Enjoying Jack Benny 60 years late

I enjoy watching The Jack Benny show on my "rabbit ears" TV--I rarely listened/watched when it was one of the most popular and long running radio/TV shows in history (1932-1955 radio; 1950-1965 TV). I was looking at the FaceBook page and noticed that the wife (4th) of his announcer and side kick Don Wilson was Lois Corbett. That's the same name (not person) as my aunt.  But also the photo on the page shows a different Don Wilson, an Asian martial arts guy.  Considering what Don Wilson (rotund) looked like, that's hilarious.

“Two and a half men” young star says don’t watch it

I don’t get it.  Is someone holding a gun to his head to perform in this sleaze show? I think it’s a form of child abuse to have an under age actor even on the set.  Or maybe this is really from The Onion.  These days you can’t tell sarcasm from satire from sleaze.

“Angus T. Jones, who has played the role of Jake Harper on the hit CBS show since 2003 and reportedly earns $350,000 an episode, is featured in a new video for the Forerunner Christian Church, in which he calls the sitcom “filth” that contradicts his devout Christian values.

That’s not all. The 19-year-old actor even urges fans to stop watching.

"I'm on 'Two and a Half Men' and I don't want to be on it,” he said. "If you watch 'Two and a Half Men,' please stop watching it and filling your head with filth. People say it’s just entertainment. Do some research on the effects of television and your brain, and I promise you you’ll have a decision to make when it comes to television, especially with what you watch."

Jones goes on to express guilt that his profession may be inflicting serious damage on its audience.”

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2012/11/26/star-two-and-half-men-angus-t-jones-urges-fans-to-stop-watching-calls-show/#ixzz2DNBzrI9j

Our Friday night date

We usually go out to eat on Friday night with another couple--Joyce and Bill or Joan and Jerry or Ron and Jane or Sue and Wes, etc. But last night, everyone must have been busy or we gave up too early. So I suggested a movie. After some intense questioning (my husband resists change) we settled on "New in Town" at the dollar theater, which I think is now $1.50. It was billed as a romantic comedy, as was "Shopaholic," our other choice in that not G but not R group.

I thought I'd blog about it while I still remember the plot (24 hours later), because it is truly forgetable. And yet it isn't. When you're watching it (released in January 2009) you could swear you've seen this 4 or 5 other times. And you have. Only the names, climate, clothes and marital state change. This one is supposed to take place in New Ulm, Minnesota, but was actually filmed in Canada, and I guess they nearly froze their tushies off. Renee Zellweger and Harry Connick, Jr. play the leads--her the on the rise executive from Miami, and him the union boss--so you know where this is going. As smart as she's supposed to be, she doesn't seem to understand how cold it is in Minnesota, but as the movie moves on, and on, her clothing does change from 4 in. designer heels and skinny suits to muklaks and parkas. Nor does she seem to know you don't drink alcohol if you are stranded in a snow drift. I'm from balmy Ohio and even I know that. But drunken blondes are supposed to be funny, I guess. I'm not sure Min-e-so-tans talk like they do in this movie, but they did have to let them have the last say, even though they were scrapbooking Jesus lovers, because they were unionized. And all Hollywood has to make the executive the butt of the joke, so the worker can beat them, right? We watched about 5 minutes of credits scroll by at the end, and I wonder how many of those are small, independent contractors hoping to someday be big companies?

Just two other things, then I'm done. Renee's skin looked like she really had been affected by the severe weather--very red chapped and blotchy, and the small popcorn was $4.75--more than our two tickets.

Watching TV to get a PhD

Someone came to my blog looking for something about "Mindy orange juice suit shrank," so I couldn't resist and back tracked--never finding the episode, but did discover an interesting PhD Thesis on TV comedy theme songs. I find that amazing. That someone spent all that time and our money watching TV and listening to the theme songs, and then gets to wear a cap and gown, and call herself Dr. Butcher.

"The purpose of this study is to examine the function of the bard in situation comedy theme songs. This study calls upon Fiske and Hartley's concept of television as a cultural bard, a singer and teller of stories that create and conserve community. The bard reaffirms the culture's
identity while delivering social and political messages relevant to the culture at specific times throughout history. . . The results of the analysis reveal that the themes address relevant cultural issues such as race relations, the role of the domestic woman, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, class conflict, and the construction of reality."

Didn't we already know that?

A lot of heavy, deep ideas in this thesis

• Many of us in the United States live and grow up in front of our television sets, and television theme songs become ingrained in our minds.
  
• While the 1960s was a decade of social upheaval and change, the 1970s appears to have been a decade of self-absorption.
  
• The primary function of the theme song, however, is to "hook" the audience into watching the show.
  
• Gomer joins a long-standing tradition of fools, clowns and other tricksters who, aware of their powerless position and out of fear or threat of punishment, do not voice their opposition in a forthright manner.
  
• and so on.

Still, it is fun to read. Maybe her committee liked it too.

Thursday Thirteen--New Cable Shows

Cable is increasing original series. We started watching "The Closer" which premiered in summer 2005 because there wasn't much else on. I've really enjoyed Monk, too. Yesterday in a special advertising section I noticed a list of those that will start this summer or early next year. Unfortunately, we'll miss most of the premieres because our summer home doesn't have cable. But here goes.

USA--"The Starter Wife," mini-series with Debra Messing

TNT--"The Company"--about the Cold War era.

FX--"Damages" Glenn Close as a ruthless attorney

TNT--"Heartland" about an organ transplant specialist

TNT--"Saving Grace" has Holly Hunter as an Oklahoma City cop

USA--"Burn Notice" is a spy thriller

TBS--"The Bill Engvall Show" blue collar comedy

TBS--"House of Payne"--family sit-com

Comedy Central--satirical comedy "Lil' Bush"

Bravo--"Hey Paula" reality show about Paula Abdul

A&E--(to start Jan.1, 2008)"Confessions of a matchmaker" reality show about Patti Novak of Buffalo

USA--"The Coreys" reality show about former kid stars Corey Hains and Corey Feldman (I'm not familiar with either one of them)

Discovery Channel--special even series "Ten ways to save the Planet"