Tag Archives: television

Nerd Corner

Trouble On The Air Waves In America

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Yesterday, congress in the USA voted to defund Public Media in America. That means that PBS and NPR, which made up a small part of the total budget, will not receive aid from the government and that will impact Public TV and Radio stations from coast to coast. This is a problem because many of those stations provide an essential informational and instructional service to communities where there isn’t a good commercial option. Everything from news to Sesame Street will be impacted. This move is an act of political aggression if you ask me.

Then came word yesterday that Late Night with Stephen Colbert is ending after May 2026. The whole show has been canceled, and that means an essential voice in calling truth to power will go silent. Stephen Colbert always spoke truth to power, and in these days that is so needed. The parent company of his network, CBS says it’s a cost-cutting move, but that isn’t true if you ask me it’s political for sure. Colbert is a decent man with a wicked sense of humor that will be sorely missed.

It’s like some folks can’t handle the truth that comes with abusing power. To me, we are on a slippery slope, and that is never a good thing. The whole thing is wrong, and I am not happy about any of this. Now we wait for the next shoe to drop, impacting the culture of the USA.

Something About

Something About Cuts To Public Media

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I’ve said it before that cutting funding to NPR and PBS is a horrible thing. They are worth every penny in making our communities better, more informed, and connected. My local public media stations WTCI-PBS and WUTC-NPR in Chattanooga, Tennessee are vital to creating a culture where everyone can learn and grow. Without public media America is certainly not great.

For more information visit Protect My Public Media to get involved. https://protectmypublicmedia.org/

Tony's Posts

Rewatching Battlestar Galactica (2004 Series)

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Tonight, we have begun a re-watch of Battlestar Galactica from 2024 that was produced by Ronald D. Moore. This update of the late-1970s program takes a decidedly darker tone as what’s left of humankind struggles for survival against the robot Cylons, who have killed millions. The Galactica, led by William Adama, protects a patched-together fleet of civilians – led by de facto president Laura Roslin – in search of a mythical planet called Earth.

I grew up a fan of the 1978 edition, but this updated version is my favorite. It’s full of complex issues, like family, politics, survival, espionage, sociology, religion, mysticism, and more. This show has a great cast including Edward James Olmos, Mary McDonnell, Katee Sackoff, Jamie Bamber, and Tricia Helfer.

Tony's Posts

Checking Out New To Us Canadian TV – Kim’s Convenience, Hudson & Rex

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This evening, two Americans who love Canada checked out some new-to-us Canadian TV shows. We love the talented actors who tell great stories set in a country we love very much.

Our first program was Kim’s Convenience, which is about the lives of a Korean Canadian family that owns a convenience store in a Toronto neighborhood. The show features Paul Sun-Hyung Lee from The Mandalorian and lately in Murdoch Mysteries and Simu Liu, who you have seen in Marvel’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.

Then we checked out Hudson & Rex, a show about a detective who teams up with his very good boy and very trained German Shepherd Dog. John Reardon, who you might have seen in Arctic Air and Hallmark Movies, stars with his K9 companion the late Diesel vom Burgimwald. They work to solve cases and bring people to justice.

Part of my motivation was in honor of King Charles’ throne speech to Canada that happened on May 27th. Nonetheless, we look forward to seeing more of these programs and checking out others from North of The Border.

Tony's Posts

Live From New York, It’s Saturday Night Live’s 50th Anniversary

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The Season one cast of Saturday Night Live

Saturday Night Live is a venerable television institution. This long-running sketch comedy and musical series has been on American TV sets via the National Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) for fifty years. The first episode featured comedian George Carlin, Billy Preston and Janis Ian.

SNL launched the careers of John Belushi, Bill Murray, Chevy Chase, Jane Curtain, Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Adam Sandler, Jason Sudeikis, Kate McKinnon, Kristen Wiig, Keenan Thompson, Will Ferrell, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Molly Shannon, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers and many many more. At its core, it is a variety show that satires what is going on in the culture.

It is a show that always makes you laugh at first and then makes you think. Each episode has a host and a musical guest. The music is as important as the skits if you ask me. Tonight, the show will celebrate its anniversary, looking back at all the talented people and crazy stuff they have done all these fifty years. Congratulations, Lorne Michaels and company, for your amazing achievement.

Tony's Posts

A Murdoch Mysteries Mini Marathon In Honor of Canada

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We are having a three-episode binge of this iconic Canadian TV show, which features the United States in each episode. This seems appropriate in light of the tariff war with Canada and Mexico, which has been put on pause, thank goodness. This is one of our favorite series ever.