Yuja Wang at the Hollywood Bowl, August, 2011.
In 1961 FCC Chairman Newton Minnow famously called TV programming a "vast wasteland." Now 50 years later Newt just wouldn't believe how Cable has transformed what he then saw as an arid desert of formula sitcoms, dumb westerns and violence of all kinds. (Nor would his children, Mudpuppy and Mole Skink Minnow).
On cable at 7 p.m. tonight for example V and I can choose from a stellar cable lineup:* "Guy Lombardo" and his Royal Canadians, or 2 hours of "NHRA Drag Racing" or "World Poker Tour Season 9," (how did we miss the first 8 seasons?). Also for more intellectual fare we can always rely on The History Channel which tonight will be showing 3 straight hours of "Ice Road Truckers."
And Bravo just keeps getting better. In the old days they featured stuffy old Mr. Apostrophe on "Actors Studio" but now at 8 p.m. it's the exhilarating "The Real Housewives of New Jersey." We don't miss an episode. During commercials however I check out "Huckabee" on FOX. Huck is so cute no matter how fat he gets scoffing those Krispy Kremes.
We are avid naturalists so normally at 9 we'd be in our matching recliners howling at "Hillbilly Handfishin'" on Animal Planet but tonight we're making an exception for ESPN's "NASCAR Sprint Cup: Pure Michigan." Pure or impure, it'll be exciting.
Later this week we'll catch up with Animal Planet's "Bedbug Apocalypse" and "Rat Busters."
In addition to the third straight hour of "Ice Road Truckers" at 9 tonight "Bait Car" and "Rich Texas" are airing. Talk about an embarrassment of riches. "Bait Car" is such an improvement over "Cops" where they pull just pull over a shirtless guy with weed and a crack pipe under his seat, he says he doesn't know where the stuff came from, they cuff him and then take him away. In "Bait Car" you never know when the stake-out team is going to throw the switch that cuts off the poor thief's ignition and locks him inside the car he's just stolen. Awesome.
At 10 we'll go to different TV's so I can watch "Cannabis Planet" while V will be glued to "Big Easy Brides: Budget Trailer Park Weddings."
Similarly at 11 I'll stay tuned for "Truck Stop MO" while V watches "Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew" on VH1 in case they have more info on Lindsay or Courtenay.
We'll have plenty to talk about tomorrow.
With a little more exposure, she could qualify as a regular on "Jersey Shore" with Snooki Polizzi.
Snooki
*While some of this piece is fictional, the names and schedule of the TV shows are not.
On cable at 7 p.m. tonight for example V and I can choose from a stellar cable lineup:* "Guy Lombardo" and his Royal Canadians, or 2 hours of "NHRA Drag Racing" or "World Poker Tour Season 9," (how did we miss the first 8 seasons?). Also for more intellectual fare we can always rely on The History Channel which tonight will be showing 3 straight hours of "Ice Road Truckers."
And Bravo just keeps getting better. In the old days they featured stuffy old Mr. Apostrophe on "Actors Studio" but now at 8 p.m. it's the exhilarating "The Real Housewives of New Jersey." We don't miss an episode. During commercials however I check out "Huckabee" on FOX. Huck is so cute no matter how fat he gets scoffing those Krispy Kremes.
We are avid naturalists so normally at 9 we'd be in our matching recliners howling at "Hillbilly Handfishin'" on Animal Planet but tonight we're making an exception for ESPN's "NASCAR Sprint Cup: Pure Michigan." Pure or impure, it'll be exciting.
Later this week we'll catch up with Animal Planet's "Bedbug Apocalypse" and "Rat Busters."
In addition to the third straight hour of "Ice Road Truckers" at 9 tonight "Bait Car" and "Rich Texas" are airing. Talk about an embarrassment of riches. "Bait Car" is such an improvement over "Cops" where they pull just pull over a shirtless guy with weed and a crack pipe under his seat, he says he doesn't know where the stuff came from, they cuff him and then take him away. In "Bait Car" you never know when the stake-out team is going to throw the switch that cuts off the poor thief's ignition and locks him inside the car he's just stolen. Awesome.
At 10 we'll go to different TV's so I can watch "Cannabis Planet" while V will be glued to "Big Easy Brides: Budget Trailer Park Weddings."
Similarly at 11 I'll stay tuned for "Truck Stop MO" while V watches "Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew" on VH1 in case they have more info on Lindsay or Courtenay.
We'll have plenty to talk about tomorrow.
Matt at Work on "Operation Repo."
On weeknights if they aren't showing re-runs of Matt, Froy and Sonia swinging crowbars at losers on "Operation Repo" we'll try something different. Like last week when friends took us to see a classical pianist at the Hollywood Bowl. We expected an old guy in tails---you know, Horowitz, Rubinstein, Bernanke--but instead it was 24year old Yuja Wang in contemporary tasteful attire. What an unforgettable performance! I don't remember the music but I could tell she was totally gifted from the moment she took the stage. Just like the critic said, such "delicacy, speed and grace."
With a little more exposure, she could qualify as a regular on "Jersey Shore" with Snooki Polizzi.
Snooki
