Blogcritics The critical lens on today's culture & entertainment
I'm beginning to come around to the notion that The Sword in the Stone ride is on hold until I come up with a good location and then can write for weeks and weeks and weeks on end about just what that location is. I'm not totally sold on the idea of putting the ride on the back burner yet, but I'm debating it. The thing is, I love the ride, and I don't want to stop discussing it.
Sunday, January 18:
8:00 – 9:00PM
Nature – “Arctic Bears.” I hope that they have armor and are helping out the Magistrate. Through extensive reading and film-watching I've learned that bears in the Arctic do as much. They also can speak and are really cool about people riding on their backs.
9:00 – 10:30PM
Masterpiece Classic – "Wuthering Heights." Wuthering it's cold, Wuthering it's hot, we'll have Wuthering, Wuthering or not. In this case the cool cat that's not Garfield is portrayed by Tom Hardy, and newcomer Charlotte Riley is Cathy. Part one of two airs tonight, and part two of two will air at another day and time (I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest that it'll be next week at the same time).
10:30 – 11:00PM
Get Ready for Digital TV. Two lovely gentleman from This Old House, Norm Abram and Kevin O'Connor, are here to tell you all about getting ready for digital TV (as the transition is coming in February 2009). Pretty much the answer is that if you have cable or satellite you're fine and that if you don't you're probably going to need a converter box and the government will give you a coupon to buy one.
Monday, January 19:
8:00 – 9:00PM
Antiques Roadshow – "Palm Springs (Hour Three)." Really? The Antiques Roadshow is going to Palm Springs? Are they going to be looking at objects or people? Are they going to be dating paintings or counting artificial hips? Do you figure they had to start earlier in the day so that everyone could be gone by the time the Early Bird dinner special rolled around? Oh come on, lighten up, these are the jokes people.
9:00 – 11:00PM
The Story of India – "The Meeting of Two Oceans/Freedom." Michael Woods heads on a journey – and takes us along – through the history of the subcontinent. He examines the people, the place, and the culture. Tonight's first hour explores Islam coming to the subcontinent and the Moghul Empire. The second hour goes into the time of British rule in India and the people's struggle for independence.
Tuesday, January 20:
8:00 – 9:00PM
Nova – “The Big Energy Gamble.” The state of California – the sad state in which I live – is putting a whole lot of money on green. The Governator is leading the charge, and promising that it won't destroy our pocketbooks. The description I have states that he may be gambling with our state's economy. Of course, the state budget is already up the creek, so how big a mess could he possibly make?
9:00 – 10:00PM
Frontline – "The Dreams of Obama." The day after this airs, Barack Obama will take the oath and become the next President of the United States. Personally, I'm excited and will be sitting my two-year-old down so she can watch his speech. Tonight, Frontline will delve into who Obama is and how he got to where he currently stands – on the precipice of something potentially huge.
10:00 – 11:00PM
Independent Lens – “Please Vote for Me”. I won't vote for you. I can't. You see, you're an eight-year-old in China and running for School Monitor. I am not eligible to vote in such a race. If you were running for School Monitor of the United States however, I would definitely consider it. What's your policy on bathroom passes?
Wednesday, January 21:
8:00 – 10:00PM
Make 'em Laugh: The Funny Business of America – "The Knockabouts: Slip on a Banana Peel/The Groundbreakers: When I'm Bad, I'm Better." Herein lie two episodes of a six part PBS miniseries hosted by Billy Crystal and nominated by Amy Sedaris. The first hour tonight peaks into the art of slapstick comedy, from Charlie Chaplin to the present day. Hour two is all about saying dirty words and shocking people into laughter.
10:00PM – 12:00AM
Make 'em Laugh: The Funny Business of America – "The Knockabouts: Slip on a Banana Peel/The Groundbreakers: When I'm Bad, I'm Better." Herein lie two episodes of a six part PBS miniseries hosted by Billy Crystal and nominated by Amy Sedaris. The first hour tonight peaks into the art of slapstick comedy, from Charlie Chaplin to the present day. Hour two is all about saying dirty words and shocking people into laughter.
Thursday, January 22:
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 – "Palm Springs (Hour Three)." Really? The Antiques Roadshow is going to Palm Springs? Are they going to be looking at objects or people? Are they going to be dating paintings or counting artificial hips? Do you figure they had to start earlier in the day so that everyone could be gone by the time the Early Bird dinner special rolled around? Oh come on, lighten up, these are the jokes people.
10:00 – 11:00PM
Soundstage – "Foreigner." Did you realize that these guys are now 30 plus years down the line? Well, they are, and yet they're still "Hot Blooded," they still cause "Double Vision." Heck, they even play those songs (and more). I don't know about you, but I'm excited, they're like my "Juke Box Hero."
Friday, January 23:
8:00 – 8:30PM
Washington Week with Gwen Ifill and National Journal #4829. 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 – 9:30PM
NOW on PBS #504. 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 #1241. It’s Bill Moyers. It’s his 1,241st 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
Nova – “The Big Energy Gamble.” The state of California – the sad state in which I live – is putting a whole lot of money on green. The Governator is leading the charge, and promising that it won't destroy our pocketbooks. The description I have states that he may be gambling with our state's economy. Of course, the state budget is already up the creek, so how big a mess could he possibly make?
Saturday, January 24:
9:00 – 10:00PM
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.
What's more, I'll bet that you want me to keep talking about the ride too. I think that you're just dying to hear more about my hopes and wishes for the ride. I think that you like hearing my feelings about it. Now, if I could get two dozen of you to stand up and say that you wanted me to stop discussing it, I might, but I just haven't heard from enough of you yet to believe that you want the discussion to end.
