Random TV Thoughts

I missed TV Turn-Off Week this year - always the last week in April, when it's getting nice out again so kids can go outside - though I probably didn't watch during it anyway. Back when I taught middle school I always assigned it as homework, and challenged the whole family not to watch for a week. It was fascinating!

Here are some fun stats compiled by the TV Turn-Off Network from research studies:
* Sleeping is the only thing children spend more time doing every day than watching TV.
* 98% of Americans own TVs, and spend four hours per day watching them.
* Over half of teenagers have a TV in their bedroom, and they watch 2.5 hours more
per week.
* TV makes people fat, (or fat makes people watch TV?) Either way - duration of daily TV watching is strongly associated with obesity in adults and children.

I told my daughter that as soon as she goes off to college this fall, I’m canceling our cable. We never watch it! She can’t bear to be without HBO, but most of the TV she watches is network, and I rarely watch at all. It’s a ridiculous waste of money.

However, I was glad to find that Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip – the only TV show I have watched with any intentionality this year – is back on tonight after a 3-month hiatus, and I happened to be home, and happened to see that it would be on. Happy coincidence! I thought it had been cancelled, but at least they're airing the remaining episodes & not killing it mid-season.

My daughter is religious about watching LOST and used to be very hot on One Tree Hill and The OC. She would never forget to watch something she loves! But mostly she watches an hour of dumb reality shows "to relax" after school - not much beyond that.

The one show we’re really big on is Gilmore Girls – though we never catch it when it’s on during the week. We just wait until each season comes out on DVD – then we watch the whole season in about 2 weeks. It’s just our mother-daughter thing. :) We own & have watched the first 6 seasons together. It’s appropriate that it’s ending for good just when she’s going off to college.

Movie Questions

from The Sheila Variations - Some random questions about movies...

1. Name a movie that you have seen more than 10 times.

Probably none...
A few I’ve seen maybe 5 times: Philadelphia Story, Crash, The Outsiders, When Harry Met Sally, St Elmo’s Fire, Purple Rain, Renaissance Man…

2. Name a movie that you’ve seen multiple times in the theater.

Rocky Horror, back in 8th grade – can’t think of any others

3. Name an actor that would make you more inclined to see a movie.

Kate Hudson, Terrance Howard

4. Name an actor that would make you less likely to see a movie.

Those who are known for dumb comedy – Will Ferrell , etc.

5. Name a movie that you can and do quote from.

Hmm…

6. Name a movie musical from which you know all of the lyrics to all of the songs

Scary – quite a few: Rent, Grease, Oklahoma, Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (hey, that one I was actually IN, so I have an excuse!)

7. Name a movie that you have been known to sing along with

Rent

8. Name a movie that you would recommend everyone see.

Crash

9. Name a movie that you own.

Crash – Renaissance Man – Do the Right Thing - Almost Famous - Purple Rain – X - Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (a gift)

10. Name an actor that launched his/her entertainment career in another medium but who has surprised you with his/her acting chops.

Does Eddie Murphy count?

11. Have you ever seen a movie in a drive-in? If so, what?

Yes, but don’t remember what. Too young.

12. Ever made out in a movie?

Oh yeah

One funny moment in 10th grade: making out & suddenly the theater went silent - we looked up and realized we had missed the big death scene in Terms of Endearment.

13. Name a movie that you keep meaning to see but just haven’t yet gotten around to it.

Fahrenheit 9/11

14. Ever walked out of a movie?

Nope. Not my style.

15. Name a movie that made you cry in the theater.

I’m not sure I’ve ever cried in a theater - probably because I tend to choose comedies.

16. Popcorn?

Yes, but plain – no butter. That’s how I prefer it - I’m weird that way.

17. How often do you go to the movies (as opposed to renting them or watching them at home)?

Maybe once every other month or so…

18. What’s the last movie you saw in the theater?

Reign Over Me - Don Cheadle & Adam Sandler - it was better than its short run would imply

19. What’s your favorite/preferred genre of movie?

Always comedy. Life is real enough – movies are for escape.

20. What’s the first movie you remember seeing in the theater?

Gone with the Wind in 6th grade – we got confused by a Blues Brothers preview & wandered around the theater for a couple minutes trying to find the “right” theater until the actual movie started & we figured it out!

Also remember seeing the original Star Wars but I don’t remember how old I was, so not sure if it was before or after GWTW

21. What movie do you wish you had never seen?

A Clockwork Orange – I was too young & it was too violent. Also Videodrome – again, I was waaay too young.

22. What is the weirdest movie you enjoyed?

Hmm… probably Prizzi’s Honor. It’s not really that good – but for no good reason I really like it!

23. What is the scariest movie you’ve seen?

The Shining

24. What is the funniest movie you’ve seen?

Old Eddie Murphy stand-up

Apparently I Owe You an Update

A couple people have commented that I haven’t been posting much recently, and while I have been very busy, I don’t seem to be doing anything worth writing about! Hmmm…

A few random, possibly interesting things from recent weeks:
* Was very proud last weekend as my daughter gave a tribute speech about me at a parent appreciation luncheon. Nice to have it reaffirmed that I really AM the most important person in her life. :)
* Hosted local writer Syl Jones in my classroom last Friday – not nearly as controversial in person as he is on paper. Very nice guy.
* Still dating a Republican. Still having mixed feelings about that.
* Received an email from my ex-husband, congratulating me on my new job and asking what my daughter wants as a graduation gift. Only interesting because we haven’t spoken in a VERY long time. (And that he’ll probably get in trouble now because his new wife reads my blog & he’s not allowed to contact me. Too bad saying this is likely NOT the way to get her to quit reading it.)
* Had my hands & feet dipped in hot wax as part of the mani/pedi routine – am amused at how my hands look covered in wax – like a Star Trek creature. (Am easily amused, obviously.)
* Got an email from Al Franken’s son – didn’t open it yet.
* Told a whole bunch more people (who asked) that my kid is heading for U Penn in the fall. Starting to sink in that my kid is heading for U Penn in the fall.
* Planning her graduation parties. Yes, plural.
* Planning a friend’s retirement party and another friend’s grad-school graduation party. Not hosting any of the above parties at my house.
* Am finally making decent retirement plan contributions, as my new job offers a 4% match, where the old job just gave about $500 if you contributed the minimum. Am apparently too responsible not to do what it takes to get the full match, much as I’d rather spend the $$ now.
* Read that the creators of Facebook turned down a $1 billion buy-out offer. My kid is a Facebook devotee – have to wonder what’s next for that site.
* Continue trying to be everywhere at once. Having mild success.
* Not finding much time to ruminate on the state of Gen X in relation to the wider world...

Human Condition?

"Space ships and time machines are no escape from the human condition. Let Othello subject Desdemona to a lie-detector test; his jealousy will still blind him to the evidence. Let Oedipus triumph over gravity; he won't triumph over his fate."

- Arthur Koestler (1905-1983)

She's Right!

I don't make a habit of agreeing with Katherine Kersten (much as Mitch won't often agree w/ Syl Jones, but hey, that's OK) but this week she was right on.

Most of you know that I'm a big Efrem Smith fan, so her profile of his work with Sanctuary Covenant Church is all good as far as I'm concerned.

Of course, calling "family breakdown" a problem is NOT the same as saying women need to skeedaddle back to the kitchen - tread with caution here! - but it's still a righteous issue for many of our kids today.

Efrem points out that this is not just a poor kid issue - though my work on the north side in recent years tells me it IS an issue for them - but it's real for ALL of our MN kids. Efrem says that: "this void, this hole from having no moral compass or guidance at home, can only be filled spiritually." Before you recoil from the straight-out moralizing, think about it. I will say that, anecdotally, my students who have a strong faith absolutely do better in school than those who do not.

Why?

Efrem posits: "If you believe that you are beloved of God... you believe you're on earth for a purpose, and you can make it."

Truth.