haydn's been deceased for 200 years! Did you know that Mendelssohn was born 200 years ago! Did you know that they're going to be celebrating it all this year at the Mostly Mozart Festival?! They are, it's true.
10:00 – 11:00PM
Wide Angle – “Victory is Your Duty.” An in-depth look at the Havana Boxing Academy, which is where the best boxers in Cuba go to learn their trade, so that they don’t fail against the Italian Stallion quite as miserably as that other famed Cold War fighter, Ivan Drago.
Thursday, August 13:
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 – "Houston (Hour Three)". I'm not going to say the line. I'm just not going to say it. There may be "issues" with the antiques in Houston. There may be quibbles about their value. There maybe conundrums with what to do with the stuff. What there certainly will not be are problems. There will be no problems.
10:00 – 11:00PM
Chasing Churchill: In Search of My Grandfather – "Wanted: Dead or Alive". Celia Sandys is the granddaughter of one Winston Churchill. Well, not "one" Winston Churchill as much as "the" Winston Churchill. In this three part-series, Celia looks at her grandfather's art and literature in attempt to better understand the man she traveled with (or so I'm told) towards the end of his life.
Friday, August 14:
8:00 – 8:30PM
Washington Week with Gwen Ifill and National Journal #4907. 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 #533. It’s the Emmy award-winning weekly news magazine. 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 #1318. It’s Bill Moyers. It’s his 1,318th 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
Inside – "Emergency Transplant.” Woo-hoo! The show is going to Johns Hopkins, that would be my alma mater (nothing, what's the mater with you?). They're going to show "what it takes to pull off one of the most pioneering surgeries performed today." I wonder if it's taking the hospital out of that neighborhood in East Baltimore, that's not a very nice burg.
Saturday, August 15:
11:00PM – 12:00AM
Austin City Limits – "Manu Chao." Manu Chao is a French/Spanish, singer/songwriter. He's good/great, fun/friendly. He's also a lot of other slash type words, but I don't think those include having slash fiction written about him. He may, I'm not going to say he doesn't, I just doubt it.
I don't want you to think that the merchandise ends with towels, but I'm not sure the discussion has to go that far beyond it (shirts, books, DVDs, dolls, etc.). So, in summation – fun ride, great theme, perfect fit for the World. It's like a win-win-win. Now, all I need is the job.
