November 20, 2006
TelePhillyist
What's new and/or interesting on TV this week.
He's a Bully, Charlie Brown (Mon; 8:30PM; ABC) - How is there a new Peanuts TV special out, six years after the death of creator Charles Shulz? Easy - this was created based on his last original script. This time the Peanuts group is at a summer camp and is getting pestered by a bully who also happens to be a champion marbles player. Charlie challenges him to a marbles match and begins training with Snoopy, in what we hope will be an awesome musical montage, perhaps set to the Rocky theme. (Link)
Man, Moment, Machine (Tue; 10PM-11PM; History Channel) - This sounds almost like the plot of some kind of weird alternate history novel, but apparently Abraham Lincoln actually depended on spies in hot air balloons equipped with telegraphs to help him keep track of enemy movements during the Civil War. A rarely-discussed piece of history that it might be interesting to see a special on. (Link)
Madonna: The Confessions Tour - Live from London (Wed; 8PM-10PM; NBC) - Even though it says "live" in the title, this concert was actually taped at Wembley Stadium in London. But it was taped recently, and it was a live performance... Anyway, the concert features the usual mix of recent songs and greatest hits. (Link)
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (Thu; 9PM-10PM; CBS) - The remains of a Jimmy Hoffa-type character (a wanted mobster who disappeared in the mid-70s) wash up on the shore of a lake with a bullet hole in the head, and then before you know it another body is found along with a photo of the victim with the mobster and three other men, with X's on the faces of the two dead men, suggesting that more deaths are to come. But forget all of that; the important part is that Roger Daltrey guest stars! Sweet! (Link)
UK Music Hall of Fame (Sat; 9PM-11PM; VH1) - Huh. The British have a hall of fame for music, too. Nice. This is the third annual gala, wherein folks like Bon Jovi, James Brown, Rod Stewart, Brian Wilson, Prince, and Led Zepplein will be honored. Brian Wilson will also be performing, along with Joss Stone, Patti LaBelle, and Wolfmother. (Link)
American Eats (Wed; 8PM-9PM; History Channel) - It's that time of year, folks: eatin' time! This episode of History's food-centered show looks at classic holiday foods, like roast turkey and stuffing and so forth, and some ingenious new trends, like the deep-fried turkey and the turducken. Mmm-mmm! (Link)
The Nutcracker with Mikhail Baryshnikov (Sun; 9:30PM-11PM; WHYY) - You know what else it's time for? Time to start watching the holiday specials! This is classic version of the Nutcracker, which is quite fun with all the great music, but gets real boring after the swordfight with the rat. We recommend you turn it off there. Of course, to be fair, it's hard to top a rat swordfight... (Link)
Image Credit: Flickr user madabandon
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How can you not mention A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving ?!
The much better written Gothamist mentions it in their TV preview.
What is wrong with you?
Oh, yeah they also have it on Sunday, you know the first day of the week.
Nertz: If Gothamist is much better written, why don't you just stay over there and stop bothering us? You know every time you visit our site - which you seem to hate so very very much - you're supporting us. Doesn't that upset you at all?
For your information, I do check the TV listings for the following Sunday for all of my TelePhillyist posts. And obviously I don't post EVERYTHING that's going to be on TV during the week, only the stuff that sticks out to me when I look over the schedule. I don't see why I should have to justify to you which things I choose to post, but in this case, the new Charlie Brown special was more interesting to me than the old Charlie Brown special.
I do this because you should really be more like Gothamist. They seem to have a better local spin for them than here. They actually seem to mention local programs they have on there.
You know that you can get the TV listings ahead of time on this amazing new invention they have called the Internet. You could write the thing a couple weeks ahead of time.
I'm aware of the internet. I write for it. I use TVGuide.com to do the TV listings, and I do them ahead of time. What made you think I didn't?
And I always mention anything with a local spin when I see it and it looks interesting. Which you would know if you read the column regularly.
I've got an idea. How about you write me up a sample version of what you think the TV post for Phillyist should look like? Post it here or email it to me, and we'll put it up on the site if it's any good.
Otherwise, please go to Gothamist from now on for your TV post, because telling us we suck and we're not enough like them is not constructive. Especially when your criticisms are not even based on fact.