What's On TV

Sherwood Park, Alberta, Canada


I've had a lazy few days, what with the snow and all, and have been putting in my time in front of the "boob tube." But who said TV is useless, here's some of what I learned over the past couple days:

rapture is a term used by religious believers that when a person is so good God takes them (to heaven) before they die;

Paul & Linda McCartney only spent 11 days apart in their entire relationship;

Al Lewis (Grandpa from the Munsters) died February 3rd in NYC at the age of 95 or 72;

Darren McGavin star of Kolchak, The Nightstalker - one of my favorite TV series when I was a teenager, who also appeared in the sleeper hit, A Christmas Story, died this past Saturday, Feb. 25;

one of my new favorite TV series, The Comeback has been cancelled;

William Shatner (Captain Kirk from Star Trek) and Pamela Anderson (Baywatch and upcoming host of the 2006 Juno Awards) were born Canadians;

another Canadian, the mayor of Vancouver, Sam Sullivan, is a quadriplegic and made our country look like a very progressive nation when he accepted the Olympic Flag for the 2010 games;

Judy Garland attempted suicide more than 30 times;

and you cannot get a cold by catching "cold" or a chill, you must come in contact with a person who has the virus -- usually the most infective in the first few days.

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Although I'm not really a TV junkie, (give me a movie any day -- especially a foreign/art/independent film) over the years here's what I've liked to watch:

Six Feet Under - concluded but probably one of the best series ever

Deadwood - would have never believed anyone that would have said I'd watch a western series

Carnivale - cancelled after 2 seasons but was a unique spin on the supernatural

Dead Like Me - cancelled after 2 seasons but was incredible black comedy (first season was far superior)

The Comeback - cancelled after 1 season but Lisa Kudrow like you've never seen her

Friends - concluded (favorite episode was Season 7, The One With Joey's New Brain)

Fat Actress - Kirstie Alley is hilarious ... and fat

Sex and the City - classic NYC regardless of your gender

Sopranos - Mafia reality TV

CSI, Law & Order (doon doon), Third Watch - totally hooked on these late night reruns

ER - great work from head writer/producer John Wells

Prison Break - good for network TV but can't touch OZ

Oz - the original prison series

Threshold - cancelled after 9 episodes

Monty Python's Flying Circus - one of the funniest sketch comedy series ever

Moonlighting - acerbic, clever and witty comedy TV series with Cybil Sheppard and Bruce Willis

Night Gallery - creepy, definitely gave me some sleepless nights as a youngster

American Bandstand - loved it during the whole disco era (that's where I first heard Sister Sledge's We Are Family)

Kolchak, The Night Stalker

Flipper - and ocean version of "animals are our friends TV" like

Gentle Ben or Skippy The Bush Kangaroo

I Love Lucy - the original sitcom

Roller Derby - Stampede Wrestling on wheels (Anyone else remember Skinny Minnie Miller?)

The Wonderful World of Disney - a Sunday night staple when I was a kid, great animation and all those movies of lovable critters (that in real life would bite your head off)

David Letterman - only the early years when he was twisted and funny, then he became a prick

never really a fan of soap operas (exception was Dynasty), reality TV (sure I've watched a few episodes of Survivor, Amazing Race, Manhunt, Top Model, Project Runway or American Idol, but I lose interest quickly) or game shows (exceptions; Match Game and The Gong Show)

Shows that I absolutely hate: Airline (I'll never fly Southwest), Love Boat, Little House on the Prairie, Jerry Springer (who took schlock talk TV to a whole new level), Geraldo (even though I was on one episode), and the sophomoric do-gooder Montel.