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[Dan (the Man)]

On a TV related topic:

For the first time in thirty-plus years, I find that I have no desire to pick up this year's TV Guide Fall Preview issue.  I've given up buying it on a weekly basis last year when it switched to a Sunday to Saturday schedule because it seemed that it wasn't arriving in stores until Tuesday, so the Sunday and Monday listings were a complete waste.  Also, with all the last-minute schedule changes that occur anymore (particularly on NBC), the listings were often outright wrong.  And the articles had all the depth of Teen People Magazine.  When I stopped buying it, it was not missed.  I use the Sunday newspaper supplement instead.

But last night when I was at the check-out at the supermarket, I reached for the Fall Preview issue and was ready to buy it until I looked at the price--$2.99!  Yes, that's cheap in comparison to most magazines, but it's still sticker shock to someone who remembers buying the TV Guide at just 15 cents.  Then I remembered that my curiosity level over the new fall shows was basically nil, so I put it back into the rack.  An era has ended for me.

Which is a shame, 'cause I remember how much I looked forward to this issue every year.  Reading the synopses of each new show, discovering what was changing in returning favorites, and then scanning the schedule grid and plotting out what we would be watching throughout the week.  The issue was nirvana for a teen-age TV lover like myself.  

As I got older, and the network execs began stunt scheduling and cancelling shows after two low-rated broadcasts, and then with the advancement of regularly scheduled cable programming, the TV Guide's Fall Preview began to matter less and less.  Each year as I studied the grid, I realized that I was watching less and less broadcast TV.  This year, my must-watch lists consists of only Everybody Loves Raymond and Scrubs.  If I watch Joey it will be because there is nothing of interest on TCM on that night.  And then maybe Will & Grace out of habit.  And that's about it.  Pretty sad.  Close to a hundred channels and nothing on that I want to watch.

[Panni]

Not serious storm Vibes to MattH!

And may EVERYTHING turn out fine VIBES to TCB!

[Dan (the Man)]

PAGE TWO DANCE!

[Matt H.]

Media set-up:

TV: 42" Toshiba widescreen HDTV
DVD recorder/player: Panasonic (the DVR has both a hard drive and a DVD-R recorder)
VHS - Toshiba hifi stereo VCR
laserdisc - Panasonic
multimedia receiver: Pioneer with 6 surround speakers and a subwoofer so I can decode Dolby Digital-EX and DTS-ES with a back center surround channel in addition to the right and left back surrounds.
HDTV  receiver - Panasonic

Digital cable - Time Warner with HDTV capability.

Frankly, I prefer network HDTV using the Panasonic over-the-air HDTV receiver. The color is more saturated and the detail richer to my eyes. But it only gets the high definition broadcasts of CBS, ABC, NBC, WB, Fox, PBS, and UPN. I have to use the Time Warner HDTV digital cable box to get HBO, Showtime, Discovery, TNT, and a couple of other high definition channels (in addition to all of those other cable and music channels).

Yes, it's a lot of "stuff," but I look on it as my only real vice. And I hope in the next year to upgrade to a 50" DLP widescreen HDTV.

[Panni]

Now that I've read descriptions of other DR's media setups, i see that mine is actually not "crappy'" (the lovely word I used previously) - but ordinary. For some reason I was thinking that everyone except me had some kind of sophisticated setup with surround sound and huge screens.
I have two TV's (had 4, at one time 5, in my previous house - ridiculous!). One TV is small and in the bedroom and I rarely watch it. The other is maybe 27" - I don't know. It's housed inside a silly handpainted pine TV hutch which I must get rid of one day. I have two VCRs, a DVD player and a turntable and several radios. My sound system is pathetic. It consists of two little speakers sitting on a bookshelf amid the books. Better than nothing, I suppose.

[Panni]

I just had a good laugh seeing my post after DR MattH's! Okay - so maybe not EVERYONE has ordinary setups.

[Noel]

I'm very much with Dan the Man on the TV Guide Fall Preview.  It was the ONLY issue I'd buy every year, because, for some schadenfreudian reason, I loved looking at it a few weeks into the season and seeing how many shows were already gone (Bram & Alice, anyone?).

This year, I'm not buying it because there's no novelty in counting how many shows are gone by Thanksgiving, most have.  And the networks, instead of employing good Guild writers to create fiction, keep spewing out the fiction called "reality" on the cheap.  TV disgusts me nowadays.  We've got the "input" switch on DVD rather permanently these days.

[Dan-in-Toronto]

I like DR Panni's question (with response) from yesterday - and am copying it below. I can't really think of an answer, although a friend of mine (we've been on the outs a bit lately) is soon to move into a 12,500 square foot home. That kind of thing doesn't usually impress me, but I'm curious to know if one can find his way out of such surroundings. (And, based on earlier residences, I think it will simply be immense - not spiffy.)

***

The $5000 suite reminds me of a GOOD TOPIC: The spiffiest places we've stayed.

I shall begin... High on my spiffy hit parade is a place in the Cayman Islands that had, among other cute touches, a WHITE grand piano in the living room. The balcony looked out at the ocean a few steps away. And every room had an ocean view with a wrap-around balcony. It was stunning. If you want to see what it looked like, rent THE FIRM. This condo complex was used in the movie. (I don't know if it was this particular condo or one that looked just like it.)

I'm not really a beach person (lying around in the sun bores me to distraction - plus I burn in two seconds - so what's the point?) - but even I was impressed by this locale.

[Jennifer]

Tiger Cruise: spoiler alert (ending is divulged).

Jennifer,

About the ending of Tiger Cruise, are you referring to Madie's proud acceptance of her dad's job, or to the unfurling of the flag? I thought both were appropriate. As the movie came to a close, I asked Gord (more of a Canadian than I am - he was born in London, Ont.; and not a sappy guy) how he thought it would/should end. He felt, especially given the backdrop to the story, there was only one ending  (which was the one it had).

No, DR Panni and I were talking about the dad continuing his job.

After I watched it, I commented how I wanted the dad to keep his promise and be with his family.  And DR Panni said that she thought that most Canadians would gag at the ending as it now was.  That was when she mentioned that she would like to hear your comments.  Although I don't know if you were raised in Canada or not.

[bk]

I had a very good night's sleep.  It's very quiet, which suprised me.  

[Jennifer]

Re: The Fall Preview TV Guide

That's also the only issue of the year I buy.

The only shows that look promising to me this year are: Lost (40+ people are stranded on an island after their plane goes down), Jack & Bobby (looking at the childhood years of the President and his brother as they grow up), and Desperate Housewives (has a bunch of actresses I like, showing the women's lives - I think it's part comedy part drama).

[DearReaderLaura]

Good morning, everyone.

Re TV setup: We have a small tv I brought over from my mother's house. I dropped the larger one trying to move it. I brought over the vcr as well, but we never hooked it up.

Re spiffy places: I'm a simple gal, so I stay at budget motels when I travel.  We stayed at a swell place in NYC, because my sister made the arrangements. Other than that, I've stayed at the Flamingo in Las Vegas several times.

Re TV Guide: I got the remainder of my mother's subscription, which I don't believe I looked at more than twice.

[Stuart]

My media set up is quite ordinary as well.  We have a 25" stereo TV (digital cable) with a DVD and VHS VCR set up in the den, in an entertainment center.  I usually dislike entertainment centers, but this one at least let's you shut the TV out of sight.  It looks like an entertainment center, but you don't have to stare at the TV if you don't want to.  (I have never been able to stomach TVs in living rooms, so when we bought a house, I was quite pleased that we were able to put the TV elsewhere.)  We have a non-working turntable, single CD, and double cassette (on which only one side works) components in a cabinet in the living room.  They are all connected to two speakers that I shlepped home from Radio Shack (of all places) that give very nice sound, and they aren't pieces of furniture, and sit on book shelves (we have built ins in the living room).

We have a 22" (maybe 23") TV in the master bedroom (basic cable), with another VHS VCR attached.  This is the only VCR in the house that I can make tape a program.

We have another small TV in the kitchen (no cable), which I usually watch to get some news in the morning while having my cup of tea.  We inherited one of those under-the-shelf clock radio/tape player/message centers from the previous homeowners.  We rarely use it, except as a clock.

And what do we listen to most often?  The Showtune channel on digital cable.  It's great, and there's no having to change CDs, and they play the oddest things every once in a while.....

[Dan-in-Toronto]

Answers to yesterday's trivia questions.


Of the three Encores productions (Purlie, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, The Apple Tree):

Q. This actor starred in the original production of one, and appeared in the original production of the play on which another was based.

A. Alan Alda starred in The Apple Tree and was featured in Purlie Victorious. The prize goes to Dan the Man.


Q. This actor appeared in the original production of one, and in two original productions by the composer and lyricist of another.

A. Nathaniel Frey appeared in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, as well as in Harnick and Bock's (Apple Tree) Fiorello and She Loves Me.


Bonus trivia question.

Q. Of the three upcoming Encores shows, name this one:

(a) its composer and lyricist (Purlie - Geld and Udell)
(b) wrote the music for a show (Shenandoah)
(c)  that starred an actor (John Cullem)
(d) who co-starred in a musical (On the Twentieth Century)
(e) with an actress (Madeline Kahn)
(f) who had a memorable scene in a movie (Blazing Saddles)
(g) featuring the star of (a) (Cleavon Little)

[Stuart]

Spiffiest places I have ever stayed?  Nto entirely sure, but the spiffiest bathroom I have ever had was when I stayed at the Bellagio.

My Four Seasons experiences have also been nice.  I know I stayed in one in Seattle, and I think another one, but dont remember where.  THey also had the nicest bathroom amenities.

Personally, I think cruise ship cabins (with a balcony, preferably) are the bestest, even though they may not be large.....  Favorite one?  Holland America, but I don't remember if it was the one on the Amsterdam, or the one on the Maasdam.

[Dan (the Man)]

I neglected to mention my other media center--my PC at home.  I get excellent sound out of it, thanks to the nice quality speakers and sub-wolfer, so I never hesitate to play CDs on it.   Also, I've amassed a large quantity of (*ahem!*) alternitively acquired recordings which I store as MP3s either on the harddrive or burnt onto DVDs.   My PC then becomes a jukebox that can play anything from Culture Club's greatest hits to a complete live recording of Falsettos.

I'll occaisionally watch DVDs on it--though it's only a 17" monitor, the picture quality is way better than my TV.  

And I also have an external TV device that connects via USB that allows me to watch TV on my PC.  I don't have cable running to my home office, but I get a decent enough broadcast picture using rabbit ears.  The device also has an FM receiver, so I can listen to the radio, too.

[Dan (the Man)]

Re: The Fall Preview TV Guide

That's also the only issue of the year I buy.

The only shows that look promising to me this year are: Lost (40+ people are stranded on an island after their plane goes down), Jack & Bobby (looking at the childhood years of the President and his brother as they grow up), and Desperate Housewives (has a bunch of actresses I like, showing the women's lives - I think it's part comedy part drama).

D'oh!  I forgot all about those shows and that I was at least curious enough about them to watch the initial episodes.  Thanks for the reminder, Jen.

[Stuart]

Bonus trivia question.

Q. Of the three upcoming Encores shows, name this one:

(a) its composer and lyricist (Purlie - Geld and Udell)
(b) wrote the music for a show (Shenandoah)
(c)  that starred an actor (John Cullem)
(d) who co-starred in a musical (On the Twentieth Century)
(e) with an actress (Madeline Kahn)
(f) who had a memorable scene in a movie (Blazing Saddles)
(g) featuring the star of (a) (Cleavon Little)

That's a GOOD one!

[Dan (the Man)]

A little bit off-topic, but what did y'all think of Oprah's Big Announcement yesterday?  I would never begrudge her of her wealth or her generosity, but this stunt seemed so tacky.  It was as if she was trying to recreate the "Oprah's Favorite Things" skit they did on SNL last year.  Fortunately, no one's head exploded.

[Dan-in-Toronto]

Jennifer,

When I referred to the daughter's "proud acceptance" of her father's job - that's what I meant; i.e., that he wouldn't be deserting his ship. As Panni stated earlier, it would have been somewhat unheroic for him to do so at this point in time.

No, the scene didn't make me gag, either as a moviegoer or as a Canadian. I was caught up in the storyline - and if the ending had been otherwise, I would have been confused.

Perhaps if the backdrop had been an event other than 9/11, I might have thought the flag-waving was excessive. But for a movie set against that event, and on board a naval ship, it rang true.

I wasn't born in Canada but have spent a good two-thirds of my life here. I canvassed my Canadian neighbor and her granddaughter - they watched the movie together - and neither one had a problem with the ending.

[Dan-in-Toronto]

Stuart,

What's the response in Rochester to the suspension of sailings by The Breeze (the Toronto-Rochester ferry)? I was having dinner at a waterfront restaurant as the ship was pulling in - it looked so stately - and I thought it would be around for years to come.

The story hasn't been getting too much press here, but I hope all the difficulties will soon be worked out. I know it's a time of forgiveness, but I still blame our Globe and Mail reporter Jan Wong for getting the ship off to a bad start with her mean-spirited - and tacky - column.

[MBarnum]

I still buy TV guide, but I get so many channels that aren't listed in the guide at all, so that is frustrating. Also they have separated the movies into a listing in the back of the magazine...which is good and bad for me. It is the only part that I know look at and so I miss a lot of the other stuff that is showing during the week.

Ever since I was in grade school I would look forward to the TV guide and I would mark all the shows I wanted to watch.

There are actually some interesting sounding programs beginning this fall.

DR Noel, I could have sworn you were a fan of American Idol which I recall is one of the most popular "reality" shows on TV...next to Survivor of course.

[Jay]

From time to time, people read what I write about Los Angeles and figure "He can't be serious.  L.A. couldn't possibly be really like that.  He must be exaggerating for comic effect."

But I swear this is true...

If you enter Hollywood & Highland not from Bruce's hotel but from some more logical location, like, say, the corner of Hollywood & Highland, you'll soon notice, on the ground, a sort of yellow brick road.  It's an inlaid tile pathway, that, every few yards, has some quote from somebody who's made a career in Hollywood about how they got their start.  That's what they want you to think about: How various successes got their start.  (Keep that in mind.)  The quotes are sometimes amusing, sometimes interesting, but, annoyingly, they don't tell you who they're from.  Now, in many cases, you can figure this out "I had this show in Philadelphia in which I played the latest 45s" could only be Dick Clark, for instance, or, "I was just another loud-mouthed housewife in Utah."  Sometimes the quotes are from key grips and other technicians.  The path diverges into a couple of sections, but soon, it's clear that this quote-filled path has a destination.  And this destination is the figurative answer to "How does one make it in Hollywood?"

At the end of the path, set against a background that includes the Hollywood sign, is a big fiberglass couch.  The casting couch.  That's the answer.

I'm not making this up.

What Dear Reader Noel describes indeed does exist.  It is an example of what is called "1% art."  1% of the budget of municipal construction projects must be devoted to public art.  To my mind, this path of quotations leading to the casting couch is the only--and I mean only--redeeming feature of the ghastly Hollywood & Highland monolith.

[DearReaderLaura]

We have the equivalent of "1% art" here as well. A certain percentage of freeway construction funds must be spent on art. The first bit of said art appeared was broken pots on the freeway wall.

[George]

On a TV related topic:

For the first time in thirty-plus years, I find that I have no desire to pick up this year's TV Guide Fall Preview issue.  I've given up buying it on a weekly basis last year when it switched to a Sunday to Saturday schedule because it seemed that it wasn't arriving in stores until Tuesday, so the Sunday and Monday listings were a complete waste.  Also, with all the last-minute schedule changes that occur anymore (particularly on NBC), the listings were often outright wrong.  And the articles had all the depth of Teen People Magazine.  When I stopped buying it, it was not missed.  I use the Sunday newspaper supplement instead.

I used to subscribe to TV Guide and I also found that I never read it.  I now go on-line to tvguide.com.  You can search for titles and actors and everything.  When I cancelled my print subscription a couple of years ago, I had renewed a few months earlier for three years at less than 77¢ an issue (the news-stand price had just jumped up to $1.99 per issue!).  My refund was over $100!!  When I paid for the renewal, it was about $120 (four monthly installments of $39.99) and was a GREAT deal...but if I never read it, what good was it?  So I go on-line anymore and am much happier.

[William E. Lurie]

TV Guide has totally gone to hell in a handbag.  When they moved the listing start from Saturday to Sunday (1 day) they moved the on sale date from Monday to Thursday (3 days).  This may be an atempt to get people to subscribe which I never did because subscription copies always arrived several days after the on sale date.

They only list about 25% of the stations I get, have stations not in the area included in their movie listings and feature ads from stations that are also not in the area.

They have spread the grids to two pages so you don't get all of prime time on one grid.  Their program descriptions have gone from plentiful to pitiful and they don't list "guest casts" anymore so you can't look up who that familiar actor whose name you can't recall is.

They add multi covers, CDs, 3D covers, all at the expense of the reader (you never know from week to week what the cover price will be).

I once wore by TV Guide.  Now I barely read it.

[Stuart]

Stuart,

What's the response in Rochester to the suspension of sailings by The Breeze (the Toronto-Rochester ferry)? I was having dinner at a waterfront restaurant as the ship was pulling in - it looked so stately - and I thought it would be around for years to come.

The story hasn't been getting too much press here, but I hope all the difficulties will soon be worked out. I know it's a time of forgiveness, but I still blame our Globe and Mail reporter Jan Wong for getting the ship off to a bad start with her mean-spirited - and tacky - column.

Funny you mention this, as I have been meaning to ask you the same question!

As you may imagine, for a city of its size and possessing the self-image that it does (which is close to nil, if you ask me), the Breeze was a lot to swallow.  I still have a problem figuring out exactly which Torontonians were travelling this way, while your fair city certainly was a target for many Rochestarians (or Rochest-nuts, and I like to call us...).

To answer your question, the city and its media have been a buzz with the suspension of the ferry service.  What is hard to believe is that a company with a business plan as poorly defined as theirs was was allowed to proceed with this plan.  It seems they never had a line item for piloting fees, never anticipated freight or customs being a problem, and what's more, never anticipated that people would not want to spend a fair chunk of cahnge to avoid only another hour-and-a-half of travel time.  Given early arrival time at both terminals (Toronto and Rochester), and customs, it seems that the trip might have taken just as long, if not longer, than driving.

So, suffice it to say, Rochester is in a big tizzy.  We are hearing reports that they will be back up and running in the Spring, but it just has left a really lousy taste in many Rochestarian's mouths that it may just cost our mayor his next  election.  (Which is a shame, to me at least, as he is the lone Democrat in a county full of Republicans.)  And the mayor is not solely to blame.

And still -- no offense, DiT or other Torontonians -- they say that part of the reason they suspended service is that there was no permanent terminal on your shores.  It seems that Toronto, like most of the rest of world, did not anticipate the Ferry EVER getting off the ground, and into the water.  I am sure you Cananadian taxpayers are thrilled that you didn't pay for a terminal that will not be used......

[William F. Orr]

TV GUIDE

When we first got cable we got Cablevision's TOTAL magazine with excellent listings.  By a fluke of billing, I managed to get a free subscription for several years, and when I tried to straighten out some lost issues, I ended up with two free subscriptions for a couple of years.  One for the main TV room and one for the bedroom.  Whoopie!

Notwithstanding, we would still buy TV Guide, because Joe hates the grid listings and wanted the other type.  We lost our free TOTAL when Cablevision had TV Guide take over the publication of it, and we have been paying for that (the large format, magazine size) as well a buying the digest-size guide in the store for Joe, albeit it has no listings for the multitudious super-premium movie channels and documentary channels we now get.

Then it started really going downhill.  First it was inaccurate listings.  But fortunately we have an on-screen guide, so we could always check to see if SPIKE was really showing Star Trek tonight or replacing it with wall-to-wall police videos.

Then they started limiting their listings even more.  Nothing after 11:00 pm, not even on weekends.  People don't watch late-night TV?  It seems they want to sell their magazine on gossip about 15-minute celebrities, and feature-length ads for theatrical movies that won't be on TV for years.  Feh!  

This week we decided to stop buying the digest and stick to the still-very-good listings in the large-format version.  Some quirks, of course.  For weeks, every time The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill and Came Down a Mountain was on, the plot summary has been in French, although the movie is in English.  Sometimes, when two movies have the same title they give the data for the wrong one.  But by and large it is complete and accurate.

I thumbed through their New Fall Shows.  Nothing I would consider watching.  We watch mainly movies and science shows.  And we even need high end for the Science Channel, now that Discovery = The Motorcycle Channel, The Learning Channel = Makeovers, Makeovers, Makeovers, and The Travel Channel has become All Vegas, All the Time!  (With an occasional break to watch people playing poker.)

------------------------------------------------------

And slightly on that topic, I have a question for our DRs in "the Biz", i.e. FSW Charles Pogue and FSW Panni:

Once television channels--including the premium cable channels--decided that movie-watchers had no interest whatsoever in listening to the end-title music or reading the credits, and would much rather be assaulted with ads for the channel they are watching--why didn't the various unions and guilds object?  
I mean, I assume that the reason we have all those detailed credits--gaffer, and best boy and all--now (and I for one do read them) is that the various unions had the studios put it in their contracts.  So why haven't they tried to have some line about sale to TV that their names should be at least legible?

For me, sitting and listening to the score during the credits is as much a part of the movie experience as curtain calls are to the theatre experience.

[Jennifer]

Re: tv guides

My favorite is actually the free TV Times that comes in the Saturday paper every week.  I find I am used to the format and coloring of channels.  And for that reason I cannot really use the TV GUIDE, since everything is different there.

[Ben]

This has been mentioned briefly over the past few months and now we have official notice. That little Friday column in the New York Times, On Stage and Off has bit the dust.

Here is the article from Playbill On-Line.

http://www.playbill.com/news/article/88406.html