Priorities, or lack thereof

OK, here's the deal.

Viacom is at fault over this dispute with DirecTV. I think it will be fixed. Matter of time.

But, here's the point:

Why do we care?

Don't get me wrong. When GSN (it used to be called the Game Show Network until every channel decided to go Orwellian on us) abruptly stopped showing re-runs of "What's My Line?" a few years ago, I threatened to say goodbye to pay TV forever.

Then the sun came up and I went to work.

Last night on the CBS Evening News, I saw a story about civil war in Syria. I saw a story about a guy WHO HAS NO LEGS and yet climbed Kilimanjaro.

This is an election year. (Granted, a boring one.) The next four years are as uncertain as anything we have faced in 40 years.

I know a fellow, great guy, talented musician, who takes chemo for cancer and has to deal with its aftermath every day.

What?! Your child can't watch Nick Jr.? Here's an idea: hand the kiddo a book. Last time I looked, library cards are free.

Or, how about this: switch the station to PBS...

Please excuse me if I don't get too worked up about losing a few television channels, most of which I never watch anyway.

Seems like this "uproar" says something about our priorities, or lack thereof...

Here's to a new year

Hi gang.

Hope you all are doing well. I took a little blogging break around the Christmas holiday and am now back to reality. Here's to getting through the first five-day week in awhile...

We had a good time over the weekend. I took Jenn to Ruth's Chris for her birthday. Talk about good. Talk about expensive!

But that's OK because it was a special occasion and the food really was something special. The filet was fantastic.

Saturday night Jenn's mom fixed cube steaks and roast. Winning!

Last night, my mom bought a Louis' spaghetti family pack for Jenn's third birthday dinner of the weekend. Ca-ching!

Today I'm going to go on one of my little rants. Most of you know how much I enjoy popular culture from yesteryear. One of my all-time favorite programs was the witty, urbane CBS game show of the 1950s and '60s, "What's My Line?"



GSN aired reruns for years. It was 30 minutes of genteel fun, a reminder of a time when celebrities didn't by and large dress and/or act like slobs and game show panelists and moderators could think and talk in complete sentences.

For some reason GSN suddenly stopped showing the reruns in 2009. And then, out of nowhere, they teased us around Christmas 2010 and Christmas 2011 by airing a week's worth of episodes around the holidays. You don't know how much I wish they'd bring this little gem back. Often it was an oasis in the desert, a diamond among the dregs.

Not all of us want to see Kim and Khloe in New York, whoever the hell they are, or the cast of "Jersey Shore," whatever the hell that is.

Classic game show brings early present

Got an early Christmas present the other night.

My friend, the Giant Rat of Knoxville, called to say that the classic game show "What's My Line?" has returned to the GSN lineup after an absence of a year and a half.

Whoo-whoo!

I started watching the series when I had the flu in early 2008 and couldn't sleep. Caught one of the 3 a.m. broadcasts and quickly became hooked. The game was rather simple. What made "What's My Line?" engaging was the show's erudite panel.

For years, the lineup included Hearst Newspapers gossip columnist Dorothy Kilgallen, stage and screen star Arlene Francis and sophisticated book publisher (and Random House co-founder) Bennett Cerf. Guest panelists included former "Tonight Show" host Steve Allen and comedian Fred Allen. The show's host was commentator John Daly, most famous for announcing the 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and FDR's death in 1945 on CBS radio.

The best part of the show was the weekly mystery guest, usually an entertainment personality, who would try to stump the (blindfolded) panel. Mystery guests can include everybody from Ted Williams to Eleanor Roosevelt to Ricky Nelson.

What strikes me about the show is the intelligence of the panel. Were it airing today the celebrities would be a bunch of bumbling idiots (just look at the later syndicated version of "What's My Line"). After watching a few episodes you're also reminded just how much we once valued the English language.

Set your DVR some night at 3 a.m. (Eastern) and catch this true gem from yesteryear. Thanks for bringing this back, GSN!

Where's 'What's My Line?'

So, it's funny to think about in a way, but I've found myself missing TV at home this week, waiting on the satellite guy to come hook it up.

He can't get to it until Monday. Which I thought would be fine. I have plenty of DVDs to satisfy my tube cravings, plus I figured this would give me time to get caught up on that Teddy Roosevelt book I've been neglecting.

And, sure, it's OK. But I find myself missing little things.

Back when I had the flu, I couldn't sleep one night and got into watching re-runs of the classic 1950s-60s game show "What's My Line?" My friend, who is known as the Giant Rat of Knoxville, about the same time showed me a TiVOed copy of a particular episode featuring former Senate Minority Leader Everett Dirksen.

I quickly became hooked. The game was rather simple. What made "What's My Line?" engaging was the show's erudite panel.

For years, the lineup included noted columnist Dorothy Kilgallen, stage and screen star Arlene Francis and sophisticated book publisher (and Random House co-founder) Bennett Cerf. Guest panelists included former "Tonight Show" host Steve Allen and comedian Fred Allen. The show's host was commentator John Daly, most famous for announcing the 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and FDR's death in 1945 on CBS radio.

The best part of the show was the weekly mystery guest, usually an entertainment personality, who would try to stump the (blindfolded) panel. Since I've been watching the re-runs, I've seen everybody from Gloria Swanson to Phil Rizzuto.

The Rat called last night to report that former Tennessee Sen. Estes Kefauver was the guest on last night's episode. The show airs nightly on GSN at 3 a.m. (Eastern).

And, yeah, I miss sports and the nightly news and XM radio and all the usual suspects. But I guess it says something about me that I miss those grainy black-and-white game show re-runs most.

Maybe I was born too late after all.