Recently in TV Category

In one of my very first blog posts (back in 2005), I mentioned a great organization show called Neat. I recently started watching the show again - thanks to the FitTV channel and my DVR. Neat is a great source of organization inspiration and I was pleased this week to discover that the host, Hellen Buttigieg, has her own website, ezine, and blog. Buttigieg is also on Twitter. Four more ways to get inspired about organization - isn't that neat?

The Tim Tebow commercial which aired during the Super Bowl was supposed to lead to the destruction of life as we know it. This was the event that the Mayans warned would end the world.

Or not.

I'm waiting to hear a lot of backtracking today. More than likely, though, those who made such a ruckus will pretend nothing happened. Maybe being exposed for the Chicken Littles that they were will wake a few people up. I doubt it.

I hope the good folks at Focus on the Family are enjoying all the free press the pro-abortion folks have given them. This tempest in a teacup is still providing press this morning as most news outlets are discussing how non-controversial the ad was. Even the celebrity gossip website TMZ is shocked that this benign commercial was the source of so much hoopla:

After weeks of hype and outrage, the Super Bowl commercial with Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow finally aired Sunday night -- so what was all the fuss about?

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is what the rest of us have been asking since the story on the Tim Tebow commercial first broke: What is all this fuss about?

In case you missed the ad, take a look for yourself:

A successful son and his loving mother - definitely a recipe for apocalyptic mayhem 

While many were watching the Grammy Award Show, the children and I had our own TV viewing.

First, we watched "A Special Duggar Delivery". It was so sad to see the suffering of the Dugger parents and their tiniest baby. We're glad to hear that Josie is now doing well. The show will resume this Tuesday at 9pm Eastern Time. If you visit the TLC website, you can view photos of Baby Josie. You can also visit a forum and read silly and inane comments about the Duggars. I especially enjoyed the accusation that the Duggar children are uneducated about World Cultures. Most Americans do not send their children off to foreign countries to aid the indigenous population. That is more of an education than reading a textbook. What a logic fail!

Next, we viewed the rest of the "Emma" miniseries on PBS's Masterpiece Theater. Hooray! We loved it. Though it did not include all of our favorite lines or scenes and did have an anachronistic PDA (public display of affection), one member of the family has petitioned for this "Emma" to now be declared our Emma. Is this so long and farewell to faux British accents? No, I think we can love more than one Emma. However, for those of us who long to see a bit of post-wedding bliss (my daughter), this newest incarnation illustrated just how romantic Mr. Knightley was.

Just an aside: people always rave over Mr. Darcy, but I've always been a Mr. Knightley fan. I'm not talking about looks, just character. To me, Mr. Darcy is just too high maintenance and is really a "fixer-upper". Mr. Knightley, though, is nearly perfect and aptly named. Just wanted to get that off my chest. Thanks.

So, who is this Lady Gaga? (No, I don't really want to know.) Doesn't Gaga sounds like baby babble.

For those wondering, the newest Duggar baby is reportedly doing well. Josie Brooklyn, born more than three months premature and weighing less than two pounds, is now seven weeks old.

Tomorrow, January 31, at 8pm Eastern Time, a "Special Duggar Delivery" will air on TLC. Here's a sneak peek, courtesy of TLC:

Also, if you use Tivo or a DVR, you will need to update the name of the show, which will now be called "19 Kids and Counting".

Did you view Masterpiece Theater's "Emma" on PBS last Sunday night? When it was shown last year in England, it garnered less than stellar ratings - leading many to announce that the Age of Jane Austen Movie Adaptations was now over. However, after watching Part 1, I completely disagree with the naysayers. I thought the miniseries was wonderful. Though some may dislike an adaptation which strays a bit from its literary birth, I have yet to discover any part of this newest Emma which would make her creator fume. Any writer who begins a story with "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife."  is one who keeps her tongue firmly in her cheek. A reason why Jane Austen has never gone out of style is that she was an acerbic wit and much of her novels must be read with a twinkle in one's eye.

Speaking of style, did you experience quite a bit of deja vu viewing while watching "Emma"? I did and the trivia page at IMDB reveals why: I've seen many of the costumes in other favorite movies. One most particular is the lovely gown worn by Emma at the Weston wedding. Formally, it was donned by Edmond's love, Mercedes, near the beginning of "The Count of Monte Cristo". Reusing costumes is, of course, a common practice for period films, but it is still great fun to play the "Where have I seen that dress/coat/bonnet before?" game.

Part 2 of "Emma" (60 minutes) will air this Sunday night and Part 3 (60 minutes) will air on Sunday, February 7. Any missed part can be viewed online until March 9, 2010. Also, a second Twitter Party is on for this Sunday night. Details at PBS.

The PBS website also offers many sweet treats, such as behind-the-scenes videos, an article from the Chawton House Library, a screenwriter Q & A, and much more.

Emma's poor performance has led some to question the BBC's decision to adapt an Austen classic that has been on screen so many times before.

One leading drama producer said: 'I don't think audiences are as excited about Emma - perhaps they are not excited by Austen anymore.'

As if. I think it's more likely that this version just isn't very good. Will I watch anyway? Of course. At least the first episode.

Piccard:

I hear Obama is a Star Trek fan.

We are the BORG.
We are the ones we've been waiting for.
You will be assimilated into the socialist collective.
Your health and care now belong to us.
Resistance is futile!
Yes we can!