Daytime shows introduced characters and families that capitalized on the prime-time soap boom. The Buchanans on OLTL and the Lewises on GL seem to owe at least a partial debt to "Dallas", while Alexandra Spaulding was daytime's answer to Alexis Carrington on "Dynasty" (and a far superior version, too).

But the problem is, it's now 2008 instead of 1978. And yet, we still have shows that seem to think we are dying to see rich, aging socialites, billionaire businessmen and over-the-top campy romance and catfights. That may have resonated in those 1980s Reagan years, but it's about as fitting now as a bad toupee.

However, stealing from primetime isn't entirely a bad idea. I wanted to talk here about a few shows that are doing some soap basics - love, romance, family, passion - better than daytime is doing it for itself these days. I'm not suggesting TPTB stop stealing other's ideas - I just want them to start stealing the right ones!

DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES: Okay, Gabrielle may be DH's version of Erica Kane. But in general, the women on the show are people you can relate to. I know a Susan, a Bree, and a Lynette. No matter where the stories go, the show has been really good about keeping the focus on the relationship between these women. I also love that this show has been EXCELLENT at showcasing older actors and extended family members, especially Mrs. McCluskey. Karen McCluskey is the kind of character every show USED to have but no longer does - the voice of reason/bullshit detector/voice of the audience.

GREY'S ANATOMY: This show can be wildly uneven. But I love the characters of Meredith and Cristina. Meredith is perhaps one of the most unlikeable characters ever. She's also a damn good surgeon, and she and Cristina unrepentantly "screw boys like whores on tequila." (Mer's words, not mine.) Cristina is also a driven surgeon who suffers no fools, puts on no facades and admittedly doesn't "speak girl."

Whatever you may think of their romances, let it be said: (1) They have had amazing romances, and if they broke up with a man, it wasn't because they "couldn't have it all," but instead because of conflicts that emerged between the characters. Or in Meredith's case, her own demons. (2) They get to be ferociously competitive, driven professionals. (Of course, there's still a bit of sexism at play - these scenes are often criticized as being unrealistic or antifeminist. Get a room full of driven men together who drink and sleep around and we call it "Entourage.")

I also like how "Grey's" has made itself accessible to younger viewers without alienating older ones. Older characters don't disappear. One of the most interesting stories was Meredith's mother Ellis and her tormented love affair with Richard Webber. And the show has just launched into a lesbian storyline (maybe) with Callie and Erica - after teasing it all season.

UGLY BETTY: UB is the show that the network could lift from nighttime and play in daytime almost intact. It's the one closest to the balance of what used to make daytime a special place to be - family, romance, humor, and a little bitchiness and camp thrown in on the side. What sounds like random and disparate elements on paper - Betty's life and family, Mode office politics, the villainy of Marc, Amanda and Miranda Priestly Wilhelmina Slater - all gel together beautifully. The pacing (remember pacing?) is balanced and keeps us entertained.

Vanessa Williams is great (who knew she could act AND had a fantastic sense of humor?) and keeps me in stitches. And the Meade family has some of that great Gothic family drama that I loved with the Quartermaines and Spauldings, especially Judith Light's Claire Meade, a hilarious but heartbreaking matriarch who spent years inside of a bottle (and who once complained about having to ride in a cab and "smell of....people.") Most of all, there's Betty, who is a real world girl - imperfect inside and out, but with a good heart and a boundless capacity for kindness and love. 

BROTHERS & SISTERS: B&S is yet another ABC primetime show (all of the shows I've mentioned, ironically, are on ABC) and it has some intriguing storyline elements regarding business, politics, and romances. But the core of this show is family, and B&S does it better than anyone since Maeve and Johnny opened Ryan's Bar. All of the interfamilial relationships on the show - a mother, five children, the late father's mistress and her wild-child daughter - have been really well developed in a way soaps used to do but don't anymore.

I don't want to overwhelm anyone with the details, but I will say this - there have been no shortcuts in building characters. Pick a character out of a hat - Nora, Kitty, Justin - and they each have such specific and well-defined relationships with everyone in the family. And of course, it's all bookended by Sally Field as Nora - the matriarch of the show. 

I hope anyone who happens to read this walks away with one important point: While I may be referring to great actors in my summaries, what make all of these shows special is story, story, story.

Well played, BnB writers, well played!  I can't imagine that there's one Bridge Forrester fan out there who isn't fuming right now, wondering if it's wrong to want to a ficitional character to be castrated!  Nick Marone 0s certainly a deserving target, if it's not.  The evidence, you ask?  If you're not a BnB viewer, the man is talking about a one night stand he had with his wife's aunt - one he's been lying about since it happened:

How does the jerk wad follow that up?  With THIS (Thanks, TVMegasite, for the transcript):

Katie: I don't care if it's wrong. I can't regret the fact that I'm having your baby.

Nick: Well, if it's wrong, then I'm guilty, too.

Katie: You really mean that?

Nick: (Sighs) I'd be lying if I didn't say this confused me at first. (Clears throat) you know, I--

Nick: It should have felt wrong to me, and it didn'T. And I should have feared all the complications that we now face, and I didn'T. I was wondering why. (Laughs) why? You know, when you were on that island sick, and I was there with you... (sighs) my prayer was that before you died, you'd know how I felt.

Can someone tell me how Katie, pimping a Bridget-Nick reunion to Nick, drinking scotch and putting a puzzle together, turned into a deep and abiding love between these two?  They've gone from a sibling-like relationship to soul mates in about two hours worth of scenes.  That's moving incredibly fast, even for the BnB.  Hold on to your last meal, readers, you may lose it if you continue read on:

Nick: So now we're there. And I hope that you can feel that I love you.

Katie: (Sniffles)

Katie: (Sighs)

Nick: I'm sorry if I've upset you.

Katie: You haven'T. You haven'T. I-I think you just said that you love me, and I-- I love you, too. You must know that. That's why this baby is so precious, is so important to me, because--because it's yours. It's ours. It's the one thing I have that we share, and-- only we can'T.

Nick: But we have to. This baby's not going away. You know that.

Katie: (Sighs) but what about everything else--

Nick: No, no, no, no. No "buts" about it. Listen to me. This child was conceived in the most magical moment. And this baby is gonna be amazing. This child is gonna be so special and bring so much joy into the world, because of love, because it was conceived in the deepest, most honest form of love, and that's what he'll know.

Katie: I hear what you're saying, and I know it's true, and to hear those words coming out of your mouth-- they bring me so much joy. I never in my wildest dreams ever thought that I would hear you say those things to me. I feel like I'm dreaming. But I know I'm not. I know I'm gonna have to wake up. This is just all so confusing. I-I don't know what I'm allowed to feel. I don't know if I'm allowed to be happy or excited. Help me, nick. Help me. Because a part of me hates myself for this.

And then there's this:

Katie: You've pledged your life to bridget.

Nick: I have.

Katie: And she deserves all of you.

Nick: She deserves to have the best of me, and if I can't give her that--

Katie: You're happy with her. I know. I've seen you together.

Nick: We are.

Katie: (Sighs) this is just so complicated.

The reason it would be hard for Bridget to have the 'best' of Nick is that there is no 'BEST" of Nick.  There's bad... worse... and what a freakin' waste of human DNA (even fictional DNA)

The writers are still skimming the surface with this guy.  All of his emotions are shallow. He wants to be Ridge Forrester and possess all Ridge has (including his family's company, the woman he loves, his children).  He's just met Katie, and suddenly he's deeply in love with her, to the point of denying Bridget - a woman he's known and 'loved' for years.  The mother of his first child.  He mourned his dead child (Nicole) - in his words, but never mentioned her while in bed with the dead child's grandmother shortly after Nicole was buried.  He loved Taylor more than he'd loved before, or so he led her to believe, and was back to chasing Brooke and leading a double life when it was revealed that hers was the donor of the egg used to conceive his child with Taylor.

Easy to see how the man made it to the top of the Manwhore list.  When does it END!?!?!?

If the BnB ever returns to what made daytime great there has to be some focus on the way the Marone family uses sex as a way of life.  Jackie explained that 'pride' made her turn to prostitution to raise her child, instead of working or going on welfare.  If Jackie was a woman with no skills and without an education, that might have made sense.  There has to be more to it.   I'm not sure if the devil in high heels is Jackie, whose DNA flows through the pants-dropper's veins, or if it's about Nick spewing of the insta-love-and-destiny bullcrap as a way of excusing his actions.  SHE! did it.  SHE! made him fall in love - that's why he continues to betray the women who've loved him and given him their full hearts. 

LOSER!

Whatever it is this mother-son have in common, it's hurtful and painful to the people around them.  They've spent more time justifying their sexually inappropriate behaviors (too numerous to name for non BnB viewers) than trying to understand them.  The superficiality is killing both characters, Nick more quickly than Jackie, obviously.

Sooner or later, writers will have to explain to fans what the point is of keeping Nick around.  Nick will surely drop trou for the next Logan-Forrester woman he spends five minutes alone with - it's his nature.  What else is there for him to do?  The character has never fit in on canvas and every time the show was redirected (characters' histories changed, couples' histories changed, the show's focus changed) to shoehorn him in, it resulted in a disaster in the ratings. 

I'd only thought I lost my patience with this character, before.  I KNOW I have now.  He's on an endless loop of one night stands, and impregnating the show's cast.   There's nothing left to see here, writers.  Nothing left to see.  <sigh>

Sooooo my napping skills on-a-day-out were put to the test. I didn't quite manage to keep to the schedule and nap #4 was a bit difficult, but I've had worse quality sleep in bed, so considering the environment -. It would definitely help to have someone with you if you're going to sleep in a café, somehow it would feel less random and also you could lean on them. And I need to make a sleep playlist on my mp3 player, or just download some white noise.

My initial plan for sleeping in public was to go to the park, but of course today had to be the first rainy & cold day for a few weeks...

So it's going well for now! If I manage to get sleep reasonably quickly, I actually feel refreshed getting up. If it takes me the first 20 minutes just to fall asleep, well, I don't.

I also managed to fit a trip to IKEA quite perfectly between the 12pm and 4pm naps, despite the lack of co-operation from my unapproving family. (I live at home.)

Planned for tonight:
- painting nails
- reading Harry Potter (by J.K. Rowling) and Lunar Park (by Brett Easton Ellis) and if I feel perky enough, To the Lighthouse (by Virginia Woolf)
- seeing if all my CD's fit in my book shelf
- tidying up
- reviewing my poems for a competition
- around 5 I'll probably go downstairs to read in the kitchen and talk to my mum once she gets up.

For this event I tried to mount my camera onto the telescope using a T-thread adapter so I could get some nice afocal shots. Focus was extremely difficult to achieve and this was the best image I could get:

Unhappy with this result, I took the camera off and decided to take photos through a wide-field eyepiece instead. The results were way better...

Oh and then the clouds got in the way!

Annoyingly, it looked like this behind me:

The wind soon began to pick up and the clouds were on the move. A few minutes later my friend Ben tried to find the Sun again...

Good thing I remembered to change the batteries for the motor drives!

Here's another view through the 32mm eyepiece:

And here's an image showing where the Moon was at the time:

With the cloud still present, we noticed that it was making the event very atmospheric:

Locating the eclipse within the cloud was difficult at times. I made the animation below to make life easier.

The Moon was now starting to slip away...

Last few minutes:

The Moon is gone. The eclipse is over:

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I have considered the problems of this cycle, mainly that regularity is more important than normally: for example, what if I'm out late? In the daytime I might just go to a park or a café and doze off lying over my belongings, but at night this doesn't feel as safe, and there hardly are any public toilets open - jamming the only one of a busy bar for half an hour doesn't seem like an option either.

Another problem is the social one; having to withdraw for a nap once in a while sounds managable enough, but the other way round - staying up alone while friends sleep - seems risky. Maybe I'll just need an infinite supply of gripping books.

Also, not that this is a problem I'm expecting to experience, what do catnappers with significant others do? Or do they do it together?

Oh whoopsie, it's time for another nap!

They see me rolling, patrolling, tryin to catch me ridin dirtay. I don't know if thats the lyrics but thats how it would go on as i roll down the street pickin up honeys in my chariot. "Hey, You two are cute lets go!". Two ladies, hard to tell their faces with those big sunglasses and long brown hair. They both got great bodys, one is taller and has legs and an incredible ass. The other is small, a petite one. Instantly I notice an accent. Hold up, more frenchies. Nah not quite. They are acadian. So they have better english but speak both. So sexy, accent in general are a huge bonus. Its like eating a steak with steak spice. Its not necessary but damn is it ever good. We go for a 10 minute ride, in which they decide they want a private tour, without the chariot of destiny. I tell them we will go on Zee's Ultiumate Pub Crawl. I lead the two ladies down the street to change and park my cart. We go and grab some food, vibe and take a walk through the public gardens. I let them know I need to learn to use my tongue better ( in reference to study for french lab) for a few hours. I will call them in a few hours.

Time to crawl, beg, you know you wannit. I head to the hotel to meet up with my ladies. Lets call the tall one HBorgasm and the short one HBlilone. The three of us fluff, wrestle and have a few drinks. We are all close, rubbing massaging. I kiss both of em, on multiple occasions. Then head to the bar. Arm and arm I have 2 dames. I like that feeling, i can get used to it. After the two of them sharing some beer with me and my lunch I offer to buy the first round. After vibing for a bit over a pitcher of beer, we go to dance. I am the best dancer in the world. Well I believe I am. This is step 3 in my nonexistent schedule for the night. This step takes place as... girls think sex, they wind and grind up on your pole and think about sex with you. HBorgasm wants to do tequilla shots. Ugh I hate tequilla. Wait a sec these ladies got killer bods. Light bulb!

I have never actually done this before but needed to try. Buy tequilla, get the salt and clear a table.
"Alright ladies bodyshots!" All night we had people watching us. Now there was a circle around myself, HBorgasm and HBlilone. I take Orgasm's hand and help her onto the table. Lick the beltline, put the salt, fill her belly button and put the lemon in her mouth. I do the same with lilone. Then they each do it with me. Haha bad idea, they have now seen my stomach. Their buying temp is flying through the roof. O and by bad idea I mean they are trying to pull my shirt off in the bar and licking my stomach. Back on dance floor, I makeout with one, turn makeout with other, they makeout, rinse and repeat.

On multiple occasions I had other guys try and walk in. But we kidded and had fun and the dudes had no chance. Actually one guy was sent to the wrong hotel by them. Kinda feel bad for him. O well. Other then my territory being stepped on... i got approached by dudes, at the bar, on the patio and even the fuckin bathroom asking how can they do that. They were watching me all night and wanted the same power.

Back to hotel. Lets check out pictures from the night. Sitting on bed between two hotties... my mind is running. I have the home stretch and on my way to the finish. Hold up... I look over at orgasm and she jumps in the other bed to sleep. Damn son... o well I will take out the lilone. She flips to a picture of using making out on dance floor. Then i kiss her and she drops camera. Its on... or is it. She is putting up heavy resistance..."I can't with orgasm in the bed over there",  Z:"irrelevant" anyway i pushed. She was dripping but just wouldn't, I had to settle for a little sucky sucky. Lilone said she is too loud.  Argh. haha.

When I woke up in the morning, Lilone was still asleep and Orgasm was just waking up. So out of one bed... into the other. Instant makeout, a little fun, which wakes up Lilone. We stop... I need to get to work for 11 and its now 10. I get a ride home and tell them I will call em when I am done. I was working a double so it would be a late night.

A few texts about sex and sexy later... I call them shortly before 11pm. I am showering then meeting them... they have been drinkin most of the day. Before I get there I recieve a text " oh no... lilone just threw up". Shit son! Don't do this to me. Well i meet up with them and we walk back to the hotel. I am basically carrying lilone... she is way to drunk. This is a downer b/c i will not even try on a girl this drunk and she was almost begging for it. Once in the room... out like a supply of cupcakes at an obesity convention.

Well Orgasm and myself head to a Martini bar, after stopping to pin her to the wall for a 10 sec makeout 3 or 4 times we make it there and look at the menu. Interesting... we decide to order a martini for each other. I tell that I love pink pussy. She giggles and thats what she will be drinkin. She ordered me a hot devil or something. More vibe. Then onto the next bar.

We head to a pub. A little hungry we order some fries and a sampler of beers, comparing tastes. I tell her that she has a sweet tongue, makeout. Sexual tension is nuts. We order some shooters. I tell our server that I would like to give HBorgasm and Orgasm tonight (its like peppermint schnapps and baileys and something else not bad). She orders me the same. I tell her I have had better.

On way home we walk through a dance club. We walk past the line and in... I have barstaff and know the bouncers( bonus). Dancefloor one song, we are so close to fuckin on the dance floor I tell her... Hotel NOW! Before we are even through the door she is into her bra and underwear. Wow! she had a nice body with clothes on. But dayamn you could haha imagine. Make out and gettin her squirming with uncontrollable sensation she started to get noisy. Now remember Lilone is passed out in the bed beside us. Orgasm stops. (haha that sounds funny). "we can't Lilone will hear". I think to myself not this again. I didn't listen and slid my hand down. Before I knew it... Rise of the Machine. She knew what was next. After a pleasureable amount of time a pillow couldn't keep her quite and Lilone half woke up. Only enough to mutter something and roll over. With that excitement going on things got more wild. At one point her leg hit me in the nose and my nose started to bleed. Don't ask about the dynamics of that one but indeed it is hilarious.

After 2 awesome nights, I indeed come close to my elusive threesome but couldn't quite seal the deal. Sitting there at breakfast the next morning, I thought wow I love my life right now as the both sat opposite stroking my thigh up my shorts.

Still, I don't mind them during the day. In fact, they can be quite spectacular! Here's a quick animation:

And here's another one:

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Credit: Mr Blue Sky by ELO, YouTube

The lyrics are spot on. The only cloud visible at the moment is a contrail so I should be able to have a nice observing session later (touchwood).

Love ELO. Love Mr Blue Sky :)  

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Simple premise, but well presented and good daytine fare.

The surprising bit was the presenter - one Anton du Beke, yes he of dancing fame.

Obviously early days, perhaps his first show, but there's real promise there. He could have a good presenting career ahead of him, if he plays his cards right.

The new Brucey - smiles, dances and Brylcream to boot...

Well done Cheetah!

Flash Gordon, la prima stagione continua in prima visione assoluta venerdì alle 21.00 su Steel con gli episodi intitolati Più denso dell'acqua e Flusso e riflusso;

Smallville, la settima stagione continua in prima visione assoluta sabato alle 21.00 su Steel con gli episodi intitolati Spia per caso e Apocalisse;

Nip/Tuck, la quinta stagione continua in prima visione assoluta sabato alle 21.45 su Mya con l'episodio intitolato Dawn Budge II;

Chuck, la prima stagione continua in prima visione assoluta su Steel domenica alle 21.00 con gli episodi intitolati Chuck vs. gli insaccati e Chuck vs. la nemesi.

24, continua in replica martedì alle 23.05 su Iris;

Six Feet Under, la terza stagione, in replica, termina venerdì alle 21.00 su Iris con un triplo episodio.

www.telesimo.it

]]> http://clarkmichael.wordpress.com/2008/07/11/man-with-sign/ Fri, 11 Jul 2008 10:53:59 +0000 MC http://clarkmichael.wordpress.com/2008/07/11/man-with-sign/

man with sign, originally uploaded by earthpages.

as i find my table (in the middle, not too close to the door that i will get bumped into and not too close to the street because i cant deal with the car noise) and settle in.  when these two young ladies get out of a white Volvo SUV with west virginia plates.  they looked like they were whoring at starbucks at 5:30pm.

the one had an embarrassingly short green chiffon dress with 4" metallic heels.  the other in a tight black dress with pantie lines.

as they come back out of starbucks, they sit themselves at the table closest to the door and begin their conversation.  chiffon starts talking about what she learned that day, seeing as how shes probably old enough to still be in grade school, i eavesdrop.

"did you know that iran isnt actually part of Africa?  its actually part of Asia, like Asians live there.  I never knew that, thats what i learned today".

this is how the conversation went.

i wept for a moment at how the public school system has let us all down yet again.  but then i said a little prayer thanking god for granting this young lady the ability to wear shoes like that because that is the only skill that will get her anywhere in life in her bright exotic dancing future.

Questa settimana tra conferme e nuovi arrivi una vera e proprio pioggia di telefilm sia in chiaro che su satellite e nei vari orari della giornata...organizzate videoregistratori e decoder!

NUMB3RS DOPPIO APPUNTAMENTO! La terza stagione debutta in prima visione assoluta su Rai Due lunedì alle 21.05 con gli episodi intitolati Le strade del destino e L'ostaggio e anche domenica alle 21.05 con gli episodi intitolati Il furto e La talpa;

Close to Home, la seconda stagione continua in prima visione martedì alle 21.05 su Rai Due con gli episodi intitolati Oltre ogni limite e Il professore;

Robin Hood, DOPPIO APPUNTAMENTO! La prima stagione della serie britannica basata sul mitico omonimo personaggio, debutta martedì e venerdì alle 21.10 su Rete 4. Composta da 13 episodi, è stata trasmessa in patria tra il 2006 e 2007 dove è attesa per l'autunno la terza stagione. Martedì andranno in onda gli episodi Ritorno a casa e Uccidete Robin Hood! mentre venerdì Il guardiano notturno e Tradimento;

The Tudors, la prima stagione del drama storico che racconta i primi anni del regno di Enrico VIII di Inghilterra (senza essere del tutto fedele alla cronologia reale degli eventi) debutta govedì alle 21.10 su Canale 5 con i primi due episodi;

Brothers & Sisters, la prima stagione debutta su Rai Due con un doppio appuntamento, giovedì e venerdì alle 21.50. La serie segue le vicende di una famiglia californiana, i Walker, tra cui la matriarca Nora, impersonata dalla grande Sally Field, e Kitty, l'indimenticabile 'Ally McBeal' Calista Flockhart. Giovedì andranno in onda gli episodi Patriarcato e Il testamento mentre venerdì Affari di Stato e Ritratto di famiglia .

Vanished continua in prima visione assoluta venerdì alle 21.10 su Italia 1 con gli episodi intitolati Il mondo e La cella;

Criminal Intent, la quarta stagione continua in prima visione sabato alle 21.30 su Rete 4 con i TRE episodi 4.11 Scacco matto, 4.09 La teoria del tutto e 4.07 Sull'orlo del precipizio (ndr viva la cronologia!).

Jericho, la seconda stagione, composta però da soli 7 episodi, debutta in prima visione assoluta lunedì alle 22.40 su Rai Due;

Reaper - in missione per il diavolo continua in prima visione assoluta giovedì alle 21.00 su Fox con l'episodio intitolato Il poliziotto;

Criminal Minds, la terza stagione continua in prima visione assoluta giovedì alle 21.00 con l'episodio intitolato Vite incrociate;

Skins, la seconda stagione continua in prima visione assoluta giovedì alle 21.50 su Jimmy;

La legge di Murphy, la terza stagione debutta in prima visione assoluta sabato alle 19.10 su Fox Crime con l'episodio intitolato Uno sguardo d'addio;

Maratona CSI: a partire da questa settimana ogni sabato alle 21.00 su Fox Crime saranno trasmessi 4 episodi della sesta stagione di CSI.

Doctor Who, domenica alle 19.55 su Jimmy andrà in onda in prima visione assoluta l'episodio speciale La sposa perfetta; dalla prossima settimana appuntamento con la terza stagione.

Sul Digitale Terrestre Premium Gallery

8 semplici regole, continua in replica su Rai Due, da martedì a venerdì alle 9.45;

Wolff - Un poliziotto a Berlino, continua in prima visione da lunedì a venerdì alle 14.40 su Rai Due;

Falcon Beach , continua in prima visione su Italia 1, da lunedì a venerdì alle 15.00. Martedì ha inizio la seconda stagione;

h2o, la seconda stagione continua in prima visione da lunedì a venerdì alle 15.55 su Italia 1;

A proposito di Brian, la seconda stagione continua in prima visione da lunedì a venerdì alle 16.20 su Rai Due;

Kevin Hill, la prima e unica stagione continua da lunedì a venerdì alle 17.00 su Rai Due;

Squadra Speciale Vienna continua da lunedì a venerdì alle 17.15 circa su Rai Tre;

Le sorelle McLeod, torna su Rai Uno in prima visione dall'episodio 6.27 in avanti con due puntate al giorno da lunedì a giovedì alle 17.20. Giovedì debutta la settima stagione.

The Closer, DOPPIO APPUNTAMENTO! La terza stagione continua in prima visione su Italia 1 martedì alle 22.45 con l'episodio intitolato Finchè morte non ci separi (1) e anche mercoledì alle 23.05 con l'episodio intitolato Finchè morte non ci separi (2).

Saving Grace, DOPPIO E ULTIMAO APPUNTAMENTO! La prima stagione in prima visione assoluta si conclude su Italia 1 con gli episodi in onda martedì alle 23.40 (La verità non si compra) e mercoledì alle 0.00 (Riunione di famiglia).

The L Word, la terza stagione continua in prima visione mercoledì alle 23.50 su La7 con l'episodio intitolato Lobsters;

Heroes, la prima stagione viene riproposta in replica da Italia 1, da questa settimana ogni giovedì alle 23.50 con un doppio episodio.

24, continua in replica martedì alle 22.40 su Iris;

Six Feet Under, la terza stagione, in replica, continua venerdì alle 21.00 su Iris.

www.telesimo.it

]]> http://entertainmentnow.wordpress.com/?p=3775 Fri, 06 Jun 2008 05:37:20 +0000 Russ T.C. http://entertainmentnow.wordpress.com/?p=3775 Michelle Obama, wife of presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama, will be a guest host on The View on June 18th.  The ABC daytime talk show had invited her to be a guest on the show this month, but Michelle requested to guest-host like Cindy McCain (wife of presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain) did in April of this year.  Guests have not been announced for the show yet.  Cindy McCain interviewed CBS late night host Craig Ferguson when she hosted in April.

Now, before I say anything, let me state that I am in no way, shape, or form condoning pedophilia, the subject of Dr. Phil's show today. In fact, "pedophilia" isn't even the appropriate term for the subject material today.

Dr. Phil had on his show a man who had sex with a 15-year-old girl. Dr. Phil, of course, had his usual moronic spew to counter any of the man's defnenses. What really pissed me off was Dr. Phil's repeated statements that "a child cannot consent to sex".

First off, what makes a human being a "child"? At what age does is the human brain suddenly capable of making important decisions, predicting the consequences of said decisions, and knowing right from wrong? Why is the age of consent 16 in some states, but 18 in others? Why is a 17-year-old a "child" in one state, but a full-fledged adult in another?

By Dr. Phil's moronic reasoning, would it be morally wrong to have consensual sex (which is possible at a certain, indeterminable, subjective age) with a "child" in Idaho, but perfectly okay in Arkansas?

Now, I know fully that the age of the girl they were talking about is 15, not 16 or 17, and that none of the United States has an age of consent below 16. But what difference does a year make in terms of maturity? Is a 16-year-old a child, while a 17-year-old an adult? Does a girl's 17th (or 16th or 18th) birthday hold some magic powers that suddenly transforms them into an adult?

My point is, don't call 15-year-olds children. A 5-year-old, fine. Five-year-olds are children and in no way can they consent to anything sexual. But anything past the age of 14 is a gray area. Some countries even have an age of consent of 12. (I know, I know... they are less advanced and sophisticated than us, and we are therefore better than every other country in the world.)

While it may seem clear-cut to some people ("the law is the law"), Dr. Phil brought up his opinion that, all law aside, it was still "wrong" (a term he throws around a lot despite his lack of knowing what the fuck it really means) and that a "child cannot consent to sex". What if the "child" had been a 16-year-old, which is only a year's difference? Would it still be wrong?

Sure, in a few states it would be wrong. But in other states it would be right. This is where we must separate legality from morality. If it's perfectly legal to bonk a 16-year-old in Tennessee, does that make it morally "right"? Since when does location determine morality? It's ridiculous to think that sex with a 16-year-old is repulsively wrong in one location, but perfectly acceptable and ignored in another a few hundred miles away.

If we start looking at statutory rape in terms of morality, we have a huge gray area, for which there is no clear-cut solution, despite what Dr. Phil so desperately wants to believe. Never mind the fact that there are 15-year-olds who are more mature than some 21-year-olds I've known. But that's a subjective observation that some would vehemently disagree with.

I know most of the people that read this will be offended, but that's just some tough shit you'll have to chew. Morality is a tough issue that is subjective in most cases. What's perfectly OK for one person may be horribly wrong for another.

That's all I've got for now.

After Mr. B's bath, teeth, jammies, story, prayers, and being "tucked in like a burrito", Gila Man finally said goodnight and started walking out the door.

"But Daddy," Mr. B cried, "What about my song?"
"What song?" he replied.
"Momma always sings me a song before I go to sleep."
"Ok, I'll sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star?"
"No thank you, Daddy. I want the song You Want A Piece Of Me. Do you know dat one?"

A moment of silence, and then,

"Hey, SARAH?!?" Gila Man yelled, "I think it's time for YOU to take over..."

Darn...I'm gonna have to start censoring my music. I thought I had another year at least!!

I will also be adding pictures I took of the house after dark.

This photo is of the back wall in Fielding Hurst's bedroom. The small door gives access to one of the attics.

This is the bathroom. It, of course, was added in later years by the Dodds.

This is the original kitchen in the backyard, where the slaves prepared the meals.

This is the grounds behind the house.

This is the front of the house. The tarp covers the leaking roof. The window peeking out from under it is the one you may have seen around the internet with a face in it. That's Hurst's bedroom.

This is the front of the house.

This is a close up of Hurst's bedroom window. Make of it what you will.

This is where a bullet grazed the staircase. Some say this was where Hurst was killed, but this is not true. It is not known how this truly got there and one can only speculate about it as there are no records of what really happened here.

This is the new kitchen which was added on to the back of the house by the Dodds.

This is the chimney and pot from the old kitchen where the slaves cooked. A tree fell on the kitchen a few years back. The new owner intends to restore the building.

This is the back of the house. You can see all the vines and shrubbery that have actually grown to the house over the years.

This is the old barn across the street.

This is the piano inside the house. We assume it belonged to the Dodds.

This is the attic through the small door in Hurst's bedroom.

This is the side of the house. The top window is Hurst's bedroom.

This is the slave quarters located across the street from the house. BEWARE! This property is also owned by the owner of Hurst Mansion. DO NOT trespass! If the snakes don't get you, the guy with the shotgun will.

This was where they collected rainwater.

This wall is in Hurst's bedroom. When the owner peeled away the old wallpaper, they found a multitude of signatures and dates on the wood underneath. The large one is R. T. M. Bell in June 1888. If you have any information on who this person could be, email tnhauntings@writersbeacon.com.

This is the well inside the old well house in the backyard.

This is another picture of the side of the house.