Posted 9/28/07
As noted previously, I've been set on watching The War on PBS, and I've now caught the first four episodes. The early verdict: good, sometimes riveting, a little short of great. The series lacks the definitive voice of that one, expert historian, the kind of insight delivered by Shelby Foote in The Civil War or Stephen Ambrose in Lewis & Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery. On the other hand some moments--such as the fate of soldier Babe Ciarlo, as recounted by his brother and sister--have been as moving as anything I've seen in any television program. A worthy addition to Ken Burns's canon.
Is it just me? Am I the only one? I'm referring to my thoughts about the girl in the song and dance number in those latest iPod Video commercials. Am I really the only one who thinks she's not a very good singer? I mean, that's what gets you top billing in a multi-million dollar ad campaign these days? Jeez. Doesn't anyone care about quality anymore?
Posted 9/16/07
Maybe you've not caught on to it, but Bill Maher has been back with a new season of Real Time on HBO lo these last few weeks. If you don't fork over for the premium channel, you can listen to the audio of the show in podcast form via iTunes. It's undoubtedly the best political discussion on television these days; not just a lot of hot air from pompous idiots who think they're hot shit because they treat each other as hot shit, but real perspectives for a range of national figures, in a setting where anyone who tries to play blowhard or bullshitter--as they do on the Sunday gabfests--will get called out and have his ass handed to him. I highly recommend you pay some attention here. You might actually get some idea of what's really going on in this country. And how people actually feel about it.
Currently Reading: The Outcasts Of Poker Flat and Other Tales by Bret Harte. Not sure why. Not even particularly enjoying it. Harte was not the greatest writer ever, to say the least. Still, there's something in there that's characteristic of the time and place (Gold Rush California was Harte's oeuvre), and my camping forays into the Sierra have left me curious. Or, I'm really just waiting for the hold at the library on the last Harry Potter book to come through. Either way, I'm not exactly glued to the pages.
Posted 9/5/07
We're getting there. It's now September, and your boob tube is about to have that new TV smell. What should you be looking out for this "new season"? Here's a hint: if the networks are selling, you shouldn't be buying. Trust me, you'll like yourself better if you don't fall for it. But there is at least one must see this season: in the not too distant (check your local listings) PBS will be showing the new Ken Burns film, simply titled "The War." The war in this case being WWII. It's looking like more gold from our favorite filmmaker with a bowl cut. Do yourself a favor and watch it. One caveat: there's been some hullabaloo about this work; seems the interviewees occasionally told their stories like they are, and left some of the swearing in its proper place. If you're lucky enough to live where people aren't stupid, your local affiliate will show the unedited version (locally, KQED will run an edited early-evening version, then the unedited version later the same night). Be sure to watch the version with "fuck" and such left in situ; don't let a few assholes from hillbilly locales ruin it for the rest of us. Record it if the unexpurgated showings run too far after bedtime for you.
This page last updated on 10/1/07