TV Right Now: The good, the bad and the totally sucky

[doodler]

Mark Harmon was just on Jimmy Kimmel and he is a hoot! He's married to Pam Dawber (sp?) for the last 25 years. I'm glad he's around tv!

[Passion]

Mark Harmon was just on Jimmy Kimmel and he is a hoot! He's married to Pam Dawber (sp?) for the last 25 years. I'm glad he's around tv!

I am really glad they are still together!!  She was on Mork and Mindy ...right?

[doodler]

Yep. And he makes it sound like she doesn't take any lip from him.

PBS, Sunday the 22nd
Finding Your Roots With Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
Robert Downey, Jr.; Maggie Gyllenhaal
 
Eastern European Jewish ancestors

[doodler]

Revenge is back and oh so good! For me, this is the hit of the 2011-12 new shows.
I like Grimm and really like Once upon a Time and enjoy a number of others,
but Revenge is D O N 'T  M I S S, even in reruns.

[morrobay]

Yep. And he makes it sound like she doesn't take any lip from him.

PBS, Sunday the 22nd
Finding Your Roots With Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
Robert Downey, Jr.; Maggie Gyllenhaal
 
Eastern European Jewish ancestors

there's a similar show on network tv, don't know the name...but why anyone would be interested in a celebrity's family history is beyond me...talk about not having a life....

[doodler]

I mentioned somewhere that my daughter is studying forensic psychology. She has a genealogy assignment and I have to admit, I've been no help to her whatsoever. I have vague recollections of my grandparents and paternal aunts and uncles, but that's it. I just don't care. They had little, if any, influence on me growing up so I don't need to know anything about them. I have enough to be miffed about it my OWN life!

[Jeff Wrangler]

there's a similar show on network tv, don't know the name...

That would probably be Who Do You Think You Are? on NBC.

but why anyone would be interested in a celebrity's family history is beyond me...talk about not having a life....

Well, why are people interested in celebrities' lives?

As a former history major and as someone who made a living for 12 years by writing history, I try never to miss it. The constant interruptions for commercials for a genealogy web site are, indeed, annoying, but beyond that, I find the show fascinating, and even sometimes quite moving.

Americans in general are notoriously ignorant about history. At the same time, whether they have a life or not, many are interested in celebrities. If a show tracing the family history of a celebrity can teach some people even a tiny little bit about history, or bring some of that history to life, I think it's a good thing.

And I think the show does bring history vividly to life, especially at times when it traces the ancestry of an African American. I'll never forget the episode from the first season when they traced a female line of the retired football player Emmitt Smith; the earliest trace of his (I think) fourth great-grandmother was a bill of sale for the sale of her in Virginia in the 1820s. Talk about bringing slavery vividly to life. (At least, I think that was the Emmitt Smith episode, but I could be confusing it with someone else.  )

A couple of other random memories from various episodes:

Rosie O'Donnell had famine-immigrant Irish ancestors; they went to Canada after first spending time in county poor house, where children as young as four years of age were separated from their mothers (Rosie visited a surviving Irish poor house; the place was like a prison).

Lisa Kudrow (Phoebe from Friends and one of the executive producers of Who Do You Think You Are?) lost a number of quite close relatives in the Holocaust; the entire village where they lived was destroyed by the Nazis.

Matthew Broderick, who played Robert Gould Shaw in Glory, had an ancestor who actually was killed fighting in the Civil War. Research for the show led to the marking of his previously unidentified grave.

On her father's side Gwyneth Paltrow comes from a long line of rabbis and Torah scholars.

I could go on, but I'll stop here. I'll just repeat that I feel if some people can connect to history through a celebrity's family history, I think it's a good thing.

[doodler]

Ah Thursday night. The best tv night of the week.

And as usual, Touch had a WOW! moment. There is at least one every episode.

Missing is still entertaining. And every episode there is a scene with Ashley Judd kicking the butts of some bad guys. Her series "son" didn't fall far from the tree... he had another MacGyver moment this week while the Italian Interpol agent made the scenery more beautiful.

Then there's Awake, which for me is a little harder to follow and a tad less interesting than the other two. Since Scandal started on ABC a couple weeks back, I find myself tempted to switch to that more fomulamatic drama.

And I forgot to mention my man from A Knight's Tale, James Purefoy, has a continuing role on Wednesday night's Revenge.

Network tv life is good.

[oilgun]

Ah Thursday night. The best tv night of the week.

[...]

And I forgot to mention my man from A Knight's Tale, James Purefoy, has a continuing role on Wednesday night's Revenge.

Speaking of James Purefoy, has his movie SOLOMON KANE ever been released?

[jack]

there is a web page for that listed on the poster you posted, and there is a facebook page as well.  i really couldn't decipher whether it had limited release or was coming out later...

https://www.facebook.com/solomonkanethemovie?ref=search&sid=1383896527.93820861..1&v=wall

[jack]

as i have previously mentioned, repeatedly, i don't watch idol, but i do check youtube to see if my favorite, phillip, has done well, and check out his performances.  i usually think he knows who he is and stays in his lane.  i was shocked for the 2nd week in a row, when another of the presumed favorites was the lowest scoring, colton dixon was booted.  he affected a far out look, but will undoubtedly do well since he is a rare bird, a singing piano man.  he plays piano better than he sings, but that's another story.  last week it was the tiny girl with the big voice who was set to go, but the judges intervened.  i was pretty sure she was going to win.  i don't have a clue what is going on with the voting public, not that they are ever sane, but really...

[killersmom]

Speaking of James Purefoy, has his movie SOLOMON KANE ever been released?

Here is the link to IMDB releases.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0970452/business

Looks like it was released in the UK in 2009, but looks like it never made it to the US or Canada.

It is out on DVD though.

[oilgun]

Here is the link to IMDB releases.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0970452/business

Looks like it was released in the UK in 2009, but looks like it never made it to the US or Canada.

It is out on DVD though.

Oh dear, straight to video?  But the trailer made the movie look so good! 
I checked Amazon and the dvd is 'not available at this time'. 

Thanks for the info!

[Tony_]

  Am just now getting into the Downton Abbey Season one DVD (actually headed for twice  ).

But, I don't get the miscarriage scene.  Did O'Brian leave out some soap for the countess to slip on after her bath?  I know the motive, but it's so quick.

Also, is Thomas an aristogay (meaning he's only gay for nobles) or is he just wantonly ambitious?  I mean, we don't see him smurfing after any village lads or other footmen.  I don't think we could sustain a "Was Thomas gay thread?", but a few opinions, here, would help me, at least, puzzle this one out.

[killersmom]

Oh dear, straight to video?  But the trailer made the movie look so good! 
I checked Amazon and the dvd is 'not available at this time'. 

Thanks for the info!

I took this over to the movie thread, Oilgun!

http://www.davecullen.com/forum/index.php?topic=40633.msg2257216#msg2257216