New Favorite Show

We are American Idol viewers at Rosebud, PhD's house. I know, I know, as an academic, I am not supposed to like to watch this type of programming. It is bad enough that I watch TV at all and should limit my viewing to PBS, CSpan, Book TV, and other educational programs. Mea culpa. It is one of the few reality programming we enjoy. We like The Deadliest Catch and Dirty Jobs, but I think that is it. American Idol has ended although auditions are underway for the next season already. We have to wait until January for the next season, but we are taking comfort in a BBC America program, How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria? The premise of this show is to find the "unknown" actress to play Maria Von Trapp in Andrew Lloyd Webber's production of the Sound of Music in London's West End.

I like this show for various reasons. First, the Sound of Music is one of my favorite musicals. Cliche, but true. Second, the whole thing has already been decided and broadcast on British Television. I do not know who won, nor do I want to know, but I feel somewhat relieved to know that it is all over somewhere. It is also only one day a week. American Idol takes up two nights of our weekly viewing and after viewing the contestants' performances, I have no patience for the buildup of the next evening. Just tell me already! Lastly, I like this show because it has escaped for the most part the tendency in American Idol to have an exchange between contestant and judges. There seems to be a preponderance of inexperienced and arguably unsophisticated "performers" who think they know more than the seasoned professionals on American Idol. That plus the "drama" of reality TV. I find it all very uncomfortable. No, this British program has only slightly given into that.

Each week, one Maria is voted off by the viewers. The two women who received the least amount of votes has to sing an Andrew Lloyd Webber song for the man himself (who sits in a weirdly ornate throne), who then decides on the spot who to save. In the first two go-rounds, he picked the one with the least amount of votes. The other three judges are John Barrowman (actor--Torchwood and Doctor Who, and various musical theater productions), David Ian (producer of SOM), and Zoe Tyler (vocal coach). As an American watching a British reality program, I am intrigued by the differences. We have commented that there is something 1980s about the lighting and coloring of the show, but that could just be our perspectives. As the show progresses, I also have been a bit creeped out by the male judges reactions to some of the contestants, particularly the overly sexualized comments. (Call me a prude, but they border on sexual harassment.) His Lordship, Webber in particular often makes me cringe with his leering facial expressions. The host is the irreverent Graham Norton, who is amusing and at times calls the male judges on their, ahem, behavior.

Despite this creep factor, I am fully prepared to park myself in front of the TV Sunday evening and watch the show.

Root of Some Evil, Possibly All

I read this headline about the plagiarism charge surrounding the Harry Potter series and I was flummoxed, perplexed, chagrined, and just annoyed. Plagiarism is a serious offense, one which will truly make me blindingly angry when I have found it in my students' papers. In this case, the plagiarism charges seems to be unfounded, which makes me glad. What has aggravated me here is the use of slang and very poor grammar in a headline which potentially many people will read. (I clicked the link, did I not?)

Now, did the author choose these words? Did some representative from the publishing company choose them? Either way, I feel we have sunk to a new low. I saw the movie Idiocracy a month or so ago and maybe there is more reality in that silly comedy than fantasy.

Farewell to Pushing Daisies

Saturday, the last episode of Pushing Daisies aired. I discovered quite by accident a few weeks ago that ABC planned to air the remaining episodes on Saturday evenings at 10 pm EST/9 pm CST. By accident means, I was flipping stations during that hour on a Saturday and saw that it was on and it was a new episode. Thank goodness this is one of the shows that ABC has decided to put online; so I was able to watch it and the others.

I was quite sad to learn that the show was canceled in the first place. It was a beautiful show. It was funny, clever, used wonderful language, and the storyline/concept/whatever was romantic. Yes, yes, lovey-dovey romantic, but also whimsical-romantic. There was music and singing and beautiful colors and it produced moments of true, deep sigh, happiness. Now at this point, I am sure someone (if anyone actually is reading this) is thinking, "well, that is a chick show." I suppose it could be perceived that way. It was not in the vein of Lifetime or Hallmark sappy sentimentality (which along with soap operas are other guity pleasures of mine), but more in a sweet innocence, but also wry and, Jiminy Crickets! there was good dialogue! For example, in one of the recent episodes, a main character contemplates her relationship to another and her romantic feelings for said character by discussing the mixed messages he sent her through his use of double negatives. (In one scene, she actually reads a book on double negatives.) The regular cast is wonderful, but the guest stars have been a treat as well. (The cast can be found at the ABC site, but also here.) To say that Jim Dale as narrator was delightful, is an understatement. (Dale also reads the Harry Potter books for the audio version. I strongly recommend checking them out.)

This show, and several others that I have followed, was canceled. I understand the appeal of the reality show (I spent three hours last night watching How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria on BBC America afterall), but when shows that strive to be intelligent, thoughtful, engaging, and dare I say beautiful, fail to appeal enough for networks to have faith in them, I am discouraged and wonder just how out of the cultural loop I am.

Being Me, Perfectly

I read a document the other day that had some hand-written notes on it. The typed document was a copy of a speech given at a workshop for superiors given in the mid-1960s and discussed the role of a mother provincial. The handwritten quote is:

"Do not wish to be anything except what you are and try to be that perfectly."--St. Francis de Sales.

This quote was written not just once, but twice on the document. I tried to find the origin of the quote, but have not had much luck as yet. (To be honest, I did not try very hard. I will look again.) Was the quote said when giving the speech? Did the owner of this copy of the speech think of it when she heard the speech? That it is on a speech given by a woman religious about religious life is not surprising. I, however, started thinking about the ideas in a larger context.

The first part of the quote could suggest that a person should not try to strive for more or something else than what he or she is. There is a sense of limits and limitations in these words. We are told that we can be whatever we want; there are no limits. In religious life, particularly in a pre-Vatican II Church, women religious had many restrictions placed upon them and the structure of that life extended to careers. If the community needed more teachers, then a young woman became a teacher, even if she was not possessed with the skills or talents of an educator. There is a deeper religious or spiritual element to this type of life, both then and now. But, I still have to work that part out to my satisfaction.

In the reality of religious and secular life, there are limits, but we do not like to hear that. We can be or do anything we want to do, right? Not necessarily. Not everyone has a choice in how they wish to live and be. If one looks at it from a different perspective, a person should realize what he or she is and do that well. Do not waste time trying to do something that one was not meant to do or be; be what one was called to be.

Talking about callings and vocations is not a part of normal, every-day conversation. Thinking about how I do my work and live my life, do I strive to everything well? Perfectly, even? Am I doing what I am meant to do and doing it perfectly? Do I neglect what has been given to me?

I am sure there are aspects of the meaning of this quote that I missed, but I am very aware of my limitations.

Update on Reading

Since the last post, I managed to read Madeleine L'Engle's Certain Women and I enjoyed it. Some of it went past me as I was unfamiliar with the intricacies of King David. I know David and his slaying the giant and his relationship with Bathsheba, but that is it. I walked away from this story not thinking very highly of David and all his wives and concubines. I guess there is a larger point here that escapes me. I know I should want to understand more, but I do not. Even though it has been several days since I finished this book, it keeps popping up in my mind. The characters have not left me as yet. I think that is a sign of a good book.

I moved on to Mollie Panter-Downes and then Dorothy Sayers.* This was the first time I had read either authors. Panter-Downes' collection of stories is published by Persephone Books. This press is devoted to reprinting "neglected classics by C20th (mostly women) writers." The books also have a lovely binding. I managed to read these last two because of our return trip to the Midwest. I, however, did not read these aloud to my husband as we drove. I think he was okay with that. Someone recommended Sayers to me. I love when someone suggests an author or a book and it turns out to be wonderful. It is very disappointing to read something a friend has suggested that I do not like. How do I report back to my friend that I did not like the book? What does it say about me? Or what I think of his or her taste? Then, I wonder if all the books I have recommended to others have been flops for them? What if I am burdening my friends with reading they just do not like? I doubt it will stop me from giving books to people.

But, now vacation is over and I must turn my attention to all things historical and serious. I often think that I will read fiction in the evening before bedtime, but that does not seem to happen. I usually am too tired to concentrate on more than a few sentences. It is a bit sad that I have to wait until Christmas to pick up a fiction book again, but I will comfort myself with all the lovely history I get to read.

*See the list of books read for titles.