Tuesday, June 9, 2009

TV Tops Movies in 2009!

I know there is a certain segment of the population that loves to brag "I hardly ever watch television."

And a subsection of that segment loves to exclaim "I don't even own a television set!"

My guess is that 99 percent of such people are over the age of 50 and arrived at their opinions about television roughly 30 years ago, before the age of cable. At that time most people had the choice of watching three network channels and perhaps one or two independent UHF stations.

Television programming was aimed at the lowest common denominator, trying to attract the absolute largest viewing audience. So, schedules were clogged with such sitcoms as "Beverly Hillbillies," and "My Mother the Car," and insipid shows like "Donny and Marie" or "The Love Boat."

Were there some quality programs produced during the so-called "Golden Age of Television?" You bet. I roared while watching "Sergeant Bilko" with my dad in the 1950s, as well as Sid Caesar's "Your Show of Shows," and "The Honeymooners."

"The Twilight Zone" was great entertainment, and I am sure such series as "Playhouse 90" or "Climax!" produced some excellent dramas, although being a child I never watched them.

But with a choice of only a few shows to watch, it was not uncommon for many people to come to the conclusion that television stunk.

Things began to change in the 1970s, with the Norman Lear-produced sitcoms such as "All in The Family," "Maude," and "The Jeffersons," which took on subjects like racial prejudice and abortion, never before dealt with on the tube. Then came the fabulously funny "Mary Tyler Moore" and "The Bob Newhart" shows. And, of course, Saturday Night Live," premiered in 1975.

But what really changed the face of television was the invention of cable. Today, if you subscribe to cable or have a satellite dish you can easily pick up anywhere from 100 to 400 channels, and before you make the joke "I still can't find anything decent to watch," I challenge you to carefully go through your three page long channel guide.

Sure, there are some excruciatingly stupid and pointless shows. Interestingly enough, many of the absolute worse ones are still produced by the broadcast networks. Can you get any more insipid than "I'm a Celebrity, Get Me out of Here!" or "Deal or No Deal?"

And if you are one of the many people who brag "I have never watched one second of "American Idol," good for you.

But no matter how much of an intellectual snob you are, don't tell me you can't find fascinating shows to watch on the National Geographic, Discovery, History, Travel, or Science networks or dozens of similar channels that cater to almost any taste, and that includes one of my favorites, The Food Network.

I won't even mention the thousands of movies and shows that are offered free "On Demand," or the fact that with TiVo or a DVR, you can watch your favorite shows whenever you want and best of all you can fast forward through the commercials! And then there is the "invention" of HDTV and the amazing picture quality that it offers.

But what I love most about television these days is the quality of some of the programming (yes, I said "some") that is offered primarily on the "Premium Channels" like HBO and Showtime. You can have your movies that end in a predictable two hours, usually with a computer-generated car chase and explosions.

I'll take the drama and plot twists that stir and stimulate the imagination when you follow a series like "The Sopranos," "Dexter," "The Wire," or "Six Feet Under" over several seasons!
Even the networks come up with occasional gems like "House," "Lost" and "24."

These series are so far superior to what passes for drama in the movies these days it's not even close. In 2007 when the American Film Institute came up with their 100 Greatest Movies of the past 100 years, the ONLY film from this century listed was 2001's "Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring," which was ranked 50th.
As for comedies, I laughed more at "Curb Your Enthusiasm," "The Larry Sanders Show," "Entourage," "Weeds," and even NBC's "The Office" than any Jim Carrey or Adam Sandler movie of the past decade.

So you can have your movie theaters with people yakking on their cell phones, $10 ticket prices, and a handful of change out of a $20 bill when you buy popcorn and a soda. Moreover, when I have to go to the bathroom, they won't even pause the movie for me!

Finally though let's compare the products being offered this summer both at the movies and on television.

The fact is that summer movie fare is not aimed at adults; rather it's aimed at teenagers who just want to get out of the house and away from their parents. So what are the most hyped movies this summer? I did some research and came up with a list that includes yet another entry in the Harry Potter, Terminator, Star Trek, Transformers, and Superman franchises.
How creative! Oh here's something new and exciting, a "Captain America" movie. Wow!

The summer television season is kicking off this week, and while the schedule is packed with lots of trash, I personally can't wait for such series as "Mad Men," "Weeds," "True Blood," and "Entourage" to return.

And by the way microwaved popcorn is a lot better than it used to be.

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