Month: February 2008

Are Americans reveling in a culture that’s anti-intellectual? Probably. Education’s not that valued, and (bad) reality tv is probably going to be the downfall of western civilization. Well, that’s my theory anyway.

Kind of creepy: the discovery of a solar system that looks a lot like ours…

Is it a good sign that the writers are done with their strike but can’t remember what they were working on prior to the strike? Hmm. Maybe that’ll mean some of the bad stuff that was on prior to the strike can be scrapped for better ideas.

“Is PBS necessary?” NY Times Charles McGrath says “yes” to NPR but “not quite” to PBS tv. — well, I think it’s still necessary, but as McGrath notes, the Powers Behind PBS aren’t too good at keeping the PBS identity distinctive. I don’t listen to NPR, but I do like Newshour on tv — so I think PBS is still better than some stuff on cable.

Slate on romantic poetry, or Robert Pinsky’s past selections anyway – always good stuff.

And, as another post-Valentine’s thing, TV Guide did a photo gallery of “TV Lovers We Will Always Love” (thought it was amusing that they even included Agents Scully and Mulder – who for years tried to convince people that they were not lovers; then again, their relationship kind of entered the soulmate arena, considering how much they went through (alien conspiracies kind of make relationships too hard), and Entertainment Weekly did an interesting and broader photo gallery of “Pop Culture’s (Fictional) Lovers.”

Sad but true – on Sunday night, it’s the return of Knight Rider on NBC. Good lord, they’re not even using KITT’s old voice. Scary enough, they’re bringing back David Hasselhoff? I’m having one of those 80’s flashbacks now, aren’t I? The previous returns of KITT and friends haven’t been that spectacular (well, the original show wasn’t that spectacular either, but so that goes): the tv movie “Knight Rider 2000” killed off Devon, the principled boss of Michael Knight, and was about a weird year 2000; plus the short-lived (single season) syndicated tv series “Team Knight Rider,” which had a (what else?) a team of talking cars. One character was a possible daughter of Michael Knight. I actually watched that show and thought that it needed … improvement. Having one more go at the Knight Rider franchise? Sigh.

Well, I’m more vaguely curious about the return of The A-Team than a return of Knight Rider.

Mmm…! Chocolate…! Apparently there’s more to milk chocolate than we realize.

As a follow up, Facebook has become more user friendly, having indeed making it easier to leave it, in case one would be so inclined. (and, no, I’m not there yet).

“Pride and Prejudice” on Channel 13 – Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy!… [drool]…

Not that long ago, FC visited the new 2nd Avenue Deli. NY Times’ Frank Bruni went to the 2nd Avenue Deli with Ed Koch, former NYC mayor; Nora Ephron, writer and film director; and Laura Shapiro, culinary history writer. Bruni notes that there will always the diversity of opinion on what is authentic Jewish food, but:

And I realized that we weren’t so much eating in a specific restaurant as passing through a communal storehouse of memories, on a bridge of babkas from the past to the future.

Ed, the most deeply rooted New Yorker among us, said that at the Second Avenue Deli, “I feel very much at home.”

“I walk out,” he said, “and I feel warm, no matter how cold it is.”

Watching some Conan O’Brien late Wednesday/Thursday night – his first show with the writers back. Matt Lauer’s a guest, and some laryngitis is preventing him from talking – so Conan’s letting Matt mime (good Lord…). I thought writer-less Conan during the writers’ strike was hilarious, so hopefully he’ll continue to do well with his writers back.

Yeah, we’ve living in interesting times; kind of dangerous to talk about politics at work, but it’s kind of like a sport half the time. You go to the watercooler after the primaries and analyze the results, as the linked article notes – kind of like how people become Monday night quarterbacks after the football games – and the chitchat either detracts from work or makes us bond and be happier at work (umm, or not).

And, in time for Valentine’s Day: Time’s art critic Richard Lacayo on the color of red, re-posting a post he did from last Valentine’s Day (since he’s on vacation). I liked his selection of various paintings that has such strong red.

Plus – romance in the Metropolitan Museum of Art or other museums, Lily Koppel observes for this NY Times article:

Andrea Bayer, a curator in the department of European paintings, where she has worked for 17 years, is planning an exhibition, “Love and Marriage in Italian Renaissance Art.”

“The museum experience is very relaxing — it’s about wandering, taking it in, allowing for an expansiveness of time,” she said. “Couples tend to gravitate toward art depicting domestic scenes. They connect with them in a way that is easier and less detached than looking at a religious painting of the same period.

“People try to get married here all the time. They come here with a minister or justice of the peace, but security has to dissuade them.”

For singles, it appears to be about the hunt. Museums allow people to explore, looking for something, or someone, that moves them.

“Is there anything hotter than seducing your potential next lover in the European sculpture garden of the Met in N.Y.?” is the way a Facebook group called “Museums Are Sexy” describes itself to potential members. “Or telling your paramour how you feel in front of Venus herself. If nudity, eroticism and nymphs remind you of how much you love museums, tell us about it here.”

I like dogs in general, but I have a soft spot for beagles. Maybe it’s their incredible sense of smell, even compared against other canines, or maybe it is just so cute, but there is so much in one little package.

P-‘s sister’s beagle Shelly can tell when I’m anywhere near her house, and then I always get a warm welcome upon my entrance. (I’m conveniently overlooking the other dog, Mimi the mini schnauzer, who is also real cute and affectionate, but quite frankly not that bright). While Shelly doesn’t normally speak, she can generally communicate what she needs, be it food, snuggling, or being taken out for a walk. When it’s cold outside, there’s nothing more comforting than having a lap full of beagle taking a nap.

Yesterday’s win by Uno the Beagle (a.k.a. Ch. K-Run’s Park Me In First) at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show rivals the Giants’ win over the Patriots. It wasn’t the favorite coming in, being that the poodles were coming on strong, and that a beagle had never won in its over 100 year history. But Uno played the perfect game – a 10 score from the judge, and well-timed baying to the capacity crowd at Madison Square Garden that aroused a standing ovation at his win.

Like that other famous beagle Snoopy, if you give them a chance, they will figure out a way to make you happy.