a slight snert

Ok. I get the writer's strike. No problem.

But why on earth did the bigwigs think they could put on the Golden Globes as a "newscast"? I watched all of five minutes in stunned disbelief. I'd rather watch reruns. Hell, I'd rather clean the bathroom with a toothbrush--yes, that boring.

And I've seen reports on "damage to the local economy" and how party planners and designers have worked for a year only to be shut out. Terrible. Terrible. Holy crap--there are much worse things in the world than some designer not being able to dress a starlet.

Yes, I'm snerty.

[I made this word up. Actually, just partially made it up. There is an episode of M*A*S*H where Frank Burns says something like "Nerts to you." But the word "nerts" in practice comes off a bit stiff. So I just inverted it a bit and came up with snert. It works much better. Feel free to use it as a verb, noun, adverb--whatever part of speech fits the situation best.]

So if the strike is going to continue through the Hollywood awards season, I hope that all the networks get wise to the "newscast" not being a good idea.

Writer's Strike

This strike has been going since November. And while I may be annoyed that I have no new shows to keep me interested, I have to support the reason behind the strike.

They were short changed by the industry when the home video revolution occurred. So, this sets them up to get screwed by "new media" availability for programs: Internet, iPod, cell phones, etc. Now, the big companies don't want to loosen the purse strings and share the wealth.

I say fork that little extra over and get everyone back to work, Giant Entertainment Companies! It isn't like you are in Detroit and negotiating for skyrocketing health care and better working conditions. You're in L.A. for Christ's sake--sun and fun. And you are an EXPENDABLE industry--no one will die without you. I suggest you pull your fat asses to the table and open the damn wallet if you want to keep floating along.

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Since I've given up on American TV, I've been able to watch some good movies I haven't seen in ages like Bringing Up Baby and The Hound of the Baskervilles. I've watched some UK TV (see previous post). I've re-learned crochet and can keep my stitches fairly even--and I learned some cool patterns, too. Audio books are my friend. Now, it is possible that I could be bored enough one evening to learn how to cook a turkey.

TV More Interesting

We've hit the bottom of the television barrel. Not only are shows crippled by the writer's strike, but we are in full political "me-me-me" over-coverage and overanalysis. So we are left with Bowl games, annoying reruns that sucked the first time around, and some half-assed crap like "Best Beer Commercials of the World Played by Unknown Actors with Famous Actor Voice Overs." Frankly, I'd rather chew tin foil and lick batteries.

I have a solution: my secret love of UK tv. Ok, so it really is not a secret--I own some of the DVDs. There's just something to be said about a different perspective. Way too many American shows are clones and attempted imitations--it's terrible. The major networks are terrified of anything that breaks boundaries or makes people think. If you get one good show in a season, consider yourself blessed. Would M*A*S*H even make it on the air now?

Some of the following shows I picked up from the BBC feed on my local PBS station on Saturday evenings. Some I stumbled across on my own. I hope you enjoy the small clips.

Keeping Up Appearances

Patricia Routledge and Clive Swift

Midsomer Murders

John Nettles, Daniel Casey

As Time Goes By

Judy Dench and Geoffrey Palmer

This is a blooper reel. I couldn't find one with an embeddable video. After the video are links to an un-embeddable YouTube video.

See a YouTube clip from the show.

Father Ted

Dermot Morgan, Ardal O'Hanlon, Frank Kelly, and Pauline McLynn