Blogcritics The critical lens on today's culture & entertainment
Have you ever been to a luau? I myself, I must confess, have not. I'm quite excited by the prospect of going to one, however. I fully intend, come four weeks from now, to be able to tell you that I have attended one. I hope to be able to tell you just how lovely and beautiful and delicious the entire thing was. It, most definitely, is my goal. That way, if you have not yet had the opportunity to attend one, you might gain a Quantum of Solace from my recollections.
Sunday, April 6:
8:00 – 9:00PM
Nature – "What Females Want and Males Will Do (Part One)”. Do males in the animal world pick the females or do the females pick the males? Perhaps, just perhaps, it's a mite more complex than that. I don't know, but there are tons of scientists out there that are desperately trying to find out. It seems as though the females pick, but it's not quite as simple as all that. Watch and find out.
9:00 – 10:30PM
Masterpiece – "The Complete Jane Austen". Holy macaroni! They're going to show pretty much every Jane Austen work they can get their hands on (plus they made a ton of new versions). That's actually why they call it "The Complete Jane Austen," they're going to show all of it. Up this week, part two of "Sense and Sensibility."
10:30 – 11:00PM
PBS Previews – "Carrier". PBS isn't going to show you "Carrier", they're just going to show you a preview of it (it airs at the end of April and beginning of May). They're going to tantalize you. They're going to intrigue you. They're going to tell you about some of the people on the USS Nimitz.
Monday, April 7:
8:00 – 9:00PM
Antiques Roadshow – "Spokane (Hour Two)". Wow. I am amazed. This week the Roadshow is in Spokane. Spokane! Washington! Spokane, Washington! Say it with me one time: Spokane, Washington! Spokane, the town that can! Spokane, the town with a plan! Spokane, where a man can be a man! Spokane, where they have lots of old stuff for the Roadshow.
9:00 – 10:00PM
American Experience – "Amelia Earhart". We all know the story already, and this look at Amelia will bring absolutely nothing new to the table as it originally aired over ten years ago. That doesn't make it bad, just no longer groundbreaking. But, if you haven't seen it, it's new to you (thanks, NBC, for that swell slogan).
10:00 – 11:00PM
Retirement Revolution – "On Our Own". Over the past several decades retirement has changed. Over the past several decades the notion has changed. It has. We don't need to deny it. As this episode will explain, baby boomers will pretty much have to work out their retirement plans all on their own. Paula Zahn hosts.
Tuesday, April 8:
8:00 – 9:00PM
Nova – “Cracking the Maya Code”. A few brave souls spent years figuring out the Mayan system of hieroglyphs. It was not an easy task. It was not a simple task. It is not a task that ever needs to be duplicated. That's because it's been done. These guys did it and these guys did it right (I hope).
9:00 – 10:00PM
Frontline – "The Medicated Child". Did you know that more than four million children are now on behavior medication medicine? Wow. That's incredible. Are we over-diagnosing? Are we just being silly? Have we given up on parenting completely? Quite possibly.
10:00 – 11:00PM
Independent Lens – "Water Flowing Together". Jock Soto is a ballet dancer. He actually retired at age 40 after a 24-year career. I wish I could retire at age 40. That would be awesome. So, if anyone out there wants to give me a couple of million bucks over the course of the next decade, I can make that happen.
Wednesday, April 9:
8:00 – 9:00PM
Jean-Michel Cousteau: Ocean Adventures – "Return to the Amazon (Part Two)". Did you know that the Amazon has one-fifth of the world's river water? It does. Twenty-five years ago, Jean-Michel took a little visit there with his father. Well, now he's going back. He's going to explore it. He's going to see how it's changed. He's going to rock its world.
9:00 – 10:30PM
American Masters – "Zora Neale Hurston: Jump at the Sun". For those unaware, Hurston was a part of the Harlem Renaissance. She wasn't always liked either. That doesn't make her good. It doesn't make her bad, either. It may just make her worth learning about, though.
Thursday, April 10:
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 – "Spokane (Hour Two)". Wow. I am amazed. This week the Roadshow is in Spokane. Spokane! Washington! Spokane, Washington! Say it with me one time: Spokane, Washington! Spokane, the town that can! Spokane, the town with a plan! Spokane, where a man can be a man! Spokane, where they have lots of old stuff for the Roadshow.
10:00 – 11:00PM
Unnatural Causes: Is Inequality Making Us Sick? – "Bad Sugar/Place Matters". This week the episodes look at a Native American reservation in southern Arizona and Richmond California. In the former location, clearly, Native Americans, and in the latter Southeast Asians and Latinos who have moved into already neglected African-American neighborhoods.
Friday, April 11:
8:00 – 8:30PM
Washington Week with Gwen Ifill and National Journal #4741. 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 #415. 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 #1201. It’s Bill Moyers. It’s his 1,201st 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 – 10:30PM
PBS Previews – "Carrier". PBS isn't going to show you "Carrier", they're just going to show you a preview of it (it airs at the end of April and beginning of May). They're going to tantalize you. They're going to intrigue you. They're going to tell you about some of the people on the USS Nimitz.
10:30PM – 11:00PM
USS Wisconsin: The Last Battleship. The 50-year history of the battleship has included three wars. Which ones? What were they about? What did the ship do in them? Has the U.S. ever had to utter, in reference to the Wisconsin, those horrid, horrid words, "You sunk my battleship?"
Saturday, April 12:
9:00 – 10:00PM
Austin City Limits – “John Prine/Amos Lee”. Originally broadcast in 2005, Prine sings songs from Fair & Square and some old stuff. Lee doesn't sing his old stuff. He sings the stuff from his debut album (which, I understand was the only one he had out at the time this was recorded).
A luau. It seems wonderful. It seems fascinating. I've taught my daughter all that I can about them, and, as I said, in a few short weeks I will be able to show her one. I imagine that she'll like it. I also imagine she won't quite "get" the whole thing. She is, after all, not quite two years old. We'll take picture though. A lot of pictures, and from those she will, hopefully, gain a Quantum of Solace in the future.
