TresSugar

What to Watch This Week: Political TV and Movies Abound

CitizenSugar — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 15:45:53 -0700

OK, OK I'm going to directly contradict every time your mother said, "read a book" or "go outside and play," because this week it's all about gripping TV. Here's what I mean:

Monday - It's not light TV, but sounds compelling:

Section 60: Arlington National Cemetery - On HBO tonight at 9 p.m. this documentary tells the story of the section that serves as the burial ground of US military personnel killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. It's a look at the honor and cost of war from a human perspective.
The Last Lynching - The Discovery Channel tonight (at 10 p.m. so you could catch some of both programs) has Ted Koppel investigating America's recent history of racial violence, including a lynching that happened in Alabama as recently as 1981.

To see the rest of the week, read more.

Tuesday - All about the candidates:

Frontline: The Choice 2008 - On PBS at 9 p.m., this two-hour broadcast promises to tell the story of "two journeys, one destination," and serve up a biography and personal history from those who know them best.

Wednesday - The final showdown:

The Final Presidential Debate - Bob Schieffer is hosting the final debate at 9 p.m. EDT and he's promising details. He says, “It will not embarrass me, if they go off in a different direction, to say, ‘Excuse me, could you focus on the question that I just asked?’ ” In this debate the candidates will be at the same table.

Thursday - Laughs or. . .?:

The Late Show - McCain will be back on Letterman after he missed his last appearance and felt the wrath of Dave. Will they kiss and make up?

Friday - Movie night?:

W Opens - Oliver Stone's newest offering W based on the presidency of Bush-know-who opens tonight. Are you checking it out?

Phew! That's a lineup! What are you setting your Tivo for - and what are you skipping?

Do You Watch Army Wives on Lifetime?

CitizenSugar — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 03:00:46 -0700

I'm way behind. You all were chatting about Army Wives coming back for Season two in the comments last week, and my interest was piqued. I caught the encore of the season premiere last night, and I clearly have catching up to do.

The New York Times latest review makes it sound like a show with a complex message saying, ". . . at the heart of the show is a deep skepticism about the psychological impact of military culture on family life, a distaste for the brand of masculinity it breeds. . . Army Wives reminds you how rare it is on television to bear witness to the shoddily appointed space. And how rarer still to see women who don’t know a whit about labels."

And uh, the scene with Roxy and her husband on the video? And the husband who was crying by his daughter's bedside? Amanda? Who is this? Help! I think I'm hooked. Plus John McCain watches it with Cindy. Are you a fan? Do we need to watch and recap? Will you fill me in on what I've missed?

To see McCain's Army Wives message, read more.

Citizen Recap: 30 Days Working in a Coal Mine

LibertySugar — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 00:00:49 -0700

Did you think I forgot to watch the season premiere of 30 Days, with all of Tuesday's Democratic nomination wrap up, and the accompanying speech mania? Well, don't worry, because even though this recap is a day late, I still caught the episode which had filmmaker Morgan Spurlock working under the earth's surface for 30 days as a West Virginian coal miner.

Morgan spent his 30 days living with 35-year veteran miner Dale Lusk and his wife Sandy. Every morning before Dale left for the mines at around 2:00 a.m. he wrote Sandy a love note, just in case a disaster prevented him from returning home that day. The episode helped explain what motivates miners like Dale to take such risks - and the biggest incentive seemed to be cash. Dale, who has no college degree, makes over $100,000 a year.

Morgan slowly became accustomed to the dark, and labor-intensive life of a miner. To find out more about his experience, read more.

In fact, he soon appreciated the tranquility and novelty of working beneath the earth's surface. But, near crises shocked Morgan out of his false sense of security, as did the reality that many miners, and some he had built relationships with, face debilitating health conditions like black lung.

Coal mining makes up 50 percent of America's energy supply. This episode reminded me that when I work or play on my computer, with my television, or anything else that requires electricity, I am depending on the routine and dangerous efforts of a West Virginian Coal miner.

Did you catch the episode? Stay tuned next week for 30 Days in a Wheelchair . . .

Source

Let's Watch Season Three of Morgan Spurlock's 30 Days

CitizenSugar — Mon, 26 May 2008 09:30:00 -0700

Morgan Spurlock of Where in the World is Osama bin Laden fame is kicking off season three of his TV show 30 Days on June 3 (that's a Tuesday at 10 p.m.) Since Liberty and I don't always see completely eye-to-eye, we're excited to watch the show - and pick sides to root for.

The show takes a look at social issues in America by making people live an alternate life that requires them to "see the world through another's eyes" for - you guessed it - 30 days. The season includes these topics: working in a coal mine, animal rights, living in a wheel chair, same-sex parenting, gun nation and life on an Indian reservation. Who's watching with us?

Forget The Hills, New DC Show Covers The Hill

CitizenSugar — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 09:00:44 -0800

Just when the Murphy Brown reunion on the Today show this week got me all nostalgic for good political TV, it looks like my wish is coming true - reality-style.

The production company behind Miss America: Reality Check (which just aired this winter on TLC) is casting hot young DC residents for a new "soft-scripted" show, a la Laguna Beach - swapping the beach bunnies for a cadre of sexy non-profit Appropriations and Budget Associates. Or something similarly dot.org-y.

Though DC might not be as hot as Laguna, rest assured they're going to juice it up full of jet-setting plot lines. And since the casting is coming straight out of the hot and fast networking site Late Night Shots it won't comply with that old rumor that "Washington is Hollywood for the ugly."

I'm in, a thousand times in. I just have three questions: When, when, when?!

Source

Grab Bag! How to Throw a Party Like a Lady

TresSugar — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 12:00:28 -0800

January Jones's disappointing appearance on SNL did include one funny-ish skit on how to throw a party like a lady. - The Frisky
Parents get warmer reactions if they reveal they're expecting a boy rather than a girl. - Salon
10 actors who look fierce in drag. - Lemondrop
Meghan McCain weighs in on whether sex tapes matter. - The Daily Beast
You won't believe what's in this dessert. - Glamour
No better training for politics than motherhood? - DoubleX
11 reasons to date a church-going guy. - Your Tango
This is the week of TV guest stars. Get ready for Lady Gaga, Heather Locklear, and James Franco. - BuzzSugar

Sarah Palin to Sit Down With Oprah - Will You Watch?

TresSugar — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 12:15:00 -0700

During the 2008 election, Oprah declined to welcome sensational VP-candidate Sarah Palin to her couch. The talk show host and very public Barack Obama supporter said she wouldn't have any candidate on her show until the election was over. Now that the election seems like ages ago and Sarah Palin has a new book to hawk, the two will finally have a chat when Oprah interviews Palin on her Nov. 16 show.

I can't wait to tune in to this interview! While Palin makes it clear that she disdains the media's "liberal bias," Oprah hasn't been so shy about having one. Are you excited to see Oprah go rogue with Sarah Palin?

President Obama Gets Auto-Tuned

TresSugar — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 13:00:00 -0700

When I came across this video from last night's Jimmy Kimmel Live, I watched it over and over again. I thought I'd share it with you guys, in case you needed a good laugh to start off your weekend! In the clip, rapper T-Pain gives President Obama's healthcare rhetoric the auto-tune treatment. If you've found the healthcare reform debate to be a little dry, this video will surely keep your attention. The good stuff happens about a minute in!

47% Favor Laws to Create Political Balance on TV - Do You?

CitizenSugar — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 10:00:21 -0700

So we asked this question a while back when we were talking about the Fairness Doctrine - should the government mandate political balance on TV and radio? Now Rasmussen has polled on it, and it turns out nearly half - 47 percent - think this is a great idea.

It seems that thought doesn't extend to the Internet. The survey found that 57 percent said the government should not require websites and blogs to present opposing viewpoints (though 31 percent said the net should keep it fair and balanced.) The pretty even split seems to mirror so many aspects of the US political landscape - and there's a whole landscape of opinions about it out there from folks who think the Fairness Doctrine could "correct" any pro-Obama media bias, to Christian stations who are nervous that a return of the 1949 FCC policy could dampen their ability to preach the Gospel.

Where do you fall on the spectrum? Are you anti-Fairness Doctrine, would you like to see it cover all media, or leave the web alone?

Source

Berlusconi Insults Women Again - And They're Fighting Back

TresSugar — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 06:00:00 -0700

Feminism is back in vogue in Italy. Some say it lay dormant in spite of a vibrant '70s feminist movement, but thanks to raging misogynist Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, largely silent Italian women have had enough and are speaking up.

"[T]he scandals surrounding the prime minister have been like a violent slap in the face for millions of women who are just now waking up from a state of passivity," said political scientist Francesca Izzo.

A favorite tactic of the 73-year-old Berlusconi is to disparage the looks of his female political opponents. In a heated debate with 58-year-old opposition party member Rosy Bindi, he said, "You're more beautiful than you are intelligent," to which the annoyed politician shot back, "I am not a woman at your disposal." (Perhaps she was referring to his multiple girlfriends, which finally led his wife to file for a divorce.)

Many American women claim they aren't feminists, but I wonder if they'd change their tune if the president were speaking this way every day! To find out how Italian women are fighting back and to see a clip of a documentary about how women are represented on Italian television, read more

After Berlusconi's nasty comment to Rosy Bindi, pissed off women drafted a petition saying that his sexism was an insult both to women and to democracy. 11 days later, more than 100,000 women had signed it, claiming that Berlusconi participated in the "cretinization of women."

It took long enough for more women to speak up, but it's great they finally did it. Alas, Italian feminists have more than Berlusconi and his rhetoric to fight. In the following clip from filmmaker Lorella Zanardo's documentary Women's Bodies, you'll see that almost all the representations of women on Italian television depict them as sex objects.