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Thursday
March 18, 2010 Since 1922 |
Who are these ‘TV’ actors?
By Jim Finley
Contributor Published October 6, 2009 It’s amazing how little I know about modern-day television “personalities.” I readily admit it.
Not that I give a big hoot about these entertainment people, but my lack of knowledge really raised its ugly head while I was looking at a spread in The-Big-City-Paper-To-The-West concerning the recent Emmy show. (Can “knowledge” actually raise its head? Does “knowledge” even have a head?)
What I found was that I’d never heard of most of the people featured in that Chronicle story. I hadn’t watched their shows, either.
Contrast that with the Ice Age when everybody knew everybody on TV. Jim Arness was Matt Dillon. Andy Griffith was Sheriff Andy and Matlock (one of my all-time favorites). Jack Lord was Steve McGarrett on “Hawaii Five-O” (“book ‘em, Danno!”). And so on.
This was REAL entertainment. Not the trash that fills the airways today.
You take “Gunsmoke.” Jim Arness was clearly the leading man, but who could forget Ken Curtis as Festus, Amanda Blake as Miss Kitty, a woman of dubious reputation, to say the least, and Milburn Stone as Doc? And you probably recall that, at one time, Burt Reynolds played Quint on that show.
It wasn’t that way with the Emmy piece. Who the heck is Bryan Cranston, who won a trophy for Best Actor in a drama show, “Breaking Bad”? Never heard of him or his show. Have you?
It didn’t stop there. Toni Collette won Best Comedy Actress for “United States of Tara.” You could’ve fooled me.
The Emmy story had a number of nice looking womenfolk featured in color photographs. The color didn’t help. I didn’t know them.
Among them were – are you ready? – Blake Lively, Melora Hardin, Anastasia Griffith, Hayden Panetteire, and Mila Kunis.
Where were Mary Tyler Moore, Doris Day, Lucille Ball, and Carol Burnett when I needed them?
I did recognize one of the boy winners, much to my chagrin. It was Alec Baldwin.
Let me tell you what I think of Baldwin. If he were performing at the end of my personal driveway, I’d call the police and have him arrested for 1) trespassing and 2) impersonating an actor.
Excuse me. I had to vent.
The Emmy story also served to remind me of my Summer of Discontent with television. Maybe it’s just me, but in terms of things to watch on TV, this has been the worst summer ever.
Wife Margie and I spent most of our time watching reruns of “Biography,” “Everybody Loves Raymond,” and “Home Improvement” – plus thousands of hours of true crimes stories. They were entertaining, understand, but getting stale by late-August.
It should come as no surprise to you, then, that I’m pleased as punch that the new shows have started, and at least for a few hours each week I can enjoy watching junk on the tube. (What does “pleased as punch” mean? Really, what does it mean?)
We are pretty tickled in our household that “Dancing With The Stars” has cranked up again. It’s the only reality show we watch.
(NON-EDITOR’S NOTE: In case you’re interested, I don’t think former congressman Tom DeLay has much of a chance on “Dancing.” He does look rather nice in his different outfits, though.)
In addition to pure talent, my favorite things about this show are, in no particular order, Tom Bergeron, who I think is the best host in the business, and Edyta Sliwinska. Don’t misunderstand. With Edyta, it’s strictly about her dancing.
Wife Margie, for reasons I simply don’t understand, likes to watch Maksim Chmerkovskiy move around the floor. I will admit he reminds me of me when I was a handsome youth.
Besides “Dancing,” I’m really into “NCIS.” Great show.
That’s what I’ll be watching, but I worry about what Mila Kunis will be doing.
Jim Finley is a retired managing editor for The Baytown Sun.
Contributor Published October 6, 2009 It’s amazing how little I know about modern-day television “personalities.” I readily admit it.
Not that I give a big hoot about these entertainment people, but my lack of knowledge really raised its ugly head while I was looking at a spread in The-Big-City-Paper-To-The-West concerning the recent Emmy show. (Can “knowledge” actually raise its head? Does “knowledge” even have a head?)
What I found was that I’d never heard of most of the people featured in that Chronicle story. I hadn’t watched their shows, either.
Contrast that with the Ice Age when everybody knew everybody on TV. Jim Arness was Matt Dillon. Andy Griffith was Sheriff Andy and Matlock (one of my all-time favorites). Jack Lord was Steve McGarrett on “Hawaii Five-O” (“book ‘em, Danno!”). And so on.
This was REAL entertainment. Not the trash that fills the airways today.
You take “Gunsmoke.” Jim Arness was clearly the leading man, but who could forget Ken Curtis as Festus, Amanda Blake as Miss Kitty, a woman of dubious reputation, to say the least, and Milburn Stone as Doc? And you probably recall that, at one time, Burt Reynolds played Quint on that show.
It wasn’t that way with the Emmy piece. Who the heck is Bryan Cranston, who won a trophy for Best Actor in a drama show, “Breaking Bad”? Never heard of him or his show. Have you?
It didn’t stop there. Toni Collette won Best Comedy Actress for “United States of Tara.” You could’ve fooled me.
The Emmy story had a number of nice looking womenfolk featured in color photographs. The color didn’t help. I didn’t know them.
Among them were – are you ready? – Blake Lively, Melora Hardin, Anastasia Griffith, Hayden Panetteire, and Mila Kunis.
Where were Mary Tyler Moore, Doris Day, Lucille Ball, and Carol Burnett when I needed them?
I did recognize one of the boy winners, much to my chagrin. It was Alec Baldwin.
Let me tell you what I think of Baldwin. If he were performing at the end of my personal driveway, I’d call the police and have him arrested for 1) trespassing and 2) impersonating an actor.
Excuse me. I had to vent.
The Emmy story also served to remind me of my Summer of Discontent with television. Maybe it’s just me, but in terms of things to watch on TV, this has been the worst summer ever.
Wife Margie and I spent most of our time watching reruns of “Biography,” “Everybody Loves Raymond,” and “Home Improvement” – plus thousands of hours of true crimes stories. They were entertaining, understand, but getting stale by late-August.
It should come as no surprise to you, then, that I’m pleased as punch that the new shows have started, and at least for a few hours each week I can enjoy watching junk on the tube. (What does “pleased as punch” mean? Really, what does it mean?)
We are pretty tickled in our household that “Dancing With The Stars” has cranked up again. It’s the only reality show we watch.
(NON-EDITOR’S NOTE: In case you’re interested, I don’t think former congressman Tom DeLay has much of a chance on “Dancing.” He does look rather nice in his different outfits, though.)
In addition to pure talent, my favorite things about this show are, in no particular order, Tom Bergeron, who I think is the best host in the business, and Edyta Sliwinska. Don’t misunderstand. With Edyta, it’s strictly about her dancing.
Wife Margie, for reasons I simply don’t understand, likes to watch Maksim Chmerkovskiy move around the floor. I will admit he reminds me of me when I was a handsome youth.
Besides “Dancing,” I’m really into “NCIS.” Great show.
That’s what I’ll be watching, but I worry about what Mila Kunis will be doing.
Jim Finley is a retired managing editor for The Baytown Sun.