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From the monthly archives:

December 2005

Welcome Back, Dick Clark

December 31, 2005

Dick Clark has been recovering from a stroke and, as he noted at the beginning of "New Year's Rockin' Eve," he is still re-learning how to speak. It was difficult to listen to someone so famous for being smooth and professional as he struggled with some words. I even wondered if he might have prerecorded [...]

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The Inevitable Best-Of List (Sort Of)

December 31, 2005

I don't usually do a best-of at the end of the year. They're inevitably arbitrary, and I usually end up leaving out something that I really liked — especially if it aired early in the year. But I do write a list of reasons why TV made me happy this year. While it was scheduled [...]

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I Know, Christmas Is Over…

December 30, 2005

… but the following note from a music company just arrived, and it may be of use to people who want to get a jump on their holiday tunes for next year. (The Hampton String Quartet, by the way, popped up in one of my Christmas-music ruminations for its playing of holiday standards in the [...]

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"The Year of Magical Thinking"

December 29, 2005

Joan Didion has done a remarkable thing with her book, something many authors long to accomplish. She has described a universal experience by sticking to specific, personal details.
As I noted in the last post, "The Year of Magical Thinking" describes what Didion went through following the death of her husband, writer John Gregory Dunne, on [...]

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A Week of Living Quietly

December 28, 2005

The "Firefly" marathon proved somewhat brief, although it did last long enough that my wife wants to watch the rest of the series on our DVD set. We celebrated Target Demo's birthday with dinner last night, then relaxed and watched other odds and ends: "Greg the Bunny," "Knowing Me Knowing You With Alan Partridge." Laughter [...]

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Happy Birthday, Kris!

December 27, 2005

Target Demo turns 30 today and is celebrating the occasion with a Dairy Queen ice-cream cake (traditional favorite), a dinner involving beef tonight and, at the moment, a "Firefly" marathon, courtesy of her birthday-gift DVD. Depending on how long that lasts, it will be followed by the "Serenity" DVD, also a birthday goodie. (A later [...]

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"Four Kings": No, One Ace

December 26, 2005

My wife kindly offered to watch some TV pilots tonight, since there is a pile of January stuff and she is still full of the Christmas spirit. We gave a try to "Four Kings," the NBC comedy premiering Jan. 5, about four childhood friends who are still hanging out together.
The wife and I had watched [...]

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Early disgruntlement (Updated After Game's End)

December 26, 2005

This e-mail arrived this afternoon, during the Motor City Bowl. (I know, I'm on vacation. I told you I couldn't stay away.) Here's the e-mail:
I wanted to pass along the text of an email I sent to ESPN's viewer ombudsman, George Solomon.
I am rather dismayed that ESPN in their pregame coverage of the Motor City [...]

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And on through the weekend

December 26, 2005

We finished that Alan Rickman Christmas double feature on Christmas Eve with a big dose of "Die Hard" and successfully fought the urge to watch "Love Actually" again. Caught a little of the Browns-Steelers, but it's not easy to stay interested in a game once it's 20-0 and feels much worse than that sounds.
Church service [...]

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The Eve of Christmas Eve

December 23, 2005

My TV watching today consisted of some of the Cavs game (which they have won after a late scare) and the DVD of "Love Actually," which felt appropriate to the occasion. I figure it's going to steadily climb the list of all-time great holiday movies. Maybe not as great as "It's a Wonderful Life" and [...]

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"Love Monkey" and other business

December 22, 2005

Today was technically my last day at work in 2005. I say "technically" for three reasons:
1. I can't stay away from this blog for long. (This is my second posting since I got home this afternoon.)
2. I'll probably drift into the office once or twice during my vacation. I did pare down one giant pile [...]

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A Holiday Party

December 22, 2005

Last night was my union's holiday party. There were skits and food and some annual traditions, and a good crowd of people. As my wife and I left, I couldn't help wondering how many of us will be at the party next year.
I'm not planning to go anywhere. But newspaper staffs change from year to [...]

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James Marsters, James Marsters

December 21, 2005

When I put together my recent list of strong supporting actors on TV series, I created a special category for a "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" alumni who worked (well) in prime-time shows this season. Unfortunately, I left one out, leading to e-mails like this one:
"Having read your article on 'Supporting roles, done well, elevate a [...]

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"Nip/Tuck": The Morning After

December 21, 2005

I watched part of the season finale of "Nip/Tuck" on Tuesday night but saved most of it for the morning. And was reasonably glad I did so, given the grisly business going on in the episode. Not the sort of thing for a peaceful sleep.
I was intrigued when Liz — my upset special — was [...]

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The "Joey" Thing

December 20, 2005

There are shows that can drive you crazy if you look at them long enough. The ones that you keep thinking, "There is probably something really good in the middle of this, but no one has any idea how to get to it." Or, "That was a great laugh there, and I wish there had [...]

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"Nip/Tuck"

December 19, 2005

I know the Carver is supposed to be revealed tomorrow night and, since I haven't seen the season finale, I'm mildly interested in finding out who it is. (My upset special: Liz.) I've been watching the show closely for the last few weeks, but feeling bad about doing so.
"Nip/Tuck" is capable of great shocks, and [...]

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More Music for Christmas

December 19, 2005

Well, it looks as if I am going to have to do another piece on odd Christmas music for the Beacon Journal next year. The 2005 one has been picked up by newspapers around the country and brought all sorts of enthusiastic e-mails; one gentleman sent a list of his more obscure fare along with [...]

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"Chris"-Mas

December 18, 2005

My friend and colleague Diane Werts has written a new book about Christmas on television. It's one of those "gee, I wish I thought of it" ideas, and one that Diane has been working on for years, and a topic that could call for regular, newly updated editions of the book.
When she gets around to [...]

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I'll Be Back Soon…

December 18, 2005

I took Friday off from work but did plan to blog here and there. Unfortunately, Typepad was jammed almost all of the day, so I couldn't post, even though I had the urge several times. I was finally back late Friday, and I was able to post the note about John Spencer.
I didn't want to [...]

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John Spencer

December 16, 2005

Word reached me a little while ago that John Spencer of "The West Wing" has died. It's quite a blow. You can see my admiration of his work and his character in my recent "Journey of Leo McGarry" post. I also had a chance to talk to John several times over the years, and not [...]

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