The End of the Original ‘Law & Order’
Posted on May 16, 2010 at 3:52 pm
I was sorry to hear that the original Law & Order
The Horse Boy
Posted on May 10, 2010 at 1:59 pm
I highly recommend “The Horse Boy,” an extraordinary documentary about a family that traveled to the other side of the world to help their autistic son and found all of their lives changed.
Rowan Isaacson was diagnosed with autism in 2004. The two-year-old his family thought they knew seemed to disappear. He lost the words he had learned.
He began to flap his arms and babble, to obsessively line up his toys, to retreat into himself for hours at a time, to avoid eye contact, to scream uncontrollably, inconsolably, as his nervous system erupted like a series of volcanoes, searing him with burning, with pain, terrifying him, traumatizing him, causing him to ‘fly away’ into an otherworld far from the reaches of his distraught, grieving parents.
But when he was put on horse, he was calm, peaceful, happy. He even started to talk. And so, in 2007, Rowan’s family took him to a place where he could be with horses and healers — Mongolia. Watch this with your families and then talk about what it tells us about love, hope, families, who we are, and what it means to be normal.
TV Theme Songs (Part 4)
Posted on May 9, 2010 at 8:00 am
Cartoons!
When I was a kid, the cartoon theme songs were light pop jingles and we could all sing along.
But then some of them got more electric, more rock power ballad-style, even some hip-hop.
Listen to the sweet original theme of “Sesame Street”
And here’s the bouncier update:
And here it is, sung by an R&B superstar.
Compare the opening song for the 1950’s Mickey Mouse Club with the more energetic 90’s version or the two versions of the PBS kids’ show, “Zoom.”
We Love You, Betty White
Posted on May 8, 2010 at 7:54 pm
Here’s to tonight’s host of Saturday Night Live! Ms. White has been on television since the very beginning, in 1939, when television was just an experiment and no homes had sets. She co-produced and starred in one of the first sit-coms when television began broadcasting, “Life With Elizabeth.” She appeared in an early talk show and in commercials and other series and game shows. And she found romance on television in her real life, marrying Password host Allen Ludden.
My favorite of her roles was Sue Ann Nivens, the “Happy Homemaker” on the fictional Minneapolis television station where Mary Richards produced the news on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show.” Her ribald and often acid humor contrasted delightfully with her dimpled smile and musical voice. She put them to good use as a murderer on “Boston Legal.” Many people remember fondly her addled but always sweet and optimistic Rose on “The Golden Girls.” And she all but stole “The Proposal” from Sandra Bullock. Her faux “behind the scenes” video, where she pretended to be a demanding diva, was far better than the movie it was promoting.
A group dedicated to making her the host of “Saturday Night Live” got half a million supporters. It wasn’t the producer of the show they had to persuade. It was White herself, who had turned down previous invitations to host. She graciously accepted this time, and it is a great way to end the season. If only she could join the cast as a regular!
TV Theme Songs (Part 3)
Posted on May 8, 2010 at 9:35 am
Sitcoms!
(Notice the product placement!)
And I like “Frasier’s” closing music (sung by Kelsey Grammer) better than the intro.