Category Archives: Television

On January 16th

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1604  - John Rainolds presents to King James I the motion ‘…that there might bee a newe translation of the Bible.’ Approved the next day, Rainolds’ motion led to the 1611 publication of the King James version of the Bible.

1740 - English revivalist George Whitefield wrote in a letter: ‘If I see a man who loves the Lord Jesus in sincerity, I am not very solicitous to what…communion he belongs. The Kingdom of God, I think, does not consist in any such thing.’

1749 - Vittorio Alfieri (died 8 October 1803), poet, playwright and philosopher, was born.  Alfieri is often considered the “founder of Italian tragedy.”  A few quotes from him, that I found interesting, follow.

“Ofttimes the test of courage becomes rather to live than to die.”

“To err is human; but contrition felt for the crime distinguishes the virtuous from the wicked.”

“First thoughts are not always the best.”

On this day in 1973, the final episode of the long-running western “Bonanza” aired on NBC.  Featuring the exploits of the Cartwright family (including Little Joe and Hoss) on the Ponderosa, “Bonanza” was one of the longest running Western television series (it ran for 14 seasons) and continues to air in syndication.

Two versions of the Bonanza theme song follow.  The first is the original as seen on the TV series, and the second is one with words sung by the Ponderosa patriarch himself, Lorne Greene.

 

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Buffy Is Driving Women from the Church

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BuffytheVampireSlayer Allison Waldman of TV Squad (see link below) reports that a new study out of Great Britain blames “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” and other shows like it, for tens of thousands of women quitting the church.

The study, also reported on by the New York Post (Buffy Made Women Stop Going to Church Study) was penned by sociologist Dr. Kristin Aune, who teaches at the University of Derby.   In it, Aune claims that the vampire slayer is one reason why an estimated 50,000 women a year are quitting the church.  As she puts it, "Because of its focus on female empowerment, young women are attracted by Wicca, popularized by the TV series ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer‘,” [and] "In short, women are abandoning the church."

Yeah, right.  It couldn’t possibly have anything to do with what the Church is actually doing or not doing, could it?  No, let’s blame pop culture for our failings instead.  Sounds like a plan to me.

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It’s all Buffy’s fault! was written and posted by Allison Waldman on Tuesday, 26 August 2008.

You Actually Got a Pony – My Current Favorite Commercial

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Whenever this commercial comes on, I have to stop what I am doing and watch it.  It is well-crafted and well-acted.  Of course, most of you have seen this one already, but if you haven’t, watch it below.  I particularly like the reaction of the Verizon guy when the “pony” issues a particularly nasty neigh, and the way the recipient of said pony quickly answers her friend when asked, “Does he bite?”  The timing is perfect.  Upon closer viewing, you can also make out the bandages on at least two of the pony owner’s fingers, giving added emphasis to her reply.

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A Great Quote from Rowan Williams

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“When I die I shall see myself as I’ve never seen myself before, I shall see myself in the light of God’s truth. That may not be very comfortable at all. Sometimes I feel afraid of it . . . All can do is trust that God already sees that truth and already loves me. So even when I see myself in the most unattractive light, God is still love. Can I accept that? We’ll see when I die.”  – Rowan Williams

Tonight on CBS (9-11 pm Eastern) there will be prime time special entitled In God’s Name.  12 of the world’s religious leaders (including Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury, the Dalai Lama, Muhammad Sayyed Tantawi, a Sunni Sheikh in Cairo, Yonna Metzger, Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem, and Patriarch Alexei II, head of the Russian Orthodox Church) will be featured in personal interviews.  It looks to be a worthwhile view, and I, for one, will be watching.  If for no other reason than to hear more of what Williams has to say.

Thanks to Jason of Theolog for the tip, which I found here: In God’s name (originally posted on Saturday, 22 December 2007).

 

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Buffy, Angel, and Theology

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Anyone who knows me at all, knows that I believe two of the best television shows of all time are Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel.   Of course, I get get a lot of grief at times because of this opinion from those who don’t know any better, but that’s just the price one has to pay for being right.

Buffy ended its seven year run on TV in 2003, and Angel ended one year later in 2004 after 5 years. but fans of the series have continued to reflect upon and write about their beloved shows.  In just the last couple of days I have read articles on these series from two different blogs/websites that I subscribe to in my feedreader, and both articles come from a Christian perspective.

In his post Calvin, Wesley and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, John, on his blog Locusts and Honey, examines the two primary vampires in both TV shows:  Angel and Spike.  What’s interesting  about his post is his view that the redemption each vampire seeks roughly correlates to the theological outlooks found in Calvinism and Arminianism, with Angel’s salvific quest more closely resembling the former and Spike’s the later.  It’s a good and a quick read.

Kimberly Conway’s article on the website The Ooze, is no less succinct and informative.  In Buffy on Vocation, she demonstrates that one of the continuing themes in the shows, particularly Buffy, is one’s sense of calling.  As she states:

The series is about vocation; it explores what it means for Buffy to be a vampire slayer, not merely to slay vampires for fun or profit. It shows her struggling to live up to the demands of the role, sacrificing the usual teenage pleasures to meet her unusual responsibilities. It also shows her growth in competence, wisdom, and confidence, and her eventual realization that the sacrifices are worth it.

I particularly like her inclusion of dialogue from the show in her article.  One that aptly illustrates her point is from the very last season of the show and features a conversation between Xander (One of Buffy’s friends in the series from its opening episode) and Dawn (Buffy’s sister):

We are ALL Called – Xander’s Take on Vocation

Buffy – (walks up to Dawn from the kitchen, followed by Xander) Hey. You OK?
Dawn – Yeah, I was thinking of hitting the books. Do some research on The First. It’s
in retreat mode right now, but you’re still gonna need to know how to fight it.
Buffy – Great. Sounds good. (to the slayers-in-training) Hey, you guys, wanna head
downstairs? Get our newest arrival up to speed?
(They all file out, only Amanda acknowledging Dawn’s existence. Xander lingers.)
Dawn – (to Xander) What’s up?
Xander – Aw, I’m just thinking about the girls. It’s a harsh gig, being a potential. Just
being picked out of a crowd, danger, destiny, (grins) plus if you act now, death.
Dawn – They can handle it.
Xander – Yeah. They’re special, no doubt. The amazing thing is, not one of them will
ever know, not even Buffy.
Dawn – Know what?
Xander – How much harder it is for the rest of us.
Dawn – No way. They’ve got?
Xander – Seven years, Dawn. Working with the slayer. Seeing my friends get more
and more powerful. A witch. A demon. Hell, I could fit Oz in my shaving kit, but come
a full moon, he had a wolfy mojo not to be messed with. Powerful. All of them. And
I’m the guy who fixes the windows.
Dawn – Well, you had that sexy army training for a while, and the windows really did
need fixing.
Xander – I saw what you did last night.
Dawn – Yeah, I? (embarrassed) I guess I kinda lost my head when I thought I was the
slayer.
Xander – You thought you were all special. Miss Sunnydale 2003. And the minute you
found out you weren’t, you handed the crown to Amanda without a moment’s pause.
You gave her your power.
Dawn – (shrugs) The power wasn’t mine.
Xander – They’ll never know how tough it is, Dawnie, to be the one who isn’t chosen.
To live so near to the spotlight and never step in it. But I know. I see more than
anybody realizes because nobody’s watching me. I saw you last night. I see you
working here today. You’re not special. You’re extraordinary. (stands, kisses her
forehead, starts to walk out of the room)
Dawn – (tears welling in her eyes, calls after him) Maybe that’s your power.
Xander – What?
Dawn – Seeing. Knowing.
Xander – Maybe it is. Maybe I should get a cape.
Dawn – Cape is good.
Xander – Yeah. (leaves the room)

Though Buffy is not, by any stretch of the imagination, a "religious" show;  it, and it’s companion series Angel, is all about the human condition.  Both shows grappled with the issues of good and evil, power and its use, loyalty, friendship, calling and vocation, ethical behavior, sacrifice, and the power of love, among many other themes.  This point is more than made by others who have written about these series, and I would recommend the following articles for your consideration:

What would Buffy do?  Feminist ethics and epistemic violence by Shannon Craigo-Snell

What would Buffy do? – the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer – television program review in the Christian Century,

The Door Theologian of the Year:  Buffy the Vampire Slayer from the Wittenburg Door,

Buffy the Vampire Slayer on the blog Pontifications from the Sinister Minister, and

Christian Symbolism in Buffy the Vampire Slayer by Berni Phillips

There are, of course, many other interesting articles and blog posts on the religious themes of Buffy and  Angel, many of which can be found by merely goggling the series’ names and faith and/or religious themes.  These, however, are among the best that I have read.  Finally, if you are interested, you might want to check out the website Slayage, The Online International Journal of Buffy Studies (Yes, you read that correctly).

100 Greatest American Films – 10 Years Later

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This past week the American Film Institute had a special on CBS that listed the 100 top American films of all time.  This was a new ranking done ten years after their initial poll of critics in 1997.  As you will notice below, there have been some significant changes in the rankings, with some newer films making the cut, as well as some different critics participating in the voting.  The list is below, and after each section of ten, I make a few comments.

Film (Year) followed by 1997 Rank

1. Citizen Kane (1941)….. same
2. The Godfather (1972)….. 3
3. Casablanca (1942)….. 2
4. Raging Bull (1980)….. 24
5. Singin’ in the Rain (1952)….. 10
6. Gone With the Wind (1939)….. 4
7. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)….. 5
8. Schindler’s List (1993)….. 9
9. Vertigo (1958)….. 61
10. The Wizard of Oz (1939)…..6

Citizen Kane, of course, is still number one.  It is the archetypal American film.  What’s interesting here is that Raging Bull moved into the top ten (Did Scorsese’s Oscar win this year come into play at all, or had the voting all taken place before then?).  Vertigo leaped up over 50 spaces from 1997, and while I love the film, I much prefer Rear Window or even Rope.

11. City Lights (1931)…..76
12. The Searchers (1956)…..96
13. Star Wars (1977)…..15
14. Psycho (1960)…..18
15. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)…..22
16. Sunset Boulevard (1950)…..12
17. The Graduate (1967)…..7
18. The General (1927)…..new
19. On the Waterfront (1954)…..8
20. It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)…..11

Three older films make huge leaps in the ratings: Charles Chaplin’s City Lights, John Ford directed The Searchers (which stars John Wayne), and  Buster Keaton’s  The General.  While it is good to see these older films getting their well-deserved recognition, also note that only two films since 1980 made the top 20:  Schindler’s List and Raging Bull.

21. Chinatown (1974) 19
22. Some Like It Hot (1959) 14
23. The Grapes of Wrath (1940) 21
24. E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982) 25
25. To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) 34
26. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) 29
27. High Noon (1952) 33
28. All About Eve (1950) 16
29. Double Indemnity (1944) 38
30. Apocalypse Now (1979) 28

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is one of my film favorites.  Though my public face is often one of a cynic, at heart I am an idealist, and Mr. Smith is idealistic to the core. Note this is the second Frank Capra film listed.  Chinatown is probably Jack Nicholson’s best film.

31. The Maltese Falcon (1941) 23
32. The Godfather, Part II (1974) same
33. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975) 20
34. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) 49
35. Annie Hall (1977) 31
36. The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) 13
37. The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) same
38. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948) 30
39. Dr. Strangelove (1964) 26
40. The Sound of Music (1965) 55

The best Woodie Allen film is listed here (Annie Hall), but I am surprised that The Godfather, Part II is so much further down than its predecessor since so many people consider it the better film.

41. King Kong (1933) 43
42. Bonnie and Clyde (1967) 27
43. Midnight Cowboy (1969) 36
44. The Philadelphia Story (1940) 51
45. Shane (1953) 69
46. It Happened One Night (1934) 35
47. A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) 45
48. Rear Window (1954) 42
49. Intolerance (1916) new
50. Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) new

Alright, the movie is iconic, but does King Kong really deserve to be in the top 100 list?  I mean come on.  Bonnie and Clyde is the best Warren Beatty film, period.  And when a movies stars Katherine Hepburn, Cary Grant and Jimmy Stewart, you just have to love it (The Philadelphia Story).  I miss Stewart and Hepburn.  One other note:  How does one decide which of the Lord of the Rings movies to put in the top 100.  Personally, I liked The Return of the King more.  BTW, with LOTR ringing in at 50, that makes only 3 films made since 1980 in the top 50.  That seems a little low to me.

51. West Side Story (1961) 41
52. Taxi Driver (1976) 47
53. The Deer Hunter (1978) 79
54. M*A*S*H (1970) 56
55. North by Northwest (1959) 40
56. Jaws (1975) 48
57. Rocky (1976) 78
58. The Gold Rush (1925) 74
59. Nashville (1975) new
60. Duck Soup (1933) 85

Another Hitchcock film here (North by Northwest), as well as two films by Robert Altman (M*A*S*H and Nashville, Yeah!).  Note as well that the presence of Robert DeNiro graces two films as well:  Taxi Driver and The Deer Hunter.

61. Sullivan’s Travels (1941) new
62. American Graffiti (1973) 77
63. Cabaret (1972) new
64. Network (1976) 66
65. The African Queen (1951) 17
66. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) 60
67. Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966) new
68. Unforgiven (1992) 98
69. Tootsie (1982) 62
70. A Clockwork Orange (1971) 46

Finally a few more recent films.  My favorite (and it is still rated way too low) is Unforgiven.  A Note to whoever voted:  A Clockwork Orange, though a fine film, is not an American film.  It is British.

71. Saving Private Ryan (1998) new
72. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
73. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) 50
74. The Silence of the Lambs (1991) 65
75. In the Heat of the Night (1967) new
76. Forrest Gump (1994) 71
77. All the President’s Men (1976) new
78. Modern Times (1936) 81
79. The Wild Bunch (1969) 80
80. The Apartment (1960) 93

Some great films from the Nineties here, and I would be hard pressed to name which of these would be my favorite . . . I think I’ll go with The Shawshank Redemption.  I love Morgan Freeman, though I also love Jodie Foster, maybe even more : )

81. Spartacus (1960) new
82. Sunrise (1927) new
83. Titanic (1997) new
84. Easy Rider (1969) 88
85. A Night at the Opera (1935) new
86. Platoon (1986) 83
87. 12 Angry Men (1957) new
88. Bringing Up Baby (1938) 97
89. The Sixth Sense (1999) new
90. Swing Time (1936) new

Oh my.  You knew it would be there, but you hoped it wouldn’t be. Or at least I hoped it wouldn’t be:  Titantic.  Here’s hoping that this film sinks out of the top 100 by 2017.  12 Angry Men is one of my favorite films, and it has so many of the stars of yesterday in it.

91. Sophie’s Choice (1982) new
92. Goodfellas (1990) 94
93. The French Connection (1971) 70
94. Pulp Fiction (1994) 95
95. The Last Picture Show (1971) new
96. Do the Right Thing (1989) new
97. Blade Runner (1982) new
98. Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942) 100
99. Toy Story (1995) new
100. Ben-Hur (1959) 72

Blade Runner, makes the cut.  Good.  But Toy Story 2 was better than the first, so why didn’t it get the honors instead?

Patrick, over at Cinematical, has these observations about the list:

Of the newly eligible films, only Titanic, Saving Private Ryan, The Sixth Sense, and Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring were added. Steven Spielberg was the director with the most films on the list, with five. Alfred Hitchcock, Stanley Kubrick, and Billy Wilder each had four. James Stewart and Robert DeNiro were the most represented actors, with five films apiece. You can check out the list for yourself here.

Titles that were removed from the 1998 list are: Doctor Zhivago, Birth of a Nation, From Here to Eternity, Amadeus, All Quiet on the Western Front, The Third Man, Fantasia, Rebel Without a Cause, Stagecoach, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, The Manchurian Candidate, An American in Paris, Wuthering Heights, Dances With Wolves, Giant, Mutiny on the Bounty, Frankenstein (1931), Patton, The Jazz Singer, My Fair Lady, A Place in the Sun, Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner and Fargo. Make of those additions and subtractions what you will, but show me one person who’d rather watch Intolerance than Fargo, and I’ll show you someone who is no friend of mine.

Like Patrick, I can’t believe that Fargo didn’t make the cut (or for that matter O Brother Where Art Thou?”).  I also mourn the loss of My Fair Lady, Dances with Wolves, and Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner.

Any comments about the list from you, my gentle readers?

O Holy Night – A Beautiful New Arrangement by Musicians from New Orleans

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It’s been well over a year since New Orleans was devastated by Hurricane Katrina, and regardless of how full the Superdome is when the Saints play football, the city itself has a long way to go before it returns to normal (if it ever can).  As a member of my church said of the city when she visited there on a recent mission trip, “It’s like a ghost town.” 

Only about 50% of the population has returned to New Orleans, and by now many former residents have no doubt decided to make a new home for themselves elsewhere.  This is not to say that many don’t want to return, they do, but the economic realities of the “new” New Orleans makes that impossible for now and probably for some time to come.

Troy "Trombone Shorty" AndrewsI say all this so I can point you to a few of these people – some musicians who used to make their home in New Orleans.  On this past week’s episode of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip the show closed with these musicians performing an original arrangement of O Holy Night. It was a moving episode, but an especially powerful performance by these displaced musicians (Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews is featured in the episode and pictured on the left).

If you are interested, you can listen to their music here.  If you really like it, as I do, you can also download it for free.  But I would suggest something more.  On this same site, you will also find a link to Tipitina’s Foundation, which is helping to rebuild the musical culture of New Orleans.  A donation to this foundation in appreciation for the music would be a wonderful way to celebrate the beauty of this most holy season.

Finally, you can also watch the full episode of Studio 60′s Christmas Show online, or, if you prefer, it will be rebroadcast on NBC on December 18th.

Studio 60.gif

 

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Thank God for This

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This just in from TV Squad.

Terri Irwin sure is an admirable person. She recently gave an interview to Barbara Walters, saying that the footage of her husband’s death will never make air. She hasn’t seen the video herself, which shows Steve Irwin being stabbed in the heart by the barb of a stingray while filming a television special along Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. Irwin tells Walters that no one should have to see it and I couldn’t agree more.

If you want to see the interview, then tune to ABC tonight (September 27th). It will be on 20/20 at 10 pm eastern.


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Please Remember to Turn It Off

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This is just a friendly reminder to everyone out there who uses a lapel mike. Please remember to turn it off when you go to the restroom. This is something that one CNN reporter apparently forgot to do, and unfortunately she insults her sister-in-law before the anchor person cuts her off. I would not want to be in her shoes come next family gathering time.


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