December 2010 Archives

Today's cuppa: Barry's Classic Blend Irish tea

I have to admit it, I am a news junkie. I read news online; I watch 24-hour cable news; I talk news events with my friends and family.

Entertainment TV may be my vocation, but news -- especially politics -- is definitely my avocation.

Occasionally politics and entertainment TV intersect. Sometimes it's successful ("Spin City," "The West Wing"); other times, not so much ("Hail to the Chief," "Commander in Chief").

But politics in 2010 was so full of high drama and low comedy that it's hard to believe a screenwriter could have cooked up anything more compelling than the real thing. It's a rough year in scripted TV when C-SPAN provides the bulk of the watercooler chat.

I'll happily let the political reporters run down the top news stories of the past year. Instead, I'll let my imagination run wild and come up with a few entirely implausible and highly improbable ways that TV and politics could join hands.

Let the silliness commence ...

"Scott Brown's Massachusetts": OK, he won't be stalking caribou or watching mama grizzlies, but the handsome junior senator (and former Cosmo centerfold) could lead a tour of the wild beauties of his home state. Imagine the gorgeous scenery and heart-stopping adventure as he hunts antiques in the Berkshires, goes backstage at Tanglewood, hits the slopes at Butternut, watches whales off Cape Cod, or calls up fellow Bay State politico Rep. Barney Frank for a brisk hike along Boston's Freedom Trail. Then, a long day done, Brown shoots a few hoops with his daughters and then takes the pickup truck out to get some North Shore steamers and Chipwiches.

"The Tea (and Coffee) House of Representatives": With so many late-night votes, D.C.'s hard-working legislators need a way to keep their eyes open while casting their ballots (and perhaps even while reading the bills, which could actually happen in 2011). This comedy series follows three recent college grads who can't find jobs during the economic downturn and decide instead to create employment by opening up a brewed-beverage truck specifically to service the the caffeine-deprived on Capitol Hill. Between navigating endless regulatory red tape and competing congressional egos (such as the exact pecking order for the always-limited supply of chocolate-cherry croissants), these spirited entrepreneurs fuel the engine of big government in their own small way.

"Out (of Office) Placement": With so many House and Senate members (including some long-termers) exiting Capitol Hill in early January, either through retirement or having lost their elections, the threat of depression and despair looms for this newest class of displaced persons. In this heart-tugging reality series, a philanthropic lobbyist decides to launch an Internet start-up specifically designed to help these political animals transition back to life in the outside world. Among the services offered: lessons on driving, picking up dry-cleaning and grocery shopping; how to apply for a job without giving a stump speech; and surviving face-to-face encounters with disappointed or downright cranky former constituents.

"Freshman Orientation": In this fact-inspired comedy-drama, newly elected representative Edward "Skid" Skidmore begins his transition from small-town tire-store owner to member of Congress. Following him to Washington are his wife Molly, a dedicated scrapbooker, Colonial-history buff and Dolley Madison (above, at left) impersonator; and his two children, avid bow-hunting teen son Edward Jr. (a k a "Teddy"), and 10-year-old aspiring cupcake baker Abigail (a k a "Sugarplum"). In their first week, Molly dons her full regalia for a White House reception and frightens Bo the First Dog; Teddy develops a crush on avid hunter and political columnist S.E. Cupp (right); and Sugarplum inadvertently runs afoul of the FDA in her quest to provide each representative with a customized cupcake.

"C-SPAN Confessions": Each week, citizens bravely step forward to admit that they do, indeed, watch C-SPAN coverage of House and Senate proceedings on a daily basis. They then face a round of trivia questions on the Founding Documents, followed by a selection of physical challenges, including a filibuster marathon, a last-minute vote-call sprint and a set of deep-knee bends while holding a copy of the 2,409-page healthcare bill. Viewers cast votes for their favorite, and at the end of the first season, the winner gets a campaign war chest to run for Congress -- which only makes sense, since any of these folks has probably seen more of what goes on in Congress than many people elected to serve there.

On Wednesday, Dec. 22, on HBO2, the documentary "Top Ten Monks" profiles the Cistercian monks of Stift Heiligenkreuz Abbey in Austria, who have been praying for 900 years. But is is their rhythmic, musical Latin prayers, called Gregorian Chant -- named for Pope Gregory I, who served in that office from 590 to 604 A.D. -- that turned them into international pop stars.

Their CD, called "Chant: Music for the Soul" (or, as it's known outside the U.S., "Chant: Music for Paradise") was in the top 10 for two months on U.K. pop charts, and has sold nearly a million copies worldwide (in the interests of full disclosure, there's a copy in the CD player of my car, where it helps me avoid blowing my top while negotiating Los Angeles traffic).

(Apparently there's now a holiday edition of the CD, with added tracks.)

What I enjoyed is learning about the individual monks, especially the one that used to work for a motorcycle magazine and didn't really go through his early life with "Be a monk" on the top of his bucket list. These guys are also pretty tech-savvy, including producing a YouTube video -- not sure if this is the one, but it's a nice video of them anyway -- that got them their record contract with Universal Music in the U.K.

"Top Ten Monks" is a Perry Films Production, produced and directed by Dana Perry; Hart Perry is director of photography; and Michael Bacon wrote the original score.

The documentary repeats on HBO2 on Saturday, Dec. 25, a k a Christmas Day, and on different dates throughout January.

Below the picture, find email Q&As with Dana Perry and with Father Karl Wallner of Stift Heiligenkreuz Abbey. Perry's is in italics; Father Wallner's is not; all questions in boldface type.


Producer/Director Dana Perry

What, if any, preconceptions did you have about the monks that may have been
changed or challenged by what you saw?  

I was certainly aware of monastic tradition, but I applied that to a spectrum of orders, including Buddhist. I loved that one of my favorite artists, Leonard Cohen, had spent five years in a cloistered Zen monastery. My preconceptions included the idea that they would be somehow grim-faced and dour, suffering in some self-imposed way.

But that idea could not have been farther from the truth.  They were full of joy.

What did you find most compelling and most enigmatic about monastic life?

Life at the monastery was compelling in the sense of peace and dedication to community and hard work.

They live by the words Ora et Labora, prayer and work. Their joy in this life is infectious and charming. They manage to have fun and live spiritually.

As far as enigmatic, I found their commitment to celibacy (as if they have a choice) to be completely out of whack with reality. But that begs a longer discussion of church doctrine, history and recent headlines, so we won't go there. Blind faith may have its downsides.

Why do you think Gregorian chant has such a strong effect, even on nonbelievers?

It's so deep and elemental, and feels like it emanates from the soul.

The scales obviously predate our present-day conception of tonal music. Some think the chant grew out of its usefulness as a mnemonic, as texts were rare and churches dark. Somehow this prayer evolved over time, even as it was being preserved through repetition.

And let's not forget the video game "Halo." The faux Gregorian chant they use for game levels is reaching millions of young ears every day after school.

How did this experience differ from working on other films ­or did it?  

This was a very different film-making experience. I didn't have the chance to go there beforehand, so everything was set up over the phone and email.  And we only had six working days there. Contrary to many of my other films, which evolved over time, this required military (or Austrian Monk) precision.  I love a precise schedule, and they delivered. But I really wished we could have spent more time there.  I feel like we only scratched the surface - there is so much more to explore there.

What lasting impressions have you taken away?

It's great to believe wholeheartedly in something! I was struck by their peaceful demeanor, humor and kindness.  They live in a calm, healthy and contemplative way, awaiting death, upon which they will finally go to heaven, a monk's ultimate goal.

Father Karl Wallner of Stift Heiligenkreuz Abbey

What's been the effect, if any, on your daily life since you achieved worldwide prominence?

Nothing special: we are still monks in the same way as before. The media has given us the chance to show our life to people "outside" without destroying peace and harmony inside. Of course we are rather famous in Austria and Germany, and we have a lot of visitors. Many people write us about their problems. So we have learned that our hidden life and our prayer is precious to the whole world. We carry the sorrows of all people in our heart.

Why do you think Gregorian chant has such a strong effect, even on nonbelievers?

Because they are somehow empty in their hearts. Gregorian Chant is like a dialogue between God and man: we sing the texts of the bible, which are given by the Lord, back to him. So you can say there is God "in it" and people seem to feel this instinctively. They are certainly touched by the spirit of this music.

What do you feel while singing?

That God is close to me, that it is a very beautiful grace, that He called me to serve Him.

What is Christmas like at the monastery?
  
Beautiful. However Easter is the highest feast for us Christians, so our Easter celebration of the passion and resurrection of the Lord is many times more intensive and beautiful in the monastery than the feast of the birth of Jesus.

But of course Christmas is beautiful: we pray a lot, we have a peaceful coming together and the young brothers sing carols to the old brothers. Christmas is a feast of harmony, and our celebration is very similar to what European families do on Christmas Eve. I am looking forward to midnight mass in our big abbey church, when hundreds and hundreds of the faithful come to celebrate Holy Night with us.

What do you hope bringing your musical prayer to the world will do for those who listen to it?
  
Chant is music for everybody. Because God is a God who loves every human being, Christian and non-Christian, believer and nonbeliever, we think our music and our prayers can bring peace to everybody's heart. Gregorian Chant is pure harmony, the harmony between man and God, and thus harmony between all of us.

Are you optimistic about the future of monastic life?

Yes, of course! Where love of God is strong, there is a strong future! As we have seen in Heiligenkreuz, God can use communities and places where He is loved to share His love with a loveless world.

Tonight's cuppa: peppermint tea

One thing's for sure about television -- it's sometimes a very long time before what I see on a set visit actually hits the airwaves.

Back in September, I headed to Pasadena, Calif.. (home of the Rose Parade and the Rose Bowl, incidentally) to meet up with the "This Old House" companion show, "Ask This Old House," in which ordinary homeowners get expert help on relatively small projects.

On hand were the regular "TOH" crew -- including senior producer/director David Vos, cameraman/director of photography Stephen "Dino" D'Onofrio (white shorts in the picture at left), production coordinator Heath Racela and host Kevin O'Connor (blue shirt and jeans)-- and a local contractor, Charles Vargas of B&M Electric in Torrance, Calif.

(For those not familiar with the Los Angeles basin, Pasadena is as far east as you can get without being in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains, and Torrance is almost as far west as you can get before you fall in the ocean).

Earlier this fall, I wrote a short syndicated piece based on my interview with O'Connor on this day -- click here for that --  but now the episode itself is airing, starting Saturday, Dec. 18. As this is PBS, check your local listings for time, date and channel in your area. Some local stations may run as much as a month behind the national premiere date.

Homeowner Stephen wanted to get rid of the fluorescent lights in the galley kitchen of his ranch-style home,  but he couldn't find a contractor who would educate him as well as trying to sell him something.

"I figured I could do the actual work myself," he says, "but I wanted to know whether what I wanted would be a good idea, what size cans to use, what kind of lights, what color lights, the placement of them."

So he filled out the form to apply to be on "Ask This Old House," and out came Vargas to help him decide what to choose.

Asked if he is B or M in B&M Electrc, Vargas says, "I am neither. B&M stands for Bill and Mike. They are the original father-and-son team, the owners. I worked for them for 15 years, and after 15 years, I purchased the company from them.

"They were ready to retire, and I was ready to keep on trucking."

Vargas showed Stephen many different kinds of lights and demonstrated a variety of ways to install them. Apparently this is not just for TV, but Vargas' standard practice - -and it has a very practical reason

"That one person talking bad about us," says Vargas, "trickles down to 20 people. So my goal is to educate people by showing them exactly what they're going to be purchasing to light up the space.

"It helps them make the most educated choice, and it also helps me in the end, because I know they picked what they liked."

So, what did Stephen pick? What challenges were there in the install? Did everyone get a good lunch? OK, even if you tune in, you won't know that last one -- but I had a grilled tuna sandwich, and it was yummy.

See below for some of the things I saw that day...

I've also been out to the current Los Angeles remodel project for "This Old House." Click here and here to see what I saw there.

Tonight's cuppa: English breakfast tea

'Tis the season for Top 10 lists, but we here at Hot Cuppa TV (which consists of me and my trusty companion, the battery-operated hamster Badger, who, frankly, is not much of a typist but is extremely good at getting stuck under the couch) are not really that organized. We're all about the comfy chair and the soothing cuppa, not getting all archival on you.

(Yes, Badger is an "Ice Road Truckers" fan. And he'd better stay that way, unless he wants to get stuck under the couch permanently.)

So, instead, I'm just going to muse about a concept that keeps bubbling up in my mind -- that moment it becomes apparent just which character a show is really about. Sometimes that's not obvious until the end, but other times it's evident right from the beginning -- and I suspect that, more than once, if the producers are seeing what I'm seeing, that it's come as a surprise to them.

And honestly, often it's a very personal thing, which means your results may vary.

For me, it's a question of which character takes the longest personal journey, feels the events of the show most deeply (in that way, they often reflect the feelings of the folks at home), or represents that unpredictable synergy of character and actor that makes for unforgettable TV moments.

Going back in TV history, I think "Hill Street Blues" was about Belker; "Homicide: Life on the Street" was about Tim Bayliss; "The X-Files" was about Scully; "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" was about Willow; "Lost" was about Hurley; "The Shield" was about the police-detective partnership of Dutch Wagenbach and Claudette Wyms; and, on the unscripted side, "Ice Road Truckers" was about Lisa Kelly, and "Deadliest Catch" was about the late Capt. Phil Harris (which makes the upcoming season without him a big challenge).

I'm a regular watcher of both NBC's Thursday comedy "Community" and The CW's Friday fantasy-drama "Supernatural," and when I think about this phenomenon, they're the current shows that leap to mind.

(BTW, if you haven't watched either show, click on the links and read up. I'm not going to give a ton of backstory to catch up non-viewers.)

For "Community," it's Abed Nadir (Danny Pudi, at right), the pop-culture-obsessed Muslim community-college film student. It's an ensemble show, and episodes that focus on other characters are fine, but "Community" has become -- at least for me -- about Abed's emotional journey. He's quickly evolved into the show's Greek chorus and conscience, as well as the source of most of its numerous pop-culture meta references.

Now, this is not to take away anything from the rest of the cast or characters -- and an abrupt shift in storytelling could change this completely -- but there's just something about the combination of the Abed character, the writing, and Pudi's performance that's so compelling that Abed has become the show's gravitational center.

This was never more evident than in the most recent episode, "Abed's Uncontrollable Christmas," in which Abed's search for meaning resulted in stop-motion-animation (and a Christmas pterodactyl).

"Supernatural' is set up as a show about two demon-hunting brothers, Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) Winchester, but I've concluded that, in essence, it's the story of Dean.

He's the show's emotional anchor, the good son and loyal brother who's followed in his father's footsteps all his life and protected his brother, even when it broke his heart or sent him to Hell.

Now, all the Sam fans may scream and yell, but again, this takes nothing away from Padalecki's performance, which has been especially impressive this season, in the episodes where Sam was without a soul.

But I'm consistently drawn to Ackles, who plays Dean simultaneously with insouciance and wounded dignity, which is a hard mix to pull off.

He's like the ragged but cocky dog you know will pee on the carpet and eat your shoes, but which you also know will guard you with his life, so you give him a bone and let him sleep near the fire anyway.

While we're at it, Castiel the Angel on "Supernatural" has earned special mention as a character who has an entire life that we never see on the show, which is at least as interesting, if not more so, than the one we do see. He pops in and out to help the Winchester boys out of a fix, then returns to his day job -- fighting a war in Heaven.

Yeah, I'd like to see that spin-off.

Also kudos to the actor who plays Castiel, Misha Collins (right), who has worn the same rumpled suit and "Columbo" raincoat during his whole run on the show and has never been anything less than fascinating to watch.

Among the fall's new shows, I find the dynamic on CBS' Monday hit "Hawaii Five-0" intriguing. Obviously, as Steve McGarrett and Danny "Danno" Williams, respectively, Alex O'Loughlin and Scott Caan are the stars of the show, and doing a bang-up job of it.

But I'm starting to think, just starting to feel in my gut, that the show may wind up being about Chin Ho Kelly, played by former "Lost" star Daniel Dae Kim (left).

A disgraced Honolulu cop with a troubled past, Kelly always draws my eye, most recently in the Christmas episode "Hana 'a'a Makehewa," in which evildoers put a motion-sensitive explosive collar around his neck.

Even though he was forced to stay in a kneeling position for most of the hour, Kim managed to convey all of Kelly's fear and courage.

The first actor cast for the show, Kim has great subtlety and emotional depth, and I'm always rooting for him. We'll see what happens.

Today's cuppa; Irish breakfast tea

Last week, I headed back to the "This Old House" project in the Silver Lake area of Los Angeles, to gather more interviews -- first on the list, master carpenter Norm Abram -- for a syndicated feature story to come out close to the premiere of the new episode cycle on Thursday, Jan. 27 (check local PBS listings for time and station in your area).

The house is slowly coming together, and they'd better keep on schedule, since a wrap party is planned for early February (and yes, HCTV is invited!).

Here's some of what I saw there (if you want to chart the progress, click here first for some shots of my first visit to the site) ...

Today's cuppa: Irish breakfast tea

You asked, so HCTV asked ...

A number of commenters on the previous post, and a few more folks on Twitter, wanted to know the fate of the black-and-white stray puppy that Alaskan trucker Lisa Kelly adopted during her adventure driving the treacherous and congested mountain roads of northern India on the just-concluded first season of History's "IRT: Deadliest Roads."

The fluffy pup was, at the end, Kelly's only companion (except for the unseen cameraman, of course) when she did a dangerous solo fuel run to help stranded villagers.

I checked with History, and spokesperson Vicky Kahn emailed back, "Lisa made sure that the dog (whose name is RANPUR) was given a great home. Ranpur has been taken in by one of the producers of the show and living in California, and is very happy and well cared for."

So there you have it, Cuppers -- a puppy facing a bleak future wandering the streets of an Indian town is now living a dog's life life in Southern California. Will pass along more details if I can get them (also trying to get a current picture, but no promises!).

Keep on truckin' ...

Today's cuppa: "donut-shop-blend" coffee (no, it's not Dunkin' Donuts blend, which isn't the same unless you buy fresh-brewed it at the drive-thru, which I can't do in L.A. *sniff*)

On Sunday, Dec. 5, History airs the season-one finale of "IRT: Deadliest Roads," which pit three North American truckers (actually four, since Canadian Alex Debogorski quit after a day) against the traffic, weather and precipitous roads of the Himalayas in northern India.

The remaining drivers are Canadian Rick Yemm (left), who's also been featured on History's "Ice Road Truckers," Alabama driver and TV newcomer Dave Redmon (right), and Lisa Kelly (below, left), who joined "Ice Road Truckers" when it shifted location from Canada to the Dalton Highway of Alaska.

Kelly is possibly the most famous resident of Wasilla, Alaska, not named Palin -- Kelly has said she's not acquainted with the city's former mayor, and the state's former governor, Sarah Palin, who has a TLC show of her own -- and the diminutive trucker has earned points for her toughness, tenacity and ability to work around her lack of physical size and big muscles when it comes to fixing her truck or getting herself out of scrapes.

With her blond-streaked hair, Kelly has attracted a lot of attention on the roads of India over the run of the series. She's learned some hard lessons in overcoming her fears and asserting herself, not only in a male-dominated profession but also in a very different society.

It hasn't been easy for any of the North American truckers, as they struggled with cultural and language barriers, rickety bridges, wood-framed trucks, horrendous traffic, dangerous storms, mudslides, rockslides, lack of pavement, lack of passing room, and the ever-present danger of getting a few inches too close to the edge and plunging down steep cliffs to their deaths (as frequently depicted in the Thom Beers Graphics of Doom).

Kelly was kind enough to answer a few email questions from HCTV about her experiences (no word yet on whether there'll be another season of "IRT: Deadliest Roads." but never count out executive producer Thom Beers -- he's always thinking).

Without further ado, Lisa Kelly ...

Q: Knowing what you know now, would you do this again?

A: I would go to India again, if I knew what I do now. I knew I was in for an education of a lifetime, and that it was something that shouldn't be passed up.

Q: Which moment were you most afraid?

A: I was most afraid when a dump truck went off the cliff an hour before I got there (and the person inside had died), and then I had to move over at the same exact spot to let another dump truck by.

Q: What did you learn from this experience?

A: I learned how most of the world lives, (so) I learned how lucky I am, and how spoiled we can be and act.

Q: What were your best and worst decisions?

A: I feel life is a series of decisions and I honestly made the best choice with the information I was given. I would most likely make all the same choices over again. I didn't regret anything.

Q: How happy were you to be driving in North America again?

A: I was very appreciative to be in the U.S. again. I had a harder time adjusting to the right-hand driving again, but I loved how quiet the roads were, and how I could just crank my tunes while driving alone. I have a much higher tolerance now for drivers here.

BTW, if you're wondering what happened to the stray puppy Kelly adopted, click here ...