This past week I had more than the normal amount of time watching TV during the day. Out of 264 channels, there was nothing on. One afternoon I watched 3 very enjoyable hours of the Biography Channel. The first on Tom Clancy, the second on Stephen King, and the third on Anne Rice. All three are people who I really admire. Tom Clancy has a heart of gold I guess, even thought he acts gruff. Stephen King is just the hardest working writer ever and someone who I really admire for his frankness and his incredible talent, and Anne Rice was married to a poet and lived in Haight Ashbury for years. That in itself is very interesting. She was living there before and during the hippie times. She wrote a book, lost a child to cancer, hated San Francisco, and after a lot of perserverance, she sold her book, moved to New Orleans and wrote The Vampire series. Not an uneventful life. When we went to New Orleans, we visited the bookstore where she does her booksignings when her books first come out. It was a very small bookstore crammed with wonderful books, and I enjoyed being there very much and walked out with a calendar and an armfull of books. I will go back as soon as I can. New Orleans loves their Ann Rice, and the Vampire Lestat is one of the greatest characters ever.
Right now, on the PBS station, they are showing a series called Broadway, which is a history of Broadway musicals. I have loved watching it this week, hosted by Julie Andrews and featuring ALL the great shows and players, beginning with the Ziegfield Follies and ending with The Lion King. I especially loved seeing the segment on Sweeney Todd and Stephen Sondheim. Who would ever think that murder, mayhem and canibalism could be made into a musical? This history of Broadway is really fun, so tune in if you can.
Other than these two channels, they can keep the other 262.
Oh, yeah, the World Series starts at 8 tonight, so a reprieve on the sports channels for this week. You gotta BELIEVE. Go Sox.
