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‘Lost’ to return Feb. 2
Mark your calendars, “Lost” fans: The ABC drama returns Feb. 2, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
And there’s already a twist to the new season: The longtime Wednesday night mainstay for ABC is moving to Tuesdays at 8 p.m.
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G4’s ‘Campus PD’ will feature San Marcos
San Marcos will be one of the college towns in the spotlight on the new G4 series “Campus PD.”
The series, which debuts next month, is about the police officers who do everything from “checking in on late night parties and keeping the streets free of drunk drivers, to patrolling campuses at night to make sure students are safe after late-night study sessions,” according to a news release from G4.
San Marcos is home to Texas State University. The other cities featured in “Campus PD” are Tallahassee, Fla.; Cincinnati; Chico, Calif.; and Greenville, N.C.
The news release about the show highlights some of the officers featured: “Viewers also tag along with Officer Jason Scott, known as ‘The Transformer,’ who is part of the San Marcos PD ‘Party Patrol,’ a special group tasked with breaking up parties. Scott has made it his mission to educate students in every encounter and do everything he can to inspire them to stay out of trouble.”
“Campus PD” premieres at 10 p.m. Dec. 9.
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Austin’s Stephanie Hunt featured in L.A. Times
The Los Angeles Times has a nice feature on Austinite Stephanie Hunt, who plays Devin on “Friday Night Lights” and has a role in the upcoming series “Parenthood.”
A sampling:
In its three-plus years on the air, “Friday Night Lights” has tackled race, class and domestic issues, and now Devin has given the show a clear entryway into gay and gender concerns. What’s more, a relatively small part on “Friday Night Lights” may rocket the 20-year-old straight of Austin, as she’s been cast in NBC’s “Parenthood,” the mid-season replacement from “Friday Night Lights” executive producer Jason Katims.
“I love her, and I know Jason does, but you never quite know how these things will work out,” said Peter Berg, who directed the “Friday Night Lights” film and serves as executive producer on the DirecTV/NBC series. “You have a plan, but like any football game, things change. Suddenly players you didn’t even notice on the roster step up. She’s terrific. She has a unique presence, and I don’t think we were capitalizing on that. I think there’s probably a bigger role for her in ‘Parenthood.’”
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“Glee: ” “Ballad”
First, a word about last week’s episode called “Wheels,” which first aired Nov. 11.
Unlike my distinguished colleague Dale Roe, I quite liked it.
I am also biased: I have a brother with Down Syndrome. So not only was I pretty happy to see two actresses with D.S. getting work, the woman who played Sue Sylvester’s older sister is the oldest person with D.S. I’ve ever seen on TV. My other younger brother, the one without D.S., and I both freely admit we got a little verklempt at the final scene.
But I also didn’t mind what it did to Sue Sylvester. A pal of mine noted that he couldn’t watch “Glee” because Jane Lynch was doing a minstrel version of Jane Lynch characters. This episode gave her a bit of depth she was lacking — there are things she values, things her delight in everyday evil protects like armor.
And the subplot involving the relationship with Kurt and his father was brilliantly executed. Chris Colfer is doing ground-breaking work here and making it look easy; it should be acknowledged as such.
Besides, “Glee” is not a show that’s exactly reliant on continuity - this isn’t “Lost” we’re talking about. They need never bring up these events again, if they don’t want to. But it was moving for some of us that they happened at all.
Anyway, spoilers and thoughts about last night’s episode after the jump.
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“Sons of Anarchy”: “Service”
Review and spoilers after the jump
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Connie Britton will speak at Reel Women event
Got questions for “Friday Nigh Lights” star Connie Britton? There’s a chance to ask them coming up.
Britton will appear at “Holiday Cheer & Conversation With Connie” from 2 to 4 p.m. Dec. 5. The event, presented by the local film group Reel Women, takes place at Picture Box Studio, 701 Tillery St., Suite A-7.
Sherry Mills, executive director of Reel Women, will interview Britton, who’ll then take questions from the audience.
Holiday refreshments will be served. Admission is $15, and donations for the Blue Santa toy drive and the Austin Area Capital Food Bank are encouraged.
For information, e-mail reelwomen@reelwomen.org, visit reelwomen.org or call 971-1663. As with most Reel Women events, men are welcome at the Britton interview.
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Short takes: “House:” “Teamwork” (orig. aired Nov. 16)
In re: “Teamwork”
SPOILERS AFTER THE JUMP
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Short takes: “The Prisoner”
“The Prisoner:” It would actually take a too long to articulate the many, many ways AMC’s “Prisoner” remake is terrible, so let’s just hit some high points.
Strike 1: The show violates what I like to call the Mark Gross Rule of Remakes: It is a remake of something that was once really good, rather than something terrible. For example, the original “Battlestar Galactica” was a blast if you were watching it at, say, 10 years old and almost unwatchable if you were any older. (This rule discussed a bit here.)
The original “Prisoner” is one of the greatest TV shows of all time. Whip-smart, visually innovative, utterly of its time (yet oddly timeless) and cooler than the other side of the pillow, it’s a cult-classic for a reason.
So remaking it seems a bit like saying, “You know what could use a rethink? The first season of ‘The Sopranos.’”
Strike 2: One of the things that made the original “Prisoner” so clever is that it played off of show creator/writer/producer/auteur Patrick McGoohan’s substantial fame in the UK as a secret agent in the TV show “Danger Man,” a role he became disillusioned with, which led to the much-brainier take on the secret agent concept in “Prisoner.”
The new “Prisoner” comes with no such resonances. Instead, we get Jesuss versus Magneto.
Actually, I would totally watch a show that was Jesus versus Magneto.
SORT-OF SPOILER ALERT HERE IN WHICH I REVEAL THAT SOMETHING HAPPENS IN EPISODE 2 (BUT NOT EXACTLY WHAT THAT SOMETHING IS) THAT INVOLVES THE THIRD STRIKE
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Guest posters on the TV Blog this week
I’ll be away this week, but that doesn’t mean the TV Blog is going to subject you to reruns. TV never stops, and neither do we. Look for special guest posts from editors Sarah Beckham and Sharon Chapman; writer Joe Gross and others.
I’ll be back next week. Until then, keep track of the remote for me and don’t fall asleep on the couch.
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This week’s TV picks
Monday:
‘Inside the Actors Studio’ 7 p.m., Bravo: Bon Jovi appears. The whole band. It’s official — the Actors Studio has officially run out of actors. I like Bon Jovi okay but, seriously, if I were Robert DeNiro, I would demand that James Lipton never air my episode again.
‘The Prisoner’ 7 p.m., AMC: Six, Two, 313, 11-12 … is this an AMC drama or ‘Monday Night Football?’ It’s a good thing this is just a miniseries, because it’s days are numbered.
‘Gossip Girl’ 8 p.m., The CW: Lady Gaga appears? Hmm … must be sweeps month.
Tuesday:
‘Merry Madagascar’ 7 p.m., NBC: The animated films’ characters jump into action when Carl Reiner’s Santa crashes onto their island. I hope Santa was just on a test run, NBC, because it’s not even Thanksgiving yet! On the plus side, my whole family is looking forward to NBC’s early December Valentine’s Day specials.
‘Ghost Lab’ 9 p.m., Discovery: Spooky stuff’s afoot in Waxahachie and Dallas.
Wednesday:
‘Modern Family’ 8 p.m., ABC: Edward Norton and Elizabeth Banks? Yep, it’s sweeps month.
‘Glee’ 8 p.m., FOX: The glee club is divided up again. Let’s see, first it was boys vs. girls, then minorities vs. non-minorities. Now they’ve been split into couples. Maybe next week Mr. Schuester will dissect them like frogs.
Thursday:
‘Fringe’ 8 p.m., FOX: Walter’s craving milkshakes. Of course he is. That must mean his body’s not getting enough of something. Oh, I know — ratings!
‘30 Rock’ 8:30 p.m., NBC: Al Gore. Did I mention it’s sweeps month?
‘Family Armor’ 9 p.m., TLC: This show looks at a vehicle-bulletproofing business here in Texas. Now why would we possibly need bulletproofing down here?
Friday:
‘Medium’ 8 p.m., CBS: When Allison becomes light sensitive, she dons sunglasses that show her mysterious numbers. Hmm … maybe she’s watching ‘The Prisoner.’
‘Bartender Wars’ 9:30 p.m., FLN: I’m not sure exactly what this show is about, but if it’s some kind of competition, I predict that somebody will get served.
Saturday:
‘Austin City Limits’ 7 p.m., PBS: Pearl Jam jams. You’d Vedder be watching!
Sunday:
‘2009 American Music Awards’ 7 p.m., ABC: Lady Gaga takes time off from guest-appearing on ‘Gossip Girl’ to join the 37th edition of this annual event. Will Taylor Swift repeat her CMA sweep? (It IS sweeps month!)
‘The Cleveland Show’ 7:30 p.m., FOX: Musical duo Hall and Oates have voice cameos. You know what month it is. I’m just sayin’.
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TV Profile: Leila Rahimi
You might know them or you might not, but chances are you have no idea what they watch. This week we hop onto the couch with a face familiar to sports fans. Next time it could be another television personality, a politician or an ordinary couch potato like you or me — check back to find out.
Leila Rahimi
KXAN Sports Reporter
Number of years in this position: 2
I love my job because: I get to cover people doing what they love, exercise my sense of humor, and show people’s kids doing great things on TV.
Here’s what’s on my DVR: I don’t have a DVR! Isn’t that terrible? Maybe this article will shame me into getting one. I watch shows online. Does that count? I guess I have to admit to what those are …
1. “Gossip Girl” on the CW (How’s THAT for honest?)
2. “E:60” (the fantastic ESPN magazine show)
3. I still tape sporting events. Yes, I said “tape.” As in “on VCR.”
My all-time favorite TV show is: “SportsCenter.”
You’ll never catch me watching: Scary movies. Hate them.
If I have insomnia, the show that lulls me back to sleep is: Anything Sci-Fi. I just can’t do the whole “suspension of disbelief” thing.
A current show I never miss is: Other than KXAN Austin News … “The Rachel Zoe Project” on Bravo. Woman can not live on sports alone.
If my TV is on, it’s probably tuned to this channel: ESPN or FSN Southwest.
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Retired Georgetown TV director lived her own great story line
It sounds as if Linda and Steve Varnum lived a lifetime in just short of eight years.
The couple, high school sweethearts in California over 50 years ago, reconnected in 2002 and settled in Georgetown two years later. Linda, born Linda Gail Day in Los Angeles on Aug. 12, 1938, died on Oct. 23 after bouts with leukemia and breast cancer.
You might not recognize the name, but chances are you’ve seen Day’s work — her page at IMDB.com (the Internet Movie Database) is ridiculous. Her resume reads like a bound collection of TV Guides from the 1980s and early ’90s: Day directed more than 350 episodes of more than 50 different television series, including “Married with Children,” “Archie Bunker’s Place,” “Dallas,” “Kate & Allie,” “Mad About You,” “Who’s the Boss?” and “Clueless.” She was an Emmy Award nominee and she received Paul Newman’s Humanitas Award. The Director’s Guild of America honored her as a trailblazing female director.
And she was Steve Varnum’s soul mate.
Day and Varnum attended separate high schools in the Los Angeles area and were introduced by mutual friends in 1954. They went steady for nine or 10 months, and then went their separate ways. Varnum eventually graduated from college and went to work for the Veterans Administration (now the Department of Veterans Affairs) from which he retired at age 60, while Day continued her education in archaeology and art. Living in Illinois, Day divorced in the early 1960s, returned to Los Angeles and took an office job at CBS. Her father had directed movie trailers and her uncle, Gordon Douglas, was a feature film director (he directed, among other films, “Stagecoach” and “They Call Me MISTER Tibbs!”) but they did not help Day get into show business.
“They hired her as a secretary,” Varnum says. “She couldn’t type, but they loved her; she was such a wonderful personality. You never saw a picture of her where her mouth wasn’t wide open, smiling.” Day kept getting promoted until she landed in script supervising. She found herself on set, responsible for continuity — “making sure that the glass on the table had the same amount of cola or less than it had in the previous scene,” Varnum explains.
At some point, she made the leap to directing, although Varnum didn’t know that when they reconnected. They had talked on the phone two or three times over the years, and the last he’d heard Day was an associate producer. In December 2002, Varnum decided to locate his high school sweetheart again. A Google search turned up thousands of hits but no contact information. He began searching television trade magazines and found an article Day had written, so he e-mailed the magazine explaining that he and Day were high school friends and that she would want to hear from him.
“Coincidentally, the woman who got the e-mail said that she was going to be meeting with Linda the next day,” Varnum recalls. She delivered Varnum’s message early on a Wednesday morning. The next day, Varnum got an e-mail from Day with the subject line “Friends??” After she kidding him, asking him what he was doing reading Caucus magazine, the pair exchanged phone numbers.
“We then talked a couple of hours a day until, well, until forever,” Varnum says. That February, Varnum, then living in Cincinnati, went out to visit Day in Los Angeles. She came out to see him in early April. The pair lived together until they were married in May 2005.
“With two separate lives coming together at such an age, either you’re going to have a lot of problems or you’re going to have to learn how to compromise,” Varnum says. “And we learned to compromise. Both of us moved a lot toward the center, you might say — not politically, but philosophically we moved to the center. Honest to God, it was such a wonderful relationship.
“My wife Linda didn’t know how to nag,” he laughs. “She was such a sweet person, so easy to live with. It was one of those relationships that were just made in heaven or so to speak.”
The pair happened to be going to New Orleans for Christmas in 2003. Texas had not made their short list of places to settle down, but they stopped in Georgetown because they’d heard wonderful things about Austin and were aware of the Sun City retirement community. They fell in love with the area and relocated in 2004. Day became a member of the Sun City Theater group and directed several plays there. Some of the members were naturally wary of a professional outsider coming into their group, Varnum explains, but Day won them over quickly. She had a gift, Varnum says, for “telling somebody how to do something without them feeling like they had been told.”
“She directed Brian Dennehy one time, and he was not happy having a woman director,” Varnum recalls. “But it didn’t take long before she had him wrapped around her finger. People took to her immediately.”
The couple was fond of the Austin Playhouse and visited Esther’s Follies often. They loved Sixth Street and Austin’s restaurants and went to the movies every Thursday. “That’s when they came to clean the house, so we just got out,’ Varnum laughs.
And they watched television, often happening upon episodes Day had directed or stars she had worked with. “If we ever came close to fussing, that was the time,” Varnum joked. He explained that he enjoyed pausing the DVR at exciting points in programs and asking questions about things like what an actor had just said.
“Linda would say, ‘Are we going to watch the movie?’ and I would sit there like an old sullen hen. She did the same thing, but it was OK when she did it. She would say, ‘I directed him,’ or ‘Let me tell you about this one or that one.’ And, so, she did the same thing but I didn’t mind. It didn’t bother me a bit,” he laughs.
Day had worked with so many stars in her career that she had no shortage of anecdotes to recount. Varnum tells me about her “ego wall,” on which she kept clusters of photos. He describes a photo of her and Jerry Lewis upon which Lewis had penned, ‘Linda, my darling, I will never forget last night. Love, Jerry. January ’93.’
“Of course, there was no last night,” Varnum laughs.
There’s the picture of Day with Robert Redford as he gave her the Humanitas Award. The photo shows Day at a microphone while Redford, standing next to her, suspiciously looks at her backside. Day’s slip had gotten caught and was exposed. “She thought that story was so funny, she would tell it to everyone,” Varnum laughed.
And there’s a photo of Day with Carroll O’Connor sitting in Archie Bunker’s chair, now located in the Smithsonian Institute. “She used to take naps in that chair,” Varnum says.
The couple remained active until weeks before Day’s passing, traveling on cruises to destinations including Australia and New Zealand, Tahiti, Alaska and Europe. At the ages of 70 and 71, the couple went ziplining in Hawaii.
A private memorial service will be held on Nov. 20. Varnum isn’t sure many people would want to attend a service for somebody they didn’t know, even if they had been touched by her work.
“Everybody knows the stars,” he says, “but nobody really knows the people behind the scenes.”
This 2008 photo was taken in Hawaii after Steve and Linda had ziplined on two stations (four “zips”) and were preparing to do another one.
Linda Day relaxes on the set of “Archie Bunker’s Place.” “She had the greatest admiration for Carroll O’Connor,” Steve explains. “He was very nice to work with.”
Linda directed Jerry Lewis in an episode of “Mad About You.” Linda told the ad-libbing comic that he might want to “do his best stuff” because she would have to put some of it on the cutting room floor.
Linda (back row, center) poses with the cast and crew of “Married With Children.”
Robert Redford presents Linda with the Paul Newman Humanitas Award.
This photo of Linda and Steve was taken just a little over two months before Linda passed away. “Her smile was our constant companion,” Steve says.
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TV Guide launches ‘Online DVR’
So you missed the first 10 minutes of Tuesday’s episode of “V.” Say you don’t have a DVR — or that you forgot to set it (as I did … oops!) — what do you do? If you have access to a computer (and you do, or you wouldn’t be reading this) you can probably find your show online. But “V” is relatively new and, let’s face it … with online program guides, who besides a television writer really pays attention to which shows are on which network anymore?
You could surf on over to Hulu.com; they have a lot of shows. But not all networks distribute through Hulu. And the newest episodes of some pay and basic cable programs are only available online through pay sites such as Amazon.com or iTunes.
TVGuide.com aims to turn your computer into a DVR with its new “My TVGuide.com DVR” service. TVGuide.com already has an outstanding online program guide — it’s just like your TV’s online guide and its listings are customizable to your television service provider. The new service sports the ability to add shows to a virtual, online DVR that will alert you, when you visit the site, to new episodes that are available and allow you to watch them right there, without having to navigate to various network sites and find your way back.
The site claims that more than 700,000 videos are available to users, including full episodes of television shows, music videos, movies and web-only video content. It seemed pretty comprehensive — they offered episodes of both the new and the old “Knight Rider.”
I gave it a spin, adding shows from ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX, as well as Showtime and the Discovery Channel for good measure. I was able to watch those first 10 minutes of “V” (with limited commercial interruption). Shows from last night were already listed in my virtual DVR, and it showed me how many episodes total from each show were available and how many were new, which was handy.
I was a little disappointed to click on “Mythbusters” and be told I could watch the show — provided by Amazon.com — for $1.99 (ditto for “Mad Men” and “Weeds”), and that show and others provided by Amazon pop up in a new window, which is a little annoying. But Amazon shows you the first few minutes for free and purchasing, if you decide to do so, is as simple as clicking a button (if you already have an Amazon account).
All you need to do to use the service is to browse to tvguide.com and register (it’s free). I suspect that “My TVGuide.com DVR,” and other services like it, will lead me to watch more television online. How about you?
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Beaver sprays ‘Early Show’s’ Debbye Turner Bell
I’m probably showing my age, but when I saw the headline “Beaver urinates on CBS ‘Early Show’ correspondent” over on The Live Feed, my first thought was, “Oh, that Jerry Mathers!”
Check out the clip here.
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Lou Dobbs leaves CNN
Lou Dobbs, the last of CNN’s original anchors, announced Wednesday that he was leaving the network, the Associated Press reported. Although Dobbs made his announcement just as I was beginning my commute home, I’m not suggesting he timed his exit to make me an hour late in getting the story on my blog — that would make me a conspiracy theorist.
“I will let you know when I set my course,” said Dobbs, explaining that the cable network had agreed to release him from his contract early. He added that he wanted to “contribute positively to a better understanding of the great issues of our day.”
“With characteristic forthrightness, Lou has now decided to carry the banner of advocacy journalism elsewhere,” said CNN President Jon Klein. “We respect his decision.”
Are you upset that Dobbs, who has gained a lot of attention for his controversial stands on trade and immigration policy, is leaving CNN? Do you think he’ll end up at FOX News, as is rumored? Check out the video of Dobbs’ resignation and sound off below:
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Disabled actors upset about tonight’s ‘Glee’
Some disabled actors are speaking out against FOX TV’s “Glee,” which airs an episode tonight largely based upon the paraplegic character Artie, portrayed by Kevin McHale — an actor who, unlike Artie, does not have to use a wheelchair. The criticisms appear in an article from the Associated Press.
Robert David Hall, a longtime cast member of CBS’ “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” heads a multi-union committee for performers with disabilities, according to the article. He suggests that fears of litigation, production slowdowns or viewer discomfort are poor reasons for casting non-disabled actors as disabled characters. “I’ve made my living as an actor for 30 years and I walk on two artificial legs,” Hall is quoted as saying.
“Glee’s” executive producer, Brad Falchuk, says plenty of wheelchair-using actors were auditioned for the part. “We brought in anyone: white, black, Asian, in a wheelchair,” he said. “It was very hard to find people who could really sing, really act, and have that charisma you need on TV.”
Casting controversy aside, I found tonight’s “very special” episode to continue the confusing slide in quality “Glee” was experiencing before its recent hiatus. The more pseudo-serious the show gets, the less funny and entertaining it becomes. Tonight’s effort seems more like an after-school special, except for the consequence-free introduction of pot-laced brownies to a bake sale — and didn’t the show just have an episode that hammered home how bad drugs are?
This exemplifies the schizophrenia problem from which “Glee” is suffering. It continues with the character assassination the writers are perpetrating on Jane Lynch’s Cheerios leader, Sue Sylvester. Will she be nice tonight? Or evil? Maybe this is the week in which she’ll be both … I won’t spoil it, except to note that the episode ends with a treacly Sue scene that, I guess, attempts to explain her odd behavior, but doesn’t do that at all.
Sue’s secret was not, as the winner of our recent TV Blog contest Gabe Hernandez guessed, that she is pregnant with newscaster Rod’s baby. Nice try, though. Enjoy that soundtrack CD, Gabe. You may want to just listen to it instead of watching tonight’s episode.
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People’s Choice nominees announced
The Associated Press has released the list of nominees for the People’s Choice Awards. The nominees were selected by online voting (more than 18 million votes were cast) and winners are selected in the same fashion.
The categories are a little more open than the Emmys (I’m looking at you, “TV obsession” and “Animal show”) and some online voters might have better voted with their people meters and Nielsen diaries: drama nominees “Eastwick” and “Trauma” have already been canceled, and other nominees, including Kelsey Grammer’s awful “Hank,” are on the bubble.
Queen Latifah will host the broadcast from the Nokia Theatre on CBS, Jan. 6, 2010.
Did you vote? Is your favorite show missing from the list? Here are the television category nominees:
TV drama: “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “House,” “Lost,” “NCIS.”
TV comedy: “Desperate Housewives,” “How I Met Your Mother,” “The Big Bang Theory,” “The Office,” “Two and a Half Men.”
TV drama Actor: Hugh Laurie, Kiefer Sutherland, Mark Harmon, Matthew Fox, Patrick Dempsey.
TV drama Actress: Anna Paquin, Blake Lively, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Katherine Heigl, Mariska Hargitay.
TV comedy Actor: Alex Baldwin, Charlie Sheen, Jim Parsons, Neil Patrick Harris, Steve Carell.
TV comedy Actress: Alyson Hannigan, America Ferrera, Amy Poehler, Eva Longoria Parker, Tina Fey.
TV obsession: “Dexter,” “Gossip Girl,” “The Hills,” “The Secret Life of the American Teenager,” “True Blood.”
TV talk show: “Chelsea Lately,” “Live with Regis & Kelly,” “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” “The Tyra Banks Show.”
TV sci-fi/fantasy: “Heroes,” “Lost,” “Supernatural,” “The Vampire Diaries,” “True Blood.”
TV competition show: “American Idol,” “Dancing With the Stars,” “Project Runway,” “So You Think You Can Dance,” “Survivor: Samoa.”
Animal show: “Animal Cops,” “DogTown,” “Dog Whisperer,” “It’s Me or the Dog,” “Rescue Ink.”
New TV drama: “Eastwick,” “FlashForward,” “Melrose Place,” “Mercy,” “The Forgotten,” “The Good Wife,” “The Vampire Diaries,” “Three Rivers,” “NCIS: Los Angeles,” “V.”
New TV comedy: “Accidentally on Purpose,” “Brothers,” “Community,” “Cougar Town,” “Glee,” “Hank,” “The Cleveland Show,” “The Middle,” “Modern Family.”
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TV coverage of Fort Hood Memorial
TV Newser’s Kevin Allocca has posted a blog entry on broadcast and cable networks’ plans for coverage of this afternoon’s memorial service at Fort Hood. The item lists coverage plans from CNN, FOX News, MSNBC, ABC and CBS and promises to be updated as additional coverage plans become available.
Check it out here.
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Fort Hood soldiers on PBS documentary ‘Tattooed Under Fire’
Charles Hanson, Infantry, shows off his tattoo from the River City Tattoo Shop.
Soldiers from Fort Hood, America’s largest military base and the location of last week’s tragic shootings, are spotlighted on PBS’ “Tattooed Under Fire,” airing at 9 p.m. on KLRU.
Nancy Schiesari’s documentary centers on the military ritual of getting inked, interweaving the personal stories of six central characters—and their relationships to the war in Iraq—with the visual expressions of their tattoos (River City Tattoo Parlor, a place where many of the Fort’s war-bound and returning soldiers go under the needle, is located across the street from the base).
From PBS’ press release:
River City Tattoo Parlor owner/artist Roxanne Willis and her team of tattoo artists welcome young men and women daily: as they arrive, shed their uniforms and carve permanence into their transitory flesh. Some seek to adorn their limbs, make a statement, ward off evil with fierce engravings or honor a loved one. Some seek grizzlier images, like “meat tags.” A play on traditional dog tags, “meat tags” are a morbid marker of name, DOB and serial number, designed for posthumous identification. Tattooed just under the armpit on the torso, they are strategically located in the place most likely to remain intact in the event of death by IED explosion.
The young men and women are introduced as they are being tattooed; raw recruits at first and then as returning soldiers, changed in ways only their fellow soldiers can grasp. Through the creative and sometimes subversive act of tattooing, these young soldiers use skin to create personalized images and words that reveal a seldom seen part of the psyche of the American soldier.
The film is an intimate, character-driven portrait of Iraq-bound and returning U.S. soldiers, professing their pride, sharing their secrets and confessing their fears as they go under the tattoo needle. What emerges is an evocative, poignant and highly personal look at the human and cultural cost of war.
“Tattooed Under Fire” is a co-production of KLRU and the Independent Television Service (ITVS).
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KVUE’s Smith talks ‘Good Morning America’
An article on Broadcasting & Cable’s Web site about the impending anchor moves at “Good Morning America” quotes KVUE president and general manager Patti Smith. The story asks ABC affiliates to weigh in on the replacement of Diane Sawyer when she takes the network’s evening news anchor chair in January.
Smith notes NBC’s smooth “Today” transition from Katie Couric to Meredith Vieira:
“They found the right person, an impeccable journalist and a terrific morning host [in Vieira],” she says. “If NBC can do it, then so can we.”
Who would you like to see as “GMA” anchor?
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This week’s TV picks
Trust me, ABC’s “V” is a lot more exciting than this photo makes it appear to be.
Monday:
‘How the Beatles Rocked the Kremlin’ 9 p.m., PBS: Let me hear your balalaikas ringing out — back in the USSR, Russian super fans are interviewed in an exploration of the Fab Four’s influence behind the Iron Curtain.
‘Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives’ 9:30 p.m., Food: Guy Fieri chows down at Texas barbecue joints in this tasty rerun.
Tuesday:
‘V’ 7 p.m., ABC: Okay, the set-up was good. Let’s hope Elizabeth Mitchell and company can continue to deliver.
‘Ghost Lab’ 9 p.m., Discovery: Does John Wilkes Booth haunt the Opera House in Granbury, Texas? Well, you can’t spell Booth without ‘boo.’
Wednesday:
‘43rd Annual CMA Awards’ 7 p.m., ABC: Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood perform and host. I hope this means that CMT gets to air ‘Cougar Town’.
‘15 Remarkable Celebrity Body Bouncebacks’ 7 p.m., E!: Famous folk drop pounds and get into shape. You know, it’s about time somebody started paying attention to celebrities’ physical attributes.
Thursday:
‘Real Housewives of Orange County’ 9 p.m., Bravo: New housewife alert! New housewife alert! Alexis Bellino joins the cast.
‘Gone Too Far’ 10 p.m., MTV: A 20-year-old San Antonio heroin and cocaine addict gets a second chance.
Friday:
‘Bang for Your Buck’ 9:30 p.m., HGTV: Austin outdoor living rooms worth $95,000 are toured. It’s Thanksgiving month, right? I’m thankful that the bathrooms remain indoors.
‘Bose Sound Innovations’ 11 p.m., QVC: I usually don’t like to highlight the shopping channels, but tonight is exactly one-month ‘til my birthday and y’all haven’t been getting the hint.
Saturday:
‘Austin City Limits’ 7 p.m., PBS: Willie Nelson and Asleep at the Wheel perform songs from 2009’s ‘Willie and the Wheel’.
‘Celebrity Ghost Stories’ 9 p.m., BIO: C. Thomas Howell has a spooky encounter in an abandoned hotel. I know, I know … you want to know what C. Thomas Howell is doing in an abandoned hotel. Hey — he’s C. Thomas Howell; he doesn’t have to answer to you.
Sunday:
‘Extreme Makeover: Home Edition’ 7 p.m., ABC: Can David Duchovny help a leukemia survivor and her family rebuild their uninhabitable farmhouse? I want to believe.
‘Nature’ 7 p.m., PBS: The first year in the life of a humpback whale is chronicled. It’s so cute the first time they sit up by themselves, but burping them is really tough, mostly because of the hump.
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A worthy follow up to The Shield (arguably the best cop show ever). FX makes the most realistic and gritty shows on television. It's a shame they don't air more programs like this one.
... read the full comment by Vic Mackey | Comment on "Sons of Anarchy": "Service" Read "Sons of Anarchy": "Service"
Hi, Anna!
Retro TV is no longer available in the Austin area, and I haven't heard that any stations plan to pick up this programming. Here is my article about the switch: http://bit.ly/vM9O3 Best, Dale.
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