I finally gave in. I got cable. This is a big step, you know. I grew up without cable—my parents in effect instilled in me an aversion to paying for television—and so this is practically a coming of age. I got a brief taste of it in college, when I outfitted my single dorm room with a cable-equipped TV, and now I’m rediscovering those shows I’ve missed: Comedy Central’s The Daily Show, everything on Sundance, South Park (I missed many Wednesday-night house meetings, just ’cause I couldn’t tear myself away), even the news in French on TV5.
And of course, I’m finding a whole new set of shows to be excited about. Before going to the Starpower office, I prepared myself for the hard sell. Basic cable, that’s all I want, I chanted in my head. But when they asked quite plainly what channels I wanted, I caved. Given an inch, how could I not ask for a mile? I walked out of there not only with basic, but also a package of digital channels (it was BBC America and Sundance that sealed the deal) and HBO (with all its varietals).
So, yeah. The English channel in question is BBC America. I adore it, especially Graham Norton. “It’s so unpredictable.” What else… Changing Rooms and What Not To Wear. TLC (Trading Spaces is infinitely better than While You Were Out), the Travel Channel (especially Great Hotels with host Samantha Brown, whose job I wish I had), IFC, Food Network, Cartoon Network (Family Guy every Monday to Thursday!)… My trusty TiVo and I can hardly keep up. It’s like drinking from a fire hydrant. It took me a while, but as a cable newbie I’ve come to accept the fact that yes, I am but one man cowering before a multitude of channels, and no, I cannot watch everything on TV (nor would I want to–for a start, I’ve deselected all the ESPNs and “country-music” anything from my TiVo lineup). Unless I never leave the house. Don’t give me any ideas.
By the way, Sundance is presenting a month-long queer pride film festival called “Out Loud.” Check out the schedule. I’ve already re-watched Wilde, Bedrooms & Hallways, and Get Real. I’m in heaven.
Speaking of TV, did everyone watch the Amazing Race season premiere last week? Of course you did. Isn’t it… amazing?
9 replies on “Surfing the English channel”
Not interested in Amazing Race (gasp!), but I hear you about BBC America. I have TiVo set up for Season Passes for Changing Rooms, Ground Force, What Not to Wear, Homefront in the Garden and Monarch of the Glen.
From Cartoon, I’m recording Family Guy, Futurama and X-Men: Evolution. On Food, I’m recording Good Eats and Oliver’s Twist.
After less than a week, I’m already looking into an additional hard drive for my TiVo, because the 35-hour storage just is not /nearly/ enough.
And back when I was unemployed, I gave up HBO, Showtime, and Sundance, and–so far–have resisted the urge to add them back in… but I’m wavering. I’m beginning to think we need a Multimedia Anonymous 12-step program.
Not interested in The Amazing Race?!
That’s it Jeff, he’s off the “Regular Reads”
Ha! Thom, you’re on probation.
So yeah, I have an 80-hour TiVo, and I’m always running out of space. (For you non-Tivo’ers: that just means 80 hours at “Basic Quality,” which is usually fine, but the picture can get kind of grainy. Recording at higher quality settings takes up more disk space, reducing capacity.) Well, lately I’ve been recording a bunch of movies at Best Quality, intending to transfer them to video, but of course I never get around to it. And I have a huge backlog of Will & Grace episodes that I should just let go, difficult as that may be.
“Multimedia Anonymous”… I like it. Then I can tell friends I’m in an “M.A.” program, and they’ll think I’m working on, say, an art history dissertation, when actually the all-nighters are due to an addiction to home-and-fashion makeover programming. Heh. I can stop anytime, really I can.
Dangit! You people are making me want a TiVo even more!
I’m going to have to find a friend living out of the dorms who’s got HBO next year, so I can keep up with Six Feet Under.
Thanks for clueing me in on the Sundance thing, though it should’ve been obvious… why else would they show The Fluffer? Or so I thought at first! I had heard some good reviews of it, saying that it wasn’t just a cheap softcore-porn-billed-as-a-real-movie, so I decided, despite my misgivings, to check it out (plus, your main character is cute, AND it has Josh Holland, famously known as Jackson from USA High). I was VERY pleasantly surprised (It really doesn’t have THAT much more sex than a lot of R-rated movies). Instead of a piece of fluff, I was given an excellent character piece with first-rate acting (even from a former Baywatch star!).
Now, I’ve just gotta catch Wilde, Gods and Monsters, La Cage Aux Folles, L.I.E. (again, sooo good), and Trembling Before God…
*sigh* People always say that even with satellite there’s nothing worth watching.
They lie. They just have no taste.
Heh, touché. C’est vrai, mon ami, there’s simply no accounting for taste.
Yeah, I too just saw The Fluffer. Not bad, if a little bleak. And because I have to find the Will & Grace connection in everything: The Fluffer also has Tim Bagley in a minor role; he plays Larry (the more neurotic half of Will’s gay-couple friends) on W&G.
Hehe… I noticed that too, but didn’t know his name.
I, too, found “The Fluffer” with TiVo, and will admit that I was so disappointed in its coy “no real sex” on screen rule. Bleh. It was a bit depressing, wasn’t it?
We all seem to have the same season passes, mostly–and now that TiVo is selling viewing data, I’m glad that we’re skewing the data with Graham Norton, Carol Smillie, and Sean Hayes. Soon, the media world will bow to the almighty gay dollar… soon…
I adore Great Hotels and as a result have an ever growing list of vacation spots I simply MUST get to.
I am addicted to BBC…particularly What Not To Wear…so much better than TLC version.